September 20, 2020 – Genesis 3

Lesson Date: September 20, 2020

Focal Scripture Passage: Genesis 3:1-24

AIM: To lead students to discover the results of sin and God’s grace to sinful humans, and to confess their sin and accept His grace.

Before class: Read the notes on Genesis 3 found in the Sunday School Teacher Book. Locate some news stories about crime, anger, violence, divorce, death, people blaming other people, and other results of sin. Print the news stories from the Internet or clip them from the newspaper. Place the stories on the chairs in your classroom so the students will pick them up and read them when they come to class. Write the following on the marker board or chalkboard as headings of two columns: “Sin’s Results,” and “God’s Grace.”

INTRODUCTION (Create Learning Readiness): Tell the class the news these days can be pretty discouraging. Ask volunteers to tell the class the “headlines” of the news stories they found in their chairs. Tell the students the news and our personal experiences reveal that humans by nature are selfish, angry, greedy, murderous, and blame others for their problems. Most people do not claim responsibility for their actions.

Tell the class this is a pretty dismal picture of mankind. Ask the following rhetorical questions: “Why are things so bad? Why do people treat other people so badly? Why aren’t people willing to accept responsibility for what they do? Why is there so much death and killing in the world?”

Tell the students the answer to all of those questions is one three-letter word: SIN. All of mankind is touched and tainted by sin. Ask: “Why is there sin in the world?”

Tell the class our first two lessons from Genesis were about the perfect world God made for man. God placed the man and the woman in a perfect environment. In today’s lesson we will learn how we went from that perfect world to the mess we’re in today.

HEART OF THE LESSON (Bible Study):

1. Review.
   • Remind the students that we have recently begun a six-month study of the first book of the Bible, Genesis.
   • Ask: “What was last week’s lesson about?” (man, woman, and marriage).
   • Ask if any volunteer would recite last week’s memory verse (Gen. 2:24).
2. Satan’s Lies.
   • Ask a volunteer to read Genesis 3:1-5.
   • Tell the students the serpent was more cunning and crafty than any other animal; he was also indwelt by Satan.
   • Ask: “According to verse 1, what was the first thing the serpent said to the woman?” (Did God really say you can’t eat from every tree in the garden?).
   • Tell the class the woman answered, explaining that they were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
   • Ask: “According to verse 4, what did the serpent say next?” (he called God a liar, denying that they would die if they ate from the forbidden tree).
   • Ask: “What else did the serpent say, in verse 5?” (he said God placed that restriction upon them to keep them from having something good).
   • Tell the students that Satan still uses these same lying tactics today:
     • Questioning God’s truthfulness.
     • Denying God’s Word (calling God a liar).
     • Telling people that God’s rules keep them from having something good.
   • Stress the fact that Satan’s tactics have not changed; these are the very types of temptations we face today.
   • Summarize: Satan, through the instrument of the serpent, told lies to the woman to try to lure her and her husband into sin.
3. Man’s Sin.
   • Read Genesis 3:6.
   • Ask: “What three things did the woman see about the tree?” (it was good for food, it was pleasant to look at, and it was desirable because it would make her wise).
   • Ask a volunteer to look up and read 1 John 2:16 to the class.
   • Tell the class Satan used the three things named in that verse to tempt Eve:
     • The lust of the flesh.
     • The lust of the eyes.
     • The pride of life.
   • Stress the fact that Satan’s tactics have not changed; he uses those same temptations to lure people into sin today.
   • Ask: “What did the woman do?” (ate the fruit and gave some to her husband).
   • Ask: “What did the man do?” (ate the fruit).
   • Tell the students the Bible says the woman was deceived into sin, but the man sinned willingly (1 Tim. 2:14).
   • Remind the class that God had given them only one rule or prohibition. Sadly, they chose to break that one rule.
   • Summarize: Adam and Eve willfully disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden fruit.
4. Sin’s Results.
   • Ask a volunteer to read Genesis 3:7-8.
   • Ask: “What happened as soon as they ate the forbidden fruit?” (their eyes were opened and they experienced shame and guilt for the first time; previously they had no shame – see Gen. 2:25).
   • Write “Shame and Guilt” under the “Sin’s Results” column on the board.
   • Ask: “What did they do when they heard the voice of God?” (they hid themselves; previously they enjoyed perfect fellowship with God).
   • Write “Separation from God” under the “Sin’s Results” column.
   • Read Genesis 3:9-13.
   • Ask: “According to verse 10, why did Adam say he hid from God?” (he was afraid).
   • Write “Fear” under the “Sin’s Results” column.
   • Ask: “Who did the man blame for his sin?” (the woman, and God for creating her).
   • Ask: “Who did the woman blame for her sin?” (the serpent).
   • Write “Blaming Others” under the “Sin’s Results” column.
   • Ask a volunteer to read Genesis 3:14-15.
   • Tell the class that God cursed the serpent more than any other animal. Evidently before this curse the serpent had legs, because part of God’s curse was that he would crawl on its belly and eat dust.
   • Explain that verse 15 is the first messianic prophecy in the Bible.
     • The “seed” of the woman is Jesus Christ.
     • God said there would be hatred between Satan and Jesus
     • Jesus will gain ultimate victory over Satan.
   • Tell the class this promise was a blessing of God’s grace.
   • Write “Promised a Savior” under the “God’s Grace” column on the board.
   • Ask a volunteer to read Genesis 3:16.
   • Explain that God promised to greatly increase the woman’s pain and sorrow in childbearing. He also predicted strife in marriage, because He said she would desire to have her way, but the man would rule over her.
   • Read Genesis 3:17-19.
   • Ask: “What did God curse because of the man’s sin?” (the ground – this is the reason we have weeds and thorns to this day).
   • Ask: “What did God say the man would have to do?” (work hard to grow food out of the cursed ground).
   • Ask: “What did God say would ultimately happen to the man?” (he would die).
   • Tell the class in these curses God removed many of the blessings we would have enjoyed if man had not sinned.
   • Write “Loss of Blessings” and “Death” under the “Sin’s Results” column.
   • Summarize: Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden brought many bad results upon mankind. In the midst of those curses, however, God promised to send a Savior.
5. God’s Grace.
   • Ask a volunteer to read Genesis 3:20-24.
   • Ask: “What did God do for Adam and Eve in verse 21?” (He made coats of skin to cover their shame and nakedness).
   • Stress the fact that this act of God’s grace involved the death of innocent animals, vividly portraying to Adam and Eve that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). This is the first time blood was ever shed to cover sin.
   • Write “Covered Their Shame (Blood)” under “God’s Grace” on the board.
   • Tell the students that God sent them out of the Garden of Eden and placed Cherubims outside to keep them from returning.
   • Ask: “Why did God do this?” (to prevent them from eating of the fruit of the tree of life and living forever).
   • Explain that this, too, was an act of God’s mercy and grace.
     • God did not allow Adam and Eve to live eternally in a fallen state.
     • Eventually they died, releasing them from their corrupt bodies of flesh.
     • They went to live eternally in perfect fellowship with Almighty God.
   • Write “Did Not Let Them Live Forever In A Fallen State” under “God’s Grace” on the board.
   • Summarize: In spite of Adam and Eve’s willful and rebellious sin, God showed grace by covering their shame and preventing them from living forever in a fallen state.

PERSONAL APPLICATION: Direct the students’ attention to the things you have written on the board. Read the items listed under the “Sin’s Results” column. These were the results of Adam and Eve’s sin.

Ask: “Are there still bad results to our sins today?” (yes). Tell the class that sin brings the same bad results today.

Read the items listed under the “God’s Grace” column. These were ways God showed grace and mercy to Adam and Eve after they sinned.

Ask: “Does God still show grace and mercy to us today?” (yes).

Tell the students that God shows His grace to us in the same ways He showed it to Adam and Eve. Explain the following:

• Adam and Eve received the promise of a future
• We have the privilege of receiving the reality of a present
• God covered Adam and Eve’s shame by killing an innocent animal and making clothes for them.
• God covers our sin and shame with the blood of His sinless Son, Jesus Christ.
• In reality, physical death is a blessing, because it prevents us from living forever in our fallen, sinful flesh.

Read Romans 5:12-21. Tell the class we all have been born under the curse of sin.

Ask: “Have you ever trusted Jesus Christ to pay the price for your sin and give you eternal life? If not, please confess and turn away from your sins, and turn to Jesus Christ for salvation. Please do it now.” Lead a closing prayer.

CONCLUSION: Ask everyone to memorize Genesis 3:1. Tell them when the headlines remind them of man’s sinful condition, they should use that as a reminder to thank God for sending Jesus Christ.