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Search The Scriptures

We Will See This Morning how:

1. God’s Word is trustworthy, but we question it

2. God’s Word is true, but we belittle it

3. God’s Word is authoritative, but we disobey it

General Revelation

Special Revelation

DETAILS:In creation; for our

good and God’s glory

MESSAGE:Reveals God’s

existence, attributes

RESULT:Marred by sin, God’s

revelation is suppressed. All are

without excuse

DETAILS:The Bible shows the glory

of God in Christ as redemption for sinners

MESSAGE:Reveals God’s specific

intentions for humanity and His expectations of us; all Scripture points to Jesus

the living wordRESULT:

Establishes faith in those who hear the message about Christ, leading to

salvation of those who call on Him

“In God We Trust”

“In God We Trust”This was adopted as the national motto of the

United States of America1956

Do we really trust God?Fall, 2008 – the “Great Recession”

Were people trusting in the “Dollar” more than trusting in God?

What do the words “In God We Trust” mean to you? Do those

words accurately reflect the way you live?

Why or why not?

God has spoken to usHe has recorded His words in the Bible.

But are we listening?When we encounter His Word, do we really trust

Him?God’s Words are the source of all that is good.

Therefore, God’s words can and must be trusted.

Originally, Adam and Eve were obedient worshipers of God

They were obedient to HimThey could truthfully say, “In God We Trust”

But they sinned . . . And now we all have a fallen nature

Eve mishandled God’s special revelation—His Word

We have a propensity (passed down from Adam and Eve) to put our trust in ourselves rather than

GodCan we really say that we trust, worship, and obey God when we question, belittle, and disobey God’s

Word?

1. God’s Word is trustworthy, but we question it (Gen. 3:1-2)

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had

made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat

of the fruit of the trees in the garden,”

What is the point of this passage?Where the serpent came from?

What type of fruit?Whose fault was it?

No . . .Our primary questions should be

“What does this text say about God?”

We know that God made everythingSo, everything functioned according to His purposeWe know that God made everything good (Gen. 1-2)

But, the serpent entered the garden intent on disrupting the peace of God’s creation

“crafty” means “sneakiness, or someone who is wise and prudent.”

So . . .

Part of the “goodness” God bestowed on Satan (the serpent) is “wisdom or prudence.

Satan was crowned with more prudence that all the other creatures, but in his rebelling The prudence became craftiness

The very same virtue that was such a strength became twisted into a vice!!!

He took something good and turned it to evil

What are some examples of how man has taken things that God

made “good” and used them for evil purposes?

What are some virtues that Satan twists into vices?

The serpent attacked God’s word and by maligning God’s character

“Did God really say?”The serpent that was created by the word of God has questioned the authority of the One whose

word created him!Satan is casting doubt on God’s clearly

communicated word

Some people do not obey God’s Word, because they reject the authority behind it

Imagine if a teacher has her class outside on recess . . .

In the same way, Satan planted a seed of doubt in Eve’s mind regarding the source of authority

“Did God really say that?”

What are some reasons people deny the truth that God inspired

the Scriptures? Is it possible that some of us

deny God’s authorship of Scripture because we do not

want Scripture to have authority in our lives?

“Did God really say?”Eve answered correctly: “Yes! He did.”

Satan was successful in undermining the authority of God’s Word and,

Cast doubt on God’s loving characterAdam and Eve had endless opportunities to obey

God by eating the fruit from any other tree

Eve answered:

“And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,”

There was only one possibility for disobedience, and that is where Satan made his crafty attack

Eve recognized Satan’s subtle error and corrected him

In her correction, we learn something about ourselves

2. God’s Word is true, but we belittle it. (Gen. 3:2-5)

“And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent

said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened,

and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Eve started speaking words that put God in an unfavorable light

The temptation? To place ourselves in the seat of authority over God’s Word

“You will not surely die” says Satan”. He is openly defying God’s word. He goes on to say: For God

knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and

evil.”

Satan goes from subtle skepticism to outright rebellion

He has also maligned the character of God by leading them to believe that God is withholding something

good from themWhenever we allow either personal preference or

public opinion to shape our understanding of truth, we are standing in judgment over God in much the same

way

How might both public opinion and personal preference negatively shape your

understanding of God and His Word?

In what way is Questioning God’s Word different from

asking questions of God’s Word?

3. God’s Word is authoritative, but we disobey it. (Gen. 3:6)

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes,

and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also

gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”

God spoke very plainly to Adam regarding this prohibited tree

Adam liked to play the “blame game”.“It was Eve’s fault”

“The woman you gave me”But Scripture later clarifies that Adam had a large

responsibility in this circumstance(1 Cor. 11:3)

In a Biblical marriage:Man is the head or steward over the woman

Since God had given the command to Adam . . .Before Eve was created,

It was Adam’s responsibility to teach and protect Eve

But Adam stood nearby—silent and complicit (involved)

The point of this story?Not about the type of fruit. The juice from the fruit

would not poison the minds of Adam and Eve.The tree stood for obedience to the Word of God

Every time we choose to disobey, we are proclaiming to God that we are wiser than He is

We are “crafty” and deserve condemnation

When we face temptation, do we wonder, Did God really say that?

Our answer will illustrate whom we really trust and whom we really worship

Worship is at stake in how we approach the Word of God. How we handle and respond to God’s

Word will show whom we worship

There has been only One who was perfect in obedience and worship of God

God drove Jesus into the wilderness where He had no food, water, or shelter.

Jesus came face to face with the “crafty” serpent, who used the same game plan—to get Jesus to question,

belittle, and disobey God’s Word.Jesus responded by affirming His trust in God’s Word.

He obeyed God’s Word

SEEDS OF DOUBTTHE SEED

QuestioningGod’s

Authority

THE SEEDMisrepresenting

God’s Word

THE SEEDDefying God’s Word

“Did God reallySay?”

Doubting the source

Of the commandWill lead to

Disregarding it

“You must not eat it or

Touch it . . . “

DesireFor

independence

“You will notDie!”

Belief that God is

WithholdingGoodness

The core issue in Gen. 3 is the same core issue at stake in any temptation.

It’s not sex, food, anger, or greed.It is trust.

When we are tempted, we need to learn the real issue is whether we trust God and what He has

told us in His Word is true

Satan may be crafty, but he is not very creative

He has only one trick up his sleeve--

Convince us to distrust and disobey God.

To get the full meaning and full benefit of Scripture, it must be interpreted accurately

1. Interpret it literally. You take the words of Scripture in their normal, natural sense (when the plain sense makes sense, seek no other sense)

2. Interpret it historically. “What did this verse or passage mean to its author and its original audience?”

3. Interpret it grammatically. Pay attention to verbs, nouns, pronouns, prepositions—just as in any other language.

4. Pay attention to the synthesis principle. It must be consistent with itself. Scripture does not contradict itself.

5. Make it practical. “What does all this have to do with me?” “What are the implications for me?”

Bible Study Tools1. A reliable study Bible with notes and cross

references2. Bible Commentaries such as “The Bible

Knowledge Commentary” (Walvoord & Zuck)3. Bible concordance4. Avoid study groups that ask “what does this

mean to you” and neglects sound interpretiveprinciples