Yesterday we saw that God created Adam and Eve perfectly.
They had a perfect relationship with God,
perfect relationship with each other,
and they had opportunities for meaningful service.
So, what happened?
Well, in Genesis 3 we're told that the devil came
and tempted Adam and Eve in the garden.
He started off kind of subtly and he said to Eve,
"Did God really say you must not eat from any fruit of any of the trees in the garden?"
And Eve said, "God did say that we could eat fruit from any tree in the garden
except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
For if we eat of that,
we will surely die."
And then the devil stepped up his attack.
He said, "You will surely not die."
Now wait a minute.
So God said you will surely die
and the devil said you will surely die not.
Can both of those statements be true?
No.
Do you see what Satan was trying to do?
Satan was trying to make friends with Adam and Eve
and in so doing, make Adam and Eve God's enemies.
And they listened,
and they ate,
and the effects of sin were instantaneous.
They heard God walking in the garden
and the Bible says that they hid.
Now, the word used for "hide" there is an intensive word.
Have you ever played hide-and-seek with a three-year-old
and watched them through your fingers as you counted?
I know that's cheating but it's so cute.
What do they do?
They bounce from one place, to the next, to the next, to the next
as though a lamp, or a coffee table is really going to be able to hide them.
That's the word used to describe what Adam and Eve were doing in the garden.
they were hiding from God in this place,
and then that place, and then that place.
And then God confronted them.
Have you eaten from the tree I told you not to eat from?
Immediately, Adam points his finger at his wife.
He even says, "The woman you put here with me,
she gave me some fruit and I ate."
The first guy ever to know what it's like to be in the doghouse with his wife.
And God lays out the effects of sin.
He says there's going to be pain in childbirth,
there's going to be strife in marriage,
difficulty in work,
and ultimately there's going to be death.
You remember the three keys to a meaningful life?
Good relationship with God?
They no longer had it. They hid from him.
A good relationship with others?
They were pointing blame fingers at each other.
Opportunities for meaningful service?
Well, now there was going to be difficulty and strife in that service.
But then God does something incredible.
He makes the first promise of a Savior.
He says, "And I will put enmity, hatred, hostility,
between you and the woman
and between your offspring and hers.
He will crush your head and you will strike his heel."
I always think it's kind of interesting that the first promise of a Savior
wasn't spoken to Adam and Eve.
It was spoken to Satan.
God is the original trash talker.
But notice what he was so powerfully doing.
Satan had gotten the wall of hatred to get moved
in between Adam and Eve and God.
What is God promising to do?
I'm going to put the wall back where it belongs,
between you and Satan.
Tomorrow we're going to look at the effects of sin
as well as God's solution for us.
Do you have questions about God,
prayer, the Bible, topics like that?
Well, this month we have a great new book called,
"More Straight Talk," written by Pastor Mark Jeske.
In it, there are over 150 questions and answers coming straight from God's Word.
Click the link below and make a donation
and we'll send you a copy of this book.
If you'd like to make a recurring monthly donation,
we'll send you a signed copy of the book.
May God bless your day and we'll see you tomorrow.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét