Sermon Tone Analysis

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.