First Baptist Church Litchfield
Chapel 11/13

      • Genesis 3:20–21ESV

  • They will see God (Matthew 5:8)
  • Walk in His Ways (Psalm 128:1)

      • John 14:6ESV

  • Grace (La-De-Da) (Ephesians 2:8)
  • Sovereign One

  • What have we learned so far?

    God created all that is; therefore, all that is, is his (Genesis 1-2)

    God is the soverign creator of the universe. He created everything with purpose and beauty. He created in his image to rule over creation and to enjoy harmony with him and each other. He gave set aside time from our work to worship him by glorifying him and enjoying him forever. God saw everything that he made, and it was good, very good.

    Adam and Eve wanted to be their own; rebellion in their heart was sown (Genesis 3:6)

    The first six verses of Genesis tells the story of Adam and Eve's disobedience to Genesis 2:17, and the entrance of sin into the world. Their desire to be their own authority led to devastating consequences, reflecting the rebellion that resides in all of us. Our natural inclination towards rebellion leads us away from God. One of the ways we verified this was by asking ourselves, “How faithful are we to keep God’s Ten Commandments perfectly?”

    You shall have no other God’s before me?

    What are you loving more than God right now?

    You shall not make an idols in my image.

    What are you worshiping more than God?

    Do not use the Lord’s name in vain?

    Have you ever been careless with God’s name or Jesus’ name? Have you ever been a hypocrite?

    Keep the Sabbath holy?

    Do you regularly worship God with his people in church? When was the last time you made attending church a priority in your life?

    Honor you father and mother.

    Have you ever disobeyed your parents?

    Do not murder?

    Have ever hated someone?

    Do not commit adultery?

    Have you ever been unfaithful to your spouse, friends, or family?

    Do not steal.

    Have you ever taken something that did not belong to you, regardless of its value? You “borrowed” it?

    Do not lie.

    Have you ever told a lie, regardless of how “small” it was?

    Do not covet.

    Have you ever been jealous of someone?

    The truth of the matter is, all of us break God’s commands every day. The Bible says if you’ve broken one command, you’ve broken all of the commands.
    James 2:10 ESV
    10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
    The reason why you break them so easily is because you are born with a self-centered desire to be God. This is sin, sin has consequences.

    Sin separates you from each other.

    What happens to Adam and Eve as soon as they disobey God? They separate from each other by putting on fig leaves and hiding in the bushes. When God calls Adam to explain why they know they are naked and hiding, Adam blames his wife. It gets worse. In Genesis chapter 4, the first murder ever committed in the world was between two brothers, Adam and Eve’s sons Cain and Able. Ever since the fall of man, sin has separated us from each other. That is why we are jealous of each other, lie to each other, steal from each other, are unfaithful to each other, and even kill one another.

    Sin separates you from God.

    More importantly, sin has separated us from God. God is holy. Sin is unholy. Sin and holiness cannot mix in the similar way water and oil cannot mix. In Genesis 3:14-19, God judges sin, and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Physical death comes to everything, all of creation. That is why people and animals die and plants and trees wither away. Everything perishes under sin. Furthermore, the Bibles says
    Hebrews 9:27 ESV
    27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
    Everyone must stand before God and give an account for their life. Judgement is the consequence of sin. As you will see in Genesis 3, this morning, God always weaves hope in the midst of his judgement.

    Serpent Cursed, Hope Emerges

    Genesis 3:14–15 ESV
    14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 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.”
    Judgement began when God called Adam to give and account for what happened in the Garden of Eden, but the serpent is the first to receive God’s judgment in the form of a curse. The serpent is judged by God because he was a tool used by Satan to bring sin into the world.
    In the old days, kings who were conquered would have to suffer the shame and humiliation of defeat by laying on the ground under the foot of their conqueror. In the same way, the serpent was cursed to live at the feet of humanity for its role in the fall.
    In verse fifteen, God weaves hope for us. God puts hostility between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. The seed represents offspring, future children. An interesting thing to note here is that the author speaks of one seed from the woman and many seeds from the serpent.
    This verse is known in Christendom as the protoevangelium, or “first good news,” because it is the first foretelling of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God announced here that a male descendant—He—would someday deal the serpent (meaning Satan) a fatal blow. The NT writers understood Jesus Christ to have fulfilled this prophecy
    Hebrews 2:14 ESV
    14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
    1 John 3:8 ESV
    8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
    In an extended sense, the NT also indicates that God would work through the church—those indwelt by the Spirit of Christ—to destroy the works of the devil (Rm 16:20). The assertion that the snake would only strike his opponent’s heel (as opposed to head) suggests that the devil will be defeated in the ensuing struggle (Rv 2:2, 7–10).
    God judges sin, but he always offers hope to the sinner. Even as Adam and Eve were feeling sad about disobeying God and suffering his consequences, God’s love for them came in the form of a promise; Satan and his works will one day be destroyed by God’s Messiah.

    Strife Increases, Love Persists

    Genesis 3:16 ESV
    16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
    Even though Eve was deceived by the serpent, she was still held accountable for her sin. God always holds you accountable for your sin.
    Eve will suffer strife, hardship, pain in the two things dear to her heart: her children and her husband. Because of her role in the fall, her womb will know suffer hardship. Her pregnancy and her labor will have pain and discomfort. Her womb will not always bear life.
    Secondly, she will always struggle in her relationship with her husband, and her husband will struggle with her. She will always struggle with a desire to control or rule over her husband, instead of allowing him to lead, guide, protect, and provide for his family. This will cause arguments and disruptions in the family, even to the point the family breaks apart. Sin now will taint the mirror marriage was supposed to be of the relationship Jesus has with his bride, the church.
    But keep in mind, Eve is not cursed like the serpent. She is not left without hope in her shame and guilt. Yes, she is held accountable for her sin, and yes sin will pass on to her children. But the hope of God will prevail in the end by his promise to reverse the curse of sin, and bring redemption to her offspring. Paul says
    Romans 5:8 ESV
    8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
    Even though strife increases, the love of God abounds more in Christ Jesus, the promised seed of the woman.

    Soil Cursed, New Life Promised

    Genesis 3:17–19 ESV
    17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
    Adam's curse is a portrayal of creation's bondage due to sin. It is revealed in toil Adam now has to feed and sustain his family. For Adam and Eve, life is about to get very difficult. Moreover, in verse 19, God says,
    Genesis 3:19 ESV
    19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
    Now Adam and Eve will fear death. For the first time in their existence, they will have to make funeral arrangements for each other. Death was never supposed to be part of the plan. That is why the Bible calls death our enemy. It’s an enemy we cannot overcome, but the promised seed of the woman did overcome.
    Jesus says to all God’s image bearers,
    John 11:25–26 ESV
    25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
    Paul teaches us that when Jesus was resurrected from the grace
    1 Corinthians 15:54–55 ESV
    54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
    Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection conquered death on our behalf. For those who confess their sin, turn from their sin, and put their hope in him, He is able to reverse the curse of sin. For on the cross he took our judgement. He bore our curse so we can no longer be separated from God. Jesus forgives us, makes us right with God, so we can have eternal life, the life we were supposed to have in the Garden. Jesus is the hope that God awoke in Adam’s heart. Jesus is the hope that God can awake in your heart.
    Though we face the reality of sin and its consequences, there is always hope and grace available through Jesus Christ, who redeems and restores our brokenness to wholeness.
    Just as Adam and Eve’s failures did not move them beyond the reach of God’s grace, neither do your failures move you beyond the reach of God's grace. Approach God in repentance, knowing that your relationship with Him can be restored through Jesus, the Seed of the Woman, the hope that awakes your heart, regardless of past mistakes.
    ​

      • Genesis 3:14–19ESV

      • James 2:10ESV

      • Hebrews 9:27ESV

      • Genesis 3:14–15ESV

      • Genesis 3:14–15ESV

      • Hebrews 2:14ESV

      • 1 John 3:8ESV

      • Genesis 3:16ESV

      • Genesis 3:16ESV

      • Romans 5:8ESV

      • Genesis 3:17–19ESV

      • Genesis 3:17–19ESV

      • Genesis 3:19ESV

      • John 11:25–26ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:54–55ESV

  • Empowered by the Spirit, Guided by the Word
First Baptist Church Litchfield
pastorjason.fbcl@gmail.com
217-324-4232
http://www.firstbaptistlitchfield.org/
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