Trouble In Paradise
gtcotr/ss061106
The enemy of our soul is a ‘Master Tempter’ who serves us tests neither too hard nor too easy but fit to our age, stage and season of life.
Genesis 3 (KJV)
1 ¶ Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 ¶ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
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.
9 ¶ And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
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?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
20 ¶ And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Three Truths About Trouble In Paradise
I. Sin follows a predictable cycle
A. Temptation begins when we are enticed to do wrong
B. Acting on that temptation brings life to sin
C. Sin can only end in death
James 1 (KJV)
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Remember the first temptation:
* It began with a subtle conversation, “hath God said?”, questioning God and what was right.
* It offered the promise of a better life - Enticements - Temptations
(1. it’s good
a. meet your current need
b. it’s about me right now
c. I can’t survive without this or something like it
(2. it’s pleasing
a. forget the word for a moment, this will make you happy
b. don’t get this checked out by anyone else
c. it looks fine to me and that’s good enough
d. this would please me
(3. it’s desirable
a. I deserve to feel better
b. this is what I want, I crave it to fulfill me
(4. it’s best
a. the smart thing, the wise thing, the answer
b. this will open up a whole new world of opportunities for me
c. it’s just the best thing for me and everyone involved
(5. others need it too
a. help others get what I have
b. this is the answer to their problem too
c. give them a life and future like I want to have
d. make them just like me
(1) what I allow and act out will teach others
(2) the tempted becomes the tempter
(3) spread the madness
(4) give the forbidden fruit to my family
Not only does sin follow a predictable cycle, but:
II. Sin Is Usually Blamed On Others
A. God questioned if Adam had disobeyed
B. Adam blamed:
1. God
2. The woman
C. The woman blamed the serpent
Revelation 12 talks about the blame game, satan is the accuser …
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Sin follows a predictable cycle, it is usually blamed on someone else &
III. Sin Costs Everyone
A. Adam: thorns & thistles, sorrow & sweat … toil & trouble
B. Woman: multiplied sorrow & conception … yielded desire and decision
C. Serpent: cursed above all else, eat the dust, bruised head
Note: But what about God? God was blamed too. What did it cost Him?
D. God. It cost Him His Son:
Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
The record has now been set straight. God has offerered us a paradise … living in His presence … the penalty has been paid.
Why would you want to bring trouble to your paradise?
Say no to sin.
Say no to the subtle conversations questioning the known Word, Way and Will of God.
Sin will:
Take us farther than we thought to go
Keep us longer than we wanted to stay
Cost us more than we expected to pay
How can we escape the master tempter’s schemes?
1. Stop the voices with the Word of God.
* “It is written …” Luke 4
* Praise … (ordained strength = perfected praise) Psalms 8
2. Don’t act on sinful desires.
* Make no provision … Romans 13:14
3. Run away!
* Flee fornication … 1 Corinthians 6:8
4. Repent and recover.
* 2 Timothy 2:25 & 26
5. Walk in the Spirit.
