Sermon Tone Analysis

Genesis

Professor: Earl Marshall

 

 

 

 

January 7, 2000

 

 

 

 

 

Douglas M. McGuire

Box # 16

*In candidacy for: Bachelor of Religious Education*

 

\\ Subject: Responsibility                                        Preaching Portion: Genesis 3&4

Theme: Taking the blame for sin                          Sermonic Process: Exposition

 

! It’s Not My Fault

 

Introduction:

1.         Steve was caught in the act.

There were credible witnesses.

His guilt could not be denied.

At the advice of his attorney, he pleaded no contest.

As a result, Steve was convicted of stealing a six-pack of beer.

When asked about the incident, Steve said that is was a joke – part of an initiation into his college fraternity.

But the shopkeeper was not amused; the police were not amused; and the judge was not amused.

Perhaps the senior fraternity members were guiltier than Steve, but Steve was the one who had to spend time in jail instead of in class.

Society is full of similar cases.

Think of the teen that hangs around the streets after school and gets into illicit drugs.

We can blame the dealer that supplies him, blame his parents for abandoning him to the streets, blame the pressure and greed of society that forces both his parents to work – but it is the teen that suffers with the addiction and it is the teen that winds up in a juvenile detention centre.

2.

Human beings have a character flaw that is not new to this century or even this millennium.

Starting with the first man and woman we have had a problem accepting responsibility for our actions.

Explanation:

1.

The excuses may seem plausible, but they cannot overturn a fundamental principle: an individual is subject to the consequences of their actions.

It has been a principle that God enacted at the beginning of time and has much more serious ramifications that a jail sentence for a frat prank.

It ultimately becomes an issue of life and death.

(pause…) - it started a trend that caught on with the kids!

Prop:    As children of God were are responsible to God for our life actions.

T.S.:

In Genesis Chapter 3-4 we recognize that the author asserts that as children of God we have an obligation to accept responsibility for our life actions.

!!

In The Garden

1. *Temptation* (v.

3:1-5)

The world today blames many of societies ailments for the high crime rates - child poverty, physical abuse, drug and alcohol abuse and other seedy vices.

Yet there was a time when there were no drugs, no abuse, no poverty and mankind elected to engage in a sin directly against God – the worst type of crime.

The abundance and safety of the garden was no barrier against temptation.

Ø      */The Tempter/* (v.1a)

/Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made./

In modern terminology we often view crafty as a positive as opposed to negative attribute.

It sounds very much like the desired attribute of the rich power brokers of today’s society – crafty is all that – wise, perceptive, inovatitive.

But crafty also has its negative connotations – sly, elusive or tricky.

The serpent in the garden is not being lauded as an innovator, the author is pointing out that this is a shady trickster, the evil one is in the garden.

Ø      */The Question/* (v.

1b)

 /He said to the woman, "Did God really say, `You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" /

      How subtle.

The serpent asks what seems to be a relatively benign question, but the implication of the wording is that the serpent is expressing disbelief at the statement attributed to God.

It is a challenge to the very command of God.

Challengers to the faith often use this subtle approach – does the Bible really say… or other statements are originating from a state of disbelief.

We need to be cognizant of this approach.

In this case the serpent is trying to stir up feelings of disbelief within Eve.

 

Ø      */The Law /*(v.2, 3)

The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, `You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"

The woman demonstrated that she was fully aware of the command of God and even enhanced verse three to include the command “/you must not touch it”/.

This clearly demonstrates that the woman was fully aware of the consequences that were attached to betraying God.

Eve knew that she and Adam were called to leave the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil -ALONE!

Ø      */The Lie /*(v.4,

5)

You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.

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."

Okay now the snake steps out of his subtle approach and confronts the truth of God head on.

The serpent blatantly calls God a liar.

Traditionally we assume the serpent is Satan or under his influence – we can safely call him the evil one.

We know that God does not lie - Titus 1:2b[of] God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, versus Satan who represents evil and is “a liar and the father of lies” John 8:44.

It comes down to the choice  - in whom will we put our faith.

Satan is challenging us to put the faith in ourselves – God calls us to faith in him.

The evil one continues his twisted approach by attributing ignoble motives to God’s command.

It was the serpent’s claim that God wanted to limit the progress of man and keep him in submission to him.

The evil one claimed that the forbidden fruit would make Adam and Eve like God – and God wanted to keep them dow.

We hear this argument resonate amongst people today “God doesn’t want you to have any fun.

His rules will only limit your freedom.

Ignore his rules, and you really begin to live!”

 

2.

*Sin* (v.

3:5)

Hindsight is 20~/20 – looking back at the choice Eve had we clearly see what she should have said.

“Buzz off you nasty snake, I clearly heard what God said and I have no intention of messing with the Big Guy!” Instead Eve allowed the serpent to massage his message.

She kept listening, pondering and rationalizing his lies.

Too many of us simply spend too much time dealing with evil one’s offers.

We need to stand firm on the commands of God and save ourselves prolonged temptation.

Ø      *Unwary Thinking* (v.

6a)

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom…

      The serpent planted the seed of doubt in Eve’s mind and now it is beginning to bloom and grow.

She began to rationalize the evil one’s arguments – just looking at the look of the fruit began to sway her faith in the command of God.

How could that fruit be so bad when it looked so good?

And how about the whole - desirable for gaining wisdom thing.

The cogs are whirling in her mind, is it not a good thing to desire wisdom?

The piling of true statements on top of the false one was a way for Eve to make the sin more palatable – even desirable.

It looked good, wisdom was desirable and it would probably taste good.

The problem – it was still in direct contravention of God’s own Word to not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Ø      *Unwary Action* (v.

6b)

she took some and ate it.

There seemed only one course of action after rationalizing away the command of God.

If the fruit was attractive and delicious and promised extraordinary gifts – how could she refuse!

To refuse she would have had to put her trust in God.

She would have had to turn her back on the Serpent’s claims.

She would have to leave the fruit on the branch.

If we trust God and his Word there is no lie powerful enough, no facts persuasive enough and no argument strong enough to persuade us to act against God.

Ø      *Unwary Sharing* (v.

6c)

She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.