Sermon Tone Analysis

Before we begin, I have one request of you, that you would pray with me and for me as I preach.

Pray

Stage 1

Intro:

Attention and interest

Can you imagine it?

With His very breath, God established the universes and all they contain.

He brought forth the world, its sun and moon, He created the skies, the ocean, the mountains, the plants and trees and all the life that would live in between.Then, after seeing it all as good, God created the pentacle of His creation, the crown jewels that would eternally rest upon His brow: mankind.

Taking the dirt from the ground, He formed it into man and breathed into his nostrils life.After tasking man with some responsibilities, God declared a bizarre need in the man: the need for companionship outside of God, Himself.

God puts the man into a deep sleep and takes from His body a rib and fashions it into a woman.

At the cusp of , the first ever recorded words of mankind are written.

And it’s a song:

Of love

Of oneness

Of shamelessness

This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.

She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

2. Surface needs

Surface needs

And humanity for some time enjoyed a world unimaginable to us today.

They consumed the fruit of the garden with joy, the sweetness of nectar a simple beacon that pointed to the wonderfulness of God.

God made sweetness.

They consumed each other in marital love, their bodies embracing and merging in a oneness that echoes beyond the halls of sexual pleasure; they partook in a oneness that God Himself enjoys within the Trinity.

And with their hands, they consumed the good works God prepared for them beforehand, joyfully fulfilling their purpose as children God.

And humanity for some time enjoyed a world unimaginable to us today.

They consumed the fruit of the garden with joy, the sweetness of nectar a simple beacon that pointed to the wonderfulness of God.

God made sweetness.

They consumed each other in marital love, their bodies embracing and merging in a oneness that echoes beyond the halls of sexual pleasure; they partook in a oneness that God Himself enjoys within the Trinity.

And with their hands, they consumed the good works God prepared for them beforehand, joyfully fulfilling their purpose as children God.

Stage 2

Body:

Creative narritve

Select reading

It’s interesting that right after this happy picture that the author paints in , he doesn’t waste anytime mentioning The Serpent.

Read v. 1a, Now it’s easy to miss, but this was no ordinary serpent.

This was a beautiful and clever creature of the LORD God.

What’s more is that this creature seemed to have some information from the down-low.

“Did God really say, ‘Y’all shall not eat from any tree in the garden?”

“Did God really say, ‘Y’all shall not eat from any tree in the garden?”

Now this question seems innocent enough, as far as we can observe, there was no uneasiness in the woman's response.

Now this question seems innocent enough, as far as we can observe, there was no uneasiness in the woman's response.

“Of course we can eat from the trees in the garden, there is just the tree in middle of the garden that God said we can’t eat or even touch, or we die.”

“Of course we can eat from the trees in the garden, there is just the tree in middle of the garden that God said we can’t eat or even touch, or we die.”

That’s a fair response; it’s to the point.

It’s true God said nothing about the touching, but I would argue that she is taking the weightiness of God’s command with seriousness.

That’s a fair response; it’s to the point.

It shows that the woman understands the weightiness of God’s command with seriousness.

If you knew that to commit a certain action would to be sinning against God, why even play with the fire?

If you know that to commit a certain action would to be sinning against God, why even play with the fire?

Well, after her response, suddenly the conversation turns scandalous

Well, after her response, this serpent suddenly turns the conversation into scandal

*gasp* You two surely will not die!

For God knows that in the day that y’all do eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you both will be like God, knowing good and evil.

*gasp* You two surely will not die!

For God knows that in the day that y’all do eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you both will be like God, knowing good and evil.

LIAR! BLASPHEMER!

Right after v. 5, do you see it?

Adam yells at this deceiver and… wait a minute.

What’s this? *pause* No one confronted this creature who would dare call God a liar.

LIAR! BLASPHEMER!

Right after v. 5, do you see it?

Adam yells at this deceiver and… wait a minute.

What’s this?

No one confronted this creature who would dare call God a liar.

v. 6, The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

v. 6, The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

What in the world are they thinking?

What in the world are they thinking?

Is God holding out on us?

Is God holding out on us?

Is He just holding us back so He can have all the glory to Himself?

Is He just holding us back so He can have all the glory to Himself?

Do you notice, the road to self-destruction always begins with the temptation to mistrust and disregard what God tells us?

Do you notice, the road to self-destruction always begins with the temptation to mistrust and disregard what God tells us?

But not so the sinner.

He concludes in

that those who disregard God’s Word, the wicked, will perish.

So if we have to choose between being happy or perishing, how and why, Christians, do we still screw this up?

Why do we continue to yield to temptation and forsake God’s call over our lives?

Let’s look back at v.6.

Let’s look back at v.6.

Now she saw that the tree was good for food.

It was a delight to the eyes; that’s the interesting thing about temptation.

The longer you stare at it, the more delightful and indulging it appears.

Now she saw that the tree was good for food.

It was a delight to the eyes; that’s the interesting thing about temptation.

The longer you stare at it, the more delightful and indulging it appears.

This is often why we fail in our participation of the victory Christ won us into.

When we cultivate desire, whether we dwell on the wants of our flesh, allow our imaginations to linger too far in pastures forbidden to us, or not straight up flee from the area that temptation is rampant in, we have already paved our way towards destruction.

Now hear this Christian: this is often why we fail in our participation of the victory Christ won us into.

When we cultivate desire, whether we dwell on the wants of our flesh, allow our imaginations to linger too far in pastures forbidden to us, or not straight up flee from the area that temptation is rampant in, we have already paved our way towards destruction.

So she eats one of the forbidden tree’s fruit and her husband watching her, watching his wife betray the God who he witnessed create, and partook in this macabre picnic.

At that moment, their eyes were opened.

*pause* They saw each other.

What did they see that wasn’t there before?

v. 7, They realized, in the midst of their own scandal, they were naked.

They saw each other for what they had become in their most vulnerable.

In a pitiful makeshift attempt, they put together fig leaves to cover their shame.

This is interesting.

What do you use to cover the sin in your life?