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okay you can turn in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 3 Genesis chapter 3 the last several times we met in chapter 2 we saw the preparation of the garden after the creation account the preparation of the garden in verses 8 to 14 the probation of the first man verses 15 to 17 we spent some time on the covenant of works and then the provision of a wife to Adam in verses 18 to 25 now here in chapter 3 obviously we call come to the fall of man into sin we'll look at verses 1 to 13 tonight but I do want to read the chapter and then we'll begin now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made and he said to the woman has God indeed said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden and the woman said to the serpent we may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God has said you shall not eat it nor shall you touch it lest you die then the serpent said to the woman you will not surely die for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God knowing good and evil so when the woman saw that the tree was good for food that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree desirable to make one wise she took of its fruit and ate she also gave to her husband with her and he ate then the eyes of both of them were opened and they knew that they were they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings and they heard the sound 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 among the trees of the garden then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him where are you so he said I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself and he said who told you that you were naked have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat then the man said the woman whom you gave to be with me she gave me of the tree and I ate and the Lord God said to the woman what is this you have done the woman said the serpent save me and I ate so the Lord God said to the serpent because you have done this you are cursed more than all cattle and more than every beast of the field on your belly you shall go and you shall eat dust all the days of your life and I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel the woman he said I will greatly multiply your sorrow in your conception in pain you shall bring forth the children your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you then to Adam he said because you have heeded the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you saying you shall not eat of it cursed is the ground for your sake in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life but thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you and you shall eat the herb of the field in the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground for out of it you were taken for dust you are and to dust you shall return and Adam called his wife's name Eve because she was the mother of all living also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed them then the Lord God said Behold the man has become like one of us to know good and evil and now lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat and live forever therefore the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken so he drove out the man and he placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the Tree of Life amen well a foundational and crucial passage in all of Scripture one has well said the rest of the Bible is ultimately about Genesis one two three and I think there's a certain amount of truth to that we have the first promise of the gospel in genesis 3:15 concerning the seed of the woman which is our Lord Jesus Christ and the particular function that he would exercise in terms of destroying the works of the devil but prior to that we have the fall of man in the sinn something that we are all very familiar with if not the written word here certainly in our own lives in our own soul and in our own understanding of our rebellion against the Lord God Almighty so want to look at three things tonight in the first 13 verses first the temptation to sin in verses 1 to 5 secondly the fall into sin in verses 6 and 7 and then the reckoning with God in verses 8 to 13 we'll pick up next week God willing on the curse of God upon the devil and upon the the man and the woman but notice first of all with reference to the temptation the tempter is identified to us in verse 1 now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made now we'll see that cunning and we'll see that guile will see that that the deception operated as he deals with Eve and we know the serpent is utilized here by the devil a New Testament revelation comments to that reality just a few texts that highlight this in John chapter 8 when our Lord is debating or discussing or condemning rather the religious leadership of his own day in John 8:44 he says you are of your father the devil and the desires of your father you want to do he was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him when he speaks a lie he speaks from his own resources for he is a liar and the father of it 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 the Apostle there highlights this incident in the Garden of Eden and specifically in chapter 11 at verse 3 he says but I fear lest somehow as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ and again in verse 14 and no wonder for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light and then in second time sorry first Timothy chapter 2 we have commentary specifically on what's happening here in the fall and the sin with reference to Adam and Eve the context in 1st Timothy 2 is Paul's prohibit against a woman teaching or exercising authority in the Church of Jesus and he gives as his reason the creation account in the fall into sin notice in 1st Timothy 2:13 for Adam was formed first then Eve and Adam was not deceived but the woman being deceived fell into transgression and then in 1st John chapter 3 first John chapter 3 and I simply highlight this because some would suggest that Moses or the narrator the author of Genesis chapter 3 really didn't know or really didn't have in his mind that it was the devil he's only dealing with the serpent there but remember that the Word of God as a whole comes from the hand of God and all of its parts consent tour together and so New Testament commentary or interpretation tell us how we're supposed to understand this serpent in Genesis chapter 3 but in 1st John 3:8 we read he who sins is of the devil for the devil has sinned from the beginning for this purpose the the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil and then that glorious passage in Revelation chapter 12 that highlights the victory and triumph of our Lord Jesus over the devil himself we see specifically in Revelation chapter 12 verse 9 so the Great Dragon was cast out that serpent of old called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world he was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him so the person or rather the the animal the serpent the talking snake here in Genesis 3 verse 1 is actuated by or utilized by the devil so it's the devil or Satan that is behind this temptation with reference to Eve and then we notice the specific nature of his temptation in verse 1 he said to the woman has God indeed said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden now it's very important that we understand something that is happening here in verses 1 to 7 throughout rubb Genesis 2 three the reference to God is the Lord God I think I pointed that out earlier when we're in chapter 2 at verse 4 we read there Yahweh Elohim that's the consistent emphasis in Genesis 2 and 3 but when the devil comes he doesn't refer to Yahweh Elohim he simply refers to Elohim and Eve follows suit and what I think the devil is indicating there is not only a his distance from God but as well he's trying to create again subtly this distance or wedge between Eve and the Covenant God the God of mercy and grace and with reference to his motivation if we ask the question why does the devil do this why does he utilize a snake to come after Eve while she's alone in the Garden of Eden to try and get her to sin I think Calvin makes this clear he says that since he was the adversary of God he attempted to subvert the order established by him and because he could not drag God from his throne he assailed man in whom his image shown and I think that's a great way to understand this it's ultimately an assault by the devil against the majesty and glory of God but he comes by way of a man who is created in the image of God and then note as well in terms of the subtlety of the challenge he introduces doubt he doesn't come right out and say God's lying to you God has an agenda God wants to destroy you God wants to keep you down God wants to keep you at a position of disadvantage he doesn't do that and typically this is the way that these sort of temptations come it's a it's a subtle subtle question has has God indeed said it's the hiss of the serpent it's not a full frontal assault but rather it's a means by which he can create some doubt within Eve so that she begins to question the Word of God the ultimate contest here is whether Eve will obey God and follow his commands men follow his specific word or if she will kowtow to the devil and get caught up in the deceiving words that he is speaking and dost cut off her commitment to the Lord God Most High it's a subtle insinuation that the creator's purpose for the creature is not altogether noble has he indeed said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden notice that he focuses not on God's abundant provision but he focuses on the prohibition remember back in chapter 2 at verse 9 and then in the actual prohibition of chapter 2 verse 16 God says you may freely eat from every tree in the garden except this one but the devil focuses on that the negative you shall not eat of every tree of the garden it's unfortunate that Eve does play into his hand at this particular point or at this particular level Bruce Walt he says Satan's craftiness is seen in his cunning distortion of God's words with subtle guys the adversary speaks as a winsome angelic theologian again it's not there you know and all of his aggression and all of his wretchedness and fury and you know just cursing God or blaspheming God it's a subtle question has God indeed said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden and this is precisely where we need to be on our guard because there's a lot of compromise with reference to the Bible has God indeed set in the space of six days and all very good has God indeed said one man one woman for life has God indeed said predestination unto life has God indeed said that Jesus is the only way of salvation has God indeed said that men are supposed to lead in the home and wives are supposed to be submissive to their own husbands more often than not it's not usually a full frontal assault upon the word and veracity of God but it's these subtle introductions if these subtle insinuations it's these subtle ideas planted in the head of God's people that ultimately to abandon the faith and this is where we need to be on our guard and we need to resist that temptation we need to resist that subtlety and we need to hold fast to the Word of God no matter what the implications are today if you hold fast to the Word of God you looked at there's a fundamentalist you looked at as a fanatic you looked at as a as a wacko The Huffington Post just said that if you if you enjoy chick-fil-a sandwiches you hate the LBGT community it's interesting because the the CEO of Twitter had a chick-fil-a sandwich and had to repent before society for doing that because to have a chick-fil-a sandwich is to make an anti homosexual sort of an indictment and so the Twitter CEO actually apologized for eating a chicken sandwich now we look at that and we say lots of pagan Twitter CEO Christians do that kind of stuff too they don't like the pressure that society brings to bear on somebody that's looked at as if there's some wingnut that actually believes the Bible we need to withstand we need to guard against these has God indeed said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden now notice the woman's response she indicates that she understands or knows the prohibition of chapter 2 verses 15 to 17 remember God gave that specifically to Adam that he was free to eat you know he could he eat freely of every tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil so Eve indicates that she is familiar with that particular command of that particular prohibition but Eve does change the specifics just a little bit now it seems to me the earlier commentators didn't make a whole lot about this the later commentators do and I think when we survey the scripture and especially focus in upon the details that Moses is weaving together we ought to take notice of the subtle distinctions in what Eve says in terms of the prohibition of God notice that she minimizes the privilege that was given to that verse to the woman said to the sir we may eat no that's not what God said God said freely II it's not almost as if there's yet we may do this there's a difference between me saying to my child you may have a cookie and you may freely eat of all the cookies except that one so to some degree she minimizes the particular privilege in view notice as well she minimizes the judgment that's in view and again dill says if this is true that we read into this then she's already sinning I don't know that we can say that I'm suggesting that Moses is giving us sort of a play-by-play in terms of the mindset and in terms of what the devil is able to promote in her in terms of this enticement and this temptation to sin remember that we just read in 1st Timothy chapter 2 at verse 14 that the woman was deceived this doesn't happen all of a sudden there's a bit of a process going on but she's already showing some reserve toward God and already seeming to lean toward the devil so she minimizes the judgment the lest you die at the end of verse 3 God says dying you shall die there's no less you die involved whatsoever it is a maximal judgment for your violation of this particular prohibition dying you shall die intriguingly the devil uses the same language that God does Eve should have known that language but Eve uses this she sort of softens it and says lest you die and then notice she maximizes the prohibition God said nothing about touching the tree of the knowledge of good and evil she however says were not even supposed to touch it again these are subtle to be sure but it sort of shows you what's happening in this particular interchange and why perhaps she was open to being deceived with reference to this attack by the devil at this particular time now note the specific temptation in verses 4 and 5 the tempter first of all challenges God's veracity God's truthfulness notice what the tempter says boastful or the serpent said to the woman you will not surely die well that completely under goes against everything God had said the devil says contrary to what the Lord had promised dying you shall die and here the tempter says you will surely or not surely die literally not dying you will not die now the decline says first Satan had challenged the stipulations of covenant law has God indeed set now he says God's norm for the present now he contradicts its sanctions God's interpretation of the future again I think there's something very instructive for us throughout all of this it's almost as if we can paint an anatomy of temptation and sin from Genesis chapter 3 so that will be on the lookout and we'll be on guard the devil does the same sort of thing with us you will not surely die go ahead and do that particular activity go ahead and engage in that particular sin go ahead and violate that particular law I mean you've done it a hundred times in the past and you haven't been struck dead so why don't you do it again you see this gets into the head it gets into the mind it gets into the heart we begin to believe that God's prohibitions come to us without any teeth without any sanctions and the devil is all too ready to feed that and to fuel that so it takes from us any thought whatsoever of consequences for sin and so we need to be aware that this sort of thing continues today notices well the tempter challenges God's goodness he says for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be open now what's the implication here the implication is it will be a good thing for your eyes to be open and if it's a good thing for your eyes to be open and God doesn't want this to happen to you then God doesn't want you to have a good thing you see what the devil is doing the devil is making God out to be the bad guy the devil is reversing things through deception so that even interpret things from an alternate reality God had made her God had made Adam he made the world and all things in it very good God had given them free reign throughout the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and now the devil comes along and says God's not out for your welfare God is not out for your well-being God is a cosmic meanie that simply wants to keep you on a leash this is not good notice as well the tempter challenges God's security God's security he says in verse 3 for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be open and you will be like God and God doesn't want you to be like God God's insecure God's petty that's small God doesn't want any contenders God doesn't want anybody on par with him you see again it's subtle and it's not overt in terms of God's a wretch be all that you can be go ahead and eat this fruit that's not it he says you know doc doesn't want you to have your eyes open and have good things and God doesn't want you to be like God well intriguingly surety is like God she's the one creature along with Adam that's made in the image of God she is indeed the likeness of God what the devil is doing here is dunking her with status tempting her with a God likeness tempting her with something she didn't already possess and Calvin says this when he says God doth know he censures God as being moved by jealousy and as having given the command concerning the tree for the purpose of keeping man in an inferior rank and again creator creature gods not petty gods not jealous God is not consumed with the thought that the creature man turn attained deity that is absolutely contrary to fact but this is what the devil utilizes to prey upon the woman at this particular time God doesn't want you to be all you can be and then notice the tempter and places the creature with more with higher status with a god lightness notice at the end of verse 5 for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be open and you will be like God knowing good and evil what's the implication for e the moment you eat this fruit your eyes are gonna be open you're going to be like God and you're going to be in a position and a status that you had not previously enjoyed he is indeed holding out this temptation it is couched and all sorts of flowery language but it's the direct opposite to what God had commanded woky again says Satan smoothly maneuvers Eve into what may appear as a sincere theological discussion you can argue later that we need to understand theology and this is the battleground this is the arena this is where the contention or the the contending comes it's in the arena of who God is and what is God's purpose if we don't know the Bible we don't know theology we will be open to the attacks of the devil at that particular point we need to understand and know who God is so that we are not open or prone to and susceptible to the onslaught of the devil he says Satan smoothly maneuvers even to what may appear is a sincere theological discussion but he subverts obedience and distorts perspective by emphasizing God's prohibition not his provision reducing God's command to a question doubting his sincerity defaming his motives and denying the truthfulness of his threat I think that really summarizes precisely what the devil does here in verses 4 and 5 again brethren this is something cosmic and epic this is something that had sort of you know life-altering effects upon all of posterity at this particular point but there's nothing new Under the Sun I would suggest this is the same way the devil sort of comes to us he's not a cape he doesn't have a pitch for it he doesn't say hate God blaspheme God go do this be bad go doesn't do that it's this subtlety it's this questioning its has God indeed said or it's a it's a denial of God's consequences for one's actions you've done it in the past you haven't died go ahead and do it again you won't die you're not you don't have to anything to worry about you know just just let go just just relax just just enjoy the spirit of the age I suggest this is the way it's going to come to us subsequent to this particular temptation in the garden but at the core at the root is a question of allegiance will Eve believe God trusting in the Word of God or will Eve shifter allegiance to the Word of the devil fact John Calvin saw the whole narrative in this this way Calvin is usually brief in his commentaries and one of the reasons I I appreciate Calvin he's known for what's called lucid brevity he doesn't go on forever and ever but I'll tell you he seemed to go on a long time on these first thirteen verses in Genesis chapter 3 because this is such a an important passage of Scripture Calvin made this observation he said hence we infer that God will be seen and adored in his word I love that statement God will be seen and adored in his word Israel's prohibited from making idols Christians are prohibited from making idols why you saw no form on Horeb your religion is one of the word in other words you don't try to picture God you have a speaking God and you receive that through the ear gate into the heart anyways he says God will be seen and adored and his word and therefore that all reverence for him is shaken off when his word is despised and ultimately that's what's happening when Eve reaches out and takes that fruit she's despising the Word of the Living God the devil is successful in his temptation of Eve at this particular point now notice the fall into sin in verses 6 & 7 the allure of the Train the allure the attractiveness there are three statements here showing us Eve's frame of reference at this point notice in verse six so when the woman saw that the tree was good for food it's a pragmatic thing isn't it it was good for food Eve your problem isn't a lack of food you've got a garden full of food why all of a sudden does this tree look good to you in terms of food Calvin said she could previously behold the tree with such sincerity that no desire to eat of it affected her mine for the faith that she had in the Word of God was the best guardian of her heart and of all her sense Lords before the devil came and started plying her with this deception she walked by this tree like it was nobody's business she never saw that it was good for food and she never had a hankering after that particular fruit she was able as having been guarded by the Word of God to not ever even entertain such a thought but now it's good for food notice as well it was pleasant to the eyes it had an aesthetic appeal well it would have been pleasant to the eyes prior to this particular temptation wouldn't have been you see what happens when we get knocked off the foundation when we no longer think in terms of the Word of God when things like pragmatism well it would be good for food or aesthetics it looks good you see what that does it knocks us off the foundation of God's Word and causes us to think in terms of our own gratification here and now brethren that's not the way we're supposed to function that's not the way we're supposed to live we are to be grounded firmly upon the Word of God we're not to be tossed to and fro by what the pragmatics of the situation dictate well it's good for food or what is pleasing to the eyes since when does what is pleasing to the eyes Trump the Word of God but then notice as well there was a philosophical appeal and I think this is what's played up by the devil in terms of the knowledge of good and evil look at the end of verse 6 it says that it was desirable to make one wise it was desirable to make one wise the idea of opened eyes and of godlike status was more than she could handle so there's the pragmatism there's the aesthetics of the situation but then there's that philosophical pursuit or not even philosophical philosophy is a good thing it means to love wisdom and in Jesus all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are head according to Paul in Colossians two three remember that in Colossians two we're not being chased away from philosophy we're being chased away from godless philosophy we're being chased away from Christ like philosophy from a Christ less philosophy but philosophy ought to be what the people of God are about we ought to love wisdom so I don't want to suggest that she's just looking for a PhD and you know and philosophical study no she has a desire for this opened eyes status and this godlike state and these are the things that ply her these are the things that get into her head these are the things that get into her heart and these are the things that shake her confidence in the written word of the Living God she knew the prohibition and yet she rejects the prohibition based on pragmatics aesthetics and philosophy now know the eating of the fruit and the sublimity or the simplicity of the narrative here I mean it's just so brief but does it need to say anymore does Moses need to go on for page after page after page I mean it's a simple brief commentary with as I said earlier epic epic implications notice the end of verse 6 she took of its fruit and ate she also gave to her husband with her and he ate now the Jews thought that Adam was standing right there with Eve others suggest that he wasn't right there with Eve I can't settle that particular debate but this much I do know Adam was held responsible it was indeed not saying that he didn't sin we saw that in first Timothy 2:14 the woman being deceived transgressed Paul does not minimize or Paul does not say poor pathetic little Eve no she transgressed she had been deceived and she transgressed but the onus of responsibility is upon Adam when God comes to reckon he doesn't go to e he does ask her but he comes first to Adam Adam is the head of the family Adam is the leader so God comes to Adam as well notice in verse 17 then God are then to Adam God said because you have heeded the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you in other words Adam your problem was you got knocked off your foundation by your wife you were shaken from the sturdy foundation of the Word of God and you ran after whatever it was that she had to say now again people read into that what was happening did he know in terms of the pragmatics and the aesthetics and the philosophy did he want to have the opened eyes and the godlike status or was he cow talking to his wife as you know unfortunately sometimes men do we don't know the particulars but we know that God says your problem is is that you listen to her and you didn't listen to me and then when we read in subsequent history or subsequent narrative or subsequent Rett revelation the sin of man is heaped upon the federal head Adam in Adam all die so he's responsible for posterity and sin Romans 5 makes that very clear and then again I think first Timothy chapter 2 verses 13 and 14 now note the consequences immediately then the eyes of both of them were opened it's intriguing because again what the devil does is subtle not an outright assault oh gods terrible he you and all he wants is bad for you he said God knows the day that you eat of this your eyes will be open that their eyes are open the implication that that Satan put on it was that that would be a good thing the implication was that if you eat this fruit and your eyes are open to good and evil then that means vistas of new glory for you but it wasn't a good thing in fact in 322 God says the man has become like us knowing good and evil and there it's not a good thing such that he expels him from the garden he stations a cherubim to guard the Tree of Life lest adam reach out and grab it and then be confirmed in that particular state we'll get to all that later on but notice verse 7 the eyes of both of them were open they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings note the shift in the difference the end of chapter 2 god gives Adam his wife the two become one flesh verse 25 tells us they were both naked the man and his wife and we're not ashamed in a sinless world nakedness was a shameless thing but in a world now with sin it becomes something embarrassing it becomes something shameful and so they saw these fig leaves together and they make themselves coverings now they probably didn't have needles and threads and all that sort of thing they hitched it together to cover their private parts that's the emphasis in the text now notice we move on to the reckoning with God verses 8 to 13 God asks three questions he asks where who and what now God is not asking these questions for his own information God knows what's happening this is akin to the father who walks into the kitchen and sees the jar off of the lid off the cookie jar and the kid covered with chocolate and the father says did you get into the cookie jar of course the father knows he got into the cookie who's the question for it's not for the father it's for the kid that that's what God's doing same thing in Genesis 4 in verses 9 and 10 Cain where is Abel your brother I do I do not know and my my brother's keeper and he said what have you done the voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground why would he say where is Abel your brother if the blood of Abel was crying God knows what's happening God's doing this for Adam and Eve God wants to show them their sin and God wants to show them something else now remember I said that in verses 1 to 7 it's only Elohim it's not Yahweh Elohim look at the shift back in verse 8 we're back to Yahweh Elohim which it may be very indirect and very very remote but I would suggest that the Yahweh Elohim of verse 8 should really encourage us because Adam and Eve have now plunged into sin and yet Yahweh still comes to them Yahweh is still willing to enter in to partnership with that he has not expelled them without first having dealt with them he has not rejected them outright he has not obliterated them and started to fashion a new man and a new woman so Satan uses God Eve uses God when the narrative of chapters 2 and 3 is completely Lord God and now when we come back to God in verse 8 it's the Lord God he's walking in the garden in the cool of the day no doubt this would have been the time they commune together remember Adam wasn't supposed to lay on a couch and have efan him during the day Adam was a worker Adams task was priestly but it was to extend the garden temple to cover the earth but what we find here is God comes to the garden in the cool of the day or in the wind some suggest that in the wind is the better reading God comes in the storm and perhaps the idea isn't so much communion but judgment and reckoning when it were in God comes to them at this particular time it certainly seems that Adam and Eve had a whiff of the judgment of God because in the middle of verse 8 it says in Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden so the tendency of man in sin ever the tendency of man since this has always been the same we saw this in proverbs 28:13 whoever covers his transgressions will not prosper but he who confesses and forsakes then will find mercy this is the first instance the fig leaves in the first instance and then them running and hiding in the trees and imagine that the folly in that the God who made the trees can't see you in the midst of the trees you know sin typically doesn't produce brilliance sin typically doesn't produce you know great great amounts of wisdom I mean people do things like hey if we go run and hide among the trees maybe God won't find us that that's really really bizarre Klein says as though the guilty could find refuge from God in the sanctuary of God Wenham makes this observation a more complete transformation could not be imagined the trust of innocence is replaced by the fear of guilt the trees that God created for man to look at look at verse 9 in chapter 2 notice the trees were not only made to yield fruit but for man's aesthetic pleasure in other words man was supposed to look at the trees and go WOW god is great - 9 out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight it's okay to look at trees and say man that's beautiful we ought to do that we ought to be more in tune with creation not some you know nut eat and berry eat and running through the woods naked kind of enviro weirdo but the bottom line is we ought to appreciate nature it it's the handiwork of God it's the canvas of God's creation it's good to look upon it and it's good to enjoy it but here specifically notice what happened he says a more complete transformation could not be imagined the trust of innocence is replaced by the fear of guilt the trees that God created for man to look at are now his hiding place to prevent God singing him you're supposed to look in gaze and say what a glorious God now he's hiding among them hoping that God can't gaze in and see him I mean Genesis 3 is tragedy it is absolutely tragic to see the reversals that happen as a result of what sin God made man and then he made woman and both of them were to exercise dominion over the creatures Genesis 3 turns that right on its act Genesis 3 inverts that we have a talking snake addressing Eve who gives fruit to her husband you see the inversion of the created order at the outset again I think it's Moses handiwork in creating the narrative under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit not creating out of thin air it records history but Moses was a most excellent writer and wove together a literary a literary masterpiece but the inversion of the created order has been achieved with reference to the fall into sin and then notice as I said the interrogation by God where who and what John Gill said the Lord knew he had in terms of sinning against him or taking the fruit but he puts this question to bring him to a confession of it as well as to aggravate his crime so notice in verse 9 then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him where are you verse 10 so he said I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself that's a master you know master case of evasiveness I mean on the one hand God says where are you so I guess technically he didn't say did you sin but I think that's what God's getting at right what's happening where are you in terms of your allegiance to me where are you in terms of why are you hiding in the trees having made you know fig leaves as a covering for you not know what Adam does I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself he never says he sinned against God he says I'm fearful and I'm naked but not sinful would have been much better for him to choose just to own it again this is really what we do still today you know it's easy for us to sort of gang up on Adam and Eve and say man look at what they did I don't know that we'd have fared much better I mean you know we like to think that if we were in that particular situation in that particular environment oh yeah we would have done great III don't know that I'd want to say that anyways I heard your voice in the garden I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself John Gill says he conceals the true cause which was sin that made the nakedness of his body shameful and had stripped his soul of its native clothing purity and holiness so I guess he does admit it I was naked I was afraid I'm no longer conscious of the communion that I possess with you but he is evasive he doesn't own his sin and then notice the indictment verse 11 who told you that you were naked have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat again the father to the side with chocolate all over his face God knows the answer God wants them to come clean God wants them to pony up God wants them to confess God wants them to own this you're man enough to sin you made it better be man enough to confess it if you're responsible enough to engage in this sort of activity then you better answer my questions truthfully does Adam and Eve or do Adam and Eve answers to questions truthfully no they continue that they didn't hear the the adage that you know was developed later when you're in a when you're in a hole stop digging that that's good advice when you're in a hole stop digging they'd they hadn't gotten that memo at this point notice God asks them this specifically in verse 11 and then of course Adam what again is typical of us today he blames God and he blames the woman then the man said the woman whom you gave to be with me she gave me of the tree and I ate well it's God if you hadn't given me her I wouldn't be in this mess the onus is on you God don't give me good things I don't know how to utilize good things I'll only use them to sin again I think we do that God you gave me this and you put me in this situation or you don't know the powers of the temptations that I we blame God and that's just not good or we take our beloved wives the one with whom we are one flesh and we just so nonchalantly throw them right under the bus this is a terrible thing remember man to lead love and protect his wife exercising dominion over the beasts we've got serpent we've got Eve we've got Adam and when it comes time to pony up not only does Adam not own his sin and stand in protection of his wife he actually takes her by the hair and throws her under the bus again metaphorically figuratively speaking he doesn't literally do that but he does it ethically he does it morally he does it in an irresponsible manner sale hammer says and it's as an index of the extent of man's fault in other words just to evidence how bad the situation is the author shows that the man saw God's good gift as the source of his trouble it's pathetic isn't it and I think that's the impress that this narrative is supposed to have on us we're supposed to come out of the other side of Genesis 3 going man we are messed up and God is gracious when we get to verse 15 and the promise of a messiah that will crush the enemy we ought to rejoice in God our Lord because everything about us is terrible according to the narrative Wenham says here the define divisive effects of sin I'm sorry here the divisive effects of sin setting man again his dearest companion and alienating him from his all carrying creator are splendidly portrayed good enough the the hiding from God the verse a and then the throwing his wife under the bus of verse 12 the things that characterized the best that was in Adam communion with God and companionship with his wife are now rent asunder by his plunge into sin now let's see how the woman fares verse 13 the Lord God said to the woman what is this you have done and the woman said the serpent deceived me and I ate again blame-shifting it's not confined simply to the male sex women do this as well in other words it's the Serpent's fault I remember as a kid my parents liked a comedian named Flip Wilson and Flip Wilson's tagline was the devil made me do it and it seems to me that people still operate in this particular mindset the devil made me do it the serpent made me do it the serpent deceived me and I ate Lord its the Serpent's fall can't really blame me but of course God can blame you and he's going to blame you in the subsequent verses but couched in these subsequent verses of curse of condemnation is gospel blessing via the Lord Jesus Christ well with reference to some summary observations first of all we ought to appreciate the theology of the fall the theology of the fall we should recognize that God permitted this that's the language of our confession of faith the better to say it was part of his decree and of course people will say well how could you love a God that would decrease such a thing like this or would allow or permit such a thing like this because God had a plan and a purpose to save his people by his son the Lord Jesus Christ and if there is no sin there is no display of the grace the mercy the kindness and the goodness of God it forms the backdrop for the great redemptive plan of our Lord Jesus Christ our confession says which God was pleased according to his wise and holy counsel to permit having purpose to order it to his own glory as well from this passage theologians reflecting on this and the rest of the Bible have seen the doctrine of original sin the doctrine of original sin that as a result of Adam's sin that sin is imputed to his posterity in other words we're not born neutral we're not born as blank slate we were born in Adam we come out as sinners and that's the doctrine of original sin again our confession they Adam and Eve being the route and by God's appointment standing in the room instead of all mankind the guilt of the sin was imputed and corrupt a corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation being now conceived in sin and nature children of Wrath the servants of sin are by nature children of Wrath the servants of sin the subjects of death and all other miseries spiritual temporal and eternal unless the Lord Jesus set them free so that's the doctrine of original sin its imputed to us the Bible teaches the doctrine excuse me of imputation imputation of Christ's righteousness God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him other words are our sin is imputed to Christ and Christ's righteousness is imputed to us but but prior to that Adam's sin has been imputed to us it's called original sin now the confession goes on to say from this original corruption whereby we are utterly indisposed disabled and made opposite to all good and wholly inclined to all evil do proceed all actual transgressions in other words what is imputed to us needs to be our first our first Father Adam this is the the root from whence or the source from whence all actual transgressions proceeds in other words we sin and it's because we're sinners that's the issue where we're sinners and therefore we sin and then the covenant theology of Adam in Christ we need to appreciate what's happening here in Genesis chapter 3 well two and three covenant of works in Genesis chapter three to appreciate the federal theology of Romans five if we don't understand what's happening in Genesis two and three it's gonna be difficult to get our minds wrapped around Genesis I'm sorry Romans five in terms of the parallels that Paul draws between Adam and Jesus Christ not only Romans 5:12 to 21 but 1st Corinthians 15 21 and 22 we need to appreciate the theology of the fall secondly in terms of the practical teaching of the passage we've looked at a few lessons let's just summarize and then we'll conclude first the teaching concerning temptation the teaching here I think concerning temptation it shows us in the first place the power of temte temptation is seen in its success in paradise in other words if you think the temptation is something easy and manageable look at what happened in paradise John Calvin quotes Bernard and Bernard said since we read that a fall so dreadful took place in paradise what shall we do on the dunghill no it's we're nowhere near paradise and if it prevailed and it succeeded in that environment you know what should we learn from that it's a powerful powerful thing and we need to appreciate just how powerful temptation is as well we ought to appreciate the subtlety of temptation as seen in the devil's tactics again it was in the realm of theology it was a question concerning God the issue ultimately focused upon and centered upon who God is according the devil God's back God's petty God's jealous God doesn't want you to be all that you can be and in terms of God it was specifically with reference to his word and Eve sided with the devil rejecting God's Word for their comfort for their protection and for their safety and then as well we ought to appreciate the use of deception in Taoiseach the devil I mean we are told verse one look at the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made some of the commentators you know well you know the foxes are more cunning than then sir that's not the point which animals the worst animal the point is with reference to this particular serpent that came to Eve he's actuated or-or-or empowered by the devil and as a result of that he's cunning he's wily he's full of deception and he's going to ply his trade by all means possible to up rout Adam and Eve that's the point in the narrative not well I think foxes or you know this variety of bird might be more cunning than that's not the question we're supposed to be hung up on what's the most cunning animal that that walks the earth no the idea is is that Satan's behind this snake and that deception is his tool by which he is going to see succeed so the tendency to abandon the sure word of god when alternatives are placed before us in terms of deceptive advertising this is precisely what I mean the devil could have sold cars the devil could sell anything in this modern modern world what well it will benefit you you know I've got a you know a perfectly good cut but you need the newest model because because it's good for move movements you know the devil could sell cars he could sell poppy could sell houses he could sell anything it will benefit you it looks so good doesn't it and it will make you wise it will confer status upon you it will it will break opening to your eyes brethren we're not supposed to fall prey to that and I'm talking about buying cars or houses I'm talking about buying sin we're not supposed to argue or reason or rationalize well well you know that would be beneficial to my overall well-being and and it really does look good and and and I think will confer abetters no no we're not supposed to argue that way thus saith Yahweh that's what we need to have recourse in and then as well the teaching concerning man's evasiveness with reference to sin we dealt with most of this when we looked at proverbs 28:13 but the attempt to cover our own sin verse 7 that's precisely what they're doing they're shamed they're naked they've got you know guilt and what do they do they don't cry to Yahweh please have mercy on us they they sow fig leaves together as if somehow that's going to obliterate the sin problem secondly they hide from God and this is what we do when we sin and we try to cover it we we hide from God oh we don't run into the trees yet but we don't go to church we don't go to Bible study we don't got a prayer meeting we don't hang around with Christian people we don't get up next to people that are actually walking with the what is that but an attempt to hide from God God's with people here so I'm not gonna be where they're at you know a lot of times well you know I had a little sniffle I had a little bit of a a little bit of pain I've been bit okay I'm not denouncing or didn't you know saying that it's never the case where providentially you're hindered from worship but is it ever possible that your sin is keeping you from the means of grace you want to hide from God because you don't want to expose now you're looking at me like I'm nuts I didn't just read about this and Owen volume set I think this is the way at least some of us function and at least the way some of us click we don't want to be where God is when we're in sin against God rather than saying God please forgive me I'm a vile terrible human have mercy on me what what what always happens in the Bible when people do that what what always happens does God say forget it off with your head away with he doesn't even do that with Adam and Eve people say do you think Adams in heaven I actually do God kills an animal and clothes them with the skin of the animal I just ate that's atonement I think that's the picture of Jesus I've given you the promise in verse 15 now I'm going to give you the sacrament let's get this animal let's cut it up and let's get it skin off of it and let put it on you because I want to teach you something about blood sacrifice that atones or cover sin oh yeah I think God dealt very graciously and very mercifully with Adam so if the consistent testimony of Scripture and every time we've witnessed somebody coming to God and say God I made a mess of my life I'm a terrible human being please have mercy on me every single instance God has mercy what should that do should it cause us to run and hide from God or should it cause us to run and bury our face in God I think the latter and then as well the failure to own our own sin oh yeah we're fearful we're naked but I'm not going to own up to my sin in verse 10 I'm gonna be evasive I'm gonna redefine it I'm gonna suggest that you know it wasn't really as bad as it seemed to be everything that's happening here in Genesis chapter 3 happens probably every day in all of our hearts and happens every day and all of the hearts of everybody we've ever met this isn't unique to Adam and Eve if you're if you're going wow they're really messed up hopefully that at some level you're you're sort of jumping in here and going wow I'm really messed up too because these are some of my talk box and of course the final tactic that is employed by both Adam and Eve is blame-shifting that wasn't me that was you wasn't me it was her wasn't me it was their always pointing the finger at everybody else so they do all that God does come to deal pretty severely with them in terms of here's what's gonna happen to you at them here's what's gonna happen to you Eve oh and by the way you're out in terms of the garden oh and by the way no access to the Tree of Life but God makes the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ in verse 15 and God kills these animals and covers them with the skins so you see even through their evasiveness they're covering they're hiding and they're blame-shifting God nevertheless extends mercy and grace now I'm not suggesting we do all those things and then hold out our hands for mercy and grace try not to hi try not to cut or try not to blame chef's try not to be a face we've tried to be open and honest and candid with God but take from Genesis 3 not only how bad man is but how great and glorious our God is that's what Genesis 3 should also convince us off that this God didn't completely destroy them and cast them off right away after especially this imagine you dealing with your kids you know they're guilty you know beyond a shadow of a doubt they won't own it they won't confess it they try to blame their brother they try to blame their sister they try to blame the family dog they try to blame everything and everybody but themselves and yet you say come over here I'm gonna give you a hug I mean I just don't know that we operate as graciously as God does here in Genesis chapter 3 so once again as we have had cause to reflect many many times in our studies in the Old Testament never let anybody tell you that the Old Testament is full of Wrath and gloom and doom and and blood and war no it's full of grace amazing grace grace that does cause us to reflect upon how good our God is well let us close in a word of Prayer our Father we thank you for your word we thank you for this teaching in Genesis 3 god we confess that we do see ourselves in this passage of scripture we see ourselves in Adam but thankfully we see ourselves in Jesus Christ having been liberated by the power of the Christian gospel and truly your grace is amazing and truly your kindness is wondrous god help us to rejoice in this help us to daily reflect upon this and help us to see from the passage how how dangerous temptation and sin are and how how gracious and kind and good you are and how necessary it is for us to deal faithfully to deal uprightly to deal openly and and honestly and candidly with our God we pray that you would go with us now that you would watch over us and help us to glorify you in our work for the rest of the week and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen