Did God really say…
TEXT Genesis 3:1-3:9
Today I want us to look at the first two questions of the Bible. When we find the answers to these two questions, we will find the answers to most of the questions of life.
Questions are a important way of learning.
An older lady gets pulled over for speeding...Older Woman: Is there a problem, Officer?
Officer: Ma’am, you were speeding.
Older Woman: Oh, I see. Officer: Can I see your license please?
Older Woman: I’d give it to you but I don’t have one. Officer: Don’t have one?
Older Woman: Lost it, 4 years ago for drunk driving. Officer: I see...Can I see your vehicle registration papers please. Older Woman: I can’t do that.
Officer: Why not?
Older Woman: I stole this car. Officer: Stole it?
Older Woman: Yes, and I killed and hacked up the owner. Officer: You what?
Older Woman: His body parts are in plastic bags in the trunk if you want to see.
The Officer looks at the woman and slowly backs away to his car and calls for back up. Within minutes 5 police cars circle the car. A senior officer slowly approaches the car, clasping his half drawn gun.
Officer 2: Ma’am, could you step out of your vehicle please! The woman steps out of her vehicle. Older woman: Is there a problem sir?
Officer 2: One of my officers told me that you have stolen this car and murdered the owner. Older Woman: Murdered the owner?
Officer 2: Yes, could you please open the trunk of your car, please.
The woman opens the trunk, revealing nothing but an empty trunk.
Officer 2: Is this your car, ma’am? Older Woman: Yes, here are the registration papers.
The officer is quite stunned.
Officer 2: One of my officers claims that you do not have a driving license.
The woman digs into her handbag and pulls out a purse and hands it to the officer.
The officer examines the license. He looks quite puzzled.
Officer 2: Thank you ma’am, one of my officers told me you didn’t have a license, that you stole this car, and that you murdered and hacked up the owner.
Older Woman: Bet the liar told you I was speeding, too.
Questions are a way to be deceived.
The first question of the Bible was this kind of question.
Gen. 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 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
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 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
7 And the eyes of them both were opened and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.
8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
We find the first question is a question of trickery.
1. “Did God really say…”
I. DID GOD REALLY SAY…
The devil is a master of trickery.
Notice the sly, smooth, nonaggressive way that he moves into a place.
He does not attack Eve because Adam would have protected her.
He simply asks a question of Eve.
EVE WAS NOT THERE WHEN THE TREE WAS TALKED ABOUT.
2: 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat
17 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
The Devil starts wit a question that he knew she did not know the answer.
She had heard about the tree so she told the devil what she THOUGHT was the WORD OF GOD.
3 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
Does God really mean that He: FORGIVES SIN?
HEALS
FILLS WITH THE HOLY GHOST
BLESSES
KEEPS
SUPPLIES NEEDS
TAKES PLEASURE IN MY PROSPERITY
The Devil wants you to answer WHAT YOU THINK THE WORD SAYS; He KNOWS WHAT THE WORD SAYS.
The devil wants to bring doubt about the GOODNESS OF GOD.
You see – if Satan can get us to question God’s Word – to begin to doubt what God has already said – or to ask ourselves did God really mean what He said – then He has the door wide open in our minds.
That is why we need God’s Word – to peach it, to teach it, to devour it – to do what the Psalmist says: “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I may not sin against thee.”
I want to ask you today, “What part of God’s word are you questioning.
1. Did God really say that He is the only God … there are none besides Him?
2 Did God really say that a man is to bring of “his first fruits” and give those back to God in Worship and honor?
3. Did God really say that Jesus was born of a virgin?
4. Did Jesus really come back to life in His resurrected body
5? Did God really say that the wages of sin is “death” – physical and spiritual?
6. Did God really say that Jesus is the only way to find God – and therefore the only path to eternal life?
7. Did God really say that if a man dies in his sin – that he will be eternally separated from God and others that did receive Christ in Faith?
When you answer that question – and realize what God really said – you begin the road from trickery to truth!
II. WHERE ARE YOU? A QUESTION OF TRUTH
Gen. 3:9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
That question God asked of Adam, was not because God needed information … He knows all things.
Any time you see a question by God in scripture it is always a question to get to truth,
He wants you to see the answer.
Isa. 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly
3 And one cried unto another, and said Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin purged
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying Whom shall I send and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Here was Isaiah standing in the Throne Room of God, having an encounter with a Holy, Awesome God. No other human in the place and God asks WHO CAN WE SEND?
Isaiah gets a revelation that God wanted him so he said “Send ME”
God asked Adam “where are you” … because Adam needed to see himself where he was:
Hiding in the bushes – instead of walking free in God’s world.
Hiding his sin – instead of running to the Father seeking forgiveness.
Thinking up excuses –
Doing anything he could to keep from admitting he had done wrong…
7 And the eyes of them both were opened and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.
That is what sin does – it separates us from our walk with God.
The question is not “have I sinned” [“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God …”
And the question is not “are there consequences for my sin” – for God has already given us that answer “The wages of sin is death …”
The question becomes “WHERE AM I” – what can I do about MY SIN?
You see, all of your eternity for you hinges on the answer to that question:
You are either IN Christ – you have accepted God’s provision for your own sin.
Or you are still in your sin … and hiding from God.
… Still questioning what God has said.
… Still looking for some other way out
Illus: very sick lawyer … dieing … preacher came to visit him, and found him reading his bible…
“I’m doing two things, I’m cramming for my finals – and I’m looking for some loopholes.”
There are no loopholes in God’s plan…
Did god really mean what He said?
Look at the Church
Jesus established it, empowered it, anointed it and opened it to every man, woman, boy, girl, race, and ethnic group.
Mr 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
III. Three ways to Avoid Trouble.
1. There would be no sin in this world if Adam and Eve had stayed away from temptation.
Satan waits on you to come to temptation. Adam and Eve were admiring the fruit.
Sometimes the best thing you can do is avoid sin by refusing to look and inspect it.
2. Know what God says.
Eve was debating Satan over what God had said. Satan knows Scripture because he even quoted scripture to Jesus.
Know what the Word says for yourself, not what you think it said.
3. Don’t hide your sin from God.
1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God knows where we are and wants us to see where we are.
God even made clothes for Adam and Eve after they got past all their excuses of who caused the failure.
Conc.:Where are you, Are you making excuses, are you in the Bushes hiding? Or in the presents of God saying SEND ME, USE ME
