Tag: god

Sermon Idea: The creation covenant reveals God’s purpose for humanity, who were created to represent God on earth as his image bearers. God makes this covenant with Adam, promising life & rest in God’s presence for obedience and death for disobedience. 

Introduction: The most crucial part of any structure is the foundation. When the foundation is flawed, the structure will be flawed—this is true not only of architecture, but also of our spiritual lives. Jesus makes this connection in Matthew 7. 

²⁴ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (Mt 7:24-27)

The foundation of our understanding of the Bible and the foundation for understanding ourselves is the doctrine of creation. In Genesis 1-2, we come to know God, ourselves, and the purpose of the world. A thorough understanding of human dignity, human sexuality, work, marriage, and many other topics is found in these two chapters. 

I want to mention this because my purpose is very particular this morning. I want to set the scene of creation only to focus on God’s covenant with Adam and the purpose of the world. That means there are many good things I cannot discuss. 

My purpose this morning is to discuss creation in general and the covenant God makes with Adam in particular. 

The Bible assumes and takes for granted the existence of the one, true, and living God. 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Ge 1:1)

In one verse, the Bible establishes what the Christian tradition has referred to as the creator-creature distinction. God transcends creation, not being part of it nor in any way dependent on it. All that exists is from him and for him. He gives creation its purpose and meaning, including, above all, the creation of human beings. The point of Genesis 1-2 is straightforward: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of Israel—is the one who created all things by the power of His Word. 

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Heb 11:3)

As the creation narrative progresses, God declares judgment on what he has made. 

Five times we read, “And God saw that it was good.” (Gen. 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25) 

When God creates humanity, his creative work reaches its pinnacle. It is only after the creation of humanity on day six that God looks at all that he has made and declares, “…it was very good.” (Gen. 1:31) 

It is God’s creation of and purpose for humanity that results in God making a covenant. As a reminder, we defined covenant in our intro sermon as a chosen relationship in which two parties make binding promises (and obligations) to each other.”

The word “covenant” does not occur in Genesis 1-2, but the concept is undoubtedly present. Not only that, but later biblical texts also reinforce the idea that a covenant was established at creation. 

1.) In Genesis 2:4, the name LORD (YHWH) is used. As later Israelites read Genesis, they would have most certainly understood this as the name of the covenant Lord (Exodus 3:13-15). 

2.) Adam is not only given commands, but promises for obedience, and curses for disobedience. Had Adam obeyed God in the Garden, it would have resulted in eternal life (Gen. 3:22-24; Rev. 2:7), but disobedience would have brought the curse of death (Gen. 2:17; 3:16-19). 

3.) Later Biblical texts refer to Adam transgressing God’s covenant,But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me. (Ho 6:7)

4.) In the New Testament, Paul consistently and repeatedly compares Adam and Jesus as two representatives of humanity. It is difficult to think of Christ as the head of the new covenant without also considering Adam as the head of a covenant in creation.

¹⁸ Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. ¹⁹ For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous (Ro 5:18–19)

The creation covenant reveals God’s purpose for humanity, who were created to represent God on earth as his image bearers. God makes this covenant with Adam, promising life & rest in God’s presence for obedience and death for disobedience.

This morning, we will study God’s covenant with Adam in Genesis 1-2 by discussing the goal of creation, the purpose of the Garden, and the promises of the covenant. 

I.) The Goal of Creation (Gen. 1:26-31)

As Genesis 1 progresses, it becomes clear that what happens on the sixth day is the most significant. All of creation leads to the moment when God makes man in his image. God creates the world so that his image bearers will dwell there as faithful representatives of God’s rule and reign. Look at verses 26-27 with me.  

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 

²⁷  So God created man in his own image, 

in the image of God he created him; 

male and female he created them. (Ge 1:26–27)

Human beings are unique in that they are created in God’s very image and likeness. Both men and women, together—equally yet complementary—represent God on earth. This is fundamentally what it means to be created in God’s image and likeness. We are his royal representatives on earth.

This understanding of the image is reflected in the Psalmist’s interpretation of Genesis 1:26-28: “What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.” (Psalm 8:4)

Note that crown, glory, and honor are descriptors of royalty.

Old Testament scholars have noted a remarkable historical fact that sheds some light on this. Kings in the ancient Near East would place statues, images of themselves, in regions to represent their authority and rule. 

This is why I don’t go on long vacations. I’m afraid David is going to plant a statue of himself on the front lawn and declare himself the king of Waldo Hill! 

I like how one book describes the image of God. 

“…when God declares human beings to be his image-bearers, he is establishing the fact that they are to be his visible representatives in the created world. As such, they are to function with a derived authority as God would act and rule over the created order as God himself would.”

The goal of creation is for God to establish his kingdom, his rule and reign, through his image-bearers. As God’s image-bearer, Adam is to exercise dominion over the fish of the sea, birds of the heavens, over the livestock, and every creeping thing on earth. 

We learn something significant in verse 28, though. God’s purpose is not to have one man, or even one couple, represent and worship him on earth. He intends for the entire world to be filled with his image-bearers who worship him and describe his rule and reign on earth. God wants the whole earth to be one big temple, where God’s presence dwells with his people.

²⁸ And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth. (Ge 1:28)

Adam has a mission: to extend the presence of God’s rule and reign over the whole earth. To accomplish this, God graciously provides Adam with a helper for him and an institution—marriage— in which they can safely give themselves to one another for the accomplishment of that mission. 

Two brief application points regarding this. 

1. The worthiness of God to be worshipped. 

2. The honor and dignity of human beings. 

This mission has to begin somewhere. That brings us to our second point, the purpose of the garden. 

II.) The Purpose of the Garden (Gen. 2:5-15)

God plants the garden to be a microcosm and prototype for what God intends all of creation to be: a temple where God rules as he dwells with his people. The garden will serve as an initial place where Adam will serve as God’s representative. 

⁸ And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed (Ge 2:8)

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it (Ge 2:15)

Adam isn’t just to exercise dominion like a king, but he is also to worship the Lord and serve as a priest. The language and images used to describe the garden are remarkably similar to those used to describe the tabernacle and the temple. Not only that, but Adam’s job description is language used to describe the work of priests. 

We hear the language “work it and keep it‘ and think that Adam was a farmer. To be sure, Adam cared for the garden, but these words, when paired together, do not connote agriculture but priestly service. An excellent example of this is found in Numbers 3:6-10. 

⁶ “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. ⁷ They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. ⁸ They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. ⁹ And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. ¹⁰ And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.” (Nu 3:6–10)

Adam is to exercise dominion and subdue the earth. By God’s authority, Adam is a king in the garden. He is to work and keep the garden as a priest. It is Adam’s job to make sure nothing unclean enters the garden. Adam does this primarily by obeying God’s command in Genesis 2:16-17.

¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Ge 2:16–17)

The timing of this command is worth noting. God gives this command to Adam before the creation of the woman. 

God gives Adam an explicit command. It is Adam’s job to ensure that God’s Word is made known, understood, and kept by his wife and his future children. Adam is also the garden’s prophet.

It is Adam’s job to make God’s Word honored and obeyed, so that proper worship can take place in God’s presence. 

Adam is a prophet, a priest, and a king. 

The garden serves as a testing ground for Adam’s mission. Can he be a faithful prophet, priest, and king? Can he be a faithful representative of God’s rule and reign? God’s command not to eat of the tree puts Adam to the test. 

This brings us to our final point—the promises of the covenant. 

III.) The Promises of the Covenant (Gen. 2:9, 16-17) 

We know that Adam is supposed to exercise dominion, be fruitful and multiply, and also be a faithful prophet and priest of God’s garden. What makes this relationship a covenant, though? The two trees in the garden symbolize the most prominent features of a covenant. One tree symbolizes the reward of eternal life and righteousness if Adam obeys. The other tree symbolized the curse of death if Adam disobeys. 

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

The tree of life was a reminder of God’s promise to reward Adam with eternal life and righteousness. God’s exiling of Adam and Eve from the garden, the way the tree of life is used in the Revelation, and the curse of death for disobedience strongly suggest that eternal life would have been rewarded to Adam had he obeyed. 

1. Adam is expelled from the garden, and a Cherubim protects the tree. 

²² Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” ²³ therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. (Ge 3:22–24)

2. The presence of the tree of life in Revelation reinforces is being a symbol of eternal life. 

⁷ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God (Re 2:7)

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Re 22:1–2)

3. Disobedience resulted in death, so obedience would have justly resuled in the reward of life. 

⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Ge 2:16–17)

This covenant made with Adam is one of works. The reward is conditional upon Adam’s obedience. As Aaron will teach us next week, Adam fails this test and breaks this covenant.

God banishes Adam and Eve from the garden as a punishment for sin, but also as a means of salvation. They are not to return to the covenant of works. They are to look forward to a covenant of grace. Adam doesn’t need to lift his hands to eat of a tree. He needs to lift his eyes in hope of the one who will die on a tree.    

None of us can achieve eternal life by a covenant of works. We can only receive eternal life by way of a covenant of grace. Jesus brings that covenant of grace by his life, death, and resurrection.

Everywhere Adam failed, Christ succeeded. He is a true and better prophet, priest, and king who faithfully represents God as the image of God. I love the opening verse of Christ the True and Better which teaches us exactly that 

Christ, the true and better Adam

Son of God and Son of man

Who, when tempted in the garden

Never yielded, never sinned

He, who makes the many righteous

Brings us back to life again

Dying, He reversed the curse, then

Rising, crushed the serpent’s head

Give a clear gospel call and response.

Sermon Idea: The Christian Life is resurrection life, dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

Introduction: The Bible contains some powerful conditional phrases. You may not think about conditional phrases much, and that’s ok, but when we allow ourselves to hear them, they can be rather sobering. Let me give you a few examples. 

¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. (1 Co 15:14)

¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (1 Co 15:17)

¹⁹ If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Co 15:19)

With three powerful conditional phrases, the apostle Paul tells us that our entire Christian faith, ministry, and labors are in vain if Christ is not risen. Those are phrases that pack a punch. 

Oh, but if he is, God has made him both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). If he is, all who confess with (their) mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in (their) heart that God raised him from the dead, (they) will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Ro 10:9–10)

I suspect we all understand the importance and centrality of Jesus Christ’s resurrection for the Christian faith. Without the resurrection, there is no Christian faith. I suspect we also recognize the importance of the resurrection for salvation—without the resurrection, there is no salvation. 

I wonder, though, if we have reflected adequately enough on the importance of the resurrection for the Christian life. What connection is there between Christ’s resurrection from the dead and our life as a Christians? How does the resurrection of Jesus inform how we now live? 

Of course, there is a deep, powerful connection between the resurrection and the Christian life because the Christian Life is resurrection life, dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

The foundational doctrine that supports this connection and which is so important for understanding nearly everything said in the New Testament about what it means to be a Christian is the doctrine of union with Christ. Every Christian is spiritually and mysteriously united to Jesus Christ by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and through faith. 

One of the best descriptions of this doctrine comes from Paul’s personal testimony in Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Ga 2:20)

This union with Jesus Christ is how we gain access to the benefits and blessings of salvation. 

The Sixteenth-century Protestant Reformer, John Calvin, was right when he wrote, “We must understand that as long as Christ remains outside of us, and we are separated from him, all that he suffered and died for the salvation of the human race remains useless and of no value for us…All that he possesses is nothing to us until we grow into one body with him.”

In Romans 6, Paul develops the practical implications of union with Christ for the Christian life. He begins by highlighting our union with the death of Christ in Romans 6:1-4.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? ² By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? ³ Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Ro 6:1–4)

Paul is answering forcefully any and all who would suggest that the grace of God in salvation is a license to sin. He says in the most emphatic terms, “By no means!” 

The reason why we are not to use God’s grace as a license to keep sinning is that through faith, every Christian has been united to Jesus in his death. How can we who died to sin still live in it? (Rom. 6:2) 

We are not to live in sin, but because of our union with Christ, we are to “walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:4) 

So far, though, Paul has only connected the believer with Christ’s death. How can we walk in newness of life? 

This morning’s text supports the main idea Paul wants to communicate in verse 4: Christians are to walk in the newness of life. Union with Christ is not only with his death but also with his resurrection. The Christian life is resurrection life, dead to sin, and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

My hope this morning is that you’ll be reminded of the great grace and power at work within us. We’ll be stirred to walk in the newness of life all the more because of our blessed union with Christ. 

I.) The Christian life is dead to sin (Romans 6:5-7) 

Since we are united with Christ’s death, we will be united with his resurrection. 

⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷ For one who has died has been set free from sin (Ro 6:5–7)

Paul says we will be raised one day, just as Christ was raised from the dead. That future assurance is not only the essence of Christian hope but also the fuel for the Christian life in the present. Those who will be physically raised in the future are spiritually raised now through faith in Christ. 

⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him (Eph 2:4–6)

The result of dying and being raised with Christ is that he old self that was in bondage to and guilty of sin has been crucified. This means that the Christian life is dead to sin! What does it mean to be dead to sin?

Paul explains that being dead to sin means being set free from slavery. 

When Chris Tomlin wrote his version of the classic hymn Amazing Grace, he added a chorus. 

My chains are gone, I’ve been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, amazing grace

The Christian life is dead to sin, so it is free of sin’s penalty and power. 

The Bible makes it clear that the penalty for sin is separation from God and, ultimately, death. When Adam and Eve fell, they were expelled from the garden. Sin disrupted and fractured their free access to God’s presence. Although they did not die physically right away, they suffered the spiritual death that sin brings. The penalty for sin is death. 

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ro 6:23)

The gospel’s good news is that those who are in union with Christ are dead to sin and so free from sin’s penalty. We now experience the presence of God through our mediator, Jesus Christ, and although we will all still taste physical death, we have the hope of resurrection. 

Before Jesus rose Lazarus from the dead, he told Martha,  I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. (Jn 11:25–26)

This resurrection Sunday, we must believe that union with Christ means being dead to sin and being free from sin’s penalty. We need to let the amazing freedom of the gospel lead us to greater obedience out of gratitude. 

Not only are we free from sin’s penalty, but we are also free from sin’s power. That is the primary focus of Paul’s encouragement with the words, “…so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷ For one who has died has been set free from sin.”

 Being dead to sin means that sin can no longer master the Christian. We have been released from its realm, no longer in its bondage, and freed from its power. 

This is why Paul can say in verse 12, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body to make you obey its passions,” and in verse 14, “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

At this point, we need to note something very important. Although we are currently free from sin’s penalty and its power, we are not yet free from its presence. Sin and its influence will remain with us until that final day when God makes all things new. 

We are free from sin’s penalty and power, not from its temptations, nor from the spiritual enemies that wish us harm.

¹⁴ But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵ Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death (Jas 1:14–15)

⁸ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Pe 5:8)

What’s the point? The Christian life is dead to sin’s power, and so must continually put sin to death as long as it remains present in our lives. We are redeemed but not yet glorified, so we live the Christian life by striving to become more of what God has already declared us to be.   

What the Bible calls us to is what many in the Christian tradition have called mortification. We are to mortify our sin by putting it to death. By grace and in the power of the Spirit, we are to deny temptation, discipline our spiritual lives, and kill any and all sin that remains with us. 

⁵ Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ On account of these the wrath of God is coming (Col 3:5–6)

¹³ For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live (Ro 8:13)

Passages like these led the Puritan John Owen to say, “…be killing sin or it will be killing you.”

We do not kill sin to become dead to sin and right with God. We continue to kill sin because we are right with God, united to Christ, and the power of sin no longer has mastery over us. 

Given the gravity of these commands, it is good for us to reflect on whether we are actively putting sin to death in our own Christian lives and what it may look like if we are not. 

The Christian who is putting sin to death is aware of their vulnerability and seeks to limit opportunities for temptation. 

When I was in college, I was required to read Homer’s The Odyssey for a Great Books Seminar. It is a long epic poem about a character named Odysseus. At one point in the journey, Odysseus learns of the Island of Sirens, which he must pass by. The island was filled with siren singers who would sing a beautiful song, certain to lure men to their death. 

In her classic book on Greek Mythology, Edith Hamilton describes the sirens this way: “These were marvelous singers whose voices would make a man forget all else, and at last their song would steal his life away. Moldering skeletons of those they had lured to their death lay banked high up around them where they sat singing on the shore.”

Odysseus is a perfect example of what not to do in the face of temptation and sin. He commands everyone except for himself on board his ship to fill their ears with wax. He wants to hear the song, so he ties himself to the boat and commands his comrades not to let him get away, no matter how much he attempts to do so. 

Christians who put sin to death don’t act like Odysseus. They grow in their self-awareness and attempt to avoid temptation. When they become aware of sin in their life, they quickly confess, repent, and pray for the grace to change. There is a growing hatred for sin in their lives and a growing desire for holiness in its place. 

What might a life look like that is not killing sin? I want to offer you four quick descriptions of someone who may not be killing sin. 

1. You may not be killing sin if you’re growing more defensive about your habits and life patterns. 

2. You may not be killing sin if you often deflect conversations from spiritual things. 

3. You may not be killing sin if you’re easily distracted and unable to tend to your own spiritual life. 

4. You may not be killing sin if you’re growing distant from your local church and its gatherings. 

How is your walk with the Lord this morning? Which description is most apt for how you seek to follow Jesus day by day? 

Friends, the Christian life is dead to sin. Let us not coddle sin, manage sin, or entertain sin. Let us crucify it by grace and in the power of the Spirit.

II.) The Christian life is alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:8-11)

⁸ Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰ For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. ¹¹ So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Ro 6:8–11)

There is a deep, powerful connection between the resurrection and the Christian life because the Christian Life is resurrection life, dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

Our shared union with Christ doesn’t simply crucify the old self that was in bondage to sin, but gives us a new life in the power of Christ’s resurrection. This has great implications for our Christian faith as well. Just as we are commanded to kill sin because of our union with Christ’s death, we are called to walk in the newness of life because of our union with Christ’s resurrection. This has often been called vivification. 

We need to kill vices and cultivate virtues. The Christian life consists of dying to sin and living unto righteousness. 

In other words, we don’t just want to kill greed. We want to grow in generosity. 

We don’t just want to kill bitterness. We want to grow in mercy and forgiveness. 

We don’t just want to kill lust. We want to grow in love and purity. 

This is why, after Paul tells us to put off the old man, we are to put on the new. 

¹² Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Col 3:12–14)

How does vivification happen in the life of the Christian? How are we continually renewed to walk in the newness of life after killing sin? 

As you might expect, the answer is rather ordinary and involves God’s means of birthing and strengthening our faith. There is no secret to renewed life in Christ, no acceleration program, and no guru who can lifehack your sanctification. 

There is the Word of God and the promise of God’s Spirit to work through the ordinary means of grace corporately and privately for our good and his glory. 

Those who are being vivified by God’s Spirit are immersed in the Word of God, devoted to prayer, and prioritize Christian fellowship and friendship. 

Beloved, you are united with Christ, and the power of his resurrection is at work in you. We can and should walk in the newness of life.

The Christian Life is resurrection life, so let us die to sin and live unto God in Christ Jesus. 

Sermon Idea: God uses our giving to advance the gospel to the praise of his glory. 

Introduction: Throughout our Philippians study, we have explored several important themes. In the initial overview sermon, we said that this letter is about living in a manner worthy of the gospel so that we might be unified and in partnership for gospel advancement. 

The foundational truth on which all these themes are built is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the reason Paul is serving as a missionary and the reason the Philippian church exists. 

The gospel changed Paul so radically that he went from a persecutor of the church to its most influential missionary. 

The gospel so changed women like Lydia and men like the Philippians jailer they became partners in Paul’s missionary efforts. The church in Philippi not only supported Paul in prayer but also with financial partnership. 

At its most basic, Philippians is about a people who were changed by the gospel and gave of themselves in support of the gospel. 

In verse 15, Paul tells us that the Philippians began to support him after they received the gospel. 

¹⁵ And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. (Php 4:15)

This verse at the end of the letter resonates with several verses from the beginning of the letter. 

Paul praises God for their “partnership in the gospel…” (vs. 1:5) 

Paul thanks them for joining him in the “defense and confirmation of the gospel” (vs. 1:7)

Their support of Paul, even in his imprisonment, has served to “advance the gospel…” (vs. 1:12)

The gospel of Jesus Christ changes people, so they cherish its truths and give for its advancement. These verses teach us that God uses our giving to advance the gospel to the praise of his glory.

This morning, I encourage us to reflect on four truths about missions giving. These truths will hopefully renew our commitment to partnering with other churches, agencies, and missionaries to advance the gospel. 

I.) Giving is a partnership in gospel advancement (4:14-16) 

In verses 10-13, Paul informed the church that we had no further financial needs; he was not asking for more money. For example, in verse 11, Paul says, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. (Php 4:11)

Even so, he wants to express his great gratitude for the church’s financial support, so he reflects on their past giving. 

¹⁴ Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. ¹⁵ And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. ¹⁶ Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. (Php 4:14–16)

Let’s focus on the phrase, “share my trouble.” The idea here is similar to the references in chapter one about the Philippians being partners in the gospel. This is reaffirmed in verse 15: when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 

Giving financial support allowed them to share in Paul’s troubles and participate in his mission even if they could not travel with him. Paul describes their early partnership in 2 Corinthians 8. 

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, ² for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. ³ For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, ⁴ begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints (2 Co 8:1–4)

When we give to faithful missionaries, we share in their trouble and become partners in the gospel. 

As many of you know, Waldo has a rich history of mission partnerships. It’s impossible to tell the story of HeartCry Missionary Society without mentioning Jack Russell and Waldo Baptist Church’s support at some point. That is a history worth celebrating. 

This morning, we are tasked with continually asking how we can be faithful gospel partners now and in the future. We aspire to be a church that shares the burdens of missionaries, partners with church planters and helps make disciples of Jesus Christ. 

I’ve shared this story once before, but it’s worth telling again. Many of you may have heard of William Cary; he is often called the Father of modern missions. He was a missionary to India who played a vital role in starting the first Baptist Missionary Society. 

His friend, Andrew Fuller, did not go overseas as a missionary but stayed home to represent the Baptist Missionary Society and raise funds to support missionaries.  

Carey went to India; Fuller remained at home. Only one went, but both labored for the gospel’s advancement among the nations. 

Before leaving for India, William Cary famously told Fuller, “I will go down into the pit if youhold the ropes.”

In the New Testament, we are called to obey the Great Commission by either going or sending and supporting it. God did not intend for a special few to bear the world’s lostness on their shoulders. Missions partnership and missions giving is one way we can help share the burden. 

By ourselves, it will be hard to give substantial support to missionaries and ministries worth supporting, but together as a church, we can construct our budget so that we hold the rope faithfully for all those we support. 

Giving is a partnership in the gospel and an investment in spiritual fruit. Let’s look at verse seventeen. 

II.) Giving is an investment in spiritual fruit (4:17) 

These verses are rich with financial imagery. In verse 17, Paul implies that giving generates spiritual interest in the church’s account. In other words, there is a spiritual advantage to sacrificially giving to promote the gospel. 

¹⁷ Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit (Php 4:17)

You might remember that fruit is exactly what Paul prays for in chapter one. He prays they would be, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Php 1:9–11)

If we take this language seriously, we must say that sacrificial giving produces spiritual maturity in the giver as it supports the one receiving the gift. Paul makes a similar point in 2 Corinthians. 

⁶ The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (2 Co 9:6–8)

When we give sacrificially for the good of others, particularly to support gospel ministry, we are making a spiritual investment- one that is partly realized now but will only be fully appreciated on Judgment Day. Although we cannot know all that God is doing through our sacrificial giving, we can trust that we are investing in fruit for our account. 

People regularly invest in companies, hoping to benefit financially. It is wise to be a good steward of God’s resources. There is no greater investment than investing in God’s mission to advance the gospel. 

Investment in God’s mission and the gospel does not depreciate. The stock will not plummet to our detriment. To invest in the gospel is to invest in heaven, where treasure, neither moth nor rust, destroys.

¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Mt 6:19–21)

Jesus tells us that even in the smallest acts of mercy, God credits rewards to our accounts. 

⁴² And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” (Mt 10:42)

As a church, we should revisit our budget each year and ask ourselves: What are we investing in? Do we believe in the spiritual benefits promised now and into eternity to those who give to advance the gospel? 

While serving in North Carolina, one of my members was a retired Wycliffe Bible translator. He and his wife moved their family, an infant son with more children to be born, to the jungle of Brazil. They labored to translate the entire Bible for the Guajajara for thirty years. He completed the New Testament in 1985, and ten years later, the people began to ask about the Old Testament. 

A 2008 article from the Pennsylvania Gazette says, “Harrison dove into the translation in 1996 and worked at a breakneck pace. He awoke each morning at 4:30, kept interruptions minimal, and finished a rough draft of the Old Testament—which, at nearly 600,000 words in the original Hebrew, is almost four times as long as the New Testament—in four years. (“Probably a record,” he says.) 

The subsequent edits to prepare the manuscript for publication took another seven years; the Guajajara tribe conducted a lively dedication ceremony across several villages and over the course of three days in early October 2007.” 

As I think about that remarkable man and the achievement he accomplished, I can’t help but also think of how Wycliffe translators are supported. They depend on churches and personal support partners, which means that many people and congregations invested in his work to translate the Bible for a tribe in Brazil who had no access to Scripture in their native tongue. 

Do you think that was a worthwhile investment? You better believe it. The spiritual interest gained by such sacrificial giving can hardly be measured. 

Giving is a partnership in the gospel. It is an investment in spiritual fruit. It is also a sacrificial act of worship. 

III.) Giving is sacrificial worship pleasing to God (4:18)

¹⁸ I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. (Php 4:18)

The language that Paul uses here is used throughout Scripture to refer to the sacrifice and worship of God. 

Sacrificial giving is like the fragrance or pleasing aroma of the sacrifices in the Old Testament that were pleasing to God. It’s used in the New Testament to describe Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. 

² And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Eph 5:2)

Our offerings to the Lord for the support of our church, other churches, ministries, and missionaries are fragrant offerings acceptable and pleasing to God.

Our giving is not a mere transaction between two parties but an act of worship before God. This means that worship is not paused or delayed when we pray and invite our ushers forward to take up the offering. We give of ourselves as an act of worship. Our giving is a sacrifice to God that is pleasing to him. 

Paul tells us in Romans 12 that our lives are to be living sacrifices, so it is with our giving. 

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship (Ro 12:1)

As an extension of this point, allow me to encourage you. If giving is an act of worship, then our budget is a theological document as much as a practical one. So, if you’re a member here, part of this act of worship is being present at member meetings to review our budget, vote for it, and receive financial reports and updates. We are grateful that you give, but we want to call you to embrace the responsibility God has given to church members. Allow your acts of worship to concern not just your personal tithe but our church’s priorities as a whole. 

Giving is a partnership in the gospel. It is a spiritual investment and act of sacrificial worship. We do all this believing that God will supply and provide for our needs. So, our final point about giving is to trust in God’s rich provision. 

IV.) Giving is to trust in God’s rich provision (4:19-23)

¹⁹ And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. ²⁰ To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen (Php 4:19–20)

We give sacrificially, believing that God will supply every need. This provision is found in Christ Jesus. God has already provided all we need in Christ Jesus for our salvation, so we can trust him to provide our needs.

⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich (2 Co 8:9)

Part of living by faith is believing God’s promises because you cherish God’s character. The God who has provided for our salvation in Christ will not abandon us as we give sacrificially for gospel advancement. 

Have you ever met someone who is overly optimistic? Nothing can ever get them down.
They’re the human equivalent of Tiger. These people are often seen as being “Glass half-
full.” On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have those who are pessimistic. The sky is
always falling, doom is always on the horizon. These people are like Eeyore, and are
often viewed as being, “Glass half-empty.” But there is a third way. In our household, we
have what are known as “Brianisms.” These are pearls of wisdom from my father-in-law.
One of my favorite Brianisms is this: “I don’t care if the glass is half-empty or half-full. I
want to know what’s in the glass.” 1 This is the attitude of the Apostle Paul. As he penned
this letter to the church in Philippi, he was not putting on a mask and pretending to be
strong and joyful even though he was dying inside. He acknowledged his sufferings, yet
was able to rejoice in them because of the person and work of Christ.

This is one of the reasons that the local church is so important for believers.
“Bring your baggage in, but leave your mask at the door.”
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2

The gospel call is not, “fake it until you make it.” The gospel message is this:
Come as you are, and by God’s grace, you don’t have to stay where you are! Have
you repented and believed the gospel? Are you a new creation in Christ, or are
you just a well-behaved sinner? The gospel message is NOT behavior
modification – it IS repentance and faith in the Triune God of scripture.

1 Brian Brinkley
2 Ryan Anderson

Sinclair Ferguson has explained contentment in this way: “Contentment is never the
result of the momentary decision of the will. It cannot be produced merely by having a
well-ordered and thought-through time-and life-management plan calculated to guard us
against unexpected twists of divine providence. No, true contentment means embracing
the Lord’s will in every aspect of His providence simply because it is His providence. It
involves what we are in our very being, not just what we do and can accomplish.” 3 In
other words, contentment is not rooted in doing as much as it is in being.

Before moving on, a disclaimer must be made: “There is a place for legitimate
discontentment. All of us should, to some degree, be discontent with our spiritual growth.
If we are not, we will stop growing. There is also what we might call a prophetic
discontentment with injustice and other evils in society that is coupled with a desire to
see positive change.” What we must avoid at all costs is a sinful, whining disposition that
always complains about circumstances.

True contentment is a result of communion with Christ. Contentment is utterly
impossible apart from Him. Have you fully submitted your life to Christ, or just added
Him to your life? Jesus Christ is not an accessory – something to be kept around, “just in
case” you need something.

Are you content with the person, work & presence of Christ? Or are you just
content with the blessings you receive from Him?

The quickest path to misery is to pursue passions, pleasures & purpose apart from God.
The quickest path to joy is to find your passions, pleasures & purpose in Christ alone.
God is not the cherry on top of your already blessed life. He is the one from whom all
blessings flow!

“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory
forever. Amen.” 5 – Romans 11:36. That’s why we sing the doxology; it’s a
reminder that everything good in this life comes from the one true living God.

“Praise God from whom all blessings flow / Praise Him all creatures here below /
Praise Him above ye heavenly host / Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost / Amen

Philippians 4:10 – We can have joy in gospel partnership
In James Montgomery Boice’s commentary, he observes that throughout history, churches have been remembered for different things. The book of Romans reveals a church with remarkable faith, the church at Ephesus was remembered for its hard work, the church at Corinth was remembered for being somewhat carnal/immoral at times, the church at Laodicea is remembered for its apostasy, and Thessalonica for its doctrinal divisions concerning the second coming of Christ. Here, we see the church at Philippi being remembered as a church who shows compassion, stewardship and selflessness. 6 When the day of judgement comes, what will Christ say of His bride at Waldo? How will we as a church be remembered? 100 years from now, will this church on a hill in the middle of a cornfield in Massac County cease to exist, or will we continue to be a light shining in a dark world? Will we be the church who is focused on the things of this world? Will we be the church who chooses division over things that don’t matter? Or will we be the church who is remembered for our joy, charity & worship of God? There is joy in gospel partnership. We can be a part of fulfilling the great commission by praying, proclaiming & sacrificial giving. We are not here to build the kingdom of Waldo. We exist to further the kingdom of God. This can only be done if we are a church who prays, sends & gives our very best for the glory of God and the good of His people.

Philippians 1:3-5. Paul’s relationship with the church at Philippi begins in Acts 16. In
God’s providence, the Apostle is prevented by the Holy Spirit from entering various
cities in this missionary journey. Paul receives a vision at night of a man in Macedonia,
saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” One Sabbath day, Paul encounters a
woman named Lydia, who along with her household, is converted and baptized. As this
encounter ends, Paul casts out a demon from a slave girl. This lands Paul & Silas in
prison. As Paul & Silas are in jail, at midnight they began to pray and sing hymns. An
earthquake occurs, the prison doors are opened, and the jailer assumes that his prisoners
have escaped & decides to take his own life. At the last minute, Paul cries out to the jailer
that no one has left the prison. Then we have the conversion of the jailer. The city
officials ask Paul & Silas to leave the city, so they visit Lydia & the brothers, they are
encouraged by the believers & then carry on their missionary journey.

As Paul concludes this letter, he thanks the church in Philippi that although no other
church entered into partnership with him in giving and receiving, they did. His focus was
not the material possessions that he would receive from this local church – he was
encouraged by the fact that their sacrificial giving would serve to advance the gospel.

“If you want to live big on a small paycheck – give.” 7
When you give sacrificially for the edification of the church, you may have no idea of the
impact it could have on this side of eternity.
Philippians 4:11 – Contentment must be learned
Learning contentment is not easy, but it is possible, necessary & commanded by God. Paul is
writing this letter from a prison cell – how can he have joy under these circumstances but by
God’s grace alone?

Contentment is learned. It takes both awareness and effort. On one hand, Paul is the most
famous Christian in church history. At the same time, the best of men are men at best. We
should not idolize Paul, or any other Christian. However, we must recognize that the man
who wrote 2/3 of the New Testament, who planted churches, endured hardships & was
one of the most zealous followers of Christ – had to LEARN contentment. This should
encourage us.
8 “Since this is a secret to be learned, two things are implied: Not every Christian
has learned it & it is possible to learn. Many Christians, it seems, go throug their entire lives struggling, fuming, fretting, murmuring, fussing, arguing, and complaining against God and against their life circumstances.” (Davis, 2019)
Contentment is a choice. You don’t always get to choose your circumstances. You
always get to choose how you respond to them.

“In first-century Stoicism, “contentment” was an admired virtue, the trait of true wisdom.
But Stoic “contentment” was self-sufficiency, grounded in aloof indifference. Paul’s
contentment was reliant not on himself and his ability to suppress emotions, but on
Christ, who held Paul fast and sustained him in all circumstances.”

We are seeing a resurgence of this mindset in our culture today. Self-help authors
and alpha-guru personality types (e.g. David Goggins & Andrew Tate) are
influencing our culture by preaching the false gospel of self-sufficiency and
picking yourself up by your own bootstraps. To be content in the truest sense is
only possible by relying on the sufficiency of Christ. Anything apart from that is
antithetical to the gospel message. The solution to man’s problems is not the
prosperity gospel, the poverty gospel, stoicism or any earthly philosophy. The
only answer is Christ crucified on your behalf, dead, buried, raised, ascended to
the Father and is coming back to judge the quick and the dead.

Other scriptures
“But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by
contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take
anything out of it either. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall
be content.” 10 – 1 Timothy 6:6-8

“Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows
with blessing will also reap with blessing. Each one must do just as he has
purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a
cheerful giver. And God is able to make every grace about to you, so that in
everything at every time having every sufficiency, you may have an
abundance for every good deed.” 11 – 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

God does not provide good things for us so that we can build our own
kingdom. He gives us aptitude, opportunities & resources so that we may
play a part in building His kingdom. Note in this verse why He gives grace
& sufficiency; SO THAT we may have an abundance for every good deed.
Christ is building His church and He is using ordinary people through
ordinary means to do so. Do you want contentment? Lay hold of the
promises of God. Cling to them like your life depends upon it, because it
does!

“Make sure that your way of life is free from the love of money, being content
with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I
ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The LORD is my helper, I will not
be afraid. What will man do to me?”

John D. Rockefeller was the first billionaire in the U.S. was once asked, “How much money is enough?” He replied, “Just a little bit more.” Money can be a great tool, but is always a terrible master.

Philippians 4:12 – Contentment outside of Christ will not last
As we go through our life, some lessons can be taught, while others must be caught.
Contentment is not a simple math equation that can be easily understood by using a
textbook, it must be learned through experience. Contentment is rooted in being, not just
doing. If all we have is action without meaning, we will be of little use in God’s
kingdom. Our actions must be rooted in knowing and being known by the One True and
Living God.

“To be content as a result of some external thing is like warming a man’s clothes by the
fire. But to be content through an inward disposition of the soul is like the warmth that a
man’s clothes have from the natural heat of the body. A man who is healthy in body puts
on his clothes, and perhaps at first on a cold morning they feel cold. But after he has had
them on a little while they are warm. Now, how did they get warm? They were not near
the fire? No, this came from the natural heat of his body. Now when a sickly man, the
natural heat of whose body has deteriorated, puts on his clothes, they do not get hot after
a long time. He must warm them by the fire, and even then they will soon be cold
again.”

External circumstances are beyond our control, but the way we respond is within our
control. Our response to external circumstances is based upon our inward disposition of
our heart. We fail to recognize this truth when we use phrases such as, “That makes me
so angry”, “This person causes me to be anxious”, or “I would be happy if I only had
_.” The root of sinful anger, anxiety & discontentment is the flesh. In order to kill sin,
we must call it for what it truly is & look to Christ alone to set us free.

“As far-fetched as this may sound to us, Jesus actually likens the value of salvation to a
secret treasure hidden in a field (Matt. 13:44). Christian contentment is part of that
spiritual treasure. It has such transformative power that it is far more valuable than any
physical treasure that has ever been buried beneath the surface of the earth. And the
apostle Paul claims to know where the treasure of contentment is buried.” (Davis, 2019)

o What the Christian life is NOT: Justification > spend your time on earth
complaining about your circumstances > heaven.
o What the Christian life IS: Justification > Sanctification > Glorification

Contentment is NOT the same as a lack of ambition. Contentment and ambition exist
harmoniously in the Christian life when our affections are ordered properly. If your satisfaction and joy rise and fall with your power, prestige or possessions, rest
assured that power, prestige and possessions are not the problem – it’s a heart issue.
Christians need to face the reality that sometimes we wrestle with spiritual powers and principalities, sometimes we wrestle with the world, but more often than not, our greatest
problem is ourselves, the flesh.

As we pursue contentment in Christ, we must stay on guard against anything contrary to
that end. One of the more prevailing sins in our culture that robs us of contentment is
anxiety. It’s no coincidence that just a few verses prior to our text, Paul warns against
anxiety in the life of a believer. Jerry Bridges wisely stated the following: “The opposite
of trust in God is either anxiety or frustration, and Jesus had a lot to say about anxiety.
The most prominent passage in which Jesus speaks about it is Matthew 6:25-34, in which
He uses the word anxious six times. We are not to be anxious about what we are to eat,
drink, or wear, or even about the unknown circumstances of tomorrow… Paul picks up
this admonition about anxiety with his words in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious
about anything.” And Peter adds his exhortation, “Cast all your anxieties on him, because
He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7).

Matthew 6:25-34 – This world is not our home. The words of Jesus and Paul make sense
only because they have eternity in view. When I am anxious, I am believing the lie that my Father in heaven does not care for me. When I am anxious, I am refusing to believe God’s promises that He will work all things out for my good and His glory.

In our culture, anxiety is often used as a crutch, or sometimes even displayed as a
badge of honor. People will wrap their identity in their anxiety with phrases such
as, “I’m an anxious person.” This language has become normalized in our culture.
Would we use the same language for other sins, such as envy, greed, lust, or
arrogance? As a church, we cannot afford to soften the language the Bible uses
for sin because we are worried about offending someone. We’re so worried about
not offending anyone, the only person we don’t mind to offend is God. Anxiety,
like any other sin, must be put to death in the life of a Christian. The more we see
sin for what it really is, the more we can appreciate the beauty and glory of who
Christ is and what He has done. In the 23 rd Psalm, we read these words: “Even
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You
are with me, Your rod and staff, they comfort me.” The psalmist does not whine
about his circumstances. He rejoices in the fact that His shepherd loves and cares
for Him and is willing to lead him through the deepest and darkest valley. This is
the attitude of Paul. If you struggle with anxiety, you are not alone, and there are
men and women in this church who will walk alongside you.

Keeping discontentment, anxiety, impure thoughts or any other sin around in your
life would like having a rattlesnake as a pet. Eventually you it will bite you. When
it does, the venom will coarse through your veins and it will destroy you. What’s the solution? Christ has crushed the head of the serpent – look unto Him!

Philippians 4:13 – Christ ALONE is the source of our contentment

This is one of the 3 most misquoted scriptures in our day.
Matthew 7:1 – Quoted when someone is trying to justify their sin and want to do
so guilt free.
Jeremiah 29:11 – Quoted when someone wants covenant promises of prosperity
without the difficulties of living in exile/Babylon.
Philippians 4:13 – Quoted in an effort to win God’s favor in a sporting event,
business venture, or pursuit of the flesh. By the world’s standards, if anyone had something to complain about, it would have been Paul. When Paul says he can do “all things”, what does he have in mind?

2 Corinthians 11:23-28 – “Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to
talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more
frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and
again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times
I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was
shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on
the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger
from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in
the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored
and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and
have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything
else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.”

If the Apostle’s goal was to be a motivational speaker, he did a terrible job! What is Paul
saying here? “I can endure hunger, beatings, desert heat, arctic cold, persecutions,
poverty, wealth or anything in between. Why? Because my view of God is not based
upon my circumstances. My view of circumstances is based upon who God is.”

Consider the context of the church plant in Philippi. Acts 16 shows a group of people
with differing backgrounds & social status, but their fundamental need is the same –
Christ alone. You can be poor, yet be content. You can be rich, yet lack contentment. To
be content is not based upon outward circumstances. It’s an internal disposition that is
possible only through the power of the Holy Spirit. Contentment is not natural – it is
supernatural.

“A carnal heart reads the promises (of God), and reads them merely as stories, not that he
has any great interest in them. But every time a godly man reads the Scriptures
(remember this when you are reading Scripture) and there meets with a promise, he ought
to lay his hand upon it and say, This is part of my inheritance, it is mine, and I am to live
upon it.” 16

Application – Consider the provision of God to His people down through the ages and in your
own life. In Exodus 16, we see God providing manna from heaven. The Israelites were
commanded to gather enough for that day only. If they kept any of it until morning, it would be filled with maggots and unfit to eat. Why? Because Yahweh wanted to teach His people to
depend on Him. How long will you try and make your own way? How long will you try and live
on yesterday’s manna? Consider Jesus, who taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily
bread.”

If the Israelites tried to live on yesterday’s bread, they would get sick.
If they tried to live on tomorrow’s bread, they would starve.
If they learned to trust in the provision of the One True God, they would be satisfied.
That same offer stands today for you: Trust in your heavenly Father to meet all of your
needs. Learn to be content in the person and work of Christ the son. Rely on the presence
of the Holy Spirit when fears and doubt come your way. Faithfully gather with the saints
every week so that you may be a part of what God is doing, building His kingdom
through His people.

Closing
“What is Heaven, but the rest and quiet of a man’s spirit, that is the special thing that
makes the life of Heaven, there is rest and joy, and satisfaction in God. So it is in a
contented spirit: there is rest and joy and satisfaction in God. In Heaven there is singing
praises to God; a contented heart is always praising and blessing God. You have Heaven
while you are on earth when you have a contented spirit.”

We believe that man was created in holiness, under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression fell from that holy and happy state; in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not by constraint but choice; being by nature utterly void of that holiness required by the law of God, positively inclined to evil; and therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin, without defense or excuse.

Introduction: We cannot afford to think wrongly about ourselves. Misunderstanding the nature of humanity, our great need, and how to fix it is of the utmost importance. Many today wrongly think that humanity’s problems can be solved through technology, but our problem is not a technological one. Others think we can solve humanity’s problems with education, but intellectual ignorance is far from our greatest need. Others may suggest politics is our hope, but public policy cannot get to the heart of our problem. If we diagnose the problem incorrectly, we will prescribe insufficient medicine. 

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said that preaching is the primary activity of the church because God never changes, and man’s need never changes. 

“…the moment you consider man’s real need, and also the nature of salvation announced and proclaimed in the Scriptures, you are driven to the conclusion that the primary task of the Church is to preach and proclaim this, to show’s man’s real need, and to show the only remedy, the only cure for it.”

This article clearly explains humanity’s problem in our confession. Only by understanding the nature of man’s true need can we accurately see that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the sole solution. 

I.) Humanity was created in Holiness

We believe that man was created in holiness, under the law of his Maker

The opening pages of Scripture testify that all of God’s creation was good. Genesis records God’s positive judgment on what he has made with the refrain, “And God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:10, 12, 18, 25). 

God’s creation of humanity continues this pattern but in escalation. Humanity is the pinnacle of God’s creation. Only humans are created in God’s image (Gen. 1:26-27; 5:1), and only after the creation of man does God see that all he has made is “very good” (Gen. 1:31). 

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 

²⁷  So God created man in his own image, 

in the image of God he created him; 

male and female he created them. (Ge 1:26–27)

Unfortunately, the text in Genesis does not explain what it means to be created according to the image and likeness of God. Nor does the confession articulate a particular understanding of the image of God. It simply rightly affirms that man was “created in holiness.”

Christians have postulated several interpretations, attempting to locate the image in the capacity for reason, the ability to have a relationship with God, and the function of rule and dominion (Gen. 1:28). Although all of these may relate to what it means to be created in God’s image, they do not constitute the essence of the image itself. 

I want to humbly suggest that the image and likeness refer to a royal status that every person possesses as God’s representative on earth. As God’s image and likeness, humanity’s presence on earth marks that God created and thus exercises dominion over all of creation. It is true of everyone regardless of ethnicity, gender, age, mental capacity, or social status. Therefore, every person has an inherent dignity, worth, and value as God’s image bearer. 

This understanding of the image is reflected in the Psalmist’s interpretation of Genesis 1:26-28: “What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.” (Psalm 8:4)

Note that crown, glory, and honor are descriptors of royalty. The rule and 

dominion humanity was meant to possess over creation resulted from 

being in God’s image, but it’s not the image itself. Of course, to be God’s 

royal representative, one also has the capacity to relate to God and other 

creatures. 

This interpretation parallels how the word “image” was used throughout the culture of the ancient Near East. “In ancient near East, the setting up of the king’s statue was the equivalent to the proclamation of his domination over the sphere in which the statue was erected.”

Furthermore, in the ancient world, kings and pharaohs were believed to be the “image” and adopted “sons” of their particular deities. The Egyptian Pharaoh was called the “Image of Re,” and the Assyrian Kings were called the “Image of Bel” or “Image of Marduk.”

“However, unlike the ancient Near East background, where the concept is applied only to the king, Scripture teaches that all humans (“man” collectively) is created in the image of God, and under Adam’s headship, all humans were created to be rulers over creation.”

Adam was created to be a priest-king over God’s creation and meant to exercise dominion over it. He was created good and in holiness, capable of fulfilling God’s commands and living rightly in communion with God. At creation, there was no sin or disruption of fellowship with God. 

Even though Adam was good and created in holiness, he was not free to live and do as he pleased. The confession rightly states that humanity was created”…under the law of his Maker.”

God is holiness, justice, and righteousness. Being created by God means being under the law of our maker. Adam was obligated to God and his holiness. We can and should distinguish between two types of law: natural (moral) law and positive law.  

Samuel Renihan helpfully clarifies the difference between the two, “Natural law refers to the universal moral law of God impressed on the mind of men. Positive law refers to indifferent things prescribed or proscribed for a particular period, place, and people.”

When the confession states that man was created “…under the law of his Maker,” it means that Adam was under God’s moral law and particular positive laws because of God’s covenant with God in creation. 

What positive laws did God give Adam as part of their covenant relationship? 

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Ge 2:15–17)

Some have attempted to suggest that God did not make a covenant with Adam in creation because the word “covenant” does not appear in Genesis 1-2. However, the context of Genesis 1-2 and later biblical texts referring to Genesis 1-2 make it clear that God made a covenant with Adam in creation. 

Evidence for the Covenant of Works/Covenant of Creation 

1.) In Genesis 2:4, the name LORD (YHWH) is used. As later Israelites read Genesis, they would have most certainly understood this as the name of the covenant Lord (Exodus 3:13-15). 

2.) Adam is given commands, promises for obedience, and curses for disobedience. Had Adam obeyed God in the garden, it would have resulted in eternal life (Gen. 3:22-24; Rev. 2:7), but disobedience brought the curse of death (Gen. 2:17; 3:16-19). 

3.) Later Biblical texts refer to Adam transgressing God’s covenant,But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me. (Ho 6:7)

4.) In the New Testament, Paul consistently and repeatedly compares Adam and Jesus as two representatives of humanity. It is difficult to think of Christ as the head of the new covenant without Adam also being the head of a covenant in creation.

For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. (Romans 5:15)

¹⁷ For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. (Ro 5:17)

²¹ For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Co 15:21–22.)

God created humanity in goodness and holiness. Adam was God’s image-bearer in a covenant relationship who was meant to bear fruit and multiply, extending God’s reign and rule over all of creation. 

Unfortunately, Adam failed at his task and broke God’s covenant. The result was dire for him and for the humanity whom he represented.

II.) Humanity fell in Adam 

but by voluntary transgression fell from that holy and happy state; in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not by constraint but choice

As Genesis 3:6-24 records, Adam transgressed God’s covenant, and as a result, all of humanity are now sinners, “in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners.”

It is important to note that in Adam, humanity sins not by constraint but by choice. There has never been anyone who forced us to sin. From the moment we are born, our sinful choices are our own, and we are accountable for each one. We are born into sin because Adam is our representative head, but our sin is ultimately our own free choice.  

¹² Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned (Ro 5:1)

THE Scriptures teach that the fall of Adam involved also that of his posterity. In the covenant, under which he sinned, he acted not merely as an individual man, the sole one of his kind, or one isolated from all others of his kind, but, as the head of the race, for his posterity as well as himself. The condition of mankind shows that they have all participated with him in the evils which resulted. The Scriptures teach that this is due, not merely to his natural headship, but to a representative or federal headship, because of which his act of sin may justly be considered as theirs, and they may be treated as though they had themselves done that act, each man for himself.- James P. Boyce 

III.) Humanity is depraved in Adam 

being by nature utterly void of that holiness required by the law of God, positively inclined to evil

The human condition after the fall is dire. Humanity maintains the image of God, but in a tainted and imperfect way (Gen. 9:6). There are no proper representatives of God and his rule on earth because all humanity is in sin with a nature “…utterly void of that holiness required by the law of God, positively inclined to evil.”

The Bible’s description of humanity’s post-fallen condition supports the confessions article. 

David refers to himself in Psalm 51:5 as having been born in sin, Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. (Ps 51:5)

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, ¹⁰ as it is written: 

“None is righteous, no, not one; 

¹¹  no one understands; 

no one seeks for God. 

¹²  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; 

no one does good, 

not even one.” 

¹³  “Their throat is an open grave; 

they use their tongues to deceive.” 

“The venom of asps is under their lips.” 

¹⁴  “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 

¹⁵  “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 

¹⁶  in their paths are ruin and misery, 

¹⁷  and the way of peace they have not known.” 

¹⁸  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Ro 3:9–18)

and therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin, without defense or excuse.

God’s holiness and righteousness cannot allow for lawbreakers to go without justice. To be in Adam, as a sinner, is to be under the wrath and judgment of God that will be fully realized in the age to come. 

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Ro 1:18–20)

³² Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. (Ro 1:32)

³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (Jn 3:36)

The importance of these doctrines is articulated well by my friend, Jake Stone.  

“If God did not pour out His wrath upon lawbreakers, then He would cease to be God. His essence demands that His holiness be vindicated. Eternal ruin is what awaits all those who die in Adam. Do you see why a grasp of the gospel must include a real knowledge about what Adam’s fall did to us and what our condition is? This is not a mere intellectual debate to have but the souls of men are doomed because of their natural condition. The reason that Paul speaks in Gal. 3:10 about cursed are those who rely on the works of the law is because none of us can keep that covenant of works. If I try to, all I am is cursed and all I will know is judgment from God.”