Genesis Series # 2 CHCC: January 14, 2007
God, Our Savior
Genesis 3
INTRODUCTION:
Last week, we talked about Genesis chapters 1 and 2. At the end of chapter 2, we left Adam and Eve living in a Perfect Paradise – enjoying perfect weather, perfect health, the perfect marriage, and everything that money could buy (without even needing a bank account.) Adam and Eve were living the kind of life people can only dream about…
I think that’s the kind of dream that makes a show like “Deal or No Deal” so popular. (In case you haven’t seen it, the TV show has 26 suitcases up on stage … and the Contestant must choose the ONE they think is worth a million dollars. Then there’s all kinds of suspense as they pick from the suitcases one by one to eliminate them ... hoping for the best.) Well, Adam and Eve had the “Deal or No Deal” set up … with a twist
Picture yourself playing the Garden of Eden Game Show (work with me now…) In The Garden of Eden Game, ALL the suitcases except one are winners. Not only that, but the Game Show Host calls you to the side and gives you inside information. He tells you, “You can pick ANY of these suitcases and you’ll win it all … but don’t pick number 26 over there. That one will wipe out your winnings and you’ll be out of the game forever.” What a set up! Only one wrong suitcase, and the Host TELLS you which one it is. You can’t lose! Right? …
Well, that’s the way it seemed when God told Adam and Eve: “You can eat from ANY tree in the Garden … except this one.” Then … a new Player entered the scene.
1. The Entrance of Satan Genesis 3:1-5
In Genesis chapter 3 we find out the Creator of this beautiful world has an enemy. He is called “the serpent” … and the entrance of this mysterious creature will change everything. We can’t help but wonder why God allowed him into the garden in the first place. After all, take a look at his Character Qualities:
Genesis 3:1 says, Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, ’You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?" We don’t read about Adam and Eve talking to any other animals. The assumption is that Satan was hiding in the guise of a serpent.
On one trip to India, my friend Masi hosted me at his home and made a point of asking me to wake him if I needed to visit the out door bathroom in the night. Well, he slept so soundly, and I had my own flashlight so I went outside on my own in the night to tend to things. The next time I was there, Masi explained to me that he wanted to help me in the night because they had a cobra living in the wall of their compound that roamed at night, and Masi wanted to protect me from his serpent night watchman. I’m glad I hadn’t encountered his pet cobra in the former visit.
Genesis 3 gives the first introduction to an Evil Being that we call Satan. Recently The NewYork Times reported a survey where Americans were asked if they believed in a literal Satan. The survey asked if they agreed or disagreed with this statement: “Satan is not a living being, but just a symbol of evil.” A full 2/3 of those questioned agreed with that statement.
That is NOT the way the Bible presents Satan. Scripture describes a literal being who is intelligent and clever (crafty is the word used in verse 1.) He is able to communicate and to influence us … and his desire is for our destruction.
Certainly, the serpent of Genesis 3 represented Satan’s interests. He provided the occasion for the first couple to hear an alternate voice besides the voice of God. His purpose was to inject doubt into the situation. We only notice two statements he made to Eve --- the first questioned God’s words, and the second flatly contradicted God’s words. His purpose was to drive a wedge between the Creator and His Creation.
His methodology is always predictable. He always tells Lies. In fact, Jesus called Satan “the father of lies.” John 8:45 Satan’s lies are usually cleverly disguised. In this case, he mixed partial truth with his lies.
Now, for all the bad things we could say about Satan, all he actually did was introduce a TEMPTATION. He did not hold the proverbial gun to their heads. Eve could have ignored him. She could have run from him. She and Adam could have “told God on him” later that evening. But instead Eve hung on his every word, the way someone might listen to a “hot stock tip.”
2. The Entrance of Sin Genesis 3:6-13; 16-19
Going back to the “Game Show” illustration --- If there’s only ONE wrong choice and the Host tells you which suitcase not to choose … there is only one reason you would lose … that reason is if you don’t trust the Host.
And that’s the tragedy of Adam and Eve’s sin. There was nothing special about the fruit they ate … it wasn’t poisonous … it didn’t hold some magical power. But the act of eating it showed that way down in their deepest hearts, they did not trust their Creator. How that must have broken God’s heart!
We could say a lot about sin – what causes sin – why people are drawn to sin – how people rationalize their sin. But the bottom line is: Sin means we don’t trust our Creator. Sin proves that we DOUBT God … and that we are willing to act on the doubt. In its essence, sin is always REBELLION. And rebellion results in inevitable consequences. The first consequences hit right at the heart and soul of Adam and Eve.
Genesis 3:7 says, Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. It only took one taste of Rebellion for Adam and Even to go from naked and NOT ashamed to naked and ashamed. Nothing changed about the shape of their bodies. The only change came in the shape of their minds. Their darkened minds twisted what was Perfect into something Perverted. The result was a feeling they had never experienced before: the feeling of SHAME.
Sin brought on another emotion that is familiar to all of us, but that was unknown to Adam and Eve until that moment. God asked Adam why he was hiding among the trees, and Adam answered: "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." Genesis 3:10 Sin is the author of Shame and Fear. When we sin, the first thing we fear is “getting caught.” We can even become paranoid, constantly “looking over our shoulder” to see if we’ve been found out. It’s that kind of fear that usually gets Criminals caught. They draw attention to themselves by driving away like a maniac or some other guilty behavior.
In the case of Adam and Eve, their fear and shame led them to hide from God. For the first time, they wanted to avoid fellowship with God. Their relationship with the Creator was broken … just as their relationship with each other was broken. The same thing happens to all of us when we sin. We find ourselves wanting to avoid God. And we build up barriers between ourselves and the people closest to us.
The minute they sinned, Adam and Eve experienced inward death … the death of innocence and the death of relationships. But other consequences of Sin would follow. God explained that the whole world would suffer corruption and death.
People sometimes ask, “If there really is a God, why is there so much suffering and pain in the world? Why do we have war sickness and death?” The answer is found here in Genesis.
Now that Sin had entered the world, God explained there would be PAIN in childbirth and in our work. (You have to wonder what it would have been like if Eve had not sinned before she had her firstborn. Maybe she would have come up to Adam one day and said, “Well, honey, today I bent down to pick up something, and … well … here is our new son. I didn’t even know he was coming.”)
Genesis 3 may not be anyone’s favorite part of the Bible. It seems like a real downer. But even in this tragic passage, we find a thread of hope. With God, even the Curse holds hidden Blessing. As unwelcome as it is, we understand that pain actually protect us. A person who cannot feel pain will probably not survive long. It turns out that pain is actually a blessing that allows us to survive in this fallen world.
Even the ultimate consequence of sin … DEATH itself … holds an element of blessing. Without death we could never escape the confines of this tainted world. God has another place in mind for us ... a place where we can live forever. The place He is preparing for us has no pain, no corruption, and no death.
At the end of Genesis 3, God, the great Creator and Provider of Genesis 1 and 2 would take on a new role. Because of our sin, God reached down in Mercy and became our Savior.
3. The Entrance of the Savior Genesis 3:15; 20-24
In verse 15 God said to Satan: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Genesis 3:15
From the very beginning, God knew that one day he would put on flesh and come to the earth as the seed of woman … to save the people He created from the penalty of sin.
In the first 3 chapters of the Bible, we find a brief account of Creation and The Fall that is so simple a child can understand it. But it’s so profound that we could spend a lifetime studying it --- and we would never run out of things to learn about our God --- our Creator, our Provider --- and our Savior.
CONCLUSION:
God did one more thing for Adam and Eve before he sent them out of the Garden. Verse 21 says, The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. Genesis 3:21
This action may seem incidental … until you stop to realize that the only way to provide animal skin, was for an animal to die. This was the first time death actually occurred on earth --- and Adam and Eve must have known that animal died because of their sin.
This was the beginning of the sacrificial system that would eventually become part of the Jewish law. It was a picture of God’s plan to save us from our sins. In the same way that God provided the animal skins, He would one day provide his beloved Son as the sacrificial Lamb that takes away the sins of the world. That is the amazing offer of Salvation that God offers you and me.
It’s very possible that some of you sitting right here in church are actually trying to hide from God. Maybe there is a “hidden” sin in your life that makes you want to avoid fellowship with God.
Well, you may be able to hide your sins from the people around you, but … take it from Adam and Eve … you can’t hide from God. God is calling your name like he did to Adam in the Garden. God has already provided a covering for your sin. Will you answer His call today? (Prayer)
