Welcome back, men! We’ve looked at how to lead from great leaders in the Bible, let’s see what we can learn from some guys who messed up and learn from their mistakes so that we don’t repeat them in this new series: Failure to Lead.

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• Coaching - if we learn from our mistakes, we’re going to be pretty good by the end of the season. If not, we’re going to lose a lot of games. 
• You might be asking yourself, “why so much talk about leading on this podcast?” It’s simple, men are called to lead in the home and in the church. 

Ephesians 5:22-30 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.[b] 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body.

• We need to step up and lead. 

Genesis 3:9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 

• God called to the man.  He was holding Adam accountable. Adam didn’t lead. 

Genesis 3:16 And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.

• Part of this tension that is often felt when we try to lead in our home is a direct result of Adam’s failure to lead. This is the story we’re going to look at today.  
• Being a servant leader

Proverbs 15:22 Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.

Proverbs 15:31 If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise.

• Doesn’t mean that we lead tyrannically.  We seek input, particularly from our spouse.  We listen to constructive criticism.  

Passivity is Poisonous 

Adam was passive.  He failed to step up and lead.  There was a crisis going on around him, and he stood there as a spectator instead of stepping up as a leader. 

Genesis 3:1-7 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” 2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” 6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

Hiding from Responsibility 

Instead of facing the consequences of a bad decision, Adam tried to hide. We’re all going to mess up sometimes. We’re going to make bad decisions as a leader. When that happens, we need to own up to it. 

Genesis 3:8-10 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man[a] and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

• What does hiding from God look like in our lives? Avoiding going to church, avoiding small groups, not wanting to spend time in God’s Word 
• Not initiating reconciliation - just hoping it will blow over or sweep it under the rug

Psalm 139 7-12 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!

8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there.9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.11 I could ask the darkness to hide me  and the light around me to become night—12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. 

Blame Shifting 

Adam tried the blame game instead of owning up to his mistake.  He even insinuated that God was partially at fault. 

Genesis 3:12 The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

• Sound familiar? 
• We blame others.  We blame our circumstances. We sometimes even blame God - It’s your fault.  You made me this way.