A World Gone Bad
The Greatest Story • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Have you ever wondered why the world is the way that it is?
Why is there evil in the world?
Why do bad things happen?
Why is there suffering and pain?
Genesis 3 answers those questions.
The problem of evil isn’t the problem for Christians that people think that it is, because we have it clearly explained in the story.
If all we had was Genesis 1&2 it would be a problem.
But our story tells us exactly what went wrong with the world.
We have previously been introduced to the main character of our story, the one that this whole story is all about, God.
He is the one that creates everything that exists in this story, and He is the one telling this story.
We were also introduced to the secondary character of this story, man.
We saw how we were created in the image of God, for the glory of God, and created for community with one another and covenant with our creator.
Things are pretty swell in our story so far...... what could possibly go wrong?
Well, then chapter 3 begins....
Now we don’t know exactly how much time passes between the end of chapter 2 and the beginning of chapter 3 but the Bible tells us that Adam had his 3rd son at the age of 130, which was after the death of their adult son Abel.
We can reasonably conclude that it was atleast 30 years before this and probably more. But we know that no more than about 100 years have passed between chapters 2&3.
In chapter 3 we are introduced to a new character. The serpent.
Now we know that this is not your average serpent.
Regardless of how we choose to interpret this, whether literal or figurative, revelation shows us the true identity of this figure.
9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
First: Note that satan is a created being.
He is not equal to God, he is not eternal, he does not possess unlimited power.
Like all other created things, he is in subjection to the Creator.
Up until this point, the only one speaking to Adam and Eve was God.
But now we have a new voice, and this voice begins by undermining what God has said.
Do you see how the enemy tries to make God sound unreasonable?
How could God put such restrictions on you?
Now why would Eve add to what God had said?
Now Eve is faced with a decision to make.
Satan has clearly contradicted what God had said. They both can not be telling the truth, one of them must be a liar.
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Here we have a very important lesson that we need to remember.
Just because something looks good, does not mean it is good.
What we see happen in chapter 3 can be explained this way. Adam and Eve are seeking to create their own reality.
In taking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they have rebelled against the reality that God has created and have sought out their own reality.
This is what all sin does in one way or another.
And in some sense it actually does create their own reality, but not for the better. God allows this, but they aren’t free from the consequences of their decision.
The consequences of this decision are immediate.
They separate themselves from the presence of God.
They hide themselves from the source of all good.
This is very important, sin causes separation from the presence of God.
Not His general presence, but His special presence, His manifest presence.
Sin causes a fracture in the relationship between God and man.
This is one of those main themes that runs throughout all of Scripture.
How can sinful men be in a close, familial relationship with a Holy God?
The chasm between the sinfulness of man and the holiness of God seems impossible to overcome.
Indeed, it is impossible, but not for God.
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
Did God know what man did?
Did God know where man was?
Of course! And yet God pursues him anyway!
Please don’t miss this!
The God of the Bible is a pursuing God!
The whole Bible is the unfolding pursuit of God, seeking after those who have rebelled against Him.
The Bible doesn’t tell us a story about men seeking after God but about God seeking after men!!
That’s what makes this story so incredible!
10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
A man in his sins is afraid of the God who is seeking him.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
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