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GENESIS 3:1-6
LESSON #09
THE NATURE OF TEMPTATION
v MEMORY VERSE: JAMES 1:2-3
v READ GEN 3:1-6 THE FALL INTO SIN
Ø IN GENESIS 3, WE SEE THE ORIGIN OF SIN INMANKIND. IT IS THE BEGINNING OF DECEPTION.
§ FIRST, THE ANGEL LUCIFERSINNED, AND BECAME SATAN IN THE GARDEN (3:1-5).
§ THEN THE WOMAN SINNED.
§ THEN ADAM SINNED (3:6).
Ø WE SEE GOD SPEAK TO THESE 3 IN THE REVERSEORDER. HE SPEAKS TO ADAM (3:9-12), THE WOMAN (3:13), AND THEN SATAN (3:14). THEN GODPASSES JUDGMENT ON THE 3 IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY SINNED: SATAN (3:14-15), THE WOMAN(3:16), THEN ADAM (3:17-19).
§ WHILE THE WORDS, TEST,TEMPT, AND TRIAL ARE BASICALLY THE SAME WORD, THERE ARE SOME THEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES.
· THE WORD, TEST: GODTESTS US IN ORDER TO STRENGTHEN US AND MAKE US BETTER (DEU 8:2,16).
· THE WORD, TEMPT:SATAN TEMPTS US, NOT GOD, FOR THE PURPOSES OF MAKING US FALL INTO SIN AND BE DESTROYED.
· THE WORD, TRIAL: THISIS THE SITUATION FROM MAN’S VIEWPOINT WHETHER IT BE A TEST OR A TEMPTATION.
Ø HOW DO WE KNOW THE SERPENT IS SATAN?
§ BY SCRIPTURE, WE KNOW IT.(REV 12:9 REV 20:2)
§ BY HIS CHARACTER, WE KNOWIT. SATAN’S DECEPTION:
· SATAN’S USE OF GOD’S NAME: (3:1)
¨ HE DID NOT USE “JEHOVAH ELOHIM”,THE COVENANT RELATIONSHIP NAME FOR GOD. HE USED “ELOHIM”, THE GENERIC TERM FORGOD INDICATING THAT GOD IS LIKE ANY OTHER GOD AND FAR AWAY.
¨ SATAN’S SUBTLE NEGATIVISM: (3:1)
Ø “YE SHALL NOT EAT OF EVERYTREE”
§ GOD SAID THEY COULD EAT OFEVERY TREE EXCEPT
· SATAN OVER EMPHASIZES THENEGATIVE.
· SATAN’S SUBTLE LIES: (3:3-4)
¨ JOH 8:44 TELLS US SATAN IS THE FATHER OFLIES.
Ø THE TREE “IN THE MIDST OF THEGARDEN” WAS THE TREE OF LIFE (SEE 2:9) CENTRAL TO MAN’S AWARENESS.
§ SATAN MAKES THE TREE OF THEKNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL CENTRAL TO THE WOMAN’S AWARENESS.
Ø “YE SHALL NOT EAT OF IT, NEITHER SHALLYE TOUCH IT.”
§ GOD SAID THE FIRST PART,BUT NEVER SAID THEY COULD NOT TOUCH IT. SATAN MAKES THE PROHIBITION EVEN MORE RESTRICTIVETHAN GOD’S INTENT.
· SATAN EXTENDS THE PROHIBITION”LEST YE DIE.” HE SAYS YE SHALL NOT SURELY DIE.
¨ GOD SAID THEY WOULD “SURELY” DIE(2:17). SATAN SUBTLELYMINIMIZES THE CONSEQUENCE AND THEN OUTRIGHT DENIES THE CONSEQUENCE.
¨ SATAN DIRECTLY CONTRADICTS GOD.
¨ SATAN’S APPEAL: (3:5)
Ø “YE SHALL BE AS GOD”
§ THIS IS AN APPEAL TO POWERAND AUTHORITY. THEREFORE, SELF-DETERMINATION IS THE UNDERLYING BASIS OF TEMPTATION. THEAPPEAL IS TO MAN’S PRIDE.
· THIS IS THE SAME SIN LUCIFER FELLINTO. (ISA 14:12-14)
§ SATAN’S PURPOSES WERE FORMAN TO DISTRUST AND DISHONOR GOD, TO DOUBT HIS GRACE, TO QUESTION HIS GOODNESS, TO DENYHIS JUSTICE, AND TO REJECT HIS AUTHORITY.
Ø THE CONSEQUENCE:
§ “THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOODAND EVIL”
· THE HEBREW LANGUAGE COULD NOTEXPRESS MORAL KNOWLEDGE ORETHICAL DISCERNMENT, SO THE PHRASE “GOOD AND EVIL” WAS USED.
¨ MAN WAS CREATED IN INNOCENCE. BY EATING OFTHE TREE, THEY ENTERED A STATE OF MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TO WHICH GOD HAD NOT CALLED THEM.THEY NOW HAD A CONSCIENCE WHEREBY THEY BASICALLY KNEW WHAT WAS RIGHT AND WRONG AND WERENOW MORALLY ACCOUNTABLE.
Ø THE NATURE OF TEMPTATION:
§ READ 1JOHN 2:16 AND LUKE 4
· WHAT DO YOU NOTICE THAT ISSIMILAR IN THESE 3 SCRIPTURE PASSAGES?
¨ SATAN WORKS FROM WITHOUT TO WITHIN. HE BEGINSWITH THE EXTERNAL THROUGH BODILY SENSES AND EMOTIONS TO REACH THE INWARD SPIRIT OF MAN.
THE NATURE OF TEMPTATION
I JOHN 2:16 HEB 4:15
| “LUST OF THE FLESH” | “LUST OF THE EYES” | “PRIDE OF LIFE” | |
| GEN 3:6 | GOOD FOR FOOD | PLEASANT TO THE EYES | TO MAKE ONE WISE |
| LUK 4:2-13 | COMMAND THIS STONE THAT IT BE MADE BREAD (4:3) | SHOWED UNTO HIM ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD (4:5) | CAST THYSELF DOWN FROM HERE HE SHALL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHARGE OVER THEE (4:9-11) |
| BODY | SOUL | SPIRIT | |
| THIS TEMPTATION DRAWS US AWAY FROM THE WILL OF GOD GAL 5:6 |
THIS TEMPTATION DRAWS US AWAY FROM THE WORD OF GOD GEN 3:6b |
THIS TEMPTATION DRAWS US AWAY FROM THE WORSHIP OF GOD 1PET 5:5-11 |
|
| THIS TEMPTATION DESTROYS OUR DEPENDENCE ON GOD JOH 15:5 |
THIS TEMPTATION DESTROYS OUR CONFIDENCE IN GOD JOH 15:7 |
THIS TEMPTATION DESTROYS OUR OBEDIENCE TO GOD JOH 15:8-10 |
v DISCUSSION:
Ø WHAT DO YOU LEARN ABOUT FIGHTING TEMPTATIONFROM THE 3 PASSAGES ABOVE?
THE FOUR STAGES OF TEMPTATION
JAMES 1:13-15
| 1. SUGGESTION: | “…DRAWN AWAY OF HIS OWN LUST” (14) |
| 2. MEDITATION: | “…ENTICED” (14) |
| 3. MENTAL CONSENT: | “…WHEN LUST HATH CONCEIVED…” (15) |
| 4. COMMITMENT: | “…WHEN IT IS FINISHED…” (15) |
THE OPPOSITE OF FALLING INTO TEMPTATION
| THE LUST OF THE FLESH | WALK IN THE SPIRIT GAL 5:16-26 ROM 8:1-13 |
| THE LUST OF THE EYES | WALK BY FAITH HEB 11:1,6 2COR 5:1-10 |
| THE PRIDE OF LIFE | WALK IN HUMILITY 1PET 5:1-7 |
v HOMEWORK
v GENESIS3:7-13
v THIS IS ASELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION
v APPLICATION OF GEN 3:1-6
Ø WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT TEMPTATION THATWILL HELP YOU BETTER FIGHT IT IN THE FUTURE?
v PREPARATION FOR GEN 3:7-13
Ø READ GEN 3:7-13
§ MAKE A LIST OF GODSFOUR QUESTIONS TO ADAM AND EVE.
§ WHY DOES GOD ASK THESEQUESTIONS? DOESNT HE KNOW THE ANSWERS?
§ WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OFTHE FIG LEAVES?
v MEMORY VERSE: ROM 6:23
