Reject Passivity

Reject Passivity

Testimony: My name is Thomas Rivera and I am an elder at the Summit Church in West Fargo. I came here with a team of 5 families to plant a church and we have been here since 2013. I am originally from Miami, Florida. I would say that for 21 years of my life it was a disaster due to passivity. I grew up in a broken home a high school drop out, pill popping, coc snorting pothead junkie. I was passive the very topic that we will be talking about today something that has plagued men since the beginning of time.

Read Genesis 3: 1-24

Point #1 – Passivity in resisting the devil

I want to make something very clear that the Devil is very real and evil is rampant in the world.

The devil is personal and he is our to harm you and me.

Look at this passage the devil does not come to us in his true colors. He comes in disguise in the form of a serpent.

2 Corinthians 11:14 tells us that he disguises as an angel of light.

He is alluring – If I told that I had a dog that can whistle you will want to see it – She was fascinated

Lets look at what transpires between Satan and Eve.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You[a] shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1

He is minimizing the place of god in our lives. It is a question that we are being asked on a daily basis. Does God love you? Is he actually there? Where is he? Did God really say you will be forgiven of all your sins?

Adam and Eve have a perfect place to live in, provision, perfect relationship with God. Here he comes with confusion.

Let’s keep looking at the dialogue.

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:2-5

Already Eve has forgotten the command of God

In Genesis 2:16, “ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat[d] of it you shall surely die.”

She added to God’s word. He never said not to touch it.

Here comes the lie. “you will not surely die.” For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened.” A truth with a lie. He tells them they wont die but he also tells them the truth that their eyes will be opened.

Also, take notice and this is what the devil always says and throws at us. Here Adam and Eve are literally King and Queen of the earth were given dominion were blessed by God and were given authority to subdue creation. They were both in a perfect relationship with God. God is making Eve believe that she is not enough. If she ate the fruit she will finally have all that she needs. Isnt that what Satan and the world tends to tell us? You are not enough you need this you need that then you will be happy.

You will be like god. The entirety of Genesis 1, God turned chaos into order. Day after day in creation he is making one thing clear. He is God. There is no one besides Him. He did not need help. No one can resist His power.

Man is the creature.

It is easy for us to look at this story and say if that was me it would be different. If it was you or I we would have fallen.

We have been passive throughout history towards the attacks and schemes of the devil.

He is not out for our good but out for our harm. Jesus says that the enemy has come to steal, kill and destroy.

The devil is real.

Lets look at another example. We will be turning to the book of Matthew when Jesus has just been baptized by John filled with the Spirit and led to the desert where he was tempted for 40 days and 40 nights.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Do you see the difference?

How did He answer Satan with each temptation?

He is our example. This is how we fight not leaning on our own strength but on truth. The truth of God’s word.

Personal Testimony: Growing up as a kid it was almost taboo if you were not involved in witchcraft. I would see family members attend church but at the same time partake in witch craft. My mom used to take me mediums people so she can talk to her deceased relatives so this person would supposedly channel my uncles spirit and speak to us. Do you see how the enemy works? Hey you would be able to talk to your uncle. Don’t you miss him? At what cost. We would open the door to the demoniac into our home and lives. The medium would start speaking in a language I could not understand and lay hands on me and pray.

The devil is real and he is out to destroy you. We can all attest to the years of him stealing from us. Are you not tired of him stealing from you?

Application: The only way that we are able to know the truth from error. Gods word with something that has an appearance or sounds like Gods word. We have to be in His word. We have to get to know Him. Jesus says that my sheep hear my voice and they listen and come to him. We have to become familiar to his voice. His character. His promises. In Matthew 4 when Jesus is being tempted by the devil. The devil is quoting scripture to Jesus to make him disobey the Father. Jesus retaliates with scripture.

The bible says that if you resist the devil he will flee from you.

The bible also says those who have the Holy Spirit in them that he dwells in you is greater than He who is in the world. Talking about the devil.

Point #1 – Man was passive against the devil

Point #2 – Man was Passive in His role

Lets look at Genesis 2:15 so we can see what was mans role in creation.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. Genesis 2:15

The word to keep means to (protect, guard, observe, watch, save life)

The man was given a job. We all have a job. We all are to contribute to society. God makes it clear that work is important. God worked to bring creation into existence.

· John 5:17 Jesus said, “My Father is working until now and I am working.”

· 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “If anyone is not willing to work let him not eat.”

· 1 Timothy 5:8, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

We as men we have something in us, engrained in us to protect to guard. I see it from a young age. I have three boys and when you are around them they want to wrestle that is their love language some people might like gifts my boys want you to wrestle them or sword fight them.

Passivity – doing nothing when we know what needs to be done has plagued us.

Masculinity is productive, action oriented and protective all of which are the opposite of being passive.

John Eldredge said, “Men must resist being swallowed up by the modern culture which neuters them figuratively and literally in exchange for acceptance and good boy points. They must look deep within and remember their wildness, who they are and who their forefathers were. We must be unafraid to imagine the ways men have always been, in every culture around the world – it’s no secret: “Men want a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. That is what is written in their hearts. That is what little boys play at. You just see it. It is undeniable.”

In a figurative sense the devil and the world wants to neutralize us to neuter us.

John 10:10 – Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

The word used for destroy means to neutralize. We don’t pick a side. We do nothing.

Passivity can stop us from fulfilling our God given role. Passivity can lead to self pity.

Marshall Segal says, “It can keep a man from confessing sin, from initiating reconciliation, from picking up the phone, from attempting family devotions from making a difficult decision or taking the hard next step.”

Hey guys we all know that when we screw up in this area. The area where we do nothing. Where we are neutral. It leads to disaster. Our choices have consequences. I will say it is never too late.

Testimony of dad – I mentioned a little earlier that I grew up in a broken home. When I was in middle school my dad left my mom for another woman. I was left without a role model. I had no direction. I was angry. Denzel Washington said that when young boys grow up without Fathers they go searching for one a lot of times that is in the streets. I worked in restaurants with a lot of night owls, junkies and dealers and ex-convicts. Guess who I looked up to? Who I modeled? When it came to finding out how to treat a woman. It was those guys. The choice of my dad being passive and not taking care of his children and protecting his wife had consequences. I will say it again that there is hope. I gave my life to Christ in 2006 and my path of healing began. I would later meet my dad and reconcile with him. Later after that I would find that He gave His life to Christ and he is attempting to reach out to me and be present. God’s grace abounded more than the sin of my Father.

Application: You are all seeking to reverse the choices that you have made. You are taking the steps to ensure that things go well. You are laying a solid foundation not one made of sand. I commend each and everyone one of you.

Point #1 – Man have been Passive against Satan

Point #2 – Man has been Passive in his role

Point #3 – Man has been passive heading God’s commands

Rules are important. Imagine a football game with no rules. It is the same thing with life.

You kill and you get the death sentence.

You neglect your kids you lose them.

You cheat on your wife you are divorced.

You lie you have broken someones trust.

We have consequences for our decisions. I was reading Genesis 3 with my oldest son and we were talking about sin.

I told him that sin is never isolated there is always collateral damage. I told him if we were all in a living room and there was a live grenade in the center with no pin in it what would happen. We would all get injured. Same with sin. It is a cancer. It brings death.

However, there is a way out. Look at Genesis 3:15, “ I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise (CRUSH) your head and you shall bruise his heall.”

At this point in the story man has given into sin they disobeyed God. When God confronted them instead of admitting to their wrong they pointed the finger at each other and played the blame game. God then proceeds to pronounce curses upon the snake, Adam and Eve.

God promised that there will be someone who will come and crush the head of the serpant while doing so he would be injured. This is the first prophecy about Jesus Christ.

How did he crush Satans head? How did his heal get bruised?

God was not going to dismiss your sin. He was also not going to leave you in your sin.

Application – the choices that were given to Adam and Eve are no different to the choices we have today. God gave them the choice between life and death. We have the choice to choose between life or death there is no middle option there is no option to be neutral. My charge to you men is to choose life. We can only find true life in Jesus Christ. The application for this section is if you never gave your life to Christ. You never said, “God you are right and I am wrong. Please save me from my sin!” What are you waiting for? Tomorrow is not promised. The wages of sin is death. I am not talking physical death because that will come to everyone. I am talking about both death of body and soul. Separated from God for eternity.

Levi - Pray for guidance and mental health restoration and perseverance

DJ - wisdom for when we should not be passive

Pray for Abraham