Spiritual Warfare - 3
In the Beginning
October 17, 2021
For the past 2 messages we’ve been looking at spiritual warfare. We looked at the fact that we’re in a war, that satan is out to destroy us, if we allow him. Then we looked at the start of it all, the fall of satan, some of the reasons and now we’re at a point where we need to look back, way back to see what the first interaction was like . . . as satan slithered about as a serpent.
We’re going to look at Genesis 3 and a few other passages which go along with this passage. As I’ve been studying about this topic, I really believe the passage from Genesis 3 is one of the key chapters in the Bible. We’re talking about the Fall of humanity into sin.
If we don’t understand this passage, then we won’t grasp why there’s evil and suffering.
If we don’t understand the importance of this chapter, then we will not understand or be able to grasp the work of Christ, nor will we understand the cross of Christ. This is one of the key chapters in the Bible. This is where everything goes wrong and the rest of the Bible is about making everything right.
On the surface, it may seem so simple, but I think there’s a lot below the surface that we either don’t get or have never thought of.
To fully understand what happened, we need to look even further back than Genesis 3. We need to jump to Genesis 2! In verses 8-9, we read - - -
8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.
The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. - Genesis 2:8-9
Adam’s in the garden, and the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were both in the garden. Now jump to verses 16-17 --
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” - Genesis 2:16-17
It’s pretty clear, eat from any tree in the garden, but don’t eat from this one tree.
Now, before we get too far into this . . . understand that many believe the 2 trees, while real, also represent something more. One tree represents life, the other represents death.
This scene in the garden makes it clear that there will be acts which bring death and an act that brings life. And when we think about it, these 2 themes run through the rest of the Bible.
After the Fall, God placed a guard at the Tree of Life to protect them from eating it. That tree is never mentioned again until the very last chapter of the Bible. In Revelation 22:14, the people now have access to it - - -
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the TREE OF LIFE and that they may enter the city by the gates.
Sin is gone! And access to the tree of life is available for those who are in Christ. What an amazing hope we have in Christ. After the fall, we read in Genesis 3:24 - 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden He placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Now there’s no going back to the garden. The garden is guarded until the end times. And I believe one of our greatest desires we have is to return to the garden. I don’t believe we can articulate that, but I believe humanity was created in the garden and for the garden. Our longing is to return to our roots. We were created for the garden, but now that we aren’t there, we long for it, but can’t return until we enter eternal life with God.
So, one of our struggles occurs because we don’t know what to do about getting into the garden. We try all kinds of things to get back, and that’s where satan comes in. He knows that’s our longing. And he helps us find other things to fill that void. satan tempts us with all types of different means to turn to him and be led further away from God into pretend gardens.
Now, into the garden enters the serpent. At this point the Bible doesn’t refer to the serpent as satan. In Revelation 20:2, the serpent is referred to as satan - - 2 And He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and satan. . .
All we know is that the serpent is one of the animals God created. And satan has taken over this animal. It is satan in disguise. Remember, he can appear as an angel of light and he’s a master deceiver. He can make himself appear attractive.
Let’s look at the story of Genesis 3 - - -
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
4But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,
she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
Different Bible versions use different words to describe the serpent. The KJV uses "more subtle," the NASB / ESV says, "more crafty," the NKJV says, "more cunning." All these words indicate that what you saw was not what you got. There was a cunning, crafty subtleness to the serpent. He was deceptive.
Snakes are subtle, they lie low. They disguise themselves. Think about it, you don't see snakes very often but they’re around. Personally, I’m not a snake lover. I don’t want to be near one or touch one.
So, why does satan come as a serpent, a snake. Remember, we were given dominion over all the animals, the birds, the fish, the elephants, the rhinos and yes, the snakes too. We may be intimidated by these animals, but Adam and Eve were given responsibility to care for them.
If satan came as a charging rhino, that may be a little scarey. So, he comes slowly creeping along, almost a little shy. And I would suffice to say that when something like that comes to you, you think “I can handle that.” Think about that cute dog or cat, which has a bite.
We think we can keep him down. We believe we have the upper hand.
STOP for a moment and think about it - - - when temptation comes upon you, don’t you think, “Oh, I can handle this. I can stop whenever I want to. I’m not afraid or intimidated. I’m not scared. I can handle this and stop --- if I want!”
Ever think it through like that? Believe me . . . we all have. We’ve justified our sin, we’ve given in to the sin, because it came subtly. It was satan at his best, hooking us without ever realizing we were hooked.
One of the biggest temptations satan puts in front of us is something you may not believe. I think it’s his best and worst temptation . . . Don’t laugh at me now - - -
CONTROL!
We believe we have control over all of our situations. We think we can control our sin. We think we can control our addictions, control our lusts, our anger, our eating, control whatever it is we want, because satan leads us to think WE ARE THE MASTERS OF OUR OWN DESTINY. He uses our pride and ego against us a lot. Hence, we think we have the ultimate control.
That’s exactly what satan wants you to believe. When you’re in control, there’s no need for God. There’s no reliance on God’s power and strength, because we’re in control - - - doing life on our own.
So, that’s possibly one of the reasons why satan came as a sneaky, crafty serpent.
The serpent begins what seems to be a casual conversation with Eve. Maybe they spoke to the animals in that day. Because Eve doesn’t seem to be shocked or taken aback. Maybe that’s one of the amazing aspects of the garden. There was no fear, because all seemed good.
Maybe there’s a little playful bantering, which really wasn’t playful, but it was devious, but again, we’re looking at satan. Isn’t that how it works in our lives too? Someone starts a gentle, seemingly innocent conversation and before you know it, you’re deep into gossip or doing something you know you shouldn’t be doing.
This is how I believe satan deceived Eve, and why it continues today. Look at what John wrote in 1 John 2:16 - - -
16 For all that is in the world — the DESIRES OF THE FLESH and the DESIRES OF THE EYES and PRIDE OF LIFE — is not from the Father but is from the world. - 1 John 2:16
There are 3 things John tells us we need to beware of. Desires of the flesh, desires of the eyes, and pride. LUST in most versions . . . Listen to the Amplified Bible -- For all that is in the world — the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life — these do not come from the Father, but are from the world.
Now, look at how satan sought to deceive Eve. Think about this strategy. It was a casual, harmless conversation. We do it, a little give and take. That’s about it.
It’s only when we look back, that’s how we see we’ve been deceived. We’ve been beaten down and we didn’t even know it.
So satan uses those 3 things that John wrote about, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life.
Pastor Charles Price said - - The lusts of the flesh are the natural appetites that are purely, completely legitimate in themselves, but which are exploited. Lust of the eyes is greed. The pride of life is the ego, where we try to make ourselves bigger than we are.
Most of the attacks come this way. Look at Genesis 3:6 again - -
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,
Eve saw the food and desired it. That’s the desire / Lust of the flesh. Yet, there’s nothing wrong to have a desire.
Then we see that it was good to look at. It was a beautiful piece of fruit. Again, nothing wrong with that either.
Lastly, the fruit was to be desired to make them wise. That’s for the ego and pride. I can be like God. I’ll be as good and powerful.
You see, in that bantering with satan, he helped Eve to take her eyes off of God and have a desire to please only herself. When our focus is no longer God, it becomes so easy to sin. We can easily fall into a pride-filled, lust and ego driven life. That’s what satan wants. And that ultimately destroys us.
So, the food looked great. Think about all the money spent on advertising. Billions upon billions of dollars. It costs almost $6 million for a 30 second super bowl commercial.
And let me tell you, the food never looks as good in the restaurant as it does on TV, does it? The clothes, the jewelry, the tech stuff. The goal is to sell you. It’s to reach your eyes, your desires and catch your ego. Drive this and you look good, wear this, use this phone . . . you know how it goes.
That’s what satan used when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Let’s turn those stones into bread . . . Hey, Jesus renounce the Father, and I’ll give you kingdoms (desires of the flesh, the eyes and working on His ego)
Esau traded his birthright to his brother Jacob for a bowl of stew.
The Jewish people complained most about what in their journey to the promised land? Food!
You see, when we don’t get what we think we should be receiving from God, that opens the door for satan to make us an offer we don’t think we can refuse. Yet, we don’t realize God has something better for us. But we want gratification now, instead of waiting. And frankly, that gratification we seek is tied to the desire of the flesh, our ego and having control.
Now as we move towards the end of today, let me give you a couple of more thoughts about this passage. satan attacked Eve’s thinking. He led her to doubt God’s care for her. Listen to what satan said - - -
1 “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
Do you hear that question? Oh, man, it’s so clever. The question is designed to get a certain type of answer. It’s designed to cause doubt.
I’ve said it before, when we try to get people to side with us, we ask questions designed to get people to answer the way we want. We ask, “wasn’t Michael long winded today?” Or we say, “those worship songs really weren’t very moving, were they?”
You see, you’ve put someone on the spot. You’ve caused them to have to rethink their thoughts. That’s the purpose of asking in that way. In the book of Job, satan did that. He questioned Job’s faith - - “Job only believes in you because you protect him. If you didn’t protect you, he wouldn’t have faith, right?”
Ultimately, satan seeks to confuse and cause us to doubt. That’s what he did with Eve. She tried to argue with satan, but it didn’t work.
Eve is now doubting. She’s a little confused on the facts. ‘Did Adam say that?’ She’s led to question her own knowledge.
Now, satan ups the ante - - in verse 4 he gives Eve the ultimate challenge - -
4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Now, she’s thinking - ‘Is God holding out on us? Could we be like God? Certainly, He’s not going to kill us? And what does it even mean to die?’ Remember, there was no death.
Has this ever happened to you. satan imparts some thoughts, some doubts in your mind. You think to yourself - - -
“One little lie, that will get me off the hook.”
“Just tell mom/dad what they want to hear.”
“Well, they won’t miss this item at work, they underpay me anyways.”
Or in that relationship you know is wrong - - ‘well, they need me to help them. It’s not right, but God will understand.’
God understands how hard my life has been, that’s why I need this drink, or this smoke, or this drug. It’s OK if I try this.
My parents are so strict. I need to live a little
My spouse is no fun, I need to go out and make my own fun.
We rationalize our sin as satan confuses our minds, wanting us to be filled with a desire for control, lust and ego driven sins which we justify.
That’s satan speaking into your mind. That’s why Paul tells us in Romans 12 -
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. - Romans 12:2
Paul wants our minds to be renewed so that we don’t get confused, so that we can learn how to discern right from wrong. Our hearts will drive us, but our brains bring the wisdom we need.
That’s why it’s so important to know the Word of God. It’s not just about what you hear on Sunday’s but it’s an everyday thing. It’s to build your minds and hearts so that you won’t give in to doubt and confusion.
satan will tempt you to think God is unreasonable, that you can live and do whatever you want to do. You will surely not die. Those old ways don’t apply to you today, go, live it up. It’s OK.
Putting a Bible under your pillow when you go to sleep won't help you. All you’ll get is a headache and blame God for it. You’ve got to open the Bible and read it.
Finally, Eve indulges - - -
6 . . . she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Now, men, let me simply say this. Don’t be an Adam! The Hebrew is pretty clear in the wording. He was there with her. It’s not some euphemism that she found him later - - - after he was working in the fields. NO! He was there with her. They were hanging out together. He was listening to the bantering and challenges from satan. And he did nothing! Guys . . . that’s not a good example for us to follow, but that’s for another day.
They sinned together. They justified their sin. Then there was that oops moment. They realized this was wrong. They figured it out really quickly. It’s that way isn’t it? We do something wrong and no sooner than we do it, we know it. That’s God’s Spirit working within us.
There’s more to come, but I want to bring us to an end today. With each message in this series, I want to end on a positive note.
Know that we live life between the 2 trees. We live between the tree of life in the garden and the tree of life in Revelation. But there was a different tree which ultimately gives life to us. In 1 Peter 2, Peter wrote - - -
22 Jesus committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth.
23 When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly.
24 He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.
That cross that Jesus suffered and died on . . . friends that’s the answer. It’s the cure. Jesus died for us so that we could finally come to God in a right relationship. That tree is another tree of life offered to you and I.
On that tree - - the cross, Jesus took our sins upon Himself, so that His righteousness could be given to us. That’s the great news today. It’s a belief that we hold onto, knowing that while there is sin in the world, and we need to know who the villain is, we also need to know and trust in the One who overcame sin and death . . . Jesus the Christ.
