I'd ask you to open your Bibles
with me to Genesis chapter two. Genesis chapter two. We'll look at verses 18 through
25, Lord willing this evening. As many of you know, we have
another wedding, fast approaching. I believe my mind, as well as
many others, have been on that for some time now, and I pray
that the Lord has used that to lead me to this text. You know, I was thinking most
of what we see in modern wedding ceremonies are tradition. They're just man-made tradition
that have come about over the years. I'm also amazed how worked
up we get about tradition, not just in weddings, but just in
anything. So what can we, I guess, what
can we learn here? What can we learn from God's
word? I want us to look at this passage
this evening of what I believe will be the first recorded wedding
in scripture. And I pray the Lord would enable
us to look at it and truly be taught, taught from his word. You know, this is a true story. What we're about to read, it's
a true story. And it's a miraculous, it's a
truly miraculous story. When you think about what's about
to happen here, what we're about to read about in God's word,
and I believe if we can see it in light of God's word, I'm confident
we'll have some good instruction, good instruction for husbands,
good instruction for wives. But above all, above all, I pray
that we might, because if that's all we see is those first three
things, I suppose it would be good that we come over this evening.
But we've missed the boat if we don't see if we don't see
the Lord Jesus Christ and His bride. His bride in this text. So let's start with verse 18. And I'd call your attention to
listen to who's talking here. Okay, this isn't me just up here
standing and talking. Listen to who's talking. Look
at verse 18. And the Lord God said, well, that ought to grab
our attention, shouldn't it? The Lord God's speaking here.
And he said, it's not good that a man should be alone. It's not good. It's not pleasant. It's not agreeable to his nature.
It's not useful. It's not good that a man should
be alone. I don't know if you've ever felt
this way before, but a few weeks ago, I was driving out west,
and Abby usually travels with me. But on this particular time,
she wasn't able to. And as I was going out west,
I've never been past St. Louis before. I was seeing sights
that I had never seen before. But you know, I couldn't truly
enjoy it. I'd want to look over to the
passenger seat and say, Abby, did you see that? It's not good. It's not good for a man to be
alone. And the Lord said, I'll make
for him a helpmate. A helpmate, one to love and to
be loved. One to comfort and to comfort
him. Almighty God, He determined,
listen to this, He determined that Eve would be Adam's bride
before he even formed her. What about Christ's bride? Can
that be said of her as well, his church? In Ephesians 1 verse
4, listen to this, God chose us in Christ, when? Before the foundation of the
world that we should be holy and without blame before him
in love, having predestinated us under the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to himself, that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love. Adam is gonna have a bride. Any question about that? And
listen, Christ, he'll have his bride. He's gonna have his bride. Let's read on here in our text. Look, look there. Let's start
again, verse 18. The Lord God said, it's not good
that the man should be alone. I'll make him and help me for
him. 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 of it. And that just fascinates me.
You think of all the animals, they were all brought before
Adam and he named them. 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 a helpmeet for him. Let's read
on. 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. The Lord God caused a deep sleep
to fall on Adam, and he, Almighty God, took one of his, of all
things, a rib. He took one of his ribs, and
he closed up the flesh thereof. And with that rib, which the
Lord God had taken from Adam, made he a woman, and he brought
her to the man." He took a rib. God did that. He took a rib. A single rib. A particular rib. a bone, just a curved bone from
which he's going to make wife. The root word for the word rib,
you can look this up if you want to, but the word from which that
word rib is derived, it means limp. It means halt. Now think about that. Just a
worthless limp lame bone, and he's gonna make Adams, he's gonna
make Adams bride. Is anything, is anything too
hard for Almighty God? We look at that and we think
that's just, that's impossible. That's a fairytale, that's a
pipe dream. This is a true story, and nothing
Nothing is too hard for God. You think about this. From that
one bone, he made Eve. From that valley of dry bones,
he breathed the breath of life and raised up a mighty army. He gives life. Almighty God gives
life. Ephesians 2 verse 1, we read,
you, you who hath he quickened, who were dead, in trespasses
and sin. He's gonna give life to Adam's
bride just as he gives life, as Christ gives life to his bride. He took a rib, not a bone from
Adam's head that would rain over him, Not something superior,
not something above him to have power over him. He's the head. That's clear in Scripture. Ephesians
5.23, we read this, For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ
is the head of the church. But listen, that rib wasn't taken
from his foot either. It wasn't his toe bone or something
down there that he's going to trample on and walk on and walk
over every day. Not something below him. Turn
to 1 Peter 3. 1 Peter 3, let's begin with verse
1. Likewise, you wives, be in subjection to your own husbands,
that if any obey not the word, they also may be without the
word won by the conversation of the wives, while they behold
your chaste conversation coupled with fear, whose adorning, let
it not be that outward adorning of the plaiting of the hair and
of the wearing of gold or the putting on of apparel, but let
it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible,
even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the
sight of God, great price. For after this manner in old
time, the holy women also who trusted in God adorned themselves,
being in subjection to their own husbands, even as Sarah obeyed
Abraham, calling him Lord, whose daughters ye are as long as you
do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. Likewise, Ye husbands,
dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto
the wife as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of
the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered." The
wife is to be in subjection to her husband. That's clear, isn't
it? Again, that's not me, that's
God's Word. But likewise, you see that in
verse seven? Likewise, in the same manner, there's an honor, there's a respect,
a recognition to be given to the wife by the husband. He says, you're joint heirs. I just, I love that. joint heirs
of the grace of God. Think about who she is. She's
a daughter of the king. That's something to think about,
isn't it? She's a daughter. To mistreat her, to abuse her,
to treat her with contempt, oh no, no, no, no. To do so is going
to incur the wrath of the father. She's a daughter of the king.
And again, back to that, heirs together. You're in this boat
together. Heirs together of the grace of
life. Now back to our text, Genesis
chapter two, verse 21. He took a rib. He took a rib,
not above him, not below him, A rib. Now, think about what
that rib is close to. Think about where it's located
in our bodies. Right near the heart. Right near the heart. Dear to
him. To be, listen, to be loved by
the man. Where else? It's under the arm.
To protect and to shield. Isn't that true of Christ's love
for his church, for his bride? In Ephesians 5, 2, we read, walk
in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for
us. Christ loves his bride with an
everlasting love. Scripture says he loved us and
laid down his life for us. He gave his life for us. Greater
love, we just read these throughout Scripture. Greater love hath
no man than what? That he lay down his life for
his friends. She was made for the man. His bride was made, made for
him, near the heart, under the arm to be protected. And as Frank
would say, I'll throw this in at no extra charge, I think about the ribs and what
does that rib do? It protects our most important
organs. It protects my heart. It protects
my lung. Think about the importance of
that rib. That's a two-way street, isn't
it? We protect that rib, but that
rib protects us. There's nothing, I don't think
there's anything worse than, and we've heard this, a man talking
down about his wife or a wife talking down her husband. No. Remember that? Heirs together
of the grace of life. Well, he took a rib. He took a rib. I don't know if
this is true or not. I believe it to be true. I don't
think there's a more tender part of the body. And if anybody in
here's had a broken rib, you might agree with me. I don't
know if there's anything more tender. I once had a broken rib. And I tell you, it hurt. It hurt. I couldn't laugh without it hurting. I couldn't cough without it hurting.
I couldn't talk without it hurting. When that rib hurts, the whole
body, the whole body hurts. You know, maybe you've seen this.
I've known husbands and wives in the hospital, in the home,
when that other one's hurting, the other one can't even function. That's true, isn't it? When one spouse hurts, it made
the other one physically sick and unable to function. You know that's true of our Lord,
in a sense. He can still function, can't
he? Our Lord knows the suffering of his bride. Hmm? He knows our infirmities. Hebrews
4.15. Turn there with me. Turn there
and read with me. Hebrews 4. Look at verse 15 of
Hebrews 4. For we have not a high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities,
but was in all points tempted, all points tempted, yet without
sin. We have not a high priest that
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, He's God. Think about that. He's God. Yet
he's able to sympathize with his people. He was in all points tempted
like we are, yet without sin. He understands our weakness.
He understands our pain, our tears, our temptations. He's one. He's one with his people. He knows our, and aren't we thankful?
We forget that, don't we? How quickly we forget that. He
knows our infirmities. Back in Genesis chapter two, he took a rib. He took a rib and he closed up
the flesh. You know, in the process of taking
that rib, Adam's side was pierced. Why? Why was it pierced? That bone's gotta come out. It
was pierced for his bride. Can we see Christ in that? Can
we just get a glimpse of the Lord Jesus Christ in that? Our Lord, he was pierced. He
was pierced for his bride as our substitute. Look at that. Well, I'll just read it to you.
John 19, 34. One of the soldiers with a spear
pierced his side and forthwith out came water and blood. That was prophesied in the Old
Testament. He that was pierced. A soldier
with a spear pierced our Lord as he hung there on that tree,
and out came water and blood. Justification. Sanctification. We sing that song, let the water
and the blood from his wounded side which flowed be of sin,
the double cure, save from wrath, make me pure. Christ died on
the cross for his bride. His side was pure. He laid down
his life for his bride. We read that he died for our
sins. Why did he die? For our sins,
according to the scriptures. Listen to God's word. God commendeth
his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners. Boy, that blows that idea to
pieces that we need to straighten our lives up before we come to
him, right? While we were yet sinners. Christ
died for us. Does it sound like there's anything
you can do to merit or earn salvation? Who did he die for? He said,
I lay down my life for the sheep. Nothing earned, nothing merited,
but by the free and sovereign grace of Almighty God. Christ
had him sighed. It was pierced. for his bride. And the Lord Jesus Christ, his
side was pierced for his bride. Now back to Genesis chapter two. I need to move on here. Look
at verse 22. And with that rib, which the
Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman. A rib, with
that rib, God made a woman. Think about the sovereignty of
Almighty God. Isaiah 45 verse five says, I
am the Lord and there is none else. There is no God beside
me. I girded thee though thou hast not known me that you may
know from the rising of the sun and from the west that there
is none beside me. I am the Lord and there is none
else. I form the light. I create darkness. I make peace. I create evil. I, the Lord, do All these things. He made a woman. He made a woman
and he brought her. He brought her to the man. That's
God's order. That's not man's order, that's
God's order. Man's not of the woman, but the
woman of the man. Neither was the man created for
the woman, but the woman for the man. Turn with me again,
back to if you're still not in Genesis 2. Look here, verse 23. Adam said, this is now bone of
my bone, flesh of my flesh, she shall be called woman because
she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his
father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they
shall be one flesh and they were both naked, the man and his wife,
and were not Shame. Let me just make a few brief
comments on these verses of scripture. He brought her to the man. You see that there in verse 23. He brought her to the man. Adam
said, this is bone of my bone. This is flesh of my flesh. Man
shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife. What's this speak of? Look at
these words again here. Brought to the man. Bone of my
bone. Flesh of my flesh. Cleave to
the wife. Union. This can only speak of
union. They're one. Not two separate
things. They're one. One. Let me ask you again. Does that
point to Christ and His bride? I sure hope so. I must be one
with him. And in his time, God will bring
his chosen bride to Christ. And he does so by his effectual,
irresistible grace. There's no fighting it. He'll
do so by the power of his spirit. How the Lord do all these things
Think about this. The marriage union is compared. That's why the marriage union
is so important, because it's a picture of Christ and his church. You know, he left his father's
house for her. He came down from heaven, took
upon himself human flesh for his bride. He loves his bride with an everlasting
love. They're united as one. They can't
be separated. He said, you can't pluck them
out of my hand. And consider how he provides
for his bride. He protects her. He gives her
his name. He loves her eternally. He laid
down his life for her. Isn't that reason enough to love
him, all that he's done for his bride, and to be subject to him? Verse 25 says, they were both
naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed. His bride, Christ's bride is
clothed in His very righteousness, clothed in the righteousness
of God. And that thing of guilt and shame,
it's all been put away. Her guilt, her shame, her sin,
it's all been put away. Scripture says this, that we
are holy unblameable and unreprovable
in his sight. Well, again, I pray he'd be pleased
to. I remember several years back,
gosh, we were still at 13th Street. I remember John Chapman taught
the senior class. And he asked me if I'd teach
it. And it was this, I think it was Ephesians 5. And I looked
at it and looked down and said, John, I mean, I hadn't been married
two years. I can't do that. And I'll tell
you, we've been married 30 years, and I still can't teach from
this. It has to come from God's word.
It has to come from God's word. And I pray, I pray he'd use his
word to teach us. We could all be better husbands,
better wives, but above all, Above all, I pray
he'd use it to teach us of Christ, to teach us of Him.