Your Heavenly Father Fixed the Fall into Sin

Your Heavenly Father Fixed the Fall into Sin

Pastor Pete Metzger

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Your Heavenly Father Fixed the Fall into Sin 

How many of you live in St. Albert? What’s the best part of our city? Is it the farmer’s market? The walking trails? The school system? There are lots of great things about St. Albert!

What’s the worst part of our city? Is it the traffic? The construction? The taxes? The politics? There are plenty of not-great things about St. Albert too, and I’m sure that list could go on.

When we think about God the Father almighty, it is natural for us to think about what comes immediately after that phrase in the first article of the Apostles’ Creed, i.e. “maker of heaven and earth.” He created the light, the sea, the sky, the dry ground and all the living things that inhabit them. And after each creation was created, we hear the same refrain: “And God saw that it was good.”[1]

If you had been there on the seventh day, when God rested from his labours and declared that everything he had made was very good,[2] what would you have said the best part of creation was? Adam and Eve? The Garden? The peace and perfect balance between all living things? There’s not a wrong answer, because everything was perfect.

But if you think about it, all of those possible answers have a lowest common denominator – there’s one similarity that ties all of them together, and it’s this: that all of those things we imagine as the best part of creation are the inverse of what we see and experience now.

If you thought a perfectly balanced ecosystem would have been the best part, it’s probably because you live in a world that doesn’t have that, and you know from first-hand experience what imbalance feels like, e.g. drought, floods, fire, hurricanes, earthquakes, famine. If you thought that peace between creatures would have been the best part, it’s probably because you got bit by a dog when you were a kid, or you’re currently going through the fallout of separation or divorce, i.e. you know from painful, first-hand experience what a lack of peace feels like.

So, what went wrong? How could we go from an almighty God creating the perfect world to this, with all the problems and troubles and heartaches we experience every day? In a word, it’s “sin.”

Maybe you’ve heard the story of Adam and Eve before. Even if you have, it’s good to hear it again. Genesis 3 starts this way: Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”[3]

Before we read the next verse, can you answer that question? Did God really say this? No, he didn’t. This is what God said to Adam, even before Eve was created: “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”[4]

Let’s see how well Adam passed this message along to Eve: The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”[5]

Did Adam do a good job? Was Eve listening? Yes, he did; she was. So far so good. But the devil’s not done: “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”[6]

Before we read the next verse, was this true? Would their eyes be opened? Yes, but not in the way this snake oil salesman implied: When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.[7]

Adam and Eve had disobeyed the one command God had given them. They had corrupted the whole of God’s creation and earned consequences not only for themselves but for the whole world. In the verses that follow we hear about pain in childbirth, conflict in relationships, painful toil just to put food on the table, and ultimately death. And that wasn’t just for Adam and Eve. It was for all their children and their children’s children. All because of sin. And all because of a snake.

Scripture paints many pictures of the devil: as a dragon, a serpent. Peter compares him to a lion: Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.[8] What is the devil looking to do to you? Devour you.

The devil is an opportunistic opponent who is looking to prey on your every vulnerability and weakness to lead you away from God, so that instead of living in perfect harmony with your Creator, you live in hostility with him; instead of eternal life in heaven, the devil wants you to be damned to eternal death with the him in hell forever.

And the devil is good at what he does. “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”[9] What was the devil trying to get Eve to do? He was trying to cause Eve to question… whether she heard God right, whether she understood God correctly, whether Adam had reliably transmitted God’s message to her.

The devil asks you the same kinds of questions, “Did God really say… that you have to honour your government? These aren’t honourable people!” “Did God really say… that homosexuality is a sin, that women can’t be pastors, that we’re not supposed to pray with Christians who believe differently than we do?” The devil is good at what he does.

“You will not certainly die, for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”[10] What forbidden fruit has looked desirable to you? Is it the intimacy God reserves for marriage? Why would God hold out on you? After all, you love each other. Why wait and deprive yourself of something that’ll be yours in a matter of time anyway?

What outright lies has the devil told you? “It’s not that bad.” “No one will know.” “No one will be hurt.” Meanwhile your own soul languishes under the weight of shame and guilt. You don’t reach for fig leaves, but you try to hide from others and even live in denial from your own conscience.

The devil’s whole goal is to lead you away from God; to consume you in everlasting condemnation as a direct result of the sins you commit. And the devil is good at what he does.

But your Father is better.

Do you know the first thing God said to Adam and Eve after they sinned? Was it, “How dare you,” or, “You’re in for it now”? No. It was, “Where are you?”[11] Did God not know where Adam and Eve were? He knew. So why did he ask? To give them the opportunity to own up to their actions. And did they? No. They offered excuses. They shifted the blame… to each other, to the devil, to God. They did not own up to their actions.

And even so, God did not blow up, not at them anyway. This is what he said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”[12]

The devil had successfully recruited Adam and Eve to join his rebellion against God. But what did God promise to do? Put enmity between the devil and Adam and Eve. In other words, God would restore the relationship to it was always supposed to be. Instead of Adam and Eve in league with the devil against God, God would bring Adam and Eve back to his side and help them to understand that the devil wasn’t some enlightened visionary who was going to teach them the secrets to a full and happy life; the devil was their enemy and God was their friend.

And did you catch how God was going to do it? The offspring of the woman was going to crush the serpent’s head. That was Jesus, and that’s what Jesus did when he died on the cross. He destroyed the devil’s work. He removed the wedge of separation between us and our Creator, and he reconciled us to him. Because your Creator did more than just create you. He has loved you from the very beginning and he has lived up to his name, i.e. he is your Father.

When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.[13] Despite your sin – no matter how often the devil deceives you – your Father doesn’t view you as enemies. What did he make you? His sons. His children. He adopted you into his family.

And that comes with rights and privileges: Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.[14] What privilege is ours as God’s children? The inheritance of glory. We don’t have to fear punishment. That’s been taken care of by Jesus. We don’t have to fear eternal separation from the Maker of heaven and earth. We get to live with him forever in heaven and on earth.

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”[15] Because God is your Father, what can you expect from him? To listen. To answer your prayers. To give you the good gifts he knows you need.

Because the Father has adopted you into his family, you can have the certainty of knowing that he loves you – not just because he created you, but because he chose you. Because the Father has adopted you into his family, you can have the confidence to approach him in prayer for anything and everything. Because the Father has adopted you into his family, you can live with a gratitude and appreciation for every good thing you receive from his hand.

We don’t live in a perfect world anymore. St. Albert is not the Garden of Eden. But the Maker of heaven and earth is still our Father. He still loves us. He has saved us by sending his Son. And he will take us to live with him forever in the perfection of heaven. That’s why, as Luther says, there’s little left to do but to thank, praise, serve and obey him.

This is most certainly true. Amen.

[1] Genesis 1:12,18,25

[2] Genesis 1:31

[3] Genesis 3:1

[4] Genesis 2:16,17

[5] Genesis 3:2,3

[6] Genesis 3:4,5

[7] Genesis 3:6,7

[8] 1 Peter 5:8

[9] Genesis 3:1

[10] Genesis 3:4,5

[11] Genesis 3:9

[12] Genesis 3:14,15

[13] Galatians 4:4,5

[14] Romans 8:17

[15] Matthew 7:9-12

Encapsulating the Incomprehensible Identity of the Holy Trinity

Encapsulating the Incomprehensible Identity of the Holy Trinity

Pastor Pete Metzger

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Encapsulating the Incomprehensible Identity of the Holy Trinity

Do you know who I am? I don’t mean that like Do you know who I am? Really, I’m asking you, who am I?

What does it say on the badge? Pete Metzger – that’s my name. But is my name who I am? I tried a few different social media searches. Facebook and LinkedIn yielded the most results. There were literally hundreds of other Peter Metzgers on both.

So, if I’m not even Pete Metzger (or, at least, if that name doesn’t narrow it down enough), who am I? You could say I’m Paul’s son, Lydia’s husband, James and Franklin’s dad. But as wonderful as all those titles are, that’s a bit derivative, isn’t it? It filters out the hundreds of other Peter Metzgers you could find online, but I’m more than just the sum of all the relationships I have. I’m a person all unto myself.

You probably don’t know this, but I’m an Enneagram 5. According to Gretchen Rubin, I’m a Rebel. According to WizardingWorld.com, I’m a Ravenclaw. But while pigeon-holing me into a certain category may describe me, it certainly doesn’t define me. Have you ever gone back and retaken some of those personality tests and gotten drastically different results? Yeah, because we change. I’m not the same person I was 10, 20, 30 years ago. I’m guessing you aren’t either.

Obviously you didn’t come here today to hear all about me and what makes me distinct and different – much less special or important. I say all this to illustrate how difficult a task we have before us. Today we begin a new worship series called This Is Most Certainly True. It walks us through the three articles of the Apostles Creed and finishes the sentences that all start with “I believe ______.” Every Sunday we are going to confidently assert a certain truth about God. But that does assume that you already know an all-important answer to a very fundamental question, Who is God?

If we can’t encapsulate all of my identity using my occupation, relationships, or characteristics, then imagine how hard it will be to do the same for God.

God is not here, at least not in the same way that I am here. You can’t shake God’s hand and get a measure for the man. You can’t put God under a microscope. But even though he’s invisible, you can observe him or at least you can see some the things he does, which tell us a great deal about who he is.

King David put it this way: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.[1] When you look at the heavens and the skies – when you look at the natural world around you – what observation can you make about where it all came from? It’s the work of God’s hands!

Look at the intricacies of the human nervous system, the fine tuning of the solar system and earth’s precise placement in it. That degree of specificity couldn’t have just happened randomly. Order doesn’t come from chaos. A tornado doesn’t whip through a lumberyard and build a house. Instead, as the writer to the Hebrews puts it: Every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.[2]

Even if you don’t know him by name – even if you’ve never been introduced – just by looking at the world around you, what can you know about God? That there is one, i.e. that there is a creator, an intelligent designer, a primary cause. That he has the power and wisdom to create things well.

Still, though, God is not here. Even Creation is just a piece of the puzzle. Looking out the window can tell you something about him. Looking inside can too. The Apostle Paul put it this way in his letter to the Romans: When Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.[3]

Paul talks about our consciences. What do our consciences tell us? Whether we’ve done something right or wrong, i.e. whether we should feel proud or guilty about what we’ve done. And what does that pride or guilt imply? That there is a standard for what is right and wrong – a standard that is built into our human operating system regardless of where you grew up or what laws you were taught. There are certain things that you just don’t do, that nobody would feel good about. And where would that objective standard of morality come from if not from some higher power that is concerned with whether we do right or wrong?

If we look out the window, we can know that there is a Creator God who is powerful and wise. If we look in our hearts, we can know that that same God is just and that he holds people accountable. But that’s about it.

It’s about as much of an impression you can get of God as you got of me when you first saw me. But I can tell you this for a fact, I sure wouldn’t want to leave what you think of me to your first impression of me. I would love the chance to set the record straight, wouldn’t you? And if we care about what other people think of us, you can bet God does too. That’s why he gave us his Word – to tell you everything you need to know about him that you wouldn’t be able to know any other way.

Did you know that today is a special day? Yes, it’s our Open Air Fair, and that’s fun and exciting, but it’s also the festival of the Holy Trinity, a truth about God that believers have celebrated from the very beginning. On the first page of the Bible you hear things like this:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.[4]

Already “God” and “the Spirit of God” are placed side by side. The Apostle John helps us fill in the gaps. He says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.[5] That “Word” is Jesus, and so you have “God,” “the Spirit of God,” and “Jesus” all cooperating in Creation right on the first page of your Bible.

Father, Son and Spirit are all God, but how many Gods are there? God tells us, through his prophet Moses: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.[6]

So we have this profound mystery – a single God, but Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all God, without that single God being divided into three parts and without those three people being blended into one. That’s the Trinity in a nutshell. It’s enough to make your brain do cartwheels. I can’t explain it, and yet it is absolutely essential for your faith and life.

Over the next several weeks you’re going to hear a breakdown of what each of those three people of the Trinity have done and continue to do for you, primarily in the realms of creation, salvation, and faith. But what I want you to know about the Trinity today, while we’re still considering all of them at the same time, is simply what God tells us about himself in His Word.

As a name, “Pete Metzger” might not tell you much about who I am as a person. But the name God uses for himself is much more illuminating. He is The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.[7]

It’s a bittersweet name, isn’t it? That last part is kind of scary. What will he do to the guilty? Punish them. And who are these guilty people? They’re you. They’re me. Your own conscience has told you as much. You’ve had moments when you’ve known instantly that those words never should have come out of your mouth. You’ve had moments when you’ve known that that was not the way to treat your wife or your husband or your kids or your parents. You’ve had moments when you’ve known that you didn’t do what you were supposed to do, e.g. when you’ve left someone hanging, when you could have helped but you didn’t, when you failed to live up to the expectations you have for yourself, let alone the expectations God has for you.

You deserve to be punished. Your own conscience testifies against you. God will not fail to ensure that justice gets done. But, that same holy, just God is also compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love, forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. And just as each member of the Triune God had his hand in the creation of the world, so also each had his hand in your salvation.

The Father looked on a sinner like you and loved you so much that he was willing to sacrifice his one and only, truly perfect Son to save you. The Son loved his Father and you so much that he was willing to be that sacrifice, i.e. to die on the cross sinless in your place, i.e. to have God’s righteous justice fall on him, so that you could be forgiven and saved. And it’s the Holy Spirit who works through His Word to teach you that precious truth, to kindle in your heart life-saving faith to believe that what Jesus did was for you.

That’s who God is. That’s what he’s done for you. And that’s why we confess his name. Because his is the only name under heaven by which we must be saved.

We don’t do all this because it’s fun. There are international children’s festivals down the street you can go to to have fun. We don’t do all this because the people wearing lanyards are the nicest people in St. Albert. They’re great, but lots of other people are too. We do this, we come here, week after week, month after month, to know our Triune God – to know the ways we’ve fallen short of deserving his love, but the ways he still loves us and forgives us and restores and empowers us to face each new day with his compassion and grace, and his power and wisdom.

That’s why almost every single Sunday, we confess the Apostles’ Creed or another one very much like it, because that’s who our God is, and that’s what he’s done for you. And if you know nothing else about this great, big old Book – if you haven’t listened to a single word I said – I want you to know the profound truth of who your God is in plain language that even children can understand, the fundamental truths of the Divine in a simple but complete explanation of his incomprehensible identity. He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit united in holiness and love for you. And he promises you that it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.[8]

This is most certainly true. Amen.

[1] Psalm 19:1

[2] Hebrews 3:4

[3] Romans 2:14,15

[4] Genesis 1:1,2

[5] John 1:1-3

[6] Deuteronomy 6:4

[7] Exodus 34:6,7

[8] Romans 10:10

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