Genesis 3:1 (NIV)
1Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
The serpent that Genesis is referring to is most certainly Satan. Although Genesis never says that this serpent is anything other than a serpent, we must look at the Bible as a whole. Revelations 12:9 tells us, ‘9And the great dragon was thrown down, the SERPENT OF OLD who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.’ Satan is the craftiest of all the creatures God has made. But the Scriptures tell us in 2 Corinthians 2:10-11, ‘If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven--if there was anything to forgive--I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.’ We are not ignorant of his devices. Satan is the “father of lies” (John 8:44). Satan lies to us in more ways than we can imagine. He lied to Eve to deceive her in the very beginning and he hasn’t stopped lying yet. But there is coming a day when Satan will have to stop his lies (Revelation 20:10) ‘And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.’
Satan challenges the authority of God. We can see him challenging what God said right in Genesis. "Did God really say...?" as if Eve may have misunderstood God. If God said it, He said it. There isn’t anyway around that. God’s word is perfect as is the One who spoke it. Many times Christians will find themselves examining the words to twist them into what they want them to say. When you start doing that you are headed in the Devil’s direction. We should examine God’s word for what it actually says. Not what some preacher on TV or at church said it said and not what your parents said it said, but what GOD said! Once we have found what the word of God said we should accept it and not try to mess with it to satisfy our own desires.
Satan is the ultimate example of pessimism. The Devil always sees the glass half-empty. Here Adam and Eve were in a garden in which every this was fully supplied. If there were ever any humans that had every single need met it was Adam and Eve. The Wicked One always reminds us of something that our worldly flesh does not have but let me remind you Child of God, in Christ Jesus we lack nothing that is good. If we don't have it, you don't need it, or God you will receive it in His perfect time. Satan's portrayal of who God is, is constantly contradictory of who He actually is. Satan tries to make God a miserable, egotistical, trying taskmaster when in actuality He is the opposite of each and every one of those things. Do you want to know what Satan’s goal is? He wants to make us believe that God is like him. Our God is perfect and good and nothing about Satan even begins to claim those words. Rebellion of authority, misrepresentation of His Word, and discontentment with God's nature and condition in your time on this Earth are Satan's primary lines of assault. Don’t fall for these lies! Remember that in Christ you have all good possessions.
Genesis 3:6 (NIV)
6When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
(1 John 2:15-17) ‘15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.’ Here we see that the world consists of the lust of the eyes, the desire of the flesh, and the satisfaction of living. As soon as Satan had gotten Eve to question God she looked at the fruit. We, all of the Child of God, are to walk by faith and not by sight. Christians are called to see everything in the eternal perspective. Often times we do not think about the consequences of our actions. For every action there is a consequence, good or bad. We should see the world with spiritual eyes and not be mislead by what we see in this world. Keeping your eyes on Jesus is the only way to do this. When Eve lost sight of the Eternal and looked at the physical she thought, “That fruit looks like it would be good!” Was it good? As good as death! Eve allowed her thoughts, feelings, and human desire to deceive her instead of believing what God had said.
This should be a lesson to us. Things of the world never really satisfy! We often believe the lie that something of this world (money, drugs, food, or sex) can fill the void that is within us. So we strive to get these things and what do we find? We find that we are even emptier than before. Sure there may be some kind of instant gratification but it fades and we are right back were we started. Soon we find that we need more and more of whatever it is to help us feel any better. You know where this path will lead? A very empty life with a very empty death. That void within you and me can only be filled by the everlasting, undying, perpetual, immeasurable God.
There was an once of truth to Satan’s lie that the fruit would make her wise. She would soon know what it was like to go against God, to experience sorrow, to be estranged from His presence, to dread His justice righteousness.
The desires mentioned in 1 John 2 are still in the world today. They are a part of the world. But do not forget 1 John 2:17, ‘The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.’ Lord, help us to see that happiness is only found in You alone.
Genesis 3:15 (NIV)
15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
Here God tells us that he will deal with sin. This is the first place in His Word that he tells us this. God tells us of the effect of sin in Genesis but He also gives us hope with a promise and He gives Satan a warning. He tells Satan that there will be hatred between himself and man and that the seed of the women would be in conflict with the offspring of Satan. Satan is out to murder, steal, and annihilate everything that God is. John 10:10 gives those who believe this promise, ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’ Not abundantly in the temporal world necessarily but in the Kingdom of God.
God quickly gave mankind hope in their faith. Everyone who lived before Christ looked forward to their Victor of the evil one in faith just as we look back to the same Victor who did come and die for our sins with our own faith. Jesus was the one who crushed Satan’s head. Jesus gave us a way of breaking free of Satan’s authority in our lives, the authority we gave him in our sin. Satan attempted to sink his teeth into our Redeemer many times, but his failure ended in his defeat and our deliverance/salvation. Do we live in the freedom that Christ gave us when he defeated Satan? Do we live in the power of the risen Victor? Help us lord to trust in the freedom that you have so gratuitously give us.
Genesis 4:7 (NIV)
7If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
This bit of scripture with Cain and Able has always interested me. I have always wondered why God was not pleased with Cain’s offering. God was pleased with the lamb that Abel offered but not Cain’s grain. Why? Well we really do not know for sure. The only thing that I have been able to come up with is that Cain’s heart wasn’t in the right place. God looks at our hearts to know if what we are doing is with good intentions. Cain must have been extremely jealous of his brother to murder him. I would be willing to bet that there were many other things about Able that Cain was jealous of. The girt of grain in itself was not the issue because we know that later on God accepted grain offerings from the Israelites. The offering here was a representation of Cain’s heart. Cain for what ever reason did not do what was right with his heart. Because of this his offering was not accepted.
Once sin enters our lives it just leads to more sin. God warned Cain of this. Satan’s goal is for us to allow sin to overcome our lives. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us, ‘Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.’ Satan longs to devour our lives. Satan wants us to allow sin to dominate us, to rule over us, and ultimately bring our destruction. God told Cain the only way to defeat this is to master it. Don't let sin master you.
So I ask, is there sin waiting at the door waiting to dominate my life or your life? We should MASTER IT! We master sin by looking to our Savior. Jesus’ resurrected life gives us the power to master sin instead of allowing it to devour our life.
If we are caught in what may seem like a never ending cycle of sin, we can defeat our enemy by the power of the risen King, the same King that crushed the rule of the Devil himself.
Luke 2:8-10 (NIV)
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
Doesn’t it seem appropriate that God sent this message to these shepherds? This is the style of God in full view. Shepherds had fallen to near the bottom of the social ladder in the thousand years between King David and Jesus. This to me is a sign of how true this story must have been. Why would Luke chose such unreliable people to write about if he was just making the whole thing up. If this was a hoax Luke would have chosen someone with a higher social standing than a shepherd for the angels to have announces this news to. But God in his infinite wisdom choice shepherds to hear this great news first.
Mary declared that God lifted up the humble. He fills the hungry full and the needy with good things but those who are “rich” go away empty. The first people other than His parents to see Jesus were these humble shepherds. And why wouldn’t they be? Jesus himself was born in one of the most humble places I can think of. The Word of God is not for people who are full but instead for those who are hungry.
The angels' announcement was good news for ALL people. This was not just for the Jews or only for the poor. This news was for all who hungered, all who were seeking, and all who would receive it! I can not think of any greater joy than knowing that God loved you and me so much that He sent His only Son to make a way for us to come to Him. (John 3:16) ‘For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.’ This is still great news for us today. This should be the greatest joy for ALL people! Have you found this great joy in your life? If not you are missing out on what God intended for you from the beginning of time.
Luke 2:29-32 (NIV)
29"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. 30For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
The last plague of Egypt was the killing of the firstborn. God delivered Israel from the last plague by having them put the blood of the lambs on the doorposts. Ever since then God had claimed the right to every firstborn male. The parents had to buy back the child with an offering. Joseph and Mary had gone to the temple to make this offering to God. Upon arrival at the temple, a man named Simeon welcomed them. He was not a ritualistic religious leader like many of the others of his day. He communicated with the Holy Spirit and the Spirit told him that he would not die until he saw the Messiah, the Anointed One, that would save his people.
As soon as Simeon saw the baby he knew in his heart that this baby was the One. Once he had seen Jesus he was ready to die. He had seen the salvation that God prepared for everyone right before his very eyes. This baby was the one that would fulfill all of the prophesies and would bring hope and light to all of the people.
Simeon waited his whole life for the arrival of our Father’s salvation, Jesus. Once he had seen Him he was content. Why should we be any different? We know that he has come and died for our sins and rose again. Just knowing that God has granted us a way to come to him with boldness, that He loved us so much that He sent His only son should be enough for us. Everything about Simeon longed for the instant of Christ’s arrival. Today we should also long, with equal passion, for His return.
Luke 2:48-49, 52 (NIV)
48When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." 49"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"
52And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
It was the custom of that day that a man was a disciple of an instructor until they were thirty. Jesus had to grow and learn just as we do today. Hebrews 5:8 tells us that, ‘Even though Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.’ Luke 2:52 tells us He also grew in wisdom. Jesus as a human experienced learning and growing just as we do today but at the same time had the wisdom of God. Young Jesus' mind was completely surrendered to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. I am sure that the Rabbis at this temple were wondering which Rabbi had been teaching Jesus as he asked them questions and even answered theirs. Jesus listened to the ultimate teacher, The Rabbi, the Holy Spirit.
When his parents had found him in the temple and took him to go back home, the Bible tells us that he submitted Himself to them as an obedient child until His ministry began. His being, which was full with love, happiness, tranquility and fortitude, increase his favor with God and mankind. Jesus good-naturedly learned and anticipated the call for His task to commence. Sometimes we forget that the tree doesn’t immediately produce fruit and become discouraged. We must remember that we have to learn before we can truly start trying to produce fruit. Just as a tree, we Christians have to be planted, fertilized, pruned, watered, and nurtured before we can bare fruit. Some of this learning may be difficult just as it was for Jesus who learned from His suffering. Lord, I pray that You would help me to grow in wisdom and knowledge, learning through the good times and the bad that I may be an instrument of Your will and produce good fruit for Your everlasting Kingdom.
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