It Began in the Garden_the Fall of Mankind

It Began in the Garden The consequences & repercussions of sin

October’s Theme For the month of October we will be discussing the following themes: 1) the consequences of sin & 2) the power & judgement of God. For this presentation we use the lesson on Adam, Eve & the sin in the Garden of Eden to highlight these 2 themes.

And God Created Man & Woman ‣ On the 6th day of creation God created male & female (Genesis 1: 27). ‣ Their names were Adam & Eve & he placed them in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2: 7-8). ‣ He commanded his children to subdue the earth and have dominion over the animals. They were to be fruitful & multiply (Genesis 1: 28). ‣ Per God’s instructions, they could eat of all the trees in the garden EXCEPT the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil, for they would “surely die,” (Genesis 2: 16-17).

And God Created Man & Woman Satan came into the form of a serpent in order to deceive Adam & Eve. Let’s review the scriptures to see exactly what happened.

Genesis 3: 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?�

Genesis 3: 2-3 “And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 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.�

Genesis 3: 4-6 “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 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. 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.�

‣ Upon eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil, Adam & Eve’s eyes were opened. They realized they were naked so they covered themselves with fig leaves. ‣ As God was walking in the midst of the Garden, Adam & Eve became afraid and hid themselves but God called out to them asking, “where art thou.” ‣ Adam answered and said they hid themselves because they were naked and therefore, afraid.

Adam & Even Cast Out ‣

God knew that Adam & Eve had taken of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil.

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They had sinned against God by disobeying his commandment and were cast out of the Garden of Eden.

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Remember, sin is transgression or breaking of God’s law.

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When we break God’s laws there are consequences & he will render judgement upon us.

Consequences of Sin ‣

The sin in the garden led to the curse of all humankind & this entire earth, that is the corruption of sin & death. ‣

Every human being born will or has the knowledge of sin with Satan having access to our minds and the power to tempt us (also known as the evil root).

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The day we are born, we begin to age. As we become older, our bodies become weaker and more frail.

Eventually we pass away or die.

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The nature of animals also changed. Many have become extremely dangerous, killing not only weaker animals but humans also.

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Even the earth is dying. It has become increasingly difficult for it to replenish itself.

Sin, Death & Sorrow Because of sin & death, life on earth is filled with trials, sorrow and pain.

“The Sweat of thy Face�

As a part of the curse, many of us have to work very hard on our jobs to make ends meat and provide for our families. As a result, we become physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted.

Curse on Women ‣

Because it was Eve that took of the fruit first, the Lord placed women under the rule of men, making them the head of the household.

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Additionally, childbirth became grievous and painful.

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Even today, we can see the evidence of this curse with men continuing to hold more positions of leadership and often making a higher wage than women.

Satan Magnifies the Curse ‣

Satan viewed the curses that God placed on humankind and this earth as an opportunity to persecute & destroy us.

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He took the curses and made them worst.

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For example, Satan used the curse God placed upon Eve as a gateway for wicked men to commit acts of violence towards women because they were viewed as unequal.

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In fact, many countries continue to treat their women as second class citizens or less and violence towards the female gender is acceptable.

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This is the work of Satan. This is not of God!

Satan Magnifies the Curse ‣

This world has become excessively greedy under the influence of Satan, with the wealthy profiting off the backs of the poor.

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Many US corporations have been guilty of using sweatshops or child labor overseas where individuals: ‣

Work excessive hours

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Receive minuscule wages that can’t even put food on the table

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Are exposed to work environments/conditions that are unsafe and hazardous to their health

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This has taken the curse “in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,” to a new level

Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil ‣

Given the severe consequences that resulted from eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil, why was this tree planted in the Garden of Eden in the first place?

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When God created male and female, he gave us the ability to make choices.

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Each of us our tested in our lives to determine whether we will make the right choice, that is to obey God or disobey

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Adam & Eve were tested. They were presented with the Tree of Life & the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil

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God warned Adam & Eve of the consequences if they disobeyed his commandment, that is, “thou surely will die.”

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Despite God’s warning, Adam and Eve took of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil, being misled by Satan

We Are Responsible for Our Actions ‣

Understand this clearly ‣

We cannot help that we are born with sin and death in our flesh

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What is further meant by the statement above is: 1) Our bodies age and die nor can we prevent this; 2) Satan has access to our minds and tempts us to sin on a daily basis; 3) We can’t prevent Satan from entering our minds because he is a powerful being and we are of flesh and; 4) This was the result of the sin in the garden.

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HOWEVER, we do have CONTROL over whether or not we obey Satan. He may tempt us but that doesn’t mean we have to listen to him. God gives us the ability to choose, just as Adam & Eve had the ability to choose. We are not left helpless. We have the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us. We have the word of God in the bible to show us the way.

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Therefore, if we sin, we are not blameless and there are consequences.

There Is Hope for Us ‣

Today, we may live with sin & death in our bodies

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We have committed sins in our lives and we have experienced trials & tribulation

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But there is hope for God’s children

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In I Corinthians 15: 21-22 it states this: ‣

“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

There Is Hope for Us ‣

In this scripture, we see that sin and death came about after the mistake of Adam & Eve. However, the death and resurrection of Christ opened the doorway of salvation.

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When Christ became a sacrificial lamb, he gave us grace, the opportunity and time to obey his laws and flee from sin.

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Through our obedience to the laws and the power of Christ’s blood we can gain eternal life.

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Even if we die on this earth, if we have lived our lives in Christ, he will one day resurrect us to life eternal and sin and death will no longer be in our flesh or minds.

In Closing ‣ The purpose of this presentation is NOT to point fingers or place blame on Adam & Eve but instead use their experience as an example that we must strive to obey the commandments and resist sin. ‣ If we OBEY, we are choosing life. ‣ If we do NOT obey, we are choosing death. ‣ Remember that God is all powerful. He has the power to judge all according to their actions and will save the righteous and destroy the wicked. AMEN.

Reference Scriptures Genesis 1: 27 -28 Genesis 2: 7-8 & 16-17 Genesis Chapter 3

Special Thanks This presentation was developed by Elisabeth C. Pointer

Questions?

For questions regarding this presentation please contact us via email at info@householdofisrael.org or by phone at 219.949.9308.