Sermon Notes July 31, 2011 FBCam
Why it Hurts
Genesis 3:16-19
CS Lewis, in “The Problem of Pain,” writes:
“When I was an atheist, if anyone had asked me “why do you NOT believe in God, my reply would have been.... PAIN.. [People] cause pain by being born, and live by pain and in pain they mostly die..... If you ask me to believe that this is the work of a benevolent and omnipotent spirit, I reply that all the evidence points in the opposite direction. Either there is no spirit behind the universe, or else a spirit indifferent to good and evil, or else an evil spirit.” (C.S. Lewis, “The Problem of Pain,” 1-3).
We see pain all around us. In peaceful NORWAY, where Anders Behring Breivik massacred over 70 people. At the Holocaust museum and the rooms filled with the shoes of thousands of victims gassed to death. On a mssion trip to Newark. NJ. There, in the park at the projects, I listened to the sad story of an 8 year old boy who told me “my brother was shot here 2 weeks ago.”
Every funeral, every bee sting, every broken bone, every bout with a stomach virus is a reminder that our world is decaying, broken and often filled with pain.
Our modern society has SOFTENED the BLOW of PAIN in many ways. We expect that the doctor or hospital will be able to fix our problems, regardless of their severity. Advances in medicine cause us to assume that there must be a pill that can fix our problem. But the marvels of modern medicine are not common throughout the world, nor have they been the norm for most of human history. Imagine how much more our predecessors considered the problem of a pain filled world when there were no vaccines or antibiotics, or anesthesia.
For many, suffering and sorrow are an excuse to REJECT GOD.
TODAY, I would like to examine the SOURCE of PAIN, the REASON for PAIN
the PROMISE that our PAIN will END. This is not a theodicy. The world theodicy comes from 2 Greek words. Theos, meaning God, and Dikaios, meaning righteous. A theodicy is an argument to defend the righteousness of God in the light of pain and suffering. That is an important task but beyond our text today.
When we consider pain, there are three particularly painful areas of life: our relationships, our work and finances, and our health. The pain that we experience in each of these areas of life can be traced to the judgments that God delivered after the fall. This sermon will examine each of these judgments and the pain that lingers today because of them.
The first is The Judgment on the WOMAN. Genesis 3:16 "To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
This judgment is part of the reason why there is so much pain in our relationships. Previous in this chapter, two additional Judgments were delivered by God, the judgment on the SERPENT and the judgment on SATAN.
Now in Genesis 3:16 the Lord delivers His JUDGMENT on the Woman. The first part of this is physical. There will now be pain in childbearing. DELIVERANCE from the CURSE would come through birth, BUT there would be PAIN in birth.
The second part of the judgment on the woman is relational. “Your desire will be for your husband.” I believe that this is a prediction that after the fall, there will be a constant struggle between the sexes for leadership and authority. Eve violated the authority of her husband in independently eating of the forbidden fruit. Now the submission husband’s leadership will become a difficult task for the woman.
The reason that I take this line of interpretation is twofold. The first is exegetical. The word desire means that the woman will want what the man possesses. This text includes the same word structure as Genesis 4:7. Speaking to Cain, the Lord says, “it (sin) desires to have you, but you must master it.” Sin was appealing to Cain in a way that would dominate him. Eve would and her descendants will suffer from the DOMINION DESIRE. There would be a struggle for authority in human relationships. This would effect the relationship between men and women. In the New American Commentary, Kent Matthews follows the same interpretation when he writes, “The “desire” of the woman is her attempt to control her husband, but she will fail because God has ordained that the man exercise his leadership function.” K. A. Mathews, NAC).
My second reason for following this interpretation is practical. We can see the struggle to dominate as a common human experience. Paul writes ib 1 Tim 2:15 “women will be saved through childbearing...” I believe that this text reflects that the best way to diminish the “dominion desire” is through the structure of a Christ Centered home.
This EPIC BATTLE between the sexes has been great cause of PAIN through human history. Divorce. Broken Hearts. Men who ABUSE women through their brute strength. In practically every society, men have subjected women through their superior physical strength. But men are not the only ones who seet to control the opposite sex. Women attempt to CONTROL MEN through their seduction. John Piper writes, “If you have any doubts about the power of sinful woman to control sinful man just reflect for a moment on the number one marketing force in the world — the female body. She can sell anything because she knows the universal weakness of man and how to control him with it. The exploitation of women by sinful men is conspicuous because it is often harsh and violent. But a moment’s reflection will show you that the exploitation of men by sinful women is just as pervasive in our society...... (John Piper, May 21, 1989 “Manhood and Womanhood - Conflict and Confusion after the Fall”)
How do women control men?
The first and most obvious way is through their SEXUALITY.
Provocative touching
Provocative talking
Provocative teasing (clothing)
The wisdom literature warns a young man of the dangers of a provocative woman.
Proverbs 6:23–29 "For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life, keeping you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of the wayward wife. Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes, for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? " "So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished. "
Proverbs 7:21–23 "With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk. All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life. "
A second and more subtle way of captivating a man and controlling him is through FLATTERY. A young girl fawns over a boy’s massive muscles. She reels him in with her flattering words that build up his ego and knock down his defenses. Like an animal lured by a snare, he is on his way to entering into the trap of seduction. He will give away his freedom because his passions have taken control.
But the most subtle way of captivating a man and controlling him is through SYMPATHY. Where the defenses of many men are aware of the overtly sexual seduction, or even the woman who uses flattery to bind him, the woman who can gain a man’s sympathy will undue his defenses just as quickly.
And so, the pain of relationships, divorce, fighting, anger, abuse, distrust, can all be traced to the sin of Adam and Eve.
The next Judgment is the judgment on the EARTH. This reality effects our WORK and all that relates to the realm of finances and sustaining our lives.
Genesis 3:17–19 "To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. " "It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. " "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” "
Our work, income, and jobs are a great source of PAIN. We wake every day, go to work, try to do our best. We labor and toil. Sometimes there is great reward, but many times there is also great concern and difficulty.
I love to garden. It’s a great hobby, but one in which there is much work. There are so many things that can go wrong with in a garde. Take my plum trees, for example. If my two trees do not blossom at the right time they will not cross-pollinate, and there will be no fruit. Or if a frost comes after the trees blossom there will be no fruit. Or if an insect comes and lays an egg in each piece of fruit they will contain an unappealing maggot. Or other insects come along and ruin the fruit in a variety of other ways. Or blight, or blossom rot, or any variety of diseases. It’s a miracle that there is any fruit at all! And it’s all a reminder of the curse on the ground, making the sustaining of life a difficult task.
Gardening is even more complex. Every gardener knows the difficulty of keeping weeds out of their garden. One gardener wisely said, “When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant. ~Author Unknown (quotegarden.com)
Humorist Dave Berry wrote, “Crabgrass can grow on bowling balls in airless rooms, and there is no known way to kill it that does not involve nuclear weapons.” ~Dave Barry (quotegarden.com)
The curse assured that there would be a constant need to WORK, and this is a part of the pain of life. It is referred to in Rom 8:20-22, “the creation groans as in the pains of childbirth.” The creation is groaning. The earth cries out for liberation from the bondage that was brought upon it through the curse.
The EARTH CHANGED after the fall.
To the BEE God added the STINGER
To the VIPER, God added VENOM
To the WOLF, God added FANGS
To the GRIZZLY, God added CLAWS
The final judgment that we see is the Judgment on MAN - effecting our LIVES and causing DEATH. “until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Gen 3:19
God fulfilled what he promised in Gen 2:17 “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Man ate, and then began to experience death. One day, Adam died. Genesis 5:5 "Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died. "
The theological implications are given in Romans 5:12 and 1 Corinthians 15:21 "For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.”
Romans 8:23 "Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. "
All of our suffering. Sickness. Illness. Death. The reasons are given now.
The REASON for PAIN
The FIRST reason for pain is that it is part of God’s JUDGMENT. Called the CURSE. Revelation 22:3 "No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. "
The SECOND reason for pain is that we might KNOW GOD. God does not enjoy inflicting pain, but it is often the only tool that causes enough disruption in our lives to make us reflect on our own mortality and the things that are really important. Psalm 119:71 "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. "
Christianity is not the conclusion of a philosophical debate on the origins of the universe. It is a .... historical event [when Christ came into the world.] It is not a system into which we have to fit the awkward fact of pain. It is itself one of the awkward facts which have to be fitted into any system we make. In a sense, [Christianity] creates rather than solves the problem of pain, for pain would be no problem unless side by side with our daily experience of this painful world, we had received what we think a good assurance that [God] is righteous and loving. (CS Lewis, 14)
If there were no God, we would not be discussing the problem of PAIN. Pain would not be a problem. We would be just like the animals.
If God were not GOOD, we would not be discussing the problem of PAIN
ANIMALS are non-moral. Their PAIN is ONLY physiological.
They don’t cry.
They are not offended.
They do not get embarrassed.
They do not worry.
You might think that your dog is smart, but he is not concerned with the Nation’s DEBT LIMIT. He is not offended that OJ Simpson and Casey Anthony got away with murder.
The THIRD REASON for PAIN is To KEEP us HUMBLE. 2 Corinthians 12:7 "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. "
Pain also allows us To COMFORT OTHERS. 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, " "who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
When will discover the End of our PAIN? Ever since the fall and judgments, God has been working through human history to deliver us from the pain caused by the curse. His plan is to liberate this world and to redeem those who choose to worship and serve him. He will be glorified as he is worshiped forever by those whom he redeemed from the curse. Notice how the last chapters of the Bible demonstrate how God restores all things to the beauty he originally created - without sin and without the curse.
Revelation 22:3 "No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. "
Revelation 21:4 "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” "
Revelation 7:16–17 "Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. " "For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” "
God’s desire is to restore all things to the original status of beauty and innocence. He will do this in eternity for all those who trust him. But he will also begin that work now, while we are still living in a sin-cursed world. He will restore relationships for those who have trusted him and will follow his design. He can make your home a little bit of heaven if you will follow his commands. He will give you comfort through the pain of work problems, physical problems, and even relationship problems. He will help you to be able to set your eyes on heaven, and until you get there, He will walk with you giving peace to your heart.
It all begins when you trust Him.
1 Peter 2:24 "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. "
