Consider The Trees Part 3: Gossip in The Garden

Presermon

Encounter Night is this weekend

Vision Month starts in March!

Offering

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Review

Adam had a choice between two trees

Tree of life and Tree of knowledge of good and evil

Fulfillment is often forfeited for the sake of curiosity

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Moving the Pew off the stage in Bearden

You can do some things alone...but it’s so much harder that way..

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That’s not good

Genesis 2:18 NKJV

18 And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

The first “not good” in scripture was when man was in isolation.

It is still not good for man to be alone.

I struggle with this reality.

In order to not be alone you have to be willing to not be protected.

When you let down your guard…you avail yourself to the risk of being hurt.

YOU WILL GET HURT IF YOU LET PEOPLE IN.

TALKING WITH UNCLE BRIAN ABOUT BEING HURT BY MINISTRY…

The danger of living alone is greater than the danger of being wounded.

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Don’t settle for less

Genesis 2:19 NKJV

19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.

God’s begins to manufacture from the ground every beast of the field and bird of the air.

The text implies their being a potential that some of these things could fill that role of helper in Adam’s life

But there was one thing missing in their creation.

They did not receive the breath of God.

There are a lot of things that will seem like good options to bring fulfillment…but until God breathes on it…it won’t fulfill you.

Don’t settle for what’s good if it’s not from God.

Stop seeking the thing and start seeking the breath…

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Can’t Find Fulfillment in the doing

Over the next verses we see Adam naming animals left and right…He is doing an incredible job of creatively naming every creature.

Adam is productive

Adam is obedient

But no amount of productivity seems to be bringing the desired fulfillment in Adam’s life.

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The Secret is to sleep

When doing doesn’t seem to be working…sometimes the answer is not to do more…it’s to rest.

Genesis 2:21 NKJV

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.

Sometimes the greatest enemy to our fulfillment and finding our next season is how conscious we are of the search.

Before God could bring Adam what was next…Adam had to be willing to go to sleep.

What is it that God is trying to put in your life that you’re not willing to go to sleep for.

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Moving forward hurts sometimes.

Adam had to be willing to go through pain.

You don’t get to keep everything you have in the now if you are going to go into the next.

NEW COSTS NOW

One of the hardest realities we will have to face in our walk with Christ is when God calls us to walk out the gift of goodbye.

There are things that are detrimental to your journey with Jesus that you don’t realize are as such.

HAD TO LOSE MY JOB IN TEXAS TO GO TO LONDON

LOSING LEADERSHIP ON THE ORIGINAL LAUNCH TEAM.

Walking into purpose often requires walking through pain.

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Eve = The Flesh

Eve is the being that is created from Adam’s flesh…

Eve is literally the manifestation of Adam’s flesh

Genesis 2:23 NKJV

23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”

Adam forfeits paradise because he allows his flesh to make decisions that his Spirit had been given standards on.

Our Spirit can hear God say one thing…but when our flesh starts presenting an alternative case we find it hard to stay true to what God said.

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When the flesh likes what it hears

Genesis 3:1 NKJV

1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

The word cunning here is the Hebrew word: a’rum = two connotations: Negative = Crafty, Positive = Prudent

The enemy who was the serpent…was more crafty than anyone on the earth.

He was plotting for an opportunity to tear down what God clearly valued.

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CHECK TIME: Satan hates what we have

The enemy hated that man was made in the image and likeness of God…because man was given what he tried to take.

Isaiah 14:12–15 NKJV

12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.

Satan’s plot that ended up seeing his cast down from heaven was trying to stage a coup to be like God.

So Satan originates a scheme that we have seen play out all throughout history.

if I can’t have it…nobody can.

Because Satan can’t ascend to the level of being God

Because Satan can’t usurp the authority of man (They’ve been given dominion over everything on the earth)

All he can do is talk…

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The enemy originated gossip

I want to break down for us today how the enemy enacts something that is one of the most prevalent sins for those who claim to be a part of the body of Christ….GOSSIP

Gossip: casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.

In the instance of the garden narrative…the gossip is not about another person…the gossip is about God.

Because the enemy could not convince Adam and Eve that God was bad based on any factual claims…he had to manufacture a narrative to convince them to forfeit their standing.

Gossip is the dysfunctional response to somehow tear down what we can’t control.

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More responsibility than the speaking

Now, typically when we hear someone talk about gossip, we are coming at it from the perspective of “don’t do it.”

It is certainly worth preaching to the people of God that we should not be giving our voices to gossip.

When we do gossip we are directly reflecting the nature of Satan not of God.

Gossiping about another believer or the church is one of the most common demonic manifestations in the church world.

If you’ve ever had someone gossip about a pastor, believer, or church…you have seen a demon manifest.

It looks like it’s holy…but it’s profane.

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The elements of gossip as portrayed by the enemy in the garden narrative.

1. He was talking about something he was uninformed on.

I am connected with a pastor who recently took an extended leave of absence.

the stories I heard regarding why from people peripherally associated with the ministry were varied

He had an affair with one of the worship leaders

He had anger issues and had berated his staff.

The actual reason from someone who actually knew the situation was that his dad was dying and he took some time to be with his dad and mourn his loss.

When you hear something negative about another believer…ask yourself how informed the person speaking actually is.

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2. He was talking with someone who was uninformed on the subject.

One of the common characteristics of gossip is seen in this passage…

Not only did Satan not have first hand knowledge of the situation.

Eve didn’t have first hand knowledge of the situation.

How many conversations have I been a part of in my life as a Christ follower to where neither myself or the person I’m talking to have any idea what we’re talking about.

If two people who are ignorant of a situation are having a conversation about the situation…what else could that conversation be besides ignorant?

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3. He put it in Eve’s mind that God said something He didn’t say

His wording of God’s command was “eat of every tree of the garden.”

A common trait of gossip is taking the principal of what someone said and embellishing the particulars of what someone said.

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4. He accused God of lying

It is impossible to convince a gossiper of the innocence of their target because they will simply meet your reason with the fact that someone is lying.

__________ 5. He ascribed to God a motive that had no basis in fact.

Stop assuming the worst motivations on people.

As believers it is our responsibility to assume the best until facts are presented…

Bruce Deel leads one of the most effective ministry organizations I’ve had the privilege of seeing in person.

Assuming the worst in people is a miserable way to live and a guaranteed way to stifle evangelism

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Philippians 4:8–9 NKJV

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.