The Doctrine of Adam's Rib

Chapter two, the doctrine of Adam's rib. This is a very important theological truth in the Bible. The doctrine of Adam's rib, some of you are very interested in this, I know. And we want to look and see what the Bible has to say about marriage. As we speak about marriage, we are speaking in a context in which we live in a country and a culture in which there is sexual anarchy by anyone's measurement. And in fact, we are the most radicals of everyone in this culture because Christians say that God has a plan, a structure, a purpose, a design for sexuality. And that His purpose is very clear. We are speaking in a context in our culture when people are afraid to even say that there are clear distinctions between male and female.

And yet God has given us a clear picture. Now we believe this is a historical account. We understand it's in very dramatic language. It's in a context that really grabs your attention. It's a simple story, but it gives us the basic truth of this issue of marriage, the issue of husband and wife, the issue of family. And so we want to take a look at it in the midst of the creation account beginning in verse 18. For the first time, we have a word of maladdiction by God. He has been giving us benedictions. It is very good. It is very good. It is very good seven times in the first chapter. And now for the first time, God says it is not good. Something is not good. And notice what it is. Then the Lord God said, verse 18, it is not good for the man to be alone.

I will make him a helper suitable for him. Out of the ground, the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called a living creature, that was his name. The man gave names to all the cattle, to the birds of the sky, to every beast of the field. But for Adam, there was not found a helper corresponding to him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man and he slept. And he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The Lord God fashioned, built into a woman, the rib, which he had taken from the man and brought her to the man. And the man sings the song. Is the first poem in the Bible written by a man who sees the woman for the first time.

That's why we have all these songs that men have written in response. What God has created in the man says, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called a woman because she was taken out of man for this reason because God did it in this way for this reason. A man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Naked and not ashamed. Notice, first of all, in verse 18, the first part of verse 18, we have Adam's deficiency here. The first time, as I said, when God says something is not good, he says it is not good for the man to be alone. One deficiency remains in this creation story.

There is not yet a companion that is suitable to the man. This need is going to be met in verses 18 to 25. Now, if you notice that what God does, he waits until the very last step. He lets man feel his need and then he creates the woman in this unique way. So the garden with all of its pleasures and provisions for food and meaningful activity for a work that God has called into and all of that was not sufficient unless these delights from God's hand could be shared. He needed companionship. And so God is going to provide Adam with that which he needed the most. He provides him with companionship. In the New Testament, we are told that in order to remain single throughout life, a person would have to have a special gift from God.

In order to have contentment, to do the work of God in this life without a companion, a life's companion and marriage, he says a person would have to have a special gift from God. I know that I don't have that gift and I've only met a few people that do have it. It doesn't seem that God gives it to too many people. But there are those who are gifted in such a way that they never marry and they are content to live before God in that state. But as a general pervasive principle, it is not good for a man to be alone. How many men could say amen? That's really weak. How many women could say amen? Yeah, the women know it better than the men probably. The second thing that he does in this chapter is we see God's provision.

In the last part of verse 18, it says, I will make him a helper suitable for him. Adam's mate was to be a very special creation. She is a helper suitable for the man. That is corresponding to the man. She was to be a helper, not a slave, not an inferior. In fact, this word helper is the Hebrew word as there is used fairly often in Scripture and most of the time it is used of God. God is our helper. In fact, Moses liked this word so much that he named one of his sons with this word. Notice that text there in Exodus chapter 18 and the other that is his other son, Moses' other son was named Eleazar. For he said, Moses said, the God of my father was my help, my azare, and delivered me from the sword of Sparrow.

One of the things that is implied with this word is the way it is used over and over again in Scripture. It refers primarily to God and in this case God is helping man through the woman. He creates the woman to give help to the man. Not a servant, not a maid, but a helper like God that is fit or corresponding to him. And the point here is that this word does not imply any inferiority of the helper. She doesn't have more power or less power than the man, but she is put in a position. She is created for this purpose of God helping man through the creation of the woman. Men need women. Every man needs a woman unless he especially gets it. Amen, I can say amen to that without a doubt. Greatest need in my life in this world is to have a wife which I've had for almost 40 years now.

And she has been a helper that is corresponding and suitable for me. And that second expression suitable means corresponding to a helper who corresponds to the man. To Adam. One translation you may have it reads, I will make a helper like him, but that is just the opposite of what the text is teaching. She is not like him. She corresponds to him. When he looks at her he sees that she is like him in a real sense, but she is very different. She corresponds to them. And it's often what we consider to be the perfect wife. It's a perfect match for us, but actually incompatibility is by divine design in many instances. In fact, it's what gives life a certain quality that God has in mind. I want to either read something right here by a clear thinker.

Dwight Harvey Small wrote, incompatibility is one of the purposes of marriage. God would never approve of a divorce based on incompatibility. Incompatibility, he says, is at the heart of the purpose of marriage. God has appointed conflict and burdens for lessons in spiritual growth. These are to be subservient to high and holy purposes. As Elton Trueblood has suggested he goes on, a successful marriage is not one in which two people beautifully matched, find each other and get along happily ever after. Because of this initial matching, it is instead a system by means of which persons who are sinful and contentious are so caught up by a dream and a purpose bigger than themselves that they work through the years in spite of repeated disappointment to make the dream come true.

Amen. There's one good amen by a woman who knows that incompatibility is the spice of marriage. Just as Eve was fashioned, so as to correspond to Adam in a physical way. So she complimented him in every other way, socially, intellectually, spiritually and emotionally. A woman who corresponds to him. A woman who fills up those areas of his life that he is lacking. Imagine if you were just like your wife or you were just like your husband. What kind of a life would that be? And my life would be absolute chaos if my wife was like me. We would be in big trouble. But notice what God does. God's provision, first of all, is by preparing Adam in verses 19 and 20. God is very thoughtful here. It's almost an amusing story because God's first wets the appetite of Adam before he provides the woman for him.

Well, how does he do it? But he hasn't done it by naming the animals. He gave names to all the animals. And in doing that, God opens his eyes to something crucial that he needs to know and understand. Now, this naming of the animals reflects Adam's rule over the creatures because it is a manifestation of his authority to name the animals. Probably involve the careful study of their unique characteristics because he is going to name them in such a way that, and that's what this word means, it reveals their characteristics. A hippopotamus, for example, is a water beast, a water horse from the Greek word. Now, I take it that Abraham named, I mean Adam named all these animals in Hebrew. So maybe the Hebrew names for animals are the most descriptive.

I'm not sure of that. Maybe God didn't speak Hebrew. Maybe he spoke English. But it must have taken some time for him to do this. I mean, think of this, naming all the animals. The process Adam would observe that no mere creature could ever fill the void in his life. Everybody looks at this text. Asked to use a little bit of imagination. We understand this was in exegesis. This is more isegesis. But you could imagine what Adam was doing as he is looking at the animals. He notices as he is inspecting them, looking at them. There is a, a, he rabbit and a she rabbit, a he elephant and a she elephant. And they all correspond to one another. But as he looks, he sees the kangaroos. Because now that won't work.

He looks at the horses. Now that's not a mate that would correspond to me. And you could imagine this entire process. And in fact, if you notice, it says a mate was not found for him. A helper fit for him was not found. In other words, it sounds as though he is actually interacting with God. As he inspects these animals and names them. And he keeps saying to God, I don't see any corresponding helper that fits me. God wants him to feel his need. This is the first time in creation that a creature feels a need. And it is the man he doesn't have a helper that corresponds to him. And so God allows him to see this, allows him to understand this. And he longs for God to provide for him a helper that is fit for him.

Now notice what happens next. He creates a helper that corresponds to him. Now at this moment of his intense need and desire, God puts him to sleep. Now this happens all the time in Scripture. God put Abraham to sleep when he made covenant with him. He had to cut up all the animals in a typical way of cutting a covenant. And that's what it was called cutting a covenant. Is these animals were cut in half and spread out. And the two people making a covenant together would walk through the center between those animal pieces. And basically saying, If I break my covenant with you, may I be like one of these beasts that has been cut in half. When God gets ready to make the covenant with Abraham, Abraham spreads all the animals out, sets it all up so that he and God can make covenant.

And then God puts him to sleep. And God alone walks through the midst of those animals. He does the same thing with Jacob. It's not until Jacob is asleep until he receives the promise of God. God puts people into deep sleep. And why did he do that? To demonstrate the fact that man is passive in this and God is active. See, Adam didn't design this woman. God did. God is the designer and the provider and the creator of the woman. And he brings her to the man. He puts him to sleep, takes out of his side the rib. And then he presents the woman to the man. What an event that must have been. He wakes up and it says that God brought the woman to him. Now, he has already felt his knee. He has seen the fact that there is no corresponding companion for him.

God has put him to sleep, taken a rib out of his side, closed the flesh up. And then he brings the woman that he has built to the man. It's interesting that he's a completely different word for this creation of the woman. For the man, it says he forms him. He takes the clay and he forms him like a potter. But when he creates the woman, he uses the Hebrew word for built. He builds the woman. She was built by God. She was a special creation. He takes from the man so that she is from the man. But he builds her into exactly what he wants her to be. And notice Adam's response in verse 23. The man said, This is now bone of my bones. And flesh of my flesh, she shall be called woman because she was taken out of man.

Now, this is much more exciting. This statement is an expression of his excitement. In fact, there's some untranslatable, almost words in here. Because he is responding after looking and looking and looking and looking and not finding. A helper fit for him, a companion. When God brings her, he institutes marriage. Adam expresses the delight of his heart with a song, with a poem. And notice how this poem goes. This is the literal translation of the Hebrew phrase. It has every mark, almost of Hebrew poetry in it. Assonance and parallelism. And the way that the expression is shaped and everything else and literally says, It's now think of this in light of the fact that he has looked and looked and looked.

And finally, he says as the RSV translates it at last. At last. He sees a companion that is fit for him. Loophole translates it now at length. I have a companion and quite literally it says this. This. This time. Bone of my bones. And flesh of my flesh. This. Now remember, she doesn't have a name yet. And that's why he's saying this. This woman. She'll be called woman. Or from the man was taken. This. The emphasis throughout this poem is on this. This is the unique creation of God that corresponds perfectly to man. And when he saw her. When he laid eyes on her, he knew immediately that she corresponded to him. He knew that she was the perfect fit for him. This is the special creation of God. Now.

Calling her bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh is a common hebraism. We say, you know, she's a blood relative. But the Hebrew said she's my flesh and bone. He's my flesh and bone. He's my flesh and bone. That's my son. He's my flesh and bone. Now notice where this comes from. This comes from the creation account. The God takes out of the side of man. And many have pointed out he doesn't take out of his head to the over him or out of his foot to be under him. And he takes out of his side. And as the rabbi said, he takes it from under his arm so that she would be next to him. He side him under his arm under his care. And yet close. God created the woman in a very special way. And the hebra has never forgot that.

And even this expression. Flesh and bone. Implies the fact that she was created out of Adam. And the name of Adam's mate is woman. Now the English translation of that woman picks up really nicely. The play on similar words in the Hebrew and the Hebrew. The word for man here is ish, not the typical Adam, but ish. And the name of the woman is ishah. Now they sound very similar. They actually come from completely different roots. But it's a beautiful poetic picture that out of ish comes ishah. And out of the man comes the woman. God creates her for the man. Now what are the consequences of this, of this special creation of God? Well, the first of all, it is the institution of marriage. The reason we believe in marriage is because it is a God instituted covenant relationship.

Created by God for the good of mankind. The fulfillment of his purpose is through us. Here we have a divinely inspired commentary on this in verse 24. Of this creation of the woman and her being presented to the man. For this reason. For this reason. Because God has done it in this way. For this reason a man shall leave. Very strong word here. It means forsake. Now strong language like we have many other places in Luke 14. Jesus said, you cannot be my disciple. If you don't hate your father and mother and sister and brother. And your own life and come and follow me. Why did they use such strong language? Well, it is to make a point. But this leaving now, if you know anything about Hebrew culture, the fact is that when a young man got married 99% of the time, he would move in with his family.

They'd build another room on the house. So it didn't mean to get into a different geographical area. But it did have great significance. So forsake his father and mother in a very significant way. And cleave to his wife and they shall become one flesh. And here we have really the heart of what marriage is. It is a leaving. It is a cleaving. And it is a becoming one flesh. Now this idea of leaving. The man is to leave. So forsake his mother and father and cleave to his wife. Think about the context of this. There is no father and mother in this context. Neither Adam nor Eve had a mother or a father. But when he institutes marriage based upon this creation account, then he gives us these principles of marriage.

Man has to leave his parents. Now it doesn't mean in the sense of avoiding his responsibility. Mark chapter 7, Jesus confronts the Pharisees and refuses to care for their parents. Now he didn't confront them about following their parents' advice or submitting to their authority. He confronted them over the fact they refused to take care to honor their parents by taking care of them. The man is to leave. How? Well in the sense of being dependent upon them. He has to become independent of them so that he now takes this role of headship. And he begins to function alone in this position of headship. He becomes the head of a house. Now think about this. Adam didn't have to leave a house. And Eve didn't have to leave her parents.

But in the normal flow of things today, marriage, since Adam and Eve, since their children came into this world, this is the way it has to be. A man must leave his father and father and mother and cleave to his wife. Now, it is wise to seek counsel. And it's often wise to seek counsel from your parents after you marry. That's a wise thing to do. But there's nothing in the Bible that says, I'm still in the authority of my parents. Now a wise man seeks counsel from them and help from them. But to honor your parents doesn't mean that the man continues to be under the authority of his parents. That's the very point of this that he is to forsake to leave, to establish a home in which he is going to be the leader, the spiritual leader of that home.

He has to be ready for that assignment. He can't say, I'm going to get married and bring my wife into the household and we're both going to live under the authority of my parents until I learn how to be a leader. You're not ready to get married. Until you can leave and cleave. The word cleave is the Hebrew word for glue. And it means one of the ways to express it is if you take two pieces of paper and you glue them together, you cannot separate them without ripping both of them. And that is exactly what the experience of divorce is. It is a ripping of two lives. Because marriage is constituted in such a way, this leaving and cleaving being glued together. In fact, back in chapter one, he expresses this relationship of the man and the woman in such a way that he says this couple glued together constitute the image of God in a unique way.

This relationship is sacred and we must be careful to guard it. Now, if you notice something, the woman is not commanded in the same way, because she simply transfers from one head to another. She's been under the headship of her father. Now she moves under the headship of her husband. That's the biblical teaching. I know that doesn't fit everybody's thinking today, but that's simply what the Bible teaches. I always get amused with the fact of women who want to keep their maiden name after they get married. What are they doing? They're saying, I don't want your name. I want to keep my father's name. You see, you can't get out from under this, can you? It reminds me of, I heard a policeman, that chief of police in Georgia, in Atlanta, Georgia, say that the most decisive influence of every home is the father.

And he said, it's true even if a father is missing. He's talking about the huge number of homes within the inner cities that had no father in the home. And he says, that is the primary influence in those kids' lives. It's the fact that there is no father in the home. This relationship of the husband and wife is the most important thing as they begin a family. It's the fact that they understand that they have left. They're still not under the authority of their parents. He has constantly been a new household. He is heading this household, even though he seeks wisdom and help from those who have wisdom. But he now is the head of a new household, and she is no longer in the headship of her father, but she is under the headship of her husband.

And when that relationship, there is a leaving and a cleaving and a becoming one flesh. Then, as a child grows up in that context, he's getting a clear perspective of God's design and God's creation. When a man marries, he has to go through a more radical transition than the woman, because he moves from being a dependent under someone else's headship, a submissive son to an independent man, independent from his parents in the sense. He's no longer under their authority, and he has to function as the head of his home. That's important that the husband and wife relationship is permanent, while the parent-child relationship is no permanent. But a man marries, a woman marries a man, that is a permanent relationship.

Since the fall, we say, until death, do you part? It's a permanent relationship. Father, child, it changes. The child leaves no longer under the roof, under the care of the parents. Praise the Lord, hallelujah, I love that truth. That children actually leave. They go out on their own. They find a young man who would take care of them. So I don't take care of them anymore. Thirty-some years ago, today, God blessed me with my first daughter. I don't know if you see her or not, but Shano is, this is her birthday today, and I can remember that blessing. That was an incredible blessing. That little seven-pound girl. So beautiful to behold. The greatest blessing in my life. I just was such an incredible thing.

But all the day she got married left home, it was so wonderful. I just love it. I love my kids are all married, and somebody else has taken care of them. Now I can give them advice, but I don't have to be their head. The man has to make this change. Now, we can see that the relationship of this command of the creation account here, when he says, for a man must leave his father and mother. But what is the reason for its mention here in Genesis? For this reason, because he created the woman in this way for this reason. Man must leave his parents, his father and mother, cleave to his wife and become one flesh. First of all, the reason it's given here is there's no parents here. So he has to give the command to make it clear.

He can't do it by their actions because there are no parents. And second, Eve's origin is directly from her husband. To give us this clear picture of the kind of relationship a man and a wife has. It is a one-flesh relationship. This union or bond between Adam and his wife is the union of becoming one. She has taken out of his side and then they become one flesh. And he says, this is what constitutes marriage. This physical, spiritual, personal union of a husband and a wife. This bond is greater than that between a parent and a child. It's hard to believe that when you have a child, you're its protector. It's so close to you, so important to you, but the fact is, those children are going to leave and you're going to be together for all of life.

I'm so glad I married to a woman that I have no fear at all that when I get sick, she won't abandon me. We are going to stick together for all of life. Now notice the delight of marriage, the delight of marriage in verse 25. The last verse isn't incidental. It tells us a great deal that we need to know. And the man and his wife were both naked and they were not embarrassed. The word shame that's translated shame here doesn't really have the idea of guilt. It has the idea that embarrassment or being unabashed. They were unabashed. They weren't embarrassed. They were together and they were another thing that has at the heart of this word is contentment, contentment. They were naked and they were unabashed and they were content.

Isn't that wonderful? What a wonderful picture here. The finality of this creation at the very end, they were naked and not ashamed. It's amazing the next chapter begins to tell us about the temptation of man and it begins by saying now the serpent was more crafty. That's a contrast. They were naked, unassuming, transparent, open and content. But the serpent was crafty. You see they weren't crafty. They weren't scheming. They were totally open and transparent. And in that condition they were quite content. Now there is a sexual side of this relationship and it was a part of the paradise experience. It wasn't a part of the fall. The apple wasn't sex. God created them so they could have a sex life.

But they have a sexual relationship in the garden, in paradise before the fall. It's a part of the glory of God. I know we're all, they say in our culture that we have no trouble talking about sex. We have trouble talking about death. I don't think we have trouble talking about death anymore. We don't have trouble talking about anything. And sometimes we're embarrassed to talk about the sexual relationship. But oh it is a gift of God, isn't it? It is a gift of God. It's a glorious gift of God. It's a gift of God that does something is a part of a wonderful relationship. A unique, intimate, profound way in which this husband, wife relationship, leaving, cleaving and becoming one flesh is like, I think the parallel is like the communion table for the believer.

It is a rehearsal and a reenactment of the covenant. Every time a husband and wife make love together, it is a reenactment of that covenant relationship. It is a closeness. It is a glory. It is something that God delights in because he created it. He hates the fact that it is distorted. He hates the fact that it is his clear commandments concerning our sex life are disregarded completely. But it is a glorious gift that he has given to us. Sex could be enjoyed in its fullest, in the divine plan of God. And by the way, disobedience didn't mean it did not heighten sexual pleasure. It diminished it. The sexual pleasure that Adam and Eve had will never be taught because they had a sexual relationship in the context of the garden and the presence of the living God.

According to design, as a glorious celebration of God's good gift of what he had done for them, but sex apart from God is not what it could be or should be. In fact, the sex life of believers should be a part of their prayer life, a part of their spirituality. It should be a part of their celebration of worship to the living God that God has given us as a glorious gift. Now, there is a sense in which ignorance is bliss. We have it in this context, I think. There is a sense in which ignorance is bliss. In our generation, we are cool. If you prefer, we are sophisticated. Only if we know by experience, all there is to know about sex. Every perversion that's ever been experienced. How naive are those who have never had sex before marriage, we are told.

It is actually a common practice. I didn't know this until just a few months ago, but because of something somebody told me a conversation I had and I began to do some reading and I have discovered that it is not uncommon in our culture in California, especially for school teachers to advise students that to refrain from sexual experience before marriage will hurt them. It is not an amazing thing. The God of the universe says, I have created this to the experience in this context, in this holy, sacred, glorious context. And we have people that are convinced that if young people believe that truth, it will hurt them, destroy them, distort their perception of reality. You see, we are the most radical.

We are the revolutionary. Christians are about this whole sexual reality because we have such a higher view, a more glorious view of the relationship and that part of our life. The divine origin of marriage means it is no mere social invention. It isn't something that we do in order to fit in with our culture. Because God joins a woman and a man in marriage. It is a personal union. It is a permanent union. That's why Jesus said, what God has joined together. Jesus said this, not just a preacher at some wedding. Jesus said, what God has joined together, let no man separate. This is holy and sacred in the eyes of God. The fact that Adam preceded his wife in creation that he was brought to Adam and from Adam establishes the reasons why the husband is to exercise headship over his wife in marriage.

It is just a biblical concept based upon the constitution of God's creation. God created man and woman in such a way that the man has the responsibility before God to be a leader in his home. And it works. It is the way the Bible teaches. You heard this morning from the word of God from Ephesians chapter 5 that the man is commanded to love his wife and to the head to lead and guard and guide his family. The man is commanded, the wife is commanded to submit. To submit to him. Submission with some people is such a terrible, awful concept. Submission. You know, like the submission that Jesus had to his father in first Corinthians chapter 11, he says the woman is to submit to the husband just like Jesus submitted to the father is Jesus inferior to the father.

No, he is eternal, co-equal with the father and yet he submits to the headship of the father. When a woman submits to her husband, she is manifesting a Christ likeness that God created her for. Paul says that God constitute marriage in this way. You have heard those words that Paul says marriage is a mystery. I am glad to hear you say that because he is so clear on so many things and for Paul to say this is a great mystery. Let you know that we none of us have a down exactly right. But this marriage relationship that God created, if done in God's way, will reap eternal benefits. Isn't it something that you can take your children to heaven? That God will give you the privilege to share the reality of Christ in the way that you relate to your husband or your wife in such a way that you could be a witness and a testimony of those children that God could use you to draw them to Christ?

Paul says that the way a husband and wife relate to each other is one of God's primary demonstration of Christ's love for the church. When a man loves his wife like he loves his own body, when a man loves his wife so much that he would say if somebody has to die in order to say this family is going to be me, I would lay down my life for my wife. That demonstrates the love of Christ. It shows us what Christ, how Christ loves the church. When you tell a person who has never come to faith in Jesus Christ, you tell a man who loves his wife. Let me explain the gospel to you. Jesus Christ loved his people the way a husband is supposed to love his wife. He loved her so much. He loved his people so much that he came into the world and he was willing to give his life in order to save his people and make them whole.

I think a husband who loves his wife can have an understanding of that. And when the Holy Spirit opens his eyes to that truth, that reality is absolutely life-changing. The role of women in the church isn't just Paul's idea. It's not just restricted to a certain culture or a certain Corinthian Christians. It is the biblical reality of what marriage is all about. The biblical role of women is established in the biblical count of creation and the biblical role of men is also established in the account of creation. I've found over the years that men have a greater struggle with this than women. There are some women who struggle with this whole concept. When you say submission, I have had dozens of conversations with ladies who have been reading the Bible or doing Bible study and come to me and say, I've never heard this before.

I just ran under this thing about submission. What is this all about? But once you show them and once they look at the Word of God and they see what submission really is and the glory of it, they have less trouble than men who discover that God has commanded them to be the spiritual leader of their home. To be the head, to lead and guard and guide their families under Christ. That's their calling. It's interesting in the Bible that, in fact, in missionary work, there's a very common thing that when the gospel goes into an area, it's a very common thing for men to come to faith in Christ and lead their families into a faith in Christ. You have to be here today as a husband, ahead of a household, and you've never come to faith in Christ.

I want to tell you that the God of the universe is calling you in a very specific way to come to Christ. To come to have a right relationship with the living God through Christ so that you can be the spiritual leader that God is going to hold you accountable to be. You have a responsibility to raise your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. How can you do that if you don't know Him? Well, what have we learned from these first two chapters? Let me just summarize, based upon the last few weeks we've looked at this, what have we learned? We have learned that God gives good gifts, and I want to just mention three of them real quickly. The first chapter we saw that God has given us identity.

We are created in the image and likeness of God. Life's meaning can only be grasped in a relationship to the God who has created man in his image and likeness. You will never know who you really are until you know who God is. That's just the fact. Ephesians chapter four, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new self, the new person, the new identity, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. And it put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the one who created him. It's through Christ that we come to experience the image of God in the way that God meant it to be. And then secondly, we saw that God gives the gift of work of purpose.

He has given us, he gave Adam a work to do, a purposeful work, and he gives you an assignment, a work to do that is purposeful. And then finally, he has given us the gift of companionship, of marriage. I love marriage. I love being married. I have always loved being married. I got married when I was just a little kid, 19 years old. And I'm so glad I did. I'm so glad that I'm going to be married 40 years before I'm 60 years old. What a year to the same woman. What's really the miracles, she's been 40 years with the same man, me, but a miraculous thing. I love marriage. I love the, I love the effects of marriage. I love the fact that I have three children that are the product of our relationship because of our love for each other.

I love the fact that I have eight going on ten grandkids of ten by the next, by next Thanksgiving. I want to have, say, two, four, six, eight, eighteen people at my table. Next Thanksgiving. Imagine that. See that? I obeyed to come and go and replenish the earth. Feel the earth. I'm so grateful to God. For ishah. I'm so grateful for my wife. I'm so grateful that God has given me this gift. I'm so grateful that she is so much more than a servant to me. She is a helper. She is the fifth for me, a companion that corresponds to me. Aren't you glad men? That is so weak I can't believe it. Are you glad men? All right. That's better. As we sing this last song, we're going to stand and sing, but I take the hold of your wife's hand.

And as you worship the living God, and this is the best context of worship, a husband and wife together in union because of the work of Jesus Christ, worshiping the living God through Christ. What a glorious thing. Let's stand together.