October 30, 2016 Sermon Reflection

Sermon Reflection 10/30/2016

As I was reflecting on the sermon this past Sunday, one piece of scripture kept coming to mind. Pastor Gene read and preached from Genesis 3 which is the devastating account of Adam's sin. But what struck me in a new way was vs. 8 and 9, "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the mans and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man..."  

I have always been intrigued by this description of God walking in the cool of the day. There are several details here that are included in the narrative that, when reflected upon, add deeper meaning to the story. But what was opened up in a new way for me was that while Adam and Eve were fleeing and hiding from God, He was pursuing and calling after them. And as we read on in the narrative the purpose of His pursuit is made known; it wasn't to exact justice from Adam, though that certainly would have been justified. Rather, we see God entering once again into covenant with man by His own prerogative. 

The temptation for many is to look at Adam’s transgression and think, “What’s the big deal? So he ate some fruit he shouldn’t have. What kind of a god would get so upset over that?” Now that we have a covenantal framework to view the Scriptures in, it should be clear that there is much more to the story than Adam getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar. What happened was cosmic treason, a breaking of the covenant that set the terms of man’s relationship to his Sovereign. And Adam knew it too. So he did what any insubordinate would do when he had so royally screwed up. Run and hide! And here is where vs. 8-9 come in. The question I keep coming back to is, what would Adam be doing if God had not pursued... (Note: replace Adam’s name with your name).

When he had been caught by God, Adam should have only expected bad news. Of course he does get some of that but the good news aint good if the bad news aint bad. What Adam probably wasn’t expecting when he was chased down by God was a declaration of mercy and grace. 

This chasing and calling is what God has done for every justified sinner from the time of Adam all the way up to you and me. Covenantally we were cosmic criminals by virtue of being born in Adam and inheriting the curse of sin. We were criminals on the run from God, but all the while God was chasing us down to declare his mercy and forgiveness for Jesus sake. The history of redemption is a story of God’s pursuit of his people. The unfolding covenants, starting with this Commencement Covenant, shows God’s commitment to chase and call his people back even as they are on the run from Him.

Stuart Elliott