Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Analytical
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Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Anger
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Introduction
Define Refresh.
Rest
Relief
Re-energize
Give care to...
Explain series.
Stories of people in the Bible who experienced the same refreshment from God that we can experience.
Emphasize the impact of the gospel on people from the Old and New Testaments.
This doesn’t start out as a very refreshing story.
In fact, it may be one of the most depressing moments to think about in human history.
Every pain and evil that we despise about this world stems from what took place in this chapter.
God had placed His new creation, in a perfect environment.
Man was created positively holy.
He did not tend towards evil.
He tended towards good.
For man to sin, he would have to act against the good nature that God had given him.
Unfortunately that is exactly what happened.
Paul gives us a commentary of what exactly happened.
Eve was deceived by the temptation of Satan.
She was convinced to believe a lie.
Adam, however, was not deceived.
He chose to disobey God for a simple reason.
He loved his wife more than he loved God.
Neither one of them trusted God.
Eve didn’t trust that God knew what was best for her in withholding the fruit of the tree.
Adam didn’t trust that God was enough for him even if he lost his wife.
Human failure abounds in this story.
But then, God enters the garden.
We know how Adam and Eve try to hide themselves.
They try to hide their nakedness.
They try to conceal their location from their offended creator.
It is here that we get our first taste of refreshment.
Don’t we all know that while Satan was tempting Eve, God was there?
Don’t we know that when Eve took the fruit and gave it to Adam, God was there.
He not only saw their actions, but He also saw their hearts and minds.
He heard their thoughts of doubt and suspicion of Him and His motives.
He had only ever done good to them, and yet they sinned against Him.
Despite knowing all that had occurred that day, God still manifested His presence in the garden on that day.
There are an infinite number of ways that God could have reacted to Adam and Eve’s rebellion.
He could have melted the planet.
He could have slowly scattered their molecules into the emptiness of space.
He could have just abandoned them and never revealed himself to mankind again.
But, he didn’t do any of those things.
Genesis 3:8 “8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.”
He came down to the garden just as he had hundreds or thousands of times before to visit with His most special creation.
Even though God knew what Adam had done, God upheld His end of the relationship.
God was the offended party.
It was not God that hid Himself from man.
It was, in fact the other way around.
While Adam and Eve tried to hide from God, He pursued them.
Genesis 3:9 “9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?”
God knew where Adam was.
He gave Adam an opportunity to respond to Him.
Of course, Adam did respond, and a conversation ensued.
In verses 10-19 we watch the back and forth that occurs between God and His rebellious creation.
We are familiar with the excuses.
Adam blames the woman and God.
Eve blames the serpent.
As God begins to explain the consequences of their actions, we see that there is cause for comfort.
Humanity’s “beguiler” is addressed first.
Satan is informed of his eventual, inevitable destruction.
It is a blessing that mankind fell due to the temptation of an outside source.
This opens up the possibility of redemption.
This is certainly what God is referring to in the first prophecy of a coming Savior.
Satan had targeted humanity for corruption.
His hatred for God was so intense that he sought out God’s most special creation and sought to turn us against our creator.
Satan knows he has no power over God so went after the one being that God created to carry His image in the earth.
Despite his best efforts and temporary semblances of success, God pronounces His certain destruction.
This is refreshing for all lovers of justice.
As Adam and Eve receive their punishments, we must not overlook the mercies that are displayed by God.
First, you may recall God’s words in Genesis 2:17 “17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
There is a depth to this statement that I would be happy to discuss with anyone at a later time.
The death that God spoke of in chapter 2 was both instant and gradual.
Spiritually, it was instantaneous.
Physically, it began a process that would result in death.
We firmly assert that we believe that all life has value don’t we?
Even as we read about the difficulties that would now characterize human life, do we see a refreshing truth?
Even though they didn’t deserve it, God allowed Adam and Eve to continue living in the world that He had created.
Though childbirth would now be difficult, humanity would still get to experience the joy of welcoming new life into the world.
Though work would now be toilsome, humanity would still get to enjoy the fruits of their labor and the satisfaction of exertion.
It is refreshing to see that, even in judgment, God is merciful and good to us.
Finally, we see God’s concern for the protection and provision for fallen man.
God provided for Adam and Eve by making them coats of skin.
Because of their sin, God went and killed multiple other created beings.
Their blood was sacrificed to provide a covering for Adam and Eve.
This is a refreshing reminder of God’s provision.
God was also concerned for Adam and eve’s protection, which is why He expelled them from the garden.
How was this a means of protecting them?
Well, if you look at verse 22, you will see why God did this to protect us.
In the garden there was also the tree of life.
God did not want humans to be able to eat of the tree of life in their fallen condition.
Some commentators believe that had this happened, man would have been forever locked into his fallen state.
Essentially it would have made them unredeemable.
God was not willing to allow this to be a possibility.
I thought for a second in my office, what if God had let them stay in the garden and had just told them not to eat the tree of life?
How do you think that would have worked?
It wouldn’t have worked.
God had to evict them for their own safety.
He even placed a an angel at the entrance to keep them from coming back.
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