Read
Genesis 3:1-7
- “Now the
serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had
made.” (Genesis 3:1)
a.
The devil is like a snake in that he is
subtle, cunning, and deadly
b.
“But I am afraid that just as Eve was
deceived by the serpent’s cunning,
your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to
Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3)
c.
“Put on the full armor of God, so that
you can take your stand against the
devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:11)
d.
“And
the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur”
(Revelation 20:10)
- “Did God really say, 'You must not
eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1)
a.
His first tactic of deception was to
try and get the woman to question what God had said
b.
“My prayer is not that you take them
out of the world but that you protect
them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is
truth.” (John 17:15-17)
- “‘You will not certainly die,’ the
serpent said to the woman.” (Genesis 3:4)
a.
He made her to question if God would
really enforce His punishment for disobedience
b.
He deceives people today to believe in
no ultimate accountability, final judgment, or punishment
c.
I’ve heard many of the Chinese say that
they were taught to just not think about death
- “For God knows that when you eat
from it your eyes will be opened”
(Genesis 3:5), “Then the eyes of both of them were opened” (Genesis 3:7)
a.
Did God really create them blind but
then able to see by disobeying Him?
b.
Obviously this is not about physical
eyesight because she could see just fine, “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye” (Genesis 3:6)
i.
“to
open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18)
ii.
“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers” (2
Corinthians 4:4)
iii.
“the
eyes of your heart may be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18)
c.
The devil convinced her she was blind
by saying “your eyes will be opened,” once they both really were blind he then convinced
them that they could see
i.
“If then the light within you is
darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23)
ii.
It’s one thing to be blind and to know
it, but how great is our blindness to think we can see!
d.
“Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come
into this world, so that the blind will
see and those who see will become blind.’ Some Pharisees who were with him
heard him say this and asked, ‘What? Are
we blind too?’ Jesus said, ‘If you were
blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your
guilt remains.’” (John 9:39-41)
i.
If we confess our sinfulness and
blindness then God will forgive us and give us sight
ii.
But if we claim to see (that we are
fine) then we will remain guilty and blind
- “… you will
be like God” (Genesis 3:5)
a.
However, she was already “like God” in
the sense of having been created after His likeness – “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness … So God
created mankind in his own image, in the
image of God he created them; male
and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27)
b.
We were created to be like God as
children are like their parents
i.
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father
in heaven.” (Matthew 5:44-45)
ii.
“Follow
God’s example, therefore, as dearly
loved children” (Ephesians 5:1)
- “… knowing
good and evil” (Genesis 3:5)
a.
“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 from it you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:16-17)
i.
They already knew it was good to eat from any tree but evil to eat from the one tree
ii.
What if was just the opposite? What if
they could eat from only one tree and none others?
iii.
We should rejoice in all we are free to
do, not grumble about what we are not free to do
iv.
The tree was called “the knowledge of
good and evil” because eating from it indicates that we think we know more
about good and evil or right and wrong than He does!
b.
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good”
(Genesis 3:6)
i.
Although she knew it was evil to eat from
that tree, she saw it as being good
ii.
“Woe
to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and
light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah
5:20)
c.
“And the LORD God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us,
knowing good and evil.’” (Genesis 3:22)
i.
God was speaking sarcastically as if
saying “Oh, so now you know better than we do?”
ii.
Mankind is now like a rebellious
teenager who thinks he knows better than his parents!
iii.
The world now lives by defining for themselves
what is good and what is evil
d.
God is the Judge of good and evil, therefore
we are not judges when we agree with Him—we only become judges when we disagree
with Him and make our own judgment about good and evil
i.
“‘No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing.’ … This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge!” (Genesis 19:7, 9)
ii.
The men of Sodom claimed that their
lifestyle was cultural and accused Lot of judging, but they were actually the
judges because they disagreed with God and made their own judgment
iii.
Good and evil is the same for all
people because we are all created after the image of God
- “… desirable
for gaining wisdom” (Genesis 3:6)
a.
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.” (Proverbs 3:7)
b.
“Woe
to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.”
(Isaiah 5:21)
c.
Jesus concluded the Sermon on the
Mount: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built
his house on the rock ... But everyone who hears these words of mine and
does not put them into practice is like
a foolish man who built his house on sand.” (Matthew 7:24, 26)
- Just like
Adam and Eve, we all have sinned (disobeyed God)
a.
“Indeed, there is no one on earth who
is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.” (Ecclesiastes
7:20)
b.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
c.
“If we claim to be without sin, we
deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)
d.
“No temptation has overtaken you except
what is common to mankind. And God is
faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when
you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1
Corinthians 10:13)
e.
Even today when we sin, we are
essentially eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil