Where are we to go for help regarding this cultural shift in the definition of what a man is, what a woman is, and, today, what True Marriage is? We go to the Word of God. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Final Word
TEXT: Genesis 2:24-25
TITLE:   True Marriage is the Handiwork of God
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: True marriage is the handiwork of God.

POINTS:
1. True Marriage, by design, is between a man and a woman.
2. True Marriage, by design, is God's joining of a man and a woman.
3. True Marriage, by design, is made holy by God.

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”This is not just an American issue, but rather, the weakening of marriage through deconstruction and redefinition is a worldwide mankind issue - wherever the hearts of men and women have turned away from God and where they have been given over to the evil desires of the flesh, the collapse of that society has already begun.”

“Disorienting winds of doctrines are blowing strong wave after wave of this culture’s attempts to reimagine, redefine, reshape, and even remove what ‘marriage’ is. They can be disorienting and even become plausible. By God’s grace may the Word of God silence these waves, calm our hearts, and reestablish the TRUTH about ‘marriage.’”

“THE FINAL WORD on what true marriage is has already been spoken by God. True marriage is God’s handiwork. Marriage, biblical marriage… true marriage is God’s doing.”

“This could not be any clearer. The nouns and the pronouns involved could not be any clearer. If we are confused, and disoriented, and perplex about “what is marriage” the lack of understanding is us. The word of God is clear and understandable.”

“The Word of God NEVER provides or allows for any other definition. We have to add to or take away from the WORD in order to find another definition - we have to completely reject God and what He has said in order to get what we want.”

“We cannot underestimate the influence of our culture on our thinking regarding marriage! We have about 196 countries in the world today - almost 20% have legalized homosexual marriage, just in the past 6 years! 7 years ago - ZERO, as of today, 34!”

“The mention of the man and woman both being “naked” causes us to begin to back up and recoil… the mention of even the thought of marriage being without shame causes us to wonder how this is even possible. Moments of shame regarding our own marriages and the shamefulness that we have witnessed in other marriages cause us to doubt that God has made marriage to be free from shame. But marriage, by design, is holy and beautiful and this is God’s doing.”

“In God’s design, the institution of marriage is untouchable. It is undefiled. He sees it all, and nothing in the purity of and sanctity of marriage is vile… nothing about it is vulgar… nothing debased. True marriage is from Him, it is through Him, and it is to Him. It truly is Holy Matrimony! The undefiled complement of the man and woman pours forth His image as a testimony to His nature and goodness to the world both in their covenant of marriage and the marriage bed.“

“God has made it possible for marriages, that are completely exposed by the “nakedness” of their sin, to be made holy again and no longer be ashamed. The Holiness of True Marriage is redeemed by the Gospel and for the Gospel.”

“We must reject same-sex unions as being somehow part of a redefined marriage. Same-sex unions, by definition, are enemies of the Gospel! YET the joyful hope is that the Gospel offers repentance and forgiveness to these same individuals. Jesus truly is the Redeemer after all!”

“May we behold the beauty of True Marriage designed by God! May we behold the beauty of the Gospel as it shines bright through marriages that are between men and women made by God, joined together by God, and made holy by the blood of Jesus.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Leviticus 18:22, 20:13
Genesis 19:1–10
Judges 19:1–30
Romans 1:18–32
1 Corinthians 6:9–11
1 Timothy 1:8–11
Mark 10:7-9
Ephesians 5:31-32
Hebrews 4:14-16

QUOTES:
Kevin DeYoung - “Sexuality in the context of heterosexual marriage is not only good but exclusively good. Only heterosexual marriage relationships can show forth the complementary design of men and women. According to the apostle Paul, one of the purposes of marriage is to show forth the mystery of Christ and the church (Eph. 5:32). If marriage can be construed as a man and a man or a woman and a woman, what is left of the glorious mystery of Christ and the church? We are left with only Christ and Christ or church and church.”

APPLICATION:
Wonder and marvel at God’s design!

 Q. Do you feel ashamed in your marriage today?

Is your marriage in a time of need for mercy and grace? The greatest counsel I can offer is not a program, is to point you to the Gospel that removes shame and redeems your marriage. The Holy Spirit has the power to remove the shame in your marriage! Don’t grow weary in your marriage! Get help.

Q. Is what is happening in our world disorienting and confusing to you?

Persist in the Truth. Don’t wait to be re-grounded in sound doctrine. Do you believe that God reigns? Is His word truth? Don’t grow weary – Continue to pursue good!

Q. Do you long for the removal of the shame of sexual sin? 

Come to Jesus, the ONE WHO CAN TAKE IT ALL AWAY AND RENEW YOU!

The gender you were born with is the handiwork of God, and no matter what you declare or do, you can’t change it. But there is another gender battle being fought in our culture and churches: What is true masculinity and femininity? Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Final Word
TEXT: Genesis 2:18-23
TITLE:   Equal Yet Different: True Masculinity and Femininity
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: True masculinity and femininity are experienced when men and women cherish and embrace their God-given roles in the home and church. 

POINTS:
1. God created Adam before Eve
2. God formed Eve out of Adam
3. God created Eve for Adam

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”The gender you were born with is the handiwork of God, and no matter what you declare or do, you can’t change it. But there is another gender battle being fought in our culture and churches: What is true masculinity and femininity?”

“[However] you choose to say it, our culture has a one-word response—TOXIC! Sadly, we live in a society actively erasing, not blurring; blurring is yesterday’s news, erasing any sense of gender differences. To even consider differences is increasingly intolerant and intolerable. Even in the church, the glorious truth of Complementarianism is rapidly becoming extinct.” 

“Our website says: We believe it was God’s glorious plan to create men and women in His image, giving them equal dignity and value in His sight while appointing differing and complementary roles for them within the home and the church. I pray we will never loosen our grip on our Complementarian Convictions. That is the focus of our current series and our text today: men and women are equal yet different.”

“This Created Order matters. In the OT, the firstborn assumed the leadership role in the family for his generation. In general, that pattern remains today.”

“In verse 7, we read that God formed Adam out of dust and breathed life into him. But Eve was created differently. Woman originated from man. God fashioned her from Adam’s rib. That matters for two reasons. First, they had equality in nature and personhood. Look at Adam’s description of Eve in verse 23—bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. Unlike the animals, the woman shared Adam’s human nature, created in the image of God. Second, being fashioned differently than Adam highlights the difference in roles.”

“Up to this point in the creation narrative, we are used to hearing, and it was good. God creates, and it is good. So it is a bit jarring to hear God say—It is not good. In this case, the ‘not good’ is man being alone. It’s not that God miscalculated or underestimated Adam’s ability. God’s design was always man being completed by woman.”

“Adam was lord of the earth, created and called by God to represent and glorify Him through the stewardship of His creation. But he needed a helper. God brought all the animals to Adam, but none of them were fit to help. None were his equal. None shared his nature. None caused affections to grow in his heart. Dogs may be a man’s best friend, but they don’t complement us.”

“God put Adam in a deep sleep and formed Eve out of his rib to be his helper. This is the first description of the woman’s role in the Bible. It implies Adam was lacking something. Being alone was not good for him; he needed someone to assist and support him. He needed a helper, notice the end of verse 20—fit for him.” 

“Eve was not a male. She was not a clone. Her biology and body were different. Her psychology was different. Her physiology was different. Yet, the woman was not inferior to Adam. She shared his nature as bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. She bore the image of God. She was what no other living creature could be—his perfect helpmate. The first woman was created FOR the first man.”

“God is redeeming gender differences through the gospel. This reality reflects the relationships within the Trinity, where we find an eternal equality of personhood and deity, yet with different roles, particularly in redemption.”

“As we allow our minds and hearts to be shaped by Christ’s loving sacrifice for us, we will increasingly embrace that we no longer belong to ourselves but to Jesus, commissioned and empowered to live for his glory, and our gender roles in marriage and the church will follow. Jesus is our authority, our hope, our strength.” 

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
1 Timothy 2:12-13
1 Corinthians 11:8
1 Corinthians 11:9

QUOTES:
John Piper - “At the heart of mature masculinity is a sense of benevolent responsibility to lead, provide for, and protect women in ways appropriate to a man’s differing relationships….At the heart of mature femininity is a freeing disposition to affirm, receive, and nurture strength and leadership from worthy men in ways appropriate to a women’s differing relationships.”

Alexander Strauch - “Since the dawn of human civilization, men, not women, have primarily ruled society. Is this by chance? Or is it by design? Why are women seeking liberation and not vice versa? Genesis 2 provides the answer: from the beginning, the Creator shaped the human clay in patriarchal form, not matriarchal or egalitarian form. Adam was the first patriarch.”

Danvers Statement - “Redemption in Christ aims at removing the distortions introduced by the curse. In the family, husbands should forsake harsh or selfish leadership and grow in love and care for their wives; wives should forsake resistance to their husbands’ authority and grow in willing, joyful submission to their husband’s leadership. In the church, redemption in Christ gives men and women an equal share in the blessings of salvation; nevertheless, some governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men.”

APPLICATION:
Husbands, the gospel calls you to lead your wives and families with diligence, understanding, initiative, and gentleness, working hard to support and provide for your families. Wives, the gospel claim on your life is to willing and joyfully submit to your husbands with respect, responding to their leadership as you help him build a godly home. When you think gospel mission—this is part of it. It is the fruit and effect of allowing Jesus’ love for you to pour out into your relationships as a light in the darkness.

As men, we stand in grace to lead, protect, and provide. As women, you stand in grace to help, strengthen, and complement. This is True Masculinity and Femininity.

Friends, take courage. Stand in grace. Remain firm in your faith. Model biblical gender with joy. God has clearly spoken. While heaven and earth, culture and governments will all pass away, The Final Word of God remains forever. It’s good. It’s right. It’s beautiful. It’s loving.

Transgender ideology is dangerous, destructive, and demonic. It is consuming our culture and creeping into our churches. What do we do? In the words of the Dean of SG Pastor’s College, Jeff Purswell—Stay close to your Bible and the cross. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Final Word
TEXT: Genesis 1:26-27
TITLE:   Your Gender is the Handiwork of God
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. God Created Us
2. God Created Us in His Image
3. God Created Us Male and Female

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”That’s what this series is about, taking our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. God has spoken The Final Word on gender.”

“Your gender is not the work of human hands, the result of social constructs, or the fruit of perceived reality. It is the perfect handiwork of God.”

“God created man. This is the starting place of self-understanding, the Creator—creature relationship. I am not an accident. I did not evolve. I am not self-made. God created me. That means I am not my own. I am dependent on God. I am accountable to God. This is the reality that transgender ideology ultimately denies.”

“We are a living analogy of God. Imperfect because of sin, yes, but still image bearers of the divine being redeemed by the power of the cross and sanctification of the Spirit.”

“This understanding of man is significant. It means humans are set apart from the rest of creation as the object of God’s special care. Our dignity, worth, value, and equality as individuals are rooted in the reality that we are God’s image bearers.”

“Given verse 28, where God commands man and woman to be fruitful and multiply, the gender terms in verse 27 have a literal connection to the male and female reproductive organs. Not only does this make gender essential to humanity, but it also reveals the intentionality of God in our biology, something Scripture repeatedly emphasizes.”

“The phrase ‘I am fearfully and wonderfully made’ is more than a statement of God setting his people apart in the womb. It points to His creative, intentional, invisible hand in developing a baby from beginning to end.”

“You can make many changes, but you cannot change your DNA. You cannot be born in the wrong body. There is no spectrum. Social constructs are not determinative.” 

“God’s handiwork should be a source of wonder and awe! Yet, for many, it is not. Why? Two words: sola affectus or feelings alone. Transgender ideology is the idolatry of subjective feelings. We live in a society, outside and inside the church, where what you feel is who you are. Fickle Feelings have become the authority regardless of science, biology, or theology.” 

“Good News! 

• God has spoken into the chaos and confusion with the first and final word: You are who I created you to be—and I never make mistakes! 

• God has spoken into our darkness and depravity through the light of Jesus Christ, who, through his perfect life, death, and resurrection, is our unfailing identity and self-worth: I created you. You turned from me. But I am redeeming you because I love you! Come to me with your gender dysphoria and misplaced longings.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Job 10:8,11
Psalm 119:73
Psalm 139:13-16a
Jeremiah 17:9
2 Corinthians 10:5
Ephesians 4:15

QUOTES:
Herman Bavinck - “The entire world is a revelation of God, a mirror of his virtues and perfections; every creature is in its own way and according to its own measure and embodiment of a divine thought. But among all the creatures, only man is the image of God, the highest and richest revelation of God, and therefore head and crown of the entire creation.”

James Hufstetler - “You are the result of the attentive, careful, detailed, creative work of God. Your personality, your sex, your height, your features are what they are because God made them precisely that way. He made you the way He did because that is the way He wants you to be….Your genes and chromosomes and creaturely distinctives are what they are by God’s design.”

The Gender Revolution - The ordinary processes of human development within the womb are not merely biology responding to chemicals as guided by our DNA. While this is true, it’s so much more. Starting from the womb, God creates you to be a sexed person. He gives you the biology of either a male or a female.”

Christopher Yuan - “Being created in the image of God and being male or female are essential to being human. Sex is not simply biological or genetic, just as being human is not simply biological or genetic. Sex is first and foremost a spiritual and ontological reality created by God. Being male or female cannot be changed by human hands; sex is a category of God’s handiwork-his original and everlasting design.”

Carl Trueman - “People who think they are a woman trapped in a man’s body are really making their inner psychological convictions absolutely decisive for who they are; and to the extent that, prior to “coming out,” they have publicly denied this inner reality, to that extent they have had an inauthentic existence.”

APPLICATION:
1. Put on humility by getting help from your pastor if you struggle with your gender.

2. Pursue with compassion those caught in the evil destruction of transgender ideology

We should hate with a passion transgender ideology. It’s demonic. It denies God. It destroys lives. It is a false gospel. But we should be compassionate toward those who are captive to it.

Here is something I know for certain—what Christmas is truly about: God graciously pursuing sinners—God condescending to mercifully save hell-deserving sinners. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Who Would Have Dreamed?
TEXT: Genesis 3:1-24
TITLE: The Beginning of Christmas
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
I. A Funeral in a Garden
II. Our Hope in a Manger

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”Genesis 3 records the darkest day in human history. It has been referred to as mankind’s funeral. Ironically, it’s at this funeral that hope springs forth in the first promise of Christmas.”

“The effects of sin and its curse are everywhere and our life experiences affirm it. But there’s an even deeper problem. What we see in verses 14-19 are just symptoms of humanity’s real dilemma—read verses 22-24. Because of their sin and guilt, Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden. Severed from God’s presence. Banished from His Paradise.  Their fellowship with Him was broken and they became spiritually dead.”

“Through Adam we have inherited a sin nature that leads to our personal sin and guilt, making us like Adam, separated from God and spiritually dead and under the wrath of God like the rest of mankind. That’s the great human dilemma that is the dark side of Christmas.”

“I love this picture: The moment Adam and Eve fell into sin, God pursued them with these words: Where are you?  The question does not reveal a lack in God—It reveals the love of God. It demonstrates the wonder of God’s love for and His grace toward sinners. Man runs and hides from God, but God calls and pursues.”

“Verse 15 is known as the Protoevangelium—first announcement of the gospel. In the middle of mankind’s funeral, the hope of life appears!”

“God says to Satan, who has seemingly destroyed God’s perfect creation, I will defeat and destroy you. Think of it as the three C’s of Satan’s demise:

1. Christmas: The first blow to Satan, as we will see in Rev 12 next week, is when Jesus was born into this world to inaugurate God’s promised plan of redemption.  

2. Consummation: The final blow to Satan will be Christ’s return according to Romans 16.

3. Cross: The DECISIVE blow that crushed and defeated Satan was at the cross.”

“The cross removed Satan’s one certain weapon against us—his accusations before the throne of God that we are guilty sinners that deserve to perish along with him—and he’s right. But Christ’s death and resurrection nullified those accusations because in a crucified and risen Savior, we are justified—made right—before God! Not because of anything we did or can do but wholly on the basis of Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”

“Christmas is the beginning of the fulfillment of this glorious promise made in the darkest hour of human history. In the manger lay Jesus, a fully human baby boy, yet still fully God, who came into this world to redeem sinners from the curse by becoming a curse for us. He was born in a manger, grew up in sorrow and grief, and died on a cross to destroy Satan and liberate sinners from his bondage, just as the Christmas angel proclaimed.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Romans 5:12-21
Isaiah 59:2
Ephesians 2:1-3
Romans 16:20
Colossians 2:13-15
Hebrews 2:14
Matthew 1:21
Hebrews 9:22

QUOTES:
John Piper- “It’s a season [Christmas] for cherishing and worshipping this characteristic of God-that he is a searching and saving God, that he is a God on a mission, that he is not aloof or passive or indecisive. He is never in maintenance mode, coasting or drifting. He is sending, pursuing, searching, saving. That’s the meaning of Advent.”

APPLICATION:
UNBELIEVER: This Christmas, in the words of God to Adam and Eve in the Garden—Where are you? Are you hiding from God? Guess what, you don’t have to hide this Christmas. Only BELIEVE:

• BELIEVE, not in the spirit of Christmas, but in the Christ of Christmas. 

• BELIEVE, not in the goodwill of humanity, but in the infinitely good mercy and grace of Christ.

• BELIEVE, not in yourself, but in in the person and work of Jesus that provides righteousness and forgiveness of your sins.

• BELIEVE, not in the power of your believing, but in the promise of God that all who believe in him will be saved.

CHRISTIAN: I ask you the same question this Christmas—Where are you? 

• Are you spiritually parched?

• Are you feasting on secret sin?

• Are you battling besetting sin?

• Are you paralyzed by sinful anxiety?

• Have the distractions of this world left you spiritually apathetic?

Is that where you are? Wherever you are, God mercifully calls you to return to the true JOY and HOPE of Christmas. Irrespective of your circumstances, this is possible if you look to Jesus.

Relish the present - By that I don’t mean you have one life to live so live it to its fullest. I mean in a season characterized by the question—What do you want?, we must remember what we have already been given. There is no greater gift than eternal salvation in Jesus.

Focus on the future - We spend so much time preparing for the future practically. The Christian hope is in Christ’s return, not the prospects of life getting better in 2023. God has promised that the cross will give way to a new heaven and a new earth. One day this child will return as the risen Lamb and make all things new and right! There will be no more broken promises, no more suffering, no more sin. As far as the curse is found, Jesus will bring eternal blessings!