God Created Us Male and Female for Dominion
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· 294 viewsPastor James takes us through Gensis 1-3.
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(Someone read Gen 1:1-25)
Throughout all of history…from the beginning...
The Word of God has continually been challenged and by atheists and demons...
The Word of God has been mishandled and twisted by false teachers and false believers...
The Word of God has been misused and abused by Pharisees and Priests...
The Word of God has been watered down and left unread by the lukewarm and the nominal...
In our day it seems these are happening at warp speed...but we also know this is nothing new...
This has been happening from the beginning…so we should ask…why…and what are we to to as God’s people…about it?
Here at revival church…one of our distinctives has been and will continue to be…an emphasis upon the Word of God...
Statement #1 in our Statement of Fatih...
1. THE WORD OF GOD
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
The simple question before us as a church…in our day...is this...
Do we trust and believe God’s Word…the whole Bible…with childlike faith…wanting to please and obey our Heavenly Fathr!
Do we believe the Bible to be true and inspired…the VERY Words of God to be trusted and obeyed…and now, especially crucial…do we believe what God says when it comes to manhood and womanhood?
Will we boldly stand against the tidal wave of deception and give the Bible authority in our lives and in our church when it comes to the creation order set by God…in regards to the roles of men and women…as God has intended…in our own life…in our families…in our church…and in the very world God has created for us to rule as His church?
We live in a world where we are told…humans exist because of some random unintended evolutionary process…
We are told that humans start as simply a clump of cells…
We are told that we are nothing more that intelligent evolved chimpanzees…
And now we are told that we get to define our own truth…and even choose which sex we are…who we can have sex with…
And then that all these things can change…for us…based on what we think is good and desire with our eyes...
And yet…as we have just heard read and as we will see today...
When we read Genesis 1 and 2…we quickly and obviously and powerfully and beautifully see that in fact…none of those are even remotely true...
What do we see...
In His power and beauty and wisdom our blessed God has created all things…and has created all things with order…God ordained and God defined order...
We see that life is given by God and therefore life is defined by God…therefore we are not and never were simply a clump of cells…but were created by the creator God in our mothers wombs…
We see that God not only is the maker of all things…but in being the maker of all things…He is the definer of all things…He is not only the definer of all things but without Him there are not things to be defined…so He not only defines truth…He is truth!
And today we will also see…that He created people…as male and female…not randomly or as an afterthought…but humans are the very pinnacle of God’s creation…and I hope to show you that the way God created Humans…is further proof that God creates everything beautifully and with order…and we should therefore love His creation and His order…because it is a central part to our identity as God’s people…
So when we are not obeying God and His order for us…we are out of the very will of God for us as people…and as the Church…
We wonder why everyone is searching for their identity…in a you be you…no matter what you desire to be…kind of world...
But we will see...in the very creation of us as people…His people…it is made clear that He created us as male and female...
We see that when God creates Man from the dust…and breathes into him…
And then creates woman from the Man…
God is doing something different…different from the rest of creation...beautifully purposeful...
In creating us male and female...
Manhood and Womanhood…which are…as I hope to show you…extremely important to God even when properly understood and ordered…part of our ability to show this world who God is…how He saves…how much He loves His church…and how creative and wise He is....
Manhood and womanhood are no secondary issues to the church of God because they are not secondary issues to God…
Therefore what we believe about manhood and womanhood and our roles and responsibilities and duties and callings…in the home…in the church…and in the world…
Is very important…and all you have to do is look at the world…and much of the church…to see that the devil obviously knows how important this truth is...
Church…this is not something we can decide if we want to emphasize or not…
As I hope you will clearly see and be passionate about…as God would desire for us to be…I hope to show you once and for all...
The Bible is clear on manhood and womanhood…
There are not 2 good options and we just pick the one we prefer…that lie that the devil has been using to his advantage since the fall of man in the garden...
Manhood and Womanhood is central to creation…
And As we will soon see…getting this right in the eyes of God...tells much about whether or not we truly trust God…
So here we are in 2021…this very topic…the creation of humans as male and female…with distinct roles and purposes…with one mission but different (extremely important…even necessary roles...distinct purposes in that mission)…
We men and women were created by God as men and women with roles in His will and plan…and those roles are distinct but complimentary…
And when truly experienced…when we rest in our roles...they are freeing…identifying…and beautiful!
The devil has exploited our weakness as families and the church at large...in teaching and emphasizing this issue…
So now this very truth is at the center of the battleground happening before our eyes and in the Spiritual World right now…
As we will soon see…this is not new…but in truth…this is where the battle for human souls and the battle of the enemy against the glory of God began...
An attack on manhood and womanhood…and order in God’s creation...
This is a fight for dominion…the devil and his very determined attack on manhood and womanhood began not in our culture…but in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3...
So then as we begin this 7 week series...
The question before each of us …our families…our marriages…and our church...is the same as the question that was before Adam and Eve...
Will we will we follow the ways of the serpent…the great deceiver…and His lies about manhood and womanhood…or will we trust God…who created us male and female…the God who created manhood and womanhood with a very distinct reason and order and purpose…to show His glory through us…as male and female for us to take dominion under His sovereign rule over His creation...
Will we put our identity as image bearers of God…in the way He has created us and the roles He has given us...will we find our worth in the way God has created us and humble ourselves to live joyfully in the way God intends for us to live as male and female in this world…the church…and our families....
Will we...
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Church…we were not made to earn our own worth…or to create our own identity…or to define the order of things...
We were made to trust in and rest in God…and allow Him to define our worth…for Him to define our identity…and for Him to define how everything in creation is ordered...
Church...I believe what is happening in this world is a call for us the church to fully and beautifully recover what God intended for us in creating us…and saving us…and redeeming us...
Both male and female…as male and female...
But in order for us to recover it…or love it…or obey it and live it…we first must know what it is God has intended…
Through the teaching and preaching of God’s very Word to us on this subject...
So let us do that…by truly asking...what does God say…and how should we then live?
And then the only question that will remain…is will we trust and obey our creator...God…will we be doers of the Word or hearers only...
Will we be those whom have built our houses…our church…on the foundation of God’s Word…so no rain or storm or wind or waves of false doctrine…can harm us...
I believe if we simply do that…we will se great victory…revival…salvation…unity…and glory…
In Genesis 1 right after saying male and female He created them…look what it says next...
And God blessed them!
SLIDE
Genesis 1:27a–28b (ESV) male and female he created them. And God blessed them.
May God’s blessing be upon us...as we His church allow Him to teach us what it means to be created male and female!
Thanks be to God for His Word!
With that here we go...
Let us go to Genesis 1-3…starting at 1:26…we have heard the creation account up to this point…everything has been created but people...
Let’s walk through the creation of the first man and woman together...
SLIDE
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
There is a lot here but for today...what we need to see when it comes to manhood and womanhood is this...
Creation order is crucial…God created all things but humans…over the first days of creation…then day 6...God creates people...
We see first…he created us in His Image…Imago dei...
Then we see He created us...with a purpose…that we would have dominion (rule) over His creation…the Sovereign King created image bearers…living statues...to have dominion…rule…over what He had created…and He gives an order for that rule...
And then we see this word…
SO…a conjunction tying what is about to be said…with what was just said...
SO…for purpose...
Humans created in God’s image…to have dominion over God’s creation…and in order for that to happen…SO that could happen...
God not only created man…but for us to properly live out the dominion commission…God created us male…and female...
We will see…He did this with order…for us to complement one another…to show off God’s image…AND to have dominion...
For dominion to happen…God created us male and female!
As we know…and will soon see...the devil…what does the devil want?
He want’s what God has just given to man...dominion…over God and God’s creation...he wants to rule…but now God has made man to rule...
So not only does the devil hate God…but since he wants to rule over God’s creation…we are now his competition…for dominion…so now the devil hates us…and since God created us male and female for dominion…the devil hates that God created us male and female…so he will do anything to blur the lines…to make us not like it…to soften it or make the church change it or ignore it...
A battle that has raged on for thousands of years…started right here...
And as we clearly see the Lord has created all things with creation order....and created male and female as male and female...so that we humans would have dominion over His creation…
Do you see it?
I hope that much is clear...
In order to do what God has created us to do…
He created us not as all one sex…not as genderless amorphous beings…not as beings who would one day later choose which sex we would be...
In order for us to live out this calling to have dominion…God created us male and female…distinct and different…but both as image bearers in distinct ways...
And so…what is it that the devil is ultimately after…dominion…and so he shows up...on the attack...
And what is it that is the ultimate point of attack upon us humans…if the enemy is to have dominion instead os us...
He must break down the truth that God created us male and female...
That God created us in His image and created us male and female...
This is why as we will see…that is where the initial attack happened…
And the fall...original sin…
That is also drawn out in the curses on man…woman…and the devil...
Manhood and womanhood…central to creation order...
And Church…here we are in 2021…and I believe the question before us…Revival Church and the church at large is this...
Will we stand firm…even repent and return…or do whatever it takes to obey God…trust in His wise creation order…and take dominion...
Or will we fall for it again…will we follow the secular ways of this world…let the lies of the devil enter our minds…even as they have entered…and in many ways…transgenderized much of the church...
Will we live as God redeemed…and remember…that...
We were created as image bearers of the most Holy God…meaning…in its simplest form…we are to be...
Man was created in a way that reflects truths about God…a picture for the world of who God is...
Paul will later explode this truth when He shows us this in marriage (Brian in a few weeks)...
We need to see that He created us male and female in order for us to accomplish this life giving....God glorifying calling upon us as humans...
Genesis 1:27–28 (ESV)
male and female he created them (us) then...
And God blessed them (us).
To bless is to give gift and function...
SLIDE
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
So He has blessed them with everything they need to do what He has called them to do…created as male and female in distinct ways they are created in God’s likeness…
God gives 5 commands or functions to them here...
First the commands...
1. Be fruitful
2. Multiply
3. Fill the earth
4. Subdue it
5. Have dominion
And at this point God says…this is very good...
God gives them both these reasons for being created…these commands to be followed…by both....
Will see the God given delineation between male and female in the next chapter but first we see we are to…be fruitful and multiply…and fill the earth…which have great implications for us as male and female…husband and wife…for our families...
But also for us the church…to fulfill the great commission...we are to but subdue…tame…control…and use for provision...
And to have dominion…to rule...
Then when we get to Gen 2…we see how important God creating us male and female is…so important that the Word goes back to give us much more detail about God creating us male and female! Even the reason behind it…and how we are to accomplish it...
SLIDE
When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
So first God carefully prepared the land for man to live in…
God created the male first…the first man was created rom the dust of the ground…man is created…not from nothing…but from the land…and then God breathed life into His lungs...
So now we have man…we remember the command from God in Genesis one…
Genesis 1:28 (ESV)
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion
But now we get a better look at the roles we are to take in our being male and female...
We see man is to…have dominion…to lead...
And...
SLIDE
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
So…and this plays out in the NT as well...
SLIDE
Man is called to authority in his role to:
Lead - when it comes to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue and have dominion
Provide - work the land. To labor…to do…to till or take provision from...
Protect - keep it. Keep watch…to guard…to carefully preserve...
The bottom 2 are pretty obvious…where do we see that the man is to lead…in the taking dominion…be the leader…teacher...
God gives man a very specific command…before woman is created…
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
So before woman is formed…Adam gets this rule…which proves to be a sort of a test…will He trust God?
After this rule is given…woman…is created from man...
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
So…as Jesus will later reference…we have the first marriage…but what must we see about manhood and womanhood in their purest form in what God has done here?
First…
The Mans is to be the authority in taking dominion…he is to lead…provide…protect...
To take dominion…to work…to keep...
And He is given primary responsibility for this…which we will see play out...
We should be wondering…will he?
Will He lead…(teach her the Word of God)…will he provide for her food to eat…or will someone else do that…will he protect her…guard her…or leave her uncovered…exposed...
Then se see…to do these things...
Man can not do it alone…so God creates woman…but why?
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
Man needs a helper…a very specific helper…one fit for him…one not the same as him…but complementary to him...
Like two pieces of a puzzle that fit together perfectly…but are not the same...
Woman therefore is not primarily called to do what man is called and equipped to do by God…but to help with what man cannot do alone…without…woman…to help...
For the first time in the Bible we see that something is not good…man without a fitting helper.
Not simply a helper…a helper fit for him.
We will later get a statement on this from Paul who tells us...
SLIDE
For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.
Adam was brought all the animals in creation…in his dominion…his rule…he is given from God the ruling right to name them…including woman...
But none but the woman were made by God to specifically be the helper fit for him.
So…from the body of man…God makes woman...
And upon awakening and seeing woman…Adam knows…this is what he needed! Not like him in every way...
But fit for Him…complementary to him…so he proclaims!
SLIDE
And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”
This is so important to who we are…our identity…and for us to live in the will of God and do what he has called us to do…we must not only see this…but trust God in it…hear it and do it…obey God …because when we do we will be greatly blessed...
Before we look at the roles of women seen here…we should ask...
Why did God create man and woman in this way? Why did he not create them both at the same time from the dirt? That would have made it clear that men and women are both equal in worth…but in creation order…but no...
Since God had already established the worthy and dignity of both man and woman…created in His image...
Now God is showing us the proper order and roles…of man to be beautifully and wonderfully made as man…and woman to be beautifully and wonderfully made as woman...
God shows us that man is to initiate…lead…take responsibility and authority in protecting and providing...
And Woman in her glorious value and worth…created ti help…man....
God makes man first…to show man’s firstness in authority and leadership…and also woman’s worth as the needed helper fit for man...
Woman is Man’s helper so she:
Submits - Follows man’s leading as they subdue and have dominion.
Nurtures - and in doing this she is a co-labor…helping the man in his call to provide and in the caring of children and the home as they multiply…to fill the earth...
Reveres - She is worshipful towards the Lord and respectful to man…created by God’s sovereign hand and covered the protection of man.
We are told when it comes to biblical manhood and womanhood there are basically 2 theological options...
Egalitarianism is “the theological view that not only are all people equal before God in their personhood, but there are no sex-based limitations of what functions or roles each can fulfill in the home, the church, and the society.”
That position is contrasted by complementarianism “which holds the theological view that although men and women are created equal in their being and personhood, they are created to complement each other via different roles and authority in life and in the church and in society.”
And what the devil is attacking right now in the world…is any hint of complementarianism…in any sphere of life…
Which is exactly what happens next in the Genesis account...
And why would the devil continually attack manhood and womanhood…because he wants dominion…and knows biblical manhood and womanhood is designed by God to allow us to fulfill the dominion God calls us to…in this world he has created...
What we have seen to this point is pre-sin…pre-fall…God’s intended creation order is perfection…
God created us male and female with different roles and authority and responsibility for a reason…with perfect order…to be lived and celebrated by us God’s people..
Creation order…us as male and female…is beautiful and intentional…powerful...
So what we see in the world…CRT…intersectionality…homosexuality and transgenderism...
This is not just random…it is the battle lead by the devil…in his prideful desire to once and for all…take dominion…to strip =God of His glory in His creation...
To erase the idea from the mind of the church that it is beautiful and right and wise that God…made man to lead provide and protect as the initiator…and made woman…from man for man…to be his helper....in the will of God…for us together…in our God given roles…so we could take dominion...
And now the attack…and the fall...
What does the serpent attack?
How does He do it?
Who commits the original sin? What is the original sin?
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
The serpent does not ask his question of the one who is to lead...
The serpent is crafty…so he ignores…bypasses…the one who is to protect the woman and the garden...
The serpent asks the question of the one who did not get the original command…testing the man’s teaching the Word to his woman...
So to the woman…the helper…the serpent asks a trick question…trying to make God look…to the woman…like a limiting God…like a God who is holding something back from her...
Did God say you can’t eat of any tree? God had given man and woman every tree in the garden except 1? And the serpent makes it look to the woman like that limitation from an all wise God is like God not wanting her to eat...
So like all false teachers the serpent misquotes God…and like the false narrative of the day…he makes it look to the woman like God wants to limit something good from her…
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
She adds you can not touch it…or you will die…so now we have adding to God’s Word…and the devil...
God is limiting you…God by saying there is this one thing you cannot do…that is God holding back from you…you should just go ahead and disobey God…then you will see that you know better…your eyes will be opened then...
And where is the man...
The one who is to be the initiator it seems is passively standing by...
The one who is to lead…protect…provide...
Is watching the enemy lead the woman to sin…with no covering or protection from the man…as the devil provides a false version of the truth to the woman…she eats the fruit…and leads her husband to do the same...
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
She is deceived into thinking that the way she sees things…her desires…what she the thinks she can do…determines what is good...
And then the man follows her...
The breakdown of this male-female...dominion-securing...relationship begins...
They hide from God…blame…shame…guilt ...
The woman blames the devil…the man blames God and the Woman...
And the battle for dominion is on...
God created us male and female so that we would have dominion over creation...
And sin enters the world…separation from God…
And we know God has sent His son to crush sin…to wound the enemy with a fatal wound that will end in his death…when Jesus returns...
We know that through one man victory has been won…and through faith in Christ...
Andhat because of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus…one day...
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
But what about between the cross and the return of Jesus...
This battle rages on...
The enemy is the God of this world…battling for dominion as the prince of the power of the air...
And that is the battle we are in church…this is why we see this chaos in the world…and the so called gay and transgender agenda in every corner...
We are back to the beginning…the enemy must know his time is short…but he always goes down swinging…and he is finally back to this point…dominion is at stake…Christ is the victor…but we are in the battle…will we (the church) trust the God who made us male and female so that we would have dominion?
One last truth we must see in order for us to fully grasp the weight of the battle...
Let me ask you what was the original sin?
How many of you have eaten fruit in the last day or 2?
Is the eating of fruit sin?
NO…
Ok…so we know it was not simply the eating of the fruit that was the sin…but the eating the fruit from a tree that God said they were not to eat from...
So then the heart of the first sin is prideful (yet seemingly simple) disobedience…to what seems like a fairly small thing…eating fruit...
But disobedience by whom? What kind of disobedience?
Do we say the original sin is the sin of Adam or the Sin of Eve?
Through whom did sin enter the world?
Adam...
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
Sin entered the world through Adam...in this event we have just seen…in Genesis 3…have you ever thought about why it was Adam’s sin…or what exactly was Adam’s sin?
Well we see that Eve…is deceived…by the devil…to not trust God’s Word…to doubt that God’s riles for her are not evil limitations…but good!
She is lead by the Devil to believe a twisted version of God’s Word...
She is deceived by the devil that if she takes her own dominion…if she leads instead of helping…if she eats of this fruit God had told them not to eat…then she will have knowledge God does not want her to have…she will be able to know and do things God does not want them to do…and why does she eat of it?
She was deceived into thinking…that to do what God has said she could not do…was better than to trust God’s design and that His rules are for her good...
She wanted wisdom God had seemingly limited from her…so she did what she though was good...
So then why is it not called the sin of Eve?
Because Adam was formed first…Adam was given authority to be the one to initiate....He was given God’s Word of instruction to teach to her
And with that authority…the responsibility…the role…the identifying calling to...
Lead…protect…and provide...
And when eve is deceived and leads him to eat the fruit...
SLIDE
and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
So if Adam was not deceived…then he knew what was happening…passively let her lead…he did not protect her…as the provider he did not rely on the bread of life…the Word of God…but instead he took and ate...
God finds them hiding…in guilt and shame…and Even though Eve was deceived…and Eve ate first...
SLIDE
But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
Adam…man…where are you?
Let me stop there...
This sermon and the next 2 weeks will be a call on us the church to trust God…to love the way God created us male and female…and to live it out in out lives....our families and marriages…and as the church…as a way to boldly show the devil he will not win…he has no dominion here…
We will not be deceived…and follow the rest of the world...
And what if we fail…what if we are deceived…
Or worse…what if we know what is happening…know what God called us to do and yet still go along with it...
Who will God come to and say where are you? What are you doing?
Us men!
So after this…God curses all 3...
First the devil...
The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
Amen…our Lord Jesus wins...
But not yet…so the battle rages on...
To the woman he said,
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be contrary to your husband,
but he shall rule over you.”
In her roles to
And then the man...
Adam must be watching this happen and wonder…oh oh…what about me? God asked me first where I was…and then we see God tell adam…who was not decieved…what He had done to allow sin to enter the world...
And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
Adam..was not deceived…but he did not lead…he had not properly taught His wife the command God had given him…before she was created for Him and from him...
Adam was passive…he did not say…I got this…he stood by…passively...
As his wife was deceived…as his helper told him what they should do…eat the fruit...
He did not protect her with the true Word of God....
He did not provide for her another fruit to eat instead…
Adam did not take dominion over the serpent…the devil...
He surrendered his god given authority to subdue the serpent...
He surrendered his god given authority to lead his wife...
And what was the sin of Adam?
Why was the curse applied to man?
And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
He knew…but followed instead of leading…and in doing so…fell into sin...
Jesus -And yes this fell at the fall due to sin…be we are the redeemed...
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
So...
and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
...
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
In that same chapter Paul goes on to tell us how to do that as male and female in marriage...
But for now…see this…
Jesus died on the cross and rose again for the forgiveness of sin and for the redemption in Him…if that is you this morning...
Put on your new self....as an image bearer of God…imitate God...
And since we are not God…when we do that…we live by trusting and obeying God for the glory of God!
And see this…by making people in His image, God grants us authority to rule over His creation…by His power…obeying His rules…in the order of His creation...
And part of us doing that is to live our His will for us not just as people…but as male and female...
So…what does it mean for us to be image bearers…it means something Spiritually and Physically...
Spiritually it means that we would trust God and live in a way that shows how much God is Worth to us...
And since he created us in His image male and female…that means to live in that way...
Physically it means to have dominion…as God is King over all…He calls us to have dominion…and in order for us to do that…we must see...
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
So in order to truly show the world as God’s image bearers how great God is…and in order to truly have dominion over His creation...
So what we have seen here in Genesis is in its purest form, is not only that God created us as humans in his image.
But God created us as humans. With this calling upon us to have dominion over the creation, he made and then carefully put us in.
And that very specifically, in order for us have dominion, live in His will for our lives...
He created us, male and female.
And that, in his, creating us, male and female. He gave us these commands.
To be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth we are able to subdue it and have dominion over it.
We saw that God further defined how that is to work…by creating man first from the dust, then giving man, the first command and a calling to rule....to work…and to keep...
Then God tells us it is not good that man be alone so He creates woman, not from the dust but from man for man...
Adam therefore is to initiate…have authority...
To lead, protect, provide...
Woman is to be his helper...
To submit, nature, and revere…
And the devil…who wants the dominion God has given to man…the devil in the form of a serpent...
Attacks God’s created order...by deceiving woman...
She falls for it…wanting what she is now convince God is keeping from her...
Adam does not initiate…he lets the devil attack his wife...
Even worse…he is lead by her into sin...
Manhood and womanhood broken down…by the devil...
In the curses we get the promise of a savior…Jesus will crush the devil...
And now…we as those who believe in Jesus…the church...
We must see the battle for dominion rages on…see it in the news…the schools…social media…and even in our homes and mostly…strategically…this is a battle for the church…God’s people to repeat the sin of the garden...
Church...we who are made new in Christ, to be images of the God man Jesus Christ are to do so by the Spirit…and the power of the Word of God...
See the spiritual warfare happening…se the enemy on the horizon...
And put on the armor of God…by…trusting him in faith…using his Word as our offence...
And do not allow the enemy to transgenderize the church…reverse the curse where he has...
Lve free…and in our freedom be free to live as redeemed men and women of God…trusting God…loving our roles…fear nothing that is frightening...
The angels are watching...
Let us live this out individually, in our families…in all our relationships…in our church…and as we live as God’s redeemed in this fallen so called gender confused land...
May God give us the strength and power to overcome any schemes of the devil and live as His people in the way He created us...
Male and female He created us…we have heard the word…will will hear more on this over the next 6 weeks...
May we be doers of the Word...by His power, trusting in His Word, knowing and believing and loving His rules His ways.
And without shame or abandon…live and redeemed men and women of God…for His Glory
Amen!