Where Are You?

And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? (Genesis 3:9)

TEXT: “Where art thou?” Shakespeare said it like this, “Wherefore art thou?” Today we say, “Where are you?” This is a question we can ask both saved and lost. It is a question that reveals some things to us about God.
1. God’s love for mankind.
2. God’s concern for our well being.
3. God’s willingness to do something about our condition.
4. God’s desire to help.

WHERE ARE YOU?

I. ADAM HID.

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.(Genesis 3:10)

1. How often this is true of us.
2. Instead of coming face to face with God, we try to hide.
3. But that’s the worst thing we can do.
   

   He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)

   Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. (Matthew 10:26)

4. To obtain the desired results we must bring our sin into the open between us and God in repentance.
   

   In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:1-2)

5. As sinners we try to cover our sins by our own efforts, but when we turn to God He washes them away.
   

   Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, (Revelation 1:5b)

   God covers our sin by blotting it out, but there are consequences to unconfessed sin, for God chastens his children. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. (Psalm 32:1-5)

6. Our efforts to cover our sin is insufficient, for it is like sweeping the dirt under the carpet, it is still there, God’s cleansing is all sufficient, for it removes it.
7. Adam tried to cover himself with leaves, God covered him with skins, typifying the shedding of blood to cleanse us from sin.

WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU TRYING TO HIDE? IT CAN’T BE DONE.

II. ELIJAH RAN.

And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? (I Kings 19:1-9)

1. When Israel needed him most, he ran; the prophets of Baal were dead, they needed someone to lead them back to God.
2. He ran to the mount of God and God asked him, “What are you doing here?”
3. Many times people run, trying to get away, they even run to church.
4. Some are trying to get away from someone or from something and some are even trying to get away from God.
5. Running is not the answer, it just creates more problems. (Wherever you go, you are there. We take our problems with us and usually we are our own worst enemy. Have you ever seen a person who keeps getting divorced and remarried and cannot figure out why. The person causing the problem is looking at them when they look in the mirror.
6. Elijah felt so sorry for himself. (Why me?)

WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU RUNNING? YOU CAN’T GET AWAY.

III. ISAIAH SAID, “HERE AM I.”

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
(Isaiah 6:8)

1. He could not say this until he had been prepared.
   1. He first had to see God in all His righteousness.
      

      In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
      (Isaiah 6:1-4)

   2. He then saw himself. Isa. 6:5 (There is a song that says, “If I could see me through the eyes of God.”)
   3. Then God prepared him for the work.
      

      Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. (Isaiah 6:6-7)

2. This is what is needed in our lives.
3. We must see the absolute holiness of God before we can see our utter sinfulness.
4. Only then can we cry out for God’s mercy and be made acceptable to Him.
   

   For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)

5. Once God has saved us, we are ready for service. (Preacher, preacher’s wife, missionary, missionary’s wife, song leader, singer, Sunday School teacher or just living for God every day.)
   

   For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

   I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 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. (Romans 12:1-2)

WHERE ARE YOU? HAVE YOU SURRENDERED? THEN DON’T LOOK BACK.