WHERE ARE YOU?
GENESIS 3:1-24
INTRODUCTION:
• The Story of Genesis 2:15-17
• Chapter 3
• 1-6 – The Temptation And Fall
o There is a play on words here. The words for crafty and naked are very similar
o Biblically speaking, nakedness could be defined as being oblivious to evil
• 7-8 – The Testimony Of Failure
• 16-19 – The Torment Of The Flesh
• 23-24 – The Truth That Is Final
Genesis 3:9 (KJV) And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
Genesis 3:9 (NIV) But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
WHERE ARE YOU? – THE CHARACTER OF GOD
• Almost begs the question, Didn’t God know where Adam and Eve were?
Genesis 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
• Verse 8 and verse 9 refer to God as the LORD God. This is God in all of his Attributes and Character
• God is both omniscient and omnipresent, so, Yes He knew exactly where they were because when He called them He had the knowledge of exactly where they were and was there with them when He called them!
• God was not searching for Adam, He already knew where he was.
• God also knew what Adam had done and those same attributes that allowed God to know where Adam was also allowed Him to know the future result of Adams actions.
o God could see and know the future effect.
o God could see and know the future price Adam’s actions would cost.
• God asks us the same question He asked Adam, Where are you?
o God is watching you every moment of every day
o God is observing you every moment of every day
o God is interacting in your life every moment of every day
o God knows the choices we make, even before we make them
o God knows the motivation of our choices, even if we try to deceive ourselves
o God knows the outcome of our choices
o God also knows the future impact of our choices
SO WHEN YOU BLOW OFF CHURCH, OR SUNDAY SCHOOL, OR PRAYER MEETING, GOD KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE AND GOD KNOWS WHY YOU ARE THEREAND GOD KNOWS WHAT YOUR MOTIVATION IS.
SO YOU NEED TO ASK YOURSELF THE QUESTION, WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN GOD’S HOUSE?
WHERE ARE YOU? – THE CONDITION OF MAN
• Why did God ask the question if He already knew the answer
• God was stirring conviction in Adam’s heart
• Bible says they were hidden – which is impossible in reality
• The issue is not that they were hidden; the issue is that they were not where they were supposed to be!
o God was in the habit of fellowshipping with man. That’s why we were created, to have fellowship with God. Where we are supposed to be is in a place of fellowship with Him.
o The fact that the Bible says God walked in the garden leads us to believe that God visited the garden in physical form
• The reason they were not where they were supposed to be is because they were not in the condition they were supposed to be in!
o Sin affects our desire to fellowship with God
o That’s why God tells David,
1 Samuel 15:22 But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
It is better to obey God in the beginning rather than asking His forgiveness later
It is better to be where God wants us to be now than to ask forgiveness for not being there later
• Today every time we shun an opportunity to fellowship with God we do the same thing Adam did
o We turn from God
o We disobey God
o We rebel against God
o At least Adam was sorry that he was not where he should have been
o Today most of us are not sorry we miss church, or Sunday school, or prayer meeting.
o Today most of us are not sorry we shirk other opportunities and times to fellowship with God
o And our inactivity AND lack of regret says volumes about our condition.
ADAM WAS NOT WHERE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BECAUSE HE WAS NOT IN THE CONDITION HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN!
WE ARE NOT WHERE WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BECAUSE WE ARE NOT IN THE CONDITION WE ARE SOPPOSED TO BE IN!
Man still tries to run away from God, to hide from Him, by:
• staying away from church.
• refusing to sit under the preaching of God’s Word.
• never seeking God.
• never reading and studying the Bible and by never praying.
• ignoring God.
• neglecting God.
• denying there is such a thing as sin, guilt, or conscience.
So, when the doors of the church are open, Where are you?
So, when your Bible sits closed on the table, Where are you?
When seats go unfilled at prayer meeting, Where are you?
When seats are empty for prayer Sunday morning before services, Where are you?
WHERE YOU ARE AND WHERE YOU AREN’T SAYS VOLUMES ABOUT YOUR SPIRITUAL CONDITION!
This is so important because
WHERE ARE YOU? – THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD
• God expects to meet you where He is
• This place in the garden was their regular meeting spot
• God expected Adam and Eve to be at their pace of meeting, and He expects us to be at our place of meeting
WHERE ARE YOU WHEN GOD EXPECTS TO MEET YOU?
WHERE ARE YOU? – THE CONSEQUENCE TO MAN
• The Bible tells us that there was a result to man’s being where he should not have been and not being where he should have been
• God drove them out of the garden
• They lost tremendous blessing by being where they should not have been when they should have been where they were supposed to be
Genesis 3:24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
• They also lost tremendous opportunity for fellowship with God
• In return:
o Adam had life and got death
o Adam had pleasure and got pain
o Adam had abundance and got toil
o Adam had fellowship and got alienation
o Adam had peace and got conflict
WHERE ARE YOU? – THE CHALLENGE TO MAN
• Are you where God wants you to be?
o Spiritually, physically
• Are where God wants you to be when God wants you to be there?
• Are you doing what God wants you to be doing when you are where God wants you to be?
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