Broken Under The Tree of Temptation: Genesis 3:1-10 Senior Pastor Alex Kennedy “We aren’t sinners because we sin. We sin because we’re sinners.” This morning we looked at “what went wrong” regarding humanity, and the answer is sin. In Gen 3:1, the serpent comes to Eve and says, “Did God actually say…”. In this statement, the serpent begins with the power of doubt. His question removes the positive statement made by God in Gen 2:16-17. When we doubt someone’s word, we doubt them as a credible source. Eve replies to the serpent by adding to God’s words in v3, “neither shall you touch it.” God never said this, but Eve has now distorted the Truth. All sin is a perversion of something good. In verse 4, the serpent shows his true character by moving from a doubt to a lie when he says, “You will not surely die”. Satan is a liar from the beginning (John 8:44), and his lie is that we can sin and get away with it (no consequences). God’s Word clearly shows us that the penalty for sin is death. (Gen 2:17) When Eve eats of the fruit, we see that Adam is right there with her. He was close enough to hear and understand, but he passively allowed it and then ate the fruit himself. Lies we still believe today: “Did God really say…?” – This leads to a relativism, which eliminates absolute Truth. You can believe what you want and I can believe what I want, it that is okay. “You will not surely die.” – We believe that consequences don’t matter. We can get away with it and it doesn’t seem to be hurting us in the moment. We do not factor in others and long-term consequences. “You will be like God” – We are good with our autonomy and self-worship. We do not need God because we are good enough like we are. “Good for food…delight to the eyes” – We live in a culture that worships pleasure and ease. If I want it, I should be able to have it. Our typical responses when we sin are the same today as they were for Adam and Eve in the Garden: Shame-Sewing – Adam and Eve made fig leaves. We try to fix the problem by “doing better”, or going to church more, or acting like nothing happened. We hide and isolate – The enemy wants us to stay isolated and broken. He wants us to stay far away from those that can help us find the freedom we need. We blame others – Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. Neither one took ownership of their action of disobedience. During this offense to God, He asked Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” This is a much different heart than “What have you done?” There is grace and a desire for the relationship to continue. God then goes to the serpent and gives him a consequence of being cursed “above all livestock and above all the beasts of the field…” He then says to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.” This is the first mention of the gospel, and God is setting up the coming of Jesus Christ right here in the very beginning. Eve receives a consequence of labor pains in childbirth (v16), and Adam receives a consequence of work labor that will always be difficult (v17). For both of them, the consequence ends in death. God then makes animal skin clothes for them. This act shows us God’s grace, but it also is an example that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin. God sends them out of the garden to never return and guards the Tree of Life with a cherubim and a flaming sword. Richard Sibbes says, “Thank God there is more mercy in Christ than there is sin in us.” God still calls out to us today, and not to condemn us, but to bring us out of hiding and into the covering of Christ. Questions to Consider: Why do you think Adam and Eve wanted the fruit even though they knew God said not to eat it? What lies do we sometimes believe about sin(“It’s not a big deal,” “I deserve this,” “No one will know,” etc.)? When you make a mistake, are you more likely to hide it, blame someone else, or admit it? Why is it sometimes hard to tell the truth? Why is it important that God gives consequences but also stays involved with His people? Why do you think Adam names his wife Eve (“mother of all living”) right after hearing the consequences? Where do you see God’s mercy in your life even when you’ve done wrong?