Genesis 8 Series

Genesis 8

Last week we went through the fateful events of the fall of mankind into sin. That dreadful day when the first man and the first woman rebelled against God and ate from the forbidden tree. We covered what they did, how they reacted, and how God reacted in the consequences He gave them. And that’s how we ended last week. But there’s so much more to the story!

[“Lord of the Rings” illustration.]

Last week we saw that:

- satan wanted to destroy what God had created

- satan brought disorder to the world that God had brought order to

- satan brought death upon the life of the earth

- satan lied to turn mankind away from the Truth of God

Because of the temptation and the fall:

- since satan brought death to humanity, he would now suffer death

- Eve influenced her husband into sin, she would now live in submission to him and would bring forth children in pain

- Adam ate from the forbidden tree, he now has to work hard all his life just to eat

Life was now very different from before, and we’re still living in its effects because

Adam’s sinful nature is passed down to us all.

No when you look at the state of humanity here in Genesis chapter three, as things were right after the fall, everything seems to be up in the air. I mean, man is now a sinner. Man will now die. Just when will he die? And will he continue to sin? Just where is humanity headed?

But praise the Lord the story doesn’t end like that. God makes a way to restore fellowship between Himself and man and even gives man hope in the future. A future that probably didn’t look so good to Adam at first. I mean life was now full of shame, pain, work, and death. What kind of life would that be? But Adam did do something right after the Lord handed down his consequences. Adam chose to believe God’s Word. So in the beginning of tonight’s passage:

I. Adam demonstrates his faith in God

[Read Genesis 3:20.]

Remember when Adam first saw his wife he named her woman because he understood that she was brought into existence from him instead of from the earth. But now he gives her the more formal and personal name of Eve which means living or life-producer. When they were first created, God told them to be fruitful and multiply, filling the earth. So Adam already knew she would bring forth children. And in verse sixteen God reinforces the fact that she will still have babies.

[Read Genesis 3:16.]

But now death has come upon them. How’s she going to bring forth children when now they would die since they ate of the forbidden tree?

I’m not really sure if Adam knew how it would all work out. But even though he had turned away from the Lord and sinned, he still knew who God was. He still understood the power and the person of God. So even though he probably didn’t understand just how it was all going to work out, he believed God when He said that the woman will continue to bring forth children. And his belief, his faith in God’s Word was demonstrated by the name he gave to his wife – Eve.

It’s like Adam was saying, I know death has come upon us, but somehow my wife will still bring forth children just like God has said. God has said we’ll die, but He also said we’ll have children. How that works, I don’t know, but He’s big enough to make it happen!

I tell you what, that’s faith. When you can’t see at all how God’s going to come through on His promise, but believe Him anyway – that’s faith!

There was once a little boy who was caught in a fire at home. He could not get out of the burning house. He climbed up out onto the roof of the burning home, and began to cry for his father’s help. The father looked up at his son from the ground, and told him to jump. “I can’t see you though daddy, how will you catch me?” said the son. The father said, “I can see you”. Without further hesitation the boy jumped into his father’s arms.

That’s the kind of faith Adam had. He couldn’t see how God was going to do it, but he trusted that God knew what He was talking about and what He was going to do. And what’s amazing is that Adam’s still standing there with a fig leaf tied around his waist! But that’s all about to change now because:

II. God demonstrates his love for man