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Who are you listening to instead of God?

2. Cursed ground = people work for themselves

3. Death = de-certation / Jesus brings recreation and rebirth

Recap

Woman - promise of one who will strike the serpent

Genesis 3:17–19 “17 And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. 18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. 19 By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.””

1. Listening is what leads to actions

Listening changes your mind and life

OT Listening and obeying = same

Exodus 18:24 “24 Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions.”

Proverbs 1:5 “5 Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance”

Plato = separation of soul and reality & ideal universe filled with philosophical insight

~about 400 years before Jesus

NT

Jesus focuses on the soul joining reality and the lesser (poor, tax collectors, fisherman) take center stage.

Baptism is the humble person say my physical body is lining up with Jesus

James 1:22 “22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. “

Listen to GOD! - the Bible keeps show this over and over

Listening is what leads to actions

There is no excuse for not obeying God. Including people.

Philosophers. Family, Pastors, Councilors (they are sinners too - working for food too) - line up with God’s word.

Don’t follow people who aren’t becoming more like Jesus

Take questions for you?

1) Who are you listening to instead of God?

2) Who are you listening to more prominently then God?

The woman was a Gift!

your own relationship with God!

Song - Joseph O’Brien

My mother's words can be a melody hands down (melody hands down) My father's wisdom could present me with no doubt But as a man, I want a faith I call my own (faith I call my own) I can't stand straight if every truth spent the night back home

Your faith becoming your own.

Eaten is listed 4 times in 3 verses.

2. What is the consequence for man?

Women and Men both suffer from sin.

Struggle to scratch = pain - parallel the woman.

women die too…

= People

What is cursed?

To bless someone is to put that person under God’s protection and favor.

to curse is to remove God’s protection and favor.

A world of “fair” the ground is cursed

Cursed ground = people work for themselves

1) Work for themselves

Ancient culture

Mesopotamian people saw humans working for the gods.

Bible shows people working for themselves.

Bible

Ecclesiastes 2:22–23 “22 So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? 23 Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.”

Ecclesiastes 2:18–19 “18 I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. 19 And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless!”

Uncle worked and spent all his money on cancer treatment

Food is available but God’s favor and protection are gone.

The ground is canvas for life. His removal from that (in part) causes problems today.

Food is a reminder of working for yourself

God always provides but not the way he intended for us.

What is the consequence for the man/men?

Hardwired to be active and be productive (accomplish, fix, improve)

Bible - naming and working before the woman was around

Life right now

Young boys - move their bodies

Retired Men - tinkering

Today most men struggle with extreme here that impact the world in horrible ways.

Father issues from overworking?

Men feel the need to provide and produce

Lack relational presences

Today some men are so overwhelmed they don’t even try and lean into the curse of sin.

Don’t do this!

Men are good at sectioning off aspects of life to not even try

Emotionally, Physical, Socially, etc.

Lets work like Jesus

He didn’t work for gods

He didn’t work for himself

He worked for other

3. Dust to Dust

1. Humbled to the Ground (like snake) tried to one up

2. Death = De-creation

Jesus comes to bring LIFE!

Nicodemus - Reborn/recreation.

Listen to Jesus

or other leaders of his day.

Who are you going to listen to?

We need humility

Learn to listen to God - Bible and Spirit

Teachers job