The Blueprint

Transcript

Good morning, family. Well, if you’d be so kind as to turn with me in your Bibles to Genesis chapter two, we’re going to be looking at verses 18 through 25. I’ll read and then we’ll pray and we’ll get started. Then the Lord God said, It is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helper fit for him. Now, out of the ground, the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam, there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and

while he slept, took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh and the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman. And brought her to the man. Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man.’ Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. This family is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Let’s pray.

Our father and our God, we do thank you for your word. We pray this morning that you would be our helper, that you would open up our eyes and our hearts to the truth contained in your word so that we might live by them, love them, and most importantly, grow more into the image of Jesus. Be our guide this morning, we pray in Christ’s name. Amen. There’s a lot of little ones in the building today. Amen.

The Problem of Loneliness

I’d like to begin our time this morning by introducing you to Aria. But before I introduce you to her, I think it’s important to say on the front end that Aria is not just a made up, imaginative person that I came up with for this sermon. She is, in a sense, a very real thing, depending on how you define real and thing. You see, Aria is a humanoid robot, legit, developed by Real Biotics, a real company that specializes in AI driven companionship. So unlike the old school robots we’re used to, which were designed primarily for industrial work or for simple automation, Aria was designed specifically for relationship. She is intelligently programmed to interact, engage, and even simulate emotion. She is equipped with advanced facial recognition, conversational AI, and emotional response systems. And what that means is that Aria can remember past conversations, mimic human expressions, and provide what

her creators call genuine companionship. And just to be clear, this is not from a sci-fi movie. This is real. Aria actually exists. And more than that, she’s not just a prototype. And so if you have like an extra $175,000, Aria can be yours. Real Biotics sees Aria as the blueprint for addressing a culture that feels deeply disconnected and isolated. This company believes that through artificial intelligence and automated robotics, they can solve the human problem of loneliness. And they’re not alone in this pursuit. The problem of isolation and loneliness is so great in our world that AI-driven companionship is a rapidly growing industry. In fact, there was just an article like last month in Tech Radar that claimed that 2025, this year, that this is the year of humanoid companionship.

And the reason this is blowing up, becoming so popular is because in this social media, smartphone, virtual reality world that claims to help provide deep connections, it’s actually doing quite the opposite. People are searching desperately for meaningful human connection. They’re lonely. They feel unseen. They are without real community. And so the culture is craving intimacy and relationships, perhaps more than any other time in human history. Now, I want you to just consider for a moment, not just the why this is happening in our culture, but the what is happening in our culture. You see, this isn’t just about technological innovation. There is something far bigger and problematic going on here. Humanity is standing on the edge of one of its biggest rebellions against the God of creation. Because instead of humans looking to the creator, God, who designed us for relationships, we, the creatures, are

creating machines as replacement relationships. This, in many ways, is saying to the God of creation, hey, we’re good. We don’t need you. We’ll take it from here. We’ll create for ourselves. This is humanity’s latest and perhaps most horrible attempt to solve a problem that God in his infinite wisdom has already provided the solution for. And here is the irony. Before the first human ever uttered the words, I am lonely. God solved the problem. Before Adam, the first human ever had a category of emotional isolation, before he felt the deep heartache of solitude, God declared, it is not good that man should be alone. Thousands of years before humanity started to develop AI driven technology, before social media tried to replace deep community, before dating apps and hookup culture turned relationships into temporary experiences, God knew exactly what we needed. He provided the perfect blueprint. And this family is what we’re going to explore in our text

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God’s Relational Design

this morning. Genesis chapter two, verses 18 through 25 gives us the foundation and God’s design for human relationships. And in particular, the blueprint concerning the institution of marriage as God’s original remedy for relationship. And so to help us explore our text this morning, I’ve broken it up into four sections, the problem, the provider, the plan and the picture. Okay, so let’s begin in verse 18 with the problem. Then the Lord God said, it is not good that man should be alone. I will make a helper fit for him. Now, the question you should immediately be asking yourself is this in a world that was created according to God’s very own words. Good. Why was it not good for Adam to be alone? Well, family, the answer to this question is embedded in our very identity as image bearers of God. Remember Genesis chapter one, verse 26, God said, let us make

man in our own image after our likeness. Did you catch that? Let us after our likeness before we even get to human relationships and the problem of isolation were confronted with this foundational reality. Foundational reality. God is relational. He exists eternally as father, son and Holy Spirit, a divine community of love and unity family. Our God is one God, but he is one God in three persons who in every way are in perfect relationship with each other. I know that’s hard for us to understand or fully comprehend, but this is the God that we see throughout the scriptures. The triune God, father, son and Holy Spirit. So to be clear, the concept of relationship isn’t a human invention. It isn’t something that society eventually came up with out of convenience. Relationships exist because God in his perfect relationship with himself designed us, his creatures to reflect what he is

like and a very big part of reflecting what he is like is reflecting his relational nature. This means that loneliness is not just an emotional inconvenience. It’s an indicator that we were created for something more than ourselves. Did you notice that this is the first time up to this point in the creation account where God said something is not good? Listen, this pronouncement from the Lord that it’s not good for man to be alone comes before sin ever even entered the world. Adam at this point was a sinless man. He was in perfect fellowship with God in a perfect environment. But God evaluates Adam’s situation and says it’s not good. He needs a human companion. Lest he become lonely and family. This is exceedingly important to understand. You know, throughout my life as a Christian, I’ve been around these, you know, kind of super spiritual Christians and I’ve

heard them say things like, if you’re experiencing loneliness in this life, then there must be something wrong with your spiritual life. Sometimes well-meaning Christians will say to single people who are lonely that their problem is that they’re just not satisfied enough in Jesus. And if they just had a better relationship with Jesus, then they wouldn’t be lonely anymore. Well, family, this is not helpful and this is not universally the case. It most certainly wasn’t the case for Adam. Christians who are deeply satisfied in Jesus can and sometimes do feel lonely and you need to understand that. You need to know that God knows how we feel when we experience loneliness. I mean, Adam experienced perfect fellowship with God. And yet God says it’s not good for him to be alone. In other words, God acknowledges our need not only for fellowship with him, but also our fellowship with others.

Family, God has designed us not just for relationships with him, but for community and for companionship and for most Christians a counterpart covenant companionship. Now this probably goes without saying, but I just want to make sure I’m clear. Although this text explores God’s beautiful design for marriage this divine covenant companionship that reflects his love. This does not mean that those of us who are single are any less valued or lacking in purpose. In fact, God has gifted some with the gift of singleness and that gift comes with its own unique opportunities. The Apostle Paul reminds us of this and family. We explored this in great detail when we were in 1st Corinthians in 1st Corinthians chapter 7 verses 7 and 8 Paul writes this. I wish that all of you were as I myself am single, but each has his own gift from God one of one kind and one of another to the

unmarried into the widows. I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. So certainly Paul is not devaluing marriage here, but rather he’s affirming that singleness to is a gracious gift from God. So for those of us walking through the single season, there is incredible freedom and opportunity for you to devote yourself to the Lord and to his church. You are uniquely positioned to serve him in ways that only this season or this calling allows. Sam Allberry, I think, is very helpful. He puts it this way singleness is a unique gift that gives you the freedom to pursue God’s calling with an undivided heart. So whether you’re married or single your identity purpose and fulfillment are found in Christ alone and listen, here’s the bigger point whether you’re single or married the principle is the same we were not made for isolation, but for community and

most specifically for relationship and single people in particular can sometimes feel loneliness acutely, but one of the ways that God has provided for them to deal with this problem of loneliness Is through meaningful relationships with God’s people, especially within a covenant community. Okay. Now, let’s look at verses 19 through 20. Now out of the ground, the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them and whatever the man called every living creature that was its name. The man gave names to all the livestock and to all the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field, but for Adam, there was not found a helper fit for him. So again, we see the problem. So as Adam is exercising his dominion in the garden by naming

things, which by the way, this is exactly what we saw God do in chapter 1 after God created things out of nothing and then separated them. He exercised his authority or Dominion over everything by naming it Adam here is imaging or reflecting God by doing what God has done in creation taking Dominion over the land that God has called him to as a sub creator. And as he’s naming the animals, he’s witnessing in real time. What God has already observed that every other creature has this perfectly fitting counterpart helper for it. Not so with Adam. In fact, the word helper here conveys at least in part this idea of an equal counterpart that can provide the necessary support and strength and stability. So you might call it an equal opposite. So he’s becoming so he’s he’s becoming aware as he’s looking at all of the animals and he’s seeing that there’s male and female

The Divine Provider

equal opposites. He realizes I don’t have what these other animals have. You see in his infinite wisdom, God design creation with perfect symmetry and complementarity, but with Adam for the first time in creation, we see that there’s a lack of symmetry. He’s the only living creature at this point without complementarity and it’s in this absence where we see something remarkable. God not only sees Adams need even before Adam recognizes his need, but God provides for his need preemptively and we see this in verses 21 and 22 with the provider. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh and the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman. Let’s just pause here for a second. Here we see that God observes.

But God responds. He provides Adam with exactly. What Adam needs, which is this interdependent complementary relationship that he was created for and in this provision, we witnessed the first recorded act of Divine surgery to create the woman. Notice how unique this is compared to everything else that God has created. He doesn’t form Eve from the dust of the ground like he did the animals or like he did Adam. Instead, he takes from Adam to create Eve. And listen, this isn’t just a random. Fact here. This is by design. God was communicating something profound here. He is first communicating that Eve is not a separate creation. She is of the same essence as Adam. And secondly, she was taken from him not formed apart from him. In other words, though, there is difference between them. There is shared equality among them. In fact, most translations say or emphasize rib.

But in the Hebrew, it’s better translated side, which I think carries a significant greater meaning. So this is not just biology family. This right here is theology. The fact that Eve was taken from Adam’s side represents equality. Unity and complementarity. So Eve is not beneath him. Eve is not above him. But she is beside him. Matthew Henry in his classic commentary on Genesis, he captures this beautifully. He says the woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam not made out of his head to top him nor out of his feet to be trampled on by him. But out of his side to be equal with him. Under his arm to be protected and near his heart to be loved. I’m just saying this dude got bars.

Matthew. Eve is equal with Adam. Yet different by design. So equal in dignity equal in worth equal in value yet distinct in gender and role and listen, this is a good thing. Y’all not be afraid to celebrate the beauty of gender. Don’t let the culture strip away what God has so beautifully designed in a world that is increasingly insisting that gender distinctions are oppressive or just outdated social contract constructs. We stand on this foundational truth that God made them male and female by design with purpose and intention and it was good. Our culture often views gender as something to deconstruct or redefine but scripture shows us that gender is something God designed to reflect him and to give him glory. So masculinity and femininity, they’re not accidents. They are intentional expressions of God’s creative genius. Now, yes family sin can distort this and bring all kinds of confusion.

But that doesn’t negate the truth. And listen. We shouldn’t have to say this but when it comes to those who struggle with gender confusion in our world, our call as Christians is not simply to change their minds concerning their gender transition. The priority for us as Christians is to love them and lead them to Jesus remembering that the greatest need for anyone suffering from gender dysphoria or sin in general is the gospel. They need a new heart first and foremost, not just a reorientation of their body. So we pray God change their heart and let the spirit of God work and transform them just like he’s transformed us in a thousand different ways. And while we love compassionately our friends who are suffering in this area. Listen family. We must not capitulate to the culture. We can love without capitulation. Sometimes loving our gender confused friends is telling them the truth

that they are fearfully and wonderfully made with intention and goodness by design, even when it’s difficult or confusing for them. Listen, allowing people to erase God’s design for their specific gender is not loving. It’s not loving. So we are to speak the truth, but we speak the truth in love. Amen. One more thing about this verse that I want you to notice is that Adam doesn’t go searching for Eve. He doesn’t craft this image in his mind of who he thinks would be this perfect match for him. He doesn’t have a particular, you know, standard of beauty that he’s aiming at. No, God provides. This is to say that she’s not man-made and she’s not self-made. She’s not self-made. She’s God-designed and God-given specifically for Adam. When God declares, I will make a helper fit for him. He’s not just filling a practical need.

He’s exercising his creative design and meticulous precision to make a perfect fit, a perfect helper for Adam specifically. And in so doing, he establishes the first human relationship, which is meant to reflect something so much bigger than Adam and Eve themselves. And listen, God not only provides for Adam, a companion, he provides a covenant companion and we see this at the end of verse 22 through 24 with the plan and God brought her to the man. Then the man said this at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She will be called woman because she was taken out of man. I wonder if you notice the sweetness and the goodness of God and how he brought Eve to Adam. You get this picture of the first proud father presenting his beautiful daughter to be given away on her wedding day. God showcasing his creative genius presents Eve in all of her splendor to

her future husband. And this isn’t just like a random introduction. This here is the very first marriage ceremony recorded in human history. This is a holy union that began with God and in every way is orchestrated by God. You see, the truth is marriage isn’t an institution of the state. Something man came up with or the culture defined marriage began with God in the garden. He designed it. So he determines how it works. In other words, he owns the concept. So he sets the template. And in this presentation of Eve to Adam in this first marriage ceremony notice Adam is rocked. He’s so captivated by her beauty and listen, this is long before there was ever any other comparison or standard of beauty. Adam is blown away. How can someone be so much like me yet so different from me in all the appropriate and desirable ways?

And in that moment, Adam is so overwhelmed that for the very first time in human history, man recites poetry. Yeah. Men take note. Adam sees the beauty of his bride and says this at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She will be called woman. I can’t help but think about ‘whoa, man.’

Because she was taken out of man. There’s expression bone of my bones though. It’s poetic. It’s so much more than that. It’s the Hebrew way of saying we are of the same the closest people possible. There’s a profound sense of satisfaction in Adams voice a shout of joyful relief. Finally, what I didn’t even know I was waiting for is here. Finally, I have an equal opposite a helper. God’s provision fits him perfectly. They Adam and Eve were literally made for each other. And nothing could express that better than this joyful poetic declaration. God making Eve specifically fit for Adam and bringing her to him underscores that marriage is meant to be an exclusive covenant a binding exclusive lifelong commitment between one man and one woman. But this is more than just a beautiful moment between the two of them. Though it is that it’s also the foundation for something far greater.

Adam and Eve’s marriage was not just for them. It was a divine blueprint for all of humanity. Their Union was the first covenant established by God himself and God ordained it. He officiated it. And when this covenant is enacted, it’s meant to reveal that neither one will live the rest of their life complete without the other. Adam needs Eve for him to be complete and she needs him for her to be complete. And so this design for marriage wasn’t about power dynamics or hierarchy or simply for procreation. It was about deep mutual affection and exclusive interdependence and listen in a world that so often twists marriages into a matter of control or dominance or even procreation. God’s original intent is radically different. Marriage is meant to be a covenant relationship where both partners are equal in humanity and dignity perfectly fit for each other as helpmates a

bond so perfectly contoured that no one else should ever attempt to fit into that same place a covenant that says we are the closest people possible and this is liberating in a world saturated in loneliness to be so known by someone so attuned to someone that they know you better than anyone else in this world and they know how to love and serve you better than anyone else in this world.

The Marriage Covenant

Couple weeks ago Andre was preaching and we all noticed that he just kept coughing. Every time he would cough he would try to catch his breath, but it just kept getting worse and I don’t know if you noticed but there were two sermons preached that morning. One on creation and one on marriage the marriage sermon in case you missed it was happening subversively alongside the creation sermon being spoken in the form of a real-time illustration and I’m sure you saw it as Andre was struggling and kept coughing. He couldn’t even speak and he literally just like reached out his hand for his wife like this.

You remember that? I was like, oh that’ll preach. He said nothing but his wife responded as a perfect suitable helpmate who knows her husband more than anyone. In love she responded knowing exactly what he needed in that moment and that was a perfect picture of how interdependent a husband and a wife should be. So thank you family for that wonderful illustration.

He was planned. So God brings Adam and Eve as two equal parts into one permanent covenant relationship in this divine institution called marriage. This is why in verse 24 it says, therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh. Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh. When a man and woman come together in the covenant bond of marriage, the two of them not only come together physically. Or in terms of proximity, but most specifically spiritually. The two once individuals literally become one flesh. In the same way, the father, the son and the Holy Spirit are one husbands and wives in marriage become one. You see how that’s all part of image-bearing?

Reflecting the very nature of who God is. And sadly this idea of marriage of two permanently becoming one in our world is becoming farther and farther removed from reality. Marriage today is often treated not like a covenant, but it’s nothing more than a contract. In fact, a lot of people see it as nothing more than a temporary arrangement subject to personal happiness and easily terminated when things don’t go the way that they expect. But God’s design for marriage is radically countercultural. Marriage is not a contract to be discarded when convenience or self-interest drives us away. It’s a sacred covenant meant to be kept. Tim and Kathy Keller in their book on marriage, which I highly recommend. Sum it up perfectly when they said the essence of marriage is a sacrificial commitment to the good of the other. This is the kind of love we are called to in marriage.

Love that transcends fleeting emotions and personal desires. One that embodies the eternal unbreakable bond that God himself has instituted. This in our modern culture often equates sexual freedom with fulfillment while separating it from the covenantal and sacred context of marriage. And especially in a city like Portland. Where sexual expression is in every way untethered to commitment where hookup culture seems to be normative. God’s design for purity within marriage is aimed at being countercultural. The gospel calls us as Christians to reclaim the beauty of intimacy and exclusivity as God intended and listen when we understand this and when we live like this marriage is far more significant and far more satisfying. Not just because of what we get out of it.

But because of what it produces and what it displays look at verse 25. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Now when we hear this it might seem at first like just a simple statement about their physical nakedness or perhaps the unique physical benefits that come from the covenant of marriage, which is a very good thing. And while that might certainly be part of it. I mean a very legit part of it. There is a deeper and more profound reality going on here of how God originally intended for us to live. And that is in complete openness and freedom before him and before one another. Adam and Eve were in a commitment and in an environment of total trust. Their nakedness wasn’t something to be hidden or embarrassed about.

It was a beautiful symbol of their unbroken intimacy with God and with each other. So to be naked and unashamed means to be completely transparent. It means to be emotionally vulnerable. Spiritually in tuned mentally and physically and emotionally available without fear of judgment or rejection. In this original state, there was no shame because there was no sin. There was no reason to cover up because everything was as God designed it pure untainted and free of guilt. Their openness family reflected a life of complete honesty and vulnerability. Where they were able to show each other than their true selves trusting that they were loved and accepted by God and each other. Again, Tim and Kathy Keller write about vulnerability and transparency in marriage, which mirrors the naked and not ashamed state of Adam and Eve. They write this to be loved but not known is comforting but superficial.

To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is a lot like being loved by God. This is what it means to be naked and unashamed. So this means that this is more than just a physical reality. This is a part of our inner selves and this really should call us family to live authentically and without pretense. It should challenge the way we live. It should force us to live a life where we embrace vulnerability and let our guards down before God and before our spouses in a world where so much of our life is hidden behind masks of perfection and self-interest being naked and unashamed is a radical declaration. I trust you. With everything. This is a declaration of uninterrupted intimacy and while it is true that sin has a way of marring this perfect transparency, the gospel daily invites

us back into that freedom. When we are forgiven and transformed by Jesus and his gospel and when we confess our sins to our spouses and we forgive our spouses, we are invited to live in a way that reflects the original truth open honest and free from shame the shame that once held us captive and listen, this should be obvious by now. But this isn’t just true for marriage. It should be this way with our friendships and most specifically within our church community. One of the reasons why we do a confession as part of every week is so that we Put into practice confessing our sins both to God and to each other and then hearing how the gospel frees us from our sin guilt and shame so that we can learn to love one another without pretense so that we can become vulnerable with each other and accept one another and help lead each other to Christ and

A Picture of Christ

to celebrate the genuine connection that comes when we live as God intended for us to live. So to be naked and unashamed is to be fully exposed heart soul thoughts and actions in a relationship of trust with our Creator and with one another. This family is an invitation to step into the fullness of who God has made you to be which this brings us to our final section the picture. Family as good as marriage is. And how it most profoundly deals with the problem of isolation and loneliness in our world. I do want to be clear. Marriage is not an end in itself. Marriage is in every way meant to point us to something far greater, which is the church. You see the covenant of marriage isn’t just about two individuals coming together and becoming one. It’s a living picture of the relationship between Christ and his

church, which is one. I mean just listen to how the Apostle Paul writes about this in Ephesians chapter 5 verses 22 through 32 concerning marriage. He writes wives submit to your own husbands as to the Lord for the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church his body and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. How did Christ give himself up for the church?

He died. That he might sanctify her having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word so that he might present the church to himself in Splendor without spot or wrinkle or any such thing that she might be holy and without blemish in the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself for no one has ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it just as Christ does the church because we are members of his body. And then Paul throws us back to Genesis. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound and I am saying that it refers in other words. I’m saying that this is a picture of the church. In the same way that a husband and a wife in the covenant of marriage are

called to love honor serve die lay down their lives and submit Paul says that the institution of marriage was made specifically to be a picture about Christ and his church where the people in a in a covenant of membership are called to love honor serve lay down their lives and submit. The church is called to reflect to image or to mirror the sacrificial all-encompassing love of Christ that he expresses to the church and we the church are to express back to him and to one another that same love. And listen, I know that the church is not perfect. Just like your marriage is not perfect. And even though God said it’s not good for us to be alone. Sometimes the church is not easy to be with.

There are moments when it’s hard to be together as one body. Different perspectives different seasons of life differences of opinion or just sin in general that each one of us brings into the church. But here’s the beautiful truth the same spirit that unites a husband and a wife also binds the church together. And when we fight for our unity in the church when we rely on the fruit of the spirit to Kindle the unity of the church. We begin to love each other more deeply and reflect him more profoundly. We learn to prefer one another over our own interests. We learn to submit to one another we learn to live transparently with one another so that we can point each other to Jesus when we need it. We learn to serve one another not because we’re forced to but because we’ve all been moved with the same grace that transformed our hearts.

So think about this the differences that make us unique like our personalities our age our gifts our backgrounds. They’re not impediments to our unity. They’re the very thing that showcase the richness of the gospel and how that produces our unity. The same way differences in marriage are good because they make us better. It’s through our diversity that the manifold love of Christ is revealed in the church. So whether you’re married or you’re single or just a member of the church family. We are called to reflect this divine unity marriage is meant to point us to the ultimate Union the Union between Christ and his church and family while marriage is a beautiful covenantal picture of God’s design. It’s also a signpost directing us to the church a community where loneliness is met with the love of Christ and where our distinctives are woven together into one glorious body by the power of the gospel.

So family, may we embrace both our marriages and our church community with the same commitment to be united in love to honor our differences and to reflect the eternal unbreakable love of Jesus. I want to close this morning with just a few points of application. And maybe just ask a few questions that I think the text might be calling us to this design for marriage isn’t an ancient blueprint is the very foundation for true human flourishing and was deeply sad is that if you look at the world around us today, you’ll see a culture desperately searching for satisfaction in anything and everything except for what God has ordained. I mean humans are hungry for relationships. They know deep down inside that something is missing. They feel the emptiness acutely. It’s a void that no amount of self-made pleasure can fulfill and yet they still turn away from God’s design our culture chases after everything wrong after all

these false solutions broken substitutes and fleeting pleasures and none of those things will satisfy and family. I bring this to your attention so that you could remember that you need to keep that at the forefront of your mind because it’s so easy for us to forget. It’s easy for us to be persuaded by the culture. To think in moments of weakness, maybe what they have is better. But it never satisfies. We have to remember that truth.

Living God’s Design

Family, can I ask you this morning? Are there ways in which you are trying to replace God’s provision with artificial companionship or replacement relationships? I’m not just talking about like AI technology. I’m talking about all things replacement. Remember God said it’s not good that man should be alone. I will make a helper fit for him. This tells us that true fulfillment isn’t found in artificial replacement or temporary solutions. It’s found in real relationships designed by God. So if you find yourself turning to the darkest of technology to find relational fulfillment. You need to ask yourself. What are you doing? Are you turning to things like pornography? Or virtual relationships? Things like only fans. All those things are an attempt to feel loneliness without the vulnerability commitment and sacrifice that comes with true human connection. You’re only hurting yourself when you do that. These digital substitutes create only the illusion of companionship leaving the

heart still aching for genuine connection. The thing that only God ordained relationships can provide. And if that’s where you are this morning. You need to deal with that today. You need to put that to death be done with it. It’s only making you more alone and more empty. You got to tell yourself the truth. That it will not satisfy. Come and find freedom in Jesus and the people that he’s provided for you within the church ask for help. They will help you. Family. Can I ask you are you treating marriage as temporary or conditional? When the Bible declares therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh. It speaks of a covenant one that is permanent unbreakable and intended for a lifetime.

Now, I know that infidelity and abuse and things like that break marriages. God in his infinite wisdom does provide acceptable cases to break a covenant particularly in those areas. But in general even among Christians marriage is often seen as temporary and conditional based on personal happiness. If you don’t provide for my personal needs, then I’m done with you. If that’s something that’s going on in your life, you’re in a very dangerous place. What’s very sad is that this rejection of a lifelong commitment that has led to broken families. Fatherlessness, it produces deep pain. It just continues to perpetuate emotional brokenness. This is why God hates divorce. He hates what it does. He hates what it causes. He hates the ripple effect of suffering. Family, we need to be praying for God to help us to see marriage as sacred and beautifully exclusive. And sacrificial. We need to be fighting for our marriages and this includes fighting for each

other. Are you a member of this church? If you are a member of this church, then you need to be fighting for other members marriages in this church. And the best way you can do that is to be radically invasive. When you see people going wayward. I promise you that if you chase after someone who’s walking on shaky ground, their spouse will be forever indebted to you. And they themselves will be indebted to you. We got to fight as a family to protect our marriages. Family, are you seeking intimacy? Without a covenant. Genesis 225 says that the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed and God’s original design intimacy was pure, complete and free of shame because it was rooted in trust and covenant. Contrast that today with today’s hookup culture where sex is almost completely separated from emotional and spiritual connections.

It’s just all bad. These counterfeit solutions create only shame. Only emptiness and only brokenness. If that’s where you find yourself this morning, exploring sex outside of a covenant. Completely broken in sin because you’ve sought fulfillment in any other place besides God’s design. The first thing you need to understand is that there is forgiveness for you. Do you hear me? There is forgiveness. You are not too far gone for God’s grace to reach you. But you need to understand that forgiveness comes by way of confession and repentance. And so if you’re here this morning feeling the guilt of shame over your sexual sin, you need to talk with someone today. You need to ask for help to find freedom from the chains that are so easily entangling you. Now, you can certainly talk to one of the pastors, but I might encourage you to talk to one of the members of the church.

Find someone that you know that you trust and tell them, hey, I need some help. And they will help you. You hear me family. If someone comes and asks you for help. It’s your job to help them. You weren’t made to fight this fight on your own. God has given you this community that you are one with. Allow them to help you. And if you’re here this morning and you don’t consider yourself to be a Christian. I’m thankful you’re here. I’m glad you got to hear from God’s word about the beauty of marriage. You need to know that the God who created you for relationship desires to have a relationship with you today. The only way you can have a real and true relationship with the God who created you is through Jesus Christ. The Bible says he is the way the truth and the life.

The Bible also tells us that sin separates us from God. No matter how bad or how good we think we are. We’re all sinners and sin separates us from him. This relationship that we were made for that we were designed for sin has broken. But God in his kindness has sent Jesus. He’s come to pay for the sins of the world to die in our place so that anyone who would trust in him. Would receive forgiveness their sin would be cleansed and they would be saved not just in this life, but for the life to come. Can I ask you this morning? Do you know this Jesus? Do you know this Jesus who made you? You can know him this morning. And if you have questions about what it means to follow Jesus, you can ask anyone in this room. If they’re a Christian, they will help you.

So family, where do we go from here? For those whom God has called to be single. Give yourself to Jesus into his church with an undivided love and affection. You are a gift to the church. Use your gift well and wisely. For those of you searching for love. Seek God’s design. Not the counterfeit versions that the world offers. Turn to God’s blueprint for relationships and trust that his And trust that his provision is perfect. According to his timing. For those with broken relationships. Know that there is grace and redemption and healing in Christ Jesus. God’s design is not only the model for healthy relationships. It’s also the pathway for restoration. And finally for the church. We must proclaim a model of biblical marriage as a witness to a watching world in our cities and in our communities. Let our lives be a testament of God’s covenantal design as the best way to

experience true fulfillment in this life. Remember that every pursuit apart from God’s design leads to emptiness. When we embrace his blueprint for marriage for identity and for relationships. This is the only place where we will find true fulfillment. Not just in this life, but for all of eternity because this family is what we were made for eternal relationship with God and with one another. Let’s pray. Our father in our God. We do. Thank you for your word. We thank you that you did not leave us alone. That you provided for us Jesus and you provided for us the spirit and you provided for us the church. We pray O Lord in God that you would help us to fix our eyes on the beauty of marriage. We pray that you would keep Trinity Church. Fighting for our marriages to herald the beauty of marriage. We pray O Lord in God that you would help us to see marriage

for what it is a picture of Christ and his bride the church. We pray O Lord in God that you would reorient our thoughts help us to be more informed by your word and by your spirit than the culture. We desperately need your help O Lord in God. We thank you for the freedom that we have where we can have these conversations and realign ourselves to you and to your word changes. So God we pray in Jesus name. Amen.