06: Creation and the Fall - Teaching Plan

Key Thought : Understanding the issues underlying all temptations better equips us for successful spiritual life. There issues are highlighted in the fall of Adam and Eve.

[Teaching plan for Creation and the Fall February 4, 2013]

1. Have a volunteer read Genesis 3:1.

A. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
B. Was the serpent a subtle creature or was it the wiles of the devil speaking through the serpent? What is the advantage of asking a question rather than making a statement in drawing Eve in?
C. Personal Application: Is it people you don’t know that are more likely to mislead you, or a fellow church member you have known a long time? Share.
D. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “Is the serpent Satan, or did the devil have a preexisting creature as a medium to talk to Eve? What do we know about the appearance of the serpent at that time as compared to now?” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Genesis 3:2,3.

A. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
B. What was wrong with Eve answering the serpent’s question?
C. Personal Application: Are there times we could get “caught up” by engaging in debates with doubters that may lead us astray or cause us to question God? Share your thoughts.
D. Case Study: One of your friends states, “Didn’t Eve help deceive herself by misquoting what God told her? God never told her not to touch it; He told her not to eat it. By misunderstanding and misquoting the Bible, I think many people lead themselves into disobedience. What do you think?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Genesis 3:4-6.

A. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
B. What are the three temptations Eve falls under here that Jesus conquered in the desert encounter with Satan and is the root of the three angel’s messages in Revelation 14 and in Revelation 3:18 to the Laodicean church? Share your thoughts.
C. Personal Application: Are you personally more apt to be under attack in the mental arena, the physical area, or the spiritual phase of your life? Why is being weak in any one area dangerous to thew whole experience of your life? Share.
D. Case Study: One of your neighbors states, “Who was more at fault here? Eve, because she left her husband’s side and was deceived into disobedience; or Adam, who knew better but disobeyed anyway, choosing to suffer with Eve rather than lose her – putting her above God?” How would you respond to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read Genesis 3:14,15.

A. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
B. Who is the woman’s seed and who is the serpent’s seed? What is the enmity that would be placed between them?
(Note: See Matthew 3:7; Genesis 4:9, 26)
C. Personal Application: Why do people believe that God created sin? That without evil, we wouldn’t know what good is? Does this teaching of both right and wrong being necessary for balance have any truth to it? Share your thoughts.
D. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Note: “Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.” MH p. 149)

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Allou, your question on why God allowed Satan to take advantage of his beloved creatures has puzzled me also for many weeks now. Aside from giving us choice from the get go, God knowing what our history was to turn out to be, giving us the first promise right there and then of sending Jesus later on to pay for all sin as it continued until enough is enough and sin is no more, showing the universe and other worlds by using us as examples in his plan to put down insurrection, that humans are worth rescuing, still throws up the question "Why"? There is the thought that if God was heavy handed and disposed of Lucifer (satan) and his rebellious associates (got rid of the problem) what would the rest of creation and other worlds' reaction be to God fear and trembling? I can only think of a parent child relationship. You have a baby and you feel unconditional love and their dependancy wanting to give them a good life wishing them to be prosperous but most of all unconditionally to love you back. When they sart to make their own choices you are proud when they do well not so proud of their failures both reflect back we think on us as parents and how we guided and shaped them even knowing the mistakes are learnt from too. In the garden God also gave us free choice without it our relationship with him would have been robotic, one sided, unable to develop fully, the tide would be going just one way. Would we have discovered or have been able to truly develop the capacity to love unconditionally as is God's love for us without his gift of choice? How would it have been if Eve had thought no God has said not to eat the fruit he did have his reasons there is something odd about this snake and what he is saying? What would it have been like then living down through the ages in the garden of Eden, no death, sickness, pain, sorrow, sound familiar? All will be revealed: what happened happened we have a job to do for The Lord ie be the best we can be, feed his sheep, let him start the transformation on our hearts, minds and world around us that we may be worthy and fulfil our purpose here on earth in his honour.

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Comments

06: Creation and the Fall – Teaching Plan — 8 Comments

stanley sawit on February 6, 2013 at 12:22 am said:

iam not questioning the justice of God but a kind of retrospect why the serpent has to be cursed considering that satan has used it as his medium.and iam certain that the serpent cannot resist the overwhelming power of satan thus he became the medium.

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Kimberly Shay on February 6, 2013 at 11:03 am said:

They are both responsible for going against God's command, one was not more responsible than the other. They knew it was sin. Eve "took of the fruit thereof and ate, and gave also unto her husband WITH her; and he ate."

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Francis. Wright on February 7, 2013 at 5:23 pm said:

When God does something it is well done, no questions about it. God is righteous and His works are works of righteousness. It is sometime incomprehensible to our feeble human mind, but if we were to understand everything about God, He would no longer be the supreme being He is.

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nomvelo on February 8, 2013 at 5:27 am said:

engaging in an ungodly act, whether you are the instigator or being have been approached by Satan's agent. you will pay the same price at judgement. we need to be vigilant.

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Samuel Masih on February 8, 2013 at 6:52 am said:

Thanks for mailing lesson teaching plans and other supporting informations. I do enjoy and it does help in the thought process
step by step.

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Allou Koko on February 9, 2013 at 6:00 am said:

What struck me was the ease with which Eve converse with the serpent. Did she have the habit of talking to animals? If that happens to be the case, then it seems like the enemy took advantage of Eve was used to doing. She was victim of her habits. The question that comes in mind is that why is a perfect world created by a loving and caring God, would God allow Satan to come to the garden in disguise to take advantage of his beloved creatures both the serpent and Eve?

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Eunice Thompson on February 13, 2013 at 2:27 pm said:

Allou, your question on why God allowed Satan to take advantage of his beloved creatures has puzzled me also for many weeks now. Aside from giving us choice from the get go, God knowing what our history was to turn out to be, giving us the first promise right there and then of sending Jesus later on to pay for all sin as it continued until enough is enough and sin is no more, showing the universe and other worlds by using us as examples in his plan to put down insurrection, that humans are worth rescuing, still throws up the question "Why"? There is the thought that if God was heavy handed and disposed of Lucifer (satan) and his rebellious associates (got rid of the problem) what would the rest of creation and other worlds' reaction be to God fear and trembling? I can only think of a parent child relationship. You have a baby and you feel unconditional love and their dependancy wanting to give them a good life wishing them to be prosperous but most of all unconditionally to love you back. When they sart to make their own choices you are proud when they do well not so proud of their failures both reflect back we think on us as parents and how we guided and shaped them even knowing the mistakes are learnt from too. In the garden God also gave us free choice without it our relationship with him would have been robotic, one sided, unable to develop fully, the tide would be going just one way. Would we have discovered or have been able to truly develop the capacity to love unconditionally as is God's love for us without his gift of choice? How would it have been if Eve had thought no God has said not to eat the fruit he did have his reasons there is something odd about this snake and what he is saying? What would it have been like then living down through the ages in the garden of Eden, no death, sickness, pain, sorrow, sound familiar? All will be revealed: what happened happened we have a job to do for The Lord ie be the best we can be, feed his sheep, let him start the transformation on our hearts, minds and world around us that we may be worthy and fulfil our purpose here on earth in his honour.

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Ed Dickerson on February 13, 2013 at 6:57 pm said:

Who is responsible, Adam or Eve? is a question which misses the language of Genesis 1-3.

We call 'the woman' in this episode Eve, but she did not receive that name until AFTER the fall. These details matter. The author of Genesis left nothing to chance. Until the fall, "the man" and "the woman" are considered one unit: what one does, they both do. We see the name Adam, and think of it as a name. But in Genesis 1, it is essentially 'Red,' after the color of the clay from which they were formed. Or, for that matter, we might as well refer to them both as "Clay." It is a clearer idea of what is going on here in Genesis.

Once again, from the point of view of the audience of Genesis, there is no 'did he' or 'did she?' So did "Clay" speaks to the serpent, or did "Clay?" Yes.

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06: Creation and the Fall – Teaching Plan