Creation and Commission of Woman--Revisited (Gen. 2:18-25)

Creation and Commission of Woman--Revisited (Gen. 2:18-25)      

Summary: In the marriage covenant, a woman is to see herself as the glory of her husband and the man is to see his wife as a wonderful gift from God, a uniquely fit companion in the weighty and awesome work God has given them to do.  In the home, a man is given the primary responsibility to lead, protect, and provide for his wife and his wife is given an indispensable role of supporting her husband in their shared work of kingdom advancement. 

Main Point: God wants us to know that the work of filling the earth with his image is no small task
therefore he graciously provided a uniquely fit helper to assist the man.

Discussion Questions:

• Why is it not good for man to be alone?
• According to Gen. 2, what are the unique roles God has designed for men and women?
• Is the term "helper" a degrading term? Why or why not?
• What was the point of including the naming of animals in 2:19-20?
• How should God's special creation of the woman in 2:20-23 shape the way that a wife views her relationship to her husband? 
• What do we learn about God's original design for marriage in v.24?  How serious did Jesus take this truth in Matt. 19:3-9?  What can we learn from Jesus' view of marriage in our day?
• How does a godly Christian marriage display the gospel? READ Ephesians 5:22-33

Application Questions:

• What are the sweet gospel benefits of being the Bride of Christ?  How does Christ, our loving Husband, care for us as a church according to Ephesians 5:29-30? 

Prayer Points:

• Praise God for sending his Son to lay down his life for his Bride, the Church.
• Praise God for the godly woman at FBC who are such a gift to the church and so instrumental to the mission God has given to us to make more and maturing disciples
• Pray that God would help the husbands from FBC to love their wives as Christ loved the church and for the wives to respect their husbands out of honor for Christ.  

Creation and Commission of Man--Revisited (Gen. 2:4-17)

Creation and Commission of Man--Revisited (Gen. 2:4-17)      

1. The First Adam
2. The Last Adam

Summary: Gen. 2:4 ("These are the generations of the heavens and the earth...") serves as a "hinge" verse, setting apart Gen. 1:1-2:3 as the worldview-shaping preface to the entire Bible and providing an introduction for what the story of the Bible is all about.  It is the story about the heavens and the earth.  But mainly it is a story about the Lord God, the Covenant God who creates a place where a covenant people get to know and enjoy his presence.  In vv.5-17 we see God's good design for his kingdom in seed form: the kingdom that will fill the heavens and the earth begins in a small garden, initially with one man who is given a wonder and weighty work to do.  This man, the first Adam, the man of dust, failed in his work.  But we praise God for sending the last Adam, the man of heaven, Jesus Christ, to do the work that the first Adam and all of us failed to do.  The first Adam lead us into sin and therefore death.  The last Adam leads us to forgiveness and therefore eternal life. 

Main Point: God wants us to understand how he created the first Adam and the wonderful and weighty work he called him to do.  And God wants us to know that since Adam is our representative and since he failed in his work we have fallen with in into sin and death and are therefore in need of a new and better representative, One who can lead us out of sin and death into forgiveness, obedience, and eternal life.  No man of dust will do.  We need a man of heaven.  That man is Jesus Christ.

Discussion Questions:

• In what way is Gen. 2:4 a "hinge" verse? 
• What is the significance of the details about how God created Adam in v.7?
• What does the description about the trees and the rivers tell us about God?
• What does it mean to "work and to keep/guard"?
• What statement is one making by eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
• How might the description of the tree of life in the Book of Revelation (see Rev. 2:7; 22: 2,14) inform how we understand the presence of the tree of life in the Book of Genesis (see Gen. 2:9, 16-17; 3:24)?
• Read Rom. 5:12-21 & 1 Cor. 15:45-49.  What are the consequences of being in the first Adam?  What are the glories of being in the Last Adam?

Application Questions:

• How should the reality that I am no longer represented by the first Adam but the Last Adam shape the way that I think, feel, and live?

Prayer Points:

• Praise God for sending the man of heaven, the Last Adam to lead us out of sin and the grips of death into forgiveness and eternal life 
• Ask God to use his word, Spirit and people to remind us of the glories that come with the fact that we are no longer in Adam but in Christ
• Ask God to let the reality that many are still lost in Adam motivate our willingness to share the good news about the man of heaven with others

Men and Women in the Church (1 Tim. 2:8-15)

Outline: Men and Women in the Church (1 Tim. 2:8-15): 

1. Gospel effects on men in the local church
2. Gospel effects on women in the local church

Summary:  Just as we saw that the gospel is meant to inform the scope of our prayers (2:1-7), so now we see that the gospel is meant to shape the contours of how men and women live and relate to one another in the local church (2:8-15).  The gospel has implications. The gospel has effects.  It doesn't just save us, it also transforms us.  As Paul said in 1 Cor. 6:20-21, "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price, so glorify God with your body." The same logic is applied here.  Jesus paid your ransom and now He serves as the Mediator between you and God almighty; therefore, glorify God by living as men and women who are marked by godliness and a deep reverence for God's order within His household.  

Main Point:  Men and women should allow the gospel to effect the way they live the Christian life

Discussion Questions:

• What is the logical significance of the word "then" in v.8? 
• What does it mean that men should pray, lifting holy hands? (cf. Ps. 24:4; Isa. 1:15; Job 17:9)
• Read vv.9-10 then describe and discuss the five points on the "Modesty Spectrum":  1) dress to impress, 2) dress to seduce, 3) dress without thinking, 4) dress intentionally modest for the glory of Christ, 5) dress extravagantly with every good work (cf. 5:9-10).
• How are modesty, self-control, and good works related to one another? 
• Discuss this statement: all of us are under various layers of authority and are called to recognize and humbly respect God-given authority in our lives.
• What heart attitude should characterize how a woman learns in the church? (v.11)
• Why is a woman not permitted to teach or exercise authority over a man? (vv.12-13)
• What is the most probably interpretation of v.15 according to pastor Brandon? (v.15)

Application Questions:

• Am I currently expressing outward devotion to God while lacking integrity of heart and life?   
• What category do I find myself in when it comes to the issue of modesty: 1) I dress to impress, 2) I dress to seduce, 3) I dress without thinking, 4) I dress intentionally modest for the glory of Christ, 5) or aim to dress extravagantly with every good work I can (cf. 5:9-10)? Explain.
• How can I dress in a way that does not seek to impress others with costly clothes, name brands, fads, fringe fads etc?   
• How can I dress in a way that does not accentuate (or expose) the contours of my body, especially the most intimate parts?

Prayer Points:

• Confess to God any sin that is tainting your worship.
• Praise Jesus for His integrity of heart and life that make it possible for you to continually approach God with clean hands and a pure heart.
• Ask God to empower you by the Holy Spirit to live an integrity-filled life so that you can lift holy hands before Him in a lifestyle of worship. 
• Ask God to help us be a people who respect God-given authority in our lives, especially in the church as the household of the living God.  
• Pray that we would not be swayed by our culture and its sad confusion over gender God and that we would joyfully honor God's good design for men and women.