"The War of the Rebellion!" Genesis 3:1-21

Invocabit, The First Sunday In Lent                         6-March-2022
Sermon Text: Genesis 3:1- 21
Sermon Theme: The War of The Rebellion! by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. “Psa 33:6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” The Psalmist sings forth the truth of Creation. Our universe isn’t the result of a random chance explosion, it is carefully crafted and spoken into existence by the Creator. The Lord God spoke His Word those first six 24 hour days of the existence of all things and created all matter and life. The Lord’s Word still is at work in His creation - it causes life to spring forth new again - as flowers bloom, deer give birth, trees set their buds, and families are blessed with babies. If the Lord were to remove His life sustaining Word our creation would cease to exist. This is the awesome power of His Word spoken and His love and care for what He has created.
    “Has God indeed said...”Satan spoke to our first parents in paradise. Satan was one of the angels created by God separate from humanity. He rebelled against God’s Word and loving care. Scripture records, Rev 12:7-9 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, (8) but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. (9) So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Satan and his other rebellious angels were cast out from heaven. Hell is prepared by God as the final eternal punishment and prison for the devil and all his angels. Satan cast down to the earth, quickly worked to subvert the creation which the Lord God had called “very good.”   It was with the creation of mankind as two distinct sexes - male and female - God’s ordering of marriage as the union of one man and one woman for life - and the blessing of marriage to be fruitful, bear children, and raise them in their Creator’s Word - that all was pronounced “very good.” Mankind was give dominion over all of creation and its creatures - to tend and care for all the Lord God had made.
  Satan attacks mankind, the crown of God’s creation, to spread “The War of The Rebellion” here on earth.
  History records, (vs.1) In the New Testament, God the Holy Spirit teaches us to watch out for false teachers who seek to rob us of Christ’s Word and work- “2Co 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. (14) And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. (15) Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” Just as Satan masquerades as an “angel of light” his false preachers fain preaching a “new righteousness” while they steal the clear written Word of God away from us. The Lord God only allowed Satan to appear as a serpent, a creature under our first parent’s rule, not as an angel of light.
    Satan is a murderer and liar from the beginning. He cannot stand in the truth, for he is a liar and the father of all lies. His tactics have not changed. He seeks to steal God’s Word away from taking root in you. The root of all false teaching begins with “has God indeed said...”. Then men trusting in their fallen feelings, experiences, wisdom, or own self chosen spiritual ways - are deceived by Satan to turn from God’s written Word and turn inward trusting in themselves. This tactic worked effectively on our first parents and their descendants. Now the second Adam is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to battle Satan for us. Forty days Jesus fasts. He is hungry, unlike the first Adam who had plenty of fruit trees, all He has are rocks. Satan attacks - “If you are a Son of God...” God the Father had spoken at Jesus’ baptism, ‘This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased!” Satan appearing to Jesus as a fallen angel, says ‘Has God indeed said...You are the Son of God?”
      Satan still attacks Christians with doubt to steal God’s Word from them. He turns you to trust what you feel, experience, think, or have done, or not done - rather than God’s Word. “Are you a child of God?” Look only to the Word God has spoken to you - “I baptize you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!” 1Jn 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” Live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God - recorded in the Holy Bible and spoken to you within Christ’s Church. It is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and the very power of our living Christ.
      Satan’s second weapon is to whisper, “Gen 3:1 , "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" If I were to ask a child - “it is true that your parents said, ‘You can’t ever have any candy?” I am trying to alienate that child from trusting his parents love and care for him. So Satan’s second attack is to play your feelings and experiences to convince you that God doesn’t care. When tragedy happens Satan whispers through his allies in our world, “If there was a loving God - He wouldn’t let this happen.” Or Satan lies that the Lord God only gave the Ten Commandments because He doesn’t want you to have any fun. Satan will play your desires that breaking God’s Law is real living. He lies. Loving parents set rules to protect their children, not to punish them. Our Loving Creator imprinted our hearts with His Law to protect us from sin and death - not to punish. He gave us His Ten Commandments because He loves us. Love is the fulfillment of the Law. God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. Christ’s love flowing through us to our neighbor as we serve them in our various callings.
    Adam and his wife were created with a free will, entrusted with God’s Word, and invited to feast with their Creator at the Tree of Life. The Lord God also placed the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in Eden for them to love and trust in Him by obeying His Word and not eat of it. Sadly history records, (vs.2-5) Satan rebels against God’s order of creation and engages the woman in a theological debate - while Adam stood by her side silent. Satan lies. He promises breaking God’s command will give them power - they can be like God - determine good and evil for themselves. Our creation groans in the sad aftermath of the war of the rebellion. Rebelling against the Lord God brought pain, suffering, and death into this once perfect world. (Vs.16-19) Satan murdered all of mankind, all of creation, by leading Adam to willingly give himself into the rebellion. Death isn’t natural - it is the result of Adam’s sin as the head of all creation. All mankind conceived in a natural way are born in Adam’s rebellion - spiritually dead in sin, with a rebellious heart. We have no free will in spiritual matters, born from Adam we confess with David, “Psa 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” We are born in sin and captive to Satan’s lies and chained by the fear of death.
    Our first mother doubts God’s clear Word and trusts in herself. (vs.6-7) The woman trusts in what she saw, felt, and desired. Satan promised them that this was a new pathway to commune with God - to be like Him. She eats and gives Adam , standing next to her, the fruit to eat. Instead of god like power - they are filled with shame, guilt, and chained in fear. Satan who a moment before posed as a white spiritual devil promising greater communion with God, now turns into a black devil - accusing them of their sin and shame - chaining them to run with him. Now like Satan, they seek to hide their sin from their loving Creator with camouflage clothing of fig leaves.
    The Lord God will not allow mankind to be so easily torn from His loving hand. (Vs. 8-12) No longer can rebellious man see God face to face and live. Sin had totally corrupted human nature. In love the Lord Christ hides Himself in His Word and comes seeking lost Adam and his wife by preaching, “Where are you?” Contrary to Satan’s lie the Lord God cares for you. He watches over you as a Shepherd tends His sheep. He comes seeking the lost. He calls Adam to repentance. To be honest and confess his sin. Adam plays the blame game. It isn’t his fault - it’s God’s fault for He gave him that woman. (Vs. 13) The woman admits that she was deceived by the serpent and ate breaking God’s command. Beware of your fallen flesh - stop making excuses for your sin - Satan plays you - He enlists the world to chime in that it isn’t your fault - or encourages you to be proud of your sin - your flesh wants to defend itself - not wanting to be honest. Scripture is clear, 1Jn 1:8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” Stop falling down to worship self, Satan, and our fallen world’s corrupt values - worship the Lord God alone and serve Him alone!
    Satan will not prevail. (Vs.14-15) Satan will eat dust. He will not rule over God’s creation, though he has deceived and murdered many through 6,000 years of our world’s history chaining them in death and hell with him. The Lord God declared war that day. Enmity - hatred is put into the woman and all who cling to her hope in childbirth. From the woman a single Male Seed will be born. He will enter this fallen creation to restore all that Satan corrupted. He will crush Satan’s head with His heel. He will take all of Satan’s venom of sin, accusations, and death into His own flesh. It will course through His veins as He carries it to the cross and dies once for all mankind. Then He will burst the bonds of death - to reconcile us to our God and Father - making all things new for us - His resurrection will seal to us the truth of our bodily resurrection on the Last Day and the Life of the World to come! We have His Word on it!
      Adam, made alive by this Gospel promise, honors his wife with a new name. (Vs.20) No longer is she “ishsha” she is “Eve” the “mother of all living” for from a woman the Christ would be born to bring life to this world by His innocent sacrifice. (Vs.21) Death came to Eden that day. An innocent animal - perhaps sheep - were slaughtered. The death our first parents deserved fell upon them, so that they could be clothed, their nakedness covered, their sin atoned for, life eternal promised in the Savior to come.
      Dear Christian rejoice! The War of the Rebellion ended upon Calvary. On the Cross the Innocent Lamb of God took away the sin of the world - all my sin- all your sin. He cried out in victory - it is finished! Laying down His life into our death and the grave. He rescued us from death and the devil by His physical resurrection. Now He washes you forgiven with His Holy precious blood at the font. He clothes His perfect life upon you and Satan loses all claim and right to accuse you before God’s judgment throne. You are His - He saves you! Amen.