WEBVTT

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 Father, sometimes your word goes against the grain of what is said in our culture.

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 Sometimes, Father, you call us to be a peculiar people,

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 saying and believing things which don't fit in well with polite conversation.

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 And, Father, you know how timid we are.

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 You know how we turn away from this because we want to fit in.

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 And we ask, Father, that you would bring your word home to us in a very deep way.

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 And as your word is brought home deeply to us, may you grant us healing, may you restore us,

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 and may you help us to live in a way that blesses this city and brings you great glory.

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 And this we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

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 Amen.

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 Today's reading, some of you might be wondering what's the fuss about Genesis 1, 26 to 31,

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 but today's reading directly touches on the issue of abortion,

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 doctor-assisted suicide or euthanasia, same-sex marriage, and the entire transgender movement.

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 In other words, nothing controversial in Canada whatsoever,

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 and nothing by which the Bible might disagree with what would be just taken as common sense knowledge

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 by basically every media outlet in the country,

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 at least official or the institutional media,

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 or in university campuses, or in the judiciary, or in the government.

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 Nothing controversial at all.

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 So let's get our Bibles out.

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 Let's look at it and see what it is that the Bible says,

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 and why is it that this is sort of, you know, from one point of view, dynamite in a good sense,

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 from another point of view, dynamite in a bad sense.

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 And we'll just have a look at it.

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 And as I said, yeah, there's Bibles there.

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 Feel free to grab one.

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 And we're going to begin by looking at Genesis 1, verses 24 to 25,

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 because it's all part of the sixth day of creation.

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 And so Genesis is the very, very first book.

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 In fact, it should probably be in most of your Bibles, the very first page in your Bible.

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 And we'll read these very simple but very profound verses.

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 And here's how it begins.

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 Verse 24.

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 And God said,

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 Now, just a, you know, a very, very simple thing here.

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 God gives a, it's going to be sort of relevant to what we're going to see about what happens when God speaks to human beings.

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 But God, basically, he makes all of the living, all the things that have breath that are on the land.

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 And it's really important to notice that the Bible doesn't use scientific language.

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 If a biologist was to try to use this division to classify, you know, bugs and other things, it's not helpful.

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 But one of the wisdom, one of the things which is so wise about this biblical account is it uses the language of perception.

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 And the language of perception is never out of date.

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 You know, if this was written by the way science would classify different animals in the 1500s, in the 1600s, they'd laugh.

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 And then they'd laugh at how we would do it in the 1600s, in the 1700s, and on and on and on.

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 And however scientists do it today, if Jesus tarries, in 100 years, the scientists in 100 years would laugh at the way it's done today.

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 They'd view it as primitive.

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 And it's really interesting about how the Bible is written.

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 It's written from the language of perception.

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 And that doesn't change.

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 You know, you've got animals you care for.

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 You have beasts that are out everywhere else.

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 You have things that crawl.

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 I mean, that's a pretty simple division.

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 And they're given the command to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

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 But then, look at what happens in verse 26.

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 And it's a very, very simple two words.

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 Then God said.

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 Three words.

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 Then God said.

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 But it's very, very significant.

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 Because what happens is that, and we're going to see it later on in the text, about how on one hand, human beings are like an animal.

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 But on the other hand, there's something which is completely and utterly different about human beings.

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 And when in verse 26, when it says, then God said.

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 It's as if God's drawing a huge line between animals and human beings.

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 In fact, it's not just a line.

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 And it's definitely not a line in the sand.

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 A line in the sand.

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 Some people will refer to that.

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 But a line in the sand is just arbitrary.

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 God is describing a grand canyon chasm between the animals and human beings in a very significant way.

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 And this is really important because it's been lost in our culture.

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 There's been a thing in the press just recently about a woman on trial for giving water to pigs.

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 And that's not particularly significant.

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 But what's significant is what the newspaper coverage, the language was that to give water to pigs going to slaughter was the same as giving water to Jewish people going to be killed in the gas ovens under Nazism.

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 Now, just apart from the unbelievable insult to compare it from a Jewish perspective, an unclean animal to a Jewish person, which just shows that they don't know what they're talking about.

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 That's an idea which, I mean, most people would just sense that that's wrong, but not be able to articulate why it is that you can't make equate a pig and a human being as of the same value.

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 And the Bible teaches why that is a wrong idea.

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 There's this grand canyon-sized chasm with these three simple words, then God said.

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 So let's read it.

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 Verse 26.

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 Then God said, let us make man, and I'm going to continue with the singular here, the ESV.

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 It's very helpful.

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 I'll explain why in a moment.

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 It's actually a singular collective.

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 And in fact, actually, the word man here is actually Adam.

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 Because in the original language, Adam can either mean human beings, all human beings, or it can be a name of a person.

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 And to try to make it not overly confusing that uses the word man here rather than Adam, but in the original Hebrew, it's the same word.

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 But I'm going to stick with it.

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 I know it's not proper English in Canada in 2017, but it's trying to capture a very powerful biblical idea.

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 Then God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

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 So that's a very short description of the nature of human beings.

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 It's going to be continued next week when we look at a certain part of Genesis 2.

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 And then it gives the vocation for human beings.

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 And let them, and this is very accurate, uses the singular man, but it's obvious that the word man is referring to all human beings.

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 That's why here it says, and let them, it's plural.

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 And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

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 Now what's going to happen in the rest of this, from verses 27 to 31, in a bit of a boring grammar geeky type of moment.

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 But we know who the, you know, we know who we are, the boring grammar geek types.

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 What Paul, what the writer is going to do now is he's going to loop back and unpack the nature of human beings and their vocation.

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 And verse 27 is going to clarify and expand upon what it means to be in the image of God.

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 And then 28 to 31 is going to clarify what it means to have dominion.

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 And in our cultural moment, all of the bombs and mind, all of the minds and bombs and the controversial bits are primarily in verse 27.

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 And I'm just going to read it and we're going to talk about the vocation of human beings.

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 That's 28 to 31 first, but then I'm going to loop back.

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 I'm not going to ignore the, you know, the controversial bit.

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 Okay?

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 So that's what we're going to do.

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 Let's just read verse 27 to 31 and I'll just comment on it and we'll sort of summarize what it means.

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 So God created man in his own image.

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 In the image of God, he created him.

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 Male and female, he created them.

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 And God blessed them.

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 And God said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

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 And God said, behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of the earth and every tree with seed in its fruit.

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 You shall have them for food.

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 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.

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 And it was so.

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 And God saw everything that he had made and behold, it was very good.

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 And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

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 So here's the thing which this text is, this thing about the vocation of human beings.

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 And if you could put up the first point.

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 The first point is this.

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 The cosmos was made for humanity and humanity was made for the cosmos.

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 This is a very, very, very, very, very, very important idea in the whole Bible.

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 And it's a very important idea in terms of what it means to be human.

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 And it's a very countercultural idea.

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 You know, in fact, in just about everything that is done here, I could do a sermon, a whole sermon on each of these different points.

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 I really could because there's an increasing move of thought within our culture that somehow or another human beings are the problem on the planet.

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 That we're the problem.

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 We're the virus.

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 We're the germ.

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 But the Bible says it's something completely and utterly different.

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 And it's to understand here.

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 So when the Bible is giving us our vocation, what is our vocation?

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 If you look down to verse 28 again, it's to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

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 That's the first thing.

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 What does it mean to have dominion?

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 Well, God made us to be here.

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 And the cosmos itself needs us.

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 Rather than us being the problem, per se, by our nature.

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 Okay, we're going to get into why it's a bit of a problem.

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 But by our nature, God made us for this planet and not just for the planet, for the cosmos.

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 And we are to fill it and to multiply.

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 As an aside, for those of us who are married, who can still have children,

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 and physically we can, this is a profound encouragement to see children as a blessing.

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 And to have children.

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 Like to not listen to our culture that says that children are just an adornment to our life,

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 something that we have if it's convenient and fits, and we should have very few.

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 This is an encouragement to view children and being able to have them as a great gift that we should rejoice in

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 and not turn away from.

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 So the first aspect of what it means to have dominion over the created order is that we are to be fruitful

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 and multiply and fill the earth.

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 And the second is subdue it and have dominion.

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 I know this is a very, very uncomfortable idea,

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 but it's this idea that God wants us to tame areas that are very, very wild.

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 Like if you were in Holland, it's a good thing that some land was reclaimed by putting dikes out into the ocean.

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 Like it's a good thing to take what would normally happen in a field and to turn it into a garden,

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 to subdue it and have dominion over it.

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 That when we're looking at a beautiful garden, if you go to PEI,

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 and one of the wonderful things about driving through PEI is just how well-ordered the land is,

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 how it seems as if most of it has been cultivated, and it looks so beautiful.

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 And that sense that it looks so beautiful is in a sense that the Genesis 1 here,

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 in a good sense, is being practiced.

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 And it's right for us to rejoice in it.

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 It's not right to say it's terrible,

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 because think of some of the animals that can no longer live there.

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 That's a wrong way of understanding it.

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 And then the third thing is to notice that God gives it.

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 So look at verse 28 again.

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 And God blessed them, and God said to them,

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 Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it,

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 and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens,

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 and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

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 And God said, Behold, I have given you.

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 I have given you.

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 Okay, God gives it.

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 This is really, really, really, really important.

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 If you could put up the next point.

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 Human, humanity was created to be God's stewards of the cosmos, of the planet,

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 not to be self-appointed dictators and tyrants.

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 Humanity, human beings were created to live in this home,

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 and the world needs us.

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 And we are to understand ourselves that the world,

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 the trees, who ultimately owns the trees,

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 not the state,

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 not the United Nations, but God.

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 Who owns the rivers?

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 Who owns the ocean?

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 Who owns the sky?

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 Ultimately, God.

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 And some of that is put under our care,

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 either individually because of private property,

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 or in some collective way through the state,

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 or some business or corporation.

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 But in every case, we're ultimately stewards,

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 because God gives it, but doesn't relinquish being God.

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 He doesn't stop being God when he gives it to us.

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 And that means that we are to understand ourselves as God's stewards.

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 But what has happened is, we're going to look at this,

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 and it's really not going to be until two weeks from now,

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 when we look at Genesis 3,

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 where we talk about the tragedy that has befallen the human race

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 by human beings rebelling against God,

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 so that now the image of God,

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 our nature is bent, and it's marred,

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 and our rule, and our place in the planet,

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 it's now, we're too prone to become dictators.

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 We're too prone to become tyrants.

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 We're too prone to say,

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 it's my bleepity bleep piece of property,

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 and if I want to bleepity bleep,

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 put chemicals on it, or do this to it,

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 it's my bleepity bleep business.

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 And that's the language of a despot, of a tyrant.

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 It's of a dictator, self-appointed,

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 a refusal to acknowledge that ultimately,

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 the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.

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 That the heavens declare the glory of God,

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 and the firm proclaims his handiwork,

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 and we as human beings are his stewards to sing his praises

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 and to care for things in a way so that the entire planet flourishes

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 to the glory of God and to the good of people,

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 because we are God's stewards.

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 We are God's stewards.

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 Now, the naughty or the awkward bit.

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 Let me just share with you something.

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 I'm, you know, I think some of you have heard me share before

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 that I'm not very naturally religious.

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 Left to my own devices, I think if I hadn't become a Christian,

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 I like watching football.

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 I like watching sports.

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 You know, I like exercising.

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 I like reading books.

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 I like doing what I like to do.

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 And probably most of the time,

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 it wouldn't involve anything religious or spiritual.

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 I'm just confessing to you.

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 And, you know, there's been many, many times in my Christian life

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 that, you know, I want to go along with something in the culture.

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 I have this idea, and I go reading the Bible,

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 hoping that the Bible is going to validate what I believe

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 or what I want or what I think is wise.

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 And I've had many experiences throughout my Christian life

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 as I come to the Bible and to my horror and my shock.

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 I can remember different times where I've gotten red in the face

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 and a bit sweaty under the armpits

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 because it's dawned on me that what the Bible says

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 goes against what I want

00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:21.940
 and what I believe and what I think is wise.

00:17:22.159 --> 00:17:24.119
 I've had that experience many times.

00:17:25.460 --> 00:17:29.000
 So I can sympathize with those who are present

00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:32.279
 who've helped facilitate an abortion

00:17:32.279 --> 00:17:36.960
 or helped who are same-sex attracted

00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:40.680
 and are living it out or want to live it out

00:17:40.680 --> 00:17:44.519
 or those who are very, very uncomfortable

00:17:44.519 --> 00:17:46.220
 in their biological sex

00:17:46.220 --> 00:17:49.160
 and hope that when they go to the Bible,

00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:52.339
 because they still have a desire to know God and to love God,

00:17:52.339 --> 00:17:54.279
 and when they go to the Bible to their horror,

00:17:55.500 --> 00:17:57.980
 what they desire is not what they find.

00:18:00.539 --> 00:18:02.039
 And that's what we're going to find here

00:18:02.039 --> 00:18:05.259
 for all of those different classes of what I've just described.

00:18:05.259 --> 00:18:09.940
 And so this isn't a political rally.

00:18:10.660 --> 00:18:12.500
 This isn't an us versus them.

00:18:13.740 --> 00:18:15.900
 Every single person here in this room,

00:18:16.660 --> 00:18:19.140
 whether it's being same-sex attracted

00:18:19.140 --> 00:18:22.279
 or being uncomfortable with your gender and your biology,

00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:24.180
 or whether it's abortion,

00:18:24.400 --> 00:18:25.940
 not a single person in this room

00:18:25.940 --> 00:18:28.059
 has not been touched by it either directly

00:18:28.059 --> 00:18:31.059
 or with loved ones or co-workers or neighbors.

00:18:31.059 --> 00:18:35.000
 And so this is God's word to us.

00:18:35.319 --> 00:18:36.759
 It's not a political rally,

00:18:37.339 --> 00:18:38.960
 and it's not a time to make jokes.

00:18:39.899 --> 00:18:42.159
 It's not necessarily a time to have long faces.

00:18:42.519 --> 00:18:43.119
 It isn't.

00:18:43.619 --> 00:18:45.859
 Because ultimately, in every case

00:18:45.859 --> 00:18:47.179
 where I've come to the Bible

00:18:47.179 --> 00:18:48.419
 and it's gone against what I've wanted,

00:18:49.700 --> 00:18:51.259
 over time I've come to believe

00:18:51.259 --> 00:18:52.200
 that the Bible, in fact,

00:18:52.339 --> 00:18:54.759
 has only good news and is wise.

00:18:56.579 --> 00:18:57.819
 So it's just really,

00:18:57.879 --> 00:18:59.679
 look at verse 26 and 27.

00:18:59.680 --> 00:19:02.039
 Notice at the beginning of 26,

00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:02.860
 then God said,

00:19:03.019 --> 00:19:04.980
 let us make man in our image,

00:19:05.240 --> 00:19:06.320
 after our likeness.

00:19:07.100 --> 00:19:09.100
 And in the original language,

00:19:09.340 --> 00:19:10.240
 image and likeness,

00:19:10.299 --> 00:19:11.660
 there's no words in between them.

00:19:11.700 --> 00:19:12.940
 It's just image and likeness.

00:19:13.080 --> 00:19:14.500
 And it's basically just,

00:19:14.580 --> 00:19:16.360
 it's reinforcing the same idea

00:19:16.360 --> 00:19:17.620
 with slightly different words.

00:19:17.720 --> 00:19:19.779
 It's not two technically different words,

00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:21.220
 image and likeness,

00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:22.400
 not like some theologies.

00:19:23.100 --> 00:19:25.019
 And the big idea is this image.

00:19:26.080 --> 00:19:27.799
 And then jump down to verse 27,

00:19:27.799 --> 00:19:29.000
 and this is the dynamite.

00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:30.620
 And it's interesting.

00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:31.759
 It's a short little poem,

00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:33.180
 three lines of poetry.

00:19:34.220 --> 00:19:35.060
 And on one hand,

00:19:35.100 --> 00:19:36.600
 it's the simplest thing in the world

00:19:36.600 --> 00:19:37.500
 to understand.

00:19:37.740 --> 00:19:38.539
 On the other hand,

00:19:38.580 --> 00:19:39.440
 it is something that

00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:40.840
 if we were to meditate upon it,

00:19:41.680 --> 00:19:43.960
 if artists and poets and philosophers

00:19:43.960 --> 00:19:48.200
 and musicians and composers,

00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:50.480
 they could spend the rest of their life

00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:52.259
 meditating upon the world,

00:19:52.259 --> 00:19:55.879
 that these three simple lines open up to us

00:19:55.879 --> 00:19:58.379
 to explore it.

00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:02.819
 So God created man in his own image.

00:20:03.359 --> 00:20:04.519
 In the image of God,

00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:05.599
 he created him.

00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:07.440
 Male and female,

00:20:07.900 --> 00:20:08.900
 he created them.

00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:10.500
 Say it again.

00:20:10.680 --> 00:20:13.339
 So God created man in his own image.

00:20:13.559 --> 00:20:14.779
 In the image of God,

00:20:14.859 --> 00:20:15.859
 he created him.

00:20:16.379 --> 00:20:17.480
 Male and female,

00:20:17.480 --> 00:20:18.900
 he created them.

00:20:20.200 --> 00:20:21.480
 To memorize this verse

00:20:21.480 --> 00:20:22.420
 would be very helpful.

00:20:23.339 --> 00:20:24.240
 So here's the,

00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:27.559
 and you'll notice at 26,

00:20:27.680 --> 00:20:27.980
 it says,

00:20:28.140 --> 00:20:29.059
 made in our image.

00:20:29.259 --> 00:20:30.839
 And then just a few verses later,

00:20:30.920 --> 00:20:31.759
 a few lines later,

00:20:31.799 --> 00:20:33.079
 it says image twice.

00:20:33.579 --> 00:20:35.099
 So in three times,

00:20:35.160 --> 00:20:36.319
 in a very short span,

00:20:36.420 --> 00:20:37.900
 this idea of human beings

00:20:37.900 --> 00:20:39.059
 being made in God's images

00:20:39.059 --> 00:20:40.220
 is spoken,

00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:40.860
 spoken,

00:20:41.079 --> 00:20:41.380
 spoken.

00:20:41.620 --> 00:20:42.220
 It's very,

00:20:42.360 --> 00:20:43.019
 very important.

00:20:43.019 --> 00:20:46.259
 And here I just want to try

00:20:46.259 --> 00:20:47.339
 to unpack a little bit.

00:20:47.400 --> 00:20:48.599
 If you could put up the first point,

00:20:48.700 --> 00:20:49.339
 the next point,

00:20:50.200 --> 00:20:50.519
 only,

00:20:50.680 --> 00:20:51.579
 and I put it in bracket,

00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:52.960
 in quote marks,

00:20:53.319 --> 00:20:57.519
 just to try to help bring it out.

00:20:58.259 --> 00:21:00.779
 Only man is created by God

00:21:00.779 --> 00:21:01.859
 in his own image.

00:21:02.119 --> 00:21:03.319
 That's what the text is saying.

00:21:04.119 --> 00:21:05.019
 Only man,

00:21:05.579 --> 00:21:07.619
 and here it's referring to the human race,

00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:09.799
 it's using one singular word

00:21:09.799 --> 00:21:11.019
 to emphasize,

00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:11.740
 it's a very,

00:21:11.740 --> 00:21:12.900
 very important here.

00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:14.640
 That's why I didn't use the word humanity,

00:21:14.640 --> 00:21:16.259
 and I understand why

00:21:16.259 --> 00:21:17.240
 English translations

00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:18.120
 who are helping us

00:21:18.120 --> 00:21:20.039
 just read the text for ourselves

00:21:20.039 --> 00:21:21.640
 will put in the word humanity.

00:21:21.779 --> 00:21:23.980
 But humanity is sort of too diverse,

00:21:24.440 --> 00:21:24.799
 you know?

00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:28.240
 Man really brings home to us

00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:31.579
 this commonness

00:21:31.579 --> 00:21:32.980
 that human beings share.

00:21:34.440 --> 00:21:35.579
 It's in fact

00:21:35.579 --> 00:21:38.140
 a profoundly important text.

00:21:38.700 --> 00:21:39.460
 This text,

00:21:39.660 --> 00:21:40.579
 only man,

00:21:40.579 --> 00:21:41.539
 is created by God

00:21:41.539 --> 00:21:42.939
 in his own image,

00:21:43.259 --> 00:21:45.159
 means that all slavery is wrong.

00:21:46.079 --> 00:21:47.619
 It means that all oppression

00:21:47.619 --> 00:21:49.720
 and persecution is wrong.

00:21:50.039 --> 00:21:53.099
 It means that all racism is wrong.

00:21:53.579 --> 00:21:55.039
 It means all attempts

00:21:55.039 --> 00:21:57.179
 to view castes in society

00:21:57.179 --> 00:21:58.259
 is wrong.

00:21:58.779 --> 00:22:00.159
 All attempts by elites

00:22:00.159 --> 00:22:01.720
 to think that they are better than others

00:22:01.720 --> 00:22:02.819
 is wrong.

00:22:03.460 --> 00:22:06.019
 All focus on social class

00:22:06.019 --> 00:22:07.779
 as indicating that some people

00:22:07.779 --> 00:22:08.639
 are better than others

00:22:08.639 --> 00:22:09.960
 is wrong.

00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:12.839
 It is,

00:22:13.259 --> 00:22:14.980
 governments can give rights

00:22:14.980 --> 00:22:16.799
 and courts can give rights

00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:18.519
 and they can take them away.

00:22:19.079 --> 00:22:20.879
 And it's not entirely clear

00:22:20.879 --> 00:22:22.299
 if we have just evolved

00:22:22.299 --> 00:22:23.160
 randomly

00:22:23.160 --> 00:22:24.480
 why it is exactly

00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:25.639
 that all human beings

00:22:25.639 --> 00:22:26.440
 have a value

00:22:26.440 --> 00:22:27.000
 and a dignity

00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:27.559
 and worth.

00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:28.660
 But the Bible

00:22:28.660 --> 00:22:30.119
 says that,

00:22:30.319 --> 00:22:31.119
 what does it say?

00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:31.480
 It says,

00:22:31.559 --> 00:22:32.940
 so God created man

00:22:32.940 --> 00:22:34.099
 in his own image.

00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:35.119
 In the image of God,

00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:35.899
 he created him.

00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:36.699
 Male and female,

00:22:36.819 --> 00:22:37.419
 he created them.

00:22:37.459 --> 00:22:38.279
 And he does not say

00:22:38.279 --> 00:22:39.159
 that black people

00:22:39.159 --> 00:22:40.639
 bear it more than white people

00:22:40.639 --> 00:22:41.859
 or that Asians

00:22:41.859 --> 00:22:43.179
 bear it more than people

00:22:43.179 --> 00:22:43.779
 who are,

00:22:43.979 --> 00:22:45.239
 you know,

00:22:45.319 --> 00:22:46.500
 First Nations in Canada.

00:22:46.699 --> 00:22:47.659
 It does not have

00:22:47.659 --> 00:22:49.259
 any categories like that.

00:22:49.299 --> 00:22:50.979
 And it uses the singular word

00:22:50.979 --> 00:22:52.039
 to emphasize it.

00:22:52.239 --> 00:22:53.319
 It is a powerful,

00:22:53.779 --> 00:22:54.719
 precious word

00:22:54.719 --> 00:22:56.979
 and it is dynamite

00:22:56.979 --> 00:22:59.419
 to our courts

00:22:59.419 --> 00:23:00.679
 and our country.

00:23:00.680 --> 00:23:06.120
 So God created man

00:23:06.120 --> 00:23:07.320
 in his own image.

00:23:07.600 --> 00:23:08.620
 In the image of God,

00:23:08.960 --> 00:23:10.220
 he created him.

00:23:10.880 --> 00:23:11.860
 Male and female,

00:23:12.340 --> 00:23:13.240
 he created them.

00:23:14.060 --> 00:23:15.259
 Next point, please.

00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:17.480
 Here's also,

00:23:18.039 --> 00:23:18.720
 so we all like it,

00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:19.740
 it's against racism.

00:23:19.880 --> 00:23:20.279
 Look at that,

00:23:20.320 --> 00:23:21.200
 that singular word.

00:23:21.240 --> 00:23:21.860
 It's so good.

00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:23.820
 Oh, dang!

00:23:24.340 --> 00:23:25.320
 For many of us.

00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:27.960
 Because it does not say,

00:23:27.960 --> 00:23:29.680
 and so human beings,

00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:31.420
 when they are smart,

00:23:32.059 --> 00:23:32.880
 or human beings,

00:23:32.980 --> 00:23:34.279
 when they are powerful,

00:23:34.759 --> 00:23:35.640
 or human beings,

00:23:35.720 --> 00:23:36.620
 when they are young,

00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:37.559
 bear God's image.

00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:38.000
 No!

00:23:38.539 --> 00:23:39.980
 How do human beings come about?

00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:41.460
 We begin as a fertilized cell

00:23:41.460 --> 00:23:42.259
 in our mother's womb.

00:23:43.660 --> 00:23:45.039
 Some of us don't live very long.

00:23:45.140 --> 00:23:46.660
 Some of us don't survive the womb.

00:23:47.420 --> 00:23:48.539
 Some of us don't survive

00:23:48.539 --> 00:23:49.180
 the first year.

00:23:49.299 --> 00:23:50.340
 Some of us live to be,

00:23:50.680 --> 00:23:51.200
 who's that guy

00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:52.880
 who just died in Milton, Ontario,

00:23:53.039 --> 00:23:54.160
 86 or 84?

00:23:54.160 --> 00:23:55.559
 And just last year,

00:23:55.680 --> 00:23:57.340
 he set the age record

00:23:57.339 --> 00:23:58.039
 in the marathon.

00:23:59.679 --> 00:24:02.059
 Some of us live long lives

00:24:02.059 --> 00:24:05.859
 of being very handicapped.

00:24:06.839 --> 00:24:08.559
 But what is this text telling us?

00:24:09.519 --> 00:24:10.619
 From our beginning

00:24:10.619 --> 00:24:11.839
 as a fertilized cell

00:24:11.839 --> 00:24:12.839
 and to our death,

00:24:13.319 --> 00:24:14.679
 we bear God's image.

00:24:16.179 --> 00:24:17.099
 Down syndrome,

00:24:18.379 --> 00:24:18.899
 Einstein,

00:24:20.819 --> 00:24:21.599
 Usain Bolt,

00:24:22.599 --> 00:24:24.559
 equally bear God's image.

00:24:24.559 --> 00:24:27.119
 which is why it is

00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:27.740
 that the Bible

00:24:27.740 --> 00:24:28.960
 is so consistent

00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:30.240
 to say that it is wrong

00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:32.419
 to take innocent human life.

00:24:33.299 --> 00:24:34.619
 It means it is wrong

00:24:34.619 --> 00:24:35.759
 to kill a gay person

00:24:35.759 --> 00:24:36.659
 because he's gay.

00:24:36.819 --> 00:24:37.819
 It's wrong to kill

00:24:37.819 --> 00:24:39.359
 a transgender person

00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:40.559
 because they are transgender.

00:24:40.899 --> 00:24:42.319
 It is wrong to kill

00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:43.839
 a fetus in a womb

00:24:43.839 --> 00:24:44.839
 because it's a fetus,

00:24:44.899 --> 00:24:45.879
 because that's a human being.

00:24:47.539 --> 00:24:49.039
 And it's wrong to kill

00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:50.079
 an old person

00:24:50.079 --> 00:24:51.119
 because they're old.

00:24:51.119 --> 00:24:52.259
 And it's wrong

00:24:52.259 --> 00:24:53.439
 to kill a sick person

00:24:53.439 --> 00:24:54.439
 because they're sick.

00:24:59.079 --> 00:24:59.719
 I don't know

00:24:59.719 --> 00:25:00.239
 if any of you

00:25:00.239 --> 00:25:00.819
 have had a chance

00:25:00.819 --> 00:25:01.959
 to go to church on Wednesday,

00:25:02.119 --> 00:25:02.859
 but one of the really

00:25:02.859 --> 00:25:03.839
 great things

00:25:03.839 --> 00:25:05.619
 that Daniel has brought about

00:25:05.619 --> 00:25:06.639
 in church on Wednesday

00:25:06.639 --> 00:25:09.119
 is that after the sermon

00:25:09.119 --> 00:25:09.979
 has been preached,

00:25:10.659 --> 00:25:12.259
 there's a bit of a gap sometimes,

00:25:12.419 --> 00:25:13.879
 but then people can text

00:25:13.879 --> 00:25:14.779
 in their questions.

00:25:15.979 --> 00:25:17.659
 And you have to sort of

00:25:17.659 --> 00:25:18.439
 think on your feet.

00:25:18.440 --> 00:25:20.120
 And one of the things,

00:25:20.279 --> 00:25:21.660
 I've done this a couple of times,

00:25:21.720 --> 00:25:22.840
 I did it on Ash Wednesday,

00:25:23.279 --> 00:25:24.019
 and every time

00:25:24.019 --> 00:25:24.660
 that I've done it,

00:25:24.700 --> 00:25:25.259
 there's always been

00:25:25.259 --> 00:25:28.240
 at least one fairly wordy,

00:25:28.680 --> 00:25:30.440
 direct question.

00:25:31.940 --> 00:25:33.660
 And I'm 99% sure

00:25:33.660 --> 00:25:34.799
 as I'm listening to the question

00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:35.900
 that the person is hoping

00:25:35.900 --> 00:25:36.940
 who asks the question

00:25:36.940 --> 00:25:39.080
 that when I hear the question,

00:25:39.559 --> 00:25:40.340
 it's going to sort of

00:25:40.340 --> 00:25:41.720
 knock me back a little bit

00:25:41.720 --> 00:25:43.180
 and make me want to say,

00:25:43.299 --> 00:25:43.880
 well, you know,

00:25:43.940 --> 00:25:45.160
 maybe this, maybe that,

00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:46.200
 maybe this, maybe that.

00:25:46.360 --> 00:25:47.820
 And every time that it's come,

00:25:47.819 --> 00:25:48.439
 I've taken a bit

00:25:48.439 --> 00:25:49.599
 of a perverse delight.

00:25:50.819 --> 00:25:52.500
 And after the question's read,

00:25:52.859 --> 00:25:55.619
 I either say yes or no.

00:25:56.299 --> 00:25:57.639
 And then I'll say next question.

00:25:59.200 --> 00:26:00.419
 And I'm going to do that

00:26:00.419 --> 00:26:01.359
 a little bit right now.

00:26:02.779 --> 00:26:04.039
 George, are you saying

00:26:04.039 --> 00:26:07.379
 that the Bible is heterosexist?

00:26:08.019 --> 00:26:09.659
 Are you saying, George,

00:26:09.740 --> 00:26:10.919
 in this day and age,

00:26:10.980 --> 00:26:11.339
 don't you know

00:26:11.339 --> 00:26:12.519
 what they teach in university?

00:26:12.759 --> 00:26:14.059
 Are you actually claiming

00:26:14.059 --> 00:26:16.839
 that the Bible naively teaches

00:26:16.839 --> 00:26:19.519
 binary understanding of reality

00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:21.039
 in terms of human life?

00:26:21.639 --> 00:26:22.519
 Like, is the Bible

00:26:22.519 --> 00:26:24.319
 so completely and utterly foolish

00:26:24.319 --> 00:26:27.339
 to teach a binary understanding?

00:26:28.740 --> 00:26:31.679
 A heterosexist understanding?

00:26:33.059 --> 00:26:35.179
 That there's only two sexes

00:26:35.179 --> 00:26:37.200
 and a gender that goes with each sex?

00:26:37.299 --> 00:26:38.500
 Is that what you're saying, George?

00:26:38.500 --> 00:26:39.059
 Yes.

00:26:39.059 --> 00:26:39.500
 Yes.

00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:46.339
 So God created man

00:26:46.339 --> 00:26:47.339
 in his own image.

00:26:48.039 --> 00:26:48.880
 In the image of God,

00:26:48.960 --> 00:26:49.700
 he created him.

00:26:50.380 --> 00:26:51.259
 Male and female,

00:26:51.380 --> 00:26:52.059
 he created them.

00:26:53.059 --> 00:26:53.980
 And then I guess I'd say,

00:26:54.059 --> 00:26:55.759
 well, I want to take away

00:26:55.759 --> 00:26:58.859
 the accusation stuff.

00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:01.000
 But yes,

00:27:01.619 --> 00:27:02.200
 if you could put up

00:27:02.200 --> 00:27:03.160
 the next point, please.

00:27:03.160 --> 00:27:06.259
 Just to make sure we understand

00:27:06.259 --> 00:27:07.740
 this very simple thing.

00:27:07.840 --> 00:27:08.880
 So God created man

00:27:08.880 --> 00:27:09.580
 in his own image.

00:27:09.640 --> 00:27:10.460
 In the image of God,

00:27:10.540 --> 00:27:11.360
 he created him.

00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:12.140
 Male and female,

00:27:12.259 --> 00:27:12.940
 he created them.

00:27:13.360 --> 00:27:14.480
 If you've memorized that

00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:15.440
 by the end of the service,

00:27:15.620 --> 00:27:16.880
 I've done a great good for you.

00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:19.000
 What does this say?

00:27:19.420 --> 00:27:20.560
 God created only

00:27:20.560 --> 00:27:22.320
 two biological sexes,

00:27:22.920 --> 00:27:24.500
 each having its own gender.

00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:29.100
 Notice how it creates man,

00:27:29.920 --> 00:27:30.480
 biological,

00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:33.279
 male and female,

00:27:33.660 --> 00:27:34.000
 gender.

00:27:36.519 --> 00:27:37.339
 Notice that again.

00:27:38.500 --> 00:27:40.299
 Man and him,

00:27:40.700 --> 00:27:43.099
 referring to the biological reality,

00:27:43.680 --> 00:27:44.660
 male and female,

00:27:45.660 --> 00:27:45.980
 gender.

00:27:48.160 --> 00:27:49.339
 See, if it had just said,

00:27:49.440 --> 00:27:50.420
 so God created man

00:27:50.420 --> 00:27:51.039
 in his own image.

00:27:51.079 --> 00:27:51.779
 In the image of God,

00:27:51.819 --> 00:27:52.440
 he created him.

00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:53.160
 And then it went on.

00:27:53.220 --> 00:27:54.140
 We could wonder whether,

00:27:54.279 --> 00:27:54.599
 in fact,

00:27:54.640 --> 00:27:55.880
 there can be many genders

00:27:55.880 --> 00:27:56.539
 to go along

00:27:56.539 --> 00:27:58.140
 with the two biological sexes.

00:27:58.140 --> 00:28:01.360
 But this tightly worded poem,

00:28:02.440 --> 00:28:03.940
 this dynamite,

00:28:04.980 --> 00:28:06.300
 in a few words,

00:28:06.880 --> 00:28:09.060
 says that God created

00:28:09.060 --> 00:28:10.820
 only two biological sexes,

00:28:10.860 --> 00:28:12.140
 each having its own gender.

00:28:13.320 --> 00:28:14.180
 If you could put up

00:28:14.180 --> 00:28:15.060
 the next point,

00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:16.480
 here's it to say,

00:28:16.600 --> 00:28:16.960
 again,

00:28:17.160 --> 00:28:17.820
 the same thing,

00:28:17.880 --> 00:28:18.320
 the same way.

00:28:18.360 --> 00:28:18.740
 And by the way,

00:28:18.820 --> 00:28:20.020
 if you're interested

00:28:20.020 --> 00:28:21.000
 in writing these points down,

00:28:21.060 --> 00:28:21.800
 they'll be on the webpage.

00:28:22.759 --> 00:28:24.280
 And if you use your version,

00:28:24.380 --> 00:28:25.259
 it's part of the notes.

00:28:25.259 --> 00:28:27.960
 God did not only create

00:28:27.960 --> 00:28:28.660
 man and woman.

00:28:29.519 --> 00:28:31.160
 He also created the man

00:28:31.160 --> 00:28:31.819
 to be male

00:28:31.819 --> 00:28:33.859
 and the woman to be female.

00:28:36.859 --> 00:28:38.400
 God did not only create

00:28:38.400 --> 00:28:39.259
 man and woman.

00:28:39.819 --> 00:28:41.259
 He also created the man

00:28:41.259 --> 00:28:42.000
 to be male

00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:43.759
 and the woman to be female.

00:28:44.759 --> 00:28:45.819
 What's the text say again?

00:28:45.900 --> 00:28:46.900
 So God created man

00:28:46.900 --> 00:28:47.779
 in his own image.

00:28:47.859 --> 00:28:48.740
 In the image of God,

00:28:48.819 --> 00:28:49.799
 he created him.

00:28:50.299 --> 00:28:51.599
 Male and female,

00:28:52.200 --> 00:28:53.660
 he created them.

00:28:53.660 --> 00:28:55.340
 Now,

00:28:55.460 --> 00:28:56.440
 just as a bit of an aside,

00:28:56.620 --> 00:28:58.120
 I watched a really interesting

00:28:58.120 --> 00:28:59.779
 documentary on Netflix

00:28:59.779 --> 00:29:00.940
 a week or two ago

00:29:00.940 --> 00:29:02.160
 on Anthony Robbins,

00:29:02.300 --> 00:29:03.880
 the self-help guy.

00:29:05.040 --> 00:29:05.240
 And,

00:29:05.300 --> 00:29:05.779
 you know,

00:29:06.300 --> 00:29:07.360
 it's interesting.

00:29:08.279 --> 00:29:09.160
 The Bible here

00:29:09.160 --> 00:29:10.840
 leaves so much unsaid.

00:29:12.060 --> 00:29:12.960
 It gives us

00:29:12.960 --> 00:29:14.080
 a basic direction

00:29:14.080 --> 00:29:14.759
 to think,

00:29:15.140 --> 00:29:16.100
 but doesn't fill it in.

00:29:16.140 --> 00:29:16.480
 Obviously,

00:29:16.580 --> 00:29:17.420
 the Bible's going to go on

00:29:17.420 --> 00:29:18.600
 and say a few more things

00:29:18.600 --> 00:29:19.540
 if you read it

00:29:19.540 --> 00:29:20.360
 from cover to cover

00:29:20.360 --> 00:29:21.660
 about being male and female.

00:29:21.800 --> 00:29:22.380
 But it's amazing

00:29:22.380 --> 00:29:23.220
 what it doesn't say.

00:29:23.660 --> 00:29:24.100
 You know,

00:29:24.200 --> 00:29:24.840
 one of the things,

00:29:24.920 --> 00:29:26.040
 if you watch this documentary

00:29:26.040 --> 00:29:27.100
 of Anthony Robbins,

00:29:27.259 --> 00:29:28.660
 it's a fascinating thing.

00:29:28.820 --> 00:29:28.920
 You know,

00:29:28.980 --> 00:29:31.720
 people pay $5,000

00:29:31.720 --> 00:29:34.080
 to spend six days with him.

00:29:34.660 --> 00:29:36.300
 Five grand U.S.

00:29:36.300 --> 00:29:37.360
 before taxes.

00:29:39.740 --> 00:29:40.060
 And,

00:29:40.140 --> 00:29:42.320
 you know,

00:29:42.340 --> 00:29:43.040
 one of the things he does,

00:29:43.340 --> 00:29:44.400
 it's not like he just says,

00:29:44.460 --> 00:29:44.680
 oh yeah,

00:29:44.759 --> 00:29:45.160
 you're great,

00:29:45.220 --> 00:29:45.540
 you're great,

00:29:45.580 --> 00:29:45.759
 you're great.

00:29:45.759 --> 00:29:45.940
 I mean,

00:29:45.960 --> 00:29:47.140
 he tells people off.

00:29:47.720 --> 00:29:50.259
 People will spend $5,000 U.S.

00:29:50.259 --> 00:29:50.940
 for six days

00:29:50.940 --> 00:29:52.380
 to be told off in public.

00:29:52.380 --> 00:29:53.560
 It's really,

00:29:53.760 --> 00:29:55.300
 it's a fascinating documentary

00:29:55.300 --> 00:29:56.000
 to watch.

00:29:56.520 --> 00:29:57.880
 And there's one time in it

00:29:57.880 --> 00:29:59.580
 where he goes after a guy

00:29:59.580 --> 00:30:01.080
 for being a feminine man.

00:30:01.720 --> 00:30:02.580
 I'm not making this up.

00:30:04.540 --> 00:30:04.860
 And,

00:30:04.920 --> 00:30:05.520
 you know,

00:30:05.580 --> 00:30:06.820
 the interesting thing in here

00:30:06.820 --> 00:30:07.660
 is the Bible doesn't say,

00:30:07.760 --> 00:30:07.840
 okay,

00:30:07.900 --> 00:30:08.980
 now we know all about men.

00:30:09.160 --> 00:30:10.300
 Men are good with tools.

00:30:11.580 --> 00:30:11.780
 You know,

00:30:11.860 --> 00:30:12.100
 men,

00:30:12.220 --> 00:30:12.460
 you know,

00:30:12.500 --> 00:30:13.400
 men like to hunt.

00:30:13.800 --> 00:30:13.980
 You know,

00:30:14.060 --> 00:30:15.120
 women like to cook.

00:30:15.119 --> 00:30:17.259
 It doesn't do this,

00:30:17.319 --> 00:30:17.599
 does it?

00:30:20.459 --> 00:30:20.859
 Like,

00:30:20.899 --> 00:30:21.739
 it makes it clear

00:30:21.739 --> 00:30:23.239
 that these realities exist.

00:30:23.359 --> 00:30:24.619
 And if you read all of the Bible,

00:30:24.739 --> 00:30:25.319
 you'll start to get

00:30:25.319 --> 00:30:26.179
 some other senses

00:30:26.179 --> 00:30:27.099
 about what's in there.

00:30:27.139 --> 00:30:28.519
 But it leaves a wide range

00:30:28.519 --> 00:30:29.659
 of freedom and variability.

00:30:31.259 --> 00:30:32.119
 But in it all,

00:30:32.159 --> 00:30:33.119
 it makes it clear

00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:33.819
 that

00:30:33.819 --> 00:30:37.079
 in the language today,

00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:38.959
 Jeremiah and Anna

00:30:38.959 --> 00:30:40.439
 had a baby this week.

00:30:40.440 --> 00:30:42.320
 and it's a baby girl.

00:30:43.200 --> 00:30:44.900
 And she wasn't assigned

00:30:44.900 --> 00:30:49.019
 being a girl.

00:30:49.720 --> 00:30:50.580
 It wasn't as if

00:30:50.580 --> 00:30:52.220
 the baby came out of the womb

00:30:52.220 --> 00:30:53.600
 and Jeremiah and Anna said,

00:30:53.660 --> 00:30:53.759
 well,

00:30:53.759 --> 00:30:54.019
 I don't know,

00:30:54.080 --> 00:30:55.000
 should it be a boy or a girl?

00:30:56.519 --> 00:30:57.080
 They said,

00:30:57.140 --> 00:30:57.980
 it's a girl.

00:31:00.660 --> 00:31:02.460
 And that's what the Bible teaches.

00:31:03.880 --> 00:31:04.700
 Here's another thing,

00:31:04.700 --> 00:31:05.460
 if you could put it up.

00:31:06.500 --> 00:31:07.400
 Man and woman

00:31:07.400 --> 00:31:08.900
 are equally created

00:31:08.900 --> 00:31:10.380
 in God's image.

00:31:11.080 --> 00:31:12.799
 And our complementarity

00:31:12.799 --> 00:31:14.920
 is also in God's image.

00:31:16.680 --> 00:31:18.039
 Man and woman

00:31:18.039 --> 00:31:19.440
 are equally created

00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:20.460
 in God's image.

00:31:20.840 --> 00:31:22.380
 And our complementarity

00:31:22.380 --> 00:31:24.600
 is also in God's image.

00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:25.400
 Listen to the Bible.

00:31:25.559 --> 00:31:26.600
 So God created man

00:31:26.600 --> 00:31:27.539
 in his own image.

00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:28.840
 In the image of God,

00:31:28.940 --> 00:31:29.700
 he created him.

00:31:29.820 --> 00:31:30.500
 Male and female,

00:31:30.640 --> 00:31:31.320
 he created them.

00:31:32.360 --> 00:31:33.200
 Men and women

00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:35.059
 have their own integrity.

00:31:35.980 --> 00:31:36.840
 Any culture

00:31:36.840 --> 00:31:37.820
 that treats women

00:31:37.820 --> 00:31:38.920
 like chattel,

00:31:39.460 --> 00:31:39.820
 like slaves,

00:31:40.440 --> 00:31:42.480
 is condemned

00:31:42.480 --> 00:31:43.980
 by this biblical text.

00:31:45.420 --> 00:31:46.940
 Any family

00:31:46.940 --> 00:31:47.980
 or relationship

00:31:47.980 --> 00:31:48.880
 where the man

00:31:48.880 --> 00:31:50.380
 abuses the woman

00:31:50.380 --> 00:31:52.000
 is condemned

00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:53.100
 in this text.

00:31:53.480 --> 00:31:54.480
 Any culture

00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:55.039
 that says

00:31:55.039 --> 00:31:55.500
 that women

00:31:55.500 --> 00:31:56.900
 only have value

00:31:56.900 --> 00:31:57.779
 if they can produce

00:31:57.779 --> 00:31:58.299
 children

00:31:58.299 --> 00:32:00.100
 is condemned

00:32:00.100 --> 00:32:01.440
 in this text.

00:32:01.440 --> 00:32:03.700
 this text.

00:32:03.700 --> 00:32:04.299
 This text

00:32:04.299 --> 00:32:05.120
 is both

00:32:05.120 --> 00:32:06.420
 a profound comfort

00:32:06.420 --> 00:32:07.340
 for those of us

00:32:07.340 --> 00:32:08.580
 who will find ourselves

00:32:08.580 --> 00:32:09.299
 being single

00:32:09.299 --> 00:32:10.340
 our whole lives.

00:32:10.940 --> 00:32:12.220
 It doesn't say

00:32:12.220 --> 00:32:14.019
 that you only have value

00:32:14.019 --> 00:32:14.900
 if you're attached

00:32:14.900 --> 00:32:15.779
 to a man

00:32:15.779 --> 00:32:16.640
 or to a woman.

00:32:17.080 --> 00:32:18.440
 You only have value

00:32:18.440 --> 00:32:19.320
 if you can have

00:32:19.320 --> 00:32:20.340
 sexual knowing.

00:32:20.799 --> 00:32:22.259
 You can only have value

00:32:22.259 --> 00:32:23.500
 if you can produce.

00:32:23.900 --> 00:32:26.039
 It denies all of this.

00:32:26.039 --> 00:32:27.700
 It's a profoundly

00:32:27.700 --> 00:32:29.420
 important and freeing text

00:32:29.420 --> 00:32:30.200
 on the dignity

00:32:30.200 --> 00:32:32.659
 of every human being,

00:32:32.839 --> 00:32:34.420
 every man and woman,

00:32:34.539 --> 00:32:35.680
 regardless as to whether

00:32:35.680 --> 00:32:36.619
 or not they are married,

00:32:37.019 --> 00:32:38.079
 regardless as to their

00:32:38.079 --> 00:32:39.240
 ability to produce.

00:32:40.399 --> 00:32:41.680
 That there's an inherent

00:32:41.680 --> 00:32:42.079
 worth

00:32:42.079 --> 00:32:44.079
 and value

00:32:44.079 --> 00:32:45.139
 and dignity

00:32:45.139 --> 00:32:46.159
 as a bearer

00:32:46.159 --> 00:32:47.119
 of God's image.

00:32:47.279 --> 00:32:48.339
 And at the same time,

00:32:48.859 --> 00:32:49.740
 while on one hand

00:32:49.740 --> 00:32:50.279
 you can say

00:32:50.279 --> 00:32:51.440
 that every man and woman

00:32:51.440 --> 00:32:52.599
 bears God's image,

00:32:52.599 --> 00:32:54.079
 at the same time,

00:32:54.439 --> 00:32:55.619
 God chose to have

00:32:55.619 --> 00:32:56.779
 men and women,

00:32:56.939 --> 00:32:58.059
 male and female,

00:32:58.219 --> 00:32:58.779
 that somehow

00:32:58.779 --> 00:33:00.379
 the complementarity

00:33:00.379 --> 00:33:02.659
 that goes with the equality

00:33:02.659 --> 00:33:05.419
 somehow even more

00:33:05.419 --> 00:33:07.439
 shows who God is

00:33:07.439 --> 00:33:08.639
 and what He's like.

00:33:13.179 --> 00:33:13.899
 Now,

00:33:14.899 --> 00:33:18.179
 some people have

00:33:18.179 --> 00:33:19.659
 a great deal of trouble

00:33:19.660 --> 00:33:22.460
 with the body

00:33:22.460 --> 00:33:23.400
 that they have.

00:33:24.700 --> 00:33:26.120
 And there are many people

00:33:26.120 --> 00:33:26.940
 in our culture

00:33:26.940 --> 00:33:29.200
 who are biologically male

00:33:29.200 --> 00:33:30.540
 or biologically female

00:33:30.540 --> 00:33:31.680
 and that's a very,

00:33:31.680 --> 00:33:32.840
 very, very complicated

00:33:32.840 --> 00:33:33.900
 thing for them

00:33:33.900 --> 00:33:35.940
 and causes them pain.

00:33:36.640 --> 00:33:37.680
 Just as there are

00:33:37.680 --> 00:33:38.279
 many people

00:33:38.279 --> 00:33:39.000
 in our culture

00:33:39.000 --> 00:33:40.400
 who find themselves

00:33:40.400 --> 00:33:41.360
 in a male body

00:33:41.360 --> 00:33:43.320
 but desire to sexually

00:33:43.320 --> 00:33:44.740
 know people

00:33:44.740 --> 00:33:45.660
 with the same body

00:33:45.660 --> 00:33:46.360
 as themselves.

00:33:47.180 --> 00:33:47.840
 And one thing

00:33:47.840 --> 00:33:48.860
 which is very important

00:33:48.859 --> 00:33:50.019
 for us to understand

00:33:50.019 --> 00:33:50.959
 is that we should

00:33:50.959 --> 00:33:51.939
 never, ever, ever

00:33:51.939 --> 00:33:53.359
 say yuck to this.

00:33:55.539 --> 00:33:56.719
 And we should never

00:33:56.719 --> 00:33:57.759
 believe that that's

00:33:57.759 --> 00:33:58.719
 something which has

00:33:58.719 --> 00:33:59.879
 merely been chosen.

00:34:02.299 --> 00:34:02.819
 Sometimes

00:34:02.819 --> 00:34:04.099
 for people

00:34:04.099 --> 00:34:04.959
 who labor

00:34:04.959 --> 00:34:06.159
 and suffer under that

00:34:06.159 --> 00:34:07.039
 it's something

00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:08.000
 that goes back

00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:08.759
 as early

00:34:08.759 --> 00:34:09.679
 as they have memories.

00:34:13.719 --> 00:34:15.659
 And this call

00:34:15.659 --> 00:34:17.000
 to view people

00:34:17.000 --> 00:34:18.139
 with their dignity

00:34:18.139 --> 00:34:18.559
 and worth

00:34:18.559 --> 00:34:19.579
 is very important.

00:34:20.920 --> 00:34:22.400
 But this text here

00:34:22.400 --> 00:34:23.559
 is not saying

00:34:23.559 --> 00:34:24.819
 that even if we

00:34:24.819 --> 00:34:25.659
 are born

00:34:25.659 --> 00:34:26.639
 in such a way

00:34:26.639 --> 00:34:27.359
 that from our

00:34:27.359 --> 00:34:28.440
 earliest memories

00:34:28.440 --> 00:34:30.539
 we have these desires.

00:34:31.400 --> 00:34:32.480
 It's not saying

00:34:32.480 --> 00:34:33.199
 that that

00:34:33.199 --> 00:34:34.259
 is how we are

00:34:34.259 --> 00:34:35.299
 made in God's image.

00:34:38.759 --> 00:34:39.900
 Could you just reverse,

00:34:40.039 --> 00:34:40.420
 could you put,

00:34:40.519 --> 00:34:40.659
 I think,

00:34:40.719 --> 00:34:41.379
 that's two points

00:34:41.379 --> 00:34:42.279
 from now up right now

00:34:42.279 --> 00:34:42.980
 rather than the one

00:34:42.980 --> 00:34:43.440
 I was going to,

00:34:43.519 --> 00:34:44.339
 I think I gave you?

00:34:44.340 --> 00:34:48.800
 We still bear

00:34:48.800 --> 00:34:50.300
 the image of God

00:34:50.300 --> 00:34:51.760
 but it is bent

00:34:51.760 --> 00:34:52.460
 and marred.

00:34:53.100 --> 00:34:53.840
 We're going to look

00:34:53.840 --> 00:34:55.180
 at that in Genesis 3

00:34:55.180 --> 00:34:56.160
 in a couple of weeks.

00:34:57.140 --> 00:34:57.940
 But it's just

00:34:57.940 --> 00:34:58.640
 really important

00:34:58.640 --> 00:34:59.480
 for us to understand

00:34:59.480 --> 00:35:00.180
 that everything,

00:35:00.360 --> 00:35:00.920
 it's not just

00:35:00.920 --> 00:35:02.180
 if you're very

00:35:02.180 --> 00:35:02.840
 uncomfortable,

00:35:03.180 --> 00:35:04.400
 you're biologically male

00:35:04.400 --> 00:35:05.519
 but you don't identify

00:35:05.519 --> 00:35:07.059
 with being a male

00:35:07.059 --> 00:35:07.539
 at all

00:35:07.539 --> 00:35:09.460
 or you're biologically female

00:35:09.460 --> 00:35:10.280
 and you just don't identify.

00:35:10.280 --> 00:35:12.380
 it's not as if

00:35:12.380 --> 00:35:13.500
 just people like this

00:35:13.500 --> 00:35:14.019
 are broken.

00:35:14.940 --> 00:35:16.220
 If you look in a mirror

00:35:16.220 --> 00:35:17.640
 and you look around

00:35:17.640 --> 00:35:19.060
 every single person

00:35:19.060 --> 00:35:19.620
 in the room

00:35:19.620 --> 00:35:21.360
 is made in God's image

00:35:21.360 --> 00:35:22.240
 and every one of us

00:35:22.240 --> 00:35:22.660
 are bent

00:35:22.660 --> 00:35:24.780
 or marred

00:35:24.780 --> 00:35:25.700
 in different ways.

00:35:27.800 --> 00:35:29.300
 So you can't just go

00:35:29.300 --> 00:35:30.560
 purely from current

00:35:30.560 --> 00:35:31.720
 human experience

00:35:31.720 --> 00:35:32.740
 to extrapolate

00:35:32.740 --> 00:35:33.820
 and we're going to talk

00:35:33.820 --> 00:35:34.200
 about that

00:35:34.200 --> 00:35:34.940
 a little bit more.

00:35:36.519 --> 00:35:38.240
 But this is all

00:35:38.240 --> 00:35:39.800
 very, very, very good news.

00:35:40.800 --> 00:35:40.960
 I mean,

00:35:40.980 --> 00:35:42.019
 not only is it good news

00:35:42.019 --> 00:35:43.000
 because it's the basis

00:35:43.000 --> 00:35:43.940
 of human rights

00:35:43.940 --> 00:35:45.860
 but it's the good news

00:35:45.860 --> 00:35:47.000
 because it begins

00:35:47.000 --> 00:35:47.600
 to help us

00:35:47.600 --> 00:35:48.440
 to understand

00:35:48.440 --> 00:35:50.100
 who God is

00:35:50.100 --> 00:35:53.360
 and here's how

00:35:53.360 --> 00:35:53.980
 it's good news.

00:35:55.180 --> 00:35:55.720
 You know,

00:35:55.780 --> 00:35:56.560
 I like movies

00:35:56.560 --> 00:35:57.760
 and I probably

00:35:57.760 --> 00:35:58.220
 don't like,

00:35:58.420 --> 00:35:58.560
 I mean,

00:35:58.640 --> 00:35:59.380
 believe it or not,

00:35:59.400 --> 00:36:00.320
 I actually sometimes

00:36:00.320 --> 00:36:01.760
 watch more thoughtful movies.

00:36:01.900 --> 00:36:03.080
 I just don't watch junk.

00:36:03.440 --> 00:36:04.500
 But, you know,

00:36:04.640 --> 00:36:06.420
 if you imagine a movie

00:36:06.420 --> 00:36:07.640
 about an alien coming,

00:36:07.720 --> 00:36:08.540
 let's say all of a sudden

00:36:08.540 --> 00:36:09.160
 an alien

00:36:09.159 --> 00:36:11.420
 ship crashed

00:36:11.420 --> 00:36:12.139
 right beside

00:36:12.139 --> 00:36:13.420
 one of our hospitals

00:36:13.420 --> 00:36:15.460
 and they all go,

00:36:15.879 --> 00:36:16.980
 the doctors and the nurses,

00:36:16.980 --> 00:36:18.159
 they go running in.

00:36:18.519 --> 00:36:18.759
 I mean,

00:36:18.819 --> 00:36:19.739
 it wouldn't happen nowadays

00:36:19.739 --> 00:36:20.420
 because they'd want to get,

00:36:20.500 --> 00:36:20.739
 you know,

00:36:20.940 --> 00:36:22.199
 all the masks on

00:36:22.199 --> 00:36:22.899
 so they don't get diseases

00:36:22.899 --> 00:36:23.679
 but just imagine

00:36:23.679 --> 00:36:24.339
 they go running in

00:36:24.339 --> 00:36:25.219
 or however they go in

00:36:25.219 --> 00:36:27.480
 and they're not clear

00:36:27.480 --> 00:36:28.839
 when they look at the alien

00:36:28.839 --> 00:36:29.799
 and let's say the alien

00:36:29.799 --> 00:36:30.899
 can't communicate with them

00:36:30.899 --> 00:36:31.859
 and we're not clear

00:36:31.859 --> 00:36:32.899
 as human beings

00:36:32.899 --> 00:36:35.420
 is the alien sick

00:36:35.420 --> 00:36:36.099
 and need help

00:36:36.099 --> 00:36:37.239
 or is the alien healthy

00:36:37.239 --> 00:36:37.879
 and we don't know.

00:36:38.099 --> 00:36:38.799
 Why don't we know?

00:36:39.039 --> 00:36:39.719
 Here's the thing.

00:36:40.799 --> 00:36:42.219
 I sit on the toilet

00:36:42.219 --> 00:36:44.119
 and something comes out of me

00:36:44.119 --> 00:36:45.539
 that's brown.

00:36:47.019 --> 00:36:47.859
 That's good.

00:36:49.519 --> 00:36:50.039
 You know,

00:36:50.059 --> 00:36:51.539
 in another context,

00:36:51.639 --> 00:36:52.599
 something comes out of me

00:36:52.599 --> 00:36:53.359
 yellowish.

00:36:53.939 --> 00:36:54.819
 That's good.

00:36:56.059 --> 00:36:57.239
 If all of a sudden

00:36:57.239 --> 00:36:59.199
 I started to have red blood

00:36:59.199 --> 00:37:00.459
 coming out of my eyes

00:37:00.459 --> 00:37:01.099
 or my ears

00:37:01.099 --> 00:37:01.679
 or my mouth,

00:37:01.759 --> 00:37:02.500
 we'd all know

00:37:02.500 --> 00:37:03.879
 that's bad.

00:37:04.500 --> 00:37:04.859
 Why?

00:37:04.979 --> 00:37:05.399
 Because we know

00:37:05.400 --> 00:37:06.539
 what health looks like.

00:37:07.900 --> 00:37:08.920
 If we go to a human,

00:37:09.800 --> 00:37:09.980
 I mean,

00:37:10.019 --> 00:37:10.900
 if we go to an alien

00:37:10.900 --> 00:37:12.920
 and red stuff

00:37:12.920 --> 00:37:14.000
 is coming out of its mouth,

00:37:14.059 --> 00:37:14.980
 we have no idea

00:37:14.980 --> 00:37:16.160
 whether that's a bad sign

00:37:16.160 --> 00:37:16.900
 or a good sign.

00:37:18.960 --> 00:37:19.360
 Maybe

00:37:19.360 --> 00:37:21.079
 what we call

00:37:21.079 --> 00:37:21.800
 brown stuff

00:37:21.800 --> 00:37:22.780
 coming out of one end

00:37:22.780 --> 00:37:24.119
 is red for the alien

00:37:24.119 --> 00:37:24.680
 and comes out

00:37:24.680 --> 00:37:25.420
 of a different part

00:37:25.420 --> 00:37:26.059
 of its body.

00:37:26.960 --> 00:37:27.900
 And I'm not just saying

00:37:27.900 --> 00:37:28.780
 that to be silly.

00:37:29.340 --> 00:37:30.579
 We really wouldn't know.

00:37:30.579 --> 00:37:33.719
 And, you know,

00:37:33.759 --> 00:37:34.239
 the other day

00:37:34.239 --> 00:37:35.319
 I'm having some problems

00:37:35.319 --> 00:37:36.199
 with my steering

00:37:36.199 --> 00:37:38.019
 in my car

00:37:38.019 --> 00:37:39.420
 and I just assumed

00:37:39.420 --> 00:37:40.079
 that I had a leak

00:37:40.079 --> 00:37:41.219
 in my power steering

00:37:41.219 --> 00:37:42.000
 and I went

00:37:42.000 --> 00:37:42.960
 to look.

00:37:43.179 --> 00:37:43.579
 I was going to go

00:37:43.579 --> 00:37:44.380
 to Canadian Tire

00:37:44.380 --> 00:37:45.199
 and get it topped up

00:37:45.199 --> 00:37:46.039
 so I can get it fixed

00:37:46.039 --> 00:37:47.059
 on Monday or Tuesday

00:37:47.059 --> 00:37:48.360
 and I go

00:37:48.360 --> 00:37:49.480
 and I look

00:37:49.480 --> 00:37:51.739
 at my power steering level

00:37:51.739 --> 00:37:52.779
 and it's not low.

00:37:53.480 --> 00:37:54.819
 And so I stick something in

00:37:54.819 --> 00:37:56.259
 and the color comes out

00:37:56.260 --> 00:37:58.280
 and I go to the owner's manual

00:37:58.280 --> 00:38:00.920
 and the owner's manual

00:38:00.920 --> 00:38:02.140
 written by the designer

00:38:02.140 --> 00:38:03.400
 tells me basically

00:38:03.400 --> 00:38:05.600
 that if the steering fluid

00:38:05.600 --> 00:38:06.520
 is brown

00:38:06.520 --> 00:38:08.440
 that's not good.

00:38:09.360 --> 00:38:10.840
 It should be pink.

00:38:13.280 --> 00:38:14.720
 At least pinkish

00:38:14.720 --> 00:38:16.720
 but best of all, pink.

00:38:18.740 --> 00:38:21.160
 So here's what's so good news

00:38:21.160 --> 00:38:21.900
 about this

00:38:21.900 --> 00:38:24.520
 is that the Bible here

00:38:24.520 --> 00:38:25.860
 is letting us know

00:38:25.860 --> 00:38:27.240
 what health looks like.

00:38:29.740 --> 00:38:30.579
 And it knows

00:38:30.579 --> 00:38:31.340
 it's telling us

00:38:31.340 --> 00:38:32.039
 the direction

00:38:32.039 --> 00:38:32.980
 that we can go

00:38:32.980 --> 00:38:34.079
 towards health.

00:38:35.039 --> 00:38:36.480
 So God created man

00:38:36.480 --> 00:38:37.220
 in his own image

00:38:37.220 --> 00:38:38.220
 and the image of God

00:38:38.220 --> 00:38:39.079
 he created him.

00:38:39.200 --> 00:38:39.860
 Male and female

00:38:39.860 --> 00:38:40.559
 he created them.

00:38:40.720 --> 00:38:41.360
 If you could put up

00:38:41.360 --> 00:38:42.579
 the point, Andrew,

00:38:42.660 --> 00:38:43.039
 which I guess

00:38:43.039 --> 00:38:44.059
 we sort of jumped over,

00:38:45.200 --> 00:38:45.960
 human beings

00:38:45.960 --> 00:38:46.660
 are not Lego.

00:38:48.300 --> 00:38:49.220
 Did you get a picture

00:38:49.220 --> 00:38:49.920
 of that by the way?

00:38:50.920 --> 00:38:51.640
 There you go.

00:38:52.180 --> 00:38:52.860
 In case you don't

00:38:52.860 --> 00:38:53.660
 have grandchildren

00:38:53.660 --> 00:38:55.340
 or you're too old

00:38:55.340 --> 00:38:56.260
 to have played with Lego

00:38:56.260 --> 00:38:57.140
 when you were a kid.

00:38:58.500 --> 00:38:59.780
 There's all sorts of movies

00:38:59.780 --> 00:39:00.900
 about Lego people.

00:39:01.700 --> 00:39:03.100
 And the fact of the matter is

00:39:03.100 --> 00:39:04.640
 is that in much of our culture

00:39:04.640 --> 00:39:05.760
 the way we understand

00:39:05.760 --> 00:39:07.039
 being human now

00:39:07.039 --> 00:39:09.160
 aided by medical technology

00:39:09.160 --> 00:39:10.300
 that can do all sorts

00:39:10.300 --> 00:39:11.400
 of unbelievable things.

00:39:11.500 --> 00:39:12.200
 It can pump us

00:39:12.200 --> 00:39:13.019
 full of hormones.

00:39:13.019 --> 00:39:15.940
 It can do plastic surgery.

00:39:16.179 --> 00:39:16.880
 It can do all...

00:39:16.880 --> 00:39:17.719
 Medicine can do

00:39:17.719 --> 00:39:18.719
 all sorts of things.

00:39:19.360 --> 00:39:20.360
 And if we come up

00:39:20.360 --> 00:39:21.039
 in a culture

00:39:21.039 --> 00:39:22.179
 whereby increasingly

00:39:22.179 --> 00:39:23.119
 we just see ourselves

00:39:23.119 --> 00:39:24.019
 as accidents,

00:39:24.599 --> 00:39:25.699
 as just stuff,

00:39:26.239 --> 00:39:27.179
 and that...

00:39:27.179 --> 00:39:28.119
 Well, it's increasingly

00:39:28.119 --> 00:39:29.380
 we understand ourselves

00:39:29.380 --> 00:39:30.699
 as Lego creatures.

00:39:30.800 --> 00:39:31.239
 Well, you can just

00:39:31.239 --> 00:39:32.259
 snap that head off,

00:39:32.320 --> 00:39:33.179
 put a different head on.

00:39:33.239 --> 00:39:35.460
 You can snap that torso off.

00:39:35.500 --> 00:39:35.980
 You can put on

00:39:35.980 --> 00:39:36.759
 a different torso.

00:39:36.940 --> 00:39:37.920
 You can design the Lego

00:39:37.920 --> 00:39:38.500
 in such a way

00:39:38.500 --> 00:39:39.420
 that things pop out

00:39:39.420 --> 00:39:40.420
 in different spots.

00:39:40.420 --> 00:39:42.380
 And the hands

00:39:42.380 --> 00:39:42.880
 or the legs

00:39:42.880 --> 00:39:43.519
 are all longer.

00:39:43.960 --> 00:39:45.019
 And it's a very, very...

00:39:45.019 --> 00:39:45.519
 You know, we don't

00:39:45.519 --> 00:39:46.940
 consciously think like this

00:39:46.940 --> 00:39:47.579
 but increasingly

00:39:47.579 --> 00:39:48.380
 in our culture

00:39:48.380 --> 00:39:49.800
 we understand ourselves

00:39:49.800 --> 00:39:50.840
 with the analogy

00:39:50.840 --> 00:39:51.680
 of being Lego.

00:39:52.860 --> 00:39:53.760
 And so when we want

00:39:53.760 --> 00:39:54.700
 to fix ourselves

00:39:54.700 --> 00:39:56.079
 we go by our feelings

00:39:56.079 --> 00:39:57.599
 and the best thoughts

00:39:57.599 --> 00:39:58.300
 that we have

00:39:58.300 --> 00:39:59.300
 and we just figure

00:39:59.300 --> 00:40:00.960
 we'll do Lego processes

00:40:00.960 --> 00:40:02.659
 to fit with what we feel

00:40:02.659 --> 00:40:03.840
 because that's how

00:40:03.840 --> 00:40:04.519
 we understand

00:40:04.519 --> 00:40:05.519
 what health is.

00:40:05.820 --> 00:40:06.800
 But the Bible here

00:40:06.800 --> 00:40:07.400
 is telling us

00:40:07.400 --> 00:40:08.480
 that God created man

00:40:08.480 --> 00:40:09.420
 in his own image

00:40:09.420 --> 00:40:10.380
 and the image of God

00:40:10.380 --> 00:40:11.079
 he created him.

00:40:11.500 --> 00:40:12.200
 Male and female

00:40:12.200 --> 00:40:13.059
 he created them.

00:40:13.300 --> 00:40:13.920
 And the Bible

00:40:13.920 --> 00:40:14.700
 will also reveal

00:40:14.700 --> 00:40:15.539
 that we're broken.

00:40:16.099 --> 00:40:16.840
 And that's why

00:40:16.840 --> 00:40:17.579
 if you could put up

00:40:17.579 --> 00:40:18.500
 the next point

00:40:18.500 --> 00:40:20.700
 we are to understand

00:40:20.700 --> 00:40:22.760
 that Jesus is

00:40:22.760 --> 00:40:25.200
 like an art restorer.

00:40:25.920 --> 00:40:28.059
 A masterpiece restorer.

00:40:28.760 --> 00:40:30.340
 He is not like

00:40:30.340 --> 00:40:31.460
 a Lego builder.

00:40:32.460 --> 00:40:34.000
 And we his disciples

00:40:34.000 --> 00:40:34.740
 have to learn

00:40:34.740 --> 00:40:35.579
 to follow him.

00:40:36.940 --> 00:40:37.640
 See, this is

00:40:37.640 --> 00:40:38.480
 the wonderful thing

00:40:38.480 --> 00:40:39.099
 to know that

00:40:39.099 --> 00:40:39.740
 I am made

00:40:39.740 --> 00:40:40.840
 in God's image.

00:40:41.360 --> 00:40:41.740
 And there are

00:40:41.740 --> 00:40:42.320
 different ways

00:40:42.320 --> 00:40:42.820
 that I am made

00:40:42.820 --> 00:40:43.460
 in God's image

00:40:43.460 --> 00:40:44.300
 that I am bent

00:40:44.300 --> 00:40:45.000
 and I am broken.

00:40:45.159 --> 00:40:45.940
 And maybe it is

00:40:45.940 --> 00:40:46.519
 that I have

00:40:46.519 --> 00:40:47.699
 a huge desire

00:40:47.699 --> 00:40:48.420
 for pornography.

00:40:48.659 --> 00:40:49.199
 Maybe it is

00:40:49.199 --> 00:40:50.059
 that I have

00:40:50.059 --> 00:40:51.159
 this uncontrollable

00:40:51.159 --> 00:40:52.300
 desire to flirt

00:40:52.300 --> 00:40:52.840
 or possess

00:40:52.840 --> 00:40:53.579
 as many women

00:40:53.579 --> 00:40:54.179
 as I have

00:40:54.179 --> 00:40:54.960
 as I can.

00:40:55.079 --> 00:40:56.679
 Maybe my bentness

00:40:56.679 --> 00:40:57.719
 is that I have

00:40:57.719 --> 00:40:58.699
 absolutely no interest

00:40:58.699 --> 00:41:00.000
 in any of those

00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:00.480
 types of things.

00:41:00.599 --> 00:41:01.599
 Maybe my bentness

00:41:01.599 --> 00:41:02.780
 or my brokenness

00:41:02.780 --> 00:41:03.920
 is uncomfortable

00:41:03.920 --> 00:41:04.860
 with the biology.

00:41:05.280 --> 00:41:05.860
 And there are

00:41:05.860 --> 00:41:06.920
 so many different ways

00:41:06.920 --> 00:41:07.579
 and all of us

00:41:07.579 --> 00:41:08.360
 are bent or broken

00:41:08.360 --> 00:41:09.519
 in some particular way.

00:41:09.940 --> 00:41:10.579
 And the thing

00:41:10.579 --> 00:41:11.220
 that we can take

00:41:11.220 --> 00:41:11.800
 is that not only

00:41:11.800 --> 00:41:12.260
 is the Bible

00:41:12.260 --> 00:41:13.420
 communicating to us

00:41:13.420 --> 00:41:14.360
 what health is like,

00:41:14.639 --> 00:41:15.340
 it means that

00:41:15.340 --> 00:41:16.300
 when Jesus comes

00:41:16.300 --> 00:41:17.320
 into our life,

00:41:17.980 --> 00:41:21.059
 he sees that image,

00:41:21.200 --> 00:41:21.920
 the masterpiece,

00:41:22.700 --> 00:41:24.240
 in all of its uniqueness.

00:41:25.619 --> 00:41:26.619
 And just as

00:41:26.619 --> 00:41:27.500
 if somebody was

00:41:27.500 --> 00:41:28.840
 to give a Van Gogh

00:41:28.840 --> 00:41:29.780
 or a Picasso

00:41:29.780 --> 00:41:30.800
 that had been found

00:41:30.800 --> 00:41:31.380
 in an attic

00:41:31.380 --> 00:41:33.220
 and was very damaged

00:41:33.220 --> 00:41:34.300
 and gave it

00:41:34.300 --> 00:41:35.280
 to the National Gallery,

00:41:35.400 --> 00:41:36.140
 they would hire

00:41:36.140 --> 00:41:37.519
 the best art restorer

00:41:37.519 --> 00:41:40.140
 they could at all afford

00:41:40.140 --> 00:41:41.519
 to restore

00:41:41.519 --> 00:41:42.200
 the beauty

00:41:42.200 --> 00:41:43.160
 of the masterpiece.

00:41:44.420 --> 00:41:45.200
 And that's how

00:41:45.200 --> 00:41:46.820
 Jesus deals with us.

00:41:48.880 --> 00:41:50.460
 He is a masterpiece

00:41:50.460 --> 00:41:51.640
 restorer,

00:41:52.180 --> 00:41:55.039
 not a Lego builder.

00:41:56.980 --> 00:41:58.180
 One final thing

00:41:58.180 --> 00:41:59.000
 just in closing.

00:41:59.760 --> 00:42:00.700
 If you could put it up,

00:42:01.400 --> 00:42:02.440
 here's one of the problems

00:42:02.440 --> 00:42:03.840
 that we all have.

00:42:04.860 --> 00:42:06.019
 Because we are so

00:42:06.019 --> 00:42:07.940
 infected with our culture,

00:42:08.080 --> 00:42:09.019
 with a notion

00:42:09.019 --> 00:42:09.860
 that somehow or another

00:42:09.860 --> 00:42:11.280
 human beings are like plastic,

00:42:11.440 --> 00:42:12.039
 that in some ways

00:42:12.039 --> 00:42:13.160
 we're like Lego people,

00:42:13.720 --> 00:42:14.960
 we can't understand,

00:42:15.080 --> 00:42:16.519
 like in a Lego world,

00:42:16.840 --> 00:42:18.720
 how could one Lego creature,

00:42:19.300 --> 00:42:20.500
 how could their life

00:42:20.500 --> 00:42:21.600
 matter to everybody's

00:42:21.600 --> 00:42:22.060
 other than the fact

00:42:22.060 --> 00:42:22.580
 that we might be

00:42:22.580 --> 00:42:23.400
 interested in it?

00:42:23.920 --> 00:42:25.539
 And many of us wonder,

00:42:25.900 --> 00:42:26.760
 because we come

00:42:26.760 --> 00:42:28.280
 from this Lego perspective,

00:42:28.740 --> 00:42:29.519
 how is it

00:42:29.519 --> 00:42:30.900
 that Jesus' death

00:42:30.900 --> 00:42:32.000
 upon the cross,

00:42:32.840 --> 00:42:33.940
 that that could somehow

00:42:33.940 --> 00:42:35.280
 stand for me or you

00:42:35.280 --> 00:42:36.139
 here in Ottawa,

00:42:36.139 --> 00:42:37.360
 and it could also stand

00:42:37.360 --> 00:42:38.780
 for somebody in Korea,

00:42:39.440 --> 00:42:40.800
 and somebody in China,

00:42:41.440 --> 00:42:42.759
 and somebody in Singapore,

00:42:43.320 --> 00:42:44.759
 and somebody in Kenya,

00:42:45.159 --> 00:42:46.460
 and somebody above

00:42:46.460 --> 00:42:47.659
 the Arctic Circle.

00:42:49.079 --> 00:42:50.920
 And from a Lego perspective,

00:42:50.920 --> 00:42:52.599
 that doesn't make any sense.

00:42:52.599 --> 00:42:55.920
 But if,

00:42:56.480 --> 00:42:57.819
 so God created man

00:42:57.819 --> 00:42:59.500
 in his own image,

00:42:59.920 --> 00:43:01.000
 in the image of God,

00:43:01.099 --> 00:43:02.319
 he created him.

00:43:02.460 --> 00:43:03.539
 Male and female,

00:43:03.960 --> 00:43:05.059
 he created them.

00:43:06.339 --> 00:43:07.400
 If in fact,

00:43:07.619 --> 00:43:09.779
 human beings are one humanity,

00:43:10.139 --> 00:43:11.659
 bearing the image of God,

00:43:12.619 --> 00:43:16.539
 then only the image itself

00:43:16.539 --> 00:43:19.099
 can stand for all

00:43:19.099 --> 00:43:21.199
 who are made in God's image.

00:43:21.199 --> 00:43:24.219
 so Jesus' life and death

00:43:24.219 --> 00:43:25.659
 can stand for me,

00:43:26.259 --> 00:43:26.879
 and you,

00:43:27.359 --> 00:43:27.939
 and you,

00:43:28.339 --> 00:43:28.980
 and you,

00:43:29.259 --> 00:43:30.119
 and you,

00:43:30.439 --> 00:43:31.879
 and every person

00:43:31.879 --> 00:43:34.059
 who receives him by faith

00:43:34.059 --> 00:43:35.919
 as Savior and Lord.

00:43:37.579 --> 00:43:38.599
 You see,

00:43:38.679 --> 00:43:40.659
 if Genesis 1 is true,

00:43:41.659 --> 00:43:44.460
 the image itself

00:43:44.460 --> 00:43:46.579
 can stand

00:43:46.579 --> 00:43:49.440
 both his perfect righteousness

00:43:49.440 --> 00:43:51.779
 and his bearing

00:43:51.779 --> 00:43:52.559
 the consequence

00:43:52.559 --> 00:43:53.500
 of our sin

00:43:53.500 --> 00:43:54.199
 and our bentness

00:43:54.199 --> 00:43:54.900
 and brokenness.

00:43:55.099 --> 00:43:56.420
 The image itself

00:43:56.420 --> 00:43:57.679
 can stand

00:43:57.679 --> 00:44:00.059
 for every person

00:44:00.059 --> 00:44:01.980
 made in the image of God.

00:44:02.840 --> 00:44:03.880
 The cross

00:44:03.880 --> 00:44:06.380
 makes sense.

00:44:07.559 --> 00:44:09.119
 And Jesus died

00:44:09.119 --> 00:44:11.119
 not to erase

00:44:11.119 --> 00:44:12.699
 or destroy the image,

00:44:12.699 --> 00:44:14.960
 but as

00:44:14.960 --> 00:44:16.379
 a masterpiece

00:44:16.379 --> 00:44:17.219
 restorer

00:44:17.219 --> 00:44:18.779
 to begin

00:44:18.779 --> 00:44:20.019
 to restore us

00:44:20.019 --> 00:44:22.000
 to the image,

00:44:22.139 --> 00:44:22.799
 the masterpiece

00:44:22.799 --> 00:44:23.899
 that God

00:44:23.899 --> 00:44:24.980
 desires us to be.

00:44:25.559 --> 00:44:26.619
 Could you please stand?

00:44:26.619 --> 00:44:39.960
 Just a moment

00:44:39.960 --> 00:44:40.179
 of,

00:44:40.259 --> 00:44:41.639
 a bit of a pause.

00:44:41.799 --> 00:44:43.079
 If you're here today

00:44:43.079 --> 00:44:43.599
 and

00:44:43.599 --> 00:44:45.480
 for the first time

00:44:45.480 --> 00:44:46.000
 the gospel

00:44:46.000 --> 00:44:47.279
 begins to make sense

00:44:47.279 --> 00:44:47.639
 to you

00:44:47.639 --> 00:44:48.719
 and you feel a pressure

00:44:48.719 --> 00:44:50.679
 to come to Jesus,

00:44:50.839 --> 00:44:51.739
 let me just tell you,

00:44:51.779 --> 00:44:52.500
 it doesn't matter

00:44:52.500 --> 00:44:53.659
 what your issue is.

00:44:53.759 --> 00:44:54.880
 Jesus just desires

00:44:54.880 --> 00:44:56.099
 to come into your life

00:44:56.099 --> 00:44:56.940
 and to be like

00:44:56.940 --> 00:44:57.719
 that masterpiece

00:44:57.719 --> 00:44:58.380
 restorer.

00:44:58.539 --> 00:44:59.299
 That's what he'll do

00:44:59.299 --> 00:45:00.299
 when he is your Savior

00:45:00.299 --> 00:45:01.119
 and he is your Lord.

00:45:01.900 --> 00:45:02.980
 That's what he will do.

00:45:04.819 --> 00:45:05.659
 And his death

00:45:05.659 --> 00:45:06.420
 upon the cross

00:45:06.420 --> 00:45:07.219
 and his resurrection

00:45:07.219 --> 00:45:08.839
 can stand for you,

00:45:08.940 --> 00:45:10.119
 can be for you

00:45:10.119 --> 00:45:11.480
 if you receive it

00:45:11.480 --> 00:45:12.019
 by faith.

00:45:12.799 --> 00:45:13.719
 And there's no time

00:45:13.719 --> 00:45:14.579
 better than right now

00:45:14.579 --> 00:45:15.440
 to just call out

00:45:15.440 --> 00:45:16.659
 to him in your own words

00:45:16.659 --> 00:45:18.059
 that he will be

00:45:18.059 --> 00:45:18.599
 your Savior

00:45:18.599 --> 00:45:19.079
 and your Lord

00:45:19.079 --> 00:45:19.839
 and he will not

00:45:19.839 --> 00:45:20.659
 turn you away.

00:45:22.139 --> 00:45:23.219
 And for the rest of us

00:45:23.219 --> 00:45:23.699
 we all know

00:45:23.699 --> 00:45:24.460
 the different ways

00:45:24.460 --> 00:45:25.239
 that we need

00:45:25.239 --> 00:45:26.639
 Jesus to work

00:45:26.639 --> 00:45:27.359
 in our lives

00:45:27.359 --> 00:45:28.839
 to bring restoration

00:45:28.839 --> 00:45:30.079
 to us.

00:45:30.879 --> 00:45:32.039
 To have a sense

00:45:32.039 --> 00:45:32.779
 of restoring

00:45:32.779 --> 00:45:34.119
 our sense of dignity

00:45:34.119 --> 00:45:34.819
 and worth

00:45:34.819 --> 00:45:36.019
 that is given to us

00:45:36.019 --> 00:45:37.119
 by God himself.

00:45:38.179 --> 00:45:39.759
 This text tells us

00:45:39.759 --> 00:45:41.159
 of how unbelievably

00:45:41.159 --> 00:45:42.599
 precious we are

00:45:42.599 --> 00:45:43.279
 to God.

00:45:43.739 --> 00:45:44.679
 So precious

00:45:44.679 --> 00:45:45.419
 that not only

00:45:45.419 --> 00:45:46.199
 did he create us

00:45:46.199 --> 00:45:47.799
 but that God,

00:45:47.919 --> 00:45:48.579
 the Son of God

00:45:48.579 --> 00:45:49.179
 would die upon

00:45:49.179 --> 00:45:50.359
 the cross for us.

00:45:50.779 --> 00:45:51.959
 And at the same time

00:45:51.959 --> 00:45:53.299
 it starts to point

00:45:53.300 --> 00:45:54.560
 towards Genesis 3

00:45:54.560 --> 00:45:55.800
 and our great need

00:45:55.800 --> 00:45:56.420
 for God,

00:45:57.000 --> 00:45:58.240
 for only God

00:45:58.240 --> 00:45:59.300
 to come and work

00:45:59.300 --> 00:45:59.900
 in our lives.

00:46:03.280 --> 00:46:03.720
 Father,

00:46:03.820 --> 00:46:04.680
 if there are any here

00:46:04.680 --> 00:46:05.440
 who today have

00:46:05.440 --> 00:46:06.640
 crossed that divide

00:46:06.640 --> 00:46:07.800
 and asked Jesus

00:46:07.800 --> 00:46:08.600
 to be their Savior

00:46:08.600 --> 00:46:09.180
 and their Lord,

00:46:09.400 --> 00:46:09.620
 Father,

00:46:10.300 --> 00:46:11.440
 pour out your Holy Spirit

00:46:11.440 --> 00:46:11.980
 upon them

00:46:11.980 --> 00:46:12.460
 and draw them

00:46:12.460 --> 00:46:13.640
 ever closer to yourself.

00:46:14.820 --> 00:46:15.260
 Father,

00:46:15.340 --> 00:46:16.140
 for those who are still

00:46:16.140 --> 00:46:17.440
 trying to think things through,

00:46:17.660 --> 00:46:18.740
 pour out your Holy Spirit

00:46:18.740 --> 00:46:19.220
 upon them

00:46:19.220 --> 00:46:19.680
 and draw them

00:46:19.680 --> 00:46:20.260
 to yourself.

00:46:21.140 --> 00:46:21.460
 Father,

00:46:21.540 --> 00:46:22.300
 for those of us

00:46:22.300 --> 00:46:23.140
 who have maybe

00:46:23.140 --> 00:46:25.060
 right from our family

00:46:25.060 --> 00:46:25.620
 of origin

00:46:25.620 --> 00:46:26.580
 or maybe sometime

00:46:26.580 --> 00:46:27.400
 in our past

00:46:27.400 --> 00:46:28.300
 we've given our lives

00:46:28.300 --> 00:46:29.020
 more consciously

00:46:29.020 --> 00:46:29.560
 to Jesus

00:46:29.560 --> 00:46:30.120
 but we know

00:46:30.120 --> 00:46:30.780
 he's our Savior

00:46:30.780 --> 00:46:31.280
 and our Lord.

00:46:31.760 --> 00:46:31.940
 Father,

00:46:32.060 --> 00:46:32.880
 you know the issues

00:46:32.880 --> 00:46:33.520
 in our life

00:46:33.520 --> 00:46:34.160
 that are bent

00:46:34.160 --> 00:46:34.920
 and are marred

00:46:34.920 --> 00:46:36.080
 and we give you

00:46:36.080 --> 00:46:36.560
 permission,

00:46:36.820 --> 00:46:36.960
 Father.

00:46:37.100 --> 00:46:37.900
 You are wise.

00:46:38.060 --> 00:46:39.060
 You are the masterpiece

00:46:39.060 --> 00:46:39.840
 restorer.

00:46:40.080 --> 00:46:41.760
 You know how to restore us

00:46:41.760 --> 00:46:43.040
 and we give you

00:46:43.040 --> 00:46:44.280
 permission to move

00:46:44.280 --> 00:46:45.420
 with your Holy Spirit

00:46:45.420 --> 00:46:46.820
 and bring your word

00:46:46.820 --> 00:46:47.720
 to bear to us

00:46:47.720 --> 00:46:48.620
 at our point

00:46:48.620 --> 00:46:49.640
 of deepest need

00:46:49.639 --> 00:46:50.639
 to work a work

00:46:50.639 --> 00:46:51.199
 of restoration

00:46:51.199 --> 00:46:52.039
 within us.

00:46:52.879 --> 00:46:53.239
 Father,

00:46:53.699 --> 00:46:55.039
 pour out your Holy Spirit

00:46:55.039 --> 00:46:55.579
 upon us.

00:46:55.699 --> 00:46:56.579
 Make us disciples

00:46:56.579 --> 00:46:57.259
 of Jesus

00:46:57.259 --> 00:46:58.659
 gripped by the gospel

00:46:58.659 --> 00:47:01.379
 learning to be restored

00:47:01.379 --> 00:47:02.159
 by you

00:47:02.159 --> 00:47:03.839
 and be an agent

00:47:03.839 --> 00:47:04.639
 of restoration

00:47:04.639 --> 00:47:05.579
 in others

00:47:05.579 --> 00:47:07.980
 so that we

00:47:07.980 --> 00:47:09.739
 and all your children

00:47:09.739 --> 00:47:10.859
 will live for your glory

00:47:10.859 --> 00:47:12.059
 and this we ask

00:47:12.059 --> 00:47:13.119
 in Jesus' name.

00:47:13.619 --> 00:47:14.019
 Amen.

00:47:14.019 --> 00:47:14.219
 Amen.