Where are you? - Genesis 3:9-10

Where are you? – Preaching

Preaching Outline on Genesis 3:9-10 – “…9 – And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? Where are you?” and he said: I heard your voice sounding in the garden, and I was afraid, for I was naked, and I hid myself…”.

Introduction to Genesis 3:9-10

When man hears God’s voice, something happens inside him, in his soul. He feels exposed, naked before the Creator, because he recognizes that there is no hiding his mistakes, his faults, his sins. When Adam heard God’s voice, he felt fear and shame. He tried to hide, but soon realized that there is nowhere to run from the Lord’s presence.

Development

The Word of God in Revelation 1:14 tells us: “…And his head and his hair were white as snow, and his eyes were like a flame of fire…”. These eyes that shine like a flame of fire see everything. They penetrate our soul, discern our innermost thoughts and evaluate our most secret actions. There is no hiding anything from Him. The psalmist David, in Psalms 139, expresses this truth in a touching way: “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Where shall I flee from your face? If I ascend to heaven, there you are; if I make my bed in the deepest pit, there you are…”. God knows where we sit and where we rise.

Before a word comes out of our mouth, he already knows it.

It’s like Nathanael, who was amazed when Jesus said, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no guile” (John 1:47). Nathanael was amazed because he realized that Jesus knew him deeply, even though he had never seen him before. In the same way, the Lord knows us intimately. He knows our struggles, our downfalls, our attempts to justify ourselves.

Adam and Eve, after sinning, tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves. How many times have we also tried to hide behind our own “leaves”? We do good deeds, charities, fulfill religious rites, but deep down we know that these are just “garments of leaves” – fragile and insufficient to cover our spiritual nakedness. They are things of man, human attempts to justify ourselves before a holy God.

But the Lord, in his infinite mercy, did not leave us in this condition. He himself provided a covering for Adam and Eve, dressing them in animal skins. This act was a foretaste of what was to come: the sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Today, we no longer need to hide behind leaves or our own righteousness. There is one way, one way only, for our sins to be forgiven and for us to come closer to God: to accept Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross of Calvary.

It was there that Jesus paid the price for our sins. It was there that he gave us a new garment, not made by human hands, but by his grace. Now we can stand before God, not in our nakedness, but clothed in Christ’s righteousness. We can say, with humility and gratitude: “Lord, I am nothing before you, but your Son paid the price in my place. I surrender to you, I recognize my need for you, and I accept your forgiveness and grace.

Conclusion of Genesis 3:9-10

Today, may we put aside our “garments of leaves” and put on the righteousness that comes from Christ alone. He calls us, just as he called Adam in the garden: “Where are you?”. There is no longer any need for fear, shame or running away. He has already provided everything. All we have to do is come to him with an open and sincere heart and receive his forgiveness and love.

May we, like Nathanael, marvel at the fact that Jesus knows us deeply and still loves us. And may we, like Adam and Eve, experience the grace of being covered not by our own works, but by the perfect work of Christ.

May this truth transform our lives today and forever. Amen.