Apply Within

Guest (Male): Why doesn't someone just say, "I sinned"?

Bob Davis: Because you're covering it. You've got your little leaves on, and you're hiding. Well, if you're covered, why are you hiding? Because something has gone wrong in my heart, and I've never experienced it before, and I don't know what's happening to me. And they're scared and ashamed.

You start to hear the Gospel, and when it starts to pierce your heart and the Spirit is speaking to you, you go, "I am a sinner." Well, you've always been a sinner. Yeah, but now I'm thinking about it.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Apply Within, a verse-by-verse study of the Word of God with Pastor Bob Davis of North Country Chapel. We invite you to join with us as we, by the power of God's Holy Spirit, apply His Word within our own hearts as we study line upon line, precept upon precept, verse by verse through the Bible.

Our study continues in Genesis chapter three, verse 14, as God delivers judgment, as well as a promise of mercy in the aftermath of sin. Here's Pastor Bob.

Bob Davis: He turns from Adam, He turns from Eve, and He turns to that serpent, that snake. "And the Lord God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle and above every beast of the field. Upon your belly you shall go, and the dust shall you eat all the days of your life.'"

I'm going to read verse 15, but verse 14 and 15 are separated. Let me read verse 15. "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. It shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his, his, his heel." That's important to see that.

What is God supposed to do? "Don't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in that day, dying, you shall surely die." Don't eat it. You've got thousands, hundreds of thousands, every tree you want to eat from and from the vine, you've got all this, just not that one right there.

And so we're just like little three-year-olds. You go, "Don't go there," and we're focused on there instantly. She's there looking at the tree when the snake walks up. "What's going on? Howdy." I think it was common to talk to snakes back then because she's not shocked or stunned. So it's probably just kind of semi-normal. People say it's not a true story. God says it is.

What is God supposed to do now? Now they are lost for all eternity, and there's no way back. And He told them, "Don't do this. Don't do it." There is no way back. You're lost for eternity because there's no way you can get yourself back. So don't do it.

And we were born with it. We did it, didn't we? Because we were born into it. It's our human nature, the nature of our father and our mother, Adam and Eve. What is God supposed to do about this? And people say, "Well, listen, God is love." I would agree with you 100%. God's Word says so.

But what is He supposed to do now? The two that are made in His image willingly broke His command and died spiritually. They're still walking around, but they died spiritually. God's got to do something because God is light. God is holiness. He is righteousness. His light and in Him is no darkness at all.

He can't have fellowship with the darkness, and that's where they live now. That's what they're in, separated from Him by sin. And the wages of sin is death, but there is a gift that we can receive, that they can receive, called eternal life in and through Jesus Christ only. Not with our help.

"Okay, Lord, you save me a little bit, I'll do the rest, and I'll get myself." No, you won't. He has to do it all, or I'll never get there. And He's still doing it, or I wouldn't be here right now. He's still doing it. So the Lord God now pronounces a few curses.

Now, that does not mean He's using foul language. I mean He's just saying, "You know, if you give a dance, you're going to have to pay the band. I told you don't do this." Now we blame it on God, but they kind of stuck Him in this position, didn't they? You know He didn't want them to do it.

But God is not surprised. He knew Adam. He knew Eve. He created them. He created them with a free will. He knew they could choose what they wanted to choose, and they chose to disobey, to follow the devil. That's their father now. That's their lord. That's their owner now. And they don't get it.

So the Lord now pronounces a curse starting with the snake. And it looks like the serpent—now remember, the serpent isn't the devil, he's just symbolic of. That's why I say 14 and 15, I read them together, but they're two separate, so keep them separate.

Understand this. God says this starting with the snake, and it looks like the serpent before Satan used him, it looks like they did walk on feet or something, or upright somehow. Because now it is cursed from that day forever to crawl. To crawl in the dust on his belly of the earth.

And the Lord God makes here the curse for that snake. They're going to be trampled on by horses and cows and all kinds of things can step on them. They've got to keep moving. They've got to learn to hide. They've got to be, right? But God makes a distinction between the serpent and the devil because the devil used that serpent.

And so you'll see a difference. 14 and 15 show it clearly. So now that's the curse upon that serpent. That serpent will crawl on his belly. It will be a reminder forever every time you see a snake. Most people—there are some that love snakes, but for the most part, most people I talk to cringe if you say "snake."

They go, "Ugh, that's gross, they're slimy." And some people love them and they're service animals on airplanes. Hey, well, well, well. That's the serpent. And the Lord makes a distinction between the serpent and the devil. The devil is the angel Lucifer, a fallen archangel, a cherubim of the highest and the most beautiful, the wisest.

He's clever. He's wise. He's not God, though. So quit making God the light side and devil the dark side of the force. No, God is not created; everything and everyone else is. So God can't be compared to anything, not to the devil, not to the force, not to the fives, whatever you choose.

So keep that in mind because verse 15, He switches after that little curse on the snake there. He switches to the devil. And I hope I can pronounce this Latin word, but Bible scholars call this verse, verse 15, the Protoevangelium or Protevangelium, if you will, a Latin.

It means literally in our language the first Gospel. This is the Gospel that you're seeing here. God pronounces that there will be continuous, right here in this verse, continuous, non-stop, uninterrupted, perpetual struggle between the devil and mankind because He says this—I'll read it to you again.

"I will put enmity between you and the woman." Enmity, it will be uninterrupted, non-stop, continuous. There's enmity between the devil's children right now and the children of God. There's enmity. And the devil is your adversary and mine. And you say, "I don't mess with him, he doesn't mess with me."

Yes, he messes with you. He does. You are the enemy as soon as you come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. You're on his list. So make him miserable. Keep sharing Jesus Christ. Keep doing that. Don't quit. Don't give up. Don't just say, "I'm sick of Christians." Love them anyway. Do it.

That's what we're called to do. So look, He's switching to the devil now. He pronounces there'll be continuous, non-stop, uninterrupted, perpetual struggle between the devil and that woman, but really we're looking at mankind. "And between your seed and her seed. It shall bruise your head, devil, and you shall bruise his heel."

Those are really two different words. It says "bruise" twice here, but they're two different words used in the Hebrew. But this is perpetual. The only time it will stop is when Satan is locked away for a thousand years. Then he'll come back out and it will return, and then he will be finally thrown into the lake of fire.

Matthew 24 and 25, God teaches us there that the lake of fire was never created for mankind. It was created for the devil and his angels. That means any human who gets sent to the lake of fire, the lake of fire is all volunteer. Satan had a free will, and he chose it.

The one-third of the angels that fell with him had a free will, and they chose it. Those who reject Jesus have a free will, and they do it at their own peril. But God will not beat you up and make you choose Him. Although some teach that grace is irresistible, God says no, it's not. And you choose. Choose wisely.

He says there's going to be continual struggle between the devil's seed and the woman's seed. Why do I say the woman represents mankind? Because women don't carry the seed, right? So He's talking about Messiah. That's why they call this the Gospel right here.

And the first time Messiah is promised is Genesis 3:15, what we're looking at right here. The woman here represents all of mankind because God talks about the seed of the woman. We all understand the woman doesn't have the seed, true? The woman's seed is called a "He." "You'll bruise His heel. He will crush your head."

He, not the seed, but He. He's promising Messiah. God—remember Jesus says that we learn that He was crucified from the foundation of the world. Before God created the world and everything in it, He had a plan to redeem mankind. Why? Because He—you can't fool Him. He knows what's going to happen.

The end from the beginning. He says in Isaiah a couple of times, "I'll prove to you I'm God. I'll show you what's going to happen. I'll show you the end from the beginning." In other words, I'll show you what's going to be there way back here. And so way back in the garden, Messiah is going to miraculously be born of a virgin.

The seed of the woman will crush—that's the language here—will crush the devil's head. The language and the word that's used is that of a mortal wound that will completely destroy the devil. Defeat and complete destruction. He will be sent to the lake of fire, outer darkness, where he will never come back and bother and get in anybody's way.

The seed of the woman, He will crush the devil's head, He will mortally wound him, completely destroy. And the devil will—the word is "bruise" his heel. His heel. It's a direct reference to Messiah. We are learning in chapter 15, that word "to bruise" means to be wounded, and the word carries the idea of suffering and physical death, but not ultimate defeat.

Think about that. Who did that happen to? In the Garden of Eden, before everything really took off, God promised a way that you could come back to Him, that I could come back, that Adam and Eve could come back to Him. And they knew they were lost, or at least they're learning they're lost forever.

And now there's a way, and it's written right in the same chapter. While the devil is listening, we have the Gospel. Jesus rose from the dead, victorious over sin, over the grave, and over our adversary, the devil. He's a defeated foe. So 16, verse 16. "Unto the woman He said, 'I will greatly multiply your sorrow in your conception. In sorrow you shall bring forth children, and your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you.'"

I know a lot of people hate that. To Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife," somehow she convinced him to do this. Somehow she said, "I did it and look at me, I'm fine." Somehow she talked to him and he went ahead and followed her.

So God says, "Adam, because you listened to the voice of your wife and you have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you saying 'Thou shalt not eat of it,' cursed is the ground." He's not cursing Adam. He's not cursing Eve, notice. They're under that curse, but notice He's cursing the ground "for your sake, because of you.

In sorrow shall you eat of it from the ground all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face shall you eat your food till you return to the ground, for out of it thou wast taken. For dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return."

Notice, people say He cursed Adam and Eve. Nowhere does God curse them. He cursed what they did. He cursed the earth. The earth is cursed. Why? Because there's sin now. Now it's broken. Everything's broken. It's not going to work the way it worked before. Sin messes up everything.

But because of the sin, the disobedience, now you're separated from God. Now the earth, the ground, everything is cursed. The animals, everything's a mess now. You will have children, but because of your sin, the idea is it won't be like it should have been. That's interesting.

It won't be like it should have been, even though it'll still be a joy, a thrill to have those little babies, those boys, those girls, and thrill, sometimes even twins and stuff, and you're thrilled, right? Even though it's not going to be like it was supposed to be. Even though it's a joy, she cannot now bring a child into the world without suffering.

So what happens? Almost done. Verse 20, Adam called his wife's name Eve because she was the mother of all living. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord make coats of skin and clothed them. Their own works couldn't cover. It takes God, right? And the Lord said, "Behold, this man," men and women He's talking about, "is become one of us to know good and evil.

Now lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat and live forever, we've got to do something. We can't let him do that." Therefore, the Lord God sent him forth. They got kicked out of the Garden of Eden. I like to say they ate themselves out of house and home, true.

He kicked them—He sent him forth out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground from where he was taken. In other words, outside, away from the garden. So He drove out the man, and He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden, cherubims, angels. Not the fallen angels, the angels that serve the Lord.

And a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life, to protect them from getting to, not the tree of knowledge of good and evil—they've already eaten that—but from the tree of life. Adam called his wife Eve. You say, "So what?" No, that's a big deal. Eve, the word means living, or you could say life.

She was life because she was the mother of all living. You know what that is, that name? That's an act of faith on Adam's part. They don't have any kids yet. And what did he say? He called his wife the mother of all living, living. Because she was the mother of all living.

Well, there's just he and her right now, but they're going to have bouncing baby girls and boys, etc., lots of them. He lived to be 930, and they were very healthy and strong. Adam called his wife Eve. That's an act of faith. She hasn't had any children yet, and he calls her what God said she would be.

Faith, you've got to see it. Without faith, you're doomed, right? Without faith, it's impossible to please God. So an act of faith. There were no children born to them yet. Adam took God at His word. Always take God at His word. You see a promise in there, be sure it's for you, and then stand on that promise.

Now don't get them confused with Israel. There are promises to Israel. There are promises to all people. There are promises to the Church. There are promises to the non-believers, right? Understand which promises are yours. Study and read, and stand on those promises. Take God at His word.

Then it was God who did what? Who took coats of skin and clothed Adam and Eve. God was the designer for those clothes. Now I want you to know something that you may not have thought of. Animals don't just give up their skin. Some of their fur they might, but these are animal skins.

So to take animal skins, there had to be bloodshed. Get it? God covered them. Blood was shed, and God covered them because the leaves they made for themselves, their own works, weren't good enough. God shed blood. For the first time on this earth, blood was shed to cover the sin of Adam and Eve.

God will wash it away, completely gone. A sacrifice was made. Blood was shed to cover Adam and Eve's nakedness, their sin. You're seeing all that in chapter three. It's a picture of the Gospel, isn't it? It is. He gave us the Gospel. He made it clear. He promised it.

And now you've got the picture. The robe of righteousness which is provided for guilty sinners in and through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who was slain and rose from the dead, right? He made available, all of that was made available to you and me by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

And you're washed clean, and God clothes you in what? His righteousness. Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. So anything we think we're going to do, it's no good. But God clothed us. Some suggest here that God was jealous. Some suggest here that He was selfish and afraid that Adam and Eve might be like He is.

That's a lie from the devil. That's a lie from the old serpent. God in His eternal mercy and grace is showing them kindness. We don't want them to get to the tree of life. Why? Because well, let's think about it. If they eat of the tree of life, they would live forever in those bodies that are subject to pain and suffering and growing old.

Sickness, weakness, guilt, shame, hurting, growing older and older with no end in sight for eternity. God in His mercy said, "No. Block, get them out of the garden, block the way. We're going to save everybody that will say 'yes,' but we don't want you—you get in an accident, you lose a leg or two or arm, or lose your eyesight or you can't function in some way.

You don't want to lay there in a bed for all eternity." How terrible would it be? So God banished them out of the Garden of Eden. He sent them out. Adam's going to work hard to try and produce some food for his wife and coming up soon, his children.

Keeping them away from the tree of life which is a merciful, graceful, kind, loving thing to do. How many of you right now would just like to keep this body and take it forever and ever? I vote no.

God puts angels there to guard the entrance to the garden to make sure Adam and Eve don't get in there, and to make sure that the devil doesn't come in and mess with that kind of stuff too, right? So what did we just read?

Jesus Christ paid the price, and Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And no one comes to the Father but through Him. For any and all who trust Him, the way to the tree of life is through Jesus Christ for eternity. The tree of life will—the river flows from the throne of God passing by the tree of life.

It produces twelve fruits. If there are twelve months, it looks like a different fruit every month from every tree. And we're going to see some fruit we've never seen before. Get ready, it could be a chocolate fruit, you watch. We can trust God. This is the Gospel. Read it through. Check it out. Look up the words. See what it says.

It's just amazing what God just taught us right here. Why don't we bow our heads together and pray?

Guest (Male): Thank you for listening to Apply Within with Pastor Bob Davis. Apply Within is a radio outreach ministry of North Country Chapel. Our Sunday morning Bible studies are at 9:00 and 11:00 AM. We also have a Friday evening Bible study at 7:00 PM and a Monday evening Bible study at 7:00 PM.

You can download today's message in its entirety at NorthCountryChapel.com/Studies. That's NorthCountryChapel.com/Studies. If you would like a copy of today's message, write to us and ask for the message with today's date.

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