Genesis 3:16-24 - ”Gender Studies” - Who Are We Series

our Old Testament reading this morning

is taken from the book of Genesis

Genesis 3:16–24

chapter 3 verses 16 to

24 let us hear God's word to the woman

he said I will surely multiply your pain

in childbearing in pain you you shall

bring forth children your desire shall

be contrary to your husband but he shall

rule over you and to Adam he said

because you have listened to the voice

of your wife and have eaten of the tree

of which I commanded you you shall not

eat of it cursed is the ground because

of you in pain you shall eat of it all

the days of your life thorns and

thistles it shall bring forth for you

and you shall eat the plants of the

field by the sweat of your face you

shall eat bread till you return to the

ground for out of it you were taken for

you are dust and to dust you shall

return the man called his wife Eve

because she was the mother of all

living and the Lord God Made For Adam

and his wife garments of skins and

clothed

them then the Lord God said behold the

man has become like one of us in knowing

good and evil now lest he reach out his

hand and take also from the Tree of Life

and eat and live forever

therefore the Lord God sent him out from

the Garden of Eden to work the ground

from which he was taken he drove out the

man and at the east of the Garden of

Eden he placed the cherubim and a

flaming sword that turned every way to

guard the way to the Tree of

Life our new testament reading is taken

from Paul's letter to the Galatians

3: 23- 29

now before Faith came we were held

captive under the law imprisoned until

the coming Faith would be revealed so

then the law was our Guardian until

Christ came in order that we might be

justified by faith but now that faith

has come we are no longer under a

guardian for in Christ Jesus you are all

sons of God through faith for as many of

you as were baptized into Christ have

put on Christ there is neither Jew nor

Greek there is neither slave nor free

there is no male and female for you are

all one in Christ Jesus and if you are

Christ's then you are Abraham's

offspring HS according to the promise

this is the word of the Lord thanks be

to

God how's everybody

you want to have a light uh sermon on

gender

studies yeah want to I believe this is

called stirring the pot no all joking

aside um this is actually what this

whole section is

about and it's quite interesting now how

many of you have been uh studied a

gender studies class raise your hand

it's okay I actually have so there's a

few of you who who've actually taken one

gender studies is a relatively new po

Industrial Age concept and it has to do

with the feminism that came out in the

1950 60s and the feminism that came out

then I'm getting a bit of an echo just

to heads

up um feminism that came out then was

very much about let's have equal for

everyone right and that was kind of it

and let's have equal pay and it was

something I I could stand by for sure I

mean it was before my time by the time I

took it it had changed a lot a lot and

what had happened is it had been

hijacked by two movements one called

Marxism have you heard of Marxism yeah

and another one called

nism and now to explain what I mean nii

was a guy who was in the 19 century a

cohort of marks in a way who and they

hated each other and nii's main point

was this there is no God thus the only

thing that keeps the world going and the

only thing we should focus on is power

how do we gain power now you could

imagine why Hitler liked this guy right

because the ultimate end for him was not

love or good or anything because there

was no God the only end could be

power that's and they went yeah that

makes sense that makes sense we're going

it's all going to be about power and

then they also read a guy named KL Marx

Karl Marx had always a dichotomy the

proletar and the Bourgeois and they were

always there was a good guy and a bad

guy right and in his study now his is an

economic study the feminists made it

cultural and said we see in marks that

there's always this Perpetual struggle

between those in charge and victims and

in this case those in charge were

males those that were victims were

females so you take the constant from

power from nii and this constant battle

and you had contemporary feminism so

it's a continuous battle between females

and males to gain power and the

oppressor the men are the bad and we and

the women are good that's how it works

out now you say to me come on emry it

can't be that simple well bless your

hearts I know a little bit about this

and I was able to find some quotes to

show you that it's exactly what this is

about so I'm going to take two

well-known

feminist

professors the first quote I believe

that women have a capacity for

understanding and comp comp passion

which a man structurally does not

have does not have it because he cannot

have it he's just incapable of it so

immediately you

see the

divide the good and the bad do you see

that but it gets better you say you say

oh that's not so bad well we read this

here this young lady a lady named young

Robin Morgan probably not that young

anymore I feel that man hating is an

honorable and viable political

act that the oppressed have a right to

class hatred against the class that

oppresses him does that sound like

Mark's it's Mark right out of Mark's

book so you've got this reality in

feminism so the feminism you're probably

thinking of especially some of you're

old enough to remember the bra burning

and the Equal Rights and all of that

that's not

this you understand what I'm

saying but but this is the stuff that

has seeped in to our school

system it has see there's a theory that

goes on that says once a professor gets

it within 20 years it's in your school

system well these guys were getting this

about the 1970s 80s so about the year

2000 this is when this became very

political and you've heard people say

that men feel

attacked a lot of people are saying well

who cares too bad for you you had it

good for forever right which is fair

enough especially if you think it's an

honorable act to hate

men but there's a reaction going on guys

and I'm going to say this to you who are

affected by the recent political

environment a greater number of men of

immigrant status voted for Donald Trump

by far than any other time not even

close the greater number of men under 4

voted for Carl for Carl Trump Carl Mark

Donald Trump than any other time why is

that it's never happened before because

there is now what do you think happens

when you're told that you're to be

hated that you're second

class a

reaction and you're seeing a reaction

and the reaction is bad you guys there's

movements like the incels have you heard

of this I've just been learning about

this these group of men who think men ow

women owe them relations and if they

don't get

it they can act

out but there's one particular guy who

highlights and I got to tell you what

I'm going to quote this guy he's not a

genius he's not a philosopher he's not a

psychologist but he's the most popular

guy for young men right now and his name

is Andrew Tate have you heard of

this cuz if you haven't you need to

realize this is scary cuz he's making

difference and Andrew Tate has decided

that he's going the other way and he's

got millions of young men following him

and his main point is this women are

there to

serve

sexually

financially and to put men on a high

horse and this is taken off so broadly

it's unbelievable it stunned the

internet I'm just going to quote a

couple quotes I took the nice ones by

the way from Andrew Tate so remember

that women are not not meant to lead

they are meant to

follow millions of

men oh I like this one my sister is her

husband's property there you

go I wouldn't wish that on my

brother-in-law but

anyways my point being this is I go to

church and I preach and I know what's

out there and nobody out here on the

most pews have realized how bad the

gender divide has

become it is

huge is there any answer as a

Christian well I've got some wonderful

news first of all we should expect this

exact thing because of what we read

today and there is an antidote that can

transform both genders into to

Eternity let's

pray Heavenly Father we thank you for

your Amazing Grace we thank you that you

have been

so faithful to

us we come before you recognizing that

we all can get caught up into this

gender battle and we ask you to show us

what it means to be truly

human so that we can be set free in

jesus' name

amen well let's get right into it shall

we we're into the curse you remember

that they had eaten of the fruit of the

tree of the wisdom of the knowledge of

good of evil so that they could in and

of themselves become God not that they

had they could already have borne God's

image but they've decided to assur that

Authority and now we have the whole

Fallout we just found out last week

about the snake and what's going to

happen to him but now we're into

Humanity and what's very fascinating is

that the first part of this points to

gender division as the

curse that's the first thing it

says to the woman he said I will surely

multiply your pain in childbearing I

want you guys to understand that I'm not

thoroughly happy with this translation

and as are many other theologians I

think what it means is you will have

anxiety in giving birth not just the act

of giving birth but because now we have

idolatry you're going to have anxiety in

child

rearing so yes you're going to have

anxiety with the time of giving birth

but now you've got children that can

become idolatrous it's no longer going

to be a harmonious relationship anxiety

will be part of that and you say well

why did the woman because in the ancient

world women were responsible for the

family raising the

children you and in pain you shall bring

forth children in anxiety in fear you

shall bring forth children do you see so

this whole idea of giving birth now

anyone who's had a 13 plus year old is

going to go amen right

there because idolatry is invited into

the equation now these children are

going to go to you if they don't like

what you're saying right I've actually

had that happen to

me I have had three children and and

they were all on the other side

okay and then it says your desire shall

be contrary to your husband but he shall

rule over you H your desire shall be

well now there's other translations that

say your desire shall be for your

husband and this one says shall be

contrary to your husband which one's the

right one well this is an interesting

one because there's some debate does it

mean that the woman shall desire her

husband well that's only possible if you

take the word here this word's only used

twice this word desire okay and one

comes from the Song of Solomon and the

other one from Genesis now if you go by

the Song of Solomon it actually says

it's in one of those romantic poems

where it says the woman has desire for a

husband so it's clearly sexual or

romantic or something like that so if

you choose that then you what this says

is your desire shall be for your husband

that's why they translate it so you're

always going to want them physically and

romantic Al now having been married 30

years I question

that thank thank

you I mean it's not all the time you

know mean I know it's hard to believe

when you look at this but it's not

like but I've also talked to a few other

guys and we're like okay maybe they

missed that I wish my wife got more of

that curse anyways um but I actually

don't think that's what that means at

all

I think what it means is your desire

shall be to

control and you say to me why do you

think so well look at this word desire

for one sec the desire as I said could

have been romantic but it comes right

out of Genesis a chapter later which is

much more likely that this is what he

means and if you do well he says to Cain

you will not be will you not be accepted

and if you do not do well sin is

crouching at the door its desire is

contrary to you you it wants to control

you do you see that and you must rule

over it so if that's the means and I

think it is because it's the same writer

using this word it's not some other

writer like Solomon then what's going on

here is your desire shall be contrary to

your husband in other words and I can

amen this some

days tough crowd

today that you want to be in

authority and then write the flip side

which makes Mak sense but he will rule

over you so now what you have in one

sentence is the gender battle now why

would this be a judgment of two people

who want to be like God because I don't

know if you know this but when you got

two people who want to be like God how

many people can be

God one so you put two together and

what's going to happen there's going to

be a battle for the headship the

kingship of God

and this I can make an argument is true

again and again and again and at those

quotes earlier you had two sides that we

saying we're God and the other team

isn't did you notice

that so this is a cause of the

Fall gender division before this God

creates them as helpmates in the garden

and both are in His image and both it's

good and they're both given the task of

priests and both are given the task of

of Kings this post the fall are the

first time we see

conflict isn't that something that

should stop us and make us

pause about what it means to walk like

God okay so keeping

going and to Adam he said because you

have listened to the voice of your wife

see this is also a thing about don't

listen to the voice of your wife see

it's not what it

means thank you I'll see myself

out because you have listened to the

voice of your wife and have eaten of the

tree of which I commanded you you shall

not eat now interesting listen he

doesn't curse Adam and Eve but he curses

the ground he cursed the snake and he

cursed the ground why not Adam and Eve

because Adam and Eve are getting what

you get rightful consequences whereas

the curse means a judgment and because

he's done this now the Earth is cursed

cuz remember he was meant to tend the

garden he was meant to take care of

creation now he wants to be like God

it's not going to be like that creation

will

suffer you shall NE of a cursed is the

ground because of you in pain you shall

eat of it this is not going to be easy

this is no longer it's going to give of

itself easily to you all the days of

your life thorns and thistles it shall

bring forth for you and you shall eat

the plants of the field now you can tell

right there that this is the curse right

we agree and he has to eat the plants of

the field so I I my argument is that

vegetarian is the

curse thank you very

much please do not take me seriously as

an exoge right

now is obviously that's not his

point but you can see where bad theology

can come from but the main point is

things are bad now he's got to eat these

plants he's no longer got access to the

different things because the Earth has

been cursed because of his plan he

supposed to take and why the man because

in Antiquity man took care of the food

that's just the way it was she's taking

care of the children that's how it was

and that's how this curse now today he

might have spoke it different in the

creation

narrative by the sweat of your face you

shall eat bread till you return to the

ground for out of it you were taken you

are dust for you are dust and dust you

shall return we remember he was created

from dust in in the first uh Genesis 1

and now he's getting it back so now the

curse is exactly

what the snake had said or the Lord had

said and the snake said wouldn't happen

they got exactly what they want just

like the snake as just as his appetite

death is now

ruling and then that something happens

that really starts to begin to show us

this gender divice died are you ready

then the man called his wife's name Eve

because she was the mother of all living

you say well that's fine except in

Antiquity you only named something if

you were in authority over

it so for the first time we have Adam

acting out this ruling over right in

chapter

3 he names her he has control remember

when he was naming the animals in

Chapter 2 and it was clear that it's CU

he was in control and helping control

that now he controls

women and you see the first start of the

gender

divide and the Lord God Made For Adam

for his wife garments of skin and

clothed them now we have mercy from God

it's interesting isn't it right away he

doesn't have to do this but he acts out

mercy and we're going to start to see if

you're a careful reader that the god of

Genesis far from what people tell you

the Old Testament God is Harsh he is not

he's so

gracious that he provides for them skins

and clothe them then the Lord said

behold the man has become like one of us

knowing good and evil now lest he reach

out his hand and take also the tree of

life or eternal life and eat and live

forever therefore the Lord God sent him

out why is this because the Lord the man

is messed up right he's not ready to be

God he wouldn't know how to be God and

why is the Jud judgement that there is

no more eternal life is because if

Humanity had eternal life he would

destroy

creation this has to happen it's a

natural consequence therefore the Lord

God sent him out of the Garden of Eden

to work the ground which from which he

was

taken and he drove out the man and at

the east of the Garden of Eden he placed

a cherubim and a flaming sword that

turned every way to the guard the way to

the tree of

life there's no not be ending here is

there it doesn't end well and it's not

supposed to end well and that's why I'm

going to tell you guys aren't you glad

that you were

born post

Jesus because I'm telling you one thing

that people failed to understand is all

through the Old Testament as wonderful

and as breathed on as it is from God

there's no real good news within it

there's always a hope of something great

but there's nothing and the Genesis

story We tend to read it too quickly but

this was

tragedy this was the end cuz Humanity

wants to be like God and the rest of

Genesis until chapter 11 is the fruit of

just death and destruction and the most

important thing removal from God's

presence more and more and

more that's Humanity's

end the fall of Man is come and now

whether we like it or not men and women

are going to hate each other man's going

to have have a rough time keeping the

food on the table they're going to get

death and they're not welcome back in

the garden this is it it's over that's

how they read

it when they built their amazing Temple

you remember the holy of holies it was

based around the gardens by the way and

they put the great curtain up right what

did that curtain represent the holy of

holies represented the Garden of

Eden and what did that Temple curtain

represent the Cherub them with their

swords you could never go

past and that was their hope there was

no

hope the funniest

thing is how few people believe in

Fallen

Humanity how many people believe that

we're inherently

good now I want to ask you do you think

we are inherently good were you around

in 2020 with the great toilet paper

incident

Were You There When people were buying

cleaning products by the bus

load so they could sell it for 10 times

more do you remember

that how can you after reading the

history of how men and women have

treated each other all these years think

we're okay

the reason why we don't like the idea of

Fallen humanity is we like to think

we're inherently

good we like to think and we like to

justify ourselves we really

do in fact it's a front to our reason

that you and I are equally as broken as

everything else and everyone else out

there that there isn't something

inherently good that God's going woo I'm

glad I've got

you and in fact the scriptures right

until Jesus are making it sound like if

somebody doesn't come and save you

you're going to be wiped

out that's the

truth blae Pascal that brilliant thinker

in the 17th century said the fall is an

offense to human reason but once

accepted it makes perfect sense of The

Human

Condition once you accept the fall

doesn't mean you're saved but you

finally got the diagnosis

see we don't want the diagnosis when we

go on the doctor we want somebody to say

oh just do a couple more counseling

sessions and everything will be

fine we do but the reality is this is at

the core of our being and you know how

you can tell is how much Humanity

permits themselves to do under the name

of what they think is

right they permit themselves to do all

kinds of evil on the sense that they are

God I'm going to quote my good friend

Carl Bart he's been long dead good

friend never met him

but he writes some good

stuff speaking of humanity we are

constantly permitting ourselves all

possible things decisions and attitudes

thoughts and words and works in which we

regard ourselves as free which we

apparently do gladly in which we think

we are happy it is apparently pure per

that

rules man permits himself to renounce

the grace of God he permits

himself to be set up as one who knows

God knows good and evil and therefore as

judge over both he permits himself

therefore to be established to the

Divine likeness man thinks that he is

particularly free and happy even in the

fall and that goes on as long as you can

until one day something happens and you

know what that thing is I don't know

either but it's the thing that makes you

realize that this leads to

death but at some point all of us get to

the point where we realize living for

ourselves and doing whatever we want is

destruction and then we go okay the old

testament's

true but where do we go from

there well thank God the true human

came you see this is what salvation's

all about is that the true human came

and did what the Fallen human

couldn't that Jesus Christ became fully

human if he did not become fully human

he couldn't have dealt with this because

this is a human problem not a god

problem do you

see and the only way he could redeem

this stuff is by becoming fully human

and the only way he could do that is to

undo what Adam and Eve

did Paul trip says the entire hope of

Fallen Humanity rests on this one thing

that there is a savior who is eternal

eternally steadfast in redeeming

forgiving reconciling transforming and

deliver and delivering love it's the

only hope we have here's the thing I

want to tell you guys right now the hope

is not located within you in and of

yourself so next time somebody tells you

I need to go find yourself I want to go

find myself say okay good enjoy the

garbage

can or somebody says well if I go to a

counselor we can work through this stuff

inside me all they're going to do is

regurgitate the garbage that's in we

need somebody bigger than us to save

us and thank God he came eh

and what did he do our friend

Jesus being God he did not acknowledge

godhead unlike them who tried to be like

God he never tries to he lives

Faithfully he lives under he becomes

what Adam's supposed to do when the

snake comes and offers him things that

he can have he refuses it and he keeps

his eyes on

God right to the Cross he takes upon

himself self and the whole time

suffering under what we have allowed in

this world the Thorns the thistles the

hatred of men and women he's around all

this stuff the

violence and he keeps walking and being

faithful as a

human that's the important

point because as a human he has to

deliver

us and he dies on a cross and he takes

the curse upon himself

so that we might live and that has

nothing to do with

us to quote Papa

John we have a mediator who has

willingly pardons us and is prepared to

help us in our weakness which he himself

experienced he is the savior he is the

solution and nothing in the Old

Testament ever says there's another and

nothing in the New Testament says

there's another one man saved

us the true God Jesus Christ because

only one man could do it and he took

that curse upon

himself and by taking the curse upon

himself he did something

profound he said I'm creating something

new I'm beginning something new and you

say well how do you

know well do you remember

the end of this section chapter 11

remember I told you this is the curse at

its fullest remember Noah's Ark comes

and the the waters that were held back

in Genesis 1 are released again and it

floods the land do you remember

that and then finally the flood has

happened and what does Noah send out of

his

boat to go find land what What bird

finds

it a dve woo come on now you guys don't

make me bring Zoe in here cuz she'll get

it all

right a

dove now Jesus is walking along and he

getting baptized sound like some water

guys and the Holy Spirit comes down unto

him and what does it look

like a

dove new creation is falling upon him do

you see it he's the Locust of New

Creation he's the place

and then he goes forth faithfully and he

dies and he says it is finished and what

do they do to him to put on his head

what did they put on his head to make

him

King thorns and thistles what did it

just say the Earth the sign of the

Earth's

curse you'll be working

thorns and

thistles do you see

it he literally took the curse on his

head and the ultimate curse you're going

to go R into the dirt and that's

that he Ms out of a

grave he takes on the curse do you see

it and doe through that what Jesus

Christ has done is undone this whole

mess and he's invited us now to come and

be part of it how by being really good

people good

Canadians by going to the right

psychotherapist so we can work through

our

crap he says one thing believe in

me that's

it that's

it and if you do guess what

happens you get changed so what does

that

mean well it means you're going to be

different with cre

creation because New Creation means that

creation was good but it's redeemed and

this is one part that people don't focus

on enough we like to focus on human

beings being saved but what if I told

you the Earth is going to be

saved you ever thought of

that well look at Paul's words to the

Romans about creation he seemed to think

there was going to be salvation Romans 8

for I reckon that the sufferings of this

present time are not worthy to be

compared with the glory which will be

revealed in

us for the earnest expectation of the

creature waiteth for the manifestation

of the sons of God for the creature or

the creation was made subject to vanity

not willingly but as a reason of him who

had subjected the same in Hope because

the creation itself also shall be

delivered from bondage of corruption

into the Glorious Liberty of the

children of God

so Romans 8 says he's waiting creation

he anthropized creation says we he's

looking out the door with great anxiety

for the children of God to come and be

revealed so that he can be set free

because remember creation got cursed

because of man remember that what that

means then my friends is God is going to

renew

creation 100% that's the plan hasn't

happened yet and why is he looking for

the sons of God to be sons of God why is

that wrapped up in well what was Adam

originally supposed to be

folks a

gardener to can Trend creation what

happened when he gave that up he

destroyed creation he's looking back for

when God's people can start being God's

people again and care for the world

around

them do you

see so let me tell you it's not just

human beings who are longing for

Redemption and Resurrection Life that's

free of the evils of this world creation

itself is breathing for

it I remember Martin

Luther was sitting there and a young man

walked up to him and he said Martin

Luther what would you do if he found out

tomorrow the world was going to

end

waiting Luther thought for a

second and he looked at the man and he

said I'd plant a tree

that stunned this young

monk he said why would you plant a tree

the world's coming to the end he goes oh

no no it's going to be transformed and I

want to sit under that

tree what we do in the here and now in

this creation does not mean

destruction I saw this quote from a

young lady I don't know Sarah Bessie I

don't know if anybody's heard of her I

hope she's not a heretic

but it's a good

quote I am in Exile in this fallen and

broken world she says here to plant

Gardens and to prepare for the coming

day when all things will be renewed and

restored to tend to the Earth and to

humanity and my place in this world with

tender ferocity we are participating in

the Life of

Christ she gets it

again I'm not recommending you read the

rest of

her now we can get to this

part new creation and

Humanity you see what it says when we

believe in him is we become New

Creations I'll quote Paul here therefore

if anyone is in Christ he is a new

creation the old has passed away behold

the new has

come remember that verse

well what does that

mean if not for the fact that the god of

the creation you made Humanity good has

redeemed it then it seems to me we're

being redeemed to be the people we were

created to be at the beginning not the

Fallen people we have

become let me say that again because

it's important it seems to me that we

are meant and are being remade to be the

the good Humanity of the original

creation story before the fall that were

good and I told you before the genders

got along there they worked beside each

other they didn't lorded over each other

that's the curse that does that do you

see we are called to quote Ian proven to

become the people that Adam and Eve

should have

been who Jesus has transformed us into

that's why Jesus called the second

Adam I don't think we ever think about

how amazing it is that God did can has

done that for

us I love what Steven Lawson says the

greatest go work God ever performs was

not the creation of the universe out of

nothing but is the new creation of

saints and of

Sinners but he's done it so who are we

supposed to be

now if not the people of God that were

created by God as

good ones who lay down their desire for

idolatry and self and yes that means

that the curse we live in that says men

and women are going to try and control

and hate each other is done in the

kingdom of

God there is no place in jesus' Kingdom

for people to Lord lorded over each

other I don't care if you're a feminist

or a

misogynist if you decide to go that way

you are celebrating the

curse and how many times has the church

embraced a hierarchy of self based on

gender and have celebrated the very

curse and now the church has gone the

other way since feminism by the way you

can go to churches now where women are

highlighted and men are shot

down I promise you I've been there they

don't like me cuz I tell them what I

think what about a marriage you ever

been in a marriage you ever go into a

marriage and have you ever been there

and one of the genders and it doesn't

matter which one cuz it going to be both

and the one dominating the other have

you ever been there how comfortable do

you

feel they're celebrating the curse

what if I told you the most Godly thing

you can do and being truly human is lift

up the person next to you who has

different

genitalia and invite them into the full

workings of the church and the

community what if I told you men who

might go to churches who say only men

can do things and women should and this

is out here by the way and only women

should be there making babies what about

I told you that in the creation story

they are told to be Kings and

Priests in the first two

chapters oh it's not cuz you're so smart

and don't run to

Timothy we celebrate the

curse when we take each other

down and those quotes in the beginning

were just two was sorry to say this but

that was the snake

speaking now Paul does something radical

I want to point to to make my point Paul

lives in a world where the Romans

dominated the Jews the Jews dominated

the female Jews the Romans dominated the

auy women they had women for different

things and women were secondary and

mostly used for procreation or sexual

passions that's the truth that was the

word

and Paul comes into this

world and says something

profound he sits down in this church in

galatia galatia is not a Jewish place

where women would have had no Authority

my friends and he says

this you were all children of God

through faith in Christ see it's through

faith in Christ that we're to identify

ourselves for all of you have been

baptized into Christ all yah not just

the

men have clothed yourselves with Christ

there is neither then Jew or Greek slave

nor free male or female you see that you

how radical That Was

Then for you're all one you're all one

in Christ

Jesus that's fantastic news

folks if you belong to Christ then you

are Abraham's seed and heirs according

to the promise what Jesus Christ did is

he came in and saved y'all and when you

accepted him you became one with Jesus

Christ and you're no longer and I'm no

longer allowed to say oh you're a

female wash my

feet or vice versa I'm now welcome to be

your equal

in Christ in

service and so what are we called to do

now because we live in a world where men

and women hate each other and if you

don't believe me go down to a protest

sometime and say the

opposite what are we called to do well I

believe this is where we have power and

the greatest thing the greatest witness

this church can be whether it's our

marriages or anything else is to treat

each other in love and

value and equally as fellow people that

follow

Christ this world that hates each other

when we have marriages where we're

sticking it out and honoring each other

that's the greatest witness right now in

this world the greatest W there's no

greater

witness that doesn't mean you're not

going to have a fight you're not going

to put a man and a woman in the same

room and not have a

fight but it's deeper than

that it means I'm going to Value this

person as someone who God has created

and redeemed and this person is my

sister or my

brother NT writ said God made humans to

reflect his

glory his love his wisdom into the

world and in the new creation God will

not revoke this vocation

he will gloriously fulfill it we will

become more human not less what he's

trying to say here is the way he created

us when was good to being human is not

going to stop in

eternity it isn't like it's just going

to change today and you have a choice

right now whether you're going to follow

in Jesus Christ and love even

sacrificially the person who's not like

you or if you're going to worship

yourself and try and have power over

them if we want to be the Light of

Christ we must

spurn that evil you read at the

beginning of this

sermon Embrace Jesus Christ and realize

we are one in

Christ honor each

other and let the world see something

different because as I said at the

beginning there ain't one of us that are

saved cuz there was something good in us

how in the world can we think we're

better than somebody

else let's

pray Heavenly Father we thank you for

your amazing grace to

us we thank you that we you made us male

and female in your image

and you called it

good we thank you Father that your son

came and embraced all those women that

the culture had

abandoned and all the men that were

marginalized because he was there to

redeem

us Lord may may it be a church where we

honor and love each other as brothers

and

sisters not identifying by our gender

or our wealth or

power but identifying as one in Jesus

Christ and may this witness go into a

world that hates each

other in Jesus name

amen free to stand