This is the second sermon in the “Updating The Garden of Eden to the Contemporary World” series. In this series we see that today we face many of the challenges and options faced by Adam Eve.
Today we will explore the question of why God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. Was God simply setting up Adam and Eve for their ultimate disobedience? Is God really to blame for the fall of humankind, or did the tree serve another purpose?
Text: “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’” (Gen. 3:3 NIV).
Scripture Reading
Genesis 3:1-10 NIV [1] 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.”
Introduction
Last Sunday, we started the series “Updating The Garden of Eden to the Contemporary World.” In this series I want us to see that today we face many of the challenges and options faced by Adam Eve.
Genesis means “beginnings.” The book of Genesis records the beginning of the world, the beginning of mankind, and the beginning of disobedience, and sin.
Genesis is also about the beginnings of blessing of grace, and of covenant. Our focal point in this series is Genesis 3:1–10, which James read this morning and which he read last Sunday.
This section of scripture deals with the temptation of serpent and Adam and Eve’s sin of disobedience which infected and has plagued mankind from that moment on.
To understand the significance of that sin of disobedience we have to remember God’s command in;
Genesis 2:15-17 NIV [15] The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. [16] And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; [17] but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Here’s our text for today.
Text: “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’” (Gen. 3:3 NIV).
This morning we are going to explore the question of why God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. Was God simply setting up Adam and Eve for their ultimate disobedience? Or did the tree serve another purpose? I have had these same questions.
I. Why was the tree there in the garden in the first place?
The tree of knowledge of good and evil was a divine instrument, reflecting God's sovereignty, humanity's free will, and the divine offer of eternal life.
The Garden of Eden, a perfect paradise where God created humanity and gave them purpose. Adam was given the responsibility of cultivating the garden of creation.
Genesis 2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
God's divine providence ensured Adam's complete well-being, evev in the creation of Eve as his perfect companion.
Genesis 2:18 NIV [18] The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Genesis 3:20 NIV [20] Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.
Yet in the midst of this paradise, God planted the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and declared that “when you eat of it you will surely die”
This death is not to be understood as physical death. Rather, it is the death of the relationship between God and his creation. The "death" mentioned in this verse refers to a spiritual death, or a separation from God as well as a physical death, but Adam and Eve didn't know that at the time so the question is still, Why the tree?
A. Nature of God. To find the answer to that question we have to take a hard look into the truth about God and mankind.
Genesis 1:26 NIV Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
This is the declaration of God who wants to share the quality, nature and eternity of his life with mankind. God’s gift to mankind was not damnation from a tree, even though the tree is central to the story. God’s gift was and always has been himself.
God, in His infinite love, offers Himself as the ultimate gift to humanity. God's presence in our lives, provides guidance, comfort, and purpose. Through Jesus Christ, God offers salvation from sin and eternal life. The Holy Spirit empowers us and connects us to Himself.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil serves as a powerful symbol that reflects God's sovereignty, wisdom, love, and grace. it is not the ultimate cause of condemnation, but a way of exposing the nature of human sin and the absolute necessity of God's saving power.
B. Nature of humans.
The balance between the sovereignty of God and the freedom of humans is hard to determine. Balancing God's sovereignty and human freedom is challenging.
Human beings are not puppets manipulated by strings on the fingers of a dictator called God. Humans possess the freedom to respond to God's offer of salvation, either by accepting or rejecting it. Humans are moral agents but we are accountable to God.
C. Added to the complexities of a sovereign God and free humans is the nature of a gift. In this instance we are talking about the gift of God’s presence.
Here’s an example of a what a gift really is;
A teenage boy desired to have a motorcycle. The weekend before his birthday his father took him shopping. They passed a moped, and the father asked the boy if he would like to have one. The son’s response was sarcastic. “I wouldn’t have one,” he retorted. “I want a Kawasaki.” The Kawasakis were much bigger and more expensive. They walked on and finished their shopping, and it was some years before the boy learned that his father had saved his money and had been prepared to buy him the moped as a birthday gift if he would accept it; but he would not.
For a gift to be a gift, it must be freely given and freely accepted. If the giver is not free to give, then it is not a gift; it is extortion. If the receiver is not free to receive, it is dictatorial high-handedness.
II. So the question again, Why the tree?
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil represents the boundary between God's intended order and the human capacity for self-governance or self-determination. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil highlights the tension between divine sovereignty and human freedom. God allows man to make choices for themselves, even when those choices go against His command. There are consequences to those choices but God allows man to make them.
Deuteronomy 30:19 declares, “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” (NIV).
A. Adam and Eve lived in the midst of God’s perfect creation, they lived in paradise. To show that they freely accepted God’s gift of himself, the gift of His presence, God asked obedience to only one command
Genesis 2:17 NIV [17] but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
To make it plain and simple, Adam and Eve were to trust God and obey him. To disobey would be to reject God’s gift, resulting in death. Adam and Eve chose the course of rebellion against God and were driven from their perfect garden
Genesis 3:22-24 NIV [22] And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” [23] So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. [24] After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Their relationship and their fellowship with God was broken.
Genesis 3:8-10 NIV [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.”
Adam and Eve because of their disobedience created a changed relationship with each other. Before their sin they lived in an idealistic state in which they were helpers for each other.
Genesis 2:23-24 23] The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” [24] That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Now after their disobedience, instead of standing together, now each was out for himself or herself
Genesis 3:11-13 NIV [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.”
While Adam and Eve didn't immediately die physically after eating the forbidden fruit, their disobedience led to a spiritual death, or a separation from God. This is a more profound and lasting consequence than physical death.
That’s not what God wanted for Adam and Eve or for us.
2 Peter 3:9 NIV The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
God wants everyone to freely accept his gift and to demonstrate that acceptance by living a life evidenced by trust and obedience to Him.
B. The dictionary defines trust as “assured reliance” or “confident dependence on the character, ability, and strength” of someone. Ultimately we are talking about a trusting relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV).
Adam and Eve were invited into a relationship with God. Their trusting God was to be evidenced by avoiding contact with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However they said no to God. They refused to obey him. They would not accept his gift of himself.
I. Whether Adam and Eve, or you and me, the decision is the same. Will we choose faith in God and receive everlasting life, or will we choose self-reliance and face destruction and condemnation? Those who have
responded to God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ are adopted into God's family and are empowered by the Holy Spirit to address God as 'Father.'"
Romans 8:14-15 NIV [14] For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. [15] The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
Conclusion
There is a line from Tennyson's famous poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade”; “Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do or die.” As Tennyson's soldiers obeyed without question, this characterizes the Christian’s confident dependence or trust in God.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths. This is not just a saying; it is a profound truth that can transform our lives.
Through faithfulness, life's trials can be transformed into opportunities for spiritual growth and deeper trust in God.
Let’s leave here today renewed in our faith and strengthened in our trust so that we live our lives as beacons of hope, reflecting the light of Christ to a world in need.
Heavenly Father,
In this world filled with uncertainty and doubt, we come to You seeking Your steadfast presence. We acknowledge that our strength is limited, but Your power knows no bounds. Help us to cast our burdens upon You, trusting that You will carry us through.
Lord, grant us a heart of unwavering faith, a heart that believes in Your promises and Your love. May we find refuge in Your embrace, knowing that You will never forsake us In the midst of storms, may Your peace calm our souls.
We surrender our plans to Your will, trusting that Your ways are higher than our ways. May we find joy in obeying Your commands, knowing that they are for our good.
Thank You for Your constant love and care. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
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