In his sermon, Mike Davenport explores the narrative of Adam in Genesis 3, focusing on fear and its impact on Adam's relationship with God. Initially, Adam possesses a 'filial fear,' a respectful reverence for God, but after disobeying God's command not to eat from the tree of knowledge, this fear morphs into a 'servile fear,' a terrifying dread of divine judgment. The sermon emphasizes the role of grace in transforming fear, citing that God's grace teaches fear of Him and relieves it through reconciliation via Jesus Christ. Davenport highlights the contrast between healthy reverence and the tormenting fear that results from sin, urging listeners to embrace Christ to be saved from eternal fear. He warns about the consequences of ignoring wisdom's call to repentance and underscores the promise of a Messiah as a beacon of hope, showcasing God's love that casts out fear.

If you would, take your Bibles and turn with me to Genesis chapter 3. Genesis chapter 3. A very familiar text to all of us. But let's not let the familiarity rob us of what it has to say to us. If you could please stand with me as I read the text, Genesis 3, 1 through 11.

Now 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? And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit of the tree, trees of the garden. But 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. Then the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die, For 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.

So 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. Then 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. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, Where are you? So he said, I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. And he said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat? You may be seated.

We have here in the text before us, the very first man created as a prototype of a reverent fear of God, but also of a terrifying fear of God. Adam was created with a healthy reverent fear of God, his maker. As Scott opened up his message a few minutes ago, he talked about the two types of fear. Filial fear, which is a fear that a son would have for his father, and a servile fear, one who serves only this master. And there is no relationship, there is no joy, and there is no fellowship.

What the scriptures reveal to us that Jehovah had given Adam a specific task to do. And we find Adam completing that task to the glory of God. We also read of one specific command that was issued to Adam by God, not to eat of the tree or the fruit from that tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And Adam took that command very seriously. How do we know that he took it seriously?

Well here in chapter 3, Eve is able to speak of this command to the serpent. Eve was not there when the command was given. God had spoken to the man before he created Eve. And so Adam took this command seriously and out of fear of God had taught his wife. But chapter two, or chapter three of Genesis, goes on to record a world-changing string of decisions.

After Eve fell prey to deception of the devil, she gave of the fruit to her husband and he did eat when Adam was handed that forbidden fruit he was faced with the choice to make to continue to love God supremely or to love Himself supremely by choosing that which God had given Him, the gift of God over the Creator Himself. And we know what choice that Adam made. So sin entered the world when Adam chose to disobey the command of God. And with that sin came a change in Adam's relationship with God. And with that change in relationship came a change in how Adam viewed God, his Maker.

Adam now had a different operating fear in his heart. Having sinned, he was aware of his nakedness and shame before his holy God. And the reverent fear that he once knew, it was replaced now by a terrifying fear of God, something that he had known nothing about up until this point. As 1 John 4, 18 reminds us, there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

From the very first moments of Adam's existence, his experience of the love of God and his own love for God had given no reason or cause for any type of fear whatsoever. But now having sinned against the command of God, love has grown cold and fear now begins to grip the heart of Adam. And when Christ arrives in the garden, Adam does not come out to meet him. When Christ calls out to Adam, the man responds in the following way, I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid. Since Adam's sin that day, the natural disposition of all born into this world is a disposition of fear.

It is a tormenting fear. It is a fear that drives you from the presence of God, a fear that seeks to drown out all serious contemplation of the state of our soul and where we are headed for all eternity. It's the fear that will cause you to hide your sins. Well, there is good news. Because God does not leave Adam in this state of fear.

God greets fearful Adam with a covenant of promise, a covenant of love, a promise of a messiah who would crush the head of Satan and redeem fallen man. God comes with a perfect love that would cast out Adam's fear and restore him to a right relationship with God again. So what does this mean for you? What does this mean for you, especially you young men? Do you know this fear, this fear that Adam knew?

A terrifying fear of God that causes you to draw back rather than to draw near. Well note in the passage here that it's actually the voice of God that arouses this fear in Adam's heart. A terrifying fear of God is not always found in the heart of a man or a boy. If you are an unbeliever here tonight, you may not be experiencing such fear, even though you should. But the voice of God is enough to arouse such a fear.

And that voice of God coming to you through the preaching of the Word tonight and tomorrow would be a welcomed grace. You see, John Newton wrote of such dealings of God in his hymn, Amazing Grace. Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed. You see, it is grace that teaches our hearts to fear God because of the sin that separates.

And it is grace that relieves the heart of all those fears by whispering the message of reconciliation through the blood of Jesus Christ. This operating grace will always be at work wherever true belief occurs. Let me repeat that again. This operating grace of bringing this type of fear will always be at work in this way when true belief occurs. Paul tells us of this in Romans 8.15, that the Christian's first experience is a fear that is awakening in his heart and gives him a sense of bondage.

But the work of grace, the work of the Spirit, doesn't stop there. The work of the Spirit is to replace that fear of bondage with a different type of fear, a filial fear. He removes that servile fear and brings a peace and a confidence in the adopting work of Jesus Christ. It says there that you did not receive the Spirit again to bondage, But the Spirit now comes and speaks to us so that we are able to cry out Abba, Father. For those who know nothing of this grace or have all of their life refused the free offer of this grace, there is coming a day when a fear will grip you so much, a fear that you've never known.

And it will not be a fear that will be taught by grace. A fear that would be relieved by that very same grace. It will be a fear that human experience knows nothing of this side of eternity. Today while it is still called today, wisdom continues to cry out to you young men like in Proverbs 1, turn at my rebuke. Surely I will pour out my spirit on you.

I will make my words known to you." Because wisdom goes on to describe a tomorrow. At some point the day of salvation passes and this same voice of wisdom that now cries out and says turn, turn, That same voice will cry out. But this is what will be heard. Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded because you disdained all my counsel and would have none of my rebuke. I also will laugh at your calamity.

I will mock when your terror comes when your terror comes like a storm and your destruction comes like a whirlwind When distress and anguish come upon you, then they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way and be filled to the full with their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them and the complacency of fools will destroy them.

But whoever listens to me will dwell safely and will be secure without fear of evil." You see, wisdom says you would not choose the fear of the Lord. And therefore what shall come upon you? A fear that will grip your hearts, a fear that will not let go, that will drag you down into the very mouth of hell. And wisdom, who is crying out tonight, turn at my rebuke. Turn and fear the Lord your God.

That same voice will laugh and mock at the terror, the fear that comes upon you. If those words will not strike fear in your heart, Then hear the words of John given to us in Revelation chapter 6, 12 through 17. I looked when he opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became like blood and the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up. And every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand? Who is able to stand? Who? None of the great kings, none of the great men, none of the rich, None of the commanders, not slave, not free.

They all run to the caves and they ask the mountains, would it be better for you to fall on us and crush us? To hide us from Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. Oh my dear young friend, Do not let that day come and find you without Christ. Flee to Him today. May a measure of that fear, of that final day drive you to Jesus today, tonight.

He has said that anyone who comes to Him will not be turned away, will not be refused. My prayer is that all of you will be able to join with John Newton in proclaiming God's amazing grace. Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and that same grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed. So young men, do you know this fear of God?

Do you know it? If you say, yes, I have come to Jesus Christ, I am a Christian, If so, then you came because this fear gripped your heart. So have you known it ever? Do not think that you know Jesus Christ, that this fear of Him in judgment has never gripped you. But I ask you young men who do not know Jesus Christ, are you gripped by this fear now?

It is a healthy fear, Because the day is coming when such a fear will grip you, may God spare you from that fear on that day. May you have confidence in Jesus Christ because you are trusting in Him. Let's look to Him in prayer. Oh, gracious God, we thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ. Oh, Father, we thank you for this man, Adam.

Oh, Father, we thank you that though his sin took away that relationship with you, that reverent fear that he had in walking holy before you and was replaced by a tormenting fear that caused him to run and to hide himself. Lord, we thank you that you came with the perfect love that cast out that fear and that you covered his sins in a sacrifice involving blood that pointed to Jesus Christ. And you gave him a promise that that one would come that would crush the head of the serpent, Satan, and would deliver all of your people. Oh Father, I pray for each young man tonight and each father as well. Oh Father, that We will all know in our lives this tormenting fear that grace would teach us this fear.

But, oh Father, that grace would relieve this very fear and teach us to hold on to Christ and to hold on to him tightly. In Christ's name we pray, amen.