The Fall
Pt. 1
2/8/15
Genesis 3:1-3
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that
the Lord God had made.He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You
shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the
serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God
said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the
garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
This is by far the most disastrous dialog & saddest event in human history.
· It is the
record of the entrance of evil into the natural world and answers
"Why" the world is the way it is.
o It is not
an allegory or myth but actual history. Adam, Eve, and the serpent are all real.
Gen 3:1, 2 Cor. 2:11, 2 Cor 11:3 &14
The fall happened between the 6th day of creation & the birth
of Cain in Gen 4:1.
· Not the
first sin: sometime between Gen 1:1 &
3:1, Satan & 1/3 of the angels fell.
o God is sovereign
over Satan, every move of Satan is a part of God’s overall purpose & plan, yet
God did not sin nor can he be blamed for sin.
CORE VALUE
§ Explain: Because
sin is in the world Jesus is even more glorified.
The pattern for tempting Eve is essentially the same approach as the Enemy
uses today.
· Satan
doesn’t usually come as an atheist or with horns & a tail but disguises himself
as a neutral observer, a “believer” in God, yet mocks God’s authority. Rev 12:9
o Refers to
Lord God simply as God. He makes God seem impersonal.
· Comes at right
moment. Temptation is most powerful when you are alone.
Initial approach is to deceive, not deny; causing doubt, not
disobedience.
· He reduced
God’s command to a question (1st in Scripture) to appear misinformed
& needing correction, but not as an innocent conversation starter.
o The
question subtly implies God’s Word is subject to our judgment/assessment.
Satan twists God's words to make God seem hard & unreasonable. Gen
3:1, 2:16
· He turns a
positive into a negative, reverses emphasis to God’s prohibition not His provision.
o Alteration
of the Word is a method of most cults today. CORE VALUE
· CRAFTY: Question
planted seed of doubt concerning God’s Word & God’s goodness without even mentioning
the forbidden tree.
Rather than run, Eve stays to debate. It is dangerous to flirt with temptation.
Gen 3:2, 2:16
· ‘Freudian
slips’ indicate she's getting drawn in by Satan’s deception:
o omitted
words that would have emphasized God’s generosity.
o added words
that make God seem harsher…..Legalism
o softens the
threat of judgment.
§ Reveals
the wrong motive to obey: It was because of death, not loving God, that she
said “no”.
· She is changing
the character of God to be more to her own liking.
o Modifying
His holiness: excuse sin (grace) & not judge my sin.
The question accomplished it’s initial goal….to lead Eve from questioning
God to doubting God, …..& soon into distrusting & disobeying God…. This
is the essence of all sin.
· Eve sinned
before eating fruit: in a moment she believed God was not only/always good
& He withheld good from her.
We need to understand how temptation works so we can learn how to resist
it. Duet 8:2, Ps 84:11b, Prov 3:5-7, Phil 4:6-9, Rom 8:32,
· Submit to
God’s Word, no matter how difficult or costly.
· Understand that denials from a good & loving God
are meant to test our faith & our obedience.
o They are
not to keep us from blessings, but rather to prepare us for them.
· Focus on what is graciously given not what is denied. 72’ flat screen
o Trust Him
for what we need & be grateful for His provision.
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