Father, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us. Father, deliver us from the ways that we think you are
and the ways that we think you behave, and help us, Father, to listen to how you describe yourself
in terms of what you do and what you don't do. Father, you know how wounded our hearts and our
minds are and how easily we twist things. So, Father, we ask that you would calm and still
our heart like a young child with his mother. May you calm and still our hearts so that your word
might go deeply into who we are. And we ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior. Amen.
Please be seated. So, a couple of months ago, once again, I was in a coffee shop and one of my regular
conversation partners came up with to me and he said, I have the perfect quote which really encapsulates
why I'm not a Christian. In fact, why I don't like religion, period, exclamation mark, and a couple of
extra exclamation marks. And he, in fact, I tried to find it, but I couldn't find it. But he showed me a
quote from a well-known American speaker and writer. And the effect, the quote in effect said,
I cannot believe in a God that would send anyone to hell. And in fact, a God that sends and condemns
people to hell is a completely and utterly terrible being. Even if he granted me a pass to not go to
hell, I would refuse to go for the mere fact that he would send others to hell. It was something to that
effect. And more eloquent, but to that effect. And I didn't make it harder or lighter to that effect.
And then my friend said, this is unanswerable. And waited for my answer. Well, the scripture text
that Nora read actually fits with how I tried to answer my friend. That very odd text from Genesis. So,
it would be a great help to me and to you if you open your Bibles and turn to Genesis chapter 3,
the second half of Genesis 3, verses 14 and following. And just before I start reading
Genesis chapter 3, verse 14, just a little bit of a context as you turn to it. Some of you who are a
bit familiar with the Bible would know this, but maybe some of us don't. Basically, the first two
chapters of Genesis give two different accounts of God creating everything out of nothing. The first
text sort of gives you more of the 20,000 feet in the air view with other types of imagery. The second
text focuses more particularly on the creation of man and woman and the institution of marriage.
And then in Genesis 3, just a bit before we had this, we have the beginning of evil. How did evil and
sin and pain come into our world? And there's the conversation between the serpent and between Eve.
There is Adam and Eve. God said, you know, there's thousands and thousands of trees in this paradise
on earth. You can eat all of the fruit you want whenever you want, all the different types.
It's unbelievably delicious, unbelievably nutritious. You'll never put on weight.
And you can eat to your heart's content. I only ask that there's this one tree that you don't eat of it.
And if you eat of it, you'll die. And Genesis 3, just before this, describes the process whereby
Adam and Eve decide they want to be like God and they want to make their own rules and they eat of the
fruit. And as a result of that, well, God, they fall. That's the beginning of the breaking of the
created order. And in the part just before this, God's first words to fallen human beings, rebellious
human beings who want to, in a sense, dethrone God and be like God, he asked them four questions.
And now we come to after those questions have been answered, revealing really a lot about God's heart
and what the human heart was. We now come to God speaking to first the serpent, then the woman,
and then the man. So that's where we are. Here's what happens. Verse 14. The Lord God said to the
serpent, because you have done this, his role in clarifying that Adam and Eve wanted to be like God.
Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field.
On your belly you shall go and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between
you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise
his heel. Now, like right off the bat, I mean, some of you might have very serious questions about it,
but it's also very easy to make fun of this text. Okay, George, so this is like a story of why snakes
don't run around with tiny little legs like a centipede? Like, it's pretty ridiculous, George.
That's apart from the fact that the snake is a talking snake, George. And don't you think it's just
sort of completely and utterly, you know, ridiculous that the snake is going to eat dust?
Like, come on, George, how can you even begin to take this text seriously? So it's easy to
look at the text. It's very easy to make fun of it. But let's just, you know, sort of take a bit of a
time out and look at the text and try to listen to it and see what it is that it's trying to say.
And the first thing is, just so you know, if you're a guest here this morning, we had Easter Sunday
and the Palm Sunday before that. But before that, I've done a whole series of sermons before this
in Genesis, talked about evolution and creation. I've talked about historical Adam, talked about
serpents talking. I'm not going to repeat it. You can go back and listen to some of the serpents,
sermons. Don't listen to the serpent. Listen to the sermons. In fact, you know, a big task for
Christians is distinguish the hissing of the serpent from the whisper of the Holy Spirit. But there you go.
That's a free sermon note just for you because you're here. And so listen to the other sermons.
Just for now, understand that the serpent is really a way of talking about the devil, Satan.
You can listen to earlier sermons in terms of how I talk about this and help us to understand it.
And so the serpent, in a sense, is a symbol,
a slithering symbol for the devil, for Satan, our ancient adversary.
So here's the thing about this. You know, in a few weeks, we're going to talk about Noah and the flood.
And just so you know, there were rainbows before the flood.
Okay? I mean, rainbows are a natural phenomenon.
It wasn't as if there were no rainbows and all of a sudden God created a rainbow.
That's not how it is.
What's going on here, both with the serpent and this description of on your belly and everything like that,
in some ways, God takes a natural phenomenon and becomes something that has significance
in terms of who God is and who human beings are and how he relates to them.
That just as in Noah's case with the rainbow, when we see a rainbow,
one of the things we can remember every time we see a rainbow is that God will not destroy the earth.
And when we see a snake, one of the things we can remember is that God has humbled,
God has humbled the devil.
That he is completely and utterly humbled.
Still powerful, but profoundly humbled.
You know, if you look at it from that thing, look at what he does.
Because you have done this, curse it are you above all livestock and above all the beasts of the field.
On your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
You know this phrase, dust?
You know, what's a very common expression even today?
You can see it in movies or something like that.
Maybe, you know, somebody's in a race and they're beating the person,
and in their mind you can hear, or if you're watching this in a movie,
you can hear, eat my dust, loser.
Right?
Eat my dust.
In fact, usually in Hollywood it would be a whole pile of swear words,
which I'm not allowed to say from the pulpit.
And shouldn't say anywhere else, by the way, just for the record.
I don't want to say, oh boy, George said if you're not on the pulpit you can say these bad words.
Not.
Okay?
So, but you know, we're familiar with that expression, right?
Eat my dust, loser.
Right?
It's the same type of thing.
It's a description of a profound humbling.
When we see a snake, we're to be reminded that the devil has been completely and utterly humbled.
In fact, one of the, a couple of weeks ago I suggested that if you like reading novels,
and if you haven't done it, there's three spectacular novels by C.S. Lewis, a science fiction trilogy.
And the first one is, I think, called Out of the Silent Planet,
then it's Perilandra, or Voyage to Venus, and then That Hideous Strength.
And one of the interesting things that C.S. Lewis does playing with this imagery
is that he imagines that part of the way that God humbled the devil was to limit him to earth,
in a sense where he has to eat dust.
Whereas before he could roam, now he's in a sense tied to this planet as part of his defeat and his humbling.
That's just, you know, a bit of a side.
They're books that are really worth reading.
But some of you might say, but George, cursing?
Like God's up there cursing?
Ah, come on.
I mean, George, you just got up here.
You just said, by the way, you know, you could say, eat my dust,
and in Hollywood they'd say, bleepity, bleepity, bleepity, bleep.
And you just said, don't say bleepity, bleepity, bleep.
But, I mean, God's doing that.
Like, what's going on?
God's doing that.
Well, here's the first big thing about this whole text.
If you could put up the point.
I have a human problem.
And if I have a human problem, human problems mean every human being has the problem.
I imagine gods.
Actually, there should be no apostrophe there.
I imagine gods in my own image.
I'm sorry, my own likeness.
That's my problem.
I imagine gods.
It's hard for me to hear God describe himself,
and for me to actually just listen to that and understand how he reveals himself.
because my mind and my heart are constantly imagining what God is like.
You see, what happens to me is...
See, one of the things that happens in the earlier part of this story
is that human beings who used to be able to see God face-to-face,
they hide from him.
And because I like to hide from God,
I imagine that God hides from me.
Because I'm elusive,
I imagine that God's elusive.
Because I get angry,
I imagine that God gets angry.
Because I curse in a certain way,
I imagine that that means what it says about God,
that he curses in a certain way.
Because I have a problem with hatred,
I imagine that God has a problem with hatred.
And it's a human problem.
I think it was Calvin who said that the human mind
is a factory to create idols.
And I probably got the quote a little bit wrong.
But I have a human problem.
So it comes right out.
Cursing.
Well, what do I think of when I think of cursing?
I think of, you know,
I'm in...
Well, just the other...
Just leaving church last Sunday.
I come and the bicycle lane has, you know, lines on it.
I'm following it.
I'm not going into the bicycle lane.
But I come to the corner that allows me to get into the intersection
and cross the bicycle lane.
And a cyclist who was well, well behind me.
I was stopped.
I was stopped like 80 yards before him.
Didn't cut him off.
I was waiting for pedestrians to go.
But as he went, he cursed me.
Very colorfully.
Very loudly.
He cursed me.
So that's what we think of, right?
But what's going on here in the text?
What's going on here in the text is this.
So just all the way through this text,
this text is going to constantly challenge our hearts
to make us think twice
if we're willing to have the text confront us
to see how we sort of are imagining God.
And so because we imagine God in certain ways,
we hear the text in certain ways,
but it's not the way the text is actually describing God.
In the Bible, a curse is the opposite of a blessing.
And what a curse is,
is a God consigning or making something impotent.
He makes something impotent.
Is this a bad thing?
Who wouldn't like North Korea to become more impotent?
I mean, other than the crazy little family and clique
that run that terrible country.
And so what the text is saying here is,
because you have done this,
I am going to make you impotent.
I'm going to really and utterly,
completely cut your power.
That's what God does for us
in his dealing with the devil.
So it's not that God is angry and hostile
and loses control.
So this text is going to constantly reveal my heart.
It's going to reveal my fear, my pride.
It's going to reveal to me who I am in God's sight
and how I don't want to,
I want to constantly imagine
that God is less generous than he is,
that he's less loving than he is,
that he's less just than he is,
that he's less holy than he is,
that he has human problems.
This text is going to constantly reveal
this tendency in my heart and yours.
But God acts to make the serpent's power
basically very powerless.
That's what he does.
So remember, I have a human problem.
I imagine God's in my own likeness.
And so it means I'm going to keep on
like sort of misunderstanding the text.
So for instance, like this whole seed language,
which is really weird.
Like as someone you might say,
okay, is God just saying that,
I don't know, seed of the serpent.
Like look down here about the seed of the serpent.
I will put, verse 15,
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
between your seed and her seed.
He shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel.
Is this just talking about little baby snakes
that go wiggling around?
There's, one of the places I go for a run
is on the Cross Canada Trail.
And there's a spot along the Cross Canada Trail
where there's obviously some type of a nest.
I don't know if snakes have nests.
Last Sunday, you all laughed,
or you should have laughed,
as I tried to describe flowers,
revealing the lack of my knowledge of botany.
But I, anyway, at this time,
soon when you go for a run,
I have to keep my eye open for garter snakes
and little baby garter snakes.
You know, because the last thing you want to do
when you're out for a run,
just sort of trying to make it through
is to come close to stepping on a snake
because all of a sudden,
I'm doing high jump, not running,
if what I thought was a stick moves.
Okay?
I'm just telling you,
you hear a yelp from George
and all of a sudden,
you see how high George's vertical leap can be
when the stick wiggles
and moves out of the way.
Anyway, so what's going on here
with the seed language?
Is it just describing baby seeds?
No, it's describing,
and this is going to actually maybe
be a little bit frightening to us,
it's describing human beings.
The seed of the serpent is human beings.
And the seed of Eve in this particular case
is also human beings.
And it's beginning to introduce an idea
as a result of the fall.
And by the way,
this is going to be a terrifying idea to us
that in the sense that there are two types of humanity,
there is a human,
there are human beings
that are the seed of the serpent,
and there are human beings
that are a seed of life,
ultimately of Eve, of the woman,
of God, who's a source of life.
Now, some of you might say,
oh, George, time out, time out.
Is this, in fact,
giving divine sanction and permission
for describing certain others
as being like demons,
that we can do whatever we want with them?
Not at all.
It would be if this was the only text in the Bible
that referred to it.
It would be a real problem,
because we know there's a human problem, right?
We know there's a human problem.
We see it right now.
What is it?
There's a constant problem going on.
Many of the elite universities in the United States
and here in Canada,
where we demonize,
and there's a complete attack on freedom of speech.
That in places that should be devoted
to the freedom of expression
and the interchange of ideas,
that there's an increasing problem
in these places of shutting down
and shouting down
and using the third of violence
to stop people
who don't have the right views from speaking.
It's a problem in our society.
And so, is this text trying to describe...
No, if this was the only text in the Bible,
but this is the beginning of a story,
if you have your Bibles,
I mean, here we are.
Here's the beginning.
Here's what goes on.
And the text is going to develop this idea,
and in the Old Testament,
it's going to make it a bit more complicated.
It starts to have the idea
of how individuals,
in a sense,
the line between good and evil
runs not between human beings,
but down the middle of each human being.
And it's eventually going to be culminated
in this understanding
that Jesus dies upon the cross,
and when he dies upon the cross,
all what he's doing
is revealing
that God is going to provide
a completely new way
for human beings
to be made right with him,
and it's going to reveal
in a way that would be
too depressing to reveal
until the Messiah himself
has come and died upon the cross,
that in a sense,
every human being
is the seed of the serpent,
in a sense,
and that every human being
needs to be transferred
from this
to be reconciled
and made right with God,
and only God's power
can do that.
It's the beginning
of this idea
of the depth
of a rebellion against God
that the rest of the scriptures
are going to make clear.
And at the same time,
it has this profound problem
that God is going to use
a particular,
I mean,
seed is something
that men produce,
not women.
It doesn't require
the virgin birth,
but for Christians
who read the Gospels,
all of a sudden,
you see that,
in a sense,
it's a prophecy
or prediction
of the virgin birth,
that God will provide
the means by which
the serpent is killed,
and sin is dealt with,
and people are made right
with God.
It's the beginning
of promise
that's in the Bible.
But some of you
might say,
so it's not at all
a divine justification
of there being
two types of people,
but some of you
might say,
okay, George,
well, that's all
very interesting,
but there's this
really problem.
You know,
Nora was overcome
when she read
this text,
and she was overcome
for good reason.
You know,
when you read the text
very carefully
and slowly
and try to bring emphasis,
and doesn't this text
seem to say
that God all of a sudden
created pain
in childbearing?
Doesn't this text
sort of say
that men are able
to rule over their wives?
Like, George,
this is a very...
In fact,
just imagine,
look at verse 16.
To the woman,
he said,
I will surely
multiply your pain
in childbearing.
In pain you shall
bring forth children.
Your desire shall be
for your husband,
and he shall rule
over you.
Imagine for a second
that I said
there's a gathering
of women executives,
and I'd like you
to read that text
to them.
Imagine for a second
if there was a gathering
of all the women
who were in parliament,
and they're bringing
women from all
across the country
to have a big session
in parliament,
and I said,
could you read
that text to them?
I would be really...
Nobody would want
to do that.
Very few would want
to do that.
It sounds like
a terrible,
terrible text.
So just remember again,
what is it I say?
I have a human problem.
I imagine
God's
in my own likeness.
So,
before I try
to bring out
what this text is saying,
it's still going
to be a bit controversial,
but I'm going to make it worse
rather than before
I make it better.
Because when it says here,
I will surely multiply
your pain in childbearing,
what it's actually saying
is this.
The word pain here
means both physical pain
and psychological
and emotional
and spiritual
and intellectual pain.
It means pain
in the most broadly
understood term.
And what it's talking
about here
is that there's going
to be pain
connected to children
from the moment
of conception
till the moment
either that the child
dies,
and then if the mother
obviously still is alive,
it will continue on
after the child
has died
because no mother
wants,
every mother,
I mean,
nobody wants to die,
but everybody wants
to outlive their,
to have their children
outlive them.
So,
this text is actually
saying that there
will be a multiplication
of pain
for the woman
from the moment
of conception
until her death
around children.
And the text
is also then saying
your desire
shall be for your husband
and it's a very,
very interesting thing
in the original language.
What it's saying
is that both
there's this
almost an inordinate
desire
that will sometimes
happen for
at least women
towards the husband
or a man
to be the husband,
but there's also
this other sense
which is actually
far more important
is that there's
a desire
for the woman
to rule
or master
the husband.
And at the same time
it's saying
that the man
will act
in a ruling
type of
hard way
towards his wife.
So,
I've made it worse,
haven't I?
But now you've heard it.
So,
well,
here's,
if you could put up
the next point,
Andrew.
This is,
I really just have
two big ideas
in this text
and this is
the other idea.
God's word,
it's long
and I don't really
like the grammar,
but it's the best
I could do.
God's word reveals
that I am made
in his image.
In other words,
that means I'm beautiful
and I'm glorious
and every human being is.
But I am bent.
His word also reveals
that I am bent,
broken,
and twisted.
So,
I bend,
break,
and twist.
His word also reveals
that God is good,
merciful,
and sovereign.
So,
he limits evil,
warns of evil,
and delivers from sin.
That's what you have to know
when you read this text.
Both the thing
which I just read
a few moments ago
about the serpent,
but also as we're going to talk
about the next things
in the text,
God's word reveals
that I am made
in his image.
At no point in time
does the Bible say
that because of our sin
and rebellion
that God removes
us being made
in his image.
It never says that.
We're always made
in his image.
But we are now bent
and broken
and twisted
and so I bend,
break,
and twist.
His word also reveals
that God is good,
merciful,
and sovereign.
God doesn't say,
oh gosh,
because human beings
have fallen,
I'm no longer
sovereign.
No,
he's sovereign
in a different context.
God is sovereign
in the context
of human rebellion
and human beings'
addiction
to be like God.
God.
And in a context
in a world
where human beings
are addicted
to the desire
to be God,
he's still sovereign,
he's still good,
he's still merciful.
And because of that,
he limits evil,
warns of evil,
and delivers from sin.
So let's look
at this text.
And remember
I said at the beginning
about this story
at my coffee shop
and the fellow
giving me
this unanswerable
objection
to a God
who casts people
into hell.
And here's the first
thing I said to him.
The Bible actually
is a bit more subtle
than that.
What if I said to you
that it's not
that God
takes somebody
like George Sinclair
and I'm running away
from God
and he finally
catches me,
grabs me
by the scruff
of my neck
and I'm wiggling
and I'm fighting
and I'm twisting
and I'm punching
at God
but God keeps me
in his grip
and he opens
the door to hell
and he throws me
far enough into hell
so that he can
close the door
and lock it.
That's the image.
But I said
what if it,
what if
I choose to go
into hell
and when I go
into hell
the only lock
on the door
is a lock
on the inside
not the outside.
This actually
made my friend
really mad.
and when I
tried to press
it on him
he just
eventually
threw up
his arms
and refused
to talk
to me
anymore
about it
because I guess
he thought
I had an
unanswerable
position
and he never
thought there
might be an
answer.
But the fact
of the matter
is that all
the way
through the
Bible
it's far
more complicated
in these
things.
That there's
this odd
mixture
of God
always being
sovereign
and right
in his
judgment
but at the
same time
human beings
freely choosing.
And the
reason this
is going to
be very
very significant
is because
in all of
these things
here that
God says
there's a
mixture
of prediction
and proclamation
about what
God's going
to do.
If you go
back
you listen
to the
sermon
about what
happens
immediately
after the
fall
if you
remember
that immediately
after the
fall
God does
nothing
but what's
the first
thing
that God
does
nothing
but what's
the first
thing
that happens
they recognize
that they're
naked.
The next
thing that
happens
with God
having done
nothing is
they hide
from God.
What's the
next thing
that happens
even though
God has
still done
nothing
is the
very very
first thing
they do
is they
begin to
have a
breakdown
of their
relationship
with the
created
order and
with themselves
and with
God.
They pass
the buck.
They say
it's not
my fault
it's your
fault.
It's his
fault.
No it's
her fault.
It's her
fault.
It's the
first thing
that happens.
We've
bent and
broken and
twisted
ourselves
and now
we look
bent and
broken and
twisted.
And so
in all
this speech
the interesting
thing is to
listen far
more carefully
to not
just to
remember that
we make
God's in
our own
imaginings
and to
listen how
in many
parts of
this God's
just now
predicting
what's
going to
happen.
And in
other things
he says
something
specifically
he's going
to do.
So one
of the
things
specifically
he's going
to do
make the
devil
impotent.
So let's
look here
the second
thing.
Okay.
Look at
it again.
Verse 16
I will
surely
multiply
your pain
and
childbearing
now that
you
understand
what
it
means.
In
pain
you
shall
bring
forth
children.
Your
desire
shall
be
for
your
husband
and
he
shall
rule
over
you.
So
here's
the
second
thing.
I'm
going to
put
the
Bible
down.
I'm
just
going to
ask
you a
question.
Is
that
true?
As a
prediction.
No.
Nobody has
complicated
relationship
with their
parents.
Nobody has
complicated
relationships
with their
children.
No
marriage is
ever in
trouble.
No
husband and
wife ever
struggle for
power and
control.
that's
not
happened
anywhere.
No,
it's
true,
isn't
it?
Like
it's a
very,
you know
what,
this is
an
inconvenient
truth,
but this
is a
perfect
description.
Go to
family court,
go to
marriage
counselors,
go to
family
counselors.
This
is true.
And
God
doesn't,
he does
one
particular
thing in
this,
doesn't
he?
Multiply
your
pain.
How
on earth
could he
multiply
your
pain?
Well,
remember,
what was
my very,
very first
point?
My very,
very,
you don't
have to
put it
up,
and you
can leave
this one
here,
but I
have a
human
problem.
I
imagine
God's
in my
own
likeness.
So
here's
the thing.
Quite
a few
years ago
when I
was still
in the
parish
of
Eganville,
a little
rural
church,
I think
I was
driving
from
Eganville
to
Tweed
down
these
country
roads.
And
anybody
who's
driven
through
country
roads
in the
province
of
Ontario
and that
type
of area,
there's
not very
many
passing
lanes.
And
I
have
to
confess,
I
am
not
always,
I'm
growing,
I'm
becoming
more
sanctified,
but I
am
not
always
the
most
patient
driver.
And
so
I
was
behind
a
person
who
when
the
road
you
couldn't
pass,
they
went
75
in
an
80
zone.
And
when
it
was
nice
and
straight
and
you
could
pass,
they
went
120
or
110.
And
this
was
not
teaching
me
patience.
This
was
making
me
very
upset.
And
this
went
on,
it
seemed
like
for
about
three
years,
but
it
was
actually
probably
only
for
about
20
minutes.
Then
there
was
a
sign
announcing
that
we
were
coming
into
a
village.
Now
I've
been
driving
on
country
roads
for
a
long
time
and
so
I
know
two
things
about
country
roads
that
if
the
police
are
going
to
try
to
capture
you
for
speeding
they
love
it
to go
from
when it
goes
from
an
80
to
a
60
to
a
40
really
quick
and
they
like
being
where
it
says
40.
This
person
kept
driving
75.
Police
pulled
her
over.
Yes!
I'm
sorry!
I am
not
sharing
my
holiness.
I
rejoiced
in that
person's
pain.
I
did.
I
thought to
myself
all sorts
of
terrible
thoughts.
Some
of you
you know
who you
are
who are
impatient
drivers.
you
can
imagine
the
rest
of
the
thing
that
went
on
in
my
head.
I
was
glad
they
got
the
ticket.
I
am
not
proud
of
this.
Don't
do
what I
say
that I
just
did.
This is
an
example
of
my
sinfulness.
So
here's
the
thing.
Does
God
look
down
at
women
and
say
I'm
going
to
have
pain?
Yes!
Is
there
ever
a time
when
we
want
people
to
experience
pain?
Don't
you
wish
that
the
head
of
North
Korea
wasn't
so
callous
and
he
felt
some
pain
about
what
he's
doing
to
his
people?
Don't
you
know
brutal
husbands
with
their
wives
and
don't
you
wish
that
they
actually
felt
some
pain
about
what
they
did?
One
of
the
aspects
of
the
disease
of
leprosy
that
happens
is
that
one
of
the
aspects
of
one
of
the
symptoms
of
leprosy
is
that
parts
of
the
body
and
then
more
and
more
parts
of
the
body
no
longer
feel
pain
so
it
means
that
you
could
be
at
my
house
and
you're
making
yourself
a
cup
of
coffee
with
my
stove
top
espresso
machine
without
realizing
it
you put
your
hand
on
a
burner
that's
on
and
you
don't
know
maybe
God's
increasing
pain
has
something
to do
with
the
callousness
that
can
come
with
hurting
others
maybe
it
has
something
to do
so that
we would
repent
not only
to God
but to
other
people
and
change
our
ways
maybe
God
is
not
like
us
and
his
actions
are
just
the
whole
thing
here
about
marriage
I'm
going to
have
to
be
running
out
of
time
the
whole
thing
here
about
marriage
you
know
one
of
the
things
that
might
really
I'm
old
not
quite
ancient
of
days
but
I'm
old
and
one
of
the
things
I
maybe
hope
for
those
of
you
who are
in
your
20s
or
your
30s
is
that
you'll
start
to be
able
to
after
feminism
and
after
patriarchy
that
you'll
start
to be
able
to
just
listen
to
the
Bible
text
and
just
listen
to
it
and
not
be
frightened
and
bent
out of
shape
by
the
murmurings
of
patriarchy
and
by the
murmurings
and
paranoia
of
feminism
and
the
murmurings
and
paranoia
of
patriarchy
and
just
be
able
to
listen
to
the
text
is
that
on
one
hand
in
the
first
and
second
creation
account
in
two
cases
in
the
most
powerful
imagery
and
language
possible
the
full
complete
equality
of
men
and
women
is
very
powerfully
stated
but
when
it
comes
to
the
marriage
relationship
it's
very
interesting
that
the
task
for
the
husband
in
the
marriage
relationship
and
the
task
for
the
wife
in
the
marriage
relationship
the
tasks
have
some
similarities
but
they
fundamentally
have
different
tasks
and
I'm
looking
forward
to
the
day
maybe
when
I'm
90
and
I
still
haven't
lost
my
mind
and
I'm
going
along
my
walk
or
that
I'll
hear
that
one
of
you
people
here
or
maybe
one
of
the
kids
in
Sunday
school
because
you're
a
poet
and
you're
a
philosopher
and
you're
a
theologian
and
you're
psychologist
and
you're
just
that's
required
and
deserved
and
the
fact
that
there
can
be
somehow
or
another
different
tasks
for
a
husband
and
a
wife
in
the
relationship
of
marriage
see
it's
very
interesting
in
the
second
creation
account
the
woman
is
described
as
the
helper
fit
for
the
man
and
in
some
ways
and
I
don't
know
what
it
means
I
can
give
you
a bit
of
idea
but
I
don't
entirely
know
what
it
means
but
it
describes
in a
sense
the
woman
it
doesn't
say
that
the
man
the
husband
is
to
be
the
helper
of
the
woman
and
this
is
very
troublesome
it's
not
demeaning
by the
way
in
quite
a few
places
in
the
Old
Testament
God
is
described
as
the
helper
so
if
this
text
is
dissing
women
it's
dissing
God
and
it's
not
dissing
God
but
for
somehow
there's
this
text
the
other
side
of
it
men
are
given
two
tasks
that
women
aren't
given
it
says
if
you
go
back
in
Genesis
that
the
man
is
to
leave
his
family
never
says
for
the
woman
to
leave
her
family
it's
not
interesting
eh
and
it
also
says
that
the
man
has
to
hold
fast
to
his
wife
it
doesn't
say
actually
that
the
wife
has
to
hold
fast
to
her
husband
isn't
that
very
interesting
like
is
it
possible
that
all
of
a
sudden
we
can
just
stop
making
God
in
our
own
image
and
just
to
try
to
puzzle
on
that
and
to
meditate
upon
it
and
to
see
it
in
light
of
Jesus
and
his
death
upon
the
cross
and
the
knowledge
that
see
at
the
end
of
the
day
all
the
way
I
read
it
in
understanding
that
God
is
not
cruel
he's
not
harsh
he's
warning
me
about
certain
types
of
things
he's
creating
a
situation
where
I
want
to
call
out
to
him
for
mercy
everything
is
to
be
seen
in
the
light
of
what
Jesus
does
for
me
on
the
cross
and
so
it's
very
interesting
and
I'm
going to
use
this
in
illustration
I'm
not
making
any
political
point
whatsoever
I
really
am
not
I
really
truly
am
nah
nothing
against
Louise
or me
but
nah
it
means
many
things
but
one
of
the
things
what
Genesis
text
says
is
the
task
of
the
man
is
to
the
fact
that
being
a
Trudeau
matters
means
that
your
family
matters
in
terms
of
power
it
means
prestige
in
accomplishing
things
in
having
people
treat
you
a
certain
way
and
what
is
it
saying
it's
saying
that
the
constant
task
of
the
man
is
that
he
has
to
renounce
power
means
other
things
too
but
it
means
that
and
what
does
it
mean
about
holding
fast
it
means
putting
her
first
it
means
putting
her
first
holding
fast
to
her
and
for
the
woman
in
that
context
there's
this
different
task
that
the
woman
doesn't
have
which
I'm
hoping
that
in
generations
to
come
after
the
paranoia
of
patriarchy
and
the
paranoia
of
feminism
and
I
know
that
alone
could
cause
me
gazillion
twitter
things
to make
people
mad
and
in
biblical
manhood
and
womanhood
saying
things
about
patriarchy
could
make
them
really
mad
and
all
that
but
here
I'm
longing
and
praying
for
the
day
when
we
can
just
listen
to
the
Bible
and
try
to
understand
how
equality
in
these
different
tasks
go
and
you
see
how
given
this
helper
leaving
your
power
and
says
he
comes
home
and
says
you
know
what
all
day
long
people
say
nice
things
to
me
I'm
the
boss
and
I
don't
know
they
all
say
way
to
go
boss
and
I
say
you
know
jump
and
they
say
how
high
and
I
come
home
and
little
woman
I
want
you
to
do
that
greet
me
with
a
smile
and
I
say
jump
and
you
say
that's
what
happens
to
men
relate
it's
a
text
about
marriage
but
how
marriage
goes
really
affects
our
culture
and
this
text
is
not
God
giving
men
the
power
to
rule
it's
a
prediction
about
what
happens
in an
equal
relationship
with
different
tasks
when it's
bent
and
broken
and
twisted
and
it's
there
because
marriages
need
grace
and
there's
common
grace
for
Muslim
marriages
and
Hindu
marriages
and
secular
marriages
it's
not
the
case
that
Christians
have
the
best
marriages
that's
definitely
not
the
case
there's
common
grace
and
I
need
to
call
out
that
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
would
be
the
Savior
and
Lord
of
my
marriage
and
of
my
life
and
Louise
needs
to
call
that
out
for
us
because
we
know
that
grace
has
a
name
just
very
quickly
my
time's
going
up
let's
just
look
at
these
last
things
there's
something
I
want
to
make
sure
that
I
cover
before
we
end
look
at
verse
17
because
you
have
listened
to
the
voice
of
your
wife
Adam
and
have
eaten
of
the
tree
of
which
I
commanded
you
shall
not
eat
of
it
curse
it
as
the
ground
because
of
you
one
of
the
things
that's
very
interesting
is
that
God
does
not
curse
Adam
and
Eve
he
curses
the
land
why
might
God
make
the
land
more
impotent
who
wants
North
Korea
to have
more
power
I
didn't
think
anybody
would
put
their
hand
up
I
was
just
doing
that
as
an
illustration
by the
way
I
don't
want
them
to
have
more
power
just
for
the
record
okay
it's
a good
thing
for
fallen
human
beings
to have
their
power
limited
curse
it
is
ground
because
of
you
in
pain
you
shall
eat
of
it
it's
the
same
word
as
earlier
psychological
etc
or
in
toil
or
travail
is
another
way
to
translate
it
you
shall
eat
of
it
all
the
days
of
your
life
thorns
and
thistles
it
shall
bring
forth
for
you
will
no
longer
in a
sense
the
earth
starts
to
subdue
you
rather
than
you
the
earth
you
shall
eat
of
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
are
taken
for
you
are
dust
and
to
dust
you
shall
return
and
if
you're
interested
about
this
on
good
fry
on
Palm
Sunday
I
preached
about
basically
this
idea
about
how
sin
causes
death
and
what
that
means
you
can
go
and
listen
to
the
sermon
but
here's
the
way
remember
I
said
that
it's
a
matter
of
if
you
look
at
this
point
that
God
is
good
merciful
and
sovereign
so
he
limits
evil
warns
of evil
and
delivers
from
sin
Adam
understands
that
what
God
has
said
especially
around
the
crushing
of
the
serpent
and
even
this
odd
thing
of
the
seed
of
the
serpent
and
the
seed
of
the
woman
God
Adam
understands
and
hears
that
God
is
giving
him
hope
and
we
know
because
of
how
he
names
the
woman
the
man
called
his
wife's
name
Eve
because
she
was
the
mother
of
all
living
there's
judgment
here
but
there's
also
mercy
and
hope
and
then
we
see
this
powerful
image
another
sermon
and
the
Lord
God
made
for
Adam
and
for
his
wife
garments
of
sin
and
clothed
skins
and
clothed
them
this
beginning
of
this
idea
that
God
will
provide
a
means
by
which
we
can
stand
in
his
presence
but
here's
the
part
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
of
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
here's
another
and
he
drives
Adam
and
Eve
out
of
the
garden
verse
24
he
drove
out
man
out
of
the
man
we
know
in
the
next
chapter
by
the
way
that
Eve
went
with
him
as
well
just
so
you
know
he
drove
out
the
man
and
at
the
east
of
the
garden
of
eating
he
placed
the
cherubim
and
a
flaming
sword
that
turned
every
way
to
guard
the
way
to
the
tree
of
life
so
here's
a
couple
of
things
just
in
closing
if
God
can
bar
the
way
to
the
tree
of
life
then
he
can
provide
a
way
to
the
tree
of
life
for
Jewish
people
before
the
time
of
Jesus
for
anybody
who's
reading
this
text
the
text
asks
us
a
question
will
we
call
out
to
God
and
ask
that
he
provides
a
way
to
the
tree
of
life
Andrew
could
you
put
up
the
last
point
please
the
first
tree
of
life
was
in
an
earthly
paradise
because
of
our
sin
the
new
tree
of
life
was
on
a
lonely
hill
Jesus
Christ
dying
on
a
cross
between
two
thieves
while
his
enemies
mocked
the
women
grieved
and
his
disciples
hid
this
tree
of
life
still
beckons
with
saving
power
two
things
make
me
say
that
those
of
you
who
know
your
Bible
what
happens
after
Jesus
dies
on
the
cross
in
the
temple
those
of
you
who
know
the
holy
of
holies
which
has
the
ark
the
holy
of
holies
where
God
most
fully
is
where
the
mercy
seat
is
there's
a
curtain
there
which
keeps
it
so
that
nobody
but
the
high
priest
can
go
in
once
a
year
and
only
with
shed
blood
and
there's
a
curtain
that
separates
the
holy
of
holies
and
the
mercy
seat
from
human
beings
and
what
is
what
is
embroidered
on
that
curtain
cherubim
and
that
curtain
of the
cherubim
is
ripped
from
top
to
bottom
so
people
know
that
it's
only
God
who
does
it
and
what
is
it
that
Jesus
says
to
one
of
the
thieves
on
the
cross
one
of
the
thieves
who
begins
the
day
mocking
him
at
the
end
of
the
day
he
says
he
realizes
that
there's
something
special
about
Jesus
and
he
says
Jesus
remember
me
when
you
come
into
your
kingdom
and
Jesus
doesn't
answer
with
kingdom
language
he
says
today
you
will
be
with
me
in
paradise
and
the
word
for
paradise
in
the
original
language
is
the
word
for
Hebrew
for
the
garden
of
Eden
and
shortly
after
he
says
that
the
temple
curtain
with
the
cherubim
is
removed
Jesus
Christ
dying
on a
cross
between
two
thieves
while
his
enemies
mocked
and
the
woman
grieved
and
his
disciples
hid
is
the
tree
of
life
that
still
beckons
and has
saving
power
for
us
to
eat
of
its
fruit
Jesus
is
the
way
the
truth
and
the
life
his
fruit
is
that
he
is
the
way
to
God
that
he
is
the
truth
about
God
that
he
is
everlasting
life
he
is
the
truth
that
our
sins
can
be
forgiven
he
is
the
truth
that
the
serpent
has
been
defeated
he
is
the
truth
he
is
his
fruit
is
that
there
is
now
God's
eternal
life
can
begin
to
be
in
our
lives
it
is
the
truth
that
we
can
be
clothed
with
his
righteousness
it
is
the
truth
that
the
cross
is
real
and
that
as
we
think
upon
these
things
and
eat
of
the
fruit
by
meditating
upon
the
tree
of
life
Jesus
dying
upon
the
cross
that
as
we
are
gripped
by
this
it
changes
the
command
center
of
our
lives
to
live
us
is
the
tree
of
life
which
beckons
to us
still
which
beckons
to us
this
morning
which
we
can
be
gripped
by
and
feed
by
as
we
do
our
jobs
and
live
as
single
people
or
live
as
married
people
and
deal
with
our
children
that
there
is
a
tree
of
life
that
beckons
that
we
can
go
to
time
and
time
and
time
again
if
you've
never
come to
the
tree
of
life
come
to
the
tree
of
life
Jesus
will
not
turn
you
away
please
stand
let's
bow our
heads
in
prayer
father
we
confess
before
you
that
we
keep
imagining
that
you
are
meaner
and
you're
not
mean
that
you're
miserly
you're
generous
that
you're
elusive
but
father
we're
the
ones
who
are
elusive
that
you're
stupid
and
say
stupid
things
in
your
word
but
father
you're
not
stupid
and
your
word
is
not
stupid
father
we
confess
before
you
that
we
keep
making
god's
after
own
likeness
to
either
be
like
or
to
despise
and
we
keep
thinking
that's
you
father
we
ask
that
your
holy
spirit
would
take
your
word
and
apply
it
to
our
heart
so
that
we
will
die
day
by
day
to
the
different
ways
we
misrepresent
and
misunderstand
you
and
father
that
your
holy
spirit
would
move
in
our
hearts
and
minds
that
your
holy
spirit
would
lead
us
life
as
we
deal
with
our
marriages
or
with
our
singleness
or
with
our
children
or
with
our
grandchildren
father
may
we
go
may
be
gripped
by
the
tree
of
life
and
eat
of
its
fruit
and
live
in
its
shade
father
we
ask
that
you
would
do
this
wonderful
continue
to do
this
wonderful
work
in the
lives
of
your
children
and
all
God's
people
said
Amen