Rev
Gideon Lee
All of us
go through life with questions. Like our children who grows to a stage where
they start to ask lots of questions. I think it's important we learn to ask the
right questions. Today we are going to look at the first three questions in the
Bible. These questions did not come in a good way because they were asked to
deceive man. We want to see how we can learn from this.
Genesis 3:1-11
1 Now the serpent was more crafty
than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not
eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We
may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not
eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not
touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the
serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes
will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit
of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for
gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband,
who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made
coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard
the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the
day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the
Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the
garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked?
Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
The
serpent asked the first question and notice how it was phrased. Eve wasn't
really sure when you see how she replied the serpent. And it was not with
conviction.
The
Second question. God asked them "where are you?". God is still asking
this same question today. Maybe to the lost or to some of you who have strayed
from God.
And the
third question was God asking them who told them this. When God asked the
question where are you, God knew exactly where Adam was. He is God.
The
serpent was very crafty when he asked Eve the first question. He is a master
deceiver. He is real even though I'm not glorifying him we need to be careful.
As children of God we are assured of victory.
The
serpent asked Eve in a very sly and non threatening way. When God gave Adam the
instructions, Eve heard it secondhand. Often when we hear certain things our
brain processes it first. God gave us a brain and to rationalise things out.
But after that it moves from our mind to our heart. That's when the conviction
comes.
Like you
have head knowledge of how you are saved. And if I ask you how do you know that
you are saved it has to move from head knowledge to heart knowledge and the
best answer is that you know that you know.
When God
says you will surely die, yet the serpent told Eve you will not surely die. If
the conviction was in Eve's heart would she have eaten from the tree? She heard
it secondhand so the conviction was not there. If you ever have this thought,
did God really say that? It is not from God. The enemy comes with this
questioning quote. The devil has only one agenda. To come to steal, kill and
destroy.
God's
promises come with no strings attached even if there are conditions. Jesus came
to give life and life abundantly.
The
serpent knows about God's word.
James 2:19
You believe that there is one God.
Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
The enemy
knows the word of God. He wants us to answer him "I think". The best
way to response to him is through the word of God. The serpent presents you
with something that sounds like the word of God but is not the word of God.
"Did God really say you cannot eat any fruit…" He did not say from
this tree.
During
the temptation of Jesus after fasting 40 days.
He was hungry and he asked Jesus to turn atone into bread. He knew Jesus
was God and is easy for him to do that. But Jesus answered him with "man
shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes out from the mouth
of God." He was quoting scriptures. We need to know the word of God
accurately. It cannot be I think this is what God say. Then no conviction
already. It has to be I know God says this.
What was
the second temptation? To throw himself off the cliff. The devil quoted
scriptures too. He knows the Bible. Don't read the Bible from just the mind but
to meditate on the word so that it is a conviction that we can live by faith.
But Jesus
says do not test the Lord your God. The devil was trying to get Jesus to work outside his authority. Jesus never used his power for himself but for the
needy.
The third
temptation the devil showed him the kingdoms of the world.
The devil
presents himself like the angel of light. But he is a counterfeit. He showed
Jesus an alternative, bow before him and
he'll give to Jesus the world. No need
to go to the cross and suffer all that pain. Just kneel before him.
Jesus
replied, worship the Lord your God and serve only him. Jesus spoke with
conviction. In what area has the enemy come to you and asked you this question:
did God really say so?
Did God
really say that there's no other God but him? Did God really say that Jesus was
born of a virgin? Did God really say that he came back to life? Did God really
say that Jesus is the only way to find eternal life? Did God really say that
you have come to church? Did the enemy ask you these questions? He's trying to
get you to think. You have to know that you know.
When we
can answer these questions with full of faith and conviction, his lies becomes
powerless. You cannot rely on secondhand knowledge. You cannot come to God
based on your parent's faith. Your walk with God has to be your walk with God.
Someone said to me, you cannot subcontract your faith to God.
The
second question God asked where are you? God asked to reconcile Adam back to
him. As parents we can relate to this. Sometimes my children drink their Milo
and then leave their cups on the table. They are supposed to go and wash the
cups. But sometimes they forget. I know whose Milo by the colour of their cups.
So what do I do? I ask "whose cup is this?" I know whose cup this is
but I asked. Why? Because I want them to own up.
But they
try to get away. They use somebody or nobody. Then there's that not me. When
God asked where are you Adam, God knew exactly where Adam is. He wanted Adam to
own up to what he's done. Sometimes we blame Eve or Adam, that we are
interested his state.
The first
act of redemption was the sacrifice of an animal.to cover their nakedness. God
is asking some of you here. Where are you? Have you walked away from him and
God is wanting your fellowship. Where are you? I pray when God ask where are
you, you'll know this is a question to bring you back to him. A reconciliation
question and not to punish you.
Adam
answered he was naked and afraid. And God said who told you you were naked?
Adam did not get it. He hid with shame. That's what sin does to us. We hide
away from him. God ask you told you so. God when he look at us sees Jesus'
righteousness in us.
Sometimes
we do that with ourselves. We say we are not talented. Who told you? I pray we
will not hide when God ask us where are you.
We
sometimes wallow in our sin instead of coming to God immediately. Our
relationship is restored only when we come back to God but we want to wait or
hide. I encourage you to come back and be reconciled back to God quickly.
Three
ways we need to avoid deceit.
- Stay away from temptation. When Joseph was being tempted, he ran. When you like something the enemy will come and tell you it's okay.
- Know what God says. Not just hear but be gut sure. You have to double confirm, if there's such a word.
- Don't hide your sin or yourself from God. When we try to hide from God we are making excuses and hiding in the bushes. He wants to reconcile with you.
There was
once a famous lawyer who was dying. He was one of the best Lawyers in the
country and he won almost all his cases. At his deathbed, he called for his
doctor. He knew he had no time left. He called for a Christian doctor. The
lawyer asked for a bible. The doctor asked why you want a bible when you're not
a Christian? He said he is sitting for his final exam so he want to try his
best to see if there's any loophole in the Bible. I hope you're not like this
lawyer.
There are
no loopholes in the Bible. There's no back door. There's only one way. God's
way. Know it in your heart.
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