Main Scripture: Genesis 2:25-3:7
Main Idea: Knowing God’s Word accurately and trusting God’s character completely are absolutely essential in overcoming temptation.
1. Tempted to question the Word of God. (1-3)
• One of the main ideas in these verses is to show how temptation was introduced into the world and to tell us what the temptation looked like, so that we can recognize and combat temptation in our own lives.
• Eve subtly changed God’s Word and minimized God’s provision. Then, she both exaggerated the severity of the command and weakened the penalty of disobedience to God’s Word
• Like Eve, our slide into sin often begins when we start to question the goodness and integrity of God
• The devil’s question introduced doubt into Eve’s mind and she probably began to question why God would keep something from them.
• All of us can tend too quickly to forget and move on from all of the good things that God has given to us and done for us.
• It is also easy to forget what God has said and even distort what God has said, ever so slightly, to suit our desires.
• Moses, when he wrote the book of Deuteronomy to this same people, wrote to them entreating them to remember the words of the Lord and to remember all that God has done:
Deuteronomy 6:6-13 “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 10 "And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you- with great and good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant- and when you eat and are full, 12 then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 It is the LORD your God you shall fear.
• Eve had changed God’s Word and lost sight of the goodness and grace of God and instead began to focus on God’s limitation given to them for their good and protection.
2. Tempted to doubt God’s Character (4-5)
• Instead of believing the trustworthy character of God, Eve trusted in the father of lies, who had no truth in him.
• The serpent challenged God’s integrity and insinuated that God has ulterior motives for His commands.
• In effect, the serpent said, “God can’t be trusted because God lies and God is really a selfish, jealous God who wants to keep you down and keep you from really understanding”.
• Like Eve, we are tempted to think that, because God’s didn’t explain his command and because we don’t understand God’s commands, then God must be hiding something from us because He really doesn’t have our best interest at heart.
• Eve doubted God’s integrity & the people of Israel were tempted in the same way.
Exodus 14:10-11 “they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?
• In full view of God’s mercies, they gave into temptation and didn’t trust God and it led to their active disobedience of God’s Word.
3. Tempted to trust the Senses
• Eve didn’t believe God’s Word and she began to trust in her own knowledge, her own understanding.
• Instead of trusting in the Word of God who made everything and in whom is all true wisdom, Eve began to live by what she could understand on her own.
• She began to seek knowledge outside of God.
• Instead of trusting God’s Word and God’s Character, when God, her maker had declared that everything He made was good and she could see a demonstration of God’s goodness all around her, she began to seek good outside of God.
• If she had continued to seek goodness in God, she would have continued to lack nothing as she did prior to the fall.
Psalm 34:10 “those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.”
• James, the brother of Jesus, helps us understand the downward spiral of temptation that Eve and Adam gave into and that every one of us is susceptible to as well.
James 1:14-15 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death
“practicality for food, aesthetic beauty, and the potential for wisdom – the physical, emotional, and spiritual senses – all worked together to draw Eve into sin.” – Allen Ross
• Eve and then Adam gave into their desires – they gave into what they saw, what they wanted and what they thought.
• There are three areas where Eve was deceived and where Adam and we are all tempted as well. It says,
1 John 2:16-17 “For all that is in the world- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions- is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever”
4. The free-fall after temptation.
• The promised enjoyment turned out to be a terrible, frightening thing instead.
• After eating the fruit, all of Adam and Eve’s pleasures would be limited and distorted.
• Their enjoyment of God’s presence would be taken from them.
• The very One that really could satisfy them would no longer be theirs.
• What they thought looked like good fruit really made them rotten on the inside and their bodies began the slow process of decay.
• What they thought would be good for food, removed all of the best foods of the garden from them.
• What they thought would make them wise, began the descent of the minds of mankind into total depravity and futility.
• The promise of enlightenment and knowledge outside of God only brought darkness and frustration.
• They were lured and enticed by their desires and then their desires were conceived and gave birth to sin and sin brought forth death.
• But, if we made every effort to know God’s Word accurately and obey Him in our own strength, we would have no hope for overcoming temptation and we would ultimately have no eternal life with God.
• All of this account and all of history was meant to show us that we cannot live without God. We cannot live in our own way. We cannot redeem ourselves. We cannot save ourselves.
• After the fall, we needed a new start for our race – in fact, we needed an entirely new race as humans.
• And the good news is that God has given us just that through the new birth we can experience in Jesus Christ.
• Because Jesus took the punishment for all of our sins on Himself and He bore God’s judgment completely in our place, we can place our faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of all our sins.
• As the greater and more perfect representative of the human race, we can have confidence to live through Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 54:4-5 "Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. 5 For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.
• Where our verses began with a nakedness that was unashamed before God, we too can experience the same kind of nakedness of soul before God and yet not be ashamed - not because we are perfect, but because we have a perfect High Priest, Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 4:13-16 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
• We need to learn from our first parents and recognize the descent into temptation – from questioning God’s Word, to doubting God’s character and then trusting our senses.
1 Corinthians 10:12-14 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
Potential Application Questions
(don't feel like you need to get through all of the questions by any means - trust that God will lead you in the questions that are applicable for you & your group)
1. What are some ways God has been good to you lately?
2. How has God’s goodness, mercy & provision helped you trust Him more?
3. Where are we tempted to question God’s Word?
4. Where are we tempted to lose sight of God’s goodness, focus more on the boundaries He has given to us & begin to question His goodness?
5. Are you tempted to think that God is somehow not good because you are limited in some way?
6. Are you currently tempted to feel like God really doesn’t have your best interest at heart in any area? What do you need to do to put off this temptation and put on truth? How can your caregroup help encourage you to see God’s true character?
7. Where are you tempted to feel like there is no consequence for sin and that there is no punishment for disobedience (or that sin isn’t a big deal)?
8. How is God calling you to practically grow in your trust of His Word to guard against temptation?
9. How can you keep the goodness of God before you?
10. Read Hebrews 4:13-16 out loud. How can we apply this passage to our lives?
