Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be
Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:1-3; 7:15; 8:14-16; 10:5-6
Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be
(Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:3; 7:15; 8:14-16; 10:5-6)
“If we’re blindsided by injustice, we’re going to be blindfolded to hope.” (John Onwuchekwa)
Not the way it’s supposed to be.
Not the way it will always be.
A way to live in the meantime.
Main Idea: We live with a defiant hope by remembering the cross and awaiting the judgment.
I. Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be
“Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness.” (Ecclesiastes 3:16)
“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. (Matthew 23:2-3)
“You’re shinin’ your light, and shine it you should, / But you’re so heavenly minded you’re no earthly good” ~ Johnny Cash
”Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors, there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun..” (Ecclesiastes 4:1-3)
“There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 8:14)
“There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: 6 folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place.” (Ecclesiastes 10:5–7)
II. Not the Way Things Will Always Be
“I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.” Ecclesiastes 3:17.
“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)
“Our sins were the judicial ground of the sufferings of Christ, so that they were a satisfaction of justice; and his righteousness is the judicial ground of our acceptance with God, so that our pardon is an act of justice.” (Charles Hodge)
“And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15)
III. A Way Forward in the Meantime
Observe (Ecclesiastes 3:16, 4:1)
Reflect (Ecclesiastes 3:17, 4:2)
Lament (Ecclesiastes 3:19-22, 4:2-3)
Time After Time
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
Time After Time
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
Main Idea: We learn to enjoy the cycles of time and embrace the tension of time by turning to Jesus, the Lord of time, and receiving eternal life.
I. The Seasons of Time (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
Relational Seasons
a time to be born, and a time to die;
“For man does not know his time.” (Ecclesiastes 9:12)
Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass. (Job 14:5)a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is! (Proverbs 15:23)
Vocational Seasons
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
Provisional Seasons
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11–13)
Generational Seasons
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Emotional Seasons
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
But the cheerful of heart has a continual feast. (Proverbs 15:15)a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing. (Psalm 30:11)
Let them praise his name with dancing. (Psalm 149:3)
“as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. (2 Corinthians 6:9–10)
II. The Tension of Time (Ecclesiastes 3:9-13)
What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. (Ecclesiastes 3:9–10)
He has made everything beautiful in its time. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. (Genesis 50:20)
Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man. (Ecclesiastes 3:12–13)
III. The Lord of Time (Ecclesiastes 3:14-15)
I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. That which is, already has been; that which is to be already has been, and God seeks what has been driven away. (Ecclesiastes 3:14–15)
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! (Romans 11:33)
A time for Jesus to be born. (Galatians 4:4)
A Time for Jesus to heal the sick. (Matthew 12:15, 14:14, 14:36, 15:30, 21:14, Luke 4:40)
A time for Jesus to plant. (Matthew 15:13, Mark 11:12-14, 20-21)
A time for Jesus to build and tear down. (Matthew 21:12–17, Mark 11:15–19, Luke 19:45–48, John 2:13–16)
A Time for Jesus to feast. (Luke 19:1-10)
A time for Jesus to eat and drink. (Matthew 11:19, Luke 7:34-36)
A time for Jesus to weep. (John 11:1-44)
A time for Jesus to mourn. (Isaiah 53:3, Luke 19:41-44; cf. Matthew 9:36)
A time for Jesus to rejoice. (Luke 10:21)
A time for Jesus to remain silent. (1 Peter 2:23)
A time for Jesus to speak. (Luke 4:17-21)
A time for Jesus to die. (John 7:30, Romans 5:6)
A time for Jesus to rise from the dead. (Hosea 6:2; cf. Luke 24:45-46; 1 Corinthians 15:4)
A time for Jesus to build, first with wood (Mark 6:3), then with words (Matthew 16:18), and now his church (Ephesians 2:19-22, 1 Corinthians 3:9-15).
A time for him to bring peace (John 14:27, Romans 5:1).
A time for Jesus to come again and make all things new. (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Revelation 1:7)
The Vanity of Work
Ecclesiastes 2:18-26, 4:4-8
The Vanity of Work
Ecclesiastes 2:18-26, 4:4-8
Main Idea: Despite the frustrations of our toil under the sun, we can joyfully receive work as a gift from God.
I. Why is Work so Frustrating? (2:18-23)
As the Preacher continues on his quest to find meaning and significance in a world of “smoke,” he gives himself fully over to work. But he runs into two problems with work under the sun:
1. Our work does not last (2:18-21)
The Preacher despairs that all of his life’s work will be left to another person after he dies, who is not guaranteed to treat this inheritance with wisdom. This is precisely what happens to Solomon, as his son Rehoboam ends up dividing and losing most of his father’s kingdom (cf. 1 Kings 12). Even when our work is fruitful in our lifetime, it usually lasts for a short time.
2. Our work is exhausting (2:22-23; cf. Gen. 3:17-19)
The word “toil” (used 22 times in Ecc.) hints at this reality. Toil is “excessive, endless, fruitless labor – the kind that leaves us exhausted, with nothing valuable to show for our effort” (Andy Crouch). As a result of the Fall, the ground itself is cursed and fights back against our labor. Work under the sun is marked by sorrow, vexation, and a restless heart.
“While God has made us to work, our work is now distorted. We face the triple challenge of our own sinful hearts, the sinfulness of others with whom we work, and the curse on the created order itself.” ~ David Jones, Every Good Thing
II. Why Can’t We Fix It? (4:4, 7-8)
Our motivations for work are complicated (4:4): Work in our culture is often a pursuit of trying to justify our existence, to make a name or reputation for ourselves, and to find an identity.
“One of the reasons work is both fruitless and pointless is the powerful inclination of the human heart to make work, and its attendant benefits, the main basis of one’s meaning and identity… [Work] becomes a way to distinguish myself from my neighbor, to show the world and prove to myself that I’m special. It is a way to accumulate power and security, and to exercise control over my destiny.” ~ Tim Keller, Every Good Endeavor
Our work is often alienating (4:7-8): The more we give ourselves over to our work, the more it becomes selfish, isolating, and alienating from God and others.
“I turned my head and saw yet another wisp of smoke on its way to nothingness: a solitary person, completely alone—no children, no family, no friends—yet working obsessively late into the night, compulsively greedy for more and more, never bothering to ask, ‘Why am I working like a dog, never having any fun? And who cares?’ More smoke.” ~ Ecclesiastes 4:7-8 (Eugene Peterson, The Message)
Our work is never fully satisfying (4:8). Our inability to disengage and rest from our work, our feelings of guilt and procrastination, and our restlessness are symptoms of an endless chasing after the wind.
III. What is Something Better? (2:24-26, 4:5-6)
The Preacher suddenly brings God back into the picture in 2:24-26, after his self-absorbed quest in 1:12-2:23 ends up being “smoke.” These 3 verses are the “principal conclusion” and the “point of the whole book” of Ecclesiastes (Martin Luther).
When we view our lives under the sun in relationship to God, we discover two things:
We can enjoy the presence and the pleasure of God in the ordinary things of life
We can enjoy our work and toil, resting without being lazy, and working hard without being a workaholic (4:5-6; cf. 1 Tim. 6:17-19)
1 Corinthians 15:58: Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
The Vanity of Success
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11; Mark 8:34-38
The Vanity of Success
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11; Mark 8:34-38
In this passage, the author lays out his experiment in seeking happiness “under the sun” by pursuing success. The structure of the experiment follows standard scientific methodology:
The Hypothesis: Can attaining success “under the sun” result in happiness ? (v. 1a, 3)
The Experiment: A robust catalog of enjoyments and achievements attained. (v. 4-10a)
The Conclusion: Did the enjoyments and the achievements produce lasting happiness? (v. 1b, 10b-11)
As we walk through the experiment with the author, we’ll think about:
The LOGIC of success as a life-defining pursuit.
The LIMITS of success as a life-defining practice.
The Successful LIFE according to Jesus.
I. The Logic of Success as a life-defining pursuit.
Here is the logic behind the hypothesis that drives the Preacher’s experiment:
I like feeling good
It feels good to indulge/win/enjoy
Therefore, the more I indulge/win/enjoy, the better I will feel
In short, if I succeed in life, I will be happy and I will disprove the Preacher’s conclusion that all is vanity.
Here is the point of the experiment: If anyone ever achieved the kind of success that would provide a steady, sustainable stream of the finer pleasures of life, Solomon did. If anyone held onto the ability to remain scientifically objective about the whole thing, Solomon did.
The Preacher merely observes that he knew the most successful man of the day and this is the conclusion he reached after decades of success and the pleasures that go with it:
“Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.” (2:11)
II. The Limits of Success as a life-defining practice.
First, it is extremely Individualistic.
Did you notice how many times in these eleven verses that the personal pronouns I, me, my, myself were used? 39 times in 11 short verses!!
At least two nasty consequences tend to follow this individualistic self-obsession:
Selfward skew.
Social isolation.
Second, it is arrogantly Exclusive.
The Preacher brags that he undertook this experiment for the noble purpose of discovering what “was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life.” (2:3) But two realities are immediately obvious:
There simply is no way that the broad sweep of “the children of man” were ever going to be able to achieve what Solomon achieved!
Solomon’s outrageous success actually came from the labor and was built on the backs of thousands of “children of men” who did not fare all that well from his brilliant success.
Lastly, this kind of success is ultimately Corrosive.
This kind of success destroys its owner.
This kind of success pollutes downstream.
Dismissing the pursuit of success and pleasure would not be solving the problem. If Solomonic success cannot lift us out of the conclusion that everything under the sun is vanity, REDUCING the definition of what I call my own personal success will not do that either.
My own smaller definition of success is no less limiting than Solomon’s and no more able to beat the label of vanity than was his. It is just as individualistic and isolating, just as exclusive and arrogant, just as corrosive and destructive, just as much chasing the wind, but only on a smaller scale.
Here is the secret we learn from Jesus on this mystery: It is not the PURSUIT of success and subsequent pleasure that is the problem, but rather our DEFINITION of success that is the problem. As it turns out, the success we seek - even to Solomonic proportions - is not too large, but rather, too small!
III. The Successful Life according to Jesus
In Mark 8:34-38, Jesus articulates a better logic of success. He lays out a better path to success, and endorses hard pursuit of a far better reward.
…If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by an offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
~ C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
The Vanity of Wisdom
Ecclesiastes 1:12-18, 2:12-17
The Vanity of Wisdom
Ecclesiastes 1:12-18, 2:12-17
Main Idea: Wisdom under the sun is limited, so we must pursue wisdom from above in the fear of the Lord.
I. The Quest of Wisdom
In light of the ‘vanity’ (1:2; lit.: smoke) of life, the Preacher begins a quest “by wisdom” to search out “all that is done under heaven.” He has a unique privilege to explore why our experience in this world is the way that it is.
“Imagine someone with the wealth of Warren Buffet, the business sense and savvy of Jay-Z, sprinkled with the prestige of Oprah, and topped off with the power and respect of your favorite president. He's all that and more. And this rings true of the Teacher in Ecclesiastes. Not only does he have great wisdom, but he has access to anything and everything under the sun.” ~ John Onwuchekwa
The allure of this quest is a kind of wisdom and knowledge that grasps for control, able to explain away the vanity we experience. This quest has its roots in the fall of Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden (cf. Gen. 3:5).
This pursuit ends up being an “unhappy business” and a “striving after the wind.” God “gives” this kind of pursuit to mankind not so that we might gain control over the world or solve all of its problems, but rather that we might embrace the vanity of life under the sun.
II. The Limits of Wisdom
Ecclesiastes (and the rest of the Bible) consistently affirms the value of true wisdom. But although there is “more to gain in wisdom than folly” (2:13), the Preacher runs into 3 limitations on his quest:
Wisdom can’t change the curse (1:15)
Wisdom can’t explain the enigma (1:16-17)
Wisdom can’t defeat death (2:14-16)
In the face of these limitations, the Preacher comes to an honest place of lament. As his wisdom increased, so did his vexation and sorrow with the world (1:18); as he saw all the grievous things under the sun, he hated life itself (2:17). Though this language might make us uncomfortable, it is an expression of true wisdom.
“The wise learn not to fear revealing what is true about their despair or hatred. God’s character and covenant anchor their voice and make every feeling and thought, no matter how beautiful or foul, a matter of prayer for God to enter… The wise learn to manage life, not by frantically trying to glue together the knocked-over vase, but by gathering all the shattered jagged pieces and powdered dust from the floor and bringing them to God.” ~ Zack Eswine
III. The Enjoyment of Wisdom
When we realize the vanity of wisdom for wisdom’s sake alone, we are in a position to pursue and enjoy a true wisdom that lasts. This is marked by:
The Fear of the Lord (cf. 7:16-18; Prov. 1:7).
Embracing Limitations & Enjoying Life
“Living under the sun, believers are happy to take comfort in knowing that they do not know. We learn, perhaps through great pain, to be deeply content with not knowing. To know all there is about everything there is to know, to know it in all ways and at all the right times so that I have every bit of relevant data in front of me, well, that is the kind of control over the world that Ecclesiastes has been teaching me to surrender. I cannot know, and so I don't have to know… The wisest thing you can do is to realize that not even being wise will tell you everything you want to know.” ~ David Gibson
Pursuing Wisdom from Above (cf. James 3:13-18). This kind of wisdom that is “pure, gentle, peaceable, and open to reason, full of mercy, sincere, and impartial” is seen supremely in the wisdom of God incarnate, Jesus Christ (Mt. 12:42).
Life Under the Sun
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
Life Under the Sun
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
“If Proverbs is like math, mostly dealing in equations in which one thing adds up to equal another, then Ecclesiastes is like music, all mood with melody and tone. If Proverbs is like meteorology giving us indicators so as to predict certain outcomes, then Ecclesiastes is like the actual weather, fickle and unpredictable in its ability to rant with storms or breathe easy with a mid-morning breeze.”
~ Zack Eswine
Main Idea: Life under the sun is fleeting and elusive, inviting us to humbly embrace this reality before the Lord.
I. The Preacher (1:1)
Though there is debate over the author of Ecclesiastes, it is clearly written in the “Solomonic” tradition after King Solomon, the “Son of David.” Whether he is the author or not, we are to read this book in light of his kingship, wisdom, wealth, and extravagance.
Within Ecclesiastes, we hear from two distinct voices:
The “Preacher” (Heb. Qoheleth), sometimes translated as the “teacher, philosopher, or quester.” His name literally means ‘one who speaks to the congregation.’
The Author (cf. Ecc. 12:9ff), who remains anonymous and comments on the preacher’s wisdom.
II. The Message (1:2-3)
Thesis statement 1A: “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”
“Vanity” (Heb: hebel) lit. means smoke, breathe, or vapor. This multifaceted metaphor teaches us two realities:
Life is short & fleeting (cf. Ps. 144:3-4, Jas. 4:14)
Life is elusive & enigmatic
“Ecclesiastes is a meditation on how life seems to elude our grasp in terms of lasting significance. If we try to gain control of the world and our lives by what we can understand and by what we can do, we find that the control we seek eludes us.”
~ David Gibson
Thesis statement 1B: “What does man gain by all his toil at which he toils under the sun.”
The Preacher’s vantage point is human experience here in this world ‘under the sun,’ not beginning with divine commandments or prerogatives. Looking ‘under the sun’ for ‘gain’ - something leftover of value or permanence - will net us nothing.
III. The Reality (1:4-11)
To prove his thesis, the Preacher poetically tells us:
Nothing really changes (1:4-7)
Nothing really satisfies (1:8)
Nothing is really new (1:9-10)
Nothing (and no one) will really be remembered (1:11)
“The horror of the Same Old Thing is one of the most valuable passions we have produced in the human heart - an endless source of heresies in religion, folly in counsel, infidelity in marriage, and inconstancy in friendship.”
~ C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
IV. The Hope
The Preacher is inviting us to consider life under the sun in a different way: what if we stopped looking at life as ‘gain’ (1:4), and instead receive it as a gift?
Because life under the sun is ‘vanity,’ we should simultaneously enjoy it and embrace it for what it is. As we embrace the fact that life is short and elusive, we are freed up to enjoy its simple pleasures with thanksgiving for what it is, not what we wish it might be.
Mark 8:36: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”
Romans 8:18–21: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
The glory and hope that awaits us is rooted in the eternal work of Jesus Christ.
Jesus really changes things
Jesus really satisfies the deep longings of our soul (Ecc. 3:11)
Jesus really will make all things new
Jesus really is remembered
Spiritual Warfare
Ephesians 6:10-24
Spiritual Warfare
Ephesians 6:10-24
“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”
-C.S. Lewis
Main Idea: To fight against the enemy, we must rightly equip ourselves for battle.
Lines are drawn: Who is the enemy? Where is our strength found? (6:10-12)
Suit up: How do we ready ourselves for battle? (6:13-17)
The work: What is the mission? (Are there reinforcements?) (6:18-20)
Help is always on the way. (6:21-23)
How are your battles going?
Who are you fighting with?
Who are you fighting for?
Who are you trying to free?
Our Heavenly Master
Ephesians 6:5-9
Our Heavenly Master
Ephesians 6:5-9
Main Idea: We must treat others and approach our work in relationship to our Heavenly Master.
I. The Gospel & Slavery
Slavery and servitutde were a massive part of the structure of the Roman Empire, with some estimating there were upwards of 60 million slaves (or ‘bondservants’) at the time of Christ. In a city like Ephesus, a full ⅓ of the population may have been bondservants.“Paul could no more envisage a world without slavery than we can envisage a world without electricity.” ~ N.T. Wright
Though the practices of slavery varied throughout the Roman Empire, the practice during the time of the NT was different than slavery in the American South in some important ways:
It was based more in economics than race.
It was (usually) not lifelong; bondservants would work for compensation and could gain their freedom through release or payment.
Bondservants were a part of the structure of society at nearly all levels, often serving in roles like teachers, secretaries, and doctors.
Paul teaches Christians how they should live within this existing and culturally unquestioned structure without condoning it. The gospel itself undermined the very institution of slavery, creating a community of equality and justice in the church that helped lead to the end of this practice.
“While we cannot defend the indolence or cowardice of two further Christian centuries which saw this social evil but failed to eradicate it, we can at the same time rejoice that the gospel immediately began even in the first century to undermine the institution; it lit a fuse which at long last led to the explosion which destroyed it.”
~ John Stott
II. The Gospel & Bondservants (6:5-8)
Bondservants are to render their service and their work ultimately to Christ. Paul directly connections their work and their position four times to the Lord. They are to serve their earthly masters in a way that honors their Heavenly Master.
This gives them three new realities for their work:
New Motivation: purity and sincerity of heart (“wholeness”)
New Work Ethic: not for people-pleasing, but good honest work before the Lord
New Reward: working for treasures in heaven and a reward from their Heavenly Master
With these exhortations in mind, Christians today ought to approach treatment of others in authority and our work in the same way (cf. Col. 3:23-24). Our motivations for work should not be worldly, but instead Spirit-filled (5:18), reflecting our greater calling to the Lord in every area of our lives.
“Christians have been set free to enjoy working. If we begin to work as if we were serving the Lord, we will be freed from both overwork and underwork. Neither the prospect of money and acclaim, nor the lack of it, will be our controlling consideration. Work will be primarily a way to please God by doing his work in the world, for his name’s sake.”
~ Tim Keller
III. The Gospel & Masters (6:9)
Paul’s exhortations here would have been revolutionary in this culture; he assumes that within the church there is an equality and reciprocal treatment between master and bondservant (“do the same to them”). Like bondservants, masters must treat those under their authority as they would treat Christ (cf. Col. 4:1).
For those in positions of authority, they are compelled by the gospel to use their authority in a way that resembles Christ, embracing that they are “fellow-servants” of the same Heavenly Master who shows no partiality. They must not threaten or intimidate those under their authority, but treat them with dignity and respect.
As we draw our attention to our Heavenly Master, we are reminded that Jesus “came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk. 10:45). He came in his incarnation “by taking the form of a servant” and counting others as more significant than himself (Phil. 2:3-7). The pattern of our Heavenly Master must be the foundation and source of strength for how we treat others and our work.
Family Matters
Ephesians 6:1-4
Family Matters
Ephesians 6:1-4
Main idea: We glorify God by living together in Gospel-shaped families.
Matthew 19:14: “but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.””
Ps 127:3–5: Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
“From God you receive them. To God you lead them.” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer
1 Samuel 1:26–28: 26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.
John 14:18–21: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
“One's heart goes out to the children of such fathers, and those of us who are fathers ourselves know that we too are far from perfect. ButGod the Father is not called Father because he copies earthly fathers.He is not some pumped-up version of your dad. To transfer the failingsof earthly fathers to him is, quite simply, a misstep. Instead, things arethe other way around: it is that all human fathers are supposed to reflect him--only where some do that well, others do a better job of reflecting the devil.” ~James Miller
Hebrews 12:7–11: 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Deuteronomy 6:7–9: 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
The Mystery of Marriage
Ephesians 5:22-33
The Mystery of Marriage
Ephesians 5:22-33
Main Idea: Marriage is a profound mystery pointing us to the ultimate marriage of Christ and the church.
I. Appreciating the Mystery (5:30-32)
Marriage is a “profound (lit. ‘mega’) mystery” that reveals to us something of eternal significance. We must appreciate both the design and the destination for marriage if we are to understand this mystery.
1. The Design of Marriage (Gen. 2:18-25)
In the Garden of Eden, God sees that “it is not good” that Adam is alone, so he creates Eve, a “helper fit for him” (2:18)
“Helper” does not imply inferiority; this term is most used of God himself in the OT and the Holy Spirit in the NT. The original marriage had a design of “head” (Eph. 5:23) and “helper.”
“Fit” speaks to the complementary relationship between the man and the woman; they were equal but not equivalent or interchangeable. Adam and Eve needed one another as essential partners to fulfill the mandates from the Lord.
Ultimately, the design of marriage was not meant to culminate with Adam and Eve, but with Christ’s love for the church. We must think of marriage today in light of the eternal love story of Christ for his bride.
“Every time a bride and a groom stand there and take their vows, they are reenacting the biblical love story, whether they realize it or not. The Son of God stepping down out of eternity, entering time, taking on flesh, pursuing and winning his bride as his very heart and body with his inmost, sincerest love so that he can fit her to be with him forever above – that dramatic super-reality is the breathtaking reason why human marriage exists.” ~ Ray Ortlund
2. The Destination of Marriage (Rev. 19:6-9, 21:1-2)
“The echoes of Genesis 2 are unmistakable. Again, we see God bringing a bride to her husband, only this time the husband is Jesus and we are the bride. In that first marriage, Adam failed to step in and help his wife when she needed him. But at the end of time there will be another wedding, the wedding supper of the Lamb, and its purpose is also to fill the world with children of God. It will succeed where the first marriage failed because, while the first husband in history failed, the Second Husband did not. The true Adam, Jesus Christ, will never fail his spouse, the Second Eve, his church.” ~ Tim Keller
II. Inhabiting the Mystery (5:22-29, 33)
With the foundation of this “mystery” revealed to us in Christ, we can make more sense of the exhortations Paul gives to both wives and husbands:
1. Wives (5:22-24): submit to your own husbands as to the Lord
3 notes on this exhortation:
This is not based on “traditionalism” or cultural constructs, but is consistently affirmed as God’s good design for marriage (cf. Col. 3:18, 1 Pet. 3:1)
This is voluntary posture, not under compulsion, for a specific context: wives to your own husbands, not women (in general) to men (in general)
This is an expression of obedience to the Lord (“as to the Lord”) and respect (5:33) for her husband
Philippians 2:3–7: Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves… Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
2. Husbands (5:25-29): love your wives (3x)
Paul gives two analogies to explain what this love should look like:
Love your wife as Christ loves the church (5:25-27); this posture is marked by 4 verbs: give yourself up, sanctify, cleanse, and present. Husbands should love their wives in such a way that they are more like Christ, preparing for the day when we will be glorified in splendor.
“How does Christ love and lead his church? He does so by laying down his own life to the point of crucifixion. A husband’s leadership is about a special accountability for sabotaging his own wants and appetites with a forward-looking plan for the best interests of his wife and children. Headship is not about having one’s laundry washed or one’s meals cooked or one’s sexual drive met, but rather about constantly evaluating how to step up first to lay one’s life down for his family.” ~ Russell Moore
Love your wife as you love your own body (5:28-29), marked by nourishing & cherishing this one-flesh union. Husbands ought to love their wife in both action and affection. The covenant nature of marriage creates the environment for the connection of intimacy.