Sermon notes August 24th, 2025

 GENESIS 3:8 - 4

The fall of men has happened. Sometimes at least to me it seems like such a minor offence, “it’s just an apple God”, (or whatever fruit it was). It seems to me the entire fall of humanity was based on a simple piece of fruit; shouldn’t it have been a real sin, like robbery or murder?

• The primary sin of Adam and Eve, according to the biblical account, was disobedience to God's command by eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. This act is often referred to as the original sin in Christian theology. While some interpretations focus on the specific act of eating the fruit, others emphasize the broader implications of their choice, such as choosing their own will over God's, and introducing sin and death into the world.
• Some interpretations focus on the deception of Eve by the serpent, and Adam's subsequent choice to follow her, highlighting the different ways they participated in the sin. Others emphasize the responsibility of both Adam and Eve in the act of disobedience. 
• Let me ask you this, what causes you to sin? Oh, you don’t sin, now you’re a liar. (sinner)  According to the Catholic Church there are 7.  1. Pride 2. Greed 3. Wrath 4. Envy 5. Lust 6. Gluttony 7. Sloth.           I agree these are all sin, but shouldn’t we address the cause?

1. The Fall of Man: The Garden of Eden narrative in Genesis 3 is foundational, depicting Adam and Eve's disobedience as the entry point of sin into the world. 

2. Inherited Sinful Nature: The Bible teaches that humanity inherited a sinful nature from Adam and Eve's disobedience, leading to a tendency towards sin. (we all need a Savior)

3. Temptation: whether from within or through external forces (like Satan), is a significant cause of sin. (there’s always a form of deception)

4. The Devil/Satan: The Bible identifies Satan as a tempter and deceiver who actively seeks to lead people into sin. 

5. Human Nature/Flesh: The "flesh" or sinful nature within humans is a source of temptation and inclination towards sin. 

6. Selfishness: The Bible identifies selfishness, or loving oneself above all else, as a root cause of many sins. 

7. Lack of Knowledge/Understanding: Ignorance of God's will and His Words are the standards that contribute to sin.

• Let’s simplify this, the Apostle John says it like this:  

1 John 2:16                                                     New King James Version

16   For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

 

GENESIS 3:8-13

8   And they heard the sound 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 among the trees of the garden.

9    Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

10    So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

11    And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

12    Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

13    And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”              The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

• In love and mercy God searched after His fallen creatures with the question “Where are you?” 
• This question proved two things—that man was lost and that God had come to seek. It proved man’s sin and God’s grace. God takes the initiative in salvation, demonstrating the very thing Satan got Eve and Adam to doubt—His love.

GENESIS 3:14

14   So the Lord God said to the serpent:                                                           “Because you have done this,                                                                              You are cursed more than all cattle,                                                                             And more than every beast of the field;                                                                      On your belly you shall go,                                                                                             And you shall eat dust                                                                                        All the days of your life.

• The LORD God cursed the serpent to deg-ra-da-tion, disgrace, and defeat. The fact that the serpent is cursed more than all cattle or any other beast of the field suggests that reptiles are primarily in view here rather than Satan. We know the serpent in the garden is Satan because the Bible makes it very clear. God curses the animal itself, the snake, so that it becomes a constant picture of the devastation and the reproach that Satan bears. The snakes of the world are symbols of the divine judgment on Satan. The one who successfully tempted Adam and Eve, who challenged God’s authority, is thrown down by God in His symbolic curse on the snake:

                    On your belly you will go,

                    And dust you will eat

                    All the days of your life.

Every time you see a snake slithering and crawling around, it is a sign of the humiliation of Satan. It is a reminder of the divine judgment on him for tempting Adam and Eve into sin.

GENESIS 3:15

15   And I will put enmity                                                                              Between you and the woman,                                                                                        And between your seed and her Seed;                                                                                                                                He shall bruise your head,                                                                                                   And you shall bruise His heel.”

• But verse 15 switches to the Devil himself. This verse is known as the “The First Gospel.” It predicts the perpetual hostility between Satan and the woman (representing all mankind), and between Satan’s seed (his agents) and her Seed (the Messiah). The woman’s Seed would crush the Devil’s head, a mortal wound spelling utter defeat. This wound was administered at Calvary when the Savior decisively triumphed over the Devil.
• Satan, in turn, would bruise the Messiah’s heel. The heel wound here speaks of suffering and even of physical death, but not of ultimate defeat. So, Christ suffered on the cross, and even died, but He arose from the dead, victorious over sin, hell, and Satan. The fact that He is called the woman’s Seed may contain a suggestion of His virgin birth. Note the kindness of God in promising the Messiah before pronouncing sentence in the following verses.

GENESIS 3:16-17

16   To the woman He said:                                                                                      “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;                                                        In pain you shall bring forth children;                                                                            Your desire shall be for your husband,                                                                             And he shall rule over you.”

17    Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:   “Cursed is the ground for your sake;                                                                                                                                                                “In toil you shall eat of All the days of your life.                                                                                             

GENESIS 3:18-21

18   Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for                                                   And you shall eat the herb of the field.

19   In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread                                                     Till you return to the ground,                                                                                   For out of it you were taken;                                                                                           For dust you are,                                                                                                          And to dust you shall return.”

• Sin has inevitable consequences. The woman was sentenced to suffering in childbirth. She would be subject to her husband. 
• The man was sentenced to earn his livelihood from ground that was cursed with thorns and thistles. It would mean toil and sweat for him. Then at the end of life, he himself would return to dust. It should be noted here that work itself is not a curse; it is more often a blessing. It is the sorrow, toil, frustration, perspiration, and weariness connected with work that are the curse.

GENESIS 3:20-21

20   And Adam called his wife’s name Eve,                                                                 because she was the mother of all living.

21    Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made                                                tunics of skin, and clothed them.

• Adam displayed faith in calling his wife’s name Eve … the mother of all living, since no baby had ever been born up to this time. Then tunics of skin were provided by God through the death of an animal. This pictures the robe of righteousness which is provided for guilty sinners through the shed blood of the Lamb of God, made available to us on the basis of faith.

GENESIS 3:22-24

22   Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—

23   therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 

24   So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim 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.

• There was a shade of truth in Satan’s lie, that Eve would become like God (v.3:5). But she and Adam learned by the hard way of experience to discern between good and evil. If they had then eaten of the tree of life, they would have lived forever in bodies subject to sickness, degeneration, and infirmity. Thus, it was God’s mercy that prevented them from returning to Eden. 
• Cherubim are celestial creatures whose function is to “vindicate the holiness of God against the presumptuous pride of fallen man.”
• Adam and Eve had to decide whether God or Satan was lying. In their decision to disobey God, they decided that God was the one lying. “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Thus, their names are missing from the Honor Roll of Faith in Hebrews 11.
• The ideal environment of Eden did not prevent the entrance of sin.     A favorable environment is not the answer to man’s problems.

 

Genesis 4                                                         New King James Version

1   Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” 

2   Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 

3   And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 

• The process of time mentioned in verse 3a allows for a considerable increase in the world’s population. There must have been a time when Cain and Abel were instructed that sinful man can approach the holy God only on the ground of the blood of a sub-sti-tu-tionary sacrifice. Cain rejected this revelation and came with a bloodless offering of fruits and vegetables. Abel believed the divine decree and offered slain animals, thus demonstrating his faith and his justification by God (Heb. 11:4). He brought the firstborn of his flock, saying in effect that the LORD deserves the best. Abel’s offering points forward to the substitutionary death of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. 

4   Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 

5   but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

6   So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 

7   If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

• “If you do well [by repenting], you will be able to look up again in freedom from anger and guilt. If you do not do well [by continuing to hate Abel], sin is crouching at your door, ready to destroy you.        His [God’s] desire is for you [i.e., He will acknowledge your leadership] and you will rule over him” [i.e., if you do well].
• “If you do well (or, as the Old Testament) reads it, “If you offer correctly”) will you not be accepted?” The well-doing had reference to the offering. Abel did well by hiding himself behind an acceptable sacrifice. Cain did badly by bringing an offering without blood, and all his after-conduct was but the legitimate result of this false worship.
• The RSV says, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
• F. W. Grant says in his Numerical Bible, “If you do not well, a sin-offering croucheth or lieth at the door.” In other words, provision was made if he wanted it.

GENESIS 4:8-12

8   Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

9   Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”                              He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

10   And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 

11   So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 

12   When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”

• Cain’s evil attitude of jealous rage was soon translated into evil action, the murder of his brother. Though Abel is dead, he still witnesses to us that the life of faith is the life that counts (Heb. 11:4).
• When the Lord’s loving question was met by an unrepentant, insolent reply, He pronounced Cain’s judgment—
• He would no longer be able to make a living from the soil, but would wander as a fugitive in the desert.

Hebrews 11:4                                                New King James Version

4   By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

• Adam and Eve are bypassed in the honor roll of faith. When Eve had to decide whether God or Satan was telling the truth, she decided that Satan was. However, this does not deny that they were subsequently saved by faith, as pictured by the coats of skin.
• Abel must have had some revelation that sinful man can approach God only on the ground of shed blood. Perhaps he learned this from his parents who were restored to fellowship with God only after He had clothed them with the skins of animals (Gen. 3:21). At any rate, he exhibited faith by approaching God with the blood of a sacrifice. Cain’s sacrifice was one of vegetables or fruit and was therefore bloodless. Abel illustrates the truth of salvation by grace through faith. Cain pictures man’s futile attempt to save himself by good works.
• George Cutting points out that “it was not the personal excellence of Abel that God looked at in counting him righteous, but the excellence of the sacrifice that he brought and his faith in it.” And so, it is with us: we are not justified because of our character or good works, but solely because of the excellence of the sacrifice of Christ and our acceptance of Him.
• Abel was killed by Cain because law hates grace. Self-righteous man hates the truth that he cannot save himself and that he must cast himself on the love and mercy of God.
• But Abel’s testimony is perpetuated: Through his faith he still speaks. There is a sense in which faith enables a man’s vocal cords to go on functioning long after his body is lying in the grave.

GENESIS 4:13-15

13   And Cain said to the Lord “My punishment is greater than I can bear! 

14   Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”

15   And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.

• Cain’s whimpering complaint reveals remorse for the consequences of his sin rather than for its guilt. But even then, the Lord allayed the fugitive’s fears for his life by putting a protective mark on Cain and a curse on anyone who killed him. Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, the saddest of all departures.

GENESIS 4:16-17

16   Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. 

17   And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son—Enoch. 

• Cain married his sister or other blood relative. As mentioned, Genesis 4:3 allows time for a population increase, and Genesis 5:4 specifically states that Adam had sons and daughters. Marriage of close relatives was not forbidden then (nor was it genetically risky).
• Verses 17–24 list Cain’s posterity, and a series of firsts: the first city, named Enoch; the first case of polygamy; the beginning of organized animal husbandry; the beginning of the art of music and of metalcrafts; the first song, concerning violence and bloodshed. In the song, Lamech explains to his wives that he killed … a young man in self-defense, but that because it wasn’t premeditated, like Cain’s murder of his brother, Lamech would be much more immune from reprisal.

GENESIS 4:18-26

18   To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.

19   Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 

20   And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 

21   His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. 

22   And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

23   Then Lamech said to his wives:                                                             “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;                                                                         Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech!                                                                       For I have killed a man for wounding me,                                                                         Even a young man for hurting me.

24   If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,                                                                  Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

25   And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” 

26   And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.

• Now in striking relief, the godly line of Seth is introduced. It was through this line that the Messiah would eventually be born. When Enosh (meaning “frail” or “mortal”) was born, men began to use the name of the LORD (Jehovah) for God, or perhaps to call on the name of Jehovah in public worship.