Consistent or Conceited?
Posted: June 11, 2023 Filed under: Conceited, Consistency, God, Jesus, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Pride, Renounce, Renunciation, Sermons, Sovereignty, Submission, The Holy Spirit, The Lord's Supper Leave a commentBefore we dive into our message for today, I wanted to let you know that I recently came across the best teaching on prayer I have encountered in my 40 year quest in the school of prayer. The thing that Jesus’ disciples wanted Him to teach them was how to pray. So this Wednesday at 6:30 PM at our Prayer Encounter in the Prayer Room, we are going to watch and discuss this teaching on prayer. If you can’t be there, here is the QR Code to watch it on your own: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMS5QNI4ABU. Let’s pray! Prayer is an act of humility because prayer declares, “I can’t, but God can.”
When you think about the phrase, “O how the mighty have fallen,”[1] who comes to mind? Presidents like Richard Nixon? CEOs like Blackberry’s Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis? Pastors like Mark Driscoll and Bill Hybels? Athletes like Marcus Dupree? Dupree was from a small, deeply racially divided town in Mississippi. He broke the national high school rushing record and was one of the most recruited football running backs of all time back in the early 1980’s. College recruiters actually moved to his town for months just to try to recruit him. He united the town as a black man. He ended up going to one of the top schools in the nation – the University of Oklahoma. Dupres lasted only into his sophomore year at the University of Oklahoma after his college coach Barry Switzer was critical of him for only rushing for 239 yards in the Fiesta Bowl (a record that still stands today) because on Christmas break, Dupree gained 15 lbs. and Switzer thought he could have run for 400 yards and won the game for Oklahoma. According to Switzer, Dupres just rested on his talent and did not work hard. And yet, Switzer didn’t know how to motivate Dupres.[2] As Dupree started his sophomore year, he went from being the favoured as the youngest ever to win the Heisman trophy for the best college player in the U.S., to literally leaving the spotlight in the middle of the semester to where no one could find him, not even the F.B.I.
This reminds me of another mighty person that fell, who was enjoying prosperity. Please turn in or on your Bibles to Daniel 4 to find out about this mighty person who fell! If you do not have a Bible, we would love to give you one. In chapter 1 of Daniel, we saw how despite what we see around us, God is in control through His discipline, favour and wisdom. In chapter 2 of Daniel, we continue to see God’s sovereignty as He gives us dreams which should cause us to pray, love our enemies and declare who He is to others. It was pretty amazing because the general of Babylon came to Daniel and Daniel could have started a coup to get rid of the crazy king (Daniel 2:14-15). That was the common practice of the day. Instead, Daniel chose the uncommon practice to pray. And in Daniel 3, the question arose for each of us to answer – who are we going to serve? The Lord God or a lesser god, or the government or those who threaten to cancel us permanently. Only those loyal to God will last! Now, we are in chapter 4. We are going to catch a glimpse of God’s forever kingdom. Read Daniel 4!
We discover 3 truths about God’s Kingdom that turn into 3 test questions. God’s forever kingdom is seen in … 1) His control over history (v. 1-18). God’s kingdom is forever. He is in control of history. Maybe you doubt that this morning? Maybe you only see pride and evil all around you? Listen to these words in verses 1-4 from the lips of one of the most evil dictators, “King Nebuchadnezzar to all people, nations and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me. How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation.” Remember, Nebuchadnezzar was a king who when conquering others would slay the children of his enemies in front of them and then gouge their eyes out so that horror would be the last thing his enemy would see. We read Jeremiah 39:6-7, “The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes and the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon.” Maybe Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego also witnessed their families being slaughtered as they were from noble families (1:3-4). Nebuchadnezzar was angry, erratic, genocidal, using furnaces to burn people not unlike the Nazi’s and he mutilated young men by making them eunuchs. Maybe when you picture evil a certain name comes to mind? Nebuchadnezzar would be on the top 100 evil dictators in human history. And yet, here we read how Nebuchadnezzar declares God’s kingdom will last forever. Nebuchadnezzar felt this way because God was pursuing Him. We see this first in Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams and how God sent Daniel in chapter 2 to tell and explain Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams. Then after reverting to his old wicked ways, Nebuchadnezzar builds an idol to bring glory to himself. God once again shows mercy and gets Nebuchadnezzar’s attention when God rescues his servants Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace by sending most likely His Son into the fire to suffer and save them. What a reminder that God’s forever kingdom is seen in control over history and over fire. We need to hear that when wild fires consume our country and affect our air quality. Contrast this with the molecules of smoke that didn’t even affect the 3 friends.
Then in verses 4-18 we read that God gives Nebuchadnezzar another dream. This time it is a vision of the future not of the Babylon kingdom and the ones to follow, but a vision of the king. God controls history and your story. We this in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision. A vision where the king was on top of the world charged by God to take care of it. Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom were represented by the tree linked back to the start of human history. “The tree possibly alludes to the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) and is a haven of sustenance, rest and safety for the world.”[3] But he would be cut down and go crazy for seven years. God’s forever kingdom is seen in His control of history – the past, present and future – control even of our own minds at times. It reminds me that Nebuchadnezzar could have joined Coldplay in singing their song Viva La Vida, “I used to rule the world, seas would rise when I gave the word, now in the morning, I sleep alone, sweep the streets I used to own. I used to roll the dice, feel the fear in my enemy’s eyes, listen as the crowd would sing, now the old king is dead, long live the king, one minute, I held the key, next the walls were closed on me, and I discovered that my castles stand, upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand … it was the wicked and wild wind, blew down the doors to let me in, shattered windows and the sounds of drums, people couldn’t believe what I’d become, revolutionaries wait for my head on a silver plate, just a puppet on a lonely string, oh, who would ever want to be king?”[4] Often heirs to the throne feel that “uneasiness or heaviness of the head that wears the crown” as Shakespeare wrote in his play Henry VI. But there is one who wants to rule because He learned to be humble and submit (Philippians 2:5-11). He understands that righteous ruling is meant to root out evil and provide peace for His subjects, not just for Himself. That King is Jesus! And He rules over both heaven and earth. His rule extends over the divine beings like those in verse 13 described as the watchers that make up the Divine Council. “The word ‘watcher’ occurs in the Old Testament only in this chapter, it means a vigilant.”[5]The belief is that “When ancient giants, the offspring of the sons of God, at the beginning of human history described in Genesis 6 were killed, their demons were referred to as ‘watcher spirits’. Interestingly, one of the giants from 1 Enoch – the Book of Giants is named Gilgamesh, the main character of the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh.”[6] Some think, “Those watchers formed a college of astral deities. Other scholars quote the Bun-Dehesh to show the presence of angels called watchers in the religion of Zoroaster. The king may have been referring to the angels, which were known to him through the Babylonian religion.”[7] Or as another commentator has said. “Guardian is not wide of the mark.”[8] These were the original guardians of the galaxy.And so “A watcher is a divine being commissioned, to carry out God’s judgment, on earth.”[9] This reminds us that God is King and can share authority without being threatened by it. “Both God and His divine agents were involved in the decision.”[10] Furthermore, God rules over the kings of the earth. He chops down the tallest trees. I love how the ESV Study Bible puts it in the notes, “The Divine Lumberjack would bring the mighty, cosmic tree crashing to the ground.”[11] We are focusing on both Nebuchadnezzar and the watchers because you and I need God to be the King who conquers both evil on heaven and earth, in the physical and spiritual realms since we are battling both. “Even pagan rulers are accountable to the God of the Bible.”[12] My friends, this begs the question, Are you submitting to God? Not just some areas of your life – your relationships, your thoughts, your affections, your sexuality, and your work life. Part of that submission will be shown in your praise of God over His control of history and your life. Is Jesus your King?
Jesus’ kingdom is not just seen in His control over history, but also 2) His servants’ consistency (v. 8-9, 18) Notice what Nebuchadnezzar recognizes in Daniel in verses 8-9, “At last Daniel came in before me – he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods – and I told him the dream, saying, O Belteshazzar chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation.” Even though Nebuchadnezzar identified himself as a follower of the god Bel at one time, he recognized Daniel had something in him that others did not. Nebuchadnezzar reigned from 605-562 B.C. For 43 years Daniel was a consistent, faithful witness to Nebuchadnezzar. Even in chapter 3 when Daniel is not mentioned, he was faithful, probably away on the king’s business. Think about what the NLT Study Biblestates, “Nebuchadnezzar brought Daniel and his friends to Babylon in order to educate them in the ways of Babylonia, but God used Daniel to teach Nebuchadnezzar about Himself.”[13] Here is this king who ripped Daniel away as teenager from his homeland, his family, probably made him a eunuch never having the opportunity to become a husband and father. This king renamed and re-educated Daniel and what does Daniel do in verse 19? “Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, ‘Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.’ Belteshazzar answered and said, ‘My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies!’” Daniel cares for and warns Nebuchadnezzar. Maybe some of us would have rejoiced over the impending demise of our long-time nemesis who was willing to kill our friends? Not Daniel! “God used Daniel’s faithfulness to bring light to this Gentile.”[14] Daniel was consistent in his love for his enemies such as the Chaldeans (2:13) and their King. Daniel’s consistency is linked to God’s control. You see, when we surrender and let God’s Spirit control us, then the fruit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Is the Spirit of God recognized in you? It will be evident in your consistency – in your “long walk of obedience in the same direction”[15] as Eugene Peterson calls it.
God’s forever kingdom is seen in His control over history and His servants’ consistency, but also 3) His humbling of the conceited (v. 28-33) We see this humbling of the conceited so clearly in verses 28-33, “All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, and the king answered and said, ‘Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?’ While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The Kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives to whom he will.” “The story does not focus or emphasize Daniel’s divine skills as much as deals with the issue of overwhelming human pride.”[16] It is a dangerous time when our lives are prosperous. Like King David earlier (2 Samuel 11:2), when kings walk on their palace roofs during times of prosperity they are prone to both lust and pride. “No outside powers were seriously challenging him. His country was prosperous.”[17] Being prosperous is dangerous because you can think that your prosperity is self-generated when in reality all good things come from God (James 1:17). And remember God warns us. This message is actually a warning for each listener and the preacher. “Because Daniel’s warning went unheeded, the dream became reality.”[18] God loves us to warn us, even though He knows our choice and outcome. We can learn a lot from Nebuchadnezzar, “The greatest king of the day is about to be transformed into a beast for thinking himself to be a god.”[19] Maybe you are the top right now? The top of the family, the top of the school, the top of the business, the top of the dunghill, watch out! God opposes the proud as we learned from 1 Peter 5:5. “The message that God humbles the proud is not only a comfort, it is a warning to us all.”[20] And that humbling can occur in one of the scariest things we could lose – our minds. In Nebuchadnezzar, he is driven from the palace to the pasture. He would have been diagnosed with boanthropy. “Boanthropy is to think of oneself as an ox.”[21] Nebuchadnezzar was eating grass and this was not some wheatgrass that a few of us eat. Nebuchadnezzar is mentally ill. Friends, mental illness is sometimes caused by pride – narcissism would be the best example, but anxiety and depression can also be caused by too much self-focus. Is all mental illness sourced in pride? No, but sometimes it is. You see, “When the mind is owned by the evil one, it becomes full of confusion and chaos.”[22] “Jewish legend relates that during the period of the king’s madness state officials took Amel-Marduk and made him king in his father’s place. However, Nebuchadnezzar returned and subsequently threw his son into prison for life, holding him responsible for this act of infidelity.”[23] These were days of madness, but take heart: God’s forever kingdom is seen in His humbling of the conceited. So let me ask this question: Are you of sound mind? Has God given you a sound mind or have you not submitted to Him and are consistent because you are too self-focused? We are told in 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) that God has not given believers “a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” If not, have you asked Him why not? Has God ever had to repeatedly humble you over the same subject?
God is calling all of us to do what Daniel encouraged Nebuchadnezzar to do in verse 27, Renounce your sins and show mercy to the oppressed! We need to renounce our sins specifically and we need to get back to what God charged us to be us as human beings – good stewards of this world where we take care of the planet and the people, especially the oppressed (Genesis 1:28-29). Remember, the tree in the vision provides food for all. Nebuchadnezzar should have known better. “A former great king of Babylon, Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.) claimed to have been charged by his god Marduk to shepherd and protect the orphaned, the widowed and the oppressed.”[24] But, “Awareness is the first step to restoring or preserving the dignity of those who bear the divine image.”[25] When we submit to God, renounce our sins, His Spirit comes into our lives and we care for others. Life can grow again from what has been cut off. Like this stump in this picture from when my daughter Jessie and I were hiking with a friend in British Columbia. No matter how wicked we have been. “Our God is a God who turns shame into rejoicing.”[26]This past week, I attended a funeral and heard of a man who went from being on drugs and in prison to be transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ and he ended up becoming a deacon in a church.[27] From a druggie to deacon. As the hymn says, God can transform a life, “O perfect redemption, the purchase of God, to every believer the promise of God, the vilest offender who truly believes that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.”[28] Does that describe you? Or is the devil whispering the lie that you are too far gone? Don’t believe him! Be of sound mind. “The king became the most unlikely convert in history. For 43 years, he ruled Babylon as a wicked man – emotionally erratic, physically violent and spiritually corrupt.”[29] “The great and mighty persecutor, the destroyer of Jerusalem, was humbled by God’s grace and brought to confess God’s mercy.”[30] God can give you too His same mercy. We can find an example of an unlikely convert in King Nebuchadnezzar, but what we really need is the unlikely savior in King Jesus. Jesus is God’s Son who lived a perfect life. He never sinned. And yet, Christ endured shame because of our pride, but God exalted Him (Philippians 2:5-11). In order to come to Christ’s table of fellowship, you need to trust in Him as your Lord and Saviour, renounce your sins and show mercy to the oppressed. Therefore, I want you to take time right now before God to finish these statements in your mind and in a whisper voice while praying to God so heaven and earth can hear you:
“I renounce my addiction to …
I renounce my overdependence on …
I renounce my improper desire for …
I renounce my pursuit of …
I renounce my lack of forgiveness for name the offender because they name the offense, which made me feel …”[31]
Then before we eat, I want you to think about how you can care for those less fortunate. Do you need to pray for them? Do something for them? Whatever God is impressing upon you, do it!
After you have gone through this renunciation, I want you to ask the person beside you if there is anything you can do or pray for them. Then you both can come up if able to receive the bread and cup and we will take Communion altogether.
[1] This phrase originates from King David in reference to his father-in-law King Saul (2 Samuel 1:25).
[2] If you want to know the whole story of Marcus Dupree, check out ESPN’s documentary The Best That Never Was(https://www.tsn.ca/doc-collection/espn-30-for-30/volume-1/the-best-that-never-was~1945967)
[3] Eugene E. Carpenter, The NLT Study Bible (Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, 2017), 1400.
[4] Coldplay, “Viva La Vida” (London: Capitol, 2008). According to Coldplay’s bassist Guy Berryman, “This song is about a king who’s lost his kingdom and all the album’s artwork is based on the idea of revolutionaries and guerillas.”
[5] Edward J. Young, The Prophecy of Daniel (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1980), 102.
[6] Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (Bellingham: Lexham Press, Kindle Edition), 104.
[7] Young, 103.
[8] H.C. Leupold, Exposition of Daniel (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1949), 181.
[9] Iaian Duguid, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008), 1593.
[10] Heiser, 54.
[11] Iaian Duguid, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008), 1594.
[12] Duguid, 1594.
[13] Eugene E. Carpenter, The NLT Study Bible (Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, 2017), 1399.
[14] Duguid, 1595.
[15] Borrowed from the title of Eugene Peterson’s A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2000).
[16] Tremper Longman, Daniel (The NIV Application Commentary) (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, Kindle Edition, 1999), 116.
[17] Wood, 103.
[18] Carpenter, 1401.
[19] Wendy L. Widder, The Story of God Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 95.
[20] Longman, 128.
[21] Wood, 125.
[22] Craig Trierweiler, Bold in Babylon: Living with Conviction in a Culture of Compromise (Kindle Locations 1147). Kindle Edition.
[23] Joyce Baldwin, Daniel – An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries) (Madison: IVP, 1978), 115.
[24] Carpenter, 1401.
[25] Widder, 100.
[26] Longman, 124.
[27] As stated in his twin sister Evelyn Flietstra’s eulogy, Bruce Wilhelm went from being a druggie to a deacon.
[28] Fanny Crosby (words) and William H. Doane (music), “To God Be the Glory,” 1875.
[29] Trierweiler, 1111.
[30] Duguid, 1595.
[31] Trierweiler, 1134.
Living Hope for Elders and Young Alike
Posted: April 30, 2023 Filed under: Church, Elders, Humility, Jesus, Leadership, Sermons, Submission, Young Leave a commentIf you were going to create a list of the people who you need most in your life, who would be on it? Family? Friends? Teachers? Coaches? Co-workers? Would you include Church Elders? The Bible does. Church Elders are gifts from God to us, His Church. They have walked longer with Jesus and are to be examples to you of how to live faithfully for God in a hostile world. The household of Christ has structure. Every organization – government, school, company, family and team has a structure. We may try to flatten organizational structure, but structure is needed for a household not to collapse. The household of Christ has structure. Jesus is the Head. And under Him in authority are the Elders. Bible teacher Tom Schreiner reminds us “The most common New Testament term for church leaders is not CEO, President, Director, Manager Pope, Bishop, Cardinal, Deacon or even pastor, it is Elder.”[1] Don’t think elderly or Elders are grown-up Deacons! Elders are to be spiritually mature, but Elder is not age-specific. Some younger men are spiritually mature and some older men are spiritually immature. If you want to know where you are on that continuum, ask yourself, “Am I an example of Jesus?” I dare say that God has used Elders in my life to be the closest thing to Jesus being physically here on earth. Let’s read about church Elders and our relationship to them from 1 Peter 5:1-5. If you don’t have a Bible, we would love to give you one. Read 1 Peter 5:1-5!
Elders and young alike are to be examples of Jesus. I’ll say that again: Elders and young alike are to be examples of Jesus. For some of us, that is a scary thought. You may think that this going to be a guilt-inducing sermon where you are not measuring up to Christ. However, recall how Peter started out his letter in 1:2 – grace and peace be multiplied to you. All the grace you and I need for not measuring up is ours in abundance. Confess your sin to Jesus right now and embrace the grace that Jesus constantly offers us. Then walk in your identity as born again elect exiles being examples of Jesus. Elders and young alike are to be examples of Jesus.
Peter was an example of Jesus, especially as he matured. We see this growth. Peter sees himself as an equal among the elders, not a superior, even though he knew Jesus personally and already identified himself as an apostle (1:1). Look again at 1 Peter 5:1-2, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight …” This verse is pregnant with meaning and is a directed message to Elders in verses 1-4 and then for the rest of the church in verse 5. Let me start with some definitions. “The terms ‘shepherd’ and ‘exercising oversight’ emphasize the function of Elder, while the title ‘elder’ focuses on the office.”[2] Many can be functioning as an Elder, fewer may hold the office at any given time. This is especially true since the New Testament teaches that Elders are to be men only as they give protective leadership to the family of God. Paul taught Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:12, “I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” Paul goes on to say in listing the qualifications of an Elder in 1 Timothy 3:2, “The husband of one wife.” I say that with both clarity and compassion. Men are to provide protective leadership and serve their family and church family. They are to shepherd their families. Functioning as an Elder precedes being an official Elder. Elders are to manage their own household before managing God’s house (1 Timothy 3:5) If you aren’t shepherding people to the green pastures of God’s Word, you are probably not an Elder. True Elders shepherd whether they have the office or not. Such Elders lay down their lives for the sheep. They put their families and flock before themselves. When we elect Elders at Temple, it should never be a surprise because they have been functioning as an Elder for some time without the title. It should be a “no-brainer.” Bible teacher William Barclay once said, “The great characteristic of the shepherd is his selfless care and his sacrificial love for the sheep.”[3] Elders are to be examples of Jesus as He is the Good and Chief Shepherd. What is an Elder? An Elder shepherds and gives oversight to the church by leading, protecting, feeding and caring for the flock of God. Furthermore, The KJV translates 1 Peter 5:2, “Feed the flock of God.” “The word ‘feed’ means ‘shepherd or care.’”[4] “Shepherding should not be reduced to only preaching.”[5] I like what Dr. Rick Reed says about ministering (close up camera shot of my body) it requires vision for the mission, a shepherd heart, the Bible in one hand, a compass pointing north to God in the other as a leader, spiritual vitality on one foot and personal godly character on the other so both feet help the elder walk with God. Steve Adams taught us pastors, “If you are looking for the qualifications of an Elder, you shouldn’t start in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. You should start in Galatians 5:22-23 and see if this man exhibits the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”[6] And remember that the fruit of the Spirit is concinnated – they all go together. One can’t just be joyful and not exhibit the rest of the fruit. Back to 1 Peter 5:2, Bible commentator Ramsey Michaels summarizes, “Elders must guide and shepherd their charges not for financial gain or ego satisfaction, but willingly and without complaint. Instead of taking on themselves more and more emergency powers, they must become examples of servanthood and humility to the entire flock of God.”[7] What is an Elder? A shepherd who oversees the flock.
Now that we have defined what is an Elder, let’s go back to our big idea. Elders and young alike are to be examples of Jesus. We need more Elders and young alike to be examples of Jesus. The late Steve Baxter, former pastor at Grandview, used to say, “A church will eventually look like their Elders.” He didn’t mean Elders’ physical characteristics, but their spiritual characteristics. Godliness happens by the combination of the Holy Spirit, human discipline, and osmosis – being close in community with one another. Are you wanting to be an example of Jesus? How can we be examples of Jesus? Let’s quickly walk through this passage to learn how to be examples of Jesus. I see five ways we can be examples of Jesus. The first isn’t fun, but fundamental. How can we be examples of Jesus? Painfully! (v. 1) Peter says in verse 1, “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ.” Peter not only mentions that he is a fellow elder, but a witness of the sufferings of Christ. I do not believe Peter was talking only about Christ’s crucifixion since Peter Himself wasn’t there. Remember, he was a disciple of Christ who became a denier of Christ and then was restored being a disciple-maker for Christ. Certainly, Peter experienced some of the sufferings of Christ at Jesus’ arrest, but Peter was also thinking about the sufferings he experienced as a witness for Christ, not just an observer of Christ. The word “as” is supplied and modifies both the nouns “fellow elder” and “witness.”[8] This is important because to be an elder will involve some pain. It’s painful to see sheep you love and care for suffer. It’s painful to see sheep leave for another pen. It’s painful to have to stand up for the truth or make decisions for the group that may mean certain individuals do not go with you. Jesus experienced all these in caring for us as His flock, including the pain of us going astray. I might be doing a terrible job of recruiting new Elders, but maybe today some of you men today are being tapped on the shoulder by God to serve as a future Elder here at TBC. There is a leadership shortage in our church and in many churches across the land. If you respond to God’s call then understand: Choose to shepherd, choose to suffer. But also responding to God means being rewarded by God. Could there be anything better than helping people grow in their faith? How can we be examples of Jesus? Painfully! Are you suffering for Christ, which actually every believer will do if they follow the Suffering Saviour? You are being an example of Jesus.
How can we be examples of Jesus? Painfully and willingly. How can we be examples of Jesus? Willingly! (v. 2) Peter goes on in 1 Peter 5:2, “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you.” NOTE: Elders are to shepherd the flock God has entrusted to them, not a flock they are not entrusted with. Elders are to be among the sheep. This is why if you just follow a preacher on TV, the radio or on a podcast, they are really not your elders or pastors. You don’t really know them. And they surly do not know you! I have driven some celebrity pastors around and was very disappointed once they stepped from behind their pulpit as to their attitudes and actions. Instead, I commend our Elders to you because they are from among you and you get to know their lives. They are examples to you of Jesus. They care for you, not begrudgingly, but because they love you. Jesus was an example to us who voluntarily laid down His life for the sheep. In contrast, Jesus’ words in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” Jesus’ martyrdom was for the redemption of those who caused His death. He served supremely. We are examples of Jesus when we willingly serve His flock.
But it isn’t just painfully and willingly we are examples of Jesus. How can we be examples of Jesus? Eagerly! (v. 2) Look again at verse 2, “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.” There are days of difficulty, but almost every day, I wake up eager to get to church. This is true after coming home from vacation. God has given me a love for you and serve you. Even when there are challenges, I still have an eagerness to serve. Case in point. Back on February 25, Lori and I flew down to Florida to watch our college son Josiah play baseball. I have learned through the years that I need to get out of town to find rest and stop thinking about church. I eat, sleep and drink church because God has given me an eagerness for the ministry. So it was February and our Elders Council had been wrestling with how we should respond to the 2022 deficit. As we met with you at our Church Family Meetings, we knew that it would require greater obedience and generosity of God’s people. However, we wondered if we needed to do more? We had been praying about me going co-vocational. I was considering applying for a role that would serve the global church without having to move from Temple because I still feel very called to Cambridge. This way I could “keep the band together and do solo tour of ministry” while being a lesser burden to the church financially. Who would fault a father taking on another job to help provide for the family? I even had the sermon ready promising that though I made minimum wage, I would not give you my minimum. So Lori and I went down to Florida for rest, prayer and baseball. God ministered to me on that plane. Not only did I get to witness to a man who has become “dechurched,” but I watched a movie entitled “Faith Heist.”[9] Faith Heist will never win an Academy Award. It is rated 25 on Rotten Tomatoes. However, I believe that Faith Heist was created for me, if for nobody else. This cheesy movie had me laughing and lamenting. The pastor, Benjamin Wright, had invested funds unknowingly with a scam artist dealing in bit coin. The pastor took this very hard because he candidated with the slogan “Protect the Church at all costs!” (As an aside, many churches have become part of the Church Too movement because they thought it was their job to protect the church as an institution at all costs rather than the people.) Pastor Wright devised a plan to steal the money back from the thief and recruited members from the church to use their various skills and abilities to help get the money back by breaking into the thief’s highly secure office. Here is the spoiler alert: The solution wasn’t scheming: it was God’s providence and the Church Members. One of the lines that stood out to me was “invest in faith.” It is not a direct quote from the Bible, but God used it in my life when I had my own faith heist – my faith was stolen for a moment. I knew what our Guiding Principles stated in Boundary Principle 1.3, “With respect to actual financial activities, the Lead Pastor shall not allow the development of financial jeopardy, run a deficit for operational expenses…”(Emphasis added) I was taught by my father that if you want to shepherd like Jesus, you have to lay down your life for the sheep. You need to be a living sacrifice, not a dead one. How can we be examples of Jesus? Eagerly, but without trying to be the Messiah. He has already come and heaven is no longer taking more applications.
How can we be examples of Jesus? Painfully, willingly, eagerly and gently. How can we be examples of Jesus? Gently! (v. 3) Look what verse 3 declares, “not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” Church leaders must be gifted and gentle. “Human nature is such that for many people, prestige and power are even more attractive than money. Elders are not to be petty tyrants, but shepherd and be examples to the flock.”[10] There is no arch leader in the New Testament save Jesus. There is only one King and one Lord – Jesus. A good course correction in our generation is that leaders who abuse their power, lose their position. Abuse your power, lose your position. Elders are to be gentle as the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome. “Even admonitions should be gentle.”[11] Isn’t this what Jesus did and described Himself as? In Matthew 11:29 Jesus challenged us, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls.” I love Jesus has been gentle with me. It motivates me to be gentle with others. How can we be examples of Jesus? Gently!
While we are on Matthew 11:29 and thinking about Jesus being gentle, let’s not forget the other word Jesus uses to describe Himself – lowly. The King of kings was lowly. This leads us to our fifth way to be an example of Jesus. How can we be examples of Jesus? Painfully, willingly, eagerly, gently and humbly. How can we be examples of Jesus? Humbly. (v. 5) We already learned in verse 3 that elders can’t be large and in charge. They have to be gentle and humble. In verse 5, we see the call for humility now extended to the young and the rest of the church, “Likewise, you who are younger be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” When you get dressed in the morning, do you put on humility along with the armour of God? Or are you thinking about all you can accomplish? It’s tough. We all need this. I need this – HUMILITY. Remember, I told you that our Elders Council was prayerfully considering whether I should become co-vocational. The Elders thought it would be best for the church family, my family and for my long-term health not to try to give point leadership to both Temple and this other role. According to 1 Corinthians 9, tent-making for the sake of not letting money be a barrier to the gospel is allowed, but they reminded me that Paul didn’t do that for long and received financial support from other churches. I have learned not to run ahead of my Elders, but submit to them. As Dr. Rick Reed says, “God places Elders to work alongside Pastors for their direction, correction and protection.”[12]One thing I have always been puzzled about is why more people do not turn to their Elders for advice. I am not talking about control, but consultation. It’s strange to me that God has given you godly men who stand up here each week and you aren’t lined up asking questions like, “I am thinking about taking this job, what you do you think and can we pray about this?” Or I was thinking about buying this house or car, or dating this person or going on this mission trip or whatever piece of advice you need? These men are going to give an account for your soul (Hebrews 13:17), they love you and care for you. God has imbued them with His wisdom. I consult with them regularly on many things outside the scope of my ministry and into my personal life. I commend them to you. They are examples of Christ to you – free of charge. Jesus didn’t leave you without His examples. He Himself was example for you who suffered willingly, eagerly, gently and humbly.
And now, what do we get if we painfully, willingly, eagerly, gently, and humbly be examples of Jesus? Amazingly a crown of glory. As 1 Peter 5:4 promises, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”
[1] Thomas R. Schreiner, ESV Study Bible (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008), 2413.
[2] Schreiner, 2413.
[3] William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible (Toronto: G.R. Welch Co. Ltd., 1976), 266.
[4] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary – Volume 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1989), 428.
[5] R.C.H. Lenski, The Interpretation of the Epistles of St. Peter, St. John and St. John (Columbus: Wartburg Press, 1945), 217.
[6] Steve Adams, “Next Level Preaching Cohort,” Temple Baptist Church, Cambridge, April 13, 2023.
[7] J. Ramsey Michaels, 1 Peter – Word Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Publishers, Nashville, 1988), 291.
[8] Dr. Wayne Baxter explains, “It’s a Granville-Sharp construction, so ‘the fellow elder and witness’ are grouped together as a unified whole; so, it’s ‘fellow elder-witness,’ i.e., an elder-witness. I think the idea is that serving as an elder necessarily involves bearing witness (to/for Christ); as you serve as an elder you’re bearing witness.”
[9] You can find out more about the movie Faith Heist and watch the trailer at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12939368/. Accessed April 16, 2023.
[10] Barclay, 266.
[11] Craig S. Keener, 1 Peter – A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2021), 353.
[12] Personal conversation with Rick Reed, April 14, 2023.
The Peaceful Ruler from Bethlehem
Posted: December 24, 2022 Filed under: Advent, Authority, Christmas, Conflict, Incarnation, Jesus, Submission, The Son of God Leave a comment“The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”[1] How could all our hopes and fears be met in one night in a little town in Israel called Bethlehem? It sounds like a set up for overpromising and underdelivering. You and I come here tonight with our past fears and future hopes. Fears of being hurt once again by being overlooked and rejected. And yet we may still hope that life could improve. We think next year it’s got to be better. Even when we wrap Christmas presents it is an act of defiance against depression, despair and the doldrums because we are saying that there is an unknown gift awaiting for others to enjoy and their delight is our delight. Almost two thousand years ago the unknown gift was opened. Do you know what that gift was? Let’s find out by reading Micah 5:1-6 Read Micah 5:1-5a!
The gift that was opened two thousand years ago was peace from God. The gift was peace from God. God wants to give you peace. He delights in you having peace. Do you have peace from God tonight? That is the gift God wants to give you tonight. Think of it like this gift here. Peace! His Peace! His peace that passes all understanding. We just lit the peace candle to remind us of God’s peace. God’s gift of peace is shalom. It is not the absence of conflict, but wholeness of being. To be in right relationship with God that effects every other part of our lives. Shalom is putting back in right order, especially our relationships with God, each other and creation. That right relationship was instigated by God. And God actually entered the conflict to secure this peace for you. To open God’s gift of peace you first of all have to admit that there is a conflict. Think about it: you would never pursue peace if you didn’t acknowledge there was conflict. There is a fight in your life. I bet you can think of some tension in your life as a result of conflict. Maybe at work or at home? There is a problem in our lives. If you came tonight thinking church is a break from reality and has nothing to do with the daily fight you are in, God wants to show you that He is engaged with the conflict. This is why we must admit the conflict. The first step to opening God’s gift is 1) admit the conflict. When an addict or a marriage partner is living in denial, they cast blame for all of their problems on anyone or anything other than themselves! They can’t be helped. I’ve done that on way too many occasions and hurt myself and others in the process. This is why we must first acknowledge there is a problem. Let’s step back for a moment to when conflict first entered the world. It wasn’t Mr. Caveman fighting with Mrs. Caveman what do to draw on cave walls. The conflict began with the first human beings Adam and Eve who were actually living at peace with God. God made them and had sweet fellowship with them. And He placed them in a garden and they were to take care of it. But then they broke the one rule God had – don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were tempted by the devil to eat and they gave in. They disobeyed God and they lost their peace with God and peace with each other and the world around them. People promise peace for this generation, but “there is no peace on earth because there is no peace with God.”[2] This one rebellious act has led to conflict and separation ever since. It explains why you have conflict tonight – from the simple conflict of who gets to open their present first to fighting with a retailer to getting your Christmas gift on time. It’s too late anyway tonight so just chill. As someone has said, “Stop tracking that package, it’s in the Lord’s hands now.” All joking aside, taking turns on opening Christmas presents and tracking gifts may be minor conflicts, but you may be facing a more serious conflict in your marriage or family. Maybe you find yourself in conflict tonight? The gift of God came at a time of conflict. It makes sense that the gift of peace would come during conflict because why would one need peace if there were no conflict? This is why Micah 5:1 states, “Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.” The prophet Micah wrote that 700 years before Jesus was born. It was a time when the Assyrian army had laid siege to Jerusalem because Israel had been cheating on God in committing idolatry. So there were consequences. There was conflict. In the dark backdrop of fear, comes the hope of peace. That hope of peace was a person – the promised Ruler from Bethlehem. As Tim Keller puts it, “The first step toward peace with God is to recognize that there has been a conflict. One way to do that is to say: ‘Not only have I done bad things, but even the good things I have done were to be my saviour, to assert my independence from my Creator and Redeemer.’”[3] Admit the conflict to open God’s gift of peace. We can’t live in denial anymore. Admit the conflict to open God’s gift of peace.
I have to warn you though that you receive God’s gift of peace, this does not mean you will be absent of conflict. God’s gift of peace through His Son will begin in your heart. It will be peace that is inward first, but that peace doesn’t always end in peace outwardly. Not that we are looking to start a fight. As Tim Keller says, “The coming of Jesus into our lives makes us peacemakers, yet it also brings conflict. Maybe you know both the triumphs of peacemaking and the heartbreak of opposition? As the Psalmist declares in Psalm 120:7, ‘I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!’”[4] “The manger at Christmas means that, if you live like Jesus, there won’t be room for you in a lot of inns.”[5] Some people don’t see peace at the manger, but danger at the manger. “Just like any peace maker who has ever lived, Jesus makes people mad and He often causes what initially is struggle and strife until they rest in Him.”[6] By following Jesus, it forces every other person in your life to decide whether they are going with you and Him. Your actions of following Jesus will create a reaction in others. Some may fight you, but others may join you. But it all starts with admitting conflict in order to open God’s gift of peace.
However, just admitting conflict is not good enough. Admitting conflict does not solve the problem. The next step in opening God’s gift of peace is to seek an authority to deal with the conflict. Seek an authority to deal with the conflict. The second step in opening God’s gift of peace is to 2) seek a helpful authority. We need a helpful authority to deal with the conflict. Little kids get this. When they fight with their siblings, who do they call? “Mom” or “Dad” or if it’s a big offence, “Mom & Dad.” It’s like when the big brother is picking on one of his little brothers and right before he lowers the boom the little brother yells, “Mommm!” And he freezes in his tracks! Mom and Dad are the “go to” when you are being mistreated. Right kids? This is similar to the promise found in Micah 5:2, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler is Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” When you are in conflict, you seek somebody greater than yourself to deal with the problem. If you could deal with it, you would. If somebody steals from you and you can’t get it back, you do what? Punch them in the head? No, you call the police! If a fellow student is threatening you, you go to your teachers and parents. If you have a dispute with your neighbour and it can’t be resolved, you might finally have to go to a judge or a mediator. You go to an authority to deal with the conflict. Somebody who has more power than you do. Somebody who is stronger. The same thing is true in opening God’s gift of peace. You are seeking an authority to deal with the conflict. That authority is the promised Ruler from Bethlehem. That ruler is Jesus. We know this because later on in the Christmas story, wise men came to worship the toddler Jesus. But they first went to King Herod who ruled in Jerusalem at the time. Herod asked his advisors where the Christ or Messiah was to be born (Matthew 2:4-5). And they quoted Micah 5:2 and told Herod that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem. The hopes and fears of all the years were to be met in Bethlehem. Peace and power was to come from Bethlehem. Where am I getting this idea of peace coming from the Ruler of Bethlehem? Micah 5:5, “And He shall be their peace.” It fits with Jesus being the Prince of Peace as predicted by a contemporary prophet of Micah’s by the name of Isaiah in Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” The Ruler from Bethlehem is our peace and so much more. He is mighty God! This is echoed in Micah 5:4, “And He shall stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord.” That describes the power of the Ruler from Bethlehem Jesus Christ.
This is surprising because the Ruler of Bethlehem comes from the smallest and weakest place. The names Bethlehem Ephrathah are instructive. Bethlehem literally means “House of Bread”, and “Ephrathah means ‘fruitful’ and is the name of the district in Judah.”[7] Think of this like Cambridge in Waterloo Region. And yet, Bethlehem as a fruitful house of bread was a bedroom community that was overshadowed by the nation’s capital Jerusalem. This is one of God’s favourite things to do. He loves using the weak things of the world to shame the wise. Amazing! The one who is coming from of old, from ancient days is born in Bethlehem. This points to Jesus being the eternal Son of God. And if Jesus is the eternal Son of God and the Ruler from Bethlehem, then we must submit to Him. We must submit to the Ruler from Bethlehem.
God’s gift of peace requires us to acknowledge conflict and seek out a helpful authority, but there is one more step to opening His gift of peace. This is the third step in opening God’s gift of peace, we must submit to the Ruler of Peace: 3) Submit to King Jesus! A ruler is not ruler if no one follows His rules. A sovereign has no sovereignty if he or she has to have subjects. We must submit to Jesus because He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Submission is voluntary following somebody who will do you good, even if you don’t understand it all the time. You might not like the word “submit” but this proves our first step that we must admit our conflict with God. Submission is surrender. It is saying somebody else is charge. In this case, King Jesus! You see, there are no two-seater thrones in the kingdom of God here on earth. In heaven, both God the Father and God the Son sit side-by-side (Hebrews 12:2), but Jesus will not share His throne with you in this life. Someday you will get to reign with Him, but not yet. Instead, you and I need to submit to King Jesus. “Jesus is calling for allegiance to Him so supreme that it makes all other commitments look weak by comparison. It is a claim of absolute authority, a summons to unconditional loyalty and it inevitably triggers deep resistance within the human heart.”[8] Why? Tim Keller explains, “In every heart, there is a ‘little King Herod’ that wants to rule and that is threatened by anything that may compromise its omnipotence and sovereignty.”[9] “Even as Christians, we may have a heart with residual anger and hostility toward God.”[10] This is why we must repent and submit to King Jesus to find peace. “God’s peace comes after the inner of conflict of repentance and submission.”[11]And you may ask, why do that? Well, because King Jesus, the Ruler of Bethlehem and Mighty God did so Himself. He submitted to God. He came in the form of a baby to be cared for by rebels. He grew up and lived an obedient life before God. He lived a sinless and perfect life. And then He submitted to God by dying on a cross for all our sins. God then raised Him from the dead. And in so doing, He is our peace. He reconciles us to God, no matter if you are naughty or nice. All of us need to submit to King Jesus. He is effectually saying, “Here’s my comfort and my peace. I don’t care who you are, I don’t care what you have done; I don’t care if you’ve been on the paid staff of Hell. I don’t care what your background is; I don’t care what deep, dark secrets are in your past. If you repent to God through Me, not only will God receive you and work in your life, but He will delight to work in you like He did in forgotten Bethlehem.”[12] God is offering you His ultimate gift of peace tonight. Will you receive His gift by admitting the conflict, seeking a helpful authority and submitting to King Jesus? If so, you will have peace; you will have light come into your darkness. We are going to conclude tonight by lighting the Christ candle and singing silent night. We are going spread this light. We are going to pass the peace. I will light my candle first and then one by one, the light will spread through the room just as we are to spread Christ’s light and peace to the world.
[1] Harry Simeone, Philip Brooks, Lewis H. Redner, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” (Public Domain, 1868).
[2] Tim Keller, 109.
[3] Keller, Hidden Christmas (New York: Viking, 2016), 110.
[4] Keller, 122.
[5] Keller, 119.
[6] Keller, 118.
[7] Waltke, 182.
[8] Keller, 67.
[9] Keller, 68.
[10] Keller, 73.
[11] Keller, 125.
[12] Keller, 77.
Clothe Yourselves with Humility Toward One Another
Posted: December 12, 2021 Filed under: Anxiety, Blindness, care, Christmas, Elders, God, Humility, Jesus, Pride, Sermons, Service, Submission, The Lord's Supper Leave a commentHow long did it take for you to get dressed today? Did you spend a little extra time fixing up because it is Sunday? I have to admit, I take a little bit extra time on Sundays thinking through what I wear and often have to pray about it. (Now some of you might think that I need to pray longer because my choice of clothes needs help.) Nevertheless, prayer for picking out my Sunday attire helps me not to agonize what to wear. And I usually only do this on Sundays when I’m on the platform. Now you may ask, why do I go into my “prayer closet” before I go into my clothes closet? Because I don’t trust myself. I have the propensity to dress for success. But through the years I have come to the conclusion that for me to stand before God and declare His Holy Word with a garment of pride, I will be pointing you to the wrong person – myself when I need to be pointing people to God. And I will be judged for this! It’s hard to be humble when you are going to tell it on the mountain. Everybody sees you so if you try to do the opposite and live out a private and hidden spirituality, you still can’t escape pride. Pride goes where you go. As the Scottish Pastor Andrew Murray said, “Pride can clothe itself in the garments of praise or of penitence.”[1] Pride may look like we have it altogether but actually we are naked. We are the emperor with no clothes trying to rule our own lives. And this is why we are called by God in 1 Peter 5:5-7 to clothe ourselves with humility toward one another. Is that what you are wearing today? Humility! The insidious nature of pride is that if I asked for a show of hands of who is humble here today, those of us who raise their hands would get an automatic zero on the humility test. Even my confession of praying before picking out my clothes is fraught with the temptation to boast of my spirituality. Peeling back the layers of our motivations often reveals selfishness. The world just searches for ability. But as the former NFL player and sportscaster Emmanuel Acho says, “Ability without humility is a liability.” And yet, humility is the toughest clothes to put on each day, but we are commanded to do it by God and even better, we are empowered by God to do it. Let’s read 1 Peter 5:5-7 to learn how to clothe ourselves with humility toward one another. Read 1 Peter 5:5-7!
Clothes of humility make the man or woman of God. Notice I didn’t say humble clothes. We are not asking you to wear beggar’s clothes though beggars are welcome and honoured here. Clothes themselves have for too long been an evaluative piece of one’s spirituality. I grew up when men, even young men, would wear a suit while girls and women would wear a dress to church. Our clothes were the mark of our holiness in church. But the truth is that our Sunday best may have only covered up the rest of the week’s worst. Our physical clothes were never intended to draw attention to ourselves with being either too showy or immodest. Clothes were meant to do the opposite – cover up our shame and nakedness. God was the first clothes designer and maker. Genesis 3:21 records, “And the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skin and clothed them.” I’ll say that again, clothes were meant to cover up our shame and nakedness. And those first clothes pointed to the fact that something had to die to cover up our shame and nakedness. An animal had to die. But that sacrifice was temporary until we sinned again and the clothes got threadbare. Then another animal had to die to keep us from being exposed. The cycle of substitutionary death for our dress did not end for millennia. As one Bible scholar writes, “Clothing was the original badge of man’s sin and shame. Pride caused the need of man’s clothing, and pride still reigns in dress; the Christian therefore needs to clothe himself in humility. But the clothes are too expensive.”[2]
So who would pay for our new clothes? Jesus made the payment. Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, had to die to cover up our shame and nakedness permanently. He paid off our debts at Christmas with His gift which is the opposite of how we buy gifts and get into debt at Christmas. As the prophet Isaiah foretold in Isaiah 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with the robe of righteousness …” “God provides us with the robe of Christ’s righteousness, but in order to receive these new righteous clothes, we must be stripped of pride.”[3] Therefore, I ask you, have you been clothed with Christ’s righteousness? Jesus traded our sin-stained clothes for His pure ones in God’s sight. This trade is what we call redemption – God’s buy-back plan. Shame and nakedness were traded for righteous purity and humility. And this is why we will still wear clothes in heaven and not return to our Edenic unclad state. We will wear white clothes in the new heavens and new earth even after Labour Day. Isn’t this what Jesus promises in Revelation 3:5, “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life”? Our clothes in heaven will be a constant reminder of Christ’s purifying work in our lives. It’s also why “humility is not demeaning ourselves and thinking poorly of ourselves. It is simply not thinking of ourselves at all.”[4] It is actually thinking of Christ. You see, “The word Peter uses for ‘to clothe oneself’ is very unusual … and describes anything tied on with a knot … It was commonly used for protective clothing; it was used for a pair of sleeves drawn over the sleeves of a robe and tied behind the neck. And it was used for a slave’s apron. This reminds us of how Jesus took on the form of a servant who would wear such an apron and washed His disciples’ feet (John 13:4-5). However, it so happens that this word is also used of another kind of garment that is stole-like and was a sign of honour and pre-eminence. To complete the picture, we must put both images together. Jesus once took the towel, essentially putting on the slave’s apron and undertook the humblest of all duties, washing His disciples’ feet; so we must in all put on the apron of humility in the service of Christ and of our fellow-men; but that very apron of humility will become the garment of honour for us, for it is he or she who is the servant of all who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 20:26).”[5] No wonder, “Humility is not only to characterize the relationship of the Christians one to another, but also the manner of the whole church.”[6]
The hard part is that “it takes humility to learn humility”[7] and “The highest lesson a believer has to learn is humility.”[8] As Jemar Tisby declares, “Humility allows new information to correct old ideas and leads us into better ways of loving one another.”[9] We need new information to correct old ideas. But it is a choice – humility is a choice. As the great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, “Every Christian has a choice between being humble or being humbled.” I don’t like being humbled, do you? And this is why we must choose to clothe ourselves with Christ’s humility. How do we clothe ourselves with Christ’s humility? Clothe ourselves with Christ’s humility to …
- … Our elders by submitting to them (v. 5) This is what we read in the first part of 1 Peter 5:5, “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders.” This verse comes after the context of Peter instructing church elders to “shepherd the flock without shameful gain (v. 2) or being domineering, but being examples to the flock (v. 3).” The context would point to big “E” elders or those overseeing the flock of God as Christ’s under-shepherds, but could any mentor in your life. “Elders have a unique responsibility to prepare a ‘house of God’ for the judgment that has now begun according to 1 Peter 4:17. They must guide and shepherd the flock not for financial gain or ego satisfaction, but willingly and without complaint. Instead of taking themselves more and more ‘emergency powers,’ they must become examples of servanthood and humility to the entire ‘flock of God.’”[10] Isn’t it so much easier to follow and submit to somebody who is a good example and has your interest at heart rather than their own and who does not lord it over you? Nevertheless, the motivation for submission is greatly enhanced when we realize that we are submitting to God first. The late Warren Wiersbe taught, “We can’t be submissive to each other until we are first submissive to God.”[11] And “Submission is an act of faith. After all there is a danger in submitting to others; they might take advantage of us, but not if we trust God and if we are submitted to one another.”[12]This is not a call to stay in an abusive situation, but it is a call to remember that even if a superior mistreats us, we can go to their ultimate superior God who will bring judgment for evil and reward for good as 1 Peter 5:4 declares. I am deeply concerned that the big “C” Church is suffering from a lack of elders both official elders or those ahead of us in the faith and life regardless of age. We have a dearth of those who lead by godly example and I am concerned that we younger generations are not submitting to them because we believe we know more than them. And maybe in some areas, we do know more. Or we may not be submissive because the leader has made mistakes and his or her failures deserve cancellation. But we are to live countercultural as Peter taught. “The word for submission has the active sense of minding the superiority of others and our own unworthiness.”[13]We too make mistakes. I certainly have. What motivates me to submit to our elders at Temple is Christ’s humility, not my own. He submitted Himself to His parents as we know from Luke 2:51. In fact, every human Jesus came across, was imperfect and yet, Jesus humbled Himself and submitted Himself. We must do likewise to demonstrate Christ and His gospel. Clothe yourselves with Christ’s humility to those ahead of you by submitting to them as they call you to follow God’s Word. However, clothing ourselves with Christ’s humility is not only found in the garment of submission, but also in a second garment of service. This is why we also must clothe ourselves with Christ’s humility to …
- … One another by serving in the lowliest of ways (v. 5-6) Look at verses 5-6, “Clothe yourselves, all of you (not just a few of you), with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” We already learned that the idea of clothing one’s self with humility is directly tied to the apron strings of Jesus who was a servant to His disciples. And we must do likewise. Andrew Murray taught, “It is easy to think we humble ourselves before God, but humility towards men will be the only sufficient proof that humility before God is real; that humility has taken up its abode in us, and become our very nature; that we actually, like Christ, have made ourselves of no reputation. The only humility that is really ours is not that which we try to show before God in prayer, but that which we carry with us, and carry out, in ordinary conduct.”[14] So think about who you might serve that cannot pay you back or even know about your service? Think about serving the person who has given you the most trouble this year – who is on your naughty list! Serve them! Remember, “Humility before God is nothing if not proved in humility before men.”[15] The cool part is that God will help us with our humility. He gives grace to the humble. As John MacArthur says, “Humility creates the vacuum that divine grace fills.”[16] The warning is that God is a sworn enemy of the proud. He opposes the proud. He has declared war on pride. Maybe this explains why so many on a pedestal have been knocked off and been cancelled? Stuart Scott declares, “Pride is the pandemic vice. It is everywhere and manifests itself in many ways and kills at an alarming rate. The question is not, ‘Do I have pride?’ but, ‘Where is it?’ and ‘How much of it do I have?’ We all have a tendency to think too much about ourselves and too much of ourselves.”[17] And pride is not the plague du jour. It plagues each generation. The 17th Century Puritan Thomas Watson, was a non-conformist who died while praying in secret.[18] He warned, “Pride is a spiritual drunkenness; it flies up like wine into the brain and intoxicates it. It is idolatry; a proud man is a self-worshiper.”[19] “In the Greek language, the words for pride occur in two different categories. One particular word group suggests the idea of ‘straining or stretching one’s neck’ (as if to hold one’s head up high because of what one thinks he has made of himself or accomplished). The other category in the Greek conveys ‘a blindness’ and even suggests the idea of being ‘enveloped with smoke.’”[20] So the irony as we hold our heads up high above others, we can’t see more but become more blind. And so, “Pride is a form of self-worship. Prideful people believe that they are or should be the source of what is good, right and worthy.”[21] I don’t distance myself from that statement. I can so easily think that I am the source of what is good, right and worthy. No wonder God opposes the proud and gives grace only to the humble! Arrogant people don’t think they need grace. “Humility is so rare and endangered because it is unnatural to man. Only a Christian who has the Spirit of God can learn genuine humility.”[22] Praise God that though “the danger of pride is greater and nearer than we think, the grace for humility is nearer still.”[23] In practical terms, “Take every opportunity of humbling yourself before God and men. Accept with gratitude everything that God allows from within or without, from friend or enemy, in nature or in grace, to remind you of your need of humbling and to help you to it.”[24] In this way, we will clothe ourselves with Christ’s humility to one another by serving in the lowliest ways. Submission and service though are not the only strings attached to Jesus. In fact, the ultimate way we should clothe ourselves with Christ’s humility is to …
- … God by casting our cares on Him (v. 7) Look at verse 7 to discover one of the most beloved, yet under-utilized verses in the Bible, “cast all your care (or anxiety) on Him because He cares for you.” This literally means “To throw something upon something else like throwing clothes on an animal for riding.”[25] To put that in Western terms, you are saddling God with your problems and He is big enough to handle them. It doesn’t sound though very humbling, but “the true Christian attitude is not negative self-abandonment or resignation, but involves as the expression of one’s self-humbling the positive entrusting of oneself and one’s troubles to God.”[26] It is a recognition as the Puritan John Owen once said, “We can have no power from Christ unless we live in a persuasion that we have none of our own.” Even Sherlock homes once said, “The chief proof of a man’s greatness lies in the perception of his smallness.” I think being concerned less about ourselves would help with our anxiety. Anxiety is an epidemic in our society. Maybe it is because we haven’t humbly cast our cares on God but are trying to carry them ourselves? This is not a call to be irresponsible. Dr. George Morrison once said, “God does not make His children care free in order that they be careless.” But it is to “place yourself before God in your utter helplessness; consent heartily to the fact of your impotence to slay or make alive yourself; sink down into your own nothingness, in the spirit of meek and patient and trustful surrender to God.”[27] Peter did this! Some of Peter’s known cares include family illness with the sickness of his mother-in-law after He humbly sought Jesus for healing (Mark 1:29-31). Then there was Peter’s family provision that may have been a concern when Peter decided to follow Jesus full-time. Christ cared for Peter and provided a boatload of fish after Peter humbled himself in letting down his nets once again even though he had been fishing all night. (Luke 5:1-11). On another occasion, Peter owed taxes so Jesus provided a fish with a coin (Matthew 17:24-27). The irony being that Peter’s own effort and “expertise” at his livelihood to pay the bills wasn’t enough (Luke 5:5), but Jesus could provide in an instance from that very same source – fish as a reminder of where Peter had been called from. Another care that Peter had was repairing the damage he had done to others like when he cut off Malchus’ ear when the mob came to arrest Jesus. Jesus healed Malchus (John 18:10-11; Luke 22:51). Then there was the care of Peter being in prison and Jesus delivering him (Acts 12). Or when Peter stuck his foot in his mouth and bragged about sticking with Jesus only to deny knowing Christ a few hours later (Matthew 26:30-35; 69-75). Jesus reinstated Peter shortly after Jesus rose from the grave (John 21;15-19). And let’s not forget Peter drowning when losing sight of Jesus (Matthew 14:22-33). All these cares Peter had and many of them we share. Like the fisherman he was, Peter learned to cast his cares on God – whether those cares were family, money, hurts, persecutions or missteps. And who did he learn this from? Jesus! Recall all the times Jesus made statements about His own reliance on God, “The Son can do nothing in Himself” (John 5:19, c.f. 30, 41; 6:38; 7:16, 28; 8:42, 50; 14:10). To clothe ourselves with Christ’s humility we must cast our cares on God. Jacques Benigne Bossuet once said, “Man tries to make himself God through pride, God makes Himself man through humility.” This is the motivation for casting our cares on Christ.
Do you want to know the worst gift you could get this Christmas? Pastor Charles Swindoll tells us, “The world’s smallest package is a man wrapped up in himself.” Contrast this with the best Christmas gift – Jesus! The Son of God came to earth in another small package – the form of a baby born in a lowly stable. Jesus is the Christmas gift that lasts the rest of the year. It is because of Him we can put humility on each day. You see, as soon as we wear yesterday’s humility and think we are humble enough, we become exposed and our pride is on display. This is why a practical exercise would be to pray and ask God to clothe you with Christ’s humility as you get dressed for the day.
Today, Sarah Brent is getting (or got) baptized. She is exchanging her clothes of unrighteousness, being washed and putting on Christ’s righteousness for you all to know about. Those righteous clothes are the same clothes of humility that Christ wore on the night He was betrayed and washed His disciples’ feet even though they would betray, flee and deny knowing Him a couple of hours later. He even fed them supper. As we now partake in this supper, may we clothe ourselves with Christ’s humility in our submission, service and asking for supplication to God.
[1] Andrew Murray, Humility – The Beauty of Holiness (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1990), 41.
[2] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 513). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[3] Fausset.
[4] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary – Volume 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1989), 431.
[5] William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible (Toronto: G.R. Welch Co. Ltd., 1976), 271.
[6] Bo Reicke, The Epistles of James, Peter & Jude – Anchor Bible (New York: Doubleday & Company Inc., 1964), 131.
[7] Stuart Scott, From Pride to Humility (Bemidji, MN: Focus Publishing, 2002), 26.
[8] Murray, 62.
[9] Jemar Tisby, How to Fight Racism (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2021), 185.
[10] J. Ramsey Michaels, 1 Peter – Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1988), 291.
[11] Wiersbe, 431.
[12] Wiersbe, 431.
[13] R.C.H. Lenski, Interpretation of Peter, John & Jude (Columbus: Wartburg Press, 1945), 222.
[14] Murray, 34.
[15] Murray, 35.
[16] John MacArthur, “School News Publication,” The Master’s Seminary Mantle, Winter 2000, 1.
[17] Stuart Scott, From Pride to Humility (Bemidji, MN: Focus Publishing, 2002), 2.
[18] Source: https://prabook.com/web/thomas.watson/1784269. Accessed December 8, 2021.
[19] Thomas Watson, The Godly Man’s Picture (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1992), 574.
[20] Scott, 3.
[21] Scott, 5.
[22] Scott, 17.
[23] Murray, 64.
[24] Murray, 66.
[25] Cleon L. Rogers Jr. & Cleon L. Rogers III, The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998), 578.
[26] J.N.D. Kelly, A Commentary on the Epistles of Peter and Jude (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1976), 208.
[27] Murray, 58.
TOGETHER Figuring Out the Purpose of Marriage
Posted: July 18, 2021 Filed under: Church, Jesus, Marriage, Sacrifice, Submission, The Holy Spirit Leave a commentThe day is still vivid in my memory. I sat in a hard wooden chair in an old building with cinder block walls painted institutional white. It felt like any other school built in the 20th century. Next to me was Lori sitting in another wooden chair. Across from me was Dr. Harry Shields, my favourite college professor. Lori and I were coming to him excited and nervous as we sought him out to lead us through pre-marital counseling. We wanted to get married, but felt like we needed the help of somebody outside of ourselves to discover more about each other. I highly recommend and we actually require 4 pre-marital counseling sessions for couples to be married here at Temple because it increases a couple’s chances of marital success by 30%.[1]
Back to my story! Dr. Shields wanted to hear our story of how we met. I told him the story of how we were playing football just blocks from there on the beach in downtown Chicago as an event between the brother and sister floors. We were attending Moody Bible Institute and so the male-only dorm floors and female-only dorm floors paired up with each for social events and also for the male students to serve and protect the female students if they had to go somewhere unsafe in the big, wicked city of Chicago. Lori was a freshman student and so on that opening weekend of the school year, we had a Bro-Sis event of playing football on the beach. Lori happened to be on my team. Now, many of you know that I am competitive and so my focus was on scoring touchdowns and not on scoring some girl to be by my side. I remember catching a pass and getting tackled by one of my floormates. I wasn’t wearing a shirt and when I came back to the huddle, I felt this female hand on my shoulder rubbing the sand off it. Well, that got my attention. And she’s been helping me out ever since!
Dr. Shields laughed and liked the story but he immediately turned the conversation to a more serious question and asked: why are we getting married? If I recall, Lori and I both said that we thought we would make good ministry partners as we were both pastor’s kids and understood each other. It sounded very spiritual and was aligned with our reason for being at Moody Bible Institute – a training center for vocational ministry. Dr. Shields said that might be the case, but then graciously corrected us and said that we should get married for really one reason – to become more like Christ. In other words, God would use marriage as a mirror to show us how we could look and be more like Christ. Some get married because they are a good match socially and economically. When I was in Kolkota, India, I saw advertised in the paper requests for marriage based on social standing and educational achievement. For example, in The Telegraphthere was the Matrimonial page with sections entitled “Grooms Wanted” and “Brides Wanted.” The paper being written in English automatically filtered out some who only spoke Hindi or Bengali. Under the “Grooms Wanted” section I read: “age 25+, 5’3.5”, Bachelor of Technology, Software Engineer, sweet looking, fair complexion, slim, working information system in Bangalore. Seeks professional groom with MBA around 30 based at Bangalore, handsome, smart, Brahmin acceptable.”[2] That may seem strange to some of us but it is not very different than what we have in Canada with online dating apps. Some get married for social and economic reasons – to be provided for or to have a good match educationally. In fact, the Bible describes, not prescribes, a number of marriages that were made for political and economic reasons. King Solomon making the most of them having 700 wives (1 Kings 9:16; 11:1-3). Others might get married for the reason of companionship! That is a good reason! We are especially in need of friends as we journey through this pandemic. Some young people are actually using dating apps to find friends without benefits as reported in the Wall Street Journal this past week.[3] Meaning they just want a friend, not a romantic partner. In fact, I won’t marry couples unless they are marrying their earthly best friend. Others of you might get married to have sex in a life-long committed relationship and also to have children. Again, those both are legitimate, Biblical reasons to get married (Genesis 1:28; Malachi 2:15; 1 Corinthians 7:2). However, as Timothy Keller reminds us, “If you marry mainly a sexual partner or mainly a financial partner or even a friend, you are going nowhere together, really. And those who are going nowhere can have no fellow travellers.”[4] You see we are all trying to reach a destination and that is heaven. “Each spouse should see the great thing that Jesus is doing in the life of their mate through the Word, the gospel.”[5] The destination is the new heavens and new earth. And as Rebecca McLaughlin says, “Marriage is not a destination; it’s a signpost.”[6] Don’t stop at the sign post! Jesus is who we must have our sights on! Therefore, the reason you get married is to show off Christ. Singles can show off Christ as well, just in different ways. So now we know the purpose of marriage – to become like Christ – let’s learn from Ephesians 5:15-33 how to live out the purpose of marriage. And lest you think that this is just for the married people, pay close attention singles, widows and widowers. You don’t get this Sunday off. This is for anybody who belongs to the Bride of Christ. Marriage points us to something larger as Rebecca McLaughlin explains: “If you’ve ever built a model airplane, you know that the pieces (wings, cockpit, tail, wheels, etc.) match up with pieces of a real airplane. Likewise, the pieces of a Christian marriage match up with Jesus’ love for His church.”[7] Let’s read about that love right now! Read Ephesians 5:15-33!
The number one rule in interpreting the Bible is that everything must be read in context. The immediate context for Ephesians 5:21-33 are verses 15-20. And at first, it would appear that Paul is just verbally processing and all these verses are not tied together. Maybe Paul is just writing random thoughts as a writer who is disturbed in writing and has to come back to his or her writing? That happens all the time to us when we try to write email or text and are interrupted and then we make typos. Remember, in those days when writing on papyrus, one couldn’t hit the delate button or use white-out. Paul would have had to just move on. But Paul didn’t make a mistake. He was guided by the Holy Spirit. What we must understand in studying this whole passage is that our marriages and more importantly our lives, regardless of whether we are married or not, require living wisely, being opportunistic for good, not being drunk but being filled with the Holy Spirit, being joyful and thankful. If we bring these things into our marriage and more importantly, integrate them into our lives, then we will showcase Christ’s love for the church. As an aside, Spirit-filled living cannot help but overflow into praising God. This is why it is time for those listening online who have fallen out of the habit of attending church to come back. Did you know that “prior to the pandemic, about 1 in every 6 Americans sang in a choir!”[8] I’m not sure we are as choir-happy here in Canada, but I think we like to sing together. I believe God wants joy and praise to ooze out of us and this is why we have prioritized worship in our search for a new staff person. A joyful life sure helps in our jobs, in our schools, in our community and in our marriage. Maybe one of the applications for us today is to listen to our favourite worship music and put our minds back on God?
Now as we take a deeper dive into Ephesians 5:21-33, we are going to discover that the ultimate purpose for marriage is Christlikeness! Remember what Dr. Shields told Lori and I. This is the main point of this passage! The longer couples are together they should not only like one another more but be like one another. They are one, united, together, which is the constant theme of Ephesians! I think of Lawrence and Ruth Caldwell, married for 70 years, who are “like one another” as they hold hands coming into our church every week. How much more is Jesus trying to make us His Bride the Church to be more like Him. But some of you say, such a goal is disastrous in marriage. I remember when Lori and I first got married, as much as we were warned not to do so, we tried to make the other person like us and manipulate them to do things our way. Okay, it is was more me trying to get Lori to be like me because I like me! I have since learned that being one is different from being the same. I don’t need a clone of me I need someone who complements me. In the case of our relationship with Christ, we are to be one with Christ, but He is changing our character to be like His.
So it begs the question: how do we become like Christ? How do we attain Christlikeness? There are 3 ways we become like Christ from Ephesians 5:15-33: 1) Be Spirit-filled (v. 18) – We read this in Ephesians 5:18 (NIV), “Do not be drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery, but be filled with the Holy Spirit.” What is debauchery? One writer says it is, “Sexual excess or lack of control.” That has direct implications on both life and marriage. More importantly, what does “being filled with the Holy Spirit” mean? It means that the Holy Spirit has more and more control of you. Don’t think of being filled by the Holy Spirit like my water here where after drinking a little bit it needs to be filled up again. The Holy Spirit is not a fluid. He is a person! Think of filling like a balloon that creates greater capacity continually filling and stretching us in areas of our life. (Blow up balloon – tight camera shot) But we are to cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He fills us! We are the ones being stretched as He breathes more life into us (c.f. John 20:22) This is why the verb translated “be filled” is in the passive voice. Sometimes that means just being still, listening to His whispers, which take the form of reminders from God’s Word. I like what Charles Spurgeon said, “‘When home is ruled according to God’s Word, angels might be asked to stay with us and they would not find themselves out of their element.’ The trouble is many homes are not governed by God’s Word – even homes where the members are professing Christians – and the consequences are tragic. Instead of angels being guests in some homes, it seems that demons are the masters. The 18th century poet William Cowper called the home, ‘the only bliss of Paradise that hast survived the Fall,’ but too many homes are an outpost of hell instead of a parcel of paradise.”[9] The vaccine to hellish homes is being filled with the Holy Spirit. “Someone defined the home as ‘the place where we are treated the best – and complain the most!’”[10] This should not be! As already stated, being filled with the Holy Spirit makes us walk with Christ and being opportunistic for good, but it should fill us with gratitude and worship. More than any human being or worship leader, we need the Holy Spirit to truly worship Christ. This is why the prayer that I ask most often pray for my family is, “Lord, please fill Lori, Jessie, Josiah, Noah, Luke and myself with the Holy Spirit.”
So the first way we become like Christ is being Spirit-filled, whether we are married or not. Pray to God, “Holy Spirit, fill me today.” The second way we become like Christ is 2) Be submissive (v. 21, 22, 24). The overarching verse in this passage in marriage is Ephesians 5:21, “Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” This has to be true for both the male and female, the married and the unmarried, the young and old. Submission is one of the hardest things to do and we have had lots of practice during the pandemic, haven’t we? Submission is voluntarily following the lead of another.
That is so much easier when the leader is loving and putting you first. But what about if a person who is over us is not acting like a good leader or you disagree with the direction they are going. The second half of verse 21 gives us the answer: submit out of reverence (lit. fear) of Christ. Maybe you have that hard time submitting to that difficult person in your life? Submit for the sake of your Saviour! Of course, I am not asking you to follow somebody who is calling you to disobey one of God’s commands or to do evil. But being submissive means you understand authority and that ultimately Jesus is in charge. Your appeal is to Him!
Let’s get more specific in the marriage relationship. In verses 22 and 24, we read that “wives are to be submissive to their husbands as to the Lord.” As it was for verse 21, the key phrase is “as to the Lord.” This is a repeated them in Ephesians as children are to obey their parents “in the Lord” (6:1) and slaves are to obey their masters “as you would Christ” (6:5). As Rebecca McLaughlin, a former atheist who holds her Ph.D. from Cambridge states and explains, “The call on wives to submit to their husbands isn’t because women are somehow inferior to men, just as the call on husbands to give up their lives for their wives isn’t because men are less valuable than women. It also doesn’t mean that all women should submit to all men, or that a wife should never say no to her husband if he is treating her badly. In fact, a husband abusing his wife is the total opposite of the picture the Bible gives us, where husbands are called again and again to love their wives (Ephesians 5:26, 28, 33; Colossians 3:19) and to understand and honor them (1 Peter 3:7).”[11] We become like Christ when we submit because He Himself submitted. There are numerous Scriptures that evidence this. Remember Jesus’ famous prayer to His Heavenly Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Another is Philippians 2:8, “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” And this verse in Hebrews 5:8, “Although He was a son, He learned obedience through what He suffered.” So who is God asking you to submit to?
Remember, God has put that person in a position of authority over you. Verse 23 declares, “For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself its Savior.” Notice that the husband’s headship is directly under Christ. We must always this, husbands, we submit to Christ and are answerable to Him! The problem is that this principle of headship has been abused at times in what some have labelled “hyper-headship,”[12] where the husband tries to force the wife to submit under the guise of male headship. Remember, submission is VOLUNTARY! And what happens then is a tug of war of in the relationship – hyper-headship on one side and passiveness of women on the other side or passiveness on men on one side and domination on the other side. The problem is when you pull the marriage relationship too far in either direction the relationship becomes distorted. Both men and women are responsible for becoming like Christ this requires a mutual submission to Christ and each other.
This leads us to the third way we become like Christ: 3) Be sacrificial (v. 25)! We read in verse 25, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” How did Christ give Himself up for her? Did He surrender to the authorities for some crime He committed? Actually, He did surrender but not for any crime He committed. He became the crime or as 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) states, “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” So Christ surrendered to wicked authorities and gave up Himself. In fact, the word order in the original language in Ephesians 5:25 places the word “Himself” irregularly at the front of the phrase to emphasize that Jesus did this for Himself and not just for His Bride. This was not selfish but aligns with putting God first and it has practical implications for the married. Verse 28 alludes to this, “In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” This is where the most selfless act also has the greatest self-rewards. It has taken me a long time to figure this out and I still have a long way to go, but it follows Jesus’ words in Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” I heard of one husband who got for his Father’s Day gift a new mitre saw which he immediately passed on to his wife because she loves to build things. And if any of you sees this said miter saw in an upcoming Instagram story just remember this, “Happy wife; happy life!”
I think this is what Jesus had in mind. In rescuing His Bride, Jesus took on her penalty in the most beautiful love story of the universe, He benefitted as well because when He rose from the grave, He had a bride that was now no longer guilty. And now He is cleaning up her soiled clothing from the muck and mire of sin. Do you feel Him washing you? Let verses 26-27 wash over you, “that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Some see the church as only ugly and there are definitely some ugly parts. But the late Pastor John Stott describes the Church so well, “On earth she is often in rags and tatters, stained and ugly, despised and persecuted. But one day she will be seen for what she is, nothing less than the bride of Christ, ‘free from spots, wrinkles, or any other disfigurement,’ holy and without blemish, beautiful and glorious. It is to this constructive end that Christ has been working and is continuing to work. The bride does not make herself presentable; it is the bridegroom who labours to beautify her in order to present her to himself.” The pimply-faced, gangly 13-14 year old girl that we experience as the church now is going to blossom into a fully mature and absolutely beautiful bride. Jesus is the one who picks out His Bride’s dress! Ladies, when your husband has bough you a new dress, how does that make you feel? Special! Jesus is doing that for His Brie. If that sounds like I am feminizing Jesus, I would remind you that He was the one who took the towel and washed His disciples’ feet with a future look for His bride being fully washed (John 13:1-20) and He will clothe you. You just need to the dress on (Revelation 19:7-8).
But let’s remember that Jesus is not objectifying His bride in making her beautiful. He is not trying to parade the church for the world to see. “Just as a husband cares for his body’s needs, so his love for his wife should be of the sort that cares for her needs and facilitates her growth and development.”[13] This is also for His benefit. It is for His glory! It is for His pleasure (but don’t sexualize that). Sexual love is great and God-given, but there is a deeper, abiding love. I had a young person ask me recently, “How do you know when you are in love?” I told him what my dad said, “At first, no one is in love! They are just in lust.” They desire the other person and feel miserable when away from their presence. However, deep, abiding love is nurtured through the choice and commitment to love the other person and do what is best for them in the good and bad times.
As Rebecca McLaughlin states, “God made us so that men and women have different bodies, picturing the radical difference between Jesus and us. But He also made us so that men and women’s bodies could fit together in a life-giving closeness, which gives us a picture of Jesus and His church. Paul says this ‘one-flesh’ reality is a deep mystery and that it’s about Christ and the church. In that picture, every believer (male or female) is part of Christ’s bride and a member of Christ’s body.”[14] This is what Jesus did in sacrificing for you. Who or what are you to sacrifice to God?
I’ll end with a poem by Jack Taylor:
The bride bent with age leaned over her cane,
Her steps uncertain need guiding.
While down the church aisle
With a long toothless smile,
The groom in a wheelchair gliding.
And who is this elderly couple thus wed?
You’ll find when you’ve closely explored it:
This is that rare, most conservative pair
Who waited until they could afford it.
The truth is that your marriage, whether single or married, was already paid for with the greatest cost. Jesus gave His own life for you and for me. And He will make us like Him if you let Him and take Him up on marriage proposal to be married to Him forever!
[1] https://healthresearchfunding.org/20-significant-premarital-counseling-statistics/. Accessed July 13, 2021.
[2] The Telegraph, “Matrimonial Page,” (Kolkata, India: March 28, 2010).
[3] https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-young-people-are-using-dating-apps-to-find-friendswithout-benefits-11626101537. Accessed July 13, 2021.
[4] Timothy & Kathy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage (New York: Dutton, 2011), 120.
[5] Keller, 121.
[6] Rebecca McLaughlin, 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity (Wheaton: Crossway, 2021), 117.
[7] McLaughlin, 125.
[8] Bradley Baurain, Today in the Word – Volume 34, Issue 7, “Following the Good Shepherd,” July 2021, 19.
[9] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1989), 48.
[10] Wiersbe, 49.
[11] Rebecca McLaughlin, 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity (Wheaton: Crossway, 2021), 117.
[12] The first time I heard about this term was from Jason Meyer and then picked up by Justin Taylor in an article he wrote “Hyper-headship and the Scandal of Domestic Abuse in the Church.” https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/hyper-headship-and-the-scandal-of-domestic-abuse-in-the-church/. Accessed July 18, 2021.
[13] Andrew T. Lincoln, Ephesians – Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word Books, 1990), 378.
[14] McLaughlin, 117.
Commissional 