In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of obedience to God's commandments, even the smallest ones. He uses the example of testing a child's obedience by instructing them not to commit serious sins like murder or adultery, but rather by observing their response to simple commands like doing homework. The speaker then delves into the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, highlighting how Satan tempted them and caused them to fall into sin. However, God did not leave them without hope, as He promised a solution through the coming of Jesus to defeat Satan and redeem humanity.

It's a great joy for me to share God's word with you. There is a word in the book of Revelation which says that as we approach the end of time, the devil knows that his time is short. And when he knows that his time is short, it says his wrath or his anger is great. Now the devil is a far more careful student of prophecy than most believers are. So he knows when his time is running out, even if believers are ignorant of it. So we're living in such times. And the Bible speaks about Satan's schemes. I want to read in 2 Corinthians 2. Verse 11. Paul says, In order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes. If we are ignorant of Satan's schemes, he will take advantage of us. Because he comes in many ways. He does not come as Satan. He comes as an angel of light. And God's word has been given to us so that we are not ignorant of his schemes. God doesn't want any of us to be deceived in God's great wisdom. He has permitted Satan to be loose in the world, just like he permitted Satan to enter the Garden of Eden. It would have been very easy for God to keep Satan out of that garden so that Adam would not be tempted. Who was it who permitted Satan to enter that garden? It was God. Didn't God know what Satan was going to do? Couldn't he have stopped Satan from entering that garden? Sure. But that was necessary for Adam to be tested, for Adam to become what God planned for him to be. He could never be accomplished if he was not tested. And so it was necessary for Adam to be tested, for him to be holy. Do you know that God can never make a man holy without the man choosing him? He can make objects obedient, like the planets or trees grow according to laws. Those things God can do automatically. But God cannot make any of his creation holy, as he is holy, if they don't make a personal choice. It's very important for us to remember that. God cannot make you holy unless you choose to, unless you want to be, unless you choose it. And the moment you speak about choice, there must be some alternative. Otherwise there's no choice. If you're only given one fruit to eat from, there's no choice. If there's two, then there's a choice. So, that's why it was essential for God to permit Satan to enter that garden. And that's why it was essential for God to keep at least one tree in that garden as forbidden. Actually, it was very easy. There were thousands of trees there, and only one was forbidden. And Adam had such a tremendous choice. There was a vast number of trees that he could have chosen. It was a very easy test. But he failed. Now, the details of that temptation are given to us in Genesis 3 so that we can be aware of Satan's schemes and like it says in this verse, not be ignorant of Satan's schemes. Paul says, we are not ignorant of Satan's schemes. So, I want you to turn with me to Genesis 3 and see here what is given to us in great detail as to how our forefather Adam and Eve through whom we all came were tempted and how they fell. And from it we can learn how Satan tempts us because he hasn't changed his tactics. And where people don't study the scriptures, they fall in the same way that Adam and Eve fell. Even though it's been written there, the scriptures, for at least 3,500 years. Genesis was written 3,500 years ago. For 3,500 years at least, if man wanted to know, he could have known how Adam and Eve fell, how Satan tripped them up. And if he had taken care to study it, he would not have been tripped up in the same way by the devil. But because most human beings and most Christians also are far too lazy to study the scriptures, to study Satan's tactics, they fall in the same way. The scripture reveals how other people fell before them. And that's actually foolish because when it's written there, we don't have to fall. It's like if you have warning signs along a road saying there's a pit there, and you see those warning signs, and you see another one, and you see another one, and you still go and drive into that pit, you got only yourself to blame. And so there are warnings in scripture that we want to look at, first of all, in Genesis 3. Now the first thing I want you to notice here in Genesis 3, in verse 1, is the devil came through a serpent because the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord had made. In other words, the devil chose the cleverest of all the animals to come through in order to tempt. And one of the things the scripture reveals is that Satan is a very, very intelligent being. He wasn't created as the devil. He was created as the highest of the angels, gifted with tremendous intelligence. There's a verse in Ezekiel chapter 28 which says, where God himself says about Satan, you are wiser than Daniel. God considered Daniel to be the wisest man who ever lived up to that time. Not Solomon, by the way. Daniel. And God said to Satan, you are wiser than Daniel. So, Satan is a very intelligent being. He's very clever. And if any human being thinks he can outsmart the devil with his cleverness, he's just fooling himself. You are not clever enough for the devil. You may be clever enough to match your wits with any other human being. You may be smart enough to dupe and cheat other human beings, but you are not smart enough for the devil. He is just too smart for you and me and for everyone on the earth. And he wants you to think that he can't trip you up. That's exactly what he wants you to think. Because then he can trip you up without any problem at all. So, what I'm saying is, don't underestimate the devil's cleverness. He came through the craftiest and the cleverest of all the animals. And it's through his cleverness, he's like a clever confidence trickster who deceives us without even our knowing that we are being deceived. Who steals what belongs to us without even our knowing that we've been robbed. I remember traveling in a bus once many years ago in India. And when I got down, I found my wallet was missing from my pocket. And I never felt a thing. The pickpocket had done such a neat job. I felt he deserved it because he'd done such a good job of picking my pocket. I never felt a thing. The devil's like that. You don't even know that you've been robbed until very much later. Some people at the end of their life. It's too late. I discovered at the end of the journey. The bus had moved on and gone and I discovered at the end of the journey. I don't know when it was done but sometime during my journey it was done. And that's how the devil robs people. Christians are being robbed. I was robbed for many years of spiritual wealth that could have been mine after I was born again. Because the devil blinded my eyes to truths in scripture that would have set me free. And as I've traveled around, I've seen Christians of every denomination, different countries. I can see they are poor when they should have been rich. They are defeated when they should have been overcomers. They are slaves when they should have been kings. They've got the devil sitting on their head when the devil should be under their feet. Because the devil has blinded them to their rights in the gospel. Blinded them to what Jesus Christ did for them on the cross. He's very clever. He doesn't come with horns and hooves and a forked tail. We'd recognize him easily. He comes as an angel of light. He doesn't come with some strange religious book. He'll come with the Bible. Do you know how he tempted Jesus? He didn't quote some heathen scriptures. He quoted the Bible. Saying, it is written. If that's how he came to Jesus, that's how he'll come to us. Quoting scripture. But misquoting it in order to lead us astray. So, our only hope to escape deception, to escape discovering at the end of our life that we were thoroughly cheated and deceived, is to humble ourselves and come to the word of God in humility and say, God, the only way I can be protected from deception is if you protect me and give me light on Satan's tactics. If you come to God in humility like that, you won't be deceived. Now, the other thing I want you to notice here is when the devil came to Eve, the very first question he asked her was, has God said, verse 1, that you shall not eat of the tree, any tree from the garden of Eden. Notice where he begins. He begins by questioning the word of God. Is that what God has really said? Do you know the number of believers? I'm not talking about unbelievers. I mean, there I can understand. Believers, who question what's written in this book. Whether it's the word of God. You really mean to say that God says we should do it like this? No. That was a cultural thing in Paul's time. We don't have to do it today. That was the culture. That was the culture of the Corinthians. Oh, I see. Devils deceived them left, right and center. Has God really said? It's the same old tactic. And the millions and millions of Christians who fall for it. Even though that's the very first thing written in scripture that that's how he made Eve fall. He makes people fall today. It's not in big things. Satan didn't tell Eve to go and murder her husband or something like that. That would have been such an obvious sin. And he doesn't tell Christians to go and murder somebody or do some terrible sin. It's usually a very small thing. A very small thing. Why don't you disobey God here? God hasn't really said it. Think about it. Has God really said like that? No. And once he gets Eve into a discussion. You see the devil's aim was to get Eve into a discussion about what God had said. And once the devil has got you into a discussion. Let's just discuss this particular passage of scripture. I mean, do we really have to obey this in the 20th century? Yeah, some of those things are outdated. Paul didn't realize in the first century how things would be in the 20th century. So we can't really. We don't have to take it. That was Paul's opinion. It wasn't God's word. And so you have so many different groups of Christians following so many different things. They say, and I'm talking about Protestants. You see, I think the Roman Catholics are at least more honest. Because they say, we don't believe the Bible is the only authority. We believe the Bible and the traditions of the Church. What the Pope says. Both together constitute the authority. They have at least got some grounds for doing what they do. Because they don't accept the word of God alone. I think they are more, they've got more integrity than a lot of Protestants who say, God's word is the Bible alone. But they don't follow it. They follow some tradition of their own. Be honest then. And say, it's not God's word alone. It's God's word plus my tradition of my Church. Which does not follow this particular thing which is written in Scripture. Okay. I have a great respect for people who got integrity. I have no respect for people who lack integrity. Who are not honest. Who pretend that they are following Scripture when they are not following Scripture. Be honest and say, I don't follow Scripture. And I'd say if you, the other thing I would say to people who pick and choose various things in the New Testament as to whether they can follow this or not follow this. I'd say, be honest. If you can take away something from Scripture in the New Testament and say, well that's not necessary for today. Please give the freedom to the other man. Also to take out something else from the New Testament and say, that is not for today. Sure. The other man can say, well don't commit adultery. Hey. That's for the first century, man. Don't bring all those laws into the 21st century. Those who ignore anything in the New Testament must give freedom to that man to commit adultery also. Because if you can modify Scripture, why can't he? Who said you are the only one who can say that was for the first century. He can also say that was also for the first century. So that's the first question with which the devil came to Eve. And if you want to be wise, I would encourage you not to get into a discussion with Satan or any of his agents about the Word of God. I don't. For me, the final authority is, like it was for Jesus, it is written. See the difference between Eve and Jesus. When the devil came to Jesus, he said it is written. That was the end of the matter. No discussion. And then, when the devil knew that Jesus would only quote Scripture, you know what he did? He tried to quote Scripture. He said, okay. Let's go on Scripture. It is written. He will give his angels charge over you. And Jesus said, no, it is also written. He balanced out one Scripture with the other. But for Jesus, Scripture was the final authority. There was no discussion on it. But for Eve, it was not. We live in a day when I find there are very, very few believers who have such a respect for Scripture that they will follow it literally, exactly as it is written. Their understanding of Scripture is tremendously influenced by what do other people around me think about it. And I say, I couldn't care less what other people around me think about it. For more than 43 years nearly now, since I was born again, I've never bothered what other people think about it or not. I say, if it's written, that's enough for me. I may be peculiar. I may be alone in my conviction. That's fine. It doesn't bother me. And I'll tell you, I've never regretted taking that position. It's made me a very happy man. It's made my life very blessed in more ways that I couldn't tell you this evening. Because I've decided that God's Word is the final authority for every single thing in my life, in my family life, how I should relate to my wife, how I should bring up my children, and in relation to my local church. Everything. If it's not in the Word, I'm not interested. And if it is in the Word, it's important. Even if it's a small commandment. You know that God tests us not in the big commandments, but in the small ones. That's where our obedience is tested. It was a very small commandment God gave Adam. There are thousands of trees there, Adam. I'm only asking you not to eat from one tree. Was that difficult? If it had been the other way around, and God had told Adam there are thousands of trees and you should not eat any of them, you must eat only from one. That would have been difficult. But it wasn't like that. God said there are thousands of trees. And there's only one tree I'm asking you not to eat from. In fact, there's a much lovelier tree down the other side in the middle of the garden called the Tree of Life. That's really what you should go for. It was very easy. Have you noticed this verse? In Matthew's Gospel chapter 5. You know I was telling you that God tests us not in the big commandments, but in the small ones. And that's what Jesus taught in Matthew 5 and verse 19. In Matthew 5, 19 Jesus speaks about our attitude, the attitude of the believer to the small commandments of God's word. Not the big ones. Notice what it says here. Whoever then cancels one of the smallest of these commandments. What's he talking about now? He's not talking about the big ones like don't commit murder and don't commit adultery which we all keep. He's talking about those who ignore or despise or annul or cancel the least. The least means God's commandments that are great ones and least ones. This verse itself teaches that. Not all commandments are equally important. So here's a list of the commandments and Jesus makes a list of the greatest down to the least. And he goes to the bottom of the list and says okay, this is the least important of God's commandments. And he says if you disobey that one and you teach other people well that's not so important brother. That's one of the lesser commandments. He doesn't say you'll go to hell. No. I think if you disobey some of the greater commandments you will go to hell. Sure. He says later on how you can go to hell if you lose your temper at your brother. Verse 22. Or you lust after a woman. He says in verse 29 you can go to hell. He's not talking about those things. He's talking about the least commandments which don't send you to hell but if you do that and you teach other people well that's not important. That was way back in the first century and things like that. Then you will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. So you do get to the kingdom of heaven but in God's eyes you'll be way down in the least because your attitude to the least of the commandments was one of despising or not caring. But if there is somebody who keeps all the commandments right down to the last one and the least one also and teaches other people don't neglect the least commandments keep the least commandments in God's word also such a man will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. How many of you want to be great in God's kingdom? I want to be. Isn't this a very simple way of being great in God's kingdom? Test your attitude to the least of the commandments. Isn't that how we test the obedience of our children? How do you test the obedience of your children? When I send my children off to school little children to school in the morning what do I tell them? Now make sure you don't murder anybody today. Make sure you don't commit adultery. Make sure you don't rob a bank on the way to school or on your way back. Are these the commandments I give him by which I test his obedience? He comes back and says Dad, I kept all the commandments. I didn't kill anybody. I didn't commit adultery. I didn't rob any bank. What a wonderful boy he is. That's not where his obedience is tested. His obedience is tested when he is playing cricket with his friends in the evening outside the house and daddy or mommy says Time to come in and do your homework now. And he says just wait. I've got... We've got to finish these innings. That's where his obedience is tested. In the little things. And that's where your obedience and my obedience is tested by God also. It's not in the big commandments. It's in the small things that we discover whether our children are obedient or not. Not in the big things. And it's in the small things that God finds out whether you're an obedient child of His or a disobedient child. Not in the big things. We all keep the big things. So remember this. This is how the devil came. Very cleverly. Very subtly. Questioning God's word. It's exactly the same way he comes today. And he told her You know it's not really serious if you disobey God's word because he said the devil said No, sorry. Eve said God has told us that you shall not eat from this lest you die. And here Listen carefully. Here is the first sin that is mentioned in the Bible. I think a lot of Christians don't know what is the first sin mentioned in the Bible. If you ask the average Christian What's the first sin mentioned in the Bible? They'll say Adam disobeyed. No, that was second. Shall I tell you the first sin in the Bible? Here it is. A lie. When the devil told Eve a lie. That is the first sin mentioned in the Bible. You shall not surely die. Wasn't that a sin? Of course it was a sin. To tell a lie. To contradict God's word. When God says you shall surely die to say you shall not surely die. That's a lie the devil has been telling people throughout the ages. What is that lie? It doesn't matter if you disobey God. It's not serious. Disobedience to God is not so serious. God is a loving compassionate God. He doesn't matter so much to him if you disobey a little. After all, He created you. He loves you. You are eternally secure no matter what you do. The devil has been saying that for hundreds of years. And a lot of people believe it. It doesn't matter if you obey or not. You shall not die. Don't worry, you won't die. You won't go to hell. You are alright. God loves you. It doesn't matter. These little things don't matter. That's exactly what he wants you to believe. Because then you will fall right into his lap one day when you have finished your earthly life. And that's where he wants you. Why doesn't God come and stop us? Come and intervene when the devil comes and tells us that. Why didn't God send an angel right there at that time to tell Eve, don't believe the lie of the devil. There was no need to send an angel. God had already spoken to them and told them. You will surely die. Why do you need an angel to come and repeat it? Do you remember the story you read in Luke chapter 16 about the rich man and Lazarus? By the way, that was not a parable. It was a true story. Proof? In no parable did Jesus use anybody's name. Here he used the name Lazarus. Abraham. That is the proof that this is not a parable. It's a true story of a rich man and Lazarus that lived somewhere around Jesus' time. And Jesus knew what happened to the rich man and what happened to Lazarus. Perhaps it happened before Jesus came to earth. Whatever it be, it's a true story. And when the rich man was in hell, you know what he said? He said, Father Abraham, Luke 16, 27, can you please send Lazarus to my father's house to please warn my five brothers, verse 28, to repent lest they also come here to hell. Do you know what Abraham said? Abraham said, verse 29, they've got the Bible. They don't need an angel. They've already got God's word. Why do they need an angel to go and repeat God's word to them? No, he said, Father Abraham, but if someone goes from heaven back there, they will repent. No, he said. Verse 31, if they don't listen to the Bible, they won't listen even if a man rises from the dead and goes and speaks to them. That's what heaven says. They've got the Bible. Why do they need an angel now to come and repeat to them that if you disobey God, you'll go to hell? They don't need that. It's written in the Bible. They've got a Bible. They can read English. It's in their language. They've got no excuse. That's why God didn't need to send an angel into the garden of Eden to repeat to Eve what He had already told them so clearly. And that's why even when you disobey God and even when you're on your way to hell, God will not send an angel to come and stop you. Why should He send an angel to stop you? You've got a Bible. You've been to enough meetings. You've heard the word of God. And you still decide to go your self-chosen way. God says, go. I won't stop you. But you'll surely die. That won't change. And Adam and Eve died. Spiritually, they died immediately. Their contact with God was broken immediately. They were thrown out of the garden of Eden that very same day. They discovered that whatever the devil may say, God is the person who keeps His word. And one day all humanity will discover at the judgment seat of God that God keeps His word. And that the devil is a liar. And that God is true. That sin is serious. See, that's the lie of the devil. When the devil told Eve, No, no, no, no. God won't let you die. You are eternally secure. Because God is a loving God. Well, those are all the lies of the devil. Eve discovered finally that the devil was a liar. But it was too late to discover it. It doesn't have to be too late for you and me. Because we've been given a warning. Sin is serious. And I'll give you two proofs that sin is serious. One from Genesis chapter 3. That Adam and Eve disobeyed God once. Not twice. Once. In what humanly speaking we could say, Well, after all, it was not such a serious sin. They were attracted. It says here that the woman saw the tree was good for food, delight to the eyes, desirable to make her wise. And she ate. One sin. And Adam, she gave the fruit to Adam. And Adam also ate. One sin was enough for them to be thrown out of God's presence forever. Don't you think sin is serious? How many holes do you need in a vessel for all the water to drain out? 45 or 1? It doesn't matter. Whether it's 1 or 45 or 100, the water all drains out. Sin is like that. For everything that God wants you to have in your heart, for it to drain out from your heart, you don't need to commit a hundred sins. One is enough. Sin is serious. And even as I tell you this, perhaps the devil comes and tells you, No, it's not true. Don't worry. God loves you. One sin. Ah, doesn't matter. One sin. After all, it's only one sin. Most of the other things you're doing, okay. That's exactly what he told Adam and Eve. You're okay. One sin, one bad habit, one thing which is, you know, is against your conscience, one thing that is violating God's laws. After all, it's only one thing. Think of all the other hundreds of areas where you're doing everything okay. One sin is not serious. You won't die. It's a lie of the devil. For 6,000 years, he's been telling man, You will not die. Verse 4. He said, You surely will not die. Don't worry, Eve. I know. You will not die. I wish all of us would listen to that. Listen to God's word, I mean. And take a warning. That is the devil who comes with that statement that you will not die. Sin is serious. The second proof that sin is serious. Number one, I told you from Genesis 3. The second proof that sin is a very serious thing, you find on the cross of Calvary. Now, if there was anyone God loved, it must be his son. More than you and me and everybody else. He loved his son. But when the sin of the world, your sin, my sin, and the sin of the world was upon his own son on Calvary's cross, the father forsook him. Forsook him so badly that he cried out, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? And you can be pretty sure that if sin is on you and me, the father will forsake you and me too. If he forsook his own son, when sin was upon him and not even his own sin, what about you and me? You think he won't forsake us? When our sin is upon him, if it's not removed, sin is very serious. You don't need more proofs than that. You see it in Eden, you see it in Calvary, one message. Sin is very serious. To be forsaken by God is to die spiritually. And that's what Jesus endured. He endured hell on the cross for three hours. He took our punishment there. Sin is serious. And the devil keeps telling us it's not. Don't believe. Well, let's move on in Genesis chapter 3. I just want to show you something here. That temptation came to Eve through something created. Something that God had created. And it says in Genesis 3.6, the woman saw with her eyes that the tree was good for food. There were her natural desires were awakened. That's what temptation does. Awakens our senses. Sin is attractive. It's good for food, delight to the eyes, and something desirable to make one wise. Sin is attractive. Comes through something created. And she decided to eat. Who made that tree so attractive? Can you tell me? Was it God or was it the devil? Who created that tree? Who? God. Who made women so attractive? God or the devil? Who made gold so attractive? God or the devil? Why do I mention these two? Because these two are the means through which so many people have been tempted through the years and have fallen. But you ask yourself, who made them attractive? It's God. Who made this tree attractive? It was God. Why did He make it attractive? That's the question. Why did He make this tree attractive? Why does He make a woman attractive? Why does He make gold attractive? Why does He make something on earth attractive? Because He was testing Eve. And He's testing you and me. What is the test? Very simple. In all temptation, the test is this. God says, Will you be drawn by what I have created? Or will you choose me? The choice is will you choose the creator? Or will you choose what He has created? There are a lot of attractive things young people find in the world today. Drugs. Who created them? You think the devil created those drugs? Alcohol. Sexual temptations. The pursuit of money. You look around at all these attractive things that young people pursue. Music. You know it's God who gave us a sense of music. You know that dogs and cats and all don't have any interest in the type of music human beings have an interest in. Why? I mean, if God had given that sense to a dog, the dog would be rocking and rolling too, just like any other human being. But the dog's not interested. He's not. He's interested in bones and things like that. He's not interested in music. It's God who gave human beings a sense for music. But they abuse it. So God created so many things in the world to test man in a very simple test. Are you going to choose what's created? Or are you going to choose the creator? You're going to choose that attractive, good looking, creative thing, or the creator? That was the test here. This looks so nice. Looks so attractive to her eyes. And I tell you, temptation does look very attractive to your eyes. It's meant to be. Otherwise it wouldn't be a temptation. Imagine if God had made that tree of knowledge of good and evil, smelly and ugly and full of thorns and horrible. Do you think he would have ever gone near that? Never. But then there wouldn't be any test. I mean, what's so great about rejecting an ugly, smelly, thorn-filled tree and saying, God, I choose you. There's nothing great about that, is there? But when if she would reject a very attractive tree, something that makes her mouth water, something that's so attractive and something that can make her wise and she says, no, I still choose God. That would have been wonderful. Imagine if all the women in the world were ugly and horrible looking and haggard and with long faces and you say, I reject them. There's nothing great about that. But when they're attractive and you say, no, I choose my creator, that's really something. There's no virtue in rejecting something which doesn't attract you. There's no temptation there. The very essence of temptation is that it should attract you. You see, it's because that movie is so attractive that you're tempted to see it for so long when you haven't even read the Bible that day. I'm talking about believers. I'm not talking about unbelievers who have no knowledge of God. I'm talking about how Satan leads believers astray and they wonder why they don't become spiritual. How can you be spiritual when every day, morning till night you're choosing the created in preference to the creator. How can such a man be spiritual? He won't be spiritual in a thousand years. He can say, oh, I'm a child of God. I've accepted Jesus. I've said the magic mantra, Lord Jesus come into my heart. I'm okay. I'm better than that other person. But he lives just like that other unbeliever. He lives like that other unbeliever in this sense that he chooses the created instead of the creator just like that unbeliever chooses the created instead of the creator. What's the difference between this man and that man? Only thing this fellow goes to church and that fellow doesn't. I think he's got more integrity. He doesn't even pretend to be a believer. He says, I'm not a believer. I don't believe all this rubbish. I choose the created above the creator. And here's a person who says, oh no, I'm a believer. I'm a child of God. He also chooses the created above the creator. I say, this fellow is dishonest. He lacks integrity. I think he should be honest and say, I'm just like him. I've got a nominal interest in Christ, but I like creative things any day more than the creator. And whenever I get a chance, I choose the created things above the creator. Brother, that's fine, but be honest about it. Don't claim to be a believer and disciple of Jesus Christ and all that rubbish. You're not a disciple of Jesus Christ. You're just a plain old descendant of Adam. And don't fool yourself. The devil's not fooled. Every day you keep choosing created things above God and you say you're better than that unbeliever. You're not. Now don't get angry with me. I'm just trying to help you to be ready for the coming of Christ so that you can be ready to meet him. I'm just trying to help you so that you won't be deceived by the devil and deceived by a whole lot of preachers who told you lies because they wanted your money. Deceived by the devil who says you will not die when he knows very well that you will. Remember this, my dear brothers and sisters. This is the essence of all temptation. Whatever temptation there is in the world, it is this. A choice between that which is created and the creator. When I choose to live for this world, and I choose to live for money, I have chosen what Eve chose and Adam chose. I've not chosen what Jesus chose. When the devil offered him all the glory of the world, he said, no, thank you. I don't want it. And that's the choice that faces you and me. And the devil says, hey, listen. If you choose this, if you choose the creator every time, you won't enjoy life, man. If you want to enjoy life, choose the created things. And the true disciple of Jesus says, rubbish. I can enjoy life when I choose the creator. Because the Bible says in Psalm 16 verse 11, in his presence there is fullness of joy. Do you know where this fullness of... I mean, I know you can get a little bit of joy out of sin. I don't deny that. The Bible talks about the pleasures of sin. But every pleasure of sin is only partial. For a moment you have that sexual pleasure. For a moment you get that kick from taking those drugs. For a moment you get a little bit of pleasure from money and things like that. But fullness of joy, that's only available in the presence of your creator. Everything else will disappoint you, frustrate you, ultimately destroy you. And that's what the devil doesn't tell you. Supposing the devil had told Eve like this. Okay, Eve, let me give you the true picture. If you eat this, you're really going to enjoy yourself for a little while. It's very tasty, very attractive, you'll get the knowledge of good and evil, but now let me tell you the consequences. Your first son will be a murderer. He will kill your second son. Okay? And that's just the beginning. And you're going to live for more than 900 years and you're going to see misery, confusion, sickness, murder, violence, all your children will be evil, they'll fight with one another and then if he had given her a picture of what's going to happen in the coming years with chaos and confusion and war, he said, this is what's going to happen to your children. Wouldn't you like to eat this fruit? You think he said it like that? If he said it like that, he would have rejected it immediately. Do you think when he tempts a man to take alcohol or drugs, he tells him, do you know what this is going to do to you? It's going to give you cirrhosis of the liver and you'll die 30 years before you're supposed to die. And the person who's taking drugs, will he tell him, listen, this is going to blow your brain, you won't be able to live a normal life and you'll ruin yourself, you'll destroy yourself, but you'll get a little enjoyment right now. You think he tells him all that? The devil gives them the short-sighted view. I'll tell you what you're going to enjoy for the next 5 minutes or the next 1 hour. Oh boy! You're really going to be in heaven for 1 hour if you take this. That's what he says. He doesn't tell you what's going to happen tomorrow when the hangover comes or next week or next year, the consequences of all this. No. He didn't tell Adam and Eve and he won't tell you and me. But God's word has told us what a man sows he'll reap. You can't escape it. So, we can learn Satan's tactics here. I just want to say one thing and that is, God loved this man and woman even though they had disobeyed. And he loves you even though you've disobeyed. Even though you may have done so many things wrong believer or unbeliever in your past life. You should be the one seeking after God. Adam and Eve should have been the ones when they sinned, running, looking for God. God, where are you? We've failed you. But it says here that God came looking for them. And his words were Where are you? Verse 9. Adam, where are you? And I believe that's what God's saying to perhaps somebody here tonight. Where are you? Where are you today? Where are you? Where do you stand spiritually today? Do you claim to be a believer? And have you chosen to live in your own self-appointed way? Choosing every day that which is created above the creator. Choosing to please yourself, walk your own self-chosen way far away from God today. Even though you go to church regularly, even though you say your prayers, no living contact with God. You read the Bible and it's a boring book. God doesn't speak to you. That's right. It doesn't mean God doesn't speak. But dead men can't hear what God speaks. If there's a dead man lying here, no matter how loud I shout, he doesn't hear. The problem is not with me, it's with him. And some people don't hear God speak, because they're spiritually dead. All those who are living in this room hear what I say. And those who are spiritually alive can hear what God says. And the Lord says to you, where are you? He's the one who comes seeking. And when he came, he came with a message of redemption. He told Adam and Eve, okay, you've made a mess of your life, but don't worry. I've got a solution for it. He came with a solution for that problem which Adam and Eve had created for themselves. That's a wonderful thing we read in Genesis chapter 3. He came and told Adam and Eve, don't worry. The seed of the woman, verse 15, will crush the head of the devil. He promised that 4,000 years later, Jesus would come and defeat Satan and provide a solution for the mess that Adam and Eve had created. Isn't that wonderful? I praise God. That's how God is. He's a good God. The devil's a bad devil, but God is a good God. And if you can believe that and submit to the Lord and his commandments, knowing that every commandment of his is for your good. In his presence alone, his fullness of joy, you'll never find it anywhere else. In choosing the creator, you'll always get the best. In rejecting what he has created and choosing him, he's testing you, that's all. You'll always get the best. He comes to you also and says, I've got a solution for your problem. Even if you've made a mess of your life, don't worry. I've got a solution. I want to say to you, I believe God has a solution for every single problem that any human being has ever had in all these years, even today. There is no problem too big for God. There's no problem that he doesn't have a solution for. No problem that he can't handle. And to me, that's the message I get in Jesus. When he was on earth, people came to him with their problems. What do you read in the four Gospels? Do you ever find somebody coming to Jesus and Jesus scratching his head and say, Boy, that's a tough one. I don't know how to handle that one. Not even once. There was never a man or a woman who came to Jesus with a problem that Jesus had to scratch his head wondering how to solve that one. Everything was solved like that. And the message from that to me is he's the same yesterday, today, and forever. I can come to him. The only reason why sometimes he couldn't help people was they wouldn't believe in him. Then, of course, he can't help people even today. If you don't believe that Jesus can solve your problem, I'm sorry to disappoint you, my brother and sister, but Jesus will not solve your problem. Not because he can't, but because you won't believe. There's a sad verse written in Matthew 13, the last verse, which says he could not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. But if you can trust him, there's nothing he will not do. He's come to solve our problems. So we should not be ignorant of Satan's tactics. We'll think more about them tomorrow evening. Let's pray. While our heads are bowed in prayer, I want to invite you to respond to the word of God that you have heard. You can make a decision before the Lord right where you are seated, in your chair. A simple decision that from today onwards you're going to choose the creator above everything created whenever you are tested or tempted in the coming days. You're always going to put God above his creation. Make that decision. Respond to the Lord today and say, Lord, before I leave this hall, I want to make that decision. Jesus Christ is going to be first in my life from today. That sin which the devil has fooled me with, deceived me with for so long, I'm going to forsake. That sinful habit which Satan has fooled me with for so long, I'm going to forsake. I'm sorry, Lord, that I haven't taken sin seriously. I'm sorry, Lord, that I have not taken obedience to the little commandments in God's words seriously. I don't care what other people around me think or say. I'm going to be obedient from today. Take it seriously. It will lead you into the presence of God. If you'd like any spiritual help, as you leave the hall, there's a little room. As you go out on your right, let's open a door. You can go in there. There'll be someone there to come and pray with you or help you if you need help. If you'd like to record your decision or give us your name and address, there are cards on the book table at the back. Please fill in your name and address so that someone can remember you in prayer. Take that decision now, wherever you're seated. Say, Lord Jesus, I want to turn around. I'm sick and tired of my defeated life. I want you to come into my life, Lord Jesus. Be my Lord. Help me to be a disciple. Not just a believer, but a disciple. I trust you. You can solve the problems in my life. You can deliver me from the mess I've made in my life. You can bring me to the place of fullness of joy. Heavenly Father, I believe you can do more than we can ask or think, and I pray for those who are calling upon you right now. Those who are longing for you, for a touch from you, I pray in Jesus' name that you'll meet with them tonight. Lead them into the liberty of the children of God. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.