Archived Meditations
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” Matthew 23:27, 28
These words are uncomfortable.
They are uncomfortable to read. They are uncomfortable to think about our Lord Jesus Christ addressing them to the multitude and to His disciples. Were the scribes and Pharisees even present to hear His words? Scripture does not tell.
They are uncomfortable because today they are easily censurable and censorable. Today’s standards of church and society judge them harsh and cruel. They are judgmental and intolerant. They judge the things that are within, the things of the heart. They are directed at a distinct group, the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus’ words paint them with a broad brush. By today’s standards they are deeply offensive. They cause anger and division and sow seeds of hate. They are simply reactionary. They do not build up, but tear down.
These words, spoken by our Lord, might even make us ashamed. If someone asked us to repeat something Jesus said in His earthly ministry, these words would not be our first choice. If our neighbour asked us about these words, and whether we really believe Jesus said them, it might give us some pain to answer yes. We might not suggest them as the text for a sermon or that they should be put in literature for wide distribution.
We ought to find these words uncomfortable. But not for those reasons.
These words ought to make us very uncomfortable because of the words that begin this chapter, “Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples.” They are not for the scribes and Pharisees. They are for the church. They are meant to make us uncomfortable. They are meant to break us down. They are meant powerfully to warn us deep in our hearts.
There are always scribes and Pharisees. They are in the world. They are in the church. They are morally superior in an outward sense. They present themselves as “having it together.” In their system they are successful. They enjoy a high rank. They establish themselves as worthy of their following and of admiration. They have a following. They have their admirers and supporters. But they are central to themselves. They must dominate and they must control. Their smile is treasured and their favour craved. Their disapproval is deadly poison.
But all their system is outward appearance. They are “like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward.” They “appear outwardly righteous unto men.” It is perfectly understandable why they have their exalted position. It is perfectly understandable why they have the influence they have.
Why does our Lord bring us within the whited sepulchers to see the dead bones within? It is uncomfortable. Why does He bring us below the outward appearance to see the fulness of hypocrisy and iniquity? It is uncomfortable.
Why? So that they never lead us away from Him, our Lord and Saviour. The scribes and Pharisees will always do that. They will always be rivals to Christ. They need to stand on their own outward appearance of righteousness. In that standing, they stand always against Christ. In that standing they also stand against the truth of our need of Christ and His perfect righteousness.
This is also why we need this entire chapter of woe, of judgment pronounced by our Lord upon the scribes and Pharisees. We must not feel merely uncomfortable. We need to feel the fiery heat of God’s wrath upon these persons on account of their system. We need to see the judgment of hell imposed on them in these words of woe and destruction. Here is the curse. Stay very far away.
Why be uncomfortable? Why must we be uncomfortable?
Because before this same judgment we must fall. We need this chapter, filled with its woe and judgment, because it is exactly our tendency to become these whited sepulchers, beautiful outward but within filled with dead men’s bones. It is our tendency to build up an outward appearance of righteousness in order to gain the approval of men, and to neglect what is within. Always our proud, perverse tendency is to think the approval of men is the approval of Christ. Our depravity rebels against Christ, His perfect righteousness, and our utter need of His perfect righteousness. Our depravity will have its own outward appearance, its whited sepulcher for hiding our dead bones of hypocrisy and iniquity. Unbelief desires its strong refuge of a display of outward holiness.
Our flesh looks for encouragement from these scribes and Pharisees. So we need these words of woe and condemnation. We need them to make us more than uncomfortable. We need them to break us. We need them to break our hearts in true repentance. We need to know we are nothing but hypocrisy and iniquity. We need to know that we are only filled with the uncleanness of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness. We must know what we have, to bring before our Saviour. Not our whited sepulchers. Not our outward appearances carefully crafted. But all our uncleanness, as the bones of dead men must we bring. All our hypocrisy and iniquity must we set before Him.
So we need to flee to our Lord, and His righteousness, the only righteousness. We must cling to His righteousness alone, genuine and full, glorious and complete, without hypocrisy and iniquity. His righteousness we must have for all our salvation from woe and from judgment. Blessed by faith alone with the gift of His righteousness alone, let us always stand before our God. Hearing our Saviour’s righteous word of woe, let us shun all other righteousness and cling always to Him alone.
These words are uncomfortable.
They are uncomfortable to read. They are uncomfortable to think about our Lord Jesus Christ addressing them to the multitude and to His disciples. Were the scribes and Pharisees even present to hear His words? Scripture does not tell.
They are uncomfortable because today they are easily censurable and censorable. Today’s standards of church and society judge them harsh and cruel. They are judgmental and intolerant. They judge the things that are within, the things of the heart. They are directed at a distinct group, the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus’ words paint them with a broad brush. By today’s standards they are deeply offensive. They cause anger and division and sow seeds of hate. They are simply reactionary. They do not build up, but tear down.
These words, spoken by our Lord, might even make us ashamed. If someone asked us to repeat something Jesus said in His earthly ministry, these words would not be our first choice. If our neighbour asked us about these words, and whether we really believe Jesus said them, it might give us some pain to answer yes. We might not suggest them as the text for a sermon or that they should be put in literature for wide distribution.
We ought to find these words uncomfortable. But not for those reasons.
These words ought to make us very uncomfortable because of the words that begin this chapter, “Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples.” They are not for the scribes and Pharisees. They are for the church. They are meant to make us uncomfortable. They are meant to break us down. They are meant powerfully to warn us deep in our hearts.
There are always scribes and Pharisees. They are in the world. They are in the church. They are morally superior in an outward sense. They present themselves as “having it together.” In their system they are successful. They enjoy a high rank. They establish themselves as worthy of their following and of admiration. They have a following. They have their admirers and supporters. But they are central to themselves. They must dominate and they must control. Their smile is treasured and their favour craved. Their disapproval is deadly poison.
But all their system is outward appearance. They are “like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward.” They “appear outwardly righteous unto men.” It is perfectly understandable why they have their exalted position. It is perfectly understandable why they have the influence they have.
Why does our Lord bring us within the whited sepulchers to see the dead bones within? It is uncomfortable. Why does He bring us below the outward appearance to see the fulness of hypocrisy and iniquity? It is uncomfortable.
Why? So that they never lead us away from Him, our Lord and Saviour. The scribes and Pharisees will always do that. They will always be rivals to Christ. They need to stand on their own outward appearance of righteousness. In that standing, they stand always against Christ. In that standing they also stand against the truth of our need of Christ and His perfect righteousness.
This is also why we need this entire chapter of woe, of judgment pronounced by our Lord upon the scribes and Pharisees. We must not feel merely uncomfortable. We need to feel the fiery heat of God’s wrath upon these persons on account of their system. We need to see the judgment of hell imposed on them in these words of woe and destruction. Here is the curse. Stay very far away.
Why be uncomfortable? Why must we be uncomfortable?
Because before this same judgment we must fall. We need this chapter, filled with its woe and judgment, because it is exactly our tendency to become these whited sepulchers, beautiful outward but within filled with dead men’s bones. It is our tendency to build up an outward appearance of righteousness in order to gain the approval of men, and to neglect what is within. Always our proud, perverse tendency is to think the approval of men is the approval of Christ. Our depravity rebels against Christ, His perfect righteousness, and our utter need of His perfect righteousness. Our depravity will have its own outward appearance, its whited sepulcher for hiding our dead bones of hypocrisy and iniquity. Unbelief desires its strong refuge of a display of outward holiness.
Our flesh looks for encouragement from these scribes and Pharisees. So we need these words of woe and condemnation. We need them to make us more than uncomfortable. We need them to break us. We need them to break our hearts in true repentance. We need to know we are nothing but hypocrisy and iniquity. We need to know that we are only filled with the uncleanness of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness. We must know what we have, to bring before our Saviour. Not our whited sepulchers. Not our outward appearances carefully crafted. But all our uncleanness, as the bones of dead men must we bring. All our hypocrisy and iniquity must we set before Him.
So we need to flee to our Lord, and His righteousness, the only righteousness. We must cling to His righteousness alone, genuine and full, glorious and complete, without hypocrisy and iniquity. His righteousness we must have for all our salvation from woe and from judgment. Blessed by faith alone with the gift of His righteousness alone, let us always stand before our God. Hearing our Saviour’s righteous word of woe, let us shun all other righteousness and cling always to Him alone.
“Verily, verily I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” --John 5:24,25
He could not make it.
The lame man could not make it.
It was, all things considered, a short distance from his lameness to the miraculous cure he needed. Day after day he watched. Day after day he waited. When the water in the pool of Bethesda was troubled by the angel he made his frantic scramble to be the first in.
But he could not make it. Time after time, another made it before him. He was always too late, his lame condition preventing him from making it first.
Then came Jesus with His word. With Jesus there was no making it. There was no distance the lame man needed to cover. There was no haste necessary. Only His Word and only His voice was necessary. So Jesus spoke: “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.” As the Son of God commanded, causing His voice to sound, obedience was inevitable. “And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked.”
So was this glorious wonder an illustration for the Son of God’s teaching in John 5:24, 25.
In verse 24 is a beautiful promise of salvation. It is a complete promise, a promise of everlasting life, and a promise of complete freedom from condemnation. The Son of God is very careful in this promise to teach its immediate and full nature. It declares that the one that hears and believes has everlasting life. It is not a sometime, future event. It is not even a sometime future promise of certain fulfillment. His promise identifies a present reality: the present possession of everlasting life. The present reality is also clearly established in the last words of verse 24, “but is passed from death from death unto life.”
See that lame man. He did not receive a promise of cure with Jesus’ word. He was not meant to understand that he would, one day, be certainly cured of his inability and then be able to walk. He did rise up. He did take up his bed. He did walk. He walked to the temple. He departed from the temple to tell the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him whole. His walking was a glorious demonstration of the powerful word of the Son of God.
Verse 24, however, carries in it a question. Its promise is particular. As a particular promise, it identifies its recipients. Who is it that “hath everlasting life”? Who is it that “shall not come into condemnation”? Who is it that “is passed from death unto life”? Who? “He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me.” The promise is not general, but it is particular. Only those that hear and believe are those that have everlasting life.
Did these make it? Did they make the difference? Did they cover the distance between them and the Son of God? Did they manage to get to their feet and come to the Lord, while others remained where they were? Did they determine to come to the fountain of Jesus’ blood, to wash themselves in it, while others turned away? Did they make the difference?
They did not. They did not make it. They did not make the difference.
Verse 25 explains verse 24. The Son of God explains how it is that these hear and believe.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.”
The dead have no life. The dead have only death. The dead have no righteousness. They have only their condemnation. They have no faith. They cannot come to the Son of God for life. They cannot come to Him for righteousness. They cannot make it.
They need the grace of the Son of God.
The hour is coming and now is. The hour now is for the dead to hear the voice of the Son of God. They hear His voice so that they live.
They hear His voice so that they live. Out of the life He gives them with His voice they hear His Word. Out of the life He gives them with His voice they believe on Him that sent the Son of God. So they come to Him. So they believe on Him.
So they exhibit the life they have in its fruit. They live, and out of that life they hear. They live, and out of that life they believe. They show in their hearing and believing that they have passed from death unto life.
Such is the blessedness of the child of God: not to have have made it, not to have run and not to have willed, but to be called by the Son of God. To be called out of the grace, from death to life, from unbelief to faith, from condemnation to justification.
Called by the Son of God, for His glory and for all your salvation.
He could not make it.
The lame man could not make it.
It was, all things considered, a short distance from his lameness to the miraculous cure he needed. Day after day he watched. Day after day he waited. When the water in the pool of Bethesda was troubled by the angel he made his frantic scramble to be the first in.
But he could not make it. Time after time, another made it before him. He was always too late, his lame condition preventing him from making it first.
Then came Jesus with His word. With Jesus there was no making it. There was no distance the lame man needed to cover. There was no haste necessary. Only His Word and only His voice was necessary. So Jesus spoke: “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.” As the Son of God commanded, causing His voice to sound, obedience was inevitable. “And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked.”
So was this glorious wonder an illustration for the Son of God’s teaching in John 5:24, 25.
In verse 24 is a beautiful promise of salvation. It is a complete promise, a promise of everlasting life, and a promise of complete freedom from condemnation. The Son of God is very careful in this promise to teach its immediate and full nature. It declares that the one that hears and believes has everlasting life. It is not a sometime, future event. It is not even a sometime future promise of certain fulfillment. His promise identifies a present reality: the present possession of everlasting life. The present reality is also clearly established in the last words of verse 24, “but is passed from death from death unto life.”
See that lame man. He did not receive a promise of cure with Jesus’ word. He was not meant to understand that he would, one day, be certainly cured of his inability and then be able to walk. He did rise up. He did take up his bed. He did walk. He walked to the temple. He departed from the temple to tell the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him whole. His walking was a glorious demonstration of the powerful word of the Son of God.
Verse 24, however, carries in it a question. Its promise is particular. As a particular promise, it identifies its recipients. Who is it that “hath everlasting life”? Who is it that “shall not come into condemnation”? Who is it that “is passed from death unto life”? Who? “He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me.” The promise is not general, but it is particular. Only those that hear and believe are those that have everlasting life.
Did these make it? Did they make the difference? Did they cover the distance between them and the Son of God? Did they manage to get to their feet and come to the Lord, while others remained where they were? Did they determine to come to the fountain of Jesus’ blood, to wash themselves in it, while others turned away? Did they make the difference?
They did not. They did not make it. They did not make the difference.
Verse 25 explains verse 24. The Son of God explains how it is that these hear and believe.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.”
The dead have no life. The dead have only death. The dead have no righteousness. They have only their condemnation. They have no faith. They cannot come to the Son of God for life. They cannot come to Him for righteousness. They cannot make it.
They need the grace of the Son of God.
The hour is coming and now is. The hour now is for the dead to hear the voice of the Son of God. They hear His voice so that they live.
They hear His voice so that they live. Out of the life He gives them with His voice they hear His Word. Out of the life He gives them with His voice they believe on Him that sent the Son of God. So they come to Him. So they believe on Him.
So they exhibit the life they have in its fruit. They live, and out of that life they hear. They live, and out of that life they believe. They show in their hearing and believing that they have passed from death unto life.
Such is the blessedness of the child of God: not to have have made it, not to have run and not to have willed, but to be called by the Son of God. To be called out of the grace, from death to life, from unbelief to faith, from condemnation to justification.
Called by the Son of God, for His glory and for all your salvation.
“And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” --Mark 10:26, 27
What had Jesus told His disciples that caused this reaction of astonishment? What did He say that Scripture so carefully records this reaction of the disciples, that “they were astonished out of measure”? Their reaction was of stunned bewilderment. Their minds were reeling and their mouths wide open. They were faced with something they could not grasp, nor could they envision grasping it. It was that far beyond their ability to reckon.
Among all the things that their Lord had said, this saying alone is described as carrying this reaction. Other things made them marvel and wonder. Other sayings filled them with amazement. Other teachings they did not understand. But we are told here only that they were astonished beyond measure.
What did Jesus say that brought about this reaction?
“Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
Certainly we might think the analogy might provoke astonishment. It is certainly a strong statement. We must not be carried away with the popular sentimental opinion about his analogy, that it is about a certain gate in Jerusalem called “the needle’s eye” because it was so small, and that camel could only go through it by getting on its knees. No, we must think of a large camel and that large camel trying to go through a real eye of a real needle. Impossible! Astonishing!
The astonishment of the disciples must come from the point of the analogy. However the real force is the connection with the analogy itself, that it is easier for a camel to do that than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. The point of the analogy is what Jesus said in the verse before, “Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!”
How hard? It is that hard, so hard that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.
In this word of Christ is the key, the key to the truth, and the key to the right understanding of the astonishment of the disciples.
Because this word of Christ goes to the heart: For them that trust in riches.
Not just, “they that have riches,” as in verse 23. Not just, “for a rich man.” But, “For them that trust in riches.”
Hear the words of the disciples, explaining their reaction of astonishment out of measure: “Saying among themselves, Who then can be saved.”
Not: How then can “they that have riches” be saved. Not: How then can “a rich man” be saved. But: How can anybody be saved?
The disciples’ astonishment out of measure shows that they understood what their Master was teaching them. His teaching penetrated down to their hearts.
They understood that Jesus was teaching them that the rich young ruler, who “went away grieved: for he had great possessions,” was not alone. He was not alone with his heart. This rich young ruler had company with other rich men. But with his heart he was in a far greater company. With his heart he was in company with a great number of those that “trusted in riches.”
Not only the rich trust in riches. The poor trust in riches. The poor disciples understood their own trust in riches. What do you and I think? What do you and I say? “Look at those rich people, see how carefree they are!” “If only I had that kind of wealth!” “If only I had a little bit more money.” “I just need more to be able to do this or that.” These words of our Lord must expose to us our greed and our covetousness.
We must be astonished out of measure. Understanding properly these teachings of our Lord, we must certainly ask the same question, “Who then can be saved?” We must know the certain definite answer of the disciples themselves to that question: None.
That answer meets with the agreement of Christ. It is true. None can be saved. “With men it is impossible.”
The rich young ruler is an example. The rich are an example. They are an example of them that trust in riches. They are an example to the disciples, for them to be astonished out of measure. They are an example to us, to make us astonished out of measure.
“With men it is impossible.” Trust in riches means that salvation is impossible with men.
“But not with God.”
“For with God all things are possible.”
“All things.”
What is possible with the God for whom all things are possible?
The salvation of the rich young ruler is possible. The salvation of the rich. The salvation of those that trust in riches. The salvation of the disciples. Your salvation and my salvation. The salvation that is impossible with men is possible with God.
Yes, be astonished out of measure. Be astonished to understand with the depths of your heart that with men all salvation is impossible. Be astonished out of measure at the impossibility of your salvation.
Then be even more astonished that you are saved. Be astonished that you are saved in spite of yourself, in spite of your riches, and in spite of your trust in riches.
Be astonished at the wonder of His grace and mercy in His Son to save you. With that astonishment be strengthened in the astonishing glory of the grace of your God with whom all things are possible. With that astonishment be strengthened in grateful love to your God of such astonishing grace to you. With that astonishment be strengthened in your joyful praised to your astonishing God.
What had Jesus told His disciples that caused this reaction of astonishment? What did He say that Scripture so carefully records this reaction of the disciples, that “they were astonished out of measure”? Their reaction was of stunned bewilderment. Their minds were reeling and their mouths wide open. They were faced with something they could not grasp, nor could they envision grasping it. It was that far beyond their ability to reckon.
Among all the things that their Lord had said, this saying alone is described as carrying this reaction. Other things made them marvel and wonder. Other sayings filled them with amazement. Other teachings they did not understand. But we are told here only that they were astonished beyond measure.
What did Jesus say that brought about this reaction?
“Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
Certainly we might think the analogy might provoke astonishment. It is certainly a strong statement. We must not be carried away with the popular sentimental opinion about his analogy, that it is about a certain gate in Jerusalem called “the needle’s eye” because it was so small, and that camel could only go through it by getting on its knees. No, we must think of a large camel and that large camel trying to go through a real eye of a real needle. Impossible! Astonishing!
The astonishment of the disciples must come from the point of the analogy. However the real force is the connection with the analogy itself, that it is easier for a camel to do that than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. The point of the analogy is what Jesus said in the verse before, “Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!”
How hard? It is that hard, so hard that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.
In this word of Christ is the key, the key to the truth, and the key to the right understanding of the astonishment of the disciples.
Because this word of Christ goes to the heart: For them that trust in riches.
Not just, “they that have riches,” as in verse 23. Not just, “for a rich man.” But, “For them that trust in riches.”
Hear the words of the disciples, explaining their reaction of astonishment out of measure: “Saying among themselves, Who then can be saved.”
Not: How then can “they that have riches” be saved. Not: How then can “a rich man” be saved. But: How can anybody be saved?
The disciples’ astonishment out of measure shows that they understood what their Master was teaching them. His teaching penetrated down to their hearts.
They understood that Jesus was teaching them that the rich young ruler, who “went away grieved: for he had great possessions,” was not alone. He was not alone with his heart. This rich young ruler had company with other rich men. But with his heart he was in a far greater company. With his heart he was in company with a great number of those that “trusted in riches.”
Not only the rich trust in riches. The poor trust in riches. The poor disciples understood their own trust in riches. What do you and I think? What do you and I say? “Look at those rich people, see how carefree they are!” “If only I had that kind of wealth!” “If only I had a little bit more money.” “I just need more to be able to do this or that.” These words of our Lord must expose to us our greed and our covetousness.
We must be astonished out of measure. Understanding properly these teachings of our Lord, we must certainly ask the same question, “Who then can be saved?” We must know the certain definite answer of the disciples themselves to that question: None.
That answer meets with the agreement of Christ. It is true. None can be saved. “With men it is impossible.”
The rich young ruler is an example. The rich are an example. They are an example of them that trust in riches. They are an example to the disciples, for them to be astonished out of measure. They are an example to us, to make us astonished out of measure.
“With men it is impossible.” Trust in riches means that salvation is impossible with men.
“But not with God.”
“For with God all things are possible.”
“All things.”
What is possible with the God for whom all things are possible?
The salvation of the rich young ruler is possible. The salvation of the rich. The salvation of those that trust in riches. The salvation of the disciples. Your salvation and my salvation. The salvation that is impossible with men is possible with God.
Yes, be astonished out of measure. Be astonished to understand with the depths of your heart that with men all salvation is impossible. Be astonished out of measure at the impossibility of your salvation.
Then be even more astonished that you are saved. Be astonished that you are saved in spite of yourself, in spite of your riches, and in spite of your trust in riches.
Be astonished at the wonder of His grace and mercy in His Son to save you. With that astonishment be strengthened in the astonishing glory of the grace of your God with whom all things are possible. With that astonishment be strengthened in grateful love to your God of such astonishing grace to you. With that astonishment be strengthened in your joyful praised to your astonishing God.
“I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” --John 8:12
Without any context we cannot help but recognize the importance of the above words. But with their context of the opening verses of John 8 we are able to see their specific importance. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the only light and the true light that shines in the darkness that is so great.
How much darkness stands over against that light! In the opening verses of John 8 there is the darkness of the sin of the woman taken in adultery. That great sin needed the declaration of the Light of the world for its forgiveness. The woman taken in adultery must be able to go to her home justified before God. But there is also the darkness of the Pharisees that condemned her. That darkness was shown to be darkness by the Light of the world. The Light of the world said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” But there is also the darkness demonstrated by Moses’ law itself, the instrument of condemnation used by the darkness of the Pharisees to condemn. That law, strictly considered, could not justify. It contained no remedy for it, but must show darkness and must leave in darkness by itself. John 1:17, “The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” II Corinthians 3:14 explains this darkness, “But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.”
Over against all that darkness the truth of Christ stands out in all its awe and wonder. His claim is absolute, His uniqueness total. “I am the light of the world.”
The entire world is darkness, always darkness, and thorough darkness. The world moves from darkness to darkness, from blindness to blindness, away from the light further and deeper. It walks in darkness, making progress and development in its darkness and blindness. There are blind teachers and leaders. There are blind disciples and followers. As the Light said of the teachers of the law, “They are blind leaders of the blind.” These were the teachers of the law of Moses. How much less the teachers among the pagan. We might think of such philophers as Aristotle and Plato. For all they taught, they were still blind in all the darkness of men.
In all this great darkness of the world there now has appeared the Light of the world.
In all this great darkness there is now made manifest the Light of the world who justified the woman taken in adultery, who justified her by saying, “Neither do I condemn thee.” Gloriously manifest is the Light of the world, when He said, “Go, and sin no more.” With that light is all grace, grace to justify and grace to sanctify.
So is the wonderful grace of the Light of the world following His absolute declaration. That grace is in His blessed word of promise, “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” By His word, the Light has set out a pathway of light in which to walk. No more darkness but glorious and splendid light. No more stumbling but a walk that is clear. No more wandering but a straight path to follow. The light of this pathway is the living God Himself. It is the way given by Him, the way along which He leads and guides, and in which He carries all His own. It is the way that faithfully leads and guides to everlasting communion and fellowship with the living God, whom to know is life eternal.
In these words of blessed promise from the Light of the world, we are given a precious inheritance: “but shall have the light of life.” Following Him who is the light of the world does not mean only no longer to walk in darkness. It means also to possess an everlasting inheritance. It is “to have the light of life.” To follow the Light of the world is to have His light as life.
Near the Light of the world, with the Light of the world, and in the Light of the World, is life. With Him is living fellowship with the living God. Near Him is the possession and enjoyment of everlasting life. Having His light and His truth living in our hearts by faith means that we indeed live and live forever more.
Our Light, the Light of the world, by His promise of light leads and guides us. Because He is the light of the world alone, all our following Him must come from Him alone. His way is always nearer to God, step by step. His way is always unto His Father that sent Him. His way is always unto heaven. The Light of the world leads us securely and safely to His and our Father. In His life and in His light we walk as His disciples. By His life and and by His light we walk, following after Him all the way to the Father.
In His promise and by His promise alone let us follow after. Let us follow after, looking not to our heart or our mind to guide us, but only to His light. Let us follow after, looking not to our strength or our resolve to keep us, but only to His life. Let us follow near to our Lord, assured that His light and His life will keep us free from all darkness, and blessed forever in His glorious light, the Light of life.
Without any context we cannot help but recognize the importance of the above words. But with their context of the opening verses of John 8 we are able to see their specific importance. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the only light and the true light that shines in the darkness that is so great.
How much darkness stands over against that light! In the opening verses of John 8 there is the darkness of the sin of the woman taken in adultery. That great sin needed the declaration of the Light of the world for its forgiveness. The woman taken in adultery must be able to go to her home justified before God. But there is also the darkness of the Pharisees that condemned her. That darkness was shown to be darkness by the Light of the world. The Light of the world said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” But there is also the darkness demonstrated by Moses’ law itself, the instrument of condemnation used by the darkness of the Pharisees to condemn. That law, strictly considered, could not justify. It contained no remedy for it, but must show darkness and must leave in darkness by itself. John 1:17, “The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” II Corinthians 3:14 explains this darkness, “But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.”
Over against all that darkness the truth of Christ stands out in all its awe and wonder. His claim is absolute, His uniqueness total. “I am the light of the world.”
The entire world is darkness, always darkness, and thorough darkness. The world moves from darkness to darkness, from blindness to blindness, away from the light further and deeper. It walks in darkness, making progress and development in its darkness and blindness. There are blind teachers and leaders. There are blind disciples and followers. As the Light said of the teachers of the law, “They are blind leaders of the blind.” These were the teachers of the law of Moses. How much less the teachers among the pagan. We might think of such philophers as Aristotle and Plato. For all they taught, they were still blind in all the darkness of men.
In all this great darkness of the world there now has appeared the Light of the world.
In all this great darkness there is now made manifest the Light of the world who justified the woman taken in adultery, who justified her by saying, “Neither do I condemn thee.” Gloriously manifest is the Light of the world, when He said, “Go, and sin no more.” With that light is all grace, grace to justify and grace to sanctify.
So is the wonderful grace of the Light of the world following His absolute declaration. That grace is in His blessed word of promise, “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” By His word, the Light has set out a pathway of light in which to walk. No more darkness but glorious and splendid light. No more stumbling but a walk that is clear. No more wandering but a straight path to follow. The light of this pathway is the living God Himself. It is the way given by Him, the way along which He leads and guides, and in which He carries all His own. It is the way that faithfully leads and guides to everlasting communion and fellowship with the living God, whom to know is life eternal.
In these words of blessed promise from the Light of the world, we are given a precious inheritance: “but shall have the light of life.” Following Him who is the light of the world does not mean only no longer to walk in darkness. It means also to possess an everlasting inheritance. It is “to have the light of life.” To follow the Light of the world is to have His light as life.
Near the Light of the world, with the Light of the world, and in the Light of the World, is life. With Him is living fellowship with the living God. Near Him is the possession and enjoyment of everlasting life. Having His light and His truth living in our hearts by faith means that we indeed live and live forever more.
Our Light, the Light of the world, by His promise of light leads and guides us. Because He is the light of the world alone, all our following Him must come from Him alone. His way is always nearer to God, step by step. His way is always unto His Father that sent Him. His way is always unto heaven. The Light of the world leads us securely and safely to His and our Father. In His life and in His light we walk as His disciples. By His life and and by His light we walk, following after Him all the way to the Father.
In His promise and by His promise alone let us follow after. Let us follow after, looking not to our heart or our mind to guide us, but only to His light. Let us follow after, looking not to our strength or our resolve to keep us, but only to His life. Let us follow near to our Lord, assured that His light and His life will keep us free from all darkness, and blessed forever in His glorious light, the Light of life.
“Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” James 5:10, 11
The statement beginning verse 11 indicates an exhortation, an exhortation that calls us to see things from a different viewpoint. We are called to see things from a viewpoint that is higher and superior to any earthly and fleshly perspective. We are meant to adopt a wise, heavenly mindset, a mindset that calculates and sees true happiness.
What do we count, according to this heavenly, true wisdom?
“Behold, we count them happy which endure.”
What makes this a heavenly, truly wise accounting?
First, because endurance means going through difficulties. There is no endurance without hardship. In the pathway are obstacles and hindrances. They impede progress and cloud the way. Endurance means that they are difficult. For the sake of endurance they may appear impossible, and be impossible according to man’s calculations. There is the opposition of the enemy: the devil, the world, and our own flesh. They may be a lack of resources or companions to help. There are also internal difficulties. The heart can be weighed down with grief and sorrow, the mind filled with anxieties and perplexities. The way itself seems oppressive and perilous. Determination can waver, and internal strength may flag. Going forward and onward is no easy matter.
For endurance to be endurance the way must be hard.
Second, for endurance to be endurance, and happiness for those that endure, is the endurance itself. Endurance is that progress is made and that the end is met through those hardships and troubles. Endurance carries on. It bears the hardships. It finds the way and sticks to it. It surmounts the obstacles. It makes it through to the end.
There is one outstanding feature to this endurance: it does not look like endurance. To them which endure, they despair of enduring. To the onlooker, progress is not apparent and a successful outcome looks doubtful. That they do endure comes as a complete surprise to both the enduring and those observing. They made it after all!
And this is exactly why the Word of God with divine authority declares their happiness. This is why faith following the Word makes this reckoning: Behold, we count them happy that endure.
What is their happiness? What is the happiness of those reckoning them happy which endure?
Their endurance testifies not of their strength or ability. It would not be happiness if their endurance gave that testimony. Their endurance is happy because it testifies that they were weak. Their endurance is happy because it testifies of God’s grace as the only power by which they endured. Grace gave them strength of heart and soul to carry on. Grace gave them determination to be steadfast in their way. God’s strength showed itself in all their weakness.
In that grace alone is all happiness, all blessedness.
“Behold, we count them happy which endure.”
The Word of God gives two examples of this happiness.
Who are those counted happy which endure?
First, the prophets.
The prophets spoke in the name of the Lord. How much trouble they endured! They faced the anger and hatred of kings and princes, as well as the majority of those to whom they prophesied. They were intimidated and harassed, tortured and killed for the Word that they brought. The prophets themselves often showed their distress and burdened hearts with their high calling. We think of Jeremiah’s complaints and John the Baptist’s questions. Indeed, they were blessed as prophets. They were happy to be used by the Lord as instruments of His Word. They were happy to receive in that Word they brought their own comfort and peace. But the happiness of this Word of God is not that happiness. Their happiness we count in their endurance: we count them happy which endure.
Second, Job.
How great were His troubles! His troubles were without, the tremendous loss this saint suffered. He suffered the loss of his children, the loss of his goods, the loss of the support of his friends. He suffered within, terrors of heart and mind, afflicted down to his very soul. Yes, he was restored. His health was restored along with his prosperity and his family. But according to this Word of God Job’s happiness was that he endured. His endurance put Satan the accuser and slanderer to shame. His endurance glorified and magnified the God whom Job confessed as his hope and trust.
“Behold, we count them happy which endure.”
How do you and I behold God’s children in their trials and hardships? Do we stand off from them, wondering about the reasons for their difficulties? Are we repulsed by them, anxious about being drawn into their sufferings? Those suffering depression or great grief? Those suffering pain and loss? Those persecuted through the world? Can you and I identify with them? Can you and I be near in heart and soul to them, to help bear their burdens and to help them endure?
How do you and I deal with our own hardships and troubles? What about the obstacles that we face, and the pain and suffering which we encounter whether of body or of soul? What about the weakness in ourselves we face before those hardships? How do we reckon about ourselves?
Let us adopt the holy reckoning of the wisdom of this Word of God, “Behold we count them happy which endure.”
What is that happiness?
To see “the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”
The statement beginning verse 11 indicates an exhortation, an exhortation that calls us to see things from a different viewpoint. We are called to see things from a viewpoint that is higher and superior to any earthly and fleshly perspective. We are meant to adopt a wise, heavenly mindset, a mindset that calculates and sees true happiness.
What do we count, according to this heavenly, true wisdom?
“Behold, we count them happy which endure.”
What makes this a heavenly, truly wise accounting?
First, because endurance means going through difficulties. There is no endurance without hardship. In the pathway are obstacles and hindrances. They impede progress and cloud the way. Endurance means that they are difficult. For the sake of endurance they may appear impossible, and be impossible according to man’s calculations. There is the opposition of the enemy: the devil, the world, and our own flesh. They may be a lack of resources or companions to help. There are also internal difficulties. The heart can be weighed down with grief and sorrow, the mind filled with anxieties and perplexities. The way itself seems oppressive and perilous. Determination can waver, and internal strength may flag. Going forward and onward is no easy matter.
For endurance to be endurance the way must be hard.
Second, for endurance to be endurance, and happiness for those that endure, is the endurance itself. Endurance is that progress is made and that the end is met through those hardships and troubles. Endurance carries on. It bears the hardships. It finds the way and sticks to it. It surmounts the obstacles. It makes it through to the end.
There is one outstanding feature to this endurance: it does not look like endurance. To them which endure, they despair of enduring. To the onlooker, progress is not apparent and a successful outcome looks doubtful. That they do endure comes as a complete surprise to both the enduring and those observing. They made it after all!
And this is exactly why the Word of God with divine authority declares their happiness. This is why faith following the Word makes this reckoning: Behold, we count them happy that endure.
What is their happiness? What is the happiness of those reckoning them happy which endure?
Their endurance testifies not of their strength or ability. It would not be happiness if their endurance gave that testimony. Their endurance is happy because it testifies that they were weak. Their endurance is happy because it testifies of God’s grace as the only power by which they endured. Grace gave them strength of heart and soul to carry on. Grace gave them determination to be steadfast in their way. God’s strength showed itself in all their weakness.
In that grace alone is all happiness, all blessedness.
“Behold, we count them happy which endure.”
The Word of God gives two examples of this happiness.
Who are those counted happy which endure?
First, the prophets.
The prophets spoke in the name of the Lord. How much trouble they endured! They faced the anger and hatred of kings and princes, as well as the majority of those to whom they prophesied. They were intimidated and harassed, tortured and killed for the Word that they brought. The prophets themselves often showed their distress and burdened hearts with their high calling. We think of Jeremiah’s complaints and John the Baptist’s questions. Indeed, they were blessed as prophets. They were happy to be used by the Lord as instruments of His Word. They were happy to receive in that Word they brought their own comfort and peace. But the happiness of this Word of God is not that happiness. Their happiness we count in their endurance: we count them happy which endure.
Second, Job.
How great were His troubles! His troubles were without, the tremendous loss this saint suffered. He suffered the loss of his children, the loss of his goods, the loss of the support of his friends. He suffered within, terrors of heart and mind, afflicted down to his very soul. Yes, he was restored. His health was restored along with his prosperity and his family. But according to this Word of God Job’s happiness was that he endured. His endurance put Satan the accuser and slanderer to shame. His endurance glorified and magnified the God whom Job confessed as his hope and trust.
“Behold, we count them happy which endure.”
How do you and I behold God’s children in their trials and hardships? Do we stand off from them, wondering about the reasons for their difficulties? Are we repulsed by them, anxious about being drawn into their sufferings? Those suffering depression or great grief? Those suffering pain and loss? Those persecuted through the world? Can you and I identify with them? Can you and I be near in heart and soul to them, to help bear their burdens and to help them endure?
How do you and I deal with our own hardships and troubles? What about the obstacles that we face, and the pain and suffering which we encounter whether of body or of soul? What about the weakness in ourselves we face before those hardships? How do we reckon about ourselves?
Let us adopt the holy reckoning of the wisdom of this Word of God, “Behold we count them happy which endure.”
What is that happiness?
To see “the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”
“I am the door:
By me if any man enter in,
He shall be saved,
And shall go in and out,
And find pasture.
The thief cometh not,
But for to steal,
And to kill,
And to destroy:
I am come that they might have life,
And that they might have it more abundantly.
I am the good shepherd:
The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
--John 10:9-11
What is striking about these verses is that they record the Word of our Saviour telling us two things about Himself. He says both, “I am the door,” and, “I am the good shepherd.” Following this Word of our Saviour telling us of Himself in these words, we find wonderful comfort and peace as well as great security. They declare to us that we have have a distinctive and a definite Saviour.
What makes Him so distinctive and so definite is that He is clearly distinguished from all imposters. It is on account of these imposters that Jesus identifies Himself with both of these phrases. Because of the imposters He declares, “I am the door.” Because of the imposters He declares, “I am the good shepherd.”
The thieves work by fraud. They pose and they posture. They put themselves in Jesus’ place. They claim to offer the way, the truth, and the life. They teach their doctrines about heaven and the Father. They teach their teachings as the way to heaven and the Father. Believe what they say. Do what they say. Follow them and their teachings. They represent to you the way. They present an alluring doctrine. Sometimes they appeal to pride directly: you have to do your part, your works, good things. Sometimes they appeal to pride indirectly: you need to be humble enough; you need to repent enough.
But they are thieves. He who is the Door and the Good shepherd tears away the imposture. They are thieves. They have not come to lead to the Father, teaching about the way to Him. They have come “for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” Their way is not the way to the Father. It is not the way to heaven. It is the way to death and the destruction of hell. They that follow their lead are victims.
They are not the door. Their way is not the way to the Father or to heaven.
Jesus alone is the door. He is the “I am that I am.” Hear His voice. Hear His voice alone. Hear His voice say to you, “I am the door.”
He is the door because with Him is salvation. How is He the door? Why is He the door? “By me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Because all you need is the door. To have the door is to have salvation. With the door is all going out and going in. With the door is all pasture to be found. Through the door is our entrance into the kingdom. With that door you are safe in the kingdom. With that door is all the peace and abundance of the grace of that kingdom yours. Nothing is missing. You shall not want.
Just so that there is no confusion, no mistaking those thieves for our Saviour, our Lord gives another distinguishing feature about Himself, to distinguish Him from the thieves.
For this distinction the same description holds of the thieves: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”
How far is your Lord from those thieves!
He is come, “that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
The thieves come to steal. They come to take. They come to require. They come to demand. They demand allegiance and following. They demand works and effort. They demand doing this and doing that.
The Lord gives. The Lord gives graciously freely. The Lord gives life. The Lord gives life more abundantly.
All this He gives to His sheep. He comes with them in mind, so selfless is He. “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
No thief is He.
Still more you are given so that you cannot fail to distinguish your Lord from those thieves and robbers. He also tells you how it is that He gives you this life, and gives it to you more abundantly.
“I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
The life that He gives and the life that he gives more abundantly is by the giving up of His own life. For this life and its fulness to give, He gave something that no thief would give, His very own life. No empty words are these, so far from the vain talk of thieves. Calvary’s cross is the deed that seals the testimony of the Good Shepherd. At that cross the Good Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep.
So hear the voice of your Good Shepherd calling you, His sheep. So easily and clearly distinguish His voice from the voice of all the thieves. Flee from the thieves to the door, by Him to be saved, by him to go in and out, and by Him to find pasture. Flee from the thieves to the Good Shepherd. From Him be blessed in the life that He gives, giving it to you in all its glorious abundance and fullness of joy. In that abundant life, rejoice in your Good Shepherd who has given His life for you to live.
By me if any man enter in,
He shall be saved,
And shall go in and out,
And find pasture.
The thief cometh not,
But for to steal,
And to kill,
And to destroy:
I am come that they might have life,
And that they might have it more abundantly.
I am the good shepherd:
The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
--John 10:9-11
What is striking about these verses is that they record the Word of our Saviour telling us two things about Himself. He says both, “I am the door,” and, “I am the good shepherd.” Following this Word of our Saviour telling us of Himself in these words, we find wonderful comfort and peace as well as great security. They declare to us that we have have a distinctive and a definite Saviour.
What makes Him so distinctive and so definite is that He is clearly distinguished from all imposters. It is on account of these imposters that Jesus identifies Himself with both of these phrases. Because of the imposters He declares, “I am the door.” Because of the imposters He declares, “I am the good shepherd.”
The thieves work by fraud. They pose and they posture. They put themselves in Jesus’ place. They claim to offer the way, the truth, and the life. They teach their doctrines about heaven and the Father. They teach their teachings as the way to heaven and the Father. Believe what they say. Do what they say. Follow them and their teachings. They represent to you the way. They present an alluring doctrine. Sometimes they appeal to pride directly: you have to do your part, your works, good things. Sometimes they appeal to pride indirectly: you need to be humble enough; you need to repent enough.
But they are thieves. He who is the Door and the Good shepherd tears away the imposture. They are thieves. They have not come to lead to the Father, teaching about the way to Him. They have come “for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” Their way is not the way to the Father. It is not the way to heaven. It is the way to death and the destruction of hell. They that follow their lead are victims.
They are not the door. Their way is not the way to the Father or to heaven.
Jesus alone is the door. He is the “I am that I am.” Hear His voice. Hear His voice alone. Hear His voice say to you, “I am the door.”
He is the door because with Him is salvation. How is He the door? Why is He the door? “By me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Because all you need is the door. To have the door is to have salvation. With the door is all going out and going in. With the door is all pasture to be found. Through the door is our entrance into the kingdom. With that door you are safe in the kingdom. With that door is all the peace and abundance of the grace of that kingdom yours. Nothing is missing. You shall not want.
Just so that there is no confusion, no mistaking those thieves for our Saviour, our Lord gives another distinguishing feature about Himself, to distinguish Him from the thieves.
For this distinction the same description holds of the thieves: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”
How far is your Lord from those thieves!
He is come, “that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
The thieves come to steal. They come to take. They come to require. They come to demand. They demand allegiance and following. They demand works and effort. They demand doing this and doing that.
The Lord gives. The Lord gives graciously freely. The Lord gives life. The Lord gives life more abundantly.
All this He gives to His sheep. He comes with them in mind, so selfless is He. “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
No thief is He.
Still more you are given so that you cannot fail to distinguish your Lord from those thieves and robbers. He also tells you how it is that He gives you this life, and gives it to you more abundantly.
“I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
The life that He gives and the life that he gives more abundantly is by the giving up of His own life. For this life and its fulness to give, He gave something that no thief would give, His very own life. No empty words are these, so far from the vain talk of thieves. Calvary’s cross is the deed that seals the testimony of the Good Shepherd. At that cross the Good Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep.
So hear the voice of your Good Shepherd calling you, His sheep. So easily and clearly distinguish His voice from the voice of all the thieves. Flee from the thieves to the door, by Him to be saved, by him to go in and out, and by Him to find pasture. Flee from the thieves to the Good Shepherd. From Him be blessed in the life that He gives, giving it to you in all its glorious abundance and fullness of joy. In that abundant life, rejoice in your Good Shepherd who has given His life for you to live.
“Against thee, thee only have I sinned,
And done this evil in thy sight:
That thou mightiest be justified when thou speakest,
And be clear when thou judgest.
Behold I was shapen in iniquity;
And in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts:
And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom."
-Psalm 51:4-6
As beautiful and as humbling as these words are from this penitential Psalm, so powerfully instructive they are. They give instruction in encouragement in our penitence. They give instruction in the manner of our penitence. They give instruction in the sovereign grace of God that works our salvation.
These words graciously lead us to the very core of our being, to see there both the ugliness and horror of our sin, and the wonder of God’s grace to do its glorious work exactly there, where we need it the most.
How much help we need to go there!
That help is described to us in verse 4. That help is not looking at ourselves. That help is not even looking at ourselves accurately. If you and I look at ourselves in the most accurate manner we cannot confess our sin before God. We simply cannot reach down to the depths of our nature, there to acknowledge our sin, bring it before God, and to seek His forgiveness of it. It is too awful and too evil.
No, the help is found with God. That help is given from Him, and being completely centered upon Him. The penitent David does not look at himself, his sin or his penitence. Neither does he look at Uriah or Bathsheba against whom he sinned. He singles out God. “Against thee and thee only have I sinned.” The same is emphasized in the second statement: “And done this evil in thy sight.”
Exactly as David had done this evil against God and in His sight, he confesses the absolute, glorious, sovereign righteousness of the God against whom he had sinned. He confesses that righteousness of God in exact connection with his sin. The sin is completely and totally his, exactly in relationship to God’s sovereignty over his sin. How righteous is God? “That thou mightiest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”
All the sin, all its guilt and blame, and all its condemnation, is David’s and David’s alone. David has nothing to say. David has nothing to argue.
Righteousness is wholly and completely God’s. God’s righteousness is all His work always to justify Himself. His righteousness is His always to declare. He is justified when He speaks. His word is always and only righteousness. He is clear when he judges. When he judges sin, setting it before His holy eyes and condemning it, He is always clear. No spot or stain, however small, can possibly pass from the condemned sinner back to God. He is forever clear when He judges.
Why is this so important in this prayer of penitence? Why must you and I whenever we sin, always justify God and acknowledge that He is clear when He judges?
So He can justify us. So He can be clear when He judges us. So that His righteousness is what it must be to impute it to us sinners: the perfect covering of our sin and guilt, and the absolutely perfect ground of our acceptance with God and all our salvation.
Only when we have that perfect righteousness of God firmly in our hearts and minds, do we dare return to consider ourselves and the deep stain of pollution that becomes more abominable the deeper we go into our nature. It is only in the light of that perfect righteousness that we can go to the very origin of our existence and declare before God its awful truth. For in verse 5 we are taught to point the finger at our very nature before God. We are taught to lay it all open before Him. We are made to say, “Behold!”
Look around! Inspect! Search! Uncover! Peer into!
“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
At the very instant I was conceived, there was my iniquity and my sin. There it was without any thought or action on my part. There it was without any will or deed of mine. Iniquity and sin was the ruling principle of my entire nature in my very beginning. It was not learned. It was not introduced later on by some foreign element, something “caught” like a virus invading a healthy body.
This is who I am at the very bottom of my existence: in iniquity and in sin. In its power and in its grip, determining everything about me and all my existence. Polluted and defiled, and in that pollution and defilement wholly opposed to the holy God and His righteousness.
Again, “That thou mightiest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”
For the righteousness of God. For the righteousness of God to justify the sinner shapen in iniquity and conceived in sin. For the righteousness of God to justify the ungodly and be clear when He judges.
Because this is the righteous God who righteously saves by the wonder of His own righteousness. That righteous salvation is the object of the prayer of verse 6: “Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.”
Another “Behold.” Look around! Inspect! Search! Uncover! Peer into!
See not only sin. See not only depravity. See also thy work to do there, the work of thy righteous, sovereign grace. See that work to do where it is truly and so desperately needed, in the very depths of my existence. As thou dost there according to thy righteousness work by thy grace, let not my foul pollution there prevent thee. So justify me there. Blot out my depravity there. On the ground of thy righteousness alone, teach me according to thy desire. Give there, in the inward part, the truth that thou dost desire. There, in the hidden part, make me to know wisdom. Teach me in that depth the fear of thee alone. Teach me wisdom. Teach me there to seek with my heart the glory of thy name.
Because thou art righteous.
“That thou mightiest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”
What a wonder! How this wonder, that this God should behold our sin and ungodliness that is at its worst in the depths of our nature? How this wonder that God should not behold and immediately cast out and destroy in His wrath? How this wonder that God should cover over that iniquity and sin in which we were conceived and born? How this wonder that God should work by grace teaching what and teaching where He desires?
The wonder of the righteousness of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The wonder of His precious blood that He shed on Calvary’s cross. The wonder of our washing in that blood by the Holy Spirit of Christ.
The cross.
“That thou mightiest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”
And done this evil in thy sight:
That thou mightiest be justified when thou speakest,
And be clear when thou judgest.
Behold I was shapen in iniquity;
And in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts:
And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom."
-Psalm 51:4-6
As beautiful and as humbling as these words are from this penitential Psalm, so powerfully instructive they are. They give instruction in encouragement in our penitence. They give instruction in the manner of our penitence. They give instruction in the sovereign grace of God that works our salvation.
These words graciously lead us to the very core of our being, to see there both the ugliness and horror of our sin, and the wonder of God’s grace to do its glorious work exactly there, where we need it the most.
How much help we need to go there!
That help is described to us in verse 4. That help is not looking at ourselves. That help is not even looking at ourselves accurately. If you and I look at ourselves in the most accurate manner we cannot confess our sin before God. We simply cannot reach down to the depths of our nature, there to acknowledge our sin, bring it before God, and to seek His forgiveness of it. It is too awful and too evil.
No, the help is found with God. That help is given from Him, and being completely centered upon Him. The penitent David does not look at himself, his sin or his penitence. Neither does he look at Uriah or Bathsheba against whom he sinned. He singles out God. “Against thee and thee only have I sinned.” The same is emphasized in the second statement: “And done this evil in thy sight.”
Exactly as David had done this evil against God and in His sight, he confesses the absolute, glorious, sovereign righteousness of the God against whom he had sinned. He confesses that righteousness of God in exact connection with his sin. The sin is completely and totally his, exactly in relationship to God’s sovereignty over his sin. How righteous is God? “That thou mightiest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”
All the sin, all its guilt and blame, and all its condemnation, is David’s and David’s alone. David has nothing to say. David has nothing to argue.
Righteousness is wholly and completely God’s. God’s righteousness is all His work always to justify Himself. His righteousness is His always to declare. He is justified when He speaks. His word is always and only righteousness. He is clear when he judges. When he judges sin, setting it before His holy eyes and condemning it, He is always clear. No spot or stain, however small, can possibly pass from the condemned sinner back to God. He is forever clear when He judges.
Why is this so important in this prayer of penitence? Why must you and I whenever we sin, always justify God and acknowledge that He is clear when He judges?
So He can justify us. So He can be clear when He judges us. So that His righteousness is what it must be to impute it to us sinners: the perfect covering of our sin and guilt, and the absolutely perfect ground of our acceptance with God and all our salvation.
Only when we have that perfect righteousness of God firmly in our hearts and minds, do we dare return to consider ourselves and the deep stain of pollution that becomes more abominable the deeper we go into our nature. It is only in the light of that perfect righteousness that we can go to the very origin of our existence and declare before God its awful truth. For in verse 5 we are taught to point the finger at our very nature before God. We are taught to lay it all open before Him. We are made to say, “Behold!”
Look around! Inspect! Search! Uncover! Peer into!
“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
At the very instant I was conceived, there was my iniquity and my sin. There it was without any thought or action on my part. There it was without any will or deed of mine. Iniquity and sin was the ruling principle of my entire nature in my very beginning. It was not learned. It was not introduced later on by some foreign element, something “caught” like a virus invading a healthy body.
This is who I am at the very bottom of my existence: in iniquity and in sin. In its power and in its grip, determining everything about me and all my existence. Polluted and defiled, and in that pollution and defilement wholly opposed to the holy God and His righteousness.
Again, “That thou mightiest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”
For the righteousness of God. For the righteousness of God to justify the sinner shapen in iniquity and conceived in sin. For the righteousness of God to justify the ungodly and be clear when He judges.
Because this is the righteous God who righteously saves by the wonder of His own righteousness. That righteous salvation is the object of the prayer of verse 6: “Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.”
Another “Behold.” Look around! Inspect! Search! Uncover! Peer into!
See not only sin. See not only depravity. See also thy work to do there, the work of thy righteous, sovereign grace. See that work to do where it is truly and so desperately needed, in the very depths of my existence. As thou dost there according to thy righteousness work by thy grace, let not my foul pollution there prevent thee. So justify me there. Blot out my depravity there. On the ground of thy righteousness alone, teach me according to thy desire. Give there, in the inward part, the truth that thou dost desire. There, in the hidden part, make me to know wisdom. Teach me in that depth the fear of thee alone. Teach me wisdom. Teach me there to seek with my heart the glory of thy name.
Because thou art righteous.
“That thou mightiest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”
What a wonder! How this wonder, that this God should behold our sin and ungodliness that is at its worst in the depths of our nature? How this wonder that God should not behold and immediately cast out and destroy in His wrath? How this wonder that God should cover over that iniquity and sin in which we were conceived and born? How this wonder that God should work by grace teaching what and teaching where He desires?
The wonder of the righteousness of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The wonder of His precious blood that He shed on Calvary’s cross. The wonder of our washing in that blood by the Holy Spirit of Christ.
The cross.
“That thou mightiest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”
“For in thee, O Lord, do I hope:
Thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.
For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me:
When my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
For I am ready to halt,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
For I will declare mine iniquity;
I will be sorry for my sin.
But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong:
And they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries;
Because I follow the thing that good is.
Forsake me not, O Lord;
O my God, be not far from me.
Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.”
--Psalm 38:15-22
This Psalm begins a grouping of Psalms, from 38-44. They have several features that bind them together. They can all be described as supplication to the Lord for deliverance from the enemy. They all describe the enemy, their mistreatment of God’s people, and the helplessness of God’s people before them. They appeal for the Lord’s help, pity upon His poor, distressed people, and deliverance by the glorious power of His mercy toward them.
These Psalms also feature a wonderful self-description of the people of God who seek His mercy toward them. First and foremost, they are God’s covenant people. They call on God as their God. They seek His help for them as His people and His servants. In these intimate confessions, they gladly identify themselves as belonging to God, and the only power to save them as belonging to their God. They are glad to confess their weakness for the sake of their strength. They further describe themselves as sinful and also penitent over their sins for the sake of His righteousness. They describe themselves as holy, devoted in love to the Lord their God, committed to obeying Him and serving Him alone.
What also binds these Psalms together are the scattered various references to Christ. Most notable is Psalm 40:6-8 as applied directly to Christ in Hebrews 10:5-10. There is also Psalm 41:9, a reference to Judas’ betrayal of Christ. It is also for the sake of the grace of Christ that they suffer. The observation of their redemption, repentance, and sanctification is that which brings them into the contempt of the wicked and under their oppressive hatred. It is also because these are God’s own gracious gifts to His people that they bring them to God’s attention in their pleas. They bring nothing of themselves, but what God has given to them. In speaking of their repentance, holy obedience, and their commitment to God they express the same truth that grounds the plea of Psalm 138:8, “Forsake not the works of thine own hands.”
Turning back to the prayer of Psalm 38, we see the blessings of God represented as the fundamental ground for the outcry for help of verse 15. As soon as God’s oppressed child confesses the Lord as his hope, he gives the cause: “Thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.” There is no hope anywhere else. There is no one else to look to. There is no other strength, no other power, no other will. There is no other that will hear. But the God of glory and truth, the faithful God will hear. He is near to hear. He is near to hear in His faithfulness and truth.
In that confidence of God’s nearness to hear, the child of God lays out His trouble.
The enemies are ready. They are ready on account of their plans. They are ready on account of the effectiveness of those plans. They have executed their cruelty, and they have enjoyed eminent success so far. They now anticipate the immediate downfall of the object of their hatred, the child of God. They are ready to express the satisfaction of their malice in their words of rejoicing and magnifying.
Only God can prevent their rejoicing and magnifying over the victim of their ungodly cruelty.
“For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me:
When my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
Only God has that power to save. What does the child of God have?
“For I am ready to halt,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
For I will declare mine iniquity;
I will be sorry for my sin.”
The child of God has halting and stumbling. He has the staggering effect of his weakness because of his sorrow over his sin. His sins are risen up against him. On their account he is emptied out. But the special cause of His halting is not over his sins as such, but from his repentance over his sins. Why is he ready to halt? Why is his sorrow continually before him?
“For I will declare mine iniquity;
I will be sorry for my sin.”
It is this repentance--as the gift of God’s grace--that distinguishes him from the ungodly, and that makes him their enemy. Their impenitence and hard-heartedness is condemned by the true repentance of God’s child. His sorrow after God makes manifest their hypocrisy. In truth, their way is only hypocrisy against God, the hypocrisy that provokes Him to wrath. They are exposed for who they truly are. The true repentance of God’s people is provoking to the impenitence of God’s enemies.
It is for this reason that the child of God so quickly turns from himself and his way before God back to his enemies for God’s sake:
“But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong:
And they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries.”
What a contrast!
In contrast to the penitence of God’s child is the impenitence of the ungodly. In contrast to the weakness of the individual Psalmist over his penitence is the gathering and growing strength of His enemies. While he is “ready to halt,” they “are lively, and they are strong.” While he is sorry for his sin, declaring his iniquity, they hate him wrongfully and “render evil for good.” Against him they manifest their evil. For all his seeking of their good, manifest in so many ways, they have only evil to repay. While he remains alone, those that hate him wrongfully are multiplied.
Truly this child of God has no refuge or strength in himself, his strength, his wisdom, or his righteousness. Neither has he any refuge among men, for they are against him.
But he has his God.
“Forsake me not, O Lord:
O my God, be not far from me.
Make haste to help me,
O Lord my salvation.”
The Lord is his salvation. The Lord is his confidence. The Lord’s salvation is his peace.
Tested in hardship, demonstrated in fiery trials, that confidence is indeed hope.
“For in thee, O Lord, do I hope:
Thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.”
Thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.
For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me:
When my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
For I am ready to halt,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
For I will declare mine iniquity;
I will be sorry for my sin.
But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong:
And they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries;
Because I follow the thing that good is.
Forsake me not, O Lord;
O my God, be not far from me.
Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.”
--Psalm 38:15-22
This Psalm begins a grouping of Psalms, from 38-44. They have several features that bind them together. They can all be described as supplication to the Lord for deliverance from the enemy. They all describe the enemy, their mistreatment of God’s people, and the helplessness of God’s people before them. They appeal for the Lord’s help, pity upon His poor, distressed people, and deliverance by the glorious power of His mercy toward them.
These Psalms also feature a wonderful self-description of the people of God who seek His mercy toward them. First and foremost, they are God’s covenant people. They call on God as their God. They seek His help for them as His people and His servants. In these intimate confessions, they gladly identify themselves as belonging to God, and the only power to save them as belonging to their God. They are glad to confess their weakness for the sake of their strength. They further describe themselves as sinful and also penitent over their sins for the sake of His righteousness. They describe themselves as holy, devoted in love to the Lord their God, committed to obeying Him and serving Him alone.
What also binds these Psalms together are the scattered various references to Christ. Most notable is Psalm 40:6-8 as applied directly to Christ in Hebrews 10:5-10. There is also Psalm 41:9, a reference to Judas’ betrayal of Christ. It is also for the sake of the grace of Christ that they suffer. The observation of their redemption, repentance, and sanctification is that which brings them into the contempt of the wicked and under their oppressive hatred. It is also because these are God’s own gracious gifts to His people that they bring them to God’s attention in their pleas. They bring nothing of themselves, but what God has given to them. In speaking of their repentance, holy obedience, and their commitment to God they express the same truth that grounds the plea of Psalm 138:8, “Forsake not the works of thine own hands.”
Turning back to the prayer of Psalm 38, we see the blessings of God represented as the fundamental ground for the outcry for help of verse 15. As soon as God’s oppressed child confesses the Lord as his hope, he gives the cause: “Thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.” There is no hope anywhere else. There is no one else to look to. There is no other strength, no other power, no other will. There is no other that will hear. But the God of glory and truth, the faithful God will hear. He is near to hear. He is near to hear in His faithfulness and truth.
In that confidence of God’s nearness to hear, the child of God lays out His trouble.
The enemies are ready. They are ready on account of their plans. They are ready on account of the effectiveness of those plans. They have executed their cruelty, and they have enjoyed eminent success so far. They now anticipate the immediate downfall of the object of their hatred, the child of God. They are ready to express the satisfaction of their malice in their words of rejoicing and magnifying.
Only God can prevent their rejoicing and magnifying over the victim of their ungodly cruelty.
“For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me:
When my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
Only God has that power to save. What does the child of God have?
“For I am ready to halt,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
For I will declare mine iniquity;
I will be sorry for my sin.”
The child of God has halting and stumbling. He has the staggering effect of his weakness because of his sorrow over his sin. His sins are risen up against him. On their account he is emptied out. But the special cause of His halting is not over his sins as such, but from his repentance over his sins. Why is he ready to halt? Why is his sorrow continually before him?
“For I will declare mine iniquity;
I will be sorry for my sin.”
It is this repentance--as the gift of God’s grace--that distinguishes him from the ungodly, and that makes him their enemy. Their impenitence and hard-heartedness is condemned by the true repentance of God’s child. His sorrow after God makes manifest their hypocrisy. In truth, their way is only hypocrisy against God, the hypocrisy that provokes Him to wrath. They are exposed for who they truly are. The true repentance of God’s people is provoking to the impenitence of God’s enemies.
It is for this reason that the child of God so quickly turns from himself and his way before God back to his enemies for God’s sake:
“But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong:
And they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries.”
What a contrast!
In contrast to the penitence of God’s child is the impenitence of the ungodly. In contrast to the weakness of the individual Psalmist over his penitence is the gathering and growing strength of His enemies. While he is “ready to halt,” they “are lively, and they are strong.” While he is sorry for his sin, declaring his iniquity, they hate him wrongfully and “render evil for good.” Against him they manifest their evil. For all his seeking of their good, manifest in so many ways, they have only evil to repay. While he remains alone, those that hate him wrongfully are multiplied.
Truly this child of God has no refuge or strength in himself, his strength, his wisdom, or his righteousness. Neither has he any refuge among men, for they are against him.
But he has his God.
“Forsake me not, O Lord:
O my God, be not far from me.
Make haste to help me,
O Lord my salvation.”
The Lord is his salvation. The Lord is his confidence. The Lord’s salvation is his peace.
Tested in hardship, demonstrated in fiery trials, that confidence is indeed hope.
“For in thee, O Lord, do I hope:
Thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.”
“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” --II Timothy 2:19
Nevertheless!
How necessary is this opening word. It is necessary because it draws a very important relationship to the truth laid out in verse 19, to the report of verses 17 and 18. In those verses Paul names two men, Hymenaeus and Philetus. These men were in the church, but were identified as heretics. Their teaching was contrary to Scripture. Their error was that “the resurrection is past already.” Their teaching had damaged the church, as they had gained followers. The report of Paul, concerning their damage was that these two “overthrow the faith of some.” With their teaching about the resurrection, that it was past already, they overthrew the faith of some. The church experienced a sifting through this trial. There were members who confessed their faith in Christ, joining themselves to the church. With their numbers the church grew. These were indistinguishable, confessing the same faith, demonstrating the same faith, characterized by the same behaviour and conduct and the same life of good works. But then Hymanaeus and Philetus appeared. Their error overthrew the faith of these. Their followers followed Hymenaeus and Philetus to their destruction.
That report was an example, illustrating the effects of error in the church. Hymenaus and Philetus, with their known damage, was an example of those whose “word will eat as doth a canker.” Errors corrupt, to the overthrowing of the faith of some.
Such awful heresies, and such awful destruction they cause!
One might well wonder, Is everything thrown into question? As the church is certain to be always plagued with errors and heresies, and those errors and heresies eating like a canker and overthrowing the faith of some, are not all in peril? Is salvation uncertain for every individual member? Could it happen that the entire church should be overthrown?
Not at all!
Nevertheless!
Why not?
Because “the foundation of God standeth sure.”
It is God’s foundation of truth. It is His truth. He set down His truth as the foundation of faith in His Holy Word. His foundation of truth is the truth as it is in Christ. Christ is the truth, as well as the way and the life. He is the light of the world. He is the cornerstone that was indeed rejected of men, even as Hymenaus and Philetus rejected Him, when they taught that the resurrection was past already, and when they overthrew the faith of some. But Christ the cornerstone was chosen by God, and therefore laid by Him to be the foundation.
That foundation of God standeth sure. It is never shaken, never weakened, let alone cracked or broken. It is solid to eternity as laid by God and God alone. It was laid in the death, the resurrection, Ascension, and sitting of Christ at God’s right hand.
That stone, standing so sure, has a seal. That seal receives its integrity from the stone. Because the stone stands sure, the seal can never be broken. It remains forever.
Let us look at that seal, to see what it says.
It says this first: “The Lord knoweth them that are his.”
The Lord knoweth. It is His knowledge that counts. It is not your knowledge of this or that individual. It is not your knowledge that counts when that individual makes confession of faith and then turns from it. It is not even your knowledge as you might know yourself. Your knowledge is weak. Your knowledge may sometimes waver into doubt. Your knowledge might turn into confusion of old age. What is sure is this: the Lord knoweth them that are His.
He knows them not because they know Him. He knows them not because they have decided, chosen, run or willed. He knows them because He redeemed them with the blood of His Son. He knows them because from all eternity He predestinated them, choosing them to be His. “For whom he foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
“The Lord knoweth them that are his.” The church is wholly safe and secure. True believers are built by God upon this foundation, and sealed with this seal.
There is another saying of this seal, “Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
This is the second seal because it is the way that the first seal become manifest. It becomes manifest in confession of faith. They name the name of the Lord. It becomes manifest in their sanctification. They “depart from iniquity.” They repent over their sin, sorrowing over it as displeasing to their God. They loath and abhor themselves as sinful, sorrowing over the wretchedness and misery of their flesh. They hate their sin as it has become their deep enemy. They resist it and fight against it, taking their refuge in the passion and death of Christ, and looking for His strength to be all their help in the battle against it.
It is also the second saying of the seal because in its actions is made manifest the truth of the first. Again, “Those whom he foreknew he also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Their conformance is certain because the seal is certain because the foundation of God standeth sure.
When things become shaky and uncertain, let us flee to this foundation that standeth sure because it is God’s foundation. Whether they are things of the church or of the world, whether heresies overthrowing the faith of some, or natural disasters or catastrophes, let us flee to rest on the only foundation that is sure: the foundation of God. On that foundation let us stand unmoved and unshaken in its confidence, knowing the Lord knows all them that are are his. And let us who name the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
Nevertheless!
How necessary is this opening word. It is necessary because it draws a very important relationship to the truth laid out in verse 19, to the report of verses 17 and 18. In those verses Paul names two men, Hymenaeus and Philetus. These men were in the church, but were identified as heretics. Their teaching was contrary to Scripture. Their error was that “the resurrection is past already.” Their teaching had damaged the church, as they had gained followers. The report of Paul, concerning their damage was that these two “overthrow the faith of some.” With their teaching about the resurrection, that it was past already, they overthrew the faith of some. The church experienced a sifting through this trial. There were members who confessed their faith in Christ, joining themselves to the church. With their numbers the church grew. These were indistinguishable, confessing the same faith, demonstrating the same faith, characterized by the same behaviour and conduct and the same life of good works. But then Hymanaeus and Philetus appeared. Their error overthrew the faith of these. Their followers followed Hymenaeus and Philetus to their destruction.
That report was an example, illustrating the effects of error in the church. Hymenaus and Philetus, with their known damage, was an example of those whose “word will eat as doth a canker.” Errors corrupt, to the overthrowing of the faith of some.
Such awful heresies, and such awful destruction they cause!
One might well wonder, Is everything thrown into question? As the church is certain to be always plagued with errors and heresies, and those errors and heresies eating like a canker and overthrowing the faith of some, are not all in peril? Is salvation uncertain for every individual member? Could it happen that the entire church should be overthrown?
Not at all!
Nevertheless!
Why not?
Because “the foundation of God standeth sure.”
It is God’s foundation of truth. It is His truth. He set down His truth as the foundation of faith in His Holy Word. His foundation of truth is the truth as it is in Christ. Christ is the truth, as well as the way and the life. He is the light of the world. He is the cornerstone that was indeed rejected of men, even as Hymenaus and Philetus rejected Him, when they taught that the resurrection was past already, and when they overthrew the faith of some. But Christ the cornerstone was chosen by God, and therefore laid by Him to be the foundation.
That foundation of God standeth sure. It is never shaken, never weakened, let alone cracked or broken. It is solid to eternity as laid by God and God alone. It was laid in the death, the resurrection, Ascension, and sitting of Christ at God’s right hand.
That stone, standing so sure, has a seal. That seal receives its integrity from the stone. Because the stone stands sure, the seal can never be broken. It remains forever.
Let us look at that seal, to see what it says.
It says this first: “The Lord knoweth them that are his.”
The Lord knoweth. It is His knowledge that counts. It is not your knowledge of this or that individual. It is not your knowledge that counts when that individual makes confession of faith and then turns from it. It is not even your knowledge as you might know yourself. Your knowledge is weak. Your knowledge may sometimes waver into doubt. Your knowledge might turn into confusion of old age. What is sure is this: the Lord knoweth them that are His.
He knows them not because they know Him. He knows them not because they have decided, chosen, run or willed. He knows them because He redeemed them with the blood of His Son. He knows them because from all eternity He predestinated them, choosing them to be His. “For whom he foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
“The Lord knoweth them that are his.” The church is wholly safe and secure. True believers are built by God upon this foundation, and sealed with this seal.
There is another saying of this seal, “Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
This is the second seal because it is the way that the first seal become manifest. It becomes manifest in confession of faith. They name the name of the Lord. It becomes manifest in their sanctification. They “depart from iniquity.” They repent over their sin, sorrowing over it as displeasing to their God. They loath and abhor themselves as sinful, sorrowing over the wretchedness and misery of their flesh. They hate their sin as it has become their deep enemy. They resist it and fight against it, taking their refuge in the passion and death of Christ, and looking for His strength to be all their help in the battle against it.
It is also the second saying of the seal because in its actions is made manifest the truth of the first. Again, “Those whom he foreknew he also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Their conformance is certain because the seal is certain because the foundation of God standeth sure.
When things become shaky and uncertain, let us flee to this foundation that standeth sure because it is God’s foundation. Whether they are things of the church or of the world, whether heresies overthrowing the faith of some, or natural disasters or catastrophes, let us flee to rest on the only foundation that is sure: the foundation of God. On that foundation let us stand unmoved and unshaken in its confidence, knowing the Lord knows all them that are are his. And let us who name the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
“That thou mayest say to the prisoners: Go forth;
To them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves.
They shall feed in the ways,
And their pastures shall be in all high places.
They shall not hunger nor thirst;
Neither shall the heat nor sun smite them:
For he that hath mercy on them shall lead them,
Even by the springs of water shall he guide them."
--Isaiah 49:9, 10
These words of promised salvation are not directly addressed to the church of Jesus Christ.
Indeed they are about the church. They are, like all Scripture, written for the church, the object of God’s sovereign particular grace. They are written for the church’s comfort and peace, as is obvious from their message. They are words of great consolation and good hope for the people of God.
The distinct power of these words, their power to be this hope and comfort for the redeemed, is that they are directly addressed to Jesus Christ, the Lord of the church. That they are addressed to Christ is clear from the words of verse 7, “to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers.” It is also clear from verse 8, “In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of a people.” These words are to Him who is the cornerstone, rejected of men but chosen of God and precious. These Words are to Him who is the Head of the covenant, the Saviour raised from the dead.
The glory of Christ is here prophesied. He is the Preacher, appointed by God to bring the glad tidings of the gospel. He instructs by His Word and His Holy Spirit. He proclaims a Word of sovereign, effectual grace. His Word is given to Him by God Himself, the very same God who appointed Him as Saviour and covenant Head.
That Word given Him is a word of command. It does not beg or beseech, request or invite. It is an imperative, the imperative of the gospel that must have sovereign grace with it. That command as a command of sovereign grace is most evident from those to whom it is said. They are “prisoners” and their prison is “darkness” They are bound up in such a prison and in such chains that they cannot see. They cannot see with the eyes of their mind, incapable of understanding God and His truth. They are in the darkness of their will, thinking themselves free when they are indeed prisoners. Their darkness is that they do not know their bondage. Their will is so darkened and in such chains that they see the freedom of serving God as bitter slavery, and the bondage of their will to sin and Satan as glorious freedom.
In that deep bondage of mind and will, there is only one thing that will deliver them: the command of Christ, a command of sovereign grace.
What must happen, then, when He says to them “Go forth,” and, “Shew yourselves”?
Wonderful things!
What they are commanded they do. They go forth out of their prison. Out of their darkness they come forth to shew themselves. They will go forward out of their darkness into the light, the light of God’s truth. They shall go forth out of their prison into freedom, the freedom of the Lord’s service.
By the Word of their Shepherd they are brought into His sheepfold, placed under His tender care. “They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.” In their journeys and in their pathways, going from here to there, they shall not go hungry. As they travel their ways will be filled with food to eat as they go. They will not be so driven that they must hurry along, hungry and weary by the time they get to their destination. They will arrive just as they departed, lacking for nothing, but fat and flourishing.
Their pastures will not be in the dark valleys, places for predators to lurk and hide around and above. Fierce wolves will not be able to rush down the sides of valleys to scatter the flock and devour the ewes and lambs. The sheep need not worry about being cornered, backed up against a steep cliff with no way to escape. “Their pastures shall be in all high places.” Open plateaus richly carpeted with abundant, luxurious grass are before them for their enjoyment and satisfaction.
Wonderful and marvelous protection they will also receive from their Shepherd who has called them. In that abundance of provision, “they shall not hunger nor thirst.” They have no fear of food running out, or that streams might dry up. Even as they enjoy their pastures in high places, the sun will not beat down on them or wither the grass they feed upon. “Neither shall the heat nor sun smite them.”
Both their abundance and their protection is marvelously due to their Shepherd. As they follow Him and His call, looking to Him alone, they have all from His leading and guidance.
Why will they feed in the ways? Why will their pastures be in all high places? Why shall they not hunger nor thirst? Why shall neither heat nor sun smite them?
“For he that hath mercy on them shall lead them.”
“Even by the springs of water shall he guide them.”
The very same one who said to them when they were prisoners, “go forth,” is the same who will never leave them nor forsake them but always lead them.
The very same one that said to them when they were in darkness, “Show yourselves,” is the same who will see that they never thirst, but always guide them by springs of water.
The servant of Jehovah and your covenant Head God has given for your salvation. Since He has called you in sovereign grace to salvation in His blessed freedom, rest assured of His everlasting care. You are under His protection. No one can pluck you out of His hand. All must work together for your salvation.
Feed in the green pastures of that truth. Drink deeply of its waters. Prosper and flourish even in difficult days, led by your faithful Saviour.
To them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves.
They shall feed in the ways,
And their pastures shall be in all high places.
They shall not hunger nor thirst;
Neither shall the heat nor sun smite them:
For he that hath mercy on them shall lead them,
Even by the springs of water shall he guide them."
--Isaiah 49:9, 10
These words of promised salvation are not directly addressed to the church of Jesus Christ.
Indeed they are about the church. They are, like all Scripture, written for the church, the object of God’s sovereign particular grace. They are written for the church’s comfort and peace, as is obvious from their message. They are words of great consolation and good hope for the people of God.
The distinct power of these words, their power to be this hope and comfort for the redeemed, is that they are directly addressed to Jesus Christ, the Lord of the church. That they are addressed to Christ is clear from the words of verse 7, “to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers.” It is also clear from verse 8, “In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of a people.” These words are to Him who is the cornerstone, rejected of men but chosen of God and precious. These Words are to Him who is the Head of the covenant, the Saviour raised from the dead.
The glory of Christ is here prophesied. He is the Preacher, appointed by God to bring the glad tidings of the gospel. He instructs by His Word and His Holy Spirit. He proclaims a Word of sovereign, effectual grace. His Word is given to Him by God Himself, the very same God who appointed Him as Saviour and covenant Head.
That Word given Him is a word of command. It does not beg or beseech, request or invite. It is an imperative, the imperative of the gospel that must have sovereign grace with it. That command as a command of sovereign grace is most evident from those to whom it is said. They are “prisoners” and their prison is “darkness” They are bound up in such a prison and in such chains that they cannot see. They cannot see with the eyes of their mind, incapable of understanding God and His truth. They are in the darkness of their will, thinking themselves free when they are indeed prisoners. Their darkness is that they do not know their bondage. Their will is so darkened and in such chains that they see the freedom of serving God as bitter slavery, and the bondage of their will to sin and Satan as glorious freedom.
In that deep bondage of mind and will, there is only one thing that will deliver them: the command of Christ, a command of sovereign grace.
What must happen, then, when He says to them “Go forth,” and, “Shew yourselves”?
Wonderful things!
What they are commanded they do. They go forth out of their prison. Out of their darkness they come forth to shew themselves. They will go forward out of their darkness into the light, the light of God’s truth. They shall go forth out of their prison into freedom, the freedom of the Lord’s service.
By the Word of their Shepherd they are brought into His sheepfold, placed under His tender care. “They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.” In their journeys and in their pathways, going from here to there, they shall not go hungry. As they travel their ways will be filled with food to eat as they go. They will not be so driven that they must hurry along, hungry and weary by the time they get to their destination. They will arrive just as they departed, lacking for nothing, but fat and flourishing.
Their pastures will not be in the dark valleys, places for predators to lurk and hide around and above. Fierce wolves will not be able to rush down the sides of valleys to scatter the flock and devour the ewes and lambs. The sheep need not worry about being cornered, backed up against a steep cliff with no way to escape. “Their pastures shall be in all high places.” Open plateaus richly carpeted with abundant, luxurious grass are before them for their enjoyment and satisfaction.
Wonderful and marvelous protection they will also receive from their Shepherd who has called them. In that abundance of provision, “they shall not hunger nor thirst.” They have no fear of food running out, or that streams might dry up. Even as they enjoy their pastures in high places, the sun will not beat down on them or wither the grass they feed upon. “Neither shall the heat nor sun smite them.”
Both their abundance and their protection is marvelously due to their Shepherd. As they follow Him and His call, looking to Him alone, they have all from His leading and guidance.
Why will they feed in the ways? Why will their pastures be in all high places? Why shall they not hunger nor thirst? Why shall neither heat nor sun smite them?
“For he that hath mercy on them shall lead them.”
“Even by the springs of water shall he guide them.”
The very same one who said to them when they were prisoners, “go forth,” is the same who will never leave them nor forsake them but always lead them.
The very same one that said to them when they were in darkness, “Show yourselves,” is the same who will see that they never thirst, but always guide them by springs of water.
The servant of Jehovah and your covenant Head God has given for your salvation. Since He has called you in sovereign grace to salvation in His blessed freedom, rest assured of His everlasting care. You are under His protection. No one can pluck you out of His hand. All must work together for your salvation.
Feed in the green pastures of that truth. Drink deeply of its waters. Prosper and flourish even in difficult days, led by your faithful Saviour.
“Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.” --John 20:3-9
What brought Peter and John to Jesus’ grave in such a hurry was the great mystery that Mary told them. What she related to them was so very strange that its strangeness required their hurried journey to Jesus’ grave to see for themselves.
What was so strange? It was what Mary had seen. It was what Mary had told them.
“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.” (verse 1)
Mary was not present with the women to see the angel. She was not present to hear his words to the women. She did not enter the grave with the women to see the place where the Lord lay. For she did not go any further with them, once she saw from a distance that the stone had been rolled away. All she knew, and all that made her turn back to run to Peter and John with the news was only that the stone rolled away. From the stone rolled away she drew the wrong conclusion which she related to the two disciples, “They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.”
A mystery!
A mystery that required investigation, a close investigation and an urgent investigation. Their love for the Lord and their deep desire to know what happened to Him made them run to the sepulcher.
What they found was of great importance, of such great importance that they together should have come to the most proper conclusion. They should have come immediately to the conclusion that agreed gloriously with the earlier testimony of the angel from heaven to the women: “He is not here: for he is risen as he said.” Peter and John saw exactly what the women had seen as the proof that verified that Jesus had risen from the dead indeed.
The testimony of John tells us more of what that disciple and Peter saw, than of what the other gospel accounts declare the women saw. Those other gospel accounts relate what the angel said to them, “Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” But John had far more to write.
He wrote of what they did and saw in all its detail. They ran together, but John outran Peter to arrive first on the scene. John stooped down to look in, but did not enter. From his vantage point he could see the linen clothes lying. But then Peter upon his arrival went where John did not go, into the sepulcher itself. What Peter then saw was more than the linen clothes laying in their place. He also saw the napkin that was wrapped about Jesus’ head not with the other linen clothes. He saw it lying in a place of its own, wrapped together.
What they saw was simple, clear, inarguable proof of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. From what they saw John reported his conclusion that he drew in his heart and mind: “He saw and he believed.”
From the linen clothes lying where they were, and from the napkin wrapped together in a place by itself, together in the place where the Lord lay, came marvelous, glorious proof the Lord was risen from the dead.
For there were the linen clothes that had been wrapped about Jesus body. They were there in that place, and yet Jesus’ body was no longer in them. No one, least of all a Jew concerned with cleanness, and least of all a Jew on the day of preparation or on the high sabbath day of the Passover would have taken the body of Jesus and left His graveclothes behind. The idea was simply impossible.
Then there was the napkin “that was about his head.” No longer about His head, Peter and John saw it “not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.” Far from being hastily tossed aside, they saw that it had received some attention. It was there, in a place by itself where it had been set. They could see that there it had been set because they saw it was “wrapped together.” This action had been performed about it, a deliberate action requiring attention to detail.
There they were, the linen clothes and the napkin that had been about His head. Left behind. Prepared. Left behind and prepared to be certain, clear signs of the glorious truth of the gospel:
Jesus is risen from the dead!
What need has Jesus of those linen clothes? What need has our Lord of the napkin that was wrapped about His head? They no longer belong about His body or about His head. They belong in the place of the dead, not with the living.
The glory of His resurrection demanded new garments, garments of life. The living Lord is no longer to be among the dead, in the place of His sepulcher. So no longer are these former garments that he wore in the grave fit for Him who now possesses the power of the endless, heavenly life of His new glory.
Fit for Him is now the clothing of His everlasting life and glory. His clothing is to be the glory and light of heaven and of God’s throne. His garments are to be the garments of power and authority, of the dignity and majesty of Him who sits at the right hand of God. His raiment must now indicate the glory of His perfect righteousness, the righteousness that makes Him our intercessor, the righteousness that merits a heavenly salvation, and the righteousness that is the clothing also of His beloved bride, the church.
Let us by faith see the empty tomb, the linen clothes, and the napkin that was about His head, wrapped together in a place by itself. Let us see them as certain, infallible proof of our Lord’s resurrection. Glorying in them as this certain proof may they lead us to the glory of our risen Lord in heaven, there to worship and adore Him, and there to put all our trust in Him, Him that was dead and now is alive forevermore.
What brought Peter and John to Jesus’ grave in such a hurry was the great mystery that Mary told them. What she related to them was so very strange that its strangeness required their hurried journey to Jesus’ grave to see for themselves.
What was so strange? It was what Mary had seen. It was what Mary had told them.
“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.” (verse 1)
Mary was not present with the women to see the angel. She was not present to hear his words to the women. She did not enter the grave with the women to see the place where the Lord lay. For she did not go any further with them, once she saw from a distance that the stone had been rolled away. All she knew, and all that made her turn back to run to Peter and John with the news was only that the stone rolled away. From the stone rolled away she drew the wrong conclusion which she related to the two disciples, “They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.”
A mystery!
A mystery that required investigation, a close investigation and an urgent investigation. Their love for the Lord and their deep desire to know what happened to Him made them run to the sepulcher.
What they found was of great importance, of such great importance that they together should have come to the most proper conclusion. They should have come immediately to the conclusion that agreed gloriously with the earlier testimony of the angel from heaven to the women: “He is not here: for he is risen as he said.” Peter and John saw exactly what the women had seen as the proof that verified that Jesus had risen from the dead indeed.
The testimony of John tells us more of what that disciple and Peter saw, than of what the other gospel accounts declare the women saw. Those other gospel accounts relate what the angel said to them, “Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” But John had far more to write.
He wrote of what they did and saw in all its detail. They ran together, but John outran Peter to arrive first on the scene. John stooped down to look in, but did not enter. From his vantage point he could see the linen clothes lying. But then Peter upon his arrival went where John did not go, into the sepulcher itself. What Peter then saw was more than the linen clothes laying in their place. He also saw the napkin that was wrapped about Jesus’ head not with the other linen clothes. He saw it lying in a place of its own, wrapped together.
What they saw was simple, clear, inarguable proof of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. From what they saw John reported his conclusion that he drew in his heart and mind: “He saw and he believed.”
From the linen clothes lying where they were, and from the napkin wrapped together in a place by itself, together in the place where the Lord lay, came marvelous, glorious proof the Lord was risen from the dead.
For there were the linen clothes that had been wrapped about Jesus body. They were there in that place, and yet Jesus’ body was no longer in them. No one, least of all a Jew concerned with cleanness, and least of all a Jew on the day of preparation or on the high sabbath day of the Passover would have taken the body of Jesus and left His graveclothes behind. The idea was simply impossible.
Then there was the napkin “that was about his head.” No longer about His head, Peter and John saw it “not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.” Far from being hastily tossed aside, they saw that it had received some attention. It was there, in a place by itself where it had been set. They could see that there it had been set because they saw it was “wrapped together.” This action had been performed about it, a deliberate action requiring attention to detail.
There they were, the linen clothes and the napkin that had been about His head. Left behind. Prepared. Left behind and prepared to be certain, clear signs of the glorious truth of the gospel:
Jesus is risen from the dead!
What need has Jesus of those linen clothes? What need has our Lord of the napkin that was wrapped about His head? They no longer belong about His body or about His head. They belong in the place of the dead, not with the living.
The glory of His resurrection demanded new garments, garments of life. The living Lord is no longer to be among the dead, in the place of His sepulcher. So no longer are these former garments that he wore in the grave fit for Him who now possesses the power of the endless, heavenly life of His new glory.
Fit for Him is now the clothing of His everlasting life and glory. His clothing is to be the glory and light of heaven and of God’s throne. His garments are to be the garments of power and authority, of the dignity and majesty of Him who sits at the right hand of God. His raiment must now indicate the glory of His perfect righteousness, the righteousness that makes Him our intercessor, the righteousness that merits a heavenly salvation, and the righteousness that is the clothing also of His beloved bride, the church.
Let us by faith see the empty tomb, the linen clothes, and the napkin that was about His head, wrapped together in a place by itself. Let us see them as certain, infallible proof of our Lord’s resurrection. Glorying in them as this certain proof may they lead us to the glory of our risen Lord in heaven, there to worship and adore Him, and there to put all our trust in Him, Him that was dead and now is alive forevermore.
“But he was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities:
The chastisement of our peace was upon him;
And with his stripes we are healed.”
--Isaiah 53:5
In these words, spoken so long before the death of our Lord on the cross of Calvary, is explained in graphic detail the wonder of our salvation in His suffering.
In them we are told of the suffering of our Lord in a very full way.
He was wounded. That is, He was pierced through. The prophet Isaiah by the Spirit declared the piercing of Jesus’ hands and feet by the nails the Roman soldiers drove into them, fastening our beloved Saviour to His cross. The prophet showed the piercing of Jesus’ side after His death by the tip of the Roman spear. The Holy Spirit explained the crown of thorns the abusive soldiers put on His head and the penetration of each of those thorns into His skin as they smote our Lord on His head with the reed.
He was bruised. He was battered and beaten. The blunt force of the fists of the Jewish leaders left their marks upon His face and head, when they blindfolded our Lord and played their mocking game. “Prophecy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?” Matthew 26:68. Our Lord was struck by the Roman soldiers over and over. From the force of those blows His skin was blotched with black and blue, made swollen and painful.
His scourging left him with stripes on His back. Every lash of the scourge with its manifold ends tore open the back of our Saviour in lines of pain that ran their course through His entire body. The lashes ripped down again and again, leaving His back with so many open wounds running with blood.
Such was His suffering at the hands of men. Such were the marks that He bore in His body upon the tree of the cross.
But the prophet goes further, led by the Spirit of God. He goes so far as to call those piercings and woundings and the marks they left “chastisement.” These were marks of correction and discipline, administered as to evil-doers. The inflicting of this pain and the bearing of their marks as both shameful and painful were an instrument of teaching. They were meant to enforce lessons of admonition and rebuke. Walk not in that pathway. Say not those words, teach not those doctrines. Do not those evil works. Remember the painful consequences to help you avoid them in the future. See the marks you bear from that punishment to remind you not to go those ways anymore.
But on our Lord?
Why Him? Why did the prophet see Him as so wounded and bruised? Why did he see Him with His stripes? Why did He see those wounds and bruises and stripes as marks of chastisement, when He had done no violence, and when there was neither any deceit in his mouth? (Isaiah 53:9)
There was only one reason: for us.
Why was He wounded? For our transgressions.
Why was He bruised? For our iniquities.
Why was He chastised? For our peace.
Why His stripes? For our healing.
He was without transgression. But He was still wounded.
He had no iniquity. But He was still bruised.
He was chastened. But He already had peace as perfectly righteous before His Father.
He was marked with stripes. But He was uncorrupted by sin.
All for us. All to take away our transgressions and iniquities. All for our peace with God. All for the healing of our corruption, to make us whole and fit for the everlasting kingdom of heaven.
How great our Saviour’s love for us, to endure all this suffering in our behalf! How blessed we are this Good Friday, to consider carefully and closely every wound and every stroke our Lord endured! How blessed we are to see in every one of them so directly and clearly the wonder of our salvation!
He was bruised for our iniquities:
The chastisement of our peace was upon him;
And with his stripes we are healed.”
--Isaiah 53:5
In these words, spoken so long before the death of our Lord on the cross of Calvary, is explained in graphic detail the wonder of our salvation in His suffering.
In them we are told of the suffering of our Lord in a very full way.
He was wounded. That is, He was pierced through. The prophet Isaiah by the Spirit declared the piercing of Jesus’ hands and feet by the nails the Roman soldiers drove into them, fastening our beloved Saviour to His cross. The prophet showed the piercing of Jesus’ side after His death by the tip of the Roman spear. The Holy Spirit explained the crown of thorns the abusive soldiers put on His head and the penetration of each of those thorns into His skin as they smote our Lord on His head with the reed.
He was bruised. He was battered and beaten. The blunt force of the fists of the Jewish leaders left their marks upon His face and head, when they blindfolded our Lord and played their mocking game. “Prophecy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?” Matthew 26:68. Our Lord was struck by the Roman soldiers over and over. From the force of those blows His skin was blotched with black and blue, made swollen and painful.
His scourging left him with stripes on His back. Every lash of the scourge with its manifold ends tore open the back of our Saviour in lines of pain that ran their course through His entire body. The lashes ripped down again and again, leaving His back with so many open wounds running with blood.
Such was His suffering at the hands of men. Such were the marks that He bore in His body upon the tree of the cross.
But the prophet goes further, led by the Spirit of God. He goes so far as to call those piercings and woundings and the marks they left “chastisement.” These were marks of correction and discipline, administered as to evil-doers. The inflicting of this pain and the bearing of their marks as both shameful and painful were an instrument of teaching. They were meant to enforce lessons of admonition and rebuke. Walk not in that pathway. Say not those words, teach not those doctrines. Do not those evil works. Remember the painful consequences to help you avoid them in the future. See the marks you bear from that punishment to remind you not to go those ways anymore.
But on our Lord?
Why Him? Why did the prophet see Him as so wounded and bruised? Why did he see Him with His stripes? Why did He see those wounds and bruises and stripes as marks of chastisement, when He had done no violence, and when there was neither any deceit in his mouth? (Isaiah 53:9)
There was only one reason: for us.
Why was He wounded? For our transgressions.
Why was He bruised? For our iniquities.
Why was He chastised? For our peace.
Why His stripes? For our healing.
He was without transgression. But He was still wounded.
He had no iniquity. But He was still bruised.
He was chastened. But He already had peace as perfectly righteous before His Father.
He was marked with stripes. But He was uncorrupted by sin.
All for us. All to take away our transgressions and iniquities. All for our peace with God. All for the healing of our corruption, to make us whole and fit for the everlasting kingdom of heaven.
How great our Saviour’s love for us, to endure all this suffering in our behalf! How blessed we are this Good Friday, to consider carefully and closely every wound and every stroke our Lord endured! How blessed we are to see in every one of them so directly and clearly the wonder of our salvation!
“And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?
Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.”
--Mark 14:36-38
Even in Gethsemane our Lord Jesus Christ was required to suffer alone.
He had brought His disciples with Him. He commanded them to sit in the place He appointed them. He commanded them to watch. He commanded them to pray.
Then He went a little further from them. His own prayer He must pray alone to His Father in heaven. Alone before His Father must He plead and make His supplication, agonizing before Him alone over His cup and His hour. But it was to be His encouragement in His own prayer before His Father that His disciples were also watching and praying in their own place as He appointed them.
As He prayed, so were they to pray.
So were they to pray as proper disciples of their Lord Jesus Christ. So were they to follow the example of their Lord. So were they to draw by prayer upon the same God as their Father in heaven for Jesus sake. So must they stand before their Father’s throne of grace, expressing their complete reliance upon Him for all things, especially to suffer as willed by their Father.
As it was with their Lord. As was His calling to suffer according to the will of His Father in heaven.
“Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.”
Facing the dreadful, horrific and unfathomable depths of His own suffering on the cross that awaited Him, our Lord Jesus Christ never felt so keenly the weakness and frailty of His finite, mortal flesh. The infinite wrath of God was soon to be His to bear on the tree of the cross in His body and soul, the same kind of body and soul that you and I possess. Anticipating that heavy burden in its fulness made Him aware of a great temptation, a temptation to refuse that burden and turn from it.
To help us understand this temptation our Lord faced we consider His third temptation by Satan in the wilderness prior to the beginning of His earthly ministry. The devil proposed to Him a way of receiving the kingdoms of the earth with their glory and power and their peoples without going the hard and difficult way of the cross. The alternative: simply to bow down and worship Satan. The real force and power of this temptation was not the action of bowing to the devil. That was the lesser half. Its deepest appeal was the avoidance of the suffering of the cross, the way appointed Him by His Father. It was the way of losing the consciousness of His beloved Father’s fellowship and favor, to be forsaken of God.
Now in Gethsemane, the hour of His death impending, that same temptation came with all its force and power: avoiding that accursed cross and its infinite weight of divine wrath to bear.
How is our Lord to endure this great temptation?
As He said to His disciples: “Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.”
Our Saviour practiced what He preached. While His disciples slept and slept on, He watched and He prayed. He watched and He prayed, lest He enter into temptation.
Why did He watch and pray?
Was He not the Son of God? Was it not simply impossible in the power of His righteousness and holiness to forsake the way appointed to Him, this way of suffering and death on Calvary’s cross? Was it not simple impossible in the light of His divine Person to yield to any temptation, no matter how great, or how strong?
To be sure. Keeping these things in mind, He did not need to watch and He did not need to pray.
Yet He did watch and yet He did need to pray.
Why did He watch and pray? Why did He need to watch and pray?
Because He needed to be near to His Father in heaven. He needed the nearness of the fellowship of His Father in heaven. As He felt the great weight of the approaching hour when he would be wholly forsaken of His God, He needed to flee with his burden to His God and Father. He needed to speak to His Father about His cup and His hour, and express how heavy a matter it was upon His heart and soul.
Because He is the Son of His Father.
He watched and prayed because He needed to know that His Father was near to Him in His comfort and peace before He must be hanged on the accursed cross, to become a curse. As on that cross He would be forsaken of His Father, bearing all the wrath and curse against our sins, He had to know before that cross that He stood in the love of His Father. It must be the knowledge of that love and care to strengthen Him to endure that bitter and shameful death. In His watching and prayer, our Lord might drink deeply of the fountain of His Father’s goodness to Him, to be assured that the same fountain would be opened wide to Him following those bitter dregs of the cup of His suffering and the terrible moments of His hour.
Through His watching and prayer He must know that this was indeed the cup that He must drink and the hour that He must endure.
In that fellowship with His Father, watching and praying, He prayed those most blessed words of peace: “nevertheless, not what I will, but what thou wilt.”
Even for our Lord Jesus Christ, it was not what He willed. It was not what His willed in His human nature. Though perfectly free from all sin and though perfectly holy and righteous, it was still a human will, limited in purpose and resolve. Though sinless and perfectly holy, its determination would not suffice to carry our Saviour through His cup and His hour.
Our Lord’s appeal was exclusively to the will of His Father in heaven. As it was His meat to do that will alone and to finish the work God gave Him to do, from His Father must also come His ability and strength to drink the cup of His Father. The Father alone could provide the strength to endure. The Father alone would provide that strength to endure.
Because it was the will of the Father, not the will of the Son who prayed.
How great, how holy and righteous is this prayer of our Lord in Gethsemane: “not what I will, but what thou wilt.”
Know its glorious answer in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Know it through all of His steps, to the band of His captors led by the treacherous Judas to the garden, to the chambers of the high priest, to the council of the Jews, to the throne of Pontius Pilate and to the throne of Herod’s judgment, and all the way to the cross. Know its answer in the suffering of our Lord on His cross, bearing the shame and scorn of men heaped upon him and the wrath of God poured out on Him. Know it in His outcry, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Know it in His testimony, “It is finished.”
That will of God He did. That cup He drank. His hour He endured.
His Father heard. His Father answered.
So let us not sleep. Let us watch and pray.
Not as we will, but as He wills, our Father in heaven for Jesus’ sake.
Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.”
--Mark 14:36-38
Even in Gethsemane our Lord Jesus Christ was required to suffer alone.
He had brought His disciples with Him. He commanded them to sit in the place He appointed them. He commanded them to watch. He commanded them to pray.
Then He went a little further from them. His own prayer He must pray alone to His Father in heaven. Alone before His Father must He plead and make His supplication, agonizing before Him alone over His cup and His hour. But it was to be His encouragement in His own prayer before His Father that His disciples were also watching and praying in their own place as He appointed them.
As He prayed, so were they to pray.
So were they to pray as proper disciples of their Lord Jesus Christ. So were they to follow the example of their Lord. So were they to draw by prayer upon the same God as their Father in heaven for Jesus sake. So must they stand before their Father’s throne of grace, expressing their complete reliance upon Him for all things, especially to suffer as willed by their Father.
As it was with their Lord. As was His calling to suffer according to the will of His Father in heaven.
“Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.”
Facing the dreadful, horrific and unfathomable depths of His own suffering on the cross that awaited Him, our Lord Jesus Christ never felt so keenly the weakness and frailty of His finite, mortal flesh. The infinite wrath of God was soon to be His to bear on the tree of the cross in His body and soul, the same kind of body and soul that you and I possess. Anticipating that heavy burden in its fulness made Him aware of a great temptation, a temptation to refuse that burden and turn from it.
To help us understand this temptation our Lord faced we consider His third temptation by Satan in the wilderness prior to the beginning of His earthly ministry. The devil proposed to Him a way of receiving the kingdoms of the earth with their glory and power and their peoples without going the hard and difficult way of the cross. The alternative: simply to bow down and worship Satan. The real force and power of this temptation was not the action of bowing to the devil. That was the lesser half. Its deepest appeal was the avoidance of the suffering of the cross, the way appointed Him by His Father. It was the way of losing the consciousness of His beloved Father’s fellowship and favor, to be forsaken of God.
Now in Gethsemane, the hour of His death impending, that same temptation came with all its force and power: avoiding that accursed cross and its infinite weight of divine wrath to bear.
How is our Lord to endure this great temptation?
As He said to His disciples: “Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.”
Our Saviour practiced what He preached. While His disciples slept and slept on, He watched and He prayed. He watched and He prayed, lest He enter into temptation.
Why did He watch and pray?
Was He not the Son of God? Was it not simply impossible in the power of His righteousness and holiness to forsake the way appointed to Him, this way of suffering and death on Calvary’s cross? Was it not simple impossible in the light of His divine Person to yield to any temptation, no matter how great, or how strong?
To be sure. Keeping these things in mind, He did not need to watch and He did not need to pray.
Yet He did watch and yet He did need to pray.
Why did He watch and pray? Why did He need to watch and pray?
Because He needed to be near to His Father in heaven. He needed the nearness of the fellowship of His Father in heaven. As He felt the great weight of the approaching hour when he would be wholly forsaken of His God, He needed to flee with his burden to His God and Father. He needed to speak to His Father about His cup and His hour, and express how heavy a matter it was upon His heart and soul.
Because He is the Son of His Father.
He watched and prayed because He needed to know that His Father was near to Him in His comfort and peace before He must be hanged on the accursed cross, to become a curse. As on that cross He would be forsaken of His Father, bearing all the wrath and curse against our sins, He had to know before that cross that He stood in the love of His Father. It must be the knowledge of that love and care to strengthen Him to endure that bitter and shameful death. In His watching and prayer, our Lord might drink deeply of the fountain of His Father’s goodness to Him, to be assured that the same fountain would be opened wide to Him following those bitter dregs of the cup of His suffering and the terrible moments of His hour.
Through His watching and prayer He must know that this was indeed the cup that He must drink and the hour that He must endure.
In that fellowship with His Father, watching and praying, He prayed those most blessed words of peace: “nevertheless, not what I will, but what thou wilt.”
Even for our Lord Jesus Christ, it was not what He willed. It was not what His willed in His human nature. Though perfectly free from all sin and though perfectly holy and righteous, it was still a human will, limited in purpose and resolve. Though sinless and perfectly holy, its determination would not suffice to carry our Saviour through His cup and His hour.
Our Lord’s appeal was exclusively to the will of His Father in heaven. As it was His meat to do that will alone and to finish the work God gave Him to do, from His Father must also come His ability and strength to drink the cup of His Father. The Father alone could provide the strength to endure. The Father alone would provide that strength to endure.
Because it was the will of the Father, not the will of the Son who prayed.
How great, how holy and righteous is this prayer of our Lord in Gethsemane: “not what I will, but what thou wilt.”
Know its glorious answer in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Know it through all of His steps, to the band of His captors led by the treacherous Judas to the garden, to the chambers of the high priest, to the council of the Jews, to the throne of Pontius Pilate and to the throne of Herod’s judgment, and all the way to the cross. Know its answer in the suffering of our Lord on His cross, bearing the shame and scorn of men heaped upon him and the wrath of God poured out on Him. Know it in His outcry, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Know it in His testimony, “It is finished.”
That will of God He did. That cup He drank. His hour He endured.
His Father heard. His Father answered.
So let us not sleep. Let us watch and pray.
Not as we will, but as He wills, our Father in heaven for Jesus’ sake.
“And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” --Mark 14:35, 36
These words of holy Scripture easily raise up different questions in our minds.
Perhaps the most dominant question is how our perfectly righteous and holy Savior could pray this prayer. He must certainly have known that this cup was His to drink. It was the will of God from all eternity. It was the very reason He came into the world. It was certainly His “hour.” How might He pray that His Father take away the cup from Him? How might He be perfectly righteous and holy in the praying of this petition?
Another closely related question that rises is how our Lord’s will might be different than the will of His Father that gave this cup into His hand for Him to drink. According to His will He prayed. He expressed His desire before God, His desire that, if it were possible that cup should pass from Him, His Father taking it from Him. As it was the Father’s will itself that placed that cup before Him, how could His will be different?
To answer these difficult questions we must first set them aside to get to the point of these verses. The questions do not attend to the point of this Word of God, nor is it the point of this Word to answer them.
The point of the Word of God is to show to us how great the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must know how great those sufferings are to demonstrate the wondrous glory of His sufferings. The more we understand of His sufferings, the more we can see and appreciate the greatness of our Lord’s salvation. The greater becomes our gratitude, and our desire out of gratitude to consecrate our lives to Him, our precious Redeemer. Another reason why Scripture shows us the greatness of the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ is to assure us of our salvation. The more we know of it’s depths, the more assured we are of its truth and its power to save us with an everlasting salvation, which all the powers of hell cannot break.
These words spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ to His Father in prayer occupy a very special place in relating to us the great sufferings of our Lord. Specifically they show us the the grievous torment and agony of His heart and soul that was His cup to drink on the cross. He was shortly to bear in soul and body the wrath of God poured out upon Him while He hung on the cross.
How great were those sufferings? How great were they to be upon His heart and soul, deep within?
Before suffering them, they reached out to fill His heart and mind, as He anticipated them. As the cross loomed before Him, it filled with deepest horror. So great were those suffering to be that their anticipation brought out of His heart this urgent cry and supplication. That He would be forsaken by God and that He would have His heart and soul filled with the infinite weight of God’s wrath wrung from His heart this plea to His heavenly Father.
So He prayed, “Take away this cup from me.”
How could He pray this petition?
How could He not pray this petition?
So great was His suffering to be!
What made this suffering so great? What made this suffering so great as to make this petition completely understandable? What made this suffering so great that it must be explained by this petition?
To think only of this suffering itself will not suffice to explain this petition and the urgency with which our Lord raised it to His Father. We must think also of the very One who would shortly bear these sufferings, our Lord Jesus Christ.
This One, before whom these sufferings loomed so large in all their greatness is the One whose heart had only one beat, whose entire life had only one spring: the love of God. That love was one of pure self-consecration and self-devotion to the Father. The whole delight of the Son was to love the Father, to serve the Father and to glorify the Father. As in heaven so on earth. As in His divine nature, so in His human nature.
That love of the Son had its fullness in the bond of fellowship between Himself and the Father. In that love they were one. As the Father loved the Son so the Son loved the Father, all as the bond of the Holy Spirit. As the Father’s love was to be loved by the Son, so was the Son’s love to be loved by the Father. As in heaven so also the Son on earth. As in His divine nature, so in the human nature.
As full, rich, wondrous, and blessed was the Son in that love, all that love would be gone in His suffering the torments of hell on the cross. All His delight to be pleasing to His heavenly Father would no longer know that delight of the Father in return. The fellowship that was the delight of the Son, to have His heart and soul filled always with it, would be completely absent. His acceptance would turn into rejection. He would love God and receive enmity in return.
What horror! What suffering!
So He prayed in that fellowship with His Father, “Take away this cup from me.” So He prayed that this hour might pass from him.
His prayer He prayed out of His love for God. His prayer He prayed according to the greatness of His sufferings He was called to bear. He prayed as He knew them. He prayed as their depth and horror filled His consciousness. So was this prayer a righteous and holy prayer, raised up out of love for His Father.
So must we hear in His words the greatness of the suffering that He did endure for our redemption. There was no other way. There was no other possibility. The answer was that He must drink this cup. He must endure His hour.
So must we see as He went forward that He continued to love His Father, to do His will. He went to His hour. He took the cup in His hand fully to drink its depths. We must understand even in this prayer Jesus’ complete and entire submission to the will of God for Him.
In that love of the Father, we see His love for us. He drank the cup to fill the cup of our salvation with its blessings. He endured His hour to give us eternal life.
What suffering! What love!
How great our Saviour, and how great is His salvation to be all our peace and all our comfort!
These words of holy Scripture easily raise up different questions in our minds.
Perhaps the most dominant question is how our perfectly righteous and holy Savior could pray this prayer. He must certainly have known that this cup was His to drink. It was the will of God from all eternity. It was the very reason He came into the world. It was certainly His “hour.” How might He pray that His Father take away the cup from Him? How might He be perfectly righteous and holy in the praying of this petition?
Another closely related question that rises is how our Lord’s will might be different than the will of His Father that gave this cup into His hand for Him to drink. According to His will He prayed. He expressed His desire before God, His desire that, if it were possible that cup should pass from Him, His Father taking it from Him. As it was the Father’s will itself that placed that cup before Him, how could His will be different?
To answer these difficult questions we must first set them aside to get to the point of these verses. The questions do not attend to the point of this Word of God, nor is it the point of this Word to answer them.
The point of the Word of God is to show to us how great the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must know how great those sufferings are to demonstrate the wondrous glory of His sufferings. The more we understand of His sufferings, the more we can see and appreciate the greatness of our Lord’s salvation. The greater becomes our gratitude, and our desire out of gratitude to consecrate our lives to Him, our precious Redeemer. Another reason why Scripture shows us the greatness of the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ is to assure us of our salvation. The more we know of it’s depths, the more assured we are of its truth and its power to save us with an everlasting salvation, which all the powers of hell cannot break.
These words spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ to His Father in prayer occupy a very special place in relating to us the great sufferings of our Lord. Specifically they show us the the grievous torment and agony of His heart and soul that was His cup to drink on the cross. He was shortly to bear in soul and body the wrath of God poured out upon Him while He hung on the cross.
How great were those sufferings? How great were they to be upon His heart and soul, deep within?
Before suffering them, they reached out to fill His heart and mind, as He anticipated them. As the cross loomed before Him, it filled with deepest horror. So great were those suffering to be that their anticipation brought out of His heart this urgent cry and supplication. That He would be forsaken by God and that He would have His heart and soul filled with the infinite weight of God’s wrath wrung from His heart this plea to His heavenly Father.
So He prayed, “Take away this cup from me.”
How could He pray this petition?
How could He not pray this petition?
So great was His suffering to be!
What made this suffering so great? What made this suffering so great as to make this petition completely understandable? What made this suffering so great that it must be explained by this petition?
To think only of this suffering itself will not suffice to explain this petition and the urgency with which our Lord raised it to His Father. We must think also of the very One who would shortly bear these sufferings, our Lord Jesus Christ.
This One, before whom these sufferings loomed so large in all their greatness is the One whose heart had only one beat, whose entire life had only one spring: the love of God. That love was one of pure self-consecration and self-devotion to the Father. The whole delight of the Son was to love the Father, to serve the Father and to glorify the Father. As in heaven so on earth. As in His divine nature, so in His human nature.
That love of the Son had its fullness in the bond of fellowship between Himself and the Father. In that love they were one. As the Father loved the Son so the Son loved the Father, all as the bond of the Holy Spirit. As the Father’s love was to be loved by the Son, so was the Son’s love to be loved by the Father. As in heaven so also the Son on earth. As in His divine nature, so in the human nature.
As full, rich, wondrous, and blessed was the Son in that love, all that love would be gone in His suffering the torments of hell on the cross. All His delight to be pleasing to His heavenly Father would no longer know that delight of the Father in return. The fellowship that was the delight of the Son, to have His heart and soul filled always with it, would be completely absent. His acceptance would turn into rejection. He would love God and receive enmity in return.
What horror! What suffering!
So He prayed in that fellowship with His Father, “Take away this cup from me.” So He prayed that this hour might pass from him.
His prayer He prayed out of His love for God. His prayer He prayed according to the greatness of His sufferings He was called to bear. He prayed as He knew them. He prayed as their depth and horror filled His consciousness. So was this prayer a righteous and holy prayer, raised up out of love for His Father.
So must we hear in His words the greatness of the suffering that He did endure for our redemption. There was no other way. There was no other possibility. The answer was that He must drink this cup. He must endure His hour.
So must we see as He went forward that He continued to love His Father, to do His will. He went to His hour. He took the cup in His hand fully to drink its depths. We must understand even in this prayer Jesus’ complete and entire submission to the will of God for Him.
In that love of the Father, we see His love for us. He drank the cup to fill the cup of our salvation with its blessings. He endured His hour to give us eternal life.
What suffering! What love!
How great our Saviour, and how great is His salvation to be all our peace and all our comfort!
“And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; And saith unto them, my soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.” --Mark 14:33, 34
How great a difference there appears in the demeanor of our Saviour as He approached His hour!
Through the time of His earthly ministry our Lord expressed glorious and wonderful strength and confidence. He knew His circumstances. He knew His disciples. He knew the thinking of the multitudes. He knew the hostility of His enemies. Among all of them, He knew what to say and what to do.
He had the right words to answer, to speak, and to teach. He taught. He rebuked, corrected, and warned. He encouraged and comforted. He had all power to perform glorious wonders, healing the sick, making the lame to walk and the blind to see. He cast out devils and stilled the storm. He even raised the dead.
The people were amazed because He taught as one having authority, not as the scribes. The people were amazed at His wonders and miracles, seeing the great power of God was with Him. His disciples were glad to be near Him, knowing that they were safe. Even His enemies were confounded time after time.
Before God His Father He rejoiced. He rejoiced to give Him thanks. He rejoiced to pray to Him. He rejoiced to obey Him, faithfully and whole-heartedly to carry out the will of Him that sent Him, and to finish the work He gave Him to do.
But now things are different.
“He began to be sore amazed.”
Wonder and awe fill His heart and mind. A look of amazement and astonishment steals over His face. Enormous feelings register in His eyes. He is gripped in His soul with a truth that fills His consciousness.
What kind of feelings and thoughts are they?
We know by their effect that follows in these words.
“And to be very heavy.”
The truth is weighty. As He comes to understand it in all its significance the more heavily it weighs upon Him. His soul is filled with a staggering load. That heavy burden of heart and soul carries itself through to His outward appearance. That heaviness becomes apparent in His face and voice, in His steps and in His posture. Our Lord is burdened, burdened beyond our ability to comprehend.
His words then explain His appearance:
“My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.”
With His words our Saviour reveals the source of His heaviness and amazement. His soul is exceeding sorrowful. That sorrow of soul carries its force through His whole nature, to make itself apparent in everything about Him. As He comprehends the sorrow He now finds within His soul, He is filled with amazement. There is so very much of it. So great are its depths. It is exceeding.
So exceeding is His sorrow that it is “unto death.” It is a sorrow that brings with it despair of death. It is a sorrow that dries up all life. It turns that deep vital force into rottenness and corruption. Note well our Lord does not say it is a sorrow of death. It is not the knowledge of His impending death as such. It is a sorrow “unto death.” So much does this sorrow exceed that it carries death in it as its certain end. It is too much sorrow for the living to keep on living. It is sorrow “unto death.”
So great is our Lord’s sorrow that He commanded His disciples, “Tarry ye here, and watch.” Such sorrow it is that the presence of the disciples is no source of comfort or peace at all. Such sorrow is it that its Bearer must be alone in prayer to His Father in heaven. To God alone and before God alone His sorrow must be poured out with tears and strong crying.
Why this exceeding sorrow of soul, sorrow unto death? Why its heaviness? Why its amazement?
Looming before Him is His cross. That cross will in a few hours be His to bear. That cross will be His to hang upon, as the Bearer of the sins of His people. Upon His body on that cross He will take all the weight of their sin and guilt before His Father in heaven. In His body and soul, hanging on that cross, He will bear the anger and wrath of God. Under that anger and wrath, in the hours of darkness, He will be forsaken of God. No love of the Father will be there for Him to delight in, cherish, and prosper under. No acceptance with God will be His, but only rejection. No favor with God, but only held in abomination.
Such will shortly be His entire portion for all His love of God. For all His love, filling His heart and soul, coursing through His whole nature in perfect holiness, He will experience only the anger and punishment of God, the hell that we deserve for our sins. For all His consecration in holy love, His portion will be only darkness and wrath.
Such is the cause of our Lord’s amazement and great heaviness. Such is the exceeding sorrow of His soul.
Why?
Why must He, the obedient, faithful, holy Son of God have this exceeding sorrow of soul, even unto death? Why must He be filled with such heaviness? Why must He have this great amazement? Why must He be cast out for all His love? Why must he be forsaken by God for His faithfulness?
For sin, and for sinners.
For us sinners, who only deserve this amazing sorrow of soul, with all its heaviness and amazement. For us sinners, who only deserve to be cast out by the living God into outer darkness. For us sinners, deserving because of our sins to be forever forsaken by Him in all the endless torments of hell.
His exceeding sorrow of soul, even unto death, was for our abundant joy of soul, even the joy of salvation and of everlasting life. His heaviness and amazement He endured for our sakes, to deliver us from death and from hell, to bring us near to God in the full reconciliation of the cross.
In His sorrow rejoice. In that joy of your salvation, give thanks to your Lord who purchased that joy with His great sorrow, His sorrow unto death.
How great a difference there appears in the demeanor of our Saviour as He approached His hour!
Through the time of His earthly ministry our Lord expressed glorious and wonderful strength and confidence. He knew His circumstances. He knew His disciples. He knew the thinking of the multitudes. He knew the hostility of His enemies. Among all of them, He knew what to say and what to do.
He had the right words to answer, to speak, and to teach. He taught. He rebuked, corrected, and warned. He encouraged and comforted. He had all power to perform glorious wonders, healing the sick, making the lame to walk and the blind to see. He cast out devils and stilled the storm. He even raised the dead.
The people were amazed because He taught as one having authority, not as the scribes. The people were amazed at His wonders and miracles, seeing the great power of God was with Him. His disciples were glad to be near Him, knowing that they were safe. Even His enemies were confounded time after time.
Before God His Father He rejoiced. He rejoiced to give Him thanks. He rejoiced to pray to Him. He rejoiced to obey Him, faithfully and whole-heartedly to carry out the will of Him that sent Him, and to finish the work He gave Him to do.
But now things are different.
“He began to be sore amazed.”
Wonder and awe fill His heart and mind. A look of amazement and astonishment steals over His face. Enormous feelings register in His eyes. He is gripped in His soul with a truth that fills His consciousness.
What kind of feelings and thoughts are they?
We know by their effect that follows in these words.
“And to be very heavy.”
The truth is weighty. As He comes to understand it in all its significance the more heavily it weighs upon Him. His soul is filled with a staggering load. That heavy burden of heart and soul carries itself through to His outward appearance. That heaviness becomes apparent in His face and voice, in His steps and in His posture. Our Lord is burdened, burdened beyond our ability to comprehend.
His words then explain His appearance:
“My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.”
With His words our Saviour reveals the source of His heaviness and amazement. His soul is exceeding sorrowful. That sorrow of soul carries its force through His whole nature, to make itself apparent in everything about Him. As He comprehends the sorrow He now finds within His soul, He is filled with amazement. There is so very much of it. So great are its depths. It is exceeding.
So exceeding is His sorrow that it is “unto death.” It is a sorrow that brings with it despair of death. It is a sorrow that dries up all life. It turns that deep vital force into rottenness and corruption. Note well our Lord does not say it is a sorrow of death. It is not the knowledge of His impending death as such. It is a sorrow “unto death.” So much does this sorrow exceed that it carries death in it as its certain end. It is too much sorrow for the living to keep on living. It is sorrow “unto death.”
So great is our Lord’s sorrow that He commanded His disciples, “Tarry ye here, and watch.” Such sorrow it is that the presence of the disciples is no source of comfort or peace at all. Such sorrow is it that its Bearer must be alone in prayer to His Father in heaven. To God alone and before God alone His sorrow must be poured out with tears and strong crying.
Why this exceeding sorrow of soul, sorrow unto death? Why its heaviness? Why its amazement?
Looming before Him is His cross. That cross will in a few hours be His to bear. That cross will be His to hang upon, as the Bearer of the sins of His people. Upon His body on that cross He will take all the weight of their sin and guilt before His Father in heaven. In His body and soul, hanging on that cross, He will bear the anger and wrath of God. Under that anger and wrath, in the hours of darkness, He will be forsaken of God. No love of the Father will be there for Him to delight in, cherish, and prosper under. No acceptance with God will be His, but only rejection. No favor with God, but only held in abomination.
Such will shortly be His entire portion for all His love of God. For all His love, filling His heart and soul, coursing through His whole nature in perfect holiness, He will experience only the anger and punishment of God, the hell that we deserve for our sins. For all His consecration in holy love, His portion will be only darkness and wrath.
Such is the cause of our Lord’s amazement and great heaviness. Such is the exceeding sorrow of His soul.
Why?
Why must He, the obedient, faithful, holy Son of God have this exceeding sorrow of soul, even unto death? Why must He be filled with such heaviness? Why must He have this great amazement? Why must He be cast out for all His love? Why must he be forsaken by God for His faithfulness?
For sin, and for sinners.
For us sinners, who only deserve this amazing sorrow of soul, with all its heaviness and amazement. For us sinners, who only deserve to be cast out by the living God into outer darkness. For us sinners, deserving because of our sins to be forever forsaken by Him in all the endless torments of hell.
His exceeding sorrow of soul, even unto death, was for our abundant joy of soul, even the joy of salvation and of everlasting life. His heaviness and amazement He endured for our sakes, to deliver us from death and from hell, to bring us near to God in the full reconciliation of the cross.
In His sorrow rejoice. In that joy of your salvation, give thanks to your Lord who purchased that joy with His great sorrow, His sorrow unto death.
“For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.” John 19:36
“He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.” --Psalm 34:20
From one perspective we have in John 19:36 quite simply the record of the history of Jesus’ death on the cross, of what was done to His body after His death. That record is of a difference, the difference between the treatment of Jesus’ body and the treatment of the other two crucified with Him, one on each side.
This difference was occasioned by the particular day that these three were crucified. It was the day before the Sabbath, which Sabbath was “an high day,” according to John 19:31. Because the next day was such a day, the land was not to be polluted with the blood of those yet hanging on crosses. This necessity led the Jewish leaders to bring before Pilate a very specific request. That request we have recorded in the same verse: “that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.”
This request Pilate granted, and dispatched the soldiers under his command to carry out his orders. The soldiers went to the hill of Calvary to do as they had been commanded. They came to the legs of the first crucified with Jesus. They broke his legs. The came to the legs of the second crucified with Jesus. They broke his legs.
Why this specific request, this specific command, and the following obedience to this command?
The first purpose was to hasten their death, to turn what might have possible been weeks or months of prolonged life into a few minutes. It was necessary for those crucified to stand on the nails holding their feet to the wood in order to breathe. But with their legs broken, they had that necessary support taken away. They could no longer breathe, so that their death would be very soon in coming. Thus their bodies might be taken off the crosses, no longer to pollute the land the following day.
The second purpose was to fill that death with as much torment as possible, joining together the panic and fear of oncoming death by choking, with the excruciating pain of broken bones, jarring and rubbing while trying to find support to breathe again in vain.
But the difference is made when these soldiers came to Jesus, crucified in the midst. “When they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water,” (John 19:33, 34). Rather than putting forth the effort to break Jesus’ legs, they employed a simple means to prove to themselves that He was already dead. Piercing His side, the soldiers detected no reaction. Jesus indeed had already died. There was no need to break His legs.
Why?
Why this difference in the work of the soldiers? Why did that work come to be done at all, to make that difference so very clear? We must go further. Why this command by Pilate? Why the request of the leaders of the Jews? Why have this crucifixion on this particular day, the day of “the preparation”?
All because of what we are told in John 19:36, “For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled.” Because of the Scripture of Psalm 34:20, “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.”
This difference was to demonstrate that this One crucified, Jesus, is indeed the Christ of God, the Saviour of His people.
But if we consider the Scripture of Psalm 34:20, we find another reason. Psalm 34:20 must be fulfilled as the promise of God to all of God’s elect in Christ Jesus. Surely it is fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ, in this most evident way. But also, because it is fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ, so it must be fulfilled in every single Christian, as belonging to Christ and in Him by faith.
The Scripture must be fulfilled. Just as it was filled exactly and clearly in Jesus’ body following His death on the cross, it must be fulfilled in all those who are Christ’s.
The Scripture has promised them an infallible, unconditional, and unbreakable salvation. They must all be saved. There are none that can be lost. The very wonder of their salvation, even through suffering and death, including broken bones, is certain to take place because of the Word of God’s promise sealed in the death of Christ their Lord, whose bones were kept whole and intact.
This promise is ours to rest in. This promise is ours to rest in, knowing its certain fulfillment in our Lord even following His death. Resting in this promise, we are assured of our everlasting salvation. Resting in this promise we receive strength to endure our trials and tribulations. Resting in this promise, we are strengthened to carry on as God’s holy, peculiar people in this world of darkness and death.
In the light of that blessed promise, let us carry on in our earthly pilgrimage, cheerfully bearing our cross and denying ourselves. Let us carry on until we know the glory of heaven and its joyful, everlasting life. There and then we will celebrate the glorious power of our God’s faithful promise:
“For all these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.”
“He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.” --Psalm 34:20
From one perspective we have in John 19:36 quite simply the record of the history of Jesus’ death on the cross, of what was done to His body after His death. That record is of a difference, the difference between the treatment of Jesus’ body and the treatment of the other two crucified with Him, one on each side.
This difference was occasioned by the particular day that these three were crucified. It was the day before the Sabbath, which Sabbath was “an high day,” according to John 19:31. Because the next day was such a day, the land was not to be polluted with the blood of those yet hanging on crosses. This necessity led the Jewish leaders to bring before Pilate a very specific request. That request we have recorded in the same verse: “that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.”
This request Pilate granted, and dispatched the soldiers under his command to carry out his orders. The soldiers went to the hill of Calvary to do as they had been commanded. They came to the legs of the first crucified with Jesus. They broke his legs. The came to the legs of the second crucified with Jesus. They broke his legs.
Why this specific request, this specific command, and the following obedience to this command?
The first purpose was to hasten their death, to turn what might have possible been weeks or months of prolonged life into a few minutes. It was necessary for those crucified to stand on the nails holding their feet to the wood in order to breathe. But with their legs broken, they had that necessary support taken away. They could no longer breathe, so that their death would be very soon in coming. Thus their bodies might be taken off the crosses, no longer to pollute the land the following day.
The second purpose was to fill that death with as much torment as possible, joining together the panic and fear of oncoming death by choking, with the excruciating pain of broken bones, jarring and rubbing while trying to find support to breathe again in vain.
But the difference is made when these soldiers came to Jesus, crucified in the midst. “When they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water,” (John 19:33, 34). Rather than putting forth the effort to break Jesus’ legs, they employed a simple means to prove to themselves that He was already dead. Piercing His side, the soldiers detected no reaction. Jesus indeed had already died. There was no need to break His legs.
Why?
Why this difference in the work of the soldiers? Why did that work come to be done at all, to make that difference so very clear? We must go further. Why this command by Pilate? Why the request of the leaders of the Jews? Why have this crucifixion on this particular day, the day of “the preparation”?
All because of what we are told in John 19:36, “For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled.” Because of the Scripture of Psalm 34:20, “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.”
This difference was to demonstrate that this One crucified, Jesus, is indeed the Christ of God, the Saviour of His people.
But if we consider the Scripture of Psalm 34:20, we find another reason. Psalm 34:20 must be fulfilled as the promise of God to all of God’s elect in Christ Jesus. Surely it is fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ, in this most evident way. But also, because it is fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ, so it must be fulfilled in every single Christian, as belonging to Christ and in Him by faith.
The Scripture must be fulfilled. Just as it was filled exactly and clearly in Jesus’ body following His death on the cross, it must be fulfilled in all those who are Christ’s.
The Scripture has promised them an infallible, unconditional, and unbreakable salvation. They must all be saved. There are none that can be lost. The very wonder of their salvation, even through suffering and death, including broken bones, is certain to take place because of the Word of God’s promise sealed in the death of Christ their Lord, whose bones were kept whole and intact.
This promise is ours to rest in. This promise is ours to rest in, knowing its certain fulfillment in our Lord even following His death. Resting in this promise, we are assured of our everlasting salvation. Resting in this promise we receive strength to endure our trials and tribulations. Resting in this promise, we are strengthened to carry on as God’s holy, peculiar people in this world of darkness and death.
In the light of that blessed promise, let us carry on in our earthly pilgrimage, cheerfully bearing our cross and denying ourselves. Let us carry on until we know the glory of heaven and its joyful, everlasting life. There and then we will celebrate the glorious power of our God’s faithful promise:
“For all these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.”
“I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in thee:
I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.”
--Psalm 9:1, 2
These opening words of Psalm 9 are the key that unlocks the entire Psalm in its wonderful comforting power.
It is the key that unlocks the comforting word of verse 9, “The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” It makes the cry of verse 13 such a blessing to bring to the Lord, “Have mercy upon me, O Lord; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death.”
It demonstrates its real capability in those that are oppressed, for times of trouble. It shows its glorious might for the saints suffering trouble of those that hate them, when the hatred of their enemies bring them down to the gates of death.
It is such a power of comfort that it turns fear into confidence, terror into hope, despair into peace.
That key is the Lord’s power and glory as a power and glory of grace, and that grace brought into the balance over against all oppression and trouble, and over all trouble from the enemies of God’s people.
That power is the praise of the Lord, and the shewing forth of all His marvellous works.
What things the Lord hath wrought!
His works are works of glory and power. His works are works of righteousness and truth. His works are works of wisdom and goodness. His works declare His sovereign majesty and honor. They speak of His mercy and lovingkindness. They show forth His faithfulness and lovingkindness.
His works are works of creation and providence. He created the heavens and the earth and everything in them in only six days. By His providence the entire universe is upheld and carries on in its ways, from the rising and setting of the sun to the buds breaking forth on the trees, and to the birds singing their songs of spring. By His command the drops of rain fall to the earth from the heavens and the warm winds blow over the earth.
His works are works of judgment and salvation. He is the God that overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, that destroyed the glorious power of Egypt’s kingdom, and the nations of Canaan before His people Israel. He is the God that overthrew the power of Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome. As He raised up so He cast down Napoleons’ France and Hitler’s Germany. He is the God that pits nation against nation, giving them strength to mutually destroy each other. He is the God that sends His judgments through the earth, bringing devastation and calamity, the nations and their leaders to ruin and collapse.
His works are works of salvation, salvation in the midst of judgment. “When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.” Verse 12. In lovingkindness He remembers His people, His chosen ones. He forgives their sins, and shows them their pardon by His Word and Spirit. He blesses their hearts with comfort and peace of hope. He sends them His Holy Spirit to comfort and sustain them through trials and hardships. He makes them to know that all things work together for their salvation. All these works of salvation are the fruit of the glorious, gracious work of God offering up His Son on the tree of the cross for the complete salvation of His people. In and by that cross is their power of eternal life in heaven and its endless, glorious perfection. In and by that cross is every gift and blessing of salvation, every part and facet, including the comfort and peace of His elect. By that cross is every gift of faith, of hope, and of love. By that cross is the assurance that, with His Son, everything must serve the salvation of His children. In that cross is the constant, unwavering assurance that the love of God must be triumphant over all, to bring to glory His purchased possession.
How do these marvellous and glorious works of God work so powerfully the comfort and confidence of God’s people?
“I will praise thee, O Lord . . . I will show forth . . .” Verse 1
“I will be glad and rejoice in thee . . . I will sing praise to thy name . . .” Verse 2
Turn from the consideration of your troubles and trials.
Turn also from the consideration of your weakness shown so powerfully in those troubles and trials.
Let them send you to the wonderful works of God.
Let them send you to His praises, to the showing forth of His marvellous works.
Let them send you to God and His holy name.
Set your God’s marvellous works before your mind and your heart. Praise the Lord, declaring before Him what He has done. Praise your God, telling Him of His marvellous works. Praise Him, to the filling of your heart with gladness and rejoicing, as you sing praise to His name.
In His praises, and in the joy and gladness of your heart, enjoy the blessed comfort of the Lord who is always “a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble,” to those that know His name.
“For thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”
I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in thee:
I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.”
--Psalm 9:1, 2
These opening words of Psalm 9 are the key that unlocks the entire Psalm in its wonderful comforting power.
It is the key that unlocks the comforting word of verse 9, “The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” It makes the cry of verse 13 such a blessing to bring to the Lord, “Have mercy upon me, O Lord; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death.”
It demonstrates its real capability in those that are oppressed, for times of trouble. It shows its glorious might for the saints suffering trouble of those that hate them, when the hatred of their enemies bring them down to the gates of death.
It is such a power of comfort that it turns fear into confidence, terror into hope, despair into peace.
That key is the Lord’s power and glory as a power and glory of grace, and that grace brought into the balance over against all oppression and trouble, and over all trouble from the enemies of God’s people.
That power is the praise of the Lord, and the shewing forth of all His marvellous works.
What things the Lord hath wrought!
His works are works of glory and power. His works are works of righteousness and truth. His works are works of wisdom and goodness. His works declare His sovereign majesty and honor. They speak of His mercy and lovingkindness. They show forth His faithfulness and lovingkindness.
His works are works of creation and providence. He created the heavens and the earth and everything in them in only six days. By His providence the entire universe is upheld and carries on in its ways, from the rising and setting of the sun to the buds breaking forth on the trees, and to the birds singing their songs of spring. By His command the drops of rain fall to the earth from the heavens and the warm winds blow over the earth.
His works are works of judgment and salvation. He is the God that overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, that destroyed the glorious power of Egypt’s kingdom, and the nations of Canaan before His people Israel. He is the God that overthrew the power of Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome. As He raised up so He cast down Napoleons’ France and Hitler’s Germany. He is the God that pits nation against nation, giving them strength to mutually destroy each other. He is the God that sends His judgments through the earth, bringing devastation and calamity, the nations and their leaders to ruin and collapse.
His works are works of salvation, salvation in the midst of judgment. “When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.” Verse 12. In lovingkindness He remembers His people, His chosen ones. He forgives their sins, and shows them their pardon by His Word and Spirit. He blesses their hearts with comfort and peace of hope. He sends them His Holy Spirit to comfort and sustain them through trials and hardships. He makes them to know that all things work together for their salvation. All these works of salvation are the fruit of the glorious, gracious work of God offering up His Son on the tree of the cross for the complete salvation of His people. In and by that cross is their power of eternal life in heaven and its endless, glorious perfection. In and by that cross is every gift and blessing of salvation, every part and facet, including the comfort and peace of His elect. By that cross is every gift of faith, of hope, and of love. By that cross is the assurance that, with His Son, everything must serve the salvation of His children. In that cross is the constant, unwavering assurance that the love of God must be triumphant over all, to bring to glory His purchased possession.
How do these marvellous and glorious works of God work so powerfully the comfort and confidence of God’s people?
“I will praise thee, O Lord . . . I will show forth . . .” Verse 1
“I will be glad and rejoice in thee . . . I will sing praise to thy name . . .” Verse 2
Turn from the consideration of your troubles and trials.
Turn also from the consideration of your weakness shown so powerfully in those troubles and trials.
Let them send you to the wonderful works of God.
Let them send you to His praises, to the showing forth of His marvellous works.
Let them send you to God and His holy name.
Set your God’s marvellous works before your mind and your heart. Praise the Lord, declaring before Him what He has done. Praise your God, telling Him of His marvellous works. Praise Him, to the filling of your heart with gladness and rejoicing, as you sing praise to His name.
In His praises, and in the joy and gladness of your heart, enjoy the blessed comfort of the Lord who is always “a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble,” to those that know His name.
“For thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”
“Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”
--Psalm 2:12
This authoritative declaration of the Bible goes to the very heart of the promise of the gospel: whosoever believeth in Christ crucified shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life.
Wherever that most blessed promise of the gospel is found in Scripture, the context contributes to it a special force and power.
So it is also true here with its appearance at the end of Psalm 2, a Psalm of God’s wrath manifested against the raging of the heathen. So it is here with God’s laughing them to scorn and holding them in derision. So it is with the gift of these heathen to His Son at His glorification, to rule over them with a rod of iron and to break them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
Yes, in the midst of wrath there is blessing, the blessing of salvation.
Yes, the very same mouth that laughs the heathen to scorn for all their rage and that declares the truth of the Son’s glory to their everlasting shame and destruction is the same mouth that declares, “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”
Yes, it is a matter of power.
It is a matter of the power of the heathen in all the raging of the heathen against the Lord and against His Christ. It is the power of the kings and of the rulers taking counsel against them. It is their power to conspire to break their divine bands asunder and to cast the cords of divine government from them. It is the same power they exercise against the church that represents God’s cause, to wipe it out of existence.
How great is that power? How possible is their counsel? What can their rage accomplish?
Hear the Word of the Lord: “Why . . . imagine a vain thing?”
All they have is their imagination, and their imagination is only vain.
For what matters is the Lord’s power, and the power of His Son.
So the Lord declares His counsel and decree. After laughing them to scorn He declares concerning His Son, Jesus Christ. He declares Him whom Herod and Pontius Pilate crucified His Son, the first-begotten from the dead to be the prince of the Kings of the earth.
That declaration is a declaration of almighty power. It is God’s declaration of His Son in and through the glorious power of His resurrection.
It is the same Word that gives the raging heathen and the revolting kings into the power of His glorified Son. It is the same Word that gives them to be ruled by the rod of iron in the hand of His Son, and to be dashed by Him in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
God’s Word is a Word of power, the power that must show the vanity of the pretended power of men.
All the power of God and His Son, demonstrated in the whole Psalm, is brought to bear upon its closing word: “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”
Trust in Him who shall rule the nations with a rod of iron, and shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Trust in Him who has declared the decree. Trust in Him who laughs the nations to scorn and holds the heathen in derision. Trust in Him who has set His Son as King on His holy hill.
In that trust know and rejoice in your blessedness. Yours is the blessedness of this God and His powerful hand. Yours is the blessedness of the Son and His glory for your salvation. That power that shall destroy the nations is the power of your salvation. That power destroys the nations and kingdoms for your sake, to bring you into the blessedness of His glorious, everlasting, mighty salvation.
Truly, blessed are all they that trust in Him!
--Psalm 2:12
This authoritative declaration of the Bible goes to the very heart of the promise of the gospel: whosoever believeth in Christ crucified shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life.
Wherever that most blessed promise of the gospel is found in Scripture, the context contributes to it a special force and power.
So it is also true here with its appearance at the end of Psalm 2, a Psalm of God’s wrath manifested against the raging of the heathen. So it is here with God’s laughing them to scorn and holding them in derision. So it is with the gift of these heathen to His Son at His glorification, to rule over them with a rod of iron and to break them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
Yes, in the midst of wrath there is blessing, the blessing of salvation.
Yes, the very same mouth that laughs the heathen to scorn for all their rage and that declares the truth of the Son’s glory to their everlasting shame and destruction is the same mouth that declares, “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”
Yes, it is a matter of power.
It is a matter of the power of the heathen in all the raging of the heathen against the Lord and against His Christ. It is the power of the kings and of the rulers taking counsel against them. It is their power to conspire to break their divine bands asunder and to cast the cords of divine government from them. It is the same power they exercise against the church that represents God’s cause, to wipe it out of existence.
How great is that power? How possible is their counsel? What can their rage accomplish?
Hear the Word of the Lord: “Why . . . imagine a vain thing?”
All they have is their imagination, and their imagination is only vain.
For what matters is the Lord’s power, and the power of His Son.
So the Lord declares His counsel and decree. After laughing them to scorn He declares concerning His Son, Jesus Christ. He declares Him whom Herod and Pontius Pilate crucified His Son, the first-begotten from the dead to be the prince of the Kings of the earth.
That declaration is a declaration of almighty power. It is God’s declaration of His Son in and through the glorious power of His resurrection.
It is the same Word that gives the raging heathen and the revolting kings into the power of His glorified Son. It is the same Word that gives them to be ruled by the rod of iron in the hand of His Son, and to be dashed by Him in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
God’s Word is a Word of power, the power that must show the vanity of the pretended power of men.
All the power of God and His Son, demonstrated in the whole Psalm, is brought to bear upon its closing word: “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”
Trust in Him who shall rule the nations with a rod of iron, and shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Trust in Him who has declared the decree. Trust in Him who laughs the nations to scorn and holds the heathen in derision. Trust in Him who has set His Son as King on His holy hill.
In that trust know and rejoice in your blessedness. Yours is the blessedness of this God and His powerful hand. Yours is the blessedness of the Son and His glory for your salvation. That power that shall destroy the nations is the power of your salvation. That power destroys the nations and kingdoms for your sake, to bring you into the blessedness of His glorious, everlasting, mighty salvation.
Truly, blessed are all they that trust in Him!
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
--I Peter 5:6, 7
Beware of a temptation hidden in the language of men in all their efforts to deal with this virus with all of its effects.
“We can beat this.”
“We can beat this if we all pull together and help each other.”
“If we all cooperate and restrict ourselves socially, we can overcome this disease.”
We must readily admit that there is much that we can do to minimize the risks and effects of this sickness. We must also admit that participating in these measures is obedience to God, especially as He has commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves. We also look forward to the time when we can breathe a sigh of relief and get back to our normal routines as best we can.
There is, however, another side that may not be ignored: the mighty hand of God.
Especially at this stage that mighty hand of God is most evident.
This is the stage of so much uncertainty. The mighty hand of God has simply swept aside by this virus and disease so much of what we before had taken as certain.
There is the uncertainty of the toll of this disease. There is not only the uncertainty of numbers. How many will get sick in our country, our region, our city or town? How many of those that get sick will die? Of those whom we know, or of those whom we love, which among them might get sick? Which among them will even die?
There is the uncertainty of the effect of this disease upon nation, upon society, and upon the economy. What will be the effect of the disease upon jobs, wages, inflation, cost of living, and economic stability, let alone actual strength? What will be the effect upon our relationships in our society? Will the unraveling of our society grow worse? How will this disease affect the course of the nation, foreign and domestic policy, the swing from nationalism to socialism or from globalism to nationalism?
What has brought about all this uncertainty?
The mighty hand of God is what you must see and feel behind all this uncertainty.
Do not try to beat that mighty hand of God. How foolish to try to overcome Him, the Creator of heaven and earth.
What is your calling before this mighty hand of God?
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God.”
Acknowledge it to be His mighty hand. Not a virus. Not a country that failed to take proper measures. Not a government leader or official that failed to make the right decision or take appropriate action. But this is all the hand of God, the Almighty.
Under His mighty hand humble yourselves.
Confess and praise Him for His sovereign majesty and infinite honour. Glorify Him for His glorious righteousness and everlasting mercies. Magnify Him as the God of truth and light, of goodness and wisdom. Praise Him as the God whose hand of providence is everywhere, doing His will and good pleasure.
Abase yourself before His righteousness, confessing your sin and iniquity. Humble yourself before His power, declaring your weakness and frailty. Submit yourself before His wisdom, telling Him of your ignorance and foolishness.
In that humility draw near to your God. In that wonderful submission place yourself in His hand “that he may exalt you in due time.”
Exalt not yourself that He may exalt you.
Beat not this thing that He may lift you up.
The following verse tells you how to do that: “. . . casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
As you face and consider all the uncertainties that come from His sovereign hand, do not deny them. Do not pretend the false confidence of vain pride, but be free to take these dreadful uncertainties to yourself, into your heart and mind. Let them humble you to the dust.
Take them up because you have a place to go with them: the God who cares for you.
Know Him as the God who cares for you, because from His mighty hand He has given His only-begotten Son for your complete salvation. He has given Him to you to bring you to Him, to be reconciled by His blood and righteousness alone. He has given Him for you, when you were desolate in your sin and blood, without hope and without God in the world.
Take your cares and cast them upon Him.
Whatever burden settles with its weight upon your heart, cast it upon Him. Tell Him about it. Tell Him what it is. Tell Him its greatness. Tell Him how it affects you. Tell Him how it fills you with uncertainty, with worry, with fear or anxiety. Cast it all upon Him. Bring Him burden after burden, all that fills your heart. Set it all before the Lord.
Cast all your care upon Him. So give it to Him so that you see Him taking it up and placing it upon His shoulders it for you. Understand how He makes your concerns His care, to make all things well in the power of His wisdom, goodness and grace.
For He careth for you.
--I Peter 5:6, 7
Beware of a temptation hidden in the language of men in all their efforts to deal with this virus with all of its effects.
“We can beat this.”
“We can beat this if we all pull together and help each other.”
“If we all cooperate and restrict ourselves socially, we can overcome this disease.”
We must readily admit that there is much that we can do to minimize the risks and effects of this sickness. We must also admit that participating in these measures is obedience to God, especially as He has commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves. We also look forward to the time when we can breathe a sigh of relief and get back to our normal routines as best we can.
There is, however, another side that may not be ignored: the mighty hand of God.
Especially at this stage that mighty hand of God is most evident.
This is the stage of so much uncertainty. The mighty hand of God has simply swept aside by this virus and disease so much of what we before had taken as certain.
There is the uncertainty of the toll of this disease. There is not only the uncertainty of numbers. How many will get sick in our country, our region, our city or town? How many of those that get sick will die? Of those whom we know, or of those whom we love, which among them might get sick? Which among them will even die?
There is the uncertainty of the effect of this disease upon nation, upon society, and upon the economy. What will be the effect of the disease upon jobs, wages, inflation, cost of living, and economic stability, let alone actual strength? What will be the effect upon our relationships in our society? Will the unraveling of our society grow worse? How will this disease affect the course of the nation, foreign and domestic policy, the swing from nationalism to socialism or from globalism to nationalism?
What has brought about all this uncertainty?
The mighty hand of God is what you must see and feel behind all this uncertainty.
Do not try to beat that mighty hand of God. How foolish to try to overcome Him, the Creator of heaven and earth.
What is your calling before this mighty hand of God?
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God.”
Acknowledge it to be His mighty hand. Not a virus. Not a country that failed to take proper measures. Not a government leader or official that failed to make the right decision or take appropriate action. But this is all the hand of God, the Almighty.
Under His mighty hand humble yourselves.
Confess and praise Him for His sovereign majesty and infinite honour. Glorify Him for His glorious righteousness and everlasting mercies. Magnify Him as the God of truth and light, of goodness and wisdom. Praise Him as the God whose hand of providence is everywhere, doing His will and good pleasure.
Abase yourself before His righteousness, confessing your sin and iniquity. Humble yourself before His power, declaring your weakness and frailty. Submit yourself before His wisdom, telling Him of your ignorance and foolishness.
In that humility draw near to your God. In that wonderful submission place yourself in His hand “that he may exalt you in due time.”
Exalt not yourself that He may exalt you.
Beat not this thing that He may lift you up.
The following verse tells you how to do that: “. . . casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
As you face and consider all the uncertainties that come from His sovereign hand, do not deny them. Do not pretend the false confidence of vain pride, but be free to take these dreadful uncertainties to yourself, into your heart and mind. Let them humble you to the dust.
Take them up because you have a place to go with them: the God who cares for you.
Know Him as the God who cares for you, because from His mighty hand He has given His only-begotten Son for your complete salvation. He has given Him to you to bring you to Him, to be reconciled by His blood and righteousness alone. He has given Him for you, when you were desolate in your sin and blood, without hope and without God in the world.
Take your cares and cast them upon Him.
Whatever burden settles with its weight upon your heart, cast it upon Him. Tell Him about it. Tell Him what it is. Tell Him its greatness. Tell Him how it affects you. Tell Him how it fills you with uncertainty, with worry, with fear or anxiety. Cast it all upon Him. Bring Him burden after burden, all that fills your heart. Set it all before the Lord.
Cast all your care upon Him. So give it to Him so that you see Him taking it up and placing it upon His shoulders it for you. Understand how He makes your concerns His care, to make all things well in the power of His wisdom, goodness and grace.
For He careth for you.
“O send out thy light and thy truth:
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me unto thy holy hill,
And to thy tabernacles.”
--Psalm 43:3
With these words the Holy Spirit teaches us what to pray when we are away from the house of the Lord.
These words themselves imply what is most evident from the Psalm itself: absence from the Lord’s dwelling place among His people is the cause of the Psalmist’s deep grief.
He is presently in a difficult way. He is oppressed by his enemy, which causes him to mourn, verse 2. In his situation he cries out against “an ungodly nation,” and “the deceitful and unjust man.” Oppressed by his enemy, he is unable to do what he wants to do. He is unable to go where he desires to go.
That inability to go where he wants to go, and to do what he wants to do has filled him with great sorrow and grief, which he pours out before his God: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me?”
Why such disquiet of soul?
All because of the one thing he wants to do. All because of the one place that he desires to go.
His one, heart-consuming desire is to go to the holy hill of his God, on that hill to enter the tabernacles of his God. His fervent zeal is to worship there Jehovah his God. The longing of his soul is to “go unto the altar of God,” verse 4. His deep determination is there to praise his God “upon the harp,” verse 4.
Why is his desire to be there? Why is his desire to do those things there?
“God my exceeding joy.” Verse 4
The God of his salvation is his exceeding joy. His exceeding joy is the God whose tabernacle is His dwelling place among His people. His exceeding joy is the God who will there be worshiped, served, and glorified. His exceeding joy is the God that is the delight of His people, the fountain of all good to them. He is the God that delights in His people, that is pleased to dwell among them as the God of their salvation. He delights to be their exceeding joy. They delight to have Him as their exceeding joy.
So in his oppression, feeling keenly his separation from God that fills his soul with such disquiet he prays, setting his desire before God.
“O send out thy light and thy truth.”
Where I am and how I am, in my desperate straits, send! As I am unable to go to thy holy hill, unable to go to thy tabernacles, unable to come unto the altar of God, and unable to praise thee upon the harp, send to me, bring to me what I need in the meantime.
“O send out thy light and thy truth.”
Send out the light that will illuminate me in the radiance of thy grace and in the wonder of thy mercy! Send out the Light that will make clear to me that Thou art my God, my covenant Sovereign and Friend. Send out the Light that will make clear that I am thine, thy redeemed covenant servant and friend!
Send out thy light according to its solid foundation, thy truth.
Send out thy truth. Send out the truth of thy promises, the promises established on the mercy and goodness of thy sovereign counsel and will. Send out the truth from thyself, the self-revealing God. Send it all the way into my heart, that it may be there the foundation of my comfort and peace, to take away all the disquiet of my soul.
O send out thy light and thy truth to take away the disquiet of my soul, to give me peace and confidence in my oppression. O send them out to sustain me as I am unable to come to thee, my God.
But send them not out only to keep me in my circumstances of oppression by my enemy.
“Let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.”
Grant thy light and thy truth to work a greater and more ardent desire for thy holy hill. So bless them to my heart, that I grow in longing for thy tabernacles. So cause me to grow stronger in desire for thee, my exceeding joy.
Also grant thy light and thy truth that I may pray more ardently and with greater assurance that thou wilt indeed bring me to thy holy hill and to thy tabernacles. May I rest in thy righteousness that is thy light and thy truth, that thou wilt indeed “Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.”
In thy righteousness, defeat and destroy the enemies that hinder me from joyful fellowship with thee. In thy righteousness, keep thy true and faithful promise, that thou wilt bring me near to thee.
“O send out thy light and thy truth:
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me unto thy holy hill,
And to thy tabernacles.”
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me unto thy holy hill,
And to thy tabernacles.”
--Psalm 43:3
With these words the Holy Spirit teaches us what to pray when we are away from the house of the Lord.
These words themselves imply what is most evident from the Psalm itself: absence from the Lord’s dwelling place among His people is the cause of the Psalmist’s deep grief.
He is presently in a difficult way. He is oppressed by his enemy, which causes him to mourn, verse 2. In his situation he cries out against “an ungodly nation,” and “the deceitful and unjust man.” Oppressed by his enemy, he is unable to do what he wants to do. He is unable to go where he desires to go.
That inability to go where he wants to go, and to do what he wants to do has filled him with great sorrow and grief, which he pours out before his God: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me?”
Why such disquiet of soul?
All because of the one thing he wants to do. All because of the one place that he desires to go.
His one, heart-consuming desire is to go to the holy hill of his God, on that hill to enter the tabernacles of his God. His fervent zeal is to worship there Jehovah his God. The longing of his soul is to “go unto the altar of God,” verse 4. His deep determination is there to praise his God “upon the harp,” verse 4.
Why is his desire to be there? Why is his desire to do those things there?
“God my exceeding joy.” Verse 4
The God of his salvation is his exceeding joy. His exceeding joy is the God whose tabernacle is His dwelling place among His people. His exceeding joy is the God who will there be worshiped, served, and glorified. His exceeding joy is the God that is the delight of His people, the fountain of all good to them. He is the God that delights in His people, that is pleased to dwell among them as the God of their salvation. He delights to be their exceeding joy. They delight to have Him as their exceeding joy.
So in his oppression, feeling keenly his separation from God that fills his soul with such disquiet he prays, setting his desire before God.
“O send out thy light and thy truth.”
Where I am and how I am, in my desperate straits, send! As I am unable to go to thy holy hill, unable to go to thy tabernacles, unable to come unto the altar of God, and unable to praise thee upon the harp, send to me, bring to me what I need in the meantime.
“O send out thy light and thy truth.”
Send out the light that will illuminate me in the radiance of thy grace and in the wonder of thy mercy! Send out the Light that will make clear to me that Thou art my God, my covenant Sovereign and Friend. Send out the Light that will make clear that I am thine, thy redeemed covenant servant and friend!
Send out thy light according to its solid foundation, thy truth.
Send out thy truth. Send out the truth of thy promises, the promises established on the mercy and goodness of thy sovereign counsel and will. Send out the truth from thyself, the self-revealing God. Send it all the way into my heart, that it may be there the foundation of my comfort and peace, to take away all the disquiet of my soul.
O send out thy light and thy truth to take away the disquiet of my soul, to give me peace and confidence in my oppression. O send them out to sustain me as I am unable to come to thee, my God.
But send them not out only to keep me in my circumstances of oppression by my enemy.
“Let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.”
Grant thy light and thy truth to work a greater and more ardent desire for thy holy hill. So bless them to my heart, that I grow in longing for thy tabernacles. So cause me to grow stronger in desire for thee, my exceeding joy.
Also grant thy light and thy truth that I may pray more ardently and with greater assurance that thou wilt indeed bring me to thy holy hill and to thy tabernacles. May I rest in thy righteousness that is thy light and thy truth, that thou wilt indeed “Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.”
In thy righteousness, defeat and destroy the enemies that hinder me from joyful fellowship with thee. In thy righteousness, keep thy true and faithful promise, that thou wilt bring me near to thee.
“O send out thy light and thy truth:
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me unto thy holy hill,
And to thy tabernacles.”
“And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the Lord; for very great are his mercies; but let me not fall into the hand of man. So the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men. And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the Lord beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand.”
I Chronicles 21:13-15
Pestilence!
Pestilence was the choice of David.
Attend to David’s explanation for his choice of pestilence: “Very great are his mercies; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”
David’s explanation clearly explained his choice for pestilence against the sword of David’s enemies, to be destroyed by them for three months’ time. But along the same lines of thinking was his choice against three years’ famine. Famine was also an enemy seen and understood, seen in cloudless sky and earth baked into hard clods, its effects carried through to cries and groans of death by starvation.
But pestilence speaks powerfully of the hand of God.
Today is no different than David’s day. We ought not to think that today’s pestilence is any different from this pestilence chosen by David at the word of God through His prophet. We ought not to think that God is any less sovereign over this pestilence and its effects of death and destruction than when He sent His angel to execute His judgment among the children of Israel. That certain fall sick and not others is by His sovereign determination. That among those that fall ill, certain die and not others is by His sovereign command. Wherever and however this pestilence affects business and economy, society and culture, in ways great and small, it is all by the sovereign hand of God.
A God of mercy, into whose hand it is such a blessing to fall!
So let us fall in the Lord’s hand, whose mercies are so great!
What does it mean to fall?
It means to embrace the pestilence and let its judgment pierce all the way through your nature, down to your heart.
Let it kick out from under you all the props of life and health, of safety and security. Let it deflate your pomp and pride of economic stability and growth, of national and social welfare, and of technological and medical know-how. Carry down into your heart the weakness and uncertainty that you see all around you, what you are allowed to do today over against the uncertainty of being able to do it tomorrow. Think of the sick, and think of the dying to show you your own mortality. Let it put you, like David, in a great strait.
With that sense of weakness and frailty, fall into the hand of the Lord whose mercies are so great.
Go further still.
Be filled with the knowledge of the Lord’s judgment of pestilence as a powerful reminder of sin. Learn deeply the lesson of the consequences of the guilt of sin, what you indeed deserve because of your sin. As the son of David would speak of the plague of every man’s heart, know that the pestilence must show you the plague of your heart. (I Kings 8:38, 39)
To bring you to the mercies of the Lord, which are very great.
The very great mercies of the Lord for desolate sinners, with no righteousness of their own.
The very great mercies of the Lord for the mortal, for the weak and the frail, with no life in themselves, but only death.
How very great are His mercies?
So great are His mercies that for poor helpless sinners He has given His Son to be all their righteousness.
So great are His mercies that to the dead He gives life, the everlasting, resurrection life of His Son, raised to heavenly, glorious life the third day.
For your sin, fall into the hand of the Lord, whose mercies are very great.
For your death, fall into the hand of the Lord, whose mercies are very great.
In judgment He remembers mercy.
So let us be “in a great strait.”
So let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for very great are His mercies.
I Chronicles 21:13-15
Pestilence!
Pestilence was the choice of David.
Attend to David’s explanation for his choice of pestilence: “Very great are his mercies; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”
David’s explanation clearly explained his choice for pestilence against the sword of David’s enemies, to be destroyed by them for three months’ time. But along the same lines of thinking was his choice against three years’ famine. Famine was also an enemy seen and understood, seen in cloudless sky and earth baked into hard clods, its effects carried through to cries and groans of death by starvation.
But pestilence speaks powerfully of the hand of God.
Today is no different than David’s day. We ought not to think that today’s pestilence is any different from this pestilence chosen by David at the word of God through His prophet. We ought not to think that God is any less sovereign over this pestilence and its effects of death and destruction than when He sent His angel to execute His judgment among the children of Israel. That certain fall sick and not others is by His sovereign determination. That among those that fall ill, certain die and not others is by His sovereign command. Wherever and however this pestilence affects business and economy, society and culture, in ways great and small, it is all by the sovereign hand of God.
A God of mercy, into whose hand it is such a blessing to fall!
So let us fall in the Lord’s hand, whose mercies are so great!
What does it mean to fall?
It means to embrace the pestilence and let its judgment pierce all the way through your nature, down to your heart.
Let it kick out from under you all the props of life and health, of safety and security. Let it deflate your pomp and pride of economic stability and growth, of national and social welfare, and of technological and medical know-how. Carry down into your heart the weakness and uncertainty that you see all around you, what you are allowed to do today over against the uncertainty of being able to do it tomorrow. Think of the sick, and think of the dying to show you your own mortality. Let it put you, like David, in a great strait.
With that sense of weakness and frailty, fall into the hand of the Lord whose mercies are so great.
Go further still.
Be filled with the knowledge of the Lord’s judgment of pestilence as a powerful reminder of sin. Learn deeply the lesson of the consequences of the guilt of sin, what you indeed deserve because of your sin. As the son of David would speak of the plague of every man’s heart, know that the pestilence must show you the plague of your heart. (I Kings 8:38, 39)
To bring you to the mercies of the Lord, which are very great.
The very great mercies of the Lord for desolate sinners, with no righteousness of their own.
The very great mercies of the Lord for the mortal, for the weak and the frail, with no life in themselves, but only death.
How very great are His mercies?
So great are His mercies that for poor helpless sinners He has given His Son to be all their righteousness.
So great are His mercies that to the dead He gives life, the everlasting, resurrection life of His Son, raised to heavenly, glorious life the third day.
For your sin, fall into the hand of the Lord, whose mercies are very great.
For your death, fall into the hand of the Lord, whose mercies are very great.
In judgment He remembers mercy.
So let us be “in a great strait.”
So let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for very great are His mercies.
“Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power,
In the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning:
Thou hast the strength of thy youth.”
--Psalm 110:3
How wonderful the praises of Jesus Christ, the Son of David and David’s Lord!
How glorious the exaltation of Him who is the Son of David according to the flesh, and the Lord of David according to the divinity!
How glorious and how wonderful the strength and power of Him who sits at the right hand of Jehovah, the covenant God of His people!
What is that strength and what is that power?
The strength is power over all the enemies of the Son of David. It is the strength to rule in the midst of His enemies. It is His strength to strike through kings in the day of His wrath. It is His strength to judge among the heathen, to fill with the dead bodies, and wound the heads over many countries.
It is the strength of His righteous wrath and holy anger, to vindicate the cause of Jehovah, and the cause of the people of Jehovah.
Not alone is that power and strength of the glorified Son of David over the enemies.
Within His very own people is also the power and strength of David’s Lord.
It is His strength to make them “willing in the day of thy power.”
They are willing in their delight in their King, this Son of David.
They are delighted in the majestic and mighty victories of their King, the Lord of David.
Their happiness is to praise and magnify their majestic Monarch for His triumphant victories over their enemies and His.
They delight to bend their knee before their King, and to devote their lives to Him, in grateful service to Him for all that He has done for them.
Their joy is to glorify their King for the freedom He has graciously bestowed on them, delivering their hearts from their bitter bondage in sin and darkness.
For His power in its day has made His people willing.
What is that power?
That power is described in the most delightful words that follow: “In the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.”
It is the power of newness, newness of “the womb of the morning,” newness of “the dew of thy youth.”
That power of newness is the power of the resurrection. It is the newness of the morning of the first day of the week when the Son of David rose again from the dead, into newness of the new life of everlasting heavenly glory. He that was dead arose to newness of life, exalted as the Son of God of God and Son of David, Lord of lords and King of kings.
In His glorious, almighty newness, the Son of David makes His people new. In the depths of their hearts, where reigned only the spiritual disobedience and rebellion of depravity, He works in them His very own newness. He makes them new creatures from the womb of the morning. He makes them partakers of the dew of His youth.
So do they become willing in the day of His power, willing in the beauties of holiness, consecrated to the glory of their Lord, the Son of David and David’s Lord.
Willing in the day of His power, may His people praise their eternal King and gladly give Him all glory!
In the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning:
Thou hast the strength of thy youth.”
--Psalm 110:3
How wonderful the praises of Jesus Christ, the Son of David and David’s Lord!
How glorious the exaltation of Him who is the Son of David according to the flesh, and the Lord of David according to the divinity!
How glorious and how wonderful the strength and power of Him who sits at the right hand of Jehovah, the covenant God of His people!
What is that strength and what is that power?
The strength is power over all the enemies of the Son of David. It is the strength to rule in the midst of His enemies. It is His strength to strike through kings in the day of His wrath. It is His strength to judge among the heathen, to fill with the dead bodies, and wound the heads over many countries.
It is the strength of His righteous wrath and holy anger, to vindicate the cause of Jehovah, and the cause of the people of Jehovah.
Not alone is that power and strength of the glorified Son of David over the enemies.
Within His very own people is also the power and strength of David’s Lord.
It is His strength to make them “willing in the day of thy power.”
They are willing in their delight in their King, this Son of David.
They are delighted in the majestic and mighty victories of their King, the Lord of David.
Their happiness is to praise and magnify their majestic Monarch for His triumphant victories over their enemies and His.
They delight to bend their knee before their King, and to devote their lives to Him, in grateful service to Him for all that He has done for them.
Their joy is to glorify their King for the freedom He has graciously bestowed on them, delivering their hearts from their bitter bondage in sin and darkness.
For His power in its day has made His people willing.
What is that power?
That power is described in the most delightful words that follow: “In the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.”
It is the power of newness, newness of “the womb of the morning,” newness of “the dew of thy youth.”
That power of newness is the power of the resurrection. It is the newness of the morning of the first day of the week when the Son of David rose again from the dead, into newness of the new life of everlasting heavenly glory. He that was dead arose to newness of life, exalted as the Son of God of God and Son of David, Lord of lords and King of kings.
In His glorious, almighty newness, the Son of David makes His people new. In the depths of their hearts, where reigned only the spiritual disobedience and rebellion of depravity, He works in them His very own newness. He makes them new creatures from the womb of the morning. He makes them partakers of the dew of His youth.
So do they become willing in the day of His power, willing in the beauties of holiness, consecrated to the glory of their Lord, the Son of David and David’s Lord.
Willing in the day of His power, may His people praise their eternal King and gladly give Him all glory!
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Peace and tribulation.
Such is the gracious inheritance of the Christian, both peace and tribulation.
Yes, tribulation is the gracious inheritance of the Christian.
That tribulation is neither ignored nor minimized by these words of Christ to His disciples. He makes it perfectly clear by His own word to them: “In the world ye shall have tribulation.”
But there is far more. Their tribulation in the world is directly due to the grace of their Lord to them. In grace He has made them “not of the world.” In grace He has made them of Him. They are His children, renewed by grace into His image and likeness. He has graciously made them into His servants, so that they not greater than their Lord. If the world hated Him, so they will hate them. If the world has persecuted Him, so they will persecute them.
So tribulation has been a cause of joy and rejoicing. So were the disciples glad to suffer for the name of the Lord Jesus. So have martyrs through the centuries counted it a great blessing to die for their Lord.
But that tribulation is by no means easy. It is, after all, tribulation. It is oppression. It lays a heavy burden on the heart and soul and mind. It makes the Christian’s way narrow and uncomfortable. It makes him feel hemmed in on every side, with nowhere to turn for relief. So great is this tribulation that it causes the oppressed to cry out to the Lord for help and comfort.
In that tribulation there is peace. Not apart from that tribulation. Not after that tribulation. In that tribulation.
In that oppression, in that trouble, and in that burden there is peace. Such is the strength and glory of that peace.
That peace has its strength and glory because it is “in me.”
“These things” He has spoken, that by them we might come to our Saviour and Lord, and hide ourselves in Him by faith. Through His precious promises we come to know Him in all His grace and mercy toward us. We find Him to be all that He has said in all He has spoken to us. He is our refuge and our hiding place. Himself He has given to us, to be our everlasting gracious inheritance.
In Him we have peace.
That peace brings us good cheer. In our tribulation we have the good cheer that comforts us, good cheer that strengthens us to endure, and good cheer that lifts up our hearts with joy to celebrate and know our victory.
That good cheer is that our Lord in whom we have hid ourselves has overcome the world.
By faith see Him who is risen from the dead, having been crucified by the world. See Him who is ascended into heaven and sitting at the right hand of God, to rule over all the kingdoms of the world. See Him who shall come again to judge all nations by the power of His name, before which every knee shall bow and every tongue confess.
In all your tribulation, be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world!
Peace and tribulation.
Such is the gracious inheritance of the Christian, both peace and tribulation.
Yes, tribulation is the gracious inheritance of the Christian.
That tribulation is neither ignored nor minimized by these words of Christ to His disciples. He makes it perfectly clear by His own word to them: “In the world ye shall have tribulation.”
But there is far more. Their tribulation in the world is directly due to the grace of their Lord to them. In grace He has made them “not of the world.” In grace He has made them of Him. They are His children, renewed by grace into His image and likeness. He has graciously made them into His servants, so that they not greater than their Lord. If the world hated Him, so they will hate them. If the world has persecuted Him, so they will persecute them.
So tribulation has been a cause of joy and rejoicing. So were the disciples glad to suffer for the name of the Lord Jesus. So have martyrs through the centuries counted it a great blessing to die for their Lord.
But that tribulation is by no means easy. It is, after all, tribulation. It is oppression. It lays a heavy burden on the heart and soul and mind. It makes the Christian’s way narrow and uncomfortable. It makes him feel hemmed in on every side, with nowhere to turn for relief. So great is this tribulation that it causes the oppressed to cry out to the Lord for help and comfort.
In that tribulation there is peace. Not apart from that tribulation. Not after that tribulation. In that tribulation.
In that oppression, in that trouble, and in that burden there is peace. Such is the strength and glory of that peace.
That peace has its strength and glory because it is “in me.”
“These things” He has spoken, that by them we might come to our Saviour and Lord, and hide ourselves in Him by faith. Through His precious promises we come to know Him in all His grace and mercy toward us. We find Him to be all that He has said in all He has spoken to us. He is our refuge and our hiding place. Himself He has given to us, to be our everlasting gracious inheritance.
In Him we have peace.
That peace brings us good cheer. In our tribulation we have the good cheer that comforts us, good cheer that strengthens us to endure, and good cheer that lifts up our hearts with joy to celebrate and know our victory.
That good cheer is that our Lord in whom we have hid ourselves has overcome the world.
By faith see Him who is risen from the dead, having been crucified by the world. See Him who is ascended into heaven and sitting at the right hand of God, to rule over all the kingdoms of the world. See Him who shall come again to judge all nations by the power of His name, before which every knee shall bow and every tongue confess.
In all your tribulation, be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world!
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” John 17:17
This prayer Jesus prayed the night he was betrayed, prayer for His disciples' sanctification.
This prayer Jesus prayed as part of what is called “Jesus’ high priestly prayer.”
So we must know that our Lord continues to pray this prayer as He presents Himself before the throne of His Father in heaven in our behalf.
“Sanctify them!”
Make them holy, He prays.
Break the ruling power and dominion of Satan. Break it from their hearts, their minds, their lives and their ways. Break them from gladness and delight in the pursuit of the way of sin, and work in them so that they are ashamed and sorrow over their sin in true repentance of heart. Cause them to be dead to sin with my death, so that they loath and abhor themselves before thee. Work in them further to hate sin, to flee from it, to fight against it and resist valiantly all its temptations.
“Sanctify them!”
Work in them further consecration to thee. Give them in their hearts a delight for thee and for thy kingdom. Give them a delight in thy holy law and thy good commandments. Give them joy to be their strength to keep thy law and commandments. Give them not only hearts, but minds and thoughts, eyes and lips, hands and feet that are obedient, conforming to thy holy will. Grant their lives to be joyfully and abundantly fruitful in every good work, to the praise and glory of thy grace.
Turn them in their whole nature and ways, so that they turn. Make them willing so that they will. Work in them obedience so that they obey. Work in them love to love. Work in them service to serve. Make them like me.
“Sanctify them.”
“Sanctify them through thy truth.”
Guard them from vain outward hypocrisy. Keep them from the formal religion of the Pharisees. Protect them from external moralism and mere behavioural improvement. Keep them from the false holiness that is approved by men, but is far from thee. Make them truly holy.
“Sanctify them through thy truth.”
Give them thy truth for their true sanctification. Give them the truth of their election to every gift and blessing of their salvation, including their holiness. Bless them with the truth that they did not choose me, but I chose them. Give them the truth that I am the Saviour of my sheep, and the wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption of my people. Teach them that I am the vine and they the branches, that without me they can do nothing. Show to them that I am the God that makes them willing in the day of my power. Show to them the glory of thy new and everlasting covenant, that thou dost take thy law and write it on their hearts, to be their God forever.
Through thy truth fill their hearts with abounding gratitude and joy to sanctify them to all their new obedience. Cause them in the power of the Spirit of truth to love thee out of the truth that thou art the God of their salvation. Out of that love for thee may they live to the honour and glory of thy name, according to all thy holy precepts.
“Sanctify them through thy truth!”
“Thy Word is truth.”
As thy Word is the faithful, true, and living Word, and as thy Word is true in every way and at all times, so demonstrate the truth of that Word. Demonstrate its truth in all the holy lives and deeds of those that confess thy Word to be truth. So sanctify them that they show the power of thy Word to save from sin, its guilt and power. So sanctify them that they manifest the might of thy Word to renew into my own image, making them truly righteous and holy.
As our Lord Jesus Christ prays for us, so let us pray for ourselves and for one another.
As we pray for our sanctification, may we rest assured that our Father hears and answers us, for the sake of Jesus, and His constant prayers in our behalf.
In our love and delight in our God and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in our love and delight to serve our God in all godliness and holiness, may we rejoice to know our God’s blessed answer to this prayer of His Son:
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth.”
This prayer Jesus prayed the night he was betrayed, prayer for His disciples' sanctification.
This prayer Jesus prayed as part of what is called “Jesus’ high priestly prayer.”
So we must know that our Lord continues to pray this prayer as He presents Himself before the throne of His Father in heaven in our behalf.
“Sanctify them!”
Make them holy, He prays.
Break the ruling power and dominion of Satan. Break it from their hearts, their minds, their lives and their ways. Break them from gladness and delight in the pursuit of the way of sin, and work in them so that they are ashamed and sorrow over their sin in true repentance of heart. Cause them to be dead to sin with my death, so that they loath and abhor themselves before thee. Work in them further to hate sin, to flee from it, to fight against it and resist valiantly all its temptations.
“Sanctify them!”
Work in them further consecration to thee. Give them in their hearts a delight for thee and for thy kingdom. Give them a delight in thy holy law and thy good commandments. Give them joy to be their strength to keep thy law and commandments. Give them not only hearts, but minds and thoughts, eyes and lips, hands and feet that are obedient, conforming to thy holy will. Grant their lives to be joyfully and abundantly fruitful in every good work, to the praise and glory of thy grace.
Turn them in their whole nature and ways, so that they turn. Make them willing so that they will. Work in them obedience so that they obey. Work in them love to love. Work in them service to serve. Make them like me.
“Sanctify them.”
“Sanctify them through thy truth.”
Guard them from vain outward hypocrisy. Keep them from the formal religion of the Pharisees. Protect them from external moralism and mere behavioural improvement. Keep them from the false holiness that is approved by men, but is far from thee. Make them truly holy.
“Sanctify them through thy truth.”
Give them thy truth for their true sanctification. Give them the truth of their election to every gift and blessing of their salvation, including their holiness. Bless them with the truth that they did not choose me, but I chose them. Give them the truth that I am the Saviour of my sheep, and the wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption of my people. Teach them that I am the vine and they the branches, that without me they can do nothing. Show to them that I am the God that makes them willing in the day of my power. Show to them the glory of thy new and everlasting covenant, that thou dost take thy law and write it on their hearts, to be their God forever.
Through thy truth fill their hearts with abounding gratitude and joy to sanctify them to all their new obedience. Cause them in the power of the Spirit of truth to love thee out of the truth that thou art the God of their salvation. Out of that love for thee may they live to the honour and glory of thy name, according to all thy holy precepts.
“Sanctify them through thy truth!”
“Thy Word is truth.”
As thy Word is the faithful, true, and living Word, and as thy Word is true in every way and at all times, so demonstrate the truth of that Word. Demonstrate its truth in all the holy lives and deeds of those that confess thy Word to be truth. So sanctify them that they show the power of thy Word to save from sin, its guilt and power. So sanctify them that they manifest the might of thy Word to renew into my own image, making them truly righteous and holy.
As our Lord Jesus Christ prays for us, so let us pray for ourselves and for one another.
As we pray for our sanctification, may we rest assured that our Father hears and answers us, for the sake of Jesus, and His constant prayers in our behalf.
In our love and delight in our God and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in our love and delight to serve our God in all godliness and holiness, may we rejoice to know our God’s blessed answer to this prayer of His Son:
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth.”
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are my ways higher than your ways,
And my thoughts than your thoughts.”
–Isaiah 55:8,9
In these words is the answer to the question asked in verse 2: Wherefore? Why?
Why are you spending your money? Why are you labouring? Why are you labouring to make money? Why are you spending your money?
What are you getting with your labour? What are you getting with your money?
Hear the Word of God! Hear the Word of God that tells you your folly.
You are spending your money “for that which is not bread.”
You are labouring “for that which satisfieth not.”
Why are you so foolish?
Why are your thoughts your thoughts? Why are your ways your ways?
What are those thoughts? What are those ways?
Something for something. You must spend money for bread. You must labour for what satisfies.
Give to get. Do to receive.
That is the rule.
There is a similar rule: there can never be something for nothing.
Bread without money? Impossible! That which satisfies without labour? It cannot be!
The ways of men. Not the ways of God. The thoughts of men. Not the thoughts of God.
What are God’s ways? What are God’s thoughts?
Not just something for nothing.
But everything for nothing!
What are God’s thoughts? What are God’s ways?
“Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
“Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.”
“Hear, and your soul shall live.”
“I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.”
“I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.”
“He will have mercy upon him . . . he will abundantly pardon.”
The gospel of grace.
Here is the water of life. Here is the bread of life. Here is wine and milk, luxurious and abundant. Here is life. Here is abundance with no lack at all.
Not for money or for price.
Not for willing or doing.
All by the sure mercies of God. All by the sure mercies of the great Son of David, Jesus Christ, the Leader and Commander of His chosen people, the true Israel of God.
So seek ye the Lord while He may be found.
Call upon Him while he is near.
Without your labour, without your money, without your works or deeds, looking only to His mercy.
By God’s thoughts and by God’s ways live in joyful abundance by faith alone in Christ alone!
Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are my ways higher than your ways,
And my thoughts than your thoughts.”
–Isaiah 55:8,9
In these words is the answer to the question asked in verse 2: Wherefore? Why?
Why are you spending your money? Why are you labouring? Why are you labouring to make money? Why are you spending your money?
What are you getting with your labour? What are you getting with your money?
Hear the Word of God! Hear the Word of God that tells you your folly.
You are spending your money “for that which is not bread.”
You are labouring “for that which satisfieth not.”
Why are you so foolish?
Why are your thoughts your thoughts? Why are your ways your ways?
What are those thoughts? What are those ways?
Something for something. You must spend money for bread. You must labour for what satisfies.
Give to get. Do to receive.
That is the rule.
There is a similar rule: there can never be something for nothing.
Bread without money? Impossible! That which satisfies without labour? It cannot be!
The ways of men. Not the ways of God. The thoughts of men. Not the thoughts of God.
What are God’s ways? What are God’s thoughts?
Not just something for nothing.
But everything for nothing!
What are God’s thoughts? What are God’s ways?
“Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
“Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.”
“Hear, and your soul shall live.”
“I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.”
“I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.”
“He will have mercy upon him . . . he will abundantly pardon.”
The gospel of grace.
Here is the water of life. Here is the bread of life. Here is wine and milk, luxurious and abundant. Here is life. Here is abundance with no lack at all.
Not for money or for price.
Not for willing or doing.
All by the sure mercies of God. All by the sure mercies of the great Son of David, Jesus Christ, the Leader and Commander of His chosen people, the true Israel of God.
So seek ye the Lord while He may be found.
Call upon Him while he is near.
Without your labour, without your money, without your works or deeds, looking only to His mercy.
By God’s thoughts and by God’s ways live in joyful abundance by faith alone in Christ alone!
“Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:38, 39
Christ Jesus, the end of the law!
At its heart the testimony of the gospel above is the forgiveness of sins. In the blood of Jesus Christ alone, and in the sacrifice of the cross alone, is all the forgiveness of sins. In that blood, the blood of the Son of God, shed in obedient, willing, righteous consecration to God, is all redemption, all reconciliation, and all salvation.
In that forgiveness, accomplished completely by Christ Jesus, is all justification.
The law of Moses makes perfectly clear that all justification and forgiveness is only in Christ.
“And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”
There is no justification by the law of Moses. There is no commandment to keep to have forgiveness of sins and justification before God. There is no law to perform to gain reconciliation and peace with God. There is no rule to follow to obtain eternal life. There is nothing to do in order to live.
The law of Moses is at its heart this: Do this and live!
Not so with Christ Jesus, the end of the law.
He has done it all. He has done everything.
With Jesus Christ, the end of the law, there is no law by which to be justified.
For, by Him all that believe are justified.
By Him all that believe have a right standing before God. By Him all that believe have the forgiveness of their sins. By Him all that believe have eternal life. By Him all that believe have peace with God. By Him all that believe have complete salvation.
For, also “through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.”
How was that Word by the apostle Paul brought to them? That Word for them to hear of the testimony of the gospel? That Word to give them the end of the law for righteousness, Jesus Christ? The Word of justification, that “by him all that believe are justified”?
How?
“Through this man.”
Through this man Jesus, is the gospel preached. He who is Himself the end of the law, raised from the dead, glorified to the right hand of God, called and sent His apostle and gave Him these tidings.
Paul was the instrument, the one through whom Jesus, the end of the law, preached Himself, the end of the law.
For these reasons, “all that believe are justified.”
All that believe the gospel. All that believe on Jesus.
Christ Jesus is the end of the law, for the complete justification of all that believe.
Christ Jesus is the Preacher of His righteousness, His Word of righteousness preached to be the rest of all that believe.
Do you believe?
So rest assured from the preaching of Christ Jesus to you, you are wholly justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses!
Christ Jesus, the end of the law!
At its heart the testimony of the gospel above is the forgiveness of sins. In the blood of Jesus Christ alone, and in the sacrifice of the cross alone, is all the forgiveness of sins. In that blood, the blood of the Son of God, shed in obedient, willing, righteous consecration to God, is all redemption, all reconciliation, and all salvation.
In that forgiveness, accomplished completely by Christ Jesus, is all justification.
The law of Moses makes perfectly clear that all justification and forgiveness is only in Christ.
“And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”
There is no justification by the law of Moses. There is no commandment to keep to have forgiveness of sins and justification before God. There is no law to perform to gain reconciliation and peace with God. There is no rule to follow to obtain eternal life. There is nothing to do in order to live.
The law of Moses is at its heart this: Do this and live!
Not so with Christ Jesus, the end of the law.
He has done it all. He has done everything.
With Jesus Christ, the end of the law, there is no law by which to be justified.
For, by Him all that believe are justified.
By Him all that believe have a right standing before God. By Him all that believe have the forgiveness of their sins. By Him all that believe have eternal life. By Him all that believe have peace with God. By Him all that believe have complete salvation.
For, also “through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.”
How was that Word by the apostle Paul brought to them? That Word for them to hear of the testimony of the gospel? That Word to give them the end of the law for righteousness, Jesus Christ? The Word of justification, that “by him all that believe are justified”?
How?
“Through this man.”
Through this man Jesus, is the gospel preached. He who is Himself the end of the law, raised from the dead, glorified to the right hand of God, called and sent His apostle and gave Him these tidings.
Paul was the instrument, the one through whom Jesus, the end of the law, preached Himself, the end of the law.
For these reasons, “all that believe are justified.”
All that believe the gospel. All that believe on Jesus.
Christ Jesus is the end of the law, for the complete justification of all that believe.
Christ Jesus is the Preacher of His righteousness, His Word of righteousness preached to be the rest of all that believe.
Do you believe?
So rest assured from the preaching of Christ Jesus to you, you are wholly justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses!
“And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
–I Thessalonians 4: 17, 18
Comfort, deep, lasting, enduring and abiding comfort!
Comfort strong and sure, going where no other religion, no philosophy, no science, no other doctrine or teaching can go!
Going with us, strong in us, all the way to the deathbed, to the valley of the shadow of death, to the grave, and into years of grief and loneliness.
Going with us all that way with a beloved parent or spouse, a dear child or infant, a close friend falling asleep in Jesus.
Because this is a comfort that goes with us through death and the grave, into the blessed resurrection of the dead.
What is this strong, rich, blessed comfort?
“So shall we ever be with the Lord.”
With the Lord, who is the resurrection and the life, the way, the truth, and the life. With the Lord, who is our Rock and Refuge. With the Lord, who loved us and laid down His life for us, the sheep of His pasture. With the Lord, who has called us with His sovereign, effectual grace.
“So shall we.”
How?
Through the words given in the Scripture before.
“Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” (Verse 14) Those which are alive and remain when Jesus comes will not be translated before those that have fallen asleep in Jesus. (Verse 15) Our Lord will first come, then the dead in Christ shall rise first. (Verse 17) Only then those that are alive “shall be caught up together with them in the clouds.” (Verse 18)
Then together, theirs is this great blessing: “to meet the Lord in the air.”
“So shall we ever be with the Lord.”
What blessed words to possess in our hearts and souls, to use in comforting one another!
What a blessing to speak them to one another: parent to children, and children to parent, siblings to siblings, spouse to spouse, brothers and sisters in the Lord to one another! What a blessing to speak them, to hear them and to remember them, by the deathbed, at the funeral home, at the graveside, and through tears and sorrows that continue long past.
Not separated forever!
Not sorrowing as those who have no hope!
But together forever with the Lord!
“Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
–I Thessalonians 4: 17, 18
Comfort, deep, lasting, enduring and abiding comfort!
Comfort strong and sure, going where no other religion, no philosophy, no science, no other doctrine or teaching can go!
Going with us, strong in us, all the way to the deathbed, to the valley of the shadow of death, to the grave, and into years of grief and loneliness.
Going with us all that way with a beloved parent or spouse, a dear child or infant, a close friend falling asleep in Jesus.
Because this is a comfort that goes with us through death and the grave, into the blessed resurrection of the dead.
What is this strong, rich, blessed comfort?
“So shall we ever be with the Lord.”
With the Lord, who is the resurrection and the life, the way, the truth, and the life. With the Lord, who is our Rock and Refuge. With the Lord, who loved us and laid down His life for us, the sheep of His pasture. With the Lord, who has called us with His sovereign, effectual grace.
“So shall we.”
How?
Through the words given in the Scripture before.
“Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” (Verse 14) Those which are alive and remain when Jesus comes will not be translated before those that have fallen asleep in Jesus. (Verse 15) Our Lord will first come, then the dead in Christ shall rise first. (Verse 17) Only then those that are alive “shall be caught up together with them in the clouds.” (Verse 18)
Then together, theirs is this great blessing: “to meet the Lord in the air.”
“So shall we ever be with the Lord.”
What blessed words to possess in our hearts and souls, to use in comforting one another!
What a blessing to speak them to one another: parent to children, and children to parent, siblings to siblings, spouse to spouse, brothers and sisters in the Lord to one another! What a blessing to speak them, to hear them and to remember them, by the deathbed, at the funeral home, at the graveside, and through tears and sorrows that continue long past.
Not separated forever!
Not sorrowing as those who have no hope!
But together forever with the Lord!
“Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” Colossians 2:6-9
Never move on! Never move along!
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord.”
Never move on! Never move along!
Because you cannot “move on.” Because you cannot “move along.”
Because you are “in him.”
This is who you are by grace: “In him.” “Rooted and built up in him.” “Stablished in the faith,” that is, the faith of Christ.
So are you in Christ Jesus the Lord immovable.
Also behind this truth of who you are in Christ is operating a greater, more fundamental truth about this One in whom you are rooted and built up.
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
Everything about God, everything concerning God, and everything that is God’s dwelleth in Him. Absolute sovereignty, divine wisdom, infinite power, boundless righteousness, endless grace and mercy, just as they are the perfection of the being of God, so they dwell in the Son of God bodily.
In His human nature they dwell. In His body they dwell, the body of Him who is the very Son of God.
That One as He was sent from heaven to reconcile you to God by His suffering and death on the cross and by His resurrection from the dead the third day.
That One as He was proclaimed to you in the holy gospel, the glad tidings sent from heaven by the Son of God Himself glorified.
That One in whom you believed. That One in whom you are “rooted and built up,” and, “stablished.”
So, walk in Him “as ye have been taught.”
So, abound in Him by faith with thanksgiving.
So “walk ye in him.”
And as you walk, beware!
Beware of men. Beware of men ready “to spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world.”
Beware of men who will tell you that Christ is wonderful and that Christ is good and that you need Christ, but that you need more. Beware of men that will tell you that you need also this or that philosophy, this or that vain deceit.
You need to believe this or that. You need to do this or that. You need this extra beyond Christ Himself.
This extra, in addition to Christ Jesus, is “not after Christ. It is not of Him in whom “dwelleth all the fullness of the God bodily.”
It is “after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world.” It is the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and of the pride of life. It is of the proud vanity of man that insists on having something of self to give to God, that cannot receive everything from Him.
“Beware lest any man spoil you.”
Beware, lest any man take you as his spoil in his warfare against Christ. Beware any man in deceiving you take from you the One in whom ye are stablished and built up in faith. Beware, lest any man take from you the One in whom you are rooted and grounded.
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.”
Walk! But “so walk ye in him.”
Walk! But walk “rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”
Walk abundantly in Christ with thanksgiving to Him for all His fullness. Abounding in that thanksgiving be fruitful in life, bearing testimony to the fullness of Christ Jesus, the one “in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
Never move on! Never move along!
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord.”
Never move on! Never move along!
Because you cannot “move on.” Because you cannot “move along.”
Because you are “in him.”
This is who you are by grace: “In him.” “Rooted and built up in him.” “Stablished in the faith,” that is, the faith of Christ.
So are you in Christ Jesus the Lord immovable.
Also behind this truth of who you are in Christ is operating a greater, more fundamental truth about this One in whom you are rooted and built up.
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
Everything about God, everything concerning God, and everything that is God’s dwelleth in Him. Absolute sovereignty, divine wisdom, infinite power, boundless righteousness, endless grace and mercy, just as they are the perfection of the being of God, so they dwell in the Son of God bodily.
In His human nature they dwell. In His body they dwell, the body of Him who is the very Son of God.
That One as He was sent from heaven to reconcile you to God by His suffering and death on the cross and by His resurrection from the dead the third day.
That One as He was proclaimed to you in the holy gospel, the glad tidings sent from heaven by the Son of God Himself glorified.
That One in whom you believed. That One in whom you are “rooted and built up,” and, “stablished.”
So, walk in Him “as ye have been taught.”
So, abound in Him by faith with thanksgiving.
So “walk ye in him.”
And as you walk, beware!
Beware of men. Beware of men ready “to spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world.”
Beware of men who will tell you that Christ is wonderful and that Christ is good and that you need Christ, but that you need more. Beware of men that will tell you that you need also this or that philosophy, this or that vain deceit.
You need to believe this or that. You need to do this or that. You need this extra beyond Christ Himself.
This extra, in addition to Christ Jesus, is “not after Christ. It is not of Him in whom “dwelleth all the fullness of the God bodily.”
It is “after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world.” It is the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and of the pride of life. It is of the proud vanity of man that insists on having something of self to give to God, that cannot receive everything from Him.
“Beware lest any man spoil you.”
Beware, lest any man take you as his spoil in his warfare against Christ. Beware any man in deceiving you take from you the One in whom ye are stablished and built up in faith. Beware, lest any man take from you the One in whom you are rooted and grounded.
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.”
Walk! But “so walk ye in him.”
Walk! But walk “rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”
Walk abundantly in Christ with thanksgiving to Him for all His fullness. Abounding in that thanksgiving be fruitful in life, bearing testimony to the fullness of Christ Jesus, the one “in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
“But Jesus said unto her, “Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. And he said unto her, for this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.” Mark 7:27-29
What humility of faith!
What humility of faith to argue the point!
The point?
“Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.”
There are the children. The children are hungry. The children need food for their growth and nourishment. For their needs, they sit around the table. At that table is the bread given to them by their parents. The bread is given in love to those children. Its purpose is realized when the children eat the bread, and by that bread are filled.
Then what must we think when those parents should ignore their children, and give the bread that would feed their children to the dogs instead? What parent would have their children go hungry, instead feeding the dogs?
Of course, “Let the children first be filled.”
But how to argue the point?
How can one argue the point? How should one argue the point?
How would you and I argue?
“Am I a dog?”
“Am not I more worthy than the child who refuses to eat the bread?”
“Am not I more worthy because I want the bread?”
“Am not I more worthy because I am seeking, I am asking, and because I know that Jesus can and will heal and deliver from Satan’s hand?”
“Am not I more worthy because I believe?”
These are not the answers of faith. These are not answers of the humility of faith.
What is the answer of the humility of faith?
“I am a dog.”
“Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.”
There is the glory of faith, exactly in its deep humility.
I am not worthy.
But Christ is the gracious, merciful Saviour.
His grace is exactly for the unworthy.
What is His answer to this argument of the humility of faith?
“For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.”
So we ask, “Forgive my sin.” “Grant me thy peace.” “Deliver me from evil.” Preserve me in the midst of temptations.” “Make me more and more holy.”
Not because we are worthy.
But because we are not.
Because of the grace and mercy of our glorious and mighty Saviour.
What humility of faith!
What humility of faith to argue the point!
The point?
“Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.”
There are the children. The children are hungry. The children need food for their growth and nourishment. For their needs, they sit around the table. At that table is the bread given to them by their parents. The bread is given in love to those children. Its purpose is realized when the children eat the bread, and by that bread are filled.
Then what must we think when those parents should ignore their children, and give the bread that would feed their children to the dogs instead? What parent would have their children go hungry, instead feeding the dogs?
Of course, “Let the children first be filled.”
But how to argue the point?
How can one argue the point? How should one argue the point?
How would you and I argue?
“Am I a dog?”
“Am not I more worthy than the child who refuses to eat the bread?”
“Am not I more worthy because I want the bread?”
“Am not I more worthy because I am seeking, I am asking, and because I know that Jesus can and will heal and deliver from Satan’s hand?”
“Am not I more worthy because I believe?”
These are not the answers of faith. These are not answers of the humility of faith.
What is the answer of the humility of faith?
“I am a dog.”
“Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.”
There is the glory of faith, exactly in its deep humility.
I am not worthy.
But Christ is the gracious, merciful Saviour.
His grace is exactly for the unworthy.
What is His answer to this argument of the humility of faith?
“For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.”
So we ask, “Forgive my sin.” “Grant me thy peace.” “Deliver me from evil.” Preserve me in the midst of temptations.” “Make me more and more holy.”
Not because we are worthy.
But because we are not.
Because of the grace and mercy of our glorious and mighty Saviour.
“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” I Peter 4:1, 2
How to be holy?
How to be truly holy?
How to be holy before God?
How to be holy not merely in appearance? How to be holy without hypocrisy? How to be holy without seeking the approval of men?
“Arm yourselves likewise with the same mind.”
This calling is a call to arms, a call to battle.
Required is a militant mindset. The weaponry and the armor involved is a frame of mind.
Just as a weapon this mindset is to be picked up and handled for proper use. In it we must be trained. This frame of mind we must be able to use skillfully on the battlefield. We must know how to apply its power. We must know how to use it to defend ourselves against the power and tactics of our enemy, the lusts of men.
For the sake of true holiness we must eat and drink, sleep and wake in this frame of mind, constantly armed.
What is this mind with which we must be armed?
It is the mind of Christ.
The mind of Christ occupied itself with a determination and resolution, a determination and resolution that led Him to the cross. On that cross He “suffered for us in the flesh.” He suffered the lashes, the blows of men. He suffered the thorns of His crown, the sharpness of the scourge, the nails of the cross in His flesh. In His flesh He suffered the anger and hatred of His enemies. In His flesh He suffered the wrath of God. Pain He endured, shutting out all pleasure.
All this suffering He endured mindfully. He did not shun it or avoid it. He did not diminish it by clinging to some distant comfort. He faced it deliberately, head-on. He willed it, chose it, and purposed it.
Why?
Because it was “for us.”
The blessedness of the passage is that Christ had us in mind in all His sufferings in His flesh. That He suffered “for us in the flesh” means more than those suffering have eternal benefit for us. He had us upon His mind and in His heart as He suffered everything he suffered in His flesh.
So He suffered in order to give us the same mind.
By His grace alone through faith alone, let us put on the same mind.
There is true holiness. There is the holiness of Christ, armed with the His mind.
Let us be inclined, purposefully directed toward suffering in the flesh.
Our flesh is not to be pampered or pleased. Our flesh is not to direct our desires, aims, or goals. Deliberately, consciously, let us deny your flesh. Let us afflict our flesh with the same mind as Christ, that it never becomes a lord, but instead remains always a servant.
Such must be our safety against living the rest of our time in our flesh to the lusts of men.
Such must be our safety against living the rest of our time in our flesh to the praise of men.
Such must be our safety for living the rest of our time in our flesh to the will of God, in true holiness, seeking the honor and glory of His holy name.
With the same mind as Christ.
How to be holy?
How to be truly holy?
How to be holy before God?
How to be holy not merely in appearance? How to be holy without hypocrisy? How to be holy without seeking the approval of men?
“Arm yourselves likewise with the same mind.”
This calling is a call to arms, a call to battle.
Required is a militant mindset. The weaponry and the armor involved is a frame of mind.
Just as a weapon this mindset is to be picked up and handled for proper use. In it we must be trained. This frame of mind we must be able to use skillfully on the battlefield. We must know how to apply its power. We must know how to use it to defend ourselves against the power and tactics of our enemy, the lusts of men.
For the sake of true holiness we must eat and drink, sleep and wake in this frame of mind, constantly armed.
What is this mind with which we must be armed?
It is the mind of Christ.
The mind of Christ occupied itself with a determination and resolution, a determination and resolution that led Him to the cross. On that cross He “suffered for us in the flesh.” He suffered the lashes, the blows of men. He suffered the thorns of His crown, the sharpness of the scourge, the nails of the cross in His flesh. In His flesh He suffered the anger and hatred of His enemies. In His flesh He suffered the wrath of God. Pain He endured, shutting out all pleasure.
All this suffering He endured mindfully. He did not shun it or avoid it. He did not diminish it by clinging to some distant comfort. He faced it deliberately, head-on. He willed it, chose it, and purposed it.
Why?
Because it was “for us.”
The blessedness of the passage is that Christ had us in mind in all His sufferings in His flesh. That He suffered “for us in the flesh” means more than those suffering have eternal benefit for us. He had us upon His mind and in His heart as He suffered everything he suffered in His flesh.
So He suffered in order to give us the same mind.
By His grace alone through faith alone, let us put on the same mind.
There is true holiness. There is the holiness of Christ, armed with the His mind.
Let us be inclined, purposefully directed toward suffering in the flesh.
Our flesh is not to be pampered or pleased. Our flesh is not to direct our desires, aims, or goals. Deliberately, consciously, let us deny your flesh. Let us afflict our flesh with the same mind as Christ, that it never becomes a lord, but instead remains always a servant.
Such must be our safety against living the rest of our time in our flesh to the lusts of men.
Such must be our safety against living the rest of our time in our flesh to the praise of men.
Such must be our safety for living the rest of our time in our flesh to the will of God, in true holiness, seeking the honor and glory of His holy name.
With the same mind as Christ.
“And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, go, and do thou likewise.” Luke 10:37
So the Parable of the Good Samaritan ends.
In these words is the answer to the question asked by the lawyer, the question asked out of his determination to justify himself. Through the parable taught by Jesus, the lawyer was brought to answer his own question, “Who is my neighbour?”
Yes, it is the answer to the question. But the answer is so very different from the question.
First, the question was this: who is my neighbour for me to love, and by my love for that neighbour can fulfill the law by my strength and ability? Who is that neighbour for me to love in order to inherit eternal life?
What is the answer from the parable?
It is not, “Who is my neighbour to love?”
It is, “Who was neighbour?”
The neighbour loved. The neighbour showed mercy.
Love is not a matter of standing back and figuring out who is neighbour. Love is neighbour. Compassion is neighbour.
But there is a second, more shattering, difference between the question and the answer.
Who was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
Not the priest that passed by when he saw the man beaten by thieves. Not the priest who had a special calling from God to show mercy toward the weak and the oppressed.
Neither the Levite that looked on the same man and passed by on the other side. Not the Levite that had the same calling as the priest.
But “a certain Samaritan.”
The Samaritan whom the Jews despised and accounted a most bitter enemy. The Samaritan whom it was impossible to love or to show mercy to.
The enemy loved the enemy, as neighbour. The enemy Samaritan loved the hostile Jew, as neighbour.
How did the lawyer answer Jesus’ question? What was the difference?
He could not bring himself to say, “The certain Samaritan.”
He could not say, “That man whom I despise and hate.”
With such an answer, this lawyer must reveal who he really is, a miserable sinner who cannot do what he wanted to do, to justify himself.
The answer from the parable must shatter the question and the questioner.
Are you and I shattered? Do you and I understand the teaching of this parable, that there is no justifying of ourselves? We are only sinners. We are only hateful by nature. We have mercy only for those we love and consider our neighbour. “Go, and do thou likewise?” Impossible!
But our complete lack of self-justification must lead us to the righteous Teacher of this parable.
Who is the One that showed mercy? Who is the One that we despised and rejected as our enemy, nailing Him to the cross of Calvary? Who is the very One that came near to us in His great mercy and compassion to save us? Who is the One that sacrificed Himself on that same cross in the glorious depths of His mercy and compassion? Who is the One that by His Spirit comes near to us in the filthiness of our depravity and pollution of our whole nature? Who is the One that binds up our wounds and gently heals us with His righteousness and life?
He is our neighbour, our Lord Jesus Christ, whose mercy and compassion is His fulfillment of the law in our behalf, by whose righteousness we are justified forever!
By His mercy and out of His mercy, let us show true mercy.
By His love and out of His love, let us love our neighbour as ourselves.
Never to justify ourselves, but because we are, by the love and mercy of our blessed Neighbour.
So the Parable of the Good Samaritan ends.
In these words is the answer to the question asked by the lawyer, the question asked out of his determination to justify himself. Through the parable taught by Jesus, the lawyer was brought to answer his own question, “Who is my neighbour?”
Yes, it is the answer to the question. But the answer is so very different from the question.
First, the question was this: who is my neighbour for me to love, and by my love for that neighbour can fulfill the law by my strength and ability? Who is that neighbour for me to love in order to inherit eternal life?
What is the answer from the parable?
It is not, “Who is my neighbour to love?”
It is, “Who was neighbour?”
The neighbour loved. The neighbour showed mercy.
Love is not a matter of standing back and figuring out who is neighbour. Love is neighbour. Compassion is neighbour.
But there is a second, more shattering, difference between the question and the answer.
Who was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
Not the priest that passed by when he saw the man beaten by thieves. Not the priest who had a special calling from God to show mercy toward the weak and the oppressed.
Neither the Levite that looked on the same man and passed by on the other side. Not the Levite that had the same calling as the priest.
But “a certain Samaritan.”
The Samaritan whom the Jews despised and accounted a most bitter enemy. The Samaritan whom it was impossible to love or to show mercy to.
The enemy loved the enemy, as neighbour. The enemy Samaritan loved the hostile Jew, as neighbour.
How did the lawyer answer Jesus’ question? What was the difference?
He could not bring himself to say, “The certain Samaritan.”
He could not say, “That man whom I despise and hate.”
With such an answer, this lawyer must reveal who he really is, a miserable sinner who cannot do what he wanted to do, to justify himself.
The answer from the parable must shatter the question and the questioner.
Are you and I shattered? Do you and I understand the teaching of this parable, that there is no justifying of ourselves? We are only sinners. We are only hateful by nature. We have mercy only for those we love and consider our neighbour. “Go, and do thou likewise?” Impossible!
But our complete lack of self-justification must lead us to the righteous Teacher of this parable.
Who is the One that showed mercy? Who is the One that we despised and rejected as our enemy, nailing Him to the cross of Calvary? Who is the very One that came near to us in His great mercy and compassion to save us? Who is the One that sacrificed Himself on that same cross in the glorious depths of His mercy and compassion? Who is the One that by His Spirit comes near to us in the filthiness of our depravity and pollution of our whole nature? Who is the One that binds up our wounds and gently heals us with His righteousness and life?
He is our neighbour, our Lord Jesus Christ, whose mercy and compassion is His fulfillment of the law in our behalf, by whose righteousness we are justified forever!
By His mercy and out of His mercy, let us show true mercy.
By His love and out of His love, let us love our neighbour as ourselves.
Never to justify ourselves, but because we are, by the love and mercy of our blessed Neighbour.
“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:35-37
In these few words is every element of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ presented, and that from the lips of the Savior Himself.
In them is what may be called the gospel in its very essence: “I am the bread of life.”
The gospel is ultimately all about Jesus Christ, the bread of life. He is the one in whom is everlasting life, fellowship with the blessed God, enjoying His grace, mercy, and peace forever. He is the one in whom is this life for ungodly sinners, by nature the enemies of God. He is the bread of life for those dead in themselves. He is meant to be taken and eaten. Through that taking and eating He is life for those taking and eating. He is the gift of life for those that are dead.
This is the gospel of the cross: through the laying down of His life Jesus gave His life for these dead sinners, to become to them the bread of life.
Then there is the second element, the call of the gospel: “He that cometh to me.” “He that believeth on me.” In these words are represented the blessed call of that gospel to sinners and to those that are dead in their unbelief. “Come to me, to have life!” “Believe on me to live!”
Then, the third element, the promise of the gospel: “He that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” This promise connects together the gift of salvation to its recipients. Who are those that shall live forever? Who “shall never hunger”? Who “shall never thirst”? Those that come to Jesus Christ. Those that believe on Him.
A particular promise, but a particular promise generally proclaimed.
It is a particular promise because its recipients are particularly described: they, and they only, are the ones that come to Jesus. They, and they only, are the ones that believe on Him.
It is generally proclaimed, even as we read in Jesus’ words to His audience: “But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.”
Yet, there is one additional element of the gospel set out in these few words.
Whence is this particularity of the promise?
Is this particularity because of those who do come to Jesus and believe on him? Did they make the difference because of what they did? Did Jesus’ promise of everlasting life, of never hungering and of never thirsting depend for its fulfillment on them? Their coming to Jesus? Their believing on Him?
Not at all, for they are only dead of themselves.
For there is this additional element of the gospel, what lies behind the coming of every one that cometh to Jesus, and what lies behind the believing of everyone that believeth on Jesus, the bread of life.
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.”
This is the gospel of sovereign grace, the gospel of unconditional election. Faith is no condition upon which the fulfilment of the promise depends. Faith is the gift of God, the blessed fruit of His gift of the elect to the Son.
The gospel: the gift of the bread of life, Jesus Christ.
The gospel: the gift of the elect to Jesus Christ, the elect that shall come to Him, the Bread of life.
The gospel: the gift of faith to every one of those elect, the coming to Him, the believing in Him, the eating of the Bread of life.
Have you come to Christ to eat the Bread of life? Have you believed Him to never hunger and never thirst?
How blessed to know: not your believing, nor your choosing, nor your willing, nor your running made the difference.
That difference was made long before: when the Father gave you to His Son, the bread of life.
In these few words is every element of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ presented, and that from the lips of the Savior Himself.
In them is what may be called the gospel in its very essence: “I am the bread of life.”
The gospel is ultimately all about Jesus Christ, the bread of life. He is the one in whom is everlasting life, fellowship with the blessed God, enjoying His grace, mercy, and peace forever. He is the one in whom is this life for ungodly sinners, by nature the enemies of God. He is the bread of life for those dead in themselves. He is meant to be taken and eaten. Through that taking and eating He is life for those taking and eating. He is the gift of life for those that are dead.
This is the gospel of the cross: through the laying down of His life Jesus gave His life for these dead sinners, to become to them the bread of life.
Then there is the second element, the call of the gospel: “He that cometh to me.” “He that believeth on me.” In these words are represented the blessed call of that gospel to sinners and to those that are dead in their unbelief. “Come to me, to have life!” “Believe on me to live!”
Then, the third element, the promise of the gospel: “He that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” This promise connects together the gift of salvation to its recipients. Who are those that shall live forever? Who “shall never hunger”? Who “shall never thirst”? Those that come to Jesus Christ. Those that believe on Him.
A particular promise, but a particular promise generally proclaimed.
It is a particular promise because its recipients are particularly described: they, and they only, are the ones that come to Jesus. They, and they only, are the ones that believe on Him.
It is generally proclaimed, even as we read in Jesus’ words to His audience: “But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.”
Yet, there is one additional element of the gospel set out in these few words.
Whence is this particularity of the promise?
Is this particularity because of those who do come to Jesus and believe on him? Did they make the difference because of what they did? Did Jesus’ promise of everlasting life, of never hungering and of never thirsting depend for its fulfillment on them? Their coming to Jesus? Their believing on Him?
Not at all, for they are only dead of themselves.
For there is this additional element of the gospel, what lies behind the coming of every one that cometh to Jesus, and what lies behind the believing of everyone that believeth on Jesus, the bread of life.
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.”
This is the gospel of sovereign grace, the gospel of unconditional election. Faith is no condition upon which the fulfilment of the promise depends. Faith is the gift of God, the blessed fruit of His gift of the elect to the Son.
The gospel: the gift of the bread of life, Jesus Christ.
The gospel: the gift of the elect to Jesus Christ, the elect that shall come to Him, the Bread of life.
The gospel: the gift of faith to every one of those elect, the coming to Him, the believing in Him, the eating of the Bread of life.
Have you come to Christ to eat the Bread of life? Have you believed Him to never hunger and never thirst?
How blessed to know: not your believing, nor your choosing, nor your willing, nor your running made the difference.
That difference was made long before: when the Father gave you to His Son, the bread of life.
“They draw nigh that follow after mischief:
They are far from thy law.
Thou art near, O Lord;
And all thy commandments are truth.
Psalm 119:150, 151
With whom is power, power to save and destroy?
Who is to be feared?
There are those that follow after mischief. Destruction is in all their ways. The way of peace have they not known. They are bent on using their power to ruin and make desolate. Ever on the mind and in the heart is the pride of their power. They will conquer and destroy, making all in their path to feel the power of their wrath and anger.
Their pathway now they direct toward the child of God. Nearer and nearer they draw. What purposes lie in their heart? What desolation have they determined to cause? What havoc to wreak? What misery and sorrow do they intend?
They draw nigh the child of God.
But something else is true of them.
“They are far from thy law.”
The law of God they have cast behind their back. They take no heed to it, to feel its rebuke for their mischief. They refuse to repent but instead harden their heart. Further and further their footsteps decline from the law of God, even as they draw nigh to the child of God to do him mischief.
As they are far from the law of God, so is the wrath of God upon them. Their judgment looms. God’s wrath impends.
How far from them that follow after mischief is the child of God!
Far from them, by the testimony of his mouth: “Thou art near, O Lord; and all thy commandments are truth.”
Far from them, by the glorious confession: “All thy commandments are truth.”
In that confession the child of God feels wonderful, blessed peace.
Though them that follow mischief draw near, there is nothing they can do. Their mischief cannot destroy.
Why not?
Because joined to the confession, “All thy commandments are truth,” is the sovereign, gracious source of that confession, the grace and mercy of Jehovah.
The Lord is near. He is near in the grace of faith. He is near in the grace of conversion. He is near in the delight in His own law that lives in the heart of His child. He is near in the confession that comes from the mouth of His child, “All thy commandments are truth.”
Because He is Jehovah that is near, the child of God is safe.
Because Jehovah’s commandments are truth, just as all His Word, the child of God is secure.
May this be our blessed peace, whenever they that follow after mischief draw near!
“They are far from thy law.
“Thou are near, O Lord;
“And all thy commandments are truth.
They are far from thy law.
Thou art near, O Lord;
And all thy commandments are truth.
Psalm 119:150, 151
With whom is power, power to save and destroy?
Who is to be feared?
There are those that follow after mischief. Destruction is in all their ways. The way of peace have they not known. They are bent on using their power to ruin and make desolate. Ever on the mind and in the heart is the pride of their power. They will conquer and destroy, making all in their path to feel the power of their wrath and anger.
Their pathway now they direct toward the child of God. Nearer and nearer they draw. What purposes lie in their heart? What desolation have they determined to cause? What havoc to wreak? What misery and sorrow do they intend?
They draw nigh the child of God.
But something else is true of them.
“They are far from thy law.”
The law of God they have cast behind their back. They take no heed to it, to feel its rebuke for their mischief. They refuse to repent but instead harden their heart. Further and further their footsteps decline from the law of God, even as they draw nigh to the child of God to do him mischief.
As they are far from the law of God, so is the wrath of God upon them. Their judgment looms. God’s wrath impends.
How far from them that follow after mischief is the child of God!
Far from them, by the testimony of his mouth: “Thou art near, O Lord; and all thy commandments are truth.”
Far from them, by the glorious confession: “All thy commandments are truth.”
In that confession the child of God feels wonderful, blessed peace.
Though them that follow mischief draw near, there is nothing they can do. Their mischief cannot destroy.
Why not?
Because joined to the confession, “All thy commandments are truth,” is the sovereign, gracious source of that confession, the grace and mercy of Jehovah.
The Lord is near. He is near in the grace of faith. He is near in the grace of conversion. He is near in the delight in His own law that lives in the heart of His child. He is near in the confession that comes from the mouth of His child, “All thy commandments are truth.”
Because He is Jehovah that is near, the child of God is safe.
Because Jehovah’s commandments are truth, just as all His Word, the child of God is secure.
May this be our blessed peace, whenever they that follow after mischief draw near!
“They are far from thy law.
“Thou are near, O Lord;
“And all thy commandments are truth.
“According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.” Ephesians 3:11, 12
In two very different ways do these verses magnify and glorify the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
God is a God of purpose. He is a God of counsel and wisdom, of knowledge and understanding. He is a God who decrees and ordains. His counsel and decrees, though comprehending every creature and all the history of every creature, are one. They are one in purpose: the glory of God. They are one in perfection: integrated and joined together to accomplish that one purpose. They are one in their execution. No counsel or decree of the Lord is hindered or prevented, but every one must be wholly carried out in the time and history of the creation.
But all this eternal purpose God “purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Christ Jesus is the One in whom the Triune God purposed all things. Our Lord is Him in whom the living God determined and ordained all things. He is the wisdom of God, eternally with the Father, with whom the Father took counsel. But even more, that Wisdom in whom God purposed all things, is the Wisdom that must be shown to principalities and powers. He is the One that must be glorified before the eyes of the highest beings in the universe, through the unfolding of all God’s purposes in time and history.
Christ Jesus our Lord is the point of all time and history. All time and history is about Him, according to the wisdom and will of His Father, the Triune God.
So must follow the second way in which these verses magnify and glorify the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
His glory is to be the very One “in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”
We have intimate access to this God, so glorious in counsel and purpose, so mighty in the execution of His wisdom and will. Our way to Him is not shaky or fragile. Our path to Him is not questionable or doubtful. That way is not for us to take with all kinds of trepidation or hesitation, thinking that we might be discovered and cast out.
This way is for us to take with boldness. This access is for us to take with confidence.
How can that be so for us? For us who are mere creatures of dust? For us who are so sinful and corrupt?
“In Whom.”
We have boldness and access with confidence in Him in whom the eternal God purposed all things. He is our Head. We are His members. The boldness and access of confidence of our Head, the One in whom God purposed His counsel and will, is the same boldness and access of confidence of His members. We are in Him who is “flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone.”
This is our boldness and access with confidence. “In Jesus’ name.”
To help us even further with our boldness and access with confidence we have the same truth repeated at the end of this powerful expression of confidence: “by the faith of him.”
“In whom.”
“By the faith of him.”
To believe in Jesus is to have Him.
To believe on Jesus’ name is to possess Him.
It is to possess Him with all His righteousness, His wisdom, His sanctification and redemption.
It is to have Him who is ever at the right had of His Father, who continuously makes intercession for us.
Let us exercise that boldness and access with confidence as we come before God’s throne of grace in our prayers, rejoicing to pray in Jesus’ name.
Let us have all assurance that we are received with divine gladness and delight into the presence of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us seek every blessing and benefit from our heavenly Father, in the boldness and access with confidence that we shall abundantly receive out of the riches of His grace in Christ Jesus everything that we need for body and soul.
So let us magnify and glorify Christ Jesus our Lord, fulfilling the eternal purpose which God purposed in Him.
In two very different ways do these verses magnify and glorify the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
God is a God of purpose. He is a God of counsel and wisdom, of knowledge and understanding. He is a God who decrees and ordains. His counsel and decrees, though comprehending every creature and all the history of every creature, are one. They are one in purpose: the glory of God. They are one in perfection: integrated and joined together to accomplish that one purpose. They are one in their execution. No counsel or decree of the Lord is hindered or prevented, but every one must be wholly carried out in the time and history of the creation.
But all this eternal purpose God “purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Christ Jesus is the One in whom the Triune God purposed all things. Our Lord is Him in whom the living God determined and ordained all things. He is the wisdom of God, eternally with the Father, with whom the Father took counsel. But even more, that Wisdom in whom God purposed all things, is the Wisdom that must be shown to principalities and powers. He is the One that must be glorified before the eyes of the highest beings in the universe, through the unfolding of all God’s purposes in time and history.
Christ Jesus our Lord is the point of all time and history. All time and history is about Him, according to the wisdom and will of His Father, the Triune God.
So must follow the second way in which these verses magnify and glorify the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
His glory is to be the very One “in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”
We have intimate access to this God, so glorious in counsel and purpose, so mighty in the execution of His wisdom and will. Our way to Him is not shaky or fragile. Our path to Him is not questionable or doubtful. That way is not for us to take with all kinds of trepidation or hesitation, thinking that we might be discovered and cast out.
This way is for us to take with boldness. This access is for us to take with confidence.
How can that be so for us? For us who are mere creatures of dust? For us who are so sinful and corrupt?
“In Whom.”
We have boldness and access with confidence in Him in whom the eternal God purposed all things. He is our Head. We are His members. The boldness and access of confidence of our Head, the One in whom God purposed His counsel and will, is the same boldness and access of confidence of His members. We are in Him who is “flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone.”
This is our boldness and access with confidence. “In Jesus’ name.”
To help us even further with our boldness and access with confidence we have the same truth repeated at the end of this powerful expression of confidence: “by the faith of him.”
“In whom.”
“By the faith of him.”
To believe in Jesus is to have Him.
To believe on Jesus’ name is to possess Him.
It is to possess Him with all His righteousness, His wisdom, His sanctification and redemption.
It is to have Him who is ever at the right had of His Father, who continuously makes intercession for us.
Let us exercise that boldness and access with confidence as we come before God’s throne of grace in our prayers, rejoicing to pray in Jesus’ name.
Let us have all assurance that we are received with divine gladness and delight into the presence of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us seek every blessing and benefit from our heavenly Father, in the boldness and access with confidence that we shall abundantly receive out of the riches of His grace in Christ Jesus everything that we need for body and soul.
So let us magnify and glorify Christ Jesus our Lord, fulfilling the eternal purpose which God purposed in Him.
“The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” Psalm 118:22, 23
“Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him by your fear, and let him by your dread. And he shall be for a sanctuary ; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.” Isaiah 8:13, 14
“Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” Isaiah 28:16
“Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole; This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:10, 11
What must draw our attention to the prophecy of the above Scriptures is that their truth is declared plainly over and over on the pages of Holy Scripture. In the above words is a recurring theme running through the Bible.
What is that theme?
There was a stone.
This stone had been chosen by God as the cornerstone for His glorious work. But when God presented this cornerstone to builders, the builders refused it. Despite their refusal, God laid it in Zion anyway, to make it the chief cornerstone. Throughout the history that follows, when the cornerstone is presented to so many, they stumble and fall. It is forever “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence.” But there are others who find it precious and glorious. They build on it, with the result that they are not ashamed or confounded, but find everlasting peace.
What is most striking about this passage is not only that it recurs throughout the Bible. It is therefore clearly meant by the Holy Spirit, the author of the sacred book, to be striking to the Christian. But it is also striking because it both runs to the very heart of the gospel and it speaks of both effects of the gospel. It concerns Christ, both His crucifixion and His resurrection. And it concerns the two-fold effect of the preaching of the gospel of Christ. There are those that stumble and fall, as well as those that are saved: all by the cornerstone.
There is ultimately one reason for this prophecy and all its fulfillment.
That reason is given in Acts 4:11, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Christ alone.
The cornerstone.
There is no other name.
There is no other cornerstone.
There is no other name, and there is no other cornerstone, because God has so chosen.
But men are condemned to rebel. They cannot have “no other name.” They cannot abide “no other cornerstone.” They must have freedom to choose their own way, they own path. They must have part of themselves in their salvation. Pride of choice and pride of merit must have its place, whether in whole or in part.
So men stumble and fall. They stumble and fall at the cornerstone. They stumble and fall because they have been ordained. (2 Peter 2:8) They stumble and fall because it was prophesied of them. (Isaiah 8:13, 14)
So both the houses of Israel stumbled and fell at the cornerstone, offended by His perfect righteousness as the fulfillment of the law. They stumbled and fell, rejecting the cornerstone by nailing Him to the cross and lifting Him up from the earth.
It matters not.
Though men reject the cornerstone from the beginning to the present, it is still the cornerstone that God has laid in Zion.
Even through their stumbling and falling, through their rejection of the cornerstone, God laid Him as the chief cornerstone of His church. Such was the glory He gave to His Son, raising Him from the dead, bringing Him to the glory of heaven, and giving Him His glorious place at His own right hand.
So is the promise true: He that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
So is the cornerstone proclaimed in all His glory. So is the glorious call of the gospel: Fall upon the cornerstone, relying upon Him and building upon Him, the only sure foundation! (Matthew 21:44)
So we hear, and so we believe, by the irresistible grace of God, falling upon this cornerstone.
Falling on this cornerstone we find the glorious promise to be true: We are not ashamed, but are saved. Built upon the cornerstone we do not make haste, rushing here and there, looking for more or for something else. But we find in our beloved Cornerstone all we need for this life and the life to come.
So we must come to know the entire work of the glorious Cornerstone Himself: “Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)
“Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him by your fear, and let him by your dread. And he shall be for a sanctuary ; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.” Isaiah 8:13, 14
“Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” Isaiah 28:16
“Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole; This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:10, 11
What must draw our attention to the prophecy of the above Scriptures is that their truth is declared plainly over and over on the pages of Holy Scripture. In the above words is a recurring theme running through the Bible.
What is that theme?
There was a stone.
This stone had been chosen by God as the cornerstone for His glorious work. But when God presented this cornerstone to builders, the builders refused it. Despite their refusal, God laid it in Zion anyway, to make it the chief cornerstone. Throughout the history that follows, when the cornerstone is presented to so many, they stumble and fall. It is forever “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence.” But there are others who find it precious and glorious. They build on it, with the result that they are not ashamed or confounded, but find everlasting peace.
What is most striking about this passage is not only that it recurs throughout the Bible. It is therefore clearly meant by the Holy Spirit, the author of the sacred book, to be striking to the Christian. But it is also striking because it both runs to the very heart of the gospel and it speaks of both effects of the gospel. It concerns Christ, both His crucifixion and His resurrection. And it concerns the two-fold effect of the preaching of the gospel of Christ. There are those that stumble and fall, as well as those that are saved: all by the cornerstone.
There is ultimately one reason for this prophecy and all its fulfillment.
That reason is given in Acts 4:11, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Christ alone.
The cornerstone.
There is no other name.
There is no other cornerstone.
There is no other name, and there is no other cornerstone, because God has so chosen.
But men are condemned to rebel. They cannot have “no other name.” They cannot abide “no other cornerstone.” They must have freedom to choose their own way, they own path. They must have part of themselves in their salvation. Pride of choice and pride of merit must have its place, whether in whole or in part.
So men stumble and fall. They stumble and fall at the cornerstone. They stumble and fall because they have been ordained. (2 Peter 2:8) They stumble and fall because it was prophesied of them. (Isaiah 8:13, 14)
So both the houses of Israel stumbled and fell at the cornerstone, offended by His perfect righteousness as the fulfillment of the law. They stumbled and fell, rejecting the cornerstone by nailing Him to the cross and lifting Him up from the earth.
It matters not.
Though men reject the cornerstone from the beginning to the present, it is still the cornerstone that God has laid in Zion.
Even through their stumbling and falling, through their rejection of the cornerstone, God laid Him as the chief cornerstone of His church. Such was the glory He gave to His Son, raising Him from the dead, bringing Him to the glory of heaven, and giving Him His glorious place at His own right hand.
So is the promise true: He that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
So is the cornerstone proclaimed in all His glory. So is the glorious call of the gospel: Fall upon the cornerstone, relying upon Him and building upon Him, the only sure foundation! (Matthew 21:44)
So we hear, and so we believe, by the irresistible grace of God, falling upon this cornerstone.
Falling on this cornerstone we find the glorious promise to be true: We are not ashamed, but are saved. Built upon the cornerstone we do not make haste, rushing here and there, looking for more or for something else. But we find in our beloved Cornerstone all we need for this life and the life to come.
So we must come to know the entire work of the glorious Cornerstone Himself: “Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)
“For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14
“It is finished.” John 19:30
Powerful is the relationship between these two verses in holy Scripture.
For they both refer to the same thing: the offering of Jesus Christ on the cross.
But there is far more that unites them.
They both say exactly the same thing about that offering of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Exactly the same.
For they both use the same word in the original Greek. That word means to bring to the complete and perfect end, exactly as planned and designed.
So said Jesus about the offering that He made of Himself on the cross, body and soul, to the justice of God for its complete satisfaction for sinners: “It is finished.”
He came to give His life a ransom for many. That ransom He paid with His suffering on the tree of the cross. That ransom He paid in full, to the complete satisfaction of God.
“It is finished.”
So said the Holy Spirit about “them that are sanctified.”
In them the Holy Spirit dwells. He dwells in them with the might and power of Jesus Christ, whose Saviour He is, and who renews them by His Spirit after His own image. The Holy Spirit sanctifies them so that they love God and serve and worship Him, walking in the way of His commandments.
About them that the Holy Spirit says these words: “He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.”
“He hath perfected forever.”
Their perfect end is in view, according to the design of God. With that end in view, them that are sanctified are constantly and continually brought forward. Such is the manner in which they are brought forward that they must be perfected. Each and every one of them that are sanctified must be brought to that perfect end of glory.
By whom?
By Jesus Christ, the captain of their salvation, the author and finisher of their faith.
By what?
“For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.”
By the offering He made on the cross of Calvary.
By that offering, in that offering, through that offering, made once for all, is the holy perfection of all the church of Jesus Christ.
“It is finished!”
As you fight the good fight of faith, as you strive against sin, and as you endeavor to keep God’s commandments, know that in all your efforts that you are being sanctified by Christ through His Holy Spirit. All that effort is His sanctifying and consecrating you, applying to you the power of His one offering on the cross. As you persevere in that battle, and keep in that way of God’s commandments, know that perseverance itself to be the glorious fruit of that one offering, bringing you to your perfect end.
Why?
Because by that one offering of Christ is your perfection.
Such must be your perfect place in the perfection of heaven.
Such must be your perfect standing at the end of time.
Such must be your perfected nature of body and soul, free of all sin forever and ever.
“It is finished!”
(Belgic Confession, Article 21)
“It is finished.” John 19:30
Powerful is the relationship between these two verses in holy Scripture.
For they both refer to the same thing: the offering of Jesus Christ on the cross.
But there is far more that unites them.
They both say exactly the same thing about that offering of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Exactly the same.
For they both use the same word in the original Greek. That word means to bring to the complete and perfect end, exactly as planned and designed.
So said Jesus about the offering that He made of Himself on the cross, body and soul, to the justice of God for its complete satisfaction for sinners: “It is finished.”
He came to give His life a ransom for many. That ransom He paid with His suffering on the tree of the cross. That ransom He paid in full, to the complete satisfaction of God.
“It is finished.”
So said the Holy Spirit about “them that are sanctified.”
In them the Holy Spirit dwells. He dwells in them with the might and power of Jesus Christ, whose Saviour He is, and who renews them by His Spirit after His own image. The Holy Spirit sanctifies them so that they love God and serve and worship Him, walking in the way of His commandments.
About them that the Holy Spirit says these words: “He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.”
“He hath perfected forever.”
Their perfect end is in view, according to the design of God. With that end in view, them that are sanctified are constantly and continually brought forward. Such is the manner in which they are brought forward that they must be perfected. Each and every one of them that are sanctified must be brought to that perfect end of glory.
By whom?
By Jesus Christ, the captain of their salvation, the author and finisher of their faith.
By what?
“For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.”
By the offering He made on the cross of Calvary.
By that offering, in that offering, through that offering, made once for all, is the holy perfection of all the church of Jesus Christ.
“It is finished!”
As you fight the good fight of faith, as you strive against sin, and as you endeavor to keep God’s commandments, know that in all your efforts that you are being sanctified by Christ through His Holy Spirit. All that effort is His sanctifying and consecrating you, applying to you the power of His one offering on the cross. As you persevere in that battle, and keep in that way of God’s commandments, know that perseverance itself to be the glorious fruit of that one offering, bringing you to your perfect end.
Why?
Because by that one offering of Christ is your perfection.
Such must be your perfect place in the perfection of heaven.
Such must be your perfect standing at the end of time.
Such must be your perfected nature of body and soul, free of all sin forever and ever.
“It is finished!”
(Belgic Confession, Article 21)
The chastisement of our peace was upon him;
And with his stripes we are healed.
--Isaiah 53:5
Yes, He was wounded for our transgressions.
Yes, He was bruised for our iniquities.
We had our transgressions and iniquities. We are the guilty sinners, under wrath and condemnation, by nature children of wrath. We are in need of deliverance. We need deliverance from the wounds of God’s wrath in everlasting torment. We need salvation from the crushing weight of the everlasting condemnation of hell.
So the arm of Jehovah made itself manifest. So the righteous servant of Jehovah came in the likeness of our sinful flesh. He came to be wounded for our transgressions. He came to be bruised for our iniquities. He came to suffer and die on the cross for our sins.
We have purpose and intention. We have the work accomplished. He was wounded, and He was bruised.
What is the effect? What is the result?
Is there atonement? Is their reconciliation? Is there forgiveness and salvation?
We have peace, even “our peace.”
We have peace with Jehovah.
Atonement has been made. Reconciliation has been accomplished. All enmity is put away forever and ever. Wrath is sent away. Condemnation is gone. Now there is peace.
There is wonderful shalom between Jehovah and us. There are fulness of blessings and goodness laid up in store, to be received and enjoyed through faith. There is the resulting fulness of joy, the abundant treasury of the kingdom of heaven poured into our hearts with the Holy Spirit. There is the assured confidence of faith that nothing can be against us, but that all things are for us.
Because the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.
That chastisement was the heavy hand of Jehovah upon His own arm, His own servant. Though He had done no wrong, He was yet punished.
What of those blows? What of those wounds and piercings? What of those bruises and marks?
As we read of them and ponder them, we must know them to be altogether this: the chastisement of our peace.
As certainly as He endured the chastisement of Jehovah upon Him, that certain is our peace.
And with His stripes we are healed.
So must we think of every mark laid on the body of our Saviour in all His sufferings. Such are the marks of the bruises on His face from the fists and hands of the Jewish council. Such are the piercings of His brow pouring out blood from His head. Such are the batterings He endured from the Roman soldiers. Such are the stripes on His back from the punishing scourge. Such are the holes of the nails and the piercing of His side.
With those stripes of our dear Saviour we are healed.
With them we are healed of the judgments of our transgressions and iniquities.
With them we are healed of the blindness of our ignorance and the hardness of our hearts in unbelief.
With them we are healed of the evil lusts of our flesh, no longer to reign and rule in our hearts.
With them we are raised from our death in trespasses and sins by nature.
With those stripes of our Saviour we are healed to turn to the light, with softened hearts to seek the Lord and His truth.
With them we are healed to believe unto forgiveness and justification, coming to this arm of the Lord Himself.
With them we are healed to righteousness and holiness, to walk with uprightness in the land of the living, to glorify the Lord as new creatures of His grace.
Why?
Always to go back to the wonderful source of our peace and of our healing.
Always to boast, only to boast in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Where the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.
Where with His stripes we are healed.
And with his stripes we are healed.
--Isaiah 53:5
Yes, He was wounded for our transgressions.
Yes, He was bruised for our iniquities.
We had our transgressions and iniquities. We are the guilty sinners, under wrath and condemnation, by nature children of wrath. We are in need of deliverance. We need deliverance from the wounds of God’s wrath in everlasting torment. We need salvation from the crushing weight of the everlasting condemnation of hell.
So the arm of Jehovah made itself manifest. So the righteous servant of Jehovah came in the likeness of our sinful flesh. He came to be wounded for our transgressions. He came to be bruised for our iniquities. He came to suffer and die on the cross for our sins.
We have purpose and intention. We have the work accomplished. He was wounded, and He was bruised.
What is the effect? What is the result?
Is there atonement? Is their reconciliation? Is there forgiveness and salvation?
We have peace, even “our peace.”
We have peace with Jehovah.
Atonement has been made. Reconciliation has been accomplished. All enmity is put away forever and ever. Wrath is sent away. Condemnation is gone. Now there is peace.
There is wonderful shalom between Jehovah and us. There are fulness of blessings and goodness laid up in store, to be received and enjoyed through faith. There is the resulting fulness of joy, the abundant treasury of the kingdom of heaven poured into our hearts with the Holy Spirit. There is the assured confidence of faith that nothing can be against us, but that all things are for us.
Because the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.
That chastisement was the heavy hand of Jehovah upon His own arm, His own servant. Though He had done no wrong, He was yet punished.
What of those blows? What of those wounds and piercings? What of those bruises and marks?
As we read of them and ponder them, we must know them to be altogether this: the chastisement of our peace.
As certainly as He endured the chastisement of Jehovah upon Him, that certain is our peace.
And with His stripes we are healed.
So must we think of every mark laid on the body of our Saviour in all His sufferings. Such are the marks of the bruises on His face from the fists and hands of the Jewish council. Such are the piercings of His brow pouring out blood from His head. Such are the batterings He endured from the Roman soldiers. Such are the stripes on His back from the punishing scourge. Such are the holes of the nails and the piercing of His side.
With those stripes of our dear Saviour we are healed.
With them we are healed of the judgments of our transgressions and iniquities.
With them we are healed of the blindness of our ignorance and the hardness of our hearts in unbelief.
With them we are healed of the evil lusts of our flesh, no longer to reign and rule in our hearts.
With them we are raised from our death in trespasses and sins by nature.
With those stripes of our Saviour we are healed to turn to the light, with softened hearts to seek the Lord and His truth.
With them we are healed to believe unto forgiveness and justification, coming to this arm of the Lord Himself.
With them we are healed to righteousness and holiness, to walk with uprightness in the land of the living, to glorify the Lord as new creatures of His grace.
Why?
Always to go back to the wonderful source of our peace and of our healing.
Always to boast, only to boast in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Where the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.
Where with His stripes we are healed.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities.
--Isaiah 53:5
He was wounded.
Pierced at so many points in His head by the thorns of the crown placed upon it, every thorn driven in more deeply to penetrate by the blows rained on his head by the cruel Roman soldiers.
Wounded over and over again at His scourging, the scourge tearing the flesh off His back with the bits of metal and stone fastened in each end of the branches of that cruel instrument. Each lash driving deeper and deeper into His flesh, tearing away more and more flesh, exposing more and more nerves.
Wounded in His hands and feet, the rough Roman nails driven by so many hammer-blows through them, fastening Him to the cross. Wounds made wider and more painful by the weight of His body tearing constantly at them, every shifting and turning of His body adding to the excruciating pain.
Wounded in His side, by the Roman spear thrust there, letting out blood and water, ensuring that, indeed, the One hanging there was truly dead.
But just as He was wounded in His body, so was He wounded in His heart and soul. He was wounded with His many sorrows. Piercing His heart was His betrayal by the traitor Judas. Piercing His heart was His abandonment by His disciples. Piercing His heart was His accusation and sentence of blasphemy and condemnation to death, howsoever false and wrong. Piercing His heart were the slanderous words flung at Him with such hateful scorn and derision.
He was bruised.
Bruised was he in His face and Head, by the punches thrown at Him by the members of the Jewish council. In their hatred they had blindfolded him, to demand of Him to prophesy who had struck Him.
Bruised was he by the Roman soldiers, striking Him here and there with the scepter that they had first place in His hand. With all the weight of their many blows, they poured out their hatred and contempt for this people of the Jews upon their King.
He was wounded. He was bruised.
How could He? How could this servant of Jehovah, this arm of the Lord revealed?
For He is Jehovah, the Almighty God! He is holy and righteous. He is God incarnate, very God of very God.
How could He possibly suffer such treatment at the hands of men?
How could the living God have His beloved Son endure such abuse?
For our transgressions.
For our iniquities.
Our transgressions and our iniquities were the cause of His wounds.
Our transgressions and our iniquities were the cause of His bruises.
We were the cause of every piercing that went into His body and heart.
We were the cause of every bruise that left its mark upon His body and soul.
Such was the nature of our transgressions and iniquities: to free us from them required every wound and every bruise He endured.
So was He wounded.
So was He bruised.
So by faith let us know those blessed wounds and bruises of our beloved Saviour. Let us know them to be the marks of our salvation and our deliverance. In them let us rejoice to know our salvation and consolation, our peace and our comfort.
Wounded.
Bruised.
For us.
He was bruised for our iniquities.
--Isaiah 53:5
He was wounded.
Pierced at so many points in His head by the thorns of the crown placed upon it, every thorn driven in more deeply to penetrate by the blows rained on his head by the cruel Roman soldiers.
Wounded over and over again at His scourging, the scourge tearing the flesh off His back with the bits of metal and stone fastened in each end of the branches of that cruel instrument. Each lash driving deeper and deeper into His flesh, tearing away more and more flesh, exposing more and more nerves.
Wounded in His hands and feet, the rough Roman nails driven by so many hammer-blows through them, fastening Him to the cross. Wounds made wider and more painful by the weight of His body tearing constantly at them, every shifting and turning of His body adding to the excruciating pain.
Wounded in His side, by the Roman spear thrust there, letting out blood and water, ensuring that, indeed, the One hanging there was truly dead.
But just as He was wounded in His body, so was He wounded in His heart and soul. He was wounded with His many sorrows. Piercing His heart was His betrayal by the traitor Judas. Piercing His heart was His abandonment by His disciples. Piercing His heart was His accusation and sentence of blasphemy and condemnation to death, howsoever false and wrong. Piercing His heart were the slanderous words flung at Him with such hateful scorn and derision.
He was bruised.
Bruised was he in His face and Head, by the punches thrown at Him by the members of the Jewish council. In their hatred they had blindfolded him, to demand of Him to prophesy who had struck Him.
Bruised was he by the Roman soldiers, striking Him here and there with the scepter that they had first place in His hand. With all the weight of their many blows, they poured out their hatred and contempt for this people of the Jews upon their King.
He was wounded. He was bruised.
How could He? How could this servant of Jehovah, this arm of the Lord revealed?
For He is Jehovah, the Almighty God! He is holy and righteous. He is God incarnate, very God of very God.
How could He possibly suffer such treatment at the hands of men?
How could the living God have His beloved Son endure such abuse?
For our transgressions.
For our iniquities.
Our transgressions and our iniquities were the cause of His wounds.
Our transgressions and our iniquities were the cause of His bruises.
We were the cause of every piercing that went into His body and heart.
We were the cause of every bruise that left its mark upon His body and soul.
Such was the nature of our transgressions and iniquities: to free us from them required every wound and every bruise He endured.
So was He wounded.
So was He bruised.
So by faith let us know those blessed wounds and bruises of our beloved Saviour. Let us know them to be the marks of our salvation and our deliverance. In them let us rejoice to know our salvation and consolation, our peace and our comfort.
Wounded.
Bruised.
For us.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom:
And the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10
Wisdom starts with someone small and another great.
Wisdom starts with those two next to one another, knit and joined together with cords of love.
With these two next to each other, so joined to each other, the small must become smaller and the great must become greater.
Such is the beginning of wisdom.
How to be wise?
How to live properly in this world? How to use to advantage all that you have, from your life, to your strength, to your abilities, to the resources at your disposal, to your position in society, in church, in home, and in school? How to array your heart, mind, and soul inwardly, aiming them and keeping them aimed in the right direction, toward the right goal? In your outward conduct, how to control your actions to the best end, in harmony with the direction of your heart? How to live a life of joy and happiness, of true peace and prosperity?
There is only one beginning: the fear of the Lord.
What is that fear?
That fear means that you must become smaller and smaller, less and less significant. You must simply amount to nothing, of no value or worth. You must become empty, weak, foolish and vain. Your self cannot be your aim or goal. All pride must be driven out as the barrier to all wisdom.
That exercise is not meant to take place by itself. Its proper focus cannot be yourself. If left with only yourself as nothing, then you have not begun in wisdom at all.
All your self-reduction and self-loss must be done in the blessedness of covenant fellowship with your God.
Why must you become less and less? Why must you empty yourself, stripping away all the folly of your pride?
Because your God is so great.
Because He is so great in glory and honour, in majesty and dominion. Because He is so great in power and strength, in wisdom and understanding. Because He is so great in wrath and indignation, as well as in loving kindness and tender mercy.
Because He has demonstrated all His greatness in the wonder of your salvation by the cross of Jesus Christ. By that cross He has brought you near to Him, in bonds and ties of the fellowship of His eternal, glorious love.
The greatness of that love must stir in your heart the proper fear of the Lord. How great, how unsearchable, how wonderful are the depths of that love that brought you near to Him! How unworthy you are of that love that brought you near to Him, even you, that poor, wretched sinful mass of dust! Here is fear to make you tremble with awe and reverence before the Lord. Here is the proper fear, never to separate between you and your gracious God, but to bring you nearer and nearer to Him.
To make you smaller and smaller, and your God greater and greater.
To give you the blessed and glorious beginning of wisdom.
At the same time, here is also understanding, the true understanding of wisdom.
In that fear is knowledge, intimate knowledge of your covenant God. In His love He is your God, and you are His, belonging to Him in body and soul, in life and in death. In the bond of that love, He must be all in all, the aim and goal of your life.
Such is the knowledge of the holy, the saints.
In that knowledge is all proper understanding. They distinguish. They differentiate. They see with understanding. They see that, yes, they are nothing. They see that, yes, God is their all. In that understanding they live, not to themselves, but unto their God.
In that fear of the Lord, keep your beginning of wisdom through to the end.
In the knowledge of the holy, walk and live with understanding.
All to the glory of your God.
And the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10
Wisdom starts with someone small and another great.
Wisdom starts with those two next to one another, knit and joined together with cords of love.
With these two next to each other, so joined to each other, the small must become smaller and the great must become greater.
Such is the beginning of wisdom.
How to be wise?
How to live properly in this world? How to use to advantage all that you have, from your life, to your strength, to your abilities, to the resources at your disposal, to your position in society, in church, in home, and in school? How to array your heart, mind, and soul inwardly, aiming them and keeping them aimed in the right direction, toward the right goal? In your outward conduct, how to control your actions to the best end, in harmony with the direction of your heart? How to live a life of joy and happiness, of true peace and prosperity?
There is only one beginning: the fear of the Lord.
What is that fear?
That fear means that you must become smaller and smaller, less and less significant. You must simply amount to nothing, of no value or worth. You must become empty, weak, foolish and vain. Your self cannot be your aim or goal. All pride must be driven out as the barrier to all wisdom.
That exercise is not meant to take place by itself. Its proper focus cannot be yourself. If left with only yourself as nothing, then you have not begun in wisdom at all.
All your self-reduction and self-loss must be done in the blessedness of covenant fellowship with your God.
Why must you become less and less? Why must you empty yourself, stripping away all the folly of your pride?
Because your God is so great.
Because He is so great in glory and honour, in majesty and dominion. Because He is so great in power and strength, in wisdom and understanding. Because He is so great in wrath and indignation, as well as in loving kindness and tender mercy.
Because He has demonstrated all His greatness in the wonder of your salvation by the cross of Jesus Christ. By that cross He has brought you near to Him, in bonds and ties of the fellowship of His eternal, glorious love.
The greatness of that love must stir in your heart the proper fear of the Lord. How great, how unsearchable, how wonderful are the depths of that love that brought you near to Him! How unworthy you are of that love that brought you near to Him, even you, that poor, wretched sinful mass of dust! Here is fear to make you tremble with awe and reverence before the Lord. Here is the proper fear, never to separate between you and your gracious God, but to bring you nearer and nearer to Him.
To make you smaller and smaller, and your God greater and greater.
To give you the blessed and glorious beginning of wisdom.
At the same time, here is also understanding, the true understanding of wisdom.
In that fear is knowledge, intimate knowledge of your covenant God. In His love He is your God, and you are His, belonging to Him in body and soul, in life and in death. In the bond of that love, He must be all in all, the aim and goal of your life.
Such is the knowledge of the holy, the saints.
In that knowledge is all proper understanding. They distinguish. They differentiate. They see with understanding. They see that, yes, they are nothing. They see that, yes, God is their all. In that understanding they live, not to themselves, but unto their God.
In that fear of the Lord, keep your beginning of wisdom through to the end.
In the knowledge of the holy, walk and live with understanding.
All to the glory of your God.
“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
Blessed new covenant!
Blessed new covenant, for with the former, old covenant God found its fault.
That old covenant God made with the fathers of Israel. He made it “in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.”
What was the fault of that old covenant?
“Which my covenant they brake.” (verse 32)
Israel broke Jehovah’s covenant with them. They did not remain faithful. They did not remain obedient. They worshipped false, idol gods. They trusted in the strength of other nations for their peace and protection. They made alliances with the enemies of the Lord. They lied, stole, committed adultery and murder.
Under that old covenant Israel could not be the covenant people of God. Under the judgments of that covenant, they were cast off and given over to their enemies for their destruction.
Israel broke covenant.
So the Lord would graciously make a new covenant.
That covenant must be not be according to that old covenant. It must be a covenant that does not depend on the covenant-breaker for its fulfillment and realization in any way.
It must be a new covenant of grace, without works. It must be a new covenant that does not depend on man, the covenant-breaker. It must be a new covenant that depends on Jehovah alone.
What is its newness?
“After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
Under the old covenant, obedience was required.
Under the new covenant, required obedience is graciously provided.
Under the new covenant, required obedience is provided by Jehovah’s own righteousness, the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Under the new covenant, required obedience is provided by Jehovah’s own sacrificial offering, the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Under the new covenant, required obedience is provided by Jehovah’s own Spirit, by which Christ renews His covenant people to every good work of obedience to the law.
“I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts.”
So will God be the God of His people, the house of Israel.
So will God’s people, the house of Israel, be God’s people.
In this new covenant live and walk before your God. In this new covenant worship and serve Jehovah. In this new covenant, in your living and walking, in your worship and service, show forth its glorious, gracious benefit. “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts.”
Blessed new covenant!
Blessed new covenant, for with the former, old covenant God found its fault.
That old covenant God made with the fathers of Israel. He made it “in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.”
What was the fault of that old covenant?
“Which my covenant they brake.” (verse 32)
Israel broke Jehovah’s covenant with them. They did not remain faithful. They did not remain obedient. They worshipped false, idol gods. They trusted in the strength of other nations for their peace and protection. They made alliances with the enemies of the Lord. They lied, stole, committed adultery and murder.
Under that old covenant Israel could not be the covenant people of God. Under the judgments of that covenant, they were cast off and given over to their enemies for their destruction.
Israel broke covenant.
So the Lord would graciously make a new covenant.
That covenant must be not be according to that old covenant. It must be a covenant that does not depend on the covenant-breaker for its fulfillment and realization in any way.
It must be a new covenant of grace, without works. It must be a new covenant that does not depend on man, the covenant-breaker. It must be a new covenant that depends on Jehovah alone.
What is its newness?
“After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
Under the old covenant, obedience was required.
Under the new covenant, required obedience is graciously provided.
Under the new covenant, required obedience is provided by Jehovah’s own righteousness, the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Under the new covenant, required obedience is provided by Jehovah’s own sacrificial offering, the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Under the new covenant, required obedience is provided by Jehovah’s own Spirit, by which Christ renews His covenant people to every good work of obedience to the law.
“I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts.”
So will God be the God of His people, the house of Israel.
So will God’s people, the house of Israel, be God’s people.
In this new covenant live and walk before your God. In this new covenant worship and serve Jehovah. In this new covenant, in your living and walking, in your worship and service, show forth its glorious, gracious benefit. “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts.”
“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” Acts 2:41
The presence and power of the Holy Spirit, poured out from on high by the risen and ascended Christ, sitting at the right hand of the Father!
What was the proof of that holy presence and power?
Surely it was in the signs of the Spirit. It was in the sound as of a rushing, mighty wind. It was in the cloven tongues, like as of fire, upon the heads of the hundred and twenty disciples of Christ gathered in the upper room.
But it was also manifested in the bold preaching of the apostle Peter: Peter, who before denied his Lord three times, now filled with the Holy Spirit, to confront the gathered multitude with their wicked deeds.
And it was manifested in the addition of three thousand souls to that original company of one hundred and twenty.
Who were these three thousand souls?
How did Peter describe them, led by the Spirit? “Ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” (Acts 2:23) “... that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified...” (Acts 2:36)
They were guilty. The blood of Jesus Christ stained their wicked hands.
But what happened?
“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart.”
They said, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
Peter, led by the Spirit answered, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ . . .”
Then it followed: “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized.”
Yes!
Peter preached. The multitude heard. The multitude received his word and were baptized.
Whose work? Whose doing?
Was it Peter who added with his preaching? Was it the one hundred and twenty that added with their speech in so many languages, telling the wonderful works of God? Was it the three thousand that added with their faith and repentance?
No. Not at all.
“The same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
We read a little further the same words, “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” (Acts 2:47)
It was sovereign, effectual grace that added to the church, according to the doctrine of gracious election.
It was Christ, who showed Himself faithful to the glorious word of promise He gave in Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Faithful then and faithful now our Lord continues.
Have you received the Word? Have you repented? Have you believed?
Do you receive the Word? Do you repent? Do you believe?
Why? How?
The Lord has added you to His church, just as He did those three thousand in Acts 2.
Be thankful it was not you by your faith and by your repentance that you added yourself to the church.
If it were your work it could not endure. You could not keep your place in the church.
But whom the Lord adds, he never subtracts. Whom He takes in, He never casts out.
So may the Lord continually add “to the church daily such as should be saved.”
The presence and power of the Holy Spirit, poured out from on high by the risen and ascended Christ, sitting at the right hand of the Father!
What was the proof of that holy presence and power?
Surely it was in the signs of the Spirit. It was in the sound as of a rushing, mighty wind. It was in the cloven tongues, like as of fire, upon the heads of the hundred and twenty disciples of Christ gathered in the upper room.
But it was also manifested in the bold preaching of the apostle Peter: Peter, who before denied his Lord three times, now filled with the Holy Spirit, to confront the gathered multitude with their wicked deeds.
And it was manifested in the addition of three thousand souls to that original company of one hundred and twenty.
Who were these three thousand souls?
How did Peter describe them, led by the Spirit? “Ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” (Acts 2:23) “... that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified...” (Acts 2:36)
They were guilty. The blood of Jesus Christ stained their wicked hands.
But what happened?
“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart.”
They said, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
Peter, led by the Spirit answered, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ . . .”
Then it followed: “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized.”
Yes!
Peter preached. The multitude heard. The multitude received his word and were baptized.
Whose work? Whose doing?
Was it Peter who added with his preaching? Was it the one hundred and twenty that added with their speech in so many languages, telling the wonderful works of God? Was it the three thousand that added with their faith and repentance?
No. Not at all.
“The same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
We read a little further the same words, “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” (Acts 2:47)
It was sovereign, effectual grace that added to the church, according to the doctrine of gracious election.
It was Christ, who showed Himself faithful to the glorious word of promise He gave in Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Faithful then and faithful now our Lord continues.
Have you received the Word? Have you repented? Have you believed?
Do you receive the Word? Do you repent? Do you believe?
Why? How?
The Lord has added you to His church, just as He did those three thousand in Acts 2.
Be thankful it was not you by your faith and by your repentance that you added yourself to the church.
If it were your work it could not endure. You could not keep your place in the church.
But whom the Lord adds, he never subtracts. Whom He takes in, He never casts out.
So may the Lord continually add “to the church daily such as should be saved.”
“For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.” II Corinthians 5:4
In this present age, it is the blessedness of the church to know who they are.Who are they?
“We that are in this tabernacle.”
No house. No citizenship. No place here to call home.
Only a tent to dwell in, a tabernacle. A tent to pitch, then to take down, to roll up, and to carry to another place to pitch again. And when the tent is worn out, to throw it away.
Such is the church of Jesus Christ, “in this tabernacle,” that is, the tabernacle of their earthly, corruptible bodies.
To be found in such a tabernacle is a wonder of grace.
To be sure, these earthly, corruptible bodies they share with the rest of the human race. They inherited them with the rest of humanity from their first parents, Adam and Eve, whose bodies were made corruptible under the just judgment of God.
But it was not from Adam and Eve that their bodies were made into these tabernacles.
It was the grace of God in Jesus Christ that made them tabernacles. the promise of everlasting life in a new heavens and new earth. It was the grace of Him who is the resurrection and the life. It is by the firstfruits of them that slept.
That grace transformed our earthly bodies. Having the same qualities of corruption, humility, and dishonor, they are now tabernacles. They are only temporary, serving only for a time, and when that time is over, to leave them behind, to enter into immortality, this “building of God, an house not made with hand, eternal in the heavens.” (II Corinthians 5:1)
In these earthly bodies we groan. We groan over our aches and pains. We groan over our limitations and weaknesses. We groan over the knowledge of fellow saints, and the great groanings that they sometimes endure in their bodies.
These groanings are also burdens. They accumulate. With their accumulation they rest upon our hearts and souls, becoming more and more grievous.
Why do we groan? Why are we burdened? Why are we so afflicted?
Because every groan tells us that the fabric of our tent is getting worn and thin. That sharp pain is such a thinness that will soon become a hole. That dull ache is a sign of a seam that is beginning to tear apart because of the stress of the years passing by. Every burden declares the fraying of the rope and the loosening of the stakes pounded before into the ground.
Our groaning is a groaning of hope. Our being burdened is being burdened by hope. For we do not groan like the world, merely to be unclothed. We are not burdened like the world, merely to be unclothed. We groan to be clothed. We are burdened to be clothed upon. Every groaning is a sign of newness. Every burden is a pledge of immortality.
We bear our morality in order to have it swallowed up of life!
That blessed, glorious, joyful life is coming. It is our sure inheritance, secured in eternal election, purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ, shown in His resurrection from the dead, sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise through faith, and pledged to us in our own regeneration from our spiritual death.
So let us groan. So let us be burdened. So let us carry on in our frail and worn tents, assured that we shall one day joyfully discard them to take up our building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
In this present age, it is the blessedness of the church to know who they are.Who are they?
“We that are in this tabernacle.”
No house. No citizenship. No place here to call home.
Only a tent to dwell in, a tabernacle. A tent to pitch, then to take down, to roll up, and to carry to another place to pitch again. And when the tent is worn out, to throw it away.
Such is the church of Jesus Christ, “in this tabernacle,” that is, the tabernacle of their earthly, corruptible bodies.
To be found in such a tabernacle is a wonder of grace.
To be sure, these earthly, corruptible bodies they share with the rest of the human race. They inherited them with the rest of humanity from their first parents, Adam and Eve, whose bodies were made corruptible under the just judgment of God.
But it was not from Adam and Eve that their bodies were made into these tabernacles.
It was the grace of God in Jesus Christ that made them tabernacles. the promise of everlasting life in a new heavens and new earth. It was the grace of Him who is the resurrection and the life. It is by the firstfruits of them that slept.
That grace transformed our earthly bodies. Having the same qualities of corruption, humility, and dishonor, they are now tabernacles. They are only temporary, serving only for a time, and when that time is over, to leave them behind, to enter into immortality, this “building of God, an house not made with hand, eternal in the heavens.” (II Corinthians 5:1)
In these earthly bodies we groan. We groan over our aches and pains. We groan over our limitations and weaknesses. We groan over the knowledge of fellow saints, and the great groanings that they sometimes endure in their bodies.
These groanings are also burdens. They accumulate. With their accumulation they rest upon our hearts and souls, becoming more and more grievous.
Why do we groan? Why are we burdened? Why are we so afflicted?
Because every groan tells us that the fabric of our tent is getting worn and thin. That sharp pain is such a thinness that will soon become a hole. That dull ache is a sign of a seam that is beginning to tear apart because of the stress of the years passing by. Every burden declares the fraying of the rope and the loosening of the stakes pounded before into the ground.
Our groaning is a groaning of hope. Our being burdened is being burdened by hope. For we do not groan like the world, merely to be unclothed. We are not burdened like the world, merely to be unclothed. We groan to be clothed. We are burdened to be clothed upon. Every groaning is a sign of newness. Every burden is a pledge of immortality.
We bear our morality in order to have it swallowed up of life!
That blessed, glorious, joyful life is coming. It is our sure inheritance, secured in eternal election, purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ, shown in His resurrection from the dead, sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise through faith, and pledged to us in our own regeneration from our spiritual death.
So let us groan. So let us be burdened. So let us carry on in our frail and worn tents, assured that we shall one day joyfully discard them to take up our building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
“He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.” Proverbs 11:29
So different do the two members of this proverb seem, but wisdom must join them together into one.
The first line of the proverb tells of a man who possesses a house. He controls its manner, setting it on its particular course.
His house begins in a state of peace. Everything is managed well in his house. His wife, his children, and his servants know their duties and responsibilities. They willingly take them up and carry them out, all in coordination with each other. They enjoy their positions, and are glad to support their house, because they enjoy their individual prosperity with the prosperity of their house overall.
But the owner of the house begins to trouble his own house. Perhaps he begins to despise his wife. Perhaps he begins to favour some of his children and despises others. Perhaps he begins to cultivate strife among his servants, sowing seeds of discord or spreading rumours of malice among them. In doing so, he may think that he can assume greater control than he already possesses. Or, he may think that a little excitement in his house will lead to great productivity. He may suppose that he needs to draw some nearer to him, to know their love and affection for him personally, thinking the way to do that is to introduce strife with others in the same house.
Such methods will lead ultimately to the destruction of that house. Its care and productivity will grow less and less. Morale and happiness in the house will cease to exist. Its servants may flee and its children abandon to find elsewhere the happiness they once enjoyed.
Truly, “He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind.”
What is that owner of the house?
He is a fool. It was his house, but he troubled it. He destroyed it by his own devices. What he has left is the wind, nothing at all.
So shall the fool be servant to the wise of heart.
Let us suppose that there was a certain servant in that house. When that servant became aware of the folly of his master, he wisely knew what to do: leave. While his former master foolishly was troubling his own house, the wise servant began labouring well in his new house. He worked carefully and diligently as he did in his former house, helping to promote harmony and happiness among the members of his new family. Through his wisdom he ascended to a position of prominence in his new house, and came to hold authority over other servants.
To his former servant, the former master came, looking for work. His former master could not eat the wind he inherited. So, being hired by his former servant, the fool became servant to the wise of heart.
Let us leave off all folly, looking to the grace of Christ to turn us from it. Let us in the wisdom of Christ, build up and strengthen in faith and truth, to be a true blessing in our houses.
So different do the two members of this proverb seem, but wisdom must join them together into one.
The first line of the proverb tells of a man who possesses a house. He controls its manner, setting it on its particular course.
His house begins in a state of peace. Everything is managed well in his house. His wife, his children, and his servants know their duties and responsibilities. They willingly take them up and carry them out, all in coordination with each other. They enjoy their positions, and are glad to support their house, because they enjoy their individual prosperity with the prosperity of their house overall.
But the owner of the house begins to trouble his own house. Perhaps he begins to despise his wife. Perhaps he begins to favour some of his children and despises others. Perhaps he begins to cultivate strife among his servants, sowing seeds of discord or spreading rumours of malice among them. In doing so, he may think that he can assume greater control than he already possesses. Or, he may think that a little excitement in his house will lead to great productivity. He may suppose that he needs to draw some nearer to him, to know their love and affection for him personally, thinking the way to do that is to introduce strife with others in the same house.
Such methods will lead ultimately to the destruction of that house. Its care and productivity will grow less and less. Morale and happiness in the house will cease to exist. Its servants may flee and its children abandon to find elsewhere the happiness they once enjoyed.
Truly, “He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind.”
What is that owner of the house?
He is a fool. It was his house, but he troubled it. He destroyed it by his own devices. What he has left is the wind, nothing at all.
So shall the fool be servant to the wise of heart.
Let us suppose that there was a certain servant in that house. When that servant became aware of the folly of his master, he wisely knew what to do: leave. While his former master foolishly was troubling his own house, the wise servant began labouring well in his new house. He worked carefully and diligently as he did in his former house, helping to promote harmony and happiness among the members of his new family. Through his wisdom he ascended to a position of prominence in his new house, and came to hold authority over other servants.
To his former servant, the former master came, looking for work. His former master could not eat the wind he inherited. So, being hired by his former servant, the fool became servant to the wise of heart.
Let us leave off all folly, looking to the grace of Christ to turn us from it. Let us in the wisdom of Christ, build up and strengthen in faith and truth, to be a true blessing in our houses.
“So as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.” Psalm 63:2
What a rule these words state!
Here is the rule that governs David’s heart. It is the rule for David’s desire, to see the power and glory of God as he saw God in the sanctuary. It is the rule for the thirst of his soul and the longing of his flesh. It is the rule for seeking God early. It is the rule of his prayer expressed in this Psalm.
That rule is the kind of power of God as he saw it in the sanctuary. That rule is the kind of the glory of God as he saw it in the sanctuary.
What was that rule of God’s power and glory, displayed in the sanctuary.
It was the rule of the gospel proclaimed in the sanctuary. It was the truth of the forgiveness of sins through the sacrifices offered by the priests. It was the truth that there was reconciliation with the living God through sacrifice and offering, with the result of friendship renewed through gracious pardon of sin.
God’s power was the power of mercy. God’s glory was the glory of gracious forgiveness.
So David might say in the very next verse: “Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.”
The power and glory of God is His lovingkindness to His people in Jesus Christ.
So let us go to the Lord’s house today to see our God in the power and glory of that same lovingkindness, that lovingkindness which is better than life.
Let us hear it in the preaching of the gospel in the Lord’s house. Let us declare it in our praises there. Let us reflect it in our gifts and offerings.
So may it be the rule of all our seeking, our seeking in a dry and thirsty land where no water is, our seeking early, the thirsting of our soul, and the longing of our flesh.
To see Him always as we have seen Him in the sanctuary.
What a rule these words state!
Here is the rule that governs David’s heart. It is the rule for David’s desire, to see the power and glory of God as he saw God in the sanctuary. It is the rule for the thirst of his soul and the longing of his flesh. It is the rule for seeking God early. It is the rule of his prayer expressed in this Psalm.
That rule is the kind of power of God as he saw it in the sanctuary. That rule is the kind of the glory of God as he saw it in the sanctuary.
What was that rule of God’s power and glory, displayed in the sanctuary.
It was the rule of the gospel proclaimed in the sanctuary. It was the truth of the forgiveness of sins through the sacrifices offered by the priests. It was the truth that there was reconciliation with the living God through sacrifice and offering, with the result of friendship renewed through gracious pardon of sin.
God’s power was the power of mercy. God’s glory was the glory of gracious forgiveness.
So David might say in the very next verse: “Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.”
The power and glory of God is His lovingkindness to His people in Jesus Christ.
So let us go to the Lord’s house today to see our God in the power and glory of that same lovingkindness, that lovingkindness which is better than life.
Let us hear it in the preaching of the gospel in the Lord’s house. Let us declare it in our praises there. Let us reflect it in our gifts and offerings.
So may it be the rule of all our seeking, our seeking in a dry and thirsty land where no water is, our seeking early, the thirsting of our soul, and the longing of our flesh.
To see Him always as we have seen Him in the sanctuary.
"Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck." I Timothy 1:19
Shipwreck!
Once a gallant ship, it was the pride of builders to build, and of sailors to sail. It was a ship strong and steady, built to hold cargo and men. For months it plied the waters of the seas, sailing from port to port, lading and unlading its goods and passengers. As captain and crew carried out their missions they became more and more aware of the strength and stability of the vessel that was theirs.
But then, shipwreck!
Whether broken up on some shoal or dashed against some outlying rocks, the once gallant ship is now mere wreckage, its cargo lost and its men drowned. Once glorious and esteemed it now is worthless. Here and there a beam or plank might be used for something else. Tattered sails might be further torn up for mere rags.
"Some . . . have made shipwreck."
There they were, members of the church. They were pious and orthodox, righteous and holy. They confessed the truth and walked uprightly. Perhaps they were leaders in the church, or perhaps held the respect of other members, and had great influence on the other members. They were a part of the whole.
But they made shipwreck. They left the way of the truth to embrace error. They left the way of righteousness to walk in sin. Efforts were undertaken to restore them, but to no avail. So they continued in their course, and made shipwreck.
Every wise captain and every wise crew member does something when they pass by a shipwreck. They look, and they look hard. They embrace the sadness and sorrow over that shipwreck before their eyes, and drive it deep into their hearts. Every shipwreck is to them a powerful warning.
So must it be for every believer in the church of Jesus Christ. See the shipwrecks. Learn from them.
What happened?
"They put away concerning faith."
All the things concerning faith held before them their straight course. That straight course came from the Word of God as a Word of faith. The Word set before them the truth. The Word set before them the way of righteousness and obedience. The Word addressed all the ability to guide and keep in that blessed way: the grace of God through Jesus Christ, enjoyed through faith alone in Him. By all appearances they sailed by that straight course concerning faith.
But then they put away concerning faith. So they made shipwreck.
So must the church look, study, and learn. So must the faithful take warning.
Hold faith! Hold it dear and precious. Hold it dear and precious, exercising its power to remain steadfast and strong in the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Hold a good conscience! Hold so very precious the possession of the conscience-clearing and conscience-cleansing righteousness of Jesus Christ. Hold a good conscience of joyful gratitude for that gift of divine righteousness, the gratitude that seeks to please God in a life of good works. Hold a good conscience that delights in the fruits of grace in a life lived by the grace of God in Christ.
Hold by faith to Christ, by whose grace alone we must keep to His course, the course which brings us in safety to our heavenly home!
Shipwreck!
Once a gallant ship, it was the pride of builders to build, and of sailors to sail. It was a ship strong and steady, built to hold cargo and men. For months it plied the waters of the seas, sailing from port to port, lading and unlading its goods and passengers. As captain and crew carried out their missions they became more and more aware of the strength and stability of the vessel that was theirs.
But then, shipwreck!
Whether broken up on some shoal or dashed against some outlying rocks, the once gallant ship is now mere wreckage, its cargo lost and its men drowned. Once glorious and esteemed it now is worthless. Here and there a beam or plank might be used for something else. Tattered sails might be further torn up for mere rags.
"Some . . . have made shipwreck."
There they were, members of the church. They were pious and orthodox, righteous and holy. They confessed the truth and walked uprightly. Perhaps they were leaders in the church, or perhaps held the respect of other members, and had great influence on the other members. They were a part of the whole.
But they made shipwreck. They left the way of the truth to embrace error. They left the way of righteousness to walk in sin. Efforts were undertaken to restore them, but to no avail. So they continued in their course, and made shipwreck.
Every wise captain and every wise crew member does something when they pass by a shipwreck. They look, and they look hard. They embrace the sadness and sorrow over that shipwreck before their eyes, and drive it deep into their hearts. Every shipwreck is to them a powerful warning.
So must it be for every believer in the church of Jesus Christ. See the shipwrecks. Learn from them.
What happened?
"They put away concerning faith."
All the things concerning faith held before them their straight course. That straight course came from the Word of God as a Word of faith. The Word set before them the truth. The Word set before them the way of righteousness and obedience. The Word addressed all the ability to guide and keep in that blessed way: the grace of God through Jesus Christ, enjoyed through faith alone in Him. By all appearances they sailed by that straight course concerning faith.
But then they put away concerning faith. So they made shipwreck.
So must the church look, study, and learn. So must the faithful take warning.
Hold faith! Hold it dear and precious. Hold it dear and precious, exercising its power to remain steadfast and strong in the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Hold a good conscience! Hold so very precious the possession of the conscience-clearing and conscience-cleansing righteousness of Jesus Christ. Hold a good conscience of joyful gratitude for that gift of divine righteousness, the gratitude that seeks to please God in a life of good works. Hold a good conscience that delights in the fruits of grace in a life lived by the grace of God in Christ.
Hold by faith to Christ, by whose grace alone we must keep to His course, the course which brings us in safety to our heavenly home!
“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.” II Corinthians 1:8-10
What trouble Paul and his company experienced in Asia! Acts 20:19 is Paul’s own testimony of that trouble: “Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews.” During his time in Ephesus Paul endured many trials from his own countrymen. They laid traps for him when they disputed with him, trying to catch him in his words. They worked to find cause to accuse Paul, whether before the Jews or before the civil rulers. They tried to discredit him as an apostle of Jesus Christ and the truth of the gospel that he proclaimed. They also laid in wait for his life, as in so many other places. The apostle felt constantly that his very life was threatened by the deep hatred of his fellow-Jews, all because of his stand for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But there was another aspect to all of this trouble. The afflictions and troubles that Paul and his companions endured made their way inward. As they laboured to carry on in spite of their opposition, they found themselves at the end of their rope. He wrote, “We were pressed out of measure, above strength.” They could not carry on.
How bad did it get?
“We despaired even of life.”
Why so bad? Why such despair? Why such trouble?
Why so much trouble, leading to despair of life for the apostle Paul?
“That we should not trust in ourselves.”
The apostle Paul, the apostle of grace, was tempted to trust in himself. Paul’s companions in labour and travel were tempted to trust in themselves. We are through all our pilgrim’s sojourn tempted to trust in ourselves.
Why must we endure trouble? Why must we sometimes be made to despair even of life?
“That we should not trust in ourselves.”
May all our afflictions and trials, despair-inflicting afflictions and trials, bring us to this happy point!
Not only “that we should trust in ourselves.”
But also “that we should trust . . . in God which raiseth the dead.”
Here is the blessed end of our faith: “in God which raiseth the dead.”
How blessed are the troubles of our lives! How blessed are troubles that even cause us to despair of life itself! Even as they turn us inside out, making us to know that we are and have nothing of ourselves, our gracious God uses them to lead us to Him and His glorious power to raise the dead.
So let us be troubled to be no longer troubled. Let us despair to no longer despair. With the sentence of death within ourselves, let us flee to our God, which raiseth the dead. Despairing of life, let us flee to our God, who delivered us from so great a death.
Through Jesus Christ, God of God, the resurrection and the life.
What trouble Paul and his company experienced in Asia! Acts 20:19 is Paul’s own testimony of that trouble: “Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews.” During his time in Ephesus Paul endured many trials from his own countrymen. They laid traps for him when they disputed with him, trying to catch him in his words. They worked to find cause to accuse Paul, whether before the Jews or before the civil rulers. They tried to discredit him as an apostle of Jesus Christ and the truth of the gospel that he proclaimed. They also laid in wait for his life, as in so many other places. The apostle felt constantly that his very life was threatened by the deep hatred of his fellow-Jews, all because of his stand for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But there was another aspect to all of this trouble. The afflictions and troubles that Paul and his companions endured made their way inward. As they laboured to carry on in spite of their opposition, they found themselves at the end of their rope. He wrote, “We were pressed out of measure, above strength.” They could not carry on.
How bad did it get?
“We despaired even of life.”
Why so bad? Why such despair? Why such trouble?
Why so much trouble, leading to despair of life for the apostle Paul?
“That we should not trust in ourselves.”
The apostle Paul, the apostle of grace, was tempted to trust in himself. Paul’s companions in labour and travel were tempted to trust in themselves. We are through all our pilgrim’s sojourn tempted to trust in ourselves.
Why must we endure trouble? Why must we sometimes be made to despair even of life?
“That we should not trust in ourselves.”
May all our afflictions and trials, despair-inflicting afflictions and trials, bring us to this happy point!
Not only “that we should trust in ourselves.”
But also “that we should trust . . . in God which raiseth the dead.”
Here is the blessed end of our faith: “in God which raiseth the dead.”
How blessed are the troubles of our lives! How blessed are troubles that even cause us to despair of life itself! Even as they turn us inside out, making us to know that we are and have nothing of ourselves, our gracious God uses them to lead us to Him and His glorious power to raise the dead.
So let us be troubled to be no longer troubled. Let us despair to no longer despair. With the sentence of death within ourselves, let us flee to our God, which raiseth the dead. Despairing of life, let us flee to our God, who delivered us from so great a death.
Through Jesus Christ, God of God, the resurrection and the life.
“I have done judgment and justice: leave me not to mine oppressors.
Be surety for thy servant for good: let not the proud oppress me.”
Psalm 119:121, 122
“I have done judgment and justice.”
These two words, judgment and justice, are some of the most powerful in Scripture.
Their power is wholly of God.
There is no true judgment, but the judgment of God. He is the only One that is just when He judges and clear when He speaks. His righteousness (here translated as justice, in connection with judgment) is the only righteousness that is perfect. Perfectly straight is He in all His being, in all His counsel and in all His works and ways.
And yet the Psalmist prays in His prayer, “I have done judgment and justice.” So the church is led to pray, “I have done judgment and justice.” So the child of God is taught to pray, “I have done judgment and justice.”
For the church and for the child of God, this declaration leads to the heart of the petition, supplication for deliverance from oppression.
This oppression is of the proud. The proud have exalted themselves in the earth. In their pride they establish themselves in their own ways of wickedness and deceit. They lust after power and control, to exert it for the damage of others weaker than they. In their unrighteousness they practice injustice, to demonstrate to themselves the greatness of their power. They lift themselves up against the God they know to rule over all, they seek out God’s people to afflict and persecute them.
How do these proud find God’s people? The oppressors search out the Lord’s servants, marked by their God. They look for the godly. They find the godly in their godliness, doing true judgment and true justice according to the Word of God.
So the proud oppress the godly for their godliness. In their pride, these proud must show they are greater than God, that they can defy the judgment and justice of God to preserve His own. Should they be able to ruin and destroy the people of God, then they can proclaim that their deceitful judgment and lying justice is greater and higher than God Himself, greater and higher than His judgment and justice.
Most striking!
The very reason for the proud’s oppression of God’s servants becomes the very matter that the servants bring before God: “I have done judgment and justice.”
Why?
Because these servants of the Lord know the same thing that the wicked know: their doing of judgment and justice is the very work of the Lord within them. Facing their proud oppressors and their oppression, the godly know of only one Refuge, one Saviour and one Deliverer. The very same God who has redeemed them, making them His servants, is their strong Refuge. The very same God who has given them the judgment and justice they do they know to be their mighty Deliverer.
Upon His name, then, they call. They pray, assured that He will not leave nor forsake the work of His hands. They cry out, certain that He will deliver His servants from the oppression of the proud.
The certainty of this petition for its answer rests not on the oppressed godly, but wholly on their Lord who has purchased them. Their doing of judgment and justice leads to that certainty that is found in their Lord alone.
That certainty is marvelously expressed in the first part of verse 122: “Be surety for thy servant for good.”
That surety, as a pledge, is God Himself. That surety is God Himself in His servant, working all the justice and judgment the servant does. So the Psalmist sees and presents his doing of justice and judgment to God, in verse 121, as God being his surety in verse 122.
For thy sake, leave me not to mine oppressors!
For thy glory, let not the proud oppress me!
So let us pray to our faithful Lord. So let us trust in our Surety for good.
“Let not the proud oppress!”
Be surety for thy servant for good: let not the proud oppress me.”
Psalm 119:121, 122
“I have done judgment and justice.”
These two words, judgment and justice, are some of the most powerful in Scripture.
Their power is wholly of God.
There is no true judgment, but the judgment of God. He is the only One that is just when He judges and clear when He speaks. His righteousness (here translated as justice, in connection with judgment) is the only righteousness that is perfect. Perfectly straight is He in all His being, in all His counsel and in all His works and ways.
And yet the Psalmist prays in His prayer, “I have done judgment and justice.” So the church is led to pray, “I have done judgment and justice.” So the child of God is taught to pray, “I have done judgment and justice.”
For the church and for the child of God, this declaration leads to the heart of the petition, supplication for deliverance from oppression.
This oppression is of the proud. The proud have exalted themselves in the earth. In their pride they establish themselves in their own ways of wickedness and deceit. They lust after power and control, to exert it for the damage of others weaker than they. In their unrighteousness they practice injustice, to demonstrate to themselves the greatness of their power. They lift themselves up against the God they know to rule over all, they seek out God’s people to afflict and persecute them.
How do these proud find God’s people? The oppressors search out the Lord’s servants, marked by their God. They look for the godly. They find the godly in their godliness, doing true judgment and true justice according to the Word of God.
So the proud oppress the godly for their godliness. In their pride, these proud must show they are greater than God, that they can defy the judgment and justice of God to preserve His own. Should they be able to ruin and destroy the people of God, then they can proclaim that their deceitful judgment and lying justice is greater and higher than God Himself, greater and higher than His judgment and justice.
Most striking!
The very reason for the proud’s oppression of God’s servants becomes the very matter that the servants bring before God: “I have done judgment and justice.”
Why?
Because these servants of the Lord know the same thing that the wicked know: their doing of judgment and justice is the very work of the Lord within them. Facing their proud oppressors and their oppression, the godly know of only one Refuge, one Saviour and one Deliverer. The very same God who has redeemed them, making them His servants, is their strong Refuge. The very same God who has given them the judgment and justice they do they know to be their mighty Deliverer.
Upon His name, then, they call. They pray, assured that He will not leave nor forsake the work of His hands. They cry out, certain that He will deliver His servants from the oppression of the proud.
The certainty of this petition for its answer rests not on the oppressed godly, but wholly on their Lord who has purchased them. Their doing of judgment and justice leads to that certainty that is found in their Lord alone.
That certainty is marvelously expressed in the first part of verse 122: “Be surety for thy servant for good.”
That surety, as a pledge, is God Himself. That surety is God Himself in His servant, working all the justice and judgment the servant does. So the Psalmist sees and presents his doing of justice and judgment to God, in verse 121, as God being his surety in verse 122.
For thy sake, leave me not to mine oppressors!
For thy glory, let not the proud oppress me!
So let us pray to our faithful Lord. So let us trust in our Surety for good.
“Let not the proud oppress!”
“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Acts 16:31
What must I do?
Amazing is the question asked by the Philippian jailer.
Amazing, because he asked it out of his amazement over this earthquake, his fear and trembling at the work of the Lord that he felt beneath his feet and pouring into his body.
Amazing, because he asked it of the prisoners before him, charged with criminal behaviour, their hands and feet fastened in stocks, prisoners given the gospel of Christ to proclaim.
Amazing, because the answer to the question is found in the question asked.
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
To be saved!
Salvation as deliverance from the fear that now gripped his soul. Salvation as deliverance from the bondage of guilt, of sin, and of Satan. Salvation as peace with the living God. Salvation as the hope of eternal life.
Surely, such a heart filled with fear can claim for itself no work to perform. Such a question about salvation must defy all capability and capacity, all working and doing, everything of merit. This is no question of a proud Pharisee willing to justify himself, a question asked in a forum for debate or inquiry.
As is the question, so is the answer.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thine house.”
Believe!
Do not do. Do not act. There are no deeds to be done. There are no works to perform. There is nothing you can do.
Believing is rejecting all acts and deeds of the believer. He must believe, because he simply cannot do. He is in need, in need of salvation. He is in no position to give or contribute.
Believe!
Believe because there is One who has done. Believe because this One has done it all. In Him and with Him is complete salvation. In Him is all wisdom, all righteousness, all sanctification, and all redemption. He is the fulfillment of all the law of God, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is the perfect Saviour. He is the glorious Redeemer.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do not work, but rest upon Him. Trust Him, His work, His worth, His merits. Trust Him alone. Trust His works alone. Trust His salvation.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thine house.
Through faith, that blessed instrument of rest, receive, be assured of, and rejoice to know all your salvation. Rejoice to know your free and full pardon from all sin, its guilt, its shame, and its punishment. Rejoice to know your status as a justified child of God and your inheritance of eternal life waiting for you. Rejoice to know you and your household blessed in this covenant salvation.
What must I do?
Amazing is the question asked by the Philippian jailer.
Amazing, because he asked it out of his amazement over this earthquake, his fear and trembling at the work of the Lord that he felt beneath his feet and pouring into his body.
Amazing, because he asked it of the prisoners before him, charged with criminal behaviour, their hands and feet fastened in stocks, prisoners given the gospel of Christ to proclaim.
Amazing, because the answer to the question is found in the question asked.
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
To be saved!
Salvation as deliverance from the fear that now gripped his soul. Salvation as deliverance from the bondage of guilt, of sin, and of Satan. Salvation as peace with the living God. Salvation as the hope of eternal life.
Surely, such a heart filled with fear can claim for itself no work to perform. Such a question about salvation must defy all capability and capacity, all working and doing, everything of merit. This is no question of a proud Pharisee willing to justify himself, a question asked in a forum for debate or inquiry.
As is the question, so is the answer.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thine house.”
Believe!
Do not do. Do not act. There are no deeds to be done. There are no works to perform. There is nothing you can do.
Believing is rejecting all acts and deeds of the believer. He must believe, because he simply cannot do. He is in need, in need of salvation. He is in no position to give or contribute.
Believe!
Believe because there is One who has done. Believe because this One has done it all. In Him and with Him is complete salvation. In Him is all wisdom, all righteousness, all sanctification, and all redemption. He is the fulfillment of all the law of God, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is the perfect Saviour. He is the glorious Redeemer.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do not work, but rest upon Him. Trust Him, His work, His worth, His merits. Trust Him alone. Trust His works alone. Trust His salvation.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thine house.
Through faith, that blessed instrument of rest, receive, be assured of, and rejoice to know all your salvation. Rejoice to know your free and full pardon from all sin, its guilt, its shame, and its punishment. Rejoice to know your status as a justified child of God and your inheritance of eternal life waiting for you. Rejoice to know you and your household blessed in this covenant salvation.
“But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” I Corinthians 1:24
What a difference!
The Jew wanted a sign. He wanted a sign of power. A sign in heaven or a sign upon the earth would make him happy. A glorious display of divine power would be convincing to him.
The Greek wanted wisdom. He desired some teaching that would be enlightening to him. He wanted some philosophy to make him happy in his soul. He would find significant a doctrine that would give him harmony and peace for this life and perhaps the next.
Those were the reasons the Jew and the Greek despised Christ. Christ crucified they disdained. To hear of a man crucified and slain. What kind of sign is that? What kind of wisdom is that?
So must all the world, Jew and Greek, turn from Christ crucified. So must all the world turn from the preaching of Christ crucified. So must the Jew continue looking for a sign, the Greek for wisdom.
Then there are some other Jews.
Then there are some other Greeks.
How different is their knowledge!
They see. They understand.
These Jews see Christ the power of God. These Greeks understand Christ the wisdom of God.
They see, and they believe. They understand and they rest. They find in Christ all the power of God they need. Possessing Christ, they have all the wisdom of God.
There is nothing more they need. Nothing more they need to seek and find. Nothing more they need to do. All power and all wisdom they have found.
What a difference!
That difference is all from God. He is the God that calls.
He calls according to His decree of sovereign, unconditional election.
He calls by grace sovereign and effectual. His call is from darkness to light. His call is from awful blindness to true light.
Do you see Christ the power of God? Do you see Christ the wisdom of God? Having Him, do you have all? Having Him, do you have His rest, His full salvation?
That difference is not of yourself. Your eyes you have not opened. You did not make your heart understand.
The difference is of God alone. He alone has called you. He alone has chosen you.
Give Him alone thanksgiving and praise! Give Him alone all glory!
What a difference!
The Jew wanted a sign. He wanted a sign of power. A sign in heaven or a sign upon the earth would make him happy. A glorious display of divine power would be convincing to him.
The Greek wanted wisdom. He desired some teaching that would be enlightening to him. He wanted some philosophy to make him happy in his soul. He would find significant a doctrine that would give him harmony and peace for this life and perhaps the next.
Those were the reasons the Jew and the Greek despised Christ. Christ crucified they disdained. To hear of a man crucified and slain. What kind of sign is that? What kind of wisdom is that?
So must all the world, Jew and Greek, turn from Christ crucified. So must all the world turn from the preaching of Christ crucified. So must the Jew continue looking for a sign, the Greek for wisdom.
Then there are some other Jews.
Then there are some other Greeks.
How different is their knowledge!
They see. They understand.
These Jews see Christ the power of God. These Greeks understand Christ the wisdom of God.
They see, and they believe. They understand and they rest. They find in Christ all the power of God they need. Possessing Christ, they have all the wisdom of God.
There is nothing more they need. Nothing more they need to seek and find. Nothing more they need to do. All power and all wisdom they have found.
What a difference!
That difference is all from God. He is the God that calls.
He calls according to His decree of sovereign, unconditional election.
He calls by grace sovereign and effectual. His call is from darkness to light. His call is from awful blindness to true light.
Do you see Christ the power of God? Do you see Christ the wisdom of God? Having Him, do you have all? Having Him, do you have His rest, His full salvation?
That difference is not of yourself. Your eyes you have not opened. You did not make your heart understand.
The difference is of God alone. He alone has called you. He alone has chosen you.
Give Him alone thanksgiving and praise! Give Him alone all glory!
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
What bold words these are!
“I am crucified with Christ.”
Nails driven through, hanged on the tree and lifted up from the earth, left there to die.
There was Christ.
There also was the apostle by faith, crucified with Christ. There also is the believer by faith, crucified with Christ.
Dead with Christ, buried with Christ, separated from the world and the dominion of sin.
More bold words!
“Nevertheless, I live.”
Crucified, but living, living even in the flesh. Living in the body, living in the mind, living in the earthly heart and soul. Living unto God. Living in the kingdom. Living in the way of righteousness and all manner of good works.
The apostle lived in the flesh. So the believer lives in the flesh.
But how?
Even more bold words.
“Yet, not I, but Christ liveth in me.”
This life of the flesh, of the fleshly body, of the fleshly mind, of the earthly heart and soul is the life of Christ in the apostle Paul. It is the life of Christ in every believer.
By the life of Christ in him, the apostle and every believer lives unto God, lives the life of the kingdom of God, lives and walks in the way of holiness and obedience to God.
How does that life of Christ operate with this glorious power? Power to be crucified? Power to live in the flesh?
Still more bold words.
“I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
What a faith this is! The faith of the Son of God!
No, this is not the faith that the Son of God had and exercised with all the blessed trust He had in His heavenly Father. Certainly that faith is the ground for our believing, our believing Head purchasing faith for us when He faithfully died on the cross in perfect trust toward His heavenly Father.
But the faith of this verse is the Spirit-wrought living bond of union between the believer and His Saviour.
That little word “of” explains the power and glory of this union. It means that true faith always has Christ, the whole Christ, and all Christ’s blessings and benefits. You cannot have faith and not have Christ. To believe is to be in Christ. To believe is to have Christ in you. To believe means to be regenerated, justified, sanctified, preserved in Christ. To believe is to be flesh of Christ’s flesh, and bone of Christ’s bone.
Then, to live by faith is to live by the life of the Son of God.
That life becomes the glorious reflection of the life of the Son of God. As the Son of God “loved me and gave himself for me,” so the believer loves the Son of God. He dies to himself, and as he dies to himself, he crucifies the old man for the sake of the new. He lives instead unto Christ, to live in love to Christ and in service to Christ.
So let us live!
By the faith of the Son of God!
What bold words these are!
“I am crucified with Christ.”
Nails driven through, hanged on the tree and lifted up from the earth, left there to die.
There was Christ.
There also was the apostle by faith, crucified with Christ. There also is the believer by faith, crucified with Christ.
Dead with Christ, buried with Christ, separated from the world and the dominion of sin.
More bold words!
“Nevertheless, I live.”
Crucified, but living, living even in the flesh. Living in the body, living in the mind, living in the earthly heart and soul. Living unto God. Living in the kingdom. Living in the way of righteousness and all manner of good works.
The apostle lived in the flesh. So the believer lives in the flesh.
But how?
Even more bold words.
“Yet, not I, but Christ liveth in me.”
This life of the flesh, of the fleshly body, of the fleshly mind, of the earthly heart and soul is the life of Christ in the apostle Paul. It is the life of Christ in every believer.
By the life of Christ in him, the apostle and every believer lives unto God, lives the life of the kingdom of God, lives and walks in the way of holiness and obedience to God.
How does that life of Christ operate with this glorious power? Power to be crucified? Power to live in the flesh?
Still more bold words.
“I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
What a faith this is! The faith of the Son of God!
No, this is not the faith that the Son of God had and exercised with all the blessed trust He had in His heavenly Father. Certainly that faith is the ground for our believing, our believing Head purchasing faith for us when He faithfully died on the cross in perfect trust toward His heavenly Father.
But the faith of this verse is the Spirit-wrought living bond of union between the believer and His Saviour.
That little word “of” explains the power and glory of this union. It means that true faith always has Christ, the whole Christ, and all Christ’s blessings and benefits. You cannot have faith and not have Christ. To believe is to be in Christ. To believe is to have Christ in you. To believe means to be regenerated, justified, sanctified, preserved in Christ. To believe is to be flesh of Christ’s flesh, and bone of Christ’s bone.
Then, to live by faith is to live by the life of the Son of God.
That life becomes the glorious reflection of the life of the Son of God. As the Son of God “loved me and gave himself for me,” so the believer loves the Son of God. He dies to himself, and as he dies to himself, he crucifies the old man for the sake of the new. He lives instead unto Christ, to live in love to Christ and in service to Christ.
So let us live!
By the faith of the Son of God!
“But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.” Luke 5:24, 25
“That ye may know!”
What knowledge this is!
This knowledge is about the Son of man. It is about a certain power that belongs to Him. This knowledge is not the knowledge about His power to perform wonders, signs and miracles. This knowledge is not the knowledge of His power to cast out demons, to still the storm, or even to raise the dead.
It is a knowledge about His power to do something that far surpasses those other deeds, as great and as wonderful as they are.
This knowledge is “that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins.”
The power to forgive sins. The power to pardon from the guilt of sin. The power to remove the terrible burden of shame. The power to clear from condemnation. The power to declare righteous, in perfect conformity to God’s perfect, righteous and holy law.
This is the power that the Son of man has “upon earth.” In His flesh the incarnate Son of God upon earth had this power, and exercised this power. With His fleshly mouth, operated by the guidance of His fleshly mind, and out of the mercy of His fleshly heart, he exercised this power upon earth. As He spoke the word of forgiveness to certain individuals, His was the power to give the full knowledge of forgiveness to them. By the power of His testimony, they were blessed to possess in their mind and heart, that blessed knowledge of their forgiveness, their freedom from guilt and shame, their release from all condemnation.
“That ye may know!”
That the scribes and Pharisees might know. That they might know that, as they despised and rejected the Son of man, they despised and rejected His power to forgive all sins.
That the paralyzed man might know. That he was to enjoy a gift far greater than the cure of his paralysis: the forgiveness of his sins, peace with God, and the sure hope of everlasting life.
How were the scribes and Pharisees to know?
“I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.”
Those words were words of power. That speech carried its certain, definite result.
“And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.”
Every one of these actions was a living witness to the power of the Son of man upon earth to forgive sins.
A witness against the scribes and Pharisees, leaving them in their sins and hardness of heart.
A witness to the paralyzed man?
No!
He already possessed the forgiveness of his sins. He enjoyed freedom from guilt, shame, and condemnation already. Unnecessary for his knowledge were these words of Jesus that made him to rise up and walk.
They were unnecessary because he had already heard the blessed Word of his Lord to him: “Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.” That testimony he possessed and enjoyed as a paralytic who had no strength to stand. His pardon, freedom from guilt and condemnation he knew without any walking or doing anything.
And yet his great delight was to rise up before them. His happiness was to take up that whereon he lay. His joy was to depart to his own house. His rising up was a powerful testimony. His taking up that whereon he lay was a mighty witness. His departing to his own house was a glorious evidence not merely of his forgiveness of his sins. It was also a indisputable demonstration of the power of the Son of man to forgive sins.
So must we know our forgiveness by the same power of the same Son of man upon earth. So must we know our forgiveness by the testimony of the gospel of Jesus, the only Saviour. So must we know it declared to us as it was to the paralytic. As we wholly incapable of any good works for our justification before God, weighed down with the burden of our sins and guilt, our worthiness of condemnation, this power of the Son of man upon earth must be declared to us: Thy sins be forgiven thee!
And as that same blessed gospel breaks the bonds and chains of our sin, our paralysis toward any good, let us also rise up and walk, glorifying God.
In our walk to the glory of God let us bear this same mighty witness of the glorious power of the Son of man, to forgive our sins.
“That ye may know!”
What knowledge this is!
This knowledge is about the Son of man. It is about a certain power that belongs to Him. This knowledge is not the knowledge about His power to perform wonders, signs and miracles. This knowledge is not the knowledge of His power to cast out demons, to still the storm, or even to raise the dead.
It is a knowledge about His power to do something that far surpasses those other deeds, as great and as wonderful as they are.
This knowledge is “that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins.”
The power to forgive sins. The power to pardon from the guilt of sin. The power to remove the terrible burden of shame. The power to clear from condemnation. The power to declare righteous, in perfect conformity to God’s perfect, righteous and holy law.
This is the power that the Son of man has “upon earth.” In His flesh the incarnate Son of God upon earth had this power, and exercised this power. With His fleshly mouth, operated by the guidance of His fleshly mind, and out of the mercy of His fleshly heart, he exercised this power upon earth. As He spoke the word of forgiveness to certain individuals, His was the power to give the full knowledge of forgiveness to them. By the power of His testimony, they were blessed to possess in their mind and heart, that blessed knowledge of their forgiveness, their freedom from guilt and shame, their release from all condemnation.
“That ye may know!”
That the scribes and Pharisees might know. That they might know that, as they despised and rejected the Son of man, they despised and rejected His power to forgive all sins.
That the paralyzed man might know. That he was to enjoy a gift far greater than the cure of his paralysis: the forgiveness of his sins, peace with God, and the sure hope of everlasting life.
How were the scribes and Pharisees to know?
“I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.”
Those words were words of power. That speech carried its certain, definite result.
“And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.”
Every one of these actions was a living witness to the power of the Son of man upon earth to forgive sins.
A witness against the scribes and Pharisees, leaving them in their sins and hardness of heart.
A witness to the paralyzed man?
No!
He already possessed the forgiveness of his sins. He enjoyed freedom from guilt, shame, and condemnation already. Unnecessary for his knowledge were these words of Jesus that made him to rise up and walk.
They were unnecessary because he had already heard the blessed Word of his Lord to him: “Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.” That testimony he possessed and enjoyed as a paralytic who had no strength to stand. His pardon, freedom from guilt and condemnation he knew without any walking or doing anything.
And yet his great delight was to rise up before them. His happiness was to take up that whereon he lay. His joy was to depart to his own house. His rising up was a powerful testimony. His taking up that whereon he lay was a mighty witness. His departing to his own house was a glorious evidence not merely of his forgiveness of his sins. It was also a indisputable demonstration of the power of the Son of man to forgive sins.
So must we know our forgiveness by the same power of the same Son of man upon earth. So must we know our forgiveness by the testimony of the gospel of Jesus, the only Saviour. So must we know it declared to us as it was to the paralytic. As we wholly incapable of any good works for our justification before God, weighed down with the burden of our sins and guilt, our worthiness of condemnation, this power of the Son of man upon earth must be declared to us: Thy sins be forgiven thee!
And as that same blessed gospel breaks the bonds and chains of our sin, our paralysis toward any good, let us also rise up and walk, glorifying God.
In our walk to the glory of God let us bear this same mighty witness of the glorious power of the Son of man, to forgive our sins.
“And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.” Luke 15:21
Worthy!
When he came to himself, the prodigal son knew that he was worthy. He was worthy of the poverty and filth that surrounded him. He was worthy of his place among the unclean swine he was hired out to eat. He was worthy of the hunger that so pinched his stomach that he longed to feed himself with the food given to the swine under his care. He was worthy of the grief that gripped his soul, that he had squandered his inheritance from his father with his riotous living.
Unworthy!
When he came to himself, the prodigal son also knew that he was unworthy. He was unworthy of the love of his father. He was unworthy of the place he had enjoyed in his family and home. He was unworthy to receive the inheritance he had so foolishly spent in his immoral pursuits. He was unworthy to be a son of his father. He was unworthy even to be a hired servant in the employment of his father.
He was unworthy despite the love that now welled up in his heart for his father and his family, for his home that was so familiar to him. He was unworthy even though he was a son. He was unworthy even though he should pursue the path or return to his home and family. He had no claim.
Still he must return. Still he felt there was only one place for him to be. In his father’s house.
So he returned. So he returned in utter humility. So he returned with the words framed in his mouth: I am not worthy.
“I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.”
I am not worthy.
“And am no more worthy to be called thy son.”
I am not worthy.
“Make me as one of thy hired servants.”
I am not worthy. I am not worthy even to be as one of thy hired servants.
No work to offer. No condition to fulfill. No reason to give.
So are we unworthy.
Unworthy is the sinner who has strayed from the Lord. Unworthy is the penitent sinner upon his return to the Lord. Of himself he has no hope of acceptance. Only the mercy of his Father is his hope.
Unworthy we become with every sin that we commit. Unworthy let us be when we come to our Father in true sorrow over our sin, to seek His forgiveness and restoration. Unworthy let us be we when we confess our sin, and plead with Him to forgive us. We have no claim, no fulfilled condition, no work that we have done. We have only the mercy of God signified and sealed in the blood of His Son.
Unworthy!
But what mercy of our heavenly Father! With haste He runs to meet us, to take us into His arms. With delight He forgives us our sins. With joy He declares us His children. Heaven is filled with joy and the angels rejoice over the penitent sinner restored and received.
For that joy let us sorrow. For that grace let us humble ourselves. For the worth of the Son and His glorious merits, let us be always unworthy.
Worthy!
When he came to himself, the prodigal son knew that he was worthy. He was worthy of the poverty and filth that surrounded him. He was worthy of his place among the unclean swine he was hired out to eat. He was worthy of the hunger that so pinched his stomach that he longed to feed himself with the food given to the swine under his care. He was worthy of the grief that gripped his soul, that he had squandered his inheritance from his father with his riotous living.
Unworthy!
When he came to himself, the prodigal son also knew that he was unworthy. He was unworthy of the love of his father. He was unworthy of the place he had enjoyed in his family and home. He was unworthy to receive the inheritance he had so foolishly spent in his immoral pursuits. He was unworthy to be a son of his father. He was unworthy even to be a hired servant in the employment of his father.
He was unworthy despite the love that now welled up in his heart for his father and his family, for his home that was so familiar to him. He was unworthy even though he was a son. He was unworthy even though he should pursue the path or return to his home and family. He had no claim.
Still he must return. Still he felt there was only one place for him to be. In his father’s house.
So he returned. So he returned in utter humility. So he returned with the words framed in his mouth: I am not worthy.
“I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.”
I am not worthy.
“And am no more worthy to be called thy son.”
I am not worthy.
“Make me as one of thy hired servants.”
I am not worthy. I am not worthy even to be as one of thy hired servants.
No work to offer. No condition to fulfill. No reason to give.
So are we unworthy.
Unworthy is the sinner who has strayed from the Lord. Unworthy is the penitent sinner upon his return to the Lord. Of himself he has no hope of acceptance. Only the mercy of his Father is his hope.
Unworthy we become with every sin that we commit. Unworthy let us be when we come to our Father in true sorrow over our sin, to seek His forgiveness and restoration. Unworthy let us be we when we confess our sin, and plead with Him to forgive us. We have no claim, no fulfilled condition, no work that we have done. We have only the mercy of God signified and sealed in the blood of His Son.
Unworthy!
But what mercy of our heavenly Father! With haste He runs to meet us, to take us into His arms. With delight He forgives us our sins. With joy He declares us His children. Heaven is filled with joy and the angels rejoice over the penitent sinner restored and received.
For that joy let us sorrow. For that grace let us humble ourselves. For the worth of the Son and His glorious merits, let us be always unworthy.
“Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them?”
Not of works!
Not of works of merit. Not of works of the law. Not of works of grace. Not of good works by faith. Not good works as “it’s up to you!”
Saved by grace. Saved through faith.
Why not salvation of works?
“Lest any man should boast.”
Lest any man should say, “See, what I have done!” Lest any man should say, “See, how holy I am!” Lest any man should say, “I worked. I laboured. I strove mightily. Here is what I have accomplished!”
Not of works!
What of the good works that we do? What of our prayers? What of our obedience? What of our battle to live and walk as God’s children in this world? What of our labours, our strivings, our endeavours? What of their fruit?
Here is the wonder and the glory of the good works we do. Here is the proper way to understand them all.
What is all our obedience, our life of good works?
“We are his workmanship!”
“What hath God wrought?!!!”
He has wrought us. He has wrought in us the good works that we have done, every one of them. He has wrought them in our hearts, filling them with His love, Who first loved us. He has wrought them in our minds. He has wrought them upon our lips when we prayed and when we spoke a good word to our neighbour. He has wrought them upon our hands in every deed of kindness and mercy that we have done, serving Him, even in serving the neighbour.
From faith, to hope, to love, He has wrought wondrously in us. He has wrought every good work that we have done or ever shall do.
What kind of work is this that He has done?
It is creation! It is the making of something entirely, completely, and wonderfully new. It is as glorious as at the beginning, when God said, “Let there be light!”
Such a wonderful creation this is, as to be something so new out of something so old, so dead, and so depraved and defiled! So new as actually to produce works that are good, not evil. Works that are holy, not profane. Works that are true, no longer hypocritical.
Created in Christ Jesus, unto good works.
Such is their end and their goal. This is a creation that must be abundantly fruitful. This is a creation to produce all kinds and all manners of fruit. This is a creation that abounds in all good works.
And all to the praise and glory of their blessed Creator!
For all these good works go back to eternity. As clearly as all the elect were numbered and chosen by God from all eternity, so clearly were all their good works. Not one good work was missing. All were reckoned, all accounted, from all eternity.
“That we should walk in them.”
Here is the last great wonder of the creation we are in Christ Jesus. Here is our way by the wonder of God’s saving, renewing, and creating grace: in good works. Our blessed privilege is to walk in them. Our way is filled with them. Filled with the good works that we do. Good works of the mind and heart. Good works of the words of our lips. Good works of the deeds of our hand, the paths of our feet.
Let us walk in this way, led by the grace and the spirit of our God. Let us walk in this way as the workmanship of our God, created in Christ Jesus.
And let us never boast of what we have done.
Let us boast only in our wonderful God, who only doeth wondrous things!
Not of works!
Not of works of merit. Not of works of the law. Not of works of grace. Not of good works by faith. Not good works as “it’s up to you!”
Saved by grace. Saved through faith.
Why not salvation of works?
“Lest any man should boast.”
Lest any man should say, “See, what I have done!” Lest any man should say, “See, how holy I am!” Lest any man should say, “I worked. I laboured. I strove mightily. Here is what I have accomplished!”
Not of works!
What of the good works that we do? What of our prayers? What of our obedience? What of our battle to live and walk as God’s children in this world? What of our labours, our strivings, our endeavours? What of their fruit?
Here is the wonder and the glory of the good works we do. Here is the proper way to understand them all.
What is all our obedience, our life of good works?
“We are his workmanship!”
“What hath God wrought?!!!”
He has wrought us. He has wrought in us the good works that we have done, every one of them. He has wrought them in our hearts, filling them with His love, Who first loved us. He has wrought them in our minds. He has wrought them upon our lips when we prayed and when we spoke a good word to our neighbour. He has wrought them upon our hands in every deed of kindness and mercy that we have done, serving Him, even in serving the neighbour.
From faith, to hope, to love, He has wrought wondrously in us. He has wrought every good work that we have done or ever shall do.
What kind of work is this that He has done?
It is creation! It is the making of something entirely, completely, and wonderfully new. It is as glorious as at the beginning, when God said, “Let there be light!”
Such a wonderful creation this is, as to be something so new out of something so old, so dead, and so depraved and defiled! So new as actually to produce works that are good, not evil. Works that are holy, not profane. Works that are true, no longer hypocritical.
Created in Christ Jesus, unto good works.
Such is their end and their goal. This is a creation that must be abundantly fruitful. This is a creation to produce all kinds and all manners of fruit. This is a creation that abounds in all good works.
And all to the praise and glory of their blessed Creator!
For all these good works go back to eternity. As clearly as all the elect were numbered and chosen by God from all eternity, so clearly were all their good works. Not one good work was missing. All were reckoned, all accounted, from all eternity.
“That we should walk in them.”
Here is the last great wonder of the creation we are in Christ Jesus. Here is our way by the wonder of God’s saving, renewing, and creating grace: in good works. Our blessed privilege is to walk in them. Our way is filled with them. Filled with the good works that we do. Good works of the mind and heart. Good works of the words of our lips. Good works of the deeds of our hand, the paths of our feet.
Let us walk in this way, led by the grace and the spirit of our God. Let us walk in this way as the workmanship of our God, created in Christ Jesus.
And let us never boast of what we have done.
Let us boast only in our wonderful God, who only doeth wondrous things!
“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” I John 1:3, 4
A most wonderful motive does the Holy Spirit give here for the proclamation of the gospel:
“That your joy may be full.”
This joy is the believing heart’s receiving and resting upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed, for the forgiveness of all sin and the sole ground of everlasting life. It is the joy of wondrous, full deliverance from the horrible bondage of Satan’s prison, which bondage was even of the will unto all evil and corruption.
But this joy is much more, especially for its wondrous fullness. It is the joy of fellowship, fellowship with the dear and beloved Saviour, the Son of God, who gave Himself to be the propitiation for our sins. Since this fellowship is the fellowship with the Son, who is the way, the truth, and the life, it is also fellowship with the Father Himself, the living and eternal God. It is this fellowship with God who gave His only begotten Son to be this propitiation for our sins.
What fullness of joy: delivered out of hostility under God’s wrath to the peace and everlasting life of full reconciliation with God, and all by the marvellous grace of this same God!
Fullness of joy to have and treasure in the heart! Fullness of joy to express in the praise and worship of God our Saviour, and Christ His dear Son! Fullness of joy to fight victoriously the battle of faith and to walk confidently and boldly in this evil age!
How do we have this fullness of joy? How do we have this fellowship that brings such fullness of joy?
The message!
This was the message that John heard and saw: “that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.”
That which John saw and heard, he declared to the church.
John’s confidence was that the very same life that He saw and heard, when he declared it to the church, they would have the very same fullness of joy.
So he wrote, “that your joy may be full.”
How many centuries have gone by!
How many changes has this world undergone!
Now so mechanized and industrialized. Now so scientific and technical. Now so explored and defined.
Yet the same message is delivered to us, the same message which John saw and heard, the same message he wrote to the church of his time.
And ours is the same fullness of joy by that message.
So as we have heard, and believed, making our joy so full, so let us speak!
So let us speak to our children.
So let us speak to the church that is yet to be brought out of darkness into the light through the proclamation of the gospel.
The same message, the same eternal life.
That their joy may be full.
A most wonderful motive does the Holy Spirit give here for the proclamation of the gospel:
“That your joy may be full.”
This joy is the believing heart’s receiving and resting upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed, for the forgiveness of all sin and the sole ground of everlasting life. It is the joy of wondrous, full deliverance from the horrible bondage of Satan’s prison, which bondage was even of the will unto all evil and corruption.
But this joy is much more, especially for its wondrous fullness. It is the joy of fellowship, fellowship with the dear and beloved Saviour, the Son of God, who gave Himself to be the propitiation for our sins. Since this fellowship is the fellowship with the Son, who is the way, the truth, and the life, it is also fellowship with the Father Himself, the living and eternal God. It is this fellowship with God who gave His only begotten Son to be this propitiation for our sins.
What fullness of joy: delivered out of hostility under God’s wrath to the peace and everlasting life of full reconciliation with God, and all by the marvellous grace of this same God!
Fullness of joy to have and treasure in the heart! Fullness of joy to express in the praise and worship of God our Saviour, and Christ His dear Son! Fullness of joy to fight victoriously the battle of faith and to walk confidently and boldly in this evil age!
How do we have this fullness of joy? How do we have this fellowship that brings such fullness of joy?
The message!
This was the message that John heard and saw: “that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.”
That which John saw and heard, he declared to the church.
John’s confidence was that the very same life that He saw and heard, when he declared it to the church, they would have the very same fullness of joy.
So he wrote, “that your joy may be full.”
How many centuries have gone by!
How many changes has this world undergone!
Now so mechanized and industrialized. Now so scientific and technical. Now so explored and defined.
Yet the same message is delivered to us, the same message which John saw and heard, the same message he wrote to the church of his time.
And ours is the same fullness of joy by that message.
So as we have heard, and believed, making our joy so full, so let us speak!
So let us speak to our children.
So let us speak to the church that is yet to be brought out of darkness into the light through the proclamation of the gospel.
The same message, the same eternal life.
That their joy may be full.
“And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” Mark 9:35
While walking in the way to Capernaum there was some distance between the Master and His disciples. The disciples took advantage of that distance to dispute among themselves the urgent, burning subject that they knew would merit their master’s displeasure. This subject lay heavily upon their hearts and minds. This subject was their ambition for the kingdom of God as they poorly conceived of it.
Often they disputed. Much they argued over this subject.
But in their concern for this subject, disputing among themselves in the way, they had forgotten that their Master knew what they were arguing about, and had perceived every word. So when He confronted them in the house in Capernaum, “they held their peace.”
They were ashamed of their dispute. They knew their Lord’s displeasure by His very question.
What was their subject? About what did they quarrel?
“Who should be the greatest.”
So again they must be taught.
So again we must be taught.
“If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.”
In these words is the pursuit of greatness: how to be first.
What is first? What does it mean to desire to be first?
To desire to be first is to “be last of all.”
To desire to be first is to be “servant of all.”
That is, to “be last of all” is to be first.
To be “servant of all” is to be first.
The first is to be desired. The first is to be sought after. The first is the greatest and best among all.
So is the desire to be fully turned: to be last.
Everyone else is first.
So is the desire to be transformed: to be servant of all.
How can I serve? How can I help? What can I do to make it better for the other?
Not to be first. Not to be served.
But to be last. But to be servant of all.
Such was the way of the Master. Such was the way of Him who is indeed chief and first in the Kingdom of Heaven, its Head, Lord, Ruler and Sovereign.
His way was to be servant of all, to lay down His life on the tree of the cross, giving His life as a ransom for many.
His way was to be last, last to do what no one else could do. He took up to Himself all the sin and guilt of His people, to bear alone to His cross. Alone He suffered all the wrath of God. Alone He was forsaken of God.
By that marvelous grace, let us know what it is to be truly first in the kingdom.
By that grace let us seek to be last of all.
By that grace let us seek to be servant of all.
That is first in the kingdom of heaven.
While walking in the way to Capernaum there was some distance between the Master and His disciples. The disciples took advantage of that distance to dispute among themselves the urgent, burning subject that they knew would merit their master’s displeasure. This subject lay heavily upon their hearts and minds. This subject was their ambition for the kingdom of God as they poorly conceived of it.
Often they disputed. Much they argued over this subject.
But in their concern for this subject, disputing among themselves in the way, they had forgotten that their Master knew what they were arguing about, and had perceived every word. So when He confronted them in the house in Capernaum, “they held their peace.”
They were ashamed of their dispute. They knew their Lord’s displeasure by His very question.
What was their subject? About what did they quarrel?
“Who should be the greatest.”
So again they must be taught.
So again we must be taught.
“If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.”
In these words is the pursuit of greatness: how to be first.
What is first? What does it mean to desire to be first?
To desire to be first is to “be last of all.”
To desire to be first is to be “servant of all.”
That is, to “be last of all” is to be first.
To be “servant of all” is to be first.
The first is to be desired. The first is to be sought after. The first is the greatest and best among all.
So is the desire to be fully turned: to be last.
Everyone else is first.
So is the desire to be transformed: to be servant of all.
How can I serve? How can I help? What can I do to make it better for the other?
Not to be first. Not to be served.
But to be last. But to be servant of all.
Such was the way of the Master. Such was the way of Him who is indeed chief and first in the Kingdom of Heaven, its Head, Lord, Ruler and Sovereign.
His way was to be servant of all, to lay down His life on the tree of the cross, giving His life as a ransom for many.
His way was to be last, last to do what no one else could do. He took up to Himself all the sin and guilt of His people, to bear alone to His cross. Alone He suffered all the wrath of God. Alone He was forsaken of God.
By that marvelous grace, let us know what it is to be truly first in the kingdom.
By that grace let us seek to be last of all.
By that grace let us seek to be servant of all.
That is first in the kingdom of heaven.
“Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12
What a great matter is this thing called hope!
Nothing casual, nothing trifling should be connected with such a glorious word. “Hope” is a word that should always have a great and glorious object connected to it.
The above Proverb demands it.
Hope deferred should always make the heart sick. At the same time, when the desire of the hope comes, then it should always be a tree of life.
Let us be sure to have such a hope, and such a desire.
Let us hope it is nice weather tomorrow? No!
Let us hope we have a good week at work or school? No!
Let us hope we have a delicious supper, or a nice time with family or friends? No!
Let us hope in the glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Let us hope in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come!
Let us hope for the heavenly perfection that leaves so far behind our depravity and the constant struggle against sin!
Let us hope for the glorious assembly of the church perfected to the praise and worship of our God upon the throne and the Lamb of God forever and ever!
Yes, a hope deferred. What is seen is not hope, for why then do we yet hope for it?
And, yes, a hope deferred to make our hearts sick. So much ought we to desire it, that our hearts become sick, and that we inwardly groan and ache for the adoption of sons promised to us in Romans 8:23.
Yes, there is that hope so glorious and so wonderful to make our hearts sick with waiting!
Yes, there is that hope so certain and so assured that it is worth all the sickness of heart from its being deferred!
For when that desire cometh it will be a tree of life to us.
A tree of life!
A tree of life growing by the pure river of the water of life of the new, heavenly Jerusalem. A tree of life, bearing twelve manner of fruits, yielding its fruit every month, its leaves for the healing of the nations.
Fruit, to take and eat!
Leaves to pluck off and lay upon all sickness, pain, and suffering, for the healing of the nations.
Such a hope!
As now this hope makes us sick from being deferred, let us know that it will soon be a tree of life to us!
All by our blessed Saviour, our hope!
What a great matter is this thing called hope!
Nothing casual, nothing trifling should be connected with such a glorious word. “Hope” is a word that should always have a great and glorious object connected to it.
The above Proverb demands it.
Hope deferred should always make the heart sick. At the same time, when the desire of the hope comes, then it should always be a tree of life.
Let us be sure to have such a hope, and such a desire.
Let us hope it is nice weather tomorrow? No!
Let us hope we have a good week at work or school? No!
Let us hope we have a delicious supper, or a nice time with family or friends? No!
Let us hope in the glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Let us hope in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come!
Let us hope for the heavenly perfection that leaves so far behind our depravity and the constant struggle against sin!
Let us hope for the glorious assembly of the church perfected to the praise and worship of our God upon the throne and the Lamb of God forever and ever!
Yes, a hope deferred. What is seen is not hope, for why then do we yet hope for it?
And, yes, a hope deferred to make our hearts sick. So much ought we to desire it, that our hearts become sick, and that we inwardly groan and ache for the adoption of sons promised to us in Romans 8:23.
Yes, there is that hope so glorious and so wonderful to make our hearts sick with waiting!
Yes, there is that hope so certain and so assured that it is worth all the sickness of heart from its being deferred!
For when that desire cometh it will be a tree of life to us.
A tree of life!
A tree of life growing by the pure river of the water of life of the new, heavenly Jerusalem. A tree of life, bearing twelve manner of fruits, yielding its fruit every month, its leaves for the healing of the nations.
Fruit, to take and eat!
Leaves to pluck off and lay upon all sickness, pain, and suffering, for the healing of the nations.
Such a hope!
As now this hope makes us sick from being deferred, let us know that it will soon be a tree of life to us!
All by our blessed Saviour, our hope!
9 September 2017
“Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him.” John 18:12
What irony!
Only a few moments before Jesus’ mere word had caused this band and the captains and officers of the Jews to go backward and fall to the ground. His word alone had this power. His word alone carried this fear and terror.
And now they bind him!
Irony, but also the great blindness of pride.
As if men might bind the Son of man Himself. As if by His word He could not call down ten thousand angels to deliver Him. As if by His Word He never stilled the wind and sea, cast out devils and raised the dead to life. As if by His Word He could not immediately break the feeble power of men holding His hands together.
His was the power, all the power.
But His was not the will. Neither was it the will of His Father in heaven.
So meekly He submitted Himself to the pride of men. With such humility He submitted to the appearance of being a mere transgressor of the law, a criminal in need of such a bond lest he should escape. So He appeared as a transgressor before the leaders of the Jews at His trial. So He appeared as a malefactor before Pilate.
Bound!
Why was He so bound?
He was bound that we might be loosed from our sins.
He was bound by men, treated and regarded as a transgressor, to demonstrate the binding of our sins upon Him by God. He submitted to this humiliating binding, this treatment belonging to a transgressor and malefactor, that He might show to us He became the transgressor for our transgressions. By His bonds He explain to us that He became the malefactor for us malefactors.
Bound, as the holy, the righteous Son of God. He was bound, who Himself knew no sin.
So was He bound for us.
Bound over to the death of the cross. Bound over to be the sacrifice upon Calvary’s tree for our sins bound upon Him.
Bound, that we might be loosed from our sins! Bound, that before God’s sight we might never be transgressors nor malefactors!
In that blessed freedom from our sins, our guilt, and our condemnation, let us rejoice and praise our God for the binding of His Son that has loosed our sins from us.
“Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him.” John 18:12
What irony!
Only a few moments before Jesus’ mere word had caused this band and the captains and officers of the Jews to go backward and fall to the ground. His word alone had this power. His word alone carried this fear and terror.
And now they bind him!
Irony, but also the great blindness of pride.
As if men might bind the Son of man Himself. As if by His word He could not call down ten thousand angels to deliver Him. As if by His Word He never stilled the wind and sea, cast out devils and raised the dead to life. As if by His Word He could not immediately break the feeble power of men holding His hands together.
His was the power, all the power.
But His was not the will. Neither was it the will of His Father in heaven.
So meekly He submitted Himself to the pride of men. With such humility He submitted to the appearance of being a mere transgressor of the law, a criminal in need of such a bond lest he should escape. So He appeared as a transgressor before the leaders of the Jews at His trial. So He appeared as a malefactor before Pilate.
Bound!
Why was He so bound?
He was bound that we might be loosed from our sins.
He was bound by men, treated and regarded as a transgressor, to demonstrate the binding of our sins upon Him by God. He submitted to this humiliating binding, this treatment belonging to a transgressor and malefactor, that He might show to us He became the transgressor for our transgressions. By His bonds He explain to us that He became the malefactor for us malefactors.
Bound, as the holy, the righteous Son of God. He was bound, who Himself knew no sin.
So was He bound for us.
Bound over to the death of the cross. Bound over to be the sacrifice upon Calvary’s tree for our sins bound upon Him.
Bound, that we might be loosed from our sins! Bound, that before God’s sight we might never be transgressors nor malefactors!
In that blessed freedom from our sins, our guilt, and our condemnation, let us rejoice and praise our God for the binding of His Son that has loosed our sins from us.
6 September 2017
“Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.” John 13:31, 32
Glorified!
Exalted, honoured, and praised!
The Son of man is to be glorified. He is to be lifted up to a place reserved only for the most blessed and most exalted. He is to be brought to a position of dignity, majesty. There He is meant to receive the adoration and worship of all. He is Lord!
For “God is glorified in him.” Through the work of the Son of man, His Father will be glorified. In this work, will the Father’s glory, honour, power, and wisdom be shown. When the Father will glorify Him, it will be because this work of the Son brings all glory and praise to His Father in heaven.
Then follows the most wonderful circle of glory expressed: “If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.” As God will glorify His Son, the Son will show forth more and more the glory of His Father. For that glory the Son brings to the Father, so will the Father glorify the Son even more. The union of the Father and the Son is a union that glorifies both, and all to the glory of God the Father and God the Son!
But, what about this “now”? What about this “straightway”?
These figures of time refer, of all things, to the treachery of Judas.
“Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now ...”
“Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, “. . . straightway . . .”
The treachery of Judas was to bring Jesus to His cross. The “now” was His hour, His time, the time of His suffering and death of the cross.
The glory of the Son is the glory of His cross. His glory is His death on that cross. His glory is the sacrifice of His own life and the shedding of His own blood on that cross. His glory is the offering up of His life to God as an atoning, reconciling, sacrifice. His glory is to be the sacrifice that satisfies the justice of God, that takes up the infinite wrath of God against sin, and that brings in the stead of that wrath all favour and grace.
That cross, though so deeply offensive and so greatly shameful to proud man, is the glory of the Son of man, to the glory of the Father.
Because that cross is alone the wonder of salvation. That cross alone is the wonder of the forgiveness of sins. It alone is the wonder of freedom from the guilt and the bondage of sin. It alone is the wonder of the mortification of sin. It alone is the wonder of free and full salvation, deliverance into all righteousness, eternal life, and the glorious kingdom of heaven.
In that cross is the glory of the Son of man. In that cross is the Father glorified by the Son. In that cross the Father glorifies the Son.
So let us always glory in that cross! In the glory of that cross, let us glorify the Son and the Father who gave His Son! Let us rejoice with great wonder to know that in our glorying the Son glorifies His Father, and the Father glorifies His Son!
“Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.” John 13:31, 32
Glorified!
Exalted, honoured, and praised!
The Son of man is to be glorified. He is to be lifted up to a place reserved only for the most blessed and most exalted. He is to be brought to a position of dignity, majesty. There He is meant to receive the adoration and worship of all. He is Lord!
For “God is glorified in him.” Through the work of the Son of man, His Father will be glorified. In this work, will the Father’s glory, honour, power, and wisdom be shown. When the Father will glorify Him, it will be because this work of the Son brings all glory and praise to His Father in heaven.
Then follows the most wonderful circle of glory expressed: “If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.” As God will glorify His Son, the Son will show forth more and more the glory of His Father. For that glory the Son brings to the Father, so will the Father glorify the Son even more. The union of the Father and the Son is a union that glorifies both, and all to the glory of God the Father and God the Son!
But, what about this “now”? What about this “straightway”?
These figures of time refer, of all things, to the treachery of Judas.
“Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now ...”
“Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, “. . . straightway . . .”
The treachery of Judas was to bring Jesus to His cross. The “now” was His hour, His time, the time of His suffering and death of the cross.
The glory of the Son is the glory of His cross. His glory is His death on that cross. His glory is the sacrifice of His own life and the shedding of His own blood on that cross. His glory is the offering up of His life to God as an atoning, reconciling, sacrifice. His glory is to be the sacrifice that satisfies the justice of God, that takes up the infinite wrath of God against sin, and that brings in the stead of that wrath all favour and grace.
That cross, though so deeply offensive and so greatly shameful to proud man, is the glory of the Son of man, to the glory of the Father.
Because that cross is alone the wonder of salvation. That cross alone is the wonder of the forgiveness of sins. It alone is the wonder of freedom from the guilt and the bondage of sin. It alone is the wonder of the mortification of sin. It alone is the wonder of free and full salvation, deliverance into all righteousness, eternal life, and the glorious kingdom of heaven.
In that cross is the glory of the Son of man. In that cross is the Father glorified by the Son. In that cross the Father glorifies the Son.
So let us always glory in that cross! In the glory of that cross, let us glorify the Son and the Father who gave His Son! Let us rejoice with great wonder to know that in our glorying the Son glorifies His Father, and the Father glorifies His Son!
13 August 2017
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133:1
Behold!
Stop! Gather the thoughts of your mind. Gather your attention together, eliminating the multitude of crowding distractions. Aim and focus. Prepare your mind to occupy itself with one thing alone.
What is it that must occupy your attention?
Brethren dwelling together in unity: how good and how pleasant!
All too often and all too sadly you can see the opposite. What an evil when brethren dwell together, but are divided against each other! Nothing good or pleasant is there. Divided in aim and goal. Divided between good and evil. Divided in direction, each going his own way, each thinking his way is best or right. Nothing good there. Nothing pleasant there. Only weakness, only trouble, only impending ruin.
But, brethren dwelling together in unity: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is!
Behold them dwelling together in that blessed unity in the house of God!
In the dwelling place of the Lord’s house together they dwell. There they hear the united truth of the Word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Together they hear that Word. Together they rejoice to believe in that Word. Together they worship according to that Word. That Word shapes and molds them together more and more in the image of the Son of God, their Head. By that Word, according to that Word, they view themselves and one another. Together they are the children of God. Together they are the saints of the Lord, the church, the body of Christ.
So they dwell together in unity. There is simply no room for quarreling and bickering. There can be no space for resentment and bitterness of strife. There can be no quarter for schism or heresy.
So we pray in our churches. So we seek the Word of God in His house of prayer.
That we may dwell together in unity.
That we may see, and that we may say from our hearts:
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133:1
Behold!
Stop! Gather the thoughts of your mind. Gather your attention together, eliminating the multitude of crowding distractions. Aim and focus. Prepare your mind to occupy itself with one thing alone.
What is it that must occupy your attention?
Brethren dwelling together in unity: how good and how pleasant!
All too often and all too sadly you can see the opposite. What an evil when brethren dwell together, but are divided against each other! Nothing good or pleasant is there. Divided in aim and goal. Divided between good and evil. Divided in direction, each going his own way, each thinking his way is best or right. Nothing good there. Nothing pleasant there. Only weakness, only trouble, only impending ruin.
But, brethren dwelling together in unity: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is!
Behold them dwelling together in that blessed unity in the house of God!
In the dwelling place of the Lord’s house together they dwell. There they hear the united truth of the Word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Together they hear that Word. Together they rejoice to believe in that Word. Together they worship according to that Word. That Word shapes and molds them together more and more in the image of the Son of God, their Head. By that Word, according to that Word, they view themselves and one another. Together they are the children of God. Together they are the saints of the Lord, the church, the body of Christ.
So they dwell together in unity. There is simply no room for quarreling and bickering. There can be no space for resentment and bitterness of strife. There can be no quarter for schism or heresy.
So we pray in our churches. So we seek the Word of God in His house of prayer.
That we may dwell together in unity.
That we may see, and that we may say from our hearts:
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
July 22, 2017
“Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.”
“Nicodemus saith unto them, (He that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?” John 7:47-51
What hardness of heart is expressed in the above words from Holy Scripture!
The officers sent by the chief priests and Pharisees returned empty-handed. The bitter envy and deep hatred of the rulers sent these officers of the temple to arrest Jesus and bring Him to them. So they went, to carry out their orders. But when they heard Jesus’ preaching, they were so filled with awe and wonder at His teaching that they could not lay their hands on Him. They brought back their report: “Never man spake like this man.”
Their simple, straightforward report brought the exasperated retort: “Are ye also deceived?”
The disciples: deceived! The multitudes: deceived! The officers: deceived! Fools! Blind!
Believing on Jesus! Only one man! One, over against the rulers, the chief priests, the scribes, the Pharisees.
These are the educated. These are the trained and schooled. They know the law.
They do not believe. They will not believe. They are too well-trained to be taken in. They are too intelligent to be deceived.
“But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.”
One among this gathering one speaks up. One of them. One of the rulers. One of them who know the law.
As Nicodemus knows the law, so he speaks of the law. “Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?”
And as he knows and speaks of the law, so he has done. He came to Jesus by night. Jesus he heard. Jesus he understood. Jesus he believed. By Jesus and in Jesus he was blessed.
By Nicodemus, this one Pharisee teetering between fear and boldness, is his company’s hardness of heart fully exposed.
“Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?”
Yes! Nicodemus, who came to Jesus by night.
Who, then, is deceived? Who is so foolishly blinded? Who is truly cursed in their blindness?
The Pharisees and rulers, who know not the end of the law, Jesus Christ.
The Pharisees and rulers, who foolishly use the law to justify themselves, clinging to their own self-righteousness.
Let us forsake the foolish blindness and the deception of self-justification. Let us flee from the curse of knowing the law without knowing the end of the law.
Let us flee with Nicodemus, to believe on Jesus Christ, the end of the law. Redeemed from the curse of the law by His blood, and blessed with His righteousness imputed to us, let us walk humbly with our God in the way of His law.
“Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.”
“Nicodemus saith unto them, (He that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?” John 7:47-51
What hardness of heart is expressed in the above words from Holy Scripture!
The officers sent by the chief priests and Pharisees returned empty-handed. The bitter envy and deep hatred of the rulers sent these officers of the temple to arrest Jesus and bring Him to them. So they went, to carry out their orders. But when they heard Jesus’ preaching, they were so filled with awe and wonder at His teaching that they could not lay their hands on Him. They brought back their report: “Never man spake like this man.”
Their simple, straightforward report brought the exasperated retort: “Are ye also deceived?”
The disciples: deceived! The multitudes: deceived! The officers: deceived! Fools! Blind!
Believing on Jesus! Only one man! One, over against the rulers, the chief priests, the scribes, the Pharisees.
These are the educated. These are the trained and schooled. They know the law.
They do not believe. They will not believe. They are too well-trained to be taken in. They are too intelligent to be deceived.
“But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.”
One among this gathering one speaks up. One of them. One of the rulers. One of them who know the law.
As Nicodemus knows the law, so he speaks of the law. “Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?”
And as he knows and speaks of the law, so he has done. He came to Jesus by night. Jesus he heard. Jesus he understood. Jesus he believed. By Jesus and in Jesus he was blessed.
By Nicodemus, this one Pharisee teetering between fear and boldness, is his company’s hardness of heart fully exposed.
“Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?”
Yes! Nicodemus, who came to Jesus by night.
Who, then, is deceived? Who is so foolishly blinded? Who is truly cursed in their blindness?
The Pharisees and rulers, who know not the end of the law, Jesus Christ.
The Pharisees and rulers, who foolishly use the law to justify themselves, clinging to their own self-righteousness.
Let us forsake the foolish blindness and the deception of self-justification. Let us flee from the curse of knowing the law without knowing the end of the law.
Let us flee with Nicodemus, to believe on Jesus Christ, the end of the law. Redeemed from the curse of the law by His blood, and blessed with His righteousness imputed to us, let us walk humbly with our God in the way of His law.
18 July 2017
“He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.
Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.” Isaiah 50:8, 9.
Let the challenge be issued!
“Who will contend with me?”
“Who is mine adversary?”
“Who is he that shall condemn me?”
The summons run through heaven and earth. So many hear them. So many are stirred up in their hearts.
Hatred brings them to answer their summons. They have their grounds. They have their strong arguments. The instruments of condemnation they have sharpened for just this purpose.
Let the devils of hell stand on the left, with the great accuser of the brethren ready to speak as their representative. Let the children of men assemble together on the right, with their testimonies and recollections, ready to present every ground for a sentence of condemnation.
Let them speak all their works out of their deep, bitter enmity. Let them declare every ground that demands certain condemnation. Let them demand for you the deepest shame and utter humiliation.
Every word they can speak is vain. No matter their hatred, they cannot prevail. No matter their words, condemnation and shame must flee away.
Why? How?
Because they are but creatures. Whether devil or man, whether spiritual or earthly, the sentence is upon them: “They all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.”
Who are they and what are they before the One whose testimony and declaration contradicts theirs? What can all their words and all their testimony mean before Him?
For, “He is near that justifieth me.”
The eternal, living God is near. He is near as the One that justifies. His Word overcomes. His Word triumphs. Not only does His Word overcome all the accusations of every enemy that draws near to condemn. His Word triumphs over all the ground of their condemnation. Over the sins and iniquities. Over the depravity that dwells so deep within.
Even more:
“He is near that justifieth me.”
“Behold, the Lord God will help me.”
The Lord God who justifies, is the very same that is near.
Near as your helper.
Near as your righteousness.
Such is the Son of God in His flesh, Head of the church.
Such is His nearness in your flesh as your Head, to take your sins upon Himself, to grant you His righteousness, by His glorious and blessed sacrifice on His cross.
In that righteousness you have no condemnation to fear. With that justification, every enemy must fall silent.
He is near!
“He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.
Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.” Isaiah 50:8, 9.
Let the challenge be issued!
“Who will contend with me?”
“Who is mine adversary?”
“Who is he that shall condemn me?”
The summons run through heaven and earth. So many hear them. So many are stirred up in their hearts.
Hatred brings them to answer their summons. They have their grounds. They have their strong arguments. The instruments of condemnation they have sharpened for just this purpose.
Let the devils of hell stand on the left, with the great accuser of the brethren ready to speak as their representative. Let the children of men assemble together on the right, with their testimonies and recollections, ready to present every ground for a sentence of condemnation.
Let them speak all their works out of their deep, bitter enmity. Let them declare every ground that demands certain condemnation. Let them demand for you the deepest shame and utter humiliation.
Every word they can speak is vain. No matter their hatred, they cannot prevail. No matter their words, condemnation and shame must flee away.
Why? How?
Because they are but creatures. Whether devil or man, whether spiritual or earthly, the sentence is upon them: “They all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.”
Who are they and what are they before the One whose testimony and declaration contradicts theirs? What can all their words and all their testimony mean before Him?
For, “He is near that justifieth me.”
The eternal, living God is near. He is near as the One that justifies. His Word overcomes. His Word triumphs. Not only does His Word overcome all the accusations of every enemy that draws near to condemn. His Word triumphs over all the ground of their condemnation. Over the sins and iniquities. Over the depravity that dwells so deep within.
Even more:
“He is near that justifieth me.”
“Behold, the Lord God will help me.”
The Lord God who justifies, is the very same that is near.
Near as your helper.
Near as your righteousness.
Such is the Son of God in His flesh, Head of the church.
Such is His nearness in your flesh as your Head, to take your sins upon Himself, to grant you His righteousness, by His glorious and blessed sacrifice on His cross.
In that righteousness you have no condemnation to fear. With that justification, every enemy must fall silent.
He is near!
13 July 2017
“For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect.” Romans 4:14
Brutal honesty!
Brutal honesty is what this Word of God requires.
Yes, there are those who are “of the law.” The brutal honesty of this Word requires that we see who they are.
“Of the law” means that they are not “of faith.” Faith does not characterize their mind, their heart or their life. Law does. They have settled themselves in the way of merit. By the works of their hands, the words of their mouths and the thoughts of their heats they are working to establish their righteousness before God. They want their acceptance before God depending on what they do. They desire that their fellowship, their peace with God, their expectation and hope of good from God, be dependent on their good works.
On their good works, whether alone, or together with faith. On them, whether on the whole, or in part. On them, whether by God’s grace or not.
Whether of the law altogether, or whether of the law in part, they are “of the law.”
The brutal honesty of this Word considers these “of the law,” whether they could possibly be heirs.
Heirs of the kingdom of heaven. Heirs of God’s grace and favor in His fellowship and friendship. Heirs of salvation and eternal life. Heirs of all the good declared in Scripture.
Could they be? Could they be possibly? Could they be remotely?
Scripture answers with its brutal honesty: Absolutely not!
What would be the result?
“Faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect.”
Faith means absolutely nothing. Faith does not count. There is nothing approved and nothing good about it. It is a waste of effort. Believing is completely useless. It gains nothing.
The brutal honesty of the Word goes even further. Why is faith made void?
Because the promise that faith believes is “made of none effect.” The promise of God is an empty, hollow word. There is no power to it. There is nothing of substance to it. The promise is a word without significance or weight. In it is no comfort and peace. It leads to nothing good and provides no salvation.
This brutal honesty of God’s Word must thoroughly break your pride. It must turn you aside from that vast and swelling company that is “of the law.” No matter their numbers, no matter their piety or practicality, they are not heirs. With all their numbers, for all their piety and practicality, they are trying to make faith void and the promise of none effect.
Be not “of the law.” Trust not at all in your works, but always and only believe. Only believe in the promise of God. Only believe in the promise of God, sealed in the blood of Christ.
Being of faith, know that your faith is never void. Of faith know that the promise of God is powerful and efficacious to you.
Of faith, rejoice in the power of faith declared in the 16th verse: “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.”
“For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect.” Romans 4:14
Brutal honesty!
Brutal honesty is what this Word of God requires.
Yes, there are those who are “of the law.” The brutal honesty of this Word requires that we see who they are.
“Of the law” means that they are not “of faith.” Faith does not characterize their mind, their heart or their life. Law does. They have settled themselves in the way of merit. By the works of their hands, the words of their mouths and the thoughts of their heats they are working to establish their righteousness before God. They want their acceptance before God depending on what they do. They desire that their fellowship, their peace with God, their expectation and hope of good from God, be dependent on their good works.
On their good works, whether alone, or together with faith. On them, whether on the whole, or in part. On them, whether by God’s grace or not.
Whether of the law altogether, or whether of the law in part, they are “of the law.”
The brutal honesty of this Word considers these “of the law,” whether they could possibly be heirs.
Heirs of the kingdom of heaven. Heirs of God’s grace and favor in His fellowship and friendship. Heirs of salvation and eternal life. Heirs of all the good declared in Scripture.
Could they be? Could they be possibly? Could they be remotely?
Scripture answers with its brutal honesty: Absolutely not!
What would be the result?
“Faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect.”
Faith means absolutely nothing. Faith does not count. There is nothing approved and nothing good about it. It is a waste of effort. Believing is completely useless. It gains nothing.
The brutal honesty of the Word goes even further. Why is faith made void?
Because the promise that faith believes is “made of none effect.” The promise of God is an empty, hollow word. There is no power to it. There is nothing of substance to it. The promise is a word without significance or weight. In it is no comfort and peace. It leads to nothing good and provides no salvation.
This brutal honesty of God’s Word must thoroughly break your pride. It must turn you aside from that vast and swelling company that is “of the law.” No matter their numbers, no matter their piety or practicality, they are not heirs. With all their numbers, for all their piety and practicality, they are trying to make faith void and the promise of none effect.
Be not “of the law.” Trust not at all in your works, but always and only believe. Only believe in the promise of God. Only believe in the promise of God, sealed in the blood of Christ.
Being of faith, know that your faith is never void. Of faith know that the promise of God is powerful and efficacious to you.
Of faith, rejoice in the power of faith declared in the 16th verse: “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.”
12 July 2017
“Therefore speak I unto them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” Matthew 13:13-15
What judgment!
Marvelous, wondrous, terrible, fearsome judgment!
Judgment through parables from the lips of the Saviour.
Parables are teaching devices. Their very nature is to clarify and explain. They are meant to make more difficult truths easier to understand. Especially is this true of the parables of Christ. How effectively and clearly they illustrated the nature of the spiritual and invisible kingdom of heaven. It must be said that every single parable He taught accomplished this effort and goal. Through His preaching and teaching, the kingdom of God was brought more near to His audience in its truth and reality.
Therefore we might well conclude: by His parables Jesus intended to bring His audience into the kingdom of God. He brought its truth and reality so near to them, that their entrance would be a very simple task. There it is: the kingdom! See it open! Enter!
Not so!
Hear His testimony: “Therefore I speak . . . because they seeing see not. . . . And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith.”
Jesus spoke these parables in judgment. His parables hardened their hearts. The nearer He brought the kingdom to them by His word, the more they closed their ears and eyes against it.
His judgment was the judgment of God. His purpose was to fulfill the judgment of God declared in Isaiah.
“By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand.”
“Seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive.”
So by the Word of Isaiah, spoken by God to His prophet at his commission.
Then, the sovereign explanation: “For this people’s heart is waxed gross . . . lest at any time they should see . . . and should be converted, and I should heal them.”
What judgment! Parables to close the eyes. Parables to harden the heart. Lest they should see and be converted.
But there, in the midst of marvelous, wondrous, terrible and fearsome judgment, is mercy!
How do you see? How do you understand? How are you converted and healed? How do you enter the kingdom of heaven?
By grace alone!
By the grace of your Saviour to take away your guilt by His death on the cross, the guilt that is the cause of your unbelief.
By the grace of your Saviour, always to give you with His parables ears to hear, eyes to see, a heart to understand.
By grace He converts you. By grace He heals you. By grace He leads you into His kingdom.
In that blessed grace, so mighty over judgment, rejoice, and give humble thanks to your God!
“Therefore speak I unto them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” Matthew 13:13-15
What judgment!
Marvelous, wondrous, terrible, fearsome judgment!
Judgment through parables from the lips of the Saviour.
Parables are teaching devices. Their very nature is to clarify and explain. They are meant to make more difficult truths easier to understand. Especially is this true of the parables of Christ. How effectively and clearly they illustrated the nature of the spiritual and invisible kingdom of heaven. It must be said that every single parable He taught accomplished this effort and goal. Through His preaching and teaching, the kingdom of God was brought more near to His audience in its truth and reality.
Therefore we might well conclude: by His parables Jesus intended to bring His audience into the kingdom of God. He brought its truth and reality so near to them, that their entrance would be a very simple task. There it is: the kingdom! See it open! Enter!
Not so!
Hear His testimony: “Therefore I speak . . . because they seeing see not. . . . And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith.”
Jesus spoke these parables in judgment. His parables hardened their hearts. The nearer He brought the kingdom to them by His word, the more they closed their ears and eyes against it.
His judgment was the judgment of God. His purpose was to fulfill the judgment of God declared in Isaiah.
“By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand.”
“Seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive.”
So by the Word of Isaiah, spoken by God to His prophet at his commission.
Then, the sovereign explanation: “For this people’s heart is waxed gross . . . lest at any time they should see . . . and should be converted, and I should heal them.”
What judgment! Parables to close the eyes. Parables to harden the heart. Lest they should see and be converted.
But there, in the midst of marvelous, wondrous, terrible and fearsome judgment, is mercy!
How do you see? How do you understand? How are you converted and healed? How do you enter the kingdom of heaven?
By grace alone!
By the grace of your Saviour to take away your guilt by His death on the cross, the guilt that is the cause of your unbelief.
By the grace of your Saviour, always to give you with His parables ears to hear, eyes to see, a heart to understand.
By grace He converts you. By grace He heals you. By grace He leads you into His kingdom.
In that blessed grace, so mighty over judgment, rejoice, and give humble thanks to your God!
6 July 2017
“Woe unto the world because of offences! For it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” Matthew 18:7,8
Wherefore!
Oh, how we need that connecting word!
That connecting word is given us in order to take up a most severe and painful work: amputation.
Cut them off!
Shear through the skin. Slice through muscle and tissue. Cut through vain and artery. Sever nerve, tendon and ligament. Saw through bone if necessary.
That hand or foot, now severed and cut off, do not mourn it. Do not cleave to it. Be not sorry over it.
Cast it from thee!
Cast it from thee with loathing and abhorrence.
Wherefore?
Because that hand or foot, attached to your body, making you whole and able, was no asset. It was a horrifying liability.
That hand or foot was going to lead your whole body into everlasting fire. Yours was to be everlasting desolation and misery. Yours was to be indescribable torment, anguish and pain coursing through your whole nature without any letup or relief in sight. Forever in those eternally burning flames you should have known in every whole member the greatest pain as the punishment of your iniquity and sin.
All because of that offending hand or foot.
How much better, then, to enter into life halt or maimed.
Halt or maimed, in that life, how glad you should be for that handicap. How blessed you should be, because you went through that harsh, agonizingly painful procedure for the amputation of that offending member. Through that whole painful procedure you were able to enter into life, and escape the ravages of eternal fire.
So very painful is the discipline of the church of Jesus Christ, the pain of spiritual amputation. So painful is it to cut off and cast away the offending member. But it is for the body of Christ, that it might enter into life halt or maimed. So it is also for the entrance into life of that offending member of the body, that he might undertake the painful amputation of his sin that cleaves to him.
So very painful is the discipline of every child of God. The members of his flesh, the motions of sin in his members, are a cause of constant offense. Yielding to them would mean turning back to a walk in sin, the end of which is eternal fire. So he must cut off and cast away every offending member, a harsh and painful work.
So must we ensure that this difficult work is carried on in the body of Christ. So must we be zealous to carry on this work in our own hearts, minds, and lives.
Better to enter into life halt or maimed.
“Woe unto the world because of offences! For it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” Matthew 18:7,8
Wherefore!
Oh, how we need that connecting word!
That connecting word is given us in order to take up a most severe and painful work: amputation.
Cut them off!
Shear through the skin. Slice through muscle and tissue. Cut through vain and artery. Sever nerve, tendon and ligament. Saw through bone if necessary.
That hand or foot, now severed and cut off, do not mourn it. Do not cleave to it. Be not sorry over it.
Cast it from thee!
Cast it from thee with loathing and abhorrence.
Wherefore?
Because that hand or foot, attached to your body, making you whole and able, was no asset. It was a horrifying liability.
That hand or foot was going to lead your whole body into everlasting fire. Yours was to be everlasting desolation and misery. Yours was to be indescribable torment, anguish and pain coursing through your whole nature without any letup or relief in sight. Forever in those eternally burning flames you should have known in every whole member the greatest pain as the punishment of your iniquity and sin.
All because of that offending hand or foot.
How much better, then, to enter into life halt or maimed.
Halt or maimed, in that life, how glad you should be for that handicap. How blessed you should be, because you went through that harsh, agonizingly painful procedure for the amputation of that offending member. Through that whole painful procedure you were able to enter into life, and escape the ravages of eternal fire.
So very painful is the discipline of the church of Jesus Christ, the pain of spiritual amputation. So painful is it to cut off and cast away the offending member. But it is for the body of Christ, that it might enter into life halt or maimed. So it is also for the entrance into life of that offending member of the body, that he might undertake the painful amputation of his sin that cleaves to him.
So very painful is the discipline of every child of God. The members of his flesh, the motions of sin in his members, are a cause of constant offense. Yielding to them would mean turning back to a walk in sin, the end of which is eternal fire. So he must cut off and cast away every offending member, a harsh and painful work.
So must we ensure that this difficult work is carried on in the body of Christ. So must we be zealous to carry on this work in our own hearts, minds, and lives.
Better to enter into life halt or maimed.
24 June 2017
“Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” I Peter 5:5, 6
All of you!
To this rule there are no exceptions. No exceptions of rank, of class, of privilege or wealth. No distinctions of authority, rule or power.
All of you be subject one to another.
Every relationship falls under this same rule.
Kings be subject to your subjects. Masters, be subject to your slaves. Presidents, prime ministers, be subject to your citizens. Employers be subject to your employees; elders, to your congregants; husbands, to your wives; parents, to your children.
Be subject to them. Let your words, attitudes, actions and behavior be shaped and molded by their character, their needs, their personalities. Sacrifice yourself in seeking what is best for them. Accommodate yourself to their flaws and frailties.
Iron-fisted authoritarianism and jack-booted despotism is arrogant and haughty pride.
Put off all pride.
Be subject to one another, and be clothed with humility.
Put it on like a garment. Wear it in all your transactions and business. Make humility the garb that everyone sees in all your dealings with them.
Why is this humility so important? Why is it so important to put off all pride, especially to be subject to one another?
Because God resisteth the proud!
Pride will make you an enemy of God. Pride will have you undermining His place, His rule from His holy throne. Pride will have you rob Him of His glory. Pride will have your rule substituting for His.
But God giveth grace to the humble.
Seek His grace, His blessedness, His favour and lovingkindness in all your ways. Seek His grace in the way of thorough humility, humility that shines even where you have authority.
In that way of humble sacrifice and service, look for His grace to you.
Look for it according to His Word: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.”
As horrible to exalt yourself by your own hand, and find yourself resisted by God Himself, so blessed to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you.
Under that mighty hand of God, be that blessed servant, clothed with humility. Under that mighty hand, all of you be subject one to another. Wait upon Him in that humility. The time will come when He will exalt you to honour, glory, dominion and power unimaginable. The honour of eternal life awaits. The glory of heaven is coming. The dominion of victory over every enemy shall be your crown. The power of endless life shall be your gift.
He will exalt you in due time.
Humble yourselves therefore!
“Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” I Peter 5:5, 6
All of you!
To this rule there are no exceptions. No exceptions of rank, of class, of privilege or wealth. No distinctions of authority, rule or power.
All of you be subject one to another.
Every relationship falls under this same rule.
Kings be subject to your subjects. Masters, be subject to your slaves. Presidents, prime ministers, be subject to your citizens. Employers be subject to your employees; elders, to your congregants; husbands, to your wives; parents, to your children.
Be subject to them. Let your words, attitudes, actions and behavior be shaped and molded by their character, their needs, their personalities. Sacrifice yourself in seeking what is best for them. Accommodate yourself to their flaws and frailties.
Iron-fisted authoritarianism and jack-booted despotism is arrogant and haughty pride.
Put off all pride.
Be subject to one another, and be clothed with humility.
Put it on like a garment. Wear it in all your transactions and business. Make humility the garb that everyone sees in all your dealings with them.
Why is this humility so important? Why is it so important to put off all pride, especially to be subject to one another?
Because God resisteth the proud!
Pride will make you an enemy of God. Pride will have you undermining His place, His rule from His holy throne. Pride will have you rob Him of His glory. Pride will have your rule substituting for His.
But God giveth grace to the humble.
Seek His grace, His blessedness, His favour and lovingkindness in all your ways. Seek His grace in the way of thorough humility, humility that shines even where you have authority.
In that way of humble sacrifice and service, look for His grace to you.
Look for it according to His Word: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.”
As horrible to exalt yourself by your own hand, and find yourself resisted by God Himself, so blessed to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you.
Under that mighty hand of God, be that blessed servant, clothed with humility. Under that mighty hand, all of you be subject one to another. Wait upon Him in that humility. The time will come when He will exalt you to honour, glory, dominion and power unimaginable. The honour of eternal life awaits. The glory of heaven is coming. The dominion of victory over every enemy shall be your crown. The power of endless life shall be your gift.
He will exalt you in due time.
Humble yourselves therefore!
11 June, 2017
“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him . . . but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth . . . But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Psalm 37:7, 9, 11
In these same verses that speak about the blessed peace of the Sabbath, we have words that tempt us to great turmoil and unrest of heart and soul.
Why does the man who brings wicked devices to pass prosper in his way? Why does he get what he wants, and more than his heart could wish? How does he make more and more secure his life, his wealth and his lands? How is his heart so much at ease?
So we might fret. So we might become bitterly angry. So we might be tempted to take matters into our own hands, to take away his rest and give him trouble instead.
But in our temptation we hear the call of our God to us.
Rest.
Wait patiently for him.
Be a servant of the Lord. Be as the redeemed of the Lord by the blood of Christ.
Belonging to Him, you have nothing to worry over. You have no cause for fretful anxiety.
He will abundantly care for all His own. He will care for you, His blood-bought servants.
As you hear the proclamation of the gospel today, feeding upon that Word of God, delight yourself in the abundance of His peace. Feed upon that gospel to fill your heart and soul with His peace, driving out all anxiety, all fear, all worries over the wicked.
His rest is yours. His peace is for your soul.
His blessed promises are yours.
“Those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.”
“But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”
The rest and peace of the gospel of Christ that you enjoy this Sabbath day will be your everlasting rest. The promise you cling to today will be the fulfillment of God’s almighty, gracious power tomorrow, the Day of the Lord.
Yours will be the inheritance of the earth, the ground that you walk on this Sabbath Day, but cleansed, renewed and reconciled. It will be the inheritance of the new earth together with the new heaven, brought together under the glorious rule of Him that sitteth on the throne and of the Lamb of God.
So patiently wait in meekness this day of rest.
He will bring it to pass.
“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him . . . but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth . . . But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Psalm 37:7, 9, 11
In these same verses that speak about the blessed peace of the Sabbath, we have words that tempt us to great turmoil and unrest of heart and soul.
Why does the man who brings wicked devices to pass prosper in his way? Why does he get what he wants, and more than his heart could wish? How does he make more and more secure his life, his wealth and his lands? How is his heart so much at ease?
So we might fret. So we might become bitterly angry. So we might be tempted to take matters into our own hands, to take away his rest and give him trouble instead.
But in our temptation we hear the call of our God to us.
Rest.
Wait patiently for him.
Be a servant of the Lord. Be as the redeemed of the Lord by the blood of Christ.
Belonging to Him, you have nothing to worry over. You have no cause for fretful anxiety.
He will abundantly care for all His own. He will care for you, His blood-bought servants.
As you hear the proclamation of the gospel today, feeding upon that Word of God, delight yourself in the abundance of His peace. Feed upon that gospel to fill your heart and soul with His peace, driving out all anxiety, all fear, all worries over the wicked.
His rest is yours. His peace is for your soul.
His blessed promises are yours.
“Those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.”
“But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”
The rest and peace of the gospel of Christ that you enjoy this Sabbath day will be your everlasting rest. The promise you cling to today will be the fulfillment of God’s almighty, gracious power tomorrow, the Day of the Lord.
Yours will be the inheritance of the earth, the ground that you walk on this Sabbath Day, but cleansed, renewed and reconciled. It will be the inheritance of the new earth together with the new heaven, brought together under the glorious rule of Him that sitteth on the throne and of the Lamb of God.
So patiently wait in meekness this day of rest.
He will bring it to pass.
8 June 2017
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
What a workmanship of God!
What makes this workmanship of God so great is its former condition. Before: “dead in trespasses and sins.” Before: walking “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” Before: “our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.” Before: “children of wrath.”
But now: “his workmanship.”
Most evidently, then; most obviously, then: “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves.”
What a workmanship of God!
A workmanship created in Christ Jesus!
Created! So great, so thorough, so radical is this workmanship of God that the Holy Spirit calls it a new creation. So different is the new from the old, so great is the transformation that the word “created” properly describes it.
Created in Christ Jesus!
Christ Jesus is the mold. Christ Jesus is the standard and rule for this creation. This workmanship is poured into the mold of Christ Jesus for his shape. This workmanship is so wrought upon with the instruments of God that it is made to conform to Christ Jesus. It must bear the impress and stamp of Christ Jesus. It must be renewed after His image and likeness. As the heart of Christ Jesus, so the heart of God’s workmanship. As the soul of Christ, as the mind of Christ, as the will of Christ, as the conduct and behaviour of Christ in all holiness and righteousness, so the soul, mind, will, conduct and behaviour of this workmanship of God.
This workmanship is wrought upon, fashioned, shaped and molded by God for a very particular purpose: “created in Christ Jesus unto good works.”
“Unto good works.”
To be sure, the good works of the law. These are the good works that are according to the law of God, performed out of true faith, and are directed to the honour and glory of God.
But these are also exactly the good works, “which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
This good work. That good work. The good works that we do every day.
Each of them and all of them God has ordained. He has ordained them exactly according to what they would be, when and how we should do each one of them.
Amazing workmanship of God!
As we desire to do them out of gratitude for the complete salvation God has bestowed upon us, they have been ordained by God. As we turn to the law of God to show us what works are pleasing to Him, they have been ordained by God. As we delight to do them with our heart, our soul, our mind and strength, and as we do them with our lips and tongues, our hands and feet, they have all been before ordained of God.
As His blessed workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto all good works, let us every rejoice to walk in them, praising, blessing, and thanking our God for the wonder of His mighty grace to us!
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
What a workmanship of God!
What makes this workmanship of God so great is its former condition. Before: “dead in trespasses and sins.” Before: walking “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” Before: “our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.” Before: “children of wrath.”
But now: “his workmanship.”
Most evidently, then; most obviously, then: “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves.”
What a workmanship of God!
A workmanship created in Christ Jesus!
Created! So great, so thorough, so radical is this workmanship of God that the Holy Spirit calls it a new creation. So different is the new from the old, so great is the transformation that the word “created” properly describes it.
Created in Christ Jesus!
Christ Jesus is the mold. Christ Jesus is the standard and rule for this creation. This workmanship is poured into the mold of Christ Jesus for his shape. This workmanship is so wrought upon with the instruments of God that it is made to conform to Christ Jesus. It must bear the impress and stamp of Christ Jesus. It must be renewed after His image and likeness. As the heart of Christ Jesus, so the heart of God’s workmanship. As the soul of Christ, as the mind of Christ, as the will of Christ, as the conduct and behaviour of Christ in all holiness and righteousness, so the soul, mind, will, conduct and behaviour of this workmanship of God.
This workmanship is wrought upon, fashioned, shaped and molded by God for a very particular purpose: “created in Christ Jesus unto good works.”
“Unto good works.”
To be sure, the good works of the law. These are the good works that are according to the law of God, performed out of true faith, and are directed to the honour and glory of God.
But these are also exactly the good works, “which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
This good work. That good work. The good works that we do every day.
Each of them and all of them God has ordained. He has ordained them exactly according to what they would be, when and how we should do each one of them.
Amazing workmanship of God!
As we desire to do them out of gratitude for the complete salvation God has bestowed upon us, they have been ordained by God. As we turn to the law of God to show us what works are pleasing to Him, they have been ordained by God. As we delight to do them with our heart, our soul, our mind and strength, and as we do them with our lips and tongues, our hands and feet, they have all been before ordained of God.
As His blessed workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto all good works, let us every rejoice to walk in them, praising, blessing, and thanking our God for the wonder of His mighty grace to us!
6 June 2017
“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8, 9
The deep, abounding, wonderful love of faith!
Faith that does not need to see. Faith that does not see with the eye. Faith that does not need to touch or handle. Faith that does not need to hear for itself with the ear.
Faith that merely believes the testimony of God’s Word.
Faith that merely believes the testimony of that Word, to be burdened with the heavy guilt of sin and depravity. Faith that knows oneself to be a lost, helpless, depraved sinner, worthy only of condemnation and the everlasting wrath of God. Faith that merely believes the testimony of that same Word of a wonderful, mighty Saviour from the guilt of sin, and from sin’s condemnation and wrath.
So that faith receives its end: “even the salvation of your souls.”
How wonderful and how strong faith is! Full, complete, and final salvation, possessed, enjoyed by the believer forever and ever!
So faith begets joy.
Not just any emotion of joy. Not just any passing or rising and falling, some mere feeling of joy.
This is a joy unspeakable.
To be sure, this joy of faith can be explained and described. It is of this nature and it is of this character. This is its reason and cause. But it is a joy that is unspeakable according to its amazing strength, wonderful fullness and exalted measure. Its limit cannot be declared. Its end cannot be told.
What makes this joy unspeakable?
Because it is full of glory. This joy is full of the glory that belongs to the eternal life promised in the gospel, grounded in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the righteousness received and embraced through faith alone. This joy is the joy of final salvation, the glory of final deliverance from every burden of pain, sorrow, loss, and heartache. This joy is the glory of final and complete victory, over the world, over sin and Satan, and over the flesh, the old man of sin. This joy is the sweetness of the glory of heaven, that must immediately swallow up every affliction and hardship of this present life.
This joy unspeakable and full of glory must also lead back by faith to its source: that blessed and dear Saviour, Jesus Christ.
“Whom having not seen, ye love.”
Who has given us this inheritance of glory? Who has given us this joy unspeakable? Who has given us this faith, whereby we receive and know this joy unspeakable and full of glory?
Who has given us so freely and graciously? Who has given us at the great cost of His own blood, shed on the shameful cross and under the wrath of God?
Our Lord Jesus Christ!
How great He is! How great His love for us!
So great, that without seeing, by faith alone we love Him.
May our joy unspeakable and full of glory strengthen us to love our Saviour, showing forth His glory, His truth, His righteousness and holiness in all our life!
“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8, 9
The deep, abounding, wonderful love of faith!
Faith that does not need to see. Faith that does not see with the eye. Faith that does not need to touch or handle. Faith that does not need to hear for itself with the ear.
Faith that merely believes the testimony of God’s Word.
Faith that merely believes the testimony of that Word, to be burdened with the heavy guilt of sin and depravity. Faith that knows oneself to be a lost, helpless, depraved sinner, worthy only of condemnation and the everlasting wrath of God. Faith that merely believes the testimony of that same Word of a wonderful, mighty Saviour from the guilt of sin, and from sin’s condemnation and wrath.
So that faith receives its end: “even the salvation of your souls.”
How wonderful and how strong faith is! Full, complete, and final salvation, possessed, enjoyed by the believer forever and ever!
So faith begets joy.
Not just any emotion of joy. Not just any passing or rising and falling, some mere feeling of joy.
This is a joy unspeakable.
To be sure, this joy of faith can be explained and described. It is of this nature and it is of this character. This is its reason and cause. But it is a joy that is unspeakable according to its amazing strength, wonderful fullness and exalted measure. Its limit cannot be declared. Its end cannot be told.
What makes this joy unspeakable?
Because it is full of glory. This joy is full of the glory that belongs to the eternal life promised in the gospel, grounded in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the righteousness received and embraced through faith alone. This joy is the joy of final salvation, the glory of final deliverance from every burden of pain, sorrow, loss, and heartache. This joy is the glory of final and complete victory, over the world, over sin and Satan, and over the flesh, the old man of sin. This joy is the sweetness of the glory of heaven, that must immediately swallow up every affliction and hardship of this present life.
This joy unspeakable and full of glory must also lead back by faith to its source: that blessed and dear Saviour, Jesus Christ.
“Whom having not seen, ye love.”
Who has given us this inheritance of glory? Who has given us this joy unspeakable? Who has given us this faith, whereby we receive and know this joy unspeakable and full of glory?
Who has given us so freely and graciously? Who has given us at the great cost of His own blood, shed on the shameful cross and under the wrath of God?
Our Lord Jesus Christ!
How great He is! How great His love for us!
So great, that without seeing, by faith alone we love Him.
May our joy unspeakable and full of glory strengthen us to love our Saviour, showing forth His glory, His truth, His righteousness and holiness in all our life!
5 June 2017
“The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” Proverbs 29:25
Caught in the snare!
How cleverly that snare was laid! Unwittingly you stepped right into it, and now you are caught. Unable to escape it is only a matter of time until the fowler comes to take you for his prey. The more you struggle the tighter the snare becomes around your leg. You see the knot, and try to undo it, but it is too tight.
Taking your attention from that snare wrapped around your leg for a moment, you look around you. The snare around your leg is not the only one. Now that you are caught you see that the whole area around you is thick with snares. If not this snare, you surely would have stepped into another. Your way was littered with them.
How did you get here, trapped in this snare?
The fear of man.
You loved the praise and the flattery of men. The honour they accorded you filled your heart with joy. Seeking and finding their company, you felt fulfilled. In need of moral support you turned to them, and they brought peace to your soul, and lifted your spirits. When you felt lost, they were there to give you guidance and direction. They encouraged you in your own direction, and praised you when you accomplished your goals.
So you began to direct yourself toward them. What would be pleasing to them? What direction would meet with their approval? What accomplishments would bring their honour and praise? How would your language and behavior keep you knit to them and them to you? Your clothing? Your possessions? Your entertainment? Your hobbies? What you follow?
And now you are caught in your snare. Trapped and helpless, you never felt so lonely. Your assets of friends and companions you now see as your liability. Your perceived strength was really your weakness. You calculated wisdom was truly your poor folly.
“The fear of man bringeth a snare.”
“But whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”
Here is your escape from the snare. Here is your release from its fierce grip, the undoing of its knot.
Trust in the Lord.
See the Lord in all His glory and power, as the sovereign Maker of heaven and earth. See Him in the exaltation of His might, supreme over all His wide dominion. See Him in all the riches of His love, grace, mercy, and peace through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross.
Put your trust exactly where it belongs: in the Lord.
There is your salvation. There is your safety.
Who are men to fear, with the wonderful fear of the Lord in your heart?
What means the approval of men in comparison with the acceptance of the God of all grace in Jesus Christ?
Of what significance is the praise and honour of men before the honour of God?
Trusting the Lord alone, rejoice in your freedom from every snare of the fear of man.
“The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” Proverbs 29:25
Caught in the snare!
How cleverly that snare was laid! Unwittingly you stepped right into it, and now you are caught. Unable to escape it is only a matter of time until the fowler comes to take you for his prey. The more you struggle the tighter the snare becomes around your leg. You see the knot, and try to undo it, but it is too tight.
Taking your attention from that snare wrapped around your leg for a moment, you look around you. The snare around your leg is not the only one. Now that you are caught you see that the whole area around you is thick with snares. If not this snare, you surely would have stepped into another. Your way was littered with them.
How did you get here, trapped in this snare?
The fear of man.
You loved the praise and the flattery of men. The honour they accorded you filled your heart with joy. Seeking and finding their company, you felt fulfilled. In need of moral support you turned to them, and they brought peace to your soul, and lifted your spirits. When you felt lost, they were there to give you guidance and direction. They encouraged you in your own direction, and praised you when you accomplished your goals.
So you began to direct yourself toward them. What would be pleasing to them? What direction would meet with their approval? What accomplishments would bring their honour and praise? How would your language and behavior keep you knit to them and them to you? Your clothing? Your possessions? Your entertainment? Your hobbies? What you follow?
And now you are caught in your snare. Trapped and helpless, you never felt so lonely. Your assets of friends and companions you now see as your liability. Your perceived strength was really your weakness. You calculated wisdom was truly your poor folly.
“The fear of man bringeth a snare.”
“But whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”
Here is your escape from the snare. Here is your release from its fierce grip, the undoing of its knot.
Trust in the Lord.
See the Lord in all His glory and power, as the sovereign Maker of heaven and earth. See Him in the exaltation of His might, supreme over all His wide dominion. See Him in all the riches of His love, grace, mercy, and peace through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross.
Put your trust exactly where it belongs: in the Lord.
There is your salvation. There is your safety.
Who are men to fear, with the wonderful fear of the Lord in your heart?
What means the approval of men in comparison with the acceptance of the God of all grace in Jesus Christ?
Of what significance is the praise and honour of men before the honour of God?
Trusting the Lord alone, rejoice in your freedom from every snare of the fear of man.
4 June 2017
“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Revelation 21:2
Beautiful, wondrous and glorious day!
Day of the great wedding! Day of the great wedding feast!
On this day is one wedding, the wedding of all weddings. To this one, perfect wedding, all other weddings have pointed. No other wedding could be as magnificent or glorious as this. No other wedding as exalted, as joyful, as blessed and blissful as this.
For this is the wedding of the Son of God and His bride, His church.
This wedding has been long in coming. It is the hope of the ages.
For so long this bride has been in preparation by her God.
For so long has she been in gathering. Gathered one by one out of every nation tribe and tongue. Gathered by the Word and Spirit of Jesus Christ. Translated out of the darkness of sin and Satan into the kingdom of God’s dear Son.
For so long has she been in her washing and cleansing. Sinner after sinner, brought to the cross by faith, there to receive the cleansing blood of her bridegroom, given white robes of His righteousness to wear, covering her nakedness and desolation.
For so long has she been in conflict and pain, enduring trials and persecutions. For so long has she struggled in the battle of faith. For so long has she contended for the cause of truth and righteousness in the midst of a world blinded by the darkness of sin. For so long has she kept the faith, in the face of so many schisms and heresies.
All for the sake of this day, her blessed wedding day.
Her day to be joined forever to her Lord and Saviour. Her day to begin her everlasting life in perfection in the home of her husband.
May this sabbath day be for us a day of preparation for that blessed wedding day. May this day be a foretaste of that wedding day, as we hear the Word of our husband to us, to promise us again that day, and to make us more and more ready. In that word of promise let us be joyful and glad, knowing the certain coming of that day. May the word of our husband to us adorn us more and more for Him, our dear Saviour.
Rejoice this day in your wedding day!
“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Revelation 21:2
Beautiful, wondrous and glorious day!
Day of the great wedding! Day of the great wedding feast!
On this day is one wedding, the wedding of all weddings. To this one, perfect wedding, all other weddings have pointed. No other wedding could be as magnificent or glorious as this. No other wedding as exalted, as joyful, as blessed and blissful as this.
For this is the wedding of the Son of God and His bride, His church.
This wedding has been long in coming. It is the hope of the ages.
For so long this bride has been in preparation by her God.
For so long has she been in gathering. Gathered one by one out of every nation tribe and tongue. Gathered by the Word and Spirit of Jesus Christ. Translated out of the darkness of sin and Satan into the kingdom of God’s dear Son.
For so long has she been in her washing and cleansing. Sinner after sinner, brought to the cross by faith, there to receive the cleansing blood of her bridegroom, given white robes of His righteousness to wear, covering her nakedness and desolation.
For so long has she been in conflict and pain, enduring trials and persecutions. For so long has she struggled in the battle of faith. For so long has she contended for the cause of truth and righteousness in the midst of a world blinded by the darkness of sin. For so long has she kept the faith, in the face of so many schisms and heresies.
All for the sake of this day, her blessed wedding day.
Her day to be joined forever to her Lord and Saviour. Her day to begin her everlasting life in perfection in the home of her husband.
May this sabbath day be for us a day of preparation for that blessed wedding day. May this day be a foretaste of that wedding day, as we hear the Word of our husband to us, to promise us again that day, and to make us more and more ready. In that word of promise let us be joyful and glad, knowing the certain coming of that day. May the word of our husband to us adorn us more and more for Him, our dear Saviour.
Rejoice this day in your wedding day!
3 June 2017
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. . . . But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” James 1:22, 25
Be not a hearer only! Do not deceive yourself!
Self-deception is such an easy matter. The word comes from outside, from God. He speaks His holy word of the law. He tells. He explains. He applies. All in so many words.
As He speaks, so you listen. You give His words a hearing, bending your ears to have them filled with His words.
Then you think you have well done. You were supposed to listen. It was your responsibility to hear. So you did listen, giving that law of God your attention.
Here is where you deceive yourself. You think you have finished, but you have not even begun. So you might suppose you are righteous, when you are still wicked and corrupt.
Terrible, fearful self-deception!
For all your hearing and listening, for all your thinking and pondering, you have done nothing.
For the word of God says in the law: “Do!”
“Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.”
“Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein . . . this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
It is only when you strive and struggle to be a doer of the word, and not a hearer only, that you come to realize the greatness of your sin and our misery. You cannot do what you must do. You find yourself inclined exactly to the opposite. You do not deceive yourself, but come face to face with your depravity and inability. You understand the greatness of your guilt before God, and your great need of the cross of Jesus Christ, His blood to cleanse you from your sin and His righteousness to be all your standing before God. By faith alone you receive that righteousness, by which alone you are reconciled to God. By that same righteousness of Christ, full and complete, you have your right standing before that law of God.
No longer can that law condemn you. Through Jesus’ cross it becomes a perfect law of liberty.
Freed from its guilt and condemnation, you are freed to look into and see all the perfection of that law of liberty. Strengthened in the grateful joy of your salvation, you seek no mere hearing of that perfect law. You aim to do it, to keep it in all its perfection. In that aim you rely not on yourself, but only on the mighty grace of God in Jesus Christ, to do all that he commands.
Still you fall far short, far from the perfection of that law.
But you do not give up on your doing, to become a hearer only, deceiving your own self. You do not deny the perfect law of liberty, nor do you judge the law.
No, in that perfect law of liberty you continue. Still you seek to be a doer, and not a hearer only.
You continue to seek the remission of every imperfection of your sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. You continue to know that grateful joy of your salvation. You remain strong to continue in that perfect law of liberty, fighting against sin, and seeking to please your God in all your ways.
In that way, being not a hearer of the law, but a doer, may you rejoice to hear the word of your God: “This man shall be blessed in his deed.”
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. . . . But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” James 1:22, 25
Be not a hearer only! Do not deceive yourself!
Self-deception is such an easy matter. The word comes from outside, from God. He speaks His holy word of the law. He tells. He explains. He applies. All in so many words.
As He speaks, so you listen. You give His words a hearing, bending your ears to have them filled with His words.
Then you think you have well done. You were supposed to listen. It was your responsibility to hear. So you did listen, giving that law of God your attention.
Here is where you deceive yourself. You think you have finished, but you have not even begun. So you might suppose you are righteous, when you are still wicked and corrupt.
Terrible, fearful self-deception!
For all your hearing and listening, for all your thinking and pondering, you have done nothing.
For the word of God says in the law: “Do!”
“Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.”
“Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein . . . this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
It is only when you strive and struggle to be a doer of the word, and not a hearer only, that you come to realize the greatness of your sin and our misery. You cannot do what you must do. You find yourself inclined exactly to the opposite. You do not deceive yourself, but come face to face with your depravity and inability. You understand the greatness of your guilt before God, and your great need of the cross of Jesus Christ, His blood to cleanse you from your sin and His righteousness to be all your standing before God. By faith alone you receive that righteousness, by which alone you are reconciled to God. By that same righteousness of Christ, full and complete, you have your right standing before that law of God.
No longer can that law condemn you. Through Jesus’ cross it becomes a perfect law of liberty.
Freed from its guilt and condemnation, you are freed to look into and see all the perfection of that law of liberty. Strengthened in the grateful joy of your salvation, you seek no mere hearing of that perfect law. You aim to do it, to keep it in all its perfection. In that aim you rely not on yourself, but only on the mighty grace of God in Jesus Christ, to do all that he commands.
Still you fall far short, far from the perfection of that law.
But you do not give up on your doing, to become a hearer only, deceiving your own self. You do not deny the perfect law of liberty, nor do you judge the law.
No, in that perfect law of liberty you continue. Still you seek to be a doer, and not a hearer only.
You continue to seek the remission of every imperfection of your sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. You continue to know that grateful joy of your salvation. You remain strong to continue in that perfect law of liberty, fighting against sin, and seeking to please your God in all your ways.
In that way, being not a hearer of the law, but a doer, may you rejoice to hear the word of your God: “This man shall be blessed in his deed.”
30 May 2017
“Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab. And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that he had with him, and persuaded him to up with him to Ramoth-gilead. And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth-gilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war.” II Chronicles 18:1-3
How did it come down to this?
How did it come down to Jehoshaphat's ears filled with this rebuke? "Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord."
How did it come down to Jehoshaphat, dressed in his royal robes, fleeing and crying out for peril of his life on the battlefield of Ramoth-Gilead? To Jehoshaphat’s witnessing wicked king Ahab, though disguised in battle, becoming the only casualty of the great battle, struck by a single arrow between the joints of his armour, though shot by bowman afar off at a venture?
How did it come down to that outcome of the battle as the fulfillment of the prophesy of Michaiah, the son of Imlah, his prophecy victorious over the prophecy of the 400 false prophets of Baal?
How did it come down to the king of Judah and the king of Israel sitting together in the gate of Samaria, uniting for this battle at Ramoth-gilead? How did it come down to Jehoshaphat’s answer, “I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war”?
Hear the Word of God declare its own answer.
“Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance.”
Read a little further.
“And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth-gilead.”
Wealth met wealth. Riches met riches. Honour met honour. Abundance met abundance.
All that meeting and all that accord was used by the devil’s tool of deceitful pride to cover over the one difference that should have kept Jehoshaphat far from Ahab: the difference between Jehovah and Baal, the difference between faithfulness and apostasy, the difference between the fear and love of the Lord, and contempt and hatred for Him.
What are the things that beckon us to join affinity? What are the things that persuade us to go up to Ramoth-Gilead?
Is it the honour and glory of victory in battle? Is it power and influence? Is it the praise and honour of men?
What is the ground of this desired affinity? Is it riches and prosperity? Is it honour and glory? Riches to combine for even more riches? Honour to join for even more honour?
How much needs to be swept aside! How many things are inflated in the eyes of men that are nothing before God.
How clear and strong must stand before us the only bond for union, the only ground for unity: the fear and love of God.
There is the strength of the people of God. Union with God in His grace through Jesus Christ. Affinity with Jehovah, blessed in His everlasting covenant of grace.
May that union determine all other affinities, all other unions, all other accords.
May our delight ever be only in faithfulness to our God!
“Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab. And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that he had with him, and persuaded him to up with him to Ramoth-gilead. And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth-gilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war.” II Chronicles 18:1-3
How did it come down to this?
How did it come down to Jehoshaphat's ears filled with this rebuke? "Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord."
How did it come down to Jehoshaphat, dressed in his royal robes, fleeing and crying out for peril of his life on the battlefield of Ramoth-Gilead? To Jehoshaphat’s witnessing wicked king Ahab, though disguised in battle, becoming the only casualty of the great battle, struck by a single arrow between the joints of his armour, though shot by bowman afar off at a venture?
How did it come down to that outcome of the battle as the fulfillment of the prophesy of Michaiah, the son of Imlah, his prophecy victorious over the prophecy of the 400 false prophets of Baal?
How did it come down to the king of Judah and the king of Israel sitting together in the gate of Samaria, uniting for this battle at Ramoth-gilead? How did it come down to Jehoshaphat’s answer, “I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war”?
Hear the Word of God declare its own answer.
“Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance.”
Read a little further.
“And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth-gilead.”
Wealth met wealth. Riches met riches. Honour met honour. Abundance met abundance.
All that meeting and all that accord was used by the devil’s tool of deceitful pride to cover over the one difference that should have kept Jehoshaphat far from Ahab: the difference between Jehovah and Baal, the difference between faithfulness and apostasy, the difference between the fear and love of the Lord, and contempt and hatred for Him.
What are the things that beckon us to join affinity? What are the things that persuade us to go up to Ramoth-Gilead?
Is it the honour and glory of victory in battle? Is it power and influence? Is it the praise and honour of men?
What is the ground of this desired affinity? Is it riches and prosperity? Is it honour and glory? Riches to combine for even more riches? Honour to join for even more honour?
How much needs to be swept aside! How many things are inflated in the eyes of men that are nothing before God.
How clear and strong must stand before us the only bond for union, the only ground for unity: the fear and love of God.
There is the strength of the people of God. Union with God in His grace through Jesus Christ. Affinity with Jehovah, blessed in His everlasting covenant of grace.
May that union determine all other affinities, all other unions, all other accords.
May our delight ever be only in faithfulness to our God!
20 May 2017
“No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.” Luke 16:13, 14
The sentence could not be more clear: “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
“Ye cannot.” It is simply impossible. It does not work. It will not go. There is no way.
“Ye cannot.”
We like to think that we can. We have two eyes, two hands, two feet. We can easily think of a division of time and effort. We can think of having different projects to take up and do. We schedule, dividing our time between this and that. The more jobs we take up for ourselves the more efficient we believe we are. Our cares are divided up between home, church, and school. We might have two different jobs. So we might think we can easily serve two masters.
“Ye cannot.”
“No servant can serve two masters.”
“Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
Why not?
Hear the word of Christ: “For either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other.”
Though we have two eyes, two hands, and two feet, we have only one heart. Our heart cannot be divided. Our heart cannot serve two masters. It can only love one. Therefore it must hate the other.
The proper application must follow: “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
There is the division!
Mammon is all that is material. Mammon is what you can see with your eye, grasp with your hand, run with your feet in order to seize greedily in your hands. Mammon is of this earth, earthy. By your flesh mammon will be your lord and master, even your god.
“Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” You will love mammon and hate God.
Proof of the above immediately follows, proof to fill us with fear and dread.
“And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.”
The Pharisees!
These pillars of the church and religious communities! These men so devoted and dedicated to God and His law! These men whose lives were so exemplary, so filled with all the good works of the law!
Yes, covetous. Yes, servants of mammon. Yes, loving the one, mammon. Yes, hating the other, God.
All true. For, “they derided him.” They turned up their noses, sneering at this word of Christ. In their very act of derision, they proved the word of Christ. Covetous, lovers of mammon, they hated the Son of God, who spoke to them the truth.
Out of our love of Him who lovingly and faithfully served God His Father, redeeming us from our covetousness by His precious blood, let us repudiate the service of mammon. Let us cast off all covetousness for the sake of single-hearted grateful service of God our Redeemer. Let us forever love Him and hold to Him alone, despising all mammon.
“No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.” Luke 16:13, 14
The sentence could not be more clear: “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
“Ye cannot.” It is simply impossible. It does not work. It will not go. There is no way.
“Ye cannot.”
We like to think that we can. We have two eyes, two hands, two feet. We can easily think of a division of time and effort. We can think of having different projects to take up and do. We schedule, dividing our time between this and that. The more jobs we take up for ourselves the more efficient we believe we are. Our cares are divided up between home, church, and school. We might have two different jobs. So we might think we can easily serve two masters.
“Ye cannot.”
“No servant can serve two masters.”
“Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
Why not?
Hear the word of Christ: “For either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other.”
Though we have two eyes, two hands, and two feet, we have only one heart. Our heart cannot be divided. Our heart cannot serve two masters. It can only love one. Therefore it must hate the other.
The proper application must follow: “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
There is the division!
Mammon is all that is material. Mammon is what you can see with your eye, grasp with your hand, run with your feet in order to seize greedily in your hands. Mammon is of this earth, earthy. By your flesh mammon will be your lord and master, even your god.
“Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” You will love mammon and hate God.
Proof of the above immediately follows, proof to fill us with fear and dread.
“And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.”
The Pharisees!
These pillars of the church and religious communities! These men so devoted and dedicated to God and His law! These men whose lives were so exemplary, so filled with all the good works of the law!
Yes, covetous. Yes, servants of mammon. Yes, loving the one, mammon. Yes, hating the other, God.
All true. For, “they derided him.” They turned up their noses, sneering at this word of Christ. In their very act of derision, they proved the word of Christ. Covetous, lovers of mammon, they hated the Son of God, who spoke to them the truth.
Out of our love of Him who lovingly and faithfully served God His Father, redeeming us from our covetousness by His precious blood, let us repudiate the service of mammon. Let us cast off all covetousness for the sake of single-hearted grateful service of God our Redeemer. Let us forever love Him and hold to Him alone, despising all mammon.
12 May 2017
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Ephesians 6:10
How much and how widely are celebrated the strength and power of men!
Certainly true is this of physical strength and power. Never mind prowess, grace, skill, or coordination, brute, raw displays of power are by themselves most impressive. From weight-lifting to moving large objects, muscles with their power capture the attention of men. Garnering perhaps even more admiration are powerful machines. How much speed, how much acceleration, is always the question. Every kind of vehicle known to man is placed in fierce competition, to see which vehicle and which driver are truly the fastest.
The same is true also of inner qualities. Admired among men are stories of courage and bravery. Where others shrink back with fright or flee from the danger, there the brave go forward to rescue or stop the menace. In difficult circumstances, which would cause so many to give up and yield in despair, others endure every difficulty and surmount every impossible obstacle in their path. Strength to overcome arouses deep wonder and awe.
All of that strength and power, though praised and revered by men, pales in comparison to the strength and the power described in Ephesians 6:10, “his might.” That might of God is His power displayed in the creation of the heavens and the earth. By the mighty Word of His power, He brought all into existence in six days. There is no power in all the universe that He did not bring into being. Every day, His might keeps the universe with all its power in existence and working. The might of God is His power of judgment. What He raises up by His power, He also casts into destruction. Catastrophic, devastating power is in His hand, to wield in mighty judgments. His awesome power is displayed fully at the cross of Jesus Christ. There the power of divine wrath punishing all the sins of all the elect was poured out upon the Son of God. By power infinite and divine, the Son of God sustained all that wrath of God, suffering until the last drops of His cup had been drunken and complete atonement made.
What power! What strength!
In that power is all the power of the believer.
In that strength must be all your strength.
“Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”
Trust Him, and Him alone.
Trust Him alone, through His almighty Son Jesus Christ, and by His mighty sacrifice on the cross.
Know and enjoy the strengthening of this faith, as commanded here in the Word. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might through fellowship of the Word and prayer. Spend time in the Scriptures, hearing the Word proclaimed, studying and meditating on them. Spend time in the praise, thanksgiving, and supplication of holy prayer to your God through Christ.
What strength is yours in the Lord, and in the power of His might!
Strength to endure all trials and temptation.
Power to stand against all the wiles of the devil.
Might to overcome in all your wrestling against all spiritual wickedness in high places.
Be strong, to glorify your Lord in the power of His might!
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Ephesians 6:10
How much and how widely are celebrated the strength and power of men!
Certainly true is this of physical strength and power. Never mind prowess, grace, skill, or coordination, brute, raw displays of power are by themselves most impressive. From weight-lifting to moving large objects, muscles with their power capture the attention of men. Garnering perhaps even more admiration are powerful machines. How much speed, how much acceleration, is always the question. Every kind of vehicle known to man is placed in fierce competition, to see which vehicle and which driver are truly the fastest.
The same is true also of inner qualities. Admired among men are stories of courage and bravery. Where others shrink back with fright or flee from the danger, there the brave go forward to rescue or stop the menace. In difficult circumstances, which would cause so many to give up and yield in despair, others endure every difficulty and surmount every impossible obstacle in their path. Strength to overcome arouses deep wonder and awe.
All of that strength and power, though praised and revered by men, pales in comparison to the strength and the power described in Ephesians 6:10, “his might.” That might of God is His power displayed in the creation of the heavens and the earth. By the mighty Word of His power, He brought all into existence in six days. There is no power in all the universe that He did not bring into being. Every day, His might keeps the universe with all its power in existence and working. The might of God is His power of judgment. What He raises up by His power, He also casts into destruction. Catastrophic, devastating power is in His hand, to wield in mighty judgments. His awesome power is displayed fully at the cross of Jesus Christ. There the power of divine wrath punishing all the sins of all the elect was poured out upon the Son of God. By power infinite and divine, the Son of God sustained all that wrath of God, suffering until the last drops of His cup had been drunken and complete atonement made.
What power! What strength!
In that power is all the power of the believer.
In that strength must be all your strength.
“Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”
Trust Him, and Him alone.
Trust Him alone, through His almighty Son Jesus Christ, and by His mighty sacrifice on the cross.
Know and enjoy the strengthening of this faith, as commanded here in the Word. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might through fellowship of the Word and prayer. Spend time in the Scriptures, hearing the Word proclaimed, studying and meditating on them. Spend time in the praise, thanksgiving, and supplication of holy prayer to your God through Christ.
What strength is yours in the Lord, and in the power of His might!
Strength to endure all trials and temptation.
Power to stand against all the wiles of the devil.
Might to overcome in all your wrestling against all spiritual wickedness in high places.
Be strong, to glorify your Lord in the power of His might!
9 May 2017
“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.” Ephesians 3:12
Barred was the entrance to Eden, cherubim and a flaming sword posted to keep the way of the tree of life.
A barricade had been set up about Mt. Sinai, so that the children of Israel were kept from touching the holy mountain, where God made known His holy, glorious presence.
A veil had been placed at God’s own direction in His tabernacle and temple. So for ages and generations it stood between the holy and the most holy.
Before there was exclusion, a barrier established between a sinful people and a holy God. Always that barrier stood as a sobering reminder of sin and its certain effect on the fellowship between God and His people.
Even though the promise of the gospel was preached, that barrier remained. Even though the sacrifices and rites of expiation through the shedding of blood pointed ahead to the Lamb of God that was to come, the way was still closed. Even though God’s children could know and enjoy the fellowship of their God, resting on Him by a true and living faith, that exclusion still prevailed.
Until the coming of the promise!
Where before there was exclusion, now in Christ Jesus there is access!
Access now without fear or terror, access without fear of destruction, access without being turned away.
Access even for sinners, and even access for these sinners to the throne of a holy and just God.
This access with boldness and confidence.
How can this be?
How blessed to have the answer at the beginning as well as the end of this short verse!
“In whom.”
So bound and knit are we by faith to our Lord Jesus Christ that we are spiritual, really and truly, in Him. When we come to the Father in Him, just as certainly and really as He delights in His only begotten Son, so He also delights in us. We are His favored, His beloved, precious in His sight.
Also, “by the faith of him.”
Such is the wonderful and powerful manner of faith, this gift of the Holy Spirit, that it is always joined to Jesus Christ its only true object. To have faith is to have Christ. To live by faith is to live by Christ. To walk by faith is to walk by Christ.
What access we have by this faith!
Access to the boundless delight and favour of the living God is ours.
Such bold access is ours to praise and worship, to glorify and serve our Father.
Such confident access is ours to bring all our supplications and petitions to Him who delights to hear and answer them always in the abundance of His grace.
Let us often make use of our blessed access by faith, coming to our heavenly Father in and by His Son, that we may be constantly blessed in the riches of His wonderful grace to us.
“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.” Ephesians 3:12
Barred was the entrance to Eden, cherubim and a flaming sword posted to keep the way of the tree of life.
A barricade had been set up about Mt. Sinai, so that the children of Israel were kept from touching the holy mountain, where God made known His holy, glorious presence.
A veil had been placed at God’s own direction in His tabernacle and temple. So for ages and generations it stood between the holy and the most holy.
Before there was exclusion, a barrier established between a sinful people and a holy God. Always that barrier stood as a sobering reminder of sin and its certain effect on the fellowship between God and His people.
Even though the promise of the gospel was preached, that barrier remained. Even though the sacrifices and rites of expiation through the shedding of blood pointed ahead to the Lamb of God that was to come, the way was still closed. Even though God’s children could know and enjoy the fellowship of their God, resting on Him by a true and living faith, that exclusion still prevailed.
Until the coming of the promise!
Where before there was exclusion, now in Christ Jesus there is access!
Access now without fear or terror, access without fear of destruction, access without being turned away.
Access even for sinners, and even access for these sinners to the throne of a holy and just God.
This access with boldness and confidence.
How can this be?
How blessed to have the answer at the beginning as well as the end of this short verse!
“In whom.”
So bound and knit are we by faith to our Lord Jesus Christ that we are spiritual, really and truly, in Him. When we come to the Father in Him, just as certainly and really as He delights in His only begotten Son, so He also delights in us. We are His favored, His beloved, precious in His sight.
Also, “by the faith of him.”
Such is the wonderful and powerful manner of faith, this gift of the Holy Spirit, that it is always joined to Jesus Christ its only true object. To have faith is to have Christ. To live by faith is to live by Christ. To walk by faith is to walk by Christ.
What access we have by this faith!
Access to the boundless delight and favour of the living God is ours.
Such bold access is ours to praise and worship, to glorify and serve our Father.
Such confident access is ours to bring all our supplications and petitions to Him who delights to hear and answer them always in the abundance of His grace.
Let us often make use of our blessed access by faith, coming to our heavenly Father in and by His Son, that we may be constantly blessed in the riches of His wonderful grace to us.
2 May 2017
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8
What are you willing to settle for?
Is your way the way of the church at Corinth?
That way the apostle reveals in the verse above. They were a church “always having all sufficiency in all things.”
This, they thought, was their glory. They were capable. They were resourceful. They were adaptive, equipped to meet every need. They could recall times when various needs arose in their congregation, and they were able to meet those needs.
So they might reasonably have the same hope for their future. Whatever might come to them in the future, they might well expect to deal with. For they continued to possess the same abilities and the same resources. They had laid up in store for every possible need.
But they needed to know that there was something better for them.
They needed to know that God’s grace was not merely enough. God’s grace was not something to be reduced to a measure. It is not such a grace as to find what is lacking in a certain measure, and then merely fill up that measure, to be only enough.
They needed to know that God’s grace was abundant.
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you.”
God’s grace abounds. Such is the very nature His grace. His grace overflows. His grace exceeds. His grace multiplies. God’s grace does far more than what you might ask or think. His grace surpasses all expectations, bringing the things that eye hath not seen, neither hath ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man to conceive.
Even more, God deliberately and wisely directs and channels His grace. He makes His grace abound toward you.
He makes it abound according to the manner and way of your individual nature. He attends to your circumstances, your abilities, and your inclinations. He is able to make His grace overflow in all its different ways, to bless and strengthen you. He considers your way, the opportunities that you face, the occasions you enter. In all of them, He is able to administer His grace so that it excels.
How is this grace made known? How does it overflow?
“That ye . . . may abound to every good work.”
His grace abounds, to increase your desire to do what is right and pleasing before Him.
His grace abounds, to direct your strength to carry out that desire into action.
His grace abounds, to give you wisdom and understanding to seek His glory in your life.
May His grace so abound to us today, that we show its glorious and blessed fruit in lives filled with all good works!
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8
What are you willing to settle for?
Is your way the way of the church at Corinth?
That way the apostle reveals in the verse above. They were a church “always having all sufficiency in all things.”
This, they thought, was their glory. They were capable. They were resourceful. They were adaptive, equipped to meet every need. They could recall times when various needs arose in their congregation, and they were able to meet those needs.
So they might reasonably have the same hope for their future. Whatever might come to them in the future, they might well expect to deal with. For they continued to possess the same abilities and the same resources. They had laid up in store for every possible need.
But they needed to know that there was something better for them.
They needed to know that God’s grace was not merely enough. God’s grace was not something to be reduced to a measure. It is not such a grace as to find what is lacking in a certain measure, and then merely fill up that measure, to be only enough.
They needed to know that God’s grace was abundant.
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you.”
God’s grace abounds. Such is the very nature His grace. His grace overflows. His grace exceeds. His grace multiplies. God’s grace does far more than what you might ask or think. His grace surpasses all expectations, bringing the things that eye hath not seen, neither hath ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man to conceive.
Even more, God deliberately and wisely directs and channels His grace. He makes His grace abound toward you.
He makes it abound according to the manner and way of your individual nature. He attends to your circumstances, your abilities, and your inclinations. He is able to make His grace overflow in all its different ways, to bless and strengthen you. He considers your way, the opportunities that you face, the occasions you enter. In all of them, He is able to administer His grace so that it excels.
How is this grace made known? How does it overflow?
“That ye . . . may abound to every good work.”
His grace abounds, to increase your desire to do what is right and pleasing before Him.
His grace abounds, to direct your strength to carry out that desire into action.
His grace abounds, to give you wisdom and understanding to seek His glory in your life.
May His grace so abound to us today, that we show its glorious and blessed fruit in lives filled with all good works!
4 April 2017
“And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:39,40
One by one the Holy Spirit has summoned these believers before our eyes. One by one the Holy Spirit has given their most basic identification: they believed God. One by one the Holy Spirit has commended His gift of faith by demonstrating its mighty fruits in their lives. There are such names as Abraham and Moses, as well as Jephthah and even Samson. There are those persons who are not named but who through faith “were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.”
Collecting them now into one marvellous and wonderful group, the Holy Spirit commends them together.
What does He say?
They all obtained a good report through faith.
So the Holy Spirit calls attention to what He has written about them. It is all a good report made about them. It is all a good report made about them through faith.
So the Holy Spirit celebrates and commends His own gift of faith to His elect.
How striking, then, that even with such a commendation the Holy Spirit must now tell us there was something missing. There was something that they did not receive.
They received not the promise.
None of them.
Why? Why this lack? Why this deficit? Why should they not receive the promise?
They were faithful, remarkable and outstanding in their faith. The Holy Spirit has just told us so.
Why?
For us!
“That they without us should not be made perfect.”
As highly commended as their faith is, they did not yet know the fulness of the glory of the One in whom they believed. That “some better thing” was their Lord Jesus Christ. Promised, described, outlined, and shadowed forth, these believed on Him that was to come.
But the One for whom they waited, believing on Him, God has provided for us. With Jesus, that glorious Mediator of the new and everlasting covenant, established in His blood, God has provided for us the better thing.
By faith, believing on Him that was to come, they received not the promise.
By faith, believing on Him that has come, we receive the promise.
And together, we shall be made perfect!
One church, one kingdom, one body!
In that perfection, so shall we together show forth the glory of our glorious Head, seeing Him face to face.
Through the promise of God that is given to be ours through faith.
Through faith, Spirit-given and Spirit-commended.
“And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:39,40
One by one the Holy Spirit has summoned these believers before our eyes. One by one the Holy Spirit has given their most basic identification: they believed God. One by one the Holy Spirit has commended His gift of faith by demonstrating its mighty fruits in their lives. There are such names as Abraham and Moses, as well as Jephthah and even Samson. There are those persons who are not named but who through faith “were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.”
Collecting them now into one marvellous and wonderful group, the Holy Spirit commends them together.
What does He say?
They all obtained a good report through faith.
So the Holy Spirit calls attention to what He has written about them. It is all a good report made about them. It is all a good report made about them through faith.
So the Holy Spirit celebrates and commends His own gift of faith to His elect.
How striking, then, that even with such a commendation the Holy Spirit must now tell us there was something missing. There was something that they did not receive.
They received not the promise.
None of them.
Why? Why this lack? Why this deficit? Why should they not receive the promise?
They were faithful, remarkable and outstanding in their faith. The Holy Spirit has just told us so.
Why?
For us!
“That they without us should not be made perfect.”
As highly commended as their faith is, they did not yet know the fulness of the glory of the One in whom they believed. That “some better thing” was their Lord Jesus Christ. Promised, described, outlined, and shadowed forth, these believed on Him that was to come.
But the One for whom they waited, believing on Him, God has provided for us. With Jesus, that glorious Mediator of the new and everlasting covenant, established in His blood, God has provided for us the better thing.
By faith, believing on Him that was to come, they received not the promise.
By faith, believing on Him that has come, we receive the promise.
And together, we shall be made perfect!
One church, one kingdom, one body!
In that perfection, so shall we together show forth the glory of our glorious Head, seeing Him face to face.
Through the promise of God that is given to be ours through faith.
Through faith, Spirit-given and Spirit-commended.
26 April 2017
“Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.” Proverbs 20:22
How this word of God exposes us at our very core!
Often we feel aggrieved by others.
Often we have hurtful words sent out way. We hear words of sharp reprimand spoken out of temper or impatience. Words come to us out of another’s malice and spite, intending to strike and wound our hearts. Words seek out our weakness and intend to expose us, to cause us shame among others around us, others whose esteem we value and enjoy. There are other times we feel pushed out of our place among others by malicious plots and whisperings. Friends turn their backs, and we feel cast out and dejected.
Then the words come into our hearts, if not upon our lips, so easily and quickly: “I will recompense evil.”
We contrive. We plan and plot. We carefully plan the words that we will say in return, waiting for the next opportunity. We might even plot our own campaign of whisperings and deceit, contriving to see those cast out who drove us out of our friendships. We even treasure the results, certain of achieving our goal.
But this Word of God must stop us in our tracks: “Say not thou, I will recompense evil.”
This Word of God saves us. It saves us from our anger, our hatred, and our desire for revenge. In short it saves us from trying to take God’s place away from Him, and robbing Him of His glory.
We are saved from ourselves for a much better way.
“But wait upon the Lord, and he shall save thee.”
Wait upon the Lord!
Your waiting is not mere silence. Tell the Lord what happened to you. Tell Him of the unkind words and the evil that has come to you. Tell Him how it struck and wounded you. Explain to Him about your grief and your hurt. Also confess to God your sinful desire to recompense evil, and that in doing so you sinned against His glory. Seek forgiveness for your sin and receive it at the foot of the cross.
“And he shall save thee.”
Your own words will not save you. Your own plotting and planning ought to fail, lest you become hardened in sin.
But in waiting upon the Lord is your salvation.
Waiting upon the Lord is your peace. You need not busy yourself in plots of foolish, evil revenge. You need not wonder about success or failure. Waiting on the Lord is your peace that he will take care of everything. You need not care at all.
Waiting upon the Lord is your salvation. He will defend and maintain your cause. He is a perfect God, a just God, and good. His judgment will not err, but will be perfect. It will be according to truth and righteousness, and in it He will show His glory as the only true and righteous Judge.
He will be glorious in your salvation, recompensing all evil.
For His glory and for your salvation, wait upon the Lord.
“Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.” Proverbs 20:22
How this word of God exposes us at our very core!
Often we feel aggrieved by others.
Often we have hurtful words sent out way. We hear words of sharp reprimand spoken out of temper or impatience. Words come to us out of another’s malice and spite, intending to strike and wound our hearts. Words seek out our weakness and intend to expose us, to cause us shame among others around us, others whose esteem we value and enjoy. There are other times we feel pushed out of our place among others by malicious plots and whisperings. Friends turn their backs, and we feel cast out and dejected.
Then the words come into our hearts, if not upon our lips, so easily and quickly: “I will recompense evil.”
We contrive. We plan and plot. We carefully plan the words that we will say in return, waiting for the next opportunity. We might even plot our own campaign of whisperings and deceit, contriving to see those cast out who drove us out of our friendships. We even treasure the results, certain of achieving our goal.
But this Word of God must stop us in our tracks: “Say not thou, I will recompense evil.”
This Word of God saves us. It saves us from our anger, our hatred, and our desire for revenge. In short it saves us from trying to take God’s place away from Him, and robbing Him of His glory.
We are saved from ourselves for a much better way.
“But wait upon the Lord, and he shall save thee.”
Wait upon the Lord!
Your waiting is not mere silence. Tell the Lord what happened to you. Tell Him of the unkind words and the evil that has come to you. Tell Him how it struck and wounded you. Explain to Him about your grief and your hurt. Also confess to God your sinful desire to recompense evil, and that in doing so you sinned against His glory. Seek forgiveness for your sin and receive it at the foot of the cross.
“And he shall save thee.”
Your own words will not save you. Your own plotting and planning ought to fail, lest you become hardened in sin.
But in waiting upon the Lord is your salvation.
Waiting upon the Lord is your peace. You need not busy yourself in plots of foolish, evil revenge. You need not wonder about success or failure. Waiting on the Lord is your peace that he will take care of everything. You need not care at all.
Waiting upon the Lord is your salvation. He will defend and maintain your cause. He is a perfect God, a just God, and good. His judgment will not err, but will be perfect. It will be according to truth and righteousness, and in it He will show His glory as the only true and righteous Judge.
He will be glorious in your salvation, recompensing all evil.
For His glory and for your salvation, wait upon the Lord.
22 April 2017
“And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.” Acts 18:24-26
Apollos was a man who much going for him.
He had his birth as a Jew, of the stock of Abraham according to the flesh. He had Alexandra for the place of his birth, notable through all the world for its scholarship, having a great library and many schools. In his upbringing, Apollos had made good use of the advantages of both. Educated at Alexandria, he was “an eloquent man.” According to his heritage as a Jew he was also “mighty in the scriptures.” He knew the scriptures backward and forward, inside and out.
Apollos also became acquainted with “the way of the Lord,” having been instructed in it. This instruction he had so taken to heart, that he became “fervent in the spirit.”
As a result, when he came to Ephesus, being fervent in the spirit, he began to speak boldly in the synagogue.
Yet, for all his boldness and fervor, for all his education and upbringing, Apollos had his limitation: He knew “only the baptism of John.” He knew only the preparation for the Messiah. He knew only the preparatory summons preached by John to repent and be baptized.
Now there come to him Aquila and Priscilla. Not Jews, not born at Alexandria, not eloquent, perhaps not mighty in the scriptures as Apollos. Not scholars, nor renowned for learning, they were mere tentmakers. But they knew “the way of God more perfectly,” having learned it from the Apostle Paul.
How would Apollos react? Would the eloquent listen? Would the mighty in the scriptures be willing to learn? Would the fervent in the spirit submit himself to the instruction of these two?
He listened. He was willing to learn. He submitted.
What wonderful grace, the grace of humility!
Clothed in that humility, listening eagerly to Aquila and Priscilla, Apollos heard expounded to him the way of God more perfectly. So he grew and increased in the gospel of Jesus Christ. So he became of great use in the church of Jesus Christ, able to help out greatly the church in Corinth as well as in other places, becoming one of Paul’s companions in travel.
No matter our understanding or our might in the Scripture, let us be always clothed with humility, eager and ready to learn from others “the way of God more perfectly.”
“And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.” Acts 18:24-26
Apollos was a man who much going for him.
He had his birth as a Jew, of the stock of Abraham according to the flesh. He had Alexandra for the place of his birth, notable through all the world for its scholarship, having a great library and many schools. In his upbringing, Apollos had made good use of the advantages of both. Educated at Alexandria, he was “an eloquent man.” According to his heritage as a Jew he was also “mighty in the scriptures.” He knew the scriptures backward and forward, inside and out.
Apollos also became acquainted with “the way of the Lord,” having been instructed in it. This instruction he had so taken to heart, that he became “fervent in the spirit.”
As a result, when he came to Ephesus, being fervent in the spirit, he began to speak boldly in the synagogue.
Yet, for all his boldness and fervor, for all his education and upbringing, Apollos had his limitation: He knew “only the baptism of John.” He knew only the preparation for the Messiah. He knew only the preparatory summons preached by John to repent and be baptized.
Now there come to him Aquila and Priscilla. Not Jews, not born at Alexandria, not eloquent, perhaps not mighty in the scriptures as Apollos. Not scholars, nor renowned for learning, they were mere tentmakers. But they knew “the way of God more perfectly,” having learned it from the Apostle Paul.
How would Apollos react? Would the eloquent listen? Would the mighty in the scriptures be willing to learn? Would the fervent in the spirit submit himself to the instruction of these two?
He listened. He was willing to learn. He submitted.
What wonderful grace, the grace of humility!
Clothed in that humility, listening eagerly to Aquila and Priscilla, Apollos heard expounded to him the way of God more perfectly. So he grew and increased in the gospel of Jesus Christ. So he became of great use in the church of Jesus Christ, able to help out greatly the church in Corinth as well as in other places, becoming one of Paul’s companions in travel.
No matter our understanding or our might in the Scripture, let us be always clothed with humility, eager and ready to learn from others “the way of God more perfectly.”
21 April 2017
“Unless thy law had been my delights,
I should then have perished in mine affliction.
I will never forget thy precepts:
For with them thou hast quickened me.” Psalm 119:92, 93
To what lengths does the Psalmist go in praise of God’s law!
He, under the power of the Spirit’s inspiration, has indeed gone far in his praise of God’s holy law. He has praised the law as just, right, holy and good. He has identified the law as truth, righteousness, and light. That law brings blessings of peace and joy to those who follow after it, and devote their lives to keeping it.
But life, even quickening?
Is not the law of God an instrument of condemnation and death? Is not that law the letter that killeth? Does not the law only make sin more sinful?
Yet, here the inspired Psalmist says about God’s precepts: With them thou hast quickened me.
Those words are even emphasized with the words the come before; “I will never forget thy precepts.”
Because their benefit is so great, the Lord using them to quicken the Psalmist, he will never forget them. The quickening he has received has engraved them upon his heart and mind, so that he will never forget them. Eagerly does he commit himself to them: I will never forget them.
How can this be true? How can God’s precepts quicken? How can they quicken us so that we might devote ourselves to them?
The answer is given in the verse before: “Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.”
The Psalmist had been greatly afflicted. He had been given a great hardship to bear. Whether in body or soul, whether in mind or heart, he almost perished. Indeed he would have perished. But there was one thing that kept him from perishing in his affliction: the law of God.
Because that law had been his delights.
As he was afflicted, he turned to the law of God. From his affliction he learned there was no trust for him in himself, in the arm of flesh, or the things of the world. For him the things of the world had no delight. But all his delights were toward the law of God. There was the path of life, in the worship of the one true God, in trusting Him alone. There was the path of life, in the love of God and the love of the neighbour.
In that delight in God’s law, He understood who He was: a servant of God, purchased by his blessed Redeemer. He knew that his servant’s heart, delighting in the will of his Lord, had been given him by his gracious God.
With that blessed knowledge he did not perish in his affliction, but was quickened.
So in that way he learned the wonderful way of God’s precepts, that by them the Lord quickened him.
So let us delight in the law of our God, never forgetting His precepts, as we know that delight is by His rich grace to us, redeemed from sin to delight in that law, by our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Unless thy law had been my delights,
I should then have perished in mine affliction.
I will never forget thy precepts:
For with them thou hast quickened me.” Psalm 119:92, 93
To what lengths does the Psalmist go in praise of God’s law!
He, under the power of the Spirit’s inspiration, has indeed gone far in his praise of God’s holy law. He has praised the law as just, right, holy and good. He has identified the law as truth, righteousness, and light. That law brings blessings of peace and joy to those who follow after it, and devote their lives to keeping it.
But life, even quickening?
Is not the law of God an instrument of condemnation and death? Is not that law the letter that killeth? Does not the law only make sin more sinful?
Yet, here the inspired Psalmist says about God’s precepts: With them thou hast quickened me.
Those words are even emphasized with the words the come before; “I will never forget thy precepts.”
Because their benefit is so great, the Lord using them to quicken the Psalmist, he will never forget them. The quickening he has received has engraved them upon his heart and mind, so that he will never forget them. Eagerly does he commit himself to them: I will never forget them.
How can this be true? How can God’s precepts quicken? How can they quicken us so that we might devote ourselves to them?
The answer is given in the verse before: “Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.”
The Psalmist had been greatly afflicted. He had been given a great hardship to bear. Whether in body or soul, whether in mind or heart, he almost perished. Indeed he would have perished. But there was one thing that kept him from perishing in his affliction: the law of God.
Because that law had been his delights.
As he was afflicted, he turned to the law of God. From his affliction he learned there was no trust for him in himself, in the arm of flesh, or the things of the world. For him the things of the world had no delight. But all his delights were toward the law of God. There was the path of life, in the worship of the one true God, in trusting Him alone. There was the path of life, in the love of God and the love of the neighbour.
In that delight in God’s law, He understood who He was: a servant of God, purchased by his blessed Redeemer. He knew that his servant’s heart, delighting in the will of his Lord, had been given him by his gracious God.
With that blessed knowledge he did not perish in his affliction, but was quickened.
So in that way he learned the wonderful way of God’s precepts, that by them the Lord quickened him.
So let us delight in the law of our God, never forgetting His precepts, as we know that delight is by His rich grace to us, redeemed from sin to delight in that law, by our Lord Jesus Christ.
18 April 2017
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Galatians 4:4, 5
Time!
Time for the law.
Time for the law to be published and applied to the people of the Jews. Time for God’s law to rebuke the sin of the people. Time for that law to guide, to guard, and keep them in the way of righteousness. Time for that law to show them the righteousness that God required of them.
Time to be under that law.
For that time, Israel under the law showed only that they could not possibly keep that law. From old to young, from rich to poor, they broke the law. From the life of their heart to the words of their mouths, to the deeds of their hand, they violated the commandments of God. They gave their love, their worship and praise to the idol gods of the nations around. They put their trust in the arm of flesh instead of the power of God. They oppressed and cursed one another.
For that time the law condemned them. So the law judged and punished them, delivering them up to misery and desolation. God’s fury and wrath He poured out upon His disobedient people.
But then the fulness of the time came.
This was the fulness of the time for the law. The law did its proper work, and none were delivered by the law. None received life through the law. No not one.
But it was also the fulness of the time in God’s holy counsel. It was the fulness of the time for Him to send forth His Son. God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law.
To redeem.
To pay the price, and to make the satisfaction.
In the fulness of the time, made of a woman, made under the law, He kept all the law of God.
In the fulness of the time, made of a woman, made under the law, He paid all the penalty of the law of God, laying down His life, shedding His blood on Calvary’s tree.
In the fulness of the time He redeemed them that were under the law.
By that redemption not only did He deliver them from the condemnation and curse of the law of God. Not only did He deliver them from the punishment of that law, the everlasting punishment of hell.
But the Son, made of a woman, made under the law, redeemed us from under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons!
Delivered from under the law, delivered to receive the adoption of sons!
Sons of God, through the grace of the only begotten Son! Forgiven sons, free sons!
What a Redeemer!
What glorious Redemption!
Sent by God in the riches of His grace, in the fulness of the time.
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Galatians 4:4, 5
Time!
Time for the law.
Time for the law to be published and applied to the people of the Jews. Time for God’s law to rebuke the sin of the people. Time for that law to guide, to guard, and keep them in the way of righteousness. Time for that law to show them the righteousness that God required of them.
Time to be under that law.
For that time, Israel under the law showed only that they could not possibly keep that law. From old to young, from rich to poor, they broke the law. From the life of their heart to the words of their mouths, to the deeds of their hand, they violated the commandments of God. They gave their love, their worship and praise to the idol gods of the nations around. They put their trust in the arm of flesh instead of the power of God. They oppressed and cursed one another.
For that time the law condemned them. So the law judged and punished them, delivering them up to misery and desolation. God’s fury and wrath He poured out upon His disobedient people.
But then the fulness of the time came.
This was the fulness of the time for the law. The law did its proper work, and none were delivered by the law. None received life through the law. No not one.
But it was also the fulness of the time in God’s holy counsel. It was the fulness of the time for Him to send forth His Son. God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law.
To redeem.
To pay the price, and to make the satisfaction.
In the fulness of the time, made of a woman, made under the law, He kept all the law of God.
In the fulness of the time, made of a woman, made under the law, He paid all the penalty of the law of God, laying down His life, shedding His blood on Calvary’s tree.
In the fulness of the time He redeemed them that were under the law.
By that redemption not only did He deliver them from the condemnation and curse of the law of God. Not only did He deliver them from the punishment of that law, the everlasting punishment of hell.
But the Son, made of a woman, made under the law, redeemed us from under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons!
Delivered from under the law, delivered to receive the adoption of sons!
Sons of God, through the grace of the only begotten Son! Forgiven sons, free sons!
What a Redeemer!
What glorious Redemption!
Sent by God in the riches of His grace, in the fulness of the time.
13 April 2017
“And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” Luke 23:43
What grace is believed! What grace is sought! What grace is found!
Grace to believe!
On the hill of Calvary were raised three crosses. Three instruments of condemnation, three condemned to die, three punished for sin under the curse and wrath of God.
By sight there was no distinction. By sight all had the same sentence.
Yet, one of the three crucified saw and knew by faith.
By faith he saw the one next to him, hanging on a cross so much like his own, as his only hope. By faith he saw Him, condemned but truly innocent, hanging on the tree as accursed, but righteous, sentenced to death, but the Lord of life.
Next to him, by faith he saw righteousness to cover his own sin. He saw life to deliver him from death.
Believing grace, grace he sought.
So by faith he sought.
“Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”
From his Lord, crucified next to him, he received the gracious answer.
“Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
Paradise!
With me!
Still hanging on that cross with all its agony and pain, still to die in payment for his crimes, by faith he heard the grace of his Lord.
By faith his justified heart was made joyful and glad in the salvation of his Lord.
In that faith he breathed his last.
And his faith became sight.
In paradise.
With his Lord.
“And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” Luke 23:43
What grace is believed! What grace is sought! What grace is found!
Grace to believe!
On the hill of Calvary were raised three crosses. Three instruments of condemnation, three condemned to die, three punished for sin under the curse and wrath of God.
By sight there was no distinction. By sight all had the same sentence.
Yet, one of the three crucified saw and knew by faith.
By faith he saw the one next to him, hanging on a cross so much like his own, as his only hope. By faith he saw Him, condemned but truly innocent, hanging on the tree as accursed, but righteous, sentenced to death, but the Lord of life.
Next to him, by faith he saw righteousness to cover his own sin. He saw life to deliver him from death.
Believing grace, grace he sought.
So by faith he sought.
“Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”
From his Lord, crucified next to him, he received the gracious answer.
“Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
Paradise!
With me!
Still hanging on that cross with all its agony and pain, still to die in payment for his crimes, by faith he heard the grace of his Lord.
By faith his justified heart was made joyful and glad in the salvation of his Lord.
In that faith he breathed his last.
And his faith became sight.
In paradise.
With his Lord.
12 April 2017
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” I Peter 2:24
Wondrous tree of Calvary!
That tree on which our Lord and Saviour was crucified was not always lumber awaiting its cruel purpose.
It had its beginning in a tree that arose out of the earth, living and green.
Growing from a seed in its own place, God carefully watched over it. Upon that tree He caused His rain to fall and His sun to shine. By His gifts of rain and sunshine He caused that tree to sprout into a young sapling. Making its roots to grow deep into the earth, he caused its branches to spread forth and shoot out leaves. So the tree grew tall and strong into a mighty tree, the workmanship of God.
Fallen or felled, men then worked upon that tree to makes use of its wood for lumber, lumber for this and lumber for that, a multitude of purposes, limited only by their imagination.
And for a cross. The cross of Calvary upon which our Saviour was hanged.
His own body on the tree.
So the Son of God, holy and righteous, because accursed.
So the Son of God, rightly and properly the object of God’s love and favour, became instead the object of God’s indignation and wrath.
Because, “Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” (Deuteronomy 21:23)
With His body on the tree, He became the Sin-bearer.
Whose sins did He bear with His body on the tree.
Not His own, for He had none, the spotless and holy Lamb of God.
Whose sins?
Our sins!
“Who his own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree.”
With His body on the tree He who knew no sin became sin for us.
With His body on the tree, He took from us our sins. With His body on the tree He took from us the curse of God, all of it. With His body on the tree He took from us the indignation and wrath of God. With His body on the tree He set us free.
For what purpose?
“That we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness.”
His offering makes us free to offer ourselves a living sacrifice to God, to be blessed forever in His service.
So have we been healed by His stripes, healed from our sickness and death in trespasses and sins, quickened to be the workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus unto all good works.
All by Him, all from Him, who his own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree.
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” I Peter 2:24
Wondrous tree of Calvary!
That tree on which our Lord and Saviour was crucified was not always lumber awaiting its cruel purpose.
It had its beginning in a tree that arose out of the earth, living and green.
Growing from a seed in its own place, God carefully watched over it. Upon that tree He caused His rain to fall and His sun to shine. By His gifts of rain and sunshine He caused that tree to sprout into a young sapling. Making its roots to grow deep into the earth, he caused its branches to spread forth and shoot out leaves. So the tree grew tall and strong into a mighty tree, the workmanship of God.
Fallen or felled, men then worked upon that tree to makes use of its wood for lumber, lumber for this and lumber for that, a multitude of purposes, limited only by their imagination.
And for a cross. The cross of Calvary upon which our Saviour was hanged.
His own body on the tree.
So the Son of God, holy and righteous, because accursed.
So the Son of God, rightly and properly the object of God’s love and favour, became instead the object of God’s indignation and wrath.
Because, “Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” (Deuteronomy 21:23)
With His body on the tree, He became the Sin-bearer.
Whose sins did He bear with His body on the tree.
Not His own, for He had none, the spotless and holy Lamb of God.
Whose sins?
Our sins!
“Who his own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree.”
With His body on the tree He who knew no sin became sin for us.
With His body on the tree, He took from us our sins. With His body on the tree He took from us the curse of God, all of it. With His body on the tree He took from us the indignation and wrath of God. With His body on the tree He set us free.
For what purpose?
“That we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness.”
His offering makes us free to offer ourselves a living sacrifice to God, to be blessed forever in His service.
So have we been healed by His stripes, healed from our sickness and death in trespasses and sins, quickened to be the workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus unto all good works.
All by Him, all from Him, who his own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree.
11 April 2017
“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Galatians 6:14
The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In such a powerful way, the cross was a sign, a symbol, and a means of rejection.
The cross was the instrument of forcible death, death by cruel torment. Nailed to the cross meant a slow death by agonizing torture, days spent alternating between the excruciating pain of attempting to stand on nails driven through the feet, and gasping for breath when unable to bear the pain of standing on nails any longer. Through eventual loss of blood, one crucified would finally collapse and choke to death, unable to breathe, arms stretched to their breaking point.
At the very same time, the cross was a public display of condemnation unto death. The crucified was deemed an outcast, unfit to live upon the earth, and one above whom the heavens were closed. Lifted up as rejected, and suspended under the wrath of God from heaven, the crucified was abandoned by both man and God. Wrath and anger from both, love and fellowship from none, was the lot of one crucified.
Hanging on that cross, enduring the torment of the body, one crucified was meant also to bear down to his heart and sole all the scorn and reproach of his society. A misfit and outcast, hated by all, cutting words were hurled against him, to lash his heart into shreds.
Cross of shame and dishonour! Cross of humiliation and terrible agony!
A cross, then, to hide. A cross to cover over. A cross to put far in the background. If asked, there must be only the greatest reluctance to admit.
Not the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Nothing else to glory in! Nothing else to boast about! Nothing else to parade or celebrate!
“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Why the cross? Why that cross? Why must every Christian follow the Apostle in glorying in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Because in that cross is the most wonderful and amazing work ever done in all the world, in all time and history.
No feat of man can compare to that cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!
So great is the wisdom of the cross, that everything else is folly.
So great is the power of the cross, that everything else is weakness.
So great is the glory of the cross, that everything else is shameful.
In the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, that instrument of His cruel torture and death, is all our peace and reconciliation with the living God.
In the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, that means of reproach and scorn of men, is all our salvation from beginning to end.
In the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, the way of condemnation and curse, is all our blessedness.
God forbid that we should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!
“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Galatians 6:14
The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In such a powerful way, the cross was a sign, a symbol, and a means of rejection.
The cross was the instrument of forcible death, death by cruel torment. Nailed to the cross meant a slow death by agonizing torture, days spent alternating between the excruciating pain of attempting to stand on nails driven through the feet, and gasping for breath when unable to bear the pain of standing on nails any longer. Through eventual loss of blood, one crucified would finally collapse and choke to death, unable to breathe, arms stretched to their breaking point.
At the very same time, the cross was a public display of condemnation unto death. The crucified was deemed an outcast, unfit to live upon the earth, and one above whom the heavens were closed. Lifted up as rejected, and suspended under the wrath of God from heaven, the crucified was abandoned by both man and God. Wrath and anger from both, love and fellowship from none, was the lot of one crucified.
Hanging on that cross, enduring the torment of the body, one crucified was meant also to bear down to his heart and sole all the scorn and reproach of his society. A misfit and outcast, hated by all, cutting words were hurled against him, to lash his heart into shreds.
Cross of shame and dishonour! Cross of humiliation and terrible agony!
A cross, then, to hide. A cross to cover over. A cross to put far in the background. If asked, there must be only the greatest reluctance to admit.
Not the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Nothing else to glory in! Nothing else to boast about! Nothing else to parade or celebrate!
“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Why the cross? Why that cross? Why must every Christian follow the Apostle in glorying in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Because in that cross is the most wonderful and amazing work ever done in all the world, in all time and history.
No feat of man can compare to that cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!
So great is the wisdom of the cross, that everything else is folly.
So great is the power of the cross, that everything else is weakness.
So great is the glory of the cross, that everything else is shameful.
In the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, that instrument of His cruel torture and death, is all our peace and reconciliation with the living God.
In the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, that means of reproach and scorn of men, is all our salvation from beginning to end.
In the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, the way of condemnation and curse, is all our blessedness.
God forbid that we should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!
8 April 2017
“And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.” Genesis 17:15, 16
Doubt and unbelief had done its work.
In unbelief Sarai had withdrawn herself from the covenant promise and fulfillment. In unbelief she offered Hagar, her Egyptian handmaid, to Abraham. Her unbelief was that God’s covenant promise was to be fulfilled through union between Abraham and Hagar, and not herself. In unbelief, Abraham agreed.
By that unbelief, Hagar conceived Ishmael by Abraham. By unbelief Abraham received a son. Was Ishmael to be the heir of the covenant? Is he to be the promised seed? Is his seed to be as many as the sand by the seashore? Is his seed to inherit the land of Canaan?
God’s promise does not reckon with unbelief. God’s fulfillment is not to be compromised by doubt.
So God spoke these wonderful words to Abraham.
His Word of promise set aside Hagar and Ishmael her son. These words of promise set aside all that unbelief.
His promise took Sarai and restored her to her proper place.
His promise blessed her. His promise gave Abraham a son of her. By this son of Sarai, Jehovah blessed her to be a mother of nations. By this son of Sarai were to be kings of people.
Of her, who was ninety years old. Of her, with whom it ceased to be “after the manner of women.” Of her, whose womb was dead.
Such a promise was this that it changed her name from Sarai to Sarah.
Jehovah’s promise must not reckon with the ability of men. Jehovah’s promise must not reckon with the faith or unbelief of men. As Jehovah speaks for His glory, so He does all for His glory.
As His Word, so His deed.
So Sarah conceived by that Word, through faith in that Word. So she gave birth to a son. So by that son born to her she became a mother of nations. So by that son born to her kings of people proceeded from her.
Believing the Word of God, that He will do all that He has spoken, to be our God and the God of our seed after us, let us be the blessed children of Abraham and Sarah!
“And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.” Genesis 17:15, 16
Doubt and unbelief had done its work.
In unbelief Sarai had withdrawn herself from the covenant promise and fulfillment. In unbelief she offered Hagar, her Egyptian handmaid, to Abraham. Her unbelief was that God’s covenant promise was to be fulfilled through union between Abraham and Hagar, and not herself. In unbelief, Abraham agreed.
By that unbelief, Hagar conceived Ishmael by Abraham. By unbelief Abraham received a son. Was Ishmael to be the heir of the covenant? Is he to be the promised seed? Is his seed to be as many as the sand by the seashore? Is his seed to inherit the land of Canaan?
God’s promise does not reckon with unbelief. God’s fulfillment is not to be compromised by doubt.
So God spoke these wonderful words to Abraham.
His Word of promise set aside Hagar and Ishmael her son. These words of promise set aside all that unbelief.
His promise took Sarai and restored her to her proper place.
His promise blessed her. His promise gave Abraham a son of her. By this son of Sarai, Jehovah blessed her to be a mother of nations. By this son of Sarai were to be kings of people.
Of her, who was ninety years old. Of her, with whom it ceased to be “after the manner of women.” Of her, whose womb was dead.
Such a promise was this that it changed her name from Sarai to Sarah.
Jehovah’s promise must not reckon with the ability of men. Jehovah’s promise must not reckon with the faith or unbelief of men. As Jehovah speaks for His glory, so He does all for His glory.
As His Word, so His deed.
So Sarah conceived by that Word, through faith in that Word. So she gave birth to a son. So by that son born to her she became a mother of nations. So by that son born to her kings of people proceeded from her.
Believing the Word of God, that He will do all that He has spoken, to be our God and the God of our seed after us, let us be the blessed children of Abraham and Sarah!
4 April 2017
“And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:40
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:44
Sealed by the will of God!
Every one that sees the Son and believes on Him will have everlasting life.
Everlasting life that is truly and really everlasting.
No everlasting life this is that is given to someone who sees the Son and believes on him, and then loses that everlasting life because he no longer believes on him.
It is, after all, everlasting life.
But in case there are some who would still argue that someone might lose their possession of everlasting life because they might no longer believe on Jesus, Jesus has given this additional word: “I will raise him up at the last day.”
Every one.
No exceptions.
Still another argument might be raised, an argument that might even be brought against these words of Jesus.
How can these words be so sure? Can’t all men see Jesus, if they want to? Can’t all men believe on Jesus if they want to? Can’t anybody come to Jesus if they want to? Doesn’t God, doesn’t Jesus want to see everyone saved, and brought into His kingdom? Isn’t it God’s will that no man should perish, but that all should be saved?
In answer we have Jesus’ following words, words that lay out another rule.
“No man can come to me.”
No man!
No man can come to Jesus. No man can see Jesus. No man can believe on Jesus.
That is the rule.
But, there is an exception to this rule, the wonderful exception of God’s grace.
The exception?
“Except the Father which hath sent me draw him.”
The Father draws one here. The Father draws one there.
Every one that the Father draws comes to Jesus. Every one that the Father draws sees Jesus. Every one that the Father draws believes on Jesus.
Just as the Father has sent Jesus, so the Father draws every one that He wills to Jesus.
Then, certainly, surely, Jesus will raise him up at the last day!
So must you understand how you have come to Jesus. The same way have you seen Jesus, and the same way have you believed in Jesus.
Because the Father has drawn you.
Only then do you have the solid, undoubted assurance that Jesus will raise you up at the last day.
Yours is eternal life, through the Son sent by the Father, the Father who has drawn you to Him.
Rejoice, and give all thanks and glory to your Father, through His Son!
“And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:40
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:44
Sealed by the will of God!
Every one that sees the Son and believes on Him will have everlasting life.
Everlasting life that is truly and really everlasting.
No everlasting life this is that is given to someone who sees the Son and believes on him, and then loses that everlasting life because he no longer believes on him.
It is, after all, everlasting life.
But in case there are some who would still argue that someone might lose their possession of everlasting life because they might no longer believe on Jesus, Jesus has given this additional word: “I will raise him up at the last day.”
Every one.
No exceptions.
Still another argument might be raised, an argument that might even be brought against these words of Jesus.
How can these words be so sure? Can’t all men see Jesus, if they want to? Can’t all men believe on Jesus if they want to? Can’t anybody come to Jesus if they want to? Doesn’t God, doesn’t Jesus want to see everyone saved, and brought into His kingdom? Isn’t it God’s will that no man should perish, but that all should be saved?
In answer we have Jesus’ following words, words that lay out another rule.
“No man can come to me.”
No man!
No man can come to Jesus. No man can see Jesus. No man can believe on Jesus.
That is the rule.
But, there is an exception to this rule, the wonderful exception of God’s grace.
The exception?
“Except the Father which hath sent me draw him.”
The Father draws one here. The Father draws one there.
Every one that the Father draws comes to Jesus. Every one that the Father draws sees Jesus. Every one that the Father draws believes on Jesus.
Just as the Father has sent Jesus, so the Father draws every one that He wills to Jesus.
Then, certainly, surely, Jesus will raise him up at the last day!
So must you understand how you have come to Jesus. The same way have you seen Jesus, and the same way have you believed in Jesus.
Because the Father has drawn you.
Only then do you have the solid, undoubted assurance that Jesus will raise you up at the last day.
Yours is eternal life, through the Son sent by the Father, the Father who has drawn you to Him.
Rejoice, and give all thanks and glory to your Father, through His Son!
1 April 2017
“And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.”
“Can these bones live?”
What must be the answer to this question?
God’s prophet has been placed in the midst of a valley that was full of bones. Then Ezekiel was made to survey all these bones as they filled this valley.
He saw that they were very many. The bones of an entire nation filled up this valley. It was if this whole nation had been slaughtered in a very great campaign, and their bodies then taken to this valley and dumped there without any ceremony and without any care.
The Lord’s prophet also saw that they were very dry. To them clung no skin or flesh. No ligaments joined bone to bone. They were no longer yellow, but bleached white, as from the sun shining upon them for many years. Cracks coursed over every bone, every last bit of moisture and marrow long gone.
“Can these bones live?”
Certainly not!
Once they had lived, but that was long ago. Life had long departed. No longer even corpses, but only dry bones did Ezekiel behold. No life, but only death, long death did the Lord’s prophet see. How could these bones possibly stand? How could they again support sinew and flesh? How could they again become living, breathing, flesh and blood bodies?
But this question is not asked of Ezekiel by a man, but by the Lord God!
Can these bones live?
So the prophet must give his answer: “O Lord God, though knowest.”
With God, nothing is impossible!
As he answered, Ezekiel also obeyed the command of God, prophesying to these dry bones that filled this valley.
Then the prophet witnessed the wondrous work of the Lord God upon those bones. He saw bone joined to bone. He beheld first the covering of sinews and flesh, and then skin covering the flesh.
Then, as Ezekiel prophesied again, commanding the wind to breathe upon these slain, he saw them come to life. He saw them stand up, upon their feet. He saw a living, mighty army.
Who are we, and what are we, without the grace of God?
Only dry bones we are. No life, but only death is ours. No good, but only of evil are we capable. Unclean and corrupt is all we are by nature.
But God knows!
As He knows so He works by His Word and Spirit.
By His power He has turned our dead bones to life, regenerating and quickening us. So that life comes to course through our whole nature. So we live, and we believe. So we live, and we worship and praise. So we lead lives of grateful service to the Lord our God. So we fight the good fight of faith.
Son of man, can these bones live?
Yes, indeed, by the power of God’s grace alone!
“And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.”
“Can these bones live?”
What must be the answer to this question?
God’s prophet has been placed in the midst of a valley that was full of bones. Then Ezekiel was made to survey all these bones as they filled this valley.
He saw that they were very many. The bones of an entire nation filled up this valley. It was if this whole nation had been slaughtered in a very great campaign, and their bodies then taken to this valley and dumped there without any ceremony and without any care.
The Lord’s prophet also saw that they were very dry. To them clung no skin or flesh. No ligaments joined bone to bone. They were no longer yellow, but bleached white, as from the sun shining upon them for many years. Cracks coursed over every bone, every last bit of moisture and marrow long gone.
“Can these bones live?”
Certainly not!
Once they had lived, but that was long ago. Life had long departed. No longer even corpses, but only dry bones did Ezekiel behold. No life, but only death, long death did the Lord’s prophet see. How could these bones possibly stand? How could they again support sinew and flesh? How could they again become living, breathing, flesh and blood bodies?
But this question is not asked of Ezekiel by a man, but by the Lord God!
Can these bones live?
So the prophet must give his answer: “O Lord God, though knowest.”
With God, nothing is impossible!
As he answered, Ezekiel also obeyed the command of God, prophesying to these dry bones that filled this valley.
Then the prophet witnessed the wondrous work of the Lord God upon those bones. He saw bone joined to bone. He beheld first the covering of sinews and flesh, and then skin covering the flesh.
Then, as Ezekiel prophesied again, commanding the wind to breathe upon these slain, he saw them come to life. He saw them stand up, upon their feet. He saw a living, mighty army.
Who are we, and what are we, without the grace of God?
Only dry bones we are. No life, but only death is ours. No good, but only of evil are we capable. Unclean and corrupt is all we are by nature.
But God knows!
As He knows so He works by His Word and Spirit.
By His power He has turned our dead bones to life, regenerating and quickening us. So that life comes to course through our whole nature. So we live, and we believe. So we live, and we worship and praise. So we lead lives of grateful service to the Lord our God. So we fight the good fight of faith.
Son of man, can these bones live?
Yes, indeed, by the power of God’s grace alone!
30 March 2017
“And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24, 25
How the disciples rejoiced to have Jesus so near to them!
They knew the power of Jesus’ sovereign call to them, His call whereby He made them His disciples. They saw His power demonstrated in His casting out of devils, His healing of the sick whole, His calming of the wind and sea, and even His raising of the dead. They witnessed His glory when they were with Him in the holy mount. And they rejoiced when Jesus put His enemies to shame with His wonderful wisdom.
So they clung to Him. He was their safety and their comfort. They delighted to have Him near to them, and to be near to Him. Could they even imagine life without Him? So they ignored and put far from their consciousness every reminder their Lord gave them that He would be betrayed, crucified, put to death, and raised again from the dead.
So they asked Him everything.
They asked Him the questions that were on their minds. They asked Him of their place in the kingdom of heaven. They asked Him about the meanings of the parables He taught them. They asked Him about right and wrong, about good and evil. They asked Him about the future.
But a new and better day was coming.
The day was coming when Jesus would be gone from among them. The day was coming when He would have finished the work upon earth the Father gave Him to do, the work of atonement and reconciliation. The day was coming when He would ascend into heaven, and from God’s right hand He would give them the Spirit according to His Word.
“And in that day ye shall ask me nothing.”
Of Jesus they would ask nothing. To Him they would no longer bring their requests. Of Him they would no longer inquire. Him they would no longer ask.
Instead, they would take that blessed name of their Lord upon their lips, when they would exercise a far higher and greater privilege. They would ask all things of the Father instead. And, asking in Jesus’ name, they would receive all things.
In that blessed and wonderful name of Jesus, they would have the place of children, calling upon the living eternal God as their Father. Asking the Father as their Father, taking the name of Jesus upon their lips, theirs was the privilege of receive all things from their Father.
In Jesus’ name they were to pray. In Jesus’ name they were to ask, and they would receive.
And their joy would be full.
So let us also know this same fullness of joy, when we come to our heavenly Father in this same blessed name of Jesus. As we ask all things and receive all things from His almighty hand, let us rejoice in our God, and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, for whose sake all things are ours.
“And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24, 25
How the disciples rejoiced to have Jesus so near to them!
They knew the power of Jesus’ sovereign call to them, His call whereby He made them His disciples. They saw His power demonstrated in His casting out of devils, His healing of the sick whole, His calming of the wind and sea, and even His raising of the dead. They witnessed His glory when they were with Him in the holy mount. And they rejoiced when Jesus put His enemies to shame with His wonderful wisdom.
So they clung to Him. He was their safety and their comfort. They delighted to have Him near to them, and to be near to Him. Could they even imagine life without Him? So they ignored and put far from their consciousness every reminder their Lord gave them that He would be betrayed, crucified, put to death, and raised again from the dead.
So they asked Him everything.
They asked Him the questions that were on their minds. They asked Him of their place in the kingdom of heaven. They asked Him about the meanings of the parables He taught them. They asked Him about right and wrong, about good and evil. They asked Him about the future.
But a new and better day was coming.
The day was coming when Jesus would be gone from among them. The day was coming when He would have finished the work upon earth the Father gave Him to do, the work of atonement and reconciliation. The day was coming when He would ascend into heaven, and from God’s right hand He would give them the Spirit according to His Word.
“And in that day ye shall ask me nothing.”
Of Jesus they would ask nothing. To Him they would no longer bring their requests. Of Him they would no longer inquire. Him they would no longer ask.
Instead, they would take that blessed name of their Lord upon their lips, when they would exercise a far higher and greater privilege. They would ask all things of the Father instead. And, asking in Jesus’ name, they would receive all things.
In that blessed and wonderful name of Jesus, they would have the place of children, calling upon the living eternal God as their Father. Asking the Father as their Father, taking the name of Jesus upon their lips, theirs was the privilege of receive all things from their Father.
In Jesus’ name they were to pray. In Jesus’ name they were to ask, and they would receive.
And their joy would be full.
So let us also know this same fullness of joy, when we come to our heavenly Father in this same blessed name of Jesus. As we ask all things and receive all things from His almighty hand, let us rejoice in our God, and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, for whose sake all things are ours.
27 March 2017
“In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.” Isaiah 63:9
The living, true, almighty God, infinite and eternal, holy and just.
Also afflicted!
Feeling the sting and the burning pain of the lash of the whip. Feeling the oppression and trouble of forced labour deep within. Knowing the agony and anguish of hard bondage with no hope of escape.
In all the affliction of the children of Israel in Egypt, was Jehovah their God also afflicted.
Their suffering He made HIs own suffering. Their bondage He made His own bondage. Their burdens of trouble and sorrow He took upon Himself.
Such is the love of Jehovah for His people, to be bound and joined to them in their suffering.
Such is the pity of Jehovah welling up in His own heart.
Out of that love and pity, He wondrously redeemed HIs people out of Egypt. Out of that love and pity He bare them and carried them all the days of old.
How blessed we are to know the truth and reality of this way of Jehovah by His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord!
How great the love and pity of our God for us, to give us His only-begotten Son, the glorious Angel of His presence!
How great the love and pity of the Son, to come to save us.
For He came, very God of very God, in the likeness of our sinful flesh.
He came to suffer.
He came to bear our griefs and carry our sorrows. He became “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” So He suffered and died on the cross, the death of vicarious, substitutionary atonement. By His suffering and death, He removed our sin and our guilt and has redeemed us. As He laid down His life for us, so our Good Shepherd also bears us, and carries us all our days.
Though He is now in glory, seated at God’s right hand, we still must know of the love and pity of God our Saviour for us.
In all our afflictions He is afflicted.
Our griefs and sorrows He makes His own. Our burdens and trials He bears and carries. In our persecutions is He persecuted. In our deepest anguish and greatest pain, our Saviour is right next to us.
Just as we are “flesh of HIs flesh and bone of His bone,” joined and united by the Spirit of Christ. Just as our Lord from heaven said to Saul, “Why persecutest thou me?”
So near to us, afflicted with our afflictions, our Saviour who has redemed us also carries us. Safely He carries us in His hand through all our trials and afflictions. Safely He bears us upon His shoulders to the place He has prepared for us, that we may rejoice in Him forever.
Our merciful Saviour!
Afflicted with our afflictions!
“In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.” Isaiah 63:9
The living, true, almighty God, infinite and eternal, holy and just.
Also afflicted!
Feeling the sting and the burning pain of the lash of the whip. Feeling the oppression and trouble of forced labour deep within. Knowing the agony and anguish of hard bondage with no hope of escape.
In all the affliction of the children of Israel in Egypt, was Jehovah their God also afflicted.
Their suffering He made HIs own suffering. Their bondage He made His own bondage. Their burdens of trouble and sorrow He took upon Himself.
Such is the love of Jehovah for His people, to be bound and joined to them in their suffering.
Such is the pity of Jehovah welling up in His own heart.
Out of that love and pity, He wondrously redeemed HIs people out of Egypt. Out of that love and pity He bare them and carried them all the days of old.
How blessed we are to know the truth and reality of this way of Jehovah by His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord!
How great the love and pity of our God for us, to give us His only-begotten Son, the glorious Angel of His presence!
How great the love and pity of the Son, to come to save us.
For He came, very God of very God, in the likeness of our sinful flesh.
He came to suffer.
He came to bear our griefs and carry our sorrows. He became “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” So He suffered and died on the cross, the death of vicarious, substitutionary atonement. By His suffering and death, He removed our sin and our guilt and has redeemed us. As He laid down His life for us, so our Good Shepherd also bears us, and carries us all our days.
Though He is now in glory, seated at God’s right hand, we still must know of the love and pity of God our Saviour for us.
In all our afflictions He is afflicted.
Our griefs and sorrows He makes His own. Our burdens and trials He bears and carries. In our persecutions is He persecuted. In our deepest anguish and greatest pain, our Saviour is right next to us.
Just as we are “flesh of HIs flesh and bone of His bone,” joined and united by the Spirit of Christ. Just as our Lord from heaven said to Saul, “Why persecutest thou me?”
So near to us, afflicted with our afflictions, our Saviour who has redemed us also carries us. Safely He carries us in His hand through all our trials and afflictions. Safely He bears us upon His shoulders to the place He has prepared for us, that we may rejoice in Him forever.
Our merciful Saviour!
Afflicted with our afflictions!
24 March 2017
“The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart;
And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous:
But the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” Psalm 34:18, 19
What amazing words these are of grace and consolation!
These are words for the broken hearted, for those of a contrite spirit, for the righteous in their afflictions.
These are the righteous. These are the children of God. They have put their trust in the Lord, so that they are righteous by faith alone with the righteousness of their God. These are the children of God, bearing the fruits of that justification in their ways of righteousness, peace and truth. Faithfully, willingly, they serve God in deep gratitude for His salvation.
Yet, their way is one of many afflictions.
They are beset from the right and left. They are confronted with barriers and obstacles. They have hindrances dragging them down from behind. Their condition and cause appears so difficult, if not even hopeless.
Even more, the afflictions work their way deep within. They are troubled in their hearts. They groan and sigh in their spirits.
Their hearts are broken.
Their spirits are contrite.
They might have heard others questioning their righteousness because of their many afflictions. The devil has whispered to them that their many afflictions are the clearest demonstration that they are not righteous before God, but are under condemnation. God is no friend of theirs, but only their bitter foe. Their many afflictions are only the present seeds of the future torment awaiting them.
But exactly for them and to them is this Word of God sent.
Unto them that are broken in heart, the Lord is nigh!
Such as be of a contrite spirit, the Lord saves!
Out of the many afflictions of the righteous, the Lord delivers!
Exactly when, how, and where they are broken in heart, the Lord is near them in His dear friendship and precious fellowship.
Exactly when, how, and where they are of a contrite spirit, the Lord directs His grace and mercy for their salvation.
And, no matter how many or how great their afflictions are, the Lord will deliver him out of them all.
Every one!
Their broken hearts will be healed. Their contrite spirits will be lifted up on high. Their afflictions will be far behind them.
And great will be their joy in the God of their salvation!
“The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart;
And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous:
But the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” Psalm 34:18, 19
What amazing words these are of grace and consolation!
These are words for the broken hearted, for those of a contrite spirit, for the righteous in their afflictions.
These are the righteous. These are the children of God. They have put their trust in the Lord, so that they are righteous by faith alone with the righteousness of their God. These are the children of God, bearing the fruits of that justification in their ways of righteousness, peace and truth. Faithfully, willingly, they serve God in deep gratitude for His salvation.
Yet, their way is one of many afflictions.
They are beset from the right and left. They are confronted with barriers and obstacles. They have hindrances dragging them down from behind. Their condition and cause appears so difficult, if not even hopeless.
Even more, the afflictions work their way deep within. They are troubled in their hearts. They groan and sigh in their spirits.
Their hearts are broken.
Their spirits are contrite.
They might have heard others questioning their righteousness because of their many afflictions. The devil has whispered to them that their many afflictions are the clearest demonstration that they are not righteous before God, but are under condemnation. God is no friend of theirs, but only their bitter foe. Their many afflictions are only the present seeds of the future torment awaiting them.
But exactly for them and to them is this Word of God sent.
Unto them that are broken in heart, the Lord is nigh!
Such as be of a contrite spirit, the Lord saves!
Out of the many afflictions of the righteous, the Lord delivers!
Exactly when, how, and where they are broken in heart, the Lord is near them in His dear friendship and precious fellowship.
Exactly when, how, and where they are of a contrite spirit, the Lord directs His grace and mercy for their salvation.
And, no matter how many or how great their afflictions are, the Lord will deliver him out of them all.
Every one!
Their broken hearts will be healed. Their contrite spirits will be lifted up on high. Their afflictions will be far behind them.
And great will be their joy in the God of their salvation!
23 March 2017
“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” II Peter 1:10, 11
What wonderful assurance and certainty is presented in this Word of God!
There is the assurance and certainty of election: chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world by God’s unconditional decree.
There is the assurance and certainty of calling: sovereign, gracious, calling according that same decree of election. There is the Spirit’s calling, applying the gospel of grace with the power of God to you, a calling that has brought you out of darkness into the light of God’s kingdom.
There is the assurance and certainty of the glorious end of your calling and election: the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
But with this assurance and certainty of this Word of God there comes to you a calling.
This calling sets before you your responsibility and your obligation. You have a duty.
What is that calling?
Give diligence to make your calling and election sure. Give diligence that “ye do these things.”
What things?
These are the things that are set before you in verses 5 through 7. Here is a list of Christian virtues that you must cultivate in your life. Together they begin with the very same words, “giving all diligence.”
These are the fruits of election and calling: faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity.
These things are together the manner of the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity.
How important to remember that these are not conditions of election. Nor must you have them in order to be called. Nor are they keys to the entrance of the everlasting kingdom of God, to open it.
If they were, then you would read, “Give diligence to make your calling and election sure.” You would read, “For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you.”
The calling and election is of God alone. Of God alone is the entrance into the everlasting kingdom.
But just as “these things” are the fruits of calling and election, and are the manner of the everlasting kingdom, diligence in them makes our calling and election more and more sure, more and more evident in our lives, and in our consciences as we see them. Being diligent in them makes more abundant the ministration of your entrance into the everlasting kingdom. The gates open wider and wider, the entrance becomes clearer and closer, the beauty beyond more and more delightful.
So, give diligence!
“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” II Peter 1:10, 11
What wonderful assurance and certainty is presented in this Word of God!
There is the assurance and certainty of election: chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world by God’s unconditional decree.
There is the assurance and certainty of calling: sovereign, gracious, calling according that same decree of election. There is the Spirit’s calling, applying the gospel of grace with the power of God to you, a calling that has brought you out of darkness into the light of God’s kingdom.
There is the assurance and certainty of the glorious end of your calling and election: the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
But with this assurance and certainty of this Word of God there comes to you a calling.
This calling sets before you your responsibility and your obligation. You have a duty.
What is that calling?
Give diligence to make your calling and election sure. Give diligence that “ye do these things.”
What things?
These are the things that are set before you in verses 5 through 7. Here is a list of Christian virtues that you must cultivate in your life. Together they begin with the very same words, “giving all diligence.”
These are the fruits of election and calling: faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity.
These things are together the manner of the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity.
How important to remember that these are not conditions of election. Nor must you have them in order to be called. Nor are they keys to the entrance of the everlasting kingdom of God, to open it.
If they were, then you would read, “Give diligence to make your calling and election sure.” You would read, “For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you.”
The calling and election is of God alone. Of God alone is the entrance into the everlasting kingdom.
But just as “these things” are the fruits of calling and election, and are the manner of the everlasting kingdom, diligence in them makes our calling and election more and more sure, more and more evident in our lives, and in our consciences as we see them. Being diligent in them makes more abundant the ministration of your entrance into the everlasting kingdom. The gates open wider and wider, the entrance becomes clearer and closer, the beauty beyond more and more delightful.
So, give diligence!
21 March 2017
“The Lord hath made known his salvation:
His righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel:
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” Psalm 98:2, 3
Powerful are these words of praise to our God, powerful when we understand the pathway that they set before us.
That pathway is the pathway of knowledge, and that path began with the house of Israel.
Its beginning we see clearly when we bring together the first lines of these two verses:
“The Lord hath made known His salvation.”
“He hath remembered mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel.”
The house of Israel is the seed of Jacob. The house of Israel is the covenant house. It is the seed of Jacob as organized together into one family, one house. That house is the family of Jacob, taken up by this Word of God according to God’s own covenant promise, that He would be the God of Abraham, and His seed. That house is the house of God’s covenant faithfulness, His mercy and truth by that Word of promise to Isaac and Jacob, heirs with Abraham.
According to that Word, the seed of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob was formed into a great house, a numerous people, even a great nation. So that nation in its greatness became a present threat to their close neighbour, the land of Egypt. Egypt’s response to the perceived threat of the house of Israel was horrible oppression: the forcing of the house of Jacob into slavery and the ordered death of the firstborn of this house of Israel that was heir to the promise of the Lord.
Then the Lord remembered His mercy and truth to the house of Israel. In mighty deeds and great judgments He made known His salvation. Through the destruction of their oppressors, even to the death of the firstborn of Egypt, He saved His people, the house of Jacob.
Then we see in this Word of God’s praise a distinct direction to this knowledge.
“His righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.”
“All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”
So must the heathen know that Jacob’s God is God alone. So must the ends of the earth fear and worship Jehovah alone, forsaking all idolatry.
How much more true this is with the salvation of the church of Jesus Christ, the reality to which the former deliverance of Jacob’s house pointed. Here is the true salvation, the redemption of the body of Christ through the blood of the covenant. A salvation that begins with the triumph of the Head over death and hell, and a salvation proclaimed to the heathen and to the uttermost parts of the earth by order of this risen and victorious Head.
The Lord makes known His salvation. His righteousness He openly shews in the sight of the heathen. He makes the ends of the earth see His salvation.
As that knowledge of salvation goes to the ends of the earth, something most wonderful happens.
There, among the heathen, that righteousness is embraced.
There, in the ends of the earth, the salvation of Jehovah is enjoyed.
For there in those places is the true, spiritual house of Israel, the elect church of Jesus Christ. By the proclamation of that righteousness of the true Head of the house of Jacob, Jesus Christ, God gathers to Himself His elect church. By grace sovereign and irresistible He draws them to Himself. They come to Him, delivered out of their darkness into His marvellous light. Their idolatry they forsake, to place their hope and trust in the living God alone.
This God has remembered us.
To us has He shown His righteousness, sealing it to our hearts by faith. So has He saved and redeemed us by the blood of His Son, into blessed fellowship with Him.
God continues even now to send out His Word to the ends of the earth, making His great salvation known.
Let us rejoice to see and know that glorious work of our Lord! Let us use the abundant means that He has given us to support this labour, encouraging His faithful servants!
And with these words, let us magnify our God!
“The Lord hath made known his salvation:
His righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel:
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” Psalm 98:2, 3
Powerful are these words of praise to our God, powerful when we understand the pathway that they set before us.
That pathway is the pathway of knowledge, and that path began with the house of Israel.
Its beginning we see clearly when we bring together the first lines of these two verses:
“The Lord hath made known His salvation.”
“He hath remembered mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel.”
The house of Israel is the seed of Jacob. The house of Israel is the covenant house. It is the seed of Jacob as organized together into one family, one house. That house is the family of Jacob, taken up by this Word of God according to God’s own covenant promise, that He would be the God of Abraham, and His seed. That house is the house of God’s covenant faithfulness, His mercy and truth by that Word of promise to Isaac and Jacob, heirs with Abraham.
According to that Word, the seed of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob was formed into a great house, a numerous people, even a great nation. So that nation in its greatness became a present threat to their close neighbour, the land of Egypt. Egypt’s response to the perceived threat of the house of Israel was horrible oppression: the forcing of the house of Jacob into slavery and the ordered death of the firstborn of this house of Israel that was heir to the promise of the Lord.
Then the Lord remembered His mercy and truth to the house of Israel. In mighty deeds and great judgments He made known His salvation. Through the destruction of their oppressors, even to the death of the firstborn of Egypt, He saved His people, the house of Jacob.
Then we see in this Word of God’s praise a distinct direction to this knowledge.
“His righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.”
“All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”
So must the heathen know that Jacob’s God is God alone. So must the ends of the earth fear and worship Jehovah alone, forsaking all idolatry.
How much more true this is with the salvation of the church of Jesus Christ, the reality to which the former deliverance of Jacob’s house pointed. Here is the true salvation, the redemption of the body of Christ through the blood of the covenant. A salvation that begins with the triumph of the Head over death and hell, and a salvation proclaimed to the heathen and to the uttermost parts of the earth by order of this risen and victorious Head.
The Lord makes known His salvation. His righteousness He openly shews in the sight of the heathen. He makes the ends of the earth see His salvation.
As that knowledge of salvation goes to the ends of the earth, something most wonderful happens.
There, among the heathen, that righteousness is embraced.
There, in the ends of the earth, the salvation of Jehovah is enjoyed.
For there in those places is the true, spiritual house of Israel, the elect church of Jesus Christ. By the proclamation of that righteousness of the true Head of the house of Jacob, Jesus Christ, God gathers to Himself His elect church. By grace sovereign and irresistible He draws them to Himself. They come to Him, delivered out of their darkness into His marvellous light. Their idolatry they forsake, to place their hope and trust in the living God alone.
This God has remembered us.
To us has He shown His righteousness, sealing it to our hearts by faith. So has He saved and redeemed us by the blood of His Son, into blessed fellowship with Him.
God continues even now to send out His Word to the ends of the earth, making His great salvation known.
Let us rejoice to see and know that glorious work of our Lord! Let us use the abundant means that He has given us to support this labour, encouraging His faithful servants!
And with these words, let us magnify our God!
18 March 2017
“Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven;
The earth feared, and was still,
When God arose to judgment,
To save all the meek of the earth. Selah
Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee:
The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.” Psalm 76:8-10
In these words is a powerful confession of God’s absolute sovereignty over all, even over the wrath of man.
Take note of that wrath of man!
Hear it in the words of blasphemy and profanity that more and more fill your ears. On the streets or in the media, there is the wrath of man. See it in the lives of men as they throw off every standard of decency and morals, and revel with abandon in decadence and abomination. Understand it in the pursuit of every kind of pleasure and self-indulgence. Behold it in every attempt to form and forge a new world order and the zealous labour to create a utopia for the whole human race, whether by technology, medicine or diplomacy.
Behold also the wrath of man in the persecution of the church of Jesus Christ. Hear it in the words of scorn and derision aimed at God’s Word. See that wrath manifested in every work of the apostate church world to supplant the truth with errors of every kind, and to declare good evil and evil good.
Then, suddenly, all of this wrath and rage of men ceases. Silence reigns as these same men cower and grovel in the dust.
What has happened?
“Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven.”
That is why “the earth feared, and was still.”
“God arose to judgment.”
“God arose . . . to save all the meek of the earth.”
There they were, the meek.
How they were oppressed, persecuted, and troubled by the wrath of man!
They were only a remnant, few and far between. Here was one, surrounded by the enemy, taunted and ridiculed. Here was another, driven to hiding in some corner, fearing for his life. Here was still another, defending the faith in the public square, facing so great opposition, yet doing so in meekness and fear.
To save all these meek of the earth God arose. He showed Himself mighty to be their Judge and Saviour.
So now, what of all that wrath? What of all that rage of the nations against the throne of God?
It all serves the glory of the Lord in judgment, as “the earth feared and was still.
How great that wrath became, only to show its vanity before the glory of God revealed at His coming.
“Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee.”
“The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.”
How that wrath would cast God off His throne! How that wrath would destroy all the meek of the earth!
But God restrains. He so hinders the wrath of man that it serves Him. He so hinders the wrath of man so that not one of those meek shall perish.
Meek of the earth, you have nothing to fear! Let the wrath of man grow and increase! Let it grow ever so near to you! You are safe in the hand of your God.
“Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee.”
“The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.”
“Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven;
The earth feared, and was still,
When God arose to judgment,
To save all the meek of the earth. Selah
Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee:
The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.” Psalm 76:8-10
In these words is a powerful confession of God’s absolute sovereignty over all, even over the wrath of man.
Take note of that wrath of man!
Hear it in the words of blasphemy and profanity that more and more fill your ears. On the streets or in the media, there is the wrath of man. See it in the lives of men as they throw off every standard of decency and morals, and revel with abandon in decadence and abomination. Understand it in the pursuit of every kind of pleasure and self-indulgence. Behold it in every attempt to form and forge a new world order and the zealous labour to create a utopia for the whole human race, whether by technology, medicine or diplomacy.
Behold also the wrath of man in the persecution of the church of Jesus Christ. Hear it in the words of scorn and derision aimed at God’s Word. See that wrath manifested in every work of the apostate church world to supplant the truth with errors of every kind, and to declare good evil and evil good.
Then, suddenly, all of this wrath and rage of men ceases. Silence reigns as these same men cower and grovel in the dust.
What has happened?
“Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven.”
That is why “the earth feared, and was still.”
“God arose to judgment.”
“God arose . . . to save all the meek of the earth.”
There they were, the meek.
How they were oppressed, persecuted, and troubled by the wrath of man!
They were only a remnant, few and far between. Here was one, surrounded by the enemy, taunted and ridiculed. Here was another, driven to hiding in some corner, fearing for his life. Here was still another, defending the faith in the public square, facing so great opposition, yet doing so in meekness and fear.
To save all these meek of the earth God arose. He showed Himself mighty to be their Judge and Saviour.
So now, what of all that wrath? What of all that rage of the nations against the throne of God?
It all serves the glory of the Lord in judgment, as “the earth feared and was still.
How great that wrath became, only to show its vanity before the glory of God revealed at His coming.
“Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee.”
“The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.”
How that wrath would cast God off His throne! How that wrath would destroy all the meek of the earth!
But God restrains. He so hinders the wrath of man that it serves Him. He so hinders the wrath of man so that not one of those meek shall perish.
Meek of the earth, you have nothing to fear! Let the wrath of man grow and increase! Let it grow ever so near to you! You are safe in the hand of your God.
“Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee.”
“The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.”
16 March 2017
“And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.” Mark 1:40, 41
What faith is here to meet with such marvellous grace!
What faith this leper had!
Faith brought him to Jesus. Faith led him to beseech Jesus as he worshipped Him, kneeling down before Him. By faith this leper knew that Jesus had all power to heal him of his dreadful leprosy.
There was only one question. Would Jesus be willing to heal him? Would Jesus be moved to heal him? Would Jesus decide and determine to use His power for the removal of his leprosy?
This question, too, came out of the faith of the leper.
By faith he knew that Jesus was under no obligation to heal him. There was no argument he could find. There was no ground he could present. There was no compelling reason he could bring for Jesus to heal him.
In addition, he knew that Jesus might be most reluctant to heal him. The disease of his leprosy made him ceremonially unclean. Because of his uncleanness, he was not even to approach Jesus. Because of his uncleanness he had every reason to believe Jesus would be repulsed by his approach and would even refuse to heal him.
But in faith he approached Jesus. And in faith he spoke these wonderful words.
“If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”
What did this leper find in Jesus?
He found deep and tender compassion.
He found in Jesus a compassion that moved Him. His compassion moved Him to reach past the divide between clean and unclean. For in Jesus there was the mighty cleansing and saving grace. To be sure there was the ceremonial law that the unclean would always defile the clean, to make it unclean. But not here. With Jesus, as the leper believed, was the gracious power of cleansing and healing to make the unclean clean.
In Jesus was wonderful compassion that did not balk or flinch to reach out and touch the leper.
Take note of the steps presented that show that compassion. First, Jesus put forth his hand. Second, He touched him. Third, He spoke, “I will; be thou clean.”
Then we read, “As soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.”
Like the leper, we are unclean. But our pollution and our uncleanness is nothing ceremonial. It is moral and spiritual, real and true uncleanness. With our uncleanness, inside and out, we are not acceptable with God. Before His holiness we have no place, but are only outcasts.
Like the leper, we have the same gracious and compassionate Jesus.
To Him we go. Him we beseech. Before Him we kneel. To Him we say, “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”
In Him we find the same compassion, moving Him to put His gracious hand upon us. Touching us in our filth and uncleanness by His Spirit, He cleanses us with His own precious blood. Then He speaks these precious words of the gospel to us: “I will; be thou clean.”
So are we clean, clean thoroughly and clean indeed! Cleansed by the Son, we are accepted with the Father. Our place before Him is secure and assured. So far from fear of being cast out, we have the confidence of the children of our heavenly Father.
Cleansed by our willing, compassionate Lord!
“And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.” Mark 1:40, 41
What faith is here to meet with such marvellous grace!
What faith this leper had!
Faith brought him to Jesus. Faith led him to beseech Jesus as he worshipped Him, kneeling down before Him. By faith this leper knew that Jesus had all power to heal him of his dreadful leprosy.
There was only one question. Would Jesus be willing to heal him? Would Jesus be moved to heal him? Would Jesus decide and determine to use His power for the removal of his leprosy?
This question, too, came out of the faith of the leper.
By faith he knew that Jesus was under no obligation to heal him. There was no argument he could find. There was no ground he could present. There was no compelling reason he could bring for Jesus to heal him.
In addition, he knew that Jesus might be most reluctant to heal him. The disease of his leprosy made him ceremonially unclean. Because of his uncleanness, he was not even to approach Jesus. Because of his uncleanness he had every reason to believe Jesus would be repulsed by his approach and would even refuse to heal him.
But in faith he approached Jesus. And in faith he spoke these wonderful words.
“If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”
What did this leper find in Jesus?
He found deep and tender compassion.
He found in Jesus a compassion that moved Him. His compassion moved Him to reach past the divide between clean and unclean. For in Jesus there was the mighty cleansing and saving grace. To be sure there was the ceremonial law that the unclean would always defile the clean, to make it unclean. But not here. With Jesus, as the leper believed, was the gracious power of cleansing and healing to make the unclean clean.
In Jesus was wonderful compassion that did not balk or flinch to reach out and touch the leper.
Take note of the steps presented that show that compassion. First, Jesus put forth his hand. Second, He touched him. Third, He spoke, “I will; be thou clean.”
Then we read, “As soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.”
Like the leper, we are unclean. But our pollution and our uncleanness is nothing ceremonial. It is moral and spiritual, real and true uncleanness. With our uncleanness, inside and out, we are not acceptable with God. Before His holiness we have no place, but are only outcasts.
Like the leper, we have the same gracious and compassionate Jesus.
To Him we go. Him we beseech. Before Him we kneel. To Him we say, “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”
In Him we find the same compassion, moving Him to put His gracious hand upon us. Touching us in our filth and uncleanness by His Spirit, He cleanses us with His own precious blood. Then He speaks these precious words of the gospel to us: “I will; be thou clean.”
So are we clean, clean thoroughly and clean indeed! Cleansed by the Son, we are accepted with the Father. Our place before Him is secure and assured. So far from fear of being cast out, we have the confidence of the children of our heavenly Father.
Cleansed by our willing, compassionate Lord!
14 March 2017
“And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:2-4
“And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.” Revelation 18:21
So unbelievable is the news that it must be repeated: “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen!”
So unbelievable is the news that it must be illustrated: A mighty angel’s word of Babylon’s overthrow must be accompanied with the casting of a stone like a great millstone into the sea.
That great city?!!
Overthrown?!!
How could such a great and glorious city be overthrown? All the men of the earth through many generations dug so very deep, even down to bedrock. So deep down did they lay the foundations of this magnificent city, their city. Just so much they laboured to make the walls and gates of their beloved city so thick and so strong. Upon its walls they built citadels and turrets, to shield their many defenses from the power of the enemy.
For so long a time men also laboured with care and diligence to make their city grand and beautiful. They made it a city filled with the delights of the children of men. A great center of trade, its business was to gather up within its walls the very best of all that was desired and traded among men.
So Babylon became Babylon the great, a city glorious and splendid, a city that drew to it the love and regard of men. Men loved to travel to the city. They loved to handle and spend their money for its wares. Even the poor of the world felt rich, great, and powerful as they merely walked down its streets and thought of this city as their own.
For this was the city of fornication and lust, of greed and envy, the city of carnal pleasure. With its treasures and wards, its splendid joys and pleasures, it was an idol. When, where, and how men ought to have worshipped the living God, they worshipped Babylon the great. When, where, and how men ought to look to their Maker for their life and happiness, seeking Him and thanking Him, they instead put their trust in Babylon the great, praising its glory. As men in the darkness of their hearts revolted from the Lord God, they committed themselves with all their affection and delight to Babylon the great.
“For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.”
Yet, for all the labour and devotion of all men to her, Babylon the Great must certainly fall. She shall be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
Therefore: “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”
Come out of Babylon!
How her arms reach out to encircle and enfold you, my people, drawing you into her bosom! How open and easy is the road that leads to this city of such delights!
How much you find, my people, in you that hears the siren song of Babylon! How much your old man of sin would gladly fall into those arms and be led into the midst of that wicked city!
Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partaker of her sins!
Come out of her, my people, that ye receive not of her plagues!
Flee! And flee into the blessed city of God, the holy Jerusalem.
There enjoy the blessed delights of fellowship with your God, clothed in white robes of His righteousness. There drink from the fountain of living waters of everlasting life. There find your peace and confidence in the foundations laid by the living God so that she shall never be moved. There live, and there walk forever and ever.
“And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:2-4
“And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.” Revelation 18:21
So unbelievable is the news that it must be repeated: “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen!”
So unbelievable is the news that it must be illustrated: A mighty angel’s word of Babylon’s overthrow must be accompanied with the casting of a stone like a great millstone into the sea.
That great city?!!
Overthrown?!!
How could such a great and glorious city be overthrown? All the men of the earth through many generations dug so very deep, even down to bedrock. So deep down did they lay the foundations of this magnificent city, their city. Just so much they laboured to make the walls and gates of their beloved city so thick and so strong. Upon its walls they built citadels and turrets, to shield their many defenses from the power of the enemy.
For so long a time men also laboured with care and diligence to make their city grand and beautiful. They made it a city filled with the delights of the children of men. A great center of trade, its business was to gather up within its walls the very best of all that was desired and traded among men.
So Babylon became Babylon the great, a city glorious and splendid, a city that drew to it the love and regard of men. Men loved to travel to the city. They loved to handle and spend their money for its wares. Even the poor of the world felt rich, great, and powerful as they merely walked down its streets and thought of this city as their own.
For this was the city of fornication and lust, of greed and envy, the city of carnal pleasure. With its treasures and wards, its splendid joys and pleasures, it was an idol. When, where, and how men ought to have worshipped the living God, they worshipped Babylon the great. When, where, and how men ought to look to their Maker for their life and happiness, seeking Him and thanking Him, they instead put their trust in Babylon the great, praising its glory. As men in the darkness of their hearts revolted from the Lord God, they committed themselves with all their affection and delight to Babylon the great.
“For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.”
Yet, for all the labour and devotion of all men to her, Babylon the Great must certainly fall. She shall be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
Therefore: “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”
Come out of Babylon!
How her arms reach out to encircle and enfold you, my people, drawing you into her bosom! How open and easy is the road that leads to this city of such delights!
How much you find, my people, in you that hears the siren song of Babylon! How much your old man of sin would gladly fall into those arms and be led into the midst of that wicked city!
Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partaker of her sins!
Come out of her, my people, that ye receive not of her plagues!
Flee! And flee into the blessed city of God, the holy Jerusalem.
There enjoy the blessed delights of fellowship with your God, clothed in white robes of His righteousness. There drink from the fountain of living waters of everlasting life. There find your peace and confidence in the foundations laid by the living God so that she shall never be moved. There live, and there walk forever and ever.
The Lord’s Day, 12 March 2017
“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints,
And to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.”
Psalm 89:7
In a most powerful way Scripture here describes the church of Jesus Christ in her worship.
It is “the assembly of the saints.”
The church is the deliberate, conscious and conscientious gathering of the saints. The word “assembly” indicates a formation, a properly thought-out and well-ordered group. A certain place and time is given to them, so they have come for a purpose.
And this assembly is “of the saints.” These are the holy ones. They are holy by virtue of being washed in the blood of the Lamb. So cleansed and sanctified they might then appear properly before their God. They are holy also by the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. By the Spirit’s presence they are consecrated unto God. The chief point of that consecration is that they willingly and sincerely dedicate themselves to the worship and service of their God. But their consecration also means that they have been separated from the moral pollution and spiritual defilement of the world. That separation is the result of their calling by God, out of the darkness of sin into the light of His Word and kingdom.
In this assembly of the saints, God is greatly to be feared.
There God is greatly to be feared, because these saints have gathered in order to exalt and magnify His name. Their voices are joined to declare by song the glory of their God. They sing from their hearts of God’s perfections and virtues, of His works of judgment and mercy, of truth and goodness. Together they confess the truth that glorifies and exalts their God from hearts joined in true faith. Together they delight in hearing the preaching of God’s holy Word, the preaching that declares the wonderful works and the awesome glory of their God.
And as they engage in every part of their worship, the glory and majesty of their God becomes greater and greater. His greatness fills their hearts and minds so that they greatly fear the Lord their God. How great is His mercy! How great is His love! How great is His truth!
How great is our God!
The church of Jesus Christ is also described as “all them that are about Him.”
Here the church is described as a blessed circle. The saints are about Him.
The blessedness of this circle is that it vividly pictures the gracious presence of God. Here He is, among His people. He is with them as their Sovereign Friend, their beloved God. He is near them to bless them with His salvation and with the goodness of His fellowship.
The blessedness of this circle is also that it explains the proper place that God has among “all them about Him.” He is in the center. He is the object of their worship. His people wait upon Him. He alone is the reason they have gathered. For, in Him alone do they trust, and therefore Him alone they praise and glorify. To Him alone they pray, consecrating themselves to Him with hearts grateful for His salvation. To His Word alone do they attend.
There God is to be “had in reverence.”
Among them, among these mere creatures, is the living and true God. There He is among them with majesty and honour beyond their ability to reckon. There He is among them with glory and power infinite, whose judgments are beyond searching out. To Him alone, then, they turn with their praise. To Him alone they turn for help in their time of need. Therefore among them He is had in reverence. Though so near them as to be among them, He is the mighty God of their salvation. He is among them in His truth and in the greatness of His wisdom and power. In their presence, He is to be esteemed with great reverence. A deep sense of awe and wonder must prevail in the hearts and minds of His worshippers.
May this fear and reverence be strong in our hearts this day, as we gather “in the assembly of the saints” and gather about the Lord our God, who has done such great things for us!
“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints,
And to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.”
Psalm 89:7
In a most powerful way Scripture here describes the church of Jesus Christ in her worship.
It is “the assembly of the saints.”
The church is the deliberate, conscious and conscientious gathering of the saints. The word “assembly” indicates a formation, a properly thought-out and well-ordered group. A certain place and time is given to them, so they have come for a purpose.
And this assembly is “of the saints.” These are the holy ones. They are holy by virtue of being washed in the blood of the Lamb. So cleansed and sanctified they might then appear properly before their God. They are holy also by the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. By the Spirit’s presence they are consecrated unto God. The chief point of that consecration is that they willingly and sincerely dedicate themselves to the worship and service of their God. But their consecration also means that they have been separated from the moral pollution and spiritual defilement of the world. That separation is the result of their calling by God, out of the darkness of sin into the light of His Word and kingdom.
In this assembly of the saints, God is greatly to be feared.
There God is greatly to be feared, because these saints have gathered in order to exalt and magnify His name. Their voices are joined to declare by song the glory of their God. They sing from their hearts of God’s perfections and virtues, of His works of judgment and mercy, of truth and goodness. Together they confess the truth that glorifies and exalts their God from hearts joined in true faith. Together they delight in hearing the preaching of God’s holy Word, the preaching that declares the wonderful works and the awesome glory of their God.
And as they engage in every part of their worship, the glory and majesty of their God becomes greater and greater. His greatness fills their hearts and minds so that they greatly fear the Lord their God. How great is His mercy! How great is His love! How great is His truth!
How great is our God!
The church of Jesus Christ is also described as “all them that are about Him.”
Here the church is described as a blessed circle. The saints are about Him.
The blessedness of this circle is that it vividly pictures the gracious presence of God. Here He is, among His people. He is with them as their Sovereign Friend, their beloved God. He is near them to bless them with His salvation and with the goodness of His fellowship.
The blessedness of this circle is also that it explains the proper place that God has among “all them about Him.” He is in the center. He is the object of their worship. His people wait upon Him. He alone is the reason they have gathered. For, in Him alone do they trust, and therefore Him alone they praise and glorify. To Him alone they pray, consecrating themselves to Him with hearts grateful for His salvation. To His Word alone do they attend.
There God is to be “had in reverence.”
Among them, among these mere creatures, is the living and true God. There He is among them with majesty and honour beyond their ability to reckon. There He is among them with glory and power infinite, whose judgments are beyond searching out. To Him alone, then, they turn with their praise. To Him alone they turn for help in their time of need. Therefore among them He is had in reverence. Though so near them as to be among them, He is the mighty God of their salvation. He is among them in His truth and in the greatness of His wisdom and power. In their presence, He is to be esteemed with great reverence. A deep sense of awe and wonder must prevail in the hearts and minds of His worshippers.
May this fear and reverence be strong in our hearts this day, as we gather “in the assembly of the saints” and gather about the Lord our God, who has done such great things for us!
10 March 2017
“To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” Romans 3:26
Amazing!
One and only one righteousness: the righteousness of God.
Other than His righteousness there is none. Without Him and apart from Him there is no righteousness, only unrighteousness. There is no righteousness in the earth. There is no righteousness among men.
How can it be, then, that another than God could be righteous? How can it be that someone other than God might be declared righteous by God? How could it possibly be that an unrighteous sinner might be justified, that is, declared righteous by God?
Must not such a declaration, such a justification, make God unjust? How can His justice not be broken, turned into unrighteousness, when He in judgment declares righteous an unrighteous individual?
Only when the righteousness by which He declares the sinner justified is His own righteousness.
Only when that righteousness is the righteousness of the Son of God Himself, the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
The righteousness which is not by the works of the law. The righteousness which is not by human merit. The righteousness which is not of running, or willing, or choosing. The righteousness which is not of man.
But the righteousness which is of the Son of man, Jesus Christ. The righteousness of His holy life and His consecrated death. The righteousness of His obedience to all the divine law, in strength of all His heart and soul and mind. The righteousness of His accomplishment of the work His Father gave Him to do, offering Himself a sacrifice in the stead of His people, to make complete atonement for their sins.
That glorious, perfect righteousness of God, declared by God in the gospel, received by a true and living faith.
Of course, that is the righteousness which is justifiable by the just God.
So let there stand before the just God a man who is a sinner, a sinner who believeth in Jesus.
So let the just God render His just sentence upon such a man.
What will he say in His righteousness? What will be His divine, righteous judgment?
The sinner is righteous!
The believer in Jesus is innocent!
The ungodly one is conformed to the law!
He is worthy of eternal life!
And yet this God continues perfectly just, perfectly righteous in this administration of His law.
So let us bring our sins, every one, to Him who is the just Judge of heaven and earth. Let us bring them to Him, believing in Jesus, resting on all His merits alone.
So let us hear the just sentence from His Word by that faith in Jesus: Righteous, worthy of everlasting life.
From our God: just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
“To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” Romans 3:26
Amazing!
One and only one righteousness: the righteousness of God.
Other than His righteousness there is none. Without Him and apart from Him there is no righteousness, only unrighteousness. There is no righteousness in the earth. There is no righteousness among men.
How can it be, then, that another than God could be righteous? How can it be that someone other than God might be declared righteous by God? How could it possibly be that an unrighteous sinner might be justified, that is, declared righteous by God?
Must not such a declaration, such a justification, make God unjust? How can His justice not be broken, turned into unrighteousness, when He in judgment declares righteous an unrighteous individual?
Only when the righteousness by which He declares the sinner justified is His own righteousness.
Only when that righteousness is the righteousness of the Son of God Himself, the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
The righteousness which is not by the works of the law. The righteousness which is not by human merit. The righteousness which is not of running, or willing, or choosing. The righteousness which is not of man.
But the righteousness which is of the Son of man, Jesus Christ. The righteousness of His holy life and His consecrated death. The righteousness of His obedience to all the divine law, in strength of all His heart and soul and mind. The righteousness of His accomplishment of the work His Father gave Him to do, offering Himself a sacrifice in the stead of His people, to make complete atonement for their sins.
That glorious, perfect righteousness of God, declared by God in the gospel, received by a true and living faith.
Of course, that is the righteousness which is justifiable by the just God.
So let there stand before the just God a man who is a sinner, a sinner who believeth in Jesus.
So let the just God render His just sentence upon such a man.
What will he say in His righteousness? What will be His divine, righteous judgment?
The sinner is righteous!
The believer in Jesus is innocent!
The ungodly one is conformed to the law!
He is worthy of eternal life!
And yet this God continues perfectly just, perfectly righteous in this administration of His law.
So let us bring our sins, every one, to Him who is the just Judge of heaven and earth. Let us bring them to Him, believing in Jesus, resting on all His merits alone.
So let us hear the just sentence from His Word by that faith in Jesus: Righteous, worthy of everlasting life.
From our God: just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
9 March 2017
“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.” Acts 16:25
How badly battered and bruised were the beaten bodies of Paul and Silas. As the magistrates had commanded, so had these two men been beaten, many stripes laid upon them, perhaps front and back. But that night they found no relief for the pain and agony that clothed them. Having been cast into the prison, their feet were fastened into stocks.
So their fellow prisoners ought to have expected, that from these two would be heard moaning and groaning all the night long.
But there was no moaning or groaning. Instead, filling the ears of these prisoners were prayers and songs of praise to the Lord! They heard words expressing the glories of God, extolling Him for His grace and mercy, praising Him for His righteousness and truth. They heard those words expressed in the form of grateful prayer to the Lord as well as in songs of gladness and rejoicing.
Those words, spoken and sung, were a powerful testimony to those other prisoners. They were a powerful testimony to the grace enjoyed by Paul and Silas, grace sufficient in such pain and agony to bring comfort and peace to believers. They were a powerful testimony to the nature of true faith, to bear well such suffering for Jesus’ sake, because it was a pledge of the glory that would soon be given, glory that would make insignificant any present evil endured.
We are left to wonder about the effect of this powerful testimony. Did the Holy Spirit use it to bring salvation to some of these prisoners? Did it become a witness to others of their own unbelief and hardness of heart, to leave them further without excuse before God? We are not told.
But this same testimony must also be ours. And it must also be ours powerfully.
How? Should it be, if we should be accused of evil for Jesus said, and if we should be so beaten with many stripes, and if we should have our feet fast in the stocks, that we should also pray and sing praises unto God? How can we know? How can we have confidence?
Only by the grace of God, through our Lord Jesus Christ!
That grace is to make us that strong and steadfast in the way of our care to be that strong and steadfast.
That care is ours to take through practice.
Through the practice of prayer to God. How do we handle the adversities and trials in our lives? Do we rely on ourselves, our own resources, our own stamina, or our own skills? Or do we bring them before the throne of our heavenly Father, looking to Him alone to bless us and guide us, to make us strong by His grace?
And through the practice of our praises to God as well. Are we practiced in the songs of Zion, the prayers of David the Psalmist of Israel? Which come more easily to our lips, the songs of the world or the songs of the redeemed of the Lord? Which have their strong currents through our hearts and minds?
Are we trained and disciplined so in our prayers and praises that they come naturally to us, prayer arising in our hearts, songs of praise immediately on our lips?
So by grace may we be equipped always to pray and sing praises to our God, even in the pain of persecution, to bear the same powerful testimony of His glorious grace to save and keep!
“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.” Acts 16:25
How badly battered and bruised were the beaten bodies of Paul and Silas. As the magistrates had commanded, so had these two men been beaten, many stripes laid upon them, perhaps front and back. But that night they found no relief for the pain and agony that clothed them. Having been cast into the prison, their feet were fastened into stocks.
So their fellow prisoners ought to have expected, that from these two would be heard moaning and groaning all the night long.
But there was no moaning or groaning. Instead, filling the ears of these prisoners were prayers and songs of praise to the Lord! They heard words expressing the glories of God, extolling Him for His grace and mercy, praising Him for His righteousness and truth. They heard those words expressed in the form of grateful prayer to the Lord as well as in songs of gladness and rejoicing.
Those words, spoken and sung, were a powerful testimony to those other prisoners. They were a powerful testimony to the grace enjoyed by Paul and Silas, grace sufficient in such pain and agony to bring comfort and peace to believers. They were a powerful testimony to the nature of true faith, to bear well such suffering for Jesus’ sake, because it was a pledge of the glory that would soon be given, glory that would make insignificant any present evil endured.
We are left to wonder about the effect of this powerful testimony. Did the Holy Spirit use it to bring salvation to some of these prisoners? Did it become a witness to others of their own unbelief and hardness of heart, to leave them further without excuse before God? We are not told.
But this same testimony must also be ours. And it must also be ours powerfully.
How? Should it be, if we should be accused of evil for Jesus said, and if we should be so beaten with many stripes, and if we should have our feet fast in the stocks, that we should also pray and sing praises unto God? How can we know? How can we have confidence?
Only by the grace of God, through our Lord Jesus Christ!
That grace is to make us that strong and steadfast in the way of our care to be that strong and steadfast.
That care is ours to take through practice.
Through the practice of prayer to God. How do we handle the adversities and trials in our lives? Do we rely on ourselves, our own resources, our own stamina, or our own skills? Or do we bring them before the throne of our heavenly Father, looking to Him alone to bless us and guide us, to make us strong by His grace?
And through the practice of our praises to God as well. Are we practiced in the songs of Zion, the prayers of David the Psalmist of Israel? Which come more easily to our lips, the songs of the world or the songs of the redeemed of the Lord? Which have their strong currents through our hearts and minds?
Are we trained and disciplined so in our prayers and praises that they come naturally to us, prayer arising in our hearts, songs of praise immediately on our lips?
So by grace may we be equipped always to pray and sing praises to our God, even in the pain of persecution, to bear the same powerful testimony of His glorious grace to save and keep!
8 March 2017
Shew me thy ways, O Lord;
teach me thy paths.
Lead me in thy truth,
and teach me:
for thou art the God of my salvation;
on thee do I wait all the day.
Psalm 25:4, 5
What a wonderful and blessed prayer is given to us in these words from Psalm 25, a servant’s prayer!
For there is no better place for the child of God to stand, than before the throne of His heavenly Father. There are no better words for him to have in his heart and upon his lips than these: On thee do I wait all the day.
He knows there is only one way for him, one path to walk in, one truth to have in his heart and mind. Only the ways of the Lord are for him to walk in. Only the paths of the Lord are for his feet to tread. Only the truth of the Lord must fill his heart and mind. For only there is fellowship and communion with his God.
The child of God also knows that by nature he is inclined to a different way, the way of sin. He knows that his feet would by themselves tread another path, the path of iniquity. He knows his tendency by nature to seek darkness and the lie, instead of the light and truth of His God.
So his prayer is a cry to the God of His salvation.
Shew me thy ways, O Lord!
Set them before me, those ways of thy fellowship and friendship! May I see them clearly and distinctly! May I behold the ways of thy works, thy judgments, thy provisions, thy acts of mercy! May I distinguish the ways of thy holiness and righteousness, not only to see them, but to walk in them as well, following faithfully after thee.
But more: Teach me thy paths!
Thy paths explain to me. With thy words make them known in all their detail, that I may keep my feet in them. Make those words to go down into my ears, through my mind and down into my heart, that I may with ardent zeal pursue them.
Then: Lead me in thy truth, and teach me!
Do not only show me! Do not only teach me! Then I might look and see, but never walk in thy ways and paths. Knowledge alone is never sufficient. Love alone is not enough. But take my hand, and guide me in thy truth! Bring my feet to thy truth, and set my feet in it. Keep and guard them in thy truth, that they may never depart.
Why these ways? Why these paths of the Lord? Why must we so ardently desire to know them and walk in them?
For the God whose ways and paths these are, and whose truth this is, is the God of our salvation.
By grace alone, by grace glorious and sovereign He has saved us. His salvation is the act of boundless love and tender mercy by which He gave His only begotten Son to the shameful death of the cross with its hellish agonies, in order to save us from the darkness of our death and the wicked errors of our ways.
So we come to Him alone, our only Saviour, the only God.
So we desire always to be near to Him, to be found always in His ways, to walk always in His paths, to know only His truth.
So we look to His grace alone, grace almighty and grace wonderful, to show us, to teach us, and to lead us in His ways!
So on Him let us wait all the day!
Shew me thy ways, O Lord;
teach me thy paths.
Lead me in thy truth,
and teach me:
for thou art the God of my salvation;
on thee do I wait all the day.
Psalm 25:4, 5
What a wonderful and blessed prayer is given to us in these words from Psalm 25, a servant’s prayer!
For there is no better place for the child of God to stand, than before the throne of His heavenly Father. There are no better words for him to have in his heart and upon his lips than these: On thee do I wait all the day.
He knows there is only one way for him, one path to walk in, one truth to have in his heart and mind. Only the ways of the Lord are for him to walk in. Only the paths of the Lord are for his feet to tread. Only the truth of the Lord must fill his heart and mind. For only there is fellowship and communion with his God.
The child of God also knows that by nature he is inclined to a different way, the way of sin. He knows that his feet would by themselves tread another path, the path of iniquity. He knows his tendency by nature to seek darkness and the lie, instead of the light and truth of His God.
So his prayer is a cry to the God of His salvation.
Shew me thy ways, O Lord!
Set them before me, those ways of thy fellowship and friendship! May I see them clearly and distinctly! May I behold the ways of thy works, thy judgments, thy provisions, thy acts of mercy! May I distinguish the ways of thy holiness and righteousness, not only to see them, but to walk in them as well, following faithfully after thee.
But more: Teach me thy paths!
Thy paths explain to me. With thy words make them known in all their detail, that I may keep my feet in them. Make those words to go down into my ears, through my mind and down into my heart, that I may with ardent zeal pursue them.
Then: Lead me in thy truth, and teach me!
Do not only show me! Do not only teach me! Then I might look and see, but never walk in thy ways and paths. Knowledge alone is never sufficient. Love alone is not enough. But take my hand, and guide me in thy truth! Bring my feet to thy truth, and set my feet in it. Keep and guard them in thy truth, that they may never depart.
Why these ways? Why these paths of the Lord? Why must we so ardently desire to know them and walk in them?
For the God whose ways and paths these are, and whose truth this is, is the God of our salvation.
By grace alone, by grace glorious and sovereign He has saved us. His salvation is the act of boundless love and tender mercy by which He gave His only begotten Son to the shameful death of the cross with its hellish agonies, in order to save us from the darkness of our death and the wicked errors of our ways.
So we come to Him alone, our only Saviour, the only God.
So we desire always to be near to Him, to be found always in His ways, to walk always in His paths, to know only His truth.
So we look to His grace alone, grace almighty and grace wonderful, to show us, to teach us, and to lead us in His ways!
So on Him let us wait all the day!
7 February 2017
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” Daniel 3:16-18
How generous Nebuchadnezzar thought he was, to give these three another opportunity to show their loyalty and commitment to their king.
He heard the accusation brought against them, these certain Jews. He heard that they did not honour the king’s decree, bowing down before his golden image at the sound of the instruments playing. As he listened, rage and fury rose up in his heart.
So he called these three before him, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and presented to them another opportunity. Their king asked and he commanded. He held out before them the way that was theirs to follow, the way of life. He held out before them the way that they must not follow, the way of certain death in the midst of the burning fire furnace.
Then, these last words: “And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?”
Oh, yes!
In his own words, Nebuchadnezzar handed to these three children of the captivity the key. So they might give their answer of boldness and confidence.
So they stood before this great king and speak their glorious reply:
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.”
They were not careful. They did not give any care. They exercised no caution.
For there was nothing to ponder. There was no cause for deliberation.
What was this command with its promise? What was the king’s warning with its threat?
It was nothing.
It was nothing before “our God whom we serve.”
Yes, if it be so: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us form the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.”
And also, no, if it be not so: If God will not deliver us from the burning fiery furnace.
Yes or no. Life or death. God is still God. Nebuchadnezzar is only a man.
So it must follow: “We will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”
In these words is the heart of the story. The glorious deliverance of these three men from the burning fiery furnace, and the appearance of God in that deliverance is but the divine seal of approval on their ready answer.
So must we answer every temptation to compromise. Whether that temptation is a command and a promise to live, or a warning that threatens death. Whether that command or warning is issued by a king, president, or prime minister, or by an official standing next to our scaffold.
“We are not careful to answer thee in this matter.”
“Our God whom we serve is able.”
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” Daniel 3:16-18
How generous Nebuchadnezzar thought he was, to give these three another opportunity to show their loyalty and commitment to their king.
He heard the accusation brought against them, these certain Jews. He heard that they did not honour the king’s decree, bowing down before his golden image at the sound of the instruments playing. As he listened, rage and fury rose up in his heart.
So he called these three before him, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and presented to them another opportunity. Their king asked and he commanded. He held out before them the way that was theirs to follow, the way of life. He held out before them the way that they must not follow, the way of certain death in the midst of the burning fire furnace.
Then, these last words: “And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?”
Oh, yes!
In his own words, Nebuchadnezzar handed to these three children of the captivity the key. So they might give their answer of boldness and confidence.
So they stood before this great king and speak their glorious reply:
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.”
They were not careful. They did not give any care. They exercised no caution.
For there was nothing to ponder. There was no cause for deliberation.
What was this command with its promise? What was the king’s warning with its threat?
It was nothing.
It was nothing before “our God whom we serve.”
Yes, if it be so: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us form the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.”
And also, no, if it be not so: If God will not deliver us from the burning fiery furnace.
Yes or no. Life or death. God is still God. Nebuchadnezzar is only a man.
So it must follow: “We will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”
In these words is the heart of the story. The glorious deliverance of these three men from the burning fiery furnace, and the appearance of God in that deliverance is but the divine seal of approval on their ready answer.
So must we answer every temptation to compromise. Whether that temptation is a command and a promise to live, or a warning that threatens death. Whether that command or warning is issued by a king, president, or prime minister, or by an official standing next to our scaffold.
“We are not careful to answer thee in this matter.”
“Our God whom we serve is able.”
14 January 2017
“And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and will go to the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went to the battle.” II Chronicles 18:29
What folly for Ahab!
On the one hand the wicked king of Israel took Micaiah’s prophecy seriously. As the Lord’s servant stood before Ahab, to tell him in the name of the Lord that the Lord had determined Ahab’s death at Ramoth Gilead, were he to go up, Ahab took steps. He would disguise himself in the battle as a mere charioteer in Israel’s army. At the same time there would accompany him to this battle Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, wearing his royal robe as he rode in his chariot.
But on the other hand, Ahab despised the word of the Lord spoken by His servant. Still he would go up to Ramoth-Gilead to fight with Syria. Still he believed that He would live. He had His plan. Not only did he think he could fool the eyes the Syrian army with his disguise. He thought he could deceive the eyes of the Lord, the eyes of the Lord that run to and fro throughout the whole earth.
What folly!
But was Jehoshophat, the good king of Judah, any less foolish?
Though he had heard the word of the Lord spoken by His servant Micaiah, he nevertheless agreed to go up with Ahab to battle. Though he had heard the prophecy of Ahab’s death in this battle, he cooperated with Ahab’s wicked folly. As he agreed to go into battle with Ahab, Ahab wearing the dress of a common charioteer and himself wearing his royal robes, so he willingly took his role in attempting to deceive the living God.
What folly!
But we do well to consider the root and the cause of Jehoshaphat’s folly.
Hear that folly in verse 3 of this chapter:
“I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war.”
Here is the root of the folly, the foolishness of friendship with the wicked. Here is compromise with apostasy.
Oh, what glory! Glory of numbers, glory of power, glory of a strong alliance to defeat a powerful, common enemy.
But what folly that such an alliance forfeits the friendship of the Lord!
What folly that such an alliance means cooperating to despise the word of the Lord and to deceive the Omniscient!
How are you and I tempted to make these alliances and to forge and form these friendships? Do you and I understand what deceptions we shall practice in them, trying vainly to mix grace and wrath, the city of God with the city of man?
From such foolish alliances let us flee. Let us continue to be the people of the Lord alone, seeking ever His grace and favour alone.
“And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and will go to the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went to the battle.” II Chronicles 18:29
What folly for Ahab!
On the one hand the wicked king of Israel took Micaiah’s prophecy seriously. As the Lord’s servant stood before Ahab, to tell him in the name of the Lord that the Lord had determined Ahab’s death at Ramoth Gilead, were he to go up, Ahab took steps. He would disguise himself in the battle as a mere charioteer in Israel’s army. At the same time there would accompany him to this battle Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, wearing his royal robe as he rode in his chariot.
But on the other hand, Ahab despised the word of the Lord spoken by His servant. Still he would go up to Ramoth-Gilead to fight with Syria. Still he believed that He would live. He had His plan. Not only did he think he could fool the eyes the Syrian army with his disguise. He thought he could deceive the eyes of the Lord, the eyes of the Lord that run to and fro throughout the whole earth.
What folly!
But was Jehoshophat, the good king of Judah, any less foolish?
Though he had heard the word of the Lord spoken by His servant Micaiah, he nevertheless agreed to go up with Ahab to battle. Though he had heard the prophecy of Ahab’s death in this battle, he cooperated with Ahab’s wicked folly. As he agreed to go into battle with Ahab, Ahab wearing the dress of a common charioteer and himself wearing his royal robes, so he willingly took his role in attempting to deceive the living God.
What folly!
But we do well to consider the root and the cause of Jehoshaphat’s folly.
Hear that folly in verse 3 of this chapter:
“I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war.”
Here is the root of the folly, the foolishness of friendship with the wicked. Here is compromise with apostasy.
Oh, what glory! Glory of numbers, glory of power, glory of a strong alliance to defeat a powerful, common enemy.
But what folly that such an alliance forfeits the friendship of the Lord!
What folly that such an alliance means cooperating to despise the word of the Lord and to deceive the Omniscient!
How are you and I tempted to make these alliances and to forge and form these friendships? Do you and I understand what deceptions we shall practice in them, trying vainly to mix grace and wrath, the city of God with the city of man?
From such foolish alliances let us flee. Let us continue to be the people of the Lord alone, seeking ever His grace and favour alone.
22 December 2016
“Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifeth the needy out of the dunghill.” Psalm 113:5-7
In two ways the greatness of Jehovah God is explained in these marvellous words of praise. In two ways the question is answered, “Who is like unto the Lord our God?”
The first way is easy to see.
He is the God “who dwelleth on high.”
There is no place for Him to climb up. There is no way for Him to elevate Himself. It is not for Him to ascend in any respect. He dwelleth on high. There is no high place, for He Himself is the height of all glory.
Such is the transcendent height of His being that God must humble himself. He must come down, and bring Himself low.
Why?
In order to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth.
Not only in the earth, but also in heaven!
The heavenly abode of the angels, where the glorified saints dwell forever in unending light and peace, there are the things that God must humble Himself to behold.
Who is like unto the Lord our God?
The second way is more difficult to see, but just as glorious, and just as praiseworthy.
Who is like unto the Lord our God?
Behold how far He humbles Himself.
Not only does He humble Himself to behold the things that are in heaven. Not only does He humble Himself to behold the things that are in the earth.
In the earth He beholds the poor who has been humbled to the dust. He beholds the needy in the dunghill. He beholds them living in their filth and squalor, so far from the comfort, ease, and luxury of the rich. He looks upon them in their ruin and desolation. He considers them in the depth of all their need and misery.
He beholds, and then humbles himself even further.
Down, down, He reaches with His gracious and merciful hand. He humbles Himself to lower His hand to the dust, to lay hold on the needy. He humbles Himself to put His hand to the dunghill, to grasp the poor that are therein.
With His hand He raiseth the poor, and lifteth the needy, to set them on high, to bless them with His glorious salvation.
Who is like unto the Lord our God?
So let us praise and extol our God, for this is how He has come to be our God. To us, deeply humbled in the dust of our death, and the dunghill of the filth of our iniquity, has He humbled Himself, extending to us His mighty hand of salvation. To us has He sent His Son, as merciful as mighty, very God of very God, to redeem us and to raise us up on high. So have we become His people, and He our God.
Who is like unto the Lord our God?
“Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifeth the needy out of the dunghill.” Psalm 113:5-7
In two ways the greatness of Jehovah God is explained in these marvellous words of praise. In two ways the question is answered, “Who is like unto the Lord our God?”
The first way is easy to see.
He is the God “who dwelleth on high.”
There is no place for Him to climb up. There is no way for Him to elevate Himself. It is not for Him to ascend in any respect. He dwelleth on high. There is no high place, for He Himself is the height of all glory.
Such is the transcendent height of His being that God must humble himself. He must come down, and bring Himself low.
Why?
In order to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth.
Not only in the earth, but also in heaven!
The heavenly abode of the angels, where the glorified saints dwell forever in unending light and peace, there are the things that God must humble Himself to behold.
Who is like unto the Lord our God?
The second way is more difficult to see, but just as glorious, and just as praiseworthy.
Who is like unto the Lord our God?
Behold how far He humbles Himself.
Not only does He humble Himself to behold the things that are in heaven. Not only does He humble Himself to behold the things that are in the earth.
In the earth He beholds the poor who has been humbled to the dust. He beholds the needy in the dunghill. He beholds them living in their filth and squalor, so far from the comfort, ease, and luxury of the rich. He looks upon them in their ruin and desolation. He considers them in the depth of all their need and misery.
He beholds, and then humbles himself even further.
Down, down, He reaches with His gracious and merciful hand. He humbles Himself to lower His hand to the dust, to lay hold on the needy. He humbles Himself to put His hand to the dunghill, to grasp the poor that are therein.
With His hand He raiseth the poor, and lifteth the needy, to set them on high, to bless them with His glorious salvation.
Who is like unto the Lord our God?
So let us praise and extol our God, for this is how He has come to be our God. To us, deeply humbled in the dust of our death, and the dunghill of the filth of our iniquity, has He humbled Himself, extending to us His mighty hand of salvation. To us has He sent His Son, as merciful as mighty, very God of very God, to redeem us and to raise us up on high. So have we become His people, and He our God.
Who is like unto the Lord our God?
16 December 2016
“Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.” Mark 8:14-16
It is painful to read and think about the above words.
Their Master had charged them, giving his disciples a sharp admonition: Take heed! Christ had given them a strong warning: Beware!
To what must they take heed? What must they beware? What is so important to guard against?
The leaven of the Pharisees, and the leaven of Herod.
Then how painful it is to read of the reaction of Jesus’ disciples. Struggling to obey His word and casting about to understand its meaning, they come to their conclusion. “It is because we have no bread.”
Unable to rise to the teaching, unable to grasp its spiritual nature, they fall back to an earthly, material reason. “It is because we have no bread.”
Painful.
Do they have so little understanding of spiritual things? Have they no knowledge of the clear difference between their Master’s ways and doctrines, and the ways and doctrines of the Pharisees and of Herod? Are they wholly unable to discern the corrupting influence of legalism and politics into the heart and mind, burying grace under works and the antithesis under worldly compromise?
But the pain we feel in reading the disciples’ reasoning, must be the pain of our own heart and mind.
Although our Lord has spoken these same words to us, and although we suppose we are superior to these disciples because we get the point, yet we must admit of our own carelessness and heedlessness.
We do not take heed as we ought. We do not beware as we should.
Yes, there still is the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.
The poison of proud, haughty, self-righteous legalism is always creeping in and influencing us. We measure ourselves by the measure of men, thinking approval with men is the same as approval with God. We seek to be good because God will then deal well with us. We seek success and prosperity and we look for the approval of men, thinking that it will bring also God’s approval.
The leaven of Herod would always introduce its corruption into our mind. Fear of men causes us to modify our words. Fear of trouble makes us rethink our plans. Compromise sneaks in here and there for the sake of advantage, and we may convince ourselves that the end justifies the means.
So may our pain be for our correction and for our renewed discernment.
So we may not hear our Lord and Master say to us, “Perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?”
“Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.” Mark 8:14-16
It is painful to read and think about the above words.
Their Master had charged them, giving his disciples a sharp admonition: Take heed! Christ had given them a strong warning: Beware!
To what must they take heed? What must they beware? What is so important to guard against?
The leaven of the Pharisees, and the leaven of Herod.
Then how painful it is to read of the reaction of Jesus’ disciples. Struggling to obey His word and casting about to understand its meaning, they come to their conclusion. “It is because we have no bread.”
Unable to rise to the teaching, unable to grasp its spiritual nature, they fall back to an earthly, material reason. “It is because we have no bread.”
Painful.
Do they have so little understanding of spiritual things? Have they no knowledge of the clear difference between their Master’s ways and doctrines, and the ways and doctrines of the Pharisees and of Herod? Are they wholly unable to discern the corrupting influence of legalism and politics into the heart and mind, burying grace under works and the antithesis under worldly compromise?
But the pain we feel in reading the disciples’ reasoning, must be the pain of our own heart and mind.
Although our Lord has spoken these same words to us, and although we suppose we are superior to these disciples because we get the point, yet we must admit of our own carelessness and heedlessness.
We do not take heed as we ought. We do not beware as we should.
Yes, there still is the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.
The poison of proud, haughty, self-righteous legalism is always creeping in and influencing us. We measure ourselves by the measure of men, thinking approval with men is the same as approval with God. We seek to be good because God will then deal well with us. We seek success and prosperity and we look for the approval of men, thinking that it will bring also God’s approval.
The leaven of Herod would always introduce its corruption into our mind. Fear of men causes us to modify our words. Fear of trouble makes us rethink our plans. Compromise sneaks in here and there for the sake of advantage, and we may convince ourselves that the end justifies the means.
So may our pain be for our correction and for our renewed discernment.
So we may not hear our Lord and Master say to us, “Perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?”
12 December 2016
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:34, 35
For more than three years the disciples of Jesus had been clearly marked as His disciples.
How did their neighbours and acquaintences from Galilee now describe these who were before fisherman, labouring on the sea of Galilee? As fisherman? How should his fellow publicans describe their partner Matthew? As a publican?
Oh, no! Peter, Andrew, James and John were no longer fishermen. Matthew was no longer a tax collector.
They were disciples, disciples of Jesus of Nazareth.
How did men know this was true? What made them disciples of Jesus of Nazareth?
The answer is astonishingly simple. They followed Jesus.
Wherever Jesus was to be found, there were these about Him. They travelled with Him, ate and drank with Him, and where he laid down His head at night, there they did. They attended upon all His words. They followed His teachings. They represented Him when He sent them out two by two to the cities and villages where He Himself would go.
But now Jesus told them that He was going away from them. “Little children, yet a little while I am with you.”
The coming separation meant that Jesus’ disciples would no longer be known as His disciples for this reason.
Though no longer with their Lord and Master, they must still be known as His disciples.
How?
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
In this way of love, were these men to show that they were followers of Jesus. By this love they were to demonstrate that they had received His teachings in order to follow Him. By this love they were to prove that they indeed belonged to Him, though the distance between them was as great as between heaven and earth.
Why this way of love?
The answer we have in verse 34, “As I have loved you.”
How Jesus had loved them! He loved them, to leave His heavenly glory to be incarnate in the likeness of sinful flesh, to be found a man among men. He loved them, to give Himself to them, leading them, instructing them, bolstering their faith, caring for them. But He loved them most of all in laying down His life for them, sacrificing His blood on the accursed tree of the cross, to redeem them from sin and Satan’s hand.
So had He loved them: wondrously, beautifully, powerfully, and selflessly.
So now must they love one another: wondrously, beautifully, powerfully, and selflessly.
Now would men see them as they loved one another. And all who saw them must certainly conclude: yes, they must indeed be the disciples of Jesus Christ.
So may we by the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ love one another as He loved us! So may all men know that we are His disciples!
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:34, 35
For more than three years the disciples of Jesus had been clearly marked as His disciples.
How did their neighbours and acquaintences from Galilee now describe these who were before fisherman, labouring on the sea of Galilee? As fisherman? How should his fellow publicans describe their partner Matthew? As a publican?
Oh, no! Peter, Andrew, James and John were no longer fishermen. Matthew was no longer a tax collector.
They were disciples, disciples of Jesus of Nazareth.
How did men know this was true? What made them disciples of Jesus of Nazareth?
The answer is astonishingly simple. They followed Jesus.
Wherever Jesus was to be found, there were these about Him. They travelled with Him, ate and drank with Him, and where he laid down His head at night, there they did. They attended upon all His words. They followed His teachings. They represented Him when He sent them out two by two to the cities and villages where He Himself would go.
But now Jesus told them that He was going away from them. “Little children, yet a little while I am with you.”
The coming separation meant that Jesus’ disciples would no longer be known as His disciples for this reason.
Though no longer with their Lord and Master, they must still be known as His disciples.
How?
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
In this way of love, were these men to show that they were followers of Jesus. By this love they were to demonstrate that they had received His teachings in order to follow Him. By this love they were to prove that they indeed belonged to Him, though the distance between them was as great as between heaven and earth.
Why this way of love?
The answer we have in verse 34, “As I have loved you.”
How Jesus had loved them! He loved them, to leave His heavenly glory to be incarnate in the likeness of sinful flesh, to be found a man among men. He loved them, to give Himself to them, leading them, instructing them, bolstering their faith, caring for them. But He loved them most of all in laying down His life for them, sacrificing His blood on the accursed tree of the cross, to redeem them from sin and Satan’s hand.
So had He loved them: wondrously, beautifully, powerfully, and selflessly.
So now must they love one another: wondrously, beautifully, powerfully, and selflessly.
Now would men see them as they loved one another. And all who saw them must certainly conclude: yes, they must indeed be the disciples of Jesus Christ.
So may we by the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ love one another as He loved us! So may all men know that we are His disciples!
6 December 2016
“In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.” Proverbs 14:26
How much we are given in these few words, and how much we are given because these words are so few!
Such a short, pithy statement is filled with tremendous meaning and significance.
First, with its few simple words this Proverb welds together the inward and the outward sides of God’s wonderful salvation.
“Strong confidence” is the blessedness enjoyed “in the fear of the Lord.” This is courage and boldness that runs through the heart and mind of the believer. Though in the presence of his enemies, he is free from terror. Though his path lies amidst many dangers, he does not fear them.
This strong confidence, which the believer possesses inwardly, is the result of what he knows is true outwardly: “his children shall have a place of refuge.”
They have a strong tower and a mighty fortress in which they are secure. They are hidden in a citadel, placed behind a strong wall, numbered with towers and bulwarks. The enemy cannot penetrate these defences. In their place of refuge, they cannot be harmed.
Who are these that enjoy this confidence and this place of refuge?
How they are identified is both striking and glorious.
Just as their refuge is identified in two different ways, so are these described who have these blessings.
On the one hand, they are the children of the Lord. Having been predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ, saved by promise of the Son in the Old Testament, saved by the fulfilled Son in the New Testament, they are the children of God. In sovereign love and tender care for His dear children, the Lord guides them into their place of refuge. He will keep His children safe!
On the other hand, these children of God are described according to their inner character and nature. What is it that characterizes these children? How does this word of God identify them as it looks inwardly at them?
“In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence.”
They fear the Lord.
The fear of the Lord runs through their heart. When they think of their Father, they are filled with awe and wonder, with tremendous reverence and respect. They tremble before the greatness of His majesty. Before Him they feel weak, frail, and insignificant.
But this fear is not a terror of destruction. It is not such a fear that makes the children of God flee from their Father. It never feels the need to diminish the honour and glory of God in order to decrease this fear.
For this fear is wonderful. It belongs properly to the children of God, who love their heavenly Father.
Because this fear knows the utter greatness of the glory, majesty, power, and might that makes for His children their place of refuge, and is exactly the confidence of their heart. Because that fear knows also the great, unsearchable and unfathomable grace that has taken such wicked children of Satan, and adopted them to be forever the children of God.
In that fear of the Lord, may we go our way with strong confidence! As His beloved children, may we give thanks to our Father for our place of refuge with Him!
“In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.” Proverbs 14:26
How much we are given in these few words, and how much we are given because these words are so few!
Such a short, pithy statement is filled with tremendous meaning and significance.
First, with its few simple words this Proverb welds together the inward and the outward sides of God’s wonderful salvation.
“Strong confidence” is the blessedness enjoyed “in the fear of the Lord.” This is courage and boldness that runs through the heart and mind of the believer. Though in the presence of his enemies, he is free from terror. Though his path lies amidst many dangers, he does not fear them.
This strong confidence, which the believer possesses inwardly, is the result of what he knows is true outwardly: “his children shall have a place of refuge.”
They have a strong tower and a mighty fortress in which they are secure. They are hidden in a citadel, placed behind a strong wall, numbered with towers and bulwarks. The enemy cannot penetrate these defences. In their place of refuge, they cannot be harmed.
Who are these that enjoy this confidence and this place of refuge?
How they are identified is both striking and glorious.
Just as their refuge is identified in two different ways, so are these described who have these blessings.
On the one hand, they are the children of the Lord. Having been predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ, saved by promise of the Son in the Old Testament, saved by the fulfilled Son in the New Testament, they are the children of God. In sovereign love and tender care for His dear children, the Lord guides them into their place of refuge. He will keep His children safe!
On the other hand, these children of God are described according to their inner character and nature. What is it that characterizes these children? How does this word of God identify them as it looks inwardly at them?
“In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence.”
They fear the Lord.
The fear of the Lord runs through their heart. When they think of their Father, they are filled with awe and wonder, with tremendous reverence and respect. They tremble before the greatness of His majesty. Before Him they feel weak, frail, and insignificant.
But this fear is not a terror of destruction. It is not such a fear that makes the children of God flee from their Father. It never feels the need to diminish the honour and glory of God in order to decrease this fear.
For this fear is wonderful. It belongs properly to the children of God, who love their heavenly Father.
Because this fear knows the utter greatness of the glory, majesty, power, and might that makes for His children their place of refuge, and is exactly the confidence of their heart. Because that fear knows also the great, unsearchable and unfathomable grace that has taken such wicked children of Satan, and adopted them to be forever the children of God.
In that fear of the Lord, may we go our way with strong confidence! As His beloved children, may we give thanks to our Father for our place of refuge with Him!
3 December 2016
“Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.” Psalm 143:8
With his enemies in pursuit, so numerous and so strong, David’s strength is spent and his way closed in. So certain is he of death he speaks of himself as already dead and buried.
“He hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.”
His weakness is not only a weakness of body, but also a weakness of soul. Deep within he finds no inner strength to draw upon, no courage of heart to summon.
“Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.”
David’s desolate condition is, however, the first aspect of faith. Faith find no strength, no ability, no goodness in self.
At the same time we have faith expressed in its second aspect: to God.
To whom does David come with his desolate condition? Before whom does the Psalmist lay out his case?
Before Jehovah, his God alone.
“For in thee do I trust.”
“For I lift up my soul to thee.”
God alone David will glorify. The Lord alone David will praise. Jehovah alone will be his trust and his shield, his glory and the lifter up of his head.
Why does David put his trust in God alone?
Because God alone is glorious, and God alone is faithful.
All David needs is a word from His God: “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning.” All he needs is for God to announce His tender, gracious love for His beloved and blessed servant.
To hear such a word must fill David with strength of body and renewed resolve of heart. To have such a word must so enliven and invigorate this servant of the Lord, that he will rise up from the ground with new strength and zeal.
Where will he go with his strength? What will he do with his zeal?
For this, too, he puts his trust in God alone.
“Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk.”
Blessed with God’s strength, David desires to walk only in God’s way.
What is the path of the redeemed? What is the way of the saved?
So it is for the same God who so faithfully speaks His lovingkindness also to teach His way.
The way of security and peace. The way of salvation and blessedness. The way of fellowship and friendship, of truth and light.
“The way wherein I should walk.”
So may we learn of the way wherein we should walk–taught to us by our God.
So may we walk in that way with strength of heart and courage of mind–supplied by the word of our God’s lovingkindness in the morning.
As we trust in Him alone, and lift up our soul to Him alone.
Our God.
“Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.” Psalm 143:8
With his enemies in pursuit, so numerous and so strong, David’s strength is spent and his way closed in. So certain is he of death he speaks of himself as already dead and buried.
“He hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.”
His weakness is not only a weakness of body, but also a weakness of soul. Deep within he finds no inner strength to draw upon, no courage of heart to summon.
“Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.”
David’s desolate condition is, however, the first aspect of faith. Faith find no strength, no ability, no goodness in self.
At the same time we have faith expressed in its second aspect: to God.
To whom does David come with his desolate condition? Before whom does the Psalmist lay out his case?
Before Jehovah, his God alone.
“For in thee do I trust.”
“For I lift up my soul to thee.”
God alone David will glorify. The Lord alone David will praise. Jehovah alone will be his trust and his shield, his glory and the lifter up of his head.
Why does David put his trust in God alone?
Because God alone is glorious, and God alone is faithful.
All David needs is a word from His God: “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning.” All he needs is for God to announce His tender, gracious love for His beloved and blessed servant.
To hear such a word must fill David with strength of body and renewed resolve of heart. To have such a word must so enliven and invigorate this servant of the Lord, that he will rise up from the ground with new strength and zeal.
Where will he go with his strength? What will he do with his zeal?
For this, too, he puts his trust in God alone.
“Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk.”
Blessed with God’s strength, David desires to walk only in God’s way.
What is the path of the redeemed? What is the way of the saved?
So it is for the same God who so faithfully speaks His lovingkindness also to teach His way.
The way of security and peace. The way of salvation and blessedness. The way of fellowship and friendship, of truth and light.
“The way wherein I should walk.”
So may we learn of the way wherein we should walk–taught to us by our God.
So may we walk in that way with strength of heart and courage of mind–supplied by the word of our God’s lovingkindness in the morning.
As we trust in Him alone, and lift up our soul to Him alone.
Our God.
29 November 2016
“And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you he will avenge them speedily.” Luke 18:7
In these words is the application of the parable of the bothersome widow. She appealed to a wicked judge for relief from her adversary. Even though this wicked judge was wholly uncaring, both toward the widow and his work as judge, yet he gave into her begging and pleading because she would not cease from asking him.
When it comes to the application of this parable we must be deeply impressed. The great argument made from the parable by our Lord moves from the lesser to the greater. God is so much different than this unjust judge! The result is the same: deliverance from the enemy. But such a powerful contrast is made between this wicked judge and God.
What is this contrast?
This contrast is between sheer apathy and great, earnest, and urgent desire. The contrast is between an earthly judge tired of being troubled by incessant pleading and begging and the living God ardently longing to save His own.
But what word did our Saviour choose to express this urgent desire of God to save His own?
Not “beloved.” Not “children.” Not “precious.” Not “dear.” Not “little flock.”
But He chose “elect.”
“Shall not God avenge his own elect.”
That word, accused of being cold and frigid. That word, supposed to be so high up, so far away, so remote to be of hardly any use. That word, thought to be of dubious value, thought to stir up notions only of doubt, and thought to be destructive of assurance.
Yet, here it is, despite the thoughts and judgements of men, here on the lips of our Saviour.
Why?
Rooted in eternity, the word “elect” expresses the unchangeable and unconditional determination of God to love forever those whom He chose.
Further, the word “elect” signifies that there is nothing in these elect that makes the Father more or less desirous to deliver them. Though they are weak and sinful, God’s desire to avenge them remains solid and strong.
But most of all, the word “elect” shows that God certainly must avenge them. Only in infinite, boundless, and endless love did He choose them before the foundation of the world. It is that love, rooted and grounded in God’s infinite being alone, which must be fulfilled in the holy, glorious vengeance that God will speedily work for them.
Such must be the comfort of the saints in all their persecutions and tribulations. Persecuted and oppressed by their enemies, the church cries day and night to her God for deliverance. Troubled, harassed and bothered by the world, God’s people wait upon God, while He bears long with them.
And as we are persecuted with those who are persecuted, and suffer with those suffering, our hearts knit together crying out for deliverance, we must be assured that the God who has elected us is just as determined to avenge us speedily.
“And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you he will avenge them speedily.” Luke 18:7
In these words is the application of the parable of the bothersome widow. She appealed to a wicked judge for relief from her adversary. Even though this wicked judge was wholly uncaring, both toward the widow and his work as judge, yet he gave into her begging and pleading because she would not cease from asking him.
When it comes to the application of this parable we must be deeply impressed. The great argument made from the parable by our Lord moves from the lesser to the greater. God is so much different than this unjust judge! The result is the same: deliverance from the enemy. But such a powerful contrast is made between this wicked judge and God.
What is this contrast?
This contrast is between sheer apathy and great, earnest, and urgent desire. The contrast is between an earthly judge tired of being troubled by incessant pleading and begging and the living God ardently longing to save His own.
But what word did our Saviour choose to express this urgent desire of God to save His own?
Not “beloved.” Not “children.” Not “precious.” Not “dear.” Not “little flock.”
But He chose “elect.”
“Shall not God avenge his own elect.”
That word, accused of being cold and frigid. That word, supposed to be so high up, so far away, so remote to be of hardly any use. That word, thought to be of dubious value, thought to stir up notions only of doubt, and thought to be destructive of assurance.
Yet, here it is, despite the thoughts and judgements of men, here on the lips of our Saviour.
Why?
Rooted in eternity, the word “elect” expresses the unchangeable and unconditional determination of God to love forever those whom He chose.
Further, the word “elect” signifies that there is nothing in these elect that makes the Father more or less desirous to deliver them. Though they are weak and sinful, God’s desire to avenge them remains solid and strong.
But most of all, the word “elect” shows that God certainly must avenge them. Only in infinite, boundless, and endless love did He choose them before the foundation of the world. It is that love, rooted and grounded in God’s infinite being alone, which must be fulfilled in the holy, glorious vengeance that God will speedily work for them.
Such must be the comfort of the saints in all their persecutions and tribulations. Persecuted and oppressed by their enemies, the church cries day and night to her God for deliverance. Troubled, harassed and bothered by the world, God’s people wait upon God, while He bears long with them.
And as we are persecuted with those who are persecuted, and suffer with those suffering, our hearts knit together crying out for deliverance, we must be assured that the God who has elected us is just as determined to avenge us speedily.
22 November 2016
“For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20
Is there any hope at all? Any hope of entering the kingdom of heaven?
Look at those scribes and Pharisees! See how righteous they are. Indeed, they set the standard of righteousness.
They were the students and scholars. The object of their study was the law of God. With painstaking effort they pored over that law. They knew it backward and forward, able to answer any question about that law asked of them. They read commentaries on the law. They wrote commentaries on that law.
And as they studied and as they wrote, so they observed and kept that law. They kept it carefully and thoroughly. They carefully ensured that every step they took with their feet, every movement of their hands, and every word that they spoke was according to that perfect law. So they walked. So they acted. So they spoke. No fault could be found with them. They were blameless and spotless before all.
Morever, these were filled with zeal and devotion to that law of God. Relentlessly they pursued its perfection. They expressed in their speech and language deep regard and unflagging zeal for the law of God.
They were righteous. They were righteousness.
Surely, if anyone was entering the kingdom of heaven, these scribes and Pharisees were first in line. For them the gates of heaven were surely opened wide, to grant them blessed entrance.
No?
Hear the word of Jesus: In no case.
They were not getting in. Against them heaven’s gates were tightly closed. They had no entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
Their righteousness was insufficient!
“Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Your righteousness must exceed theirs. If your righteousness is as their righteousness, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. If your righteousness falls short of their righteousness, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Yet, there is entrance into the kingdom of heaven. There is wide-open, welcoming entrance into the kingdom.
By a righteousness that far surpasses the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. By a righteousness that is wondrously greater than anything you could produce.
The righteousness of Him who spoke these very words.
The righteousness of the Lawgiver Himself, the living God embracing the flesh of Adam’s race. The righteousness of the very Son of God. The righteousness of His heart, soul, mind and strength aligned to do always and only the will of God thoroughly and completely. The righteousness of a perfect entire life and way, in perfect harmony with all the will of God. The righteousness of perfect obedience to the law of God. The righteousness of the Mediator who came in love to seek and save the lost, to be their perfectly obedient Substitute on the tree of the cross.
That is the righteousness which enters into the kingdom of heaven.
Your righteousness!
That righteousness not of your works. That righteousness not of the obedience of the law.
But your righteousness through faith. Preached to you through the gospel, for you to embrace and receive through faith in Christ.
In that righteousness, far exceeding the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, rest assured of your entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
In that blessed and glorious kingdom rejoice.
There rejoice in that righteousness that was exceeding mighty to bring you in, the righteousness of your Lord Jesus Christ. And in that joy give all praise and glory to God, who so graciously gave it to you.
“For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20
Is there any hope at all? Any hope of entering the kingdom of heaven?
Look at those scribes and Pharisees! See how righteous they are. Indeed, they set the standard of righteousness.
They were the students and scholars. The object of their study was the law of God. With painstaking effort they pored over that law. They knew it backward and forward, able to answer any question about that law asked of them. They read commentaries on the law. They wrote commentaries on that law.
And as they studied and as they wrote, so they observed and kept that law. They kept it carefully and thoroughly. They carefully ensured that every step they took with their feet, every movement of their hands, and every word that they spoke was according to that perfect law. So they walked. So they acted. So they spoke. No fault could be found with them. They were blameless and spotless before all.
Morever, these were filled with zeal and devotion to that law of God. Relentlessly they pursued its perfection. They expressed in their speech and language deep regard and unflagging zeal for the law of God.
They were righteous. They were righteousness.
Surely, if anyone was entering the kingdom of heaven, these scribes and Pharisees were first in line. For them the gates of heaven were surely opened wide, to grant them blessed entrance.
No?
Hear the word of Jesus: In no case.
They were not getting in. Against them heaven’s gates were tightly closed. They had no entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
Their righteousness was insufficient!
“Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Your righteousness must exceed theirs. If your righteousness is as their righteousness, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. If your righteousness falls short of their righteousness, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Yet, there is entrance into the kingdom of heaven. There is wide-open, welcoming entrance into the kingdom.
By a righteousness that far surpasses the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. By a righteousness that is wondrously greater than anything you could produce.
The righteousness of Him who spoke these very words.
The righteousness of the Lawgiver Himself, the living God embracing the flesh of Adam’s race. The righteousness of the very Son of God. The righteousness of His heart, soul, mind and strength aligned to do always and only the will of God thoroughly and completely. The righteousness of a perfect entire life and way, in perfect harmony with all the will of God. The righteousness of perfect obedience to the law of God. The righteousness of the Mediator who came in love to seek and save the lost, to be their perfectly obedient Substitute on the tree of the cross.
That is the righteousness which enters into the kingdom of heaven.
Your righteousness!
That righteousness not of your works. That righteousness not of the obedience of the law.
But your righteousness through faith. Preached to you through the gospel, for you to embrace and receive through faith in Christ.
In that righteousness, far exceeding the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, rest assured of your entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
In that blessed and glorious kingdom rejoice.
There rejoice in that righteousness that was exceeding mighty to bring you in, the righteousness of your Lord Jesus Christ. And in that joy give all praise and glory to God, who so graciously gave it to you.
17 November 2016
“For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.” John 16:27
The wonderful and glorious blessedness of this Word of God is ours to know and enjoy.
“The Father himself loveth you!”
For us is the love of the living God, the Almighty God, the Eternal One. For us is the love of the King whose throne is established forever in the heavens. For us is the love of the glorious Sovereign, who is the Lord of hosts. For us is the love of the supreme, absolute, divine Being.
But also for us is the love of the Father. This love of God is as tender as it is powerful, as intimate as it is glorious, as gentle as it is everlasting. Infinite love cradles and carries us all the way into the blessed arms of our Father in heaven.
But what must be our way to this blessed love? How are we to know that it is truly and really ours in all its blessed and sweet fullness?
“Because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.”
Could such an amazing, wonderful love possibly be suspended on such conditions as these?
Not only a condition of faith, but also a condition of love.
If you believe in God, then He will love you. If you believe that Jesus came out from God, then He will love you.
Could such love of the Father put between itself and its needy children something for them to do, an act for them to perform? If they will do their part, then God will love them?
Impossible!
The love of God must be truly free, glorious, sovereign and gracious!
It is the love of God shown for us when we were still enemies, when God gave His Son to the death of the cross for us.
It is a love gracious, without any merit, wholly without condition.
“Because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.”
What does it mean?
It is exactly the greatness of this love of God, that brings you to the Father and to His Son Jesus Christ.
That love of God never waits. That love of God is never suspended on a condition.
Instead it mightily works in you love for Jesus your Saviour. Instead it graciously works in you faith to believe that Jesus came out from God.
Only because of this work of the love of God, in you is love for His Son Jesus. Only because of this work of the love of God, in you is faith that Jesus came out from God.
In your love of Jesus, is the love of God for you. In your faith that Jesus came out from God, is the love of God for you.
In that love of Jesus, rejoice! In that faith that Jesus came from God, be glad!
“For the Father Himself loveth you.”
“For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.” John 16:27
The wonderful and glorious blessedness of this Word of God is ours to know and enjoy.
“The Father himself loveth you!”
For us is the love of the living God, the Almighty God, the Eternal One. For us is the love of the King whose throne is established forever in the heavens. For us is the love of the glorious Sovereign, who is the Lord of hosts. For us is the love of the supreme, absolute, divine Being.
But also for us is the love of the Father. This love of God is as tender as it is powerful, as intimate as it is glorious, as gentle as it is everlasting. Infinite love cradles and carries us all the way into the blessed arms of our Father in heaven.
But what must be our way to this blessed love? How are we to know that it is truly and really ours in all its blessed and sweet fullness?
“Because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.”
Could such an amazing, wonderful love possibly be suspended on such conditions as these?
Not only a condition of faith, but also a condition of love.
If you believe in God, then He will love you. If you believe that Jesus came out from God, then He will love you.
Could such love of the Father put between itself and its needy children something for them to do, an act for them to perform? If they will do their part, then God will love them?
Impossible!
The love of God must be truly free, glorious, sovereign and gracious!
It is the love of God shown for us when we were still enemies, when God gave His Son to the death of the cross for us.
It is a love gracious, without any merit, wholly without condition.
“Because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.”
What does it mean?
It is exactly the greatness of this love of God, that brings you to the Father and to His Son Jesus Christ.
That love of God never waits. That love of God is never suspended on a condition.
Instead it mightily works in you love for Jesus your Saviour. Instead it graciously works in you faith to believe that Jesus came out from God.
Only because of this work of the love of God, in you is love for His Son Jesus. Only because of this work of the love of God, in you is faith that Jesus came out from God.
In your love of Jesus, is the love of God for you. In your faith that Jesus came out from God, is the love of God for you.
In that love of Jesus, rejoice! In that faith that Jesus came from God, be glad!
“For the Father Himself loveth you.”
12 November 2016
“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” John 10:14
A beautiful and blessed picture does Scripture display here of the fellowship between Jesus Christ and His church.
It is a picture of a shepherd and his sheep.
A shepherd knows his sheep. He can identify each and every one. He has them numbered. He has them named. He knows them in all their ways. He knows where and how they are prone to wander away, to seek them, find them and bring them back. He knows the weaknesses and frailties of each, to care for them each and to support them. He knows which ones he must lead gently. He knows which ones he must even carry. He knows how to keep his sheep.
These sheep also know their shepherd. They know him as the one who will take care of them. They know him as the one in whose presence they are safe and secure. They know him as the one who will seek them and find them if they become lost. They know his voice, so that they come to him when he calls them. They know him as the one who leads them well, into green pastures and beside still waters. They know him, to trust him in all his guidance and care.
Such is the way of the shepherd with his sheep.
Such is the way of the good Shepherd with His flock, the way of the Lord Jesus Christ with His church.
Such is the way of the His church and flock with her Saviour and Shepherd.
But this same word of the Shepherd sets before us another truth, the truth of who is first in this blessed and wonderful relationship between the good Shepherd and His sheep.
How clearly we have this truth established in the first words, “I am the good shepherd.”
There it stands in all its glory and in all its power. He is the good shepherd. He is the one who is superior. The sheep belong to Him, given into His hand by the Father. He is the one that is over the sheep. He is the one charged with their welfare and security. He is the one who calls and gathers by His call.
Also, His knowledge is first. The good Shepherd knows His sheep. They are the ones given Him by the Father, known to the Father by name, numbered by the Father, even before they are given to the good Shepherd.
Then, only then, and wonderfully then, is the knowledge of the sheep.
Oh, not only is the Shepherd the good Shepherd. Not only does He know His sheep. But the sheep also know Him. They know Him who has called them by name, who knew them before they knew Him. They know Him as the one who called them by name. They know Him as the one who laid down his life for their sakes. They know him as the one to whom they belong.
They know Him who is the good Shepherd. That knowledge is their delight and their joy. In that knowledge they are safe and secure. For they know their weakness and frailty. They know their tendency to wander and stray. They know they are but sheep.
So may we know our good Shepherd in all His goodness to us, His goodness to know us, His goodness to lay down His life for us, His goodness to lead us home. And in His goodness may we forever follow Him, hearing His voice.
“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” John 10:14
A beautiful and blessed picture does Scripture display here of the fellowship between Jesus Christ and His church.
It is a picture of a shepherd and his sheep.
A shepherd knows his sheep. He can identify each and every one. He has them numbered. He has them named. He knows them in all their ways. He knows where and how they are prone to wander away, to seek them, find them and bring them back. He knows the weaknesses and frailties of each, to care for them each and to support them. He knows which ones he must lead gently. He knows which ones he must even carry. He knows how to keep his sheep.
These sheep also know their shepherd. They know him as the one who will take care of them. They know him as the one in whose presence they are safe and secure. They know him as the one who will seek them and find them if they become lost. They know his voice, so that they come to him when he calls them. They know him as the one who leads them well, into green pastures and beside still waters. They know him, to trust him in all his guidance and care.
Such is the way of the shepherd with his sheep.
Such is the way of the good Shepherd with His flock, the way of the Lord Jesus Christ with His church.
Such is the way of the His church and flock with her Saviour and Shepherd.
But this same word of the Shepherd sets before us another truth, the truth of who is first in this blessed and wonderful relationship between the good Shepherd and His sheep.
How clearly we have this truth established in the first words, “I am the good shepherd.”
There it stands in all its glory and in all its power. He is the good shepherd. He is the one who is superior. The sheep belong to Him, given into His hand by the Father. He is the one that is over the sheep. He is the one charged with their welfare and security. He is the one who calls and gathers by His call.
Also, His knowledge is first. The good Shepherd knows His sheep. They are the ones given Him by the Father, known to the Father by name, numbered by the Father, even before they are given to the good Shepherd.
Then, only then, and wonderfully then, is the knowledge of the sheep.
Oh, not only is the Shepherd the good Shepherd. Not only does He know His sheep. But the sheep also know Him. They know Him who has called them by name, who knew them before they knew Him. They know Him as the one who called them by name. They know Him as the one who laid down his life for their sakes. They know him as the one to whom they belong.
They know Him who is the good Shepherd. That knowledge is their delight and their joy. In that knowledge they are safe and secure. For they know their weakness and frailty. They know their tendency to wander and stray. They know they are but sheep.
So may we know our good Shepherd in all His goodness to us, His goodness to know us, His goodness to lay down His life for us, His goodness to lead us home. And in His goodness may we forever follow Him, hearing His voice.
9 November 2019
“Let all your things be done with charity.” 1 Corinthians 16:14
As demanding as this short verse is in translation, much more demanding is it in the original Greek in which the apostle Paul wrote it.
The above translation of this verse gives an exhortation, an encouragement to the saints to see to it that all their business and all their matters are conducted with charity.
But the original carries the force of a commandment. Commanded, demanded, made necessary it is, that “all your things be done with charity.” A commandment for the saints to hear, a commandment for the saints to carry out. But the commandment carries its force and weight to “all your things.” What cannot be expressed in our English language is perfectly clear in the Greek. So we have the best: “Let all your things be done with charity.”
Another way in which this verse is more demanding in the original Greek has to do with the words “with charity.” Lest we should suppose that charity must only accompany or go along with all the things we do, the original Greek is far stronger. It uses the word “in” rather than the word “with.” The way of the original is to tell us that charity must be the sweet odor that must imbue everything that we do.
Charity!
Charity must be the motive that both directs and strengthens us for all that we say and do in this world. Charity must be the influence that runs through every word we speak and every deed we set our hands to perform. Charity must be the end and goal that is manifested and clearly understood by every hearer of our words and every observer of our deeds. Charity must be the understanding that lingers when our words and deeds become only a memory in the minds of those who heard and saw.
Most appropriately, does our translation then use the word charity, rather than the other word which is used so often to translate it, love.
Not only is it well that this verse coming up at the end of I Corinthians share the same word used in the blessed 13th chapter. It is most proper because the word charity emphasises the selfless, sacrificial, giving love that must characterize all the things we do.
This is the charity that looks for nothing in return. There is in it not an ounce of self-consideration. It is the charity that does not seek something for self. It does not deliberate or ponder gain. It does not look for advantage. Charity does not become angry when nothing is received in return, when not even a word of gratitude is heard.
Because, this is the charity that is wholly aimed at bringing benefit to others. The well being of the neighbour is of such importance that self is wholly swallowed up. What will help him? What will be good for her? What will be the best for them? Those questions are the guiding force of charity.
This is the charity with which all our things must be done.
Not merely some of our things. Not only when we might feel especially generous or kind. Not only at times we might feel especially blessed and enriched, and so give out of that mood. Not only when we find ourselves among those easy to love.
No.
“Let all your things be done with charity.”
How?
The way is shown us in the verse before, in the words, “Stand fast in the faith.”
Stand fast in the faith that is in Jesus Christ. Stand fast in the faith that knows the wonder of the cross of Jesus Christ, in the faith that delights to know the wonders of the love of God manifested in that glorious instrument of our salvation. Know the price there that was paid for our sins, the precious blood of the Son of God. Explore that price in all its greatness, the love of Christ to lay down His life for His beloved and dear friends. Consider that price in all its wonder, the love of God to sinners, the love that gave His Son to that death, to suffer under the divine wrath and judgment against sin.
By faith fill your heart with that boundless, endless love of God through Christ.
Then, “Let all your things be done with charity.”
“Let all your things be done with charity.” 1 Corinthians 16:14
As demanding as this short verse is in translation, much more demanding is it in the original Greek in which the apostle Paul wrote it.
The above translation of this verse gives an exhortation, an encouragement to the saints to see to it that all their business and all their matters are conducted with charity.
But the original carries the force of a commandment. Commanded, demanded, made necessary it is, that “all your things be done with charity.” A commandment for the saints to hear, a commandment for the saints to carry out. But the commandment carries its force and weight to “all your things.” What cannot be expressed in our English language is perfectly clear in the Greek. So we have the best: “Let all your things be done with charity.”
Another way in which this verse is more demanding in the original Greek has to do with the words “with charity.” Lest we should suppose that charity must only accompany or go along with all the things we do, the original Greek is far stronger. It uses the word “in” rather than the word “with.” The way of the original is to tell us that charity must be the sweet odor that must imbue everything that we do.
Charity!
Charity must be the motive that both directs and strengthens us for all that we say and do in this world. Charity must be the influence that runs through every word we speak and every deed we set our hands to perform. Charity must be the end and goal that is manifested and clearly understood by every hearer of our words and every observer of our deeds. Charity must be the understanding that lingers when our words and deeds become only a memory in the minds of those who heard and saw.
Most appropriately, does our translation then use the word charity, rather than the other word which is used so often to translate it, love.
Not only is it well that this verse coming up at the end of I Corinthians share the same word used in the blessed 13th chapter. It is most proper because the word charity emphasises the selfless, sacrificial, giving love that must characterize all the things we do.
This is the charity that looks for nothing in return. There is in it not an ounce of self-consideration. It is the charity that does not seek something for self. It does not deliberate or ponder gain. It does not look for advantage. Charity does not become angry when nothing is received in return, when not even a word of gratitude is heard.
Because, this is the charity that is wholly aimed at bringing benefit to others. The well being of the neighbour is of such importance that self is wholly swallowed up. What will help him? What will be good for her? What will be the best for them? Those questions are the guiding force of charity.
This is the charity with which all our things must be done.
Not merely some of our things. Not only when we might feel especially generous or kind. Not only at times we might feel especially blessed and enriched, and so give out of that mood. Not only when we find ourselves among those easy to love.
No.
“Let all your things be done with charity.”
How?
The way is shown us in the verse before, in the words, “Stand fast in the faith.”
Stand fast in the faith that is in Jesus Christ. Stand fast in the faith that knows the wonder of the cross of Jesus Christ, in the faith that delights to know the wonders of the love of God manifested in that glorious instrument of our salvation. Know the price there that was paid for our sins, the precious blood of the Son of God. Explore that price in all its greatness, the love of Christ to lay down His life for His beloved and dear friends. Consider that price in all its wonder, the love of God to sinners, the love that gave His Son to that death, to suffer under the divine wrath and judgment against sin.
By faith fill your heart with that boundless, endless love of God through Christ.
Then, “Let all your things be done with charity.”
8 November, 2016
“But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” Psalm 116:3
A word to remember!
A word to remember as Americans visit polling places throughout their land.
As they vote, they vote their pleasure, and they vote their pleasure according to the law.
How many laws have been enacted and how many court cases have been decided in order to protect the rights of voters? The freedom to vote, and to vote without coercion is a cherished freedom.
Yet with this election there is a conflict. Many are not pleased with their choice. They are greatly displeased.
Why such choices as these? Why all these feelings of constraint, feeling obligated to vote? Why feeling only such a compulsion to vote to keep the other choice from gaining a majority of votes?
“But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”
Why these choices?
So hard to hear, so hard to understand: God hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
One of the reasons for the conflict of heart and soul in this election is the result. Who will be elected? What decisions will he make? What will she do with the great power that is placed into her hands?
Undoubtedly the one chosen will feel the greatness of the power that he or she will hold. What makes us tremble with fear is the uncertainty of how such a one will be pleased to exercise his power. Will he use that power to serve his own cause and his own greatness, rather than the cause of God and country? Will she use the power of her office to tear down and destroy, or to build up and restore?
So will he or she be set up by men as a god. So will he or she exercise their will and their power as a god. So will he or she receive praise and honour, glory and blessing, as a god.
For all of this uncertainty, for all of this concern, the Word of God has rich and wonderful comfort and peace.
All of these workings are merely upon the face of the earth. They are only the pleasures of men made of the dust of the earth. As much as they rally and support, as much as they choose and decide, as much power as they pretend to exert, they are of the earth, earthy.
“But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”
Who shall be chosen? The one that God has been pleased to chose, from His throne in the heavens.
What shall be the pleasure of the one so chosen by God? What will he or she do with that power committed into his or her hands? What decisions shall be made, what decrees shall issue forth from that office?
Only those that the God of heaven has decreed. As He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased, so shall He do over the next four years.
So shall the God of heaven do: always, only His sovereign good pleasure.
And all that He will do He will do, not only according to His good pleasure, but also for His church.
For this God, who is in the heavens and who does whatsoever He hath pleased, is our God.
He is our God, who has promised forever to be our God. He is our God, who has given to us His only-begotten Son, and will give us all things with Him.
All things!
“The world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours.”
May this be our comfort and our peace every day:
“Our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”
“But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” Psalm 116:3
A word to remember!
A word to remember as Americans visit polling places throughout their land.
As they vote, they vote their pleasure, and they vote their pleasure according to the law.
How many laws have been enacted and how many court cases have been decided in order to protect the rights of voters? The freedom to vote, and to vote without coercion is a cherished freedom.
Yet with this election there is a conflict. Many are not pleased with their choice. They are greatly displeased.
Why such choices as these? Why all these feelings of constraint, feeling obligated to vote? Why feeling only such a compulsion to vote to keep the other choice from gaining a majority of votes?
“But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”
Why these choices?
So hard to hear, so hard to understand: God hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
One of the reasons for the conflict of heart and soul in this election is the result. Who will be elected? What decisions will he make? What will she do with the great power that is placed into her hands?
Undoubtedly the one chosen will feel the greatness of the power that he or she will hold. What makes us tremble with fear is the uncertainty of how such a one will be pleased to exercise his power. Will he use that power to serve his own cause and his own greatness, rather than the cause of God and country? Will she use the power of her office to tear down and destroy, or to build up and restore?
So will he or she be set up by men as a god. So will he or she exercise their will and their power as a god. So will he or she receive praise and honour, glory and blessing, as a god.
For all of this uncertainty, for all of this concern, the Word of God has rich and wonderful comfort and peace.
All of these workings are merely upon the face of the earth. They are only the pleasures of men made of the dust of the earth. As much as they rally and support, as much as they choose and decide, as much power as they pretend to exert, they are of the earth, earthy.
“But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”
Who shall be chosen? The one that God has been pleased to chose, from His throne in the heavens.
What shall be the pleasure of the one so chosen by God? What will he or she do with that power committed into his or her hands? What decisions shall be made, what decrees shall issue forth from that office?
Only those that the God of heaven has decreed. As He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased, so shall He do over the next four years.
So shall the God of heaven do: always, only His sovereign good pleasure.
And all that He will do He will do, not only according to His good pleasure, but also for His church.
For this God, who is in the heavens and who does whatsoever He hath pleased, is our God.
He is our God, who has promised forever to be our God. He is our God, who has given to us His only-begotten Son, and will give us all things with Him.
All things!
“The world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours.”
May this be our comfort and our peace every day:
“Our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”
25 October 2016
“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 18:10
How easy it is to offend!
How easy it is to go on in our way, heedless of those around us!
Easy it is to fall into the patterns and habits of the sins of the world in which we live. Easy it is to take the same careless words into our own mouths. Easy it is to adopt the same attitudes, behaviours and works. Easy it is to excuse ourselves, that these are “no big deal.”
But, take heed!
Easy it is also to insist on our own way. We go where the Word of God is silent, giving us the right to decide what we shall do and what we shall say. We will decide our course of action. We will determine our way. So will we carry on, never minding the effect that our way might have on one who is “little.” Easy it is to express our will and our choice, regardless and heedless.
But, Take heed!
“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones.”
How easy it is to overlook them!
They are small. We take little account of them. Their opinions and judgments do not matter to us. Of little weight are the force of their words and actions. As we might think of our projects and plans, our ambitious aims and goals, these “little ones” all but disappear from view.
But as little as they are, so impressionable are they. With their nimble minds, they quickly gather in all they see and hear, analyzing and drawing their conclusions. They assess and they reason. As they do, to those words, deeds, and attitudes we present with so little heed, they attach great weight.
As easy as it is for us to sin and as easy as it is for us to insist on our right, so easy is it for them to be offended and to stumble.
“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones.”
Not one!
In order to make us take heed, our Lord presents us with such a view that must forcefully correct our disregard.
“For I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”
These little ones have their angels.
Their angels are the mighty, glorious, wondrous messengers of heaven. Their angels bear in their perfectly holy natures the glory of the heaven that they inhabit. Standing before the face of Jesus’ Father, they absorb His heavenly glory and reflect it as they carry out their heavenly missions.
Before His face they stand, ready to be dispatched to administer their Father’s love and care upon His little ones. They return to report back to their Father how they have done and how His little ones have fared with His care they brought to them. They declare the cause of His little ones, and how they are treated and how they are cared for by others around them.
May these angels that always behold the face of the heavenly Father bring a good report concerning us and our regard and care for His little ones!
So let us take heed that we despise not one of these little ones, but show our deep regard and care for them in all our conduct.
“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 18:10
How easy it is to offend!
How easy it is to go on in our way, heedless of those around us!
Easy it is to fall into the patterns and habits of the sins of the world in which we live. Easy it is to take the same careless words into our own mouths. Easy it is to adopt the same attitudes, behaviours and works. Easy it is to excuse ourselves, that these are “no big deal.”
But, take heed!
Easy it is also to insist on our own way. We go where the Word of God is silent, giving us the right to decide what we shall do and what we shall say. We will decide our course of action. We will determine our way. So will we carry on, never minding the effect that our way might have on one who is “little.” Easy it is to express our will and our choice, regardless and heedless.
But, Take heed!
“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones.”
How easy it is to overlook them!
They are small. We take little account of them. Their opinions and judgments do not matter to us. Of little weight are the force of their words and actions. As we might think of our projects and plans, our ambitious aims and goals, these “little ones” all but disappear from view.
But as little as they are, so impressionable are they. With their nimble minds, they quickly gather in all they see and hear, analyzing and drawing their conclusions. They assess and they reason. As they do, to those words, deeds, and attitudes we present with so little heed, they attach great weight.
As easy as it is for us to sin and as easy as it is for us to insist on our right, so easy is it for them to be offended and to stumble.
“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones.”
Not one!
In order to make us take heed, our Lord presents us with such a view that must forcefully correct our disregard.
“For I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”
These little ones have their angels.
Their angels are the mighty, glorious, wondrous messengers of heaven. Their angels bear in their perfectly holy natures the glory of the heaven that they inhabit. Standing before the face of Jesus’ Father, they absorb His heavenly glory and reflect it as they carry out their heavenly missions.
Before His face they stand, ready to be dispatched to administer their Father’s love and care upon His little ones. They return to report back to their Father how they have done and how His little ones have fared with His care they brought to them. They declare the cause of His little ones, and how they are treated and how they are cared for by others around them.
May these angels that always behold the face of the heavenly Father bring a good report concerning us and our regard and care for His little ones!
So let us take heed that we despise not one of these little ones, but show our deep regard and care for them in all our conduct.
22 October 2016
“But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Matthew 9:13
As the self-righteous but wicked Pharisees inquired, so Christ answered.
“Why,” they asked, “eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?”
Why?
Their question is asked out of their astonishment. Before their eyes was a religious and moral violation of the highest order. The Master was, of all things, eating and drinking with sinners!
How could He?!! The unclean must defile the clean. The pure, righteous, and holy Master has now defiled and degraded Himself. The contamination of these sinners must now contaminate Him who sat with them. His purity is now lost. His holiness is now broken. Now He is no different than they, these sinners.
But their question, whether asked by these Pharisees in simple amazement or dissimulating hatred, reveals nothing about the Master. It reveals only their ignorance.
They do not know, but walk in the darkness of their ignorance.
They know not their own Scriptures. They are ignorant of the Word of the God they claimed to serve and follow.
They must go and they must learn what this means: “I will have mercy and not sacrifice.”
What is truly pleasing to God? What is delightful to Him?
Not the outward ritual. Not the presentation of sacrifices, however great and numerous, however the cost or trouble. Not the accumulation of all the close and careful observances of tradition and law practiced so carefully and scrupulously by these Pharisees.
But mercy.
Mercy!
Wonderful and blessed virtue of the heart! The mercy that feels woe, anguish, and sorrow for those that are in trouble and need! The mercy that swiftly goes to those troubled and needy! The mercy that gives all to lift them up out of their trouble and need! The mercy that seeks their blessedness and peace!
Mercy God will have. Mercy God delights in. Mercy He loves and approves.
Right then and there, the questioned Master carries the delight, the love, and the approval of His Father upon Him.
As He eats with publicans and sinners.
For so He came to this world, to please His merciful, Heavenly Father.
So He came not “to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
So our merciful Master came to us. So He came near to us, poor, miserable sinners.
So He came calling us to repentance, to turn from our sinful ways to rest in His mercy, His mercy of pardon and His mercy of redemption from sin, its guilt and its awful power.
So by His great mercy, by His Word and Spirit, we heard His merciful, powerful call. So we came to Him, to know the riches of His mercy to us.
And as we know the greatness of our Master’s mercy to us, let us rejoice to walk in that same way of mercy.
May we show that we have learned from our merciful Master what this means: “I will have mercy and not sacrifice.”
“But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Matthew 9:13
As the self-righteous but wicked Pharisees inquired, so Christ answered.
“Why,” they asked, “eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?”
Why?
Their question is asked out of their astonishment. Before their eyes was a religious and moral violation of the highest order. The Master was, of all things, eating and drinking with sinners!
How could He?!! The unclean must defile the clean. The pure, righteous, and holy Master has now defiled and degraded Himself. The contamination of these sinners must now contaminate Him who sat with them. His purity is now lost. His holiness is now broken. Now He is no different than they, these sinners.
But their question, whether asked by these Pharisees in simple amazement or dissimulating hatred, reveals nothing about the Master. It reveals only their ignorance.
They do not know, but walk in the darkness of their ignorance.
They know not their own Scriptures. They are ignorant of the Word of the God they claimed to serve and follow.
They must go and they must learn what this means: “I will have mercy and not sacrifice.”
What is truly pleasing to God? What is delightful to Him?
Not the outward ritual. Not the presentation of sacrifices, however great and numerous, however the cost or trouble. Not the accumulation of all the close and careful observances of tradition and law practiced so carefully and scrupulously by these Pharisees.
But mercy.
Mercy!
Wonderful and blessed virtue of the heart! The mercy that feels woe, anguish, and sorrow for those that are in trouble and need! The mercy that swiftly goes to those troubled and needy! The mercy that gives all to lift them up out of their trouble and need! The mercy that seeks their blessedness and peace!
Mercy God will have. Mercy God delights in. Mercy He loves and approves.
Right then and there, the questioned Master carries the delight, the love, and the approval of His Father upon Him.
As He eats with publicans and sinners.
For so He came to this world, to please His merciful, Heavenly Father.
So He came not “to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
So our merciful Master came to us. So He came near to us, poor, miserable sinners.
So He came calling us to repentance, to turn from our sinful ways to rest in His mercy, His mercy of pardon and His mercy of redemption from sin, its guilt and its awful power.
So by His great mercy, by His Word and Spirit, we heard His merciful, powerful call. So we came to Him, to know the riches of His mercy to us.
And as we know the greatness of our Master’s mercy to us, let us rejoice to walk in that same way of mercy.
May we show that we have learned from our merciful Master what this means: “I will have mercy and not sacrifice.”
20 October 2016
“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28
Look all around you.
Look through all the earth. Look among the nations and their inhabitants. Examine societies and cultures. Consider the rich and the poor, the high and the low, educated and uneducated, the famous and the ignoble.
What do you see?
See catastrophe and calamity. See earthquakes, famines, and pestilence ravaging lands and peoples. See the destructive fury of earthquakes and landslides, of hurricanes, typhoons, and their devastation by wind and wave.
See the destructive power of weapons of war: missiles and bombs, tanks and guns, the instruments of nations warring against nations. Note the efforts of diplomacy failing over and over again, men turning from peace to war. Observe the violence practiced by men upon each other, neighbor setting upon neighbor, whether of greed, anger or simple contempt.
See the increase of iniquity in society. Behold the abounding abominations practiced by men in high places. No longer excusing but approving. No longer in hiding for shame of disapproval, but flagrantly flaunting their wickedness in public.
And what you see, looking around you, is cause to look downward.
Looking down for shame and sorrow, seeing how truth is fallen in the street and the gold become dim. Looking down for frailty and feebleness, for who can stand in such an evil day?
But the Word of your Saviour you must hear.
Look up!
Lift up your heads!
“For your redemption draweth nigh.”
See in and through all that calamity, violence, and iniquity your redemption. All these evils are the judgments of Him who sits at the right hand of God. Your Lord is busy carrying out His justice. He is at work executing His righteousness among the nations of men, to bring about His return in judgment.
In that judgment is also your salvation. The end of wickedness is your perfect righteousness. The end of destruction is your glorious deliverance. He is coming for you, to deliver you out of this present evil age. He is coming to take you to be with Him in the everlasting glory of your salvation.
Look up!
“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28
Look all around you.
Look through all the earth. Look among the nations and their inhabitants. Examine societies and cultures. Consider the rich and the poor, the high and the low, educated and uneducated, the famous and the ignoble.
What do you see?
See catastrophe and calamity. See earthquakes, famines, and pestilence ravaging lands and peoples. See the destructive fury of earthquakes and landslides, of hurricanes, typhoons, and their devastation by wind and wave.
See the destructive power of weapons of war: missiles and bombs, tanks and guns, the instruments of nations warring against nations. Note the efforts of diplomacy failing over and over again, men turning from peace to war. Observe the violence practiced by men upon each other, neighbor setting upon neighbor, whether of greed, anger or simple contempt.
See the increase of iniquity in society. Behold the abounding abominations practiced by men in high places. No longer excusing but approving. No longer in hiding for shame of disapproval, but flagrantly flaunting their wickedness in public.
And what you see, looking around you, is cause to look downward.
Looking down for shame and sorrow, seeing how truth is fallen in the street and the gold become dim. Looking down for frailty and feebleness, for who can stand in such an evil day?
But the Word of your Saviour you must hear.
Look up!
Lift up your heads!
“For your redemption draweth nigh.”
See in and through all that calamity, violence, and iniquity your redemption. All these evils are the judgments of Him who sits at the right hand of God. Your Lord is busy carrying out His justice. He is at work executing His righteousness among the nations of men, to bring about His return in judgment.
In that judgment is also your salvation. The end of wickedness is your perfect righteousness. The end of destruction is your glorious deliverance. He is coming for you, to deliver you out of this present evil age. He is coming to take you to be with Him in the everlasting glory of your salvation.
Look up!
14 October 2016
“And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.” Exodus 14:27-29
Those marvelous waters of the Red Sea!
These waters had seen such working of divine power before. Before they had settled down to become the Red Sea they had been joined together with the waters that poured out of the foundations of the deep and poured out of the windows of heaven. They had been part of the vast deluge that covered the earth in the days of Noah. They had their part in cleansing that old world of its sin and sinners. They had their part in saving believing Noah and his family from the sin and sinners of that old world.
Now these waters are again called by the mighty voice of God to perform the same glorious work of salvation.
Now their duty is to stand at attention, forming with two high walls a pathway for the children of Israel to walk through. Through those waters the people of God walked on dry ground, as they looked on those watery walls with wonder and amazement. Here was their salvation. Guarded and guided by those walls, the Lord directed His redeemed people to their freedom that lay on the other side of the Red Sea.
Salvation to His people did these great waters bring!
But those same waters are also called by God to be the instrument of His awful judgment.
Down, through the midst of those same waters chased heart-hardened Pharaoh and the heart-hardened host of Egypt. Down into the division of the flood of the Red Sea Pharaoh pursued his angry vengeance against the people of God delivered by such mighty signs and wonders.
But those waters for Pharaoh and his host provided no safety and no security. For him and his they gave no path forward. Those waters were their condemnation. Those waters were their judgment, their overthrow and their death.
So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. His mighty waters covered over the chariots, and the horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh.
The very same waters!
The instrument of salvation is the very same instrument of damnation.
The waters that save Israel are the waters that destroy Egypt.
So now today is the Word of the gospel of the cross of Jesus Christ. So today is the fellowship of the church in that Word.
In that Word and in that fellowship of the Word is salvation. Salvation to bring comfort and peace. Salvation to bring hope and joy in that hope. Salvation to live and walk as the people of God in the world. Safe are they from all their enemies. Safe are they in the hands of their God.
But let the world and its children beware! Let hypocrites, the children of the flesh, and lovers of this present world beware! That same Word is a Word of rebuke, of condemnation, and everlasting judgment. In and with the salvation brought to God’s people in the world is the judgment of the world.
As we follow after that Word, finding in it our peace with God, our light and our life, let us remember that the judgment of the same Word is also our salvation. Our redemption is through judgment, our salvation in that we shall see our enemies no more.
“And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.” Exodus 14:27-29
Those marvelous waters of the Red Sea!
These waters had seen such working of divine power before. Before they had settled down to become the Red Sea they had been joined together with the waters that poured out of the foundations of the deep and poured out of the windows of heaven. They had been part of the vast deluge that covered the earth in the days of Noah. They had their part in cleansing that old world of its sin and sinners. They had their part in saving believing Noah and his family from the sin and sinners of that old world.
Now these waters are again called by the mighty voice of God to perform the same glorious work of salvation.
Now their duty is to stand at attention, forming with two high walls a pathway for the children of Israel to walk through. Through those waters the people of God walked on dry ground, as they looked on those watery walls with wonder and amazement. Here was their salvation. Guarded and guided by those walls, the Lord directed His redeemed people to their freedom that lay on the other side of the Red Sea.
Salvation to His people did these great waters bring!
But those same waters are also called by God to be the instrument of His awful judgment.
Down, through the midst of those same waters chased heart-hardened Pharaoh and the heart-hardened host of Egypt. Down into the division of the flood of the Red Sea Pharaoh pursued his angry vengeance against the people of God delivered by such mighty signs and wonders.
But those waters for Pharaoh and his host provided no safety and no security. For him and his they gave no path forward. Those waters were their condemnation. Those waters were their judgment, their overthrow and their death.
So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. His mighty waters covered over the chariots, and the horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh.
The very same waters!
The instrument of salvation is the very same instrument of damnation.
The waters that save Israel are the waters that destroy Egypt.
So now today is the Word of the gospel of the cross of Jesus Christ. So today is the fellowship of the church in that Word.
In that Word and in that fellowship of the Word is salvation. Salvation to bring comfort and peace. Salvation to bring hope and joy in that hope. Salvation to live and walk as the people of God in the world. Safe are they from all their enemies. Safe are they in the hands of their God.
But let the world and its children beware! Let hypocrites, the children of the flesh, and lovers of this present world beware! That same Word is a Word of rebuke, of condemnation, and everlasting judgment. In and with the salvation brought to God’s people in the world is the judgment of the world.
As we follow after that Word, finding in it our peace with God, our light and our life, let us remember that the judgment of the same Word is also our salvation. Our redemption is through judgment, our salvation in that we shall see our enemies no more.
28 September 2016
“The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.” Luke 11:34-36
How excellent a picture of our natures our Lord Jesus gives us in these words!
Our nature Jesus pictures as a body, an empty building that would be entirely and completely dark were it not for one window. That window is the eye. The eye is the window of the body, and whatever light is going to enter into the body, to make it full of light, must enter in through the eye.
Blessed is that body that is full of light! There is in that body joy, peace, and happiness. There is that body the consciousness of the favour and friendship of the living God. There is in that body delight and affection for God, His Word and fellowship with Him in prayer. There may be darkness all around that body, but within the light remains.
In that body there is no part that is dark. It is “as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.” There is light within, and there are no shadows to bother or trouble.
On the other hand, awful is the body that is full of darkness. There is nothing of truth, nothing reliable or faithful. Instead there are only lies and deceit. There is only horrible ignorance and groping blindness, that must lead to constant stumbling and wandering.
Why all this darkness? Because of the window that is the eye. “Thine eye is evil.”
All depends on the eye. Is the eye single, or is it evil? Is “the light that is in thee” darkness or light?
Take heed!
“Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness!”
Take heed that thine eye is not evil!
Take heed that thine eye is not directed to the darkness of evil. Take heed that thine eye does not fall upon the evil abominations of men. Take heed that thine eye is not filled with their perversions or their violence. Take heed that thy window does not look toward the pride of possessions or wealth, or the fame and glory of men. Take heed that thy vision is not directed toward seeking and finding evil in thy neighbour to feed pride and self-righteousness.
Lest the light that is in thee be darkness.
But also take heed that thine eye be single!
That is, take heed that thine eye is not compound, or manifold, that it takes in a mixture of darkness and light. Do not suppose that you can dwell upon evil and good, upon the truth and the lie, on the fear of God and the fear of man, on the love of God and the love of the world. Do not think you can meditate on kindness and cruelty, on forgiveness and vengeance, on evil and good.
For then, too, thine eye will be evil, and thy body also filled with darkness.
But let thine eye be single, and thy whole body filled with light.
Let thine dwell upon Christ, the light of God and the light of the world. Let it look upon the Word of light and truth. Let it seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness only. Let it look to whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report.
Then the “whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.”
Light to rejoice in. Light to walk in. Light to live by.
Take heed therefore!
“The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.” Luke 11:34-36
How excellent a picture of our natures our Lord Jesus gives us in these words!
Our nature Jesus pictures as a body, an empty building that would be entirely and completely dark were it not for one window. That window is the eye. The eye is the window of the body, and whatever light is going to enter into the body, to make it full of light, must enter in through the eye.
Blessed is that body that is full of light! There is in that body joy, peace, and happiness. There is that body the consciousness of the favour and friendship of the living God. There is in that body delight and affection for God, His Word and fellowship with Him in prayer. There may be darkness all around that body, but within the light remains.
In that body there is no part that is dark. It is “as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.” There is light within, and there are no shadows to bother or trouble.
On the other hand, awful is the body that is full of darkness. There is nothing of truth, nothing reliable or faithful. Instead there are only lies and deceit. There is only horrible ignorance and groping blindness, that must lead to constant stumbling and wandering.
Why all this darkness? Because of the window that is the eye. “Thine eye is evil.”
All depends on the eye. Is the eye single, or is it evil? Is “the light that is in thee” darkness or light?
Take heed!
“Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness!”
Take heed that thine eye is not evil!
Take heed that thine eye is not directed to the darkness of evil. Take heed that thine eye does not fall upon the evil abominations of men. Take heed that thine eye is not filled with their perversions or their violence. Take heed that thy window does not look toward the pride of possessions or wealth, or the fame and glory of men. Take heed that thy vision is not directed toward seeking and finding evil in thy neighbour to feed pride and self-righteousness.
Lest the light that is in thee be darkness.
But also take heed that thine eye be single!
That is, take heed that thine eye is not compound, or manifold, that it takes in a mixture of darkness and light. Do not suppose that you can dwell upon evil and good, upon the truth and the lie, on the fear of God and the fear of man, on the love of God and the love of the world. Do not think you can meditate on kindness and cruelty, on forgiveness and vengeance, on evil and good.
For then, too, thine eye will be evil, and thy body also filled with darkness.
But let thine eye be single, and thy whole body filled with light.
Let thine dwell upon Christ, the light of God and the light of the world. Let it look upon the Word of light and truth. Let it seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness only. Let it look to whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report.
Then the “whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.”
Light to rejoice in. Light to walk in. Light to live by.
Take heed therefore!
22 September 2016
“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” I Peter 1:10, 11
Wherefore, the rather, brethren!
Rather than lacking the things that pertain unto life and godliness. . . Rather than being blind, unable to see afar off . . . Rather than the forgetting we have been purged from our old sins . . . Rather than forgetting our calling and election . . .
Rather, let us give diligence. Rather, let us make our calling and election sure. Rather, let us add to our faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge temperance, to temperance patience, to patience godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity.
Let us make our calling from God’s mercy and our election by God’s grace sure. Let us make them sure through the vigorous and relentless pursuit of every good fruit of that calling and election.
Why?
So far from failing, so far from the blindness from seeing God’s kingdom, and so far from forgetting, we shall never fail.
So far from failure, an entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ shall be abundantly ministered unto us!
See it growing ever stronger! See it growing ever nearer! See it become ever clearer before your eyes! Any doubt of entering is banished. Any concern of losing your way is dismissed.
How?
We must go back to God’s calling and His election.
In His calling and election is absolute, utter certainty. His calling is almighty and powerful, the same calling that brought light out of darkness. His election is sovereign and unconditional, made before the foundation of the world without respect to anything in the creature.
That calling and election have only one, undisputed and clear end: everlasting salvation. God’s calling is unto grace and glory. His election is unto His everlasting kingdom.
These are the very fruits of that almighty calling and eternal election: faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity.
As those fruits, pursued by us and enjoyed by us, have their wonderful presence in our lives, not only does our calling and election become more sure to us, but so does their end: our entrance into the kingdom.
So let us give diligence! Let us add! Let us abound!
“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” I Peter 1:10, 11
Wherefore, the rather, brethren!
Rather than lacking the things that pertain unto life and godliness. . . Rather than being blind, unable to see afar off . . . Rather than the forgetting we have been purged from our old sins . . . Rather than forgetting our calling and election . . .
Rather, let us give diligence. Rather, let us make our calling and election sure. Rather, let us add to our faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge temperance, to temperance patience, to patience godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity.
Let us make our calling from God’s mercy and our election by God’s grace sure. Let us make them sure through the vigorous and relentless pursuit of every good fruit of that calling and election.
Why?
So far from failing, so far from the blindness from seeing God’s kingdom, and so far from forgetting, we shall never fail.
So far from failure, an entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ shall be abundantly ministered unto us!
See it growing ever stronger! See it growing ever nearer! See it become ever clearer before your eyes! Any doubt of entering is banished. Any concern of losing your way is dismissed.
How?
We must go back to God’s calling and His election.
In His calling and election is absolute, utter certainty. His calling is almighty and powerful, the same calling that brought light out of darkness. His election is sovereign and unconditional, made before the foundation of the world without respect to anything in the creature.
That calling and election have only one, undisputed and clear end: everlasting salvation. God’s calling is unto grace and glory. His election is unto His everlasting kingdom.
These are the very fruits of that almighty calling and eternal election: faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity.
As those fruits, pursued by us and enjoyed by us, have their wonderful presence in our lives, not only does our calling and election become more sure to us, but so does their end: our entrance into the kingdom.
So let us give diligence! Let us add! Let us abound!
21 September 2016
“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin.” I Peter 4:1
The Word of God announces here a powerful and clear call to arms.
There is presently a war, an ongoing battle in which you have been drafted by the grace of God. According to sovereign, divine election, through the Spirit’s work of calling you out of Satan’s kingdom and into the kingdom of the dear Son of God, you have your place on the winning side. Your side is the side of faith, the victory that overcometh the world.
But that victory is not yet won. The battle still rages. Still you must war and fight.
So, arm yourselves!
What are the armaments of this battle? What are the weapons of this warfare?
The Word of God here gives you your weapon: arm yourselves with the same mind.
Your weapon is a frame of mind. Your armaments are a certain set of thoughts. To defend your position and territory requires a mode of thinking. To emerge victorious in this fray you must adopt this viewpoint.
What is this same mind?
It is the mind of Christ, who “suffered for us in the flesh.” This is the way laid out in the previous chapter, that the Christian “suffer for well doing,” rather than “suffer for evil doing.” This is the way of Jesus’ suffering in all his life, but especially on the cross. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.”
That kind of suffering, suffering for a good end, and a good purpose, was the mind of Christ. With His holy mind, He looked for that suffering, understanding it as good and advantageous. He saw the end and goal of His suffering: the unjust brought to God, wholly reconciled to Him, and blessed in His peace with all the blessings of salvation, eternal life and glory.
With that mind must you arm yourselves.
Look to suffer. Be ready to suffer. Have the mindset of suffering.
Keep in your mind a connection between suffering and good. Have no mind for suffering for evil doing. That is no goal at all! Be of a mind to suffer for good.
With your mind remove all shame and dishonour from this suffering for good. With your mind esteem and treasure this kind of suffering, making it most honourable and delightful. Consider with your mind the example of those who suffered for good, that they were glad and rejoiced to suffer for the sake of Jesus’ name.
With your mind so armed, you will then reap the great benefit of suffering. Any and all suffering will have the powerful result that you will be freed of the greatest threat to your blessedness in God’s kingdom: the love of the world.
How the world desires to take you back into its warm, loving embrace! How the world wishes to give you its own comfort and peace, its society and culture for your rest and your hope!
But your suffering in this world gives you exactly the right mind to shun that love of the world. It cannot be your home. It cannot be your peace.
No, your home is in heaven. Your peace is in the kingdom of God. Your strength is to fight the battle of faith, the victory that overcometh the world.
So arm yourselves!
Arm yourselves with the mind of Christ!
“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin.” I Peter 4:1
The Word of God announces here a powerful and clear call to arms.
There is presently a war, an ongoing battle in which you have been drafted by the grace of God. According to sovereign, divine election, through the Spirit’s work of calling you out of Satan’s kingdom and into the kingdom of the dear Son of God, you have your place on the winning side. Your side is the side of faith, the victory that overcometh the world.
But that victory is not yet won. The battle still rages. Still you must war and fight.
So, arm yourselves!
What are the armaments of this battle? What are the weapons of this warfare?
The Word of God here gives you your weapon: arm yourselves with the same mind.
Your weapon is a frame of mind. Your armaments are a certain set of thoughts. To defend your position and territory requires a mode of thinking. To emerge victorious in this fray you must adopt this viewpoint.
What is this same mind?
It is the mind of Christ, who “suffered for us in the flesh.” This is the way laid out in the previous chapter, that the Christian “suffer for well doing,” rather than “suffer for evil doing.” This is the way of Jesus’ suffering in all his life, but especially on the cross. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.”
That kind of suffering, suffering for a good end, and a good purpose, was the mind of Christ. With His holy mind, He looked for that suffering, understanding it as good and advantageous. He saw the end and goal of His suffering: the unjust brought to God, wholly reconciled to Him, and blessed in His peace with all the blessings of salvation, eternal life and glory.
With that mind must you arm yourselves.
Look to suffer. Be ready to suffer. Have the mindset of suffering.
Keep in your mind a connection between suffering and good. Have no mind for suffering for evil doing. That is no goal at all! Be of a mind to suffer for good.
With your mind remove all shame and dishonour from this suffering for good. With your mind esteem and treasure this kind of suffering, making it most honourable and delightful. Consider with your mind the example of those who suffered for good, that they were glad and rejoiced to suffer for the sake of Jesus’ name.
With your mind so armed, you will then reap the great benefit of suffering. Any and all suffering will have the powerful result that you will be freed of the greatest threat to your blessedness in God’s kingdom: the love of the world.
How the world desires to take you back into its warm, loving embrace! How the world wishes to give you its own comfort and peace, its society and culture for your rest and your hope!
But your suffering in this world gives you exactly the right mind to shun that love of the world. It cannot be your home. It cannot be your peace.
No, your home is in heaven. Your peace is in the kingdom of God. Your strength is to fight the battle of faith, the victory that overcometh the world.
So arm yourselves!
Arm yourselves with the mind of Christ!
18 September 2016
“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet.” Revelation 1:10
Where?
Where was the apostle John? Where was the disciple that was beloved of the Lord?
There he was, in the isle of Patmos. There he was, exiled to that place for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. There he was, as “your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ,” according to the verse before.
But there he also was, “in the Spirit.”
In the Spirit, not exiled, banished away to Patmos. In the Spirit, John was in the midst of the church of Jesus Christ. In the Spirit, the apostle was one with the saints in the worship of the living God and joined in the testimony of Jesus Christ.
When?
When was this apostle in the Spirit?
He was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.”
That blessed day of days! The Lord’s Day!
This was the day of the resurrection. This was the day that Jesus arose, triumphant over death and the grave, victorious over all His enemies. This was the day of new life and light shining in the darkness. This was the day that signified newness of life and heralded the everlasting life of a new heavens and new earth, all by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
In the Spirit, on the Lord’s Day, John heard. He heard behind him “a great voice, as of a trumpet.”
He heard the voice of the Lord, whose day it was. He heard the voice of the glorified, risen and ascended Jesus Christ. He heard the voice of Him who is King of kings and Lord of Lords, who is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending.
Such is also our blessedness on this day of the Lord, in this year of the Lord.
So let us be in the Spirit. So let us be in the house of the Lord, where His voice is heard, calling us His people to Himself. So may we know our blessedness with John, “in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ.”
“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet.” Revelation 1:10
Where?
Where was the apostle John? Where was the disciple that was beloved of the Lord?
There he was, in the isle of Patmos. There he was, exiled to that place for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. There he was, as “your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ,” according to the verse before.
But there he also was, “in the Spirit.”
In the Spirit, not exiled, banished away to Patmos. In the Spirit, John was in the midst of the church of Jesus Christ. In the Spirit, the apostle was one with the saints in the worship of the living God and joined in the testimony of Jesus Christ.
When?
When was this apostle in the Spirit?
He was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.”
That blessed day of days! The Lord’s Day!
This was the day of the resurrection. This was the day that Jesus arose, triumphant over death and the grave, victorious over all His enemies. This was the day of new life and light shining in the darkness. This was the day that signified newness of life and heralded the everlasting life of a new heavens and new earth, all by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
In the Spirit, on the Lord’s Day, John heard. He heard behind him “a great voice, as of a trumpet.”
He heard the voice of the Lord, whose day it was. He heard the voice of the glorified, risen and ascended Jesus Christ. He heard the voice of Him who is King of kings and Lord of Lords, who is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending.
Such is also our blessedness on this day of the Lord, in this year of the Lord.
So let us be in the Spirit. So let us be in the house of the Lord, where His voice is heard, calling us His people to Himself. So may we know our blessedness with John, “in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ.”
September 13, 2016
“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Hebrews 11:7
By faith Noah prepared an ark!
By faith Noah poured himself into this work. He measured. He cut. He joined. He caulked and sealed. He gathered from far. He stored and saved.
Day after day. Month after month. Year after year.
This ark was his occupation. It was his life.
Forward he pushed and upward he built, despite all the shame and ridicule heaped upon him by his neighbours.
Why all this work? Why all this steadfast devotion to this ark?
By faith!
He had been “warned of God of things not seen as yet.”
There was no rain seen as yet. There was no flood seen as yet. There was no such widespread destruction seen as yet.
Onward and forward went the world. Spinning and hastening deeper and deeper into sin. Wickedness grew and abounded. Against that wickedness there was no judgment. So wicked men encouraged one another in their pursuit of rebellion against God.
But God had warned. He had told His covenant friend, Noah, what He was going to do.
Noah heard, and Noah believed in God. So he built and so he laboured.
By faith Noah “prepared an ark to the saving of his house.”
God kept His Word of judgment. He sent the rain. He broke up the great fountains of the deep. The flood of waters rose higher and higher until all things living had perished under the wrath of God.
But by the ark that he had prepared, Noah was saved and his house.
By that very same action Noah condemned the world.
The very same word that he had heard from God, the same word that he believed, he also delivered to the wicked world around him. He testified of the coming judgement, as a preacher of righteousness.
The ark also stood as a silent witness to the truth of God’s Word and the faith of Noah in that Word of God. God’s Word was a Word to be believed. God’s Word was a Word that demanded repentance from sin and obedience to the Word of God.
But as that ark rose up above the flood of waters, and as all the wicked perished beneath the ark in that flood, so they were justly condemned. Condemned were they by the flood. Condemned were they by the ark in which Noah and His house were saved. Condemned were they for their unbelief, their whole-hearted rejection of the Word of God.
The condemnation of the world in the flood must also declare the righteousness which was Noah’s by faith.
How could Noah escape? How was it that he was not drowned with the wicked world? How was it that He had an ark to flee into and to conduct his house into for safety and salvation?
Because Noah was a believer, believing the Word of God, believing to prepare an ark to the saving of his house.
As he believed, so he became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
So by faith, let us hear the Word of God. By faith let us follow the Word with all obedience. By faith let us know our place with believing Noah, heirs with him of the righteousness which is by faith. And by faith let us enjoy the salvation of our houses with us.
“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Hebrews 11:7
By faith Noah prepared an ark!
By faith Noah poured himself into this work. He measured. He cut. He joined. He caulked and sealed. He gathered from far. He stored and saved.
Day after day. Month after month. Year after year.
This ark was his occupation. It was his life.
Forward he pushed and upward he built, despite all the shame and ridicule heaped upon him by his neighbours.
Why all this work? Why all this steadfast devotion to this ark?
By faith!
He had been “warned of God of things not seen as yet.”
There was no rain seen as yet. There was no flood seen as yet. There was no such widespread destruction seen as yet.
Onward and forward went the world. Spinning and hastening deeper and deeper into sin. Wickedness grew and abounded. Against that wickedness there was no judgment. So wicked men encouraged one another in their pursuit of rebellion against God.
But God had warned. He had told His covenant friend, Noah, what He was going to do.
Noah heard, and Noah believed in God. So he built and so he laboured.
By faith Noah “prepared an ark to the saving of his house.”
God kept His Word of judgment. He sent the rain. He broke up the great fountains of the deep. The flood of waters rose higher and higher until all things living had perished under the wrath of God.
But by the ark that he had prepared, Noah was saved and his house.
By that very same action Noah condemned the world.
The very same word that he had heard from God, the same word that he believed, he also delivered to the wicked world around him. He testified of the coming judgement, as a preacher of righteousness.
The ark also stood as a silent witness to the truth of God’s Word and the faith of Noah in that Word of God. God’s Word was a Word to be believed. God’s Word was a Word that demanded repentance from sin and obedience to the Word of God.
But as that ark rose up above the flood of waters, and as all the wicked perished beneath the ark in that flood, so they were justly condemned. Condemned were they by the flood. Condemned were they by the ark in which Noah and His house were saved. Condemned were they for their unbelief, their whole-hearted rejection of the Word of God.
The condemnation of the world in the flood must also declare the righteousness which was Noah’s by faith.
How could Noah escape? How was it that he was not drowned with the wicked world? How was it that He had an ark to flee into and to conduct his house into for safety and salvation?
Because Noah was a believer, believing the Word of God, believing to prepare an ark to the saving of his house.
As he believed, so he became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
So by faith, let us hear the Word of God. By faith let us follow the Word with all obedience. By faith let us know our place with believing Noah, heirs with him of the righteousness which is by faith. And by faith let us enjoy the salvation of our houses with us.
September 9, 2016
“And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” Genesis 22:8
What a penetrating question from Abraham’s son, his only son, Isaac!
Where is it?
Here is the fire. Here is the wood. Here are the means for offering a sacrifice, taken all the way from their home to this distant mountain now looming before them.
But where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
Such a question from Isaac thrust its point deeply into his father’s heart. God’s command pointed out the sacrifice to be offered on that wood, kindled by that fire. The sacrifice was to be Abraham’s son, his only son, whom he loved.
But in Abraham’s heart, so deeply touched by his son’s question, was also the gift of faith. By faith Abraham believed the promise of God that in this son, his only son Isaac, would his seed be called.
By the promise of God’s Word, were Isaac to be offered as a burnt offering, he must also be raised from the dead. So must the Word of God stand.
So it stood for Abraham.
So Abraham might return this answer to his son’s probing query: “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.”
Yes, there must be a burnt offering!
Yes, there must be a lamb for that burnt offering!
But that lamb God would provide.
That lamb God would provide for Himself, or, to Himself. Such is clear especially in the original Hebrew.
With his answer, Abraham preached and confessed the gospel of God’s grace to Isaac his son.
No sacrifice could Abraham provide. No lamb could Isaac his son be.
What God required, that He provided. So God provided His only-begotten Son, His Son whom He loved.
With His Lamb, God provided all He required. What His Lamb the Lord provided redemption, atonement, propitiation, and reconciliation. What the sacrifice of His own Son, He provided for Himself all mercy, grace, and peace to bestow on the seed of Abraham. With the offering of the Son of His love, He obtained new life, faith, holiness, and glory for all His elect.
There is the gospel of our salvation!
There is our joy, our peace, our righteousness and life everlasting!
“God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.”
“And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” Genesis 22:8
What a penetrating question from Abraham’s son, his only son, Isaac!
Where is it?
Here is the fire. Here is the wood. Here are the means for offering a sacrifice, taken all the way from their home to this distant mountain now looming before them.
But where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
Such a question from Isaac thrust its point deeply into his father’s heart. God’s command pointed out the sacrifice to be offered on that wood, kindled by that fire. The sacrifice was to be Abraham’s son, his only son, whom he loved.
But in Abraham’s heart, so deeply touched by his son’s question, was also the gift of faith. By faith Abraham believed the promise of God that in this son, his only son Isaac, would his seed be called.
By the promise of God’s Word, were Isaac to be offered as a burnt offering, he must also be raised from the dead. So must the Word of God stand.
So it stood for Abraham.
So Abraham might return this answer to his son’s probing query: “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.”
Yes, there must be a burnt offering!
Yes, there must be a lamb for that burnt offering!
But that lamb God would provide.
That lamb God would provide for Himself, or, to Himself. Such is clear especially in the original Hebrew.
With his answer, Abraham preached and confessed the gospel of God’s grace to Isaac his son.
No sacrifice could Abraham provide. No lamb could Isaac his son be.
What God required, that He provided. So God provided His only-begotten Son, His Son whom He loved.
With His Lamb, God provided all He required. What His Lamb the Lord provided redemption, atonement, propitiation, and reconciliation. What the sacrifice of His own Son, He provided for Himself all mercy, grace, and peace to bestow on the seed of Abraham. With the offering of the Son of His love, He obtained new life, faith, holiness, and glory for all His elect.
There is the gospel of our salvation!
There is our joy, our peace, our righteousness and life everlasting!
“God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.”
6 August 2016
“When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble.” Habakkuk 3:16
What a Word from the Lord this was!
His Word the Lord spoke to His servant, the prophet Habakkuk. So had the prophet received many words and visions from the Lord. Faithfully the Lord’s servant had carried out the work of a prophet. What he received from the Lord He brought to the people. So He spoke of the Lord’s judgment in righteousness, to turn the wicked from their sins and to comfort the afflicted.
But the power of this Word of judgment was that it powerfully and deeply affected Habakkuk. His belly trembled. His stomach churned and convulsed at these tidings of judgment. He was upset deep within his bowels. At the voice of Jehovah the prophet’s lips quivered. Astonishment and great fear spread through his face. The power of speech left his lips, so that he was unable to form any words. All stability and strength fled from his bones, replaced suddenly with corruption and rottenness.
So Habakkuk trembled, shaking with fright. Fear spread throughout His body, gripping each member and robbing it of all vitality.
We might think such a powerful reaction to be simply and only that: a reaction. A reaction to the mighty and fearful Word of the Lord’s judgment. A reaction within the prophet Habakkuk, who heard the divine sentence from the lips of his holy God.
But there was far more. To this reaction there was a purpose.
What was that purpose?
“That I might rest in the day of trouble.”
Why did Habakkuk tremble in his belly? Why did his lips quiver? Why did rottenness enter into the prophet’s bones? Why did he tremble in himself?
For the sake of the day of trouble.
The day was coming when the Lord would finally execute His fearful sentence. That day of desolation and destruction would surely. The time of ruin, grief, sorrow, and heartbreak of loss would arrive. In its wake must follow only bleak despair.
Yet, for the Lord’s prophet that day was to be a day of rest. He would know deliverance in that day. He would enjoy the peace, the safety and security of salvation from the hand of His God.
How? Why?
Because at the Word of the Lord He trembled.
So must we tremble now, whenever we hear the Word of the Lord. When we hear of sin and judgment, may our bellies tremble. May our lips quiver. May rottenness enter into our bones. May we tremble in ourselves. May that fear and terror pursue us to the only refuge we have, the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So shall we rest in the day of trouble.
“When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble.” Habakkuk 3:16
What a Word from the Lord this was!
His Word the Lord spoke to His servant, the prophet Habakkuk. So had the prophet received many words and visions from the Lord. Faithfully the Lord’s servant had carried out the work of a prophet. What he received from the Lord He brought to the people. So He spoke of the Lord’s judgment in righteousness, to turn the wicked from their sins and to comfort the afflicted.
But the power of this Word of judgment was that it powerfully and deeply affected Habakkuk. His belly trembled. His stomach churned and convulsed at these tidings of judgment. He was upset deep within his bowels. At the voice of Jehovah the prophet’s lips quivered. Astonishment and great fear spread through his face. The power of speech left his lips, so that he was unable to form any words. All stability and strength fled from his bones, replaced suddenly with corruption and rottenness.
So Habakkuk trembled, shaking with fright. Fear spread throughout His body, gripping each member and robbing it of all vitality.
We might think such a powerful reaction to be simply and only that: a reaction. A reaction to the mighty and fearful Word of the Lord’s judgment. A reaction within the prophet Habakkuk, who heard the divine sentence from the lips of his holy God.
But there was far more. To this reaction there was a purpose.
What was that purpose?
“That I might rest in the day of trouble.”
Why did Habakkuk tremble in his belly? Why did his lips quiver? Why did rottenness enter into the prophet’s bones? Why did he tremble in himself?
For the sake of the day of trouble.
The day was coming when the Lord would finally execute His fearful sentence. That day of desolation and destruction would surely. The time of ruin, grief, sorrow, and heartbreak of loss would arrive. In its wake must follow only bleak despair.
Yet, for the Lord’s prophet that day was to be a day of rest. He would know deliverance in that day. He would enjoy the peace, the safety and security of salvation from the hand of His God.
How? Why?
Because at the Word of the Lord He trembled.
So must we tremble now, whenever we hear the Word of the Lord. When we hear of sin and judgment, may our bellies tremble. May our lips quiver. May rottenness enter into our bones. May we tremble in ourselves. May that fear and terror pursue us to the only refuge we have, the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So shall we rest in the day of trouble.
16 June 2016
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” John 5:24.
Packed with truth and promise is this word from our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Packed is this word with the full identification of who they are that are saved and delivered from death.
In two different ways our Lord describes them.
First, he is one who hears Jesus’ word. He speaks, and he listens. He speaks, and he attends diligently and carefully to His words, the words of the Word of God. He receives His words with all meekness and humility, willing to be instructed in it.
For with His words Jesus speaks of the Father. He tells of the Father who sent Him into the world. He tells of the Father who loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Second, then, he believes on the Father that sent Jesus and gave Him the word to speak. In the Father he puts his trust, believing the love shown him in the gift of His Son. He looks to Him for salvation, for eternal blessedness and everlasting peace.
And yet, these two are one. To hear the word of the Son is to hear the Father. To believe on the Son is to believe on the Father.
With this identification is the most glorious promise, packed also in this word.
What is the blessedness of him who hears the word that the Son speaks to them? What is the blessedness of him who believes on the Father who sent His Son?
He has everlasting life. He shall not come into condemnation. He is passed from death unto life.
This word of Jesus’ promise contains the fulness of salvation.
Here He promises freedom from condemnation. The guilt of sin is wholly removed. Sins can no longer be charged. Guilt no longer lies upon the record, upon the conscience, or upon the heart. The awful burden is gone, banished forever.
Here He promises everlasting life. Death is taken away, the wages of sin. Everlasting life and eternal glory are the declared possession of the believer. Through faith he possesses the right to everlasting life. For he hears the Word of life, and hearing the Word of life, he believes on the living God who sent the Word of life.
But even more than a promise of what shall be, here is a word that declares present possession.
He “hath everlasting life.”
He “Is passed from death unto life.”
With these words we have even more identification. The one who hears the word of the son hath everlasting life. The one that believes the Father is passed from death unto life.
With this identification we face the truth of how a person hears the word of Jesus, and how a person believes the Father who sent Him.
He hears the word of Jesus because he has everlasting life. He believes the Father who sent Him because He is passed from death unto life.
As we hear the word from our beloved Saviour, Jesus Christ, and as we believe in the Father who sent Him, let us be filled with humble wonder over the wonderful gift He has given us, the gift of everlasting life. And in that life, let us forever bless and praise the Son and the Father.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” John 5:24.
Packed with truth and promise is this word from our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Packed is this word with the full identification of who they are that are saved and delivered from death.
In two different ways our Lord describes them.
First, he is one who hears Jesus’ word. He speaks, and he listens. He speaks, and he attends diligently and carefully to His words, the words of the Word of God. He receives His words with all meekness and humility, willing to be instructed in it.
For with His words Jesus speaks of the Father. He tells of the Father who sent Him into the world. He tells of the Father who loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Second, then, he believes on the Father that sent Jesus and gave Him the word to speak. In the Father he puts his trust, believing the love shown him in the gift of His Son. He looks to Him for salvation, for eternal blessedness and everlasting peace.
And yet, these two are one. To hear the word of the Son is to hear the Father. To believe on the Son is to believe on the Father.
With this identification is the most glorious promise, packed also in this word.
What is the blessedness of him who hears the word that the Son speaks to them? What is the blessedness of him who believes on the Father who sent His Son?
He has everlasting life. He shall not come into condemnation. He is passed from death unto life.
This word of Jesus’ promise contains the fulness of salvation.
Here He promises freedom from condemnation. The guilt of sin is wholly removed. Sins can no longer be charged. Guilt no longer lies upon the record, upon the conscience, or upon the heart. The awful burden is gone, banished forever.
Here He promises everlasting life. Death is taken away, the wages of sin. Everlasting life and eternal glory are the declared possession of the believer. Through faith he possesses the right to everlasting life. For he hears the Word of life, and hearing the Word of life, he believes on the living God who sent the Word of life.
But even more than a promise of what shall be, here is a word that declares present possession.
He “hath everlasting life.”
He “Is passed from death unto life.”
With these words we have even more identification. The one who hears the word of the son hath everlasting life. The one that believes the Father is passed from death unto life.
With this identification we face the truth of how a person hears the word of Jesus, and how a person believes the Father who sent Him.
He hears the word of Jesus because he has everlasting life. He believes the Father who sent Him because He is passed from death unto life.
As we hear the word from our beloved Saviour, Jesus Christ, and as we believe in the Father who sent Him, let us be filled with humble wonder over the wonderful gift He has given us, the gift of everlasting life. And in that life, let us forever bless and praise the Son and the Father.
6 June 2016
“And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” Romans 4:19, 20
“Being not weak in faith.”
“Was strong in faith.”
What is this mighty and wonderful gift of faith? What is its real strength and its matchless power? How is it stronger than the weightiest resolution of the heart? How is it mightier than the firmest reckoning of the mind? How is it greater than the strongest impulse of the soul?
To answer the question we have to see the power of faith in its demonstration.
For that demonstration Scripture points to Abraham, the father of the faithful. His faith is the model for ours, the strength of his to show the strength of ours.
That faith and its strength is declared first in what Abraham was able to exclude from his reckoning. How was this patriarch of faith able to be so certain that he would have a son? Even more, how might he be certain that through a son begotten of him that he would become heir of the world, and a father of many nations?
Should Abraham bring into this consideration the nature of his own body? If he considered the condition and state of his body, could he be assured that he was indeed capable of begetting offspring?
Certainly not! His body was “now dead.” He was “about an hundred years old.” He was clearly and decidedly incapable of producing offspring.
There was another consideration for Abraham to reckon with: Sarah’s womb. Was his wife capable of conceiving and bearing a son?
Again, certainly not! Here as well Scripture declares the truth, speaking of “the deadness of Sara’s womb.” Her womb was dead, never having embraced and nurtured a child within. She had never conceived any children, and was now of such an age to be completely incapable.
But with these irrefutable, biblically-grounded facts and truths Abraham did not reckon. He excluded them from his consideration.
Instead he came to the glorious conclusion from his reckoning: He and Sarah would have a son, a son who would be the heir of the world, and through whom Abraham would become the father of many nations.
How? Why?
Because God had promised Abraham and Sarah a son. Because He gave them His Word. Because God had given Abraham faith to believe the promise He made.
So mighty is the Word, and so mighty is the gift of faith in that Word, that it overshadowed and overpowered the deadness of Abraham’s body and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. However close and compelling that evidence, it stood not a chance against the power of faith in the Word of the living God.
So Abraham was “strong in faith, giving glory to God.” So by faith Abraham became the heir of the world and the father of many nations.
So must we reckon, according to the same Word of God. So must we consider, according to the same gift of faith worked in us.
Let us not consider who we are or what we have done for our justification. All we must find with us is sinful, borne out of our death in trespasses and sins. The only conclusion we can draw is that we are so far from any justification. Instead we must conclude we are condemned, worthy only of everlasting punishment of hell.
Shutting the truth about ourselves completely out of our reckoning, let us rather reckon by faith in the Word of God’s promise. He promises to justify all those who trust in Him, reckoning them as righteous before Him. Let us not be weak in faith, but strong, giving glory to the God of His Word, whose promise is forever sure by His own Word, Jesus Christ.
In our justification by faith alone, may we walk as the children of Abraham, heir of the world, the father of nations, and our father by faith.
“And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” Romans 4:19, 20
“Being not weak in faith.”
“Was strong in faith.”
What is this mighty and wonderful gift of faith? What is its real strength and its matchless power? How is it stronger than the weightiest resolution of the heart? How is it mightier than the firmest reckoning of the mind? How is it greater than the strongest impulse of the soul?
To answer the question we have to see the power of faith in its demonstration.
For that demonstration Scripture points to Abraham, the father of the faithful. His faith is the model for ours, the strength of his to show the strength of ours.
That faith and its strength is declared first in what Abraham was able to exclude from his reckoning. How was this patriarch of faith able to be so certain that he would have a son? Even more, how might he be certain that through a son begotten of him that he would become heir of the world, and a father of many nations?
Should Abraham bring into this consideration the nature of his own body? If he considered the condition and state of his body, could he be assured that he was indeed capable of begetting offspring?
Certainly not! His body was “now dead.” He was “about an hundred years old.” He was clearly and decidedly incapable of producing offspring.
There was another consideration for Abraham to reckon with: Sarah’s womb. Was his wife capable of conceiving and bearing a son?
Again, certainly not! Here as well Scripture declares the truth, speaking of “the deadness of Sara’s womb.” Her womb was dead, never having embraced and nurtured a child within. She had never conceived any children, and was now of such an age to be completely incapable.
But with these irrefutable, biblically-grounded facts and truths Abraham did not reckon. He excluded them from his consideration.
Instead he came to the glorious conclusion from his reckoning: He and Sarah would have a son, a son who would be the heir of the world, and through whom Abraham would become the father of many nations.
How? Why?
Because God had promised Abraham and Sarah a son. Because He gave them His Word. Because God had given Abraham faith to believe the promise He made.
So mighty is the Word, and so mighty is the gift of faith in that Word, that it overshadowed and overpowered the deadness of Abraham’s body and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. However close and compelling that evidence, it stood not a chance against the power of faith in the Word of the living God.
So Abraham was “strong in faith, giving glory to God.” So by faith Abraham became the heir of the world and the father of many nations.
So must we reckon, according to the same Word of God. So must we consider, according to the same gift of faith worked in us.
Let us not consider who we are or what we have done for our justification. All we must find with us is sinful, borne out of our death in trespasses and sins. The only conclusion we can draw is that we are so far from any justification. Instead we must conclude we are condemned, worthy only of everlasting punishment of hell.
Shutting the truth about ourselves completely out of our reckoning, let us rather reckon by faith in the Word of God’s promise. He promises to justify all those who trust in Him, reckoning them as righteous before Him. Let us not be weak in faith, but strong, giving glory to the God of His Word, whose promise is forever sure by His own Word, Jesus Christ.
In our justification by faith alone, may we walk as the children of Abraham, heir of the world, the father of nations, and our father by faith.
2 June 2016
“To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” Romans 3:26
In these words is expressed the divine purpose of the cross of Jesus Christ.
Why did Jesus die on the cross? Why, according to the words going before, did there need to be the redemption that Jesus Christ accomplished by His death? Why did He need to make a propitiation by the shedding of His blood?
In order that God might be just.
To be sure, there was a way without that cross in which God might be just. There was a way in which God might work all His works and still be just. There was a way in which God might do all that He did and still be the righteous God.
But that was only one way: the way of the everlasting punishment of all the children of Adam
Without that redemption of Jesus’ cross God could not be just in saving anyone. Without that propitiation by the shedding of Jesus’ blood God could not be righteous in justifying anyone. He could not be just in bringing salvation to any man. He could not be righteous in bringing anyone to glory.
All must instead be declared guilty. All must instead be found worthy of everlasting punishment. All must be brought under the wrath of the living God to the eternal punishment of hell.
For God to be righteous.
For God to be just.
But now God is just when he justifies the wicked, ungodly sinner.
But now God is just, and the justifier of him that believeth on Jesus.
Because of God’s own righteousness.
Because of that righteousness given by faith of Jesus Christ.
For Jesus is the propitiation through faith in His blood. He is the one in whom all redemption is to be found. He is the righteous Son of God, very God of very God. He is the one whom God sent into the world, to be the righteous substitute for unrighteous sinners. He is the one who laid down His life and shed His precious blood on the accursed tree of the cross, to exchange His righteousness for the unrighteousness of the ungodly.
Let us therefore flee to His cross. Let us trust only in that once for all propitiatory, redeeming sacrifice.
There let us be justified by faith alone in Jesus!
And there may we rejoice in our just God, the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus!
“To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” Romans 3:26
In these words is expressed the divine purpose of the cross of Jesus Christ.
Why did Jesus die on the cross? Why, according to the words going before, did there need to be the redemption that Jesus Christ accomplished by His death? Why did He need to make a propitiation by the shedding of His blood?
In order that God might be just.
To be sure, there was a way without that cross in which God might be just. There was a way in which God might work all His works and still be just. There was a way in which God might do all that He did and still be the righteous God.
But that was only one way: the way of the everlasting punishment of all the children of Adam
Without that redemption of Jesus’ cross God could not be just in saving anyone. Without that propitiation by the shedding of Jesus’ blood God could not be righteous in justifying anyone. He could not be just in bringing salvation to any man. He could not be righteous in bringing anyone to glory.
All must instead be declared guilty. All must instead be found worthy of everlasting punishment. All must be brought under the wrath of the living God to the eternal punishment of hell.
For God to be righteous.
For God to be just.
But now God is just when he justifies the wicked, ungodly sinner.
But now God is just, and the justifier of him that believeth on Jesus.
Because of God’s own righteousness.
Because of that righteousness given by faith of Jesus Christ.
For Jesus is the propitiation through faith in His blood. He is the one in whom all redemption is to be found. He is the righteous Son of God, very God of very God. He is the one whom God sent into the world, to be the righteous substitute for unrighteous sinners. He is the one who laid down His life and shed His precious blood on the accursed tree of the cross, to exchange His righteousness for the unrighteousness of the ungodly.
Let us therefore flee to His cross. Let us trust only in that once for all propitiatory, redeeming sacrifice.
There let us be justified by faith alone in Jesus!
And there may we rejoice in our just God, the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus!
5 April 2016
“And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.” Luke 17:24, 25
How offensive and scandalous these words are!
How offensive and scandalous they are to the modern ear today!
Modernity, either in the world or in the church, finds such a presentation and teaching completely abhorrent. Hell, together with its causes, sin and God’s perfect holiness, has been consigned to the ash heap of history. The notion that people might have to suffer eternally for their sins belongs to a more barbaric, less-civilized age. If Jesus’ teachings have a divine origin, he was merely trying to teach people a truth in language they could appreciate because of its striking character. He did not really mean what he said, and a curious spectacle are those who still think that there is a hell, a God filled with wrath toward sin, guilty sinners worthy of hell, and a cross that brings forgiveness of sin and deliverance from hell. These have yet to discover the truth that God and Jesus simply love everybody, and do their best to make sure people have and do their best in this life and in the life to come, if there is such a thing.
Though that is the scandal to the modern man, it is not the true scandal of these verses. These words of Christ are sharpest, clearest, and most forceful words that argue the true existence of this place of everlasting torment. Here hell is described by the Lord of truth as the rich man experiences his submersion in the lake of fire. In his torment in hell’s flame, he fixes his whole heart and mind on one blissful possibility: that his tongue be cooled from its searing heat with only one drop of water from Lazarus’ fingertip.
Just one drop!
In fact, the truth and reality of hell and its real experience of everlasting torment are the ground for the real offense and scandal of these words of holy Scripture.
What is the true offense? What is the real scandal? What was so provoking about this parable?
Two words.
The offensive word was the first one spoken by the rich man from hell in his torment: Father!
The scandalous word was the first one spoken by Abraham from heaven, with Lazarus in his bosom: Son!
Here in the pit of hell, experiencing its awful, unrelenting and unabating torment, is a son of Abraham. He is an Israelite, one circumcised, having the law and the promises of the Scriptures. He might have thought that such was his key to heaven. Of course, he had God’s favour! Of course, he was on the way to heaven! Perhaps his confidence grew on account of his riches: surely God was blessing and prospering him on his way to heaven, giving him all these good things!
The scandal and the offense is indeed great.
For the scandal and the offense is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is that one’s ancestry according to the flesh does not entitle him to the kingdom of heaven. The gospel of Jesus Christ is that one’s riches or success by any earthly standard does not qualify him for heaven. The rich man, this son of Abraham, is in the torments of hell.
That scandal and that offense continues.
The offense of the gospel is that the poor beggar, whose comfort was the tongues of dogs cooling his inflamed sores, goes to heaven to rest in Abraham’s bosom, carried there by the angels.
The scandal and the offense of the gospel is simply God’s sovereign grace: His grace to chose, to call, to regenerate, to glorify. Without works, without running, without willing, but only of God’s mercy to poor sinners.
In that scandal and in that offense let us ever rejoice, for it means that we can be and are saved, to have our place alongside of poor Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom in heaven.
The true sons and daughters of Abraham, by faith in Christ alone.
“And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.” Luke 17:24, 25
How offensive and scandalous these words are!
How offensive and scandalous they are to the modern ear today!
Modernity, either in the world or in the church, finds such a presentation and teaching completely abhorrent. Hell, together with its causes, sin and God’s perfect holiness, has been consigned to the ash heap of history. The notion that people might have to suffer eternally for their sins belongs to a more barbaric, less-civilized age. If Jesus’ teachings have a divine origin, he was merely trying to teach people a truth in language they could appreciate because of its striking character. He did not really mean what he said, and a curious spectacle are those who still think that there is a hell, a God filled with wrath toward sin, guilty sinners worthy of hell, and a cross that brings forgiveness of sin and deliverance from hell. These have yet to discover the truth that God and Jesus simply love everybody, and do their best to make sure people have and do their best in this life and in the life to come, if there is such a thing.
Though that is the scandal to the modern man, it is not the true scandal of these verses. These words of Christ are sharpest, clearest, and most forceful words that argue the true existence of this place of everlasting torment. Here hell is described by the Lord of truth as the rich man experiences his submersion in the lake of fire. In his torment in hell’s flame, he fixes his whole heart and mind on one blissful possibility: that his tongue be cooled from its searing heat with only one drop of water from Lazarus’ fingertip.
Just one drop!
In fact, the truth and reality of hell and its real experience of everlasting torment are the ground for the real offense and scandal of these words of holy Scripture.
What is the true offense? What is the real scandal? What was so provoking about this parable?
Two words.
The offensive word was the first one spoken by the rich man from hell in his torment: Father!
The scandalous word was the first one spoken by Abraham from heaven, with Lazarus in his bosom: Son!
Here in the pit of hell, experiencing its awful, unrelenting and unabating torment, is a son of Abraham. He is an Israelite, one circumcised, having the law and the promises of the Scriptures. He might have thought that such was his key to heaven. Of course, he had God’s favour! Of course, he was on the way to heaven! Perhaps his confidence grew on account of his riches: surely God was blessing and prospering him on his way to heaven, giving him all these good things!
The scandal and the offense is indeed great.
For the scandal and the offense is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is that one’s ancestry according to the flesh does not entitle him to the kingdom of heaven. The gospel of Jesus Christ is that one’s riches or success by any earthly standard does not qualify him for heaven. The rich man, this son of Abraham, is in the torments of hell.
That scandal and that offense continues.
The offense of the gospel is that the poor beggar, whose comfort was the tongues of dogs cooling his inflamed sores, goes to heaven to rest in Abraham’s bosom, carried there by the angels.
The scandal and the offense of the gospel is simply God’s sovereign grace: His grace to chose, to call, to regenerate, to glorify. Without works, without running, without willing, but only of God’s mercy to poor sinners.
In that scandal and in that offense let us ever rejoice, for it means that we can be and are saved, to have our place alongside of poor Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom in heaven.
The true sons and daughters of Abraham, by faith in Christ alone.
23 February 2016
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.” I Corinthians 1:27-29
“And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. . . . Yet have I left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.” I Kings 19:11, 12, 18.
Choice. Select. Preferred.
We need not ponder or weigh. We need not consider before choosing or selecting.
What moves us? Why do we pick up this and not that? What do we buy and use?
The labels we see tell us.
Choice. Select. Preferred.
We want the biggest and best. We want the greatest and the most. We desire what is most attractive and what is most popular.
How would we choose the Lord’s presence? What mode would we select for His manifestation? What way would we prefer for His appearance?
A great wind, great enough to rent the mountains and break the rocks in pieces before the Lord!
An earthquake! The shaking of the earth to signify the weight of the Lord’s glory present upon the strong mountains.
A fire to signify His great holiness, burning brightly and consuming wonderfully all that is before it!
What did God choose? What did He select? What did He prefer?
A still, small voice. A mere whisper that Elijah had to strain his ears to hear.
Why?
For Elijah, and for you and me.
Because what He had to say to Elijah, He still says to you and me. And His still, small voice, matches exactly what he tells you and me.
He has left to himself seven thousand.
Seven thousand!
Seven thousand out of all the hundreds of thousands of Israel.
Not wicked King Ahab, nor wicked Queen Jezebel, nor the wicked multitudes whose knees bowed to Baal and whose mouths kissed his image.
And with that same, still, small voice He tells you and me that He has chosen a remnant according to the election of grace. He has chosen what is weak, what is base, what is despised, what is foolish and what is nothing.
He has chosen you, and He has chosen me.
Why?
“That no flesh should glory in His presence.”
No glory to us. No credit to us.
All glory to God alone!
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.” I Corinthians 1:27-29
“And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. . . . Yet have I left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.” I Kings 19:11, 12, 18.
Choice. Select. Preferred.
We need not ponder or weigh. We need not consider before choosing or selecting.
What moves us? Why do we pick up this and not that? What do we buy and use?
The labels we see tell us.
Choice. Select. Preferred.
We want the biggest and best. We want the greatest and the most. We desire what is most attractive and what is most popular.
How would we choose the Lord’s presence? What mode would we select for His manifestation? What way would we prefer for His appearance?
A great wind, great enough to rent the mountains and break the rocks in pieces before the Lord!
An earthquake! The shaking of the earth to signify the weight of the Lord’s glory present upon the strong mountains.
A fire to signify His great holiness, burning brightly and consuming wonderfully all that is before it!
What did God choose? What did He select? What did He prefer?
A still, small voice. A mere whisper that Elijah had to strain his ears to hear.
Why?
For Elijah, and for you and me.
Because what He had to say to Elijah, He still says to you and me. And His still, small voice, matches exactly what he tells you and me.
He has left to himself seven thousand.
Seven thousand!
Seven thousand out of all the hundreds of thousands of Israel.
Not wicked King Ahab, nor wicked Queen Jezebel, nor the wicked multitudes whose knees bowed to Baal and whose mouths kissed his image.
And with that same, still, small voice He tells you and me that He has chosen a remnant according to the election of grace. He has chosen what is weak, what is base, what is despised, what is foolish and what is nothing.
He has chosen you, and He has chosen me.
Why?
“That no flesh should glory in His presence.”
No glory to us. No credit to us.
All glory to God alone!
2 February 2016
“When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” John 11:4
In its surroundings, these words of Jesus sound so strange in our ears. They seem not to fit at all.
Before is a word of love. Such was the message that Martha and Mary had sent to Jesus. Just a short message, containing so few words, but every word appealed to the love Jesus had for Lazarus. Lazarus’ sisters were certain that Jesus’ great love for Lazarus would bring Him straightway to Bethany, to save from imminent death their beloved brother. “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.”
After is another word of love. These words of holy Scripture inform us of the truth of the sisters’ message. Their appeal was not vain at all. Their word was exactly right. “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.”
Why, then, did Jesus speak these words? Why then would he abide two days still in the same place where he was?
“The glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”
“This sickness is not unto death.”
So must Jesus wait. So must He wait for Lazarus even to die and to die from this sickness.
For in and through the death of Lazarus, God must and God will be glorified. In and through the death of Lazarus the Son of God must and will be glorified.
Raised from death rather than healed of sickness must be the way of Lazarus. It is for the Son of God to speak the word, “Lazarus, come forth,” and to have by that Word him that was dead come forth. It is for the Son of God to accomplish this wonder through His prayer raised to His Father in heaven. It is for the Son of God to work this mighty wonder to prove His blessed Word to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.” It is for the Son of God to do this great miracle in order to bring some to faith, and others to the council of the Jews, to arouse their deep envy and resentment.
Yes, indeed: for the glory of God and the glory of the Son of God.
But also love. Love for Lazarus. Love for Mary and Martha.
That same love that wept at Lazarus’ grave, weeping over the loss of a beloved friend, weeping with beloved and bereaved Mary and Martha, is the very same love that overcomes death and the grave in order to restore and make new. It is the love of Jesus that restores, revives, and mightily overcomes all loss and damage.
For the glory of God!
No, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”
So it is with the sickness of the beloved children of God. So it is with the death of the brothers and sisters of Christ, joint heirs with Him.
Why their sickness? Why their death?
For the glory of God, and the glory of the Son of God.
For He shall come again in power and glory. He shall come again at the sound of the last trumpet, and in the twinkling of an eye He shall raise the dead. Their bodies, ravaged by sickness and dissolved into the dust of death and the grave, shall stand again upon the earth. They shall stand freed forever from all sickness and all death, made fit for the everlasting glory of the new heavens and earth.
But also love, the same love for Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. For His love of His people, whom He loved unto death, Christ will raise them up. His love will work mightily to bring them to be with Him forever, to share in His glory. His love will work mightily to make them like Himself, like unto His glorious body.
For His love will not rest until there shines in all of His beloved the glory of God His Father.
So in all our sickness and in our death, let us rest in the love of our Saviour, to glorify God in our blessed resurrection and in our life!
“When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” John 11:4
In its surroundings, these words of Jesus sound so strange in our ears. They seem not to fit at all.
Before is a word of love. Such was the message that Martha and Mary had sent to Jesus. Just a short message, containing so few words, but every word appealed to the love Jesus had for Lazarus. Lazarus’ sisters were certain that Jesus’ great love for Lazarus would bring Him straightway to Bethany, to save from imminent death their beloved brother. “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.”
After is another word of love. These words of holy Scripture inform us of the truth of the sisters’ message. Their appeal was not vain at all. Their word was exactly right. “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.”
Why, then, did Jesus speak these words? Why then would he abide two days still in the same place where he was?
“The glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”
“This sickness is not unto death.”
So must Jesus wait. So must He wait for Lazarus even to die and to die from this sickness.
For in and through the death of Lazarus, God must and God will be glorified. In and through the death of Lazarus the Son of God must and will be glorified.
Raised from death rather than healed of sickness must be the way of Lazarus. It is for the Son of God to speak the word, “Lazarus, come forth,” and to have by that Word him that was dead come forth. It is for the Son of God to accomplish this wonder through His prayer raised to His Father in heaven. It is for the Son of God to work this mighty wonder to prove His blessed Word to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.” It is for the Son of God to do this great miracle in order to bring some to faith, and others to the council of the Jews, to arouse their deep envy and resentment.
Yes, indeed: for the glory of God and the glory of the Son of God.
But also love. Love for Lazarus. Love for Mary and Martha.
That same love that wept at Lazarus’ grave, weeping over the loss of a beloved friend, weeping with beloved and bereaved Mary and Martha, is the very same love that overcomes death and the grave in order to restore and make new. It is the love of Jesus that restores, revives, and mightily overcomes all loss and damage.
For the glory of God!
No, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”
So it is with the sickness of the beloved children of God. So it is with the death of the brothers and sisters of Christ, joint heirs with Him.
Why their sickness? Why their death?
For the glory of God, and the glory of the Son of God.
For He shall come again in power and glory. He shall come again at the sound of the last trumpet, and in the twinkling of an eye He shall raise the dead. Their bodies, ravaged by sickness and dissolved into the dust of death and the grave, shall stand again upon the earth. They shall stand freed forever from all sickness and all death, made fit for the everlasting glory of the new heavens and earth.
But also love, the same love for Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. For His love of His people, whom He loved unto death, Christ will raise them up. His love will work mightily to bring them to be with Him forever, to share in His glory. His love will work mightily to make them like Himself, like unto His glorious body.
For His love will not rest until there shines in all of His beloved the glory of God His Father.
So in all our sickness and in our death, let us rest in the love of our Saviour, to glorify God in our blessed resurrection and in our life!
25 December 2015
“When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star ,which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” Matthew 2:9, 10
Wondrous star of Bethlehem!
First it appeared to these great men when they were so very far from the little town of Bethlehem. While scanning the heavens in their own lands and countries so far away, they saw this new star gleaming with brilliance. So it announced something new, something glorious.
So they looked with awe-filled wonder. What could it mean? What did it signify?
By divine, heavenly knowledge given them they had the answer to their questions. This new star, given its place in the heavens, announced the birth of the King of the Jews.
A king whose birth was indicated by a star! What a king this must be! No king or emperor or Caesar received such heavenly recognition. Such a king born with such a star must be far greater than any earthly potentate. A heavenly star demands a heavenly king, a glorious, everlasting king, whose dominion shall never cease.
Then the star was gone, having delivered its heavenly, glorious tidings.
So these great men took their long journey, to find Him that was born King of the Jews.
At the end of their journey, they met with new amazement. In the very city of the great King whose birth the star announced, there was not one who knew. There were none who rejoiced. No one could tell them he had heard or seen Him that was “born King of the Jews.”
After meeting with such disappointment from men, what joy filled their hearts when they departed from Herod!
For there, shining again, was the star which they saw in the east!
This time that star beckoned them. This time the star led them. All the way to Bethlehem, until it came to the very place “where the young child was.”
There was the young child with Mary His mother. There was the young child, to be worshipped. There was the glorious, heavenly king of the Jews, to receive not only their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, but also the faith, hope, and love of their hearts.
This Christmas Day we have no star to lead us to Jerusalem from our land and country. We have no light in the sky to go before us to Bethlehem where we should find the young child and Mary His mother.
We have a better, clearer, sharper light. We have a more sure word of prophecy. We have the infallible Word of God.
Let us follow that Word today. Let us be led by it to Bethlehem’s manger, to see with the shepherds Mary, Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger.
And may our joy be great this Christmas Day, beholding by faith our King, our Redeemer and Saviour, born to set us free!
“When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star ,which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” Matthew 2:9, 10
Wondrous star of Bethlehem!
First it appeared to these great men when they were so very far from the little town of Bethlehem. While scanning the heavens in their own lands and countries so far away, they saw this new star gleaming with brilliance. So it announced something new, something glorious.
So they looked with awe-filled wonder. What could it mean? What did it signify?
By divine, heavenly knowledge given them they had the answer to their questions. This new star, given its place in the heavens, announced the birth of the King of the Jews.
A king whose birth was indicated by a star! What a king this must be! No king or emperor or Caesar received such heavenly recognition. Such a king born with such a star must be far greater than any earthly potentate. A heavenly star demands a heavenly king, a glorious, everlasting king, whose dominion shall never cease.
Then the star was gone, having delivered its heavenly, glorious tidings.
So these great men took their long journey, to find Him that was born King of the Jews.
At the end of their journey, they met with new amazement. In the very city of the great King whose birth the star announced, there was not one who knew. There were none who rejoiced. No one could tell them he had heard or seen Him that was “born King of the Jews.”
After meeting with such disappointment from men, what joy filled their hearts when they departed from Herod!
For there, shining again, was the star which they saw in the east!
This time that star beckoned them. This time the star led them. All the way to Bethlehem, until it came to the very place “where the young child was.”
There was the young child with Mary His mother. There was the young child, to be worshipped. There was the glorious, heavenly king of the Jews, to receive not only their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, but also the faith, hope, and love of their hearts.
This Christmas Day we have no star to lead us to Jerusalem from our land and country. We have no light in the sky to go before us to Bethlehem where we should find the young child and Mary His mother.
We have a better, clearer, sharper light. We have a more sure word of prophecy. We have the infallible Word of God.
Let us follow that Word today. Let us be led by it to Bethlehem’s manger, to see with the shepherds Mary, Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger.
And may our joy be great this Christmas Day, beholding by faith our King, our Redeemer and Saviour, born to set us free!
17 December 2015
“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy ; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 57:15
Two places!
Two places that could not be more different from each other.
One place is high and glorious. It is the place where God alone dwells. It is eternity, the place where there is no time. It is a high place. It is a holy place. It is a place that is worthy of being the habitation of God. Its dignity and glory are beyond any measure, incomprehensible to the feeble understanding of men.
What is this place? It is higher than the highest heaven, for the heaven is God’s throne, and the earth is the footstool of His feet.
This place is eternity. This place is infinity. This place is the light which no man can approach unto.
That place God calls His own. So He declares, “I dwell in the high and holy place.”
Then there is the other place.
As high as is the first place, so low is the other.
As desirable and honourable and glorious before men is the first place, so shunned and loathed by men is the second.
This second place is occupied by those who are “of a contrite and humble spirit.”
It is the place of the lowly, of the broken in heart, of the meek and the poor in spirit. It is the place of those that are afflicted and burdened. It is the place of those cast down and desolate.
That lowly, despised place is also the dwelling place of God, the high and lofty One, whose name is Holy!
Hear His Word! “I dwell . . . with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit.”
Such is His glory, to dwell with such. Such is His glory to make His abode with them, to be near and to stay near to them. His glory is to dwell with them in order to raise them up and to exalt them. There He makes them to live, reviving their spirit and reviving their heart.
Neither is His glory to revive them and then to leave, having finished His work. No, with them He continues to dwell, not only to keep them in their life, but in that life to bless them with the riches of His fellowship and His friendship.
So must we come here to dwell!
Let us be broken over our sin. Let us be desolate over our transgression. And in our contrite and humble spirits, may we know the blessed presence of our God, who dwells in the high and holy place, dwelling with us.
Our Jesus! Our Emmanuel! God with us!
“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy ; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 57:15
Two places!
Two places that could not be more different from each other.
One place is high and glorious. It is the place where God alone dwells. It is eternity, the place where there is no time. It is a high place. It is a holy place. It is a place that is worthy of being the habitation of God. Its dignity and glory are beyond any measure, incomprehensible to the feeble understanding of men.
What is this place? It is higher than the highest heaven, for the heaven is God’s throne, and the earth is the footstool of His feet.
This place is eternity. This place is infinity. This place is the light which no man can approach unto.
That place God calls His own. So He declares, “I dwell in the high and holy place.”
Then there is the other place.
As high as is the first place, so low is the other.
As desirable and honourable and glorious before men is the first place, so shunned and loathed by men is the second.
This second place is occupied by those who are “of a contrite and humble spirit.”
It is the place of the lowly, of the broken in heart, of the meek and the poor in spirit. It is the place of those that are afflicted and burdened. It is the place of those cast down and desolate.
That lowly, despised place is also the dwelling place of God, the high and lofty One, whose name is Holy!
Hear His Word! “I dwell . . . with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit.”
Such is His glory, to dwell with such. Such is His glory to make His abode with them, to be near and to stay near to them. His glory is to dwell with them in order to raise them up and to exalt them. There He makes them to live, reviving their spirit and reviving their heart.
Neither is His glory to revive them and then to leave, having finished His work. No, with them He continues to dwell, not only to keep them in their life, but in that life to bless them with the riches of His fellowship and His friendship.
So must we come here to dwell!
Let us be broken over our sin. Let us be desolate over our transgression. And in our contrite and humble spirits, may we know the blessed presence of our God, who dwells in the high and holy place, dwelling with us.
Our Jesus! Our Emmanuel! God with us!
12 December 2015
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” James 4:7,8
In these few words is declared the fundamental, spiritual movement of the Christian.
That movement is along one line, a line defined by two points. At one end of that line is the devil, and at the other end is God.
Your place is on this line, given you by God’s wonderful, saving grace.
Without that grace of God, there would be no line at all, and your place would be in the devil’s horrible circle of sin and condemnation. But the mighty grace of God that has redeemed you from Satan’s grasp also sets you on this line, and gives you this certain calling, a calling that has respect to Him as well as to His and your enemy, the devil.
Resist the devil!
Understand how much he works to take you down that line to himself. He labours constantly to draw you slowly, steadily and stealthily away from your Saviour and Redeemer. His tools are many: pride, love of the world, the snare of riches, lust for power, the fear of men, to name only a few. His goal is to put so much distance between you and God that you come wholly under his power and influence, enslaved once again to sin. Always he is there. Always he is working.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!
Raise the cloud from your mind. Clear away the fog of his temptations. See them for what they are and refuse to give in.
And he will flee from you.
Along that line he will flee, putting as much distance as he can between you and him. See him fleeing from heavenly wisdom and spiritual discernment. See him fleeing from the glory of God shown in the strength of him that resists.
Then you have the calling along that same line toward God.
Always in this life you have an awful, unwanted gap between you and God. Always that gap seems to grow. It grows when you take up your place and work in the world. It can even grow when you are engaged in holy activities. Even as you pray and read the Word of God, you can feel this distance.
Hear the Word calling you: Draw near to God!
Turn to Him in ardent seeking for Him who is your blessed Lord! Shorten the distance by pouring out your heart to your precious Saviour! Close up that gap by bringing out of your heart words of praise and exaltation to your heavenly Father!
And He will draw nigh to you.
So He also closes the distance, coming to meet you. So He draws near, to take you to Himself and to hide you under the shadow of His wings. So He comes close, to tell you that He is yours and you are His.
So resist!
So draw near!
Put the devil to flight!
And enjoy the nearness of your God!
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” James 4:7,8
In these few words is declared the fundamental, spiritual movement of the Christian.
That movement is along one line, a line defined by two points. At one end of that line is the devil, and at the other end is God.
Your place is on this line, given you by God’s wonderful, saving grace.
Without that grace of God, there would be no line at all, and your place would be in the devil’s horrible circle of sin and condemnation. But the mighty grace of God that has redeemed you from Satan’s grasp also sets you on this line, and gives you this certain calling, a calling that has respect to Him as well as to His and your enemy, the devil.
Resist the devil!
Understand how much he works to take you down that line to himself. He labours constantly to draw you slowly, steadily and stealthily away from your Saviour and Redeemer. His tools are many: pride, love of the world, the snare of riches, lust for power, the fear of men, to name only a few. His goal is to put so much distance between you and God that you come wholly under his power and influence, enslaved once again to sin. Always he is there. Always he is working.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!
Raise the cloud from your mind. Clear away the fog of his temptations. See them for what they are and refuse to give in.
And he will flee from you.
Along that line he will flee, putting as much distance as he can between you and him. See him fleeing from heavenly wisdom and spiritual discernment. See him fleeing from the glory of God shown in the strength of him that resists.
Then you have the calling along that same line toward God.
Always in this life you have an awful, unwanted gap between you and God. Always that gap seems to grow. It grows when you take up your place and work in the world. It can even grow when you are engaged in holy activities. Even as you pray and read the Word of God, you can feel this distance.
Hear the Word calling you: Draw near to God!
Turn to Him in ardent seeking for Him who is your blessed Lord! Shorten the distance by pouring out your heart to your precious Saviour! Close up that gap by bringing out of your heart words of praise and exaltation to your heavenly Father!
And He will draw nigh to you.
So He also closes the distance, coming to meet you. So He draws near, to take you to Himself and to hide you under the shadow of His wings. So He comes close, to tell you that He is yours and you are His.
So resist!
So draw near!
Put the devil to flight!
And enjoy the nearness of your God!
11 December 2015
“But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?” Luke 5:23
Which is it?
Is it easier to say, “Thy sins be forgiven thee”?
Or, is it easier to say, “Rise up and walk”?
We face a certain difficulty in these words.
If we limit ourselves to outward appearances, the answer is simple and clear. It is easier to say, “Thy sins be forgiven thee.” We might well say it. We might say it with every intention to carry out the result. We might even report once we have said it, “It is done: his sins are forgiven him.”
Easy to say, for it addresses an invisible quality. Are the man’s sins really and truly forgiven? We cannot tell.
If we stay limited to outward appearances it will be far harder to say, “Rise up and walk.” Whether such a word is true or not is immediately evident. Should such words be spoken whether or not the man rises up and walks must be their ultimate proof. Can we say such words? No, for they would immediately prove we are liars.
Far harder is it to say, “Rise up and walk.”
But let us change our viewpoint. Let us adopt a viewpoint that is spiritual. What does this same question become before the living, holy God?
Then we have a completely different answer.
Easy it is to say, “Rise up and walk.”
So much more difficult is it to say, “Thy sins be forgiven thee.”
A simple thing is it to cure a man of his paralysis in comparison to the forgiveness of sins. Far more difficult is it to separate a man from the guilt of his sins, to wash and cleanse him of them, so that he might appear before the presence of God.
It cannot be done with a word. It must be done with the cross, the accursed cross on which the Son of God must hang, offering Himself as a sacrifice to God for redemption and salvation. It must be done by God the Holy Spirit, washing that guilty, thoroughly polluted and defiled sinner of every last spot and taint of his sin with the blood of God’s precious Son.
But, we listen.
What do we hear?
We hear our Lord say first, “Thy sins be forgiven thee.”
The hardest work He did first. The greatest need He attended first.
Then he speaks again, saying the other word, “Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.”
So, “immediately he rose up before them, and took up that wherein he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.”
So we come to Him, poor, wretched, miserable and needy sinners.
So we listen.
And we hear Him say to us, “Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.”
What sweet words to enter our ears! What blessedness and joy to enter into our hearts!
Our sins are forgiven, our redemption is granted, our salvation is true.
Because our Lord has said.
9 December 2015
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Hebrews 2:14, 15
Partakers of flesh and blood!
Such is who and such is what we are, creatures of flesh and blood.
How often are we reminded of this seemingly inescapable truth!
No merely academic or intellectual matter, nor a knowledge that results from research and study is this truth.
It is forced upon us in a myriad of ways.
It comes to us in all the limitations we experience, old and young alike. How we wish we might be able to do this or that! We want to accomplish these great goals. We want to achieve these great aims. Yet we cannot. We are partakers of flesh and blood.
So easily are we injured. Cuts and bruises, scrapes and scratches we daily encounter. Some major, some minor: all require our care and attention. They all take time to heal, and some leave their trace as a scar. Growing pains the young experience. Deep aches and pains of arthritis the old must endure.
Diseases plague our bodies. The minor infirmities cause us to change our plans. The major ones make us drop our ordinary lives in order to pursue healing and recovery by many different means. Death threatens us. We feel incapable of fending it off.
One stark, clear truth is deeply impressed upon us: we are flesh and blood.
But this truth is nothing for us to deny or to fight against.
It is a powerful truth. It is even a wonderful truth.
It is wonderful because it leads us to our Savior, our mighty, glorious, wonderful Saviour.
What a Savior this is!
For “He also himself likewise took part of the same.”
He too became a partaker of flesh and blood. He did so for a very important purpose, an amazing, incredible purpose. His purpose was “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil.”
Amazing! The very weakness of our frame He took upon Himself in order to gain a mighty triumph over our great enemy, the devil. He died in weakness that He might rise in complete victory over death and the grave.
As a partaker of flesh and blood.
His victory is our freedom, because He partook of our flesh and blood. So are we freed from Satan’s dominion. Given us is sweet liberty from the fear of death. No longer are we subject to bondage.
In that freedom let us rejoice and give thanks to our dear Lord.
And in our flesh and blood may we cling to the One who partook of the same in order to rescue us.
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Hebrews 2:14, 15
Partakers of flesh and blood!
Such is who and such is what we are, creatures of flesh and blood.
How often are we reminded of this seemingly inescapable truth!
No merely academic or intellectual matter, nor a knowledge that results from research and study is this truth.
It is forced upon us in a myriad of ways.
It comes to us in all the limitations we experience, old and young alike. How we wish we might be able to do this or that! We want to accomplish these great goals. We want to achieve these great aims. Yet we cannot. We are partakers of flesh and blood.
So easily are we injured. Cuts and bruises, scrapes and scratches we daily encounter. Some major, some minor: all require our care and attention. They all take time to heal, and some leave their trace as a scar. Growing pains the young experience. Deep aches and pains of arthritis the old must endure.
Diseases plague our bodies. The minor infirmities cause us to change our plans. The major ones make us drop our ordinary lives in order to pursue healing and recovery by many different means. Death threatens us. We feel incapable of fending it off.
One stark, clear truth is deeply impressed upon us: we are flesh and blood.
But this truth is nothing for us to deny or to fight against.
It is a powerful truth. It is even a wonderful truth.
It is wonderful because it leads us to our Savior, our mighty, glorious, wonderful Saviour.
What a Savior this is!
For “He also himself likewise took part of the same.”
He too became a partaker of flesh and blood. He did so for a very important purpose, an amazing, incredible purpose. His purpose was “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil.”
Amazing! The very weakness of our frame He took upon Himself in order to gain a mighty triumph over our great enemy, the devil. He died in weakness that He might rise in complete victory over death and the grave.
As a partaker of flesh and blood.
His victory is our freedom, because He partook of our flesh and blood. So are we freed from Satan’s dominion. Given us is sweet liberty from the fear of death. No longer are we subject to bondage.
In that freedom let us rejoice and give thanks to our dear Lord.
And in our flesh and blood may we cling to the One who partook of the same in order to rescue us.
9 November 2015
“And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.” John 9:39
How great and how glorious is the judgment of Christ! He judges not after the appearance, but after the heart. His judgment is of such a kind as to overthrow the judgments of men. Men try. Men test. As they see, so they either condemn or approve. But Christ’s judgment contradicts and overcomes these judgments of men.
John 9 is a case in point.
Evident there is the judgment of men.
There was the poor blind man, blind from birth. Unable to see, he was no doubt occupied in begging as Jesus and the disciples passed by. As the disciples saw, so they judged. Not only did they see his blindness, but they also judged the cause of his blindness, some sin or another. Their question was not whether, but who. “Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?”
The disciples’ judgment mirrored that of the Pharisees, which they gave in verse 34: “Thou wast altogether born in sins, and does thou teach us?”
Over against the judgment of men upon passed upon the blind man, there was the judgment passed upon the Pharisees. What was their judgment by men? They were found upright, just, holy according to all the law of God. They received high honour and praise of men, given such understanding and knowledge of the law of God. They enjoyed their lofty position in society, being called of men, “Rabbi, Rabbi.” What insights and understanding they had! Their sight was great indeed, according to the judgment of men.
Such are the judgments of men. Such tend to be our judgments, judging according to sight, not according to truth.
But what is Jesus’ judgment? Why did He come into the world?
“That they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.”
Who saw? Who was blind? Let us hear what each say about Jesus.
Let us hear the Pharisees’ judgment. Let us hear it in connection with the oath that they administer to the blind man, for his testimony.
“Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.” (verse 24)
Let us then hear the testimony of the blind man.
“He is a prophet.” (verse 17)
“If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.” (verse 33)
When Jesus found him afterward He asked him, “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” The blind man’s answer? “Lord, I believe.”
Such is the judgment, the judgment that Christ brought with Him, righteous, glorious, true judgment!
So let us follow His judgment of light, fleeing from the judgments of men. So let us repent of our blindness, the folly we pursue in our own, sin-darkened judgment. Let us follow after the judgment of Christ alone. Let us look upon Him, the true, blessed and glorious light of the world! Seeing the glory of His righteousness, let us trust it alone for our justification before God. And in His light, let us walk to the glory and praise of Him who has opened our eyes to see Him.
“And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.” John 9:39
How great and how glorious is the judgment of Christ! He judges not after the appearance, but after the heart. His judgment is of such a kind as to overthrow the judgments of men. Men try. Men test. As they see, so they either condemn or approve. But Christ’s judgment contradicts and overcomes these judgments of men.
John 9 is a case in point.
Evident there is the judgment of men.
There was the poor blind man, blind from birth. Unable to see, he was no doubt occupied in begging as Jesus and the disciples passed by. As the disciples saw, so they judged. Not only did they see his blindness, but they also judged the cause of his blindness, some sin or another. Their question was not whether, but who. “Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?”
The disciples’ judgment mirrored that of the Pharisees, which they gave in verse 34: “Thou wast altogether born in sins, and does thou teach us?”
Over against the judgment of men upon passed upon the blind man, there was the judgment passed upon the Pharisees. What was their judgment by men? They were found upright, just, holy according to all the law of God. They received high honour and praise of men, given such understanding and knowledge of the law of God. They enjoyed their lofty position in society, being called of men, “Rabbi, Rabbi.” What insights and understanding they had! Their sight was great indeed, according to the judgment of men.
Such are the judgments of men. Such tend to be our judgments, judging according to sight, not according to truth.
But what is Jesus’ judgment? Why did He come into the world?
“That they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.”
Who saw? Who was blind? Let us hear what each say about Jesus.
Let us hear the Pharisees’ judgment. Let us hear it in connection with the oath that they administer to the blind man, for his testimony.
“Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.” (verse 24)
Let us then hear the testimony of the blind man.
“He is a prophet.” (verse 17)
“If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.” (verse 33)
When Jesus found him afterward He asked him, “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” The blind man’s answer? “Lord, I believe.”
Such is the judgment, the judgment that Christ brought with Him, righteous, glorious, true judgment!
So let us follow His judgment of light, fleeing from the judgments of men. So let us repent of our blindness, the folly we pursue in our own, sin-darkened judgment. Let us follow after the judgment of Christ alone. Let us look upon Him, the true, blessed and glorious light of the world! Seeing the glory of His righteousness, let us trust it alone for our justification before God. And in His light, let us walk to the glory and praise of Him who has opened our eyes to see Him.
4 November 2015
“The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.” Proverb 10:16
How sharp and strong is the division here declared!
To be sure, the chief division found in this Word of God is the fundamental divide between the righteous and the wicked. This is the fundament point that this holy book of the Bible constantly teaches. True wisdom always seeks to understand this difference. What is righteousness and what is wickedness? Who are the righteous and who are the wicked? Whose company to seek and keep? Whose company to avoid and shun? Who to be? Who not to be?
Which brings us to the second point of division in this proverb: why not be wicked? Why be righteous?
Everything that attends the way of the wicked carries with it the wrath of God. Everything about the wicked is filled with their iniquities and sins. Under the judgment and condemnation of God, their way is simply the way of destruction. One is not to be deceived by all that the wicked have and enjoy. All that they have are means and ways of their own destruction. For that reason they and their ways are never to be envied, but always to be avoided.
On the other side is the way of the righteous. Their way is the way of life. It is the way of God’s blessings and the enjoyment of His goodness. It is the way that is bathed in the light of God’s fellowship and friendship. It is the way of peace that brings great confidence as one lives in the midst of the world that belongs to His God. It is the way of reconciliation with God, through the blood of Jesus, being redeemed by His precious blood into the kingdom of heaven. It is the way of walking in the sanctification of the Holy Spirit of Christ.
When we see that difference between the righteous and the wicked in their ways, then we can well understand the third point of division in this proverb.
That point is the difference between the labour of the righteous and the fruit of the wicked.
The wicked have finished their labour. They have planned, establishing their goals. They have exercised their care and their strength according to their plans. They met with success in those labours. Now they enjoy their fruit. They eat. They drink. They are filled, happy and content.
But where does that fruit tend? Is it good? Is it healthy for them? Does it make them better?
Not at all! It tendeth toward sin. By the enjoyment of that fruit they harden themselves in their sinful ways. They find reward in their evil. So they keep on in their sinful ways, finding in their fruit cause to deny the impending wrath of God upon them.
Then there are the righteous. They have their plans and their goals. But they do not as yet have any fruit for their labours and efforts. But in the midst of their pursuits and in the way of their labour they enjoy great blessedness. Their labour itself tendeth to life. Whether their labour meets with success, it does not matter. Whether their plans are fruitful, it makes no difference. Their way is the way of life. In that way, they enjoy the goodness of God that has given them their labour. They enjoy using the strength for which they have prayed, and have received. They enjoy the path of that labour that is under the grace of their God, the path that leads to eternal life.
So let us rejoice in our labour this day. Righteous before our God with the righteousness of Christ, and walking after the Spirit, let us labour in the labour that tendeth to life. Let us never envy the fruit of the wicked, that tendeth always to sin.
“The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.” Proverb 10:16
How sharp and strong is the division here declared!
To be sure, the chief division found in this Word of God is the fundamental divide between the righteous and the wicked. This is the fundament point that this holy book of the Bible constantly teaches. True wisdom always seeks to understand this difference. What is righteousness and what is wickedness? Who are the righteous and who are the wicked? Whose company to seek and keep? Whose company to avoid and shun? Who to be? Who not to be?
Which brings us to the second point of division in this proverb: why not be wicked? Why be righteous?
Everything that attends the way of the wicked carries with it the wrath of God. Everything about the wicked is filled with their iniquities and sins. Under the judgment and condemnation of God, their way is simply the way of destruction. One is not to be deceived by all that the wicked have and enjoy. All that they have are means and ways of their own destruction. For that reason they and their ways are never to be envied, but always to be avoided.
On the other side is the way of the righteous. Their way is the way of life. It is the way of God’s blessings and the enjoyment of His goodness. It is the way that is bathed in the light of God’s fellowship and friendship. It is the way of peace that brings great confidence as one lives in the midst of the world that belongs to His God. It is the way of reconciliation with God, through the blood of Jesus, being redeemed by His precious blood into the kingdom of heaven. It is the way of walking in the sanctification of the Holy Spirit of Christ.
When we see that difference between the righteous and the wicked in their ways, then we can well understand the third point of division in this proverb.
That point is the difference between the labour of the righteous and the fruit of the wicked.
The wicked have finished their labour. They have planned, establishing their goals. They have exercised their care and their strength according to their plans. They met with success in those labours. Now they enjoy their fruit. They eat. They drink. They are filled, happy and content.
But where does that fruit tend? Is it good? Is it healthy for them? Does it make them better?
Not at all! It tendeth toward sin. By the enjoyment of that fruit they harden themselves in their sinful ways. They find reward in their evil. So they keep on in their sinful ways, finding in their fruit cause to deny the impending wrath of God upon them.
Then there are the righteous. They have their plans and their goals. But they do not as yet have any fruit for their labours and efforts. But in the midst of their pursuits and in the way of their labour they enjoy great blessedness. Their labour itself tendeth to life. Whether their labour meets with success, it does not matter. Whether their plans are fruitful, it makes no difference. Their way is the way of life. In that way, they enjoy the goodness of God that has given them their labour. They enjoy using the strength for which they have prayed, and have received. They enjoy the path of that labour that is under the grace of their God, the path that leads to eternal life.
So let us rejoice in our labour this day. Righteous before our God with the righteousness of Christ, and walking after the Spirit, let us labour in the labour that tendeth to life. Let us never envy the fruit of the wicked, that tendeth always to sin.
29 October 2015
“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” John 15:15, 16
What blessedness our Saviour declares to us in these verses!
First, the Son of God tells us who we are before Him.
How wonderful it is even to be the servants of Jesus! There is in that word the comfort and the blessedness of belonging to our faithful Saviour, Jesus Christ. He is the one that Has redeemed us from the tyranny of the devil and from the guilt and bondage of our sin, that we should belong to Him forever, in life and in death. Freed to be His servants, we belong to His blessed household, and that we live, walk, and serve under His blessed protection and by His abundant provision.
But our Lord tells us here we have far, far more.
A servant is not privy to what his lord is doing. His lord does not share with him his plans and determinations. The servant’s lord does not draw him into his inner circle, where he makes his plans and seeks the understanding and knowledge of those close to him. Those privileges belong to friends.
But here our Lord tells us that He calls us His friends! We are in that circle of friendship. He becomes intimate with us. He shares with us His counsels and determinations. He makes known to us His plans and purposes.
Then follows the proof of that friendship.
How do we know that we are the friends of Jesus?
Because He tells us: “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.”
What a knowledge to keep and what a treasure to safeguard! Sovereign, unconditional, eternal election! So intimate is this knowledge, we could never come to it by our own seeking and by our own study. We always say we chose. So to demonstrate His friendship He tells us that, no, we did not choose Him, but He chose us.
In this very statement, given as proof of Jesus’ friendship, we also have the greatness and the depth of His friendship. That choice He made of us also speaks of the greatness of His love in that friendship. He chose us, to lay down His life for us, His friends. His choice, eternal and sovereign, came at this great cost to Himself.
In His friendship with us, our Saviour goes a step further, to give us even more knowledge about what He does.
He tells us the reason why He chose us.
“That ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”
Purpose upon purpose, reason upon reason we have in these words!
Not only that we should go and bring forth fruit has he chosen us, but also that our fruit should remain. That we should be fruitful in this life, and that our fruit should remain forever and ever in the blessedness of the everlasting kingdom of God! That we should have an abundance of good works in all our lives, and that those good works should follow us into our heavenly reward. All this is ours by His choice of us, to make us His friends.
Then this purpose: “that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
To ask to be fruitful of the Father and to ask in Jesus name, such is our privilege by the friendship of Jesus! In His friendship He chose us. In His friendship He makes us know He chose us. In His friendship He gives us the reason. And in His friendship He takes us with Him to our heavenly Father, to ask all we need in the name of our Friend.
What blessedness is ours from our blessed, sovereign Friend! May we rejoice in those blessings and exercise ourselves in them every day, to the glory of our Friend who has chosen us!
“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” John 15:15, 16
What blessedness our Saviour declares to us in these verses!
First, the Son of God tells us who we are before Him.
How wonderful it is even to be the servants of Jesus! There is in that word the comfort and the blessedness of belonging to our faithful Saviour, Jesus Christ. He is the one that Has redeemed us from the tyranny of the devil and from the guilt and bondage of our sin, that we should belong to Him forever, in life and in death. Freed to be His servants, we belong to His blessed household, and that we live, walk, and serve under His blessed protection and by His abundant provision.
But our Lord tells us here we have far, far more.
A servant is not privy to what his lord is doing. His lord does not share with him his plans and determinations. The servant’s lord does not draw him into his inner circle, where he makes his plans and seeks the understanding and knowledge of those close to him. Those privileges belong to friends.
But here our Lord tells us that He calls us His friends! We are in that circle of friendship. He becomes intimate with us. He shares with us His counsels and determinations. He makes known to us His plans and purposes.
Then follows the proof of that friendship.
How do we know that we are the friends of Jesus?
Because He tells us: “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.”
What a knowledge to keep and what a treasure to safeguard! Sovereign, unconditional, eternal election! So intimate is this knowledge, we could never come to it by our own seeking and by our own study. We always say we chose. So to demonstrate His friendship He tells us that, no, we did not choose Him, but He chose us.
In this very statement, given as proof of Jesus’ friendship, we also have the greatness and the depth of His friendship. That choice He made of us also speaks of the greatness of His love in that friendship. He chose us, to lay down His life for us, His friends. His choice, eternal and sovereign, came at this great cost to Himself.
In His friendship with us, our Saviour goes a step further, to give us even more knowledge about what He does.
He tells us the reason why He chose us.
“That ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”
Purpose upon purpose, reason upon reason we have in these words!
Not only that we should go and bring forth fruit has he chosen us, but also that our fruit should remain. That we should be fruitful in this life, and that our fruit should remain forever and ever in the blessedness of the everlasting kingdom of God! That we should have an abundance of good works in all our lives, and that those good works should follow us into our heavenly reward. All this is ours by His choice of us, to make us His friends.
Then this purpose: “that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
To ask to be fruitful of the Father and to ask in Jesus name, such is our privilege by the friendship of Jesus! In His friendship He chose us. In His friendship He makes us know He chose us. In His friendship He gives us the reason. And in His friendship He takes us with Him to our heavenly Father, to ask all we need in the name of our Friend.
What blessedness is ours from our blessed, sovereign Friend! May we rejoice in those blessings and exercise ourselves in them every day, to the glory of our Friend who has chosen us!
18 October 2015, The Lord’s Day
“Have mercy upon me, O Lord; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death: That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.” Psalm 9:13, 14
What a blessed privilege is ours, to call upon the Lord our God as the God of all mercy to us!
And mercy upon mercy!
The Psalmist David leads us in prayer for mercy. He spoke to the Lord of his present situation, the trouble that he suffered of those that hated him. They surrounded him with their strength and cunning, with their superiority in numbers. Their hearts were filled with pure hatred for the Lord’s servant. Out of that hatred they sought his complete destruction. They had nothing but contempt for his life, and wanted him gone from the face of the earth.
Knowing that he had no power in himself for deliverance, David looked to the Lord for His mercy. He looked to the Lord to reach down to Him, to deliver him by His power and might from the hand of his hateful enemies.
For this mercy, David then set before the Lord the reason. The Lord had shown David the same mercy before. The Lord before lifted him up from the gates of death. David had been in the same situation, at the very gates of death. His death was imminent. He was dragged down to its mighty gates. Then the Lord brought David up in a glorious, merciful deliverance.
So David applies on the basis of past mercy, for the sake of God’s unfailing mercies, to show His servant mercy again.
So David leads us. So must we look and seek to God’s mercy always, and to be assured of that mercy according to the excellency of God’s everlasting and unfailing goodness.
But the Psalmist also looked forward. Looking ahead he also gave a wonderful reason for his request for mercy.
For the church!
His desire was to be brought out of the gates of death to the gates of the daughter of Zion. He desired the mercy of God to bring Him out of death to the fellowship and friendship of God’s people. He wanted to tell to them what great things the Lord had done for him. He wanted to related the power and might of God’s mercy to the congregation, that they together might praise the name of the Lord. Out of his anticipated joy in his deliverance, He longed to tell the people of God of his great salvation. So he desired that they rejoice together in the salvation of their God.
May that desire bring us to the gates of the daughter of Zion today!
As we have sought from the Lord His mercy, shown to us poor sinners, may such be our aim. As we have prayed for His mercy to pardon our transgressions, may such be our goal. As we have sought deliverance from all our pains, sorrows, and difficulties, may this be our great desire.
That we might show forth the praises of our God in the gates of the daughter of Zion, together to rejoice in the salvation of our God.
So may we find this desire of our heart realized today, when we come to the house of our God. So may we rejoice together to hear the wonder of that mercy of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. So may we together praise the Lord our God, for His unfailing mercies to us His people.
“Have mercy upon me, O Lord; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death: That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.” Psalm 9:13, 14
What a blessed privilege is ours, to call upon the Lord our God as the God of all mercy to us!
And mercy upon mercy!
The Psalmist David leads us in prayer for mercy. He spoke to the Lord of his present situation, the trouble that he suffered of those that hated him. They surrounded him with their strength and cunning, with their superiority in numbers. Their hearts were filled with pure hatred for the Lord’s servant. Out of that hatred they sought his complete destruction. They had nothing but contempt for his life, and wanted him gone from the face of the earth.
Knowing that he had no power in himself for deliverance, David looked to the Lord for His mercy. He looked to the Lord to reach down to Him, to deliver him by His power and might from the hand of his hateful enemies.
For this mercy, David then set before the Lord the reason. The Lord had shown David the same mercy before. The Lord before lifted him up from the gates of death. David had been in the same situation, at the very gates of death. His death was imminent. He was dragged down to its mighty gates. Then the Lord brought David up in a glorious, merciful deliverance.
So David applies on the basis of past mercy, for the sake of God’s unfailing mercies, to show His servant mercy again.
So David leads us. So must we look and seek to God’s mercy always, and to be assured of that mercy according to the excellency of God’s everlasting and unfailing goodness.
But the Psalmist also looked forward. Looking ahead he also gave a wonderful reason for his request for mercy.
For the church!
His desire was to be brought out of the gates of death to the gates of the daughter of Zion. He desired the mercy of God to bring Him out of death to the fellowship and friendship of God’s people. He wanted to tell to them what great things the Lord had done for him. He wanted to related the power and might of God’s mercy to the congregation, that they together might praise the name of the Lord. Out of his anticipated joy in his deliverance, He longed to tell the people of God of his great salvation. So he desired that they rejoice together in the salvation of their God.
May that desire bring us to the gates of the daughter of Zion today!
As we have sought from the Lord His mercy, shown to us poor sinners, may such be our aim. As we have prayed for His mercy to pardon our transgressions, may such be our goal. As we have sought deliverance from all our pains, sorrows, and difficulties, may this be our great desire.
That we might show forth the praises of our God in the gates of the daughter of Zion, together to rejoice in the salvation of our God.
So may we find this desire of our heart realized today, when we come to the house of our God. So may we rejoice together to hear the wonder of that mercy of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. So may we together praise the Lord our God, for His unfailing mercies to us His people.
3 October 2015
“So when the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.” John 4:40-42
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should no perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16
It is truly amazing to think that the wonderful word of Jesus to Nicodemus in John 3:16 is fulfilled and realized in the very next chapter.
Is Jesus the Saviour of the world? Is the gift of His Son proof indeed that He loves the world, saving the world through Him?
Look no further than the very next chapter, where Jesus saves these Samaritans.
For time out of mind these Samaritans had been excluded from the worship and service of the Lord, the God of Israel. So great was the prejudice against them by the Jews, that their worst insults and vilest reproaches were saved for them. One of the Jews greatest insults they used against Jesus, when they called him a Samaritan, John 8:48.
The Samaritans were a mixed people. They were partly Jews, and partly of other nations, from the days of the kings of Assyria to the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, when many Jews of the returned captivity intermarried with the people already there. Being rejected of the Jews, they formed their own distorted worship of the Lord, building a temple for their own use on Mt. Gerizim, as a rival to the Jews’ temple in Jerusalem.
This embittered prejudice was the reason for the astonishment of the Samaritan woman that Jesus opened His mouth to speak to her. Imagine the further astonishment of both the townspeople and the disciples when Jesus remained with them two days. Over those two days He taught and preached to these Samaritans. So they believed. Out of their faith they gave this glorious confession.
“This is indeed the Christ, The Saviour of the world.”
How could they make this confession? How could they state it for a fact?
Because these Samaritans of Sychar heard Jesus preach. Because they believed on Him because of His word.
So we hear His Word, proclaimed to us. So we believe that Word that saves us from our sins. So must we also confess that this Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
Let us not wait to see. Let us not wait to see whether all or most of the world is saved. Let us not wait to see whether or not multitudes from the nations come to repent of their sin and believe on Christ. Let us not wait to see if revivals sweep through so many lands.
Jesus was the Christ, the Saviour of the world, when He saved these Samaritans.
Jesus is the Christ, the Saviour of the world, when He comes to us who are not of the Jews, and saves us by His Word and Spirit.
For this is our Saviour, the Saviour of the world, the Saviour whose salvation knows no boundary established among men. Let us rejoice in Him and give Him glory for His mighty salvation that reaches so far, even to us!
“So when the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.” John 4:40-42
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should no perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16
It is truly amazing to think that the wonderful word of Jesus to Nicodemus in John 3:16 is fulfilled and realized in the very next chapter.
Is Jesus the Saviour of the world? Is the gift of His Son proof indeed that He loves the world, saving the world through Him?
Look no further than the very next chapter, where Jesus saves these Samaritans.
For time out of mind these Samaritans had been excluded from the worship and service of the Lord, the God of Israel. So great was the prejudice against them by the Jews, that their worst insults and vilest reproaches were saved for them. One of the Jews greatest insults they used against Jesus, when they called him a Samaritan, John 8:48.
The Samaritans were a mixed people. They were partly Jews, and partly of other nations, from the days of the kings of Assyria to the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, when many Jews of the returned captivity intermarried with the people already there. Being rejected of the Jews, they formed their own distorted worship of the Lord, building a temple for their own use on Mt. Gerizim, as a rival to the Jews’ temple in Jerusalem.
This embittered prejudice was the reason for the astonishment of the Samaritan woman that Jesus opened His mouth to speak to her. Imagine the further astonishment of both the townspeople and the disciples when Jesus remained with them two days. Over those two days He taught and preached to these Samaritans. So they believed. Out of their faith they gave this glorious confession.
“This is indeed the Christ, The Saviour of the world.”
How could they make this confession? How could they state it for a fact?
Because these Samaritans of Sychar heard Jesus preach. Because they believed on Him because of His word.
So we hear His Word, proclaimed to us. So we believe that Word that saves us from our sins. So must we also confess that this Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
Let us not wait to see. Let us not wait to see whether all or most of the world is saved. Let us not wait to see whether or not multitudes from the nations come to repent of their sin and believe on Christ. Let us not wait to see if revivals sweep through so many lands.
Jesus was the Christ, the Saviour of the world, when He saved these Samaritans.
Jesus is the Christ, the Saviour of the world, when He comes to us who are not of the Jews, and saves us by His Word and Spirit.
For this is our Saviour, the Saviour of the world, the Saviour whose salvation knows no boundary established among men. Let us rejoice in Him and give Him glory for His mighty salvation that reaches so far, even to us!
27 September 2015, The Lord’s Day
“Take heed to thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” 1 Timothy 4:16
Timothy, save thyself!
Save thyself from thy sins, and from the wrath that is to come! Save thyself to the possession of everlasting righteousness and blessed membership in the kingdom of heaven! Save thyself from the condemnation of God, and to the saving fellowship and communion of thy heavenly Father!
And, Timothy, save them that hear thee!
Have them enjoy with thee the same salvation! Make sure that they possess the same pardon of sin and the same saving fellowship with God their Father!
How?
How is Timothy to save Himself? How is Timothy to save those that hear him?
How is the minister of the gospel to save himself? How is the minister of the gospel to save them that hear him?
By taking heed to himself, the thoughts of his heart and the manner of his life. By taking heed unto the doctrine. And by such taking of heed, so must the minister of the gospel continue in them. That is He must continue on in the doctrines of the holy Word of God. He must not forsake them, either by departing from them or twisting them to his preference or liking. He must remain faithful to them, preaching and teaching them. By the preaching and teaching of those doctrines Timothy was to save himself and them that heard him.
Such is the blessed transaction we look for on this Sabbath Day.
We look for the Lord’s servant to bring to us the doctrine to which he has taken heed. We look for him to preach to us the truth in which he has continued. We look for him to save us who hear him, by his preaching of the truth of the Scriptures. So we pray for him, that God by His grace and Spirit will strengthen him to continue in those doctrines before us, to fill our ears and hearts with the knowledge of the living God and the riches of His grace to us in Christ. So we come to the preaching to hear the doctrine that saves us and our children.
And in that expectation we also save our minister. We expect, and require of him, that he continue in the doctrine that saves us. And as he continues by the grace of God, according to our expectation of him, he saves himself.
So may we this Lord’s Day witness our own salvation and the salvation of the Lord’s servants, as we continue together in the doctrine of His Word, taking heed!
“Take heed to thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” 1 Timothy 4:16
Timothy, save thyself!
Save thyself from thy sins, and from the wrath that is to come! Save thyself to the possession of everlasting righteousness and blessed membership in the kingdom of heaven! Save thyself from the condemnation of God, and to the saving fellowship and communion of thy heavenly Father!
And, Timothy, save them that hear thee!
Have them enjoy with thee the same salvation! Make sure that they possess the same pardon of sin and the same saving fellowship with God their Father!
How?
How is Timothy to save Himself? How is Timothy to save those that hear him?
How is the minister of the gospel to save himself? How is the minister of the gospel to save them that hear him?
By taking heed to himself, the thoughts of his heart and the manner of his life. By taking heed unto the doctrine. And by such taking of heed, so must the minister of the gospel continue in them. That is He must continue on in the doctrines of the holy Word of God. He must not forsake them, either by departing from them or twisting them to his preference or liking. He must remain faithful to them, preaching and teaching them. By the preaching and teaching of those doctrines Timothy was to save himself and them that heard him.
Such is the blessed transaction we look for on this Sabbath Day.
We look for the Lord’s servant to bring to us the doctrine to which he has taken heed. We look for him to preach to us the truth in which he has continued. We look for him to save us who hear him, by his preaching of the truth of the Scriptures. So we pray for him, that God by His grace and Spirit will strengthen him to continue in those doctrines before us, to fill our ears and hearts with the knowledge of the living God and the riches of His grace to us in Christ. So we come to the preaching to hear the doctrine that saves us and our children.
And in that expectation we also save our minister. We expect, and require of him, that he continue in the doctrine that saves us. And as he continues by the grace of God, according to our expectation of him, he saves himself.
So may we this Lord’s Day witness our own salvation and the salvation of the Lord’s servants, as we continue together in the doctrine of His Word, taking heed!
September 26, 2015
“Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:21
So they say, and so easy is it for us to listen and to look.
Lo here! Lo there!
So they say: This is the day and this is the hour. Look at this individual and that individual. Look at this movement. Look at that church, that assembly, that fellowship. See this man that has so many in his church and has seed-churches springing up everywhere. See that woman whose books are selling by the tens of thousands, and is viewed daily by hundreds of thousands. Look to that man whose coming is heralded by nations and trumpeted on television, who has the respect of presidents and world leaders, received into their company as a mighty and glorious peer?
Shall we look? Shall we listen? Shall we agree? Yes, there is the kingdom of God! Lo, here! Lo, there!
Not at all, not a look, not even a glance!
There is not the kingdom of God, but only the vain pretention of men. There is not the kingdom of heaven, but only an idolatrous replica, a contrived distraction.
Follow the direction given by Jesus: Behold!
“For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”
What blessed, glad, glorious news this is!
Not outwardly, where movements come and go, where men and women rise and fall, where outward institutions become corrupt and subverted. Not outwardly, by numbers, polls, or policies enacted and enforced.
Within you, where thieves cannot break through nor steal, where loss and violence cannot enter, where the hand of man cannot reach and take away.
Within you, within your heart. For peace, for joy, for assurance and confidence, for abiding comfort and sure hope.
For in our hearts is where our King works the true power of His kingdom. There He breaks the wretched tyranny of sin and unbelief, placing His blessed throne of grace. There He builds His rule of sweet grace, turning the will to Him, to seek His kingdom and His righteousness. That will He satisfies with His own wonderful Presence by His Spirit, giving true peace and rest within.
Let us follow this Word of our Saviour. Let us rejoice to know its reality within, in our hearts. May we eagerly hope for its fullness, when we see our dear Lord face to face in the wonder of His perfected Kingdom.
“Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:21
So they say, and so easy is it for us to listen and to look.
Lo here! Lo there!
So they say: This is the day and this is the hour. Look at this individual and that individual. Look at this movement. Look at that church, that assembly, that fellowship. See this man that has so many in his church and has seed-churches springing up everywhere. See that woman whose books are selling by the tens of thousands, and is viewed daily by hundreds of thousands. Look to that man whose coming is heralded by nations and trumpeted on television, who has the respect of presidents and world leaders, received into their company as a mighty and glorious peer?
Shall we look? Shall we listen? Shall we agree? Yes, there is the kingdom of God! Lo, here! Lo, there!
Not at all, not a look, not even a glance!
There is not the kingdom of God, but only the vain pretention of men. There is not the kingdom of heaven, but only an idolatrous replica, a contrived distraction.
Follow the direction given by Jesus: Behold!
“For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”
What blessed, glad, glorious news this is!
Not outwardly, where movements come and go, where men and women rise and fall, where outward institutions become corrupt and subverted. Not outwardly, by numbers, polls, or policies enacted and enforced.
Within you, where thieves cannot break through nor steal, where loss and violence cannot enter, where the hand of man cannot reach and take away.
Within you, within your heart. For peace, for joy, for assurance and confidence, for abiding comfort and sure hope.
For in our hearts is where our King works the true power of His kingdom. There He breaks the wretched tyranny of sin and unbelief, placing His blessed throne of grace. There He builds His rule of sweet grace, turning the will to Him, to seek His kingdom and His righteousness. That will He satisfies with His own wonderful Presence by His Spirit, giving true peace and rest within.
Let us follow this Word of our Saviour. Let us rejoice to know its reality within, in our hearts. May we eagerly hope for its fullness, when we see our dear Lord face to face in the wonder of His perfected Kingdom.
25 September 2015
“And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” Luke 16:15
What words of condemnation Christ spoke to these Pharisees!
Who were these Pharisees? What had they done? The Word of God in the verse before tells us simply that the Pharisees were covetous. Out of their covetousness they sneered at the words spoken by Christ, so that they derided Him. They personally attacked Him with their abusive, derogatory words.
Such was their answer to the clear teaching of verse 13, ending with the words, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
The Pharisees thought that they could very well serve God and mammon. They had their way of life and their system of thought. That way and that system they approved together. Walking in that way, and holding that system, they had the respect and praise of men.
Approval all around! What could possibly be wrong?!!!
How the words of our Lord overturn that godless mindset and walk!
God knew their hearts.
God knew their hearts that hated the one and loved the other. God knew their hearts that held to the one and despised the other. God knew their hearts that loved mammon and held to mammon. God knew their hearts that hated Him and despised Him.
Jesus continued to the ground of their condemnation: “That which is highly esteemed among men is abominable in the sight of God.”
What a ground! What a rule!
That which is highly esteemed among men is so often what we pursue! Abilities, whether physical or intellectual we cultivate and hone so that we can enjoy the esteem of men. We pursue success and attainments of every kind, so that we might be recognized by those around us. We bask in the glow of men’s approval, and when we lack that approval we become discouraged.
Yet, “that which is highly esteemed among men is abominable in the sight of God.”
How hard it is to find abominable what God sees as abominable!
But in these same words is a key to change our ways and our minds from what is abominable in the sight of God.
“Ye are they which justify yourselves before men.”
Let us turn from that way of justification before men. It must certainly help to know that justification before men is always vain. Men’s justification always has its end in the eternal fire of hell. Let all the world applaud and let all the world approve, but all that approval melts to nothing before the heart-penetrating gaze of the living God, the holy Judge of all.
And what help there is to lead to justification before God! What reason we have to find abominable what before God’s sight is abominable! Every reason we have to drop all justification before men.
There is God’s justification!
God’s justification is glorious. His justification stands forever. His justification meets with His holy, righteous approval. He rejoices and glories in it.
That justification is the free gift of His grace, wrought through the gift of His own, only-begotten Son and His sacrifice on the cross. That justification He gives, imputing it to poor, wretched sinners, sealing it through His Spirit’s work of faith in His Son.
To that justification let us cling with joy and thanksgiving! In it let us find our blessed peace with our God!
And, clothed in God’s justification, let us find abominable all justification before men!
“And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” Luke 16:15
What words of condemnation Christ spoke to these Pharisees!
Who were these Pharisees? What had they done? The Word of God in the verse before tells us simply that the Pharisees were covetous. Out of their covetousness they sneered at the words spoken by Christ, so that they derided Him. They personally attacked Him with their abusive, derogatory words.
Such was their answer to the clear teaching of verse 13, ending with the words, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
The Pharisees thought that they could very well serve God and mammon. They had their way of life and their system of thought. That way and that system they approved together. Walking in that way, and holding that system, they had the respect and praise of men.
Approval all around! What could possibly be wrong?!!!
How the words of our Lord overturn that godless mindset and walk!
God knew their hearts.
God knew their hearts that hated the one and loved the other. God knew their hearts that held to the one and despised the other. God knew their hearts that loved mammon and held to mammon. God knew their hearts that hated Him and despised Him.
Jesus continued to the ground of their condemnation: “That which is highly esteemed among men is abominable in the sight of God.”
What a ground! What a rule!
That which is highly esteemed among men is so often what we pursue! Abilities, whether physical or intellectual we cultivate and hone so that we can enjoy the esteem of men. We pursue success and attainments of every kind, so that we might be recognized by those around us. We bask in the glow of men’s approval, and when we lack that approval we become discouraged.
Yet, “that which is highly esteemed among men is abominable in the sight of God.”
How hard it is to find abominable what God sees as abominable!
But in these same words is a key to change our ways and our minds from what is abominable in the sight of God.
“Ye are they which justify yourselves before men.”
Let us turn from that way of justification before men. It must certainly help to know that justification before men is always vain. Men’s justification always has its end in the eternal fire of hell. Let all the world applaud and let all the world approve, but all that approval melts to nothing before the heart-penetrating gaze of the living God, the holy Judge of all.
And what help there is to lead to justification before God! What reason we have to find abominable what before God’s sight is abominable! Every reason we have to drop all justification before men.
There is God’s justification!
God’s justification is glorious. His justification stands forever. His justification meets with His holy, righteous approval. He rejoices and glories in it.
That justification is the free gift of His grace, wrought through the gift of His own, only-begotten Son and His sacrifice on the cross. That justification He gives, imputing it to poor, wretched sinners, sealing it through His Spirit’s work of faith in His Son.
To that justification let us cling with joy and thanksgiving! In it let us find our blessed peace with our God!
And, clothed in God’s justification, let us find abominable all justification before men!
19 September 2015
"O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" II Corinthians 6:11-14
Two seemingly different admonitions the Spirit gives us in these few verses, but they are really opposite sides of the same coin.
Both are admonitions. They both find us in our own ways and command us to stop.
The first came to the Corinthians in their stinginess, here identified as straitness or narrowness. We can think of straits as a body of water, a narrow place between two larger bodies of water. There is a great deal of water on both sides, but the water never flows easily from one body to the other because of the straits. So it was with the Corinthians. They were not enlarged toward Paul and his company, but were straitened. Even though Paul came to them in largeness of heart toward them, sacrificing himself and placing himself on the line for this church, they did not respond to him in kind. They closed him out. They did not treat him with the same affectionate kindness. So Paul brings them face to face with their problem. "Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. . . . be ye also enlarged."
The second admonition came to the Corinthians as a warning against their worldliness. They had their ties with the world that were precious to them. They desired those bonds. They fostered and nourished them. For that reason Paul admonished them: "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." This admonition Paul backed up with powerful words, addressing the fellowship and communion of that yoke in so many words. What fellowship? What communion? What concord? What part? What agreement?
How these admonitions belong together! How they really amount to the same thing!
Where is the true fellowship? The real communion? The blessed concord? The good part? The right agreement?
Not with unbelievers, but with believers. Not with unrighteousness, but with righteousness. Not with darkness, but with light. Not with Belial, but with Christ. Not with the infidel, but with the believer. Not with idols, but with the temple of God.
So it must be with us.
How, then, is that fellowship to be realized? How is that communion to be practiced? How is the concord to be enjoyed, the part to be strong?
There is one way to break the fellowship. There is a way to dry up communion and to turn agreement into disagreement.
Straitness. Narrowness. Withholding of love and kindness.
Let us not be strait in our mouth, our heart, or our bowels of mercies and compassion.
Let us be open in our hearts. Let us be enlarged in our bowels of mercies and compassion, overflowing in words of peace, kindness, and goodness toward our fellow saints.
So let us cherish and nurture these true bonds of fellowship and communion. So may the cause of God’s kingdom prosper and flourish among us.
"O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" II Corinthians 6:11-14
Two seemingly different admonitions the Spirit gives us in these few verses, but they are really opposite sides of the same coin.
Both are admonitions. They both find us in our own ways and command us to stop.
The first came to the Corinthians in their stinginess, here identified as straitness or narrowness. We can think of straits as a body of water, a narrow place between two larger bodies of water. There is a great deal of water on both sides, but the water never flows easily from one body to the other because of the straits. So it was with the Corinthians. They were not enlarged toward Paul and his company, but were straitened. Even though Paul came to them in largeness of heart toward them, sacrificing himself and placing himself on the line for this church, they did not respond to him in kind. They closed him out. They did not treat him with the same affectionate kindness. So Paul brings them face to face with their problem. "Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. . . . be ye also enlarged."
The second admonition came to the Corinthians as a warning against their worldliness. They had their ties with the world that were precious to them. They desired those bonds. They fostered and nourished them. For that reason Paul admonished them: "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." This admonition Paul backed up with powerful words, addressing the fellowship and communion of that yoke in so many words. What fellowship? What communion? What concord? What part? What agreement?
How these admonitions belong together! How they really amount to the same thing!
Where is the true fellowship? The real communion? The blessed concord? The good part? The right agreement?
Not with unbelievers, but with believers. Not with unrighteousness, but with righteousness. Not with darkness, but with light. Not with Belial, but with Christ. Not with the infidel, but with the believer. Not with idols, but with the temple of God.
So it must be with us.
How, then, is that fellowship to be realized? How is that communion to be practiced? How is the concord to be enjoyed, the part to be strong?
There is one way to break the fellowship. There is a way to dry up communion and to turn agreement into disagreement.
Straitness. Narrowness. Withholding of love and kindness.
Let us not be strait in our mouth, our heart, or our bowels of mercies and compassion.
Let us be open in our hearts. Let us be enlarged in our bowels of mercies and compassion, overflowing in words of peace, kindness, and goodness toward our fellow saints.
So let us cherish and nurture these true bonds of fellowship and communion. So may the cause of God’s kingdom prosper and flourish among us.
18 September 2015
"Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellers of peace is joy." Proverbs 12:20
How powerful this proverb of God’s Word is! Its true power becomes evident when we see how these two opposing thoughts are balanced against each other.
The first point of opposition are these groups that are here described.
There are "them that imagine evil."
Evil lies in their imagination. They turn their abilities to imagine for evil. They imagine the proud power that they possess. They imagine great ambitions, what they shall accomplish and how great they shall be through their accomplishments. They imagine the intricate and involved schemes and devices they will use to accomplish their goals. And all the while they seek and contrive against God. Their chief ambition is to walk contrary to His way, and to overthrow His judgment. They determine to prosper in their rebellion against them. They determine to live by jealousy and envy, by cruelty and greed.
What a difference we find, when we turn to the other group, "the counsellers of peace"!
These do not work according to their imagination. Their purposes are purposes of peace. They study peace, how to bring it about and how to accomplish it. They put their energies to right relationships, between God and man, between man and man, relationships in the church and in the world. They seek to bring all the blessings of God’s goodness to bear on their lives and on the lives of all those around them.
But these are also different from those that imagine evil in their counsel. As they have peace in their hearts, so they speak words of peace. They are the counsellers of peace. Their speech brings about reconciliation and friendship. Their words cultivate peace and harmony. Their language brings with it the blessings of God’s peace, the blessings of His goodness filling the hearts of men.
As different as these two are, "them that imagine evil," and "the counsellers of peace," so different are the judgments of God upon them.
What is in the heart of "them that imagine evil"?
Deceit.
How great that deceit is! That deceit is they shall be great in their iniquity and evil. That deceit is that they shall not be discovered in their evil ways. That deceit is that they actually shall succeed in evading God’s judgment and that they will find lasting joy in their evil.
That deceit is already in their heart. It follows them in all their imaginations, as they embrace evil goals and plot to carry them out. Judgment does not wait, but is right there, the expression of God’s wrath against their evil.
As far as east from west is the judgment to the counsellers of peace!
To them is joy.
That joy is true, blessed joy of heart. It is the joy of being an instrument in God’s hand, to bring about His peace and His reconciliation. It is the happiness of being a channel of His goodness, blessing the hearts of His people with His peace. It is the joy of seeing desires for peace and following labour for peace bear their rich fruit, fruit in the lives of God’s people walking in His ways.
May the Lord fill us with His peace, to make us more and more counsellers of peace! So may we seek and speak peace, to enjoy His joy forever!
"Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellers of peace is joy." Proverbs 12:20
How powerful this proverb of God’s Word is! Its true power becomes evident when we see how these two opposing thoughts are balanced against each other.
The first point of opposition are these groups that are here described.
There are "them that imagine evil."
Evil lies in their imagination. They turn their abilities to imagine for evil. They imagine the proud power that they possess. They imagine great ambitions, what they shall accomplish and how great they shall be through their accomplishments. They imagine the intricate and involved schemes and devices they will use to accomplish their goals. And all the while they seek and contrive against God. Their chief ambition is to walk contrary to His way, and to overthrow His judgment. They determine to prosper in their rebellion against them. They determine to live by jealousy and envy, by cruelty and greed.
What a difference we find, when we turn to the other group, "the counsellers of peace"!
These do not work according to their imagination. Their purposes are purposes of peace. They study peace, how to bring it about and how to accomplish it. They put their energies to right relationships, between God and man, between man and man, relationships in the church and in the world. They seek to bring all the blessings of God’s goodness to bear on their lives and on the lives of all those around them.
But these are also different from those that imagine evil in their counsel. As they have peace in their hearts, so they speak words of peace. They are the counsellers of peace. Their speech brings about reconciliation and friendship. Their words cultivate peace and harmony. Their language brings with it the blessings of God’s peace, the blessings of His goodness filling the hearts of men.
As different as these two are, "them that imagine evil," and "the counsellers of peace," so different are the judgments of God upon them.
What is in the heart of "them that imagine evil"?
Deceit.
How great that deceit is! That deceit is they shall be great in their iniquity and evil. That deceit is that they shall not be discovered in their evil ways. That deceit is that they actually shall succeed in evading God’s judgment and that they will find lasting joy in their evil.
That deceit is already in their heart. It follows them in all their imaginations, as they embrace evil goals and plot to carry them out. Judgment does not wait, but is right there, the expression of God’s wrath against their evil.
As far as east from west is the judgment to the counsellers of peace!
To them is joy.
That joy is true, blessed joy of heart. It is the joy of being an instrument in God’s hand, to bring about His peace and His reconciliation. It is the happiness of being a channel of His goodness, blessing the hearts of His people with His peace. It is the joy of seeing desires for peace and following labour for peace bear their rich fruit, fruit in the lives of God’s people walking in His ways.
May the Lord fill us with His peace, to make us more and more counsellers of peace! So may we seek and speak peace, to enjoy His joy forever!
15 September 2015
"Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come." Hebrews 13:12-14
In theses verses we have both the calling and the privilege of Christians, the way of the cross.
That way of the cross simply comes upon us according to this Word.
How?
We are joined to our Lord by the wonderful gift of faith in Him, worked by the Holy Spirit. Such is this intimate unity that all the power and vitality of our living Head flows into us. So we not only believe on Him, but we confess His name, and live, speak and walk out of our Lord. We more and more resemble Him, but this mighty working of His grace in us.
And as we more and more resemble Christ, the world takes notice. As the servant is not above his lord, and as the student is not above his teacher, so the world that reproaches Christ will reproach His servants and His disciples.
In this fact and truth we have our first calling: "bearing His reproach."
We may not shake off that reproach. We may not explain that we should not be reproached. We may not try to avoid that reproach. Let us not modify your approach or behaviour in order to escape the reproach of the world. No, we bear that reproach gladly and joyfully, willing to bear not only the image of our Lord but also His reproach.
Then follows the second calling: "Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp."
Never think that the reproach of the world leaves us without a place to go. The reproach of the world is blessed because it sends us exactly where we need to go.
That reproach sends us straight into the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There we find Him who suffered for us without the gate. In Jerusalem He was tried before the council of the Jews, before Pilate and before Herod. In Jerusalem He was rejected of the multitude, and finally sentenced to the death of the cross. But He had to die without the gate as unclean.
There--without the gate and without the camp--He receives us into His arms. Without the gate He comforts us with His everlasting goodness and peace. Without the camp He speaks to us words of consolation and good cheer.
Without the gate and without the camp He leads us to the city that is to come, the heavenly Jerusalem, the holy city of our Great King. This is the city that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. This is the perfect, enduring and continuing city, where there is no need of light of sun or moon, for the Lord God and the Lamb are the light of it.
For the sake of that city, we are glad to have here "no continuing city." We are glad to hear the reproaches of the world because they send us where we truly belong: with our blessed Saviour, in His everlasting city.
"Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come." Hebrews 13:12-14
In theses verses we have both the calling and the privilege of Christians, the way of the cross.
That way of the cross simply comes upon us according to this Word.
How?
We are joined to our Lord by the wonderful gift of faith in Him, worked by the Holy Spirit. Such is this intimate unity that all the power and vitality of our living Head flows into us. So we not only believe on Him, but we confess His name, and live, speak and walk out of our Lord. We more and more resemble Him, but this mighty working of His grace in us.
And as we more and more resemble Christ, the world takes notice. As the servant is not above his lord, and as the student is not above his teacher, so the world that reproaches Christ will reproach His servants and His disciples.
In this fact and truth we have our first calling: "bearing His reproach."
We may not shake off that reproach. We may not explain that we should not be reproached. We may not try to avoid that reproach. Let us not modify your approach or behaviour in order to escape the reproach of the world. No, we bear that reproach gladly and joyfully, willing to bear not only the image of our Lord but also His reproach.
Then follows the second calling: "Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp."
Never think that the reproach of the world leaves us without a place to go. The reproach of the world is blessed because it sends us exactly where we need to go.
That reproach sends us straight into the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There we find Him who suffered for us without the gate. In Jerusalem He was tried before the council of the Jews, before Pilate and before Herod. In Jerusalem He was rejected of the multitude, and finally sentenced to the death of the cross. But He had to die without the gate as unclean.
There--without the gate and without the camp--He receives us into His arms. Without the gate He comforts us with His everlasting goodness and peace. Without the camp He speaks to us words of consolation and good cheer.
Without the gate and without the camp He leads us to the city that is to come, the heavenly Jerusalem, the holy city of our Great King. This is the city that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. This is the perfect, enduring and continuing city, where there is no need of light of sun or moon, for the Lord God and the Lamb are the light of it.
For the sake of that city, we are glad to have here "no continuing city." We are glad to hear the reproaches of the world because they send us where we truly belong: with our blessed Saviour, in His everlasting city.
14 September 2015
"And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of him." I Corinthians 8:2
How sharp is the contrast presented in these verses!
On the one side of this contrast is the man who thinks that he knows anything.
Who is this man? He is anyone. What qualifies him here is that he possesses a thought in his mind. He knows. He possesses knowledge. He has been taught something. He has read something. He has seen something. Perhaps he has gone through some kind of thinking process, working logically from premisses to conclusion. But the point is that he thinks he knows.
This man is you. This man is me. We gain a bit of knowledge, whether of earth or heaven, whether of things visible or invisible. We think we know.
Then, the verdict is handed down to us: "He knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know."
Now on the other side of the contrast is a completely different way: But if any man love God.
Here is a man that seeks after God. He delights in the living God, who has revealed Himself in His holy Word. He desires God, to know Him in order to live in fellowship and communion with Him. He reads and meditates on the Word of His God. He enjoys fellowship and communion with His God in prayer. He loves the worship of God. He rejoices to serve His God.
What is the marvellous and glorious truth about this man? What is His great blessedness?
This: the same is known of him.
Known of God!
Here is the key to the entire contrast between these two.
All the knowledge that you and I might glean and gather in all our life cannot compare with the riches of being known by God. The highest and greatest knowledge that a man might possess counts for nothing unless he is known of God. Being known of God, in the love of God, makes all other knowledge small and insignificant.
To be known of God takes us to the knowledge that God has of the man who loves Him. That knowledge of God is His glorious, eternal foreknowledge of His elect. Them He knows in love, as He has in love chosen them to be conformed to the image of His Son, Romans 8:29. According to that divine foreknowledge, God lovingly shaped and molded every one of His children in the womb, Psalm 139:13-16. So He knows all their way, leading them and guiding them to Him by sovereign, almighty grace, Psalm 73:23, 24. So strong and so vast is this knowledge of God that all things without exception must work together for the salvation of His foreknown, Romans 8:28.
How glorious and how inexhaustibly vast is this knowledge of God! How blessed is the man that loves God, who knows that God so knows Him!
So may we grow in the love of our God, to know what is truly worth knowing, that we are known of Him. And may all the knowledge we gather in all our studies and pursuits lead us to the love of our God, who knows us.
"And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of him." I Corinthians 8:2
How sharp is the contrast presented in these verses!
On the one side of this contrast is the man who thinks that he knows anything.
Who is this man? He is anyone. What qualifies him here is that he possesses a thought in his mind. He knows. He possesses knowledge. He has been taught something. He has read something. He has seen something. Perhaps he has gone through some kind of thinking process, working logically from premisses to conclusion. But the point is that he thinks he knows.
This man is you. This man is me. We gain a bit of knowledge, whether of earth or heaven, whether of things visible or invisible. We think we know.
Then, the verdict is handed down to us: "He knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know."
Now on the other side of the contrast is a completely different way: But if any man love God.
Here is a man that seeks after God. He delights in the living God, who has revealed Himself in His holy Word. He desires God, to know Him in order to live in fellowship and communion with Him. He reads and meditates on the Word of His God. He enjoys fellowship and communion with His God in prayer. He loves the worship of God. He rejoices to serve His God.
What is the marvellous and glorious truth about this man? What is His great blessedness?
This: the same is known of him.
Known of God!
Here is the key to the entire contrast between these two.
All the knowledge that you and I might glean and gather in all our life cannot compare with the riches of being known by God. The highest and greatest knowledge that a man might possess counts for nothing unless he is known of God. Being known of God, in the love of God, makes all other knowledge small and insignificant.
To be known of God takes us to the knowledge that God has of the man who loves Him. That knowledge of God is His glorious, eternal foreknowledge of His elect. Them He knows in love, as He has in love chosen them to be conformed to the image of His Son, Romans 8:29. According to that divine foreknowledge, God lovingly shaped and molded every one of His children in the womb, Psalm 139:13-16. So He knows all their way, leading them and guiding them to Him by sovereign, almighty grace, Psalm 73:23, 24. So strong and so vast is this knowledge of God that all things without exception must work together for the salvation of His foreknown, Romans 8:28.
How glorious and how inexhaustibly vast is this knowledge of God! How blessed is the man that loves God, who knows that God so knows Him!
So may we grow in the love of our God, to know what is truly worth knowing, that we are known of Him. And may all the knowledge we gather in all our studies and pursuits lead us to the love of our God, who knows us.
12 September 2015
"Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied." I Samuel 17:45
How thankful we must be to hear this powerful testimony from David, the youngest son of Jesse!
For in this testimony we have the wonderful secret of a power that is mighty to conquer and overthrow every enemy. Even more, this is a power so glorious, it makes all the power and might of man weakness and frailty.
Goliath, that giant of the Philistines, had power and might to make the armies of Israel under Saul’s command flee from his appearance and voice, as he daily defied them. Goliath had his fearsome stature and impressive build. He had his weighty armour, his sword, his spear and his shield. There was none in all the army of Saul, let alone Saul himself, that dared venture his strength and abilities against the fearsome champion of the Philistines.
Then there was David, the shepherd-boy, the youngest among Jesse’s sons, too young to leave his father’s home and to go fight with his brothers.
There was David, who was taken for a fool. Considered a fool, because he dared to challenge this experienced giant of a warrior. Considered a fool, because in his challenge he eschewed sword and spear and shield.
But no fool was David. He took with him against this giant the one weapon he needed.
What was that weapon?
Not his sling with the five smooth stones he picked from the brook.
His true weapon was the name of the Lord.
"But I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied."
How much must David’s testimony overturn our thinking!
We are far too easily impressed with swords, spear, and shields. We shrink from overwhelming numbers of men. We feel the weight of surveys, of majority opinions. We withdraw from the glares, the scorn, the mockery of men. We also choose our tools and select our instruments. We prefer the sword of our intellectual arguments. We like the spear of an emotional presentation. We desire the shield of our own wit and character. We want the safety of numbers.
In all these there is no safety, but only hazard. In them there is no strength, but only weakness.
Let us instead know David’s mighty weapon, the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. Let us consider the excellency of the glory of that name, its infinite power and wonderful wisdom. Let us know the power of that name to deliver us from the awful weight of our sins and Satan’s oppressive power. Let us regard that name above all names, with its sovereign power against which the gates of hell cannot prevail.
Then, let us go to our battles armed with that glorious, matchless power. Let us go, certain and assured that victory is ours, in that blessed name of our God. Let us confess it and declare it. Then let us see how God will glorify His name in all our battles.
"Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied." I Samuel 17:45
How thankful we must be to hear this powerful testimony from David, the youngest son of Jesse!
For in this testimony we have the wonderful secret of a power that is mighty to conquer and overthrow every enemy. Even more, this is a power so glorious, it makes all the power and might of man weakness and frailty.
Goliath, that giant of the Philistines, had power and might to make the armies of Israel under Saul’s command flee from his appearance and voice, as he daily defied them. Goliath had his fearsome stature and impressive build. He had his weighty armour, his sword, his spear and his shield. There was none in all the army of Saul, let alone Saul himself, that dared venture his strength and abilities against the fearsome champion of the Philistines.
Then there was David, the shepherd-boy, the youngest among Jesse’s sons, too young to leave his father’s home and to go fight with his brothers.
There was David, who was taken for a fool. Considered a fool, because he dared to challenge this experienced giant of a warrior. Considered a fool, because in his challenge he eschewed sword and spear and shield.
But no fool was David. He took with him against this giant the one weapon he needed.
What was that weapon?
Not his sling with the five smooth stones he picked from the brook.
His true weapon was the name of the Lord.
"But I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied."
How much must David’s testimony overturn our thinking!
We are far too easily impressed with swords, spear, and shields. We shrink from overwhelming numbers of men. We feel the weight of surveys, of majority opinions. We withdraw from the glares, the scorn, the mockery of men. We also choose our tools and select our instruments. We prefer the sword of our intellectual arguments. We like the spear of an emotional presentation. We desire the shield of our own wit and character. We want the safety of numbers.
In all these there is no safety, but only hazard. In them there is no strength, but only weakness.
Let us instead know David’s mighty weapon, the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. Let us consider the excellency of the glory of that name, its infinite power and wonderful wisdom. Let us know the power of that name to deliver us from the awful weight of our sins and Satan’s oppressive power. Let us regard that name above all names, with its sovereign power against which the gates of hell cannot prevail.
Then, let us go to our battles armed with that glorious, matchless power. Let us go, certain and assured that victory is ours, in that blessed name of our God. Let us confess it and declare it. Then let us see how God will glorify His name in all our battles.
11 September 2015
"I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies." Psalm 18:3
A mighty circle of confidence is given us in these words, to strengthen our trust in the Lord alone.
Why call upon the Lord for salvation? Why must we look to Him alone for deliverance and safety from our enemies? Why must we make Him alone our rock and our fortress, our strength and buckler?
Because He alone is worthy to be praised.
Even more directly, according to the original: He is praised! I will call upon the Lord.
How glorious are the praises of the Lord!
As the Lord puts His own works on display through the heavens and the earth, He shows that He alone is to be praised and glorified. Man can only stand and gape in wonder at all the mighty and glorious works of God. He alone has placed the stars in the heavens and He alone sustains each one in all its burning beauty and power. He alone has lifted up the mountains far above the seas. He alone clothes the hills and valleys with their green. He alone raises up mighty men and great nations, and also casts them down in His mighty judgment. By the sacrifice of His Son alone He delivers from the guilt and power of sin and brings eternal salvation to His people.
So He shows and so He proves that He alone is to be called upon.
But even more, we have in these words the way and the manner of our confidence.
The inspired David takes us by the hand and leads us in this confidence: "I will call upon the Lord . . . so shall I be saved from our enemies."
Calling on the Lord must be more than asking Him to save us from our enemies.
Vital for our confidence in this request are the praises of the Lord.
Let us begin not with our request for salvation from our enemies, but with the praises of the Lord. Let us begin by praising Him as the living God, confessing His absolute, infinite glory. Let us continue to speak to Him of His truth, His goodness, His righteousness, His holiness, His mercy, and His grace. Let us speak to Him of His glory shown in His mighty works, works of creation and providence, works of judgment and works of salvation.
Through each and every word of praise it becomes more and more clear that, indeed, He is worthy of all our trust and all our confidence. His hand is mighty to pull us out of the hands of all our enemies. His hand is mighty to defend and protect us from all their power to destroy.
So let us call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised.
So shall we be saved from our enemies.
"I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies." Psalm 18:3
A mighty circle of confidence is given us in these words, to strengthen our trust in the Lord alone.
Why call upon the Lord for salvation? Why must we look to Him alone for deliverance and safety from our enemies? Why must we make Him alone our rock and our fortress, our strength and buckler?
Because He alone is worthy to be praised.
Even more directly, according to the original: He is praised! I will call upon the Lord.
How glorious are the praises of the Lord!
As the Lord puts His own works on display through the heavens and the earth, He shows that He alone is to be praised and glorified. Man can only stand and gape in wonder at all the mighty and glorious works of God. He alone has placed the stars in the heavens and He alone sustains each one in all its burning beauty and power. He alone has lifted up the mountains far above the seas. He alone clothes the hills and valleys with their green. He alone raises up mighty men and great nations, and also casts them down in His mighty judgment. By the sacrifice of His Son alone He delivers from the guilt and power of sin and brings eternal salvation to His people.
So He shows and so He proves that He alone is to be called upon.
But even more, we have in these words the way and the manner of our confidence.
The inspired David takes us by the hand and leads us in this confidence: "I will call upon the Lord . . . so shall I be saved from our enemies."
Calling on the Lord must be more than asking Him to save us from our enemies.
Vital for our confidence in this request are the praises of the Lord.
Let us begin not with our request for salvation from our enemies, but with the praises of the Lord. Let us begin by praising Him as the living God, confessing His absolute, infinite glory. Let us continue to speak to Him of His truth, His goodness, His righteousness, His holiness, His mercy, and His grace. Let us speak to Him of His glory shown in His mighty works, works of creation and providence, works of judgment and works of salvation.
Through each and every word of praise it becomes more and more clear that, indeed, He is worthy of all our trust and all our confidence. His hand is mighty to pull us out of the hands of all our enemies. His hand is mighty to defend and protect us from all their power to destroy.
So let us call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised.
So shall we be saved from our enemies.
10 September 2015
“The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.” Psalm 16:6
Powerful instruction does the Holy Spirit give us in these words, showing us how we are to look at our way in this world and the judgment we are to pass on it.
But can this be said in all the circumstances of our lives? Should every Christian be able to say the lines are fallen unto him in pleasant places? Should every believer say with all the things that can happen to him, that he has a goodly heritage?
Can such an assessment be heard from the lips of one whose heart knows inexpressible grief and loss? Can this confession truly be made by the saint whose life has been shattered with overwhelming news, perhaps of the sudden death of a beloved father or mother, a husband or wife, or a precious son or daughter? Can these words be said by one whose life is torn apart by divorce or desertion, or whose heart is broken by friendship suddenly turned to hostility? Can this statement be made by one whose body is racked with tormenting pain day after day with no end in sight?
We might think of David, the inspired penman of this Psalm. What was his heritage? How had the lines fallen unto him?
He had fallen under king Saul’s unjust displeasure. The very one whom David faithfully served accused his faithful servant of treachery and conspiracy, and hunted him down, seeking his very life. Where he hid for refuge from his enemy he found betrayal among his hosts. The army he helped train used their strength and abilities to track him, intent on his destruction. Fleeing to another country he found suspicion if not outright hostility. Later on, he must know the contempt of a wife, murderous betrayal of his own son, and his kingdom in utter disarray.
Yet hear his confession: “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.”
How can this truly be his confession?
How can this truly be our confession?
The answer is given us in the following verses, through to the end of the Psalm. He directs his attention away from his circumstances and to his God.
The Lord has given him counsel, so that his inmost thoughts instruct him in the Lord’s ways in the night seasons. With the Lord set before him, at his right hand, he is assured that he will not be moved. For those reasons his heart is glad and his glory rejoices. His soul will not be left in hell, neither will the Lord suffer His Holy One to see corruption. David’s path is the path of life. For in God’s presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures for evermore.
So let us turn from our earthly troubles and hardships, to look to our God. Let us look to the counsel of His almighty will, according to the multitude of His precious promises. Let us know the seal of every one of those promises to us, the blood of His only-begotten Son. Let us be filled with the assurance that with the Son of God, all things must be for us. Let us be confident that our momentary afflictions work for us an eternal weight of glory.
In the midst of overwhelming troubles and sorrows, may we so enjoy the assurance of God’s abiding presence. In our times of deep pain, affliction, loss and anxieties, may we know the peace of the Lord’s gracious counsel for us.
So may we rejoice even in our sorrow to say, “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.”
“The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.” Psalm 16:6
Powerful instruction does the Holy Spirit give us in these words, showing us how we are to look at our way in this world and the judgment we are to pass on it.
But can this be said in all the circumstances of our lives? Should every Christian be able to say the lines are fallen unto him in pleasant places? Should every believer say with all the things that can happen to him, that he has a goodly heritage?
Can such an assessment be heard from the lips of one whose heart knows inexpressible grief and loss? Can this confession truly be made by the saint whose life has been shattered with overwhelming news, perhaps of the sudden death of a beloved father or mother, a husband or wife, or a precious son or daughter? Can these words be said by one whose life is torn apart by divorce or desertion, or whose heart is broken by friendship suddenly turned to hostility? Can this statement be made by one whose body is racked with tormenting pain day after day with no end in sight?
We might think of David, the inspired penman of this Psalm. What was his heritage? How had the lines fallen unto him?
He had fallen under king Saul’s unjust displeasure. The very one whom David faithfully served accused his faithful servant of treachery and conspiracy, and hunted him down, seeking his very life. Where he hid for refuge from his enemy he found betrayal among his hosts. The army he helped train used their strength and abilities to track him, intent on his destruction. Fleeing to another country he found suspicion if not outright hostility. Later on, he must know the contempt of a wife, murderous betrayal of his own son, and his kingdom in utter disarray.
Yet hear his confession: “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.”
How can this truly be his confession?
How can this truly be our confession?
The answer is given us in the following verses, through to the end of the Psalm. He directs his attention away from his circumstances and to his God.
The Lord has given him counsel, so that his inmost thoughts instruct him in the Lord’s ways in the night seasons. With the Lord set before him, at his right hand, he is assured that he will not be moved. For those reasons his heart is glad and his glory rejoices. His soul will not be left in hell, neither will the Lord suffer His Holy One to see corruption. David’s path is the path of life. For in God’s presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures for evermore.
So let us turn from our earthly troubles and hardships, to look to our God. Let us look to the counsel of His almighty will, according to the multitude of His precious promises. Let us know the seal of every one of those promises to us, the blood of His only-begotten Son. Let us be filled with the assurance that with the Son of God, all things must be for us. Let us be confident that our momentary afflictions work for us an eternal weight of glory.
In the midst of overwhelming troubles and sorrows, may we so enjoy the assurance of God’s abiding presence. In our times of deep pain, affliction, loss and anxieties, may we know the peace of the Lord’s gracious counsel for us.
So may we rejoice even in our sorrow to say, “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.”
26 August 2015
“The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” Matthew 8:8-10
Exactly the right words did Jesus speak to this centurion, words that we do not hear often from our Saviour’s lips.
“I will come and heal him.”
In fact, His words are the opposite of what he said in response to the nobleman’s pleading that Jesus, who was in Cana, would come to Capernaum in order to heal his son. There He responded by saying, “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” John 4:48.
But because Jesus spoke these words to the centurion, we have this amazing request that Jesus commended so highly, a request that Jesus not come, but “speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.”
His was a faith commended by Jesus. The centurion did not need to have Jesus come to his home. He did not need Jesus to stand next to his dying servant, and speak a word to heal him. He did not need Jesus to lay His hand on the servant’s head, and transfer divine power to heal to the body of him that was so grievously tormented.
Not at all. Instead, with his “so great faith,” his request becomes so very simple, with the result connected to it: “Speak the Word only, and my servant shall be healed.”
But that was only part of the greatness of this centurion’s faith. It was not even the greatest part.
The greatest part of his faith is found in his first statement: “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof.”
Greatest this is because it is the springboard from which his second request follows. The conclusion is “speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” The ground is “I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof.”
Great faith can never say, “I am worthy.” Great faith must always say, “I am not worthy.” Great faith, finding glorious, divine, almighty power in Christ to heal and restore, must always conclude, “I am not worthy.”
By that great faith this centurion examined his own way, the way he worked with the authority that he possessed. He spoke and he commanded. By his command he brought near and sent away. By his commands he accomplished his will. Since he, an unworthy man, might so command and have his soldiers and servants obey his word, how much more must the Lord possess this same kind of authority.
“Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.”
So must our faith operate. So we come to our Lord as unworthy sinners. In all our unworthiness, we bring to Him our supplications and petitions this way:
“Speak the Word only.”
“Speak the Word only.” Declare my sins forgiven through the preaching of the gospel, and I shall be forgiven. My burden will be taken away from my shoulders and my infinite debt will be cancelled, all by thy Word.
“Speak the Word only.” Guide me in the way thou wilt have me to go. Lead me in the way of truth and obedience. I need no signs, no wonders. Thy Word is sufficient for me.
“Speak the Word only.” I have my burdens of pain and sorrow. I have my anxieties and fears. I have my loneliness. I have my doubts and struggles of faith. Persecutions rise up against me. But thy Word is mighty to sustain me and bring me through them all.
So may we go with our unworthiness to our Saviour, saying to Him, “Speak the Word only.” And let us rejoice in that Word that gives us all we need.
“The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” Matthew 8:8-10
Exactly the right words did Jesus speak to this centurion, words that we do not hear often from our Saviour’s lips.
“I will come and heal him.”
In fact, His words are the opposite of what he said in response to the nobleman’s pleading that Jesus, who was in Cana, would come to Capernaum in order to heal his son. There He responded by saying, “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” John 4:48.
But because Jesus spoke these words to the centurion, we have this amazing request that Jesus commended so highly, a request that Jesus not come, but “speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.”
His was a faith commended by Jesus. The centurion did not need to have Jesus come to his home. He did not need Jesus to stand next to his dying servant, and speak a word to heal him. He did not need Jesus to lay His hand on the servant’s head, and transfer divine power to heal to the body of him that was so grievously tormented.
Not at all. Instead, with his “so great faith,” his request becomes so very simple, with the result connected to it: “Speak the Word only, and my servant shall be healed.”
But that was only part of the greatness of this centurion’s faith. It was not even the greatest part.
The greatest part of his faith is found in his first statement: “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof.”
Greatest this is because it is the springboard from which his second request follows. The conclusion is “speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” The ground is “I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof.”
Great faith can never say, “I am worthy.” Great faith must always say, “I am not worthy.” Great faith, finding glorious, divine, almighty power in Christ to heal and restore, must always conclude, “I am not worthy.”
By that great faith this centurion examined his own way, the way he worked with the authority that he possessed. He spoke and he commanded. By his command he brought near and sent away. By his commands he accomplished his will. Since he, an unworthy man, might so command and have his soldiers and servants obey his word, how much more must the Lord possess this same kind of authority.
“Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.”
So must our faith operate. So we come to our Lord as unworthy sinners. In all our unworthiness, we bring to Him our supplications and petitions this way:
“Speak the Word only.”
“Speak the Word only.” Declare my sins forgiven through the preaching of the gospel, and I shall be forgiven. My burden will be taken away from my shoulders and my infinite debt will be cancelled, all by thy Word.
“Speak the Word only.” Guide me in the way thou wilt have me to go. Lead me in the way of truth and obedience. I need no signs, no wonders. Thy Word is sufficient for me.
“Speak the Word only.” I have my burdens of pain and sorrow. I have my anxieties and fears. I have my loneliness. I have my doubts and struggles of faith. Persecutions rise up against me. But thy Word is mighty to sustain me and bring me through them all.
So may we go with our unworthiness to our Saviour, saying to Him, “Speak the Word only.” And let us rejoice in that Word that gives us all we need.
19 July 2015, The Lord’s Day
“Praise ye the Lord.
Sing unto the Lord a new song,
And his praise in the congregation of saints.
Let Israel rejoice in him that made him:
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.”
Psalm 149:1
A blessed call to worship greets us this Sunday morning, from the pages of God’s Holy Word: praise ye the Lord!
This call enjoins us to summon and gather all the powers within us. We are to marshall our hearts and souls, our minds and bodies, and especially our faculties of speech: our breath, our vocal cords, our jaws, our tongues, our teeth, and our lips. All of our being we are to direct to this blessed purpose and goal: the praise of the Lord.
This calling shows us the way to do this: the praise of the Lord. We are to declare all the ways in which He is exalted on high, above everything in the vast creation. We are to show forth His glory: His goodness, wisdom, truth, righteousness, holiness, lovingkindness, grace, and mercy. We are to set out the greatness of His being: His infinity, His eternity, His omnipresence, and His omnipotence. We are to speak of the uniqueness of His Godhead as the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Three Persons subsisting in the one Being of God. We are to demonstrate and show His greatness through all His might works: works of creation and redemption, works of judgment and mercy, works to cast down and to raise up.
This calling shows us where to engage in this grand and blessed work: In the congregation of the saints. In the assembly of God’s holy ones, where His elect gather together in the company of believers and their seed--there we must go, and to that assembly we must join ourselves. There we must be helped and help our fellow saints in this more glorious task: the praises of the Lord.
Who is there to hear this call? Whose hearts are stirred up to blessed obedience? Who obeys, to seek out this assembly, to join themselves to it, and to praise the Lord?
“Let Israel rejoice in him that made him:
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.”
Here is the Israel of God. These are the children of Zion.
In these praises let us know our identity. As we enter the house of the Lord, and as we stand in this blessed assembly, our mouths and tongues filled with the praises of God, let us rejoice to know our name: Israel, the covenant people of God, the heirs of the promises, the people of His inheritance! The children of Zion, our inheritance the heavenly city that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God!
Let us be glad and joyful to know our origin. Let us rejoice to know that our Maker is our God, the one who has chosen us, and redeemed us, and will forever care for us. Let us delight in our King, who has brought us into His kingdom, who defends and preserves us from all our enemies, and who will supply every need that we have in His blessed grace and enduring mercy.
In our God who has made us, His Israel, let us rejoice!
In our King who has redeemed us, the children of Zion, let us be joyful!
May our glad rejoicing hasten us to the congregation of saints today, to sing unto the Lord our new song!
“Praise ye the Lord.
Sing unto the Lord a new song,
And his praise in the congregation of saints.
Let Israel rejoice in him that made him:
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.”
Psalm 149:1
A blessed call to worship greets us this Sunday morning, from the pages of God’s Holy Word: praise ye the Lord!
This call enjoins us to summon and gather all the powers within us. We are to marshall our hearts and souls, our minds and bodies, and especially our faculties of speech: our breath, our vocal cords, our jaws, our tongues, our teeth, and our lips. All of our being we are to direct to this blessed purpose and goal: the praise of the Lord.
This calling shows us the way to do this: the praise of the Lord. We are to declare all the ways in which He is exalted on high, above everything in the vast creation. We are to show forth His glory: His goodness, wisdom, truth, righteousness, holiness, lovingkindness, grace, and mercy. We are to set out the greatness of His being: His infinity, His eternity, His omnipresence, and His omnipotence. We are to speak of the uniqueness of His Godhead as the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Three Persons subsisting in the one Being of God. We are to demonstrate and show His greatness through all His might works: works of creation and redemption, works of judgment and mercy, works to cast down and to raise up.
This calling shows us where to engage in this grand and blessed work: In the congregation of the saints. In the assembly of God’s holy ones, where His elect gather together in the company of believers and their seed--there we must go, and to that assembly we must join ourselves. There we must be helped and help our fellow saints in this more glorious task: the praises of the Lord.
Who is there to hear this call? Whose hearts are stirred up to blessed obedience? Who obeys, to seek out this assembly, to join themselves to it, and to praise the Lord?
“Let Israel rejoice in him that made him:
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.”
Here is the Israel of God. These are the children of Zion.
In these praises let us know our identity. As we enter the house of the Lord, and as we stand in this blessed assembly, our mouths and tongues filled with the praises of God, let us rejoice to know our name: Israel, the covenant people of God, the heirs of the promises, the people of His inheritance! The children of Zion, our inheritance the heavenly city that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God!
Let us be glad and joyful to know our origin. Let us rejoice to know that our Maker is our God, the one who has chosen us, and redeemed us, and will forever care for us. Let us delight in our King, who has brought us into His kingdom, who defends and preserves us from all our enemies, and who will supply every need that we have in His blessed grace and enduring mercy.
In our God who has made us, His Israel, let us rejoice!
In our King who has redeemed us, the children of Zion, let us be joyful!
May our glad rejoicing hasten us to the congregation of saints today, to sing unto the Lord our new song!
18 July 2015
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” I John 4:4
Victory after victory the world seems to win over against the cause of Christ in the world. Defeat after defeat the cause of Christ seems to suffer at the hands of the world.
On the one side, the forces of secularism work together to push Christianity into a corner. “Teach what you want.” “Believe what you want.” So we hear. But we also are told we must keep our religion to ourselves, and more and more are we forbidden from practicing our religion and living according to our Christian convictions. More and more we feel the wrath of the ungodly as they gain the upper hand, turning the power of institutions, society, and culture to their direction, and using it against Christianity. We see the inroads that militant and terroristic Islam is making against Western European civilization, as it senses the weakness and corruption within, a vacuum of power constantly growing.
On the other hand, Christianity itself is ceding territory left and right. Much of Christianity is busy approving worldliness and ungodliness, not only in the world but in its own members. Evil not only goes unrebuked but it meets with loving approval. The gates are thrown wide open to give appreciative entrance to the enemies of the church. Hand joins in hand to throw down citadels and bulwarks of truth and righteousness that had long stood in the church. God loves all men. There is no need for repentance, no need for faith, no room for truth.
Is all lost? Is the cause of Christ ready to perish? Is the church nearly defeated?
Not one bit! Not even close!
Hear the Word:
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them.”
Little children! You who are small in stature and few in number. You who are of so little account in the sight of the world so as to be measured as nothing. You who are overlooked. This word is for you: You have overcome them.
There was never any contest. There was never a match. Victory was never within their reach. Defeat never threatened you in the least.
How can this be?
Because you, little children, are of God. You are small, without a doubt. You are few, to be sure. But that is not what matters. What matters is that you are of God. You are His little children, begotten of His glorious grace and His wondrous mercy in Christ.
Consider and know your heavenly Father exactly as His Word tells you of Him. “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
This Word calls you to measure.
Measure the world with the measure of all the ungodly. Measure the world with the measure of the spirit of antichrist, now in the world. Measure the world with the measure of the devil, his craft and subtlety, his experience and knowledge of his long involvement with men. Measure the world by all the power and might, the weight and force of societies, cultures, civilizations, and nations at his diabolical command.
Then reckon with who is greater, the infinite, eternal, living God. Reckon with Him who is without any days or end or even beginning. Reckon with Him whose understanding and knowledge is without any reckoning. Consider Him whose power is without any limitation whatever. Reckon with Him whose absolute goodness knows no end of glorious perfection.
He is greater! Greater than any comparison will allow! There is no real, no true comparison.
But follow this Word down to you. This one who is great is the very one who is in you.
“Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
This One who is greater is in you. He by grace. He is in you by faith. He is in you His Holy Spirit. So has He made you His little children, regenerating you in His own image, to dwell in you forever.
This is your victory. You have overcome. There is no doubt, but only certainty, the certainty of the greatness of your heavenly Father in you.
In that victory rejoice and in that overcoming be strong, knowing the defeat of every last enemy, and the glory of your blessed triumph, all in your glorious God!
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” I John 4:4
Victory after victory the world seems to win over against the cause of Christ in the world. Defeat after defeat the cause of Christ seems to suffer at the hands of the world.
On the one side, the forces of secularism work together to push Christianity into a corner. “Teach what you want.” “Believe what you want.” So we hear. But we also are told we must keep our religion to ourselves, and more and more are we forbidden from practicing our religion and living according to our Christian convictions. More and more we feel the wrath of the ungodly as they gain the upper hand, turning the power of institutions, society, and culture to their direction, and using it against Christianity. We see the inroads that militant and terroristic Islam is making against Western European civilization, as it senses the weakness and corruption within, a vacuum of power constantly growing.
On the other hand, Christianity itself is ceding territory left and right. Much of Christianity is busy approving worldliness and ungodliness, not only in the world but in its own members. Evil not only goes unrebuked but it meets with loving approval. The gates are thrown wide open to give appreciative entrance to the enemies of the church. Hand joins in hand to throw down citadels and bulwarks of truth and righteousness that had long stood in the church. God loves all men. There is no need for repentance, no need for faith, no room for truth.
Is all lost? Is the cause of Christ ready to perish? Is the church nearly defeated?
Not one bit! Not even close!
Hear the Word:
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them.”
Little children! You who are small in stature and few in number. You who are of so little account in the sight of the world so as to be measured as nothing. You who are overlooked. This word is for you: You have overcome them.
There was never any contest. There was never a match. Victory was never within their reach. Defeat never threatened you in the least.
How can this be?
Because you, little children, are of God. You are small, without a doubt. You are few, to be sure. But that is not what matters. What matters is that you are of God. You are His little children, begotten of His glorious grace and His wondrous mercy in Christ.
Consider and know your heavenly Father exactly as His Word tells you of Him. “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
This Word calls you to measure.
Measure the world with the measure of all the ungodly. Measure the world with the measure of the spirit of antichrist, now in the world. Measure the world with the measure of the devil, his craft and subtlety, his experience and knowledge of his long involvement with men. Measure the world by all the power and might, the weight and force of societies, cultures, civilizations, and nations at his diabolical command.
Then reckon with who is greater, the infinite, eternal, living God. Reckon with Him who is without any days or end or even beginning. Reckon with Him whose understanding and knowledge is without any reckoning. Consider Him whose power is without any limitation whatever. Reckon with Him whose absolute goodness knows no end of glorious perfection.
He is greater! Greater than any comparison will allow! There is no real, no true comparison.
But follow this Word down to you. This one who is great is the very one who is in you.
“Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
This One who is greater is in you. He by grace. He is in you by faith. He is in you His Holy Spirit. So has He made you His little children, regenerating you in His own image, to dwell in you forever.
This is your victory. You have overcome. There is no doubt, but only certainty, the certainty of the greatness of your heavenly Father in you.
In that victory rejoice and in that overcoming be strong, knowing the defeat of every last enemy, and the glory of your blessed triumph, all in your glorious God!
12 July 2015, The Lord’s Day
“Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5, 6
In these words is expressed the worship of God’s people as the blessing imparted by the Apostle Paul to the church of Jesus Christ.
This is worship: the church in its assembling together glorifying God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one mouth.
With one mind: the fundamental, spiritual unity of the church. Here is the determined thinking of the church. They who are of many minds have their minds knit together, joined together in thinking through the same activity. They have in their minds the same goal. Their minds are filled with the same truth, and are guided by the same Holy Spirit. They think together, as having one mind.
Together with their minds they are fixed on the same goal: the glory of God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So are their praises, then. Their minds fixed on the glory of God, their mouths follow in the same path. They take up the same words into their mouths, the same praises upon their lips. So they speak and sing out. So they declare among themselves the wonderful works of God to His praise and glory.
So may our praises be this Lord’s Day, in our assembling together in the house of our God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So may we help and encourage one another to the glory of our God.
How are we to achieve this high and lofty goal? How are we to come to this wonderful unity of one mind and one mouth?
By “the God of patience and consolation.”
We look to our God for His gift of a certain, definite mind toward one another. We seek from Him a mind that is free of a judgmental, scornful, proud frame. We ask of Him a mind that is free of hostility and enmity. We look to him for a mind that is willing to wait in patience, to bear burdens for one another. We pray for a mind that is sympathetic, ready to give consolation and comfort to those who are troubled and sorrowful.
In sum, we desire from God that out of His patience and His consolation He will make us like Him.
This desire God grants in a very specific way: “according to Christ Jesus.” In the preaching of the gospel He will set before us the rule of our minds. In His patience and consolation toward us, He will declare to us again the riches and glory of our salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ. He will lead us into His kingdom, and fill us with the joy of His salvation.
As we hear His gospel, the gospel of His Son, He molds and shapes us more and more after the image of His Son. In that image, renewed by grace, we consider one another. We think of one another. So we become like-minded, rejoicing and delighting in one another.
So may we this day in the house of our God glorify Him, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
With one mind and one mouth.
“Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5, 6
In these words is expressed the worship of God’s people as the blessing imparted by the Apostle Paul to the church of Jesus Christ.
This is worship: the church in its assembling together glorifying God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one mouth.
With one mind: the fundamental, spiritual unity of the church. Here is the determined thinking of the church. They who are of many minds have their minds knit together, joined together in thinking through the same activity. They have in their minds the same goal. Their minds are filled with the same truth, and are guided by the same Holy Spirit. They think together, as having one mind.
Together with their minds they are fixed on the same goal: the glory of God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So are their praises, then. Their minds fixed on the glory of God, their mouths follow in the same path. They take up the same words into their mouths, the same praises upon their lips. So they speak and sing out. So they declare among themselves the wonderful works of God to His praise and glory.
So may our praises be this Lord’s Day, in our assembling together in the house of our God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So may we help and encourage one another to the glory of our God.
How are we to achieve this high and lofty goal? How are we to come to this wonderful unity of one mind and one mouth?
By “the God of patience and consolation.”
We look to our God for His gift of a certain, definite mind toward one another. We seek from Him a mind that is free of a judgmental, scornful, proud frame. We ask of Him a mind that is free of hostility and enmity. We look to him for a mind that is willing to wait in patience, to bear burdens for one another. We pray for a mind that is sympathetic, ready to give consolation and comfort to those who are troubled and sorrowful.
In sum, we desire from God that out of His patience and His consolation He will make us like Him.
This desire God grants in a very specific way: “according to Christ Jesus.” In the preaching of the gospel He will set before us the rule of our minds. In His patience and consolation toward us, He will declare to us again the riches and glory of our salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ. He will lead us into His kingdom, and fill us with the joy of His salvation.
As we hear His gospel, the gospel of His Son, He molds and shapes us more and more after the image of His Son. In that image, renewed by grace, we consider one another. We think of one another. So we become like-minded, rejoicing and delighting in one another.
So may we this day in the house of our God glorify Him, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
With one mind and one mouth.
7 July 2015
“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3
How is the Christian supposed to present his body as a living sacrifice to God, in thinking, reasoning service to Him? How is he not to be conformed to this world? How is he to be transformed by the renewing of his mind?
By not thinking highly of himself, but by thinking soberly.
We are called to flee from the thinking of this world. How filled is this world with bragging, boasting, and arrogant, pompous speech! How many words of scorn and contempt we hear in trash-talking, as men sharpen their tongues like swords against each other.
All this reveals what lies in the hearts of the children of this world, the devil’s pride.
Too easily does this same thinking rise up in our hearts, though we are regenerated children of God.
So the Word of God must hold up its hand before us, to stop us in our tracks.
“Be not conformed to this world.” “…Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.”
Only one great glorious tool we have to cut ourselves down to proper size. This tool is handed to us by this Word of God in its two sharp edges. The first edge is the grace of God. “Through the grace given unto me.” What was that grace of God given to Paul? We find out from I Corinthians 15:9, 10. It was such a great to make a former persecutor of Christ into His mighty apostle.
What kind of estimate must follow from the knowledge of that grace? Impossible that Paul could think that he was greater or better than anyone else.
Through that grace the Apostle of Christ speaks to us, Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to think! All that you have, you have by the grace of God. You have merited nothing. God has given you His grace in spite of who you are and what you have done.
The second edge we have from the last words of this verse. Those words present a rule to measure ourselves by: “according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Every man must take note of the gift of faith that God has dealt to him. What is that measure that God hath dealt? Is it great, or is it small? Is it much, or is it little? Whatever that measure is, two things are true of it. First, God has dealt it. It is not of man himself to believe, whether he believes much or believes little. Second, that measure of faith always says the same thing: all is of God, nothing is of man. What matters to the Christian so much, his faith, is nothing to measure himself by. The measure comes from God alone.
Who might think highly of himself? Who might think more highly of himself?
Rather, let us think soberly.
As we think, so let us speak and so let us walk. By God’s grace, may our words be words of meekness and kindness. By faith, may our deeds be fruitful and beneficial to those around us. May we be steadfast in presenting our bodies a living sacrifice to our God, by His rich mercies to us.
“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3
How is the Christian supposed to present his body as a living sacrifice to God, in thinking, reasoning service to Him? How is he not to be conformed to this world? How is he to be transformed by the renewing of his mind?
By not thinking highly of himself, but by thinking soberly.
We are called to flee from the thinking of this world. How filled is this world with bragging, boasting, and arrogant, pompous speech! How many words of scorn and contempt we hear in trash-talking, as men sharpen their tongues like swords against each other.
All this reveals what lies in the hearts of the children of this world, the devil’s pride.
Too easily does this same thinking rise up in our hearts, though we are regenerated children of God.
So the Word of God must hold up its hand before us, to stop us in our tracks.
“Be not conformed to this world.” “…Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.”
Only one great glorious tool we have to cut ourselves down to proper size. This tool is handed to us by this Word of God in its two sharp edges. The first edge is the grace of God. “Through the grace given unto me.” What was that grace of God given to Paul? We find out from I Corinthians 15:9, 10. It was such a great to make a former persecutor of Christ into His mighty apostle.
What kind of estimate must follow from the knowledge of that grace? Impossible that Paul could think that he was greater or better than anyone else.
Through that grace the Apostle of Christ speaks to us, Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to think! All that you have, you have by the grace of God. You have merited nothing. God has given you His grace in spite of who you are and what you have done.
The second edge we have from the last words of this verse. Those words present a rule to measure ourselves by: “according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Every man must take note of the gift of faith that God has dealt to him. What is that measure that God hath dealt? Is it great, or is it small? Is it much, or is it little? Whatever that measure is, two things are true of it. First, God has dealt it. It is not of man himself to believe, whether he believes much or believes little. Second, that measure of faith always says the same thing: all is of God, nothing is of man. What matters to the Christian so much, his faith, is nothing to measure himself by. The measure comes from God alone.
Who might think highly of himself? Who might think more highly of himself?
Rather, let us think soberly.
As we think, so let us speak and so let us walk. By God’s grace, may our words be words of meekness and kindness. By faith, may our deeds be fruitful and beneficial to those around us. May we be steadfast in presenting our bodies a living sacrifice to our God, by His rich mercies to us.
5 July 2015, The Lord's Day
“O come, let us worship and bow down:
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
For he is our God;
And we are the people of his pasture,
And the sheep of his hand.
Psalm 95:6,7
This Word of God contains in it a wonderful power to bring us together today into the house of the Lord our God. For in its praise of the Lord, this Psalm tells us that our gathering together is due to our nature itself.
Who are we? What is it that makes us what we are? What is our nature?
Our nature, according to this Word of God, is by the power of His grace. He who called the light out of darkness has called us. He who calls and by His call brings life out of death has called us. His call is the call of sheer, sovereign grace. His call is powerful, mighty to make exactly what He has intended and purposed from the foundation of the world. In that call, He has made us anew, regenerating us and transforming us.
What is our new nature? Into what has He made us?
He has made us the people of His pasture.
He has made us the sheep of His hand.
This is the marvelous work of the covenant. Realizing His sovereign, gracious decree of election, He has made His sheep. He has made the people of His pasture. He has become their God, and they have become by His sovereign working, His people, even the people of His pasture.
Such is their nature.
But their nature is not only to be the sheep of His hand, and the people of His pasture.
Their nature is also to do.
What is their new nature to do? What has the Lord their God given them to do in their very nature?
“O come, let us worship and bow down.”
“Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.”
Their nature as the sheep of God’s hand is to gather in the presence of their Good Shepherd.
Their nature as the people of His pasture is to worship and bow down, to kneel before the Lord their Maker.
They hear the call of their Shepherd to gather in His fold. But according to their nature they also speak to one another, echoing this call from their own hearts.
“O come, let us worship and bow down.”
“Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.”
So they call one another. So they speak of the reason for their gathering: “He is our God.” In His grace He has become our God. In His grace He has made us the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. There is only one thing to do: “O come, let us worship and bow down.”
So may we speak to each other in our covenant homes. So may we speak to each other as brothers and sisters in the Lord our God. Let us then do according to the Word of our God to us, gathering before the Lord our Maker in the worship of His holy name.
“O come, let us worship and bow down:
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
For he is our God;
And we are the people of his pasture,
And the sheep of his hand.
Psalm 95:6,7
This Word of God contains in it a wonderful power to bring us together today into the house of the Lord our God. For in its praise of the Lord, this Psalm tells us that our gathering together is due to our nature itself.
Who are we? What is it that makes us what we are? What is our nature?
Our nature, according to this Word of God, is by the power of His grace. He who called the light out of darkness has called us. He who calls and by His call brings life out of death has called us. His call is the call of sheer, sovereign grace. His call is powerful, mighty to make exactly what He has intended and purposed from the foundation of the world. In that call, He has made us anew, regenerating us and transforming us.
What is our new nature? Into what has He made us?
He has made us the people of His pasture.
He has made us the sheep of His hand.
This is the marvelous work of the covenant. Realizing His sovereign, gracious decree of election, He has made His sheep. He has made the people of His pasture. He has become their God, and they have become by His sovereign working, His people, even the people of His pasture.
Such is their nature.
But their nature is not only to be the sheep of His hand, and the people of His pasture.
Their nature is also to do.
What is their new nature to do? What has the Lord their God given them to do in their very nature?
“O come, let us worship and bow down.”
“Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.”
Their nature as the sheep of God’s hand is to gather in the presence of their Good Shepherd.
Their nature as the people of His pasture is to worship and bow down, to kneel before the Lord their Maker.
They hear the call of their Shepherd to gather in His fold. But according to their nature they also speak to one another, echoing this call from their own hearts.
“O come, let us worship and bow down.”
“Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.”
So they call one another. So they speak of the reason for their gathering: “He is our God.” In His grace He has become our God. In His grace He has made us the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. There is only one thing to do: “O come, let us worship and bow down.”
So may we speak to each other in our covenant homes. So may we speak to each other as brothers and sisters in the Lord our God. Let us then do according to the Word of our God to us, gathering before the Lord our Maker in the worship of His holy name.
1 July 2015
“When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.” Deuteronomy 32:8, 9
How this Word of God can make us steer through the pages of history, even to so many blank pages from the beginning. We can think of Egypt, and Assyria, and Tarshish. We can think of the Vandals, the Ostrogoths and the Visigoths. There are the Picts and the Scots, the Norse and the Gauls. All we have is names and vague ideas about where they lived.
What is so hidden from us is clear to God. He was there, to bring these nations and peoples into being. He was there to give them their own places. From His miracle of confusing their tongues at Babel, He led each nation to its own destination, making their boundaries fixed and settled. At times they arose. At times they roamed far and wide, sometimes conquering, plundering and enslaving. But with every move they made, they moved at the Lord’s command and according to His determination.
This Word of God tells us why God determined the boundaries of all these peoples and nations.
“He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.”
All that He did, He did for the sake of the children of Israel. He placed each people and each nation relative to His one people. He gave them their space and He set them at their distance, all in relation to them alone.
All that close, careful and watchful work God performed so that centuries later His servant Moses might demonstrate their Lord’s love for His people: “For the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.”
Why Assyria and Egypt? Whither all the nations? For the Lord’s people, for Jacob alone.
But we must go even further. God’s loving care is for His portion and the lot of His inheritance is according to their very number. “He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.”
So many of this people. So many from generation to generation. As the Lord counted and reckoned, so he determined the space for each and every one. His loving care carved out the place for each member of every tribe, and set the boundaries of all the other nations accordingly.
So it is with the church of Jesus Christ.
Why the nations at present? Why their movements? Why their rising and falling?
For the church!
For that little flock, unto whom the Father has given the kingdom. For that holy nation and that peculiar people. For the elect, whose names are written on the hands of their God.
Though they are scattered among the nations, and considered the offscouring and refuse of the earth. Though they filled with the contempt and scorn of the proud and those that are at ease, yet nations serve them and kings bow down before them.
Such is the marvelous and mighty wisdom of our God, to have the great serve the small, to have the exalted serve the humble.
In that wisdom let us rest, and may its peace dwell always in our hearts, strengthening us in the faithful service of our God, no matter the nation of our pilgrimage.
“When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.” Deuteronomy 32:8, 9
How this Word of God can make us steer through the pages of history, even to so many blank pages from the beginning. We can think of Egypt, and Assyria, and Tarshish. We can think of the Vandals, the Ostrogoths and the Visigoths. There are the Picts and the Scots, the Norse and the Gauls. All we have is names and vague ideas about where they lived.
What is so hidden from us is clear to God. He was there, to bring these nations and peoples into being. He was there to give them their own places. From His miracle of confusing their tongues at Babel, He led each nation to its own destination, making their boundaries fixed and settled. At times they arose. At times they roamed far and wide, sometimes conquering, plundering and enslaving. But with every move they made, they moved at the Lord’s command and according to His determination.
This Word of God tells us why God determined the boundaries of all these peoples and nations.
“He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.”
All that He did, He did for the sake of the children of Israel. He placed each people and each nation relative to His one people. He gave them their space and He set them at their distance, all in relation to them alone.
All that close, careful and watchful work God performed so that centuries later His servant Moses might demonstrate their Lord’s love for His people: “For the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.”
Why Assyria and Egypt? Whither all the nations? For the Lord’s people, for Jacob alone.
But we must go even further. God’s loving care is for His portion and the lot of His inheritance is according to their very number. “He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.”
So many of this people. So many from generation to generation. As the Lord counted and reckoned, so he determined the space for each and every one. His loving care carved out the place for each member of every tribe, and set the boundaries of all the other nations accordingly.
So it is with the church of Jesus Christ.
Why the nations at present? Why their movements? Why their rising and falling?
For the church!
For that little flock, unto whom the Father has given the kingdom. For that holy nation and that peculiar people. For the elect, whose names are written on the hands of their God.
Though they are scattered among the nations, and considered the offscouring and refuse of the earth. Though they filled with the contempt and scorn of the proud and those that are at ease, yet nations serve them and kings bow down before them.
Such is the marvelous and mighty wisdom of our God, to have the great serve the small, to have the exalted serve the humble.
In that wisdom let us rest, and may its peace dwell always in our hearts, strengthening us in the faithful service of our God, no matter the nation of our pilgrimage.
28 June 2015
“Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.” Psalm 111:1
With these words from the Psalmist we are joyfully led into God’s presence among His people this Sabbath Day.
The Psalmist declares here a command, a holy, solemn command that obligates us to take up the praises of the Lord. This calling is to lift up our hearts and voices to search out and declare the works of the Lord.
Then the Psalmist, led by the Spirit, speaks of his own way, calling us to follow him according to his own keeping of this commandment.
“I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.”
He will not remain in his own place. He will not stand off, afar and aloof from the people where they are gathered for worship. He cannot think they are not good enough for him. He cannot think the distance and the time and the trouble to go there are not worth the effort. He cannot think that he might just as well praise the Lord by himself, and in the way that suits him best.
He must be found “in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.”
He identifies them not as “those people over there.” He does not see them as hypocrites and unbelievers, though there are certainly some there. He sees them in the light of God’s grace and in the light of God’s covenant mercies. As those gathered by the gracious call of God, the company of believers and their seed purchased by the blood of Christ, He sees them in the light of God’s Word: “the assembly of the upright,” and, “the congregation.”
Of course, that assembly is the place where he belongs!
He belongs there because it is the perfect place to carry out the commandment as it comes to Him. He hears the commandment, “Praise ye the Lord.” As he says in answer, “I will praise the Lord with my whole heart,” so he must also say, “In the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.”
For in this assembly and in this congregation are the praises of the Lord to be found! There are the works of the Lord. Not only recorded in the Scriptures. Not only pondered and weighed in the heart. They are there brought out of the believing hearts of God’s joyful people, and poured out upon their lips in the praise and glory of their God who has saved them and rescued them from all their foes.
There the Psalmist will be greatly encouraged and helped in his praise of His God. There he will be able to encourage and help his fellow saints in the praise of His God.
So may we hear this command to the praise of our God. So may we be filled with this same determination to carry it out, in the same blessed place: “in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.”
“Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.” Psalm 111:1
With these words from the Psalmist we are joyfully led into God’s presence among His people this Sabbath Day.
The Psalmist declares here a command, a holy, solemn command that obligates us to take up the praises of the Lord. This calling is to lift up our hearts and voices to search out and declare the works of the Lord.
Then the Psalmist, led by the Spirit, speaks of his own way, calling us to follow him according to his own keeping of this commandment.
“I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.”
He will not remain in his own place. He will not stand off, afar and aloof from the people where they are gathered for worship. He cannot think they are not good enough for him. He cannot think the distance and the time and the trouble to go there are not worth the effort. He cannot think that he might just as well praise the Lord by himself, and in the way that suits him best.
He must be found “in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.”
He identifies them not as “those people over there.” He does not see them as hypocrites and unbelievers, though there are certainly some there. He sees them in the light of God’s grace and in the light of God’s covenant mercies. As those gathered by the gracious call of God, the company of believers and their seed purchased by the blood of Christ, He sees them in the light of God’s Word: “the assembly of the upright,” and, “the congregation.”
Of course, that assembly is the place where he belongs!
He belongs there because it is the perfect place to carry out the commandment as it comes to Him. He hears the commandment, “Praise ye the Lord.” As he says in answer, “I will praise the Lord with my whole heart,” so he must also say, “In the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.”
For in this assembly and in this congregation are the praises of the Lord to be found! There are the works of the Lord. Not only recorded in the Scriptures. Not only pondered and weighed in the heart. They are there brought out of the believing hearts of God’s joyful people, and poured out upon their lips in the praise and glory of their God who has saved them and rescued them from all their foes.
There the Psalmist will be greatly encouraged and helped in his praise of His God. There he will be able to encourage and help his fellow saints in the praise of His God.
So may we hear this command to the praise of our God. So may we be filled with this same determination to carry it out, in the same blessed place: “in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.”
27 June 2015
The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips,
And the tongue that speaketh proud things:
Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail;
Our lips are our own:
Who is lord over us?
For the oppression of the poor,
For the sighing of the needy,
Now will I arise, saith the Lord;
I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.
The words of the Lord are pure words;
As silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Thou shalt keep them, O Lord,
Thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
The wicked walk on every side,
When the vilest men are exalted. Psalm 12:3-8
How men talk!
They have their lips. They have their tongues.
So they pour forth words out of the vanity of their imagination. They speak of what they will do. And as they continue to speak their proud and boastful words, they lift themselves up in their arrogance. In their arrogance they turn to their own tongues, and reflect on their own speech.
Hear what they say!
“With our tongue will we prevail; Our lips are our own: Who is lord over us?”
So speak culture and society. So speaks the world. So speak 5, sitting on their thrones established by men, composing a majority opinion.
What have they decreed? What have they said? Their language is the language of Psalm 12:4, “With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?”
So they speak in their pride. So they ask in their haughtiness.
What of these flattering lips? What of this tongue that speaketh proud things?
Let us hear the everlasting and almighty Word of God.
Let us hear the pure words of the Lord. Let us hear the divine words that are as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
What does the eternal Word say?
“The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things.”
What does the eternal Word say about those who are oppressed by these flattering lips? What does it say about those who sigh when lashed by that proud tongue?
“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.”
They are safe, kept in their safety by the living Lord who shall arise for them. His mighty salvation will over throw the puffings (and huffings) of the flattering lips and the proud tongue.
May these pure words of our Lord always be our lasting refuge from the lips and tongues of ungodliness!
The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips,
And the tongue that speaketh proud things:
Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail;
Our lips are our own:
Who is lord over us?
For the oppression of the poor,
For the sighing of the needy,
Now will I arise, saith the Lord;
I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.
The words of the Lord are pure words;
As silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Thou shalt keep them, O Lord,
Thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
The wicked walk on every side,
When the vilest men are exalted. Psalm 12:3-8
How men talk!
They have their lips. They have their tongues.
So they pour forth words out of the vanity of their imagination. They speak of what they will do. And as they continue to speak their proud and boastful words, they lift themselves up in their arrogance. In their arrogance they turn to their own tongues, and reflect on their own speech.
Hear what they say!
“With our tongue will we prevail; Our lips are our own: Who is lord over us?”
So speak culture and society. So speaks the world. So speak 5, sitting on their thrones established by men, composing a majority opinion.
What have they decreed? What have they said? Their language is the language of Psalm 12:4, “With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?”
So they speak in their pride. So they ask in their haughtiness.
What of these flattering lips? What of this tongue that speaketh proud things?
Let us hear the everlasting and almighty Word of God.
Let us hear the pure words of the Lord. Let us hear the divine words that are as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
What does the eternal Word say?
“The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things.”
What does the eternal Word say about those who are oppressed by these flattering lips? What does it say about those who sigh when lashed by that proud tongue?
“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.”
They are safe, kept in their safety by the living Lord who shall arise for them. His mighty salvation will over throw the puffings (and huffings) of the flattering lips and the proud tongue.
May these pure words of our Lord always be our lasting refuge from the lips and tongues of ungodliness!
26 June 2015
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” I John 3:1, 2
Beloved, our lives are lives of suspense, of suspense for the end of all things.
On the one side, we are in suspense concerning this world. “The world knoweth us not.”
How can this be? Are we not living in the midst of this world? Here we carry on in our business and trade. Here we build our homes. Here we take our vacations and engage in our pursuits. Do we not demonstrate and show that we are the sons of God in this world? Here we publicly worship the Lord. Here we confess the name of the Lord. Here we live according to God’s commandments.
Yet, “the world knoweth us not.” Why not?
Hear the Word of God: “Because it knew him not.” The world knew not the Son of God. Being sent into this world, walking in this world, the world knew Him not. The world knew Him not, refusing to acknowledge Him and worship Him as the Son of God. Instead the world nailed Him to a cross and lifted Him up, refusing Him and by their refusal putting Him to death.
“Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”
As we see in these latter days virulent and violent rejection of Christianity and Christian principles in Western society, culture, and politics, we see how “the world knoweth us not.” Likely, we shall shortly face our own suspension from this world in a personal and individual way.
But what does this suspension mean, when “the world knoweth us not?”
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God?” The persecution of the world gives us proof of who we really and truly are. We have been called the sons of God, by the love of the Father bestowed upon us. So blessed are we to be able to trace whatever hatred and persecution we receive from the world to the call of the Father to us, and even further to the love behind that call. Why does the world persecute the church? Because of the Father’s love.
But that suspension by the world must also lead us to our suspension for the future.
By the wonderful manner of the love the Father hath bestowed upon us, we have been called the sons of God. But “it doth not yet appear what we shall be.”
Yes, we have been called the Sons of God. On that account the world knoweth not us. But we are not yet what we shall be. “It doth not yet appear.”
But this we do know. “We know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” The Son of God shall appear. When He appears, we shall be like him. We shall be like him in the true, loving and glorious knowledge of the living God. We shall be like Him in perfect righteousness, everything about us and within us finding, meeting, and knowing God’s blessed approval. We shall be like Him in thorough holiness, full and complete devotion and consecration to the infinite glory of the living God.
“For we shall see him as he is.” We shall see face to face. We shall know even as now we are known by Him. The glorified saints will see their glorious Lord with perfect delight and everlasting happiness.
So let us rejoice and be glad when “the world knoweth us not.” For we are known to the Father who has called us His children. And let us rejoice and be glad, for we shall be like Him, to see Him as He is.
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” I John 3:1, 2
Beloved, our lives are lives of suspense, of suspense for the end of all things.
On the one side, we are in suspense concerning this world. “The world knoweth us not.”
How can this be? Are we not living in the midst of this world? Here we carry on in our business and trade. Here we build our homes. Here we take our vacations and engage in our pursuits. Do we not demonstrate and show that we are the sons of God in this world? Here we publicly worship the Lord. Here we confess the name of the Lord. Here we live according to God’s commandments.
Yet, “the world knoweth us not.” Why not?
Hear the Word of God: “Because it knew him not.” The world knew not the Son of God. Being sent into this world, walking in this world, the world knew Him not. The world knew Him not, refusing to acknowledge Him and worship Him as the Son of God. Instead the world nailed Him to a cross and lifted Him up, refusing Him and by their refusal putting Him to death.
“Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”
As we see in these latter days virulent and violent rejection of Christianity and Christian principles in Western society, culture, and politics, we see how “the world knoweth us not.” Likely, we shall shortly face our own suspension from this world in a personal and individual way.
But what does this suspension mean, when “the world knoweth us not?”
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God?” The persecution of the world gives us proof of who we really and truly are. We have been called the sons of God, by the love of the Father bestowed upon us. So blessed are we to be able to trace whatever hatred and persecution we receive from the world to the call of the Father to us, and even further to the love behind that call. Why does the world persecute the church? Because of the Father’s love.
But that suspension by the world must also lead us to our suspension for the future.
By the wonderful manner of the love the Father hath bestowed upon us, we have been called the sons of God. But “it doth not yet appear what we shall be.”
Yes, we have been called the Sons of God. On that account the world knoweth not us. But we are not yet what we shall be. “It doth not yet appear.”
But this we do know. “We know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” The Son of God shall appear. When He appears, we shall be like him. We shall be like him in the true, loving and glorious knowledge of the living God. We shall be like Him in perfect righteousness, everything about us and within us finding, meeting, and knowing God’s blessed approval. We shall be like Him in thorough holiness, full and complete devotion and consecration to the infinite glory of the living God.
“For we shall see him as he is.” We shall see face to face. We shall know even as now we are known by Him. The glorified saints will see their glorious Lord with perfect delight and everlasting happiness.
So let us rejoice and be glad when “the world knoweth us not.” For we are known to the Father who has called us His children. And let us rejoice and be glad, for we shall be like Him, to see Him as He is.
21 June 2015, The Lord’s Day
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.” Ephesians 4:11
“After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.” Luke 10:1
“Whither he himself would come.”
Where would Jesus go? He would go into this city and into that place. He would go there to preach and teach the gospel of the kingdom of God to the lost sheep of Israel. His deep desire was to see the kingdom of His heavenly Father grow and prosper and the honour and glory of Him who sent Him. He understood the means to accomplish that blessed end: the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom.
But our Saviour could not. He was but one man, bound and limited by the nature He took upon Himself for our salvation. In that nature He could be only in one place at one time. In only one city at a time He could preach the gospel. In only once place at a time He could declare the glad tidings of salvation.
So He sent men. Into every city and into every place “whither he himself would come,” He sent those whom He appointed, seventy men. Two by two He sent them into those cities and places. He gave them the same glad tidings to preach. So they went, as they were sent. In every city and in every place their Lord sent them, they carried out their appointment, preaching and teaching the gospel of the kingdom. By them, the Lord gathered His own to Himself. Sins were forgiven. The gates of the kingdom of heaven were opened. The Lord’s salvation was graciously granted.
Such was the will of the Lord then.
Such is the will of the Lord now.
“Into every city and place, whither he himself would come.”
Into your city. Into your place.
Jesus Himself is unable to come. His proper place is in glory, at the Father’s right hand. There He ascended into His glory, having accomplished our salvation through His deep humiliation.
But from heaven he knows your city. He knows your place. And to you He sends His ambassador, His official, authorized representative. In His place he will come to declare to you the same glad tidings of the gospel. He will declare the forgiveness of sins. He will announce the coming of the kingdom of heaven. He will publish the gift of the righteousness of Christ that brings eternal life.
Through that declaration and those tidings, hear the Word of your Saviour who has sent him to you. Be glad and rejoice in His salvation and His eternal kingdom He has given to you. And give thanks and pray for His servants that He sends to you and throughout all the world, declaring His gospel of the kingdom.
“Whither he himself would come.”
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.” Ephesians 4:11
“After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.” Luke 10:1
“Whither he himself would come.”
Where would Jesus go? He would go into this city and into that place. He would go there to preach and teach the gospel of the kingdom of God to the lost sheep of Israel. His deep desire was to see the kingdom of His heavenly Father grow and prosper and the honour and glory of Him who sent Him. He understood the means to accomplish that blessed end: the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom.
But our Saviour could not. He was but one man, bound and limited by the nature He took upon Himself for our salvation. In that nature He could be only in one place at one time. In only one city at a time He could preach the gospel. In only once place at a time He could declare the glad tidings of salvation.
So He sent men. Into every city and into every place “whither he himself would come,” He sent those whom He appointed, seventy men. Two by two He sent them into those cities and places. He gave them the same glad tidings to preach. So they went, as they were sent. In every city and in every place their Lord sent them, they carried out their appointment, preaching and teaching the gospel of the kingdom. By them, the Lord gathered His own to Himself. Sins were forgiven. The gates of the kingdom of heaven were opened. The Lord’s salvation was graciously granted.
Such was the will of the Lord then.
Such is the will of the Lord now.
“Into every city and place, whither he himself would come.”
Into your city. Into your place.
Jesus Himself is unable to come. His proper place is in glory, at the Father’s right hand. There He ascended into His glory, having accomplished our salvation through His deep humiliation.
But from heaven he knows your city. He knows your place. And to you He sends His ambassador, His official, authorized representative. In His place he will come to declare to you the same glad tidings of the gospel. He will declare the forgiveness of sins. He will announce the coming of the kingdom of heaven. He will publish the gift of the righteousness of Christ that brings eternal life.
Through that declaration and those tidings, hear the Word of your Saviour who has sent him to you. Be glad and rejoice in His salvation and His eternal kingdom He has given to you. And give thanks and pray for His servants that He sends to you and throughout all the world, declaring His gospel of the kingdom.
“Whither he himself would come.”
16 October 2014
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1
Peace with God!
What blessedness is this peace with God!
This peace is the complete cessation of all enmity and hostility between us and God.
The great power of this peace we can know only if we understand what hostility there had been before.
There was the hostility of our revolt from the loving fellowship with God we enjoyed with Him before our first parents, Adam and Eve sinned against God. When they sinned, they rejected the fellowship of their blessed Maker. Instead they made their alliance with Satan, God’s great enemy from the beginning. Making friends with the devil, they made God their enemy, fleeing from Him in the garden, instead of rejoicing to meet Him. That hostility is presently deeply rooted in the very nature of man. He views God as His enemy, labouring with all his might to suppress the knowledge of his Maker as it springs up all around him and even within him. He strengthens himself in his sin against God, encouraging his fellow man to work more and more evil in the sight of the Lord, twisting his society and culture to such evil purposes.
In such an evil and corrupt way, there is also overwhelming hostility from God. He visits men according to the greatness of their iniquities and sins. He brings pain and suffering through the multitude of natural disasters and calamities. In His hostility He shows that He is a righteous, and just, and holy God.
But He also justifies! In His justification He gives peace!
With this gift of peace, there is the absolute cessation of all hostilities. His peace takes away all bitterness and hostility. With His peace, He turns from wrath to favour, from anger to love, from destruction to prosperity. All enmity He does away with, and in its place is pure friendship and fellowship.
His peace is also worked powerfully within us, so that we turn from our old, deeply entrenched ways of enmity and bitterness. Instead of fighting against God we surrender. To Him from whom we had before turned and fled away we now run, to enjoy His friendship and to hide ourselves under the shadow of His wings. His nearness, instead of causing anxiety, is now cause for sweet delight and makes glad our souls.
This peace is so wonderful and glorious, because it rests on the rock solid foundation of our justification.
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Justified! All our sin, all our guilt, and all our condemnation has been removed. In its place is given us righteousness, obedience, and the right to life. And we are justified, not because we have justified ourselves. Not because we have done something we think merits with God. Not because we set it before God, asking Him to justify us because of what we have done. Only because God has justified us with the righteousness of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
For, first, we are justified by faith, not by the deeds or the works of the law. No, not by anything that we have done are we justified. Second, the last words of this verse lead us to the sole source of our justification: our Lord Jesus Christ. Not only has He accomplished all the righteousness we need, by His perfect obedience, and by the atonement He offered for us on the tree of the cross. But also He has purchased the faith by which we are justified. “By faith . . . through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
All our peace has come to us through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is therefore an everlasting, unbreakable peace.
In that peace let us ever live and serve and praise the God of our peace, who has justified us by faith through our Lord Jesus Christ!
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1
Peace with God!
What blessedness is this peace with God!
This peace is the complete cessation of all enmity and hostility between us and God.
The great power of this peace we can know only if we understand what hostility there had been before.
There was the hostility of our revolt from the loving fellowship with God we enjoyed with Him before our first parents, Adam and Eve sinned against God. When they sinned, they rejected the fellowship of their blessed Maker. Instead they made their alliance with Satan, God’s great enemy from the beginning. Making friends with the devil, they made God their enemy, fleeing from Him in the garden, instead of rejoicing to meet Him. That hostility is presently deeply rooted in the very nature of man. He views God as His enemy, labouring with all his might to suppress the knowledge of his Maker as it springs up all around him and even within him. He strengthens himself in his sin against God, encouraging his fellow man to work more and more evil in the sight of the Lord, twisting his society and culture to such evil purposes.
In such an evil and corrupt way, there is also overwhelming hostility from God. He visits men according to the greatness of their iniquities and sins. He brings pain and suffering through the multitude of natural disasters and calamities. In His hostility He shows that He is a righteous, and just, and holy God.
But He also justifies! In His justification He gives peace!
With this gift of peace, there is the absolute cessation of all hostilities. His peace takes away all bitterness and hostility. With His peace, He turns from wrath to favour, from anger to love, from destruction to prosperity. All enmity He does away with, and in its place is pure friendship and fellowship.
His peace is also worked powerfully within us, so that we turn from our old, deeply entrenched ways of enmity and bitterness. Instead of fighting against God we surrender. To Him from whom we had before turned and fled away we now run, to enjoy His friendship and to hide ourselves under the shadow of His wings. His nearness, instead of causing anxiety, is now cause for sweet delight and makes glad our souls.
This peace is so wonderful and glorious, because it rests on the rock solid foundation of our justification.
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Justified! All our sin, all our guilt, and all our condemnation has been removed. In its place is given us righteousness, obedience, and the right to life. And we are justified, not because we have justified ourselves. Not because we have done something we think merits with God. Not because we set it before God, asking Him to justify us because of what we have done. Only because God has justified us with the righteousness of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
For, first, we are justified by faith, not by the deeds or the works of the law. No, not by anything that we have done are we justified. Second, the last words of this verse lead us to the sole source of our justification: our Lord Jesus Christ. Not only has He accomplished all the righteousness we need, by His perfect obedience, and by the atonement He offered for us on the tree of the cross. But also He has purchased the faith by which we are justified. “By faith . . . through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
All our peace has come to us through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is therefore an everlasting, unbreakable peace.
In that peace let us ever live and serve and praise the God of our peace, who has justified us by faith through our Lord Jesus Christ!
13 October 2014
“Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.” Psalm 95:2
In this wonderfully Spirit-arranged verse from the Psalms, we have our way of entering into the house of the Lord for Thanksgiving Day.
We look closely at that arrangement. We might think, at first glance, that this way is the way of thanksgiving, and this thanksgiving we are to express with “a joyful noise.” What better way could there be to express our gratitude to God for His goodness to us than to lift up our voices to sing loudly the praises of our God?
But the Holy Spirit has given us a more striking arrangement.
That joyful noise, or a loud sound from our hearts, is simply the way we are to come into the presence of the Lord. He is worthy of the summoning of all the powers of our heart, that those powers should be expressed with volume and strength of voice in the making of a joyful noise.
To that end, thoughts of thanksgiving represent the way to come into God’s presence and to make a joyful noise unto him. Thanksgiving is the directing of our minds to the enjoyed provision of God. It is the effort of our minds to understand all that we have, that it is all from the hand of God, given through His grace and mercy in Jesus Christ, His Son. Thanksgiving is also the blessed labour of making ourselves glad in the multitude of God’s gifts He has so graciously provided.
But this Word of God especially teaches us that the most proper vehicle for bringing our thanksgiving to God is with Psalms, the Psalms that He has given in His Word.
The first and chief reason why the Psalms are the perfect instrument of thanksgiving is that they are God’s gifts to the church of the Old Testament and the New for the praise and worship of His name. Thanksgiving is, first, to Him. Therefore it is fitting that we exercise ourselves in thanksgiving to Him. That exercise is, to be sure, that we bring before Him the joyful noises of our voices exclaiming the abundance He has given to us. But that exercise is also using the very words with which we come before his presence with thanksgiving. In the Psalms He has declared to us His blessings. We think of Psalm 65, of Psalm 147, of Psalm 104, of Psalm 103, of Psalm 8, of Psalm 100, and of Psalm 107.
How blessed are we to use the gifts of God in His praises! Not only to mention His gifts to us, and not only in the very words He has given us in His Psalm-book, but also with the very breath and life, the voices and hearts that He has graciously given to us, and blessed by His Spirit of grace.
So much cause for thanksgiving! Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with Psalms!
“Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.” Psalm 95:2
In this wonderfully Spirit-arranged verse from the Psalms, we have our way of entering into the house of the Lord for Thanksgiving Day.
We look closely at that arrangement. We might think, at first glance, that this way is the way of thanksgiving, and this thanksgiving we are to express with “a joyful noise.” What better way could there be to express our gratitude to God for His goodness to us than to lift up our voices to sing loudly the praises of our God?
But the Holy Spirit has given us a more striking arrangement.
That joyful noise, or a loud sound from our hearts, is simply the way we are to come into the presence of the Lord. He is worthy of the summoning of all the powers of our heart, that those powers should be expressed with volume and strength of voice in the making of a joyful noise.
To that end, thoughts of thanksgiving represent the way to come into God’s presence and to make a joyful noise unto him. Thanksgiving is the directing of our minds to the enjoyed provision of God. It is the effort of our minds to understand all that we have, that it is all from the hand of God, given through His grace and mercy in Jesus Christ, His Son. Thanksgiving is also the blessed labour of making ourselves glad in the multitude of God’s gifts He has so graciously provided.
But this Word of God especially teaches us that the most proper vehicle for bringing our thanksgiving to God is with Psalms, the Psalms that He has given in His Word.
The first and chief reason why the Psalms are the perfect instrument of thanksgiving is that they are God’s gifts to the church of the Old Testament and the New for the praise and worship of His name. Thanksgiving is, first, to Him. Therefore it is fitting that we exercise ourselves in thanksgiving to Him. That exercise is, to be sure, that we bring before Him the joyful noises of our voices exclaiming the abundance He has given to us. But that exercise is also using the very words with which we come before his presence with thanksgiving. In the Psalms He has declared to us His blessings. We think of Psalm 65, of Psalm 147, of Psalm 104, of Psalm 103, of Psalm 8, of Psalm 100, and of Psalm 107.
How blessed are we to use the gifts of God in His praises! Not only to mention His gifts to us, and not only in the very words He has given us in His Psalm-book, but also with the very breath and life, the voices and hearts that He has graciously given to us, and blessed by His Spirit of grace.
So much cause for thanksgiving! Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with Psalms!
12 October 2014, The Lord's Day
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:18, 19
A wonderfully vain attempt is described in these words from holy Scripture!
Do your best! Aim your very best energies and resources! Seek with all your heart to know!
Study measure and weight. Study time and history. Expand your horizons as far as you possibly can. Give yourself to the study of mathematics to be able to express the greatest possible amount.
How much can you know? How far can you stretch yourself?
That much must you know the love of Christ!
Know that love by all the sins which you have committed, every one of which your Saviour’s love has taken from you. Know that love by the almighty power by which He has delivered you from sin and Satan’s hand, and restored you to life and God’s fellowship. Know that love in the blood that He shed, to purchase you to be His and His Father’s forever. Know that love by the gifts he pours out upon you from Heaven, blessings of His Spirit and Word, His grace, His mercy, and His peace.
Be not alone in this great endeavour. You must be joined to others in it. In the fellowship of God’s people, may this be your delightful task: “that you may be able to comprehend with all saints.” Look for the greatness of that love in the Word of the gospel you hear together. As you hear that gospel in the fellowship of faith, seek together to know the measure of your Saviour’s love for you, together with all His church.
You will always fall short. The blessed word is that as you seek to know “what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height” of the love of Christ, you will always find that love surpassing. You will find it not only infinite in measure, but also infinitely sweet, wonderful, and delightful.
Blessed pursuit of knowledge! This effort, of which you will always fall short, has your fullness in view. As you seek and pursue to know, you are being filled with all the fullness of God. That fullness is the knowledge of His love for you, the love out of which He sent to you His beloved Son who loved you unto death. That fullness is the fruit of that love, His Spirit, His peace, His goodness and grace to fill your mind and heart with all delight and love for your God. That fullness is the rich enjoyment of His friendship and fellowship in worship, to share together with God’s people in His house.
May that fullness of God pour out of our hearts in the praise of His name and to the glory of His grace.
May such be our blessed endeavour today, in the house of our God!
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:18, 19
A wonderfully vain attempt is described in these words from holy Scripture!
Do your best! Aim your very best energies and resources! Seek with all your heart to know!
Study measure and weight. Study time and history. Expand your horizons as far as you possibly can. Give yourself to the study of mathematics to be able to express the greatest possible amount.
How much can you know? How far can you stretch yourself?
That much must you know the love of Christ!
Know that love by all the sins which you have committed, every one of which your Saviour’s love has taken from you. Know that love by the almighty power by which He has delivered you from sin and Satan’s hand, and restored you to life and God’s fellowship. Know that love in the blood that He shed, to purchase you to be His and His Father’s forever. Know that love by the gifts he pours out upon you from Heaven, blessings of His Spirit and Word, His grace, His mercy, and His peace.
Be not alone in this great endeavour. You must be joined to others in it. In the fellowship of God’s people, may this be your delightful task: “that you may be able to comprehend with all saints.” Look for the greatness of that love in the Word of the gospel you hear together. As you hear that gospel in the fellowship of faith, seek together to know the measure of your Saviour’s love for you, together with all His church.
You will always fall short. The blessed word is that as you seek to know “what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height” of the love of Christ, you will always find that love surpassing. You will find it not only infinite in measure, but also infinitely sweet, wonderful, and delightful.
Blessed pursuit of knowledge! This effort, of which you will always fall short, has your fullness in view. As you seek and pursue to know, you are being filled with all the fullness of God. That fullness is the knowledge of His love for you, the love out of which He sent to you His beloved Son who loved you unto death. That fullness is the fruit of that love, His Spirit, His peace, His goodness and grace to fill your mind and heart with all delight and love for your God. That fullness is the rich enjoyment of His friendship and fellowship in worship, to share together with God’s people in His house.
May that fullness of God pour out of our hearts in the praise of His name and to the glory of His grace.
May such be our blessed endeavour today, in the house of our God!
10 October 2014
“Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.” II Thessalonians 2:14, 15
This Scripture, as well as so many others, does not admit any trouble or difficulty harmonizing the truth of sovereign grace with the commandments of God to His people. There is no sense in which Scripture tries to divide between the two: so much given to God to do, and so much given to man to do. Scripture is not afraid at all to give to God all the glory of His sovereignty, and at the same time to give to man all responsibility and accountability.
But that is not all. We have not only an understood harmony between these two. Scripture also tells us which is also first, which is always supreme. God’s sovereignty is absolutely first, and man’s responsibility is always second and always built upon the first.
The first word of verse 15, above, makes that relationship quite clear: “Therefore.”
What is first here? What is the foundation here? The calling of God. He called this church by the gospel brought by Paul and the company of the apostles. He has called His elect, as He chose them “from the beginning,” verse 13. He called them “to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,” heavenly glory they shall obtain after their lives in this world are finished. Their salvation is sure.
What follows? No “but.” No “although.” No “nevertheless.”
But, “therefore.”
Therefore must they stand fast. Therefore they must hold the traditions which they have been taught, whether by word or epistle. They must stay squarely in the truth, and not be led away from it by any temptation or deception. They must hold tightly to what had been passed along to them from Christ through his apostles, whether they received it through preaching or by letter.
As we feel more and more the tremendous pressure to move away from the gospel of God’s sovereign grace, from the truth of the apostolic Word we have been taught, we must know the power of the connecting word “therefore.” Exactly because God has called us can we hope to stand fast. Because He has called us according to His choice from the beginning, can we dare to stand fast. Because He has called to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, can we successfully stand fast.
Without the sovereignty of God, we cannot hope to endure! Under it, we have all confidence!
But even more, our contemplation of the absolute sovereignty of God is also a powerful motivation to stand fast and to hold the traditions. The absolute sovereignty of God in our salvation means that we have done nothing to save ourselves. Wholly and completely, without the grace of God which did it all, we would only be under the destructive power of God’s wrath, under bondage to sin and Satan, our only pathway leading to the everlasting destruction of hell. But God rescued us!
Our salvation is wholly of His grace alone.
Therefore!
May our hearts, filled with the joy of His salvation, be strengthened to stand fast and to hold the traditions that He has given us!
“Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.” II Thessalonians 2:14, 15
This Scripture, as well as so many others, does not admit any trouble or difficulty harmonizing the truth of sovereign grace with the commandments of God to His people. There is no sense in which Scripture tries to divide between the two: so much given to God to do, and so much given to man to do. Scripture is not afraid at all to give to God all the glory of His sovereignty, and at the same time to give to man all responsibility and accountability.
But that is not all. We have not only an understood harmony between these two. Scripture also tells us which is also first, which is always supreme. God’s sovereignty is absolutely first, and man’s responsibility is always second and always built upon the first.
The first word of verse 15, above, makes that relationship quite clear: “Therefore.”
What is first here? What is the foundation here? The calling of God. He called this church by the gospel brought by Paul and the company of the apostles. He has called His elect, as He chose them “from the beginning,” verse 13. He called them “to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,” heavenly glory they shall obtain after their lives in this world are finished. Their salvation is sure.
What follows? No “but.” No “although.” No “nevertheless.”
But, “therefore.”
Therefore must they stand fast. Therefore they must hold the traditions which they have been taught, whether by word or epistle. They must stay squarely in the truth, and not be led away from it by any temptation or deception. They must hold tightly to what had been passed along to them from Christ through his apostles, whether they received it through preaching or by letter.
As we feel more and more the tremendous pressure to move away from the gospel of God’s sovereign grace, from the truth of the apostolic Word we have been taught, we must know the power of the connecting word “therefore.” Exactly because God has called us can we hope to stand fast. Because He has called us according to His choice from the beginning, can we dare to stand fast. Because He has called to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, can we successfully stand fast.
Without the sovereignty of God, we cannot hope to endure! Under it, we have all confidence!
But even more, our contemplation of the absolute sovereignty of God is also a powerful motivation to stand fast and to hold the traditions. The absolute sovereignty of God in our salvation means that we have done nothing to save ourselves. Wholly and completely, without the grace of God which did it all, we would only be under the destructive power of God’s wrath, under bondage to sin and Satan, our only pathway leading to the everlasting destruction of hell. But God rescued us!
Our salvation is wholly of His grace alone.
Therefore!
May our hearts, filled with the joy of His salvation, be strengthened to stand fast and to hold the traditions that He has given us!
8 October, 2014
“Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the earth, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” Ephesians 1:3-5
Predestination.
How very wrong is the popular view of this vital biblical doctrine!
What is that popular view?
Leaving all that is of life and love, of sunshine and warmth, of openness and freedom, you must enter a cold, damp, dark and forbidding place. Descending ever deeper through passages growing ever more narrow, you finally come to a place where only cold and aloof reckoning takes place. There you find predestination, a cold, calculating doctrine, a doctrine that restrains and prohibits.
According to this popular view, millions and millions want to be saved from eternal destruction. They try to get into the kingdom of heaven, pressing against its gates with cries for deliverance and refuge on their lips. But they are all turned away, their desires frustrated and their hopes dashed into pieces. The reason? They are not predestinated.
As horrible as this view is, even more is it erroneous. The devil has carefully crafted this presentation, and persuaded so very many to adopt it for their own. All contrary to the testimony of God’s Word.
That testimony of God’s Word teaches exactly the opposite of this decree of predestination. Without predestination there would be none to receive all God’s rich store of “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Without His eternal, wise, just and good decree there must be none to be “holy and without blame before him in love.” Without His sovereign, unconditional choice, there would be no adopted children of God.
For, first, predestination is God’s eternal determination to have more children than His one, only-begotten Son. His absolutely free, unconstrained love alone moved Him to make for Himself a vast multitude of children for Him to raise up, to save, and to bring to Himself, that they should live forever in His blessed kingdom that He has prepared for them from the foundation of the world, Matthew 25:34.
Second, predestination deliberately directs the power of God’s mighty salvation not only to these children but also to the proper goal of that salvation. That end is their perfect holiness and blamelessness. Without that decree every one of those children would be only wretchedly ugly and deformed, bearing only the name of God, but no resemblance to Him whatever. Predestination determines the beautiful, delightful end of these children, that every one of them will be like their heavenly Father, forever perfect in holiness and blamelessness. In that holiness they shall love Him as He loves them, in the glory of His blessed, everlasting kingdom.
Third, predestination means the outpouring of all spiritual blessings in the present. Predestination means the careful distribution of the riches of Christ’s goodness, that every single one of God’s children will receive the abundant blessings of salvation from Jesus’ throne in glory. Standing under the stream of these blessings poured out, each of these children on earth is drenched in the love of their Father for them. Each is able to rejoice that his stream will never dry up, but must unceasingly pour, until at last he comes to its heavenly source, his Lord Jesus Christ.
May this eternal, unconditional decree be our delight and joy! Let us with joy confess it and defend it, “to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
“Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the earth, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” Ephesians 1:3-5
Predestination.
How very wrong is the popular view of this vital biblical doctrine!
What is that popular view?
Leaving all that is of life and love, of sunshine and warmth, of openness and freedom, you must enter a cold, damp, dark and forbidding place. Descending ever deeper through passages growing ever more narrow, you finally come to a place where only cold and aloof reckoning takes place. There you find predestination, a cold, calculating doctrine, a doctrine that restrains and prohibits.
According to this popular view, millions and millions want to be saved from eternal destruction. They try to get into the kingdom of heaven, pressing against its gates with cries for deliverance and refuge on their lips. But they are all turned away, their desires frustrated and their hopes dashed into pieces. The reason? They are not predestinated.
As horrible as this view is, even more is it erroneous. The devil has carefully crafted this presentation, and persuaded so very many to adopt it for their own. All contrary to the testimony of God’s Word.
That testimony of God’s Word teaches exactly the opposite of this decree of predestination. Without predestination there would be none to receive all God’s rich store of “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Without His eternal, wise, just and good decree there must be none to be “holy and without blame before him in love.” Without His sovereign, unconditional choice, there would be no adopted children of God.
For, first, predestination is God’s eternal determination to have more children than His one, only-begotten Son. His absolutely free, unconstrained love alone moved Him to make for Himself a vast multitude of children for Him to raise up, to save, and to bring to Himself, that they should live forever in His blessed kingdom that He has prepared for them from the foundation of the world, Matthew 25:34.
Second, predestination deliberately directs the power of God’s mighty salvation not only to these children but also to the proper goal of that salvation. That end is their perfect holiness and blamelessness. Without that decree every one of those children would be only wretchedly ugly and deformed, bearing only the name of God, but no resemblance to Him whatever. Predestination determines the beautiful, delightful end of these children, that every one of them will be like their heavenly Father, forever perfect in holiness and blamelessness. In that holiness they shall love Him as He loves them, in the glory of His blessed, everlasting kingdom.
Third, predestination means the outpouring of all spiritual blessings in the present. Predestination means the careful distribution of the riches of Christ’s goodness, that every single one of God’s children will receive the abundant blessings of salvation from Jesus’ throne in glory. Standing under the stream of these blessings poured out, each of these children on earth is drenched in the love of their Father for them. Each is able to rejoice that his stream will never dry up, but must unceasingly pour, until at last he comes to its heavenly source, his Lord Jesus Christ.
May this eternal, unconditional decree be our delight and joy! Let us with joy confess it and defend it, “to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
October 7, 2014
“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.” I Peter 2:22
What a powerful way is given to us in the above words!
There is only one way to the “unfeigned love of the brethren.”
How to love the brethren without hypocrisy, sham, or pretence? How truly to delight in one’s fellow saints, and in the church of Jesus Christ found upon earth? How to love earnestly, sincerely and fervently?
Only “in obeying the truth through the Spirit.”
The truth must always be first, the true revelation of the Triune God, given in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. It is the truth about God, the truth about man, the truth about the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and the truth about the glorious, everlasting kingdom of God. It is the truth of the salvation of this kingdom, by the sovereign grace of God alone, without the deeds of the law or the works of man.
That truth demands obedience. No, it does not demand submission in the sense of Islam, bowing before the will of the merciless, pitiless Allah. Obedience to the truth is obedience to the merciful God, who has provided glorious, free salvation to sinners through the blood of His only-begotten, well-beloved Son. Obedience to the truth is wonderful rest and peace through the mighty reconciliation of God, ushering in the blessed hope of eternal life, unending fellowship with the beloved Saviour.
It is this truth, through obedience to it, that purifies the soul. This truth runs through the soul, showing its evil and sinfulness. As it proceeds, it brings out that sin in such a way that the believer does not work to cover it over again, but confesses it and fights against it. Evil motives and ways are put off. All this is the fruit of the work of the Spirit, through whom alone we obey the truth.
At the very same time, a deep spiritual love is kindled by this truth. This love is not only for the truth, but also for other lovers of the truth. It desires to have fellowship with other pure souls, which are being purified in the same way, “obeying the truth through the Spirit.” So is the church knit together, soul to soul, in the blessed fellowship of the truth.
So does the truth place us in this way, as we obey it through the Spirit.
This truth demands of us further obedience as well: “See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.”
Our calling is from love to love. We are not to stand in the way of love, but we are to walk and run in it. We are not allowed to rest content with the measure of love we feel in our hearts for the brethren. We are required to become more pure, and more fervent in that love. So we turn back to the truth, to learn more of it. As we learn, our loving obedience to the truth grows. Then grows also our love for one another.
May we be found ever in this way, in obedience to the truth and displaying its power in our love for one another!
“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.” I Peter 2:22
What a powerful way is given to us in the above words!
There is only one way to the “unfeigned love of the brethren.”
How to love the brethren without hypocrisy, sham, or pretence? How truly to delight in one’s fellow saints, and in the church of Jesus Christ found upon earth? How to love earnestly, sincerely and fervently?
Only “in obeying the truth through the Spirit.”
The truth must always be first, the true revelation of the Triune God, given in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. It is the truth about God, the truth about man, the truth about the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and the truth about the glorious, everlasting kingdom of God. It is the truth of the salvation of this kingdom, by the sovereign grace of God alone, without the deeds of the law or the works of man.
That truth demands obedience. No, it does not demand submission in the sense of Islam, bowing before the will of the merciless, pitiless Allah. Obedience to the truth is obedience to the merciful God, who has provided glorious, free salvation to sinners through the blood of His only-begotten, well-beloved Son. Obedience to the truth is wonderful rest and peace through the mighty reconciliation of God, ushering in the blessed hope of eternal life, unending fellowship with the beloved Saviour.
It is this truth, through obedience to it, that purifies the soul. This truth runs through the soul, showing its evil and sinfulness. As it proceeds, it brings out that sin in such a way that the believer does not work to cover it over again, but confesses it and fights against it. Evil motives and ways are put off. All this is the fruit of the work of the Spirit, through whom alone we obey the truth.
At the very same time, a deep spiritual love is kindled by this truth. This love is not only for the truth, but also for other lovers of the truth. It desires to have fellowship with other pure souls, which are being purified in the same way, “obeying the truth through the Spirit.” So is the church knit together, soul to soul, in the blessed fellowship of the truth.
So does the truth place us in this way, as we obey it through the Spirit.
This truth demands of us further obedience as well: “See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.”
Our calling is from love to love. We are not to stand in the way of love, but we are to walk and run in it. We are not allowed to rest content with the measure of love we feel in our hearts for the brethren. We are required to become more pure, and more fervent in that love. So we turn back to the truth, to learn more of it. As we learn, our loving obedience to the truth grows. Then grows also our love for one another.
May we be found ever in this way, in obedience to the truth and displaying its power in our love for one another!
16 October 2014
“Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.” Psalm 119:142
How this Word might make us tremble with fright!
If we should look at the righteousness of God as what He requires of us, that righteousness is a crushing burden. If we should look at His righteousness as the sum total of all that He requires of us, to be justified before Him, all we can see is impossibility. As we cannot do it, we cannot be justified.
What must we do then? Shall we wait? As we wait, shall we raise our supplication to God that He should lower the standard of His righteousness? Shall we pray that He give us something manageable, something within the range of our possibility to perform?
Forever must we wait, then. “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness.”
Perhaps, then, we might examine very closely the law of God’s righteousness. In that examination, we might be able to find some flaw or defect. Then, we might approach God with our finding, asking Him to nullify that law altogether.
That way must also be futile. “And thy law is the truth.”
That law can only be true because God is true. God’s righteousness is an everlasting righteousness because God is the everlasting God.
How can we, then, praise this law of God, as we are taught in this Psalm?
Only in the way of knowing that the righteousness of God is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, declared in the gospel, as well in the law and the prophets.
This is the righteousness that is God’s gift, given through His everlasting, true Son. The Son of God fulfilled all the will of God, perfectly keeping all the commandments of God, as the Mediator of His people. He perfectly performed all the will of God, taking upon Himself all the sins and guilt of His people, sacrificing Himself in their stead on the accursed tree of the cross.
This righteousness, imputed to us by God through the Spirit’s gift of faith in Christ, are we justified.
Justified by that righteousness, we are filled with every motive to magnify and exalt that righteousness.
“Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness.” It will last forever and ever. That righteousness will last through all our life, to maintain our status before God as righteous. Though we always continue to sin, and bear the burden of our depravity all the days of our pilgrimage, we are confident Christ’s righteousness will always avail. As our pilgrimage ends in glory, that righteousness will bring us to the new heavens and earth, wherein righteousness dwells forever.
“And thy law is the truth.” It becomes our delight to look into that law, and to see all its truth. For in every respect it shows the glory of Christ in His full obedience to that law. In all its requirements for sin and righteousness, in every command and precept uttered, and in every sacrifice required by that law, the glory of our Mediator shines forth with the most brilliant pure light.
In the praise of God’s law, let us forever praise our true, righteous Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
“Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.” Psalm 119:142
How this Word might make us tremble with fright!
If we should look at the righteousness of God as what He requires of us, that righteousness is a crushing burden. If we should look at His righteousness as the sum total of all that He requires of us, to be justified before Him, all we can see is impossibility. As we cannot do it, we cannot be justified.
What must we do then? Shall we wait? As we wait, shall we raise our supplication to God that He should lower the standard of His righteousness? Shall we pray that He give us something manageable, something within the range of our possibility to perform?
Forever must we wait, then. “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness.”
Perhaps, then, we might examine very closely the law of God’s righteousness. In that examination, we might be able to find some flaw or defect. Then, we might approach God with our finding, asking Him to nullify that law altogether.
That way must also be futile. “And thy law is the truth.”
That law can only be true because God is true. God’s righteousness is an everlasting righteousness because God is the everlasting God.
How can we, then, praise this law of God, as we are taught in this Psalm?
Only in the way of knowing that the righteousness of God is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, declared in the gospel, as well in the law and the prophets.
This is the righteousness that is God’s gift, given through His everlasting, true Son. The Son of God fulfilled all the will of God, perfectly keeping all the commandments of God, as the Mediator of His people. He perfectly performed all the will of God, taking upon Himself all the sins and guilt of His people, sacrificing Himself in their stead on the accursed tree of the cross.
This righteousness, imputed to us by God through the Spirit’s gift of faith in Christ, are we justified.
Justified by that righteousness, we are filled with every motive to magnify and exalt that righteousness.
“Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness.” It will last forever and ever. That righteousness will last through all our life, to maintain our status before God as righteous. Though we always continue to sin, and bear the burden of our depravity all the days of our pilgrimage, we are confident Christ’s righteousness will always avail. As our pilgrimage ends in glory, that righteousness will bring us to the new heavens and earth, wherein righteousness dwells forever.
“And thy law is the truth.” It becomes our delight to look into that law, and to see all its truth. For in every respect it shows the glory of Christ in His full obedience to that law. In all its requirements for sin and righteousness, in every command and precept uttered, and in every sacrifice required by that law, the glory of our Mediator shines forth with the most brilliant pure light.
In the praise of God’s law, let us forever praise our true, righteous Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
5 October 2014, The Lord's Day
“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” Ephesians 2:19
From the viewpoint of this Word of God, today is a day to be at home. Today is a day to be in the place where you truly and rightly belong: with your fellow citizens, in the household of God.
In the world we wander as pilgrims and strangers. Working in this world, six days of the week, according to the calling that our God has given us in His grace, we feel we are aliens. We have a different end and goal in view, as different as heaven and earth. Our pathway, though side by side with the world’s, is of a completely different character. Theirs is of ungodly, noisy rebellion against the will of God. Ours is of peaceful submission to that will. Their way leads ever downward to destruction. Ours leads ever upward to glory.
Formerly, apart from the grace of God, there was no difference. By nature we are perfectly at home in the world. We shared the same way of rebellion, ungodliness, the way of destruction. We were far off from God, under “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.”
Then came the matchless and mighty grace of God! That grace took us out of that old way, separating us from the ungodly, sinful world.
That grace of God then gave us a new home. Where we were formerly strangers and foreigners, there we now are at home. The household of God is our household. Intimate, personal fellowship we enjoy with the true and living God. Now we are now enabled to call this God our own, our Father in heaven. No longer are we strangers and foreigners to the company of the saints, God’s holy ones, chosen, called, and sanctified by grace. We have our place right among them. Rightfully, legally, purchased by the blood of Christ: we belong with those that belong to Christ.
Let us rejoice, then, at the privilege to enter into the blessed company of the saints today. Let us rejoice to take our place in the household of God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
As we gather for worship, and as we hear the same Word of the gospel, and as we lift up our voices together in the praises of our God, let us remember: here is our home, where we belong.
All by the abundant grace of our God!
“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” Ephesians 2:19
From the viewpoint of this Word of God, today is a day to be at home. Today is a day to be in the place where you truly and rightly belong: with your fellow citizens, in the household of God.
In the world we wander as pilgrims and strangers. Working in this world, six days of the week, according to the calling that our God has given us in His grace, we feel we are aliens. We have a different end and goal in view, as different as heaven and earth. Our pathway, though side by side with the world’s, is of a completely different character. Theirs is of ungodly, noisy rebellion against the will of God. Ours is of peaceful submission to that will. Their way leads ever downward to destruction. Ours leads ever upward to glory.
Formerly, apart from the grace of God, there was no difference. By nature we are perfectly at home in the world. We shared the same way of rebellion, ungodliness, the way of destruction. We were far off from God, under “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.”
Then came the matchless and mighty grace of God! That grace took us out of that old way, separating us from the ungodly, sinful world.
That grace of God then gave us a new home. Where we were formerly strangers and foreigners, there we now are at home. The household of God is our household. Intimate, personal fellowship we enjoy with the true and living God. Now we are now enabled to call this God our own, our Father in heaven. No longer are we strangers and foreigners to the company of the saints, God’s holy ones, chosen, called, and sanctified by grace. We have our place right among them. Rightfully, legally, purchased by the blood of Christ: we belong with those that belong to Christ.
Let us rejoice, then, at the privilege to enter into the blessed company of the saints today. Let us rejoice to take our place in the household of God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
As we gather for worship, and as we hear the same Word of the gospel, and as we lift up our voices together in the praises of our God, let us remember: here is our home, where we belong.
All by the abundant grace of our God!
30 September 2014
“Man’s goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?” Proverbs 20:24
See how this Word of God brings us to seek His grace in us.
We can well begin with the question raised here: How can a man understand his own way?
What a mystery confronts us here.
How often we consider the ways of men! As often as we do we meet with this mystery. Of men in high places we have many questions to ask? What are they made of? Why do they make the decisions they do? Why do they pursue these goals? How do their words and actions line up with the thoughts and intentions of their hearts?
We ask the same of men we know, perhaps intimately. What of their ways? Why do they say and do what we hear and see? First this way, then that. They move forward and backward, then sideways. What must we make of all this? What can we understand?
As well as we know ourselves, we also confront the same mystery? Why do we do the things that we do? Why do we have these thoughts or desires uppermost in our minds? How do certain thoughts pass through our mind, so often unbidden? Good or evil, brilliant or distracting, what ways are ours!
These great mysteries must lead us to the Lord. With the Lord, we have an answer to this mystery. The very reason why a man cannot understand his own way is that his goings are of the Lord. Why does a man do what he does? Why does he think the way that he thinks? Why this end, this goal? Why this method? Why this way? His goings are of the Lord.
Let us find peace in this wonderful truth. We trace the sins of our ways back to the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. We barely touch the surface of the depths of our own hears, from which our sins arise. But we may rest assured that because a man’s goings are of the Lord, that He is able to wash us throughout the depths of our hearts with the blood of His Son, making us whiter than snow.
Let us find with the Lord strength to fight against all sin and evil, knowing that the mighty power of His grace penetrates where we cannot go, renewing us and strengthening us to fight against sin and to purify our ways unto God.
Then let us rest in this wonderful power of our God, when we see the goings of men directed against us. When their words and deeds are turned against us, for our harm and destruction, we are safe and secure. When we see the goings of men increasing greatly in their abominable wickedness, our privilege is to know that their goings are of the Lord.
All of the Lord, and all for His glory and our salvation! May His absolute sovereignty always fill our hearts with His comfort and peace!
“Man’s goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?” Proverbs 20:24
See how this Word of God brings us to seek His grace in us.
We can well begin with the question raised here: How can a man understand his own way?
What a mystery confronts us here.
How often we consider the ways of men! As often as we do we meet with this mystery. Of men in high places we have many questions to ask? What are they made of? Why do they make the decisions they do? Why do they pursue these goals? How do their words and actions line up with the thoughts and intentions of their hearts?
We ask the same of men we know, perhaps intimately. What of their ways? Why do they say and do what we hear and see? First this way, then that. They move forward and backward, then sideways. What must we make of all this? What can we understand?
As well as we know ourselves, we also confront the same mystery? Why do we do the things that we do? Why do we have these thoughts or desires uppermost in our minds? How do certain thoughts pass through our mind, so often unbidden? Good or evil, brilliant or distracting, what ways are ours!
These great mysteries must lead us to the Lord. With the Lord, we have an answer to this mystery. The very reason why a man cannot understand his own way is that his goings are of the Lord. Why does a man do what he does? Why does he think the way that he thinks? Why this end, this goal? Why this method? Why this way? His goings are of the Lord.
Let us find peace in this wonderful truth. We trace the sins of our ways back to the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. We barely touch the surface of the depths of our own hears, from which our sins arise. But we may rest assured that because a man’s goings are of the Lord, that He is able to wash us throughout the depths of our hearts with the blood of His Son, making us whiter than snow.
Let us find with the Lord strength to fight against all sin and evil, knowing that the mighty power of His grace penetrates where we cannot go, renewing us and strengthening us to fight against sin and to purify our ways unto God.
Then let us rest in this wonderful power of our God, when we see the goings of men directed against us. When their words and deeds are turned against us, for our harm and destruction, we are safe and secure. When we see the goings of men increasing greatly in their abominable wickedness, our privilege is to know that their goings are of the Lord.
All of the Lord, and all for His glory and our salvation! May His absolute sovereignty always fill our hearts with His comfort and peace!
26 September 2014
“For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” Psalm 86:5
How good is God!
How good is He?
God is His goodness. He is the absolute, the only good. For He is good of Himself, and He is always and only good. There is not to be found in all the greatness of His being or counsel anything evil. Always He knows Himself and always He delights in Himself as the God who is absolutely, supremely good.
So is He forever to be praised, for His goodness’ sake.
So good is the Lord that He delights always to show His infinite goodness.
He is ready to forgive. This readiness is a eager and delighted preparedness. It is toward “all them that call upon thee.” To all that call upon Him, the Lord is eager, delighted, and ready to show to them the special mercy of forgiving their sins. They call upon His name, crushed under the burden of the weight of their guilt. The Lord is ready to forgive them. They call upon His name, feeling deeply the spot and stain of their sins, so polluted and vile by them, they stand afar off. The Lord hears, and is delighted to wash and cleanse them, making them whiter than snow. They call upon the Lord, knowing that they have wandered far from Him, miring themselves deeply in the pollution and shame of their sins. The Lord readily and handily delivers them, and brings them back into saving fellowship with Him.
Why? Because He is good.
See that goodness of God expressed in the plenteousness of His mercy.
How ready to forgive is He?
His readiness He has made perfectly, abundantly clear by the gift of His only begotten Son. Will God forgive? Can He forgive? The multitude of sin? The depth of sin? The vileness of sin? Oh, yes. That is why He gave His Son to the shameful, bitter, accursed death of the cross.
There is plenty of mercy. There is all readiness to forgive.
“Unto all them that call upon thee.”
Even unto us.
Let us call upon the Lord! Let us prove His readiness, and rejoice in His goodness, as He so graciously and freely forgives all our sins!
“For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” Psalm 86:5
How good is God!
How good is He?
God is His goodness. He is the absolute, the only good. For He is good of Himself, and He is always and only good. There is not to be found in all the greatness of His being or counsel anything evil. Always He knows Himself and always He delights in Himself as the God who is absolutely, supremely good.
So is He forever to be praised, for His goodness’ sake.
So good is the Lord that He delights always to show His infinite goodness.
He is ready to forgive. This readiness is a eager and delighted preparedness. It is toward “all them that call upon thee.” To all that call upon Him, the Lord is eager, delighted, and ready to show to them the special mercy of forgiving their sins. They call upon His name, crushed under the burden of the weight of their guilt. The Lord is ready to forgive them. They call upon His name, feeling deeply the spot and stain of their sins, so polluted and vile by them, they stand afar off. The Lord hears, and is delighted to wash and cleanse them, making them whiter than snow. They call upon the Lord, knowing that they have wandered far from Him, miring themselves deeply in the pollution and shame of their sins. The Lord readily and handily delivers them, and brings them back into saving fellowship with Him.
Why? Because He is good.
See that goodness of God expressed in the plenteousness of His mercy.
How ready to forgive is He?
His readiness He has made perfectly, abundantly clear by the gift of His only begotten Son. Will God forgive? Can He forgive? The multitude of sin? The depth of sin? The vileness of sin? Oh, yes. That is why He gave His Son to the shameful, bitter, accursed death of the cross.
There is plenty of mercy. There is all readiness to forgive.
“Unto all them that call upon thee.”
Even unto us.
Let us call upon the Lord! Let us prove His readiness, and rejoice in His goodness, as He so graciously and freely forgives all our sins!
24 September 2014
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed , In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” I Corinthians 15:51, 52
What a mystery!
We shall not all sleep!
All the bodies of all the saints through the millennia, generation after generation, have all fallen asleep. When their time came, they took their place in the dust of the earth. The feeble and frail children of Adam all succumbed to their mortality. They all took their place among the dead. From dust they were taken, and to dust must they return.
That mortality was in the very nature of their bodies, demonstrated in all who fell on sleep. Some fell asleep only as their bodies yielded under the weight of their many years. Others demonstrated their mortality through raging diseases, horrifying accidents, or through sudden death. Some saw only a few years or weeks of life, while others succumbed before being brought to their birth.
Here is the mystery: we shall not all sleep! This sleep is not a permanent condition of all these bodies. It is, after all, a sleep. It is a rest in order to wake up again, refreshed and renewed.
But that is certainly not the end of this mystery.
We shall be changed!
Changed in a moment. Changed in the twinkling of an eye. Changed at the last trump.
And what a change this will be!
The dead shall be raised incorruptible!
The very dead, their bodies so dissolved or disfigured in their mortality, yielded to corruption, will be raised incorruptible. Long turned to dust in their grave, burned to ashes and scattered on the winds of heaven, or even torn apart by ocean’s waves, will be raised incorruptible.
From those bodies will be removed every last vestige of mortality and corruption. Those bodies, once perished, will be imperishable. Once so very weak, they will be strong evermore. Forever they will be beyond the touch of corruption. Never again pained, sick, diseased, injured can they be.
What a mystery!
Also that we should have our place in this mystery! We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. As we have borne the image of the earthly in Adam, so shall we also bear the image of the heavenly in the second man, the Lord from heaven.
In this Lord from heaven, let us believe and let us hope. And let us enjoy the comfort of our Lord’s blessed promise: He will come to take us to be with Him forever. To celebrate and praise the mystery of our resurrection, through Him who is the resurrection and the life.
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed , In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” I Corinthians 15:51, 52
What a mystery!
We shall not all sleep!
All the bodies of all the saints through the millennia, generation after generation, have all fallen asleep. When their time came, they took their place in the dust of the earth. The feeble and frail children of Adam all succumbed to their mortality. They all took their place among the dead. From dust they were taken, and to dust must they return.
That mortality was in the very nature of their bodies, demonstrated in all who fell on sleep. Some fell asleep only as their bodies yielded under the weight of their many years. Others demonstrated their mortality through raging diseases, horrifying accidents, or through sudden death. Some saw only a few years or weeks of life, while others succumbed before being brought to their birth.
Here is the mystery: we shall not all sleep! This sleep is not a permanent condition of all these bodies. It is, after all, a sleep. It is a rest in order to wake up again, refreshed and renewed.
But that is certainly not the end of this mystery.
We shall be changed!
Changed in a moment. Changed in the twinkling of an eye. Changed at the last trump.
And what a change this will be!
The dead shall be raised incorruptible!
The very dead, their bodies so dissolved or disfigured in their mortality, yielded to corruption, will be raised incorruptible. Long turned to dust in their grave, burned to ashes and scattered on the winds of heaven, or even torn apart by ocean’s waves, will be raised incorruptible.
From those bodies will be removed every last vestige of mortality and corruption. Those bodies, once perished, will be imperishable. Once so very weak, they will be strong evermore. Forever they will be beyond the touch of corruption. Never again pained, sick, diseased, injured can they be.
What a mystery!
Also that we should have our place in this mystery! We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. As we have borne the image of the earthly in Adam, so shall we also bear the image of the heavenly in the second man, the Lord from heaven.
In this Lord from heaven, let us believe and let us hope. And let us enjoy the comfort of our Lord’s blessed promise: He will come to take us to be with Him forever. To celebrate and praise the mystery of our resurrection, through Him who is the resurrection and the life.
21 September 2014, The Lord’s Day
“Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.” Psalm 96:6
Blessed words are these, to bring us to the sanctuary of our God today!
These words must take us to a specific place, the place where there is glorious honour and majesty, the place where the strength and beauty of God shine forth.
A place!
Is not God the Lord of heaven and earth? Is He not the one who made all the inhabitants of these places? Do not all these creatures show forth the honour and majesty, the strength and beauty of Him who made them for His good pleasure? Do not the heavens show forth the glory of God, and the firmament His handiwork?
Why, then, the temple and the sanctuary of the temple? Why are churches built, and why do we have sanctuaries in which to gather on the Lord’s Day?
Because “strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.” Because “honour and majesty are before him.”
This place is the place of “his sanctuary.” This place is the place “before him.” The Lord is present in His sanctuary, His holy place, in a way that He is present nowhere else in the earth. Here He is present in covenant fellowship and friendship with His church, His elect people. Through the gospel He calls them to Himself, out of darkness into His marvellous light. So He calls them according to His decree of election into saving fellowship with Himself. By the power of that call, bringing forth faith in His elect, they enjoy His presence together. He dwells among them, by His grace and Spirit, as they gather together in His name.
As this place is the place where the gospel is proclaimed according to the Word of God, it becomes also the special place of God’s strength and beauty, of His honour and majesty.
Strength and beauty!
What qualities are these joined together in the sanctuary! Here they flow and intertwine in blessed harmony: the strength and beauty of grace. This strength and beauty together shine out from God: He is strong to save, and saves beautifully. The cross of Jesus Christ is the omnipotence of God in salvation, shining out most beautifully as a radiant beacon of hope and peace. That grace works with strength and beauty also to reflect itself among His people. The gospel of the cross of Jesus Christ works powerfully to make them beautiful, sweet, and pleasing to God. The gospel transforms them and renews them more and more in the image of His Son.
Also, honour and majesty!
In this same place is present the honour and majesty of God. His gospel declares His honour and majesty, that He is King over all, blessed and glorious forever. His sovereignty is absolute and His kingdom eternal. His is the right to save all those whom He is pleased to save. His is the right to pass by all those whom He passes by, leaving them in His just judgment. With His reconciliation that He has made for His people in Christ, He vindicates His own honour and majesty in saving those who are His enemies, only depraved by nature. His honour and majesty He reveals there in His mighty judgements.
There is our blessed place today: the sanctuary of God! Let us gather there with joy this day, to behold there His strength and beauty that makes us strong and beautiful. Let us gather before Him to see His honour and majesty, in order to give Him all glory and praise.
“Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.” Psalm 96:6
Blessed words are these, to bring us to the sanctuary of our God today!
These words must take us to a specific place, the place where there is glorious honour and majesty, the place where the strength and beauty of God shine forth.
A place!
Is not God the Lord of heaven and earth? Is He not the one who made all the inhabitants of these places? Do not all these creatures show forth the honour and majesty, the strength and beauty of Him who made them for His good pleasure? Do not the heavens show forth the glory of God, and the firmament His handiwork?
Why, then, the temple and the sanctuary of the temple? Why are churches built, and why do we have sanctuaries in which to gather on the Lord’s Day?
Because “strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.” Because “honour and majesty are before him.”
This place is the place of “his sanctuary.” This place is the place “before him.” The Lord is present in His sanctuary, His holy place, in a way that He is present nowhere else in the earth. Here He is present in covenant fellowship and friendship with His church, His elect people. Through the gospel He calls them to Himself, out of darkness into His marvellous light. So He calls them according to His decree of election into saving fellowship with Himself. By the power of that call, bringing forth faith in His elect, they enjoy His presence together. He dwells among them, by His grace and Spirit, as they gather together in His name.
As this place is the place where the gospel is proclaimed according to the Word of God, it becomes also the special place of God’s strength and beauty, of His honour and majesty.
Strength and beauty!
What qualities are these joined together in the sanctuary! Here they flow and intertwine in blessed harmony: the strength and beauty of grace. This strength and beauty together shine out from God: He is strong to save, and saves beautifully. The cross of Jesus Christ is the omnipotence of God in salvation, shining out most beautifully as a radiant beacon of hope and peace. That grace works with strength and beauty also to reflect itself among His people. The gospel of the cross of Jesus Christ works powerfully to make them beautiful, sweet, and pleasing to God. The gospel transforms them and renews them more and more in the image of His Son.
Also, honour and majesty!
In this same place is present the honour and majesty of God. His gospel declares His honour and majesty, that He is King over all, blessed and glorious forever. His sovereignty is absolute and His kingdom eternal. His is the right to save all those whom He is pleased to save. His is the right to pass by all those whom He passes by, leaving them in His just judgment. With His reconciliation that He has made for His people in Christ, He vindicates His own honour and majesty in saving those who are His enemies, only depraved by nature. His honour and majesty He reveals there in His mighty judgements.
There is our blessed place today: the sanctuary of God! Let us gather there with joy this day, to behold there His strength and beauty that makes us strong and beautiful. Let us gather before Him to see His honour and majesty, in order to give Him all glory and praise.
17 September 2014
“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26, 27
“So likewise whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33
“He cannot be my disciple.”
How can this be? How can these be the words of Jesus? How is it that He can issue such a devastating, conflicting ultimatum?
Does not Jesus want everyone to be His disciple? Does He not call all to be His disciples? Did He not command His church to make disciples of every nation?
In addition, did not Jesus declare so many words of promise, benefits and inducements to those who would be His disciples? Did He not promise them eternal life and a glorious, blessed place in the heavenly kingdom that is to come?
Still, these words Jesus spoke. Still, they ring true through the ages: “He cannot be my disciple.”
As these words strike our minds and hearts so deeply, we must ask the question: Who is he who cannot be a disciple of Jesus? Perhaps that condition mentioned is very minor and insignificant. Perhaps it will embrace only a few people. It should be something that should be very easy and simple to accomplish. Perhaps it is that man or that woman who stubbornly refuses to believe in Jesus.
Nothing so small and nothing so minor. Who cannot be a disciple of Jesus? He that does not hate his family. He that hates not his own life. He that does not bear his cross and come after Christ.
Put differently, only those can follow after Jesus who hates his family, and who hates his own life, and who will take up his cross.
Such is the way of trust in Jesus. We must cling to him alone, forsaking all that we have. There may be no back-up plan, no division of faith or trust. Nor may we hold back with our own life, our own comforts or ease. Christ demands all.
Such must also be our consideration and esteem for Christ. If we are to be His disciples, we must esteem and honour him so highly, we can only despise everything else: not just our family, but our very life and all other pleasures. He will not share His place as Lord and Master with any other.
So let us follow after him without any division, without holding anything back. When, where, how He permits us, let us receive from Him family, life, and even the present things of this life to use and enjoy. Should He take them from us, let us content ourselves with our Lord alone. Following Him, all things are ours, I Corinthians 2:22, 23.
So may we be true disciples, by the grace of our Lord, who has purchased us and called us to follow Him forever!
“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26, 27
“So likewise whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33
“He cannot be my disciple.”
How can this be? How can these be the words of Jesus? How is it that He can issue such a devastating, conflicting ultimatum?
Does not Jesus want everyone to be His disciple? Does He not call all to be His disciples? Did He not command His church to make disciples of every nation?
In addition, did not Jesus declare so many words of promise, benefits and inducements to those who would be His disciples? Did He not promise them eternal life and a glorious, blessed place in the heavenly kingdom that is to come?
Still, these words Jesus spoke. Still, they ring true through the ages: “He cannot be my disciple.”
As these words strike our minds and hearts so deeply, we must ask the question: Who is he who cannot be a disciple of Jesus? Perhaps that condition mentioned is very minor and insignificant. Perhaps it will embrace only a few people. It should be something that should be very easy and simple to accomplish. Perhaps it is that man or that woman who stubbornly refuses to believe in Jesus.
Nothing so small and nothing so minor. Who cannot be a disciple of Jesus? He that does not hate his family. He that hates not his own life. He that does not bear his cross and come after Christ.
Put differently, only those can follow after Jesus who hates his family, and who hates his own life, and who will take up his cross.
Such is the way of trust in Jesus. We must cling to him alone, forsaking all that we have. There may be no back-up plan, no division of faith or trust. Nor may we hold back with our own life, our own comforts or ease. Christ demands all.
Such must also be our consideration and esteem for Christ. If we are to be His disciples, we must esteem and honour him so highly, we can only despise everything else: not just our family, but our very life and all other pleasures. He will not share His place as Lord and Master with any other.
So let us follow after him without any division, without holding anything back. When, where, how He permits us, let us receive from Him family, life, and even the present things of this life to use and enjoy. Should He take them from us, let us content ourselves with our Lord alone. Following Him, all things are ours, I Corinthians 2:22, 23.
So may we be true disciples, by the grace of our Lord, who has purchased us and called us to follow Him forever!
16 September 2014
“The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.” Proverbs 10:20
How highly is this tongue of the just commended by the Wisdom of God! It is as choice silver. Not silver ore, not silver hastily refined, but silver that is so thoroughly refined that it is vastly preferred to all other. It commands attention for its evident quality and demands a high price on the market.
Such is the tongue of the just. That tongue is a delight to hear, for it pronounces the things that belong to justice and righteousness. In the mouth of a judge, this tongue always speaks of equity and justice. Those wronged are sure to receive a sentence that exonerates them, delivering them from their oppressors. The evil are sure to be overthrown in judgment, so that the good prosper in the land.
To those going through hardship and trials the tongue of the just brings comfort and good hope. In sorrow and grief that tongue will certainly bring words of consolation. To those burdened with anxiety and fears, that tongue will speak blessed words of peace. To the lonely and desolate, the tongue of the just will bring words of kindness and friendship.
The tongue of the just is also directed to the glory of God, the God who has given righteousness to the bearer of this tongue, and has sanctified it in His grace. That tongue has high words of praise for the God of justice and righteousness, and always leads to Him. It will confess God’s truth, that this just has been justified wholly by the grace of God through faith.
How precious is the tongue of the just! Precious as choice silver.
Over against the tongue of the just the Wisdom of God places the heart of the wicked.
This Wisdom of God bypasses the tongue of the wicked. To be sure the wicked have their tongues in their mouths. With their tongues they speak wickedness. With their tongues they plot and conspire in wickedness, both against God and against men. It might be said, then, that their tongues are of little worth.
Instead, Wisdom puts their heart on display. We follow the stream to its source, the tongue to its root. Here we follow the tongue down to the heart, the source of the speech of the wicked. Scripture gives us the estimate of the heart of these wicked. It is of little worth. Its little worth is that it is devoid of good. Its little worth is that it brings no benefit, but only destruction under the wrath of God. Its desires and plans must be ultimately frustrated and thwarted by the righteousness of God’s counsel.
But we are also meant to go back from the heart of these wicked, to their tongue. All their words are just as their hearts: of little worth. Their words are not to be feared. The damage and destruction that pour out of their lips will be their own.
We are also meant to see something of the value of the heart of the just. As the tongue of the just is choice silver, what must be said of his heart? It is one thing to see and possess the choice silver and to rejoice in its beauty. It is another thing to have the mine from which it is taken. So precious must also be the heart of the just, which manifests itself in his tongue.
May God make our tongues as choice silver, always speaking from hearts filled with the gracious gift of His righteousness!
“The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.” Proverbs 10:20
How highly is this tongue of the just commended by the Wisdom of God! It is as choice silver. Not silver ore, not silver hastily refined, but silver that is so thoroughly refined that it is vastly preferred to all other. It commands attention for its evident quality and demands a high price on the market.
Such is the tongue of the just. That tongue is a delight to hear, for it pronounces the things that belong to justice and righteousness. In the mouth of a judge, this tongue always speaks of equity and justice. Those wronged are sure to receive a sentence that exonerates them, delivering them from their oppressors. The evil are sure to be overthrown in judgment, so that the good prosper in the land.
To those going through hardship and trials the tongue of the just brings comfort and good hope. In sorrow and grief that tongue will certainly bring words of consolation. To those burdened with anxiety and fears, that tongue will speak blessed words of peace. To the lonely and desolate, the tongue of the just will bring words of kindness and friendship.
The tongue of the just is also directed to the glory of God, the God who has given righteousness to the bearer of this tongue, and has sanctified it in His grace. That tongue has high words of praise for the God of justice and righteousness, and always leads to Him. It will confess God’s truth, that this just has been justified wholly by the grace of God through faith.
How precious is the tongue of the just! Precious as choice silver.
Over against the tongue of the just the Wisdom of God places the heart of the wicked.
This Wisdom of God bypasses the tongue of the wicked. To be sure the wicked have their tongues in their mouths. With their tongues they speak wickedness. With their tongues they plot and conspire in wickedness, both against God and against men. It might be said, then, that their tongues are of little worth.
Instead, Wisdom puts their heart on display. We follow the stream to its source, the tongue to its root. Here we follow the tongue down to the heart, the source of the speech of the wicked. Scripture gives us the estimate of the heart of these wicked. It is of little worth. Its little worth is that it is devoid of good. Its little worth is that it brings no benefit, but only destruction under the wrath of God. Its desires and plans must be ultimately frustrated and thwarted by the righteousness of God’s counsel.
But we are also meant to go back from the heart of these wicked, to their tongue. All their words are just as their hearts: of little worth. Their words are not to be feared. The damage and destruction that pour out of their lips will be their own.
We are also meant to see something of the value of the heart of the just. As the tongue of the just is choice silver, what must be said of his heart? It is one thing to see and possess the choice silver and to rejoice in its beauty. It is another thing to have the mine from which it is taken. So precious must also be the heart of the just, which manifests itself in his tongue.
May God make our tongues as choice silver, always speaking from hearts filled with the gracious gift of His righteousness!
14 September 2014, The Lord's Day
“For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” I Corinthians 1:21
Foolishness today! Foolishness is the order of the day!
For what we do this day is pure foolishness in the wisdom of the world.
For us, today is not a day to work. It is a day to rest. Today is a day to go through the trouble of making ourselves look our very best. Today is a day to travel perhaps some fair distance to go to a place we always go, and to spend our time there doing the most important thing we can do on this day.
What is it?
We go to hear a story told to us. We go to hear a story about how a man died a shameful, humiliating death, that He died on a cross. We go to hear how this death of this man on this cross is salvation. We go to hear how this death is really a sacrifice, a sacrifice that takes away sin, guilt, and the eternal condemnation of guilty sinners. We go to hear how it has purchased salvation, restoration to the favour of the living God, to everlasting righteousness and life, and to victory over death and the grave.
We also go to hear that, in light of this death, there is nothing for us to do to save ourselves. We go to hear that there is nothing we can or must do in order to add to this powerful and mighty work of this one sacrifice of death. We go to hear that we must trust in this sacrifice and rest upon its completeness.
What foolishness! What folly!
To do nothing to be saved. Only to hear and to believe this Word that is preached.
Be not surprised that the world does not beat a pathway today to our doors of worship. What happens there is foolishness to them, and that by God’s design. He has determined to put to shame the wisdom of the world. He has determined to put it to shame exactly through the foolishness of preaching, and the foolishness of the preaching of Christ crucified.
But what is foolishness to the world, is high, glorious and marvellous wisdom to us. We are going to the house of the Lord to hear His wisdom, the wisdom of the only gospel of the only Saviour, and the once for all sacrifice He made to save us from our sins. In the wisdom of that preaching we will trust in that sacrifice for all our salvation, refusing to trust in ourselves or any other creature. In that wisdom of God we will rejoice, and give thanks and praise to our wise God for it.
So let the world watch as we make our way to the Lord’s house. Let them point and laugh at us as we take our place under the tidings of the gospel of Christ crucified. Let us rejoice to be called foolish in their eyes.
For this is the wisdom of our God: to save us by His power, the power of the preaching of Christ crucified.
“For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” I Corinthians 1:21
Foolishness today! Foolishness is the order of the day!
For what we do this day is pure foolishness in the wisdom of the world.
For us, today is not a day to work. It is a day to rest. Today is a day to go through the trouble of making ourselves look our very best. Today is a day to travel perhaps some fair distance to go to a place we always go, and to spend our time there doing the most important thing we can do on this day.
What is it?
We go to hear a story told to us. We go to hear a story about how a man died a shameful, humiliating death, that He died on a cross. We go to hear how this death of this man on this cross is salvation. We go to hear how this death is really a sacrifice, a sacrifice that takes away sin, guilt, and the eternal condemnation of guilty sinners. We go to hear how it has purchased salvation, restoration to the favour of the living God, to everlasting righteousness and life, and to victory over death and the grave.
We also go to hear that, in light of this death, there is nothing for us to do to save ourselves. We go to hear that there is nothing we can or must do in order to add to this powerful and mighty work of this one sacrifice of death. We go to hear that we must trust in this sacrifice and rest upon its completeness.
What foolishness! What folly!
To do nothing to be saved. Only to hear and to believe this Word that is preached.
Be not surprised that the world does not beat a pathway today to our doors of worship. What happens there is foolishness to them, and that by God’s design. He has determined to put to shame the wisdom of the world. He has determined to put it to shame exactly through the foolishness of preaching, and the foolishness of the preaching of Christ crucified.
But what is foolishness to the world, is high, glorious and marvellous wisdom to us. We are going to the house of the Lord to hear His wisdom, the wisdom of the only gospel of the only Saviour, and the once for all sacrifice He made to save us from our sins. In the wisdom of that preaching we will trust in that sacrifice for all our salvation, refusing to trust in ourselves or any other creature. In that wisdom of God we will rejoice, and give thanks and praise to our wise God for it.
So let the world watch as we make our way to the Lord’s house. Let them point and laugh at us as we take our place under the tidings of the gospel of Christ crucified. Let us rejoice to be called foolish in their eyes.
For this is the wisdom of our God: to save us by His power, the power of the preaching of Christ crucified.
13 September 2014
“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” Romans 14:8, 9
Here the Word of God turns to the most basic issue, of life and death. There is one that eats all things. There is another who eats only herbs. The one that eats eats to the Lord. The one that does not eat does not eat to the Lord. There is one who observes days, the days of the Jewish calendar. There is another who does not observe those days. The one who observes observes to the Lord. The one that does not observe does not observe to the Lord. How then can we judge the brother?
How much more basic, then, are the issues of life and death? Whether a man eats or does not eat, he lives. So He lives to the Lord. Whether a man observes days or does not observe days, he dies. But, both living and dying, we live unto the Lord, and we die unto the Lord.
What blessedness lies in these words!
That blessedness is, first of all, a blessedness of powerful unity. We think of a man who lives day after day, all the days of his life, in the service of the Lord. His eating and drinking, His observances, are all “unto the Lord.” He reaches maturity, He becomes married and raises a family, all “unto the Lord.” He takes his place in his home and family, in the church, in the state and society, and the workplace, all “unto the Lord.” He passes through times of plenty and scarcity, through times of joy and sorrow, all “unto the Lord.”
So he lives.
But through this manner of living becomes evident the manner of his death. As he lives so he dies: “unto the Lord.” His death is directed to the Lord. His death is consecrated to the Lord. He dies in the Lord’s service.
This blessedness is but a manifestation of the second, more basic blessedness. What is this blessedness?
“Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”
It makes no difference at all, whether we live or die. Ours is still the same blessed status: “We are the Lord’s.” Forever, we are His: just as in life, so in death. Still in His hand. Still under His care. Still in His presence. In life and in death, we are the Lord’s.
How is this true? How can this blessedness be ours? In life, we have some sense of ability and capability. We can at least reach out and grasp. We can lay hold on dear ones nearby for comfort and stability. We might engage even in great and mighty works, to accomplish them with mind or hand. In life, we suppose, we can say, “unto the Lord,” or, “I am the Lord’s.”
But in death? To what should we cling? With what strength of hand have we to cling? Death is the end of all human power and might, the end of any running, willing, or determination.
How can it be: “Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s”?
It is all of the Lord Himself. “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.”
His death was the purchase of all His elect. He purchased them with the laying down of His life on the cross, to make them His own. But also in His death He purchased them to be His in their death. In their death, they are the Lord’s because in His death He bought them. But not only did He die. He also rose and revived to make them His own. With His voice He gathers His sheep to Himself, gathering them in life and in death.
So are we the Lord’s, whether we live or die!
Therefore, let us live unto the Lord, and also die unto the Lord!
“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” Romans 14:8, 9
Here the Word of God turns to the most basic issue, of life and death. There is one that eats all things. There is another who eats only herbs. The one that eats eats to the Lord. The one that does not eat does not eat to the Lord. There is one who observes days, the days of the Jewish calendar. There is another who does not observe those days. The one who observes observes to the Lord. The one that does not observe does not observe to the Lord. How then can we judge the brother?
How much more basic, then, are the issues of life and death? Whether a man eats or does not eat, he lives. So He lives to the Lord. Whether a man observes days or does not observe days, he dies. But, both living and dying, we live unto the Lord, and we die unto the Lord.
What blessedness lies in these words!
That blessedness is, first of all, a blessedness of powerful unity. We think of a man who lives day after day, all the days of his life, in the service of the Lord. His eating and drinking, His observances, are all “unto the Lord.” He reaches maturity, He becomes married and raises a family, all “unto the Lord.” He takes his place in his home and family, in the church, in the state and society, and the workplace, all “unto the Lord.” He passes through times of plenty and scarcity, through times of joy and sorrow, all “unto the Lord.”
So he lives.
But through this manner of living becomes evident the manner of his death. As he lives so he dies: “unto the Lord.” His death is directed to the Lord. His death is consecrated to the Lord. He dies in the Lord’s service.
This blessedness is but a manifestation of the second, more basic blessedness. What is this blessedness?
“Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”
It makes no difference at all, whether we live or die. Ours is still the same blessed status: “We are the Lord’s.” Forever, we are His: just as in life, so in death. Still in His hand. Still under His care. Still in His presence. In life and in death, we are the Lord’s.
How is this true? How can this blessedness be ours? In life, we have some sense of ability and capability. We can at least reach out and grasp. We can lay hold on dear ones nearby for comfort and stability. We might engage even in great and mighty works, to accomplish them with mind or hand. In life, we suppose, we can say, “unto the Lord,” or, “I am the Lord’s.”
But in death? To what should we cling? With what strength of hand have we to cling? Death is the end of all human power and might, the end of any running, willing, or determination.
How can it be: “Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s”?
It is all of the Lord Himself. “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.”
His death was the purchase of all His elect. He purchased them with the laying down of His life on the cross, to make them His own. But also in His death He purchased them to be His in their death. In their death, they are the Lord’s because in His death He bought them. But not only did He die. He also rose and revived to make them His own. With His voice He gathers His sheep to Himself, gathering them in life and in death.
So are we the Lord’s, whether we live or die!
Therefore, let us live unto the Lord, and also die unto the Lord!
5 September 2014
“For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.” Romans 3:3,4
Some did not believe. Some did not believe to whom were committed the oracles of God.
The history of the children of Israel is filled with evidence of those who did not believe. The path of Israel’s wilderness wanderings were littered with the corpses of that unbelieving generation, who did not believe the promise of God to give them the land of Canaan. There were the apostate hordes of Israel that followed after Baal, among which God reserved only a remnant to Himself, seven thousand that bent not the knee to Baal, nor kissed his image.
Their unbelief is here proposed as a test. What does that unbelief say about the faith of God? What does it say about the trustworthiness of His promises? What does it say about Him as true? What does it say about His sayings, about judging Him?
Can God possibly be found unfaithful or untrue to His Word?
Let us shudder at the thought!
What should become of His Word? It must be altogether broken. It cannot be relied upon. His promises cannot be trusted. We should then be wholly destitute of hope or comfort. There is nothing to be salvaged. What should become of God? He could no longer be the eternal, unchangeable God. He could not be true, no longer just. Perhaps He should speak a new, different word. Perhaps He should give new promises. Even so, that new word could not be trusted.
Therefore: God forbid!
So far from making the faith of God without effect, God must be true, but every man must be found a liar! What must be the outcome of the unbelief of some? What must be the outcome of all the sins of every man? “That thou mightiest be justified in thy sayings, and mightiest overcome when thou art judged.” In every saying of God, He is justified and will be justified. In every judgment, He overcomes and will overcome.
Today this Word is tested. There are so very many who say that God promises to save all men. There are many who say that God promises to save all the children of believers. He wants to save them. He wills to save them. He desires to save them.
But what happens? Some do not believe. Among all who hear the call of the gospel to repent and believe, some disobey that call. Among all the children of believers who are baptized and hear the instruction of the gospel from their youth, some scorn and spurn that gospel in unbelieving hardness of heart.
What does that unbelief say about the promise of God? What does it say about His will and determination behind that promise? Has His promise failed? Is the faithfulness of God broken?
God forbid! Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar!
In every saying of God He is justified! In every judgment of God He overcomes!
His promise stands forever strong and sure because behind it stands His eternal, unconditional decree of election. Behind that promise stands His almighty sovereign grace to bring to salvation through His promise, every single one He has elected. That promise is sealed with the blood of the covenant, shed by its Head and Mediator, the Son of God Himself.
Therefore let us cling to the sayings of our God, who is forever faithful to all that He has spoken. By His promises let us live, and let us die.
For our God is true.
“For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.” Romans 3:3,4
Some did not believe. Some did not believe to whom were committed the oracles of God.
The history of the children of Israel is filled with evidence of those who did not believe. The path of Israel’s wilderness wanderings were littered with the corpses of that unbelieving generation, who did not believe the promise of God to give them the land of Canaan. There were the apostate hordes of Israel that followed after Baal, among which God reserved only a remnant to Himself, seven thousand that bent not the knee to Baal, nor kissed his image.
Their unbelief is here proposed as a test. What does that unbelief say about the faith of God? What does it say about the trustworthiness of His promises? What does it say about Him as true? What does it say about His sayings, about judging Him?
Can God possibly be found unfaithful or untrue to His Word?
Let us shudder at the thought!
What should become of His Word? It must be altogether broken. It cannot be relied upon. His promises cannot be trusted. We should then be wholly destitute of hope or comfort. There is nothing to be salvaged. What should become of God? He could no longer be the eternal, unchangeable God. He could not be true, no longer just. Perhaps He should speak a new, different word. Perhaps He should give new promises. Even so, that new word could not be trusted.
Therefore: God forbid!
So far from making the faith of God without effect, God must be true, but every man must be found a liar! What must be the outcome of the unbelief of some? What must be the outcome of all the sins of every man? “That thou mightiest be justified in thy sayings, and mightiest overcome when thou art judged.” In every saying of God, He is justified and will be justified. In every judgment, He overcomes and will overcome.
Today this Word is tested. There are so very many who say that God promises to save all men. There are many who say that God promises to save all the children of believers. He wants to save them. He wills to save them. He desires to save them.
But what happens? Some do not believe. Among all who hear the call of the gospel to repent and believe, some disobey that call. Among all the children of believers who are baptized and hear the instruction of the gospel from their youth, some scorn and spurn that gospel in unbelieving hardness of heart.
What does that unbelief say about the promise of God? What does it say about His will and determination behind that promise? Has His promise failed? Is the faithfulness of God broken?
God forbid! Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar!
In every saying of God He is justified! In every judgment of God He overcomes!
His promise stands forever strong and sure because behind it stands His eternal, unconditional decree of election. Behind that promise stands His almighty sovereign grace to bring to salvation through His promise, every single one He has elected. That promise is sealed with the blood of the covenant, shed by its Head and Mediator, the Son of God Himself.
Therefore let us cling to the sayings of our God, who is forever faithful to all that He has spoken. By His promises let us live, and let us die.
For our God is true.
4 September 2014
“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation; I shall not be moved.” Psalm 62:5, 6
How important is that word “only”!
That word is an exclusive word. It is a divisive word. It distinguishes and it separates.
As that word “only” is a word of separation and division, it is a perfect, God-given instrument for the glory of His holiness. For that reason it has a vital place in the Christian’s vocabulary. How often must it be found on our lips! And how often it must be found on our lips in connection with our God!
In this word of God we are taught to take it upon our lips for our own comfort and peace.
That comfort and peace are set before us in the last words: “I shall not be moved.”
Clear, definite, certain words of conviction are these. “I shall not be moved.” Whoever our enemies, however numerous and skilled, however close and pressing they may be, these words are ours to cherish in our hearts and express with our lips before our God. Let us even be bold to state them to our enemies: “I shall not be moved.”
But how do we come to this point? How are we able to speak such words from our hearts?
By using this blessed word “only.”
This word we are given to speak to our souls, when we command them. With it we turn our trust and give it one end: “My soul, wait thou only upon God.” With this word we command our souls to walk right on by every other trust and every other confidence. We meet with our abilities. We come to the strength of our hands, the quickness of our eye, and the power of our intelligence. We leave it on the left side. We meet with the numbers of men, the wisdom of fleshly counsel, the help they are ready to give. We leave it on the right. With the word “only” we set it all aside. We do not linger, we do not stop with our soul until we come to God.
Why must we so command our soul to wait only upon God?
Because of the truth: “He only is my rock and my salvation.”
Wonderful and blessed truth this is.
Wonderful and blessed it is because God alone is God! He only is the rock. He only is immoveable, solid and strong, forever and ever. The strength of the mountains are nothing compared to the strength of their Creator. He only is true, everlasting salvation. His salvation is from the guilt of sin, the horror and throes of death, and the everlasting punishment of hell. The mighty cornerstone of our salvation is Jesus Christ, the living God Himself, the only Saviour.
But this truth is wonderful and blessed because this God is a rock and salvation possessed as our very own. Not only is He the rock. “He only is my rock.” Not only is He salvation. “He only . . . is my salvation.”
For this God is a covenant God. He has given Himself to His people, to be their only rock and their only salvation. He has by sovereign, particular grace called them to Himself He has given Himself to them by His mighty gift of faith. By His calling and His gifts alone, they speak His truth. “He only is my rock and my salvation.”
As we wait only upon our God, who only is our rock and our salvation, so may we gladly confess, “I shall not be moved.”
“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation; I shall not be moved.” Psalm 62:5, 6
How important is that word “only”!
That word is an exclusive word. It is a divisive word. It distinguishes and it separates.
As that word “only” is a word of separation and division, it is a perfect, God-given instrument for the glory of His holiness. For that reason it has a vital place in the Christian’s vocabulary. How often must it be found on our lips! And how often it must be found on our lips in connection with our God!
In this word of God we are taught to take it upon our lips for our own comfort and peace.
That comfort and peace are set before us in the last words: “I shall not be moved.”
Clear, definite, certain words of conviction are these. “I shall not be moved.” Whoever our enemies, however numerous and skilled, however close and pressing they may be, these words are ours to cherish in our hearts and express with our lips before our God. Let us even be bold to state them to our enemies: “I shall not be moved.”
But how do we come to this point? How are we able to speak such words from our hearts?
By using this blessed word “only.”
This word we are given to speak to our souls, when we command them. With it we turn our trust and give it one end: “My soul, wait thou only upon God.” With this word we command our souls to walk right on by every other trust and every other confidence. We meet with our abilities. We come to the strength of our hands, the quickness of our eye, and the power of our intelligence. We leave it on the left side. We meet with the numbers of men, the wisdom of fleshly counsel, the help they are ready to give. We leave it on the right. With the word “only” we set it all aside. We do not linger, we do not stop with our soul until we come to God.
Why must we so command our soul to wait only upon God?
Because of the truth: “He only is my rock and my salvation.”
Wonderful and blessed truth this is.
Wonderful and blessed it is because God alone is God! He only is the rock. He only is immoveable, solid and strong, forever and ever. The strength of the mountains are nothing compared to the strength of their Creator. He only is true, everlasting salvation. His salvation is from the guilt of sin, the horror and throes of death, and the everlasting punishment of hell. The mighty cornerstone of our salvation is Jesus Christ, the living God Himself, the only Saviour.
But this truth is wonderful and blessed because this God is a rock and salvation possessed as our very own. Not only is He the rock. “He only is my rock.” Not only is He salvation. “He only . . . is my salvation.”
For this God is a covenant God. He has given Himself to His people, to be their only rock and their only salvation. He has by sovereign, particular grace called them to Himself He has given Himself to them by His mighty gift of faith. By His calling and His gifts alone, they speak His truth. “He only is my rock and my salvation.”
As we wait only upon our God, who only is our rock and our salvation, so may we gladly confess, “I shall not be moved.”
2 September 2014
“Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.” Isaiah 8:13
What a way to command our trust in the Lord, to keep Him before us as our confidence and peace!
Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself!
The Lord of hosts is holy. The Lord of hosts is exalted over all. He is the transcendent God. He is transcendent in the light of His glory, so much that He is the invisible, unseeable God, whom no man hath seen nor can see! He is transcendent according to the infinity of His being, according also to exaltedness of His being above all time and history. For He is the Lord of hosts! Not only is every creature in heaven and earth His servant, to do His will and His good pleasure. Also space and time themselves are under His glorious, exalted reign.
According to His exalted character His alone is absolute holiness. He is rightly dedicated and devoted to Himself alone. He is forever consecrated unto Himself! Proper to the very transcendence of His being, He has created and He rules over all creation for the purpose of exalting and magnifying Himself. Why did He create? Why does He rule? For Himself. Because He is sanctified absolutely and forever to Himself.
But how, then, does this command come to us? How are we to sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself?
First, we sanctify Him by consciously and deliberately following after His absolute pure holiness. As He contemplates Himself according to all the excellency of His being, so we regard Him in our hearts. We seek to know Him as He is, this infinite, eternal, transcendent God. We seek also to behold all this creation in the same light of God’s eternal purpose: created and formed, sustained and governed all for the honour and glory of His holy name.
Second, we have this specific way of Isaiah 8:13. We sanctify the Lord of hosts by letting Him be our fear and our dread.
This way is a very deliberate, careful way.
It is the way of making a comparison, a comparison we are shown in the context of Isaiah 8:13.
Ahaz and the people of Judah had reason for their fear and dread. They had heard rumours of a conspiracy. Assyria and Israel had bound themselves together in an unholy alliance. The goal of their alliance was the capture of Judah and Jerusalem, and to put on Jerusalem’s throne their own king, the son of Tabeal. This rumour had its result, according to Isaiah 7:2: “And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.”
Why that fear and that dread of Ahaz and Judah? They compromised their fear and dread of the Lord of hosts. They did not sanctify Him as they ought to have sanctified Him.
Why our fear and our dread of men, of the world, or of Satan? Why our fears of disease, injury, or death? Why our fears of opposition and persecution? Why our fears of neglect or abandonment? Because we have neglected or forsaken our sanctification of the Lord of hosts. We have not made Him our fear or our dread as we ought.
There are two ways we can compromise this sanctification of the Lord of hosts. The first way is that we have forgotten or neglected His holiness. The second way is that we have forgotten or neglected His nearness to us.
Let us, then, attend to our calling. Let us sanctify the Lord of hosts. Let us fill our minds and hearts with the consideration of His great glory, manifested through His glorious works or mercy and judgment. Let us consider them until we have a powerful fear and dread of Him before which all other fears fade into oblivion. Then let us dwell on His nearness to us, that He sent His Son to us, in the likeness of our flesh and blood, to take our sins from us by His precious blood. Let us meditate on His nearness to us, that this holy God is in us by His Spirit and grace, working in us His wonderful salvation. As we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, Philippians 2:12, 13.
Then must our hearts be filled with blessed and powerful confidence. We have no cause for fear or dread on account of any enemy, no matter how numerous, strong, or crafty.
Let the Lord of hosts alone be our dread! Let Him alone be our fear!
So may He be sanctified by us!
“Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.” Isaiah 8:13
What a way to command our trust in the Lord, to keep Him before us as our confidence and peace!
Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself!
The Lord of hosts is holy. The Lord of hosts is exalted over all. He is the transcendent God. He is transcendent in the light of His glory, so much that He is the invisible, unseeable God, whom no man hath seen nor can see! He is transcendent according to the infinity of His being, according also to exaltedness of His being above all time and history. For He is the Lord of hosts! Not only is every creature in heaven and earth His servant, to do His will and His good pleasure. Also space and time themselves are under His glorious, exalted reign.
According to His exalted character His alone is absolute holiness. He is rightly dedicated and devoted to Himself alone. He is forever consecrated unto Himself! Proper to the very transcendence of His being, He has created and He rules over all creation for the purpose of exalting and magnifying Himself. Why did He create? Why does He rule? For Himself. Because He is sanctified absolutely and forever to Himself.
But how, then, does this command come to us? How are we to sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself?
First, we sanctify Him by consciously and deliberately following after His absolute pure holiness. As He contemplates Himself according to all the excellency of His being, so we regard Him in our hearts. We seek to know Him as He is, this infinite, eternal, transcendent God. We seek also to behold all this creation in the same light of God’s eternal purpose: created and formed, sustained and governed all for the honour and glory of His holy name.
Second, we have this specific way of Isaiah 8:13. We sanctify the Lord of hosts by letting Him be our fear and our dread.
This way is a very deliberate, careful way.
It is the way of making a comparison, a comparison we are shown in the context of Isaiah 8:13.
Ahaz and the people of Judah had reason for their fear and dread. They had heard rumours of a conspiracy. Assyria and Israel had bound themselves together in an unholy alliance. The goal of their alliance was the capture of Judah and Jerusalem, and to put on Jerusalem’s throne their own king, the son of Tabeal. This rumour had its result, according to Isaiah 7:2: “And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.”
Why that fear and that dread of Ahaz and Judah? They compromised their fear and dread of the Lord of hosts. They did not sanctify Him as they ought to have sanctified Him.
Why our fear and our dread of men, of the world, or of Satan? Why our fears of disease, injury, or death? Why our fears of opposition and persecution? Why our fears of neglect or abandonment? Because we have neglected or forsaken our sanctification of the Lord of hosts. We have not made Him our fear or our dread as we ought.
There are two ways we can compromise this sanctification of the Lord of hosts. The first way is that we have forgotten or neglected His holiness. The second way is that we have forgotten or neglected His nearness to us.
Let us, then, attend to our calling. Let us sanctify the Lord of hosts. Let us fill our minds and hearts with the consideration of His great glory, manifested through His glorious works or mercy and judgment. Let us consider them until we have a powerful fear and dread of Him before which all other fears fade into oblivion. Then let us dwell on His nearness to us, that He sent His Son to us, in the likeness of our flesh and blood, to take our sins from us by His precious blood. Let us meditate on His nearness to us, that this holy God is in us by His Spirit and grace, working in us His wonderful salvation. As we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, Philippians 2:12, 13.
Then must our hearts be filled with blessed and powerful confidence. We have no cause for fear or dread on account of any enemy, no matter how numerous, strong, or crafty.
Let the Lord of hosts alone be our dread! Let Him alone be our fear!
So may He be sanctified by us!
10 August 2014, The Lord’s Day
“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.” Psalm 89:7
Scripture here gives a certain measure of the saints’ nearness to God: fear and reverence.
The wicked must necessarily keep their distance from God. They shield themselves from His knowledge, blinding themselves to His glory revealed in the things that are made. They distract themselves from the compelling truth of His presence by immersing themselves in the lusts of sin and the pleasures of earthly pursuits.
Not so for the saints, God’s holy people. They delight to set aside their earthly pursuits, and to draw near to their God. This delightful exercise they take up all through the week, but especially on the Sabbath Day.
In the holy assembly of these holy ones, God is greatly to be feared. All them that are about Him hold Him in deep reverence. Such is His presence among His people, gathered together to worship Him. He is God alone, glorious in majesty, excellent in power, wonderful in judgment! There He is, present among His saints, where they assemble about Him, the God who only doest wondrous things. There He is, declaring His glory and truth by His Word, the reading and the preaching of the holy Scriptures. There He is, to be confessed, worshipped, and praised by His people. There He delights to be the God of His people, dwelling among them.
But there is another reason for this great fear and reverence: the wonder of His grace!
How is it He is to be found here, in the assembly of the saints? How is it these saints are able to be about Him? That He does not consume them in His holy wrath? That He rejoices to receive the worship and praise of those who are not only saints, but also sinners?
Only by His grace! By His grace He has given His Son, for the redemption of sinners! By His grace, He sanctifies His elect by His Holy Spirit, to make them saints! By His grace He brings them near to Himself, calling them out of their natural darkness into His marvellous light!
In that grace and by that grace, let us join the assembly of His saints, and to be about Him this Sabbath Day. Let us greatly fear Him and hold Him in reverence as we worship Him.
Near to our God.
“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.” Psalm 89:7
Scripture here gives a certain measure of the saints’ nearness to God: fear and reverence.
The wicked must necessarily keep their distance from God. They shield themselves from His knowledge, blinding themselves to His glory revealed in the things that are made. They distract themselves from the compelling truth of His presence by immersing themselves in the lusts of sin and the pleasures of earthly pursuits.
Not so for the saints, God’s holy people. They delight to set aside their earthly pursuits, and to draw near to their God. This delightful exercise they take up all through the week, but especially on the Sabbath Day.
In the holy assembly of these holy ones, God is greatly to be feared. All them that are about Him hold Him in deep reverence. Such is His presence among His people, gathered together to worship Him. He is God alone, glorious in majesty, excellent in power, wonderful in judgment! There He is, present among His saints, where they assemble about Him, the God who only doest wondrous things. There He is, declaring His glory and truth by His Word, the reading and the preaching of the holy Scriptures. There He is, to be confessed, worshipped, and praised by His people. There He delights to be the God of His people, dwelling among them.
But there is another reason for this great fear and reverence: the wonder of His grace!
How is it He is to be found here, in the assembly of the saints? How is it these saints are able to be about Him? That He does not consume them in His holy wrath? That He rejoices to receive the worship and praise of those who are not only saints, but also sinners?
Only by His grace! By His grace He has given His Son, for the redemption of sinners! By His grace, He sanctifies His elect by His Holy Spirit, to make them saints! By His grace He brings them near to Himself, calling them out of their natural darkness into His marvellous light!
In that grace and by that grace, let us join the assembly of His saints, and to be about Him this Sabbath Day. Let us greatly fear Him and hold Him in reverence as we worship Him.
Near to our God.
8 August 2014
“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” I John 4:10, 11
How gracious is this love of God toward us! Or, rather, how great is this love of God, to manifest itself with such wonderful grace!
In two marvellous ways the Holy Spirit testifies about this greatness of God’s love.
The first testimony is of the condition of those beloved of God: “Not that we loved God.” We did not seek after God, but fled from His presence. We did not submit to God our Maker, but revolted from the blessed fellowship of our Sovereign. No children of God were we, but children of the devil. No desire for Him was in our hearts, but only deep and bitter animosity. No love for God was there in us, but only hatred.
So great is this love of God, that He loved us in spite of us. Everything in us called for our immediate destruction and eternal punishment. But He loved us.
So great the love of God!
The Holy Spirit testifies of the greatness of God’s love also in this way, that He “sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
His love was great, to go to the root of all our ills and troubles, the root of our guilt and punishment. His love was great to provide the only solution to our hopeless situation. “He sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” He sent His son to be a sacrifice on the shameful, bitter cross. He sent His Son to be the propitiation, to bear in Himself, body and soul, the infinite wrath of God. By that one propitiation of the Son, all God’s wrath He has turned away. In its stead is brought everlasting favour and every good gift and blessing to us.
So let us meditate on the greatness of God’s love. Let us devote ourselves to consider its greatness by our hopeless condition by nature. Let us contemplate its greatness by the gift of His only-begotten Son to that great sacrifice of the cross.
Then let us direct it to that end given us: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”
Beloved! Those so loved of God! Hopeless sinners and enemies of God, given His Son to be the propitiation for your sins! How we ought also to love one another!
May that love of God burn away our selfish pride and callous disregard for each another! May it quell our vainglorious efforts to exalt ourselves at the destruction of others! May it make us meek and gentle, considerate of others and their needs! Make it make us sacrifice ourselves for them, to supply and enrich them.
So may we glorify and magnify the great love of our God to us!
“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” I John 4:10, 11
How gracious is this love of God toward us! Or, rather, how great is this love of God, to manifest itself with such wonderful grace!
In two marvellous ways the Holy Spirit testifies about this greatness of God’s love.
The first testimony is of the condition of those beloved of God: “Not that we loved God.” We did not seek after God, but fled from His presence. We did not submit to God our Maker, but revolted from the blessed fellowship of our Sovereign. No children of God were we, but children of the devil. No desire for Him was in our hearts, but only deep and bitter animosity. No love for God was there in us, but only hatred.
So great is this love of God, that He loved us in spite of us. Everything in us called for our immediate destruction and eternal punishment. But He loved us.
So great the love of God!
The Holy Spirit testifies of the greatness of God’s love also in this way, that He “sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
His love was great, to go to the root of all our ills and troubles, the root of our guilt and punishment. His love was great to provide the only solution to our hopeless situation. “He sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” He sent His son to be a sacrifice on the shameful, bitter cross. He sent His Son to be the propitiation, to bear in Himself, body and soul, the infinite wrath of God. By that one propitiation of the Son, all God’s wrath He has turned away. In its stead is brought everlasting favour and every good gift and blessing to us.
So let us meditate on the greatness of God’s love. Let us devote ourselves to consider its greatness by our hopeless condition by nature. Let us contemplate its greatness by the gift of His only-begotten Son to that great sacrifice of the cross.
Then let us direct it to that end given us: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”
Beloved! Those so loved of God! Hopeless sinners and enemies of God, given His Son to be the propitiation for your sins! How we ought also to love one another!
May that love of God burn away our selfish pride and callous disregard for each another! May it quell our vainglorious efforts to exalt ourselves at the destruction of others! May it make us meek and gentle, considerate of others and their needs! Make it make us sacrifice ourselves for them, to supply and enrich them.
So may we glorify and magnify the great love of our God to us!
5 August 2014
“The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.” Psalm 22:26
How blessed to know the Speaker of this verse! Its words are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. According to Hebrews 2:12, it is Jesus Christ who speaks the wonderful words of verse 22, which lead into verse 26. He is the great preacher of the gospel, by whose Spirit He gives His Word to be preached in the present.
Therefore, to us He brings His word: “The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.”
Very powerful is the arrangement of the words in this verse. First we are told of the activity of the meek. These meek are those who suffer for representing the cause of God in the world. Though their enemies have the upper hand, the meek do not entertain thoughts of revenge. Instead they commit their way unto God. They seek His glory alone, in His overthrow of their enemies.
These meek do two things. First, they seek Him. They seek His strength to endure their heavy burden of affliction. They seek His peace and consolation as they go through deep grief and sorrow. But they also seek Him, to know that they are forever in His gracious hand, from which no enemy can pluck them.
This verse wonderfully compares this seeking after God to eating. The meek taste and see that the Lord is good. In their seeking they certainly find their God. They find Him filled with all good, the good with which He liberally fills them to overflowing. They lack for nothing. They eat, and they are satisfied.
Second, filled to satisfaction with His goodness, the meek lift up their hearts and voices in the praises of the Lord’s great and glorious name. They rejoice in the Lord their Saviour, eager to lift Him up, who has dealt so bountifully with them.
This is the way of their life. So their hearts live forever before God. Though their way is filled with trouble and difficulties, and those difficulties weigh so heavily upon them, yet they live. They live in their seeking the Lord. They live in the abundant, satisfying goodness they receive from the Lord their God. They live in the praises of the Lord. They live in the fellowship and friendship of their God.
But see also the sharp, definite turn in language as we come to this last statement in this verse: “Your heart shall live forever.” Before the language was about “them,” namely, “the meek.” These are the meek. This is what they do. This is their blessedness. But suddenly, the great Preacher turns to you, and speaks directly to you. “Are you meek?” “Do you seek the Lord?” “Do you eat?” “Are you satisfied?”
“Your heart shall live forever.”
May this be your confidence and peace, as you seek after your God, through His Son Jesus Christ!
“The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.” Psalm 22:26
How blessed to know the Speaker of this verse! Its words are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. According to Hebrews 2:12, it is Jesus Christ who speaks the wonderful words of verse 22, which lead into verse 26. He is the great preacher of the gospel, by whose Spirit He gives His Word to be preached in the present.
Therefore, to us He brings His word: “The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.”
Very powerful is the arrangement of the words in this verse. First we are told of the activity of the meek. These meek are those who suffer for representing the cause of God in the world. Though their enemies have the upper hand, the meek do not entertain thoughts of revenge. Instead they commit their way unto God. They seek His glory alone, in His overthrow of their enemies.
These meek do two things. First, they seek Him. They seek His strength to endure their heavy burden of affliction. They seek His peace and consolation as they go through deep grief and sorrow. But they also seek Him, to know that they are forever in His gracious hand, from which no enemy can pluck them.
This verse wonderfully compares this seeking after God to eating. The meek taste and see that the Lord is good. In their seeking they certainly find their God. They find Him filled with all good, the good with which He liberally fills them to overflowing. They lack for nothing. They eat, and they are satisfied.
Second, filled to satisfaction with His goodness, the meek lift up their hearts and voices in the praises of the Lord’s great and glorious name. They rejoice in the Lord their Saviour, eager to lift Him up, who has dealt so bountifully with them.
This is the way of their life. So their hearts live forever before God. Though their way is filled with trouble and difficulties, and those difficulties weigh so heavily upon them, yet they live. They live in their seeking the Lord. They live in the abundant, satisfying goodness they receive from the Lord their God. They live in the praises of the Lord. They live in the fellowship and friendship of their God.
But see also the sharp, definite turn in language as we come to this last statement in this verse: “Your heart shall live forever.” Before the language was about “them,” namely, “the meek.” These are the meek. This is what they do. This is their blessedness. But suddenly, the great Preacher turns to you, and speaks directly to you. “Are you meek?” “Do you seek the Lord?” “Do you eat?” “Are you satisfied?”
“Your heart shall live forever.”
May this be your confidence and peace, as you seek after your God, through His Son Jesus Christ!
27 July 2014, The Lord’s Day
“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.” Ecclesiastes 5:1, 2
How careful we must be when we enter the house of the Lord to have the above order firmly in our hearts and minds!
For we will surely be tempted to be rash with our mouth and our hearts hasty to utter words before God. We will be tempted to multiply our words.
What words? How might we be rash with our mouths?
In Solomon’s day, there was the practice of making vows. Men would come to Jerusalem and enter the temple in company. In that company they would make their vows, promising to do this or that for the Lord. They would hear what vows the others were speaking before the Lord, and they would speak greater and greater things, each trying to outdo the other.
But in their speech, they forgot. They forgot the Lord, before whom they spoke. They became mindful only of other men. They also forgot the works of the Lord, the very basis for their vows. The Lord’s works, His power and glory, no longer mattered. What mattered was the standing of these men before men. What folly!
So are we prone to forget. So are we inclined to be rash with our mouths and our hearts hasty to utter before the Lord.
Not vows. But we surely face the temptation to make much of our own words. In our worship, where shall our emphasis fall? How shall we open our mouths in the singing of God’s praises? Shall we look for the opportunity to show our abilities in singing, to impress our fellow saints with our voices, in their power or beauty, or in their ability to hold their pitch so tightly? What shall be our aim, when we speak either before or after the service with our fellow saints? What impressive things have we done or seen last week? What great thoughts, opinions, or judgments have we developed? How can we make a good impression? How can we establish our standing among God’s people?
So in our determinations we forget the Word of God. “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God.” We forget the underlying reason. “God is in heaven, and thou upon earth.”
All room we must make for the Word of our heavenly Father. We gather to hear His Word from heaven, the glorious Word of His power and wisdom. We gather to receive into our hearts and minds His wonderful works of justice and mercy, which our God will show to us. We come to hear all that He has done for us, in order that we might put our faith and confidence in Him alone. We come to hear the gospel of our full salvation, accomplished by Christ alone, our beloved Saviour.
Then, may our words not only be few, for we are upon the earth. But may they also faithfully follow after the Word from God that we hear. May we sing and speak our words after His that we have heard. May our words be filled with His works, His grace, and His glory. May we firmly direct our speech to the same end: the honour and glory of His name.
So “let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Hebrews 13:15
“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.” Ecclesiastes 5:1, 2
How careful we must be when we enter the house of the Lord to have the above order firmly in our hearts and minds!
For we will surely be tempted to be rash with our mouth and our hearts hasty to utter words before God. We will be tempted to multiply our words.
What words? How might we be rash with our mouths?
In Solomon’s day, there was the practice of making vows. Men would come to Jerusalem and enter the temple in company. In that company they would make their vows, promising to do this or that for the Lord. They would hear what vows the others were speaking before the Lord, and they would speak greater and greater things, each trying to outdo the other.
But in their speech, they forgot. They forgot the Lord, before whom they spoke. They became mindful only of other men. They also forgot the works of the Lord, the very basis for their vows. The Lord’s works, His power and glory, no longer mattered. What mattered was the standing of these men before men. What folly!
So are we prone to forget. So are we inclined to be rash with our mouths and our hearts hasty to utter before the Lord.
Not vows. But we surely face the temptation to make much of our own words. In our worship, where shall our emphasis fall? How shall we open our mouths in the singing of God’s praises? Shall we look for the opportunity to show our abilities in singing, to impress our fellow saints with our voices, in their power or beauty, or in their ability to hold their pitch so tightly? What shall be our aim, when we speak either before or after the service with our fellow saints? What impressive things have we done or seen last week? What great thoughts, opinions, or judgments have we developed? How can we make a good impression? How can we establish our standing among God’s people?
So in our determinations we forget the Word of God. “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God.” We forget the underlying reason. “God is in heaven, and thou upon earth.”
All room we must make for the Word of our heavenly Father. We gather to hear His Word from heaven, the glorious Word of His power and wisdom. We gather to receive into our hearts and minds His wonderful works of justice and mercy, which our God will show to us. We come to hear all that He has done for us, in order that we might put our faith and confidence in Him alone. We come to hear the gospel of our full salvation, accomplished by Christ alone, our beloved Saviour.
Then, may our words not only be few, for we are upon the earth. But may they also faithfully follow after the Word from God that we hear. May we sing and speak our words after His that we have heard. May our words be filled with His works, His grace, and His glory. May we firmly direct our speech to the same end: the honour and glory of His name.
So “let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Hebrews 13:15
24 July 2014
“For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.” I Thessalonians 3:8
In these few words is expressed the great love Paul had for the church of Jesus Christ at Thessalonica. According to his own testimony this apostle of Jesus Christ had left there his heart. “But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart . . .” (2:17). When finally Paul simply had to know how this dear congregation was doing, he sent Timothy away from his side to establish them, comfort them, and bring back with him what he learned of their condition. In the rich comfort that he received from Timothy’s report, Paul makes this powerful statement:
“For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.”
Such is the sentiment we must hold toward those dear to us in the Lord.
We think of family ties, especially those of parents and children. How blessed is the covenant family, where godly parents give their diligence to nourish their children in the fear of the Lord! Considering their children in light of God’s promise to be their God, Christian parents set before themselves one great aim: that their children stand fast in the Lord. This is why they carefully train up their children in the Lord’s ways, and why they constantly pray for them. This is why they labour for the Christian education of their children, spending and being spent for Christian schools. This is why they rejoice to see this instruction take root in the lives of their children, when they produce blessed fruits of godliness and holiness.
In that love these parents understand and repeat what Paul wrote: “For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.”
So may those words represent our care for each other in the fellowship of the church of Jesus Christ! Such is a powerful reason to be a blessing to our fellow saints, to bring words of comfort and encouragement to those who are in need. It is a powerful reason to pray constantly for each other. It is a powerful reason to support and help each other in times of difficulty and need.
Here we have every reason to lift up before God’s throne the churches near and dear to us, which together stand for the truth of God’s Word. Here we have cause to devote ourselves in many ways to the well-being of our denomination, for the cause of its continued testimony of truth and righteousness.
In all these actions, two blessed things happen. First, God is pleased to use all our efforts as a means for the strengthening of His people, so that they continue to stand. He shows that He is a God of “grace for grace.” He delights to show that He is faithful to answer the prayers of His people. He is pleased to prove Himself righteous to remember the labour of His children, to bless it with abundant fruit.
Second, our own love grows through these actions. Our love grows through our prayers. Our love grows through our committed labours for the well-being of God’s church and kingdom.
So much does this love grow, we know more and more of what it means: “For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.”
And out of that love, we labour and pray with greater fervour and zeal.
May God grant us this love in ever greater measure, and in this love may we stand fast in the Lord!
“For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.” I Thessalonians 3:8
In these few words is expressed the great love Paul had for the church of Jesus Christ at Thessalonica. According to his own testimony this apostle of Jesus Christ had left there his heart. “But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart . . .” (2:17). When finally Paul simply had to know how this dear congregation was doing, he sent Timothy away from his side to establish them, comfort them, and bring back with him what he learned of their condition. In the rich comfort that he received from Timothy’s report, Paul makes this powerful statement:
“For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.”
Such is the sentiment we must hold toward those dear to us in the Lord.
We think of family ties, especially those of parents and children. How blessed is the covenant family, where godly parents give their diligence to nourish their children in the fear of the Lord! Considering their children in light of God’s promise to be their God, Christian parents set before themselves one great aim: that their children stand fast in the Lord. This is why they carefully train up their children in the Lord’s ways, and why they constantly pray for them. This is why they labour for the Christian education of their children, spending and being spent for Christian schools. This is why they rejoice to see this instruction take root in the lives of their children, when they produce blessed fruits of godliness and holiness.
In that love these parents understand and repeat what Paul wrote: “For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.”
So may those words represent our care for each other in the fellowship of the church of Jesus Christ! Such is a powerful reason to be a blessing to our fellow saints, to bring words of comfort and encouragement to those who are in need. It is a powerful reason to pray constantly for each other. It is a powerful reason to support and help each other in times of difficulty and need.
Here we have every reason to lift up before God’s throne the churches near and dear to us, which together stand for the truth of God’s Word. Here we have cause to devote ourselves in many ways to the well-being of our denomination, for the cause of its continued testimony of truth and righteousness.
In all these actions, two blessed things happen. First, God is pleased to use all our efforts as a means for the strengthening of His people, so that they continue to stand. He shows that He is a God of “grace for grace.” He delights to show that He is faithful to answer the prayers of His people. He is pleased to prove Himself righteous to remember the labour of His children, to bless it with abundant fruit.
Second, our own love grows through these actions. Our love grows through our prayers. Our love grows through our committed labours for the well-being of God’s church and kingdom.
So much does this love grow, we know more and more of what it means: “For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.”
And out of that love, we labour and pray with greater fervour and zeal.
May God grant us this love in ever greater measure, and in this love may we stand fast in the Lord!
23 July 2014
“And he beheld them . . .” Luke 20:17
What was this look that Jesus gave to the chief priests, scribes, and elders that surrounded Him and demanded to know of His authority? What was this gaze that He directed to them, when they expressed their opinion of His parable to them, the parable that laid open their deep and bitter hatred of Him, the Messiah of God, “God forbid”?
It was a sharp, piercing, deeply probing and penetrating gaze. It was a determined, long look, that followed a parable which exposed their very soul.
With this look, followed by His words in verses 17 and 18, Jesus laid bare the depths of the hearts of His enemies. As recorded in verse 19, “They perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.”
Oh, they knew what this look meant. They knew the target of this parable, and they knew that Jesus hit that target dead center.
What then? How did they respond? The Spirit records: “And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him.” Again: “And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.” Their response was only aroused hatred and deepened enmity, a further determination to rid themselves of this rogue rabbi.
What should happen when Jesus speaks to us? What should happen when He beholds us?
Let us wither and melt! Let us be smitten with the force of His rebuke. Let us be broken down under the strength of His gaze. Let us sink into the dust, bowed down with grief over our sins and iniquities. Let us then seek from Him, the gospel of His pardon. Let us seek to hear that Word, and to know by it His gaze of wondrous love and tender mercy upon us. Let us seek the healing, restoring, strengthening, and uplifting power of His eyes turned to us in rich grace.
Let us know also that only sovereign grace has withered and melted us under Jesus’ beholding eyes. That we are not hardened and that we are not even more determined foes of Christ is due only to the heart-breaking power of the Holy Spirit, humbling our pride and working our repentance, to bring us to the mighty Rock of our salvation.
So may it be ever true of us, by the grace of God: “Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken.” May we fall, broken in heart, to find our rest and salvation upon the stone rejected by the builders!
“And he beheld them . . .” Luke 20:17
What was this look that Jesus gave to the chief priests, scribes, and elders that surrounded Him and demanded to know of His authority? What was this gaze that He directed to them, when they expressed their opinion of His parable to them, the parable that laid open their deep and bitter hatred of Him, the Messiah of God, “God forbid”?
It was a sharp, piercing, deeply probing and penetrating gaze. It was a determined, long look, that followed a parable which exposed their very soul.
With this look, followed by His words in verses 17 and 18, Jesus laid bare the depths of the hearts of His enemies. As recorded in verse 19, “They perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.”
Oh, they knew what this look meant. They knew the target of this parable, and they knew that Jesus hit that target dead center.
What then? How did they respond? The Spirit records: “And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him.” Again: “And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.” Their response was only aroused hatred and deepened enmity, a further determination to rid themselves of this rogue rabbi.
What should happen when Jesus speaks to us? What should happen when He beholds us?
Let us wither and melt! Let us be smitten with the force of His rebuke. Let us be broken down under the strength of His gaze. Let us sink into the dust, bowed down with grief over our sins and iniquities. Let us then seek from Him, the gospel of His pardon. Let us seek to hear that Word, and to know by it His gaze of wondrous love and tender mercy upon us. Let us seek the healing, restoring, strengthening, and uplifting power of His eyes turned to us in rich grace.
Let us know also that only sovereign grace has withered and melted us under Jesus’ beholding eyes. That we are not hardened and that we are not even more determined foes of Christ is due only to the heart-breaking power of the Holy Spirit, humbling our pride and working our repentance, to bring us to the mighty Rock of our salvation.
So may it be ever true of us, by the grace of God: “Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken.” May we fall, broken in heart, to find our rest and salvation upon the stone rejected by the builders!
20 July 2014, The Lord's Day
“Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee. Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.” Acts 10:32, 33.
Cornelius, the centurion of the Italian band, was given his marching orders and an appointment by God’s holy angel. He was to send to this place in Joppa. He was to call for this man, Peter, to come and speak to him. So Cornelius obeyed the messenger of God, and was about to hear the results of his obedience.
In that same spirit of obedience Cornelius was now ready to hear all that God had to tell him by the mouth of Peter.
Today God has made an appointment for you. He has given to you a place, His house of prayer, the assembly of his people. He has given you a day and time, His sabbath day, and these set times for worship. He has sent a man to be there, at that time and in that place. That man He has sent to bring you His word.
Your blessing is to gather there among God’s people, carrying these beautiful words in your heart: “Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.”
What readiness of heart and mind! What submission and humility before the Word of God!
These words reveal a humble recognition of the presence of the living, majestic, sovereign and holy God. They manifest a deep conviction that this great God is about to speak to men. They show a preparedness to believe every word that shall be spoken, and to obey every command given.
May these blessed words be in our hearts and minds as we enter the house of the Lord this blessed Sabbath day! May we declare them before the Lord as we ready ourselves to hear the Word He has given His servant to speak to us. May we then hear and follow “all things that are commanded thee of God.”
“Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee. Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.” Acts 10:32, 33.
Cornelius, the centurion of the Italian band, was given his marching orders and an appointment by God’s holy angel. He was to send to this place in Joppa. He was to call for this man, Peter, to come and speak to him. So Cornelius obeyed the messenger of God, and was about to hear the results of his obedience.
In that same spirit of obedience Cornelius was now ready to hear all that God had to tell him by the mouth of Peter.
Today God has made an appointment for you. He has given to you a place, His house of prayer, the assembly of his people. He has given you a day and time, His sabbath day, and these set times for worship. He has sent a man to be there, at that time and in that place. That man He has sent to bring you His word.
Your blessing is to gather there among God’s people, carrying these beautiful words in your heart: “Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.”
What readiness of heart and mind! What submission and humility before the Word of God!
These words reveal a humble recognition of the presence of the living, majestic, sovereign and holy God. They manifest a deep conviction that this great God is about to speak to men. They show a preparedness to believe every word that shall be spoken, and to obey every command given.
May these blessed words be in our hearts and minds as we enter the house of the Lord this blessed Sabbath day! May we declare them before the Lord as we ready ourselves to hear the Word He has given His servant to speak to us. May we then hear and follow “all things that are commanded thee of God.”
18 July 2014
“And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” Luke 16:15
Powerful is this rebuke of Christ to bring us to the urgent need of spiritual reformation!
Sharp is this rebuke, levelled and pointed at the Pharisees. They derided Jesus, scoffing at His teaching, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” They were so sure that they could serve two masters, they scorned Jesus’ teaching as being far below them. The Word of God plainly revealed the root of this derision: they were covetous. So Jesus rebuked them for the proud covetousness.
But that same rebuke we need to hear, to show to us our great enemy, and the pride of our covetousness.
For our thoughts so easily and so often fall in this same way. We want to be justified before God and before men. So we look around us. We see what is highly esteemed among men. Those things we highly esteem.
What is highly esteemed among men? Wealth, power and influence, fame and celebrity status are in high demand. Success in business and commerce are widely praised. Talents and abilities, either in sports, music or acting are worshipped and adored.
So we look and we understand. So we also highly esteem the same things. Sometimes we pursue them with heart and soul, hoping to be highly esteemed among men. Other times, though we cannot attain them, we join the company of men in highly esteeming them. We follow the talk. We follow the excitement of watching. We want to show our high esteem of what men highly esteem. We follow their estimations.
Then our hearts follow. In our hearts we highly esteem what men highly esteem. But in our hearts we begin to highly esteem also men themselves.
And we forget.
We forget, “that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”
And we find ourselves far from God. Our thoughts are opposite the thoughts of God. What we highly esteem the Holy One abominates.
And He knows our hearts.
As we feel the stinging shame of this rebuke, let us turn in thanksgiving to the One who knows our hearts, the One who abhors the high estimates of men. For as He knows our hearts, He is also mighty to cleanse them with the blood of His Son. As He knows our hearts, He is also mighty to turn them from these abominations to Himself, to follow His favour and delight.
By His grace, let us turn to Him, to follow after His ways, to be pleased with the things pleasing to Him, the things of His kingdom, His name, and His truth!
“And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” Luke 16:15
Powerful is this rebuke of Christ to bring us to the urgent need of spiritual reformation!
Sharp is this rebuke, levelled and pointed at the Pharisees. They derided Jesus, scoffing at His teaching, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” They were so sure that they could serve two masters, they scorned Jesus’ teaching as being far below them. The Word of God plainly revealed the root of this derision: they were covetous. So Jesus rebuked them for the proud covetousness.
But that same rebuke we need to hear, to show to us our great enemy, and the pride of our covetousness.
For our thoughts so easily and so often fall in this same way. We want to be justified before God and before men. So we look around us. We see what is highly esteemed among men. Those things we highly esteem.
What is highly esteemed among men? Wealth, power and influence, fame and celebrity status are in high demand. Success in business and commerce are widely praised. Talents and abilities, either in sports, music or acting are worshipped and adored.
So we look and we understand. So we also highly esteem the same things. Sometimes we pursue them with heart and soul, hoping to be highly esteemed among men. Other times, though we cannot attain them, we join the company of men in highly esteeming them. We follow the talk. We follow the excitement of watching. We want to show our high esteem of what men highly esteem. We follow their estimations.
Then our hearts follow. In our hearts we highly esteem what men highly esteem. But in our hearts we begin to highly esteem also men themselves.
And we forget.
We forget, “that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”
And we find ourselves far from God. Our thoughts are opposite the thoughts of God. What we highly esteem the Holy One abominates.
And He knows our hearts.
As we feel the stinging shame of this rebuke, let us turn in thanksgiving to the One who knows our hearts, the One who abhors the high estimates of men. For as He knows our hearts, He is also mighty to cleanse them with the blood of His Son. As He knows our hearts, He is also mighty to turn them from these abominations to Himself, to follow His favour and delight.
By His grace, let us turn to Him, to follow after His ways, to be pleased with the things pleasing to Him, the things of His kingdom, His name, and His truth!
15 July 2014
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6
“Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?” John 18:38
These two verses of holy Scripture present two very different ways of thinking about and understanding the world, God, and men. These two ways are opposed to each other. One can live, move, and operate in one or the other, never both. These two ways are the only real possibilities. There is no third way.
In Pilate’s judgment hall, these two ways collide.
On the one side, representing “the way” is Jesus Christ. He came to bear witness to the truth. For that reason, every one that is “of the truth heareth my voice.” His words breathe out supreme confidence, the confidence with which He answered Thomas: “I am the way, the truth and the life,” only a few hours before. Before His disciples Thomas, before His governor Pontius Pilate, He states the very same truth.
To His powerful testimony the governor gives his answer: “What is truth?”
With the truth pressing upon him, Pilate attempts to dismiss out of the hand the testimony of the Truth. What words are these from Pilate’s mouth? “What is truth?” Are they the words of a weary skeptic, confronted with a variety of claims, each claim seeking Pilate’s approval? Has he come to the conclusion that they are all wrong, that the truth is not to be found with anyone, god or man? Or, is he a committed relativist? Does he have a true doctrine, namely, that there is no such thing as absolute truth? Or, is Pilate just a committed agnostic, certain that whatever truth there may be, man is simply unable to know it anyway?
Whatever Pilate may be, his words demonstrate only his vanity, and the vanity of all men who refuse to bend the knee before Jesus, who is “the way, the truth, and the life.” Let them all gather their voices to shout their question, “What is truth?” Yet prevails the voice of Him who saith to Thomas, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
So this word of Christ comes to us. He declares the truth of His Person, His grace, His salvation to us. He says to us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” By His grace, we leave behind our foolish, vain, question, “What is faith?” Him we embrace. To Him we cling. Him we follow. So we have our way to the Father. We find our hearts filled with His wonderful, blessed truth, the truth of the living God, whom to know is life eternal. In the knowledge of the truth we live the blessed life of fellowship and friendship with our sovereign Friend.
So we confess: “Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.” So we stand today, over against all the restless, agitated questioning of the world, “What is truth?” May we continue to stand, blessed by Him and strengthened by Him, who is forever, “the way, the truth, and the life.”
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6
“Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?” John 18:38
These two verses of holy Scripture present two very different ways of thinking about and understanding the world, God, and men. These two ways are opposed to each other. One can live, move, and operate in one or the other, never both. These two ways are the only real possibilities. There is no third way.
In Pilate’s judgment hall, these two ways collide.
On the one side, representing “the way” is Jesus Christ. He came to bear witness to the truth. For that reason, every one that is “of the truth heareth my voice.” His words breathe out supreme confidence, the confidence with which He answered Thomas: “I am the way, the truth and the life,” only a few hours before. Before His disciples Thomas, before His governor Pontius Pilate, He states the very same truth.
To His powerful testimony the governor gives his answer: “What is truth?”
With the truth pressing upon him, Pilate attempts to dismiss out of the hand the testimony of the Truth. What words are these from Pilate’s mouth? “What is truth?” Are they the words of a weary skeptic, confronted with a variety of claims, each claim seeking Pilate’s approval? Has he come to the conclusion that they are all wrong, that the truth is not to be found with anyone, god or man? Or, is he a committed relativist? Does he have a true doctrine, namely, that there is no such thing as absolute truth? Or, is Pilate just a committed agnostic, certain that whatever truth there may be, man is simply unable to know it anyway?
Whatever Pilate may be, his words demonstrate only his vanity, and the vanity of all men who refuse to bend the knee before Jesus, who is “the way, the truth, and the life.” Let them all gather their voices to shout their question, “What is truth?” Yet prevails the voice of Him who saith to Thomas, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
So this word of Christ comes to us. He declares the truth of His Person, His grace, His salvation to us. He says to us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” By His grace, we leave behind our foolish, vain, question, “What is faith?” Him we embrace. To Him we cling. Him we follow. So we have our way to the Father. We find our hearts filled with His wonderful, blessed truth, the truth of the living God, whom to know is life eternal. In the knowledge of the truth we live the blessed life of fellowship and friendship with our sovereign Friend.
So we confess: “Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.” So we stand today, over against all the restless, agitated questioning of the world, “What is truth?” May we continue to stand, blessed by Him and strengthened by Him, who is forever, “the way, the truth, and the life.”
13 July 2014, The Lord’s Day
“Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.” Psalm 26:8
In these words we are given a beautiful description of the glory and beauty of the house of the Lord.
Whether large or small, whether of marble or stone or wood or even thatch, the house of the Lord is beloved of God’s people. Whether gathered in such a place is a vast multitude or only a handful, the house of the Lord is the desired dwelling place of His children.
What makes it so beloved?
Simply, it is the house of the Lord. It is the place where God’s people go to be in the presence of their gracious God and beloved Redeemer. There they have the pleasure of His fellowship and friendship. There they meet with their God, to bring before Him the sacrifice of thanksgiving, giving praise to Him with their joyful lips. There they present themselves, body and heart, mind and soul, to their God, rejoicing to be His peculiar people, His precious inheritance.
What makes it the house of the Lord, is that it is the place where His honour dwelleth. Regularly and consistently, frequently, His Word is proclaimed, the Word that shows forth the honour of His great and glorious name. His works of creation and salvation are declared and explained according to His holy Word. The Scriptures are opened up. The almighty and glorious works of God are declared as the sole foundation of His people’s salvation. All are called to repentance and salvation in the Word of God, Jesus Christ. The promise of salvation is declared to all, that all who believe in Jesus Christ receive full salvation. The Word of God is declared to the honour of the sovereign God of salvation.
By that preaching of the gospel, God is declared in all His mighty and power, in all His wisdom, counsel, and judgment, in all His holiness and righteousness. He is shown forth in all the glory of His kingdom, in all the majesty of His dominion, and in all the light of His overflowing goodness and mercy.
There is the place where His honour dwelleth, the habitation of His house.
In your love for the habitation of His house, rejoice to enter the place where His honour dwelleth!
“Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.” Psalm 26:8
In these words we are given a beautiful description of the glory and beauty of the house of the Lord.
Whether large or small, whether of marble or stone or wood or even thatch, the house of the Lord is beloved of God’s people. Whether gathered in such a place is a vast multitude or only a handful, the house of the Lord is the desired dwelling place of His children.
What makes it so beloved?
Simply, it is the house of the Lord. It is the place where God’s people go to be in the presence of their gracious God and beloved Redeemer. There they have the pleasure of His fellowship and friendship. There they meet with their God, to bring before Him the sacrifice of thanksgiving, giving praise to Him with their joyful lips. There they present themselves, body and heart, mind and soul, to their God, rejoicing to be His peculiar people, His precious inheritance.
What makes it the house of the Lord, is that it is the place where His honour dwelleth. Regularly and consistently, frequently, His Word is proclaimed, the Word that shows forth the honour of His great and glorious name. His works of creation and salvation are declared and explained according to His holy Word. The Scriptures are opened up. The almighty and glorious works of God are declared as the sole foundation of His people’s salvation. All are called to repentance and salvation in the Word of God, Jesus Christ. The promise of salvation is declared to all, that all who believe in Jesus Christ receive full salvation. The Word of God is declared to the honour of the sovereign God of salvation.
By that preaching of the gospel, God is declared in all His mighty and power, in all His wisdom, counsel, and judgment, in all His holiness and righteousness. He is shown forth in all the glory of His kingdom, in all the majesty of His dominion, and in all the light of His overflowing goodness and mercy.
There is the place where His honour dwelleth, the habitation of His house.
In your love for the habitation of His house, rejoice to enter the place where His honour dwelleth!
10 July 2014
“They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.” Psalm 125:1, 2
Great and glorious is the security of the Lord’s people, who put their trust in Him!
They that trust in the Lord are here compared with mount Zion and with Jerusalem, the holy city.
This city of old was a city secure. Its first inhabitants, the Jebusites, boasted that the blind and the lame could defend the city against David’s army because the city’s natural defences were so great and formidable. It was most evident that the city could be taken by David’s men only by Lord’s intervention. For its strong defences it was to be the capital of Israel, where David’s palace and the temple of the Lord was later built.
So it also came to serve as a wonderful illustration of the Lord’s protection of His people.
See that mountain, mount Zion? Look at its sides imposing and intimidating! Look at its great height, all for the protection and preservation of the city on top!
So it is with those that trust in the Lord.
As mount Zion cannot be removed but abideth forever, so are they that trust in the Lord.
See how the mountains are all around Jerusalem, holding up and guarding that city? Just as those mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people forever. They have the living God surrounding them by His almighty power and wonderful strength. They have nothing to fear, for no enemy can reach them.
But what happened to this magnificent city, Jerusalem? What happened to the strong defences of Zion? What about those surrounding mountains? The city was overthrown and destroyed twice. Because of the Lord’s judgment the army of Babylon and later the army of Rome completely destroyed the city.
But its very destruction makes us look to the true and real Zion, the one that is above. We must look to the heavenly Jerusalem, the one that is better, the everlasting city of the Son of David, Jesus Christ. There is our citizenship by faith, and there is our everlasting home, sealed to us in the blood of its glorious King.
By faith let us look above. By faith let us see, and be filled with awe and wonder at that glorious city of God. Let us see its eternal strength, its foundations rooted in the blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And understanding its strength, let us know:
They that trust in the Lord
Shall be as mount Zion,
Which cannot be removed,
But abideth for ever.
As the mountains are round about Jerusalem,
So the Lord is round about his people
From henceforth even for ever.
In this wonderful power of our God, let us live and walk today, rejoicing fsin Him!
“They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.” Psalm 125:1, 2
Great and glorious is the security of the Lord’s people, who put their trust in Him!
They that trust in the Lord are here compared with mount Zion and with Jerusalem, the holy city.
This city of old was a city secure. Its first inhabitants, the Jebusites, boasted that the blind and the lame could defend the city against David’s army because the city’s natural defences were so great and formidable. It was most evident that the city could be taken by David’s men only by Lord’s intervention. For its strong defences it was to be the capital of Israel, where David’s palace and the temple of the Lord was later built.
So it also came to serve as a wonderful illustration of the Lord’s protection of His people.
See that mountain, mount Zion? Look at its sides imposing and intimidating! Look at its great height, all for the protection and preservation of the city on top!
So it is with those that trust in the Lord.
As mount Zion cannot be removed but abideth forever, so are they that trust in the Lord.
See how the mountains are all around Jerusalem, holding up and guarding that city? Just as those mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people forever. They have the living God surrounding them by His almighty power and wonderful strength. They have nothing to fear, for no enemy can reach them.
But what happened to this magnificent city, Jerusalem? What happened to the strong defences of Zion? What about those surrounding mountains? The city was overthrown and destroyed twice. Because of the Lord’s judgment the army of Babylon and later the army of Rome completely destroyed the city.
But its very destruction makes us look to the true and real Zion, the one that is above. We must look to the heavenly Jerusalem, the one that is better, the everlasting city of the Son of David, Jesus Christ. There is our citizenship by faith, and there is our everlasting home, sealed to us in the blood of its glorious King.
By faith let us look above. By faith let us see, and be filled with awe and wonder at that glorious city of God. Let us see its eternal strength, its foundations rooted in the blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And understanding its strength, let us know:
They that trust in the Lord
Shall be as mount Zion,
Which cannot be removed,
But abideth for ever.
As the mountains are round about Jerusalem,
So the Lord is round about his people
From henceforth even for ever.
In this wonderful power of our God, let us live and walk today, rejoicing fsin Him!
6 July 2014, The Lord's Day
“Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” Isaiah 55:6
To be sure, as the words following this verse indicate, this calling is from the Lord to His apostate people, urging them to turn back from their wicked ways to Him, with the promise of His abundant pardon. Still today, these same words from the basis for the call of the gospel that goes through all lands and peoples, the summons of the gospel commanding all who hear to turn from their sins to the Lord, promising pardon to all who turn.
But these same words are always delightful to the children of God, the promise that He will be found of all those that seek Him.
For, the Lord is to be found! The Lord is near!
He is to be found today! The Lord is near today!
How? Where?
Simply, however and wherever His Word is near, and the Word is to be found. He is near in the preaching of the gospel that is heard today.
Today is the day of rest. It is the day to rest in the glad and glorious tidings of the gospel. That gospel proclaims the mighty and glorious work of God’s salvation. It declares full reconciliation and pardon of sin through the sacrifice of the Word made flesh on the tree of the cross. It is the call to turn from sin and to trust in that once for all sacrifice, to rest in it for complete pardon of sin.
This day the Lord sends His servants to you with that Word in their mouths. Today they bring that Word to your ears. So they command in that gospel, “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found.” So they urge, “Call ye upon him while he is near.”
This is your delightful blessedness this Sabbath day. This is your comfort, peace, and hope today. The Word of the Lord comes to you today, calling you to seek Him and to find Him. He does not, then withdraw Himself, so that you should find His Word has become deceitful or vain. He is not a man! Far from it! By His Word He is near. By His Word He gives Himself to you, as you call upon Him. As you seek Him, you find Him, your God.
By His Word, near to you, enjoy His rest, the rest of His everlasting covenant, “even the sure mercies of David,” the mercies of Jesus Christ.
“Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” Isaiah 55:6
To be sure, as the words following this verse indicate, this calling is from the Lord to His apostate people, urging them to turn back from their wicked ways to Him, with the promise of His abundant pardon. Still today, these same words from the basis for the call of the gospel that goes through all lands and peoples, the summons of the gospel commanding all who hear to turn from their sins to the Lord, promising pardon to all who turn.
But these same words are always delightful to the children of God, the promise that He will be found of all those that seek Him.
For, the Lord is to be found! The Lord is near!
He is to be found today! The Lord is near today!
How? Where?
Simply, however and wherever His Word is near, and the Word is to be found. He is near in the preaching of the gospel that is heard today.
Today is the day of rest. It is the day to rest in the glad and glorious tidings of the gospel. That gospel proclaims the mighty and glorious work of God’s salvation. It declares full reconciliation and pardon of sin through the sacrifice of the Word made flesh on the tree of the cross. It is the call to turn from sin and to trust in that once for all sacrifice, to rest in it for complete pardon of sin.
This day the Lord sends His servants to you with that Word in their mouths. Today they bring that Word to your ears. So they command in that gospel, “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found.” So they urge, “Call ye upon him while he is near.”
This is your delightful blessedness this Sabbath day. This is your comfort, peace, and hope today. The Word of the Lord comes to you today, calling you to seek Him and to find Him. He does not, then withdraw Himself, so that you should find His Word has become deceitful or vain. He is not a man! Far from it! By His Word He is near. By His Word He gives Himself to you, as you call upon Him. As you seek Him, you find Him, your God.
By His Word, near to you, enjoy His rest, the rest of His everlasting covenant, “even the sure mercies of David,” the mercies of Jesus Christ.
1 July 2014
“Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law; That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.” Psalm 94:12, 13
Blessed is the man!
Who is this man whom the holy Scriptures declare to be blessed?
This man is chastened by the Lord. He is a suffering man. He feels the rod of the Lord’s anger smiting him. Pain and suffering is his, and that from the Lord’s hand. Through such pain the Lord teaches him out of His holy law. The Lord is teaching him in the most powerful way the evil and wickedness that he must shun. The Lord is teaching him to pursue always and only righteousness and holiness, the way of His commandments.
His is a most difficult way. How can he be blessed?
We might also look at the difficulty of this man’s way in light of what follows in this verse. His days are “days of adversity.” What follows also indicates the nature of his adversity, that it comes to him from the wicked. As he seeks to follow after God’s law, the wicked mock him, harass him, and even persecute him. But those wicked are also used by the sovereign grace of God to chasten His own. As this man suffers great adversity from the wicked around him, the Lord is busy teaching him out of His law.
In his days of adversity, surrounded by the wicked, and chastened by the Lord, how can he be blessed?
Blessed is the man!
He is blessed because his is a most wonderful and glorious future. He is blessed because his days of adversity will come to an end. With the end of those days, a marvelous beginning is his: everlasting rest in the abundant and joyful peace of God’s glorious kingdom. His rest will be to see the pit digged for the wicked, which harassed and persecuted him in his days of adversity. Cast into that pit, sealed within its walls, the wicked shall never come near or threaten him again.
How is this blessedness his? How has he come to this blessed rest?
Only through the chastening of the Lord, being taught by the Lord our of His law. Even as he was chastened of the Lord by the hand of the wicked, he was being separated from them. The Lord taught him the ways of the wicked, that they were rebellion against Him. The Lord taught him of His great wrath against the wicked in their wickedness, and taught him of their guilt and condemnation out of His holy law. The Lord taught him well that these wicked could not be his friends, and that their ways could not be his. The Lord was protecting him from the love of the world.
In this separation was His salvation. When the pit is digged for the wicked, he not be found among them there. Instead, everlasting rest shall be his forever.
Yes, blessed is the man!
“Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law; That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.” Psalm 94:12, 13
Blessed is the man!
Who is this man whom the holy Scriptures declare to be blessed?
This man is chastened by the Lord. He is a suffering man. He feels the rod of the Lord’s anger smiting him. Pain and suffering is his, and that from the Lord’s hand. Through such pain the Lord teaches him out of His holy law. The Lord is teaching him in the most powerful way the evil and wickedness that he must shun. The Lord is teaching him to pursue always and only righteousness and holiness, the way of His commandments.
His is a most difficult way. How can he be blessed?
We might also look at the difficulty of this man’s way in light of what follows in this verse. His days are “days of adversity.” What follows also indicates the nature of his adversity, that it comes to him from the wicked. As he seeks to follow after God’s law, the wicked mock him, harass him, and even persecute him. But those wicked are also used by the sovereign grace of God to chasten His own. As this man suffers great adversity from the wicked around him, the Lord is busy teaching him out of His law.
In his days of adversity, surrounded by the wicked, and chastened by the Lord, how can he be blessed?
Blessed is the man!
He is blessed because his is a most wonderful and glorious future. He is blessed because his days of adversity will come to an end. With the end of those days, a marvelous beginning is his: everlasting rest in the abundant and joyful peace of God’s glorious kingdom. His rest will be to see the pit digged for the wicked, which harassed and persecuted him in his days of adversity. Cast into that pit, sealed within its walls, the wicked shall never come near or threaten him again.
How is this blessedness his? How has he come to this blessed rest?
Only through the chastening of the Lord, being taught by the Lord our of His law. Even as he was chastened of the Lord by the hand of the wicked, he was being separated from them. The Lord taught him the ways of the wicked, that they were rebellion against Him. The Lord taught him of His great wrath against the wicked in their wickedness, and taught him of their guilt and condemnation out of His holy law. The Lord taught him well that these wicked could not be his friends, and that their ways could not be his. The Lord was protecting him from the love of the world.
In this separation was His salvation. When the pit is digged for the wicked, he not be found among them there. Instead, everlasting rest shall be his forever.
Yes, blessed is the man!
29 June 2014, The Lord’s Day
“Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5, 6
What a blessed way to describe the worship and praise of the church of Jesus Christ! The privilege of the church is to gather together in a united assembly for the same purpose. That purpose is the glory of the one true God, of Him who is “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
For He is the Father from whom all blessings flow! There is no goodness without His goodness. The possession of His goodness alone makes us full and complete. To have the Father’s love, is to be loved indeed and in truth. The blessedness of the church is to come into the presence of Him who is the fountain of all good, and to glorify Him for His abundant goodness.
That goodness is known centrally through His gift of His only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. God has given Him, true God of true God, to be our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification and our redemption. With the Son of God is all our salvation from beginning to end. He is the basis of our acceptance with the Father, with the full reconciliation He has made through the blood that He shed on His cross.
Surely, then, this God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of the glory and praise we give Him.
How is He to be glorified? By the assembly of His people with one mind and one mouth!
This is why you and I must hear the preaching of the Word of God today, so that we can glorify God with one mind. We must be thinking the same thoughts, holding to the same truths about our God. The preaching of God’s Word, God’s self-revelation, must gather our minds together, so that we are directed in our worship to the very same God, who is one in truth. And, only as our minds are together shaped and moulded by the preaching of His Word, can we truly glorify our God with one mind.
But then there is also unity of mouth. With one mouth is He to be glorified. What a blessing through our song, and the recitation of the creed, to have our mouths together forming the same words of blessing and praise to our God! What a blessing to follow after the words of congregational prayer, praying them in our own hearts to our God! What a blessing to have resounding in our hearts, through faith, the Word of God as we hear it preached to us by a faithful servant of the Lord!
But before this oneness of our minds and mouth, there is another oneness that goes on before. It is that we “are likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus.” It is that we think the same way toward and about one another, in the church of Jesus Christ. We may not distinguish and divide among the members of the church. We are not to esteem some highly, while thinking poorly of others. We are not to consider some as “our kind” and others as “out there.” Instead we are to be likeminded, according to the rule given us, the rule of Christ Jesus. As He thinks about each of us, His sheep for whom He laid down His life, so must we think about one another.
How much, then, must we offer up this prayer to God before our worship this morning: Wilt thou, the God of patience and consolation, grant me to be likeminded toward my fellow saints according to Christ Jesus!
So may we then go to God’s house today, to glorify Him with one mind and with one mouth!
“Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5, 6
What a blessed way to describe the worship and praise of the church of Jesus Christ! The privilege of the church is to gather together in a united assembly for the same purpose. That purpose is the glory of the one true God, of Him who is “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
For He is the Father from whom all blessings flow! There is no goodness without His goodness. The possession of His goodness alone makes us full and complete. To have the Father’s love, is to be loved indeed and in truth. The blessedness of the church is to come into the presence of Him who is the fountain of all good, and to glorify Him for His abundant goodness.
That goodness is known centrally through His gift of His only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. God has given Him, true God of true God, to be our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification and our redemption. With the Son of God is all our salvation from beginning to end. He is the basis of our acceptance with the Father, with the full reconciliation He has made through the blood that He shed on His cross.
Surely, then, this God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of the glory and praise we give Him.
How is He to be glorified? By the assembly of His people with one mind and one mouth!
This is why you and I must hear the preaching of the Word of God today, so that we can glorify God with one mind. We must be thinking the same thoughts, holding to the same truths about our God. The preaching of God’s Word, God’s self-revelation, must gather our minds together, so that we are directed in our worship to the very same God, who is one in truth. And, only as our minds are together shaped and moulded by the preaching of His Word, can we truly glorify our God with one mind.
But then there is also unity of mouth. With one mouth is He to be glorified. What a blessing through our song, and the recitation of the creed, to have our mouths together forming the same words of blessing and praise to our God! What a blessing to follow after the words of congregational prayer, praying them in our own hearts to our God! What a blessing to have resounding in our hearts, through faith, the Word of God as we hear it preached to us by a faithful servant of the Lord!
But before this oneness of our minds and mouth, there is another oneness that goes on before. It is that we “are likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus.” It is that we think the same way toward and about one another, in the church of Jesus Christ. We may not distinguish and divide among the members of the church. We are not to esteem some highly, while thinking poorly of others. We are not to consider some as “our kind” and others as “out there.” Instead we are to be likeminded, according to the rule given us, the rule of Christ Jesus. As He thinks about each of us, His sheep for whom He laid down His life, so must we think about one another.
How much, then, must we offer up this prayer to God before our worship this morning: Wilt thou, the God of patience and consolation, grant me to be likeminded toward my fellow saints according to Christ Jesus!
So may we then go to God’s house today, to glorify Him with one mind and with one mouth!
27 June 2014
"The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." Psalm 34:18
The Lord is nigh! What blessedness and goodness! What safety and security!
To have the Lord near means salvation and deliverance, almighty protection from every enemy. To have the Lord near means His fellowship and friendship, His lovingkindness and mercy which always bless forevermore.
But how is this nearness of the Lord to be enjoyed? How is His salvation to be possessed?
It is most evident that the Lord's nearness is particular. His salvation is not possessed by all. From certain He is "afar off." There are those who are not saved, but destroyed in His holy anger.
More to the point, how are we to have this nearness of the Lord to us? How are we those who are saved by His nearness?
What shall we have as our qualification? What shall we present before the Lord as our credentials?
Shall we set before Him our attainments? As before a bank, from whom we would hope to receive a loan, shall we present our current annual salary, or perhaps our assets on hand? As before a potential employer, shall we bring before the Lord our academic record and achievements, a successful work history, our level of dedication, and the ambitious goals we hope to accomplish in our lives?
Or, more to the point, shall we present before the Lord our faith, that He should be near to us because we have decided to put our trust in Him? Ought we to present to Him our good works, that His goodness should be attracted to ours? Ought we to explain to Him the potential that is in us, that we would make a good contribution to the cause of His kingdom?
None of this. Nothing that is pleasing in the sight of men will bring God's nearness. Nothing that is acceptable to men will determine God's salvation. For God is not like men!
No, to them that are of a broken heart is the Lord nigh. Them that are of a contrite spirit God saves. These are the lowest of the low. Their heart is broken, crushed under the load of the guilt of their sin. Their spirit is not lifted up with vanity, nor puffed up with deceit. Their spirit is crushed to desolation.
The Lord is near to them because His truth has brought them to that depth. Their hearts are broken, their spirits crushed by the knowledge of their sins according to His holy law. The Spirit of the Lord has brought conviction. And as they feel ever so low, broken in heart and contrite in spirit, this word becomes their wonderful comfort: the Lord is nigh them. So it also becomes their praises of their Lord and Saviour, telling the greatness of His glory.
So may we rejoice in the nearness of the Lord to us, who are of a broken heart. May we rejoice in His salvation of us, who are of a contrite spirit.
"The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." Psalm 34:18
The Lord is nigh! What blessedness and goodness! What safety and security!
To have the Lord near means salvation and deliverance, almighty protection from every enemy. To have the Lord near means His fellowship and friendship, His lovingkindness and mercy which always bless forevermore.
But how is this nearness of the Lord to be enjoyed? How is His salvation to be possessed?
It is most evident that the Lord's nearness is particular. His salvation is not possessed by all. From certain He is "afar off." There are those who are not saved, but destroyed in His holy anger.
More to the point, how are we to have this nearness of the Lord to us? How are we those who are saved by His nearness?
What shall we have as our qualification? What shall we present before the Lord as our credentials?
Shall we set before Him our attainments? As before a bank, from whom we would hope to receive a loan, shall we present our current annual salary, or perhaps our assets on hand? As before a potential employer, shall we bring before the Lord our academic record and achievements, a successful work history, our level of dedication, and the ambitious goals we hope to accomplish in our lives?
Or, more to the point, shall we present before the Lord our faith, that He should be near to us because we have decided to put our trust in Him? Ought we to present to Him our good works, that His goodness should be attracted to ours? Ought we to explain to Him the potential that is in us, that we would make a good contribution to the cause of His kingdom?
None of this. Nothing that is pleasing in the sight of men will bring God's nearness. Nothing that is acceptable to men will determine God's salvation. For God is not like men!
No, to them that are of a broken heart is the Lord nigh. Them that are of a contrite spirit God saves. These are the lowest of the low. Their heart is broken, crushed under the load of the guilt of their sin. Their spirit is not lifted up with vanity, nor puffed up with deceit. Their spirit is crushed to desolation.
The Lord is near to them because His truth has brought them to that depth. Their hearts are broken, their spirits crushed by the knowledge of their sins according to His holy law. The Spirit of the Lord has brought conviction. And as they feel ever so low, broken in heart and contrite in spirit, this word becomes their wonderful comfort: the Lord is nigh them. So it also becomes their praises of their Lord and Saviour, telling the greatness of His glory.
So may we rejoice in the nearness of the Lord to us, who are of a broken heart. May we rejoice in His salvation of us, who are of a contrite spirit.
15 June 2014, The Lord’s Day
“If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.” Ephesians 4:21
Strange words are these, appearing as they do among these words of admonition written to the saints at Ephesus. How many were the sins they now had to fight against and put off, the sins in which they walked before their redemption! Foreign to this way was the way of Christ, whom they had now learned. “But ye have not so learned Christ.”
Strange words are these because Christ never once appeared to these saints at Ephesus to teach them. He confined His earthly ministry to Judea and Galilee, with occasional forays into Samaria or nearby areas. Never did He travel to Ephesus, so far from Palestine, to preach to the residents there.
How then could the apostle Paul say of these Ephesians that they heard Christ, that they had been taught by Christ? How could his statement have that kind of power with the saints at Ephesus, to encourage them to put off forever their former way of life?
Because they did hear Christ Himself. They were taught by Christ Himself.
Two reasons this chapter of Holy Scripture gives us. One reason is in this Word itself. “The truth is in Jesus.” They heard the truth proclaimed to them. As that truth proclaimed to them is in Jesus, they heard Jesus, and they had been taught by Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life.
The other reason we have in verse 11. This verse lists the gifts of the risen and ascended Christ to His church. “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.” One example is the gift of Christ to the church at Ephesus of the Apostle Paul. Christ sent Paul in the office of apostle to His elect in Ephesus. When Paul came to that city, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit opened their hearts to hear and believe that gospel. By His own, personal remembrance of that time, he could then write these words, that the saints at Ephesus heard Christ, and had been taught by Christ.
Such is also your blessed privilege in going to the house of the Lord today. Christ has not given you an apostle to bring His gospel. But He has sent to His church pastors and teachers of His gospel. You hear them preach to you the truth of Jesus Christ, as those sent by Him. So it must be true of you, that you hear the Lord and are taught by Him. By His Word He sets you free from your sin and guilt, and brings you into glorious kingdom.
As you enter into the house of the Lord, pray that you might hear Christ, and be taught by Christ. And then hear the answer of that prayer: Christ speaking to you and teaching you His blessed Word of truth!
“If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.” Ephesians 4:21
Strange words are these, appearing as they do among these words of admonition written to the saints at Ephesus. How many were the sins they now had to fight against and put off, the sins in which they walked before their redemption! Foreign to this way was the way of Christ, whom they had now learned. “But ye have not so learned Christ.”
Strange words are these because Christ never once appeared to these saints at Ephesus to teach them. He confined His earthly ministry to Judea and Galilee, with occasional forays into Samaria or nearby areas. Never did He travel to Ephesus, so far from Palestine, to preach to the residents there.
How then could the apostle Paul say of these Ephesians that they heard Christ, that they had been taught by Christ? How could his statement have that kind of power with the saints at Ephesus, to encourage them to put off forever their former way of life?
Because they did hear Christ Himself. They were taught by Christ Himself.
Two reasons this chapter of Holy Scripture gives us. One reason is in this Word itself. “The truth is in Jesus.” They heard the truth proclaimed to them. As that truth proclaimed to them is in Jesus, they heard Jesus, and they had been taught by Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life.
The other reason we have in verse 11. This verse lists the gifts of the risen and ascended Christ to His church. “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.” One example is the gift of Christ to the church at Ephesus of the Apostle Paul. Christ sent Paul in the office of apostle to His elect in Ephesus. When Paul came to that city, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit opened their hearts to hear and believe that gospel. By His own, personal remembrance of that time, he could then write these words, that the saints at Ephesus heard Christ, and had been taught by Christ.
Such is also your blessed privilege in going to the house of the Lord today. Christ has not given you an apostle to bring His gospel. But He has sent to His church pastors and teachers of His gospel. You hear them preach to you the truth of Jesus Christ, as those sent by Him. So it must be true of you, that you hear the Lord and are taught by Him. By His Word He sets you free from your sin and guilt, and brings you into glorious kingdom.
As you enter into the house of the Lord, pray that you might hear Christ, and be taught by Christ. And then hear the answer of that prayer: Christ speaking to you and teaching you His blessed Word of truth!
13 June 2014
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jude 20, 21
How much you are given to occupy your time before the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Among all these exhortations one is pre-eminent among them. “Keep yourselves in the love of God.” Safeguard yourselves! Protect yourselves from all the forces that would take you away from the love of God. Many and diverse are these forces. Most crafty and subtle is the devil. Most domineering and surrounding is the world. Most pernicious and insidious is the flesh. They conspire to turn you from the love of God, to the love of self and the love of the world. How they ply upon us with their temptations! How they crave our indulgence!
How do we fend off these foes?
These words give you your weapons. In them you must be occupied, labouring busily in them. The very idea presented in them is that of constant activity. Active in them, you have the way of keeping yourselves in the love of God: “Building up . . . praying . . . looking for.”
First, you have your most holy faith. This is the faith delivered to you from the Word of God. Be busy building up yourselves on that most holy faith. Keep looking into it. Keep meditating on it. Keep finding in it new splendour and more brilliance, more wonders of the true knowledge of God and of His kingdom. Keep seeing the foundation of your faith growing stronger and stronger under your feet.
Second, be busy praying in the Holy Ghost. By that most holy faith on which you are built, keep seeking God’s face in prayer, enjoying blessed fellowship and communion with Him. Keep bringing Him your praise and thanksgiving. Keep seeking His pardon for your sins and pouring out your heart before Him, casting upon Him all your care. Keep giving Him thanks for the Holy Spirit, by whom you and your prayers are brought before His heavenly throne of grace.
Third, be busy “looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Keep dwelling upon the hope of your Lord’s coming again to bring into heavenly joys and glory. Keep looking for His mercy to bring you with all His chosen ones to Himself, delivering you from all evil and sin, and the corruption of the grave. Keep looking for His mercy to deliver you and all His through His mighty judgments, casting down all rebellion and evil and silencing all blasphemy.
Plenty to do! Many are the ways you are given to keep yourselves in the love of God, and safe from your enemies. May you and I be constant in these ways by the almighty grace of our God, blessed forever in the enjoyment of the riches of His love for us, through our Lord Jesus Christ!
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jude 20, 21
How much you are given to occupy your time before the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Among all these exhortations one is pre-eminent among them. “Keep yourselves in the love of God.” Safeguard yourselves! Protect yourselves from all the forces that would take you away from the love of God. Many and diverse are these forces. Most crafty and subtle is the devil. Most domineering and surrounding is the world. Most pernicious and insidious is the flesh. They conspire to turn you from the love of God, to the love of self and the love of the world. How they ply upon us with their temptations! How they crave our indulgence!
How do we fend off these foes?
These words give you your weapons. In them you must be occupied, labouring busily in them. The very idea presented in them is that of constant activity. Active in them, you have the way of keeping yourselves in the love of God: “Building up . . . praying . . . looking for.”
First, you have your most holy faith. This is the faith delivered to you from the Word of God. Be busy building up yourselves on that most holy faith. Keep looking into it. Keep meditating on it. Keep finding in it new splendour and more brilliance, more wonders of the true knowledge of God and of His kingdom. Keep seeing the foundation of your faith growing stronger and stronger under your feet.
Second, be busy praying in the Holy Ghost. By that most holy faith on which you are built, keep seeking God’s face in prayer, enjoying blessed fellowship and communion with Him. Keep bringing Him your praise and thanksgiving. Keep seeking His pardon for your sins and pouring out your heart before Him, casting upon Him all your care. Keep giving Him thanks for the Holy Spirit, by whom you and your prayers are brought before His heavenly throne of grace.
Third, be busy “looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Keep dwelling upon the hope of your Lord’s coming again to bring into heavenly joys and glory. Keep looking for His mercy to bring you with all His chosen ones to Himself, delivering you from all evil and sin, and the corruption of the grave. Keep looking for His mercy to deliver you and all His through His mighty judgments, casting down all rebellion and evil and silencing all blasphemy.
Plenty to do! Many are the ways you are given to keep yourselves in the love of God, and safe from your enemies. May you and I be constant in these ways by the almighty grace of our God, blessed forever in the enjoyment of the riches of His love for us, through our Lord Jesus Christ!
16 March 2014, The Lord’s Day
“O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.” Psalm 105:1-3
The blessing of God’s people on the Sabbath Day is well explained by the above words. They tell us of the holy works of the Sabbath, the delights and joys of those that seek the Lord. They address the hearts of God’s beloved Redeemed people according to their abounding happiness in their Saviour.
Their blessing is to call upon the name of the Lord. In their assemblies they seek the Lord’s gracious, blessed presence among them. Gathered together, they call on His name, and they know His answer. According to His constant faithfulness, as He promised in His Word, there He is, with His people, to be their God.
There He is, among His people, to delight Himself in their praises and worship. There He is, to bless them with His salvation, His peace and His merciful lovingkindness. There He is, to hear their prayers, and assure them of His gracious answers to them all. There He is, to fill the hearts of His people with the joy of His mighty salvation.
The above words are given to God’s people, who are gathered together for the worship of their God. They are commanded with these blessed commandments to “call upon his name,” and to “make known his deeds among the people.” To be sure, they do this through the preaching of the gospel. They have called one to preach the Word of God to them, and through that call, God has appointed His servant to preach His Word to them. But the special emphasis of this passage belongs to the praise and worship of God with song. “Sing psalms unto him.” These are the inspired words of praise, given to God’s people in the Scriptures themselves. In singing them, God’s people are blessed to recite before their Lord His mighty acts and deeds of creation and salvation. So does Psalm 105 proceed to the end, to celebrate the glorious deeds of the Lord, Israel’s God.
In this holy union of words and music is the gladness and joy of God’s people, to glory in the holy name of their God. In that name they exult. In that name they boast. Their God, whom they love, is the God that doest wondrous things. Their privilege is to see in those wondrous deeds of their God the fullness of their salvation. And as they sing of them, their hearts are raised in sweet rejoicing in their God. He is ever nearer, to receive their worship and to bless their hearts with His glorious salvation, giving Himself to them, forever to be their God.
So may it be our joy and happiness on this Lord’s Day, to obey the commandments of this Psalm. In carrying them out, may our God fill our hearts with His abounding, everlasting joy!
“Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.”
“O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.” Psalm 105:1-3
The blessing of God’s people on the Sabbath Day is well explained by the above words. They tell us of the holy works of the Sabbath, the delights and joys of those that seek the Lord. They address the hearts of God’s beloved Redeemed people according to their abounding happiness in their Saviour.
Their blessing is to call upon the name of the Lord. In their assemblies they seek the Lord’s gracious, blessed presence among them. Gathered together, they call on His name, and they know His answer. According to His constant faithfulness, as He promised in His Word, there He is, with His people, to be their God.
There He is, among His people, to delight Himself in their praises and worship. There He is, to bless them with His salvation, His peace and His merciful lovingkindness. There He is, to hear their prayers, and assure them of His gracious answers to them all. There He is, to fill the hearts of His people with the joy of His mighty salvation.
The above words are given to God’s people, who are gathered together for the worship of their God. They are commanded with these blessed commandments to “call upon his name,” and to “make known his deeds among the people.” To be sure, they do this through the preaching of the gospel. They have called one to preach the Word of God to them, and through that call, God has appointed His servant to preach His Word to them. But the special emphasis of this passage belongs to the praise and worship of God with song. “Sing psalms unto him.” These are the inspired words of praise, given to God’s people in the Scriptures themselves. In singing them, God’s people are blessed to recite before their Lord His mighty acts and deeds of creation and salvation. So does Psalm 105 proceed to the end, to celebrate the glorious deeds of the Lord, Israel’s God.
In this holy union of words and music is the gladness and joy of God’s people, to glory in the holy name of their God. In that name they exult. In that name they boast. Their God, whom they love, is the God that doest wondrous things. Their privilege is to see in those wondrous deeds of their God the fullness of their salvation. And as they sing of them, their hearts are raised in sweet rejoicing in their God. He is ever nearer, to receive their worship and to bless their hearts with His glorious salvation, giving Himself to them, forever to be their God.
So may it be our joy and happiness on this Lord’s Day, to obey the commandments of this Psalm. In carrying them out, may our God fill our hearts with His abounding, everlasting joy!
“Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.”
13 March 2013
“Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.”
2 Peter 1:15
Long before the risen Jesus told Peter how he would die. “. . . but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.” (John 21:18) These words Jesus spoke not to trouble Peter, but to give him powerful encouragement. Confronted with death, the apostle would not try to escape by denying his Lord, as he did before. Instead he would die the death of a martyr, for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Now, when Peter penned the above words, he was reflecting on his death, which he knew to be at hand.
Peter’s example leads us in a profitable way. Thinking about death, and especially our own death, must make us sober and reflective. Thoughts about our own death will make us examine our priorities and will often correct our conduct. How do we want others to think of us, after our death? What do we want to leave behind? What do we want our children to think of us? What do we want to leave behind for them?
Peter’s thoughts, recorded under the Spirit’s inspiration, show us the legacy we must endeavour to leave our children: “That ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.”
What things?
To be sure, fame, riches, and power are out of the picture! But neither may we think of our name or reputation. Our concern must not be that we leave behind many fond memories, or a pleasant, agreeable character, or even a vigorous, forceful personality. We may not endeavour to leave material for a nice eulogy at our funeral.
What things?
The things that belong to “the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Verse 8) The things that belong to “the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (Verse 11)
What blessed things these are, for those who follow after us to keep in remembrance! These are the things of eternal salvation. They will bring them great comfort and peace people in this life. They will support and keep them through their earthly pilgrimage. These are the things that will make them fruitful in all good works as children of light. And they will be the most blessed and glorious end of their lives. And by these things, we look for them to follow after us into everlasting glory, to share that glory with us forever and ever.
So may we keep them in remembrance before our dear ones! May we often recite and enumerate them to our children. May we do so always with delight and great zeal, showing the preciousness of the gospel to them. And may we remind them often, that these are the things that belong to their eternal salvation, and that our greatest desire for them is that they have them always in remembrance.
So may we live and also die for the sake of the testimony of Jesus Christ.
“Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.”
2 Peter 1:15
Long before the risen Jesus told Peter how he would die. “. . . but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.” (John 21:18) These words Jesus spoke not to trouble Peter, but to give him powerful encouragement. Confronted with death, the apostle would not try to escape by denying his Lord, as he did before. Instead he would die the death of a martyr, for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Now, when Peter penned the above words, he was reflecting on his death, which he knew to be at hand.
Peter’s example leads us in a profitable way. Thinking about death, and especially our own death, must make us sober and reflective. Thoughts about our own death will make us examine our priorities and will often correct our conduct. How do we want others to think of us, after our death? What do we want to leave behind? What do we want our children to think of us? What do we want to leave behind for them?
Peter’s thoughts, recorded under the Spirit’s inspiration, show us the legacy we must endeavour to leave our children: “That ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.”
What things?
To be sure, fame, riches, and power are out of the picture! But neither may we think of our name or reputation. Our concern must not be that we leave behind many fond memories, or a pleasant, agreeable character, or even a vigorous, forceful personality. We may not endeavour to leave material for a nice eulogy at our funeral.
What things?
The things that belong to “the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Verse 8) The things that belong to “the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (Verse 11)
What blessed things these are, for those who follow after us to keep in remembrance! These are the things of eternal salvation. They will bring them great comfort and peace people in this life. They will support and keep them through their earthly pilgrimage. These are the things that will make them fruitful in all good works as children of light. And they will be the most blessed and glorious end of their lives. And by these things, we look for them to follow after us into everlasting glory, to share that glory with us forever and ever.
So may we keep them in remembrance before our dear ones! May we often recite and enumerate them to our children. May we do so always with delight and great zeal, showing the preciousness of the gospel to them. And may we remind them often, that these are the things that belong to their eternal salvation, and that our greatest desire for them is that they have them always in remembrance.
So may we live and also die for the sake of the testimony of Jesus Christ.
12 March 2014
“O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.”
Jeremiah 16:19
The glory of the Lord is the wonderful comfort and hope of God’s people!
Such is the manner of Jeremiah’s prayer. So He prayed, led by the Spirit. So He recorded this prayer by the Spirit, giving this prayer to us. So it becomes our example to follow, for our comfort and peace.
This comfort and peace prove their true power in times of great affliction. Jeremiah’s day was a day of great affliction. He loved God’s people. Constantly he prayed for their repentance, that they might turn from their sins. He prayed fervently, that their repentance might turn aside the judgment of God hanging over them, the destruction of the beloved city of Jerusalem. But the people whom he loved, and for whom he prayed were relentless in their hateful persecution of him. They hated him for the labour of love he bestowed on them, calling them to repentance for their sins in the name of the Lord.
In the day of affliction, Jeremiah fled to his God. The Lord he confessed to be his strength, his fortress, and his refuge. For the prophet’s weakness the Lord gave him strength. God sustained Him. God emboldened and encouraged him to carry out the work to which He had called him. God surrounded His servant with His almighty power. Jeremiah’s enemies found that power impenetrable. They were unable to carry out their hateful intentions, though they were so many, so strong, and their plots so clever. The Lord was also His servant’s refuge. Jeremiah was safe from harm, secure under the protection of his God.
Jeremiah’s confession of God’s glory was the ground of His security and strength. What kind of God is this, whom Jeremiah has made his refuge? He is the only true God of the whole earth. He is the one to whom belongs all power, glory, and honour. He alone has made the heavens and earth. He alone is Judge over all.
So Jeremiah confessed. Consider the way he stated his confession. He spoke of the latter days. “The Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth.” They shall come with a confession on their lips. With that confession they will declare the folly of their own fathers. “Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.” That is why they come to the Lord from the ends of the earth. They have cast away their former vanities. They must come to the God who in whom is all strength and power. They must come to the God who is truly the fortress and refuge of His people, all those who trust in Him. In Him will they trust.
Though Jeremiah’s own countrymen will not seek after God, the Lord’s prophet is yet part of a great multitude who will yet come to the Lord, to have Him for their God. They, together with Jeremiah, will prove the greatness of Jeremiah’s God, confessing His glorious name, and saving truth.
So have we encouraged Jeremiah, God’s prophet of old. We who are Gentiles by nature have come to Jeremiah’s God. We have come making a confession about the gods worshipped by our fathers. We have said of our fathers, “Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.” So we pray also, with Jeremiah, “O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction.”
So may we also follow after God’s holy prophet in our afflictions and trials. Through our prayers may we also continue to know the blessings of our mighty God, who is our strength, our fortress, and our refuge. May we continue to show His glory and power to generations to come, and to the ends of the earth!
“O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.”
Jeremiah 16:19
The glory of the Lord is the wonderful comfort and hope of God’s people!
Such is the manner of Jeremiah’s prayer. So He prayed, led by the Spirit. So He recorded this prayer by the Spirit, giving this prayer to us. So it becomes our example to follow, for our comfort and peace.
This comfort and peace prove their true power in times of great affliction. Jeremiah’s day was a day of great affliction. He loved God’s people. Constantly he prayed for their repentance, that they might turn from their sins. He prayed fervently, that their repentance might turn aside the judgment of God hanging over them, the destruction of the beloved city of Jerusalem. But the people whom he loved, and for whom he prayed were relentless in their hateful persecution of him. They hated him for the labour of love he bestowed on them, calling them to repentance for their sins in the name of the Lord.
In the day of affliction, Jeremiah fled to his God. The Lord he confessed to be his strength, his fortress, and his refuge. For the prophet’s weakness the Lord gave him strength. God sustained Him. God emboldened and encouraged him to carry out the work to which He had called him. God surrounded His servant with His almighty power. Jeremiah’s enemies found that power impenetrable. They were unable to carry out their hateful intentions, though they were so many, so strong, and their plots so clever. The Lord was also His servant’s refuge. Jeremiah was safe from harm, secure under the protection of his God.
Jeremiah’s confession of God’s glory was the ground of His security and strength. What kind of God is this, whom Jeremiah has made his refuge? He is the only true God of the whole earth. He is the one to whom belongs all power, glory, and honour. He alone has made the heavens and earth. He alone is Judge over all.
So Jeremiah confessed. Consider the way he stated his confession. He spoke of the latter days. “The Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth.” They shall come with a confession on their lips. With that confession they will declare the folly of their own fathers. “Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.” That is why they come to the Lord from the ends of the earth. They have cast away their former vanities. They must come to the God who in whom is all strength and power. They must come to the God who is truly the fortress and refuge of His people, all those who trust in Him. In Him will they trust.
Though Jeremiah’s own countrymen will not seek after God, the Lord’s prophet is yet part of a great multitude who will yet come to the Lord, to have Him for their God. They, together with Jeremiah, will prove the greatness of Jeremiah’s God, confessing His glorious name, and saving truth.
So have we encouraged Jeremiah, God’s prophet of old. We who are Gentiles by nature have come to Jeremiah’s God. We have come making a confession about the gods worshipped by our fathers. We have said of our fathers, “Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.” So we pray also, with Jeremiah, “O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction.”
So may we also follow after God’s holy prophet in our afflictions and trials. Through our prayers may we also continue to know the blessings of our mighty God, who is our strength, our fortress, and our refuge. May we continue to show His glory and power to generations to come, and to the ends of the earth!
9 March 2014, The Lord’s Day
“I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows, Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.” Psalm 66:13, 14
With these words the Holy Spirit calls us to go into the Lord’s house in deep gratitude, there to acknowledge all that the Lord has done for us.
So the Psalmist expresses his personal determination to go into the Lord’s house to offer up burnt offerings, paying the vows he made to the Lord when he was in trouble. These vows he made when he prayed for deliverance from his trouble. As he prayed to the Lord, he determined to glorify the Lord as his own only Deliverer and Saviour. He promised to remember his God who delivered him, and to glorify Him, by offering to Him alone these tokens of thanksgiving.
So may we enter into God’s house today. What better way can there be to demonstrate and show our gratitude for our deliverance from our trouble?
In such trouble were we! We were crushed under the great mountain of our debt, the guilt of our sin. We were wrapped and bound in the heavy cords and chains of sin’s dominion. How they encircled us, holding us captive, not only our limbs, but down to the bottom of our hearts! Such was our enslavement, we could neither want nor seek God’s salvation. We loved those awful bonds, and delighted in them.
From that trouble, the Lord set us free. Graciously He sent His Son to be the atonement for our sins. All our debt He paid with His precious, righteous blood, making us righteous before God. On account of that blood He sent us His Spirit to free us from the power of sin. He has set us free!
So let us go into His house with great thanksgiving!
But what shall we bring? What shall we vow? What shall we offer? No longer a burnt offering, for God’s sacrifice of His Son must be the last offering for sin. Nothing we might lay our hands upon, to bring with us, can be suitable to express properly our gratitude.
Only one thing will do. Only one thing can correspond with the kind of deliverance we have experienced by the cross of Jesus Christ. As He has redeemed us, let us offer up ourselves. Let us offer up our hearts in the worship of our God. Let us offer up our ears, minds, and hearts, to hear, believe, and rejoice in His Word. Let us offer up our hearts and voices with songs of thanksgiving to our God.
In His house, the gathering of His people together, among whom He dwells in blessed fellowship.
Let us so offer up ourselves this Lord’s Day, going into His house, and also every day, in all our life.
“By [Jesus] therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Hebrews 13:15
“I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows, Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.” Psalm 66:13, 14
With these words the Holy Spirit calls us to go into the Lord’s house in deep gratitude, there to acknowledge all that the Lord has done for us.
So the Psalmist expresses his personal determination to go into the Lord’s house to offer up burnt offerings, paying the vows he made to the Lord when he was in trouble. These vows he made when he prayed for deliverance from his trouble. As he prayed to the Lord, he determined to glorify the Lord as his own only Deliverer and Saviour. He promised to remember his God who delivered him, and to glorify Him, by offering to Him alone these tokens of thanksgiving.
So may we enter into God’s house today. What better way can there be to demonstrate and show our gratitude for our deliverance from our trouble?
In such trouble were we! We were crushed under the great mountain of our debt, the guilt of our sin. We were wrapped and bound in the heavy cords and chains of sin’s dominion. How they encircled us, holding us captive, not only our limbs, but down to the bottom of our hearts! Such was our enslavement, we could neither want nor seek God’s salvation. We loved those awful bonds, and delighted in them.
From that trouble, the Lord set us free. Graciously He sent His Son to be the atonement for our sins. All our debt He paid with His precious, righteous blood, making us righteous before God. On account of that blood He sent us His Spirit to free us from the power of sin. He has set us free!
So let us go into His house with great thanksgiving!
But what shall we bring? What shall we vow? What shall we offer? No longer a burnt offering, for God’s sacrifice of His Son must be the last offering for sin. Nothing we might lay our hands upon, to bring with us, can be suitable to express properly our gratitude.
Only one thing will do. Only one thing can correspond with the kind of deliverance we have experienced by the cross of Jesus Christ. As He has redeemed us, let us offer up ourselves. Let us offer up our hearts in the worship of our God. Let us offer up our ears, minds, and hearts, to hear, believe, and rejoice in His Word. Let us offer up our hearts and voices with songs of thanksgiving to our God.
In His house, the gathering of His people together, among whom He dwells in blessed fellowship.
Let us so offer up ourselves this Lord’s Day, going into His house, and also every day, in all our life.
“By [Jesus] therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Hebrews 13:15
8 March 2014
“And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.” Matthew 8:25, 26
“For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; Thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.” Matthew 9:21, 22
Rebuke in one, encouragement in the other, all about the same faith in Jesus’ divine power.
On the one side there are the disciples of Jesus Christ. They have followed their Master wherever He has gone. Constantly their ears were filled with His teachings. Constantly their eyes were filled with His signs and wonders of power and glory. By their close relation to Christ, their impressions of His power ought to have been ten times deeper than the multitudes who followed Him.
But now they cower with fear and terror, certain of their perishing in an angry sea. Before Jesus rebuked the winds and the sea to make of them a great calm, first He must rebuke the tumult of fear in their hearts. Why should they fear? He is with them. So He speaks to them, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?”
On the other side is a woman. She had her infirmity, an issue of blood that had plagued her for twelve years. She looked to Jesus for healing. She understood His power, and trusted it to heal her. So she thought within herself, “If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” No need to have Him speak. No need to have Him lay His hand upon her to direct His power toward her. Her faith was that the very hem of his garment held all the power she needed.
To her Jesus gave a most wonderful gift: encouragement. He did not content Himself to give her only the healing she desired. He blessed her faith with words of comfort. “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.”
How great is the love of our Lord! How great and glorious is His wisdom in that love. He loves all His sheep, and the measure of that love is determined by His sacrifice for them. For them all He laid down His life. His love is determined to promote the spiritual well-being of all those who believe and trust in Him. So in the wisdom of His love He deals with them as they need. Some, nearer to Him, He must rebuke, causing them sorrow and pain with His words. For their faith ought to be greater than it has shown itself. Others, further off, He will comfort and encourage as they act and walk in faith.
How does He deal with you today? Do you hear His rebuke or His commendation? How does He deal today with your fellow saint? What does your brother or sister in the Lord hear? Whatever you hear from your Lord, be certain it is the Word that you need, and it is the Word that will direct you to Him, for the strengthening of your faith in Him, your Saviour.
“And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.” Matthew 8:25, 26
“For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; Thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.” Matthew 9:21, 22
Rebuke in one, encouragement in the other, all about the same faith in Jesus’ divine power.
On the one side there are the disciples of Jesus Christ. They have followed their Master wherever He has gone. Constantly their ears were filled with His teachings. Constantly their eyes were filled with His signs and wonders of power and glory. By their close relation to Christ, their impressions of His power ought to have been ten times deeper than the multitudes who followed Him.
But now they cower with fear and terror, certain of their perishing in an angry sea. Before Jesus rebuked the winds and the sea to make of them a great calm, first He must rebuke the tumult of fear in their hearts. Why should they fear? He is with them. So He speaks to them, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?”
On the other side is a woman. She had her infirmity, an issue of blood that had plagued her for twelve years. She looked to Jesus for healing. She understood His power, and trusted it to heal her. So she thought within herself, “If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” No need to have Him speak. No need to have Him lay His hand upon her to direct His power toward her. Her faith was that the very hem of his garment held all the power she needed.
To her Jesus gave a most wonderful gift: encouragement. He did not content Himself to give her only the healing she desired. He blessed her faith with words of comfort. “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.”
How great is the love of our Lord! How great and glorious is His wisdom in that love. He loves all His sheep, and the measure of that love is determined by His sacrifice for them. For them all He laid down His life. His love is determined to promote the spiritual well-being of all those who believe and trust in Him. So in the wisdom of His love He deals with them as they need. Some, nearer to Him, He must rebuke, causing them sorrow and pain with His words. For their faith ought to be greater than it has shown itself. Others, further off, He will comfort and encourage as they act and walk in faith.
How does He deal with you today? Do you hear His rebuke or His commendation? How does He deal today with your fellow saint? What does your brother or sister in the Lord hear? Whatever you hear from your Lord, be certain it is the Word that you need, and it is the Word that will direct you to Him, for the strengthening of your faith in Him, your Saviour.
7 March 2014
“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Galatians 6:14
How often the apostle Paul showed himself an example in his epistles. He was a man whose life was filled with struggles, both inward and outward. He strove against the enemies of the gospel that constantly rose up, both from his own countrymen, from the heathen, and even from those in the very churches Christ established through him. He also had his struggles within. He struggled against the flesh, Romans 7. He had bouts of deep anxiety and concern for the fledgling churches of Christ, II Corinthians 1, 11. Even in these struggles the apostle exemplified the Christian life, bringing instruction and encouragement to churches when he shared with them his own struggles.
Paul presented himself as an example of devotion to the gospel, of care for churches, of Christian perseverance through all kinds of obstacles.
But here we have perhaps the most outstanding way in which Paul is an example: of glorying only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!
The KJV helps us to understand the strength of the phrase that cannot be represented in English with the words, “God forbid!” The closest we might come to an accurate translation would be “may it not be,” but that phrase is far away from the force demanded by the original Greek phrase. The force is simple this: there must be no glorying. The Apostle will have his desires, his thoughts, his words giving no glory, no praise, no honour. There are no accolades nor praises to be found on his lips. He determines to refrain himself from lauding anything or anyone one.
Only one exception: the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The cross! The roughly hewn timbers crudely joined together, to form an instrument only of cruel torture by a death lingering for days and even weeks. In the cross Paul will glory. In that one cross upon which one Man died, slowly bleeding to death, having His ears filled with words of scorn and reproach multiplied by his gloating enemies and those simply passing by.
In the cross of this One, “our Lord Jesus Christ.” “God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Not in His teachings, having such authority. Not in His arguments, putting his enemies to shame. Not in His signs and wonders, many and mighty, testifying to the truth that their Worker was the very Son of God. Not in them, but in the cross. So far does Jesus’ cross surpass all else.
Why “in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ?” Those two pieces of wood were the instruments of Jesus to work the glorious, marvellous, all-surpassing wonder of the salvation of sinners such as the apostle Paul. He knew its wonder in him. “...by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” By Christ crucified, the world was crucified. The world was nailed to the cross, and the world was put to death. The world was crucified to Paul. It was dead to him. So he might view the world with contempt and reproach, its charms and pleasures no longer appealed. No longer had the world its power and influence upon him. Its mastery was forever broken.
By Christ crucified also was Paul crucified to the world. The apostle might now know the contempt and reproach of those who formerly were his allies, Acts 21-26. The apostle might now know the deep hatred and fury of the heathen, whose false religion was threatened by the glorious gospel of the cross of Jesus Christ.
So is the power of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ to us. By that cross is fulfilled the mother promise of Genesis 3:15, the promise of enmity between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. As we hold the world in contempt, and as the world holds us in contempt, there is the glorious power of the cross to save us. There is the salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ, saving us to be the people of the living God, precious and beloved to Him.
Enjoying this blessed salvation, may we have no glory in our hearts, no affection in our minds, no praises upon our lips, save for the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!
“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Galatians 6:14
How often the apostle Paul showed himself an example in his epistles. He was a man whose life was filled with struggles, both inward and outward. He strove against the enemies of the gospel that constantly rose up, both from his own countrymen, from the heathen, and even from those in the very churches Christ established through him. He also had his struggles within. He struggled against the flesh, Romans 7. He had bouts of deep anxiety and concern for the fledgling churches of Christ, II Corinthians 1, 11. Even in these struggles the apostle exemplified the Christian life, bringing instruction and encouragement to churches when he shared with them his own struggles.
Paul presented himself as an example of devotion to the gospel, of care for churches, of Christian perseverance through all kinds of obstacles.
But here we have perhaps the most outstanding way in which Paul is an example: of glorying only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!
The KJV helps us to understand the strength of the phrase that cannot be represented in English with the words, “God forbid!” The closest we might come to an accurate translation would be “may it not be,” but that phrase is far away from the force demanded by the original Greek phrase. The force is simple this: there must be no glorying. The Apostle will have his desires, his thoughts, his words giving no glory, no praise, no honour. There are no accolades nor praises to be found on his lips. He determines to refrain himself from lauding anything or anyone one.
Only one exception: the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The cross! The roughly hewn timbers crudely joined together, to form an instrument only of cruel torture by a death lingering for days and even weeks. In the cross Paul will glory. In that one cross upon which one Man died, slowly bleeding to death, having His ears filled with words of scorn and reproach multiplied by his gloating enemies and those simply passing by.
In the cross of this One, “our Lord Jesus Christ.” “God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Not in His teachings, having such authority. Not in His arguments, putting his enemies to shame. Not in His signs and wonders, many and mighty, testifying to the truth that their Worker was the very Son of God. Not in them, but in the cross. So far does Jesus’ cross surpass all else.
Why “in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ?” Those two pieces of wood were the instruments of Jesus to work the glorious, marvellous, all-surpassing wonder of the salvation of sinners such as the apostle Paul. He knew its wonder in him. “...by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” By Christ crucified, the world was crucified. The world was nailed to the cross, and the world was put to death. The world was crucified to Paul. It was dead to him. So he might view the world with contempt and reproach, its charms and pleasures no longer appealed. No longer had the world its power and influence upon him. Its mastery was forever broken.
By Christ crucified also was Paul crucified to the world. The apostle might now know the contempt and reproach of those who formerly were his allies, Acts 21-26. The apostle might now know the deep hatred and fury of the heathen, whose false religion was threatened by the glorious gospel of the cross of Jesus Christ.
So is the power of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ to us. By that cross is fulfilled the mother promise of Genesis 3:15, the promise of enmity between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. As we hold the world in contempt, and as the world holds us in contempt, there is the glorious power of the cross to save us. There is the salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ, saving us to be the people of the living God, precious and beloved to Him.
Enjoying this blessed salvation, may we have no glory in our hearts, no affection in our minds, no praises upon our lips, save for the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!
6 March 2014
“But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.” II Thessalonians 3:13
Impossible it is to understand the meaning of this short exhortation without considering what comes before. Before this verse the apostle Paul instructed the church to note those among them who will not work. Instead of working they were disorderly, causing trouble in the church. They were not busy in work, but were busybodies. They were getting involved in other people’s matters and business, causing weariness for them. With authority, the apostle himself rebuked them, and commanded them to work in quietness and to eat their own bread.
Then the apostle turns back to the church, those who did not need that reproof and rebuke. For them he has another instruction: “But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.” Their calling is to go beyond working quietly with their own hands, and eating their own bread.
“Well doing” is a wonderfully broad word. It addresses the Christian life as full of opportunities given every Christian by God, to work for the wellbeing of others around him. It points the Christian to his neighbour. The neighbour is his wife, his children, his fellow saints in the church. The neighbour is the unbelieving or believing boss or employee. The neighbour is the unbelieving or believing co-worker, and the unbeliever next door or down the street. That neighbour may have definite needs. The Christian’s calling is to do what he can to supply that need, to do him well. That neighbour may not have needs so definite, but the Christian’s calling is to greet him, be friendly, kind, and cheerful, and put himself in readiness to help, should the need arise. The Christian is ready to speak a word of comfort or of encouragement should the occasion arise.
In giving this call to well doing, the Word of God is very honest with us. We can become weary in well doing. We may have difficulty at times simply attending to our own business, to do it with quietness. Well-doing can seem to demand so much more of us that we become weary just thinking about it.
There is help in thinking about the exact meaning of the word translated, “be not weary.” It means to become wearied out of something harmful to us. Just as a toxin or poison may drain the body of its energy, causing great weariness in the body, and even penetrating to the spirit, such can happen in well doing. Because well doing requires so much of us, we can begin to think of it as something evil and harmful to us, rather than something good. How wearisome, then!
The exhortation, then, “be not weary in well doing,” means that we must develop and maintain a good attitude toward well doing, always to see it as beneficial always and never as harmful.
To be sure, always beneficial is well doing to our neighbour, but it is also beneficial to us.
For, first, well doing itself is a powerful instrument of our sanctification. In and through the Christian’s well doing, the Holy Spirit manifests Himself in the working of His glorious power. The Christian’s good deeds are first and primarily the works of God the Spirit in him, by whose working He does them. His good works are by the indwelling, enlivening, and quickening power of the Spirit. In such deeds of well doing, the Christian witnesses first-hand, the almighty working of the Spirit in him.
Second, well doing is the fruit and evidence of a life that is everlasting. Their only source is the gift of the Spirit in the believer’s regeneration. That life is a life that is imperishable, and incorruptible, and that always tend toward the everlasting life of heaven. That life not only manifests itself in the good works we do. That life also is strengthened in us through all well doing.
Thirdly, in such well doing, we lay up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:20) and are rich toward God (I Timothy 6:18). Where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also. So are we guarded against selfishness and self-seeking, and further enabled to do well. So are we encouraged to continue on in the way of well doing.
So may God grant us many opportunities to be busy in well doing, and may we not be weary in it, sustained and strengthened by the riches of His grace in Christ Jesus our Lord!
“But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.” II Thessalonians 3:13
Impossible it is to understand the meaning of this short exhortation without considering what comes before. Before this verse the apostle Paul instructed the church to note those among them who will not work. Instead of working they were disorderly, causing trouble in the church. They were not busy in work, but were busybodies. They were getting involved in other people’s matters and business, causing weariness for them. With authority, the apostle himself rebuked them, and commanded them to work in quietness and to eat their own bread.
Then the apostle turns back to the church, those who did not need that reproof and rebuke. For them he has another instruction: “But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.” Their calling is to go beyond working quietly with their own hands, and eating their own bread.
“Well doing” is a wonderfully broad word. It addresses the Christian life as full of opportunities given every Christian by God, to work for the wellbeing of others around him. It points the Christian to his neighbour. The neighbour is his wife, his children, his fellow saints in the church. The neighbour is the unbelieving or believing boss or employee. The neighbour is the unbelieving or believing co-worker, and the unbeliever next door or down the street. That neighbour may have definite needs. The Christian’s calling is to do what he can to supply that need, to do him well. That neighbour may not have needs so definite, but the Christian’s calling is to greet him, be friendly, kind, and cheerful, and put himself in readiness to help, should the need arise. The Christian is ready to speak a word of comfort or of encouragement should the occasion arise.
In giving this call to well doing, the Word of God is very honest with us. We can become weary in well doing. We may have difficulty at times simply attending to our own business, to do it with quietness. Well-doing can seem to demand so much more of us that we become weary just thinking about it.
There is help in thinking about the exact meaning of the word translated, “be not weary.” It means to become wearied out of something harmful to us. Just as a toxin or poison may drain the body of its energy, causing great weariness in the body, and even penetrating to the spirit, such can happen in well doing. Because well doing requires so much of us, we can begin to think of it as something evil and harmful to us, rather than something good. How wearisome, then!
The exhortation, then, “be not weary in well doing,” means that we must develop and maintain a good attitude toward well doing, always to see it as beneficial always and never as harmful.
To be sure, always beneficial is well doing to our neighbour, but it is also beneficial to us.
For, first, well doing itself is a powerful instrument of our sanctification. In and through the Christian’s well doing, the Holy Spirit manifests Himself in the working of His glorious power. The Christian’s good deeds are first and primarily the works of God the Spirit in him, by whose working He does them. His good works are by the indwelling, enlivening, and quickening power of the Spirit. In such deeds of well doing, the Christian witnesses first-hand, the almighty working of the Spirit in him.
Second, well doing is the fruit and evidence of a life that is everlasting. Their only source is the gift of the Spirit in the believer’s regeneration. That life is a life that is imperishable, and incorruptible, and that always tend toward the everlasting life of heaven. That life not only manifests itself in the good works we do. That life also is strengthened in us through all well doing.
Thirdly, in such well doing, we lay up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:20) and are rich toward God (I Timothy 6:18). Where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also. So are we guarded against selfishness and self-seeking, and further enabled to do well. So are we encouraged to continue on in the way of well doing.
So may God grant us many opportunities to be busy in well doing, and may we not be weary in it, sustained and strengthened by the riches of His grace in Christ Jesus our Lord!
5 March 2014
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked . . .” Ephesians 2:1,2
These words represent an axiom. Simply, they belong together, and cannot be separated in any sense. After all, who can be raised from the dead, but only those who are really and truly dead? There is only a certain kind of force and power that can operate upon the dead, and that power is called properly “quickening.” You cannot be quickened, unless you were first dead.
There are, of course, lesser versions, which do not match up to that word “quickening.” There are works of healing. Whether we point to regular, ordinary healings, or miraculous healings, they belong to a different category than raising from the dead. There are also mistakes and tricks. One is supposed to be dead. Perhaps medically declared dead, perhaps mistaken for dead, or presented to be dead for deception, but when those “dead” are revived, it is not resurrection from the dead.
Passing strange it is, then, that we have such a difficult time with this axiomatic statement the Truth tells us in His Word: “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” For we would like to rejoice and hold the first part, quickening, while compromising the second part, “who were dead in trespasses and sins.” But the Scripture cannot be broken. If we are not dead, then we cannot be raised from the dead. If we are unwilling to subscribe to our death in trespasses and sins, neither can we claim to be quickened from that death. At bottom, one cannot be regenerated who is not before totally depraved. The gospel never makes a good man better: it only raises the dead.
Because of our proud tendency to compromise the obvious, the Spirit continues in Ephesians 1:2 to explain what exactly this death is. The kind of death from which we are quickened is not a death of inactivity. This death is not only a lack of responsiveness to any poking or prodding. It is not a death where one is only a corpse lying in a grave doing nothing but rotting. This death is, in fact, highly active.
How active? “Wherein in time past ye walked.” It is a walking death. It is a breathing death. It is a willing, thinking, running death. It is a death in which you walked. It is a death in which you grew up, went to school and perhaps college or university, got married, raised a family, and perhaps ran a business or even a corporation. It is a death which brings about culture, society, and civilization. With all that activity, hustle and bustle, it is death. It is death “in trespasses and sins.” Morally, ethically, the world is run by the spiritually and morally dead.
Then the almighty, glorious, divine wonder: you hath he quickened. From that walking death, the living God quickened you. The Spirit of God infused into your heart the resurrection life of the Son, according to the will of the Father. He raised your will from death to life, your mind from death to life, your limbs from death to life, translating you into His heavenly kingdom.
Now as you enjoy and treasure that life, walking in it, never forget your humble origin: “you hath he quickened, who were dead.” As you remember, glorify and serve Him in that newness of life!
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked . . .” Ephesians 2:1,2
These words represent an axiom. Simply, they belong together, and cannot be separated in any sense. After all, who can be raised from the dead, but only those who are really and truly dead? There is only a certain kind of force and power that can operate upon the dead, and that power is called properly “quickening.” You cannot be quickened, unless you were first dead.
There are, of course, lesser versions, which do not match up to that word “quickening.” There are works of healing. Whether we point to regular, ordinary healings, or miraculous healings, they belong to a different category than raising from the dead. There are also mistakes and tricks. One is supposed to be dead. Perhaps medically declared dead, perhaps mistaken for dead, or presented to be dead for deception, but when those “dead” are revived, it is not resurrection from the dead.
Passing strange it is, then, that we have such a difficult time with this axiomatic statement the Truth tells us in His Word: “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” For we would like to rejoice and hold the first part, quickening, while compromising the second part, “who were dead in trespasses and sins.” But the Scripture cannot be broken. If we are not dead, then we cannot be raised from the dead. If we are unwilling to subscribe to our death in trespasses and sins, neither can we claim to be quickened from that death. At bottom, one cannot be regenerated who is not before totally depraved. The gospel never makes a good man better: it only raises the dead.
Because of our proud tendency to compromise the obvious, the Spirit continues in Ephesians 1:2 to explain what exactly this death is. The kind of death from which we are quickened is not a death of inactivity. This death is not only a lack of responsiveness to any poking or prodding. It is not a death where one is only a corpse lying in a grave doing nothing but rotting. This death is, in fact, highly active.
How active? “Wherein in time past ye walked.” It is a walking death. It is a breathing death. It is a willing, thinking, running death. It is a death in which you walked. It is a death in which you grew up, went to school and perhaps college or university, got married, raised a family, and perhaps ran a business or even a corporation. It is a death which brings about culture, society, and civilization. With all that activity, hustle and bustle, it is death. It is death “in trespasses and sins.” Morally, ethically, the world is run by the spiritually and morally dead.
Then the almighty, glorious, divine wonder: you hath he quickened. From that walking death, the living God quickened you. The Spirit of God infused into your heart the resurrection life of the Son, according to the will of the Father. He raised your will from death to life, your mind from death to life, your limbs from death to life, translating you into His heavenly kingdom.
Now as you enjoy and treasure that life, walking in it, never forget your humble origin: “you hath he quickened, who were dead.” As you remember, glorify and serve Him in that newness of life!
4 March 2014
“Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies.” Psalm 119:119
“Testimonies” is perhaps the clearest word that leads us to the living God, who is the Author of the law declared in Holy Scriptures. A man will give his testimony. He will declare what he knows to be true. He will speak of it over and over again. Upon his testimony he will stake his name and reputation as a truthful witness. He is ever ready to take an oath to demonstrate the truth of his statements. Into his testimony he puts all the weight and force of his character. So it is with the law of God. He declares His commandments over and over. He stands behind His Word with all the glory of His being. He explains, expounds, and applies over and over again. After He gave his laws to Moses, He repeated them and applied them through all His prophets, who gave His testimonies in His name.
In this word above, from Psalm 119, we express our love for God’s testimonies as a most ardent affection, and determined desire. We testify that His testimonies are our great delight, to pursue after them, and to cleave after them.
Why?
The reason is given us in the first part of the verse: “Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross.”
Those words invoke a powerful picture. A refiner of silver has one goal in his refining: pure silver. He takes the silver that he finds, mixed with all kinds of impurities, and puts them in the furnace, heating it up to a temperature where it melts. As he watches the molten metal, he sees its impurities rise to the surface. Through a hollow tube he would blow hot air over the surface of the metal, turning the impurities into a powder, which the same blast of air would then blow away. He would continue this process until only silver was left.
So is the judgement of God with the wicked. They are not silver, but dross. By His mighty judgments, the wicked are forcefully driven out from among the righteous, never to pollute or corrupt them again.
“Therefore I love thy testimonies!”
By His testimonies, we are able to take up the same work as our God. As it is His holy work to purify His righteous people by putting away the wicked of the earth like dross, so it is our holy work to purify ourselves. His testimonies are His gifts, by which we are equipped to follow His way. His testimonies equip us to search out ourselves, our habits, our conduct, our language. His testimonies allow us to search and examine our minds and hearts. In this searching they become the burning fire that separates the dross in us from the silver. The dross we are meant to put away, far from us, that we may be more and more pure silver.
As we take up this purification, we are blessed to see the gracious operations of God within us. We see the silver that is there by the power of His grace to sanctify us who are only dross by nature. We are also able to testify of the grace of God working in us, for it is only by that grace that we can and do use His testimonies to purify ourselves. And as we see this gracious work of God, we know that we shall not be put away as dross, but we shall be saved.
Therefore, let us love the testimonies of our God, and let us grow in our love for them as they refine us!
“Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies.” Psalm 119:119
“Testimonies” is perhaps the clearest word that leads us to the living God, who is the Author of the law declared in Holy Scriptures. A man will give his testimony. He will declare what he knows to be true. He will speak of it over and over again. Upon his testimony he will stake his name and reputation as a truthful witness. He is ever ready to take an oath to demonstrate the truth of his statements. Into his testimony he puts all the weight and force of his character. So it is with the law of God. He declares His commandments over and over. He stands behind His Word with all the glory of His being. He explains, expounds, and applies over and over again. After He gave his laws to Moses, He repeated them and applied them through all His prophets, who gave His testimonies in His name.
In this word above, from Psalm 119, we express our love for God’s testimonies as a most ardent affection, and determined desire. We testify that His testimonies are our great delight, to pursue after them, and to cleave after them.
Why?
The reason is given us in the first part of the verse: “Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross.”
Those words invoke a powerful picture. A refiner of silver has one goal in his refining: pure silver. He takes the silver that he finds, mixed with all kinds of impurities, and puts them in the furnace, heating it up to a temperature where it melts. As he watches the molten metal, he sees its impurities rise to the surface. Through a hollow tube he would blow hot air over the surface of the metal, turning the impurities into a powder, which the same blast of air would then blow away. He would continue this process until only silver was left.
So is the judgement of God with the wicked. They are not silver, but dross. By His mighty judgments, the wicked are forcefully driven out from among the righteous, never to pollute or corrupt them again.
“Therefore I love thy testimonies!”
By His testimonies, we are able to take up the same work as our God. As it is His holy work to purify His righteous people by putting away the wicked of the earth like dross, so it is our holy work to purify ourselves. His testimonies are His gifts, by which we are equipped to follow His way. His testimonies equip us to search out ourselves, our habits, our conduct, our language. His testimonies allow us to search and examine our minds and hearts. In this searching they become the burning fire that separates the dross in us from the silver. The dross we are meant to put away, far from us, that we may be more and more pure silver.
As we take up this purification, we are blessed to see the gracious operations of God within us. We see the silver that is there by the power of His grace to sanctify us who are only dross by nature. We are also able to testify of the grace of God working in us, for it is only by that grace that we can and do use His testimonies to purify ourselves. And as we see this gracious work of God, we know that we shall not be put away as dross, but we shall be saved.
Therefore, let us love the testimonies of our God, and let us grow in our love for them as they refine us!
2 March 2014
“They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.” Psalm 84:7
Who are these who in Zion appear before God?
Who shall run the course of the race that is before him? Who shall endure steadfast to the end? Who shall persevere through all trials and tribulations? Who shall overcome every obstacle and cast off every hindrance? Who shall come to Zion, and who shall appear before God?
Those who go from strength to strength. “Every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.”
What does it mean to go from strength to strength?
First, it means to go from strength to weakness, and back to strength. In this way of endurance, those who will appear in Zion before God have a long way to go. They must be and are renewed in strength. They need strength to persevere in their way. As they continue on in their journey to Zion they grow weak. In their weakness, God supplies them with renewed strength, enabling them to carry on again for such a time until He renews them again.
So it is with the people of God. After length of days, “Every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.” But through that length of days, they have their pilgrimage. Over the week, they fight the battle of faith, striving to remain faithful to God in their journey to Zion. In this struggle to endure, they grow weak and weary. How blessed to them is their appointed day of rest, their Sabbath! How they delight to feed in the green pastures and to drink of the living water of the Word of God! So are they renewed in strength to carry on their pilgrimage, at the beginning of another week that will bring them closer to Zion.
Second, going from strength to strength means greater strength and greater vitality. God’s people become stronger. As they feed on the Word of God, they are transformed from glory to glory, renewed more and more after the image of the Son, II Corinthians 3:18. They become spiritually more mature, growing more and more into their Head, Jesus Christ. They become more firmly rooted and grounded in Him by faith, through the working of the Holy Spirit. They become more assured of the eternal Sabbath that shall conclude all their earthly Sabbaths, each Sabbath bringing them nearer to their appearance in Zion before God.
May it be our great delight to receive the strength that shall be ours this Sabbath Day, to know the works of God declared to us in His Word as the power that shall lead us daily to our eternal rest. All, as God has promised in His Word: “Every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.”
“They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.” Psalm 84:7
Who are these who in Zion appear before God?
Who shall run the course of the race that is before him? Who shall endure steadfast to the end? Who shall persevere through all trials and tribulations? Who shall overcome every obstacle and cast off every hindrance? Who shall come to Zion, and who shall appear before God?
Those who go from strength to strength. “Every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.”
What does it mean to go from strength to strength?
First, it means to go from strength to weakness, and back to strength. In this way of endurance, those who will appear in Zion before God have a long way to go. They must be and are renewed in strength. They need strength to persevere in their way. As they continue on in their journey to Zion they grow weak. In their weakness, God supplies them with renewed strength, enabling them to carry on again for such a time until He renews them again.
So it is with the people of God. After length of days, “Every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.” But through that length of days, they have their pilgrimage. Over the week, they fight the battle of faith, striving to remain faithful to God in their journey to Zion. In this struggle to endure, they grow weak and weary. How blessed to them is their appointed day of rest, their Sabbath! How they delight to feed in the green pastures and to drink of the living water of the Word of God! So are they renewed in strength to carry on their pilgrimage, at the beginning of another week that will bring them closer to Zion.
Second, going from strength to strength means greater strength and greater vitality. God’s people become stronger. As they feed on the Word of God, they are transformed from glory to glory, renewed more and more after the image of the Son, II Corinthians 3:18. They become spiritually more mature, growing more and more into their Head, Jesus Christ. They become more firmly rooted and grounded in Him by faith, through the working of the Holy Spirit. They become more assured of the eternal Sabbath that shall conclude all their earthly Sabbaths, each Sabbath bringing them nearer to their appearance in Zion before God.
May it be our great delight to receive the strength that shall be ours this Sabbath Day, to know the works of God declared to us in His Word as the power that shall lead us daily to our eternal rest. All, as God has promised in His Word: “Every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.”
1 March 2014
“It may be the Lord thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.” Isaiah 37:4
These words were part of the message that good king Hezekiah of Judah, sent to Isaiah, seeking the prophet’s prayers “for the remnant that is left.”
For there was only a remnant left. Sennacherib’s army had devastated the land of Judah with the great army of Assyria. Village after village, town after town, city after city he had taken for the growing empire of Assyria. Now his army surrounded the very capital of Judah, the holy city of Jerusalem. Only a remnant was left. Sennacherib’s method was to cause such despair in this remnant, that they should immediately surrender their city, without a long siege.
Sennacherib was not content, however, only to attack the city of Jerusalem. Part of his method was also to attack the God of this people and this city. As God's people would hear from Jerusalem’s wall Sennacherib’s words of reproach against their God, his design was that they would feel even more hopeless.
Such was the evil pride of Sennacherib, to attack and to reproach.
But therein is also the hope of God’s people. Their God is the living God. He hears the words of reproach spoken against His glorious name. He also hears the words of His people, in supplication to Him. Still they look to Him for refuge. Still they call upon His name to defeat their enemies for them.
So we come to the wonderful bond of Isaiah 37:3. Two glorious concerns are knit together in prayer before God, because God Himself has joined them together. First and foremost is the glory of God. “It may be the Lord thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God.” Further, that God will take holy action, in jealousy for the glory of His name. “And will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard.” Then follows the second concern, out of the first. “Wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.”
This bond is the bond of the covenant. God is the God of His people. The glory of His name is bound up with them. In gracious love He has placed upon them His name. His glory is their defense. Therefore, prayer for the glory of God’s name is prayer for the salvation of His people. Prayer for the salvation of His people is prayer for the glory of God’s name.
Most evident is this truth in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Head of the church. His glory, the glory of God, is also the glory of the church. His church must be defended and preserved. His church must be saved, all for the glory of His name.
So are we led to pray according to this wondrous combination of grace. So must we pray when we see the church persecuted and bearing reproach for the sake of the truth and the name of Jesus Christ. So must we pray when we hear the name of God and of Christ blasphemed. As we pray, our confidence must be the same as the answer to Isaiah’s prayer, Isaiah 37:36. God will glorify His name, and He will save the people of His name, though only a remnant.
“It may be the Lord thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.” Isaiah 37:4
These words were part of the message that good king Hezekiah of Judah, sent to Isaiah, seeking the prophet’s prayers “for the remnant that is left.”
For there was only a remnant left. Sennacherib’s army had devastated the land of Judah with the great army of Assyria. Village after village, town after town, city after city he had taken for the growing empire of Assyria. Now his army surrounded the very capital of Judah, the holy city of Jerusalem. Only a remnant was left. Sennacherib’s method was to cause such despair in this remnant, that they should immediately surrender their city, without a long siege.
Sennacherib was not content, however, only to attack the city of Jerusalem. Part of his method was also to attack the God of this people and this city. As God's people would hear from Jerusalem’s wall Sennacherib’s words of reproach against their God, his design was that they would feel even more hopeless.
Such was the evil pride of Sennacherib, to attack and to reproach.
But therein is also the hope of God’s people. Their God is the living God. He hears the words of reproach spoken against His glorious name. He also hears the words of His people, in supplication to Him. Still they look to Him for refuge. Still they call upon His name to defeat their enemies for them.
So we come to the wonderful bond of Isaiah 37:3. Two glorious concerns are knit together in prayer before God, because God Himself has joined them together. First and foremost is the glory of God. “It may be the Lord thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God.” Further, that God will take holy action, in jealousy for the glory of His name. “And will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard.” Then follows the second concern, out of the first. “Wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.”
This bond is the bond of the covenant. God is the God of His people. The glory of His name is bound up with them. In gracious love He has placed upon them His name. His glory is their defense. Therefore, prayer for the glory of God’s name is prayer for the salvation of His people. Prayer for the salvation of His people is prayer for the glory of God’s name.
Most evident is this truth in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Head of the church. His glory, the glory of God, is also the glory of the church. His church must be defended and preserved. His church must be saved, all for the glory of His name.
So are we led to pray according to this wondrous combination of grace. So must we pray when we see the church persecuted and bearing reproach for the sake of the truth and the name of Jesus Christ. So must we pray when we hear the name of God and of Christ blasphemed. As we pray, our confidence must be the same as the answer to Isaiah’s prayer, Isaiah 37:36. God will glorify His name, and He will save the people of His name, though only a remnant.
28 February 2014
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Romans 8:7
What a mighty answer we are given to the litany of questions that come before!
These questions are certainly daunting. “Who can be against us?” We think of the numbers of the ungodly that can make us afraid. “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?” We think of Satan, the great accuser and slanderer of God’s people. “Who is he that condemneth?” We think of earthly judges and courts that have accused Christians falsely, condemning them to torture, bonds, and even death. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” What possibilities are shown to us: tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril and sword!
Before these questions we fear and tremble! We are certainly sinful. Every day we present every kind of ground for our condemnation and judgment. We are also frightfully weak. We often feel so feeble and frail under the lightest burden. We quail before any kind of opposition. We read and hear of those who stand in the midst of terrifying persecution, and who courageously and calmly testify of their hope, and we know we cannot possibly measure up to their example.
Shall we not fail? Shall we not be hopelessly defeated?
Nay!
Not a soft “Nay.” Not a tentative “Nay.” Not even a hint of “maybe” in that “Nay.”
Nay!
Facing them all, gathered together and bent on our destruction, “Nay” must be our answer. “In all these things,” our answer remains, “Nay.”
Because, “in all these things we are more than conquerors!” More literally, “we are hyper-victorious.” Above conquering, higher than triumphant, beyond victorious are we. To the outcome of this contest there is absolutely no question.
Only one reason is there for this hyper-victory. “Through him that loved us.”
Through God, and through God alone. He is the living God, the almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth. He is sovereign over all the affairs of men, and over the hosts of Satan and the fallen angels. He is the omnipotent God, whose will is always accomplished in all his creation, without exception. Through His power shall be our victory.
This victory is assured to us by His great love. There is a reason why God is identified in this manner, “Through him that loved us.” His love assures us that He is determined on our victory. We are dear and precious to Him. We are beloved by Him. By that eternal, present, ongoing love, we are to be assured that, indeed, we are “more than conquerors.” His love is also assured to us in the gift that He has already given us, His dear, beloved, only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. That proof is presented powerfully in verses 32 and 34, against any opposition and against any condemnation.
As we face the powerful forces arrayed against us today, whether open opposition and reproach, or whether the powerful temptations of the world, the devil, and our flesh, we are to stand, assured that we are “more than conquerors.”
Through Him that loved us!
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Romans 8:7
What a mighty answer we are given to the litany of questions that come before!
These questions are certainly daunting. “Who can be against us?” We think of the numbers of the ungodly that can make us afraid. “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?” We think of Satan, the great accuser and slanderer of God’s people. “Who is he that condemneth?” We think of earthly judges and courts that have accused Christians falsely, condemning them to torture, bonds, and even death. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” What possibilities are shown to us: tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril and sword!
Before these questions we fear and tremble! We are certainly sinful. Every day we present every kind of ground for our condemnation and judgment. We are also frightfully weak. We often feel so feeble and frail under the lightest burden. We quail before any kind of opposition. We read and hear of those who stand in the midst of terrifying persecution, and who courageously and calmly testify of their hope, and we know we cannot possibly measure up to their example.
Shall we not fail? Shall we not be hopelessly defeated?
Nay!
Not a soft “Nay.” Not a tentative “Nay.” Not even a hint of “maybe” in that “Nay.”
Nay!
Facing them all, gathered together and bent on our destruction, “Nay” must be our answer. “In all these things,” our answer remains, “Nay.”
Because, “in all these things we are more than conquerors!” More literally, “we are hyper-victorious.” Above conquering, higher than triumphant, beyond victorious are we. To the outcome of this contest there is absolutely no question.
Only one reason is there for this hyper-victory. “Through him that loved us.”
Through God, and through God alone. He is the living God, the almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth. He is sovereign over all the affairs of men, and over the hosts of Satan and the fallen angels. He is the omnipotent God, whose will is always accomplished in all his creation, without exception. Through His power shall be our victory.
This victory is assured to us by His great love. There is a reason why God is identified in this manner, “Through him that loved us.” His love assures us that He is determined on our victory. We are dear and precious to Him. We are beloved by Him. By that eternal, present, ongoing love, we are to be assured that, indeed, we are “more than conquerors.” His love is also assured to us in the gift that He has already given us, His dear, beloved, only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. That proof is presented powerfully in verses 32 and 34, against any opposition and against any condemnation.
As we face the powerful forces arrayed against us today, whether open opposition and reproach, or whether the powerful temptations of the world, the devil, and our flesh, we are to stand, assured that we are “more than conquerors.”
Through Him that loved us!
27 February 2014
“Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.” Hebrews 8:9, 10
Not that covenant, but this! Not the old, but the new!
There was that old covenant. The old covenant is well explained in the first verse above. According to His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Lord delivered their seed out of their harsh and bitter bondage in Egypt. By His hand He overthrew all the power of Israel’s dreadful lords, and brought His people out by glorious signs and wonders. By His deliverance, He claimed them for His own. He showed them the way that He was their God. He gave them the way that they were to be His people.
But that old covenant failed disastrously. This people of God refused to walk in His ways. Their history was a history of provoking their God to anger, by their constant revolt from Him. Even as this covenant was being spelled out to Moses on Mt. Sinai, God’s people were busy worshipping an image and committing fornication with each other. Over and over they provoked their God in the wilderness, when they possessed the land of Canaan, and through their history under their kings.
To be sure, there were bright spots in their history. The days of Joshua, of Samuel, of David, and Solomon, of such good kings as Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah, stood out in wonderful relief against the dark and dismal days of this covenant people. There were surely those who through faith did marvelous and glorious deeds. There were the true children of God, trusting in God, and looking to God for salvation, in both Judah and Israel. Even in the dark days of Ahab, God comforted Elijah with the truth that there was a remnant according to the election of grace, a remnant of seven thousand that had not bent the knee to Baal. They enjoyed the comfort and peace of the gospel, though they lived in such darkness. Even under the old covenant, these few had what they had and did what they did under the power of the new covenant, though hidden under the old.
But that old covenant failed. Israel did not continue in God’s covenant. And the Lord regarded them not.
Why did that old covenant fail? It failed because it was a covenant of law. That is, under its terms the Lord demanded of His people, but did not give them what He demanded. That lack is evident from the verse that follows. As in the new covenant, that God would make with His people, He would put his laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts, such He did not do in the old. He did not put his laws into their mind. Nor did He write them in their hearts. In their sad history, they demonstrated that they could not possibly give what God demanded. There was no good thing in them by nature.
But that old covenant, with its complete failure, was to serve the new, better covenant. For the new covenant was not to be a covenant of law, but of gospel. It was not to be a covenant of works, but a covenant of grace. It must be, for it actually to work, and be successful, a covenant of thorough, complete grace. It operating principle is what Augustine phrased so well in his prayer, “Lord, give what thou commandest, and command what thou wilt.” What God requires–His law–that He will give. He gives to His people, every one of them, all that He requires. He requires of them obedience to His law. “I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts.” He requires regeneration. “Ye must be born again.” He gives regeneration. He requires faith. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” He gives faith. He requires perseverance. “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” He gives perseverance.
Such is the glory of this new covenant: So thoroughly will God be the God of His people, that they shall be to Him a people. They will be His people, because He makes them such, all the way through.
Rejoice to be in that new, everlasting covenant of grace! Rejoice to walk in its ways, and to show its power. And remember in it to bless and glorify your God. He has given you everything to be in it, especially the gift of His Son, whose precious blood has brought you in and keeps you in, and which gives you all things.
“Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.” Hebrews 8:9, 10
Not that covenant, but this! Not the old, but the new!
There was that old covenant. The old covenant is well explained in the first verse above. According to His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Lord delivered their seed out of their harsh and bitter bondage in Egypt. By His hand He overthrew all the power of Israel’s dreadful lords, and brought His people out by glorious signs and wonders. By His deliverance, He claimed them for His own. He showed them the way that He was their God. He gave them the way that they were to be His people.
But that old covenant failed disastrously. This people of God refused to walk in His ways. Their history was a history of provoking their God to anger, by their constant revolt from Him. Even as this covenant was being spelled out to Moses on Mt. Sinai, God’s people were busy worshipping an image and committing fornication with each other. Over and over they provoked their God in the wilderness, when they possessed the land of Canaan, and through their history under their kings.
To be sure, there were bright spots in their history. The days of Joshua, of Samuel, of David, and Solomon, of such good kings as Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah, stood out in wonderful relief against the dark and dismal days of this covenant people. There were surely those who through faith did marvelous and glorious deeds. There were the true children of God, trusting in God, and looking to God for salvation, in both Judah and Israel. Even in the dark days of Ahab, God comforted Elijah with the truth that there was a remnant according to the election of grace, a remnant of seven thousand that had not bent the knee to Baal. They enjoyed the comfort and peace of the gospel, though they lived in such darkness. Even under the old covenant, these few had what they had and did what they did under the power of the new covenant, though hidden under the old.
But that old covenant failed. Israel did not continue in God’s covenant. And the Lord regarded them not.
Why did that old covenant fail? It failed because it was a covenant of law. That is, under its terms the Lord demanded of His people, but did not give them what He demanded. That lack is evident from the verse that follows. As in the new covenant, that God would make with His people, He would put his laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts, such He did not do in the old. He did not put his laws into their mind. Nor did He write them in their hearts. In their sad history, they demonstrated that they could not possibly give what God demanded. There was no good thing in them by nature.
But that old covenant, with its complete failure, was to serve the new, better covenant. For the new covenant was not to be a covenant of law, but of gospel. It was not to be a covenant of works, but a covenant of grace. It must be, for it actually to work, and be successful, a covenant of thorough, complete grace. It operating principle is what Augustine phrased so well in his prayer, “Lord, give what thou commandest, and command what thou wilt.” What God requires–His law–that He will give. He gives to His people, every one of them, all that He requires. He requires of them obedience to His law. “I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts.” He requires regeneration. “Ye must be born again.” He gives regeneration. He requires faith. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” He gives faith. He requires perseverance. “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” He gives perseverance.
Such is the glory of this new covenant: So thoroughly will God be the God of His people, that they shall be to Him a people. They will be His people, because He makes them such, all the way through.
Rejoice to be in that new, everlasting covenant of grace! Rejoice to walk in its ways, and to show its power. And remember in it to bless and glorify your God. He has given you everything to be in it, especially the gift of His Son, whose precious blood has brought you in and keeps you in, and which gives you all things.
24 February 2014
“For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:46-48
Social circles and networks! In them we feel at home. Outside them, you can feel lost and lonely. True is this in reality. At church, at home, among friends is where you feel most comfortable. True is this on the internet and in cyberspace. You also feel a certain comfort contacting and keeping track of what your friends are doing.
What makes all of these comfortable and secure is the exchange of love. You feel comfortable and free giving you love and affection to those whom you know. For you know that you can trust them with your love and affection. You know that, in one way or another, you will receive from them similar tokens of love and affection. You love them because they will love you. You greet them because they will greet you.
You also know that nothing will sour a relationship like unrequited love and affection. Even more, nothing will smother the flame of ardent love like open contempt or hostility shown in return. There are no enemies like former friends.
But exactly here is the perfection of your Father which is in heaven. He loves those who emphatically do not love Him in return. He calls those who hold Him in contempt. He brings into His kingdom those who are nothing but rebellious against Him. He makes His children those who are passionate in their hatred of Him. So He loved you, as He gave His Son for you when you were His enemy, Romans 5:10.
That is His perfection. Your Father in heaven is perfect, making every word He speaks and every deed He does a work of splendid, glorious, shining perfection. It is not up to you to judge whether each action God does is perfect. You cannot so divide. Everything He does is perfect, because He is perfect.
So are you called to be perfect. Be perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. You are here called, in the pursuit of this perfection, to go beyond those that love you. Leave that circle to go to those that hate you and persecute you. Love them. Pray from your heart for them. Speak kind and gentle words to them. Do good to them, all kind of things that benefit them. There are those who will not greet you, holding you in contempt. Go out of your way to greet them, asking them how they are.
In doing so, you will show the perfection that belongs to your heavenly Father. His perfection you will mirror and reflect. But His perfection in you will you also show in those loving deeds and words. For each one is the fruit of His work in you, His perfect work of grace to make you perfect.
Even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect!
“For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:46-48
Social circles and networks! In them we feel at home. Outside them, you can feel lost and lonely. True is this in reality. At church, at home, among friends is where you feel most comfortable. True is this on the internet and in cyberspace. You also feel a certain comfort contacting and keeping track of what your friends are doing.
What makes all of these comfortable and secure is the exchange of love. You feel comfortable and free giving you love and affection to those whom you know. For you know that you can trust them with your love and affection. You know that, in one way or another, you will receive from them similar tokens of love and affection. You love them because they will love you. You greet them because they will greet you.
You also know that nothing will sour a relationship like unrequited love and affection. Even more, nothing will smother the flame of ardent love like open contempt or hostility shown in return. There are no enemies like former friends.
But exactly here is the perfection of your Father which is in heaven. He loves those who emphatically do not love Him in return. He calls those who hold Him in contempt. He brings into His kingdom those who are nothing but rebellious against Him. He makes His children those who are passionate in their hatred of Him. So He loved you, as He gave His Son for you when you were His enemy, Romans 5:10.
That is His perfection. Your Father in heaven is perfect, making every word He speaks and every deed He does a work of splendid, glorious, shining perfection. It is not up to you to judge whether each action God does is perfect. You cannot so divide. Everything He does is perfect, because He is perfect.
So are you called to be perfect. Be perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. You are here called, in the pursuit of this perfection, to go beyond those that love you. Leave that circle to go to those that hate you and persecute you. Love them. Pray from your heart for them. Speak kind and gentle words to them. Do good to them, all kind of things that benefit them. There are those who will not greet you, holding you in contempt. Go out of your way to greet them, asking them how they are.
In doing so, you will show the perfection that belongs to your heavenly Father. His perfection you will mirror and reflect. But His perfection in you will you also show in those loving deeds and words. For each one is the fruit of His work in you, His perfect work of grace to make you perfect.
Even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect!
23 February 2014, The Lord's Day
“O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.” Psalm 95:6, 7
What wonderful words are these, to bring us into the worship of the Living God today!
In them is the most compelling reason that we should seek God’s presence today in the assembly of His people. That reason is God’s everlasting covenant of grace, its truth and reality confessed by His grateful, joyful people before Him.
For God’s covenant of grace is no mere word of promise, as men account of and speak of promises. Sometimes men make a simple promise, that they will do something. Sometimes they make a conditional promise, that they will do something, but whether they will do it or not depends on whether the one to whom they promise will do his part. Their promises are the promises of men, as weak and divided as the men who make them.
But God is not a man. Nor is God’s covenant like man’s covenant. For God is God. With His promise He gives. Though His promise surely embraces a glorious, wonderful future, it powerfully conveys the present reality: I am your God. His promise is wholly unconditional, for He promises to give all to His people. With His promise God gives Himself. He becomes the God of His people.
Because such is God’s covenant, we have this worship given to us in these verses. Why do we “worship and bow down?” Why do we “kneel before the Lord our maker?” Why do we delight to read these words, or hear them as a call to worship? Why do we delight to speak them to each another? Why do we love to carry them out this day?
Because He is our God. First, “He is our God.” This living, glorious, Triune God has declared this truth first: “I am thy God.” By His Spirit, though faith, these words resound in our hearts. So we say, “He is our God.” Second, He declares the other side of this truth to us: “You are my people. You are my sheep.” These words, too, resound in our hearts by grace. So we say, “We are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”
We also remember this day, how this blessed covenant arrangement has been brought about: through the blood of the covenant, shed by Our Mediator and our Head of this covenant, our Lord Jesus Christ. That precious blood, shed on the accursed cross, has sealed that covenant to us and our children, and sealed us and our children to our covenant God. We are forever “the people of his pasture and the sheep of His hand.” His, by His own blood, Acts 20:28.
What cause is ours to worship and bow down, and to kneel before the Lord our Maker! He has made us His people. Let us this day in His presence praise and celebrate the riches of His covenant grace and mercy to us!
“O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.” Psalm 95:6, 7
What wonderful words are these, to bring us into the worship of the Living God today!
In them is the most compelling reason that we should seek God’s presence today in the assembly of His people. That reason is God’s everlasting covenant of grace, its truth and reality confessed by His grateful, joyful people before Him.
For God’s covenant of grace is no mere word of promise, as men account of and speak of promises. Sometimes men make a simple promise, that they will do something. Sometimes they make a conditional promise, that they will do something, but whether they will do it or not depends on whether the one to whom they promise will do his part. Their promises are the promises of men, as weak and divided as the men who make them.
But God is not a man. Nor is God’s covenant like man’s covenant. For God is God. With His promise He gives. Though His promise surely embraces a glorious, wonderful future, it powerfully conveys the present reality: I am your God. His promise is wholly unconditional, for He promises to give all to His people. With His promise God gives Himself. He becomes the God of His people.
Because such is God’s covenant, we have this worship given to us in these verses. Why do we “worship and bow down?” Why do we “kneel before the Lord our maker?” Why do we delight to read these words, or hear them as a call to worship? Why do we delight to speak them to each another? Why do we love to carry them out this day?
Because He is our God. First, “He is our God.” This living, glorious, Triune God has declared this truth first: “I am thy God.” By His Spirit, though faith, these words resound in our hearts. So we say, “He is our God.” Second, He declares the other side of this truth to us: “You are my people. You are my sheep.” These words, too, resound in our hearts by grace. So we say, “We are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”
We also remember this day, how this blessed covenant arrangement has been brought about: through the blood of the covenant, shed by Our Mediator and our Head of this covenant, our Lord Jesus Christ. That precious blood, shed on the accursed cross, has sealed that covenant to us and our children, and sealed us and our children to our covenant God. We are forever “the people of his pasture and the sheep of His hand.” His, by His own blood, Acts 20:28.
What cause is ours to worship and bow down, and to kneel before the Lord our Maker! He has made us His people. Let us this day in His presence praise and celebrate the riches of His covenant grace and mercy to us!
20 February 2014
“Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the Lord hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years. And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. And it came to pass at the seven years’ end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land. And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done. And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even unto now.” 2 Kings 8:1-6
What a wonderful and amazing coordination of the hidden working of God’s providence, and the provisional power of Elisha’s miracles, to work this particular wonder: providing this widow her land, her home, and her food upon her return from sojourning in the land of the Philistines!
How far back we must go to see the roots of this event! We must go back to the miraculous and merciful provision of a son to this Shunamite woman and her husband, and then to the merciful miracle of this son’s resurrection from the dead by Elisha. We must go back to see Naaman the Syrian’s miraculous recovery from leprosy at Elisha’s command, which leprosy left Naaman only to cling to Gehazi because of the latter’s sin of coveteousness and greed.
But then we must move to the providential consequence of these wonders. So by the providence of God a famine was to come to Israel, which sent this same woman, her son, and her house to the land of the Philistine’s, also by the words of Elisha. So by the providence of God she sojourned there for seven years, and returned on a certain day. So by the providence of God Gehazi was led to the court of the king of Israel, and spoke the same day with the king there of all the miracles of Elisha. So by the providence of God, unbeknownst to the king, Gehazi, or this widow, Gehazi wonderfully introduced this widow woman to the king of Israel, to tell him of her plight. And what an answer she received, by the providence of God: her land, her house, and all its fruit for the last seven years fully restored!
Such is the marvellous and wonderful working of God’s providence for His people. The Lord gives and takes away. He gives a son, takes him in death, and gives him back. He heals from a disease, and gives it to another, even as chastisement for sin. He sends a famine and then sends rain. He sends a family out of a country and then brings them back. All to show that He is a God that does wondrous things for His people.
What has He given to you? What has He taken away? Rest in and look for His wisdom, to do wondrous things through them all, that we may tell of the glory of the Lord our God!
“Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the Lord hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years. And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. And it came to pass at the seven years’ end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land. And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done. And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even unto now.” 2 Kings 8:1-6
What a wonderful and amazing coordination of the hidden working of God’s providence, and the provisional power of Elisha’s miracles, to work this particular wonder: providing this widow her land, her home, and her food upon her return from sojourning in the land of the Philistines!
How far back we must go to see the roots of this event! We must go back to the miraculous and merciful provision of a son to this Shunamite woman and her husband, and then to the merciful miracle of this son’s resurrection from the dead by Elisha. We must go back to see Naaman the Syrian’s miraculous recovery from leprosy at Elisha’s command, which leprosy left Naaman only to cling to Gehazi because of the latter’s sin of coveteousness and greed.
But then we must move to the providential consequence of these wonders. So by the providence of God a famine was to come to Israel, which sent this same woman, her son, and her house to the land of the Philistine’s, also by the words of Elisha. So by the providence of God she sojourned there for seven years, and returned on a certain day. So by the providence of God Gehazi was led to the court of the king of Israel, and spoke the same day with the king there of all the miracles of Elisha. So by the providence of God, unbeknownst to the king, Gehazi, or this widow, Gehazi wonderfully introduced this widow woman to the king of Israel, to tell him of her plight. And what an answer she received, by the providence of God: her land, her house, and all its fruit for the last seven years fully restored!
Such is the marvellous and wonderful working of God’s providence for His people. The Lord gives and takes away. He gives a son, takes him in death, and gives him back. He heals from a disease, and gives it to another, even as chastisement for sin. He sends a famine and then sends rain. He sends a family out of a country and then brings them back. All to show that He is a God that does wondrous things for His people.
What has He given to you? What has He taken away? Rest in and look for His wisdom, to do wondrous things through them all, that we may tell of the glory of the Lord our God!
19 February 2014
“The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured: But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.” Isaiah 62:8, 9
These words from God’s prophet, like so many others he spoke, are wonderful words of comfort to the people of God. The power of their comfort is that they follow other words, words of severe judgment.
Those words of judgment are reflected in the promise above. Because they had forsaken Him, God would punish them with severe judgment. They would labour, but their labour would only help their enemies. They would plant and harvest. They would gather and reap. But they would not be sustained by the fruit of their labour. Their enemies would take their grain from them, leaving them starving and destitute. They would carefully tend their grapevines, and they would harvest their grapes. They would tread them in the winepress, draw off the juice, and carefully and patiently ferment their wine. But they would not be able to enjoy and celebrate their labour. Their enemies would seize their wine from them.
And behind the hand of their enemies, laying hold on their corn and wine, was the hand of the Lord. He gave their corn to be meat for their enemies. He gave the sons of the stranger their wine to drink.
But the Lord would be moved to compassion and mercy, even in the midst of judgment. So aroused is He by the multitude of His compassions that He swears with an oath. No greater is there than He, so that He swears by His own strength, “by his right hand, and the arm of his strength.”
No longer! No more! By His right hand, and by the arm of His strength He will deliver His people from their enemies. He will put the sons of the stranger far from them. He will again watch over them and protect them. Under His care they will gather their corn. They will bring together their grapes. They themselves shall eat their corn. Their wine they shall drink.
Even more, they shall eat and drink in holiness to the Lord. Chastened by the Lord’s judgments, they shall learn the fear of the Lord. For the praise of the Lord, they shall gather their corn and eat it. In the courts of the Lord’s holiness, they shall drink the wine that they have brought together. They will remember and rejoice in all that the Lord has done, for by His judgments He has turned them to Him, their God and their Redeemer.
So let us labour. So let us eat and drink the fruits of that labour. Let us eat and drink for nourishment and enjoyment. But most of all, let us eat and drink to the glory of our God, who has delivered us from the bondage of sin into His joyful kingdom.
“The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured: But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.” Isaiah 62:8, 9
These words from God’s prophet, like so many others he spoke, are wonderful words of comfort to the people of God. The power of their comfort is that they follow other words, words of severe judgment.
Those words of judgment are reflected in the promise above. Because they had forsaken Him, God would punish them with severe judgment. They would labour, but their labour would only help their enemies. They would plant and harvest. They would gather and reap. But they would not be sustained by the fruit of their labour. Their enemies would take their grain from them, leaving them starving and destitute. They would carefully tend their grapevines, and they would harvest their grapes. They would tread them in the winepress, draw off the juice, and carefully and patiently ferment their wine. But they would not be able to enjoy and celebrate their labour. Their enemies would seize their wine from them.
And behind the hand of their enemies, laying hold on their corn and wine, was the hand of the Lord. He gave their corn to be meat for their enemies. He gave the sons of the stranger their wine to drink.
But the Lord would be moved to compassion and mercy, even in the midst of judgment. So aroused is He by the multitude of His compassions that He swears with an oath. No greater is there than He, so that He swears by His own strength, “by his right hand, and the arm of his strength.”
No longer! No more! By His right hand, and by the arm of His strength He will deliver His people from their enemies. He will put the sons of the stranger far from them. He will again watch over them and protect them. Under His care they will gather their corn. They will bring together their grapes. They themselves shall eat their corn. Their wine they shall drink.
Even more, they shall eat and drink in holiness to the Lord. Chastened by the Lord’s judgments, they shall learn the fear of the Lord. For the praise of the Lord, they shall gather their corn and eat it. In the courts of the Lord’s holiness, they shall drink the wine that they have brought together. They will remember and rejoice in all that the Lord has done, for by His judgments He has turned them to Him, their God and their Redeemer.
So let us labour. So let us eat and drink the fruits of that labour. Let us eat and drink for nourishment and enjoyment. But most of all, let us eat and drink to the glory of our God, who has delivered us from the bondage of sin into His joyful kingdom.
18 February 2013
“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” Psalm 17:15
A sure antidote we have in these words to the poisonous envy of the wicked!
Easy it is to be envious of the wicked, especially as they are described in this Word of God. According to the prior verse, they have their wealth and power by God’s hand. Listen to how the inspired Psalmist describes them. They are those “which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.”
They are full. They have plenty to eat. They stuff themselves and they are satisfied. They have many children, and are able to leave each of them a wealthy inheritance.
Perhaps even greater temptation to envy is that the Lord has provided them their wealth. The Lord has given them their great wealth and prosperity. The Lord has filled their bellies with His bounty. Even as they use that fullness to persecute and oppress God’s people, God has given them their abilities. By these gifts of the Lord to them, the wicked have become the sword of the Lord and the hand of the Lord against the righteous, verses 13, 14.
How easy it is to be envious at their prosperity! What cause for distress and perhaps even bitterness as they cause such trouble for God’s people!
The mighty antidote for this poisonous envy is ours as we cross the boundary from this world to the next. Across that boundary the Word of God leads us: “As for me . . . ” There is David’s portion. There is the end of God’s people.
What will satisfy him? What will satisfy us?
Not our portion in this life! Not the filling of our bellies with the Lord’s hid treasure! Not the ability to leave our children a rich inheritance! Meager vanities are these compared to what will satisfy us. To behold the Lord’s face in righteousness. To be satisfied, when we awake, with the Lord’s likeness. Only then shall we be satisfied!
No uncertain wish is this, but a sure, certain hope. For this end is sealed to us with the blood of the Son of God Himself, Jesus Christ. This end is established for us with the resurrection and glory of the Son, exalted to the right hand of God. This end is assured us by the pledge of the Holy Spirit’s dwelling in our hearts through faith. So sure is it that we are able to say, “As for me, I will behold . . . I shall be satisfied . . . ”
The face of our God we shall behold. When we awake in glory we shall be satisfied with the likeness of God. One glimpse shall fill us with everlasting joy. Our first look shall make all the troubles and difficulties of the present evil age melt away into nothing. So lovely and so blessed shall be our sight, we shall immediately forget the weight and difficulty of every burden we have borne. Our God shall we see in His wonderful face and likeness of the Son of God Himself, our Saviour Jesus Christ.
May this blessed hope be our confidence. May it be our confidence that our God will lead us safely through all opposition and every trial to see Him face to face. May this confidence free us from any envy of the wicked. And may the Lord even use the wicked and their prosperity to make us cling all the more tightly to our hope in Him!
“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” Psalm 17:15
A sure antidote we have in these words to the poisonous envy of the wicked!
Easy it is to be envious of the wicked, especially as they are described in this Word of God. According to the prior verse, they have their wealth and power by God’s hand. Listen to how the inspired Psalmist describes them. They are those “which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.”
They are full. They have plenty to eat. They stuff themselves and they are satisfied. They have many children, and are able to leave each of them a wealthy inheritance.
Perhaps even greater temptation to envy is that the Lord has provided them their wealth. The Lord has given them their great wealth and prosperity. The Lord has filled their bellies with His bounty. Even as they use that fullness to persecute and oppress God’s people, God has given them their abilities. By these gifts of the Lord to them, the wicked have become the sword of the Lord and the hand of the Lord against the righteous, verses 13, 14.
How easy it is to be envious at their prosperity! What cause for distress and perhaps even bitterness as they cause such trouble for God’s people!
The mighty antidote for this poisonous envy is ours as we cross the boundary from this world to the next. Across that boundary the Word of God leads us: “As for me . . . ” There is David’s portion. There is the end of God’s people.
What will satisfy him? What will satisfy us?
Not our portion in this life! Not the filling of our bellies with the Lord’s hid treasure! Not the ability to leave our children a rich inheritance! Meager vanities are these compared to what will satisfy us. To behold the Lord’s face in righteousness. To be satisfied, when we awake, with the Lord’s likeness. Only then shall we be satisfied!
No uncertain wish is this, but a sure, certain hope. For this end is sealed to us with the blood of the Son of God Himself, Jesus Christ. This end is established for us with the resurrection and glory of the Son, exalted to the right hand of God. This end is assured us by the pledge of the Holy Spirit’s dwelling in our hearts through faith. So sure is it that we are able to say, “As for me, I will behold . . . I shall be satisfied . . . ”
The face of our God we shall behold. When we awake in glory we shall be satisfied with the likeness of God. One glimpse shall fill us with everlasting joy. Our first look shall make all the troubles and difficulties of the present evil age melt away into nothing. So lovely and so blessed shall be our sight, we shall immediately forget the weight and difficulty of every burden we have borne. Our God shall we see in His wonderful face and likeness of the Son of God Himself, our Saviour Jesus Christ.
May this blessed hope be our confidence. May it be our confidence that our God will lead us safely through all opposition and every trial to see Him face to face. May this confidence free us from any envy of the wicked. And may the Lord even use the wicked and their prosperity to make us cling all the more tightly to our hope in Him!
16 February 2014, The Lord’s Day
“The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel.” Psalm 128:5,6
In these last two verses we see a turn in the approach of this Psalm. Before it had identified “every one that feareth the Lord.” It has spoken of him as blessed by the Lord in his everyday life. Fearing the Lord and walking in His ways, He is blessed in his labour, his wife, and his children. But now the Psalm turns directly to each of these, and pronounces a blessing upon him directly: “The Lord shall bless thee!”
Whence this blessing? This blessing flows out of Jerusalem, the city of Jehovah’s presence among His people. There is the temple, and the ark of the covenant in the holiest place, the important symbol of the Lord’s presence with His people, in fellowship and friendship with them. Forever He will be their God, to bless them, to care for them, to guide them and provide all their needs. Forever He will take them and make them His people, turning them to Him, circumcising their hearts, forgiving their sins, and writing His law on their hearts, making them willing in the day of His power.
This Lord shall bless thee out of Zion.
Still today is this covenant presence of God known among His people. Not in the earthly city of Jerusalem, but in every place where God’s people assemble together. In those assemblies, where believers and their seed gather to hear God’s Word proclaimed to them, and where they gather to worship their God, confessing His glorious praises in word and song, there is God present among them in a special way. There He testifies to them of His blessing upon them, of grace, mercy, and peace. There He blesses them with His glorious salvation, salvation through the blood of His Son, salvation by the mighty working of His Holy Spirit.
The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion!
What is this blessing?
Thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Look for the continued prosperity of the church of Jesus Christ. Look for the people together to seek the true gospel proclaimed to them. Look for them to seek to carry on in the right worship of their God, according to His work. Look for them to seek the government of Christ over them, through the special offices in the church.
Look also for the continuation of that good toward you in the extension of God’s covenant mercies. Look to see your children’s children. Not just their birth, but look for their enjoyment of their own place in Zion, gathering there to worship, and receiving the blessing of God’s Word upon them. Look for their fear of the Lord, their walk in His ways, and their own blessedness in the same fear you enjoy. See their place among God’s people of their own generation, living and walking together in the fear of the Lord, knowing His blessing upon them together. So shall you see peace upon Israel.
All this is the blessing of the Lord out of Zion. Seek that blessedness and look for it with eager expectation, as you fear the Lord and walk in His ways!
“The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel.” Psalm 128:5,6
In these last two verses we see a turn in the approach of this Psalm. Before it had identified “every one that feareth the Lord.” It has spoken of him as blessed by the Lord in his everyday life. Fearing the Lord and walking in His ways, He is blessed in his labour, his wife, and his children. But now the Psalm turns directly to each of these, and pronounces a blessing upon him directly: “The Lord shall bless thee!”
Whence this blessing? This blessing flows out of Jerusalem, the city of Jehovah’s presence among His people. There is the temple, and the ark of the covenant in the holiest place, the important symbol of the Lord’s presence with His people, in fellowship and friendship with them. Forever He will be their God, to bless them, to care for them, to guide them and provide all their needs. Forever He will take them and make them His people, turning them to Him, circumcising their hearts, forgiving their sins, and writing His law on their hearts, making them willing in the day of His power.
This Lord shall bless thee out of Zion.
Still today is this covenant presence of God known among His people. Not in the earthly city of Jerusalem, but in every place where God’s people assemble together. In those assemblies, where believers and their seed gather to hear God’s Word proclaimed to them, and where they gather to worship their God, confessing His glorious praises in word and song, there is God present among them in a special way. There He testifies to them of His blessing upon them, of grace, mercy, and peace. There He blesses them with His glorious salvation, salvation through the blood of His Son, salvation by the mighty working of His Holy Spirit.
The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion!
What is this blessing?
Thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Look for the continued prosperity of the church of Jesus Christ. Look for the people together to seek the true gospel proclaimed to them. Look for them to seek to carry on in the right worship of their God, according to His work. Look for them to seek the government of Christ over them, through the special offices in the church.
Look also for the continuation of that good toward you in the extension of God’s covenant mercies. Look to see your children’s children. Not just their birth, but look for their enjoyment of their own place in Zion, gathering there to worship, and receiving the blessing of God’s Word upon them. Look for their fear of the Lord, their walk in His ways, and their own blessedness in the same fear you enjoy. See their place among God’s people of their own generation, living and walking together in the fear of the Lord, knowing His blessing upon them together. So shall you see peace upon Israel.
All this is the blessing of the Lord out of Zion. Seek that blessedness and look for it with eager expectation, as you fear the Lord and walk in His ways!
15 February 2014
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
John 10:10, 11
Great is the chasm between that religion called Christianity from all others. That chasm is well described with the above words. Christianity is a religion about giving. Christianity is a religion that is much more than an offer to give. It gives truly, mercifully, and unconditionally. It is about the Good Shepherd, who gives His life for His sheep, that they might live, and live abundantly.
Jesus Himself, this Good Shepherd, helps us to identify and reject all false religions, including false, counterfeit Christianity. He gives us one feature of all these false religions. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” These religions are all fundamentally an act of theft. They demand, but they do not give. Do not be deceived, for Jesus describes here their fundamental character and nature, not how they appear. Satan himself often appears as an angel of light; so also do his ministers, 1 Corinthians 11:13-15. These false religions promise much. Perhaps they promise peace and serenity, private or public. Perhaps they promise world domination, world influence, or great, sweeping changes in culture or society. Perhaps they promise health, wealth, and prosperity, or only moral, psychological, and emotional self-improvement. Maybe they even promise forgiveness and eternal life. But, whatever the promise is, your effort and your work are demanded. Everything from lifetime, sworn, death-demanding allegiance or going to the front to give one’s life to Jesus.
Hear the words of Christ, by which he pulls the cloak from all these religions: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” Yes, they give, but their promises are empty and hollow. They have no right to give what they hold back until you give your part or do your duty. Their way is entirely opposite of the way of the Good Shepherd. They are thieves, and with their religion they steal, they kill, and they destroy. See how they oppose the gospel of Christ. See how they rob Christ of His glory, replacing His teachings with theirs.
A great chasm between them and Christ we see from His self description. He is no thief. He does not take anything, but He gives.
He came to give. He came to give life. He came to give life in the midst of death. He came to give to those who had nothing to give. They could not earn. They could not merit. They could not satisfy a condition. Christ came to give them life. He came to give them overflowing, abundant, glorious life. So is true Christianity. Faithful to Christ, it preaches and teaches the gospel of the gift of God: life from the Son of God to those who are in death.
Even more, this life the Good Shepherd gives by His own life. In order to give this abundant life, He must give His own life, laying it down in the sacrifice of the cross. His blood He must shed unto death, that those for whom He died might live abundantly. So the true Christianity must confess and proclaim the cross of Christ as the life of the world. The Good Shepherd has come to give life, and has given life through the gift of His life.
Here is the true Christian faith! Here is the true gospel that brings abundant life even today. Rejoice in the possession of this free gift of life from your Good Shepherd. Pursue and keep this faith, and keep far from the thieves that would steal, kill, and destroy.
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
John 10:10, 11
Great is the chasm between that religion called Christianity from all others. That chasm is well described with the above words. Christianity is a religion about giving. Christianity is a religion that is much more than an offer to give. It gives truly, mercifully, and unconditionally. It is about the Good Shepherd, who gives His life for His sheep, that they might live, and live abundantly.
Jesus Himself, this Good Shepherd, helps us to identify and reject all false religions, including false, counterfeit Christianity. He gives us one feature of all these false religions. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” These religions are all fundamentally an act of theft. They demand, but they do not give. Do not be deceived, for Jesus describes here their fundamental character and nature, not how they appear. Satan himself often appears as an angel of light; so also do his ministers, 1 Corinthians 11:13-15. These false religions promise much. Perhaps they promise peace and serenity, private or public. Perhaps they promise world domination, world influence, or great, sweeping changes in culture or society. Perhaps they promise health, wealth, and prosperity, or only moral, psychological, and emotional self-improvement. Maybe they even promise forgiveness and eternal life. But, whatever the promise is, your effort and your work are demanded. Everything from lifetime, sworn, death-demanding allegiance or going to the front to give one’s life to Jesus.
Hear the words of Christ, by which he pulls the cloak from all these religions: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” Yes, they give, but their promises are empty and hollow. They have no right to give what they hold back until you give your part or do your duty. Their way is entirely opposite of the way of the Good Shepherd. They are thieves, and with their religion they steal, they kill, and they destroy. See how they oppose the gospel of Christ. See how they rob Christ of His glory, replacing His teachings with theirs.
A great chasm between them and Christ we see from His self description. He is no thief. He does not take anything, but He gives.
He came to give. He came to give life. He came to give life in the midst of death. He came to give to those who had nothing to give. They could not earn. They could not merit. They could not satisfy a condition. Christ came to give them life. He came to give them overflowing, abundant, glorious life. So is true Christianity. Faithful to Christ, it preaches and teaches the gospel of the gift of God: life from the Son of God to those who are in death.
Even more, this life the Good Shepherd gives by His own life. In order to give this abundant life, He must give His own life, laying it down in the sacrifice of the cross. His blood He must shed unto death, that those for whom He died might live abundantly. So the true Christianity must confess and proclaim the cross of Christ as the life of the world. The Good Shepherd has come to give life, and has given life through the gift of His life.
Here is the true Christian faith! Here is the true gospel that brings abundant life even today. Rejoice in the possession of this free gift of life from your Good Shepherd. Pursue and keep this faith, and keep far from the thieves that would steal, kill, and destroy.
14 February 2014
“Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” I Timothy 1:5
What power is expressed in these words! Here is a power to put to shame all the vain talk and all the teachings rejected in their context. Verse 4: “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith…” Verse 6: “From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling.” Against all these fables and endless genealogies and vain jangling Scripture sets out “the commandment.”
“The commandment” signifies the Word of God that is meant to take up our lives, and powerfully direct them to the way of true profit and blessing, the very opposite of vanity. That way is well described in the few words above: “charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.”
One word the Bible gives here as the end of the commandment: charity. This word, “charity” the translators of the King James Version chose to use here, rather than “love,” for good reason. The word “charity,” as a synonym for love, emphasizes the giving, sacrificial aspect of love. It is such a love that does not take, but gives. This love has the pure motive of seeking the good and profit of another, and stops at nothing to accomplish that good. Its purest and cleanest expression is the love of God to give His only-begotten Son for the salvation of the world, John 3:16.
What power! What power through the commandment! Here is power to put to shame all the vain words and teachings of men.
Even more power is shown in the words that describe the origin and source of this charity. The Holy Spirit went to great length in this verse to give us the threefold source of this charity. The end of the commandment is to bring this charity “out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” Only one charity is there. Only one “out of” is there. A pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned all work wonderfully together to give us this blessed fruit of charity.
The “pure heart” refers to our hearts purified by the grace of God. That grace has entered our hearts to break the power of selfish, ungodly pride that formerly held complete sway. That grace has infused the life of Jesus Christ, as a life of purest, holiest, love for God and men. Grace has turned the heart from sin and from self, to seek to please God alone. That heart desires to give for God’s sake, determined to reflect the abundance of His love.
The “good conscience” refers to a self-knowledge and self-reflection by which we see ourselves and God sees us. This is not the conscience we have by the law, a necessary conscience that brings us in the sorrow of true repentance to seek God’s forgiveness of our sins through the sacrifice Jesus our Lord made on the cross. That, too, is a proper work of our conscience. This good conscience is that we see ourselves as cleansed by the blood of Christ, that we are freed from the taint and pollution of our sins. Without this good conscience we could only hide from God’s presence, and could not even begin to think of doing anything pleasing before God, let alone any true charity. This “good conscience,” then, gives us the boldness to seek and walk in this way of charity.
“Faith unfeigned,” identifies the genuine, true character of faith. It is not a pretentious faith, a faith that merely copies the words and movements of others, or attempts to conform to some outward semblance of faith. It is a sincere faith that truly lives in the heart, and signifies that the believer, in his heart, is truly united to Christ. He experiences and knows in his heart that he is a believer, resting wholly upon God, as God has revealed Himself in His Word, the only Saviour and Redeemer from sin. Through faith, He so receives and enjoys the benefits of God’s love for him through Christ, that his heart follows the heart of God, in the same, selfless giving.
Together these three, a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned, work in all their spiritual power by grace, to produce a life characterized by charity.
Such is the end of the commandment. This is the end of the commandment of the Word of God: to love, to give wholly of oneself in that love. For this is the commandment of the Word of God that comes also through faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Its true, real power is the power of the gospel of the love of God through Christ.
In that love may we walk, showing the incomparable power of God’s love to us!
“Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” I Timothy 1:5
What power is expressed in these words! Here is a power to put to shame all the vain talk and all the teachings rejected in their context. Verse 4: “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith…” Verse 6: “From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling.” Against all these fables and endless genealogies and vain jangling Scripture sets out “the commandment.”
“The commandment” signifies the Word of God that is meant to take up our lives, and powerfully direct them to the way of true profit and blessing, the very opposite of vanity. That way is well described in the few words above: “charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.”
One word the Bible gives here as the end of the commandment: charity. This word, “charity” the translators of the King James Version chose to use here, rather than “love,” for good reason. The word “charity,” as a synonym for love, emphasizes the giving, sacrificial aspect of love. It is such a love that does not take, but gives. This love has the pure motive of seeking the good and profit of another, and stops at nothing to accomplish that good. Its purest and cleanest expression is the love of God to give His only-begotten Son for the salvation of the world, John 3:16.
What power! What power through the commandment! Here is power to put to shame all the vain words and teachings of men.
Even more power is shown in the words that describe the origin and source of this charity. The Holy Spirit went to great length in this verse to give us the threefold source of this charity. The end of the commandment is to bring this charity “out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” Only one charity is there. Only one “out of” is there. A pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned all work wonderfully together to give us this blessed fruit of charity.
The “pure heart” refers to our hearts purified by the grace of God. That grace has entered our hearts to break the power of selfish, ungodly pride that formerly held complete sway. That grace has infused the life of Jesus Christ, as a life of purest, holiest, love for God and men. Grace has turned the heart from sin and from self, to seek to please God alone. That heart desires to give for God’s sake, determined to reflect the abundance of His love.
The “good conscience” refers to a self-knowledge and self-reflection by which we see ourselves and God sees us. This is not the conscience we have by the law, a necessary conscience that brings us in the sorrow of true repentance to seek God’s forgiveness of our sins through the sacrifice Jesus our Lord made on the cross. That, too, is a proper work of our conscience. This good conscience is that we see ourselves as cleansed by the blood of Christ, that we are freed from the taint and pollution of our sins. Without this good conscience we could only hide from God’s presence, and could not even begin to think of doing anything pleasing before God, let alone any true charity. This “good conscience,” then, gives us the boldness to seek and walk in this way of charity.
“Faith unfeigned,” identifies the genuine, true character of faith. It is not a pretentious faith, a faith that merely copies the words and movements of others, or attempts to conform to some outward semblance of faith. It is a sincere faith that truly lives in the heart, and signifies that the believer, in his heart, is truly united to Christ. He experiences and knows in his heart that he is a believer, resting wholly upon God, as God has revealed Himself in His Word, the only Saviour and Redeemer from sin. Through faith, He so receives and enjoys the benefits of God’s love for him through Christ, that his heart follows the heart of God, in the same, selfless giving.
Together these three, a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned, work in all their spiritual power by grace, to produce a life characterized by charity.
Such is the end of the commandment. This is the end of the commandment of the Word of God: to love, to give wholly of oneself in that love. For this is the commandment of the Word of God that comes also through faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Its true, real power is the power of the gospel of the love of God through Christ.
In that love may we walk, showing the incomparable power of God’s love to us!
11 February 2014
“Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:17
How men love to boast of their wisdom! Folly meets with derision and fools with scorn. It is evident to all that men who are only silly and ridiculous in their behaviour will go nowhere in life. To keep company with them is to dance with danger.
On the other hand, men praise understanding, knowledge and wisdom. There are men outstanding for their abilities. Not only do they show strength of mind, they show uncanny ability to turn little into much. They can take a faltering business and make it prosper beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. There are men who are inventive and innovative. They are able to turn ground-breaking ideas into wonderful tools of technology, getting their inventions into everyone’s hands. Others are able to harness the forces of culture and society, and turn them into their own channels at enormous profit.
Every age of men has seen philosophers, men renowned for their long-range thinking. With their ideas they have held sway over the minds of men. Their followers have been able to boast of improving greatly their lives and their cultures and societies. At times critical of their society, following generations have lauded their works, and done their best to implement their teachings for the betterment of all.
Can it possibly be true that the foolish and wise among men are really all alike?
The mighty grace of God through Jesus Christ answers that question. See that grace choosing the foolish as well as the wise, though mostly the foolish according to I Corinthians 1:26, 27. Know the promise of the gospel, going to fools and wise alike, proclaiming, “Whosoever believeth...” “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” Titus 2:11
To every one of them, the redeemed wise as well as the redeemed fool, comes this calling: “Wherefore be ye not unwise!”
In truth there is only one wisdom, a wisdom unknown to us by nature. Fallen man cannot even catch the smallest glimpse of this wisdom.
What is this wisdom? This wisdom the “understanding of the will of the Lord.” This wisdom is first the wisdom of the gospel itself, to know Christ crucified as the only way of forgiveness from sin and the hope of eternal life. This wisdom of the gospel is merely to believe on Christ for all forgiveness. This wisdom continues to understand the will of the Lord, extending to His redeemed people in Christ, that they should in constant dependence on Him, work out their salvation with fear and trembling according to His revealed will, His commandments and laws. As the will of the Lord lays out before His children a life filled with every good work, their wisdom is to understand that will, in order to perform it every day.
At bottom, the understanding to which we are called is this: Understanding all that God’s will requires of us, and then understanding the will of God graciously to give us all that He requires.
For that will, let us be no longer unwise. Let us not foolishly go our own way, stubborn and headstrong. Let us not foolishly think to go God’s way a particle by our own resolve, determination, or strength. But let us seek to go only in the way of the Lord. And let us seek to go in that way by His strength alone.
“Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:17
How men love to boast of their wisdom! Folly meets with derision and fools with scorn. It is evident to all that men who are only silly and ridiculous in their behaviour will go nowhere in life. To keep company with them is to dance with danger.
On the other hand, men praise understanding, knowledge and wisdom. There are men outstanding for their abilities. Not only do they show strength of mind, they show uncanny ability to turn little into much. They can take a faltering business and make it prosper beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. There are men who are inventive and innovative. They are able to turn ground-breaking ideas into wonderful tools of technology, getting their inventions into everyone’s hands. Others are able to harness the forces of culture and society, and turn them into their own channels at enormous profit.
Every age of men has seen philosophers, men renowned for their long-range thinking. With their ideas they have held sway over the minds of men. Their followers have been able to boast of improving greatly their lives and their cultures and societies. At times critical of their society, following generations have lauded their works, and done their best to implement their teachings for the betterment of all.
Can it possibly be true that the foolish and wise among men are really all alike?
The mighty grace of God through Jesus Christ answers that question. See that grace choosing the foolish as well as the wise, though mostly the foolish according to I Corinthians 1:26, 27. Know the promise of the gospel, going to fools and wise alike, proclaiming, “Whosoever believeth...” “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” Titus 2:11
To every one of them, the redeemed wise as well as the redeemed fool, comes this calling: “Wherefore be ye not unwise!”
In truth there is only one wisdom, a wisdom unknown to us by nature. Fallen man cannot even catch the smallest glimpse of this wisdom.
What is this wisdom? This wisdom the “understanding of the will of the Lord.” This wisdom is first the wisdom of the gospel itself, to know Christ crucified as the only way of forgiveness from sin and the hope of eternal life. This wisdom of the gospel is merely to believe on Christ for all forgiveness. This wisdom continues to understand the will of the Lord, extending to His redeemed people in Christ, that they should in constant dependence on Him, work out their salvation with fear and trembling according to His revealed will, His commandments and laws. As the will of the Lord lays out before His children a life filled with every good work, their wisdom is to understand that will, in order to perform it every day.
At bottom, the understanding to which we are called is this: Understanding all that God’s will requires of us, and then understanding the will of God graciously to give us all that He requires.
For that will, let us be no longer unwise. Let us not foolishly go our own way, stubborn and headstrong. Let us not foolishly think to go God’s way a particle by our own resolve, determination, or strength. But let us seek to go only in the way of the Lord. And let us seek to go in that way by His strength alone.
10 February 2014
“And he said, Lord I believe. And he worshipped him.” John 9:38
Such are the last words and actions revealed to us of the man whom Jesus healed from his blindness.
These words indicate two very different miracles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The first miracle was physical. For this first miracle, this work of God, was this man born blind. Not for the sake of his sin or for the sin of his parents, but for the sake of the works of God, to be manifest in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So, without the man’s request or an expression of faith, Jesus made mud of the ground at His feet, mixing it with his spit, dabbed it on the blind man’s eyes, and commanded him to wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam. When he went, obeying Jesus’ command, he “washed, and came seeing.”
So ensued great debate and great controversy. Rather than sharing in this blind man’s joy, and looking to Jesus in reverent worship, the Pharisees held an inquisition. Interrogating the blind man as well as his parents, Jesus’ enemies tried to disprove what this miracle proved, that its Worker was truly the Son of God. They found their cause in the circumstances of the wonder: Jesus had performed this wonder on the Sabbath Day, the Day forbidding the works of men. They found their cause to reject the blind man’s testimony: he was born in sins.
This inquisition of the Pharisees, however, only showed the second wonder wrought on this blind man. Scripture spends the bulk of this story showing this greater wonder, the spiritual opening of the mind and heart of this man born blind. How it must thrill us to follow this man’s testimony. Even as he counters the unbelieving arguments of his opponents, we see faith forming and strengthening in his answers. As he simply repeats his story, standing against the furious scorn of his opponents, we delight in his splendid conclusion: “If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.”
Here, too, are the works of God displayed before our eyes! Here, too, is the purpose for which this man had been born blind, to show the works of God, regeneration and faith! We follow the works of God all the way to this man’s meeting with Jesus. We are filled with delight to hear him say to Jesus, “Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?” We rejoice to know these words, “Lord, I believe, and he worshipped him.”
For these delightful words spoken and this worship given to the Lord, are by Jesus’ sovereign grace alone. Though the blind man was healed by Jesus Himself, he still needed this second, greater miracle. This blind man was twice blind, physically and spiritually. He needed these two divine wonders to make him whole.
How do we know? There were others who witnessed this wonder. The Pharisees heard the blind man’s testimony. They heard the testimony of his parents that he had been born blind. They heard the flawless spiritual logic in the words of this man born blind. But they did not see. They could not see. They were blind.
How do we see? How is it that we delight in these wonders? How do we believe them? How do we worship Jesus with this man born blind? Only by the sight He has restored to us, who were born blind. What works God has manifested in us! So may we show forth His glory in all our life!
“And he said, Lord I believe. And he worshipped him.” John 9:38
Such are the last words and actions revealed to us of the man whom Jesus healed from his blindness.
These words indicate two very different miracles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The first miracle was physical. For this first miracle, this work of God, was this man born blind. Not for the sake of his sin or for the sin of his parents, but for the sake of the works of God, to be manifest in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So, without the man’s request or an expression of faith, Jesus made mud of the ground at His feet, mixing it with his spit, dabbed it on the blind man’s eyes, and commanded him to wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam. When he went, obeying Jesus’ command, he “washed, and came seeing.”
So ensued great debate and great controversy. Rather than sharing in this blind man’s joy, and looking to Jesus in reverent worship, the Pharisees held an inquisition. Interrogating the blind man as well as his parents, Jesus’ enemies tried to disprove what this miracle proved, that its Worker was truly the Son of God. They found their cause in the circumstances of the wonder: Jesus had performed this wonder on the Sabbath Day, the Day forbidding the works of men. They found their cause to reject the blind man’s testimony: he was born in sins.
This inquisition of the Pharisees, however, only showed the second wonder wrought on this blind man. Scripture spends the bulk of this story showing this greater wonder, the spiritual opening of the mind and heart of this man born blind. How it must thrill us to follow this man’s testimony. Even as he counters the unbelieving arguments of his opponents, we see faith forming and strengthening in his answers. As he simply repeats his story, standing against the furious scorn of his opponents, we delight in his splendid conclusion: “If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.”
Here, too, are the works of God displayed before our eyes! Here, too, is the purpose for which this man had been born blind, to show the works of God, regeneration and faith! We follow the works of God all the way to this man’s meeting with Jesus. We are filled with delight to hear him say to Jesus, “Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?” We rejoice to know these words, “Lord, I believe, and he worshipped him.”
For these delightful words spoken and this worship given to the Lord, are by Jesus’ sovereign grace alone. Though the blind man was healed by Jesus Himself, he still needed this second, greater miracle. This blind man was twice blind, physically and spiritually. He needed these two divine wonders to make him whole.
How do we know? There were others who witnessed this wonder. The Pharisees heard the blind man’s testimony. They heard the testimony of his parents that he had been born blind. They heard the flawless spiritual logic in the words of this man born blind. But they did not see. They could not see. They were blind.
How do we see? How is it that we delight in these wonders? How do we believe them? How do we worship Jesus with this man born blind? Only by the sight He has restored to us, who were born blind. What works God has manifested in us! So may we show forth His glory in all our life!
6 February 2014
“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.” Proverbs 3:27, 28
“The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.” Proverbs 3:33
Such power we have in the words of Proverbs 3:33 to destroy to the ground any thinking that the riches, health, and prosperity of the wicked signify to them God’s favour or grace! Let his house be so filled with luxurious good and possessions. Let it have fine works of art hanging on its walls and fine music coursing through its rooms. Let it be filled with bright, strong, happy children. Let its evenings see happy throngs of delighted guests feasting on good things. The judgment of God’s Word remains upon it: “The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked.”
Far away from the house of the wicked with its residing curse stands another dwelling. This dwelling may be so small compared to the first house. Its rooms may have few pieces of cheap furniture, its occupants only scant clothing to wear. They may go to bed hungry most nights. But this house is far away from the house of the wicked, for it is a habitation of one who is just. This habitation, whatever it is, is blessed by the Lord. Its rooms and cupboards are filled with the blessing of the Lord. His peace rests upon it.
But there is another matter about these two habitations. What is the way to this house of the wicked? How are we to keep our feet in the habitation of the just? A few verses before, Proverbs 3:27, 28 must show us. Here we have something so slight, that it may not seem to make any difference at all. Yet, this is the beginning difference between the house of the wicked and the habitation of the just.
In your hand is good. To your neighbour, the good that you have is due to him. Perhaps you agreed to loan him some money. Perhaps he has agreed to do some work for you in return for some favour. By that agreement or by that work he has accomplished, your good is due to him. You have the ability, when he comes to you, to give it to him. But, because you can, you say to him, “Go. Come again tomorrow, and then I will give it to you.”
With your words to him, you have just set your feet on a pathway. It will lead to the evil devices of verse 29. It will continue on to choosing the ways of the oppressor, set out in verse 31. And it ends in the house of the wicked, filled with the curse of the Lord.
Keep far from the house of the wicked. Keep your feet from that pathway. Constantly ensure that you quickly and freely give all due good. “Owe no man anything, but to love one another.” Romans 13:8
“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.” Proverbs 3:27, 28
“The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.” Proverbs 3:33
Such power we have in the words of Proverbs 3:33 to destroy to the ground any thinking that the riches, health, and prosperity of the wicked signify to them God’s favour or grace! Let his house be so filled with luxurious good and possessions. Let it have fine works of art hanging on its walls and fine music coursing through its rooms. Let it be filled with bright, strong, happy children. Let its evenings see happy throngs of delighted guests feasting on good things. The judgment of God’s Word remains upon it: “The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked.”
Far away from the house of the wicked with its residing curse stands another dwelling. This dwelling may be so small compared to the first house. Its rooms may have few pieces of cheap furniture, its occupants only scant clothing to wear. They may go to bed hungry most nights. But this house is far away from the house of the wicked, for it is a habitation of one who is just. This habitation, whatever it is, is blessed by the Lord. Its rooms and cupboards are filled with the blessing of the Lord. His peace rests upon it.
But there is another matter about these two habitations. What is the way to this house of the wicked? How are we to keep our feet in the habitation of the just? A few verses before, Proverbs 3:27, 28 must show us. Here we have something so slight, that it may not seem to make any difference at all. Yet, this is the beginning difference between the house of the wicked and the habitation of the just.
In your hand is good. To your neighbour, the good that you have is due to him. Perhaps you agreed to loan him some money. Perhaps he has agreed to do some work for you in return for some favour. By that agreement or by that work he has accomplished, your good is due to him. You have the ability, when he comes to you, to give it to him. But, because you can, you say to him, “Go. Come again tomorrow, and then I will give it to you.”
With your words to him, you have just set your feet on a pathway. It will lead to the evil devices of verse 29. It will continue on to choosing the ways of the oppressor, set out in verse 31. And it ends in the house of the wicked, filled with the curse of the Lord.
Keep far from the house of the wicked. Keep your feet from that pathway. Constantly ensure that you quickly and freely give all due good. “Owe no man anything, but to love one another.” Romans 13:8
5 February 2014
“These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.” John 11:11
Why did Jesus not satisfy the yearning desire of the two beloved sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha? Why did Jesus not regard the message that they rushed? Why did He not hurry back to Bethany, to keep Lazarus from dying? Why did He give no answer except to say cryptically , “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby”?
In the following words and events of John 11 we have our answer. But they lead to another question. Why did Jesus speak the above words to His disciples? As He knew how prone they were to misunderstanding, why did He not tell them plainly, as He did a little after, “Lazarus is dead”?
Why? For the sake of the glory of God!
For, first, the glory of God in the Son of God, is not to be shown only in an act of healing from a deadly sickness. In Lazarus’ case, it was the good pleasure of God and God’s Christ to show the marvellous power of God to raise the dead to life. Even more, that power was to be shown in raising a man who had been dead for four days: Lazarus, who was after four days a lifeless, cold, corrupting corpse. Such a glory was to be shown that would clearly demonstrate its Worker to be the Son of God.
Such is a glorious wonder. Such a wonder must have its purpose with us. Jesus’ words, “I am the resurrection and the life,” are no vain words. He is all we need. His call has called us out of the death of our sin and depravity, to life in His glorious, heavenly kingdom. His call, not subject to our decision, gives us everlasting life. His call will also one day raise us up from our graves, together with all the elect, and translate us bodily, into perfect likeness to our Head and into the abiding glories of heaven. Just as He raised Lazarus, and just as He Himself arose.
Second, Jesus spoke these words to show another side of that glorious, resurrecting power. For Jesus, these words were most proper: “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.” This glorious exercise of our Lord’s power does not mean a struggle. There will be no contest. There can be no question of which is greater, the power of Jesus or the power of death and the grave. Such is the power of the Resurrection and the Life, that when He calls, it is as simple a matter as rousing a man out of his nightly sleep in the brightness of the morning.
So was it with Lazarus. So was it with our regeneration. So shall it be with the resurrection of the last day.
Oh, the bodies of so many in their graves! So many simply gone to dust, hidden in the earth! So many scattered as ashes to the wind and dissolved in the waters of oceans and seas! So many torn apart and badly disfigured by accident or violence! So many terribly ravaged by disease and wasted by famine! So shall we be, if the Lord tarry.
To us, dead. To Jesus, sleeping.
So, at the appointed time He shall come again. This time, with a shout, and with the trumpet of God. He shall call, and the sleeping shall rise, awakened out of their sleep to live forever, through the power of the Resurrection and the Life.
What blessedness, to sleep in Jesus! What blessedness to show His glorious power when He comes again to awaken us! What glory, to glorify forever the Son of God, to the glory of His and our God!
Let us live and let us die in this great hope!
“These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.” John 11:11
Why did Jesus not satisfy the yearning desire of the two beloved sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha? Why did Jesus not regard the message that they rushed? Why did He not hurry back to Bethany, to keep Lazarus from dying? Why did He give no answer except to say cryptically , “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby”?
In the following words and events of John 11 we have our answer. But they lead to another question. Why did Jesus speak the above words to His disciples? As He knew how prone they were to misunderstanding, why did He not tell them plainly, as He did a little after, “Lazarus is dead”?
Why? For the sake of the glory of God!
For, first, the glory of God in the Son of God, is not to be shown only in an act of healing from a deadly sickness. In Lazarus’ case, it was the good pleasure of God and God’s Christ to show the marvellous power of God to raise the dead to life. Even more, that power was to be shown in raising a man who had been dead for four days: Lazarus, who was after four days a lifeless, cold, corrupting corpse. Such a glory was to be shown that would clearly demonstrate its Worker to be the Son of God.
Such is a glorious wonder. Such a wonder must have its purpose with us. Jesus’ words, “I am the resurrection and the life,” are no vain words. He is all we need. His call has called us out of the death of our sin and depravity, to life in His glorious, heavenly kingdom. His call, not subject to our decision, gives us everlasting life. His call will also one day raise us up from our graves, together with all the elect, and translate us bodily, into perfect likeness to our Head and into the abiding glories of heaven. Just as He raised Lazarus, and just as He Himself arose.
Second, Jesus spoke these words to show another side of that glorious, resurrecting power. For Jesus, these words were most proper: “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.” This glorious exercise of our Lord’s power does not mean a struggle. There will be no contest. There can be no question of which is greater, the power of Jesus or the power of death and the grave. Such is the power of the Resurrection and the Life, that when He calls, it is as simple a matter as rousing a man out of his nightly sleep in the brightness of the morning.
So was it with Lazarus. So was it with our regeneration. So shall it be with the resurrection of the last day.
Oh, the bodies of so many in their graves! So many simply gone to dust, hidden in the earth! So many scattered as ashes to the wind and dissolved in the waters of oceans and seas! So many torn apart and badly disfigured by accident or violence! So many terribly ravaged by disease and wasted by famine! So shall we be, if the Lord tarry.
To us, dead. To Jesus, sleeping.
So, at the appointed time He shall come again. This time, with a shout, and with the trumpet of God. He shall call, and the sleeping shall rise, awakened out of their sleep to live forever, through the power of the Resurrection and the Life.
What blessedness, to sleep in Jesus! What blessedness to show His glorious power when He comes again to awaken us! What glory, to glorify forever the Son of God, to the glory of His and our God!
Let us live and let us die in this great hope!
4 February 2014
“Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
Isaiah 9:7
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Alone.
Before these words, Isaiah declared the affliction of Zebulun and Naphtali, the second time more grievously than the first. After these words, the Lord’s prophet prophesied of the ruin of Ephraim and Samaria. Israel had determined not to submit to the Lord’s judgments on them. Instead piling up again the bricks the Lord tore down, they would build with hewn stone. Instead of using sycamore word for their houses the Lord burned up, they would use cedar. But the Lord would cut them off, his anger not turned away, and his hand stretched out still, against His hardened people.
The zeal of men was for their sin. But the zeal of the Lord of hosts is for His kingdom, to establish it alone. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform it.
Long after David had passed from the scene of Israel’s history, long after the affliction of Zebulun and Naphtali, and long after Ephraim and Samaria were led away by the Lord’s anger in captivity, the Lord performed His glorious work.
His work, driven by His zeal, was to raise up the throne of David in the midst of a wonderful and glorious kingdom. To David He would give such a government and peace whose increase is unending. To David He would give such a kingdom, ordered and established with perfect judgment and justice, so that it would endure “from henceforth even forever.”
This is the kingdom established with no human judgment or justice. No kingdom of Rome or Pilate or Caesar. No kingdom of Alexander the Great, or Philip of Macedon, or of Artaxerxes, or Cyrus, or Nebuchadnezzer, or even of David or of Solomon. This is the kingdom of the Son of God, the true Son of David, King of divine righteousness. This is the kingdom established by the righteous blood shed by the Son of God, to cover the sins that would otherwise mar and ruin this kingdom.
By that divine establishment, so must that kingdom continue forever. Of the increase of its government and peace there shall be no end. Begun in this life, and built up in this world, it must endure through the end of time, to all eternity.
What a privilege to belong to this kingdom! How blessed we are to know our place within it! Not by our running or willing, not by our doing, but by the zeal of the Lord of hosts. So we see this kingdom. So we enter the kingdom. So we delight in its rule and government over us. So we seek it, and so we find it.
So we also see its increase. We see generations gathered into it. We see the Word going out on mission fields, and by that Word those afar off are brought near, into God’s fellowship and friendship. So we see it in our lives, and in the lives of our fellow saints, and in the lives of the covenant seed. David’s rule grows in us as we grow in the grace and knowledge of Him, our Lord and Saviour.
How? By the zeal of the Lord of hosts! His zeal has established His kingdom. His zeal maintains and realizes it. His zeal will keep it. His zeal will perfect it for the unending glory of everlasting life.
May we see His work, and may we rejoice and praise our God, the Lord of hosts, whose zeal will perform all this!
“Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
Isaiah 9:7
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Alone.
Before these words, Isaiah declared the affliction of Zebulun and Naphtali, the second time more grievously than the first. After these words, the Lord’s prophet prophesied of the ruin of Ephraim and Samaria. Israel had determined not to submit to the Lord’s judgments on them. Instead piling up again the bricks the Lord tore down, they would build with hewn stone. Instead of using sycamore word for their houses the Lord burned up, they would use cedar. But the Lord would cut them off, his anger not turned away, and his hand stretched out still, against His hardened people.
The zeal of men was for their sin. But the zeal of the Lord of hosts is for His kingdom, to establish it alone. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform it.
Long after David had passed from the scene of Israel’s history, long after the affliction of Zebulun and Naphtali, and long after Ephraim and Samaria were led away by the Lord’s anger in captivity, the Lord performed His glorious work.
His work, driven by His zeal, was to raise up the throne of David in the midst of a wonderful and glorious kingdom. To David He would give such a government and peace whose increase is unending. To David He would give such a kingdom, ordered and established with perfect judgment and justice, so that it would endure “from henceforth even forever.”
This is the kingdom established with no human judgment or justice. No kingdom of Rome or Pilate or Caesar. No kingdom of Alexander the Great, or Philip of Macedon, or of Artaxerxes, or Cyrus, or Nebuchadnezzer, or even of David or of Solomon. This is the kingdom of the Son of God, the true Son of David, King of divine righteousness. This is the kingdom established by the righteous blood shed by the Son of God, to cover the sins that would otherwise mar and ruin this kingdom.
By that divine establishment, so must that kingdom continue forever. Of the increase of its government and peace there shall be no end. Begun in this life, and built up in this world, it must endure through the end of time, to all eternity.
What a privilege to belong to this kingdom! How blessed we are to know our place within it! Not by our running or willing, not by our doing, but by the zeal of the Lord of hosts. So we see this kingdom. So we enter the kingdom. So we delight in its rule and government over us. So we seek it, and so we find it.
So we also see its increase. We see generations gathered into it. We see the Word going out on mission fields, and by that Word those afar off are brought near, into God’s fellowship and friendship. So we see it in our lives, and in the lives of our fellow saints, and in the lives of the covenant seed. David’s rule grows in us as we grow in the grace and knowledge of Him, our Lord and Saviour.
How? By the zeal of the Lord of hosts! His zeal has established His kingdom. His zeal maintains and realizes it. His zeal will keep it. His zeal will perfect it for the unending glory of everlasting life.
May we see His work, and may we rejoice and praise our God, the Lord of hosts, whose zeal will perform all this!
3 February 2014
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Colossians 2:6-8
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord….and not after Christ.”
So begin and end the words of the three verses above. So runs this text, and so must run our lives: from start to finish, all in Christ. “So walk ye in him.”
What a walk this is, in Christ Jesus the Lord! So many things can be said about this walk. In so many ways Scripture describes this walk. It is a walk in the way of God’s commandments. It is a walk of consecration, separated to pursue the things that belong to the holy, everlasting kingdom of God. It is a walk of wisdom, applying oneself in every area of life to the pursuit of the one goal of God’s glory. It is behaviour and conduct that show in every department the power of salvation, from both the guilt of sin and its domineering, tyrannical power.
But in the words above this walk of the Christian is described according to its source. To that source we must attend, for it properly defines the walk of the Christian at bottom. It does not begin without outward deeds. It begins with a believing heart, a heart which has been regenerated by the Spirit of God. “As ye have therefore received … so walk ye in him.” Verse 6 explains further: “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught.” In that believing heart dwells Christ by His Spirit. That presence of Christ in the heart so controls and fills the heart that out of it proceeds the desire for and the doing of every good. So are we encouraged: “Walk ye in him.”
As this commandment is given to us, “Walk ye in him,” it must mean more than simply a description of where we are, “in him.” It refers to a conscious, deliberate effort, requiring time and energy, to remain in Christ. It means being busy with the Word of God, hearing it and reading it, studying it and meditating on it. It means taking the name of Christ into your heart and upon your lips, praying often to God the Father through the Mediator He has provided. By the grace of God, in these holy exercises, we become more and more “rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith.”
By these same exercises we also “abound therein with thanksgiving.” The more we know about our election, redemption, and promised glorification in Christ, the more thankful we become. Abounding in faith (and, of course, then, in Christ), we also abound in thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the powerful motivation of God’s grace to walk in the Lord, keeping His way.
Here, too, is also our protection against all false doctrine. The whole book of Colossians represents a warning against the false doctrines of Gnosticism. Gnosticism tried to graft itself onto Christianity very early on. Gnosticism said “Christ and…” Believe in Christ, but you must also have this other, special knowledge, to be truly complete. There are other points of knowledge. There are other exercises to undertake. Without these other requirements, you cannot have full and complete salvation. With many words Scripture here describes these errors. They are “philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world.” Whatever they are, the final words of verse 8 describe them perfectly and properly: they are “not after Christ.”
There! There is their chief feature. They are “not after Christ.” There is their essential description. There is also our protection from them, why they ought to be immediately distasteful, repugnant, and abhorrent the moment we are exposed to them. They do not take us toward Christ. They do not make us more established in Him. Instead they would lead us away from Him, weakening our fellowship with Him.
So many doctrines are presented to us as we walk in Christ, today and every day. This Word of God gives us a test for every one of them: do they lead to Christ, or away from him? Do they lead to Him? Let us embrace them, cling to them, and grow in them! Do they lead away from Him? Let us abhor and shun them! Let us labour to refute them and disprove them, fighting against them, for our sakes and the church dear to us! So may we continue to walk in Christ, abounding therein with thanksgiving!
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Colossians 2:6-8
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord….and not after Christ.”
So begin and end the words of the three verses above. So runs this text, and so must run our lives: from start to finish, all in Christ. “So walk ye in him.”
What a walk this is, in Christ Jesus the Lord! So many things can be said about this walk. In so many ways Scripture describes this walk. It is a walk in the way of God’s commandments. It is a walk of consecration, separated to pursue the things that belong to the holy, everlasting kingdom of God. It is a walk of wisdom, applying oneself in every area of life to the pursuit of the one goal of God’s glory. It is behaviour and conduct that show in every department the power of salvation, from both the guilt of sin and its domineering, tyrannical power.
But in the words above this walk of the Christian is described according to its source. To that source we must attend, for it properly defines the walk of the Christian at bottom. It does not begin without outward deeds. It begins with a believing heart, a heart which has been regenerated by the Spirit of God. “As ye have therefore received … so walk ye in him.” Verse 6 explains further: “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught.” In that believing heart dwells Christ by His Spirit. That presence of Christ in the heart so controls and fills the heart that out of it proceeds the desire for and the doing of every good. So are we encouraged: “Walk ye in him.”
As this commandment is given to us, “Walk ye in him,” it must mean more than simply a description of where we are, “in him.” It refers to a conscious, deliberate effort, requiring time and energy, to remain in Christ. It means being busy with the Word of God, hearing it and reading it, studying it and meditating on it. It means taking the name of Christ into your heart and upon your lips, praying often to God the Father through the Mediator He has provided. By the grace of God, in these holy exercises, we become more and more “rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith.”
By these same exercises we also “abound therein with thanksgiving.” The more we know about our election, redemption, and promised glorification in Christ, the more thankful we become. Abounding in faith (and, of course, then, in Christ), we also abound in thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the powerful motivation of God’s grace to walk in the Lord, keeping His way.
Here, too, is also our protection against all false doctrine. The whole book of Colossians represents a warning against the false doctrines of Gnosticism. Gnosticism tried to graft itself onto Christianity very early on. Gnosticism said “Christ and…” Believe in Christ, but you must also have this other, special knowledge, to be truly complete. There are other points of knowledge. There are other exercises to undertake. Without these other requirements, you cannot have full and complete salvation. With many words Scripture here describes these errors. They are “philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world.” Whatever they are, the final words of verse 8 describe them perfectly and properly: they are “not after Christ.”
There! There is their chief feature. They are “not after Christ.” There is their essential description. There is also our protection from them, why they ought to be immediately distasteful, repugnant, and abhorrent the moment we are exposed to them. They do not take us toward Christ. They do not make us more established in Him. Instead they would lead us away from Him, weakening our fellowship with Him.
So many doctrines are presented to us as we walk in Christ, today and every day. This Word of God gives us a test for every one of them: do they lead to Christ, or away from him? Do they lead to Him? Let us embrace them, cling to them, and grow in them! Do they lead away from Him? Let us abhor and shun them! Let us labour to refute them and disprove them, fighting against them, for our sakes and the church dear to us! So may we continue to walk in Christ, abounding therein with thanksgiving!
2 February 2014
“For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.” Romans 1:11, 12
With these words the Apostle Paul explained his great motivation for his prayer to see the church at Rome. He longed to see them, and out of that longing he raised fervent prayer to God, that he might be able to come to them.
Some spiritual gift he desired to impart to them. Such a spiritual gift he desired for them, in order that they might be established. He wanted to see them continuing steadfast in their faith, faith that had become renowned through the world. He wanted to see their reputation in faith growing and increasing. And for that growth they had to remain steadfast, continuing in union with Christ, and continuing in the spiritual exercises of worship and service to God through Christ.
Such high-sounding glorious words. With them, we surely want to know what this great spiritual gift might be. What gift should it be that would establish them so firmly, keeping them exactly where they ought to be?
That gift is mutual faith for mutual comfort. Verse 12 simply explains the latter part of verse 11.
This spiritual gift is ours also to receive this Sabbath Day. This spiritual gift is given to us to establish us in faith in Christ. This gift is given to us, that our faith might become so great so as to be “spoken of throughout the world.” Mutual faith, for mutual comfort.
This is the mutuality of the people of God gathering together for worship. In their assembly they exercise their mutual faith. Together they lift their hearts and voices in praise to God through Christ, by faith. Together they hear and believe the reading and preaching of the Scriptures. Together they raise their believing hearts in prayer before God’s throne of grace. There is the practice of mutual faith.
That mutual faith leads to mutual comfort. They together receive the comfort of God’s Word. They together believe the promises they hear proclaimed to them, receiving their substance through faith. They together believe by the Word they together hear that their sins are forgiven. They together believe that all things must work out for their salvation. They together believe that they are more than conquerors in all things through the love of God in Christ Jesus. They together believe that God will make all things turn out to their advantage.
They are able to enjoy their mutual comfort by bearing that Word out of their believing hearts to one another, addressing that Word to all their various needs. In weakness, it brings strength. In sorrow it brings joy. In anxiety it brings peace and calm. In devastation and death it brings hope. God’s people are able to comfort one another.
That faith and the comfort it brings are mutual. Here is the reason why the apostle wanted to see them. He wanted to help them in the faith. He wanted to help them in the comfort of the faith. But he also wanted to be helped in the faith. He also wanted to be comforted in the faith. He knew his own weaknesses. He had his own anxieties. And he knew where to find help: with the saints at Rome.
This great good for the apostle, for which he longed and prayed, is the same great good for us today. So must we long and pray to see our fellow saints. So may we long and pray that we may impart to them some spiritual gift, that they may be established. So may we long and pray that we may be mutually comforted by the mutual faith.
May that longing and prayer find its rich and powerful answer in our worship among God’s people today!
“For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.” Romans 1:11, 12
With these words the Apostle Paul explained his great motivation for his prayer to see the church at Rome. He longed to see them, and out of that longing he raised fervent prayer to God, that he might be able to come to them.
Some spiritual gift he desired to impart to them. Such a spiritual gift he desired for them, in order that they might be established. He wanted to see them continuing steadfast in their faith, faith that had become renowned through the world. He wanted to see their reputation in faith growing and increasing. And for that growth they had to remain steadfast, continuing in union with Christ, and continuing in the spiritual exercises of worship and service to God through Christ.
Such high-sounding glorious words. With them, we surely want to know what this great spiritual gift might be. What gift should it be that would establish them so firmly, keeping them exactly where they ought to be?
That gift is mutual faith for mutual comfort. Verse 12 simply explains the latter part of verse 11.
This spiritual gift is ours also to receive this Sabbath Day. This spiritual gift is given to us to establish us in faith in Christ. This gift is given to us, that our faith might become so great so as to be “spoken of throughout the world.” Mutual faith, for mutual comfort.
This is the mutuality of the people of God gathering together for worship. In their assembly they exercise their mutual faith. Together they lift their hearts and voices in praise to God through Christ, by faith. Together they hear and believe the reading and preaching of the Scriptures. Together they raise their believing hearts in prayer before God’s throne of grace. There is the practice of mutual faith.
That mutual faith leads to mutual comfort. They together receive the comfort of God’s Word. They together believe the promises they hear proclaimed to them, receiving their substance through faith. They together believe by the Word they together hear that their sins are forgiven. They together believe that all things must work out for their salvation. They together believe that they are more than conquerors in all things through the love of God in Christ Jesus. They together believe that God will make all things turn out to their advantage.
They are able to enjoy their mutual comfort by bearing that Word out of their believing hearts to one another, addressing that Word to all their various needs. In weakness, it brings strength. In sorrow it brings joy. In anxiety it brings peace and calm. In devastation and death it brings hope. God’s people are able to comfort one another.
That faith and the comfort it brings are mutual. Here is the reason why the apostle wanted to see them. He wanted to help them in the faith. He wanted to help them in the comfort of the faith. But he also wanted to be helped in the faith. He also wanted to be comforted in the faith. He knew his own weaknesses. He had his own anxieties. And he knew where to find help: with the saints at Rome.
This great good for the apostle, for which he longed and prayed, is the same great good for us today. So must we long and pray to see our fellow saints. So may we long and pray that we may impart to them some spiritual gift, that they may be established. So may we long and pray that we may be mutually comforted by the mutual faith.
May that longing and prayer find its rich and powerful answer in our worship among God’s people today!
1 February 2014
“Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.” Colossians 1:13
What a match we are given in these words!
On the one side of this match we are given three words that plainly belong together: strength, might, and power.
These three words are coordinated in order that we might know the strength that is given in us, and therefore to be found in us, according to the prayer of the Apostle, the prayer of Christ for us, and the working of the Holy Spirit in us. We are to be made strong in every way. Included here is not only strength in our nature, but that applied in all our situations and circumstances. “All might” is the word that explains how that strength is to manifest itself in our lives.
This might is matched also to a rule, a divine, infinite rule. We are meant to inquire about God’s power. How great, how high, and how wonderful is His power? As glorious as that power is, so strengthened are we for living in this world.
Now, to what is this strength matched? It is matched to a goal, or an end.
That end is not matched to physical ability. The end is not matched to the abilities and deeds celebrated by the world. It is not related to talents in art, shrewd dealings in business, or besting one’s competitors. In what is the Christian’s strength shown?
God’s power strengthens for “all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness! God’s strength shows its glory in patience. He lays upon His people heavy burdens to bear. He gives them afflictions and trials. He gives them burdens of pain and weakness. He gives them difficulties and hardships in body, mind, and soul. But for those burdens He gives them patience. Patience is the ability to remain under those heavy burdens. They do not give up, but continue on under them.
God’s strength also shows its glory in longsuffering. Closely related to patience, longsuffering speak of the distance that is required in the bearing of these afflictions and trials. There is a time that God requires for the bearing of these burdens. The saints hope and long. They ask, “How long?” They know and are assured that God’s deliverance will certainly come, for he has promised. But there is always a wait. Longsuffering is the ability to endure through to the end, the time of deliverance that God has appointed in. His wisdom.
With this Word of God we understand why. He is pleased to give us difficult circumstances: to bless us with His strength, and to manifest that strength in our patience and longsuffering.
Only with that understanding are we then able to consider this last element that is matched to the strength God gives us. We are to be strengthened by God’s power for patience and longsuffering with joy.
Joy! The Christian’s joy shows its real, true character in suffering. We can think of Paul and Silas’ joy with their feet in the stocks and their backs cut open from the many stripes laid upon them. We can think of the company of the apostles rejoicing after being beating, counting it a privilege to suffer for Jesus’ sake. We can think of Christ’s injunction to us, to rejoice when we are persecuted for. His name’s sake. Christian joy shows its true power only in suffering and trials, because it is a joy that is not of this world. It is independent of earthly circumstances because it is rooted in God, in God’s favour and grace that are everlasting, from eternity to eternity.
Joy in suffering also demonstrates the abundance of God’s strength that He gives for patience and longsuffering. His strength is not merely given in such measure merely to equal the weight of the burdens Christians carry. His strength is abundant and exceeding, beyond any earthly measure. They rejoice that the glorious promise of complete deliverance into liberty is sealed to them with the blood of their dear Lord, whom they follow through suffering to glory.
May this be our prayer, following after the example of the holy apostle. May it be our prayer when we see the suffering of our fellow saints. May we also encourage them by praying with them in their suffering. And as it pleases the Lord to afflict us sometimes with heavy burdens, may we pray for His strength to show His power in our patience and longsuffering with joy.
“Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.” Colossians 1:13
What a match we are given in these words!
On the one side of this match we are given three words that plainly belong together: strength, might, and power.
These three words are coordinated in order that we might know the strength that is given in us, and therefore to be found in us, according to the prayer of the Apostle, the prayer of Christ for us, and the working of the Holy Spirit in us. We are to be made strong in every way. Included here is not only strength in our nature, but that applied in all our situations and circumstances. “All might” is the word that explains how that strength is to manifest itself in our lives.
This might is matched also to a rule, a divine, infinite rule. We are meant to inquire about God’s power. How great, how high, and how wonderful is His power? As glorious as that power is, so strengthened are we for living in this world.
Now, to what is this strength matched? It is matched to a goal, or an end.
That end is not matched to physical ability. The end is not matched to the abilities and deeds celebrated by the world. It is not related to talents in art, shrewd dealings in business, or besting one’s competitors. In what is the Christian’s strength shown?
God’s power strengthens for “all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness! God’s strength shows its glory in patience. He lays upon His people heavy burdens to bear. He gives them afflictions and trials. He gives them burdens of pain and weakness. He gives them difficulties and hardships in body, mind, and soul. But for those burdens He gives them patience. Patience is the ability to remain under those heavy burdens. They do not give up, but continue on under them.
God’s strength also shows its glory in longsuffering. Closely related to patience, longsuffering speak of the distance that is required in the bearing of these afflictions and trials. There is a time that God requires for the bearing of these burdens. The saints hope and long. They ask, “How long?” They know and are assured that God’s deliverance will certainly come, for he has promised. But there is always a wait. Longsuffering is the ability to endure through to the end, the time of deliverance that God has appointed in. His wisdom.
With this Word of God we understand why. He is pleased to give us difficult circumstances: to bless us with His strength, and to manifest that strength in our patience and longsuffering.
Only with that understanding are we then able to consider this last element that is matched to the strength God gives us. We are to be strengthened by God’s power for patience and longsuffering with joy.
Joy! The Christian’s joy shows its real, true character in suffering. We can think of Paul and Silas’ joy with their feet in the stocks and their backs cut open from the many stripes laid upon them. We can think of the company of the apostles rejoicing after being beating, counting it a privilege to suffer for Jesus’ sake. We can think of Christ’s injunction to us, to rejoice when we are persecuted for. His name’s sake. Christian joy shows its true power only in suffering and trials, because it is a joy that is not of this world. It is independent of earthly circumstances because it is rooted in God, in God’s favour and grace that are everlasting, from eternity to eternity.
Joy in suffering also demonstrates the abundance of God’s strength that He gives for patience and longsuffering. His strength is not merely given in such measure merely to equal the weight of the burdens Christians carry. His strength is abundant and exceeding, beyond any earthly measure. They rejoice that the glorious promise of complete deliverance into liberty is sealed to them with the blood of their dear Lord, whom they follow through suffering to glory.
May this be our prayer, following after the example of the holy apostle. May it be our prayer when we see the suffering of our fellow saints. May we also encourage them by praying with them in their suffering. And as it pleases the Lord to afflict us sometimes with heavy burdens, may we pray for His strength to show His power in our patience and longsuffering with joy.
30 January 2014
"For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the wicked shall perish." Psalm 1:6
The first, little word of this verse tells us that we arrive at the root of this entire Psalm. This last verse is the reason for the blessedness of the man whose "delight is in the law of the Lord." This last verse is also the reason why "the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, or sinners in the congregation of the righteous."
No mere laws of nature are we meant to observe in operation here. Nor are we meant to speak merely of circumstances with their own outcome, only an unbreakable chain of cause and effect. Why is the righteous so blessed? Why is the righteous well compared to a tree planted by the rivers of water? Why is it that whatever he does shall prosper? "The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous."
Why, in turn, are the ungodly "like the chaff which the wind driveth away," so different in their end from the righteous? Why do the ungodly perish in their judgment, banished from the gathering of the righteous? God will not know them. "The way of the ungodly shall perish."
What a stark difference we find in this last verse!
"The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous."
What blessed knowledge this is! This is a knowledge of friendship and fellowship. The Lord studies that way. He delights to know it thoroughly and intimately. He delights in every step of the righteous in the way that they take. He delights in the meditations of their hearts. He delights in the conversations they hold. He delights in their labours. He rejoices to guide them and keep them, making each one "like a tree planted by the rivers of water." He loves to make each one prosperous through the works of his hands.
His knowledge of that way is also by His own walk in it. He walks with the righteous in their way. He graces them with His own companionship and fellowship. Step by step, turn by turn, he constantly remains with them, blessing them with His loving friendship. He is near to them.
But the Lord’s knowledge goes even deeper and is more intimate. The Lord knows the way of the righteous because He Himself has set the righteous on it. In grace He has designed that way and the righteous who should walk in that way, from eternity. By His Spirit He turns His elect into that way of righteousness, and guides and keeps them on it. Without His work, they would only turn aside from it into every path of sin and evil. His knowledge is a knowledge of sovereign grace.
In stark contrast is the way of the ungodly. Their way is completely set apart from the way of the righteous. So far apart is it, that Scripture is completely silent about the Lord’s knowledge of that way. So abhorrent and loathsome is their way, that the Lord will not know it. He is turned from it. All the Lord’s knowledge identified with the way of the righteous is wholly absent from the way of the ungodly.
Instead, "the way of the ungodly shall perish." They shall walk in their way. They shall carry on in their lives, their homes and businesses. As they carry on, they may certainly increase in riches and honour among men. They may bask in the glow of men’s praises for their accomplishments. But the end is near: the way of the ungodly shall perish. It shall perish under the wrath of God against them. The word used by the Hebrew refers to the destruction not of annihilation, but of complete desolation and loss. It is the destructive power of hell, the place to which the way of the ungodly always leads, one way with one end.
There is then only one way for us to take. One way to follow, one way to which we must cling. One way for us to seek God’s grace to keep it. The way of blessing, the way of delight in the law of the Lord. The way He knows. May that way be ours today!
"For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the wicked shall perish." Psalm 1:6
The first, little word of this verse tells us that we arrive at the root of this entire Psalm. This last verse is the reason for the blessedness of the man whose "delight is in the law of the Lord." This last verse is also the reason why "the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, or sinners in the congregation of the righteous."
No mere laws of nature are we meant to observe in operation here. Nor are we meant to speak merely of circumstances with their own outcome, only an unbreakable chain of cause and effect. Why is the righteous so blessed? Why is the righteous well compared to a tree planted by the rivers of water? Why is it that whatever he does shall prosper? "The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous."
Why, in turn, are the ungodly "like the chaff which the wind driveth away," so different in their end from the righteous? Why do the ungodly perish in their judgment, banished from the gathering of the righteous? God will not know them. "The way of the ungodly shall perish."
What a stark difference we find in this last verse!
"The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous."
What blessed knowledge this is! This is a knowledge of friendship and fellowship. The Lord studies that way. He delights to know it thoroughly and intimately. He delights in every step of the righteous in the way that they take. He delights in the meditations of their hearts. He delights in the conversations they hold. He delights in their labours. He rejoices to guide them and keep them, making each one "like a tree planted by the rivers of water." He loves to make each one prosperous through the works of his hands.
His knowledge of that way is also by His own walk in it. He walks with the righteous in their way. He graces them with His own companionship and fellowship. Step by step, turn by turn, he constantly remains with them, blessing them with His loving friendship. He is near to them.
But the Lord’s knowledge goes even deeper and is more intimate. The Lord knows the way of the righteous because He Himself has set the righteous on it. In grace He has designed that way and the righteous who should walk in that way, from eternity. By His Spirit He turns His elect into that way of righteousness, and guides and keeps them on it. Without His work, they would only turn aside from it into every path of sin and evil. His knowledge is a knowledge of sovereign grace.
In stark contrast is the way of the ungodly. Their way is completely set apart from the way of the righteous. So far apart is it, that Scripture is completely silent about the Lord’s knowledge of that way. So abhorrent and loathsome is their way, that the Lord will not know it. He is turned from it. All the Lord’s knowledge identified with the way of the righteous is wholly absent from the way of the ungodly.
Instead, "the way of the ungodly shall perish." They shall walk in their way. They shall carry on in their lives, their homes and businesses. As they carry on, they may certainly increase in riches and honour among men. They may bask in the glow of men’s praises for their accomplishments. But the end is near: the way of the ungodly shall perish. It shall perish under the wrath of God against them. The word used by the Hebrew refers to the destruction not of annihilation, but of complete desolation and loss. It is the destructive power of hell, the place to which the way of the ungodly always leads, one way with one end.
There is then only one way for us to take. One way to follow, one way to which we must cling. One way for us to seek God’s grace to keep it. The way of blessing, the way of delight in the law of the Lord. The way He knows. May that way be ours today!
29 January 2014
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." John 5:24, 25
From effect to cause is the powerful argument our Lord employed to answer His unbelieving critics.
What is the effect?
First is the effect of verse 24, a wonderful and glorious effect. Here is one that hears Jesus’ word. He listens, he understands, he believes, and he follows after Jesus. He is a disciple, attending Jesus’ words. He follows, walking in the way of his Master and Lord. He also believes on the One that sent Jesus, the living and true God. Through Jesus and by Jesus, He is brought to God, to know that He lives and moves in God’s everlasting kingdom.
In this effect and way of hearing and believing, this same individual is to be assured that he has everlasting life. He is free of all condemnation. He is justified unto life eternal. Already he "is passed from death unto life." Death has no power over him. He is already beyond the reach of that last, great enemy to destroy Him.
Second, is the effect that we are given in the context of these words. There was a man laying by the pool of Bethesda for many years. He had lain there in the hopes of getting into that pool first, when its waters were troubled, in order to be healed. But every time, another was able to reach the pool first, and received the power to be healed. He had not the power to reach the water to be healed. But with Jesus there was no need to move, no need at all to reach the waters first. Without the lame man’s movement or request the Son of God healed him with His voice. "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk." We read then, "And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked."
From effect to cause!
How was it that this lame man came to rise up? How could he take up his bed and walk? This effect surely needed its cause, and a powerful cause at that. The effect could not even have for its cause the lame man’s quick actions to get into the pool of Bethesda before anyone else. He had no such ability. No, there was only one cause: the voice of Jesus.
How is it that a man hears the word of Jesus? How is it that he believes on God, who sent Jesus? How is it that he has everlasting life and freedom from condemnation? How has he passed from death to life? He could not move, for he was dead in sin and unbelief. He had no impulse of free will. No hand to raise. No feet to carry him forward to the front. No movement to make. Nothing.
But the hour came and now is. The Son of God used His voice. He spoke. The dead heard. The dead lived. The dead believed. The dead passed from death to life. So they rose, and so they walked, following their Lord and Master.
So was the hour then. So is the hour now. How do we hear Jesus’ word? How do we believe in God? How are we passed from condemnation into life? Not by our running. Not by our willing. Only by the voice of the Son of God! As we live, hearing and believing, in the enjoyment of our everlasting life, let us give all praise and glory to the Son, who has made us free. With His voice!
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." John 5:24, 25
From effect to cause is the powerful argument our Lord employed to answer His unbelieving critics.
What is the effect?
First is the effect of verse 24, a wonderful and glorious effect. Here is one that hears Jesus’ word. He listens, he understands, he believes, and he follows after Jesus. He is a disciple, attending Jesus’ words. He follows, walking in the way of his Master and Lord. He also believes on the One that sent Jesus, the living and true God. Through Jesus and by Jesus, He is brought to God, to know that He lives and moves in God’s everlasting kingdom.
In this effect and way of hearing and believing, this same individual is to be assured that he has everlasting life. He is free of all condemnation. He is justified unto life eternal. Already he "is passed from death unto life." Death has no power over him. He is already beyond the reach of that last, great enemy to destroy Him.
Second, is the effect that we are given in the context of these words. There was a man laying by the pool of Bethesda for many years. He had lain there in the hopes of getting into that pool first, when its waters were troubled, in order to be healed. But every time, another was able to reach the pool first, and received the power to be healed. He had not the power to reach the water to be healed. But with Jesus there was no need to move, no need at all to reach the waters first. Without the lame man’s movement or request the Son of God healed him with His voice. "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk." We read then, "And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked."
From effect to cause!
How was it that this lame man came to rise up? How could he take up his bed and walk? This effect surely needed its cause, and a powerful cause at that. The effect could not even have for its cause the lame man’s quick actions to get into the pool of Bethesda before anyone else. He had no such ability. No, there was only one cause: the voice of Jesus.
How is it that a man hears the word of Jesus? How is it that he believes on God, who sent Jesus? How is it that he has everlasting life and freedom from condemnation? How has he passed from death to life? He could not move, for he was dead in sin and unbelief. He had no impulse of free will. No hand to raise. No feet to carry him forward to the front. No movement to make. Nothing.
But the hour came and now is. The Son of God used His voice. He spoke. The dead heard. The dead lived. The dead believed. The dead passed from death to life. So they rose, and so they walked, following their Lord and Master.
So was the hour then. So is the hour now. How do we hear Jesus’ word? How do we believe in God? How are we passed from condemnation into life? Not by our running. Not by our willing. Only by the voice of the Son of God! As we live, hearing and believing, in the enjoyment of our everlasting life, let us give all praise and glory to the Son, who has made us free. With His voice!
28 January 2014
"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way ever lasting." Psalm 139:23, 24
A Spirit-led, and therefore most fitting end to this Psalm we have in the above words. David’s heart he has filled with sweet meditations of the Lord’s omnipresence. He had explored the heights of heaven and the depths of hell. There he knew God’s presence and power, to keep and guide him. He had visited his very beginning in his mother’s womb. He thought of his development from the instant of his conception all the way to his birth. There, too, he rejoiced to confess the guiding presence of his God, to knit bone to sinew, fearfully and wonderfully making him.
Why all these thoughts? Why are we to make his meditation our own via this Psalm?
The conclusion to this Psalm tells us. Only God can direct us where we cannot direct ourselves. To Him we must pray this prayer: "Lead me in the way everlasting!"
However, how can we possibly pray this prayer we must pray?
How can we pray, "Search me, O God, and know my heart"? How can we pray, "Try me, and know my thoughts"? How can we ask God to "see if there be any wicked way in me"? Is not such a prayer a request to be cast off by God? Should this supplication turn to a request to be destroyed by the consuming fire of God’s holy displeasure against sin and the sinner?
Only by the mercy of God in Jesus Christ! Only by the blood of the Lamb that is our peace with God, the sacrifice that brings us into His blessed friendship and fellowship. Only as the living God searches us and tries us, when we are washed in that blood. Only through faith in that blood do we dare to make this supplication before God: "Search me, O God . . . and see if there be any wicked way in me."
By that same mercy of God in Christ we are able to make this prayer and know its certain and sure answer. God will search us and try us. He will know our heart and our thoughts. To our wicked ways He will not abandon us. From those wicked ways He will cleanse us. And He will lead us in the way everlasting. All by His grace!
"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way ever lasting." Psalm 139:23, 24
A Spirit-led, and therefore most fitting end to this Psalm we have in the above words. David’s heart he has filled with sweet meditations of the Lord’s omnipresence. He had explored the heights of heaven and the depths of hell. There he knew God’s presence and power, to keep and guide him. He had visited his very beginning in his mother’s womb. He thought of his development from the instant of his conception all the way to his birth. There, too, he rejoiced to confess the guiding presence of his God, to knit bone to sinew, fearfully and wonderfully making him.
Why all these thoughts? Why are we to make his meditation our own via this Psalm?
The conclusion to this Psalm tells us. Only God can direct us where we cannot direct ourselves. To Him we must pray this prayer: "Lead me in the way everlasting!"
However, how can we possibly pray this prayer we must pray?
How can we pray, "Search me, O God, and know my heart"? How can we pray, "Try me, and know my thoughts"? How can we ask God to "see if there be any wicked way in me"? Is not such a prayer a request to be cast off by God? Should this supplication turn to a request to be destroyed by the consuming fire of God’s holy displeasure against sin and the sinner?
Only by the mercy of God in Jesus Christ! Only by the blood of the Lamb that is our peace with God, the sacrifice that brings us into His blessed friendship and fellowship. Only as the living God searches us and tries us, when we are washed in that blood. Only through faith in that blood do we dare to make this supplication before God: "Search me, O God . . . and see if there be any wicked way in me."
By that same mercy of God in Christ we are able to make this prayer and know its certain and sure answer. God will search us and try us. He will know our heart and our thoughts. To our wicked ways He will not abandon us. From those wicked ways He will cleanse us. And He will lead us in the way everlasting. All by His grace!
26 January 2014, The Lord’s Day
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8
Two commandments, but at bottom they are one.
Both are commandments to those who work, and both are commandments to leave the work behind in order to rest. Both have the same end and goal in mind. They call you to cease from your work in order to know the glorious works of God through Christ as your rest.
Forsake your works! Forsake your works that make you weary and heavy laden. Forsake your works of vain toil. No longer seek the things of the world that cannot satisfy and are bound to be destroyed in fire at our Lord’s return. Leave behind your ordinary, regular works, the works into which you dove on Monday, and carried on in until Sunday. Leave behind your earthly pleasures and distractions. Hurl them far from you. Drive them far away from your mind, and allow them no entrance.
Leave them all behind, in order to rest. Know today not your works, but the works of God and of God alone.
Turn to know His glorious and powerful works of creation. He commanded, and the worlds sprang into being. He called the light out of darkness, and there was light. A glorious, wonderful home He built for man, and then created man to dwell in it. All without consulting man. All without the aid of man.
Turn to know His glorious and mighty works of judgment. See how men in their foolish pride rebel against God. See how they boast of their strength and power in defiance of their Maker. Then see God’s glory shown in judgment. His enemies He scatters. Their power He shows to be only weakness, their wisdom only folly.
Turn to know His glorious and mighty works of salvation. See how He helps those that are cast down into the dust. See how He raises the dead to life, gives sight to the blind, causes the lame to walk and the dumb to speak. See how He delivers out of judgment and brings out of oppression. See how He pardons sin, and gives righteousness. See how He protects and guards His people, leading them safe to the glory He has prepared for them.
Those works remember! Dwell on them. Meditate upon them. In God’s house rejoice to hear them declared to you.
Rejoice to hear those works declared to you, for they are your rest. By those works, hear your Saviour calling you: “Come to me . . . and I will give you rest.” Here is your blessed rest: all these works are for you and your salvation. Every one of them declares your everlasting safety and security in God’s kingdom.
This is your rest, your peace: creation for you, judgment for you, salvation for you. All God’s works are for you. Nothing can be against you. Through Jesus Christ, your Redeemer from God.
Remember the Sabbath Day!
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8
Two commandments, but at bottom they are one.
Both are commandments to those who work, and both are commandments to leave the work behind in order to rest. Both have the same end and goal in mind. They call you to cease from your work in order to know the glorious works of God through Christ as your rest.
Forsake your works! Forsake your works that make you weary and heavy laden. Forsake your works of vain toil. No longer seek the things of the world that cannot satisfy and are bound to be destroyed in fire at our Lord’s return. Leave behind your ordinary, regular works, the works into which you dove on Monday, and carried on in until Sunday. Leave behind your earthly pleasures and distractions. Hurl them far from you. Drive them far away from your mind, and allow them no entrance.
Leave them all behind, in order to rest. Know today not your works, but the works of God and of God alone.
Turn to know His glorious and powerful works of creation. He commanded, and the worlds sprang into being. He called the light out of darkness, and there was light. A glorious, wonderful home He built for man, and then created man to dwell in it. All without consulting man. All without the aid of man.
Turn to know His glorious and mighty works of judgment. See how men in their foolish pride rebel against God. See how they boast of their strength and power in defiance of their Maker. Then see God’s glory shown in judgment. His enemies He scatters. Their power He shows to be only weakness, their wisdom only folly.
Turn to know His glorious and mighty works of salvation. See how He helps those that are cast down into the dust. See how He raises the dead to life, gives sight to the blind, causes the lame to walk and the dumb to speak. See how He delivers out of judgment and brings out of oppression. See how He pardons sin, and gives righteousness. See how He protects and guards His people, leading them safe to the glory He has prepared for them.
Those works remember! Dwell on them. Meditate upon them. In God’s house rejoice to hear them declared to you.
Rejoice to hear those works declared to you, for they are your rest. By those works, hear your Saviour calling you: “Come to me . . . and I will give you rest.” Here is your blessed rest: all these works are for you and your salvation. Every one of them declares your everlasting safety and security in God’s kingdom.
This is your rest, your peace: creation for you, judgment for you, salvation for you. All God’s works are for you. Nothing can be against you. Through Jesus Christ, your Redeemer from God.
Remember the Sabbath Day!
25 January 2014
“Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.” Proverbs 3:7
With these words the Holy Spirit calls us to a lifetime of battle!
To be wise in our own eyes is our natural tendency, God’s judgment over original sin. We want to know things, and act on our knowledge. We want to see the tree as pleasant to see, good for food, and desirable to make one wise. So we know with Eve, and so we reach out with our hands to pick and to eat. So will we know evil and good our way. God’s good we call evil, and shun it. God’s evil we call good and pursue it.
This is our folly, this wisdom of our own eyes! It is the way of destruction, but we are ever ready to run in it.
This Word stops us in our tracks. “Be not wise in thine own eyes.” Give up your way of thinking! Give up your foolish ways! Give up your foolish pride that has you pursuing death!
Instead, fear the Lord!
The fear of the Lord is the fire that banishes the fog and mist of our foolish, vain delusions. That fear alone will show us the complete lunacy of our own, so-called wisdom. When we know the greatness of our God in His wisdom and knowledge, we can no longer be wise in our own eyes, but must be immediately cast down. We must know ourselves to be but brute beasts before His understanding.
This same fear of the Lord is also deep and powerful affection for Him, according to the greatness of His love. In this fear, we do not flee from, but run to our God, knowing His great, eternal love for us, by His Son. By the fear of the Lord we ardently seek Him according to His glory. His infinite wisdom and power become our refuge. Near to Him, hidden in Him, we are safe and secure.
In His fear, not only do we desire Him, but we seek to please Him. He becomes our aim and goal. So what is displeasing to Him becomes displeasing to us. We leave off being wise in our own eyes. No longer is it pleasing to us.
So the fear of the Lord is our power to depart from evil. It is our power to depart from our pride, arrogance, and self-conceit. It is our power to reject the wisdom of our own conceits. The evil we find evil, and flee from it. The good we find good, and pursue it.
Let us grow in that fear, and let us depart from all evil!
“Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.” Proverbs 3:7
With these words the Holy Spirit calls us to a lifetime of battle!
To be wise in our own eyes is our natural tendency, God’s judgment over original sin. We want to know things, and act on our knowledge. We want to see the tree as pleasant to see, good for food, and desirable to make one wise. So we know with Eve, and so we reach out with our hands to pick and to eat. So will we know evil and good our way. God’s good we call evil, and shun it. God’s evil we call good and pursue it.
This is our folly, this wisdom of our own eyes! It is the way of destruction, but we are ever ready to run in it.
This Word stops us in our tracks. “Be not wise in thine own eyes.” Give up your way of thinking! Give up your foolish ways! Give up your foolish pride that has you pursuing death!
Instead, fear the Lord!
The fear of the Lord is the fire that banishes the fog and mist of our foolish, vain delusions. That fear alone will show us the complete lunacy of our own, so-called wisdom. When we know the greatness of our God in His wisdom and knowledge, we can no longer be wise in our own eyes, but must be immediately cast down. We must know ourselves to be but brute beasts before His understanding.
This same fear of the Lord is also deep and powerful affection for Him, according to the greatness of His love. In this fear, we do not flee from, but run to our God, knowing His great, eternal love for us, by His Son. By the fear of the Lord we ardently seek Him according to His glory. His infinite wisdom and power become our refuge. Near to Him, hidden in Him, we are safe and secure.
In His fear, not only do we desire Him, but we seek to please Him. He becomes our aim and goal. So what is displeasing to Him becomes displeasing to us. We leave off being wise in our own eyes. No longer is it pleasing to us.
So the fear of the Lord is our power to depart from evil. It is our power to depart from our pride, arrogance, and self-conceit. It is our power to reject the wisdom of our own conceits. The evil we find evil, and flee from it. The good we find good, and pursue it.
Let us grow in that fear, and let us depart from all evil!
24 January 2014
“And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Genesis 15:5, 6
The words of the sixth verse of Genesis fifteen echo through all sacred and church history. They stand as the basis for the teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ in Scripture. They have been used for so much good in the church of Jesus Christ, to defend and maintain the truth of the gospel of justification by faith alone.
Why? Scripture itself leads us to these words of Genesis fifteen, to show to us our own justification, and the justification of every child of God. Scripture uses them to show that our standing before God does not depend on our works, on anything that we do, or on anything in us. What the Bible says here about Abraham, it says about every one of God’s people: all are justified by faith.
For, first, faith follows the Word of God. God speaks. Faith believes Him. Faith believes His Word. Faith takes the promise of God, and faith relies wholly on it. Faith finds it to be true because God said it. Faith does not argue or contradict. Faith does not find fault. As God said to Abraham, “So shall thy seed be,” as many as the stars that filled Abraham’s vision, so Abraham’s faith simply followed that Word of God.
Second, Abraham’s faith rested on that Word of God as something grand and glorious. God’s promise was not ordinary or meager. Just the opposite. God’s promise was incomprehensible in its riches, glory, and power. That promise stood opposite of Abraham’s weakness. As old as the patriarch now was, he as yet had no seed. But that promise stood in perfect harmony with God’s power to fulfill it. It was a Word to be believed, and Abraham believed it. When we stop reckoning with our power to bring something about, and begin reckoning with God’s power to do it, then we are in the way of faith.
The same thing must be true of our faith. Here is the reason why the gospel is proclaimed with the words of verse 6, “ . . . and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Faith brings justification, the gift of God’s righteousness to the sinner, received through faith. By that gift of righteousness, given through faith, the sinner has this standing before God: he is upright, innocent, righteous, and worthy of eternal life. Here is the great question: how is a sinner just before God? By God’s Word! The Word to be believed, the Word to cling to, the Word simply to rest upon! We are justified through faith.
Third, Abraham’s faith rested on Jesus Christ. In that fifth verse, God preached to Abraham the gospel of Jesus Christ. “So shall thy seed be.” Those stars in the heavens, in their vast, innumerable multitude, did not declare to Abraham his seed according to the flesh. They declared his seed according to the promise. According to Romans 9:6-9 and Galatians 3:6-16, when God spoke His promise to Abraham, He spoke of Jesus Christ, the seed, and then of all those in Christ, the true children of Abraham. When Abraham believed the promise of God, He believed in Jesus Christ, his own seed.
So God also preaches His Word to us. He causes it to sound in our ears: His promise of righteousness, complete and perfect, His righteousness given us by His Son, the promised seed of Abraham. When we believe that promise, our faith is imputed to us for righteousness. The sinner is justified! The impossible God has performed!
So by faith we are found in that promise that God made to Abraham so long ago, numbered among his seed. Our place is among that seed, as many the stars in heaven for multitude. So we have our blessed place in that multitude, like Abraham: justified by faith!
“And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Genesis 15:5, 6
The words of the sixth verse of Genesis fifteen echo through all sacred and church history. They stand as the basis for the teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ in Scripture. They have been used for so much good in the church of Jesus Christ, to defend and maintain the truth of the gospel of justification by faith alone.
Why? Scripture itself leads us to these words of Genesis fifteen, to show to us our own justification, and the justification of every child of God. Scripture uses them to show that our standing before God does not depend on our works, on anything that we do, or on anything in us. What the Bible says here about Abraham, it says about every one of God’s people: all are justified by faith.
For, first, faith follows the Word of God. God speaks. Faith believes Him. Faith believes His Word. Faith takes the promise of God, and faith relies wholly on it. Faith finds it to be true because God said it. Faith does not argue or contradict. Faith does not find fault. As God said to Abraham, “So shall thy seed be,” as many as the stars that filled Abraham’s vision, so Abraham’s faith simply followed that Word of God.
Second, Abraham’s faith rested on that Word of God as something grand and glorious. God’s promise was not ordinary or meager. Just the opposite. God’s promise was incomprehensible in its riches, glory, and power. That promise stood opposite of Abraham’s weakness. As old as the patriarch now was, he as yet had no seed. But that promise stood in perfect harmony with God’s power to fulfill it. It was a Word to be believed, and Abraham believed it. When we stop reckoning with our power to bring something about, and begin reckoning with God’s power to do it, then we are in the way of faith.
The same thing must be true of our faith. Here is the reason why the gospel is proclaimed with the words of verse 6, “ . . . and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Faith brings justification, the gift of God’s righteousness to the sinner, received through faith. By that gift of righteousness, given through faith, the sinner has this standing before God: he is upright, innocent, righteous, and worthy of eternal life. Here is the great question: how is a sinner just before God? By God’s Word! The Word to be believed, the Word to cling to, the Word simply to rest upon! We are justified through faith.
Third, Abraham’s faith rested on Jesus Christ. In that fifth verse, God preached to Abraham the gospel of Jesus Christ. “So shall thy seed be.” Those stars in the heavens, in their vast, innumerable multitude, did not declare to Abraham his seed according to the flesh. They declared his seed according to the promise. According to Romans 9:6-9 and Galatians 3:6-16, when God spoke His promise to Abraham, He spoke of Jesus Christ, the seed, and then of all those in Christ, the true children of Abraham. When Abraham believed the promise of God, He believed in Jesus Christ, his own seed.
So God also preaches His Word to us. He causes it to sound in our ears: His promise of righteousness, complete and perfect, His righteousness given us by His Son, the promised seed of Abraham. When we believe that promise, our faith is imputed to us for righteousness. The sinner is justified! The impossible God has performed!
So by faith we are found in that promise that God made to Abraham so long ago, numbered among his seed. Our place is among that seed, as many the stars in heaven for multitude. So we have our blessed place in that multitude, like Abraham: justified by faith!
22 January 2014
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27
What blessed peace the Lord Jesus Christ gives to you, His own!
There is no peace like the peace the Lord gives. When He uses this word “peace,” to describe His gift to His disciples, He must immediately add a distinguishing and separating word: “my peace.”
His peace is not the peace of the world.
The world has its own peace, so-called. That peace is a peace of mutual love and cooperation. So much more can be accomplished together than separately. It is generally understood that nations can be stronger when there is peace with other nations and peace within a nation. War and violence sap a nation’s strength and potential. When young men die on the battlefield, the strength of a nation in those young men is lost. When violence stalks the city, people are less likely to trust each other for the sake of accomplishing common goals. Fear robs a society of its productivity, one of the goals of anarchists and terrorists.
So there is a pursuit of peace, and people always enjoy their peace with one another. In that peace they prosper in their economy in business. In their relationships they flourish and prosper, laugh and enjoy their abundance. In their peace, they undertake their cultural pursuits. Art and science prosper and their fruits bring benefits to the masses. In peace the children of the world build their homes and raise their families, enjoying their lives.
Yet, there is truly and really no peace. For all this is undertaken apart from God. All this peace is pursued without acknowledgment that it is all the gift of God, the arrangement of His providence. And all this is undertaken and enjoyed in rejection of God. His honor, His glory, and His fear they will not acknowledge. In their peace, they are at war with God. At peace among themselves, they fight Him!
So Christ must describe His gift to you this way: “My peace I give unto you.” His peace is the peace of His atoning, propitiating blood. His peace is peace with God, complete and full reconciliation. His peace makes God your covenant Friend. His peace gives you to God, to belong to Him forever. For it is the peace that He has with the Father eternally. His peace He gives to you.
Not as the world gives, gives He to you. The world gives, and the world takes. In the world, there is always disagreement and strife. The peace of the world is always a fragile peace. Smiles turn to frowns. Smooth, agreeable words turn sharp and bitter. Easy, friendly meetings become bitter and confrontational. Friendship becomes enmity and hatred. Contracts are not honored; treaties are broken. Nations whose ambassadors and diplomats whose faces smiled while shaking hands hurl their weapons of destruction at one another. Their peace turns to war.
Not so with our Lord. Not as the world gives does He give. His peace is an everlasting, unbreakable peace. It is a peace made by His blood, the blood of the everlasting covenant. It is a peace from eternity, rooted in the unbroken fellowship between Father and Son, in the eternal, infinite Spirit. It is a peace determined by divine, eternal, and unconditional election, your election in Christ.
His peace is a peace that endures to eternity. In that peace the Lord will be always and forever your God. In that peace He will watch over you and take care of you. In that peace He will guard and keep you safe from the enmity and hatred of the world you experience. In that peace He will assure you in the midst of every trial that He is your God and His grace is all-sufficient. In that peace, He will infallibly lead you home, to dwell forever with Him.
“Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid!”
What peace!
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27
What blessed peace the Lord Jesus Christ gives to you, His own!
There is no peace like the peace the Lord gives. When He uses this word “peace,” to describe His gift to His disciples, He must immediately add a distinguishing and separating word: “my peace.”
His peace is not the peace of the world.
The world has its own peace, so-called. That peace is a peace of mutual love and cooperation. So much more can be accomplished together than separately. It is generally understood that nations can be stronger when there is peace with other nations and peace within a nation. War and violence sap a nation’s strength and potential. When young men die on the battlefield, the strength of a nation in those young men is lost. When violence stalks the city, people are less likely to trust each other for the sake of accomplishing common goals. Fear robs a society of its productivity, one of the goals of anarchists and terrorists.
So there is a pursuit of peace, and people always enjoy their peace with one another. In that peace they prosper in their economy in business. In their relationships they flourish and prosper, laugh and enjoy their abundance. In their peace, they undertake their cultural pursuits. Art and science prosper and their fruits bring benefits to the masses. In peace the children of the world build their homes and raise their families, enjoying their lives.
Yet, there is truly and really no peace. For all this is undertaken apart from God. All this peace is pursued without acknowledgment that it is all the gift of God, the arrangement of His providence. And all this is undertaken and enjoyed in rejection of God. His honor, His glory, and His fear they will not acknowledge. In their peace, they are at war with God. At peace among themselves, they fight Him!
So Christ must describe His gift to you this way: “My peace I give unto you.” His peace is the peace of His atoning, propitiating blood. His peace is peace with God, complete and full reconciliation. His peace makes God your covenant Friend. His peace gives you to God, to belong to Him forever. For it is the peace that He has with the Father eternally. His peace He gives to you.
Not as the world gives, gives He to you. The world gives, and the world takes. In the world, there is always disagreement and strife. The peace of the world is always a fragile peace. Smiles turn to frowns. Smooth, agreeable words turn sharp and bitter. Easy, friendly meetings become bitter and confrontational. Friendship becomes enmity and hatred. Contracts are not honored; treaties are broken. Nations whose ambassadors and diplomats whose faces smiled while shaking hands hurl their weapons of destruction at one another. Their peace turns to war.
Not so with our Lord. Not as the world gives does He give. His peace is an everlasting, unbreakable peace. It is a peace made by His blood, the blood of the everlasting covenant. It is a peace from eternity, rooted in the unbroken fellowship between Father and Son, in the eternal, infinite Spirit. It is a peace determined by divine, eternal, and unconditional election, your election in Christ.
His peace is a peace that endures to eternity. In that peace the Lord will be always and forever your God. In that peace He will watch over you and take care of you. In that peace He will guard and keep you safe from the enmity and hatred of the world you experience. In that peace He will assure you in the midst of every trial that He is your God and His grace is all-sufficient. In that peace, He will infallibly lead you home, to dwell forever with Him.
“Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid!”
What peace!
20 January 2014
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:4, 5
Truer words could not be spoken! It is impossible for a branch to bear fruit of itself. When the vineyard is pruned every year after the grape harvest, the branches lie all over the ground. They will never again bear any fruit. They can only wither and die, separated from the vine. While they were connected to the vine, they lived. So they prospered and flourished, bringing forth grapes, signs of prosperity and luxury. See the same branches. From the vine, connected to the vine, they bore their wonderful fruit. Apart from the vine they can bear no fruit at all.
As with the vine, so with Christ. As with the branches, so with the disciples of Christ. They can bear no fruit, except as they abide in Christ. Their blessedness is to bear much fruit. Their fruit is their works that bring honour and glory to God. These works are works of love to God. They are the worship and service of the one true God. They are works of love, mercy, kindness, and peace to the neighbour for God’s sake. In these works they are to abound and flourish, just as branches are to bring forth an abundance of grapes for a plentiful harvest.
In this abundance of these works the disciples of Christ are to show the glory and power of their Lord. As it is true, that without Him they can do nothing, so they are to show that they are truly Jesus’ disciples, by their works of love. They abide in their Lord, and show by their fruits the power of their Head.
This glorious and blessed truth brings its weight to bear on the beginning words: “Abide in me, and I in you.” How important and necessary it is to abide in Christ! And how important and necessary to know what these words mean!
A command is given to us in these words: “Abide in me.” Following immediately is the activity of Christ: “And I in you.” We are meant to see how Christ abides in us. He abides in us by His Spirit. He has sent His Spirit to His disciples. As the Holy Spirit of Christ comes to dwell in us, so Christ Himself dwells in us. Further, and to the point, Christ’s dwelling in us is a dwelling of loving fellowship. So extraordinary and so powerful is His fellowship by His Spirit that He abides not only with us, but also in us.
So are we to abide in Christ. So great and so powerful is the love His Spirit begets in us that we have fellowship with Christ. By the Spirit, this fellowship is so powerful and glorious, that not only do we abide with Christ, but we abide in Him.
So Christ commands us, “Abide in me.” This is the way of our abiding: to love Him, to seek His grace, to read His Word, to think upon His love, His sacrifice, His exaltation, and to call upon the Father in His name. When faced with all His commandments, even the commandment to abide in Him, seek always His grace. For, without Him we can do nothing.
So abide in Him, bearing much fruit, showing the glory of the true Vine!
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:4, 5
Truer words could not be spoken! It is impossible for a branch to bear fruit of itself. When the vineyard is pruned every year after the grape harvest, the branches lie all over the ground. They will never again bear any fruit. They can only wither and die, separated from the vine. While they were connected to the vine, they lived. So they prospered and flourished, bringing forth grapes, signs of prosperity and luxury. See the same branches. From the vine, connected to the vine, they bore their wonderful fruit. Apart from the vine they can bear no fruit at all.
As with the vine, so with Christ. As with the branches, so with the disciples of Christ. They can bear no fruit, except as they abide in Christ. Their blessedness is to bear much fruit. Their fruit is their works that bring honour and glory to God. These works are works of love to God. They are the worship and service of the one true God. They are works of love, mercy, kindness, and peace to the neighbour for God’s sake. In these works they are to abound and flourish, just as branches are to bring forth an abundance of grapes for a plentiful harvest.
In this abundance of these works the disciples of Christ are to show the glory and power of their Lord. As it is true, that without Him they can do nothing, so they are to show that they are truly Jesus’ disciples, by their works of love. They abide in their Lord, and show by their fruits the power of their Head.
This glorious and blessed truth brings its weight to bear on the beginning words: “Abide in me, and I in you.” How important and necessary it is to abide in Christ! And how important and necessary to know what these words mean!
A command is given to us in these words: “Abide in me.” Following immediately is the activity of Christ: “And I in you.” We are meant to see how Christ abides in us. He abides in us by His Spirit. He has sent His Spirit to His disciples. As the Holy Spirit of Christ comes to dwell in us, so Christ Himself dwells in us. Further, and to the point, Christ’s dwelling in us is a dwelling of loving fellowship. So extraordinary and so powerful is His fellowship by His Spirit that He abides not only with us, but also in us.
So are we to abide in Christ. So great and so powerful is the love His Spirit begets in us that we have fellowship with Christ. By the Spirit, this fellowship is so powerful and glorious, that not only do we abide with Christ, but we abide in Him.
So Christ commands us, “Abide in me.” This is the way of our abiding: to love Him, to seek His grace, to read His Word, to think upon His love, His sacrifice, His exaltation, and to call upon the Father in His name. When faced with all His commandments, even the commandment to abide in Him, seek always His grace. For, without Him we can do nothing.
So abide in Him, bearing much fruit, showing the glory of the true Vine!
19 January 2013, The Lord’s Day
“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:7,8
This wonderful way is yours to take as we go up to the Lord’s Day and engage in that part of worship that is giving.
What a privilege it is to have the giving of material good be part of the spiritual worship of the living God. The spirituality of this material giving lies in the fact that it is a gift from the heart to God. The act itself of putting something in the collection plate is not itself worship. That act lies along the same way as being present when the Word is preached, but not paying any attention to it. It lies along the same way as singing God’s praises without the involvement of the mind or heart, mindlessly repeating the lines of the song. Giving is of faith, and must involve the believing heart. The gift must be given from the heart. Therefore grudging giving and giving of necessity (compulsion) is prohibited.
“According as he purposeth in his heart,” so let every man give!
But there is far more in these two verses. What must fill that purpose of the heart? What must be the guide to every man’s giving from his heart?
That guide is not what you are giving. That guide is what you have been given by God. That guide is presented in the following verse. “God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”
Your guide is grace! Your guide is the grace that God is able to make abound toward you. How abundant in grace He is to you! He has poured out that grace to you in the precious blood of His Son, by that blood sealing to you your place in His everlasting covenant of grace. In that grace is the mighty, glorious pardon of all your sins. In that grace is your inheritance of eternal salvation. In that grace is the seal of all God’s promises to you, making them Yea and Amen through Christ. His grace pours out upon you the Spirit of Christ, assuring your heart through faith, and renewing you after the image of his Son.
How much grace? Infinite, abundant grace! So much that you “always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” Such a sufficiency you have, that you yourself may “abound to every good work,” including free, generous, and liberal giving.
Occupy yourself with these thoughts. Be renewed in their abundance as you hear the gospel of God’s sovereign grace proclaimed to you. Out of that abundance, filling the thoughts of your mind and heart, so give cheerfully! “For God loveth a cheerful giver.”
“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:7,8
This wonderful way is yours to take as we go up to the Lord’s Day and engage in that part of worship that is giving.
What a privilege it is to have the giving of material good be part of the spiritual worship of the living God. The spirituality of this material giving lies in the fact that it is a gift from the heart to God. The act itself of putting something in the collection plate is not itself worship. That act lies along the same way as being present when the Word is preached, but not paying any attention to it. It lies along the same way as singing God’s praises without the involvement of the mind or heart, mindlessly repeating the lines of the song. Giving is of faith, and must involve the believing heart. The gift must be given from the heart. Therefore grudging giving and giving of necessity (compulsion) is prohibited.
“According as he purposeth in his heart,” so let every man give!
But there is far more in these two verses. What must fill that purpose of the heart? What must be the guide to every man’s giving from his heart?
That guide is not what you are giving. That guide is what you have been given by God. That guide is presented in the following verse. “God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”
Your guide is grace! Your guide is the grace that God is able to make abound toward you. How abundant in grace He is to you! He has poured out that grace to you in the precious blood of His Son, by that blood sealing to you your place in His everlasting covenant of grace. In that grace is the mighty, glorious pardon of all your sins. In that grace is your inheritance of eternal salvation. In that grace is the seal of all God’s promises to you, making them Yea and Amen through Christ. His grace pours out upon you the Spirit of Christ, assuring your heart through faith, and renewing you after the image of his Son.
How much grace? Infinite, abundant grace! So much that you “always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” Such a sufficiency you have, that you yourself may “abound to every good work,” including free, generous, and liberal giving.
Occupy yourself with these thoughts. Be renewed in their abundance as you hear the gospel of God’s sovereign grace proclaimed to you. Out of that abundance, filling the thoughts of your mind and heart, so give cheerfully! “For God loveth a cheerful giver.”
18 January 2013
“Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” Luke 13:23, 24
How often Jesus answered questions put to Him in this way, giving His questioner far more than he expected!
Are there few that be saved? Is there many or only a handful? Will there be a multitude or only a remnant? Who determines how many shall be saved? Does God determine it? Do those that are saved determine?
Do you see the answer to this question in Jesus’ reply? Jesus answered the question three times, but as usual, in a way unexpected.
Yes. There are few that be saved. Far, far fewer than you might expect, who ask this question.
There are, to be sure, those who do not seek to enter into the kingdom of God, the realm of eternal salvation. They do not care about the kingdom. They have no real regard for the guilt of their sin, its punishment, or mostly that their sins are offensive to God.
But Jesus does not even speak about them. He speaks instead about many who are seeking to enter. These, who are many, shall not be able. They are seeking. They are not merely wishing or desiring. They are taking action to enter into the kingdom. In later verses, they are described as having all kinds of reasons for assuming their place in the kingdom. Jesus will say to them, “I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.”
Secondly, you have the command of Christ itself. The question put to Him He answers with far more than a reason or description. He answers with a command: Strive to enter in at the strait gate. That this gate is “strait,” or “tight,” gives another answer. There are few that are saved. The gate is not built to allow many to pass through. This gate is found off the beaten path, so that even those many who seek and are not able to enter do not know it. It is a gate to be carefully discerned, in order to enter into it.
Thirdly, because it is a “strait gate” you must strive to enter into it. It requires effort to squeeze into it, such effort that not very many are willing to put forward for the sake of this kingdom. There are many who will not put forward this effort. So they pass by this strait gate for the broad gate, and suppose they are entering the kingdom of heaven. They determine their own gate, and must be severely disappointed. There is only one gate, a strait gate. That gate is determined by Jesus Himself.
Why are there so few? Why must you strive to enter? Ultimately because what defines this strait gate, into which you must enter, is grace. Before this strait gate is the cross of Jesus Christ. By that cross is the only entering into salvation. That cross forbids all human work and human endeavor to enter. It does not allow man’s goodness or ability to enter. It does not permit the will of man to enter. So many pass by. So many do not enter. Jesus’ cross is still a scandal, since man must still have his part, his work to do, in order to be saved.
Accordingly, that cross of Christ implies another cross, the cross that you must pick up and bear in faithfulness to His cross. You are called to the way of humility and self-denial. You are called constantly to remind yourself that you are saved by grace alone. You are called to walk the way of bearing all suffering willingly, for Jesus’ sake. You are called to endure the contempt and scorn of the world. Such is what Jesus means when He says: Strive to enter in at the strait gate.
So ask, “Are there many that be saved?” Hear and follow the answer of your Lord: “Strive to enter in at the strait gate.”
“Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” Luke 13:23, 24
How often Jesus answered questions put to Him in this way, giving His questioner far more than he expected!
Are there few that be saved? Is there many or only a handful? Will there be a multitude or only a remnant? Who determines how many shall be saved? Does God determine it? Do those that are saved determine?
Do you see the answer to this question in Jesus’ reply? Jesus answered the question three times, but as usual, in a way unexpected.
Yes. There are few that be saved. Far, far fewer than you might expect, who ask this question.
There are, to be sure, those who do not seek to enter into the kingdom of God, the realm of eternal salvation. They do not care about the kingdom. They have no real regard for the guilt of their sin, its punishment, or mostly that their sins are offensive to God.
But Jesus does not even speak about them. He speaks instead about many who are seeking to enter. These, who are many, shall not be able. They are seeking. They are not merely wishing or desiring. They are taking action to enter into the kingdom. In later verses, they are described as having all kinds of reasons for assuming their place in the kingdom. Jesus will say to them, “I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.”
Secondly, you have the command of Christ itself. The question put to Him He answers with far more than a reason or description. He answers with a command: Strive to enter in at the strait gate. That this gate is “strait,” or “tight,” gives another answer. There are few that are saved. The gate is not built to allow many to pass through. This gate is found off the beaten path, so that even those many who seek and are not able to enter do not know it. It is a gate to be carefully discerned, in order to enter into it.
Thirdly, because it is a “strait gate” you must strive to enter into it. It requires effort to squeeze into it, such effort that not very many are willing to put forward for the sake of this kingdom. There are many who will not put forward this effort. So they pass by this strait gate for the broad gate, and suppose they are entering the kingdom of heaven. They determine their own gate, and must be severely disappointed. There is only one gate, a strait gate. That gate is determined by Jesus Himself.
Why are there so few? Why must you strive to enter? Ultimately because what defines this strait gate, into which you must enter, is grace. Before this strait gate is the cross of Jesus Christ. By that cross is the only entering into salvation. That cross forbids all human work and human endeavor to enter. It does not allow man’s goodness or ability to enter. It does not permit the will of man to enter. So many pass by. So many do not enter. Jesus’ cross is still a scandal, since man must still have his part, his work to do, in order to be saved.
Accordingly, that cross of Christ implies another cross, the cross that you must pick up and bear in faithfulness to His cross. You are called to the way of humility and self-denial. You are called constantly to remind yourself that you are saved by grace alone. You are called to walk the way of bearing all suffering willingly, for Jesus’ sake. You are called to endure the contempt and scorn of the world. Such is what Jesus means when He says: Strive to enter in at the strait gate.
So ask, “Are there many that be saved?” Hear and follow the answer of your Lord: “Strive to enter in at the strait gate.”
17 January 2014
“Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.” Psalm 68:28
The words of this verse are pivotal in two ways.
There is a pivot point in the words of the verse itself. The first is a triumphant declaration of the strength of God’s people. Their strength has been tested and proved on the field of battle. Israel has gained the victory over their enemies. In their joyful triumph they will not boast of their strength, their tactics, or their strategy. They will boast in the Lord. “Thy God hath commanded thy strength.” So they speak and shout to one another. Their delight is that the Lord’s power and glory have been shown in their victory.
So are we taught to give all glory and praise to God for His strength, in any triumph that we accomplish. So are we led to the conclusion of this Psalm: “Blessed be God!”
But this word of praise turns to a prayer. “Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.” Victory must be fleeting without the Lord’s continued help and blessing. Self-reliance following the Lord’s victory will mean only defeat and utter loss. If God will preserve and keep, and if God will strengthen, only then can God’s people remain strong. His works cannot only be the beginning; they must be the continuance and finishing, if that strength is to endure. Looking at His works for us and in us, our prayer must always be, “Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.”
But this verse is pivotal in another respect. See what comes before, in verses 26 and 27. There is mentioned “the fountain of Israel.” There is mentioned “little Benjamin,” and “the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.”
With them, with Israel, belongs the first part of the prayer: “Thy God hath commanded thy strength.” With them belongs also the second part: “Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.”
But for the answer to this supplication we pivot to the following verses. How is God to strengthen what He has wrought for Israel? “Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee.” “Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.” This prayer God answers, with the call of verse 32: “Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord.”
The God of Israel, the strength of His people, has heard and answered their prayer. As He gave them the victory, so He strengthened what He had wrought for them. By God’s mighty grace through Christ, we are the answer to this prayer. When we put our confidence in Christ our Head, we are gathered unto His covenant people. Out of that confidence of faith, we delight in the Jerusalem that is above, and we praise and bless the name of Israel’s God, confessing His glory and everlasting power.
So we add our voices to this prayer. We say of our Zion, “Thy God hath commanded thy strength.” So we also make our urgent supplication: “Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.” And we are assured of His continued, gracious answer, all the way to our Lord’s return.
“Blessed be God!”
“Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.” Psalm 68:28
The words of this verse are pivotal in two ways.
There is a pivot point in the words of the verse itself. The first is a triumphant declaration of the strength of God’s people. Their strength has been tested and proved on the field of battle. Israel has gained the victory over their enemies. In their joyful triumph they will not boast of their strength, their tactics, or their strategy. They will boast in the Lord. “Thy God hath commanded thy strength.” So they speak and shout to one another. Their delight is that the Lord’s power and glory have been shown in their victory.
So are we taught to give all glory and praise to God for His strength, in any triumph that we accomplish. So are we led to the conclusion of this Psalm: “Blessed be God!”
But this word of praise turns to a prayer. “Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.” Victory must be fleeting without the Lord’s continued help and blessing. Self-reliance following the Lord’s victory will mean only defeat and utter loss. If God will preserve and keep, and if God will strengthen, only then can God’s people remain strong. His works cannot only be the beginning; they must be the continuance and finishing, if that strength is to endure. Looking at His works for us and in us, our prayer must always be, “Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.”
But this verse is pivotal in another respect. See what comes before, in verses 26 and 27. There is mentioned “the fountain of Israel.” There is mentioned “little Benjamin,” and “the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.”
With them, with Israel, belongs the first part of the prayer: “Thy God hath commanded thy strength.” With them belongs also the second part: “Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.”
But for the answer to this supplication we pivot to the following verses. How is God to strengthen what He has wrought for Israel? “Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee.” “Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.” This prayer God answers, with the call of verse 32: “Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord.”
The God of Israel, the strength of His people, has heard and answered their prayer. As He gave them the victory, so He strengthened what He had wrought for them. By God’s mighty grace through Christ, we are the answer to this prayer. When we put our confidence in Christ our Head, we are gathered unto His covenant people. Out of that confidence of faith, we delight in the Jerusalem that is above, and we praise and bless the name of Israel’s God, confessing His glory and everlasting power.
So we add our voices to this prayer. We say of our Zion, “Thy God hath commanded thy strength.” So we also make our urgent supplication: “Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.” And we are assured of His continued, gracious answer, all the way to our Lord’s return.
“Blessed be God!”
14 January 2014
“Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” James 1:18, 19
Here is a standard for all of life. Here is where the battle is to be joined for the holy use of the tongue, of the ears, and of the heart. Holiness is in readiness and patience in hearing. Holiness is in the restraint of the lips and tongue. Holiness is in the keeping of the heart from wrath.
Our fight is against wrath. Angry speech refuses to listen but hastens to argue, to judge, and to condemn. This is the malice that seeks not to justify or approve, but to declare guilt, to ruin name and reputation, and to build up one’s self on the ruins of another. We need to listen to the speech of men only for a while to understand how true this Word of God is. So much that passes between the lips of men is either argument or unholy competition.
But the Word of God calls us not to swiftness of speech, but swiftness of hearing. It calls us not to quickness of tongue, but to slowness of speech. We must listen closely and carefully. We must wait until the other person is finished speaking. We must carefully inquire to eliminate any misunderstanding in what we hear. Then we are called to careful, deliberate consideration before we speak. What shall we say? How shall we answer?
But all the above must be based on one fundamental truth. Without this fundamental truth, all we have is some kind of behavioural improvement, but no true holiness.
What is this fundamental truth?
We follow the link given at the beginning of verse 19, “Wherefore.” Wherefore! “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Wherefore...” The only holiness of obedience follows out of regeneration, being begotten again. Regeneration is the act of God’s Spirit, to bring salvation to the elect. By this divine work alone, we become new creatures, able to repent and believe and able to bring forth fruits of righteousness and holiness.
However, for our calling, the manner of our regeneration is placed on the foreground: with the word of truth. Our word has not given us this new birth. Our word is only a word of death. It was the word of God, of God’s truth, by which we have been born again.
That truth is now applied to us in a most powerful way: wherefore! “Wherefore, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” There is the power of our regeneration! There is the reflection of its true manner in our lives! As we have been regenerated, so we are called to act. As we began, regenerated by the word of truth, so we must continue being a kind of firstfruits of God’s creature. We must not hear only that Word of truth by which we have been begotten again. We must stay in that mode of hearing, always swift to hear and always slow to speak. Before God and before men.
Let us be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, showing the glory of our God, who has begotten us again!
“Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” James 1:18, 19
Here is a standard for all of life. Here is where the battle is to be joined for the holy use of the tongue, of the ears, and of the heart. Holiness is in readiness and patience in hearing. Holiness is in the restraint of the lips and tongue. Holiness is in the keeping of the heart from wrath.
Our fight is against wrath. Angry speech refuses to listen but hastens to argue, to judge, and to condemn. This is the malice that seeks not to justify or approve, but to declare guilt, to ruin name and reputation, and to build up one’s self on the ruins of another. We need to listen to the speech of men only for a while to understand how true this Word of God is. So much that passes between the lips of men is either argument or unholy competition.
But the Word of God calls us not to swiftness of speech, but swiftness of hearing. It calls us not to quickness of tongue, but to slowness of speech. We must listen closely and carefully. We must wait until the other person is finished speaking. We must carefully inquire to eliminate any misunderstanding in what we hear. Then we are called to careful, deliberate consideration before we speak. What shall we say? How shall we answer?
But all the above must be based on one fundamental truth. Without this fundamental truth, all we have is some kind of behavioural improvement, but no true holiness.
What is this fundamental truth?
We follow the link given at the beginning of verse 19, “Wherefore.” Wherefore! “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Wherefore...” The only holiness of obedience follows out of regeneration, being begotten again. Regeneration is the act of God’s Spirit, to bring salvation to the elect. By this divine work alone, we become new creatures, able to repent and believe and able to bring forth fruits of righteousness and holiness.
However, for our calling, the manner of our regeneration is placed on the foreground: with the word of truth. Our word has not given us this new birth. Our word is only a word of death. It was the word of God, of God’s truth, by which we have been born again.
That truth is now applied to us in a most powerful way: wherefore! “Wherefore, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” There is the power of our regeneration! There is the reflection of its true manner in our lives! As we have been regenerated, so we are called to act. As we began, regenerated by the word of truth, so we must continue being a kind of firstfruits of God’s creature. We must not hear only that Word of truth by which we have been begotten again. We must stay in that mode of hearing, always swift to hear and always slow to speak. Before God and before men.
Let us be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, showing the glory of our God, who has begotten us again!
13 January 2013
“And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? And still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.” Job 2:3
To what an astounding conversation we are made privy in these words, an exchange between God and Satan! A conversation revealed to us, but hidden from Job, this man God calls “my servant,” and that before Satan.
Satan, consider Job, the servant of the Lord! See how there is none like him in the earth. See how he is a perfect and an upright man. See indeed how Job is one that feareth God and escheweth evil. See, Satan, how he holds fast his integrity. See how he refuses to “curse God and die.” See how the Lord’s servant keeps to his way, though the Lord destroy him without cause!
Be ready, Satan, to see greater things! See the Lord’s servant under greater affliction. See his skin filled with terrifying sores, making him loathsome and putrid. See his flesh wasting off his bones. Hear his friends tormenting him with useless, vain queries and false accusations of various sins. But under these additional burdens, hear also his wondrous confessions, while he maintains his God-given integrity:
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” Job 13:15
“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” Job 19:26
Listen, Satan, and be put to shame!
As then, so now.
Who is under the spotlight today? Who shall magnify the wondrous, gracious, mysterious power of God to uphold His afflicted and beleaguered saints? Which of His people has He burdened with persecution, with pain, with sorrow, with loneliness, with weakness, or with anguish? Which of them has He chosen to magnify His sustaining, all-sufficient grace. Which servants will He employ to put Satan to shame?
Look out for them. When you find them, pray for them. Be with them, to sympathize with them. Hear them. Help bear their burdens. Speak with them. Comfort them. Encourage them. Look for the grace of God to use your presence, your ears, and your tongue to sustain His burdened servants.
Look for His work, to magnify His grace, and put Satan’s accusations to shame.
“And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? And still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.” Job 2:3
To what an astounding conversation we are made privy in these words, an exchange between God and Satan! A conversation revealed to us, but hidden from Job, this man God calls “my servant,” and that before Satan.
Satan, consider Job, the servant of the Lord! See how there is none like him in the earth. See how he is a perfect and an upright man. See indeed how Job is one that feareth God and escheweth evil. See, Satan, how he holds fast his integrity. See how he refuses to “curse God and die.” See how the Lord’s servant keeps to his way, though the Lord destroy him without cause!
Be ready, Satan, to see greater things! See the Lord’s servant under greater affliction. See his skin filled with terrifying sores, making him loathsome and putrid. See his flesh wasting off his bones. Hear his friends tormenting him with useless, vain queries and false accusations of various sins. But under these additional burdens, hear also his wondrous confessions, while he maintains his God-given integrity:
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” Job 13:15
“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” Job 19:26
Listen, Satan, and be put to shame!
As then, so now.
Who is under the spotlight today? Who shall magnify the wondrous, gracious, mysterious power of God to uphold His afflicted and beleaguered saints? Which of His people has He burdened with persecution, with pain, with sorrow, with loneliness, with weakness, or with anguish? Which of them has He chosen to magnify His sustaining, all-sufficient grace. Which servants will He employ to put Satan to shame?
Look out for them. When you find them, pray for them. Be with them, to sympathize with them. Hear them. Help bear their burdens. Speak with them. Comfort them. Encourage them. Look for the grace of God to use your presence, your ears, and your tongue to sustain His burdened servants.
Look for His work, to magnify His grace, and put Satan’s accusations to shame.
12 January 2014, The Lord's Day
“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” I Thessalonians 5:11
Encouraging words are these, to bring you to the house of the Lord today, and to hear the preaching of His Word.
In that assembly, and in that Word proclaimed to you, anticipate both your comfort and your edification.
Look for comfort for your sin-weary soul from the gospel of Jesus Christ. Listen for the glad tidings of the gospel proclaimed to you, that your forgiveness and redemption lie not within your power or ability, but only in the merits of Jesus Christ. Listen for the call, accordingly, to put all your faith and hope in this one Saviour. Be ready to hear the Word that all your life is in your dear Saviour’s hand, and that there is no power that can pull you out.
Look also for edification. Look to be built up in the faith by that same Word. Look to grow in grace and knowledge. Look for more maturity, more growth, more progress in the kingdom of God. Anticipate renewal of your spiritual strength to go out and fight the battle of faith.
But know that Word you hear is not for you alone. It is for your brothers and sisters in Christ gathered there. It is a Word that comforts you together. It is a Word that edifies you together. As you receive in your souls together the same comfort from the Word of God, you are also built up together. You grow strong, not only individually, but also as a body. As you embrace the Word of life together, you also embrace one another.
Present in God’s house, hearing the Word of comfort and edification, you also approve it. As you together heed that Word for your comfort and edification, you also recommend it to each other. Yes, this is the Word that comforts. Yes, this is the Word that edifies. So you comfort yourselves together, and edify one another.
As you do, so carry on. Today, in the Lord’s house, keeping His Word. So also treasure up that Word in your heart, to use it all through the week. Remember it for yourself and remind one another, to comfort and edify each other all your days.
“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” I Thessalonians 5:11
Encouraging words are these, to bring you to the house of the Lord today, and to hear the preaching of His Word.
In that assembly, and in that Word proclaimed to you, anticipate both your comfort and your edification.
Look for comfort for your sin-weary soul from the gospel of Jesus Christ. Listen for the glad tidings of the gospel proclaimed to you, that your forgiveness and redemption lie not within your power or ability, but only in the merits of Jesus Christ. Listen for the call, accordingly, to put all your faith and hope in this one Saviour. Be ready to hear the Word that all your life is in your dear Saviour’s hand, and that there is no power that can pull you out.
Look also for edification. Look to be built up in the faith by that same Word. Look to grow in grace and knowledge. Look for more maturity, more growth, more progress in the kingdom of God. Anticipate renewal of your spiritual strength to go out and fight the battle of faith.
But know that Word you hear is not for you alone. It is for your brothers and sisters in Christ gathered there. It is a Word that comforts you together. It is a Word that edifies you together. As you receive in your souls together the same comfort from the Word of God, you are also built up together. You grow strong, not only individually, but also as a body. As you embrace the Word of life together, you also embrace one another.
Present in God’s house, hearing the Word of comfort and edification, you also approve it. As you together heed that Word for your comfort and edification, you also recommend it to each other. Yes, this is the Word that comforts. Yes, this is the Word that edifies. So you comfort yourselves together, and edify one another.
As you do, so carry on. Today, in the Lord’s house, keeping His Word. So also treasure up that Word in your heart, to use it all through the week. Remember it for yourself and remind one another, to comfort and edify each other all your days.
10 January 2014
“Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.” Proverbs 27:20
A number of the proverbs of Scripture are comparative proverbs. Sometimes they will use elements of nature or human life to teach wisdom. At other times they will use moral observations to teach wisdom. But this proverb is more unique, as it uses the judgment of God to teach something about us.
The basis of this proverb’s teaching is a simple truth about hell and destruction. Hell is the end of the dead. Destruction is the power of force and death that reaches out of hell to cause great and bitter destruction. Another way to understand both is to see hell as the place of the gathering multitude, and destruction as the force that sweeps men into this final gathering place.
What a powerful picture we are given in this basis! Every day, multitudes pour into that dread place. Accompanying these multitudes are their riches and power and the honour, glory, and praise they received from their fellows. Destroyed with them are their thoughts, words, and deeds. Where are their proud works? Where is their glory? Where is their strength? All brought to desolation and ruin.
Despite all this gathering, hell and destruction are never full. They always seek and gather more in. Never a slowdown. Never a cessation. This gathering is unceasing. Think of the water pouring over Niagara Falls.
All this power and sweeping breadth of destruction is now directed back to man. It is now applied to his eyes. “So the eyes of man are never satisfied.” Such is the sin of greed and lust.
To be sure, there are instances of this greed and lust that manifest themselves in some of the men who are great and notable in this world. They have such a power to gather to themselves what they see. They see with their eyes, they desire what they see, and they are able to get it. They amass to themselves great fortunes or great power. These resources they put to work, in order to satisfy the desire of their eyes. But their eyes are not satisfied. Still they desire more, and attain more. But their eyes are still not satisfied. Though their eyes pass over all their possessions, their eyes still see more to attain.
But there are others who do not have such resources or abilities. They may have very little, but they still have their eyes. Constantly their eyes roam, looking for this and looking for that. They will look and they will desire what they see. Since they cannot obtain, they will dream. They will dream of possessing what they desire. But still their eyes will not be satisfied. They will dream of bigger and better things, if only dream.
Such are the eyes of man: never satisfied. Such are our eyes without the grace of God.
For there is only one object that can satisfy our eyes. There is only one desire for the hearts of men. Only one antidote and safeguard is there against the poisonous greed and lust of our eyes: The living God.
To have our eyes filled with the sight of His glory is their rest, their peace, and their quiet. To behold by faith His glorious works of mercy, truth, and grace, is to know fullness: the fulness of His fellowship and friendship. To have Him, through faith in His works, as our God, is to have all the desire of our heart.
And in that fulness of God is also our glorious deliverance from hell and destruction!
So may we ever turn our eyes to Him, to desire Him and Him alone!
“Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.” Proverbs 27:20
A number of the proverbs of Scripture are comparative proverbs. Sometimes they will use elements of nature or human life to teach wisdom. At other times they will use moral observations to teach wisdom. But this proverb is more unique, as it uses the judgment of God to teach something about us.
The basis of this proverb’s teaching is a simple truth about hell and destruction. Hell is the end of the dead. Destruction is the power of force and death that reaches out of hell to cause great and bitter destruction. Another way to understand both is to see hell as the place of the gathering multitude, and destruction as the force that sweeps men into this final gathering place.
What a powerful picture we are given in this basis! Every day, multitudes pour into that dread place. Accompanying these multitudes are their riches and power and the honour, glory, and praise they received from their fellows. Destroyed with them are their thoughts, words, and deeds. Where are their proud works? Where is their glory? Where is their strength? All brought to desolation and ruin.
Despite all this gathering, hell and destruction are never full. They always seek and gather more in. Never a slowdown. Never a cessation. This gathering is unceasing. Think of the water pouring over Niagara Falls.
All this power and sweeping breadth of destruction is now directed back to man. It is now applied to his eyes. “So the eyes of man are never satisfied.” Such is the sin of greed and lust.
To be sure, there are instances of this greed and lust that manifest themselves in some of the men who are great and notable in this world. They have such a power to gather to themselves what they see. They see with their eyes, they desire what they see, and they are able to get it. They amass to themselves great fortunes or great power. These resources they put to work, in order to satisfy the desire of their eyes. But their eyes are not satisfied. Still they desire more, and attain more. But their eyes are still not satisfied. Though their eyes pass over all their possessions, their eyes still see more to attain.
But there are others who do not have such resources or abilities. They may have very little, but they still have their eyes. Constantly their eyes roam, looking for this and looking for that. They will look and they will desire what they see. Since they cannot obtain, they will dream. They will dream of possessing what they desire. But still their eyes will not be satisfied. They will dream of bigger and better things, if only dream.
Such are the eyes of man: never satisfied. Such are our eyes without the grace of God.
For there is only one object that can satisfy our eyes. There is only one desire for the hearts of men. Only one antidote and safeguard is there against the poisonous greed and lust of our eyes: The living God.
To have our eyes filled with the sight of His glory is their rest, their peace, and their quiet. To behold by faith His glorious works of mercy, truth, and grace, is to know fullness: the fulness of His fellowship and friendship. To have Him, through faith in His works, as our God, is to have all the desire of our heart.
And in that fulness of God is also our glorious deliverance from hell and destruction!
So may we ever turn our eyes to Him, to desire Him and Him alone!
9 January 2014
“Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.” Psalm 119:166
What a prayer this is to speak before the Lord, the Searcher of hearts!
In the blessed, sweet, and intimate communion of prayer, the child of God is led to open his heart wide before the Lord. His privilege is to bring out of his heart his hope. “Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation.”
This child knows the Lord’s salvation. He knows it by the manifold promises of God. He has the promise of glorious salvation through judgment. He has the promise of His dear Saviour’s return, the very One Who laid down His life for him. He has the promise of the end of all afflictions and trials, of all suffering and pain, of all grief and sorrow. He has the promise of everlasting, unbounded joy, a joy to express in grateful worship to God the Lord without end.
He also knows the Lord’s salvation by the mighty acts and wondrous deeds wrought by His God already. He knows of the flood of Noah’s day. He knows of the deliverance of Israel through the plagues of Egypt and the destruction of Pharaoh’s great host in the waters of the Red Sea. He knows the destruction of Assyria and Babylon and the return of the Jews from their captivity. In all these the child of God knows God’s remembrance of His Word, and His almighty power to perform it.
The child also knows the Lord’s salvation according to his circumstances. He knows his own enemies, those bent on his destruction. He knows his own weakness and frailty before his enemies. But he also knows the Lord is his God. He knows God’s wonderful, loving redemption of him. He belongs to him.
Out of this knowledge he speaks to his God, “Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation.” He needs not to divide his concerns between two or more, a diversified hope. He does not fear putting all his eggs into one basket. He needs no “plan B.” His confession is a confession of entire security, and is unafraid to declare it before the Lord. In his hope he will not be put to shame.
For this hope, the child of God brings before God also his life. Just as he has declared his hope for the Lord’s salvation, so he also declares his way. “I have … done thy commandments.”
With these latter words of this verse the child of God explains the reality and truth of his hope. His doing of the Lord’s commandments marks him off as a servant. In the judgment to come, the wicked will be swept from the face of the earth and cast into hell. But the Lord will remember His servants, to deliver them. With these words the child of God identifies himself before the Lord. He is one of the Lord’s servants, obedient to Him. He will hope in the Lord’s salvation, because he has done the Lord’s commandments.
Second, the doing of the Lord’s commandments clearly indicates the work of the Lord in him. Without the Lord’s gracious working there can be no obedience, no godliness, no love of God or of the neighbour, as God has commanded. The Lord redeems. He pays the ransom. He justifies. He sanctifies. His salvation is mighty and thorough. His payment is in full. He makes righteous and He makes holy. So the child of God can set before God his own obedience as a reason for having his hope in the Lord. For, whom the Lord justifies and sanctifies, He will also glorify.
At the same time this child’s confession of his hope is certain and sure, standing in the Lord’s salvation alone. He has no hope in his obedience of the Lord’s commands. His obedience is far from perfect. Not only does he have his disobedience, his obedience is also polluted by his sinfulness. His obedience is only a small beginning.
Nevertheless, such is the wonder of God’s grace, that we are able to bring our obedience, howsoever small, as a solid proof of our hope. So may we pray with all confidence in our God, “Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.”
“Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.” Psalm 119:166
What a prayer this is to speak before the Lord, the Searcher of hearts!
In the blessed, sweet, and intimate communion of prayer, the child of God is led to open his heart wide before the Lord. His privilege is to bring out of his heart his hope. “Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation.”
This child knows the Lord’s salvation. He knows it by the manifold promises of God. He has the promise of glorious salvation through judgment. He has the promise of His dear Saviour’s return, the very One Who laid down His life for him. He has the promise of the end of all afflictions and trials, of all suffering and pain, of all grief and sorrow. He has the promise of everlasting, unbounded joy, a joy to express in grateful worship to God the Lord without end.
He also knows the Lord’s salvation by the mighty acts and wondrous deeds wrought by His God already. He knows of the flood of Noah’s day. He knows of the deliverance of Israel through the plagues of Egypt and the destruction of Pharaoh’s great host in the waters of the Red Sea. He knows the destruction of Assyria and Babylon and the return of the Jews from their captivity. In all these the child of God knows God’s remembrance of His Word, and His almighty power to perform it.
The child also knows the Lord’s salvation according to his circumstances. He knows his own enemies, those bent on his destruction. He knows his own weakness and frailty before his enemies. But he also knows the Lord is his God. He knows God’s wonderful, loving redemption of him. He belongs to him.
Out of this knowledge he speaks to his God, “Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation.” He needs not to divide his concerns between two or more, a diversified hope. He does not fear putting all his eggs into one basket. He needs no “plan B.” His confession is a confession of entire security, and is unafraid to declare it before the Lord. In his hope he will not be put to shame.
For this hope, the child of God brings before God also his life. Just as he has declared his hope for the Lord’s salvation, so he also declares his way. “I have … done thy commandments.”
With these latter words of this verse the child of God explains the reality and truth of his hope. His doing of the Lord’s commandments marks him off as a servant. In the judgment to come, the wicked will be swept from the face of the earth and cast into hell. But the Lord will remember His servants, to deliver them. With these words the child of God identifies himself before the Lord. He is one of the Lord’s servants, obedient to Him. He will hope in the Lord’s salvation, because he has done the Lord’s commandments.
Second, the doing of the Lord’s commandments clearly indicates the work of the Lord in him. Without the Lord’s gracious working there can be no obedience, no godliness, no love of God or of the neighbour, as God has commanded. The Lord redeems. He pays the ransom. He justifies. He sanctifies. His salvation is mighty and thorough. His payment is in full. He makes righteous and He makes holy. So the child of God can set before God his own obedience as a reason for having his hope in the Lord. For, whom the Lord justifies and sanctifies, He will also glorify.
At the same time this child’s confession of his hope is certain and sure, standing in the Lord’s salvation alone. He has no hope in his obedience of the Lord’s commands. His obedience is far from perfect. Not only does he have his disobedience, his obedience is also polluted by his sinfulness. His obedience is only a small beginning.
Nevertheless, such is the wonder of God’s grace, that we are able to bring our obedience, howsoever small, as a solid proof of our hope. So may we pray with all confidence in our God, “Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.”
6 January 2013
Matthew 7:26-28, “And every one that heareth these saying of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
What folly! What cause for scorn and ridicule!
Here is a man that has resources and capability. With his resources and capability he is able to build a house. He prepares his materials. According to his plans and his desires he sets aside the needed stone, timber, roofing, and fasteners. Day after day he makes progress on his house. Slowly it rises up until it stands completed, ready to be his dwelling place.
But look where he has built his house! There it stands, this proud edifice, on the sand by the seashore. It rests on sand, always shifting, always moving. One feels the sand moving beneath his feet as he walks by this house. The waves roll in and withdraw, erasing his footprints. And here this fool has built his house!
Not long is it before this builder’s folly is demonstrated. A storm soon arises with its pouring rains and violent winds. The frenzied waves beat against the house and tear away at the sand upon which this house rests. The wind pushes against its sides. Great is the fall of this house! Great is the folly of the man who has built thus!
So is . . . so is “everyone that heareth these saying of mine, and doeth them not.”
How we can hear! How we can pay attention! How we can well understand what is taught us from the Word of God! We have laid out before us what we must believe. We have laid out before us what we must say and what we must do. The sayings are ever multiplied. We must not think only of the sayings of Christ, but we must also think of all the sayings that come from Christ. We must think of all the Scriptures. We must think of all the expositions and explanations and applications of these Scriptures we hear in the preaching from ministers sent by Christ.
We hear, and we hear well. But our hearing will not answer the question whether we are wise or foolish. The man who heard is compared to the foolish man, which built his house on the sand. The question, whether we are wise or foolish must be answered with what follows our hearing? Shall we do these sayings of Christ?
For there is an integrity in these sayings of Christ. This integrity cannot be mocked. What is this integrity? Simply, Christ has said, “Do!” Our answer cannot be, “I hear.” Our answer cannot be, “I hear, and I will go.” Our answer cannot be, “I hear, and I will do.” And then we do not do as Christ has commanded. Such a stubborn refusal is a complete disregard of His word. His word is not to be so mocked and scorned. Ultimately, we foolishly deny the very sovereignty expressed in His words.
The very house we build must therefore collapse, for it is built on sand. That house we build. Its weight is all assembled together into a complete package. It is a complete, full structure, explaining in so many details how we ought to conduct ourselves in every part of our life. But the more we build it up, the more we testify of our own folly, when we refuse to build it in the proper place.
Not on the sand of stubborn refusal. Neither on the sand of our complete inability. Neither on the sand of our feeble attempts.
But on the rock which is Christ! As we give ourselves to do what our Lord Jesus Christ has commanded, we find out we have no strength or ability. All we have is sand. But we return to Christ, the One who has spoken to us. We return to Him, seeking and finding forgiveness for the inability He has discovered to us. We return to Him, seeking and finding His strength to do what He has commanded.
So we build. We build our house on a rock. Our house is safe from the winds that blow, the rain that falls and the waves that beat against it. It stands, for it is built on the Rock that is Christ.
May such be our wisdom today, from Wisdom Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ!
Matthew 7:26-28, “And every one that heareth these saying of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
What folly! What cause for scorn and ridicule!
Here is a man that has resources and capability. With his resources and capability he is able to build a house. He prepares his materials. According to his plans and his desires he sets aside the needed stone, timber, roofing, and fasteners. Day after day he makes progress on his house. Slowly it rises up until it stands completed, ready to be his dwelling place.
But look where he has built his house! There it stands, this proud edifice, on the sand by the seashore. It rests on sand, always shifting, always moving. One feels the sand moving beneath his feet as he walks by this house. The waves roll in and withdraw, erasing his footprints. And here this fool has built his house!
Not long is it before this builder’s folly is demonstrated. A storm soon arises with its pouring rains and violent winds. The frenzied waves beat against the house and tear away at the sand upon which this house rests. The wind pushes against its sides. Great is the fall of this house! Great is the folly of the man who has built thus!
So is . . . so is “everyone that heareth these saying of mine, and doeth them not.”
How we can hear! How we can pay attention! How we can well understand what is taught us from the Word of God! We have laid out before us what we must believe. We have laid out before us what we must say and what we must do. The sayings are ever multiplied. We must not think only of the sayings of Christ, but we must also think of all the sayings that come from Christ. We must think of all the Scriptures. We must think of all the expositions and explanations and applications of these Scriptures we hear in the preaching from ministers sent by Christ.
We hear, and we hear well. But our hearing will not answer the question whether we are wise or foolish. The man who heard is compared to the foolish man, which built his house on the sand. The question, whether we are wise or foolish must be answered with what follows our hearing? Shall we do these sayings of Christ?
For there is an integrity in these sayings of Christ. This integrity cannot be mocked. What is this integrity? Simply, Christ has said, “Do!” Our answer cannot be, “I hear.” Our answer cannot be, “I hear, and I will go.” Our answer cannot be, “I hear, and I will do.” And then we do not do as Christ has commanded. Such a stubborn refusal is a complete disregard of His word. His word is not to be so mocked and scorned. Ultimately, we foolishly deny the very sovereignty expressed in His words.
The very house we build must therefore collapse, for it is built on sand. That house we build. Its weight is all assembled together into a complete package. It is a complete, full structure, explaining in so many details how we ought to conduct ourselves in every part of our life. But the more we build it up, the more we testify of our own folly, when we refuse to build it in the proper place.
Not on the sand of stubborn refusal. Neither on the sand of our complete inability. Neither on the sand of our feeble attempts.
But on the rock which is Christ! As we give ourselves to do what our Lord Jesus Christ has commanded, we find out we have no strength or ability. All we have is sand. But we return to Christ, the One who has spoken to us. We return to Him, seeking and finding forgiveness for the inability He has discovered to us. We return to Him, seeking and finding His strength to do what He has commanded.
So we build. We build our house on a rock. Our house is safe from the winds that blow, the rain that falls and the waves that beat against it. It stands, for it is built on the Rock that is Christ.
May such be our wisdom today, from Wisdom Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ!
5 January 2013, The Lord's Day
Acts 2:41, 47, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls . . . And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
What days these were! On the day of Pentecost, the day Christ poured out His Spirit on. His church, together they increased the church. By the Holy Spirit the risen and ascended Lord brought regeneration, repentance, faith and salvation to those whom He would save. The Spirit twice makes evident this act of Christ in the above words. We do not read of these three thousand souls adding themselves unto the company of the disciples. We read, “ . . . there were added.” The same we learn from the explicit words that follow: “The Lord added daily.” And, lest any should doubt, following are words that reach back into the eternal counsel of God the Father: “such as should be saved.”
Yet, all this work Jesus did, by His Spirit, according to the will of His Father, in such a way that it could be measured and counted. By His holy, glorious work there were these who received the word of the apostle Peter. These were baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. They could thus be counted, and the number found to be on that day three thousand.
So it continued, day after day, in the church of Christ at Jerusalem. “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
So it continues to the present day. It is well for you to enter the house of the Lord and gather among His people there. It is well for you to engage, body and soul, heart and mind, in the worship of the Lord. In that assembly, you have the blessed privilege of helping your fellow saints in the praise and worship of the Lord, and helping each other give ears, minds, and hearts, to the Word of God as we hear it preached.
In that assembly, look around you. What do you see? Do not see there the work of men, but see the work of the Lord. See the work of the Triune God. See the work of the risen and ascended Christ, by His Holy Spirit, carrying out the will of God the Father. This day, see the Lord adding to the church daily such as should be saved.
See that work also in yourself. He has powerfully and mysteriously added you to His own body, the church. Know the fruit of that work in your place today in that assembly. Rejoice in it, as you take your place and as you receive the Word preached to you. And give thanks to your Lord, who has added you to His church. You, who “should be saved.”
Acts 2:41, 47, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls . . . And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
What days these were! On the day of Pentecost, the day Christ poured out His Spirit on. His church, together they increased the church. By the Holy Spirit the risen and ascended Lord brought regeneration, repentance, faith and salvation to those whom He would save. The Spirit twice makes evident this act of Christ in the above words. We do not read of these three thousand souls adding themselves unto the company of the disciples. We read, “ . . . there were added.” The same we learn from the explicit words that follow: “The Lord added daily.” And, lest any should doubt, following are words that reach back into the eternal counsel of God the Father: “such as should be saved.”
Yet, all this work Jesus did, by His Spirit, according to the will of His Father, in such a way that it could be measured and counted. By His holy, glorious work there were these who received the word of the apostle Peter. These were baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. They could thus be counted, and the number found to be on that day three thousand.
So it continued, day after day, in the church of Christ at Jerusalem. “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
So it continues to the present day. It is well for you to enter the house of the Lord and gather among His people there. It is well for you to engage, body and soul, heart and mind, in the worship of the Lord. In that assembly, you have the blessed privilege of helping your fellow saints in the praise and worship of the Lord, and helping each other give ears, minds, and hearts, to the Word of God as we hear it preached.
In that assembly, look around you. What do you see? Do not see there the work of men, but see the work of the Lord. See the work of the Triune God. See the work of the risen and ascended Christ, by His Holy Spirit, carrying out the will of God the Father. This day, see the Lord adding to the church daily such as should be saved.
See that work also in yourself. He has powerfully and mysteriously added you to His own body, the church. Know the fruit of that work in your place today in that assembly. Rejoice in it, as you take your place and as you receive the Word preached to you. And give thanks to your Lord, who has added you to His church. You, who “should be saved.”
4 January 2014
Jeremiah 18:3-6, “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”
The Lord’s prophet obeyed the command of God to go to the potter’s house. There the Lord showed him the potter’s everyday ordinary work, making out of clay vessels for all kinds of uses. As the wheel turned, the potter skilfully applied the strength of his hands and fingers to the lump of clay on that wheel. As he labored for a few minutes on that lump of clay, a flaw became evident. It was obvious to the potter and Jeremiah that this vessel was going to be no good for anything because of the flaw. So the potter collapsed the clay, pushed it back down into its original lump and made another vessel. Simply, he made another vessel as it pleased him.
Then, the Word of the Lord came twice to Jeremiah for emphasis. “Cannot I do with you as this potter?” “As the clay . . . so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.” The Lord is the potter. Israel is the clay. He is able to make whatever He is pleased to make out of the materials before Him.
Powerful expression of God’s absolute sovereignty over all we have in these words! But even more, this picture and these words are directed to a people that are rebellious in their pride. They will be who they want to be! If they want to follow after the Lord, serving and worshipping Him alone, fine. But, if they want to follow after the Lord and also other gods, that must be fine as well. Or, if they want to turn from the Lord altogether, and worship and serve other gods, that must be fine too. They are their own.
Such boldness and arrogance characterizes so much of mankind. Men will be who they want to be, without God. They will be strong in their independence from God. Religious sentimentality is for the poor and the weak, those in need of a crutch to help them cope with reality. Many Christians want to be Christians, without God. They must be independent in their choice to become a Christian, or to be born again. Or they will seek independence in their quest for holiness. One can decide to be holy or remain unholy, all a personal decision.
All of this pride and arrogance cannot abide the powerful, destructive force of what Jeremiah heard in the potter’s house that day. What can the clay say over against the potter? Clay! It is merely the material in the hand of the potter. Its only shape, and its only usefulness, is by the hand and will of the potter. What clay might be of itself, besides being a lump, is only flawed and marred, making it unserviceable for use.
So may we humbly and gladly confess: we are the clay; thou art the potter (Isaiah 64:8). So may we be fit vessels in our Lord’s house, fit and proper for His use, to His glory and praise (II Timothy 2:20, 21).
Jeremiah 18:3-6, “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”
The Lord’s prophet obeyed the command of God to go to the potter’s house. There the Lord showed him the potter’s everyday ordinary work, making out of clay vessels for all kinds of uses. As the wheel turned, the potter skilfully applied the strength of his hands and fingers to the lump of clay on that wheel. As he labored for a few minutes on that lump of clay, a flaw became evident. It was obvious to the potter and Jeremiah that this vessel was going to be no good for anything because of the flaw. So the potter collapsed the clay, pushed it back down into its original lump and made another vessel. Simply, he made another vessel as it pleased him.
Then, the Word of the Lord came twice to Jeremiah for emphasis. “Cannot I do with you as this potter?” “As the clay . . . so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.” The Lord is the potter. Israel is the clay. He is able to make whatever He is pleased to make out of the materials before Him.
Powerful expression of God’s absolute sovereignty over all we have in these words! But even more, this picture and these words are directed to a people that are rebellious in their pride. They will be who they want to be! If they want to follow after the Lord, serving and worshipping Him alone, fine. But, if they want to follow after the Lord and also other gods, that must be fine as well. Or, if they want to turn from the Lord altogether, and worship and serve other gods, that must be fine too. They are their own.
Such boldness and arrogance characterizes so much of mankind. Men will be who they want to be, without God. They will be strong in their independence from God. Religious sentimentality is for the poor and the weak, those in need of a crutch to help them cope with reality. Many Christians want to be Christians, without God. They must be independent in their choice to become a Christian, or to be born again. Or they will seek independence in their quest for holiness. One can decide to be holy or remain unholy, all a personal decision.
All of this pride and arrogance cannot abide the powerful, destructive force of what Jeremiah heard in the potter’s house that day. What can the clay say over against the potter? Clay! It is merely the material in the hand of the potter. Its only shape, and its only usefulness, is by the hand and will of the potter. What clay might be of itself, besides being a lump, is only flawed and marred, making it unserviceable for use.
So may we humbly and gladly confess: we are the clay; thou art the potter (Isaiah 64:8). So may we be fit vessels in our Lord’s house, fit and proper for His use, to His glory and praise (II Timothy 2:20, 21).
3 January 2013
Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.”
A powerful figure leads you and me to this Word of God. “And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.”
Here you are, sitting at a delicious banquet prepared for you, honored guest! Your seat is before a large table, full of delicious foods made from the finest ingredients. Its wonderful odours fill your nostrils with their delights. Its wine is sparkling and fragrant. Your host, a ruler of your city, is at the head of the table. He implores you: Eat and drink!
If you are a man given to appetite, put a knife to your throat!
Why?
Despite his gracious, inviting words, the heart of your host is not with you. Beware!
Beware, for he is not as he speaks. There is no true intention in his words. What is he? Who is he? He is as he thinks in his heart. His heart is not in this feast. His heart is not with you. His heart is the heart of a ruler. He has other things on his mind and in his heart. He sees you as a prospect or as a tool. His banquet before you is a tool. Its purpose is to gain your compliance with him. If you cannot discern the intentions of his heart, it is better to put a knife to your throat–literally.
Constantly you are being seated before such a table, heaped with delicious foods. The devil and the world are always preparing their tables before you. Constantly they invite you, and encourage you. “Eat and drink!” “Enjoy our bounty!” They will wine and dine you.
But beware! As they speak, they are not! But as they are in their hearts, that they are! Their heart is not with you. It is against you. They have no regard for that food they have before you. They are thinking about what comes with the food and in that food. In that food are all kinds of little, unnoticed hooks, ready to catch at your heart and mind. Those hooks they have designed to become bits and bridles to control and direct you.
If you are a man given to appetite, put a knife to your throat!
May God this day grant us such prudence and discretion to know the temptations of our enemies, as we walk in this world!
Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.”
A powerful figure leads you and me to this Word of God. “And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.”
Here you are, sitting at a delicious banquet prepared for you, honored guest! Your seat is before a large table, full of delicious foods made from the finest ingredients. Its wonderful odours fill your nostrils with their delights. Its wine is sparkling and fragrant. Your host, a ruler of your city, is at the head of the table. He implores you: Eat and drink!
If you are a man given to appetite, put a knife to your throat!
Why?
Despite his gracious, inviting words, the heart of your host is not with you. Beware!
Beware, for he is not as he speaks. There is no true intention in his words. What is he? Who is he? He is as he thinks in his heart. His heart is not in this feast. His heart is not with you. His heart is the heart of a ruler. He has other things on his mind and in his heart. He sees you as a prospect or as a tool. His banquet before you is a tool. Its purpose is to gain your compliance with him. If you cannot discern the intentions of his heart, it is better to put a knife to your throat–literally.
Constantly you are being seated before such a table, heaped with delicious foods. The devil and the world are always preparing their tables before you. Constantly they invite you, and encourage you. “Eat and drink!” “Enjoy our bounty!” They will wine and dine you.
But beware! As they speak, they are not! But as they are in their hearts, that they are! Their heart is not with you. It is against you. They have no regard for that food they have before you. They are thinking about what comes with the food and in that food. In that food are all kinds of little, unnoticed hooks, ready to catch at your heart and mind. Those hooks they have designed to become bits and bridles to control and direct you.
If you are a man given to appetite, put a knife to your throat!
May God this day grant us such prudence and discretion to know the temptations of our enemies, as we walk in this world!
1 January 2014
I Timothy 6:18, 19, “That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
This verse of Holy Scripture describes the benefits for those who are “rich in this world.” As these rich Christians do not put their trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, they enjoy this benefit. As they do good, being rich in good works, and as they are ready to distribute and willing to communicate (willingly, not by government edict), the above benefits accrue to them.
As they do good, giving generously and liberally, they lay up in store. They save and they invest. They do not lose, but they gain. With every sanctified act of giving they gain a greater, stronger hold on the eternal life promised them and sealed to them by Jesus’ blood.
How?
We appreciate the power of the paradox described here. A man might save what he otherwise would share. He may not be willing to communicate or ready to distribute his wealth. He wants to keep it. His concern is for this present life. As he does not give but keeps, he reinforces that concern. It only grows larger in his mind and greater in his heart. Consequently, thoughts of the time to come and desire for eternal life grow smaller. This man saves, but he actually grows poorer. He becomes poorer in good works. He becomes poorer in the good foundation, and weaker grows his grip on eternal life.
Then, there is the Christian who is rich in good works. As he distributes and communicates out of his willing heart, he grows richer and stronger. To be sure, he has less than before in the riches of this world, but his giving signifies that this present time is not so important to him. He loosens his grip on this world. By his generosity he reinforces his concern for the time to come and eternal life. In his mind and in his heart, the things of heaven become more real. His foundation against the time to come becomes more solid and sure. His hold on eternal life grows stronger. More assured is he of the blessings that lay in store for him.
May this way, by God’s almighty grace, be ours in this new year: rich in good works for the sake of eternal life!
I Timothy 6:18, 19, “That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
This verse of Holy Scripture describes the benefits for those who are “rich in this world.” As these rich Christians do not put their trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, they enjoy this benefit. As they do good, being rich in good works, and as they are ready to distribute and willing to communicate (willingly, not by government edict), the above benefits accrue to them.
As they do good, giving generously and liberally, they lay up in store. They save and they invest. They do not lose, but they gain. With every sanctified act of giving they gain a greater, stronger hold on the eternal life promised them and sealed to them by Jesus’ blood.
How?
We appreciate the power of the paradox described here. A man might save what he otherwise would share. He may not be willing to communicate or ready to distribute his wealth. He wants to keep it. His concern is for this present life. As he does not give but keeps, he reinforces that concern. It only grows larger in his mind and greater in his heart. Consequently, thoughts of the time to come and desire for eternal life grow smaller. This man saves, but he actually grows poorer. He becomes poorer in good works. He becomes poorer in the good foundation, and weaker grows his grip on eternal life.
Then, there is the Christian who is rich in good works. As he distributes and communicates out of his willing heart, he grows richer and stronger. To be sure, he has less than before in the riches of this world, but his giving signifies that this present time is not so important to him. He loosens his grip on this world. By his generosity he reinforces his concern for the time to come and eternal life. In his mind and in his heart, the things of heaven become more real. His foundation against the time to come becomes more solid and sure. His hold on eternal life grows stronger. More assured is he of the blessings that lay in store for him.
May this way, by God’s almighty grace, be ours in this new year: rich in good works for the sake of eternal life!
31 December 2013
I Peter 4:7, “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.”
The end of every year ought powerfully to remind us of the truth of this Word of God: the end of all things is at hand.
This day is the last day of another year. The passing of another year has brought the end of all things a year closer. Also, we are reminded that the number of years of this earth is about to be increased by one. So very long ago the Holy Spirit wrote these words to the church. “The end of all things is at hand.” With the passing of another year, how much more is this teaching true!
Finally, we ought to be reminded of the events of this year. In this year more of God’s elect have been saved into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ. The number of the redeemed is that much closer to completion. God’s judgments upon the world continue to be poured out, and iniquity has grown and increased in the earth, crying out more and more for God’s holy vengeance. The entire world has spent another year in travail, groaning and travailing for its liberty.
These all are the things that have their end, and that end is at hand!
Therefore, remember!
This Word of God tells us how we must remember. Our remembrance is a battle. We are inclined to forget. Our three enemies, the devil, the world, and our flesh, would drive this knowledge far away from our minds and hearts. Temptations to drunkenness, worldliness, idolatry, and earthly lusts would take our minds off the subject of the end. So Scripture commands us to be sober, to maintain our minds in firm order. Only in sobriety our minds can remain steadfast, remembering the end of all things.
We are also to remember by being watchful unto prayer. Our watching is not that of a soldier posted on guard duty, peering into the darkness of the night, looking for any sign of the enemy attacking at night. Our watching is that of a merchant looking for his ship loaded with his goods. How he keeps his eyes firmly fixed on the horizon, seeking his hope! As we watch for the end of all things, we seek it in fervent prayer. We pray most ardently, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!” And as we pray, so we watch.
As we watch and as we pray, closing out this old year, let us remember: “The end of all things is at hand.”
I Peter 4:7, “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.”
The end of every year ought powerfully to remind us of the truth of this Word of God: the end of all things is at hand.
This day is the last day of another year. The passing of another year has brought the end of all things a year closer. Also, we are reminded that the number of years of this earth is about to be increased by one. So very long ago the Holy Spirit wrote these words to the church. “The end of all things is at hand.” With the passing of another year, how much more is this teaching true!
Finally, we ought to be reminded of the events of this year. In this year more of God’s elect have been saved into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ. The number of the redeemed is that much closer to completion. God’s judgments upon the world continue to be poured out, and iniquity has grown and increased in the earth, crying out more and more for God’s holy vengeance. The entire world has spent another year in travail, groaning and travailing for its liberty.
These all are the things that have their end, and that end is at hand!
Therefore, remember!
This Word of God tells us how we must remember. Our remembrance is a battle. We are inclined to forget. Our three enemies, the devil, the world, and our flesh, would drive this knowledge far away from our minds and hearts. Temptations to drunkenness, worldliness, idolatry, and earthly lusts would take our minds off the subject of the end. So Scripture commands us to be sober, to maintain our minds in firm order. Only in sobriety our minds can remain steadfast, remembering the end of all things.
We are also to remember by being watchful unto prayer. Our watching is not that of a soldier posted on guard duty, peering into the darkness of the night, looking for any sign of the enemy attacking at night. Our watching is that of a merchant looking for his ship loaded with his goods. How he keeps his eyes firmly fixed on the horizon, seeking his hope! As we watch for the end of all things, we seek it in fervent prayer. We pray most ardently, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!” And as we pray, so we watch.
As we watch and as we pray, closing out this old year, let us remember: “The end of all things is at hand.”
29 December 2013, The Lord's Day
2 Corinthians 13:11, “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”
Powerfully and wonderfully do these words bring us before the Word of God in the fellowship of God’s people. They spell out a spiritual recipe for fellowship with God and with His people. They begin as addressed to the church of Jesus Christ, in their relationships with another and with Christ’s apostle. They are the “brethren” in the household of faith.
The commandments that follow address Christ’s goal for them, the goal at which the brethren must aim in their hearts and lives. “Be perfect!” That is, be conformed to the perfection of Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of man. Be so conformed, not only as individual believers, but also as the body of Christ. Then, “Be of good comfort!” That is, be filled with the comfort of God’s Word. Be filled with the assurances of His salvation. Have your hearts and minds occupied with the promises of God’s Word. Be so filled with that good comfort that you overflow in comfort to one another. II Corinthians 1:1-12, I Thessalonians 4:18.
What follow in this verse are the means to that end. “Be of one mind!” “Live in peace!” Think together! Share the same determinations and the same goals! Participate together in your knowledge and understanding. That is, let the Word you hear preached to you together occupy your minds together in fellowship. Let that Word, as proclaimed by your minister, lead you together to Christ and His gospel. Let that Word together lead you to contemplate your lost condition without that Word. Let that Word guide you together in the commandments of the Word, so that you are able together to walk in gratitude.
“Live in peace.” Putting off the contention and strife of vain glory, you will be helped to be of the same mind. Disagreements and contentions must disappear, as you together submit to the one Word of God. As you together share in the riches of the gospel proclaimed to you, you cannot be divided along lines of wealth or popularity. You will rejoice in one another’s goodness from your blessed Saviour, who is rich in grace to all of you.
Through the above, the last words of this verse will be powerfully evident among you. “The God of love and peace shall be with you.” His work will be shown in you. He is perfecting you. He is blessing you with His comfort. He is molding you and making you of one mind. He is granting you His peace. Moreover, He manifests His nearness to you through His works. How are you to enjoy God’s nearness? How are you to be blessed with His fellowship? In being of one mind. In living in peace. In the church, among the brethren, blessed under His Word.
May these blessings be yours today, among the gathering of God’s people, by His blessed Word!
2 Corinthians 13:11, “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”
Powerfully and wonderfully do these words bring us before the Word of God in the fellowship of God’s people. They spell out a spiritual recipe for fellowship with God and with His people. They begin as addressed to the church of Jesus Christ, in their relationships with another and with Christ’s apostle. They are the “brethren” in the household of faith.
The commandments that follow address Christ’s goal for them, the goal at which the brethren must aim in their hearts and lives. “Be perfect!” That is, be conformed to the perfection of Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of man. Be so conformed, not only as individual believers, but also as the body of Christ. Then, “Be of good comfort!” That is, be filled with the comfort of God’s Word. Be filled with the assurances of His salvation. Have your hearts and minds occupied with the promises of God’s Word. Be so filled with that good comfort that you overflow in comfort to one another. II Corinthians 1:1-12, I Thessalonians 4:18.
What follow in this verse are the means to that end. “Be of one mind!” “Live in peace!” Think together! Share the same determinations and the same goals! Participate together in your knowledge and understanding. That is, let the Word you hear preached to you together occupy your minds together in fellowship. Let that Word, as proclaimed by your minister, lead you together to Christ and His gospel. Let that Word together lead you to contemplate your lost condition without that Word. Let that Word guide you together in the commandments of the Word, so that you are able together to walk in gratitude.
“Live in peace.” Putting off the contention and strife of vain glory, you will be helped to be of the same mind. Disagreements and contentions must disappear, as you together submit to the one Word of God. As you together share in the riches of the gospel proclaimed to you, you cannot be divided along lines of wealth or popularity. You will rejoice in one another’s goodness from your blessed Saviour, who is rich in grace to all of you.
Through the above, the last words of this verse will be powerfully evident among you. “The God of love and peace shall be with you.” His work will be shown in you. He is perfecting you. He is blessing you with His comfort. He is molding you and making you of one mind. He is granting you His peace. Moreover, He manifests His nearness to you through His works. How are you to enjoy God’s nearness? How are you to be blessed with His fellowship? In being of one mind. In living in peace. In the church, among the brethren, blessed under His Word.
May these blessings be yours today, among the gathering of God’s people, by His blessed Word!
25 December 2013
Matthew 1:10, 11, “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were coming into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”
Wise men are these! They were gatherers of knowledge, students of the world around them. They studied the heavens and the earth with their sense. They observed and catalogued the regular workings of the world they saw around them. They were also well read. No doubt they had accumulated a great library of ancient scrolls. Constantly they pored over them. As they studied and meditated, and as they calculated, they were led by the Spirit of God to a certain conclusion. They saw a star of some significance, newly appearing in the heavens. And they concluded that this star signified the birth of a certain King over a certain people, the people of the Jews. But even more, they came to the conclusion that He was their King. It was but fitting that they should find Him and present themselves to Him. They must give Him their honor and worship.
How that star led them! First it led them to the city of Jerusalem, to inquire concerning the whereabouts of Him “that is born King of the Jews.” Then, after they were sent by Herod to Bethlehem, that same star led them directly to the very place where Jesus was.
How great their joy! Their hearts leapt to see their guiding star appearing again, leading them with all apparent eagerness to the home of the King of the Jews. Their joy was abundant, and overflowing. How it showed on their eager faces and poured out in excited words from their joyful lips! Here was the very place of the one they had so eagerly sought in their long journey. Their quest was nearly finished.
Here in Bethlehem! Here was He “that is born King of the Jews.” In this humble, little town. To this humble little dwelling the heavenly star guided their feet. Nothing of significance was to be seen about this home. No crowd was gathered about. There was no line formed of people waiting to see the King. But there the star infallibly led, and inside its door was their joy.
They did not question. They did not doubt. This was the Child, He that was born the King of the Jews. Immediately they fell down in reverent, humble, joyous worship. Here was their King, to receive their honor and glory. To Him they opened their treasures. In loving devotion they bless Him with their gifts. Gold for their King they present. Frankincense in devotion to their God they offer. And myrrh for their suffering Saviour they provide.
How wonderful and how blessed their wisdom! Wisdom to know their King. Wisdom to seek and find Him. And wisdom to worship this divine child-King.
May it ever be our wisdom to join these wise men in the joyful worship of our blessed Saviour, our King, the holy Child of Bethlehem!
Matthew 1:10, 11, “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were coming into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”
Wise men are these! They were gatherers of knowledge, students of the world around them. They studied the heavens and the earth with their sense. They observed and catalogued the regular workings of the world they saw around them. They were also well read. No doubt they had accumulated a great library of ancient scrolls. Constantly they pored over them. As they studied and meditated, and as they calculated, they were led by the Spirit of God to a certain conclusion. They saw a star of some significance, newly appearing in the heavens. And they concluded that this star signified the birth of a certain King over a certain people, the people of the Jews. But even more, they came to the conclusion that He was their King. It was but fitting that they should find Him and present themselves to Him. They must give Him their honor and worship.
How that star led them! First it led them to the city of Jerusalem, to inquire concerning the whereabouts of Him “that is born King of the Jews.” Then, after they were sent by Herod to Bethlehem, that same star led them directly to the very place where Jesus was.
How great their joy! Their hearts leapt to see their guiding star appearing again, leading them with all apparent eagerness to the home of the King of the Jews. Their joy was abundant, and overflowing. How it showed on their eager faces and poured out in excited words from their joyful lips! Here was the very place of the one they had so eagerly sought in their long journey. Their quest was nearly finished.
Here in Bethlehem! Here was He “that is born King of the Jews.” In this humble, little town. To this humble little dwelling the heavenly star guided their feet. Nothing of significance was to be seen about this home. No crowd was gathered about. There was no line formed of people waiting to see the King. But there the star infallibly led, and inside its door was their joy.
They did not question. They did not doubt. This was the Child, He that was born the King of the Jews. Immediately they fell down in reverent, humble, joyous worship. Here was their King, to receive their honor and glory. To Him they opened their treasures. In loving devotion they bless Him with their gifts. Gold for their King they present. Frankincense in devotion to their God they offer. And myrrh for their suffering Saviour they provide.
How wonderful and how blessed their wisdom! Wisdom to know their King. Wisdom to seek and find Him. And wisdom to worship this divine child-King.
May it ever be our wisdom to join these wise men in the joyful worship of our blessed Saviour, our King, the holy Child of Bethlehem!
24 December 2013
II Corinthians 8:7, 9, “Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also . . . For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”
What grace! Here is one particular grace, a grace to stand among many other graces, so many graces that define the Christian’s life as gracious.
This grace is given in abundance. The Corinthians are described as abounding in everything. As they are described as abounding in faith, utterance, knowledge, diligence, love for the company of the apostles, so they must also abound in this particular grace: the grace of giving.
This grace of giving is here celebrated according to two of its features. The Corinthians must abound in their giving. Their generosity and liberality are meant to be freely overflowing out of their hands to the poor saints in Jerusalem. This abundance does not refer simply to quantity. This abundance does not mean piles of gold and silver. But it means that there is a forwardness in giving. Though one may not have a great deal, he gives abundantly when he gives generously and freely.
The second feature of this grace of giving is that it is from the heart. As the apostle wrote, it was not by commandment they were to give, but out of their own hearts. They were to be moved deeply by the poverty of their fellow saints at Jerusalem. That poverty was to impel them to their generous giving for the relief of these poor.
How to abound in this grace? How were the Corinthians to abound in this grace? How are we to abound in this grace of our giving?
Look at, consider deeply, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ!
How rich He was! He was rich with all the glory of God. He was rich in all His brilliant, splendid, shining glory of perfect, pure goodness, holiness, power, and wisdom. His was the power to create the vast abundance of the entire universe, including the vast resources of our small planet. Truly, the cattle on a thousand hills are His.
Though He was rich, vastly rich, beyond our comprehension, yet He became poor.
He became poor! Amazing uniqueness of our Lord Jesus Christ! Before He was born, He deliberated and pondered! In His being conceived and born, He acted and moved according to His determinations. Exercising His sovereignty in His own birth, He became poor. He determined to be conceived in the womb of a woman of no fame, and of no reputation or standing in her society or the world, though of the line of great King David. He chose, upon His birth, to be wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, because He made no room for Himself in the inn. He chose, in His entire life’s ministry, to have no place to lay His head. And He chose to be lifted up on a cross, having heard His countrymen cry in His ears, “Away with Him!”
Why? Why did He become poor? Not for His sake, but for yours. For your sakes He became poor. He became poor that “ye through his poverty might be rich.” Through His poverty the riches of the kingdom of heaven are yours! Glory, immortality, and everlasting, incorruptible life are yours because of Him. The favour and lovingkindness of the living God are yours without end. His abundant, overflowing peace is yours to enjoy forever and ever. All this He purchased for you with His poverty.
That knowledge is given you. It is given you by the Word of the gospel, sealed to your hearts by the Spirit through faith. You know! You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In that blessed, knowledge, let us “abound in this grace also.” The grace of giving!
II Corinthians 8:7, 9, “Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also . . . For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”
What grace! Here is one particular grace, a grace to stand among many other graces, so many graces that define the Christian’s life as gracious.
This grace is given in abundance. The Corinthians are described as abounding in everything. As they are described as abounding in faith, utterance, knowledge, diligence, love for the company of the apostles, so they must also abound in this particular grace: the grace of giving.
This grace of giving is here celebrated according to two of its features. The Corinthians must abound in their giving. Their generosity and liberality are meant to be freely overflowing out of their hands to the poor saints in Jerusalem. This abundance does not refer simply to quantity. This abundance does not mean piles of gold and silver. But it means that there is a forwardness in giving. Though one may not have a great deal, he gives abundantly when he gives generously and freely.
The second feature of this grace of giving is that it is from the heart. As the apostle wrote, it was not by commandment they were to give, but out of their own hearts. They were to be moved deeply by the poverty of their fellow saints at Jerusalem. That poverty was to impel them to their generous giving for the relief of these poor.
How to abound in this grace? How were the Corinthians to abound in this grace? How are we to abound in this grace of our giving?
Look at, consider deeply, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ!
How rich He was! He was rich with all the glory of God. He was rich in all His brilliant, splendid, shining glory of perfect, pure goodness, holiness, power, and wisdom. His was the power to create the vast abundance of the entire universe, including the vast resources of our small planet. Truly, the cattle on a thousand hills are His.
Though He was rich, vastly rich, beyond our comprehension, yet He became poor.
He became poor! Amazing uniqueness of our Lord Jesus Christ! Before He was born, He deliberated and pondered! In His being conceived and born, He acted and moved according to His determinations. Exercising His sovereignty in His own birth, He became poor. He determined to be conceived in the womb of a woman of no fame, and of no reputation or standing in her society or the world, though of the line of great King David. He chose, upon His birth, to be wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, because He made no room for Himself in the inn. He chose, in His entire life’s ministry, to have no place to lay His head. And He chose to be lifted up on a cross, having heard His countrymen cry in His ears, “Away with Him!”
Why? Why did He become poor? Not for His sake, but for yours. For your sakes He became poor. He became poor that “ye through his poverty might be rich.” Through His poverty the riches of the kingdom of heaven are yours! Glory, immortality, and everlasting, incorruptible life are yours because of Him. The favour and lovingkindness of the living God are yours without end. His abundant, overflowing peace is yours to enjoy forever and ever. All this He purchased for you with His poverty.
That knowledge is given you. It is given you by the Word of the gospel, sealed to your hearts by the Spirit through faith. You know! You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In that blessed, knowledge, let us “abound in this grace also.” The grace of giving!
21 December 2013
Luke 1:37, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
In these few words the angel Gabriel describes the almighty power of God, His omnipotence.
This power is properly expressed to us in a negative way. To be sure, Scripture expresses the same truth in a positive manner. God does all His good pleasure. He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. With God all things are possible. But when it is expressed in a negative way, as in Gabriel’s words, that power becomes all the more emphatic: there is nothing impossible with God.
Nothing impossible! How quickly our foolish minds might race to ask foolish questions. Can God make a rock so large that He cannot throw it? Can God sin? Can God make a round square or a square circle?
Away with such foolish questions! How they must pale into insignificance before matters that are truly impossible?
What are these truly impossible things?
How shall sinful men be made right with a holy God? How shall spiritually, morally dead men live? How shall the hell-bound captives be brought instead to heavenly glory and perfection?
Impossible! Impossible with men. Impossible among men. Impossible with you and with me. Among men there is none righteous, no not one. Among men there is none living, but all are dead in trespasses and sins.
Required is one righteous man. Required is one man living. But there is none.
Required is one righteous man, whose righteousness can avail for many. Required is one living man, by whom many might live.
Impossible! There is none among all the sons of men. None among all of Adam’s race.
But with God nothing shall be impossible!
For with God in the beginning there was always the Son of God. Very God of very God, light of light and life of life, righteous with the righteousness of God is the Son.
Then there is the gift of that very Son of God, true God of true God, righteous and living God. The gift of God to be given through the virgin Mary, to be born of her womb and of her flesh. Conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary. To be the Son of God, living and righteous, as a man among men.
With God was He given, a man among men. With God was His righteousness given, to make us righteous. With God was His life given, to make us to live. Not only by His virgin birth, but also by the wonder of His almighty sacrifice on the cross in His flesh. So with His righteousness He makes us righteous, worthy of heaven. So with His life He makes us to live, to believe, to be renewed in His image to holiness and righteousness.
For with God nothing shall be impossible! For us. Within us. For His glory!
Luke 1:37, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
In these few words the angel Gabriel describes the almighty power of God, His omnipotence.
This power is properly expressed to us in a negative way. To be sure, Scripture expresses the same truth in a positive manner. God does all His good pleasure. He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. With God all things are possible. But when it is expressed in a negative way, as in Gabriel’s words, that power becomes all the more emphatic: there is nothing impossible with God.
Nothing impossible! How quickly our foolish minds might race to ask foolish questions. Can God make a rock so large that He cannot throw it? Can God sin? Can God make a round square or a square circle?
Away with such foolish questions! How they must pale into insignificance before matters that are truly impossible?
What are these truly impossible things?
How shall sinful men be made right with a holy God? How shall spiritually, morally dead men live? How shall the hell-bound captives be brought instead to heavenly glory and perfection?
Impossible! Impossible with men. Impossible among men. Impossible with you and with me. Among men there is none righteous, no not one. Among men there is none living, but all are dead in trespasses and sins.
Required is one righteous man. Required is one man living. But there is none.
Required is one righteous man, whose righteousness can avail for many. Required is one living man, by whom many might live.
Impossible! There is none among all the sons of men. None among all of Adam’s race.
But with God nothing shall be impossible!
For with God in the beginning there was always the Son of God. Very God of very God, light of light and life of life, righteous with the righteousness of God is the Son.
Then there is the gift of that very Son of God, true God of true God, righteous and living God. The gift of God to be given through the virgin Mary, to be born of her womb and of her flesh. Conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary. To be the Son of God, living and righteous, as a man among men.
With God was He given, a man among men. With God was His righteousness given, to make us righteous. With God was His life given, to make us to live. Not only by His virgin birth, but also by the wonder of His almighty sacrifice on the cross in His flesh. So with His righteousness He makes us righteous, worthy of heaven. So with His life He makes us to live, to believe, to be renewed in His image to holiness and righteousness.
For with God nothing shall be impossible! For us. Within us. For His glory!
19 December 2013
Proverbs 23:17, “Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.”
All the day long we need to have the commandment of wisdom speaking in our ear: “Let not thine heart envy sinners.”
That is the way of our minds. That is the tendency of our hearts. We are always in danger of envying sinners.
Envy is the illicit and immoral desire to be in the place of others. Envy desires the social standing or the power and honor that belong to others. Envy wants the talents or the abilities, or the looks that belong to others. Envy would have the wealth or the large homes, the nice cars, or the fabulous jewelry that others boast.
Envy is a special temptation to us in difficulties. When sick, we envy the healthy. When poor, we envy the rich. When cast down with grief, we envy the happy. When anxious and troubled, we envy the carefree.
Envy in the heart is a powerful toxin. It taints and jaundices the heart and mind of the envious. Their desires and thoughts become more and more corrupt. Envy looks at one’s own possessions with contempt. It is the bitter root of murmuring and complaining against God. Envy destroys contentment. Envy engenders ill-will and malice toward others.
This commandment urges us to remove all envy from our heart with all diligence and care. This commandment urges us to bar the gates of our heart against it. No room may there be for it!
In the commandment itself we have already a powerful weapon against envy. Scripture gives us a true identification of those we are not to envy. The Word of God here does not identify the reason for our envy. It does not say, “Let not thine heart envy the rich,” or, “Let not thine heart envy the carefree.” It says, “Let not thine heart envy sinners.” Look not on their wealth, their status, their power! Look not on the quality of their lives! Consider them according to their standing before God. Sinners! What do their honor, their riches, their power mean? Only the wrath of God. Who are you envying? Why?
The most powerful weapon against our envy is given in the last part of the proverb. “But be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.”
Turn from these sinners with their reasons for your envy! Turn from them to consider the Lord. Put yourself in the fear of the Lord. Think on His majesty, glory, power, righteousness. Think of His absolute sovereignty over all. Think of His power to create and uphold the entire universe. Think of the glorious, incomprehensible, unsearchable riches of His wisdom to create all things by and for His Son Jesus Christ. But think also of the unsearchable riches of his love, grace, and mercy to you through His Son, Jesus Christ. So think and so ponder, until your heart is filled with his fear. Remain in that fear all the day.
There is your blessed freedom from all envy of sinners: the fear of the Lord, all the day long!
Let not thine heart envy sinners!
Proverbs 23:17, “Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.”
All the day long we need to have the commandment of wisdom speaking in our ear: “Let not thine heart envy sinners.”
That is the way of our minds. That is the tendency of our hearts. We are always in danger of envying sinners.
Envy is the illicit and immoral desire to be in the place of others. Envy desires the social standing or the power and honor that belong to others. Envy wants the talents or the abilities, or the looks that belong to others. Envy would have the wealth or the large homes, the nice cars, or the fabulous jewelry that others boast.
Envy is a special temptation to us in difficulties. When sick, we envy the healthy. When poor, we envy the rich. When cast down with grief, we envy the happy. When anxious and troubled, we envy the carefree.
Envy in the heart is a powerful toxin. It taints and jaundices the heart and mind of the envious. Their desires and thoughts become more and more corrupt. Envy looks at one’s own possessions with contempt. It is the bitter root of murmuring and complaining against God. Envy destroys contentment. Envy engenders ill-will and malice toward others.
This commandment urges us to remove all envy from our heart with all diligence and care. This commandment urges us to bar the gates of our heart against it. No room may there be for it!
In the commandment itself we have already a powerful weapon against envy. Scripture gives us a true identification of those we are not to envy. The Word of God here does not identify the reason for our envy. It does not say, “Let not thine heart envy the rich,” or, “Let not thine heart envy the carefree.” It says, “Let not thine heart envy sinners.” Look not on their wealth, their status, their power! Look not on the quality of their lives! Consider them according to their standing before God. Sinners! What do their honor, their riches, their power mean? Only the wrath of God. Who are you envying? Why?
The most powerful weapon against our envy is given in the last part of the proverb. “But be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.”
Turn from these sinners with their reasons for your envy! Turn from them to consider the Lord. Put yourself in the fear of the Lord. Think on His majesty, glory, power, righteousness. Think of His absolute sovereignty over all. Think of His power to create and uphold the entire universe. Think of the glorious, incomprehensible, unsearchable riches of His wisdom to create all things by and for His Son Jesus Christ. But think also of the unsearchable riches of his love, grace, and mercy to you through His Son, Jesus Christ. So think and so ponder, until your heart is filled with his fear. Remain in that fear all the day.
There is your blessed freedom from all envy of sinners: the fear of the Lord, all the day long!
Let not thine heart envy sinners!
18 December 2013
Genesis 3:10, 21, “And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. . . . Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”
How dreadfully terrible was the condition of our first parents. With their one, reprehensible act, their awful stroke against the blessed and glorious Creator, the judgment was executed. They ate, and they died. In the language of the Belgic Confession they separated themselves from God their life. Their death was their new incompatibility with the living God. Now they could not think of God’s presence as before. Before they only delighted in God’s presence. They walked with their God without any need of clothes, completely naked. All the members of their bodies were altogether pure, righteous, and holy. Soul and body together, they were filled with perfect, glorious righteousness and holiness. They had absolutely nothing to hide from God. Even more, they delighted to be an open book before God.
Such is now their death, that they cannot abide God’s holy presence. No longer is God their wonderful, sovereign Friend. No longer can they delight in His presence.
Genesis 3:10, 21, “And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. . . . Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”
How dreadfully terrible was the condition of our first parents. With their one, reprehensible act, their awful stroke against the blessed and glorious Creator, the judgment was executed. They ate, and they died. In the language of the Belgic Confession they separated themselves from God their life. Their death was their new incompatibility with the living God. Now they could not think of God’s presence as before. Before they only delighted in God’s presence. They walked with their God without any need of clothes, completely naked. All the members of their bodies were altogether pure, righteous, and holy. Soul and body together, they were filled with perfect, glorious righteousness and holiness. They had absolutely nothing to hide from God. Even more, they delighted to be an open book before God.
Such is now their death, that they cannot abide God’s holy presence. No longer is God their wonderful, sovereign Friend. No longer can they delight in His presence.