Shownotes:

Why do so many churches and Christians make such a big deal of the Bible? Isn’t it just an out-dated, irrelevant piece of ancient literature? Shouldn’t we keep it on the shelf and use more modern books to teach us how to live? These are the questions we’ll explore today.

But before we examine the Bible, let’s start with some fun trivia about all those other books on the shelf…

10 notable best-selling books of all time:

• The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss – 10.5 million
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain – 20 million
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – 29 million
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – 40 million
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle – 43 million
• Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren – 50 million
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis – over 85 million
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling – 120 million
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens – Over 200 million  
• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes – Over 500 million

Top three best-selling books of all time:

• The Quran – Estimated 800 million copies sold and distributed.
• Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-tung – Over 900 million copies sold.
• The Bible – Estimated 5 billion copies sold and distributed.

So, back to the question we’ll unbox today:

1. Is the Bible Just Another Book?

Think about how all of those other books were written: 

• All of those other books were the product of one or more clever minds
• They all followed a similar process:
  • Come up with the concept
  • Create a storyline, characters, etc.
  • Do some research if needed for accuracy 
  • Write and re-write
• My favorite book on the topic: “On Writing Well” by William Zinsser
  • “Simplify, simplify.”
  • “There’s no minimum length for a sentence that’s acceptable in the eyes of God.”
  • “Writers must constantly ask: what am I trying to say? Surprisingly often they don’t know.”
  • “Ultimately the product any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he or she is.”

But this is what separates the Bible from every other book: it is not the product of one person’s ideas or creativity. Nobody had to dream up the storyline or characters, and no one had to read “On Writing Well” to turn out the best chapters and verses. The Bible, Christians believe, is unique because it alone was inspired by God. Here’s how Paul explained it to Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT) All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

• See Where Did We Get the Bible?
  • “Inspired” = “God-breathed” (theopneustos)
    • Jesus himself attested that the Bible is inspired by God: Mark 12:36 (NLT) “For David himself, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said…” Jesus then quoted Psalm 110. He believed that when David wrote that Psalm, he spoke under the Spirit’s inspiration.
  • Verbal plenary inspiration: divine inspiration extends to the very words themselves, and to all parts of the Bible and all subject matters on which the Bible speaks. 

Another passage:

2 Peter 1:20-21 (NLT) Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.

• Not just some dude’s random thoughts or ideas

But how did this work? Inspiration means that the Holy Spirit superintended the process so that the very words written were exactly what the Spirit intended. They are both the words of the human author AND the words of God himself.

• Inspiration does not equal some kind of dictation. Authors were not like copyists or transcribers, writing down the words of someone dictating a letter. The Bible authors spoke in their own language and style, using their own words and thoughts, in response to specific situations they were dealing with. 
• While it is the Word of God, it is also the words of human authors. The two are not mutually exclusive. God spoke through human authors, through their unique personalities, experiences, language, culture and time.

This is why we can trust the Bible. It is not just the thoughts of humans, but God speaking to us, through the human authors.

One more verse on this:

1 Corinthians 2:13 (NLT) When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.

But how can we trust that the Bible is reliable in the form we have it today? After all, it was written literally thousands of years ago. Are we sure there wasn’t some sort of “telephone game” going on? 

• Explain telephone game

Here are two reasons we can trust the Bibles we have today (see Lesson 2 in The Pursuit for more):

Textual Evidence 

The Bible is the most impressive writing project in the history of the world. It contains 66 books written by 40 different authors over the course of 1500 years, and yet it tells one unified story. Think about it: Moses, a Jewish slave raised in the house of a Pharaoh, wrote the first five books. John, a fisherman-turned- revolutionary, wrote the last four books. In between were books and letters written by shepherds, kings, prophets, tax collectors, doctors, and more. And the most prolific author in the New Testament was Paul – a religious Pharisee who zealously persecuted the Jesus followers before joining them. 

Most of these authors never met each other, and many of them were unaware of the other books and letters that would eventually be included in the Bible. Their writings spanned different cultures and languages over the course of 15 centuries, and yet the Bible amazingly reads as one story. From beginning to end it’s about Jesus, and the fulfilled prophecy is the glue that holds it together. Let’s take just a few examples: 

• Of the 12 tribes of Israel, Judah was surprisingly predicted to be the one through which Jesus would come – which is exactly what happened. Genesis 49:10, Matthew 1:1-3
• It was prophesied that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, and that’s how it happened – even though his mother didn’t even live there. Micah 5:2, Luke 2:1,4
• Prophets wrote with shocking accuracy about the torture and death of Jesus hundreds of years before it happened – exactly as predicted. Psalm 22, Isaiah 53

It was because of these kinds of prophecies that Jesus spoke these words to the religious leaders of his day:

John 5:39 You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!

The Bible amazingly tells one story, centered on Jesus, because it was ultimately inspired by the God of human history.

Historical Evidence 

Ancient manuscripts and archeological digs have stacked up in favor of biblical reliability. The Bible was written thousands of years ago, long before printing presses and modern technology. Manuscript fragments of the biblical text have endured wars and weather throughout the ages, and the scraps that remain represent just a fraction of the originals. Are those remnants enough to provide a reliable testimony for modern-day readers? And how can we be sure that the message hasn’t been corrupted over the millennia? The good news is that the God who inspired the scriptures was also powerful enough to preserve those writings through the ages. 

Consider the manuscript evidence. Manuscript copies in the ancient world were painstakingly hand-written, and not all of them survived the ravages of time. Reliability of ancient writings is determined by the number of copies (or partial copies) of the work in existence. So how does the Bible stack up? See for yourself:

• Today we have only 49 copies of Aristotle’s writings.
• Homer’s “The Iliad” does a little better, with 643 copies in existence.
• The New Testament wins by a landslide, with almost 5700 Greek copies and over 19,000 copies in other languages!

The New Testament clearly has more manuscript evidence than any other ancient work. 

But how do we know that those manuscript copies are faithful to the originals? What if human authors changed the message, intentionally or otherwise? Modern archeology helps us answer this question, thanks to the Dead Sea Scrolls. In 1947 a shepherd boy discovered some ancient scrolls hidden away in remote caves in the Middle East. This led to even more discoveries in the area, and in the end almost 1000 manuscripts were recovered. Parts of almost every book of the Old Testament were found, and some of those fragments proved to be almost 1000 years older than the oldest manuscripts known at the time. 

This offers a perfect test for the reliability of our modern translations. The book of Isaiah provides the most compelling example, since the Dead Sea Scrolls contained a complete copy of the prophet’s writings. When compared to the Masoretic Text (the oldest copy previously known, dating back to about 800 AD), the Isaiah manuscript from the Dead Sea Scrolls was 95% identical! And the only differences were minor, often just variations in spelling.

So the historical evidence stacks up in favor of the reliability of the Bible. But there’s more:

One more question:

1. But how can we trust that it’s translated correctly?

Think about it: The Bible comes to us through translation. It was not originally written in English, but in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The Bible has been translated into many languages throughout the world, and continues to be. Many translations are available today that are clear, readable, understandable,and true to the original.

• English language translations follow two approaches: formal equivalence (word for word) and dynamic equivalence (thought for thought). Word for word translations often fail to capture the meaning of idioms. 
• If you translate an idiom word for word it completely loses its meaning. For example, Matthew 9:15 (NLT) says, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom?” The phrase “wedding guests” is literally: “sons of the wedding hall”. If this was translated word for word, the meaning of the original text would be obscured. Yet thought for thought translations can introduce more of the translator’s interpretation into the text. 
• Interpretation is always a factor in the process of translation from one language to another, no matter which approach is preferred, because no two languages have exact correspondence of vocabulary or grammar. But the translator’s goal is to minimize the interpretations added in the process.  

We don’t believe that translations are inspired by God. Only the originals are without error, as spoken by God himself through the human author. But even though the original manuscripts are no longer available, God has preserved the biblical text to a remarkable level. We can trust the Bibles we read today.

And here’s why: any translation you pick up is based on the large collection of existing manuscripts we talked about earlier. When translators (experts, by the way, not random volunteers and hobbyists) draw on the witness of these existing manuscripts, it creates confidence that our Bible translations have not been tampered with.

• Contrast with a paraphrase: when someone takes an existing translation and re-writes it in his own words.

Close: 

So let’s answer the question for today:

1. Is the Bible Just Another Book?

The answer is NO! The Bible is different from every other book in history, and not just because it blows away the competition in the “Best Selling” category. It’s different because it is God-breathed, written by human authors but superintended by the Holy Spirit. So read it! You can trust it, and it can change your life. 

Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

Shownotes:

Some churches claim to have prophets who speak authoritatively for God. But is that really a thing anymore? If not, how do we hear from God? 

1. Does God Still Speak Through Prophets?

Let’s start with a passage that seems to answer the question:

Ephesians 4:11 (NLT) Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.

• Seems clear, right? Prophets are still a thing.
• So the churches that claim to have prophets and apostles are the most biblical churches? Not so fast. Let’s look into this…

Prophets in the OT

Prophets in the OT were not mere fortune-tellers but messengers chosen by God to guide, comfort, and ultimately call people back to God. 

• Exodus 3:9-10 (NLT) “Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”
• Ezekiel 2:3-5 (NLT) “Son of man,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day. They are a stubborn and hard-hearted people. But I am sending you to say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says!’ And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for remember, they are rebels—at least they will know they have had a prophet among them.
• Hosea 1:2 (NLT) When the LORD first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the LORD and worshiping other gods.”
• Jonah 1:1-2 (NLT) The LORD gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”

Prophets in the NT

In the NT the Holy Spirit was given to every believer, and this caused prophecy to take on a whole new meaning and purpose. 

• Acts 2:17-18 (NLT) ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy.
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Whereas the Spirit especially designated and empowered the prophets and other leaders of Israel under the Old Covenant, God promises that all his people will be possessed by the Spirit in the last days.
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) The expectation from 2:17-18 is that all believers under the New Covenant would ‘prophesy’ (prophēteusousin), and so share to some extent in the prophetic role (cf. 19:6). However, it is clear that some of the early Christians were especially gifted in prediction (cf. 21:4, 9, 10-11), and others in exhorting and strengthening believers in their discipleship (cf. 15:30-2).
• Acts 21:9-12 (NLT) He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy. Several days later a man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea. He came over, took Paul’s belt, and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.’” When we heard this, we and the local believers all begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
• Galatians 1:6-7 (NLT) 6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News 7 but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.

Two Types of Prophet

The key to answering this question is to consider the two types of “prophet”. The first is capital “P” prophet = speaks authoritatively for God. It’s what we see here:

Ephesians 2:19-20 (NLT) So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.

• This is what I call capital “P” prophets – those who spoke authoritatively and laid the foundation. Paul describes it further in the next chapter:
• Ephesians 3:5 (NLT) God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.
• Through Peter, John, Paul, etc. God revealed his plan of salvation: Jew +Gentile. Good news! But not what the people expected. 
• This was prophetic revelation. New revelation. This work is done. God does not need to reveal anything new through prophets. 

Answer: God does NOT speak through capital “P” prophets anymore. 

But that’s different than the gift of prophecy in the local church. That’s what Paul is talking about in Ephesians 4, the passage we started with today. Now we’re ready to read it in context:

Ephesians 4:11-12 (NLT) Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

• This is what I call lower case “p” prophets – those who speak out to every new generation (and congregation) what God has already spoken. 
• 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 (NLT) Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.

Why do we no longer need prophets in the capital “P” sense? The ultimate “prophet” is Jesus himself. 

• Hebrews 1:1-2 (NLT) Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son….

We’ll find all the revelation we need in Jesus. Look to him for your answers.

Skeptics and scoffers love to stump Christians with this question: if God is good, why does evil exist? Philosophers have framed the problem like this:

• If God is able to prevent evil, but not willing to do so, he is evil himself.
• If God is willing to prevent evil, but not able, he is impotent.

At first blush this paradox seems impossible to answer. But take a second look at the Bible and you’ll not just make sense of this difficult question… you’ll find an answer that can change your eternity.

We’re going to find today’s answer in 2 Peter chapter 3, and we’ll get to that by the end of the lesson (I promise). But let’s frame this whole question with this verse:

2 Peter 3:3 (NLT) Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.

• A “scoffer” asks the question without really wanting to know the answer. They’ve already made up their mind, and they simply want to disprove.
• A genuine seeker is different. They ask the question in good faith, and have a heart that’s willing to submit to God. I hope this is the attitude you have as you approach the question.

So let’s start with the first part of the question: God is good – this much we know for sure! From The Pursuit, Lesson 1:

• Jesus shows us the truth: God is for you, not against you. Through his life and teachings, Jesus shocked the religious world with his attitude toward the lost and irreligious. He invited lowly fishermen and despised tax-collectors – not religious experts – to be in his inner circle. And then he went around rubbing shoulders with drunkards, healing the demon-possessed, and touching the untouchables. Jesus didn’t avoid the broken and the lost, he sought them out. Here’s a perfect example:
• Matthew 8:2-3 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
• The leper knew that Jesus had the ability to heal – he just didn’t know if he had the willingness to do it. For most people, it’s easier to believe that God is powerful than to believe that he is good. But here’s the truth: he is both!
• And consider how Jesus healed the leper: he touched him. That was unthinkable in Jesus’ day.

Now to the second part of the question: why does evil exist? This will take some explaining. But consider this: God does eradicate some evil.

• Genesis 6:5-8 (NLT) The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. And the LORD said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” But Noah found favor with the LORD.

This is the culmination of sin on the earth. Started with Adam and Eve, then Cain kills Abel. Sexual perversion described at beginning of ch 6. Evil abounds!

God said “Enough!” Note: this brings up an interesting theological debate: God was sorry? Is that regret? Does this challenge his sovereignty?

But Noah found favor (would YOU have?)

Genesis 18:20-21 (NLT) So the LORD told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant. I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.”

Genesis 18:23-25 (NLT) Abraham approached him and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”

Genesis 19:24-25 (NLT) Then the LORD rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah. He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation.

• Q. Is this what God should always do?
• Q. Would you be spared like Noah and Lot?
• Most of us draw a line on sin and ask God to deal with the sinners on other side of the line!

Romans 5:12 (NLT) When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.

• We’re all on the wrong side of the line; we all deserve God’s judgment.

The point:

• 2 Peter 3:5-7 (NLT) …God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.

Here’s what Peter is saying: God’s word is powerful enough to create everything. That same word is powerful enough to judge everything. Evil will someday be definitively dealt with!

Sit with that for a minute. As sure as God created everything, God will judge everything. Vengeance is the Lord’s. If you’ve ever been hurt, used, abused, etc – God will someday make it right. He is just. Justice will prevail.

Note: God is the author of creation AND justice. But he’s not the author of evil.

Q. So why doesn’t God put an end to all things evil?

2 Peter 3:9 (NLT) The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

• The word in Gk for “some” and “anyone” is the same pronoun. Peter appears to be saying that God doesn’t even want the scoffers (some people) to be destroyed!
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Unfortunately, it is often the culture that co-ops the followers of Jesus into sharing their national and cultural hatreds and rejoicing the destruction of people whom God wished would have repented. The day of the Lord may indeed come, but the desire of God and of his people is that it finds no one whom God has to judge (even if there is little hope in scripture that will actually be the case).

2 Peter 3:15 (NLT) And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved.

Evil exists because people exist. Sin is what broke the world, and God is being patient with people to give them a chance to repent.

• He could eradicate evil again, but what would happen to YOU?

The truth is, God dealt definitely with evil at the cross.

Romans 5:6 (NLT) When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

Today we’ll answer the question, “What does God really think about women?” Culture often says biblical Christianity demeans, diminishes women – but is that true? For some churches, it is. The biblical answer is clear: God loves women and from the beginning has worked to bless them. John 10:10

• This reflects God’s heart for humanity in Gen 1-2. We’ll see that today.
• But look at how the thief (Satan) is working against this plan – and he’s also been doing that from the beginning! We’ll see that today in Gen 3.
• But a lot of people think that the Bible lowers and denigrates women. This is what you would expect from an ancient document, reflecting ancient societal norms. For example:
• Ancient Sumerian proverb (circa 2100 BC): “Woman is a pitfall, a hole, a ditch,” “Woman is a sharp iron dagger that cuts a man’s throat.”
• Plato in  “Timaeus” (circa 360 BC): “And if a man lived well… and according to his appointed lot… they will make him a man again in his next incarnation… but if he lived a cowardly and unrighteous life… they make him a woman.”
• Aristotle in “Politics” (circa 330 BC): “The male is by nature superior, and the female inferior; and the one rules, and the other is ruled.”
• We’re going to see today that from the opening chapter of the Bible, God starts with the opposite statement. That’s incredible if you think about it. God’s purpose from the beginning was to give women a rich and satisfying life.
• The word for this is “blessing”, and we’re going to break it into two parts…

Equality

God’s first blessing was equality: he created women and men in God’s image, making them equal in dignity and worth.

• Many people mistakenly believe the Bible teaches that women are less valuable than men. Genesis 1:26-27
• What “Imago Dei” means (Pursuit L3): This means we are like God in certain ways, such as mentally (we have the capacity to think and create), relationally (we were designed to be in relationship with others) and spiritually (there’s a part of us that lives forever). Imago Dei is also a reference to humanity’s responsibility to “reign” and represent God to the rest of creation.
• That applies to all of us: male and female. But not animals. We are different from the rest of creation. Imago Dei sets us apart. People matter to God – men and women alike.
• In fact, over and over the Bible elevates women (shocking for ancient literature):
• Women heroes: Esther, Deborah, Naomi, Rahab, Hannah, Abigail, and more…
• NT: Mary, Anna, Mary Magdalene, Martha, Priscilla, Lydia, Phoebe…
• Women were the first witness to the resurrection and were given the important task of proclaiming the good news to the disciples.
• Property rights: In general, inheritance passed through male descendants. Sons inherited land, money, and other assets from their fathers. This system was designed to keep property within the paternal family line and ensure the economic stability of families. But consider the daughters of Zelophehad. Numbers 27:4 (NLT)
• God not only granted their request for land, but he commanded Moses to make it part of the law for all of Israel – daughters would have inheritance rights!?
• So, God’s first blessing was equality: he created women and men in God’s image, making them equal in dignity and worth.

Differentiation

God’s second blessing was differentiation: he created women different from men on purpose so they could complement each other. Part of this blessing is the calling on men to be servant leaders to women.

God’s original vision for woman and man was partnership and harmony. He created an environment in which they were meant to thrive together.

• The picture was harmonious in Gen 1. Here’s a summary:
  • God created Adam and the animals and it was good, but something was missing.
  • God created Eve and commissioned Adam and Eve to:
  • Reproduce: Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth
  • Govern: reign over creation
  • Enjoy: eat food God would had provided
  • Honeymoon! Now everything was “very good”
• But Genesis 2 goes back and gives more detail to the Genesis 1 account with an emphasis on God’s provision, preparing the environment for humans
• Then we see this sequence:
  • God made Adam. Genesis 2:7 (NLT)
  • God put Adam in the Garden. (provision and purpose) Genesis 2:15 (NLT)
  • God gave Adam a command. Genesis 2:16-17 (NLT)
  • Then God created Eve.
• Here’s the takeaway:
  • Godly men submit to God and then lovingly lead. This is part of the blessing of differentiation.
  • God made men to actively engage with God and others.
  • Today’s lie: church is for women.
  • Here’s what happens when men fail to stay engaged: God’s blessing gives way to a curse.

Curse (Hostility) Genesis 3:1 (NLT)

• The very first thing the enemy does in the world: assaults God’s pattern (men submit, then lovingly lead)
• (John Piper clip from Manhood and Womanhood before Sin )

Genesis 3:6 (NLT) The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.

• Have you noticed this before:
• Man was there! He was passive, failed to step in
• She ate first, then gave it to him.

Here’s the result, the curse of sin:

Genesis 3:16 (NLT)

• Notice the curse vs the blessing
• Blessing: be fruitful and multiply
• Curse: it will be painful
• Blessing: govern together, two become one (harmonious)
• Curse: hostility
• You will want to control your husband
• The sense here is, He will rule over you
• The sense here is, Women and men were both broken because of the fall.
• These days it’s a lot easier to talk about toxic masculinity than it is to talk about toxic femininity. But (sorry moms) women are just as broken as men.

Blessings come when men submit to God and speak the truth. Curses come when men shrink back and fail to lead.

• Adam and Eve sinned when they believed a lie and elevated their desires above God’s command. The result was a curse: instead of harmony, now there would be hostility between the sexes.
• Men, do you want to give a gift to your wives and kids on Mother’s Day? Get serious about your relationship with God. Speak up. Step up. Lead.

Here’s the good news – this curse doesn’t have the final word. God had a plan even in Genesis to deal with this hostility between women and men.

Close

Through Jesus, the curse is reversed and we are free to return to God’s original plan to bless women (and men).

Here’s the good news, hinted at in the previous verse:

Genesis 3:15 (NLT)

• Hostility runs deeper than man vs woman. It’s good vs. evil
• And good will win out. That’s what this verse is saying.
• It’s talking about Jesus, what he would do. (Gospel)
• He would be born of a woman
• Satan would strike his heel (crucifixion)
• Jesus would strike his head (resurrection)
• Then the hostility could end

So, What Does God Really Think About Women?

• God loves women and from the beginning has worked to bless them. John 10:10
• He ultimately did it through Jesus. Galatians 3:26-28 (NLT)