The Coolidge examiner., 1937-04-08

! PRIMARY TOPIC-In the Garden of
Eden.
JUNIOR TOPIC-Trying to Hide From
God
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOP
| IC-What Sin Is and Does.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOP
IC-The Consequences of Sin.
lone of the curiosities of the Brit
! ish Museum is a brick from the
walls of ancient Babylon which
bears the imprint of one of Baby
Ions mighty kings. Right over the
center of the royal seal is deeply
impressed the footprint of 'pariah'
dog which apparently trod upon it
when it was soft and plastic. Long
ages have passed; the kings SUI
prescription is visible but defaced;
the footprint of the dog is clear and
sharply defined.
Human nature. is like that brick.
Man originally was made in
the image of God, but over the
royal beauty of the Divine likeness
there has been superimposed the
dirty Disagreement of the Devils
imprint" Cd. E. Hart-Davies).
Last Sunday we saw the heavens
and earth, TIE animals, yes, the en-
tire creation crowned by man him
self, as it had come from the hand
of God-'and behold it was very
good" Q:3D. But, sadly enough, it
did not long remain so, for sin
which had already entered the uni
verse soon found its way into the
world.
God created Adam in his own
likeness and image, gave him "a
helpmeet unto him." and placed
him in perfect surroundings. He
gave him congenial employment,
and above all the inestimable joy
and privilege of direct fellowship
with Him.
But because man was not mere
automaton-a toy in the hands of
superior being-God gave him the
power of moral choice, the oppor-
tunity to exercise his God-given per-
sonality in making that choice. Obe-
dience is the underlying moral prin-
ciple of the universe. Man was
| given an opportunity to obey. The
garden of Eden was his, but of the
fruit of one tree he was not per-
mitted to eat. Note that the principle
of prohibition is a part of Gods
law.
Today we go with Eve and Adam
into that cataclysmic experience
which we call 1.-The Fall of Man."
for as we read in Romans SIP, ''by
one man sin entered into the world,
and death by sin; so death passed
upon all men, for that all have
sinned."
1. Temptation (vv. 1-5.
Satan is not a cloven-hoofed mon
strosity with a forked tail and a
trident in his hand. No, indeed, he
is more subtle than anything in
creation. We read that he is trans
formed into an angel of light" QI
Cor. 11:14. His approach in our
day is as smooth, and cultured as
it was in the garden of Eden. An
example is the insidious liquor ad-
vertising of our day. Another is
his use of the man who stands behind
the pulpit or sits in the professor S
chair and destroys the Christian
faith of young men and women.
Note the five steps in the fall of
man:
l. Listening to SANDER against
God (Satan lied about God.
2. Doubling Gods Word and God S
love Of we trust God we will obey
him.
3. Looking at that which God has
forbidden CThe eye will betray us
unless we guard iD.
4. Lusting after what God had
prohibited Compare Genesis 3:6
with I John 2:6).
S. Disobedience to Gods COM
mand.
III. Sin ". g..
Sin is deliberate transgression,
not a natural weakness, nor a ne
cessity. 1t showed itself in its true
light when it at once reached out
and dragged down another. We do
not sin alone for very long.
Ill. Consequences wv. 715, also
16-19).
/. The serpent is cursed
@ Sin, death and condemnation
enter the world.
3. Sorrow is linked with mother
hood.
4. Responsibility and headship is
given to man.
5. The ground is cursed and the
burden of labor introduced.
Nv. Redemption ". 15J. --. u
Here we have the first promise OF
redemption, and t&e scarlet thread
of redemptive truth thus runs from
this point at the Bibles beginning
to its very last chapter. Even In
judging the first Adam for his sir
God promises the coming of the
second Adam who is to redeem the
race. You are in the family OF
the first Adam by natural birth;
have you entered the family of the
second Adam by supernatural re-
birth? q Cor. 1921, %, 45.)