Hide and Seek

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:8

We hide. God seeks. We hide from God. God seeks us. He seeks us because we matter to him. The first thing Adam and Eve do after they sin is hide. They primarily hide from God but they subtly hide from each other. The fig leaves indicate that the trust and transparency between them has vanished. Why do Adam and Eve feel the need to hide from God? Because they sinned. They feel guilt and shame. We do the same thing. We sin. We feel an uneasy guilt and shame. We are no longer comfortable with ourselves and so we are not comfortable with God or with others. So we hide. How do I hide? I hide by trying to control things. I try to control my emotions. I try to control my environment. Sometimes I try to control others. At times I hide behind busyness. Or by "impression management" - how others see me. Or by being nice rather than being honest. Sometimes I hide by asking people questions. If I ask all the questions then people won't ask me questions. Sometimes I hide behind my reading. Or my running. I have all kinds of ways to hide, some of which I am unaware of. I hide so subtly that I hide from myself that I'm hiding! What about you? How do you hide? What are your preferred ways? Humor? Shopping? Sarcasm? TV? Golf? Exercise? Self-deprecation? Careerism? What is the opposite of hiding? Authenticity. Being ourselves. Being real. Being honest. Honest with ourselves. Honest with God. Honest with others. Because we are imagebearers of God, we long to be authentic. We long to be ourselves and still be accepted. The good news of the gospel is that I am accepted in Jesus. He has wiped out my sin and guilt and shame. He accepts me completely, just as I am. He sees me as completely righteous and forgiven. Because God accepts me, I can accept myself. I can be myself. I no longer have to hide. I can let God catch me.

Adam's Silence

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

In the early verses of Genesis 3 we read of a conversation in the Garden of Eden, a most unusual conversation between a crafty serpent and the first woman. One question that occurs is this: Where is Adam during all of this? Genesis 3:6b gives us the astounding answer: "She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate." He was with her? You're kidding! Adam was right there the whole time and didn't say a word? He should have been right in the thick of things: "Whoa! Just wait a minute snake! That's not what God said. That's not what he said at all. He didn't say that we couldn't eat from any tree in the garden but that we could eat from any tree except one. And God is good to us. He's not depriving us of anything. Just get out of here! We're not going to listen to this stuff! In fact, where's my shovel! We'll put a stop to this nonsense right now!" Adam should have been engaged, active, fighting the battle, defending his wife, loyal to his God. But he wasn't. Instead, Adam was apparently silent, passive and withdrawn. Tragically, so many men since Adam have been silent, passive, withdrawn. So many men have been preoccupied with work and career, with houses and hobbies, while the great spiritual battle rages on without them. Our role as men, our calling as men and husbands and fathers, is to fight the battle! Our calling is to be active and engaged, to defend our wives, our children, our friends, our people, our churches, our communities. We fight the battle with spiritual weapons, with prayer and the Word of God, trusting in the Spirit of God. Our wives need us to be in the battle. Our children need us. Our church needs us. Men, fight this battle! Pray daily for protection for your family, for your church, for your loved ones. Stand against the enemy in Christ's strength. Wherever the battle erupts, be active and involved and engaged. Be Christ's loyal soldier in the great cosmic battle. Satan would have you succumb to the silent, passive, withdrawn way of Adam. Reject this wimpy approach. That is not your destiny. That is not who God made you to be!

The Fall

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

In "A View From the Zoo," Gary Richmond, a former zoo keeper, writes of raccoons: Raccoons go through a glandular change at about 24 months. After that they often attack their owners. Since a 30-pound raccoon can be equal to a 100-pound dog in a scrap, I felt compelled to mention the change coming to a pet raccoon owned by a young friend of mine, Julie. She listened politely as I explained the coming danger. I'll never forget her answer, "It will be different for me ..." And she smiled as she added, "Bandit wouldn't hurt me. He just wouldn't." Three months later Julie underwent plastic surgery for facial lacerations sustained when her adult raccoon attacked her for no apparent reason. Bandit was released into the wild. So often, we think we're the exception to God's commands. "It will be different for me." It's a lie. It will not be different. Sin hurts us, just as surely as Bandit ripped up Julie's face. Adam and Eve felt they could sin and get away with it. They thought they were smarter than God. They thought they would miss out on something they really needed. They bought Satan's lie. All of us have been paying for it ever since. The consequences of this disobedience have been catastrophic. Sin came. Death came. Guilt came. Walls and barriers went up, shame and distrust. The whole earth recoiled and has been reeling ever since. All creation groans and it will groan until God brings the new heaven and new earth. You are not an exception to God's commands. God's commands are for your good. You cannot play with sin and not get snakebitten. Don't kid yourself. Perhaps right now you are involved with sin - an affair, a lie, an addiction, dishonesty, greed, something else. You are not an exception to the spiritual laws of the universe. You will suffer just as surely as Adam and Eve suffered. Stop now! Call on God's grace and power! Turn from your sin. Receive God's cleansing grace. Be free of sin and guilt.

The Choice

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 3:5

Satan suggests to Eve that God is depriving her of something good, something she needs to be happy.

Think about it. Adam and Eve have a paradise environment. It's like they are on an island in the South Pacific with every need met. They have no wants, no needs. They have intimacy with God, intimacy with each other. No wars, no disease, no conflicts, no traffic problems, no work, no bills, no pressures. Not even mosquitoes! Paradise!

They have bounty. They have freedom. They have abundance. They have one and only one restriction: Do not eat of this one tree, the tree in the middle of the garden.

They have a choice. They can focus on all the good things they have and be grateful or they can focus on the one tree they cannot have and be resentful. Their choice.

We have a similar choice. We may not live in paradise but we do live in a country of bounty and freedom. We probably have the richest lifestyle in the history of the planet. Yes, we have problems. We are living after the Fall. But we have so many good things in our lives, not to mention all the riches of Christ available to us.

We can focus on all the good things in our life, all the gifts of God's goodness, and be grateful. Or, we can focus on the things we don't have, perhaps things that our neighbor has, and be resentful. Our choice: grateful or resentful.

Which one do you consistently choose?

The happiest people on earth are the people who choose to be grateful to God. The happiest people are not those with the most toys and the fewest problems, but the people who have a grateful heart.

Satanic Slander

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 3:5

Do you hear the suggestion in Satan's statement? "God is holding back on you. God is depriving you of something good. God is depriving you of something you need. God is not really good to you. If you obey God's commands, then you are going to miss out on pleasure. God cannot be trusted." This is the satanic slander. It began with Eve. It continues with you. Look at those statements again in the first paragraph. When you hear that voice in your head, do you recognize the source? Paul said we are not ignorant of Satan's schemes. This is his main scheme to ruin you. Perhaps the issue for you involves lying to your spouse. Or a dishonest business deal. Or internet pornography. Or forgiving someone who has hurt you. Or an affair. Or marrying a non-Christian. Or divorcing your spouse. In all of these situations, and a thousand more, you will hear the same thing Eve heard: "God is holding back on you. God is depriving you of something good. God is depriving you of something you really need to be happy. If you obey this command you are going to miss out. God cannot really be trusted." Satan promises us pleasure. He lies. There may be short-term pleasure. But there is long-term pain. He wants to ruin your life and devour your soul. Think of the consequences for Adam and Eve - and all human history. Did he lie to her? Has he changed? No! He is a liar and the father of lies. Do not listen

The First Denial

But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die." Genesis 3:4

Satan is no longer questioning God's word, as he had done in verse 1. Now Satan is denying God's word: "You will not surely die"! The word not is emphatic in the original language. "You will not die! No way!" You will hear the same voice, whispering in your ear, denying God's word. It comes in many forms. "The Bible is not even true. It's full of errors." "That command doesn't apply to you. Your case is different." "God will forgive you. Just go ahead and sin and then confess it later." "Sin is no big deal. It's just a little sin anyway." "You can sin and get away with it. God is not going to judge you." "You deserve this. You need this to be happy." "There's no judgment. There's no price to pay for sin." In all sorts of ways, Satan denies the reality of judgment and hell. If we lost sight of the ugliness of sin and the reality of God's judgment, then we will never appreciate the amazing grace of God that rescues us from sin and guilt and hell. If there's no real sin, you don't need a Savior. You don't need grace. You don't need God. The first truth that Satan denied was the truth of God's judgment. He's still denying it today. We live in a world of denial. Resist this attack. Repudiate this voice. Refuse to listen. Run to God for his saving grace.

Eve's Errors

And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, '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 3:2-3

Eve makes two errors in her response. She understates God's goodness and she overstates God's restriction. First, she understates God's goodness. God had emphasized that Adam and Eve could surelyeat from every tree in the garden (2:16-17). Eve omits this emphasis on freedom and bounty. Secondly, she overstates God's restriction. God had simply said that Adam and Eve were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (2:17) but Eve surprisingly adds that they were not to eat from the tree or even touch it. Where did she get that! Eve is not alone in these mistakes. She has had so many followers. For example, the Pharisees. The Pharisees were experts at adding to God's commands. They would take a simple command such as "Honor the Sabbath" and add dozens of elaborations: You can take so many steps, you can do this, you can't do that. Moreover, there are so many Christians today who follow Eve's errors. They overstate God's restrictions and hence understate God's goodness. They make rules for everyone such as "You can't go to movies" or "You can't go to certain kinds of movies" or "Christians should abstain totally from alcohol" or "Every Christian should home school their kids" ... and many more! When we overstate God's restrictions it seems spiritual. It seems like we are so serious about the spiritual life. But it is not spiritual. Fact is, this approach leads to spiritual pride (if we keep these rules) or else to spiritual guilt (when we fail to keep them). It never leads to spiritual health and loving Jesus and enjoying Jesus. It is a form of legalism. Now, whatever God says to do, do it. Do it with all your heart. Do it with joy and freedom. But do not add to God's commands, thereby overstating God's restrictions and understating God's goodness. This approach didn't work for Eve and it won't work for you.

The Great Battle

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

Genesis 1-2 gives no word of the battle. We see God's creation. It was good. God creates Adam. Then he creates Eve. The creation narrative ends with Adam and Eve naked and unashamed. There is trust and transparency in paradise. Things are very good. But wait! Genesis 3 opens with a crafty snake, subtly suggesting that God is not good and he cannot be trusted. There is an enemy in paradise, an opponent of God. There is attack, a subtle, insidious attack. It will become clear that this is no normal snake but it is Satan, "that ancient serpent" (Revelation 20:2), who is behind the snake. Apparently, Satan had already been created sometime prior to Genesis 1. First, in eternity past, there is only God. The triune God. The uncreated God. That is Act 1. Then, God creates the angelic beings. Sometime later some of these spirit beings rebel and they are judged. That is Act 2. Next, God creates the world as we know it, including humans. That's where the Bible begins in Genesis 1. That is Act 3. One day in the future Jesus Christ will return and bring in the Kingdom. "Thy Kingdom come!" All opposition will be put down and God will establish a new heavens and a new earth for eternity future. That is Act 4. We live in Act 3. We live our lives in the context of battle, raging spiritual battle. A cosmic battle. The Great Battle. We see the battle at the beginning of the Bible, beginning with Genesis 3, and we certainly see it at the end of the Bible, filling the pages of Revelation. We see it all through the Bible but especially in the Gospels and in the New Testament letters. Not for one moment must we lose sight of the battle. It rages all around us, real but unseen. Our spiritual enemy is out to destroy us and devour us and ruin us. Satan's strategy is seen at the outset: "God is not good and God cannot be trusted, so look out for yourself and go your own way." Moreover, Satan attacks us in disguise, just as he disguises himself in Genesis 3. When Satan comes to you, he does not come in the form of a coiled snake. He does not approach with the roar of a lion. He does not come with the wail of a siren. He does not come waving a red flag. Satan simply slides into your life. When he appears, he seems almost like a comfortable companion. There's nothing about him that you would dread. The New Testament warns that he dresses as an angel of light ... One point seems quite clear: when the enemy attacks you, he wears a disguise. As Mephistopheles says in Faust, "The people do not know the devil is there even when he has them by the throat." ... He does not whisper to Eve, "I am here to tempt you." ... He doesn't come and knock on the door of your soul and say, "Pardon me, buddy, allow me a half hour of your life. I'd like to damn and destroy you. (Haddon Robinson) Satan slides in. He slithers. He comes to deceive us, accuse us, condemn us, tempt us. Recognize his schemes. Resist his attack. Refuse to listen to his voice. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:11-12). This is battle! Don your armor! Stand your ground! Fight in God's strength! Serve the true King!

Crafty Serpent

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. Genesis 3:1a

It becomes clear quite soon that this is no mere snake. Behind the serpent is Satan. Satan comes to tempt and deceive and devour. What is the satanic strategy? Listen to his next words to Eve: "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" (3:1b) Can you hear the tone, the incredulity? "I can't believe it! Has God really said that you can't eat from any tree in the garden! How unfair!" What is Satan doing? He is suggesting that God is not good. He is questioning God's love for Eve. He is distorting God's Word. He is casting doubt on God's goodness to Adam and Eve. He is insinuating that God is holding back something from Eve that she really needs. This is still the satanic strategy. Satan wants to devour you. This is his strategy. Expect to hear the same voice in your head. Nothing's changed. You will hear a voice suggesting that God is not good, that God does not really love you, that God is unfair to you, that God is hard to please, that God is in fact a cosmic Scrooge. Have you heard that voice? Sure you have. Recognize its source. Paul says that we are not unaware of the devil's schemes. Behind all sin is the suspicion that God isn't good and therefore he cannot be trusted. This is Satan's main ploy in his quest to ruin your life and devour your soul. You will hear things like this, "God is being so unfair in what he says about divorce (or adultery, or honesty in your business, or tithing, or forgiving your father, or Christians marrying only Christians, or pornography). God is holding back something you need to make you happy. Your case is different. You are an exception." Don't listen! Shut your ears to the voice of the deceiver. Stand firm in Christ's strength.

Naked Transparency

 

And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:25

This simple statement gives us God's ideal for every marriage: trust and transparency. Trust is the foundation for transparency. If I don't trust my spouse, I don't feel safe and I won't open my heart. I won't be transparent or vulnerable. I won't take the fig leaf off my soul and will never experience the incredible intimacy and oneness that God intends for marriage. In marriage we long for the freedom to say what's on our heart. We long for the freedom to unburden our soul, to talk about our fears, to share our dreams and know we'll be understood, to be honest and know we'll be accepted. We long for transparency. Transparency is largely a matter of trust. Build trust and transparency follows. However, here are three suggestions to nurture open communication in marriage. 1.  Stretch yourself to tell your spouse what's really going on inside. I say "stretch yourself" because this is not so easy for some of us. It is not natural. Even if it's not natural we must open up. It's the price of intimacy. Here are some issues to talk about: What's bothering me? What are my dreams? What are my struggles at work? How do I feel about our marriage? How do I feel about our sex life? What are my fears? What am I excited about? For me, there are a lot of times when I don't know what's going on inside. But if I try to tell Gayle about my feelings, it forces me to get in touch with what's going on inside. 2.  Be an incredible listener. Give your spouse all your attention when you listen. Look deeply into your spouse's eyes. Don't interrupt! Don't condemn! Don't offer solutions! Just listen! So many wives feel their husbands don't really listen. A wife will not feel close to her husband if she does not feel he listens to her. Conversely, so many husbands feel their wife is forever criticizing, forever trying to change them. Husbands long to be a knight in shining armor. We don't admit this or speak of it, but it's true! Trust me! If a wife is always criticizing her husband, he doesn't feel much like Lancelot. Something inside him dies. Husbands flourish when their wife expresses confidence and admiration for them. 3.  Carve out regular times for in-depth talking. Life is full. If you don't plan for these conversations they probably won't happen as often as they need to happen. Gayle and I often walk in the evenings. It may not be a long walk but it's a splendid opportunity to have uninterrupted time together. These walks help us feel connected. For you, it might be a weekly date night or a breakfast together or Saturday afternoons at Starbucks. Find what works for you. If you have young kids, get them to bed early enough so that you have some time to focus on each other. If one of you travels a lot, talk every day on the phone if at all possible. And when you are at home, schedule even more conversation time in your lives. When a couple regularly has heart-to-heart conversations, when each one tells the other what is really going on inside and each one listens to the other, then the couple experiences a deep sense of closeness to one another. They experience a glimpse of Eden's nakedness.

Naked Trust

And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:25

This simple description gives us a picture of what God wants for every marriage: trust and transparency. What does trust mean for a marriage? I tell the truth. I'm completely honest with my spouse. I don't lie or shade the truth. If my spouse asks how much I spent on a purchase or what I think about something, I always tell the truth. It is impossible to have trust without honesty, because trust is based on truth. I don't deceive. If I'm put on probation at work or receive a negative performance review, and I never say anything to my spouse, that's probably deceptive. If I buy something and I know my spouse would not like it and I never mention it, that's deceptive. At times, it is easier to shade the truth or cover up. No question. But if I choose the easierroute, then trust is undermined, and therefore intimacy. The price of intimacy is honesty. No deception. I do what I say. "I'll go by the grocery store." "I'll pay the Visa bill." When I say I'll do something I follow through. I follow through even if it's inconvenient. I don't say: "I know I agreed to go the Alley Theater on Monday but I forgot March Madness was on." Obviously, at times unforeseen events come up that warrant a schedule change, such as a big project at work. But such events must be the exception not the commonplace. Day in, day out, I do what I say. I am safe to talk openly with. I am not harsh or demeaning or condemning. I may challenge my spouse but I do so in a gentle and loving way. I am a safe person for open communication. I am for you. I don't undermine my spouse in any way. I don't demean my spouse in public. I don't get laughs at the expense of my spouse. When it comes to defending my spouse and loyalty to my spouse, I am tenacious. I'll never abandon you. I will not betray or divorce or leave my spouse. Divorce is not an option. I never threaten divorce in the heat of an argument. If my spouse gets Alzheimer's, I will be there to provide care. As long as my spouse is alive, I'm not leaving. This is what trust looks like in a marriage. When there's this kind of trust in a marriage, there is the opportunity to recover the amazing nakedness and intimacy of Eden.

Confidence in Eternal Life

 

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

1 John 5:13

John boils down the purpose for the entire letter of 1 John in this verse: “This is why I’m writing. This is my burden. I want you to know that you have eternal life.”

Not hope you have eternal life. Not think you have eternal life. But know you have eternal life. Like any loving father, our Father in heaven wants us to be secure in our love relationship. He wants us to know who we are and whose we are and what he’s given us. He wants us to have assurance about our eternal destiny.

And who is John writing to? Who gets this assurance of eternal life? Who needs this message? Simply those who believe in the name of the Son of God. Those who are trusting Christ as Savior.

This is a promise to claim and stand upon. If you are believing in Christ as Savior, if you are trusting in Christ and not your own goodness or works, then you can rest on the authority of God’s Word: You have eternal life.

© 2014 WoodsEdge Community Church. All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced for any non-commercial use.

God is Love

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

God’s nature is to love. His essential nature is to love.

He doesn’t have to try to love. This is just the way he is in everything and in every way and at all times. God cannot help but be loving because God is love. This is his essential nature.

This does not mean that love defines God but that God defines love. Moreover, that God is love is not the only thing about God but it is the main thing about God. More than we can possibly imagine, God is a loving God.

It has been pointed out that there is nothing you could do to make God love you more and there is nothing you can do to make God love you less. On the one hand, God’s love is perfect and infinite, so he could not possibly love you more. On the other hand, God’s love for you is relentless and unconditional, and he could not possibly love you less.

Moreover, God’s love for you is intensely personal and emotional. It is not “generic.” It is not just that God loves people in general, the mass of humanity. No, God loves you. You personally. He loves you as though you were the only person in the world to love. He has even numbered the hairs on your head!

The renowned theologian, Karl Barth, wrote volumes of dense theology. In fact, some would consider him the greatest theologian in four hundred years, since the time of John Calvin. He was once asked to sum up, in one sentence, the thousands of pages of theology had had written. He paused and then replied, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

Indeed, God is love.

© 2014 WoodsEdge Community Church. All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced for any non-commercial use.