Shalom Aleichem...
Reflections is a weekly Christian Teaching Ministry. Each week we will talk about the Bible and lessons we can put to use in our daily life. We will try to, on a weekly basis, provide to you stories, thoughts, and just easy ways to live your life on a straight path.
THIS WEEK'S TEACHING....November 15, 2021
This is teaching 3 of a look at spiritual warfare. Looking back to the Fall in Genesis 3 to learn from Adam and Eve. Spiritual Warfare....
In the Beginning
For the past 2 teachings we’ve been looking at spiritual warfare. We looked at the fact that we’re in a war, that satan is out to destroy us, if we allow him. Then we looked at the start of it all, the fall of satan, some of the reasons and now we’re at a point where we need to look back, way back to see what the first interaction was like, as satan slithered about as a serpent.
We’re going to look at Genesis 3 and a few other passages which go along with this passage. As I’ve been studying about this topic, I really believe the passage from Genesis 3 is one of the key chapters in the Bible. We’re talking about the Fall of humanity into sin.
If we don’t understand this passage, then we won’t grasp why there’s evil and suffering.
If we don’t understand the importance of this chapter, then we will not understand or be able to grasp the work of Christ, nor will we understand the cross of Christ. This is one of the key chapters in the Bible. This is where everything goes wrong and the rest of the Bible is about making everything right.
On the surface, it may seem so simple, but I think there’s a lot below the surface that we either don’t get or have never thought of.
To fully understand what happened, we need to look even further back than Genesis 3. We need to jump to Genesis 2! In verses 8-9, we read:
8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.
The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. - Genesis 2:8-9
Adam’s in the garden, and the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were both in the garden. Now look at verses 16-17:
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” - Genesis 2:16-17
It’s pretty clear, eat from any tree in the garden, but don’t eat from this one tree.
Now, before we get too far into this . . . understand that many believe the 2 trees, while real, also represent something more. One tree represents life, the other represents death.
This scene in the garden makes it clear that there will be acts which bring death and an act that brings life. And when we think about it, these 2 themes run through the rest of the Bible.
After the Fall, God placed a guard at the Tree of Life to protect them from eating it. That tree is never mentioned again until the very last chapter of the Bible. In Revelation 22:14, the people now have access to it:
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the TREE OF LIFE and that they may enter the city by the gates.
Sin is gone! And access to the tree of life is available for those who are in Christ. What an amazing hope we have in Christ. After the fall, we read in Genesis 3:24 - 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden He placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Now there’s no going back to the garden. The garden is guarded until the end times. And I believe one of our greatest desires we have is to return to the garden. I don’t believe we can articulate that, but I believe humanity was created in the garden and for the garden. Our longing is to return to our roots. We were created for the garden, but now that we aren’t there, we long for it, but can’t return until we enter eternal life with God.
So, one of our struggles occurs because we don’t know what to do about getting into the garden. We try all kinds of things to get back, and that’s where satan comes in. He knows that’s our longing. And he helps us find other things to fill that void. satan tempts us with all types of different means to turn to him and be led further away from God into pretend gardens.
Now, into the garden enters the serpent. At this point the Bible doesn’t refer to the serpent as satan. In Revelation 20:2, the serpent is referred to as satan - - 2 And He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and satan:
All we know is that the serpent is one of the animals God created. And satan has taken over this animal. It is satan in disguise. Remember, he can appear as an angel of light and he’s a master deceiver. He can make himself appear attractive.
Let’s look at the story of Genesis 3:
1 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’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
3 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.’”
4But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
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.
7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
Different Bible versions use different words to describe the serpent. The KJV uses "more subtle," the NASB / ESV says, "more crafty," the NKJV says, "more cunning." All these words indicate that what you saw was not what you got. There was a cunning, crafty subtleness to the serpent. He was deceptive.
Snakes are subtle, they lie low. They disguise themselves. Think about it, you don't see snakes very often but they’re around. Personally, I’m not a snake lover. I don’t want to be near one or touch one.
So, why does satan come as a serpent, a snake. Remember, we were given dominion over all the animals, the birds, the fish, the elephants, the rhinos and yes, the snakes too. We may be intimidated by these animals, but Adam and Eve were given responsibility to care for them.
If satan came as a charging rhino, that may be a little scarey. So, he comes slowly creeping along, almost a little shy. And I would suffice to say that when something like that comes to you, you think “I can handle that.” Think about that cute dog or cat, which has a bite.
We think we can keep him down. We believe we have the upper hand.
STOP for a moment and think about it - - - when temptation comes upon you, don’t you think, “Oh, I can handle this. I can stop whenever I want to. I’m not afraid or intimidated. I’m not scared. I can handle this and stop --- if I want!”
Ever think it through like that? Believe me . . . we all have. We’ve justified our sin, we’ve given in to the sin, because it came subtly. It was satan at his best, hooking us without ever realizing we were hooked.
One of the biggest temptations satan puts in front of us is something you may not believe. I think it’s his best and worst temptation . . . Don’t laugh at me now - - -CONTROL!
We believe we have control over all of our situations. We think we can control our sin. We think we can control our addictions, control our lusts, our anger, our eating, control whatever it is we want, because satan leads us to think WE ARE THE MASTERS OF OUR OWN DESTINY. He uses our pride and ego against us a lot. Hence, we think we have the ultimate control.
That’s exactly what satan wants you to believe. When you’re in control, there’s no need for God. There’s no reliance on God’s power and strength, because we’re in control - - - doing life on our own.
So, that’s possibly one of the reasons why satan came as a sneaky, crafty serpent.
The serpent begins what seems to be a casual conversation with Eve. Maybe they spoke to the animals in that day. Because Eve doesn’t seem to be shocked or taken aback. Maybe that’s one of the amazing aspects of the garden. There was no fear, because all seemed good.
Maybe there’s a little playful bantering, which really wasn’t playful, but it was devious, but again, we’re looking at satan. Isn’t that how it works in our lives too? Someone starts a gentle, seemingly innocent conversation and before you know it, you’re deep into gossip or doing something you know you shouldn’t be doing.
This is how I believe satan deceived Eve, and why it continues today. Look at what John wrote in 1 John 2:16:
16 For all that is in the world — the DESIRES OF THE FLESH and the DESIRES OF THE EYES and PRIDE OF LIFE — is not from the Father but is from the world. - 1 John 2:16
There are 3 things John tells us we need to beware of. Desires of the flesh, desires of the eyes, and pride. LUST in most versions . . . Listen to the Amplified Bible -- For all that is in the world — the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life — these do not come from the Father, but are from the world.
Now, look at how satan sought to deceive Eve. Think about this strategy. It was a casual, harmless conversation. We do it, a little give and take. That’s about it.
It’s only when we look back, that’s how we see we’ve been deceived. We’ve been beaten down and we didn’t even know it.
So satan uses those 3 things that John wrote about, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life.
Pastor Charles Price said - - The lusts of the flesh are the natural appetites that are purely, completely legitimate in themselves, but which are exploited. Lust of the eyes is greed. The pride of life is the ego, where we try to make ourselves bigger than we are.
Most of the attacks come this way. Look at Genesis 3:6 again:
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:
Eve saw the food and desired it. That’s the desire / Lust of the flesh. Yet, there’s nothing wrong to have a desire.
Then we see that it was good to look at. It was a beautiful piece of fruit. Again, nothing wrong with that either.
Lastly, the fruit was to be desired to make them wise. That’s for the ego and pride. I can be like God. I’ll be as good and powerful.
You see, in that bantering with satan, he helped Eve to take her eyes off of God and have a desire to please only herself. When our focus is no longer God, it becomes so easy to sin. We can easily fall into a pride-filled, lust and ego driven life. That’s what satan wants. And that ultimately destroys us.
So, the food looked great. Think about all the money spent on advertising. Billions upon billions of dollars. It costs almost $6 million for a 30 second super bowl commercial.
And let me tell you, the food never looks as good in the restaurant as it does on TV, does it? The clothes, the jewelry, the tech stuff. The goal is to sell you. It’s to reach your eyes, your desires and catch your ego. Drive this and you look good, wear this, use this phone . . . you know how it goes.
That’s what satan used when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Let’s turn those stones into bread . . . Hey, Jesus renounce the Father, and I’ll give you kingdoms (desires of the flesh, the eyes and working on His ego)
Esau traded his birthright to his brother Jacob for a bowl of stew.
The Jewish people complained most about what in their journey to the promised land? Food!
You see, when we don’t get what we think we should be receiving from God, that opens the door for satan to make us an offer we don’t think we can refuse. Yet, we don’t realize God has something better for us. But we want gratification now, instead of waiting. And frankly, that gratification we seek is tied to the desire of the flesh, our ego and having control.
Now as we move towards the end of today, let me give you a couple of more thoughts about this passage. satan attacked Eve’s thinking. He led her to doubt God’s care for her. Listen to what satan said:
1 “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
Do you hear that question? Oh, man, it’s so clever. The question is designed to get a certain type of answer. It’s designed to cause doubt.
I’ve said it before, when we try to get people to side with us, we ask questions designed to get people to answer the way we want. We ask, “wasn’t pastor long winded today?” Or we say, “those worship songs really weren’t very moving, were they?”
You see, you’ve put someone on the spot. You’ve caused them to have to rethink their thoughts. That’s the purpose of asking in that way. In the book of Job, satan did that. He questioned Job’s faith - - “Job only believes in you because you protect him. If you didn’t protect you, he wouldn’t have faith, right?”
Ultimately, satan seeks to confuse and cause us to doubt. That’s what he did with Eve. She tried to argue with satan, but it didn’t work.
Eve is now doubting. She’s a little confused on the facts. ‘Did Adam say that?’ She’s led to question her own knowledge.
Now, satan ups the ante - - in verse 4 he gives Eve the ultimate challenge:
4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Now, she’s thinking - ‘Is God holding out on us? Could we be like God? Certainly, He’s not going to kill us? And what does it even mean to die?’ Remember, there was no death.
Has this ever happened to you. satan imparts some thoughts, some doubts in your mind. You think to yourself:
“One little lie, that will get me off the hook.”
“Just tell mom/dad what they want to hear.”
“Well, they won’t miss this item at work, they underpay me anyways.”
Or in that relationship you know is wrong - - ‘well, they need me to help them. It’s not right, but God will understand.’
God understands how hard my life has been, that’s why I need this drink, or this smoke, or this drug. It’s OK if I try this.
My parents are so strict. I need to live a little
My spouse is no fun, I need to go out and make my own fun.
We rationalize our sin as satan confuses our minds, wanting us to be filled with a desire for control, lust and ego driven sins which we justify.
That’s satan speaking into your mind. That’s why Paul tells us in Romans 12 -
2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. - Romans 12:2
Paul wants our minds to be renewed so that we don’t get confused, so that we can learn how to discern right from wrong. Our hearts will drive us, but our brains bring the wisdom we need.
That’s why it’s so important to know the Word of God. It’s not just about what you hear on Sunday’s but it’s an everyday thing. It’s to build your minds and hearts so that you won’t give in to doubt and confusion.
Satan, (do you notice I only capiatalize satan at the beginning of a sentence? he does not deserve capitalization.), will tempt you to think God is unreasonable, that you can live and do whatever you want to do. You will surely not die. Those old ways don’t apply to you today, go, live it up. It’s OK.
Putting a Bible under your pillow when you go to sleep won't help you. All you’ll get is a headache and blame God for it. You’ve got to open the Bible and read it.
Finally, Eve indulges:
6 . . . she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Now, men, let me simply say this. Don’t be an Adam! The Hebrew is pretty clear in the wording. He was there with her. It’s not some euphemism that she found him later - - - after he was working in the fields. NO! He was there with her. They were hanging out together. He was listening to the bantering and challenges from satan. And he did nothing! Folks . . . that’s not a good example for us to follow, but that’s for another day.
They sinned together. They justified their sin. Then there was that oops moment. They realized this was wrong. They figured it out really quickly. It’s that way isn’t it? We do something wrong and no sooner than we do it, we know it. That’s God’s Spirit working within us.
There’s more to come, but I want to bring us to an end today. With each message in this series, I want to end on a positive note.
Know that we live life between the 2 trees. We live between the tree of life in the garden and the tree of life in Revelation. But there was a different tree which ultimately gives life to us. In 1 Peter 2, Peter wrote:
22 Jesus committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth.
23 When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly.
24 He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.
That cross that Jesus suffered and died on . . . friends that’s the answer. It’s the cure. Jesus died for us so that we could finally come to God in a right relationship. That tree is another tree of life offered to you and I.
On that tree - - the cross, Jesus took our sins upon Himself, so that His righteousness could be given to us. That’s the great news today. It’s a belief that we hold onto, knowing that while there is sin in the world, and we need to know who the villain is, we also need to know and trust in the One who overcame sin and death . . . Jesus the Christ. I love you all:)
DID YOU EVER WONDER???
It is crucial that every Christian understands that he/she is in a spiritual battle. There is no way to get out of it. Awareness of the spiritual battle around us is very important. Not only awareness, but vigilance, preparedness, courage, and the right weaponry are crucial elements of engaging in spiritual warfare.
In the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:3–5, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” It is clear that “our warfare” as Christians is spiritual. We are not fighting a physical battle or a human battle. It is on a spiritual level—its enemies, its prerogatives, its fortresses, and its weapons are all spiritual. If we attempt to fight the spiritual with human weapons, we will fail and the enemy will be victorious.
It is important to note that Paul is not speaking about battling demons here. When Jesus and the apostles cast demons out, it was, along with the other signs and wonders they exhibited, primarily to prove the authority of what they said. It was important at that time for God to give the apostles a powerful “proof” that they were indeed from God and were His spokesmen. The fidelity of Scripture depends on the authority of the apostles, so God gave the apostles His power to authenticate their teachings. The point all along was to show that the ultimate authority—and our ultimate spiritual weapon—is Scripture. The kind of spiritual battle that every Christian engages in is primarily a battle of the mind and heart.
The spiritual battle is quite personal for each Christian. The devil is like a “roaring lion” seeking to devour, and we must remain vigilant against him (1 Peter 5:8). The enemy of our souls has “flaming arrows” that can only be extinguished by the shield of faith as handled by a believer equipped with the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–17). Jesus told us to “watch and pray” so as not to fall into temptation (Mark 14:38).
According to 2 Corinthians 10:4–5, there are spiritual fortresses in this world, made of the “speculations” and “lofty things.” The word speculations is, in the Greek, logismos. It means “ideas, concepts, reasonings, philosophies.” People of the world build up these logismos to protect themselves against the truth of God. Sadly, these fortresses often become prisons and eventually tombs. As Christians, we have a calling to break down these fortresses and rescue the inhabitants. It is dangerous and difficult work, but we have a divine arsenal always at our disposal. Unfortunately, one of the enemy’s best tricks is getting us to fight with human weapons rather than divine.
When fighting against worldly philosophies, human wit and weaponry are of no avail. Marketing techniques, counter-philosophies, persuasive words of human wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:4), rationalism, organization, skill, entertainment, mystique, better lighting, better music—these are all human weapons. None of these things will win the spiritual war. The only thing that is effective—the only offensive weapon we possess—is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).
This sword gives us many freedoms as soldiers in this spiritual battle. We have freedom from fear, knowing that God is fighting for us (Joshua 1:7–9) and that He will not forsake us. We have freedom from guilt, knowing that we are not responsible for the souls of those who reject God’s message after we have proclaimed it to them (Mark 6:11). We have freedom from despair, knowing that, if we are persecuted and hated, Christ was persecuted and hated first (John 15:18) and that our battle wounds will be richly and lovingly tended to in heaven (Matthew 5:10).
All of these freedoms come from using the powerful weapon of God—His Word. If we use human weaponry to fight the temptations of the wicked one, we will sustain failures and disappointment. Conversely, the victories of God are full of hope. “Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:22-23). The hearts of those who hear and accept the true, full message of the gospel as given by the apostles are “sprinkled clean” and “washed with pure water.” What is this water? It is the Word of God that strengthens us as we fight (Ephesians 5:26; John 7:38).
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE...A TEACHING
What Does the Bible Tell Us About What God Is Like?
If you read the entire Bible and categorized every remark about the nature of God, most of the descriptions would regard his overall greatness, power, majesty, authority, reign, or dominion over everything. This is what theologians call the sovereignty of God. You can see this throughout the creation account in the amazing power God has to make things happen just by speaking; things that didn’t exist came into being just because he said so (Genesis 1; Psalm 33:6, 9).
But to take it one step further, because God is the creator of all things, he also owns all things (Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalm 24:1). And because he is the creator of all things, he has authority over all things—in other words, he has the right to rule (Psalm 47:2). He is the “God of gods and Lord of lords” (Deuteronomy 10:17). The title Adonai reflects the sovereignty of God. It appears first in Genesis 15:2, where Abraham refers to God as “Sovereign Lord” (Adonai Yahweh), and nearly 300 times in the rest of the Old Testament.
The prayers in the Bible are filled with references to the sovereignty of God. Read David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 29:10–16; God’s sovereignty permeates these verses. Similarly, Nehemiah begins his prayer by saying, “You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you” (9:6). The earliest Christians prayed in the same way:
“They raised their voices together in prayer to God. ‘Sovereign Lord,’ they said, ‘you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them’ ” (Acts 4:24). Even Christians who were martyred due to their faith in Christ acknowledged the sovereignty of God in their prayers (Revelation 6:10).
The sovereignty of God also implies other aspects of his nature. For example, he is all-powerful (Jeremiah 32:17, 27), all-knowing (Isaiah 40:13–14), totally self-sufficient (Acts 17:24–25), and totally free to do whatever pleases him (Psalm 115:3). If he were not all these things, he would not be sovereign over all things. So the predominant characteristic of God that leaps from nearly every page of Scripture is his sovereignty.
But in addition to sovereignty, the Bible teaches us other characteristics of God, although some of these can be hard to fit together. On the one hand, God is said to be holy (Leviticus 11:44; Isaiah 6:3) and righteous or “just” (Genesis 18:25; Psalm 51:4). These words mean that God is morally perfect—he always does what is good and right—and therefore he holds everyone accountable for their own moral choices.
He punishes the wicked and blesses the righteous. On the other hand, God is said to be a God of love (1 John 4:8, 16), mercy (Exodus 33:19; Romans 9:15–18), and grace (Psalm 103:8; Romans 3:24; Titus 2:11). God is love because he desires the very best for the objects of his love. God is merciful in that he does not give people what they do deserve, namely, punishment for sin. God is gracious in that he does give people what they do not deserve, namely, his goodness and blessing.
But if God is merciful, why would he condemn anyone for their sin? If God is loving, how could he send anyone to hell? If God is just, and we are all sinners (Romans 3:23), how can anyone be saved? These are not easy questions to answer, but we need to acknowledge that the writers of Scripture do not see these as contradictory. Instead, they keep these aspects of God’s nature in careful balance and harmony, often in the very same contexts.
For example, God himself says, “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you” (Isaiah 54:7–8). Notice the movement from judgment to salvation, to judgment, to salvation. In Ezekiel 18, God calls his people to repentance, and if they do not repent, he threatens judgment:
“The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them” (v. 20). This shows the justice or righteousness of God. But God goes on to say, “But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die.
None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” (vv. 21–23). This shows God’s heart of compassion and his longing to forgive. We see the balance between God’s justice and God’s mercy in verses 30–32.
Even though it may not be clear to us how these aspects of God’s nature fit together, we can be confident they do. No characteristic of God ever contradicts another characteristic of God; all the aspects of his nature are complementary to all other aspects. Therefore, we must work hard to keep our understanding of God in biblical balance. This is serious business, because many Christians down through the centuries have tended to emphasize one side of God’s characteristics almost to the exclusion of the other side.
For example, if the love and grace of God are emphasized over his holiness and justice, it can lead to believing in Universalism—everyone is going to end up in heaven and no one in hell. On the other hand, if the holiness and justice of God are emphasized over his compassion and mercy, it can lead to legalism—obey God’s rules or face his punishment. Neither of these extremes represents the perfect balance within the character of God.
Much more could and should be said about the nature of God, but suffice it to say that God, as presented in the Bible, is a great God, who is worthy of adoration and worship as he really is, not only how we would like him to be. Therefore, he ought to be desired and sought above all else (Jeremiah 9:23–24).
When you accept God as he is described in Scripture and trust in him, you will never be disappointed. Rather, you will find him to be all-satisfying, the greatest treasure to be enjoyed (Psalm 37:4).
HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED WEEK:)
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