EVE

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GENESIS  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  42:41
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We look at the creation of Eve in Genesis chapter two.

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Amen, so we're walking through the Book of Genesis. And in Genesis chapter 1 2 3. We're really trying to find an established a a Biblical or or theocentric God centered worldview an understanding of reality. I believe that's what the text was written for at what we all have worldviews. There's no option you have to have some understanding whether your conscience of it whether it's clear whether it's consistent, that's up for grabs. Most of us live with inconsistent unclear worldviews because our worldviews are formed and shaped by a lot of different sources and inputs. We get it from our family structures. We get it from our teachers and our school. We get it from culture and education we get from music and movies. We tweet we form our understanding and basis of reality from all these different sources. And that what we're trying to do is let God be the sole source and authority of how we understand reality. So we don't do it and there's there's four fundamental questions that that we've been looking at. The first question is where are we to question of environment? The second question is who are we it's a question of a since we're going to dig deeper into that again this morning, then we're going to move on to the question of evil what's wrong with this world and why is it not the way it could or should be and then finally we'll go to the question of last things eschatology. Where is it going? What's the point and purpose? Is there a point in purpose at least four questions form the foundation of any worldview. We want to answer that question from the Bible's perspective. So we're going to be in Genesis chapter 2 again this morning last week. We looked at the creation of the man Adam. This morning we're going to look at the creation of the woman wasn't called even till the next chapter chapter 3 before we get into the text. I want to remind you of some fundamental truth and realities about studying the Book of Genesis. The first is this the Bible is written for us but not to us. We cannot superimpose our questions our assumptions are modern scientific understanding of reality upon a priest scientific ancient near Eastern Israelite culture. It's not make studying the scripture far more challenging. but far more rewarding so we got to remember this is written for us but it is not written to us. We have to learn to think along the lines not only of the author but if the original recipients and and so we got to remember that the message is theological not scientific.

Have you repeat that over and over and over again with me this morning? Because we are so conditioned to think scientifically cause and effect. We were functional materialist in our culture wheat reduce everything to its material structure. So when we start talking about things like Creation in for me and and and and God bringing things into existence, you can't help but think scientifically materialistically, where do the atoms come from what what about energy? What about that's how we think that is not how the author or the original recipients thought. They were not thinking scientifically when we try to ask scientific questions of the text. We're asking it to be something that it is not It is a theological message. It's trying to tell us important truth not scientific truth, but that doesn't mean that they're not truth. It's giving us be a logical truth quite honestly and frankly are well outside the bounds of science to ever hope to understand all science can do is deal with what is it? Can't deal with any of the why questions at all. So the message is illogical not scientific as we saw last week Genesis 2 gives us a functional role. Not a material process. We saw it in chapter one. We see it again in Chapter 2 what the author is describing? He's describing in terms of function. Not a material process. So with that in mind, what's let's start in Genesis 2:18. What are the most startling verses in the whole Bible?

Oh, my God said it is not good. This a man should be alone. I will make a helper fit for him.

Genesis chapter 1 is is a song. It's a poem and one of the elements of that song is the repetitive line over and over again. It is good. It is good. It is good. It is good. It is good it is

as we saw weeks ago when we looked at Genesis chapter 1 this is not a description of the Aesthetics of its not saying oh it's pretty It's not so I know it's nice. It's not saying oh it gives me the warm fuzzies. It's saying this works. It's doing what it's supposed to do its functioning. Do we have God bringing order out of chaos, God creating environments and structures and then filling them and every time he does that he goes. Yep. That works. Yep. That's good. Yep. That's good. Yep. That's good. Yep. That's good. We have this incredible repetitive theme and then we get into chapter 2 and now and now we have God creating the man Adam and putting him in the garden to work in care for an end. God says Adam doesn't say it. Satan doesn't said God said it is not good.

For the man to be alone. It doesn't work. This is a functional statements Adam.

Cannot perform his Priestly duties that God has entrusted to him by himself.

I've been thinking about this all week long and it just Struck it by our culture how radically individualistic our culture is. The message of our culture in no uncertain terms. Is this your alone? You're born alone. You'll die alone. You're alone. You're by yourself. And so our response to that is. I got to do things my way. I'm fundamentally by myself. I'm fundamentally on my own. I've got to get as much power as I can so that I can use and control other people. I'm I'm not going to let anybody in trajectory impose their thinking or their beliefs upon me. I'm going to do it my way. Right. I'm going to be my own person. Maybe the captain of my own ship the master of my own destiny. This is our cultural narrative. You're on your own and that's a good thing. Don't let anybody stop you from being your own person. Do your own thing. You're by yourself.

When our culture answers the question of essence, who are we it's as you are fundamentally alone. You are your own person by yourself.

Genesis chapter 2 God declares, you know what this doesn't work.

You're no good by yourself. Is it it's not a functional reality? I think often because we're such an emotionally based culture. We tend to read this and go Adam was lonely.

Right where we want to make this into a rom-com right with will get Reese Witherspoon. And you know some dude was a six-pack and we'll turn it into something just so they complete each other.

That's not what the text is saying.

God looks at Adam and says, you know what is not good for him to be along the clues in the next race. I'm going to make a helper fit for him. Helper and look at that word a little bit more as we keep going it in the keyboards and they're going to make a helper for this man. We need to have a helper helper for what? Emotional loneliness or heartache or or or any of that kind of stuff the man in the garden for a purpose, right? We we saw it last week Genesis to 15th and put them in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

Not just the gardener. We may have been taken care of some of the trees and all that sort of stuff. But these are Priestley term. These are ruling terms. These are kingly terms. These are actually prophetic term. Is created Rule and serve with God as his Prophet priest king and leave the nation leave the people's to extend the rule and the reign of God's from the center of Sacred Space in Eden and to bring order to the rest of the world and take the chaos and Rule and reign as God's representative. That's what atom is made to do. And God looks at Adam goes to do that by himself.

Not going to happen. It's beyond him. The atom cannot fulfill his calling by himself. That's what the statement is. Not good for the man to be alone mean. Adam cannot fulfill that the Mandate that God has given him the calling the guy has the function of his design. Cannot do it by himself. This is the fundamental basis of something that I stay here all the time you cannot but be who God made you to be by yourself.

You will never experience. The joy and the freedom and the beauty of being who God made you to be in isolation because God did not make you to be isolated. And in the same way you cannot do but I do bite by yourself. You cannot do it.

And this is where the message of the scriptures this is where a Biblical worldview comes in the hard conflict with our worldview of our culture. Our culture says you can do anything you want to do. I think the most blatantly false statement in the history of false statements. You can do anything you want to do all that sounds good on Saturday morning infomercials and in kindergarten class. But it's not true.

deal with reality

We live in this kind of pseudo belief and then I can do anything. I want I can talk to me. I can do it by myself. I can pursue this and then we bring that into the gospel. We apply that thinking. That worldview to the message of the Gospel in Jesus to like I'm going to believe in Jesus okay with going to serve him to do it my way by myself. Like I'm going to die. I'm going to find the ministry that I am going to make it all about me.

The most natural thing in the world for somebody from a western individualistic culture to do with the gospel. The only problem with it is everything

cuz it's the antithesis of the culture of the Gospel.

We're not designed to function Independence and isolation. What design to function in interdependence in relational community? We want to experience the fullness of life as God intends. If we want to be who God made us to be and we want to do the things that God put us on this Earth to do it will only happen. When it functions according to the design of God when we do it together, it is not good. For the man to be alone is not a statement that only applies to the guy that we call Adam.

We wouldn't translate it. Adam got the definite article. It's dumb man. It's not good for the man to be alone. This is like saying God made Adam the man from the dust is not just a statement about Adam. Adam wasn't made of dust in the rest of us are made out of something else. It's a statement about our mortality. This is a statement about all of us were not made the function in Independence and isolation.

It goes against the Divine Design.

Forgot says it's not good. We got to find a helper. Starts and we got start with what's their out of the Granville or got informed every beast of the field every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature that was its name the man gave names to all life's look into the birds of heavens and every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper fit or suitable or complimentary or rights for him.

Understand but in the ancient world names were not given randomly. We live in a weird time for names don't we? Like people just I don't know what they're doing with name. So it just gets interesting. But in the ancient world names actually matter they meant something and naming something Not only was a demonstration of authority and rulership but naming would imply functionality. It was it was descriptive and prescriptive at the same time each of the animals in the fish in a look at that duck-billed platypus. All right, I don't know. What what what's his purpose? What's its function? What is it Adams looking at them? It's thinking about them canvas help me. Be the ruler that God called me to be can this help me be the king the prophet. The priest the God has asked me to be can this animal help me extend the order and the beauty of God in the glory of his kingdom into the chaos of the world can this animal help me in and there was a lot of beautiful animals and a lot of helpful animals, but none of them were up to the task. None of them were helpers fit. for the timer

So this is where it gets challenging for us.

When I talk about not thinking scientifically thinking theologically when I think it's a Bible written for us, but not to us. This is where it starts the matter if you're in this text. The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man. Deep sleep Adam took a nap right that we read that and we go. Oh, yeah to type them. Put them under right? All right, I'm start talking in that start talking, you know count backwards from 10, and he's like 10 9 red blue elephant. nearby

cuz we we read this as surgery got cuz the Deep Sleep to fall upon them and we slept and took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flashlight. Did the first surgery, right? We're thinking materially we're thinking physically relying on God literally came down and scalp doesn't feel any pain in my rib and somehow builds the verb for the next versus a built Evo out of that ribbon.

That's not what the author was saying. Certainly not with the original audience. They didn't know about anesthetic. They know about surgery. They weren't concerned or thinking about the the material or just thinking about function. When the word that is used for deep sleep in the word that's used in the Hebrew scriptures often, but it's always used in the context of a divine. Sleep that comes upon a person when there's danger or when there's a prophetic revelation.

We would use the word in our culture a vision or a trance. Right. Suites on Knapp. It's not MediCal. It's not anesthesia. God is going to reveal something to Adam put him into a state that he can receive is kind of spiritual truth a Visionary experience. And in this Vision, what does he see? He sees God come and take him in the word use for rib here. It's only used here than in the Old Testament anatomically everywhere else. It's used to talk about buildings. Or or or or architecture it it literally means a side. Do you have this side of the building and this side of the building? That's what that's what the word means. We read this we all took one of the ribs. You know it was it was it just the red was just the phone was it and I do men have fewer ribs than women. Should we all start counting? What is that? What what happened? Did you regrow the other rib then? No, he's having a vision.

Got some and it didn't just take a rib he takes half of them. You text the side of him. All right out of that side of him. deforms a woman

radically different statement how we normally think about it says the ribs at the Lord got to take him for the man he made into a woman and he brought her to the man and the man said

Man, oh, man.

Like I said, this is at least bone of my bones and Flesh of My Flesh.

Takes a rib how to get flat stomach, but what's he saying? She's of the same nature as me. I'm made up of Bones and flesh is made up of my bones and flesh. He's the same to me at Last by scorpions and duck-billed platypus and they're awesome, but they're not me. No, man. She's Mine she's like me

It's a play on words in the Hebrew a new word for mayonnaise used East. Any Asha?

Manish woman, Isha

at last came out of me We Belong Together. Were made for each other. Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife. And they shall become one flesh.

the man took his wife and they were both naked and we're not

that is weird for us culturally. Write for us.

Because we live after chapter 3. We live after the fall. When they chose to walk in Disobedience, and we'll get the chapter 3. I promise you will get there.

When is held the first thing that they notice in each other? Was not the sameness not all of my bones and Flesh of My Flesh. They look at each other and go my gosh were different. I got an Audi you got an any. I'm trying to keep it G-rated here y'all.

right complementary they function well together, but different answer. What are they? Do they make fig leaves that they cover their differences?

That's that's what's in does it bring shame if highlights on differences it it focuses on what might keep us separate from each other but here the man and the woman Eason.

They're with each other naked but there's no shame. They're not they're not focus on the differences are focused on that complementarianism. They love and the light in each other. They're made for each other.

When I saw the creation of Adam on from dust we learned last week man is mortal.

To be a man to be a woman to be human. It's to be more that were made from that were made to be dependent. If God does not give us life. We will die. That's that's the lesson we learned in the creation of Adam. In the creation of Eve were learn this man humankind men and women are made equal.

That's the lesson of Genesis chapter 2 in the creation of it. She came from me. She's my other half. We belong together and when we are joined together in marriage what happens we become one flesh. Sense of completion that sense of fullness. So it's telling us that you Manatee. What does it mean to be a person made in the image of God 127 in the image of God, he made them male and female he made them to be human is to be gender.

It is to be male and female now. We're going to start opening up a whole bunch.

in our culture

an end and listen the battles been going on since Genesis chapter 3 because and we'll get there. I promise.

Isn't that the Judgment of sin? Promise division between the genders competition conflict and that's been playing out in the history of the world ever since. We don't help each other B and do what God made us to be and do we try to use each other? To be and do what we want us to do.

I've taken many different forms. This these versa have been used. to suppress and dominate women in countless cultures and centuries

God made out of first and the woman is a helper. Oh, you're you're the helper. You clean up after my mess. You you you to do what I say. You're less than your inferior for my bone and Flesh of My Flesh. Copper does not mean inferior. Just say it with me does not mean inferior.

The women are saying hey, man. I love you, baby. 19th Amendment said Helper does not mean in fear. We got some other challenges in our cause I don't have time to even wait into that this morning. But what is the difference between men and women eliminate the difference in gender? We're actually culturally were saying there is no scientific basis for gender, which is one of the most stupid statements you can ever make. Holy Communion

Yeah, that's where we are.

The Bible's unashamed. No, no. God makes human. He makes them male and female. You make some of the same stuff. They share the same Essence. They have the same value helper does not mean inferior.

means equal it means the one who provides what is lacking. It means the one who support and help accomplish not what the man wants but what God made the man to do. Robin just make the man to do it. He made the man and the woman to do that together. Not just Adams job. It's their job.

Let me just plan to see if here. Cuz in the church.

That kind of inferior status for women. Has become codified in a culture in a lot of different ways. Very limiting for women to do ministry.

Just think about this this morning. What was the work that Eve was created to do to help Adam with what was the work? It's not Ministry. credits rule credit immediate credit to bring order Prophet priest and King

Just let that sink in.

We're all created. by God for God and men and women share equal value and equal calling. To be God's representative to rule with God and bring God glory and order out of Chaos.

Let that sink in and here's another thought this to talk about rules of gender within marriage, you know. Men should go out and work and women should stay at home and cook and clean and why cuz they're helper... We have all this other stuff.

Imma text back. I'm a Bible guy. I've read this backwards and forward in English and Hebrew in a whole bunch of versions. I don't see one single statement in Genesis chapter 2 about the roles of gender. Not one statement in the text, but people can take it and try to make invitations out of it that you can do that with any text to make it say anything you wanted to. We got to be textual people. We got to let the Bible the authority we don't use the Bible to justify what we want to be true to be true. There's not a single statement in Genesis chapter 2 about the roles of gender within the marriage just says they come together there one they're married. They leave Mom and Dad they form something new they're together there.

Let's go. Let's go back to help her help. Her does not mean in fear because God is our helper. chant mean inferior

You cannot help Adam out. Do the stuff that he didn't want to do? You cannot read it that way because that word answer is used over and over and over and over again in the Hebrew scriptures of God himself for his people.

If you play that same logic is a well Eve was made after a lesser than Eaves. Then you got to read the rest of the Old Testament. God bless God's our servant gods are inferior cuz he helps us out. Anybody want to go there? Cuz if you do razor ham so people can move away from you. Just safety safety.

I just give you a couple. Exodus 18 after after God did some amazing things with Moses would we could we go there this morning? Say God showed up helped Moses out a little bit. You think Moses could have handled Pharaoh on his own.

Exodus 18 now death row Moses father-in-law had taken zipporah Moses his wife after it sent her home along with her two sons. The name of the first son was gershom or he said I have been a soldier in a foreign land with the word me names mean things in ancient cultures in the wilderness watching sheep. Before that he was born in Egypt in a foreign land. He's making a statement as he named his son second son. He makes a statement as well. The other name was La Kaiser.

I'll make a helper answer. Unites a second son Elliott Surfer. He said the god of my father was my house and delivered me from the store to Farrell l e s are literally means God is my help.

You can't read the Psalms. And not see this truth unpacked over and over and over again. I picked out a couple of my favorite Psalm 115 9 to 11 Israel trust in the Lord for he is there.

It's there and their Shield. Israel trust the Lord wife. He's your help or House of Aaron trust in the Lord wife. He is their help and their Shield you poop fear the lord. trust in the Lord wife their help and their hsieh

when when when we can't do it on our own God is our helper Adam couldn't do what God asked him to do by himself not inferior equal.

Let's move to the New Testament. Let's talk about Jesus.

Jesus is our helper is he not? 1st John 2:1 my little children

I'm writing these things to you.

I like John cuz he uses that phrase my little children the older I get the better that makes me feel.

I'm writing to you so that you may not send.

but if anyone does sin We have an advocate ESV says Advocate about that word there. Miss helper, that's not the same word as Genesis to cuz that's Hebrew. This is now Greek don't give me the same word used but it's the same concept.

In the same way that Adam was unable. By himself to be and do what God made him to be in do until he needed a helper in the same way that by ourselves unable to resist and defeat. The power of sin. God has given us a helper in Jesus.

If anyone does sin we have an advocate to help her with the father Jesus Christ. the righteous

John chapter 14 She says this if you love me you'll keep. my Commandments. Verse sometimes traumatizes me. Like I loved you got and I want to keep your Commandments. I just terrible at it.

If you love me you will keep my Commandments. And I will ask the father and he will give you another. Helper, same word. We just saw on 1st John. That is the same word in Greek Advocate helper one who comes alongside that's what the word means one who comes alongside.

I'll give you another helper, which means what we had a helper who was the first helper Jesus Jesus getting ready to leave and that's the whole point of John 14. He's getting ready to go to cross to die to send it says listen, if you love me, you'll keep doing what I called you to do it if you love me obey my commandment if you love me, you'll stick with me. But I'm not going to ask you to do it by yourself. I'm going to ask the father and he's going to bring you another helper.

another helper

But he's not just going to be alongside you.

Even the spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him for he dwells with you. And will be in you.

Genesis chapter 2 it's telling us a simple truth. About the nature the essence of humanity. That's a be a human created in the image of God. Is to be gender.

That there are male and female and that they are created equally of the same substance for the same purpose doesn't mean there. I denicol there are differences but those differences complement because one supplies what the other Lacks

and the lesson about truth is that we can in no way shape or form? Live the life that God is calling us to live in Independence and isolation. We need each other help.

It's not. Did Adam. We'll take it from here? It's not even say you complete me. I'd only got any more than anything else. We're just going to that's what Hollywood does with love. I find that woman. I find that man that part over they're going to they're going to completely they're going to they're going to satisfy me completely. No, text doesn't say that.

Talking about the essence the nature the identity of humanity. It does tell us that we have to treat each other as equals. Because we are equal.

And there's no way that it implies inferiority.

men need women to help them women. Need men to help them and together we all need God. the help

the good news of the Gospel is good that God made Eve. It's really good that the word became flesh. And made his dwelling in our mess. It's really good that God sent another helper named Jesus the righteous one to do what we couldn't do to Die the death we deserve to die to pay for the sins that we owed to help us in ways that we could not help our self. The good news of the Gospel is that guy doesn't even stop there. Then Jesus sends another helper the spirit to not just be beside but to be within us the same spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead now dwells within you

This is why we can say God is an ever-present help in times of trouble because anywhere I go there he is.

God is our helper he helps men be the men that he made them to be. He helps women be the women that they were made to be and he helps men and women come together to be the imagers.

to fulfill the task

to be a kingdom of priests

and extend the rule and the reign of God. Not through the force of arm.

Not through shedding the blood of our enemy.

by following the way of love and like our Master denying our cell. Picking up our cross and following him. Trusting the one who raised Jesus from the dead and did not abandon him to death and Decay will in no way ever leave for sake disappoint or abandon us. Jesus is our helper. Amen.

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