Title: The Fall of Man Part 3
Text: Genesis 3:7-24Scripture Reading: Romans 2:1-16
Review from last week:
“Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor” (I Timothy 2:14).
“But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, YOUR THOUGHTS will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).
“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:14-15).
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).
When we entertain thoughts and ideas inconsistent with God’s Word, those thoughts WILL birth desires and our desires are the true source of our temptation and sin.
1) When the solicitation to sin is provided we are lured away by the desires we have allowed to be conceived in our hearts.
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| What is guilt? |
3:7
They did not “see” but “knew” (yada – perceive or feel) that they were naked. There is a nakedness of soul (guilt or shame) which is far worse than an unclothed body.
What they saw or knew was their shame and guilt, not that they were without physical clothes.
- “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see” (Revelation 3:18).
They knew that they were defiled and degraded. A sense of wretchedness possessed them. They knew that they were naked of everything that was holy. This is always the effect of sin; it destroys our peace, it robs our joy, and brings in its train a consciousness of guilt and a sense of shame. They knew they were exposed to the wrath of an offended God. Their defense was gone. They were morally naked, without any protection against the broken law of God. Before God ever said a word to them, they knew the dreadful state they were in and were ashamed. Our first parents stood self-accused and self-condemned. Oh, the power of conscience! (A.W. Pink).
“For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus” (Romans 2:14-16).
If they would have used their energy in directing their efforts towards repentance, things would have gotten better. Their attempt to clothe themselves was their attempt to quiet their conscience and cover their guilt.
2) Guilt is a gift.
- “LORD God” 11 times before Genesis 3
- “God” used exclusively in the dialogue of Genesis 3:1-7
- “LORD God” begins verse 8 and is used eight times before the conclusion of chapter 3
“The omniscient God asks searching questions to authenticate His true humility and His honest desire for intimacy by engaging in personal dialogue with rebellious sinners” (Bruce Waltke).
THE CHOSE to allow their guilty consciences to drive them behind the trees that God originally planned for them to enjoy. Their “new knowledge” caused them to flee, avoiding intimacy with God.
- Quieting CONSCIENCE ILLUSTRATION of the doctor giving you a pill so you don’t feel your amputated arm.
We hid behind busyness, committee meetings, television, food, alcohol, pain pills, marijuana, pleasure, abrasiveness, shyness, intellectualism, flamboyance so that we never have to attend to God in the inner recesses of our soul.
We are more afraid of being detected in sin than of committing it, and more concerned about appearing well before our fellow men than about being acceptable in the sight of God. The chief objective of men is to quiet their guilty consciences and stand well in the sight of their neighbors. This is why we see so much religion and deceit.
Look at the connection with Genesis 3:12-13. Remember that Adam’s reply is the answer to the LORD God’s questions a) Where are you – What are you doing? b) Who told you that you were naked?
3) The LORD God’s point: When you feel guilty, you should begin by taking personal responsibility.
Examples: Why are you looking at me that way? I didn’t want to take that class in the first place; This job you gave me stresses me out; the preacher you gave me; the parents you gave me; the circumstances you gave me; the kids you gave me; the temptations I face are unique; you don’t understand my family
GUILT IS A GIFT DESIGNED TO DRAW YOU OUT OF SECLUSION AND BACK INTO RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
4) To remain in seclusion is to remain unrepentant.The guilt and conscience is God’s gift to draw them out. Why do we continue to subdue and quiet (usually with substances such as pills, alcohol, drugs, sleep, and food) the very mechanism God has given us to draw us out? Answer: we would rather quiet the alarm and remain in our secluded sin.
A guilty conscience coupled with God’s Word draws them out. The realization of their nakedness and dialogue with God brought them out. You will run from cover to cover until you come face to face with His Word.
- “When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves. Whoever conceals his transgression will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity” (Proverbs 28:12-14).
Genesis 3:10-13 – Blame Shifting
Sinful people are inclined to justify their conduct by pointing to the circumstances and fate that God has allotted them in life. This is no different than the sin of eating the fruit. They are still attempting to make themselves “God” by judging God.
The natural downward destination of “judging for yourself what is good and evil” is then judging God to justify a lifestyle of judging for yourself what is good and evil (Atheism and Agnostics ).
“I don’t like crowds; Hypocrites are there; I have been hurt before”
Sin produced a breach of affection between man and his neighbor:
Genesis 3:14-19 - Both Judgment and Covenant- I blame others to justify my behavior
- I stay secluded to quiet my conscience
- Seclusion and substance abuse are so closely linked – sit in seclusion (often because of illness or circumstance) and abuse substances to quiet my conscience
5) Though God judges wickedness, in His grace He will show mercy to a remnant to continue His good Kingdom.
I STAND AS THE CHIEF OF SINNERS AND THE KING OF HYPOCRITES TO PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS THAT IT IS NEVER TOO LATE FOR GRACE!!!
a) The Serpent (vv. 14-15) – GOD’s JUDGMENT ON SATAN IS HIS SIMULTANEOUS GRACE TOWARDS MAN. There is no cosmic battle between good and evil. The verbs used in this passage are iterative imperfect. This means God is saying – there will be some prolonged consistency in this animosity before I bring about my plan of redemption. Satan’s immediate judgment is delayed because of God’s sovereign choice to use Him to execute judgment on himself in the execution of Christ. Satan will be the very tool to undo what He has done.
b) The Woman (vv. 16) – GOD”S JUDGMENT ON THE WOMAN IS HIS SIMULTANEOUS GRACE TOWARDS MAN (you will participate in my plan of redemption). Satan used the weaker vessel to attack God and man – God promises to use the weaker vessel to destroy Satan. The woman is privileged to participate in God’s plan of redemption. The meaning of “desire” in v. 16 is the same at Genesis 4:7 – significant. The woman desires her husband the same way sin desires Cain, namely, to dominate. This manifests itself in marriage and business, but also in the way women flirt, manipulate with sex, dress inappropriately, etc.
c) The Man (vv. 17-19) – GOD ‘S JUDGMENT ON THE MAN IS HIS SIMULTANEOUS GRACE TOWARDS MAN (you will die, and so you shall be saved from living forever in sin). Physical death is mysteriously horrible (judgment) and most blessed (redemptive). “But the righteous finds refuge in his death” (Proverbs 14:32b). This is just like the Cross (horrible and beautiful).
GOD THRUSTS THEM FROM THE GARDEN AND PREPARES THEM FOR THE WORLD WITH NEW GARMENTS.
Genesis 3:20-24 – Faith and Mercyv. 20 “Adam demonstrates his restoration by believing the promise that the woman will bear the offspring that will triumph over the Serpent. By faith, he names the woman Eve, hawwa, meaning “life.”
He realized that the hope of humanity lies in this promised Word of the seed. This act of faith shows that God in His grace has changed Adam’s affections along with Eve’s. God now provided the regenerate man and woman with tunics of skin. The substitution of his skin tunics for their fig-leaf loincloths suggests that their own covering were inadequate to cover their shame and to provide them with their felt need for protection. Since the tunics are made of skin, implicitly it took the shedding of blood, the offering up of life, to provide the needed kind of covering. As such, the death of the animal probably foreshadows the death of Christ and His imputed righteousness that adequately covers our shame (Walkte).
Man’s way back is more than difficult. By God driving man out of the garden and placing the cherubim at the door, it shows us that any attempt to save ourselves is in vain. God’s merciful gesture in the garden shows that man cannot save himself.
vv. 22-24 “There is a way which seems right to man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). In essence, God is saying: these men are now determining for themselves what is good and evil – I must drive them away from this tree (of life) so that they do not live forever in this way.
Closing Point: There is nothing you have done that is worse than Adam’s sin. See the relevancy of Scripture and come out by hearing God’s Word and getting into community.
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