“Opened eyes”
1. A lot of books have been written about “promises from God.”
2. I have never heard of a book entitled, “Satan’s promises” or “promises from Hell.”
3. I have also never heard a preacher preach on “promises from the Devil.”
SUCH A STUDY, HOWEVER, MIGHT PROVIDE A FASCINATING WAY TO STUDY THE BIBLE, AND WE MAY ONE DAY EXPLORE SOME OF SATAN’S PROMISES.
a) Today we want to look at one of the promises Satan made; the text has already been introduced.
b) Satan came to Eve and asked a very sly question.
c) He asked if all the trees in the garden were off limits.
2) Certain questions can often evoke a typical response from most people.
3) For instance, if we point and say, “Who just came in the door?” people typically turn and look.
4) Had we been Eve, we may have answered Satan’s question in the same way she did.
5) Eve said not all the trees were off limits; the majority of them could be used for food.
a) There was a tree in the “midst” (center) of the garden (verse 3) that had prohibited fruit.
b) The fruit was forbidden as was just touching this tree.
c) Satan said God’s warning was a lie (verse 4). Touching the tree would not terminate life.
d) Instead of punishment, touching the tree would bring a blessing – verse 5 – READ.
6) People can sometimes be unpredictable.
7) Just when we think someone is convinced about something, they may up and change on us.
8) Eve seemed pretty convinced to stay away from this tree (thus far she had avoided it).
9) Satan told her it was okay and now we find Eve shifting her thinking.
10) She ate the fruit (and most likely touched the tree). She also gave some of the fruit to her husband.
11) Satan promised her that her “eyes would be opened.” This was a promise straight from depths Hell.
12) This promise was exactly right – verse 7 – READ.
13) A lot of people “want their eyes opened” when it comes to sin.
a) People are curious about something that is wrong and they think, “let’s try it.”
b) The time to try out sin may be the college years.
c) A person may leave home, and like the young man in Lk. 15, engage in “riotous living.”
d) We have politicians who admit to drug use or experimentation with drugs while in college.
e) Some who have never been exposed to alcohol go to college and take the opportunity to try liquor.
f) Before the college years arrive there are plenty of people who want to see what sin is like.
g) After this time people continue to investigate various kinds of sin.
14) Genesis 3 offers some insight on the temptation to learn about sin.
15) Genesis 3 is the sole text for this morning, and we want to make several points from this chapter.
a) According to verse 1, Satan was “subtle” (crafty).
b) The devil is someone who is very prepared to disguise his true intentions.
c) If people could see where sin leads, they would usually not pursue it.
d) Some of the “anonymous” addiction groups have their own literature.
e) People in A. Anonymous often read from a book that describes experiences with alcohol.
f) The stories in the so-called “big book” are both sad and interesting.
g) A lot of the people in this group didn’t start out by drinking all their systems could hold.
h) Members of A. Anonymous have taken the time to reveal the details of how they got started.
i) Some lives were opened up to just a little alcohol and that small opening got big.
j) Many lost jobs, families, their houses, friends, driver’s license, and even freedom (in jail).
k) All those possible consequences were not posted on the bottle they drank from.
l) Satan is subtle when it comes to sin. Sin has fine print the devil doesn’t want us to consider.
16) Let’s take another illustration—one we can directly relate to the church.
17) Sharing information is good; we learn things by talking to others.
18) Sharing information is a means, in essence, a way to open our eyes (make us aware of new things).
19) What happens if the information we share is not good—perhaps something like gossip?
20) In a case as this Satan again succeeds.
21) Gossip in the work place has destroyed careers and even families. It has prevented promotions.
22) In the church, gossip can tear apart a congregation.
23) If Satan is the one opening our eyes to sin in any form, the end result may be very, very bad.
24) Let’s take one more illustration—this one from the world.
a) A child is in an environment that is somehow lacking in support.
b) One day someone comes along and says, “I have some friends who would like to meet you.”
c) The friends are a gang—a violent gang.
d) Initially the child’s eyes are opened to just one thing: friends—people who will care for him.
e) Here is the support network that he does not get in his home environment so he joins up.
f) Then he learns about the initiation rights and the run-ins with the police. Soon prison time follows.
25) Satan is good at promising a better life and says this life will come if we will only open our eyes.
26) Adults, and especially Christian adults, should know better.
27) Young people in Christian homes should be warned about his methodology again and again.
28) Sin is often packaged attractively and sometimes people forget the warnings.
IF WE LOOK AT PEOPLE WHO HAVE CHOSEN SIN AND “HAD THEIR EYES OPENED,” WE WILL OFTEN FIND A SENTIMENT FROM THEM THAT GOES SOMETHING LIKE THIS:
a) “I wish I could go back; I wish I had never made that choice; I wish I could choose again.”
b) A person in prison often has these thoughts.
c) A person who is addicted to something often wishes he or she could return to a previous time in life.
d) Gang members think back to life before the gang and wish time could be rolled back.
e) Having our eyes opened to sin is painful; many have testified to this fact.
2) Examples of this abound in society and we have the testimony from the third chapter in Genesis.
3) Look at verse 8 - READ.
a) Satan had given a great sales pitch (just as many in the world do concerning sin).
b) Eve had listened, and she had persuaded her husband.
c) They were promised opened eyes (newfound knowledge), and that is exactly what they got.
4) Were these two people proud of their knowledge? Were they ready to show it off?
5) Let’s back up to verse 7 – READ.
a) Before God showed up on the scene (verse 8), this couple felt shame and guilt.
b) The text say “they knew” (they realized) what had happened; their opened eyes led to their disgrace.
c) They were no longer willing to be out in the open without clothing.
d) Opened eyes meant a guilty conscience for the first couple.
e) A lot of times in the world we may be mocked for not doing or not trying something.
f) People may scorn us because we will not do what others are doing.
g) God says that’s okay.
h) It’s good to be ignorant about some things and this includes sin.
i) In the case of the first couple, having the “eyes opened” meant problems and work.
j) Adam and Eve had to create some clothing and other negative consequences soon followed.
k) The humiliation this couple experienced because of their “opened eyes” was intense.
6) We see them making clothing in verse 7. God calls to them in verse 9.
7) In verse 10 the man said he was “hiding.”
8) After the eyes were opened to sin, it was not enough to just make clothing.
9) Adam also sought to conceal Himself from God’s presence or view.
a) For at least 20 years they has been a movement for sexually active teens.
b) The most common expression of it is “secondary virginity.”
c) The thrust of this idea is that sexually active teens stop being involved with fornication.
d) Active teens came to realize some of the consequences from their actions after their eyes are opened.
e) Many have tried to go back and restore a pure life.
f) Returning to a pure life is the right thing to do and this course has value.
g) After the eyes are opened to fornication, they cannot be fully closed.
h) An older generation expressed the thought with different wording: the horse is out of the barn.
i) Or, it is too late to shut the barn door. Lots of similar illustrations can be given.
j) If we remove the lid from a can of vegetables, the can has been opened.
k) We can re-seal the can and do some preserving, but we cannot re-install the factory lid.
10) Before we open our eyes to sin or what might be sin, we need to look long and hard.
11) There are multiple reasons for this, but one reason is clearly stated in Gen. 3 – verse 13 – READ.
a) Not long ago I had to overnight a package by Fed Ex.
b) The package did not arrive overnight and some people were demanding that I tell them where it was.
c) Thankfully I had saved my copy of the shipment tag and the package was traced.
d) The tag showed me to be blameless; Fed Ex was the one at fault for the failed shipment.
e) People can demand answers that put us on the spot and we need to reply or account for something.
12) Imagine standing before God and having God say (demand), “explain this to me.”
13) Justify your actions.
14) “Why did you open your eyes to this sin.”?
15) This was what happened to Adam, and Adam tried to blame his wife (verse 12).
16) Eve had some responsibility and God also spoke to her.
17) If we open our eyes to sin, we create a debt that is called sin.
18) This chapter shows some of the consequences that come from sin.
19) Someone, somehow, sometime needs to answer for this debt. An explanation and payment must be given.
20) People often open their eyes to sin because they think they will gain something.
21) Sin is sought or at least tried because people think they are missing out on something good.
a) Satan sold that idea in the garden but God tells us the opened eyes only brought pain.
b) Instead of gain and fun, the results were pain and work.
c) Verses 22-24 – READ.
22) Eve allowed her eyes be opened and they were.
23) Her eyes were opened to pain in childbearing.
24) Her eyes were opened to the fact that she could, would, and did lose her perfect home.
25) Her eyes were opened to the fact that she would need to make clothing.
26) Her eyes were opened to an altered relationship with her husband.
27) Her eyes were opened to a world where one of her sons killed his brother.
28) Her eyes were opened to a way of life that was harsh in many ways and she could not go back.
29) The world says again and again, “open your eyes to sin. Look at what we have and can offer.”
30) God says keep them closed.
31) God would have us “wise unto that which is good and simple unto that which is evil.”
32) Have we opened our eyes to God and His word and decided to close our eyes to sin?