Thing I Have Done

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.*

*Genesis I:I & 2

The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the gard e n — e xce p t t h e t re e of t h e knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”*

*Genesis 2:I5- I7

“God offered nothing less to Adam and Eve than the privilege of freedom and the joy of dependence. Our society treats this as an oxymoron and labels God a tyrant . . .”*

*John H. Walton

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”*

*Genesis 3:I

“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”*

*Genesis 3:2 & 3

“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”*

*Genesis 3:4 & 5

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like ourselves.*

*Genesis I:26

The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.*

*Genesis 3:6

WE SIN

WE SIN

“God offered nothing less to Adam and Even than the privilege of freedom and the joy of dependence. Our society treats this as an oxymoron and labels God a tyrant. In rejecting dependence on God (though in no way escaping from it) people choose a far more costly dependency — on themselves and their own resources. In seeking auton-omy, freedom, and power, they only forge new chains.”* *John H. Walton

WE SIN

At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.*

*Genesis 3:7

WE SIN

WE SIN

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees.*

*Genesis 3:8

WE SIN

WE HIDE

Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”*

*Genesis 3:9

WE HIDE

He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”*

*Genesis 3:I0

WE HIDE

“Who told you that you were naked?” the LORD God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”*

*Genesis 3:II

WE HIDE

The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”*

*Genesis 3:I2

WE HIDE

Then the LORD God asked the woman, “What have you done?”

“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”*

*Genesis 3:I3

WE HIDE

WE BLAME

“I will take responsibility only if another is at fault first.”*

*Dan Allender

WE BLAME

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees.

Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”*

*Genesis 3:8 & 9

WE BLAME

HE CALLS US OUT OF HIDING

You spread out our sins before you — our secret sins — and you see them all.*

*Psalm 90:8


He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”*

*Genesis 3:I0


“We’re created to fear — we just fear the wrong things.”*

*Pavi Thomas


“Who told you that you were naked?” the LORD God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”*

*Genesis 3:II


HE NAMES OUR SIN

HE NAMES OUR CONSEQUENCES

Then he said to the woman, “ I wi l l sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.”*

*Genesis 3:I6


And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made.* *Genesis 3:I7-I9


For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”*

*Genesis 3:20


And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.*

*Genesis 3:2I


HE SHEDS BLOOD TO COVER OUR SHAME

For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.*

*Romans 3:25



COME OUT OF HIDING

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.*

*James 5:I6

COME OUT OF HIDING

COME OUT OF HIDING

“Hey Noel,I ’ve been th ink ing about the con-sequences that are going to come out of this series you are doing, and although I think the good outweigh the tougher ones . . . I’ve noticed in being a pretty open person, that many Christians are not positively enforced when they spill their secrets to others.”*

I mean this in the sense that I generally get this "we'll pray for you" kind of response, you know the one where in their head they're like... "wow this ones pretty messed up... we better help them with their walk." It's pretty belittling.

I know this is a really crappy response for other Christians to have to people being open, but I've received it more than once from Christians in different groups of people/society. Just a thought, but it'd b e n i ce i f yo u co u l d a d d a l i t t l e something in there for how we should react as brothers/sisters to watching all this buried stuff come up from the grave.

*A member of Riv

COME OUT OF HIDING

“I mean this in the sense that I generally get this ‘we'll pray for you’ kind of response, you know the one where in their head they're like . . . ‘wow this one’s pretty messed up . . . we better help them with their walk.’ It’s pretty belittling.”*

I know this is a really crappy response for other Christians to have to people being open, but I've received it more than once from Christians in different groups of people/society. Just a thought, but it'd b e n i ce i f yo u co u l d a d d a l i t t l e something in there for how we should react as brothers/sisters to watching all this buried stuff come up from the grave.

*A member of Riv

COME OUT OF HIDING

“I know this is a really crappy response for other Christians to have to people being open, but I've received it more than once from Christians in different groups of people/society. Just a thought, but it’d be nice if you could add a little some-thing in there for how we should react as brothers/sisters to watching all this buried stuff come up from the grave.”*

*A member of Riv

COME OUT OF HIDING

DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES

DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES

“I fasted and I wept while the child was alive, for I said ‘Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me.”*

*2 Samuel 12:22

PEDAL THE BIKE

MY CONFESSION

For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.”*

In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people —an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this b rea d an d d r i n k t h i s c u p , yo u are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.

*I Corinthians II:23-26

PEDAL THE BIKE

In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people —an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.” For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are ann-ouncing the Lord’s death until he comes again.*


PEDAL THE BIKE

So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ , you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself.*

That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.


PEDAL THE BIKE

That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.*


PEDAL THE BIKE

But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way.*

*I Corinthians II:3I

PEDAL THE BIKE

Spiritual

Thing I Have Done