The Village Church
Inception to Question - Audio
to be with our God and heaven. If you have your babbles, open them to Genesis chapter 3. The first book of the Bible is a book of inception, Genesis. It's a book of beginnings. In the book of Genesis we see the inception of creation by God who spoke things into existence by the word of His power. He said it and it happened. His word is His bond. He always does what He says and always fulfills what He promises. His word reflects Him as the Lord God. You know what else we see here? We also see the inception of provision by God for man that He provided everything that humans needed. Everything that Adam and Eve needed He provided. And when you read Genesis 1 and 2 you can see that at no point in those two chapters was God's word or His provision questioned or doubted. Was His word questioned? Was His provisions doubted? But in Genesis 3, things changed. Two inceptions takes place in Genesis 3. They grew and they changed everything and it all started with a simple question. What was the question? Did God actually say? Did God actually say? Look with me at Genesis 3, verse 1. Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the animals, any of the beasts of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, did God actually say? He said not eat for any tree in the garden. And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the tree, trees in the garden, but God said you should not eat of the tree in the middle of the garden. You need to show you touch it. At least you die." But the serpent said to her, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Please pray with and for me." Father God, if you come to your word, I pray that you will be glorified through it. And as I say every Sunday, and I mean this every Sunday, I always get out of the way and let the Spirit do His job. You will increase here and I will decrease. And Lord, I pray that your Spirit will take your preached word and apply it to my heart and the hearts of your people. That we all are beggars beneath the cross, all of us, and we feed upon your word. And we feast upon your word, and I pray that the Spirit will bring us to the table, crafting my prayer. Amen. So there are two inceptions planted in Genesis 3. They are completely contrary to what we see in Genesis 1 and 2. First, we see the inception to question God's word, to question what God has said. The serpent said to the woman that God actually said, "Hey, you should not eat from any tree in the garden." Now you might say well, what's that's an innocent question, isn't it? Is that a clarification question? Is it? I mean, maybe he's concerned here for the woman's well-being. Maybe he just, maybe he wants to understand God's word better himself. Is that his intent? There's nothing innocent about this question. But you got to see here that the serpent was really an instrument used by the enemy, the evil one, the deceiver. We all know him. And he's the one posing this question to Eve. As one believer says, there is no doubt that it was a real serpent in which Satan was, and in which he conversed with Eve. It was him. And the inception to question God's word was planted by him subtly but intentionally. He asked her, and sometimes asked us today, did God actually say that? Did God actually say that? You may ask yourself, why is that important? Because it's important because it's an attack on God's word. Is it an attack on what he has said? Is it an attack on God's motivation, his motives? Keep in mind, when you read Genesis 1, nothing God has, well said, was called into question. Nothing. He said it and it happened. Eleven times you hear the phrase, God said, and it was repeated eleven times. God said that there'd be light. And what happened? God said that there'd be an expanse in the midst of the waters. And what happened? It happened. God said, let us make man into our image. What happened? He did it. God said, be fruitful and multiply. God said, God said, God said, God said, and now in Genesis 3, did he actually say? Did he actually say what he said? Did he? And so, you have, God said, verses, did God actually say, going on right here in the first three chapters of the book, his word, already, then called into question, right here. And as we know, the enemy, he's subtle now, but he's very intentional in getting us to question God's word. And what is it that he wants us to question? It's not just anything that God has said. It's something in particular, he's questioning about God's word. Look at verse one again, said, they're going to actually say, you should not eat from any tree in the garden. Did God say that? You see, the enemy calls God's word into question by misrepresenting God's word. He misrepresents his word. Now, what did God actually say to Adam and Eve? What did he say to them? He said to them, you are free to eat of every tree in the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you should not eat from it. Why? For in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die. That's his word to them. And on the enemy asked Eve, did God actually say that? Did he actually say you can't eat from any tree of the garden? No, he did not say that. Notice that in the enemy's question, the assumption is he's he's he's he's assuming and won't Adam and Eve to assume that they don't have freedom in the garden. That God is actually forcefully holding them back. He makes it seems like God and his word was just a wall or prevention prevention for them. It wasn't for that benefit, it was just holding them back. His word wasn't life. It was a hindrance. It wasn't a blessing. It was really a curse. This is where he's leading them. You can't trust what God has said. The voice of the enemy whispers, this is the whisper to you. Does he confuse you? Does he distract you? The voice of the enemy is casting a hook of doubt and he and the Eve bites it. And he reels her in like a smooth operator. He reels the end. You can see this by her response to the enemy. In the interchange, the serpent said, I got asked to say you should not eat from any tree in the garden. Eve said we may eat of the tree or the trees of the garden, but God said you should not eat a tree in the middle of the garden. Neither shall you touch it, at least you die. What else do you see about her response? Is that what God told them? Is that what he told them? I mean, she even misreferenced God's word. Remember what the Lord God said, you are free to eat of every tree in the garden, but the tree of knowledge is good and evil. You should not eat it. You see, he, the serpent and the woman, they don't admit free in every from their response. God's command to them was given in the context of liberty, not slavery. They had freedom in the garden. They were not slaves. They were not his minions. They had freedom. And the enemy was getting them not to see that. They had freedom with just one limitation. He cannot eat of this one tree. And also if he knows about Eve, she didn't even acknowledge the tree that she couldn't eat from. She just said the tree in the middle of the garden. How many trees were in the garden in the middle of the garden? How many was it? A lot of us think it's just one tree. It was just the tree of knowledge is good and evil, but it was two trees in the middle of the garden. Two trees. Genesis 2.89 says, "And the Lord God planned a tree in the garden in the east. And there he put the man whom he has formed. And out of the ground, the Lord God made the spring of every tree, every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the middle of the garden and the tree of knowledge is good and evil." So what you said about the tree from knowledge is good and evil. It was pleasant to the sight and it was good for food, but God said you cannot have that. It was there. Tree of life and actually tree of death. Life and death is before you choose. Life and death is before you choose. They were free to eat even from the tree of life. They could have eaten from the tree of life. They had freedom to do that. And they were just forbidden to eat from one tree. And this is the tree the enemies wanted them to eat from. And if they eat from that tree, they will surely die. They might not die. It might happen. It was going to happen. Without a doubt, they would die to death if they ate of that tree. You know, Eve said, "Least you die." Or, "Perhaps we would die." No, there's no perhaps. There's no least you would die. You would die if you eat of this. One question said that Eve's response to his show that she was beginning to waver. The voice of the enemy was working to strike in her. And he's still up to his tree today. Does the enemy try to trick you? Does he come to you or does it mean? Does he whisper in your ear? Did God really say that? Did God really say you got to be faithful to your spouse? You sure he said that? Go ahead. I think it's okay. He's on the grace, brother. Go do it. There's freedom. Did God actually say the things that he said? Does he come to you? He came to me this week. You know, I was in the church meeting this past Monday night. And the enemy's voice came. You know, I was looking at this church, we're going over that budget and all the things they're going to be doing. And I'm looking at them, looking at our church. I'm like, wow, they got a whole lot of stuff they're going to do and all the resources to do it. And then came. All right, Alex, now that you're going to do it, you're going to fail. Why are you even there? Why are you even there, brother? You should leave. You should leave. Are you sure God called you to this? Are you sure? That's hard, Alex. I think you need to find somewhere else to go. He came. And I was slowly felt the depression coming on. I was tapped out of the meeting from then on. It wasn't until I got home and I was talking to Waikita about it. And she reminded me of truth, of the gospel. She reminded me of what I need to hear. And you know what that did for me? It quieted the enemy's voice and brought me back to my senses. That's what God used my wife to do that. She reminded me of God's Word. Alex, you shouldn't be comparing yourself to other ministers, you know, our church to other churches. God called and God would do it. And you got to use God's Word when the enemy comes because he will come to disturb you, to distract you, to confuse you, to hurt you. And when it comes, how would you quiet his voice? This. And if you can't go to this, you go to your spouse, you call your best friend, you call somebody that's going to speak truth to you. But sometimes that's how we can love one as a body. When I'm down and I ain't believing the truth, I didn't want to speak truth to me, to bring me back to my senses. That's how we can love one another as a body, as brothers and sisters in Christ. Because he comes to all of us and whispers lies to us. Our first mother was not able to quiet his voice. But the enemy continued to talk and she continued to listen. See, the inception to question God's Word was already planted. He already planted that seed and he wasn't done. He wasn't done just there. Now just a question God's Word. Now he had to get her to question something else too. What was that? To question God's provision. To question God's care for her and Adam. That's what he planted next. It was an inception to question God's provision. See, after he responded to the enemy's question, he counterattacks her response. This is all for that denial of God's command. He said to the woman, "You will not surely die? Come on. You won't surely die? For God knows that when day you eat of that fruit, your eyes will be open and you will be like God knowing good and evil. Even though the enemy does not mention the tree of knowledge of good and evil, we can clearly see his intent from the beginning was to get them to eat of that fruit and rebel against their creator. Though he was subtle, he still leads them to that point. The seed of doubt and the seed of question was already in play and he smoothly leads them to the death flow. He directly contradicts what God has said. God said, "And in bet that you eat of a tree, you will surely die. But now the enemy has a way with words. Don't he? A way with words." Because he knows the scripture that he sometimes uses it to confuse you, uses it to confuse you, to get us to disobey God's word. And so how do you know whose voice you're hearing? You've got to know the word. God will never call you to do anything that goes against his word. Know that. Know that. I've heard stories of ministers, one story I heard about a minister who's married, but he said God called him to have another wife. Now is that true? Is God going to call another man to have another wife when he's already married with a wife? Is that, can you point to me that in scripture that says that is true? No, that is not true. That is a life on the enemy and you have bought it. God would never call you to do anything that goes against his word. And you've got to believe that. That's one way you can decide for the voice of the enemy. Go to the scriptures. Open them up and see is it true. So hold up, I lost my spot. So here in this context, the enemy, he uses some of the same language God does to get them to eat of that tree. You know, he says you were surely not died. God said you were surely God. He even pulled God in. Didn't God know that eyes will be open if they enter the tree? Of course he knew he's God, but he makes it seem like God is holding back on them. That God is not really filling you in on the whole story. You got to check your life up to your own hands. You got to do it yourself. You got to provide for your own life because no one else is going to do it for you. God doesn't have God doesn't have your back. You got to do it yourself. So do it. Are you able to feel that tension to do it yourself to be your own provider apart from your creator? Was God's provision for Adam and Eve harm? Was it for their harm? Was it to hold them back? Was it God putting his foot on their neck and just doing it like that? I'm just holding you back. I'm going to be the God who holds you back. Was that his intent? Is that his intent for you? Do you live that way? Sanding here and living that way is different. Do you live as God? Do you live a life where you believe that God's foot is on your neck that's squeezing the life under you? This is what the enemy wants you to think, how he wants to deceive you and to believe in that. God's provisions for his people are always good. Always good. Look back over your life and what you've done, what you've been through and tell me and tell me. You cannot come back to me and say, "Oh God, he was just awful. I can't, he's just unfaithful and he's holding me back." Even my life, he's never held me back. He's protected me from some of the things I've done to bring him to the place where he wants me to be. Just look back over his past faithfulness and ask yourself, his provisions has always been good and will always be good in the future. It will always be good. Always. Now I recently saw a movie called Inception, a strange movie, a beautiful sermon illustration though. It follows a character named Cobb. He is a master thief. Now he doesn't break into your house. He's got to break into your car and steal your stereo or break into your business. He breaks into your mind. He breaks into your subconscious through dreams while you're sleeping. And his goal is to steal information and ideas from his victims while they're asleep. But he also has a unique gift. Another talent, and that talent is called Inception. Instead of stealing information, you plant an idea to someone's mind. You plant an idea. So Cobb and his team are trained experts and they are hired to perform Inception on a particular son. This is a son of a terminally ill businessman. And so the objective is to get the son to break up his father's empire to split up his company. Now the son and father had a very strange relationship. It was a broken relationship. The father then thanked to how they have a son. He didn't approve of the son, but the son still loaned for his father's approval. He wanted his father's acceptance. And that relationship was going to be key to get the son to do what they wanted him to do. You see, instead of planting the seed and the son to split the father's company, they planted the seed and the son that the father actually loved him and wanted him to go out and be his own man. Cobb says positive emotion always trumps negative emotion. He says we all crave reconciliation. And he used that. He worked that. That seed was planted. Inception was a success. They changed the way the son viewed his father's acceptance of him. And this is what the enemy has done to us. This is what he did to Adam and Eve. He changed the way they viewed their creator's word, their creator's provision. He didn't use it in a dream. He was through a conversation. You see, in the movie, the seed that was planted in the movie was that the father loved the son when he did not. They planned to see that the father was proud of the son, but he was not proud of his son. That planned to see that the father actually approved of the son, but he didn't approve of the son. And the serpent does the opposite thing to us. You can't trust God, but you can. God is holding you back from getting the things that you want, but he's not. And God can't be trusted. He can be trusted. This is what the enemy did to them. This is what the enemy are planning in them. God is not for you, man. Do it yourself. He's holding out on you. You would not surely die, but God knows. When you eat of it, your eyes will be open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Using God's words against God is what he's done. God's provision is a good provision. You got to see that. All the enemy needed was provided for them in the garden. God blessed them. What did he tell them? Be fruitful. Multiply the earth. Subdue the earth. They benefited greatly, talking about living the high life. Man, they had it. Hey, and Genesis 1, 28. You don't have to turn down. I'm going to read it. And God blessed him. The God said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and said, do it. Have dominion over all the fish of the sea, over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. And the Lord said, behold, I have given you every plant leading sea that is on the face of all the earth and every tree with the seed in its fruit. You should have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the heavens, to everything that creeps on the ground, everything that has life, I have given to you everything that has everything in the creation, everything. And yet the enemy has gotten them to question God's provision for them to question it. They were already standing on the greenest grass possible. It wasn't going to get any greener, but the enemy has gotten them to believe there was still green and grass available. If you do this, that God's holding on you, and if you do that, you're going to get that other blessing. You're going to get to that hidden grass. It wasn't. It was a lie. It was not true. Has the Satan come to you and promise you green and grass? When you look at your life, do you see it as green grass? Or are you still looking to get to somewhere else? You know what? I'm not content here. It's still green and grass available for me. Still, God is holding on me. You've got to be holding on me. God be more. Are you thankful for what God has provided for you? Or do you question it and doubt it that he's holding out on you? That he stands you, unfaithful. Well, he loves so-and-so because so-and-so got this. So-and-so kids do this, but look at me. Well, obviously, God doesn't love me as much as he loves them. Did you do that with God? Sometimes you do. Don't say, "Yeah, don't." I know I do, but I'm looking at the wrong thing. I'm looking at stuff. When you get to that point, again, remember what God has done for you in the past. Has he ever left you hanging? Has he ever not shown up? He always keeps his apartments. Doesn't call 15 minutes early and say, "All right, come on today." I'm going to be late today. You know what? You're going to have to do that yourself. You know what? I'm over here at the beach, getting a suntan, and you're going to fix your problems yourself today. I'm on vacation. And nor does he do a Bruce Almighty and give all his support to someone else. God is going to be God all the time. And he's going to keep his word. He's going to keep his promises to his people. And you've got to be able to fight the enemy when he comes, because he's going to come. And when he comes, are you going to be able to fight? So you fight with this, and you fight with one another as a body at Christ. Now Adam and Eve, you know, they are now in a great dilemma. They had questions. You have God's word, you have the enemy, and who's telling the truth? Who are you going to trust? We would die if we eat, or we would be wise, like God if we hear the fruit. Who has given us the right answers? Who will we trust? And that's what we're going to talk about next week. So if you want more to be continued, so pray with me. Father, God, we all struggle with questioning your word. We all struggle with questioning your provision for us. Where we know those seas were planted a long time ago, and they're just still in effect today. Even those who have been saved by grace and in the relationship with Jesus, we still have those moments in our life when we question your word, question what you have said, because the enemy hates us. You know what? I don't like him either. But sometimes I listen to him, and he's a bad, bad person to listen to, because he does not have my best interest in mind when he seeks to deceive me. He uses my own sin against me, uses my emotions against me. And why I thank you for my wife, I thank you for my family, my friends, that I have in my life who can speak truth to me, to quiet the enemy's voice, to put him in his place. And I pray that for everyone here, Lord, that Father, they will hold on to your truth. They will spend time in your word, that they will have friends in their life who will speak truth to them when they need to hear it. There are no longer range of Christians. We need one another. We're not allowing unto ourselves. We're all body. He can't live this life in isolation from the body. So Father, draw us closer together as one. We're small, but Lord, let us love one another well, serve one another well. Pray for one another, Father. I pray for my friend Earl and his girlfriend's mom just died. I pray for her. You'd be with them today, Lord, and comfort her today. And her mother, Lord, she was suffering bad. And so I think this is the best thing for her, because she was in really bad shape. The Lord comforted her, be with her, be with her siblings today. If they worked through all the issues they needed to work with, give Earl wisdom and work to save to her, to comfort her, Father. And I said, "Pretty protected from the voice of the enemy who is probably on her right now, worshiping lies to her." And Lord, be with us as a church, continue to give us vision, continue to help us fall more in love with you every day and Christ in my pray. Amen.