Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to Growing in Grace with Pastor Victor Morrison. This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas. We are praying that God will bless you as you listen to this message.
Speaker: If you would like additional information on worship times and ministries at FBC Columbus, You can find out more at our website. FBC Columbus TX. dot org. And now... Take your copy of God's Timeless Word as Pastor Victor gives today's message.
Speaker: Welcome to Growing Grace. So glad you're listening today. There is no excuse. for falling into temptation. God even spoke to Cain. with the following words about overcoming sin. way back in Genesis chapter four, verses six through seven.
Speaker: The Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? And why is your face fallen? If you do well. Will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well,
Speaker: Sin is crouching at the door. It's desire. is for you. And you. must rule. over it. You see, Scripture... often gives us clues and promises that will enable us to fall. out of temptation rather than into. temptation.
Speaker: In Luke 22, 40. Jesus said, on reaching the place. He said to them, pray that you will not fall. into temptation. Matthew 26, 41.
Speaker: Watch and pray. so that you will not fall into temptation. The Spirit is willing. but the flesh is wheat. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10, 13,
Speaker: No temptation has overtaken you except... what is common to mankind. And God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted. beyond what you can bear.
Speaker: James said in James 1, 14, but each person is tempted. When they are dragged away. by their own evil desire and enticed.
Speaker: Wow. The Lord has provided ways. for us to overcome temptation. through Christ. And so that's what I want to talk about today as we go back all the way to Genesis. Chapter 3. And we see. where sin first entered into. the human race.
Speaker: Let me read some of these verses in Genesis chapter 3. Now the serpent... was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman,
Speaker: Did God actually say? You shall not eat of any tree in the garden. And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but...
Speaker: God said, you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree. that is in the midst. of the garden Neither shall you touch it. lest you die.
Speaker: But the servant said to the woman, You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it, Your eyes will be opened.
Speaker: And you will be. like God. knowing good and evil. So... When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise.
Speaker: She took of its fruit. And eight. And she also gave some to her husband who was with her. And he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened and they knew. that they were naked.
Speaker: And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves lawn cloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.
Speaker: and the man and his wife. hid themselves. from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God... Call to the man.
Speaker: and said to him, Where are you? And he said, I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself. He said,
Speaker: Who told you? that you were naked. Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? The man said, The woman whom you gave to me to be with me, she gave me fruit.
Speaker: of the tree And I ate. And then the Lord God said to the woman, What is this? that you have done. The woman said, the serpent deceived me. And I ate.
Speaker: The Lord God said to the serpent, because you have done this, Cursed are you above all livestock. and above all, beasts of the field. On your belly. You shall go.
Speaker: and dust. You shall eat. All the days of your life. I will put enmity. Between you. And the woman. and between your offspring. and her offspring.
Speaker: He shall bruise your head. And you? shall bruise his heel. To the woman, he said, I will surely multiply your pain and childbearing. in pain. you shall bring forth children.
Speaker: Your desire? shall be contrary. to your husband. But... He shall rule over you. And to Adam, he said, because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you.
Speaker: you shall not eat of it. Cursed is the ground because of you. In pain. You shall eat of it all the days of your life. thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you and you shall eat the plants of the field.
Speaker: By the sweat of your... face. You shall eat bread. till you return to the ground. For out of it. You were taken. for you are dust, and to dust You shall. returned.
Speaker: Wow, sobering words, isn't it? you know I'm thinking, Lord, What can we learn? from this chapter so that we don't fall into temptation. But and another... In other words, we stay out of temptation. We fall out of temptation.
Speaker: So which way am I leaning today? Am I leading? toward found temptation. Or am I leaning? away. from temptation. let me give you some of the points that I saw in this chapter For example, in verses 1 and 13, I was thinking about deception.
Speaker: Eve said to the Lord in verse 13, The serpent. deceived me. 2 Corinthians 11 .3 It says, but I'm afraid that as the serpent.
Speaker: deceived Eve by his cunning. Your thoughts will be led astray. From a sincere... and pure devotion. to Christ. Even in 1 Timothy 2 .4,
Speaker: Something similar is written. And Adam was not deceived. But the woman was deceived. and became... a transgressor. All of these things verify this one point that I'm trying to make in verse 13.
Speaker: And that is... The enemy. is deceptive We can't trust him. 2 Corinthians 11 verses 13 through 15 speaks to this strategy the enemy will most likely use. in your life to disguise who he is.
Speaker: in order to deceive you. In the following. He is losing. Game plan. Don't fall for it. As a matter of fact, in those three verses, The word disguise. is used in every verse. All three verses, three times. The word disguise is mentioned.
Speaker: Satan is a master of disguise. How did he disguise himself, for example, in verse 1? Now the serpent. was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
Speaker: So he disguised himself as a serpent. But since we have a copy of God's word, and can slowly read through this passage and learn from what it uncovers about God's enemy?
Speaker: We have a definite advantage. that Adam and Eve didn't have. Let me give three of those advantages in terms of his deception. The deceiver has been discovered.
Speaker: You know, verse 1 tells us quite clearly who this was. It says he was more crafty. So just expect it. that he's out there. But also notice, In verse 1, it says, Did God actually say?
Speaker: What was Satan trying to get Eve to do? I believe he was trying to get her to doubt. what had already been delivered to her in truth. Then there was the degree.
Speaker: that has been distorted. Whenever he says in verse 1, Did God actually say? You shall not eat. of any tree. Wow, wasn't that such a twist?
Speaker: He didn't say. They couldn't eat of any tree. He just said, don't eat of. That tree. Yeah. But. You know, Eve admitted To the Lord. when confronted. And here's what she said. The serpent.
Speaker: deceived me. And I ate. So definitely I would say watch out. for deception. Let's look at the defense though. There is a defense. There are certain maneuvers. that I feel. Eve was making?
Speaker: that helped her to overcome the enemy. At least. through verse 3. She was doing pretty good. You see, first she used her free will. To disagree. with the devil's lie.
Speaker: He had just told her. She said, we may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden. So she replied, to Satan's distortion. with truth I think truth is a good defense.
Speaker: Secondly, Eve also used the truth of what God had said by simply declaring the doctrine. You know, if he's going to come to you with some kind of distortion.
Speaker: then why don't you go to him or reply. with what God... Truly said. But God said, you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree. that is in the midst of the garden.
Speaker: If you were to read the Gospels, you would see that Jesus would later defeat the devil. With this same move. of declaring. The Word of God.
Speaker: What does it say he did? In Matthew 4, Verses 1 through 11. Three times Jesus always would say, Thus says the Lord. Thirdly, Eve took the way of escape.
Speaker: You know, do you remember in 1 Corinthians 10, 13? when God says, We will not face... a temptation that's greater. than what we can endure. And remember he said, because I'm always going to make.
Speaker: an exit ramp. a way of escape. And so she should keep her distance. from the danger. and just take the exit ramp. There it is. Just don't go near it.
Speaker: Well, what does it say in verse 3? She tells the devil, neither shall you touch it. lest you die. And so right here, she's using All three. of these very effective...
Speaker: defensive maneuvers. maneuvers Eve used those. And so. The enemy did not have... an upper hand. at this point up until this point.
Speaker: But something changes. In verses four and five. I think that something is something we need to be aware of. You see, the devil offered the first of three evil devices.
Speaker: Rebellion dispute with the deity. She... Heard the devil say, You will not surely die. Wait. God said that she would die and Adam would die if they ate from that tree. But the devil is saying to her quite clearly, you're not going to die.
Speaker: So just first realize. that one of his evil devices is he will get us to dispute. to say, well, God... That's not fair. Or you can't be saying that, Lord.
Speaker: But when God has clearly said it, We should simply trust it. and believe He has our best in mind. But next. He planted a rift. to divide the two young disciples. from their God.
Speaker: Here's what he said in verse 5. God knows. that when you eat of it, You will be like God. So in other words, he's trying to say, Hey, don't you know?
Speaker: that that's what God's preventing you from doing. He doesn't want you to become like Him. And so he's... planting seeds of division. to try to get Adam and Eve away.
Speaker: Keep them away from God. And so the way he does it. He says, you know, that God knows that when you eat of it, You'll be like God. And then...
Speaker: He whispered a rumor. to discredit the design. He says in verse 5, Your eyes will be opened. Knowing good. and evil.
Speaker: So what is he saying to Eve? He's basically saying. Eve! You're missing out. They're so much better. that could be available to you if you'll just follow what I'm trying to tell you. I'm trying to say, it's going to be fine.
Speaker: And so what he's doing here. He's getting her to discredit the design. God. God knows what he's talking about. He doesn't want. Adam and Eve to learn about evil.
Speaker: Up until this point, all they know about is good. And that's all they should know about. But he says, Your eyes will be open knowing good. and evil So he's basically saying, Eve.
Speaker: You're being ripped off. God's holding back. something really special from you. And I see him do that. even in 2026. He's still trying this same old trick.
Speaker: But then verse 6. introduces us. to yet another principle that stood out when I was going through this passage. Genesis 3, 6. speaks to the moment.
Speaker: When Satan tricked Eve. How will he do it? How did he do it? Well. He turned it over to the desires of the flesh. and simply allowed her.
Speaker: internal desires. to replace... her internal devotion. to God. Later, Paul... would write. of the only way to overcome the desires of the flesh.
Speaker: And that is... through the power of the indwelling. Holy Spirit. We can read about that in Galatians 5, verses 16 through 26. but some other time.
Speaker: But what I want you to see is. that he's trying to... Play a game. And what he's trying to play a game with is that human nature, those desires.
Speaker: The flesh... begins to sell. or to promote. The temptation. by causing Eve to debate the decision. that she had previously made.
Speaker: now She's debating the decision. So, it says, when the woman saw. that the tree was good for food. She begins to question. She begins to think, wait a minute.
Speaker: Maybe the serpent is right on this. You know, 1 John 2, verses 15 through 17. warns of something called the desires.
Speaker: of the flesh We have to be careful that our desires are crucified with Christ. It's no longer we that are going to be living. Christ's going to live his life through us.
Speaker: But we have to accept that place. of submission The place. even of death. you know Just like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, when he spoke about discipleship, he said, when ah when Jesus calls a man, he bids him come and die.
Speaker: Are you ready to die to self? To follow Christ, to pick up your cross and follow him? John warned in 1 John 2 verses 15 through 17 of the desires.
Speaker: of the eyes as well as the desires. of the flesh Wow. Notice that the flesh also caused Eve to conclude that the forbidden fruit was Get this.
Speaker: A delight. to the eyes. Beware of the momentary delight that can come from the decoys. of temptation. Just remember, if you've ever been duck hunting,
Speaker: The decoy. it's not real Don't go for it. Satan's... Temptations are nothing more than decoys, just like when you're fishing.
Speaker: And that lure. is shiny for a reason. It's trying to represent something that's not there. But the fish doesn't know. but we can know.
Speaker: Because God shows us here in his word. So just remember. Satan's... ah temptations. They aren't real. So don't let your desires run in that direction. Let your desires run in the Lord's direction.
Speaker: The next way the flesh works. After selling the temptation. And using a decoy. to trick the senses. is the desire. to spread the sin around.
Speaker: What did Eve do next? Eve was so proud. of what she had discovered. That she wanted? to share it Share that moment with Adam. So that's why in verse 6, it goes on to say,
Speaker: She took of its fruit. And eight. And she also gave some to her husband. who was with her. And he ate. through spreading Now she's doubled the danger.
Speaker: Isn't that sad? Look at what's happening here. you know Satan is trying so hard. to discredit God. to create these evil desires within Adam and Eve.
Speaker: They were doing fine. as long as they were standing on the truth of God's word, as long as they were using those defensive maneuvers. But something's happening now.
Speaker: Satan has maneuvers and devices of his own. And so he's trying to get around us. Perhaps another great takeaway then From Genesis chapter 3.
Speaker: It's the C word temptation. takes a woman A man. A marriage. eventually a family. If you go with the temptation.
Speaker: then what is the destination? of that. temptation. This passage will show you The end of the story. But listen.
Speaker: If you're going to read the end of the story, you better brace yourself. because it's pretty bad. They had it pretty good. right there for a while, right? God placed them in the absolute best place there was to be on planet earth.
Speaker: right in the Garden of Eden. One destination. is the personal disgrace. that comes over disobedience. Can you see that? In verse 7,
Speaker: Then the eyes of both were opened. And they knew. that they were naked. I don't think they knew that up to this point But you see, up until this act of disobedience,
Speaker: Adam and Eve only knew good. And we're not even aware of evil. After they ate of the fruit, Now... They know how shameful evil is.
Speaker: and attempted to cover it up. with what? Fig leaves? And they sewed fig leaves together. and made themselves... loincloths. Oh my goodness.
Speaker: Is it really possible? For anyone. anywhere. to cover up their sin. so that God can't see it? Is it even possible for us to cover up sin so that we're not aware of it?
Speaker: so that our conscience doesn't bother us about it. Well, that's one destination. that sin will take you. And if you go with the temptation, then just be prepared.
Speaker: because it leads. to personal disgrace. every single time. we choose disobedience. But there's another destination, and it's really sad.
Speaker: that That other destination that sin takes us to? is disconnection. From Dad. From our Heavenly Father. That's what he really wants anyway.
Speaker: He doesn't want you. to know your creator. He doesn't want you to walk. with your Savior. No, he wants you. to hide from God. He wants you to feel.
Speaker: It's not worth it to go into God's presence. But. Now there's a disruption. in their fellowship with the Lord. Is there a disruption in your fellowship with God?
Speaker: Has something happened in your life some sin. and so what it What it's resulting in is you don't want to have a quiet time. You don't want to be in the Bible. You don't want to go to church. You don't even want to worship.
Speaker: Because it reminds you of God. And a holy he is. It reminds you of how how righteous he is. Well, That's just Satan trying to draw you away. But if you were only aware. of God's Love for you.
Speaker: unconditional love, if you're only aware. of God's grace. of his mercy. of his forgiveness. There's so many reasons. that we need to stay connected. to God. Even after we have sinned, go to him.
Speaker: Run to him with it. You see... Sin's destination station? is also... Get this one. This is the third one. discipline. discipline for the derailment.
Speaker: You know, God had him on a track. And that track was good. God wanted everything that was good and wholesome. for Adam and Eve. But Satan saw that. and he hated it.
Speaker: He didn't want them to experience anything good that God wanted. And so what he wanted. was for them to derail. So when they derailed... There's consequences.
Speaker: You do know sin. has consequences, right? It's so sad when this happens But now... They will not be going through the train stations the Lord had in mind.
Speaker: But instead, They're going to face other stations. as the consequence. for their sin. And these stations... will not be. like the Garden of Eden.
Speaker: If you were to read on in this chapter, you would learn that they were actually removed. from the Garden of Eden, and they were kept out. from it. Man, that's... That's terrible.
Speaker: But let's go to the fourth and the final destination. I'd say this one is probably the worst one of all. The worst part of it all Is the destiny? of death.
Speaker: that sin earns for those who roll the dice. Own temptation. For those who say no to Jesus, No to his blood. no to forgiveness, no to salvation.
Speaker: And they just keep on rolling the dice of temptation. Maybe it's going to give a thrill. It really did look good to the eyes. It really did taste good when I tasted it.
Speaker: Yeah. But... Remember these destinations. You know, whenever he learns, Adam learns in verse 19. by the sweat of your face.
Speaker: You shall eat bread. Till you return to the ground. For out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Wow. I don't think. that God even intended.
Speaker: for Adam and Eve to die at this point. Oh no! He wanted them to live. to live for eternity. But instead... They chose rebellion and they chose sin.
Speaker: And God is just. And God is holy. And so God has to maintain that balance. between his his love. But also. His holiness. And so he has to say.
Speaker: Oh, boy. You know, so the wages of sin is death. But the good news in Christ. is the free gift of God. is eternal life through...
Speaker: His son. the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what we have to offer to people. Whereas at this time, they didn't have it. And so let me read what happened.
Speaker: The man called his wife. It's named Eve. because she was the mother of all living. and the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife. Garments of skins. and clothe them.
Speaker: Then the Lord God said, behold, the man has become like one of us. in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat and live forever.
Speaker: Therefore, the Lord God... sent him out. From the Garden of Eden. to work the ground. from which he was taken. He drove out the man. And at the east...
Speaker: of the Garden of Eden. He placed the cherubim. and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way. to the tree of life. Wow. What a sad ending.
Speaker: It was unnecessary. They knew the way. God told them the way. Just always know. that God... He's going to tell you the truth. He's also going to tell you.
Speaker: something from a heart. that really loves you. When he says, don't do it. You can trust him. because He loves you and and wants you to experience His best.
Speaker: But when you go for sin, When I go for sin, when we choose rebellion and resistance. to the God who made us. and who loves us. We're going to suffer. consequences.
Speaker: We're going to go to destinations that God never meant for us to go through in our life. and we Definitely don't want to go to that destination called hell.
Speaker: that's out there in eternity. When he sent his son. so that we could go to the destination called? Heaven. That's where he wants us to go. He made hell for the devil and his angels.
Speaker: But, oh. how he longs for us to come through Christ. because it is through Christ. that we can be forgiven. Whenever we're deceived, Whenever we let down our guard and then Satan begins to wreck our lives and we go through these. different train stations of disgrace and disconnection and derailment. and eventually death.
Speaker: And that's when... God says, let me forgive you. Let me wash you clean. through the blood of my Perfect son. who laid down his life for us on that cross.
Speaker: So I just hope. that Genesis 3... will be something you can refer to. time and time again. You know Genesis chapter 3 is the beginning. of mankind's fall. into temptation.
Speaker: Romans 5 connects Adam's sin with our tendency to sin. Romans 5 .12 states, therefore, just as sin... came into the world.
Speaker: through one man. and death through sin. And so death. spread. to all men. Because all sinned. But while that is definitely true, and that's the way it happens.
Speaker: where it's also true. that when Jesus perfectly obey the Father. Now he offers us... Life. life through his son. life through the perfect atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker: I think it's possible. For us. through Christ, not in the flesh, but through Christ. to fall out. of temptation. rather than to fall in. to temptation.
Speaker: So why don't you... Ask Jesus Christ. to be your Lord and Savior if you've never done that. Turn in repentance. and turn in faith. repentance from your sin, but turn in faith and trust into what Jesus did for you. on that cross So let me pray for you that you will. Lean away from sin. and away from temptation rather than leaning in.
Speaker: toward temptation. Let's pray together. Oh Lord, I thank you so much for those listening today. Oh, please strengthen them. Lord, we have an enemy and he's your enemy.
Speaker: And you know exactly his ways. And I believe that's why you preserved the word of God. so that you can expose him. And the way he tricks us, the way he manipulates us, he lies to us and deceives to us. And so help us, oh Lord, to...
Speaker: Hold strongly to your truth. Help us to trust you. whenever we don't understand. Maybe there's something that the world is saying, okay. Maybe there's something that a friend in our life is saying, that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. But yet your word is said.
Speaker: It's not okay. Stay away from it. So help us, O Lord, to find strength in the Holy Spirit. the strength that can even overcome the desires of the flesh.
Speaker: And so help us, oh Lord, just to rely upon you. We need you and we love you. And so, Lord, guide us. as we go through the rest of our day and through the rest of our week. Thank you so much for giving us.
Speaker: Victory. in Jesus Christ. It's in his wonderful and powerful name we pray. Amen. Friend, thank you so much for listening today. I pray that God has blessed you through this message.
Speaker: This is a ministry of First Baptist Church, located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.
