Broken Relationship

Genesis chapter 2. Going to be taking my scripture verse reading reading something very familiar. And I I I love that we have an opportunity to revisit truths that are in the scripture. What I mean by that is sometimes it's good to go back and just remind yourself of of not only his faithfulness, but things that are in the scriptures that are for you. And we we all like to have that new revelation, that new opportunity to discover a nugget in the in the scriptures. Nobody loves that more than me. I love you guys have been around here for a while. You know, I love finding those little subtle things there in the scriptures and and digging into it and finding some new way of looking at a a verse of scripture and having fresh revelation. But I also know sometimes there's there's a benefit of just go back and revisiting the simple truth that God loves you >> and he desires to have a relationship with you. And that I feel like because of all that we have in our world that's vying for our attention and everything that's trying to captivate us that often times we can miss these beautiful things that are just right in front of us that we're like we know it. We know that it's there but we don't always appreciate it maybe as well as we should. And I've used many examples through this through the years of my teaching and preaching.

You know it's it's amazing how much you enjoy walking until you can't walk. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Anybody maybe twisted your ankle or stubbed your toe one time and you don't really think about it, right? Until you can't. And then you're like, "Man, if I could just walk again." All right. How about this? You remember when the seasonal allergies kick in and you're like, "If I could just breathe out of both nostrils for 10 minutes." >> Yeah. I know it's kind of funny, but there's a reality, right? When you're just laying there, you're like, "This is miserable." How often, now I'm going be serious with you. How often do you and I forget about how much he desires to be in a relationship with you? That he is relentlessly pursuing after you. It's like we have these experiences with God. We'll have times where we get lost in his presence, but I don't know that we always appreciate it as much as we should. And as I read through the Psalms, I see examples where David says things like, "Lord, don't hide your face from me." I mean, you think about that. He's asking, "Lord, of all the things that you could give me in my life, I could do without any of those. As long as you don't take your face away from Lord, I want to be able to look at you and to see you looking back at me, to feel your presence because he had taken it for granted." Today, I want to talk about broken relationships.

Genesis chapter 2, where I'm going to take us through scripture reading. It's something that's probably familiar to most who've been around church for a while, but if you haven't, this may be new, and I hope I can unpack it for you today. Broken relationships. Genesis 2, verse 15. And then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden, you may freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat. For in the day that you eat it, eat of it, you shall surely die." God, I'm so thankful that you were with us today in this place. from the earliest hours of the morning when I walked on campus, I could feel you here, close and near to us. I pray for the next few moments, Lord, that we would let our guards down, that we could be sensitive and receptive to all that you want to not only teach us, but do through us and around us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Broken relationships, they're messy and often times they are painful. They have this ability to create distance where closeness once existed and they never benefit either party that's involved. Anyone who has ever experienced a fractured relationship or a broken marriage or a strained family relationship understand this truth that when a relationship breaks often times there's something that breaks inside of us.

There's a piece of us that that we feel like is missing. Something that's just not right or the way it should be. But the first broken relationship in human history didn't happen between two people. It took place in a garden between mankind and God. It was in the Garden of Eden that man's relationship with his creator became fractured through what we call sin. What had been perfect and what had been fellowship was suddenly interrupted. And what had been openness became something that was hiding. And what had been trust became fear. And in that moment in Eden, it set the stage for the entire story of redemption to unfold. The reason Jesus came to us in the first place was to restore back a broken relationship. It was Jesus himself who said this in John 19 and verse number 10, for the son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. You may be asking what was lost. It was the relationship that was lost. That walking with the with the Lord on a daily basis in the in the early morning time and in the evening that was lost. Sin had fractured the relationship. It it had severed what had once existed. So Jesus came to restore that back. Salvation has always been, ladies and gentlemen, about restoration and bringing back what sin drove apart. And this driving force that's behind restoration has never been condemnation.

Never has it been condemnation. It has always been and it will always be love that drives the reconciliation process. Love, the fact that God loves us. >> And I don't feel like we always appreciate it as much as we should. The principle of salvation will always be built on love and mercy and forgiveness. Anything short of that misses the entire point of redemption. John 3:16, probably the most memorized and quoted verse in all of scripture. says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but through the world it might be saved." Did you catch that? There it goes against the thought of condemnation. He did not come to condemn. He did not come to condemn. Say that he didn't come to condemn but through the world through him it might be saved. This tells us something about how important this is to the heart of God. And I feel like I need to make sure I set this narrative correctly because I know that in my time of ministry, my 30 plus years of working in ministry, this is a truth amongst all of humanity. There's times when we do things and we find ourselves in situations where we are not proud of what has happened or what we have done or decisions we have made and we feel guilt and shame for what has happened, what has taken place.

I don't feel like there's there's a person in this room or anybody listening online that can't identify with what I just said. we that we do something we know we shouldn't do or act in a way that we know is not proper. We feel that shame and reproach that is there. But what you're going to see is from the very beginning of sin has always caused us to try to run and hide from God when we should do the exact opposite of that feeling. Why would we ever run away from God? Why would we why would we ever turn away from the one who has the ability to take care of the problem that we created or the situation that we're dealing with? When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden, God did not come storming through and eaten in rage. He didn't come through looking to to to take a big stick and crack him in the head. He he we we see the countenance or the account when he comes in. He asked he says, "Adam, where are you?" That's not he didn't know geographically where Adam was at. He knew where he was at, but he was saying in the relationship, "Where are you at, Adam? What has happened? What has transpired? What has taken place?" Because what I have often felt as a CLOSENESS BETWEEN YOU, NOW THERE'S DISTANCE. When I when I walked into the garden where you were always normally STANDING, YOU'RE NOT THERE NOW.

Where are you, Adam? Where are you? Where are you, sir? Where are you, madam? Where are you in your relationship with God? Do you know? Do you know? Are you aware of where you are? Or are you in hiding? Are you lying to yourself? When I hear this voice, Adam, where are you? It's the voice of a grieving father. You can hear the sorrow that's in the question. God knew where Adam was, but he was no longer relationally where he needed to be. Sin had created a distance. In human terms, when I think about this, the best way I know to describe it for you and I to get our mind around it is God's heart was broken. His most prized creation, mankind, had become disobedient. How willfully chose to go against God's directive. His heart was broken. A broken relationship does something powerful. It does not provoke revenge. Instead, it we see here and throughout the entirety of scriptures, it didn't provoke revenge on God. Instead, it summoned his love. It activated his forgiveness and it puts grace in motion. Before sin ever entered into human story, God had established, ladies and gentlemen, what I would term the boundaries of relationships. Did you know relationships need to have boundaries? Every relationship that's going to be good and going to be successful has to have boundaries established. I don't care. You cannot name a relationship that doesn't have boundaries.

If it's going to be healthy and if it's going to be successful, it has to have boundaries. In our relationship, in our walk with God, there has to be boundaries. And guess who gets to set the boundaries? Not you and I. Because we're flawed. We're broken. It's always God who establishes the boundaries. He did so in the very beginning. In our opening scripture, we see God giving Adam instructions concerning the tree of knowledge and of good and evil. Theologians give this a name for this arrangement called the Edenic covenant. Covenant can be defined as simple terms a binding arrangement between two or more parties that governs their relationship. God in my mind as I read through scriptures and I feel like if you were honest you'd feel the same way but I feel like he was pretty clear and pretty straightforward. I don't feel like he was he was trying to do a cloak and dagger or trying to hide what he was asking of mankind. He said man is free to enjoy the abundance of the garden. every tree, every provision, every blessing, but there was one boundary, one tree. Adam refrained from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Life would continue in perfect fellowship with God. Endless life would be sustained by the provision of the garden if he just stayed away from the one tree. The punishment that followed was not based on eating a piece of fruit, but on the rebellion against the word of God.

The punishment was based on rebellion and disobedience. Please know it wasn't the eating of the fruit. It was the disobedient act that led them to do that. God takes disobedience very seriously. Always has, ladies and gentlemen, and he always will. He has not changed his mind. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. From the very beginning of scripture, God made it clear that obedience is not optional in a relationship with him. It's not optional. It's not negotiable. It's not based on how you feel or how you view it. It's based on how he has always defined it. When we obey God, we are saying, God, I trust your wisdom that it is greater than me. I trust your boundaries to protect me. I trust your word where it leads me, even if I don't understand. Because ladies and gentlemen, obedience has always been about trust. I trust even if I don't understand. I trust even if I don't understand. Now, you and I, we we believe this principle even though we don't always live it out. Especially those of us who have ever parented or you have ever been in charge of little ones. They don't always understand the bigger picture that is there. How many of us have had little ones who who wanted to do something, didn't see the bigger danger that was there, and you said, "Look, you can't play over there.

You can't go over there." But and what they instinctively whatever you tell them not to do, where do they go? Well, why can't I go over there? I wouldn't even have thought about going over there if you wouldn't have pointed out there wasn't over there to go. I almost feel like the same thing took place in the Garden of Eden. I didn't know I wanted that tree until you told me that tree I couldn't have. And now of all the other trees, the only tree I think about is the one you told me I can't. Isn't that been the conundrum, the problem that you and I have always faced in our life? But it's a matter of trust with our kids. We say, "Look, I know I could I could try to explain this to you, but you don't have the ability to comprehend in the moment what's going on. You don't understand that there's traffic or there's a ledge. You're not where you need to be to comprehend. You're going to have to trust me." Now, we get this, right? We we adults in the room, like our kids are all over next door enjoying their their worship service right now. So, for the most part, everybody in this room can somewhat identify with what I just described. But let me ask you this question. If we see that transpire in front of us, why is it that we tend to push back in our relationship with God when God says, "I need you to trust me that you can't do those things.

Don't act like you don't struggle with that. Don't let me be by myself today up here saying I'm the only one that struggles with this." You know good and well that there are things that you wrestle with that you you yourself as you go through scriptures find some verses that have been taught and and there and you don't say to yourself, well, I just don't get that. I just don't I just don't get that. Why why why would God say that? I don't I don't see a rationale. I don't know why that applies in my in my circumstances, in my situations. that that we we collectively we I put myself in there with with all of us that we the creation would look at the creator and say say I don't think you understand don't act like you haven't had that conversation with him don't you dare you know you have you may not have verbalized it but you sure thought it that we God if you only knew God if you only realized that if you only could see as if he doesn't see as if he doesn't No, he does. But it comes down to this. Will you trust? Will you trust even when you can't see? I'm letting that hang out there for just a minute because it's it's intended for you to reflect. Well, we're real good when I can see it.

When someone says, "This is what we do." I'm like, "Oh, that makes sense. I see it." But often time, God says, "I just need you to keep walking." Well, where am I walking? You need to trust. You need to take the next step. Now, many of us in the room, as I talked about earlier, I kicked this message off. I said that he has been faithful. I can look backwards in my life through every every trial and every battle, every circumstance, and I can say that God showed up on time. He he was there and had provision and protection when when I needed him. I didn't always like what I went through, but I'm still here. I'm still here. I may be a little bit scarred. I may be having a limp in my walk. I may not be all that I was, but I'm still here. If the enemy had his way, you wouldn't be here. You would not be in this room. You would not be breathing. But thanks be to God that he's faithful and true. And that means at some point, you just have to look back and say, "You have been faithful. What gives me reason to doubt that you won't continue to be faithful if I can be obedient? But every day brings a new challenge. Every day brings a new opportunity for you and I to declare who is Lord, me or God.

Disobedience says, "I think I know better than God." And that's exactly what happened in the garden. When Adam and Eve ate from the tree, they weren't just breaking the rule. They were rejecting God's authority. No, they weren't. Yes, they were. They were rejecting his authority. They were choosing independence over the relationship. I've said this before. I remember my girls being little and trying to help them and they would do that whole thing. You know, they're just beginning to form sentences, right? Those of us who have had multiple kids, you remember your first kid, you do everything to get them to talk and you're like to correct them. Like, no, you don't say it that way. You say it this way. By the time you get to the third one, you don't encourage anything. You don't want them to move. Like, don't teach them to walk. No, no, no, no. Don't do that. They go they go places. Don't teach them to talk. They talk back. I remember our girls many times they'd be trying to help and they like they do that whole little that whole body rejection. You me can do it. Me can't do it. You ain't big enough to do anything. No me can do it. And we as adults really struggle with me can do it. We declare that our judgment is better than God's. In this situation in the garden, the consequences of their sin, it was immediate because there was a cost that that took place.

A fracture began in that moment. Innocence was lost. Shame entered the hearts. Fear replaced fellowship in that moment. The very evidence of sin in human history was not violence, ladies and gentlemen. It was not corruption. It was not chaos. The immediate result was hiding. Genesis 3:8. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And Adam and his wife, look at that, hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Their first action after they made the mistake was to hide the relationship that once drew them towards God now all of a sudden was causing them to be driven away from God. That's what sin does. It breaks what God created to be whole and unique every time. Sin fractures the relationship every time. That's why you feel that sting that is there. But our flesh says run. But if you have his spirit in you, his spirit says no, go to him. Cuz by yourself, you cannot fix a thing. From that moment forward, humanity has lived with the consequences of that broken relationship. But maybe you asked this question, but why not knowledge? What was wrong with knowledge? What was what was wrong with that? Why did God have this? I want you to know, ladies and gentlemen, every time you read the scriptures, and I've spent my life in this book dedicated to its study, there's there's something that is a universal truth about it.

God has always had something that distinctively belong to him alone. Always. Because the relationship is built on trust. Why didn't God want Adam and Eve to have the knowledge of good and evil? If we use conventional wisdom, which is where we sometimes fall, and some common sense, which really isn't common anymore, we'd say to ourselves, "Isn't all knowledge good?" But God forbade this knowledge to mankind. So why? If we think about it for just a minute, what was up with this scenario? Adam and Eve already knew good because they knew God. They had access to him. They had a daily walk with him. So they had connection to the good. So they was not needing a reconnection to good. They already had the connection with good that was there. God was trying to protect them from knowing about the evil. Now logically we' be like, well why would he do that? Wouldn't he want them to also know about the evil if they knew about the good? But remember as I was talking about children while ago, it wasn't that he was trying to prevent them from ever knowing about this, but as they matured in life, he would begin to describe to them about the importance of understanding the effect of evil. I can tell you all day long, don't touch the hot stove. As a kid, you can say, "Don't touch the hot stove.

It'll burn you." But they don't always understand what burn means. But let them touch the hot stove one time, and what happens? They won't touch it again. Yeah, but they also deal with a scar. See, in our minds, we're like, they they should be able to just have this knowledge that was there. Again, you're using your logic and your understanding, your finite limited abilities. But God in his infinite wisdom had this understanding that I have to show you some things in time. You have a connection to me. I am good. And in time, I will describe to you what is bad. So, here's the deal. Everything in the garden is free for you to use except this one tree. I don't want you to go. I don't want you to be and I don't want you to partake of that tree because if you do, if you do, death comes. So, here's where they are as he's trying to work through this thing. And we we we we struggle with this. From a modern viewpoint, theologians translate the knowledge of good and evil as the knowledge of the union of good or the confusion of good and evil. In other words, God knew that if Adam and Eve ate from the tree, they would be confused about the good and the evil and would internalize this confusion. And that's what happened since that day to this, ladies and gentlemen.

It has turned God's moral law from something as an objective set of decrees into a subjective array of shades of gray. That we use it when it's convenient to us, but when I disagree with it, I can ignore it. It's subjective to what I feel. We wrestle with it internally inside oursel when God never intended to be that way. He intended it to be objective, defined, and set. Don't eat of the tree. Jesus's words, you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free, make a whole lot more sense from the perspective. To really understand the truth, you have to have a relationship with him. Otherwise, what we deal with and what we wrestle with and what we are experiencing in our culture today is people who are dealing with a fluid truth. I'm going tell you what, truth doesn't change. >> Truth is always truth. >> Truth was was someone before it was a doctrine. And if you're going to understand truth, you have to have a relationship with him. And if you're going to have a relationship with him, that relationship is going to be built on trust. Which means there's going to be some things that you're going to have to be obedient to. It's not going to be defined on your terms. It's just not. It's going to be defined by his. And that's where we struggle. I heard it said this one time one one way by a preacher.

It was actually brother brother J. Mark Jordan from Ohio. They quoted him directly. Perhaps the first humans had an abstract view of evil. During Adam's long association with God, the subject of evil undoubtedly came up. This intellectual knowledge of evil, however, had no real impact on the lives of Adam and Eve. It was only when they ate of the tree that the abstract became concrete and that reality smacked them in the face and caused them to do what? What was their reaction? What did they go do? So the very person that needed to be involved in their life, the very one God they went and hid from because sin caused confusion to enter into their hearts and minds because of this idea that evil changed into the experience of evil. The misleading thing about the taste of evil is that it is deceptive. The fruit of the tree appeared to be harmless. We see this in Genesis 3 verse number 6. Listen to these words. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes and the tree was, look at that word. What's that word right there? Desirable to make one wise. She took of its fruit. Immediately they lost their innocence. Immediately they lost their innocence and they went and they hid themselves from God. They did not, however, die on the spot.

They lived a few hundred years after that. Such is the nature of sin. Listen to me. I'm slowing down on purpose because I want you to absorb what I'm about to say to you because this is so critically important in your walk with God. They did not die immediately. Heard brother Hughes one times in a men's conference preach about this. It sounds like something to be preached in a men's conference. He said he watched Eve take a bite and didn't say a word because in his mind he had a few more ribs to go. I'm not saying I agree with that. That's what brother Hugh said. Don't quote me on that. But he also said this. But when she didn't die, he willingly ptook. See, this is what happens with us, right? we we we see the word of God or we'll hear someone teach or preach the word of God and lays out boundaries for us to be obedient in and then we find ourselves stepping across the boundary for whatever reason and we don't die and then what happens inside our minds is we begin to rationalize well maybe God approves because he didn't say anything and his silence becomes consent in our hearts and our minds I'm going to tell you God doesn't change his mind about what he feels when it comes to sin. He doesn't. But we will struggle with this because we're not immediately struck down.

And then we can convince oursel that, well, it was just not what he meant. It was it was meant for that time. It was meant for that church. It was meant for that culture. It doesn't apply to me. Listen to me. There were ceremonial laws that were there that no longer apply to us. But God's moral law has never changed. >> You guys are pitiful. I'm going to go over here. There are ceremonial laws that we no longer live under, but God's moral law has never changed. >> Yeah, better. You guys should pay attention. God's moral law has never changed. If he said it was an abomination, it is still an abomination. >> It doesn't matter what culture says or what government says or what the Supreme Court says or what anybody else says online or blog post that comes up or social media p. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. It's still an abomination to God. He still has expressed his feelings just because he hasn't struck them dead. Is that how you want God to operate? That every time you mess up, you just fall over dead? Because if that's the case, it'll be an empty room today. >> Thanks be to God for his mercy and grace that's new every morning. I'm thankful to have that grace in my life because I need it. MAYBE YOU DON'T, but I'm not that good a human being.

I need it every day of my life. I'm thankful that he doesn't strike me dead, but he hasn't changed his mind on how he feels about the wrongs that are there. HE'S STILL A GOD OF PRINCIPLE. And if you really think about it, you want him to be a God of principle. You want him to be committed to his word. So do NOT TAKE HIS SILENCE AS CONSENT that he approves of your bad decisions when you know his word has already spoke about it. >> Sin never shows you the backyard. It always shows you the glamour of the front door. But we just sitting in a room. Not I'm I'm talking about what I'm talking about right here in this room. We have we are in a room full of witnesses that have lived out how sin has scarred us. There are testimonies in this room today that that would make us all weep about what sin has done when we walked away from being obedient. So let me ask you then, why do we still do it? The enemy is there. Are you guys okay? >> The enemy is there. That I I know I have one of those minds that likes to ask a lot of questions. And if I was parenting me, I wouldn't like me very much. Sorry, my youngest is up here. I was giving her a little wink because I am parenting me in some ways.

Just me in a dress with long hair. I like to ask questions. I like that when I things don't make sense, I have a hard time. I do. I'm just going to I'm just going to be transparent about me. If if I can't get my head around it, I have a hard time being obedient to it. And if I think the rule is stupid, I can disobey that rule because that's a dumb rule. Do I speak the truth? >> Yeah. My wife's like, "You can't do that." that I'm like, "Why?" She's like, "Because it's illegal." I'm like, "To who?" But let's be serious for just a minute. I struggle in this sometimes. Why? Why? Why was the serpent in the garden? Why, sister Bran? Have you ever thought about that? There's been like every time I come to Genesis, I'm like, "Why is this dude here? because it was paradise, right? And I don't know about you, but my version of paradise doesn't have snakes. >> And it doesn't have spiders for sure. There ain't no spiders in paradise. In my paradise, in my mansion in heaven, there's no spiders. In yours, there may be. You're going to be way far away from me, though. We know there's not going to be spiders there because there's no sin and sorrow. So, there you go. I'm refraining myself. I'm getting that look. I'm good. Stay on point.

Why was he there? Who let him in? Why would there Why would the enemy be in the camp? Am I the only one that's thought this? Yeah, you you've thought about it, too. The Bible gives a number of names. The devil, the wicked one, bails above, father of lies. He's strongly associated with darkness. Since he was the origin of rebellion, Eve was easily lured into disobedience under his influence. But how did the serpent entered the Garden of Eden? If it was the height of perfection, should he have been given entrance? And one day, maybe we'll have the ability to ask God for clarification. But for now, we need to understand this that God allows his creation to be tested. Even Jesus himself was led away to be tempted in the desert. We also have to remember that Satan appeared before God in the book of Job. Job chapter 1 verse number six says this, reading from the New Living Translations for some today language. One day the members of heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord. And the accuser Satan came with them. Where have you come from? The Lord asked Satan. Satan answered the Lord, I have been tro patrolling the earth, watching everything that's going on. Then the Lord asked Satan, "Have you noticed my servant Job? He's the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless, a man of complete integrity.

He fears God and stays away from evil." Satan replied to the Lord, "Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a, listen to this, wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him to prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is. But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face. Verse 12. All right, you may test him. First sermon I ever preached, I got the handwritten notes in my desk. I've said this before. My the title of my message, I was so excited about it, Pastor Michael. It was, "Do you give God the right to brag?" And I took it from this very passage right here. It's about six pages of notes, and it took me about five minutes to go through them. It was a terrible sermon. It was so bad. It was so bad. But I I said this. Do you live in such a way that God brags on you? Because it's kind of obvious that he was bragging on Job, right? Where where have you been? I've been pat like the word I've been patrolling. I've been observing everything. Well, have you seen my servant Job? Does go does Job serve you for not? You've put a I love the how the New the New Living says that you've put a wall of protection around him.

But if you'll drop it, if you'll drop that, he will curse you to your face. And God had enough faith in Job to say, "No, I don't think he will. Go ahead." But did you notice what he did? If I finished, I didn't read the verse, but read the next verse. It says, "You can touch his stuff. You can touch his family, but you can't touch him." Because that's what our God is always doing. He's always keeping protective walls around us. What a good God we serve. in the Garden of Eden as opposed to Job. Though we can't say that God approved this request. We have no knowledge of that. Yet, it seems as though God purposely left the access door open to Satan to enter the Garden of Eden. Why would he do this? Because he makes known his will. And when he allows all the components of the decision to have a seat at the table. When he makes known his will, he lets all the components of the decision to sit at the table. Don't eat of the tree. And what's the enemy do? Did God say? Questions that are there. That's what he's always trying to do because he's trying to alienate our relationship with God and get the affection to go away. When I look at Eve's decision, several details of her encounter with the serpent are especially relevant. First of all, she was alone.

That wasn't a coincidence. She was without Adam and Satan took advantage of her situation. God's command was to avoid the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This was given to her by her husband, Adam, before she was ever created. She only learned about the prohibition through her husband. So, let me ask this question. Was there trouble in paradise? Because when she quoted the response back, she said, "You can't eat of it and you can't touch it." That was never God's command. Where did she come up with that? Is that something that Adam added or something she came up with her own? I don't know. That's a good question to ask. If you have the answer, get with me later on and tell me. Something's going on there. There's a dysfunction in the relationship. And the enemy is remember when I take you to the account of Job because Job is one of the oldest books of the Bible. Where have you been, Satan? His response was what? I have been patrolling. I have been watching. So, it lets me know from the very beginning, he's always been watching. I wonder if he picked up on any riff between the man and the woman. Somehow he was able to get his way into a situation where Eve was by herself. Where was Adam at? Why was she alone? What's he trying to do? Because their enem is always trying to cause there to be division in our relationship with God.

Eve would have been skeptical. I would think that the snake was talking, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it. I don't know about you, but the snake starts talking to me. First of all, I'm not going to be close enough for him to talk. But if happen stance, I sure not going to listen to him. The fact that she was not put off by this phenomenon indicates that she lacked knowledge, wisdom, and experience. Was Adam showing neglect in his duty as a husband? I don't know. I feel like that question needs to be answered. Second Corinthians 11:3 says this. But I fear less somehow does the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness. So your minds may be corrupt from the simplicity that is in Christ. So we're already talking about the New Testament there was something going on with Eve. Something dysfunctional in their relationship. And last part is where was Eve at in the proximity to the tree? Was it coincidental that she happened to be by the tree when he popped up? Or were there somewhere else in the garden? Maybe I'm the only one that thinks of these things. But I was curious, Joey. I was curious like where where was she at in the proximity tree? Like how did he talk her into it so easily? The serpent's line of confusion took a direct aim at trust because that's what the enemy is always trying to do.

No relationship lasts long without the glue of trust. Genesis chapter 3 verse number one. Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, "Yay, hath God said, yay, hath God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden." Verse three, "But of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, you shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die." Listen to his enemy's response. Listen to what he says. Verse four. And the serpent said unto God, "Ye shall not surely die, who made him the authority? Why is she listening to him?" Verse number five, for God knows that in the day that ye thereof, then your eyes shall be open, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." He did not blatantly contradict the word of God, but he suggested that there may not be complete truth in what God said. Therein is the enemy's tactic always is when he finds out because he's really observant in all that we do. Are you guys still with me? I know I slowed down because I'm teaching you right now something very important. when he finds out that there's a part of scripture that you struggle with, you you have a passage because listen to me, we if you've been in church for any length of time, that's what you love new people to come in church, right?

You come in, they get to experience God's presence and they're just overwhelmed with it and they repent and God moves on them and they they'll they'll tackle buses for Jesus and you just say, "This is what you got to do." And they're like, "Okay, yeah, this is what I got to do and this is how we're going to live and this is what God desires from you." and they don't question anything. They're just like, "Okay, that sounds great." They go along with it. But somewhere along the way, they start digging into it and they're like, you know, I don't know. I got to reading online and this Yahoo got on there and he said that we don't have to do this anymore. That was this and this and this and then then they're like, they go in, they read it themselves. And guess who's watching? >> Who's watching? And then he he loves to come in and whisper, "Did God say, does it really mean that you don't have to do that?" You know, God loves you. You don't have to do that. He conveniently leaves out that he says, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." Yeah. And then what happens is you got a lot of people that have got a lot of education from all the online prophets and then they get little confirmation with the enemy whispering in their ear.

Did God you shall not surely die? He's a God of mercy. Yes, he is. He's also a God of truth. He's also a God who has always always frowned on disobedience. And just because you were not struck dead when you did it does not mean God's happy with you. >> The enemy walked the middle ground between truth and false. To almost believe to almost believe yields the same result as not believing. There's no such thing as a half bridge. It's the same as no bridge. Whether Adam and Eve were deceived, tempted, lured, influenced, lied to, misled, or tricked, God still held them responsible for their choice. I'm going to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, you are responsible for you. You are responsible for you. Galatians 6:7, do not be deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever a man seweth, that shall he also reap. For he that sweth to the flesh shall the flesh reap corruption. But he that sweth the spirit shall the spirit reap everlasting. So what were the consequences? What took place? Let's go back to the story. Let's go back to Genesis 3:17. Then Adam, he said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree which I commanded of you, saying, you shall not eat thereof. Cursed is the ground for your sake. In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life, both thorns and thistles that shall bring forth with you.

You shall eat of the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground. For out of it you were taken. For dust you are and dust you shall return. But there were consequences that were far more critical than that. Ladies and gentlemen, verse 23. Therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden. He sent him out. Why? Because the relationship had been severed. It had been broken. The thing that should have been the most important to him, the relationship with God, he treated as common. He was willing to trade away the most precious thing he had. A daily walk with God. He gave away. Disobedience, ladies and gentlemen, always causes there to be a break in the relationship. Gone with a long leisurely days of companionship with God. Gone was the intimate fellowship with his mentor, his creator, his counselor, his teacher, and his friend. Sin always destroys the union between God and man. Isaiah wrote this much, much later. Isaiah 59:1, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear." as they get ready to bring this to a close, this earthshaking tragedy, excited and brought about the sweetest response of all from God.

Because he did not cut mankind off forever or banish them from his sight as he did the fallen angels. Instead, he put into place a plan of restoration and hope. The price he paid for our redemption incorporated all the shame and the suffering and everything that we had put him through and the humiliation that ever existed in the history of the world. The immediate price involved the sacrifice of animals and the making of coats and skins to cover Adam and Eve's nakedness. And if you'll go study that out, they sewn themselves together fig leaves to try to cover their shame that was there. But mankind's interpretation of covering has never matched God's. That's a little holiness lesson that's free for you there. But from the very beginning, mankind has always viewed what covering in quite stark contrast to what God views the covering. Because I'm bringing this to a close today, I want to take you to Romans chapter 5. And if you have a Bible with you, if you have a analog copy like this, old school, they're going to put it on the worst, but this I want you to if you have one with you, I want you to pull it out. If you got your phone and can highlight in your phone, I want you to open your phone right now. I want I want I want to walk you through a couple of verses.

I'm going to go slow on purpose because I felt this as as I was praying yesterday about how to end. Felt the Lord direct me here. I want you to listen to the words that I'm fixing to read you. And if you have your copy, just open it up right there. You may you may feel to highlight something here. Paul talking to the church at Rome in Romans chapter 5 is where I'm going to be. Romans chapter 5. I'm going to start at verse number eight. But God demonstrates his own love towards us. And that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than having been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his son. Much more having been reconciled, we should be saved by his life. Verse 11. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Let us, ladies and gentlemen, never forget the privilege of a restored relationship with God. It came at a price that we couldn't pay. We couldn't do it. I couldn't do it. You couldn't do it. I haven't been good enough. I would I would never in all my days and my best that I could ever be be good enough to earn my salvation.

Nor could you. But he broke himself. Our God broke himself that he might bring us back from the brokenness to be reconciled with him. So I'm going to I want to go to verse number 12 and I'm going to change over to the New Living Translation. I go I'm not I'm not against my study and my life and my preaching has been in the New King James and the King James version. But today I want you to read you from the New Living because I want you to listen to these words to today's language. Listen to this verse number 12. And when Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death. So death spread to everyone for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given, but it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God as Adam did. Now, Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ who was yet to come. Verse 15. For there's a great difference between Adam's sin, and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin.

For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness for all who have received it. It will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone. But Christ, one act of righteousness brings right relationship with God and a new life for everyone. Because of one person's disobeyed God, many became sinners. Because of one one other person obeyed God, many were made righteous. Verse 20, God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more and more abundant. Last verse. So as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. I have the ability and you have the ability because of Calvary to be in right standings. What has been broken has been mended. What was cast away and thrown away has now been brought back. Thanks be to God for his redemptive power that he gives. His mercy and grace is available to every one of us today.

Now listen to me. I know without a doubt there are many in this room today who know exactly what I'm talking about. But I also know that there are some who have walked away. You've been distracted. You forfeited. You've reason. You ration out inside your mind. And I'm here to remind you, just because he hasn't killed you doesn't mean he's still not disappointed in your decision. But don't let that disappointment be a disqualifier from you reaching out. Because I promise you, just as the prodical son returned back, our great father is looking for the moment that you'll just turn around. That you'll just turn around. And when you will, when you do that, I promise he will run to you. And as I said this past Sunday when I preached, he will pick you up. He will embrace you. He will restore you back into a right relationship with him. Broken relationships have been a part of humanity since the very beginning. And the enemy loves to capitalize on those things and loves to encourage us to hide. But I'm here today to tell you, don't hide. Not from him. Not from him. What you need most is to run to God. And he is here today in this place. Will you close your eyes with me if you're comfortable? Jesus, I'm so thankful that you love us in spite of us. that regardless of how many times we fail and how many times we are disobedient and how many mistakes we made, your love doesn't change.

You love us just as much now as you ever have. I pray today, Lord. I pray, God, that you would draw people, that you would bring them to a realization that we cannot do this without you. I pray God that we could feel not condemnation but conviction. I pray God that we would feel to cry out to you and let your love wash over us today. I pray for a boldness for to step out even when we can't see to take the next right step toward you. And God, let you do the restoration and reconciliation that only you can. I know I say this often, God, but I I really do pray that you would take the broken pieces of our life if we will bring them to you so that you can make something beautiful out of it. In Jesus name, this altar is open. I feel such a sweet drawing presence of the Lord in this place. I I really do feel like there's some mending, some restoration to take place. So, I would invite you to come. If you if you feel God pulling at you today, don't stay in your seat. Let us pray with you. Will you come? Will you come?