Preached by Rev. Drew Sokol.
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5:21-33
First, I should say that Drew was my favorite, even more than Tim Keller. But this second time that I hear him preach, it's like whatever training he's receiving from Redeemer degraded him. He start to quote more books than scripture (a typical Redeemer move), disconnected points, not quite expository.
I'm not sure who picked this passage, but verse 21 does not connect with verse 22 under Marriage. That's why after emphasizing equality of genders in 21, a big mistake, Drew couldn't expound on the following verses from the context of wife & husband. Like Ab Cho, the attention is on any words that has to do with love, give, etc. Might as well remove the words "wives" and "husbands" and replace them with "people".
Drew got one interesting point though, that Biblical dating would have to be an arranged marriage. But I couldn't tell if he assumed that it was a bad thing or not. Because it shouldn't. This is always something common of emergent churches that shout social justice. That they do not understand "the will" to love. It's always about how to create the emotion to love, not far from secular view of love.
My wife noted that East Side's evening number has dropped 1/3 since Tim Keller's "hiatus".
I can only pray for Drew, my favorite preacher of Redeemer. Still...I hope.
I will try to do my on devotion on these sermons and passages. I feel I just had to. Too bad that it's hard to find food easily in this post modern West. Those with degrees, like professors in colleges today, don't really do their jobs, so that there's no difference between doing self study at home and going to class, in fact, sometimes due to unnecessary assignments, colleges waste not only money but time as well. But for the sake of my love for my God, I'll do the extra work. Knock on wood, for those free/cheap online courses.
Interesting that the earlier BCCC (second visit) sermon and Redeemer's topic today has to do with gender. BCCC's Pastor Andy incorrectly (I think) pointed out that the synagogue separated men & women, something I learned from David Croteau's book "Urban Legends of the New Testament: 40 Common Misconceptions". But I do appreciate Pastor Andy's (Despite his confusing between being serious and acting hip) stand on Complementarianism view and boldness in expounding on verses Redeemer, though as a PCA church, was too impotent to handle in public (unless it can be hidden in books).
I might just call the series for these entries "Correcting Sermons" instead of Correcting Redeemer.
I may sound a little angry, but it is an reaction towards impotence in churches.
Now onto the reading: Ephesians 5:21-33
Verse 22 is for the whole congregation, not for husbands and wives. Submit to one another out of the fear for Christ. It concludes a section. But speaking of submission, there is gender distinction, especially when it comes to marriage. Pastor Andy would agree, that we have too much gender confusion today. I really really really don't get where Redeemer truly stands on this, I know they could score 100% on a test given by Pastor Andy on this subject, but that still won't tell me what I wanted to know about Redeemer.
God created Man and Woman. A faithful Christian (dare I use the word "servant" of God? oooo!) should learn the difference. Does that mean that wives are unable to dominate their husbands, women are unable to beat guys at their own games? Of course not. Just the same that a child can kill their parents. Heard of Oedipus Complex? So, if one could solves Oedipus Complex in a harmless, loving & peaceful way, but Oedipus nonetheless, then it's a good thing? Where do you get this from? John Lennon's Imagine? If they think they can be more creative than God, they should just watch the movie "Predestination" where a person is both his parents...or maybe not since it might hurt their pride in self-admiration.
The more important it is that a woman marries a Christian. One whom she could see the Lord in. If not, it is the church's duty to bring comfort to this Christian wife and bring the grace of God to her unbelieving husband, despite the hardship, surely there is hardship. No conversion is won over without battle. This is for wives, not husband, to submit, not to demean women, was the Son demeaned before the Father? Or the Holy Spirit?
Because this is the holy ordinance of God built into His code of life, one will miss what it truly means to submit to Christ, if one dismisses this passage and other relevant ones as "Paul's chauvinist" attitude or ancient history or worse: Male can be female and vice versa. There is holiness in gender: Male and Female! In fact, I would even go further and say that God created Male and Female so that we may understand what it means to submit to Christ! That we meditate on what it means to submit to Christ. We know Jesus is perfect. But husbands are not perfect, even though "husbands" should be perfect until the Fall. I would put quotations for "husbands" & "wives" before the Fall because I have no idea what human fellowship would be like before the Fall. That's another topic for another time. However, in our sinful nature, we learn submission not as perfect creatures but as sinful saints. Wives do not submit to husbands regardless of Christ, therefore there is a standard for wives in submission to their husbands IN EVERY WAY. What it is? it is a wisdom out of the Fear of the Lord.
Pak Tong said it right: That God (Yes, God) did not command wives to love husbands, because the ladies love their husbands by default. It is the husbands that have problem loving their wives. Another gender distinction. So, husbands, love your wives. This is more than protection and loyalty that American conservatives love to brag. This is a sacrificial one even when the wives are disfigured or even to a point of infidelity. Read Hosea much? This is how Christ love the Church. Not because the Church is a hot sexy super model. Beauty? God loves beauty...in fact, God created beauty! Take that, Euthyphro! God can create concepts, He is God! So why would Christ's love for a Church depend on the Church's quality? But this love is one that demands standard! SACRIFICIALLY! So the husbands must be man of God first, or how else would they get these standards?
Verse 32: This profound mystery of Christ and the Church begins from Adam and Eve before and after their fallen nature as "husband" and "wive".
So there is just so much to unpack and ponder upon. I just don't have time to do it here and now.