Hear the Bible Study Podcast!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:29 — 19.0MB)
Key Verse:
Genesis 3:8 (NKJV)
Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Adam and Eve literally had a Paradise to live in. But just like many of us today, they were NOT content with the blessings of God. They wanted more at any cost.
I. There is Always Trouble: When We Cast Off Moral Restraint.
Genesis 3:6 (NKJV)
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Even though Adam and Eve both knew what God had commanded, they chose to deliberately disobey Him. They cast their morals to the side and sinned against God. Adam and Eve knew the consequences of disobeying God, yet they allowed themselves to trust Satan over the Lord. Satan often tempts us to cast off our morals and to disobey God. We must stand firm in obedience to the Lord or we too will suffer the consequences!
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NKJV)
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
II. There is Always Trouble: When We Try To Deceive God.
Genesis 3:9-13 (NKJV)
9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” 12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” 13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Blaming others is a very common method people use to excuse their sinful behavior. Whenever we try to deceive God, it is actually ourselves we are fooling! God sees, hears and knows all. We cannot fool Him.
Psalm 33:13 (NKJV)
The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.
Our attempts to deceive God are really our own efforts to excuse our sin. Jesus tells us that we have NO excuse for Sin.
John 15:22 (NKJV)
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
III. There is Always Trouble: When We Forget Who Owns the Garden.
Genesis 2:8 (NKJV)
The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
We must never forget who we are dealing with, or better yet, who is dealing with US. Because God owns everything that makes Him in charge, NOT US!
Psalm 24:1 (NKJV)
The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.
We may feel as though we are in control of things, but in reality it does not take much to show us our weaknesses and short comings. If we humble ourselves before God, He will exalt us.
Matthew 23:12 (NKJV)
And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
If we are to be obedient to Christ, we must not cast off our Christian morals. To be honest with God is to be honest with ourselves. The moment we think we are in charge we are in trouble