WEBVTT 00:00:01.260 --> 00:00:05.740 For some time I have desired to preach on the 00:00:05.740 --> 00:00:08.599 subject of marriage. I've been planning for it 00:00:08.599 --> 00:00:10.960 for several months and I would like to begin 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:13.980 this today. I probably will be giving two or 00:00:13.980 --> 00:00:17.100 three sermons on it. And today we're going to 00:00:17.100 --> 00:00:20.640 be looking at the institution of marriage from 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:23.460 the book of Genesis chapter one and also chapter 00:00:23.460 --> 00:00:28.160 two. The institution of marriage. We're going 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:32.439 to begin in Genesis chapter one. Looking at verse 00:00:32.439 --> 00:01:00.979 26 through 28. created man in his own image. 00:01:01.560 --> 00:01:06.319 In the image of God, he created him. Male and 00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:10.680 female, he created them. Then God blessed them, 00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:14.500 and God said to them, be fruitful and multiply, 00:01:14.980 --> 00:01:18.000 fill the earth and subdue it, have dominion over 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:20.980 the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, 00:01:21.260 --> 00:01:25.079 and over every living thing that moves on the 00:01:25.079 --> 00:01:28.959 earth. Verse 31, and God saw everything that 00:01:28.959 --> 00:01:34.060 he had made and indeed it was very good. So the 00:01:34.060 --> 00:01:37.980 evening and the morning were the sixth day. And 00:01:37.980 --> 00:01:41.540 now we're turned over to chapter two and beginning 00:01:41.540 --> 00:01:47.280 in verse 18. And the Lord God said, it is not 00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:51.379 good that man should be alone. I will make him 00:01:51.379 --> 00:01:54.939 a helper comparable to him. Out of the ground, 00:01:55.079 --> 00:01:58.620 the Lord God formed every beast of the field 00:01:58.620 --> 00:02:00.700 and every bird of the air and brought them to 00:02:00.700 --> 00:02:03.680 Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever 00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:06.400 Adam called each living creature, that was its 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:09.840 name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to all 00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:12.219 birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. 00:02:12.659 --> 00:02:16.439 But for Adam, there was not found a helper comparable 00:02:16.439 --> 00:02:20.280 to him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:23.319 to fall on Adam, and he slept. And he took one 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:26.080 of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place. 00:02:26.740 --> 00:02:29.000 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:32.020 man, he made into a woman, and he brought her 00:02:32.020 --> 00:02:36.379 to the man. And Adam said, this is now bone of 00:02:36.379 --> 00:02:41.180 my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be 00:02:41.180 --> 00:02:45.180 called woman because she was taken out of man. 00:02:46.219 --> 00:02:49.800 Therefore, A man shall leave his father and mother 00:02:49.800 --> 00:02:53.979 and be joined to his wife and they shall become 00:02:53.979 --> 00:02:57.919 one flesh. And they were both naked, the man 00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:03.180 and his wife, and were not ashamed. Let's pray. 00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:06.680 Father, as we look into your word today, we realize 00:03:06.680 --> 00:03:10.240 how much is here and of the blessing of reading 00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:13.900 it as we read at this time of creation. Father 00:03:13.900 --> 00:03:16.520 we confess that we come to you in weakness as 00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:19.280 we look in this subject for truly it is so great 00:03:19.280 --> 00:03:23.099 and so vast We pray father that we might be able 00:03:23.099 --> 00:03:25.400 to draw from it the lessons that you have for 00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:28.740 us today Please be with us and strengthen us 00:03:28.740 --> 00:03:31.360 Lord as we look into your word and we ask in 00:03:31.360 --> 00:03:37.860 Jesus name. Amen There are three great institutions 00:03:37.860 --> 00:03:42.300 ordained by Almighty God our Creator These are 00:03:42.300 --> 00:03:45.680 divinely ordained structures in order to maintain 00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:49.719 order, to build community, and to reflect God's 00:03:49.719 --> 00:03:53.219 design for human society and flourishing their 00:03:53.219 --> 00:03:58.240 prosperity. Each is its own type of government 00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:01.939 with the establishment of the sovereign, the 00:04:01.939 --> 00:04:05.960 order of authority, the ethics of what to do 00:04:05.960 --> 00:04:10.139 and what not to do, with commitments for blessing 00:04:10.139 --> 00:04:14.419 of obedience, and curses for disobedience, and 00:04:14.419 --> 00:04:17.519 they each contain succession plans how to pass 00:04:17.519 --> 00:04:20.959 it on to the next generation. Each one of these 00:04:20.959 --> 00:04:24.939 great institutions has its own purpose and it 00:04:24.939 --> 00:04:30.180 is ordained by God himself. The three great institutions 00:04:30.180 --> 00:04:34.519 of which I speak are the family, the church, 00:04:34.980 --> 00:04:38.519 and the state. The family, the church, and the 00:04:38.519 --> 00:04:42.750 state. The family's purpose is it is the foundational 00:04:42.750 --> 00:04:46.389 unit of society. It is established by God to 00:04:46.389 --> 00:04:49.470 provide love and support and moral guidance. 00:04:49.910 --> 00:04:53.370 It begins with a marriage in the creation account 00:04:53.370 --> 00:04:56.269 here of which we just read in Genesis 1 and 2 00:04:56.269 --> 00:04:59.790 and it includes the requirement to bear and to 00:04:59.790 --> 00:05:03.990 raise children in a nurturing environment. Its 00:05:03.990 --> 00:05:07.750 role, it serves as this primary setting for procreation, 00:05:08.050 --> 00:05:11.810 for education, and for passing down story and 00:05:11.810 --> 00:05:16.189 truth and values and history. The biblical basis 00:05:16.189 --> 00:05:20.449 for it we find in Genesis 1, Genesis 2, Ephesians 00:05:20.449 --> 00:05:24.069 5, Ephesians 6, as well as other passages of 00:05:24.069 --> 00:05:27.730 scripture. It gives instructions of being fruitful 00:05:27.730 --> 00:05:30.829 on instructions for marriage and for parents 00:05:30.829 --> 00:05:33.939 and for children. The second institution is the 00:05:33.939 --> 00:05:36.920 church. The church is the spiritual institution 00:05:36.920 --> 00:05:40.259 where believers gather together to worship God, 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:43.439 to grow in faith, and to spread the gospel. It 00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:47.379 is the body of Christ, and it is God's holy temple 00:05:47.379 --> 00:05:50.939 unifying people under God's authority. Provides 00:05:50.939 --> 00:05:54.879 instruction, spiritual guidance, community, and 00:05:54.879 --> 00:05:58.680 accountability, equipping each of us to live 00:05:58.680 --> 00:06:02.699 according to God's will. In it, we observe the 00:06:02.699 --> 00:06:05.160 sacraments of the Lord's Supper and Baptism. 00:06:05.459 --> 00:06:07.899 We have fellowship one with another. It is the 00:06:07.899 --> 00:06:10.720 household of God and is built on the foundation 00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:13.639 of the apostles and prophets, Jesus being the 00:06:13.639 --> 00:06:17.100 chief cornerstone. And in this, again, we see 00:06:17.100 --> 00:06:19.339 the biblical basis for it all throughout the 00:06:19.339 --> 00:06:21.639 New Testament, also seeing the people of God 00:06:21.639 --> 00:06:25.279 in the Old as well. We see it in Matthew chapter 00:06:25.279 --> 00:06:28.920 16 and verse 18, in Acts chapter two, in the 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:31.839 early church community, and in Ephesians chapter 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:35.620 two, in Paul giving instructions about the temple, 00:06:36.100 --> 00:06:39.259 a dwelling place of God in the spirit. And then 00:06:39.259 --> 00:06:41.519 lastly, in the great institutions, that of the 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:45.060 state or civil government. The purpose is that 00:06:45.060 --> 00:06:48.079 the state is instituted to maintain order and 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:52.540 justice and peace in society. It is a means to 00:06:52.540 --> 00:06:55.779 restrain evil and to promote the common good, 00:06:56.060 --> 00:06:59.660 even in a fallen world. The government enforces 00:06:59.660 --> 00:07:02.899 laws, it protects citizens, and it upholds justice. 00:07:03.420 --> 00:07:06.639 And Christians are to pray and respect the authority 00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:09.970 as they are under God's sovereignty. We see this 00:07:09.970 --> 00:07:13.529 institution in Genesis chapter 9 verse 5 and 00:07:13.529 --> 00:07:16.629 6 after the flood. We see instructions given 00:07:16.629 --> 00:07:20.850 in Romans chapter 13 verses 1 and through 7 as 00:07:20.850 --> 00:07:25.689 well as 1st Peter 2 13 through 17. But of these 00:07:25.689 --> 00:07:29.610 three, marriage and the family are the oldest. 00:07:29.790 --> 00:07:33.329 It is the oldest institution. It is started on 00:07:33.329 --> 00:07:38.259 the 6th. day of creation, when God created man 00:07:38.259 --> 00:07:45.319 in his own image, male and female. Marriage predates 00:07:45.319 --> 00:07:48.220 both the church and the state in its institution. 00:07:48.680 --> 00:07:51.779 And this shows us, this gives us an understanding 00:07:51.779 --> 00:07:56.620 of its great importance in God's economy. Without 00:07:56.620 --> 00:07:59.000 marriage and the family, there would be no church 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:01.120 and there would be no need for civil government. 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:05.240 The family and marriage is the building block 00:08:05.240 --> 00:08:08.699 of everything else of the great institutions. 00:08:09.300 --> 00:08:13.040 Now, as a result of the fall, each of these institutions 00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:17.040 is under attack by the evil one. He seeks to 00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:22.699 destroy and to devour, to upset God's order and 00:08:22.699 --> 00:08:25.560 to come and to stand against it, and he inspires 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:28.620 hatred and wickedness and all sorts of evil. 00:08:29.240 --> 00:08:31.860 While each one of these can be glorious and well 00:08:31.860 --> 00:08:36.639 done, each one can also be operated with tyranny, 00:08:36.919 --> 00:08:42.600 with authoritarianism, with abuse, or with neglect, 00:08:42.919 --> 00:08:47.000 dereliction of duty, and abandonment. We see 00:08:47.000 --> 00:08:52.820 examples of both categories all around us. We 00:08:52.820 --> 00:08:56.740 are called as God's people to work for renewal 00:08:56.740 --> 00:09:01.960 and for reformation as we live in the time and 00:09:01.960 --> 00:09:05.759 the place of God's choosing and his sovereignty. 00:09:06.379 --> 00:09:09.580 We need to accept and embrace God's sovereignty. 00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:13.740 He has made from one blood every nation of men 00:09:13.740 --> 00:09:17.240 to dwell on all the face of the earth and has 00:09:17.240 --> 00:09:21.480 determined our pre -appointed times and the boundaries 00:09:21.480 --> 00:09:25.399 of our dwellings. In other words, God has placed 00:09:25.399 --> 00:09:30.320 you in such a time as this, right here, right 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:34.679 now. Let us not complain about it. God chose 00:09:34.679 --> 00:09:37.500 to place you in this time because you are His 00:09:37.500 --> 00:09:42.960 offspring and in Him you and I live and we move 00:09:42.960 --> 00:09:47.820 and we have our being. Today we're going to the 00:09:47.820 --> 00:09:50.139 beginning, the foundation of marriage and the 00:09:50.139 --> 00:09:53.139 family. So from the Genesis account, I'd like 00:09:53.139 --> 00:09:56.980 to look at three main headings. First is the 00:09:56.980 --> 00:10:01.059 transcendent nature of marriage. Second, the 00:10:01.059 --> 00:10:05.600 otherness of marriage. And thirdly, God's purposes 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:08.720 for marriage. I want to look at these three headings 00:10:08.720 --> 00:10:11.779 and consider what God has to say. I will tell 00:10:11.779 --> 00:10:14.080 you right up front, there is no way in one sermon 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:17.059 that I can be exhaustive in this. This is a deep 00:10:17.059 --> 00:10:20.360 and a vast and wonderful. So I'm hoping today 00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:23.480 to give you some and hopefully it will whet your 00:10:23.480 --> 00:10:27.379 appetite for more in both your own studies and 00:10:27.379 --> 00:10:32.360 in the next few sermons. So in the beginning, 00:10:32.600 --> 00:10:36.360 on the sixth day, and before the fall, God created 00:10:36.360 --> 00:10:39.879 man, Adam, and then Eve, his wife. In Genesis 00:10:39.879 --> 00:10:42.940 one, we have the content in the created order 00:10:42.940 --> 00:10:47.139 as it was done on various days, day one, day 00:10:47.139 --> 00:10:50.539 two, and on through day six until the seventh 00:10:50.539 --> 00:10:54.600 day God rested. So on day six, Genesis one tells 00:10:54.600 --> 00:10:59.820 us that God created man. in his own image. This 00:10:59.820 --> 00:11:01.899 is something that is not said of the animals 00:11:01.899 --> 00:11:06.720 or of anything else. Man is special. Mankind 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:11.299 was created in the image of God. We bear an imprint 00:11:11.299 --> 00:11:15.659 of godness about us. Not that we are gods in 00:11:15.659 --> 00:11:19.539 like God is, but we bear his imprint in a way 00:11:19.539 --> 00:11:28.399 that the animals do not. God created man first 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:32.240 of all in In this is given in Genesis chapter 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:36.360 1 and then in verse 27 This phrase again is repeated. 00:11:36.360 --> 00:11:39.659 It is showing the great importance that we understand 00:11:39.659 --> 00:11:43.179 this So God created man in his own image in the 00:11:43.179 --> 00:11:46.500 image of God created him in other words God says 00:11:46.500 --> 00:11:49.320 it and then he says it again. And so this is 00:11:49.320 --> 00:11:52.620 very important for us to understand Now after 00:11:52.620 --> 00:11:55.620 creating male and female God blesses them and 00:11:55.620 --> 00:12:00.820 he gives the very first command to mankind. Now 00:12:00.820 --> 00:12:05.279 surely we must think the first command that's 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:08.620 given to the very first created human beings 00:12:08.620 --> 00:12:12.940 must be very important. We would think that in 00:12:12.940 --> 00:12:16.519 looking at it. And so what is this? Verse 28, 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:19.700 chapter one, as soon as they were created it 00:12:19.700 --> 00:12:25.490 says, God bless them and God said to him listen 00:12:25.490 --> 00:12:29.710 to all the action verbs in here be fruitful and 00:12:29.710 --> 00:12:35.610 multiply fill the earth and subdue it have dominion 00:12:35.610 --> 00:12:38.230 over the fish of the sea over the birds of the 00:12:38.230 --> 00:12:40.710 air and over every living thing that moves on 00:12:40.710 --> 00:12:45.210 the face of the earth five different action verbs 00:12:45.210 --> 00:12:49.879 right there in chapter 1 and verse 28 Now the 00:12:49.879 --> 00:12:53.240 overview from Genesis 1 is that the God, the 00:12:53.240 --> 00:12:56.480 triune God, is the creator. That is, he is the 00:12:56.480 --> 00:13:00.159 prime mover. That is, this is his plan and his 00:13:00.159 --> 00:13:04.279 idea. The creation of man and woman with the 00:13:04.279 --> 00:13:07.720 command to be fruitful and multiply is given 00:13:07.720 --> 00:13:13.299 before the fall. It is before the fall. Marriage 00:13:13.299 --> 00:13:17.840 and sex being one flesh in a covenantal union 00:13:17.840 --> 00:13:23.159 between a man and a woman is not a result of 00:13:23.159 --> 00:13:28.759 the fall. Marriage precedes the fall. It is before. 00:13:29.539 --> 00:13:33.539 Therefore, it is not dirty, it is not unclean, 00:13:33.700 --> 00:13:37.190 not shameful, but it is a good thing in God's 00:13:37.190 --> 00:13:40.509 good earth. Because God is the creator, he is 00:13:40.509 --> 00:13:43.509 the author, he is the designer, and he is the 00:13:43.509 --> 00:13:46.649 lawgiver, and he gives it his stamp of not only 00:13:46.649 --> 00:13:50.409 approval, but of his design and command. And 00:13:50.409 --> 00:13:53.529 from this comes fruitfulness in multiplication, 00:13:54.149 --> 00:13:57.269 bringing forth children who also bear the image 00:13:57.269 --> 00:14:02.470 of God. How amazing and wonderful is that? Can 00:14:02.470 --> 00:14:05.250 you think of that? Just Stop and think of that 00:14:05.250 --> 00:14:08.610 for a minute, that you as husband and wife, you 00:14:08.610 --> 00:14:11.389 bear the image of God, you can come together 00:14:11.389 --> 00:14:16.669 and you can have children that also are image 00:14:16.669 --> 00:14:21.529 bearers of God. Isn't that amazing when you stop 00:14:21.529 --> 00:14:24.289 and really think about it? We're just so used 00:14:24.289 --> 00:14:28.429 to it. We don't really capture the glory of it, 00:14:28.690 --> 00:14:33.720 but God also as the creator fences it. with his 00:14:33.720 --> 00:14:38.940 law. Marriage is not to be other than between 00:14:38.940 --> 00:14:43.740 male and female, where the sexual and the covenantal 00:14:43.740 --> 00:14:48.059 relationship is within marriage. Not only is 00:14:48.059 --> 00:14:52.039 this lawful, but it is commanded. But outside 00:14:52.039 --> 00:14:56.539 of marriage, the same act between male and female 00:14:56.539 --> 00:15:02.840 is forbidden. The apostle in Hebrews chapter 00:15:02.840 --> 00:15:08.340 13 says, marriage is honorable among all and 00:15:08.340 --> 00:15:14.700 the bed is undefiled. But fornicators and adulterers, 00:15:15.100 --> 00:15:20.259 God will judge. Clearly showing the importance 00:15:20.259 --> 00:15:24.440 of marriage. The same act, the same coming together 00:15:24.440 --> 00:15:29.559 within marriage is commanded. and it is an undefiled 00:15:29.559 --> 00:15:32.700 outside of marriage, it is forbidden. It is an 00:15:32.700 --> 00:15:38.440 adulterous or fornicating relationship. How is 00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:43.480 it when children, what is the best way when children 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:47.220 are cared for and flourish? Indeed. Not only 00:15:47.220 --> 00:15:50.419 is it commanded in this way, but study after 00:15:50.419 --> 00:15:53.480 study has also shown it that when children are 00:15:53.480 --> 00:15:57.220 born into a family with a father and a mother 00:15:57.220 --> 00:16:01.299 in union, that is their best way to thrive, to 00:16:01.299 --> 00:16:04.980 grow and to flourish. Now at the end of the book 00:16:04.980 --> 00:16:07.419 of Judges, that is the time period in Israel 00:16:07.419 --> 00:16:09.960 after the land was settled in the time of Joshua 00:16:09.960 --> 00:16:13.740 and those who succeeded him, God's people or 00:16:13.740 --> 00:16:15.759 the children of Israel are characterized in this 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:19.419 manner. Judges chapter 21 verse 25. In those 00:16:19.419 --> 00:16:23.019 days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did 00:16:23.019 --> 00:16:28.120 what was right in their own eyes. This is the 00:16:28.120 --> 00:16:31.700 same temptation, the same thought and idea that 00:16:31.700 --> 00:16:34.799 we hear so much in the news today or in people 00:16:34.799 --> 00:16:38.419 expressing themselves on social media, various 00:16:38.419 --> 00:16:43.190 statements such as my body, my choice. Nobody 00:16:43.190 --> 00:16:47.870 is going to tell me what to do. My body, my rules. 00:16:48.850 --> 00:16:52.129 The poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley ends 00:16:52.129 --> 00:16:57.009 with these words, I am the master of my of my 00:16:57.009 --> 00:17:01.840 fate. I am the captain of my soul. But this is 00:17:01.840 --> 00:17:05.359 completely contrary to the very first word of 00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:09.140 holy writ the immortal words of Genesis 1 verse 00:17:09.140 --> 00:17:13.299 1 in the beginning God created the heavens and 00:17:13.299 --> 00:17:17.019 the earth the Creator sets the standard the Creator 00:17:17.019 --> 00:17:20.339 makes the rules He governs the guidelines and 00:17:20.339 --> 00:17:23.640 he sets the fences and so God gives the history 00:17:23.640 --> 00:17:28.579 and the standards In chapter one, he speaks in 00:17:28.579 --> 00:17:32.839 a broad sweep over the days of creation. And 00:17:32.839 --> 00:17:36.319 then in chapter two, Moses by the Holy Spirit 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:41.500 zooms in on day number six, and he explains in 00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:44.940 much greater detail what happened on day six. 00:17:45.259 --> 00:17:48.799 So Genesis one, the big overview. Genesis two, 00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:55.180 we get a much closer look at day six. So woven 00:17:55.180 --> 00:17:57.420 all through this is the understanding. It is 00:17:57.420 --> 00:18:00.440 the framework. It is the demonstration of God 00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:03.759 as sovereign creator who is overall and above 00:18:03.759 --> 00:18:07.279 all and the enduring transcendent nature of marriage 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:10.680 as we considered in the sermon today. Your marriage 00:18:10.680 --> 00:18:14.059 doesn't belong to you. God has ordained it. God 00:18:14.059 --> 00:18:17.130 brings about it. brings it about and God sets 00:18:17.130 --> 00:18:21.789 the standards for it. It is his idea. It is not 00:18:21.789 --> 00:18:24.990 simply a good idea that we might have. It's not 00:18:24.990 --> 00:18:28.150 a social construct that man invented and it cannot 00:18:28.150 --> 00:18:32.089 be forsaken or cast aside like an old relic or 00:18:32.089 --> 00:18:35.569 a vestige of the dusty past and a forgotten artifact 00:18:35.569 --> 00:18:39.319 of history. No, it proceeds from God himself 00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:42.819 who makes and keeps covenant and commands mankind 00:18:42.819 --> 00:18:46.160 to keep covenant with himself and with each other. 00:18:46.420 --> 00:18:49.660 Marriage is for all times and in all places as 00:18:49.660 --> 00:18:53.759 long as time continues and it is good. It is 00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:58.710 also a great mystery that speaks of Christ. and 00:18:58.710 --> 00:19:01.930 the Church, the Bride of Christ, it signifies 00:19:01.930 --> 00:19:06.730 to us the mystical union that is between Christ 00:19:06.730 --> 00:19:11.970 and His Church. Marriage is transcendent. It 00:19:11.970 --> 00:19:16.869 comes from God. Number two, we want to look at 00:19:16.869 --> 00:19:21.109 the otherness of marriage. The otherness. In 00:19:21.109 --> 00:19:23.829 Genesis 2, as I mentioned, we get a restatement 00:19:23.829 --> 00:19:26.269 and an explanation of the acts of the Creator. 00:19:26.839 --> 00:19:30.240 This is the history of the heavens and the earth 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:33.480 when they were created in the day that the Lord 00:19:33.480 --> 00:19:35.880 God made the earth in the heavens before any 00:19:35.880 --> 00:19:38.579 plant of the field was in the earth and before 00:19:38.579 --> 00:19:41.380 any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord 00:19:41.380 --> 00:19:44.059 God had not caused it to rain on the earth and 00:19:44.059 --> 00:19:46.480 there was no man to till the ground but a mist 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:48.460 went up from the earth and watered the whole 00:19:48.460 --> 00:19:51.319 face of the ground. This is in chapter two, verse 00:19:51.319 --> 00:19:54.299 four through six. So there are three notable 00:19:54.299 --> 00:19:56.910 things about the earth. otherness of marriage. 00:19:57.049 --> 00:19:59.509 And what I mean about the otherness of marriage 00:19:59.509 --> 00:20:04.109 is that when God created man, He made them similar, 00:20:04.230 --> 00:20:08.569 but other also. They're, they're, you're not 00:20:08.569 --> 00:20:11.730 the same. There's male and there's female and 00:20:11.730 --> 00:20:15.119 we can't confuse it. and that is ordained by 00:20:15.119 --> 00:20:18.099 God. This is one of the great tragedies of the 00:20:18.099 --> 00:20:20.559 transgender movement is that it's actually a 00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:24.220 rebellion against our Creator saying, I don't 00:20:24.220 --> 00:20:27.759 want to be the way you made me. That is what 00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:33.160 it really is. So there is an otherness of marriage 00:20:33.160 --> 00:20:35.480 and we want to look at some of that and see how 00:20:35.480 --> 00:20:38.799 it works together. So the first thing, the first 00:20:38.799 --> 00:20:43.640 notable thing is that it is not good God says, 00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:48.960 for man to be alone. Now, let's take a closer 00:20:48.960 --> 00:20:52.960 look at this. Day one of creation, God creates 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:57.240 light. It ends with, and God saw the light that 00:20:57.240 --> 00:21:00.259 it was good, and God divided the light from the 00:21:00.259 --> 00:21:03.819 darkness. Day three, God called the earth, the 00:21:03.819 --> 00:21:05.940 dry land earth, and the gathering together of 00:21:05.940 --> 00:21:08.170 the waters he called seas. What does it say? 00:21:08.509 --> 00:21:11.930 And God saw that it was good. And again, in verse 00:21:11.930 --> 00:21:14.970 10, the earth brought forth grass and the herb 00:21:14.970 --> 00:21:18.250 and yield seed and the tree. How does it end? 00:21:18.589 --> 00:21:24.950 And God saw that it was good. Day four, and God 00:21:24.950 --> 00:21:28.690 saw that it was good. Day five, and God saw that 00:21:28.690 --> 00:21:32.089 it was good. But before the end of the sixth 00:21:32.089 --> 00:21:35.150 day, When God looked over and he saw everything 00:21:35.150 --> 00:21:38.569 that he had made and indeed it was very good. 00:21:38.589 --> 00:21:41.329 But we have a problem because there's something 00:21:41.329 --> 00:21:45.890 that God said was not good. For the first time 00:21:45.890 --> 00:21:49.109 in all of the good that was happening God says 00:21:49.109 --> 00:21:55.150 it is not good. And what is this? It is not good 00:21:55.150 --> 00:22:00.690 that man should be alone. God is looking at creation. 00:22:01.049 --> 00:22:06.150 And he says, good, good, good, good, not good. 00:22:07.970 --> 00:22:12.410 So let's dig into this a little bit further because 00:22:12.410 --> 00:22:16.430 we need to understand why is this not good? Now 00:22:16.430 --> 00:22:21.069 God begins by first of all, putting the man after 00:22:21.069 --> 00:22:25.789 he was created into the garden of Eden. He commands 00:22:25.789 --> 00:22:30.099 him to tend it and to keep it. And after God 00:22:30.099 --> 00:22:33.000 gives the command and he gives the law that man 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:36.380 can eat of every tree in the garden except for 00:22:36.380 --> 00:22:38.640 one. He is not to eat of the tree of knowledge 00:22:38.640 --> 00:22:42.460 of good and evil. That's in Genesis two in verse 00:22:42.460 --> 00:22:45.460 17. And then he goes and says, it is not good 00:22:45.460 --> 00:22:48.119 that man should be alone. But he continues it 00:22:48.119 --> 00:22:52.750 saying, I'm going to make him a help. I will 00:22:52.750 --> 00:22:56.650 make a helper for him or a help me depending 00:22:56.650 --> 00:22:59.369 on your choice. In other words, I'm going to 00:22:59.369 --> 00:23:03.609 make someone who is other than him and yet like 00:23:03.609 --> 00:23:08.009 him and who will compliment him. One who is a 00:23:08.009 --> 00:23:14.630 helper to him. Now, why was this not good? Well, 00:23:14.750 --> 00:23:18.470 first of all, it is true. Man needs a companion. 00:23:18.700 --> 00:23:21.380 We need companionship. God created us that way. 00:23:21.420 --> 00:23:25.400 We really do need companionship. But there's 00:23:25.400 --> 00:23:29.259 a second other big one in here. And that is that 00:23:29.259 --> 00:23:33.180 man can't be fruitful and multiply by himself. 00:23:33.799 --> 00:23:36.839 If everyone was men, we'd die out in one generation. 00:23:38.839 --> 00:23:43.789 I think of that. kind of crazy statement during 00:23:43.789 --> 00:23:46.150 some of the heyday of feminism. I think it was 00:23:46.150 --> 00:23:48.769 in the 60s, but I believe it was Gloria Steinem. 00:23:48.769 --> 00:23:52.190 I didn't research it here that a woman needs 00:23:52.190 --> 00:23:56.069 a man like a fish needs a bicycle, is what she 00:23:56.069 --> 00:24:00.650 said. This is completely contrary to this, for 00:24:00.650 --> 00:24:03.809 again, if there were no men, if there were no 00:24:03.809 --> 00:24:07.309 women, we would all die out. Just like that, 00:24:07.490 --> 00:24:11.150 within one generation. So it is not good because 00:24:11.150 --> 00:24:13.589 man cannot be fruitful and multiply without a 00:24:13.589 --> 00:24:17.230 woman. But furthermore, in drilling down into 00:24:17.230 --> 00:24:23.269 it, man was created to need a woman. He was created 00:24:23.269 --> 00:24:27.130 to need a woman, not only just to be fruitful 00:24:27.130 --> 00:24:33.579 and to multiply, but also... to be what God had 00:24:33.579 --> 00:24:38.599 called him to be. We men cannot fulfill the dominion 00:24:38.599 --> 00:24:42.099 mandate of God that is given here unless we have 00:24:42.099 --> 00:24:46.299 a woman by our side. And I'm not saying again, 00:24:46.519 --> 00:24:48.599 and we're going to get into singleness at the 00:24:48.599 --> 00:24:51.160 end and how to look at that. And I'm speaking 00:24:51.160 --> 00:24:55.059 here in wide sweeping terms. If you're here and 00:24:55.059 --> 00:24:57.839 you're a man and you don't have a wife yet, or 00:24:57.839 --> 00:25:00.619 vice versa, then I'm not saying that you can't 00:25:00.619 --> 00:25:03.619 work out in God's plan, not at all. But in looking 00:25:03.619 --> 00:25:07.680 at the whole scope of things, men need help to 00:25:07.680 --> 00:25:11.519 be what God calls them to be, because they cannot 00:25:11.519 --> 00:25:15.059 fully fulfill the dominion command that God gives 00:25:15.059 --> 00:25:20.240 them. without a wife. It's the way God made the 00:25:20.240 --> 00:25:24.079 world. And we need to accept that and understand 00:25:24.079 --> 00:25:28.400 it. So men, unless you've been called to singleness, 00:25:28.400 --> 00:25:31.859 either by God's design physiologically, or for 00:25:31.859 --> 00:25:34.460 the kingdom of heaven's sake, as Jesus speaks 00:25:34.460 --> 00:25:38.900 in Matthew 19 verse 12, and Paul in first Corinthians 00:25:38.900 --> 00:25:43.500 seven, it is not good for you to be alone. It 00:25:43.500 --> 00:25:47.000 is good and acceptable before God for you to 00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:50.380 get prepared for the responsibility and then 00:25:50.380 --> 00:25:54.220 to seek a wife, one who compliments you, one 00:25:54.220 --> 00:25:58.799 who helps you. Proverbs 18 and verse 22, he who 00:25:58.799 --> 00:26:03.599 finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor 00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:07.640 from the Lord. It's a wonderful verse. God shows 00:26:07.640 --> 00:26:10.339 Adam the need for a wife first by bringing all 00:26:10.339 --> 00:26:12.920 the animals to him for him to name them. Now 00:26:12.920 --> 00:26:15.839 the word naming there in Hebrew suggests more 00:26:15.839 --> 00:26:18.480 than just giving them a label, just hanging a 00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:22.519 title on them. But it reflects essence or identity. 00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:26.500 So Adam's task likely involves recognizing patterns 00:26:26.500 --> 00:26:29.900 or distinctions among creatures somewhat akin 00:26:29.900 --> 00:26:33.359 maybe to an early taxonomy, a classification. 00:26:34.180 --> 00:26:36.779 This was a deliberate and thoughtful process. 00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:39.740 But at the same time, though we don't have record 00:26:39.740 --> 00:26:43.470 of it where it says it, Surely Adam noticed that 00:26:43.470 --> 00:26:47.130 for every animal and every bird, there's a male 00:26:47.130 --> 00:26:50.890 and a female. There's a mama, there's a daddy. 00:26:51.230 --> 00:26:54.210 There's a male elephant and a female elephant. 00:26:54.609 --> 00:26:57.190 There's a crocodile and there's two of them. 00:26:57.369 --> 00:27:00.829 One's a male and one's a female or an alligator 00:27:00.829 --> 00:27:04.650 or a bird. And on as he goes through all of the 00:27:04.650 --> 00:27:07.529 different animals and he sees this, but there 00:27:07.529 --> 00:27:18.380 is nothing suitable. for him. So we read verse 00:27:18.380 --> 00:27:22.799 20, there was not found a helper comparable to 00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:26.660 him. We use animals and beasts to help with some 00:27:26.660 --> 00:27:30.039 of our burdens. We're glad for animals. Back 00:27:30.039 --> 00:27:32.660 in the days before tractors, men would use horses 00:27:32.660 --> 00:27:36.119 or oxen to plow the fields or to turn the soil. 00:27:36.359 --> 00:27:40.900 They help, but it's not in the same way. Man 00:27:40.900 --> 00:27:46.980 needs a helper for him. And so the Lord decided 00:27:46.980 --> 00:27:50.859 to remedy this. The Lord God says in verse 21, 00:27:51.380 --> 00:27:55.660 caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam and he slept 00:27:55.660 --> 00:27:59.240 and he took one of his ribs and closed up the 00:27:59.240 --> 00:28:02.420 flesh in his place. Then the rib which the Lord 00:28:02.420 --> 00:28:06.640 God had taken from man, he made into a woman 00:28:06.640 --> 00:28:11.900 and he brought her to the man. We can only imagine 00:28:11.900 --> 00:28:16.519 what Adam's first thought was when he woke up 00:28:16.519 --> 00:28:20.039 out of his sleep and he saw someone that was 00:28:20.039 --> 00:28:23.839 like him and yet other than him. Jeff brought 00:28:23.839 --> 00:28:26.000 out as we were studying that one of his dad's 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:28.900 favorite passages is that Adam looked up and 00:28:28.900 --> 00:28:34.539 he said, whoa, man, or woman. So I think it's 00:28:34.539 --> 00:28:36.759 a play on words, but it's a great thought. It's 00:28:36.759 --> 00:28:40.599 a great thought. And truly, I'm quite sure that 00:28:40.599 --> 00:28:43.220 he was astounded and blessed. And of course, 00:28:43.299 --> 00:28:45.720 the scripture says, Adam looks at her and says, 00:28:46.019 --> 00:28:50.660 now this, this is bone of my bones and flesh 00:28:50.660 --> 00:28:55.140 of my flesh. She will be called woman because 00:28:55.140 --> 00:28:59.700 she was taken out of man. This is the perfect 00:28:59.700 --> 00:29:04.720 compliment, the perfect coming together. Woman 00:29:04.720 --> 00:29:10.900 created. out of the side of man. And so recognizing 00:29:10.900 --> 00:29:16.519 the otherness of your spouse and loving and embracing 00:29:16.519 --> 00:29:21.259 that otherness is a key to a happy marriage. 00:29:21.839 --> 00:29:24.920 Man, you don't want to be married to someone 00:29:24.920 --> 00:29:28.640 who's just like you. You need someone who can 00:29:28.640 --> 00:29:31.400 compliment you, who is other than you, someone 00:29:31.400 --> 00:29:34.279 who can help you, someone who can fit together 00:29:34.279 --> 00:29:36.900 well with you, but at the same time, someone 00:29:36.900 --> 00:29:38.799 who will think a little bit differently than 00:29:38.799 --> 00:29:41.259 you do, who will have some different ideas and 00:29:41.259 --> 00:29:44.599 passions, and you come together and it fits together 00:29:44.599 --> 00:29:48.200 just like two pieces of a puzzle. That's the 00:29:48.200 --> 00:29:54.089 way it is to be. Someone other than you. Here's 00:29:54.089 --> 00:29:56.869 a couple ways, because loving and embracing that 00:29:56.869 --> 00:29:59.849 otherness is a key to a happy marriage. So ladies, 00:30:00.190 --> 00:30:02.269 your husband thinks differently than you do. 00:30:02.890 --> 00:30:05.289 Here's a few ways. Couple, and of course, you 00:30:05.289 --> 00:30:07.190 all know that already, right? It's like, yeah, 00:30:07.190 --> 00:30:12.130 right. Okay, so your husband or your men, generally 00:30:12.130 --> 00:30:15.930 speaking again, can focus, they can compartmentalize. 00:30:16.349 --> 00:30:18.809 They're generally much more of a risk taker than 00:30:18.809 --> 00:30:23.750 what you are. And within them is an innate desire 00:30:23.750 --> 00:30:27.170 to protect and provide, to take bullets or to 00:30:27.170 --> 00:30:30.210 take arrows, to shield and protect. That is something 00:30:30.210 --> 00:30:34.369 that is given by God. So they think differently 00:30:34.369 --> 00:30:37.470 than you do. But men, your wife does not also 00:30:37.470 --> 00:30:40.009 think like you do. And you might think, well, 00:30:40.069 --> 00:30:42.029 although the normal way of thinking is to think 00:30:42.029 --> 00:30:44.150 like men. I mean, after all, that's the way it 00:30:44.150 --> 00:30:47.849 ought to be. But no, God has given you in... 00:30:47.690 --> 00:30:51.049 your compliment in a way, someone who thinks 00:30:51.049 --> 00:30:54.829 differently. You think like a male, you think 00:30:54.829 --> 00:30:57.329 that is normal, but that is not normal for her. 00:30:57.690 --> 00:31:01.890 She generally is a much better multitasker. She 00:31:01.890 --> 00:31:05.349 can keep a whole number of things going on in 00:31:05.349 --> 00:31:08.069 her mind at one time and keep tabs on all of 00:31:08.069 --> 00:31:11.630 them. That is very difficult for us to do. But 00:31:11.630 --> 00:31:15.200 for women, it just comes that way. In fact, It 00:31:15.200 --> 00:31:18.180 is so ingrained in them that they often can't 00:31:18.180 --> 00:31:20.400 relax until they know, okay, this is done and 00:31:20.400 --> 00:31:22.279 now this is taken care of and this is taken care 00:31:22.279 --> 00:31:25.319 of, now I can relax. That's the way it is. And 00:31:25.319 --> 00:31:29.480 that's not a bug, it's a feature. Okay, God made 00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:33.640 them that way for a purpose. Receive it, welcome 00:31:33.640 --> 00:31:37.299 it, delight in the difference that God has given 00:31:37.299 --> 00:31:40.640 to you and don't think. Oh, if she were just 00:31:40.640 --> 00:31:43.819 more like me. No, God made them differently for, 00:31:44.059 --> 00:31:46.339 God made each of you. And same goes for the woman. 00:31:46.400 --> 00:31:48.740 Don't look and think, oh, if he would just be 00:31:48.740 --> 00:31:52.900 more this or that, like I would want to be. Now 00:31:52.900 --> 00:31:55.740 that's, we all need to grow. And yes, we men. 00:31:55.960 --> 00:31:58.720 Sometimes we need to learn to be more caring. 00:31:59.099 --> 00:32:02.460 We need to be more understanding. That's often 00:32:02.460 --> 00:32:04.819 one of our weaknesses, where we're not that way 00:32:04.819 --> 00:32:08.720 as much. A woman being the natural nurturer and 00:32:08.720 --> 00:32:13.519 comforter and one who comes and puts arms around 00:32:13.519 --> 00:32:17.420 and helps through. We men, we need to learn from 00:32:17.420 --> 00:32:20.220 that. We need to learn how to care for others. 00:32:20.500 --> 00:32:23.660 But we also understand that we're simply made 00:32:23.660 --> 00:32:28.390 different. Accept that this is one of the keys 00:32:28.390 --> 00:32:34.069 to a happy marriage so and then lastly on the 00:32:34.069 --> 00:32:38.029 otherness is God also created you different in 00:32:38.029 --> 00:32:44.289 that ladies wives you are the glory of your husband 00:32:44.289 --> 00:32:50.730 and The man is the glory of Christ This is from 00:32:50.730 --> 00:32:53.089 first Corinthians chapter 11 verse 7 through 00:32:53.089 --> 00:32:56.329 9 Paul says here, by the inspiration of the Holy 00:32:56.329 --> 00:32:58.730 Spirit, I want to remind you of this, because 00:32:58.730 --> 00:33:01.789 this sometimes can come a little bit hard when 00:33:01.789 --> 00:33:04.430 we look at it in our egalitarian society where 00:33:04.430 --> 00:33:07.410 we try to create saneness out of everyone. Here's 00:33:07.410 --> 00:33:10.829 what he says, for a man indeed ought not to cover 00:33:10.829 --> 00:33:13.710 his head, that's the subject matter at hand in 00:33:13.710 --> 00:33:16.450 that portion of 1 Corinthians 11, but he says, 00:33:17.150 --> 00:33:21.589 since he, that is the man, is the image and glory 00:33:21.589 --> 00:33:27.750 of God. But woman is the glory of man for man 00:33:27.750 --> 00:33:31.190 is not from woman but woman from man Nor was 00:33:31.190 --> 00:33:35.289 man created for the woman but woman for the man 00:33:35.289 --> 00:33:38.250 Now this does not mean ladies that you're not 00:33:38.250 --> 00:33:40.990 creating the image of God because you are But 00:33:40.990 --> 00:33:43.349 what but what he's saying here is that there's 00:33:43.349 --> 00:33:45.569 something special that you have you are the glory 00:33:45.569 --> 00:33:49.549 of your husband and thus you are to be glorious. 00:33:49.849 --> 00:33:52.349 Now when we get to Ephesians chapter five in 00:33:52.349 --> 00:33:55.809 the next week or thereafter, we're going to look 00:33:55.809 --> 00:33:59.369 at how we men are to do that, how we're to help 00:33:59.369 --> 00:34:04.970 our wives to be glorious, and it comes by leading 00:34:04.970 --> 00:34:08.780 and serving, by blessing. and being faithful 00:34:08.780 --> 00:34:11.619 even as Jesus was to the church. So I'm just 00:34:11.619 --> 00:34:13.099 giving you a little bit of a glimpse. You can 00:34:13.099 --> 00:34:15.559 be thinking about that in the future. But again, 00:34:15.619 --> 00:34:18.559 this is pointing to Jesus in the church because 00:34:18.559 --> 00:34:21.360 Paul even says that as I speak about marriage, 00:34:21.400 --> 00:34:23.599 I'm speaking of this glorious mystery of Christ 00:34:23.599 --> 00:34:27.070 in the church. As we're going through this, we 00:34:27.070 --> 00:34:29.750 are going to be reminded of Christ in the church 00:34:29.750 --> 00:34:33.010 even as we discuss marriage. It's a great mystery 00:34:33.010 --> 00:34:36.050 and yet it's unfolded for us some in scripture. 00:34:36.610 --> 00:34:40.070 So anyhow, woman, you're the glory of your husband. 00:34:40.150 --> 00:34:43.210 You were created for him. But men, don't you 00:34:43.210 --> 00:34:46.130 be stuck up about this. Don't you get proud about 00:34:46.130 --> 00:34:49.349 this because, Paul says, you were born of a woman. 00:34:49.949 --> 00:34:52.050 You wouldn't exist if it wouldn't be for a woman. 00:34:52.269 --> 00:34:54.610 So don't you be proud about this in any way. 00:34:54.840 --> 00:34:57.739 okay and thinking oh I am the glory of Christ 00:34:57.739 --> 00:35:00.519 and my wife she's my glory no no no no it is 00:35:00.519 --> 00:35:03.420 true she is your glory and you need to act with 00:35:03.420 --> 00:35:06.519 to to her in that kind of a way where you bless 00:35:06.519 --> 00:35:08.480 her and you build her up and you wash her with 00:35:08.480 --> 00:35:11.059 the word and you do all of these wonderful things 00:35:11.059 --> 00:35:13.900 that we're going to get into but you don't be 00:35:13.900 --> 00:35:16.599 stuck up and proud about it because without woman 00:35:16.599 --> 00:35:19.159 you wouldn't exist again first Corinthians 11 00:35:19.159 --> 00:35:24.639 verse 11 and 12 nevertheless Neither is man independent 00:35:24.639 --> 00:35:27.159 of woman, nor woman independent of man in the 00:35:27.159 --> 00:35:29.960 Lord. For as woman came from man, even so man 00:35:29.960 --> 00:35:32.900 also comes through woman, but all things are 00:35:32.900 --> 00:35:36.760 from God." And so both are under God, all things 00:35:36.760 --> 00:35:39.239 are under God, and each of you answers to God 00:35:39.239 --> 00:35:42.000 directly. But a woman's glory is different, it's 00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:45.800 other than a man's. And so there again, we look 00:35:45.800 --> 00:35:48.099 at the otherness. So we've looked here at a few 00:35:48.099 --> 00:35:51.360 places where otherness, let's now... wrap this 00:35:51.360 --> 00:35:53.579 up with looking at God's purpose for marriage. 00:35:53.820 --> 00:35:57.219 So why does God, why did God create marriage 00:35:57.219 --> 00:35:59.840 in the first place? Why aren't we like the animals? 00:36:00.619 --> 00:36:03.579 The animals, I mean, there's a few types of animals 00:36:03.579 --> 00:36:06.940 that stay true to just one that were male and 00:36:06.940 --> 00:36:10.199 a female, but in most cases, it's not that way. 00:36:10.219 --> 00:36:13.639 It's free for the taking. And it's not a covenantal 00:36:13.639 --> 00:36:16.079 relationship at all. It is simply a physical 00:36:16.079 --> 00:36:19.030 response. Of course, it's an instinct that God 00:36:19.030 --> 00:36:24.130 has given to them. We are not that way. God has 00:36:24.130 --> 00:36:28.179 designed and given us purpose. for marriage. 00:36:28.500 --> 00:36:30.760 So let's look at a few of these purposes. Well, 00:36:30.780 --> 00:36:32.699 first of all, God said, and we already talked 00:36:32.699 --> 00:36:34.780 about this, it is not good that man should be 00:36:34.780 --> 00:36:37.900 alone. And so consequently, we conclude that 00:36:37.900 --> 00:36:40.699 one of the purposes for marriage is companionship. 00:36:41.059 --> 00:36:43.559 It's a oneness, it's a covenantal union that 00:36:43.559 --> 00:36:47.260 reflects the unity of Jesus and the church. In 00:36:47.260 --> 00:36:52.079 the wonderful expression of the vows in the Book 00:36:52.079 --> 00:36:56.860 of Common Prayer that is just so well put. It 00:36:56.860 --> 00:36:59.480 is listed this way that marriage was ordained 00:36:59.480 --> 00:37:03.539 for the mutual society, help and comfort that 00:37:03.539 --> 00:37:06.460 the one ought to have of the other both in prosperity 00:37:06.460 --> 00:37:10.840 and in adversity. We need companionship and help 00:37:10.840 --> 00:37:13.380 through the good times through the bad times. 00:37:13.719 --> 00:37:16.719 So that's one. But the second one is marriage 00:37:16.719 --> 00:37:19.920 is required for fruitfulness and procreation. 00:37:20.199 --> 00:37:22.780 We see this right in the Genesis account. So 00:37:22.780 --> 00:37:25.480 what is the command? We are to fill the earth. 00:37:25.719 --> 00:37:28.679 Now in this, it is given that we are to fill 00:37:28.679 --> 00:37:32.579 the earth with worshipers of God. And we see 00:37:32.579 --> 00:37:35.619 this woven throughout the scripture. I don't 00:37:35.619 --> 00:37:37.800 have the time for it today, but we can go to 00:37:37.800 --> 00:37:41.679 Deuteronomy chapter six. And we see that God 00:37:41.679 --> 00:37:44.559 commands us to have children and to teach them 00:37:44.559 --> 00:37:49.480 the ways of God. In Psalm 78, we tell them stories 00:37:49.480 --> 00:37:52.559 to remind them how the people of God have failed 00:37:52.559 --> 00:37:56.289 in the past. And where God did great deeds for 00:37:56.289 --> 00:37:59.070 them, why? So that they can tell it to the next 00:37:59.070 --> 00:38:01.510 generation and they can rise up and they will 00:38:01.510 --> 00:38:03.909 tell it to their next generation. Who will then 00:38:03.909 --> 00:38:07.079 rise up and tell it to their generation? That's 00:38:07.079 --> 00:38:09.579 part of the glories of God. And so marriage is 00:38:09.579 --> 00:38:13.260 required for fruitfulness and procreation. This 00:38:13.260 --> 00:38:15.599 is the direct command that was given to Adam, 00:38:15.719 --> 00:38:18.199 to Eve, and to their descendants. And then it 00:38:18.199 --> 00:38:21.599 was again restated to Noah in Genesis 9 after 00:38:21.599 --> 00:38:24.440 the flood, when all of the earth was wiped out 00:38:24.440 --> 00:38:26.719 except for eight people, and they come out of 00:38:26.719 --> 00:38:29.719 the ark. And what does God say? Be fruitful and 00:38:29.719 --> 00:38:32.699 multiply. This is your command. Now go do it. 00:38:34.969 --> 00:38:39.570 Unless God sovereignly closes the womb, it is 00:38:39.570 --> 00:38:43.210 expected by God and by his people that marriage 00:38:43.210 --> 00:38:45.809 should bring forth children for the glory of 00:38:45.809 --> 00:38:51.070 God and for his kingdom. Children are a gift 00:38:51.070 --> 00:38:58.059 of God. This is one of the reasons why. Homosexuality 00:38:58.059 --> 00:39:03.019 is so unnatural and sinful and why God hates 00:39:03.019 --> 00:39:08.440 it and forbids it. It is a direct attack on the 00:39:08.440 --> 00:39:13.719 command to be fruitful and to multiply. It militates 00:39:13.719 --> 00:39:20.000 against that. Next then, or the third reason 00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:24.139 why God, or God's purpose, the third purpose 00:39:24.139 --> 00:39:29.139 is that a wife is a help to the man. That is, 00:39:29.239 --> 00:39:33.300 she is a help to him, to his mission, and to 00:39:33.300 --> 00:39:37.380 his dominion. So, I wanna unpack this a little 00:39:37.380 --> 00:39:41.619 bit because it is so needed in our generation. 00:39:42.280 --> 00:39:48.440 Men, you are given a mission by God. You, together 00:39:48.440 --> 00:39:53.619 with your wife, are created for mission and dominion. 00:39:54.500 --> 00:39:58.139 God has given you responsibilities. He's given 00:39:58.139 --> 00:40:01.599 you abilities. He has given you calling. And 00:40:01.599 --> 00:40:04.639 what I mean by mission is you know that God has 00:40:04.639 --> 00:40:07.679 placed you for a purpose and what that purpose 00:40:07.679 --> 00:40:10.460 is you want to set out to do it with all of your 00:40:10.460 --> 00:40:13.840 heart and your wife is to help you with that 00:40:13.840 --> 00:40:18.289 mission. She is to help you with it. Now, let 00:40:18.289 --> 00:40:20.969 me quickly say, do not be afraid of the word 00:40:20.969 --> 00:40:24.489 dominion. Obviously, that word can be used sometimes 00:40:24.489 --> 00:40:28.010 as a pejorative or something that is, you know, 00:40:28.070 --> 00:40:31.130 that person is just really arrogant. No, no, 00:40:31.250 --> 00:40:35.449 there's a biblical usage to this word. It's a 00:40:35.449 --> 00:40:39.570 direct command of God to mankind in Genesis 1. 00:40:39.849 --> 00:40:43.789 It is again implied in Genesis 9. It is spoken 00:40:43.789 --> 00:40:45.929 of in Psalm 8, which we'll read in a minute. 00:40:46.409 --> 00:40:49.829 And even the Great Commission flows out of this. 00:40:50.230 --> 00:40:53.130 Because what are we to do? What is the great 00:40:53.130 --> 00:40:56.190 mission of God that is given? We are to fill 00:40:56.190 --> 00:40:59.949 the earth with worshipers. We are to preach the 00:40:59.949 --> 00:41:02.610 gospel of Christ. We are to go forth. We're to 00:41:02.610 --> 00:41:05.570 baptize the nations. We're to teach them all 00:41:05.570 --> 00:41:07.610 things so that the earth would be filled with 00:41:07.610 --> 00:41:11.750 worshipers of God. So the Great Commission actually 00:41:11.750 --> 00:41:14.469 flows out of this mandate or some call it the 00:41:14.469 --> 00:41:18.449 cultural mandate that's given in Genesis 1. So 00:41:18.449 --> 00:41:20.329 how do we start with this? Well, we start with 00:41:20.329 --> 00:41:24.449 the mission for a faithful household. Go read 00:41:24.449 --> 00:41:27.650 Deuteronomy 6 and Psalm 78, as I just referred 00:41:27.650 --> 00:41:30.750 to, and then develop additional missions as God 00:41:30.750 --> 00:41:34.309 gives you opportunity. A wife is given to you 00:41:34.309 --> 00:41:37.969 to help you, to aid you, to manage that household 00:41:37.969 --> 00:41:42.269 in your mission. This is why again, Proverbs 00:41:42.269 --> 00:41:45.570 18 22, he who finds a wife finds a good thing 00:41:45.570 --> 00:41:49.670 and obtains a favor from the Lord. Also Proverbs 00:41:49.670 --> 00:41:54.369 12 verse four, an excellent wife is a crown to 00:41:54.369 --> 00:41:59.349 her husband. She is a crown to... you, she blesses 00:41:59.349 --> 00:42:02.650 you, she aids you, she helps you with the effectiveness 00:42:02.650 --> 00:42:06.369 of the mission. An excellent wife is the crown 00:42:06.369 --> 00:42:09.570 of her husband, but she who causes shame is like 00:42:09.570 --> 00:42:13.909 rottenness in his bones. Proverbs 5 verse 19, 00:42:14.230 --> 00:42:17.530 let your wife be, let her be as a loving hind 00:42:17.530 --> 00:42:21.409 and a pleasant row or dear to you. Value her 00:42:21.409 --> 00:42:24.650 wisdom, her love, her insight and her thought. 00:42:24.960 --> 00:42:27.280 So Adam and Eve were placed within the Garden 00:42:27.280 --> 00:42:29.900 of Eden. They were to work it. They were to till 00:42:29.900 --> 00:42:32.199 it. They were to care for it. They were to be 00:42:32.199 --> 00:42:35.840 productive. Work is not a result of the fall. 00:42:36.559 --> 00:42:41.119 It is what we were created to do. Man was created 00:42:41.119 --> 00:42:45.179 to work, to be productive. It is not a result 00:42:45.179 --> 00:42:47.579 of the fall. Now it was made more difficult by 00:42:47.579 --> 00:42:49.760 the fall, but it's not a result of the fall. 00:42:50.079 --> 00:42:53.199 We are given this by God and He has given us 00:42:53.199 --> 00:42:55.739 strength. He has placed us by His sovereign will 00:42:55.739 --> 00:42:58.820 to carry out this dominion over the works and 00:42:58.820 --> 00:43:01.420 the creation of God. And this can take place 00:43:01.420 --> 00:43:04.119 in many different ways. When we think of the 00:43:04.119 --> 00:43:07.619 creativity that is unleashed through faithful 00:43:07.619 --> 00:43:10.719 men looking into God's Word, loving and serving 00:43:10.719 --> 00:43:13.840 Him, building their households and then becoming 00:43:13.840 --> 00:43:17.059 creative in so many ways. Can you imagine the 00:43:17.059 --> 00:43:19.119 first man who actually figured out how to make 00:43:19.119 --> 00:43:22.570 steel? I mean, so you get iron out of the ground, 00:43:22.809 --> 00:43:25.030 and then all the process that you have to do 00:43:25.030 --> 00:43:27.989 just in order to do that, or brass, or other 00:43:27.989 --> 00:43:30.369 things, or to craft a musical instrument, to 00:43:30.369 --> 00:43:32.110 come and put something together that's going 00:43:32.110 --> 00:43:35.070 to make music and sound pleasing. All of that 00:43:35.070 --> 00:43:39.730 comes out of this creative mission that God has 00:43:39.730 --> 00:43:45.110 given to mankind. Listen to what Psalm 8 says. 00:43:45.590 --> 00:43:49.800 Psalm 8. Oh, Lord, our Lord. How excellent is 00:43:49.800 --> 00:43:52.460 your name in all the earth. You have set your 00:43:52.460 --> 00:43:55.659 glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of 00:43:55.659 --> 00:43:58.179 babes and nursing infants, you have ordained 00:43:58.179 --> 00:44:00.739 strength because of your enemies, that you might 00:44:00.739 --> 00:44:04.139 silence the enemy in the avenger. When I consider 00:44:04.139 --> 00:44:07.280 your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon 00:44:07.280 --> 00:44:10.559 and the stars which you have ordained, what is 00:44:10.559 --> 00:44:14.420 man? That you are mindful of him, and the son 00:44:14.420 --> 00:44:18.199 of man, that you visit him for you have made 00:44:18.199 --> 00:44:22.260 him a little lower than the angels you have crowned 00:44:22.260 --> 00:44:27.139 him with glory and honor you have made him to 00:44:27.139 --> 00:44:30.679 have dominion over the works of your hands you 00:44:30.679 --> 00:44:33.519 have put all things under his feet all sheep 00:44:33.519 --> 00:44:36.199 and oxen even the beasts of the field the birds 00:44:36.199 --> 00:44:38.739 of the air and the fish of the sea that pass 00:44:38.739 --> 00:44:41.300 through the pass of the sea oh lord our lord 00:44:41.300 --> 00:44:45.510 how excellent is your name in all the earth. 00:44:46.050 --> 00:44:50.369 This is what God has given to you, to you, to 00:44:50.369 --> 00:44:56.010 you, to you. So, how do we do this? Well men, 00:44:56.530 --> 00:44:59.829 build lasting households, churches, and names 00:44:59.829 --> 00:45:02.619 that are worthy of remembrance. You can build 00:45:02.619 --> 00:45:05.300 households that will stand for generations. You 00:45:05.300 --> 00:45:08.400 can help to build churches that endure. You can 00:45:08.400 --> 00:45:11.159 have a name that carries weight and gravitas. 00:45:11.579 --> 00:45:13.579 You may be called to build a business for the 00:45:13.579 --> 00:45:15.900 glory of God and the blessing of his people with 00:45:15.900 --> 00:45:19.860 employment, with tithes, with service. One of 00:45:19.860 --> 00:45:23.079 the problems that create disconnected and missionless 00:45:23.079 --> 00:45:27.039 households is that so many households in our 00:45:27.130 --> 00:45:30.110 in the world today, but especially in our own 00:45:30.110 --> 00:45:32.670 country, that all households are just glorified 00:45:32.670 --> 00:45:36.710 hotels. Every person has their own goals and 00:45:36.710 --> 00:45:39.570 their adrift. It's a place to grab a bite and 00:45:39.570 --> 00:45:42.409 to sleep and to watch TV. Our households have 00:45:42.409 --> 00:45:45.829 become consumeristic, a place that is not productive, 00:45:46.289 --> 00:45:48.789 but where we kick back, relax, and we consume 00:45:48.789 --> 00:45:54.500 food, drink, and media. We read Proverbs 31 today 00:45:54.500 --> 00:45:57.940 and look at how the household functioned. Look 00:45:57.940 --> 00:46:00.460 at what the virtuous woman looked like. It was 00:46:00.460 --> 00:46:04.559 anything but like this type of consumeristic 00:46:04.559 --> 00:46:09.360 household that I just spoke of. This church congregation 00:46:09.360 --> 00:46:12.820 is new. We're only about two years old, but with 00:46:12.820 --> 00:46:16.280 the help of God, We are laying foundations that 00:46:16.280 --> 00:46:19.340 we pray and hope will affect this community for 00:46:19.340 --> 00:46:22.800 many years to come. And so, brothers, let us 00:46:22.800 --> 00:46:26.159 rise, let us build labor together with us by 00:46:26.159 --> 00:46:29.159 being faithful in worship, by putting sin to 00:46:29.159 --> 00:46:32.179 death in walking with God, by developing your 00:46:32.179 --> 00:46:34.780 gifts, by building rightly ordered households 00:46:34.780 --> 00:46:38.059 that are the living stones of a lasting church, 00:46:38.300 --> 00:46:41.679 of a community, of a state, of a country, and 00:46:41.679 --> 00:46:45.500 a civilization. and a culture. Seek first the 00:46:45.500 --> 00:46:48.500 kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all 00:46:48.500 --> 00:46:53.159 these things shall be added to you. This is one 00:46:53.159 --> 00:46:58.360 of the purposes for marriage. Fourth, marriage 00:46:58.360 --> 00:47:01.260 is a help against sin. It's better to marry than 00:47:01.260 --> 00:47:04.500 to burn, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7 verse 9. 00:47:04.659 --> 00:47:06.800 He says if they cannot exercise self -control, 00:47:07.019 --> 00:47:09.960 let them marry, for it is better to marry than 00:47:09.960 --> 00:47:13.730 to burn with passion. Again, the Book of Common 00:47:13.730 --> 00:47:15.989 Prayer puts it this way, it was ordained for 00:47:15.989 --> 00:47:19.170 a remedy against sin and to avoid fornication 00:47:19.170 --> 00:47:22.230 that such persons as have not the gift of continency 00:47:22.230 --> 00:47:25.250 might marry and keep themselves undefiled members 00:47:25.250 --> 00:47:30.170 of Christ's body. Lastly then, the purpose for 00:47:30.170 --> 00:47:33.449 marriage is that marriage is a living illustration 00:47:33.449 --> 00:47:40.010 of Jesus and his church, his bride. In union 00:47:40.010 --> 00:47:43.119 one with another, in the loving leadership of 00:47:43.119 --> 00:47:46.039 the husband, in the submission of the wife, in 00:47:46.039 --> 00:47:49.420 the sanctification of the wife by the Word, in 00:47:49.420 --> 00:47:53.500 the wife being glorious and holy. All of these 00:47:53.500 --> 00:47:56.900 are an illustration of the relationship between 00:47:56.900 --> 00:48:00.800 Jesus and the Church. And we'll see that more 00:48:00.800 --> 00:48:06.059 in Ephesians 5 as we look at that. Five purposes 00:48:06.059 --> 00:48:08.519 for marriage and there may be more, but that's 00:48:08.519 --> 00:48:11.320 what I have for you today. Let's look at a couple 00:48:11.320 --> 00:48:15.440 final applications. What about singles? If you're 00:48:15.440 --> 00:48:17.659 single here, I don't want you to be thinking 00:48:17.659 --> 00:48:19.780 that I'm preaching against you because I'm not. 00:48:20.139 --> 00:48:22.380 But I am lifting up the standard of what God 00:48:22.380 --> 00:48:24.940 has here. And if the Lord has something for you, 00:48:25.199 --> 00:48:27.880 then rejoice in it and prepare for you. Prepare 00:48:27.880 --> 00:48:30.900 for it. Be content. Be content with where God 00:48:30.900 --> 00:48:34.659 has you, but at the same time, be useful in Christ's 00:48:34.659 --> 00:48:37.460 kingdom. And pray. If you're yearning for marriage, 00:48:37.599 --> 00:48:39.880 then pray for a spouse that God would prepare 00:48:39.880 --> 00:48:45.300 you and your spouse. Prepare and grow in maturity. 00:48:46.139 --> 00:48:48.440 Remember that marriage is the norm, but there 00:48:48.440 --> 00:48:51.380 are exceptions. Number one, in God's providence, 00:48:51.639 --> 00:48:54.380 and number two, as Jesus spoke of eunuchs for 00:48:54.380 --> 00:48:59.019 the kingdom's sake. So I hope that today you 00:48:59.019 --> 00:49:01.920 will be encouraged by this and not just overwhelmed 00:49:01.920 --> 00:49:03.820 and says well, what use is for me in the kingdom? 00:49:03.900 --> 00:49:07.400 No, there is much good that you can do as I have 00:49:07.400 --> 00:49:09.940 just given here. Be useful in Christ's kingdom. 00:49:12.059 --> 00:49:16.179 Lastly, what if my marriage is not like this? 00:49:17.699 --> 00:49:21.500 What if I'm just really falling short and failing 00:49:21.500 --> 00:49:25.440 in my marriage? What if this just looks like 00:49:25.440 --> 00:49:29.460 it's just so far out of reach? How can this be? 00:49:29.840 --> 00:49:33.059 Because our marriage is full of bickering or 00:49:33.059 --> 00:49:37.440 we're just not united in purpose together. Or 00:49:37.440 --> 00:49:41.760 we go our separate ways and we're just not together 00:49:41.760 --> 00:49:45.699 in this. What can I do? If that is you this morning, 00:49:45.739 --> 00:49:52.059 I give you these short encouragements. Number 00:49:52.059 --> 00:50:01.219 one. for a marriage like this. Ask God for it. 00:50:01.500 --> 00:50:05.599 If you're struggling, first of all, pray and 00:50:05.599 --> 00:50:10.239 ask God for it. Matthew chapter seven. Hear the 00:50:10.239 --> 00:50:12.699 promise of God in verse seven and eight. Ask 00:50:12.699 --> 00:50:15.719 and it shall be given you. Seek and you will 00:50:15.719 --> 00:50:18.780 find. Knock and it shall be opened to you for 00:50:18.780 --> 00:50:22.360 everyone who asks receives and he who finds seeks 00:50:22.360 --> 00:50:24.880 finds and to him who knocks it shall be opened. 00:50:25.019 --> 00:50:28.119 Matthew 7 and verse 11, if you then being evil 00:50:28.119 --> 00:50:30.139 know how to give good gifts to your children, 00:50:30.460 --> 00:50:32.800 how much more will your father who's in heaven 00:50:32.800 --> 00:50:36.179 give good things to those who ask him? So the 00:50:36.179 --> 00:50:39.179 first thing is that I hope today and in the future 00:50:39.179 --> 00:50:43.179 to kindle within you a desire for a wonderful, 00:50:43.420 --> 00:50:50.159 holy, gracious, powerful marriage. That is God's 00:50:50.159 --> 00:50:56.300 plan. Ask God for it. Seek Him about it. Number 00:50:56.300 --> 00:51:02.659 two, be quick to repent of whatever sins are 00:51:02.659 --> 00:51:06.840 besetting to you. Deal with the sins with your 00:51:06.840 --> 00:51:09.380 own sins. Don't point the finger at the other 00:51:09.380 --> 00:51:12.699 and say it's his problem or it's her problem. 00:51:13.000 --> 00:51:16.679 Yes, they have problems for sure, but so do you. 00:51:16.940 --> 00:51:20.559 So be quick to repent of whatever your besetting 00:51:20.559 --> 00:51:24.070 sins are. Maybe it's laziness or carelessness 00:51:24.070 --> 00:51:27.289 or lack of vision or of treating your wife or 00:51:27.289 --> 00:51:30.710 your husband badly or being demeaning to them. 00:51:32.550 --> 00:51:35.489 We're going to look at this further again in 00:51:35.489 --> 00:51:38.730 Ephesians 5 with practical steps on how to be 00:51:38.730 --> 00:51:41.369 a faithful and loving head and a faithful glorious 00:51:41.369 --> 00:51:44.610 wife and thus reflect the relationship of Jesus 00:51:44.610 --> 00:51:48.230 and the church. Thankfully, There are also many 00:51:48.230 --> 00:51:50.369 good books. There are audio books. There are 00:51:50.369 --> 00:51:53.250 podcasts and articles that can give you encouragement, 00:51:53.489 --> 00:51:56.630 can give you advice on how to develop this and 00:51:56.630 --> 00:51:59.429 how to work for it. There's a lot of great insight. 00:51:59.670 --> 00:52:03.010 Feel free to ask me for some resources that will 00:52:03.010 --> 00:52:08.969 help. But fourthly, what can you do? Believe. 00:52:10.959 --> 00:52:15.239 Believe the gospel. It is Jesus who saves. It 00:52:15.239 --> 00:52:18.920 is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies you and so 00:52:18.920 --> 00:52:23.159 trust in Christ. Don't fight the sovereignty 00:52:23.159 --> 00:52:26.099 of God with where he has you at this time, but 00:52:26.099 --> 00:52:30.599 look to Christ. Repent of your sins and look 00:52:30.599 --> 00:52:37.980 to Jesus. Because he can change you. He can change 00:52:37.980 --> 00:52:42.489 your spouse. And by the power of the Holy Spirit, 00:52:42.949 --> 00:52:48.329 there is hope through the gospel. And so, trust 00:52:48.329 --> 00:52:52.510 and believe in the gospel over and over and over. 00:52:52.769 --> 00:52:56.090 Teach the gospel to yourself. Go to the Word 00:52:56.090 --> 00:52:59.389 of God and read it and believe it by the power 00:52:59.389 --> 00:53:04.849 with faith in Jesus. So, trust and believe the 00:53:04.849 --> 00:53:08.610 gospel. And lastly, without a vision, People 00:53:08.610 --> 00:53:13.070 perish. Have a vision for a marriage. You pray 00:53:13.070 --> 00:53:16.409 for it. You ask God for it. You be quick to repent 00:53:16.409 --> 00:53:19.170 of whatever sins have been besetting. You believe 00:53:19.170 --> 00:53:24.090 the gospel. Listen to good podcasts or good sermons. 00:53:24.230 --> 00:53:27.869 Read books, articles that will encourage you. 00:53:28.349 --> 00:53:31.469 But have a vision. Have a vision for it and do 00:53:31.469 --> 00:53:34.949 not perish. Pray about it and start seeking for 00:53:34.949 --> 00:53:37.840 wisdom. This is my encouragement to you today. 00:53:38.639 --> 00:53:40.719 I hope that it has been a blessing. In the name 00:53:40.719 --> 00:53:43.079 of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 00:53:43.280 --> 00:53:44.719 Amen. Let's pray.