Genesis 3:1-19 tells the well-known story of Eve (and Adam) disobeying God. Because of this first sin, mankind has been plagued with more sin and it's consequences. One bad decision changed all mankind and the earth.

 What happened when Eve disobeyed.

• She thought God wasn’t right. The fruit did taste good, and they didn’t die — right away.
• They had to be clothed. Animals lost their life so they could be clothed.
• They couldn’t have fellowship with God anymore – one on one.
• Eve and all women have pain in childbirth.
• The ground was cursed. Now, there are weeds and thistles.
• Work won’t have been hard. There would have been no sweat in hard labor.
• Physical death entered our lives.
• Sin entered into mankind

Sin has a terrible price tag. No one gets away from sin's consequences and wages.

What happened when King David sinned.

King David’s bad decision started with his staying home from battle.

• He didn’t obey God by going to battle. He tarried.
• He looked on a bathing woman.
• Took her (adultery).
• David had a child out of wed lock,.
• The King deceived Uriah, his faithful soldier.
• David was involved in Uriah dying.
• David and Bathseheba's baby died.
• His sons later died and were disobedient.

When other great men/women sinned:

• Samson sinned and lost his strength, sight and position in Israel.
• People of Israel sinned, and were attacked by serpents, faced starvation, and were not allowed to see the promised land.
• If Moses had not hit rock two times with his rod, as God commanded him, he would have entered the promised land.
• If Herod had not boasted, he would not have been eaten by worms.
• If Aaron or Miriam had not talked about Moses they won’t have had leprosy.
• If Eli was a better father, his sons won’t have died the way they did.
• If Jonah had obeyed God, he won’t have ended up in the belly of a whale.
• If Haman had not been bitter against Mordecai he may not have died by hanging.
• If Judas had not given place of the devil, he won’t have been used to kill Jesus.
• If the soldiers got saved, they won’t have nailed Jesus to the cross.

No one gets away with sin. There is a price tag. The Bible is a lesson book to this subject.

What would you be if you didn’t make that one mistake!

• Some will have a divorce, because they didn’t wait on God’s choice.
• Some will flunk in school because they won’t learn the right way.
• Some may end up in jail, because they cheated the IRS, stole cars, did drugs, etc.
• Some may hurt someone physically, because they watched the wrong TV shows and got desentized to harming others.
• Someone may be addicted and killed by drugs, because their desensitizing to sin started with a sip of daddy’s beer.
• Some may be killed in a car accident because they disobeyed parents and snuck out at night.
• Some girls may have children out of wedlock be cause they won’t listen to their parents about how, who, or when to date.
• Some may be crippled in a fight because they didn’t listen to parents and stayed away from the wrong kids.
• Some may not graduate high school because they were too lazy to study.
• Some may go to Hell, and burn for ever because they worried about what their friends would think and never got saved!

All sin has consequences —either here or in eternity. Most know this because they have seen what some have reaped. Why do we sometimes think WE can get away with it?

August 7, 1999