2024.02.04.Sermon notes. IN THE BEGINNING - THE FALL
William Akehurst, HSWC
BIG IDEA: GOD created the Heavens and the Earth, and a Garden, a true Paradise, for it was GOOD. HE made man in HIS image, and gave man free choice. GOD gave rules, and man disobeyed, sinned. From Paradise to thorns, Sin destroys what GOD has created for good.
Scriptures: Genesis 2:4-25, Genesis 3:1-24, 1 John 2:16, James 1:12-15, 1 Timothy 4:1-2, Revelation 22:1-5, Revelation 22:13-14, 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, Romans 8:2, Colossians 3:4, Proverbs 4:20-22, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, Romans 6:23
Romans 6:23 (NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Genesis 2:4-25 (NLT) The Man and Woman in Eden
4 When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the LORD God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil. 6 Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land. 7 Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.
8 Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. 9 The LORD God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches.
11-14 (The 4 branches: Pishon, Gihon, Tigris and Euphrates).
MAN PLACED TO TEND THE GARDEN
15 The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.
GOD’S ONE RULE – ONE LAW
16 But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—
17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
ADAM’S DOMINION OF THE ANIMALS
ADAM NAMES ALL THE ANIMALS
18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” 19 So the LORD God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.
A HELPER FOR MAN
21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the LORD God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.
23 “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone,
and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’”
THE PRINCIPLE OF MARRIAGE
24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
INDICATION OF SINLESSNESS
25 Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.
TEMPTATION AND DECEITFULNESS
Genesis 3:1-24 The Temptation and Fall of Man
GENESIS 3:1-6
1 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
TACTIC OF SATAN – TESTING AND TEMPTING…CHALLENGES GOD’S AUTHORITY (WORD), IN YOUR LIFE AND TO BRING DOUBT TO YOUR THINKING AND ACTIONS.
PUSHING YOU INTO THE WRONG DIRECTION OR TO QUESTION GOD.
SIN—JUST AS A CHILD TESTS, PUSHES BACK A PARENT’S AUTHORITY.
WOMAN’S MISINTERPRETATION OF GOD’S WORD
2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
DECEPTION OF TRUTH LEADS TO TEMPTATION
4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
TEMPTATION AND LUST - THE SOURCE OF SIN
6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful, and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
SIN DEFINED
1 John 2:16 (NKJV)
16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
TEMPTATION ENDURED, WE CAN WITHSTAND IT
James 1:12-15 (NKJV)
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
TEMPTATION SURRENDERED, OR WE CAN SUCCUMB AND GIVE IN TO IT
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
GENESIS 3:7-24
INDICATION OF SINFULNESS. COVER UP.
7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
THOUGHT: SIN ERODES OUR CONSCIENCE IF LEFT UNTREATED.
1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NKJV)
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,
SHAME, DISOBEDIENCE REVEALED
8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. 9 Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
ACCOUNTABILITY
11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the LORD God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”
12 The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”
BLAME
13 Then the LORD God asked the woman, “What have you done?”
“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”
THE CURSE OF SIN
14 Then the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live.
THE FIRST MESSIANIC PROPHECY
15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
PENALTY OF SIN
16 Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.”
17 And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains.
19 By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”
PARADISE LOST: GOD’S JUDGMENT
20 Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live.
CLOTHES OF ANIMAL SKINS. THE FIRST SACRIFICE WAS MADE BY GOD HIMSELF, TO COVER MAN’S NAKEDNESS, MAN’S SIN.
21 And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.
TREE OF LIFE REMOVED TO PREVENT ETERNAL DAMNATION
22 Then the LORD God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!”
BANISHED FROM PARADISE
23 So the LORD God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. 24 After sending them out, the LORD God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
ILLUS. IN THE GARDEN, THE TREE OF LIFE
Eating of Tree of Good and Evil broke us.
Eating of Tree of Life would have made us live eternally broken.
God sent them out of the garden of Eden and away from Tree of Life, then sent HIS LAMB of Sacrifice to rescue us.
One day in HIS PRESENCE we will receive of that Tree of Life, to all who believe and stake their faith in the LAMB THAT TAKES AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD, JESUS.
THE TREE OF LIFE IN HEAVEN
Revelation 22:1-5 (NKJV)
1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. 4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
THE RIGHT TO EAT OF THE TREE OF LIFE
Revelation 22:13-14 (NKJV)
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
FIRST AND LAST ADAM
1 Corinthians 15:45-49 (NKJV)
45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
A LIVING SOUL
Genesis 2:7 (KJV) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
SPIRIT OF LIFE
Romans 8:2 (KJV) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
CHRIST WHO IS OUR LIFE
Colossians 3:4 (KJV) When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Proverbs 4:20-22 (NLT)
20 My child, pay attention to what I say.
Listen carefully to my words.
21 Don’t lose sight of them.
Let them penetrate deep into your heart,
22 for they bring life to those who find them,
and healing to their whole body.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NLT)
13 That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
EVERY DAY WE ARE GIVEN CHOICE.
TO OBEY GOD’S WORD
OR OUR OWN WAY
ONLY ONE WAY LEADS TO LIFE.
WE ARE CALLED TO A LIFE OF OBEDIENCE.
HOW IS THAT WORKING OUT FOR YOU?
Romans 6:23 (NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
AREN’T YOU GLAD THAT GOD HAD A PLAN FROM THE VERY BEGINNING TO RESCUE US FROM OUR OWN WRONG CHOICES?
SIN’S WAGES ARE DEATH…
BUT
GOD’S GIFT TO ANYONE WHO WILL BELIEVE, TRUST AND OBEY HIM, IS ETERNAL LIFE IN JESUS.
IT’S YOUR CHOICE. WHO WILL YOU SERVE TODAY?
BE BLESSED AND BE A BLESSING,
BILL
