0:00:04.973,0:00:07.819 My topic over the next five days will be 0:00:07.819,0:00:10.627 revolving around biblical manhood 0:00:10.627,0:00:11.992 and biblical womanhood. 0:00:11.992,0:00:14.596 Marriage, singleness, manhood, 0:00:14.596,0:00:18.407 womanhood, raising children. 0:00:18.407,0:00:23.180 And I thought before I began [br]to think about those subjects 0:00:23.180,0:00:26.189 that I might tell you [br]a little bit about me. 0:00:26.189,0:00:28.355 Not to put the focus on me, 0:00:28.355,0:00:31.695 but because really I think the [br]Lord commands us to do this. 0:00:31.695,0:00:33.165 He tells us to remember 0:00:33.165,0:00:36.257 that we were once dead [br]in trespasses and sins, 0:00:36.257,0:00:38.432 and now we've been made alive. 0:00:38.432,0:00:41.862 And He actually commands in Ephesians 2 0:00:41.862,0:00:43.595 that we remember that we were once 0:00:43.595,0:00:45.088 alienated from God, 0:00:45.088,0:00:47.246 and how we have been brought near. 0:00:47.246,0:00:49.074 And then Paul models that for us 0:00:49.074,0:00:51.042 in 1 Timothy 1, 0:00:51.042,0:00:53.799 and he actually spells [br]out his own testimony 0:00:53.799,0:00:57.351 of how he was even [br]a persecutor of the church, 0:00:57.351,0:01:00.072 and though he was once [br]a persecutor of the church, 0:01:00.072,0:01:01.958 God gave him mercy, 0:01:01.958,0:01:04.359 so that he might become saved 0:01:04.359,0:01:07.863 and a minister of the Gospel. 0:01:07.863,0:01:10.901 And so, I can't help but think 0:01:10.901,0:01:14.720 it's a total miracle that I'm here. 0:01:14.720,0:01:18.142 I am a total product of the [br]early 1970's in which I was born. 0:01:18.142,0:01:20.691 Some of you are like, [br]ok, I can't listen anymore. 0:01:20.691,0:01:25.193 But, I was born and my parents 0:01:25.193,0:01:27.752 were both studying [br]psychology at university, 0:01:27.752,0:01:30.468 and so I called my parents Pam and Tim 0:01:30.468,0:01:33.421 when I was first born. 0:01:33.421,0:01:37.012 And then I got a fever 0:01:37.012,0:01:39.156 and I began to have hallucinations, 0:01:39.156,0:01:41.828 and I began to call for my mom. 0:01:41.828,0:01:42.775 And she came to me. 0:01:42.775,0:01:44.517 I have a deeply maternal mom. 0:01:44.517,0:01:45.938 She's a wonderful woman, 0:01:45.938,0:01:48.312 but she came to me and [br]began to care for me 0:01:48.312,0:01:49.180 and I said, 0:01:49.180,0:01:51.332 "Well, you're not my mom. You're Pam." 0:01:51.332,0:01:52.661 And that ended right there. 0:01:52.661,0:01:55.641 That was the last time she [br]ever had me call her Pam. 0:01:55.641,0:01:58.476 Again, so you see, how these lies 0:01:58.476,0:02:00.536 that pervert biblical [br]manhood and womanhood 0:02:00.536,0:02:02.116 get rid of gender roles: 0:02:02.116,0:02:06.077 mom, dad - just be Pam and Tim. 0:02:06.077,0:02:09.086 The truth always though [br]bursts out from it, right? 0:02:09.086,0:02:10.777 Every mom doesn't want her child 0:02:10.777,0:02:19.361 calling her Pam when he's got a fever. 0:02:19.361,0:02:24.429 As I grew up, first of all, [br]I went on like that, 0:02:24.429,0:02:28.918 but then was just a product of the culture 0:02:28.918,0:02:30.793 that really leaves children alone, 0:02:30.793,0:02:33.582 and was involved in sexual experimentation 0:02:33.582,0:02:35.644 when I was 8 or 9 years old 0:02:35.644,0:02:37.813 because there was no one watching; 0:02:37.813,0:02:40.573 no one looking. 0:02:40.573,0:02:42.982 I can't remember a time when I wasn't 0:02:42.982,0:02:44.872 exposed to pornography 0:02:44.872,0:02:47.274 from just the earliest of ages - 0:02:47.274,0:02:50.335 really from before I had hit puberty, 0:02:50.335,0:02:52.096 pornography was a reality, 0:02:52.096,0:02:56.190 and I'm that generation [br]that just missed the Internet 0:02:56.190,0:02:58.094 being part of my teen years 0:02:58.094,0:02:59.328 and college years. 0:02:59.328,0:03:01.407 And it's even a harder battle 0:03:01.407,0:03:03.552 for many who are here today. 0:03:03.552,0:03:06.224 But I don't remember a time 0:03:06.224,0:03:08.392 not being exposed to some sort 0:03:08.392,0:03:12.035 of sexual perversion. 0:03:12.035,0:03:15.154 My parents are divorced. 0:03:15.154,0:03:17.163 Multiple adulteries 0:03:17.163,0:03:19.462 is part of the cause of that. 0:03:19.462,0:03:21.439 And so the breakdown of manhood 0:03:21.439,0:03:24.870 and womanhood affected me there again. 0:03:24.870,0:03:26.361 I dropped out of high school 0:03:26.361,0:03:29.006 when I was 16 or 17 years old. 0:03:29.006,0:03:30.760 I left home when I was 17 0:03:30.760,0:03:33.784 and moved in with my best friend's mom 0:03:33.784,0:03:34.913 and her partner - 0:03:34.913,0:03:38.753 these lesbian witches who [br]were into white magic 0:03:38.753,0:03:40.761 which seemed harmless to me. 0:03:40.761,0:03:44.434 And that's where I spent my time 0:03:44.434,0:03:47.633 when I was 17, 18 years old. 0:03:47.633,0:03:50.910 I was immersed into promiscuity 0:03:50.910,0:03:52.578 and all kinds of sexual immorality. 0:03:52.578,0:03:55.329 I eventually left these smaller cities 0:03:55.329,0:03:57.056 of Western Canada where I grew up 0:03:57.056,0:03:59.127 and went to the big city of Vancouver. 0:03:59.127,0:04:01.487 And it was really, for [br]me, a prodigal son year. 0:04:01.487,0:04:06.816 And I became involved in [br]all kinds of debauchery 0:04:06.816,0:04:09.167 to the point where I was basically 0:04:09.167,0:04:13.981 living under a porch - 0:04:13.981,0:04:17.040 renting the underneath of a porch - 0:04:17.040,0:04:19.410 to live on. 0:04:19.410,0:04:23.696 And just absolutely depressed. 0:04:23.696,0:04:27.537 I would walk 100 blocks a day. 0:04:27.537,0:04:29.344 I felt more normal on drugs 0:04:29.344,0:04:31.790 than I did sober. 0:04:31.790,0:04:35.474 I remember putting my name in the paper 0:04:35.474,0:04:38.476 as a kid to support homosexual rights. 0:04:38.476,0:04:43.211 And you name it in terms of the effects 0:04:43.211,0:04:45.978 of sexual perversion, 0:04:45.978,0:04:47.559 they've affected my life. 0:04:47.559,0:04:51.794 And they've affected your life as well. 0:04:51.794,0:04:53.443 Maybe not in some of those ways, 0:04:53.443,0:04:58.210 but it's just simply [br]not possible to escape 0:04:58.210,0:05:00.015 what I'm describing at some level, 0:05:00.015,0:05:01.820 whether it's a cousin who's into this 0:05:01.820,0:05:04.431 or my son who was exposed to that. 0:05:04.431,0:05:07.576 The sexual dementia 0:05:07.576,0:05:09.378 that has really affected this culture 0:05:09.378,0:05:11.644 touches everyone. 0:05:11.644,0:05:13.904 Anyway, what I was trying to get at though 0:05:13.904,0:05:15.742 is that then when I turned 21, 0:05:15.742,0:05:17.373 I moved to a small town 0:05:17.373,0:05:19.780 and my step-mom started witnessing to me, 0:05:19.780,0:05:21.684 and I said there's no absolute truth, 0:05:21.684,0:05:24.512 and she said are you [br]absolutely right about that? 0:05:24.512,0:05:27.484 And then I said there's [br]no right and wrong. 0:05:27.484,0:05:31.295 And she said do you think [br]you're right about that? 0:05:31.295,0:05:34.472 And I began to read [br]the book of Ecclesiastes. 0:05:34.472,0:05:35.428 I knew the Bible. 0:05:35.428,0:05:37.378 I have three uncles who are ministers[br] 0:05:37.378,0:05:39.039 I grew up a little bit in church. 0:05:39.039,0:05:40.309 I knew the Bible a little bit. 0:05:40.309,0:05:42.691 I found the book of the [br]Bible I didn't know the most. 0:05:42.691,0:05:45.177 It was the book of Ecclesiastes. 0:05:45.177,0:05:47.821 And there sexuality had a part there too. 0:05:47.821,0:05:50.557 Solomon was saying he had had women, 0:05:50.557,0:05:53.768 but vanity, vanity, all is vanity. 0:05:53.768,0:05:55.099 And I thought, that's me. 0:05:55.099,0:05:56.089 All was vanity. 0:05:56.089,0:05:57.438 I've had all those pleasures 0:05:57.438,0:05:59.318 and it's all meaningless, meaningless. 0:05:59.318,0:06:02.771 All is meaningless and [br]searching after wind. 0:06:02.771,0:06:04.336 And then I read the Proverbs. 0:06:04.336,0:06:07.371 I was not convinced the Bible was true. 0:06:07.371,0:06:10.222 And as I read the book of Proverbs, 0:06:10.222,0:06:12.481 and it began to warn against [br]the immoral woman. 0:06:12.481,0:06:13.585 Here's sexuality again. 0:06:13.585,0:06:15.657 It began to warn against [br]the immoral woman. 0:06:15.657,0:06:18.627 I thought to myself, the Jews were wise. 0:06:18.627,0:06:21.327 So I didn't think the Bible was true, 0:06:21.327,0:06:22.881 but the Jews now were up there 0:06:22.881,0:06:25.089 with the Buddhists and [br]the Hindus in my mind, 0:06:25.089,0:06:27.457 in terms of being a wise ancient religion. 0:06:27.457,0:06:31.794 And then I began to [br]read the minor prophets, 0:06:31.794,0:06:33.313 and hear them rail against sin 0:06:33.313,0:06:37.334 and this idea that the Bible [br]is the opioid of the masses 0:06:37.334,0:06:38.976 just didn't square 0:06:38.976,0:06:41.761 with what I was actually [br]reading in the Scriptures. 0:06:41.761,0:06:44.282 And then I began to read [br]the Sermon on the Mount. 0:06:44.282,0:06:45.474 And what did Jesus say? 0:06:45.474,0:06:48.630 He said if you even lust after a woman - 0:06:48.630,0:06:49.686 there is sexuality 0:06:49.686,0:06:51.790 and biblical manhood and womanhood again - 0:06:51.790,0:06:53.666 if you even lust for a woman, 0:06:53.666,0:06:55.081 you've committed adultery. 0:06:55.081,0:06:57.115 And all of a sudden, it wasn't just about 0:06:57.115,0:06:58.223 the Jews being wise, 0:06:58.223,0:07:00.797 but it was about my sin. 0:07:00.797,0:07:03.461 And the Lord began to convict me. 0:07:03.461,0:07:06.713 And I got ahold of a book of apologetics. 0:07:06.713,0:07:08.038 I began to read through it. 0:07:08.038,0:07:14.137 On the back of this apologetics book, 0:07:14.137,0:07:15.597 there was this testimony 0:07:15.597,0:07:18.021 saying within 40 minutes [br]of reading this book, 0:07:18.021,0:07:20.233 I became a Christian, 0:07:20.233,0:07:22.124 and I actually cursed and said 0:07:22.124,0:07:24.673 I know that's exactly what's [br]going to happen to me. 0:07:24.673,0:07:26.220 And so I read for 20 minutes 0:07:26.220,0:07:30.521 and went outside and [br]gave my life to the Lord. 0:07:30.521,0:07:32.716 I'm married. I have four kids. 0:07:32.716,0:07:34.494 And I'm a Baptist pastor. 0:07:34.494,0:07:37.825 I don't know how this happened. 0:07:37.825,0:07:41.313 God intervenes. 0:07:41.313,0:07:44.178 He comes in and He changes lives. 0:07:44.178,0:07:46.123 We think, oh, the culture's so hard. 0:07:46.123,0:07:47.365 My friends are so hard. 0:07:47.365,0:07:49.798 They don't seem affected by their sin. 0:07:49.798,0:07:51.922 They don't care about biblical manhood. 0:07:51.922,0:07:54.240 That can't ever work in this generation. 0:07:54.240,0:07:56.624 All of that - we need to sing that hymn: 0:07:56.624,0:07:59.166 we stand against the devil's lies. 0:07:59.166,0:08:01.166 That's all lies. That's all lies. 0:08:01.166,0:08:02.651 The Word of God is living 0:08:02.651,0:08:04.508 and active and powerful, 0:08:04.508,0:08:06.577 and it's absolutely able to break through 0:08:06.577,0:08:09.202 into any human heart - 0:08:09.202,0:08:11.515 the most sheltered, secluded, 0:08:11.515,0:08:14.771 home-schooled, cared for heart, 0:08:14.771,0:08:17.394 and the most debauched and debased 0:08:17.394,0:08:18.489 and out on the streets 0:08:18.489,0:08:20.771 and exposed to everything hearts 0:08:20.771,0:08:23.776 are equally dead before they're born again 0:08:23.776,0:08:25.395 and equally made alive 0:08:25.395,0:08:27.659 when the grace of God comes home 0:08:27.659,0:08:29.888 through the cross of Jesus Christ. 0:08:29.888,0:08:31.851 And He changes people. 0:08:31.851,0:08:36.281 And so when we talk about [br]biblical manhood and womanhood, 0:08:36.281,0:08:37.672 what we're talking about 0:08:37.672,0:08:42.437 is we're talking about [br]the idol of this culture. 0:08:42.437,0:08:46.395 Ok? We could get up and give a [br]scholarly lecture this evening 0:08:46.395,0:08:49.072 on Buddhism, and that would [br]be valuable to some degree. 0:08:49.072,0:08:51.986 Or, a scholarly lecture on [br]Hinduism to some degree. 0:08:51.986,0:08:55.484 And there's increasing numbers of [br]Buddhists and Hindus in North America. 0:08:55.484,0:08:59.621 But if you want to know the real [br]idolatrous religion of this culture, 0:08:59.621,0:09:01.638 it is not Buddhism; it is not Hinduism; 0:09:01.638,0:09:05.548 it is a constant lustful craving 0:09:05.548,0:09:07.359 after sexual immorality, 0:09:07.359,0:09:10.747 that people are willing [br]to kill 50 million babies 0:09:10.747,0:09:14.186 to support their sexual [br]immorality since 1973. 0:09:14.186,0:09:17.053 They are willing to [br]slaughter their marriages 0:09:17.053,0:09:18.931 to have adulterous relationships. 0:09:18.931,0:09:20.770 They are willing to get online 0:09:20.770,0:09:23.000 and just run their credit card bills up 0:09:23.000,0:09:26.956 to engage in sexual immorality online. 0:09:26.956,0:09:28.983 They are willing to abuse children. 0:09:28.983,0:09:31.367 Fathers in this country and others 0:09:31.367,0:09:34.387 are willing to leave their [br]daughters unprotected 0:09:34.387,0:09:36.268 so they wind up in the sex trade 0:09:36.268,0:09:37.412 all over the world. 0:09:37.412,0:09:39.022 We were in Moldova this year 0:09:39.022,0:09:40.156 and listening to this: 0:09:40.156,0:09:42.524 More women and men have been sold 0:09:42.524,0:09:44.197 into sex trafficking in Moldova 0:09:44.197,0:09:48.581 than people died in the Afghan War. 0:09:48.581,0:09:50.726 All of that revolves around what? 0:09:50.726,0:09:52.618 The sin of sexual immorality. 0:09:52.618,0:09:56.043 The sin of not understanding [br]what a godly man is 0:09:56.043,0:09:59.704 and not what a godly woman is. 0:09:59.704,0:10:01.151 The breakdown of the family. 0:10:01.151,0:10:03.422 You could spend all night 0:10:03.422,0:10:04.972 thinking about these things. 0:10:04.972,0:10:08.654 It's my belief that when [br]we preach the Gospel, 0:10:08.654,0:10:10.628 and we think about the Gospel, 0:10:10.628,0:10:11.957 we have to think about it 0:10:11.957,0:10:15.986 as it relates not to sin in general - 0:10:15.986,0:10:17.195 that's important - 0:10:17.195,0:10:21.521 but to sin as it touches our lives. 0:10:21.521,0:10:23.606 To the sins that we are locked in. 0:10:23.606,0:10:25.792 Listen to John the Baptist in Luke 3. 0:10:25.792,0:10:26.861 How did he preach? 0:10:26.861,0:10:28.403 Did he walk around saying, 0:10:28.403,0:10:29.942 there's sin in general. 0:10:29.942,0:10:32.097 We need to repent of sin in general. 0:10:32.097,0:10:34.553 No, he went right for [br]the jugular of his day, 0:10:34.553,0:10:37.781 which was - you who are [br]hoarding, quit hoarding. 0:10:37.781,0:10:41.280 He said you who are [br]extorting, quit extorting. 0:10:41.280,0:10:44.795 And you who are collecting [br]too much taxes, quit that. 0:10:44.795,0:10:47.824 He went right for what [br]was happening in this day 0:10:47.824,0:10:50.100 and what was happening were those things. 0:10:50.100,0:10:51.443 What's happening in our day 0:10:51.443,0:10:54.311 is a complete abandonment 0:10:54.311,0:10:57.360 of God's call on our lives 0:10:57.360,0:10:59.675 to be men like Jesus, 0:10:59.675,0:11:01.783 to be women with the character of Jesus 0:11:01.783,0:11:04.419 who reflect the church, 0:11:04.419,0:11:08.036 and to be people who [br]reflect the glory of God 0:11:08.036,0:11:10.286 in every area of our lives 0:11:10.286,0:11:12.763 instead of pursuing whatever lust 0:11:12.763,0:11:17.057 strikes our fancy at that moment. 0:11:17.057,0:11:18.838 And so I want to speak to you about 0:11:18.838,0:11:21.493 biblical manhood and womanhood 0:11:21.493,0:11:24.302 in these days. 0:11:24.302,0:11:25.737 These things all affect us. 0:11:25.737,0:11:28.581 All of us have uncles and bosses 0:11:28.581,0:11:32.160 and husbands and fathers, 0:11:32.160,0:11:36.116 and these men affect us as men. 0:11:36.116,0:11:38.813 And each of us have sisters 0:11:38.813,0:11:40.691 and mothers and grandmothers 0:11:40.691,0:11:43.051 and aunts and wives 0:11:43.051,0:11:46.199 and these women affect us as women. 0:11:46.199,0:11:47.532 And learning how to live out 0:11:47.532,0:11:50.131 what God has called us to 0:11:50.131,0:11:53.397 in our roles that God has given us 0:11:53.397,0:11:57.243 is vital to reflecting the Gospel 0:11:57.243,0:11:59.730 in our lives. 0:11:59.730,0:12:01.605 So where do you start? 0:12:01.605,0:12:04.540 Where on earth do you start? 0:12:04.540,0:12:05.932 Do you start with singleness? 0:12:05.932,0:12:07.866 That's where we start when we're born. 0:12:07.866,0:12:09.204 We start single. 0:12:09.204,0:12:11.373 Or do you start with marriage? 0:12:11.373,0:12:15.204 That's where many of us [br]wind up is married. 0:12:15.204,0:12:18.353 Do we start with [br]teaching on child raising? 0:12:18.353,0:12:20.341 That's how you get at kids the earliest 0:12:20.341,0:12:22.333 and get to do some [br]preventative maintenance, 0:12:22.333,0:12:25.210 Lord willing. 0:12:25.210,0:12:26.959 Do you start with manhood? 0:12:26.959,0:12:28.888 We know men are to lead. 0:12:28.888,0:12:30.291 Do you start with womanhood? 0:12:30.291,0:12:33.405 Each of us started from a woman Paul says. 0:12:33.405,0:12:36.358 Where do you start? 0:12:36.358,0:12:38.729 Someone said creation - [br]that's exactly right. 0:12:38.729,0:12:40.330 We need to start with creation. 0:12:40.330,0:12:42.611 Right answer. 0:12:42.611,0:12:45.420 What I want to do is back right up to: 0:12:45.420,0:12:47.460 who are we? 0:12:47.460,0:12:49.258 Before you get into the details, 0:12:49.258,0:12:52.909 the question is who are we? 0:12:52.909,0:12:57.205 Just as people made in the image of God 0:12:57.205,0:12:59.625 and made with genders; 0:12:59.625,0:13:04.964 made as male and made as female - 0:13:04.964,0:13:06.515 who are we? 0:13:06.515,0:13:07.803 So I just want to make 0:13:07.803,0:13:10.118 four simple points this evening. 0:13:10.118,0:13:15.234 We were created by God male and female. 0:13:15.234,0:13:16.703 Second point is going to be: 0:13:16.703,0:13:19.770 We were created different [br]as male and female 0:13:19.770,0:13:21.940 with different roles. 0:13:21.940,0:13:24.800 Third, we fell into sin and were cursed 0:13:24.800,0:13:26.695 as male and female 0:13:26.695,0:13:28.978 in our original roles. 0:13:28.978,0:13:31.759 And lastly, in Jesus, [br]we are being recreated 0:13:31.759,0:13:38.010 into those original roles and better. 0:13:38.010,0:13:40.839 Let me begin by reading [br]to you from Genesis 1. 0:13:40.839,0:13:43.526 And maybe if you have [br]a copy of the Scriptures, 0:13:43.526,0:13:51.360 you can open there. 0:13:51.360,0:14:01.501 Genesis 1:24-28. 0:14:01.501,0:14:07.766 This is the account of how [br]God made the world. 0:14:07.766,0:14:13.387 And on the sixth day, He made man. 0:14:13.387,0:14:18.649 We read this, v. 24. 0:14:18.649,0:14:20.343 "And God said, 0:14:20.343,0:14:23.513 Let the earth bring forth living creatures 0:14:23.513,0:14:25.042 according to their kinds, 0:14:25.042,0:14:27.255 livestock and creeping things 0:14:27.255,0:14:28.968 and beasts of the earth 0:14:28.968,0:14:30.244 according to their kinds,' 0:14:30.244,0:14:31.893 and it was so. 0:14:31.893,0:14:33.719 And God made the beasts of the earth 0:14:33.719,0:14:35.088 according to their kinds 0:14:35.088,0:14:37.242 and the livestock according to their kinds 0:14:37.242,0:14:39.270 and everything that creeps on the ground 0:14:39.270,0:14:40.518 according to its kind 0:14:40.518,0:14:43.669 and God sawthat it was good. 0:14:43.669,0:14:46.697 Then God said, 'Let us [br]make man in our image, 0:14:46.697,0:14:49.609 after our likeness, and [br]let them have dominion 0:14:49.609,0:14:51.106 over the fish of the sea, 0:14:51.106,0:14:52.851 and over the birds of the heavens 0:14:52.851,0:14:54.135 and over the livestock 0:14:54.135,0:14:55.652 and over all the earth 0:14:55.652,0:14:57.225 and over every creeping thing 0:14:57.225,0:15:00.894 that creeps on the earth.' 0:15:00.894,0:15:04.759 So God created man in His own image; 0:15:04.759,0:15:07.937 in the image of God, He created him; 0:15:07.937,0:15:11.731 male and female He created them, 0:15:11.731,0:15:12.923 and God blessed them 0:15:12.923,0:15:14.352 and God said to them, 0:15:14.352,0:15:17.428 'Be fruitful and multiply [br]and fill the earth 0:15:17.428,0:15:18.935 and subdue it and have dominion 0:15:18.935,0:15:20.524 over the fish of the sea, 0:15:20.524,0:15:22.559 and over the birds of the heavens, 0:15:22.559,0:15:25.622 and over every living thing that moves 0:15:25.622,0:15:26.567 on the earth.'" 0:15:26.567,0:15:28.368 Now I want you to look, if you would, 0:15:28.368,0:15:33.925 at Genesis 2 where the biblical story 0:15:33.925,0:15:36.913 now zooms in and focuses in 0:15:36.913,0:15:39.372 on that creation of that first couple. 0:15:39.372,0:15:42.697 We get a broad panorama in Genesis 1, 0:15:42.697,0:15:45.526 but now we zoom in and we focus in 0:15:45.526,0:15:48.141 on the creation of the first man 0:15:48.141,0:15:52.105 and the first woman in Genesis 2. 0:15:52.105,0:15:55.467 And I'll begin reading in v. 15. 0:15:55.467,0:15:57.398 "The Lord God took the man 0:15:57.398,0:15:59.112 and put him in the garden of Eden 0:15:59.112,0:16:01.454 to work it and keep it, 0:16:01.454,0:16:03.577 and the Lord God commanded the man, 0:16:03.577,0:16:05.933 saying, 'You may surely eat 0:16:05.933,0:16:08.494 of every tree of the garden, 0:16:08.494,0:16:11.111 but of the tree of the [br]knowledge of good and evil 0:16:11.111,0:16:12.218 you shall not eat, 0:16:12.218,0:16:13.859 for in the day that you eat of it, 0:16:13.859,0:16:16.477 you shall surely die.' 0:16:16.477,0:16:17.969 Then the Lord God said, 0:16:17.969,0:16:23.108 'It is not good that man should be alone. 0:16:23.108,0:16:26.247 I will make him a helper fit for him.' 0:16:26.247,0:16:27.964 Now out of the ground, the Lord God 0:16:27.964,0:16:29.981 had formed every beast of the field 0:16:29.981,0:16:31.467 and every bird of the heavens, 0:16:31.467,0:16:32.907 and brought them to the man 0:16:32.907,0:16:34.421 to see what he would call them, 0:16:34.421,0:16:37.022 and whatever the man[br]called every living creature, 0:16:37.022,0:16:38.560 that was its name. 0:16:38.560,0:16:40.957 The man gave names to all livestock 0:16:40.957,0:16:42.825 and to the birds of the heavens 0:16:42.825,0:16:44.587 and every beast of the field, 0:16:44.587,0:16:46.575 but for Adam there was not found 0:16:46.575,0:16:49.232 a helper fit for him. 0:16:49.232,0:16:53.337 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep 0:16:53.337,0:16:54.836 to fall upon the man, 0:16:54.836,0:16:57.292 and while he slept, took one of his ribs, 0:16:57.292,0:17:00.254 and closed up its place with flesh, 0:17:00.254,0:17:01.870 and the rib that the Lord God 0:17:01.870,0:17:04.144 had taken from the man, 0:17:04.144,0:17:05.931 He made into a woman 0:17:05.931,0:17:07.422 and brought her to the man. 0:17:07.422,0:17:10.976 Then the man said, 'This at last, 0:17:10.976,0:17:14.072 is bone of my bones 0:17:14.072,0:17:16.437 and flesh of my flesh. 0:17:16.437,0:17:19.046 She shall be called woman, 0:17:19.046,0:17:21.682 because she was taken out of man. 0:17:21.682,0:17:23.997 Therefore a man shall leave his father 0:17:23.997,0:17:27.029 and his mother and hold fast to his wife 0:17:27.029,0:17:30.048 and they shall become one flesh.' 0:17:30.048,0:17:32.948 And the man and his wife were both naked 0:17:32.948,0:17:34.326 and were not ashamed." 0:17:34.326,0:17:36.341 And so we've seen in Genesis 1, 0:17:36.341,0:17:39.095 the creation of man and woman. 0:17:39.095,0:17:41.388 They were made to have [br]dominion over the earth. 0:17:41.388,0:17:42.986 They were made in God's image. 0:17:42.986,0:17:45.205 Now, in Genesis 2, we focus in 0:17:45.205,0:17:48.086 and see that it's not good [br]for man to be alone. 0:17:48.086,0:17:50.574 But Eve is made as a helper for him. 0:17:50.574,0:17:52.571 And now I want you to look if you will 0:17:52.571,0:17:59.346 at Genesis 3 where their marriage 0:17:59.346,0:18:02.650 and all humanity along with them 0:18:02.650,0:18:07.225 fall into sin and misery. 0:18:07.225,0:18:10.348 And I want to read to you 0:18:10.348,0:18:12.555 from beginning at the cursing 0:18:12.555,0:18:15.157 of the woman. 0:18:15.157,0:18:16.367 "To the woman he said, 0:18:16.367,0:18:19.292 'I will surely multiply your pain 0:18:19.292,0:18:21.047 in childbearing. 0:18:21.047,0:18:23.553 In pain you shall bring forth children. 0:18:23.553,0:18:25.645 Your desire shall be for your husband 0:18:25.645,0:18:27.317 and he shall rule over you.' 0:18:27.317,0:18:28.467 And to Adam, He said, 0:18:28.467,0:18:30.351 'Because you have listened to the voice 0:18:30.351,0:18:32.414 of your wife and have eaten of the tree 0:18:32.414,0:18:34.594 of which I commanded you, 0:18:34.594,0:18:39.678 you shall not eat of it, 0:18:39.678,0:18:43.027 cursed is the ground because of you. 0:18:43.027,0:18:44.467 In pain, you shall eat of it 0:18:44.467,0:18:46.461 all the days of your life. 0:18:46.461,0:18:49.515 Thorns and thistles it shall [br]bring forth for you, 0:18:49.515,0:18:53.076 and you shall eat the [br]plants of the field. 0:18:53.076,0:18:55.838 By the sweat of your face, [br]you shall eat bread 0:18:55.838,0:18:57.740 till you return to the ground. 0:18:57.740,0:18:59.950 For out of it you were taken. 0:18:59.950,0:19:06.577 For you are dust and to [br]dust you shall return." 0:19:06.577,0:19:11.528 The first point I want [br]to make this evening 0:19:11.528,0:19:15.774 is that we were created by God 0:19:15.774,0:19:16.735 male and female. 0:19:16.735,0:19:18.641 And I want you to notice my first point 0:19:18.641,0:19:21.098 is not Christians believe we were made 0:19:21.098,0:19:24.003 male and female. 0:19:24.003,0:19:26.265 It's not that Christians believe it. 0:19:26.265,0:19:28.394 It's that it's true. 0:19:28.394,0:19:30.536 Every perversion we're going to notice 0:19:30.536,0:19:32.506 over these coming days 0:19:32.506,0:19:36.918 is not a perversion from [br]the Christian worldview. 0:19:36.918,0:19:40.374 It's rebellion against God who is there. 0:19:40.374,0:19:44.708 It's that you can't live in another world 0:19:44.708,0:19:47.999 other than God's world. 0:19:47.999,0:19:50.824 And so when you rebel in God's world, 0:19:50.824,0:19:56.455 it always twists what He made good. 0:19:56.455,0:20:02.644 And we were created by God 0:20:02.644,0:20:05.063 male and female. 0:20:05.063,0:20:08.740 Genesis 1 gives us the most amazing view 0:20:08.740,0:20:12.382 of humanity that you can ever have. 0:20:12.382,0:20:14.388 It shows us that we were created by God. 0:20:14.388,0:20:16.213 And not only were we created by God, 0:20:16.213,0:20:19.069 but we were personally created by God. 0:20:19.069,0:20:21.828 Notice in v. 24 that the animals 0:20:21.828,0:20:23.761 come up out of the ground. 0:20:23.761,0:20:25.867 And God said, "Let the earth bring forth 0:20:25.867,0:20:28.688 living creatures according to their kind." 0:20:28.688,0:20:30.384 Some of you have read C. S. Lewis' 0:20:30.384,0:20:31.628 "The Magician's Nephew," 0:20:31.628,0:20:33.449 and seen the animals burrowing up 0:20:33.449,0:20:34.511 out of the ground. 0:20:34.511,0:20:38.308 And of course, Lewis got [br]the idea from Genesis. 0:20:38.308,0:20:41.733 But notice that the creation [br]of man and woman 0:20:41.733,0:20:43.978 is different than the [br]creation of the animals. 0:20:43.978,0:20:46.696 We don't just pop up out of the ground. 0:20:46.696,0:20:50.042 We are personally made by God. 0:20:50.042,0:20:52.507 He says in v. 24 let the earth do that. 0:20:52.507,0:20:58.504 In v. 26 He says, "Let us [br]make man in our image." 0:20:58.504,0:21:01.529 Listen to this, every single human being 0:21:01.529,0:21:07.679 who has ever lived was [br]God's personal handiwork. 0:21:07.679,0:21:11.271 Psalm 139:14 says that each person 0:21:11.271,0:21:14.806 is fearfully and wonderfully made, 0:21:14.806,0:21:17.029 knitted together in their mother's womb. 0:21:17.029,0:21:20.051 In my family, we have lots of blankets. 0:21:20.051,0:21:22.100 We never have any shortage of blankets. 0:21:22.100,0:21:23.744 We have a chest full of blankets. 0:21:23.744,0:21:25.255 It's always wrecking the hinges 0:21:25.255,0:21:28.030 because the blankets push the lid open. 0:21:28.030,0:21:29.334 There's lots of blankets. 0:21:29.334,0:21:35.032 But there's only a few [br]that my mom quilted. 0:21:35.032,0:21:38.565 And those ones are the [br]most special in the house. 0:21:38.565,0:21:40.061 Because my mother made them 0:21:40.061,0:21:42.195 for each of her grandchildren. 0:21:42.195,0:21:48.180 And you, even if you [br]don't like your body type, 0:21:48.180,0:21:52.681 even if you wish you had your [br]body type from 10 years ago, 0:21:52.681,0:21:58.678 you were knitted just the way you are 0:21:58.678,0:22:01.250 by a personal God 0:22:01.250,0:22:05.173 who was personally active [br]in the formation of you 0:22:05.173,0:22:08.113 in the womb. 0:22:08.113,0:22:10.323 You were made by God. 0:22:10.323,0:22:15.779 And unbelievably, we are the pinnacle 0:22:15.779,0:22:19.697 of God's creation. 0:22:19.697,0:22:22.182 In Genesis 1, God creates the light, 0:22:22.182,0:22:24.091 the greater light, the lesser light, 0:22:24.091,0:22:26.058 the plants, the stars, the fish, 0:22:26.058,0:22:28.560 the birds, the animals of the ground, 0:22:28.560,0:22:30.747 and of all of it, He says it's good. 0:22:30.747,0:22:32.633 It's good. It's good. 0:22:32.633,0:22:35.306 But when He makes man, He says, 0:22:35.306,0:22:37.969 it's very good now. 0:22:37.969,0:22:40.033 The pinnacle of creation 0:22:40.033,0:22:43.056 is now on the scene. 0:22:43.056,0:22:45.538 People go to see whales in Sea World. 0:22:45.538,0:22:47.111 They go to see mountains. 0:22:47.111,0:22:50.840 But the most glorious thing on the planet 0:22:50.840,0:22:54.428 is right in front of me in the dozens. 0:22:54.428,0:22:56.032 People. 0:22:56.032,0:22:57.461 One preacher pointed out, 0:22:57.461,0:23:01.283 no engineer could design these things, 0:23:01.283,0:23:03.644 that have a coiling motion 0:23:03.644,0:23:06.040 and a grasping strength, 0:23:06.040,0:23:07.830 and a coordination. 0:23:07.830,0:23:11.751 And you have one on the end of each arm. 0:23:11.751,0:23:14.425 That's amazing! 0:23:14.425,0:23:17.549 That's God's good gift to you. 0:23:17.549,0:23:20.791 You are God's good gift to you. 0:23:20.791,0:23:23.936 And really ultimately to Himself. 0:23:23.936,0:23:27.426 We are by virtue of creation; 0:23:27.426,0:23:29.410 by virtue of what God did, 0:23:29.410,0:23:31.883 the pinnacle of creation. 0:23:31.883,0:23:34.351 And we are the creation - 0:23:34.351,0:23:36.449 this is important - 0:23:36.449,0:23:44.813 we are the creation of [br]a Triune relational God. 0:23:44.813,0:23:47.733 It says in Genesis 1:26, 0:23:47.733,0:23:51.151 "Let us make man in our image." 0:23:51.151,0:23:52.327 Now, someone would say [br] 0:23:52.327,0:23:54.246 that's not a reference to the Trinity. 0:23:54.246,0:23:56.155 God's just speaking to the angels. 0:23:56.155,0:23:58.969 Well, let me tell you this,[br]when God looks at the angels, 0:23:58.969,0:24:01.346 he doesn't see ones that [br]were made in His image. 0:24:01.346,0:24:02.892 So He can't say to the angels, 0:24:02.892,0:24:05.298 "Let us make man in our image." 0:24:05.298,0:24:08.601 The only person - the only people - 0:24:08.601,0:24:11.575 in all eternity that God can say that to 0:24:11.575,0:24:14.281 is God the Father can say [br]that to God the Son 0:24:14.281,0:24:16.002 and God the Holy Spirit, 0:24:16.002,0:24:18.194 so we have here even a hinting 0:24:18.194,0:24:21.038 of what will become abundantly [br]clear in the New Testament, 0:24:21.038,0:24:24.745 that God is a triune God. 0:24:24.745,0:24:27.713 Why can't Allah be true? 0:24:27.713,0:24:30.733 Because Allah is not a relational being. 0:24:30.733,0:24:32.428 Allah is alone and lonely 0:24:32.428,0:24:34.182 and the best he can do is offer you 0:24:34.182,0:24:36.386 celestial virgins in paradise. 0:24:36.386,0:24:37.984 That's the best he can do. 0:24:37.984,0:24:39.109 It's all he's got. 0:24:39.109,0:24:41.335 He doesn't have anything - [br]he's just a demon. 0:24:41.335,0:24:42.551 He's false. Fake. 0:24:42.551,0:24:47.909 But the lie of Allah never [br]would account for this world. 0:24:47.909,0:24:49.651 Because if there was an alone god - 0:24:49.651,0:24:50.948 all alone forever - 0:24:50.948,0:24:54.905 he wouldn't make [br]relational beings like you. 0:24:54.905,0:24:59.094 You were made in the [br]image of a relational being. 0:24:59.094,0:25:01.644 Why do you like people so much? 0:25:01.644,0:25:03.806 Or why do you struggle [br]with people so much? 0:25:03.806,0:25:06.387 It's either because you're [br]embracing what God loves 0:25:06.387,0:25:08.771 or rejecting it. 0:25:08.771,0:25:11.000 But you can't avoid it. 0:25:11.000,0:25:13.721 You were made in the image of a God 0:25:13.721,0:25:16.003 who has never known a millisecond 0:25:16.003,0:25:19.343 outside the context of a relationship. 0:25:19.343,0:25:22.833 He has always been one [br]God in three Persons: 0:25:22.833,0:25:25.673 The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 0:25:25.673,0:25:30.097 And we are made in His image. 0:25:30.097,0:25:32.864 Now, you think about that. 0:25:32.864,0:25:35.310 And people in our day and age would say 0:25:35.310,0:25:37.493 that sounds like mythology - 0:25:37.493,0:25:39.841 just some god saying let there be light 0:25:39.841,0:25:41.041 and there was light. 0:25:41.041,0:25:43.003 We need something much more rational 0:25:43.003,0:25:46.568 like there was a ball of matter 0:25:46.568,0:25:49.948 all compressed and alone in the universe. 0:25:49.948,0:25:51.726 And then suddenly it blew up 0:25:51.726,0:25:53.287 and it splattered out all across 0:25:53.287,0:25:57.009 the infinite whatever, 0:25:57.009,0:26:01.047 and one of those places [br]had a really good puddle, 0:26:01.047,0:26:03.491 really condusive to lightning striking it, 0:26:03.491,0:26:04.770 and life coming out of it, 0:26:04.770,0:26:06.930 and then you know the [br]amoebas came out of the water, 0:26:06.930,0:26:09.486 and then from them the fish,[br]and then they grew legs, 0:26:09.486,0:26:12.457 and then you've got the [br]monkeys, and here we are. 0:26:12.457,0:26:15.859 Made in the image of? 0:26:15.859,0:26:17.011 Nothing. An accident. 0:26:17.011,0:26:18.847 Made in the image of an accident. 0:26:18.847,0:26:28.628 You better treat me with respect. 0:26:28.628,0:26:33.265 The world wants dignity. 0:26:33.265,0:26:36.588 The world wants esteem. 0:26:36.588,0:26:39.280 The world wants meaning. 0:26:39.280,0:26:40.758 And they've embraced a lie 0:26:40.758,0:26:42.548 for a worldview that will give them 0:26:42.548,0:26:44.775 no foundation for the very thing 0:26:44.775,0:26:46.917 they know they need, 0:26:46.917,0:26:49.023 which is what it is to be lost. 0:26:49.023,0:26:51.442 To be lost is to know [br]there's somewhere to go 0:26:51.442,0:26:54.058 and to know that you're not there. 0:26:54.058,0:26:56.610 And the world is lost. 0:26:56.610,0:26:58.287 Getting little glimmers of truth 0:26:58.287,0:27:00.728 and covering them up 0:27:00.728,0:27:03.410 with all kinds of lies. 0:27:03.410,0:27:05.343 But we as believers, 0:27:05.343,0:27:07.390 and those of you that are believers, 0:27:07.390,0:27:13.176 there ought to be a dignity about you. 0:27:13.176,0:27:15.676 There ought to be a dignity about me, 0:27:15.676,0:27:19.192 just from this one fact. 0:27:19.192,0:27:23.236 That we were made in the image of God. 0:27:23.236,0:27:25.212 It's amazing how quickly this can change. 0:27:25.212,0:27:26.495 Before I was a Christian, 0:27:26.495,0:27:29.270 I always walked around like this. 0:27:29.270,0:27:32.636 And my hair was usually [br]hanging in front of my face. 0:27:32.636,0:27:34.775 And one time, just a few weeks after 0:27:34.775,0:27:36.318 I became a believer, 0:27:36.318,0:27:41.529 my dad said, "Stand up. You [br]were made in the image of God." 0:27:41.529,0:27:43.441 Isn't that amazing? 0:27:43.441,0:27:45.170 Just one truth. 0:27:45.170,0:27:46.544 Just stand up. 0:27:46.544,0:27:48.233 You're not a worthless descendent. 0:27:48.233,0:27:51.317 You're not a bag of chemicals[br]just bouncing around on each other; 0:27:51.317,0:27:52.879 just having chemical reactions 0:27:52.879,0:27:55.483 that make you depressed one [br]day and happy the next. 0:27:55.483,0:27:59.966 You are made in the image of God. 0:27:59.966,0:28:00.855 But notice this, 0:28:00.855,0:28:06.679 male and female, He created them. 0:28:06.679,0:28:11.803 The image of God was not portrayed 0:28:11.803,0:28:15.531 in one sex. 0:28:15.531,0:28:19.551 Male and female, He created them. 0:28:19.551,0:28:20.931 So look at that. V. 27. 0:28:20.931,0:28:22.951 So God created man (singular) 0:28:22.951,0:28:24.043 in His own image. 0:28:24.043,0:28:26.191 In the image of God, He created him. 0:28:26.191,0:28:30.114 Male and female, He created them. 0:28:30.114,0:28:31.747 The world has always struggled 0:28:31.747,0:28:33.690 with what to do with women. 0:28:33.690,0:28:35.810 Always. 0:28:35.810,0:28:38.675 And the world either paints women 0:28:38.675,0:28:40.784 as these pure angels, 0:28:40.784,0:28:42.268 or it paints women 0:28:42.268,0:28:47.785 as immoral and ungodly. 0:28:47.785,0:28:51.570 Or, it devalues women. 0:28:51.570,0:28:53.164 One person said recently, 0:28:53.164,0:28:56.302 the most dangerous words [br]in the world right now are: 0:28:56.302,0:28:58.253 it's a girl. 0:28:58.253,0:29:00.547 Because as soon as [br]they find out it's a girl, 0:29:00.547,0:29:02.937 you're way more likely to be aborted 0:29:02.937,0:29:06.160 in China, in India. 0:29:06.160,0:29:09.424 The world devalues women. 0:29:09.424,0:29:10.779 Devalues them utterly. 0:29:10.779,0:29:13.083 It says you can be the [br]CEO of a major company 0:29:13.083,0:29:15.679 as long as you don't mind[br]that we strip you half-naked 0:29:15.679,0:29:18.259 and put you on the front of a magazine 0:29:18.259,0:29:21.312 to rape with our eyes. 0:29:21.312,0:29:25.811 Just degrades women everywhere. 0:29:25.811,0:29:27.577 And the Bible alone comes along 0:29:27.577,0:29:31.027 and says utter equal value. 0:29:31.027,0:29:34.474 And not just equal to man, 0:29:34.474,0:29:37.126 in the image of God. 0:29:37.126,0:29:39.403 That's what a woman is. 0:29:39.403,0:29:41.064 There's no greater foundation. 0:29:41.064,0:29:44.050 And sisters are constantly struggling 0:29:44.050,0:29:46.954 with perceptions of themselves 0:29:46.954,0:29:48.765 and depression over themselves 0:29:48.765,0:29:52.216 and self-hatred and self-[br]loathing over themselves. 0:29:52.216,0:29:53.698 And you need to know this: 0:29:53.698,0:29:56.526 No matter how far you sink in sin, 0:29:56.526,0:29:58.758 you cannot erase this about you. 0:29:58.758,0:30:03.195 You were made in the image of God. 0:30:03.195,0:30:07.931 It's amazing. 0:30:07.931,0:30:10.488 In the image of God, He created them. 0:30:10.488,0:30:12.142 Now in the ancient Near East, 0:30:12.142,0:30:15.131 where the book of Genesis was written, 0:30:15.131,0:30:17.567 the way you marked off your land 0:30:17.567,0:30:20.980 was you put a statue of you in your land, 0:30:20.980,0:30:23.131 so think sphinx in Egypt. 0:30:23.131,0:30:24.963 How do you know Pharaoh's in charge? 0:30:24.963,0:30:26.378 He puts a sphinx there 0:30:26.378,0:30:27.823 and says this here is mine. 0:30:27.823,0:30:29.303 You want a more modern example? 0:30:29.303,0:30:30.235 Saddam Hussein. 0:30:30.235,0:30:31.908 What was all over Iraq? 0:30:31.908,0:30:33.789 Big statues of Saddam Hussein. 0:30:33.789,0:30:36.041 They say Saddam's in charge here. 0:30:36.041,0:30:37.634 Well, what was God doing 0:30:37.634,0:30:40.343 putting people in His image 0:30:40.343,0:30:43.678 and saying cover the planet? 0:30:43.678,0:30:46.144 Saying "this is Mine." 0:30:46.144,0:30:48.751 Which means that what you are, 0:30:48.751,0:30:50.600 at the very fabric of your being, 0:30:50.600,0:30:52.999 is you are the best medium, 0:30:52.999,0:30:56.594 the best canvas possible to display 0:30:56.594,0:30:58.549 the glory of God. 0:30:58.549,0:31:01.156 I don't know about you,[br]I don't go to art galleries a lot, 0:31:01.156,0:31:03.683 but when I do go to art galleries,[br]what I notice is that there's 0:31:03.683,0:31:05.135 those little white tags under the picture, 0:31:05.137,0:31:08.406 and that's your only hope of making [br]sense of what's on the wall. 0:31:08.406,0:31:09.777 And so you read that 0:31:09.777,0:31:12.940 and it says there, 0:31:12.940,0:31:18.295 "fire." 0:31:18.295,0:31:20.811 "Mixed medium." 0:31:20.811,0:31:22.799 "Pottery." 0:31:22.799,0:31:25.009 "Bronze." 0:31:25.009,0:31:27.415 "Oil on canvas." 0:31:27.415,0:31:28.653 "Pastels on paper." 0:31:28.653,0:31:31.656 It tells you what the artist used 0:31:31.656,0:31:34.868 to display the idea [br]that was in their soul. 0:31:34.868,0:31:36.633 Well, when God wanted to stretch out 0:31:36.633,0:31:40.762 the perfect canvas to display His glory, 0:31:40.762,0:31:42.574 He did not use pastels; 0:31:42.574,0:31:43.951 He did not use paint; 0:31:43.951,0:31:46.374 He did not use a canvas at all. 0:31:46.374,0:31:47.914 He said I want five fingers 0:31:47.914,0:31:49.015 and I want five toes 0:31:49.015,0:31:50.936 and I want two ears and I want two eyes. 0:31:50.936,0:31:52.432 I want a mind. 0:31:52.432,0:31:53.750 I want a chest. 0:31:53.750,0:31:54.797 I want legs. 0:31:54.797,0:31:58.893 That's where I'm going to [br]paint a picture of Me. 0:31:58.893,0:32:00.008 You say, wait a second! 0:32:00.008,0:32:04.886 Can my person really be the best place 0:32:04.886,0:32:08.105 to display the glory of God? 0:32:08.105,0:32:11.639 You bet it is and that's why [br]Jesus came as a man. 0:32:11.639,0:32:15.037 And He is the image of the invisible God. 0:32:15.037,0:32:18.935 The exact - the exact representation 0:32:18.935,0:32:23.130 of His nature. 0:32:23.130,0:32:27.716 To be a person is to be the kind of being 0:32:27.716,0:32:35.129 it would take to display the glory of God. 0:32:35.129,0:32:36.495 What does that mean? 0:32:36.495,0:32:39.938 What does that mean to be [br]made in the image of God? 0:32:39.938,0:32:41.888 Are you beginning to get a little bit 0:32:41.888,0:32:44.872 of a taste of what it is to be human? 0:32:44.872,0:32:46.241 Sometimes we go through life 0:32:46.241,0:32:47.719 assuming the basics. 0:32:47.719,0:32:49.414 We say we want to see people saved, 0:32:49.414,0:32:52.555 and we never think: what is a people? 0:32:52.555,0:32:55.802 We want to see men saved. What are men? 0:32:55.802,0:32:58.696 We want to see souls saved. What's a soul? 0:32:58.696,0:33:00.613 And as soon as you start to think about 0:33:00.613,0:33:02.674 what a soul is, then you even more 0:33:02.674,0:33:05.367 want to say I want to see people saved. 0:33:05.367,0:33:08.423 These people made in the image of God. 0:33:08.423,0:33:10.981 What is the image of God? 0:33:10.981,0:33:13.963 Well, it's what we do 0:33:13.963,0:33:16.736 and it's how we're made. 0:33:16.736,0:33:17.693 It's two things. 0:33:17.693,0:33:20.093 It's what we do - that's our function. 0:33:20.093,0:33:23.168 And it's how we're made - 0:33:23.168,0:33:25.674 that's our structure. 0:33:25.674,0:33:27.927 Both of those are key to understanding 0:33:27.927,0:33:32.061 what it is to be made in the image of God. 0:33:32.061,0:33:33.277 What do I mean by that? 0:33:33.277,0:33:35.270 Well, think about the way you're made. 0:33:35.270,0:33:38.244 You're made with a mind. 0:33:38.244,0:33:40.804 Which is why God can say to you, 0:33:40.804,0:33:44.549 "Come, let us reason together." 0:33:44.549,0:33:46.845 He has a mind and you have a mind. 0:33:46.845,0:33:48.232 You're made in His image. 0:33:48.232,0:33:53.276 There's a correspondence [br]between you and Him. 0:33:53.276,0:33:55.385 He can make moral distinctions. 0:33:55.385,0:33:56.860 He says it is good, it is good, 0:33:56.860,0:33:58.268 it is very good. 0:33:58.268,0:34:00.078 He says some things are not good. 0:34:00.078,0:34:02.239 And you walk through [br]life just involuntarily 0:34:02.239,0:34:04.991 making those kind of [br]distinctions all the time. 0:34:04.991,0:34:07.251 We're able to make [br]these moral distinctions. 0:34:07.251,0:34:10.294 It's what it is to be made [br]in the image of God 0:34:10.294,0:34:11.800 is to notice what's good 0:34:11.800,0:34:13.075 and what's not good. 0:34:13.075,0:34:17.098 And to notice what's [br]right and what's wrong. 0:34:17.098,0:34:18.548 To be made in the image of God 0:34:18.548,0:34:20.333 is to be able to act. 0:34:20.333,0:34:21.928 There's a big difference here. 0:34:21.928,0:34:23.634 He gets to act without hands. 0:34:23.634,0:34:25.422 He says "Red Sea part," and it parts. 0:34:25.422,0:34:27.057 We have to build Hoover Dam. 0:34:27.057,0:34:30.204 But nonetheless, in doing so, 0:34:30.204,0:34:34.669 we are displaying the image of God. 0:34:34.669,0:34:38.129 I was flying above [br]Missouri in a Cessna today. 0:34:38.129,0:34:39.418 It was just a great gift 0:34:39.418,0:34:41.756 to be able to fly at a low altitude 0:34:41.756,0:34:43.735 and just to be able to look out 0:34:43.735,0:34:44.852 over God's creation. 0:34:44.852,0:34:47.447 God is able to be in [br]all places at all times, 0:34:47.447,0:34:49.211 but He's given us the ability to walk 0:34:49.211,0:34:50.805 and to run and to build cars 0:34:50.805,0:34:52.609 and to build airplanes and to move. 0:34:52.609,0:34:54.132 He's the God who acts 0:34:54.132,0:34:56.819 and we are people who act. 0:34:56.819,0:34:58.117 Being in the image of God 0:34:58.117,0:35:00.955 is right into our structure. 0:35:00.955,0:35:06.654 It's how we're made. 0:35:06.654,0:35:09.167 But it's not just how we're made. 0:35:09.167,0:35:11.973 It's what we're called to do. 0:35:11.973,0:35:14.505 What does He call Adam and Eve to do? 0:35:14.505,0:35:18.257 Go have dominion and subdue the earth. 0:35:18.257,0:35:21.112 So what does it take to subdue the earth? 0:35:21.112,0:35:23.361 You've got to have a mind. 0:35:23.361,0:35:25.097 You've got to know what's right. 0:35:25.097,0:35:27.288 And you've got to be able to act. 0:35:27.288,0:35:29.534 And so He makes man and woman 0:35:29.534,0:35:33.356 equally able to reflect Him 0:35:33.356,0:35:40.464 and to be a display of His glory. 0:35:40.464,0:35:43.322 Second point. 0:35:43.322,0:35:46.300 We were both created in the image of God, 0:35:46.300,0:35:47.648 male and female. 0:35:47.648,0:35:51.437 The second point is we were both [br]created in the image of God, 0:35:51.437,0:35:53.107 male and female with different roles. 0:35:53.107,0:35:54.955 Now this is a mystery. 0:35:54.955,0:35:58.038 We were both made totally equal 0:35:58.038,0:36:03.010 in the image of God for [br]something different. 0:36:03.010,0:36:05.025 And if you want to unravel the mystery 0:36:05.025,0:36:07.475 of how you can be equal [br]and for something different 0:36:07.475,0:36:10.626 you need go no further than the Trinity. 0:36:10.626,0:36:13.214 That's where we get the unity [br]of the one and the many. 0:36:13.214,0:36:14.747 That's how we can understand how 0:36:14.747,0:36:17.523 someone can be utterly equal 0:36:17.523,0:36:20.125 and yet in a different place. 0:36:20.125,0:36:22.634 The Son - totally equal with the Father. 0:36:22.634,0:36:25.963 Totally willing to submit to the Father. 0:36:25.963,0:36:28.064 The Holy Spirit - totally [br]equal to the Son. 0:36:28.064,0:36:32.219 Wants nothing more [br]than to glorify the Son. 0:36:32.219,0:36:36.976 And we are totally [br]equal - male and female, 0:36:36.976,0:36:39.201 brothers and sisters in creation 0:36:39.201,0:36:40.900 and for those who are Christians, 0:36:40.900,0:36:42.462 in the Lord. 0:36:42.462,0:36:46.981 And yet with different roles. 0:36:46.981,0:36:49.527 Now in Genesis 2, we see this, 0:36:49.527,0:36:51.483 but we have to be careful that we know 0:36:51.483,0:36:54.584 how to read Genesis 2. 0:36:54.584,0:36:56.903 Because Genesis 2 does [br]not talk like Romans. 0:36:56.903,0:36:58.562 People like Romans because Romans 0:36:58.562,0:37:00.547 just comes out and says it. 0:37:00.547,0:37:01.596 Romans will say: 0:37:01.596,0:37:04.209 "All have sinned and fall [br]short of the glory of God." 0:37:04.209,0:37:06.023 Genesis 2 will just tell you stories 0:37:06.023,0:37:08.765 about really sinful people. 0:37:08.765,0:37:11.024 Or, Romans 6 will say, 0:37:11.024,0:37:12.304 the wages of sin is death. 0:37:12.304,0:37:13.713 Genesis 5 will just tell you: 0:37:13.713,0:37:17.229 "and he died, and he died, and he died..." 0:37:17.229,0:37:19.484 So the book of Genesis [br]and the book of Romans 0:37:19.484,0:37:20.741 are both written by God; 0:37:20.741,0:37:22.639 both inspired by the Holy Spirit; 0:37:22.639,0:37:24.166 and yet, one makes its teachings 0:37:24.166,0:37:26.339 in a teaching way, a didactic way; 0:37:26.339,0:37:28.352 the other teaches in a narrative way 0:37:28.352,0:37:30.591 through story. 0:37:30.591,0:37:32.661 And you've got to learn how to read story. 0:37:32.661,0:37:34.475 And when you learn how to read story, 0:37:34.475,0:37:36.221 the points of different roles 0:37:36.221,0:37:39.843 begin to come out real easily. 0:37:39.843,0:37:41.886 The first way that we see role in Genesis 0:37:41.886,0:37:45.059 is that men were created first. 0:37:45.059,0:37:46.497 Men were created first. 0:37:46.497,0:37:48.740 How do you know men have a different role? 0:37:48.740,0:37:50.819 How do you know they're called to lead? 0:37:50.819,0:37:53.947 It's because they were created first. 0:37:53.947,0:37:55.164 Genesis 2:15 0:37:55.164,0:37:56.429 "The Lord God took the man 0:37:56.429,0:37:58.081 and put him in the garden of Eden 0:37:58.081,0:37:59.308 to work it and keep it, 0:37:59.308,0:38:00.851 and the Lord commanded the man 0:38:00.851,0:38:02.799 saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree 0:38:02.799,0:38:05.114 of the garden, but of [br]the tree of the knowledge 0:38:05.114,0:38:06.907 of good and evil, you shall not eat, 0:38:06.907,0:38:08.661 for in the day that you eat of it, 0:38:08.661,0:38:09.994 you shall surely die.'" 0:38:09.994,0:38:13.923 Adam is all alone and [br]he has a place to be. 0:38:13.923,0:38:16.659 He has a place to work and keep. 0:38:16.659,0:38:19.023 He has the Word of God. 0:38:19.023,0:38:21.547 He has the promise of God. 0:38:21.547,0:38:23.945 All when he's utterly alone. 0:38:23.945,0:38:26.261 And the fact that he [br]comes on the scene first 0:38:26.261,0:38:27.842 means that he is called to lead. 0:38:27.842,0:38:30.402 You say, wait a second, [br]you're reading into the text. 0:38:30.402,0:38:33.739 Well, I'm not reading into the text,[br]because it's just what Paul says 0:38:33.739,0:38:37.543 in 1 Timothy 2:13. 0:38:37.543,0:38:43.358 1 Timothy 2:13 0:38:43.358,0:38:48.108 In 1 Timothy 2:13, Paul speaking about 0:38:48.108,0:38:50.997 the context of the church says, 0:38:50.997,0:38:55.939 "I do not (v. 12) permit a woman to teach 0:38:55.939,0:38:59.008 or exercise authority over a man. 0:38:59.008,0:39:01.996 Rather she is to remain quiet." 0:39:01.996,0:39:06.138 Why? Why? Why this order? 0:39:06.138,0:39:08.185 Well, because of the culture in Ephesus. 0:39:08.185,0:39:10.120 It just demanded that. 0:39:10.120,0:39:12.131 That's the argument for why you would 0:39:12.131,0:39:14.431 ignore this verse. 0:39:14.431,0:39:17.886 But that's not the reason Paul gives. 0:39:17.886,0:39:19.732 What Paul says is, 0:39:19.732,0:39:23.108 "For Adam was formed first, then Eve." 0:39:23.108,0:39:25.252 This order of leadership 0:39:25.252,0:39:27.528 is not because he's smarter. 0:39:27.528,0:39:30.026 It's not because of the [br]culture in Ephesus. 0:39:30.026,0:39:32.672 It's because of the order of creation. 0:39:32.672,0:39:34.371 That he was formed first. 0:39:34.371,0:39:36.394 And Paul understood that to mean 0:39:36.394,0:39:39.483 he was called to lead. 0:39:39.483,0:39:42.200 Now, it goes on and makes [br]this in more ways too. 0:39:42.200,0:39:43.939 In the ancient Near East, 0:39:43.939,0:39:45.771 and really in our own day today, 0:39:45.771,0:39:48.965 to name someone was a sign of authority. 0:39:48.965,0:39:52.575 I mean, when my firstborn [br]daughter was named, 0:39:52.575,0:39:53.807 I named her Jordana. 0:39:53.807,0:39:55.701 I didn't wait till she was 10 and say, 0:39:55.701,0:39:57.553 well, what do you want? 0:39:57.553,0:39:59.857 And if she came to me and said at 15, 0:39:59.857,0:40:01.766 and told me she wanted a different name, 0:40:01.766,0:40:04.136 I would tell her she wasn't [br]getting another name, 0:40:04.136,0:40:07.066 because I gave her her name. 0:40:07.066,0:40:09.561 I'm her father and I [br]have authority over her. 0:40:09.561,0:40:11.466 For her to reject the name I gave her 0:40:11.466,0:40:14.270 would be a rejection of authority. 0:40:14.270,0:40:16.393 And in the book of Genesis, [br]what do we find? 0:40:16.393,0:40:20.243 We find Adam naming the animals. 0:40:20.243,0:40:24.186 He determines what their names will be. 0:40:24.186,0:40:26.112 And then twice it's pointed out to us 0:40:26.112,0:40:29.646 that he names Eve. 0:40:29.646,0:40:35.349 Specifically we can see [br]that in Genesis 3:20. 0:40:35.349,0:40:37.900 "The man called his wife's name Eve 0:40:37.900,0:40:40.017 because she was the mother of all living." 0:40:40.017,0:40:41.840 So he was created first, 0:40:41.840,0:40:46.044 and then he is also given [br]the ability to name, 0:40:46.044,0:40:47.508 and he names his wife, 0:40:47.508,0:40:49.009 which was a sign of authority. 0:40:49.009,0:40:51.229 And then also, when the serpent 0:40:51.229,0:40:56.882 deceived Eve, where did God go? 0:40:56.882,0:40:58.798 He went to the man. 0:40:58.798,0:41:00.519 The book of Genesis - 0:41:00.519,0:41:02.824 fascinating is too light a word - 0:41:02.824,0:41:05.120 but it's really quite amazing. 0:41:05.120,0:41:06.998 The order of creation was to be 0:41:06.998,0:41:11.518 God, man, woman, animals. 0:41:11.518,0:41:14.140 And in the fall, the [br]animal leads the woman 0:41:14.140,0:41:19.030 over the man over God. 0:41:19.030,0:41:21.213 But they might have [br]invented their own world, 0:41:21.213,0:41:22.917 but they were still in God's world, 0:41:22.917,0:41:26.008 and when they sinned, He came for the man. 0:41:26.008,0:41:27.880 Do you see what I was saying earlier? 0:41:27.880,0:41:30.033 You can be in rebellion [br]against God's world, 0:41:30.033,0:41:31.690 but you're still in God's world 0:41:31.690,0:41:34.149 while you're in your rebellion. 0:41:34.149,0:41:36.404 And He came for man. 0:41:36.404,0:41:38.552 He came to talk to Adam 0:41:38.552,0:41:41.981 when Eve fell into sin. 0:41:41.981,0:41:43.736 And Adam blame-shifted and said, 0:41:43.736,0:41:45.690 "This woman You gave me." 0:41:45.690,0:41:48.876 But God didn't take that. 0:41:48.876,0:41:51.095 Adam is a leader because [br]he was created first. 0:41:51.095,0:41:52.434 He's a leader because he was 0:41:52.434,0:41:55.457 given authority to name. 0:41:55.457,0:41:59.160 And he was given [br]accountability (Genesis 3:9). 0:41:59.160,0:42:01.167 When sin came into the world, 0:42:01.167,0:42:04.273 Adam was held accountable. 0:42:04.273,0:42:08.062 He should lead. 0:42:08.062,0:42:10.311 What we see about Eve - 0:42:10.311,0:42:12.267 now this is key - 0:42:12.267,0:42:18.008 she is actually created to be a helper. 0:42:18.008,0:42:21.190 She's created to be a helper. 0:42:21.190,0:42:26.770 Genesis 2:18 0:42:26.770,0:42:31.255 "It is not good that [br]a man should be alone. 0:42:31.255,0:42:37.021 I will make a helper fit for him." 0:42:37.021,0:42:38.682 Now, this is amazing. 0:42:38.682,0:42:39.801 Listen to those words. 0:42:39.801,0:42:41.956 We hear the word "helper," 0:42:41.956,0:42:43.807 and it demeans women in our eyes. 0:42:43.807,0:42:46.059 Helper? 0:42:46.059,0:42:48.729 It's like "junior varsity." 0:42:48.729,0:42:52.515 This is demeaning. 0:42:52.515,0:42:54.327 But we don't listen. 0:42:54.327,0:42:57.179 A helper fit for him. 0:42:57.179,0:43:02.573 Who's he? He is made in the image of God. 0:43:02.573,0:43:06.953 He is the ultimate creation on the planet. 0:43:06.953,0:43:09.292 And it's going to take somebody special 0:43:09.292,0:43:11.029 to help him. 0:43:11.029,0:43:14.076 It's not a position of being demeaned. 0:43:14.076,0:43:15.300 If someone called you - 0:43:15.300,0:43:18.372 and forget the current president [br]and your feelings about him - 0:43:18.372,0:43:20.092 but if someone called you and said 0:43:20.092,0:43:22.654 you are going to be the [br]helper to the president, 0:43:22.654,0:43:27.548 you would not feel demeaned. 0:43:27.548,0:43:29.409 Right? 0:43:29.409,0:43:34.435 I didn't think so. 0:43:34.435,0:43:36.954 And God proves this [br]by parading every animal 0:43:36.954,0:43:38.515 on earth in front of Adam 0:43:38.515,0:43:42.806 and none of them are good enough. 0:43:42.806,0:43:46.180 "Now out of the ground the Lord God[br]had formed every beast of the field 0:43:46.180,0:43:48.368 and every bird of the heavens[br]and brought them to the man 0:43:48.368,0:43:49.888 to see what he would call them. 0:43:49.888,0:43:52.290 And whatever the man [br]called every living creature, 0:43:52.290,0:43:53.460 that was its name. 0:43:53.460,0:43:55.174 The man gave names to all livestock 0:43:55.174,0:43:58.502 and to the birds of the heavens[br]and to every beast of the field, 0:43:58.502,0:44:01.212 but for Adam there was not found 0:44:01.212,0:44:02.785 (here's those three words again) 0:44:02.785,0:44:04.628 a helper fit for him." 0:44:04.628,0:44:06.602 There's no helper fit for him. 0:44:06.602,0:44:08.349 You can take a dog for a walk. 0:44:08.349,0:44:11.242 You can ride a horse at a gallop. 0:44:11.242,0:44:13.939 A monkey can get your [br]bananas out of the tree, 0:44:13.939,0:44:15.140 if you're in Eden, 0:44:15.140,0:44:19.870 but a monkey doesn't have [br]a mind to fellowship with. 0:44:19.870,0:44:21.869 Can't make the same moral judgments: 0:44:21.869,0:44:24.810 good, very good, not good. 0:44:24.810,0:44:28.419 Can't act and do with the same dexterity 0:44:28.419,0:44:31.313 and the same mental control 0:44:31.313,0:44:32.696 as a man. 0:44:32.696,0:44:35.591 There's only one creature on the planet 0:44:35.591,0:44:39.859 that can fellowship with a man, 0:44:39.859,0:44:41.900 and that's a woman. 0:44:41.900,0:44:45.009 There's only one creature [br]that can help a man, 0:44:45.009,0:44:48.326 and that is a woman. 0:44:48.326,0:44:50.563 We'll probably get into [br]this more tomorrow, 0:44:50.563,0:44:52.151 but this idea that [br]helper is demeaning, 0:44:52.151,0:44:53.869 we need to do away [br]with this completely. 0:44:53.869,0:44:55.584 In the Bible, God is called a Helper. 0:44:55.584,0:44:57.128 The Holy Spirit is called a Helper. 0:44:57.128,0:44:59.574 And the Lord Jesus [br]Christ is called a Helper. 0:44:59.574,0:45:06.547 None of them are feeling demeaned. 0:45:06.547,0:45:09.526 But at the same time, we don't [br]want to get rid of this idea. 0:45:09.526,0:45:17.399 She really is called to help. 0:45:17.399,0:45:19.708 They tease me at the church I pastor 0:45:19.708,0:45:23.184 because I've had every [br]job there is to have. 0:45:23.184,0:45:24.987 I was a carpenter's helper, 0:45:24.987,0:45:26.474 an electrician's helper. 0:45:26.474,0:45:28.761 I've been a welder's helper. 0:45:28.761,0:45:31.571 And just helped everybody. 0:45:31.571,0:45:34.875 And when I helped them, 0:45:34.875,0:45:38.214 it was very clear they were to lead, 0:45:38.214,0:45:41.486 and I was to follow. 0:45:41.486,0:45:44.258 They couldn't do their work without me, 0:45:44.258,0:45:47.669 but my work was not to do their work. 0:45:47.669,0:45:49.813 They were called to lead. 0:45:49.813,0:45:54.189 I was called to follow. 0:45:54.189,0:45:56.405 Now some of us get [br]scared of this teaching. 0:45:56.405,0:45:58.956 Man's called to lead. [br]Woman's called to be a helper. 0:45:58.956,0:46:00.576 It all sounds good in the church, 0:46:00.576,0:46:02.523 but when you go talk about it out there, 0:46:02.523,0:46:05.995 it makes people a little more nervous. 0:46:05.995,0:46:07.773 But you need to be careful. 0:46:07.773,0:46:10.495 If this teaching that [br]man is called to lead 0:46:10.495,0:46:12.027 and a woman is called to help 0:46:12.027,0:46:13.874 does not attract you or seems foolish 0:46:13.874,0:46:15.776 to the eyes of the world, 0:46:15.776,0:46:18.093 let me ask you this. 0:46:18.093,0:46:21.971 What else seems foolish [br]to the eyes of the world? 0:46:21.971,0:46:26.520 Jesus Christ died to save sinners[br]seems foolish to the world. 0:46:26.520,0:46:28.523 You don't go to the world for your ideas 0:46:28.523,0:46:29.812 of what is foolish. 0:46:29.812,0:46:32.380 They'd get rid of your Savior too. 0:46:32.380,0:46:41.090 Not just get rid of the [br]Bible's gender roles. 0:46:41.090,0:46:43.497 Third point. 0:46:43.497,0:46:47.494 We fell into sin and were [br]cursed as male and female 0:46:47.494,0:46:50.069 in our original roles. 0:46:50.069,0:46:51.584 Now this is key. 0:46:51.584,0:46:54.360 This helped my wife and I in marriage 0:46:54.360,0:46:55.336 a great deal. 0:46:55.336,0:46:56.610 It's helped me at least. 0:46:56.610,0:46:58.439 Lots of other things have helped her. 0:46:58.439,0:47:04.837 I didn't mean it like that. Sorry, honey. 0:47:04.837,0:47:08.589 It's helped me immensely in marriage 0:47:08.589,0:47:12.110 to notice that the curse 0:47:12.110,0:47:15.564 put on Adam and Eve for their sin 0:47:15.564,0:47:16.993 is not a generic curse. 0:47:16.993,0:47:19.125 It's not just like you're [br]generally cursed. 0:47:19.125,0:47:21.352 Life's going to be hard. 0:47:21.352,0:47:23.755 It's a specific curse that touches 0:47:23.755,0:47:27.072 their gender roles. 0:47:27.072,0:47:30.819 So Genesis 3:16, 0:47:30.819,0:47:34.038 "To the woman He said, 0:47:34.038,0:47:38.095 'I will surely multiply [br]your pain in childbearing. 0:47:38.095,0:47:41.304 In pain you shall bring forth children.'" 0:47:41.304,0:47:44.661 So, it's not just pain in general. 0:47:44.661,0:47:47.827 It's pain as related to her role 0:47:47.827,0:47:51.482 of being the mother of all living. 0:47:51.482,0:47:54.270 And then in Genesis 3:18, 0:47:54.270,0:47:57.916 it's not just difficulty in general, 0:47:57.916,0:47:59.650 it's that Adam will have difficulty 0:47:59.650,0:48:02.605 with work and providing. 0:48:02.605,0:48:04.725 Halfway through v. 17, 0:48:04.725,0:48:06.807 "Cursed is the ground because of you. 0:48:06.807,0:48:08.200 In pain you shall eat of it 0:48:08.200,0:48:09.476 all the days of your life. 0:48:09.476,0:48:11.479 Thorns and thistles 0:48:11.479,0:48:13.123 it shall bring forth for you, 0:48:13.123,0:48:17.245 and you shall eat the [br]plants of the field." 0:48:17.245,0:48:19.206 So, very specific curses. 0:48:19.206,0:48:21.467 But I want you to notice [br]one part of the curse 0:48:21.467,0:48:23.247 that specifically touches 0:48:23.247,0:48:25.633 the way we relate to one another 0:48:25.633,0:48:27.422 as male and female. 0:48:27.422,0:48:29.536 Notice v. 16. 0:48:29.536,0:48:34.662 God says to the woman, 0:48:34.662,0:48:40.929 "Your desire shall be for your husband." 0:48:40.929,0:48:44.205 Now this is a curse, so what is the curse? 0:48:44.205,0:48:49.700 Is it: "I curse you and you will [br]really, really want your husband?" 0:48:49.700,0:48:53.383 I don't think that's [br]what is being said here. 0:48:53.383,0:48:56.046 If you look at Genesis 4:7, [br]we get the same word: 0:48:56.046,0:48:58.833 desire. 0:48:58.833,0:49:01.618 Now we're in the context of Cain and Abel 0:49:01.618,0:49:05.424 and the first murder in the world. 0:49:05.424,0:49:06.874 And God says to Cain, 0:49:06.874,0:49:08.977 "If you do well, will you not be accepted? 0:49:08.977,0:49:10.336 And if you do not do well, 0:49:10.336,0:49:11.949 sin is crouching at the door. 0:49:11.949,0:49:14.459 It's (same word) desire is for you, 0:49:14.459,0:49:15.828 but you must rule over it." 0:49:15.828,0:49:19.410 Sin's desire is to rule over you, Cain. 0:49:19.410,0:49:21.729 It wants to rule over you. 0:49:21.729,0:49:24.933 What's it saying in [br]Genesis 3:16 of the woman? 0:49:24.933,0:49:28.062 "Your desire shall be for your husband." 0:49:28.062,0:49:30.282 No longer will you be [br]content being a helper. 0:49:30.282,0:49:33.590 No longer will you be content submitting. 0:49:33.590,0:49:35.452 Why is it so hard for me to submit? 0:49:35.452,0:49:38.002 It's because I was born [br]in this feminist culture. 0:49:38.002,0:49:42.951 No, it's not. It goes [br]way deeper than that. 0:49:42.951,0:49:45.299 The reason it's so hard to submit 0:49:45.299,0:49:48.112 is because we were cursed [br]with an unsubmissive spirit - 0:49:48.112,0:49:50.235 women specifically. 0:49:50.235,0:49:53.391 We're cursed with a desire to be in charge 0:49:53.391,0:49:55.495 where they were once called to submit. 0:49:55.495,0:49:59.917 But then you go on and it says, 0:49:59.917,0:50:02.874 "And he shall rule over you." 0:50:02.874,0:50:05.176 And this word "rule" [br]according to Wayne Grudem 0:50:05.176,0:50:08.461 is not a shepherding, a loving rule; 0:50:08.461,0:50:12.088 it's that he's going to be a harsh ruler. 0:50:12.088,0:50:14.113 So you've got the battles of the sexes 0:50:14.113,0:50:16.561 born in Genesis 3. 0:50:16.561,0:50:19.289 She's going to want to rule, [br]and he's not going to rule 0:50:19.289,0:50:21.529 in a loving shepherding Christ-like way. 0:50:21.529,0:50:23.419 They both want to be in charge. 0:50:23.419,0:50:25.435 She's not supposed to be in charge. 0:50:25.435,0:50:29.157 And he's not supposed [br]to in charge like that. 0:50:29.157,0:50:30.842 But he's in charge like that, 0:50:30.842,0:50:32.535 and she's trying to be in charge, 0:50:32.535,0:50:34.726 and they can't get along. 0:50:34.726,0:50:36.867 And they get divorced, 0:50:36.867,0:50:38.810 and he starts looking at pornography, 0:50:38.810,0:50:41.405 and she starts reading romance novels. 0:50:41.405,0:50:49.302 And it goes downhill from there. 0:50:49.302,0:51:05.020 That's the way we've been cursed. 0:51:05.020,0:51:08.162 You need to know that if you can't 0:51:08.162,0:51:12.208 overcome a harshness towards your wife, 0:51:12.208,0:51:14.950 it's because you are in Adam 0:51:14.950,0:51:17.906 and you need to be born again. 0:51:17.906,0:51:21.715 You're under a curse. 0:51:21.715,0:51:24.091 And you need to know [br]that if you're a Christian 0:51:24.091,0:51:28.453 and it's a struggle to be kind, 0:51:28.453,0:51:31.416 to be loving, 0:51:31.416,0:51:35.228 it's because the flesh is strong. 0:51:35.228,0:51:38.739 You need to grow in the Spirit. 0:51:38.739,0:51:40.114 And you need to know 0:51:40.114,0:51:42.868 that if you're a woman [br]that has trouble submitting, 0:51:42.868,0:51:44.186 trouble coming up under, 0:51:44.186,0:51:45.649 and you can never do it - 0:51:45.649,0:51:48.021 you can never bring [br]yourself to submit at all - 0:51:48.021,0:51:50.654 you need to be born again. 0:51:50.654,0:51:53.603 You need a new heart within you. 0:51:53.603,0:51:55.169 One that loves what God loves. 0:51:55.169,0:51:57.665 But if you're a Christian 0:51:57.665,0:51:59.360 that struggles to submit, 0:51:59.360,0:52:01.398 you need to know you're not alone. 0:52:01.398,0:52:03.718 It's not some accident. 0:52:03.718,0:52:09.771 This is what it means to [br]be bent in the flesh. 0:52:09.771,0:52:12.390 And this really ought to [br]create a lot of compassion 0:52:12.390,0:52:15.518 towards married people in marriage right? 0:52:15.518,0:52:18.993 Why does my husband have [br]such a hard time being nice? 0:52:18.993,0:52:23.894 He's nice to everyone out in the world. 0:52:23.894,0:52:30.347 Why does he have such a hard time with me? 0:52:30.347,0:52:34.779 It ought to create compassion [br]owards your husband. 0:52:34.779,0:52:39.005 In Adam, he's under a curse. 0:52:39.005,0:52:41.079 And towards your wives - 0:52:41.079,0:52:43.833 there ought to be compassion [br]towards your wives. 0:52:43.833,0:52:45.792 Why is it such a struggle? 0:52:45.792,0:52:48.063 It is because she's so particularly bad? 0:52:48.063,0:52:53.020 No, it's because we're [br]all so particularly bad. 0:52:53.020,0:52:55.716 And there ought to be compassion 0:52:55.716,0:52:57.712 in marriage towards the struggles 0:52:57.712,0:53:03.556 that we all bear in the [br]infirmity of the flesh. 0:53:03.556,0:53:06.366 Now, here's my last point. 0:53:06.366,0:53:11.510 And I think it's glorious. 0:53:11.510,0:53:15.387 In Jesus, we are being recreated 0:53:15.387,0:53:21.345 into those original roles. 0:53:21.345,0:53:25.980 Every time I ask the women [br]of the congregation, 0:53:25.980,0:53:27.487 they all know. 0:53:27.487,0:53:32.283 What's the one thing Paul has to [br]say to you in the New Testament? 0:53:32.283,0:53:34.131 He just keeps saying it doesn't he? 0:53:34.131,0:53:36.515 Every chance he gets. 0:53:36.515,0:53:38.056 Ephesians 5, 0:53:38.056,0:53:39.163 Colossians 3, 0:53:39.163,0:53:40.405 1 Peter 3, 0:53:40.405,0:53:42.287 Titus 2. 0:53:42.287,0:53:46.489 Submit to your husband. 0:53:46.489,0:53:48.286 We look at that and we're like why? 0:53:48.286,0:53:50.613 Why not, "don't lie to your husband?" 0:53:50.613,0:53:52.591 Or, "be forgiving to your husband." 0:53:52.591,0:53:55.897 Why always submit? 0:53:55.897,0:54:00.441 Because in Jesus Christ, [br]the fall is being undone. 0:54:00.441,0:54:03.405 Paul knew his Bible. 0:54:03.405,0:54:05.654 Paul wasn't just picking [br]one random command. 0:54:05.654,0:54:07.175 Paul wasn't just jumping around. 0:54:07.175,0:54:09.039 He was like ok, listen, 0:54:09.039,0:54:11.332 when man fell into sin, 0:54:11.332,0:54:14.191 it touched women in a particular way. 0:54:14.191,0:54:17.093 It made them want to [br]rule over their husband, 0:54:17.093,0:54:19.357 and their desire was to conquer him. 0:54:19.357,0:54:21.396 And now in Jesus, they've been made new. 0:54:21.396,0:54:22.891 They've been given new hearts. 0:54:22.891,0:54:25.006 They've got the law [br]written on their heart. 0:54:25.006,0:54:27.865 They want to bow their knees to Jesus. 0:54:27.865,0:54:29.728 They have a submissive spirit in them. 0:54:29.728,0:54:32.052 And now he touches [br]where it's the most hard 0:54:32.052,0:54:35.350 and he says do it there. 0:54:35.350,0:54:39.762 Submit to your husbands [br]as is fitting in the Lord. 0:54:39.762,0:54:41.363 Why is it fitting in the Lord? 0:54:41.363,0:54:44.437 Because Jesus is making all things right. 0:54:44.437,0:54:47.084 Because Jesus is bringing all things 0:54:47.084,0:54:48.898 into union with Himself. 0:54:48.898,0:54:50.743 Which means He's taking all the ways 0:54:50.743,0:54:52.245 you're disjointed from Him, 0:54:52.245,0:54:54.241 and He's setting you straight with Him, 0:54:54.241,0:54:57.490 and that means restoring [br]that submissive spirit 0:54:57.490,0:55:00.132 that wants to affirm not [br]all male leadership, 0:55:00.132,0:55:02.161 but godly male leadership 0:55:02.161,0:55:04.814 and sometimes in a [br]suffering context (1 Peter 3) 0:55:04.814,0:55:11.752 ungodly male leadership. 0:55:11.752,0:55:13.301 But men, have you noticed? 0:55:13.301,0:55:15.429 He does the same thing with us. 0:55:15.429,0:55:18.190 It's always the same thing. 0:55:18.190,0:55:22.893 Husbands, love your wives. 0:55:22.893,0:55:24.605 I mean if only he had just said, 0:55:24.605,0:55:27.547 do your duty for your wives. 0:55:27.547,0:55:32.177 We'd all be fine, right? 0:55:32.177,0:55:35.580 But wives have got this sixth sense 0:55:35.580,0:55:38.541 that knows the difference [br]between duty and love 0:55:38.541,0:55:45.838 like nobody else, right? 0:55:45.838,0:55:49.064 Husbands, love your wives. 0:55:49.064,0:55:51.308 Colossians: Husbands love your wives 0:55:51.308,0:55:54.989 and do not be harsh with them. 0:55:54.989,0:55:58.019 1 Peter 3: Dwell with your wives 0:55:58.019,0:56:00.329 in an understanding way, 0:56:00.329,0:56:04.958 showing honor to the weaker vessel. 0:56:04.958,0:56:05.890 Why the same thing? 0:56:05.890,0:56:07.676 Because this is where men struggle. 0:56:07.676,0:56:11.162 Men are not naturally nice to their wives. 0:56:11.162,0:56:17.356 They're naturally nice to [br]the girls they're courting. 0:56:17.356,0:56:19.936 But then they get married to them, 0:56:19.936,0:56:26.443 and the battle with the [br]flesh begins in earnest. 0:56:26.443,0:56:30.469 And the Spirit of God is not interested 0:56:30.469,0:56:34.476 in sanctifying a people in general. 0:56:34.476,0:56:40.105 He does not sanctify a [br]people in the abstract. 0:56:40.105,0:56:42.357 He sanctifies a people in the particulars 0:56:42.357,0:56:44.102 of who they are; 0:56:44.102,0:56:45.849 in the particulars of their gender, 0:56:45.849,0:56:47.982 in the particulars of their sexuality, 0:56:47.982,0:56:51.687 and he says: "Let the Word of Christ 0:56:51.687,0:56:53.111 dwell in you richly." 0:56:53.111,0:56:55.907 Get the Gospel in you richly. 0:56:55.907,0:56:58.528 Let the Word of Christ [br]that says you're forgiven, 0:56:58.528,0:57:00.567 you are atoned for, 0:57:00.567,0:57:03.283 you are redeemed, you are loved, 0:57:03.283,0:57:05.011 you are a child of God, 0:57:05.011,0:57:06.677 you have His Holy Spirit - 0:57:06.677,0:57:08.827 let that dwell in you richly, 0:57:08.827,0:57:10.914 singing to one another in psalms 0:57:10.914,0:57:12.708 and hymns and spiritual songs. 0:57:12.708,0:57:15.101 Get that in you and then what? 0:57:15.101,0:57:17.305 Wives, submit to your husbands 0:57:17.305,0:57:20.302 as is fitting in the Lord. 0:57:20.302,0:57:22.939 And husbands, love your wives, 0:57:22.939,0:57:26.831 and do not be harsh with them. 0:57:26.831,0:57:29.399 The Spirit of God is redeeming us 0:57:29.399,0:57:31.665 through the blood of Jesus 0:57:31.665,0:57:34.236 in our genders 0:57:34.236,0:57:39.424 and in the relationships that [br]those genders bring us into. 0:57:39.424,0:57:44.466 Which means the church [br]is not for Sundays, is it? 0:57:44.466,0:57:47.623 It means that the Gospel [br]is for Monday and Tuesday 0:57:47.623,0:57:50.590 and when the baby's crying [br]at 4 in the morning 0:57:50.590,0:57:52.344 and you know you should get up, man, 0:57:52.344,0:57:53.745 to go take care of the baby, 0:57:53.745,0:57:55.313 but you just want to lay there 0:57:55.313,0:57:58.211 and let her do it again. 0:57:58.211,0:58:00.211 But the Spirit of God's touching there. 0:58:00.211,0:58:06.109 Do not be harsh. Go help out. 0:58:06.109,0:58:07.406 And it means that wives, 0:58:07.406,0:58:11.378 it's not just that you're to [br]submit to Jesus in general, 0:58:11.378,0:58:15.973 but there's also this guy. 0:58:15.973,0:58:24.817 And his ideas are never [br]quite as wise as Jesus'. 0:58:24.817,0:58:28.770 But Jesus doesn't want your submission 0:58:28.770,0:58:31.959 if it ignores him. 0:58:31.959,0:58:34.453 That's a false submission. 0:58:34.453,0:58:37.368 To think you're submitting to Jesus 0:58:37.368,0:58:45.946 while ignoring the one Jesus put over you. 0:58:45.946,0:58:48.928 May God help us all. 0:58:48.928,0:58:55.952 Let's pray. 0:58:55.952,0:58:58.922 Father, we praise You for Your tremendous 0:58:58.922,0:59:02.520 and mighty and glorious [br]work of redemption. 0:59:02.520,0:59:04.678 Lord, that though we were yet sinners - 0:59:04.678,0:59:06.310 first, made in the image of God; 0:59:06.310,0:59:09.439 first, made glorious, made to display You, 0:59:09.439,0:59:10.811 and then to sin in that, 0:59:10.811,0:59:13.868 to glorify lust and immorality 0:59:13.868,0:59:18.004 and all kinds of fantasy instead of You. 0:59:18.004,0:59:19.967 And then, Lord, to have You redeem us 0:59:19.967,0:59:21.342 and shed Your blood for us 0:59:21.342,0:59:22.441 and forgive us. 0:59:22.441,0:59:23.936 And then to call us back 0:59:23.936,0:59:27.489 to what Adam and Eve fell from. 0:59:27.489,0:59:30.515 And to give us Your Holy Spirit to do it. 0:59:30.515,0:59:34.174 Lord, I pray You'd do these [br]things in Jesus' name, 0:59:34.174,0:59:35.938 Amen.