Adam- Falling Hard Series

Adam: Falling Hard

Genesis 3

“I hate sin when I see what it does to human beings. I hate sin most when I see what it did to Christ! It turned His fair face into a bruised and bloody thing. When sin did that to the Son of God...how can you ever play with it again?”

-Ian MacPherson

Sad but true...if you want to get a CHILD to DO something...tell them not to do it!

If you want a TEENAGER to do something...tell them how RISKY it is.

If you want an ADULT to do something...make it AGAINST the LAW

There is something in our FALLEN HUMAN NATURE that doesn’t want to be told “NO”!

-Have you ever said (or had your child say to you) “You just don’t want ME to have fun!”

(You had your fun when you were a kid...but now you tell ME no…)

-I need to find out for MYSELF...your experience is your experience...I need my own.

-That won’t happen to ME.

(other people might get HURT or PREGNANT or ADDICTED or ARRESTED...not me)

If YOU have said any of those things (and I’m pretty sure you HAVE)

Welcome to “Club Adam”

The temptation is to see THE FALL as a failure by Adam that I’m punished for. The truth is, every time I insist on TESTING sin’s impact FOR myself and ON myself, I prove my guilt.

ALL of us “sin because we are sinful”...usually even WILLFUL in our sin.

***This morning, in our JOURNEY through Old Testament HEROES...and the victories and failures in their lives, we come to the “failure” of Adam to do what God commanded...that ONE RESTRICTION that God placed on them

(Genesis 2:15-17NIV)

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

“Adam...you may FREELY eat from any and every tree and plant in this garden EXCEPT one.”

It doesn’t seem like it would be that DIFFICULT to obey that command...does it? Must have been a PRETTY GREAT tree? Wonder what it was???

What exactly was the tree/fruit?

It DOESN’T MATTER! The tree and its fruit symbolize God-imposed RESTRAINT.

1.) Satan INFILTRATES the garden and DISTORTS God’s words. (v.1-5)

-He ignores God’s RELATIONSHIP with man: “ELOHIM” rather than “YAHWEH”

-He denies the connection between SIN and PUNISHMENT

-He challenges God’s TRUTHFULNESS

-He makes God seem JEALOUS and PETTY

-He appeals to their PRIDE and AMBITION

2.) How was Eve DECEIVED? (v.2-3, 6)

-She calls God “The BIG GUY” (Mighty One) too

-She MISUNDERSTOOD God’s command

-She LOOKED, LONGED and TOOK the fruit

3.) Why does Adam get the BLAME?

-Eve was deceived but he REBELLED

-His SILENCE is DEAFENING

-He plays the first BLAME GAME

What is sin?

-Sin is DOUBT (of God’s goodness, truthfulness, faithfulness)

-Sin is REBELLION (deliberate disobedience, autonomy)

-Sin is PRIDE (self will/determination, I know better than God)

*The cure of the CURSE is the CROSS.