Video Transcript: Fallen Sexual Intimacy and Pleasure

Henry - So we're back. Last time we saw that God created male and female and bless them  and wanted them to enjoy a sexual intimacy be connected to reproduction. And it's in the  marriage worldview clearly. And that so here their hands are in this garden of pleasure God  wants you and I to experience, goodness, pleasure, joy. He made us for that. Like we would  want that for our own children. God wanted that for us. How eer, an enemy of God, a fallen  angel shows up into the garden and tests the method foundational level. So, all right. Satan  appeals to love things for more years, is really interesting in the role of the intimate advisor.  Better food, better opportunities, better pleasure. And God is limiting your pleasure in  

Pam - Genesis three verse one Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals,  the Lord God had made, he said to the woman, Did God really say you must not eat from any  tree in the garden?  

Henry - Okay, reflect on that. That is like something that appears many times in the Bible in  different places, like in the story of Jonadab. And David Sunday, Amnon. So I wanted to look  that up, it's, it's in first or second Samuel, but I want this is a ministry class. So, you know,  look it up. Jonadab. And it's an area to where it's sort of like Jonadab becomes an intimate  adviser to the King's son Amnon Right.  

Pam - And when describing him, it calls him subtle. Like, serpent is crafty the subtle twist  words,  

Henry - right. And in those places, Did God really say you must not eat from any trees in the  garden? So God is, you know, positioned as the person who is like the, you know, over  controlling creator of the world. 

Pam - He's limiting you, right? To right? Too much. Okay? All right. So Eve dialogued with a  lusting for more, God did place a limit one tree was forbidden. Genesis three verse two, three, the woman said to the serpent, We may eat from the trees in the garden, but God did say you must not eat from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or  you will die.  

Henry - Okay, so it's interesting. You must not touch it. Like to add students from forbidden  tree, or you will die. So you can see that there was a little bit even in Eve's case here. And this is still how it comes for us today. Like, you know, we feel the adolescent child who if you say  something to their child, it's like they take it like you're just ruining my life. Right? Right. So it  comes off like you're, you know,  

Pam - you're really limiting us. I can't even talk to you and  

Henry - intimate advisor, Satan comes in and calls attention to you know, all of these things.  

Pam - Alright, so Satan has a light meant for her. Genesis three, verse four, you will not surely  die the serpent said to the woman for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be  open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil  

Henry - You know that word YADAW is that it's, you know, it's like this core confidence in yourself. He was trying to say no, no, he didn't be like God, it actually what he's really saying is, is that  it God is forbidding you what's holding you back from what is higher than everything that you  will he has enlightenment you don't have and you're gonna get it. So yeah, it's a very crafty  

way to go.  

Pam - Yep. So one you're pleasure and sexual intimacy will be more. 

Henry - Okay. And we know he's talking about sexual intimacy because in Genesis, chapter  two, we're seeing Moses comment, a man will leave his mother. So, you know, so some  people have said, you know, the sexuality isn't even mentioned in chapters three, how do we  know it connects, but we know connect, because of the context. In Chapter Two we hear it is  about sexual intimacy. We hear it's about naming the animals you know, being a steward as  well, you know, all of those are all issues in there. So, it does connect  

Pam - it does two your eyes will be open to more three your power will be more and four your  knowledge will be more  

Henry - will be more  

Pam - well, even Adams need the possibilities Genesis three verses six through seven when  the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also  desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it, she also gave some to her husband  

who was with her and he ate it, then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realized  they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves  

Henry - notice too realize YADAW enlightenment. they will know.  

Pam - So the first implication mentioned is the implication to their sexual identity. First thing  they knew sexual intimate, identity was different. So all their enlightenment shame was  introduced to their sexual intimacy and the first enterprise was making the cover.  

Henry - So textile, first thing you know, is so the YADAW of knowing good and evil, the first thing  they then know. And, and, and we would say that that is our common experience. Everybody  gets that. Now, I know there's some people who try to like work through that there's like these things like nudist colonies and stuff like that. But there's always like something that we know  something is broke, right? Okay.  

Pam - Then coveting more pleasure, a central characteristic of the fall. So their sexual  intimacy was moving from oneness with one with another person to erotic pleasure itself.  More dopamine for senses tastes, and sight, more dopamine for our thinking, desirable for  enlightened insights to be like God.  

Henry - Okay, so later on in this class, we're going to deal into the weeds about this dopamine receptors and responders, right and don't get a little. Yeah, I'll give a little just a real little, I'll  give more. But I'll give an introduction now. So essentially, when Adam and Eve fell into sin,  their understanding of pleasure itself, the pleasure of knowledge, the pleasure of naming the  pleasure of getting things done, the pleasure of sexual intimacy, their brains fell into where  pleasure itself, they would not only know good pleasure, and many of us can understand good pleasure, but they were also no evil pleasure in that introduced The fall in it affected  everybody, every way, and every who they are, as a created being was so dramatically  altered. And again, we get that because our dopamine responders which we'll be talking  about later, were affected, we have distorted sense of pleasure and that can be for eating,  that can be for addictions, it can be in our work, you know, all these things like greed and all  these other things. So so like sexual sin is not the essence of the fall in some in the third and  fourth century of the Catholic Church, believe that influenced by the Greek Gnosticism No,  that's not the essence. It's we're all completely fallen all have fallen in fall short of the glory of God. But but we can't underestimate that our brains we know evil and we know good at a  different level. And so this was a fall that was pervasive throughout our entire being it just  that's the all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God  

Pam - God shows up innocence lost Genesis three verses 8, 8 to 8. It might be seven, eight  anyway, then the man and his wife heard the sound of Lord God as he was walking in the 

garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, where are you?  

Henry - It said he was hiding among the trees  

Pam - the trees, now they had fallen pleasures, and people still do this. Yes, we hide trees.  God is seeking us and we hide ourselves in the trees of the garden. And where are you God  asked?  

Henry - You know, I think that's one of the things I loved about Ray Vander Laan, and we did  this trip together in Israel. And and I believe as ministers these, these are looking for those  moments where we're reading scripture, and then there's a moment like this, where are you?  Okay. And, I mean, this is not just a question for Adam and Eve. But it's a question for every  human. Where are you? What are you hiding in the bushes right now from God? In many  people are hiding in the bushes. And when you when you find them playing hide and seek  from God, as a minister, this is your opportunity to introduce them to God who asks them,  where are you? Because they're, they're hiding in the bushes. So it just I love that. Ray  Vander Laan  

Pam - God knows where they are, as we well know. No, but they think they're hiding from  them. So he says, Okay, so where are you?  

Henry - You're right. And we often think we're hiding from each other. Yeah. And what are you  hiding from right now? And what are you disqualifying you in the life that God has given you  because we're hiding, you know, I often find that the thing is, our journey together, what we  hide on and don't want to talk about, and we just bury, are those things that keep us in the  bushes, right? But when we confess our sins, or confess to when or talk about things in Jesus  Christ, all of a sudden, we get it to come out of the bushes, right? And shame isn't put away.  

Pam - They are hiding for some reason, and they're naked.  

Henry - I got to ask a question, did we just read the cover? They made cover for themselves?  You know, I've thought about, okay, it's probably here's something else here about our life.  So, you know, our life is very busy as you could well understand. And sometimes, when we go to bed at night, we'll have a little prayer and devotions. But our mind is still active. So we  have a little app that we from pray.com. It's an app and then it reads scripture. So one of the  ones that we like, is the Genesis app. Chapters one through four, read chapters one through  four, and we probably listened to this hundreds of times now. And you know, and sometimes,  if we're really wound up, we'll make it all the way through chapter four. But a lot of times,  we'll only make it through like chapter three, and then, and then we're dozing off, but it's  been interesting. So I was really reflecting as I've been listened to it night after night, the  same thing because, uh, you know, you got to keep it the same thing. So you don't like often  use your mind if I the other day, I tried the Second Samuel the Jonadab one, you know, and I  heard that and then next thing, you know, my mind is all awake. And I'm thinking, you know,  they actually made me you stayed longer as I was thinking. I was so, but anyway, so in this  Genesis, you know, I, so that's really where it struck me in one of those nights as I was just  sort of listening and, and where it's like, they made coverings for themselves. And now all of a sudden, God shows up and they're naked, they're naked. You know, what, what's that about?  

Pam - In Genesis three verses 10 through 11a, he answered, I heard you in the garden and it  was afraid because I was naked. So I hid and he said, Who told you that you were naked?  

Henry - Were they indulging them on pleasure right there? What Whoa. Adam's covering was  off and he felt guilty about it. What was he doing? What were they doing? Now, again, I don't  want to speculate anything because you don't ever really thought of it that way. In here. 

Some of the two is I haven't listened to it. We don't know if a year had past 10 years have  passed or the next day. It could have been hours. But as I begin to reflect upon the theology  of the entire Bible, looking back on the complete fall of Adam and Eve, I'm I'm not surprised To think that when they got enlightened, it was a complete rebellious moment where the fall into sin was they, you know, they went possibly again, I grant you a little speculation here, where  they possibly went into the evil pleasure, because they were enlightened to do it. And I mean, if you're gonna get a Ferrari in their mind, that's what they got. They were taking test rides  and what that meant. I mean, and in when God shows up, what were they doing? Where were  they taken that Ferrari at that moment? I don't know. Right to get in again. I, I, you know, it's  not like, it's just hearing this, you know, hundreds of times, every little detail. They did make  coverings and those coverings are off that God shows up, they're not covered.  

Pam - Right. So, yeah, some time has passed a bit.  

Henry - Yeah. So we're not sure what they did. Right?  

Pam - Like a cheater caught in and up there. Genesis three verses 11 through 13. And he said, Who told you that you are naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I come in and you not to  eat from? The man said, The woman you put here with me? He gave me some fruit from the  tree and I ate it. Then the Lord said to the woman, what is this you have done? The woman  said, The serpent deceived me and I ate.  

Henry - Okay, so let's stop there. I find interesting the blaming goes on. Right? And is that still the case today? Right. So So, so we're having now there's some injury going on? Somebody  injured somebody? Right. And that's talked about, we understand injury. And we know, the  tendency is, you know, I can look back at my past and say, that whatever struggle I've had  with porn is related to that, you know, addict, and what, where were the parents of that kid  who had newspapers there? And then the neighbors, and, you know, you could start writing  like that quickly. Like, you know, I don't often take responsibility for this, because you know,  something, it wasn't my fault. Right. Yeah. You know, and we see that as a tendency that we  have in our sinful nature, not just that, of course, sexual things, but sin itself. So yes, yeah.  You know, my parents were like this. And that happened there. This happened to me, it's like  this, right? And we see right away this tendency, and then we read.  

Pam - Okay, and then this is not from the past. No, these are some questions to think about.  What were they doing in the bushes when God showed up? Adam and Eve were caught  uncovered shame was the first thing addressed by God. And blaming starts then including all  three characters. The serpent was there, too.  

Henry - What do you make of that, you know, I find it's like the they're found hiding in the  bushes, or doing something in the bushes. And then the serpent is there too. Right? Because  the very next passage we're talking about next, God immediately addresses all three of them. So in a sense, God catches all three of them. In some shameful or other Yes. Right. I mean, we don't want to speculate anything beyond that. Although, later when we get to Leviticus, we  realize that fallen sexual pleasure, obviously pre pretty fallen because the Lord gave yes to  God. Right, exactly.  

Pam - So, God judges all three parties involved. Sorry. Genesis three, verse 13, through 19.  And in those verses, the serpent is cursed, it becomes a snake the devil continues his fight  with God, the devil is our enemy. Now, Jesus will defeat the work of the devil pain enters into  childbearing for women, men are given the responsibility to lead their homes work would be  hard, and there would be no tree of life or Garden of Eden for Adam and Eve.  

Henry - So all three parties are addressed right there. And this actually sets up the plan of  salvation. So let's conclude what we've seen here. Right. 

Pam - God created sexual intimacy and pleasure to be experienced in marriage and the  marriage worldview, God hard, hardwired, the seeking of sexual intimacy and pleasure in  every human. The fall of Adam and Eve shows that Adam and Eve were introduced to good  and evil pleasures. They wanted more and this is the Fallen tendency that affects our pleasure centers. We want more food, money, wisdom and or sexual pleasure. or anything you could  probably name, we need a redeemer to be saved and sanctified to a new life.  

Henry - And we know in this story that Adam and Eve are thrown out of the garden of  pleasures of the Garden of Eden. And an angel blocks the way so that they wouldn't eat of the tree of life. And we don't know all. What if they would have ran over to the tree of life when  God didn't show up yet? And could they have died? You know, we can speculate are all those  things? But we don't know the answer to that. But we know that Jesus came into this world,  and we have access to the tree of life.  

Pam - Jesus is the Way, John 14 Verse six, Jesus answered, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  

Henry - This is a great ministry verse. Because when I think about us as ministers, as couple  ministers, ordained to serve the Lord together. I think it's all about us getting people back into the garden. God's pleasure in getting people to that tree of life, Jesus Christ. Right in I think,  you know, when I hear all of the stories, and all of people's hurts, and I know this, enlightenment, this YADAW. I know, inside myself, what havoc it creates. But I also know, this Havoc is  being created everywhere. And I know what God has done in our life, how he has renewed us  and is renewing us. And I also know it's because that we are eating of the tree of life, and we  have communion. We are eating of the tree of life, you know, eat, believe, drink and eat. This  is my body, this is my blood shed for you for the complete remission of all of our sins. And as  ministers, this is what we introduce to people, we introduce the Tree of Life, eat of the tree of  life. And now, it's going to have a lot of implications. There's going to be a lot to talk about,  there's a lot of discipleship that will happen through the power of the Holy Spirit. There's a lot  of confession. There's a lot of future. But but we are not defeated. You know, you can I think  too often the church we've looked at the fall in sort of had, well, in the area of sex, we're just  going to talk about it's fallen. And hopefully you get married, and hopefully in marriage, you  just figure it out, because you know what we want to talk about it. But what we miss, then is  that redemptive transformation, let's talk about it in let's not hide in the bushes on it, hiding  in the bushes is not going to do anybody any good. Instead, let's get out of the bushes and  say, We are broken people cracked pots that are beaten, not destroyed. We carry around the  death of Jesus. we partake of His Body and Blood that the life of Jesus maybe revealed  through our bodies. And that's ministry. So you know, in some ways, when I think about the  fall, if humanity you know, something be so depressing. But this is not depressing, because  we know that the head of the serpent has been crushed when Jesus work and ministry and  resurrection and that the ministry of the church is to share this to everyone. So it's kind of a  positive thing to think about that we are part of the ministry of reconciliation of fallen  humanity back to God and how He attends us to be is something that we can move toward  through the power of the Holy Spirit.