The Deceptive Tree of Knowledge

The Deceptive Tree of Knowledge

Introduction - Have you ever seen something or someone and thought, “What happened? What is wrong with that person? What is wrong with that thing?” It just takes one glance and you know that something is not right. A friend walks up with a black eye and you say, “What happened to you?” Your wife puts a cake on the table that says “Happy Birch-day” and you say, “What happened to the cake?” (Guys, if your wife cooks something and it doesn’t look right, keep your mouth shut! You ask that internally, and say, “Mmmmhhh. That looks delicious!”) You go to your family reunion and see your creepy uncle with the huge mustache who loves cheese or your aunt who is obsessed with cats and think, “What happened? How is he a part of our family? How is she a part of our family?” (She has a cat in her purse, and he is just sitting in the corner, listening to Bon Jovi and nibbling on a block of Colby Jack!) All of us have had that moment when we see something and think, “What in the world happened? It is not supposed to be like that.”

When you stop and look at the world, it is easy to wonder, “What happened? What is wrong?” If you haven’t asked yourself that question, you haven’t watched the news lately. Rape, robbery, murder, and a host of other crimes are committed on a regular basis. People are committing horrible acts against other human beings, and it should cause us to stop and ask, “What happened? What is wrong with our world?” There are a multitude of opinions on what is wrong with the world:

1. Environment - People who grow up in a negative environment do bad things. If they grew up in a better home, they would not have done what they did.

2. Genetics - People are born with certain traits and tendencies. They cannot help it; it is in their DNA.

3. Ignorance - People just don’t know any better. If everyone simply had a better education, they would not act like they do.

All these explanations are inadequate. People who have been raised in a great environment have committed terrible crimes. People from the same family with similar genetic makeups do terrible things while others in their family do not. People who have been well educated have committed crimes. There is something wrong with humanity, but it is not connected to the environment, genetics, or ignorance.

Of all the competing worldviews and religions, Christianity presents the most comprehensive and satisfactory answer to the problem with humanity. According to the Bible and Christianity, the problem with humanity is not environment, genetics, or ignorance…it is sin! Man’s problem is that he is sinful by nature and by choice; he lives in rebellion to the Word and the will of God. This problem is not a new problem, though. It goes way back, all the way to and the Garden of Eden. This morning, I want to look at and what it teaches about the nature and impact of sin (READ ).

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I am going to preach on sin this morning (I know some of you are thinking, “This is why we keep coming back to Crossway! You always have that good news for us!”). There is good news coming, but you have to hear the bad news first. I can’t convince you of the solution until I convince you of the problem. Biblically, the problem is sin, and the problem starts here in . Prior to this, everything is good. God creates, God blesses man, and God places man and woman in the garden to enjoy His creation. After this, everything goes downhill. Here is where sin and death and devastation come from. This passage explains why the world is the way that it is. So, I want to look at what this passage teaches us about sin and how we should respond to that truth.

1. The Deceptive Nature of Sin (vs. 1-6)

The first thing I want to point out is the deceptive nature of sin. In verse 1, this “cunning” snake shows up in the garden. This snake is cunning, crafty, sneaky. This immediate passage does not reveal who the snake is, but the rest of Scripture certainly does. In , we are told about a battle between the dragon and his angels and Michael and his angels. Michael and the angels win, and John said, “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (). In , John wrote, “He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” Based on these texts, it is clear that the serpent is Satan.

He shows up in the garden, and he begins to talk to Eve (this would scare most of us to death; snakes are scary enough as it is, much less when they talk to you. I agree with those who say, “The only good snake is a dead snake.” Even Indiana Jones hated snakes!). She isn’t bothered by the talking snake (she is like Dr. Doolittle here, just having a conversation with the snake); she talks with him. Throughout the conversation, the serpent tries to cast doubt on God and His Word. Here is what he essentially says: God’s Word is not true and God’s way is not best. He doesn’t come right out and say this at first, though. He leads into it. Notice how he does this:

A. He Questions God’s Word - Satan says, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’” I can hear him now: “Did God really say that? Are you sure?” Satan is trying to get Eve to doubt the Word of God. He will never get her to disobey until he gets her to doubt. But, once he gets her to doubt, he knows that she is well on her way to disobeying.

This tactic is still used today. God’s Word is still questioned. Did God really say homosexuality is a sin? Did God really say abortion is wrong? Did God really say He created the world in six days? Did God really say that Jesus is the only way to heaven? Did God really say that hell is the eternal destiny of those who reject Christ? Did God really say…? The Word of God is being questioned and challenged in many places today. The assault on God’s Word is Satanic in origin; it started here in the garden. But, if Satan can get people to begin doubting God’s Word, he often gets them to disobey it.

B. He Twists God’s Word - Notice how Satan words God’s command not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He says, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’” This is NOT what God said. He actually said, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (). God tells them to freely eat of every tree of the garden…except one. God’s command is generous, and His only restriction is for their benefit. (I have always been amazed that God only gave them one rule…one rule! How hard was that to follow? I try to do the same thing with the students most of the time. Just a few rules to keep chaos from breaking out: stay in the gym, keep your hands to yourself, don’t set anything on fire, and don’t drink out of the toilet. Simple.)

God is so gracious, and He only gives them one rule to protect them. Satan comes along and twists what God had said. He makes God sound restrictive and prohibitive, when God had actually been quite generous. This is how Satan works, and this is how sin works. It makes us think that God is not generous and that He does not have our best interests in mind. Ultimately, when we choose to sin, we are saying, “God’s way is not best. What God has asked me to do or not to do is not good. It is better to do what I want to do than it is to do what God wants me to do.”

Look at how Eve responds. She is starting to buy into what Satan is saying. She says, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die” (vs. 2-3). Notice that she leaves out the words “every” and “freely.” God said, “You can freely eat the fruit of every tree.” She just says, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden.” Then, notice that she adds words. She says, “God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it’” (vs. 4). Did God say they couldn’t touch it? NO. She is adding on to God’s Word. Then, she softens God’s warning. God said that the day that they disobeyed and ate the fruit, they would surely die. She just said that they would die. Now, Eve is doubting and misrepresenting God’s Word. (Either she made a mistake or Adam was a really bad Bible teacher! Girls, if you aren’t married, find a guy who loves Jesus and knows His Bible!)

C. He Denies God’s Word - Eventually Satan just comes out and calls God a liar. Eve said, “God said if we eat the fruit we will die.” Satan responds, “You won’t die. God knows you will be like him and know the difference between good and evil, so He doesn’t want you to eat the fruit. You won’t die!” Satan is flat-out denying God’s Word. And, he is questioning God’s gracious character. He says, “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (vs. 5). In other words, God is holding out on you. You won’t die…He just doesn’t want you to be as smart as He is! God is holding you back from being all that you could be! Satan is a liar, not God. He lies about God’s Word, and he lies about God’s goodness.

This is the pattern to sin: doubt God’s Word, twist God’s Word, and then you reject God’s Word. Satan doubts, twists, and rejects God’s Word, and the woman buys into his lies. What amazes me is that she listens to Satan. Seriously? Who are you going to listen to: a creepy snake or God? Come on, man! Someone said that the woman listened to the snake, the man listened to the woman, and no one listened to God. This is pretty much what happened (the issue here was trusting God, not eating the fruit. This isn’t really about the fruit. The command and the fruit was simply an opportunity for them to demonstrate faith or unbelief). The woman realizes that the tree is good for food, is pleasant to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise ( - For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world), and she takes the fruit and eats it. She disobeys. Then, she gives the fruit to her husband (who was with her), and he ate it (the text implies that he was there the whole time; Satan addresses the woman as “you” in the plural, and it says that Adam was “with” her).

*Notice that Satan deceived them by telling them half-truths: 1) they did not die...immediately (but, they died spiritually, and physical death began), 2) their eyes were opened…to their nakedness (and they felt guilt and shame), 3) they became like God in knowing good and evil…but they were afraid to talk to Him (and they were driven from His presence). Their sin left them spiritually dead and burdened with guilt and afraid of God. The sin that promised pleasure brought pain. The sin that promised delight brought death. The sin that promised knowledge brought nakedness. The sin that promised greatness brought guilt. Sin deceived them!

Listen, sin will deceive you. Satan will deceive you. He will promise you joy and pleasure and satisfaction, but he will leave you hurting and empty and broken. Many of you have experienced this or are currently experiencing this. You thought alcohol would numb the pain; you thought drugs would relieve stress; you thought that house would bring happiness; you thought sexual encounter would satisfy you; you thought that promotion would bring recognition and importance. Sin cannot and will not satisfy you. God’s Word is true and His way is best, and when you sin, just understand that you have been deceived and whatever your doing is not in your best interest.

2. The Inadequate Responses to Sin (vs. 7-13)

Second, notice the inadequate responses to sin. After Adam and Eve sin, they try to address their sin in a couple different ways, and it is not good. What is interesting is that the pattern of sin is the same today as it was back then (doubt, twist, and deny God’s Word), and the responses are the same today as they were back then. Look what Adam and Eve do while attempting to address their sin:

A. Try to Cover It - The first thing Adam and Eve do is try to cover their nakedness. They are going to cover up their sin and shame and nakedness by using “fig leaves” that they sewed together. Their eyes are opened, they realize they are naked, and they try to cover themselves. They are going to take care of the problem themselves by making some eco-friendly clothes!

Listen, people are still doing this. People are still trying to cover their sin. The most common way that people try to cover their sin is religion. It is the most popular fig life in all of history. People think, “I carry a Bible. I go to church. I quote some verses. I sing some songs. Nobody will ever see what I am doing, who I am, where I’m at spiritually.” Some of you are doing this. You are covering your greed by saying you want a better future for your kids. You are covering your adultery by saying that you are working late. You are covering your anger by blaming it on your stressful job. You are covering your sinfulness and your lost-ness with excuses and religion, but it is just a bunch of fig leaves and God sees right through it.

B. Try to Hide - The second thing they do is hide. God shows up, walking through the garden, and Adam and Eve hide among the trees of the garden. Actually, I should re-phrase that…they tried to hide! (It reminds me of when I was little. My parents would be in the other room, and they would hear me and my little brother sinning. They would come to check up on us - foot steps. We would hear them coming, and we would be like, “Quick! Hide! Hide! Get that peanut butter out of your ear and hide the matches!”) We would try to hide from them.

This is essentially the picture that we get in the garden. Adam and Eve are sinning, God shows up in the garden, and Adam runs to hide behind a tree. Does this seem foolish to anyone else? The omniscient, all-knowing, all-seeing, sovereign God of the universe is there and Adam’s like, “I’ll hide behind this tree. He’ll never find me here!” The point is this: when we sin, we get dumb! Any of you watch Cops or the news? When we sin, we are not in our right mind.

Listen, you cannot hide from God. God knows everything. He sees right through your covering, and He knows exactly where you are and what you are doing. He calls out to Adam and asks, “Where are you?” (Obviously this is a rhetorical question.) Adam says, “I heard your voice, and I was afraid because I’m naked; so, I hid myself.” God asks, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” (Again, rhetorical question.) Now, here is his chance to come clean, to admit that he sinned and disobeyed God. But, notice what he does!

C. Try to Blame Others - The third thing they do is blame others. When God confronts them, they start blaming other people. Adam says, “The woman…” It is her fault! What a guy! The woman—oh, she’s a defective—I think I married the wrong woman. I think I married the wrong woman. I was such a great guy. You remember? I was a great guy ‘til I got that woman. She brings out the worst in me. I hope that’s a beta version. You know, we need to go 2.0—that woman’s got some defects. She’s not put together all right.”

Guys do this all the time, “I think I married the wrong woman.” They get rid of her and find someone else. Then, they say, “Oh, I think I married the wrong woman again.” Did you ever think that maybe you are the wrong guy? Something to think about. But Adam blames Eve.

But, he also blames God. He says, “The woman whom you gave to be with me…” (vs. 12). This is not so subtle. “She’s a mess. She’s created problems. And you made her. I think I will be over here, and you can deal with her. You have made a big mistake, God.” He blames God for his sin instead of admitting his sin and confessing it.

God moves to Eve, and says, “What is this you have done?” And Eve, she is a charismatic. She says, “The devil made me do it.” She blames it on Satan. Listen, Satan cannot make you do anything. He will tempt you and he will trick you, but he cannot make you sin. But she blames Satan.

Listen, people still respond like this today. When was the last time you saw a politician or a criminal get on TV and say, “I just want to tell you that I’m wicked and it’s my fault!” Never! Me neither! (HA) People make excuses for their sin. It is never their fault. Someone else provoked them. Their parents neglected them. Their spouse mistreated them. Their children disobeyed or annoyed them. People love to play the blame game. No one wants to take personal responsibility for their actions.

This reminds us of a profound truth: we are incapable of dealing with our sin. We are inadequate and powerless when it comes to addressing our sinfulness. We try to cover it, and we try to hide it, and we try to blame others, but we are never able to address it or get rid of it. Our sinful nature and our wicked heart lead us to commit sin, even when we try not to. There is nothing we can do to conquer sin. We are totally in need of God’s grace.

So, Adam and Eve are deceived by sin; and they respond by covering themselves, hiding from God, and blaming others for their sin. God cuts right to the chase at this point, and He pronounces judgment on their sin and disobedience.

3. The Tragic Consequences of Sin (vs. 14-19)

Third, I want you to notice the tragic consequences of sin. In verses 14-19, God judges the serpent, the woman, and the man. God had said that man would die when he ate the fruit, but at this point it appears that Satan was right…they hadn’t died (at least not physically). But, God begins to pronounce judgment and it becomes clear that Adam had died and would die. He doesn’t start with man, though. He starts with the serpent.

A. Satan - God begins by cursing the snake. Ultimately, the snake is promised humiliation and defeat. First, he is promised humiliation. God said, “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life” (vs. 14). The serpent is cursed and must crawl on his belly and eat dust (not that snakes literally eat dust but that

Second, he is promised defeat. God said, “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel” (vs. 15). This is known as the protoevangelium (the first gospel), because it promises that the seed of woman will “bruise” or “crush” the head of Satan. There will be “enmity” between Eve and Satan, and between his seed and her seed. Satan will “bruise” the heel of Jesus, but her seed (“he,” third person singular - Jesus!) will “crush” his head. From the very beginning, God knew that Jesus was going to come and die on the cross and deliver a deathblow to Satan. I love this! If this doesn’t get you fired up as a Christian, I don’t know what will!

Satan goes from crafty to crawling on his belly. He goes from tempting Eve to tasting dust. He goes from deceiving Eve to being defeated by Jesus. Satan is a conquered enemy! We are on the winning side. The promise in was fulfilled when Christ died on the cross and robbed the grave of its sting and sin of its power. Satan is living on borrowed time. He has a limited life expectancy and will come to a violent end.

B. Woman - Next, God judges the woman. Here judgment is simple: pain in childbirth and conflict with her husband. First, there will be pain in childbirth. He said, “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children” (vs. 16a). Is that true, women? Having a kid looks painful. Bill Cosby said that the only way a man can relate is to take his top lip and pull it over his head! The result of sin was pain in childbirth for women. The joy of childbirth would be offset with the pain in giving birth.

Second, there would be relational difficulties as well. The woman would no longer naturally submit to her husband but would desire to dominate the relationship. He said, “Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you” (vs. 16). There would be this conflict where the woman wants to rule over the man, but the man is supposed to rule (which offends our modern sensibilities; feminists had the biblical teaching on male leadership in the home and in the church. The bible teaches that men and women are equal in value and dignity, but they have different roles within the church and the home. They are equal in value but different in function). The woman’s desire to lead causes relational issues. How many of you women know that women often try to dominate/rule men? They do it in several ways:

*Nag - Women often nag their husband. Have you ever seen two men nag each other? No, because one of them would die! But women will nag their husband sometimes. “The trash is pilling up. You need to take out the trash. I told you to take out the trash. Why don’t you ever take out the trash?”

*Yell - Some women will yell at their husband. They nag and it doesn’t work, so they just yell. “You are worthless. You are la-la-la-lazy! TAKE OUT THE TRASH!”

*Cry - If that doesn’t work, they will just cry. “Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. You hurt my ________.” Exactly! You hurt my feelings, which is devil talk for “I won. The end!”

*Boss - Other women just come right out and dominate, with the hand on the wrist and the finger in the air move. When she does that, it is over. You’re like, “Awww man. I see my mom. I am just waiting for the wooden spoon. I am going to get scolded.” It is over. You are done. Because if you tell her to stop, she will cry! She is tricky!

There is conflict in marriage as a result of women trying to rule the man (and there is conflict when a man tries to dominate his wife or force her to submit; any time a man fails to love and lead like Christ, there will be conflict. It is a two-way street).

C. Man - Finally, God judges the man. Man is destined to painful labor and certain death. First, there is sweat and frustration and difficulty in work. God said, “Then to Adam He said, “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field” (vs. 17-18). Basically, God says that from here on out, work would be difficult. How many you guys have a bad job? You all do…that’s why they pay you for it. You love to eat ice cream, but you don’t get paid for that. You love to sleep, but you don’t get paid for that. They pay you for your job because they know its terrible and you wouldn’t do it for free (HA). Even if you enjoy your job, there are times when it is difficult and things don’t go right and you get frustrated. It is difficult to get a job and keep a job and earn enough money to provide for your family. This all stems back to . Prior to this, everything in creation was under man’s dominion. Now, the ground is cursed and will bring forth thorns and thistles. It will be difficult. Man will have to work hard and sweat and do everything he can just to eat.

Second, there is certain death. God said, “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return” (vs. 19). God says, “You are going to die. You came from the dust, and you will return to the dust.” It is funny, because Satan said, “You will be like God.” No, you’ll be fertilizer, mulch. In the end, the dirt wins. Man came from the dirt, and man returns to the dirt. “You will be like God.” No, you won’t. You’ll be fertilizer. Not exactly the goal that Adam and Eve aspired to when they disobeyed God. Physical death is certain.

*Also, man was driven out of the garden and separated from God (vs. 22-24).

All of these consequences can still be seen today. Woman, does having a baby still hurt? (YES! When my wife gave birth to McCartnie, I thought two things: Kim is tough, and thank God I’m a man!) Woman, is there still conflict in marriage? Men, is work often difficult and stressful? (You have a long day at the office, nothing is going right, and you think, “I’ll go home and mow the lawn.” You get home and the grass is 2 feet tall and the weeds are mocking you.) Men, is death still certain? (Yeah, 10 out of 10 people die.) Most importantly, does sin still separate from God? The answer is yes! Our sin separates us from God ( said, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear”). Every person in here experiences the consequences of sin. Relational conflict, issues with work, sickness and death, separation from God…the consequences of sin are real and evident in our lives.

Listen, every person is a sinner (; ). We all experience the consequences of sin, especially the separation from God. Our sin separates us from God, and there is nothing that we can do about it. Thankfully, God has addressed our sin problem.

4. The Gracious Solution to Sin (vs. 20-24)

Finally, notice the gracious provision of sin. Our sin separates us from God and we are incapable of dealing with it on our own, but God graciously provides forgiveness for our sins. In verse 21, God “made tunics of skin, and clothed them” (Adam and Eve). In order for Adam and Eve to live, an animal had to die. Blood had to be shed. A sacrifice had to be made. The author of Hebrews wrote, “Without shedding of blood there is no remission” (). The necessity of a blood sacrifice is traced all the way back to the garden, where God shed the blood of an animal to cover Adam and Eve and their sin. It continued in the Mosaic Law, where the people had to come to the temple and offer sacrifices to cover their sin. Year after year, the people had to come to the temple and offer sacrifices to cover their sin. “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (). God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us. When He showed up to begin His public ministry, John the Baptist said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” ()! Jesus Christ died so that you could have life. He shed His blood to pay for your sins and my sins. Paul said, “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ)” ().

Conclusion - This morning, your problem is not environment or education or genetics. Your problem is that you are a sinner. You have disobeyed God’s Word and disregarded God’s will, and you cannot do anything about your sin. The good news is that Jesus Christ took care of your sin on the cross, when He died in your place and shed His blood for your sins. You can leave church this morning with forgiveness and a new life. You can begin a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Where are you this morning?

Have you come to admit how bad your sin really is? And how badly you need the covering of Jesus? Or are you still, like Adam and Eve, hiding yourself from God? Shifting the blame onto others? Trying to cover your shame with a handful of fig leaves? It will never work! God knows where to find you when you are hiding. God sees right through the excuses. And God is not impressed with our religious fig leaves. In fact, these attempts to rescue ourselves are not even necessary. God has given us his Son for a covering! When we trust in him, we need no longer hide. When we trust in him, excuses are no longer necessary. When we trust in him, we are clothed in his righteousness. So look to the seed of the woman who has crushed the serpent’s head; and behold “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”