Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world, so that all may know Christ.

Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church, located in Kernersville, North Carolina. Genesis chapter 2, verse 18. We'll begin reading there. Genesis chapter 2, verse 18. If you don't have your Bibles here this morning, that's fine. Just listen as we read. And the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone.

I will make him and help meet 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 thereof. Everybody says, well, where'd all the animals get their names?

Now you know. Verse 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 and help meet for him. 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. And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman and brought her unto the man. And he gave her bones and 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 ashamed. Father, as we deal with the beginnings of our history, we are all descendants from Adam. And Lord, as we go through these well-known verses, Lord, I pray that you'd help us as we not only speak on this subject of marriage, but the picture that you give of marriage and your relationship to the church. And Lord, I pray as we show these comparisons that it would be a challenge to our people. And Lord, I pray this morning that you would also challenge our husbands and wives. I pray that you would also challenge our marriages. And Lord, may we strive to serve you and please you in our marriage relationship. In your name we pray.

Amen. First, I want to preach on this subject, Lonely in Love. It's where it all started, Lonely in Love. I was going to name it Only the Lonely, but it reminded me too much of that Roy Orbison song. How many of you know what I'm talking about?

Yeah, you act like you're a bunch of big spiritual people. You know what I'm talking about. Anyway, I wasn't even going to play a copy of that, but I knew I would be excommunicated as soon as I did. So I just did that part.

Lord knows I'm never imitating a rooster again. I'll tell you that much right now. In chapter 18, we find first the problem. What was the problem? As God was going through creation and he created man, there was a problem that God quickly saw. Look at verse 18. And the Lord said, it is not good that man, that the man, Adam, should be alone.

There's the problem. You see, God saw very quickly that there was a need in man that could not be met by any other thing in creation at that time. Man just had some needs. He had some longings and as wonderful as creation was, and I'm sure as perfect as the Garden of Eden was, that only goes so far to a guy. And God saw that it just wasn't good that man should be alone. And can I say this? We automatically think, well, because of the husband-wife physical relationship, that's why.

No, listen to me, it's much more than that. It's not good for a man to be alone, not just physically, but we're talking emotionally and socially. And let me say this, and I always make this clear when teaching on marriage. I believe and I could take you to verses this morning that I believe it is not God's will for every person to get married.

We believe that. And God says that, you know, if you have to marry, then marry. But He said this, that if you can go through life not married and can give yourself wholly to God, that would be a wonderful thing. But can I say this, that when it comes to men especially, not just with a woman, but can I say this, that God knew that it wasn't good for man to be alone, not just not having a woman, but not having anybody else. Now man was fellowshipping with God, but can I say this, that men, individuals, we have social needs. It's not good sometimes to separate ourselves and not be around anybody. And can I say this, that the only way God could populate the earth was to make woman.

And we're going to get into that in just a minute. But when He says that God saw it wasn't good for man to be alone, it wasn't just because he needed a woman, it was because it's not good to be alone. And can I say this, that dear friends, you need to invest your life in people. It's not good to be hermits, I guess what we would call it, and to isolate yourselves and you can get to the point that you need to have that inner reaction socially. You need to be around other Christians, other saved individuals, you need to be around them. Can I have an amen right there?

But He said this, that was the problem. And by the way, some of these longings that Adam had, only a person of the opposite sex could meet those needs. And we believe that God in His creation laid it out how the family is supposed to be.

We're not here to criticize or jump on anybody, we're just here to teach what the Word of God says. And when God saw that man had needs, He made woman. And that's what God intends, a man and a woman make up marriage, and a man and a woman ought to make up a family, and we believe that.

You see the signs out in front for the marriage amendment, you know how we stand, and that's all I'll say obviously about that. I want you to notice second that God then came up with a plan He had the problem, so He came up with the plan. Notice this, He said, I will make Him and help meet for Him. So that was the plan, alright?

Man, it's not good that man's alone, so I am going to make a help meet for Him. I find all the way down through verse 25, notice this, it says this, God says, I will make, God said, God formed, God caused, God had taken, God made, and He says, I will make. This was God's plan. Marriage is ordained of God. It was His ideal.

You don't like it? Don't blame me. God came up with marriage and He had a plan, and you better stick to God's plan in marriage, or your marriage is going to be rough. And by the way, don't blame God when your marriage is rough. Nobody to blame but us.

It's a rough crowd this morning, alright. So that was His plan. Third, let's look at the procedure.

Alright? God said this is what I'm going to do, I'm going to make a help meet for Him. And so, He started out. Notice if you would, in verse 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. And Adam gave name to all cattle and to the fowl of the air and to every beast of the field, that was the was the procedure. God got out of the dirt and He made all the animals and He made all the creatures and He brought them by to Adam and Adam named all these individuals and that was the procedure that God had chosen and I don't know how Adam could have named all the animals but most of the animals you look at you just think they couldn't be anything else but that name and Adam named all the animals and all the creatures and the whole plan of this God says I want to help meet for him but after the plan and after the procedure there was still a predicament.

Notice if you would I love this. Look at verse 20. But for Adam there was not found and helped meet for him. If anybody understood this, God did.

And here's why. Why did God form creation and why did God make man? Because the Bible says God was lonely.

He wanted to fellowship with man. If anybody understood what it was to be lonely, if anybody understood what it was to long to have someone it was God and so if anybody was sensitive to what Adam was going through, God was. And God noticed that after all these creations and after Adam gave names to all these different creatures there was still something missing.

Thank God for that, fellas. Or we'd be married to a cow. Not everybody reads the Bible the way I do but I get a little bit humorous thinking about this.

I imagine that Adam every time God created something else and he brought it to Adam, Adam probably got a little bit excited. Alright, God's going to make a help meet for me, this is going to be wonderful and God began to make the cattle and the creatures and I'm sure everyone, Adam's like okay this might be my help meet and all of a sudden here comes a cow and Adam's like no that's not going to do it. I'll name that cow. Not wife, cow. Alright what's next? And everything that God came up with out of the creation, can you imagine Adam getting excited and here comes an aardvark. That ain't going to do it. Here comes a giraffe. No that's not going to be a help meet for me. I could just watch Adam as he went from one to the after the other and creature after creature and animal after animal and it was all said and done.

There was no help meet for him. So I want you to notice now as God begins to answer this need, look if you would at verse 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. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man made he a woman and brought her unto the man. I want you to notice first this morning the uniqueness of the process. This is what God did.

We're all going somewhere with this. God said alright Adam and he caused a deep sleep. Now look up that word it could be as much from trance to totally out. We don't know exactly how it was but God caused the sleep to fall upon Adam and somehow, someway, why I don't know is the way God did it. God reached in and he took a rib out of Adam. The Bible says when he pulled that rib out that he closed up the flesh. And from that rib he made woman. Now you say that doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Well it doesn't make sense to me either. But that's how God did it. And aren't you glad God did it?

Whoa, there's too many married people here. Aren't you glad God did it? I want you to notice something that I think is very interesting. God made woman from Adam's rib because the most tender part on a man's body is right here. You don't believe me?

Ask my father-in-law. All my family always, if you want to get him you gouge him right under here. Just like my wife just did.

You say why is that important? Well, God showed the tenderness of man how he should have tenderness towards the woman. Can I say this? We don't treat a woman like we treat a man. You don't talk to a woman like you talk to a man, you don't treat her like you treat a man. A woman's not one of the guys. She's not somebody you push around that you treat like that. You ought to treat a woman different. I was raised as a kid, you don't punch a woman. It's a good thing I was raised like that. See my wife left, I got right in on it.

Just like that. I'm obviously pickin'. I remember as a kid one time we were in Miami, Florida. I don't know why I even thought of this but I was at some people's house playing a game and they had a girl there that was a little bit older than me and she was just mean. Of course most girls are and you know she was just mean and nasty and Buddy she got and just kicked me. We were playing a game and I beat her and she kicked me. And boy I came, I don't know it was just the timing my mom and dad I don't even remember this but I was like this and Buddy just doing that at a girl. Buddy they came and just clobbered me my dad did. Don't you ever hit a girl? Don't you ever even act like you're hitting a girl?

And I was like but you don't don't you ever? A woman's different. God took this woman from Adam's rib and by the way I find something very interesting here that the Bible says that often talks about Adam here in creation as the first Adam. When Jesus came he's known as the second Adam. I find it interesting that the first Adam the rib came out of his side, he was pierced in his side and the second Adam on the cross was pierced in his side. I find it interesting here that when God made woman he brought the Bible says he brought Eve to Adam, he brought the woman to Adam and guess what Jesus came to us, why? Because God brought Jesus to us. And as Eve became Adam's bride the church became Jesus' bride. The uniqueness of the process but I want you to notice secondly the unity of the relationship.

We're going somewhere with this. Notice if you would read verse 23. Keep this word unity in your mind. And Adam said this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. The unity of the relationship. I want you to notice first the proving process.

What does this word proving mean preacher? Well it means that there had to be an acceptance. Adam had to accept this creation because Adam had not accepted a number of them. Every animal that God created, every creature that he brought was not acceptable to Adam as his help me.

He named them and that was fine but they were not an help me for him. But when God made woman Adam looked at her and he said this is now flesh of my flesh and bone of my bones. What it was Adam was putting acceptance on her. And let me tell you in redneck terms it was like this.

Wow! Woman. First time any man had ever seen a woman.

It was his bride. There was acceptance and can I say this aren't you thankful that Jesus accepted us as his bride. There's nothing about us that should have been accepted. We were nothing but a bunch of rotten sinners and we had crucified him and mistreated him but Jesus loved us as his bride. He accepts us for who we are. And you say preacher I just don't think I can be saved.

You don't know the things I've done, the places I've gone and you don't know the things I've been involved with. Oh listen to me dear friend he accepts you for who you are. You can be saved today. Adam accepted God's creation and Jesus loved God's creation enough that he died on the cross for our sins.

The proving period. Can I say this that Adam completely accepted Eve and God completely accepted Adam. Will you accept God?

I want you to notice second the priority we notice here. Look if you would at verse 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.

By the way let me put it this way. Man was made for God. Woman was made for man.

Did you know that? Let me put it this way. Man was made for God. Woman was made for man.

Shopping malls are made for woman. And man has been paying for it ever since. Look if you would at verse 24.

I find this very interesting. Therefore because Adam accepted this bride. Because Adam accepted this woman as his help me. Therefore this is how the process started. Look at verse 24. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother.

We notice the priority here. That means this. When you have chosen a bride that then takes the priority over all other things like family and all other things. Ouch! That word leave means to relinquish or loosen. It doesn't mean that I've taken a bride. See you mom and dad I can't ever see you again. I must leave.

Not saying that. What's he saying? To relinquish. To loosen. That means this. That when you take a bride there's got to be a loosening of that family process.

You know what? Now mom and dad aren't my priority. My wife is my priority. Now I find that the Bible never says here to the bride that she must leave father or mother.

But let me tell you something even more interesting about this and I'm sure you've noticed this. I tell Adam to leave father and mother. Adam didn't have father and mother. Adam was the first one created.

So he didn't have a father and mother. So why would God tell him that? He's telling us. And I believe he's telling both the man and the woman.

That means this. There's got to go through that process in marriage that you know what it doesn't mean you don't love family. You ought to respect your family.

And by the way this is free. Moms and dads with your kids you ought to play it fair with the grandparents. Don't go spend all your time with one set of grandparents and never bring the kids over to see the other set. You owe it to your mom and dad.

That's a free one. And all grandparents said amen. You have no idea how some grandparents are hurt by that.

There's got to be a process of leaving. That means setting yourself up, relinquishing, loosening from that. It means that you know what now if mama don't like something and you're married you take up for the wife. The wife takes the priority.

We're to leave father and mother and cleave unto the wife. Am I meddling here this morning? Can I tell you something? I love my mom and dad. I respect them. I talk to them about everything and I try to any decision I ever make I run it by them.

But can I tell you something? If anything ever came down and it was between my mom and my dad or my wife, my wife would win every time. Because that's what the Bible says to do.

And we'd have a whole lot less problems in marriages nowadays if a man would grow up and be a man and get away from mama and decide that you know what the wife's the wife. That's the way God put it. It's my job to cleave to her and that's what I'm going to do.

And all God's people said, Amen. Oh, I'm going to get hit with something today. Doesn't mean you don't love mama. It doesn't mean you don't care for mama. It doesn't mean you don't take care of mama.

It just means that you know what? Mama doesn't take the precedence over the wife. Now it's the wife's turn. Wives, that husband ought to take precedence over your family. You say this is not nice for a Sunday morning. You're supposed to be nice and gentle. Folks, listen, we got marriages ending left and right.

We've got to have to teach what the Bible says. And it all starts. Let me tell you something. You better determine if you're married. That's the priority. That relationship is the priority. We are to leave father and mother. Doesn't mean we don't ever see them.

It means we are to leave. Our allegiance should be then turned to the mate. Now I know there's always extenuating circumstances and I know sometimes individuals have married an absolute nut.

And they're absolutely crazy. Well, we're not talking about that, okay? I'm talking about your normal circumstance, listen to me, we are to leave father and mother and we are to cleave to our mate. That is the priority. By the way, you are Christ's priority. Is Christ your priority? And if he is, then your mate will be your priority. Because that's what Christ said to do. You and I are his priority no matter how bad we've treated him. Ouch.

This is convicting for me. All I'm saying is this, by the way, listen, wives, especially your husband is your priority, not your boss. I know there are individuals sometimes they are more loyal to their boss than to their own husband.

And I don't care what the work situation is. Let me tell you something, that husband takes precedence over a boss or anybody else at work. That's the way the Bible said to have it, folks. And I know this isn't popular and I know you say, well, you don't understand and I know I don't understand your situation.

All I can do is tell you what the Bible says. The husband takes the precedence, the wife takes the precedence. That's the priority. And I'm going to tell you something, men, your wife ought to be more important, that ought to be the priority over your secretary or anybody else at work. You better take care of your wife and do nice things for your wife or you would ever do anything for a secretary or somebody else.

If you're doing it for a secretary or somebody at work or a friend or a coworker and you're not doing it for your wife, then you're wrong in the Bible. And we've got marriages splitting up because husbands and wives are fighting at home and everybody goes to an office and a secretary understands. And then they sit and talk and then a wife leaves a husband and they go and all of a sudden her boss understands that, oh, he's willing to talk and he understands what I'm going through. And that's how things get started. And the priority should have always been the mate. You've got problems fixing with the mate.

You don't go talk to somebody of the opposite sex about it. And that's why we've got marriages. And he's trying. And all God's people this morning ought to be saying amen to everything I'm saying. Because our marriages are crumbling right in front of us. Somebody gets up and preaches what the Bible says, then we don't like it. Hey, we can't keep doing the same thing, folks, and expect a different result.

We might as well start teaching what the Bible has to say. Notice, thirdly, we find the persistence here. We find the persistence. Notice, he says, leave father and mother, notice this word, and cleave unto his wife. You know what that word cleave means? It means to adhere, to cling.

Listen to this. It means to catch by pursuit. That means that the man is supposed to loosen from mom and dad and he is supposed to pursue his wife. That means I don't care what it takes, I am going to pursue her, I'm going to love her, I'm going to cling to her, I'm going to adhere to her, whatever it takes. If it means working less hours to keep your marriage strong, then work less hours.

If it means I can't have as nice a house and I can work less to keep my marriage strong, then keep your marriage strong. Cleave means to persist it. Well, yeah, but I go and she did this, she didn't. Oh, let me tell you something. The Bible says you're supposed to cleave to her. That means I don't care what, you ought to be complete and try and persist and whatever it takes to win her and whatever it takes to keep her happy and whatever it takes to love her and whatever it takes to show her that you care, that's what you're supposed to do as a man.

Things have changed nowadays. We as men sometimes get spoiled rotten. Think the wife's supposed to do everything for us? Well, she don't cook this, she don't do this.

Well, let me ask something. What have you done to pursue your wife lately? Have you done anything special? Have you done anything to show her you care?

Or is it, hey, here's some money, go get you something. What have you done to win her, pursue her, show her you care? Bible says we're supposed to leave, mom and dad, and we're supposed to cleave, adhere, cling to.

There ought to be persistence there. Oh, listen to me, husbands and wives, what have you done lately to try to cling to the other person? We cling to everybody else. We get on the phone with our girlfriend, ladies, we get on the phone with our friends and we'll chit-chat eight hours, but the husband comes home, all we do is say something sarcastic. And guys, we'll get in the truck and we'll talk to our buddies about everything and we'll come home, sit in the recliner, don't have anything to say to our wife. There's something wrong with that.

Are y'all mad at me? I am just trying to tell you the truth, trying to tell you what Satan's doing, and it all started right at the beginning of the Bible, what we're supposed to do. Not only is our wife supposed to be our priority, but we are to persistently win her. We're supposed to take her out on dates.

We're not supposed to run our mouth about everything she does wrong and we shouldn't say things and belittle her and say, well, you don't do this and you don't do this for me. Hey, listen, that's totally against the Bible. We're supposed to cleave. I heard one say this, we're supposed to leave, cleave, and then weave. You leave, you cleave, and in your lives weave together.

We almost can't tell the difference between one and the other, they're so close. Oh, dear friend, you know what the Bible says? The Bible says, God says, draw nigh to me, I'll draw nigh to you. You see, God is persistently drawing us. That's a picture when he says, hey, we're supposed to persistently draw our mates and try to love our mates.

That's exactly what Christ does to us. If you draw nigh to me, God says, I'll draw nigh to you. God is just waiting to get close to you. He's wanting to get close to you.

He's longing to get close to you, and that's exactly how marriage should work. I want you to notice, fourthly, the position. I want you to notice the position here, look if you would at verse 24. He says this, therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be what? One flesh. Do you know that's the position that your marriage is in under God? You are one flesh. You are one. This is a great picture when we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts.

He lives in us. Can I tell you this? There are so many people that have been through so many difficult things. But I want you to know that this marriage relationship, God still has the same opinions about it. And we ought to fight hard to save our marriage.

We ought to do everything within our ability. You say preacher, but there are some circumstances. You're right. You're absolutely right. And the Bible gives grounds for certain things in his word. But God's priority plan is always for that marriage to stay together. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin broadcast today. God bless you.