The Bible: One Bite at a Time Expository Sermon Series Notes Genesis to The Revelation Sid Galloway © 1999

Genesis 3:5 Denying the only Deity: The Search for Self-Deification The Road Most Traveled

Audio Tape # 22 - March 26, 2000         (Notes Updated ..... March 31, 2000)

Review: (Gen 1-3:1) Creation See the notes on the Web

Genesis 3 Outline
I. The Serpent (Gen 3:1 a)    
II. The Seducer's First Ploy (Gen 3:1 b)
III. The Woman's Deception (Gen 3:2-3)
IV. Denying God & His Word (Gen 3:4-5)
  A. Denying Death (Gen 3:4) "You will not_______"

The Text: Genesis 3:5 (Strong's #'s in parentheses)

“For God (430 elohim) knows (3045 yada) that in the day you eat of it
your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God (430 elohim),
knowing (3045 yada) good (as used in Gen 1) and evil (see Gen 6:5).”
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

Exposition and Commentary -

V. Denying The One & Only Deity & His Word (Gen 3:5)

B. "You will be like God"
 1. The heart motive (cause and goal) of all sin - Autonomy (Self-Law).
      (Denying the Sovereign King of Creation)

- Who is God? What is God?
- It's impossible to answer these questions Biblically without addressing the doctrinal truths of Trinity. While the word, "trinity" is not used in the Bible, the truth of God's triune nature is clearly and authoritatively revealed. God has revealed this important truth progressively throughout history as He led men to record the Bible. Any group that denies the doctrine of the Trinity is an heretical cult.
- Gen 1:1 uses the term "Elohim" for God who created all things. The term is plural.
- Gen 1:26-28 records God referring to Himself as "Us" and "Our".
- Deut 6:4 is called the "Shamah" and was a very important statement of truth for Israel about God, "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one". The word for one there is "echad" which is also used to describe Adam and Eve becoming one. It means a plurality in unity, and is also used to describe a cluster of grapes. There is another Hebrew term for one, "yachid", which is not used for God. It means a single, separate unit. The term in the Shamah for God is "elohim", which is as earlier mentioned plural.
- Click this web link for more on the doctrine of the Trinity:
http://www.soulcare.org/doctrinal.htm#anchor160512

- In Exo 20 the LORD commands His people to obey the 10 Commandments. The first four have to do with who God is and how to relate to Him. We are to worship no other God's and we are not to even try and make any images of Him.
- Isa 45:4 "For Jacob My servant’s sake, And Israel My elect,
I have even called you by your name;
I have named you, though you have not known Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
There is no God besides Me.
I will gird you, though you have not known Me,
That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
That there is none besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other"

- Mat 22:37 "Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the first and great commandment. “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”'

- Remember God's simple A.B.C.'s of J.O.Y. that we've studied before? Our choice of    Attitude in our heart is the root that produces the fruit of Behavior and Countenance.    The Attitude of J.O.Y. (Jesus First, Others Second, Yourself Last) means that you    choose to love Jesus and His Word above all else. His Word says there is only One    God, who has eternally existed as three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - the    triune deity.
- Mat 15:19 “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,    fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies."
- Gen 6:5 "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and    that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
- Jer 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked;
   Who can know it?"
- Psalm 14:1 "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God."

  2. The Search for Self-Deification.

- The foolish core of sin is a heart attitude that desires for self to rise up to the level of   God or above. Remember last week we saw that all doctrinal error either lowers God   or exalts man, or both.
- Lucifer's self-deceptive rebellion as recorded in Isa 14 & Eze 28 is the origin of sin.
- The Tower of Babel was the first U.N. effort to deny the one true deity.
- The Anti-Christ one day will embrace the same lie Dan 11:36-37; 2 Thes 2; Rev 13.
- How will the Anti-Christ be able to con so many people into following him?

  3. The Road Most Traveled: The broad and busy way to Hell.

- Jesus said, (Mat 7:13) “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

- Are there signs in the world today that Lucifer is preparing people, religions, educational institutions, business corporations, and even military and law enforcement agencies for this future plan.

* Psychology's self-esteem, self-love, self-actualization teachings.
* Ecumenical compromise, especially the Pope's effort to embrace other religions as "spiritual" prayer partners, needed by God and Christians.
* Generic spirituality centered around pantheistic monism is the fastest growing addition to university curriculums, financial institutions like the World Bank, and geopolitical think tanks such as The World Forum.

** Note the following quote from the March 2000 e-newsletter of Deepak Chopra, M.D.

"We are also excited to share with you that at a State Dinner held March 21, 2000 in India, President Clinton made the following remark,
'My country has been enriched by the contributions of more than a million Indian Americans,
which includes Dr. Deepak Chopra, the pioneer of alternative medicine.'
We are happy to know that Deepak's work is being acknowledged at the highest level of world governments."

* Even nations and their military / law enforcement agencies are being forced by global terrorist groups to forsake national sovereignty and embrace international law and global governance.

- Dr. Lucifer is alive and well. Erich Fromm, one of the founding fathers of modern psychotherapy wrote many books and articles that had a powerful influence on the mindset of our current culture, especially the concepts of self-love and self-esteem. One of his books was entitled: YOU SHALL BE AS GODS: A RADICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT AND ITS TRADITION.
- Robert Schuller and other psychologized preachers began to absorb these "new" teachings from the field of psychotherapy and like a Trojan Horse the lies of Lucifer have invaded the church.
- M. Scott Peck, M.D., author of the phenomenally successful, yet heretical bestseller, THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED, and his latest, BEYOND THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED, promotes the lie of "Process Theology" = God is changing & evolving.
Heb 13:8 says God is immutable, unchanging, the one and only I AM.
- Mormon Heresy: "As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become".

- 2 Tim 3:1-5 "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!"

- Luk 22:31 "And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

- Mat 10:33-39 “But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. “For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; “and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."

- Luke 9:23-26 "Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. “For whoever desires to save his life (Greek = psyche = psychological happiness) will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels."

Can you think of ways you deny Him before Men?
That means, are there times when you love yourself more than Him,
and live as if you were god instead of Jesus?

Men:

- Men, do you laugh when the guys at school or work tell crude jokes?
- What happens when you're channel surfing & your eyes see Baywatch?
* Does your daily schedule prove that you really love God's Word?
 (Do you read it, memorize, meditate, & study it diligently)?
- Have you chosen a ministry project for your family through which you can train them to exercise their spiritual gifts? Is that where they get their greatest joy, or have you let them slide back into pleasing self mostly through entertainment, amusement, and recreation?
(This is one of my most dangerous temptations, men. Please hold me accountable!)
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Ladies:

- Do you ever act like your husband's coach instead of his cheerleader?
- Does your daily life show you children that it's a joy to be a Christian wife & mom?
- Have you gossiped lately, by failing to practice Matthew 18 communication?
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Children:

- When your parents tell you to do something you don't like, to you respond like Jesus?
   (How about saying, "Yes Maam, I'd be glad to do it!".)
- Have you been kind to your brothers and sisters?
   (Do you let them play with your toys? Do you help them with their chores? Do    you let them have the biggest cookie? Do you practice Matthew 18    communication when they upset you, or do you run and tattle to get them    punished?)
- Have you prayed for your parents, and asked God to help them?
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Now, do you really want to test your heart to see if you really love Jesus more than yourself?
The real test will be whether or not you add many more items to the above lists, out of a heart attitude that desires to glorify the LORD!