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[00:00] All right, well if you have your Bibles turned Genesis chapter 3 Genesis Genesis chapter 3
[00:06] And let me just read this and
[00:12] Then let's get into it now the serpent. Yeah, let's let's start with let's sorry. I'm gonna I'm gonna do
[00:18] Let's start with chapter 2
[00:19] And go all the way to last verse. All right
[00:22] verse 25
[00:25] chapter 2 verse 25 and the man and his wife were both naked meat and Adam and Eve and they were not ashamed
[00:32] It's kind of important
[00:34] Chapter 3 verse 1 now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God has made
[00:40] He said to the woman did God actually say you shall not eat of any tree in the garden
[00:48] The woman said to the serpent we may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden
[00:52] But God said you should not you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden
[00:58] Neither shall you touch it lest you die?
[01:00] The serpent said to the woman you will not surely die for God knows that when you eat of it
[01:06] Your eyes will be open and you will be like God knowing good and evil
[01:11] so when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and
[01:14] That it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise
[01:20] She took of its fruit and ate and she also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate
[01:25] And then the eyes of both were open and they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves
[01:31] Lancecloth loin cloth. Let's pray father
[01:33] We we come before you today and with this passage and understand the deadly seriousness of it
[01:39] And as we read it we
[01:45] it's almost
[01:47] Shocking to our systems, especially after reading what you've given us in chapters 1 and 2
[01:53] And father I just ask that you would open our eyes today to what you would have us learn
[01:59] Open our hearts to the areas in our lives
[02:03] Maybe that we've hidden from you or that we're withholding from you
[02:07] That as we leave this place Lord most of all would we be more in love with Jesus
[02:17] Our Savior our rescuer our King
[02:21] We love you Lord in Jesus name. We pray. Amen
[02:24] There may not be another passage in scripture that is made fun of more than this passage and in the in culture in our world
[02:34] especially Western culture I think
[02:36] You know you have the talking snake
[02:39] Right to think of the Jungle Book you ever watch the Disney movie the Jungle Book, you know
[02:43] It has a snake with eyes, you know and it hypnotizes Mowgli, right?
[02:47] And you know, he's he's always talking to Mowgli and he's evil and he's trying to get Mowgli
[02:51] You know, I think he at the end
[02:53] I haven't seen the movie in a long time, but I think he wants to eat both thing, right?
[02:56] I think that's the end the part of it and then you know, you got the apple the red shiny apple
[03:00] No, obviously the Bible doesn't talk about an apple, but you know, that's kind of what the world has decided the fruit was
[03:06] And which means it's probably wrong
[03:10] So, but you know you have the apple and you think of Snow White, right?
[03:13] Yeah, it's a nice shiny apple, you know, and she died
[03:16] She eats it and basically kills her and then the prince has to you know, give her a magical kiss
[03:20] And then it's you know
[03:22] You have the whole picture of the naked man and the naked woman and the woman has a long hair and you have the leaves
[03:28] And everything's covered up in the right spots and all that stuff, you know
[03:30] And you have the one that's kind of like this with the apple, right? And then you have Adam the doofus kind of go
[03:34] Yeah
[03:36] And it just kind of this joke that takes place in the pictures and in cartoons and stuff
[03:44] But I think it's vital that we take it deadly serious, right because ultimately unless we
[03:51] Truly understand what the problem is then we can never know what the solution is
[03:59] right
[04:01] And so as we read it today, some of this is gonna be you know
[04:04] You've heard these things over and over and over again. And so this is some of it's gonna be that
[04:09] But even in that be thinking yeah, what what is it in this passage that you want me to get here, right?
[04:16] Right in the first six verses we get an explanation kind of of
[04:22] The serpent right it says now the serpent was more crafty
[04:29] More crafty now in our in our language, that's that means bad, right crafty is kind of sneaky and shifty and right
[04:36] But really in the Hebrew crafty, right is is not
[04:39] Necessarily a bad as any bad connotations. Okay
[04:44] You know, it's actually not bad at all. It just depends on context, you know
[04:50] It could be shrewd shrewd is another kind of form of crafty, you know now obviously Satan is shrewd
[04:57] Right, but he's also in the negative connotation crafty because of the setting
[05:01] But we want to talk a little bit about this right about Satan here
[05:06] Because we get we can't just go. Okay. Hey the garden's great. Everything's great. They get married. Everything's happening. Everything's nice
[05:12] And the next next chapter that we're introduced to say
[05:15] All right. Well, what happened?
[05:17] Right, he doesn't give us any detail the author hearing God
[05:22] Through his spirit doesn't give us any detail from chapter 2 to chapter 3
[05:26] We just know chapter 2 the ends amazing Adam is pumped, right? He's got he's got he's got a woman and he kind of proclaims it
[05:33] Right and in the body in the chapter ends this they're both naked and there's no shame
[05:38] There's no guilt no shame. No nothing. And then we get to chapter 2 or 3 words verse 1 and all of a sudden Satan shows it
[05:45] and so, you know
[05:48] Like is it Satan because some people are like well
[05:51] It's a picture of Satan or some people say, you know, it could be or you know
[05:54] There's lots of different, you know theories out there that people talk about that
[05:57] I personally think that it is a serpent that God made because if you read chapter 1 or I reverse one
[06:03] It says more crafty than any other beast of the field, right?
[06:06] And well who would made the beast in the field?
[06:07] Who did we learn that made the beast of field got right God made it and what did God call everything that he made?
[06:13] good and
[06:16] so here we have a serpent that was made that is a beast of the field and
[06:21] So it would have been good
[06:24] But then Satan comes
[06:26] And so how does that happen? Well, we know that that
[06:30] Well first, let's talk a little bit about history about how Satan got there
[06:33] But I mean at the whole mother, you know
[06:35] That's a lot of and I know a lot of people really enjoy that like find out like and if there's nothing wrong with that
[06:40] Study in it where he came from. I just want to go into it quick understand where Satan came from
[06:44] Okay, he was an angel
[06:46] And I think even in you know, there's there's there's different passages that they don't give great detail
[06:53] But there is detail about what happened. I mean right in in the end last book of the Bible in Revelation
[06:59] Right. It refers to the devil as
[07:03] That old serpent
[07:06] In chapter 12 of Revelation
[07:11] and I just want to read something by John Piper because he kind of
[07:14] He kind of puts it in a way that I think it's just easy to understand and it's kind of summarizes it and and it's easy
[07:19] For us to kind of just hear it and then move on from it for now
[07:23] Okay
[07:25] There's a couple passages that described what happened to Satan and and let me read actually let me read that
[07:31] Revelation chapter 12 because I want to at least start there it says this in verse 7 of Revelation chapter 12 says now
[07:38] war arose in heaven
[07:41] Michael and his
[07:42] Angels meaning Michael the the angel Archangel and his angels fighting against the dragon and the dragon and his angels fought back
[07:50] but he was defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven and the great dragon was thrown down the
[07:57] Ancient the ancient serpent who was called devil and Satan the deceiver of the whole world
[08:02] He was thrown down to earth and his angels were down with him
[08:05] Right. So you have that right and I have obviously that occurs at some point and you're saying well, when did it occur?
[08:11] We don't know but obviously it doesn't he he's not in the garden at the time that it's made because it's good
[08:19] Everything is good. Satan is not good. Satan is evil. God already knows this obviously as being God
[08:24] So there's no there's no possibility of Satan being in the garden at the moment that God says it's good
[08:30] So somewhere after that, okay
[08:33] He comes now John Piper says this
[08:36] About Satan the little book of Jude and 2nd Peter in the New Testament give us clues as to what happened
[08:44] Jude 1/6 says the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority but left their proper dwelling
[08:50] He has kept internal chains
[08:52] he has kept an eternal change under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day and
[08:56] Second Peter 2/4 says God did not spare angels when they sin
[09:00] But cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment
[09:05] It appears then that once there was a holy host of angels and some of them including Satan sinned
[09:11] or as Jude 1/6 says did not stay within their own position of authority in other words the sin was a kind of insurrection a
[09:17] Desire from our power and more authority than they were appointed by God and under God
[09:22] So Satan originates as a created angel who with other angels rebel against God
[09:26] Reject him as they're all satisfying King and joy and set out on a course of self exaltation and presumed self-determination
[09:33] They do not want to be subordinate. They do not want to be sent by God to serve others
[09:38] They want to have authority over themselves and exalt themselves
[09:41] above God
[09:43] And it is interesting right then else
[09:45] Satan the serpent is gonna do the same thing to Eve
[09:50] He wants to make sure he tears anything that God does and tears it apart
[09:54] And tries to make it anywhere God creates and make it bad
[09:57] Even Jesus just so you know kind of references
[10:04] This I think it's let me see is John. Let's see. Yeah. Yeah, John chapter 8 verse 43
[10:11] Yeah, yeah
[10:19] About who Satan is right Jesus says hey
[10:21] Why do you not understand what I say it is because you cannot bear to hear my words is talking about Pharisees here
[10:26] He's talking to Pharisees and Jesus says you are your father the devil and your will is to do your father's desires
[10:32] He was a murderer from the beginning
[10:35] He does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him when he lies
[10:40] He speaks out of his own character for he's a liar and the father of lies
[10:44] Right, so Jesus mentions Satan as a murder and a liar basically from the beginning, right?
[10:51] Now we see Satan here with Eve
[10:54] And it's interesting because Eve is not surprised
[10:59] To be talking to the serpent and so whatever the communication was in the garden, I don't know. I
[11:04] Don't know how to some people. Oh, well before it's in everybody all animals talk, you know, and it doesn't say that
[11:10] so I don't next to leave prescribed to that but
[11:13] The serpent is talking and Eve is not surprised by it at all
[11:17] Right, and just so you know, there are other talking animals in the Bible, right?
[11:21] Yeah, good old Balaam's donkey. All right, one of the best stories in the Bible. Love it
[11:25] All right, like Balaam's over there beating the donkey and dogs like
[11:29] Really? Why are you beating me like three times already? And he literally says that to him, right?
[11:32] Which always then brings me back to Shrek, right?
[11:36] Like those kind of there's like some biblical that's where they get some of this stuff from I don't know
[11:47] I just always feel not in a good way necessarily, but they do it anyway, right?
[11:55] I mean take that away then I need to just stop right now. Let's just call it quits. Okay
[12:00] But yeah, so
[12:04] You know, so you have you have a talking animal
[12:06] The one verse I wanted to give you I'm kind of backing up here
[12:09] Sorry if I'm all over but I had a lot of verses
[12:11] you know remember Jesus sent out to 72 and
[12:14] and he goes, you know to go witness and and you know tell his name and they come back and they're like all excited because
[12:20] you know
[12:22] They can you know over they've cast out demons and all this others other stuff
[12:26] But he said that the 72 returned with joy saying Lord even the demons are subject to us in your name and Jesus said to them
[12:32] I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven, right? Like okay
[12:37] Yeah, you know why because I literally was there from the beginning. I created them
[12:41] I know who they are right and I've given you that power and what he's saying
[12:45] But he's self from the very beginning right even this is not the very beginning because there's no beginning of Jesus of God
[12:50] But for Satan, I was there from the beginning and I saw him fall from heaven because we kicked him out of heaven
[12:57] Right, and so I just want to give you that little kind of history on Satan
[13:01] There's obviously we could talk about that a lot longer, but that's not what this chapter is about
[13:05] But there are questions right because you have a talking snake, right? He's not shocked by it at all. She's not
[13:10] Right, or you know Adam's not coming to the rescue because something, you know, something's uh, you know talking and he grabs and kills it
[13:19] No, that doesn't happen. And so there's familiarity between Eve and the serpent, you know
[13:24] And now maybe the serpent she had familiarity before Satan and dwelled it that was the other point, right?
[13:32] We know that demons in dwell both animals and people
[13:34] You said well, what about Satan? Well Satan and dwells people because we know Jesus said that Satan dwelled
[13:41] Judas, he literally said
[13:45] And so we know Satan can do that and so Satan doing this is not a stretch
[13:50] Okay. All right
[13:52] There's probably lots of questions thoughts on that. Feel free to text me later on or call me. All right
[13:56] Yeah, there's some there's some question on that
[14:07] I mean, I know the curse is you're gonna crawl in your belly and you're gonna eat dust and all that stuff, right?
[14:12] But some people think and if you do, you know that he's kind of continuing what he already was
[14:18] He's just gonna now he's like that's gonna be your life lot forever because even they talk about even in one of the Ezekiel
[14:24] Right, I think it is when he talks about the lion and the lamb coming together
[14:28] They said the serpent is still gonna be there the snake is gonna be there still eating dust
[14:31] Even though it's the curse is lifted kind of thing, you know, so
[14:34] I don't know
[14:36] I mean I get what you're saying and I don't necessarily disagree with that whether it was actually like a snake or whether it had
[14:42] You know, whether it was a standing creature or you know, I just don't think like it's fully understood like fully to be known
[14:49] I don't know. Maybe maybe it is and if it is I've definitely be glad to turn on that and you know, give that answer
[14:55] I mean I you're right though
[14:56] The curse does say you know, you're gonna crawl in your belly and basically eat dust for the rest of your life
[15:01] so forever, you know, so
[15:03] That's a good point
[15:06] But a serpent is
[15:09] Genuinely, even when we you know put the serpent in the Bible, it's kind of referring to always even you know
[15:14] Now a snake right whether it's a snake you're not you're right. We probably don't really know, you know could not be
[15:19] But it is interesting right because here now Eve is face to face with this demonic figure
[15:29] And she's an innocent as they call her
[15:32] She's gloriously innocent
[15:35] All right, she doesn't know
[15:38] But he is gonna make himself known in a way that is gonna be devastating
[15:44] As I told you of the crafty term is not necessarily a bad thing, you know think of
[15:52] Prudent right prudent is a verse in Proverbs that says the prudent are crowned with knowledge. The prudent is the same exact word
[16:02] Right as it's crafty, you know, they're the same, you know, just depends on context, right?
[16:08] so
[16:10] One theologian said I suspect what the author is saying here is that the created being was mightily empowered by God to be prudent
[16:17] But already this empowerment was turned toward evil. It was turned toward that which was corrupt and crafty
[16:23] all right, so
[16:25] So he goes, you know Satan goes
[16:30] The serpent with Satan says right off the bat
[16:33] Said to the woman did God actually say you shall not eat of any tree in the garden now, it's interesting, isn't it?
[16:43] Because you go dad you go to chapter 2 verse 17, that's not what God says
[16:50] God doesn't say it's any tree
[16:55] He forbids one tree, right but Satan already kind of like throws this little subtle lie in there
[17:00] God say you can't eat of any tree in the garden
[17:04] And so he exaggerates the command right in order to picture to make God look like to me
[17:11] I may be it maybe this isn't a hundred percent, you know where you're like, oh, maybe this is the only reason
[17:16] It's not the only reason but he's definitely wants Eve to think kind of get into his head and make Eve think that God is
[17:21] like some celestial
[17:23] You know party pooper Hill joy, you can't even any
[17:27] Your life stinks here in the garden
[17:30] And so, you know
[17:36] Satan is really good
[17:40] He's the father of lies
[17:41] so he's really good at lying and deceiving and this idea of deceiving it's just to create and to make doubt and all this stuff right
[17:49] Real and I think we see it pretty quick and Eve even without seeing it like even without it saying I think we see it
[17:55] Start to see it's starting to work on Eve
[17:57] And so because when she begins with her response
[18:00] She really has a good response in the first one
[18:04] He goes you shall
[18:07] He said did you God really say you shall not eat of any tree in the garden and the woman said there?
[18:13] Well, we may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden. So she corrects safe
[18:18] Right, which is good. Good answer
[18:20] You're like, I need doing good
[18:23] But then look what she says, but God said you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in this to the garden
[18:28] Neither shall you touch it lest you die?
[18:31] No part is
[18:35] Yeah
[18:39] It's like she almost like was like, you know what? Yeah, it's almost too much for her like yeah
[18:45] It's like and she's starting to doubt already because now she's exaggerating what God said and there's a lesson for us to understand
[18:51] How important it is to know what God says?
[18:54] Right not to exaggerate it right not to you know underwhelm it
[18:59] That it is God who said it and so it is vital
[19:02] And so you have Eve going well, yeah
[19:07] You know that's wrong really do because you know, he said that we couldn't eat of this tree
[19:10] And if we talked to eat it or touch it would not like that's not what he said, right?
[19:16] He didn't say anything about touching it
[19:18] I didn't add it this has kind of you know
[19:23] She has to side with Satan to a small degree because she you know, thanks. Oh, he's saying this
[19:28] I don't want to maybe offend. I don't wanna maybe he's right. You know, why why did he say this?
[19:34] She starts to plant the seeds of doubt
[19:37] And what's you know, because there's real I mean obviously she's on a bad path already and it just started
[19:43] Right just by that little exaggeration. We see that she's on a bad path
[19:47] And so what the real what is the real danger here what is really going on
[19:52] And I think if we really focus on what she should have said then what she does say is even more
[20:01] Right right when he lied right when he said you God said you're not allowed to touch any truth or eat of a tree
[20:07] In the garden right when he said that
[20:09] Should have been like man your little pea brain a little serpent whenever right do you not understand?
[20:16] I am an e I have a husband who loves me right who I think is wonderful
[20:21] Who is kind to me and giving and caring I walk with God I walk with God
[20:28] he has given me all this and I haven't deserved a thing of it and
[20:32] Yet he's let me live here and walk with him and now we are we are loving this place
[20:37] It's beautiful to see it's beautiful to live in every need is satisfied
[20:42] We alone are God's image bearers serpent be gone
[20:54] She should have said shall we stand in judgment of this God who has done all of this
[20:59] In any command that God would give us you can be sure mr. Serpin is for our good
[21:09] But instead
[21:14] right
[21:15] She's take steps a small step toward becoming her own God
[21:18] by lying toward idolatry
[21:22] And so encourage Satan goes
[21:24] Let's go right. He's ready now. He comes on stronger basically with a flat-out lie another flat-out lie
[21:31] But more even more so a contradiction first contradiction ever recorded at this point right of something God said
[21:39] It's a contradiction on the judgment that she's gonna receive
[21:48] You shall not surely die right with verse for a sec
[21:52] But the serpent said to what the woman you will not surely die
[21:56] And so he offers this contradiction. Oh God said this he's lying
[22:02] He's lying and I find it interesting
[22:07] That when we I think that oftentimes well, you know because you see a lot of theologians no a lot a lot of pastors
[22:15] Right and and even not not just Christians women men both
[22:19] When their theology starts to go haywire
[22:23] Right, they start to like fall away
[22:26] Really remember because we all know people right to claim Christ and then all of a sudden you're like, well
[22:31] That oftentimes it starts just like this, right? It starts in the way of contradicting judgment
[22:41] We're gonna give you example back in 2000 and I believe it was 11
[22:45] Yeah, 2011. I think it was there was a popular make-up church pastor named Rob Bell
[22:50] This guy everybody used his stuff small group stuff. He's big into that, you know freeze everybody listen to Rob Bell Rob Bell very popular
[22:59] He wrote a book called love wins
[23:04] wrote a book called love wins and
[23:09] He believes in that book that hell is not eternal
[23:11] What he writes hell is not eternal that love will ultimately reconcile all to God
[23:17] Bell's views are based on the idea that Jesus was sacrificed for the sins of humanity and that the concept of eternal torment
[23:24] It is incompatible with God's love
[23:26] Incompatible sorry incompatible with God's love
[23:29] Now Francis Shannon would write a
[23:35] Retort to that called erasing hell and it's a very serious book, you know, and it's very good. I have it actually
[23:41] I never read Rob Bell's book. I just knew what it was about, but I did read Francis Chan's book, you know
[23:47] But what's he doing what's Rob Bell do he he contradicts God where first in judgment see because well
[23:55] We aren't worried about judgment. Well, we could take away judgment that we can do whatever we want, right?
[24:01] We can do whatever we want. So so Satan is going Eve
[24:04] You're gonna listen to what I'm telling you're not gonna die
[24:09] So now Eve can now take the next step I'm not gonna die
[24:17] Lying about that. Yeah, that might be true
[24:19] Won't even let me touch any touch the fruit on that tree. What's the point of that got never said that but I heard mine
[24:30] You shall not surely die
[24:32] God knows that when you eat it, let's finish that verse
[24:36] For God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be open and you will be like God knowing good and evil
[24:44] Thinks you've sitting there. I won't die. All right, that's good. I want to die
[24:51] You know again, she's gloriously innocent naive, right may not even know truly what death is
[24:57] But you know doesn't sound good anyway, maybe she does maybe God has given her, you know
[25:01] Obviously they're full they when they were created we were created with wisdom and knowledge and idea so she may know what death is
[25:09] to some degree
[25:12] It's interesting in this temptation is that the heart of his deceitfulness is vicious deceitfulness, right is
[25:24] That what the serpent says to Eve is partly true
[25:27] And yet terribly false
[25:33] The truth that is in one sense that if they give into this temptation
[25:39] Human beings would come to kind of an understanding a bigger understanding of and recognition of good and evil
[25:47] That part was kind of true
[25:51] We know that's the case because then God
[25:53] Later on in this chapter verse 22 says the Lord God said the man has now become like one of us going good
[25:59] So Satan throws in some truth
[26:02] But gives a great lie
[26:05] right
[26:07] See when we sin we are tempted to sin why really we because we're not Adam and Eve
[26:12] We're not gloriously innocent. We are born with sin nature. We have sin in us. You know this just from little children, right?
[26:20] the demands and the things that I you know, my heart with my grandkids is beyond overflow and
[26:28] Yesterday Ridley was here and I you know, she wanted I think it was ice cream sure
[26:33] I would we have this thing about ice cream her and I and we share ice cream and it's the greatest thing, right?
[26:37] We'll take a cup of ice cream every time she comes over
[26:39] But she wanted like another cup I think a second like later on and really we don't own one ice cream
[26:46] We only do one ice cream and she then got on the floor put her head on the floor
[26:50] Like I thought it was a cutest thing in the world, but all right
[26:56] But at the end of the day, right that she didn't get what she wants. She's not happy
[27:01] And that's her way of letting you know letting you know her for a great displeasure
[27:14] And so
[27:15] when we sin
[27:17] We are sitting against kind of the backdrop of all our sin. We already know ours, right?
[27:22] We've known our sins in the past. We know that and so we say we know about evil because of our evil, right?
[27:27] No, they didn't have that
[27:30] God knows evil because he knows all things but he never experienced evil. He didn't he didn't have he that he's not evil
[27:38] He doesn't create evil. And so he doesn't he knows all about it because he's omniscient the word is omniscient meaning all knowing
[27:45] He does not know evil by becoming evil I
[27:49] Think it's interesting because that that the phrase to know good and evil is kind of found throughout the Bible in different in different ways
[27:59] In a few passages, you know and
[28:05] It's this idea of not just knowing knowledge of evil but of choosing also of evil
[28:12] The text in chapters one and two right said that before God made something
[28:20] Or after God made something he pronounced it good
[28:23] He made all things and then pronounced all things good and he can do that. Why because he's got
[28:27] He's that's his authority. That's within God's own authority. That's his prerogative
[28:33] But now these humans want to contradict God
[28:36] They're making their own choices as to what will be good and evil
[28:40] And you see the problem with that because now they're taking what is God's and making it themselves
[28:47] And that and the word for it is idolatry right at the core is idolatry
[28:56] They're making their own choices. It's about what will be good and evil, you know
[29:03] And the hoping they're gonna think well, I'm gonna be he's like, oh I can be like God my eyes will be open
[29:08] I will know things
[29:10] We know that it's a huge lie
[29:18] right
[29:20] But Satan is good at what he's what he does
[29:22] And so they listen to be like God to achieve this by outsmarting him or taking on
[29:28] Some of his own authority or his prerogatives
[29:30] is
[29:32] It's a pretty nice invitation and intoxicating for the
[29:36] Right kind of like bring it in and be like
[29:39] And I think part of our problem is that we tend to think of sin as breaking a few rules
[29:45] But I don't do this may do a little bit. I don't wanna I shouldn't do those things
[29:51] But those are bad, right? But at the end
[29:53] Just you know, it's the rules that I'm breaking
[29:58] But there's a problem with that right because in the beginning God creates
[30:01] Image bearers who know and love him
[30:05] Right, they wake up every morning and their thoughts are toward him and we kind of talked about this couple weeks ago
[30:09] He is the center of their affection. Remember? He's the center of their everything
[30:14] They love him with heart soul mind is the center of their universe but now
[30:22] They are gonna put themselves
[30:27] Right in the place where I decide or where they decide and I want to kind of them
[30:32] But it's also awesome. So I kind of going back and forth right where they're gonna decide
[30:36] right
[30:38] What is good and what is evil? I?
[30:40] Become you know a mini God because I'm deciding I have meant I had that means I have made something less of God entirely
[30:49] You can't be all-powerful if I have the power to choose these things
[30:55] And now because I've made him less and I've made myself the center and Eve is going to make herself
[31:01] Oh, it may got made God less and she's gonna be the center, right?
[31:04] Now the center of the universe now God whoever he is or it is because you know
[31:11] It's a small G God now because I'm not I'm the guy right better serve me or I'll just find another guy
[31:16] right
[31:19] And that's the nature of adultery
[31:22] Which is interesting because if you think about it that means that you and I will then if that's the way we're gonna go
[31:27] We're gonna choose this way then that we're gonna have conflict
[31:30] Why because I am in the center of the universe, but you
[31:34] I don't mean you in general, but you the people the stupid people are also the center of their universe
[31:40] But not as good as my youth center of my right. Those are stupid. I know what I'm doing
[31:48] and so everybody's thinking they're the center of their universe and that's the beginning of all the problems, right if you think about
[31:55] Greed and lost and theft. It's because people now think they are the God
[32:00] a God
[32:04] And so then we get racism and war
[32:11] Right. We got people who are even more power-seeking
[32:16] Right and they can kill millions of people
[32:18] Why because they're God you're the center of their universe
[32:23] And so I think
[32:27] Why this is why we will never think really deeply about sin if we think that sin is just room where breaking?
[32:35] Sin
[32:39] right
[32:40] puts ourself as little small G gods and takes
[32:45] God and brings him down so he's a peer
[32:48] Sin doesn't fall breaking rules. I don't want to make it sound you don't bring in rules
[32:56] You're not saying it does right?
[32:57] We know that but if you read the Old Testament and you read the cycle over and over
[33:02] Where is it? Where is the judgment found and got where does God's wrath mostly pour out on?
[33:09] Where does he bring down his wrath mostly right? It is almost always on some form of idolatry
[33:15] It's no longer the first commandment
[33:19] You will shall have no other gods before me. Why because the Lord your God is the jealous God
[33:25] He is only he is the one and only there are no other gods and when we set other things up as God's that's evil
[33:35] But sometimes you know in in our lives we try to show the relevance of Christianity within you know
[33:40] Our community or whatever, you know in the world and generally in our in our culture, right?
[33:45] And that's fine
[33:46] You know
[33:47] We want to say we don't Christians want to do this and they want to show love and they want to show kindness
[33:51] And we want to not break rules, you know, and all those things are good, but that's a core of everything
[33:56] Really is that we have brought not down because I and God I am at the center
[34:03] The core is idolatry and think about it Raymond Raymond
[34:07] I mean I usually use right because he preached a message a few years ago
[34:09] When we had it when I had to use group only we're running the youth group and he preached a message on David and that she
[34:14] right
[34:16] One of my all-time favorite messages from anybody anyway, right? I loved it. All right matter of fact, I mean, I mean what's that?
[34:22] Yeah, you were there, right?
[34:24] Right, um, just phenomenal messes, right? Sorry random unit marriage. I know he's gonna do this whatever. All right
[34:31] But David sins greatly
[34:33] Right. He sins against Bathsheba. He basically sins against everybody at this point right now. I mean he's sitting against Bathsheba her husband
[34:40] You know her the military the military leaders the people of Israel
[34:45] You know the covenant said he's made with God and got he sinned against everybody and evil done great evil
[34:51] What does he say though?
[34:52] You know, I remember is what he says right when he says I have because he prayed right remember
[34:57] He asked for forgiveness Nathan comes and says, you know, you're the guy
[35:00] I mean like, you know and he he he goes in and then makes this wonderful prayer of repentance and in it
[35:06] He says I have sinned against you and you alone Oh God
[35:15] Yeah, right, which and I'm not gonna get into Raymond's message. That's all so messy, but right
[35:22] It's kind of weird, right?
[35:25] Cuz he's sitting against everybody, you know that he could possibly sin again in that moment
[35:28] He basically has sinned against and done evil against and yeah
[35:31] He knows
[35:33] Like the core of it all begins with God. And so he says I have sinned against God since against you God and you alone
[35:40] So he's wrong at one point but he's also
[35:49] Right and he says what should be said, right?
[35:54] Because at the most basic level right that's who he since against that's who we sin against even when we do wrong to somebody else ultimately
[36:01] we're
[36:03] Making ourselves God. We're forming our own. We're becoming we want ourselves to rule idolatry ourselves
[36:09] And God is now just appear
[36:12] Well, let's keep moving verse 6
[36:21] Does this so when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was the delight to the eyes and that
[36:25] The tree was to be desired to make one wise
[36:27] She took of its fruit and ate and she also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate
[36:33] Now a couple things about that, right?
[36:36] She sees a lot of good stuff here on this tree now that these are okay
[36:41] I mean, I'm not gonna die my eyes would be all see things. I'll know things that I don't know
[36:46] I'll be like God itself. All right. And so then she kind of interesting, right? She saw it was good in various ways
[36:51] She kind of names all the various ways that this fruit is good
[36:55] Good for food physically appealing. It's pleasant to the eye meaning. It's aesthetically pleasing, right? Looks good. It looks nice
[37:04] Desirable for gaining wisdom. She's thinking let's go, right?
[37:08] Maybe smarter than my husband over there gonna be smarter than God. I can know things
[37:14] After all going am I gonna die?
[37:20] She took it and ate it
[37:26] So she took of its fruit and ate and also gave some to her husband a couple things about this
[37:42] The pattern of sin that she goes through is the pattern of sin we go to
[37:45] Listen to the one who brings death and destruction instead of listening to our Creator is to follow one's impressions instead of one's instructions
[37:54] Is to determine for ourselves what is good and evil instead of trusting the word of our maker?
[38:00] It is to make ourselves God instead of believing and trusting and worshiping the only one true God
[38:09] It is interesting that she says the Bible says we're told she took and ate it
[38:15] of the fruit
[38:17] One commentator comment commented it would it would take the coming and death and resurrection of the Messiah before the verbs take and eat
[38:23] Would become verbs of salvation. I
[38:25] Love that
[38:29] Because even in the store as we read it if we read it with knowing what's ahead
[38:34] All right, we read it with hope
[38:38] You
[38:40] It is kind of interesting that now that we're gonna look at now what happens
[38:47] Eve does what God said don't do by the way, and I don't even have this written down
[38:52] I just kind of in my mind was reading it and thinking about it and learning it and I think I've told the voices as
[38:57] They were growing up. She gives
[38:59] She eats the fruit and she hands it over to her husband
[39:06] Who who would appear is standing there the whole time?
[39:09] You don't hear him say a word doesn't make a sound and I just want to say like
[39:16] Obviously this passage has a lot of problems in it in the sense that you know
[39:20] There's a lot of bad things going on for man or woman here
[39:23] Adam has a job
[39:26] His job is to love and protect his wife to lead his wife
[39:30] All right, I have no doubt that he loves her
[39:34] He cares for her. But in this moment, he's gonna be very very passive
[39:39] He's gonna be a big pile of mush he's become passive and we see this today in today's world
[39:45] In Christian men, especially what the weather other men are not my problem, but Christian men. We see a lot of passivity
[39:53] And passivity isn't always that there's times where we just need to sit back and you know
[40:00] Okay
[40:02] But men we are called to lead
[40:05] Right in our homes our lives. We're called to love
[40:11] Sacrificially love our wives as Christ loved the church that is sacrificial love
[40:18] And Adam sits there and lets his wife do what he knows he knows
[40:24] What God has said?
[40:27] And he doesn't just he doesn't just
[40:29] Let her do it
[40:32] You know speak into it and then he partakes in it
[40:35] Instead of grabbing the serpent whatever it was right by his little head right and smashing it against a tree or something say no
[40:45] No, not to my wife
[40:48] You are not gonna speak the lies of the Creator right the lies of my Creator lies of her Creator to my wife
[40:54] He sits there and takes it
[40:58] And I just want to say be careful man passivity is not honorable from leading your home
[41:04] We see it here, you know you want a picture of godliness look at Jesus life
[41:10] You want a picture of leadership? Look at Jesus life, right but read the scriptures
[41:16] Passivity is you know, I I remember one of the things that changed my life
[41:24] And I told you all this before is going to a Bible study and it was on you know
[41:28] You know being a being a man of God basically, you know, and one of the things was
[41:33] Except that he's going to give you three things and men should be doing we should accept responsibility
[41:39] We should lead courageously and we should reject passivity and
[41:44] Then right except kind of expect God's blessing and not in this blessing is that he's gonna give you all things
[41:52] But that you grow in your knowledge of him and love for him
[41:56] And that has stayed with me
[41:58] There's a long time ago when I took that house, right and I still know those things, right?
[42:03] Because it's easy to think that you know, man can they we've talked about this before there's passive and then there's a tyrant
[42:11] Right and both are sin and both are bad when leading your wife leading your family
[42:16] We lead as God says
[42:20] Right husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church
[42:25] Lead with sacrificial love great sacrificial love but lead
[42:29] So
[42:32] So first it comes first and there's a sense of shame and guilt, right? We see it right here
[42:38] She took its fruit and ate and she also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate and
[42:43] Then the eyes of both were open and they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin cloth
[42:49] these
[42:51] gloriously innocent people
[42:53] are no longer innocent
[42:55] These glorious naive people are no longer naive
[42:58] They know
[43:00] The first thing that happens right is their eyes are open to some things, right?
[43:05] And and so there's this yes, we realize we're naked, but there's also this idea right they know
[43:10] evil
[43:12] Right. They just now they know sin
[43:20] I love that God so, you know at the end of this chapter God's gonna show them great mercy and cover it with better things
[43:26] Oh what they have on right now. All right
[43:28] All right
[43:29] But they have become evil from within I
[43:32] Think it's interesting about years ago. My mother-in-law died of cancer and you know that Laurie's mom
[43:39] But she fought a battle wall. She had ovarian cancer and she fought it long and hard and did all the right things, you know
[43:49] Just a wonderful godly woman, you know
[43:51] And I think in one sense she knew more about cancer ovarian cancer than her oncologist it right
[43:59] No, she didn't know how you know the cancer how it all worked and she didn't know
[44:04] You know specific treatment levels or radiation levels or chemo levels or whatever, right?
[44:10] What kind of surgery best what kind of mess the beds are best for you know, nausea that she didn't know any that
[44:15] You know, she got to know some of that
[44:16] But she didn't really like the doctor knew her oncologist didn't she didn't know more than her oncologist and in the technical speaking, right?
[44:22] But she knew about ovarian cancer
[44:27] More than she did at the core right because she she's experiencing right. It's in her
[44:33] The deepest level of experience she knows more than an ecologist
[44:37] Now that oncologist would come and sing at her funeral her oncologist say how great thou art
[44:43] She witnessed him. I don't know if he was saved. It's kind of like this professional singer
[44:47] Yeah, I like like almost opera type. It wasn't opera, but it was like very booming voice kind of thing
[44:51] probably
[44:54] I'll tell you that because Satan comes along nine says to you. Would you like to have this knowledge of God?
[45:00] She says we say yes, we would
[45:05] But instead of having this knowledge that we could have kind of like biblical knowledge that of an oncologist, right?
[45:14] We have the knowledge of actual cancer
[45:16] We learn about sin from the inside by becoming sinful
[45:22] By making ourselves God by becoming idolatrous
[45:26] And now for shame now we have things to hide
[45:31] Of course in today's world I'm wrapping up here in today's world people think that we can become innocent again
[45:40] If we just express ourselves
[45:42] Right, but now we got to express ourselves
[45:44] Interesting isn't it because they don't know the deeper issue
[45:50] But churches do it to the people in church ever go to a small group
[45:53] We ever been part of a small group
[45:54] You got the people that always want to talk about their sin things that they've done and all they want to keep rehashing it
[45:59] Rehashing it all the issues in their life
[46:01] Because there's this idea that man if I could just I can just free myself from his guilt if I can just free myself
[46:07] From this this stuff, you know, I can go back to being kind of innocent again
[46:11] There's going to be healing
[46:12] And and and to be true truth be told there is some healing in confession, but the Bible does talk about
[46:23] Confessing certain sins one to another but we'll also talk about not talking about certain sins. Right?
[46:28] But in any case, there is no going back to innocence
[46:36] Eve Adam I sinned and brought evil and now and we in our sin are evil
[46:44] There's only know what there's no way back to innocence. There is one way forward and it is a cross
[46:51] It is the gospel of Jesus Christ
[46:54] That is the only way forward if you have not put your faith in Jesus in all the work that he has done on the cross
[47:01] You live the perfect life that we couldn't live that we needed to live but we couldn't and then he died to death that we deserved
[47:07] We deserve death because of this
[47:12] We are sinners. We are evil and yet Jesus came and took our place
[47:18] And he took all of our sin and all of our evil and he took it on him on the cross
[47:28] And when we put our faith in him now we stand before the Holy God and he declares us us
[47:36] Because of Jesus says you my son my daughter on our righteous in my eyes
[47:42] You have been made right even though I have done nothing except put my faith in the one who died who bled who gave his body
[47:51] broken body on the cross for us
[47:56] They find their eyes open
[48:08] They realize that they're naked
[48:11] They realize that everything that they have they had no shame and now they're shame
[48:16] They had no thoughts and now they have these they had no thoughts about sin and evil
[48:20] But now they do so they so fig leaves
[48:25] The glorious innocence in God is gone
[48:29] And judgment is about to come
[48:32] Look at that over the next couple weeks. I just want to ask you this
[48:37] You have idolatry reigning in your heart
[48:40] Are you trying to make yourself your own God?
[48:44] There is only one God
[48:53] That we are not him
[48:55] And so we say to hopeful our prayers God humble me I know that I'm a sinner
[49:04] I know that you've died for me through Jesus Christ on the cross
[49:09] It is my only hope and I give I got praise you again. Maybe you've been saved for many years
[49:14] We live the gospel. We need the gospel
[49:16] We desire the gospel. We pray the gospel in our lives each and every day. It's not a one-time deal
[49:23] It's every day
[49:24] Because we sin every day
[49:27] But if your heart is full of idolatry if you realize that this life has been mostly about me
[49:33] They repent
[49:37] God is glorious at forgiveness. He's glorious at mercy
[49:41] So as you go this week right when we we start to get angry because we're not getting our way
[49:49] Somebody says something that kind of makes us, you know, whoa, right?
[49:53] Be thinking or is that my idolatrous heart rearing its ugly head?
[50:00] I don't want that
[50:06] I've asked Raymond to lead us in communion
[50:15] One of the reasons why I've asked him to lead us because this this this chapter this this whole chapter is pretty heavy
[50:20] But this this passage to me is very heavy right because it's just a it's just understanding wickedness
[50:25] When that who we are now because of this and what had happened, but yet Jesus, right?
[50:32] But God who is rich in mercy
[50:35] And so what better time
[50:40] To celebrate his Jesus life and death and so I've asked Raymond to leave communion
[50:45] Well, I was going to you know
[50:49] Gospel but I guess my dad didn't really need me
[50:53] But it is true from the very beginning we see that humankind
[51:00] Are essentially treacherous traders faithful up in the very beginning. Oh, yeah, but we see
[51:09] You won't let that quote in Ephesians there. God made rich in mercy
[51:12] We see is rich in love and mercy here even in the garden of you know, you see when he speaks to Adam and Eve
[51:18] Yelling I do it Ridley
[51:21] For a lot smaller things what Adam Eve did he closed them with clothes
[51:26] And then he also gives them a final hope
[51:29] Essentially, they realize they've done that stuff and yet he gives them hope by saying he tells the serpent
[51:37] Eve's offspring gonna crush your head
[51:40] And we see that when my dad just talked about and Jesus Christ on the cross and he goes to the cross goes Calvary
[51:47] He dies saying bites the heel of Eve and yet three days later he rises again
[51:52] And we see that promise and we see the current corner half and that we have access to now
[52:01] To God what's interesting here is how
[52:06] After Adam, you said God comes into the garden. Like where are you?
[52:11] They hide from him because they're shameful but because you know
[52:16] because
[52:19] Death is dead now in Christ is risen. We are able to approach boldly the throne of grace
[52:25] We no longer have to hide in shame. We no longer have to have fake leaves covering up
[52:30] We were able to approach him boldly because he is a good and gracious king
[52:34] And because he's a good and gracious king. We want to praise him and remember him
[52:40] That is what the Lord suffered for praise the remember the goodness of God
[52:45] I love what my dad said he was quoted someone saying and he took an eat and
[52:51] That was bad to take me
[52:53] But now we're going to take it eat and remember the body that was broken and the blood that was filled on every half
[52:58] So if you want I don't really know how to go about
[53:03] the actual
[53:05] Taking the Lord's Supper, but you want coming come and you know, an orderly fashion get get the bread
[53:11] Get the juice. Once everyone has that I will read over this passage from 1st Corinthians
[53:18] I'll pray and then we will take it together as a body. We want to come take and then
[53:23] I'll read this passage
[53:28] We'll take it together
[53:30] So 1st Corinthians, this is Paul speaking
[53:33] You know, he received this from the Lord. He's giving instruction about the Lord's Supper
[53:40] For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you on the night when he was betrayed
[53:46] The Lord Jesus took bread gave thanks broke it and said this is my body which is for you do this
[53:53] Take the body and remember the body that was broken for you
[53:59] in the same way
[54:01] After supper, he also took the cup and said this cup is the new covenant
[54:06] Established by my blood do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me
[54:12] You may drink the blood or drink a cup and remember the blood of Christ
[54:17] For as often as you eat this bread and drink a cup you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes
[54:23] I'm gonna pray
[54:26] Lord
[54:28] Lord
[54:32] Is crazy how to think about even in the gawk even in the garden
[54:39] Even when we are treacherous betray your faithful love
[54:43] You are merciful to us here for us
[54:47] Protect us watch over us
[54:51] And you give us a promise of hope
[54:55] That death is not the end
[54:57] So that now we sit here knowing that you have died for our sins
[55:04] Rose again rose again victorious. We are now able to say to say he into the devil death where he's resting
[55:12] Lord you are
[55:18] We are unworthy of your love, but we are so thankful for it
[55:24] I
[55:26] Pray that we would remember the price of of this scene of the garden the price of your son
[55:35] appears on our behalf
[55:38] Thank you
[55:43] We love you we are so grateful
[55:47] I pray that as we live out this week and this month that we would remember the price I would pay
[55:52] I
[55:54] Also
[55:56] We're gonna sing a couple songs the one is when I survey the wondrous cross just basically two quick verses of it
[56:03] It's a it's a much more upbeat version probably than you've heard
[56:06] But it is when I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died
[56:10] My riches gain I count but loss and poor contempt on all my pride
[56:16] Were the realm of the whole realm of nature mine
[56:21] That were a present far too small
[56:23] Love so amazing so divine
[56:26] demands my soul my life my all
[56:31] And as you sing that those are powerful words right that we're singing to our God to remind that love is love is so amazing
[56:41] It's so divine that it literally has to demand our life
[56:46] Our soul are all
[56:50] Are you willing?
[56:52] Let's stand