In Eden - Paradise Lost (1/19/26) OPTION 2

January 20th, 2026
by Kyle Weigold

The Fall - Genesis 3

Key Takeaways from the Sermon

The voice of temptation is not as threatening as we expect - The enemy often appears familiar and unassuming, not obviously dangerous.

We must never swap the walk of man for the word of God - Adding our own rules to God's commands can create confusion and legalism.
Sin creates separation - The first thing lost in the fall was vulnerability and intimacy with God and each other.
God's questions are opportunities for confession - When God asks "Where are you?" He's offering grace and a chance to return.
The consequences of sin are not God's original design - The brokenness we experience is the result of sin, not God's intended purpose for humanity.

Questions About the Text (Genesis 3)

The Talking Snake: Why do you think the serpent's approach was so effective? What made Eve comfortable enough to engage in conversation rather than run away?
Adding to God's Word: Eve told the serpent that God said not to even touch the fruit, but God only said not to eat it. Why is this seemingly small addition significant? Can you think of examples where Christians today add rules to what God actually said?
"Where Are You?": God asked Adam several questions He already knew the answers to (Where are you? Who told you that you were naked? What have you done?). What was the purpose of these questions? How do they reveal God's character?

Reflection Questions

1. Normalizing Sin: The pastor asked, "In what ways have you been complicit in normalizing the realities of sin?" Where in your life have you become comfortable with brokenness, saying "this is just how it is"?

2. Self-Generated Fear: Adam was afraid of God even though God had done nothing but give to him. When have you been afraid of God based on your own shame rather than on who God actually is?

3. Broken Relationships: Genesis 3 shows how sin turned partnership into hierarchy, collaboration into competition, and intimacy into hiding. Which of these broken patterns do you see most clearly in your own relationships?

4. Eyes on Self vs. Eyes on God: The sermon emphasized that when the enemy gets us questioning ourselves instead of trusting God, we're in the danger zone. When are you most tempted to trust your own understanding rather than God's word?

Application

1. Generational Patterns: The consequences of sin travel through generations. What patterns of sin or brokenness have been passed down in your family? How can you be the one to break the cycle?

2. God's Redemptive Plan: Despite the fall, God's plan didn't collapse—it shifted to redemption through Christ. How does understanding the fall help you better appreciate what Jesus accomplished?

3. Choosing Restoration: The sermon ended with a choice: normalize sin and live in brokenness, or take the hand extended to you. What specific area of your life is God inviting you to move from brokenness toward restoration?

This Week's Challenge

Choose one of the following to practice this week:

Option 1: Confession Practice
Set aside time each day this week to honestly answer God's question: "Where are you?" Don't hide, make excuses, or blame others. Practice vulnerable confession before God.

Option 2: Relationship Restoration
Identify one relationship where you've normalized brokenness (competition instead of collaboration, hiding instead of intimacy, etc.). Take one concrete step toward God's design for that relationship.

Option 3: Truth Inventory
Make a list of beliefs you hold about what God says. Then check each one against Scripture. Are any of them "addendums" you or others have added? Commit to aligning your beliefs with God's actual word.

Option 4: Grace Reflection
Spend time meditating on the ways God showed grace in Genesis 3 (asking questions, making clothes, not immediately destroying humanity). Journal about how God has shown you similar grace in your sin.

Memory Verse - Galatians 4:4-7

"When the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, 'Abba, Father.' Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir."