The Curse Of Sin - Part 1 Series

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD, USA

www.mycrossway.org

View this and other messages at: https://mycrossway.churchcenter.com/channels/8118

I was reading Erwin Lutzer’s book The Serpent of Paradise, and he tells of an interesting story: There was a construction company that invited various contractors to submit bids for a major building complex. All things being equal, the contractor who submitted the lowest bid would get the job. All bids had to be submitted in secret. On the last day, a contractor walked into the office of the company his bid. To his surprise, the office was empty with the exception of a mahogany desk. Surprisingly there was a competitor’s bid on the desk. Unfortunately, there was a can of soda on the bid and it covered the competitor’s final number. If he could only see that number he could win the multi-million dollar job.

The contractor nervously paced the floor, knowing what was at stake. If he could just move the can for just a second he could see the number. He touched the can but quickly retracted his arm. He glanced around the room one more time, confident that no one was looking, he lifted the can quickly, and glanced at the number. To his shock, when he lifted the can, hundreds of BBs came out of the opened bottom, spilled onto the desk and rolled all over the floor. This was a setup. That contractor experienced the law of unintended consequences. He thought he could control the fallout of his dishonesty. One single act had repercussions he could not have anticipated, the can of soda was not as it appeared.

And that’s exactly what happened to Satan and to Adam and Eve when they set in motion a spiritual avalanche as a result of their sin. They too experienced the law of unintended consequences. Lucifer had no idea of what would be set in motion over his rebellion in heaven. And neither did Adam and Eve have any idea what would be the effect of them succumbing to the temptation.

Sin has consequences. Natural, spiritual, and eternal. Sin violated God’s law. It violated God’s nature. It violated God’s glory. It violated and destroyed paradise. It ruined the heart of Adam and Eve and catapulted the whole human race into continual decline. It gave power to the enemy, because now he had become, the god of this age, But in spite of all of those effects of sin, it’s important to remind you that man’s sin did not and does not threaten God’s sovereignty. Nor did it remove from God his nature of love and grace. Nor did it mean that God has turned His back on His people. Just as our judgment is in God’s hands, so is our redemption. Now let us turn to Genesis chapter 3 and read:

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8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:8–13 ESV)

1. The Confrontation of Sin (vv 8-13)

We open this section with Adam and Eve experiencing the first kiss of death. They have covered themselves with loincloths of fig leaves. They are aware of their sin. It is exposed and magnified. A feeling of dread, impending doom, and guilt have robbed their paradise of peace. Now their reality is compounded by the sound of the Lord as He is walking through the garden and they hide from His presence.

Up to this day, whenever they would have heard God walking in the garden, they would have run to Him. They would have rejoiced at His sounding voice. But now everything is the opposite. Now when they hear the sound of Him walking in the garden, they run away from Him to hide. There is no rush on their part to God, no outburst of love, no cry of confession, no cry of repentance, no seeking of restoration. They hide. Man is still trying to do the impossible, escape from God in God’s own garden. Like Jonah, we get on a ship and flee.