Monday, December 29, 2014

What It Means to be Loved (Genesis 2:25 – 3:24) ~ Pastor Kyle Danielson


What It Means to be Loved
Genesis 2:25 – 3:24


Introduction
·      I’m using this format to preach because I want you to understand I’m talking to you, not at you
·      We all know this story well
o   It’s not a fable
o   Adam and Eve were real people
o   Whose rebellion plunged the whole of humanity into sin
o   That’s also real
§  The wife would want his role
§  He would be harsh
·      The result is a nakedness that reveals how “known” we truly are
o   Originally nakedness was good, it meant we were “known”
§  They were sooo know, that they had no awareness of their vulnerability
§  In fact, they had no fear God would not love them, or their relationship could be diminished at all
§  Wouldn’t you like to be loved that way?
o   Sin made nakedness a representation of shame
o   So our desire is to hide our sin and hide from God
·      We’ll look at three things this morning:
o   Problem with nakedness
o   Our solutions to nakedness
o   God’s solution to nakedness

Message
·      Problem with nakedness
o   What is nakedness?
§  To be naked is to be known, to be uncovered
§  It is an awareness of our vulnerability
§  Our openness to the scrutiny of others
o   God had just three questions for Adam:
§  “Where are you?”
§  “Who told you you were naked?”
§  And, “did you eat of the tree?”
o   God asks but He already knows
§  “Where are you?”
·      Did God need to find Adam?
·      Was God perplexed?
·      God moved toward Adam, not Adam toward God
§  Then God asks, “Who told you you were naked?”
·      God is making a point right? Because Adam,  “you’ve ALWAYS been naked”
·      Adam had a new awareness of his vulnerability
·      That’s a scary thing, unless, you believe you are unconditionally loved
§  And, “did you eat of the tree?
·      In other words, “Did you disobey Me?”
·      Did you rebel against My authority?”
·      Again, didn’t God already know? Sure He did
o   God wanted Adam to understand something
o   Sin left them vulnerable and uncovered, that’s what sin does
o   Question, what areas of your life are you hiding from God?
§  What sins do you maybe think He can’t deal with?
§  How bad would it be to be uncovered today?
§  We’re gonna come back to this

·      Our solutions to nakedness (I’ll camp here for a while)
o   They Sewed fig leaves
§  I now have rebelled against a holy God
§  I have seen how bad my sin is
§  And I make fig leaves
o   Realize, We are infinitely creative in trying to cover our own sin
o   Know this, our deepest desire is to believe we can be both know and loved
o   How, what fig leaves do we sew?
§  You have to love me for who I am – no
·      I am getting older
·      I’m sagging
·      I’m balding
·      I’m not asking Shelly to love me because, I’m asking in spite of
·      Be careful you’re not taking a secular theme and trying to make it biblical, it’ll fail
·      Pretending or being forced to like something you don’t is a long-term recipe for disaster
·      God doesn’t love that way – He doesn’t want me to stay in my sin, or approve of my sin
§  Excuses
·      The woman You gave me…
·      The serpent deceived me…
·      If I had a better job
·      If my spouse would…
·      Things are busy around the house so my kids are amped up…(I’m struggling to get them to obey right now)
·      One of the most meaningful examples to me was when a friend recalled how he was in the parking lot…he couldn’t hide at that moment
§  Drama
·      I seek it
·      I surround myself with it
·      I now complain how much I endure
·      I make big gesture to show how hurt I am
·      It’s really manipulation
§  Marginal Issues
·      The “star at Christmas”
·      Pre-trib vs. post
§  Boasting
·      You need to know how smart I am
·      You need to know how successful I am
·      When Ryan candidate, “I’m a little threatened…”
§  I don’t have time
·      Maybe, it’s I won’t make time
·      Which could mean, I don’t really care that much
§  The Law
·      I read my Bible twice a day
·      My kids know 20,000 verses
o   We desperately try to control what people see
§  and to a large extent what even I see about myself
§  I need to be acceptable
o   You see, Pharisee’s repent of their sins, Christians also repent of their righteousness

·      God’s solution to nakedness
o   Jesus
§  Nothing more, nothing less
§  To be loved BY Jesus
§  Then we can love LIKE Jesus
o   “The gospel says you are more sinful and flawed than you ever could believe or imagine; yet you are more accepted and loved than you ever dared to hope…” Peter Scazzero
o   To be loved by Jesus
§  Realize He alone can cover us – your problems come when you don’t let Jesus cover you
§  Remember the flaming sword?
·      God’s judgment?
·      Someone has to go under the sword to restore the relationship
§  His righteousness
§  His acceptance
§  Believing He will not pay us back
·      Many Christians live like the OT – God’s retribution/anger
·      Resentment – God resents us
·      (1 Corinth. 13:5)
·      Jesus isn’t keeping score
·      He has NO record
·      That’s what the woman in Luke 7 does
o   She washes Jesus’ feet with her tears
o   And dries them with her hair
o   She believed He would not keep a record
o   FOR-GIV-EN
§  If we can’t get this right before God, we won’t get this right before others
o   That’s allows us to love like Jesus
§  Scripture says it’s the only thing that counts
§  (Galatians 5:6) “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
§  We don’t pay others back
§  Shelly did this for me – sabbatical
§  Usually I approach these kinds of things in a big circle
·      Because I’m sort of sizing up how you may respond
·      I’m getting a feel for how safe this might be
o   To be naked IS to be vulnerable
§  Jesus wants you to give up.
§  He wants you to abandon your dream.
§  He wants you to face the futility of trying to manipulate the other people into your service.
§  He knows there is no life to be found in these things.
o   In religion, you obey because God is useful. In Christianity, you obey because God is beautiful.

Conclusion
·      OK, we’re back to this question:
o   Let’s pause for a moment, in what areas of your life are you hiding from God?
§  If you had to pick one thing, what would it be?
§  What sin do you maybe think He can’t deal with?
§  What are you most afraid that someone will find out?
§  PAUSE

§  How bad would it be, to be uncovered today, maybe even right now?
·      Parenting?
·      Marriage?
·      Time with the Lord itself
§  What sin?  Just think a minute
o   How willing are you to let God work?
o   Maybe that is itself the issue: I don’t want God working
·      The host of trials and the tidal waves of suffering, will reveal the foundation upon which we have been building.
·      It will show how many fig leaves we have sewn and wear
·      God brought a garment at cost

·      As your Elders, we would count it a privilege to walk through the heavy seas (or smooth waters) with you, pray with you and for you
o   Dan
o   Ryan
o   Eric
o   Kurt
o   Steve
o   John
o   Myself
·      Catch one of us, find a corner
·      Let’s be the Church

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