Walk Not in Darkness

 1 John 1:8
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

From the fall of Adam and Eve, man is born with the sin nature. The Adamic nature is passed on to every person born into this world. We can deny this truth, but it does not change the reality that we are all sinners in need of forgiveness. Some teach that man is hereditary good. We must cultivate this goodness in us and overcome the evil that we face each day. Don’t believe this lie, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  John writes to set the foundation for why man needs a Savior.  As sinners, we confess our sins, and Jesus, who shed His blood for the remission of sin, cleanses our heart from sin. We no longer walk in darkness, we walk in the light, we walk with God without sin. As long as we continue to walk with God, the blood of Jesus will continue to cover us from all sin. A Christian no longer lives in sin because he is walking in God’s light, and the path that God provides is without sin. No darkness at all. We still live in a fallen world, and Satan works, tempting us to fulfill the desire of the flesh. We still have human desires, and God has a plan for those desires to be fulfilled. As we walk in the light, His will is accomplished in our lives. The promise of God is that He will not leave us or forsake us. If we fall into the temptation of Satan, His word says to confess our sin, and He is faithful to restore us to the light. It is not God’s desire that we walk in darkness, we can live each day in the light of God. We don’t have to sin and walk in darkness. God does not have fellowship with darkness. That is why John says, “My little children… sin not.” Eternal security is provided to all believers as long as they remain in the light. Keep walking in the light.

Father of Sin

 John 8:44 (ESV)
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies

The Pharisees were the religious sector of the Jewish culture. They were charged with knowing the law and teaching it to the people. The problem with the Pharisees is that they were a bunch of hypocrites. They demanded that everyone else keep the law, but they were somehow immune or above having to keep it themselves. They finally came face to face with someone who would tell it like it is. They looked good on the outside, but inside they were full of sin and unrighteousness. Jesus did not mince words with them. He spoke the truth, and they were convicted and became defensive. They prided themselves on their lineage was traced back to the Patriarch, Abraham. The truth of the matter was they were not living the faith of Abraham. Claiming Abraham was their Father, Jesus denied that claim and revealed to them who their real Father was. Their spiritual lineage was rooted in sin, and their hearts were full of it. They were children of the devil, because sin still lived in their hearts. If they were to believe in the Son, then they could claim to be children of Abraham’s seed. By creation, we all are children of God, but the fall of Adam and Eve brought sin into the human race, and Satan is the Father of sin. Therefore, if we allow sin to abide in our hearts, then the devil is our Father. Jesus tells it like it is, but does not leave us without hope. Believe in the Son, believe in Jesus, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. We can be adopted into the family of God, and we can come boldly to the throne of grace, and call Him Abba Father!

Disobedience to God

 Gen. 2:17
​​ But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

The fall of Adam and Eve points to a tree placed in the garden. The tree was put there for a purpose. God does all things with a purpose. The tree of knowledge tested man’s obediences to God, the one who created them. The command was simple, “Don’t eat this fruit”. God’s commandments are given for man’s good.  A tree with fruit that God forbid them to eat. The fruit was no doubt a fruit to be desired. Eating of the forbidden fruit would open Adam and Eve to the dark evil ways of sin. It was not so much the fruit itself, but the disobedience of Adam and Eve that caused them to plunge into darkness, causing their hearts now to seek the pleasures of evil.  God made man a free moral agent, the ability to choose right, or wrong. God did not predestine Adam and Eve to make the wrong choice, they could have abstained from the temptations of Satan, but they choose to listen to the deceptive lies of Satan and disregard God's words. We all have choices to make each day. Sometimes choices are made without all the information, but such choices are not willful disobedience to God’s word. But, “Thus saith the Lord.” are made clear in His word. Our human judgment may falter, but we can have a heart perfect toward God. Draw close to God, and He will draw close to us. Follow the Holy Spirit’s leading and do what He saith. 

The Father of Lies

Gen. 3:4, John 8:44 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die…the devil..for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The devil is a liar and deceiver. His lies are shrouded with enough truth to convince people that they are right. The heart of man has been corrupted and is easily deceived. Before the fall of man, the devil tempted man to give in to their human natural desires. There was nothing wrong with eating fruit in the garden of eden, they were just not to eat this one fruit. Why God put this one fruit in the garden is speculation. Like Job, God knew and allowed Satan to tempt Adam and Eve. Why did they not just flee, and resist temptation. We are left with many questions unanswered, but this we know, sin entered into the world by one man’s sin, and failed to believe God and obey His commandments. We may not always understand the reasons God say “no”, but blessed is the man who will put their trust in the lord, and lean not to their own understanding. The devil will come and do all he can to deceive you and me into doing what is wrong, but if God said it, we must believe it! Don’t believe the devil, He is a lair and the father of lies.  

The Gift of God

Eph. 2:8,9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:..Not of works, lest any man should boast.

As good and kind as we try to be, it is not the key that unlocks the door to eternal life. By no fault of our own, we are all born in sin. The fall of Adam and Eve place the curse of sin on all humanity. At birth, lays within us an enmity against God that refuses to submit to the will of God. But God has also put in each of us a desire to know Him. The struggle between good and evil is the conflict of ages. The victory over evil cannot be achieved by doing or being good. Sin must be removed, sin must be cast out, sin must be destroyed. All our goodness and righteousness is but filthy rags, it will never be able to make us clean and fit. God so loved humanity, that He sent us a gift, His only Son, Jesus Christ to earth. His life paved the pathway giving us an example how to live good and righteous, but that example was not enough. The gift of God was to provide a way to remove sin. The propitiation was made, Christ died on the cross and shed His blood for our sin. By this grace are we now able to come boldly into God’s presence. This gift of God is only obtained through faith in believing that Jesus died for our sins and through His blood we are made clean. It is this grace that gives us the earnest desire to do good works and to live a life that is pleasing to Him. Doing what is right and good is product of our faith. Faith ceases to exist when our deeds become evil. It is the lost of faith that separates us from God, manifested by our works. No amount of works will save us without believe and accepting Jesus as our propitiation for sin.

Adam's Sin

Gen. 3:1-15
What is sin? What did Adam do that made God so upset? Sin became part of the nature of the human race when Adam and Eve willfully did what God told them not to do. They missed the mark because they took their eyes and attention off of God. It is understood, that eating fruit, in of itself was not sinful. There was plenteous fruit in the garden that they had the pleasure of partaking. But, they began to question the words of God that had already been made clear to them. Satan, taking the form of a serpent was subtle. He only needed to make a suggestion whereby planting a seed of doubt in their minds. We must always be on guard that we don’t take God’s Word and twist it to our own devices.
The Serpent
• He is subtle and cunning
• Can appear as an angel of light
• He is real- speaking to mankind
• Don’t give him the time- “Get thee behind me”
The Women
• Eve began to collaborate with God’s enemy
• She knew what God required- Even added some externals “neither shall ye touch it”
• Eve listen to Satan’s take scripture out of context
• Eve saw the appeal to what Satan suggested
• Eve took what was forbidden- willful act- 1st barrier- touched
• Eve ate the forbidden- defied God’s command- Sin enacted
Adam
• Adam did not take a stand
• Speculate- What would have happen if Adam did not partake and Eve did?
• Adam was even more responsible- It would be like Moses partaking of Israel’s
• Deviance
The Consequence of Disobeying God
• They became aware of their shame
• They began to avoid God’s presence
• They became fearful
• They pass the blame- They would not take responsibility
The Promise of Redemption
• The plan to bring them back into the graces of God
• God’s desire is and always will be is to have fellowship with His creation- True love is a choice to have fellowship