Week Three: The Fall

01/17/21

Dominant Thought: What we desire determines what we become. (Adapted from my conversation with Dr. Wayne Shaw)

Objectives:

I want my listeners to recognize that we still battle temptation from the evil one.

I want my listeners to feel the consequences of sin.

I want my listeners to retrace our steps back to God.

[A narrative sermon from Genesis 3 from the perspective of the tree of life.]

Read Genesis 3.1-8.

I was placed there in the garden. Everything was good. Actually, it was very good. All except for one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and bad. I even heard the command from the Lord God, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2.16-17).

The Seduction (Genesis 3.1-5)

Then, I saw him. From the first sight, I knew he was no good. He was crafty, sneaky, devilish. It seemed that he had something sly to say for every single scale on his slimy skin.

One day, the sly one saw Eve and questioned her. Do you ever feel defensive when someone starts to question you? You know something is true, but then someone starts to question your beliefs and then you start feeling nervous and unsure. That may have been what happened that day. The sly one said to Eve, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” (Genesis 3.1).

Eve started out strong. She spoke back to the sly one, “We may eat from the trees in the garden, but God did say, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is over there, the one in the middle, we can’t even touch it or we will die” (adapted from Genesis 3.2-3). She was pointing to the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.

The sly one lied to Eve, “You will not certainly die…For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and bad” (Genesis 3.4-5). The sly one lied to her by offering something that was not his to offer. Yes, her eyes were opened, but she was already like God. I remember the words, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, and all the sneaky, slimy, slithering ones on the ground.” The sly one was tempting Eve with something she that was already hers. She was already in the likeness of God.

Then, something broke for Eve. Her desire turned from God and to the forbidden fruit. She saw that the fruit looked luscious and tasty, good for food. It glistened and sparkled in the sun like it had almost a magical power. But even the glow from the sun couldn’t hide the darkness of the offer. Then, she went to rationalizing. You know, this fruit will make me wiser. I will have knowledge of good and bad. After she had her conversation with herself, she may the critical mistake.

The Sins (Genesis 3.6-13)

She reached up toward the tree. In all my power, I wanted to reach out and grab her hand and rescue her from death. She reached, she grabbed the fruit that she desired. She ate the fruit.

Then, she offered it…to Adam, her husband. He was beside her the whole time. I kept waiting for him to rescue his wife from the serpent’s slippery speech. I wanted Adam to step in and defend his wife’s honor and shout at the sly one. God told us the truth. You are twisting the truth. God told us to rule over all creation. Sly one you are not in charge. God has given that power to us to name you and keep you in your place. Leave, go away. Leave us alone. You do not have our best interest in mind.

I would have liked to see Adam start questioning the sly one with some questions of his own. Who put you in charge? Why are talking to my wife? What’s you angle here? What’s in it for you? I kept waiting for Adam to act, but he did not act. He did not lead. He stood there silently and instead of leading, he was led astray. Instead of defending, he was defeated. Instead of protecting, he was pushed over.

Adam took the forbidden fruit from his wife and ate it. As soon as they ate, while the juice ran down their chins, their eyes were opened. And I’ll never forget the way they looked at one another. What once was beautiful and carefree and innocent and pure became shameful and hurtful and willful and sinful. Their desires had changed. It was almost like death stepped up and knocked on the door of their hearts. Their eyes were opened, but not in the way they desired. For they noticed each other for the first time. Shame moved in as honor moved out.

As their eyes opened and they realized they were naked and now ashamed, they ran to the fig trees. They started sewing the leaves together to cover their beautiful bodies that were created in God’s image. The fruit brought separation. As they were sewing their latest fig leaf fashion, they heard something.

It was the sound of the Lord God walking through the garden for His afternoon stroll. I always enjoyed their evening strolls together talking about their day’s adventures. Daily, they would walk together and enjoy life. They heard His sound and hid from his sight. They came over near me. They hid among the trees in the garden. Their little game of hide and seek lasted about a second.

God called out to Adam, “Where are you?” Adam came out from under the trees and answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid.” That was the first time I ever heard that word, “afraid.” Adam said, “I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

God replied, “Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad haven’t you?” I was expecting Adam to take responsibility for his actions, but what he did next surprised me. He said, “The woman you gave me as my wife she gave me the fruit from the forbidden tree and yes, I ate it.”

God turned his attention to Eve with a question, “What is this you have done?” She confesses, “The sly one seduced me and I ate.” I must give Eve credit. She at least admitted what she did wrong.

The Curses (Genesis 3.14-19)

Then God spoke to the sly one, “Because you have done this, I curse you beyond all cattle and wild animals. You will crawl on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life.” God wasn’t done. He continued, “I’m declaring war between you and the Woman, between your offspring and hers. He’ll wound your head, you’ll wound his heel” (Genesis 3.15, The Message).

Then God turned his attention to Eve and said, “I will multiply your pains in childbirth. You’ll give birth to your babies in pain. You’ll want to please your husband, but he’ll lord it over you” (Genesis 3.16, The Message). “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (Gen. 3.16, NIV).

Then God spoke to Adam, “Because you did not lead your wife and instead listened to her and ate the forbidden fruit, then I will put the ground under a curse. I want you to remember this day every time you sweat to raise a crop and work the ground. Until now, life has been easy for you. The ground would grow anything you needed. Now, it will produce thorns and thistles. You lived in paradise.” That caught my attention, “lived” past tense. Something had changed and more changes were coming. This ground is cursed because of you. Remember that I formed you from the ground and you will return back to the ground, for dust you are and to dust you will return.

The Separation (Genesis 3.21-24)

After God cursed the sly one, the woman and the man, I saw God exchange Adam and Eve’s fig leaves for clothes from animal skins. As he handed them their new clothes, it looked like there was blood on his hands.

Then I heard God, the Father, speak with the Son and Holy Spirit, “The man has now become like one of us knowing good and bad.” Then, God the Father pointed over to me, “He [Adam] must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” If he reaches out in this cursed state, we’ll lose him forever.

So, God called Adam and Eve, and told them they must leave this garden paradise and never return. I knew they had to go, but I knew I would never have the opportunity to share my fruit with them again. I so looked forward to the day when they would bring their children and grandchildren to sit under my shade for picnic lunches. I wanted to share my fruit of life with them so they could continue to live forever. But now that they had eaten the forbidden fruit, they gave away their opportunity to eat my fruit, too. Because their desires had changed death was coming and so was separation.

If trees can cry, then I must admit there was a tear running down my branches as they left the garden that day never to return. I miss them. Not only did they leave, but God stationed one of his angel cherubim with a flaming sword flashing back and forth guarding the way back to me. The angel cherubim guarded me for generations. The fiery sword flashed back and forth for centuries. Then, one day...

The Cure

One day, God would once again walk with His people in the cool of the day. On those walks, God, the Son, Jesus Christ said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15.5, NIV).

Soon after, the Son of God picked up Roman cross cut from a tree. It was a tree where men died. He walked with the tree across His shoulders because He desired to the please His Father. He wanted to reunite the fractured relationship of mankind with the Father.

One Spring day, the Son of God was nailed to a tree. In all his perfection, he carried the curses and wounds of the world by becoming a curse for the entire human race. Jesus carried that cross and planted it in a place of death. He planted the cross in the place of death to cure the curse from the forbidden fruit and for all who have fallen short. In the death of Jesus, the wrath of a holy God was satisfied. Sin was covered.

Three days later, that tree of death became like me, a tree of life, when the Son of God walked out of the grave alive and well. Everyone has at one time replaced their true desire of God’s goodness with the forbidden fruit. God invites His people to return to Him. God’s people “return to God through repentance, retracing [their] steps to submission to [their] Creator” (Moore, Core 52, p. 23).

God continues to invite His people to walk with Him. He wants to be their deepest desire. God, the Father, “sent His own son to pay the price to remove the curse. Second, The Father sent the Spirit to support [His people]” (Moore, Core 52, p. 23). God’s deepest desire is for His children to walk with Him.

The New Creation (Revelation 22.1-5)

Everything is made right through the sacrifice of the Son. I now am planted in the new creation. It’s sort of like Eden restored. Now, I see the river of the water of life, clear as crystal. Instead of the flaming sword of the angels, I now see the throne of God and the Lamb. The ground is no longer cursed. I bear twelve crops of fruit every month.

My leaves. I love my leaves. My leaves heal nations. My leaves end racism and sexism. My leaves replace protests with peace, riots with righteousness, lies with truth, hate with love. The best part? The curse is gone. They sly one is gone where he belongs. God and His people are once again reunited for those daily walks that they all desperately desire. Always remember, What we desire determines what we become.

Week Three in Core 52 by Mark Moore

(These daily guides accompany the book, Core 52 by Mark Moore.)

Day 1: Read the essay.

Day 2: Memorize Genesis 3.6.

Day 3: Read Genesis 3.1-4.16.

Day 4: Meditate on Proverbs 16.18; James 4.6; 1 John 2.15-16.

Day 5: If you have unconfessed sin, seek out an accountability partner or a mentor. This is the first step back to Eden.

Overachiever Challenge: Memorize James 4.6.

Bonus Read: John Owen, Overcoming Sin and Temptation: Three Classic Works by John Owen, ed. Kelly M. Kapic and Justin Taylor.