MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(PowerPoints used with this message are available for free. Just email me at mnewland@sstelco.com & request #340.)
TEXT: Genesis 3:8-13; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 5:9-10
A. The first 2 verses of Genesis tell us that in the beginning our world was formless, empty & dark. But then God gave shape to the formless, brought light into the darkness, & filled the emptiness with life.
And as the Bible records the days of creation it tells us that God looked upon everything he had made, & said, "It is good."
But not everybody was happy, for the Bible also tells us about Satan, an angel who chose to rebel against God & was cast out of heaven. Satan learned that he could not overcome God. So Satan focused his attack on mankind to whom God had given authority over the earth.
Satan's goal was & is to bring chaos into our world. And it doesn't take a very smart observer to realize that in many areas he has been successful. Look around, & you can see how chaotic & confused we have become.
ILL. For instance, there's confusion about the roles of men & women, husbands & wives, mothers & fathers. Many seem no longer sure what their roles should be.
Young people are confused about their place in the family, & are often in various stages of rebellion against any authority. And the belligerence of homo-sexuality has caused even more confusion.
We're confused about the value of life, too. Abortion tells us that life is really not all that valuable, & that euthanasia will become the next big issue to face, because we are no longer sure about the value of life. Satan is constantly seeking to bring chaos into our lives.
B. Just think about what happened in the Garden of Eden when Adam & Eve chose to listen to Satan & not to God. Their perfect world was shattered & in its place came sin and death. Long after the flavor of that fruit was forgotten, Adam & Eve were still paying the price for their decisions.
APPL. And today Satan depends upon us making unwise choices, too. He depends upon us having a distorted sense of values, & a desire for instant gratification
In the O.T. Achan traded his life for a wedge of gold & a Babylonian garment. Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup to satisfy temporary hunger. For one sensual moment with Bathsheba, David opened up himself & his family to generations of misery.
Satan always tries to make us think that we're getting a good deal. So we choose a moment of pleasure, a little economic gain, or the applause of the crowd.
And in reaching for that we discover that we have often given up everything. That is how Satan works. And when that happens, we look for someone to blame.
C. In the third chapter of Genesis we see God walking in the Garden of Eden following the temptation & sin of Adam & Eve.
Vs's 8-13 tell us that "The man & his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the Garden in the cool of the day, & they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the Garden. But the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?'
"He answered, 'I heard you in the Garden, & I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.' And He asked, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?'
"The man said, 'The woman you put here with me ? she gave me some fruit from the tree, & I ate it.' Then the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this that you have done?' The woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, & I ate.'"
Did you hear that? "Don't blame me," says Adam. "It wasn't my fault. It was this woman that you gave me. She enticed me & I ate of the forbidden fruit."
"Well, what about you, Eve?" asked the Lord God. "Don't blame me," she says. "It was the serpent who deceived me. And then I ate."
And most of us, when our sins are found out, are quick to look for a scapegoat. "It wasn't my fault. It was someone or something else that caused me to get involved in this sin."
I. "IT'S SOMEBODY ELSE'S FAULT!"
PROP. So let's look this morning at some of the ways we blame someone or something else for our sins.
A. Some people are quick to blame their parents or family members for their failures in life. They say, "If you knew my family, then you would know why I behave the way I do. My dad lost his temper all the time," or, "My mother was always sulking. I'm just doing what they did. So don't blame me."
One of my concerns about some secular counseling is that so often when people come in for help, they try to uncover or blame some dark family secret.
Now I realize we need to know & understand how our relationship with our parents & siblings effect us. But too many times that becomes a scapegoat to excuse our own weaknesses & bad decisions.
But the Bible doesn't allow us to give that kind of excuse. It always says, "You are responsible for yourself." And we will be held accountable for our attitude & actions.
B. Others are prone to shift the blame to those around them. How many times have we heard, "I know that it is wrong, but everybody else is doing it."
SUM. We conveniently tend to find something or someone else to blame in almost every situation.
II. "THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT!"
A. Then, when we run out of excuses we say, "Well, the devil made me do it."
ILL. Jim Wright wrote an editorial in the Dallas Morning News a number of years ago about the Carter High School championship football team which saw a number of its players arrested for committing robberies & other crimes.
These were young men with bright futures. Most of them could have gone on to college & played football. Some of them, perhaps, could have played professional football & made lots of money.
But just for the fun of it, they started robbing convenience stores & doing burglaries & things like that.
Jim Wright quoted the quarterback of the team who said, "We did this to ourselves. No one made us hold up the stores. We can't blame anyone but ourselves." Interesting, isn't it?
Wright then wrote, "The thought that we have the freedom to choose our own path, & that having chosen, we are responsible for our choice isn't heard very much in the public forums today. Nowadays it seems the style is to look for ways to get the offender off the hook by finding somebody or something else to blame."
B. But I want you to notice that the Bible never teaches that the devil can force us to sin. Did you know that?
The Bible teaches that the devil is a deceiver, & he deceived Eve in the 3rd chapter of Genesis. In John 8:44, we are told that the devil is the "father of lies." So he lies to us & deceives us & manipulates & tempts us.
But "Why? Why does he lie & deceive & tempt & manipulate?" And the answer is, "Because he doesn't have the power to force us to sin." If he could force you to sin there would be no need for temptation or manipulation. He would just force you to do it.
But he can't force you to sin. You must choose to do it. And if you choose, then you are responsible.
SUM. You see, nobody tied Eve down & forced her to eat the forbidden fruit. And Satan doesn't force us. It's our choice. And if it's our choice, then we are responsible for our actions.
III. "IT'S GOD'S FAULT!"
A. So too often, when we find that we can't blame the devil, then we blame God. After all, God is responsible for everything, isn't He?
"He is the one who gave me the awful family that I have. He's the one who surrounded me with friends who led me astray. He's the one who made it impossible for me to have the willpower to say 'No.' Therefore it's God's fault."
But that is not what the Bible says. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.
"But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
B. In 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, Paul says, "So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."
In other words, God says, "I hold you accountable for your sins. Don't blame someone or something else. You are accountable for your choices."
ILL. In his book, "When God Whispers Your Name" Max Lucado wrote a section titled "The Choice" which I have condensed a bit. He wrote:
It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. In a few moments the day will arrive. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made & deadlines to be met.
For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose. And so I choose.
I choose love. . . No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God & what God loves.
I choose joy. . . I will refuse the temptation to be cynical. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.
I choose peace . . . I will forgive so that I may live.
I choose patience . . . I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy & courage.
I choose kindness . . . I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid, & kind to the unkind, for that is how God has treated me.
I choose goodness . . . I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.
I choose faithfulness . . . Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that I will not come home.
I choose gentleness . . . If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clinch my fist may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.
I choose self-control . . . I will be drunk only by joy, I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.
Love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow & rest.
Tonight will you be able to place your head on your pillow & rest? You can if you know Jesus as your Savior & have chosen to follow Him.
ILL. Donald Barnhouse tells of the time when a prairie fire swept across his father's land & burned everything - house, buildings, crops, everything.
Later on, his dad was walking across the burned ground, kicking this object & that. Finally, he came to a charred piece of something that looked like a stump from a tree, & he kicked at it. When he did, little baby chickens started running in all directions.
He bent over to look at it, & discovered that that charred lump was an old momma hen who had covered her chickens to protect them from the fire. So they were still alive, but in the process she had given her life for them. But that is what mother chickens do.
And that is what Jesus did, too. He said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem ... How often I have longed to gather your children under my wings, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing." (Luke 13:34)
He looked at the crowds & said, "They are like sheep without a shepherd. If only they would come."
INVITATION But you see, He will never force us to come. He is always available. And right now He waits for you to open the door & invite Him to come in. Will you come as we stand & sing?
