An Everlasting Name: the Bible's Radical Vision for Singleness and the Gospel

Introduction

John Piper (share sermon link afterwards)

Group Question 1:

What is the most funny/cringeworthy thing someone has said to you when you’ve been single? This could be from family, friends, or someone in public who has said this to you. I promise I have a point to this question. Use this as a chance to laugh and then

Isaiah 56:3b-5 (NIV)

“And let no eunuch complain,

‘I am only a dry tree.’

For this is what the Lord says:

“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,

who choose what pleases me

and hold fast to my covenant—

to them I will give within my temple and its walls

a memorial and a name

better than sons and daughters;

I will give them an everlasting name

that will endure forever.”

What is a eunuch?

A eunuch was someone who was unable to reproduce, this could be for a number of reasons, and was therefore lived a life of singleness, often serving royalty in very prominent roles. For our purposes tonight, we could replace the word “eunuch” with single and it would be a clear fit. Let me read Isaiah 56 3-5 again and I’m going to replace the word “eunuch” with “single.” Now see if this changes how you hear the passage.

“And let no single complain,

‘I am only a dry tree.’

For this is what the Lord says:

“To the singles who keep my Sabbaths,

who choose what pleases me

and hold fast to my covenant—

to them I will give within my temple and its walls

a memorial and a name

better than sons and daughters;

I will give them an everlasting name

that will endure forever.”

Think about that. That’s an incredible promise. God is saying through the prophet Isaiah that to single people, people without children or spouses, he will give them a name that will be greater and longer lasting than anything they could receive in marriage.

This is significant on several different levels but in order for us to understand just how radical and incredible this passage is, we have to understand its context. And when we grasp the context and the beauty of this passage, we can have a foundation for understanding the bible’s radical and compelling view of singleness.

What’s in a name?

In ancient times, the idea of a name, specifically a family name, was hugely important. People took a lot of pride in their names. While names seem arbitrary today, in ancient times, names told you a lot about a person. One of the reasons you see genealogies in the Old Testament and New is because it showed the family line, or the family name, which someone came from. The reason we see genealogies in Matthew 1 is not so Matthew can give us an interesting history lesson. It’s to show us that Jesus shares a family name with David, the most important king in the history of Israel. Family line and family name mattered. People got married to have kids and they had kids to keep their family name alive in the following generation. Even God himself plays off of the idea of the family name. In the Old Testament, God chooses the tiny nation of Israel as His people. He commissions them to make His name great among the nations. How do they primarily do this? By getting married and having kids to disciple in the faith. This is one of the reasons God tells Adam and Even to “be fruitful and multiply” in Genesis 1. God’s name is so tied to Israel that He even keeps from wiping them out in wrath in Isaiah 48 for his name’s sake. If he were to wipe them out, there is a sense in which he would wipe out his family name. Marriage and children were a big deal in the Old Testament. People derived so much of their value from whether or not they were married and had kids. It was so significant that if a man’s brother died, there were special laws made so that he could marry his deceased brother’s widow and have children with her to keep the family name going. In Judges 11, King Jeptah’s daughter, after learning of her impending death, asks for 2 months to mourn. She doesn’t mourn her imminent death, but her virginity and singleness. So much of people’s value was bound up in whether or not they were married and had kids. It would have been easy for single people to have felt worthless in the Old Testament. But if we’re honest, many of us single folks here tonight may feel the same way. Sure family name isn’t as significant as it was in the Old Testament, but we live in a modern Christian culture that prizes marriage and children over almost all else. In our modern Christian culture, people find their value in whether or not they are married and have children. For both us and Old Testament singles, Isaiah 56:3-5 is incredible. Knowing the context of the passage and the significance of family name, of being married, and of having children in the Old Testament, listen again to Isaiah 56:3-5 and feel its weight and hope.

“And let no single complain,

‘I am only a dry tree.’

For this is what the Lord says:

“To the singles who keep my Sabbaths,

who choose what pleases me

and hold fast to my covenant—

to them I will give within my temple and its walls

a memorial and a name

better than sons and daughters;

I will give them an everlasting name

that will endure forever.”

That passage would be absolutely mindblowing for an Old testament single and it should be mind blowing for us. In a culture where marriage, children, and family name are prized about all else, God is telling singles that He will give them a name and a gift better than anything they could get in marriage or by having children. Notice that He doesn’t tell them that He’ll give them a name equal to having sons and daughter, but a name that’s BETTER than sons or daughters. Notice that He doesn’t promise to give them a name that lasts to the next generation where they would then have to hope their kids had kids so that the family name would go one. No, God promises singles a name that will last forever! Let that promise blow you mind. That’s amazing and would have exploded all of the categories of culture and family in the ancient near east.

So how is it that God will give to singles a family name that will last forever and will be better than sons and daughters when they aren’t married and don’t have kids?

You might expect us to turn to the New Testament for the answer, but actually we’re going to turn just a page or two back in our Bible to Isaiah 53.

If you’ve grown up in church, this passage will be familiar to you. This is Isaiah’s prophecy of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross 700 years in advance. We know some of its verses by heart, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” But there’s a line that we often miss that helps us answer our question at hand. A line that is mind blowing. Look with me at verse 10, Isaiah 53:10

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt (Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross to bring us salvation), he shall see his offspring;”

How is it that a single man, who was never married, can have offspring?

It’s because of the salvation Jesus accomplished for us at the cross, when we accept Chrust and devote our lives to Him, we become children of God. In the New Testament, God’s children are not made through a successful attempt at sexual intercourse, but through saving faith in Jesus Christ. If you are a Christian tonight you are a child of God. Because of the cross, our conception of childbearing should radically change. Because of what Jesus has done for us, we shouldn’t think of childbearing primarily in terms of intimacy with another human being but by intimacy with God. This is a major paradigm shift. And this paradigm shift is why Isaiah 54:1-3, the very next verses following the passage we just read, can say this:

Isaiah 54:1-3

Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;

break forth into singing and cry aloud,

you who have not been in labor!

For the children of the desolate one will be more

than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.

“Enlarge the place of your tent,

and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;

do not hold back; lengthen your cords

and strengthen your stakes.

For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,

and your offspring will possess the nations

and will people the desolate cities.

Be astonished by the hope in this passage. Imagine a barren woman, a women who desires to have children with all of her heart and yet year after year produces nothing but sorrow and empty cradles. Not only might this have lead to sorrow from an unfulfilled desire, but it could have also have led to sorrow because of a deserting spouse. You don’t have to look hard at history to see droves of men who abandoned their spouses because they didn’t bear them children. Yet, in the midst of this sorrow, God is overwhelming barren women with hope. He is telling them that

Jesus understood this. Notice what he says to Nicodemus in John3:3 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”...You must be born again. Do you see what this mean? John Piper says it this way, “Jesus, a single man, came to make children!”

And that’s our commission too! We see it clearly in Jesus words in the Great Commission in Matthew 28

“Go therefore and make disciples (children) of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

You call, and mine, as christians is to make disciples, or children of God.

Fathers and mothers in the faith

* "But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us."- 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8

* "For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel."- 1 Corinthians 4:15

I’m a father in the faith and it’s been an immense privilege

Question: Who are your spiritual parents in the faith? Do you have any spiritual children in the faith?

Marriage

Every single day I pray that if it be His will, that God would provide me with a spouse. But I also pray every single day that God Himself would be enough for me. And I would be a liar if I didn’t tell you that there are some days when those things feel in competition.

You are enough on your own

The best way to prepare for marriage is through singleness.

Desiring marriage is a good thing.

To be clear, this lesson is not meant to denigrate marriage or children. Both married and children are incredible gifts from God! I long deeply for both of them myself. Nor is this lesson meant to pit singleness and marriage against one another. I don't believe they are in competition at all. I actually think they go hand-in-hand. Instead, my goal tonight is to show you that the bible paints a far more compelling vision for your life than simply searching high and low for a spouse. The bible paints a far more glorious vision for your life than the bill of good we're often sold in our modern Western culture. My goal tonight is to help lift your gaze to see singleness as the great gift that our churches have forgotten, whether than gift is temporary or permanent.

Christianity is arguably the first vision of society, the first religion, to make singleness a viable way of life.

It's ok to still desire a spouse.

"Now as a concession, not a command, I say this. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion."- 1 Corinthians 7:6-9

"Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away."I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord."- 1 Corinthians 7:27-35

Give your yes to God and let him put it on the map (J.D. Greear FTC19)

How loosely do you hold your life plans? Ask God if he would send you over seas or what ministry he would have to you.

Are you making the most of your singleness? Acts 4:13. Don’t need to have a theology degree. Just need to be with Jesus. If you’ve been saved by Christ you’re qualified to speak of the Gospel of Christ.

You are more than enough in yourself. You don’t need someone else to complete you. You are more than enough in yourself. (Pause...) How long has it been since someone has told that to you? How long has it been since you believed that about yourself? There is only one person you ultimately need in this life and his name isn’t Jesus. And if you’re a Christian here tonight you’re already betrothed to him and your wedding date is already set.

By its very nature, children born from discipleship are idolatry killers because your relationship with them is first and foremost centered around God himself.

Marriage is a beautiful thing, but what many of us don’t realize is that it has the potential to be an idol factory. Not only can you idolize your spouse, but you can idolize your kids. I see it all of the time at churches like PV. Yes it’s true that many people take their faith more seriously and come to church again when they have kids, but why do they often do it? It’s so their kids can be raised better with better values. The kids are the driving factor. Did you know that the average church attendee in the US only attends church an average of 1.6 Sundays out of every month? Do you know one of the primary reasons for that consumeristic style of christianity? It’s kids sporting events. One of Satan’s greatest victories in America is that parents now prize their kids’ sporting events over church. Am I saying people should quit sports? Maybe but probably not. They just need to value church more. Think about the message it sends to someone’s kids when they continually skip for kids sporting events. It tells the kids that plenty of things are more important than their relationship with God. Plus, not only do the kids miss a chance at worship and teaching, but so do the parents! No wonder so many parents feel dry in their walk with christ.

Don’t put a weight on your spouse that only a Jesus can bear. You are more attractive to someone when you are whole in yourself.

Supermodel example, “You don’t want to be married”. We do the same thing. If you’re truly honest with yourself, are you looking for someone that will satisfy all of your emotional needs? Are you looking for some who will perfectly love your children? Are you hoping that when you’re with this person you’ll never feel alone or discouraged? If you could say yes to any of those things then you don’t want to be married either. Because no one can live up to that but Jesus. If you go into a relationship looking for any of those things you will put a weight on your significant other that only Jesus can bear. You will crush them. You need to get to a place where you are resting on Jesus first, be satisfied in him first, before you can keep from crushing anyone you would ever date or marry. We seek out others to be known and loved and yet we neglect to rest in the only one who can actually truly provide all of that for us.

Discipleship

Acts 4:13

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

Be with Jesus not just searching for another spouse

Pray