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turn in your Bibles to Psalm eight Psalm eight the psalmist rehearses the glory of God in creation it's good for us to imitate the psalmist it's good for us to recognize not only the distinction between the creator and the creation but the beauty of the creation and how it does declare to us the glory of God beginning in verse 1 of Psalm 8 to the chief musician on the instrument of Gath a psalm of David O Lord our Lord how excellent is your name in all the earth who have set your glory above the heavens out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength because of your enemies that you may silence the enemy in the Avenger when I consider your heavens the work of your fingers the moon and the stars which you have ordained what is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you visit him for you have made him a little lower than the angels and you have crowned him with glory and honor you have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands you have put all things under his feet all sheep and oxen even the beasts of the field the birds of the air and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the Seas Oh Lord our Lord how excellent is your name in all the earth amen well please take your Trinity Salter and turn to Psalm 89 Psalm 89 will sing the first sixteen verses will stand as we sing together [Music] you you [Music] please be seated well let us pray father thank you for this blessed hour that we can gather out of the world into your house to worship you to praise you and to bring glory unto you we acknowledge that you are from everlasting to everlasting you are the great and the eternal God even Father Son and Holy Spirit we acknowledge your handiwork in creation and certainly it is a glorious thing to behold the things that you have made in the in the space of six days and all very good we know you made them out of nothing there wasn't existent material that you fashioned to created all things and in this we give you praise and glory we thank you for Providence the fact that you govern all your creatures and all their actions and that you are in the heavens and you do whatever you please and Lord on these Lord's days help us in a special way to remember the work of redemption how we thank you for the mercy that you have shown to us in and through your son the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for the forgiveness of sins we thank you for the imputed righteousness of Christ received by faith alone and that faith given as a gift by a very gracious and a merciful God we give praise to you for all of these things we give praise to you as well for who you are infinite eternal and unchangeable the god of glory and majesty and unrivaled power supremacy and sovereignty may you help us tonight approach you with fear and with great joy may you help us tonight to worship you in spirit and in truth and may you help us tonight about before you in humility confessing your glory and your excellence we ask that you would forgive us for our sins now Lord we ponder Scripture we ponder who you are we see our own selves in the light of your holy law and we are inclined to cry out with the Apostle a wretched man that I am how we thank you for the forgiveness that you give us we thank you that there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared and even now Lord God we pray for cleansing in that precious blood of the Lord Jesus no it's through his sacrifice it's through his atoning work its through substitution him taking in our place the wrath and fury of God Almighty it is on that basis that we are forgiven that our iniquities are blotted out and we rejoice in this Lord God and we would ask that you would help us by your spirit to pursue those things that are indeed pleasing in your sight conform us more and more under the image of your beloved son and give us a desire and a zeal to pursue the things of God to be faithful in your sight and to seek by grace to live in a manner that is consistent with the gospel with which or that gospel with which we've been called we ask for those who are Unforgiven those who are dead in their trespasses and sins that through the power of the Holy Spirit you would awaken them you would cause them to see themselves rightly before a holy God and cause them by grace to lay hold of Jesus Christ and all of the benefits that he wrought out on behalf of sinners we pray this for our meeting here we pray this for other churches in Chilliwack and yay God throughout the earth we know that you have purposed to save a multitude and we pray that this gospel would be proclaimed that it would go forth conquering and to conquer and that a multitude would be turned from their idols to the true and living God be gracious to bless your word be gracious to constrain more and more sinners to come to the Lord Jesus Christ confessing sin and finding forgiveness and mercy with you we ask father that you would be with the Brethren and Sri the Brethren and Vernon thanking you Lord God for these works praying that you would grant them your protection and your presence and your nearness grant them the grace to continue to testify the gospel of Jesus Christ in their communities and may they indeed know the the blessing of God upon the Ministry of the word upon their fellowship together as the saints of Jesus Christ and may they be obedient in terms of individual and corporate life we ask that you would bless the missionary enterprise we thank you for those that we know and love and pray for on a regular basis we pray for those in the Far East thanking you for their many many years of faithful service and we know God it's not always easy in that land with constantly shifting and changing laws and increased pressure upon the Churches of Christ we do pray for our brethren that you would watch over them that you would grant them boldness and strength and grace cause them to continue to glorify you in preaching and teaching and and administering the the love of Christ in terms of benevolence we also pray father for your blessing to be upon the the various nations steeped in false religion the various places where the people of God suffer such persecution against against them for their commitment to the Lord be with your Saints Lord God that are incarcerated be with those who have been sentenced to death be with those Lord that they would not lose heart that they would be encouraged and though the government's may fail them and even be enraged against them and though others have forgotten them may they be encouraged that the Lord has promised to never leave or to forsake his people may this be a great and in a blessing and an encouragement to them that they may persevere in faithfulness to the very end we also pray for the governing authorities in our own country we know Lord God the Apostle tells us to pray for kings and all who are in authority and our first and foremost prayers that you would work in their hearts that you would convict them of their sins that you would bring them to repentance and faith that they would heed the psalmist counsel and in Psalm 2 where he bids the the nations of the the rulers of the nations and the judges of the earth to kiss the son to bow to the Lord Jesus Christ we pray that for those in high places and if they will not confess him we pray that you would restrain them from continuing to legislate immorality and and wickedness and lawlessness we know father that this is not pleasing to a holy God and we pray that in your that in your kindness and in your mercy you would you would effect change in the hearts of those in these places and father be merciful to our congregation be with those who suffer on a regular basis no there are many several that are afflicted with disease and with pains and with chronic illness and we would pray God that you would be with them that you would bless them she would strengthen them and though the the the outer man does decay we pray the inner man would be renewed day by day and that spiritually they would be strong and vital that they would know the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit and they would confess the goodness of God even in the midst of trial and affliction and hardship you bless us and help us and continue with us now as we sing and as we look to Holy Scripture and we ask these things through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well you may turn in your Trinity hymnal - number 535 hymn number five three five will stand as we sing together [Music] well you can turn in your Bibles to the prophet Micah Micah chapter 6 for our scripture reading this evening Micah chapter 6 remember that Micah is a prophet in the south the southern kingdom he's a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah in fact there's great similarities between isaiah 2 and micah 4 where it has prophecy concerning the latter day specifically the messianic reign of the Lord Jesus Christ and one of the functions of God's prophets was to function or were to function as prosecuting attorneys coming on behalf of God indicted the people of Israel for their waywardness and then calling them to repentance and faith and that is precisely what we see here in chapter 6 of Micah so I'll begin reading in verse 1 here now what the Lord says arise plead your case before the mountains and let the hills hear your voice hear o you mountains the Lord's complain and use strong foundations of the earth for the Lord has a complaint against his people and he will contend with Israel o my people what have I done to you and how have i wearied you testify against me for I brought you up from the land of Egypt I redeemed you from the house of bondage and I sent before you Moses Aaron and Miriam o my people remember now what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from acacia Grove to Gilgal you may know the righteousness of the Lord with what shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before the high god shall I come before him with burnt offerings with calves a year old will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams ten thousand rivers of oil shall I give my firstborn from my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul he has shown you O man what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God the Lord's voice cries to the city Wiz shall see your name here the rod who has appointed it are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked and the short measure that is an abomination shall I count pur those with the wicked scales and with the bag of deceitful waits for her rich manner full of violence her inhabitants have spoken lies and their tongue is deceitful in their mouths therefore I will also make you sick by striking you by making you desolate because of your sins you shall eat but not be satisfied hunger shall be in your midst you may carry some away but shall not save them and what you do rescue I will give over to the sword you shall sow but not reap you shall tread the olives but not anoint yourselves with oil and make sweet wine but not drink wine for the statutes of all Murray are kept all the works of Ahab's house are done and you walk in their counsels that I may make you a desolation and your inhabitants a hissing therefore you shall bear the reproach of my people amen as I said he functions here as a prosecuting attorney specifically the created order is called upon to witness this this court case between God and between Israel we see that in verses 1 and 2 and then God's opening argument is set forth in verse 3 o my people what have I done to you and how have I wearied you testify against me in other words you have been unfaithful to me can you present evidence as to how that's my fault Lord's God only ever blessed them not only ever granted them brace God gave them tenure in the land and he called upon them to be faithful with reference to the Covenant and so God is calling upon them to pony up to give the evidence of course they can't and then on behalf of the people we see their response verse 6 is verses 6 and 7 this is extremely ironic this is extremely sarcastic this is extremely wicked on the part of Israel with what shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before the high god shall I come before him with burnt offerings with calves a year old they're suggesting or they're stating or they're saying what the problem with God what is it that he wants from us does he want more sacrifice does he want more effort does he want more stuff in order to please him verse 7 will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams ten thousand rivers of oil shall I give my firstborn from my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul in short what is it that he wants well the prophet speaks on behalf of God in verse eight he says he has shown you O man what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God I dare suggest that that's one of the more popular verses in all of the Old Testament most people are familiar with Micah 6:8 but we need to understand Micah 6:8 in the context of the argument the people are saying what is it that we can do in order to please em and God says you know what's expected it's always been that way I have not changed the goalposts it has always been consistent covenant faithfulness this is found in Deuteronomy 10 proverbs Hosea Zechariah Matthew 23:23 Jesus and i'ts them for tithing the mint and the anise and the cumin but you have neglected the weightier matters of the law justice mercy and faith God has never changed God's demands have never changed it's Israel that has defected and as a result they are going to reap the consequences for sinning against the Lord so let us take God's Word and let us be informed by God's Word as to what is required and let us never assume that posture of ever suggesting what is it that we can do that pleases God in some arrogant carnal wicked way he's told us what we are to do may God enable us by His grace and Spirit to do those things and bring glory to him well let us pray father thank you for your word thank you for its clarity thank you that it speaks not only to the southern kingdom of old but it speaks to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ grant us the help and the Grace and the strength and the power of the Holy Spirit to take Micah eight seriously to take Matthew 23:23 seriously to consider the weightier matters of the law even justice mercy and faith help us not to continue the the sinful Mass that we see oftentimes in the in the Old Covenant people of God that help us to be those who bring glory to you and again we confess that apart from Jesus we can do nothing so please fill us with your Holy Spirit and we ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well you can turn in your Trinity hymnal again to number 259 259 we'll use a familiar tune it's not the tune indicated here but one that I think we all are familiar with two five nine will stand as we sing together [Music] we can turn in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 3 Genesis chapter 3 we'll look at the fall of man in verses 1 to 13 my apologies to the Wednesday night crew I know we heard this not too long ago but I believe there's some helpful lessons specifically with reference to the temptation and may God give us grace to understand that so that we can resist temptation as well I think there's some helpful lessons with reference to the way oftentimes we respond when we are found out in sin in other words instead of owning it confessing it and forsaking it we rather are evasive and I think Adam and Eve sort of set that pattern here in Genesis chapter 3 I'll read the whole chapter and then as I said we'll look at verses 1 to 13 but beginning in verse 1 in chapter 3 Genesis 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 open 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 and the eyes of both of them were opened and 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 when a 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 deceived 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 to the woman he said I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception in pain you shall bring forth children your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you then he said 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 say in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life both 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 when 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 and 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 let us pray Lord God thank you for this account thank you for the fact that it explains so much to us concerning the the fall of man in the sin that rebellion and transgression against a good and a holy God thank you as well for that announcement that first announcement announcement of gospel promise how we give you praise for the the skull-crushing seed of the woman who had come in the fullness of the times who live in obedience to the law would die as a sacrifice and a substitute on the cross and who would be raised the third day thank you for our redeemer thank you for that blessed Lord Jesus Christ and we would pray now that you would help us as we study Scripture may you fill us with the Holy Spirit again forgive us for our sins and for our transgression and we ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ amen well up to this point obviously you have the creation account God created all things out of nothing by the word of his power in the space of six days and all very good the Lord God made man in his own image we see that in chapter 1 verses 26 to 28 when we get to chapter 20 I'm sorry chapter 2 we see in the first place the the preparation of the garden in verses 8 to 14 when we looked at that we noted and we've observed how that garden was a temple it was a sanctuary it was a place where God and creatures would meet together and would commune with one another that theme is replete throughout Scripture God dwelling in the midst of his people this is the first instance of a temple and it certainly serves as a pattern or paradigm for what would be the tabernacle and then the temple and then of course the New Jerusalem that we see described in Revelation 20 once we see the preparation of the garden we see then the probation of the first man verses 15 to 17 in chapter 2 there we saw what's called the Covenant of works God put man in a covenant a covenant of works and he forbid him to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil upon the pain of death Adam knew the prescription Adam knew the prohibition Adam knew what was indeed required of him and then we saw the provision of a wife in verses 18 to 25 in chapter 2 so all of that sort of sets the stage for what we find now in chapter 3 in terms of the temptation and the fall of man and I want to look at three things first the temptation to sin in verses 1 to 5 secondly the fall all into sin in verses six to seven and then thirdly the reckoning with God in verses eight to 13 because I don't want to keep us here for you know a couple of hours we're gonna stop at verse 13 but if you're interested or intrigued in this chapter I believe the stuff is on sermon audio you can listen to how the last part of the chapter was treated but note first the temptation to sin in verses 1 to 5 we meet first of all with the serpent and we know that this is the devil later revelation indicates for us that this is in fact the devil his craftiness and his cunning will indeed be observed when it comes to his interactions with Eve and notice 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 now his motivation was really a hatred for God his motivation to do this was his despising of not his rebellion against God calvin 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 whose image he shone in whom his image shown they couldn't get to god he couldn't assault god so he assaults the image of god namely Eve in this particular instance and then note the subtlety of his challenge has God indeed said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden now I think we need to appreciate that as we move through this section I want to draw out practical observations on how we ought to resist the cunning and the craftiness of the devil the devil doesn't always come to us with a full-on suggestion of absolute and utter rebellion and apostasy no it's subtle he insinuates he he challenged he he challenges he he whispers as has God indeed said he just introduces this little bit of doubt and it's from that vantage point that he gains a stronghold and he's able to have his way ultimately with Eve and ultimately Adam it is a subtlety it's not a direct assault but it's 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 and as you move through this narrative you will see how what is always utilized in terms of the identification of God Lord God now just becomes God the devil is separate from God and Eve assumes that posture as well God Elohim creator Yahweh is covenant Lord and all throughout Genesis chapters 2 and 3 we see Lord God we see Elohim Yahweh and yet when we come to this the devil sees God as God not as Yahweh and a follow suit Satan's craftiness Bruce Walt he says is seen in his cunning distortion of God's words with subtle guys the adversary speaks as a winsome angelic theologian I think that's a very good observation as well he he challenges him in terms of theology yet has God indeed sad so winsome attack it's a subtle attack it's an insinuation but it's a direct assault ultimately upon who God is now note the woman's response in verses 2 & 3 she certainly knows the prohibition if you go back to chapter 2 at verse 15 we read then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it and the Lord God commanded the man saying of every tree of the garden you may freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat from the day that you eat of it you shall surely die so the devil challenges at this particular point Eve obviously has heard this she knows that the prohibition exists but we need to understand that she makes some subtle changes in terms of the exact language of chapter 2 verses 15 to 17 note in the first place she minimizes privileged notice what God says God says specifically in verses 9 and 16 that you may freely eat you may freely eat not not so with Eve she says we may eat she's already sort of buying into this idea that that God isn't all together for your good I think this is a most pernicious assault upon God and this is where it often comes young people and children you need to be aware of this because the tempter is not going to come and say God's terrible he's wretched he's horrible just abandon any thought whatsoever now that's gonna be a subtle subtle insinuation is he really out for your good does he really have your highest purposes in view is he really about blessing and abundance and grace and mercy no he's not that's what he's implying with these suggestions and Eve is already on the hook and she's already biting she minimizes privilege by saying we may eat she minimizes judgment it's intriguing because the devil uses the language of God God says in the prohibition on the day that you eat dying you shall die when the devil rehearses this he says not dying you shall not die but with reference to Eve she minimizes the judgment by saying lest you die it was a lot stronger the way that God brings that word to bear upon Adam and then notice Eve maximises prohibition at verse 2 we may eat of 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 well the original prohibition did not include last touch yet now we don't know why she adds that but we do know that she adds that and that's never a good place for us to assume we don't add to the word we don't take from the word we hold to the word just like we saw there in the prophet Micah what is it that we can do that will please God he has shown you O man hold fast to the truth of holy scripture there's never going to be a problem in your life that holding fast to holy scripture isn't going to help you with is never going to be the case that that that holding fast to the Word of God is going to prove you wrong it's always the position it's the vantage point it's the orientation that God's people must off and then note the temptation in verses 4 and 5 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 open and you will be like God knowing good and evil the tempter first challenges God's veracity veracity is just another word for truthfulness he challenges that with reference to God you will not surely die dying you will not die he's questioning the truthfulness of God if God commands that dying you shall die the devil ought never to come and suggest that no you will not die you see the direct contradiction it may be subtle it may be insinuated but now it moves up a level in terms of direct assault he starts with a has God indeed said to now this oh no that is just not accurate information one man Meredith Klein says first Satan had challenged the stipulations of covenant law God's norm for the present now he contradicts it sanctions God's interpretation the future you will not die it's no big deal and again this tactic is used today isn't it minimizing the judgment of God oh there's no hell there is no afterlife there's no justice dreamless sleep don't you listen to it the Lord God most I had said there is both death and judgment following that you hear it said at least I heard it said in America there's only two things that are absolutely inevitable death and taxes I whether you hear it not hear it or not in Canada that's true in Canada as well death and taxes you can not pay your taxes now please do not leave here and say Butler said we don't have to pay our taxes here what else Butler's going to say if you don't pay your taxes you're going to be in jail but admittedly you don't have to pay your taxes the two inevitabilities are death and judgment you see the devil wants to undermine that thought the devil is probably behind the publishing companies that every few years or so publish a new book on why hell isn't real publish a new book on why the soul isn't real publish a new book on on why there is no afterlife it Menem the very threat of God in terms of judgment to come and that is precisely what he does he a challenges God's veracity notice as well he challenges God's goodness for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened he's challenging God's goodness here it's a good thing to have your eyes open and God knows that when you eat your eyes will be opened but because God is not concerned ultimately for your goodness he doesn't want you to do this he's a cosmic killjoy he doesn't want you to be all you can be he doesn't want you to reach your full potential he doesn't want you to achieve the highest places that the creature can attain he is challenging God's goodness in order to draw Eve into his position so that she will rebel against the Creator thirdly the tempter challenges God's security God's security when he says and you will be like God what's the implication God is petty God doesn't want fellows God doesn't want somebody on his level God doesn't want you to achieve this this godlike status because he wants it all for himself you see if you eat this fruit and you become like God then that's a threat to the very God who made you he doesn't want that Calvin says when he says God doth know he censures God is being moved by jealousy and as having given the command concerning the tree for the purpose of keeping man in an inferior rank no man will always be in an inferior rank because God is creator and man is creature there will always be inferiority there is a great difference between creator and creature but God doesn't keep man down because of some intrinsic need in God to not have somebody on his level and that's what the devil is suggesting here and then notice the tempter entices the creature with more when he says and you shall be like god that's the draw isn't it there's three reasons why she eats the fruit and look at that in just a moment but but isn't that the rub you shall be like God there there's more status for you to attain there's a higher place for you to assume there is a more dignified state of being that you can achieve if you just come over to my way of thinking and you eat this piece of fruit that was put under the prohibition by God again walki says Satan smoothly maneuvers Eve into what may appear as 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 again I don't know that we read Genesis 3 with that kind of attention but I think that's precisely how we need to understand it this is cosmic treason by the creature toward the Creator the devil specifically challenging who God is in order to entice the woman to abandon abandon her commitment to the Lord and decide with the devil Calvin says hence we infer that God will be seen and adored in his word and therefore that all reverence for him is shaken off when his word is despised he's speaking specifically to that reality it's all about the Word of God has God indeed said oh you will not really die every every step of the way in terms of the temptation the target is the word of the Living God the way that we properly relate to God is through the word and that is what we ought to learn here now notice secondly the fall into sin the allure of the tree is given to us in verse 6 so when the woman saw 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 now there was a pragmatic sort of concern here notice in verse 6 so when the woman saw that the tree was good for food he realized that up until this point she never looked at the tree that way up until this point she was able to walk by the tree up until this point she never thought about the tree but now because the devil had inserted these questions in her mind and heart now the tree is good for food there's no need for that verses 9 and 16 in Genesis chapter 2 tell us that it was a tree a garden that was bountiful it was plentiful the provision is what's capitalized on not the prohibition there's one tree that she is to avoid and isn't this really a lot like us today if you if you ever wonder why you're so messed up Genesis 3 is a sort of a treasure trove of answers for you why do I function like this well we don't blame Adam and Eve but we certainly see traits and dispositions and characteristics that are consistent with man in this first act of rebellion against the living and true God but it is intriguing as well in the narrative notice in verse 6 so when the woman saw that the tree was good for food for those who have read up until this point in the book of Genesis you'll know there's only been one whose pronounced what is good and that's God in the days of creation God saw what he had made and it was good and now the woman the creature is determining what is good and what isn't it is never good to deem something good that God has put under the ban if God prohibits you from a particular tree it is never right to conclude that that is good for food again you see the subtleties at work here something she passed by probably on numerous occasions on the way to other trees that were good for food she she gathered it up she put it in her basket she put it in her belly at that particular time however once the devil got ahold of her now this tree which was under the bat has become something that is good for food you need to be careful you need to watch out you need to pray as well note the aesthetic element involved she saw that the tree was good for food that it was that it was pleasant to the eyes again she'd seen it before you just think about sin in your own life or or a time that you responded to a particular temptation I don't want to get all you know therapy session everybody share I don't know don't do that but just think about it something that at one time we would have never entertained something that at one time was just out there forbidden there's no way and we end up doing it how does that happen because we're messed up we're in Adam even as believers we are prone to wander and prone to leave the god that we love all of a sudden this tree that she had bypassed so many other times for all of the other trees in the garden now it looks great for food and it's really pleasant to the eyes well the pleasantness of something never ever legitimizes sinfulness against God but then note the third element of lore with reference to the tree it was a tree desirable to make one wise so there's a pragmatic interest it's good for food there's an aesthetic interest it looks good to the eye but it's that philosophical interest and it's something that's desirable to make one wise she's not content with her status as creature she's not content with where God had made her she wants something more she wants to ascend into the heavens she is not embraced fully her position as image-bearer she has not found her sufficiency in that place before God now she wants something more and then notice she takes of its fruit and ate now as we continue she also gave to her husband with her and he ate the man ate the fruit rebellion is ascribed to him rebellion straight out God had forbidden him and he took the fruit and he ate it not to suggest that Eve is off the hook but Adam is the federal head Adam is the covenant head Adam is the parallel with price in Romans chapter 512 and following it's an Adam and Eve Adam in Christ sort of connection yeah not minimizing Eve not justifying what she did but the posterity is judged based on Adam Adam rebels against God when God comes to deal with Adam in verse 17 he says 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 that is just vile out and outright rebellion against the living and true God and then note the consequence of this action in verse 7 says then the eyes of both of them were opened and they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings now when we compare this with verse 22 notice in verse 22 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 what does this mean in verse 7 the eyes of both of them were open and they knew that they were naked and then in verse 22 the sort of same or commentary on that the man has become like one of us to know good and evil that they've arrived it's something they didn't have previously is it good is this the knowledge that is experiential no because God doesn't have experiential knowledge of evil it's not a higher knowledge but a knowledge that was ultimately forbidden of man and the knowledge specifically is that knowledge achieved by autonomy in other words instead of hearing God responding to God listening to God and receiving from God we step out from under his authority and we start to function as a God ourself that's what's in view in terms of them knowing good and evil in terms of them having their eyes opened it's not a good thing it's a bad thing and if you'll notice the devil subtleties are seen also in the fact that on the one hand I don't want to say this to legitimize the devil but it must be said he's right the day they ate their eyes were open the devil said that didn't he but the problem is the devil implied or the devil led them to believe that would be a good thing but it wasn't a good thing since why we need to be on our guard as the people of God when it comes to temptation it's not always a simple matter it may be subtle it may be hence it may be questions but we need to come back to the truth of God and we need to find our sure footing there we're not to think apart from God rather we are to think God's thoughts after him we are to be inter a living in terms of of his word his law his revelation to us and man and woman stepped out from under the authority of God and they sinned now notice we see these coverings that are made prior to the fall they were not ashamed now they're ashamed now they understand and I want to finally look at the reckoning with God and verses 8 to 13 first they fly from God and then secondly they're questioned by God verse 8 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 so they had sewed these fig leaves together and made themselves coverings to cover their shame and then they run and hide from God and they do so among the trees that God had made now when you were younger and maybe even as older folks you play hide-and-seek it's kind of a fun game when we were kids I mean we didn't sit and look at phones and you know Nintendo all day we went outside hidden thought that was the way we were you know and you just play until the streetlights came on your mom screamed at you to come in and then you oh come on I'm 15 more minutes I mean the thought of spending the day you know doing this it just wasn't in the wheelhouse at least you know a little bit of a generation ago but hide-and-seek is a good game you never ever are truly hidden somebody always finds you right I guess there's the olliolli option you know free free free but in this situation they can't hide from the Creator they can't run to the woods God made the woods they can't find shelter or cover from the omniscience of God the eyes of Yahweh are in every place they behold the good and the evil and this is a clear-cut incidence of this they run from the God who the world and notice we're back to using Yahweh God while he interacts with the devil it's only Elohim when we're back now to not only Elohim but Elohim Yahweh and Wenham makes this observation by reverting to the term the Lord God from verse 8 the narrator hints that God can still be man's covenant partner as well as his creator and judge I like that there's a time when it looked jeopardized in terms of the devil in his use and he's following suit God says Lord God we're back to that place where we may rejoin that blessed fellowship but the tendency of man ever since this fall is to do the very same thing it may not be trees but it may be some other thing we try to hide from God we try to evade God we try to escape from God we're sinful we have gone evil what does the proverb say whoever covers his transgression will not prosper but whoever he who confesses and forsakes it will find mercy this is a clear-cut incidence of that they are running from the Lord the folly involved in attempting to hide from God Meredith Klein again says as though the guilty could find refuge from God in the sanctuary of God if this is in fact a temple which I think clearly it is how are you going to hide from God in His sanctuary how are you gonna hide from God when it's his house you certainly can't do that and when M 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 2:9 are now his hiding place to prevent God from seeing him been this great juxtaposition in terms of the created order by the introduction of sin and it's a terrible and horrible situation and the notice finally in Tarrant interrogation by God God asks three questions where verse nine who verse 11 and what in verse 13 he doesn't ask these questions because he's fishing for information God is omniscient God knows the answer God asks the questions for man's benefit just like he'll do with Cain in Genesis chapter four he's not seeking information it's like the illustration I used this morning with reference to the kid who's covered in chocolate the cookie cookie jar his lids off and it's covered with chocolate when you ask the kid did you get into the cookie jar you know he got into the cookie jar you're saying it for him to come clean you're hoping that he's going to say yeah I got into the cookie jar please forgive me I'll go out and buy more cookies and replace it all right that that's the goal that's the emphasis that's the purpose when God asks these three questions it's not because he he doesn't know what's happening and on his watch no he's asking this for the benefit of man John Gill said the Lord knew he had but he puts this question to bring him to a confession of it as well as to aggravate his crime and then know verse 10 so he said I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself again this is something that just shows the invasiveness of sinful man and I think it's something we still have in our DNA we certainly see it with reference to Cain when Cain is dealt with by God severely Cain cries Cain whines Cain laments his punishment he doesn't lament the fact that he bashed his brother's head in he doesn't lament the fact that he's a murderer he doesn't lament the fact that he is grieved God most high in a most heinous and vile way but he whines and grumbles and complaints because of his punishment know what came to us here in verse 10 when God says where are you he said I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself yeah you are naked and yeah you have it in yourself but why are you naked or why do you know that you're naked and why have you hidden yourself because I sinned against you God there is the evasiveness it is much better to pony up and confess your sin to God it is never good to try and hide to Eve aid it and to be mown the particulars involved with it but not own the sin I was naked and I hid myself yeah but there's a more fundamental problem Adam that you are not facing up that is you rebelled against God by taking from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that is what's going on John Gill says he conceals the true cause which was sin that made the nakedness of his body shameful and it stripped his soul of its native clothing purity and holiness and then the indictment in verses 11 to 13 God asks another question 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 and then of course this is another tactic that we are oftentimes guilty up Adam shifts the blame and Eve shifts the blame now this is not good it's just not I don't know why we think this is a legitimate tactic you know you you did their due all wasn't my follows am I mentioned not me this morning every household out of not me in the family who did that not me not me what where's not me oh he's up in the room go get him not me is the culprit he's the guilty what you ask your kids who did not me not me not me evasiveness is always bad and blame-shifting is always bad and that's precisely what Adam does the woman whom you gave me I know I've rehearsed this many a time but I think it bears repetition Adam blames God it's a bad place for us to be he blames God the woman whom you gave meaning brethren there's an old saying it's an old proverb it's not in Solomon's but that it's certainly a valid one and that old proverb says when you're in a hole stop digging just stop okay don't keep making it worse by actually indicted God what's the logic God if you hadn't put her here I would have been fine I would have been holy harmless upright and undefiled I would have never eaten from that tree of the knowledge of good and evil I would have stayed I would have been and I would have I would have obeyed that prohibition I would have been fine had you not given me that it's a terrible thing isn't it I mean even when we sin against each other as husband and wife it's just so wonderful to be married why would we do that why would we throw each other under the bus why would we you know violate that blessed covenant that we have by actually engaging in that sort of thing Adam shifts the blame to God and then to Eve it's her fault she hadn't done this then we'd be fine when and again says here the divisive effects of sin setting man against his dearest companion and alienating him from his all caring creator are splendidly portrayed again it's in short compass there is a lot going on in Genesis chapter 3 that is communicated in a very tightly woven place I mean it's not like you know chapter after Chapter after Chapter it is short it is succinct but it's packed with meaning in terms of our ethical rebellion against the Lord God and then of course he follows suit and she blames the serpent verse 13 the Lord God said to the woman what is this you have done the woman said the serpent deceived me and I ate so you see this tendency to blame shift it's not unique to just men it's not unique to just women it's something that we as sinners typically tend to do well there's some exposition I want to just close out with a couple of observations first we ought to appreciate the theology of the fall the theology of the fall there are those who suggest that you know God didn't really know what was going to happen when he made Adam and Eve I mean what if Adam wouldn't have fallen what if he did obey what if he never did sin against God brethren God has ordained whatsoever comes to pass we need to understand that we need to realize that God's not up in his high heaven wondering what Adam and Eve are gonna do God is sovereign he is in the heavens he does whatever he pleases or confession of faith speaks of it this way which God was pleased according to his wise and holy counsel to permit having purpose to order it to his own glory I think this is a very helpful thing when people ask you well why in the world did God allow Adam and Eve to sin and the introduction of all the curse and all the disease and all the problems and all the issues of this world well the answer that should always satisfy at least the believer is this for his own glory I realize pagans don't like that answer I mean that just makes them even matter why does God do what he does for his own glory ah they can't stand that the thought of God doing what God does for his own glory certainly no unbeliever is gonna say oh I see the wisdom in all of this but for the believer brethren we may not be able to answer every particular issue every particular question we may not be able to give a full explanation in terms of of God and evil or what men have called The Odyssey of Defense of God in light of prevailing evil we may not be able to sufficiently answer all those things to the satisfaction of the unbeliever but this much we do know when it is for his own glory that settles it for the people of God why does God do what he does for his own glory is in this Paul showstopper in Romans chapter 11 after dis coursing in terms of the sovereignty of God the place of national Israel place of sovereign election of predestination and grace and all that how does Paul end he ends with four of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever you see for Paul that was everything for us that must be everything why does God do what he does for his own glory and then in terms of the doctrine of original sin you see this Genesis chapter three is intensely practical for each and every one of us I mean all of us can trace ourselves back to this garden our confession again speaking of Adam and Eve they being the root and by God's appointment standing in the room instead of all mankind the guilt of the sin was imputed and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity descending from the by ordinary generation being now conceived in sin and 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 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 you you want to know what the problem out there is and right in here it's this it's sin I mentioned today at the hospital ministry so I just want to say that because the brothers already heard this the brothers that were there that you know they tell us it's politics they tell us it's economics they tell us it's foreign relationships they tell us all this stuff it's the Chinese it's the Russians it's trompe it's true though I get all those things are involved in you know a whole host of different things sin the answer to the 6 o'clock news why does this world look the way this world does because in Adam all died because from this vantage point this orientation this amputation of original sin do precede all actual transgressions so you'll never hear that on the evening news well here was a great instance of sin and hopefully this Center will find redemption in and through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that's not going to happen but that's the problem why do people do horrific things it's because they're in Adam and it's from that vantage point that precede all actual transgressions and of course we ought to compare Genesis 2 and 3 to Romans 5 to see the Adam Christ parallel Adam is the first Adam Jesus is the last Adam what Adam fails in the garden to do Jesus successfully completes on behalf of his people it's a beautiful thing and then secondly the practical teaching concerning of the passage the teaching concerning temptation now this one I don't want to scare any of us this first practical application but but we ought to take note the power of temptation is seen in it success here in paradise everything was good right Henning was great from every tree you may freely eat just go hog wild and joy set for that one so if the attempt to resist temptation was an impossibility even in paradise what about us when we're not in paradise fact one man has said since we read that a fall so dreadful took place in paradise what shall we do on the dunghill now it is intriguing to just sort of follow up again with that Adam Jesus sort of parallel you have Adam in a paradise tempted by the devil and falling like a house of cards Jesus is driven out into the wilderness and there 40 days 40 nights plagued by the devil he doesn't fall like a house of cards he stands up he bears up he resists that temptation and because of that at least in part we have everlasting life so Christ bore up where Adam failed as well the subtlety of temptation is seen in the devil's tactics he he goes for the theology be careful on all these Facebook debates brethren that's feel theological where oftentimes temptation comes we need to be careful we need to understand we do good theology according to the Bible according to good statements of faith and whatnot but the devil is a theologian and he is a bad one at it the devil quote scripture going back to the wilderness where Jesus is tempted by the devil the devil quote scripture doesn't he he cites the Psalter as the véra as the the the reasoner to substantiate that the design of the devil that Jesus throw him up throw himself off the high place it's not just citing scripture it's interpreting Scripture just because someone quotes the Bible doesn't mean they've got the Bible right you see the early church understood this when it came to theological debate there were those who said oh you can't construct creeds and and confessions using words that aren't found in the Bible but all the good theologians say we need to use words that aren't found in the Bible to protect the words that are found in the Bible because just citing Scripture doesn't necessarily mean that you're right I've told you before the thrift store the books that are the most scary to me is what the Bible says about this that are written by people that aren't good theologians I don't want to know what you think the Bible might say about that I mean Betty Ann on how to live a happier life for Joel Osteen I don't believe he understands the Bible when it comes to that I don't care how much he tells me he does you see it's not just citing scripture but it's actually understanding what it means that that passage today in Matthew chapter 9 what does Jesus say to the Pharisees go and learn what this means I desire mercy and not sacrifice if you ever considered Jesus words there in Matthew 90 talking the Pharisees you don't think they knew Hosea 6 that of course they knew Hosea 6 they probably had Hosea 6 written on one of those little papers and put it in the little box that they wore on their forehead they wore on that of course they knew Hosea 6 when Jesus says go and learn what this means they may have sighted it they may have taught it they may have rehearsed it they may had kept it close to their forehead in their forearm but he didn't understand the text they didn't get it they missed it by a long shot and so the devil is cunning the devil is crafty and if you don't know your Bible and dare I say your theology you're going to be led astray every single time and then obviously the use of deception in temptation first Timothy 2:14 the Apostle says but the woman being deceived fell in to temptation it was a deception it was that subtlety and cunning that was the means by which she went down this rabbit hole and then finally with reference to our evasiveness just to summarize the attempt to cover our own sin verse 7 fig leaves now you may not mmm make fig leaves today but there's probably something in your life that is fig leaf like a means by which you try to cover your own sin you try to hide from God verse 8 another evasive tactic is that happening if it is brethren repent resist that forsake it and seek to live honestly and faithfully before the Lord God Most High it's easy to get in rots it's easy to sort of live far from God it's easy to to not hunger and thirst after righteousness James tells us we need to resist that we need to flee a fly to God we need to humble ourselves under his mighty hand and then as well the failure to own our sin verse 10 and the attempt to shift blame for our sin if any of these things are true of us we need to repent by the grace of God and seek to be men seek to be women and not to be little boys and little girls it's good to be a little boy and a little girl if you're a little boy and you're a little girl but if you're a man don't be a little boy you're a girl a woman don't be a little girl man up and own your sin god knows what you've done [Music] has it ever enter no why would I try to hide this from God all right you see I I think this is where you know the the sort of the rationale is seen in terms of David being a man after God's own heart and David having done the things that he did how do you how do you sort of close that gap a man after God's own heart you wouldn't think whatever commit adultery and murder murder to cover the adultery how do we reconcile that because David sided with God when it came to indicted Psalm 51 is a beautiful expression of a man's sin not in the sense that oh wow that's great we should you know sin so that we could do that but he's not hiding from God he's not holding back from God he gets up with God and he looks down at himself and says you are a wretch and he owns it he forsakes it he confesses it and he finds mercy with God brethren do thou likewise and we ought to appreciate the gospel promise of genesis 3:15 we know the narrative doesn't stop at verse 13 that there is the announcement and verse 15 of the skull-crushing seed of the woman that is our Lord Jesus Christ he is the one that brings Redemption he is the one that brings healing he is the one that brings salvation to those inheritors of Adam's sin well let us close in a word of Prayer thank you Father for your word and thank you Father for giving us this account showing us the truth giving us the grace to appreciate these things and to see as well the connection between Adam the first and Jesus Christ how we thank you that Christ did what Adam failed and Israel failed to do we thank you for the redemption that we have in him and we thank you for his decisive victory over the devil on the cross we ask that you would go with us now we pray that you would protect us and keep us and cause your face to shine on us in this coming week and we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed you