Genesis 3:8-15.                   The naked truth about sin!                              7/6/15

⁸ Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

¹⁰ He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

¹¹ And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

¹² The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

¹⁴ So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. ¹⁵ And I will put enmity between you and the woman,  and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Where are you? Why are you hiding? The Lord God is calling his people from their hiding places. What has happened that my people don't want to be with me? Why don't they want to be in a close personal relationship with me? Why is it that my churches are near empty and those who claim to be Christians have all kinds of excuses for not coming into my presence?

This is a very interesting follow-up passage to last week’s message from our reading from Isaiah. Here today we get an explanation as to why people do not want to take God seriously. Here we are brought to an insight as to why people do not want to live in a close relationship with the almighty and awesome God. They - we disobey our Lord and so often do not want to face up to the fact that we have messed things up – that we have chosen to go against God and what he has to say to us.

Too often we all want to be on an equal footing with God and be able to do what we want to do. And because of that rebellion we can't or don't want to face this one and only awesome God that he is. Instead we want to hide and avoid the real issues of life. Instead we blame others for our mistakes and yes we even blame God, when in reality it is we ourselves who have messed things up.

There we have the naked truth of the effects of our sin – our disobedience – our ignoring and rebelling. Our weak humanity is left exposed and bare – warts and all. When we look at sinful humanity we are a sorry sight indeed; and we are getting worse. If we are honest with ourselves we see Adam and Eve's disobedience and their actions following it, as very much the same as what is happening in our own lives. Each one of us.

As we look within and around us we see disobedience and rebellion upon disobedience and rebellion toward our Lord and the way that he would have us live and act. We want to live our own lives and do as we please. We too swallow the lies of our modern day serpents who say; Did God really say?  

We are told that money and modern technology can give us all and more than God ever promised. If we can create that illusionary image of a one unified world that is at peace with each other and with nature, then all will be well. If we get enough scientific theories together we will no longer have a need for God. If we spend enough money on health science we will be able to live forever.

Increasingly we are told that if we think positively enough and have enough self-confidence and assurance we will be able to achieve whatever we want. If we have enough rights, help, privileges and opportunities we will be able to do great things. If we have enough leisure time we will be happy.

However even though our world promises us so much and it is made to sound good and rosy, we find at the end of day that we are left standing stark naked. Fully clothed we might be - but the shame and guilt of our disobedience leaves us bare and stripped of all credibility. Instead of glory, peace and wellbeing we find that we are left standing exposed, shameful, guilty and all alone. All our faults, failings and short-comings are glaring at us like neon lights, blinking away so that all can see.

It’s there isn't it? It is there in our own lives, despite all the good intentions and great ideals. It is there in us all, even though we try to hide it behind our busyness, drugs or other addictions. It is there in our hurts, failures and power gone wrong. It is there in our feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, mistrust and uncertainty. It is there when we feel as though we are objects of ridicule and scorn; standing there naked knowing that our shame is exposed, we are guilty and afraid: Afraid because we are exposed for all to see. But most of all we are afraid because we know that we have failed God: we have gone against him and how he would have us live. And we know that he will call us to account.

So now whenever we hear God speak or are reminded of him and his will, we become afraid and want to hide because of our guilt. Despite being sucked in by the cunning words of the serpents of the day we know that we are wrong in heeding their lies. We know we have failed and so often live in fear - fear of our nakedness - fear of facing the Lord Almighty himself.

So we hide. We turn our backs on God and try to avoid the issues of our failure. We busy ourselves and our lives with work and play: we hide ourselves in front of our TV sets, computers, bottles beer and other addictions. We put on false fronts and pretend that we are having a good time. We try and hide, not really knowing how we are going to cope with our nakedness.

Then when we are cornered with the clear facts before us we so often still try to avoid the real issue. When the voice of God catches us out and challenges us, we do as Adam did: we talk of side issues and things of lesser importance; we steer the discussion away from our disobedience: and we make all sorts of excuses.

Then when we are unable to avoid the issue and the facts are stacked up against us, with all the cards on the table, we then all too often are like Adam and try to justify ourselves and put the blame on someone or something else. Yes we even blame God. We blame our Lord for our mistakes and accuse him for the results of our own disobedience.

How warped can we get? Our sin has so twisted our whole approach to life, to God, and even to those closest to us; and to ourselves as well. So there we have gone as low and as far as we can go. We have put ourselves in deep trouble with no way out. We stand naked in the depth our sin and depravity, exposed in all our guilt, rebellion and fear: up to eyeballs in manure and deserve everything that should come our way.

Then the Almighty God steps in to the midst of our sin and mess and pronounces his judgement and punishment. He announces his curse and brings down his judgement of death. The serpent is doomed. Satan is left without a leg to stand on. Punishment is to come.

However, because his love for us, we are spared the curse, even though we deserve the same fate. Sure he goes on to tell us that because of our sin, life here on earth will not be easy. We will suffer the consequences of our sin: troubles and hardships will now be a part of life for us here on this earth and we will die. But he does not curse us, unless of course we continue to turn our backs on him.

               

For us he announces a way out. He gives us hope, life and salvation in the midst of the mess.   His own Son steps into our world and takes all of our nakedness on himself. He comes into our world as one of us and take all our guilt, rebellion and fear on himself and allows himself to be punished on cross in our place. He hung there taking the curse that should have been ours. But at the same time, he crushes the head of Satan and breaks his power over us.

There on the cross we are given the freedom to again live as his people: to again live in that ongoing and living relationship with our Lord forever, with nothing being able to separate us from his love. Except, as we were reminded of in Gospel reading : except if we reject Christ and what he has done for us; unless we chose to go on living in our rebellion and sin.

There through his death on the cross Jesus clothes our nakedness with his righteousness. He dresses us again through the forgiveness of sins with a right relationship with God: A righteousness such that when God looks at us he sees his Son Jesus and our connection with him and accepts us as his very own perfect people. He gives to us His Spirit to lead us and guide us in a new and living way. We are dressed as sons and daughters of God himself: Wrapped, warmed and comforted in his loving acceptance .

What a fantastic thing this is that God has done for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. What joy we can now have because of him. What relief is ours, as all our faults, failings and rebellion is swept aside. No. not swept aside - Jesus taking the punishment instead of us. But now we are free - free to again come into God's presence and worship him. Free to come to church regularly in thanks and praise for all that our Lord has done for us.

So with that,       let us go out and seek to live as God's people once again. Let us seek to live as our Lord would have us. With his help, living, working and playing in a way that pleases this One who has done such great things for us.  Despite our past pathetic performances; despite the naked truth of a past sinful life; let us go out as freed people; as people who have been clothed with Jesus Christ himself - our Lord and saviour.

Yes let us go from here thanking and praising him for the greatness of what he has done to help us out of the mess that we have gotten ourselves into. Let us go from here giving him all glory and honour, now and always.  AMEN

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish