No matter what our struggles are, God deals with them by sending Jesus to die for our sins.
Genesis 3:1-13
3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
When reading this passage, one thought that pops into my head is why did God plant the tree in the garden? Why put it in the middle of the garden if Adam and Eve weren’t allowed to touch it?
I’m still not 100% sure but I think it’s because God wanted to show Adam and Eve how wonderful it is to obey him: how God’s way is so much more perfect and purer than our own. And in the beginning, the world was perfect and pure. God’s people were in God’s place under God’s rule.
This is a story that shows us how bad sin is. Whenever we sin, we disobey God. And when we disobey God, we are very distant from him.
Recently there was a video we watched in church about a man sitting in a boat on the ocean. He wasn’t trying to paddle the boat. He was just sitting there drifting with the current. The real-life application is: that can be our reaction whenever we are confronted with our sin. Rather than actively looking for ways to stamp it out, we tend to drift with the current of our sin. Instead of picking up the oars and rowing against the tide, we drift further away from God.
Sin turns us further away from God and further away from God’s Word- the Bible. This causes us to doubt God’s Word. And I have to admit, there were times earlier on in my Christian walk when I did have doubts with God. I wasn’t sure whether I could trust God and his word. What sealed it for me was the perfect life, death and sacrifice of Jesus. Everything he did was perfect. He succeeds where humans fail. Whilst we’re all human with our own imperfections and sins, Jesus conquered our sin and death. If in doubt, look to the cross for the ultimate example of God’s Word and his promises being fulfilled.
Head: Why do you think Adam and Eve fell into sin?
Heart: What situations cause you to doubt God?
Hands: What strategies can you come up with to turn to God in these situations instead of falling into sin?
Prayer: Father God thank you for sending your son to die on the cross for our sins. We confess that at times we do have doubts about you and your Word. Please forgive us when we do have these doubts and help us to remember that your Word is the way, the truth and the life and the only thing that can set us free. In Jesus’ name, amen
A song to listen to: Jesus Messiah
Mick Lather- Creek Road Presbyterian Church- Carina
