Adult Sunday School - Marriage And The Day Of The Lord

The Day of the Lord and Its Implications for Marriage

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that you would bless our time studying marriage and what your word says about it in Jesus name. Amen. All right. Today we are going to be looking at the day of the Lord. So What did we do last time.

Last time we looked at the Great Commission and so that is this. The Great Commission describes our activity during this time. This time we are looking at the day of the Lord. There will be one more after this which talks about the wedding feast and the consummation and I'll do that when I return in.

Think it'll be September 1st. So this is the penultimate lesson on this on going through the Historia Salutis and applying it to marriage. Okay, so the day of the Lord involves the resurrection. Both the righteous and the unrighteous will be resurrected.

Both men and wicked angels will be judged. If I could get two volunteers one for 1st Thessalonians for the others for the other for 1st Corinthians 15.

1st Corinthians 15 is gonna be a longer passage to read 1st Thessalonians 4. Yes, okay.

Yeah, 1st Thessalonians 4. Yeah, you can get 1st Corinthians 15. So verses 16 through 17, please Albert.

17 for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command.

With the voice of an archangel and with the sound of the trumpet of God and. The dead in Christ in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive who are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

And so we we will always be with the Lord therefore encourage one another.

Thank you. All right. 1st Corinthians 15 verses 35. Yeah, let's go to 53.

53 okay. Yeah, uh. 1st Corinthians 15 35 to 53. But someone will ask how are the dead raised with what kind of body do they come? You foolish person what you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be but a bare kernel perhaps of wheat or some of their grain.

But God gives it a body as he has chosen and to each kind of seed its own body for not all flesh is the same. For but there is one kind for humans another for animals another for bird another for fish.

There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the glory of the heavenly is of one kind and the glory of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the Sun and another glory of the moon and another glory of the stars.

For star differs from star in glory. So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable. What is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor. It is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness.

It is raised in power. It is sown a natural body. It is raised a spiritual body if there is a natural body. There is also a spiritual body thus it is written the first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth a man of dust. The second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust so also are those who are of the dust and as is the man of heaven.

So also are those who are of heaven just as we have borne the image of the man of dust. We shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I Tell you this brothers flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep. But we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable and we shall be changed.

For this perishable body must put on the imperishable and this mortal body must put on immortality.

Okay. Thank you. All right in one more verse Isaiah 26 19 says you're dead will live. My dead bodies will arise awake and sing you that dwell in the dust. For your do is that there's a dew of light and the earth will cast forth the dead.

Resurrection, Judgment, and Special Love for the Church

Okay, so at first if Ephesians 5 says that That marriage should be modeled after the union between Christ and the church and particularly that salvation that he gives her. How does resurrection apply?

Well, we've already talked before about the need for husbands to love their wives and There is a special love that's involved here when we talked about this when we talked about Christ's resurrection but with the resurrection of the The church's resurrection here.

I'd like to point out the disparity in resurrection that exists on the last day so John 5 29 says. They that have done good to the resurrection of life. They that have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Acts 24 15 says having hope toward God which these also themselves look for. That there will be a resurrection both of the just and the unjust. Okay, so there's going to be a glorious honorable resurrection for the church.

That doesn't mean there won't be a resurrection for the wicked. There will be a resurrection, but it will be one of Ignominy. Is that how you pronounce it? I Always get this one wrong. Yeah of shame or a resurrection of ignominy or shame and it will be obvious on the last day as everyone approaches the bench you know, I don't know exactly what that scene will look like, but If you see a crowd standing before judgment, it will be obvious who the Saints are.

Who the Saints are and who others are? Because the Saints will have glorious bodies made like Christ bodies the others will just have natural resurrections as they are stitched together as necessary for the purpose of standing before God and judgment and receiving bodily punishment for eternity, so There's a difference here in these resurrections.

So Christ does not merely love the church and giving life to her he loves her in This way that he gives her a love that he does not give to others. Okay, so it's not just that he loves but that he loves in a way that he does not love others.

John 17 9 says I pray for them. I pray not for the world. But for those whom you have given me for they are yours. So this is an Jesus is high priestly prayer, right? His prayers are especially for the church.

His prayers are especially for his people. And so it's right for a husband to love his wife in a way that he does not love others. Maybe this is you know, just Too obvious to even think about but a lot of people think of Christ Love as being one that's I've heard it called peanut butter love, right?

Just spread around evenly to everyone but that's that's not his love, right? It is a love that is particularly targeted at his church and not targeted to others and You see that reflected in human marriage where a husband's love for his wife is a love that he has for her he feels an obligation to her that he does not feel to others and it would be wrong for him to Express them a greater affection for others right and to do things greater for others Than that he would do for his wife.

All right. Let's move on to a special honor. Also, so Christ honors the church in the resurrection raising her above above all creation now one hand God has already created humanity in a way that is above creation.

Psalm 8 5 says for you have made him a little lower than God and crown him with glory and honor but We see in Hebrews 2. Though that phrase about him being made a little lower than the angels or as translated in some translations.

Like I just read a little lower than God.

Is.

Interpreted in Hebrews 2 as being not just a little lower but a little while lower and that That has applied to Christ and his and his temporary humility. But it does seem to have an application to the church as well as being a temporarily lower state than the angels.

Keep in mind that 1st Corinthians 6 3 talks about how one day we will even judge angels. So there's a sense in which even though angels as are made as particularly glorious beings. That the church will be raised to some stats at least in some way that we would judge angels should make us.

While We are only the crown of this lower realm for now. He makes his church particularly not just humanity, but his church particularly the crown of even the higher realm later. It says in Hebrews 2 10.

For it was fitting for him. For whom all things are and through whom all things are. And bringing many sons to glory. To make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings. So my point there being that he brings many sons to glory.

There is a there's a special Glory that Hebrews 2 goes on to explain is, you know greater than that of the angels. This is kind of the whole trajectory of Hebrews 1 and 2 to talk about the relative glory of Christ to the angels.

You know Hebrews 1 starts off with him being greater than the angels. Hebrews 2 is well. Why is he lower than the like why you see him as lower than the angels and the answer as well? It was just for a little while to bring other sons with him to glory.

The implication therefore being that he takes those other sons with him to the status that is higher than the angels. Which is not a status that they had before. So, yeah, I do believe that we will have a status even greater than the angels on that last day.

Even though that's not how we were inherently created. And so a husband should give special honor to his wife not just special love but a special honor. We've talked before a couple of times about the honor a wife should have towards her husband.

So here the application is the honor that a husband should Give to his wife. He should speak well of her should give her a distinguished place in the home. We've talked about what that might look like for a husband.

You know even where he sits or how how a wife could arrange the home so that the children displaced the husband. You know the same is true though for the husband showing honor for the wife. You know, he shouldn't just treat her as some kind of Servant of the house, but as someone who has distinct honor in the home.

And the way he speaks to her to the children or even to others.

And.

Yeah, and then even even like I said, you know, there could be situations of just like where does she sit? What does she do during dinner? What is you know, etc. They could speak to whether or not she has honor in the home or is treated as a servant.

All right. Any questions there before we move on? I know that wasn't a lot of specifics. I didn't. I couldn't. I was having trouble thinking of specifics. But yes, Braden.

Yeah, yeah, and so.

Right, so I know that in our home it's a struggle because We've got so many kids right. A lot of times during dinner. You know Sarah's not sitting down at the table much often and she's just getting stuff for everybody.

But really the ideal and what I what I try to make happen is for her to be able to sit down eat with us. Right anything that's needed is already taken care of ahead of time. And it's not that she'd be doing less work in that case.

It's just how the work is arranged to make sure that she's honored as you know, someone who's part of the table, etc. So that would be that would be one example. Yeah, and then you know when others are over She able to take part in all the conversations that's happening or she being constantly sent to fetch everything, you know.

Those would be examples. All right.

Corporate Beauty and the Beautification of the Bride

Special beauty. Divine marriage is described as producing a corporate beauty in the people of God. Let's do another reading Ezekiel 16, this is a passage. We've looked at a few times before. This describes God's union to Israel that ended up being not honored.

However, it does point forward to the eventual union between Christ and the church and it's very relevant here. So if I could get one volunteer for Ezekiel 16 versus Chris, thank you. 8 through 14.

When I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood I said to you while you were in your blood live. Yes, I said to you while you were in your blood live. I made you numerous like plants of the field.

Then you grew up became tall and reached the age for fine ornaments. Your breasts were formed and your hair had grown yet. You were naked and bare. Then I passed by you and saw you and behold you were at the time for love.

So I spread my skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also swore to you and entered into a covenant with you so that you became mine declares the Lord God. Then I bathed you with water washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil.

I also closed you with embroidered cloth and put sandals of Porpoise on your feet. And I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck.

I also put a ring in your nostril earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver and your dress was a fine linen silk silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour honey and oil so you were exceedingly beauty beautiful and advanced to royalty.

To what? Okay. Thanks. That was. To 14 verse. 14 one more verse. Yeah.

Thank you.

Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty for it was perfect because of my splendor Which I bestowed on you declares the Lord God.

Okay.

All right. Thank you so You know as you look through revelation and So as you look through revelation, you see that When the church is raised up, she's given particular beauty you see this in Pictures of the city coming down from the heavens, etc I don't believe that's my point is not that speaking of the resurrection You just see pictures of beauty through Christ's work in her that being both Especially culminating in the resurrection, right that he is beautifying her and you see that this is really What scriptures been talking about from earlier on to here in Ezekiel, this is the union between God and Israel and It talks about his work in her being something to beautify her Right that he he provides her with the appropriate clothing, you know, make sure she's washed etc all these things tending towards her beauty and Then of course Ephesians 5 Even alludes I believe it's alluding to this very passage when it says that he might sanctify her having cleansed it by the Washing of the water with the word right?

I believe that's alluding to Ezekiel 16 in this beautification process.

So.

It is right for a husband to tend to the beauty of his wife. This doesn't just mean providing whatever she needs for, you know, maintaining her beauty clothing, etc. But encouraging complimenting her and then even correcting her.

Should she not take care of her own appearance right correcting her if she's not taking care of her her weight for example or Motivation to maintain her own beauty may decrease in later stages of life.

A lot of husbands don't consider it their place to say anything other than positive remarks only towards beauty, but if you see that this is this is part of the This is part of the the role that Christ is playing in his relationship with the church is to beautify her.

It is a husband's role to Have some oversight into that area of her life. It's not just well, whatever she does she does and then I only make positive remarks and nothing else. In addition to that Scripture is clear that a woman's external beauty is should not be her primary beauty, right?

First Peter 3 3 says do not let your adornment be the outward braiding of the hair and of wearing jewels that are gold or Putting on apparel. But let it be the hidden man of the heart and the incorruptible apparel of the meek and quiet spirit Which is in the sight of God of great price okay, so As such men should be caring for their wise internal beauty as well making sure that they're spiritually cared for with the Word of God and prayer and If there are any character failures or indwelling sin addressing addressing those as well so there's There's a relationship between that the external beauty and the internal beauty and if you understand that the husband has a role and Tending to her toward her internal beauty.

Same is really true with her external beauty. Obviously that should not be an outsized focus like it often is in the world. But a husband does have this this role in his and his wife's life right and Because these two have this playing together this even applies if her outward dress is inordinately Immodest and by immodest.

I'm not referring to like revealing necessarily I'm just saying in contrast with first Peter 3. That's about Modesty meaning humility not letting your adornment being primarily external right but being internal right if she were to wear excessive jewelry or things that are just too Beyond you know, what is typically feminine for drawing some some attention to your beauty doing that too much Right, it should be he should correct that as well because that would be even though someone might see that as tending towards her External beauty to encourage that kind of thing.

It would be tending away from her internal beauty to To encourage an immodesty of that of that variety, right? Hopefully all that made sense.

Okay, any questions, right.

Yeah.

Right. Yeah, there is there's a way the wife's appearance is important in a way that a man's it's not but yes. If you're if you're just living like a slob and you want her to take care of herself, that's not you know that.

What's the analogy I made in a sermon about a month ago is you know, the preacher who? Preaches about the evils of alcohol, but he's like just incredibly overweight, you know. It's yeah, it's hypocritical.

Yes. Yeah, right. Yes, and it's especially and given that Beauty is appropriate to the wife and you see that even in Christ in the church. Even though Christ is described as beautiful like the inordinate beauty of the church in Revelation compared to Christ.

It's corporately, you know much more beautiful. In terms of like that outward showiness. Right in the the city coming down from the heavens and everything and all the the gates and jewels, etc. So it is it is right for because that is something that is particularly feminine beauty.

Then a man drawing lots of appearance to him or lots of attention to his own appearance is not it's not a very masculine thing.

To do.

Even if it may appear masculine because it's you know centered around weightlifting or you know, or whatever whatever the case may be.

Yeah, I don't know.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's not like homosexuality never existed before or it's new it might be it might be a little more recent in our particular culture but. Yeah, you look at ancient Greece and you see a lot of similar things.

Imitation and Conformity in Marriage

Go ahead and move on to talk about Imitation through the Christian life. Saints become more like Christ. Romans 8 29 says for whom he foreknew. He also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

But at the resurrection we see that Christ. We see Christ right the church is Christ and then that transformation is made complete as we become like him even physically. First John 3 2 says beloved. We are now children of God and is not yet made known what we will be.

We know that if he will be revealed We will be like him for we will see him even as he is. Okay, so we become like him when we see him and this is something that you see in marriage to a Young wife will often adopt many things from her husband, right?

This is not just his lifestyle, but his views his preferences manner of speech and his habits. Sometimes even you see I always think it's funny when couples have the same laugh.

But uh.

Yeah, and of course To the degree that any of these things are faulty imitation would be would be bad, but there is something that's Inherently good about the way that God has made man and woman to not be Inflexible and unable to meld to one another but to adopt these things from one another.

Yeah, that isn't rigid that is good and it's especially the case. Now it happens in both directions but it's especially the case with the wife as we see between Christ and the church right that. We've talked about how this analogy is made with extremes, right?

Christ is perfect. The church has nothing to offer right, and so we're. With human marriage, we're talking about something very different than that. But it's still the case that the wife was made to be a helper and as she's made to be a helper There's going to be more of the wife adopting things from her husband.

The patterns of her husband's life and there will be the husband adopting patterns from the wife's life. At least ideally if the man is leading well, etc. You would expect to see those things. So this isn't.

Yeah, this isn't really like a some do's and don'ts for you. This is more just when you see that in marriage it's good because this is God has how God has made man and woman to meld together for the woman to.

In being a helper become like her husband in certain ways. Yes, but political views, you know, or.

Sure.

Yes. Bible translations, um, yeah, you know the the way things are done in a home, you know, whether or not the the knives face upward in the in the Dishwasher they face downward, you know, these are things that like.

You know eventually couples kind of conform to each other. You know, sometimes they have their own way of doing thing that remains fixed. But it's good that in most things they they just become one in the way that they do something.

So they're not at odds about every little thing.

Right.

Judgment, Vengeance, and the Christian Magistrate

Now let's move on from so we're talking about the day of the Lord here. Let's move on from talking about the resurrection talking about judgment. Is that a hand? No, okay. Judgment, so there's a great judgment coming on one hand.

It is a violent judgment as Christ come to defeat his enemies on the other hand. It's also a legal judgment as everyone will have to stand before God's throne and give an account. Let's read another large passage Revelation 19 10 through 21.

Who wants to do that one? All right, Nick and then I'll probably have you read the next one after that too because it's just in Revelation 20.

Okay, 19 10 through 21, but then I fell at his feet to worship him.

But he said to me do not do that. I'm a fellow slave with you and your brothers who have the witness of Jesus. Worship God for the witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Then I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse and he who sits on it is called faithful and true and in Righteousness, he judges and wages war.

His eyes are a flame of fire and on his head are many diadems. Having a name written on him which no one knows except himself and being clothed in a garment dipped in blood his name is also called the Word of God and The armies which are in heaven clothed in fine linen white and clean.

We're following him on white horses and from his mouth comes a sharp sword So that with it he may strike down the nation's and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the wrath of the rage of God the Almighty.

And He has on his garment and on his high this thigh a name written king of kings and Lord of lords. Then I saw an angel standing in the Sun and he cried out with a loud voice saying to all the birds which fly in mid heaven come assemble for the great supper of God so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of strong men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men both free men and slaves and small and great.

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their names assembled to make war with him who sits on the horse and with his army and The beast was seized and with him the false prophet who did the signs in his presence.

But what she deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone and The rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of him who sits on the horse and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Okay, thanks. And then go ahead and skip to Revelation 20 10 and then go to.

2015. And the devil who.

Deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are also and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. And If anyone's name was not found and written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Oh.

My bad. Then I saw him and I saw a great white horse and him who sits upon it from those From whose presence earth and heaven fled away and no place was found for them. Then I saw the dead the great and the small Standing before the throne and the books were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds and The sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them and they were Judged every one of them according to their deeds.

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death the lake of fire and if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life He was thrown into the lake of fire.

All right. So as we think about this judgment of God, let's first start off with the condemnation of enemies.

All right.

Revelation 6 9 says and when he opened the fifth seal I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who have been slain for The Word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried out with a great voice saying how long a master the holy and true.

Do you not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? We talked about this or I mentioned this last week in the sermon that when we pray for God's justice We pray along with the martyrs in heaven.

So there is a yeah the church calls out for for justice for vengeance. Yeah, and on that day there will be a condemnation of the enemies of God both wicked men and angels. Now we've discussed in the past the importance of a husband protecting his wife, but here one move on to punishment like not just Not just protection but actual vengeance.

It is right for a husband to To be involved in pursuing any vengeance for for wrong on his wife now that. Yeah, Romans 12 13 condemns someone seeking vengeance for themselves. But there's a sense in which a husband should do this and especially as you look in the Old Testament You see the avenger of blood.

I'm still trying to figure out what implications that would have for today. It speaks very candidly about it as though it's just understood that a next of kin would have a special authority To pursue vengeance and so in reformed language.

The question that's that's being asked here in which people have differed on throughout the years is whether or not You could have a lesser magistrate that basically exists at the family level that is capable of wielding the sword on on behalf of the family.

Or if it only exists at higher levels, I don't. I don't really have an exit an answer to that right now, but Even if the husband does not have the right to pursue such vengeance directly as we see with Christ it does warrant Him seeking any any wrong done to his wife through court.

We've also talked about that before and even mentioned it in the preaching lately how the point of widows and orphans Being talked about as ones who wouldn't have justice because there's no man to stand for them.

Right and an advocate for them. So it's it's right for a husband to defend his wife through the court system and even for men in general to participate in the system that that pursues such justice and vengeance right that Romans 13 calls the the servant of God to seek vengeance.

To avenge others right. Romans 12 says don't seek vengeance for yourself. Romans 13 then says there is a servant of vengeance That Oftentimes will be pursuing God's vengeance, even though on the last day everything will to me ultimately be made right by him.

Let me go ahead and read a one part of our confession 24 .2 and the second London Baptist Confession of Faith says It is lawful for Christians to accept and execute the office of a magistrate when called there unto.

And the management whereof as they ought especially to maintain justice and peace. According to the wholesome laws of each kingdom in Commonwealth. So for that in they may lawfully now under the New Testament wage war upon just and necessary occasions.

So it's yeah, it's right for men to participate in this institution that is that is doing these things. You know going to war to defend not just your family but then other families as well. Right that it's good for men to participate in these institutions.

Now, of course, that's all conditioned on you know, those wars being just etc. Just like the confession says I have no comment on the Myriad of complicated political situations our country finds itself in at the moment but Let's see it also.

Any questions on this so far?

Okay, it also. Yes. Go ahead. Sure so we should.

Yeah.

Operating as a unit, you know, you should be striving for forgiveness. And if your wife ought to forgive someone else you should instruct her to forgive someone else. I'm imagining like a greater wrong, right?

So, you know, either your wife is murdered your wife's raped, etc, right? These are things where Given what the Bible says about the nature of justice are not things that should just be laid aside and forgiven as though they're nothing.

Right, we're talking about yeah, I'm talking about actual physical harm that warrants The vengeance that God has authorized the power of the sword for that's what I'm talking about right now. Yeah. Yeah, and some people look at things like Romans 12 and they think that oh, okay because Romans 12 is here.

That means that you know Christian you have people like the Amish right who would just not even participate in those systems, right? And they would not. It would be all for just forgiving a murder. Right and and not pursuing justice that kind of thing the pacifists like that Bible does not give us a pacifist religion.

It explains that there is Right use of the sword on just and necessary occasions. Okay, so if this is a truance right for men in particular to participate in these institutions I'm referring to you know law-keeping institutions, you know police forces military.

This is this is something for a man to do. This is not I know that there's been a lot of changes. So, you know now women are in combat roles or even in the military in generally in general. Honestly is it's not.

Yeah, it's this is something that is for men to be participating in this is their role is to is to be that defender and and One who who seeks justice. Now this applies to other forms of participating in this too.

I would say it even applies to voting. How we think about voting. You know you see National suffrage in our country right over the past or the past hundred years. There's been a lot of changes right not only women participating military, but also.

It's understood for a long time that it would just be the men that vote and then suddenly have women voting now is that is that something that's just a step on. Oh a better understanding of the equality between men and women or is it reflective of of a Breakdown in the understanding of the family or the role of you know, men and women With each other and I would argue that it's it's a breakdown.

So Stepping back. How are these things related? The right to govern comes from the consent of the governed Samuel Rutherford argued for this very well and one of the biblical cases that make this very strong as you see David and Saul are both anointed King by Samuel right by God and yet That doesn't make them King.

They're not actually King until later David many years later when the people By their you know, not not casting ballots. But by their suffrage and acknowledging him as king and gathering together and pledging to him.