Foundations (Part 6)
[Genesis 1:31 ESV] And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good…
If you look at the world around you is EVERYTHING very good?
What happened to the very good world God had created?
How did we get HERE from THERE?
What was life like in Eden?
Mankind rightly REFLECTED and RELATED to our Creator.
[Genesis 1:27 ESV]
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Mankind GOVERNED in their delegated authority, justly.
[Genesis 1:28 ESV]
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
WORK was not toilsome.
[Genesis 2:15 ESV]
The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
Work happened SIX DAYS and ceased on the SEVENTH DAY.
[Genesis 2:3 ESV]
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
Adam and Eve lived in a Garden with good, life-giving food, and rivers.
[Genesis 2:9 ESV]
And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden…
[Genesis 2:10 ESV]
A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.
Mankind functioned with a high-level of logic, creativity, & intelligence.
[Genesis 2:19-20 ESV]
Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.
There was MARRIAGE, which brought companionship, partnership, leadership and aid, the ability to procreate to build families.
[Genesis 2:22 ESV]
And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
There was no shame, guilt, discontentment, or fear.
[Genesis 2:25 ESV]
And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
There was only LIFE: NO death, disease, or suffering.
[Genesis 1:29-30 ESV]
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Mankind had freewill – the CHOICE to love and obey God.
[Genesis 2:16-17 ESV]
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
All that God had made was VERY GOOD.
[Genesis 1:31 ESV]
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good…
How did we get HERE from THERE?
This is not PROGRESS but DEPRAVATION.
Is THIS the very good world that God created?
[Genesis 3:1-4 ESV]
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
Who is this serpent?
[Revelation 12:9 ESV]
And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world–he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
[Revelation 20:2 ESV]
And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him
for a thousand years,
[Isaiah 14:14 ESV]
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
[Ezekiel 28:16-17 ESV]
… so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground…
THE WORD OF GOD IS QUESTIONED & TWISTED
[Genesis 3:1-2 ESV]
… “Did God actually say…
… ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
Here’s God’s Command…
[Genesis 2:16-17 ESV]
… “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat…
There’s only ONE tree that is reserved – off limits.
THE WORD OF GOD IS ADDED TO
[Genesis 3:2-3 ESV]
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden neither shall you touch it, lest you die ‘”
Which part is the addition? …
Here’s what Jesus said about Satan.
[John 8:44 ESV]
… He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
[Proverbs 26:4 ESV]
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.
WHO did God give the Command directly to?
Where’s Adam?!
[Genesis 3:6 ESV]
… she also gave some to her husband who was with her…
[Genesis 2:15 ESV]
The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
Jesus told us Satan’s intention…
[John 10:10 ESV]
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
There is only one way to life: agreement and submission to God’s Word.
THE WORD OF GOD IS DEFIED
[Genesis 3:4 ESV]
… “You will not surely die.
It’s impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18).
[Genesis 3:5 ESV]
For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
God had made Adam & Eve in His image.
[Genesis 1:27 ESV]
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
We will never be EQUAL with God.
[Isaiah 14:14 ESV]
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
[Ezekiel 28:16-17 ESV]
… so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub…
[Genesis 3:6 ESV]
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
[1 John 2:16 ESV]
For all that is in the world–the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life–is not from the Father but is from the world.
Satan offers you progress APART from God.
Satan offers you pleasure APART from God.
It’s an empty offer.
[Matthew 4:1-11 ESV]
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written,
‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
How did Jesus counter and overcome Satan’s temptations?
[Genesis 3:7-8 ESV]
Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
[Genesis 2:25 ESV]
And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
Shame was an indicator that something was horribly wrong – SIN.
Satan promised progress, but our sin has only driven this culture deeper into depravity.
This society is not progressing; it’s breaking down!
We hide from the only One Who can rescue us!
[Genesis 3:9 ESV]
But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”