Listen to the sermon: http://www.wayneamydutoit.com/Wayne/316s-part-1/
Genesis 3:16 - The Curse
To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring
forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you.”(Genesis 3:16
ESV)
Our very first 3:16 is Genesis 3:16 and we find ourselves right in the middle of the curse being handed
out to our first parents. It is like a movie that starts with a fight scene, you don’t know what is going
on and you don’t know who’s side you should be on.
Our first parents have sinned, they didn’t believe the word of God, they doubted God and His
character. They thought He was withholding something from them and they ate the forbidden fruit.
It’s interesting that just saying forbidden fruit is appealing in some way, because forbidden conjurers
up images of hidden things, things that are being withheld from us, things that we feel we should
have even though we know that there is a reason it is forbidden. giving in to the forbidden is to give in
to the self will and sin.
What we find here in the curse is that God is setting out the consequences of the defect they have
introduced into the human race and what impact that would have on all people. There is so much
more to cover on the topic of the first or original sin I will have to do a sermon solely on that. The
lesson is our actions have wider implications than we think and there are consequences for our
actions, these don’t have to be negative but they often are. We are better at spotting the negative
consequence of our actions because they usually hurt more or have negative consequences.
Even in this fallen state, after being punished God provides a way that it doesn’t have to last. God
doesn’t want us in that state forever so Adam and Eve are removed from the garden and they will
someday die, just as God said they would if they ate the forbidden fruit.
We don’t normally see sickness and death as a blessing, but for the believer they are a blessing as it is
how we are able to enter into the courts of God. There is a reprieve for the believer.
I hear a saying, not sure who the author is
If you are a believer then life on earth is as bad as it gets.
If you are not then this life is as good as it gets.
There is also freedom and liberation in this life, lets continue:
Exodus 3:16 - Liberation
So we jump a number of generation,
God speaks,
God destroys,
God promises,
God provides
The nation promised to Abraham has been birthed, Abraham never saw the promise of God fulfilled in
his lifetime but as Hebrews 12:1 states Abraham and the other saints that have gone before us form a
“great cloud of witnesses” observe our progress.
So the nation promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that bears Jacobs’ name given by God, Israel.
Israel is numerous and poised to become the nation it was destined to be but that is not what it looks
like in Exodus 3:16 here the nation is oppressed and enslaved and through the providence of God
Moses is going to lead them out of Egypt.
16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your
fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have
observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17 and I promise that I will bring you
up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the
Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ (Exodus
3:16-17 ESV)
God tells Moses to go to the people and tell them that He remembers them and that He is going to
orchestrate their release.
It is interesting to note that it was God (in Genesis 46:2-4) who spoke to Israel/Jacob and told him to
go to Egypt in the first place, and told him that He would be with him, even though God knew they
would be oppressed and enslaved.
Why? I think, they needed a land to grow in and become a nation, protected by egypt, then enslaved
but kept from other enemies by egypt, until God knew they were ready to be “the people” he had
promised Abraham they would be.
So God has not forgotten His promises, even if we don’t see that he is working, He is.
Even if we feel we have messed up, and you probably have
But God is still working
Things may not happen overnight, over a week, a month, a year, a decade or even in your lifetime, but
a promise is a promise and God will follow through. We need be sure of the character of God and
trust in His word. We are blessed more than any other generation, we have Jesus and the Holy Spirit
to assist in the journey of trust and faith, we have the many many great men and woman of the faith
that have paved the way for us. Let us not stand on their shoulders learn from them and take the
cause of Christ forward.
I am not saying this is easy.
People also sometimes say that they would have no problem stepping out in faith of only they could
hear from God, know without a doubt the will of God. Then they would
start doing something
stop doing something
change something
pursue a dream or let a dream die
That is not faith, faith is trusting the character of God even when you don’t know the details.
Faith is taking the step toward God without all the details.
Before we move on lets look at it again.
God says I have seen your affliction and I am going to take you to the land of milk and honey. That
sounds great.
“I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17 and I promise that I will
bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the
Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”’
(Exodus 3:16-17 ESV)
What about the bit in the middle to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the
Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
So God is saying I’m going to set you free and take you to this great land that is promised to you but
there are a few people there already and they are not going to be too happy if you just try move in.
Here starts a great journey of faith, the Israelites know they are leaving all they have ever known, they
are going to a foreign country, that is already inhabited by many nations and they know God says it is
a good land flowing with milk and honey.
But, how does that become ours?
How do we get there?
What will life be like?
The israelites have no answers only the promise that God will be with them.
The promise of God is the same for us.
He is with us, instead of being externally with us in a visible pillar of fire or column of cloud, He is
intimately with us, through the Holy Spirit.
If you are lost and not knowing what you are supposed to be doing, go back to basics and encourage
yourself and remind yourself of the character of God.
God is good, He loves you, and if you draw near to Him He will draw near to you.
We all have a calling, love God love others, tell people about God, teach people, we all have our own
unique gifts on how to do this.
If you are struggling to hear the voice of God, get to doing what he has already revealed, forget the
details place your prayers before Him he knows He sees. He is able to take you from your captivity,
but that happens one day at a time doing what He has already told you to do.
Surrender your will
Draw near, be yoked to Christ, learn from Him and walk every day with him and you will be doing the
will of God.
Then when you have actually surrendered your own will you will be able to discern the God’s will
Give the concern, the dream, the calling, the desire to God
Let him hold it and then lift your eyes and draw near to Him, not the dream or calling or whatever it is.
Lift up your eyes.
Jesus is waiting to lead you, stop touching the wire.
Learn by trust and faith.
Alter Call
