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March 13, 2020 4:00 am
They now believe God.
Satan would be defeated he would be destroyed. He would be destroyed by someone born of woman as far as they could. Then they believe the Savior was fighting a losing battle against temptation and you're looking to Scripture for help. You probably wouldn't think of turning to Genesis chapter 3.
That's where Adam and Eve plunge the entire human race into sin.
But as John MacArthur will show you over the next half hour God demonstrated his mercy even in response to man's most catastrophic spiritual failure and he still offers that amazing mercy to sinners today, so get ready for profound encouragement out of a story of immeasurable tragedy. It's all part of John's continuing series Genesis of the gospel and now here's John. Let's open our Bibles to this final section of verses 20 through 24 Genesis chapter 3 in the third chapter of Genesis, we basically are dealing with the subject of the origin and impact of sin and we have done many messages in this chapter we now come to the end of the chapter where the theme is the promise of redemption. We have studied the origin of sin and the impact as far as the curse and now the impact as far as redemption when we read verses 20 to 24 now the man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living and the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them in the Lord God said, behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil.
Now, lest he stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever. Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to cultivate the ground from which he was taken, so he drove the man out to the east of the garden of Eden he stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. Now, as we approach these verses the five verses that in this great chapter, I want to remind you that God is by nature a Savior of sinners. In fact, God bears that title first Timothy chapter 1 he is called God our Savior. Titus chapter 1 verses three and four Titus chapter 2 then again in Titus chapter 3, God is called God our Savior. At first Timothy 410 God is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe and we are first introduced to God as Savior in the five verses that I just read to you.
This is the first time in the Bible that God is presented as a Savior right after the fall early in the chapter following immediately upon the curse that comes in the middle of the chapter God is introduced to us as a Savior here in that amazing fullness that God can put in a few words, we find him being introduced as the Savior we find here the introduction of his plan of redemption we find here the indication that he is bringing salvation to sinful people. Now all of the components of the salvation are present in the text that I read and I admit they're not immediately present at the first reading your probably wondering where I see those things well I'll tell you in a moment, but everything that is essential is here from man's side. There are essentially two things faith and hope, faith and hope. Those are two things that are necessary with regard to man's side of salvation on God's side. Two things are necessary, atonement and security atonement and security.
God has to provide a suitable atonement to cover our sin and then he has to hold onto us to keep us saved until we get to glory. So from man's side faith and hope from God side atonement and security. Those are the essential elements of salvation that is the necessary mix in the plan of God and you find all four of them in this text. Now let's go back to what we look at and just do a brief review. First of all, salvation or redemption requires faith that we see that in verse 20 the man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living or the time he called her Eve, which means life. She wasn't the mother of anybody that was an act of faith God promised land that the woman would have a child and that out of the loins of that woman would come one who would defeat Satan literally crushed Satan's head. That is the first promise of a Savior. When Adam named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living. He was stating by that name, that he believed God would fulfill his promise, as I said at the time she wasn't the mother of anybody he was naming her. Eve, by faith.
They had believed Satan and not God but no longer. They now know Satan was a liar and God told the truth. Faith was planted in their hearts they believed God, and consequently he names her Eve, which means life and she accepts the name. Also, there is built into that penitence or repentance.
They were sorry that they had ever followed Satan they were sorry that they had ever turned to disobedience against God. They were sorry that they had ever fallen to that temptation and there was remorse and there was certainly a deep sense of penitence. They both repented for their trust in Satan who destroyed their paradise and destroyed their lives. They now believe God. Salvation comes to those who believe God.
Now what do they have to believe anything and everything God said God hadn't said very much you'd only given one promise really one great promise. With regard to salvation, and that is that Satan would be defeated he would be destroyed. He would be destroyed by someone born of woman and they believe that. And as far as they could. Then they believed in the Savior, who was to come. They believe that God would provide a Savior, a deliverer, one who would overturn the fall crush the serpent's head and bring back paradise that was their part. We also saw that the first element on God's part is atonement doesn't do any good for a man to believe unless God provides a means for salvation. Man's faith and repentance mean absolutely nothing without God's provision for sin. And so you come to verse 21 and you see here in beautiful picture God's provision. The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
Sin brought guilt soon brought shame. Sin brought all kinds of illicit feelings and so they feeling guilty try to cover themselves. But that's inadequate. No man can cover his own shame. No man can cover his own guilt. No woman can either and so God here in a symbolic action says if you're going to be covered if your shame is going to be covered in your guild is going to be covered. I'm going to have to do it and here I'm going to have to do it by killing something and who does you. Kelly kills an animal. Obviously Take the skin of an animal without killing the animal. Here is the first time you have death in the Bible first time in history. This is the first death.
There is an God is the first pillar, and God takes one of the innocent animals kills the animal takes skin and covers Adam and Eve and introduces to us the nature of atonement. Atonement is a covering for sinners provided by an innocent substitute or go beyond that. The covering for sinners provided by the death of an innocent substitute in here were introduced into the biblical concept of atonement, which is death of a substitute by which a sinner is covered in that pictures Jesus Christ and introduces to us the great doctrine of substitutionary atonement that God kills a substitute and that substitute ultimately was his own son, the Lord Jesus Christ, whom God killed by his predetermined counsel even though it was by human agency, it was the purpose and plan of God that he the spotless lamb without blemish and without spot, the sinless one, the innocent one should die as a substitute for sinners to provide the covering that would hide forever their shame and their guilt. That's why that great Isaiah 53 says he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace with God was laid on him and by his stripes. His death we are healed. That is the great chapter of Isaiah 53 on Jesus as the substitute for sinners. This is atonement why God requires death for sin. Sin brings about death. The wages of sin is death. The soul that sins, it shall die.
But rather than kill Adam and Eve, which got every right to do instantaneously because God is by nature a Savior merciful and gracious, he brings a substitute slays the substitute and covers the sinners shame and guilt by the death of a substitute is judgment.
His justice, his wrath being satisfied by the death of the substitute that is exactly what the death of Jesus on the cross means he is innocent. He is spotless he is, without blemish is perfect. He is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and yet God takes him and puts him on the cross. He who knew no sin. Second Corinthians 521, became sin for us to scuttle 1/3 element that's here still looking at God's part. Salvation requires not only faith on man's part atonement on God's part.
But thirdly on God's part. Salvation requires security. This is a very important point. Salvation requires security.
Look at verse 22 then the Lord God said, behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil.
Now, lest he stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever. Got a problem here, folks got a problem, a serious problem man knows enough now to be in danger. He's experienced good and is experienced evil. He doesn't like evil.
He doesn't like it and he would like to mitigate its circumstances. When you if you are Adam you be immediately looking for some way to get out of the mess you've gotten yourself into right you are feeling things you never felt before you dealing with attitudes and impulses and lust and desires. You never experienced before you felt shame that you knew you were dying you. You knew there was not moral spiritual consequence as well as a physical consequence to what you would done and you now understood the impact of that consequence and you would want to do anything you could to rectify that to turn that around to reverse that you are headed toward death. So the natural inclination. If you are headed toward death would be to spin around and head toward the tree of life right so your wife you get back to the tree of life we can get to the tree why we will die.
We get back to the tree of life will be okay you the tree live forever or worse that's that's that's it.
Great. Maybe that's why it's here is not great wouldn't get back there the tree of life, so verse 22 says the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever, and that in the Hebrew never finishes the sentence of this is that there's an introductory clause with the snow completing because it is God.
To say I I know exactly what is going to do is gonna go right to the tree of light is gonna reach out his goodness. If I can just get that tree of life, and even I will live forever and I'll mitigate all the consequences of my sin can't undo that verse 23 says therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden. That's an amount I said wasn't that a good thing to me. Wouldn't it be great that you just run over there and they could just eat and they would edit would neutralize the effect of death, and they would live forever problem they would live forever. Listen to this as wicked depraved fallen sinners see that that's not good. God is something much better than what he has just go to die, and I'll raise you in a new kind of life without sin, then you'll live forever better, much better. Better that you get out of the garden and never touch that tree and go ahead and die and I will raise you again in a new kind of life and that way you can live forever, but not in wretchedness in holy perfection that's better instead of eternal sorrow.
You can experience eternal joy get the point. So verse 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden. They would never have left voluntarily anywhere. I mean I was paradise of the earth, and I think another thing. Listen to this thought they knew that the garden was the place of fellowship with God. I think they wanted fellowship with God. I think you know that that relapse when they plunged into rebellious unbelief and turned their affections and their trust toward Satan that was over they they saw the truth of Satan and now they were prepared to believe in God. They were God's now and they have repented and they had put their trust in God and God had covered them and they knew that God was true and Satan was a liar and a destroyer in and they wanted fellowship with God and they desired God's presence and they wanted to see God's glory and the garden was the place where they had always known God says you're not suitable for my presence out. I accept your repentance. I accept your faith.
I cover you with my atonement, but you are not suitable for my presence. I'm going to protect you from eternal hell I'm going to secure you by throwing you out of the garden because you would do such danger to yourself and because you are not suitable for the fullness of my presence and that's how it is with us and you believed in you repented and the atonement of Jesus Christ substitute on your behalf, provides a covering cloaks you righteousness covers your guilt and shame, but folks, we are covered and we have repented and we have believed, but we aren't suitable for his presence early.
We aren't yet ready for his presence, but he prevents us from ever being damned understand that we aren't yet ready for entering into the holy of holies we can't go into his presence. The way we are, but believe me, he will never let us fall.
Now on to him. June 25, who is able to keep you from falling some 9710. He preserves the souls of his saints. Great is his faithfulness.
Lamentations 3 or if you like Romans 831. Wow, that is the great passage on security is in it. What shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. What nothing that security we are sealed unto the day of promise. John and his gospel chapter 10 verses 28 and 29 records the promise of Jesus that every believer longs to Christ and he is in the hands of Christ By God, and no one is able to pluck them out of my hand because my father of course, is greater than all in John six pieces all of the father gives to me will come to me and all the come to me. I will receive an of all that I've received visas I will lose none of them but will raise him up on the last day. That's the great doctrine of security. There is right there right there is one last essential in the gospel that's given your think this is just great truth on our part. Salvation calls for faith, which is a repentant faith and hope, hope, salvation requires hope we get verse 23 again. He sends them out of the garden to cultivate the ground from which they were taken, he was taken to cultivate the ground. This is an echo of back in verse 19 when he said due to the man you're gonna go out and you're going to toil in the ground. Verse 17, all the days of your life you're going to have to work hard to eke out your food fight thorns and thistles, you're going to work. Verse 19 by the sweat of your face you going to eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken for your dust to dust you shall return. So he throws him out and he says sorry you're going to have to live in sorrow so you can have sorrow in childbirth you have sorrow and tilling the ground you're going to have to have sickness you're going to have to have suffering you're going to sweat and in the end you're just going to die and turned back to a pile of dirt you have to live your whole life feeling the weight of sin. Your whole life bearing this pain and sorrow and suffering. By the way, you say add stuff start well you do you live 67 years animal of 930 930. I mean this is a this is a painful thing for this man and so he had to wait to die, and death was a long long way off, and so he was suffering and suffering through all of these elements of life and guess what would well up in his heart. One great attitude, hope right. Hope all Lord when will it be over when will the sorrow end where no Lord when does it paradise regained then became a hope for him as it is for us.
The Bible says we are saved in hope we don't have yet what we've been promised. Do we had all my problems eliminated in the review but we are hoping we live in hope. Sometimes people in the world. Look at us.
They see people must be crazy. You make all the sacrifices you follow Jesus you say no to this and noted that no the other thing in all things that we like to do that are fun set or you don't do them and and you do this for some pie in the sky. You do this for something down the road and then when you get ill and coming up with your kids and somebody dies you get cancer, heart disease, they say when it is ridiculous where is God you live like this. We live like this because we believe the word of God right so did Adam know, the worse it gets, the more you hope I can imagine by the time he was over 800.
His hope was very strong. Lord, please. Please see enough of murder. I've seen enough of rebellion. I've seen enough iniquity have seen it.
I've seen it. I've seen enough trouble. Lord, please.
And we know the world is getting increasingly more wicked wasn't because by the time you get the Genesis 6 what is God have to do drown the whole world and he was watching this and it inspired hope in his heart hope in his heart, all that Adam could do was hope for the day when he could go into the throne of God when he could go back into the presence of God when he could go back to paradise and commune with God as he once did. Why does God want us to live in hope because first John 33 says hope purifies everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. This purifying hope is our anchor in the words of Hebrews 619. This hope is an anchor for the soul and I look forward to heaven. Don't you and the longer you in this life and the longer you suffer the longer you long for an un-ruffled life, peaceful, tranquil, joyous life. The longer you desire communion with God uninterrupted in the holy and perfect. The longer you live in desire that that the more heaven appeals to you, you can say with the Psalmist in Psalm 39. Seven. My hope is in you.
So here you have it in the end of this chapter, the essential mix of the elements of salvation from man side. Faith is the point of entry and hope sustains from God's atonement is the point of entry and security sustains.
We believe we hope God a tone God secures us and so the most tragic chapter in all the Scripture ends with a glorious production to the good news of salvation and you're listening to Grace to you featuring the verse by verse Bible teaching of John MacArthur. John is a pastor, author and Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary today. He wrapped up his study Genesis of the gospel John for days we been talking about the fallen sin and death and pain and all that sounds very negative and it is really but as you've shown us today. In this study. Genesis 3 might actually have more to say about God's character and compassion in his grace that it does about our problems, absolutely because what it does tell us is that God desired a relationship with man God desired to restore man and consequently embedded in the curses is the promise that they would come one who would crush the serpent's head, one whose heel would be bruised the nest another then the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan bruised his heel. You might say on the cross and he was bruised for our iniquities, but he by virtue of his death and resurrection will inflict the crushing blow that destroys Satan and sends him to the lake of fire forever what so fascinating to me about that is in the middle of the curse before the Lord and even finish the cursing right.
He is not even gotten to the man yet before he's dismissed them from the garden before he threw them out of the garden for the sin he can't restrain himself from making a promise so embedded in the curse right in the middle of the curse is the gospel that there's going to be restoration paradise can be restored. Satan will be crushed one will come who will bring back what has been lost in the beauty of that embedded in the curse is just overwhelming to me and so you see there that God is by nature a reconciler. He is by nature a Savior and then immediately after that. What does God do he kills an animal and he takes skins and he covers man and woman in the Lord shows that there's going to be a death there's going to be the death of an innocent to provide a covering for them. So here is God putting his saving character on display.
This is an incredible series on the Genesis of the gospel. I would suggest you get it we been doing this now for a few days. The series Genesis of the gospel is on nine CDs.
It's a nine CD album available from Grace to you. You can call us or write us or go to the website and find out how to get that nine CD album or you can download the messages free of charge on the MP3 file from our website. That's right, a friend, whether you're a new believer or you been walking with the Lord. For years, you will benefit from this study. Simply put, it shows you the origins of God's plan to save sinners like you and me a plan that is declared in the Bible's very first book to pick up John series Genesis of the gospel. Contact us today. The CD album costs $41 and shipping is free to order, call 855 grace or you can order online@jidety.org and as John said, you can also download all nine messages Genesis of the gospel free of charge@tty.org we can read the transcript of the study. And if you benefited from today's lesson you can help other people benefit as we rely on me. Friends like you. Your tax deductible gift translates into verse by verse teaching in your community and others like it throughout most of the English and Spanish speaking world.
So to partner with us in bringing biblical truth to God's people. Call 855 grace or go to our website TTY.org now for John MacArthur and the entire staff on Phil Johnson reminding you to watch grace to you television Sundays on DirecTV channel 378 and then be here next week when John shows you what death means for the believer and for the unbeliever in both cases the end is not the that's the title of the study. John begins on Monday. Don't miss the next 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on race