Adult Sunday School Marriage And Resurrection of Christ

The Resurrection of Christ and Its Meaning for Marriage

Heavenly Father, thank you for this morning. I pray that you would bless the Instruction that happens today for the kids for the adults here in this class and also that you would be with us while we worship.

I pray that you would receive our worship and that you would fill our hearts with joy and gladness in Jesus name. Amen. All right. Well today as we continue through the historia salutis the history of salvation we are looking at the resurrection of Jesus.

Now Ephesians 5 starts off by talking about How Christ gave his life up for the church and so it might seem that the sacrifice of Christ is the only thing that applies to marriage however. However, it also talks about him being one flesh and it's really through the resurrection that that that is accomplished.

Ephesians 5 528 says even so husband should also love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. Colossians 2 12 says having been buried with him in baptism and what you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God.

Who raised him from the dead? So there's a sense in which we are raised with him through faith and the Bible talks about us being given a resurrection. Like his eventually and us having a resurrection now.

There's a sense in which.

That.

Resurrection is a significant part of us being of the church being one with Christ even though that's also accomplished in the Covenant and in Yeah, and in other various parts of of salvation but resurrection has a particular role here so.

Who would like to volunteer to read John 20? Do 1 through 16 1 through 16.

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb while it was still dark and saw the stone had Already been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and said to them They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they have laid him.

So Peter and the other disciples went forth and they were going to the tomb. The two were running together and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first and stooping and looking in he saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in and so Simon Peter also came following him and entered the tomb and he saw the linen wrappings lying there and The face cloth which had been on his head not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.

So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand the scripture that he must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away to their own homes but Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping and so as she wept she stooped and looked into the tomb and She saw two angels in white sitting one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been lying.

And they said to her woman. Why are you weeping? She said to them because they have taken away my lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. And when she saw and when she saw this she turned around and saw Jesus standing there and did not know that it was Jesus.

Yet verse 16.

Jesus said to her woman. Why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking supposing him to be the gardener? She said to him Sir, if you have carried him away tell him me where you have laid him and I will take him away.

Jesus said to her Mary. She turned and said to him in Hebrew Rabboni, which means teacher.

Okay. Thank you. All right. So this is a narrative of the resurrection in John. Of course, the other Gospels include similar statements, although they focus on different aspects. One thing that's important to consider here is how.

The resurrection of Christ is for the well-being of the church as the whole not just his own well-being. Right, it would be it would be very naive to look at the resurrection of Christ and say oh well He did this for himself.

He died for us, but he raised himself up for himself. No, he raised himself up for the church as well. All right, first Corinthians 15. And speaking of the resurrection.

Says.

But now has Christ been raised from the dead the firstfruits of those who are asleep. For since by man came death by man came also the resurrection of the dead for as an Adam all die. So also in Christ will all be made alive.

That was 1st Corinthians 15 20 through 22. All right. So applying this to husbands and wives.

Any.

Exaltation any self exaltation of the husband should be for the good of his wife and family. Right one might be inclined to see a husband's sacrifice at odds with any kind of exaltation. He does. Okay when he when he when he serves in Humility, you know sacrificing for the family.

Okay, that's when he's really helping his family. And then when he's, you know pursuing bigger and greater things for himself, that's at the expense of his family, right? That's a naive way of of looking at the dynamic in a in a husband's life however, if you see this with Christ just as his both his humility and his exaltation is for the sake of the church.

So it should be with the husband we don't have to have the mindset that he's supposed to strike some kind of balance between Things for him things for her right or me time and her time, right? That's.

It's very. It's very what's the word that I'm looking for where you have a zero-sum game right a zero-sum game where you know. Yeah, it's transactional it's reciprocal right both parties. There's some net value involved, right?

That's that you know. Some people can take from and that that leaves less for others, right and they take so that's a it's very zero-sum game. Way of looking at marriage, but really marriage everything that the husband does should be for the good of his wife.

Everything including those things which are for his own good. And if if that can be understood rightly in marriage, it does lead to a lot of harmony in marriage. To use the economic phrase the same tide rises all the ships, right?

So, you know when a husband builds a larger house for himself, right? He's not. Ideally if he's doing it with the right heart, he's not doing this just for his own benefit, right? He's doing it for the whole family.

And so as he is increasing his own estate, he's increasing the family's estate. Now there are of course ways that husbands can pursue some kind of self exaltation. Selfishly right they can do things that are just for them in a way.

That's not also benefiting the family, right? Pursuing accolades at work at the expense of the family or. You know going on Various vacations that are by himself at the expense of the family. Once again, these things would not be.

Would not be for the family's well-being. Right, or he could he could abandon them when the going gets tough like that's another it's another thing. A husband could do that would be for his own well-being at the expense of his family's.

Yet ultimately. The husband who understands that he has one flesh with his wife Wouldn't do those things because he recognized that the truest form of self-exaltation is going to be that which is beneficial to his wife to his family.

Ephesians 5 28 says even so husband should also love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself for no man has ever hated his own flesh. But nourishes and cherishes it even as Christ also the church.

So.

Yeah, those couples that have this zero-sum game mindset about marriage about either the finances in marriage. Oh, well, you spent that I need to spend this or you took that time I need this time for myself.

Right are not are not treating each other as one flesh as though the good for one is the good for the other. Right, they're treating it as the good for me is bad for you. And so I need I need something in return here.

All right, that's this is a failing to recognize the one fleshness of marriage. Right. Yeah keeping score. Yeah, you've got a tally of how much money has been spent for her things. So this much money gets it and they end up Cutting off their own nose despite their face because if one is overly indulgent with money then the other retaliates by being overly indulgent with money and Then you end up draining the bank account or something, you know.

Yeah, so there shouldn't be that kind of quid pro quo dynamic, right and so the woman who understands this, you know, because there are times and I've seen I've seen even situations with pastors where you know, they need to travel for some kind of conference for their good and for the good of their ministry in the church and The the wife see this as oh, this is him time.

And so I'm gonna take a vacation by myself, you know some other time and and that's not that's not a healthy way of approaching things and if she understands that you know He is pursuing things for the good of the family so that he is more edified so the family can be more edified so that their Ministry together not his individual ministry to the church, but them as a family working together for the good of the church.

Yeah, it's just a it's a very different mindset that's much happier and you know I'm blessed to have a wife that understands this when I when I Go away to a conference for you know edification so that I can be better equipped to serve my church and family like she understands it's for the family's good and she also understands that The sacrifices that I made during seminary etc and hurt the sacrifices that she had to make right to.

You know Take care of the house with a little less attention for me while I'm able to work on seminary, etc to pursue those things. You know, she understood that these are things that we are doing together, right?

She's she is interacting with all this in a less direct way than I am. But she understands that we are doing this together as one flesh and when you have that mindset. It's a joyful mindset because it's not a zero-sum game a win for the one is the win for the other right, and I've seen this is just coming to mind, but I I once heard someone do an analysis of siblings and sibling rivalry and They weren't it.

Yeah, they were examining you know siblings that that fight with each other where Competition is such that a win for one is a loss for the other and siblings where a win for one is a win for The other right and I think one of the examples and I don't really know tennis well or anything.

But Serena and Venus Williams right there. His analysis was and I have no idea because I don't really know any of these folks. But was that you know. They treat each other like a win for one is a win for the other and that's just very different and more uplifting than Then mindsets where a win for one is a loss for the other where you've got a zero-sum game mindset.

Okay, and that is yeah, and of course, I'm I'm speaking in a lot of you know. Modern parlance about these things here are some games. It's etc but this is just the implication of scripture when it says that the two are one flesh and.

Yeah, no husband hates his own or no man hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it. That's just the the natural Conclusions of these things. All right, so secondly we have here in the resurrection notion of preparing for the future.

The hope of the resurrection is primarily a future hope now. We read that verse in Colossians that talks about us already having been raised up. But our bodies are not yet raised from the dead in a glorified way.

And our souls even have yet to be perfectly sanctified.

So.

The hope of the resurrection is primarily a future. Hope Christ has been raised from the dead in order to secure our resurrection in the future. Second Timothy 216 says. But shun profane babble. For they will proceed further in ungodliness and their word will eat like a gangrene of Whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus men who concern?

Men who concerning the truth have erred saying that the resurrection is passed already and overthrow the faith of some. Okay, so there you have second Timothy talking about the resurrection is the future thing.

It hasn't already happened Romans 6 5 for if we have become united with him the likeness of his death We will be also in the likeness of his resurrection will be future tense. Okay, so unmarried men who pursue advancement in this life.

Remember we're looking at resurrection in the context of kind of a self exaltation, right? Unmarried men who pursue advancement in this life ought to do so with an eye toward Future family right and those who are betrothed or engaged especially should be sacrificing by by saving and Building any building up of their own status should be for the sake of that family.

Remember it's important to remember that this what we're looking at in the Bible at this stage is a betrothal stage, right? And so The marriage is not consummated yet. And and this is a preparation for the future.

A lot of people will act like well, you know when I'm married then I'll be concerned about my family. But right now while I'm preparing for marriage, I'm not going to I'm not going to prepare for marriage.

Basically. I'm going to pursue self exaltation for myself right so that I am. You know engaging in all kinds of indulgences spending my money like this, you know, so because uh. Because I'm not really, you know considering the future I'm not going to invest in my understanding of The Word of God in relation to family because it seems like it doesn't apply to me right now.

You know, and so the way that they are investing in themself is not with an eye toward that future. Right. And so this this has application especially like I said looking at Christ for the one who is engaged or betrothed.

But I think it makes sense also to apply it to even those who don't have a particular prospect at the moment. Because you. It is God's calling for most people's lives to be married someone could say well.

You know, couldn't I be called the perpetual single life? You can't know that apart from being a eunuch. It can't be known right that calling to single life can change over time. Unless there is something, you know some outward sign of it.

Like I said, you know being a eunuch. And so it would be presumptuous to live one's life as though that calling were permanent that's where our confession says too is that vows of perpetual single life are are evil because you.

Because you can't assume What God's will is for you in the future. Even if that is as well for you now and is gifting for you now. You can't assume what you're gifting is in the future either.

All right.

All right. First Peter 1 3 says blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to his great mercy Fathered us again to a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

So.

Even though we don't enjoy that Resurrection as the glorification of the body now we do enjoy The freedom from death knowing that our own bodies are expendable since they can be raised from the dead, right?

I can go into very dangerous circumstances.

With.

Full assurance that I cannot ultimately be harmed you know only God can throw both soul and body into hell and my body can be raised from the dead, so What I'm getting at here is the the freedom that the church is granted by that future resurrection.

Also applies to you know an engaged couple that a wife Who knows or a bride right who knows her husband is preparing for marriage is able to Abandon other pursuits that might be a backup plan, right if she has a committed A committed groom who is pursuing her good.

This is also this gets back to what I had talked about the the good of betrothal right in contrast to To engagement if you have that kind of commitment, it really enables a lot more Than it would otherwise right if there's not a commitment if there's if the commitment is only verbal and not contractual, right?

So betrothal is covenantal, right? There's a Right. It's not just my yes is my yes is you know, I am making a vow before the Lord that We're going to be together and as you see in Scripture, they were considered Betrothals people were considered husband and wife even before the marriage had happened.

So Mary and Joseph are considered husband and wife and.

Her.

Becoming pregnant which was perceived as adultery at first that was grounds for Capital punishment and he wanted to divorce her quietly. So it was not to make a example of her right. So all this shows that they were treated as him as a.

There's a special status to betrothal that doesn't exist for an engaged couple, right that wouldn't be considered. You know in our society, you don't go to court if you're engaged and you you know End up and you want to break it off, right?

Okay. So yeah, I do think that there is a good to that level of commitment in that engagement period to free one up, right? The church is freed up for Full service to God knowing that that consummation is certain right knowing that that marriage supper is certain.

We have total freedom to abandon any kind of backup plan abandon any kind of. Yeah, other other thing that we would do if we were just on our own and so same is true with a the wife and I think this this is Getting a little untethered from the analogy, but I think this is true at a societal level, too.

I think that at a societal level if you have people not treating marriage with honor people not honoring the marriage bed as it says in the Hebrews 13 and that that refers to not just Couples who are married keeping it in honor.

Everyone is supposed to honor marriage. Right if you have a society that does not honor marriage that does not honor these commitments. Women in general are going to feel the need to even if they want to get married eventually and raise a family.

They're going to feel the need to have lots of backup plans on on hand and to and to not necessarily Invest in themselves in the way that would be primarily dedicated to you know domestic life. So anyway, that's a that's a consideration to how important it is to keep the marriage bed and honor just at a societal level to free people up for these wholehearted pursuits of God's callings.

All right. Next in the resurrection, there's a declaration of authority Romans 1 4.

It.

Says that Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. Okay, so he's declared to be the Son of God with power. Now he is always the Son of God right in Psalm 2 it talks about Talks about him being the Son of God.

He is eternally the Son of God. However, there's a declaration of this that happens at the at the resurrection in there is in addition to this a There's an authority that is hatched the name Son of God that refers to his kingship.

You look at passages like Psalm 2 and other Things what is the Son of God? The Son of God is the Messiah who comes and reigns, right? He is the he is the king who sits on David's throne. So this is a This is a title of authority of his kingship, all right, and Yeah, and remember that John 2 says that he raises himself up from the dead and so he is making this Declaration in part right declaring his his authority.

Believe it's right for husbands to speak openly of their authority a lot of times. People will say okay. Well a husband has authority, but if he ever reminds anyone of this then he that's because he's insecure or You know, he doesn't he's kind of grasping on to To something that he's losing.

No, you see Jesus needs to Remind the disciples of his authority occasionally and during the time before his resurrection. It's a lot of soliciting them to see who do you say that I am right? You are the Son of God.

Etc.

But.

From the resurrection onward, you know, he is he is declaring it and not just soliciting it and it is a. Yeah, it is good for if there's a situation where a wife is being disrespectful for the husband to remind the wife.

Like a lot of people feel like that's off off limits. You're going too far. A lot of people treat several things in the Bible this way, right. Not just a husband's authority, but even Discipline right.

You look at what the Bible says about the.

The.

Need for parents to use the rod for their children follies bound up in the heart of a child but the rod will drive it away. And Do not spare the rod, you know, it talks about Not sparing the rod that means that it should be used.

It should not be avoided but a lot of people Seem to think even Christians seem to think that you're supposed to avoid it as much as possible. Until you know until all other options have been exhausted and then if you use it, you probably messed something up beforehand.

Right, that's not what?

That's not what scripture is indicating. It's indicating. This is actually the the normal means. This is the this is the First response to disobedience not the last response and it is not a sign of failure.

It is. Yeah, it is just the normal life and so same thing with a with a husband speaking of his own authority. I don't believe that's off-limits as some people. As some people seem to think okay. Yeah, and because of that need for reminder.

You know, I've I've told you I'm mostly well I'm going through a lot of books on marriage. But one of them is William Gouge's book called domestic duties and one of the things he points out in Ephesians 5 and 6 when it goes through all these relationships husbands and wives Parents and children masters and servants why it addresses the inferior before the superior wise before husbands parents or children before parents Slaves before masters is because of the need for that reminder of authority.

Yeah, so it is something that is needed. It doesn't have to be done in some kind of a you know demeaning or domineering fashion. Just a reminder of what God has said for the for the rules of the home.

Okay. Secondly, this is a demonstration of authority. The Romans were worried that Jesus would the disciples of Jesus would steal his body away since he had said that he would be resurrected. Now ironically this ends up adding to the legitimacy of the movement when he is actually resurrected.

Right, so Who would like to read Matthew? 27 62.

Through.

You know, let's go. 60 sorry Matthew 27 62 to 66 let's start there. Thanks Braden 62 to 66.

The next day that is after the day of preparation the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said Sir we remember how that imposter said while he was still alive after three days I will rise.

Therefore Ordered the tomb to be made secure until the third day Lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people he has risen from the dead And the last fraud will be made worse than the first Pilate said to them you have a guard of soldiers go make it as secure as you can.

So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. All right. Sorry.

Sorry, could you hand a mic back and skip ahead to 28 and read 11 through 15. Chapter 28 11 through 15.

While they were going behold some of the guard went into the city and took the chief priests all that had taken place. And told the chief priests all that had taken place and when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel.

They gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said tell people His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep. And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.

So they took the money and did as they were directed and this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

Yeah, and so here he demonstrates his authority by you know. Breaking out of the tomb by being resurrected from that's not only declaring authority, but even demonstrating it.

So.

What is what is the husband's demonstration of his authority it is doing the role of a husband, right? It is protecting and providing etc. So it is right for him to demonstrate these things now that doesn't mean he does not have that authority if he is a if he fails to demonstrate them, but but yeah, it is good for him to to demonstrate his authority gives his Wife confidence in his ability to do this task of being a husband.

All right. And lastly, this is also a demonstration of the blessing of God. On one hand Jesus raised himself up from the dead right. John 2 19 through 22 says. Jesus answered and said to them destroy this temple and in three days, I will rise raise it up.

The Jews therefore said 46 years was this temple in building and will you raise it up in three days? But he spoke of the temple of his body when therefore he was raised from the dead. His disciples remembered that he spoke this and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

But in it and he also did this not just did this but did this by his own authority. It says in John 10 18. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again the commandment.

I this commandment I received from my father I'll say as a side note yesterday when we were going door-to-door evangelizing Braden and I spoke to a Jehovah's Witness and I ended up mentioning this verse and I didn't end up talking about this.

But but I know that in the New World Translation this says and I have the power to receive it again. They don't they don't like the idea that Jesus was the one resurrecting himself, right? So scripture talks about him resurrecting himself, but it also talks about the father in the spirit resurrecting him.

Romans 8 11. But the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you. He who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will give life also to your mortal bodies through his spirit that dwells in you.

Okay, so his resurrection from the dead on one hand shows his natural qualifications of the Savior, right? He is raising himself up from the dead, but it likewise demonstrates the blessing of the Father as well.

And so when a husband plays the role of a husband he provides protects, etc, and He's not the fruit that comes from his work is not just his own doing right is also the providence of God and so You know that also demonstrates the blessing of God in a in a similar way Similar not analogous not Certainly not identical.

You do have something miraculous going on with the resurrection of Christ but just to apply these things about what the resurrection entails for the salvation of the church and to understand how that is to be understood in light of what Ephesians 5 says about marriage and the relationship between the husband and wife think it's right to to look at what it says about.

About his authority and his in the role of exaltation in in Good of husband and wife their well-being.

All right.

Now we're going to go through Jesus's appearances to his disciples. There are a lot of these and they're long passages that I have small observations on so I think I'm gonna I'm gonna skip some of the readings, but I'll make a few.

I'll make a few observations here. But could we do yes his appearances? We'll we'll see and that's the thing is it's it's pretty. It's a hodgepodge of things. There's a. There's some that apply more directly than others.

We'll just walk through them all but if someone could volunteer to read first Corinthians 15. 3 through 8. Thanks Ford. Yeah 3 through 8.

For at for I delivered to you as the first importance what I also received That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures and That he appeared to Cephas then to the 12 to 10 to the 12th.

He appeared to more than 500 but brothers at one time most of who are still alive Although though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James then to all the Apostles last of all as to one ultimate unknown.

Untimely born he appeared also to me. Thanks.

All right, so Let's go through some of these appearances. It says that he appeared to more than 500 people. Okay, so the Bible records some of these instances.

So.

First in John 20 a lot of these are in John in the Matthew. I think or Luke. These are in John in Luke. So in John he talks to the disciples and there's what's known as the Johannine Pentecost. Which is where he it says he breathed on them and says to them receive the Holy Spirit if you forgive anyone sins.

They are forgiven to them if you retain the sins of any they are retained. You can guess why that's often called the Johannine Pentecost because he gives the spirit In this way before Pentecost actually takes place.

So he's now all all God's disciples are Representatives of Christ yet. This is true in a special way of these Apostles. But we have what we have in marriage is that the The wife is a representative of her husband.

First Corinthians 11 7 talks about her being the man being the glory of God and the woman being the glory of man you know this referring to One representing the other. So a woman should act in her husband's interest in her dealings as Proverbs describes.

She the Proverbs 31 woman Purchases land right? She's she considers a field and buys it with the fruit of her hand. She plants a vineyard you know, I always I see this as The woman operating on behalf of her husband, you know being his representative doing business on his behalf.

Doing things like purchases like that. It's a lot of wise wish to be their own independent agents and husbands same thing a lot of times but Yeah a healthy marriage. You will have this kind of representation where the wife represents her husband and and operates on his behalf.

Not just operating as an independent agent.

Another.

Instance in the Of of the disciples interacting with Jesus post-resurrection was with Thomas right. Thomas doubts Jesus and he Demonstrates that he is truly resurrected. We've talked before about how different aspects of the story is to Lutus refer to the trust that a wife should have in her.

Her husband or or has application that right these different parts. You see the disciples should trust in Christ and he demonstrates why they should trust and there's a dynamic like this in In marriage as well that wife should trust their husbands and husband should reassure their wives.

Again with all the miracles right casting the net on the right side of the boat and pulling it in etc. He does this miracle a second time. He had done that once at the beginning of his ministry. Does that again?

This is another good example of him demonstrating his authority. Preparation for duty. Jesus speaks to Peter the need to care for the sheep. John 21 15. So when they had broken their fast Jesus says to Simon Peter Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?

He says to him. Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He says to him feed my lambs. He says to him again a second time Simon son of John. Do you love me? He says to him? Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.

He says to him tend my sheep. He says to him the third time Simon son of John Love you me. Peter was aggrieved because he had said to him a third time love. Do you love me and he said to him Lord, you know all these things, you know that I love you.

She just said to him feed my sheep. All right. So if you remember in the analogy between Christ and the church and human marriage. The individual Individual Christians are not the wife right? They are the children of the church.

We see that plenty of times in the Old Testament they're the children of Zion and so here when you have Peter who is. You know Operating in the leadership of this church, you know who is supposed to care for the sheep you know care for the children of Zion.