MAN LET’S DO SOMETHING

MAN LET’S DO SOMETHING

Genesis 3:1-7

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’?” ² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; ³ 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.’ ” ⁴ Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵ 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.” ⁶ 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. ⁷ 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.

There is a tendency many men have and that is to remain silent during important times. This is a seemingly inherited point of struggle for most men.  Since Adam, many men have had a natural inclination to remain silent when he should speak. We are most comfortable in situations when we know exactly what to do.  When things get confusing and scary, uncertain we sometimes back away.

       I. ADAM WAS PRESENT WHEN EVE WAS TEMPTED

·         “With her” (Imha) I'm – with; ha – her. It denotes close proximity even to the point of sexual contact. 

·         Nothing in the verse suggest a time-lapse

·         Genesis is a story that unveils a theme and traces it out.  Several other men were silent.

-          Abram and Hagar

Genesis 16:2-3

So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go into my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. ³ Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan

-          Abraham and Sarah

Genesis 20:1-4

And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. ² Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. ³ But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” ⁴ But Abimelech had not come near her…”

-          Isaac and Rebecca

Genesis 26:6-9

⁶ So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. ⁷ And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah because she is beautiful to behold.” ⁸ Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. ⁹ Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?”

SPEAKING CREATES SILENCE DESTROYS

·         God speaking caused creation out of chaos

·         Adams silence brought chaos

·         God rested after he spoke

·         Adam labored harder after his silence

    II. THE PLIGHT OF ABSENT OR SILENT MEN

·         Four times greater to be in poverty

·         Seven times more likely to become pregnant as a teenager

·         More likely to have behavioral problems

·         More likely to face abuse and neglect

·         Two times greater risk of infant mortality

·         More likely to abuse drugs and alcohol

·         More likely to go to prison

·         Two times more likely to suffer obesity

·         More likely to commit a crime

·         Two times more likely to drop out of high school

1.      THE POWER OF WORDS

·         Whatever Adam called something that’s what it was

·         Death and Life is in the power of the tongue

·         We are made in God’s Image

·         Quarks

Mark 11:12-14

¹² Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. ¹³ And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ In response, Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.”

Mark 11:20-24

²⁰ Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. ²¹ And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” ²² So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. ²³ For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. ²⁴ Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

2.      THE POWER OF ACTION

·         Fathers are needed for discipline

·         Fathers are needed for affirmation

·         Fathers are needed for identity

Luke 1:57-64

⁵⁷ Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. ⁵⁸ And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. ⁵⁹ And on the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, ⁶⁰ but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” ⁶¹ And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” ⁶² And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. ⁶³ And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. ⁶⁴ And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.

·         Fathers are needed for Security

3.      AREAS WE MUST SPEAK AND ACT

·         When we see the serpent coming

·         When our wives need us to speak

·         Regularly to our children

·         When our community needs us

·         When other brother needs us

·         When God needs us