Christ ChurchThe Image of the Triune God (King’s Cross)
INTRODUCTION
In the worship of our congregations, we have the practice of reciting the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Definition of Chalcedon. There are various implications of this, but one of the central things it means is that we are Trinitarian Christians. But what is that exactly? Why does it matter? And for our purposes this morning, what difference does it make in your marriage?
THE TEXT
“And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26–28).
SUMMARY OF THE TEXT
In the course of the creation week, God declared that He was going to make man. But He says it this way. First He says, “Let us.” The creation of man proceeds from an us, and it doing to result in an us. “Let us make man in our image,” He said. He will be made “after our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). Man is made in the imago Dei, the image of God. The next thing has to do with the position and task of this created image. It is dominion over everything (v. 26). So then God did what He said He was going to do. He created man (Adam) in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them (v. 27). Having done this, God blessed them, and set them to their task of dominion (v. 28).
WE MUST TAKE CARE
Christians are monotheists. We believe in one God. We are not tri-theists. We do not believe in three gods. At the same time, we hold that this Godhead eternally lives in three distinct persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These are persons, and not mere aspects or modes of one unitarian god. Now we believe that this triune God can reveal truths about Himself in the created order (Rom. 1:20), but He does this without getting tangled up in the created order. As His image, we reflect Him. We do not contain Him.
“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father [Pater] of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family [patria] in heaven and earth is named” (Eph. 3:14–15).
THE WORD IMAGE AND YOUR SALVATION
So Scripture is very clear that we were created as image-bearers. This is the way we were in our innocence. But God had placed a probationary tree in the Garden, and had prohibited them from eating the fruit of it. This they did anyway, and our race fell into darkness. The image of God was shattered, but not entirely eradicated or erased. A little later in Genesis, God assigns severe penalties for murder because the victim, whoever he was, was made in the image of God (Gen. 9:6).
Nevertheless, we know that the image was marred and defaced in us because it was the assigned task of the second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ, to restore that image. Our growth in grace is the process of that great remodel project. The image of God is being restored in us. All the pieces are being put back together.
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18).
“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:22–24).
So in our sanctification, we are not being turned into angels. Neither are we being transformed into some other kind of creature. What is God doing then? He is making us into human beings. What material is He using for this audacious project? He is using wreckage of human beings. He is using the debris field of Adam’s great crash.
THE TRIUNE GOD HAS AN IMAGE
We have no right to try to turn the glory of God into an image of man. That is the sin described in Romans.
“And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things” (Rom. 1:23).
Rather, God is establishing a glorious likeness of the incorruptible God, and He is making this image out of corruptible man. We refuse to drag God down, but we dare not refuse when He determines to lift man up.
INESCAPABLE PORTRAYAL
Now what this all means is that you all, in your marriages, are a walking Nicene Creed. Not only so, but you are also a walking Definition of Chalcedon. A godly marriage is a robust and clear statement of the truth. A marriage that is struggling along is a mumbled and garbled recital of the truth. A rancid marriage is the creed of heretics. But every marriage is doing something. It is not possible for any marriage to be silent.
A man and a woman, standing alongside each other, are saying, “This is what the triune God is like.” That is either going to be an expression of the truth, or it is going to be a lie. A man who speaking to his wife is saying through his words that this is how Christ loves the church. And that is either true or it is false. A wife who responds to her husband is saying that this is how the church is sweetly submissive to the Lord. And again, this confession will either be accurate . . .or inaccurate.
But if your marriage is resting upon the Word, and if you are trusting in Christ alone for your salvation, and if you honestly confess your sins, to God and to one another, it is not only possible for your marriage to become a glory . . . it will be a glory.
“For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man” (1 Corinthians 11:7).
God’s Character & Covenant (Christ Church)
THE TEXT
I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.” You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: ‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’ ” Selah
SUMMARY OF THE TEXT
The psalm is arranged into five sections: two small sections at the beginning and end, and three larger sections in the middle. The first section (v. 1-4) introduces the twin themes: God’s character and his covenant with David. In this psalm, his character is defined by his steadfast love and his faithfulness. Both of these words are applied in terms of his covenant with David–the promise that the seed of David will sit on an everlasting throne (v. 3-4). And this is crucial: the psalmist says he will sing of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness forever.
The psalmist then celebrates God’s majesty, might, and saving power (v. 5-16). God is incomparable; he sits enthroned among his heavenly council, but he is supreme over all of them. His dominion is from north to south, and east to west, from the highest heavens to the seas to the land. He is all-powerful, with a strong right hand and mighty arm, and his power is directed by his holy character (v. 14).
More than that, God crushes his enemies. Rahab is a reference to a dragon-demon associated with Egypt (Psalm 87:4; Isa 30:7). Crushing Rahab is linked to ruling and stilling the sea, just as God crushed the king of Egypt beneath a wall of water (Job 26:12; Isa 51:9).
This is a celebration of God’s majesty, might, and saving power, and the people who belong to God and join this celebration and walk in the light of his face are blessed (v. 15-16). God is the glory and beauty of his people’s strength (v. 17).
Then the psalmist brings God’s majesty to earth and links it to his covenant promises to David. Israel’s king is Israel’s shield (v. 18), and God is the one who found, helped, anointed, and exalted (v. 19-20). God’s mighty hand and arm? They establish and strengthen David (v. 21). Just as God tore Rahab apart, so will the Davidic king outwit and beat down his enemies (v. 23). God’s steadfast love and faithfulness will be with David (v. 24), and David will call upon God as Father, and God will make him his firstborn, the king of kings (v.26-27), and he will establish David’s offspring on an everlasting throne (v. 28-29). God’s covenant with David and his sons will endure, even if and when David’s sons break God’s law. Discipline? Yes. Rod? Yes? Rejection? No. Why? Because of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness (v. 33). God’s character has established this covenant with an oath (v. 34-35), and David’s offspring and throne will endure as long as the sun, moon, and stars–faithful witnesses in the sky (v. 36-37).
Then we have the turn. Verse 38 introduces a contrast. For the next ten verses, God’s steadfast love and faithfulness are completely absent. Instead, we see a rejected son (v.28) , a renounced covenant, a defiled crown (v. 39), breached walls, ruined fortresses (v. 40), plundered cities (v. 41), triumphant foes, rejoicing enemies (v. 42), a throne in the dust, and shame, scorn, and reproach in every direction (v. 41, 45). God’s wrath has come upon the people because the king, David’s son, has rebelled against God. And so the psalmist is confused. In light of God’s character and covenant, how can this be? How long will it last (v. 46)? If God’s character and covenant fail, then everything is futile, vain, and worthless (v. 47). Will the psalmist see God’s saving power before he dies, because no one escapes the power of Sheol (v. 48)?
The final section is an appeal to God’s steadfast love and his faithfulness to David, in light of the mocking reproach of the nations (v. 50-51). The psalmist asks where God’s covenant love has gone, begs him to remember his promise, and concludes with a triumphant hope: Blessed be the Lord forever (v. 52).
READ YOUR STORY IN LIGHT OF THE STORY
One of the great values of regular Bible reading is knowing what story you’re a part of, and being able to read your life in light of it. This psalm is filled with echoes and allusions to the big events of Israel’s history.
– The revelation of God’s name, glory, and goodness to Moses in Exodus 34:6.
– God’s oath to the patriarchs. When God wants to convincingly show the unchangeable character of his promise (Heb. 6:13), he swears by himself, like he does to Abraham after the sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22:16-18, or in Isaiah 45:23, when God swears by himself that every knee will bow and every tongue swear allegiance to him as the only righteous God and Savior.
– The Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:12-16).
WHAT IS REAL?
The gap in this psalm is between what the psalmist knows of God’s character and covenant on the one hand, and the circumstances at the present moment. Who God is (steadfast love and faithfulness) and what God has said (oath and covenant to David) seem out of accord with the reality before him (judgment, wrath, and a crown in the dust).
That is the question for all of us when the world seems confusing, futile, and vain. Do we interpret our circumstances in light of God’s character and covenant? Or do we abandon God’s character and covenant in the face of our circumstances?
God has promised the nations to Christ as his inheritance (Psalm 2:8; Matthew 28:12-20). And then we look at the state of the world, and the state of our nation, and see the rampant apostasy, rebellion, and decay around us. What’s more real? God’s character and covenant? Or sexual deviancy, political corruption, and widespread evangelical apathy and compromise?
When your kids wander, or when they get a case of the wobbles: what’s more real? God’s character and covenant? Or the wobbles and wandering? How do you pray? Do you bless God in confidence that he will hear and answer?
Or maybe it’s your own faith and holiness. When you see your abiding anger and envy, your drunkenness and lust, your anxiety and fear of man, your worldliness and selfishness, you feel the confusion and vanity. What is more real to you? Do you still sing of the steadfast love of the Lord?
This is not hypocrisy; it’s what a living faith does when confronted with the vanity of man and the discipline of God. Faith honestly confronts the facts on the ground, and then appeals to God’s character and his covenant. How much of your mental attention is devoted to rooting yourself in God’s steadfast love and faithfulness, in rehearsing his mighty deeds and covenant promises, and how much is spent fixating on the breached walls, triumphant enemies, and reproaching shame?
CHRIST’S CROWN
Christ is the offspring of David. He crushed the dragon’s head. He stilled the waves. He was strengthened by God’s grace. His enemies did not outwit him. God anointed him with his Spirit, and established and exalted him above the angels and the powers.
But Christ himself faced God’s rejection and absence. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” His crown was defiled in the dust. His days were cut short, and he was covered in shame. But Christ bridged the gap between God’s character and covenant, and the rejection and crown in the dust. In his darkest moments, he called upon God as Father, in Gethsemane (Matt 26:39-42) and at Calvary (Luke 23:34, 46).
Christ saw death…and he swallowed it whole. He crushed both Death and the Dragon. So where is the steadfast love of the Lord? Where is his faithfulness that he swore to David? It’s on a Roman cross. It’s exalted at God’s right hand, seated above every angelic and demonic power, ruling over heaven and earth, as God puts all of his enemies under his feet. That’s why in Revelation 1:5, Christ is introduced with distinctive language from Psalm 89 as “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings on earth.”
And his oath and covenant are sealed in blood. He swore by his holiness. He swore by his faithfulness. And that faithfulness is yours. “His oath, his covenant, his blood support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, he then is all my hope and stay.”
Yahweh Will Save Us (Survey of Isaiah) (Christ the Redeemer)
The Pentecost and You | Pentecost Sunday (CC Downtown)
INTRODUCTION
Say a teenage boy is hired to do some landscaping work. He shows up promptly at 7am with his sunscreen on and water jug full, ready to make some money for his college fund. He is told by the owner of the property that he needs him to clear out a few overgrown acres. What he beholds is a veritable jungle of thistles and thorns. Some of the plants look extraterrestrial. Then, to make things worse, the owner informs him that the only tool he has is a pair of finger-nail clippers. Clearly, the job that needs doing and the tool to do the job are mismatched. However, when it comes to the task which Christ has assigned to the church and what is necessary to accomplish that task, there is no deficiency.
THE TEXT
“Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?” Isaiah 40:13
SUMMARY OF THE TEXT
Sin has so darkened man’s thinking that he really acts as though he ought to tell God how to run the world. God should sit down, get out His pen and paper and take notes from us. We have a thing or two to bring Him up to speed on. But this really is the height of pride and folly. Ask yourself the question, really ask yourself, “Who gave the Spirit of God advice?” Think of all the smartest, most luminary thinkers you can and consider whether they could really give the Spirit of God advice on how to keep electrons and protons from wandering off from each other; or how to make a global ecosystem; or what the right dance steps are for stars. Do you really have anything to say? Perhaps you should take your seat, cover your mouth, and learn the lesson.
But what is that lesson? The end for which this world was made is for the glorification of the God who made it (Ps. 19:1; Is. 43:7). All things were made for His glory (Rom. 11:36; Rev. 4:11). Although sin brought this world into a fallen state of evil (Rom. 5:12), Christ, by His resurrection, has confirmed that it will glorify its Maker (1 Cor. 15:20-22; Rom. 8:19-21). This is the way it is. This is the way it shall be. This is the end of all things: the glory of the Triune God. This is what Isaiah great song teaches us.
AGNOSTIC MAN
Although this is the case, it is also true that rebellious man has embraced the posture of the agnostic. The Apostle Peter describes man’s condition before redemption as being fashioned according to lusts in your ignorance (1 Pt. 1:14). The word there for ignorance is agnoia, where we get the word agnostic from. Man, in his rebellion, has adopted the position that it is possible to live as if the proposition of the existence of God is unknowable. This leads him to pursue his lusts.
Scripture is full of descriptions of this sort of agnostic insanity. God is not in the thoughts of the wicked man (Ps. 10:4). He says in his heart that God will forget, God is out of the picture, God won’t see what the wicked does (Ps. 10:11). God won’t judge me (Ps. 10:13)! The fool says, “There is no God (Ps. 14:1).” Pharaoh asked, “Who is the LORD (Ex. 5:2)?” Eliphaz asked, “How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud (Job 22:13)?” One Hebrew idiom captures this well when it depicts the rebellious as “throwing God behind your back” (Ez. 23:35, 1 Ki. 14:9, Ps. 50:17). As if you even could do that!
But this is pure madness. The unregenerate man lives in a world made by God and then tries to live as if there is no God, or if there is one He doesn’t care what you do, or if He does care He can’t do nothing about it. But this is what Isaiah’s wonderful line refutes. Do you really think you can give the Spirit of God advice? The Spirit of the Lord is on a warpath to fulfill all the divine counsels of Jehovah, and He says, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure (Is. 46:10).” Isaiah also tells us what the Lord’s pleasure is: “I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory (Is. 46:13).”
POWER, BUT FOR WHAT?
Now, what does all this have to do with Pentecost, and further, what does pentecost have to do with you? The Spirit of the Lord, which hovered over the waters at creation causing all things to come into being, and the Spirit which raised up Jesus from the dead ushering in a new creation (Rom. 8:11), is the same Spirit which was poured out on the disciples at Pentecost. But this pouring out was not limited to just those present in Jerusalem on that day. Rather, this pouring out of the Spirit is promised to all those who believe and are baptized. This is an immense gift.
Furthermore, the gift of the Spirit is a gift of power. To which another question immediately comes to the mind, power for what? Often we assume that the power was for the miraculous sign gifts that were present in the early church. Those were signs of the power which had been given, but that was not what the power was given for. In Acts 1 we are told that the disciples were instructed by Christ at His ascension to not immediately go off and tell everyone. Rather, they were to wait in Jerusalem until they received power. But that power was for what end? It was for the power to bear witness unto Christ and all He had done. His life of righteousness obedience in your stead. His death for Your sin. His resurrection to secure for you everlasting life. His ascent to His Father and God, in order that His Father and God is yours.
Isaiah also foretold that with the coming of the anointed Servant, God would make his people witnesses in all the world that God is God. “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour (Isa 43:10-11).” There you have the task: bear witness unto the risen and ascended Christ and the new creation He has ushered into the world. But in order to do this, you need power. This is what the Spirit brings to you.
WITNESSES
You have received the Spirit in order that you might bear witness unto Christ. The scope of this witness is not narrow, either. You are empowered to be a witness of the certain dominion of Christ over all things. You do this in concentric circles. First, by the Spirit you are both convicted of sin and strengthened to then confess and overcome your sin. Second, by the Spirit you are enabled in your various vocations to shape this twisted world into alignment with the Word of Christ, making crooked ways straight. Third, by the Spirit you are equipped to boldly herald the crown rights of King Jesus to all the earth. You are endued with power, by the Spirit, to make this world, every last inch of it, subject unto Christ.
This starts in your own inner life. However, it does not and will not stay there. At Pentecost, the Spirit came as tongues of flame and with a mighty rushing wind. The Spirit is a firestorm of perfect holiness which will one day engulf and transform this whole world into the glory for which it was made. The world will one day live gladly in perfect submission to the counsels of God. That is what the Spirit is working towards. That’s what He is working to bring about in you. The task is to bear witness unto all creatures and in all spheres of the rule and reign of Christ. The power for that task is supplied by the Spirit of Christ which dwells in you.