I Would Have Eaten The Forbidden Fruit

Forbidden Fruit

Last Friday I was talking to a group of young people and we were discussing why bad things happen. I was relating the story of Adam and Eve. God put them in a perfect world and told them the only thing you can’t do is eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree and of course they did. As I was saying this, one of the young women said, “I would have eaten the forbidden fruit.” 

We all laughed, but I replied to her that she was right. We all would have eaten the forbidden fruit – sooner or later, because we all have eaten the forbidden fruit. You see sin today is just like sin in the past. All sin is rebellion against God and we have all rebelled against God. Each and every one of us have rebelled against God. Yes, we have all sinned against God.

What Sin Are You Biting Into?

We’ve all forsaken the Lord at one time or another and we have all bitten into the fruit of sin, whatever our sin of choice might be. Maybe that sin is idolatry or sexual immorality. Your sin of choice tonight might be lusting, coveting, lying, stealing or any multitudes of sins. But the fact is that we have all sinned against our great Creator, just like Adam and Eve. So not only would we all eat the forbidden fruit, we all have eaten the forbidden fruit.

For there is not a just man upon earth, that does good, and sins not (Ecclesiastes 7:20). We have all sinned against God. All of us have fallen short of God’s great majesty and glory. I am no better than you. I’m not looking down on anyone. No, I don’t think I’m better than anybody else. I am a sinner that has been saved by God’s grace and I want you to be saved too. But none of us are just or justified or right with God. Not a single one of us.

Everyone Did and Does What Is Right In Their Own Eyes

In the Old Testament it says of the Israelites: In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25). We don’t have a king, but we do have a president in the USA. But that doesn’t keep people from doing what is right in their own eyes. How many people do you hear running around saying things like “Not my president”?

We have people on the left (and far left) advocating killing babies in the womb and even saying we should allow partial birth abortions. This side also advocates violence to promote their side. Crazies on the far right are bigots and racists. (and yes, some of these people are also violent). There are many people doing what is right in their own eyes. You don’t have to be far left or far right to fit into this category. If you have not repented and surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, then you too are still doing what is right in your own eyes. You are doing what you want to do. You are still eating the forbidden fruit.

All Sin Is An Affront To God

All sin is an affront to our Holy, righteous God. We have all been seduced by the forbidden fruit. None of us are righteous or right with God on our own. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

And there is none that calls upon Your name, that stirs up himself to take hold of You; for You have hid Your face from us, and have consumed us because of our iniquities. But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and we all are the work of Your hand (Isaiah 64:6-8).

Your Very Best and My Very Best

My very best, your very best is as filthy rags to Almighty God. Think about this. Your very best 15 minutes of your life is still as an unclean thing, your very best is like a filthy rag. Yes, your sins have taken you away. Sin separates you from God. If you die in your sins without Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then this separation will last forever. You will suffer God’s righteous wrath over your sins forever and ever, if you die without Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 59:1-20 states: Behold, the Lord’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.

Hands Defiled With Blood

For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perverseness. None calls for justice, nor any pleads for truth; they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.

They hatch adders’ eggs and weave the spider’s web; he that eats of their eggs dies, and that which is crushed breaks out into a viper. Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works; their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.

Feet Run To Evil And They Make Haste To Shed Innocent Blood

Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not, and there is no judgment in their goings; they have made them crooked paths; whosoever goes therein shall not know peace.

Therefore is judgment far from us, neither does justice overtake us; we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes; we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.

We all roar like bears, and mourn sore like doves; we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them: in transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

There Is No Justice

And judgment is turned away backward, and justice stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth fails, and he that departs from evil makes himself a prey. And the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no judgment. And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore his arm brought salvation unto Him, and his righteousness, it sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon His head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; to the islands He will repay recompense. So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. “And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob,” says the Lord.

Do not be deceived: your sin separates you from God. The Lord cannot look on iniquity in His glory. You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity (Habakkuk 1:13). Sin is very serious to God. Yes, sin is very grievous to our Holy, and righteous God.

Sin Brings Wrath and Judgment

Sin brings wrath. Don’t be fooled tonight, sin brings judgment. Don’t continue going through life with God’s anger abiding upon you over your sin. He that believes in the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believes not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). God’s anger rests upon you tonight if you are still living your life for yourself. If you are still the little g god in charge of your life. You are still eating the forbidden fruit.

Oh, don’t continue rebelling against God and rejecting Jesus Christ the Savior. He is the Redeemer. Jesus is the only way of salvation. You see, even though we have all eaten the forbidden fruit, God still demonstrated his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Folks this is what’s so amazing; each and every one of us have eaten the forbidden fruit, thereby separating ourselves from God. Even though we’ve all sinned against God, He still demonstrated His love toward us by sending Jesus to suffer, bleed and die on the cross for guilty sinners like us.

We’ve All Eaten The Forbidden Fruit

We’ve all eaten the forbidden fruit, we’ve all rebelled against God. We’ve all said no to God and yes to our own way. Our rebellion causes death. The soul that sins, it shall die. Our rebellion earns physical death and dying without Jesus leads to the second death which is never ending torment in the lake of fire and brimstone. Even though we deserve this awful punishment for all of our lies, deception, lusting, coveting, idolatry, fornication and all other sins, God made a way for us to be right with Him.

Salvation Is Of The Lord

Salvation is of the Lord and it is through repentance and faith in Jesus. We are to have repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus saves. You can be saved tonight. You don’t have to continue eating the forbidden fruit, storing up more wrath against the day of wrath. Oh, admit that you are a sinner. Recognize and confess that you have eaten the forbidden fruit. Admit that you have rebelled against God, just like Adam and Eve did in the garden of Eden.

Repent and put your trust in Jesus. Believe in the finished work of Jesus on the old rugged cross on your behalf. Oh, truly stand in awe and wonder that Jesus, the sinless Son of God suffered, bled, and died for you. He took your place. Jesus took the punishment that you deserve. Oh, believe that He rose from the grave and sits at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus said that you need to repent and believe the Gospel. Turn from your sins and turn to Jesus. Believe the Good News that Jesus suffered horribly for your sins. Surrender your life fully and completely to Him.

Then confess the Lord Jesus. That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

If You Are Being Convicted Over Your Sins

If tonight you truly recognize your sinfulness and God’s Holiness and you are convicted over your sins, cry out for Jesus to save you. For “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Call upon the precious name of Jesus tonight and be saved. Again, the Bible says, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Be saved tonight. Call upon the name of Jesus. Repent and trust Jesus Christ the Lord.

Then you can be forgiven for eating the forbidden fruit. Your sins will be wiped out. God will no longer hold them against you. Don’t continue being deceived by the devil, devouring the forbidden fruit like there’s no tomorrow. Satan is the great deceiver. He wants nothing more than for you to be separated from the presence of God for all eternity. Don’t continue being deceived. Your sins can be washed as white as snow. You can be forgiven. Your guilty conscience can be cleared. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Repent and put your faith in Jesus. Submit your life to Christ our Lord.

(This message was lifted up in downtown Springfield, Mo on September 8, 2017)