# God’s Bad Reputation Canonical watch page: https://twitch-nude.com/watch/god-s-bad-reputation-v328770 Language: en Published: 2024-09-23T05:22:09+00:00 Source creator: Daryl Miller Duration: 4826 seconds ## Description Title: God’s Bad Reputation Series: Updating the Garden of Eden to the Contemporary World Text: “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:4-5). Scripture Reading: Genesis 3:1–10 Introduction Have you ever been lied about? Do you know the pain of false rumors circulating about you or about something you supposedly did? If you have not yet experienced this phenomenon, you probably will. At some time or another all of us become the target of rumor mongers. I. The Devil Lies About God A. Satan lied to Eve. Although Satan directed his initial attack at Eve, the real target was God himself, and the ammunition was words attributed to God. The serpent contended that God had forbidden the couple to eat the fruit from any tree in the garden. Already the serpent was lying about God. 1. Eve corrected the serpent. 2. We can prove the nature of factual charges. 3. Satan made God out to be the enemy. 4. It is difficult to refute attacks on one’s nature. B. We hear charges today. 1. In families. Some charges are factual. 2. In business. 3. From misunderstandings. II. Joys of Sin for a Season A. Sin approaches in the most attractive garb possible. Like an animal is lured out of the safety of its den by a tempting bait, so sin attempts to lure the Christian into its snare. 1. As Eve looked at the tree, the fruit appealed to her at the most basic level. It appealed to her survival needs by offering her food. What could be more basic than doing those things that help one survive? 2. But the appeal was more than food. The fruit appealed to Eve on the aesthetic level. It was attractive and appealed to the eye. 3. And the fruit was still more. It offered the opportunity for what psychologists call “self-actualizing.” B. The Bible points to joy of sins for a season (Heb. 11:25). Most of us can attest to the allure of sin. It can be as practical as overeating when the mind runs wild imagining how delicious a particular dessert will taste. Momentarily our minds are captured by the passionate moments certain perfumes and aftershaves are supposed to produce. C. Sin lures out its prey. 1. We can almost see Eve walk around the edge of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Every circle brings her closer and closer to the forbidden fruit. Yet as she draws closer, nothing happens. 2. With jerky motions, Eve reaches toward the fruit only to draw back in fright of the promised consequences. Again she reaches toward the tree, and this time her fingers brush against the leaves; nothing happens. Now her doubts of God are growing. Her mind recalls God saying that if she touched the tree, she would die. 3. Eve lifts the fruit to her lips and bites into it; nothing happens. Only the juices from the sweetness of the forbidden fruit are on her lips. D. Sin has its payday. 1. One can overeat and enjoy every mouthful, but there is a price to pay. Overeating is unhealthy. One must exercise sufficiently to work off the extra calories or grow fat. In light of the price of overeating, the extra bites are never as good as one imagines them. 2. The search for passion often results in unfaithfulness that destroys relationships and wrecks lives. 3. Exciting partying experiences end up with one out of every seven drinkers captured by alcohol. The toll in ruined lives is uncountable. 4. Adam and Eve found that God was right. They suffered the death of relationship with each other and brokenness before God. They believed the Devil’s lie about God, and they paid the price. III. God’s Response to a Bad Reputation A. By what you don’t do. Who would have blamed God had he called his experience with man a mistake and given Adam and Eve physical death as well as spiritual death? Thankfully, God did not respond in vengeance. Rather, despite Adam and Eve’s buying into the lie about him, God reacted in mercy toward the disobedient. B. By what you do. 1. In Genesis 3:15 God took the initiative to reach out to an undeserving man and promised that not only was reconciliation possible but that it would occur. 2. In Genesis 12:1–3 God took the initiative and promised blessings to Abraham and his descendants and, through them, to the whole world. 3. In John 1:1–14 God offered Jesus Christ to do for us what none of us can do for ourselves. God reached out to undeserving humankind and offered himself. Conclusion Do not believe the Devil’s lie about God. From the beginning God has reached out in mercy, grace, and steadfast love. He is reaching out even today. The Bible says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Today you can be saved if you will turn your back on the bad reputation the Devil is trying to give God and accept Christ as your personal Savior. This page provides video metadata, not a transcript. Watch the video on the canonical page.