SESSION 2 - UNDERSTANDING THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FALL

1. INTRODUCTION:

Last week and this week we have been and are going to look at the 2 foundational truths or two unchangeable realities we need to know about ourselves.

Last week we looked at who I am by Creation. That is, by Creation I am made in the image of a God of relationship and that I was created FOR relationship - primarily for relationship with God and then for relationship with others.

Therefore, by Creation I am constructed to discern my significance by reflection. That is reflection as to who I am in God the Father’s eye’s, not through the eye’s of family, friends, piers or our society.

I was created with a view to relationship with God, whereby I would learn the character of God, live under the blessing of God and experience the result of dominion (leadership and control) with fruitfulness (success).

But sadly, God’s design on my life is not all that‘s true. The Bible tells us that something has happened to us that has had a profound effect upon us in terms of our relationship with God, which has then effected our relationships with other people.

Therefore, something else needs to be weighed up for us to understand the equation of life and why we feel the way we do, why we act the way we do, why we suffer the way we do.

Let’s just reflect upon what is around us. On the one hand we see brilliance, and beauty in man and his behaviour. On the other hand we also see brutality and base behaviour.

See sex:

Why do these things exist simultaneously? How can man be so noble and yet so criminal?

Evolution suggests the answer is because of his animal ancestry - yet this doesn’t explain his intelligence and brilliance. Only the Bible explains how both exist.

We are what we are because of our creation and we are what we are because of a devastating event that has damaged the core of our being.

This is the FALL.

Gen 3:1-6 is the Bible record of this devastating event.

Here we find that Adam had acceptance, belonging and value because He discovered these as the reflection of the Father fell on him.

BUT in human history something happened which devastated and broke that which God created us to be = FALL

The question is, is the answer I am offering here just too simplistic?

The fact is, honesty, which is a noble characteristic, can be broken by one small but significant lie.

You see, Man was created to have integrity. Subsequently, God allowed a test so that man could know the measure of his own character and faithfulness.

Man had a choice. True personality has the capacity to exercise its self-determination in ways that are contrary to God. That’s how character is determined.

Therefore, to understand ourselves, I must understand myself by Creation. But I also must also understand myself by The Fall.

 

2. THE FALL

Here we find the addition of another personality

The serpent = SATAN/DEVIL

I believe the devil exists because I see his handiwork. Just as I know the air is real as I experience the life it gives me each second of the day.

I have had encounters that have exposed me to this Kingdom.

He is an Angel who corrupted himself and became an enemy of God. Rev. 12:9 tells us that in him we have an enemy. And his primary works are deception and accusation. Both these have to do with the mind and the presentation of ideas.

Have you ever noticed that in Gen 3:1 the first occult meeting is recorded. It is the same process which is repeated over and over to us each day - in fact as we understand this meeting we will be able to understand how and why we feel, act and are enticed the way we are today.

You see, satan comes QUESTIONING the Word of God - this is exactly the experience Jesus encountered when he was tempted by satan in the desert. Jesus survived because He understood the nature of the battle. He didn’t argue or spend time reasoning, like Eve did - but He stood on God’s Word.

The Word of God (what God says) is essential to your healing, recovery and satan does not want this for you. Satan’s aim is to move us to the ground of unbelief and disobedience. By doing this he effectively destroys our relationship and intimacy with God. Therefore, we no longer find our reflection in Him, that is our sense of identity in Him - so we have to get :

Life can only be found in the One who is the Author of life. Therefore, satan also attempts to CONTRADICT the Word of God. In this he tries to move us to unbelief. Satan tells us the Word of God is not true, that it is not reliable. He presents us with another word His word. So finally we are left facing with two different words. God’s word and satan’s word. Who is it that we are going to believe now?

Satan implies that God is unfair and is holding out on us. In this way he seeks to slander God and alienate us from him. Therefore, the emotion of mistrust is sown into man. Now you no longer feel you can trust God, so His word also becomes suspect.

So, then, what are the consequences of the fall?

 

3. CONSEQUENCES

The fall began before the fruit was eaten. We find that in Genesis 3:1-6 where we find that Eve’s innocence was lost because she distrusted God and disobeyed Him.

What were the consequences?

Let’s look at Genesis 3:7-24.

The loss of innocence / glory. (v.7)

Here we see the origin of guilt and shame. (v.8)

Adam and Eve were created to delight be in the presence of God - but now they are afraid to be with God. They were afraid because they felt guilty. Guilt is the acknowledgment that I have done something wrong and I am accountable. But not only did they feel guilt, but also shame. Shame is more complicated. A sense, not that I have done something wrong, but that I am wrong. Therefore, it has something to do with your worth as a person which leads to a sense that I am defective, broken - I have lost something of the essence of who I am.
So it’s not just a matter about what I’ve done, but about what I am.
It is here that God is now a source of torment and fear (far cry from created order).

So Man intuitively has, fear of Father’s gaze. (v.8)

What a tragedy that being made for God we now find intimacy with God impossible. We now have to work out ways to cope with the shame and fear.

This is the origin of self deception. We do not take personal responsibility, therefore out of shame and fear we learn to blame (v.12). We try to divert attention from our own state by pointing at others.

Sadly Father now must take on the role of judge. (v.14) The One who was to be our Father must now speak words of condemnation because we rejected Him. His judgement results in man experiencing expulsion. (v.23)

Consider the awesome consequences of this on the human heart. We were made to worship Father we now confront a Judge.

Sin has entered in and destroyed our access to Father’s presence. But in spite of this, hope is offered. Can you imagine God’s anguish at expelling His own Son, Jesus, when He took on Himself the sin of the world, just for us - for you and me (the alternative was that man would stay that way eternally). The fact is, this eventually provided a path that man would eventually find a way back to God.

Eph 2 makes it clear what our state before God is…

There is a sense of defectiveness as we are expelled.

Satan now uses guilt, shame and fear of God to keep us locked in shame and away from God. Consider the concepts that are now involved this tragic relationship - where once only family concepts applied yet now Father must relate in terms of Judge:

Even though this has occurred we still yearn for:

We search for significance.

Reflection and sense of identity in God the Father is too hard, so we seek to find our significance in-

1. our own performance

2. the opinions of others

We try to perform, to do, to achieve to make us feel good about ourselves - a form of idolatry (what I have created myself). We try to gain the approval, popularity, opinion of others.

The bible teaches that the condition of the entire universe was altered by the shattering of trust and fidelity between God and his delegated authority on earth - Adam and Eve.

It happened by the work of a deceiving Spirit contradicting God's word. The heart of man believed a lie, allowed the Serpent to plant suspicion and unbelief which led to disobedience and death.

Manifestations:-

(a) We focus on the one person who hates us rather than on the 49 who loves us.
(b) We focus on the one mistake rather than on the 99 successes.
(c) We focus on criticism rather than compliments.
These =

So how do we get out of the trap? By identifying the lies.

 

4. IDENTIFYING THE LIES

Over the next sessions we will try to come to grips with the lies we believe (and even some we don’t realise). Since the human heart is struggling with the search for significance in an abnormal condition we tend to fall quite naturally into two simple traps.

(a) performance trap.

(b) trap of pleasing others in order to win their approval.

In the book of Ephesians the human condition is described in a manner which helps us to understand what we are up against.

Ephesians 2:1-3

Dead to God, subject to lusts, Satan, world.

Ephesians 4:17-19

Walking in the dark, ignorant of God’s heart, alienated, separated from God’s life.

Therefore:

a) on it’s own, the human heart is working in the dark, separated from God, trying to resolve the tensions it feels.

b) Satan continues to seek to dominate and control - his primary weapons are deception and accusation.

What a terrible mixture. One that clouds our correct view on who we are.

The point is satan exploits by feeding us lies that seem to make sense because of what we feel intuitively – that is, we feel judged, alone. The appearance then is that God seems not to be near, so it is easy to believe the lies.

In light of this, there are two primary lies which you may never have put into words, yet which may well have a grip on your emotions and behaviour could be stated as follows:

"Those who fail are unworthy of love and deserve to be blamed, condemned and rejected."

"The only way for me to be valuable is to make those around me pleased with me."

As these 2 fundamental beliefs grip a human heart they result in 2 basic consequences for our behaviour:

1. Compulsion – "I have to……"

2. Withdrawal – "I cannot risk……"

Because our own home is the most important of the early inputs to our emotions and experience, the way our parents and our family functioned determines a lot about the messages we believe and act on. Our home environment can say a lot about the games we learn to play.

The point is satan's lies can be contradicted or reinforced by family relationships and behaviour patterns.

So then, what issues does this leave which we are left to deal with?

 

5. ISSUES & EXAMPLES

PEER

Intuitively we feel unloved and unaccepted. We strive for group approval and acceptance. ie. I’ll conform to the group’s values so that its members will respond positively to me.

ESTABLISHING

1. Wearing team colours (State of Origin, friend wore NSW colours amongst Queensland supporters)

2. Success in sport, school - My trying to prove my value to Dad by achieving in sport

3 Dressing ‘right’

4. Achieving to impress

5. Behave to win admiration eg service, sacrifice

6. Belong to elite group

The fall has had an incredible impact on who you are. It has set you up for all kinds of destructive habits to find your identity. You hide from God so seek to find your reality or value other ways.

Our lives are driven to ease the pain we feel, explain the confusion we experience.

NB Our Focus in this session has been negative at this stage, but the course is heading beyond explanation, and to give positive strategies for us to reverse the consequences of the fall and recover our true, God-created identities.