Genesis 2:15-25
“From Ribs to WOW”
“A righteous relationship is based on what God has given us.”
Sunday Morning Sermon
08.10.08
Intro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGVMG0EBDus
(Start with Title and Text)
A righteous relationship is based on what God has given us. You and I must honor what God has given to us – so that our relationships honor him. Listen, Our “God Bless America” country (I did say that right, just in case you ever run for President) – Our country has taken what God has given us – and instead of the honor pointing back to God – Our society has given us the mirror – and said – “You do what honors you.” “You do what feels right.” -- “You do whatever is the most expedient.” Listen, we have taken those ideas – and have tried to baptize them. We have taken what God has given us, adapted to society, and have tried to force God to come along – gain his approval, we even claim his approval. God wants us to honor him in our relationships by honoring what he has given us.
Listen, if you simply honor his desire for your relationships – married, unmarried, want to be married, have been married, never want to get married – whatever group you fit in, you will honor God, by honoring what he has given you.
We’ve convinced Hailey that boys are yucky – She came up to me one time and said boys are yucky – I said – “Oh Yeah, Girls smell funny.” She told me a few weeks ago – “Daddy, Boys are not yucky.” – I told her – “Girls still smell funny.”
Men and women are different. One time a man was thinking about his girlfriend – and he was a religious man so he got into this dialogue with God – He asked God – Why did you make her so kind hearted? God responded – so you could love her. Why did you make her so good looking? God responded – so you could love her. Why did you make her such a good cook? God responded – so you could love her.
The man thought about it for a second – then he said, God…I don’t mean to seem ungrateful, but why did you make her so Stupid? God said – “So she could love you.”
Discussion:
Why is it – that we are so different? Why is it – that girls grow up playing princess taking friends to the bathroom, and dream about their wedding day, hoping to be a mother. Boys grow up, playing cops and robbers, going to the bathroom alone – AMEN! And dreaming about the wedding night. Did I just say that? Listen, God made us different, so we could complement each other – and honor him. Even from the beginning – God had a purpose for both the man and the woman – If you have your Bibles turn with me to Genesis 2:15-25 (read) (Advance)
If a righteous relationship is based on what God has given – what has God given us? I see two things – speaking to both men and women – married and unmarried. He has given us: (Advance)
I. Work
Adam was a gardener. We like to think of the Garden of Eden as this place sustained by God – Biblically it was started by God and entrusted to man. (Advance)
Genesis 2:15 (NIV) – The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
God created the garden with age – so that it could feed the adult that he placed there. This is not easy work – but it’s fulfilling work. Someone who can take a seed and plants it in the ground, waters it and gives it nutrition, and watches it grow – is more like God, than they might know. This speaks of patience, and care and hope and timing. Planting tulips in the middle of the summer won’t get you very many plants – you have to plant them right before the first freeze. God has a purpose for the work he gives us.
a. Adam’s work –
i. To take care of and work the garden
Literally means “To till it and guard it” – The words are common in a religious sense of serving God – instead of the creation he has made: (Advance)
Deuteronomy 4:19 (NIV) – And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.
Application:
b. Our work – is the same but different
i. We have been entrusted by God
ii. We have been given abilities by God
Listen, church – we are expected to use those gifts to honor God. You’re sitting there thinking – “I HATE MY JOB” – how well would you do your job – if you loved it? Maybe you’re sitting there thinking – “I HATE MY BOSS” – how well would you do your work, and get along better if you tried to love your boss? Regardless – you are expected to work. (Advance) Ecclesiastes 2:24 (NIV) – A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, The government is not responsible for your hope. The government is not responsible for the food on the table or the gas in your mini-van. You have hope in Christ alone. Your efforts, your job, your work – will bring you satisfaction…because as Solomon said – it is from the hand of God.
My dad owned a stone quarry – so all through-out school we were expected to help him. After my sister moved off to college – my brother was busy (I think he was in the army), dad gets this bright idea that we need to build a stone patio. My dad’s background was in Artchture – so he designed and built this patio. It started off small – wouldn’t take long – it took the WHOLE SUMMER! We worked on that patio, and worked – mixed concrete, laid stone – making sure everything was level. That was OVER 15 years ago – when we get the chance to go back home – Dad and I will sit on the patio and remember how hard the labor was. One of the stones weighted over 200 pounds. Solomon said it’s from the hand of God – I agree – it’s neat to sit on that porch, and enjoy it. But we can do that over and over in our lives – if we earn what we have.
c. Your work – like I said last week does not define who you are
It should not be everything you are – but it’s a big part. If you use it to glorify God it can be a huge blessing in your life and in the life of your family. If you choose to sit on your hands and do nothing – expecting someone else to do the work for you, expecting someone else to feed you, motivate you, and take care of you – that will NEVER be a blessing. Church – God will not do for you what he can do through you.
So God did not just give the garden without expectation – He does not give you abilities and opportunities without expectations, either. What does that have to do with Marriage – and relationships? It’s more connected than you might think. He gave Adam work – he gave him limitations don’t eat from this tree – He told the man to name all the animals.
This is the second thing God has done for us – this speaks clearly to the relationships we have a(Advance)
II. Partner/Helper
God said something – Amazing –(Advance)
Genesis 2:18 (NIV) – The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
a. What does God do?
i. He Performs surgery –
1. The man goes into a deep sleep
2. He takes a rib
3. He closes up the place with flesh
4. Then he made a woman from the rib(Advance)
Matthew Henry – “Not made out of his head to top him, not out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.”
In our relationships:
b. We have different Roles
Our world tells us that these roles can be blended, can be merged or even lost. The different roles we have at home and in the church – are for the blessing of God – and the honoring of God.
i. Men should be men – we should act like men –
Make it real clear – You will have temptations – you will have times when you are offered opportunities to trade your family, your home, your children, your faith, and self-worth for something worth less than any of those things or people. It starts with the smallest of things – a shoulder rub at work – letting some steam off about the spouse – an internet site here, late night cable – It’s not something you sign up for maybe even on purpose, but the trade is there.
Coming home from work – yelling at the kids – drinking a beer and watching the football game while going to sleep doesn’t make you a man. Let me explain what that does mean –
c. If you are married: These are Biblical principals
i. Love your wife – Embrace your children
ii. Serve your God – Teach your children to do the same
iii. Be responsible – be respectable
iv. Know your boundaries –
Those are the things that make you the man of the house. Those are the characteristics that a woman of God can get excited about. We make jokes about who wears the jeans in the house – you do – does she – I’ve heard, “I do, but she picks them out.” --
d. Biblically
i. You are the leader of the home – Biblically
ii. You are the authority of the home – Biblically
iii. You are to be respected – Biblically
Listen, because this last one is very important
iv. You are who you are because you show love -- Biblically
Paul points to creation order as the reason men are the leaders. I believe men should act like men – and honor God – and that makes them the leader. God has ordained this role for a reason – it is the healthiest situation – and it honors God the most.
If creation order matters – The Bible clearly says it does – where does that put you?
e. Ladies –
On one extreme – you could say barefoot and in the kitchen and on the other extreme a bring home the bacon, CEO – career driven femi-nazi – I know we should hit somewhere in the middle.
i. Loving your husband – embracing your children
ii. Serving your God – teaching your children to do the same
iii. Be Responsible – be respectable
iv. Know your boundaries
Church, it’s the same list on purpose! – Regardless, man or woman – husband or wife – the principles are still the same – because you are still a child of God – and we have each other for a purpose.
f. We have different gifts
i. If you have a project to do
A man would do it differently than a woman. When we had the joint service with the church in Hernando – The desserts were here and they should have been there – the meat was in another location – several people came to me and said – “A woman never would have organized it like this.” People walk into our sanctuary – women love it. It’s not bad or good – it just is what it is. The way we spend money is different.
g. We will see things differently – but that’s OK
i. That’s the beauty of it.
Daniel and Mary renewed their vows – what they said to each other was great. Neither one of them said – thank you for always seeing things my way. Thank you for always agreeing with me about everything. Your marriage relationship, because it is what it is – you will see things differently. That’s the beauty of it.
h. Let’s go back to the garden --
i. Adam is asleep –
He wakes up – and God is bringing this woman to him – and I don’t know what the Hebrew word is – but it would translate something like WOW! He breaks out into poetry after seeing what God created as his partner.
Bone of my bones – flesh of my flesh she shall be called woman for she was taken out of man.
Listen, it’s because of this – we get married. It’s because of this the man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife – they will become one.
God has given us each other – so that we would not be lonely. Listen – we need each other. We have roles and responsibilities. We shouldn’t let the world define our relationships – or what we call marriage – God has already defined it.
Conclusion:
We can’t define marriage for other people – we can only hold to what God has given us. We can’t define roles or relationships for other people – we can only know that there is blessing when we honor what God has established. See – God wants us – male and female – husband and wife to work together to be together and to live together – more importantly than our earthly relationships – more importantly than those friendships we establish down here – is the one which will last for eternity. Listen – that is the one relationship that will last forever. Jesus died on the cross so that we could have a lasting relationship with him. As we build our relationship with him – our marriage/family and work relationships will get better. Let’s pray.
Do you need to work on your relationship with HIM?
