AUTHORS » Joe Anady

Oct 18
21

Sermon: Marriage, Divorce, And Remarriage: The Foundations Of Marriage (Part 1): Genesis 2:24-25

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 2:24-25

“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 2:24–25, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Revelation 21:1–5

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” (Revelation 21:1–5, ESV)

Introduction

Brothers and sisters, I would like to take some time now to give attention to the topic of marriage. My plan (as of today) is to devote seven sermons to the topic of marriage, divorce and remarriage.

Remember that I did something similar with the doctrine of the Sabbath. The creation narrative of Genesis 1 concluded by making mention of the Sabbath Day (Genesis 2:1-3). And after moving through the text of Genesis 1 verse by verse, I devoted 8 sermons to the doctrine of the Sabbath.

Notice that something similar happens in the creation narrative of Genesis 2. There we find a description of God’s creative activities with special attention given to the creation of the man and woman, and then the narrative concludes by making mention of the marriage covenant.

Isn’t it interesting that both the creation narrative of Genesis 1 and the creation narrative of Genesis 2 conclude with institutions. After creating the heavens and the earth, God instituted the Sabbath. And after creating man, male and female – and having entered into covenant with man – God instituted the marriage covenant.

I would suggest to you that this pattern is deliberate. It seems that the Sabbath command brings the creation narrative of Genesis 1 to a conclusion because the Sabbath functions as a sign of God’s creation of the heavens and earth and of the promise of eternal rest held out to the man who was made in his image. And so too the marriage covenant brings to conclusion the creation narrative of Genesis 2 because it functions as a sign of God’s covenantal relationship with his people. The Sabbath command and the marriage covenant, though they differ greatly from one another, share this in common: they signify or symbolize for all humanity truths concerning God and his relationship to man. Whenever the Sabbath day is properly observed something is symbolized concerning God’s relationship with his people. And whenever marriage is properly entered into something is symbolized concerning God’s relationship with his people.

I’ll leave it to you to think more about this. If I go any further this introduction will turn into a sermon all its own. For now I will simply say that I think it is appropriate for us to tease out the topic of marriage now that the principle has been introduced to us in Genesis 2:24-25 just as we teased out the topic of the Sabbath after it was introduced to us in Genesis 2:1-3. Both the Sabbath day and the marriage relationship were instituted by God at creation, they are for all humanity, and they are symbolic institutions.

Please note that the marriage relationship was instituted by God. God is the one who created the marriage relationship. He established it in the beginning when he created the first man and the first women and joined them together as husband and wife. I hope you are able to recognize how foundational this idea is: the marriage relationship was instituted by God.

You have noticed, no doubt, that people are very confused about marriage in this culture. There was a time when the majority of the population actually agreed that marriage was a covenant into which one man and one woman would enter for life. Things are different now. The popular view today is that two men may marry, or two women. Why it is that polygamy or polyandry is still taboo, I’m not entirely sure. I would imagine that it is only a matter of time before this is also tolerated – that is, unless God intervenes. Notice also that divorce is much more common and accepted within our culture today. People are very confused about the institution of marriage.

But I want you to recognize that all of the differences of opinion that exist within our culture concerning marriage can be traced back to a more fundamental question, namely, where did the marriage institution come from? How did this thing that we call marriage come to be?

Many in our culture would say that the institution of marriage came from man. In other words, marriage is the product of societal evolution. A long time ago, someone, somewhere decided that it would be beneficial for man and for society to have this institution that we call “marriage”. Marriage, according to this view, arose spontaneously from the ooze of humanity.

But what does the Christian say? Our view is that the institution of marriage came from God. God created the marriage relationship. God is the originator of marriage, and he, therefore, is also the orderer of marriage.

It should not be difficult to see how these differences of opinion regarding the origins of marriage produce all of the other differences of opinion that exist within our culture.

If the marriage institution was created by man, then man is also free to regulate it. If marriage is the product of societal evolution, then we should expect that the institution will undergo constant change. For many within our culture the legalization of gay marriage is viewed as progress. It fits perfectly with their presuppositions concerning the origins of the institution. They applaud the legalization of gay marriage because they have first believed that the marriage institution came from man and is constantly evolving. Who is authorized to decided what marriage is? Man is, according to this view!

But if marriage was instituted by God in the beginning – if it was designed by him – then we should not expect nor desire that it be changed. The Christian does not say, how might we improve this thing called marriage? but instead, Oh, Lord, help us to conform our marriages to your will. If God is the originator of the marriage institution, he is also the orderer of it. Our place is not to create new ways, but to conform our lives to the ways that our Creator has established.

Do you want to have a marriage that gives glory to God? Do you want to have a marriage that is truly right and good? Do you want a marriage that is blessed of God? Then to his word we must go! We must begin by asking, what have you said, Lord, concerning marriage? And after that we must say, Lord, help us to conform our lives to your most holy word.

What do we learn about the marriage relationship when we look to the pages of Holy Scripture? I have three foundational observations. One, marriage is a covenant. Two, marriage is for the glory of God. And three, marriage is for the good of humanity. I will elaborate on the first of these today and return to the last two next Sunday, Lord willing.

First of all, marriage is a covenant.

It is, to quote one author, “a lifelong covenant of companionship between a man and a woman that has been established under God and before the community” (Newheiser, Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage, 6).

To enter into a covenant is to make a solemn promise. To enter into a covenant is a very serious thing. To break a covenant is a grave sin.

Notice that the word “covenant” does not appear in Genesis 2. There we simply read, “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). Clearly it is the marriage relationship that is being described. And though the word “covenant” is not found here, the rest of scripture makes it clear that the marriage relationship is established by way of covenant.

Other passages could be sited, but Malachi 2:14 will suffice. There the prophet is found rebuking the man who has abandoned his wife, saying, “the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant” (Malachi 2:14, ESV). Marriage is a covenant. The relationship is established by making a solemn oath or promise.

I have five points to make concerning the marriage covenant.

One, the marriage covenant is made between one man and one woman.

Last Sunday I read from Mark 10 and that passage where Jesus was being questioned by the Pharisees concerning divorce. And I pointed out how Jesus appealed to this passage here in Genesis 2:24-25 in order to establish God’s ideal for the marriage relationship. Remember how Jesus replied to their questions, saying, “But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and 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” (Mark 10:6–9, ESV). In due time we will come to consider the topic of divorce and remarriage. For now I simply wish to demonstrate how Jesus himself interpreted the Holy Scriptures. When Jesus considered the narrative of Genesis 2 he understood it to be foundational. He understood that when God created the man and the woman and joined them together in one flesh union, it established a pattern to be followed. Where do we find God’s design for marriage? We find it beginning in Genesis 2.

And what is God’s design for the marriage covenant? His design is that one man and one woman enter into it. It is not right for a man to marry a man. It is not right for a woman to marry a woman. It is not right for a man to marry multiple women. And it is not right for a woman to marry multiple men. All are violations of God’s deign for the marriage relationship. Marriage was instituted at creation. Adam and Eve entered into this covenant. This pattern, therefore, was established for all humanity living in all times and places. Have societies deviated from this design throughout the ages? Indeed they have! But insofar as they deviate from God’s design established at creation we must say that they are in error.

Homosexuality is everywhere condemned as sin in the Holy Scriptures, Old Testament and the New. It should not be difficult to see that homosexual marriages are sinful and are not valid in God’s eyes when compared with the plain teaching of Holy Scripture. They are sinful relationships and they deviate from God design for the marriage covenant.

Do men sometimes feel attracted to other men? Do women sometimes feel attracted to other women? I do not doubt it at all. But this does not mean that it is right to act upon the feeling. What kind of world would we live in if we allowed ourselves to be governed by the rule “if I feel it then it must be ok for me to act upon it”? Even the homosexual would have to admit that they would not want this rule to govern all conduct. Tell me, what would you say to the drunkard who says, “I was born this way?” Would you not lovingly come alongside him and say, “friend, I understand that your desire to drink to the point of drunkenness is very strong, but you must fight against it.” And what would you say to the angry and abusive person who says, “I cannot help it! The feelings of rage are all consuming!” Would you not loving say to her, “friend, I understand that your desire to be given to rage is very strong, but you must fight against it.” What about the adulterer? The liar? The thief? Will you excuse their sin also when they say, “I was born this way”, or “the temptation is just to strong”? You will have compassion, I’m sure. But you will not excuse their sin. Why the different standard when it comes to same sex attraction? God calls homosexual acts sinful. Who are we to disagree with God.

What those who experience same sex attraction need is Christ. Indeed, this is what we all need. We all know what it is to have our affections bent out of shape because of sin. We all know what it is to be tempted to sin. We have all experienced the powerful pull of the world, the flesh and of the evil one himself. No one is immune from this. All have acted upon it. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. All need the Savior. All need to have their sins washed away. All need to be renewed by the word of God and by his Spirit. Oh, that sinners like you and me would come to have faith in Jesus Christ who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Listen to God’s word: “Or 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.” Listen carefully to Paul’s words as he wrote to the Christians living in Corinth! He went on to say, “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). “And such were some of you”, he said. You Christians, prior to being “washed… sanctified… and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ”, were those things. You were sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who practice homosexuality, thieves, etc., etc.

The scriptures are clear that it is a sin to practice homosexuality. Certainly, God does not view homosexual marriages as valid, for they are sinful relationships, and a distortion of his original design for marriage.

The same may be said of polygamous or polyandrous marriages. They are a distortion of God’s original design.

In the beginning God created one male and one female and joined them together in one flesh union. This is God’s design for marriage. This is the pattern to follow. The two became one in marriage and they were to stick together like glue.

It is interesting to notice that many of the biblical patriarchs and heroes of the faith (so called), entered into polygamous relationships. Think of Abraham, Jacob, and King David, for example. These men took more than one wife. This would not be so difficult to understand if one would simply recognize, first of all, that not everything in the Bible is prescriptive, but is sometimes only descriptive. When the scriptures reveal that Abraham took Hagar as a wife alongside Sarah in his old age it does not mean that it was right, it simply describes what happened. And notice that the narrative itself suggests that it was wrong for him to do so. It was a foolish move, the result of unbelief, and a decision that resulted in much heartache. Abraham in this instance decided to go the way of the world and to act according to human wisdom instead of believing upon and following after his God. The same can be said for Jacob and David. Secondly, we must acknowledge that although there are some things about the lives of the patriarchs that are to be admired and imitated (namely, their eventual faith in the promises of God), the scriptures actually emphasis their sins and shortcomings in order to demonstrate that whatever good came from them was not the result of their own doing, but by the grace of God. Their polygamous marriages would be an example of this – they were wrong, even for them and in that day.

Where do we find God’s ideal for the marriage relationship? Not in the life of Abraham, nor in the present trends within our godless society, but in the Holy Scriptures in general, and at creation in particular. The marriage covenant is to be made between one man and one woman.

Two, the marriage covenant is made under God.

There is a horizontal dimension to marriage, no doubt. A man and woman stand before one another and take vows. But there is also a vertical dimension. The man and woman make their vows before God. Listen again to Malachi 2:14 which says, “the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant” (Malachi 2:14, ESV). And listen again to Jesus’ words in Mark 10. commenting on the Genesis 2 passage, Jesus said, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Mark 10:9, ESV). When a man and women enter into the marriage covenant God is involved. God is witness to the covenant being made. And God is the one who joins the man and women together in one flesh union so that two become one flesh. This is why Jesus offers these words of warning, “what therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Mark 10:9, ESV). Those who participate in the undoing of a marriage covenant are in fact undoing a work that God has done. Notice that I did not say, “all who have been divorced” – for there are valid grounds for divorce given in the pages of Holy Scripture, as we will see – but “those who participate in the undoing of a marriage covenant”. These – and I have in mind here the unfaithful husband or wife, the seductive woman or man who draws the spouse away, or those who facilitate the ungodly act – these are in fact fighting against God and should expect his judgement. Lord have mercy on us. The marriage covenant is one made under God.

Three, the marriage covenant is made before others.

I suppose the only exception to this rule would be the wedding of Adam and Eve, for there were no other humans to witness it. I suppose we could say that God and the angels attended their wedding. But throughout the scriptures we do notice that marriage vows would be made before witnesses. Consider the wedding of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 4). Consider that wedding events in the Bible are described as feasts involving the community. Consider that Christ preformed his first miracle at a wedding in Galilee when he turned water to wine. When we take wedding vows we say them before God and man. Why? In part, because the marriage institution is for the good of society.

The vows that we make in the wedding ceremony are very important, friends. The vows are what communicate the substance of the covenant being entered into. The most important part of the wedding ceremony are the vows. And may I suggest that traditional are the best. I would warn against novelty in the wedding vows. I would also warn against using them as a time for comedy. The wedding vows should be taken seriously. A bride and groom should say something like this to one another in the presence of God and man:

“I take you to be my wedded spouse, and I do promise and covenant before God and these witnesses to be your loving and faithful spouse in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, as long as we both shall live.”

Four, the marriage covenant authorizes sexual intimacy.

Sex outside of the marriage relationship is a distortion of God’s design. Put more bluntly, it is sinful. The world scoffs at this idea, doesn’t it, but the scriptures are clear. And you would think that even the godless would be able to recognize the slew of troubles that come upon men and women when they engage in sex outside of the bonds of marriage.

It is important to recognize that sex does not create the one flesh union that Genesis 2:24 and Mark 10 mention. The joining together of a man and women as one flesh does not happen through intercourse. Instead, it is the marriage covenant that joins a man and woman together as one flesh, and the act of sex is a sign and seal of that union.

The reason that sex outside of the bonds of marriage is sinful is because it is a misuse of God’s gift. Sex is to be enjoyed by a husband and wife. It is symbolizes their union. It aids in their intimacy. It is the means of procreation, which is appropriate for those who have been joined together in marriage. To engage in sex outside of the bounds of marriage is a misuse of the gift of God.

An illustration that a Christian would would understand would be that of the Lord’s Supper. Who should partake of the Lord’s Supper? The one who has faith in Christ should partake. Partaking of the Supper does not unite us to Christ – faith does. Instead, the Lord’s Supper is a sign of the covenantal and spiritual bond that exists between Christ and his people. It is highly inappropriate for someone who does not have faith in Christ, who has not been united covenantally and spiritually to Christ, to partake of the Supper, therefore. They are receiving the sign without the having the substance of the thing signified. It is a misuse of the gift of God. And so it is with sex outside the marriage covenant. It is to partake of the sign apart from the substance. It is a profaning of that which is holy.

This is why Paul, when speaking against sex outside the bounds of marriage says, “Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh” (1 Corinthians 6:16, ESV). His point is that sexual intimacy is appropriate only for those who have been wed.

Five, the marriage is a covenant is to last until death.

In time we will come to talk about divorce and remarriage. The scriptures do say that there are valid grounds for divorce. Specifically, they are adultery and abandonment. In the case of adultery and abandonment divorce is permitted. We will come to deal with these things carefully in the weeks to come. Today I am making the more foundational observation that God’s ideal for the marriage relationship is that it last for life.

Remember the definition of the marriage covenant that was given earlier. Marriage “a lifelong covenant of companionship between a man and a woman that has been established under God and before the community” (Newheiser, Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage, 6).

That the marriage convent is to last for life is also heard in the traditional vows which conclude with the words, “as long as we both shall live.”

And this was Jesus’ perspective also. When the Pharisees were asking him when divorce was permissible he decided to set forth the ideal for marriage when he said, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Mark 10:9, ESV).

This was Jesus’ interpretation of the passage that is before us in Genesis 2:24, which says, “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).

Jesus’ understanding of Genesis 2:24 was that it set forth God’s ideal for marriage. And God’s ideal is that a husband and wife would break with the household they were raised in, would establish their own household, and having been made one flesh, would stick to one another like glue. The word translated in the ESV as “hold fast” means “cling to, to join with, to stay with.”

God’s design is that marriage be permeant. And how important it is for this to be said. It is important for those who hope to marry in the future to hear this. They need to understand now, and not after the fact, that when the stand before God and man to take their wedding vows they are not saying, “well, we will see how it goes.” No! They are making a promise – they are taking a vow – to be “loving and faithful” to the one standing opposite them for life. This they will do “in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, as long as we both shall live.” This is important for those who hope to marry in the future to hear. And it is also important for those who are married now to hear. It is good to for them to be reminded of these things.

The trouble is that many do not mean what they say when they take their wedding vows. With their mouths they say I will be “loving and faithful, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow”, but in their hearts they mean “I’ll stick around so long as you fulfill me. I’ll be faithful so long as things go well. I’ll remain so long as you make me happy.” Lord help us. In the marriage covenant we are vowing to be loving and faithful to other, even if things don’t go well.

Application

Do you see that there is a connection between God’s covenantal relationship with his people and the covenant of marriage? Marriage is to function as a picture of God’s covenantal faithfulness to his people. Is your marriage a picture of covenantal faithfulness?

What is it that holds your marriage together? Will it last so long as you feel satisfied? Or will it last because you have made a promise?

Are you selfless or selfish in your marriage? Do you look at your spouse and think, “I hope he or she pleases me today?” Or do you think, “I hope that I might please him or her”?

To those not married who hope to wed in the future, I hope that you would agree that it is important for you to understand marriage before entering into it.

May God be glorified in our marriages. May the love of Christ be displayed as we serve one another and extend grace to one another in Jesus’ name.

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Genesis 2:24-25, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Oct 18
7

Sermon: Adam as Priest: Genesis 2:4-17

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 2:4-17

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 4:14–16

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14–16, ESV)

Introduction

Brothers and sisters, I hope and pray that you are not growing tired of our rather tedious journey through the first few chapters of Genesis. All scripture is important, but there are some passages that are more foundational than others. Genesis chapters 1 through 3 are foundational. They communicate truths that are basic and seminal. These chapters lay down foundations necessary for a worldview that is biblical and true. And so it is good that we take our time here.

It is so very important for us to have a worldview that is biblical and true. By “worldview” I mean the way in which we view the world. A worldview is a philosophy of life. A persons worldview is the sum total of what he or she thinks of life biggest questions. Where did we come from? What and who are we? What is our purpose and destiny? It is so important that our worldview be biblical and true, for it will undoubtably shape the way that we live our lives. By “true” I mean that we must have a worldview that corresponds to the reality of things. And by “biblical” I mean that our worldview must come ultimately from God’s word.

I hope that you would agree that God is the only one capable of communicating to us a view of the world that is thoroughly true. Yes, unbelieving scientists, philosophers and theologians may seek to establish their own worldview independent from God through their observation of the natural world and by use of human reason, but they are terribly limited by their own smallness, their creaturely limitations and especially their sin. Do the unbelieving scientists, philosophers and theologians come to some true conclusions? I’m sure they do, for God does reveal himself to some degree through the world he has made. But there are many things that lay beyond our ability to comprehend apart from God’s word. This is due to our creatureliness, not to mention our sin which blinds our eyes and clouds our judgement.

The true child of God happily acknowledges that we are dependent upon God for truth. He alone is qualified to communicate it. He has graciously revealed his truth to us, and we are to receive it happily and humbly.

The same questions that God put Job are appropriate for us to consider here. In Job 38:4–7 God questioned Job, saying, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” God’s questioning of Job goes on and on in that passage, and we need not read it all to understand the point of it. “Where were you when [God] laid the foundations of the earth?” We must reply by saying, “Lord, I did not exist. I was not there to witness it.”

Who is qualified to reveal foundational truths to us? Can any man do it on his own? Can any man simply reason his way to the answers to life’s biggest questions? The Christian is content to say, “no, not infallibly.” But God can reveal truth to us infallibly, because he was there in the beginning. More than that, he himself is the source of all things. Just as we are dependent upon God for life and breath, so too we are dependent upon him for truth. If we are to know truth – ultimate truth – then he must reveal it us.

Thanks be to God that he has revealed it, for “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). What a treasure the Word of God is! Brothers and sisters, let us treasure God’s word. May it be to us more “desired… than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10, ESV).

Let us open God’s word often. And whenever it is opened let us listen attentively so that we might understand it, believe it and live accordingly. Friends, let us “put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save [our] souls” (James 1:21, ESV).

What are the foundational truths that have been established for us so far in our study of Genesis 1 and 2. Among other things we have learned that God is the Creator and we are his creatures. I cannot think of a more basic truth than this, and yet so many live as if it were not so. Many live as if they were God, and God was theirs to create. No friends, God is God, and we are his creatures. We have been made by him and in his image. As image bearers of God we were created to commune with God. We were created to imitate him in his kingship. Man, as he came from the hand of God, was to exercise “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” (Genesis 1:26, ESV). The man and women together were to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…” (Genesis 1:28, ESV).

What does this have to do with you and me? It has everything to do with you and me for it reveals something of the purpose for which God created man.

In Genesis 2 we learned that God entered into a covenant with the man. It was a covenant of obedience or works. Evidently the man and women were placed under a time of testing. Two trees were set before them – the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were created with a free will. God created “man with that natural liberty and power of acting upon choice.” They were “neither forced, nor by any necessity of nature determined to do good or evil” (LBC 9.1). The man and women were put to the test. The reward for obedience was life – a higher order of life than they had experienced in the garden, eternal life, a glorified life. The stated consequence for disobedience was death – spiritual death, as well as physical. “God created man upright and perfect, and gave him a righteous law, which had been unto life had he kept it, and threatened death upon the breach thereof… (LBC 6.1). The two tree functioned as sacraments, symbolizing obedience and life on the one hand, and rebellion and death on the other.

What does this have to do with you and me? It has everything to do with you and me, for it shows what it means to born into this world fallen and in sin. Though we have not yet come to this part of the story, you know it well enough. Adam did not keep the covenant, but broke it. And we are born in Adam. We are born under the covenant of works, which is broken. It cannot give life. It only brings death.

What does this have to do with you and me? It has everything to do with you and me, for it also shows what Christ has accomplished. He, being the second Adam, has kept the covenant of works. He has paid the penalty for sin, which is death. And this he has done for all of God’s elect – for all who have and do and will believe upon his name.

God planted a garden in a place called Eden and there he placed the man and woman whom he had formed. The garden was the place where this covenant was made. It was not just a garden, but it was a temple or sanctuary. There in that place man enjoyed communion with God, for God was present in that place. It was in the garden that man was to fulfill his purpose as he lived in perpetual obedience to the God who made him. it was in the garden that Adam was to keep the covenant. Adam and Eve were to worship and serve God there in that place. They were to reproduce and teach their children and their children’s children to worship and serve God there in that place. They were to fill earth with the image of God by bearing children and by working to expand the garden of God. This they were to do until the whole earth was filled with God’s glory.

What does this have to do with you and me? It has everything to do with you and me, for it shows God’s original purpose for humanity. Also, it makes it possible for us to understand what Christ has earned. Not only has he earned the salvation of individuals, but also the new heavens and earth in which righteousness dwells. The first Adam was to accomplish this – he was to fill the earth with righteousness until heaven and earth became one – but he failed. Thanks be to God, the second Adam, who is Christ our Lord, has succeeded through his obedient life and his sacrificial death. He, by virtue of his life, death, burial and resurrection, has been “appointed the heir of all things” (Hebrews 1:2, ESV). He is the one who has earned the “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13, ESV), for which we eagerly await.

Understanding Adam’s original place in the garden also shows what has been restored to us if we are in Christ Jesus. If we are in Christ Jesus, being united to him by faith, then the image of God has been renewed in us. If we are in Christ we are again called sons of God, as Adam was. We again stand before God aright, our enmity with God having been wiped away by the blood of the Lamb. And so too our purpose has been renewed. We who are in Christ have this task, work towards the expansion of God’s kingdom to the ends of the earth. This was Adam’s task, and it is also ours if we are in Christ, the second Adam. The difference, of course, is that we must work towards the expansion of the kingdom of God in a world that is fallen, whereas Adam was originally woking in paradise. He was to work towards the expansion of the garden while also keeping it. When we expand the kingdom of God we do so m=by pushing back the gates of hell. And we are to work towards the expansion of the kingdom of God, not by pushing out out the borders of the garden sanctuary of God and through reproduction, but through the proclamation of gospel, which is the good news that God has provided a Savior for sinners, Christ Jesus our Lord. And so our work looks different, doesn’t it? But our task is not altogether different from Adam’s original one now that we are in Christ. He was to works towards the expansion of God’s kingdom and so are we.

All of this matters greatly, friends. When we handle the first few chapters of Genesis we handling things that are absolutely essential to a right understanding of our faith. I hope that you would agree.

The foundational truth that I wish to emphasize today is a simple one. It is that Adam was not a farmer (as many suppose), but a priest in the garden temple of God. Put differently, Adam’s work was not only to dig irrigation canals and to plant and cultivate trees – his work was not only to bring order to the unordered parts of the earth – but he was also to function as a priest. He was to work and to keep the garden temple of God. His task was to drive away any intruder who would seek to undermine the proper worship of God in that place. Adam was to draw near to God, he was to live holy before him, he was to promote the worship of God, he was to keep the garden, driving away any who would attempt to defile its sanctity. He was to do the work of a priest.

How do we know that Adam was a priest? By the way, remember that he was also a prophet and king. He was a prophet in that he was to proclaim God’s word to Eve and to his descendants, saying, “thus saith the Lord!” And he was a king in that he was to exercise dominion in imitation of his Maker with Eve his helper at his side. That Adam was a prophet and king seems obvious. But how do we know that Adam was a priest? I have four answers to that question, and then suggestions for application.

One, we know that Adam was a priest by paying careful attention to the narrative of Genesis chapters 2 & 3.

Notice where Adam was placed after being created by God. He was placed within the garden which, as it was established in the previous sermon, was a temple or sanctuary of God. This is where priests work – in the temple.

Notice also Adam’s proximity to God. Adam stood in the presence of God. God walked in the garden amongst the man and woman. His presence was in that place.

Lastly, notice Adam’s work. God commanded him to “work” and to “keep” the garden. Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15, ESV). This is precisely the work that the priests under the Old Covenant were to accomplish. The Levites were to “work and keep” the tabernacle, and later the temple of Israel.

In Numbers 18 the work of the priests of Israel is described. And notice that their “So the Lord said to Aaron, ‘You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood. And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. They shall keep [šāmar – same as in Gen 2] guard over you and over the whole tent, but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar lest they, and you, die. They shall join you and keep [šāmar – same as in Gen 2] guard over the tent of meeting for all the service [ʿ^aḇôḏāh – noun form of verb, to work in Gen 2] of the tent, and no outsider shall come near you. And you shall keep [šāmar – same as in Gen 2] guard over the sanctuary and over the altar, that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel. And behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to the Lord, to do the service [ʿ^aḇôḏāh – noun form of verb, to work] of the tent of meeting. And you and your sons with you shall guard [šāmar – same as keep in Gen 2] your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil; and you shall serve [ʿāḇaḏ – verb, to work, same as in Gen 2]. I give your priesthood as a gift, and any outsider who comes near shall be put to death” (Numbers 18:1–7, ESV).

The priests of Israel were to “work” and “keep” the tabernacle, and later the temple, just as Adam was to “work” and “keep” the garden. The terminology of “work” and “keep” is shared in common and deliberately so. Why? To show that the garden was a temple and Adam was a priest. The temple of Israel was a microcosm of creation and of Eden, and the priests of Israel were a reflection of Adam in is his original priestly function.

Adam was to “work” in the garden to the glory of God, laboring towards its universal expansion. And he was to “keep” or to guard the garden from all intruders, preserving its sanctity.

How do we know that Adam was a priest? First, by paying careful attention to the narrative of Genesis chapters 2 & 3.

Secondly, by observing the development of the theme of “priesthood” in the history of redemption.

Adam was a priest. In fact the original design for humanity was that all would function as priests. By this I mean that Adam and all his descendants were to minister in the presence of God. All were to live holy before him, promoting his worship while they preserved the sanctity and extended the bounds of his holy tabernacle.

But notice that after the fall God, by his mercy and grace, still appointed priests. I am thinking of Melchizedek and Arron, the Levites as well as others. What was the meaning of this? Can you see that the presence of priests after the fall communicated that a way to communion with God was still open, despite mans fall into sin. What an extraordinary thing this is! It fits hand in glove with what was said in the previous sermon concerning the temple. Eden was a temple, and the presence of temples after the fall communicated that a way to communion with God was still open, despite mans fall into sin. No longer could we work our way to God, but we could come to him through the offering up of a substitutionary sacrifice – animals at first, and then Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of he world. The fact that priests remained the world from Adam to Christ communicated that a way to communion with God was still open.

But notice this, Aaron and the Levites – that is, the priests who ministered to God under the Old Mosaic Covenant in Israel’s tabernacle and temple – were not the first priests. They are the best known priests. Their work is most clearly described for us in the pages of holy scripture. But they were not the first, nor were they the last.

Adam was a priest. All others are an echo of him.

Adams children knew to make sacrifices to God. Cain did so badly, but Able got it right. Think about that for a moment. Where did they learn to bring sacrifices to the Lord? The text doesn’t explicitly say, but Adam must have taught them. Making sacrifices to God is priestly work, is it not? Able functioned as a kind of priest, then, as he offered up sacrifices to God as an act of worship before him. This he probably learned from Adam, his priestly father.

And then we have that mysterious figure, Melchizedek. He lived long before Moses, Aaron and Levi, and yet he was a priest of the Lord Most High, and the king of Salem. The book of Hebrews makes it clear that Christ was a priest in the line of Melchizedek, and not Aaron, as the priests of the Old Covent were.

Aaron and the Levites were not the first priests, nor were they the last. Christ himself is the High Priest. And we are priests in him, as we will shall see.

To solidify the connection between the priests who minister after the fall and Adam as priest, simply consider the imagery of the tabernacle of Israel and the priests who ministered there. The high priest of Israel was to enter the most holy place once per year. He represented the people as he entered the most holy place into the presence of God through the shedding of blood. Picture it now. The priest would walk up to that large curtain embroidered with seraphim. He would enter the most holy place and there he would see the ark of the covenant with the two cherubim on either side guarding that place. Was this not an image of the priest walking back into Eden as it were? After the Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden and cherubim were appointed to guard the entrance. But under the Old Covenant the high priest was invited to enter. A sacrifice had to be made, prefiguring Christ. But a way to the throne of God was still open, thanks be to God.

Not only did the Old Covenant priests of Israel point forward to Christ, they we also and echo of Adam.

Thirdly, we know that Adam was a priest by comparing Adam, who was a type, with Christ, our great high priest, who is the antitype.

Paul says directly in Romans 5:14 that Adam “was a type of the one who was to come” (Romans 5:14, ESV), namely Jesus the Christ.

What is a type? A type is a picture or model or foreshadow of something that yet to come. The Old Testament scriptures are filled with “types” that pointed forward to the coming Savior, who would then be the antitype, or the thing to which the type corresponds.

C.J. Williams has some wonderful things to say concerning the typology. He says in his book, “The Shadow of Christ in The Book of Job”, that “the person and work of Jesus Christ was imprinted on the history that led to his incarnation, through people and events that were invested with prophetic meaning by God, offering glimpses of the coming Savior, and reassuring God’s people of the promise of his coming.” Another way to say this is that God communicated to his Old Covenant people that the Christ would come not only by speaking through the prophets, but also by types and shadows – historical people and events which “said” something about the coming Christ, but not through words.

The historical person named Adam was a “type” of Christ. Certain things about him communicated things that would be true concerning the Christ once he arrived. Adam was human – the Christ would be human. Adam was a son of God – Christ would be the Son of God. Adam was born under the Covenant of Works – the Christ would be born under the Covenant of Works. Adam was head or representative of others – Christ would be a head or representative for others. Through Adam’s headship death came to all whom he represented – through Christ’s headship life would come to all he represented. At first it seems inappropriate to compare Adam with Christ. In some respects they couldn’t be more different given the terrible failure of the first and the wonderful success of the second. But the scriptures say that Adam was a “type” which pointed forward to Christ, the antitype.

Here is the point. If Christ is our high priest, then wouldn’t that mean that Adam was also a priest. This they share in common. The difference between the two is that the one was faithful in his priesthood, whereas the other was found to be unfaithful. This is why there is only :one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5, ESV).

Lastly, and very briefly, we know that Adam was a priest by considering that in Christ we have been renewed to function as priests before our God.

The work of Christ is a work of renewal. Christ restores in us what was lost or marred at the fall.

Adam was created a son of God. We, in our fallenness are by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3) – children of the devil (John 8:44). In Christ we are restored, adopted as children of God by the Spirit by whom we cry out “Abba Father”.

Adam was made in the image of God. We, in our fallenness, find that the image is greatly marred and distorted. In Christ the image of God is renewed. “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:9–10, ESV).

Likewise, Adam was created to live as a priest before God. This was God’s design for all mankind. In our fallenness we do live as faithful priests. But in Christs our priesthood is restored.

Listen to the way that Peter speaks to the Christian. “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house…” Ah, you are a God’s temple – do you see it? But there is more! “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4–5, ESV).

Did you hear it? If you are in Christ – if you are approaching God through faith in him – then you are God’s temple and you are a priest. What was lost with Adam has been restored in Christ.

No longer is the priesthood restricted to only a few. Now that Christ, the second Adam, and our faithfully high priest has died and risen, the priestly role has been restored to all who are in him. You are sons of God, each one. You are being renewed in knowledge after the image of your creator. You are a priest before God, as was Adam was a priest, prior to his transgression. Those in Christ, “like living stones… being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Application

Brothers and sisters, do you see that God’s original design for humanity was that all would function as priests before God?

I wonder if you would consider how far we have fallen. How many from amongst the children of man are interested in coming before God to worship and serve him faithfully according to his revealed will? How many are interested in living holy before him to and to promote his worship amongst others? The answer is that none are interested, unless God intervenes. In our natural and fallen state we happily serve as false priests to false gods. We serve ourselves. We worship the things of this world, and we encourage others to do likewise. Oh, how distorted we are in our sin!

But God is merciful. He has provided a Savior, Christ Jesus our Lord. He is our faithful high priest. He served God faithfully all his life. And in the end he offered himself of for our sins. Are you trusting in him? He is indeed the only mediator between God and man. He is the only priest who can led us to God. Any others who claim to be priests or mediator are liars and should not be trusted. Faith alone in Christ alone can effetely bring us into a right relationship with God.

If you are in Christ then you have been renewed in the image of God, and you are to walk as a priest before him. Are you?

Are you drawing near to God so as to enjoy his presence?

Are you living holy before him, or are you content with your sin?

Are you faithful in prayer? Prayers for yourself and on behalf of others?

Are you eager to worship God and to promote the worship of God amongst others?

Are you concerned to bring others to God through faith in Christ, or have you grown complacent?

If you are a husband, father or head of house, are you functioning as a priest in your home? Are you faithfully leading your wife and kids to God through Christ? Are you promoting the worship of God there? Are you interceding for those who God has entrusted to your care? Are you preaching the gospel to your family so that the kingdom of God might be expanded realm over which God had given you dominion?

This is the kind of work that a priest is to do, and you are a kingdom of priests. “You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4–5, ESV).

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Genesis 2:4-17, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Sep 18
30

Sermon: The Garden Sanctuary of God: Genesis 2:4-17

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 2:4-17

New Testament Reading: Revelation 21:22-22:5

“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. 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.” (Revelation 21:22–22:5, ESV)

Introduction

What made the garden in Eden paradise? Was it the scenery? Was it the climate? Was it the lush tress or the savory food? Now I do not doubt for a moment that the garden in Eden was a very beautiful and pleasant place, but it was not the place that made Eden paradise. Instead, Eden was a paradise to the first man and woman because there they enjoyed the presence of God. In Eden Adam and Eve lived in right relationship to God. In Eden Adam and Eve enjoyed communion with the God who made them. There was no sin in that place. There was no suffering. In Eden there was no death (at least not human death). And in Eden there was God. God was present with the first man and woman. He walked with them and they with him. They were at peace. It was God’s presence in Eden combined with the absence of sin, suffering and death that made the garden in Eden a paradise for the first man and woman. Man was made in the image of God in order to commune with God, and in Eden that communion was thoroughly enjoyed.

Remember that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earthly realm was at first without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep. In six days time God formed the earthly realm into a place suitable for human habitation. And after the earth was fully formed God made man and gave him “dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth”. The man and woman were “blessed” by God. They were to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…” (Genesis 1:28, ESV). This was the story of Genesis 1.

But note this: the man and the woman were not to live independent from God. They were not to live autonomously, but were to go on living in continual dependence upon the God who made them. Man was made to know his Maker. Man was made to commune with his God. Man was to live for the glory of God and to enjoy him forever. While this truth is not clearly established in the creation narrative of Genesis 1, it is clearly established in Genesis 2.

In Genesis 1 it is the transcendence of God that is emphasized. In Genesis 1 it is the distinction between Creator and creature that comes to the fore. But in Genesis 2:4ff. we learn that the same God who in the beginning created the heavens and earth is the God who relates to man. Elohim is Yahweh Elohim. He is the covenant making and covenant keeping God. God Almighty is relational. Not only did he create the earth to be a place for human habitation, he also planted a garden to function as a sanctuary where the man and woman he made would enjoy his presence. This is the story of Genesis 2. It is here we learn that God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life. Likewise God formed the woman from man. God planted a garden in Eden. He placed the man there and entered into a covenantal relationship with him.

Friends, the garden in Eden was more than a garden, for God’s presence was there. God walked with Adam and Eve in that garden paradise. The garden in Eden was a temple, or sanctuary.

How do we know?

First, by paying careful attention to the description of the garden in the narrative of Genesis 2 & 3.

The context of Genesis 3:8-9 is negative, for in that passage God is found confronting man in his rebellion, but it proves the point that is being made. There we read, “And they [Adam and Eve] heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8–9, ESV). Here in Genesis 3:8-9 “God walking” in the garden and “the presence of God” brought terror to the man and the woman, but that was because of their sin. When they were upright and holy God’s walking and God’s presence amongst them were purely pleasant to the man and woman, for then they stood in a right relationship to God.

When suggesting that the garden was a temple I suppose we should ask the question, what makes a temple a temple? Is it not the presence of God that sets the place off as unique and distinct from all other places? A temple is that place where God is present in pronounced way. A temple is a place where man may approach God to commune with him. The garden in Eden was such a place.

Someone might say, but isn’t God omnipresent? Isn’t he all places at all times? Indeed he is! There is nowhere you may go to escape the presence of God. This is what the Psalmist is reflecting upon in Psalm 139 when he says, “If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:8–10, ESV). When I speak of God’s presence as the distinguishing characteristic of a temple I am of course saying that God is present within his temple is a unique and potent way.

Though it be true that God is everywhere present, he was present in Eden in a pronounced way. There man enjoyed communion with the God who made him. There in that place something of the glory of God was manifest.

God’s “walking” in the garden, his “presence” in that place and his communion with the man and the women all indicate that the garden in Eden was more than a lush garden, but was in fact a temple or sanctuary where man beheld the glory of the Lord.

How do we know that Eden was a temple? First, by paying careful attention to the description of the garden in the narrative of Genesis 2 & 3.

Secondly, we learn that Eden was a temple when we compare it to the temple that Israel built according to the command of God.

This, in my opinion, is where the matter is settled. Israel, as you know, was instructed to build a portable tabernacle, and later a permanent temple, according to instructions given to Moses by God. And what was the purpose of the tabernacle and temple of Israel? Was it not to show that Israel was God’s chosen people? Was it not to show that God was present with them in a unique way? Was it not to show that God was in covenant with Israel and did commune with them?

This is indeed what Leviticus 26:11-12 teaches. There God speaks to Israel saying, “I will make my dwelling among you… And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people” (Leviticus 26:11–12, ESV). The reader should immediately think of Eden when reading Leviticus 26. In Eden God dwelt with Adam and Eve. God was present in the garden with them. He walked amongst the first man and woman in that place. And now, so many years after the fall of Adam, God speaks to Israel, whom he just redeemed from Egypt, saying “I will make my dwelling among you… And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people”. And where did God in fact dwell within Israel? He dwelt within the tabernacle and temple that Israel built according to the command of God.

We should remember that Moses was the one who wrote Genesis, but he also wrote Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. These five books, which are commonly called the Pentateuch, were delivered to Israel, and through Israel to us. They are meant to be read together. We come to understand what the garden in Eden was, not only by reading Genesis 2 and 3, but the Pentateuch as a whole (as well as the rest of scripture, as we shall see).

The Pentateuch tells a story. These books from Moses told a story to ancient Israel, and they tell us a story today. And what is the story? Adam and Eve enjoyed communion with God in the garden. Adam sinned and was cast out. But God is gracious! He has determined to redeem a people for his own possession. He has made a way for man to have a right relationship with him.

The tabernacle and temple of Old Covenant Israel were to be understood in this way. They were constructed according to the command of God given to Moses in order to function as a picture of the original creation and the original garden in Eden, which was itself a temple or sanctuary for God.

Though I am not comfortable with all of Meredith Kline’s ideas about Genesis 1 and 2, I do believe he gets this right when he says, “God produced in Eden a microcosmic version of his cosmic sanctuary. The garden planted there was holy ground with guardianship of its sanctity committed in turn to men and to cherubim. It was the temple-garden of God, the place chosen by the Glory-Spirit who hovered over creation from the beginning to be the focal site of his throne-presence among men… Eden had the character of a holy tabernacle, a microcosmic house of God. And since it lory was God himself who, present in his theophanic Glory, constituted the Edenic temple, man in the Garden of God could quite literally confess that Yahweh was his refuge and refuge and the Most High was his habitation” “(Kline, Images of the Spirit, pp. 35-37).

This is right, I think. Eden was made to function as a microcosm of the whole cosmos, which itself was created as a sanctuary for God (heaven is my throne and the earth y footstool), and Israel’s tabernacle and temple was created to function as a miniature version of the cosmos and of Eden. The massage “preached” by the tabernacle of Israel was that access to God the Creator may still be had! Why? Because God the Creator is also God the Redeemer. He may be approached by his people, but now not without the shedding of blood, given the fact of sin.

It becomes clear that Eden was a temple when we compare it with the temple that Israel built according to the command of God. The temple of Old Covenant Israel was designed to function as a picture in miniature of the whole cosmos and of Eden. All three – the cosmos, the garden in Eden, and Israel’s tabernacle – were temples constructed to “house” God’s presence to facilitate communion between God and man.

Did you know that when God gave Moses the instructions for the building of the tabernacle they were delivered to him in a series of seven speeches beginning in Exodus 25:1 and concluding in Exodus 27:19. Think about that for moment. When God created the heavens and earth he did so in seven days. When God commanded Moses to create the tabernacle he delivered the command in seven stages.

Also, did you know that there are similarities between the conclusion of the creation week and the conclusion of the construction of the tabernacle. On day seven of creation God entered into rest. And after God finished instructing Moses concerning the construction of the tabernacle the Sabbath command was reiterated (see Exodus 31:17). In fact, when the creation of the tabernacle was complete the presence of the Lord “settled [or rested] on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:35, ESV). Clearly the creation of the cosmos and the creation of the tabernacle parallel one another.

And what do we see when we consider the actual construction of the tabernacle and temple? We see that the building was designed to function as a picture, or as a miniature model, of the heavens and earth and of God’s original temple in Eden.

The tent itself represented the heavens that God stretched out at the beginning of creation. The veil which separated the holy place from the holy of holies represented the firmament which was created on day two of creation. The large bronze lavers which were crafted to hold water used for cleansing represented the seas which were formed on day three of creation. The lamp stand symbolizes the luminaries that were created on day four. The winged cherubim which decorated the temple correspond to the bird that were created on day five. And the consecration of the high priest corresponds to the creation of man on day six. On day seven of creation God finished his work, ceased from it and blessed it. When the tabernacle was finished, the people ceased from their labor and Moses blessed it.

Exodus 39:32 and 43: “Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished, and the people of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses; so they did… And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them.” (Exodus 39:32, 43, ESV)

What I am saying is that when one compares the tabernacle that Israel built according to the command of God with creation in general, and the garden in particular, it becomes clear that the tabernacle was to function as a miniature version of creation with the garden being symbolized by the holy of holies.

Many other comparisons could be made if we had the time. Consider the river that flowed out of Eden and the many prophesies that speak of a river flowing from the temple of God. Consider the precious stones that are mentioned in Genesis 2 and the fact that these precious stones were used in the temple of Israel for the worship of God. Consider also how images of angels adorned Israel’s tabernacle – two guarded the ark of the covenant in the most holy place, and the curtains had cherubim embroidered on them – and how angels were tasked with guarding the entrance to the garden in Eden after man’s fall into sin. Clearly, the worshipper would have felt as if he were walking through the cosmos and towards Eden as he walked through the tabernacle of Israel. When he came to the menorah he would have been reminded of the tree of life.

If Israel’s tabernacle and temple were designed to rind the worshipper of the cosmos in general and of Eden in particular then what message did this convey? would not the message have been, the cosmos and Eden were designed to be a sanctuary where man would commune with God. Man fell and was cast out, but God has been gracious. A way to communion with God is still available.

Thirdly, we know that the garden in Eden was a temple when we observe how the new heavens and earth are described at the end of the book of Revelation.

Remember that the new heavens and new earth which will be ushered in at Christ’s return are described in at the end of the book of Revelation as a temple: “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:22–27, ESV)

Notice that a river of life is seen flowing from the throne of God in Revelation 22:1, just as a river is said to have flowed from Eden in Genesis 2: “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” (Revelation 22:1, ESV).

And remember that the tree of life is said to be in the new heavens and earth: “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.” (Revelation 22:2, ESV)

Clearly we are to remember Eden when see a depiction of the the new heavens and earth in Revelation 21 and 22. The new heavens and earth will be a return to Eden, sort of.

The garden in Eden was a temple, but clearly it was not the eschatological temple, for there are some very important difference between Eden and the new heavens and earth.

One, there is no tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the new heavens and earth.

Two, the who earth is described as Eden in the new heavens and earth.

Three, it is the glory of God and the lamb that will fill that place.

If the new heaven and earth are described as a sanctuary where God and man commune with one another, and if the new heavens and earth are described in Edenic terms, then Eden must have been a sanctuary also .

Fourthly, by we understand that Eden was a temple when we recognize that the theme of “temple” runs throughout the pages of Holy Scripture from beginning to end.

The earth was created to function as a sanctuary for God. Eden was the first holy of holies. When man fell access to the holy of holies was denied. Cherubim were set to guard the entrance. The story of redemption which follows can be described in terms of God reestablishing and making permanent and sure mans enjoyment of the garden sanctuary of God.

The patriarchs build alters to worship God. This they did amongst trees and on mountains. These were temples in miniature. Israel build the tabernacle under Moses and the temple under Solomon. Here God walked amongst his people. Here the people enjoyed his presence. When the Christ came the temple of stone was declared by him to be desolate. Now, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the one who has faith in Christ is said to be the temple of the Holy Spirit: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20, ESV). The church is the temple of God under the New Covenant: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1 Corinthians 3:16–17, ESV). When Christ returns all of creation will be temple, for the glory of God and of Christ will fill all.

This was God’s design from the beginning. The cosmos were created to function as a sanctuary where man would enjoy the presence of God forever and ever.

Application

You were made to know God. You were made to commune with him. You were made to live enveloped by his presence and to bask in his glory.

Do you know God? Are you at peace with God? I do not mean, do you feel at peace with God. But are you? Are you in a right relationship to God?

It is only possible through faith in Christ. He accomplished what Adam failed to do. He opened the way into the eschatological Eden.

If you are in Christ, do you realize that you are God’s temple?

You are God’s temple personally. Are you living holy?

We are God’s temple collectively. Are we living holy?

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Genesis 2:4-17, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Sep 18
23

Sermon: The Covenant Of Works: Genesis 2:4-17

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 2:4-17

New Testament Reading: Romans 5:12-21

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:12–21, ESV)

Introduction

In the previous sermon I made five general, big picture observations concerning Genesis 2:4-25. The five observations were these:

Genesis 2:4 marks the beginning of a new section of the book of Genesis. The phrase, “these are the generations of…” marks the transition from one section to another in the book of Genesis.
The creation account of Genesis 2 does not compete with the creation account of Genesis 1, but complements it, providing a different perspective and emphasis. In Genesis 1 God is the transcendent and all powerful Creator of heaven and earth. In Genesis 2 God is near to his people and hands on.
The focus of Genesis 2:4-25 is God entering into covenant with the man that he had made.
In Genesis 2 we have a record of God creating the holy of holies of the cosmic temple.
Adam’s task, with Eve as his helpmate, was to function as a priest in this temple, to guard and to keep it, working towards its universal expansion.

Points three through five of last weeks sermon are very important concepts and they deserve greater attention, and so in this sermon and in the next two we will return to those three points to flesh them out more thoroughly. Today we will focus on the covenant of works that was made with Adam in the garden, next Sunday we will focus upon the garden as a temple or sanctuary, and in two Lord’s Days we will return to the idea of Adam as a priest in the garden of God, Lord willing.

What do we mean when we say that God entered into a covenant of works with Adam in the garden? Answering this question will be the focus of the sermon today.

A covenant is simply an agreement.

When speaking of a covenant made between God and man we must say that it is a “divinely-sanctioned commitment or relationship” (Barcellos, Getting the Garden Right, 56). Notice that it is God who initiates and established covenants with man. Man has no right to say to God, “here will be the nature and terms of our relationship”, but God certainly has the right to say this man, for God is the Creator and we the creature. In the pages of holy Scripture we find a number of covenant established between God and man. All of them were initiated and established by God. It is God who condescends to enter into covenant with man.

It should also be noticed that these covenants made between God and man (and there are many) are always for the betterment of mankind. God establishes covenants with his people in order to advance or better their estate. Divinely established covenants, to quote Nehemiah Cox, involve “a declaration of [God’s] sovereign pleasure concerning the benefits he will bestow on [his people], the communion they will have with him, and the way and means by which this will be enjoyed.” God has always related to his people by way of covenant. It is the covenant which establishes and defines God’s relationship with his people.

We do have an analogy available to us. It is the analogy of the marriage covenant. The relationship that exists between a husband and wife is wonderful and rich, but it is established and maintained by a covenant. The husband and wife enter into an agreement with one another. They covenant together when they say, “I take you to be my wedded spouse, and I do promise and covenant before God and these witnesses to be your loving and faithful spouse in sickness and in health in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, as long as we both shall live.” It is a covenant which establishes and maintains the marriage relationship. It should be recognized that God entering into covenant with man, and God instituting the marriage relationship are set side by side in Genesis 2. This, of course, is intentional. For the marriage relationship was created to function as an image of Christ’s relationship to the church. The covenant of marriage made between man and woman is a picture of the divinely sanctioned covenant made between God and his people.

A covenant is an agreement. When speaking of a covenant made between God and man we must say that it is a “divinely-sanctioned commitment or relationship” (Barcellos, Getting the Garden Right, 56).

There are many covenants found in the pages of holy scripture. In due time we will consider the Noahic covenant, the Abrahamic, the Mosaic, and the Davidic. But two covenants are of supreme importance, for they are the root and fruit of the others that have just been mentioned.

These covenants – the Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic – pointed forward to and prepared the way for the covenant of grace ratified in Christ’s blood. We call the covenant of grace “the new covenant”. Remember how Christ said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:25, ESV). The new covenant, which is the covent of grace, is the fruit, as it were, of all the covenants which proceeded it. They all pointed forward to and prepared the way for the covenant of grace ratified by Christ.

But there is another very important covenant which might be called the root or foundation of all the others. It is called the covenant or works, or the covenant of obedience, or the covenant of creation, or the covenant of life. Sometimes it is called the Adamic covenant, for it was made with Adam in the garden and required his personal, “entire, exact, and perpetual obedience” and promised life upon the keeping of it (see Second London Baptist Confession, ch 19, para 1).

When I say that the covenant of works is the root of he other covenants I mean that it is the foundation. All of the other biblical covenants flow from it. Indeed, you cannot correctly understand the covenants made with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David if you do not first understand the covenant of works made with Adam in the garden. In fact, the new covenant, which is the covent of grace, of which you and I are partakers if we are in Christ, would not be possible without their first being a covenant of works made with Adam in the garden. The covenant of works is the root of all other bibleof the covenant of grace.

Another way to say this is, if you want to understand the Bible – if you want to understand your sin and your natural guilt before God – if you want to comprehend what it is that Christ actually accomplished for you, then you had better pay attention to the covenant that was made with Adam in the garden.

We have defined a covenant between God and man generally as a “divinely-sanctioned commitment or relationship”. This general definition fits all of the covenants that God has entered into with man. But let us now define the covenant of works specifically. Again, I appreciate the words of my friend, Dr. Rich Barcellos, who defines the covenant of works as, “that divinely sanctioned commitment or relationship God imposed upon Adam, who was a sinless representative of mankind…, an image-bearing son of God, conditioned upon his obedience, with a penalty for disobedience, all for the bettering of man’s estate” (Barcellos, Getting the Garden Right, 57).

Let us think about this definition for a moment and consider in light Genesis.

First, the covenant of works was a divinely sanctioned commitment or relationship [that] God imposed upon Adam.

This relationship was not Adam’s idea, but God’s. Before God Adam had no rights. He had no right to say, here will be the nature and term of our relationship, for Adam was the creature and God Creator. This distinction between Creator and creature was firmly established in Genesis 1. Man did not make God, but God made man. Man, therefore, by virtue of his creation stood obligated before his Maker to worship and serve him always. The fact of creation itself established this relation. No specific covenant was needed. But God did graciously enter into a covenant with the man. The covenant of works was a “divinely sanctioned commitment or relationship [that] God imposed upon Adam”.

This is should not be difficult to see in the narrative of Genesis 1 and 2. God made man. God blessed man. God commanded man, male and female, to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion…” (Genesis 1:28, ESV). The same is true in chapter 2. The LORD God made man and then establishes the terms of their relationship.

This might seem like a strange point to emphasize given it’s simplicity. You might be saying to yourself, “Okay, we get it. God is God and man is man. God has the right to initiate and to establish the terms of the relationship. Move on already!” But herein lies the difference between true and biblical religion and that which is man made. Herein lies the difference between the child of God and the rebel still in his sin. The chid of God says, “yes, God has the right and I will submit to him!” The rebel says, “I will decide for myself and go my own way.”

The covenant of works was a divinely sanctioned commitment or relationship [that] God imposed upon Adam.

Secondly, the covenant of works was made with Adam who was a sinless representative of mankind, an image-bearing son of God.

Notice that the covenant was made with Adam. The woman, who name was Eve, had not been created when “the Lord God took the man [Adam] and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’” (Genesis 2:15–17, ESV). The covenant was made with Adam, and not Eve.

Notice that Adam was at first sinless. Everything that God had made was good, indeed very good. Adam was made upright. To quote our confession, “God… endued the will of man with that natural liberty and power of acting upon choice, that it is neither forced, nor by any necessity of nature determined to do good or evil.” Adam was free. “In his state of innocency, [he] had freedom and power to will and to do that which was good and well-pleasing to God, but yet was unstable, so that he might fall from it” (2LBC 9.1, 2). God entered into a covenant of works or obedience with Adam and “endued him with power and ability to keep it” (2LBC 19.1). Adam was sinless. He was good and upright in the beginning.

And notice that Adam was a representative of all mankind. Had Adam succeeded all would have enjoyed life. When Adam fell all fell in him. You and I were born in sin because we were born in Adam. We descended from him by birth. He was our federal head and representative.

No teaching in all of scripture is more clear than this.

The narrative of Genesis confirms that Adam was the federal head and representative of all humanity. Adam and Eve were barred from the garden and all of their descendents were born outside the garden. They were born in sin, they themselves sinned, and they, like Adam died.

This is also the explicit teaching of holy scripture. The Psalmist said, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5, ESV). Paul, in Ephesians 2 says that we all are “by nature children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3, ESV). And Paul developes this idea most thoroughly in Romans 5 in the passage that was read earlier, saying, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—” (Romans 5:12, ESV).

The clear teaching of scripture is that the covenant of works was made with Adam who was a sinless representative of mankind.

Does this bother you, Christian?

This principle is woven into our everyday experience. The decisions of others impact us.

Your salvation in Christ depends upon this principle too! Just as Adam is the federal head of all humanity, Christ is the federal head of the elect, of al who have faith in him. Just as Adam’s is inputed to all who are in him, so too Christ’s righteousness is imputed to all who are in him.

Thirdly, the covenant of works made with Adam was conditioned upon his obedience, with a penalty for disobedience.

What was Adam’s obligation in the covent of works? The answer is that Adam was to obey God.

What was Adam to do? Remember that Adam, having been made in the image of God and having been blessed by God, was to “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 1:27–28, ESV).

Adam was to fill the earth with God’s image. He was to subdue the earth. He was to rule and reign on earth a God’s vicegerent. He was explained the kingdom of God to the ends of the earth.

In Genesis 2 we learned that God planted a garden in Eden and placed the man who had created there. The whole earth, therefore, was not garden, but rather a garden was planted in a place called Eden. Outside the garden there was wild, unformed, uncultivated land. Adam’s task was to expand the garden to the ends of the earth. He was to imitate his Maker in bringing order and form to those places that were without form and void.

Notice the mention of the four rivers in verses 10-14. It is a rather unexpected emphasis in the narrative of Genesis 2. Two of the rivers are known to us, and two are mysterious, but the meaning seems to be that these rivers emanated out to the four corners of the earth so that man might have all that he needed to expand God’s garden to the ends of the earth through cultivation.

This is was Adam was to do while living in “entire, exact, and perpetual obedience” to God.

Clearly, Adam was placed under probation or a time of testing.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a tree of testing. The tree would show if Adam had remained loyal to God. By abstaining Adam would prove himself faithful. By partaking Adam would prove himself a rebel – a breaker of the convent of works, which was a covenant requiring “entire, exact, and perpetual obedience”.

Fourthly, the covenant of works made with Adam was for the bettering of man’s condition.

In Genesis 2:9 we read, “And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9, ESV).

The presence of the tree of life in the garden indicates that Adam had a higher form of life offered t him by God. Adam was already alive. Adam was alive in paradise. But he was prone to fall. Adam, being under a time of testing, had not yet attained the glory of God. He was to pass the test, eat of the tree of life, and enter into glory.

Brothers and sisters, Adam never ate of it. Adam sinned and fell short of the glory of God. And now it might be said that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, ESV).

But do you see that the covenant of works made with Adam for the bettering of man’s condition. Adam, by keeping the covenant, was to advance to a higher form of life, not only for himself, but for all his posterity whom he represented.

Application

Friends, do you see that where Adam failed, Christ succeeded?

Christ kept the covent of works. Christ remained obedient to God to the end. His obedience was “entire, exact, and perpetual”.

Adam was the son of God by virtue of his creation, but Christ, being the eternal son of God entered into glory when he kept the covent of works. And this he did, not only for himself, but for all the elect as he functioned as their federal head or representative.

Listen to the prayer of Jesus for his disciples recoded for us in John 17. Jesus “lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word” (John 17:1–6, ESV).

Jesus kept God’s word. He finished his work.

Jesus was qualified, therefore, to enter into glory – into that higher form of life offered to Adam in the garden.

Jesus entered in, not alone, but as a representative for others. He earned salvation for “all whom [the Father had] given him.”

Are you in Adam or are you in Christ?

Are you under he covenant of works or the covenant of grace?

To be under the covenant of works means death, for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, ESV).

To be under the covent of grace means life – eternal life, “for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23, ESV).

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Genesis 2:4-17, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Sep 18
16

Sermon: The Garden Temple of God: Genesis 2:4-25

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 2:4-25

“These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’ Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’ Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 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 2:4–25, ESV)

Introduction

It has been my custom, whenever we come to a new section in a book that we are studying, be it the Gospel of John, the book of Revelation, or Genesis, to devote one sermon to the new section in order to make general, “big picture” observations, before moving through the section more methodically in subsequent sermons. I think it is important that we do this. Many of the errors that are made in the interpretation of the Bible are made when people loose sight of the context of a particular passage. And when I say “context” I do not only mean the sentences and paragraphs that come before and after the passage under consideration, but also passages place within the book, and the books place within the whole of scripture. Critical to the proper interpretation of the Bible is this principle: scripture interprets scripture. So if we are to have any chance of interpreting Genesis 2:4-25 correctly we must pay careful attention, not only to the words, sentences and paragraphs found there, but also its context, both immediate and canonical. What does the rest of scripture say that might help us in understanding this passage correctly? That is an important question to ask.

I’m afraid that when people read Genesis 2:4 and following many assume it is myth. They think they are handling a folktale – a fictional story with moral principles imbedded within. And I fear that others, though they might rightly believe that Genesis 2:4 and following is true and historical, assume that it is nothing more than a simple and direct retelling of the creation of the first man and woman. God made the man, he made the woman, and they were farmers. Genesis 2, in their interpretation, simply tells the facts. But the truth is found somewhere in-between these two extremes – neither is Genesis 2 myth (what it is says actually happened), nor is it a bare and plainly factual account of the creation of man. Instead, in Genesis 2 we find true history recounted in a literally style that beautifully rich, complex, and illuminating.

How do we know that Genesis 2 is more than just a bare, factual account of the creation of man? Well, by examining the passage itself, and by paying careful attention to the rest of scripture concerning the way that it interprets the text.

A careful consideration of the passage itself reveals that there is structure to it. I will not linger here very long lest I bore you with too many details, but it should be noticed that Genesis 2:4 through to the end of chapters 3 make up a unit. Here we are told all about the first man and woman and their relationship to God while in the garden that was in Eden. This section (2:4-3:24) is made up of seven parts, and these seven parts form a chiasm, so that part 1 (2:5-17 – narrative – God the sole actor, man present but passive) corresponds to part 7 (3:22-24 – narrative – God the sole actor, man passive), part 2 (2:18-25 – narrative – God main actor, man minor role, woman and animals passive) to part 6 (3:14-21 – narrative – God main actor, man minor role, woman and snake passive), part 3 (3:1-5 – dialogue – snake and woman) to part 5 (3:9-13 – dialogue – God, man and woman), with part 4 taking center stage (3:6-8 – narrative, man and woman) (See Wenham, World Biblical Commentary, p. 50). And what do we find in Genesis 3:6-8 (which is at the point or center of the chiasm)? It is this passage:

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:6–8, ESV)

Clearly, Genesis 2 is more than bare, simple and factual account of the creation of man. Instead it is a beautifully rich and complex piece of literature which communicates truth to us – not only the bare facts, but the deeper truths which lie behind those bare facts.

When we consider how the rest of the scriptures view Genesis 2 we will find that there are are many things of great importance contained within this text that are only briefly mentioned or alluded to. These truths are deposited in seed form in Genesis 2, if you will. As we read on in the pages of holy scripture we will watch those seeds develop into full grown trees. This is what I mean when I say that the story of Genesis 2 is rich. It is a story that little children can understand. At the same time it is a story so packed full of meaning that the Christian can spend a lifetime pondering and applying its truths.

Today I have five general observations to make concerning Genesis 2:4-25. I should warn you ahead of time that points 3, 4 and 5 are very important – they are very significant concepts theologically – and yet I will rush through them today, providing very little support from the scriptures. Rest assured that we will return to these points in the weeks to come to flesh them out more carefully, Lord willing. I wish only to introduce you to these truths today.

Five general observations concerning Genesis 2:4-25:

First, notice that 2:4 marks the beginning of a new section of the book of Genesis. There we read, “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens” (Genesis 2:4, ESV).

The phrase, “these are the generations of…”, is very important in the book of Genesis. This phrase, “these are the generations of…” (or something very close to it), is found 10 times in the book of Genesis and it marks the transition of one section of the book to another.

The book of Genesis is made up of 10 parts, not including the prologue or introduction of Genesis 1:1-2:3 which we have already covered. The phrase, “these are the generations of…”, appears in 2:4 – “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth…”, 5:1 – “This is the book of the generations of Adam…”, 6:9 – “These are the generations of Noah…”, 10:1 – “These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth…”, 11:10 – “These are the generations of Shem…”, 11:27 – “Now these are the generations of Terah…”, 25:12 – “These are the generations of Ishmael…”, 25:19 – “These are the generations of Isaac…”, 36:1 – “These are the generations of Esau (that is, Edom)…”, and 37:2 – “These are the generations of Jacob.”

Notice that in each instance the phrase, “these are the generations of” functions as a heading to the section that follows. In every instance but the one we are considering today it is the name of some historical person that is listed after the phrase. “These are the generations of… Adam, Noah, Terah”, etc. What follows is either a genealogy or a block of narrative concerning the descendants of that individual. These are the people who came from so and so, or, these are the people that so and so produced. That is the idea.

Here in 2:4 it is not a person who is named, but two things – “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens” (Genesis 2:4, ESV). And what is described to us in the narrative that follows except that which heaven and earth generate? God, who’s throne is in heaven, forms and fashions or causes the earth to bring forth certain things. The earth gave birth to, if you will, plants, animals and man by the creative hand of the God of heaven.

Look at verse 7: “…then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” Verse 9: “And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.” Verse 19: “Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.” “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens” (Genesis 2:4, ESV).

Secondly, notice that the creation account of Genesis 2 does not in any way compete with the creation account of chapter 1, but complements it, providing a different perspective and emphasis.

It has already been established that in the beginning God created the heavenly realm and the earthly realm. Over the course of six days God brought the earthly realm into a form suitable for human habitation. At first “the earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep”, but God did not leave it as such, for God created the world to be inhabited. In six days time God formed and fashioned the earth creating, first of all, realms and then filling those realms with rulers or creature kings.

Light was separated from darkness on day one. The sun moon and stars were created on day four to govern the day and night.

The sky and seas were created on day two when God separated the waters from the waters. On day five the seas and the sky were filled with fish and birds to have dominion over those realms.

On day three the dry land was formed. Listen carefully to Genesis 1:9-13, and pay special attention to the emphasis that is placed upon the vegetation that God made to spring up from the dry land. This will become significant as we consider the creation account of Genesis 2.

“And God said, ‘Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. And God said, ‘Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.’ And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.” (Genesis 1:9–13, ESV)

On day six God created the land animals and man to have dominion over the earth – indeed, man was created to have dominion over all that God had made. Listen carefully to Genesis 1:24-31. Again, pay special attention to the emphasis placed upon the vegetation that God had provided for man and beast to eat.

“And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.’ And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 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 1:24–31, ESV)

By the end of Genesis we are convinced that God is God Most High. He is the Creator of heaven and earth. Everything that is has come from his hand. And man, being made in the image of God, is king on earth. He is not king as God is King, for God is his Maker and Provider, but he is to rule as a king under God’s supreme authority. God provided for man’s every need. He prepared a place for him. He provided food to sustain him. King Adam was to “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 2 does not present a contrary account of creation to the one found in chapter 1, but a complementary account. The emphasis go Genesis 2 is different to the emphasis of chapter 1. Both are true.

Notice that the creation accounts of Genesis 1 and 2 begin with problems.

In Genesis 1 we are told that the earth was at first without, form, void and dark. The solution was for God to form and fashion the earth into a place suitable for human habitation.

Genesis 2 begins with a different problem. The earth was not suitable for human habitation because there were no plants. Verse 5 takes us back to the time “When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up…” In other words, Genesis 2:5 takes us back to the beginning of day three. The dry land had been formed, but there was no vegetation. There was no “bush of the field in the land”, which means that there were no plants growing naturally in the wild. Neither had any “small plant of the field… sprung up”, which means that there were no cultivated plants either.

And why the lack of plants, both wild and cultivated? Two reason are stated in verse 5. One, “the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land” and two, “there was no man to work the ground”. Wild plants are able to grow when there is rain, and cultivated plants are able to grow when man is there till the soil, irrigate and cultivate. The absence of rain and the absence of man meant no vegetation – only barren earth. The earth was not suitable for human habitation.

And what was the solution this problem? Two things: God sent rain and God created man to till the ground. Verse 6: “and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” (Genesis 2:6–7, ESV)

There was no vegetation, wild or cultivated, because of lack of rain and man. Solution: God caused it to rain (I think that is the best interpretation of the phrase “a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground”, and God created man.

Notice that in verse 8 we are told that “the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.” In verse 15 we are told “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

Days 3 and 6 of the creation week are emphasized in Genesis 2 and are viewed from a different perspective. Here I am simply making the point that the creation account of Genesis 2 does not in any way compete with the creation account of chapter 1, but complements it, providing a different perspective and emphasis.

This leads us to point three. Notice that the focus of Genesis 2:4-25 is God entering into covenant with the man that he had made.

In Genesis 1 it is clear that man owes worship and service God by virtue of his creation. God is Creator. Man is creation. Therefore man is live in submission to his God to worship and serve him always. In Genesis 1 we learn that God offed rest to man should he faithfully accomplish the work that God had assigned to him. But in Genesis 2 a covenant is made. An agreement is made between God and man. The punishment of failing to follow through on the agreement is communicated. And a sign or sacrament is given.

What is the agreement? Adam was to walk faithfully before God He was to fulfill his mission of filling the earth with the garden of God and with faithful descendants. God had abundantly provided for all of mans needs. He could eat from any of the trees of the garden with the exception of one. Adam was to abstain from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In time, he was to eat from the tree of life. In short, what was Adam to do? He was to walk in humble and faithful submission to his Maker. He was to complete his task living perpetually in depend on and in obedience to the God who made him. What was the symbol or sacrament given to Adam? What was the visible thing that would show forth the hidden realities of Adams heart? The tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And what would be the consequence of failing to keep his end of the agreement? In the day that Adam ate of it he would surely die (Genesis 2:17, ESV).

The word covenant does not appear in Genesis 2, but the elements of a covenant are there. Also, if we consider what the rest of the scriptures say about Genesis 2, it is clear that Adam, functioning as a representative for all of mankind, entered into a covenant of works with God in the garden (see Genesis 6:18, Hosea 6:7 and Romans 5:12-19).

The covenant of works established in Genesis 2 was, to quote Geerhardus Vos, “nothing but an embodiment of the Sabbatical principle [established in Genesis 1]. Had its probation been successful, then the sacramental Sabbath would have passed over into the reality it typified, and the entire subsequent course of the history of the [human] race would have been radically different” (Biblical Theology, 140).

That the emphasis of Genesis 2 is God in covenant with man can also be seen in the change of names used for God. In Genesis 1 the name for God used is Elohim (simply “God” in English). But beginning with 2:4 the name used for God is Yahweh Elohim (“LORD God” in our English translation. Elohim is a generic name for God. It is fitting to the emphasis of Genesis 1 – God the creator of all things seen and unseen. But Yahweh is the personal covenantal name for God. Yahweh is the God of Israel. He is the God who is near. He is the God who makes and keeps covenants. He is the God who breathed into Adam the breath of life, and formed Eve from the side of man.

Genesis 2 has as its focus Yahweh Elohim entering into covenant with the man that he made.

Four, notice that while in Genesis 1 we find a record of God creating the earth to function as a temple in which his glory would dwell, in Genesis 2 we have a record of God creating the holy of holies of this cosmic temple.

This is a massively important concept and one that will take some time to develop and prove. This I will do in the weeks to come if the Lord permits. But I wish to simply put the idea before you this morning.

The earth was created to be filled with the glory of God. The earth was created to be a place where man would commune with God. Read the end of the book of Revelation again to see that it is true. When God planted the garden in Eden and paced the man there it was to function as the most holy place in God’s cosmic temple.

I am not saying that there was a temple made of stone in Eden, but that the garden itself was a temple or sanctuary where God’s glory dwelt and where man was able to commune with the God who made him.

This all becomes very clear when we consider the tabernacle and later the temple of Israel and compare it to Eden. In brief, Israel’s tabernacle and temple were miniature replicas of the cosmos. And the holy of holies in the tabernacle and temple were crafted to remind the worshipper of Eden. This will have to be proven at another time.

For now, consider that God is said to have “walked in the garden” (Genesis 3:8). God’s presence was there. It was a sanctuary where man and God enjoyed communion. And consider that the same language is used to describe the temple. To Israel God said, “I will make my dwelling [tabernacle] among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people” (Leviticus 26:11–12, ESV).

The garden that God planted in Eden was a temple or sanctuary.

Five, notice that Adam’s task, with Eve as his helpmate, was to function as a priest in this temple, to guard and to keep it, working towards its universal expansion.

Listen to verse 15: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15, ESV). It would be a mistake to assume that when God commanded Adam to “work and keep” the garden he was calling him to simply be a farmer. In fact when these verbs appear together in other passage, the context is priestly. Listen to work of the priests and Levites of the temple as described in Numbers 18:2ff. To Arron it was said, “And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. They shall keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar lest they, and you, die. They shall join you and keep guard over the tent of meeting for all the service of the tent, and no outsider shall come near you. And you shall keep guard over the sanctuary and over the altar, that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel.” (Numbers 18:2–5, ESV)

Adam was not simply a farmer in the garden which God planted in Eden – he was a priest. His task was to promote the worship of God. His task was to work in the garden and to keep it. He was to preserve it as holy. He was to drive away all intruders.

In fact, when all is considered, Adam was a prophet, priest and king in the garden. He was to have king like dominion over all creation under God’s authority, he was to promote the worship of God as a priest, preserving the sanctity of the garden sanctuary, and he was to proclaim God’s law as a prophet, urging other to obey it also.

Conclusion

When Genesis 2 is understood in this way then we are ready to adequately comprehend the rest of scripture. When Adam sinned, he broke the covenant of works. When Adam sinned he brought upon himself, as well as all of his descendants (including you and me) the curse of the covenant. Adam and Eve were expelled, not just from a beautiful and lush garden, but from the sanctuary of God and from his presence. When Adam allowed the serpent to deceive he failed, not as a farmer, but as a priest. He failed to defend the temple of God from all intruders. He failed to preserve its sanctity. Israel’s temple was a replica in miniature of the cosmos and of the garden of Eden. It communicated that a way to communion with God was still open, by God’s grace. When the Christ appeared, he came as the second Adam, the Prophet, Priest and King. He, through his perfect obedience, entered into the most holy place, clearing the way for all who have faith in him. And what did he secure? The new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwell. When Christ returns to judge the living and the dead and to make all things new all will become holy of holies. All who are in Christ will enjoy the presence of God forevermore.

Are you in Christ, friend? Or are you in Adam? Christ is the perfect and faithful high priest, whereas Adam is the failed priest. Christ is able to bring us to God. In Adam there is only judgement and death.

Are you under the covenant of works, or are you under the covenant of grace?

Do you long for the new heavens and earth in which righteousness dwells?

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Genesis 2:4-25, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Sep 18
9

Sermon: The Office of Deacon: Acts 6:1-7

New Testament Reading

“Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’ And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:1–7, ESV)

Introduction

Brothers and sisters, I will begin by asking this question: where is Christ at work in the world today?

Everywhere

In the lives of individuals

In our families

But particularly in his church

His church is called:

The body of Christ.

The temple of the Holy Spirit.

How important it is, therefore, that the church be found faithful:

Faithful in our doctrine.

Faithful in our government.

Faithful in our discipline.

Faithful in our love for God and for one another.

Remember the opening vision of the book of Revelation.

Remember the words that Christ spoke to the seven churches.

He spoke to those churches and he expressed his concern for them.

The New Testament is a church book from beginning to end…

Who belongs to the church?

The church is made up of those who credibly profess faith in Christ, who have been baptized upon profession of faith. These are to gather each Lord’s Day to worship God, to give attention to his word, to pray, to break the bread, to fellowship with one another.

Considered in this way there is no distinction within Christ’s church. To quote Paul, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, ESV).

But considered from another vantage point, there is some distinction within Christ’s church.

First of all, we have gifts that differ from one another, don’t we? These gifts, whatever they may be, are to be exercised for the common good.

Secondly, some within Christ church are called to serve as officers, so that the church consists of officers and members.

Chapters 26 of our Confession, Paragraph 2 provides a rather general definition of the local church when it says, “All persons throughout the world, professing the faith of the gospel, and obedience unto God by Christ according unto it, not destroying their own profession by any errors everting the foundation, or unholiness of conversation, are and may be called visible saints; and of such ought all particular congregations to be constituted.” ( 1 Corinthians 1:2; Acts 11:26; Romans 1:7; Ephesians 1:20-22 )

In paragraph 8 we read, “A particular church, gathered and completely organized according to the mind of Christ, consists of officers and members; and the officers appointed by Christ to be chosen and set apart by the church (so called and gathered), for the peculiar administration of ordinances, and execution of power or duty, which he intrusts them with, or calls them to, to be continued to the end of the world, are bishops or elders, and deacons.” ( Acts 20:17, 28; Philippians 1:1 )

And so the local church, when she is “completely organized according to the mind of Christ, consists of officers and members”. And what are the two offices of the church? Elders (which may also be called pastors, overseers or bishops) and deacons.

How do we know that there are to be these offices in Christ’s church?

Elders, overseers, shepherds, or bishops are mentioned very often in the New Testament.

For example, in Acts 20:17 we read, “Now from Miletus [Paul] sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.” And when they gathered he said to them, among other things, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28, ESV).

In 1 Peter 3:1 we read, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:1–3, ESV).

In 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 we find qualifications for the office of elder.

1 Timothy 3:1 says, “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:1–7, ESV).

Brothers and sisters, how important it is for the office of elder to be held by men who meet these qualifications. Notice, the standard is not perfection. But notice also that there are standards. These qualifications must be met in order for a man to be called to this office. And these qualifications must be maintained in order for a man to remain in this office.

Because this is not a sermon on the office of elder, I will say no more. Instead, this sermon is focused upon the office of deacon.

The word “deacon” means servant. In the greek the word διάκονος is used many times in a generic way to refer to a person who is a just that – a servant. Rulers are called servants, angels are called servants, Christ is our servant, and all Christians are to be servants. Christ said, “It shall not be so among you.But whoever would be great among you must be your servant…” (διάκονος) (Matthew 20:26, ESV). So, there is a sense in which all Christians, young and old, male and female, are called to be deacons. All Christians are to love and serve one another.

But the word “deacon” is also used in a more specific way to refer to an office within the church. There is the office of pastor, elder, overseer or bishop, and then there is the office of deacon. Obviously this office has something to do with “service” and with the meeting of practical needs within Christ’s church, given the basic meaning of the word. But when taken in this more specific way, not all are called or qualified to hold the office of deacon.

How do we know that there is the office of deacon, and not just servants in general? Well, in 1 Timothy 3 immediately following the list of qualifications for the office of elder we find a list of qualifications for the office of deacon. There are no qualification to meet in order for you to serve others, but there are qualification that must be met if you are to hold the office of deacon.

1 Timothy 3:8: “Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 3:8–13, ESV).

Clearly, the word deacon is being used here not to refer to “servants” in general, but to an office. Do you wish to serve? Then serve! There are no qualifications to meet to serve! But there are qualifications to meet in order to hold an office in Christ’s church.

Deacons are to be “dignified” (σεμνός, ή, όν: pertaining to appropriate, befitting behavior and implying dignity and respect—‘honorable, worthy of respect, of good character. (LouwNida, 747.))

Deacons must not be “double tongued” (two faced; hypocritical).

They must not be “addicted to much wine” (not a drunkard).

The must not be “greedy for dishonest gain”. This is especially important given that deacons have the responsibility of handling and distributes funds.

Deacons “must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience”. Calvin explains this as meaning, that a deacon must hold “the pure doctrine of religion, and that from the heart, with a sincere fear of God.” So no, it is not only required of elders that their doctrine be pure, but of deacons also!

Deacons are to be tested first. They are to prove themselves blameless.

Notice that “their wives also must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.” Isn’t this interesting? Not only must the deacon be “dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things”, but so too, his wife is to possess these qualities. Brothers and sisters, Christian ministry is a family affair. Though the wives of pastors are not pastors, they play a very significant role in the ministry of the pastor given that they are in one flesh union with the man. And so it is with deacons! Though the wives of deacons are not deacons, they play a very significant role in the ministry of the deacon given that they are in one flesh union with the man. Friends, the significant role that the wives of elders and deacons play within the church can hardly be overstated. How important it is that they be “dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.”

Deacons are to be the husband of one wife. It should plane to all by now that deacons are to be male, and that these men are to be faithful to their wives. They are to be a one woman man. It is the opinion of the eldership of Emmaus that a man may still be qualified to serve as a deacon even if he has been divorced, or has divorced and remarried. However, grate care should be taken here to know what led to the divorce, and to know the character of the man presently.

Notice that deacons “are to manage their children and their own households well.” Holding an office within the church and being the head of a household share many things in common. If a man cannot manage his children and his household – if he cannot lead his family effectively and tenderly, in a Christlike manner – then he has no business leading as an office bearer within Christ’s church. Leading within the church, though it shares similarities with leading within the home, is a far more complex task. A man must prove himself competent in the realm of the home before he be given the responsibility of office bearer in the realm of the church.

And lastly, notice in verse 13 that “those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.”

It should be clear to all that there are two office within the church – not more, not less – they are the office of elder and deacon.

The office of deacon is not a stepping stone to the office of elder – it is simply a different office.

The importance of the office of deacon should not be minimized, friends. Did you notice that the moral qualifications for elders and deacons are basically the same. In fact, did you notice the word “likewise” at the beginning of verse 8? “Deacons likewise must be dignified…” In other words, because the office of elder and deacon are of great importance the men who hold these offices must be godly and mature men.

The qualifications for the two offices differ where it pertains to the uniqueness of the offices. Notice that elders are to be “able to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2, ESV), whereas no such requirement exists for deacons.

Deacons are to serve (and facilitate) service within Christ’s church (as the name implies), whereas elders (or overseers) are to take up the task of prayer, preaching and teaching, shepherding, and the general oversight of the church.

The roles of elder and deacon may be discerned by drawing together all that New Testament has to say concerning these offices, but nowhere is the office of deacon exhibited more clearly than in the passage that was read at the start of this sermon: Acts 6:1-8.

Most commentators will agree that what we have in Acts 6 is a description of the appointment of the first deacons of the church. They are not called “deacons” in this passage, but it is clear that the men were appointed to deacon work. These men were called to διακονέω (serve) tables so that the apostles might devote themselves more thoroughly to the ministry of the word and prayer.

Let us say something about the situation that gave rise to the deaconship.

In Acts 6:1 we read, “Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.”

It should be pointed out that never has church been free from trouble and without controversy. Sometimes Christians will speak with fondness concerning the days of the “early” or “apostolic” church, saying, “we need to get back to how things were in the book of Acts or in the New Testament.” Have you read the book of Acts? Have you read the New Testament? It is not hard to see that the church has always had to deal with trouble and with controversy. Do not be discourage, brothers and sisters, when we face troubles and controversies of our own. But do pray that we do right in the mist of them, to the glory of God and for the good of his church.

In Acts 6 we learn that in the earliest days of the church favoritism was being shown to those who were Jewish and Christian over those who were non-Jewish and Christians, or at least that was the accusation. We should remember that many of the first Christians were of Jewish decent. Jesus was a Jew. His disciples were Jews. The gospel would soon go the to Gentiles, but not without difficulty. Here the Gentile Christian came to the Apostles and complained, saying, our widows are being neglected while the Jewish widows are being being cared for.

It should not be overlooked that the church does have a responsibility to care for the needy in their midst.

In 1 Timothy 5:16 we read, “If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows” (1 Timothy 5:16, ESV).

In Galatians 6:10 we read, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10, ESV).

Deacons Are To Care For Physical Needs

What did the Apostles do when this complaint about favoritism arose? They called for the appointment of deacons – they called for the appointment of men who would oversee the benevolence ministry of the church.

Here is the first of three aspects of the deacon’s ministry: Deacons are to care for physical needs (I should say that these three observations were made by Mark Dever in his book entitled, “The Church” and I am indebted to him).

In Acts 6:2 we read, “And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers [and sisters], pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.” (Acts 6:2–3, ESV)

Notice a few things about this call for the appointment of deacons:

One, the Apostles did not appoint them, but called the church to pick them out. “The twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said… pick out from among you seven men of good repute…”

Two, notice that qualifications were provided by the Apostles. Granted, it is not the full list of qualifications as we find them in 1 Timothy 3, but they are here in summary form. The men had to be “men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom.”

Three, notice that Apostles called for a certain number of men, presumably to correspond to the need at hand. It may be that there is some symbolism to the number seven, just as there is symbolism to the number twelve. But is seems more likely that the Apostles determined that seven men could get the job done.

Four, notice that it would be the Apostles who would ultimately appoint the men. “Pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.” In verses 5-6 we see this play out: “And what they [the Apostles] said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them” (Acts 6:5–6, ESV). The church selected seven men according to the qualifications given to them by the Apostles. They set these men before the Apostles, and then the Apostles “laid their hands on them, which means that they prayed over them and commissioned them to fulfill their ministry.

Why do I make these observations? Well, is this not our practice? The elders of the church have called for the nomination of deacons (2 or 3 will do). The church is to select these men according to the qualifications established by the Apostles of Christ as recorded in scriptures. An these men are to be presented back to the elders of for commissioning.

What will these men do? They will, among other things, care for physical needs. In the case of Acts chapters six the seven men were to oversee the churched benevolence ministry to widows to insure that no favoritism be shown to one group over another, but that cases be handled justly and according to wisdom.

Deacons Are To Strive For The Unity Of The Church

The second aspect of the deacon’s ministry is to strive for the unity of the church.

This observation might be less apparent than the first, but can you see it? The church was being threatened with division, not over doctrine, but over the proper care of its members. Christ cares for his people physically and spiritually, and how important it is for the church to reflect the love that God has for his people in her practice. The church should never neglect the spiritual needs of the saints, nor should physical needs be neglected. The neglect of either can lead to division, and the deacons in particular are to ensure that churches physical needs are met, thus promoting the unity of the body of Christ.

Deacons Are To Support The Ministry Of The Elders

The third aspect of the deacon’s ministry is to support the ministry of the elders.

The office of Apostle and the office of elder are not the same, but they do correspond to one another. Apostles were eyewitness of Christ in his resurrection. Apostles were appointed as such by Christ himself. There are no Apostles today. Today there are elders. The office of elders and Apostle differ in that elders do not speak or write with same authority that the Apostles had. The Apostles wrote and spoke the inspired word of God just as the Old Testament Prophets did. Pastors and elders do not speak with this kind of authority. Pastors speak the word of God only so long as they are faith to the word Christ, his Apostles and Prophets. But the office of elder and Apostle are similar in that both are called to prayer, to the ministry of the word, and to the oversight of he church of God.

in Acts 6 we learn that that Apostles viewed the task of caring for the physical needs of widows as being extremely important. The Apostles were ultimately responsible to be sure that it get done. But notice that they did not see it as their primary task.

Verse 2: “And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word’” (Acts 6:2–4, ESV).

No, it was not that the work of serving tables was beneath the Apostles, as if they were to good for it. This was not the way the Lord had taught them. Jesus said to them, “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (John 13:13–15, ESV). The work of serving tables, and overseeing the serving of tables was not beneath the Apostles. But they understood that overseeing this ministry would require them to neglect the primary thing to which they had been called, namely the ministry of the word and of prayer.

And so we have deacons. Deacons are to support the ministry of the elders in their work.

Application

Have you humbled yourself to allow Christ to serve you?

Are you humble enough to allow others within Christs church to serve you? Are you willing to admit your need and to receive support, encouragement, even godly exhortation from others?

Are you a servant? In the home, in the public arena, in the church? Oh, how we enjoy the good things of this life if we would only take the position of a servant!

Would you be willing to think and pray about who to nominate to the office of deacon at Emmaus?

If you are desirous of the office of deacon, would you also be content to serve within the church without holding the office? May it be true of all of us that we would be content to use the gifts that God has given to us discreetly, for the good of others and to the glory of God!

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Acts 6:1-7, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Sep 18
2

Sermon: The Sabbath: Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy: Genesis 2:1-3

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 2:1-3 and Isaiah 58

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” (Genesis 2:1–3, ESV)

“Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. [The people ask God] ’Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ [God answers] Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’” (Isaiah 58, ESV)

Introduction

Dear brothers and sisters, what I have taken seven sermons to say concerning the biblical doctrine of the Sabbath, our Confession of Faith says in one succinct paragraph. The Second London Confession chapter 22 paragraph 7 states,

As it is the law of nature, that in general a proportion of time, by God’s appointment, be set apart for the worship of God, so by his Word, in a positive moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men, in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a sabbath to be kept holy unto him, which from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection of Christ was changed into the first day of the week, which is called the Lord’s day: and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the observation of the last day of the week being abolished.

I hope that you have grown convinced (if you were not convinced already) that this is indeed what the scriptures teach concerning the Sabbath day. The Sabbath is as old as creation. The Sabbath has been kept by the people of God from Adam to this present day and to the end of the world. Prior Christ’s finished work the Sabbath was to be kept on the seventh day, indicating that there was work to be accomplished if man was to enter into God’s rest. From the resurrection of Christ to the end of the word the Sabbath day is to be kept on the first day of the week (also called the eighth day), indicating that the work has been finished by Christ (the second Adam), that he has entered into rest and that all who are in him will enter that rest when he comes again.

Today I will cease from the work of convincing you that this is what the scriptures teach concerning the Sabbath day. But I will enter into another kind of work – the work of application. I hope that you are convinced that the Lord’s Day Sabbath is to be kept holy unto the Lord. But now the question is, how are we to keep it?

This is what paragraph 8 of chapter 22 of our Confession addresses when it says,

The sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering their common affairs aforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all day, from their own works, words and thoughts, about their worldly employment and recreations, but are also taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.

Again, I believe that our Confession provides a wonderful summary of the teaching of scripture.

Prepare

First of all, notice that our Confession urges men and women, boys and girls, to prepare to keep the Sabbath day holy. Keeping the Sabbath holy requires preparation. “The sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering their common affairs aforehand…”

To keep the Sabbath holy unto the Lord it is necessary to have your life in order.

Diligent in our work on the other six days.

Careful planning.

Finances.

Prepare to say no to those activities not fitting for the day.

To keep the Sabbath holy unto the Lord it is necessary to have your heart prepared.

Begin to prepare for worship on Saturday night.

Read the scripture text for the sermon.

Get to bed on time.

Wake up early enough to come to worship on time without being frantic.

Come to worship with thankful, worshipful hearts ready to receive the word of God.

Rest From Worldly Employment And Recreations

Secondly, notice that our Confession urges men and women, boys and girls, to in fact rest (or cease) from worldly employment and recreations on the Sabbath day. Keeping the Sabbath holy requires that we cease from that which is common to engage in that which is holy. Our The Christian should “observe [a] holy rest all day, from their own works, words and thoughts, about their worldly employment and recreations…”

The word “worldly” does not mean sinful here, but it refers to those activities that have to do with life in this world. Worldly activities that are otherwise good and appropriate on the other six days of the week should be set aside on the Sabbath day, for the day is to be kept as unto the Lord. The Sabbath day is to be approached as a day that is distinct and different. It is a holy day – a day set apart for a particular kind of activity.

The Lord’s Say Sabbath is not a day for common work. Yes, God’s will is that we work diligently and for his glory, but we are to cease from our work on the Sabbath day to engage in a different kind of activity.

In Deuteronomy 5:12 we find the fourth of the ten commandments: “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work…” The people of God are to rest from their worldly or common employments on the Sabbath day, and they are to acknowledge their God, worship him, and demonstrate their faith in him that he will provide for all of their needs.

I want for you to also notice that the fourth commandment continues on in Deuteronomy 5:14. After saying, “On it you shall not do any work”, the text also says, “you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you”.

I do wish that Christians would think more carefully about this portion of the fourth commandment. Not only does the fourth commandment command you to cease from your ordinary labors, but it also forbids having others work in your place. No, parent, it is not right for you to rest but to have your children work on the Sabbath day. It was not right for the Israelite to rest, but to have their servants or the foreigners in their midst work in their place. The Israelites were to even give rest to their beasts of burden on the Sabbath. Rest was to be promoted amongst animals and men.

Now, granted, we do not live in Old Covenant Israel. We live as exiles in Babylon instead. But doesn’t the principle still apply? If we are truly concerned to honor the Sabbath day wouldn’t we want to keep it ourselves and also encourage others to keep it? Put differently, if you have truly been convinced of this doctrine, that the first day of the week is now the Sabbath day, then why doesn’t it grieve you to see others working on this day? Their work on the Sabbath day is in essence a denial of God as Creator and Christ as Redeemer. And I am asking, why would you want to have anything to do with causing that person to work on the Sabbath? Why would want to stand across from them at the register knowing that, in that moment, it is your business that has them working instead of resting and worshipping on the Sabbath day. Who knows, perhaps that person is a brother or sister in Christ who wants badly to have the day off, but must work, in part, because of the decisions of fellow Christians. It seems rather inconsistent to me. Brothers and sisters, I am encouraging you to do your shopping and your eating out Monday through Saturday so that you might honor the Sabbath day yourself and encourage it amongst others also. Fill up your car with gas on Saturday, friends. Change your shipping settings on Amazon so that deliveries are not made on the Lord’s Day. I am saying that we should not participate the in the sins of others by causing them to work for us on the Sabbath day. The fourth commandment seems rather clear on this point. I can hear the critics now: “that’s legalism!” Is it? Or is it is simply a constant application of God’s holy law?

Think about it, friends. I’ll leave it to you to decide. I know that good Christian men and women differ on this point of application. I will not be following you after church to see if you go out to eat or to the store. And I will admit that it has taken my family some time to come to this conclusion, but by in large (whenever possible) I would encourage you to rest and to cease also from causing others to work for you on the Sabbath day. This seems to be what the fourth commandment is calling for. This seems to be a consistent application of the doctrine of the Sabbath.

The Lord’s Say Sabbath is not a day for common work, and neither is it a day for recreation.

I do not believe that our confession is forbidding you from playing catch with your kid on the Sabbath day. I do not believe that our confession is forbidding you from taking a bike ride or a hike with the family on the Sabbath day. The point it is that the Sabbath day is not a day for work, nor is it a day for recreation. Recreation is not the purpose of the day – rest and worship is. It may be that playing catch with your, taking a bike ride, or a hike with the family would serve to promote the purpose of the Lord’s Day, but it is possible that these things be a distraction from the purpose of the day too. Wisdom is needed here. Certainly we would be missing the point if we allowed the Lord’s Day to be consumed by golf, the NFL, or NASCAR.

Your beginning to see, no doubt, how difficult and unpopular keeping the Sabbath day in this culture will be. There are so many things in our culture that will pull us and pressure us to forsake the day, and yet the Christian should be resolute.

Worship Publicly and Privately

Thirdly, notice that our Confession urges men and women, boys and girls, to worship publicly and privately on the Sabbath day. Worship is the central activity of the Sabbath day. God is to be worshipped by his people on the Lord’s day.

Remember that the Sabbath has always been a day for holy convocation. It is the day on which the people of God are to convene to worship.

With your heart prepared, engage in worship.

Worship God through your singing.

Ephesians 5:19 says that we are to address “one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with [our] heart…”

Worship God through your prayers.

The Sabbath day is a day to give thanks to God. Indeed, everyday is a day to give thanks to God, but we are called to give thanks especially on the Sabbath day.

Worship God through hearing and applying the word of God.

Worship God through the observation of the Lord’s Supper.

How imprint it is for us to continue in private worship after the public worship concludes.

Do you remember the words of Chrysostom (347-407a.d.) that I quoted to you a couple of weeks ago. In the 4th century A.D. he was urging Christians to continue with private worship after the public worship of God:

For we ought not, as soon as we retire from the Communion, to plunge into affairs… unsuitable to the Communion, but as soon as we get home to take our Bible into our hands and call our wife and children to join us in putting together what we have heard and then, not before, engage in the business of life… When you retire from the communion, you must account nothing more necessary, than that you should put together the things that have been said to you. Yes, for it were the utmost folly, while we give up five or six days to the business of life, not to bestow on spiritual things so much as one day or rather no so much as a small part of one day… Therefore let us write it down as an unalterable law for ourselves, for our wives and for our children, to give up this one day of the week entire to hearing and to the recollection of the things which we have heard.

Hear the word in public worship. Recall and apply (or put it together) it in private.

Find readings for the Sabbath. Talk of God. Pray.

Get Perspective

Fourthly, notice that our Confession urges men and women, boys and girls, to gain perspective on the Sabbath day. The Sabbath day is a day to set the mind and heart upon God, Christ, and the world to come. Our Confession is right to say the Sabbath is to be kept “unto the Lord”.

The Sabbath day is a day to gain perspective.

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1–4, ESV)

The Sabbath day is a day to do business with God. The Reformers referred to it as the market day of the soul.

May I encourage you read Psalm 92 this evening? Notice that the title is “A Song for the Sabbath”. And notice how the Psalmist ponders life. He compares the wicked and the righteous in light of the truth of God’s word. He gains (and gives) perspective. This is good to do on the Sabbath day.

Do Acts Of Mercy

Fifthly, notice that our Confession urges men and women, boys and girls, to do acts of mercy on the Sabbath day. It is appropriate to do works of mercy on the Lord’s Day. Christ himself made this clear in his teachings when, after being criticized for healing on the Sabbath day, said, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:11–12, ESV)

The Sabbath day is a wonderful day to do acts of mercy.

Visit the sick on the Sabbath.

Show hospitality on the Sabbath.

Help those who are in true need.

Do Acts Of Necessity

Sixthly, notice that our Confession permits men and women, boys and girls, to do acts of necessity on the Sabbath day. There are activities that are simply necessary and are permitted on the Lord’s day.

It is right for you to prepare meals on the Sabbath.

It is right for you to clean up from those meals on the Sabbath.

It may be that you find other activities necessary on the Sabbath day.

In my experience, it is easy to misuse this principle and to begin to call activities that are convenient, “necessary”.

Difficult Cases

Seventhly, and lastly, I will acknowledge that there are difficult cases that arise when determining what activities are right and lawful to be done on the Sabbath day.

It may be that your profession involves doing acts of mercy or necessity. In such cases, you do not violate the Sabbath when you work on the Lord’s Day. I have in mind emergency room doctors, nurses and staff. I have in mind police officers. I have in mind even water district employees.

My recommendation to those of you who employed in professions such as these is to ask for the day off and to take the day off as much as possible. Don’t be seduced by the promise of overtime or extra pay. If you must work, then be mindful of the Sabbath day as much as possible. Do do not work unnecessarily on the Sabbath day. Get it off if you can.

I must say that I do have a sympathy for those who’s employers insist that they work on the Lord’s Day even though their work is not associated with things of necessity and mercy. I have in mind here restaurant and coffee shop workers, etc.

Because we do not live in Old Covenant Israel or in a society that has respect for the Sabbath day Christians do run into difficulties like this. Employers will sometimes insist that you work on Sundays. Here would be my advice to you.

One, make it clear to your employer that it is your religious conviction to honor the Lord’s Day. This takes courage. This requires faith.

Two, if your employer consistently makes you work on the Lord’s Day even though you have asked for it off, I would advise you to look for another job.

Three, if no other job can be found, and if you simply cannot afford to quit that job, I would have a hard time viewing you as a breaker of the Sabbath. I would urge you to consistently honestly and look for a solution, but I wonder if this would not be considered an act of necessity to work on the Sabbath to provide for yourself and your family when truly no other option is available to you. I’ve thought often of the Christian’s who were slaves to Romans in the days of the early church. I would imagine that some them were not allowed to rest and worship for the whole day, and yet I doubt the Lord viewed them as guilty.

In my experience, however, the Lord usually does provide a way. Employers are usually willing to work with those who have religious convictions. If not, the other job opportunities do usually present themselves.

Let us do everything in our power to keep the Sabbath day holy unto the Lord.

Conclusion

Baptist Catechism

Q. 63. What is required in the fourth commandment?

A. The fourth commandment requireth the keeping holy to God one whole day in seven to be a Sabbath to Himself. (Lev. 19:30; Deut. 5:12)

Q. 64. Which day of the seven hath God appointed to be the weekly Sabbath?

A. Before the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly Sabbath; and the first day of the week ever since, to continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian Sabbath. (Gen. 2:3; John 20:19; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1,2; Rev. 1:10)

Q. 65. How is the Sabbath to be sanctified?

A. The Sabbath is to sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days, and spending the time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy. (Lev. 23:3; Isa. 58:13,14; Isa. 66:23; Matt. 12:11,12)

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Genesis 2:1-3, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Aug 18
26

Sermon: The Sabbath: Explicit New Testament Teaching Concerning Ongoing Sabbath Keeping: Genesis 2:1-3

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 2:1-3

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 3:7-4:11

“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’’ Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’ For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, ‘As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’’ although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.’ And again in this passage he said, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’ Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’ For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.’” (Hebrews 3:7–4:11, ESV)

Introduction

One of the arguments that you will hear from those who are opposed to the idea that there is still one day out of seven that is to be kept holy unto the Lord is that the New Testament never explicitly says so. In other words, one of the arguments of the anti-Sabbatarians is that the New Testament does not directly say, thou shalt keep the Sabbath day holy, the practice of Sabbath keeping, therefore, does not remain from the people of God under the New Covenant. They will admit, of course, that Old Testament did require the Old Covenant people of God to keep the Sabbath day, but they reason that if the New Covenant people of God were to keep a Sabbath day, the New Testament must say so directly, and they claim that it does not. This is one of the arguments that the anti-Sabbatarians (as I am calling them) will make to defend their position.

And hope that you do understand that many, many Christians today are anti-Sabbatarian. It is difficult to find pastors and churches who will confess that Sunday is the Christian Sabbath. Most churches do still meet for worship on Sunday. They will even call Sunday “the Lord’s Day”, but if you press them for an answer as to why they meet on Sunday, they will say “tradition” or “preference”. Indeed, they will probably say something about Christ raising from the dead on that day, but few will make the connection between Sunday, the Lord’s Day, and the Sabbath command instituted at creation and reiterated at Sinai.

One way to find out if a pastor or church is anti-Sabbatarian is to ask the question, does a Christian sin when he or she violates the Lord’s Day Sabbath by working (unnecessarily) or by neglecting to gather for worship (not being providentially hindered)? Those who believe that the Lord’s Day is the Christian Sabbath would have to say yes to this question! To go on working (unnecessarily) or to neglect to gather for worship (unless providentially hindered) is a violation of God’s moral law given at creation, reiterated on Sinai in the fourth of the ten commandments, and written on the heart of the Christian through regeneration. To refuse to cease from ordinary work or to neglect the worship of God is to commit a sin of omission. It is a failure to do that which God has commanded. An anti-Sabbatarian would probably not be willing to admit this. They will say that a Christian should go to church for his or her own good (and I agree). They might even say that skipping church is bad idea (I also agree). But they will not call treating Sunday as if it were a common day a “sin” because they refuse to recognize the connection between the Lord’s Day and God’s moral law given at creation, on Sinai, and written on the heart of the Christ follower by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.

Another way to tell if a Christian is an anti-Sabbatarian is to ask, would it be right for the church to gather for corporate worship on another day besides Sunday? Now please here me, I am not referring to, let’s say, a Wednesday night prayer meeting or worship service in addition to the Sunday service (the church may gather as often as she pleases), but to the church being called to gather for worship – that is, for prayer, the singing of songs, the preaching of the word, and the breaking of the bread – on another day of the week besides Sunday. I would imagine that a lot of Christians today would say, this would be just fine. We may gather for worship on any day we choose. Whatever works! Whatever is practical. After all, we are free in Christ!

No, we are saying that the church is to worship according to the command of Christ. God has prescribed in his word that he is to be worshiped and how he is to be worshipped. Is there freedom in Christ? Of course there is great freedom in Christ! But it is not freedom to disobey God’s word.

Brothers and sisters, it is our view that the New Covenant people of God do actually sin a sin of omission when they fail to keep the Lord’s Day Sabbath. It is our view that there is a particular day that is to be viewed as holy unto the Lord having been set apart by God and blessed by him. The people of God are to cease from their ordinary work and are to worship together on this day according to the command of Christ.

As I have said, many are opposed to the idea that a day for Sabbath keeping remains for the people of God today. And one of the arguments that you will hear from them is that the New Testament never explicitly commands us to keep the Sabbath, and therefore the Christian is not obligated to keep it.

Three questions should be asked of those who reason this way.

First of all, who decided that a truth or commandant must be explicitly stated in the New Testament in order for it to be believed or obeyed by the New Covenant people of God? Where did this idea come from? Who invented this principle? Who decided that that Old Testament and New Testament are to be divided up in such an extreme way so that truths communicated in the Old Testament cannot be carried over into the New Covenant era, but must be stated anew and afresh in the New Testament in order to be believed?

Indeed, our view is that both the Old Testament and the New are God’s word. The New Covenant people of God are to give heed to both Testaments. The New Testament scriptures do not start fresh, but are a continuation of the Old Testament scriptures, showing that Jesus the Christ is the fulfillment of the law, the prophets and the Psalms (Luke 24). If all that we must believe and do has to be stated explicitly in the New Testament then I ask, why would we need an Old Testament at all! Brothers and sisters, we do need the Old Testament because the New Testament is a continuation of it and can only be rightly understood with it as our foundation.

Secondly, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to say that the New Testament must provide either an explicit statement or a theological rationale for doing away with some truth or commandant in the Old Testament before we are free to dismiss it as belonging only to the Old Covenant era? In other words, our impulse should be to assume that things will only change when God says they have changed, or when their is some undeniable reason for the change.

Indeed, the New Testament does explicitly say that some things (even many things) changed with the passing of the Old Covenant to the inauguration of the New. There are many things that were required of the people of God under the Old Covenant that are no longer required of the people of God under the New. Under the Old Mosaic Covenant the people of God were to worship at the temple – not so under the New. Under the Old Mosaic Covenant the people of God were to abstain from certain foods – not so under the New. Under the Old Mosaic Covenant the people of God were to observe a whole complex of holy days, festivals and Sabbaths – not so under the New. Under the Old Mosaic Covenant the people of God were to worship by sacrificing animals through the mediation of the priesthood – not so under the New. Did things change for the people of God with the passing away of the Old Covenant and the inauguration in of the New? Yes! Many things changed. But the New Testament either explicitly states the change or provides us with the theological rational for such changes.

For example, Peter the Jew was commanded by God in a vision to “raise, kill and eat” foods that under the Old Covenant were unclean to him (Acts 10). Paul the Apostle plainly declares that circumcision and uncircumcision are nothing under the New Covenant (1 Corinthians 7). Jesus assured the Samaritan woman that particular mountains and temples would have no importance at all in the New Covenant era (John 4). And Paul explicitly says that the holy days of the Jewish church are not binding on the New Covenant people of God, when he says, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths” (Colossians 2:16, NKJV). Paul is here referring to the festival days added to the weekly Sabbath under Moses as recorded in Leviticus 23. The New Covenant people of God are no longer bound to observe the Passover, the Feast of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Booths, or any other festival day. These were given only to Israel under Moses. These pointed forward to the Christ, were fulfilled by him, and were thus taken away.

The point that I am making here is that this cannot be said about the weekly Sabbath. Never does the New Testament explicitly say that it has been taken away. And neither does the New Testament imply that it has been taken away by providing a theological rational for it’s removal. The festival days, the a new moons and the sabbaths (notice the plural in Colossians 2:16 – the “sabbaths” or “sabbath days”, referring to the Passover, the Feast of Firstfruits, etc.) have been taken away because they were given specifically to Moses and to the people who lived under the covenant which he mediated. They pointed to Christ and were fulfilled by him, but the weekly Sabbath was given, not to Moses, but Adam. It points, not only to Christ, but to the rest that he has earned, entered into, and has promised to bring to us. That rest is not here in full, but is yet future. Therefore, the practice of Sabbath keeping must remain for God’s people. This is the conclusion that one must come to when reasoning theological concerning the Sabbath day. What I am saying is that there is neither an explicit statement nor a theological reason provided by the New Testament that would suggest that the obligation to honor the Sabbath day has been removed for the New Covenant people of God.

The third question that must be asked of the anti-Sabbatarian is the one that we will elaborate on the most today, and it is this: doesn’t the New Testament in fact say that the practice of Sabbath keeping remains for the people of God today? In other words, the New Testament does clearly, directly, and unambiguously say that the New Covenant people of God are to keep the Sabbath day. It is wrong, therefore, to even claim that the New Testament does not explicitly teach the doctrine of the Sabbath, for it certainly does!

The text is Hebrews 4:9. It says very clearly, “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” (Hebrews 4:9, ESV).

A.W. Pink comments on this verse saying, “Here then is a plain, positive, unequivocal declaration by the Spirit of God. ‘There remaineth therefore a Sabbath keeping.’ Nothing could be simpler, nothing less ambiguous. The striking thing is that this statement occurs in the very epistle who’s theme is the superiority of Christianity over Judaism; written to those addressed, as holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling.’ Therefore it cannot be [denied] that Hebrews 4:9 refers directly to the Christian Sabbath. Hence we solemnly and emphatically declare that any man who says there is no Christian Sabbath takes direct issue with the New Testament Scriptures” (Pink, An Exposition of Hebrews).

I agree with Pink that this statement in Hebrews 4:9 is clear, plain and unambiguous. It teaches that the New Covenant people of God are have a Sabbath day to keep.

I also agree with Pink when he says that it is remarkable that this statement is found in the letter to the Hebrews. The book of Hebrews is the book of the Bible that most clearly explains how Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant. Christ is greater than Moses, the writer to the Hebrews says. Christ is greater than the Old Covenant priesthood. Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant sacrificial system. Because the Christ has come these things have passed away. The letter to the Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were tempted, for one reason or another, to go back to the Old Covenant forms of worship, and the writer to the Hebrews says, no, Christ is superior! Christ is better! Christ advances Moses and the Old Covenant. Do not go back to the Old Covenant ways! To go back would be to choose the shadows over the thing of substance. If any book of the Bible were to teach that the Sabbath has been removed it would be Hebrews. But instead we find that the writer to the Hebrews is insistent that “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God” living now under the New Covenant.

I agree also with Pink that those who say “there is no Christian Sabbath [take] direct issue with the New Testament Scriptures”, for here in Hebrews 4:9 the matter is put most plainly.

Let us now take a moment to consider Hebrews 4:9 in detail.

“Sabbath rest…”

First of all, notice that the writer to the Hebrews is referring to the practice of Sabbath keeping when he says, “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9, ESV).

The word translated in the ESV as “Sabbath rest” is in the Greek “sabbatismos”.

This noun is a very rare word appearing only in this one place in the Bible.

In the Greek literature is the word is found only in Plutarch’s writings where he uses it to refer to the practice of religious rest.

Although the noun, “sabbatismos”, is found nowhere else in the Bible, the verbal form of the word, which is “sabbatizo”, is used a number of times in the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament. The word “sabbatizo” is always used to describe the idea of Sabbath keeping. For example, Exodus 16:30 says “So the people rested (sabbatized) on the seventh day.”

The Greek dictionary, Louw Nida, says that this word (sabbatismos) refers to “a special religiously significant period for rest and worship—‘a Sabbath rest, a period of rest.’”

The point is that this noun used by the writer to the Hebrews in 4:9 refers to the religious practice of Sabbath keeping. The practice of sabbath keeping, or the of keeping a sabbath day remains for the people of God living under the New Covenant.

If the writer to the Hebrews meant to communicate that the people of God still have a hope in or expectation of future rest he would have used the word “rest” that is used throughout this passage (katapauō) . But it not the hope or expectation of future rest the writer to the Hebrews is here referring to, but to the present practice of Sabbath keeping. That is what remains for the people of God – the practice of keeping a sabbath day holy unto the Lord.

“Remains for the people of God…”

Secondly, notice that the writer to the Hebrews is insistent that the practice of Sabbath keeping remains for the people of God in the New Covenant era.

Much has changed. Much has been taken away with the passing of the Old Covenant and the inauguration of the New. But this thing remains.

I am also reminded of what the writer to the Hebrews will say later in his epistle regarding the assembling together of God people. Remember that in Old Testament times the Sabbath day was a day for holy convocation (or gathering). And Hebrews 10:24 the writer exhorts the New Covenant people of God to continue this practice: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24–25, ESV). “The Day” – the Day of the Lord’s return, and the Day of consummate and eternal rest is still in our future. The people are of God are to assemble together on the Lord’s Day Sabbath as that day draws near and until it comes.

“So then…”

Thirdly, notice that this instance concerning ongoing Sabbath keeping is the conclusion of a line of theological reasoning that began in Hebrews 3:7. Here I am honing in upon the words “so then” found at the beginning of Hebrews 4:9. “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” The words “so then” indicate that the writer is now coming to some conclusion based upon his prior reasoning. It is for this reason that a Sabbath keeping remains for the people of God.

And what is the reasoning? The writer to the Hebrews simply argues that because the rest that is symbolized by the Sabbath day has not yet come in full there must, therefore, remain the practice of Sabbath keeping. The argument of Hebrews 3:7-4:8 is that the people of God have not yet entered into the fulness of the rest of God to which the Sabbath day points.

Did the people of Israel experience a kind of rest after Joshua led them into the land of promise to take possession of it? Yes! Those who had faith in God experienced a kind of rest, but it was not the fulfillment of the Sabbath day. It was a type of rest, but it was not full and eternal rest. If it were the rest to which the Sabbath day pointed then why, the writer to the Hebrews reasons, did David write so many years after Joshua and the conquest of Canaan these words in Psalm 95: “For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation and said, ‘They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.’ Therefore I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’” (Psalm 95:7–11, ESV) David, in writing these words so long after Joshua, was clearly declaring that the people of Israel did not enter into God’s rest when they took possession of the promised land. The rest of God was still future for them, and so the practice of Sabbath keeping remained for them. And the fulness of God’s rest is still future for us, and so the practice of Sabbath keeping remains for the people of God today.

Listen to the reasoning of Hebrews 4:8-9: “For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:8–9, ESV).

So long as the answer to the question, have we entered into the fulness of God’s rest? is no, then the answer to the question, is there still a Sabbath day to be kept? will be yes.

“For whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”

Fourthly, notice that Sabbath keeping under the New Covenant is to take place on Sunday, the first day of the week, which is the Lord’s Day because on that day Christ rose from the dead and entered into God’s rest.

This principle is communicated in verse 10 where we read, “for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:10, ESV). Please understand that the “whoever” of verses 10 is a reference to Christ. I believe that the KJV and the NKJV translate this verse a little more clearly when they use the word “he” instead of the word “whoever”. The NKJV says, “For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His” (Hebrews 4:10, NKJV).

I do not have the time to argue for this interpretation. You can read John Owen in his Hebrews commentary if you’d like a thorough argument for the “he” or “whoever” of 4:10 referring to Christ. For the sake of time I will simply say that the meaning of the verse is this: Jesus Christ has entered into the rest of God and has ceased from his work in the same way that God himself entered into rest when he ceased from his work of creation.

A sabbath keeping remains for the people of God because the fullness of God’s rest is still a future reality for us. But there is one who has entered into the fulness of God’s rest and has ceased from his works – Christ Jesus our Lord.

On which day are we to keep the Sabbath under the New Covenant? It is on Sunday because on this day our Redeemer was finished with his work and did enter into the rest.

“Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”

Fifthly, see that it is in Sabbath keeping that New Covenant people of are to persevere in the faith until they enter into the fulness of rest which is typified by the Sabbath day.

Listen to the way in which the writer to the Hebrews exhorts the Christian in verse 10: “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:11, ESV)

What disobedience is the writer referring to? He is referring to the disobedience and unbelief of the people of Israel. He is warning the Christian, do not fall into the same sort of disobedience. Persevere, in other words. Strive to enter the fullness of God’s rest by preserving in the faith. And how are we to do this? In part, by keeping the Sabbath day which remains for the people of God.

Application

I want to conclude by stressing this connection between honoring the Sabbath day and our perseverance in Christ.

Keeping the Sabbath day helps us to persevere. The activities associated with public and private worship on the Sabbath day are good for the soul. They help to keep the heart centered upon Christ

Keeping the Sabbath day indicates that we are persevering. It is a sign that we are abiding in Christ, trusting in his sacrificial death, his victorious resurrection and hopefully that we will one day enter into the rest that he himself has entered into through faith in him.

There is a reason why pastors and elders grow concerned when people are absent from the fellowship. It might be that they have been providentially hindered. But it also might be an indicator that something has gone wrong with their faith. When Christ is at the center, when our love for him is strong and true, we keep his commandments. But when we begin to drift, when our faith falters and our hearts grow heard, it is evidenced by disobedience. And one of the first signs of a drifting heart, in my experience, is the neglect of the assembly on the Sabbath day.

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:19–25, ESV)

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Genesis 2:1-3; Hebrews 4:9, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

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