This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Ignoring God Leads To Confusion", 9/29/2013

IGNORING GOD LEADS TO CONFUSION

 

Genesis 11:1-9

 

V:1. "Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. "

 A. Originally there was one universal language.

     1. God created relationship and fellowship in the new generation.

     2. Everyone was able to communicate their thoughts and ideas.

     3. From place to place the language was common.

         a. The Hebrew word for language is saphah which means lip.

         b. The Hebrew word for words is dabar which means matter or thing.

     4. After the flood the people of the earth had the same lip and communicated the

         same matter.

  B. The people of the earth had common concerns.

     1. Wouldn't it be great if we all were concerned about the welfare of each other?

     2. Wouldn't it be great if our goals and aspirations were to lift up each other?

 

V:2.  ”It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there."

 A. There was a time when the people of the earth moved in the same direction.

      1. They traveled together and they were united as one people.

      2. The land of Shinar is a plain in Babylon.

      3. It is not strange that Babylon is the place where they disobeyed God first and   

          also is the place where they would spend forty years in captivity 17 centuries

 

         later.

         a. It is not strange that our pass sins will revisit us.

         b. This is a testimony that "What Goes Around Comes Around".

 B. They disobeyed God's command by settling in a place.

     1. They were commanded to repopulate the earth.  Gen 9:1

     2. By settling in one place they would stop God's plan to repopulate the earth.

     3. There is a way that seems right to man. That way will always be against God.  

 

V:3. " They said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly." And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.

 A. After Noah left the Ark, God gave the command to establish government.  Gen 9:1-6

     1. Someone may have decided to influence others to disobey God.

     2. Since they were of the same lip, everyone followed the influence of the

 

         consensus of  opinion.  

 B. We should be careful to follow God rather than man.

     1. We should study the Word for ourselves to know God's Word.

     2. If God is not leading you, someone else will.

 C. It takes some effort to quit following God's directions.

     1. To quit God, you have to establish new rules.

     2. Someone will have to establish himself as the leader to push the new rules.

     3. Someone will have to establish a new plan.

D. Whenever we start talking among ourselves without including God, we will be

      against God. 

 

V:4. " They said, Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."

 A. They had a solid foundation but they decided to build on a lesser foundation.

     1. They had the divine Word to spread across the face of the earth.

         a. But they were led by the desires of  their heart to stand still.

     2. They had access to the richest city (heaven), but they decided to build a

         cheaper city.

     3. They hated God's plan.

         a. God had given them a command to repopulated the earth, but they decided to

             stay in one place.

         b. God made them mobile, but they decided to stand still.

         c. They had the protection, the provisions and the guidance of God, but they

             rejected God.

 B. They had the name of God, but they chose another name for themselves.  

     1. There is no greater name than the name of God.

     2. They wanted glory for themselves rather than to give God the glory.

 C. They did not get directions from God to build a city.

     1. They had building skills from Noah, the father of their generation.

     2. Noah took his order to build from God the Father.

     3. They took their order to build from themselves.

 D. They wanted to build a tower into heaven as a monument to themselves.

    1. If we build a monument to ourselves, it will be on shaky  ground.

    2. The Lord hates the proud.

    3. If we are going to build an monument, it should be a altar to the Father.

    4. God does not need monuments, He needs our obedience.

    5. Instead of trying to get to the top, we should trust the one who is on top.

        a. The Lord sits high and He looks low.

        b. There is no one higher than the Lord.

        c Jesus said, If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to myself.

 

V:5. " The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built."

 A. When you decide not to follow God, He will show up in your life.

      1. God has no respect for our building programs, if they are not built on faith in

 

          Him.

 B. If God has to come down to see your city,  He is not the center of your city.

     1. We should be careful to put God in the center of all our activities.

     2. The only way to build a city to God is to reconcile others to God.

     3. The building of their city was a parting of their ways from God.

 C. If God has to come to see your tower,  He is not your High Tower.

    1. Notice God called this generation sons of men.

    2. He did not call them His sons.

    3. You don't want God to see you as a son of man, but His son.

    4. When you are God's son, He takes responsibility for you.

 

V:6. " The Lord said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them."

 A. There is power in unity.

     1. There is the power to be successful.

     2. There is the power to accomplish anything.

 B. When we are all going in the same direction, victory is ours.

     1. What we should seek is victory in the Lord and not victory in the world.

     2. What we should seek is victory for the Lord and not victory for ourselves.

 C. When we are one, we will speak the same language.

     1. The evidence of our oneness is unity in purpose.

     2. The evidence of our oneness is a lack of division.

 

V:7  "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another's speech."

 A. God said, "Let Us go down".

    1. This indicates the unity of the Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God

        the Holy Spirit.

    2. There is one God in three persons; the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit.

    3. There is no disagreement in the Trinity.

    4. There should be no disagreement in the body of Christ.

        a. We are many members, but one body.

        b. We have many words, but they all should glorify the Father.

 B. Man makes plans, but only God can make them work.

    1. When the plans of man go against the will of God, they will fail.

    2. God saw the unity of purpose and the power of unity, so He destroyed their unity.

    3. It was because of their disobedience that God destroyed their ability to

 

        communicate  with each other.  Prov 1:28-29

 C. Because they could not communicate with each other, their plans could not be

      accomplished.

    1. Sometimes God has to block our understanding to get us to refocus on Him.

    2. There is but one voice that we should understand and that is the voice of God.

        a. In all your getting, we should get an understanding.

        b. It is with the understanding of God's Word, that we can understand right and

            wrong.

     3. If we can understand God's Word, right directions will be clear.

 

V:8. " So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city."

 A. For our own good, sometimes God will redirect us.

    1. We must remember that it is not about us, it is about giving God the glory.

    2. We were created in His own image and His own likeness.

        a. We should act like God.

        b. We should look like God.

        c. People around us ought to see the God in us.

        d. We are role models to lead others to God.

 B. If what we are doing is not the will of God, we must stop and turn toward God.

     1. God's plan for this new generation of people was to cover the earth.

     2. Because of their disobedience, God redirected them with different languages.

 C. This text emphasizes the importance of communicating with God first before we

      make any plans.

    1. God gives us increase, according to His will.

    2. Not my will but God's will to be done.

 

 

V:9, "Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth."

A.  The word "Babel" means confusion.

      1. From the word Babel, the name Babylonia was derived.

      2. When there is no unity, there will be babel.

 B. If we reject the Lord's Word, our lives will be confused.

     1. The world confuses, but God gives understanding.

     2. The objective of Satan is to confuse us and to scatter us from God.

  C. We will become confused, when we reject the guidance and the directions of the

 

        Lord.

      1. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of the knowledge. Prov 1:7

      2. This generation of people became confused because they had no fear of the

   

          Lord.

      3. This generation of people became scattered because they would not follow the

         

          plan of God.

 D. When church folk are  scattered, it is because they are following their own agenda.

      1. When there is confusion in the church, it is because they are following there own

          agenda.

      2. When there is no unity in purpose in the church, it is because they are following

          their own agenda.

      3. It is our duty and obligation to make God's agenda our only agenda.

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "A Fresh Start: The Rainbow Sign", 9/22/2013

A FRESH START; THE RAINBOW SIGN

 

Genesis 9:8-17

 

V:8. "Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him."

 A. God looked at the people of his creation and saw that they were corrupt and filled

      with violence.  Gen 6:12

     1. God decided to end the corruption on earth by destroying  every living thing with

 

        a great flood.

     2. We must remember that God is aware of what we do against Him.

     3. We must be aware that God is sovereign and He can punish us in some

 

          unexpected  ways.

         a. We should consider that God who created us can get angry enough to destroy

              us for our sins.

 B. One Family can make a difference.

    1. The whole world had turned against God, but there was one family that feared

 

        God  and honored Him with their lives.

    2. Just because everybody else is wrong, don't make it right for you.

    3. Noah and his family followed God.

    4. God takes notice of the faithful.

 C. God gives us an opportunity for a fresh start.

    1. God loves family.

    2. He started the human race with one family and He began fresh with one family.

    3. He started with a new covenant.

    4 He started with a new government.

    5. He started with the righteousness of one family.

 

V;9."I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you."

 A. God honors our righteous with His personal commitment.

     1. When everybody in the world was having trouble, God protected Noah and his

         family.  

     2. Floods are part of life.

        a. There is no way to live in this world without trials and tribulations.

        b. While everybody is drowning, God can keep you a float.

        c. When we get up in the morning, we can expect God to bless us through the

 

            storms  of life.

    3. God makes promises and He keeps His promises.

       a. God started fresh with 8 people.

       b. Noah, his wife  his three sons and their wives were the first participants  of

           God's new covenant with man.

    4. Because of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, we have a fresh start each day.

       a. We receive  God's grace and mercy fresh each day.

          

V:10. " And with every living creature that was with you — the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you — every living creature on earth."

 A. God instructed Noah  to put in the ark two of every kind of animals that He had

      created.

    1. In the Ark were seven pairs (male and female) of all the clean animals and one

      

        pair of all the unclean animals. (Gen 7:2)

       a. The total estimated time in the Ark was one year and ten days (Nelson Bible

           Dictionary).

       b. Except for the animals in the Ark, every living animal was destroyed.

       c. Man may have corrupted the animal kingdom because of his corruption.

          Gen 6:11-12.

     2. The waters of the flood cleanse the earth of all unrighteousness.

     3. After  the flood, God repopulated the earth with animals starting with those that

         came out of the Ark.

 B. God allowed all the species of animals that He created to repopulate themselves.

    1. They were covered under the new covenant.

    2. The animal kingdom will not be destroyed by another flood.

 

V:11. " I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."

 A. A new generation of men began with the righteousness of one family.

     1. Noah was a righteous man before the Lord.  Gen 6:8-9

     2. Noah and his family found security in the Lord.

 B. The ark that Noah and his family labored to build for 120 years became their

      sanctuary during the flood.  Gen 6:3

    1. In troubled times, God is our sanctuary.

    2. God is our place of provisions and protection.

        a. God instructed Noah and his sons to put enough food in the ark for his family

           and all the animals for the year long journey.

        b. God is enough for us.

   3. Noah found grace with God because of his faithfulness. Gen 6:8

 C. God made Noah the new beginning for mankind because he lived according to His

      righteousness.

     1. Every family that believes in Jesus and lives according to His commands is the

         beginning of a new generation for the Lord.

     2. We will never be cut off from heaven if we live for Jesus.

     3. It makes no difference what happens around you, God is your sanctuary.

         a. In the ark was peace.

         b. In the ark was protection.

         c. In the ark was provisions.

         d. In the ark was comfort.

         e. In the ark was companionship.

         f. In the ark was relationship.

         g. In the ark in ark was the grace of God.

         h. We got all the above and then some in Jesus our Lord and Savior.

 

V:12. " And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come."

 A. There are times when we need to be reminded of God's promises.

     1. God can do it in a visible way of he can awaken our conscience to His promises.

     2. When we get caught up the trials and troubles of life, it is easy to focus on the

          problems and forget God's promises.

     3. It is easy to worry about we see than to trust God for the solution.

     4. Some times God has to let us face trouble so that we can't see our way out to

         force us to trust His word.

 B. God has made agreement between Himself and us that only He can keep.

     1. Noah had no part in keeping the covenant, but he had faith to trust God's

         Word.

     2. In all our ways, we must trust God.

        a. God is the solution to all our troubles.

 

V:13. " I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth."

 A. God made an agreement with the earth that He created that He would not flood it

      again.

    1. How can God make an agreement with an object that can't think, reason or

        respond?

    2. Why does God have to be reminded of what He has said?

 B. God uses the rainbow to remind us of His supreme authority over everything.

     1. God uses the rainbow to remind us of His creative powers.

     2. God uses the rainbow to remind us of His glory.

     3. God uses the rainbow to remind us of His wrath.

     4. God uses the rainbow to remind us of His mercy.

     5. God uses the rainbow to remind us of the consequences of sin.

     6. God uses the rainbow to remind us that He keeps His promises.

 

V:14. " Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,"

 A. It is God who makes the clouds appear in the sky.

    1. The rainbow represents the mercy of God on mankind.

    2. The rainbow is a reminder of  new start for man.

    3. The rainbow represents the miracles of God.

         a. A rainbow develops from the reflection and the refraction of the rays of the sun

            on falling rain.

         b. A rainbow does not always appear during a rain when the sun is shinning.

         c. A rainbow appears when God decides that man needs a reminder.

  B. God orders the forces of nature to  accomplish His will.

     1. The rainbow appears when He wants it to be visible to man.  

        a. God will set clouds in the sky.

        b. God will cause the rainbow to appear in the clouds

 

    2. The rainbow is a constant reminder of God's promise not to destroy the earth by

         a flood again.  

 

V:15. " I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life."

 A. God repeats His Words to reconfirm them in our mind that He will keep His

      promise.

     1. The covenant was made to man and to every living creature on land, in the air

         and in the waters of the earth.

     2. This covenant settles the issue of how the earth will not be destroyed,

        a. We will have floods and storms, but they will not signal the end of the earth.

 B. God has a plan for how this world will end.

     1, God is Alpha and Omega. He is the beginning and the end.

     2. There are no new discoveries or plans.  God planned it all out from the

          beginning.  He is omniscience,

 

V:16. " Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

 A. Again, God reaffirms to Himself.  But I think more so for us that He will keep His

      covenant.

     1. As stated by Matthew Henry, "the eye may affect the heart and confirm the faith;

        it shall be the token of the covenant."

     2. The brilliant colors of the rainbow have their source from the light that is Jesus

         Christ.

 B. We serve a God who loves colors.

    1. He clothed His creation in may different brilliant colors.

    2. Trees, plants and animals have a variety of colors.

    3. The colors are an indication of life in its abundance.

    4. The rainbow sign points to and confirms God's covenant for the life of His

        people. 

 

V:17. " So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."

 A. God chose a faithful man to establish His covenant for all mankind.

     1. In God's Word is His plan for the ages which includes now and the end times.

     2. God said to Noah and His Word say to us that His mercy endures forever.

 B. The whole world is blessed under the covenant that God established with Noah.

    1. It is our faithfulness to God's commands that blesses our lives.

    2. Thank God for his abundant blessing.

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "The Original Sin Of Man" 9/15/2013

 

THE ORIGINAL SIN OF MAN

 

GENESIS 3:8-23

 

V:8. "And they heard the voice 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 amongst the trees of the garden."

 A. Adam and Eve heard the Word of the Lord.

    1. We should always position ourselves to hear the Word of the Lord.

    2. When we focus on the Word, we will hear the Lord when He calls.

 B. God walks in His garden.

    1. The whole world is God's garden.

    2. God intended for our days to be calm (cool of the day).

    3. God wants constant fellowship with his people.

    4. It was not God's intent for us to be frustrated.

    5. He walks with us and He talks with us so that we know we are not alone.

 C. You cannot hide from God.

     1. Adam and Eve disobeyed God's command not to eat from the Tree Of

         Knowledge  And Of God And Evil.

     2. Originally they had no concept of good or evil.

         a. All they had was the Word of God which is good.

         b. They were created sinless and innocent.

     3. Once they ate from the Tree Of Knowledge and Of Good and Evil, they were no

         longer innocent.

       a. Their fellowship with the Lord was broken.

       b. Although we sin, God is gracious to forgive us.

       c. The wages of sin is death, but God allowed them to live.

 D. Knowing their sin, Adam and Eve hid themselves from God.

     1. Sin separates us from God.

     2. We lose our fellowship with God when we sin but not our relationship.

 E. God made the garden for man to live and enjoy himself.

    1. God did not make the garden for man to hide.

    2. Adam and Eve tried to hid from God because of their sin.

    3. God knows our sin before we sin.

 

V:9. "And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?"

 A. God calls attention to our sin by calling us out of our hiding place.

    1. God call Adam not Eve.

    2. Adam was the responsible party.

    3. God gave His command not to eat from the tree of Knowledge And Of Good

       And  Evil to Adam before Eve was formed.

 B. God holds us accountable to keep His commands.

    1. We study the Word to know God's commands.

    2. We must make it our business to keep God's commands.

 

V:10.  "And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."

 A. Sin changes our fellowship with God.

      1. Our sins causes us to be afraid of the wrath of God.

 B. Sin changes the way we feel about ourselves.

     1. Before Adam's sinned, he was free to communicate with God.

     2. After Adam sinned, he hid from God.

 C. Sin makes us aware of our short comings.

     1. Before Adam sinned, he was unaware of his nakedness.

     2. Sin causes us to take a look at ourselves.

     3. Sin causes us to be uncomfortable with our relationship with God.

 D. The truth is you can't hide from God.

    1. The truth is, we are always naked before God.

 

V:11. "And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?"

 A. God does not ask questions because He does not know the answer.

     1. God ask questions so we will face up to ourselves.

     2. Before Adam sinned. he did not know he was naked.

     3. After Adam ate from the Tree of Knowledge and Of Good and Evil, he

        was immediately aware of his sin.

       a. Adam immediately knew good from evil.

       b. Sin robs us of the freedom of innocence.

 B. The reason Adam knew his sin was because he had eaten from the tree of knowledge.

    1. Disobedience to God's commands robs us of our peace and comfort.

    2. After Adam sin, he was not comfortable with God.

 C. Adam failed to keep God's command.

    1. Adam failed in his position as head of the house.

    2. Adam failed in his position as ruler of the Garden of Eden.

    3. Adam failed in His position as ruler of all animals.

    4. Our sin affects those around us.

 

V:12. "And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat."

 A. Just because everybody else is doing something does not make it right.

     1. We must be careful not to blame our sins on someone else.

     2. It is the Word of God that should guide our actions and not the ways of the

         world.

 B. What God blesses us with should be cherished.

     1. We are to be good stewards of what God places before us.

     2. Adam was responsible for teaching his wife the Word of God.

     3. Adam was responsible for making sure his wife understood the consequences of

         disobeying God's command.

     4. Adam yielded to the temptation of the flesh and sinned against God.

 C. Eve was deceived, but Adam was disobedient.

 

V:13. "And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat."

 A. God holds us all responsible for our actions.

     1. Notice God addressed Adam's sin first.

         a. God gave His commands to Adam first.

     2. God addressed Eve's sin second.

        a. Again, God asked a question that He knew the answer to.

        b. God want us to take responsibility for our sins.

    3. Eve blamed the actions of the serpent for her sin. 

       a. She did not accept responsibility for her sins.

       b. Eve did not rely on her husband for an understanding of the scripture.

       c. Eve listen to and accepted the lie of Satan.

       b. Satan is true to his mission; to steal kill and destroy.

 

 B. Before God, we are an open book.

    1. We only deceive ourselves if we think we can lie to God.

    2. Eve said, I ate because I was mislead by the serpent.

    3. Eve did not say, I ate because I did not seek the advice of my husband.

    4. In a marriage, if the two are to become one flesh, they must seek council

        from each other and be guided by the Holy spirit.

 C. The marriage is weaken when the husband and the wife quit communicating their

      desires to each other.

     1. Decisions should not be made without discussion.

     2. The outside world has no business in marriage.

     3. Eve made a major decision without consulting her husband.

 

V:14. "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life."

 A. God focused on Adam and Eve first, then he dealt with the serpent.

      1. Adam and Eve was the responsible party and the serpent was just the bystander.

      2. The serpent was not given decision making responsibility.

      3. When we disobey God's commands, we give Satan a foothold  in our lives.

 B.  Satan was an Archangel in heaven but lost his position because of his pride.

     1. Even though Satan was cast out of heaven, God gave him position on earth.

     2. He is the ruler of darkness.

     3. He is the father of sin.

     4. His mission is to steal, kill and destroy.

     3. Satan was allowed to roam the earth in an upright position.

C. Because of his hatred for God, Satan lost his upright position and is cursed

     by God to spend the rest of his days on his belly in the dust of the earth.

    1. God cursed Satan, but He did not destroy him.

    2. God has a purpose for Satan.

       a. All of his action will result in the glory of God and work to the benefit of man.

       b. God positioned Satan for his ultimate destruction.

 

V: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 cursed man, but he blessed him with a promised redeemer.

     1. Through the woman, God brought Jesus to be the destroyer of Satan.

     2. Jesus is the victor and Satan is the loser.

        a. The word "enmity" is the Hebrew word "eybah" which means hatred or

            hostility.

        b. The word "seed" is the Hebrew word "zera" which means fruit.

        c. The word "bruise" is the Hebrew word "shawph" which means to overwhelm,

            break or cover.

    3. God hates sin. From the fruit of a woman, Satan was broken.

       a. God placed His Son, Jesus Christ into the body of Mary so He could take on

           human flesh, become man and die on the cross for our sins.

       b. God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to redeem man from His sins.

 B. This verse is a battle cry attesting to  Jesus Christ as the promised victor.

    1. In the book of Revelations (20:10), Satan is cast in to the lake of fire

        forever.

    2. The redeemed of the Lord are placed in heaven to be with the Father forever         

        (Rev 21:3)

 C. The sin of Adam destroyed the relationship of man with God.

      1. God always has the solution.

      2. God promised His Son to be the redeemer of man and to restore the relationship

          to Himself.

 

V: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."

 A. Sin has consequences for man.

      1. First there is a broken relationship, then there is hardship.

      2. Because Eve would not listen to her husband, the hardship of birth is placed in

          her  and the headship of a man is placed on her.

 B. Even in sin, family remains God's focus.

     1. God caused the woman and the man to desire each other.

     2. He ensures generations to come through conception.

     3. He fortified marriage with man as the head of the household.

     4. He promised trouble in our life to force our reliance on Him.

 C. God addressed womanhood first, perhaps to show us the importance of a woman's

      position in generations to come.

     1. Eve, the mother of the human race is one of the examples for us to learn from.

         a. She has a desire for a man.

         b. She will marry.

         c. She will bare children.

         d. She is not to be the head of the household.

         e. When is not present in her life, the head of the household is God.  

 

V: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."

 A. Man is the primary responsible party in the marriage.

     1. Instead of  listening to the voice of God, Adam listened to the voice of His wife.

         a. God has to be first in the marriage.

         b. The man should ensure that God is consulted before any decision is made or

             any  action is taken.

     2.  Instead of following God's commands, Adam disobeyed God and followed the

          example of his wife.

     3. Adam failed to get a good understanding from God the Father  of the importance

         of  keeping His command.

     4. Adam failed to understand the consequences of disobedience.

 B. Hardship is a good teaching tool of God.

     1. Adam had the Word and the presence of God. He had no need to be ignorant.

     2. Adam had the best counsel and a Father with all knowledge.

         a. Adam lost his focus and followed the desires of his flesh.

         b. We must keep our focus on the Lord and follow His will.

 C. Because Adam disobeyed God, his life was filled with hardship.

    1. Adam's failure caused His wife to have hardship in child birth.

    2. Adam's failure caused the ground to be cursed.

    3. Adam's failure caused his life to be filled with hard work and toil.

 D. Notice, God punished Adam and Eve for their good.

    1. God's punishment is good for us.

    2. Trials and tribulations causes us to seek God's help.

    3. Trials and tribulations causes us to rely on God.

 

V:22. "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever."

 A. Because of God's love for us, He protects us from ourselves.

     1. Before Adam sinned, he was in a perfect state.

         a. He was innocent.

         b. He was perfect.

         c. He had perfect a fellowship with the Father.

    2. After sin, Adam's life was reduced to a wretched state.

       a. His life was cursed.

       b. His wife was cursed.

       c. The ground he walked on was cursed.

       d. He was no longer in fellowship with the Father.

    3. In the garden, Adam had freedom.

       1.In the garden, Adam was the ruler over God's creation.

       2. In the garden, Adam had complete fellowship with the Father.

       3. In the garden, Adam was free to eat from all the trees but one.

 

B. In Adam's sinful state, the Fathers hand was against him.

   1. Because Adam knew evil, he lost his state of innocent.

   2. Having knowledge of evil, all the days of his life, he had to decide to do good

       or evil.    

   3. Because of Adam's sin, he lost his position in the garden.

   4. God locked Adam out of the Garden to keep him from eating from the tree of life

       and living in a condemned state forever.

 

V:23. "Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken."

 A. The consequence of sin is the lost of our home in heaven.

      1. The wages of sin is death.

      2. The wages of sin is eternal separation from the Father.

      3. The wages of sin is increased hardship and trouble.

 B. The good news for us is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

     1. The good news for us is God's design to redeem us with the blood of His Son.

     2. Praise God for life in Christ Jesus.