Sermon Central
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Corruption Series
Contributed by Jerry Shirley on Feb 14, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: The honeymoon comes to a screeching halt in the garden of Eden in this chapter. A man, a woman, & a snake in the grass. Link inc. to formatted text, audio/video, PowerPoint.
Corruption
http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/Corruption.html
We continue our new series on the 20 Cs, a jet tour overview of the entire Bible. Last week was ‘creation’ and today is ‘corruption.’ No, this message isn’t about our state, Illinois. And it’s not much of a Valentine’s message either. Actually, it’s where the honeymoon comes to a screeching halt in Paradise!
Of all 1,189 chapters in the Bible this is without question the most tragic. This chapter tells of the fall of man and its consequences.
1) The subtlety of Satan
a) He speaks through the serpent - Genesis 3:1
Most women would not receive a snake’s arrival so calmly. But before the fall of man all was peaceful, and the serpent was beautiful and not frightening and cursed. And man and woman were so intelligent that they were able to have communication w/ it. Imagine today if you were able to know exactly what your dog was saying to you w/ each and every bark. Sometimes I wonder if our dog understands us. He is not a sinner, and though affected by the curse the curse is upon man, not upon him.
Joke—if aliens looked down upon us they might wonder who is the real master: the dog prancing around or us, being dragged by the leash, picking up its poo!
v. 14 Prior to the fall the snake did not crawl upon its belly. Many scholars believe they once flew!
From this point on serpents and snakes would always be associated w/ evil. “Mean as a snake” / “snake in the grass”
7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
When the children of Israel were plagued w/ snakes in Leviticus they had to look to the brass serpent on the pole, symbolic of Jesus on the cross becoming sin for us.
Still to this day the AMA uses the symbol of the serpent on a pole for healing.
b) He begins by doubting God’s Word – Genesis 3:1
Anyone who puts a question mark behind the Word of God instead of an exclamation point is being used of the devil. Many today are questioning God’s Word and standing in judgment of the Word, when actually the Word is supposed to judge us.
Eve made the mistake of debating the devil. We aren’t supposed to do this.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7
All sin begins in the mind, then it goes to action, then to habit. And when we even stop to consider what he tempts us to do we are debating the devil.
When a man even fantasizes about being w/ another woman he is committing adultery, because thought will eventually become deed and habit. Every wrong action is preceded by wrong thinking.
So when the thought begins to enter your mind you must rebuke it in the name of Jesus, pleading the blood of Christ and let Satan flee from you!
Look what Satan gets Eve to do next:
v. 3 Did God really say she couldn’t touch the fruit? No! Just as dangerous as taking away from the Word is adding to the Word. Most cults have started by people adding to the Word.
c) He ends by denying God’s Word – Genesis 3:4
It’s the first recorded lie in the Bible.
People say they don’t believe the Bible because there are lies in it. I agree. And people who deny the Bible are repeating the first one. The Bible records lies, but it is absolute truth.
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
You are never so much like the devil as when you lie. In God’s eyes there’s no such thing as a little white lie.
Ill.—the phone rings and you tell your spouse to ‘tell them I’m not here!’
v. 5 It’s a sandwich lie. A lie in-between 2 truths. The most dangerous kind of lie is when it is very close to the truth, it is the most deceptive.
