WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.320 Amen. So just to begin thinking about the value of origin stories. Origin stories can be so helpful. 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:19.640 ! They help to make sense of who we are as people, where we've come from, and the shaping influence that that has on us, and why we are here. 00:00:19.640 --> 00:00:32.640 Sometimes we might find that our origin stories allow us to trace a problem back in time to root causes, so that we might find help and a cure. 00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:45.480 We are still considering our origin story as human beings. In Genesis 1 and 2, we've discovered so much of our origins, that we were made by God. 00:00:45.479 --> 00:00:51.599 We've been made in the image of God. We've been made to live in a perfect world that God established. 00:00:51.859 --> 00:00:58.319 We have these rhythms of work and rest. We are made for relationships and community. 00:00:58.780 --> 00:01:03.739 And we are made fundamentally to enjoy God in His very good world. 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:07.199 Everything's been light. 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:21.700 But Genesis 3, and in a sense, like every great story that we encounter in human storytelling, brings us to the point where things fall apart. 00:01:22.340 --> 00:01:25.560 Because we come to the origin of human sin. 00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:34.879 And in these few verses, they provide for us a solid understanding of what is sin. 00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:37.140 Next week, we'll think about the effects of sin. 00:01:37.159 --> 00:01:39.859 And that's part of what we need to discover. 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:49.679 But beyond the confusion that we might have about that word of sin, beyond caricatures that we may have come across in our culture, 00:01:50.359 --> 00:01:53.939 Genesis 3 can help us to understand what is sin. 00:01:55.099 --> 00:01:58.299 And to see where it fits in our origin story. 00:01:58.299 --> 00:02:07.859 And as we explore sin, I think we'll recognize that it helps us to make sense of the world that is around us. 00:02:08.579 --> 00:02:14.419 It was C.S. Lewis who said in his series of essays, A Weight of Glory, he said, 00:02:14.419 --> 00:02:36.799 There is, in the early chapters of Genesis, an explanation for the way the world is. 00:02:36.859 --> 00:02:41.419 For the beauty and the brokenness that we see in our world and in our own hearts. 00:02:41.419 --> 00:02:46.639 But what we're going to see this week as we work through these verses together, 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:50.259 we're going to encounter the snake, the serpent. 00:02:50.479 --> 00:02:54.839 We're going to discover Satan and the real existence of evil. 00:02:55.719 --> 00:03:04.439 We have heard a fateful conversation, including a lie big enough to reinterpret life, 00:03:04.439 --> 00:03:11.139 which draws Adam and Eve's heart away from love and trust of God and His Word. 00:03:11.419 --> 00:03:19.839 And as we trace the origins of human sin, I think we'll see that some of those same doubts, 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:28.239 some of those same denials that we meet in the garden, they still lurk in every human heart. 00:03:28.240 --> 00:03:37.680 But we'll also find hope, as we're led to see in the whole of Scripture, Jesus as the solution to sin. 00:03:38.620 --> 00:03:47.740 But let's get into the origin of sin, and let's begin in verse 1 with the snake, the serpent, the tempter. 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:52.240 Now, the snake was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. 00:03:52.240 --> 00:03:56.480 And so, strikingly, we need to talk about a talking snake. 00:03:57.240 --> 00:04:02.219 And what do we know about this snake that we're presented with in Genesis 3? 00:04:02.300 --> 00:04:07.439 Well, I'm going to fast forward us all the way towards the end of the Bible to Revelation 12, 00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:13.960 where we're told of the great dragon who was hurled down that ancient snake, 00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:20.540 called the devil or Satan, who leads the world astray. 00:04:22.439 --> 00:04:27.259 Put that together with Genesis 3, and we discover that Satan is one who was created, 00:04:27.460 --> 00:04:29.620 and remember, everything that God created was good. 00:04:29.960 --> 00:04:35.860 But at some point, Satan rebelled in heaven. 00:04:36.540 --> 00:04:38.800 Tried to raise a rebellion, but he was cast out. 00:04:38.800 --> 00:04:46.199 Now, it's really interesting, one of the problems with Adam is that he failed to guard and keep God's garden. 00:04:46.980 --> 00:04:51.960 But God guards and keeps his holy place, and so Satan was cast out of heaven. 00:04:52.420 --> 00:04:57.199 And now that Satan has been cast down, he works to lead the world astray. 00:04:58.400 --> 00:05:04.900 And as we read through the Bible, we discover the devil is real, and he has a real hatred of God. 00:05:04.899 --> 00:05:12.979 He was unable to defeat God, and so he turns his hate and his destruction against those made in the image of God. 00:05:13.060 --> 00:05:14.879 That's people like us. 00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:17.779 We see it in the Gospels. 00:05:17.899 --> 00:05:20.339 Why are there so many demons in the Gospels? 00:05:20.419 --> 00:05:22.959 Because here is Jesus, here is God, here is God's King. 00:05:23.339 --> 00:05:28.319 And so there is, again, that rebellion against God and the attempt at destruction. 00:05:29.899 --> 00:05:33.359 We discover some descriptions of Satan in the Bible. 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:37.699 He's described as the adversary of God's people. 00:05:38.020 --> 00:05:40.800 He is described as the deceiver. 00:05:41.379 --> 00:05:44.900 He is described as the father of lies. 00:05:46.280 --> 00:05:54.060 This is his basic, unchanged mode of operating in the world. 00:05:55.740 --> 00:06:00.660 And we may find ourselves thinking, yeah, but it's a talking snake. 00:06:01.080 --> 00:06:02.720 And what are we supposed to do with that? 00:06:02.720 --> 00:06:04.500 And so it's important for us. 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:11.040 So we read Romans 5, and clearly, Paul the Apostle believed that this event was real, 00:06:11.640 --> 00:06:14.020 that the temptation to fall into sin was real. 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:22.060 We go to the story of Jesus, and we discover very real temptations from Satan, a very real tempter. 00:06:22.060 --> 00:06:26.040 And so the Bible says this is real. 00:06:26.839 --> 00:06:30.879 But I think we can go beyond that as we consider the world around us. 00:06:32.720 --> 00:06:36.959 Don't we see something of the shadow of the Adam and Eve story everywhere? 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:38.959 The suspicion? 00:06:38.959 --> 00:06:39.319 The suspicion? 00:06:39.739 --> 00:06:40.959 The selfishness? 00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:43.299 The separation? 00:06:43.739 --> 00:06:44.919 The sorrow? 00:06:45.799 --> 00:06:46.699 The hatred? 00:06:48.259 --> 00:06:55.259 And so as we come to a text like this, we, in a sense, are facing the same test as Adam and Eve in that garden. 00:06:55.259 --> 00:06:56.259 Can I trust? 00:06:56.259 --> 00:06:58.599 Can I trust? 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:03.879 Can you trust today that God is good in the way that he creates? 00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:12.339 Can we trust that the way God made the world is the best possible way that this world could have been made? 00:07:13.699 --> 00:07:21.899 Can I trust that God speaks the truth when he tells us about the existence of evil and a real enemy? 00:07:21.899 --> 00:07:28.099 Because it's so important for us to know our enemy. 00:07:28.159 --> 00:07:33.500 That's true for any sporting clash, any kind of battle, to know who we are up against. 00:07:33.560 --> 00:07:35.359 And it's absolutely true for us spiritually. 00:07:36.060 --> 00:07:39.759 To understand that the devil is real, and he is a real opponent. 00:07:39.919 --> 00:07:40.579 He is powerful. 00:07:40.739 --> 00:07:42.419 He is intent on our destruction. 00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:46.039 And to know that he works by lying to us. 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:50.439 And at the same time, it's so important for us to know the gospel. 00:07:50.439 --> 00:07:52.719 To know the good news. 00:07:53.019 --> 00:08:00.939 Here to know the good news that the Satan, the snake, he is created, and so he is not equal to God. 00:08:02.120 --> 00:08:05.600 Good and evil are not equal and opposite. 00:08:07.339 --> 00:08:15.939 The Satan devil, he has been defeated, and he will be defeated through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, 00:08:15.939 --> 00:08:17.819 and at Jesus' return. 00:08:17.819 --> 00:08:27.300 That there will be a once and for all judgment of Satan and evil, and Jesus will be announced as victorious king. 00:08:27.639 --> 00:08:35.259 And so for us, we need to know the gospel and to trust in Jesus, so that we'd have our sin forgiven and be on the winning side. 00:08:35.259 --> 00:08:45.539 But as we continue in our verses, as Satan comes into the garden, we need to notice how he operates. 00:08:45.639 --> 00:08:51.080 He plants through lies those seeds of doubt in the hearts and minds of Eve and of Adam. 00:08:51.080 --> 00:08:59.540 And the first way he works is to cause, and especially the focus is on Eve, to doubt God's goodness. 00:09:00.560 --> 00:09:06.500 He said to the women, did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden? 00:09:06.620 --> 00:09:08.200 Now, a couple of things to notice. 00:09:08.200 --> 00:09:16.020 In chapter 2, we've been given a way of knowing God, the Lord God. 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:22.180 That's how he's described, the personal covenant-making God, the one who enters into loving relationship. 00:09:22.680 --> 00:09:25.600 But notice the devil speaks about him just as God. 00:09:25.700 --> 00:09:27.140 He wants to create distance. 00:09:27.139 --> 00:09:41.580 That God has been kind and generous, but the devil wants to suggest, by way of emphasis, that God has been harsh, that God has been restrictive. 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:44.939 And so there's a twisting of God's Word. 00:09:44.939 --> 00:09:56.700 Remember, in Genesis 1 and 2, we're told that Adam and Eve, they had this whole garden, this whole world to freely enjoy as God's good gift. 00:09:56.700 --> 00:09:58.020 There was just one tree. 00:09:58.520 --> 00:10:02.300 There was just one tree of no in the whole planet. 00:10:02.940 --> 00:10:09.960 It was an easy way for them to say day by day, I trust my God as I enjoy all of his goodness. 00:10:11.780 --> 00:10:14.660 But that trust becomes the target for temptation. 00:10:17.140 --> 00:10:22.379 As the devil wants to suggest, God is holding back something from you. 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:25.640 God is holding out on you. 00:10:25.639 --> 00:10:27.559 God is holding you down. 00:10:27.699 --> 00:10:31.139 The lie is that God is not to be trusted. 00:10:32.539 --> 00:10:36.379 He is not truly good and loving as a father. 00:10:38.779 --> 00:10:46.080 And we hear in Eve's response that she begins to share that restrictive emphasis, 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:49.340 especially at the end when she adds the prohibition. 00:10:49.340 --> 00:10:54.360 We mustn't eat the fruit and we must not even touch the tree. 00:10:55.560 --> 00:10:58.840 And so the poison is beginning to do its work. 00:10:58.940 --> 00:11:03.680 Now she too is looking at God as being restrictive and limiting. 00:11:04.720 --> 00:11:07.920 And so we are unable to see Satan's tactic. 00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:13.339 He is closing her ears to God's clear word. 00:11:13.899 --> 00:11:20.120 A word that spoke yes to enjoying God's goodness in the garden and just one no. 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:30.279 She's closing her heart to all of God's goodness because Satan is opening her eyes so that all that she can see, 00:11:30.500 --> 00:11:34.580 all that she can focus on is the one thing she's told she cannot have. 00:11:35.320 --> 00:11:37.960 That's filling her gaze and filling her imagination. 00:11:38.460 --> 00:11:41.139 It's becoming to her her precious. 00:11:41.139 --> 00:11:45.899 And she's believing the lie that God is not a good father. 00:11:49.939 --> 00:11:53.000 I wonder if that's something that we sense within our own heart. 00:11:54.539 --> 00:11:59.399 Because the truth is that while Adam and Eve were created with the possibility of not sinning, 00:11:59.899 --> 00:12:06.379 for us our default setting is that we are wired not to trust God. 00:12:07.259 --> 00:12:09.960 And not to see Him as good. 00:12:09.960 --> 00:12:13.620 Our instinct is mistrust of God's goodness. 00:12:14.920 --> 00:12:17.500 And we see that played out when we are tempted. 00:12:17.980 --> 00:12:19.639 When we are tempted to sin. 00:12:19.980 --> 00:12:21.840 And I'm talking about Christians and non-Christians. 00:12:21.940 --> 00:12:23.820 When we're tempted to sin in any way, 00:12:23.920 --> 00:12:27.639 whether we're thinking about anger and sin, anger and gossip perhaps, 00:12:27.740 --> 00:12:30.440 or we're thinking about some form of sexual sin, 00:12:30.560 --> 00:12:34.320 where we're thinking of lying or cheating or selfishness in general. 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:45.580 In that moment, we believe that that thing that I am tempted to do or say is better than what God calls us to in His Word. 00:12:46.340 --> 00:12:50.640 That we want to believe that my way is better than God's. 00:12:51.040 --> 00:12:55.800 This will give me more freedom if I give in to temptation. 00:12:55.799 --> 00:12:58.199 And so we drink down the poison. 00:12:58.399 --> 00:13:05.979 And so often don't we have to live with the bitter after effects of when we give in to sin, 00:13:06.359 --> 00:13:08.000 because we doubt God's goodness. 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:15.379 And so we need to understand that it's the gospel that can set us free from those doubts. 00:13:16.440 --> 00:13:18.480 Now we might ask ourselves the question, 00:13:18.600 --> 00:13:22.460 well why is it that from the beginning God planted that tree in the middle? 00:13:23.139 --> 00:13:26.620 You know, we might ask, why didn't God make us so we wouldn't sin? 00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:29.139 Why did He allow people to fall? 00:13:29.240 --> 00:13:31.379 Why does He allow all the brokenness? 00:13:31.379 --> 00:13:32.379 Why does He allow us to ask us? 00:13:32.379 --> 00:13:34.460 It's good to ask those questions. 00:13:35.100 --> 00:13:38.220 But recognize it can lead us to question, 00:13:39.340 --> 00:13:40.460 is God good? 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:42.840 Is God generous? 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:45.980 Can I really trust Him? 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:51.299 Let me give you a way to approach that question. 00:13:52.399 --> 00:13:53.759 Go to another tree. 00:13:55.139 --> 00:13:58.860 Let me take you to the tree of Calvary, the cross where Jesus died. 00:13:58.860 --> 00:13:59.960 What do we see there? 00:13:59.960 --> 00:14:01.360 That tree. 00:14:02.180 --> 00:14:06.400 We see God the Father sending His own Son to die in the place of sinners. 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:10.940 We see God's commitment to work out His eternal plan, 00:14:11.060 --> 00:14:13.300 to demonstrate His saving love. 00:14:13.780 --> 00:14:18.600 We see God holding nothing back to redeem and reconcile sinners to Himself. 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:20.800 And to look on that tree, 00:14:21.600 --> 00:14:24.200 to look at Jesus hanging there, dying there, 00:14:24.200 --> 00:14:27.400 we can say, even when we have questions, 00:14:27.800 --> 00:14:29.080 God is generous. 00:14:29.960 --> 00:14:31.200 God is good. 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:33.759 God is loving. 00:14:36.920 --> 00:14:39.740 But the seed is planted to doubt God's goodness. 00:14:40.700 --> 00:14:45.860 The second seed that the devil plants is that we would doubt God's truthfulness. 00:14:46.019 --> 00:14:47.740 So back in chapter 2, verse 17, 00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:49.440 very clear command from God, 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:52.500 you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, 00:14:52.500 --> 00:14:54.940 for when you eat from it, you will certainly die. 00:14:54.940 --> 00:14:59.560 And significantly before that, God had been speaking words of blessing, 00:14:59.660 --> 00:15:00.980 be fruitful and multiply. 00:15:01.760 --> 00:15:03.620 He's placed them in a perfect garden. 00:15:03.940 --> 00:15:09.460 And in a sense, there is that greater command to enjoy life with God in the perfect world that He had made. 00:15:09.460 --> 00:15:14.200 And part of that was to say no to what God told them to say no to. 00:15:16.200 --> 00:15:19.120 But the devil takes us back to the question of trust. 00:15:20.060 --> 00:15:22.420 Will Adam and Eve trust God and His Word? 00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:27.280 Will they love and obey simply because God is the Lord 00:15:27.280 --> 00:15:31.740 and because they trust that He is good and has their best interests at heart? 00:15:31.740 --> 00:15:36.159 And this is the point where Satan's full frontal attack kicks in. 00:15:36.659 --> 00:15:39.659 Verse 4, you will not certainly die. 00:15:40.360 --> 00:15:41.060 The snake said to him, 00:15:41.139 --> 00:15:42.320 for God knows that when you eat from it, 00:15:42.379 --> 00:15:43.560 your eyes will be opened to you, 00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:46.299 but like God, knowing good and evil. 00:15:46.440 --> 00:15:48.019 So notice what he's doing there. 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:49.399 God's Word is a lie. 00:15:50.279 --> 00:15:52.379 He says to Eve, and while Adam is listening, 00:15:52.659 --> 00:15:54.799 I am your friend and God is your enemy. 00:15:55.620 --> 00:15:57.259 And he delivers a false promise. 00:15:57.360 --> 00:15:58.240 You'll be like God. 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:02.960 When it says you'll be like God knowing good and evil, 00:16:03.379 --> 00:16:07.680 that means you'll be like God in the sense that you can decide for yourself 00:16:07.680 --> 00:16:09.379 what is good and evil. 00:16:09.500 --> 00:16:10.519 What's the devil saying? 00:16:11.159 --> 00:16:13.139 You need to throw off God's shackles. 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:17.240 Freedom will come when you decide to go your own way 00:16:17.240 --> 00:16:18.620 and don't trust God. 00:16:19.139 --> 00:16:20.980 Trust in yourself. 00:16:22.419 --> 00:16:25.060 That's not a temptation restricted to the garden, is it? 00:16:25.620 --> 00:16:27.419 And so again, here's what Satan is doing. 00:16:27.419 --> 00:16:31.459 He's hiding from view all that God had done for Adam and for Eve. 00:16:31.559 --> 00:16:33.000 All the proofs of his love. 00:16:33.319 --> 00:16:35.039 Satan's pushing them behind his back. 00:16:35.179 --> 00:16:38.159 And he's focusing again Eve's gaze on that one tree 00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:41.959 and these false dreams of what she can have through that tree. 00:16:42.099 --> 00:16:45.899 And all the time making God seem inconsistent and untrustworthy. 00:16:46.360 --> 00:16:48.939 And all the while the seed of doubt is growing. 00:16:51.099 --> 00:16:54.259 Now as we move from the garden to our own lives, 00:16:54.259 --> 00:16:56.259 we need to ask ourselves the question, 00:16:56.480 --> 00:16:59.319 what voice do I listen to? 00:17:01.039 --> 00:17:04.079 Do I recognize that there are competing voices 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:08.519 for my attention, for my obedience, for my trust? 00:17:10.519 --> 00:17:13.119 Because still there comes that temptation 00:17:13.119 --> 00:17:16.619 to doubt that God's Word is good and true. 00:17:16.619 --> 00:17:21.739 Still there is the temptation to reject God's Word, 00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:23.559 to twist God's Word, 00:17:23.679 --> 00:17:28.719 to soften God's Word so it sounds better to our ears. 00:17:28.719 --> 00:17:31.759 We can push God's Word to one side 00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:35.079 so that we can, as Christians, blend in with our culture. 00:17:35.199 --> 00:17:37.959 We can push God's Word to one side and His truth 00:17:37.959 --> 00:17:41.000 so it can suit our own sinful desires. 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:45.000 The same thing that happened in the garden 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:47.759 is the same thing that can happen to each and all of us. 00:17:47.799 --> 00:17:49.559 What makes us fall into temptation? 00:17:51.160 --> 00:17:53.279 It's when we close our ears to God's truth. 00:17:55.619 --> 00:17:59.579 Because we believe that my way brings me happiness. 00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:02.500 You know, it's that illustration, isn't it, 00:18:02.500 --> 00:18:04.799 of the goldfish that gets tired of living in the water 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:06.960 and thinks, you know what, I'll have greater freedom 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:09.460 if I can just escape the goldfish bowl. 00:18:10.380 --> 00:18:12.000 And it jumps out and it finds itself 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:13.500 flapping on the kitchen table. 00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:17.000 And we can imagine that freedom outside of God's limits 00:18:17.000 --> 00:18:21.200 is the good life and we discover it is anything but. 00:18:21.940 --> 00:18:26.360 And so we need to pray, lead us not into temptation. 00:18:27.660 --> 00:18:31.340 We need to pray that we would be hearers and doers 00:18:31.340 --> 00:18:35.120 and trusters of the Word of God. 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:40.419 So we see these seeds are planted to doubt God's goodness, 00:18:40.599 --> 00:18:42.239 to doubt God's truthfulness. 00:18:42.500 --> 00:18:44.399 And we know why seeds are planted. 00:18:44.959 --> 00:18:47.579 Seeds are planted so a flower will spring up 00:18:47.579 --> 00:18:49.579 or so a crop will spring up. 00:18:49.639 --> 00:18:52.299 Now why is Satan planting these seeds of doubt 00:18:52.299 --> 00:18:53.339 in the human heart? 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:57.699 So that the poisonous weed of human rebellion 00:18:57.699 --> 00:18:58.219 and sin. 00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:03.000 And we get to that moment in verse 6. 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:05.420 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree 00:19:05.420 --> 00:19:08.140 was good for food, pleasing to the eye, 00:19:08.900 --> 00:19:11.059 and also desirable for gaining wisdom, 00:19:11.160 --> 00:19:12.240 she took some and ate it. 00:19:12.299 --> 00:19:14.539 She also gave some to her husband who was with her 00:19:14.539 --> 00:19:16.240 and he ate it. 00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:18.119 Now by itself, stripped of context, 00:19:18.220 --> 00:19:20.759 that might seem a small thing. 00:19:20.839 --> 00:19:22.500 You know, it's just a piece of fruit. 00:19:22.500 --> 00:19:27.799 But set within the origin story of Genesis 1-3, 00:19:27.960 --> 00:19:32.200 we see that sin is an act of cosmic treason 00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:35.920 against their God, their covenant partner, 00:19:36.299 --> 00:19:37.180 their creator. 00:19:38.460 --> 00:19:40.819 And we understand from our text, 00:19:40.859 --> 00:19:41.779 and we'll see it next week, 00:19:41.940 --> 00:19:45.619 every aspect of sin and sorrow and suffering 00:19:45.619 --> 00:19:47.839 and breakdown and ruin in our world, 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:51.099 it traces back to this one act. 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:55.000 The downfall of the first human couple 00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:57.619 is the downfall of us all. 00:19:58.839 --> 00:20:00.399 So we need to look at the story, 00:20:01.240 --> 00:20:03.579 to look at the heart of human sin, 00:20:04.399 --> 00:20:06.839 to look at that tendency within us 00:20:06.839 --> 00:20:09.099 to say no to God's rule over us, 00:20:09.579 --> 00:20:13.359 saying no to trusting and obeying God's Word. 00:20:13.359 --> 00:20:20.519 It's so significant the way Moses writes this, 00:20:20.639 --> 00:20:21.139 Genesis 3, 00:20:21.240 --> 00:20:25.019 when the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good. 00:20:26.240 --> 00:20:28.740 We go back to Genesis 1, 00:20:30.039 --> 00:20:32.459 and we discover over and over again, 00:20:32.839 --> 00:20:36.099 God saw that what he created was good. 00:20:37.639 --> 00:20:39.019 So when Moses writes, 00:20:39.219 --> 00:20:40.399 Eve saw that it was good, 00:20:40.459 --> 00:20:41.939 we are being told something. 00:20:41.940 --> 00:20:46.600 Eve has now put herself in the place of God. 00:20:47.799 --> 00:20:50.700 She doesn't want to be just an image bearer anymore. 00:20:51.100 --> 00:20:53.420 She wants to push God off the throne 00:20:53.420 --> 00:20:56.279 so that she might be in charge. 00:20:57.900 --> 00:20:59.220 Why does she do it? 00:21:00.820 --> 00:21:02.460 As she saw that the fruit was good, 00:21:02.559 --> 00:21:03.720 it was pleasing to the eye 00:21:03.720 --> 00:21:06.160 and desirable for gaining wisdom. 00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:09.860 Where does sin begin? 00:21:11.940 --> 00:21:14.279 It begins with us. 00:21:14.380 --> 00:21:16.960 It begins in the human heart. 00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:19.500 It begins when God's will 00:21:19.500 --> 00:21:23.059 is replaced by my will be done. 00:21:24.539 --> 00:21:26.140 It's when God's wisdom 00:21:26.140 --> 00:21:29.059 is replaced by my wisdom 00:21:29.059 --> 00:21:31.680 as the rule for my life. 00:21:33.100 --> 00:21:34.420 That's what we see from Eve. 00:21:34.680 --> 00:21:35.759 Now what of Adam? 00:21:36.920 --> 00:21:38.100 And we discover there 00:21:38.099 --> 00:21:40.000 that Adam was with her. 00:21:40.719 --> 00:21:42.399 We don't hear anything from Adam. 00:21:42.919 --> 00:21:44.519 And so we understand 00:21:44.519 --> 00:21:46.419 that Adam is failing. 00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:48.379 He is guilty of sin. 00:21:48.519 --> 00:21:49.619 He is passive 00:21:49.619 --> 00:21:51.899 when he should be protecting the garden. 00:21:52.379 --> 00:21:54.139 He should be protecting themselves 00:21:54.139 --> 00:21:56.379 from this evil influence. 00:21:56.480 --> 00:21:59.500 But he participates in sin willingly. 00:21:59.819 --> 00:22:00.839 And isn't it significant, 00:22:00.939 --> 00:22:01.779 when we read the Bible, 00:22:01.899 --> 00:22:03.359 Romans 5 is one good example, 00:22:03.819 --> 00:22:05.099 that the Bible holds Adam 00:22:05.099 --> 00:22:06.439 to be most responsible. 00:22:08.119 --> 00:22:08.559 Now I don't know 00:22:08.559 --> 00:22:09.379 if you've ever thought about it, 00:22:09.379 --> 00:22:10.059 why is that? 00:22:10.959 --> 00:22:11.779 Why is it that Adam 00:22:11.779 --> 00:22:13.719 is held to be more responsible 00:22:13.719 --> 00:22:16.000 when he seems the passive player 00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:16.759 in that sense? 00:22:18.459 --> 00:22:20.199 Well remember the origin story, 00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:21.539 who was created first? 00:22:22.439 --> 00:22:23.119 It was Adam. 00:22:23.799 --> 00:22:26.959 And Adam has a greater stockpile 00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:29.940 of memories of God's covenant love 00:22:29.940 --> 00:22:30.960 and care. 00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:33.180 And significantly, 00:22:33.539 --> 00:22:34.460 unlike Eve, 00:22:34.840 --> 00:22:36.559 Adam is the one who heard 00:22:36.559 --> 00:22:39.640 God express that first command. 00:22:41.620 --> 00:22:44.440 Adam is first in the human race. 00:22:44.940 --> 00:22:46.840 Adam stands as representative. 00:22:47.360 --> 00:22:49.340 Adam has unique privileges. 00:22:51.240 --> 00:22:53.200 What happens to Adam in the garden? 00:22:54.660 --> 00:22:56.420 Now we see it affects us all. 00:22:57.740 --> 00:22:59.380 That was the logic of Romans 5, 00:22:59.539 --> 00:23:00.259 do we hear it? 00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:01.319 And again, 00:23:01.380 --> 00:23:03.140 we can be tempted to write that off 00:23:03.140 --> 00:23:03.519 and to say, 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:04.680 that is not fair. 00:23:05.920 --> 00:23:07.500 But before we do that, 00:23:08.279 --> 00:23:10.259 just recognize that the same logic 00:23:10.259 --> 00:23:12.440 also applies in the good news 00:23:12.440 --> 00:23:13.740 of Jesus. 00:23:14.740 --> 00:23:15.960 Because God sends 00:23:15.960 --> 00:23:17.440 another representative, 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:19.460 a second Adam, 00:23:19.579 --> 00:23:21.400 the true and better Adam, 00:23:21.400 --> 00:23:23.039 who comes to forgive 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:24.440 and to save. 00:23:24.440 --> 00:23:27.100 And that by His grace 00:23:27.100 --> 00:23:27.820 and through faith, 00:23:27.980 --> 00:23:28.980 we get to share 00:23:28.980 --> 00:23:30.080 in His victory. 00:23:32.519 --> 00:23:33.620 And that's not fair. 00:23:33.720 --> 00:23:34.420 That's grace. 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:35.580 That's God's goodness. 00:23:36.840 --> 00:23:37.920 But when we come back 00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:38.960 to Adam here 00:23:38.960 --> 00:23:40.460 in Genesis 3 00:23:40.460 --> 00:23:41.500 and verse 6, 00:23:42.240 --> 00:23:43.980 as he is with his wife, 00:23:44.180 --> 00:23:45.380 as he eats the fruit, 00:23:45.660 --> 00:23:47.019 he knows 00:23:47.019 --> 00:23:49.940 the devil is telling a lie. 00:23:49.940 --> 00:23:52.320 He knows 00:23:52.320 --> 00:23:53.680 God's wisdom 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:54.340 and God's way 00:23:54.340 --> 00:23:55.940 and he deliberately rejects. 00:23:57.000 --> 00:23:58.100 So he sins 00:23:58.100 --> 00:23:59.059 with his eyes 00:23:59.059 --> 00:23:59.940 wide open. 00:23:59.940 --> 00:24:05.600 When we slow down 00:24:05.600 --> 00:24:07.779 to consider 00:24:07.779 --> 00:24:09.660 how the Bible speaks 00:24:09.660 --> 00:24:10.420 about sin, 00:24:12.400 --> 00:24:13.220 I think we get something 00:24:13.220 --> 00:24:14.059 of the shock 00:24:14.059 --> 00:24:15.259 and the shame 00:24:15.259 --> 00:24:15.900 of it. 00:24:18.019 --> 00:24:19.360 Here are these first people 00:24:19.360 --> 00:24:20.180 created to live 00:24:20.180 --> 00:24:20.700 in a perfect, 00:24:20.840 --> 00:24:21.140 beautiful, 00:24:21.299 --> 00:24:22.200 life-giving world. 00:24:23.220 --> 00:24:23.820 Here they were 00:24:23.820 --> 00:24:25.480 created to enjoy 00:24:25.480 --> 00:24:26.680 perfect relationships 00:24:26.680 --> 00:24:27.580 within creation 00:24:27.580 --> 00:24:28.299 with one another 00:24:28.299 --> 00:24:29.200 and with God Himself. 00:24:29.940 --> 00:24:31.299 Here they are 00:24:31.299 --> 00:24:32.220 gifted with honor 00:24:32.220 --> 00:24:32.820 and privilege, 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:33.980 made in God's image, 00:24:34.360 --> 00:24:35.460 living in God's garden, 00:24:35.600 --> 00:24:36.140 getting to serve 00:24:36.140 --> 00:24:36.779 under Him 00:24:36.779 --> 00:24:37.660 and for Him 00:24:37.660 --> 00:24:39.160 and for His glory, 00:24:39.600 --> 00:24:40.400 promised life 00:24:40.400 --> 00:24:41.240 in all its freedom 00:24:41.240 --> 00:24:41.980 and joy 00:24:41.980 --> 00:24:43.519 if only Adam and Eve 00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:44.019 would love 00:24:44.019 --> 00:24:45.039 and trust and obey. 00:24:46.820 --> 00:24:48.059 But what did they do? 00:24:49.380 --> 00:24:50.519 What has every generation 00:24:50.519 --> 00:24:51.240 done since? 00:24:52.779 --> 00:24:54.200 We protest 00:24:54.200 --> 00:24:55.680 against God 00:24:55.680 --> 00:24:56.900 and we say, 00:24:56.900 --> 00:24:58.140 not my King. 00:24:59.940 --> 00:25:00.820 We rebel. 00:25:02.700 --> 00:25:04.500 We say of our good 00:25:04.500 --> 00:25:05.600 and loving Father, 00:25:06.019 --> 00:25:06.740 well, I'm happy 00:25:06.740 --> 00:25:07.900 to take your stuff. 00:25:10.420 --> 00:25:12.080 I don't really want 00:25:12.080 --> 00:25:12.960 relationship. 00:25:14.279 --> 00:25:15.580 And that's the origin 00:25:15.580 --> 00:25:16.180 of sin. 00:25:16.720 --> 00:25:17.880 The heart of sin 00:25:17.880 --> 00:25:19.180 is rejecting 00:25:19.180 --> 00:25:20.500 our Creator 00:25:20.500 --> 00:25:21.920 and our King, 00:25:22.500 --> 00:25:23.559 rejecting His right 00:25:23.559 --> 00:25:24.080 to rule. 00:25:24.079 --> 00:25:28.659 It's bleak. 00:25:29.339 --> 00:25:30.199 It's honest. 00:25:31.059 --> 00:25:31.740 But praise God, 00:25:31.799 --> 00:25:32.500 the Bible is also 00:25:32.500 --> 00:25:33.519 profoundly hopeful 00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:34.819 because for a few minutes, 00:25:35.359 --> 00:25:36.079 let's think about 00:25:36.079 --> 00:25:37.279 the solution to sin. 00:25:38.419 --> 00:25:39.639 But before we get there, 00:25:40.159 --> 00:25:41.279 I came across this 00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:41.659 this week. 00:25:41.799 --> 00:25:43.099 In 1925, 00:25:43.439 --> 00:25:44.019 a lady called 00:25:44.019 --> 00:25:44.899 Beatrice Webb, 00:25:45.539 --> 00:25:46.819 who was one of the architects 00:25:46.819 --> 00:25:47.460 of the modern 00:25:47.460 --> 00:25:48.699 British welfare system, 00:25:48.779 --> 00:25:49.939 she kept extensive 00:25:49.939 --> 00:25:50.519 diaries. 00:25:50.519 --> 00:25:52.500 And in one of those 00:25:52.500 --> 00:25:53.180 diary entries 00:25:53.180 --> 00:25:54.319 in 1925, 00:25:55.259 --> 00:25:55.900 she said, 00:25:56.019 --> 00:25:56.460 there is something 00:25:56.460 --> 00:25:57.579 wrong with us 00:25:57.579 --> 00:25:58.900 that leads to 00:25:58.900 --> 00:26:00.339 selfishness and violence, 00:26:00.559 --> 00:26:01.639 corruption and business 00:26:01.639 --> 00:26:02.259 and government, 00:26:02.460 --> 00:26:03.920 war and atrocities, 00:26:04.220 --> 00:26:06.059 and that it's consistent 00:26:06.059 --> 00:26:07.160 across history. 00:26:08.680 --> 00:26:09.139 She said, 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:10.740 science hasn't dealt 00:26:10.740 --> 00:26:11.119 with it, 00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:13.079 education hasn't dealt 00:26:13.079 --> 00:26:13.460 with it, 00:26:13.900 --> 00:26:14.940 social machinery 00:26:14.940 --> 00:26:16.200 hasn't dealt 00:26:16.200 --> 00:26:16.599 with it. 00:26:16.599 --> 00:26:18.039 Now, 00:26:18.139 --> 00:26:20.519 101 years on, 00:26:22.719 --> 00:26:23.339 don't we find 00:26:23.339 --> 00:26:24.079 that her conclusion 00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:25.219 still holds true? 00:26:26.619 --> 00:26:27.379 That despite 00:26:27.379 --> 00:26:29.159 our best efforts, 00:26:29.539 --> 00:26:30.480 the problems 00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:31.019 remain, 00:26:31.159 --> 00:26:31.980 the brokenness 00:26:31.980 --> 00:26:32.399 remains, 00:26:32.599 --> 00:26:33.519 because the problem 00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:34.759 runs too deep, 00:26:34.819 --> 00:26:35.899 because it gets 00:26:35.899 --> 00:26:37.619 right to the problem 00:26:37.619 --> 00:26:38.639 of the human heart, 00:26:38.719 --> 00:26:39.379 which is 00:26:39.379 --> 00:26:41.399 our sin problem. 00:26:41.619 --> 00:26:42.699 And it's so important 00:26:42.699 --> 00:26:44.339 that we see that 00:26:44.339 --> 00:26:45.939 and we grapple 00:26:45.940 --> 00:26:46.299 with that, 00:26:46.380 --> 00:26:46.940 so that we would 00:26:46.940 --> 00:26:47.539 come to the point 00:26:47.539 --> 00:26:48.039 where we look 00:26:48.039 --> 00:26:49.080 outside ourselves 00:26:49.080 --> 00:26:49.860 for the solution. 00:26:50.900 --> 00:26:51.740 That instead of 00:26:51.740 --> 00:26:52.779 looking to ourselves 00:26:52.779 --> 00:26:54.019 and modern technology 00:26:54.019 --> 00:26:55.160 or modern education, 00:26:55.380 --> 00:26:56.180 we look instead 00:26:56.180 --> 00:26:57.220 to our God. 00:26:58.360 --> 00:26:59.400 And that we begin 00:26:59.400 --> 00:27:00.860 to grasp the wonder 00:27:00.860 --> 00:27:01.920 of God's loving 00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:03.400 and gracious solution 00:27:03.400 --> 00:27:04.960 to our sin. 00:27:06.740 --> 00:27:08.019 The book of Genesis 00:27:08.019 --> 00:27:08.700 we're presented 00:27:08.700 --> 00:27:09.640 with a God who is good 00:27:09.640 --> 00:27:10.460 and He is generous 00:27:10.460 --> 00:27:11.500 and He is trustworthy 00:27:11.500 --> 00:27:12.740 and He is full 00:27:12.740 --> 00:27:13.680 of covenant love 00:27:13.680 --> 00:27:15.259 and wonderfully 00:27:15.259 --> 00:27:16.799 He doesn't leave 00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:17.500 the world that He 00:27:17.500 --> 00:27:18.019 has created 00:27:18.019 --> 00:27:18.700 and the mess 00:27:18.700 --> 00:27:19.460 that we have made 00:27:19.460 --> 00:27:19.759 of it. 00:27:19.840 --> 00:27:20.160 Rather, 00:27:20.640 --> 00:27:22.100 He sends His only Son, 00:27:23.500 --> 00:27:24.440 perfectly bearing 00:27:24.440 --> 00:27:25.400 the image of God, 00:27:26.060 --> 00:27:26.960 coming to love 00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:27.660 His enemies, 00:27:27.840 --> 00:27:28.680 coming to restore 00:27:28.680 --> 00:27:29.220 rebels, 00:27:29.620 --> 00:27:30.740 to fellowship with God, 00:27:30.740 --> 00:27:31.640 to welcome 00:27:31.640 --> 00:27:32.860 prodigals home. 00:27:34.120 --> 00:27:35.259 Now, how does He do that? 00:27:36.140 --> 00:27:37.100 He does it because 00:27:37.100 --> 00:27:37.920 the Lord Jesus, 00:27:38.240 --> 00:27:39.519 He is the only one 00:27:39.519 --> 00:27:40.340 who perfectly, 00:27:40.339 --> 00:27:41.879 completely submits 00:27:41.879 --> 00:27:43.079 to the Father's word 00:27:43.079 --> 00:27:44.319 and the Father's will, 00:27:44.659 --> 00:27:45.899 living a sinless life 00:27:45.899 --> 00:27:46.839 of perfect obedience. 00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:48.959 And we see it 00:27:48.959 --> 00:27:49.839 as the Lord Jesus 00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:51.519 lived with perfect trust 00:27:51.519 --> 00:27:52.720 in the will of His Father 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:54.399 through all the temptations, 00:27:55.559 --> 00:27:56.679 through all the trials 00:27:56.679 --> 00:27:57.579 that He experienced, 00:27:57.839 --> 00:27:58.799 even as people 00:27:58.799 --> 00:27:59.779 were taunting Him 00:27:59.779 --> 00:28:00.480 on the cross. 00:28:00.720 --> 00:28:02.039 He trusts in God, 00:28:02.139 --> 00:28:03.459 let God deliver Him. 00:28:04.919 --> 00:28:07.099 The Lord Jesus trusted 00:28:07.099 --> 00:28:09.500 and the Lord Jesus 00:28:09.500 --> 00:28:10.559 died 00:28:10.559 --> 00:28:13.699 as our representative, 00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:16.199 as a sin-bearing 00:28:16.199 --> 00:28:18.399 substitute and sacrifice, 00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:19.799 taking upon Himself 00:28:19.799 --> 00:28:20.779 the full weight 00:28:20.779 --> 00:28:21.859 of our sin, 00:28:22.379 --> 00:28:23.319 its penalty, 00:28:23.939 --> 00:28:25.139 the judgment of God 00:28:25.139 --> 00:28:26.379 we deserve. 00:28:26.519 --> 00:28:28.059 And then three days later, 00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:30.079 He rose again, 00:28:31.500 --> 00:28:32.879 showing that Satan 00:28:32.879 --> 00:28:33.859 and sin and death, 00:28:33.899 --> 00:28:35.379 they have been defeated 00:28:35.380 --> 00:28:37.500 so that we can be forgiven, 00:28:37.920 --> 00:28:39.240 that we can be restored 00:28:39.240 --> 00:28:40.200 to life with God, 00:28:40.260 --> 00:28:41.020 that though our sins 00:28:41.020 --> 00:28:41.540 are many, 00:28:41.660 --> 00:28:43.560 God's mercy is more. 00:28:43.720 --> 00:28:44.420 And one day, 00:28:45.720 --> 00:28:46.440 one day Jesus 00:28:46.440 --> 00:28:47.380 will come again 00:28:47.380 --> 00:28:49.720 to once and for all 00:28:49.720 --> 00:28:51.480 throw down in judgment 00:28:51.480 --> 00:28:52.900 that great adversary, 00:28:53.100 --> 00:28:53.740 the serpent, 00:28:54.320 --> 00:28:54.720 Satan, 00:28:54.720 --> 00:28:56.020 and He will once 00:28:56.020 --> 00:28:56.640 and for all 00:28:56.640 --> 00:28:57.920 free this world 00:28:57.920 --> 00:28:59.400 from sin and evil 00:28:59.400 --> 00:29:00.560 and death forever. 00:29:00.980 --> 00:29:02.120 And by God's grace 00:29:02.120 --> 00:29:02.880 and through faith 00:29:02.880 --> 00:29:03.480 in Jesus, 00:29:03.480 --> 00:29:05.860 all who trust in Him 00:29:05.860 --> 00:29:06.620 will be there. 00:29:08.259 --> 00:29:09.339 All our sin 00:29:09.339 --> 00:29:10.480 can be washed clean. 00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:12.980 All those moments 00:29:12.980 --> 00:29:13.599 when we doubt 00:29:13.599 --> 00:29:14.259 God's goodness 00:29:14.259 --> 00:29:15.400 and we go our own way. 00:29:16.079 --> 00:29:17.220 All those times 00:29:17.220 --> 00:29:17.920 where we've ignored 00:29:17.920 --> 00:29:18.860 His word of truth 00:29:18.860 --> 00:29:19.980 and believed a lie. 00:29:20.480 --> 00:29:21.360 All those times 00:29:21.360 --> 00:29:21.980 when we've turned 00:29:21.980 --> 00:29:23.079 our back on God 00:29:23.079 --> 00:29:24.120 or we've raised 00:29:24.120 --> 00:29:24.740 our fist 00:29:24.740 --> 00:29:25.579 in open rebellion 00:29:25.579 --> 00:29:26.420 against Him. 00:29:27.519 --> 00:29:28.539 We have the promise 00:29:28.539 --> 00:29:29.519 that we can come 00:29:29.519 --> 00:29:30.839 to Jesus 00:29:30.839 --> 00:29:33.559 and He will give us 00:29:33.559 --> 00:29:34.680 a new story 00:29:34.680 --> 00:29:36.660 and He will give us 00:29:36.660 --> 00:29:37.599 new life 00:29:37.599 --> 00:29:39.180 as we trust 00:29:39.180 --> 00:29:40.859 in His perfect, 00:29:41.480 --> 00:29:42.359 finished work 00:29:42.359 --> 00:29:43.000 on the cross.