Well, good morning, everyone.
My name's Steve, Senior Pastor here.
So if I'd like you to open your Bibles in those passages,
beginning, it's pretty easy.
It's right at the beginning of the Bible.
Past the introduction and the cable of contents,
you'll find Genesis there.
The 17th century mathematician and philosopher,
Sir Isaac Newton, had a miniature replica,
was a model of the solar system in his study
and had a large ball in the middle of it
which represented the sun and other planets in their place.
They were all attached to rods.
There was all these gears and belts
and all that sort of stuff in there,
make sure everything was in its correct place
and circulating around and everything.
And one day, he was visited by a friend
and his friend just marvelled at this thing
sitting in the study and he said,
my, Newton, what an exquisite thing.
Who made it?
Newton said, nobody.
Nobody?
His friend asked, that's right.
All of these balls and clogs and belts and gears
just happened to come together
and wonder of wonders,
by chance they began revolving
in the set orbits at the perfect time.
Now, Newton was obviously making a point there
with his unbelieving friend.
The existence of this machine,
a perfectly ordered machine,
presupposed a maker
and even more so,
the Earth and its perfectly ordered solar system.
If you have just joined us for the first time here,
just checked in online for the first time,
we are working our way through the early books of Genesis.
And what it does is it lays out for us
the beginning of creation.
And what we see here is
the beginning of creation
and the Bible's teaching of creation
is very, very different
from every other
religion or philosophical system.
More significantly,
what the book of Genesis does for us
is it gives us the beginning
of the doctrine of God.
We know who God is
from his creation.
We come to understand
who God is,
what he's like,
and therefore,
who we are
and what we are like
and what our purpose might be.
And one of the key differences
that we will see today
between the biblical idea
of the creator God
and all other views
is in this realm of relationships.
And there are three things
that I want us to see this morning.
It's up there on the screen.
This is the trajectory.
So if you've got the Sir Paul's app as well,
you can see an outline there
that will help you track through
today's message.
One of the things we notice
in point number one,
we need relationships.
At every step of the creation
from Genesis chapter one,
what we read is
he created,
he created.
However,
when it comes to humanity,
there is a shift in the language
in Genesis two,
Genesis one
and then into two.
It says,
let us make man
in our image and likeness.
This is the very earliest glimpse
in the Bible
of what become
throughout the Bible
the Christian teaching
on the triunity of God
or the doctrine of the Trinity,
the triunity of God.
The one God
is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
It's profound
that in the creation
of humanity,
his plurality comes out
in a way that his plurality
doesn't come out
in the rest of creation.
Saint Augustine said
that the Trinity
is the only version of God
in the history of humanity,
in the history of humanity
that has personal relationship
at its very core.
Only the God of Christianity
is a community.
God in himself
is self-sufficient.
He is self-sustaining.
Three persons
delighting in
and loving each other.
What is significant
about that
and compared to all
other creation accounts
is that if God
was a singular being,
then love
and relationship
is secondary
to that being.
It's derivative
from that being,
not core
to the being.
Only in the Trinity
do we see
personal relationship
as primary,
the very essence
of who God is.
relationships.
That is,
relationships
is not a means
to an end.
It is the centre
of life
and reality itself.
And that,
frankly,
is the only way
we can come to terms
with chapter 2,
verse 18.
The Lord God said
it is not good
for the man
to be alone.
Here's the interesting thing.
Up to this point
in creation,
up to this point
in Genesis,
everything that God
has made
has been declared
good.
Good,
good,
good.
This is the very
first time
in the creation account
where we read
the words
not good.
Not good.
There is
something
not good
about Adam.
And it's not
a design flaw.
God has,
he hasn't made
a mistake
with Adam.
I mean,
Adam is in
paradise.
He is in
paradise.
There's no sin.
He's walking
and talking
with God
and yet still
something is missing.
There is a missing
piece.
And the missing
piece is humanity
is made
in the image
of God
who is
an us,
not a me.
He's an us,
not a me.
Adam was
made in the image
of an eternal
community,
a pre-existing
community.
He was created
for community.
personality.
Personal
relationships
are the
essence
of our
humanity.
We
are made,
the very
essence of
humanity
is that we
are made
for relationships
because we
are made
in the image
of an us,
not a me.
So,
there are
three needed
relationships.
being made
in the image
of an us
God,
a God
of community.
What kind
of relationships
do we need?
The first
is a deep
relationship
with God.
Genesis
1.26
needs to
be read
in conjunction
with two
other creation
accounts in
the Bible.
One of those
creation accounts
is in Proverbs
chapter 8.
And in
Proverbs
chapter 8,
so,
for instance,
in Genesis
1,
we've already
looked at this
already,
Genesis 1,
it is God's
word that
creates,
God speaks
and it
happens,
God's
word create.
But in
Proverbs
8,
God's
wisdom,
or his
word,
is actually
personified.
This is
what God's
word,
his wisdom
says in
Proverbs
8.
I was
there when
he set
the heavens
in place,
when he
marked out
the horizon
of the
face of
the deep,
when he
established
the clouds
above and
fixed securely
the fountains
of the deep,
when he
gave the sea
its boundary
so the
waters would
not overstep
his command,
and when he
marked out the
foundations of
the earth,
then I was
constantly at
his side.
I was filled
with delight
day after day,
rejoicing always
in his presence,
rejoicing in
his whole world
and delighting
in mankind.
So God's
word in
Proverbs 8
is personified.
It's a
poetic
personification
of the
word of
God in
the creation
account.
Now the
other
creation
account where
we see this
personification
of the
word of
God is
John 1
in the
New Testament.
But in
John 1,
the word
is a
divine
person,
Jesus
Christ.
This is
how John
puts it.
I'll stick
together the
key verses
if you like.
In the
beginning was
the word,
and the
word was
with God,
and the
word was
God.
He was
with God
in the
beginning,
and through
him all
things were
made.
Without
him nothing
was made
that has
been made.
The word
became flesh,
made his
dwelling amongst
us.
We have
seen his
glory, the
glory of
the one and
only Son,
who came
from the
Father,
full of
grace and
truth.
Grace and
truth came
through
Jesus
Christ.
No one
has ever
seen God,
but the
one and
only Son,
who is
himself God,
and is in
closest relationship
with the
Father,
has made
him known.
So the
picture of
Proverbs
8,
and of
John 1,
and in
fact we see
it at the
beginning in
Genesis,
is one of
closeness,
intimacy,
delight,
love.
In
creation, the
Father, the
Son, and
the Spirit
were wrapped
up in
love and
delight and
enjoyment in
each other
and in the
creation, and
particularly the
creation of
humanity in
their image.
In fact, the
word delight,
which is there
in Proverbs
8, means to
dance, it
means to
frolic, it
means to
play.
The
creation of
humanity is
a community
event in
Genesis 2.
Creation
flows out of
delight and
love, loving
and being
loved, knowing
and being
known, enjoying
and being
enjoyed.
God says,
let's make
man in our
image that
they might
give what
we are able
to give
each other.
Let's make
them capable
of entering
into our
play, into
our delight
and
frolicking.
This is
what we
were created
for.
And it is
frankly nothing
what the
average person
thinks religion
is or the
Christian faith
is, at
all.
it is
delight, not
duty.
Now the
second
relationship we
need is
deep unity
with another
human being.
Back to
chapter 2
verse 18
again, the
Lord said,
it is not
good for the
man to be
alone.
God created
us in such
a deep
need for
human
relationships,
deep need
for human
relationships,
that not
even paradise
itself will
satisfy.
God has
ordained it
that many
of the
things that
he wants
to give
us now
in life
and show
us now
in life
can only
come through
other people.
And the
implications for
this is
massive.
First of
all,
the implication
is that what
is being said
here is the
total opposite
of the
society of
which we
live in
today and
the way we
operate day
by day.
The message
of our
culture,
you'll see
it everywhere
on Facebook,
every retirement
magazine,
every travel
magazine,
is the
great life,
the garden
of Eden
life,
a life of
pleasure and
beauty and
plenty,
only will
come to
you if
you put
relationships
on the
back burner
for a
whole heap
of years.
If you
want to be
successful,
then you
have to
move around
to take
up every
opportunity
that's there
to see
that you
rise and
rise.
And the
cost of
that is
no real
stable
friendships.
on top
of that,
you have
to put
so much
time in
establishing
yourself
that you
won't
actually see
much of
your family
at all.
I actually
heard those
lips come
directly from
someone who
was doing a
presentation
on how to
build personal
wealth.
He said,
what you
need to
do is
you need,
and your
family will
understand
this,
you need
to put
them on
hold in
order to
build personal
wealth and
then enjoy it
together.
And it
will take
10 to 15
years.
I would
have loved
to have
an insight
into the
relationships
of that
individual.
Paradise
was only
paradise
because of
who was
there,
not because
of what
was there.
That's what
made paradise
paradise.
Satisfaction
in life
will never
come without
putting personal
relationship as
the highest
priority in
your life.
The second
huge
implication is
that we
cannot know
God or
grow to be
like him in
any way
without
community.
You cannot
grow in
wisdom,
you cannot
become more
loving,
courageous,
joyful,
or stable
in life
without the
community of
God and
his people.
It is an
impossibility.
It is against
your divine
nature.
We cannot
know who
we are
supposed to
be or
grow into
it without
a community.
In our
modern
individualistic
society, we
don't like
accountability.
We love to
guard our
privacy.
We love to
hold commitment
to groups
at an
arm's
length.
And we
have bought
into an
American
theology that's
dominated the
Western world
of having a
personal
relationship with
Jesus.
That's true.
It is a
personal
relationship with
Jesus.
What comes
with him is
the thing
called the
church.
And you
can't have
one without
the other.
We always
want to
control our
journey.
We prefer
friends that
don't challenge
us, who
don't stretch
us, or
cost too
much.
What we
all need is
a community
in our
lives who
have the
freedom to
tell us
exactly who
we are.
Hebrews 3.13,
encourage one
other daily as
long as it's
called today,
so that none
of you may be
hardened by
sin's deceitfulness.
The first
premise in that
verse is we
need to have
people who
see us
often enough
and in
different
contexts enough
to see who
we really
are.
Who we
really are.
Not just
people in
our lives who
check in
occasionally,
or someone
that we're
communicating
with over
the internet.
The second
premise is
that we
must be
sharing who
we really
are and
that they
have permission
to speak
into our
lives about
the stuff
that they
see.
Without
that kind
of community,
we don't
actually know
who we
really are.
We cannot
truly see
ourselves.
ever
had the
experience,
I had
this
experience
because I'm
recorded
often,
but ever
had the
experience
where you're
listening to
a recording
of yourself
and you
think,
that doesn't
sound like
me at
all.
And
someone
says,
of course
it's you.
You know,
I mean,
it's hard to
ignore the
fact when
it's got my
name attached
to it,
my recording,
and I know
I said those
words,
it doesn't
sound like
me.
Or you
see a
photo of
yourself and
you go,
oh my
goodness,
that's a
terrible photo
of me,
I look
terrible,
and your
friends go
quiet.
That's because
that's exactly
how you
look.
That's exactly
how you
look.
It's
interesting
that I
find for
myself in
that,
I always
find myself
look better
in the
mirror than
I do
in a
photo.
I can't
work it
out.
It's the
same eyes
looking at
both things.
I can't
work it
out.
Anyway,
it's because
I cannot
truly know
myself.
We need
a community
who know
us.
If we're
trying to
find God
and grow
in him
as an
individual,
if that
is your
goal,
to truly
know who
you are
and your
God,
then you
can't just
simply attend
church and
attend
classes.
You need
to be
known.
We need
to be
known by
people who
love us,
who affirm
us,
who confront
us,
who challenge
us,
who care
for us.
And if
you do
not have
those people,
don't sit
back waiting
for it,
create them.
Create
those people
for yourself.
If you're
not in a
group,
let me just
say this,
if you're
not in a
group and
you are
not pursuing
those kinds
of relationships
in your
life,
you are
in a
church.
You cannot
know God
individualistically.
In his
book,
The Four
Loves,
C.S.
Lewis has
this great
chapter.
You should
get the
book,
The Four
Loves by
C.S.
Lewis,
has this
great chapter
on friendship.
and Lewis
himself was
one of
three friends
who was,
the three
of them
were BFFs.
There was
Lewis,
a guy named
Ronald,
and a guy
named Charles.
Tragically,
Charles died.
As Lewis
was grieving,
he sort of
consoled himself
with the
thought that
at least I've
got Ronald
still.
And he
assumed that
now that
Charles is
not there,
somehow that
he would be
able to lean
into Ronald
and that he
would get
more of
Ronald now.
But as the
weeks and
the months
passed,
Lewis came
to understand
that in
actual fact,
he got less
of Ronald
than more
of Ronald.
He discovered
there was
something
about Charles
that drew
more of
Ronald out
that he
was able
to discover
that he
himself could
not draw
out of
Ronald.
And his
point is,
it takes a
community to
really know
an individual.
It takes a
community.
No individual
is enough
to draw the
whole person
out because
people made
in the image
of God
are way too
complex,
way too
deep.
It's the
same with
Jesus.
You want
to know
Jesus better?
Then we've
got to do
it together.
The deeper
we get
into the
spiritual
life of
friends,
the deeper
we get
into Jesus
together,
and the
deeper of
unity and
our love
as a
church
family will
grow.
together.
The third
relationship
we need
is with
people who
are different
to us.
Now, when
we read
Genesis
chapter 2,
and particularly
the bits that
Aidan read out
for us this
morning, we
automatically
think this is
going to be a
sermon about
marriage and
sex, and
it's not.
Now, it
does say a
lot.
This passage
does say a
lot about
marriage and
sex and
gender,
but let's
just step
back for a
minute and
let's not
miss the
forest for
the trees.
When Adam
had a deep
relational
need, all
the animals
came past
and he's
like looking
at them and
going, I
like you,
but, you
know, and
they kept
going.
And then
God brings
him Eve.
Now, does
that mean,
therefore,
application that
we must be
married to
have all of
our deep
relational
needs met?
Well, of
course not.
1 Corinthians
7 and
Ephesians 5
are very
clear in
their
affirmation
of singleness
as a
viable
lifestyle.
Absolutely
viable.
You are
not less
a person
if you
are single
in any
way
whatsoever.
And in
fact, I
would declare
that the
Christian faith
is unique
in its
affirmation
of the
single
lifestyle.
according to
Ephesians
5, the
ultimate
brother you
need is
Jesus.
The Bible
does not
say that
unless you
are married,
you cannot
have your
deepest
relational
needs met.
God
brings Adam,
the animals,
they weren't
enough.
But notice
God does
not bring
Adam another
bloke
either.
So,
therefore,
is the
Bible
against
pets
and
against
blokes
having
friends?
Well, no,
not at all.
What does
God
does here
is he
brings
someone
to him
who is
mysterious
to him.
he
doesn't
bring to
Adam
someone
just
like
him.
Step
back and
look at
the general
issue here
that's
going on.
We all
need people
on the
other side
of the
wall
to us.
We all
need people
on the
other side
of the
racial,
the
gender,
the
temperament,
the class
barriers in
our life.
Adam
gets a
woman.
God
brings him
someone
who we
read there
very clearly,
God brings
someone who
is equal
to him.
Equal,
not lesser,
equal to
him.
But
different to
him.
Someone
mysterious.
Someone
who's
hard to
get to
know.
Someone
who's
going to
stretch
him like
he's
never been
stretched
before and
get him to
see things
differently.
The key
word here
is the
word
helper.
The word
helper in
this verse
does not
mean someone
to take
care of
the washing,
the cooking,
the cleaning,
the shopping,
the child
raising.
that is
not what
the word
helper
means.
The word
help,
and blokes,
this is a
humbling
moment for
you,
the word
help in
the Bible
is nearly
in every
instance is
used of
God.
And it's
used where
God helps
those who
are different
to him
and are
in need
because they
are powerless.
It's the
exact same
Hebrew word.
Helper
here means
Eve has
stuff that
Adam does
not have
and he
needs help.
Not an
assistant,
not a
support,
an addition
to.
Adam and
Eve are
complementary
to each
other.
That's what
the word
helper
means.
The
implication
here is
we all
need to
have a
deep
community
with
people
on the
other
side
of
the
barrier.
Now,
I'm not
going to
go into
the whole
gender
thing
with
this
passage,
but it's
very helpful
in that
sense of
understanding
what the
word
helper
actually
means.
Just as
a side
point,
which is
not in
your
notes,
I'm
looking
forward
to
kicking
off
2025
looking
at
five
steadfast
women
of
faith,
historical
women
of
faith,
preached
by five
steadfast
women
of
faith.
I'm
looking
forward
to
kicking
off
2025
with
that.
last
point.
What is
the key
to
relationships?
Because
there is
a key
here.
There is
a key
to these
relationships
flourishing
that Adam
and Eve
had here
in the
garden
that we
do not
currently
have,
which is
why our
relationships
today are
far from
ideal.
So the
key to
relationships
flourishing,
and if you
want to
take notes,
get your
pens out,
here it is.
we need
to get
naked.
Let's
close in
prayer.
Sorry,
hang on a
bit.
Let me
just unpack
that a
little bit
for us
before we
start
applying
that.
Hold
the
horses,
people.
Hold
your
horses.
Adam
and
Eve,
Adam
sees
Eve,
and he
says,
some
people look
at this
because they
just think
it's about
sex and
relationships
and marriage
and stuff.
So some
people,
translation
is that
Adam
sees Eve
and goes,
whoa,
fantastic.
But that's
not quite
what's
happening
here.
Verse 23,
this is
now bone
of my
bones and
flesh of
my
flesh.
She
shall be
called
woman for
she was
taken out
of man.
The word
now there
is the
Hebrew word
for
finally.
It's the
word,
Adam is
effectively
saying here,
all the
animals have
gone by
at last.
At last.
It's a
word for
finality
and
contentment.
Is that
how you
would describe
your
relationships?
Finality
and contentment?
Because
often in
our world,
our
relationships
are
superficial.
Unfortunately,
often in
our world,
our
relationships
are
manipulative
and abusive.
And
even the
best
relationships
in our
world
will break
down.
The
reality
is
every
single
one of
the best
relationships
in the
world,
every single
one,
I mean the
greatest
relationships
in the
world,
I mean
the very
best
marriages
in the
world,
they
will
all
end
with
tragedy
and
with
deep,
deep
pain
when
someone
is
lost.
That's
the
reality.
So can
we ever
say
finality
and
contentment?
Adam
and Eve
had something
in the
Garden of
Eden
that we
have
lost.
But it
is something
that we
can get
back
through
Jesus
Christ.
The
key to
all
great
relationships
in
verse 25,
Adam
and his
wife
were
both
naked
and
they
felt
no
shame.
The
issue
here
is one
of
transparency.
They are
able to be
in the
presence of
each other
completely
exposed
and there
is no
shame.
There is
nothing that
they need
to hide.
There is
no
personal
spin
needed
here.
There is
no
control
of an
image
that
needs
to be
projected
in order
for me
to be
loved.
They
weren't
afraid
of
exposure.
They
weren't
afraid
of being
explored
or judged.
They
were
unashamed.
Entirely
transparent.
They
were,
if you
like,
entirely
comfortable
in their
own
skin.
And that
is exactly
what we
all need.
We
all need
to be
fully,
totally
known
and at
exactly
the same
time,
fully,
totally
loved.
We
need to
be
naked,
totally
known,
and yet
unashamed,
totally
loved.
And we
can't get
it.
We
can't get
it.
Too
many
think that
we can
get love
and
acceptance
and
admiration
if we
try to
be
someone
that
we're
not.
Because
we're
ashamed.
We
work so
hard at
hiding
the
flaws,
things
like the
pride,
the
selfishness,
the
ignorance,
the
anxiety.
If we
are truly
known for
who we
are,
we would
be ashamed
and
therefore
we will
not be
loved.
Why is
it so?
We're
going to
find out
in the
coming
weeks,
but the
short story
is this.
The moment
that Adam
and Eve
rejected
relationship
with their
creator
God,
shame
filled
their lives
and they
immediately
had to
cover up.
They
immediately
had to
cover up.
Deep
down,
all of us
know that
there is
something
deeply
wrong
with us
and we
spend
our
entire
lives
and
spend
a
fortune
on
covering
it
up.
That's
why the
fashion
industry
exists.
We
cover it
up with
our
Instagram
profiles
and Facebook
profiles
only ever
revealing
the positive
things in
life,
the enviable
things about
our life.
we are
made in
the image
of a
community
God
who for
all
eternity
have
known each
other
totally,
completely
and loved
each other
totally and
completely.
We are
made in
their
image
and we
are made
to mirror
it.
We
desperately
need
that
more
than
anything
else
in
life.
for
instance,
when
someone
who
doesn't
know
you
very
well
at
all
says
to
you,
I
have
literally
never
met
a
finer
human
being
in
all
of
my
life.
Do
you
go,
oh,
that is,
no,
you don't.
You don't
even know
who I
am.
You've
got no
idea
who I
am.
It
doesn't
move you.
if
on the
other
hand
there
is
someone
who
really
knows
the
true
you
through
and
through,
who
knows
your
flaws
and
says
to
you,
frankly,
you are
the
finest
human
being
I've
ever
met.
Oh,
that's
going to
cause you
to sleep
well
that
night.
It
makes
all the
difference.
It's a
totally
different
experience.
And
the
reason
it
moves
you so
much
is
because
it's
what
you
were
made
for.
It's
part of
your
design.
What we
need to
know
is that
on the
cross
Jesus
Christ
was
crucified
naked.
They
gambled
for his
clothes.
He
was
exposed
to the
world.
It
was the
ultimate
shame
and
humiliation
and he
did
that
for
us.
He
became
naked.
Our
God
looked
deep
into our
hearts
and he
saw
all the
mess that
we have
created
for
ourselves
because of
our
rejection
of
relationship
with
him.
He
saw
all
that we
should
be
ashamed
of
nap
and he
entered
our
world.
Jesus
Christ, the
much-loved
and perfect
son of
God,
became
naked.
He
experienced
the shame
so that we, the ones who should be on display,
the shame-worthy ones,
might experience ultimate, complete, full, true love.
He did it to pay for our sins against God, against himself.
And so when we come to him and we trust him,
what happens is his nakedness on our behalf
becomes our covering
in such a way that we can be naked and unashamed
before our creator God,
fully exposed and unashamed before our creator God.
He knows us fully and he loves us totally.
Through Jesus Christ, we are totally known,
completely known,
and fully and unconditionally loved.
The creating word becomes naked for us.
So if we take his sacrifice for us
deep into the middle of our lives
and continue to dwell over it
and over it and over it and over it
and see that his love and his approval and his acceptance,
take that constantly into your life,
then we actually have the power
to be vulnerable and transparent in our relationships.
relationships.
Because what it means ultimately
is I don't need to extract
the deep approval that I need
from other people,
from my spouse,
from my children,
from my church,
from my work colleagues,
from society as a whole.
This is the key
to having the relationships
that we were created for
and that we can only get back
in Jesus Christ.
Thank you.