Different by Design (Part 1 of 2)

God could have created humanity. He did were different by his design today on Truth for Life. Alistair Begg looks at how and why men and women are different from each other and from the rest of creation. The first session essentially none the hardware that is necessary in the building of the house long before ever you get even to the ground floor that has to be the laying of all of the irrigation.

All of the essential supplies all of the stuff that frankly has no aesthetic appeal to it at all unless you are very fixated engineer, but for the average person. He said can we come about over as quickly as possible and let's at least get up into the basement if not into the ground floor.

Of course, without the hard work being done in the care being given to all of those foundational engineering elements then to proceed too quickly to the basement. The ground floor and above will only be to create difficulties later on nights and reason that I have labored and in some senses perhaps belabored our opening session because you those of you who are mothers are going to either instill this in your children or somebody else is going instill something else in your children in a generation will grow up your boys will grow up to be men.

Your girls will grow up to be women and they will grow up to model to display other things that they have taken on board as the underpinnings for femininity and for masculinity and remember that their growing up in a world where Freudian is him and the kind of product of early 19th-century thought has now become too great fruition, and is just flashing across the structures of education and the involvement of Boys and Girls Club in the relationships with one another and therefore it's good and important to go back to basics to go back to the very beginning, and to notice how God is described here as putting together humanity. Mr. and Mrs. Adam. Your Bible is "in Genesis 5 you will notice the description. There is the written account of Adams line, when God created man, he made him in the likeness of God and notice the immediate change.

The plural verse two he created them male and female. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God created them male and female and less than and when they plural male and female where created. He called then Adam now I want you to notice your three things now try and work through the three things in a way I guess. Perhaps more cohesion than there was in the four-star.

First of all I want us to notice that we are different male and female different by design different by design, I'm going to refer frequently to these opening verses of Genesis and now to verse 28 of Genesis 1, God blessed them and said to then be fruitful and increase in number fill the air's of Jewett rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves on the ground, man and woman together are given the responsibility and the privilege of ruling over the rest of creation. It is together. Verse 27. You will notice in chapter 1 that we reflect God's image. So God created man in his own image in the image of God he created him male and female he created them is very, very, very important, so that although Adam bears the name Madden as the head of the race becomes is is creationist. First, there is no question about that. We can feel bad about it, do whatever we like with it, but as head of the race. It requires both man and woman to express God's image. In other words, the only way we can understand what it means to be truly human is by looking both at masculinity and at femininity. Now that's not to say that the unmarried don't possess the image of God, because I'm overseeing here is what the Bible is saying, namely that it is in the complementary nature of male and female that God's image is manifested in their interwoven's that it would be wrong for is in saying that to suggest that somehow or another. A single manner, a single girl is somehow less than an expression of true humanity, because the marriage picture is only one of a number of pictures that are used as a governmental picture, and so on to express the nature of God's revelation in this way so nobody needs a run home and save I'm not in the image of God, because I don't have a husband or I don't have a wife or whatever else it is the fact of the matter is that God's creation of humanity is expressed in the genders that are uniquely fashion and that is why you have both. Now, having said that, there is clearly a distinct truth about the image of God that is represented and expressed and safeguarded in marriage.

The two shall become one and in this co-mingling in this cool union that is something that is revealed about God that is mysterious. It is the revealed secret to which Paul refers in Ephesians 5. Remember, he says this is a great mystery is a mysterious thing this to becoming one I'm talking about Christ and the church and here in the cool mingling of male and female that is this amazing mind-boggling notion of God having manifested himself in humanity and in the distinctions that exist between male and female that is a diversity that is unified and there is a unity that is diversifying and the distinctions between men and women are in builds human characteristics programmed in designed purposefully by God different but complementary and different by design. That's why in verse 31 God saw all that he had made and it was very good, including the essential differences between men and women know it is obvious that men and women are clearly not identical, say well that's the most brilliant thing you said so far it's incredible and that where did you get where did you get that insight well every small boy suddenly realizes I don't look like my sister and she don't look like me.

Why this because somehow I got pushed further along the the the sliding scale of sexuality because God uniquely fashion me in terms of masculinity I say is that important will is important far more levels in the purely physical men and women are clearly not identical, and therefore they don't have to function identically if men and women are not identical.

Why do they have to do identical things. Why is it that a man would somehow feel that he couldn't possibly be truly a man unless he was doing what women do or that a lady is not really what she needs to be.

Unless you can do what Mendez anything that notion comes from. It doesn't come from the Bible. Charlie in upstate New York this year I became on roadworks all the time.

Sometimes I was stuck at the there roadworks waiting. And sometimes I was in the front of the line is a happen going back and forth on a particular journey I can on every single occasion the person was standing there with a big stop sign and a helmet was a girl that is fine if that's what she wants to do what I said to myself is this really what the feminist lobby was trying to achieve so that you know my daughter could grow up to hold our stop sign wear jeans and working boots and drive around on a giant Caterpillar it's okay that's okay but the presupposition that is built into it.

Is this somehow or another unless the girl is able to take charge of that situation somehow or another. There is a precinct to her dad.

And last, he is able to embrace said it will mean that she is less and she is supposed to be or she is not champion life in the way that she needs to know is the Bible. The difference is clear and the differences are important are important in life that are important in marriage and are important in ministry and the complementary nature of things, most of the four and the portion that we just read the Lord God said is not good for the man to be alone. I'm going to make a helper suitable for him. Now the way in which this unfolds is quite incredible.

If you look in order to build a woman actually is the verb in Hebron in order to build the womb, God has to make man incompletes he takes something out of man. So man now is incomplete.

He is then made complete in receiving back what was taken out from him. The female is built in separation from our true origin or context so that she will only come home returned to where and what she should be in our understanding of her femininity in light of the reality of masculinity, whether that is living in singleness, or whether that is living in marriage and any view that sidesteps that is deficient in relationship to the Bible is saying physiology alone teaches us this that we are so unbelievably deaf reference by this second thing we should notice is this that the difference by design is in order that there might be harmony. The difference by design is in order that there might be harmony if you like, in order that everything may fit the way God intended it to fit here to give a talk on human physiology or sexuality relieved to know that you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that human physiology seems perfectly suited to all. That would mean physically to be called mingled in a one flesh.

Union is an expression of the reality of our masculinity and femininity and then anything other than that is certainly a deviation from it and the Bible actually says is a perversion of marriage by its very definition is heterosexual is monogamous is one flesh union and you don't need a textbook to figure it out. Now what you have in the opening two chapters of Genesis of courses to complementary expressions of what is happened in creation Genesis 11, up to the third verse of chapter 2 is a kind of comprehensive description that reaches its climax in the creation of man. Verse 27 so God created man male and female he created them.

Then in verse 4 to 25 of chapter 2.

You have this further expression of it where it is impossible to see anything other than the fact that man's preeminence is established overall of the rest of the creative order and in that section in chapter 2 the responsibilities the functionality of mailing male and female is defying the duty of man is given there in verse 15, the Lord God took the man and put them in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of its so that man is created and is given this responsibility of work. Not that he is the only one who needs to work but nevertheless didn't win in the divvying up of tasks God sister not on what I want you to do is I want you to get out there and I want you to look after this garden that I've given to and at the same time, he said what I like you to do is take all of these creatures that I have fashion for you and I would be very, very grateful if you could do the scientific task of looking at them and then of naming them demanding, but a delightful privilege there. He calls pointing at the creatures and figuring out what they're all going to be call, but in this process. It reveals items need a mate. Verse 20 man gave names to all the livestock and the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field but notice for Adam no suitable helper was found. It wasn't content to be there.

The zookeeper and jungle book. You know he was not happy just to hang around the names of the monkeys and that I'd watch the dolphin do their thing.

There is no suitable helper form to be found. Man was lonely and the woman was created on accountants of man's loneliness. No suitable helper was found woman is a suitable helper for man man incidentally is a suitable helper for woman, but the emphasis here is on the need and nature of what it would mean for this feminine creature to now be taken at all of this masculine creature in order that she may be a helper suitable for him. She is created if you like, in order to make him complete. Some ladies immediately have a problem with the idea of a helper suitable is the problem with suitable is the problem with helper. I'm not sure why not just here to be your help know you're not. You're here fashion in the image of God in order to glorify God and enjoy him forever. And so my but having said that, there are certain things that we both need one another for helper you see doesn't equal subordination. For example in the Psalms. It's not uncommon for us to read resemblance on 33 we waited and hope for the Lord. He is our helper and our shield is our helper in our shield. Does that mean then that God is subordinate to us clearly not. But he is prepared to fulfill the role of helping eyes in our need man was prior to woman in creation, but his priority does not mean superiority. Writing our little things you can write priority doesn't equal superiority unit I was here first like you're trying to get your car into a space in a car park. I was here first. Therefore, what doesn't work that way in terms of man, woman, man can get up in the morning though I was here for skip breakfast which lady may reply I was here second. Get your own priority does not mean superiority you need a helper item is clear for a lot of reasons. He done a nice job on the animals. I must admit that your flower beds are a complete disgrace. Whoever said of those things would go like that.

This ladies will be a big help to you, Adam.

She really is. Frankly, without her, you're no use. You need or, in more ways than you understand. So you think that for him to be given this wonderful helper is for him to see get up in the morning and create a list stick it up on the equivalent of the French with her name in the top Eve to do list for today how let's get going. Clearly not surely is coming to her and say need for my supposed to do now Eve, can you help me with this Eve. Where do I put that Eve where my car keys need you know I can do math help the kids. Eve I don't know what color should be Eve, could you give me some treasures.

Eve help help me Rhonda help Melanie Ron so priority didn't equal superiority, but God is a God of order and therefore these are going to border that has to be order and since he's God and since he is the designer he designed it with Adam first and then he problem for some yes but then priority thing does not imply some kind of female inferiority. In fact, one reason I think for the priority of man is made clear in first Peter three which we may gadget in our closing session today is made clear in his responsibility for loving and caring for the woman but I without the woman man knows himself to be deficient since she'd been taken out of him.

He knew himself to be complete only when he lived in harmony with her in the same way without the man. The woman is also incomplete. Having been taken out of him.

She was only complete when he was put back with this wonderful picture is a mysterious picture. I'm sure we can unpack so they are different but equal is being made in the image of God. Together they submit to the purposes of God to get on the enjoy harmony in the home in the church. Men and women need each other in Asia and everything that undermines that reality is ultimately unhelpful and is untrue. That of course is a great issue on homosexuality in our day.

Well you wife and a white woman around here. I can live with Rodney and Ian are equally good. The task of parenting. After all, we knew much rather have your children in a loving homosexual relationship than on loving heterosexual relationship sophistry. The best kind. Another great one clear instruction of Scripture in order to try and uphold another instruction of Scripture.

So feminism in the fight for equal rights have tended to obscure all of the proper and delightful differences to involve magazine and go through it and how many times you turn the page and say is that a fellow or a girl in advertisement is that a girl that looks like a chap present a chapter looks like a girl is not by chance know is by design is by design because it is the ultimate rebellion against the creator man is saying that God you didn't make us even if you did, you clearly didn't make us different by design, and we reject your ideas of harmony will reject your ideas of wholeness, we reject your ideas of family we reject your ideas of femininity and we are expressing this in multiple fashion and our girls are growing up within our homes, trying to find her footing and trying to find their framework and trying to find their future in my shoes.

The mom are clear were in real trouble. God designed men and women equal value dignity and worth. But we are different and those differences are important in life and marriage and in ministry, listing the Truth for Life with Alastair back our study today is about God's design for women like to enhance your study of this topic and learned the extraordinary story of a young woman named Esther. I will point you to the series titled the unseen God. This is the Old Testament narrative, and Alastair unpacks the remarkable event told in the book of Esther will hear how God led them unassuming young Jewish girl to advance his kingdom by becoming queen of Persia in the title of the series is the unseen God, you can listen to all 15 messages for free online of Truth for Life.org or you can purchase a USB with all 15 messages included that are cost of just five dollars@truthforlife.org/storm the Bible teaches us that God gave men and women separate and distinct roles and each of us plays a different part in our relationship with the subject is explored further in the book we want to recommend to you today. The book is titled women and God and in this book the author unpacks the distinctive characteristics God gave to women as you read the book you learn how these unique characteristics are essential to God's overarching plan for all of humanity for the building of his kingdom. Request your copy of the book women and God. When you give a donation Truth for Life.org/about Lapine listing God designed us to be different so that there would be harmony Weiser so much intactness in Christian relationships. Join us tomorrow for the conclusion of today's message will find out more about why were different by design Bible teaching of Alastair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life for the learning is prolific