Saturday, December 31, 2022

Pummeling Pluralism: Paul's Preaching of Creation, the Judgment, and the Need to Repent and Believe in Jesus before We Have to Stand before Him [Family Worship lesson in Acts 17:19–34]

What is the message of the gospel in a place like Athens? Acts 17:19–34 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these nineteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the message of the gospel is that the One True God Who created the world and all things is alone worthy of praise, the One True God Who doesn’t need our service is trustworthy of our faith, and the One True God Who will surely judge the world in righteousness has assured this not by the rising and falling of nations but by the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Judge and only Savior.
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2022.12.31 Hopewell @Home ▫ Acts 17:19–34

Read Acts 17:19–34

Questions from the Scripture text: Where do they take Paul (Acts 17:19)? What do they request (Acts 17:19-20)? Why were they so interested (Acts 17:21)? What did Paul begin by observing around them (Acts 17:22)? What does he note as evidence (Acts 17:23)? What does he claim about the relationship of this unknown God to his own preaching? How does Paul identify this God in Acts 17:24? Where can’t He be contained (verse 24b)? How can’t He be worshiped/served (Acts 17:25a)? Why not (verse 25b)? From what has He made whom (Acts 17:26)? What has He appointed to them?

What is the message of the gospel in a place like Athens? Acts 17:16–34 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these nineteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the message of the gospel is that the One True God Who created the world and all things is alone worthy of praise, the One True God Who doesn’t need our service is trustworthy of our faith, and the One True God Who will surely judge the world in righteousness has assured this not by the rising and falling of nations but by the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Judge and only Savior. 

The same apostolic message. The message to Athenians is the same as to Jews: Jesus and the resurrection (Acts 17:18, cf. Acts 17:2-3).

The best that they could do was knowing that there is One that they cannot know (Acts 17:23). They knew that He is from the things that were made (Acts 17:24a, cf. Romans 1:19–20). But because they had exchanged His glory for the lie, they were unable to arrive at a right knowledge of Him or worship of Him (Acts 17:24-25). Just as life and breath come from God, so also right worship can come only from God. He needs nothing; so, only what He commands is acceptable, since it depends upon Him.

They had multiplied idols from every nation. But each of these nations already owed their existence to the one true God (Acts 17:26). He had given them His image. He had assigned to them their time. He had assigned to them their location. And He had assigned to them their purpose: knowledge of Him (Acts 17:27a). He had even put that knowledge into them (Acts 17:27-28).

Man’s uniqueness in God’s image should have been a clue to them that man himself could not come up with an image of God (Acts 17:29). Nations had not been routinely destroyed for idolatry up until that point (Acts 17:30a). But with the message of the gospel going out, it is not only necessary that individuals repent and believe in Jesus, but that nations respond rightly to the gospel that is preached among them (Acts 17:30b). 

And there is coming a day when He Who has been judging nations through history will judge each individual in the cosmos by Jesus (Acts 17:31a). He has identified Jesus as the Righteous One by raising Him from the dead (verse 31b). 

The same grace-dependent response. At first, most of the responses seem to range only between mockery and willingness to give a second hearing (Acts 17:32). But apparently as he departs (Acts 17:33) it is then that the Spirit moves some to convert (Acts 17:34). The Lord is saving whom He will. None for whom Christ died can be lost!

Why were you made? How can you fulfill this purpose? How do you know Christ is the only way?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for creating us to know You and to worship You. Thank You for displaying the truth about yourself in the creation and giving us an inherent sense of it in our own hearts. But thank You most of all for giving Christ to atone for our idolatry, and to rise again as our righteousness, so that we may have hope in Him for the day of judgment. Grant unto us to believe in Him, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP46 “God Is Our Refuge and Our Strength” or TPH417 “Jesus Shall Reign, Where’er the Sun” 

Friday, December 30, 2022

Justified into a Condition of Peace with God [2022.12.28 Midweek sermon in Romans 5:1]


Being justified by faith isn't just a legal status before God; it brings us into an experiential condition of peace with God.

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Dressed to Impress! Clothing that Emphasizes to Us Christ's Personal Representation, Restoration of Paradise, and Removal of Penalty [Family Worship lesson in Exodus 28]

Why does the Lord command such specific clothing for the priests? Exodus 28 looks forward to the p.m. sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these forty-three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the priestly garments indicated representation before God, return to paradise, and reversal of punishment, showing that God is restoring sinners to fellowship with God.
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2022.12.30 Hopewell @Home ▫ Exodus 28

Read Exodus 28

Questions from the Scripture text: Whom is Moses to take (Exodus 28:1)? From among whom, for what purpose? What is he to make for Aaron (Exodus 28:2)? To whom is he to speak for this (Exodus 28:3)? Who has filled them with what?  To make what? What will these garments do? So that he can do what? What six garments are they to make for him (Exodus 28:4)? Who will get holy garments? So that Aaron can do what? What are they to take in Exodus 28:5? To make what (Exodus 28:6)? In what manner? How will it be joined (Exodus 28:7)? What will be on it (Exodus 28:8)? Made in what way, of what material? What are to be engraved on what (Exodus 28:9)? In what arrangement (Exodus 28:10)? With what work and materials (Exodus 28:11)? What will be engraved upon them? Where do the stones go (Exodus 28:12)? With what accessories of what material (Exodus 28:13-14)? What else must they make (Exodus 28:15)? What is the breastplate called? Of what material and workmanship? In what pattern and signs (Exodus 28:16)? What should be set in it, in what arrangement (Exodus 28:17-20)? What will these stones have on them (Exodus 28:21)? What will the breastplate have at its ends (Exodus 28:22)? Made of what? And what will go in these rings (Exodus 28:23)? Made of what? Where will they put one end of the chains (Exodus 28:24)? And where the other end (Exodus 28:25)? Where do these four rings, for inserting the chains, go (Exodus 28:26-27)? What cord is used to bind the breastplate to the ephod (Exodus 28:28)? What does all of this enable Aaron to do (Exodus 28:29)? When he goes where? As what? Before Whom? When? What shall go inside this breastplate of judgment (Exodus 28:30)? So that Aaron may do what? What else are they to make for the ephod (Exodus 28:31)? Of what material? With what primary feature (Exodus 28:32)? How is this opening to be made? Why? What were to be embroidered into the hem of this robe (Exodus 28:33-34)? Out of what materials? Who must wear it when (Exodus 28:35)? So that what will not happen? What are they to make in Exodus 28:36? Out of what? With what engraved upon it? attached by what, to what, on what side (Exodus 28:37)? Where would this put it (Exodus 28:38)? So that Aaron might bear what iniquity? With what result for Israel? What else are they to weave (Exodus 28:39)? Of what material? And what else? Of what sort of work? Who else are to get tunics, sashes, and hats (Exodus 28:40)? With what two features? Who is to put them on whom (Exodus 28:41)? And what two things is Moses to do to them? So that they may do what? What else are they to wear to cover what (Exodus 28:42)? Who must wear them, when they come where (Exodus 28:43)? So that what might not happen? For what duration of the Israelite priesthood?

Why does the Lord command such specific clothing for the priests? Exodus 28 looks forward to the p.m. sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these forty-three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the priestly garments indicated representation before God, return to paradise, and reversal of punishment, showing that God is restoring sinners to fellowship with God.

There is great comfort in the fact that the Lord Who gives us the tasks of our lives also gives us the ability to fulfill those tasks. Aaron and his sons would literally be “outfitted” with reminders that the Lord outfits us as needed. And the makers of the outfits were outfitted by the Spirit for their task (Exodus 28:3). 

There are six items commanded here: the ephod, the breast-piece, the robe, the turban with its plate, the tunic, and the sash. But the bulk of the ink is spent on the construction of the ephod and the breast-piece. The ephod seems to have been an apron type garment, tied behind the shoulders, and facilitating the attachment of the breast-piece. The breast-piece was a sort of ornamental pouch.

Representation before God. The ephod and the breast-piece have in common the emphasis upon the names of the sons of Israel, which will be borne before Yahweh as a memorial (Exodus 28:9-10Exodus 28:12Exodus 28:21, Exodus 28:29). These names would appear on the two onyx stones on the shoulders of the ephod (Exodus 28:12) and on the twelve stones in the four rows on the breast-piece (Exodus 28:17-21). 

As such, this is not clothing only for the High Priest. It is clothing for all Israel. Their names are literally inscribed upon it. Not only will the people be atoned for by blood, but God Himself dresses their Mediator in clothing provided from heaven that looks like heaven. It is woven from the same materials as the curtains and veils. God’s heavenly answer to man’s earthly inability to make himself fit for presentation. In this way, it is similar to God’s giving Adam and Eve better covering for themselves, when all that they could muster is fig leaves (cf. Genesis 3:7, Genesis 3:21). 

The breast-piece would have the Urim and the Thummim inside it, behind the names of Israel. From the few times these are mentioned again, they seem to have been used in a similar way to casting lots, to obtain specific guidance from God (cf. Numbers 27:21; Deuteronomy 33:8; 1 Samuel 14:41; 1 Samuel 28:6; Ezra 2:63; Nehemiah 7:65). 

The Scripture highlights that it is particularly over the High Priest’s “heart” (Exodus 28:30), implying that it is the Lord Who controls the mediator’s heart for the sake of the people. Though small by comparison, this is a lovely picture of how our Lord Jesus is able to save us to the uttermost because He always lives to intercede for us by the power of His indestructible life. His heart is always engaged in mediating for us according to the perfect will of God toward us!

Return to paradise. The next item whose fabrication is descried is the robe of the ephod (Exodus 28:31). It was to be made of all blue, with a reinforced, hemmed opening for the head. The all-blue would have contrasted with the ephod, thus highlighting both. 

The pomegranates (Exodus 28:33-34) at the bottom bring the Edenic theme to the forefront, and the golden bells produce not only sight but sound (Exodus 28:35) as a sensory indication that the loss of paradise is partial and temporary, and the restoration to come is full and inevitable. Some have read verse 35 as provision for if the High Priest should die (then the bells would stop being heard), but the text reads more like prevention (literally, “and he will not die”). God has atoned for sin by blood; now He is giving visual display of His determination to protect His people from the penalty that has been consumed upon the Substitute Whom He provided.

Reversal of punishment. God’s provision of restored paradise and protection from punishment now comes to a “head” (pun intended!) with the turban. As the High Priest stands before the ark, his headwear will be somewhat plain in itself (fine linen, so not colorful, Exodus 28:39), against which the gold plate and its inscription, “Holy to Yahweh” stand out. 

The priest and the people are not merely clothed from heaven, they are marked by heaven as belonging there. They are marked by the Lord as set apart from the world, as uniquely and especially His own (cf. Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 7:6, Deuteronomy 14:2; Psalm 135:4). This dressing of the priest comes to an even greater fulfillment with Christ as our Priest, and His people dressed in His works and His praise as their holiness in the world testifies to His having saved them for Himself as a special treasure (cf. Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 19:8; Ephesians 5:27). 

How needful was this reminder until the coming of Christ! For, even the sacred things that Israel consecrated as sacred gifts (to pile the language as Exodus 28:38 does) still have iniquity and need atoning. But God passed over these former sins in light of the perfect Sacrifice and Priest Who was to come (cf. Romans 3:25–26). Now, we have a sinless High Priest Who leads our worship from heaven. What we do on earth still requires atonement, but it is actively presented by Him Who has both atoned for us once for all and leads our worship from Heaven (cf. Hebrews 2:10–10:39… really, the whole book). Hallelujah!

As the passage draws to a close, the connection to this reversal of man’s sin and guilt in the fall is made even more explicit. The commands for fabricating tunics and sashes not only for Aaron but also for his sons is specifically to “cover their nakedness” (Exodus 28:42) so that whether inside the tabernacle or close to the altar, they will not be there in guilt and death (Exodus 28:43) but in the covenantal love and salvation that the Lord has instituted as long as priesthood shall stand. Aaron “and his descendants” belonged to a priesthood that would expire, but our Lord’s (“Melchizedekian”) priesthood continues forever as the perfection of this covering and forgiveness.

Who is your High Priest? How is He “dressed”? How does He “dress” us? Are you wearing it?

Sample prayer: Lord, we thank You and praise You for providing for us such a Great High Priest as our Lord Jesus Christ. Forgive us for forgetting that in Him, we are already dressed with perfect righteousness and holiness. Forgive us for forgetting that for Him, we are to be dressed more and more with His character and His works as He prepares us for everlasting glory. And grant to us the work of Your Spirit, Who continues to outfit us for that glory we ask, in Jesus’s Name, AMEN!

 Suggested songs: ARP51B “From My Sins, O Hide Your Face” or TPH275 “Arise, My Soul, Arise”

Thursday, December 29, 2022

Growth in Godliness, God's Way, for Christ's Servants and the Churches They Pastor [Family Worship lesson in 1Timothy 4:6–11]

How should ministers serve the brethren? 1Timothy 4:6–11 looks forward to the second reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that ministers serve the brethren by teaching good Christology and commanding its application to life.
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2022.12.29 Hopewell @Home ▫ 1 Timothy 4:6–11

Read 1 Timothy 4:6–11

Questions from the Scripture text: Whom (1 Timothy 4:6) should Timothy instruct in Christology (1 Timothy 3:16)-based sanctification (1 Timothy 4:5) unto a thankful (1 Timothy 4:3-4) life? Of Whom will he be a good servant in that case? By what must such ministry have been nourished? And what does such a ministry do with such good doctrine? What two things must Timothy reject (1 Timothy 4:7a)? Unto what will the careful following of the one, and the rejection of the others, exercise him (verse 7b)? What do people already know (1 Timothy 4:8a)? But what is true with even wider impact (verse 8b)? And what other superiority (verse 8c)? What does 1 Timothy 4:9 say about the statement “godliness is profitable for all things”? Whom are we trusting when we pursue godliness by Christology (1 Timothy 4:10b)? What are we willing to do for this sort of ministry (verse 10a)? Why must it be Him Whom we trust for godliness (verse 10c, d)? How does 1 Timothy 4:11 summarize this instruction?

How should ministers serve the brethren? 1 Timothy 4:6–11 looks forward to the second reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that ministers serve the brethren by teaching good Christology and commanding its application to life.

The brethren must be instructed in Christology-based sanctification that produces a thankful life. The church has this wonderful truth about Jesus (1 Timothy 3:16) that produces thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:3-4) that flows from a life made holy through the Word and prayer (1 Timothy 4:5). But manmade religion (1 Timothy 4:2) flows from the sort of myths and babble that old women tend to come up with (1 Timothy 4:7). These must be watched against and avoided.

Pastoring God’s way because he’s a servant. Timothy isn’t at liberty to teach what is easy, natural, or popular. He’s a minister (“servant,” literally) of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 4:6). So, he must teach that foundational (1 Timothy 3:15) truth about Jesus, that holiness that comes through the means of grace, that thankful simplicity of life and heart.

Pastoring God’s way because it’s efficient. Thinking through good doctrine and applying good doctrine exercises the minister (and the brother) toward godliness (1 Timothy 4:7).  All rational people know that bodily exercise is profitable (1 Timothy 4:8a). And the church apparently had a saying that godliness is profitable for all things (verse 8b). Well, shouldn’t we make sure to get our “spiritual exercise”?  The apostle affirms that the saying isn’t merely human but faithful and worthy as from God (1 Timothy 4:9).

Pastoring God’s way because we’re dependent. The minister himself must be nourished by this same doctrine and faith (1 Timothy 4:6). The minister himself must follow well, with his life, this doctrine that nourishes him (verse 6). And ultimately, the minister pastors this way because he “trusts in the living God” (1 Timothy 4:10). 

God is not distant or idle but near and active—living. And He is the One Who is saving. With believers, we have the added encouragement that biblical ministry to them has a 100% rate of fruitfulness; He is the Savior “especially of those who believe.” That is to say that when we minister to believers, we may do so with the glad knowledge that it is being blessed to their eternal profit. 

A minister who is doing God’s assignments in God’s strength will be much more willing to “labor” and to “suffer reproach” in that service than if he were crafting his own ministry. We can endure much, if we endure it as those who are trusting in God!

Who is saving the members of the church? What is his method of exercising us in godliness? What theology should be foundational? What must we be watching out for? What are some examples of manmade religion that is followed in the churches? When do you get your “spiritual exercise”?

Sample prayer:  Lord, forgive us for entertaining manmade ideas and methods in Your church. Truly, we ought to minister doctrinally, but we often fall back on trying to sway feelings. Truly, we ought to be exercising in the means of grace, but often we want growth to come easily. Truly, we ought to be willing to work hard and to suffer reproach, but we shrink from hard work and bristle or crumble under insult. In all of this, we expose how little that it is actually You Whom we are trusting. Forgive us, O Lord! And restore us unto diligence and zeal and courage and joy in Jesus Christ, in Whose Name we ask it, AMEN!

ARP110B “The Lord Has Spoken to My Lord” or TPH270 “At the Name of Jesus”

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Theology Simply Explained: WSC67 — “Valuing God's Image in Men's Lives Is the Head of the Second Table of the Law”

Pastor walks his children through Westminster Shorter Catechism question 67—especially explaining and applying how the Satanic despising of God and Satanic murderousness are connected throughout Scripture, as are Christ’s love of God and His valuing of men’s lives.

WSC67: Which is the sixth commandment? The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill.
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The Disastrous Case of Those Who Are Zealous for Partial Obedience to the Lord [Family Worship lesson in 2Kings 10]

What does true zeal for Yahweh look like? 2Kings 10 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirty-six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that one may do well for some time and to some extent, but true zeal for the Lord departs from the sin of manmade tradition in religion.
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2022.12.28 Hopewell @Home ▫ 2 Kings 10

Read 2 Kings 10

Questions from the Scripture text: How many sons did Ahab have where (2 Kings 10:1)? Who sent letters where to whom? What were these elders doing? What did Jehu invite these men to do against him (2 Kings 10:2-3)? How do the elders feel about this and why (2 Kings 10:4)? What do they decide to do instead (2 Kings 10:5)? What does Jehu then tell them to bring to where, when (2 Kings 10:6)? Who are these elders who receive the message? What do they do (2 Kings 10:7)? What does a messenger tell Jehu in 2 Kings 10:8? And what does Jehu say to do with the heads? To the crowd that gathers, what does he say about them (2 Kings 10:9)? And about himself? But what else does he ask? Of Whose Word does he remind them, and Whose action does he ultimately credit (2 Kings 10:10)? By whose mouth? What does Jehu proceed to do to whom, where? To where does he go in 2 Kings 10:12? Whom does he meet where (2 Kings 10:13)? What are they on the way to do? What does Jehu say to do (2 Kings 10:14)? What do they do, but then what? Whom does Jehu meet in 2 Kings 10:15? What does Jehu ask about him? What does he tell him to do? What does Jehu tell Jehonadab that he’s going to show him (2 Kings 10:16)? What does this zeal for Yahweh look like (2 Kings 10:17)? What does it fulfill? Now, what does Jehu do (2 Kings 10:18)? What does he tell them he will do? Whom does he say to gather (2 Kings 10:19)? How many? For what? What was his very Jacobish (more literal than “deceptive” here) intent? What did he say to proclaim (2 Kings 10:20)? Where was this proclaimed (2 Kings 10:21)? With what result? What was the condition of Baal’s temple now? What else does Jehu make sure is included (2 Kings 10:22)? Whom does he make sure are excluded (2 Kings 10:23)? Where does he post whom, with what threat (2 Kings 10:24)? What does he command in 2 Kings 10:25? What do they do in 2 Kings 10:26? And what in 2 Kings 10:27? What did people do at that site from then on? What had Jehu done (2 Kings 10:28)? But from what did he not turn away? Still, what had he done in the matter of the house of Ahab (2 Kings 10:30)? And how would the Lord reward him for that? So what was the Lord’s ultimate verdict about him (2 Kings 10:31)? Why? What did the Lord begin to do in response to this sin (2 Kings 10:32)? By whose hand? Which parts did they lose (2 Kings 10:33)? What else did Jehu do (2 Kings 10:34)? Where are those things written? What two things happen to him in 2 Kings 10:35? Who reigns in his place? How long had he been king (2 Kings 10:36)?

What does true zeal for Yahweh look like? 2 Kings 10 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirty-six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that one may do well for some time and to some extent, but true zeal for the Lord departs from the sin of manmade tradition in religion.

A show of great zeal. One of the things that comes across in this passage is how much Jehu relishes his job of fulfilling Yahweh’s Word through Elijah about the house of Ahab (cf. 2 Kings 10:10,  2 Kings 10:16-17,  2 Kings 10:30). Among the political chess of  2 Kings 10:1-6, the grandstanding of  2 Kings 10:7-10, the toying of  2 Kings 10:12-14, the personal showing off communicated in  2 Kings 10:15-17, the ultimate Jacob-ing (less literally translated “deceptive” in  2 Kings 10:19) craftiness of  2 Kings 10:18-25, and even the repurposed latrine of  2 Kings 10:26-27… the implication in this chapter is that Jehu enjoyed this part of his calling immensely.

Which hid from view great sin. Although Jehu himself seems to have believed that he was very pro-Yahweh, and Yahweh does commend him for a total cleanup job on the house of Ahab ( 2 Kings 10:30), we must not mistake this for being entirely pro-Yahweh. He apparently did oversee a great sacrifice for Baal in  2 Kings 10:25, even though the plan was to exact from Baal the ultimate sacrifice. 

But there is something far worse here. He continued the manmade Yahweh-worship by way of manmade methods (golden calves) in man-selected locations (Bethel and Dan) on the manmade holy days ( 2 Kings 10:29, cf. 1 Kings 12:28–33). Hundreds of years of continual religious practice, resting upon almost a millennium of religious tradition for celebrating the redemptive acts of Yahweh (cf. Exodus 32:4–6) couldn’t be bad could it? The Lord’s own view of it is that it was sinning ( 2 Kings 10:29a), causing the church to sin (verse 29b), and not caring to walk in the law of the Lord with all the heart ( 2 Kings 10:31).

Though one do many things, completely the way the Lord has commanded; though many see him being very zealous for the Lord; though the Lord Himself commend much of what he does… still that one may sin greatly against God simply by continuing the church’s traditional observances “in honor of the Lord and His redemption.” 

The text ties the timing of the judgment in  2 Kings 10:32 to the assessment in  2 Kings 10:31. Though Jehu reigned 28 years ( 2 Kings 10:36), and did many mighty acts ( 2 Kings 10:34), all the press is given to his good start wiping out Ahab, and then his boring but wicked continuation of the manmade liturgy of Israel. This is what mattered before the eyes of God. 

What false gods are worshiped in our culture? In our churches? What does zeal for the Lord desire to be done to them? What man-made ways of worshiping God are in the church? What would zeal for the Lord do with that?

Sample prayer: Lord, You alone are worthy of Worship. Forgive us for not being much bothered by how the world around us depends on other gods, is devoted to other gods, and delights in other gods. Stir up zeal for You in our hearts. And grant that this zeal would be genuine, so that we would not continue in any traditional worship of You that originated with man. Forgive us for sins like those for which You judged even otherwise faithful Jehu, and the ten tribes with him. Turn our hearts back to Your Word to be led in worship by Jesus alone, in Whose Name we ask it, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP119W “Lord, Let My Cry Before You Come” or TPH103E “O, Come My Soul, Bless Thou the Lord” 

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Comprehensive Priestly Service [2022.12.25 Evening Sermon in Exodus 27:20–21]


In the priestly service, the Lord brings all His people together in His communication of all His blessings.

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Provoked to Preach the Risen Jesus [2022.12.25 Morning Sermon in Acts 17:16–18]


The Living God, Who created us for Himself, has made Himself known in the Risen Jesus—before Whom we all must stand, and to Whom we are all commanded to turn.

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Biblical Theology of the Diaconate (16): Employing Our Property as God's Property [2022.12.25 Sabbath School]

Man is to own and use his property with respect for other men as made in God's image, and especially remembering that all property is actually God's.
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A Lesson in Responding Well to Wondrous Works [Family Worship lesson in Psalm 75]

How are God’s wondrous works related to His righteous judgment? Psalm 75 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these ten verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God’s wondrous works teach us to thank Him, be humble before Him, trust Him, and praise Him as the great and sure Judge of all.
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2022.12.27 Hopewell @Home ▫ Psalm 75

Read Psalm 75

Questions from the Scripture text: Into whose hands was this Psalm committed (superscript)? With what instructions? By what human writer? As what sort of Psalm (cf. “songs” in Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 3:16)? What do we (doubly!) give (Psalm 75:1a)? To Whom? For what actions (verse 1b)? For what condition that these works declare (verse 1b)? Who is speaking now in Psalm 75:2? What will He choose (verse 2a)? What will He do then (verse 2b)? What happens at that time (Psalm 75:3a)? Despite what original condition, established by Whom (verse 3b)? What does the declaration of judgment tell to whom in Psalm 75:4a? And to whom in verse 4b? How do proud men imitate horned beasts (Psalm 75:5a)? How do they speak (verse 5b)? From where else also, other than man’s self, can’t exaltation come (Psalm 75:6)? Who alone exalts (Psalm 75:7a,c)? What else does He do (verse 7b)? What picture of judgment does Psalm 75:8 present? What is in His hand (verse 8a)? What is in the cup (verse 8b)? Is it just wine (verse 8c)? For whom does He pour this doctored wine (verse 8c–e)? How much do they drink? But what will the righteous do (Psalm 75:9a)? For how long? What else (verse 9b)? To Whom? What happens to the proud horns that the wicked have lifted up (Psalm 75:10a, cf. Psalm 75:4-5a)? Whose heads will be raised up instead (Psalm 75:10b)? 

How are God’s wondrous works related to His righteous judgment? Psalm 75 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these ten verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God’s wondrous works remind us that He is the great and sure Judge of all. 

This Psalm moves from giving thanks for wondrous works in the present (Psalm 75:1) to giving praise forever for God’s righteous judgments (Psalm 75:9). As it does so, it switches between the voices of the congregation (Psalm 75:1), the Lord Himself (Psalm 75:2-3Psalm 75:10), and the Psalmist (Psalm 75:4-9). Thus the Psalm itself conveys the feel of a courtroom where God is Judge, the Psalmist is the prosecutor, the righteous are the plaintiff and the observers, and the wicked are in the dock. The worshiper from the present in Psalm 75:1 visits the future judgment scene in order to respond properly to the present.

Give thanks. The first thing that we ought to do in the present is give thanks. God is always doing wondrous works. The sun keeps rising and shining. The earth keeps yielding its produce for our food. We live. These are not mechanical operations but personal actions that declare that God’s Name is near (Psalm 75:1b). Almighty power was needed to bring the world into existence, and almighty power is continuously needed to sustain it (as intimated by the image of “pillars” in Psalm 75:3). Return to Him thanks for all that He does!

Humble yourself. Current wondrous works (Psalm 75:1) remind us that there is a great, wondrous work coming at an appointed time of judgment (Psalm 75:2). Past creation and steady providence (Psalm 75:3b) remind us that the time of this world’s melting approaches (verse 3a). A proud or wicked man is like a horned beast, lifting its head defiantly… as it stands upon a raft in a river of lava, floating to the edge of a lava-fall into an ocean of it. 

What fools are the boastful! What fools are the wicked! And for whatever apparent humility the worldling may present, truly he is boastful if he thinks that he will survive apart from being declared righteous by God… or that one can make or declare himself righteous or be made righteous in any other way (Psalm 75:6). Yahweh Himself prepares the drugged wine, and the wicked will drain every last drop (Psalm 75:8). 

Trust in the Lord. The great surprise is not that God puts down the proud, but that there are some whom He exalts. Yet, indeed He does so. We know this because Israel was not always Israel. Israel began as Jacob (Psalm 75:9b), but God brought him low in order that he might know that it is God Who wrestles. These lowly ones for whom God Himself becomes their strength and righteousness shall surely be lifted up (Psalm 75:7c, Psalm 75:10b). 

Praise. Let us not stop at thankfulness for the Lord’s actions, but let us continue to the praise of His Person. That which He does is a demonstration of what He is like. Though we will sing His praises forever (Psalm 75:9), we must not wait until forever to begin singing those praises.

What are some wondrous works that the Lord has done in Scripture? What are some wondrous works that He has done in history? What are some wondrous works that He continuously does? Of which of the four primary responses above have you most needed to be reminded? 

Sample prayer:  Lord, we gave thanks to You for Your wondrous works. You made all things and uphold all things. Your character is righteous, Your laws are righteous, and Your coming judgment is both sure and just. Grant that by Your Spirit, we would humble ourselves before You to sing Your praise. And give us to know that in Jesus, You will lift us up all the way to glory, which we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP75 “To You, O God, We Render Thanks” or TPH75 “We Give You Thanks, O God”

Monday, December 26, 2022

2022.12.26 Hopewell @Home ▫ Romans 5:1–2

Read Romans 5:1–2

Questions from the Scripture text: What is the condition of the people the apostle is talking about (Romans 5:1)? Through what have they been justified? Who has peace? With Whom? Through Whom? By what title is He called here? What else do we have through Him (Romans 5:2)? What is the mechanism through which we have this access? To what do we have this access? What do those who have this access also do? In what do they rejoice? In what is this hope?

What is the condition of being justified like? Romans 5:1–2 looks forward to the devotional in this week’s midweek meeting. In these two verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the condition of being justified is not just a legal standing but a condition of peace, service, strength, joy, and hope.

Believers can develop the habit of thinking of salvation entirely in terms of being forgiven of sin and given a righteous standing with God. And most of Romans to this point has focused on standing of righteousness before God (over-against being under wrath). But now the letter shifts to the believer’s strengthening for righteousness from God (over-against enslavement to sin). 

In the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith and for faith; both the standing and the strengthening come only from Jesus, and both come through the mechanism of faith. So, into what condition has this righteousness by faith brought us? Into a condition of peace, service, strength, joy, and hope!

A condition of peace. “We have peace with God.” This is wonderful. Those against all of whose unrighteousness and ungodliness God’s wrath has been revealed (cf. Romans 1:18) have peace with Him. Christ has been exhibited as a propitiation (cf. Romans 3:25), that the wrath of God might be completely consumed. And Christ has risen from the dead, affirming that this in fact has happened (cf. Romans 4:25). God is entirely favorable toward us. We have peace with God. His divine power and wisdom are no longer against us. We have peace with God. But they are not merely neutral; God is for us (cf. Romans 8:31) in His divine power and wisdom. We have peace with God!

A condition of service. “through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Since Christ alone is righteous (cf. Romans 3:10–22), and Christ alone can propitiate for sin that is against God’s glory (cf. Romans 3:23, Romans 1:22–25), peace with God can be had only through Christ. And not Christ as we like to think of Him or Christ as we wish He were, but only Christ as He actually is. So the Spirit adds the title “Lord” here. If we are not ransomed, redeemed subjects of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, we do not have peace with God. If we have peace with God, it is as subjects of the Lord Jesus. 

Justification has brought the believer into a status of ransomed, redeemed, purchased servitude—joyous servitude, as we will see in a moment, but still servitude! A Christian is a servant. He must live entirely to fulfill the will of his Master.

A condition of strength. “through Whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.” As we come into the section of the letter that argues the theology of the believer as God’s slave for righteousness (chapter 6), the Spirit brings us there through the wonderful doctrine of union with Christ. We are not just under Christ as Lord; we are in Christ as Jesus, as Savior. So it is through Him, within Him, by means of Him that “we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.”

We are not brought by faith into a service that we can perform by works. Even our working, even our service, can be done only by God’s own strength. That is to say, we stand not by the flesh but by grace: by God’s strength in the place of our weakness (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:9). Standing, strength for standing, comes only in Jesus, by a mechanism of faith. By the knowledge that Jesus is God’s strength for us, by the awareness that He is carrying us. 

A condition of joy. “through Whom also we […] rejoice.” Jesus doesn’t just make us servants and make Himself our strength for that service. Jesus makes us happy servants. Here is a good test for whether I am actually a servant of Christ or am merely flattering myself that I am a servant of Christ: am I glad? Do I have joy? Jesus came that His joy might be in us (cf. John 15:11, John 17:13). Through Jesus we have access to grace, and through Jesus we rejoice! It is possible to have an accurate knowledge of justification without having an experiential knowledge of justification; those who are justified in Jesus are made servants in Jesus and are made joyful in Jesus!

A condition of hope. “in hope of the glory of God.” It is the truth of God’s glory that the sinner has suppressed in unrighteousness (cf. Romans 1:18–21). It is the blessedness of the Creator’s glory that the sinner has exchanged in order to seek blessedness in creatures instead (cf. Romans 1:25). It is against the glory of God that all have sinned, and it is the enjoyment of the glory of God that all have forfeited by that sin (cf. Romans 3:23). But for the believer, Jesus has reversed all of this. Through Him, we “rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” 

This New Testament word ‘hope’ is not a wishful desire. Though we have grown accustomed to using the word that way in English, the word here doesn’t mean something wishful but something that is absolutely certain. It means the ability to enjoy already something that is not yet seen (cf. Romans 8:24; Hebrews 11:1). To put it succinctly: if we already have the righteousness of God, then we can already enjoy the certainty of God’s glory. 

The more that we experience a joy that profound, the less that light and momentary pleasures will succeed in compelling us to serve them instead of serving Christ.

When have you most needed to know your peace with God? What should you do in those moments? What would a log of your time and spending suggest about whether you are a servant of Christ? By what strength have you been trying to stand? What is the source of your joy? What is the quality of your joy? For what do you hope? How surely do you hope?

Sample prayer:  Lord God, thank You for this righteous standing into which You have brought us in Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Grant unto us to know also the glorious condition into which You have brought us. Give us Your own strength, joy, and hope in Christ, in Whose Name, we ask it AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP117B “What Blessedness” or TPH433 “Amazing Grace”

Saturday, December 24, 2022

It's the Most Wonderful Time! [2022.12.24 Pastoral Letter]

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Dear Congregation,

It’s the time of week for preparing to rejoin, again1, the holy assembly continually in progress in glory2.

The High Priest has passed through the veil as the Anchor who guarantees our access3 and the Forerunner who guarantees our arrival4.

Whenever we assemble, we come through the new and living way that is His flesh5, being united to Him Who ministers that union to us at His table6 as we see the day approaching7.

The washing of our bodies with the water set apart for doing so in baptism8 confirms what our faith knows to be true:
our hearts have been sprinkled clean from an evil conscience9 not with the blood of bulls and goats but consecrated by the blood of the resurrected Jesus10 for our entrance into the Holy of Holies11.

It's the time of week for renewed dwelling upon how Christ’s finished work on earth and ongoing work in glory is about to gather us again to the Father in the holy assembly12.

It’s the time of week for the Sabbath-keeping that remains13 until we cease from our works in this world and enter His rest14.

It’s the time of week for seeking grace in order to worship God in the acceptable way, and with reverence and awe15, since it is through this worship that He preserves us while providing for us an unshakeable kingdom16.

It’s the time of week for remembering again that God Himself has put away the picture book and its shadow-calendar and has brought us into the light of the reality of the Christ that it pictured17.

Day of Joy! Day of Holiness! Day of Feasting! Day of Glory! Day of Strengthening! Day of Christ! The Lord’s Day!

Looking forward to keeping with you God’s own calendar and reveling in the light of ascended, enthroned, worship-leading Jesus,

Pastor


1Heb 10:25; 2Heb 12:18–24; 3Heb 6:19; 4Heb 6:20; 5Heb 10:20; 61Cor 11:24–25; 7Heb 10:25, 1Cor 11:26; 8Heb 10:22b; 9Heb 10:22a; 10Heb 10:11–14; 11Heb 10:19; 12Heb 2:10–13; 13Heb 4:9; 14Heb 4:10; 15Heb 12:28b, 4:16; 16Heb 12:25–28a; 17Heb 10:1

Imputed Justification Absolutely Assured [2022.12.21 Midweek sermon in Romans 4:23–25]


The resurrection of Jesus Christ absolutely assures believers that they are accounted righteous in Him.

(click here to DOWNLOAD video/mp3/pdf files of this sermon)

God Makes Himself Known in the Resurrected Jesus [Family Worship lesson in Acts 17:16–34]

What is the message of the gospel in a place like Athens? Acts 17:16–34 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these nineteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the message of the gospel is the same in every place: Christ crucified and risen.
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2022.12.24 Hopewell @Home ▫ Acts 17:16–34

Read Acts 17:16–34

Questions from the Scripture text: What was Paul doing in Acts 17:16? What happened to him? Where did he go to reason first (Acts 17:17)? With whom? Where else did he reason? With whom? Who encounter him (Acts 17:18)? What does he preach to them? Where do they take him instead (Acts 17:19)? What do they request (Acts 17:19-20)? Why were they so interested (Acts 17:21)? What did Paul begin by observing around them (Acts 17:22)? What does he note as evidence (Acts 17:23)? What does he claim about the relationship of this unknown God to his own preaching? How does Paul identify this God in Acts 17:24? Where can’t He be contained (verse 24b)? How can’t He be worshiped/served (Acts 17:25a)? Why not (verse 25b)? From what has He made whom (Acts 17:26)? What has He appointed to them?

What is the message of the gospel in a place like Athens? Acts 17:16–34 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these nineteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the message of the gospel is the same in every place: Christ crucified and risen. 

The same apostolic message. The message to Athenians is the same as to Jews: Jesus and the resurrection (Acts 17:18, cf. Acts 17:2-3).

The best that they could do was knowing that there is One that they cannot know (Acts 17:23). They knew that He is from the things that were made (Acts 17:24a, cf. Romans 1:19–20). But because they had exchanged His glory for the lie, they were unable to arrive at a right knowledge of Him or worship of Him (Acts 17:24-25). Just as life and breath come from God, so also right worship can come only from God. He needs nothing; so, only what He commands is acceptable, since it depends upon Him.

They had multiplied idols from every nation. But each of these nations already owed their existence to the one true God (Acts 17:26). He had given them His image. He had assigned to them their time. He had assigned to them their location. And He had assigned to them their purpose: knowledge of Him (Acts 17:27a). He had even put that knowledge into them (Acts 17:27-28).

Man’s uniqueness in God’s image should have been a clue to them that man himself could not come up with an image of God (Acts 17:29). Nations had not been routinely destroyed for idolatry up until that point (Acts 17:30a). But with the message of the gospel going out, it is not only necessary that individuals repent and believe in Jesus, but that nations respond rightly to the gospel that is preached among them (Acts 17:30b). 

And there is coming a day when He Who has been judging nations through history will judge each individual in the cosmos by Jesus (Acts 17:31a). He has identified Jesus as the Righteous One by raising Him from the dead (verse 31b). 

The same grace-dependent response. At first, most of the responses seem to range only between mockery and willingness to give a second hearing (Acts 17:32). But apparently as he departs (Acts 17:33) it is then that the Spirit moves some to convert (Acts 17:34). The Lord is saving whom He will. None for whom Christ died can be lost!

Why were you made? How can you fulfill this purpose? How do you know Christ is the only way?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for creating us to know You and to worship You. Thank You for displaying the truth about yourself in the creation and giving us an inherent sense of it in our own hearts. But thank You most of all for giving Christ to atone for our idolatry, and to rise again as our righteousness, so that we may have hope in Him for the day of judgment. Grant unto us to believe in Him, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP46 “God Is Our Refuge and Our Strength” or TPH417 “Jesus Shall Reign, Where’er the Sun” 

Friday, December 23, 2022

Participation of Every Church Member in Communicating All of God's Blessings [Family Worship lesson in Exodus 27:20–21]

What is the first thing we learn as the Lord moves from instructing about the tabernacle construction to instructing about the priestly service? Exodus 27:20–21 looks forward to the p.m. sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these two verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the priestly service is going to be bringing and employing the people’s offerings before the Lord while communicating His favor to the people.
(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2022.12.23 Hopewell @Home ▫ Exodus 27:20–21

Read Exodus 27:20–21

Questions from the Scripture text: Whom is Moses to command to bring what (Exodus 27:20)? For what? So that the lamp can burn when? Where is the lampstand (Exodus 27:21)? What is it before? Who may tend it? When, especially, must they tend it? Before Whom? How long will this be a statue? Unto whom? For whose sake?

What is the first thing we learn as the Lord moves from instructing about the tabernacle construction to instructing about the priestly service? Exodus 27:20–21 looks forward to the p.m. sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these two verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the priestly service is going to be bringing and employing the people’s offerings before the Lord while communicating His favor to the people.

The people’s service. Everyone is participating. The Lord reemphasizes Moses’s own role with the “You shall command” of Exodus 27:20. And there’s the particular priestly role in the assignment given to Aaron and his sons in Exodus 27:21. But there is also the special effort and offering of the children of Israel. “Pure oil of pressed olives” refers to olives that have been pressed by hand or hand tool rather than crushed in the ordinary oil press. The Lord is involving all of His people. Each one’s participation is not only a privilege but a binding obligation. “A statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.”

The communicated favor. The purpose of the great supply of highest quality oil is clear: so that the lamp will burn continually. Especially from evening until morning it must be tended so that the light does not go out. He Who keeps Israel does not slumber nor sleep. He put lights in the sky to govern both the night and the day, and He will later call Himself “the Father of lights” Whose giving of every good and perfect gift never wavers or shifts due to shadow. This is communicated in the service of the lampstand. The light of His Favor never goes out. In the very next section, He is about to begin giving instructions about the priesthood who will perform this service.

Throughout most of the period of the Judges, the lamp of God still had not gone out (cf. 1 Samuel 3:3), but this earthly copy would. Now, we receive constant benediction through Jesus Christ. Our priest sits above the heavens. He has fulfilled our obligations, and our walking in obedience here is supplied by Him through His Spirit. Though the Lord still chastens us in fatherly love, the light of His knowledge no longer shines in a lampstand, but it shines by faith in the heart in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6). 

How have all your obligations to God been fulfilled? Yet, what duties has He assigned you in life? In His church? How can you know that you always have His favor?

Sample prayer: Lord, we thank You that now we have a light before You that will never go out. We know that the light of Your favor in Jesus Christ continually shines upon us. Grant that this would not be seized upon by our flesh resulting in laziness, but responded to by Your grace in us that we would love You by Christ’s loving and living in us, which we ask in His Name, AMEN!

 Suggested songs: ARP51B “From My Sins, O Hide Your Face” or TPH275 “Arise, My Soul, Arise”

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Manmade Religion Is Doctrine from Demons that Robs Us of True Grace [Family Worship lesson in 1Timothy 4:1–5]

What are some lies that compete with the truth? 1Timothy 4:1–5 looks forward to the second reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that anything that is presented as a way of holiness but hasn’t come from Christ is a demonic lie.
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2022.12.22 Hopewell @Home ▫ 1 Timothy 4:1–5

Read 1 Timothy 4:1–5

Questions from the Scripture text: Who speaks about what times (1 Timothy 4:1)? What will some do then? What will they give heed to? What will they speak (1 Timothy 4:2)? What condition of their consciences will leave them willing to do so? What are two types of demonic lies they will teach (1 Timothy 4:3)? Why is forbidding particular foods so wicked—Who made them? Especially for whom? To receive them how? Why are marriage and food good (1 Timothy 4:4a)? What is the proper thing to do with God’s creation (verse 4b)? What two things actually do make holy the receiver, the thing received, and the receiving of it (1 Timothy 4:5)?

What are some lies that compete with the truth? 1 Timothy 4:1–5 looks forward to the second reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that anything that is presented as a way of holiness but hasn’t come from Christ is a demonic lie.

When we realize that the great truth that the church guards is Christ Himself (1 Timothy 3:16), we realize that nothing else must be laid down alongside Christ’s gospel (cf. Galatians 1:8–9). Where do other religious ideas come from? 1 Timothy 4:1-2 tells us: demons that tell lies, and people that believe them and repeat them. 

How can they do this? Their consciences have been “seared with a hot iron.” They are so accustomed to thinking and doing what’s wrong that their consciences have lost any sensitivity—tender skin has been replaced with dead scar tissue.

One demonic lie that is often believed or repeated is that the “latter times” are something unique to the early 21st century. If it was already the “latter times” when Paul was writing to Timothy, it has been the “latter times” for a while! 

But our own passage has two explicit examples of what the Spirit has explicitly warned about. We are not surprised that both are practices of the papist church: forbidding marriage (as they do with priests) and prescribed fasts. After 1 Timothy 3:16 rejoicing in how all holiness comes from Jesus, we can see just how demonic it is to think that it can come from refusing some good creation from God. Manmade religion has an appearance of wisdom to us, but is actually of no true spiritual value since only the Lord can produce the fruit of anything religious (cf. Colossians 2:20–23).

In fact, 1 Timothy 4:3 reminds us that whatever good God has created is especially for believers. They are the rightful heirs of all good things, and His goodness has a special focus upon them. Holiness is not obtained by refusing them, but rather expressed by receiving them with thankful hearts (1 Timothy 4:4).

How does holiness come? The how question is determined by the “from Whom” question. Since it comes only from the Lord Himself, it comes only by means that He has appointed, and 1 Timothy 4:5 gives us two biggies: the Word of God and prayer. As the Lord makes us holy by these, our receiving of His good gifts will be increasingly holy as well.

By contrast, manmade religion comes from deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. They are lies spoken in hypocrisy. They are opposed to the truth as it is in Jesus.

What are the ways that the Lord has taught us that He gives us holiness? What are some manmade rules or traditions that feel spiritual? Why are they useless? Why are they actually harmful? Where did they come from?

Sample prayer:  Lord, You have warned us that some would depart from the faith by adding to the religion that You have given us. But we are still consantly adding something or another from the ideas or traditions of men. Forgive us! We even refuse Your good gifts, as if our problems are in the creation rather than in ourselves and our wicked use of them. Forgive us! And make us to receive all Your good gifts with thanksgiving. Sanctify us by Your Word and prayer, we ask in Jesus’s Name, AMEN!

ARP110B “The Lord Has Spoken to My Lord” or TPH270 “At the Name of Jesus”

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

A Vivid Account of How the LORD Wisely, Faithfully, Justly Keeps His Word [Family Worship lesson in 2Kings 9]

What is the Spirit emphasizing to us by way of such a vivid, violent account? 2Kings 9 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirty-seven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit emphasizes to us the Lord’s wisdom to keep His Word through such a variety of servants, His faithfulness to keep that Word though all others doubt or forget it, and His justness to keep that Word in avenging both His holiness in worship and His persecuted people.
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2022.12.21 Hopewell @Home ▫ 2 Kings 9

Read 2 Kings 9

Questions from the Scripture text: Who called whom in 2 Kings 9:1? What did he tell him to take where? Whom should he secure (2 Kings 9:2)? To do what to him (2 Kings 9:3)? Saying what? And then do what? How quickly? What does the young man do (2 Kings 9:4)? Whom does he find (2 Kings 9:5)? What does he say? What does Jehu ask? What does he answer? What does he do in 2 Kings 9:6? What does he say? What does he add that we did not hear about in 2 Kings 9:3 (2 Kings 9:7-10, cf. 1 Kings 19:16, 1 Kings 21:20–24)? What does he immediately do at the end of 2 Kings 9:10? Who ask what in 2 Kings 9:11? How does he answer? What do they say to this (2 Kings 9:12)? What do they demand? How much does Jehu tell them? What do the men then do and say (2 Kings 9:13)? Where had northern Joram been, doing what (2 Kings 9:14)? But where had he gone and why (2 Kings 9:15)? And who was visiting him (2 Kings 9:16b, cf. 1 Kings 8:29)? Where does Jehu go (2 Kings 9:16)? Who sees Jehu and company (2 Kings 9:17)? Whom does Joram send to ask what? But how does Jehu answer (2 Kings 9:18)? And what does the watchman say? How does Joram respond in 2 Kings 9:19? With what result? Now what does the watchman observe (2 Kings 9:20)? Now what does Joram do in 2 Kings 9:21? And what does he ask (2 Kings 9:22a)? But how does Jehu answer in verse 22b? Now what does Joram do and say (2 Kings 9:23)? But what does Jehu do, with what result (2 Kings 9:24)? And what does Jehu tell whom to do (2 Kings 9:25)? Why? What prophecy does he pronounce in addition (2 Kings 9:26)? Who sees this (2 Kings 9:27)? What does he do? But what does Jehu do? With what result? What note is added in 2 Kings 9:29? Where does Jehu come in 2 Kings 9:30? Who has heard of what he’s doing? What does she do? Whom and what does she call him (2 Kings 9:31, cf. 1 Kings 16:9–20)? But whom does he address/ask instead (2 Kings 9:32)? What answer does he get? What does he say to do (2 Kings 9:33)? What do they do? What does Jehu do with his horses? Then what does he do (2 Kings 9:34a)? Then what does he command (verse 34b)? Why couldn’t they obey (2 Kings 9:35)? What does Jehu conclude when he hears (2 Kings 9:36-37, cf. 1 Kings 21:23)?

What is the Spirit emphasizing to us by way of such a vivid, violent account? 2 Kings 9 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirty-seven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit emphasizes to us the Lord’s wisdom to keep His Word through such a variety of servants, His faithfulness to keep that Word though all others doubt or forget it, and His justness to keep that Word in avenging both His holiness in worship and His persecuted people.

The Lord’s Word drives history. We’ve known that Elijah (and, apparently, his prophetic heirs) would be the anointers of this since 1 Kings 19:16. And we’ve known much of the specifics of this since 1 Kings 21:21–24. The Lord just loves His worship too much to let the manmade worship of Jeroboam, Baasha, and Ahab go. And He loves the “least of these” Naboths too much to allow tyrannical assault on them to go unanswered (cf. (1 Kings 21:17–20).

We would do well to remember this, even if evil seems to have gone unchecked for a while. The Lord is not slow as some count slowness. He’s patient for the sake of His redemptive work, but the wicked are certainly reserved for destruction. They might sit comfortably as princesses (cf. 2 Kings 9:30), but if His Word has declared them dogfood, the curs will soon have their chow (2 Kings 9:35-36, cf. 1 Kings 21:23).

Not only has His Word assured this, but when the incident itself arrives, it’s the Word that instigates it. The Word itself is highlighted by the fact that it isn’t even the premier prophet of the day but just one of the sons of the prophets. Basically, a seminary student(!) anoints Jehu. The power is in the Word, not the man.

The Lord uses madmen. Jehoshaphat had been godly in some respects but horribly foolish in others. He apparently admired (!) Ahab enough to name his kid after Ahab’s kid, and then marry him off to Ahab’s daughter. It was clear whom he wanted to be king. But now the Lord anoints another of his boys to wipe out Ahab’s line (including the aforementioned son of Jehoshaphat). This is a great mercy isn’t it? The Lord could have raised up another seed from David’s line, but He honors Jehoshaphat by the use of Jehu.

Jehu definitely was not first choice for king from Jehoshaphat’s line. He had some military cred (cf. 2 Kings 9:5), but he was a bit unpolished. Either just his driving, or perhaps his entire persona, is well renowned for smacking of madness (a more literal translation than “furiously” in 2 Kings 9:20). But he is God’s choice. That’s what anointing intimates.

The Lord avenges both His precepts and His people. The book on Jeroboam son of Nebat, Baasha, and Ahab was clear. They had made Israel to sin. This phrase began back when Jeroboam invented his own Yahweh-worship system to preempt northerners from going south/up to Jerusalem to worship. Ahab took it to new heights when he married the Sidonian princess Jezebel, worldwide leading sponsor of Baal and Asherah worship (cf. 2 Kings 9:22b). But the Lord is holy. He will not permit the profaning of His worship to go unanswered, even if the manmade tradition has stood for centuries or more (this one had elements that went back to Aaron at Sinai).

But there’s something else that the Lord is answering here, and we’re alerted to it by the place that northern Joram and Jehu intersect in 2 Kings 9:21. It just “happens” to be Naboth’s vineyard, which the Holy Spirit is still calling “the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite” (verse 21). The Lord remembers His people and avenges them, even if the world has long since forgotten.

What manmade traditions in the churches seem to have gone “unanswered” by God thus far? What wicked tyrannies over Christ’s people? But what is in control of history, and what does this mean for tyrants and idolaters.

Sample prayer: Lord, You hate manmade worship and tyranny, and You reserve both for destruction. Have mercy on Your churches that have tolerated it for so long that they now justify it by the length of the tradition and the supposed goodness of their intentions. Grant them repentance, and grant that we would keep repenting of whatever comes from us instead of You. Please, mercifully turn us from any tyranny or taking advantage of others. And grant us the faith to know that You will avenge all tyranny and oppression of us. We praise You for Your just vengeance, and we thank You that in our case You have taken the penalty out upon Yourself in Christ, in Whose Name we pray, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP119W “Lord, Let My Cry Before You Come” or TPH103E “O, Come My Soul, Bless Thou the Lord

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Theology Simply Explained—WSC66, God's Own Reason for Us to Keep the Fifth Commandment

Pastor walks his children through Westminster Shorter Catechism question 66—especially explaining that God has so ordered His world that personal, family, church, and national blessing comes through the keeping of the fifth commandment.

WSC66: What is the reason annexed to the fifth commandment? The reason annexed to the fifth commandment is a promise of long life and prosperity (as far as it shall serve for God’s glory and their own good) to all such as keep this commandment.
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Spirit-Taught Pleading for When the Church Is Brought Very Low [Family Worship lesson in Psalm 74]

What can believers pray when their enemies are given such success that it appears that God is against them? Psalm 74 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twenty-three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that when the church’s enemies are permitted to afflict the church, so that the chastening hand of God appears to be against her, the church can still plead the glory and character of God, and her own pitiable estate and relationship to Him.
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2022.12.20 Hopewell @Home ▫ Psalm 74

Read Psalm 74

Questions from the Scripture text: Who penned this Psalm (superscript)? What has he concluded from Israel’s present circumstances (Psalm 74:1)? But who are Israel, unto God (Psalm 74:2)? What specifically have the enemies destroyed, and in what manner (Psalm 74:3-8)? What is hindering Israel’s understanding (Psalm 74:9)? Whose actions (inactions) are even more troubling than the enemies’ (Psalm 74:10-11)? But what has He done in the past, in both creation and redemption (Psalm 74:12-17)? For Whose sake does the Psalmist want God to act (Psalm 74:18Psalm 74:22-23)? How does he ask God to think of His people (Psalm 74:19)? What, specifically, does he ask God to remember (Psalm 74:20)? What about them does he present as a plea (Psalm 74:19b, Psalm 74:21)? 

What can believers pray when their enemies are given such success that it appears that God is against them? Psalm 74 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twenty-three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that when the church’s enemies are permitted to afflict the church, so that the chastening hand of God appears to be against her, the church can still plead the glory and character of God, and her own pitiable estate and relationship to Him.  

The Psalm takes place in the wake of the destruction of Jerusalem and the third and final wave of the Babylonian exiling of Judah. There is much that we can learn by how the Psalmist prays.

The silent wrath of God is more troubling than the noisy rage of enemiesPsalm 74:1Psalm 74:10-11. Enemies rage and destroy; that’s what they do. But the Psalmist leads with the fact that this all comes in God’s anger against His own people. The first seventeen verses of the Psalm are built on the “Why?” of Psalm 74:1 and the “How long” and “Why” of Psalm 74:10. It is the anger of God (Psalm 74:1) and keeping of His hand in His pocket (Psalm 74:11) that is most dismaying.

The most worthy trait of God’s people is that they are HisPsalm 74:2Psalm 74:19. This is a people in bad spiritual shape. Not only has Judah been slaughtered and exiled by Babylon, but they have no Word from the Lord (Psalm 74:9). Still, there is one hope: they are God’s congregation, God’s purchase, God’s inheritance, God’s redeemed, God’s dwelling, God’s dear and defenseless turtledove.

The great reason for God to act is for the vindication and display of His own gloryPsalm 74:3-8Psalm 74:18Psalm 74:22-23. Of all that was destroyed/done during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, the Psalmist focuses upon the destruction of the temple, emphasizing it with the lively description in Psalm 74:5-6. The restoration of God’s worship (Psalm 74:3-8) and vindication of His Name (Psalm 74:10Psalm 74:18) are the great reason for Him to act for His own cause (Psalm 74:22).

God’s past mighty works give cause to hope for present and future mighty worksPsalm 74:12-17. What He did in creation, what He did at the flood, what He did at the exodus, what He does every day and every night… these are all great displays of His power. So, we may know not only that He has the power but that He is pleased to display that power gloriously. And, we may rejoice that He is pleased to display it in the saving of His people.

A great plea with God is our own pitiable conditionPsalm 74:19-21. Israel are as a defenseless turtledove (Psalm 74:19a). They are the Lord’s poor (verse 19b). They are oppressed (Psalm 74:21a). They are poor and needy (verse 21b). Because God is compassionate and acts for the glory of His character, our neediness and suffering are strong reasons to raise in prayer that He would act.

The prayer itself is part of its own answerPsalm 74:9. Finally, let’s consider again verse 9, where a big part of the problem was that they did not have a word from God telling them what would happen. This word would come eventually from the pen of Jeremiah. But the Lord has given them another important word: this very Psalm! 

The Lord gives us what we need by His Word. And we often don’t need to know details about our situation. What we do need is to call upon His Name in truth. And praise God, He gave them a Spirit-inspired song and prayer when they need it. And thus, He has given it to us in His Word, too. Praise God!

What trouble or suffering are you in? Following this Psalm, what should be your greatest pain in it? But what has the Lord given you in the midst of it? Where is the Lord’s Name being dishonored in the church and the world. How does this Psalm help you pray for that situation? 

Sample prayer:  Lord, You make Yourself known in the gathering of Your people. You have shown Your power in the creation, the flood, the Exodus, and the risings and settings of the sun every single day. But more than that You have shown Your power in the incarnation, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and enthronement of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. For His sake, continue to show Your glorious power by saving us unto the praise of Your Name. For, we ask it in Jesus’s Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP80 “Hear, O Hear, Us” or TPH60 “You, O God, Reject and Spurn Us”

Monday, December 19, 2022

The Last(ing) Lesson from the Great Court of God’s Tent [2022.12.18 Evening Sermon in Exodus 27:9–19]


The size and materials of the court and its hangings taught Israel (and us) that God’s dwelling among us ought to be at the center of our lives in such a way that all of life would be oriented around Him and His holiness.

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Three Common Marks of Spirit-Planted Churches [2022.12.18 Morning Sermon in Acts 16:35–17:15]


The Spirit bunches together three accounts of churches that He produced to highlight to us their common marks of the preaching of Christ from the Word, the persuasive work of the Holy Spirit, and the persecuting response of the world.

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Biblical Theology of the Diaconate (15), Why How We Think of and Use Wealth Is So Spiritually Important [2022.12.18 Sabbath School]

As we prepare for deacons to lead us in the service of God in material things, we discover that a right view of God will be expressed in our viewing and using wealth with trust, humility, gratitude, enjoyment, and generosity.
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2022.12.19 Hopewell @Home ▫ Romans 4:23–25

Read Romans 4:23–25

Questions from the Scripture text: On account of whom was what written (Romans 4:23)? Only on his account? On whom else’s account (Romans 4:24)? To whom else is righteousness imputed? Upon Whom are we believing—what has He done to Whom? What happened to Jesus in Romans 4:25a? On account of what? What happened to Jesus in verse 25b? On account of what?

Whose faith is accounted for righteousness? Romans 4:23–25 looks forward to the devotional in this week’s midweek meeting. In these three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that just as father Abraham’s faith in Jesus was accounted for righteousness, so also all his faith-children’s faith in Jesus is accounted for righteousness.

As you can tell by the way we retranslated the preposition in the questions, Romans 4:23 is telling us on whose account Genesis 15:6 was written—specifically, on whose account it is written that faith was imputed as righteousness. 

Yes, it was written because Abraham was accounted righteous by God as a gift of grace, through believing upon God about His promise made that Christ would solve the sin and death problem. 

But it was also written because we ware accounted righteous by God as gift of grace, through believing upon God about His promise kept that Christ has solved the sin and death problem.

The entire chapter’s line of thought has been leading up to this: it is by faith that Abraham became the father-in-faith to whom a multitude of believers from many nations would become children-in-faith. So what was written about Abraham’s faith is equally true about our faith.
▪Our faith is a gift from God.
▪Our faith is not rewarded with righteousness as a wage but is that through which we come to be counted as righteous.
▪Our faith is both a believing into Jesus and a believing upon the Triune God. It is a resting entirely upon God as Savior, entirely upon Jesus as Savior, through which resting we are bound to Jesus Christ in an unbreakable union.
▪Our faith believes in the power and intention that God displayed in the resurrection of Jesus. It does not consider the deadness of our souls, but the power of Him Who says that we live. It reasons that He Who has raised Jesus has surely accounted us righteous through Him.

Jesus is the key to this faith. God told Abram that he would have a Descendant (Genesis 15:4) in Whom God would be his shield and exceeding great reward (Genesis 15:1). God further told Abram that in this saving Descendant, Abram would have an innumerable multitude of descendants who inherited along with Abram (Genesis 15:5, cf. Genesis 15:2-3). And the implication of that for Genesis 15:6 is that we are accounted righteous through faith in Jesus, just as Abram was accounted righteous through faith in Jesus.

If that imputation was true in Abram’s case, looking forward, then how much more it is in our case looking backward. On account of our having sinned, Jesus had to be delivered up. But on account of His having accomplished the very justification with which we are accounted justified, Jesus had to be raised up. He couldn’t stay dead if He had finished accomplishing our justification.

Dear reader, you must believe this about the Lord Jesus Christ! Believe that it was for your own, specific transgressions that He was crucified. Believe that it was on account of your own, specific justification that He then rose from the dead. Thus, you will believe into Jesus, believe upon the triune God, and be saved.

For whose transgressions did Jesus die? What has God “written” about this? Why couldn’t He stay dead?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for giving us faith by which You have saved us through Jesus’s death and resurrection. As You have imputed Jesus’s righteousness to us, keep us in Him until we have come in His inheritance with Him, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP117B “What Blessedness” or TPH433 “Amazing Grace”

Saturday, December 17, 2022

Three Things That Genuinely Spirit-Planted Churches Have in Common [Family Worship lesson in Acts 16:35–17:15]

What can we note about the spread of the gospel through Macedonia? Acts 16:35–17:15 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twenty-one verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the spread of the gospel through Macedonia was characterized by several common features.
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2022.12.17 Hopewell @Home ▫ Acts 16:35–17:15

Read Acts 16:35–17:15

Questions from the Scripture text: Who sent whom in the morning to do what (Acts 16:35)? To whom does the jailer relay the news (Acts 16:36)? What does the jailer want Paul to do? But what does Paul say they have done (Acts 16:37)? And what new information does he add? What does he want them to do? To whom do the officers repeat this (Acts 16:38)? And what frightens the magistrates? What do they come do (Acts 16:39)? How do they ask? Where do Paul and company go (Acts 16:40)? What do they do at Lydia’s? Through where do they go to where (Acts 17:1)? What was there that hadn’t been at Philippi? What does Acts 17:2 note about Paul going to synagogue? How many Sabbaths does he go there now? From what does he reason? What does he explain and demonstrate (Acts 17:3)? Whom does he preach as the resurrected Christ? What happens to some of the Jews (Acts 17:4)? How many god-fearing Greeks join Paul and Silas? And not a few of whom else? What group become envious (Acts 17:5)? Whom do they enlist? What do they gather? What do they do to the city? Where do they attack? In order to do what to Paul and Silas? Why does this fail (Acts 17:6)? Whom do they drag instead? To whom? With what sort of voice do they address the rulers of the city? Of what do they accuse Paul and Silas? And of what do they accuse Jason (Acts 17:7)? What do they claim that “these are all” doing? How? What effect does this have upon the crowd and the rulers of the city (Acts 17:8)? What two things do they do to them in Acts 17:9? What do the brethren do as soon as Jason is returned (Acts 17:10)? To where? Where do Paul and Silas go when they arrive? What does Acts 17:11 note about the Jews in Berea? How did they receive the Word? What else did they do? How often? In order to find out what? What result did this have on them (Acts 17:12)? And upon whom else? Who find out what in Acts 17:13? Where do they go? What do they do? What do the brethren immediately do with whom in Acts 17:14? Who remain in Berea? Where do Paul’s guides bring him (Acts 17:15)? What command does he give them before they depart?

What can we note about the spread of the gospel through Macedonia? Acts 16:35–17:15 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twenty-one verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the spread of the gospel through Macedonia was characterized by several common features. 

Several features of the work in Philippi continue to characterize the spread of the gospel in other cities in Macedonia. 

Paul continued to start with the Jews. Philippi hadn’t had a synagogue, but he still went where Sabbath prayer was made (cf. Acts 16:13). It was his custom to start in the synagogue of the Jews, which he did at Thessalonica (Acts 17:1–2) and Berea (Acts 17:10).

The Spirit continued to gather in especially Gentiles. Lydia had been a God-fearer, which implies a Gentile (Acts 16:14). In Thessalonica, God saves a multitude of them (Acts 17:4), and in Berea “not a few of them” (Acts 17:12).

The Spirit continues to give special attention to saving women. This had been the case in Philippi, with Lydia (cf. Acts 16:13-14), and “not a few of the leading women” in Thessalonica join Paul and Silas (Acts 17:4). Prominent women in Berea are specifically mentioned as believing (Acts 17:12).

Opposition continues to come by stirring the populace into a tumult. This had been the case in Philippi (cf. Acts 16:20–22) to the detriment of the magistrates (Acts 16:35–39). The technique is repeated by the envious Jews in Thessalonica (Acts 17:5), who even accuse the missionaries of doing that very thing (Acts 17:6). Then, when the Berean synagogue lacks such opponents, those from Thessalonica pinch hit over there as well (Acts 17:13).

There are various ways this plays out. In Philippi, where Roman citizenship is highly valued, it is a means by which they are spared (Acts 16:37–39). In Thessalonica, Paul and Silas are successfully hidden, but the hostility of the opponents is such that they attack even the missionaries’ host (Acts 17:6-7) apparently taking from him guarantee money (Acts 17:9) that they would lose if they did not send the missionaries away (Acts 17:10).

In the context of such similarity, the difference of the Bereans is plainer by contrast. The text plainly calls them more noble (Acts 17:11a). This was seen first in how they received the Word (“with all readiness,” verse 11b), then in how they followed up (searching the Scriptures daily to see that these things are so, verse 11c).

The Lord’s work, then, can clearly follow a general pattern. But His work in each congregation and each individual is still unique. Whatever happens in the work, we may be sure that just as it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and rise again from the dead (Acts 17:3), so it is necessary that gospel go to all for whom He suffered and died. However the Lord brings that about, even if through much opposition and suffering, we are to persist in the faith and in evangelism.

What features of God’s work in these three places have you seen in His work in other places and times?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for giving Christ to die and rise again for us. And thank You for causing Your gospel to come to us for whom He died. And thank You for working faith in us. Grant that we would be noble and receptive and studious and diligent. And grant us to keep persisting in the work of the gospel, for we ask it in Jesus’s Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP46 “God Is Our Refuge and Our Strength” or TPH417 “Jesus Shall Reign, Where’er the Sun”