Unfiltered (version 2)

I. Intro - The great illusion

Illustration: about how truth is distorted: brings disillusions (maybe speak about Milo and how we got scammed)

A. The effects of influence - dictates, cultivates direction

B. There’s a current in the culture that shifts ideologies, moral values,....

We see this come to life in the very beginning. ..

II. Genesis 3

Genesis 3 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. (his craftiness speaks of the intentionality behind the enemy - he knows what he’s doing)

LET’S ANALYZE HOW THE SERPENT MOVES (SERPENT REPRESENTS THE MOVEMENT THAT IS AGAINST US, SEEKING TO DISTORT, DISTRACT, AND (I NEED A THIRD WORD STARTING WITH THE LETTER D)

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (‘he SAID to the woman’ = INFLUENCED/SOWED A SEED of doubt /PAINTED A PICTURE TO GET HER TO COMPARE THE TRUTH THAT ALREADY EXISTED...)

And the woman said to the serpent, (here is the truth)“We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

But the serpent said to the woman, (SATAN DISTORTS THE TRUTH) “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The Lie of Insufficiency - Satan’s core temptation was essentially “God is not enough. Take charge (do you bu!”

He redirected Eve’s focus from God’s generous love and provision toward God’s supposed insufficiency and her own lack—specifically, not enough power (to be like God) and not enough knowledge (knowing good and evil).1

This is the foundational deception we face daily.

Culture operates on the same principle: you need the next promotion, the right appearance, the perfect family dynamic, the financial security—all to become “enough.”

Eve didn’t doubt God’s power or wisdom; she believed the lie that she needed more than God. He wasn’t enough. In her disbelief, she turned her head and heart to her own resources, ambitions, and abilities.

2. The Reframing of God’s Generosity - A powerful application emerges from how Satan distorts God’s actual provision. The serpent’s temptation questions not only God’s prohibition but also the provision God made for humans, distorting both by misquoting them—claiming God said “You shall not eat of any tree in the garden” when God had actually provided every tree except one.2 Notice the pattern: Satan takes God’s generosity and reframes it as stinginess. The serpent rephrases God’s commandment in a negative light—God’s original command began positively (“From every tree of the garden you may freely eat”), while the serpent’s version begins with the negative assertion “You shall not eat.”3 Your congregation likely does this unconsciously: they focus on the one boundary God sets rather than the thousand blessings He provides.

The Myth of Incompleteness - The serpent insinuates that God’s creation work is unfinished, suggesting that eating the forbidden fruit will provide humans with knowledge to improve and perfect the created world. This speaks directly to modern anxieties about self-improvement, optimization, and the relentless pursuit of becoming “better versions” of ourselves. The sermon application: people are trapped in cycles of self-perfection because they’ve internalized Satan’s original lie—that God’s work (including their creation in His image) is incomplete and requires their intervention to be worthwhile.

The Shift from Trust to Analysis - The serpent’s temptation serves as a warning about the dangers of theological talk that analyzes or objectifies faithfulness—he changed a story of trust and obedience into a discussion of crime and punishment.3 This is profound for contemporary preaching. When people begin analyzing God’s commands rather than trusting them, they’ve already moved into Satan’s territory. The moment someone asks “Why can’t I?” instead of resting in “God said,” the serpent has won the first battle.

So when the woman SAW that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, (SHE TOOK THE BAIT) and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his…”

I. The tactic of the enemy: illusion; distort our reality (lack,

The serpent’s cunning begins by removing God’s covenant name from the conversation—Yahweh (I AM) disappears from the serpent’s lips, replaced with a generic term for God.

Culture is distorting how we see God:

Presence and Accessibility = present to act: it’s more than a label, it reveals that he is an active presence that is available for deliver, forgiveness, and guidance.

DISTORTION: Culture says that God is distant, unavailable, uncaring in our struggles...

Eternality and Unchangeability- eternal and unchanging (I am, not I was, or I will be) - we can fully trust because he is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

DISTORTION: Culture operates through constant flux—new standards, shifting identities, perpetual reinvention. But Yahweh stands immovable. His name speaks of His autonomous, self-determined, perfectly complete nature.4 This is the antidote to the serpent’s lie that you’re incomplete and must constantly improve yourself. God’s unchanging nature means His covenant promises, His character, and His love remain stable regardless of cultural pressure.

Covenant Intimacy -The name Yahweh represents a covenant relationship. Yahweh is forever attached with God’s covenant with Israel. Therefore, it demonstrates God’s intimacy and that he is a personal God.3 In disclosing his personal name to Moses, Yahweh invited His creation to call upon Him and to know Him personally.4 Culture whispers that you must earn belonging through performance and status. Yahweh’s covenant name declares the opposite: you belong through His self-initiated commitment. Nothing can separate us from the love of God because he is in covenant with us. This covenant was cut and sealed with the blood of Christ, and therefore, God will remain faithful to us.3

This erasure matters because the covenant name carries implications of grace and worship that would naturally repel deception.

2. The serpent distorts God’s word through exaggeration, painting Him as a “cruel oppressor” rather than a “beneficent provider,” and smuggles in the assumption that God’s word is subject to human judgment.2 This is worth emphasizing: the enemy doesn’t always lie outright—he reframes what’s true, making God’s generosity look like oppression. Your congregation will recognize this tactic in how culture whispers that God’s boundaries are restrictive rather than protective.

2. The distraction of the enemy: doubt, comparison, misunderstanding,

It led to shame - they hid.

But here’s the redemptive pivot: God’s response to their shame reveals His actual view of them. God’s clothing of Adam and Eve with garments of skin signified His veiling of their fallen, shameful nakedness and His banishing their fear—restoring them from death to life and from fear to peace.1 More profoundly, God provided garments of skin as a symbolic gift pledging His commitment to the creation covenant, covering humanity’s shame with a covering only to be finally completed when humanity is clothed with Christ.4

The sermon’s power lies here: God doesn’t shame them for their nakedness—He covers it with compassion. The act of covering someone’s nakedness is the sign of grace.2 Culture says you must earn acceptance through appearance. God says He covers your shame through sacrificial love. Your congregation needs to hear that God sees them not as deficient, but as beloved—worthy of His costly covering, both then and now through Christ.