wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman,
did God really say you must not eat from the tree in the garden?
The woman said to the serpent, we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say
you must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it
or you will die. You will surely not die, the serpent said to the woman, for God knows that when you eat
of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. When the woman saw
that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining
wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realized that they were naked,
so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden
in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
But the Lord God called to the man, where are you? He answered, I heard you in the garden
and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid. And he said, who told you that you were naked?
Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat? The man said, oh, the woman you put
here with me. She gave me some of the fruit from the tree and I ate it. Then the Lord God said to the
woman, what is this you have done? The woman said, oh, the serpent deceived me and I ate it.
So the Lord God said to the serpent, because you have done this, cursed are you above all the livestock
and all the wild animals. You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers.
He will crush your head and you will strike his heel.
To the woman he said, I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing.
With pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband and he will rule
over you. To Adam he said, because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I
commanded you, you must not eat of it. Cursed is the ground because of you. Through painful toil you
will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you and you will eat
the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground
since from it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return.
Adam named his wife Eve because she would become the mother of all the living.
The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
And the Lord God said, The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.
He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat
and live forever.
So the Lord God banished him from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the garden of Eden,
cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Well, as we continue to look at God's story, let's pray and ask for his help.
Our Father God, we come before you as the author of this story, this true story,
the creator of all things and the ruler over every one of us.
Father, we ask that you would help us to listen carefully to your story, to its truth,
so that we may understand who we are, what we have become, and our path of redemption.
Father, we ask that these words would not only give us knowledge and understanding with our heads,
but that it would truly show us our hearts and how our hearts can be made new.
We pray for your help in this. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Well, at a very early age, I decided that I didn't like school.
Maybe that's your story too.
I didn't like homework.
I didn't like the teacher.
And I didn't like the rules.
So we started a rebellion.
One lunchtime, my friends and I began to march around the school building,
as if it was like marching around the walls of Jericho.
Chanting as we went, we're on strike, as we passed the headmaster's classroom.
Soon, the whole school had joined in, from junior infants right up to sixth class,
all of us marching around the school, chanting in defiance of school rules.
It was a deliberate act of rebellion.
He was the headmaster.
We were the pupils.
It was his school, not ours.
He made the rules, and we were to obey them.
And we did not like it.
So in an act of defiance, we rebel.
Now I think that's a picture of all of our story.
In Genesis chapter 3, God tells us the true story of what we are really like.
It's a story about our deliberate act of rebellion against our loving Creator and the devastating and eternal consequences.
The story all starts with the test to love God.
You may remember from last week as we looked at creation, that God in his love provided man with all that he needed.
Look back at chapter 2, verse 8.
So as God had created everything, we read in chapter 2, verse 8,
Now the Lord God had planted in the garden in the east in Eden.
Eden.
And there he put the man he had formed.
And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground, trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.
Eden is this beautiful, pleasing and plentiful garden.
No wonder it means delight.
Everything is there for man to enjoy.
Nothing going wrong.
There's no sadness or hurt.
No pain or struggles.
In fact, it's in this garden that the man and woman enjoy a perfect, intimate relationship with God.
Look at chapter 2, verse 25.
Here's the scene in the garden.
The man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame.
You see, we've got to understand this carefully because their physical nakedness reflects a deeper inner nakedness.
Here are two people where there is complete openness between each other, but most importantly, openness with God.
There's nothing to hide.
There's nothing to fear.
They're completely transparent.
There is no shame.
There is no guilt.
Man and woman with their loving creator in perfect relationship.
This is how God designed the world to be.
It is perfect delight.
Now, God's beautiful design is going to be maintained by one simple command.
Go back to chapter 2, verse 16.
For this design to be maintained, there is one simple command.
And the Lord God commanded the man, you are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die.
You see, our love for God is to be something that's free and spontaneous.
It's to be a natural response to God's love towards us.
And the way to demonstrate our love is to obey God.
That's how we tell him and show him that we love him, is by obeying him.
So he says to man, don't eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Now, we'll get back to the tree in a minute.
But for now, I want us to see that God's command to his people is like a test of their love and loyalty.
It's not temptation because God has given them everything that they need.
They have all that they ever need for life.
He simply gives this command as a simple way for them to demonstrate their love to their creator God.
And it's no different for us.
Every single day through our words and actions, we are given opportunity to demonstrate our love to our loving creator God.
Through obeying him, we are showing our loyalty and love to him.
So first, there is the test to love God.
Second, we see there is a desire to be God because tragically, their love for God turns into a deliberate and intentional rebellion.
First of all, we have the talking snake.
Or is it?
Have a look at chapter 3, verse 1.
Now, the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman,
Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?
Now, I'm sure most of you have a picture in your mind as we read of that little scene.
Of this colourful snake wrapped around a tree talking to Eve with a hiss.
Offering this juicy apple in its coil.
It's the kind of pictures we see in kids' Bibles.
Now, I don't think that's really a very helpful picture at all.
Why?
Well, we're not told what he looks like.
In fact, we're not even told where he comes from.
Only that he is a created being.
Look again at verse 1.
Now, the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.
So, he's not the same as God.
But he is dependent on God.
And he is under God's rule.
However, when we do get to the New Testament,
it does become clear who this serpent is.
He is identified as that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan
who leads the whole world astray.
Now, some will say, well, the devil took the form of a serpent.
Others will say it's the symbol for the devil.
But let's get this clear.
Our concern is not what he looks like,
but how he works.
And I think that's the point of the story.
We're interested in how he works.
He is, look at verse 1,
the most crafty of all the animals that God has made.
So, he's not stupid.
He cleverly uses his wit to deceive.
In fact, his main means of deception
is to question God's word.
Look what it says at the end of verse 1.
He said to the woman,
did God really say,
you must not eat from any tree in the garden?
You see, it creates doubt,
and it makes us sceptical of God.
If God is truly loving,
would he really stop you from having everything in the garden?
It's such a subtle question
that he puts to the man and woman.
It's designed in such a way
that we begin to question God and his goodness.
And in fact, such a questioning
puts us over the creator of the universe.
And slowly and but surely,
we allow ourselves to believe
that God is really not that good,
and that he's maybe this mean kind of God,
and he's withholding all the best things from us.
And with a little bit more pondering,
we think,
well, God is the ultimate party pooter
who just says no all the time,
and he's out to spoil our fun
and ruin things for us.
And so we can begin to see the thinking
that is behind the man and the woman
as Satan comes and twists
and distorts what God has to say.
But the devil's deception
is also matched by man's willful desire.
Look at verse 2.
The woman said to the serpent,
We may eat from the trees in the garden,
but God did say,
You must not eat fruit from the tree
that is in the middle of the garden,
and you must not touch it,
or you will die.
Now the woman is just playing with truth here.
God never said anything about touching the fruit.
He said,
Don't eat it.
He never said anything about touching it.
So she's putting words in God's mouth
and making God out to be something that he is not.
Verse 4.
You will surely not die,
the serpent said to the woman.
For God knows that when you eat of it,
your eyes will be opened
and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil.
That's ultimately what the man and woman want.
They want to be like God.
Do you remember what the tree was called
back in verse 17 of chapter 2?
It's called the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil.
Now the knowledge of good and evil
is not just knowing the difference
between good and evil.
It's deciding for themselves
what is good and what is evil.
You see, when God made the world,
he pronounced everything as good.
After he created each stage,
he steps back and he looks and he says,
That is good.
God decides what is good and evil,
not us.
He knows what is best for us
because he made us.
But here's the problem.
That's what man wants.
We want to be like God
so that we decide what is good or evil.
We want to be the ones who declare
what is right and wrong.
In other words,
we've got no longer any use for God.
We don't need God anymore
because we decide what we should do.
Verse 6.
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree
was good for food,
pleasing to the eye,
and also desirable for gaining wisdom,
she took some
and ate it.
Now we mustn't think that the fruit
is somehow magical.
It's not like they eat the fruit
and then all of a sudden
they've been given this God-like power.
Now remember that the tree
was a test to show their love
and their loyalty to God.
And they fail.
Rather than give their love to God,
they love themselves.
Instead of being loyal to their creator God,
they become loyal to their own desires
and they follow what's in their heart.
They simply long to be God.
Now the story we've just read
is the story of us all.
We are no different
to what happened in the Garden of Eden.
In fact, as we follow through in the story,
look how it continues.
Have a look at chapter 5, verse 1.
Chapter 5, verse 1.
This is the written account
of Adam's line.
So this is a history, if you like,
of the whole human race
from the beginning of time.
Here's a history.
Look what it says.
When God created man,
he made him in the likeness of God.
He created them male and female
and blessed them.
And when they were created,
he called them man.
So far, so good.
But now look what it says.
Verse 3.
When Adam had lived 130 years,
he had a son in his own likeness,
in his own image.
And he named him Seth.
Do you see what's happened?
No longer are we portrayed
as being made in God's image.
We now share in Adam's broken image.
We are like him.
We have the same desires as him.
We willfully defy God
and replace God
and say,
we don't need you anymore.
I know what is right
and best for me.
In fact,
as the story unfolds,
it gets even worse.
Have a look at chapter 6, verse 5.
This is the account of Noah.
Chapter 6, verse 5.
And God looks down on mankind
and it says,
The Lord saw
how great man's wickedness
on earth had become
and that every inclination
of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil
all of the time.
It doesn't mean to say
that man can't do good.
Man does do good.
But that our motives
and all our thinking
is only evil
all the time.
Everything about mankind,
his very inner being,
his nature,
is to rebel.
Just as I,
as a young kid,
wanted to rebel
against the headmaster.
So we all want to live our lives
in rebellion
against God.
We decide what's right.
But we have not made things better.
We've only made things worse.
In fact,
this sorry story
doesn't stop there.
Have a look at chapter 11,
verses 1 to 4.
As the whole story
begins to unfold before us.
Chapter 11, verse 1.
So now there's a large population
in the world,
but nothing has changed.
Chapter 11, verse 1.
Now the whole world
had one common language.
As men moved eastward,
they found a plain in Shinar
and they settled there.
And they said to each other,
come, let's make bricks
and bake them thoroughly.
They used brick instead of stone
and bitumen for mortar.
And here's the point.
Then they said,
come, let us build ourselves
a city
with a tower
that reaches to the heavens
so that we may make a name
for ourselves
and not be scattered
over the face
of the whole earth.
They're wanting to make
a name for themselves,
placing themselves
above God.
It's just another act
of rebellion.
We don't want God's name
to be great.
I want my name
to be great.
I am God.
I declare what is good
and what is evil.
And so we have a picture
of our sorry story.
Continually through time,
we hear God's word,
but we twist it
and we deny it.
We allow ourselves
to believe the lie
that God is not good
and that he's only out
to spoil our fun.
We ponder over our choices
and decisions
and we decide
we know what is best
and right for me.
We desire to be God.
We rebel against him
and we replace him
with me.
We no longer have any need
of God
because I
am now God.
So,
there is the desire
to be God
but when we rebel
against God,
there are devastating
and eternal consequences.
Look at verse 7
of chapter 3.
Our innocence
is lost.
Chapter 3,
verse 7.
So,
after taking the fruit,
chapter 3,
verse 7,
then the eyes
of both of them
were opened
and they realised
that they
were naked.
this isn't just
a physical awareness.
All of a sudden
they are conscious
of what they've done.
For the first time
in their lives,
they are now living
with this terrible weight
of guilt
and shame
that has come
upon them
and in desperation,
look at the rest
of verse 7,
they sewed fig leaves
together
to make a covering
for themselves.
You see,
they're no longer
enjoying this intimacy
with God
and with one another.
They're now trying
to literally
cover up
their shame.
They're trying
to hide away
but this outward
act of covering
is not going
to do anything.
It's like a sticky
plaster
on an open wound.
Verse 8,
then the man
and his wife
heard the sound
of the Lord God
as he was walking
in the garden
in the cool
of the day
and they hid
from the Lord God
among the trees
of the garden.
But the Lord God
called to the man,
Where are you?
He answered,
I heard you
in the garden
and I was afraid
because I was naked
so I hid.
Do you see,
man sees
his own shame.
He sees
what he has done
and God sees
his rebellious heart.
Intimacy
is now
replaced
by hiding.
The joy
that they had
with God
is now replaced
by fear.
They're no longer
walking with God.
They're now
running away
from God
trying to get away
because they're
too ashamed
and they do not
want to be with him.
And that's what
happens when we
rebel.
we lose
our deep
intimacy
with our
creator God.
We no longer
have that unity
with him
and that relationship.
Instead of his
friends,
we've become
his enemies.
Instead of
fellowship with him,
there is this
broken
separation.
But not only
is our innocence
lost,
but we now
live in a world
where there is
not blessing,
but curse.
Look at verse
14.
The Lord God
said to the serpent,
because you
have done this,
cursed are you
above all the
livestock and
all the wild
animals.
Verse 15,
and I will put
enmity between
you and the
woman and
between your
offspring and
hers.
You see,
instead of the
harmony between
man and creation,
there's going to
be this fierce
battle which is
going to be
played out
between mankind
and Satan.
And his
objective,
as always,
is to turn
people away
from the
loving God
and the
goodness of
his word.
And that's
his scheme
and that's
what he's
doing to
us today.
And that
battle gets
played out
every single
day in a
thousand different
ways as we
continue to
declare what
is good and
what is right.
But with our
rebellion comes
pain and
suffering,
verse 16,
to the
woman,
God said,
I will
greatly
increase your
pains in
childbearing,
with pain you
will give birth
to children,
and your
desire will be
for your
husband.
That is,
you will
long to
rule over
your husband
and he
will rule
over you.
And isn't
that our
experience in
life?
Families and
marriages and
relationships,
they all
begin to
break down
because we
love ourselves
more than we
love God
and we want
to be the
boss and we
want to be
in charge.
But perhaps
the worst of
all of this
is death.
Look at
verse 17.
To Adam
he said,
because you
listened to
your wife and
ate from the
tree from
which I
commanded you,
you must
not eat of
it.
cursed is
the ground
because of
you.
Verse 19.
By the
sweat of
your brow
you will
eat your
food until
you return
to the
ground,
since from
it you
were taken,
for dust
you are,
and to
dust you
will return.
In the
beginning,
everything
lives.
Now,
everything
dies.
Have a
look again
at chapter
5.
Look at
the account
of humanity.
See the
picture that
is unfolding.
So,
in verse
5 of
chapter 5
we read,
altogether
Adam lived
930 years
and then
he died.
Verse 6,
when Seth
lived 105
years he
became the
father of
Enosh.
Now,
look down
at verse
8.
Altogether
Seth lived
912 years
and then
he died.
Verse 9,
Enosh had
lived 90
years and
he became
the father
of Kenan.
Verse 11,
Altogether
Enosh lived
905 years
and then
he died.
On
on and
on it goes
through the
history of
the world
and for
every
mankind
everyone
dies.
And
one day
somebody
will stand
over our
grave
and they
will say
ashes to
ashes,
dust
to dust.
The giving
of life
is now
replaced with
the pronouncement
of death.
What God
had said at
the beginning
was true.
You must
not eat
from the
tree of
the knowledge
of good
and evil
for when
you eat
of it
you will
surely
die.
we may
not have
experienced
death
ourselves
but we've
experienced
in the
sense that
we've all
lost
loved ones.
Death
brings pain
and heartache.
It takes
those we
dearly love.
It steals
away our
joy.
It's a
curse
that we
live with
day in
day out.
Do you
remember what
the serpent
said to
the woman
about eating
the fruit?
The subtle
lie?
He said
you will
not
surely
die.
Do what
you like.
Live how
you want.
Don't
believe this
nonsense about
God judging
people.
It's not
true.
but they
did die
and God
will judge.
In fact
how God
responds
shows how
seriously
God takes
our rebellion.
Look at
chapter 3
verse 23.
So the
Lord God
banished him
from the
garden of
Eden to
work the
ground from
which he
had been
taken.
And after
he drove
the man
out he
placed on
the east
side of
the garden
of Eden
cherubim
or like
angels and
a flaming
sword flashing
back and
forth to
guard the
way to
the tree
of life.
Shut
out.
Separated
from God.
This is
God's
fair,
right and
just response
to our
rebellion.
In God's
judgment we
are eternally
separated from
the source of
all life and
all love.
You see
when we
rebel we
invite God's
judgment upon
ourselves.
And this
is my
story.
And this
is your
story.
It's a
story we
don't like to
hear.
but it's
true.
Well
thankfully
mixed in
with our
story,
our tragic
story is a
story of
hope.
In the
chaos and
in the
disorder and
in the
death that
we see all
around us,
God speaks
a promise.
Chapter 3
verse 15.
This is
what God
said.
I will
put enmity
speaking to
the serpent,
to the
devil.
He says I
will put
enmity between
you and
the woman
and between
your offspring
and hers.
He will
crush your
head and
you will
strike his
heel.
You see
from the
woman,
from this
human race,
one special
person is
going to be
born and
that person
will come
and crush
the devil.
Defeating
him,
destroying
him,
restoring our
broken lives
and renewing
our disordered
world.
How do we
know?
Well have a
look at Romans
chapter 5.
Romans chapter
5.
Here we
see the
promise that
God had
given.
We're
reminded,
first of all,
of what we
are like.
Romans 5
verse 12.
Therefore,
just as sin
entered the
world through
one man,
so he's
talking about
Adam and
his rebellion,
therefore just as
sin entered the
world through
one man,
and death
through sin,
and in this
way death
came to
all men
because all
sinned.
you see,
it's making
that clear
picture that
we are just
like Adam.
We've all
messed up.
We will all
die.
We will all
face God's
judgment.
But here we
see the promise.
Here we see the
hope.
Verse 17.
For if by the
trespass or the
rebellion of
one man,
death reigns
through that
one man.
So just
because of
rebellion,
this world is
now under the
curse of
death,
and everything
is broken,
and everything
is going
wrong.
Look what it
says at the
rest of verse
17.
How much more
will those who
receive God's
abundant provision
of grace and
the gift of
righteousness reign
in life through
the one man,
Jesus Christ.
Ralph talked
about this at
the beginning,
just as we
sang those
songs.
In some ways
we're all under
Adam, the Adam
of the Garden
of Eden.
But now a new
Adam has come,
Jesus Christ,
one who obeyed
God perfectly,
one who never
did anything
wrong, one who
did everything
that was right.
And he comes
and he takes
all our guilt
and all our
shame and all
our rebellion
and he takes
it on himself
and he is
punished and he
is judged for
me and for
you so that
we can receive
his gift of
life, so that
we are now
covered in his
righteousness, so
that God no
longer sees the
guilt and shame
but now treasures
us and welcomes
us as his own
son.
through the
death of
Jesus Christ,
Satan is
crushed and
defeated and
life is ours
to receive.
The promise of
Jesus Christ who
comes to give
us life so that
we no longer
have to live in
rebellion but
now we have new
life and we can
follow his way
and do what
God says.
But you know
what, that's not
the end.
Just have a look
at Romans chapter
16.
Look at the way
this is put.
For all those
who have received
Jesus Christ and
who are following
Jesus Christ, look
what he says to
us.
Chapter 16
verse 20.
The God of
peace will soon
crush Satan under
your feet.
Isn't that
amazing?
What he's telling
us here that as
we, as people who
have been put right
by Jesus, begin
to share and
preach and
proclaim and
share the good
news of Jesus
Christ with other
people, as we
tell the gospel to
other people, they're
also set free from
the power of
Satan.
They're also
released from the
curse of death and
judgment and they
are given you
life through Jesus
Christ.
The God of
peace will soon
crush Satan under
your feet.
As we share the
story of Jesus
Christ, lives are
changed, lives are
transformed and they
receive the life
that only God
can give.
This is our
true story.
A story of
rebellion, but
how we are
rescued and
how we join in
with that rescuer
Jesus Christ and
share that same
good news story so
that others are
also rescued from
the predicament that
they are in.
may God give us
opportunity to
share that story
with the world
around us.
Let's pray.
Father, please help
us to see
ourselves clearly.
Please help us to
take off those
rose-colored
spectacles that we
have on that see
us from our view.
help us to see
ourselves from your
view.
And would you
teach us to keep
running to the
Lord Jesus, the
one who has come to
deliver us, the
one who has come to
cover us in
righteousness, no
longer suffering under
guilt and shame,
but treasured and
treated as your own
son.
thank you that life
is ours today
through Jesus.
And we pray that we
would share of that
same message and
that people would be
set free from
following the ways
of Satan so that
they may follow the
Lord Jesus and live
for him.
We pray this in
Jesus' name.
Amen.
We're going to
sing in celebration
which picks up some
of those themes,
I will glory in my
Redeemer whose
priceless blood has
ransomed me.
Mine was the sin.
That's the reason why
Jesus had to die was
because of my
rebellion.
But he sets me free
to live a life for
him.
So let's stand
together as we
sing.
Amen.