Lesson 21
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Bible Study 1 - Genesis 3
Series: SIN’S PROGRESSION
Lesson 21: Genesis 3:7-15 SIN’S SPIRAL DOWNWARD IS DUE TO DISOBEDIENCE
Genesis 3:7-15 “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. [That was probably the first mini-skirt known to man right there.] 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity [That means warfare] between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
INTRODUCTION:
I want you to remember that this event follows hard on the heels of Adam and Eve's disobedience to God. In these verses before us we are going to see the results of their disobedience. Adam and Eve are now about to discover the awful truth of Gal. 6:7, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
I heard this little saying once, "Life is short, death is sure, sin is the curse, and Christ is the cure."
In this part of God’s story we are going to find out something about the curse of sin and the death that it brings. We're also going to find out something about the wonderful life the Lord Jesus has provided for us. I believe the generation in which we are living just does not fear sin like it should. “Sin will always take you further than you want to go. Sin will always keep you longer that you want to stay. Sin will always cost you more than you want to pay.”
INTERPRETATION:
SIN’S SPIRAL DOWNWARD WHICH IS DUE TO DISOBEDIENCE BEGINS WITH SHAME.
Gen 3:7 “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked;" Here Adam and Eve were filled with a sense of shame and guilt that they had never had before. Before they sinned there in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were clothed with the garment of glory and light which was of God. In Psa. 8:5 the Bible says, "For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor." Therefore, here was Adam and Eve once enveloped in glory, but now the glory departed and they see themselves, and they are conscious of their guilt, shame, and nakedness. Before their sin the Bible says in chapter 2 that they were not ashamed but now in chapter 3 the Bible says that their sin has turned to shame. However, you know, I thank God that their sin did turn to shame. I am glad that Adam and Eve had not become so hardened in sin that they could not feel a sense of shame. I do hope that if there is sin in anyone's heart at this moment, there is also a sense of shame there as well. If there is a sense of shame then there is hope. I like the prayer of Ezra 9:6 "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens." Ezra said, "God, I'm so ashamed for the way we are living I can't even look into your face." Folks, it is never good to sin, but I thank God for sinners who can still feel a sense of shame. However, there are some people who don't feel a sense of shame. Listen to what the Lord said of the people of Jeremiah's day in Jer. 6:15 "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.”
Someone has said that "Man is the only creature of God that can blush, and he is the only one that needs to, but doesn't."
The first stage in human depravity is when we feel shame. The second stage in human depravity is when we no longer feel shame and we get hardened to our sin. However, the last stage in human depravity is when people begin to glory in the vile things they do. This is mentioned in Phil 3:18 where Paul with great, hot tears streaming down his cheeks looked out at some people he knew and said, "(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame...)" Not only had they lost the normal sense of shame, but they actually began to glory in the vile things they were doing. Folks, the sin that used to slink down back alleys now struts down Main Street. Any time the world wants to draw a big crowd do you know what they will do? They will just advertise some kind of sexy, sinful, shocking, shameful amusement and the people will just flock in because THEY GLORY IN THEIR SHAME! I want you to know, that is the last step on the way down because Paul told these people "that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame..." We live in a generation where every kind of pervert you can think of is coming out of his closet embracing others like themselves and they are all laughing about their sin and glorying in their sin! Oh, I hope and pray that you can still blush! Oh, I hope and pray that you still feel a sense of shame! Adam and Eve felt shame because they knew they were naked.
EXPLANATION:
Now notice what happened to Adam and Eve:
SIN’S SPIRAL DOWNWARD WHICH IS DUE TO DISOBEDIENCE IS TURNED TO SHAM.
Gen 3:7 "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."
Adam and Eve decided that they would try to cover their own shame with fig leaves. This represents the sham, the hypocrisy, and the mockery, of people who are trying to justify their own sin-life and cover their sin with manmade garments. These garments of sham may be made of different things: It may be the manmade garments of religion, education, morality, or rituals. It may be a thousand and one things but they are nothing more than fig leaves that can never ever cover our shame and sin before almighty God before whom all things are open and naked. There are many today who are living a life of sham. Outwardly there are those who seem to be religious. Outwardly there are those who seem to be good people. However, these people are dressed in is the fig leaves which are simply the works of their own hands. The Bible says in Titus 3:5 says, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us," There is no way man will ever be able to cover his guilt with the fig leaves of his own man-made coverings.
Now notice what happened to Adam and Eve:
SIN’S SPIRAL DOWNWARD WHICH IS DUE TO DISOBEDIENCE IS TURNED TO SEPARATION.
Gen 3:8 "And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden."
Their sin has now driven a wedge between them and God and their sham has led to separation. At first I am certain that Adam and Eve were quite proud of what they had done. Then God comes walking through the garden. When Adam senses the presence of the thrice Holy God, Adam says to Eve, "Eve, I don't feel very good about myself." Eve says to Adam, "Adam, I don't feel very comfortable either. I still feel a little naked. Let's head for the bushes." Therefore, they try to hid themselves from God. They soon find out that neither leaves nor trees, neither distance nor darkness can hide them from the all-seeing eyes of God. All of this time, with a sly smile sliding up his face, the Devil is just congratulating himself big time because he has done exactly what he wanted to do. He wanted to drive a wedge between man and God he wanted to get Adam and Eve to be afraid of God he wanted to get Adam and Eve to think negatively about God. God is to be loved and enjoyed because God is a good God and it is wonderful to know Him and fellowship with Him! Now here are Adam and Eve, afraid of God, running from God, and hiding from God. Hey, there may be some of you who are doing exactly the very same thing Adam and Eve were doing! Some of you think God is your enemy! Some of you are afraid of God! Some of you may be trying to hide from God! Some of you may be running from God! Do you know why? It's because sin has led to shame. It's because shame has led to sham. It's because sham has led to separation! Isaiah said in Isa 59:2 "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear."
Now notice carefully what happened to Adam and Eve:
SIN’S SPIRAL DOWNWARD WHICH IS DUE TO DISOBEDIENCE IS TURNED TO SEEKING.
Gen 3:9 "And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?"
Notice that it was not Adam who was seeking God, but it was God who was seeking Adam. You would have thought that, after Adam realized the terrible thing that he had done and after he had the sensed that shame, that in his smitten conscience he would have said, "Oh God, where are you? Come Lord and have mercy on me for I have sinned!" However, Adam didn't do that. Rather than seeking God, Adam ran from God and Adam hid from God. God sought Adam, but Adam did not seek God. What does that have to do with us today? Friends we need to learn something about salvation. We love God because God first loved us. You might say, "Oh no, I saw my need and I sought God out!" However, the only reason you sought God was because He first sought you. Rom 3:11-12 "There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." There is no way a desire for know God is going to naturally come out of that old sinful heart of ours because man is totally depraved. Friends that's salvation by grace! I thank God that He was moved in mercy by the pitiful plight of sinful man that God Himself took all the initiative. God would have been perfectly just and justified if He had flung Adam and Eve into hell right then, but He didn't do it! When God went into the Garden of Eden, He didn't go in there as a detective saying, "Where are you.” However, with a heart of compassionate love, and a broken heart God says, "Adam, Adam, where are you? Adam I am seeking you." Folks, God is seeking sinners today also, God still seeks. God still calls. God still searches. At this moment God is seeking you. In the Scriptures God is seeking you. In Christian songs God is seeking you. In the sermons God is seeking you. In the supplications and prayers God is seeking you. You are not where you are hearing these words by accident, God is seeking you. God loves you and God calls you! Oh, I thank God for the Lord Jesus Christ who said in Rev 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." It's not that we are running around everywhere in desperation trying to find God.
Right now, at this moment in time, I believe God is knocking at hearts door. In that sickness in your life, in that sorrow in your life, in that accident in your life, in that death in your life, in that habit in your life, in that weakness in your life, in that beautiful sun rise in the morning, that beautiful sun set the evening, in those birds singing, in those beautiful flowers, in all of the things that come into your life God keeps knocking at your hearts door. He is saying "I love you and I want to come into that part of your life." I love Luke 19:10 "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Jesus didn't come to condemn, Jesus came to seek and to save those who are lost. The greatest desire on the heart of God is that all be saved. Rom 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." That is GOOD NEWS! God didn't wait until we got right, God didn't wait until we went seeking Him, but God saw us in spite of us, and His great heart of love caused Him to seek us! Thank God, that the separation of Adam and Eve led to God seeking for them.
A WORD OF CAUTION: GOD WILL NOT ALWAYS SEEK!
Did you know that when a person goes on and on in their sins, they can go past the point where they blush over their sins, and they can get so hardened in their sins, that God may just stop seeking? Gen 6:3 says, "And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man," Speaking of some people in this condition the Bible says in Rom 1:26 "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections..." You who may be unsaved I want you to pay close attention: Do you intend to get saved? Do you intend to get right with God? Do you want to go to heaven and not to hell when you die? Did you know you can cross the dead-line? Did you know there comes a time when God may give you up? Did you know that God says, "My spirit shall not always strive with man?" The Bible says in Heb 3:7-8 “Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts..." God seeks today, but one of these days He is going to call His last call, He is going to knock His last knock.
"There is a time, I know not when; there is a place, I know not where;
That marks the destiny of men, to heaven or despair."
"There is a line, by us not seen; that crosses every path;
It is the hidden boundary between; God's mercy and God's wrath."
Everyone here may be saved already or there may be some of you here who may just step over that dead-line. Everyone here may be born again already or there may be some of you at this moment who may say a final no to the Lord Jesus Christ. "The LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man," I thank God, if you can still feel that sense of shame. I thank God, if you can still hear the voice of God. I thank God, if Jesus is still knocking at your hearts door. God has not turned His face from you. However, don't let this day of opportunity pass.
SIN’S SPIRAL DOWNWARD WHICH IS DUE TO DISOBEDIENCE IS TURNED TO SEARCHING.
After God has sought Adam out, and after God has confronted Adam, He then begins to search Adam to test Adam. He starts to ask Adam questions, not because there is something God doesn't know but in order to bring Adam to himself. I heard a preacher say a long time ago that, "You've got to get people to understand that they are lost before you can get them saved." There are so many people who will not admit their sinful condition.
Genesis 3:10-13 says, "And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat."
Today we have those who say, "Society has failed me." "I had a bad upbringing." "I was never taught any better." "I only did what I saw others doing." "My environment is the reason I have done wrong." When some people are face to face with their sin, they don't feel guilty at all; they feel like something else is the cause for their sin. Man is constantly trying to make an alibi for his sin. Man wants to believe he is ill but not evil. Man wants to believe he is sick but not sinful. Man wants to believe he is weak but not wicked. Right here Adam begins to blame everything on God and Adam said, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." Adam blamed God, then Adam blamed Eve and then Eve said "The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent, and the serpent didn't have a leg to stand on. Everywhere we turn today people are pointing the finger of blame for their own sin at someone else. Hardly ever are they saying "It is me, it is me Oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer." However, here in the Scriptures we find the searching eyes of God trying to bring Adam and Eve to the point where they come into a confrontation with their own sin. That is exactly what God is trying to do today. We need to pray what the Psalms teach us to pray. Psa. 139:23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." God will never be able to lead you to where you need to be until you allow Him to search you, until you allow Him to try your heart, until you allow Him to reveal to you that sin. God will never be able to lead you to where you need to be until you will be willing to bow your head before Him and say, "Oh God, I do acknowledge my sin and I am a sinner in need of forgiveness." This seeking of Adam and Eve led to a searching where God was trying to get man to acknowledge his transgressions. There is nothing that God can do for any of us until we acknowledge our sins before Him. The Bible says, in Prov. 28:13 "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."
APPLICATION:
SIN’S SPIRAL DOWNWARD WHICH IS DUE TO DISOBEDIENCE LED TO A SAVIOR.
In these Scriptures, God gives the first and one of the most wonderful prophecies in all of the Bible. Genesis 3:14-15 "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:” [God says to the serpent, "You are going to bite the dust."] [God pronounces judgment upon the serpent.] [There is no hope for the serpent.] [There is no redemption for the Devil.] [Matthew tells us that hell is prepared for the Devil and his angels and it is those who follow the Devil that Jesus called a generation of vipers.] [Then our Lord said something very wonderful.] [God gives us the first Gospel Sermon that was ever preached and God preached it to Adam and Eve.] [Almost all Bible prophecy is wrapped up in Genesis 3:15.]
Here is why I say that THE SEEKING LED TO A SAVIOR. 15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
THIS SEEKING LED TO A SAVIOR BECAUSE A BATTLE IS PROPHESIED.
Verse 15 "And I will put enmity [OR WARFARE] between thee and the woman."
Right here God was declaring war on the Devil and sin. There is a continuing battle between righteousness and unrighteousness between heaven and hell between good and evil between light and darkness between Christ and Anti-Christ. Between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent there is an invisible battle that is raging on American soil. That same battle is being fought in this very congregation as I am pleading for the souls of men and women. It is a fight to the death! No holds barred, it's warfare! However, Jesus is the winner! "He cannot fail, He must prevail, Our Great God!"
THIS SEEKING LED TO A SAVIOR BECAUSE A BIRTH IS PROPHESIED.
Verse 15 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between [thy seed] and [her seed]."
This is an unusual verse because it talks about the SEED of the woman. Now if you know anything about Bible language, you know that the Bible always talks about the SEED OF THE MAN. The seed for procreation is in the man. The seed for fertilization is in the woman. Right here and here only the Bible speaks of the seed of the woman. Over here in the dawn of human history, God is pointing to the virgin birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He was prophesying that there would be one coming who would be of the seed of the woman. Mat 1:23 says, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." Our Lord looked down at the war, and then He looked at the way He was going to accomplish the winning end. He looked at that mighty Victor, that One who was God Himself who would become man and be born of a virgin. Through man He was going to destroy him who is the Devil. God could have blinked His eye and destroyed the Devil but God chose to do it another way. God said, "I'm going to become a man, and as man whom the Devil has tried to destroy, I'm going to destroy the Devil." If you take away the virgin birth, your hope of heaven collapses like a house of cards. We needed a substitute, and in order to be that substitute, God had to become a man. However, not just any substitute would do. We needed a sinless substitute, so in order for Jesus to be sinless and not to have inherited the sin nature of Adam, Jesus had to be born a virgin. Therefore, we have a perfect sinless substitute provided by the virgin birth of our Lord Jesus Christ who came from the seed of the woman.
THIS SEEKING LED TO A SAVIOR BECAUSE A BRUISING IS PROPHESIED.
Gen 3:15 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it [THE SEED] shall bruise thy head, and thou [THE SERPENT] shalt bruise his heel."
In this verse God is talking about what happened to Jesus when He came into this world. The serpent strikes right there in the heel of Jesus and bruises His heel. The Bible says in 2 Cor. 5:21 "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." The Bible says in Isa 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." The Lord Jesus in all of his holiness took that terrible venom of the Devil's sin. That is a prophecy of the first coming of Jesus. He came into the world the first time to die and the serpent bruised his heel. But go back and look at verse 15 again, "and her seed; it [THE SEED] shall bruise thy head"
There is coming a time at the second coming of the Lord when our Mighty Jesus, coming in power, will crush the serpent's head. That is a prophecy of the second coming of Jesus. Right here in this verse we find His incarnation we also find His coronation. Now I realize that the power of the Devil was broken at the cross but the bruising of the serpents head is still out there in the future. You see, the Devil is still at work today, but there is coming a time when he will have unleashed his final blow. Paul told those saints at Rome who were suffering under the iron hand of the Caesar, Rom 16:20 "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." When we get saved we become a part of the Body of Christ therefore we are going to participate with our Lord in that Victory and when He reigns we will reign with Him.
Once there were some people talking about the Body of Christ and where they would like to be in the body since we are members of His body. “Some said they would like to be Christ's heart and love as He loved. Some said they would like to be Christ's eyes and to be able to see and understand as He understands. Some said they would like to be Christ's ears and be able to know and learn as He learned. Nevertheless, one little lady who had a hard time all of her life said, "I would like to be one of Christ's feet and just bruise the Devil when Jesus comes."
Friends we will! "The God of peace shall bruise Satan under YOUR FEET shortly." The saints of all the ages are going to sing and shout the Victory! Because of the virgin birth and the blood atonement, we shall reign and we shall rule with the Lord Jesus! You see in Genesis 3:15 that's what God told Adam and Eve way back in the Garden of Eden. I'm glad I'm not going to be in hell when all that happens! I don't want any of you be in hell when all of this is going on either. God may have brought some of you to this point in your life so you can find the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior; I sure do hope you don't miss it.
INVITATION:
REJOICE! REJOICE! The Devil sails a sinking ship. The Devil rules a doomed domain. There is a war going on. I sure do hope you will choose sides very carefully. Our Savior cannot fail, He must prevail. Do you know Jesus PERSONALLY? Have your sins separated you from God? Are you hiding behind the fig-leaves of your own self-righteousness? Do you see SIN’S SPIRAL DOWNWARD DUE TO DISOBEDIENCE?
DO YOU NEED SOME HELP?
To find more help in receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior please go to the Bible Study Title Page “ETERNAL LIFE.” Please send me an email and let me know about any decision for Christ you make so that I may pray for you. Feel free to send me any questions, comments, or responses you may have as well. For those who are already Christians I invite you to also please let me know of any decisions you make in your Christian life for Jesus. Please send me your questions, comments, or responses and let me know if the Bible Studies are helping you.
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ALWAYS REMEMBER!
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All Bible Studies Are Prepared by Pastor Frank Denning And May Be Be Used By Permission.