This sermon reflects on the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 3, emphasizing God's compassion and refusal to abandon His people despite their failures. It highlights the importance of confessing our mistakes, seeking reconciliation with God, and accepting His righteousness as a gift. The message encourages listeners to respond to God's call, realign their hearts with His, and find joy in worshiping Him.

Line of the song, one of the songs that we sung this morning, and he is calling. He is calling. I did not know we were going to sing that song this morning and even with the prophetic of the Lord it ties in with this word indeed and I got this word for us this morning and I want to keep the momentum of the Spirit. Amen. That's important that the Holy Spirit, we prayed this morning that that the Lord would gush forth. I prayed it at the start. I prayed in the bottom room there that that the river would flow and again we sung about the river as well. That God's river, God's Spirit would would take control and dominate this meeting and dominate indeed this time together, our hearts. Amen. Praise God. I want to share just briefly from Genesis chapter 3 and we all know what took place in Genesis chapter 3. It speaks about the fall of man. It speaks about the fall indeed of God's creation, man. And when I think of this Bible and when I think of those indeed that failed, you have to say that Adam is number one. When I think of Scripture and I think of people that failed the Lord, those in Scripture, Adam's failure was monumental, to say the least. It's not correct. I would say he's the number one indeed failure. When we look at the Holy Scriptures, look what he lost. It was monumental. I mean he was immortal. He had everything. He had perfection. He had all of this perfection before him, all of this goodness before him but he disobeyed God. He transgressed as we know and he blew it. He blew it. But as the Lord said this morning, one word, one word that he does not speak over his people is abandonment. And even though Adam transgressed, even though Adam did this thing, God would not abandon him. Hallelujah. And there are many today strewn across this land, perhaps you this morning in this congregation or those that would watch or listen and perhaps in a mighty way you've grieved the Lord and perhaps you have convinced yourself that the Lord has left you, that the Lord has abandoned you because of the monumental stupendous thing that he, that you have done. I want to encourage you, he has not left you. He will not fail you. He will not forsake you. He will not abandon you. He is with you even on to the end of this age. The Master, the Lord, the Savior, the Shepherd is with you. Hallelujah. And so we know the story in Genesis chapter 3. Adam and Eve begin to make this, these little aprons to cover themselves. They are ashamed. They are embarrassed. And in the Scripture verse 8, I want to look at verse 8 and verse 9. Then the Scripture says, and they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called on to Adam and said unto him, Where are you? They heard the voice of the Lord God. They heard, Adam heard the voice of the Lord God. You know, one of the paraphrase, a Jewish paraphrase of the Scripture says, and some of the rabbis would actually say it's translated this way, they heard the voice of the Word of the Lord God. In other words, it was the Word who was present. It was the Word of God. It was the pre-incarnate, indeed, Jesus Christ. The Word, as we know, He was made flesh. It was the Word of God. Word of God that was speaking. We sung again about it this morning. Jesus calls. He calls the voice of the Word of the Lord God. Thank God for His voice. Thank God that John 10 27 says, My sheep hear my voice, and they know me, and they follow me. Amen. Amen. Praise God. Adam still heard, indeed, the voice of the Lord. He still heard, even though he had disobeyed, even though he had transgressed, he still heard the voice of the Lord God. And I tell you again, there are many that have grieved God, that have hurt God, possibly this week, in a mighty way, but I tell you something, you can still hear the voice of the Lord. You can still hear the voice of the Master. You can still hear the voice of the Great Shepherd, because He is still your Shepherd, and you are still His sheep, and you can still hear, indeed, His voice, God's voice, truth. You see, you can lose your voice, can't you? If I continue to preach like this, I might lose my voice. You can. We can lose our voices. Many have done. They have lost their voices. Many people have lost their voices for a long time, even permanently, but I tell you something, God never loses His voice. Hallelujah. The Lord never loses His voice. He is calling. Jesus is calling. God is calling constantly. So, God was present in the cool of the day, and the general consensus amongst theologians would say, in the evening breeze, it was evening time, indeed. And this was the time, as some would say, for solemn worship. This was the time for worship. This was the time when God would meet with Adam and Eve in that place of holy worship. God had come to meet with them in worship, to commune, indeed, with them. And I tell you this morning, nothing has changed. And we thank God that God came and met with us this morning. Amen. We thank God that He is continuing to meet with us in worship, because that's the heart of the Living God. That's the heart of Jehovah. That's the heart of the Creator, to meet with His own, and to commune with them, and to fellowship with them, and to touch them, and to speak life unto them. Hallelujah. Praise God. We thank Him for that. Nothing has changed. God comes to meet in worship. And God will always be in that place of worship. There's no doubt about that. God will always be there. But here's the question. Are we there? He will always be in that place of worship. But are you there this morning? Are you in that place to meet with Him? Is your heart, indeed, in that place to have fellowship, to have worship with the Living God? In Luke 22, in verse 15, we think of the Last Supper, and the Scripture says this, Then He, speaking of Jesus, said to them with fervent desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. It was His great desire, indeed, to sit with them, and to have that meal with them, because the Master would suffer. The Master would go to the cross, and He would go to the cross, and die at the cross, that those apostles, that we this morning, would have greater, indeed, fellowship and communion with Him today, tomorrow, in eternity. Praise God with great desire. That's the heart of God. That's the heart of God in worship. Indeed, God is chomping at the bit, so to speak, to meet with you, to meet with me, to have communion, sweet communion. Indeed, it makes me think of what the Master says in Revelation 320, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with me, and dine with him. It speaks, again, of communion. It speaks the meal. It speaks of fellowship. You know, when I think of that, I think of the family meal, and there will be many family meals today, is not correct? There will be many fathers that will be seated at tables today, and they will look around that table, and they will look at their offspring. They will look at their loved ones, and they will be encouraged, and they will be blessed, just to see before their eyes their loved ones. I praise God this day that the Father looks upon us, and he is pleased, because we have come to meet with him. We have come to the altar, indeed, to worship with the Living God, and he surveys, indeed, this congregation, and he, indeed, is pleased. I watch a program on TV, and at the end of every single episode, every single episode, the family come around the table to have a meal. All of the family members are there, and sometimes you can see the head of the family, and he is looking at each individual, and they're talking about things, and they're catching up. Isn't that what happens at the family table? There's a catch-up, and you're discussing things, you're having fellowship, and so forth, and so on. He longs to meet with you and me, and I tell you that there are those that are not at the altar at this time, and God has met with you before. Some are missing, and in a way, you've stood God up. Could I say that? Now, think about dinner. I'm going to talk about dinner a little bit, and think about a girl and a boy arrange a date, a dinner date, and during the dinner date, there's lots of conversation. There's eating, there's all sorts that's that's taken place. There's intimacy between the two when they gaze into each other's eyes. It's a dinner date, indeed, and the girl is there. She's a bit early. She's there ten to seven. The date has been set at seven o'clock, and she's there early, and then it comes seven o'clock, and she's sitting there, and there's no Josh that has come. There's no boy that has turned up. It's five past seven. It's ten past seven. It's a quarter past seven, and this girl thinks to herself, feels, I've been stood up. He's stood me up. I came here to meet with him. I came here to dine with him. I came here to talk with him. I came here to get to know him. I came here to look into his eyes that he would see into my eyes and see that I have affection for him, but he has stood, indeed, me up, and I think, again, of this scenario in Genesis chapter 3, God's there, and God wants to dine with Adam and Eve. God wants to fellowship with them, but they aren't there. You could say they stood God up, but then verse 9 says, the Lord called on to Adam. Isn't that beautiful? The Lord called on to him. Jesus is calling. God is calling out to many today. Hallelujah. Many who once stood at the altar, but who are now absent. You see, here's an interesting thought. Adam and Eve used trees to distance themselves from God. They hid themselves in the good. They hid themselves in the perfect, because when you read the Scripture, God had not yet cursed the earth. There was no curse given from the mouth of God. So, these individuals hid themselves in that which was good, the trees, that which was perfect, to distance themselves from worship, to distance themselves from the altar, to distance themselves from the living God, and friends, at last today, many do the same. There are many who are away from God. There are many who have distanced themselves from God. Their heart is away from God, but their hearts are not in the bad, but in the good. Their hearts are not in anything that's intrinsically evil or bad, but in good things. And they think to themselves, or they have reiterated, reinforced to their hearts, I am in the good, I am doing good, so I am okay. But their hearts are not at the altar, even though they are doing good. They are busy doing good, but they are not being. Busy doing, not busy being with Him. And so therefore, they have distanced themselves, or there are others who have distanced themselves away from God, away from worship, because of shame. Again, think of Adam and Eve, and they made these aprons, and they wanted to cover their nakedness, they wanted to cover their embarrassment, and so forth. They hid themselves away from the Lord, and there are many again today, alas. And they have grieved God, and they have hurt God, and they have did something in their estimation, and in their mind, that is so monumental, and so stupendous, and so big, that God can't forgive them, that God can't have mercy upon them, and they have pulled away from worship in shame. But I want to say to you today, the Word of God, He shall never abandon you. It doesn't matter how you act, what you do to grieve the Lord, His mercy, mercy triumphs over judgment this morning. Hallelujah. I tell you, there's power in the blood. We've sung about the blood, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin. Continues to cleanse the blood of Christ, the blood of the Savior. Some have removed themselves. Some may think they are not worthy to worship, but He has made us worthy, and He has made us right, and He has made us good. He has did it. Amen. Amen. Where are you? The Lord says, where are you? Again, thinking of that dinner date, the girl is seated at the table, it's ten past, quarter past seven, is she just going to sit there, and that's it? No, what she will probably do is this, she'll pick up her phone, and she'll call the boy, and what's the words that she will say to him? Where are you? As they say in Northern Ireland, where are you? Isn't that correct? She will attempt, indeed, to make contact with him. He is late, something must be wrong, and she will do her utmost. She will phone his number, and her heart is to say again, where are you? But like our God, He is seeking to make contact. He is making contact with some. Maybe even in this place, those that will watch, those that will listen, because of His great love, indeed, for you. He seeks to make contact. Where are you? Where are you? When I think of that, we know God is omniscient, and God knew quite well where they were, but it's a bit like this, when I think of that statement, a statement that we use as well, where are you at? What are you at? What are you doing? You know, when I think of that, I think perhaps when you, when your child was small, let's say a little girl, and one day you go up to the bedroom, and there is a little girl covered in makeup, and there's makeup everywhere, all over the floor, and there's just a mess, and you might turn around again as a mother. What are you doing? Now you already know what has taken place. It's not correct. That's something that you already know, and God already knew where they were. Where are you? Luke 19 10, I think of our God, our Savior, the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. Where are you? Where are you? Where are you? You see, God says, where are you? The question gets a confession, and you see, that's, that's the plan of God. That's the way of God. He asks the question to get a response, to get a confession. Adam confessed where he was, what he did. You see, you've got to confess the mess. You've got to confess the mess, and Adam confessed the mess. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Hallelujah. One John, you've got to confess the mess. Where are you? Why are you there? There's nowhere to hide. Nowhere to hide. Again, when I think of that, I think of a small child. I think of hide-and-seek. You're the adult, and the child is quite small, a toddler, and you're playing hide-and-seek with the child, and the child goes up the stairs, and you count down from 10 to 0, and then you're going up the stairs, right? And you're near the door, and the child's giggling. And, you know, you're near the door, the child's trying to hide, and the child is giggling. But that's not the end of it. You go into the bedroom, and the little child's not under the bed, but it's taken like a little tiny coat, and put it over itself, and the legs and all are sticking out. And the wee child thinks that they have hid from you. It's not correct. That's the way they think as a toddler. And I tell you, friends, it was utterly futile for Adam to try to hide from God. And it's utterly futile for you, or for those that would watch or listen, to hide from the Lord. You can't hide from Him. It doesn't matter where you go. God is omnipresent. The eye of God is in every place. He can see you. It doesn't matter what you're putting upon yourselves. It doesn't matter where you try to go. Jonah tried to flee as far as he could from the presence of God, but he only got so far when God stepped in. And you will only get so far when God steps in, because God is a jealous God. He is jealous over you. He is jealous over your affection. He is jealous over your heart, and He seeks restoration. He seeks reconciliation. He seeks to see you renewed, revived, restored. Oh, glory to God in the highest. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Oh, glory, glory, glory! I'm about to preach. Praise God just at that stirring, at that revelation, indeed, of our God and His great love and His great passion for you this morning. Praise God. What a Savior. What a Savior. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. We're going to come around the table shortly. And again, when I think of this portion of Scripture, my eyes go to verse 21. After God pronouncing curses, verse 21 tells us, unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins and clothe them. Despite the monumental mistake, despite what took place, God did not abandon. God did not discard, throw away, cast away His prized possession. On the contrary, as the Scripture says, God made coats. God clothed them. And again, the general consensus is, I'm sure most of us know that theologians would say that something did die. This is the first sacrifice. The first of many. The first sacrifice. Something was slain. God took the life of something, indeed, that they would be clothed. Blood was shed, because blood is shed when it comes to sacrifice, indeed, that they would be clothed. And thank God for 2nd Corinthians 521, as the Scripture says, for He made Him, the Lord Jesus, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. All those sacrifices culminated when it came to the Lamb of God, and the Lamb of God's great sacrifice forever. Amen. It's done. It's finished. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. He has cleansed us. He has redeemed us. He has brought us. He has paid the ransom. He has brought us now unto the Living God, and to that I say, Amen. We are clothed in His righteousness, robed in His righteousness. When I think of that, I think of this. You could go to a hotel, and if you stay in a hotel, I'm sure quite a lot, you open up the wardrobe, and there's a robe in there. Isn't that correct? A robe that's awaiting you. And on that robe there might be the name of the hotel. Okay, so if it's the Hilton in Belfast, it might say the Hilton, indeed, on that robe. But you see, you can wear that only for a period of time. When you leave, it doesn't go with you. It's not yours. You've only borrowed it for a little while. If you're staying just one day, it's yours for that day and overnight. But you have to leave it there. It's not yours. But then I think of the footballs that are on at the moment, and I think of how footballers in the past, the legends, the geniuses of the past, have worn jerseys during a competition or whatever, the Euros, the World Cup, and it's a shirt that they have worn themselves. And for whatever reason, they decide to give this shirt away as a gift, and they sign it. And they give it away to someone as a gift. It's not borrowed, it's been given. And that person, that recipient takes it, and indeed, perhaps puts it on. They want to feel, indeed, what it's like to wear that, indeed, of a great genius, a genius, indeed, footballer. And they can see, indeed, on their shirt, the name, the signature. And we want to thank God, indeed, as we come around this table this morning, again, that Jesus Christ paid it all. That we have the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. His signature, you could say, is across the righteousness of God. Amen. He has given it to us, and He's not going to take it back. He's not going to remove what He has given. Because John 5 24 says this, Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word, and believes in Him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment. Let me repeat that, and shall not come into judgment. You shall never come into judgment. You shall never stand before the great white throne, because you have received something from heaven. Something that is fixed. Something that is eternal. Something that is mighty. Something that is marvelous. Something that is great. And it's the salvation of the Lord. It's His salvation. And it's wonderful. And it's glorious. And we have it. A person shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Amen. There's no borrowing anything. We haven't borrowed. We've been given something from on high. Praise God. Hallelujah. What a God. What a Father. It is Father's Day. Amen. Every day is Father's Day. Hallelujah. When I think of that, I think of again how jokingly I shared at the start about fathers get gifts. They get cards and gifts today, don't they? It's good to give our Father a gift. Our hearts. Our worship. They that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. That we would be generous indeed to our God. That we indeed would respond to His call. Respond to His heart. That our hearts would not be afar but near. That our hearts would rise up from the pigpen. Rise up from the forest. The trees. From the good. From the bad. Be reconciled. Be back in the right place. At the altar. To commune. To worship the one and true God. Amen. Praise God. Hallelujah. What a God. What a Savior. Hallelujah. Father. Lord, we thank you today for God just from from the offset from the very beginning of this meeting. Lord, your heart has been plain and your heart has been exposed to us, God. And Father, Lord, you have you have moved and and spoken to us mightily and Lord, we we are so encouraged and we are so stirred. Lord, I have no doubt that this word, God, this message indeed is is God paramount and and pinnacle God and and someone's life and for someone, God. And Lord, I pray that they would react, God, to the word of the Lord. Just as Adam reacted. Just just as Adam responded. He confessed his mess and Lord that there would be confession and that there would be a realignment, God. That there would be a restoration indeed of of of hearts. God, there is much out there to draw us away. There is much good indeed. God, alas, at times even, Lord, it could be that more good in our lives draws us away from the heart of worship, God, than bad. And so, Lord, give us eyes to see and ears to hear, Lord God. Let there be even joy in heaven today over one sinner that would come to repentance. Let there be joy, God, unspeakable joy in heaven, God. We ask in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus, we bless you, Lord. And we thank you, Lord, for your word. We pray, God, that this word will be sealed to our hearts. We pray that you would rebuke the devourer, that you would rebuke the thief, that you would rebuke the one that comes to, Lord, to counter what God has said, to distort what God has said, to steal the seed of God's word which has been preached. We pray that you would be a buffer to many, God, that you would be a shield to many. We pray and speak life, not death. We speak life and light, Lord. And we speak, God, indeed to the contrary of the wicked one, to the one that's come to steal and to kill and to destroy. We thank you that you came, God, to bring us life. And we thank you that he that has the Son has life. We have your life. We have the life of God. We have the life, indeed, of the Son. So, Lord, we bless you in the mighty and powerful name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah.