How Do I Manage My Problems?

Introduction

Good morning. Too well, open in your Bibles with me to Genesis chapter 3. Genesis chapter 3. As you’re turning there, consider the story of a comedian who said, the only people who believe that children are innocent are people without children. He said, I was watching my kids because that’s where I get my comedy specials from. He said, I watched my two-year-old go into the kitchen and see a thing of Oreo cookies on the kitchen table. He said, I watched my two-year-old climb up onto a chair, reach over, and be about to take a bite of the Oreo cookie. And I walked in, I said, What are you doing? And my innocent child looked at me and said, Daddy, I was getting a cookie for you. See, when we’re caught, we have all kinds of answers for why.

In fact, it’s kind of interesting about people, especially grown-up people. We love to say that we’re at fault. We know Romans 3 23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And we have to know as children of God, it is not okay to live a life of sin. But when we’re caught, when we’re guilty, when somebody says, You have done wrong, you have done me wrong, what is our response? Well, we are people. We make excuses. We get angry, and maybe even in those moments we deny what is so obviously a wrongdoing on our part. I wonder this morning what we can learn from the Old Testament in three different stories, starting in the garden in Genesis chapter 3. How do I handle my problems?

1. Adam and Eve: Making Excuses and Blaming Others

How do I handle my weaknesses? Because I gotta tell you, I am an expert at looking at other people’s problems. Anyone else like that here this morning? It’s pretty easy, as Jesus says, to see the speck in somebody else’s eye and to ignore the log sticking out of my own. But how do I deal with my problems? And not only how do I deal with them, but how in the future, as a child of God, should I handle my problems? Read with me in Genesis chapter 3, beginning in verse 1. We see now the serpent was far more crafty than any of the beasts of the field that the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Did God actually say, You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?

And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden. But God said, Note this in verse three, you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. The serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. And she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

And the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sowed fig leaves together and made themselves loin cloths. Now, of course, it’s very interesting if you notice Eve’s response. We know the devil is lying. He is manipulating her. We know that the serpent who is cunning, who is crafty, and by the way, finds Eve right next to the one tree that she knew not to eat anything out of, that she knew she knew it was wrong. She as a person knows that eating of this tree is not what God wants. In fact, if you look in Genesis chapter 2 and verse 16, the Lord God had made it clear, commanding the man, saying, You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.

For in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die. I find that very interesting because God makes this rule of this one tree you cannot eat. But notice what Eve says to the serpent. He says, Has God actually said you will die? Has God said you cannot eat of that tree? In verse 3, she says, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it. So either God expanded upon the rule in a way that we don’t have the inspired text of in chapter 2, or Eve was extra cautious with God’s law. Either way, she knew where God stood on the issue, did she not? She knew the law, she restated the law, and I would argue she made it a little bit more stringent than perhaps God had, although we don’t know that for sure.

And yet what happens? That the devil says, Will you surely die? God will not kill you. She eats. She gave to her husband, and he ate. In verse 8, 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. But the Lord called to the man and said to him, Where are you? And he said, I heard the sound of you in the garden. I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself. He said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? Now note the man’s response in verse 12 and the woman’s response in verse 13.

In verse 12, the man says, The woman whom you gave me. She gave me the fruit of the tree, and I ate. God says, Adam, do you not know the rule? Did you eat of the tree I told you not to? He says, Whoa, whoa, whoa, that’s Eve’s fault. That’s my wife’s fault. And by the way, he actually makes it worse. He says, The woman whom you gave to be with me. God, this is really your fault if we’re being honest about it. You gave me Eve. Eve gave me the fruit. This is not my fault. In fact, I’m protected by two layers of security. So in verse 13, then the Lord God said to the woman, What is this that you have done? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate.

This was Flip Wilson’s comedy before Flip Wilson was there. The devil made me do it. She says, Look, God, it was the serpent’s fault. First of all, we know that it’s ridiculous that they could hide from God. We know that it’s absurd that they could break God’s law, be in his presence, and then deny him or hide it in some way. But I think if we’re honest, we do the same thing over and again. When we’re confronted with wrong, when I am told to deal with my struggles to confront them, whether when I read the Bible on my own and in my own study, I see how I’m falling short of the glory of God. Or if somebody comes to me and says, Why are you doing this?

Why have you acted thusly? I think I’m kind of like Adam and Eve. And how would you characterize that? Making excuses and blaming others. You see that their response immediately in verse 12, Adam says, Look, God, you gave me the woman, she made me eat. Eve says, the devil made me do it. Have you ever been in a circumstance like that? You’ve talked to somebody about their wrong, and you say, Hey, I’m not, you know, casting blame, maybe it’s an innocent work problem, and you say, Well, hey, what’s going on with this? How did this happen? They say, Oh, if you just understood who I was working with, or you don’t know what they did. Or you know the reason we’re behind schedule is because somebody else gave it to me behind schedule.

We like to point blame to others. Now, the important part of that, though, is what does God say? He knows who’s guilty. He knows who’s righteous. God cares about those who are faithful to him. We may be able to fool somebody, but we will never fool God. In fact, if you note verses 14 through the end of the chapter, is God fooled by this? Does he say, you know what, Adam, that’s a good point. I did give you Eve. Eve did get deceived by the serpent. She made you eat. You’re good. No, Adam was going to work in toil the rest of his life. Was Eve okay by saying, Look, the serpent, he deceived me? No. No, we see the pain in childbirth, among other ideas that God would drop at the end of chapter 3 for us, including a prophecy of Jesus to remedy sin.

2. Like Asa: I Get Angry and Lash Out

If I’m being honest this morning, I have to admit that a lot of times, if I’m confronted with wrong, whether by somebody else or in the book by myself, studying the word of God, I like to make excuses. I like to give a reason that I’m not doing what I should or doing what I shouldn’t. Is that anybody else here this morning? Maybe I’m like Asa. If you’ll turn with me throughout the midst of your Old Testament in 2 Chronicles 16. 2 Chronicles chapter 16, this is an interesting story because if you just read the king’s account of Asa, he is described as having a heart that was like David’s. That he was wholly devoted to the Lord his God all his days. That’s pretty interesting description of somebody who’s not going to handle his own struggles well.

If you know in 2 Chronicles 16, at the beginning of the chapter in verse 1, here we are in the divided kingdom. You have Asa over Judah, and Israel is a separate kingdom. And you note who’s king and what’s going on in verse 1. In the 36th year of the reign of Asa, Baasha, king of Israel, went up against Judah and built Rama that he might permit no one to go out or to come into Asa, king of Judah. There is a dilemma. There is a problem, there is a war threat of Judah and Israel, all of whom should have been God’s people, but who were divided, and they were going to fight. Now, of course, as a child of God, what is the right thing to do?

Trust in God. Pray to God. Do what God has said. Let’s see what Asa does in verse 2. So Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the Lord in the king’s house and sent them to Ben Hadad, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, There is a covenant between me and you as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go break your covenant with Baasha, king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me. Who did Asa rely on in his time of trouble and distress? Not the Lord, but the king of Syria. In fact, the king of Syria accepts this treaty, accepts this relationship, and he goes and he turns on Bayasha and he defends Asa, and you think, wow, there’s a victory, there’s a good story.

But no, that’s not how God saw it. Notice in verse 7 at that time Hananiah the seer came to Asa, king of Judah and said to him, Because you relied on the king of Syria and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, he gave them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless towards him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars. Verse 10 this man who was wholly devoted to the Lord is God, who had a heart like David, who is describing X as being a man after God’s own heart.

Notice what he does, this good hearted man, this man devoted to the Lord, verse 10. Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time. I point out the story for two reasons. One, because it’s another response to struggles. When I’m confronted with wrongdoing, one of the natural responses is anger, frustration. You don’t know what I’ve been through. This isn’t right, this isn’t fair. I did the best I could. This isn’t right. But also consider that Asa, as described in the book of Kings, is a good man. He’s considered one of the few good kings that Judah had.

And he struggled with being presented with his wrongdoing. If you notice Hananiah the seer in verse 7 who comes, he has a very bold message. He concludes by saying, You have done foolishly in this. What was the transgression? You relied on the king of Syria and not on the Lord your God. The God who has already proven to you in military victory that he would be there for you. Who has proven that you should cast your cares and your burdens on the Lord? And so I wonder if I’m not only examining myself for the question, who do I rely on, whom do I trust on? But when I’m presented with my struggles and faults, do I get angry? And do I lash out and seemingly blame the other?

Because if you notice in verse 10, do you see the blame again? Asa was angry with who? The seer. What part did Hananiah have in all of this? He was just carrying God’s message to the king, who was a good hearted man who was devoted to the Lord and said, You’ve done wrong. And Asa was angry with him. You know the expression, don’t shoot the messenger. Asa didn’t shoot him, but in verse 10, he put him in stocks in prison because he was in a rage with him because of this, this message. What do you think Hananiah was trying to do? Come and just make Asa mad? He’s a messenger from God. He’s telling them, You have acted foolishly. Return to God. Recognize your wrongdoing. There is a place for you still in God’s kingdom.

3. Respond to My Struggles Like David

Too often I respond like Adam and Eve. I shift the blame, I make excuses, or maybe, and perhaps more destructively, I’m like Asa. I get angry and I lash out. We have to know that’s wrong. We have to see that that’s not how God’s people act. In fact, we’ll see how a real child of God acts. Do I respond to my struggles like David did? If you look in 2 Samuel chapter 12, in 2 Samuel chapter 12, this is the response to sin, not to sin and that it’s okay, but to recognize how bad it is and how to recover. If we’re honest and we admit that we are we are people who struggle with sin, that we will have shortcomings, we will face struggles and difficulty.

Let’s be like David. Let’s be like David when Nathan has the boldness to come to him, just like Hananiah did with Asa. In 2 Samuel 12 and verse 1, the Lord sent Nathan to David. This is after the sin of Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. He came to him and said to him, There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ew lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up and grew it up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him.

Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him. Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man and said to Nathan, As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold because he did this thing. And because he had no pity. David’s very upset at this hypothetical situation of a rich man who took the one prized possession of a poor man. Now note back in verse 1, Nathan was sent here by the Lord. This is not a fun mission.

This is not a fun journey. And can we be honest about when we act about how are we going to deal with my struggles that sometimes we have to be Nathan and Hanani? And that means just like Hanani faced, that might mean facing anger. And boy, can you imagine coming before David and telling him, you are guilty of adultery and murder. And God knows. He tells the story, David is mad. David’s upset. He says, This man committed a travesty. This is an outrage. It is an injustice. And Nathan says in verse 7, what? You are the man. Can you imagine? Can you imagine before David’s throne? Coming to him. The king, the one who got away with it, the one who was in control of everything, the one who had the power to set up Uriah to be murdered on the battlefield and to tell him you have sinned, you are guilty before God.

Realize David could have easily taken care of this. In fact, it’s in David’s recent history. What did he do when he was worried his sin would be found out with Bathsheba? That’s the whole reason he had Uriah killed. Note how David responds, though. This grand moment when Nathan says, You are the man. God has told you I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. If this were too little, I would add to you much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord to do what is evil in his sight? Verse 9. You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Verse 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the Son. David, you tried to hide your sin. I need you to know the weight of your sin. How unjust, unrighteous, and sinful this was. I’m going to expose you. You are guilty. And in verse 13, note David’s reply. I have sinned against the Lord. David could have made excuses. He could have cast blame like Adam and Eve. He certainly could have got angry. In fact, he was angry at the hypothetical that Nathan was proposing as if it was a true story.

He was upset. His blood was boiling, but what did David do when confronted with wrong, when he could have silenced Nathan, called him a liar, cast him out, put him to death, could have done anything that Asa did, or anything even more. David said, I have sinned against the Lord. Nathan says to David, The Lord also has put away your sin. You shall not die. Can we see why it’s so important to respond to struggles right from this story? It’s not just that Nathan had the courage sent by God to tell David he sinned. And it’s not even just that David was a good person and said, I have sinned. Look at the last part of that verse again. What did Nathan get to tell David?

4. Do I Respond by Making Excuses?

You have been forgiven. Our forgiveness hinges upon our response to my own struggles and weakness. We cannot hide from God. If we make excuses, we look like Adam and Eve, weak, lying fools. If we respond and get angry like Asa, we look as guilty as we are. We look as ridiculous and unjust as Asa was. The only way to have forgiveness from God is to confess it and change. It’s a blessing from God that we even have that opportunity. It’s amazing that we have a chance to respond to our struggles, but it leaves me with some questions about myself. Do I respond by making excuses? Jesus gives us this exact illustration. Look in Matthew 25. In Matthew chapter 25, in verse 41. Matthew 25 and verse 41.

As you see and think about David being approached by Nathan saying, You are the man, David could have made excuses, but he didn’t. In verse 41, this group did. As Jesus has separated the ones on the right from the left, they were those who did the work of Jesus and those who did not. In verse 41, then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me. Naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. Note verse 44.

Then they will also answer, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry? When did we see you thirsty? When did we see you a stranger? When did we see you naked? When did we see you sick or in prison and did not minister to you? Lord, I know we’re guilty. I know we didn’t help you, but I didn’t know. Can you really blame me for that which I didn’t see? And Jesus says in verse 45, then he will answer them saying, Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. Verse 46, the stakes are high. These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. We have to see how we respond to wrong.

When we’re confronted in our marriages, in our families, in the workplace, and in our relationships with brothers and sisters at church, that being right and wrong is of no importance, but pleasing God is of every importance. Mistakes of this are eternal punishment, verse 46. Or eternal life. In verse 44, when this group was told, You have failed me, you didn’t take advantage of your opportunities. They said, When did we see you? Well, Jesus’ answer, good point. I’m glad you brought that up. In verse 45, he will answer them, truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. Our eyes have to be up and searching for opportunities to serve, not down and looking at the ground, looking for excuses to cover our wrongdoing.

5. Do You Have a Nathan?

God demands confession and repentance. That’s a changed life. Excuses are not pleasing to him, and so they cannot be acceptable to us either. Let me ask a second question this morning. If I have a problem reacting to sin, or even if I don’t, can I ask you first? Do you have a Nathan? Do you have a Han and I? Who is the person who will confront you? Who will tell you if the stakes are so high, if eternal punishment and eternal life are on the line, who is going to take care of you? Who is going to watch out for you? The elders of a local congregation can do but so much. Who in your life is going to be someone that you are accountable to?

Who is going to be someone that can tell you, Greg, you’ve messed up? Greg, do you need to change? You need to be better. And you can be angry at me, you can make excuses, but I know and you know that God is not fooled, God is not mocked. He expects your life. He expects a better sacrifice. He expects more than what you’re giving. And I think if we’re honest, that’s where our rub is with Matthew 25 and with this whole idea. It may not be always someone telling us when we’re wrong and showing us book, chapter, and verse. Although we may get angry, we may make excuses about that. I think it’s that voice inside our head that reads the scriptures and knows that being a Christian isn’t about Sunday morning or Wednesday night or even helping someone here and there.

Christianity is a life devoted to God. And so that voice in our head says, you could be doing more. You need to be doing more. Do we silence it? Do we look to that voice and we say, Yeah, but look at what I’ve done and look at what other people are doing. I do so much more. Do we get kind of mad and say, well, that’s not fair. Somebody says I could do more. Well, they don’t know what’s on my plate. They don’t understand my life right now. God does. God understands. Whatever our answer is to sin, if it’s good enough to be answered before God, then save it for him and present it at judgment. But recognize the stakes are high. When we think about this, I have to wonder if I don’t have a Nathan, am I going to risk another day passing without one?

It’s kind of interesting to imagine what David’s life would have been like without Nathan. And we know from 2 Samuel 12 and verse 1, from the very onset, who sent Nathan? The Lord did. We have to be reading the scriptures because we are responsible for our own souls, but don’t leave the building this morning. There are Christians in innumerable count right now. On your pew. You probably don’t even know if you look straight to your left or to your right, how many people are on the bench with you. Are you going to ask anyone to care for your soul? Or are we going to be too embarrassed to admit wrong? To look weak. To be told rightfully as Asa was, that from time to time I will do foolishly.

If we acknowledge that sin is an ever present threat and that confession and repentance is critical to a Christian life, if I don’t have somebody who’s trying to help me, can I really say I’m taking it that seriously? We have to find a brother. We have to find a sister. We have to work together. James 5, 16 and 17 makes it clear that we are to confess our sins to one another. And 1 John 1, verses 8, 9, and 10 tell us that our God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we first what? If we confess our sins. Are you willing to look vulnerable? It’s not even about looks. Are you willing to be exposed?

Conclusion

The truth of the matter is whether we are like Adam and Eve, and it’s the day of judgment when there is God exactly before us. We are in the presence of the Lord, and he says, What have you done? Or whether it’s more like Asa or David, and we’re living a life and we’re trying to get away with what we’ve done. Maybe we think we’re making a good decision. Maybe it looks like we’re making a good decision. But the Lord’s will and the Lord’s people know what the right response is. Who are we like? Are you willing to stand up and to confess your sins? The assembly this morning is packed with visitors and members alike. There’s no reason, not a one, that one soul in here should leave without being a hundred percent sure of where you’re going.

Because God has done the hard part. Jesus has done the impossible and he only asked us to do the possible. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. And he came back from the dead so that we could be forgiven of our sins. And in baptism, we could be raised, forgiven, and walk in newness of life. Consider this morning, will I make excuses? Do I have my Nathan? Will I take this moment now or ten minutes after the service ends, whenever it may be, to confess my sins, to look at my God who has promised that he is faithful and just to forgive me if I will willingly just confess that I have done wrong. Don’t leave this morning with doubt. Jesus erased all doubt. If you’re doubting, say a prayer.

If you’re struggling, find a brother. If you need to be forgiven this morning, come to God. If we can help you in any way, please don’t leave in doubt. Recognize if you’re not a Christian, you can be forgiven, have your sins washed away in baptism, believing in Jesus, confessing that He is Lord and the Master in your life, and that if you repent of your wrongdoing and turn your life over to Him through baptism, your sins will be forever forgotten. Or that if you’re a Christian, if you’ll confess, if you’ll be open, brothers and sisters here, we’ll pray with you and pray for you. Don’t have doubt. Come now as we stand and sing the invitation song.