746 - The Backside of the Fig Leaf (Aharit)

ugust 24, 2005

Sermon # .

The Backside of the Fig Leaf (Aharit)

Genesis 3:1 - 7 (NKJV) ¹Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” ²And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; ³but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” ⁴Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ⁶So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

Introduction:

Last Sunday Morning I brought a message on law and grace and in it I ministered on the fact that we are not saved by law or religious ritual. I noted that the first religious act in the Bible was that of Adam and Eve when they punched holes in a fig leaf and tied it on themselves, that they were ashamed before God. I also noted that when you are wearing a fig leaf, a whole lot of you is not covered! The part that is not covered is ah-kha-REET, which in the Hebrew is the backside. Aharit means “that which comes after; after effects, final consequences; end”

We are not thinking this morning on final judgment, heaven or hell but the consequences of our actions!

1. Lost inheritance from a single act

A. Esau

Genesis 25:29 - 34 (NKJV) ²⁹Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. ³⁰And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called ^Edom. ³¹But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” ³²And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” ³³Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

• Esau’s Aharit

Hebrews 12:14 - 17 (NKJV) ¹⁴Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: ¹⁵looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; ¹⁶lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. ¹⁷For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

• A root of bitterness can cause a person to lose the birthright of his life!

B. Moses

Numbers 20:1 - 13 (NKJV) ¹Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there. ²Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. ³And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! ⁴Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? ⁵And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” ⁶So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them. ⁷Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁸“Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” ⁹So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him. ¹⁰And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” ¹¹Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. ¹²Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” ¹³This was the water of ^Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was hallowed among them.

• The root of bitterness in Moses, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?”

ILL Moses had spoken to the rock and brought forth water – now he hits it twice!

1 Corinthians 10:1 - 13 (NKJV) ¹Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, ²all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³all ate the same spiritual food, ⁴and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. ⁵But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. ⁶Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. ⁷And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”^{ 8}Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; ⁹nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; ¹⁰nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. ¹¹Now ^all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. ¹²Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. ¹³No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

ILL: Moses went to heaven: Matthew 17:1 - 8 (NKJV) ¹Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; ²and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. ³And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. ⁴Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, ^let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁵While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” ⁶And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. ⁷But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” ⁸When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

But he did not enter into the promise in this life – he did not consider the final consequences of a matter the aharit!

2. Consider the consequences

1. Sex outside of marriage

ILL: Look at the backside of the fig leaf!

Proverbs 5:1 - 14 (NKJV) ¹ My son, pay attention to my wisdom; Lend your ear to my understanding, ² That you may preserve discretion, And your lips may keep knowledge. ³ For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil; ⁴ But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. ⁵ Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of ^hell. ⁶ Lest you ponder her path of life— Her ways are unstable; You do not know them. ⁷ Therefore hear me now, my children, And do not depart from the words of my mouth. ⁸ Remove your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house, ⁹ Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one; ¹⁰ Lest aliens be filled with your wealth, And your labors go to the house of a foreigner; ¹¹ And you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed, ¹² And say: “How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction! ¹³ I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me! ¹⁴ I was on the verge of total ruin, In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

⁴ But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, “in the aharit she is like gall”

ILL: As a pastor I have sat across from bitter, broken men and women who for one sexual encounter sold their marriage, their love, their children and their peace and I never want to forget the anguish in their faces.

ILL: I have been accused of speaking too much on sexual sin but I have had to remove four ministers, who I love, from my ministry because of sexual improprieties. One of the major evangelists in America has recently been removed from one of America’s greatest on going revivals because of sexual immorality.

Proverbs 7:1 - 23 (NKJV) ¹ My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. ² Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye. ³ Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart. ⁴ Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” And call understanding your nearest kin, ⁵ That they may keep you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words. ⁶ For at the window of my house I looked through my lattice, ⁷ And saw among the simple, I perceived among the youths, A young man devoid of understanding, ⁸ Passing along the street near her corner; And he took the path to her house ⁹ In the twilight, in the evening, In the black and dark night. ¹⁰ And there a woman met him, With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart. ¹¹ She was loud and rebellious, Her feet would not stay at home. ¹² At times she was outside, at times in the open square, Lurking at every corner. ¹³ So she caught him and kissed him; With an impudent face she said to him: ¹⁴ “I have peace offerings with me; Today I have paid my vows. ¹⁵ So I came out to meet you, Diligently to seek your face, And I have found you. ¹⁶ I have spread my bed with tapestry, Colored coverings of Egyptian linen. ¹⁷ I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. ¹⁸ Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; Let us delight ourselves with love. ¹⁹ For my husband is not at home; He has gone on a long journey; ²⁰ He has taken a bag of money with him, And will come home on the appointed day.” ²¹ With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, With her flattering lips she seduced him. ²² Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as a fool to the correction of the ^stocks, ²³ Till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, He did not know it would cost his life.

ILL: With tears, he told me that he only cheated on his wife with another man’s wife. Since they were both Christians, he thought it would be all right. But he got AIDS and gave it to his wife and his unborn child – now all three are dead – ”an arrow struck his liver”

B. Drugs and Alcohol

Proverbs 23:29 - 35 (NKJV) ²⁹ Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? ³⁰ Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed wine. ³¹ Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly; ³² At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper. ³³ Your eyes will see strange things, And your heart will utter perverse things. ³⁴ Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: ³⁵ “They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?”

ILL: “But pastor, last week you said that Jesus drank and made wine?” Yes I did. But Solomon is writing about those who “linger after, search for.”

1 Timothy 3:8 - 13 (NKJV) ⁸Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, ⁹holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. ¹⁰But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. ¹¹Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. ¹²Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. ¹³For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

ILL: Much wine is not the same as any wine however, for some one is too much!

A teacher of mine, a professor, got angry with his wife, drove his car to a bar and got a beer – the only one in his life – drove away from the bar and hit a child on a bicycle - then drove away from the accident. He ended loosing his wife, ministry and served prison time! He did not consider the aharit!

C. Rejecting Christ

Hebrews 2:1 - 4 (NKJV) ¹Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. ²For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, ³how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, ⁴God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?

Proverbs 14:11 - 12 (NKJV) ¹¹ The house of the wicked will be overthrown, But the tent of the upright will flourish. ¹² There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Proverbs 24:19 - 20 (NKJV) ¹⁹ Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked; ²⁰ For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.

3. The ah-kha-REET of the Redeemed

1. In the World

Jeremiah 29:11 - 12 (NKJV) ¹¹For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹²Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

3 John 1:2 - 4 (NKJV) ²Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. ³For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. ⁴I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in ^truth.

B. In Heaven

2 Corinthians 3:17 - 18 (NKJV) ¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ¹⁸But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

VI. The difference between legalism and grace

A. Legalism

Romans 14:14 - 18 (NKJV) ¹⁴I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. ¹⁵Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. ¹⁶Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; ¹⁷for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸For he who serves Christ in ^these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

ILL: Legalistic religion is religion without relationship, emphasizing standards more than the Savior.

“Two farmers met and one said to the other, I understand that you have become a Christian. That is right” said the other. “Well, what does that mean asked the first?” Well, said the first, I don’t drink, smoke or run around” with women. Then said the first, “I want you to meet my mule, he is a Christian as well.” “A mule cannot be a Christian,” said his friend. “Of course he is, said the other.” “He doesn’t drink, smoke or run around with women either!”

ILL: NO! We are never redeemed by what we do but by what He has done!

B. Grace

Ephesians 2:8 - 10 (NKJV) ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

C. License?

Romans 6:1 - 19 (KJV) ¹What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? ²God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? ³Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? ⁴Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. ⁵For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: ⁶Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. ⁷For he that is dead is freed from sin. ⁸Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: ⁹Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. ¹⁰For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. ¹¹Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. ¹²Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. ¹³Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. ¹⁴For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. ¹⁵What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. ¹⁶Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? ¹⁷But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. ¹⁸Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. ¹⁹I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

Conclusion:

ILL: The Christian is free not to sin and is free to live a holy life – our life depends upon it!