Online Sermons
Lesson #21 - Vive La Difference!
Series: Home-BuildersLESSON #21 – VIVE LA DIFFERENCE!
INTRODUCTION
The Latin title for this topic of discussion could be, Diversus Lobus - - Diverse Lobes.
The whimsical premise of John Gray’s blockbuster book, Men Are From Mars And Women Are From Venus, is that many years ago,
all men lived on Mars, and all women lived on Venus. Once they got together, they respected and enjoyed their differences - -
until one day when everybody woke up completely forgetting that they had once come from different planets. And ever since,
men mistakenly expect women to think and communicate and react the way they do, and women expect men to thick and
communicate and react the way women do. These unrealistic expectations cause frustration. But when we understand the GOD-
GIVEN differences between males and females, we have more realistic expectations of the other sex, and our frustration level drops.
EQUAL BUT DIFFERENT
While both men and women are created “in the image of God” (Gen.1:27a), they are nonetheless different in many ways.
As Gen.1:27b notes, MALE and FEMALE He created them.
One wag (humorously) contends,
God made man from the dust of the earth, but woman He made from man's rib. So...man is but dirt, and woman - - well she's Prime Rib.
Dr. James Dobson illustrates this point by noting the “thermostat problem” that has dogged their lengthy marriage.
Shirley has ice in her veins and James feels like he's on the brink of heat exhaustion.
Despite scientific and notable differences, a close look at male and female anatomy makes it obvious that we were crafted to fit together.
This is not only true in a sexual context, but pyschologically as well.
Recent efforts to deny this uniqueness and homogenate all humans, doesn't square with either physiology or psychology.
The sooner we come to grips with our differences the more well-adjusted our marriages will become.
SOME WAYS MEN AND WOMEN ARE DIFFERENT
While there are always exceptions, generally speaking differences can be observed in the following areas.
1. Women have greater constitutional vitality - - they typically live longer.
2. The sexes differ in their basal metabolism. Sexually, "men are like microwaves and women are like crock pots”.
3. The skeletal structure is such that women have shorter heads, broader faces, shorter legs and longer trunks.
4. Women tend to have larger stomachs, kidneys, liver and appendix, but have smaller lungs.
5. Body functions are different - - women menstruate, get pregnant and lactate. Hormones explain the difference.
Female hormones not only contribute to the beauty of woman but also contribute to greater emotional stablility.
6. Blood is different in quantity and make-up (women have 20% fewer red blood cells).
7. Brute strength - - most men are 50% stronger than most women.
8. Between men and women a variance in heart rate, blood pressure and breathing power is clearly measurable.
A number of noteworthy authors (many of them doctors) have spent considerable ink deliberating on the differences between the sexes.
cf. Ross Campbell...Gary Chapman...Larry Crabb...James Dobson...John Gray...Gary Smalley...Stu Weber...etal.
QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION
What are some of the gender differences you've dealt with in your marriage?
_______________ … _______________ ... _______________ ... _______________ ... _______________ … _______________
_______________ … _______________ … _______________ … _______________ … _______________ … _______________
â IN NEXT WEEK'S FOLLOW-UP, WE'LL DISCUSS HOW MALES AND FEMALES COMMUNICATE DIFFERENTLY.
