Genesis 3:1-11



The first ancestor of mankind, Adam, departed from God because he sinned. Mankind was broken because of sin. Those who sin will be judged. Those without sin will not perish (Job 4:7). Sin is that much frightening. Yet, God did not leave the sinful Adam alone, but called out to him, “Adam, where are you?” (Genesis 3:9).

This is a redemptive historical calling. It is the first inspirational calling of love delivering forgiveness and redemption. It is a calling that finds us first and calls us no matter what sins we commit. It is a calling that begins a conversation in profound kindness. Those who hear that calling will live (John 5:24-25).
Originally, Adam was naked and was not ashamed (Genesis 2:25). This was because he was covered in the glory of God. He was the most pleasing to God. He was not created to live temporarily but to live eternally with God. However, the moment he sinned, the glory of God left him. He became ashamed. He sewed fig leaves together and covered his nakedness. He hid from the face of God among the trees of the garden. That is when God called him.
After first creating Adam, God commanded him, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17). This was before the woman was created. Adam was supposed to thoroughly teach God’s command to the woman. However, he did not do so. That is why the woman ended up eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil first.

What is the identity of the serpent?
God commanded Adam to ‘cultivate and keep the Garden of Eden’ because He knew the serpent would come into the Garden of Eden.
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1).

The serpent is crafty and fickle. He is such an expert at changing his story to fit the situation, that there is no match for him. ‘Crafty’ in Hebrew means ‘clever in lying.’ He lies without even blinking. He skillfully lies just as a serpent slivers over a fence. He does not hold even the smallest amount of truth. He does not chew his prey; he swallows them whole. The entire body of the snake is slippery. He enters through even the smallest whole.
A snake symbolizes Satan (Revelations 12:9, 20:2). Even through a smallest crack in our life of faith, Satan will tempt us. God said, “Do not give the devil an opportunity” (Ephesians 4:27). If we do not seal up the cracks toward the worldly things, we will ultimately sin. It is said, ‘A strong draft comes through the eye of a needle.’ That is why we must build ourselves upon holy faith.
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life” (Jude 1:20-21).
If we cannot build our own house through faith, we will be cold one day and get sick (Ephesians 2:21-22).

Had Adam and Eve protected themselves without a crack, the serpent would have been unable to enter their hearts. When the serpent asked Eve, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’,” had Eve replied by saying, “Why do you care? This is a covenant between God and us. Why are you interfering? If you want to know, ask God yourself,” then it would have been over. When Satan slyly speaks to us and we exchange words with him, we will eventually fall.
“For your guilt teaches your mouth, and you choose the language of the crafty. Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; and your own lips testify against you” (Job 15:5-6).

Where was Adam when Eve sinned?
“Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18).
‘A helper suitable for him’ is ‘a mate who helps with the work’ (Common Translation Bible) and ‘a helper who is just right for him” (New Living Translation). According to the Hebrew original text, it is ‘someone who stands in front of your eyes to help you.’ Man should have not let the woman out of his sight. They were to always keep their eyes on each other.
The woman was supposed to stick next to Adam and help him. That was the purpose and calling of her creation. However, they did not do so. When Eve was talking to the serpent, where in the world was Adam? The serpent was waiting for that opportunity when Eve would be alone. The moment Eve conversed with the serpent was the moment she had eaten the poison. Among ‘any tree of the garden’ that the serpent knew of, Eve revealed which tree God had told them not to eat from. We must not sit in the seat that has nothing to do with God’s will.
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” (Psalm 1:1).



As result, the serpent knew the covenanted secret between God and man.
God said, “If you eat from the tree, you will die.” However, the serpent tempted her by saying, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil". After hearing the words of the serpent, Eve's view of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil changed. Sin enters through the eyes. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil looked good for food (Genesis 3:6). Her mouth watered and it looked desirable enough for her hand to reach for it. It was also a delight to the eyes (Genesis 3:6). She looked at it and looked at it again. Her heart was captivated like a prisoner. It was desirable to make one wise (Genesis 3:6). She became greedy. She received the temptation of discernment. Her desire told her, ‘I must eat it.’ She could no longer see God’s world of creation.
Eventually, Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and also gave it to her husband. She must have told her husband, “I ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but unlike what God said, I did not die.” Adam believed in the woman’s words more than God's. After eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the innocent heart and pure thoughts disappeared, and the abilities to sin became clear. They could not go before God even when He called them, and they hid themselves among the trees. Although the devil tempted by saying ‘you will not die,’ those who cannot throw away the lust of the flesh, desire of discernment, and the pride of life will die. They cannot inherit the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:27-28, 1 John 2:15-17, Job 31:1, 1 Peter 2:11).
“Everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).
“I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?” (Job 31:1).
“Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly; at the last it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper” (Proverbs 23:31-32).

What day did Adam fall?
The founder of the Presbyterian Church, John Calvin, said it was the sixth day when Adam and Eve were created, in other words, Friday. It is viewed that the fall also took place on Friday because Jesus died on the cross on Friday. Reformist Martin Luther said that Adam and Eve were created on the sixth day and fell the next day, the Sabbath day. In the second book of Enoch, the apocryphal writing that is not included in the biblical canon, it is recorded that Adam fell after five and a half hours since he was created. Another apocryphal writing, the book of jubilee, states that he fell after seven years. Many Jewish rabbis say that Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil on the day he was created and was banished.

However, God did not leave the fallen Adam alone.
“Adam, where are you?”
God did not seek Adam because He did not know where he was. Rather, God was calling Adam again, who was trembling in insecurity, fear, and shame because of his disconnected communication with God. Think about how you would feel if the child you raised with expectations, love, and sacrifices lied to you and stole money from home. The hearts of the parents would be shattered. In a single moment, all hopes disappear. God knows the heart of man (Matthew 9:4, Luke 6:8, John 2:24-25, Jeremiah 11:20, 17:10, 21:12, 1 Samuel 16:7, Psalm 7:9, 11:5, 139:1). When Adam and Eve sinned, it was also as if God was sitting on a pillow of pins and needles. However, He did not give up. The calling of “Adam, where are you?” was a declaration saying, “Adam, I must be in you. You cannot be cut off from my love. You cannot live without me. No one can cut off the love I have for you in my heart” (John 15). There is no one who can challenge this declaration. This is how much we are loved.

God does not trust us but searches out even the hidden sins within us and resolves it. The Word ‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son’ (John 3:16) manifests the greatest love. God loves mankind to the point of gruesomely killing His one and only Son. He first came to us sinners. May we become the saints who understand this love of how “God loved us first.” Even when we pray, let us begin with “God who first loved our family!” and offer a prayer that understands God’s heart. Then God will answer immediately.
“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
“We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Before the love of God, even the shadow of death will flee away. When we are afflicted and suffering to the point of death, Jesus comes to our side and suffers with us (Isaiah 63:9). Presently, we are observing Lent, which is the walk of Jesus before carrying the cross. When we think of the love of God, we must be able to forgive even our enemies. He tells us to forgive even the enemies who have ruined our future and have devastated our homes. He tells us to feed the hungry and give our clothes to those who are shivering in the cold. He even tells us to love our enemies. This is very difficult to do as a person. However, God tells us to do so. During this time of Lent, lay aside the heart of malice, the heart of wickedness and the heart of hatred before God. God says that He will judge in our place (Romans 2:6). Please leave it all to Him. No matter how happy or unhappy we may be, our life is only 70-80 years. After that, there will be judgment and an eternal world.
“I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe in this?” (John 11:25-26).



Jesus is the mystery of God. If we believe in Jesus, we can know the mystery of God (Colossians 2:2-3). Jesus is the glorious hope of God. If we believe in Jesus, we receive the glorious hope of God (Psalm 146:5). If we have been putting effort while going everywhere but only suffered, then let us trust God and place our hopes in Him. Then we will be prosperous. We will receive a blessing whether we go out or come in (Psalm 121:8, Deuteronomy 28:6-7). When we trust God and repent the sins we may have committed unknowingly in the past, such sins will also be resolved. We must no longer commit sins. Let us take the Bible with us wherever we go. When we read the Bible and pray, we will not be able to sin. When in temptation with material wealth or the opposite gender, think of God’s voice that asks, “Adam, where are you?” Our family must first become heaven. God is the God of the family. The family must stand strong in order for the nation to be strong.
Please pray for the nation. The nation is facing darkness. The growing youth do not even know the lyrics of the national anthem. Schools do not teach the modern history of Korea. This nation's people must pray for the nation and its people and not sin. As sons and daughters of God, we must regard others more important than ourselves, help the needy, and live with love. Then Korea will be the greatest nation in the world.

Satan forces people into the shadow of death. We are trapped within the tomb. However, Jesus who opened the tomb and resurrected became our Savior. Do not let go of Jesus. Just like Apostle Paul, we must not regard even our own lives as precious for the will that Jesus desires. Then God will surround us and guard us, just as He surrounded Jerusalem with mountains (Psalm 125:2). Fellow saints, although we may have half-heartedly believed until now without fearing God, God continues to follow us even to the very end, declaring, “I love you. I have saved you. You are a blessed child. Even if you die, you will live, and if you live, you will live. You are the child of eternal life.” I pray in the name of the Lord that we will all be saints who do not forget this Word.

Father God,
“Adam, where are you?” This voice continues to echo in the hearts of sinners today. Christianity is a religion of love. The entire sixty-six books of the Bible speak about how God so loved this world and how much God loves mankind. Allow us not to hate others, but by respecting them more than ourselves, let us to be bound in love. God, please uphold this nation and the people. Please bless this nation to become a welfare state without worries. Please uphold the politicians and give them a good heart so that they may be helpful to the nation and people. And as they deeply and passionately love the people, bless them to become politicians of love. Please protect our families, work places, and business places with the fiery walls of the Holy Spirit, so that the wicked devil cannot penetrate into our lives. Please allow the sons and daughters given to us as gifts to grow in Your grace, be good to their parents, and remain faithful to the nation and people. May Your living work be upon our children, so that they will obey Your Word and live faithfully before You. Help us not to sin, and even if we leave this world, I pray that we will be blessed with eternal life of joy and happiness by Your work of life. We pray for all these things in the holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ with thanksgiving. Amen.

March 18, 2012 Lord’s Day 2nd Service Sermon