God Gives Hope In Despair (Genesis 3:1-24) A. This time of year carries a lot of excitement & enthusiasm. 1. The most wonderful time of the year. Colossians 1:27 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. B. In the dawn of history (Gen 3) there was also a great need for hope. 1 2. There is a lot of talk about peace on earth & good will to men. 3. And yet there is very little peace in this world. 4. All the gifts & activities people exchange are only momentary distractions from the difficulty of life. 5. What the human race really needs is the true & lasting HOPE provided by God. Colossians 1:5 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel Colossians 1:23 23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established & steadfast, & not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, & of which I, Paul, was made a minister. 1. The woman had been deceived (Satan). The man had been rebellious. They had know-ledge of things they didn t need know. 2. So God Himself pronounced the dismal consequences of their sins. 3. They were cast away from the intimate fellowship of His presence. 4. They were forced to leave the fruitfulness of the garden to face a hard life. 5. Things couldn t have been much worse for mankind than when sin entered God s perfect world. [But it was at this darkest hour that God gave them a ray of HOPE. There were 3 things God gave Adam & Eve that speak of HOPE even after they had wrecked their perfect fellowship with God.]
I. A NEW NAME FOR THE WOMAN (3:20) Genesis 3:20 20 Now the man called his wife s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. A. The first name Eve was given was woman. Genesis 2:23 23 The man said, This is now bone of my bones, & flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 1. Woman Ish : man, shah : out of. B. So HOW is there any HOPE in a name change? 1. Considering the fact that God had just cursed the woman & Adam (3:13-19), why didn t Adam name her mother of all the doomed instead of mother of all the living? a. Because God had given them hope. Genesis 3:15 (Curse on the serpent) 15 And I will put enmity between you & the woman, & between your seed & her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, & you shall bruise him on the heel. b. The promise of a redeemer; someone that could restore peace between them (man) & God; someone that could truly put down or destroy the Adversary who had brought this horrible event on them. Hebrews 2:14-15 14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh & blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 & might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. 1 John 3:8 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. Ephesians 1:7 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace. C. While we re on the subject of name changes, if you are in Christ Jesus your name has been changed to a name that gives you hope too. 2 Corinthians 6:18 18 And I will be a father to you, & you shall be sons & daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty. (Gal 3:26) 2
1 John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; & such we are. 1. But there are other names promised to those who are in Christ. c. So by naming her, God was having Adam call the woman & the man back to God s original order. [When sinful Adam looked tenderly at his sinful wife & said, You are Eve! --- it set in motion a great stream of hope that we share in today! Hope of a new name.] Revelation 3:11-12 11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, & he will not go out from it anymore; & I will write on him the name of My God, & the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, & My new name. a. These 3 names depict: fellowship with God, the redeemed, & the Redeemer (Jesus C. the Victor over Satan & death). 2. A side point: To name something is to have authority over it (2:20). a. When Adam named the Woman the mother of all the living he was establishing the gender roles. b. You see, Adam had failed to protect & lead his wife, & the woman had not been subject to her husband. II. A NEW COVERING (3:21) Genesis 3:21 21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam & his wife, & clothed them. A. You remember the covering that Adam & Eve had on was inadequate (3:7). 1. They tried to cover their shame (caused by their sins) but they were unsuccessful, & so God interceded. 2. The great lesson for us is that man cannot redeem himself (that is, restore his honor or his worth) in the eyes of His Creator. a. Man cannot devise a plan that will cover the effects of his sins, only God can... 3
B. The plan God devised to redeem man required a death (implied in 3:21). 1. Up to then, man had never seen an animal die & its blood poured out on the ground. 2. But death was required to make this new covering to hide the shame of their sins (Heb 9:22). 3. Just having their nakedness covered gave them hope; they had been living in fear. 4. But the death of that animal (those animals) & their new clothing from God foreshadowed an even greater death for a greater covering. 1. Just as Adam & Eve put on those animal skins to cover their nakedness & the shame of their sins, we today must be clothed with Christ. How do we do that? Galatians 3:26-27 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 2. And what s more, those who are clothed with Christ will one day wear a covering that can never grow threadbare. 2 Corinthians 5:4 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. Hebrews 9:12 12 and not through the blood of goats & calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. John 1:29 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him & said, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! C. But in order for God s plan to take effect, we must put on Christ. [A third thing that speaks of hope.] III. A NEW HOME (3:22) Genesis 3:22-23 22 Then the Lord God said, Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good & evil; & now, he might stretch out his hand, & take also from the tree of life, & eat, & live forever 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 4
A. In the Hebrew text of Scripture, there is no ending to verse 22. 1. It s almost like God was saying that the thought was too awful to finish. B. How does God know evil (22)? 1. Not by experience, --- but by relating all things to Himself. a. All that is consistent with Him is good, & all that is not is evil. b. Man sinned because he related the world to himself rather than to God. c. Man has been doing that ever since. 3. And the reason God gave for expelling them from the garden was not wrath, but mercy. a. God was not afraid that man would take over God s supremacy. b. No, God acted out of concern for the man s destiny. c. If they had eaten of the tree of life, in their sinful state, in their corrupt bodies, they would have lived in that sinful state everlastingly. 4. So God removed them from the tree of life & gave mankind a new (temporary) home. D. How was this new home for Adam & Eve an object of hope? 5 C. A new home became necessary for Adam, Eve. 1. It was a home where man would tempted to do what is right in our own eyes (Jud 21:25), which is a recipe for anarchy & immorality. 2. But this new home was the best of option man had - now that he had sinned. Genesis 3:24 24 So He drove the man out; & at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim & the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. CLOSING 1. God left the garden within man s view, because He intended to restore one like it in Heaven (TONIGHT Rev 22:1-3, 14).
A. It pleased God to approach Adam & Eve, even though they had sinned. 4. There are no cherubim guarding that tree; there s no flaming sword keeping you away from the tree of Calvary. 1. God told Adam & Eve the consequences of their sin. 5. Only your pride can keep you from coming. 2. He communicated His disapproval & then gave them new clothes & new name. a. That s the gospel message. Isn t it odd that a being like God, Who sees the facade, Still loves the clod, He made out of sod, Now isn t that odd? B. But we must approach God in a manner that pleases Him, because we have all sinned. 1. Not covered with the leaves of tree which may look beautiful to us. 2. We ve got to look to another tree. A tree raised up on Calvary. Why? 3. Because the blood of the innocent Lamb of God - who died on that tree - can cover the guilt of your sins. 6