The sermon by David Green, titled 'A Tragic Turn of Events: The One Bite That Changed Everything,' delves into Genesis chapter 3, a pivotal chapter that explains the origins of death and suffering in the world. Green emphasizes the historical nature of the biblical account, pointing to New Testament references that affirm its authenticity. The speaker describes the serpent's deception of Eve, highlighting Satan's role as a crafty deceiver whose tactics have persisted through time, aiming to undermine God's word and goodness. The sermon explores the fall of Satan, a once-perfect angel, and his insurrection against God, resulting in a third of the angels' fall. Green stresses the consistency of Satan's methods, which often involve questioning and denying God's word. The consequences of Adam and Eve's sin are examined, including shame and the realization of nakedness, leading to the first attempt at self-redemption through the sewing of fig leaves. The sermon underscores that while the fall introduced sin into the world, God's long-suffering nature offers redemption even for the worst sinners.

Today we're going to start a new chapter, Genesis chapter 3. Genesis chapter 3. So far it's been a, it's been all good. Everything's been good that we've read about. God's creation, The creation of the universe, everything that's in it.

Yahweh God is He created the man and the woman. History takes a tragic turn of events in chapter 3. If anybody ever asks you why is there death and suffering in this world, right here is your answer. Chapter 3, beginning of verse 1 and going down to verse 7 is where we will look today. Look today.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which Yahweh God had made. And he said to the woman, Indeed, has God said, You shall not eat from any tree of the garden. And the woman said to the serpent, From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat, but from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, You shall not eat from it, and you shall not touch it, lest you die. And the serpent said to the woman, You surely will not die, For God knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, that the tree was desirable to make one wise.

So she took from its fruit and ate, and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. This is arguably one of the, perhaps the most tragic chapters in the history of man, And it's a shame that most history books leave it out. As I said, this is the answer to the question of why is there death and suffering in our world.

We must be reminded of that day from time to time, and there is a lot to consider here. So we may be in this chapter for a while. We read of God's creation in Genesis and we find how that God declared everything to be very good, yet when we look around us we see that Things aren't very good anymore. Why is it this way? That's one of the questions that gets asked so much.

Why do we live in a world that's full of sin and suffering, death and disease? Why is it that we have a world that is full of more cancer? Why is it that we read the way that we read and we go outside and we find thorns and we Try to enjoy the great outdoors and we find mosquitoes and ticks and all sorts of animals that seem to only want to destroy and kill and eat other animals. How is it that a loving holy God made a world that is running down a world that is full of death and disease and corruption? The answer is here.

Title of my message tonight is a tragic turn of events Subtitled this one the one bite that changed everything the one bite that changed everything Before we get too deeply into this, I just want to remind you that this is a historical account. By taking this book, we have to consistently take it historical. Chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, all the way through. Historical. That's what the New Testament writers did after all.

Second Corinthians chapter 11. Second Corinthians chapter 11 and verse three. 11 and verse 3. Paul wrote to the church of Corinth, he said, but I fear as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be corrupted from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. You see, Paul understood that what we read about in Genesis was historical fact.

And that same serpent, that devil, that Satan, even as he was at work in the Garden of Eden, he's still at work within the church of Corinth. He's still at work. Within our churches, he is still a problem. Second Timothy chapter two. Second Timothy chapter two.

Verse 13. Sorry, 1 Timothy 2 and verse 13. First Timothy 2 and verse 13, he says, for it was Adam who was first formed in the Neve. It was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into trespass. And so in the New Testament the idea is that this was a historical event.

And you and I, as we read it, we must take this as historical as well. Now as we read and tinch on Genesis, there are some questions that aren't directly answered by Moses here in Genesis. One is, this serpent, this devil, Where did he come from? If God created everything very good, where does he come into play? How does this happen?

Obviously, He's not very good. Well, we don't have the answers here in Genesis about where he came from, but we do get some answers other places. He is one of the fallen angels. This devil, this serpent, this one who came into the garden with this craftiness. So then the question comes when were the angels created?

Well I touched on it a little bit, but the angels were created. We kind of get an idea from looking at some different passages in the scriptures. For instance, over in Job, the book of Job, Chapter 38, Job chapter 38 in verses 4 through 7. Jove, this is what he says to him in verses 4-7. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me if you know understanding. Who set its measurements? Since you know? Or who stretched the line on it? On what were its bases sunk?

Or who laid its cornerstone when the morning star sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? The sons of God shouted for joy on that day when the foundations of the earth were laid. This would have been when the solid land surfaces were made. Land surfaces were made. The psalmist put it this way over in Psalms 104.

Verse 104. Verses 2 through 5. As the psalmist writes, and he is talking about the glory of Yahweh enduring forever, He says here in verse 2 of Psalm 104, Wrapping yourself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out the heavens like a tent curtain. He lays the beams of his upper chambers in the waters. He sets up the clouds to be his chariot.

He walks upon the wings of the wind, makes his angels the winds. He ministers flaming fire. He founded the earth upon its place so that will not shake forever and ever. So the psalmist here places the creation of the angels after the creation of the heavens, which would have been day one, but before the laying of the foundations of the earth, the creation of the dry land on day three. So very early in the creation week.

Now, Day six comes along. God pronounces everything to be very good. To be very good. That certainly would have included all of the angels. Everything was very good.

There was no serpent, no crafty serpent in all of God's very good creation. And so his fall would have happened sometime after day six and sometime before what we're reading about in Genesis chapter 3. The scriptures give us some details about his fall over in Ezekiel chapter 28. And some more details about his creation too In Ezekiel chapter 28. In verse 11, As Ezekiel gets this word from God, look at what it says here.

Again, the word of Yahweh came to me saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says Lord Yahweh, You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the Garden of God, every precious stone was your covering. The ruby, the topaz, and the diamond. The barrel, the onyx, and the jasper. The lapis lazuli, the turquoise, and the emerald, the gold and the workmanship of your settings and sockets was in you on the day that you were created.

They were prepared. You were the anointed cherub who covers. And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God. You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.

You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you by the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with violence and you sinned Therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God, and I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lofty because of your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground. I put you before kings that they may see you.

By the abundance of your iniquities in the unrighteousness of your trade, you profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore, I brought out fire from the midst of you, it has consumed you, and I have turned you to ashes on the earth. In the eyes of all who see you, all who know you among the peoples are appalled at you. You have become terrified. You will cease to be forever." So this word from Yahweh about the king, this king of Tyre.

Tyre, of course, is a place on the earth, but when you read about this, He's not talking about an earthly king. No earthly king fit the description of what he's talking about. No earthly king who was living at the time was an Eden. No earthly king was cherub with such beauty. He's talking with such beauty.

He's talking about none other than Satan, the devil, the serpent, Lucifer. Indeed, This beautiful angel that God created, as he's described here, such a beautiful creation, but He fell. He fell in a terrible, terrible way. Similarly, we read of Him and His beauty and His fall and all of that Isaiah chapter 14 Isaiah 14 and verse 12 and going down to verse 15. How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn!

You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations. But you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the Mount of Assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.

I will make myself like the most high. Nevertheless, you will be brought down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit. Those who see you will gaze at you. They will carefully consider you, saying, Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who caused kingdoms to quake, who made the world like a wilderness, who pulled down its cities, who did not allow his prisoners to go home. We see him as he's described as being the star of the morning, son of the dawn even, But yet pride entered into him.

All those things that he said, I will do this, I will do that. Apparently, he was created as an angel with great authority. Perhaps even the most powerful of the created beings. But he fell. Why?

Why? He desired to dethrone God. As I read this, I wonder if Maybe he really does think that he can take the place of God. Maybe in his mind he doubts that God always existed. He seems to have thought of himself as being at least equal or better than God.

Somehow he thought that he could be like God. And that's important to consider because that's the idea that he brought to the garden when he tempted Eve that day. We all know that Satan doesn't work alone, does he? There are indeed demons and other fallen angels. Where did they come from?

Well, In Revelation chapter 12 and verse 4, let's start with verse 3. Then another sign appeared in heaven, and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems, and his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. When the fall happened, When the fall happened, when Lucifer, Satan, the dragon, the devil, when all that happened, one third of the angels fell with him. There was, as it were, what you might call an insurrection, or an attempt at an insurrection against Yahweh God, the creator of the universe, when these third of the heavenly hosts decided that rather than following God, their Creator, they would follow the dragon, they would follow the serpent, they would follow Satan.

Bear in mind that there is no redemption. There is no redemption. There's no repentance. There's no Savior for angels. So when an angel sins, when he falls, that's it.

Jesus died. There's a redemption There's a redemption plan only for human beings. And so, and so what we read about here, That's been going on for thousands of years. And mark it down, understand it all through the pages of this book and even going on even into this present age there is a war between this devil and Christ. And so in Genesis chapter 3, we read, as Satan begins this war with man.

We're introduced to this serpent for the first time. The Bible tells us he was more crafty than any beast of the field. Indeed, serpents are very crafty. That word crafty means sly, cunning. The King James translates it as subtle.

Deceitful would be another word. Treacherous, very dangerous. As we have run-ins with snakes today, We understand that snakes and serpents, it's a very accurate description of them, but this particular serpent was worse than the others because this one was in dwelled by Satan himself. And Satan and other fallen angels do indeed have the even today. Over in Luke chapter 8, Luke chapter 8, In verse 33, the Bible tells us there that when the demons came out of the man, they entered the swine.

The herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. So we see here these demons as they were, they possessed a man, then they went into the swine. And so they still do this sort of thing As he went and spoke to Eve that day, he attacked. His attack was on God's Word. Satan's tactics have not changed much at all.

6, 000 years later they're very very similar. The serpent started speaking to Eve he says indeed has God said indeed has God said did God really say he questioned God's Word he questioned His authority. He questioned His goodness. Did God really say what You think he said? Did God really mean what he said?

The questioning of God's Word has been Satan's basis for attacking Christianity ever since. Christianity ever since. Indeed, indeed, there are men who do the devil's work, even to this very day, they question, attack the authority of the Word of God. So, well, this doesn't mean what it says it means. This can't be what it says it is.

This is an outdated book. This is not really written by Moses. This isn't historical. And on And on we go. And when we really deep dive into it, two of the books that get attacked the most is Genesis and Revelation.

Why is that? Well Genesis tells us the beginning, the origin of everything, and Revelation tells us how it's all going to end. And of course, of course all that is going to be attacked in a special way. Of course, the Gospels are also attacked in other particular passages as well, But what we find is that Satan is still using the same tactics today as what he always has. That's why Paul warned the Church of Corinth the way he did.

He'll steer you wrong away from the simplicity that is in Christ. And so when we get to this, one of the things that comes up is, well this must be a fable because well Aesop wrote about talking animals and right here what's this Bible talking about, writing about a snake that talks? It must be a children's story. And so they attacked. They attacked this sort of thing.

However, I must remind you remind you that the same God who made this world also controls it, designed the vocal cords, said things up in the way that he did, and indeed he can have these animals do whatever he will allow them to. Over in the book of Numbers chapter 22 Numbers chapter 22 and verse 28. It says, In Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and it said to Balaam, what have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?" So Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey here. We know in our fallen world, we know that there are animals, birds, and so on that mimic the speech of humans. So we know that capability is there, and so it is not that far-fetched.

And anyway, as I've said multiple times, the whole debate on whether or not the Bible is true is not science versus faith. It is faith versus faith. It's either faith in God and what he has in his word or faith in man. And you either trust God in his word or you trust man in His word. And I don't know about you, but I've noticed that man's word keeps on changing.

Just consider the last five years And how many times have we seen changing on where COVID came from? They can't even figure that out. And so, you know, God's Word doesn't change. Well, as the serpent came into the garden there, and he says to the woman, Indeed, as God said, you shall not eat from any tree of the garden, the woman, verse 2, said to the serpent, from the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat but from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God said you shall not eat from it you shall not touch it lest you die. Now Eve seemingly panicked or exaggerated I don't know which but we know that Yahweh God never said that they couldn't touch the fruit of the tree.

Never said that they, they never said anything about touching it. Indeed, maybe she was trying to make it sound like a stronger commandment. Maybe she was trying to make what I don't know. It's hard to really speculate. But overall, Eve's reply to the serpent was a partial refuting of the accusation that was given.

And so she knew, she knew that they weren't supposed to eat from that fruit. Verse 4, the serpent said to the woman, you surely will not die. So the serpent began by questioning God's word. Indeed, as God said, but now he denies God's word and in fact calls God a liar. You're not going to die.

Verse 5. For God knows that the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you'll be like God knowing good and evil. There and he questions God's Word. He also in effect calls him a liar and questions his goodness. God is holding back something that is good for you.

You could be like God and that's why he's holding this back from you. Remember, Remember, this is along the same lines as what caused him to fall, and proved to be a strong temptation to Eve too. Indeed, their eyes would be opened, but not in the sense of God's. Remember, Satan's lies are not always complete lies. Sometimes they're half-truths.

What he tempted Eve with was a half-truth. Their eyes would be open, But not in the sense that he told them that it would be Even today even today there are temptations out there in Which that you will be tempted with things and you'll they will seem so good but don't fall for them. The temptations of drugs and sex and all of that stuff that is not what the devil makes it out to be. Lots of homes have been wrecked and lives have been ruined for those things. 11.

Saint Corinthians chapter 11. Verses Verse 13 and 14, well 15 as well, says, For such men are false apostles, St. Corinthians 11, verse 13, For such Men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore, it is not surprising if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness whose end will be according to their deans.

Satan doesn't appear as a man in a pitchfork with a red suit, looking all dangerous and ugly and mean. No, no, oftentimes he appears as something beautiful and wonderful. He doesn't say, here, take this poison, it'll ruin your life. He says, here, take this, it'll make you like God. You see?

He didn't go to Eve and say, you do this and your whole life and the lives of everybody who comes after you will be ruined, especially if you share it with your husband. No, no, he promised them the world, you see. It shows up in churches, in homes, and in the garden with something wonderful. So the warning is given here in the Scriptures. Back up into verse 3, But I fear as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be corrupted from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." You see, Satan's not out looking for churches to go into straight-up apostasy and to follow atheism, although he'd be alright with that.

But he's thrilled just to see churches, they get derailed into arguing over things that in 20 years won't matter. To get divided over Paul, Apollos, Cephas, bickering over things that don't matter, and guess what was happening there at Corinth? They weren't. They weren't being obedient to the Commission. The Gospel wasn't being preached.

There were multitudes of people in Corinth who needed to hear the gospel while they were arguing about who was the better preacher, you see. But they felt that it was top importance that they defended their man at that time, you see. And so, And so we've got to consider these things that we don't get off course. Over in John chapter 8. John chapter 8.

John chapter 8, verse 44. Verse 44. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature for he is a liar and the father of lies But because I speak the truth you do not believe me Jesus is saying You won't believe me, you're of your father, the devil.

And so, And by the way, he was talking to the Jews there. Jews that thought that they were going to heaven. Jews that thought that they were doing everything right. Satan is a great deceiver, the troublemaker. He's stirring up trouble in the Garden of Eden.

He couldn't leave well enough alone. And he can't leave well enough alone in the home. He can't leave well enough alone in the churches. And He's still stirring up trouble even to this very day. Back to our text there, Genesis chapter 3 Verse 6, very tragic words here.

Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was the delight to the eyes. The tree was desirable to make one wise. So she took from its fruit and ate. She gave also to her husband with her and he ate. Very tragic event that took place in an instant.

Notice to her the tree was good for food, something appealing to human physical desires. It was a delight to the eyes, appealing to the emotions. It was desirable to make one wise. Apparently it was appealing to the mind and spirit. A whole garden full of everything that she could ever want or need.

And yet she had to have that forbidden fruit that God had said no. What we see happening there is often the way sin is. In 1st John chapter 2. 1 John chapter 2 verse 16 Verse 16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life is not from the Father, but is from the world." He goes on to say, "...and the world is passing away, and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever.

All aspects of sin, The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, all of this is embodied in this first sin. Eve ate of that fruit and she shared it with Adam. Now was Adam there with her the whole time? I don't know, But he was there at least at this point to be able to eat with her. Over in 1 Timothy chapter 2.

1st Timothy chapter 2 and verse 16. Verse 16 sorry first 14 first Timothy 2 verse 14 says it was not Adam who was deceived but the woman being deceived fell into trespass. It was not Adam who was deceived. The woman being deceived fell into trespass. The fact that he was not deceived may mean one of a couple different things here.

Either he was fully aware that he was willingly defying God in this great act of rebellion? Or this text may mean that Adam was not the one who was originally being tempted by Satan. Whichever way you take this, the fact remains that he knew exactly what Yahweh God had said. He had heard it from him. He had then told his wife.

Then Satan came into the garden and approached Eve. I believe that Adam was the target in the first place. I believe that Satan was so crafty, he understood how that family worked, he understood how how God's created headship was, He understood how Adam was, He understood how Eve was. I believe that He knew He could not get to Adam directly, so He got to him through Eve. Eve.

As they ate that forbidden fruit, they were in defiance, rebellion against their maker. Why did Adam do it? That's a lot of speculation there. I believe they were eating it together. Whether he was there the whole time or whatever, I don't know, but at least when she began to eat he was there and they ate it together.

There is an idea that's floated around some places that says that Adam ate the fruit because he loved his wife, but that would imply a fall before the fall. The reason I say that is because for him to love his wife that much would imply that he loved Eve more than he loved God. And that would have been wrong, a sin in and of itself. One thing's for certain, whatever the reason, whatever it was, we could speculate all day long. One thing that I would caution us on is to never look down on Adam and think we would have done it any better.

As I think about I can say that in us, we are depraved creatures, and certainly we would have fallen as well and maybe even quicker than Adam did What happened is that that sin that sin is passed from the man on down to each one of the sons and daughters of Adam, the only exception being Jesus Christ who was born of a virgin and so he did not inherit that sin nature. So as we begin to bring this to a close Genesis chapter 3 and verse 7. It says In the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. So as we look at this and we see the effects of sin, we begin to see it in verse 7 and we go on down to verse 13.

The first effect that we see is shame. The serpent had told them that there'd be marvelous results, that they would be as gods. And they, so as they ate, they waited. Nothing happened. Oh, the shame they must have felt.

Because nothing, nothing happened. They were not as gods. So what did they do? Well, when they realized that they were not as gods, they realized that they were not like God, they hid themselves. By nature, all they were like any other Arminian I suppose, and so rather than going to God for help they tried to help themselves and so the first man-made religion is to be found right here as they sewed fig leaves together to try to make it out for themselves something better, to try to fix the problem that they had made.

Such an apron that they made was an apron of good works. This loin cloth, this loin covering, hardly enough to hide their guilt to remain from God. They probably just grabbed leaves from the closest tree, again to cover themselves. But here we go. You want an answer to where clothes come from?

Even the most primitive of civilizations, shame at their nakedness. The roots of the desire to clothe ourselves goes back to this first awareness of sin by our first parents right there in the Garden of Eden. And it's only discarded when the moral conscience has been hardened as to lose sensitivity to sin. Clothing is important. And so we'll stop there, but this is this was a terrible tragic day, the day the sin entered into the world.

Lord willing we'll pick up and see the rest of the story. We see that there is there is redemption to be found And we can thank God that even in all of this, He is long-suffering towards even the worst of sinners and even the first sinners there in the garden. All right. Does anybody have any questions this evening? Good notes.