Pre-Introduction

Friends, the New Testament scripture reading for today is Revelation 22:1-21. Remember that I will again be offering introductory remarks concerning the book of Revelation. Last Sunday I presented you with three of seven foundational principles that will aid us in our interpretation of this book. Today I will present you with the last four principles. Obviously I will not be teaching through Revelation 22:1-21 like I typically would. We will come back to this text months from now to deal with it more carefully. But I’d like to read it to you today to help orient our minds to the overall message of the book of Revelation. If you remember I did the same thing in the introductory sermon to our study through the Gospel of John – I started at the end so that we might better understand the beginning and the middle. Also, some of what is said in Revelation 22:1-21 will serve to support the four remaining principles for interpretation that I am about to present.

Let us give ourselves now to the reading of God’s holy word.

New Testament Reading: Revelation 22:1-21

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. And he said to me, ‘These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.’ I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.’ And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy. Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’ Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. ‘I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.’ The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” (Revelation 22:1–21, ESV)

Introduction

Last week I presented three observations to help in our interpretation of the book of Revelation. Today I will present four more observations, which will bring the total to seven. I would like to devote one more sermon after this one to introductory matters, giving special attention to the structure of the book, with particular attention given to the presence of anticipation and repetition  (or recapitulation) in the book of Revelation.

I hope you are willing to stick with me through these introductory sermons. I see them as vital to a proper understanding of the book. This is unusual, I’ll admit it, to devote so much time to introductions, but it is needed.

There is danger here. The danger is that these sermons cease to be sermons and become lectures. My prayer is that they would not. My hope is these sermons would do more than disseminate   factual information, but that Christ would be exalted – that he would be held out before you, and that you would be urged to believe upon him – to love and adore him – to worship and obey. Yes, these sermons are heavily laden with information. But the information should serve to exalt Christ, and to set him on display as our Lord and Savior, our Champion King who has won the victory for us, who is worthy of all praise, who alone can be trusted for the forgiveness of sin and for life eternal.

So that is my goal: to continue to say what needs to be said to prepare us to properly understand the book of Revelation, but to exalt Christ along the way.

The three principles presented last week that should help us in our interpretation of Revelation were these: One, Revelation is given to reveal. We should expect the book to make things clear, not confusing. Two, Revelation is a book to be seen. It contains reports of visions which are to be interpreted symbolically, not literally. And three, numbers count in the book of Revelation. Most of the numbers in this book have a symbolic force to them.

Here are four more observations that should help us to approach the book appropriately:

Revelation Makes Sense Only in Light of the Old Testament

One, understand that the book of Revelation makes sense only in light of the Old Testament. To read the book of Revelation by itself without the Old Testament in view is an exercise in futility. It is the Old Testament that serves as a kind of key which helps us to understand the overall message of the book, particularly it’s symbols.

Understand, first of all, that the book of Revelation is the climax – the high point, the conclusion of – all biblical prophesy. The book is not disconnected from the prophesies that came before, but is intimately related to them, bringing those past prophesies to a conclusion, showing how they have been fulfilled by Christ at his first coming and how they will be fulfilled by him at his second coming. The prophesies in the book of Revelation are the climax of Biblical prophesy. But if it is the climax of all prophesy, it must be connected to the prophecies that have come before, and should be considered with what came before ever in mind.

Revelation reveals how things will be for the people of God who live in the last days (remember that the “last days” are the days between Christ’s first coming and second coming – these are the last days). The book of Revelation speaks of final things – the events that will bring human history as we know it to a close are described to us here. Notice that Revelation also brings the cannon of scripture to a close. It is the last book of the Bible. Genesis is listed first because it reveals to us what happened in the beginning. Revelation is positioned last because it brings the message of scripture to a climax and to a conclusion.  And as the climax of biblical prophesy the book manages to “[draw] together images that pervade Old Testament prophetic visions and [brings] them to fulfillment” (Johnson, Triumph of the Lamb, 12).

The point I really want you to understand is that there is an organic, intimate, and intense connection that exists between the Old Testament scriptures and Revelation. To miss this point is to be hopelessly lost in your interpretation of the book. We must consider Revelation in it’s canonical context (how it is related to the other books of the Bible) and it’s redemptive historical context (how what is communicated in it is related to God’s redeeming activities) if we are to understand it  correctly. Context matters. Immediate context; canonical context; redemptive historical context. They all matter.

If you have something wrong with your eye and you go to the doctor, the doctor is going to examine your eye, but he will surely leave your eye where it is and consider it in it’s context, set in it’s proper place, and connected to the rest of the human body. If, in his zeal for examining the eye, he pulls it out of it’s setting, he will surely do more harm than good.

Strange illustration, I know. But this is what many have done with the book of Revelation. In their excitement they have yanked the book from it’s canonical and redemptive historical setting and have tried to examine it on it’s own. They’ve done more harm than good. They’ve left us blind to the true meaning of the book. We must allow the book to remain in it’s proper setting in relation to the other books of the Bible and in relation to God’s redeeming activities in human history.

So what are some examples of the connections that exist between Revelation and the Old Testament?

For one, every time John is caught up and is shown a vision of the glory of God we should remember that these experiences corresponds to the experiences of the Old Testament prophets. John is given a glimpse of the glory of God (Rev. 1, 10) in much the same way that Daniel and Ezekiel saw the glory of God, being commissioned to carry the message received to the people of God (Ezek. 1; Dan. 9-10).

When we come to Revelation 13 we will see a great and ferocious beast rising up out of the sea. It is important to notice that this beast is a composite of the four beasts described to us in Daniel 7. After we recognize this fact we must work to interpret the beast of Revelation 13 with the beasts of Daniel 7 in mind. The visions are not the same, but they are clearly connected. And the differences are as important as the similarities.

See also that two witnesses of Revelation 11 are the two olive trees of Zechariah 4.

“The woes of judgment that fall on the harlot Babylon in Revelation 18 echo those that fell on Israel’s ancient oppressors, Tyre (Ezekiel 27) and Babylon (Jer. 51; Isa. 48)” (Johnson, Triumph of the Lamb, 12).

Quoting Dr. Dennis Johnson: “Revelation’s symbolic vocabulary is drawn not only from the thesaurus of the prophetic literature but also from other parts of the Old Testament” (Johnson, 13).

For example, the tree of life reappears at the consummation of all things (Rev. 2:7; 22:2).

Quoting Johnson again: “The ancient serpent who’s murderous lie seduced the woman and plunged the world into floods of misery (Gen. 3:1) is seen again, waging war against the woman, her son, and her other children – but this time his doom is sure and his time is short (Rev. 12; 20)” (Johnson, 13).

“The plagues that stuck ancient Israel’s Egyptian oppressors (Exod. 7-12) strike the church’s persecutors (Rev. 8:7, 10, 12, 9:3; 11:6; 16:13), so the church’s exodus-deliverance is celebrated with the song of Moses and of the Lamb (compare Rev. 15:3 with Exod. 15).

“Although exact Old Testament quotations in Revelation are rare, allusions to Old Testament imagery are everywhere: Elijah and his nemesis Jezebel; Balaam, the prophet who masterminded the subduction of Israel; God’s temple, served by his kingdom of priests, offering incense prayers on the alter, from which the fire of judgment falls, as on Sodom and Gomorrah; Isreal, the Messiah’s mother; Israel, the Lord’s bride; Israel’s twelve tribes, armed for holy war; God’s winepress of wrath; the water of life, offered free of charge; Jerusalem, the city of God” (Johnson, 13).

These are but a few examples of how Revelation takes up Old Testament images and themes and uses them to communicate to us things that are true for the people of God living in these last days.

But consider this. Quoting Johnson again: “God does not cut and paste Old Testament images, unchanged, into the texture of John’s visions. While remaining recognizable, they are modified and recombined into new configurations – as we would expect, since the sacrifice and resurrection of the Lamb have brought the warfare of the ages to a new phase and theater of oppressions. We dare not tackle the symbolism of Revelation with immersing our minds in the rich imagery of the Od Testament, but also will pay attention to the transformation that these ancient pictures undergo as they are used to express the impending, climactic victory of the kingdom of God and of his Christ” (Johnson, 13).

Do you want to grow in your understanding of Revelation? Then one thing you must do is read the Old Testament, for the images and themes found there are picked up in the book of Revelation, advanced, and brought to a conclusion. Revelation and the Old Testament are organically, intricately, and intensely connected.

Friends, Revelation makes sense only in light of the Old Testament.

Revelation Concerns What Must Soon Take Place

Two, do not forget that Revelation concerns what must soon take place. And remember that the “soon” is from the vantage point of the 90 A.D. reader, not ours.

I will not spend too much time here given that this has already been discussed. But consider again Revelation 1:1 and 1:3: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place… Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near” (Revelation 1:1,3, ESV). And lest we make the mistake of thinking that this only refers to what is said in the first few chapters of the book we should remember that the same claim is made at the end of the book. In 22:6-7 we read,“These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. ‘And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book’” (Revelation 22:6–7, ESV).

Some might reply saying, “but here in 22:7 it is Jesus who says ‘I am coming soon’, and he has not yet come though nearly 2,000 years have passed.” And I agree that he has not come in a consummate sense. He has not come in a full and final sense. His “second coming” is still yet in our future, no doubt. But that his not the only way the book of Revelation speaks of Christ “coming”.

Turn with me to Revelation 2:5. There Jesus is speaking to the church at Ephesus, confronting her weaknesses. And look at how he warned that 90 A.D. church. He spoke to them saying, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” (Revelation 2:5, ESV)

Look also at 2:16. This time Jesus is confronting the church at Pergamum concerning the false teaching they were allowing in their midst. And what did Jesus say to that 90 A.D. church? “Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.” (Revelation 2:16, ESV)

The point is this: not every reference to Christ “coming” has the final, consummate, second coming of Christ in view. That event is yet in our future. And that event has not happened quickly from the vantage point of the 90 A.D. audience. But Christ “came quickly” to them in another sense, for he is constantly present with his church, walking in our midst. He is forever coming to us. He brings his judgment even now. He brings encouragement. He brings strength. He wars against false teachers with the sword of his mouth even now. In that sense, Christ has already come, and he will continue to come, “bringing [his] recompense with [him], to repay each one for what he has done” (Revelation 22:12, ESV).

This is a massively important theme in Revelation, and the rest of the New Testament for that matter. Christ has already come, but he has not yet come in fullness. The evil one has already been defeated, but he has not yet been defeated in a full and final way. We already live with Christ being united to him by faith, but we have not yet enjoyed the fulness of our life in Christ – that is yet future to us. The kingdom if Christ is here already, but it is not yet here in fulness. Already… not yet. Christ has come to his churches already, but not yet in the full, final, and consummate sense. We long to see that day. And the people of God say, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20, ESV).

The “already… not yet” principle is helpful in understanding some of what Revelation has to say. What is clear – and this is our focus today – is that the book of Revelation concerns things that would soon take place from the vantage point of the original 90 A.D. audience. 1:1, 1;3, and 22:6-7 state it directly, as we have seen.

But the principle is greatly magnified when we compare what is said in Revelation concerning the nearness of the events described in the book to what was said to Daniel who prophesied from the year 605 B.C. onward.

Daniel saw visions, as you know. And those visions symbolized things that would take place in human history. The visions that Daniel saw and the visions that John saw, which are recorded for us in Revelation, are indeed similar.  But listen to what God had to say to Daniel about the timing of the events that were symbolized in the visions he saw.

In Daniel 8:26 Daniel was told, “The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now” (Daniel 8:26, ESV). In Daniel 12:9 we read, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:9, ESV). In other words, “the events that were symbolized before you will not happen soon, but will happen many years from now.” Indeed about 600 years would pass before the Messiah who was symbolized before Daniel would appear. And again in Daniel 12:4 we read, “But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:4, ESV).

Concerning Daniel’s visions God said, “not yet”, “it’s a long ways off”, “seal it up, for the time is not yet”. But when we come to Revelation we see that seals are not applied to the document, but opened.  In fact in Revelation 22:10 the angel says to John, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near” (Revelation 22:10, ESV).

Clearly the meaning is this. The things that Daniel saw – the historical realities that were a long way off from his 605 B.C. perspective – are here now in 90 A.D. Of course the “already… not yet” principle applies to some of these things. But what is clear is that the book of Revelation describes things, not only in our future, but in our past, present, and future. The vast majority of the historical realities portrayed in Revelation were near to the 90 A.D. audience who first received the book from John’s hand. The exception are the final and full second coming of Christ, the bodily resurrection, the final judgment, and the new the heavens and new earth.

Revelation concerns what must soon take place.

Revelation is For a Church Under Attack

Three, it is vital for us to remember that Revelation is written for a church under attack.

Friends, the church is always under attack. The attack takes many different forms. But God’s people are always under attack, being pressured and tempted to give their worship and allegiance to people and powers other than the one true God. Sometimes the attack is blatant and obvious taking the form of physical persecution. Sometimes it is through the promulgation of false teaching that the attack comes. At others times the attack comes by way of prosperity and comfort. The enemies tactics are varied – he is a very cunning; very sly indeed.

We may be tempted to think that the only real attack experienced by the church comes in the form of physical persecution, but this would be a deadly assumption to make. This assumption would leave us blind to a great many of the schemes of the evil one. What is the end goal of he evil one? Is it not to persuade men and women to turn from Christ and bow before him instead? It is true that one way of the way he accomplishes this is through the threat of physical persecution. But may I suggest to you that there are other powerful tactics used by the evil one to entice men and women to bow the knew before him instead of the living God. Does he not also use the pleasures and passions of this world to entice men and women? Does he not inspire false religion? Does he not distort the true gospel, tempting men and women to believe in a false gospel? Does he not promote dead, lifeless, legalistic religion, seeking to persuade men and women to trust in their own religious works instead of the Christ who has earned salvation for us, who has paid for our sins, who gives his righteousness to all who believe upon him (“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV).) Let us not be so foolish to believe that it is only the church that experiences persecution that is under attack. May suggest to you that the evil was has done much damage to the church in America today through false teaching and by enticing the church to chase after the pleasures and comforts of this life.

We we finally come to the letter to the seven churches in Revelation 1-3 we will see that those original churches were being attacked and tempted in a variety of ways.

Later in the book we will be introduced to four main figures who together oppose God and his purposes – the beast, the false prophet, the harlot, and the dragon who empowers these three. The beast represents worldly powers that often persecute. The false prophet represents those who promote false religion. The harlot represents the seductiveness of this world. These three form a kind of false Trinity, and they are used by the dragon, who is the devil, to draw men and women away from worshipping the one true God who eternally exists in three persons – Father, Word, and Spirit.

Friends, the church is under constant assault from these three.

The Victory Belongs to God and to His Christ

But what does Revelation show us? It shows us that God us on the throne. He protects, he keeps, he sustains, and he has won the victory. We are victorious in God and in his Christ.

And that is the fourth thing to remember about the message of the book of Revelation: The victory belongs to God and to his Christ.

By the end the book we will see the four enemies of God – the beast, the false prophet, the harlot, and the dragon that uses and empowers them – finally and fully judged.

For example listen to Revelation 20:7-10:

“And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Revelation 20:7–10, ESV)

And who has won the victory over these powerful foes of ours? The Lamb has won the victory, friends. He has won the victory through his life, death, burial, and resurrection. He reigns in victory now.  And will bring that victory to a full conclusion at his second coming.

“Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” (1 Corinthians 15:20–25, ESV)

Conclusion 

Friends, the book of Revelation communicates the gospel. It proclaims good news to us that God has defeated the fierce enemies that threaten us. And it calls us to see those enemies for what they are. They are enemies! Their end is death and distraction. They promise pleasure. They promise life. But they will not deliver. Only the Triune God can deliver. Life is found in him and in the Christ whom he has sent. The book of Revelation compels us to abandon all hope in these counterfeits, and to trust in Christ alone. He alone is worthy of worship. And it is in the worship of him that we find what is best for us – life to full. Believe upon Christ, friends. And if you do believe in him, then stop toying around with the things of this world seeking comfort and security in them. They’ll never deliver. They’ll only bring destruction. Stop placing your hope in political powers. Stop giving an ear to false gospels. Stop indulging the appetites of the flesh. Worship God alone, and approach him through faith in Christ alone, who is the Savior of the world. Amen.

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New Testament Reading: Revelation 1:1-8 

“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” (Revelation 1:1–8, ESV)

Introduction

The sermon today is again devoted to introductory comments concerning the book of Revelation.

If I were to describe last weeks sermon with just one word I would use the word “deconstruction”. That really was my objective – to demonstrate that all of us come to the book of Revelation with presuppositions – assumptions – baggage. Most of us, I think, come with dispensational, pre-tribulational, pre-millennial baggage. We probably read Revelation with futuristic lenses on assuming that the book is mainly about things yet future to us. And so my objective last week was to begin to “deconstruct” all of that – to demonstrate, in a short time, that the futurist’s assumptions concerning the book of Revelation do not fit well with the evidence contained within the book itself.

Today I wish to build up. I hope to speak positively concerning how it is that we should approach the book of Revelation. I have seven principles for you. We will consider three today and four next Sunday. These are seven basic observations that will help us to consistently interpret Revelation correctly.

I should say from the outset that these seven principles are drawn straight from Dr. Dennis Johnson’s commentary on the book of Revelation called, “Triumph of the Lamb”. You will notice that the title of this sermon series is “Revelation – The Triumph of the Lamb”. I would typically go for a more original title, but I’m not ashamed to borrow this from Johnson’s commentary – the phrase is just so good! It’s a wonderful expression that manages to sum up the overall massage of the book of Revelation in just one line. Jesus has won the victory over all of his and all of our enemies through his humble, meek, and mild, life, death, burial, and resurrection. The lamb is triumphant indeed. The book of Revelation tells us all about that. Also, I thought it appropriate to give a nod to Dr. Johnson’s commentary in the subtitle of this series given the influence it’s had upon my interpretation of the book. It’s a good and very readable commentary on Revelation. There are other very important commentaries that are more technical and thorough (G.K. Beale’s, for example) but I would commend Johnson’s to you as good place to start if you want a good commentary on Revelation. I actually had the privilege of sitting in on Dr. Johnson’s class on the General Epistles and Revelation at Westminster So Cal a couple of years ago. Very good stuff indeed.

With that out of the way, here are seven basic principles that will help us immensely in our study of the book of Revelation. We should learn these principles and not forget them as we go on from here. They will be a great help to us as we deal with the details of the text in the months to come.

Revelation is Given to Reveal

The first principle is this: The book of Revelation is given to reveal.

The Greek title of the book of Revelation is ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΨΙΣ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ. In English – “The Apocalypse of John”. The first three words of the book are, “Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ”. In English – “The apocalypse of Jesus Christ”. When we hear the word “apocalypse” we tend to think of death and destruction – catastrophe! In fact, the word simply means disclosure, uncovering, or unveiling – revelation!

It is important to notice that the title of the book together with the first three words of the book lead the reader to believe that what they are about to read is going to, in fact, reveal something.

In our culture the most well known and frequent example of a revelation are the releases of the new iPhones. Every year or two a new version comes out. Some people obsess over it ahead of time wondering what the new features will be. Rumors abound. And then the day comes for the new device to be released. On that day everything that was mysterious before is made plain, clear, and obvious. What was hidden before is now clearly seen. The speculations cease when the thing has finally been revealed. This is what the book of Revelation does. It makes mysterious, hidden, and veiled things clear. It makes things hard to understand understandable.

But isn’t it ironic that the book of Revelation is often considered to be the most confusing, veiled, and mysterious book in the Bible?

May I suggest to you that the reason Revelation tends to confound instead of clarify is that we come to the book expecting it to reveal things that it does not promise to reveal. We want it tell us the specifics about our future. We come to it with questions like, “what role with the United States play in the end times? or, “who exactly the anti-Christ will be?”, or, “when exactly Christ will return?” – these are the kinds of questions we tend to ask. But Revelation does not claim to reveal these things. It is no wonder, then, that some walk away from the book frustrated, convinced that it is unclear. It’s not really unclear. It is, in fact, very clear to say what God wants it to say. It seems unclear, though, when we expect it to say something other than what it actually says. The problem is not with the book, but with us, and the presuppositions and exceptions that we bring to it.

The title and first three words of the book set us up to believe that what follows will in fact be clear, illuminating, insightful, revealing, and ultimately helpful to us. To put it another way, the title and intro suggest that we will say, “a ha!” after reading the book, and not “huh?”

So, if it true that Revelation never claims to reveal the specific details of our future experience – if it is true that Revelation does not reveal like we would expect a crystal ball to reveal – then what does it reveal?

Quoting Dr. Johnson, it reveals, “in vivid, visual form the invisible realities and forces that drive and therefore explain the course of observable historical events.” That’s worth repeating. Revelation reveals “in vivid, visual form the invisible realities and forces that drive and therefore explain the course of observable historical events.” I find that explanation to be very helpful.

What do we observe as human history unfolds? Well, we often see the unrighteous prosper, and the righteous go without. We often see those with power oppress those who are weak. We see those who promote false religion “succeed”, while the faithful struggle. And these observations of the world around us can be very discouraging to the people of God. It looks as if human history is out of God’s control. It appears that the enemies of God are winning. It seems as if it might be better to switch teams – to run with the world and to enjoy the pleasures and privileges that go along with that. This is how it seems when we look at the world – when we observe historical events – from a worldly and naturalistic perspective.

But Revelation pulls back the curtain to reveal – or to show in “vivid, visual form [through the use of symbolism] the invisible realities and forces that drive and therefore explain the course of observable historical events”. In other words, Revelation reveals how things really are. Things are not as they might seem to us.

We see this principle in Christ’s words to the church at Smyrna. He said to them, “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” (Revelation 2:9, ESV) This is the theme that runs throughout the whole book. Jesus said to them, “I am not unaware of the fact that you are poor as it pertains to the things of this world, and I am not blind to the fact that you are persecuted. But here is the reality of things – you are really rich. And those who persecute you who claim to be the people of God (based upon their ethnicity) are really not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” Things may look one way on the surface, but things are not always as they appear. Revelation reveals how things really are.

The main message of the book is crystal clear, then. In verse one we are told that this revelation is from God and it was given to Christ to “to show to his servants [Christians] the things that must soon take place.” God’s objective is to show us something, and he is a good communicator, not a bad one. And “he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John” who wrote it down for our benefit. The word translated, “made it known” is σημαίνω which means “to cause something to be both specific and clear—‘to indicate clearly, to make clear.’” Add to this the repeated blessings that are pronounced upon those who “hear” the content of this book and “keep what is written in it”, clearly, the assumption is that the message of this book is going to be understandable and able to obeyed.

How different this is from how Christians today typically view the book. They see it as muddying the waters, not clarifying. But the book of Revelation is given to reveal. We should approach it, then, expecting a clear word, and one that can be obeyed.

Revelation is a Book to be Seen

Secondly, understand that Revelation is a book to be seen.

John “saw” the book of Revelation before he wrote it. Verse 2: John “bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.” The verb “to see” appears 52 times in Revelation with John as it’s subject. John is constantly saying, “I saw this, and I saw that”.

And what did John see? He saw visions filled with symbols. It is right, then, that we interpret these visions symbolically unless there is something in the text which demands that we take them literally.

To interpret something symbolically is to recognize that a word or image is not to be taken literally, but is to be understood as representing some other reality in an out of the ordinary and vivid way.

Consider this. When Jesus taught us about the kingdom of heaven in Mathew 13 he said it was “like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.” It is not difficult to understand that Jesus was teaching using metaphor and symbolism. In reality, the kingdom of heaven has nothing to do with mustard seeds. You are not doing kingdom work when you sow mustard seeds. But Christ used the image of a mustard seed to communicate something true about the kingdom of heaven. Though it be small now it will grow big and fill the earth, for example. That is the real truth communicated through the symbolism of the mustard seed.

The visions shown to John and recorded for us in the book of Revelation function in a similar way. They are not to be taken literally. To interpret Revelation literally whenever possible is to interpret the book wrongly. We are on the right path when we, first of all, understand that it is a piece of literature jam packed with symbols, and symbols must be interpreted according to certain rules.

How can I be so sure that much of Revelation is to be interpreted symbolically?

Well, for one, the opening verse says so.

In verse one we read,  “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John…” (Revelation 1:1, ESV)

A strong case can be made for the idea that the Greek word translated “made it known” in the ESV near the end of verse one carries within it the idea of “made it known by way of sign or symbol”. Dr. Beale effectively demonstrates this in his commentary.

It’s interesting that the KJV and the NKJV both translate the Greek using the English word “signify”.  Instead of saying that Jesus “made it known”, they say that he, “sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John…” (Revelation 1:1, NKJV) I think this is a more helpful English translation, for the word “signify” means to express an idea by way of sign or symbol, and that is how truth is consistently communicated in this book.

It is interesting that the Greek word behind “made it known” in the ESV, or “signified” in the KJV and NKJV is often used in the New Testament and in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to  communicate this very idea – something being made known by way of sign or symbol. For example the word appears in John 12:33 where, after Jesus says, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself”, John remarks saying, “This He said, signifying by what death He would die.” (John 12:33, NKJV) Jesus’ talk of being “lifted up from the earth” was to be taken symbolically to represent Jesus’ crucifixion, John says.

More importantly the Greek word translated “made it known” in Revelation 1:1 appears in a concentrated way in Daniel chapter 2 if we read from the LXX, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old testament, and the Bible of the early church. It’s in Daniel 2 that Daniel interprets the strange dream that Nebuchadnezzar which we made reference to last week. Nebuchadnezzar saw a figure of a man in a dream – a large statue with a head of gold, a chest and arms of silver, thighs of bronze, and legs of iron mixed with clay. A stone was cut out, but not with human hands, and that stone was thrown against the image and it crumbled to pieces. The stone became a great and everlasting kingdom. Cleary this vision was to be interpreted symbolically. The image represented the succession of temporary earthly kingdoms, whereas the stone represented the Christ and the everlasting kingdom that he would establish. The Greek word translated “made it known” in Revelation 1:1 is all over that text suggesting that we ought interpret what John saw in a similar way to how Daniel interpreted what he saw, that is, symbolically, not literally. Both the visions of Daniel and the visions of Revelation signify the reality of things, but they are not to be taken literally

Two, the book of Revelation itself sometimes shows us how to interpret it’s visions.

Later in chapter one we encounter the first vision of the book where John sees “seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man…[holding] in his right hand … seven stars. (Revelation 1:112-13, 16, ESV) And by the end of the chapter we are told what to think of this vision. In verse 20 John is told, “As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” (Revelation 1:20, ESV)

So the first vision comes with and interpretive key. Isn’t that nice. It’s as if God wanted to help John and his readers out from the begging, saying,  “Here’s a vision. It’s to be interpreted symbolically. And it’s to be interpreted kind of like this…”

Why would we stray from this prescribed method of interoperation as we progress though the book. Why would we, like the futurists do, say, “well, let’s interpret it literally when ever possible”. Shouldn’t we say, “let’s follow the example embedded within the book of Revelation itself and interpret the book symbolically whenever possible”? That seems to me to be the better approach.

Three, to take the visions of the book of Revelation literally leads to absurdities and contradictions in the text.

Here is an example from Revelation 5 where we read of another vision. John says, “And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” (Revelation 5:6, ESV) Clearly this vision is about Jesus. He is the lamb. But is this literally what Jesus looks like now? Does he now have the appearance of a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes? If he does, then we have a problem because in 1:13 John sees him as “one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.” (Revelation 1:13–16, ESV) Another time he is called the “lion of the tribe of Judah.”

So which is it? He is a lion? Is he a lamb? Or is he one like the son of man, radiant in glory? If we insist upon a literal interpretation we end up in trouble. But when we accept what the book says about itself – that it was seen by John and that it is to be interpreted symbolically – there is no problem at all. In reality Jesus does not look like a lamb nor a lion not does he have a sword for a tongue – he looks like Jesus.

But these images, understood symbolically, tell us something about the Jesus we love and adore. He, in his lamb like meekness, as one the victor. He, with his seven eyes, sees everything with perfect clarity. He, with his seven horns, has all power. He, though lamb like, is also the fierce and powerful lion of the tribe of Judah. When he comes again he will slay his enemies with the word of his mouth.

Do you see how symbols work? They communicate truth in a vivid and colorful way. They communicate truth by way of comparison and through the painting of mental images.

Some will say, “well, if it is symbolic then there is no control. We can make the symbols mean whatever we want them to mean.” And there is some truth to this. If the strength of symbolism is in the vivid and colorful way in which the communicate truth, the weakness is in their obscurity. But we are not without help.

I’ve already shown you how the book of Revelation contains, within it’s own pages, examples of how we are to interpret it’s visions. So we have boundaries.

The rest of the New Testament also provides boundaries. We are not free to make the symbols of Revelation into anything we want them to be. No, we must interpret them in light of what the rest of New Testament clearly says. The rest of New Testament provides boundaries.

And the Old Testament also provides boundaries. In fact, we will see that it is primarily the Old Testament that serves as the interpretive key to the images found in the Revelation. We will encounter all kinds of things in the book of Revelation. We will see a harlots, a beast, a false prophets and a dragon. We will see the twelve tribes of Israel, and twenty-four thrones. We will hear see seals opened and we will hear the blasts of trumpets. We will witness plagues and battles which bring great destruction. In the end we will see a new creation. This one will have one significant tree in it – the tree of life. And we are told that there will be no sea, nor will their be need for a sun and moon, for the glory of God will illumine that place. All of these images come from somewhere. We do not meet these themes for the first time in the book of Revelation, but the are first encountered where? In the Old Testament scriptures.

Friends, we are not free to make whatever we want of the symbols contained within Revelation. The rest of the scriptures provide the boundaries. Some interpretations are clearly “out of bounds”. Correct interpretations will agree with the rest of God’s revealed truth.

Revelation is book to be seen, friends.

Numbers Count in Revelation

Thirdly, we must remember that numbers count in Revelation. By this I mean that numbers also have symbolic force to them.

I have in mind primarily the numbers four, seven, ten, and twelve. These numbers all in some way signify completion or perfection.

The number four is often associated with completion in a geographical sense. In 7:1 we are shown “four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree.” (Revelation 7:1, ESV) Here the number four is associated with geographical completion – the whole earth is in view.

The number seven is associated with perfection in this book.

Notice the greeting in 1:4: “John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.” (Revelation 1:4–5, ESV) Clearly this passage is Trinitarian .The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all mentioned. But the Spirit is described as the “the seven spirits who are before his throne”. Does God have seven Spirits? If so, then we are no longer Trinitarian. We would have to confess one God eternally existing in nine persons, Father, Son, and seven Spirits.  No, the number seven points to the idea of perfection.

Remember that the lamb had seven eyes and seven horns. Jesus sees all with perfect clarity and has perfect power. Seven seals will be opened in this book. Seven trumpets will be blown. Seven bowls will be poured out. Some try to argue for an overarching sevenfold structure to the book – I’m not sure. Seven signifies perfection.

The number ten is sometimes associated with a complete, but brief and limited, period of time. In Revelation 2 the church at Smyrna is warned that they will suffer persecution for “ten days”.

The number twelve is sometimes used to signify the totality of God’s people.

And then there are numbers that are in some way associated with these numbers.

The number six, for example, falls short of the number of perfection. It is the number, not of God, but of man. The number 666 is the number of man – the number of imperfection – displayed in a trinitarian form. The number of God would be 777. The mark of the beast is 666 – representing the false trinity.

The number twenty four is twelve times two. It is used to represent the totality of God’s people, Jew and Gentile.

The number 1,000 signifies a complete but long period of time. The church at Smyrna would suffer persecution for ten days – complete but brief – but Satan is bound from deceiving the nations for 1,000 years – 10x10x10 – a complete but very long period of time.

Let’s not forget the 144,000 of Revelation 14 who have been sealed by God. Who are they? Well, 144,000 is 12x12x1,000. The 144,000 represent all of God’s people who have lived and died in Christ throughout the church age who reign with him in heaven.

Many have stumbled over the numbers in the book of Revelation. The Jehovahs Witnesses insist that only 144,000 will reign with Christ in heaven in the end. Some pre-millenarians insist that Christ will reign on earth in the future for 1,000 years. Both make the same mistake – they insist upon a literal interpretation of the numbers in Revelation. But why would we do such a thing in book where numbers are consistently used symbolically.

Friends, numbers count in the book of Revelation.

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, I’m hoping that these introductory sermons free you to see the book of Revelation for what it is. It’s a clear book. It’s message comes to us by way of symbol. The things that John saw reveal truth by signifying it.

My hope is that it grows clear and that it begins to accomplish what it is was given to accomplish – to encourage you in the faith. Things are shown to us as they really are. God and his Christ have won the victory. They reign supreme. The see all, and they have all power. The world looks enticing, powerful, and wise, but things are not as they seem. In true and everlasting pleasure is found in God and in his Christ. They are supreme and worthy of all praise. They are infinitely wise. We would do well to bow before them. Though you may be poor, you are rich. Though you may be persecuted, you will prevail over your persecutors in the end. Though you may die, you really live.

Friends, the book of Revelation is about God and his Christ who has won the victory for us. That is what I want you to see – the glory of God and the supremacy of Christ. I want you to begin to see the world differently. My hope is that you will see it, not with your natural eyes, but with spiritual eyes as informed by God’s most holy word.

My prayer is that the book of Revelation would transform us. May we be convicted of sin, may our minds be enlightened, and may our wills be renewed. May we be persuaded to cling to our savior more closely than ever before, all to his glory, honor and praise.

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady Revelation 1:1-8
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New Testament Reading: Revelation 3:1-3

“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” (Revelation 1:1–3, ESV)

Introduction

If you would have asked me five or six years ago if I had any desire to preach through the book of Revelation I would have said, “absolutely not!” I believed the book to be inspired by God. I knew that it was given to the church for good reason. I even knew that I should want preach through the it, for “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17, ESV) This certainly applies to the book of Revelation as much it is does to any other book of the Bible.

And it was not that I hadn’t studied it. I had. I’ve always been intrigued by this letter which brings the cannon of scripture to a conclusion and provides us with a glimpse into heavenly and eternal realities. The book is truly fascinating.

The problem was that I found it to be incredibly confusing. I would read it and study it but things would never quite click.

Also, I knew of far to many preachers who had made fools of themselves trying to tie particular portions of the book of Revelation (as well as Daniel and Ezekiel) to specific current events saying, “this prophesy is being fulfilled in this event; the return of Christ is imminent!”, only to be proven wrong. I call this the “crystal ball” approach to the book of Revelation. I began to wonder, when these men would learn? When would they see that their method of interpretation was consistently producing bad results? And more than that I began to wonder, when will the people who listen to them would learn? When would they see that the “Nostradamus” method of interpretation is flawed to the core? The “crystal ball” approach does sell books, though. And it does fill conference centers and churches. But really what ultimate gain is there in selling a million books when future generations read those books only to laugh at the false and absurd claims contained within them. I knew that I wanted no part of that.

The final reason that I had no desire to preach through the book of Revelation is that I could not see the real value of it for the church today. I knew that it must have value – it is indeed the word of God. But I could not see what it was. In my experience the book of Revelation (maybe with the exception of the first 3 chapters) had produced three things within the church. One, unbridled speculation. Two, confusion. And three, fear.

By “unbridled speculation” I mean the obsession with trying to tie specific portions of the book of Revelation to specific current events, saying “this must be the fulfillment of that!” The thought is that you are to read with Revelation (or Daniel or Ezekiel) in one hand and the newspaper in the other looking to current events as the specific fulfillment of specific prophesies.

We will see that Revelation does indeed have relevance for today and for tomorrow. It certainly applies. And I would agree that there is a connection between the things that happen in the world today and what is signified in the book of Revelation. I am not opposed to that idea. But it is troubling to see Christians grow obsessed with making specific speculations concerning the future. Over time I began to wonder if there was really any spiritual benefit to this obsession. What good does it do? Is it not a distraction from the real task at hand?

Also the obsession with predicting the future seemed to be in direct contradiction to the plain words of Christ. He himself said, “But concerning that day [that is, the last day] and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” (Matthew 24:36, ESV) “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:42, ESV) “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:44, ESV) The practice of making speculations concerning the specifics of the end times seem to me to run in direct contradiction to the clear teaching of Christ.

When I say that Revelation produces “confusion” in the people of God I mean that, although some pretend to have a handle on the book, it seems to me that they really do not. Their interpretations of it, when challenged, are found to be filled with gaps and inconsistencies. They certainly have a system of doctrine that they are committed to. They have lots of charts. But when pressed to exegete the text of scripture itself, there seems to be much confusion, fogginess, and uncertainly.

However, in my experience, most Christians don’t even pretend to have a handle on the book. Most will willingly admit that the book is utterly confusing to them, even to the point of being, in their minds, incomprehensible. How many Christians do you know who are like this? They love the Gospel of John. It feeds their soul. They love 1, 2, and 3 John. But when it comes to the fifth book written by John – that is, the book of Revelation – they throw their hands in the air and say, “forget it.” That is what I mean by “confusion”.

And when I mention “fear” I mean that the book of Revelation seems to keeps Christians up at night more than helping them to sleep well. It was a year or two ago that I had a conversation with a lady from another church. She shared with me that they were studying the book of Revelation at church, and so I asked, “what are you getting out of it?” Her only reply was that she hoped that she and her family would not be alive to experience the things described in the book. The book scared her. How sad. How backwards and upside down. One thing I knew about the book even then was that is was intended to strengthen, not scare – fortify, not frighten – the saints.

These three things combined – the confusion, the sad legacy of speculative “crystal ball” preaching, and the damaging, as apposed to edifying, effect that the book has upon Christians – made the thought of preaching through the book very unappealing to me.

But here we are beginning what will probably be a year long study through the book of Revelation. Something has obviously changed.

The thing that changed was my understanding of the book of Revelation. And I am not just referring to a change in my interpretation of a passage or two, but a significant shift in my view of the book as a whole.

To use technical terms, I used to be a futurist. That is what I was when the thought of preaching through Revelation was unappealing to me.

When I read the book of Revelation I assumed that it was almost all about events yet to happen in our future. I say “almost” because I recognized that the first three chapters of the book were indeed addressed to churches and to Christians that lived long ago. John the Apostle was to “Write what [he saw] in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” (Revelation 1:11, ESV) It is in chapters one through three that those churches are specifically addressed. But as a futurist I believed that chapters four through twenty-two were filled with descriptions of events that are yet in our future.

Now I am, what some have called, an idealist (or a modified idealist).

I’ve come to see that the book of Revelation is not mainly about the future, but is rather mainly about the past, the present, and the future. There are certainly portions of the book that describe events that have not yet transpired. The second coming of Christ is, of course, in our future. The final judgment is yet future. The new heavens and new earth are something that we long to see in the future. But those future events are described periodically in the book of Revelation. They do not dominate the storyline. In fact the majority of the book is about the past, the present, and the future. What is described in chapters four through twenty-two is not confined to the brief period of time (some say seven years) immediately preceding the end, but rather describes the reality of things as they have been experienced by the people of God from the first coming of Christ up to this present day. In others words, the book of Revelation primarily describes how things will be in the “last days”.

Friends, please understand and do not miss this vital point. The entire time between Christ’s first coming and second coming are “the last days.” Listen to Hebrews 1:1-2, for example. “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Hebrews 1:1–2, ESV) The “last days” are not confined to a period of time yet future to us, but are also, from our vantage point, past, present, and future. This is why Paul wrote to Pastor Timothy warning him that “in the last days there will come times of difficulty.” (2 Timothy 3:1, ESV) Did Paul warn Timothy of this so that Timothy might be concerned for those who would minister 2,000 years or more after him? No, he warned Timothy because the man was himself ministering in the “last days” – days marked by difficulty for the people of God.

The days in which we live are without a doubt the “last days”, not because there are only a few days left – though that might be the case – who knows? These are certainly the “last days” because Christ’s first coming marked the beginning of the final period of human history as we know it. How long will this period be? That has not been revealed to us. What we do know is that the next event on the timeline of redemptive history is the return of Christ and the consummation of all things.

The book of Revelation is mainly about these “last days”, that is, the whole time between Christ’s first and second coming, which are the days in which we live. The references to events that are yet future to us – events that will transpire on the “last day” – only appear occasionally in the book.

These two ways of seeing the book of Revelation are drastically different. And these two ways of seeing the book will lead readers of the book to vastly different conclusions concerning the end times. The futurist approach typically produces (or accompanies) the pre-tribulational, pre-millennial view (here is where it would have been helpful for you to listen to the audio from the eschatology class that I taught some time ago. I cannot take the time to explain these terms at this time.) The idealist position typically produces (or accompanies) the Amillennial (or sometimes, post-millennial) view.

Friends, I hope you can see why it is important for us to talk about these interpretive issues before jumping with both feet into the study of the book of Revelation itself. I always devote a sermon to introductory issues at the beginning of a book study. It’s always important to talk about authorship, date, setting, and genre. It’s important for us to know what kind of book or letter we are handling before we begin to handle it. To attempt to interpret a book of the Bible without first asking, “who wrote this thing, when did they write it, to whom did they write, in what literary style did they write it, and why?” is dangerous. This is especially true of the book of Revelation given it’s uniqueness.

Revelation is indeed a challenging book to interpret given it’s constant use of symbolism. But the thing that makes the proper interpretation of the book of Revelation exceedingly difficult today is the fact that it, more than any other book of the Bible, has been twisted and distorted, used and abused, in a very dramatic and public way.

Friends, you do know that it is the futurist interpretation of the book of Revelation that rules the day. And it rules day, not only in the church, but also in the American culture at large. I am not saying that people know they are futurists. I didn’t think of myself as a futurist when I was one. Looking back I probably just thought of myself as a “biblicist”. I assumed I was just reading the Bible and interpreting it “naturally”. But I was naive. The truth of the mater is that I was reading the book of Revelation with lenses on. I see now that they were lenses that I had obtained from my church experience and from my exposure to popular culture.

“The Left Behind” series was (and maybe is) immensely popular amongst Christians. Before that it was a book called the “Late Great Planet Earth” by Hal Lindsey. Movies have been made. Christians line up in droves to watch this stuff, and they bring non-Christians too. Sadly, this is the only exposure that many Americans have to the Bible – their understanding of the Bible comes from Christian novels and movies.

Friends, please understand that these books and movies are based upon a futuristic interpretation of the book of Revelation. They are based upon the pre-tribulational, pre-millennial scheme. And I would argue that it is the popularity of these works that have made the futuristic, pre-tribulational , pre-millennial interpretation so popular within the church today. Do you want to advance a theological agenda? Write a novel! Do you want to promote your view of things and make it stick? Make a movie! I guess the next best thing after this would be to write a song. But I’m sure you understand that you can’t believe everything that you read in novel, see on the big screen, or here on Air 1. These are often times very poor sources for biblical theology.

Many of you have read these books and watched these movies. Those who have not are probably aware of them. I would suggest to you that we’ve been greatly effected by these popular works. I would suggest that we’ve been so effected that it is difficult for us to see the book of Revelation in any other way. I think we read Revelation with “Left Behind” lenses on, that is what I’m saying. We read with the pre-trib, pre-mil system already in mind. Often times, we didn’t even know we are doing it.

Friends, the first step on the road to recovery is recognizing you have a problem. Biblicists are hopelessly naive. A biblicist imagines that he or she is able to simply pick up the Bible are read it with perfect clarity. I do believe that the scriptures are clear, friends. We are indeed able to come to a clear understanding of the meaning of scripture. God is a good communicator – he gets his message across. But it is naive to assume that the scriptures are crystal clear in an immediate and automatic way. No, we, because of our limitations, must work to interpret scripture. And the first step in interpretation is to own up to the fact that you bring presuppositions to the table. You and I bring theological presuppositions, we bring a worldview to the text, we bring “baggage” with us. Sound interpretation is still possible. But the first step is to own up to the fact that you bring “baggage” with you to the task of interpretation. The biblicist – the one who imagines that he or she reads the Bible with a heart and mind as pure as the wind driven snow – is dangerously naive. The first step is to admit that you have presuppositions – preconceived notions about what the text will say. After that you must be willing to examine those presuppositions in the light of scripture itself to see if they hold up under intense scrutiny. Finally, if they do not hold up you must have the integrity and courage to say, “I was wrong” and to change your views to bring them into conformity with the teaching of scripture.

Church, that’s what I’m asking you do before we even begin to chew on the substance of the book of Revelation. I’m asking you to own your presuppositions. And I’m asking that you be willing to put them to the test. And if your current views are weighed and found wanting, I’m asking that you abandon them in favor of a view that is more faithful and true to text of Holy Scripture. Your view must fit the book of Revelation itself, and it also must align with other pertinent portions of God’s inspired, inerrant, clear, and authoritative word. If you constantly feel as if you’re trying to pound a square peg into a round hole, you might have a problem.

The Presuppositions of the Futurist

So what are the presuppositions that the futurist brings to the table when studying the book of Revelation? What assumptions do they make about the book?

The most obvious is this, they read Revelation assuming that what they will find is primarily a description of events yet to happen in our future.

The futurists are correct to recognize that chapters one through three of Revelation directly address churches that existed long ago. It is my belief that the book of Revelation was written by John somewhere around 90 A.D. Some insist that it was written prior to 70 A.D. The date is really of little importance here. The point for now is that the book of Revelation was addressed to seven churches that existed in the late first century A.D. These were real local churches in Asia Minor with real Christians in them. The futurists are right to recognize this.

Their assumption, though, is that chapter four begins to describe specific events that were not only in the future of the those to whom the letter was originally written, but are also in our future. Most, if not all, of Revelation four through twenty-two, has not happened yet. There is, according to the futurist, a radicle break – a huge gap of time – between chapters three and four of the book of Revelation. It is a gap of at least 1,926 years, for that is how much time has transpired from the writing of Revelation to this present day.

Therefore, chapters four through twenty-two meant very little to the Christians living in 90 A.D. who originally read John’s letter. They must of have been even more confused about the content of those chapters than we are. After all, we are at least 1,926 years closer to the events described in those chapters, if the futurists are indeed correct in their interpretation.

But does the book of Revelation allow for such a view? That is the question.

The futurists see 4:1 as the key to their interpretation. There John says, “After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’” (Revelation 4:1, ESV) “After this” they say, refers to events yet in our future.

Friends, remember that these word were originally spoken to John in 90 A.D., not to us. And they were originally written to Christians living in 90 A.D., not to us. Indeed it is true, the book of Revelation describes things that would take place in the future, but from the perspective of John and the seven churches in Asia Minor, and not only ours. Notice that the text says, “after this”, not “a long, long time after this”.

In fact the evidence that Revelation itself produces points in the opposite direction. The majority of what is described in Revelation would happen soon from the perspective of the 90 A.D. audience. They would live it and experience it.

Look at 1:1. “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,” (Revelation 1:1, ESV) It is clear that the the things that John saw were to take place “soon”.

Look at 1:3. “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3, ESV) Do you see that the futurist’s main presupposition is seriously challenged from the very beginning of the book?

Some of them will say, “well those remarks about the ‘nearness’ of things only applies to the letters written to the churches in the first three chapters of the book.” First of all, that is not the natural reading of the text. And secondly, the view runs into real difficulty when we consider the end of the book the same emphasis. In 22:6 we read, “And he said to me, ‘These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.’” (Revelation 22:6, ESV) The emphasis upon the eminence or nearness of the events described is not confined to the first three chapters, but to the whole book.

Indeed, there are things communicated in the book that refer to events yet in our future – the second coming of Christ, the final judgment, and the new heavens and the new earth. But often when these events are described the narrative in some way communicates delay. Everything else, though, was to happen soon, according to John. And it was to happen soon from his vantage point, not ours.

Also consider the fact that blessings are pronounced upon those who read, hear, and keep the things contained within the book. Revelation is book to be obeyed. It’s not a “crystal ball” to help with our speculation. And those who obey it are blessed.

Hear again 1:3. “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3, ESV) And listen to the words of Christ in 22:7. “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” (Revelation 22:7, ESV)

Do these blessings only apply to the Christians who will happen to be alive in the future during the brief period of time immediately preceding the end? No, these blessing apply to all of the saints in 90 A.D., 1,000 A.D., and to this present day.

The futurist assumes that this is mainly a book about events yet in our future. But the book of Revelation will not allow itself to pressed into this mold.

The second presupposition is this: the futurist reads Revelation assuming that it is chronological from beginning to end.

They imagine that the order of the chapters correspond to the order of events in human history. The events described in chapter twenty, for example, will happen after the events described in chapter nineteen. And the events described in chapter twelve will happen after the events described in chapter eleven.

But this is impossible, friends. A clear feature of the book of Revelation is something called recapitulation. We will return to this idea next week so I won’t explain in detail here. For now, understand that the book of Revelation is not organized chronologically. Instead, it is organized thematically. The book tells the story of the “last days” from different perspectives over and over again. Each time different things are emphasized.

The best illustration that I’ve heard compares this to viewing a football game on the TV. There is one game, but that game is viewed on the television from different camera angles. One camera focuses on the broad perspective, another will zoom in upon the quarterback, and another will focus on the linemen. Add to this benefit of replay where the viewer is shown, sometimes in slow motion, things that have already happened.

Friends, there is repetition in Revelation. But it in not pure or flat repetition. The story of the “last days” is told again and again, but from a different vantage point, and with different “players” emphasized. Sometimes the camera angle is very broad. At other times the camera zooms in upon specific things.

The book is certainly not organized chronologically. For example chapter eleven describes the end, but in chapter twelve we are taken back to the birth of Christ. In a similar way chapter nineteen describes the end, but chapter twenty tales us back to the time of Christ.

These things we will consider in more detail next week and especially as we come to these passages in our study. For now see that the futurist’s assumption that the book is organized chronologically will not stand up under close scrutiny.

Thirdly, the futurists tend to assume that the book is to be interpreted “literally whenever possible”.

I will not say much here for the sake of time. We will return to this topic next week. For now I will simply say that it is strange to assume that apocalyptic, prophetic literature is to be interpreted literally. John saw visions. These visions were filled with symbolism. The symbolism certainly points to truths that are real and true. But we must first approach the symbols as symbols before moving to the task of interpreting what those symbols mean. The book is thoroughly symbolic. And the key to understanding the symbols contained within the book is clearly the Old Testament.

But the futurist assumes that the key to interpreting what John saw are future historical events. In their view John literally saw apache attack helicopters in his vision (or something like that). What he saw was like news footage of specific historical evens shown to him ahead of time. And John described what he saw in the best way he could. He obviously didn’t know what a helicopter was, and so he described them as having the “appearance [of] locusts… like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails.” (Revelation 9:7–10, ESV)

According to the futurist John saw some literal, specific, historical and, of course, future event and then did his best to describe what he saw. Instead we should take the book of Revelation at its word. John was shown signs, not historical events ahead of time. And the key to understanding the significance of those signs is the Old Testament, not future historical events.

I had wanted to read Daniel chapter two to you at the beginning of this sermon, but I ran out of space. You will see that Daniel and Revelation are intimately connected. It’s in Daniel two that we read of the dream that king Nebuchadnezzar had that only Daniel was able to declare and interpret. And what was the dream? The king saw the figure of a man and,

“The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Daniel 2:32–35, ESV)

Tell me, did Nebuchadnezzar see some literal, specific, historical, and future event as if it were news footage shown to him ahead of time? Of course not! An actual figure like the one he saw in his dream has never existed and never will. It was a dream! It was a vision! And it was to be interpreted symbolically, not literally. To interpret it literally would be to miss the point altogether. So too with the book of Revelation.

To interpret Revelation “literally whenever possible” as many of the futurists do is to interpret the book wrongly. It’s to miss the point entirely!

Conclusion

You’ve noticed that my tone has been unusually combative today. It will not be this way throughout the study. The reason for it is that I view the futuristic interpretation of Revelation as harmful in two way. On the one hand it leads the church to wrong ideas concerning the times in which we live and what to expect in the future. But on the other hand it also manages rob the church of a message that she desperately needs to hear.

May I conclude by summarizing the message of Revelation for you?

The book of Revelation communicates this: Jesus has won the victory. He sits upon his throne now. God is sovereign over the events of human history. Satan has been bound. The church will experience difficulty in these last days, but she will prevail. Though the world looks a certain way to us when we view it with our natural eyes, we must remember that things are not alway as they appear. The visions of the book of Revelation reveal how things really are. The true identity of the harlot, the false prophet, and the beast are revealed – their end is destruction – their path leads only to death. We would be fools, therefore, to abandon Christ to chase after the seductiveness of this world, or to pursue the false religion of this world, or to escape persecution from worldly powers. It is that ancient serpent who empowers them all, and he has been defeated, bound, and will finally be destroyed. Believe upon Christ, and remain true to him, friends, even in the face of death. For to die is to live with Christ. “Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.” (Revelation 13:10, ESV) “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.” (Revelation 14:12, ESV) Walk with Christ till the end, friends! Forsake the world, the flesh, and the devil, for things are not always as they appear. The lamb has won the victory. He was slain for you and me and for all who believe upon him. He is the lion of the tribe of Judah and he is “‘coming soon, bringing [his] recompense with [him], to repay each one for what he has done. [He is] the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’ Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.” (Revelation 22:12–14, ESV)

This is the message that the church in every age needs to hear. May the Lord bless our study of this book.

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady Revelation 1:1-3
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New Testament Reading: 2 Corinthians 9:6–15

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, ‘He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:6–15, ESV)

Introduction

My objective in this sermon is to encourage those of you who have faith in Christ to give to the Lord regularly, cheerfully, and as an act of worship before God.

You should know that I do not naturally enjoy speaking to the issue of giving. In fact, it would be accurate to say that I kind of dread it. Even this past week, before I sat down to begin writing this sermon, I turned to my wife and, breathing a deep sigh, said “I don’t feel like preaching on giving” (but we have leaned to not always trust our feelings, right – thus this sermon).

Noticed that I have not once preached on the topic of giving at Emmaus. 5 years and 3 months – not a single sermon on the subject. There are many reasons for this. One, you as a congregation gave from the beginning so that the issue has never been a pressing one, praise be to God.  Two, though I have never preached on giving, I have encouraged you to give, mainly in the announcement time. I’ve said, “brothers and sisters, I encourage you to give worshipfully and from the heart. Though we do not pass a plate here at Emmaus, there are offering boxes located in the back…”, or something like that. I’ve made it a point to say this once every month or two for the past five years – so I’ve not been completely negligent. But three – and here is where this turns into a bit of a confession – I have not taught on this subject because I do fear being perceived as one who is greedy for gain.

Friends, over the years I’ve developed a real distaste for religious leaders who seem to be all about the money. Our world is full of them. And the last thing I want is to be identified as one of them. I’m sensitive to the fact that many in our culture view pastors as greedy for personal gain. How many times have you heard this criticism leveled against the Church by non-Christians? “The church is only concerned about money”, they say.

But here’s the thing. A while back I began to think to myself, “Joe, are you withholding teaching on this subject because you fear the opinions of man? Are you being negligent in this area because you fear what others might think of you?” I was convicted about this, and so I’m addressing the issue today.

The truth of the matter is that the scriptures speak often about money. The way that we view money, and the way we manage it is important to God. It is possible to either worship money and possessions, or to use our money and possessions for the worship of God. Some see their money and possessions as simply belonging to themselves. But the Christian sees that all they have belongs to God. We are stewards of all that God had given to us. Indeed our money is our money, and our possessions do in fact belong to us, but the Christian is to look at the good things of this life that they have been given and say, “it is all from God, ultimately. And I will enjoy it and use it to the glory of God.” The way that we handle our money is of great importance to God. The way that we handle our money reveals a great deal about the condition of our heart before God.

The scriptures everywhere testify to the importance of the giving of our possessions to God as an act of worship. Notice that from the very beginning the true worshipers of God would approach God in worship, not with empty hands, but with something of value to offer up to him. Here I have in mind even the primitive worship of Cain and Able. When they came to worship they came with something to offer. And under the Old Covenant we see that the advancement of the Kingdom – the promotion of the worship of the one true God – was supported by the giving of the people. The same is certainly true under the New Covenant.

This is an important topic, friends. It is a deeply spiritual topic. Our spiritual health is impacted by our giving or the lack thereof. And so I’ve been convicted about not addressing this from the pulpit. I’ve been looking for the right time to address it. I think now is the right time.

Friends, please understand that the church is doing well financially.  This is not a “fourth quarter sales pitch sermon.” The Lord has been very faithful to provide for the needs of this church from day one.

Also, understand that we are not a launching a building project. This is not a “if you build it they will come sermon.”

And I hope you know that your increase in giving does not equal a raise for me. This is not a, “pastor needs a new Rolex sermon.” My kid’s asked me a question last week. I’m not sure how it came up. I think Lindsay and I were talking about our budget when one of the boys asked, “dad, how do you make money? I said, “well, the people of Emmaus give when they come to worship, and that money is used to help support our family.” McKenna wisely spoke up saying, “ya, but not all of it.” To which I replied, saying, “right, the people give, and the elders (the ones not on staff, and those not related to me) make the final decisions on how much I am payed.” I figured if my own children had questions about that then it probably needed to be stated. An increase in your giving does not equate to a raise for me.

Finally, I’d like you understand that what I’m about to say to you concerning giving applies to me and to my family as well.

I have seven exhortations in this sermon. They will come at you quickly.

Let Us Give Worshipfully

First of all, let us give worshipfully.

It’s important to see that the giving of tithes and offerings as primarily that – an act of worship before God. We worship through song, through prayer, through the study of and obedience of scripture. We worship when we participate in the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. But we should also give as an act of worship before God.

If you were to read through the Old Testament you would certainly see just how central giving was to the worship of God from the beginning. When Cain and Able came to worship, they came with something to offer. Really, though it is not stated, it is safe to assume that Adam and Eve would have worshiped God by the offering up of their first fruits to him even in the garden before the fall. Of course their offerings would have had nothing to do with the covering of sin. There was no sin to cover in that day. But they were to cultivate the earth, having dominion over every living thing. Is it not safe to assume that they too would have expressed their gratitude to God by bringing a portion of their profits to offer up to him? Cain and Able did, and they learned it from someone. Noah sacrificed to the Lord. Abraham also give tithes and offerings to the Lord. Under Moses the worship of God certainly involved the offering up of sacrifices to God.

The sacrificial system implemented under the Mosaic Covenant was complex. There were many different kinds of offerings – burnt offerings, drink offerings, grain offerings, and incense offerings. There were guilt offerings, and freewill offerings.  This complex form of worship was instituted by God for a time in order to serve as a means of grace for the people of God under the Old Covenant and to paint a picture of the Christ who would one day come. He has come. And so we do not worship in this way any longer. Those things were a shadow of good things to come. Christ, who is the substance, has come. That form of worship has passed away. The thing to notice now is that the worship of God under Moses involved the offering up of personal possession to the Lord.

And the same is true now under the New Covenant. We do not offer up sacrifices to the Lord expecting them to in any way make atonement for our sins. Christ has made full and perfect atonement. It is finished. But we, under the New Covenant, do indeed worship when we bring our tithes and offerings to the temple of the Lord, which is his church. You and I together are the temple of the Holy Spirit, friends.

Listen to how Paul spoke about the offerings of the Christians at Philippi that were sent to him to support him in his ministry. He uses Old Testament language, saying,

“And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Philippians 4:15–20, ESV)

Paul viewed the financial support sent from the Philippians to him as “fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.”

Friends, when you give in support of the advancement of Christ’s kingdom – when you give for the building up of the temple, which is the church – when you give for the support of gospel ministry – it is an act of worship. We should give worshipfully to the Lord.

We do not pass a plate during the worship service here at Emmaus, as is common in many churches. There are boxes in the back for the offering. You can also give online. The benefit is that we are able to give in a more discreet way. You are not pressured to give here. The downside is that the offering is removed from the worship service. In churches where the offering is received at some point between the call to worship and the benediction the message comes through loud and clear – this is an act of worship before God! I am not proposing that we change things. Instead, I’m encouraging you to be mindful of your giving while we worship God. Pray about your giving. Pray that the Lord would use it to his glory. It is our plan to mention the offering in the prayer of invocation each Lord’s Day. In that way we will “bring our giving” in to the worship service.

Let us give worshipfully, friends.

Let Us Give Sacrificially

And let us also give sacrificially.

One of the questions that people ask is, “if I am to give worshipfully, how much should I give?” I think the best way to answer that question is to say that you should give sacrificially. You should give to the point of feeling it.

I’ve already mentioned the complex system of worship instituted under Moses which involved the offering up of various kinds of offerings. But we should also say a word about the tithe principle which was present in the days of Moses, and indeed existed before the Mosaic Covenant.

Under Moses, the people were to give a tithe of all of their wealth. Tithe means “a tenth”. Leviticus 27:30 says, “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.” (Leviticus 27:30, ESV) “And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the Lord.” (Leviticus 27:32, ESV)

The tithes were used to support the Levites who had no inheritance in the land, but served in the tabernacle, and later the temple. Numbers 18: 21 says, “To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting…” (Numbers 18:21, ESV)

And notice that the Levites themselves were to tithe. In Numbers 18:26 the Lord says, “Moreover, you shall speak and say to the Levites, ‘When you take from the people of Israel the tithe that I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present a contribution from it to the Lord, a tithe of the tithe.” (Numbers 18:26, ESV)

By the days of Malachi the prophet the people were failing to give a tenth. The Lord spoke boldly to the people through Malachi, saying,

“Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions… Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” (Malachi 3:8,10, ESV)

But the question remains, was the tithe principle unique to the Mosaic Covenant?

Actually, we should remember that Abraham, living long before Moses, knew to give a tenth. After Abraham had rescued his nephew Lot from the four kings, taking much plunder from them, he met Melchizedek king of Salem who was also a priest of God Most High.  Melchizedek brought out bread and wine and blessed Abraham.  And what did Abraham do with all of the spoil of war?

“Abram gave him a tenth of everything.” (Genesis 14:20, ESV) Melchizedek was a type of Christ. And we are children of Abraham.

I am certainly not in favor of requiring a tenth in a legalistic way. But the tithe principle looms rather large in the history of redemption, doesn’t it? It shouldn’t be ignored, friends. It seems as though the people of God in every age have made a practice of giving a tenth of their first fruits to the Lord as an act of sacrificial worship.

The question should not be, what must I give? But how much can I give? And the answer is that we should give sacrificially. Perhaps a tenth should be a goal for us in light of the constant testimony of scripture. Perhaps some should be giving much more than a tenth given their prosperity. As you can see I am still hesitant to say a tenth is required of Christians. Instead I am saying that each one should give sacrificially and according to their ability.

Notice the way that Paul talks about giving. In 2 Corinthians 9:7 he says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7, ESV) In 1 Corinthians 16:2 he says,  “Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.”

Each one is to give “as he has decided in his heart” and “as he may prosper”, which means according to his prosperity, or ability. This reminds me of the story of the widow’s offering. In Luke 21 we read that,

“Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”’ (Luke 21:1–4, ESV)

Ultimately this is my approach as a pastor. I want to urge you to give sacrificially, as you have decided in your heart, and according to your prosperity, or ability. That said, it should also be noted that Paul is here speaking of a special offering being taken to relieve Christians living in poverty. That pervasive tithe principle from the Old Testament still looms large in my mind. I will leave it ultimately for you to decide as something between you and the Lord.

This I am confident to say – we would do well to give sacrificially to the Lord.

Let Us Give Faithfully

Friends, let us also give faithfully.

Here I have two things in mind.  One, we should give faithfully, as in regularly and consistently. Secondly, we should give faithfully, that is, with hearts full of faith.

First, our giving should be faithful as in consistent. There are a variety of ways to accomplish this. Some give every Lord’s Day. This would be consistent with what is urged in 2 Corinthians 16:2 where Paul urges that money be set aside on the first day of the week, which is Lord’s Day. Others give each time they are paid. Some give once per month. And I assume that others take other approaches.  This will change from person to person and from culture to culture. Consistency is important, I think.

Secondly, we are to give faithfully, that is, with hearts full of faith. Here I have in mind that when we give we are to do so trusting in God.

We trust that he will use our giving to bring about good in his kingdom. And we also trust that he will provide for our needs as we give in a sacrificial way.

Do see the faith principle in 2 Corinthians 9:6? “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” Do you believe, friend, that when you give to the Lord good comes of it? Just as a farmer makes an investment when he sows seed into the ground, so too a Christian makes an investment when he or she gives to the Lord. The more a farmers sows, the more he will reap. And the more a Christian gives, the more he or she will reap in the spiritual realm.

And do you see the faith principle in 2 Corinthians 9:8 where Paul says,

 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, ‘He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:8–11, ESV)

The prosperity preachers of our day take this passage, and others like it, and twist them to appeal to the sensual and carnal appetites of their followers? They say, do you want to get rich? Then give to the Lord and he will multiply your offering ten fold! That is a distortion of this passage, friends. Instead, this passages is saying, do you want to give sacrificially? Then give in faith believing that the Lord will meet all your needs, enabling you to give all the more! You see the prosperity preachers focus upon that very thing – prosperity. The Christian is to focus on generosity while trusting that God will meet his every need.

Brothers and sisters, let us give faithfully.

Let Us Give For The Promotion Of Christ’s Kingdom

And may we also give for the promotion of Christ’s kingdom.

Here I simply wish to emphasize that when you give the money does not vanish into thin air but has an impact upon the kingdom of God. I want you to mindful of this when you give.

The elders and deacons of the church have a responsibility to use the tithes and offerings of the saints wisely and appropriately. Budgets should be established and maintained that reflect the God given mission of the church. Just as the priests under the Old Covenant were to use the offerings of the people for the establishment, promotion, and maintenance of the worship of God in the temple of God, so too elders and deacons are to manage the monies of the church so that Christ’s temple is indeed build up through the proclamation of the word and administration of the sacraments, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our mission is the great commission, friends. The monies of the church are to be used for the accomplishment of that mission.

For example, it is right that pastors be supported by the church whenever possible.

Paul argues in favor of this in 1 Corinthians 9 and also 1 Timothy 5, concluding that “the laborer deserves his wages.” (1 Timothy 5:18, ESV) Our confession also speaks in favor of ministerial support, saying in 26.10,

“it is incumbent on the churches… not only to give [their ministers] all due respect, but also to communicate to them of all their good things according to their ability, so as they may have a comfortable supply, without being themselves entangled in secular affairs; and may also be capable of exercising hospitality towards others; and this is required by the law of nature, and by the express order of our Lord Jesus, who hath ordained that they that preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel.”

In addition to the texts that I have already mentioned, the confession lists Galatians 6:6 which says, “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.” (Galatians 6:6, ESV)

And so pastors should, whenever possible, be supported by their congregations so that they can give themselves to the ministry of the word, to prayer, and to the shepherding of the flock of Christ. This is not always, possible, of course. And so ministers may decide for the sake of the kingdom to engage in bi-vocational ministry for a time. This is often required of those engaging in church planting efforts. The Apostle Paul himself worked as a tentmaker so that he might plant churches, but he evidently saw this as less than ideal.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we also had enough to invest in the training of future ministers?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could support a church plant someday?

And wouldn’t you love to see us send and support more missionaries? We already support a couple of missions efforts. Wouldn’t it be great to do more?

And wouldn’t it be great to helping struggling churches when needs arise?

And how about offering assistance to those in need around us, especially those of the household of faith?

Wouldn’t it be great, if the Lord wills, to have a place to use throughout the week for ministry purposes?

Some of these things we have already begun to do. The point I am making is that kingdom work does cost money. And it is your giving that makes it possible. Stuff gets done, that is the point. Giving is practical. Do you see how Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:12 emphasized this point with the Corinthians reminding them that their giving was “supplying the needs of the saints.” Your giving makes it possible to get stuff done. And an increase in giving would make more kingdom work possible, friends.

Let us give for the promotion of Christ’s kingdom.

Let Us Give Willingly 

And let us also give willingly.

Do you see what Paul says in 9:7? “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion…” You ought not to be forced to give. The church ought not to send a bill to it’s members.

I’ve actually heard of churches that insist on seeing the bank account information of their members so they can compare it to the giving. That’s very troubling to me. I’ve also heard from a number people about involvement in churches who’s practice it was to pass the plate, to count the offering, and then to send the plates around again if the leadership deemed that there wasn’t enough given on the first go around. That’s very concerning!

You should giving willingly, friends. No one is twisting your arm here. Ultimately your giving is between you and the Lord! In fact, I don’t even know what you give! It’s been an unwritten policy here at Emmaus from the beginning that the pastors and elders not know who gives what. If you are going to give folks, give willingly!

But notice that Paul’s concern that Christians not give reluctantly or under compulsion did not hinder him from exhorting them to give! He exhorts them to give generously here in 2 Corinthians 9 and also in 1 Corinthians 16. And this is why I think it is also right to exhort you, but to ultimately leave you free from all coercion.

Friends, let us give willingly.

Let Us Give Cheerfully

Let us also give cheerfully.

Paul reminds us here that “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7, ESV) I hope that you are blessed when you give. I hope that you do it with a smile on your face. I hope that it brings a sense of satisfaction to you to know that God, by his grace, has enabled you to work hard, to earn a living, and to bring a portion of what you have earned to him as an offering – a sweat smelling aroma. Indeed, it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Let Us Give To The Glory Of God

Lastly, let us give to the glory of God.

Some give, but seeking glory for themselves. We ought to give to the glory of God.

Notice how God was glorified through the giving of those in the early church to the needs in Jerusalem. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9:12,

“For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.” (2 Corinthians 9:12–14, ESV)

I do believe that God is glorified – I do believe that praise to God is provoked – when the people of God give generously, and the giving off the people is used properly, for the building up of the body of Christ, for the furtherance of the kingdom, and for the needs of those around us, especially those of the household of faith.

May it be so of us. May our giving as a congregation, and our use of the funds, be to the glory, honor, and praise of God.

Conclusion

Here is my challenge to you. Would you first of all ask yourself the question, am I thinking about money the right way? Do I see all things as coming from God and myself as a steward of what God has provided. Secondly, would you prayerfully consider your giving. Ask yourself, am I giving worshipfully, sacrificially, faithfully, and with the furtherance of Christ’s kingdom in mind. Thirdly, would you check your heart. Would you make sure that whatever you give, be it small or great, be it one percent or fifty, that your heart is right before God. Give willingly, cheerfully, and to the glory of the Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – who is the giver of every good and perfect gift.

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
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Pre-Introduction 

Last week we looked at the roles of the husband and wife as described in Ephesians 5:22-33. Wives are to submit to their husbands as the church does to Christ, and husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church, giving himself up for her.

These are commands to be obeyed, friends. But the Christian might still wonder, how exactly am I to fulfill these roles and responsibilities consistently and well? What exactly does it look like for a wife to lovingly submit and for a husband to lovingly lead? (more…)

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady
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New Testament Reading: Ephesians 5:22–33

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (Ephesians 5:22–33, ESV)

Introduction

Church, my objectives in this brief sermon series are simple.

One, I’m desiring that you would see the marriage relationship as one of the most important relationships on earth. Healthy marriages are good for society, good for the family, good for the church, and good for the man and the woman who enter into the covenant bond. Ultimately, the Christian marriage is to the glory of the Triune God – Father, Word, and Spirit. My desire is that you would see marriage as important to the degree that you would be willing to invest a great deal into the health of yours. My hope is that you would labor to build a truly healthy marriage, no longer being content with the mere fact that you are still married. That you are still married is wonderful – it’s good that you meant what you said when you vowed, “till death do us part”. But what about the health of the marriage? What about the intimacy, the honor, the love, the Christlikeness? God’s desire is that the marriage would thrive, and not merely survive. Friends, it is possible with Christ’s help. You need to hear that early and often. A healthy marriage is possible with Christ’s help, especially when both the husband and wife profess faith and are willing to work towards a healthy marriage.

Two, I’m desiring that you come to see that marriage is of God. He is the originator of it. He is the designer of it. Marriage did not emerge spontaneously of out of some primordial ooze only to evolve as societies progressed. Instead, God created marriage. And he designed it to function in a particular way, and for a particular purpose.

These things were considered in the previous sermon as we looked primarily at Genesis 1 and 2. Marriage is so important on so many levels that it is worth investing a great deal of effort into it. And God is the originator of it. He instituted marriage. He designed it to function in a particular way.

With these foundational truths established I wish now to turn our attention to the question, how does this thing we call marriage work? Who is to enter into the marriage bond, and what must they do in order for the marriage to thrive rather than merely survive?

Concerning the question, who is to enter in to the marriage bond? the answer is clear: one man and one women are to wed. It was this way from the beginning. Adam was not given multiple wives, nor was given another man to correspond to him as helper fit for him. He was given a women to take as wife, and the two of them were to become one flesh. Anything besides this is a distortion of God’s design and should not be smiled upon by Christians who love God and his law as revealed in nature and in the scriptures.

Notice that whenever the scriptures describe a polygamous relationship, the relationship is described in negative terms. Polygamy is indeed described in the Bible, but never is it prescribed. The results of it are always jealousy, strife, and the complication of the purposes of God in the narrative of scripture.

And the scriptures consistently speak against homosexual acts as sin. Homosexuality, along with many others sins, is consistently described as an abomination before God. This does not mean that we, as Christians living in the New Covenant age, are to seek civil punishment for homosexuals. We are not living under the Old Covenant. We are not Old Covenant Israel. Those civil laws given to Israel under Moses are not binding on any nation now that the Christ has come. Not even modern Israel is governed by the civil laws of Moses, nor should they be. And the fact that the scriptures call homosexuality a sin also does not mean that we are treat homosexuals badly. We do not treat drunkards badly. We do not treat liars badly. Do not the scriptures call Christians to show love even to their enemies? But there is vast difference between treating someone badly and calling sin sin. This a Christian must do. But we are to do it with gentleness and respect out of a heart of love for the one sinning. So just as we call stealing sin while calling the thief to repentance and faith in Christ – and just as we call drunkenness sin while lovingly calling the drunkard to repentance and faith in Christ – so too we must call homosexuality sin and the one practicing homosexuality to repentance and faith in Christ. For “do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9–11, ESV)

So who is to marry? The Christian believes, being constrained by the law of God revealed in nature and in the scriptures, that it is one man and one woman who are to marry, and that for life. The man and the woman were made by God to correspond to one another – the two become one flesh in marriage. What God has joined let not man separate (Matthew 19:6).

Furthermore, Christians are to marry in the Lord. Young people, please hear this? Singles, please hear this? The scriptures call Christians to marry Christians. Black and white are free to marry. Rich and pour are free to marry. Introverts and extroverts may marry. But Christians are to marry a Christians.

Sometimes people come to faith after they are married and, therefore, find themselves married to a non-Christian. In that case the Christian should remain married. Paul speaks to this in 1 Corinthians 7:13. But when a Christian is seeking a spouse the number one non-negotiable should be, is he or she a Christian? And notice I did not say, does he or she claim to be a Christian. It is easy to claim to be a Christian, friends. And there are many who do claim to be Christians. But you must do everything in your power to be sure that they are a Christian as they say. This is especially important in our day and age where people can present themselves anyway they please online. We are to marry in the Lord, friends. “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14, ESV) When Paul gave permission for widows (and widowers) to remarry he said, “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 7:39, ESV)

So who are Christians to marry? According the scriptures one man should marry one woman for life, and we are to marry in the Lord.

But how are these two who marry to relate to each other? That is the question I would like to devote the remainder of this sermon to answering.

Before we move to the answer I want to be sure that you understand just how foundational the things that have been said up to this point are to answering this question. The foundational principle up to this point is that God is the originator and designer of marriage. If we believe this to be true then why would be not go to him for answers, not only in regard to the question of who should marry, but also in regard to the question of how the marriage is to work? He has designed it to fulfill a particular purpose. And he has given us instructions as to how the husband and the wife are to relate to one another.

Awhile ago my wife and I bought an SUV. It wasn’t new when we bought it, only new to us. It’s been a great car. We can fit all of the kids in it along with luggage. Recently I noticed that there was a kind of rubbing noise coming from the front left. The ride has been a bit more bouncy than it was at first (maybe it’s my imagination). A friend of mine noticed some grease on the front left shock. I think at least one of the shocks is bad. I started to look for replacement shocks only to find out that they are not normal shocks, but computer controlled air shocks. The rear shocks are supposed to automatically adjust ride hight when towing. Pretty cool, right? Also rather expensive to replace. I’ll refrain from telling you all about my vehicle and simply get to the point. You can look up parts, and you can read blog posts, and the comments on blog posts all day long, but if you want to know how your car works – what components are there, and how they are designed to work – what must you eventually read? At some point it would be wise to go to the owners manual. It is the official manual produced and distributed by those who designed the thing. It was amazing how clear and simple things became after I found the owners manual and read it. It was only a few short pages long. And described in plain language exactly what components were on my car and how they were designed to work. And do want to know something? I knew that I was reading something authoritative. What I was reading was from the manufacture.

Friends, when our marriages are squeaking – when they seem to breaking down – why do we neglect the scriptures? Why do we neglect God’s word on the subject? We run everywhere else, it seems, looking for a solution. But the solution is right before us. And it is simple. Notice, I did not say that it is easy. We make it difficult because of our sinfulness. But God’s instructions concerning the marriage relationship are really simple, to the point, and plain.

It is important to notice that when a man and woman marry, the two become one flesh. They are united as one. There is a spiritual and relational fusing of the two persons in the covenant bond of marriage. I don’t know if there is human relationship is more intimate than this.

And it is the physical coming together of the man and women which serves to consummate this covenant bond. It completes it, or seals it, through the physical act. The physical act consummates the covenant bond initially, and it also serves as a kind of covenant renewal throughout the marriage relationship. In this way it is similar to baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These physical, visual, rites serve to as a kind of seal to the invisible faith that is in us. They are a sign of the spiritual union that we have with Christ by faith. Friends, it is empty to partake of baptism and the Supper if there is no faith. In fact the scriptures warn us that it is harmful to do so. A person ought never to partake of baptism or the Supper if there is no faith in the heart – no real spiritual union with Christ. That is to use the sacrament sinfully. That would be to treat the sacrament as if it were the substance instead of the sign. It is the sign. Our faith in Christ is the substance that the sign symbolizes. Are you following me? Do you see the relationship between the physical and the spiritual in the sacraments of baptism and the Supper? Do you see how empty it is – indeed, how dangerous it is – for a person to partake of the sign of the faith where there is no substance of faith? It is merely carnal. It’s empty. Hollow.

And this way why sex outside of the marriage covenant is such an empty, hollow, and ultimately destructive thing. When a man and woman come together physically, but not within the context of the covenant of marriage, they partake of that which is meant to serve as a sign and seal of the one flesh union, but without the substance of actually being one flesh. It’s a misuse of the gift. It’s no wonder then that it leaves those who partake outside of marriage feeling empty and hollow. And Maybe they would respond saying, I don’t feel empty and hollow! But I can’t help but wonder if they do not perceive it as empty only because they are unaware and unexperienced in regard to the true design and full enjoyment of the physical union. They have experienced the physical, but never in the context of the spiritual, relational, and covenantal bond. And they assume that this is all there is. It’s what they know, and so they know no difference. They have gone through the motions. They’ve experienced physical pleasure, but never the depth of intimacy that only a the covenant of marriage can bring. I can think of no better illustration than the one I have already given. The one who partakes of the physical union apart from the spiritual, relational, and covenantal union can be compared to the unregenerate religious person who goes to church every Sunday to eat of the bread and drink of the cup, but who knows nothing of Christ. There is no real substance to their faith – no vital relationship – no real union with Christ – only externals. Their religion is only carnal. They know not the real joys of union with Christ. So it is for the one who partakes of the physical union apart from the marriage bond. It’s no wonder, then, that these acts of fornication bring about all kinds of difficulty, even death, disease, and destruction, given that they are a distortion and misuse of the gifts of God.

The point is this: To the unmarried I say, save the gift of sex for marriage. Do that for your own good and to the glory of God. And to the married person I say approach the physical union properly. Do not make it the main thing. Do not approach it as if it were merely a physical act. But see it for what it is – a consummation and ongoing renewal of the spiritual, relational, and covenantal bond that you enjoy with your spouse. I think there is a great deal to ponder here, but we must move on.

Why I have devoted so much time to the concept of one flesh union in a sermon that is supposed to be about the roles and responsibilities of husband and wives as communicated in Ephesians 5? It is because this concept of one flesh union is at the core of the text and yet, sadly, it is often overlooked. Often the thing focused on is the simple fact that husbands and wives are given roles. Wives are to submit and husbands are to love. That is true. But notice how the theme of one flesh union runs through the whole passage. And notice also how it is this theme of one flesh union which annihilates any notion that husband is here called to rule as dictator over his wife, and that wife is to dutifully submit to his rule. That is how the world reads this text, but it couldn’t be more poorly understood.

That the husband and wife are given roles here is undeniable – and we will come to those. But first notice that the husband and wife are viewed as a unity. Are there distinctions? Indeed there are! But there is also unity (much like within the Godhead – one God, eternally existing in three subsistences).

So foundational is this unity between husband and wife that when Paul comes to the husband to exhort him to fulfill his role he reasons with him in verse 28 saying, listen, man! Love your wife! Love your wife just as you love your own body. For, to love your wife, is really to love yourself, given that you are one flesh with her. And just as people tend to love their own flesh – that is, just as human beings tend to do good for themselves – feeding themselves, grooming themselves, protecting themselves, and so on – so too a husband should love his wife, nourishing and cherishing her. After all, to love your wife is really to love yourself, given that you are one with her.  That is his reasoning.

The centrality of the one flesh union principle is also contained within Paul’s continual comparison to the union that exists between the husband and wife with the union that exists between Christ and his bride, the church. This comparison between the husband and wife and Christ and the church is everywhere in this text.

Wives are to submit to their husbands as to the Lord, “for the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.” (Ephesians 5:23, ESV) “Husbands [are to] love [their] wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” (Ephesians 5:25–28, ESV)

And so we have this continual comparison between the relationship of the husband and wife and the relationship of Christ and the church. And at the core of these relationships is the fact that the two entities are in reality one. The husband and the wife are one. And Christ and his church are one. A spiritual union exists between the two entities so much so that both parties can’t help but live for the good of the other. The husband is to live for the good of his wife just as Christ lives for the good of his church, even to the point of laying his life down for her.

So much for the stupid idea that the scriptures promote a kind of dictatorial domination of the husband over the wife. Instead we begin with the idea that the marriage relationship is, first of all, a joining together of two persons as one. The marriage is to be intimate at its core. The disposition of the husband to the wife and the wife to the husband is to be selfless. Each are to live for the good of the other. Whatever is said about the specific roles of the man and woman is to be understood in this context.

Wives, Submit to Your Own Husbands

So what about the roles? Paul addresses the wives first saying, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:22, ESV)

I know this is offensive to modern ears. Some object saying, this principle is demeaning to women suggesting that the woman is inferior to the man. 

My reply is, where does this passage suggest that women are inferior to men? Where does it suggest that women are less capable, less intelligent, of less value, or any such thing? It seems to me that you have read something into this text!

The text does not speak to the issue of value or intelligence or capability. But it does call the woman, as capable as she may be, to take a posture of submission before her husband. In other words, she is to place herself under him, subordinating herself to him, just as she does to the Lord.

It is interesting that in the greek the word “submit” does not even appear in verse 22. Literally the texts reads, “the wives to your own husbands as to the Lord.” Where then does the word “submit” come from? It comes from verse 21 where Paul exhorts all Christians to, “[submit] to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21, ESV) That is how all Christians are to live toward one another! We are to submit to one another. We are to walk humbly, considering ourselves less important than the other, serving one another, dying to self daily, living for the good of the other. In short, we are to love one another in Christ.

Verse 22 continues that thought as Paul begins to apply the general principle of mutual submission to specific relationships within the church. Wives are to submit to their husbands; husband are to love their wives; children are to obey their parents; bondservants are to obey their masters. In general, we are all to submit to one another, humbly living for the good the other. Specifically, this principle is to be applied in certain ways in the church, in the home, and in the workplace.

If it is true that the principle of submission is demeaning to the woman than we must also say that all have been equally demeaned, for the principle of submission that is applied to the woman in verse 22 is borrowed from verse 21 where it is applied, not to the women, but to every Christian.

It needs to be recognized that people submit all the time to others with whom the are equal in regard to value. In fact, it is not uncommon for a person of greater capability to be asked to submit to someone of less capability. This is probably not uncommon in the workplace. Submission does not imply inferiority in regard to worth or capability. But it is required for the sake of order.

We might even look at God himself. Within the Triune God there are three persons or subsistences –  Father, Word, and Spirit. And these three are of “one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence”, as the confession says. In others words, through somehow distinct, the three are one, and the three are equal. The Word, or Son, is no less God than the Father. And the Spirit is no less God than the Son. And yet the Son has willing submitted himself to the Father, and the Spirit to the Father and Son. The Son, being truly and full God, submitted to the Father agreeing to accomplish redemption, so much so that the Christ cried out to the Father saying, not my will, but your will be done. And the Father and Son sent the Spirit to do his work. So we see willing submission within the Godhead for the accomplishment of redemption – Father, Son and Spirit. And yet these three are equal in power and glory.

So the wife, being in no way inferior to her husband, is called by God to submit to him.

And what is this submission to look like?

I would imagine that the relationship between husband and wife differs greatly from culture to culture and from time to time in regard to the daily implementation of this principle of submission. For example the wives in one country might be expected to take care of certain responsibilities within the home where as wives in another country be expected to do other things. I heard a missionary share a story about going to the mission field with his wife and children, and one day he decided to sweep off the porch. Little did he know that all of the women in the community began to look upon his wife with distain thinking that she was a lazy and negligent wife. These expectations differ from culture to culture, and there is freedom in Christ to work the things out within your home concerning who does what. Notice that this is not a chore list. It is a principle. And it is an issue of the heart.

The wife is to submit to her husband. And how should it look? Paul is brilliant in his presentation of this. He simply says, that the wife is to submit to her husband “as to the Lord.” In other words, just as a Christian submits to  Christ, so too the wife is to submit to her husband. That is how it should look. Paul elaborates saying, “for the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.” (Ephesians 5:23, ESV)

Sister in Christ, God is calling you to submit to your husband in the same way that you submit to Christ.

Is that not what verse 24 says? “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.” (Ephesians 5:24, ESV)

This is a high calling, isn’t it? And do you notice the lack of exceptions? Paul does not say, wives submit to your husbands as long as they are doing a great job. No, he simply calls you to submit. Actually, Peter, in a similar passage, does address the problem of a knuckle head husband. He says “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.” (1 Peter 3:1–2, ESV) So it is not, submit so long as he is doing his part, but rather, submit to and show honor to your husband.

Just to be clear, there are instances when it would be permissible for a wife to separate from her husband, and conversely, for a husband to separate from his wife. In the case of adultery, divorce is permitted, but not demanded. In the case of abuse, it would be wise to pursue separation. And in the case where husband (or wife) is causing the other to break God’s law (or the laws of the land) I would also encourage separation.

Here I have in view the excuse, well my husband is not very tender so I can’t honor him nor submit to his lead. Or, my husband does not lead us in devotions so I cannot submit to him. Sister, if this is your attitude towards your husband, you are not obeying the will of Christ for your marriage. The way that he will be won (if it is the will of God that he be won) will be through your obedience, not through your rebellion.

Husbands, Love Your Wives

Let’s turn our attention to the husbands for a moment. Paul addresses them saying, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” (Ephesians 5:25, ESV)

Notice that Paul does not say, husbands lead your wives. The leadership of the husband is implied in the command to the wife to submit. And leadership is also implied when Paul says that the husband is the “head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church.” Indeed the husband is to lead. He is to lead in regard to providing the necessities of life – food, clothing, shelter. He is to protect the wife. He is to be sure that she is nurtured emotionally and spiritually. He is to be sure that the family is instructed in the Lord. He is indeed to lead. The husband is the head. That implies that he is the one responsible for the family before God. That is implied throughout. But Paul specifically commands the men saying, “Husbands, love your wives.”

And how is this to look?

Again, Paul points us to Christ and his relationship to the church as the model. Husbands are to “love [their] wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” Do you see that just as the wife is to give herself up for the husband in submission, so too the husband is to give himself up for the wife as he leads.

Please do not romanticize this, saying, indeed I would take a bullet for you, babe. I hope you would! But this is more about dying daily for your wife. This is about dying to yourself, setting aside your own desires, your own ambitions, your own appetites, for the good of your wife.

The husband is to “love [his wife] , [just as] Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” Did Christ lead the church? Indeed! Was he the one responsible for the health of the church? Without out a doubt. Is Christ the head of the church? Yes he is! But how did he lead? He loved. He gave himself up. He died for the church. He also clothed himself as a servant and washed the feet of the church, did he not? This is how the husband is to lead. What woman would not be happy to submit to that?

Conclusion 

Friends, I must conclude, though so much more could be said. We’ll spend at least one more week on the topic of marriage.

Three remarks:

One, we have a counseling ministry at Emmaus. Maybe a better way to say it would be that we think one of the responsibilities the pastor is to counsel. Pastoral counseling is essentially this: it is personal interaction between a pastor and a congregant where the principles of God’s Word are able to be applied to the various problems we face. If you having trouble in your marriage, Russell or I would be happy to meet with you for biblical counsel.

Two, know that the most common hurdles we face in marriage counseling situations are these: One, when an individual or couple has bought into the worldly idea that a husband or wife must feel love for one another if the marriage is to work. This is a wholly unbiblical view of love. Christians are commanded to love even their enemies. Husbands are commanded to love their wives, and that involves giving himself up for her. Biblical love is first of all an action, not an emotion. Our affections often follow our actions, friends. Considered in this way, it is impossible to “fall out of love”. It is possible to fall out of lust, if that is what you mean. It is even possible for affections to come and go. But biblical love is not something that you fall into or out of. It is something you choose to do. The second most common hurdle we face is this: when a spouse refuses to their part until the other does theirs. It only takes one to jump start the change.

Three, I want you to know that there is hope in Christ Jesus. It is the Spirit of Christ who is able to transform us. It is the gospel of Christ that enables to forgive from the heart those who have wronged us, even our spouses. And it is the word of Christ that is powerful to direct our steps in every arena of life, even our marriages. Let’s look to him, brothers and sisters.

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady Ephesians 5:22-33
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Old Testament Reading: Genesis 1:26–31; 2:20–25

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and 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. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.’ (Genesis 1:26–31, ESV)

“The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:20–25, ESV)

Introduction

Brothers and sisters, I’d like to take a few weeks to address the topic of marriage.

Marriage is a very important thing. I don’t think I need to spend much time convincing you of that.

You would agree that marriage, and the family that is produced and made stable by it, is important to society. I think it is right to say that marriage and the family serve as the building blocks of society.  We are more than a collection of individual citizens. We, as individuals come into this world when two persons – a male and a female – come together. And it is the responsibility of the two who come together to help the newly formed person grow up. Parents are to nurture, discipline, and instruct their children. They are to protect and provide for them. This is what we call a family. It’s hard to think of concept more basic than this, and yet it seems far from obvious today. Healthy societies consist of healthy families. And healthy families are made possible by healthy marriages. Marriage is important to society.

You would also agree that marriage, and the family that is produced and made stable by it, is important to the church. Keep in mind that the church is more than just a collection of families. We make much of the family here at Emmaus. And it is right that we do so. But there is a danger in it. Some churches who make much of the family begin to function as if the church is nothing more that a gathering together of families. They seem to miss the fact that there are married people and single people within the church. There are young and old. The church is not made up of families, but of officers and members – that is to say, elders and deacons along with the saints who appoint them, who are then served by them. And the saints are diverse, as I’ve already said. There are young and old, male and female, rich and poor, black and white, married and unmarried. And is the task of ministers to minister to them all. And so the church is more than just a coming together of families. And yet we must also admit that the family plays a vital role within the church. Husbands and wives have a special obligation to love one another in Christ. Children are to be raised by parents in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Therefore, healthy marriages and healthy families are vital to the building up of heathy churches.

And you would also agree that marriage is important to the individuals who enter into it. Some of you are married now. Some hope to marry in the future. Some have no desire to marry, which may be gift from the Lord (we’ll talk about that another time). Whatever your current status, and whatever your plans for the future may be, I think you would agree that the marriage relationship is the most intimate of all human relationships. There are other significant relationships, of course. The relationship between a parent and child is significant. Friendships are significant. Our relationship to one another in Christ is significant (it is eternal!). But the marriage bond is the most intimate of all human relationships. It is in marriage that two individual persons become one. That happens nowhere else except in marriage.

Marriage is immensely important. But sadly the institution of marriage has been dragged through the mud by godless people. It’s been twisted and distorted. It’s true significance is largely unknown.

Friends, please understand that this is nothing new. It may seem new to us. We have in our day witnessed a rapid and dramatic transformation in regard to the way that our society defines marriage. The change has been very significant. The changes have been jarring, especially to those who love God and his word – who love neighbor and country, knowing that God’s ways are best for the society in which we live. But really the degradation of God’s design for marriage is nothing new.

For example, in Genesis 4:19, which describes to us days not long after the fall, we read that, “Lamech took two wives.” This was clearly an act of rebellion against God’s design for marriage. God said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24, ESV) Two are to become one; but Lemech joined himself, not to one, but to two. And by the days of Noah, when godlessness had greatly increased on the earth, we see that powerful men were taking as many wives as they pleased. Genesis 6:1 says, “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.” (Genesis 6:1–2, ESV) These “sons of God” were powerful kings. These were tyrants who, instead of honoring God, disregarded him, and began to oppress their fellow man, taking as many women as they pleased.

Friends, the distortion of God design for marriage is nothing new. I, for one, am not surprised by it when I see it. But I am surprised that Christians are surprised. Why would we expect anything different from the world? The world is hostile to the things of God. The world hates the commandments of God. The world takes what God has said and turns it on its head. I’m sad for our society. I pray for our society, that God would show mercy. And I seek to influence our society as a citizen of this land by proclaiming truth, conversing with others, and voting. But I am not surprised by what I see. I would actually be surprised if I saw the godless love God and his ways. That would be an unusual sight indeed.

Friends, there is a time and a place to engage the culture in which we live concerning sin. I’m not opposed to that. But as a pastor I’m much more concerned to engage the church – those who name the name of Christ – concerning our lack of conformity to God’s word.

If anyone in the world be expected to live according to God’s design for marriage, it is the Christian! I’m not surprised when I see the godless rebel against God’s law as it is reveled in the scriptures and in nature. But I am surprised, and deeply saddened, when I see the Christian – the one who has received the word, and who has the Spirit to make him able and willing to obey it – neglect God’s design.

My objective in this brief series is to set before you God’s design for marriage. Today we will consider it’s origin and design. In two weeks we will consider roles and responsibilities of the husband and wife. And after that we will look at the “secret” for a healthy marriage, which is really no secret at all.

But first we must consider the origin of marriage and it’s design. When we talk about the origin of marriage we are asking, where did this institution come from? And when we talk about the design of marriage we are asking, what is it for? What is it’s purpose.

Do you want to know the real difference between the worlds view of marriage and the Christians? It is found here! It is not, first of all, a difference of opinion concerning who should be allowed to marry – a male and a female, a male with a male, a female with a female, or one to many – but it is first of all a difference of opinion concerning origin and design. 

The Christian believes that God is the originator of marriage. He is the one who instituted it. And because he is the originator, he is also the designer. To say it another way, God created marriage for a definite purpose. These things are fixed, in our view. They are unchanging, being rooted in the historical event of creation, and in the purposes of God.

But our culture is growing more and more atheistic – more godless. And the evolutionary theory of Darwin has permeated our culture, being applied, not just to organisms and animals, but to morality and culture, politics and religion. And so this is the opinion that prevails: there is no God who is the source of all things, who has designed the universe purposefully, directing all things to his desired end. Rather everything has come about randomly and spontaneously. And everything evolves from a lesser to a higher state of being. Animals evolve. Morality evolves. Religion evolves. It is no wonder, then, that they expect marriage to evolve too. It all evolves from a primitive, “cavemanish” state of being into something better, more advanced, modern, and refined. So there is no purposeful design in the beginning, and everything evolves – it must evolve – it must progress.

This is the way that the modern godless man thinks. And this is why they look at us as if we were from another planet (or at least from another time) when we say, “no, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. He has designed things to function in a particular way. He is the originator and the designer of all things, and we are to live according to his law, revealed in nature, but much more clearly in his holy word.”

The disagreements that we have in our culture concerning marriage stem from something much deeper than the issues themselves. The views we hold concerning marriage bubble up from our view of the world. This is why Christians will never approve of gay marriage. We view the world in this way – God created all things seen and unseen. He is the originator and designer of all things. He has established a fixed order of things. We are governed by laws – the laws of nature, and the laws revealed in his word. This applies to marriage. He designed it to fulfill a purpose – to function in a particular way. This is what the scriptures teach, and it is what we believe.

So how should we handle this difference of opinion that we have with the surrounding culture concerning marriage? One, we should pray for the culture in which we live. Two, we should dialogue with people concerning these things, seeking to persuade them from God’s law found in nature and in the Holy Scriptures. Three, we should vote according to our beliefs. We have the right to do so. We should not neglect that great privilege. But above all, we ought to order our own lives according to God’s revealed will concerning marriage and the family.

It is this last thing that is so often neglected. It is easy to voice disapproval of the way the culture is heading. It is easy to vote. It is even easy to pray that God would turn the hearts of others to himself and to his ways. But is much more difficult to actually fulfill God’s design for marriage in our own lives. This is what is needed. As our culture runs away from God design is it imprint that we live according to it more and more so that we might shine forth as lights in the darkness.

But here is my concern: I wonder how many Christians really understand God’s design for marriage. We agree that marriage is between a man and a woman. We agree that we ought to be faithful to our spouse – we ought not to divorce. And these things are true and right! But let’s not break our arms patting ourselves on the back because we hold to a proper view and have managed to stay married! We are far to easily satisfied, I think.

Friends, we must work on our marriages so that, more than survive, they thrive. We must ask, what is God design for marriage. Why did he institute it? Was is the marriage relationship to like if it is to fulfill its God given purpose. This is the question I will seek to answer of the next few weeks.

The question, where did marriage come from? is easy for the Christian to answer. We believe that God instituted it. This was Jesus’ view. When asked about the issue of divorce, Christ replied,

“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:4–6, ESV)

Christ appealed to Genesis, didn’t he? He appealed to creation, and to the design of God. He insisted that God was the originator of the institution of marriage. In other words, marriage is not the product of man. Marriage did not randomly and spontaneously emerge of out of some ancient cultural ooze and evolve from there. No, marriage was instituted by God. It was designed by him to accomplish a particular purpose. Marriage, in Christ’s eyes, is a thing purposefully created by God. It is, therefore, fixed in it design and purpose. We are not to progress away from God’s design, but we are to conserve it.

 

But what is marriage for, exactly? Why marriage? And why marriage like this, and not in some other form? This is the question that we have a more difficult time answering. Friends, I do not think it is because the scriptures are unclear on this point. Instead, I think it because of our sinfulness that we are more prone to answer this question incorrectly. God’s purpose for marriage is clearly stated in the scriptures, but we do not always want to listen. We rather make it into what we want it to be. And sometimes we just simply forget to ask these important questions. How many of you took the time to really ask, what is God’s design for marriage? before you said I do? I doubt very many. Instead we are often driven by emotion and desire and we find ourselves getting married because this is what people in culture do.

We assume that marriage is going to make us happy. But is that what marriage is ultimately for? Is it about your happiness? Is that the supreme goal? Is that the aim? Disney says so. “Happily ever after”, right? That’s how the story goes. But we should remember, and never forget, that while Disney was great at making kids movies, he was a terrible theologian.

Friends, personal happiness is not the supreme goal of the marriage relationship. In fact, if you want to be sure never to find personal happiness in this life, aim for it all the time and in everything you do. Make everything about you. Make it all about your desires, your needs, your goals and ambitions. Pursue personal happiness, and you’ll be sure never to find it.

Happiness, friends, is the byproduct of a life lived well. Happiness comes to the soul when we live, not for self, but for the glory of God – not for self, but for the good of others. This is true in every relationship, but especially the marriage relationship?

Brothers and sisters, it is vital that we aim at the right thing in the marriage relationship. We must have the right goal in mind from the start.

So what did God design the marriage relationship for? Let us briefly notice three things from Genesis 1 and 2. As usual, more could be said than what will be said, but it’s a start.

For The Generation Of A Holy Seed 

First of all, notice that marriage was instituted for the generation of a holy seed.

Adam and Eve were to come together as one flesh and they were to populate the earth.  “God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:28, ESV)

The man and the woman, as husband and wife, were to reproduce. They were to raise their children to honor God, to keep his commands, and to fulfill his calling upon their life.

Adam and Eve fell before accomplishing this in the garden, but they did accomplish it afterwards. They bore children. And this childbearing took on an added dimension after the fall. It would be through the process of reproduction that the Messiah would eventually come. And so when Adam and Eve reproduced they urged their children to trust in the promise of God concerning the coming savior. They taught their children to honor God and to keep his commandments. Some did, some did not. It was from the line of those who did honor God that the Messiah would eventually come.

Friends, the Messiah has come! He is Christ Jesus our Lord. And when Christians marry and have children today one of their prime responsibilities is to point the kids to Jesus. Are children are not born into the Abrahamic, Mosaic, or New Covenant. They are not kingdom children by birth. But they are sanctified. They are sanctified – which means to be set apart – in that they have been born to parents, or to a parent, who believes upon Christ. Think of the privilege this is. Think of the benefit. They will be raised hearing the gospel. They well be raised according to God’s word. They will be raised being taught the things of God. They are sanctified, or made holy, in this respect, as is the nonbeliever who is married to a Christian (1 Corinthians 7:14).

One of the purposes of marriage is the generation of a holy seed. Christians should know this before they marry. One of the reasons that Christians are to marry Christians is so that this purpose can be fulfilled most effectively. It is not impossible, but its more difficult to raise children in the Lord if your spouse is not a believer. if you are not yet married, but hope to marry in the future, then marry in the Lord. And marry with the intent of raising your children in the Lord.

We joke here at Emmaus that our method for church growth seems to involve childbearing. We have lots of little ones here. But seriously, we should make much effort to raise our children in the Lord. It is a form of kingdom work. It makes little sense to pour yourself into “ministry” and to neglect your own children.

I should probably say a word about singleness and childlessness before I move on. Please understand that ’m speaking in very general terms here about God’s design for marriage. By no means should we think that those who do not marry, or those who do not have kids, are any less valuable in Christ’s kingdom. Paul, who in other places speaks to beauty of marriage, also speaks of the single life as a gift to be used for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 7). His rationale obviously applied to those who do not have children. Jesus himself neither was married nor did he have children. Think about that.

The point is this: one of the general purposes of marriage is for the generation of a holy seed. We ought to pour ourselves into the children God has entrusted to us. We are to provide for them, protect them, nurture, discipling and train them. This is to be done, not by neglecting the marriage, but by giving priority to it, so that the children might thrive under the glory of the husband’s love for his wife, and the wive’s love for her husband.

For The Glory Of God

Secondly, recognize that marriage was instituted by God to bring glory to God.

Here is what I mean by this: marriage was designed in such a way that when it is functioning as it should something of the mystery of the Triune God is revealed through it.

Consider the Genesis narrative.  When God came to the creation man he said, “‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and 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, ESV)

We will not take the time to say all that could be said here, but notice how God uses the plural “us” and “our” to refer to himself. It is a strange way to speak. Cleary he is referring to himself – man is made in the image of God, and not God and some other entity. And clearly God is one – there is only one God who created the heavens and the earth. And yet God refers to himself in the plural. The rest of the scriptures help us to understand why this would be. Though there is only one God, he exists eternal in three persons (or subsistences) – Father, Word, and Holy Spirit. He is perfectly one, and yet he is many. It is a great mystery.

And notice what is said about the creation of man. Man is made in the image of God, and yet when man is created, he made to be, not one but many. “In the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27, ESV)

I cannot at this time deal with all that is meant by man being created in the image of God. For now I would like you to consider that there is something about the intimacy that exists between and man and his wife that is a picture, or reflection, of the intimacy that exists between the persons of the Triune God. In Genesis 2 we are told “a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24, ESV) There is something deeply spiritual about this union. There is something mysterious and profound about it. And I am saying that it referred originally to the Triune God, who is the covenant making and covent keeping God.

I didn’t not manage my time well in this sermon, so I cannot say much more. I make my point by asking a question. Is the goal of a Christian marriage merely to stay together, that is, to make it to the end as husband and wife? Or is the goal more profound than that? I believe it is more profound. I believe that the goal of the Christian marriage is to remain faithful to the covenant made, as God is faithful in his covenants with us, and to display something of the relational intimacy that exists within the Triune God – Father, Word, and Holy Spirit. We ought to experience a oneness with our spouse that reflects the oneness of the Triune God. I’m well aware of the fact that Paul says that the mystery of marriage refers to Christ and the church. We will come that. Here in Genesis it seems to refer to the mystery of the Triune God.

Husband, are you one with your wife? Wife, are you one with your husband? Is there an intimacy between the two of you – physically, spiritually, emotionally, relationally (all of these things are connected, of course) – that brings glory to God? We are fallen people living in a fallen world. These things do not come automatically, but they can be cultivated, friends.

For The Good Of The Man And Woman

Lastly, consider that marriage was instituted by God for the good of the man and the woman.

This was so from the beginning.  Notice that while everything in God’s creation was said to be good, “God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone…” (Genesis 2:18, ESV) This verse does not mean that it is never good for any man to be alone (for him to not marry) – that would contradict Paul. It means, rather, that man, in general, is not complete without the woman. The two together make up man, or humanity.

And so God made him “a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18, ESV) The woman was made to be compatible to man, and man, therefore, is comparable to women. The creation of the woman moved the man from the state of being “not good” to “good”.

Friends, may I suggest to you that God has given you your husband or wife to make you good – to help you to fulfill God’s calling, and to sanctify you. I realize that I am playing a little loose with the text of Genesis 2 to make this point, but I think the idea is there, and it is an idea greatly magnified in the rest of scripture. God has given you your spouse for your good, so that God may sanctify you through him or her.

Think of it. You’ve entered into a covenant with someone. You’ve said, “till death to us part.” And yes, you were probably naive and foolish when you said those words. You were disciples of Walt Disney. You believed the Cinderella myth. You thought it was all about your happiness. But friends, its better than that. God has given you your spouse for your good. He’s using them to refine you. What an amazing idea this is! God says (even after the fall), lets take two sinful, self-centered, emotionally unstable people and bind them together with a covenant bond, making them to be one flesh, and let’s see what happens. Friends, it’s either a dirty trick, or it’s a beautiful plan leading to our sanctification in Christ. I see it as the later, and not the former.  

Conclusion

If this were all I were going to say about marriage I’d be the first to admit that it is inadequate. My objective was to say some foundational things. More than anything I want for you to look at marriage as something instituted purposefully by God. If we are to do well in it we must know something about God’s purposes for it. He instituted marriage for the generation of a holy seed, for his own glory, and for the good of the man and the women. With Christ’s help, we will be able to make progress in living with one another according to God’s design. We’ll build on that in the weeks to come.

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady Genesis 1:26–31; 2:20–25
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New Testament Reading: Philippians 4:4–7

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4–7, ESV)

Introduction

I had a conversation with a brother this past week which made me realize that I need to address something with you all. It’s something that I’ve addressed in the past, but perhaps I haven’t been direct enough.

Emmaus Christian Fellowship is an ordinary means of grace church. What this means is that we believe God works powerfully through ordinary things, and particularly through the, so called, means of grace which he has prescribed in his word.

And what are the means of grace? The early church devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching (the word), the fellowship (the church bound together in Christ and by love), the breaking of the bread (the sacraments), and prayer. These are the things that we are to devote ourselves to as the church. These are the things that we are to be faithful in. And it is through these things that we expect God to work most powerfully.

We tend to make things very complicated, though. We (at least in our culture) tend to think that the more complex something is, the better. But God’s will for the church seems rather simple. Christians are to read and hear God’s word, and obey it. Christians are to fellowship together. They are to gather to worship in Christ’s name. They are to love one another, using the spiritual gifts and resources they have to encourage, edify, and care for one another. They are to partake in the sacraments that Christ has ordained – baptism and the Lord’s Supper. And they are to be people of prayer. Simple, right? Very uncomplicated.

Ironically, Christians today often overlook and neglect these ordinary means of grace.

They neglect the word of God. They do not listen to it intently when it is read and preached on the Lord’s Day. They do not listen to it taught by the shepherds and teachers that Christ has given to the church (Ephesians 4:11-14). They do not read it themselves, nor do they seek to thoughtfully apply it to their lives. They neglect the fellowship, too. They may be present on the Lord’s Day, but the fellowship they neglect. Friends, true fellowship involves more than being here on a Sunday morning. It involves loving your brothers and sisters in Christ, developing relationships with them, and using your spiritual gifts and resources to build them up. And they neglect the Supper. Some are absent from the church altogether, therefore they do not partake. Others partake but remain unaware of the significance of it. And many are negligent in regard to prayer. They are not faithful in it personally nor with the church.

And ironically, it tends to be these folks – the ones who overlook and neglect the ordinary means of grace – who are most vocal, insisting that the church do more! What we need are more programs, more ministries, more events, more conferences, more vision – more, more, more.

May I suggest to you that God has given us all we need for health within the church itself as she devotes herself to the ordinary means?

Let me illustrate the principle using the family. There are some parents who believe that the key to raising healthy children is to have them involved in everything under the sun. And so the family is constantly busy, running this way and that. There they go, off to gymnastics, baseball, art, karate, football, and piano. They’re gone most weekends, and rarely at church. They’re out of the house most nights. Rarely is the family home all at once. Rarely do they share a meal together. Rarely do they talk about meaningful things.

You see, the parents have erred in that they have put their hope in the wrong things, while neglecting those things which really bring life, depth, and maturity to the family. Are they busy? Yes! Are they exhausted at the end of the day? Yup! Are the parents trying hard, investing greatly into their children because they love them? Sure! But they have set their hope in the wrong things, while neglecting the essential things which bring life.

Friends, churches can make the same mistake. There are some who assume that a church is healthy when the calendar is full, the people are busy, everyone with a job, a task, a “ministry”. A church is healthy, they think, when everyone is pouring themselves out to the max. And so there they go with the complex program, another conference, another crusade, another event, some new sophisticated plan that will fill the calendar and busy the people.

Why, friends? Why the busyness? Why not do what Christ has called us to do? Why not do a few things well, authentically, and from the heart?

Do you want a vision for the church? This is our vision – to slow down – to devote ourselves to these ordinary means of grace – to structure the church as Christ has structured it – and to call each member and each officer to do their part according the scriptures – nothing more, and nothing less.

The scriptures are clear concerning these things. The scriptures are clear as to what the nature of the church is, how she is to be organized, what her mission is, are what she is to devote herself to in the accomplishment of that mission.

This brief sermon series on prayer has been an attempt to call you back to one of these essential, ordinary means of grace. I got a little fiery a couple of weeks ago. No one would talk to me after the sermon. You were thinking, “he’s mad…” But then I heard a number of people say, “I liked it!” Don’t expect it all the time, friends. I’ve always been put off by preachers who are constantly yelling and red in the face. It seems very disingenuous when it happens all the time. But do expect it from me when I sense some apathy within you, or when I believe that you are in some danger. I’ll raise my voice then.

And I do sense apathy when it comes to prayer. I see that some are a fearful. But I wonder if you are not running to other things to alleviate your fears rather than to God in prayer. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (Psalm 20:7, ESV) I see that some are anxious. But I wonder if you’re surrendering to the the anxiety, rather than fighting against it in prayer. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7, ESV) I see discontentment in some. But we are to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4, ESV).

Friends, busyness is not what we need. We need to pray. And busy people don’t  pray. I hope that you are a hard working people – a diligent people – people who make the most out of every day – but never so busy that these ordinary means of grace become neglected.

In this sermon series we have considered the essence of prayer: Prayer is at it’s core communion with the living God. It is “communication between God and us whereby we expound to him our desires, our joys, our sighs, in a word, all thoughts of our hearts” (Calvin, Instruction in Faith, 57).

We have also considered the effectiveness of prayer: It is the means through which God accomplishes his purposes. Prayer works, therefore, we are to labor in it.

We’ve also briefly considered different types of prayers: There are prayers of adoration in which we worship God. There are prayers in which we make vows to God. There are prayers in which we confess our sins to God. There are prayers in which we give thanks to God. And there are also prayers in which we make supplication, or requests, to God. Intercession is when we make requests to God on behalf of others.

We’ve also considered the substance of prayer: What should our prayers be about? The Lord’s Prayer answers this question. In it the Lord provides categories for us. He takes our unfocused and often self centered minds and focuses them so that we might pray according to the will of God.

But what about the accidentals of prayer (accidentals being those things that have to do with prayer, but are not connected to the essence of prayer itself)? The questions I have in mind here are, when should we pray? Where should we pray? What should our posture be when we pray? With what attitude should we pray? And on what basis are we able to pray?

The answer I give is this: Christians are to pray at all times, in all places, on bended knee, with hearts washed pure, full of faith, giving thanks, in Jesus’ name.

At All Times

So when is a Christian to pray? The answer is, at all times.

It is important that we set aside time for focused and thorough prayer. If we are to labor in prayer, making supplications for ourselves and interceding on behalf of others, we need to devote time to it. Perhaps we should carve out time for prayer in the morning before we face the day or at night before we go to bed? Perhaps we could do both? The more time we invest, the more specific our prayers can be. It is here, during this time, that we should pray though the categories provided for us in Lord’s Prayer.

That said, we should also pray continuously. We should offer up spontaneous prayers to God throughout the day. Prayer may be offered to up while driving, while in the market, while we are conversing with others, while working, while playing. We are to pray without ceasing. We are ri “rejoice in the Lord always”.

Friends, we live in God’s world. God is not confined to the church, nor is he confined to your home. He is with you in the world. All things are from him and for his glory. Nothing in life is insignificant. Nothing in life is outside of his purview. We should continually commune with him, then – not just in the church, and not just in the quite place, but always. We should giving thanks always, rejoicing in his goodness. We should forever plead for his help. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, ESV)

In All Places

Where, then, should the Christian pray? In all places, of course!

It is important that we learn to pray alone in a private place. Jesus said, “When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6, ESV)

When we pray in a private place we pray, not to be seen by men, but to commune with God. We pray knowing that he hears us and that he rewards those who seek him. When we pray in a private place, it is then that we are most free to bring our honest desires before God, and to make thorough supplication for ourselves and others. Our public prayers are typically guarded. But we are free to express the concerns and desires of our hearts to God when we have a personal appointment with him.

Of course we are to also pray with others. We should pray with our families. Husbands and wives should pray together. Parents ought to pray with their children. We should pray with friends and with extended family, if they are in Christ. And we ought to pray with the church. The church is to pray during corporate worship, in prayer meetings, and as Christians gather throughout the week. The early church devoted themselves to prayer.

On Bended Knee

What is the proper posture in prayer? Here I say we are to pray on bended knee.

I speak metaphorically, of course. I do no think that our bodily posture matters to God.  The scriptures contain a variety of examples of posture in prayer. It would be difficult to make a case for one posture to be preferred over another. Are we to pray with eyes closed, eyes open, or lifted to heaven? Are we to pray with hands folded, held out, or lifted up? Are we to lay prostrate, kneel, sit or stand? Should we pray facing east?

Friends, what matters is the posture of the heart. We are to come to God humbly. Our hearts should be bowed low.

Should we pray out loud, or in the quiet of our hearts? It matters little. God hears our verbal and non verbal prayers. I write mine. It helps me to focus.

Also, should our prayers be spontaneous or prepared? I would say that normally our prayers should be spontaneous. But there are times when prepared prayers are appropriate. You probably notice that Mike prepares the prayer that he prays before the sermon. I like that. I prepare prayers for weddings and funerals. It seems appropriate to me. Some might complain, saying, shouldn’t we be led by the Spirit in our prayers? My response: who’s to say that the Spirit cannot lead us in our time of preparation?

Friends, we ought to prepare our hearts for prayer.

With Hearts Washed Pure

It’s particularly important that we come with hearts washed pure.  Paul wrote to Timothy saying, “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling…” (1 Timothy 2:8, ESV) James said that “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16, ESV) And Peter reminds us that husbands who fail to show honor to their wives have their prayers hindered (1 Peter 3:7). There is a connection, then, between our holiness and the effectiveness of our prayers.

Just as we would prefer to drink pure water from a clean cup, so to God is please to receive clean prayers from those who are pure. It is not that we are forbidden to come to God if we have sinned, but that when we come, we should come repentant. To sin, and to go on sinning in an unrepentant state, turns our prayers from a sweet smelling aroma in the nose of God to a stench.

Have you ever had a conflict with someone you love? Of course you have. What must happen before you get on with your relationship? There must be reconciliation! So it is with God. Do not sin against him and then go on as if there were no problem. That is an offense to God. Repent, brothers and sisters, and then pray.  We ought to come to God with hearts washed pure.

Full Of Faith

Also, there is a connection between our faith and the effectiveness of our prayers. James says,

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5–8, ESV)

Do you remember the story from Mark 9 concerning the boy with an unclean spirit. The boy’s Father cried out to Jesus saying, “if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” (Mark 9:22, ESV) Jesus replied,

“‘If you can! All things are possible for one who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’ And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.’” (Mark 9:23–25, ESV)

It is not that praying in faith guarantees that we will have what we ask for. And it is not necessarily the case that a person who does not receive what he asks for be lacking in faith. What is clear is that we must pray in faith, believing that God is ready and able to help us.

Giving Thanks

Friends, our prayers should also be filled with thanksgiving. There really are two kinds of prayers – prayers of thanksgiving and supplications. We should set aside time in our prayers, not only for making requests, but also to give thanks for all that God has has provided. This is very good for the soul.

But really even our supplications should be peppered with thanksgiving. Paul says, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Let us give thanks to God in our prayers, and so guard against covetousness.

In Jesus’ Name

Lastly, we are to pray in Jesus’ name. This means that we are to pray through him and by virtue of all he has accomplished for us. We come to the Father in his name, by his power, and through his righteousness earned for us. Our prayers are Trinitarian, then. We pray to the Father, through the Son, and by the Spirit. Jesus says, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13, ESV)

Conclusion

Friends, these are basic things, I know. But there is power in them. Prayer is an ordinary means of grace. It should not be overlooked nor neglected. And it should be engaged in properly. I trust that the Lord will build his church strong and true and pure as we are faithful in those things that he has called us to.

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady Philippians 4:4–7
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