Genesis 3: The fall and God's love

· INTRODUCTION

o Welcome

§ Having fun? I know I am

o Story

§ Imagine you are walking alone in the woods. Just enjoying nature and the calm of the woods. When all of a sudden a snake slithers up to you not too fast like its going to attack you, but slithers up to you. It would be pretty frightening seeing a snake slither up to you on the path. But it’s a snake that is not too threatening so you step off the path of the snake and keep walking. As the snake gets closer it stops, perches up, and starts to talk to you. Now that would be freaky. I would run the other way. I probably would have to change my pants if you guys get what I mean.

§ Sounds familiar

§ Open to Genesis Chapter 3 with me

· Theology of Sin

o Genesis 3:1

§ 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’?”

o Did Eve run?

o Serpent represents Satan, Evil

§ God Created all good?

o Genesis 3:2-3

§ The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 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.’”

o Twisting God’s Word

§ “Come on, Eve, think about it. There’s no possible way that you eat that fruit and poof instantly die. God wouldn’t do that to you!”

o Serpent sweetens the pot

§ Genesis 3:5

§ “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

o Wouldn’t that be pretty sweet

§ Not our job to judge

o Where was Adam

§ We don’t know

§ Just not with Eve

§ Eve may have not sinned if Adam was there

§ When your with other Christ followers its easier to not sin

· Response to sin

o We know Eve and Adam eat the fruit

o Sin enters this world

§ Think of how easy it was for the serpent

· A little temptation and promise got them to sin

§ Think of a time you sinned

· Disobeyed your parents

· Thought about hating someone

· Stole something

§ How easy was it

· Many different ways to be subject to sin

· Keep this in mind

o Genesis 3:8

§ 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

o Walking

§ Important word

§ Jesus was there

§ Jesus was walking with God

§ Our likeness is of God, Jesus and the spirit

§ Reassuring Adam and Eve of their love for them

o Their response to sin

§ Genesis 3:8

· they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

o They felt guilty and ashamed

§ So they hid.

o Think back to the time you sinned

§ How did u respond?

· Did you feel bad?

· Did you hide it?

· Did you ignore the calls from your parents?

o Genesis 3:9-11

§ the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid; so I hid.” And he said, “Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

§ Adam doesn’t try to lie here

§ He knows that God know and sees everything

§ God knew they were hiding and where they were hiding

§ He came at them lovingly and wanted to talk

o Adam’s response is interesting though

§ Genesis 3:12

· The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

· Passing the blame

· Typical response

o God turns his attention to Eve

§ Genesis 3:13

· The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.

· More passing the blame

o Neither of them are completely wrong

§ Adam listened to Eve

§ Eve was deceived by the serpent

o This is where the correctness stops

§ They chose to still eat the fruit

§ They didn’t have to listen to the serpent

o When they sinned they were able to know things they shouldn’t have

§ They felt shame

§ They felt guilt

§ They tried to pass the blame

· To get the heat off of them and on to someone else

o This is something we all do

o It usually does not end the way we want it to

o The punishment is usually more severe

o If they were just honest maybe the punishment would have been less severe

§ When we admit to doing wrong and facing the situation head on it usually ends better.

· God’s love

o We see God’s punishment and his love in the next part of the chapter.

o First he starts with the serpent

§ So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all 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 a and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

o Then he turns to Eve

§ “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

o Finally he turns to Adam

§ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from 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.”

o These punishments seem harsh

§ For the one who deceived Eve the punishment fits the crime

§ The punishment for eating the fruit is death

· Now the serpent was right

o God did not immediately sentence Adam and Eve to death

· He actually does something worse

o He cuts them off from community with God

o This is what happens when we sin

§ We break our relationship with God

o God shows his love

§ God still loves us because he sent Christ to bring us back into good relationship with him.

§ Before Christ there was a system in place that the followers of God had to do to be back in good relationship with God.

· But he loves us so much that Christ got rid of that system.

· This doesn’t mean we can sin and sin and sin

· We still need to confess sin and strive to not sin again

· God loves us so much that he doesn’t cut us off like Adam and Eve.

o But God still shows his love for them

§ Genesis 3:21-22

· The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 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.”

· God is still holding up his punishment for disobeying

o He is putting a limit on human life

§ Adam and Eve may have lived forever, but because of sin they died

· They lived long, long lives

· Their lives were not eternal

§ God was not lying about them dying

· The serpent twisted God’s words

o Genesis 3:4

§ “You will not certainly die,”

· In reality God was saying

o Genesis 3:22

§ He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.

· God was correct

o They certainly will die

§ Just not how the serpent implied

o God may have intended for humanity to live forever

§ Through sin and disobedience life is limited

§ Through Christ we are promised eternal life again

· Conclusion

o When you sin

§ Don’t hide

§ Don’t pass the blame

§ Strive for community with God

§ Confess your sins and restore your relationship

o Don’t be the reason your friends sin

§ Don’t fall into the same temptation that Adam and Eve did

o As the worship team comes up will you pray with me

§ Father God, Thank you for your love, thank you for your grace. We thank you for the promise of eternal life. I pray that any student here that is falling to sin can find the strength to break that pattern and fight that temptation to sin. I pray that they have to courage, strength, and wisdom to have a conversation with their leaders about their sin. We thank you for the gift you gave us in Christ. Holy Spirit enter these groups. Give these students the most effective small group time available. God we thank you, and love you. I pray all this in the powerful name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.