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