June 7, 2023 -- Genesis 3:8 -- What was lost in the Fall?

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:8 ESV

Perhaps you are aware, perhaps not, I am currently at my denomination’s Synod Meeting. So I’m in North Carolina—the temperature is beautiful and the bucolic setting is conducive to restful contemplation. Each block of meetings starts with a sermon. What a wonderful day to begin deliberations, by first spending time in the word of God.

Yesterday the Rev. Jeff Kingswood preached. It was a wonderful sermon. The theme given him was worship and the text he used as the basis of his sermon was John 4:21-24. He also referred to the text above, Genesis 3.

Today’s devotion is a brief synopsis of his stirring sermon. Kingswood asked a marvelous question. What was lost when Adam and Eve fell into sin? Some, perhaps women, might answer: ‘painless childbirth’. Men might answer weedless gardening. It misses the point. Consider this amazing fact, God approached His people, as He’d always done. They had, before their sinful rebellion, communion with Him like we can’t even imagine now. What they’d once enjoyed is now lost to them.

Worship was incapacitated by sin. Praise God. For God provides for us in what Christ we cannot do for ourselves. He provides us with Christ’s righteousness. In his vision of heaven, John notes the New Jerusalem has streets of such gold it is like glass. The gates of the city are carved pearls. Kingswood said Revelation uses the language of Tiffany’s! The thrill of everything that is so precious, valuable beyond comprehension. Yet, what is of even greater value is being restored so that the people of God can be in the presence of God, unashamed. Hallelujah!

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name! Increase our capacity to marvel, to anticipate, and to long for eternity in Your presence. Deepen our awareness of Jesus’ beautiful-beyond-description work of reconciling us to Yourself through His death, burial, resurrection, ascension and session to Your right hand. Spirit of God, bring to mind for us, through-out each day and in the watches of the night, the profound expectation of that moment, when God will make all things new in Christ and we will live in the presence of God and of the Lamb and worship will be most excellent, joyous, and soul-satisfying. Exactly what had been missing in all our lives and what we searched for in all places and exploring all sorts of wrongs with an urgency of need that wasn’t met until it was fully, finally and completely met in You. What a treasure beyond all treasures. King of kings and LORD of lords, there will be a day, when we will be completely enraptured in Christ! Hallelujah! Amen!

https://youtu.be/VbqSm-_pDxA ‘Hymn of Heaven’ Phil Wickham

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