Title: “Free To Be Me”
Subtitle: Finding Who God Created Me To Be
Series: The Summer Seven
Resources & Supplements:
Heather’s Skriba’s Full Testimony (video)
A Gender Conversation with Heather Skriba (podcast)
Transgenderism, The Church and the Gospel (video)
Faith, Sexuality and Gender (video)
“Mom, I Want To Be a She” (read)
Extra Crazy Resources: “Center For Faith” (website)
Message Notes
For God is not a God of confusion (chaos) but of peace… —1 Corinthians 14:33 (ESV)
Give ear, O my people, to my law; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children; That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments. —Psalm 78:1-7 (NKJV)
What Does Scripture Say?
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. —Genesis 1:26-27 (NKJV)
Men’s Role:
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. —Genesis 2:15 (NIV)
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. —Ephesians 5:25, 28 (NIV)
Women’s Role:
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” —Genesis 2:18 (NIV)
Scriptures Definition of Woman:
Ezer: Inherent strength
Kenegdo: Corresponding, essential, suitable
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. —Proverbs 31:10-20 (NIV)
For we are God’s handiwork (Masterpiece), created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. —Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
How Did We Get Here?
1920’s, 1940’s, 1960’s, today
They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised….Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. —Romans 1:25, 28 (NIV)
How Do We Deal With The Gender Dilemma?
1) Start a
Statistics Show:
88%…kids today cease to identify as transgender as they get older.
2) Build
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. —1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (NIV)
3) Focus on the
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” —Matthew 23:25-26 (NIV)
4)
Final Thought:
The Gender trauma is healed through the Gospel truth.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. —Romans 1:16 (NIV)