Soulfood

Opening remarks

Alasdair Groves Luke 24 – disciples struggling with the trauma of Jesus’ death and the confusing rumors of his resurrection – in trouble. Jesus opened the Scriptures to them in their chaotic moment and they took comfort from His word about the Word.

Practical theology must be done in every generation to open the Scriptures to our hearts where we are.

(I did not realize how much I needed to be in corporate worship today. With all the saints in all the ages I sing all our hope is found in Christ alone!)

Modern Problems: A Counselor’s View of Cultural Chaos

Alasdair Groves – first, remember the good things about our culture. We are thankful to live in a world where we spend a lot of time figuring out how to care for marginalized (weak and poor). We are thankful for the humility that imbues postmodern thought (we are more willing to concede we are wrong than some cultures). We are thankful for the way our culture encourages us to dream big dreams.

The modern problem is our heart’s desire to be God of our world (which is the problem in every generation). Judges tells us the story of generations who do not know the LORD or remember His great works. In chapters 17-21 we hear some stories about people who are living without a king, doing what is right in their own eyes. And in doing what is right in their own eyes Israel brings hell to earth, becoming like Sodom and Gomorrah.

Our modern world not only encourages us to do what is right in our own eyes but also to be who is right in our own eyes. More than ever before, there is no king – no overarching authority to which we can appeal or who provides a reference point. Groves references Charles Taylor’s Secular Age, Carl Trueman’s Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, and TGC’s 10 years of reading Charles Taylor (or something like that).

The pressure to redeem myself – to consciously create my self and make myself happy in the self I create – is incessant and crushing – and it is built on a cruel lie. The lie says that we are responsible for our own happiness and can only do that by sovereignly defining who we are. There is no foundation on which to build, so we are desperate to find people who will affirm us, seeking in them the structure and support that we throw away in abandoning foundational truth.

We also build support by defining ourselves competitively, by seeking out enemies so that we can define who we are by who we aren’t. By defining our tribe we find comfort and strength in the walls we build against the others.

The lie also creates a burden to be different, to stand out, to attract people by our uniqueness. Churches do this too, and it burns out pastors at a devastating rate.

In work, if we believe the lie then if we aren’t happy with our work then it must be our fault. Not loving our work then means that we are inadequate, unable to achieve what we believe we should be able to achieve.

This constant pressure to live up to the lie’s expectations prompts us to run – into addictions. We seek fantasy and our economy provides it abundantly. We seek escape from pain and our economy provides all manner of chemical substances to suppress pain. We seek pleasure and our economy abundantly supplies mental and physical experiences that are fleetingly pleasurable.

We need a king. The message of Judges is that we need a king who is a shepherd, a humble king (from Bethlehem in Judah) who shows us what is right, and leads us in truth. Our foundation is a king who unites us to himself, showing mercy and grace and strengthening us by connecting to himself in death and resurrection. He gives us rest from the burden of self-creation. He frees us from the lie so that we can worship and serve him rather than ourselves, and to be re-created in the image of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Ancient Word, Modern World Mike Emlet

How to apply Scripture to our lives: Go near, go wide, go long (example of marriage)

Go near – what passages speak most directly to the problem at hand? Marriage relations will go to (for instance) Eph. 5 and Col. 3

Go wide – what other passages are related and might inform the direct passages? Phil 2 speaking on relationships in general can inform our marriage relationship, the way we treat each other?

Go long – how does the overarching narrative of Scripture encompass where I am in my particular story? How does the truth that Jesus Christ is the lord of history affect how I love and live with my spouse?

It is work – searching the Scripture is work! It is worthy work. It is fruitful work. It is rewarding work. Very few issues we face can be answered quickly by Scripture.

What does the Bible say about family planning? Is it permissible for Christians to use contraception? It is not a simple answer. Two godly couples may well honor God with different answers.

Go near – Gen 2, Ps 127 – marriage is to be fruitful and multiply the number of people. Children are a gift from the LORD. But there is no direct command to married couples to have as many children as possible.

Go wide – stewardship issue (Scripture references missing) – health issues/physical ability, etc. God is lord of all creation and is sovereign over all things. James 2 (you are not in control of your life). Proverbs 16:2 motives matter – your motive for having or not having children may be wrong. Human personhood begins at conception (Ps 139, Jer) so we must be careful not to use methods of contraception that destroy a fertilized egg.

Go long – how does the Bible frame this question from start to finish? First, family lines matter. If Abraham doesn’t have children there is no Israel and then no Christ. In the kingdom of Christ, adoption/ingrafting becomes a factor (Paul in epistles, Jesus’ mothers/brothers are those who do the will of the Father). Family lines are no longer of first importance – and Christians may not even marry. But instructions to fathers, mothers, and children assume that married couples are having children.

Overall – children are a blessing from God, and all through Scripture building God’s kingdom in bearing and raising children is expected. But at no point is it commanded for a marriage to produce as many children as is physically possible. Stewardship matters – what are we able to do well? Motives matter – is this about my comfort? All families are to be outwardly-focused – not about me! And there are some forms of contraception that are out of bounds as they destroy embryonic human life.