God's Good Design for Life: God's Design for Sexuality

Okay, Genesis chapter 1 verse 26.

Genesis 1:26

Then God said,

Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.

So God created man in his own image.

In the image of God, he created him.

Male and female, he created them.

And then chapter 2 verse 15.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

And the Lord God commanded the man,

You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

For when you eat of it, you will surely die.

The Lord God said,

It is not good for the man to be alone.

I will make a helper suitable for him.

Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air.

He brought them to the man to see what he would name them.

And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.

So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air, and all the beasts of the field.

But for Adam, no suitable helper was found.

So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep.

And while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh.

Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

The man said,

This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.

She should be called woman.

For she was taken out of man.

For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman,

Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?

The woman said to the serpent,

We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,

but God did say you must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden.

You must not touch it, or you will die.

You will not surely die, the serpent said to the woman,

for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened,

and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye,

and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.

She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked,

so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Thanks very much, Kim.

So we're on our fourth talk on our series,

God's Good Design for Life.

The first talk, all these talks, by the way, are on the church website.

You can look them up there,

and other resources relating to the same theme are up there as well.

The first talk that we looked at was just setting a foundation.

We looked at Genesis as well, Genesis chapter 1,

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

and looked at God's design and order in creation.

Then we looked at God's design for marriage.

Last week we looked at God's design for family.

And this week we're looking at God's design for sexuality,

and in particular the issue of transgender.

And we're looking at these issues, these subjects or topics,

in the light of the discussions that will be taking place this year

with the referendum to come in 2015 on marriage,

the redefinition of marriage and the effects that may have on family and children.

So we're just trying to get a big idea of God's design for life

in terms of all of these things.

Again, in preparation for this talk,

I was challenged by it.

It's something that I don't necessarily know a huge amount about,

so please don't stone me during the talk

if I say something completely out of hand,

but do talk to me afterwards,

or if you have any further questions,

please do that afterwards.

So let's pray and ask for God's help.

Father, we thank you that you are a creator God,

and not only are you a creator God,

but you are a God who has spoken to us your creation.

You have sought to communicate to us

and to reveal something of who you are.

To tell us about your plans for life

and to tell us about our lives

and the world in which we live.

We thank you that your words,

that your spoken words have been recorded for us

in the Bible,

and we thank you that we can trust it,

and yet we ask for the power of your Holy Spirit

to speak to us through it

so that what we read in these verses

would challenge us and shape us

to live according to your good design

and your good order for life.

Please help us, Father.

We want to be sensitive and careful,

and yet we want to know your truth.

So we pray, Father,

that the word spoken will be spoken with grace

and with compassion.

And we ask for your help in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, what if your daughter came to you and said,

I don't want to be a girl anymore.

I want to be a boy.

Or what if your teenage son came to you and said,

I don't want to be called James.

I want to be called Mandy.

Maybe you've had that discussion with somebody else.

Well, this was a recent issue discussed on Drive Time.

That's the RTE radio program around tea time.

Three young people were interviewed.

These three young people were born with a female body

and now identify themselves as male.

All three now have boys' names

and all three have begun to transition,

which simply means they dress like boys

and are beginning to take hormone treatment

so that they look like boys.

Here is how Tyler, who was born female,

described it.

For me, it was at a very young age.

I was about five at the time.

I tried to tell my parents,

but they said it was just a phase.

I told them I was in the wrong body,

that I'm a boy

and I don't have the right parts.

Well, this is what is now called gender dysphoria

or GDI, gender disorder identity.

It's the term used to describe someone

who's born as a male

but now feels like a female

or is born as a female

and wants to be treated as a male.

And presently, those who have gender dysphoria

do not have their preferred gender recognised by the state,

which means that their official documents

such as birth certs, passports,

can't be altered to reflect their preferred gender status.

But change has been promised.

When the Gender Recognition Bill comes into law,

it will allow transgender people who are over 18,

they're trying to reduce that down to 16

so that they can have their preferred gender

legally recognised by the state.

So, for example, somebody who is born,

a boy is called James,

but in later years wants to be called Mandy,

can have that then changed on their birth cert

or on their passport.

And if all this goes into law

and if the referendum on the same-sex marriage is passed,

then what that will mean in terms for children,

it means that they can be raised

not just by two men or two women,

but by two men,

one of whom was perhaps born as a woman.

So it's a very complex issue,

to say the least.

But yet these are very real issues

and there's no point in trying to stick our head in the sand

and pretend that they aren't there.

It's what young people are trying to cope with

within our schools.

It's what parents are trying to understand

as their children ask the questions.

So we need to be aware,

but we also need to know

what the Bible has to say on this issue

so that we can be people

who can communicate God's truth,

but to do so with grace and compassion,

with sensitivity and understanding.

So with all that in mind,

let me just go through a few definitions first.

So as we go through the talk,

you'll understand what we're talking about.

So the first one there,

transgender,

is simply a person whose gender expression

or identity

is different from the sex they were born with.

transvestite

or transvestite

is a person,

male or female,

who wears clothing

not usually associated

with their birth sex.

Transsexual

is a person

who feels trapped

in the wrong body

or will describe themselves

as being trapped in the wrong body

and who changes their gender identity

physically

through hormone treatment

or through an operation.

And then there's transitioning.

Transitioning is the process undertaken

to change their gender identity

in three different ways.

Legally,

as they change their name

on their passport or birth cert.

Physically,

as they undergo hormone treatment

and surgery.

And socially,

as they come out

to their friends and family.

So these are the issues.

These are some of the understandings

of what we're looking at this morning.

And with all this in mind,

we want to hear

what God has to say

about sexuality

and in particular

those with gender dysphoria.

We're going to look at three things.

First,

created by God.

Look at chapter 1,

verse 1.

Chapter 1,

verse 1 of Genesis.

So we're going to be looking

at Genesis 1 to 3

over these first few points.

Genesis 1,

Genesis 1:1

verse 1.

It reads,

In the beginning,

God.

So before there was anything else,

before there were any planets,

or before there was any people,

we were told there was God.

So in the beginning,

God created the heavens and the earth.

Now the earth was formless

and empty.

Darkness was over the surface

of the deep.

The picture here

is one of chaos

and disorder

at the very beginning.

These words,

formless,

empty,

and darkness

give the sense of chaos

and disorder.

But then God

spoke into that

and he began to create

and out of the disorder

he brought about order

and out of the chaos

he brought about design.

And we can read through chapter 1

and see how that all happened.

Now the pinnacle

of that good order

and that good design

was the creation

of a man and a woman.

So in chapter 1,

verse 26,

we read,

Then God said,

Let us make man

in our image,

in our likeness.

Verse 27,

So God created man

in his own image,

in the image of God

he created him.

Male and female

he created them.

So while every person

is created unique

and every person here

is different,

we are created,

God tells us,

as either a male

or a female.

We are not created

gender neutral.

We're not created

half man

or half woman

so that in the course of life

we have to somehow

choose

which one

we would like to be.

No, God in his design

and in his order

has created us

male and female.

And when God made us,

look at verse 31,

God saw all that

he had made

and it was very good.

He wasn't looking

at his creation

and thinking,

oh, I've made a mistake

or I'm not quite sure

how this one

is going to work out.

He looked at his creation

and he looked at man

and woman

and he said,

this is very good.

Now maybe you struggle

with your sexuality

and I think we all struggle

with our sexuality.

perhaps you identify

with this gender dysphoria

or maybe you know somebody

who struggles with it.

But here's the wonderful truth

that whatever we may think

about ourselves,

whatever the world

may tell us about ourselves,

God says,

our creator says this about us,

you are very good.

The way in which you've been made

is very good.

Keep your finger there

in Genesis

and jump to Psalm 139.

Psalm 139,

it's almost smack bang

in the middle of your Bible.

Psalm 139

and verse 13.

Here the psalmist is reflecting

that he is not just a nobody

but he is somebody

who has been created

wonderfully by God.

Psalm 139 verse 13.

Psalms 139:13

Listen to these wonderful words.

For you created

my inmost being.

You knit me together

in my mother's womb.

I praise you

because I am fearfully

and wonderfully made.

Your works are wonderful.

I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made

in the secret place.

When I was woven together

in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw

my unformed body.

All the days

ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them

came to be.

They're some of the most

beautiful verses

in the Bible

because they are reminding us

and telling us

that God's creation of us

is wonderful.

We are not mistakes.

We are not here by chance.

We are made male or female

and it's all part of God's

amazing good design.

And as part of God's

good design,

men and women

are different.

Socially,

we're different.

We act in different ways.

And men are created

physically and sexually

different.

Men are created

with a penis.

They have the ability

to produce sperm.

Women are created

with a vagina

and have the ability

to produce an egg.

So physically,

we're different.

Sexually,

we're different.

And part of that

amazing order

and design of God

is that the male

and female

come together.

So in verse 28

of Genesis chapter 1,

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

sorry,

go back to Genesis chapter 1.

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

In verse 28,

having made

man and woman,

God says to them,

verse 28,

he blessed them

and said to them,

be fruitful

and increase in number.

So the context

for this sexual union

or this relationship

is man and woman

coming together,

but the context

for that is marriage.

So chapter 2,

verse 24.

Well, let's read

from verse 23.

The man said,

this is one of these

great impassioned

romantic verses.

Maybe you could change

it a little bit

to make it a little bit

more contemporary.

So here we are.

The man said,

this is now bone

of my bones

and flesh of my flesh.

She shall be called woman

for she was taken

out of man.

For this reason,

a man will leave

his father and mother

and be united

to his wife

and they will become

one flesh.

They will become

one.

And the man

and his wife

were both naked

and they felt

no shame.

Do you see that last verse,

verse 25?

They were both naked

and felt

no shame.

There is no hiding

of their identity.

There is no embarrassment

in their nakedness.

There is no unease.

There is no struggle.

There is no striving

for a need to change.

It is completely open

and transparent.

This is good

and beautiful.

God bringing man

and woman together

was a good design,

a good purpose.

No wonder

Eden means

delight.

It's good.

So,

we are created

by God.

Second,

we are also created

in God's image.

So,

chapter 1,

verse 27.

God created man

in his own image.

In the image of God,

he created him

male and female.

So,

it's telling us there

that something

of God's likeness,

something of God's image

is reflected in us.

We reflect something

of who God is.

but not physically.

It's not as people

look at us,

they kind of physically,

this is,

I physically look like God.

No,

it's not that.

But relationally,

we reflect something

of God relationally.

And the clue for this

comes in verse 26.

Look at the beginning

of verse 26.

Then God said,

let us

make man

in our image,

in our likeness.

So,

do you see that?

God is describing himself

as an us.

Let us

make man

in our image.

And as we read

through the Bible,

it becomes clear

that this God

who was presented

at the beginning

is three persons,

but yet just one God.

It's what theologians

have come to call

the Trinity.

God the Father,

God the Son,

God the Holy Spirit.

That's the us,

that's the our,

that created man

in his image.

So,

before anything else

or anyone else

was created,

there was God.

But get this,

God was not alone.

God was in

a relationship

with himself.

He existed

in a complete

and perfect community

of Father,

Son,

and Spirit.

Each expressing love

one to another.

Each communicating

one to another.

Each serving,

each giving.

So,

God didn't create people

because God was

somehow lonely

and he needed

somebody else.

No,

God was in

a complete

relationship

with himself.

So,

when God

created us,

he created us

to be a part

of that community.

He created us

in his image

and in his likeness

so that we could

relate to him,

so that we could

know him,

enjoy him,

and love him.

He created us

so that we

could be complete

in him.

So,

let's work

this out.

Let's see

how this is

true.

So,

when God

made the man

and the woman,

what was the

first thing

he did?

After he had

made man

and woman,

what does he

do?

Well,

look at

chapter 1,

verse 28.

God blessed

them

and said

to them.

God begins

to talk

to them.

He begins

to relate

to them

because God

is a relational

God and

we're made

in his image

and in his

likeness and

so we can

relate to him.

And God

doesn't do this

with any other

part of his

creation.

Animals aren't

talking to God.

Plants aren't

talking to God.

They do not

have that capacity

to relate to God.

We are unique

in the created

order to have

a relationship

with God,

to talk to him.

And so God

has designed

us as a male

and a female

so that we

might be in

a relationship

with him.

To join

the Father

and the Son

and the Spirit

in that

complete community.

That's what

we were made

for.

Being in

relationship

with God

is what

fulfills us

and satisfies

us.

Our relationship

with God

makes us

complete.

And that

means then

that we don't

need to

change our

gender

or our

sexuality

to find

contentment

and fulfilment.

That means

we don't need

to change

who we were

born to be

to fit in

or to be

accepted by

other people.

Those who

struggle with

gender dysphoria

will often

describe themselves

in this way.

They say that

I'm trapped

inside the

wrong body.

Which usually

leads to

perhaps living

as a

transvestite

or taking

action to

become a

transsexual.

In other

words,

the only way

to relate

to themselves

and to be

able to

relate to

other people

is to

change

their gender

identity.

But God

has created

us to join

the ultimate

relationship.

He has

created us

to be in

this complete

perfect

relationship.

So we

don't need

to be

tampering

or changing

God's

design and

order.

God has

designed each

one of us

as we are,

male and

female.

And it's in

relationship with

our creator,

God primarily,

not with each

other,

but primarily

in our

relationship with

God,

that we find

our joy

and happiness.

So whether

we're single

or whether

we're married

or whatever

our struggle

in life

may be,

it is in

relationship

with that

perfect

community,

Father,

Son and

Spirit,

that we

find our

joy and

happiness.

That is

where we're

complete.

So we're

created by

God,

we're created

in the image

of God,

and then

third,

we are

created new

in Christ.

Now the

fact that

we're having

to talk

about the

subject of

transgender

means that

God's created

order and

design has

somehow fallen

apart.

The cogs in

the wheel have

become twisted,

they're grinding

against each

other rather

than going

in the right

way.

And our

experience of

life,

perhaps even

for ourselves

and within

the communities

in which we

live,

our experience

today is so

different to

the original

creation that

we have

just read.

It's not

like that

anymore.

It's

different.

So why is

it different?

Well,

Genesis chapter

three tells

us what

happened.

We read

from those

verses in

chapter three

where the

first man

and the

first woman

rejected God's

design for

life.

They rebelled

against his

good order

and they

began to

replace the

ultimate

relationship

with God

for which

they had

and replace

that relationship

with God

with other

things and

other people.

They began

to look to

other places

for their

joy and

their hope,

their satisfaction

and look at

the consequences

of when the

first man and

first woman

rejected and

rebelled.

Look at

verse seven

of chapter

three.

it tells

us there

that the

eyes of

both of

them were

opened and

they realised

that they

were naked

and with

the realisation

they sewed

fig leaves

together and

made coverings

for themselves.

It's the

complete opposite.

If you compare

chapter three

verse seven

with chapter

two verse

twenty-five,

it's the

complete opposite.

In verse

twenty-five,

they were

naked and

they felt

no shame.

In chapter

three verse

seven,

upon

rebelling,

they were

naked and

now they're

hiding and

covering.

They're no

longer open

and transparent

with one

another.

Instead of

accepting one

another,

instead of

the pleasure

of one

another,

they are now

filled with

guilt and

shame,

covering,

hiding,

trying to

cover up.

Their freedom

has now

been replaced

with fear

of one

another.

You see,

because we

have turned

away from

God,

our whole

life,

the whole

world,

the whole

universe,

has become

flawed,

including

our sexuality.

It has

become

disordered.

So,

you and I,

we don't

function in

a way that

fits in with

God's order

and God's

design.

that's why

we have

gender

dysphoria,

that's why

we have

same-sex

attraction,

that's why

we have

dysfunctional

marriages,

that's why

heterosexual

people struggle

with all

kinds of

issues.

So,

whoever we

are,

and however

we would

describe our

sexuality,

whether it's

transsexual,

homosexual,

or heterosexual,

we are all

of us,

we're no

different,

we are all

sexually flawed

and broken

people,

we don't

live and

behave and

act as

we should

do.

That's why

there is

the disorder,

but thankfully

God has made

it possible

for this

to be made

new.

Look at

2 Corinthians

in the New

Testament,

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5.

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5.

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5.

You see,

God didn't

want to

leave us

as we

were,

living life

the way

that we

do,

breaking

our own

lives and

breaking

the lives

of one

another.

God

intervened,

the whole

story,

the whole

plan,

the whole

picture of

the Bible

is about

God coming

to us

through Jesus

Christ to

renew us

and to

restore us,

to bring

us back

to that

new

creation.

So in

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 5:15

chapter 5

verse 15

we read

this,

it's talking

about Jesus

and he,

that's Jesus

died for

all,

people like

you and

me,

people who

are broken

sexually,

he died

for all,

that those

who live

should no

longer live

for themselves,

for their

own desires,

their own

wants,

but for

him to

live for

Jesus who

died for

them and

was raised

again for

them.

Verse 17,

therefore,

if anyone

is in

Christ,

they are

a new

creation,

the old

has gone

and the

new

has come.

Jesus

Christ,

when he

walked on

the earth,

was the

perfect

human being.

He was

the one

who lived

all of

life as

it should

be.

He was

perfect and

pure in

his sexuality.

There was

no flaw

in his

sexuality.

And so

he came,

he was the

only one

who could

come to

deal with

our sexually

flawed and

broken

lives.

And part,

or the

way in

which he

ultimately

did that,

was to

take our

sin,

to take

our

failures,

our mess

ups,

our

brokenness

on

himself,

to

forgive us

of the

past,

to deal

with the

past,

and to

give us

a brand

new

beginning,

a new

way to

live life.

Verse 17

of chapter

5,

therefore,

if anyone

is in

Christ,

they are

a new

creation,

the old

has gone,

the new

has come.

You see,

no matter

what our

sexual

orientation

may be,

all of

us,

all of

us in

this room

are called

to come

to Christ

because

Jesus is

the one

who's come

to redeem

our lives.

He's come

to bring

about a

new

creation

in our

lives,

to bring

order out

of the

disorder,

to bring

design out

of the

chaos,

to deal

with our

old life

and to

give us

a new

life.

I want

to finish

by sharing

a testimony.

This is

the story

of Mandy.

She explains

her old

life and

her new

creation.

Listen

carefully to

this story.

She describes

it like

this.

Growing

up as a

boy,

feeling I

was in

the wrong

body,

fascinated

with

women's

clothes,

the relief

of discovering

others who

felt the

same way,

increasing

cross-dressing

and joining

the transvestite

community,

a growing

sense that

perfect

fulfilment

could never

be achieved

without the

operation,

the counselling

which encouraged

this course

of action,

eventually

undergoing the

operation,

and the

triumphant

sense of

having arrived

with a

new identity

and a

new gender.

She goes

on having

been introduced

to Christ

and meeting

a Christian

community.

Mandy explains

how she was

now beginning

to regret

what she

had done.

She had

believed a

lie about

her identity.

She now

realised that

what she

had done

had been

an act

of rebellion

against

her creator.

She had

now confessed

her sin

to God

and was

beginning

to renounce

in her

heart

all that

it involved.

Her

pastor

counselled

her and

spoke to

her.

He said

to her,

whatever

your past,

whatever

you are

now,

male or

female,

what matters

is who

you are

in Christ.

As far

as I am

concerned,

God has

intervened in

your life

and he

has placed

you in

Christ.

He now

gives you

your identity.

This is

who you

are.

This is

therefore

how I

regard you.

If God

has accepted

you,

so do

I.

Her

pastor

continues

the story.

He says

we began

to notice

changes.

The

makeup

became

less

obvious.

Feminine

dresses

were making

way for

trousers

and loose

jumpers.

Hesitantly,

I began

to pray

that Mandy

might consider

a change

back to

the male

lifestyle.

It was

such a

huge step.

Did I

dare to

suggest to

Mandy that

I was

thinking this

way?

Well,

true to

form,

at our

next

meeting,

Mandy

herself

raised

the subject.

Just

18 months

after her

baptism,

Mandy

became

James,

reverting

to the

name

his

parents

given

him

at

birth.

In

the

following

month,

she

made

preparations

at the

hospital,

and 15

months

after that,

James

met a

young lady

and got

married.

Therefore,

if anyone

is in

Christ,

they are a

new creation.

The old

has gone,

the new

has come.

that story

may finish

well,

but the

wonderful

news is

that even

though that

process,

that

transformation

may take

time,

listen to

these words,

for those

who come

to Christ,

for those

who are

the Lord's

glory,

are being

transformed

into

his

likeness.

We are

being

transformed

into

Christ's

likeness

every

day.

as God

does

his

work.

All

those

who are

in

Christ

are

a

new

creation.

Let's

pray.

Father,

we stand

back amazed

at your

created

order,

and your

design of

this

universe,

but

especially

we are

amazed at

the way

in which

you have

created

us as

human

beings,

so unique,

so different,

and you

look down

on each

one and

say you

are very

good,

fearfully

and

wonderfully

made.

God

and

we

have

God

and

we

have

followed

your

order

or

design,

and

therefore

we are

people who

need

Christ.

We

thank you

that through

Jesus

we find

that new

creation,

that new

beginning,

the past

being dealt

with,

the future

being made

bright.

we

thank you

that those

who trust

in you

are now

treated

as God's

own child,

and even

with all

our struggles,

and even

with all

of our

issues,

you are

continually

gracious

to us,

day by

day,

transforming

us to

be more

like

Christ.

We

thank you

too that

one day

we will

be in

the new

creation,

where we

will no

longer

struggle

with any

gender

issues,

we will

no longer

struggle

with our

sexuality,

we will

no longer

struggle

with anything,

for we

will be

as you

intend

us to

be.

We

look forward

to that,

and we

thank you

that you

have made

it all

possible

through

Jesus.

We

praise you

in Jesus'

name.

Amen.

words

that I

think

pick up

on that

verse

has gone,

the new

has come.

I once

was lost

in darkness

night,

yet thought

I was

lost.

I was

lost.

I was

lost.

I was

lost.

I was

lost.

I was

lost.

I was

lost.

I was

lost.