How did the devil ruin God's creation?

Series: Growing Together in God's Grace

January 27, 2013

Dear friends in Christ.

Have you ever broken something or ruined something that was valuable to another person?  Sadly, I think it’s safe to say that at one time or another in our lives, we have done this very thing; we have ruined or broken something that belonged to someone else.  For me, the thing that sticks out most clearly in my mind today is a matchbox car that belonged to my sister.  It was a simple blue hatch back with an orange plastic trunk that actually opened.  I remember receiving her permission to take it with me to school and play with it there.  I remember playing with it at recess, and I remember the trunk being broken.  To this day I don’t know how it broke, though I’m sure I’m the one who broke it, because I was the only person playing with it.  To this day I can still remember the feelings of horror and sorrow, guilt and shame that washed over me because I knew I had let my sister down.  I had broken her favorite and only matchbox car.  I remember wishing I could take it back and do it over; wishing that I had a second chance to get it right.  But it was broken, there was no second chance.  There wasn’t even the opportunity to buy a new one because that model of matchbox car simply could no longer be found. 

Well, in many ways this is a picture of what happened with God’s creation!  Though it was perfect when God was finished with all his creating work, as we know, the entirety of God’s creation was ruined by one simple action; one simple mistake, by one single sin.  And, of course, we know exactly who was behind it all, orchestrating the ruin of God’s creation.  We know that it was our enemy, the devil.  Though in the last two weeks we’ve looked at the importance of God’s creation and how he provides for us through his creation, this morning we want to take a closer look at how the devil ruined God’s creation.

So, to understand more fully how the devil ruined God’s creation, we want to take a look at the Scriptures and learn exactly who the devil really is.  We look first of all at Matthew 25:41 where Jesus say, “‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matthew 25:41, NIV84)

As I’m sure you remember these words were spoken by Jesus in answer to the disciple’s question of what it will be like on the Last Day and what will be the signs of his return.  Jesus answered them with many parables and finally he spoke to them with the parable of the sheep and the goats.  When Jesus comes to judge the world he will separate believers from unbelievers as easily as a shepherd separates sheep from goats.  Those who believed in him would be given the inheritance of eternal life, but those who did not believe in Jesus would be condemned.  They would be told to depart from Jesus.  They would be sent to the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and all his evil angels who sinned against the Lord after and who are being held for the day of God’s judgment, as Peter tells us, “God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;" (2 Peter 2:4, NIV84)

Though the devil was one of God’s angels, created in perfect holiness so that he might serve the Lord and care for his creation, satan sinned against the Lord by seeking to overthrow the Lord and set himself up in God’s place.  But not only did he sin by seeking to take over heaven, he also sinned by convincing a number of angels to rebel with him.  Though he raised his mutiny, he was defeated and cast out of heaven, and now he, an evil angel and ruler of a finite number of evil angels seeks to destroy all that God has created and all who believe in him.

This is what our enemy, the devil, really is!  He is a very powerful, evil angel, who is also the ruler of many other evil angels.  Yet, how often doesn’t it happen that he is portrayed as a benign powerless force in the world.  How often isn’t he portrayed as cute, or innocent, or even cool rather than what he truly is, as Peter tells us, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8, NIV84) or as Jesus tells us, “[The devil] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44, NIV84) or as John tells us, “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him." (Revelation 12:9, NIV84)

This is who our enemy, the devil, truly is and this is how he accomplishes his evil work today!  He is not a cute, or innocent, or cool, or benign force in the world.  He is a roaring lion who is prowling around, looking to devour us by leading us into sin.  He is an ancient serpent, a great dragon who seeks to lead us astray with his lies.  He is a liar and a murder who seeks to murder us by separating us form God’s truth through his lies; who seeks to destroy us and God’s creation through his lies still today, just as he did with Adam and Eve.  For the truth is, satan is still destroying God’s creation today with the very first lies he spoke to Adam and Eve: “Did God really say?”  “You will not die!  You will be like God!”  These are the very lies that our enemy, the devil, continues to use today!  These are the very lies that he uses to eat away at our faith in God’s creation of the heavens and the earth.  These are the very lies that lead people to the seemingly glorious truths of the theory of evolution, because in the theory of Evolution what God really said is replaced by what we really say, and what God really is, is replaced by who we really are as we seek to take his place and be like God ruling over heaven and earth by our declaration of God’s non existence through the “proof” of scientific fact.

In so many subtle ways, our enemy, the devil, does his evil work among us as he seeks to destroy us with his lies and deceits, just as he did with Adam and Eve, as Moses tells us, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." (Genesis 3:1–6, NIV84)

One little lie!  That’s all it took to get Adam and Eve to forget all about God’s goodness in creating them and giving them a perfect place to live in the Garden of Eden.  But before we criticize Adam and Eve for being so foolish, think of how easily satan gets us to lie, to speak angry words, or to covet some little thing that another person has.  Why do we do these things?  Only because Satan’s lies tempt us to think that it’s better or easier or more profitable to do these things than to follow God’s will.  But when we do these things, all we wind up doing is bringing more frustration and hardship and even suffering into our lives, just as Adam and Eve brought these things into the world when their sin ruined God’s creation.

When Adam and Eve listened to satan instead of the Lord, they ruined God’s creation through their sin.  They brought sin and death into this world together with pain and suffering.  For these were the very consequences bestowed upon them and all creation because of their sin, as Moses tells us in Genesis 3, “To the woman [the Lord] said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” 17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:16–19, NIV84)

Because of that one sin, we are now sinful.  Because of that one sin, creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth until this present time (Romans 8:22) Because of that one sin we face suffering in this life; suffering that comes to us through sicknesses inflicted upon us or our loved ones.  Suffering that comes to us through the frustrations of weakening limbs, joints, hearing, abilities, eyesight, or other physical ways.  Suffering that comes to us through family and friends who turn away from us or turn against us.  Suffering that comes from financial issues.  Suffering that comes to us because of the curse of death.  Though God created this world and everything in it to be perfect, satan successfully ruined God’s creation when he tempted Adam and Eve into sin and brought sin and death, pain and suffering into the world for us and for all who follow after us.  But even though satan was so successful at so thoroughly ruining God’s creation, our God enacted his solution only a short time after Adam and Eve became his enemies.  For it was on that very day in the cool of the evening when the Lord spoke to them and said, “I will put enmity between [satan] and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15, NIV84)

In that moment the Lord enacted his solution of salvation by promising to send his Son to be the Savior.  From that time forward the Lord continued to reiterate his promise that the Savior would come to free his people from their sins.  All who put their faith in the Savior who was to come found that their sins had been forgiven, lived in a right relationship with the Lord their God, and looked forward to the inheritance of eternal life by their Savior’s side forever in heaven.  Though satan had ruined God’s creation, in his love the Lord God provided all people with a second chance to once again be made perfect through faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior.  In his great love, the Lord our God sent his Son to be the sacrifice of atonement to make us righteous in his sight so that through faith in Jesus, we too can look forward to the gift of eternal life.  Though we will still face frustration and hardship, pain and suffering in this life, because we know Jesus, our Savior, we can see these things as blessings from the Lord, designed to help us keep our eyes focused on him and our faith securely founded in him.  Though we will face difficulties in this life, these are also things that are designed to make us lean on the Lord all the more for help in this life.  Though we will see friends and family suffer with sickness and hardships and even face the death of family and loved ones, we have our Savior’s promise that whoever is faithful to him, even to the point of death, each one will receive the crown of life in his heavenly kingdom (Revelation 2:10) when he calls us home to the place that he, himself, has prepared for us. (John 14:2-3)

What an incredible solution that the Lord bestows upon us.  Even though our enemy, the devil sought to ruin God’s creation and murder our first parents by enticing them into sin, the Lord saved them and us through Jesus our Savior.  Though our enemy, the devil, still prowls around like a roaring lion seeking to devour us, it is our Savior who defends us, protects us, and forgives us, because he has made us his own through faith.  Though the devil ruined God’s creation by using his lives to bring sin, death and suffering into the world, in his great grace the Lord has given us a second chance through faith in Jesus.  He has given us the promise that he will be with us in this life as well as the promise that he will take us to be with him forever.  For all of this let us thank and praise the Lord our God!  Let us serve him and obey him.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

GraceEvangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

What's So Special About Marriage? (Genesis 2:18-25)

Series:      What I'd Like to Know Is… (2/6)
August 5, 2012

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…

How often haven’t these words flooded your living rooms as the main characters of your favorite TV show were joined together in marriage?  Though these are very familiar words, they seem to have been made special by their specific use in weddings.  They are special because they are used to mark the special day when a man and a woman are joined together as husband and wife.  Yet, even though a wedding day is indeed a very special day, sadly marriage itself is no longer treated as specially as it once was.  But even though marriage may not be regarded to be as special as it used to be, we know that marriage is indeed something that is very special.  In fact, as we continue this series of things that you would like to know, the question that we want to answer this morning is, “What is so special about marriage?” 

To find out “What is so special about marriage?” I invite you to turn with me to Genesis 2:18-25.  Now, as you are turning there, let me remind you of what the Lord had accomplished up to this point.  It was day six.  The Lord had already created light, separated the water from the water and the land from the water.  He had produced vegetation on the land.  He had created the sun, moon and stars.  He had filled the seas with fish and the skies with birds.  Now, on day 6 the Lord called forth and created all the land animals from the land by his word.  He had formed Adam out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and Adam became a living being; a living being who had been created in the perfect, holy, and sinless image of God.  He took Adam and put him in the garden to tend it, giving him every seed bearing plant and tree for food except for the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil at the center of the garden.  Then the Lord brought to Adam all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air so that Adam could name them, and in doing so, Adam would have discovered that there was no one like him in all creation.  Thus, the Lord prepared Adam for the great thing that he was about to do.  Take a look with me at our lesson in Genesis 2 beginning with verse 18:

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame." (Genesis 2:18–25, NIV84)

This was God’s plan for Adam from the beginning.  However, it was not the Lord’s intention to simply foist a helper and companion upon the man.  Rather, before extending his gift, the Lord took steps to make the man keenly aware of the fact that he was alone.  The Lord followed a course of action that would awaken a deep longing in the man’s heart for a companion who would be like him.  Thus, the Lord placed Adam into a deep sleep and took one of his ribs.  But it was not just the rib as we so easily remember, rather, from the Hebrew we get the picture of the Lord taking the rib and all that was attached to it; both the flesh and the bone.  From that rib, taken from the man’s body, the Lord fashioned the strong and beautiful, the tender and delicate form of the woman.  In the same way that an able and resourceful builder constructs elegant and graceful buildings from the raw materials of stone, wood, and metal, so also the Almighty God fashioned the most beautiful of his creatures from a rib and the flesh attached to it.  With loving care the Lord fashioned and built the woman who was to be the companion that the man so sorely needed.  With loving care the Lord formed the woman from the side of the man; from the man’s rib and attached flesh and from no other part of his body.  Thus the Lord demonstrated that the woman was meant to stand beside the man as a helper and a companion.  She was meant to stand by his side as a dearly loved and cherished helper, companion, lover, and friend.  In his great wisdom, the Lord built the woman from the man so that the human race might be built up through the woman by the man.

Can’t you just imagine the look on Adam’s face when the Lord brought Eve to him and he saw her for the first time?  Of course you can! Whether you’re married or not we have all seen that look on the faces of men and boys whenever they are stunned and overwhelmed by the beauty of a woman.  In fact, my sister has a picture of me with that very look on my face.  It was taken at the very moment when I first saw my bride standing at the back of the church, preparing to walk down the aisle on our wedding day.  For Adam, that same photo is revealed in his words, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh,” (Genesis 2:23, NIV84)  As Adam named all the animals in verse 20 he found no suitable helper, no creature that was like him; no one with whom he could form a lasting fellowship or companionship.  But now, this time, as the Lord presented Eve to Adam, he saw the companion who was like him.  He saw the woman who was indeed of the same bones as he was; who was of the same flesh as he was, for she had been taken out of him, and formed by his loving creator.  As Adam stood in the church of God’s creation, down the aisle walked the Lord, escorting his daughter Eve so that he might give his daughter, in marriage, to his son.  There, before God and his creation the first man and the first woman were united in marriage before the Lord their creator, becoming one flesh as husband and wife. 

In this way, at the beginning of time, the Lord established marriage as a special bond between a man and a woman.  The Lord established marriage as the time when a man leaves his father and mother; when a woman leaves her mother and father.  It is a special time when the two of them are united by God as one; becoming one flesh through the promises they make to each other.  They are united to each other as one flesh through their promise to commit themselves to each other and forsake all others until death shall separate them.  Though it is true that a man and a woman become one body through sexual union, it is only in marriage, under the promises made before God, that the two of them become one flesh together through their sexual union.

In this special way, as the Lord united the first man and the first woman together as husband and wife he blessed them with the special companionship that grows between husbands and wives as their love for each other increases and deepens.  In this way the Lord blessed them with children, as he gave them the privilege to be the ones to fill the earth and subdue it.  He gave them the opportunity to tell their children the precious truths of salvation; the message that even though they were the ones who messed up, the Lord had promised that one day he would send a Savior who would free them from their sins so that they could live with him forever in his heavenly kingdom.  He even provided for Eve the safety and security that spoke so deeply to the heart of the woman, and he provided the avenue for Adam to provide strength for his wife, which is something that speaks directly to the heart of the man.

Though roughly 6,000 to 7,000 years have passed since that first marriage, marriage is still just as special today as it was then.  In the same way that the Lord specifically made Adam and Eve for each other, so also the Lord still specifically brings a certain man together with a certain woman and unites them together as husband and wife in marriage.  Marriage today is still a gift through which the Lord bestows a very special companionship and friendship between a man and a woman.  Marriage is still the only way that the Lord makes a man and a woman into one flesh and provides them with God pleasing joy in their sexual union. 

The problem, however, is that it wasn’t all that long after Adam and Eve were married in God’s perfection that they sinned and ruined the perfection with which the Lord had blessed them in marriage.  Now, because of sin, there are problems in marriage.  If you are married, then you will know many of them first hand.  If you are looking to get married then you will one day experience many of them first hand.  If you are not yet married or have not married, though you may not have experienced them first hand, you will have seen them in others.  Though it was through marriage that the Lord provided the safety and security that so many women seek, because of sin, it is not always there.  Though it was through marriage that the Lord provided an avenue for a man to provide strength for his wife, because of sin, so often a man’s strength is either missing, or misused.  Though it was through marriage that the Lord provided a special companionship and friendship for a man and a woman, because of sin, that companionship can be riddled with arguments, frustrations, hurt feelings, anger, and even resentment.  Though marriage was designed to be a life-long union of one man and one woman, because of sin, many marriages have fallen apart, dissolved, or ended in divorce.  Because of sin, there are so many marriages that have come to an end because one or both was looking for a way out; because one or both began finding, or even seeking pleasure in another’s company.  Because of sin, so many marriages have come to an end because one or both entered the marriage on a trial basis.  Because of sin, so many marriages have fallen apart because husband and wife lost that loving spark.  They didn’t know what to do after the feeling of love faded, and after too many years of not feeling love or feeling loved, one or both of them has simply called it quits.  Some of you have seen these things happen to your closest friends, and it has broken your heart.  Some of you have seen these things happen to your children, and it has crushed you.  Some of you may have even gone through things like this yourself, and you have felt the effects of sin first hand.

So what is the solution?  How can I work at keeping God’s gift of marriage special?  Simple!  Turn to the Lord, and confess your sins.  Take time today, find a quiet place, a place where you can be alone, and confess to the Lord all your sins and all the ways you have failed to keep God’s gift of marriage special.  Ask Jesus to help you remember your sins, to confess them, and to renounce them.  Then, when you have confessed and received the forgiveness that Jesus longs to lavish on you, ask Jesus to send the Holy Spirit into your heart so that you can live in his forgiveness and begin to heal. Begin to live in Jesus’ forgiveness and grow in God’s Word.  Begin to recognize God’s precious gift of marriage and God’s design for marriage.  If you feel that you need help, you can always seek it from your Pastor.  Or you can seek it from a professional Christian counselor; someone who can help you to wade through hurts and live in God’s love.  And grow; grow in your faith through worship and personal Bible reading, and learn how to love by reading about how to love and respect each other inside and outside of marriage.

This, in fact, is the assignment I have for each and every one of you today.  In your bulletin you will find a half sheet insert with a pair of highly recommended books.  On one side is the book, The Five Love Languages, by Dr. Gary Chapman.  In this book he talks about the ways we show love and the ways that we feel loved.  Sometimes the biggest problem that couples face is that one or both are working very hard to show love but one or both are not feeling loved because the way that they feel loved is not the way the other shows love.  They are in essence speaking two different languages when it comes to love.  The other book is, Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs.  In this book he talks about the cycle that many couples go through when love or respect is lacking.  For, as he says, if a man does not feel respected by his wife, he will not show her love, and if she does not feel loved by her husband, she will not show him respect.  As he explains this he teaches husbands and wives how to change their lives and get off the crazy cycle.  Now, I put these in your bulletin because the assignment I’m giving each and every one of you is to procure a copy of each of these books and take time to read them.  Whether you are married or not, they will be a help to you in all your relationships.  If you are struggling in a relationship or in a marriage, it will help you to change for the better.  If you have a wonderful relationship or marriage, it will only get that much better.  I have read both of them many times, and they have helped me to grow and improve personally in relationships, as well as made my marriage that much better. 

Though marriage may not be viewed as all that special in our world today, as God’s children, we know just how special it is.  As God’s children, whether we are married or not, we seek to keep God’s gift of marriage special through our words and actions, as well as with the way that we live our lives.  As you do this, take up the assignment I have given you.  Confess your sins to the Lord!  Receive his forgiveness!  Grow in your faith, and read the books that I have told you about.  In this way you will grow in your relationship with the Lord, with your spouse, and with others as you give glory to your God by keeping his gift of marriage special.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

Marvel at the Lord's Faithful Forgiveness! (Genesis 3:1-15)

June 26, 2011

Dear friends in Christ.

Forgiveness; Forgiveness is something for which everyone looks, but not everyone finds. Forgiveness is something for which everyone asks, but not everyone receives. Forgiveness is something that everyone hopes to receive, but forgiveness is something that is not always given. Forgiveness is hard. Forgiveness is hard, especially in a relationship that is tormented with past troubles. Forgiveness is hard in situations where trust has been lost, confidences have been betrayed, or one party feels that the other party does not deserve it, has not earned it, or will simply misuse it if they receive it. Forgiveness is hard and forgiveness often hurts. Forgiveness always costs because forgiveness is releasing another person from sin or guilt rather that demanding payment for wrongs done. Forgiveness is reaching out in love rather than seeking to extract revenge. Forgiveness is costly, because it is always given at the cost of something—the cost of tears, wounded pride, a broken heart, even diminished trust. Forgiveness has always been a costly gift for the one who is giving it, but it has never cost any of us as much as it cost the Lord our God!

Just think about what it must have been like for God, sitting there in eternity and planning his creation. He knew that satan would rebel against him. He knew that Adam and Eve would listen to his enemy and turn against him rather than remaining faithful to him. He knew the depravity into which the world would fall so that he would destroy it once with a flood and then finally, completely, on the Last Day. He knew all of this and he knew the cost he would pay with the life of his Son. Yet he still went ahead with it. He created the world. He allowed satan to tempt Adam and Eve. He allowed them to fight their own battle and even choose to turn against him. He allowed them to become unfaithful to him so that they and all the world would have the opportunity to marvel at the Lord’s Faithful Forgiveness.

Take a look at what I’m talking about. Take a look at Genesis 3:1 and see the beginning of how the Lord demonstrated his faithful forgiveness. Now, as you know the Lord had recently finished his work of creating. At some point after the sixth day satan rebelled against the Lord, tried to take over, was defeated by the Archangel Michael, and was cast out of heaven forever. At sometime after that, perhaps even the very next day satan shows up in the garden, determined to utterly destroy what the Lord God had created. Take a look at verse 1: “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1, NIV84)

With these words Moses clearly assures us that this is, indeed, a real snake. It is not merely some symbol of evil or some kind of benign thought. It was a very subtle and crafty animal, as Moses tells us, which is something that could not be said of any other of the animals that God had created. Thus, by revealing this to us, Moses is in effect calling on us to pause here for a moment, and consider what is going on. A snake, a serpent, that is more than a serpent, a crafty and cunning serpent is speaking to Even in the Garden! Verse 1: “He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “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 3:1–5, NIV84)

Just think about what’s going on. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. They were perfect in every way. Their thoughts were in complete and holy harmony with God’s will. They were not capable of tempting themselves into sin. Their temptation had to come from an outside, evil source, which is exactly what happened. Their temptation came from the master tempter and deceiver who enticed Eve into doubting God’s Word. He moved Eve from not even thinking about the fruit on the tree as food to thinking about it to the point that it was the only thing that she could think about. Verse 6: “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:6–13, NIV84)

But before we go any farther, I have to ask a question. How often haven’t we been in that very same boat? How often hasn’t satan or one of his evil angels whispered in our ears or in our thoughts and subtly suggested that we not follow the Lord’s will in one way or another? How often hasn’t the siren song of certain websites, or certain Television shows, allured us away from work that had to be done, time that could have been spent with family, or time that needed to be spent with our spouse? How often haven’t we felt desire grow in our hearts like Eve did; desire for something we had hardly considered suddenly become so strong that we could not possibly live without it? How often haven’t we served as the tempter, as Eve did for Adam and drawn our spouse into sin with us? Or how often haven’t we gone along with our spouse, even though we knew that we should stand firm and not give into the temptation? How often haven’t we wagged our own tongues in order to point the finger at someone else’s sin in the hopes of hiding our own? How often haven’t little things like decorations, traditions, or personalities caused monumental problems in our lives or in our church? How often haven’t agreed with what Jesus said when he said, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.” (Matthew 18:15, NIV84) But, as soon as we are offended by a brother or sister, we bring the matter up to the person who is just a little bit higher in the chain of command, so that now someone else will have to deal with it and we don’t have to go talk to the person? How often haven’t we allowed anger or frustration to fester and boil in our hearts until we are not able to even look at or be around the person or persons who either knowingly or unknowingly caused the hurt? How often haven’t we stood before the Lord like Adam and Eve did, blaming the Lord as the cause of our sins? How often haven’t we stood before the Lord expecting some form of punishment for our sins and finding ourselves once again marveling at the faithful forgiveness that he was so lovingly pouring out on us, even though we didn’t deserve it?

That’s where Adam and Eve found themselves. They were standing before their creator. They were standing before the God who had promised them that they would surely die when they ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, undoubtedly expecting that the worst was yet to come. But as Moses tells us in verse 9, it was the LORD God who called to them. It was Yaweh Elohim, who called them and before whom they were standing. Now, as I told you last week, Elohim is the word we translate as God. This is also the name that is most often equated with God’s power, with his righteousness, and with his holiness. The name Yaweh, on the other hand is translated as LORD. In your NIV Bibles this name is indicated by typing LORD either with all capital letters of the same size or with a large capital “L” and with smaller capitals for “ORD”. This is the name that is sometimes translated as Jehovah. This is the name that Moses received at the burning bush when the Lord declared “I Am”, and this is the name through which the Lord has revealed himself as “the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness.” (Exodus 34:6; Psalm 86:15 and Psalm 103:8)

Though Adam and Eve had been unfaithful to the Lord their God, it was the Lord, or Yaweh, or Jehovah who remained faithful to them, gave them his forgiveness and promised their salvation. Take a look at verse 14: “So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:14–15, NIV84)

With these words the Lord God makes it clear that he is speaking to more than just a snake. He makes it clear that he is speaking to satan, a morally responsible creature, which again is something we learn from other parts of Scripture. Though satan seemed to win a victory here, it is only short lived, because God forgives Adam and Eve, removes their enmity with God and places it between them and satan, and delivers the first promise of the Savior. For with this promise God established an enemy status between Eve and satan by forgiving Adam and Eve. He would establish that same enemy status between her descendants—those who believed in the Lord—and satan’s descendants which would be those who did not believe in the Lord. Finally he would single out one specific descendant, Jesus, who would come to crush the serpent’s head and destroy the devils work. Though this would cause great suffering, pain, and even death as satan struck Jesus’ heal, by his death and resurrection Jesus would completely work forgiveness, destroy the power of satan forever, and cause us to marvel continually at the faithful forgiveness of our Lord.

Though we have been unfaithful, like Adam and Eve, the Lord has remained faithful to us. Though we have not deserved it, it was the Lord who has forgiven us for all of our sins. It is the Lord who has applied that forgiveness to us through the faith that he created in our hearts by the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Lord who has established enmity between us and satan, and between us and unbelievers. It is the Lord our God who has completely destroyed satan’s power over us. Though there are still times when our enemy gets the better of us, tempting us to sin, it is our God who faithfully calls us to repent, grants us the blessing of his forgiveness, and empowers us to forgive each other.

This is the faithful forgiveness that the Lord has shown in our lives. But the question is, do we allow that same forgiveness to show in our lives? How long has it been since you’ve let the faithful forgiveness of your Savior melt your heart into forgiveness for those who have wronged you? How long has it been since you let go of your pride, your frustration, your anger, or whatever it is that you are holding on to, and forgiven your fellow members, your pastor, your friends, even yourself for whatever wrongs might have been done? Are you still holding that grudge from that thing that happened so long ago that you can’t quite remember what it is, but you are still mad at a specific person and don’t know why? If you are still holding on to any past wrongs, I urge each and every one of you to let go and live in the marvelous forgiveness of your Savior, by forgiving those who wronged you in any way. Though I know that forgiveness is never easy and it will always cost something, can you imagine how amazing this place would be if we daily lived in the faithful forgiveness of our Lord! Can you imagine the joy that would permeate this house of worship because we were able to live together as God’s forgiven people because we had forgiven each other for whatever wrongs we may have caused! Can you imagine the blessings that the Lord would reign down upon us because there was finally room in our hearts now that we had let go of the sins, the hurts, and the wrongs to which we had once clung!

Though forgiveness isn’t always an easy thing to give away, it is the Lord’s forgiveness that enables us to give it away freely. Though forgiveness is something that will always cost us, it will never cost us as much as it cost the Lord our God. So as we bring this sermon to a close, take a moment during the offering to utter a prayer to the Lord. Release to him all your hurts, your heart aches, your frustrations, your grudges and ask him to forgive you for holding on to them. Ask him to help you to forgive completely those who have hurt you or wronged you in any way. Then with clear conscience, come forward and marvel at the faithful forgiveness the Lord has for you in the body and blood of his Son. If forgiveness is not something that comes naturally or easily today, then continue to pray to the Lord during this next week, until you find yourself able to forgive. Though forgiveness is sometimes difficult, though it is sometimes hard, though it always costs, continue to ask and you will receive it. Then, when you find yourselves living in forgiveness, able to forgive each other, go out and live in the faithful forgiveness of the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, abounding in love and faithfulness, the Lord who not only forgave our first parents, but also forgives us.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church -Le Sueur, MN