Jonah Becomes Committed

 Jonah The Committed Prophet

 Book of Jonah Chapters 3-4

 

 Jonah the Rebellious prophet became Jonah the committed prophet, but Jonah still had a lot of hatred in him.

 Jonah gets a second chance to go where God wanted him to go and do what God wanted him to do.

 We may think it strange, but Jonah did not want to preach to the Ninevites because Jonah knew and understood the grace and mercy of the Lord, and he knew that many of them would probably be saved.

 Jonah did not want any of them to get saved because Jonah hated the Ninevites, because they were such a cruel and wicked people, and had become a thorn in the flesh of Israel.

 Jonah was a typical Jew who felt that the Jews were better than all other peoples.

 The important word we should understand in this Book of Jonah is the word "repentance".

 Jonah had to repent of his own sin to understand the meaning of repentance, to preach a message of repentance to the people of Nineveh.

 God often gives us a second chance and to some even a third chance or more, but we should also understand that He does not always do this because He can see into our heart.

 Sometimes disobedience is of such a character that God cannot go on with such a servant.

 1Ki 13:21  And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee, 

1Ki 13:22  But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. 

1Ki 13:23  And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 

1Ki 13:24  And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase. 

1Ki 13:25  And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. 

1Ki 13:26  And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him. 

 It is always better to be obedient to the Word of God.

 *****Jon 3:1  And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, 

Jon 3:2  Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. 

Jon 3:3  So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. 

 Jonah gets the same command for the second time, and this time Jonah does not flee; he goes to Nineveh and preaches the sermon God told him to preach.

Every preacher is given a message he is to preach to those who gather with him!

Those who are not given a message from the Holy Spirit are not God-called, or they could have unrepentant sin in their lives.

 God had accepted Jonah's repentance and restored his ministry.

 A great city would be a fortified city, and probably was a walled city, and probably had experienced war. 

Most anything else would be a town, and that city in that area would be like a mother to those towns.

 Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, which had begun to emerge as a regional power.

 It was probably a saying that Jonah that he had been spat out of a fish's mouth because he had rebelled against God.

 We should understand that the Philistines worshipped a god named Dagon, and Dagon was known as the fish god. Half man and half fish.

 The Ninevites would have also considered Dagon as a god.

 To the Jews, Nineveh was the land of Nimrod.

Nineveh was up to 700 miles from Joppa, so it would take a while for Jonah to get there, much more than three days.

 When Jonah entered the city, he began preaching the message God had given him.

 Nineveh was such a great city that it would take three days to walk around the walls of that city, if you could walk 20 miles a day.

Certainly, Jonah could not walk and preach at that pace, so this statement is tied to that phrase "such a great city" to tell us just how large the city of Nineveh was.

 *****Jon 3:4  And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. 

Jon 3:5  So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. 

Jon 3:6  For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 

 Jonah had become a sign to the Ninevites: Luk 11:29  And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. 

Luk 11:30  For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. 

 The Ninevites had heard about this man Jonah, how he spent three days and three nights in the belly of a fish.

 Now we do not know if the false god Dagon influenced these Ninevites or not, but we do know that the Ninevites believed that only a true God could have saved any man from such a catastrophe.

The sign to the Church is that God can bring new life to those who are judged dead in sin.

 This king and these people believed in the story of Jonah, and we have no right to not consider it to be true today.

If God said Jonah was swallowed by a fish that He had prepared to swallow Jonah, then it has to be true!

 The effect of Jonah's preaching was spontaneous, and the people put on sackcloth and proclaimed a fast.

 From the poor to the rich, they believed in the message of Jonah, which reached into the king's palace, and this king caused a fast to be proclaimed in all of Nineveh.

 Jon 3:7  And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: 

Jon 3:8  But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. 

 The whole city believed the God of the Jews could have the power to destroy them if He chose to do so, and we know He had that power; He is all-powerful.

This city believed this because they believed the story of Jonah being swallowed by a large fish.

 Notice how God sends a warning with a chance to repent before He would bring judgment.

We are to pass this warning to those we witness to today.

 *****Jon 3:9  Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? 

 All those people who sacrificed to idols and false gods had heard about the goodness of the God of the Jews, and they understood the message of Jonah and realized they had only one option to avoid perishing.

 Notice they demanded no forgiveness.

They did not ask for mercy.

In their confession, there was no sacrifice.

They offered no promise to appease God.

 Just as we know today, their fast and humility came by faith in the truth of God.

 Our salvation is based on faith in the work that Jesus Christ has done for our salvation, and it is in this faith that God will receive us into His family and not by these other things.

 Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

 This is the work that God has required!

 This is the reason Jonah did not want to preach this message, because Jonah understood the grace and mercy of God.

 *****Jon 3:10  And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. 

 God had seen the wickedness of Nineveh, and now God saw their repentance.

 God heard them call out to Him.

God saw the change in them, their repentance.

 What had they done? They had produced fruit worthy of repentance.

 Mat 3:8  Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 

Mat 3:9  And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise children unto Abraham. 

 That fruit was that they had turned from their wicked ways.

 They did not need to sacrifice some animal, for that would have been little proof.

 They sacrificed a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

 Psa 51:14  Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 

Psa 51:15  O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. 

Psa 51:16  For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 

Psa 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 

 Not only had Jonah preached the message God gave him, but Jonah had learned a lesson he would take back to the Jews and to the Northern Tribes.

 God does not need an animal sacrifice to forgive sin.

 These Ninevites were not confused about Dagon because they had now met Yahweh, Jehovah, our Lord Jesus Christ.

 This is what Jonah knew would happen, and Jonah did not want any of the Ninevites to come to know the true God of Creation.

Jonah had some understanding of the power of the Holy Spirit, and Jonah did not want it to happen.

 *****Jon 4:1  But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. 

Jon 4:2  And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. 

The Jews, they felt that the God of the Jews was just that. The God of the Jews and not God to any other people.

There are Christians today who feel that some people are just too wicked for God to save them.

There may be, but only God can know these things!

We are never to be hesitant to reach out to others, and if the Holy Spirit encourages us to reach out to certain individuals and we refuse, then we will be held accountable for the blood of that person if they never accept the truth of the Gospel.

God desires to have mercy upon every individual!

The Lord Jesus Christ paid the sin debt for every individual.

It is not up to us to judge if any person can accept the truth of God; this is God's business, and God is in the saving business.

To be more like Jesus Christ, we must also be in the saving business!

God's mercy can reach the lowest of the lowest, the highest of the highest, and all those in between.

God can save anybody, anytime, in any place!

Jonah understood this, but Jonah was not pleased with it.

Jonah understood God's goodness and was not pleased with it.

Jonah explained to God that this was why he fled to keep this from happening, and he knew this was a great sin, and Jonah said to Jehovah, "Just take my life from me".

Jonah discussed his anger with the Lord.

*****Jon 4:3  Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. 

Even while he was angry at God, this is proof that Jonah did not water down the truth of God, but preached the truth straight from the Word of God.

Jonah did not keep his anger stored up in his heart, and this is a great example for all of us.

We will never understand everything that God does!

We will never understand the death of a child or why so many die in some catastrophe.

We may never understand why God did not answer our prayer or answer it in a way that we did not want Him to answer it.

Jonah knew God was gracious and merciful.

Jonah knew God was slow to anger and abounding in love.

Jonah knew God was willing to turn away from executing His judgment if His conditions were met.

It is very important that we all understand the character of God, and it is our goal to be more like Him.

What Jonah went through during this time in his life is a great lesson for us all.

Anytime we get to see how God does things is a place we can learn from Him!

It is very possible that Jonah became an enemy to his own people after leading these Ninevites to the Lord.

All the Jews hated the Ninevites.

Jonah may not have been able to witness to the Jews anymore.

Life did not make sense to Jonah any longer.

And God said to Jonah: Jon 4:4  Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

What do we know about anger? Anger is very ugly if it is allowed to simmer in our heart for a long period of time.

Jonah traveled a short distance from Nineveh and made himself a booth to sit under while he was trying to get over his anger.

God does not speak a word of reproach to Jonah, but God will teach Jonah a great lesson.

*****Jon 4:6  And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. 

When we are talking to God, it is always best just to stop what we are doing and sit down with Him.

If the Almighty God wants to discuss what has just happened and He takes the time to sit down with one of His children, then it is a great honor to hear what He has to say.

God does want us to understand the things we do not understand, but we must understand that it is because of the great love that He does most things.

Remember how God had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah; now God has prepared a plant, a gourd, to come up and shade Jonah and allow Jonah some relief from the blistering sun.

Jonah was really happy with the shade this plant provided for him, but this relief would not last very long.

*****Jon 4:7  But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.

If you fool with plants, then you know we can go to bed with our plants looking beautiful and wake up and find that insects during the night have tried to destroy our beautiful plants.

The same God who prepared the gourd to shade Jonah also prepared the worm that destroyed that gourd overnight.

Then God prepared a vehement east wind, and it caused Jonah to be in misery.

That word vehement means a very hot east wind, a scorching, burning wind.

Jonah fainted from the heat, and he again wished for God to take his life.

All Jonah could think about was that gourd that had provided him with some relief the previous day.

Jonah became angry that the gourd had withered and died so soon.

Again, God told Jonah that it did him well to be angry at the gourd.

Then God said: "Here is the lesson for you to learn, Jonah".

*****Jon 4:10  Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: 

Jon 4:11  And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? 

Here it becomes clear why God has created such a fast-growing plant. 

If it had been a slow-growing plant, Jonah should have cared for it and watered it, but Jonah did not have to make any effort for the growth of the plant. 

Jonah had no personal relationship with it.

We should understand that God is our Creator, and He has that special love for all His created beings, and this includes such cruel and wicked people as the Ninevites were at this time of Jonah.

God made the sun to rise over Nineveh as well as provide rain.

Mat 5:43  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 

Mat 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 

Mat 5:45  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 

Mat 5:46  For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 

Mat 5:47  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 

God told Jonah that more than one hundred twenty thousand people were living in Nineveh that could not discern their right hand from their left hand; should He not offer them a chance to be saved from Hell?

This is a trait of God's character that we cannot overlook: Mat 9:36  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 

Mat 9:37  Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 

Mat 9:38  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. 

Should God not heal them? Mat 14:14  And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. 

Even the disciples did not understand these things.

Would Jonah understand God's feelings for Jerusalem? Do we? 

Luk 19:41  And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 

Luk 19:42  Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

Even the animals were dear to God that were in Nineveh, so we must never think that God does not love His creation.

We do not get to read Jonah's response, and the Book of Jonah comes to an abrupt end, so we know for sure that God always has the last words, and we need to grow in Christ to better understand the ways of God!

Amen

Faith Is Still the Key Even in Sacrifice

 A Better Sacrifice

Book of Hebrews Chapter 10

The sacrifices under the Old Testament dispensation were all shadowy representations and types of that one great sacrifice of the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all, whereby "He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."

We know that these sacrifices came by the Laws of Moses, and they are "types" of the truth of Jesus Christ, but we know that the sacrifice did not begin with the Laws of Moses.

It is in the Garden of Eden in the early days of Adam and Eve where the Law of Obedience to the Word of God was first given!

All the sacrifices in the Old Testament can be considered to be "types" of the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ!

As in all things, it took "Faith" for any sacrifice to be received of God and then it must be a sacrifice true to the Word of God.

Heb 11:4  By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. 

For instance "God says thou shalt not kill" so human sacrifice will only bring death to those who murder.

Heb 11:17  By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 

Heb 11:18  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 

Heb 11:19  Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Abraham's "faith" was in the fact that if God took His son Isaac, then God would have to raise him from that death.

We know that God did not allow the sacrifice of Isaac and He will not allow the sacrifice of any human by those who are Christian.

All vengeance belongs to our Heavenly Father!

The only acceptable sacrifice was the sacrifice of God's Own Dear Son, Jesus!

Heb 9:12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 

Heb 9:13  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 

Heb 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 

Let us begin Chapter 10 of the Book of Hebrews:

*****Heb 10:1  For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 

Heb 10:2  For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 

Heb 10:3  But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 

Heb 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

We should understand that there has never been a perfect man!

Every individual will fall short of what they could become if they have not learned obedience to the Word of God!

Humans are lustful and immoral and the proof of this is seen every day in this world.

All this movement called LBJQT is about lust and immorality and rejection of the Word of God!

LGBTQ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning. These terms are used to describe a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. 

All these things are abomination to the Lord Jesus, but God is willing to forgive even these things but just like all others so full of sin, they must repent after salvation.

God does not expect us to repent before salvation because we just do not have it in us to do so.

God says to come as you are and be saved and then the Holy Spirit will cause us to repent of our old life. 

This works the same for every sinner!

It is by the Holy Spirit who will give us the power to repent as we are "Born Again" into something new!

We can never live with God until we are "Born Again"!

If we had to the power to clean our sinful lives ourselves, then we would not need Jesus nor the Holy Spirit and many believe they have it in their own power to do this today and they are so wrong!

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 

Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

Joh 3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Even in animal sacrifices, those animals had to be pure and flawless, so why should we ever expect God to require less from humans?

1) An animal is not the same nature of a human no matter what evolution teaches.

2) An animal has not the same value of humans in the eyes of God.

3) An animal was not capable of consenting to be a sacrificed or volunteer to be substitute for that human that offered it.

There was no power in the sacrifices of the Old Testament to gain salvation and a fellowship the with God!

There is no power in our own sacrifice of ourselves because it brings our own death, and we would get not one step closer to the Lord.

It is only because of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ that we can have New Life!

Joh 1:29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 

God knows we believe this when pray the sinner’s prayer!

Hos 14:2  Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. 

Rom_12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

We must be capable of consenting to the fact of our sin before God will hear us!

It is only by the Holy Spirit that comes to live within us after we are saved, that we will have the power to repent!

God had no pleasure at all in the sacrifice of animals especially when the true meaning of those things was ignored!

*****Heb 10:5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 

Heb 10:6  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

Heb 10:7  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 

The perfect sacrifice for our sin was in a Body specifically prepare by Jehovah God!

Psa 40:6  Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. 

Psa 40:7  Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 

Psa 40:8  I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

It should be obvious, that both the Psalmist and the Holy Ghost inspired writer of the Book of Hebrews, were speaking of the Virgin Born Son of God.

Do not listen to false teachers and preachers who reject the "Virgin Birth".

The Lord Jesus had to be born of a virgin or his sacrifice would be the same as all those other sacrifices, which is worthless!

He also had to live a perfect life, so that He would be the ideal person to die for our sin!

He also had to be eternal Himself, in order to cover our sins eternally!

Remember Jesus died for all past sin from the day He hung on that Cross and all future sin since that day!

There is a reason His arms were reaching to the East and West of His body!

When God knew that no one person of earth could die for our sin, He came Himself to be the perfect sacrifice!

I am heartbroken to know that Jesus the Messiah had to die just I could be saved!

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 

1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 

1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 

1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 

1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 

1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

We must understand that God the Holy Spirit has taken the time and with patience to write down all the Word of God, just so we can come to this conclusion.

There is only One Body of Christ!

One in nature.

One in truth.

One in glory.

Jesus was mortal and natural.

Jesus is Supernatural and real.

Jesus is mystical (the Spirit of Jesus) yet magnificent in His truth.

Paul by the Holy Spirit wrote:

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 

Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 

Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

We must understand that the Lord Jesus Christ had to do the Will of God, or He too would have been a false Messiah!

The Lord Jesus Christ took away the First Covenant by fulfilling it, so He could establish the New Covenant!

Notice that verse 7 should have been in Red Letters because this is Jesus speaking, though by the Holy Spirit!

*****Heb 10:8  Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 

Heb 10:9  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 

Because the Lord Jesus Christ was the perfect sacrifice and the sacrifices of the Law were imperfect, then those sacrifices became useless!

This what the Scriptures above have proved.

The sacrifices of the Law were powerless to remove sin because of a lack of faith!

The removal of sin would take a perfect sacrifice!

God loves His created beings, and it is God's will that as many as will believe be saved.

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 

The Lord Jesus came to do the will of His Father!

This is the same thing that our Heavenly Father expects from us, to do His will for us!

The fulfilling of the will of God is spoken of as a substitute for sacrifices.

The Divine will of God is our redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ and is perfectly fulfilled by Him!

No other sacrifice will work and there is no other way to approach God, but by His Only Begotten Son!

*****Heb 10:10  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 

The perfect sacrifice, the offering of the body of Christ, makes people holy once-and-for-all.

This work of the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly satisfied the holiness, the righteousness, and the justice of God once-for all!

When a person comes to God by the Lord Jesus Christ, the sacrifice of Christ Jesus is applied to that person and covers all that person’s sins!

Only then, can we have a complete fellowship with our Heavenly Father, all because of the work Jesus Christ did for us!

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 

Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

All the shame that comes from our sinful lives will be removed, because we can be at peace with our Creator.

Rom 10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 

Our sin could never be removed by some earthly priest nor the sacrifices that they offered!

*****Heb 10:11  And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 

The earthly priests were never done with their work.

Our Heavenly High Priest has completed His sacrifice, by making one sacrifice that last forever!

The Lord Jesus gave His own life willingly, that we could be reconciled to His Heavenly Father!

1Pe 3:18  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 

*****Heb 10:12  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 

Heb 10:13  From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 

The fact of the matter is, that after completing the work He came to do, the Lord Jesus Christ is now at this time, sitting at the right hand of God.

He would not be in this place if His work were not finished!

He accomplished these things because He obeyed!

No matter how much we think we know about our Heavenly Father, the most important thing we can do is to obey Him no matter what He ask of us!

Remember God will never ask us to do unreasonable things!

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

How long will the Lord Jesus Christ be sitting at the throne of God?

He will sit there until God the Father has separated the goats from the sheep!

This is what is going on in our world today!

The Lord Jesus Christ has already taken away our sin and now He is in place to deliver us from sin, from the evil in this world, from disease, from corruption, from death, from evil spirits, and from Satan.

We will find none of these things in Heaven!

These things are reaching their peak today as we have seen and continue to see!

He will deliver those who love Him eternally! 

Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 

Eph 1:8  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 

Eph 1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 

Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 

Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 

Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 

Eph 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 

Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. 

Those old sacrifices could do none of these things!

*****Heb 10:14  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 

Heb 10:15  Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 

Heb 10:16  This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 

Heb 10:17  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 

Notice it is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that has caused our sanctification!

To be sanctified is to be set apart to God!

To be sanctified is to be made holy!

To be sanctified is to be consecrated, dedicated to the service and the worship of the One True God!

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 

1Co 1:2  Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 

1Co 1:3  Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Pe 1:2  Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. 

1Pe 1:15  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 

1Pe 1:16  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 

1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 

1Co 1:31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 

Amen

When Sin Began Then Came Death

 

The Beginning of Sin on Earth

Book of Genesis Chapter 3

What is the truth of humanity? The world believes that humans are basically good. We may do some bad things, but we all have a good nature and just need to educate ourselves so our good nature will rule our lives.

This sounds good but it is a total lie!

The truth is we all have a sinful and evil nature and we may all do some things good, but we are all sinners in need of a Savior.

This is the theme of the Bible with the Lord Jesus Christ being that One and Only Savior!

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  

1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

The Book of Genesis being the Book of the Beginnings, explains to us where and how sin began.

We must understand sin is any and all things that go against the written Word of God or we could say the "commands" of our Creator, Elohim!

In this chapter we will meet the source of all sin, Satan who is alive and even more evil today.

*****Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

It is important that we believe that Adam and Eve are real people in most all ways just as we are today.

At this time in their lives they were just totally innocent and did not know sin.

God had created innocent people who knew no sin and all they knew was that they were to obey the words spoken by our Creator.

What was one of the things God had commanded Adam?

Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

God explained to Adam that there was one tree in the Garden of Eden that he was not to eat from. Seems simple enough.

Adam was not denied anything that was good for him. He was "commanded" not to do this one thing that would harm him.

Now as we meet Satan, we will see why the Bible uses that word "subtil".

That word "subtil" means being artful in cunning; being sly; being crafty; being wiley; insinuating and skillful at executing these things.

What will we find out about Satan? He is Lucifer, the leader of a pack of angels who rebelled against God, and was tossed out of Heaven to become the prince of darkness upon this earth.

Luk 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

What else did Jesus say?

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Joh 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

Let us just see how this wicked angel operates as he transforms himself into a serpent?

2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

2Co 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

First, we see he does not go after Adam, but instead he first attacks the woman.

As far as we know God did not give Eve the command about this tree but to Adam who should have informed Eve which he did.

Eve got her information second handed but she did understand she was not to eat of the fruit of this tree.

Now watch as Satan will twist the Word of God to cause confusion. "Did God say these things or did your husband say these things?"

*****Gen 3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

Gen 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

First Eve answered correctly. She knew she could eat from all the trees in the Garden of Eden but this one tree.

Do you notice that just like many do today, Eve tried to add to the Word of God!

She did get her information second handed because Adam was commanded by God not to eat of the tree in the midst of the Garden known as "the tree of knowledge of good and evil".

We can see that Adam passed this knowledge on to his wife Eve.

God did not tell Adam not to touch this tree but just the opposite, God told Adam to dress all the trees in the Garden of Eden.

To dress could mean to prune, or cultivate, or other things along this line.

We can probably see that neither Adam nor Eve really understood what this "death" would mean just as those who are lost do not understand it today!

Most of the world sees "death" as the cessation of life.

Since humans are both physical and spiritual then this definition is only partially true.

We could say that death is the separation of the soul from the body.

What did Jesus say just before His death?

Luk 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

Jesus was not dead until His Spirit left His body!

Remember God is Spirit and Jesus had only taken up the flesh of a human to be with us here on Earth.

But this is the same for all humans, we are not dead until our spirit leaves our body.

Ecc 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

This is the death that the Church accepts.

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Still this is not the complete definition of death.

Notice every human will suffer this death, but we must not miss that phrase "but after this the judgment".

We must understand that physical death is the result of sin and that sin through Adam in the Garden of Eden.

Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

But then that "Judgment".

It is in the power of this "judgment" when our Heavenly Father determines true death!

Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  

True death comes to all those who reject the free gift of "Grace", which comes by the knowledge of the Work that Christ Jesus has done to provide that "Grace".

That spirit given to us by our Creator will not ever die!

Death for the believer is actually spectacular.

2Co 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

2Co 5:9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

Death to the unbeliever is very sad, because they allowed it to happen to themselves!

Mat 26:24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.

Psa 18:5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.

True death comes, when to be absent from the body "is not" to be present with the Lord!

Luk 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

Luk 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Notice till this day, this man is still in that same position looking up toward Heaven, a place he will never see.

This the death of living in torments throughout eternity!

This is the death to avoid!

This is the death that Adam and Eve did not understand.

This is the death that Old Serpent desires for every human, an eternal separation from our Creator

*****Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

Gen 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Many take these things for granted but these two people Adam and Eve are our historical parents and Satan wasted no time in going after them to cause them to die so the Messiah could never come.

Satan went after the first family and he tries his best to destroy all families today!

What is the greatest lie of sin? That sin will somehow make us better, that there is some great benefit to sin.

The truth is, sin brings death just like our Creator said it would!

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  

This is the same thing God told Adam.

We know that God had made this command to Adam and Adam had relayed this to his wife.

We see that Satan that old serpent, begins to twist the Word of God to make it seem that our Creator was keeping secrets from us, which He never does.

Sin will cause all of us to believe that we can be as God, but this will never be true!

Sin will cause us to believe we have needs that cannot be met in any other way.

Sin will cause us to believe that our eyes will be opened to some new reality.

Sin will cause us to believe that we can do as God does.

Sin will cause us to believe that we know more about our needs than our Creator ever did.

All these things are illusions.

What do little gods do, make people think they do not need God!

What was the downfall of the people before the Great Flood of Noah's day?

Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

This is what sin accomplishes and we see this more today than we ever have!

If we took a good look around us, we would see that our world has reached this place again!

Our Creator God is the God of the living not the God of the dead because Satan is the god of the dead!

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Eve did not stand a chance against Satan and Adam stood by and allowed this to happen to his wife because in his eyes, his wife could do no wrong because of his great love for her.

*****Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

How did the Apostle John describe these things?

1Jn_2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

These things perfectly describe Eve's actions because this statement is true for all of us when it comes to sin!

Eve saw that this was a healthy tree and the fruit good or better than all the other trees, (the lust of the eyes).

Eve felt that if she ate of the fruit it would be just like Satan had said, (the lust of the flesh).

Eve felt she would become wise, even as wise as Jehovah, Elohim, (the pride of life).

Eve was deceived by her own lust while she was enticed and tempted by Satan.

I keep saying Satan because it was Satan who had used a snake as a disguise in his deception and his conquest of Eve.

Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

We do not know what was going in Adam's mind while Satan was tempting Eve, but it appears that Adam was standing right beside Eve during this whole thing.

1Ti 2:13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

1Ti 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

1Ti 2:15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

We must understand there are some things that we do not need to know!

There are many things that we do not need in our lives.

The one thing we must do, to keep doing our best is to obey the written Word of God.

The Bible is not a Book of suggestions, but a book of commandments!

The Bible is a Book of Truth!

We must obey the commandments of God rightly divided.

There are three groups in the Bible. The Hebrew children, the Church, and the lost world.

We should know who God is speaking to, knowing that the entire Bible is written for the Christian.

The entire Bible is the Word of God!

So what happened when Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit?

*****Gen 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

We must realize that there was a time on this earth that there was no sin, but it did not last long.

The day sin entered into humanity was the very first day our world began to die!

Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

The very first thing that was lost was innocence.

Innocence is the freedom from guilt.

Innocence is the freedom from evil intentions. (This is a biggie today)

Innocence is the untainted purity of heart and life.

Adam and Eve lost these things and so did the world that would come from their lineage!

Isa 30:1 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:

And the woes began!

They immediately felt guilty for what they had done.

They immediately knew something was wrong, they had changed in their heart and mind.

It was not those eyes in their head that was opened! It was the eyes of their heart and their mind.

They had eaten from the fruit of evil and turned against God!

What was their first thought? Let us hide this from God! (Which is impossible)

Most all of us have been guilty of trying to hide our sin from God.

Even as Christians, we will try to hang on to that pet sin we have for as long as possible.

Job 31:33 If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:

There is absolutely nothing of this earth that can hide our sin from the Almighty God.

When we turn away from God, He will turn away from us.

While they were trying to hide their sin, God called out to them.

You see up until this time God would walk with Adam.

*****Gen 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

Gen 3:9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

Here we see the philosophy of most all humans. They believe that Jehovah God does not have the power to see what we are doing.

Adam and Eve would find out that we cannot hide the things we do from God our Creator!

Pro 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

Yes, we must feel shame for not being obedient to the Word of God!

Yahweh would come down to this earth and walk amongst His creation up until this day and talk to Adam and Eve face to face, but this would now end.

Now it cannot be said that Elohim does not still come and walk upon this earth when He so chooses or why would there be flowers and beautiful landscapes where humans cannot travel, but he does not talk face to face with humans after this event, at least until Jesus was upon this earth.

To restore that fellowship we must accept the work that the Lord Jesus did for our salvation in faith!

Corruption had entered into the creation of our Holy God!

Most of this world still tries to run away from God!

Most of this world still refuse to listen to what God has to say!

Most of this world does not seek the true God, Jehovah!

Most of this world denies the existence of our Creator!

Most of this world denies sin!

Most of this world ignores the truth and listen to heretics!

God called out to Adam and Adam responded.

*****Gen 3:10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Gen 3:11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

When we respond to God's questions, He is not seeking information from us.

God has perfect knowledge and perfect perception and we are all guilty before Him!

Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

There is the sin of commission and then the sin of omission. We are guilty of one or the other or most times of both every day!

Adam had been disobedient, and he knew it!

Adam did not know what death really meant!

Adam was afraid with real fear, something humanity has forgotten, just how powerful God truly is.

Adam knew that what he had done had made a real impact on his relationship with his Creator!

Adam knew he was no longer innocent!

Adam knew he was no longer in the image of God!

Adam had been created in original righteousness, knowledge, righteousness, and holiness.

All these things lost in the fall of Adam, have been restored in Jesus Christ, if we have "faith" in Him!

Eph 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ;

Eph 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

God said: "who told you, you are naked", but He did not wait for the answer because He already knew the answer.

God then confronted Adam's guilt. Adam had disobeyed the commands of His Creator and He wanted Adam to admit to his sin.

This is something we must all do!

We must admit we are sinners and then we can realize we need a Savior!

We have learned in this one chapter the origin of sin in humanity.

If Adam is not a real person who brought sin into humanity, then there is no need for Jesus to take away  that sin!

This is the theme of the lie of evolution!

There is a reason God gives us commands because sin brings real harmful consequences to human beings!

What did Satan do to achieve his success?

1) Satan raised doubt concerning the Word of God and God's commands.

2) Satan lied and He is the father of all liars.

3) Satan twisted the Word of God into a lie.

Satan told Eve she would be like God with the knowledge of good and evil, but he did not mention the pain, the suffering and the death that would surely occur because God cannot lie.

Then Adam hunts for and excuse for his disobedience.

*****Gen 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

The key to our forgiveness from the Lord is the admission of our guilt.

We must understand we are sinners.

Even though Adam was innocent before he rejected the commands of the Lord, that was no longer the case.

Adam was a sinner and he now possessed the traits of a sinner.

Adam first tried to blame God and next he blamed Eve.

See what Adam says: "The woman that thou gavest to me".

In other words God this would not have happened if you had not created woman!

Many a person, even Christians, have a tendency, to blame God, for things that go on in their life.

"It's your fault God because you did this and you did that", ridiculous!

God had already told Adam that that his problems began when he ate of the forbidden fruit of the tree in the middle of the Garden after God, (Elohim) had told him not to.

Sin breaks our relationship with the Heavenly Father, our Creator.

Adam needed to see the depth that he had fallen.

Psa 38:3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.

Psa 38:4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

Psa 38:5 My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.

We cannot run away and hide from who we are!

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Rom 3:13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

Rom 3:14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

Rom 3:15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:

Rom 3:16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:

Rom 3:17 And the way of peace have they not known:

Rom 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

We are sinners and we will remain sinners unless we give our heart to the Lord Jesus Christ and we will still remain sinners as long as we are in this flesh, but those sins will be under the blood, blotted out from the eyes of God!

We need to quit making excuses!

Yes, it was Eve who gave into the temptations of Satan, but it was Adam who had received the direct commandment for his Creator to not eat of that tree.

Adam made Eve his idol when he listened to her rather than God!

Adam allowed the love of his wife to be more than the love of his Creator.

Luk 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Luk 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

I am sure the Lord has heard every excuse that has ever been used.

We might say just what is the big deal about this little sin?

All the descendants of Adam and Eve would now be born sinners. This is every person that has been born from the time of Adam and Eve.

Many a person have said "well my sin is so little compared to a murderer" but we are not to compare ourselves to other humans, we are to compare ourselves to the sinless Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Joh 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

Joh 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

Joh 12:50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

As Christians who read the Bible and hear the truth of God, we know that the Bible is a book of commandments and not a book of suggestions.

Adam was wrong!

Now God questions Eve.

*****Gen 3:13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

What does Satan do? He beguiles everyone he possibly can!

To beguile is to mislead by craftiness!

To beguile is deceive, to delude, to mislead, to divert, to entertain, to charm.

These are all words that describe Satan.

Eve would have needed much support from her husband, and we should realize they were both innocent, we could say perfect, at least, very good.

The truth of Satan is that without the Lord Jesus Christ a person cannot stand up against Satan!

2Ti 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

2Ti 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, "who are taken captive by him at his will".

When Satan comes after someone who does not know the Lord, they have no armor to protect them!

When Satan comes after a child of God, we have available the whole armor of God and the power of the Holy Spirit if we will just stand our ground, but at the same time we need to flee from all temptation.

2Ti_2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

But if we stand firm on our relationship with the Lord, it is Satan who will flee!

Jas_4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

God would chastise both Adam and Eve.

God would place a curse upon the earth.

God would change the snake forever.

God told Satan that one day in the future he would also die the same death as all those who reject the truth of God!

Sin entered into God's creation and He had to send His Son to make a way to escape this eternal death!

Amen