Then I saw âa new heaven and a new earthâŚI saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, âLook! Godâs dwelling place is now among the peopleâŚâHe will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more deathâ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.â He who was seated on the throne said, âI am making everything new!â (Revelation 21:1a, 2-3a, 4-5a)
On Earth As It Is In Heaven
Apr 24, 2018
As we near the end of our exploration of the biblical narrative of work, we come to the climax of Scripture: the marriage of heaven and earth and the establishment of the eternal Kingdom of God.
Yesterday, we saw that while Jesus inaugurated his kingdom on Easter, he didnât bring the kingdom to earth all at once. He gave his bride, the Church, the privilege of helping him build his kingdom.
Todayâs passage previews our promis...
Jesus the Gardener
Apr 23, 2018
Now Mary stood outside the tomb cryingâŚshe turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was JesusâŚ.Thinking he was the gardener, she said, âSir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.â (John 20:11a, 14, 15b)
Youâve probably read this passage dozens of times. And if youâre like me, youâve likely always thought of the fact that Mary mistook Jesus as âthe gardenerâ as some odd but insignificant detail of Scripture.Â
But no word of Scripture is placed there by accident, and as renowned New Testament scholar N.T. Wright has pointed out, this detail is no exception. It appears that John is pointing to something quite remarkable indeed. John is contrasting the first Adam in the Garden of Eden with the last Adam, Jesus Christ, in the Garden of the Tomb.Â
In the beginning, God created Adam to work the Garden of Edenâto fill and subdue the first creation. At the resurrection, Jesus inaugu...
Saved to Work
Apr 22, 2018
For we are Godâs handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
Yesterday, we read the two verses that precede todayâs. Ephesians 2:8-9 shows us how the gospel enables us to rest from our work, as we know that our status as co-heirs with Christ is secure regardless of anything we accomplish. Ephesians 2:10 shows us that our response to that security is to want to be productive on the Lordâs behalf.Â
Why?Â
Because working to earn someoneâs favor is exhausting. But working in response to unconditional favor is intoxicating.
Furthermore, as Paul makes clear in todayâs verse, the very purpose of our livesâthe reason we were created and savedâwas not to wait around for eternity. Christ made us new creations so that we could âdo good works!âÂ
But Jordan, when Paul says âgood worksâ he was talking about giving money to the poor, not writing an elegant line of code, right? Wron...
The Verdict Youâve Been Waiting For
Apr 21, 2018
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faithâand this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of Godânot by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Over the past five days, weâve been systematically walking through the biblical narrative of work. Today and tomorrow, we examine the pinnacle of that narrativeâJesusâs death and resurrectionâto see how the gospel provides our ultimate source of rest and ambition for our work.
First, letâs see how the gospel enables us to rest.
Just like the Babylonians did in Genesis 11, many of us look to our work for our sense of worth today. Itâs why âWhat do you do?â is often the first question we ask new acquaintances. We all feel a need to impress others with our answer to that question. Why? Because we are all looking for a verdict for our livesâfor someone to say that we are worthy and that our very existence is justified.
The beautiful truth of the gospel is that Jesus has secured that verdict...
Fishermen and Religious Professionals
Apr 20, 2018
Isnât this the carpenter? Isnât this Maryâs son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? (Mark 6:3a)
Todayâs verse contains one of the only details about Jesusâs life between the ages of twelve and thirty when he began his public ministry. For approximately eighty percent of his adult life, Jesus wasnât preaching. He was working as a carpenter.
Given Jesusâs ultimate purpose, this truth should stop us in our tracks.
God could have placed Jesus in a priestly household like John the Baptist or the home of a Pharisee like Paul. But instead, God chose for Jesus to grow up in the household of a carpenter, doing work that looked very similar to the work you and I do today.
Why? Of course, we canât be sure, but hereâs my guess: I think Jesusâs vocation is meant to remind us that even after the Fall, work is still inherently good. I think God is pointing us back to Genesis to remind us that he is a God who creates things for othersâju...
Work as a Fig Leaf
Apr 19, 2018
Then they said, âCome, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves.â (Genesis 11:4)
The Queenâs Gambit tells the story of Beth Harmon, an orphan who turns to her considerable skills as a chess player to prove to the world that she is worthy of love and attention. In one poignant scene, we hear Bethâs rival tell a friend, â[Bethâs] an orphan. A survivor. Losing is not an option for her. Otherwise, what would her life be?â
That scene powerfully illustrates a central feature of the human condition weâve seen since the Tower of Babelânamely, our temptation to use our work as a means of âmaking a nameâ for ourselves. Pastor Timothy Keller calls this âthe work under the workâthat need to prove and save ourselves, to gain a sense of worth and identity.â
Ever since Adam and Eve, we have been trying to cover up our sin and inadequacies, not with fig leaves, but with our accomplishments. We t...
Thorns & Thistles
Apr 18, 2018
To Adam [God] saidâŚCursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food.â (Genesis 3:17-19a)
After a particularly frustrating day at the office, it can be tempting to believe that work itself is a curseâa ânecessary evilâ and consequence of living in a fallen world. But thatâs not at all what Scripture teaches.Â
As weâve seen over the past two days, God himself worked, thus giving great dignity to our work today. Then, he passed the baton of creation to us to work as his image-bearers to âfill the earth.â Genesis 1 and 2 show us that work is inherently dignified and good. Work existed prior to the Fall and thus, work was designed to be worship.
Butâand this is a big butâsin messed everything up. As todayâs passage reminds us, sin doesnât just impa...
What God Did NOT Create âIn The Beginningâ
Apr 17, 2018
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, âBe fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.â (Genesis 1:27-28a)
What God created in the first six days is remarkable. But whatâs equally remarkable is what he did not create.
He created animals, but he didnât give them names. He created land, but he didnât build roads. He created stars, but he didnât invent the telescope.Â
After working for six days, God left the earth largely undeveloped and uncultivated. He created a blank canvas and then invited us to join him in filling it.
Thatâs what todayâs passage is all about. Before God rested on the seventh day, he put a succession plan in place, calling us to create in his imageâto âfill the earth and subdue it.â As pastor Timothy Keller points out, this is a call for âcivilization, not just procreation.â It is a call to cult...
Looking for a God at Work
Apr 16, 2018
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, âLet there be light,â and there was light. (Genesis 1:1-3)
In the Church today, we talk a lot about how God is loving, holy, omnipresent, all-powerful, faithful, just, and true. But we rarely, if ever, talk about the fact that we worship a God who works.Â
And yet, that is the very first thing God reveals about himself in Scripture. In the beginning, God created. In the beginning, God was productive. In the beginning, God worked.Â
In the first pages of Genesis, we see God working with his words (see Genesis 1) and his hands (see Genesis 2:7-9). We see him joyfully engaged in âthe work of creatingâ (Genesis 2:3). Itâs significant to note that the Hebrew word mlkh, which we translate âworkâ in this verse, is the exact same word used to descr...
