What Sin Does

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”
Genesis 3:8 CSB

When I was a young boy, I had an idea; my idea proved to be flawed and ultimately completely wrong. Let me explain. I was a tad bit mischievous when I was young and my adventurous spirit tended to get me into some trouble with my parents. So, I came up with an idea: if I told a joke or regaled them with a funny story before or while they were finding out what I had done wrong, then maybe they would be distracted enough and I wouldn’t get in trouble. (Did I say my idea failed miserably?) What I tried to do as a little guy is the same thing Adam and Eve attempted in the garden, and is the same thing we all do each and every day; we all try to hide from God what we have done wrong.
The verse we started with this morning is interesting and sad to me. Interesting in that we see the heart of God. God came walking in the garden, looking for and desiring to relate with Adam and Eve. That is the nature and heart of God; He desires to be with us, to provide for and have communion with us. That is why He created us. It is sad because Adam and Eve represent the way we are constantly living. We give in to our selfish desires and sin against God. Then we spend the next part of our lives trying to hide from God hoping he won’t find out. FYI, he already knows. We can’t hide from God!
Want to know what I learned as a boy? That it was always better to be up front and truthful with my parents. Truth from me always led directly to forgiveness and a restored relationship. This is the same with God. It is far better for us to come to God ask for forgiveness. He promises that “if we confess our sin he is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” which leads back to a restored relationship with Him.
Are you trying to hide? Give up, come clean. You will be glad you did.

-Pastor Tim