Outside Paradise
Series: Beginnings
Speaker: John Lau
Date: 17th November 2024
Passages:
00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 Good morning. My name is John as well. I'm a regular member here for about 25 years,
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 and I've been on staff for about the last few years.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:15 We are currently in a series that looks into chapter 1 to 11 of Genesis, the first book of the Bible,
00:00:16 --> 00:00:20 which starts with this word, in the beginning, God.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:26 These words tell us that Genesis, and in fact, the whole Bible is about God,
00:00:26 --> 00:00:30 the creator of the world, and his interaction with his creation.
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 So what comes to your mind when you think about God?
00:00:36 --> 00:00:40 What about God can we expect from reading Genesis or the Bible?
00:00:42 --> 00:00:48 The beginning of Genesis shows us that God created a perfect environment in the Garden of Eden,
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 a paradise for Adam and Eve,
00:00:51 --> 00:00:56 the very first pair of humans made in the image and the likeness of God.
00:00:57 --> 00:01:01 They were put into the garden to rule over all God's creatures,
00:01:02 --> 00:01:08 in the sea, in the sky, on the ground, while enjoying a relationship with God.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:12 God gave Adam and Eve specific instruction to follow,
00:01:13 --> 00:01:17 but instead they disobeyed and rebelled against God.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:23 They followed the serpent's voice and each other's voice and twisted God's word.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:28 They were made in the image and likeness of God, and God treated them as equal,
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 but they sought to be equal with God on their terms.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:37 They want to live their life in their own way as they see fit.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:41 And that's how sin enters into God's creation.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:45 Sin is not just law-breaking.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 It is a deep-rooted rebellion in the hearts of humans
00:01:49 --> 00:01:54 to reject God as their ruler and want to rule on their own terms.
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 In responding to this serious transgression,
00:01:58 --> 00:02:03 God certainly could have destroyed Adam, Eve, and the serpent and start anew.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:10 However, through his gracious actions in response to and on behalf of these people,
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 we see the grace of our Creator.
00:02:14 --> 00:02:20 The fact that God instead chose to allow them to live is a manifestation of his grace.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 Running through Genesis and all through the Bible
00:02:23 --> 00:02:27 is the theme of grace showing God's mercy despite human sin.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:34 Genesis 1-11 forms a foundation of how we understand God
00:02:34 --> 00:02:38 and his works from creation to a new creation.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:43 The Bible is about God, our Creator and our Redeemer.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:48 What we can and should expect to learn about God from reading Genesis in the Bible
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 is that God is gracious and merciful.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:56 The amazing things we can see from these chapters and all through the Bible
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 is that God's grace increases as sin increases.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 Our short passage today illustrates God's grace perfectly.
00:03:05 --> 00:03:12 It demonstrates how God brings in his grace to alleviate the mystery that sin brings.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:17 Grace is God not treating his creatures as they deserve,
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 but with kindness and mercy,
00:03:20 --> 00:03:24 providing something far greater than any expectation.
00:03:24 --> 00:03:28 God provides a couple of things in our passage today.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 The covering and the sword,
00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 and Adam and Eve ends up being outside of paradise.
00:03:36 --> 00:03:37 If you have the St. Paul's app,
00:03:38 --> 00:03:39 you can see these three points,
00:03:39 --> 00:03:43 and please follow along with your Bible open to the end of chapter 3.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:50 Today's passage from Genesis 3.20 begins with this word,
00:03:51 --> 00:03:56 Adam named his wife Eve because she would become the mother of all living.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:02 The Lord God made garment of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:06 Previously in this chapter,
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 Adam and Eve sinned against God
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 by not trusting and following what God commanded.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 Instead, they listened to the serpent
00:04:13 --> 00:04:17 and each other without careful consideration or discussion.
00:04:18 --> 00:04:22 Humanity fell into sin because Adam's attitude towards God
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 and his command and the action that followed.
00:04:25 --> 00:04:30 The immediate consequences was that Adam and Eve were filled with shame
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 about their nakedness.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 In chapter 3, verse 7,
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 then the eyes of both of them were opened
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 and they realized they were naked.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 So they sewed fig leaves together
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 and made a covering for themselves.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:49 That's the best I can do.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:56 They hide from the Lord when they visited them.
00:04:56 --> 00:04:57 In verses 10,
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 they were fearful and ashamed
00:05:00 --> 00:05:03 and they pulled further away from God,
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 the one who created and loves them.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:08 They tried to cover themselves
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 by sewing up fig leaves together,
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 which is only temporary and uncomfortable.
00:05:13 --> 00:05:18 So the very first act of grace after human fall
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 was in verse 21.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:26 The Lord made garments of skin for Adam and his wife
00:05:26 --> 00:05:31 and clothed them.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 When it says God made garments of skin,
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 what imagery do you have?
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 Hopefully it's not God waving his hand like
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 a magician saying abracadabra.
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 That would be very far from the truth.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 The image behind this verse is very bloody
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 because the animal was slaughtered
00:05:58 --> 00:05:59 to make that happen.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 God graciously provided for humans' needs
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 in a way superior to what Adam and Eve
00:06:08 --> 00:06:09 had done with fig leaves.
00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 But in order to do that,
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 something or someone else
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 had to be the substitute.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:18 A life for a life.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 The consequence of Adam and Eve's sin
00:06:22 --> 00:06:23 is that God had to sacrifice
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 some other of his creatures
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 to cover for them.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:29 The use of animal skins
00:06:29 --> 00:06:32 anticipates the Old Testament system
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 of animal sacrifice,
00:06:34 --> 00:06:37 which is another demonstration of God's grace.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 Why do I say that?
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 Because without God's willingness
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 to forgive and allow humans
00:06:45 --> 00:06:46 to approach him,
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 no amount of sacrifice is enough
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 to fulfill the righteousness of God.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 No amount of sacrifice by humans
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 can buy God's forgiveness,
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 which is what so many religious people
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 wrongly think that they can achieve.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:05 Anyone who thinks they can do enough good deeds
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 to repay for the wrong they have committed
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 in thought and deeds
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 against a creator God is delusional.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:15 The best man can do
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 is to cover for our sins against God
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 is a covering that's made with fig leaf
00:07:20 --> 00:07:21 against our naked body.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 We'll have to keep sowing the covering
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 every couple of weeks,
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 and it will only partially cover you.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:33 What God has made with animal skin
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 will last forever
00:07:35 --> 00:07:36 and be much more fitting.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:38 The good news is that
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 God covers Adam and Eve,
00:07:41 --> 00:07:42 and he will also provide cover
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 for his people in the new creation.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:48 Paul spoke of a day
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 that God will do that
00:07:50 --> 00:07:54 in 1 Corinthians 15, 53-54,
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 and 2 Corinthians 5, verse 4.
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 God will clothe his people
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 with immortality,
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 providing the complete
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 undoing of the curse
00:08:05 --> 00:08:06 of human sins.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 For the perishable must clothe itself
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 with the imperishable,
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 and the mortal with immortality.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 When the perishable has been clothed
00:08:16 --> 00:08:17 with the imperishable,
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 the mortal with the immortality,
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 then the saying that is written
00:08:23 --> 00:08:24 will come true.
00:08:24 --> 00:08:26 Death has been swallowed up
00:08:26 --> 00:08:27 in victory.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 For while we are in this tent,
00:08:31 --> 00:08:32 we're grown and unburdened
00:08:32 --> 00:08:33 because we do not wish
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 to be unclothed,
00:08:35 --> 00:08:36 but to be clothed instead
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 with our heavenly drawing,
00:08:38 --> 00:08:39 so that what is mortal
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 may be swallowed up by life.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:44 Last Sunday,
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 we explained how this victory
00:08:46 --> 00:08:46 covers sin
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 and its curse comes about.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 Please check our website
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 or our channel on YouTube
00:08:52 --> 00:08:53 for a further explanation,
00:08:54 --> 00:08:55 a fuller and further explanation.
00:08:55 --> 00:08:56 But in short,
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 this victory over sins
00:08:58 --> 00:08:59 and its curse
00:08:59 --> 00:09:00 was made possible
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 through our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 Jesus Christ is the Son of God,
00:09:06 --> 00:09:07 and he became the once
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 and for all sacrifice
00:09:09 --> 00:09:10 that fulfilled God's requirement
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 in dealing with the consequence
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 of humanity's sin.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 Jesus was a substitute
00:09:17 --> 00:09:18 that God sacrificed
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 to provide a covering
00:09:20 --> 00:09:20 for humans.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 Because of his death
00:09:23 --> 00:09:23 and resurrection,
00:09:24 --> 00:09:25 Christ has overcome
00:09:25 --> 00:09:26 the stain of sin,
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 and he clothes all
00:09:28 --> 00:09:29 who believe and follow him
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 with his perfect obedience
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 and pure love
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 towards the Father.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 Galatians 3, 26-29 says,
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 So in Christ Jesus,
00:09:39 --> 00:09:40 you are all children of God
00:09:40 --> 00:09:41 through faith.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 Clothe yourself with Christ,
00:09:43 --> 00:09:44 for you are all one
00:09:44 --> 00:09:45 in Christ Jesus.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:47 If you belong to Christ,
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 then you are hers
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 according to the promise.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:51 Last Sunday,
00:09:52 --> 00:09:52 we also talked about
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 God empowering people
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 to resist the lies
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 of the serpent
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 to become Eve's offspring.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:00 God grants faith
00:10:00 --> 00:10:01 to those he chooses
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 to enjoy eternal life
00:10:03 --> 00:10:03 with him.
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 Colossians 3, 12-14 tells us,
00:10:07 --> 00:10:08 Therefore,
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 as God's chosen people,
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 holy and dearly loved it,
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 clothe yourself
00:10:13 --> 00:10:14 with compassion,
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 kindness,
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 humility,
00:10:17 --> 00:10:17 gentleness,
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 and patience.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 Bear with each other
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 and forgive one another.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:22 If any of you
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 has a grievance
00:10:23 --> 00:10:24 against someone,
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 forgive as the Lord
00:10:26 --> 00:10:26 has forgave you.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:28 And over all these virtues,
00:10:29 --> 00:10:29 put on love,
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 which binds them
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 all together
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 in perfect unity.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 God in his grace
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 has provided the covering,
00:10:38 --> 00:10:39 the clothing of compassion,
00:10:39 --> 00:10:40 kindness,
00:10:40 --> 00:10:41 humility,
00:10:41 --> 00:10:41 gentleness,
00:10:42 --> 00:10:42 and patience.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 Paul says in 2 Corinthians,
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 chapter 5, verse 5,
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 Now the one who has fashioned us
00:10:49 --> 00:10:50 for this very purpose
00:10:50 --> 00:10:51 is God,
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 who has given us
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 the Spirit
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 as a deposit
00:10:54 --> 00:10:55 guaranteeing
00:10:55 --> 00:10:55 what is to come.
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 God has fashioned us.
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 He is our style.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 And God's style
00:11:01 --> 00:11:02 and fashion for us
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 is Christ,
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 who is the only person
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 who has all this virtue
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 plus love and forgiveness.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 When you are clothed
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 with Christ,
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 you will no longer
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 be found naked
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 and ashamed.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 God has forgiven humanity
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 because Jesus
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 took upon himself
00:11:19 --> 00:11:20 the punishment
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 for all our rebellion
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 towards our Creator.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 Jesus was clothed
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 with our wrongs
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 to cover for us.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 And as we put on Christ
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 and be in Christ,
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 and when God see us,
00:11:34 --> 00:11:34 he no longer see
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 our trespasses,
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 but we only know
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 the honor and glory
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 of his beloved Son.
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 That is God's grace.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:46 After God made garments
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 and clothed Adam and Eve,
00:11:47 --> 00:11:50 it says in verse 22,
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 And the Lord God says,
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 The man has now become
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 like one of us,
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 knowing good and evil.
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 He must not be allowed
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 to reach out his hand
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 and take also
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 from the tree of life
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 and eat and live forever.
00:12:03 --> 00:12:04 So the Lord God
00:12:04 --> 00:12:05 banished him
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 from the garden of Eden
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 to work the ground
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 from which he had been pecan.
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 After he drove the man out,
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 he placed in the east side
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 of the garden of Eden,
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 cherubim,
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 and the flaming sword
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 flashing back and forth
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 to guide the way
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 to the tree of life.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 This banishing
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 and stopping of humans
00:12:23 --> 00:12:24 from reaching
00:12:24 --> 00:12:25 for the tree of life
00:12:25 --> 00:12:26 is a second act
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 of God's grace.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 Because of sin,
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 humans now know
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 good and evil
00:12:32 --> 00:12:34 experientially.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 Humans will continue
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 striving to define
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 good and evil
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 through voluntary
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 and involuntary means.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 Humans will continue
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44 to sin
00:12:44 --> 00:12:44 and misuse
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 their ability
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 to define good
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 and evil
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 selfishly
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50 to benefit themselves.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:51 And they will keep
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 incurring a penalty
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 of death
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 for their disobedience
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 towards God.
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 God stopping humans
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 from reaching out
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 to take and eat
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 from the tree of life
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 and live forever
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 is an act
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 of God's grace.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 The banishment
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 and the expulsion
00:13:07 --> 00:13:09 were at the same time
00:13:09 --> 00:13:10 and act of mercy.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12 Banning humans
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 from the tree of life
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 putting a limit
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 to their physical life
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 allowed for their redemption
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 rather than for them
00:13:19 --> 00:13:19 to live in a life
00:13:19 --> 00:13:21 of perpetual sin
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 in an unredeemed condition.
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 The time limit
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 on our life
00:13:26 --> 00:13:28 is God's gracious action.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 It's not just
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 a reactive punishment.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:32 Paul tells us
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 in Acts 17
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 verse 26 to 27,
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 from a man
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 God made all the nations
00:13:38 --> 00:13:39 that they should
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 inhabit the whole earth
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 and he marked out
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 their appointed time
00:13:43 --> 00:13:43 in history
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 and a boundary
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 for their lands.
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 God did this
00:13:47 --> 00:13:47 so that they might
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 seek him
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 and perhaps
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 reach out for him
00:13:50 --> 00:13:50 and find him
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 though it's not far
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 from any one of us.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 God put a limit
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 to our physical life
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 so that we no longer
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 reach for the wrong thing
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 that will bring us curses.
00:14:02 --> 00:14:02 But instead,
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 we can use the limits
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 of our time
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 to promise
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 to seek him
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 and reach out for him
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 for he's not far
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 from any one of us.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:14 Do you agree that
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 when there's a deadline
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 you are far more motivated
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 and to get things done?
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 A sword
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 is often also
00:14:22 --> 00:14:26 related to judgment
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 in the Bible.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:28 Knowing that
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 there's a time
00:14:29 --> 00:14:31 we'll all give account
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 can be scary
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 or encouraging
00:14:34 --> 00:14:34 at the same time.
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 Depends on how you
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 have been living
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 your life.
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 At the end
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 of his second letter
00:14:41 --> 00:14:43 Peter reiterated
00:14:43 --> 00:14:43 in chapter 3
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 that God is not
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 limited by time
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 but he gave us
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 an understanding
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 of time
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 and its limit
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 so that everyone
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 can come to repentance.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 And with repentance
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 and the help of Christ
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 we'll regain
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 our access
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 to the tree of life
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 in the new creation.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 That is the picture
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 we are given
00:15:02 --> 00:15:02 in the beginning
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 of Revelation 22
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 the last book
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 and last chapter
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 of the Bible.
00:15:09 --> 00:15:09 On each side
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 of the river
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 stood the tree of life
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 and the leaves
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 of the tree
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 are for the healing
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 of the nations.
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 No longer
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 will there be
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 any curse.
00:15:19 --> 00:15:19 The leaves
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 of the tree of life
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 are for the healing
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 of the nations
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 and no longer
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 will there be
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 any curses.
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 What a tremendous picture.
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 The banishing
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 and the flaming sword
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 are both acts
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 of God's grace.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 Since human sin
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 the garden of Eden
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 is no longer
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 a paradise
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 but a place
00:15:38 --> 00:15:38 remembered
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 as where
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 the first human foe fell.
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 God had a new heaven
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 a new earth
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 prepared for those
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 who he choose
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 to be Eve's offspring
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 to share in the victory
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 over the crushing
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 of the shepherd.
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 God makes sure
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 we do not get
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 to the tree of life
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 through the old way.
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 So he put a flaming
00:15:59 --> 00:16:02 flushing sword
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 to guide the way.
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 The flushing
00:16:05 --> 00:16:05 flushing sword
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 is a warning sign
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 saying
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 wrong way
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 turn back.
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 The word of God
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 is described
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 as a sword
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 in the New Testament
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 in Hebrews 4
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 and Ephesians 6.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 The word
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 becomes fresh
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 in Jesus Christ.
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 Jesus opened
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 a new way
00:16:22 --> 00:16:22 to God
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 for he is
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 the only way
00:16:24 --> 00:16:24 for anyone
00:16:24 --> 00:16:26 who wants access
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 to God
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 and eternal life.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 Now that Adam
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 and Eve
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 have been sent
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 out of paradise
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 we see God's grace
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 once again
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 in chapter 4
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 verse 1 to 2.
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 Adam made love
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 to his wife Eve
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 and she became
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 pregnant
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 and gave birth
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 to Cain.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 She said
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 with the help
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 of the Lord
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 I have brought forth
00:16:47 --> 00:16:47 a man.
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 Later she gave birth
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 to his brother Abel.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 Now Abel
00:16:51 --> 00:16:51 kept flocks
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 and Cain
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 worked of soul.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 Eve gave birth
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 to Cain
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 outside of paradise
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 but she said
00:16:59 --> 00:16:59 with the help
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 of the Lord
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 I have brought forth
00:17:01 --> 00:17:01 a man.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 God went
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 with them
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 into the banishment
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 and expulsion.
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 They were sent
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 outside of the paradise
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 but they were not
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 cut off from God.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 God was there
00:17:12 --> 00:17:12 with Eve
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 helping her
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 in the midst
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 of severe
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 painful labor.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 Eve knew
00:17:18 --> 00:17:18 her child
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 came into being
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 with the Lord's help.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 God did not
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 leave her alone
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 outside paradise
00:17:24 --> 00:17:24 to face
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 a consequence
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 of her sin
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 all by herself.
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 God was there
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 with Adam and Eve
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 outside paradise.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 God is with them
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 in every moment
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 of their life
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 and God will also
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 be with you
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 in your life
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 and will not
00:17:38 --> 00:17:38 leave you alone
00:17:38 --> 00:17:40 to face your life
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 and difficulties too.
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 The experience
00:17:43 --> 00:17:43 of Adam and Eve
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 is enlightening.
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 They have sinned
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 and when they sinned
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 they recognized
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 they were naked.
00:17:50 --> 00:17:50 They have been
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 naked beforehand
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 in a pure
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 physical sense
00:17:53 --> 00:17:56 but they had not
00:17:56 --> 00:17:56 yet seen so
00:17:56 --> 00:17:58 they were not ashamed.
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 After they become
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 a sinner
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 their nakedness
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 becomes something
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 more than merely
00:18:03 --> 00:18:03 physical.
00:18:05 --> 00:18:05 It becomes
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 a psychological
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 nakedness
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 connected to
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 their moral guilt.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 They were guilty
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 before one another
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 and before God.
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 And what happened?
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 God came
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 walking in the garden
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 to confirm them
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 in their nakedness.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 He exposed the sin
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 for sin cannot be
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 hidden in his presence.
00:18:24 --> 00:18:24 But then he did
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 something tremendous.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 He clothed them
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 using skin
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 from animals.
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 He sacrificed himself.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 He kept them
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 from reaching
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 for things
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 that would bring
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 them curses
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 and kept them
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 from going back
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 to their old way.
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 This is the message
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 of Christianity.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 We can be fully exposed
00:18:43 --> 00:18:45 and yet clothed
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 and covered
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 at the same time.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 Being clothed
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 is not accomplished
00:18:51 --> 00:18:51 with the skin
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 of animals.
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 When God sent
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 Jesus Christ
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 to die for sins
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 so guilt may be removed
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 he made the most
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 perfect covering
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 for all humanity.
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 Based on Jesus'
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 perfect and
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 atoning sacrifice
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 God would then
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 clothe all
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 who believe in Christ
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 with the Lord's
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 righteousness.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 Because of Christ's work
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 God no longer
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 looks at us
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 as sinners
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 but as those
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 who have become
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 righteous in Christ.
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 now we can stand
00:19:20 --> 00:19:20 before him
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 rather than hide
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 not because God
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 has been in ignorance
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 of our sin
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 or has refused
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 to care about it
00:19:27 --> 00:19:29 but because he has
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 known about it
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 and has dealt
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 with it perfectly.
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 Now we can cry
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 with Messiah
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 the prophet
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 I will greatly
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 rejoice in the Lord
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 my soul
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 shall exude
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 in my God
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 for he has clothed
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 me with the garments
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 of salvation
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 he has covered me
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 with the robe
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 of righteousness
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 with the Lord's help
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 in God's grace
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 we are no longer
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 naked
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 and no need
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 for shame
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 let's rejoice
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 in the gracious God.
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 for you
00:19:56 --> 00:20:10 for you
00:20:10 --> 00:20:13 You
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 you