Sermon for Sunday January 7th, 2007

Five Firsts by Jerry Shirley

Genesis 3:1-3:15

FIVE FIRSTS
Genesis 3:1-15


This is the first Sunday service of 2007. As we begin a new year many of us are trying to make a new start in different areas…from our waistlines to our finances, to how we spend our time. We’re right at the beginning and it feels right to make some changes.

Genesis is the “Book of Beginnings”. Nearly everything that we know about mankind began in the Book of Genesis.
The beginning of man.
The beginning of time.
The beginning of organic growth.

In Genesis 2 we see the beginning of woman, and in chapter 4 the beginning of worship and also of death. As we proceed through the book we see nations, governments, and kingdoms. We see another new beginning after the flood. In this book we find the beginning of slavery, of jealousy, and idol worship and so much more; but there are five very important things that happen in Genesis 3.


I. THE FIRST MENTION OF SATAN - THE EVIL ONE Gen. 3:1-5.

What can we learn about him from this first mention in Gen. 3?

1. He is subtle. Vs. 1. It means: “cunning (usually in a bad sense):--crafty, prudent, subtil.”
2. He is the author of doubt. Vs. 1. “Yea, hath God said...”
3. He is the chief of liars. Vs. 4. “...Ye shall not surely die...”.
4. He is the enemy of God. He is ruler of a powerful kingdom standing in opposition to the kingdom of God.

We try to teach our kids something: That they are never more like Satan than when they lie and when they rebel. He is the father of lies [Jn. 8:48], and he invented the sin of rebellion, which is as the sin of witchcraft! [I Sam. 15:23]

I’ve asked a couple of our folks to help illustrate this with a special drama called “An interview with Satan”. This is like a late night talk show. While written from an entertaining viewpoint, the message is as serious as it gets.

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Satan is a liar. And if scripture will help Satan’s cause, he will use scripture. Notice how he twists this passage. Gen 2:17 "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

Satan twists the truth to say in Gen. 3:5 “....ye shall be as gods,....” That is not what the scripture said.

C. For now Satan attempts to overthrow God, but will end up in the lake of fire.
Rev 20:10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."


II. THE FIRST MENTION OF SIN

Their eyes were opened, but they did not become as gods; however, they saw their nakedness. Adam and Eve lived thousands of years BC [Before Clothing!] They had been naked all along, but were not knowledgeable what being naked meant. Look at Vs. 9-11, God is saying to them, “Who told you that you were naked? Where did you learn about nakedness?”

Sin Is Attractive. Vs. 6, “... pleasant to the eyes.” Don’t be deceived by sin. It will lure you, it will sway you; it will blind you; it will cause you to fall.

Sin Is Pleasurable. Heb 11:25 "…the pleasures of sin for a season;"

Sin Destroys.
1. Sin is a cancer that destroys the soul of man. James 1:15 "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." If you are involved in the practice of sin, you are on the road to death.
2. Notice what sin did to the family of Adam: Gen 4:5 "But unto Cain and to his offering he [God] had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell."
Gen 4:8 "…and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him."

Imagine the regret, the heartbreak, the sorrow that Adam and Eve were going through as they buried Abel. Sin will always bring much sorrow, heartbreak, and regret. Sin destroyed his family, brought remorse and heartache all of Adam’s days.

Everyday as Adam tilled the soil he was reminded of his sin. Every time he passed by the grave of Abel, he was reminded of his sin.

Sin is an offence. [note spelling]
Mat 18:7 "Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!"

“Offence” means = a trap-stick (bent sapling), i.e. snare (fig. cause of displeasure or sin):--occasion to fall (of stumbling), offence, thing that offends, stumbling-block.

In jungle warfare the armies would take a tall sapling, bend it over with a rope loop tied to the top of the tree. When the enemy would come by and trigger that trap, it would hoist them high in the air. It was a trap.

Sin is an offence, a bent sapling trap. Sin will trap you. And Satan would say that his best defense is a good “offence!”

Today we’ve seen the first mention of Satan and of Sin. Next week we’ll see the first mention of the Saviour, and how He overcomes the death Sentence w/ the first Sacrifice. But today, in short, let me just say there is a Saviour, and by His Sacrifice on the cross we can avoid the death sentence. [share gospel]



Part 2

This week I took my truck in on a recall notice to have something fixed. As we continue today talking about the Five Firsts of Genesis 3, imagine with me God’s Recall.

RECALL NOTICE:
The Maker of all human beings is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart.

This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units.

This defect has been technically termed, "Subsequential Internal Non-morality", or more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed.

Some other symptoms:
1. Loss of direction
2. Foul vocal emissions
3. Amnesia of origin
4. Lack of peace and joy
5. Selfish, sometimes violent behaviour
6. Fearfulness
7. Idolatry
8. Rebellion

The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this SIN defect.
The Repair Technician, Jesus, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required.

The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R. Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure.

Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component.

No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:
1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self control

Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Believers Instructions Before Leaving Earth), for further details on the use of these fixes.

WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded. For free emergency service, call on JESUS.
DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility.

Thank you for your immediate attention.
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Before we begin today, consider one very important aspect of Bible Study known as the “Law of First Mention.” It says, basically, that the Bible reasons from the lesser to the greater, from simple to complex, and if you go to the first mention of a doctrine or concept, it will contain keys to understanding better what it is all about, and things to apply to later mentions of the same.

Last week we saw in Gen. 3 the first mention of Satan and of Sin.

With Satan, we saw him as a liar, and the rest of your Bible and the rest of human history show that as his chief attribute…and he’ll lie to some of you today as you listen to preaching.

With sin, we saw that it is fun…for a moment, but it is the highway to hell and the main street to misery in the long run. And the rest of your Bible illustrates that truth, with some learning the hard way, and some hearing God’s Word and avoiding much heartache.

Today, let’s finish the message:

III. THE FIRST MENTION OF THE SAVIOUR

Gen 3:15 "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."

A. God’s Plan Before Creation.
1. The plan has always been Jesus Christ. Eph 1:4 "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:"
2. The plan of God is not an afterthought. There has never been any other plan. Did it ever occur to you that nothing ever occurred to God?
3. The plan is not an act of desperation. God has never lost control of the universe, nor the destiny of mankind. God has never been nervous or desperate. He has had this same plan for man’s redemption for all eternity past.

He has always had a Saviour for man.
Before there was a sin, there was a Saviour.
Before there was the need, the plan was in operation.
There has always been a cross in God’s plan.
There has always been a Sacrificial Lamb of God that took away the sin of the world.

The plan of redemption is not something that God had to come up with after Adam sinned. Adam’s sin just put the wheels into motion, but the wheels were already there in the form of the free will of man.

B. God’s Promise To All Who Believe.

If you are not a Christian; what I am saying right now is for you.

John 3:14 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:"
John 3:15 "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:17 "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
John 3:18 "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
John 3:19 "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."

If you will believe, you will be saved…and saved from sin. Not from sinning altogether, but from sin’s consequences, and the God can begin to take you down the road of victory over sin.

C. God’s Procurement For His Children.

Rom 8:32 "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"

1 Cor 15:1 "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;"
1 Cor 15:2 "By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain."
1 Cor 15:3 "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;"
1 Cor 15:4 "And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

That’s the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And after its first mention, it was brought up time and again in many different packages in every book of the Bible, and it’s still the way to be saved today!


IV. THE FIRST MENTION OF SENTENCE (Judgment)

Ill.—A Minister tells the story of Jill, their 6-year-old, who was “helping” him in the front yard of the parsonage. She chattered away about her Sunday school lesson on Adam and Eve. He thought he’d test her. “Did you know Adam and Eve sinned?” “Yep.” “What did God do to them as a punishment?” Her answer was immediate and matter-of-fact, without even looking up she said: “He made them have kids.”

Gen 3:16 "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." (let the women’s organizations yelp all they want to. God says, “Man shall rule over you.” Now, don’t take that wrong. The Bible teaches servant leadership on the part of man. Don’t kill the messenger…God said it!

Gen 3:17 "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;"
Gen 3:18 "Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;"
Gen 3:19 "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."
Gen 3:23 "Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken."

A. Every Wrong Must Be Made Right.

B. Someone Has To Pay For Every Wrong.

C. Judgment Is A Necessity.

If God compromised in sin, then His holiness would be lost. God must require judgment.

If He accepted sin without sacrifice His holiness would mean nothing. God is holy.

Adam hearkened to the voice of his wife rather than the Word of God. Vs. 17. Don’t permit anyone or anything to cause you to reject the Word of God. Adam did, and it cost him a great judgment. A judgment that was hard, sorrowful, and damning.

Adam lost all that he had - Judgment takes all away. Vs. 24. Gen 3:24 "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

Imagine with me, as Adam leads his wife out of their home and out into the vile wickedness outside of the garden’s protection.

I heard an ex-convict say once, that the men who are in prison for an extended period of time lose everything; their family; their home; their association with the outside; their ability to function in the free society, etc.

Hear me today, judgment takes all.

Our nation has moved away from judgment for wrong doing, and so has the church. We excuse sin. But God still demands judgment. Oh yes! God still judges sin. The law of first mention makes it clear, there is a death sentence for sin. Hell is real, believe it now, or when you are thrown in. God has not changed His mind just because man has decided hell isn’t politically correct!

And Christians need to realize something—that though their sin is forgiven, and Christ took their death sentence for them, there still are consequences for sin. If you think you can treat your salvation like fire insurance, and a license to sin, you are sadly, badly mistaken.

Some imagine a line with forgiveness at one end and consequences at the other. They think the closer they move to forgiveness the further they move from consequences. But forgiveness and consequences co-exist! They are on separate lines. God forbid that Christians willfully, knowingly sin just because they are forgiven.


V. THE FIRST MENTION OF SACRIFICE

Gen 3:21 "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them."

God who was sinned against made the sacrifice for the sinner. The sinner could not make his own sacrifice. Their nakedness was now oppressive to them. They didn’t know they were naked before they sinned; now they must be covered from that sin.

God, Who is perfect, made sacrifice for the perpetrators.

God’s grace allows sacrifice for the guilty. Without God’s sacrifice the guilty would be doomed and damned forever and ever.

God took a living being and made a way to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness. In doing this, God was showing the world that a Heavenly Sacrifice would one day be given for the covering of man’s sin.

That Heavenly Sacrifice was born in a manger, grew up in a hostile society that was motivated by religious prejudice, controlled by man’s desire to do his own will. That society ignored the teachings of the Lamb of God, and when the fullness of time came He was placed on a cross of sacrifice. There He gave His life a sacrifice for man’s sin that started in the Garden of Eden. That sacrifice was the culmination of the sacrifice that was made in Gen. 3:21. That Heavenly Sacrifice once and for all made payment for all sin.

Heb 10:4 "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins."

All of these OT ceremonies were just pointing to the lasting sacrifice that was to come.

Heb 10:10 "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
Heb 10:12 "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;"
Heb 10:14 "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."

Your Bible is full of truth from beginning to end…and Gen. 3 has shown us for the first time Satan, Sin, and the death Sentence, but thank God also in the same passage we meet for the first time the Saviour and see His Sacrifice for us!

Let me invite you to come to this place of sacrifice. The place where the Lamb of God gave His life for you. The place where sin was once and for all defeated. The place of Calvary.

Won’t you come?