Sin- What Went Wrong?

Introduction

When I was in middle school, one of my friends brought a pack of “Beanboozled” jelly beans to lunch. You know the ones — half the flavors are good (like peach or coconut), and half are gross (like vomit or rotten egg), but they look exactly the same. At first, everyone laughed as we dared each other to try them. But then it happened: one guy popped one in his mouth, expecting something sweet, and instantly his face went pale. He’d gotten the rotten egg. He thought it was going to be good — but the reality was disgusting.

That’s a pretty silly example, but honestly, that’s how sin works. It looks good, it seems fun, it promises something sweet. But once you taste it, the reality hits — and it’s not what you thought it would be.

Genesis 3 is the first time this shows up in the Bible. The serpent made sin look appealing, made God’s command sound restrictive, and convinced Adam and Eve that they’d be better off calling the shots themselves. But the moment they bit, the sweetness turned sour.

Scripture

Genesis 3:1–13 CSB

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” “No! You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman. “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man replied, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.” So the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Body

THE DECEPTION OF SIN

Genesis 3:1–6 CSB

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” “No! You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman. “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

If you look back at Genesis 3, the very first time sin enters the story, it doesn’t come crashing in with something obvious. There’s no loud announcement, no flashing warning lights. It begins with a conversation — a whisper.

The serpent comes to Eve and asks: “Did God really say…?” That’s how it starts. The enemy plants a seed of doubt in her mind. He doesn’t come right out and say, “God’s a liar.” He just twists God’s words enough to make Eve wonder if maybe God is holding out on her.

And notice what’s happening here: Satan isn’t just attacking God’s command, he’s attacking God’s character. He’s making Eve question whether God is really good, whether God really wants the best for her.

The Lie of Sin: Then in verses 4–5, the serpent straight up denies God’s warning: “You will not surely die… you will be like God.” Here’s the heart of the deception: Sin always tells us, “Life will be better if you take control. You’ll be happier if you call the shots.”

At its core, sin is not about eating fruit from a tree. It’s about wanting to run our lives apart from God, deciding right and wrong for ourselves.

The Trap of Sin: Verse 6 says Eve saw the fruit was “good for food,” “pleasing to the eye,” and “desirable for gaining wisdom.” Do you see the pattern? Sin always looks good on the surface. It appeals to our appetites, our eyes, our ambitions. But behind the shine is destruction.

Illustration: The Fishing Lure

Think about a fishing lure. If you’ve ever been fishing, you know a lure is designed to catch the fish’s attention. It sparkles, it wiggles in the water, it looks like food. To the fish, it’s irresistible. But what the fish doesn’t see is the sharp hook hidden inside.

That’s exactly how sin works. It dangles in front of us looking so good — “This will make you happy. This will satisfy you. This will give you what you want.” But when we bite, it doesn’t bring life, it brings pain. Instead of freedom, we get stuck. Instead of joy, we get regret.

That’s the same lie you hear today. Maybe it’s:

“Cheating on this test isn’t a big deal — it’ll help you get ahead.”

“Lying to your parents will keep you out of trouble — they don’t need to know.”

“Looking at that site or DMing that person won’t hurt anyone — you deserve to feel good.”

It looks shiny. It promises life. But hidden underneath is a hook — shame, guilt, broken trust, separation from God.

So here’s the truth: Sin always begins with deception. It whispers: “Did God really say…? Is God really good? Wouldn’t life be better if you were in control?” And when we take the bait, we find ourselves hooked, separated from the God who loves us.

But the story doesn’t end there. The Bible tells us that this problem of sin isn’t just Adam and Eve’s — it’s all of ours.

THE REALITY OF SIN

So Adam and Eve took the bait. They bit the fruit. And immediately, everything changed.

Look at what happens in Genesis 3:7–13

Genesis 3:7–13 CSB

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man replied, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.” So the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Verse 7: “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”

Verse 8: They hear God coming, and instead of running toward Him like before, they hide.

Verses 11–13: God asks what happened. Adam blames Eve. Eve blames the serpent. Nobody takes responsibility.

The reality of sin brings many things.

Sin Brings Shame: They realized they were naked, and their first instinct was to cover up. Before, there was nothing to hide. Now, they feel exposed and embarrassed. Sin does that. It makes us feel like something’s wrong with us, like we’re dirty or unworthy.

2. Sin Brings Fear: When God shows up, they hide. Fear enters the story. Instead of walking with God in the cool of the day, they’re crouching behind trees, afraid of the One who loves them most. Sin drives a wedge between us and God. It makes us want to run from Him instead of to Him.

3. Sin Brings Blame: Adam points at Eve: “She made me do it.” Eve points at the serpent: “It’s not my fault.” Sin doesn’t just break our relationship with God — it fractures our relationships with each other. It makes us defensive, prideful, unwilling to admit when we’re wrong.

Romans 3:23 CSB

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;

Paul says it plainly!

This isn’t just Adam and Eve’s story — it’s our story.

We feel shame over things we’ve done, things we hope no one finds out.

We hide from God — maybe not behind trees, but behind excuses, busyness, distractions.

We blame others — teachers, parents, friends — instead of owning our sin.

Sin is not just something “out there” in the world — it’s inside every one of us.

High schoolers live this every day:

The shame after sending that text you regret.

The fear of being found out for cheating, lying, or messing up.

The blame game when a friendship breaks down: “It was their fault, not mine.”

You don’t need convincing that the world is broken — you see it every day in school, on social media, in your own families. The Bible just gives language for what you already feel: this is the reality of sin.

And here’s the hard truth: Sin isn’t just breaking rules. It’s breaking relationship. It separates us from God, from ourselves, and from others. And every one of us is caught in it.

But thank God, the story doesn’t stop there. Even in the Garden, God begins to point to hope — and that hope is found in Jesus.

THE HOPE BEYOND SIN

So far, this sounds like really bad news: we’ve been deceived by sin, and we live under the reality of sin. But here’s the good news — God doesn’t leave us there.

God Covers Our Shame: After Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. It wasn’t enough. But in verse 21, it says:

Genesis 3:21 CSB

The Lord God made clothing from skins for the man and his wife, and he clothed them.

God Himself steps in.

He replaces their weak attempt to cover their shame with something lasting.

And this clothing cost the life of an innocent animal — a picture pointing forward to the ultimate covering that would come through Jesus.

Preaching angle: Even in the middle of judgment, God shows mercy.

God Doesn’t Leave Us Stuck. Paul says:

Romans 5:8 CSB

But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Sin separated us, but God pursued us.

Sin brought death, but Jesus took our death on Himself at the cross.

Sin left us exposed, but Jesus clothes us in His righteousness.

The hope is not that we can fix ourselves — it’s that God came to fix what we broke.

Jesus Reverses the Story

In Adam, sin entered the world; in Jesus, forgiveness entered the world.

In the Garden, humans hid from God; at the cross, God came looking for us.

Adam and Eve’s choice brought death; Jesus’ choice to die brings life.

For you, this is where it gets personal:

You don’t have to stay in shame — Jesus covers you.

You don’t have to keep hiding — Jesus invites you into the light.

You don’t have to keep pointing fingers — Jesus takes the blame on Himself.

The gospel is this: Our greatest problem is sin, but our greatest hope is Jesus.

Illustration

Think back to the fishing lure. Once the fish bites, it’s stuck. It can’t free itself. That’s us in sin. But here’s the good news: God doesn’t just leave us on the hook. Jesus takes the hook for us, breaks the line, and sets us free.

Conclusion

So here’s the story we’ve walked through today:

Sin deceives us — it whispers, “Did God really say?” It promises freedom but only delivers pain.

Sin is our reality — shame, fear, and blame are written into every one of our stories. We can’t escape it on our own.

But God didn’t leave us stuck. In His love, He sent Jesus to cover our shame, take our blame, and give us hope beyond sin.

That’s the gospel. That’s the good news.

Illustration: The Rescuer

I once heard a story about a little boy who fell into a well. The sides were muddy and slick, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t climb out. He yelled and cried, but he was trapped. Eventually, his dad showed up. And instead of standing at the top saying, “Come on, son, just climb harder. Try again!” his dad tied a rope around himself, climbed down into the well, picked up his son, and carried him out.

That’s exactly what God has done for us in Jesus. He didn’t just shout down advice from heaven: “Be better! Try harder!” He came down into our pit of sin, picked us up, and carried us out through the cross and resurrection.

Students, hear me: sin is real, and it’s personal. But the hope of Jesus is just as real — and it’s greater.

You don’t have to keep biting the lure.

You don’t have to keep hiding in shame.

You don’t have to stay stuck in the well.

Jesus has already made a way. And today, if you’ve never put your trust in Him, you can.

Here’s what I want to do as we close. I’m going to lead us in a prayer. There’s nothing magical about these words, but if you mean them from your heart, this can be your way of telling God you’re ready to trust Him and follow Him.

If that’s you, just repeat after me, quietly in your heart or even out loud if you want to.

Prayer:

God, I know I’ve sinned against You. I’ve believed lies and tried to live life my own way. But today I believe that You love me. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I believe He rose again to give me life. I ask You to forgive me, cover me, and make me new. From this day forward, I want to trust You and follow You. Thank You for saving me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Hey, if you just prayed that and meant it, that’s the most important decision you’ll ever make. You’ve gone from being stuck in sin to being rescued by Jesus. And we’d love to walk with you as you grow in this new life of faith.