Let’s Get to the Root of It!

Matthew 7:15–20 NKJV

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Let’s Get to the Root of it!

FRUIT: The fruit of the tree proves the type of tree

STEM: The stem or trunk of the tree feeds the fruit

GROUND: The ground is what feeds the tree

ROOT: The root is the source of the tree’s life

Discerning Levels of Conflict

Four levels of Conflict

SURFACE PROBLEMS: These are the fruit issues that most feel are their problem.

“I need to stop smoking.”

“He needs to stop drinking.”

“I wish she wouldn’t wear those clothes.”

“I wish he wouldn’t listen to that music.”

SURFACE CAUSES: These are what feed the surface problems.

Choices in clothing could stem from rebellion, inferiority, fear, immorality, etc.

We must understand the surface cause behind choices and behavior

ROOT PROBLEMS: Root problems are areas where sin and Satan have found ground to operate. These are the strongholds that hold a person bound in patterns of behavior.

ROOT CAUSES: The root cause behind all sin is a wrong response to God. A wrong response to God leads to one or all the areas mentioned in 1 John 2:16.

The lust of the flesh: “I need” (Self-preservation)

The lust of the eyes: “I want” (Self-gratification)

The pride of life: “I am” and “I know” (Self-exaltation)

To change the fruit in our lives, we must change our response toward God through repentance of all SELFISHNESS found in the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

The Pathway to Destruction

The Result of the Fall

Genesis 3:1–10 NKJV

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’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

Lesson: God’s word is given to protect us from sin’s consequences

Satan comes to tempt us to reject God and to disobey His word.

Satan attacked God’s word in three areas:

INSPIRATION: “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

INTEGRITY: “You will not surely die.”

INTENTION: “God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The ROOT CAUSE for the fall of man:

Lust of the flesh: “The woman saw that the tree was good for food.”

Lust of the eyes: “It was pleasant to the eyes.”

Pride of Life: “You will be like God” and “A tree desirable to make one wise.”

The ROOT CAUSE led to the ROOT PROBLEM which is giving Satan ground through disobedience to God’s clear command: “She took of its fruit and ate.”

The ROOT PROBLEM led to the SURFACE CAUSES:

Shame: “They eyes of both of them were opened and they knew that they were naked.”

Fear: “I was afraid because I was naked.”

The SURFACE CAUSES led to the SURFACE PROBLEMS:

Clothing: “They sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.”

Hiding: “They hid themselves from the presence of the LORD among the trees of the garden.”

God Gets to the ROOT

SURFACE PROBLEM (FRUIT): Broken fellowship--”Where are you?”

SURFACE CAUSE (Stem): Conviction--”Who told you?”

ROOT PROBLEM (Ground): Disobedience--”Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

ROOT CAUSE (Root): Wrong response to God--”You will be like God”

The Shame / Fear / Control Stronghold

The true self is held prisoner inside the walls of shame, fear, and control.

The only way to experience freedom is to deal with the shame that begins the shame, fear, and control cycle.

Isaiah 61:6–7 NKJV

But you shall be named the priests of the Lord, They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, And in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs.

Basic Lies that Enable the Shame, Fear, Control Stronghold

Shame: “I was naked”

I am a mistake

I am flawed

I am bad

I am ashamed

I am defective

Fear: “I was afraid”

What if they find out?

They will not like me!

They will reject me!

Control: “I hid myself”

I will control everything so that they will not find out what I am really like, so that I will not get hurt or suffer pain.

The Cycle Repeats

Shame: I am a hypocrite.

Fear: What if they find out that I am covering up my guilt?

Control: I will control everything so that they do not find out what I am really like, so that I will not get hurt or suffer pain.

Consequences of the Fall of Adam

The SPIRIT of man is alienated from God because of sin

Man discovers the weakness of his own FLESH without God that is held in bondage to the Shame, Fear, and Control Cycle

The fallen nature corrupts the HEART of man

Motives

Desires

Affections

A corrupted heart corrupts the SOUL of man

Mind (Reasoning)

Will (Choices)

Emotions (Feelings)

A corrupted soul corrupts the BODY of man

Alcohol

Drugs

Wrong eating habits

Fornication

Adultery

Homosexuality

Violence

Cursing and foul language

Sickness and disease

The man is influenced by the world rather than the world being influenced by him

The Fallen Human Nature

The result of eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is the fallen human nature, i.e., the FLESH

The flesh is made up of three components

The lust of the flesh: “I need”

The lust of the eyes: “I want”

The pride of life: “I am” and “I know”

Restoring the Soul

When a person receives Christ as Lord and Savior, they become one spirit with Him as in the union of marriage (I Corinthians 6:16). (Presence of Christ)

The flesh must experience a daily death on the CROSS

Luke 9:23 NKJV

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Romans 6:6 NKJV

knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

The cross is God’s instrument of circumcision of our flesh

Colossians 2:11 NKJV

In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

Retaking Ground: Once we choose to submit ourselves to the CROSS life, God can begin to restore our souls by recovering the ground that the devil has taken in our lives through sin.

Forgiving and being forgiven

Breaking ungodly soul ties

Sins of the fathers

Renewing the mind

Healing soul hurts

Making godly choices

Spiritual house cleaning

Deliverance from demonic oppression

The baptism with the Holy Spirit

The Spirit-Filled Believer

The person is led by the Holy Spirit rather than by the flesh

The flesh of man has been restored

Faith

Hope

Love

The heart of man is now operating with

Righteous desires

Godly affections

Pure motives

The soul of man is now in the process of being saved

James 1:21 NKJV

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Transformed mind

Romans 12:2 NKJV

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Godly choices

Spirit-controlled emotions

The body of man is being sanctified

The senses are being trained to discern good from evil

Hebrews 5:14 NKJV

But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

The members of the body are being yielded to God as instruments of righteousness

Romans 6:13 NKJV

And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

The world is being impacted by the light and life of Christ flowing from the believer. At this point the saint is stronger in God than the sinner is in their sin, thus controlling or influencing the atmosphere for God.

The Overcomer

The Overcomer is one who has experienced victory over sin and has recovered all ground from the devil.

This Encounter Seminar is designed to help you on your way to becoming an Overcomer in this life.