Sermons

The Sure Incarnation

December 1, 2020 By Ben Zornes Leave a Comment

Introduction

This Psalm has three layers to it. The first is the one on the surface. David recounts a deliverance from one of his many trials, and his response of praise. The second layer is that David’s sufferings reflect the common plight of Israel as whole. Her history of exiles and returns, persecutions and deliverances, separation from and the reunion with Jehovah lie just beneath the surface of David’s story. But as we go deeper we see that David’s story, which is Israel’s story, is really the Messiah’s story.

The Text

I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. […]
Psalm 40

Summary of the Text

In the midst of his distress, David waited for the Lord (קַוֺּה קִוִּיתִי יְהוָה), crying out to Him; God heard his plea and brought him out of the pit (vv1-2). This deliverance springs forth into songs of thanksgiving, and fortifies his faith in God, rather than trust in proud man (vv3-4). This song of praise rehearses God’s marvelous works, which are innumerable (v5); and this gratitude for past mercies is the bedrock for present faith, which understands the true nature of sacrifice and offerings: obedience. The call to obedient service is pictured by the bond-servant’s ear being pierced (v6, Cf. Ex. 21:6).

Now, though he is king of Israel, David comes to the command of the Lord as a bond-servant would obey the master’s will with joyful delight (v7; Cf. Deut. 17:18-19). As king, he is steward of God’s law, and will preach righteousness in the congregation, without skipping a part (vv9-10).

Having presented himself in grateful service to the Lord, and obeyed the Lord’s command, he asks of the Lord a two-fold request: withhold not tender-mercy and let God’s lovingkindness and truth continually preserve him (v11). The reason for this request is “innumerable evils” (echoing God’s innumerable marvelous works in verse 5) surround him, and his iniquities abound to the point of despair (v12). Thus, he makes a plea for deliverance from all evils inward and outward (v13).

The prayer goes on to request the undoing of his enemies; that shame and desolation would come upon them (v14-15). In contrast, those who seek God (not man v4) as their salvation shall be vindicated, and thus their love breaks forth in song: “The Lord be magnified (v16).” The concluding verse highlights David’s humility, and his boasting in the truth that God thinks about him; the end of the psalm echos its beginning: waiting patiently for the Lord (v1) while petitioning God to not tarry (v17).

Obedience is True Sacrifice

This psalm draws a contrast between David’s response to God’s law with Saul’s famous––very pious––disobedience. In 1 Samuel 15:22-23, we’re told of how Saul’s kingdom came to be doomed; this is how it came to be that David was anointed as king of Israel (1 Sam. 16:13). We should also note that the strong allusion to David’s anointing (מָשַׁח), which is where our word Messiah is derived from.

The nub is that obedience to God’s Word was more important than vainglorious exhibitions of spirituality. Saul made sacrifices to seem very spiritual; but he disobeyed the primary task he’d been assigned (Cf. Ex. 17:8-16, Num. 24:20, Deu. 25:17-19). The Psalm reinforces this, that sacrifices aren’t what please the Lord in the first instance. Obedience, from the heart, is His delight. He doesn’t want the blood of dumb animals, He wants the life of the worshipper (Rom. 12:1). So as king, David knows that deliverance is of the Lord for those who delight in His law and obey it by glad trust in God’s will.

Messiah in Our Midst

In Hebrews 10, we find a large portion of this Psalm (vv6-8) cited. We don’t typically think of Hebrews as being a book for Christmas messages, but the underlying doctrine of Christmas is God sending the Messiah in the flesh. This is the point made in Hebrews. Christ coming in a human body was a setting aside of the sacrificial system, because His body was offered that we might be sanctified once for all (Heb. 10:10).

David anticipates that when Messiah came, He would do so in a human body. At first blush, however, Psalm 40 and its citation in Hebrews 10 seem at odds with each other. The hebrew refers to having His ear pierced (or dug open) as a bond-servant (Ps. 40:6); but Hebrews 10:5 cites the LXX, which renders it, “a body hast thou prepared for me.” What are we to make of this? As with most of these seeming contradictions, we don’t need to make them enemies, because they are friends. As a servant, Christ obeyed by taking to Himself a body. Further, He came when told, obeyed by becoming the fulfillment of the entire sacrificial system.

The ear of the bond-servant stood for the whole body of the bond servant; what we might term a synecdoche (i.e. hired hands, boots on the ground, nice set of wheels). So the apostle applies this text to the Messiah’s incarnate ministry. Christ came in the flesh in order to set aside the levitical priesthood which presided over a temporal sacrificial system, so that He might preside as a heavenly priest over an eternal sacrificial system (Heb. 10:11-14).

Not a Disembodied Incarnation

The doctrine of the incarnation is not an insignificant one. Man, left to his own imagination, tries to grab hold of all the stuff, or tries to escape stuff. At Christmastime, we celebrate the Incarnate Lord. God made flesh. The Logos manifest unto us. Heaven come to earth.

Earth is to be redeemed. Creation is to be saved, not discarded. Our bodies are planted like seeds, only to spring forth at the resurrection into everlasting glory. Some pagans sought to escape from the material world through their vain imaginations. Still others sought to hold onto the world.

One is too thick. The other too thin. Vain philosophies sought to escape the material realm through rationalistic knowledge. Whereas certain strains of paganism could not resist making all the stuff objects of worship. What we teach is that Christ came, in the flesh, to redeem creation, and thus ultimately to resurrect the whole thing into greater glory.

The practical application of this is do not shy away from all the gifts…and fudge…and wrapping every imaginable food in bacon…and more fudge. Recognize that all these gifts and blessings are shadows of the blessings which they will become in the resurrection.

These earthly blessings which Christ came to redeem, are not the destination, but they are appetizers to the main course. Earthly glories are like an elevator, they can only go to the top floor, and no further. But that desire for them to go further, that ache for glory that remains, is found in this doctrine which is presented to us in the form of a babe in a manger who later died on the tree, and then rose in the body to the Father’s right hand.

Christ took on flesh, because how else could He be true Israel. “Lo, I come!” are Christ’s words of submissive obedience to the will of the Father; obeying in Adam’s stead, in Israel’s stead, in Great David’s stead, in your stead and my stead. Indeed Christ preached righteousness in the midst of the congregation of Israel, because He was the righteousness of God, He was true Israel, He was the Prophet like unto Moses, He was great David’s greater Son. He came and delighted to do the Father’s will, by taking on flesh and obeying for us, dying for us, and rising for us.

Feet on a Rock

Christ, our Messiah, came to set your feet on a rock. He came, as the bond-servant king so that you might no longer be facedown in the mud of your sin, but stand erect and bold, fearless before the face of man and face to face––without any shame––with God Himself. He took on all your sins, which were as many as the hairs on your head, and bore them all away, so that you might be forgiven for every last one.

This cannot happen without God coming in the flesh, proclaiming in the midst of the congregation the righteousness of God. He came into our midst, as was foretold. And this is the ground of our salvation. This is the only place to find firm footing for faith. The Son of God became a son of man so that He could die in place of sinful man, and that you might also be risen with Him to a glorified earth. An earth which will be “more real” than this one. So celebrate with the stuff––here in the shadowlands––knowing that in Christ it shall all be made more itself at the resurrection.

When God Sings

September 14, 2020 By Ben Zornes Leave a Comment

Introduction

The early portion of Zephaniah’s prophecy is dark, heavy, and full of the thunderings of the law. But only those who are stubborn and stiff-necked need to be fearful of these thunderings. The proud only hear the fire and thunder of God’s just anger over their sin. But the meek are given news ears. They don’t hear the tumult of God’s wrath; they hear the sweetest song. A song that all the most gifted composers, if they worked together for a thousand years, would be unable to compare with.

The Text

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God. Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame. [. . .]

Summary of the Text

Zephaniah has taken us to the four corners of the compass, to declare to all nations that God is coming in judgement upon the whole world (2:2-15). But now Jerusalem is again addressed, but as if she was one of the heathen nations. She’s become indistinguishable from the nations. She’s a filthy, polluted, oppressing city (v1), rather than being clean as commanded by God (Cf. Lev. 10:10, 11:47). Her chief sins are listed (v2): she wouldn’t obey (שמע) the voice (Cf. Deu. 6:4), receive correction (מוּסָר) (Cf. Deu. 11:2), trust the Lord (Cf. 2 Ki. 18-19, 2Ch. 32, Is. 36-37), or draw near to God (Cf. Is. 29:13). Her princes are lions, her judges are wolves, her prophets are treacherous, her priests have polluted the sanctuary and raped the law (vv3-4).

Despite all this corruption, God the just is still in their midst, and His justice is an inescapable reality (v5). The Lord has ruined nations before, toppling their towers of vain glory (think of Babel in Gen. 11); this should have been a cause for fear for the Jews, but instead they eagerly pursued their corruptions (vv6-7).

The Lord returns to addressing “all the meek of the earth” who were summoned to gather together to seek the Lord (2:2-3). They’re to wait upon the Lord; trusting that He will hasten the promised day, when He’ll gather all nations and kingdoms to pour upon them the fire of His jealousy (v8). Running parallel to this is the Lord’s promise to cause people from all nations to call upon Him with pure lips, while gathering the scattered, yet faithful, Israelites (v9-10). This multi-national host won’t be ashamed for their sins, for God shall have purged His church of the haughty, self-assured boasters (v11). The proud shall be purged out like dross, and in their place the afflicted and the poor who trust in the Lord’s name shall dwell in Jerusalem (v12). The remnant of Israel shall indeed be holy, and shall enjoy her promised rest (v13). Zephaniah initially addresses the people of Judah, but as he zooms out begins to refer to these gathered faithful as the remnant of Israel.

This motley band of faithful Jews and gathered Gentiles––though having been poor and afflicted––are called to sing, like true children of Jerusalem (v14). The Lord has forgiven their sins, destroyed their enemies, and now assumes His place as their rightful King (v15). The gathered remnant shall not dwell in fear, but will be fortified to render faithful service unto God (v16). God their King dwells in their midst as a mighty conquerer, a sure defender, and a husband in the throes of delighted love for His beloved (v17). Those faithful Israelites who endured various afflictions––the derision of their unbelieving countrymen and their foreign captors––will be brought back in glory, fame, and praise, for God will have turned back their captivity before their very eyes (vv18-20).

The One Left Singing

The heathen cities have been presented as rejoicing in their corruption (2:15); but now they are cut down and God and His people are the ones who end the day in joyful song. This is the way it will always go. Recall Bunyan’s “Interpreter’s House”. Passion gets all his now, but Patience waits on and receives a greater reward. Passion is left barren, empty-pocketed, and forlorn. Patience receives all he longed for and more.

Zephaniah is like a cliff notes version of the minor prophets. He summarizes the message which the faithful prophets had proclaimed. First, God will judge the wicked. Second, God is the God of the whole world and so there is nowhere to hide from Him. Third, the only escape is to seek the Lord in meekness. In other words, the proverb rings true: “Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly (Pro 3:34).” The proud shall be brought low, but God will raise the humble up to glory and gladness. God will get the last word, and the last word will be set to heavenly music.

Judgement & Redemption

God’s judgement and our redemption go hand in hand. The faithful await God’s judgement on wickedness, as a means of attaining their deliverance and redemption.

This is unfurled with great glory when Christ comes and takes the brunt of God’s judgement that was due to us, for we were God’s enemies. You can only be saved if first your sin is defeated. So, Christ died for you. He took your judgement, so that you might enjoy the redemption freedom He purchased for you.

A Royal Lineage

Remember that Zephaniah begins this book by trotting out his ancestry.com findings. His connection to the royal lineage is highlighted in the opening verse. Those kings and princes listed there either failed miserably to reform the people, or else played a large role in willfully corrupting the people.

But as Zephaniah concludes his prophecy, he tells of how God will be the King in the midst of His people. He begins with a reminder of the failures of both the good and evil kings of Judah. He concludes by declaring that “great David’s greater Son” will use the Gentile nations to gather scattered Israel back to Him (Cf. Num 27:17). While David’s glorious songs, and Solomon’s lavish wealth were Israel’s ancient glory, the coming Messiah would turn men from every nation to worship the Lord, enjoying His songs over them, delighting in His blessing, grace, and favor.

Your Sins Are Forgiven

As with the whole Bible, the message of Zephaniah is that you are proud sinner, deserving God’s wrath. But for those whom God chooses to humble, who then seek Him with the rest of those He has chosen to gather unto Himself, they are given a bright promise which outshines the sun. God will take away all your shame, all your proud boastings, all your abuses of His law, all your crimes against your neighbor. God will not only forgive you, but He shall delight over you.

This might seem a bit much. A bit over the top to describe God as singing over us a like a love-struck bridegroom would serenade His bride. But the Gospel is over the top. It is good news. It is the news that your sins are forgiven, and God looks upon you, not with a cloud of brooding suspicion, but with joy. He has taken away your shame. God loves you. God loves His bride. Because His Son endured all the wrath you deserved, and has now gathered you to Himself. God has turned back your captivity before your very eyes (Zeph. 2:7, 3:20), so gather together to sing, and feast, and dwell in safety, for your God has redeemed you.

Creation Orthodoxy

September 9, 2020 By Ben Zornes Leave a Comment

Introduction

For this midweek message, I wanted to tie it in with the Bible Reading Challenge which our church has just kicked off this week. If you have not heard, we’re inviting anyone who wants to join us in reading through the Bible over the course of this school year.

We begin, then, where the Bible begins. After all, this is God’s story to tell, and we are commanded to listen to the story, as He told it, in order that we might not let one word fall to the ground. I want to draw out four important truths which are gleaned from the first chapter of the Bible.

The Text

Genesis 1:1-5

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that [it was] good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. … 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.

Father, Son, and Spirit

From the outset, God is the main actor on the stage. But because we are fallen creatures, man will not hesitate to fudge on the details. God made the world, but man likes to find ways to get around that fact. He does this by making up his own creation myths, which ape the truth. This is what the ancient religions did. All those ancient myths relied on some deity arising out of the eternal universal. This made the universe ultimate. But a moment of reflection should show what a feeble idea that is.

After Christ came, the early church was immediately challenged to explain how God could be both Father and Son. “Surely, the Son must be a creation of God,” the heretics claimed. But here in Genesis, we are forced to moor ourselves to a doctrine which pervades Scripture. God is One, and God is three. We have here God the Speaker, God the Word, and God the Breath.

John Calvin highlights how Christ the Word must have been present at creation, “Nothing, therefore, is more intolerable than to fancy a beginning to that Word which was always God, and afterwards was the Creator of the world. But they think they argue acutely, in maintaining that Moses, when he says that God then spoke for the first time, must be held to intimate that till then no Word existed in him. This is the merest trifling. It does not surely follow, that because a thing begins to be manifested at a certain time, it never existed previously. I draw a very different conclusion. Since at the very moment when God said, ‘Let there be light,’ the energy of the Word-was immediately exerted, it must have existed long before. If any inquire how long, he will find it was without beginning.”

Here we have God making the world, the Spirit hovering over the void, and by God’s Word (i.e. logos) bringing into being the light. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together made the heavens and the earth. The foundations for the doctrine of the Trinity are here, if you have ears to hear it.

God also begins to reveal his triune nature in the creation of man: God says, “Let us make man…” The Rabbis all puzzled over this language. Is there plurality in God? Other scholars have argued that this was God inviting the angelic host to witness the creation of man, or God using a “royal we”. Here in seed form is what will come to fuller bloom with the coming of Christ, and the revelation He gives us of the Godhead, by declaring that it is into God the Father, Son, and Spirit into which we must be baptized.

Made by God

The second thing which we are confronted with is the fact that God is the Maker, of all things visible and invisible. In other words, when Moses retells the creation of the heavens and the earth, he is rebuking man’s pride by reminding us that we are not the focal point of this world. We are not the originators of it. Man, as it were, woke up in the Father’s house. It was all assembled, prepared for us, so that we might be kings and priests to God.

To put it in more philosophically familiar terms, God is the Causer. God made the world. It wasn’t some primal urge within the universe which occasioned all we see. Otherwise, meaning would be meaningless. It was by God’s will and power which brought all things into being. From His eternal being, the heavens and earth were given their being.

Further, note that Moses––though using lovely poetic language––makes clear that this creation was bounded, by God’s decree, in evening and morning cycles which we call day. Many people try to squeeze into this poetry some notion that these days were eons of time. But there is no need for us to make elbow room in the text for unbelievers to make their unbelief comfortable. God chose to make within the bounds He appointed. He did so in six literal days, roughly 6000 years ago (give or a take a month or two).

We don’t gain anything by trying to make out that “a day” here in Genesis 1 actually means 10,000,000,000,000 days. God was making a world for man, and from the beginning man has been brought face to face with evening and morning, day after day. God wanted this world inhabited by men, and in the retelling of His creative work, Moses tells us why there are seven days in a week, because God said so.

One other objection is often the “order” of the days. How could the sun not come into being until day four, but plant life was made on day three? The answer is fairly clear. Man’s myths would love to attribute creation to something as glorious as the sun. God will have no other gods before Him, so in Moses’ recounting of creation, it is made clear that the Egyptian myths were false, the ancient pagan notions were false. God alone was to be worshipped and revered as Maker.

Man Created in an Office

This leads to an important truth we are confronted with, when it comes to creation of man. Man was made in relation to God. My children, as soon as they start getting the hang of saying words, learn to answer this question, “Who made you?” They answer, “God.” This begins to teach them that they are answerable to their Maker. They are made for a purpose. They aren’t the gunk that fell off the gears of time and random chance. They have meaning, and a chief end: to glorify and enjoy God.

He is the Creator, you are His creation. As one theologian put it, “Animals and plants also stand in relation to God. But in the case of humanity, that relation if a relationship and a post or office.”

This means that there is no such thing as a self-made man. Thus as the Psalmist declares, it is He who made us, and not we ourselves (Ps. 100:3). Furthermore, God made us in His image. He made us to be in relation to Him. To hold a post. To represent Him to the rest of creation.

You don’t get to say who you are supposed to be. You don’t get to make up what you are supposed to do. You are given a job to do, a role to play. So from the beginning God made man to stand in relation to God. We cannot escape that reality, no matter how hard we try. It is only through Christ, now, that we can fulfill the role which God has laid out for us to do.

Our Redemption is Grounded in Genesis

Which brings me to my final point. Our redemption is grounded in these first lines of Scripture. God gave man a commission, an office, a throne. God saw all He had made, and it was very good.

We need to only take a second to reflect on our own inner experience, or take a look at the world around us to know that although this world is certainly beautiful…something is broken. Something is “off”. It ain’t good. There are viruses, and deaths, and mobs, and wars, and hatreds, and envies, and oil spills, and decay, and ruin. This can’t be the way it is supposed to be.

Which is why the story of God’s creative power is so vital for us to found our faith on. God made a good world. God placed man in a garden sanctuary to serve God by tending this world as a priest-king. Man rebelled from his office. The whole world was ruined. So, God became a man, to make it all good again.

Our redemption is grounded on the fact that God made this world for a reason. That reason was for His own glory, and for the good of the crown of His creation: mankind. Now, in Christ, God is restoring man to the height from which we fell. Let me quote Jonathan Edwards here: “The persons of the Trinity were, as it were, confederated in a design, and a covenant of redemption. In this covenant the Father had appointed the Son, and the Son had undertaken the work; and all things to be accomplished in the work were stipulated and agreed. There were things done at the creation of the world, in order to that work; for the world itself seems to have been created in order to it.” To sum up, the triune God made the world by His glory, in order that by the redemption story He would tell in it, He might win for Himself a greater glory. That is the story we are in. So, heed His story. Remember He’s the main character. And play your part, by looking to the script He gave you. Your stage directions are fairly simple: look to God your Creator and your redeemer. Look to Christ, and be ye saved.

The god-killer

September 9, 2020 By Ben Zornes Leave a Comment

Introduction

Postmodernism is like a swamp in which all sorts of toxic algae can flourish. Christians who swim in those waters will invariably come down with the side-effects of those poisoned waters. One of the primary consequences of imbibing postmodern thought is that of thinking of the God revealed in the Bible as an isolated deity. But God is the God of the whole world, and every turn in earth’s history proves this to be true.

When God shakes the world––like He has this year––people turn to their gods for salvation. But they find that God has undone their gods. You trust in finance? Ok, here’s an economic crash. You believe in health food? Ok, here’s a global pandemic. You live in awe of Hollywood or sports stars? Ok, they’re all stuck in their basements trying to entertain us on Zoom. You rely on political activism? Ok, none of the activism will make sense (i.e. #BlackLivesMatter or #MeToo). Conservatives cheered when Trump proposed to send out another round of stimulus checks via executive order, while liberals cheered when Biden solemnly claimed to be an originalist when it comes to the constitution.

The Text

Zephaniah 2:1-15

Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; Before the decree bring forth, [before] the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’S anger come upon you. Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger [ . . .]

Summary of the Text

After a scathing opening salvo, the prophet gives the first hint of hope. Judah is implored to gather together before the day of the Lord comes upon them (vv1-2). These gathered are told to seek the Lord in humility, and perhaps they shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s wrath (v3).

The Lord’s wrath is centered on Jerusalem, but the ripple effects will impact all the nations. The Philistines (Israel’s ancient enemy) are told of their doom: they’ll be left desolate, driven out, and uprooted. All their towns and ports will be destroyed and uninhabited, fit only for the use of wandering shepherds (vv4-6). This is done so that the remnant of God’s people will dwell and feed in peace along the coastland.

Then Moab and Ammon (Israel’s distant relatives and frequent rivals) will have their proud boasts silenced (v8). They’ll be left like Sodom and Gomorrah (Cf. Gen. 19); and once again, God’s remnant shall spoil their enemies’ land, possessing it for their own (v9). All this will come upon these ancient nations because of their boasting against the Lord’s people (v10), and God is coming unto them in holy terror (v11a).

These denouncements form a compass. Philistia to the west, Moab and Ammon to the east. But before moving to the south, Zephaniah declares that God is coming to vanquish all the gods of the earth, and that men from from every place and distant isles shall worship Him (v11b). Then we proceed on our tour by heading to the Ethiopian lands, the most southerly kingdom of the known world; distant though the land of Cush may be, it, too, cannot escape the sword of the Lord’s judgement (v12).

Zephaniah takes us north, to the fierce land of Assyria (which took Israel into captivity). The Lord’s hand is stretched out against its capital city, Nineveh, and He’ll make it as dry as the Mohave desert. That once bustling metropolis will become the haunt of roaming herds; the din of the city will be replaced by the sound of birds and wild beasts; all the beauty of their artisans will be left bare for the dust of the desert to erase from memory (vv13-14). This city––once full of pompous boasts of its glory, at ease in its position as the world’s superpower, which thought “I am, and there is none beside me,”––will soon be a ghost town inhabited only by beasts, and when passersby see it, they’ll wag their heads in dismayed wonder (v15).

God’ll Cut You Down

As that great theologian, Johnny Cash, once sang, “Sooner or later, God’ll cut you down.” In this chapter we have God’s sure promise that Israel’s ancient enemies––Philistia, Moab and Ammon, Cush, and Assyria––will soon be cut down. So, although judgement begins with the house of God, it won’t be confined there.

Israel’s history is marked be repeated episodes of these enemies ensnaring them, enticing them, or infringing on their borders. The Lord is preparing to do what Judah’s kings were unable to do: reform the people and avenge them of their enemies. Zephaniah is building up to a reveal of God being the true King of His people. The apathetic amidst God’s people, and the scoffers amidst the nations will all soon be cut down, regardless of their personal religious views.

Postmodern Goo

Postmodernism wants to think that we can each have a little closet in our life that is full of jars that contain our private “truths.” The Gospel comes along and asks, “Why is your closet full of rotten ideas, selfish mush, moldy jealousies?” The postmodern mind insists that you keep your truth in your closet, and leave their closet alone. Postmodernism has brought people to think that every person has a private closet of views, and we should appreciate and tolerate the contents of each person and culture’s private closet. Really? Should we really appreciate the Hindu practice of sati? Should we really appreciate Muslim dogma which teaches that war against infidels is required for entrance into Paradise?

But the truth of God’s word is universal. God’s reign over the world is complete. God’s claim on the nations is total. While Judah is rebuked first, and rightly so, God will not just politely stay on His carpet square, as if He were a tame god. Zephaniah declares to these enemy nations––near and far, east and west––that God is coming, like a vengeful King, to do battle with their gods. And God will devastate their puny gods. God will break their sacred jars full of postmodern goo.

The Conquest of the Gathered Meek

In the midst of the pronouncements of judgement is the promise that the remnant shall possess the lands of their enemies. God’s promise to this gathered remnant is that He will surely cut down their enemies, that they may then enjoy the spoils of His conquest.

Current events make it seem like the church is cowering in the corner like a kicked puppy. When it looks like the whole world is falling apart, God assures us that He is in the business of conquering His and our enemies. God calls to those who hope for mercy to gather themselves together (Heb. 10:25); not to scurry like cockroaches into the caves.

In Hebrew when you want to really emphasize something, you generally will find a sort of doubling of the same word. In this invitation to humble repentance by seeking the Lord in meekness, we find one such doubling: “In gathering yourselves be gathered.” Yes. God is coming to bring judgement on all wickedness, and not one corner of the world will be left untouched by his roving eye. But that does not mean there is no escape.

There may be a remnant in the midst of Jerusalem. They are implored to gather together in meekness and seek the Lord. Think of the harvester binding the sheaves together, before the wind and fire comes to burn up and blow away the chaff.

But we ought not to think of this remnant as a mousy little band, hiding in a corner. No, they follow behind their Lord as He marches forth to conquer their enemies, and they then enjoy the plunder of His war.

But just like God’s promised vengeance on wickedness cannot be confined to Jerusalem, neither can His promise of mercy be confined to only the Jews. In fact, as God goes out with His sword of judgement––vanquishing false gods as He goes––men from every nation, even the distant isle’s, come to join the remnant in worshipping Jehovah (Cf. Ps. 2).

Severe judgement awaits evildoers, whether in Jerusalem or in the uttermost parts of the earth. So seek the Lord. Humble yourself. Gather with the meek. Then follow the true King of Israel in His conquest of the nations, where their idols are toppled, and those once His enemies become His worshippers.

In the prophetic books there’s a kind of two-fold meaning to their prophecies. The first is the immediate fulfillment. Here it would be that God is drawing out His sword––i.e. Babylon––to effect what has been proclaimed. But there’s a deeper messianic fulfillment that isn’t fulfilled immediately. In this passage, the faithful remnant might wonder after the Babylonian conquest begins: “So if this is means of God’s judgement, when will the promise of possessing our enemies’ land and all men worshipping the Lord be fulfilled?” This messianic promise points to when the sword of the Gospel would be unsheathed, and Christ––the god-killer––would go forth to topple all nations and all their gods, and bring men from distant isles to worship Jehovah.

The Fire & Fury of the Living God

September 2, 2020 By Ben Zornes Leave a Comment

Introduction

The prophetic ministry is not an extra-curricular activity of some believers. Rather, preaching is a part of our corporate worship. We affirm that in the reading and explanation of God’s Word, we are hearing God speak to us. But man would rather reach for the volume knob of his distractions. But God will be heard, and if these are the echoes of His ways, what will you do when He thunders?

The Text

1 The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. 2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD. 3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD. 4 I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests; . . .
Zephaniah 1:1-18

Summary of the Text

Zephaniah begins with a personal lineage, which appears to intimate that he’s related to the royal family; there’s also an important mention of polar opposite kings of Judah: godly Josiah and his wicked father Amon. This locates when this prophecy was given––~626BC (v1). Then commences the announcement of God’s coming wrath, which is described in all-encompassing terms; reminiscent of God’s global judgement in Noah’s day (cf. Gen. 6:7) (vv2-3). Judah and Jerusalem are brought into the crosshairs, and we begin to see why God is readying to unleash His holy wrath on the whole world: worship of Baal and the heavenly host persists (Manasseh’s influence), mixed in with a fair helping of swearing by both the Lord and Malcham, and plenty of apathetic apostasy (vv 4-6).

The Jews should lay their hand on their mouth if they think to object to this sweeping judgement, because the oft foretold “day of the Lord” was now imminent (v7). God Himself has prepared a sacrificial meal and invited His guests. The twist here is that Judah will be the sacrifice, and it would seem that the summoned guests are the nations (Cf. Jer. 10:25) which God has brought to “devour” Judah (v7b).

Certain groups are held up as epitomizing the offenses which God is coming to punish: the royal family who have arrayed themselves in “strange apparel” (v8) (Cf. 2 Ki. 10:22, Isa. 3:18), and those who “leap/rush over the threshold” in order to obtain plunder for their masters’ house (v9) (Cf. 1 Sam. 5:5). Think Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Lest the commoners think they are somehow so insignificant as to escape the Lord’s notice, Zephaniah describes the cries and howls which will issue across Jerusalem when this ruination comes (vv10-11).

God will be thorough in His search for evildoers, and there won’t be a crevice in which to hide; those who had been dismissive of former prophetic warnings won’t be able to be dismissive anymore (v12). Judah will be wholly plundered, and all the deuteronomic blessings whisked away (v13).

Zephaniah echoes and summarizes earlier prophets’ warnings of “the day of the Lord.” It is near. It is terrible. It is an inescapable reality (vv14-16). As one economist once shrewdly pointed out: “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.” This judgement will be devastating, and neither their silver nor gold will deliver them. The fierce fire of the Lord’s jealousy is upon them and He is thundering down upon them to expel them from the land, and wish them, “good riddance (vv17-18).”

The Exceeding Sinfulness of Sin

One of the most damning effects of sin is that we call evil good, and good evil. Sin is so wicked because not only do we trespass in the commission of the sinful act, but we sin by telling ourselves that the sin is necessary, even right. Not only do we sin, we redefine our sin. We buttress ourselves against what our guilty consciences witness against us.

Zephaniah presents us a vivid picture in response to man’s temptation to paper over his sin. God is coming, candle in hand, searching every nook and cranny of Jerusalem to find those who had grown indifferent to the Lord’s claim over that Holy City. God is shown here as hunting down and searching out those who have said in their hearts, “God isn’t going to do good or evil.” But as the Psalmist taught us, only the fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

The Gospel Arc

Zephaniah’s opening salvo leaves no wiggle room for the warm fuzzies of our modern evangelical nannies, which all too often rush in and comfort us with “There, there…God is love.” Some scholars bemoan how derivative this book is, because it borrows imagery from more gifted prophets like Amos and Isaiah. But we should see in Zephaniah a lovely succinctness––a prophetic bluntness––made to startle the complacent. His main objective is to disturb the complacent with a simple but vibrant warning.

In some Christian circles it has become increasingly en vogue to avoid the bad news of the Gospel. They think presenting Jesus as merely an example of tolerance, love, and kindness is all the Church is called to. Good as those virtues are, they are not the ground of our salvation. Kindness is only good if defined biblically. Otherwise it becomes like a child who feeds the new puppy too much dog food simply because neither the child nor the puppy know how to stop.

But, the Gospel, faithfully preached, must first make the unrepentant sinner miserable. That is the Gospel arc we see here in this short prophetic book: a shocking rebuke, a call to repentance, and then, and only then, the assurance of mercy to those who turn to the Lord.

In our age of self-esteem, this is avoided at all cost, even in many pulpits. Nevertheless, the prophetic denouncement of sins big and small, sins of the royalty and sins of the commoners, corporate sins and individual sins, and the just wrath that awaits such sins is meant to incite sinners to ask “What must I do to be saved?”

What Must I Do?

Trying to carve out God’s love as if it can stand apart from His justice is denying His immutability. It assumes that God’s love cannot be so fierce as to burn with the heat of a thousand suns when wickedness is allowed to flourish. God will not be pitted against Himself.

Instead of blushing at the severity of the prophet’s voice, or bubble-wrapping the bad news of the Good News we need to wince. The prophetic Word insists, “Don’t ignore the warnings. Don’t minimize them. Don’t scoff at them.” When God warns, the thing you must do is ask, “Is there anything else? Show it all to me!” Don’t look for refuge in comparison shopping your sin compared to other more grievous sins.

Some may want to balk at Zephaniah’s hyperbole. Isn’t he overdoing it? But often a pastor needs to wave his hands and say in simple terms, “Stop it.” Spurgeon once commented on the severe nature of Zephaniah’s prophetic book, “I bless the Bible for being severe with my unbelief.” Do you want God to “go easy” on evil? Do you really want a God who yawns at wickedness? Do you really want God to let the vilest men never be brought to justice?

The Lord’s City

Remember that this city which is at the epicenter of God’s global judgement, was His city. Judah had broken God’s law, neglected it, mixed it with idolatry, spurned it, and were indifferent to the covenant of their King. Now the King warns, by his messenger, that He’s coming to bring justice down.

So the question is, have you hidden sin way down deep, thinking God won’t care, God won’t notice, nobody was hurt? God has a claim on you. He will search it out. He will bring it out. He will expose it, and that is a grace. But remember, the only place to flee from the wrath of the Living God is in the Living God.

There are two perspectives on when these prophecies were given. Was it before Josiah’s reforms, or after? My position is that it is after, mainly because of the reference to the “remnant of Baal” in verse 4. That being the case, how much more damning is it that they made a good start, but compromised so quickly, got distracted so easily, and in the midst of a wonderful revival many among them tried to preserve just a sliver of their idolatry?

We have made a good start at reformation here in Moscow. But let us not grow weary, lest our reformation being corrupted by compromise become a greater weight of condemnation. Are you trying to dress in strange apparel? Are you upright in business or are you rushing over the threshold to plunder the poor? Are you operating under the assumption that when judgement comes you can hide from the Lord in some remote corner of the Idaho woods? The only place to turn, the only place to flee is Jesus, the true King. The only King who became sin for us, so that all of God’s righteous wrath might be poured out upon Him instead of you. The only King who can truly and fully reform His people. So do not undertake a merely carnal reformation. That’s just French revolution in slow motion. We want a reformation which only the Spirit of God can bring. We want a revival which is sparked by the holy fire of God.

Worship Like You’re Told

June 26, 2020 By Ben Zornes Leave a Comment

Introduction

People, being at root self-idolaters, think they can worship God on their terms, rather than worshipping Him as He has instructed us to. The difference between right worship and wrong worship is the difference between smoked brisket and burnt hair. If you don’t believe me just ask Cain, or Nadab and Abihu, or Ananias and Saphira.

The Text

1 Chronicles 16:29

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

Worship Faux Pas

Worship in modern evangelical parlance has come to mean, almost exclusively, music. To be more exact, the sort of music that consists of three chords and the truth, give or take a chord, and give or take the truth. While we ought not to disparage the musicality which has come to pervade much of Protestant worship, we shouldn’t think of worship as confined to the musical aspects of our service. I just used the word service and it would be good for us if we began to think of worship and service as synonyms (Rom. 12:1). In other words, our worship service contains music, but music is too small a thing to contain our worship.

King David, in our text, is consecrating the restoration of the Ark of Covenant to the Tabernacle. He does so by way of “burnt sacrifices and peace offerings (1 Chr. 16:1).” But of great import is the offering of another type: a psalm (16:7). In this song of thanks, we are summoned to give glory to the Lord, bring an offering, and come before Him. We are not only told what to do (i.e. bring glory), but how to do it: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. We must worship not in common garments tailored to current fashion, but in garments of holy beauty.

The way we worship shapes what we believe. Ugly worship results in ugly faith. Thoughtless worship will produce a thoughtless faith. As an example, a deep bond of love and loyalty is formed in a family as they share meals together, go on walks together, laughing and talking. They might not realize how those routine elements of their family liturgy are shaping and fortifying their view of family. If a family becomes a bubble or two out of level, oftentimes a deliberate return to those basic “rituals” help to dispel some of the relational funk.

An important adjective for our weekly Lord’s Day worship should be familiar. In one way, we shouldn’t notice our liturgy. When you first learn the guitar every placement of every finger is a painful labor. But once you are well-practiced, those fundamentals fade. Not because they’re unimportant, but their purpose is to provide the framework for glorious strums, progressions, and scales. If we don’t deliberately look at what we’re doing, and why we’re doing it, we can grow flabby in our execution of what we’ve been told to bring: glory.

Call

And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Leviticus 1:1

The book of Leviticus begins with God calling unto Moses with instructions as to how the Israelites were to bring their worship to Him. In fact, the Hebrew name for this book is (ויקרא) which means “And He [the LORD] called.” Worship begins and ends with God and at His initiation. We aren’t Aborigines with rain sticks hoping to make a loud enough clamor to get the gods’ attention. God calls, we answer. God initiates, we respond.

In the OT, God is continually coming to and calling to those whom He has set apart for His redemptive purpose. When He initiates His covenant there is a distinct pattern. But Man doesn’t summon God, rather it is He who calls to us, and invites us into His covenant life. He invites us to a meal.

Confession

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Psalm 51:16-17

Before you can enjoy communion with Him, something must be done about the black tar of sin that is caked on you three inches thick. Though David invites us to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, outside of Christ, the most beautiful thing we can offer is the rasping of dead bones, ornately decked out in soiled grave-cloths. God summons us, and the first thing we realize is that we’re wretched, blind, and filthy. Unless our sins are covered, we cannot come. So we confess not only the vile truth about ourselves, but also the new creation which God has begun in Christ.

Consecration

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
John 15:3

But in being cleansed by the blood we are set apart for service. When the priests were consecrated, they were adorned in such a way as to tell the world that they were busy with sacred work (Cf. 1 Pt. 1:15). Their uniform declared their occupation. So we are consecrated to go about the work which God has called us to which is to hear the Word of Christ, in hearing we are renewed by that Word, to keep that Word (Deu. 6:17). Now our prayers and offerings of praise ascend to Him and are accepted by Him, because they are offered in the person of His Son (Heb. 13:15-16).

Communion

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.
Psalm 63:5

God calls us, cleanses us, and consecrates us in order to commune with us. The Peace Offering followed the Sin Offering and Ascension Offering (Cf. Lev. 9). This sacrifice was a shared meal: the LORD has his portion (Lev. 3:9-11), the priest/mediator received a portion (Lev. 7:31-32), and finally the worshipper partook of this offering (Lev. 7:15).

It’s no small wonder that Christ took the Passover seder (the pinnacle of the entire sacrificial system), and renovated it into a simple meal of bread and wine. Jesus didn’t disconnect it from what came before. The final sacrifice would be Himself. Thus the Peace Offering He offered on our behalf, ensured that we might partake with the Father and the Great High Priest of that covenant meal. What Christ offered was the blood of the new testament (Mk. 14:22-24).

Commission

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mark 16:15

We’re commissioned because we have been equipped and filled for the task for which we’ve been set apart. Arrangement is always made for the successful completion of the covenant. In the instance of the New Covenant, we are assured that Christ will give us His very Spirit to guide and comfort us. He will be with us. Our practice of weekly Covenant Renewal service isn’t because we’re worried the Covenant will fail week to week.

Glory Upon Glory

The long and short is this: order and ardor are not at loggerheads. We worship with joy unspeakable and full of glory, but we do so with reverent fear. Your worship and service will only be accepted if it is offered in Jesus.

If we think we’re confined by an orderly liturgy, we are likely in danger of indulging ourselves in worshipping the way we want to, rather than the way in which God has commanded us to worship Him. The OT order didn’t become irrelevant because of the fulfilling work of Christ, any less than an acorn becomes irrelevant because it turns into an oak.

Hebrews 10:19-25 makes this abundantly clear for New Testament believers: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Set in Order

June 24, 2020 By Ben Zornes Leave a Comment

Introduction

If you were to pick a word to describe the current state of affairs, what would it be? Disorder? Chaos? Fear? Confusion? A big mess?

What about the current state of your own soul? Could you describe yourself as peaceful, full of joy, at ease in your conscience? Or is your inner man a hairball of guilt, shame, disordered desires, and fear of judgment? It is clear that all around us and within us things are all out of order. The nub of the matter is: how do we get things back into order?

The Text

Titus 2:11-15

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Summary of the Text

Paul sent Titus to set things in order in Crete (1:5), an island nation which was notorious for being, to use the technical Greek term: scumbags. Even Epimenides the philosopher noted how the Cretans were “alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies (Tit. 1:12).”

But Paul insists that because Christ, the grace of God which brought salvation, has now appeared to all men, mankind is obliged to learn a lesson (2:11). The lesson being taught is that in denying our sinful cravings, we are to live sober, righteous, and godly lives (2:12). We deny our lusts and pursue holiness by looking to the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus (2:13); and when we look to Jesus we must think of the redeeming work He accomplished for us (2:14). He did this to purify us to be a set apart people who are zealous for good works (2:14). And Titus is tasked with proclaiming this truth with force and authority, regardless of the disdain that may befall him for it (2:15).

Good Works

Paul wants the Cretan church, under Titus’ oversight and by his example, to be busy with good works. Paul’s very greeting emphasizes that our faith and the truth accord with godliness (1:1). Some among them had professed to know God, but had shown themselves in regards to good works to be reprobate (1:16). Later on, Titus is to told to be a pattern of good works (2:7). Christ’s redemption purifies His people to be set apart to and zealous for good works (2:14). The Gospel which Paul proclaims is that we are not saved by our works of righteousness but according to God’s mercy (3:5) and by the kindness and love of God as displayed by sending His Son (3:4); all this is so that the Cretans “might by careful to maintain good works (3:8).” The believers under Titus’ care were to “learn to maintain good works” so that they would not be found unfruitful (3:14).

Paul, the great Apostle who formulated for us the glorious truth that we are not saved by our works of righteousness but by God’s grace alone, insists that though we are not saved by our good works, we are saved in order to do good works.

Arranging Skeletons

All of our current cultural chaos is the direct result of man trying to set things in order without the the regenerative power of the Holy Spirit. We are like paleontologists in a dinosaur graveyard just imaginatively assembling bones according to what we think the creatures must have looked like.

Our politicians try to arrange the dead bones of racial animosity into a semblance of peace and justice, and all they get is dead works of racial hostility, envy, and bitterness. When you try to simply do good works so that men think well of you, all you are doing is polishing the dead bones of self-righteousness to be displayed in a museum, which sooner or later will get cancelled anyway. Dead hearts make dead works. Dead men make dead laws. Dead bones make dead cultures.

But Paul tells Titus that he is to set things in order by preaching sound doctrine. The Gospel preached is the only way for mankind to be arranged properly. To put it another way, the Gospel is a setting of things in order.

The Good News is that the grace of God which brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to slit the throat of our disordered and depraved desires, and to zealously pursue good works. This is what Jesus redeemed us for, that by Him our sin might be forgiven and defeated, and our good works truly received by the Father. After all, Christ’s redeeming work gives us a new heart, by the regenerating and renewing power of the Holy Spirit (3:5).

So, are you in disarray? Are you fearful of all the derangement in our culture? The Gospel sets it all in order. It tells elders what sort of men to be (1:6-9), and how aged men are to bear themselves (2:2). It tells older women to teach younger women how to keep their home, love their husbands and children (2:3-5). It teaches young men to be sober and grave not hooligans given to every impulse (2:6). It has servants obeying their masters with fidelity (2:9-10). It reminds you of your foolish enslavement to lust and malice (3:3), and how you were re-ordered by the kindness of God (3:4).

And it can do all this and accomplish all this within you and within the church––and even within a nation––because God the Father, sent His Son to die for your sins, and the Son sent the Spirit to give you a new heart that you might be busy with good works. You are given a new heart because you have also been given a new identity. You are no longer a Cretan. You are no longer to be known by your lies, your lusts, your fears, or your follies. You have been set in order, by the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit, which lifts up the Lord Jesus who died to forgive your sins and who is your righteousness.

Joshua & Whitney

June 6, 2020 By Ben Zornes Leave a Comment

A Wedding in the Whirlwind

After Job suffered all of his afflictions and loss, and endured the debates with his (unhelpful) counselors, the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind (Job 38:1). Job had faced the fury of hard providence, and now he faced the whirlwind of God’s very Word. These Nebraska plains know a thing or two about whirlwinds. First––and perhaps a bit off topic––they aren’t what a recent Moscow, ID meteorologist called them: “cold air funnel”. That meteorologist probably attended the same school as the people who stripped Pluto of its planetary status. But I severely digress.

Whirlwinds aren’t polite. They don’t ask permission as to where they go, what they do, or whether the timing is convenient. They arrive with all their sudden ferocity, state their case, and leave just as suddenly.

Joshua and Whitney, you’re getting married in the midst of a time of whirlwind. A virus which no one seems to know much about. A financial ruin which our politicians don’t seem to realize they are bringing upon us. A time of turmoil and upheaval across the world. Riots and protests sparked by injustice in our justice system. All the world seems to be wondering what will happen in next week’s episode.

Some may question whether getting married during such a time is prudent. But we should never look at present turbulent winds we face as voiceless, pointless, or senseless. After all, the Lord speaks through whirlwinds. He blows away all our ramshackle cottages of self-assurance and self-aggrandizement. He shakes the world in order that the world might come to that which is unshakable (Hebrews 12:27-29).

God is speaking to the world in this moment and through these calamities we face and endure. He’s telling the world that the Cornerstone is the only foundation which can stand firm regardless of earthly circumstances. If all was calm and sunny, you might be tempted to establish your marriage on the fleeting foundation of emotion, attraction, or convenience.

But you’re beginning your marriage in a time when the vows you’re about to take will demand your fidelity to them right away. Better or worse. Plenty or want. Sickness or health. Joy or sorrow. Triumphs or turmoil. You must not only repeat these vows, but you must mean them and then live them.

Modern society is quite comfortable with the notion of vow-less consummation. Couples are expected to move in together––with no promise binding them together––and we expect the mere presence of warm-fuzzies to keep their love burning bright. This arrangement is like a swimmer trying to reach shore while carrying a bowling ball. He can’t do it. No matter how much he strains for solid ground, the only solid ground he’ll find is the grave of the seabed. Our culture clings to their selfishness, lust, pride, and envy; and as a result never stand, and inevitably sink in the sea of guilt.

However, an equally problematic arrangement is when vows are taken, but are as hollow as the assurances of a used-car salesmen that the car ain’t a lemon. Scripture repeatedly warns against empty vows. “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil (Mat. 5:37 KJV).” “They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field (Hos. 10:4 ESV).”

The vows you’re taking today ought to be full. While we might instinctively think that they should be full of your delight in each other (and they should), that delight can only be sustained if they are first full of your faith in Christ. In other words, these vows must be full of Christ Himself, and trust in Him to guide and sustain you through the blessings and trials that will come.

Your vows are a tether not only to each other, but to something bigger than you. Your promise to each other is an imitative shadow of a Divine Promise which God the Father made between His Son and His intended bride, the Church. The Father promised His Son the world: a people from every nation (Ps. 2:8). And He’s keeping that promise as the Good News of Christ’s redeeming work to forgive our sins and give us everlasting life spreads to every last inch of this globe.

So, in imitation of Him, you must now keep your covenant. Joshua, remember that you’re called to be the head of a new household. As such, you must be the sort of head that is full of tender-mercies. The sort of head that doesn’t weary of hearing what the body the needs. Whitney, don’t spurn the arrangement which places Joshua as your head. Be the sort of wife who might fit the description of Solomon, “Fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners (Sngs. 8:10).”

Remember that in leading her and submitting to him, by cherishing her and honoring him, by laying your life down for her and by crowning him with your glory, your vows are made manifest. By keeping this covenant, you show that your vows aren’t built on fickle feelings; rather, you show that you’re a household built on the immovable Cornerstone.

So, though you’re getting married in a whirlwind, never forget that God speaks from whirlwinds. The whirlwind will sweep away homes built on the sandy foundation of vow-less consummation. The whirlwind will rip apart homes built out of the straw of empty vows. But the whirlwind will prove that a house built on the Rock of Ages––vows which are founded on the Covenant Keeping God––will be raised up to glory, like Elijah of old (2 Ki. 2:11), by the whirlwind.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, amen.