Grace, mercy and peace be to each of you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
I invite you to pray with me. “0 Lord, speak in this place, in our minds, in our hearts, by the words of my mouth, and in the thoughts we form. Speak, 0 Lord, we, your servants, are listening. Amen.”
Today’s fundamental question is this…
“What is my problem?”
Have you ever told a lie? Fibbed a little? Misled someone on purpose so they would draw a different conclusion? I suspect we all have done that at some point in our lives.
One of the engineers that worked for me when I was working for Bechtel, didn’t want to confess that he had been charged with a DWI. When asked why he was not at work the previous day, he made up a story about being sick. Later, when his DWI came to light, it was clear he had lied to us to prevent his embarrassment.
The consequence of his DWI, combined with the untruthfulness, resulted in his loss of employment. You see misrepresenting the truth, fibbing, lying … it doesn’t matter what we call it … is a sin.
When you think about events like I just described, the person lied. But why? Why do we lie, and we have lied … to cover up, prevent embarrassment, to protect, prevent punishment?
Truthfully, he lied because he is a liar, period … as you and I are at times.
Just last Sunday I was talking to one of our children, who likes to fish, and I was essentially teaching them how to tell fish stories about the size of fish one catches. When it dawned on me that I was encouraging that child to be untruthful … I was telling them it was okay to lie. That was obviously the wrong thing to be teaching that child, and I am sorry I said it.
The reason we don’t lie more often is NOT because we are “good” people, but because we can manage ourselves admirably enough so that we don’t have to.
AND the reason that we may find ourselves being untruthful is that our PRIDE is somehow challenged. We lie to cover up a failure.
Whenever we find ourselves tempted to lie to cover up a failure, do you ever ask yourself this question, “What is my problem?”
Why does my pride get the best of me more often than I would like to admit? What is my problem? I believe I can make the case that it is a problem of Pride.
In fact, this is a universal human experience. It goes back to our first parents – Adam and Eve. Perhaps we should review our text in a little more detail.
We find ourselves in a Garden, literally a paradise. We walk with God in the cool of the day. There was neither sexism nor racism, greed nor poverty, violence nor sickness. But all that changed in an instant.
Eve found herself at the base of a tree – THE tree. Of all the garden… there was one plant we are told not to eat from. It was called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
It was a simple test … would we trust God as a loving father? Would we allow him to provide for our needs and restrict our base instincts? Would we let God be God, or would we attempt a mutiny against his throne.
It is that simple. Sin usually is. Though we complicate it through our excuses and justifications – “well, there is a history there,” or “It’s a sickness, not a sin problem.”
We are immensely creative in justifying our sin. But it all comes down to a simple reality. We don’t want anyone, including God, TELLING us what to do. It is that simple.
That is the sub-plot. Here is the narrative regarding Adam and Eve. You realize that if Adam and Eve had been Cajuns, they would have eaten the snake instead of the apple, and saved us all a lot of trouble. But they didn’t, so we continue the narrative…
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, “You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’” Genesis 3:1
We certainly know that the answer to that question is a definitive “NO.” In fact, God said we could eat of ALL of the trees of the garden EXCEPT this one. Eve knew the right answer. The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden.” (Genesis 3:2 ESV) That was exactly right.
What she said next, however, was partially wrong. She ADDED to the command of God…
“‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Genesis 3:3
It is a simple addition. Notice the underline, “neither shall you touch it.” God NEVER SAID that. That was something Eve added. She INTERPRETED God’s command as more stringent than it actually was. Why would she do that?
Obviously, we don’t know for sure. But what we do know is that we often do the same thing.
Perhaps we think that if I can make God’s commands seem overbearing, stifling, out of touch, or too hard, then I can justify why I break them. It’s not my fault, it’s God’s fault. His rules are TOO restrictive, and he really has no right to put such extreme expectations on us.
For example, “Don’t have sex before marriage? Really?” Our culture will tell you that everybody does that.
Or, how about the tithe, come on! That’s impossible. I’m in credit card debt as it is!
Church attendance EVERY week…are you KIDDING. I actually pray better on my own anyway.
Here is the bottom line, once we cross a line, we seem to have a ready-made excuse. we can justify my past AND enjoy my pleasure.
Now let’s not miss what happens next in our text. It is really TELLING about why we act the way we do.
“But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’”
Genesis 3:4–5
Listen, what Satan is saying is that God is just a kill-joy, because he doesn’t want you to enjoy the privileges he does. You could be like God … but he doesn’t want that!
This is certainly a statement describing our current culture. We are our own gods, determining our own destinies. Our entire western world is complicit in providing a ready-made excuse for our every action.
Well, Eve examines the fruit.
“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” Genesis 3:6
Here Eve makes three observations. The fruit was (1) good for food, (2) a delight to the eyes, and (3) desirable to make one wise. All these observations are true. In fact, they are true of all temptation, aren’t they?
These are an adequate summary of everything that seduces us away from God whether it is greed, lust, pride, ambition, or whatever your pet vice happens to be. If we fast-forward to the New Testament, here is how the Apostle John put it in his first letter….
“For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” 1 John 2:16
John is explaining that there are only three possible temptations … the pride of passion (lust of the flesh), the pride of possession (lust of the eyes), and the pride of position (the boastful pride of life).
Your particular vice may differ from mine. But at the end of the day, it all boils down to pride. We want to be self-determined; we want to be our own boss.
For the great liar and Father of Lies, temptation isn’t just true for you. It was true for Jesus Himself, when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness right after His Baptism.
When you think about it, Satan only used three means.
Jesus was tempted to turn stone into bread … that’s lust of the flesh.
He was tempted with all the empires of the world … that’s lust of the eyes.
And He was tempted to show off by throwing himself off the pinnacle of the temple … that’s the boastful pride of life.
You see, these three categories really are the only ways we are tempted, and all of them have their base in pride.
Notice what captured Eve. She wanted to be like God, so she took the bait … and took a bite. Her husband, standing idly by, followed suit. And they GOT what they wanted.
Their eyes were opened, and they were keenly aware of both good and evil – the good they lacked and the evil they embodied. This reminds me of the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for…you might just get it!”
So many of us find ourselves in a similar predicament. We want independence. And when we get it, we find ourselves naked and ashamed … just like Adam and Eve.
We all have felt the consequences of seeking independence from God, only to find that you and I are incapable of being a divine agent of our own lives.
So, let’s review quickly Satan’s Strategy.
How was Satan able to pull such a fast one over Adam and Eve? He actually got those children of God to FOLLOW him instead of God. How did he do that? What was his strategy?
I believe Satan used a three-pronged approach. And here’s the thing, IT IS WORKING AS WELL TODAY AS IT DID IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN. Let’s see if you don’t agree…
The first thing Satan does is turn the blessing of God into a Burden.
God gave Adam and Eve a garden, a paradise. And Satan made it seem like a prison. God was keeping something from them. In fact, Satan made it seem like God was keeping EVERYTHING from them.
Satan planted a seed of doubt, and it grew roots in Eve’s mind. She doubted the goodness of God … questioned whether he had her best interests in mind. What about you? How many times have you turned a gift of God into an obligation?
The Bible becomes a textbook I MUST read … rather than a guide I get to follow. Baptism becomes a command to be obeyed … rather than a gift to receive.
Or, Worship becomes a duty intruding on my weekend … rather than a highlight of my week where I get to celebrate my creator among those who love Him as I do.
WOW! Is Satan ever effective or what in turning the blessings of God into seeming burdens?
The second thing that Satan does is tell half-truths that become full-blown Deception.
Satan seldom out-right lies. You and I are too clever to fall for that. Rather than saying to Eve, “There will be no consequences for eating the fruit” (who would believe that?). Instead, Satan says, “You surely shall not die.” AND, in fact, Eve did not die … not on that day, anyway.
And I think Satan has a way of HIDING the price-tag for sin. I read a story about a person named Rick, who discovered the hidden price-tag for sin WAY too late
After multiple affairs, he finally got caught. Only then did Satan begin revealing the price-tags … and almost all of them had a name on them.
The first name was his wife. The second his daughter, the third his church, where he was the pastor. The fourth was the Bible College he graduated from that would never again refer him for ministry.
One by one, the price tags were revealed until his home, ministry, health, and friendships had all crashed and burned.
Even now, years down the road, Rick is turning over price tags every holiday, family reunion, and birth of grandchildren. You likely have your own story of a friend or family member, or perhaps you have paid a way higher price for sin in your past.
For some, it comes in the form of abuse, for others addiction, greed, lust, anger…the list is so long, but it all comes down to pride, as Adam and Eve discovered.
All Satan really did was to promise the seductive lie that Adam and Eve could be Their Own God.
Each of us, made in the image of God, has enough of His nature in us to desire to be worshipped, to be independent, to crave self-determination.
We can all imagine complete control of our destiny. That base pride caused the initial fall of all humanity. And today, we are all living in the shadow of that violation of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
So, where does that leave us today? What is our response?
If you recognize yourself in this story, but have not yet fully recognized God in your story, today could be a great “come to Jesus” moment for you.
Because WHAT exactly is God’s Solution?
God will not let his creation go awry without a fight for reconciliation. So, we can be clear about two things from this ancient text … (1) God’s initial response of punishment, and (2) God’s ultimate response of rescue.
We read later in Genesis that instinctively, Adam and Eve’s initial impulse after their disobeyal in the Garden was to hide from God. God’s initial impulse was to seek and save the lost.
God had to respond. Theologians call His response “the curse.” For Adam that meant earning a living by the sweat of his brow, and for Eve it included bearing children in great pain.
Fact is, we are still under a curse. But this next point is so important for us to understand. God did not curse Adam and Eve. Instead, He cursed the serpent (v. 14) and the ground (v. 17). Sure, He disciplined Adam and Eve, but did not curse them.
In summary, for the key question for today, “What is my problem”, the simple answer is … SIN!
I would encourage you to keep the following verses in your heart in order to recite them every single day of your life…
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:16-17
Enough said. Amen.