Pastor Mike : THE FINAL COUNTDOWN : A Ministry of CHRIST-LIVES MINISTRIES

How to live a Holy Life

Gen. 2:18-25 A MARRIAGE MADE IN PARADISE

Genesis 2:18-25

King James Version

18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

After God created Adam, and Adam had been in the Garden for a really long time, he started to get a little lonely. So, Adam went to God and said, "This Garden is amazing, but I'm starting to get a little lonely; is there anyone that you can send to keep me company?" God answered, "I have the perfect person. She will help you with almost everything. She'll clean, cook, wash you clothes, be your friend, and even rub your feet after a long day. She really is perfect in every way!" Adam said, "That sounds great! How soon can you send her?" God replied again, "I can send her right away, but there is one thing ... it's going to cost you an arm and a leg to get her." Adam thought for a moment, and then said, "What can I get for a rib?"

Intro: We have all heard the expression "a marriage made in Heaven." But, does such an animal exist? Is there such a thing as a perfect marriage? Probably not! However, there was, at one time, a marriage that was made in paradise. In the text we have just read, we are given the details of the very first wedding. When this took place, there was no sin in the world and everything was perfect. The marriage rate was 100% and the divorce rate was 0%. Then the fall came and sin entered the world. With sin came all the problems and wretchedness of the curse. With these problems, came trouble at home. One would spend a long time seeking the perfect marriage. Oh, there are many who claim that they "never speak a harsh word." Either they are screaming too loud for the words to be coherent, or they are just plain liars! The truth is, in many cases, marriage resembles a battlefield more than it does a union of 2 lovers.

Hell is a real place reserved for the Devil and his angels.

God's plan of salvation from the Book of Romans

The first part of verse 6 carries our minds back to what Paul said in verse 1-5. There, we are reminded that the Jews had been the recipients of many divine gifts. Verses 4 and 5 contain quite an impressive list of blessings which they had been given. However, just the fact that they had been given these great spiritual gifts and manifestations, did not guarantee them that they would be saved. That having been said, let us remember that the Word of the Lord will be fulfilled, even to its smallest detail, Isa. 55:11; Matt. 5:18. That which God has predestined and foreordained will come to pass. Whether it is in the arena of prophecy or in the arena of salvation!

Paul wants his Jewish readers to understand that salvation is a divine experience. That is, it always begins and ends with God. He is origination, continuation and culmination of our faith, Heb. 12:2. It is all God all the way! In these verses, Paul seeks to explain the matter of God's divine sovereignty in this matter of salvation. He wants us to know, beyond all doubt, that God is in absolute control of the salvation of men's souls. Paul tells us that we are all BOUND BY GOD’s PURPOSE

We have arrived, in our study of the book of Romans, to a passage that is ignored and misunderstood by many great commentators and preachers of the Gospel.

9 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,

2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.

3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

The next three chapters form something of a parenthesis between chapters 8 and 13. Many Bible scholars feel that this passage had no relevance to the church at all. However, as we shall see from going through these verses, there are truths that must be understood. Up until this point, Paul has been about the task of proving that salvation is a sovereign work of God brought about through grace by faith. He has been telling his readers that men are saved by trusting the finished work of Christ on Calvary, apart from any rituals or works. Any Jew reading Romans, up to this point, might get the idea that salvation by faith was for Gentiles only. He might come to the conclusion that there was no hope for those who were the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, Paul pauses in his teaching to let all of his readers know that God wasn't finished with the Jew! They still figured prominently in God's plan for the future. As we move through the next three chapters, we will see that they have a lot to say to the Jews. But, there is also some meat for the church as well.

In these opening verses of chapter 9, Paul reveals his heart for his people the Jews. In doing so, he teaches us a lesson about the kind of heart we should have for the lost around us

Have you ever noticed that there is a difference in a person who has trusted Jesus as their personal Savor? Have you noticed that they think different, they act different, they walk and talk different? The reason this is true is that they have been invaded by a Being from another place. At the very instant of salvation, the child of God is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, 1 Cor. 12:13. When He comes in, He does so to abide with that new believer forever, John 14:16-18. When the Spirit of God comes into a life, that life is forever changed! This the essence of our being made a new creature, 2 Cor. 5:17. It is this life in the Spirit that is the focus of this eighth chapter of Romans.

This is one of the easiest passages in the Bible for me to identify with. It tells the absolute truth about the life of the believer!

Lets read from Gods word!

Romans 7:14-25

King James Version

14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Some commentators feel that Paul is describing the life of a carnal Christian. That he is telling us how saved men who refuse to yield to the Spirit of God live their lives. Yet, I read these verses and to me they are intensely personal. It is as if Paul rips the covers back from his life and gives us an intimate portrait of himself and of how he struggles through life.

Since it has been several weeks since we looked into the book of Romans, I will refresh your memories concerning what we have been learning from this book. We have learned the truth that all men are sinners before the Lord and that men are in need of a Savior, chapters 1-3. We have learned that true righteousness, and salvation come only through the exercise of faith, chapters 4-5. We have learned that in Jesus Christ, we are dead to sin and to the Law, chapters 6-7a. Most recently, we discovered that we have been liberated from the Law of God by our death with Christ on the cross and that we are no longer married to the Law, but are married to Jesus and are free from the Law. These are blessed truths!

Let’s read from God’s Word!

7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

In the verses before us this evening, Paul is going to illustrate his teachings about the Law of God by sharing with us an intimate look at his own life. In these verses, and through to the end of the chapter, Paul gives us his spiritual autobiography.

He is risen!