Episodes
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Lesson 14: Marriage, Singleness, and Same-Sex Attraction
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
I. Introduction: Did God actually say?
Today’s class: not focusing on individual commands on sex, but rather the whole biblical vision for marriage and sexuality
II. God’s Design for Marriage and Sex:
Gen 1:27-28: Male & female he created them… “be fruitful and multiply”
Gen 2:22-25 “They shall become one flesh”
Eph 5:28-32: Marriage as a one flesh union (Song 6:3)
What is marriage? A covenantal, bodily union of one man and one woman, open to the gift of procreation, symbolic of the relationship between Christ and the church.
Marriage is covenantal
Marriage is bodily union
Marriage is a union of one man and one woman
Procreation is one of the designed ends for marriage
Marriage is a picture of two distinct parties in covenantal union
The lesson? Marriage and sex are mutually interpreting realities.
True sex vs. counterfeit sex
Making sense of chapters like Leviticus 18 and 1 Corinthians 6
III. Sex as Fulfillment? The Example of Jesus
Fulfilling personal desires as the foundation for morality?
The “sexuality of Jesus”
Jesus is a fully human man
Jesus took on a body capable of sex
Jesus’ intimate friendships and real human sufferings
Matthew 19:12: “Eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven”
IV. Same-Sex Attraction
Fallen people have fallen desires (Jer 17:9, Eph 2:3, Titus 3:3)
What if someone is “born that way?” (Ps 51:5)
All sins make us equally deserving of condemnation, yet some sins are particularly consequential denials of God’s design
A posture of compassion and speaking the truth in love
V. Concluding Application
We should honor marriage (Heb 13:4)
We should honor singleness (1 Cor 7:8)
We should cultivate strong friendships in the family of God
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
Lesson 13: Gender Confusion
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
Gender Confusion
I. Introduction
Gender Dysphoria
Transgenderism
II. A Biblical Theology of Gender and the Human Body
A. God created men and women in His own image.
Genesis 1:27-28, 31 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.... And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.”
Genesis 2:25 “And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”
Psalm 139:13-14 “For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Christian view: gender includes
Physical body
God-given dispositions/inclinations
Cultural expressions that may vary across time
Secular view:
Sex = physical body
Gender = psychological identity
B. The fall has distorted us in body and mind.
Genesis 3:16-19: the curse of death à bodily sickness and abnormalities
Romans 1:18, 21 à the results of the fall in our hearts ... who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth... they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
The reality of fallen self-perception
The consequences of rejecting God’s design
Our bodies: not blank canvases, but flawed masterpiece.
The hope of Christ: Titus 3:3-4 “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray.... But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us...”
C. The resurrection affirms the goodness of the gendered body.
The resurrection of Jesus as a man
1 Corinthians 15 – glorified bodies, yet continuity of personhood
Transgenderism: psychological identity trumps physical anatomy
Christianity: we are united, body and soul. The body is good!
III. Loving Our Neighbors in a World of Gender Confusion
A. Seek Wisdom
B. Adopt a Posture of Compassion
C. Speak the Truth and the Gospel in Love
D. Call Others to Realistic Repentance
E. Persevere by God’s Grace
Thursday Nov 16, 2023
Lesson 12: Biblical Manhood and Woman in the World and Workplace
Thursday Nov 16, 2023
Thursday Nov 16, 2023
Biblical Manhood and Womanhood in the World & Workplace
I. Introduction: Masculinity and Femininity in a Feminist World
“We are talking about a society in which there will be no roles other than those chosen or those earned” – Gloria Steinem, 1971
A question of wisdom: figuring out how to live in God’s created world according to God’s design and for godly purposes
II. Embrace Our Created Dispositions
Gen 1: equality in God’s image; Gen 2-3: difference in disposition
Gen 2:15, 18 Adam to provide and protect; Eve as “helper”
Gen 3:9, 20 Adam called to responsibility; Eve as “mother”
General physical differences between men and women
III. Gain Wisdom from Our Prescribed Roles in the Home and the Church
No scriptural rules or boundaries about roles in the public square
Still, God’s prescribed roles represent a formalizing of men’s and women’s distinct created dispositions
1 Pet 3:4 “A gentle and quiet spirit” can teach us something about femininity in general
A husband’s call to lay down his life (Eph 5:25-28) can teach us something about masculinity in general
IV. Consider Your Particular Stewardships and Responsibilities
What non-negotiable duties has God called me to?
Example: choosing a job
The woman in Proverbs 31
Verse 15: She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household.
Verse 16: She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
Verse 18: She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Verse 24: She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.
Verses 27-28: She looks well to the ways of her household…. Her children rise up and call her blessed, her husband also, and he praises her.
V. Applying These Considerations
Pursue endeavors that seem consistent with your identity and responsibilities as a man or woman, rather than endeavors than might undermine or suppress them. And in whatever position or endeavor you find yourself, do your best to express it in a way that embraces and upholds your God-given masculinity or femininity.
Think about the type of authority a job involves
Consider how to express yourself, as an employer or employee, in distinctly masculine or feminine ways
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
Lesson 11: Biblical Manhood and Womanhood in the Church.
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
I. Introduction
Genesis 1:26-28
Galatians 3:26-28
Genesis 2
II. Gender in the Church: General Principles
Scripture not just allows, but expects men and women to participate in the vast majority of the church’s ministry and practices. (1 Cor 12:4-11)
Men and women are called to serve the church in all capacities, except for leading and teaching the church, which God’s Word assigns to men.
However you serve, you do so as a man or a woman.
III. Various Ways Men and Women Build Up the Body of Christ
Participating in the Public Gatherings (Eph 3:10)
Reading, Praying, & Prophesying (1 Cor 11:4-5)
Exercising Governance with the Congregation (Matt 18, 1 Cor 5)
Serving as Deacons and Deaconesses (1 Tim 3:11)
Women: Teaching and Leading Other Women (Titus 2:3-5)
Ministering to Children (2 Tim 3:14, 1:5)
Countless Others (Discipling, Hospitality, Evangelism, Missions, Ministry to Sick and Elderly…)
IV. The Masculine Nature of Elder Leadership
A. 1 Timothy 3:1-7: Qualifications of elders
B. The elder’s “job description:”
To provide for the church through biblical teaching (Titus 1:9, 1 Tim 4:13)
To protect the church from falsehood (2 Tim 4:2-3, Titus 1:9)
To lead the church by a godly example (1 Pet 5:3, Heb 13:7)
To bear responsibility before God for the church’s well-being (James 3:1, Heb 13:17)
V. 1 Timothy 2:8-15
The context: false teaching in Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:3-7, 18-20; 4:1-3)
2. A call to learn quietly with submissiveness (2:11)
A trustful, humble posture to Biblical teaching
Women learning as disciples
3. Two restrictions:
Teaching men in the assembled congregation (v. 12)
Having authority over men (v. 1-2)
Two reasons for these restrictions:
The creation order (v. 13)
Satan’s strategy to undermine the creation order (v. 14)
Note: God’s instructions, even when counter-cultural, are always good.
VI. 1 Corinthians 11:3-16
God expects women to serve publicly in the church by praying and prophesying (v. 5).
What about 1 Cor 14:34-35?
Complementary, not contradictory passages (see context in 1 Cor 14:29 – “speaking” here refers to the authoritative evaluation of prophecies
God calls women to serve in the church in a way that clearly showcases their feminine identity (vv. 6-7, 14-15).
Male teaching authority in the church doesn’t invalidate the equality of interdependence (vv. 8-10, 11-12).
Thursday Nov 02, 2023
Lesson 10: Biblical Femininity
Thursday Nov 02, 2023
Thursday Nov 02, 2023
Biblical Femininity
I. Introduction
To live as a godly woman, on one level, simply seek godliness
As a woman, you’ll always express the fruit of the Spirit as a woman
Whenever we study God’s creation design, we need to remember that creation is fallen
Scripture sometimes describes femininity in the context of marriage
II. History of Feminism
First Wave of Feminism (1840-1920)
Second Wave of Feminism (1960-1990)
Third Wave of Feminism (1990-Present)
III. Genesis 1-3
Gen 1:26-27: Equal in essence as image of God
Gen 2: Distinct, complementary dispositions
“Have Dominion” (1:26) / “Work and keep” (2:15)
“Be fruitful & multiply” (1:28) / “Helper fit” (2:18)
Eve as Adam’s “helper”
Matthew Henry: “The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.”
Gen 3: The results of the fall
Man’s “working disposition” (Gen 3:17 – the ground is cursed); Woman’s “relational disposition” (Gen 3:16 – child-bearing and her relationship to the man are challenged by the fall)
Gen 3:20: “The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” – Nurturing life both physically and spiritually (Titus 2:3, Luke 8:3)
IV. Proverbs 31:10-31
She uses her talents selflessly and wisely
Her endeavors bless her family and community (Acts 9:36, Rom 16:1)
She fears the Lord (31:30)
Her example should be freeing, not discouraging
V. Summary Statement
Biblical femininity is displayed in a gracious disposition to cultivate life, to help others flourish, and to affirm, receive and nurture strength and leadership from worthy men in particular contexts prescribed by God’s Word.
VI. To Cultivate Life
Gen 3:20 – “Eve” related to term for life
Patterns at creation:
Man
Woman
Adam formed from the ground
Woman made from the man
“Work and keep the garden”
“Mother of all living”
Parallels days 1-3: forming
Parallels days 4-6: filling
Working disposition
Relational disposition
A universal feminine trait, typical of women in various contexts and stages of life (Prov 31, Titus 2:4-5, 1 Tim 5:10)
VII. To Help Others Flourish
Gen 2:18 – “A helper fit”
Imaging God, the Helper (Ps 70:5)
Prescriptive / Formal à “Helping with a capital H”
(Marriage relationship)
Descriptive / Informal à “Helping with a lowercase h”
(Various relationships and contexts)
Examples:
Rahab (Joshua 2)
Esther
Luke 8:3
Romans 16:1
Helping as an expression of feminine strength: “The unique influence of a godly woman is in transforming things…” (Abigail Dodds)
VIII. To Affirm, Receive and Nurture Strength and Leadership from Worthy Men in Particular Contexts Prescribed by God’s Word
Eph 5:22-24, 33 – “Submit” = Place oneself under the authority of another
Submission is an act of trust in God
A wife complements her husband through her unique feminine influence
What about imperfect men? (1 Pet 3:1-2)
“Worthy men” – the Bible condemns all abuse (Acts 5:29)
What about affirming and encouraging men informally, outside of contexts where submission is prescribed?
Friday Oct 27, 2023
Lesson 9: Biblical Masculinity
Friday Oct 27, 2023
Friday Oct 27, 2023
I. Introduction: What does it mean to be a man? A woman?
II. Biblical Theology of Gender
A. Creation
Gen 1:26-27:
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion....”
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
The image of God:
Essence
Function
Relational nature
Gen 2:15 & 18:
“The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.... ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’”
Differences between man and woman in Gen 2
Man: “Work and Keep” (2:15) à Dominion / forming
Woman: “Helper” (2:18)/“Life” (3:20) à Be fruitful / filling
B. Fall
Gen 3:16:
To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in child-bearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”
The fall brings about the distortion of created roles, not the introduction of new roles.
Because of the curse, we shouldn’t be surprised at brokenness in gender and sexuality
C. Redemption in Christ
Christ the perfect image of God (Col 1:15)
Gal 3:28:
There is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Christ’s work doesn’t obliterate gender distinctions, it redeems them (Eph 5, 1 Tim 2)
D. Restoration
Creation will be set free from bondage (Rom 8:21); believers will receive glorified bodies (1 Cor 15:37-49)
III. Important Terms: Egalitarianism and Complementarianism
IV. Foundations for Biblical Masculinity
A. Adam, the Ground (’adamah) and Dominion
Gen 2:5: No man to work the ground
Gen 2:7: The man formed from dust of the ground
Gen 2:9, 15, 19: The man names the other creatures formed from the ground and so exercises dominion (Gen 1:26)
Gen 3:17-19: God pronounces to Adam the curse on the ground: he will have painful work until he returns to the ground in death
B. Working and Keeping
Gen 2:15, 3:23 – Man’s calling to work/cultivate the “garden” God has entrusted to him = job and relationships (Eph 5:29, 6:4)
Keeping/watching over/guarding (Gen 2:15, 3:24)
The Christian vision of masculinity has far less to do with being macho or “wild,” and far more to do with lovingly providing for others
C. A Pattern of Responsibility
God created the man first, then the woman (1 Tim 2:13)
Gen 2:18: The woman is Adam’s helper;
Gen 2:23, he is the one who names her
Gen 3:1: The serpent tempts Eve in order to undermine Adam’s authority (1 Tim 2:14)
Gen 3:8-9: God holds Adam responsible first for their sin
Gen 3:17-19: It is Adam who serves as a representative head for humanity
V. A Summary of Biblical Masculinity
“Biblical masculinity is displayed in a sense of benevolent responsibility to work God’s creation, provide for and protect others, and express loving, sacrificial leadership in particular contexts prescribed by God’s Word.”
A. “...Work God’s Creation…”
B.”…Provide for…”
C. “...and Protect...”
D. “...Loving, sacrificial leadership...”
Biblical masculinity expresses itself not in the demand to be served, but in the strength to serve and to sacrifice for the good of others. (Luke 22:26, Eph 5:23-25)
Biblical masculinity doesn’t have to initiate every action, but feels the responsibility to provide a general pattern of initiative.
Biblical masculinity accepts the burden of the final say in disagreements between leader and led, but doesn’t presume to use it in every instance.
Biblical masculinity recognizes that the call to leadership is a call to repentance and humility. (Psalm 130:3-4, 1 Pet 5:6)
E. “...In particular contexts prescribed by God’s Word...”
Thursday Oct 19, 2023
Lesson 8: How Can I Love Church Members With Different Politics?
Thursday Oct 19, 2023
Thursday Oct 19, 2023
I. Why We Feel Skeptical or Angry toward Fellow Members amid Political Differences?
Reason 1. Justified People Care About Justice
Reason 2. Self-Justifying People are Certain Their Convictions Are Just.
Reason 3. Political Judgements Require Wisdom
II. How Can We Love Church Members with Different Politics?
Recommendation 1: Adjust your Expectations
Recommendation 2: Recognize What a Church Is
Recommendation 3: Recognize What Unites a Church and What Belongs to the Domain of Christian freedom.
Recommendation 4: Determine Whether an Issues Requires a Straight-Live or a Jagged-Line Judgment
Recommendation 5: Respect Your Brothers and Sisters Who Have a Different Calibrated Conscience on Jagged-Line Judgments
Recommendation 6: Remember What’s Most Important
Thursday Oct 05, 2023
Lesson 7: Politics and the Kingdom
Thursday Oct 05, 2023
Thursday Oct 05, 2023
The Kingdom of Christ is made visible to the world through the church. Each church is an embassy of that kingdom.
I. The Politics of Jesus and His People
A. Jesus
Jesus is the New Adam, the offspring of Abraham, the true Israel, and the son of David, who will rule over God’s new covenant people.
1:1
2:15
27:42
22:44
B. The Church
As people of the church, our allegiance is primarily to Christ Jesus, the true and rightful king over all. By God’s wisdom and grace, we are deputized with a renewed commission as sons of God in Christ. We are given a political and priestly vocation.
Evangelism
Holiness
II. A Heavenly Citizenship
A. Kingdom of earth
B. Kingdom of Heaven
When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matt. 8:10-12
III. Keys of the Kingdom
A. How is the Kingdom of Christ publicly recognized?
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Matt. 16:13-20
B. What Authority Has The Church Been Given? (Matt 16, 18, and 28)
Church Discipline
Determining who is a member of the church.
Adoption of Statement of Faiths
To Send Others on Mission
To Baptize
To Teach the Commands of Christ
To Determine Who Should Receive the Lord’s Supper
IV. A Heavenly and End-Time Embassy and Signmaker on Earth
A. A Political Assembly
B. A Embassy and Signmaker
V. An Embassy On The International Map
Two Authorities, Two Ages, Two Mandates
One King, One Judge, and One Justice
A Church’s Twofold Jurisdiction
A Model of True Politics
Evangelism as Political Engagement
Political Engagement and Representing Jesus as a Delegate
Political Engagement and Representing Jesus as a Deputy