1/13/17 – Genesis 3:16-19

“The Consequences of Sin”

One of my favorite quotes, ever, is by the late Adrien Rogers, who was the long tenured pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis TN. He said, “You are free to choose, you are not free not to choose, but, you are not free to choose the consequence of your choice.”

His point was this. Making a choice or not making a choice, is still making a choice and you need to be careful because there could be consequences.

Webster’s defines consequence as, “a result or effect of an action or condition”.

So, Sin has an effect. Its effect is not good. One of the greatest things that God has ever taught me is that my sin just doesn’t effect me, it effects every one around me.

4 things I see that the effects of sin brought on Adam, Eve, You, and I.

1. It brought Pain (v.16, 17)

All types of pain. For Eve it was the pain from 9 months of pregnancy and labor. Not only that but in the raising of her family. For Adam it was the toil and pain that came through working the ground to survive. Pain is a reminder of our Sin nature.

Think about what physical pain that you experience today because of Sin?

2.  It brought Work (v.19)

Hard, Physical, Tiring work is also, according to Genesis 3, a result of Sin. When Adam and Eve were given Eden their work was not toilsome but pleasing. Now after “The Fall”, that changed. It went from here is everything you need to survive and enjoy my creation to an honest days work gives an honest day wages, and the pain that comes from it.

Not only that but a question that came to my mind is this.

Have I ever tried to work harder undoing the wrong that I did and the continued pain it brought me? Why Yes, yes I have. I was miserable.

3.   It brought a Nagging Reminder (v.17-18)

“Thorns and Thistles”

So I’m working hard. Trying to provide. I’m already experiencing pain and exhaustion from my toiling and bam, a thorn.

Or, I’m getting ahead, everything is going good, I feel like I’ve got the cat by the tail and then, are you kidding me, a thistle.

I’m then reminded that I don’t have life together and I’m truly not over the sin effects of my past.

I have thought about this all day. I was up reading my devotion at about 5:00 this morning and writing in my journal before Jude and I were going hunting. When we got in the deer stand on the SECOND week of JANUARY, mosquitos began to attack. They nagged and nagged and nagged. I though to myself. This is what sin does every once in a while. It reminds you that it is still there when you least expect it.

4.   It ultimately leads to a physical death (v.19b)

God told Adam what would happen. He would return to the ground in which he came. So Adam is the first person to realize that he would die. And today, we all need to be reminded that life is but a vapor. It is here today and gone tomorrow. You are not guaranteed the next breath. We all will die.

Sin has a Death Sentence.

BUT, I WANT YOU TO NOTICE SOMETHING.

There is one word that you do not see in the judgement that comes upon Adam and Ever as a result of their sin. Read Verses 14-15. Ready to give up? CURSED. You don’t see the word CURSED.

I want you to know something, IN JESUS you are a sinner, BUT, you ARE NOT cursed.

V.15 let’s us know that through this family there would be SALVATION.

What does that mean? Well, it means that if I am in Christ that I will still experience things such as Adam and Eve. But, those things are not final.

For Instances:

I will experience pain, But I will survive.

I will have to work hard, But God has provided everything for me to eat.

I will die a physical death, But in Him I will Live.

There are consequences to sin but understand that in Christ those consequences are not final and should ultimately draw me closer to Him. That Is Freeing.

HE IS NOT DONE WITH YOU YET, KEEP PRESSING.

Bro. J