Admit Your Sin Problem Gen. 3:1-13, 22-23 Dec. 09, 2007
Introduction
I regularly ask the question, "Do you have a
problem admitting you have sinned in your
lifetime?" Many times the answer comes through a smiling face, "No, I
know I have sinned."
I ask the question that way so I will not be judgmental. On one
occasion I asked a woman who's
hair had been dyed many different times, had a cigaret in one hand a
bottle of beer in another and
she said, "I don't believe in sin." I wanted to say to her, Go look in
the mirror and you will.
I could have told her,"woman, you need to Admit Your Sin
Problem." But that is truth for all of
us.
1. Admit The . .
Initiation Of Our Sin Problem. 3:1-6
A. Initiation Through . . Deception. 3:1-3
3:1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the
wild animals that the LORD God
had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You can't eat
from any tree in
the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit
from the trees in
the garden. 3 But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the
garden, God said, 'You must not eat it or touch it, or
you will die.'"
B. Initiation Through . . Denial Of God's Word. 3:4
4 "No! You will not die," the serpent said to the
woman.
C. Initiation Through . . Distortion Of God's Word.
3:5
5 "In fact, God knows that when you eat it
your eyes will be opened and you will be like
God, knowing good and evil."
D. Initiation Through . . Desires Contrary To God's
Word. 3:6
6 Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food
and delightful to look at, and that
it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit
and ate it; she also
gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
The serpent's activities continue through
time. I like how the Book of Revelation identifies
him; "that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth
the whole world:" (Rv 12:9 KJV). He uses the same methods of denial,
deception, and distortion, throughout history. He
deceived Eve concerning what God said, then he made a flat out denial,
and distorted what God
said. Does that sound familiar? Of course human desire comes in to
play, and Eve yields to the
deception because of her desires.
2. Admit The . .
Influence Our Sin Problem. 3:7-8
A. Sin's Influence Of Trying To . . Cover Sinful
Nakedness. 3:7
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and
they knew they were naked; so they
sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
B. Sin's Influence Of Trying To . . Conceal Sinful
Nature. 3:8
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the
LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the
evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees
of the garden.
Adam and Eve discovered they could
not do the impossible and
cover their sinful acts. The coverings they made did not fool God.
Their attempt to hide from God by concealing themselves
also failed. All of us at sometime tried to hide our sin from someone.
My mother always knew when I did wrong. It must have shown
on my face. Adam and Eve's sin must have
completely changed the atmosphere, and God knew immediately what they
did. Their nature
change, and it affected everything influencing a relationship with one
another and the Lord.
3. Admit The . . Inquiry
Of Our Sin Problem. 3:9-13
A. God's . . Personal Inquiry About Sin. 3:9-11
9 So the LORD God called out to the man and said to
him, "Where are you?" 10 And he said, "I heard You in
the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid."
11 Then He asked, "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from
the tree that I had commanded you not to eat from?"
B. God's . . Penetrating Inquiry About Sin. 3:12-13
12 Then the man replied, "The woman You gave to be
with me -- she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I
ate." 13 So the LORD God asked the woman, "What is this you
have done?" And the woman said, "It was the serpent. He deceived me,
and I ate."
There will always be an inquiry about our sin. It may come
after we think we escaped notice
but it will come. The inquiry came very soon for Adam and Eve. It was
and will be a personal
inquiry. Everyone will give an account of their sin. Did you note the
penetrating quality of the
inquiry about sin? Adam and Eve were asked directly as God probed for
their answers, and
admissions. Do you notice how Adam and Eve wanted to blame someone else
rather than taking
the responsibility for their actions?
4. Admit The . .
Isolation Of Our Sin Problem. 3:22-23
A. Sin Isolated Man Through . . Separation. 3:22
22 The LORD God said, "Since man has become like one
of Us, knowing good and evil, he must not reach out, and
also take from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever."
B. Sin Isolated Man Through . . Struggles. 3:23
23 So the LORD God sent him away from the garden of
Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. HCSB
Adam and Eve's sin caused a separation for
themselves with one another and God. Sin
always makes a separating affect. Sinful actions may draw temporary
friends, but not long-lasting ones. Alcohol drinkers do not flock
around the one who constantly gets drunk. He is an
embarrassment to them. The same is true of the users, and pushers of
drugs. The finished
product is never an attractive example. It is best to very early agree
with God and, Admit Your
Sin Problem. Amen? Amen!
