Living In The Shadows Part 2

Looking to Jesus when sin entered the human race. Our consciences file. We moved into the shadows, hoping to hide from the consequences of what we've done and when our deeds are exposed. Our first instinct is to blame someone else.

The Moody Church in Chicago. This is with Sir, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line after elixir. It didn't seem to take long for the fall of mankind, and even to manifest itself that's really true. And of course we see this immediately in Genesis chapter 3 as I emphasize last time Adam begins by blaming his wife, and you know it has been accurately said that the man blame the woman. The woman blamed the serpent and the serpent didn't have a leg to stand on hand so throughout history we find someone to blame but Dave let me ask this question worded conscience really begin. It began after the fall when God said to Adam and Eve who told you that you were naked. Was there some bird in the Eden that told them that there was nobody else around there.

Consciences told them that the beginning of conscience and the title of this message which has to do with the fact that oftentimes we need to be brought in from the shadow so to speak is very important for all of us. If we want a clear conscience and you know I've written a book entitled the power of a clear conscience let God free you from your past for a gift of any amount. It can be yours. Here is what you do go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 of course I'll be giving you that contact information after the message. For now, let us open our hearts and minds and listen to what God has to say.

Really about all of us is the ball has affected all of us. And so what happens now is you have the compartmentalization of our lives.

There is that which we want to hide. And then what you have is blaming your member, God says Adam why did you eat and what did he say the first person to blame is God. He said Lord, this woman this week will woman whom you gave me whom you you gave me, she took of the treatment. What's a guy supposed to do is go to eat if you had given me a better wife. This would not happen. She's to blame. Now you've heard me say this from the pulpit.

A number of times but I need to say it again, and that is that Adam blamed his wife, even though there wasn't a chance in the world that he had married the wrong one. You notice that, and then of course God comes said to the woman and says why did you eat the man blame the woman. The woman blamed the serpent in the serpent didn't have a leg to stand on the whole history of the human race now is being this soonest sin is exposed.

It's his fault. It's her fault. If the kids all the employer's fault it's never my fault.

People are going to defend themselves right to the last farthing Camus, the secular philosopher said, each of us insists on being innocent at all costs, even if he has to accuse the whole human race in heaven itself will defend ourselves will dig in our heels will if we need to live the life we can't libel tweak will will blame because we have to hi ourselves from God.

From others and even from ourselves. The problem is the conscience does not forget.

Well, God takes the initiative. God takes the initiative and many probably thought this you know what will do eat of the fruit of the tree and if it doesn't work out very well.

If it turns out that we can just stop eating from the fruit of that tree and will go back to the good trees in the garden, you know will handle those consequences will one of the things that God does at the end of the chapter. You can read it there in verse 24 he drove out the man and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherry of them and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the tree of life. He did not want them to eat now of the fruit of the tree or for ever. They'd of been centers for ever. They'd of lived in their earthly body. So God says you can't go back can't go back to innocence and my friend today. You can't go back.

You cannot get your virginity back you had an abortion.

You cannot have the child back. You can't go back to the beginning you can't get your reputation back in certain circumstances, you can't redo your parenting so that your kids turn out better you Pray like the teenager did.

Oh God, I pray that this accident might not of happened the past is past and you can't go back. God says I'm going to drive you out.

Now the question is this what is the answer to this. What is the conclusion to this God says I come looking for you. You notice this Adam and Eve worked in the garden saying I wonder what we can find God run to see if we can find God comes looking for them and the Bible says that there is no one who seeks after God, no, not one you say will I sought after God.

Yes, you did because God took the initiative and God began a search and he found you and he found me in our own garden, God came looking for us. You have not chosen me, I chose and use it. And so what we find what we find is God comes looking for them and what was their condition when he came looking for them. Verse seven the eyes of both were opened, what Satan said was partially true that they now experienced evil in the eyes of them were opened and they knew they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths, and ever since that time, man is looking for fig leaves fig leaves that drive people to success. Fig leaves that say nobody is ever going to see me as an adequate it's not just that I'm going to dress nicely. It's going to be that I'm going to be a success in my business I'm going to trample on anybody that I need to trample on to get my way because I want to ascend the ladder. I want people to look at me and to say look at how significant I am and I will pay any price, I'll destroy my family all do what ever I need to do, but I need to look good and I need to personally be satisfied because I need these fig leaves to cover my own sin and my own in adequacy search perfectly.

There even those who say that our worship should be for ourselves, not for God, the desire to say I'm number one. Just worship me and will get along well, but in the process.

I'm going to do all that I can to discredit you so that I look better than you do. Fig leaves and so the whole process of human nature goes on and then because of the hollowness of the fig leaves and the emptiness they don't know where to turn.

So it's alcoholism and drugs and for many people suicide because all of the fig leaves don't work well, that's man's answer to his shame to his nakedness, God has his answer. Notice in verse 21 it says and the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skin and clothing them while so where did God get the garments of skin.

While obviously, God killed animals he had created some and he killed some what God is saying right at the beginning. Is this there is no cheap covering for sin. You can't cover your sin no matter how well it is hidden only God can do that and he does it through the sacrifice. Ultimately, Jesus Christ, who sheds his blood as a ransom for sin. That is going to be God's answer to sin.

And it's not cheap. It cost him the death of his son, and the whole drama of redemption. What that means now is that sin can be covered. The mess cannot be cleaned up.

Often times, the consequences are going to be there. I remember as a boy.

When we spilled some oil on a concrete floor out on the farm and we couldn't really clean it up. You try to, and the patch is still there but if you want to do something on that concrete floor you just put a tarp over it.

You cover it. But God's covering is going to do more than to simply throw a covering over it and pretend it never happened. God is now going to work more deeply in the human heart so that it is not just that we are legally forgiven, but it is because of the fact that our hearts are actually clients that were going to talk about that in this series of messages because God is going to purge the conscience. The Bible says so that you not only are forgiven, but you know the forgiveness so that you can look into God's face and the face of everyone else with joy and openness and freedom because your conscience has been made clear. So what God says here is that eventually as we work through this series the accusations.

You'll be able to sleep at night. Oh yes, there may be reconciliation issues. Most assuredly, but God is going to lead us so that we are actually at peace with him and with others. Now when Adam and Eve received God's covering that mean that everything ago well.

From that time on I can imagine that they had a huge argument that evening and are still arguing over whose fault is it when you did at first. You are standing there. Okay, sure. I was standing there but who who actually took the first bite.

And how is this going to be resolved then and look at the mess now.

Don't look at me, look at yourself, Adam didn't God say that you are to be the head of my home.

You know he's the one he's going to hold you responsible and God does old Adam responsible. So, what were you doing in the cart. How come you're standing beside why didn't you say something. Can't you just imagine it because the covering of God meant that they could now have fellowship with God again. But all the human issues that relate to conscience were still boiling within their home and then eventually they raise Cain and and what an experience that is that oh, Adam, look at what your son did today. He you're the one that bore him you you spent more time raising him than I did.

I was out in the field.

Look at what happened. Cain kills Abel, the whole history of the human race falls apart is evil has its way and you and I are caught in that huge vortex of the born with a sin nature coming into this world under condemnation struggling with conscience issue struggling with integrity. The good news is Jesus came to rectify the mess and to give us hope and the big issue today is not the greatness of your sin, you can be here today and have committed the biggest sin imaginable.

Someday, I'll tell you about a book I read this summer were Hitler's cronies. Several of them came to saving faith in Jesus Christ. As a result of the witness of chaplain Garrity that be okay with you when you get to heaven find out that some of Hitler's men who did such a atrocities are in heaven, or would you say these guys doing here.

They might come up to you and shake your hand and say, could you tell me something. What are you doing here is grace is now going to be offered to a fallen human at every message that I preach in this series I'm going to give you something to memorize. I want you to know by next week. Psalm 32 verses one and two was actually read to us this morning and I memorized it in the King James where it has all the hymns in the he's, but of course that refers to women. It refers to children the way it was in the Old Testament. I'm going to quote those verses to you because they were written by a man who committed murder and adultery couldn't clean up the mess. But God restored the joy of his salvation because he dealt with his conscience. The words are blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven and to sin is covered less. It is the manner to whom the Lord imputed for not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit want you to know despite his terrible terrible sin and the consequences.

David and with a clear conscience and so can you.

And so can I Jesus went into the upper room and he said to the disciples before his death, take, eat, this is my body. This is the cup that I give you symbolizing my blood, which is going to be shed for sinners because I'm going to cover your sin. I'm going to rejuvenate you so that you can have a clear conscience and you can rejoice regardless of your past. That's the agenda for the next messages. Now, if you've never received Christ as Savior.

You are here at the Moody church you are listening online by CD by radio whatever you can receive Christ right now because the teaching of Scripture is there is nothing that the serpent could do to keep God from rescuing humanity and showing grace and that wonderful is nothing that the serpent could do.

He had to stand God he can cover yours today you pray with me. Father, we ask in Jesus name that you might use these messages to bring about transformation and hope to all and we pray father for those who have never received Christ as Savior draw them in May your grace draw them as they realize that despite their past. You can cover their sin and they can know you, thank you for the preciousness of the blood that doesn't few believed on Jesus even where you are listening now, you may do that say Jesus today. I accept your offer of grace in his name we pray, my friend. Today I trust that you will accept God's offer of grace in the garden of Eden, he showed that forgiveness is never cheap. He killed animals, so that Adam and Eve could be properly covered. And of course eventually his son was killed so that we could be properly covered. You come to Christ today you receive his mercy and you receive his grace. I've written a book entitled the power of a clear conscience let God free you from your past. Today I can't help but think that I'm speaking to people whose past continues to trouble them.

Usually it's because of some secret that they have been hiding, perhaps even hiding from a mate, perhaps hiding from their children, and there are times when those things need to be confessed and brought out into the open and I discuss in the book when and how that should be done. The power of a clear conscience now for a gift of any amount. This book can be yours and I need to emphasize once again thank you so much for the many of you who stand with us so that this ministry can continue to go forth and even to expand her gift of any amount. As I've mentioned, it can be yours. Here is what you do go to RTW offer.com did I say that to quickly let me give that to you again.

RTW offer.com or if you prefer you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for the book the power of a clear conscience. Some of you are struggling and some of you know others who are struggling who need this message. That's why we're making this book available as a resource we want to help you make it all the way to the finish line and to do it successfully pick up that phone and call us at 1-888-218-9337 or RTW offer.com nine once again for you to ask Pastor lutes or a question about the Bible or the Christian life. The old hymn asks God to revive us again.

An anonymous listener is this question for you Pastor lutes or when and how often is the word revival used in the New Testament and what does revival mean, when was the first revival and how much time is there between revivals. Find your question very interesting for a number of reasons. First of all, I don't think that the word revival occurs in the New Testament. Now I've never done a search but I'm just thinking about the number of times that I've read the New Testament. I don't ever recall coming across that word. If you look at the Old Testament.

It is true that they had revivals. The revivals happened when a king.

For example, would call people together and ask the nation to repent and so forth under Josiah. There was a revival. He insisted that the law of the Lord be read and a copy of it was found in the temple under a whole bunch of junk apparently and so there was a revival among the people is the concept of revival biblical yes it is in this sense, and I'm talking about New Testament in this sense that God wants us to be revived. He wants us to be alive in a revival is to mean that your to revive that which is dead.

I've known revivals in churches. I've even been a part of a revival that has swept a certain area where you have the Holy Spirit working mightily bringing people to Jesus Christ and helping Christians to deal with sin and I just take a moment and them help you to understand that in America, we've had three periods of revival 17, 40 to 43 under the preaching of Jonathan Edwards.

Whitfield and Wesley many many people were converted and unusual number percentagewise so that is known as the first great awakening in America and then second 1790 to 1860. That was a different kind of revival that began in the Kentucky actually if any of you are listening and you live near Cane Ridge was a great period of revival. People came from all over, and that spread throughout the whole western part of the United States as the nation was being developed and then them. 1857 to 1859 there was an awakening which was not led by any pastor. It was led by laypeople and was a prayer revival here in Chicago.

There used to be the Metropolitan Tabernacle. It's been torn down, but that theater was filled at noon with people praying that you couldn't get in and the mayor of the city at that time, Wentworth said that there has not been a revival of religion.

This great since the days of Edwards. Believe it or not.

DL Moody attended some of those prayer meetings, and that was part of the reason why he himself was pushed into the great revival ministry and evangelistic ministry that he had well, my answer has been rather long, but I hope it's been helpful to understand that we should pray for revival if by that we mean that we as churches come alive powerfully for God. A look at revivals from Dr. Irwin lutes or thank you Dr. lutes. Or if you'd like to hear your question answered.

Go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor lutes or or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614. Much of the shame we may carry as our own doing bad decisions on choices sometimes we carry guilt for things that are not our doing. Next time I'm running to when we learned that sometimes it's not all your fault. Thanks for listening.

This is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the Moody church