God created a perfect world in the Garden of Eden for Adam and Eve. However, Satan tempted them to eat fruit from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge. This introduced sin and caused them to doubt God. As a result, their relationship with God and each other was broken. They were banished from the garden. Now, the world experiences pain, hurt, confusion and evil because of their choice to disobey God. However, God promised a savior who would defeat Satan and that those who trust in Him can have eternal life in heaven.

1. THE GARDEN OF EDEN

2. Pain? Why me? Why them?
• Of all the days to get sick...why today??
• Why are they so rich? Why can’t we have more money?
• Really - she made the team and not me?
• Why does she get so lucky and win things and I never do?
• Why? Why? Why?

3. Serious why questions …
• Why does my only friend have to move away?
• Why does my mom have to get cancer?
• Why do my parents always fight?
• Why did my uncle have to get hurt in that bad car accident?
• Why did their baby die?

4. Confusion
Pain entered our world...why?
We get hurt, disappointed, confused...and wonder why?
The questions we all ask at some point in our lives…..if things
started out so good, how did things end up becoming so bad???
God created a perfect world….then sin entered the world. Pain,
hurt, disappointment, confusion followed.

5. God’s story to be continued…
The next part of the story has the potential to
change the way you view and understand
your world. So let’s go back to the
garden...back to where we started.

6. God gave Adam and Eve one rule to obey…..

7. Genesis 3
Adam and Eve
enjoyed the
garden, had
a perfect
relationship
with each
other and
God.

9. What is Satan trying to do?
• tempt Adam and Eve
with good food from an
off-limits tree?
• He was trying to create
doubt in their minds
about God...not the
rule but about the
creator of the rule.
• He plants
uncertainty into
their minds…
• He wants them to
begin to question
God….

12. What did Satan want them to think?
• He made God out to be the enemy… he was
keeping something from them…
• God was too strict….
• Satan got Adam and Eve to believe that the
they knew better than the very Creator of
the world…
• So….

16. Why did they see a benefit from disobeying God?
• Eve saw that the fruit was desirable for
gaining wisdom… she wanted to know
more….
• They both wanted control that was not
theirs to possess…
• They wanted to be like God… and they
thought they knew better than God did for
them

18. Results….
• There was a rift between people and God…
• Things were not perfect anymore… between
God and between each other.
• God was still good… but people were not
and the entire world was affected by this
decision.

19. Results...
• Every part of Creation is broken because of
sin….
• relationships
• bodies & minds
• creation itself
• all the evil, hurt, and brokenness in the world
that you see on the news or hear about from
your friends.

28. God curses the snake, Adam, & Eve
• these are the consequences for their
actions…
• the results of the distrust that Adam and
Eve felt towards God when they ate the
fruit…
• Adam and Eve have to leave the garden and
are banished from the “Tree of Life”

29. Why is this important?
• Everything you see in the world is a result
of that decision…
• Why the pain? hurt? anger? disease? natural
disasters? selfishness? anger? - because of
that decision made in the garden

30. But I did not eat the fruit….
• We may not have been there, but everyday
you and I make decisions to choose our way
over Gods way…..
• We choose our selfish interests over God’s
best intentions….
• some of the bad things happen as a result
of our not trusting God….

31. When we look at this story….
• We see ourselves… we do the same things
Adam and Eve did in the garden…
• We need to remember that the world was
once perfect and good…
• We are looking at world now that is hurting
and broken… people, animals, natural
disasters, disease, etc.

32. When we look at this story….
• We need to remember that God did not
cause all the evil and sin in the world…
• We were created to have God at the center
of our lives, just like Adam and Eve, and we
have said NO to God.
• That is the major problem in the world and
inside of us….

33. God does not end the story here...
He make 2 major promises in this chapter….
1.) He tells the serpent that his head will be
crushed….

35. God does not end the story here...
He make 2 major promises in this chapter….
1.) He tells the serpent that his head will be
crushed….
Who is the person who crushed his head….
JESUS CHRIST on the cross, crushes the
power of Satan!

36. God does not end the story here...
He make 2 major promises in this chapter….
1.) He tells the serpent that his head will be
crushed….
2.) He kicks them out of the garden and does
not allow them to eat from the tree of life.

38. God does not end the story here...
• When God kicks them out they will
eventually die…
• They do not have to live in this broken
world forever, they will be perfect again in
heaven.
• God is using all the things in our lives, good
and bad to help us grow and learn and trust
Him.

39. A dark day in God’s story...
• A lot of things were lost in the garden, but
not God’s goodness.
• As bad as things get in our lives and in the
world around us...God is still our loving
creator who loves us and shows mercy to
us.
• Even when we mess up, God never
abandons us, His grace is unending.