Genesis Sermon 8: Beginning Of Sin

A. INTRODUCTION

1. Two alternate and opposing forces in the universe are law and chaos. God created everything by law. "It was Good," The opposite is destruction.

"And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.And the Lord God commanded the man saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 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" (Gen. 2:15-17).

2. God allowed an alternate force in His universe.

a. God gave man a setting. "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden" (2:15).

b. God gave man a task. "To dress it and to keep it" (2:15).

(1) Not to get rid of "weeds," but to channel and control its fertile growth.

(2) Paradise was not idleness and frolic.

c. God gave man resources "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat" (2:16).

(1) Choice to eat from any, "every tree"

(2) Choice to eat as much, "freely."

d. God gave man help. "I will make him a help meet" (2:18).

e. God gave man limitations. "Thou shalt not eat" (2:17).

f. God gave man a choice. "for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die" (2:17).

(1) True love is based on trust. Man should have been grateful for home, food, companionship, etc.

(2) Every reason to obey, none to disobey.

(3) Disobedience is simply rejection of God’s will.

The Fruit Was Not Sin.

Sin is not a thing, a person or an object, but sin is an act, an attitude or a response of the heart.

(4) Man already had knowledge of good what he did not know was evil. "The tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

(5) The warning was "Thou shalt surely die" or "dying thou shalt die."

(a) Decay. The built-in metabolic process would decay back to dust from which he was created.

(b) Death. Physical death is separation of body and soul. Spiritual death is, separation from God.

B. INTRODUCTION OF CHAOS.

1. Things we cannot explain without understanding sin.

a. Inevitability of aging and death.

b. Enigma of suffering and pain.

c. Inherent selfishness of babies.

d. Propensity people to lie.

e. The motivation of one person to harm another.

"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God has made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every three of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die" (Gen. 3:1-3).

2. The word serpent "Nachash" meant shining upright creature.

a. Eve was attracted by beauty.

b. Eve attracted by ability to "converse" with animal. She did not know they were incapable of talking.

c. Eve was alone.

3. Nature of temptation. "Yea, hath God said" (v.1).

a. He mocked her "naive" acceptance of God’s command.

b. He implied God was not good and loving.

c. He implied something good was withheld.

4. Three aspects of temptation.

a. Eve altered the Word of God. God said "thou shalt surely die." She said "lest ye die."

b. Eve added to the word of God. She said "neither shall ye touch it."

c. Eve omitted the Word of god. God said, "In the day." She did not understand immediate punishment.

d. Liberals alter the Bible, cults added to the Bible, rebellious believers omit doing the Bible.

5. "Ye shall not surely die."

a. Satan questioned God’s authority,

b. Satan denies God’s word. Satan who is a liar, calls God a liar.

"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as god, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband, with her; and he did eat" (Gen. 3:4-6).

6. "Ye shall be as gods."

a. Eve wants to know (experience) evil.

b. Eve wants (desires) good withheld from her.

7. God created man with no reason he should sin. (no sin nature).

a. God created man with freedom he could sin.