Well, this morning, let us return to Genesis chapter 3. Some time ago, we began a study on the first 11 chapters of Genesis, and we've reached Genesis chapter 3. We've had a number of sermons on this chapter and last Lord's Day. We looked at verse 15, and the title of the sermon there was The New Birth, and we acknowledge that in this text here, the gospel has been proclaimed. And we give thanks that the fullness of the gospel has come forth to us in New Testament times. And we would encourage that our first parents, immediately after the fall, receive this encouragement that they might Look to what the Lord, their God, would yet do for them to transform their lives and to bring to naught what Satan had sought to do. Well, this morning we want to finish our study in Genesis chapter 3, and we principally want to look at verses 16 to the end. And the title I'd like to give to the meditation this morning is The Aftermath. The Aftermath. We are inclined to believe that by this time, Adam and Eve were regenerated. What had happened, of course, is they had sinned, and that sin was clearly revealed when they ate the forbidden fruit. But we are inclined to believe that they sinned in heart before they actually ate the forbidden fruit. The act simply revealed the fact that they were fallen. When they listened to the evil one, they were then fallen, and the act simply revealed what was obvious. But God in his mercy, although he had said that they shall die when they ate the forbidden fruit, and they did die, they died spiritually, but we are inclined to believe that they knew the blessedness of the new birth by this time. especially after what was said to the devil, our text last Lord's Day. This is what he said to the devil, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. In other words, someone was going to come forward and deal with the devil ultimately. And therefore, when our first parents heard these things, they may well have thought to themselves, that's it. Nothing's going to happen to us. That's maybe what they thought, because they may well be delighted with what God had said to the evil one, that there was a curse upon him, and that this one would come in the fullness of time who would ultimately bruise thy head. That is, to provide him with a fatal blow. And maybe, therefore, they were somewhat relaxed and somewhat thinking, well, that's it. It's all over. The devil's been dealt with. He's the ultimate problem, and therefore, there is nothing really going to happen to us. Well, that's not the case, as we find, because the remaining verses in this chapter, God is speaking now to our first parents. What is it teaching us? Well, surely it is teaching us, above all things, that there are consequences that will follow when we fall into sin. As we have said, we are inclined to believe that these persons, Adam and Eve at this time, knew the new birth. But there were consequences to be followed because of their rebellion, because of their sin. And this would put a lie, therefore, to when we hear of gospel preaching that tells people to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you come and believe and have him as your Lord and Savior, that everything will be fine. There will be no problems whatsoever. Well, we are very happy and delighted to be able to tell people, no matter what your sins are, no matter your past life, that you are indeed to come to the Savior and receive forgiveness of sins. there may well be consequences that will follow because of your sinful behavior in the past. The Lord Jesus Christ does not promise that everything will be rosy. Yes, you'll have a right relationship with God. Yes, your sins will be forgiven. But nevertheless, the sins that you have committed in the past, there may well be consequences. Now this applies obviously to the believer as well. We know there are notable examples in the Bible. For instance, we have David, a man after God's own heart, committed adultery, and then to cover it up, committed murder. He was forgiven. He was reconciled. He was restored. Psalm 51 is the fruit of that restoration. And indeed, his experience has comforted countless thousands of Christians who have fallen. But nevertheless, God told him that he was going to visit him for his sins. The sword would not leave his family. Terrible things would happen in his family because of what he had done. Yes, his sins were forgiven, but there were consequences. And when we proclaim the gospel, friends, we don't say that everything will be rosy. Your past life may well catch up with you. And therefore, it is incumbent upon us that we realize these things, and particularly for those who are Christians, that if we sin, yes, we can go and we can seek God, His face, His blessing, but there may well be consequences that will follow. This is what happened here. They may well have thought that, well, the devil's been punished, that's it. There's nothing in it for us. That was not the case. Well, where are we then? Well, we find out a number of things that happened to them. And what we are to realize, friends, that the punishment that fell upon them did not fall upon them alone, but on all humanity." This is what our catechism would teach us. Two questions there, question 18 and question 19, wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate wherein to man fell? The answer given, the sinfulness of that estate wherein to man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam's first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin, together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it. What is that catechism teaching us? It is teaching us that when Adam rebelled, we rebelled. The guilt of his sin was imputed to us. That's why we have original sin. That's why we are conceived in sin. And as we come out of the womb, that sinful nature will reveal itself. It cannot be hidden. It will reveal itself in selfish behavior, in words that are not appropriate, and in our thought life, and in actions. It will reveal itself. It's not that we become sinners. We are sinners, and it's all because, ultimately, we are connected with Adam. And the next question goes on and describes our present condition and plight. What is the misery of that estate whereunto man fell? They answer, all mankind by their fall, lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever. What a transformation. Paradise, everything laid on for our first parents, yet they rebelled. And this is the outcome. They lost communion with God. It had to be restored with a new birth. They lost communion with God. They're under His wrath and curse. And if there is anyone you don't want to be under their wrath and curse, it is God himself. and so made liable to all the miseries in this life. This is what we're going to find out here. Adam and Eve were now under all the miseries of this life. And ultimately, to death itself, they would die. As he says at the end of verse 19, and unto dust thou shalt return. and to the pains of hell forever." What a pitiful situation has been painted for us. That's our state by nature. It's not some illusion. This is where we stand by nature. All of these things are our portion, and we know it. We live through it, even today. Maybe there are some here who are not believers. That is your position. You don't have communion with God. You're under his wrath and curse. Oh, but you don't feel it. No, because you're dead. That's why you're dead spiritually. And we must take the words of God and we must believe them. And so made liable to all the miseries in his life, to death itself and to the pains of hell forever. Well then, let us look at the consequences or the aftermath of what happened when they fell into sin. And we have three things that we wish to highlight. We have, first of all, the woman's punishment. The woman's punishment. Euphemistically, we call this today women's problems. What do we find here? In verse 16, for instance, unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children. I don't think I need to highlight or elaborate what's spoken here. Basically, what are we told? All the trouble that women experience regarding their reproductive system, conception, pregnancy, and birth pangs, they can all be traced to the fall. It would seem, friends, that this was not to be the way it normally should be. I will greatly multiply thy sorrow. It does seem there might have been some sorrow in this, but he will greatly multiply thy sorrow. And of course, the ladies will know much more about this than we do. They know it firsthand. They have it in their own experience. it will be difficult. And friends, when we come across this, we go back and we realize this is why this has happened. It's because of the fall. It's part of the aftermath. It's part of the consequences of mankind's rebellion and mankind's sin. We have something of this in the New Testament. We know about that lady that's recorded for us in the Synoptic Gospels. She had an issue of blood, and she went to the Lord Jesus Christ. The issue of blood is what's referred to here. She had women's problems. And she went to the Lord Jesus Christ, and she said to herself, if I but touch his garment, I shall be healed. She had faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And she thought she could do it, and no one would see her. And in actual fact, she did do it, and no one did see her. But Jesus knew that someone had touched him by faith. And this woman had to own up. But she was healed. transformed, changed because of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, that's just one of the consequences of mankind's sin, or Eve's sin in particular. But he goes on, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. What's been spoken about here is, well, this is reminding Eve that she usurped her position. Originally, she was to be a helpmate for Adam, and she was to be under his lordship. Now it's difficult for us to speak about these things without seeming to be somewhat exaggerated. The relationship between Adam and Eve before the fall was a loving relationship. Adam loved Eve. Adam was delighted with Eve. Yet he had lordship over her, but he didn't lord over her. He didn't in any sense abuse her. He didn't in any sense take her to be a slave or anything like that. It was a loving relationship where Adam recognized that this was God's provision for him to help him, to be a helpmeet, to help him in all that he was getting involved in. And Eve recognized her position too, until the change, when she stepped out and she stepped above Adam and began to sort of dominate as it were. Well, Part of the fall is that that desire shall continue. It shall continue, but he shall rule over thee. And this is what we find on many occasions today. In fact, today, is it not true to say that we have many men who want to be women? and many women who want to be men. There's a reversal. That's what sin does. It causes confusion. That's all part of the curse. That's all part of the aftermath. That's all part of women's problems. Now, as I said, it's maybe quite difficult to express these things without sounding like a male chauvinist pig, but that's not the way it should come across. The woman is to realize that she is to be submissive to her husband. And of course, the husband is to love his wife. And indeed, in the gospel, when men and women are converted, when husbands and wives are converted, it is somewhat possible for us to get back to that ideal, where indeed the husband does love his wife, and where the wife is submissive. And all it's done in mutual submission, one to another, as we have said on other occasions. But this is part of the curse. Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. But what about the man, secondly? What's man's punishment? Well, we find this in verses 17 to 19. And to Adam he said, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, he should not have hearkened to Eve's voice. When Eve spoke to him about this, he should have dismissed it. He should not have listened to her. That was his fault. Of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it. What did he do? He put the voice of his wife ahead of God's commandment. A very, very serious matter. Something that will bring about error and confusion whenever it happens. He listened to his wife. Men, you are to listen to God. God has spoken. God has given this to mankind. This is God's Word, and anyone that will tell us that we should not follow the Word of God, we are to dismiss it, regardless of where that Word comes from. If it comes from our children, or if it comes from our wives, We are to dismiss it. Men are to be men, and they are to listen to the Word of God that He has revealed to us in His Word. It goes on. Thorns, verse 18, for instance, thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. What happened here? Well, the ground would be cursed. We are of the opinion that when God spoke to the serpent. In verse 14, for instance, when he says, thou art cursed above all cattle, we're inclined to believe that there the relationship between Adam and the animal kingdom was changed. And now we are told here that the very ground has been affected by Adam's sin. And it tells us, friends, whether we like it or not, that man's behavior has affected the environment. Oh, don't worry, your minister is not becoming an environmentalist. But there is some truth in what they say. Because this world that we live in has changed as a result of mankind's behavior. And it has changed because God has changed it. And this is what we find here. We know in the Garden of Eden, there was no thorns or thistles. And Adam had very little to do but simply to look after it. As things would grow, he would have to prune them and that type of thing. But it was not hard labor in any sense. But now the ground was going to be cursed. Now every time he would go out, he would see a thorn or thistle. What would happen? It would remind him about his terrible behavior that brought about this cursed earth. And every day he went about his work. His work would now be hard work. It would be labor. Before it was a delight. Before it was pleasure. But now it was going to be hard work. Cursed is the ground for thy sake. And sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. In other words, living, making a living, earning a living, would now be hard work for Adam and for all his posterity. And anyone who knows what it is to work, whether it be mental work or whether it be physical work, you know it's hard work. It's not easy. And when people engage in work, what happens? They get tired. They get weary. Why? Because of the curse, because of our first parent's sins. That's why. You see, Adam was not formed for idleness, but for activity. Even in the Garden of Eden, as we noticed some time ago, he was to be industrious. He was to do some work, but it would be pleasant activity. But now, now his work, when he would be banished from the Garden of Eden, it would be hard work. it would be difficult. He would sweat. He would tire. He would long for the end of the day when he might retire to his bed for some rest and for some sleep, because everything had changed, and he was going to know it. It was going to be his experience all the days of his life, and nothing was going to change this. And you may well ask us, why? Why did God do this? Well, surely first of all it was to humble him. As he would go out and work about his fields, as he would see the thorns and the thistles grow up, and all the other problems that were associated with the curse, it would humble him, it would make him think, oh, what it was like to be in the garden of Eden, what it was like to be in paradise. Now, where am I now? Look at it, look at this work, look at the toil. Oh, how foolish I was to commit that sin and listen to my wife. and disobey the voice of God. And surely, friends, it was to cause him to repent. It was to cause him to see the error of his ways. and surely it was to warn him further not to fall into sin. If this is what sin has brought to me, oh, how I should avoid sin and how now I will listen to the word of God. Well, friends, what's true for Adam is true for all. As we go out and as we labor, Whether it be hard physical labor, or whether it be clerical, mental labor, it's all labor, it's to humble us. When the minister comes and tries to study the Word of God, and he might find difficulty in it, in trying to get the meaning, it's hard work. Why? Because sin has affected our minds and our understanding. And when the person, the laborer, goes out to work in the field or in the factory or in the road or whatever, he tires. He's weak. Why? Because of sin. That's why. And it's to lead us to repentance, that we might turn to the Lord our God, that we might call upon him And it's also to remind us, Christians, friends, let us run from sin. Let us have nothing to do with it. Let us not dally with it, tamper with it. Let us not see how far we can go before we actually fall into sin. But in the first motions of sin, let us run from it. Let us resist temptation. This is what's required of us. And this is the punishment that fell upon Adam because he disobeyed the Word of God. Oh, the terrible consequences of sin. Sin is not a light matter. It may well be a light matter to the world, and it may well be a light matter to some sections of the Christian church, but it is not a light matter to the Lord our God. We can see it here. The whole earth has been cursed. That's why we have bad weather. That's why we have hurricanes and tsunamis and floods and famines and all of these things. They were not part of the original creation. They have come in because of mankind's sin. But friends, we realize that God has done something. He has done something. Oh, mankind has done something, and we're all suffering because of it today. But God, in his wonderful grace and mercy, has done something about it. He has fulfilled that promise that he gave in verse 15. The Lord Jesus Christ has come, and he has come to destroy the works of the devil, and he's doing that today. And that's why we have a wonderful hope before us, a wonderful, secure, divine hope through the Lord Jesus Christ, because one day, He shall make all things new. There shall be a new heaven and a new earth. Is that not glorious then? Is that not wonderful? Is that not enough to cause us to run to Christ and to flee sin? Well, lastly, we've looked at the punishment that befell the woman and the punishment that befell man. And friends, we want to notice the last few verses. What do we want to notice there? We want to notice God's grace. God's grace. Verse 21, for instance, and to Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God made coats of skin and clothed them. They had tried this themselves, fig leaves, but God did something. God must have killed some animals, the first physical death. God did it and took their skins in order that he might clothe our first parents. There God was telling them that in order to be reconciled to him, it would take death, it would take blood, And the first sacrifice of these animals was pointing us forward to that ultimate sacrifice of his only begotten son, who voluntarily gave himself up on Calvary's tree. There we have a preview of it, and indeed the whole of the Old Testament, especially when the Old Testament ceremonial law was instituted, and when sacrifices were instituted, they were all pointing forward to that day when the Lamb of God would be sacrificed. None of these sacrifices could take away sin, impossible. But that once for all sacrifice of himself did, and that's the one we put our faith and hope and trust upon. Well, we see the grace of God there, but friends, secondly and finally, we also see the grace of God in something else that he did. Behold, verse 22, the man has become, as one of us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat and live forever, he was banished from the garden of Eden, from paradise. Why was God gracious there? Well, God was gracious there because the tree of life was there. And had our parents partaken of that tree of life in the condition that they were, what would happen? They would live forever in an ever-declining situation. That would be their position. They would live forever. It would be a living death. And therefore God banished them. We all see people getting old. In fact, we've never seen anyone getting young. We're all getting old. And we know That old age brings its own difficulties and problems and none of us can escape that. And we respect the elderly in our midst, because in some sense, we're all elderly, and by the grace of God, we'll all become more and more elderly. But imagine if you were to live forever, and as you were living, you were getting more and more decrepit as you went on. Well, that is what was before them there if they partook of the tree of life. God wasn't going to have that. Why? Because he has something better. He has that great and glorious day when the Christian who shall die and his body shall return to the dust But he will know that day of the resurrection when his body shall be perfect, it shall be glorified, it shall be like the body of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Glorious, a spiritual body. And therefore, even here, when God is announcing the punishment that was going to befall our first parents, We see the grace of God. We see this, this indication of the sacrifice that was required. And that sacrifice has been offered up. Do we know anything therefore of the Saviour? Have we come to Him? Have we put our faith and hope upon Him? Do we recognize our sin? Do we recognize that he is the only one that can forgive our sins? Friends, today is the day that we're to come to him, that we're to receive him as he is freely offered to us in the gospel. The aftermath, may God be pleased to bless his word to us.