Under Authority

*The Main Idea: The Creator/creature distinction highlights the LORD God’s role as a judge with a glimpse of hope.

*The Central Point: His role remains, afflicted with pains, under a cloud of death.

*The Big Question: How can the LORD God’s judgement on the fallen man leave room for hope?

The LORD God expresses his judgement through an alien reality which now afflicts his:

1. Heart (v. 17)

2. Body (vv. 18-19)

*The Main Idea: The Creator/creature distinction highlights the LORD God’s role as a judge with an open door.

*The Central Point: Her role remains, but afflicted with pains.

*The Big Question: How can the LORD God be judge while allowing hope for the fallen woman?

The LORD God expresses his judgement through an alien reality which now afflicts her:

1. Body (v. 16a)

2. Soul (v. 16b)

*The Main Idea: The Creator/creature distinction highlights the LORD God’s role as judge.

*The Central Point: Justice served, hope secured: the LORD God puts his foot down!

*The Big Question: How does the LORD God judge?

The LORD God:

1. Curses (v. 14)

2. Cuts (v. 15)

*The Main Idea: The Creator/creature distinction clearly shows Adam’s/our defiance against the Lord.

*The Central Point: The Lord creates space, but Adam saves face.

*The Big Question: What does the Lord want Adam to do?

*The Big Answer: Admit he sinned and turn to him for help. That’s why we see the Lord:

1. Walking, Seeking… (vv. 8-10)

2. Inquiring, Waiting… (vv. 11-13)

*The Main Idea: The Creator/creature distinction gives us clarity and life.

*The Central Point: Reversing the Creator/creature distinction unleashes the stench of death everywhere.

*The Big Question: What messed things up so much that we smell death around every corner?

*The Big Answer: Satan, Sin and a Sinner…by:

1. Reversing Roles (vv. 1a, 6b)

2. Reversing Expansion (vv. 1a-3)

3. Reversing Restriction (vv. 4-6a, 7)

*The Main Idea: The Creator/creature distinction impresses upon us the full weight of his glory in the male/female distinction.

*The Central Point: The true enjoyment of God’s glory can only happen in complementary relationship.

*The Big Question: As men and women, how do we work together to fulfill God’s purposes?

*The Big Answer: As men and women we work together to fulfill God’s purposes by…

1. Responding To Our Roles (vv. 18-20)

2. Resting In Our Roles (vv. 21-24)

3. Reflecting On Our Roles (v. 25)

*The Main Idea: The Creator/creature distinction impresses upon us our main purpose of glorifying God.

*The Central Point: God created you to glorify him in which you will find true enjoyment.

*The Big Question: How do I fulfill my purpose?

*The Big Answer: You fulfill your purpose by remembering God made his world so that you can be…

1. Healthy Unto his Glory (vv. 10-14) LAST EPISODE

2. Wealthy Unto his Glory (vv. 15-16)

3. Wise Unto his Glory (v. 17)

*The Main Idea: The Creator/creature distinction impresses upon us our main purpose of glorifying God.

*The Central Point: God created you to glorify him in which you will find true enjoyment.

*The Big Question: How do I fulfill my purpose?

*The Big Answer: You fulfill your purpose by remembering God made his world so that you can be…

1. Healthy Unto his Glory (vv. 10-14)

2. Wealthy Unto his Glory (vv. 15-16) NEXT EPISODE

3. Wise Unto his Glory (v. 17) NEXT EPISODE

*The Main Idea: The Creator/creature distinction highlights our true identity in his transcendence and immanence.

*The Central Point: God FIXES our identity in the richness of his identity.

*The Big Question: Who am I?

*The Big Answer: God is the only one who can tell us who we are because…

1. He Sets the Context (vv. 4-6)

2. He Gets Into the Mix (vv. 7-9)

*The Main Idea: The Word, God the Son, reigns in our hearts by letting us see his glory.

*The Central Point: The Word owns us by clearly showing us his glory that only we as his own see.

*The Big Question: How does the Word’s conquer the darkness of our hearts?

*The Big Answer: The Word’s conquers the darkness of our hearts by shedding his Light on…

1. His Hidden Grace (vv. 14-15)

2. His Giving Grace (vv. 16-17)

3. His Teaching Grace (v. 18)