 The title of our sermon this morning is The Fall of Man, our primary text, Genesis chapter 3, verses 1 through 24. As we come now to Genesis chapter 3, we've been in our study of the essentials and have looked at several passages in the opening chapters of Genesis. But a biblical understanding of the opening chapters of Genesis is fundamental and foundational to our faith. A biblical understanding of these chapters is critical, fundamental, foundational. In these chapters, huge questions are answered. Far-reaching implications are introduced, how we got here, who we are, whose we are, right? Why we are, why things are the way that they are, why we are the way that we are. What awaits us at the end of this life? The deepest and most urgent pressing need of every single human being and the only way in which that need will be met. All of that and more contained here within the first three chapters of the book of Genesis. And what you believe about these opening chapters is critical, it's foundational. Now opposed to the biblical record of beginnings, opposed to the Bible's account of creation or the fall, standing in opposition to the Bible's answers to these important critical questions, is a philosophical system that's very popular today called naturalism. Naturalism seeks to explain origins and nature, including human nature, without reference to God. Where the authority of the Bible is asserted on the basis that it is the revealed Word of God, naturalism attempts to assert its authority on the basis of man's reason or on the basis of science. Now, the naturalist will attempt to pit science against the Bible as if the Bible and science are at odds. But science isn't the enemy of the Bible, science is the ally of the Bible. Science is the ally of the biblical creationists. In fact, when science intersects with the Bible, time and time again, science upholds biblical truth. No, the enemy of the Bible is not science. The enemy of the Bible is a fork-tongued tempter who seeks to undermine the Word of God by spreading the lie of naturalism. That's certainly not the only way in which he seeks to undermine the Word of God, but it's exceedingly popular today as an alternative to the genesis account of creation, the fall and the flood. Naturalism isn't only a worldly philosophy. Naturalism has spawned a religious faith. It's become a religion. The aberrant religious faith of naturalism is called evolution. Now, why would we call evolution a religious faith and not call evolution science? It's because evolution isn't science. That's why good science, reliable science, objective science is based upon repeatedly tested, repeatedly observed results that are repeatedly confirmed. The purpose of science is to understand our physical world through testing and observation. The purpose of evolution is to postulate a theory that explains our existence without God. Evolution likes to borrow the language of science. Like as one said, likes to dress up in a lab coat. Evolution likes to use the language of science, draw connections to actual science, but evolution is not science. Evolution is just another world religion. Evolutionary assertions are repeatedly proven to be false, and yet evolutionists continue to hold on to their delusion. Evolutionists are as rabid as some of the most ideologically irrational Muslims. You mess with their Muhammad and they will burn your books, fire you from your job. You'll become the object of their ridicule and scorn because evolution can't take the criticism. They can't take the criticism. Why? Because you're chipping away at the foundation of their faith. Evolution is a faith system. Evolution is another world religion. So in the midst of this, and this is why this is so important for us this morning, folks, as we come to talk about Genesis 1, Genesis 2, and Genesis 3, what do then professing Christians do in light of this assault against the truth of God's Word? When the tempter comes, the forked-tongued tempter comes and assaults the words of the living God, the truth of God, what do Christians do? Well, many times, often, professing Christians capitulate in compromise. Isn't that true? How many seminaries can you name that actually teach today a six-day creation? Very, very few. How many Christians, quote-unquote, you run into that believe Genesis 1, Genesis 2, and Genesis 3 as actual historical fact taught by the Word of God? Very, very, very few. We have the Word of the living God. We have the truth from God. And yet, most professing Christians sit and listen to the lies that that forked-tongued tempter, who is hard at work assaulting the Word of God, and most professing Christians fall right in line. They fall right in line. We can't argue with science. Listen, we're going to look foolish if we attempt to argue with science. It's not science. Just look at the science. Eating the fruit, which is to make one appear to be wise in the eyes of the world, professing Christians often blindly accept the wildly presumptuous claims of so-called science. And they compromise what the Bible clearly teaches in order to make the Bible appear to be, or to make themselves appear to be, more reasonable to unreasonable men, more rational to those who are irrational, more sensible to those who have no sense, more acceptable to those who are openly hostile. Professing Christians have the truth. The truth is written in Genesis 1, Genesis 2, Genesis 3, and in the rest of God's Word. Charged with proclaiming the truth, Christians are often found propagating a lie. And with that, you get theistic evolution. Genesis 3 is allegory. It's not true. It's not real. It's all symbolism. You get day-age theories, framework hypothesis, the gap theory, intelligent design, and all the rest, and all of those, listen, are entirely incompatible with the Word of God. They're mutually exclusive with the Word of God incompatible. Many professing Christians capitulate to the pressure. They fall for the serpent's lies, and the creation account, as given in the Bible, the opening chapters of the Bible, is out, is lost, despite all the good science that supports Genesis 1, Genesis 2, and Genesis 3. You can call it faithlessness, you can call it unbelief, you can call it cowardice, you can call it the fear of man, you can call it shame, often a combination of any of those. But here's the truth. Any degree or form of evolution is contradictory to incompatible with and mutually exclusive with the biblical revelation. Mutually exclusive to Genesis 1, Genesis 2, and Genesis 3. It is nothing, what we see today is nothing more than the age-old battle that began in the garden with the serpent between the authority of the ever-true, never-changing Word of God, and the ever-changing opinions of men. And if you wait long enough, if you wait long enough, the science always catches up with the Bible, doesn't it? Always catches up with the Bible. And you find out that the Bible has been right all along. I read an article recently where they were now in light of gene mapping and the science that we have, they were testing alterations or variations in the Y chromosome, and came to the conclusion, guess what? That all Y chromosomes have their origin about 4,000 years ago in one person. Well, I wonder about 4,000 years ago, what does the Bible say? It happens about 4,000 years ago. A massive flood that kills every living thing on earth. And who's left? Noah and Noah's family. Wait long enough, the science always catches up. The battle didn't begin there, and the battle won't end there. We see repeated assaults, and frankly we see repeated compromise, repeated failure on the part of those who profess to believe in the Bible, who profess to be Christians, repeated compromise. Brothers and sisters, we can't do that. There's no room for us to compromise or capitulate. We have every reason to have confidence in our Bibles, confidence in the Word of God. The homosexual stands up and he says, How can you judge me for who I love? Besides, I was born this way, I was born this way. And the world turns their scornful eyes at the professing Christian, and the professing Christian, professing pastors, professing churches, fold like a cheap house of cards. They're ashamed, they're ashamed of the Word of God. They're ashamed to stand up and say what is true, what is right, what is wrong, what is good, what is evil, what is righteous, what is unrighteous, what is godly, what is ungodly. They cower in the face of the world. Being born that way doesn't make it better, it makes it worse. It just confirms or affirms the fall. The world openly hates, openly despises biblical roles in marriage or the role of women in the church. So the world focuses their derision on the professing Christian, on the professing church, on the professing Christian, and says, how dare you discriminate against women? And ashamed of the Bible's timeless wisdom, professing Christians compromise. Professing to be wise they play the fool and they fold. One scholar described it as entering into the realm of the first rebel. It's as if you're standing before the tree in front of the tempter and you fold. Has God indeed said, has God indeed said, you will not surely die? You can't make it sound slimy enough. You will not surely die? You'll not die? Has God indeed said? So tragic today, to hear so much of the professing Christian church repeating the very same words, you won't die. You're not going to die. Has God said that? No, no, no, no. No, you're not going to die, right? The modern professing church today, that's the cornerstone of their message. You're not going to die. You're not going to die. It all began in the garden. In Genesis chapter 1, beginning in verse 31, God saw everything that He had made and indeed God pronounced it to be very good. It was very good. Creation was a magnificent display of God's infinite wisdom, God's infinite power, God's infinite goodness. Everything functioned in accord with His perfect will, all was in harmony with His perfect intention. Life was beautifully upheld by the Word of His absolute power. Adam and Eve themselves created upright, created perfect, righteous, holy, enjoying the rich blessings, the abundant benefits, the lavish desserts of God's good creation. They're placed in the garden paradise of God. They had everything going for Him, right? In the glorious theater of God's creation, filled with numberless wonders, Adam and Eve were given dominion, given rule. The glory of God was to fill the earth as they propagated, as they were fruitful and multiplied. They were given everything from God, given life, given breath, giving blessing, showered upon with God's goodness. And it was into this good, into the good that God had created that then sin entered the world and death through sin. Enter the serpent. Genesis chapter 3, verse 1. Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field, which the Lord God had made. And He said to the woman, this serpent 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 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, nor shall 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 opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. And we're used to reading allegories today. We read books that are allegories. We watch movies that are allegories. We're used to allegories. Many, many, many, many want to categorize Genesis chapter 3 as an allegory. Is this allegorical? Is it an illustration? Is the serpent a mythological figure? Or is the serpent real? Is this history? Or is this allegory? There's absolutely, in the text, absolutely no indication whatsoever in a change of grammar, in a change of tone, in a change of wording. No indication whatsoever that this is an allegory. This is biblical truth. Actual history recorded in chapters 1 and chapters 2, chapter 2 is simply continued then into chapter 3. Satan here assumes the form of a serpent. We're talking about the word of God. The word of God. Now listen, any notion that the account here in Genesis 3 is allegorical undermines the fact that it's historical. If you try to interject allegory into Genesis chapter 3, you undermine the fact that it is historical. Do we see it? Understand? If the serpent is a mythological figure, then it's no leap whatsoever to assert that Adam and Eve are themselves mythological figures, right? If Adam and Eve are mythological figures, then Paul, in Romans chapter 5, when he's explaining the implications of this whole mess, is flat wrong. And the role of the first Adam and the role of the second Adam, who is Christ, is flat wrong. And you've just blown a gaping hole in the hole of the gospel. It's like pulling on the thread of a tapestry, pulling on the thread of a sweater, right? You just pull on that. You keep pulling. And pretty soon you're unraveling the whole thing. That's what you do when you unravel Genesis chapter 1, Genesis chapter 2, Genesis chapter 3. Paul is not wrong in his explanation in Romans chapter 5. The Bible is inspired. The Bible is infallible. The Bible is inerrant. Paul sees Genesis chapter 3 as historical in Romans chapter 5. Paul also sees Genesis chapter 3 as historical in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 when he says that you and I, we can be deceived just like Eve was. Paul also sees Genesis chapter 3 as historical in 1 Timothy chapter 2 when he's explaining the role of women in the church. We have ample evidence in the New Testament that the New Testament writers saw Genesis chapter 3 as historical. Genesis 3 is not myth. Genesis chapter 3 is history. Genesis chapter 3 is the Word of God. Now, during my time in ministry, I've had the opportunity to interact with a few snakes. When I say that, I mean it figuratively. Genesis 3 means something more than just figurative. It serves no good purpose to be overly speculative here. So let's focus on what we know. Let's focus on what we know. We know that in Genesis chapter 3, the serpent wasn't made in the image of God, but in the way that man is made in the image of God. And yet, this serpent thinks, he speaks, he reasons, he determines, he's cunning in his interaction with Eve. He exhibits substantial intelligence. Very, very conniving, very, very clever, very, very smart. I've heard it said before that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. But you could add to that, but greater is he that is in the world than you. Here in the garden, the serpent is displaying vast intelligence beyond Eve, right? Beyond Adam. We know from that that someone lies behind the form of the serpent. And we know that's someone to be Satan. John refers, in Revelation chapter 12, that serpent of old called the devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world, referring to Satan in Genesis chapter 3. So what we see then is we look at Genesis chapter 3, we see the words of Satan, the words of Satan. Satan is the cunning deceiver. He was the liar from the beginning and the father of lies, a murderer from the beginning, right? John chapter 8, the same Satan who would later enter Judas to destroy the promised seed of the woman, the same Satan who transforms himself into an angel of light to deceive the world, is the same Satan who could enter a serpent. You see? A doubtless, Eve here has grossly underestimated the danger that she's now in. As Satan begins his deceptive assault, Eve is first deceived in Genesis chapter 3 by what she hears. She's first deceived by what she hears. Look at verse 1. He, the serpent, said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree in the garden? Now listen, from an honest question, far from an honest question, the grammar here would suggest that this is an expression of feign or faked surprise. He's faking surprise. Satan expresses subtle shock. God prohibited you from eating every tree of the garden? You see how deceptive that is? How subtle that is? God prohibited you from eating from every tree in the garden? In one cunning statement, regarding the word of God, Satan essentially does two things here. One statement. First, he subjects the word of God to Eve's judgment. He subjects the word of God to Eve's judgment. It's an opportunity for Eve to see herself as independent in her consideration of the word of God. It's an opportunity for Eve to see herself as autonomous, as freely able to put the word of God under her own judgment. It's an opportunity for Eve to see herself as free. Free, able to decide for herself. It subjects the word of God to Eve's judgment. Secondly, the serpent introduces doubt about the character of God. Who God is, the goodness of God, what God has done, the care of God, the provision of God. And God in one statement, now in Eve's heart and mind the poison begins to spread, God goes from being the good provider to being the withholder of good. Has God said that you can't eat of every tree that you want to? Of every tree in the garden? From giving us richly all things to enjoy to now being someone who withholds that which is good keeps it for himself and denies us the good that we should rightly be able to enjoy. God becomes a withholder of what is good. Now what did God say? Look at Genesis 2 in verse 16. What did God say? And the Lord God commanded the man saying of every tree of the garden you may freely eat. Do you see the difference in those two statements? One is abundant and lavish and good as God intended it to be. Good and lavish, right? Blessed, abundance of every tree of the garden you may freely eat. But, verse 17. 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. Now Satan takes what God has said and he twists the intended meaning. He doesn't even twist the concept so to speak. Did God say that they could eat of every tree in the garden? They freely eat of every tree in the garden but that one, you're not to eat of that one unless you die, you would say. In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. Satan takes what God said he twists the intended meaning of it God's motive you could say and he does it to sow doubt in the heart and mind of Eve. Satan has been laboring to sow the seeds of doubt in God's word ever since. Doubt regarding God's character regarding God's goodness, regarding God's love regarding God's compassion doubt in his goodness, doubt in his word doubt in his promises, doubt in his kindness and his mercy, doubt in his justice doubt in God's judgment and doubt in his mercy and grace in Christ. Satan, Satan the serpent has been hard at work. Now Eve should have never listened past verse 1 she should have immediately cut off the serpent and run to her husband run to God but she did listen she did listen. When the Lord is tempted in Matthew chapter 4 Satan meets him in the wilderness to tempt the Lord Jesus Christ What does the Lord Jesus Christ do? Lord Jesus Christ retorts with Scripture essentially calls Satan a liar and he preaches to him the word of God and that ends all discussion Eve doesn't do that she entertains the thought the poison is spreading already one statement from this cunning liar in the garden it was the first step in her downfall she should have clung to the word of God she knew what God had said she knew God's voice she knew God's goodness and kindness to her she knew what God was at that point she knew that God meant to do her good she knew what God had meant by the prohibition and yet she heard the word of Satan she listened to the word of the enemy we live in a world today where Satan's voice is everywhere the word of the serpent Satan's voice is heard everywhere everywhere everywhere you look there is a serpent within the hearing of your ear everywhere you go in this world you can hear the voice of the serpent it's interesting that the word Nahash for serpent in Hebrew it doesn't relate to a characteristic of snakes or serpents it relates to the sound that the serpent makes the serpent hisses so Nahash the word, the name for the snake the sound that a snake makes later that word the verb form of that word would come to mean whispering whispering you get the impression of what Satan does he whispers in your ear the jungle book I think that depicted the constant s's of the snake it's deceptive it's wicked it's evil and what does Satan do after the brethren he sits and he whispers false wicked deceptive lies in your ear he's not standing on rooftops right he's the deceiver he's the deceiver and like Eve often we don't recognize the deceptive lies that are being spread that are being dripped into our ear like honey and we don't cut off that wicked tempter that wicked liar and we listen to the deceits the whispered deceits of the serpent cut off the serpent's voice although the poison has already seeped into Eve's heart and mind Eve notices the subtle difference in what the serpent is saying from what God has said and she notices the offhanded slander that's what it is the serpent has already begun to slander God and Eve attempts a correction in verse 2 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 now her response is a subtle correction to the implication the inference that the serpent is making for whatever reason Eve in verse 3 exaggerates that she can't eat it nor can they touch it maybe she's agreeing that God is overly oppressive in his prohibition regarding the tree yet we can't eat it we can't even touch it the words you shall surely die are certainly softened here in verse 3 lest you die as if dying was a possibility but it shows here verses 2 and 3 that Eve clearly understands the prohibition if Eve eats the fruit of that tree she will die she's clear about the prohibition and she's clear about the consequence now the serpent doesn't seize upon Eve's exaggeration at that point that's immaterial to the serpent it's irrelevant to his purposes what he does seize upon is God's judgment he seizes upon God's judgment and he calls God a liar flat out he goes from doubt to denial and so verse 4 that said to the woman you will not surely die you will not surely die for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God knowing good and evil no exaggeration or twisting involved in this statement Satan focuses his attack upon God's judgment uses the exact words of God and then flatly denies them notice here what does Satan do and slanders God's motive slanders God's motive once again God is withholding something from her that would make her like him if that's the knowledge that God has it's obviously good if God has it it's obviously good God is withholding something from her that would make her like God like him or if he's withholding that from her but God is acting somehow in jealous self-interest God is acting out of jealousy that which God is withholding is that knowledge which God himself has and it must be good it must be good because it will make me wise like God is wise it'll give me God like independence maybe I don't need God anymore to tell me what's right and what's wrong it's knowledge I can have for myself it's Eve may think to herself this knowledge is going to throw off God's yoke that he has on me and I'll be fully independent I can think for myself I'll get rid of this pesky distinction between creator and creature and God is withholding all that goodness from me God is withholding it from me well man was not created to be autonomous just that statement alone man created means that man is responsible man is not autonomous man is not independent man is a created being and as a created being man has responsibility to his creator we are not our own you were created you are his you are God's man is and we all are responsible to worship God we're responsible to acknowledge God we're responsible to obey God we're responsible to glorify him in all that we do that was the reason for which we were created we're responsible to him every single person lost, saved is responsible to God as their creator you are created by him now deceived by what she heard in verses 1 through 5 Eve is now deceived by what she saw in verse 6 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 now distrust of God's word has led to a disregard for God's word doubt about God's word has led to a flat denial of God's word not only by the serpent but by Eve herself GT Shed said this Eve looked upon the tree of knowledge not only with innocence but with sinful desire she not only had the natural created desire for it as producing nourishing food and as a beautiful object to the eye but she came to have besides this the unnatural and self-originated desire for it as yielding a kind of knowledge that God forbade man to have she lusted after that knowledge of good and evil which eating the fruit would impart the looking of Eve for knowledge that God had prohibited was her apostasy in other words we think about that moment in the garden the knowledge wasn't evil in and of itself what she was lusting for in and of itself wasn't evil it was the knowledge that God himself had the tree was good for food the tree was pleasant to the eyes but to eat of that tree had been prohibited by God nothing that God prohibits can be good for us in the end nothing that God prohibits is good for us we can think of several examples of this can't we is it inherently evil to drive a car no it's not inherently evil to drive driving a car is not inherently bad but what happens when a five-year-old does it it's not good not good for a five-year-old to drive a car we can think of other examples there are many intimacy between a man and a woman is a God given good God given good but only within the confines of marriage any and all intimacy between a man and a woman is only good within the confines of marriage it's not good for you otherwise God says it's not good for you otherwise do you see the poison has now spread through Eve's heart and mind Eve is succumbing to the poison James describes the process in James 1 verse 14 Eve was tempted she was drawn away by her own desires and enticed sinful desire has been conceived and now gives birth to sin and sin will most certainly bring forth death the temptation to be wise in her own eyes was too great for Eve so she took of its fruit and ate and she also gave to her husband with her and he ate it's interesting at the beginning of this account there was only one tempter now there are two now there are two tempters scripture is clear that Adam was not deceived 2 Timothy 2 verse 14 Adam not deceived Adam knew exactly what he was doing Adam's betrayal was high handed Adam was a proud rebel and we're not certain but it appears that at this moment the nearness of Adam that he had been near to Eve the entire time she also gave to her husband with her and he ate now if Adam was there the entire time Eve failed to consult her husband and Adam in a profound dereliction of duty failed to step in and stop the whole affair Adam failed to do anything about it he failed to correct Eve failed to instruct Eve failed to deal with the serpent failed to cry out to God for help now some would think well Adam was sitting on the other side watching this whole thing to see whether or not Eve would in fact surely die or not die that makes it even worse even worse one said Adam nevertheless Adam stood by while Eve reasoned herself to death Adam stood by while his wife reasoned herself to death the act of Adam our first father the one with whom God had entered into covenant in the garden it was this one act of Adam that brought catastrophic consequences look at verse 7 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 something profound happens right here in verse 7 something significant astonishing it's not as if their eyes were blinded before as if they couldn't see but now their eyes become opened to a new reality their eyes become opened the eyes of their understanding open and it's a knowledge that they're not prepared for it may be like into a 5 year old driving a car but in far greater with a far greater implication far greater problems here they can't handle it's a knowledge they're not prepared for a knowledge that God has said is not good for them to have and with this their eyes become open and immediately they see themselves they see their world they see God they see reality through new eyes so to speak through new eyes it's not merely a bystander's knowledge of right and wrong that they acquire it is right to obey God it is wrong to disobey God so it's not just an objective bystander's knowledge of right and wrong that they acquire they themselves have become transgressors of God's law now having become sinners their new sight is strained through a sinful mind and a sinful heart everything that they look at now and the way that they see it is strained is filtered through a sinful mind a sinful heart sinful attitude, sinful desires they now see through the lens of this tragic and fallen condition into which their sin has brought them immediately if you can imagine immediately in the garden Adam and Eve were created upright created just created perfect now have a conscience that is bearing witness against them something they've never experienced before something that beforehand they did not know the guilt of their sin comes flooding in upon them guilt which they had never experienced before did not know before upon the flooding in of this guilt their accusing conscience immediately their nakedness became a matter of shame to them they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings in verse 7 they're seeing themselves now in one another through sin stained eyes a sin polluted heart they're seeing one another through darkened through a darkened mind and they see themselves as shameful the real cause of the shame wasn't the nakedness itself they were naked before the real cause of the shame was their guilt was their guilt they knew that they were guilty before God they knew that they were guilty and their guilt caused the shame so what did they attempt to do in all their guilt and all their shame with this new knowledge now that they had acquired what did they do immediately they run off and try to cover themselves they try to cover themselves try to cover it up verse 7 they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings prior to this moment Adam and Eve looked upon everything that God had created and God they saw it as very good very good they enjoyed perfect fellowship with God perfect fellowship with each other they had enjoyed his unfettered favor all his blessings all his goodness the grace of all his abundance they had worshiped him free of sin they had worshiped and praised him in undiluted devotion they were entirely committed to him committed to his praise, committed to his worship committed to his service look upon one another and look upon God with a sinful, corrupted and perverted mind they consider all that is around them now with a polluted, sinful and depraved heart it's interesting to think about that played out today the world today won't they they will condemn you for shaming how does the world handle shame they shame the one who they see is the object of their shame the one who they think is shaming them they'll condemn you for shaming you've heard of body shaming right here Adam and Eve are scrambling to cover the guilt of their shame with whatever they can put together piece together, fig leaves here in verse 7 and what does this world cry if anyone says anything about what you're wearing you're just body shaming me what that does we understand right what that does is actually calling attention calling their attention to the actual shame that they are suppressing and when you seek to reveal or expose the shame that they themselves are suppressing what do they do that with defensiveness and self-justification and hostility what are you doing shaming me right that's the way the world responds they're laboring this world labors to cover their shame labors to cover their guilt they do it in all kinds of ways do it in all kinds of ways they sew fig leaves together of religious observance I go to church every Sunday I read my bible all the time God is with me I can just feel it and they substitute good sound doctrine with experience warm fuzzies and they cover themselves with the fig leaves of ritualism fig leaves of moralism fig leaves of experientialism fig leaves of name it they cover themselves with worldly means as well cover themselves with drugs cover themselves with alcohol they suppress the truth of God and their unrighteousness back to Romans chapter 1 they suppress the truth of God with their unrighteousness their mind their reason is corrupted such that the things we are truly ashamed of become objects of wicked and perverse pride they become wicked objects of wicked and perverse pride in order to cover or bury our shame and so the world becomes prideful in those things which they should be ashamed of all that is in the bible isn't it? consequence of sin Adam and Eve here in verse 7 attempt to cover the shame of their guilt with a hopeless endeavor people in time would learn to suppress their shame and guilt suppress it in being a good person I'm a good person it's all going to work out in the end my good outweighs my bad it's amazing people will cover their shame cover their guilt in being generous some of the most giving people I've met are lost people they covered in going to church covered in religious things these are all hopeless coverings hopeless coverings Adam and Eve experience guilt Adam and Eve then experience shame Adam and Eve then experience fear look at verse 8 they heard the sound of the lord god then walking in the garden in the cool of the day and Adam and his wife hid to themselves from the presence of the lord god among the trees of the garden in other words Adam and Eve attempt to run from god they attempt to run hide themselves from god how is it they could think right think of the the insanity of sin you think that you can hide from god they were created by god never mind that god is omnipresent it was the garden that god had created himself and they believe that they're going to run from him utter foolishness it's his garden and they're pretending to hide they're his creation people ever since run and hide to suppress their guilt and shame they run from god utter foolishness they attempt to hide their guilt and shame under false religion they try to suppress the truth of god all together in their sin it's like they stop their ears stop their eyes cover their eyes and cry out there is no god what's the last stop of the fool I can't hide I can't cover so you know what there is no god the fool has said in his heart there is no god and they do away with god through naturalism through evolution based disregard for the word of god man's reason becomes the ultimate judge professing to be wise they become fools in verse 8 Adam and Eve have every cause to be afraid they have every reason to be afraid they have now become subject to the penalty associated with the covenant the penal sanction of the covenant they now face death they now face death not just physical death where your soul leaves your body and your body returns to the dust of the earth but they now face the second death where god casts both body and soul into hell to be tormented for all eternity they are facing death they are now at enmity with god corrupted perverted polluted Adam and Eve now mirror shadows mirror husks of what they used to be mirror shadows of what they used to enjoy this is the awful cost of sin the awful cost of sin look at Genesis chapter 5 just flip the page Genesis chapter 5 verse 1 this is the book of the genealogy of Adam in the day that god created man he made him in the likeness of god what a privilege, what a blessing he created a male and female and blessed them and called them mankind in the day that they were created his son in his own likeness after his image named him Seth after he got Seth the days of Adam were 800 years he had sons and daughters so all the days that Adam lived were 930 years and he died that's the testimony of the fall Seth lived 105 years after he got Enosh Seth lived 807 years had sons and daughters so all the days of Seth were 912 years and he died and he died verse 11 all the days of Enosh were 905 years and he died verse 14 all the days of Canaan were 910 years and he died verse 17 all the days of Mahallel were 890 years 95 years and he died verse 20 and he died verse 27 and he died verse 31 and he died that's the testimony of the fall Adam and Eve are now facing death so what then back in Genesis chapter 3 what did Adam and Eve immediately begin to do what did they begin to do remember they've got a new outlook on life they've got a new perspective they're looking through a new lens through a new filter they've got now a corrupted mind a corrupted heart rather than running to God they run from God what did Adam and Eve immediately begin to do they begin to self justify they begin to justify themselves look at verse 9 then the Lord called to Adam and said to him where are you so Adam said I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself and God said in verse 11 have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat the man said the woman whom you gave to be with me she gave me of the tree and I ate she immediately pushes it all off on Eve what does Eve do 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 self justification and men and women boys and girls have been self justifying ever since what the Bible teaches then as a consequence for this as a consequence for the fall of Adam that is spread to all men all people everyone who is born is born in Adam everyone born in Adam inherits Adam's sin nature Adam is representative for us all and sin spreads to all men and death because of sin Paul explains this to us in Romans 5 verse 12 listen Paul says therefore just as through one man sin entered the world and death through sin thus death spread to all men because all sin in other words Adam is a representative for us is what is called a federal or covenant head for all men we're all born in sin because we're all born in sin we are sinners and because we are by nature born sinners we sin and because we sin death spreads to all men what we do we do because of who we are by nature do you see man is now depraved theologians have called it total depravity doesn't mean that you're as bad as you could be or as depraved as you could be it does mean that like Adam in the garden like even the garden when they sinned and their eyes became open sin permeated every faculty of their being when you are born in Adam with a sin nature sin permeates every faculty of your being sin permeates your will sin permeates your desires sin permeates your emotions sin permeates your imagination sin permeates every part about you doesn't mean that you are as bad as you could be but it means that every part of you is corrupted and to what end every one of us will die every one of us will die that's the problem that's the problem that's the problem that's the problem that God in grace and mercy immediately takes steps to rectify it's amazing the grace and mercy of God if you look in Genesis chapter 3 immediately takes steps in grace and mercy toward Adam and toward Eve even in verse 9 the Lord God called to Adam and said he knew where Adam was he does this for Adam's sake in grace and in mercy he calls out to Adam for Adam to consider what he's done the Lord God called to Adam and said to him where are you so he said I heard your voice in the garden I was afraid because I was naked he says to Adam for Adam's sake to consider his own sin who told you that you were naked have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat the man self justified the woman they blame shifted Adam blame shift Eve Eve blame shifts the serpent Lord God said to the serpent because you've done this there's no opportunity for the serpent to speak no grace in other words to the serpent you've done this you are cursed more than all cattle and more than every beast of the field on your belly you shall go you shall eat dust all the days of your life I will put enmity between you and the woman between your seed and her seed look at verse 15 he shall bruise your head you shall bruise his heel to the woman he said I will greatly multiply your sorrow at your conception in pain you shall bring forth children your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you then to Adam he said because you've heeded the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I've commanded you saying you shall not eat of it curses the ground for your sake in other words God doesn't immediately kill them this is the mercy the grace and mercy of God verse 15 there's this promise held out of the seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent a promise of the coming Messiah even here at the very beginning of the Bible at the fall he says to Adam curses the ground for your sake and told you shall eat of it all the days of your life both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you you shall eat of the herb of the field the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground for out of it you are taken for dust you are and to dust you shall return Adam will die Adam called his wife's name Eve because she was the mother of all living also for Adam and his wife in place of the fig leaves they had sewn together for themselves the Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed them it's merciful that God until the coming of the promised seed of the woman until the coming of the promised Messiah God himself would cover their sin the Lord God said behold the man has become like one of us to know good and evil now lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat 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 he was the chairman 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 God would provide we're going to talk about that in a very near sermon but the work of Satan continues from his time in the Garden the work of Satan continues Paul speaking to the Corinthian church 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 3 gives a warning to professing Christians regarding the work of Satan who even now prowls like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour Paul says I fear lest somehow as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ for if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we've not preached or if you receive a different spirit which you've not received or a different gospel which you've not accepted you may well put up with it we are easily deceived easily deceived we've long before us easy pray for the enemy what are we to do we're to do exactly what Eve did not do we're to do exactly what Adam did not do we're to cling to the truth of God's word trusting God for his word trusting God for his promises trusting God for what he says is right and wrong good and evil what we're to do what we're to believe it's a matter of faith we're to trust him the message of the enemy will always be God is not good God is not beneficent God withholds good from you his grace is not free you must work and labor to earn it and we have to fight against our sin we have remaining corruption within us Paul says who will deliver us from this body of death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord he will deliver us God demonstrates his grace and mercy to us in this text in Genesis 3 God is not obligated to help them but he does God deals with a serpent God deals with their guilt God deals with their shame and God deals with their death and praise God that Genesis 3 is not the end of the story amen in the fullness of time God sent forth his son a woman born under the law that if you will put your faith and trust in him who lived a perfect sinless righteous life if you'll put your faith and trust in him who went to the cross as a perfect sinless sacrifice for sin and you can be forgiven of your sin you can be saved from the penal sanction of the law saved out from under the curse of the law why? because he's become a curse for you he's taken the penalty of your sin for you trust in Christ and be saved amen it's God's provision for sin and we have the blessed privilege of worshiping for that and discussing that more fully in the coming weeks let's pray together Father in heaven we thank you we praise you we worship you we adore you we're grateful to you Lord for the provision that you've made for our sin we see the awful weight of sin the awful cost of sin here even in the very beginning in Genesis chapter 3 at the fall and how the serpent in masterful cunning over millennia now has crafted his deception to snare sinners to snare those who would even profess to be Christians and how he now Lord seeks like a roaring lion whom he will devour I pray Lord that you would hold us fast to your word grant us faith Lord help us to turn from our sin for those here Lord not saved I pray that they would seek the clothing of Christ's righteousness to cover the guilt and shame of their sin Jesus Christ removes those guilty stains washed clean in the blood of the Lamb Lord they stand righteous in your sight we praise you and worship you and thank you for that blessed reality I pray Lord that sinners would turn from their sin to you I pray that my brothers and sisters here would clean to the cross would clean to the word of God Lord that we would more fervently believe all that you have taught more fervently obey all that you've said would more fervently worship you Lord who's given everything to redeem us and we thank you Lord for that blessed privilege be with us now Lord as we seek to follow you by faith preserve us to the end that we might be saved and glorify the Son our savior and redeemer in whose name we pray amen