God’s Imprint on Our Lives

1. God’s Imprint on Our Lives Fearfully & Wonderfully Made “For you created my inmost being;    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;    your works are wonderful,    I know that full well.”Psalm 139:13-14 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. Gen 1:27 …we were made for God’s glory, pleasure & purpose

2. Review • The Triune God created the universe out of nothing. • God created man and woman in “their” image. • Humankind is unique among all of God’s creation. • Humankind has a material body. • Humankind has an immaterial soul & spirit. • The soul and the spirit are connected, but separable. • The soul is the essence of humanity’s being; it is who we are. • The spirit is the aspect of humanity that connects with God.

3. Review Body Soul Eye Touch Affection Spirit Imagination Spirit Faith Worship The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will The Human Will Prayer Reverence Conscience Reason Ear Nose Hope Memory Mouth

4. Review • MENTALLY, men & woman were created as a: • Rational Being – Reasoning Ability. • Volitional Agent – Having a Free Will to Choose. • MORALLY, men & women were created to reflect God’s Holiness in: • Righteousness • Perfect Innocence • SOCIALLY, men & women were created for: • Fellowship • Relationships • God took a risk by giving us “free will” because He wanted a relationship with us and longed to be loved in return by His greatest creation. • In Christ, we are a “new creation”, restored to an eternal & reconciled loving relationship with our Heavenly Father.

5. Gender: Our Principle Uniqueness Describe some differences between men and women? (Not the obvious! ) How can God use these differences in His “Body” to build up His church, advance the Gospel and serve the community?

6. God Created Them Male & Female “God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,        the birds in the air, the cattle,    And, yes, Earth itself,        and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”    God created human beings;        he created them godlike,    Reflecting God’s nature.        He created them male and female.    God blessed them:        “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!    Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,        for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.” Gen. 1:26-28 (The Message) The “THREE IN ONE” & the “TWO OF THEM”

7. God Formed Man “The Lord God formedthe man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being.” Gen. 2:7 (NIV) The Hebrew for “formed” is a different word from that for “created”.  It speaks of development rather than original creation; “to form, fashion, frame”.  God formed Adam out of the dust of the ground. The Hebrew word is yatser, meaning "to fashion as a potter.“ A pot is simple and straightforward. It is usually filled with one thing at a time. That nicely illustrates the man as a “purpose fulfiller”. The word for the fashioning of the woman is banah, used for making palaces, a temple, or forms of art. It implies that the woman was meant not only to be a companion, but an aesthetic work.

8. Alone & In Need of a “Helper Suitable” “The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a helper suitable for him…So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.  But for Adam no suitable helper was found.” Gen. 2:18 & 20 (NIV) What is a “helper suitable”or as the KJV says, a “help meet”? The Hebrew word for “helper” is ezer, and “suitable” is k’enegdo. 

9. עזר כנגדו (Ezer Kenegdo) Ezer is a combination of two roots, one meaning “to rescue”, “to save”, and the other meaning “to be strong”. This word is most frequently used to describe how God is an ezer to man. In the case of God, the one helping is superior to the one being helped. But In the case of woman, when k’enegdo is linked to ezer, the one helping is equal to man.  This word is found 21 times in the Old Testament and only two of those times have anything to do with women (they're both in the creation story).  Three times this word is used to describe Israel's allies in battle and then 16 times is used of God as a helper to Israel! 

10. עזר כנגדו (Ezer Kenegdo) How do the first 2 ezer’s differ from the others?Because k’enegdofollows itandthatmeans corresponding to or counterpart to, equal to or matching.  This does not indicate identical, but complimenting or completing, an equal and perfect counterpart, mirrored, of the same nature.  The idea of “help meet”does not mean “assistant” created for man's comfort & pleasure when we look at the meaning in the Hebrew. "Everything about this descriptor implies mutuality and harmony, and it provides us with a lovely glimpse of what a sinless relationship between a man and a woman might look like, the picture of a true partnership"

11. Man Gains Perspective! • God created a multitude of animals in front of the eyes of Adam and asked him to name them. • Finally, after Adam developed depth perception as to what he wanted, God placed him in a sleep and fashioned Eve out of his rib. In Genesis 2, a gap existed between the forming of the man and the fashioning of the woman. The gap has significance! • After naming them, Adam was asked by God if he wanted any one of them as a Helper. Adam answered “NO!” • When he came to consciousness, he was in a place where he could appreciate the gift of the great Helper.

12. The Beauty of God’s Creation

13. Man’s first love poem! In appreciation of the gift, Adam broke out in Hebrew poetry. He rhapsodized, "This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man." A Hebrew word play is in the text, because the woman is actually described as a “female man”. The conclusion is that the woman and the man are intended to be an interdependent team. One partner, the male, would be focused on purposes, and the other, the woman, would be focused on relationships. The woman would be an aesthetic work of art, and the man would be a utilitarian force. Together, under the grand purposes of God, they were to govern the earth.

14. It’s All Hebrew to Me! אִשָּׁה אִישׁ “ishah” “iysh” man woman The Yod or י means hand of God, but also represents the masculine characteristics of God. While the Hey or ה, when used at the end of most Hebrew words, represents the female gender of the word. When our Heavenly Father created man and woman, they both are created with Aleph or אand Shin or ש. The Aleph, which represents God and His attributes, and Shin which represents the burning bush, tree of life or spirit. So both man and woman are created with the same God-like attributes and His spiritual qualities. Then He places the masculine characteristics into Man or the Yod in the middle of אישand the feminine characteristics in אשהfor Woman so that both share divine origins and attributes, but have distinct roles and differences so that together they can become one.

15. Equal but Opposite Eve was NOT designed to be exactly like Adam. She was designed to be his mirror opposite, possessing the other half of the qualities, responsibilities, and attributes which he lacked. Man and woman’s divine stewardship is designed to be opposite but fit together perfectly to create life. Eve was Adam's complete spiritual equal, endowed with a “saving” power that was opposite from his. In what ways do men “save” all? • Man is called to be the primary provider, protector, and spiritual leader. • It was through the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and Joseph that Christ would come to deliver all mankind; Christ is referred to as the “New”, “Last” or “Second Adam”.

16. Women: Giver’s of Life Woman has been given a saving power equal but opposite to Adam's saving power. While women do much to help and assist men in their stewardship they have been given a stewardship that is uniquely theirs and which is every bit as important as men's stewardship. In what ways do women “save” all? • A woman gives birth – the deliverer of life; by conceiving, creating and bearing mortal bodies women make it possible for God's children to start on their mortal journey and have the opportunity to become perfected. • In addition, by being willing to sacrifice ( their very lives if necessary) to bring children into this world women demonstrate the true meaning of charity. • Each woman, regardless of her ability to give birth, is a savior to mankind when she loves men and nurtures a child closer to Christ. • It was through a woman, Mary, that Jesus Christ came to conquer the bonds of death and sin and atoned for Adam's transgression.

17. Different Gifts, Abilities & Stewardships God’s true purpose and power are demonstrated when men and women realize that they have been blessed with different gifts, abilities and stewardship's and truly work together as equal partners to help each other be successful. The basic truth is that men and women need each other and it is only when they are united, body, soul and mind, that God's work moves forth. We are nothing without each other and nothing without Christ.

18. Waffles & Spaghetti Click on this link to view the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1-cyNkNoRk

19. …and it was VERY GOOD! • How have you seen God use you in Holy Spirit Lutheran Church? • How have you seen God use men in Holy Spirit Lutheran Church? • How have you seen God use women in Holy Spirit Lutheran Church?