OH BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?

Gen 3:8-13
8 And they heard the voice 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 amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee
that thou shouldest not eat?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The
serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

That is the question to be asked of everyone today, obedient or disobedient: Where art thou?

I. ARE YOU IN THE WORLD?

A. Without Christ, having no hope, and without God.
1. Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,
and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

B. Trapped in corruption and lust.

1. 2 Peter 1:4b … the corruption that is in the world through lust.

2. 1 John 2:15-16 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the
world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

C. Amid the spirit of antichrist.

1. 1 John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:
and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is
it in the world.
As you can tell, the world is not a good place to be.
II. WHERE DO YOU NEED TO BE TO FIND THE WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE YOU NEED?
Job 28:12 But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?

A. Only with God can you find the wisdom and knowledge to defeat the world.
1. Job 38:1-4
1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.
4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

2. James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and
upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
 B. God the Son desires to give us all wisdom and the truth.
1. 1 Tim 2:1-4 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of
thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

2. Col 1:7-11
7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might
be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in
the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with
joyfulness;

C. God the Father and God the Son hold for us all wisdom and knowledge.
1. Col 2:1-3 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea,
and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; That their hearts might be comforted, being knit
together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of
the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge .

D. You can be moved out of the world through knowledge of Christ.

1. Col 3:8-11 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy
communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with
his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that
created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian,
Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

2. Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

3. 2 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of
Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and
godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given
unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Wherefore I will not be negligent to
put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the
present truth.

III. DID YOU MOVE OUT OF THE WORLD AND THEN FELL BACK IN?
A. That is especially not a good place to be. [This is a truly tragic situation.]
1. 2 Peter 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of
the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is
worse with them than the beginning.

2. 2 Peter 3:17-18 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also,
being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in
the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
IV. ARE YOU AT THE POINT WHERE YOU WILL HEED THE WORD OF GOD?
A. All the counsel of God?
1. Acts 20:26-27 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

B. Ready to respect the word of God?

1. Isa 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and those things have been, saith the LORD:
but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

2. Mal 1:6-8 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine
honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise
my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar;
and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible. And
if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it
now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.

C. Ready to move your treasure?

1. Luke 12:33-34 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a
treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

D. Ready to listen to the wisdom of God, not the wisdom of the world.
1. 1 Cor 1:20-21 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath
not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by
wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

V. ARE YOU IN CHRIST?

A. That is where you will find redemption, remission of sins.
1. Rom 3:24-25 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for
the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

2. Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

B. That is where you find victory over the world and the totality of the love of God.
1. Rom 8:37-39 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2. 2 Cor 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh
manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

C. That is where you obtain salvation.

1. 2 Tim 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the
salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Matt 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
OH BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?