Moses as the Servant Who Was Faithful in All Christ's House [Family Worship lesson in Exodus 40:1–33]

What does the Lord emphasize to us in the setup of the tabernacle? Exodus 40:1–33 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirty-three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that in the setup of the tabernacle, Moses was a faithful servant in all Christ’s house. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.06.30 Hopewell @Home ▫ Exodus 40:1-33

Read Exodus 40:1-33

Questions from the Scripture text: Who spoke to whom in Exodus 40:1? To what day does He refer (Exodus 40:2)? What is Moses to do on that day? Where is he to put what (Exodus 40:3-8)? Then what is he to do to everything (Exodus 40:9-11)? Then what is he to do to whom (Exodus 40:12-15)? For how long are they to be priests (Exodus 40:15)? What is Exodus 40:16’s summary of Moses’s response to this (verse 16)? How does Exodus 40:17 start showing this (cf. Exodus 40:2)? How many times is the end of Exodus 40:19 repeated (cf. Exodus 40:21, Exodus 40:22, Exodus 40:25, Exodus 40:27, Exodus 40:29, Exodus 40:32)? How does the end of Exodus 40:33 conclude the chapter?

What does the Lord emphasize to us in the setup of the tabernacle? Exodus 40:1–33 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirty-three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that in the setup of the tabernacle, Moses was a faithful servant in all Christ’s house. 

As the Holy Spirit took us through the construction of the tabernacle items (Exodus 36:1–39:31), some details from chapters 25–30 had been left out, especially details about setup and usage. Those details hadn’t  been necessary for construction, and now God’s commands about them are repeated in the first half of our passage today. This puts the commands about setup and usage (Exodus 40:1-15) in immediate juxtaposition to Moses’s obedience to those commands.

Moses’s obedience. The obedience itself is strongly highlighted. Not only do statements of the obedience bookend the second half in Exodus 40:16 and the end of Exodus 40:33, but the refrain “as Yahweh had commanded Moses” appears seven times. We’re familiar with that as the number of completeness and finishing, ever since the creation. In order for it to appear that many times in such a small space, it reads as if the point of the listing isn’t so much all of the individual pieces and their positions as the emphasis upon how God’s Word was fulfilled, and God’s servant was faithful. 

And he was faithful. This is highlighted in another place, when Hebrews 3:1–6  talks about Christ’s faithfulness over His own house as a Son. Until He came as the Son, the administration of the house had been in Moses’s hands, and Moses had been faithful in all God’s house as a servant.

Christ’s greater obedience to come. The fact that Hebrews refers to Israel as Christ’s house is important, especially in light of Exodus 40:15’s statement about Aaron’s house, “that they may minister to Me as priests; for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.” The book of Hebrews teaches that there was a day coming when those generations would be fulfilled, and the priesthood of Aaron’s house and Levi’s tribe would be superseded with the eternal, Melchizedekian priesthood of Christ (chapters 5–10). Now that day has come. The infinitely greater obedience of the infinitely greater Son takes what we see here in our passage and multiplies it by… well, infinity (!) … in our behalf.

A greater (and greatest) Passover. Speaking of days, the day that all of this is done is very important. A year prior, it was the day that the Lord came upon Egypt in a night of dreadful visitation of His presence, and the firstborn died in every home that was not covered by the blood of the lamb. Now, God is about to come not in a moment of visitation but in a persistent presence. The anniversary of the Passover comes with an even greater one—not just the blood of the lamb on one house for one night, but a tent-house with God’s presence and the blood sacrifices that would continually look forward to the once-for all blood of the Lamb Himself. The erection of the tabernacle is a greater Passover, looking forward to God’s tabernacling among us in Christ, and the shedding of His own blood to make us safe in that tabernacling. 

Because God’s plan was to tabernacle among His people in favor and blessing, an atonement and safety as big as God Himself was needed. Moses the servant in the house was not that, but his faithfulness was a picture of that of the Son over the house, Who is God Himself. The tabernacle was not as big as God Himself, but its persistent and favorable presence among God’s people was a picture of Him Who is the tabernacling of God among us. 

Why is it dangerous for you to be in the presence of God? But in Whose intense presence will you be for unending ages? How can you be safe in His communicated presence now? How can you be safe in His presence then? How faithful did Christ have to be for His people?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we thank You and praise You for the Lord Jesus’s obedience in our behalf as a Son over His own house. Give us to rest upon Him, rejoice in Him, and always to come to You through Him, just as we shall dwell in Your intense presence in Him forever, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP24 “The Earth and the Riches” or TPH354 “Not All the Blood of Beasts” 

Be Softhearted While You Can [Family Worship lesson in Proverbs 29:1]

Pastor teaches his family a selection from “the Proverb of the day.” In this verse of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us to be softhearted whenever corrected from God’s Word.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Ministers’ (and all Christians’) Call to Gracious Persuasion [Family Worship lesson in 2Timothy 2:23–26]

When mustn’t a minister or Christian argue, and why mustn’t he be argumentative when he does? 2Timothy 2:23–26 looks forward to the second serial reading of in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that a minister is a slave, put in place to teach opponents who are willing to hear it, in hope that God will grant them the repentance necessary to know and escape the Satanic danger that they are in.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.06.29 Hopewell @Home ▫ 2 Timothy 2:23–26

Read  2 Timothy 2:23–26

Questions from the Scripture text: What is Timothy to avoid (2 Timothy 2:23)? What do such disputes generate? Whose slave is Timothy (2 Timothy 2:24)? What mustn’t someone in his station do? How, instead, should he relate to others? What has he been put in place as one qualified to do? What character trait does such teaching require? What manner must accompany his correcting (2 Timothy 2:25)? Of whom? In Whom is he hoping? That He would give what to whom? For what is this repentance a prerequisite? When they come to know the truth, what will happen to them (2 Timothy 2:26)? When they come to their senses, by whom will they realize that they have been ensnared? What else will the devil have done to them? Captive to do what? 

When mustn’t a minister or Christian argue, and why mustn’t he be argumentative when he does? 2 Timothy 2:23–26 looks forward to the second serial reading of in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that a minister is a slave, put in place to teach opponents who are willing to hear it, in hope that God will grant them the repentance necessary to know and escape the Satanic danger that they are in.

There are times when a minister or Christian shouldn’t argue at all. 2 Timothy 2:23 refers to “foolish and ignorant disputes.” There is a sort of person, a sort of arguing, that is nothing but battling. When a fool or ignoramus cannot even consider what you say, but only comes back with the same arguments or attacks, then the only thing that arguing with him can do is produce strife. But producing strife is neither the minister’s duty nor hope. Proverbs (Proverbs 26:4) and the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus (Matthew 7:6) also warn all Christians generally, not just ministers, about this. For the rest of this devotional, if you substituted the word “Christian” for “minister,” you would be making a fine application of the passage in light of these other texts.

Even when a minister does argue, he is not to be argumentative. Our passage forbids quarreling. It commands being gentle, not just when it is easy but especially when it is not: “be gentle to all.” It commands patience. It commands humility, even and especially in the midst of correction. And there are three reasons why: the station of the minister, the hope of the minister, and the task of the minister.

The station of the minister is that of a slave. This is a more literal translation of his identity at the beginning of 2 Timothy 2:24 and makes quite plain why he would not be quarrelsome, impatient, or proud. 

The mustn’t be quarrelsome because it is above his station, above his paygrade. The Lord Jesus will have His own quarrel with His enemies and defeat them at the last day. But He has sent out not Lords but slaves as those whom He currently employs in the retrieval of sinners. 

The minister mustn’t be impatient, because he is on assignment. The Lord has put particular people under his charge and into his way to teach them the truth about God, man, sin, Christ, salvation, etc. What else is he going to do? Whether or not the task is difficult and long, it is his task.

The minister mustn’t be proud, because his station is lowly. He is a slave of the Lord, inviting captives of the devil to come to a new Master. For a minister to act proudly would be completely inconsistent with what he himself is, and what is inviting others to be.

The hope of the minister is the mercy and power of God. “If God perhaps will grant them repentance.” Ministers do not “win” theological arguments because they have so excellently proven their point, because the thing that the opponent needs in order to “know the truth” is not that they would hear new arguments but that they would have a new heart. And so it depends upon the mercy of God, Who loves to give repentance. And it depends upon the power of God, Who is able to give even repentance. Why would a minister speak or act as if his superiority of knowledge or force of zeal can bring about the desired result? The result rests entirely upon the mercy and power of the God Who has appointed him a task and may be pleased to employ the minister in this exercise of God’s mercy and God’s power.

The task of the minister is releasing ensnared people from captivity. This is not something that is done rashly or by force. The opponent is ensnared in a trap, and force of movement is simply an effective way of making things worse. They need to realize the truth, come to their senses, see their captivity. The real opponent is not the sinner in the snare, but the devil whose snare it is! Even when they lash out from within their ensnared captivity, it is really the devil’s will that they are doing. Apologetics/evangelism/discipleship is a rescue mission. It ought to be done with sympathy rather than spite, and carefulness rather than brashness. This, too, is the task of Christians when they address one another. The goal of Matthew 18:15 and following is to gain the brother. The goal of Galatians 6:1 is to help a man whose trespass has captured him. Clear sight to remove the speck from a brothers eye (Matthew 7:5) is obtained by the humility of developing that skill on oneself in the first place (Matthew 7:3–4). May the Lord makes us better slaves in His service, that we might be more useful as He employs us in granting repentance to others!

What are some foolish and ignorant disputes that you have had? Whom have you been trying to help, with whom you could use more of this humility? Who should be an example to you of what that looks like?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we are so thankful that You are merciful and powerful to grant repentance to many who oppose You! And we thank You that, in that work, You even employ us as Your slaves. Forgive us for how often we have forgotten that everything good that we have is by grace. Forgive us for when we have been quarrelsome, harsh, impatient, and proud. Forgive us for when we have failed to care for those who are ensnared by the devil. Remove our guilt, kill our remaining sin, conform us to Christ, and make us useful in His service, we ask, in Christ’s Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP24 “The Earth and the Riches” or TPH466 “My Faith Looks Up to Thee”

The Propriety of God's Wrath and the Necessity of Inward Grace [Family Worship lesson in Isaiah 5]

In what way does God’s grace “run out”? Isaiah 5 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirty verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that when it comes to churches and nations, there is a time of God’s favor that actually testifies against them if they do not honor Him, thus increasing their destruction when that time is up.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.06.28 Hopewell @Home ▫ Isaiah 5

Read Isaiah 5

Questions from the Scripture text: What sort of composition does Isaiah 5:1a call this chapter? Who is the song for? Who is the song from? What is the song about? What does the well beloved have (verse 1b)? Where (verse 1c)? What did He do there (Isaiah 5:2a)? What sort of vine did He plant there (verse 2b)? What did He build for its structure and protection (verse 2c)? What did He put in it in His expectation (verse 2d)? What did He expect (verse 2e)? But what did it bring forth instead (verse 2f)? Whom does Isaiah 5:3 ask to do what? What case does the Beloved make about His actions (Isaiah 5:4a–b)? What about her actions (verse 4c–d)? What is He going to do to it now (Isaiah 5:5-6)? What is this vineyard (Isaiah 5:7a)? What (who) are the plant (verse 7b)? What two things did Yahweh want from them, and what two things did He see instead (verse 7c–d)? What does v8 pronounce upon whom? What do they have many of (Isaiah 5:8a, Isaiah 5:9b) and of what kind (verse 9c)? How greedy were they for such houses? What will Yahweh of hosts do to them (verse 9b–c)? Why will these houses end up empty (Isaiah 5:10)? What does Isaiah 5:11 pronounce upon whom? What are they spending early and late hours doing (verse 11b–c)? What do they live for entirely (Isaiah 5:12a–c)? What don’t they live for at all (verse 12d–e)? What is God doing in response (Isaiah 5:13)? What does He say He is doing on a spiritual level (Isaiah 5:14)? What does Isaiah 5:15 triply emphasize as a purpose of this (cf. Isaiah 2:11–17)? Who will be exalted/hallowed, how (Isaiah 5:16)? Who will enjoy the properties that are left behind (Isaiah 5:17)? What does Isaiah 5:18 pronounce upon whom? What are they working hard to maintain? Whom do they think/claim they wish to see, have near, and hear (Isaiah 5:19)? What does Isaiah 5:20 pronounce upon whom? What three things do they reverse? What does Isaiah 5:21 pronounce upon whom? How do these people appear (at least to themselves)? What does Isaiah 5:22 pronounce upon whom? What are they “mighty” in? What else do they love more than righteousness (Isaiah 5:23)? After these six woes, how does Isaiah 5:24 summarize Yahweh’s response? Why is He doing this? What (worse than fire!) is against them (Isaiah 5:24a–b, f–g)? Whom else will He summon against them (Isaiah 5:26)? What will they and their attack be like (Isaiah 5:26-30)?

In what way does God’s grace “run out”? Isaiah 5 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirty verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that when it comes to churches and nations, there is a time of God’s favor that actually testifies against them if they do not honor Him, thus increasing their destruction when that time is up.

This chapter is remarkable. It identifies as the song of the Beloved to His Well-Beloved about His vineyard. But in its content it is a judicial case against her, and a description of a great sentence of wrath upon her.

It’s shocking to us to hear about grace being exhausted, but this chapter isn’t addressing individuals who have had their nature changed by the Spirit and united to Christ. It is addressing a church and a nation. We know that God’s patience with nations extends to a certain point, and then He destroys them in wrath. Nations rise; they progress or regress; and when the patience of God and the providence of God agree that their time has run out, nations are destroyed. Particularly empires. 

But let us also remember that this is true of churches. Revelation 2–3 details the risen Lord’s interaction with seven churches. For all of them, He has done much indeed, and He continues to know them and see how it goes with them, and love them and sympathize with them. But He is also offended at their backslidings and warning them; and, when their time runs out, His threats against them are great. It is no small thing for Jesus to fight against a church with the sword that comes out of His mouth (cf. Revelation 2:16, Revelation 19:21)!

Grace that was not repaid, Isaiah 5:1–2. The history of Israel is described metaphorically here in a way that reminds us of all that God did for her in the way He formed her as He brought her from Egypt, and what He did for her in bringing her into the land and setting up His presence in the midst of her. But the metaphor also declares that her fruit was bad and useless. 

Wickedness that shall be repaid, Isaiah 5:3-6. The Lord cares about what He sees coming out of a household, a church, or a nation. And He responds to its worth. God’s grace in Christ in the individuals is the only hope for these corporate, covenantal entities. And individuals who are righteous in Christ can never lose that standing or the blessedness that comes by it. But the corporate/covenantal entities themselves are judged in time on the basis of their relative faithfulness, and when they are punished, it is dreadful indeed! The Lord Jesus used a similar metaphor to warn of a similar situation to those in Israel who didn’t realize that not just a few Galileans but the whole of Israel were under the impending judgment of God (cf. Luke 13:6–9). 

An enumeration of wickedness, Isaiah 5:7-23. Having identified the vineyard and the vine as Israel and now Judah in Isaiah 5:7, the Lord now pronounces a series of six woes upon Judah. Each of the woes showed the enormity of their offense and the propriety of His response. 

The first two woes (Isaiah 5:8-17) attack the worldliness/fleshliness of the people: houses, lands, drunkenness, parties—these they loved! The Lord? They hardly thought about Him (Isaiah 5:12d–e). And so He would empty the houses, dry up the lands, give them hunger and thirst, and swallow up their parties by the grave like a giant-mouthed creature. Finally, when they are brought low (Isaiah 5:15), and the Lord properly exalted (Isaiah 5:16), those who had been lowly would be taken care of (Isaiah 5:17).

The next three woes (Isaiah 5:18-21) attack the false religion of the people. They actually loved to draw near to sin (Isaiah 5:18) while thinking and acting as if they loved to draw near to the Lord (Isaiah 5:19, cf. Isaiah 58:2)! 

And while they claim to love good and light and sweet, their hearts and minds were so backwards that they would say/think this about things that were actually evil and darkness and bitter (Isaiah 5:20). In a culture (and church culture) that claims to be all about love and freedom, let the reader understand and see how so much of what is called love is actually hate, so much of what is called freedom is actually bondage, etc.!

They thought they had wisdom and prudence, but it was not coming from God’s Word and therefore wisdom that is in God’s sight (Isaiah 5:21). It was merely a self-flattery of wisdom or prudence. They just enjoyed feeling as if they were wise. How very well this describes so many contexts now, from universities, to social media, to the spiritualized  sayings of people sharing in “small groups.”

The final woe (Isaiah 5:22-23) was especially upon the “mighty” ones among them. They were actually just mighty in indulging themselves (Isaiah 5:22), leaders of the worldliness already condemned in woes 1–3. Their cravings also for money outweighed any desire for justice or righteousness (Isaiah 5:23).

An anatomy of wrath, Isaiah 5:24-30. Having heard the six woes, and the LORD’s detailing of what He is responding to, we are not at all surprised at the intensity of His response (Fire devouring stubble (Isaiah 5:24a)! Flame consuming chaff (verse 24b)! The other-worldly character and zeal of the invaders that He will summon from the end of the earth (Isaiah 5:26-30)! But the Holy Spirit here also wants us to see how personal the response is. His anger (Isaiah 5:25a). His hand stretched out (verse 25b). His anger (verse 25f). His hand stretched out (verse 25g). The repetition of the metaphor in verse 25 drives the message home: this is personal. 

Similarly, in the end, it is the sword that comes from Jesus’s mouth that destroys unfaithful churches (cf. Revelation 2:16), nations (cf. Revelation 19:15), and even whole horde of the enemies of God in the last day (cf. Revelation 19:21). It’s personal. It is from His presence and from His glory that eternal destruction will take vengeance on those who refuse to acknowledge God or who reject the gospel of Christ (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:7–8).

The Lord is personally interested in, personally receiving, the conduct of households, churches, and nations. And He is not passive. He will respond. He gives time. He gives many undeserved advantages. And how great have been the advantages for some of us! Hardly any household or church or nation has been given such advantages as those of the author, and he feels this indebtedness keenly. 

How much more important, then, that each of us not be found in ourselves! Christ’s household, Christ’s church, Christ’s kingdom… we must each be found in Him, first and foremost, if we will contribute to health and righteousness in the other corporate entities of which we are apart. He only is the True Vine, and in Him alone can we bear good fruit (cf. John 15:1–11). If our household is to be fruitful and multiply, both physically and spiritually, in succeeding generations; if our church is to have its lampstand maintained to it rather than being destroyed by the sword of Christ; if our nation is to be spared from ending up on the ash-heap of history’s empires… then let us, and the other members of each of these, all abide in Christ by faith! And let us bear fruit in keeping with repentance!

What sort of case might God make against your household? Against your church? Against your nation? What good can you see from any/each of these, which is proceeding out of its members’ union with Christ? How are you abiding in Christ first and foremost? How are you bearing the sort of fruit that contributes to your home/church/nation continuing to receive His mercy and blessing?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we know that families, churches, and nations receive much good from Your hand and will be held accountable for what fruit we produce. Help us! We dread the worldliness of our desires. We dread the manmade ideas that threaten to contribute to our worship or morality. We dread the prioritizing of material things over those made in God’s image. And yet, we see evidence of all of these in our hearts and even in our actions. Forgive us, O Lord! You would be righteous to stike out against us personlally with Your hand. But, our hope is that You have borne the wrath that we deserve, personally, in Your Son. We praise You that He is the true Vine. Grant unto each of us to be grafted into Him, and to bear such fruit in the home, such fruit in the church, and such fruit in the nation as would make each of these an object of Your blessing, we ask in His own Name, the Lord Jesus Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP130 “LORD, from the Depths to You I Cried” or TPH434 “A Debtor to Mercy Alone” 

God-Sized Confidence about His Word and His Church [Family Worship lesson in Psalm 93]

Upon what may we found proper confidence in God’s Word and about God’s church? Psalm 93 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that for confidence in God’s Word and about His church, we should consider God Himself. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.06.27 Hopewell @Home ▫ Psalm 93

Read Psalm 93

Questions from the Scripture text: What does Yahweh do (Psalm 93:1a)? With what is He clothed? With what else is He clothed/girded (verse 1b–c)? What is established (verse 1d)? So that what cannot be done with it? What has been established longer (Psalm 93:2a)? Why (verse 2b)? What challenger is there to stability and power (Psalm 93:3a)? What have they done? And what have they raised up (verse 3b)? And what else have they raised up (verse 3c)? But Who is mightier than many of them and the strongest of them (Psalm 93:4)? What has this God given to us (Psalm 93:5a)? How reliable are they? What has He formed, and what adorns it (verse 5b)? For how long (verse 5c)?

Upon what may we found proper confidence in God’s Word and about God’s church? Psalm 93 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that for confidence in God’s Word and about His  church, we should consider God Himself.  

This Psalm takes four verses to consider the LORD himself before considering His Word and His church in the end. Often, people struggle at (or against) believing the Bible as the Word of God. When we look at the church we may have our doubts about whether it is a good idea, or whether it can even last. But when we look at the God Whose Word it is, and the God Whose church it is, we are helped by Him Himself out of our difficulty.

The majestic, strong, reliable, ruling, overruling LORD, Psalm 93:1–4. The LORD is invisible, so what does it mean that He is clothed (2x) and girded? The idea is that His creation and His actions are like clothing hanging upon an invisible body. When we consider all that He has made, and all that He has done, we get an idea of the greatness of His majesty (Psalm 93:1a) and His strength (verse 1c). Considering the heavens causes us to say from the earth, “How majestic is Your Name!” (cf. Psalm 8). Those heavens declare His glory (cf. Psalm 19:1). Also the solidity and reliability of the created world show His faithfulness (Psalm 93:1d).

Even the most powerful events in nature display that God’s ruling (Psalm 93:2) is far superior in power. Tsunamis can wipe away cities and forests. During a great storm, the waves of the ocean can be like literal mountains of water. And yet even the worldwide flood could not wipe away the mountains. Most importantly, it came as fulfillment of His own testimony, and it could not wipe away His household. His fledgling church, down to eight people, was lifted up by God above all the devastation, and protected. Though the flood lifted itself up, and its noise up, and its waves up, it also lifted up God’s servant and his household. The LORD on high was mightier!

The LORD’s sure words, Psalm 93:5a. When we come to God’s Word, God’s own testimonies, we should consider Whose testimonies they are. There is nothing more reliable or important to believe than whatever He teaches. There is nothing more reliable or important to do than whatever He commands. By His Word He created, by His Word He upholds the worlds. By His Word He told of the flood. By His Word He instructed Noah in the means of being preserved from/in/above the flood. And He has given us His testimonies even in writing as an indication that He wants us to be sure of them. We do not trust them because we can trace the transmission of them. We trust them because we can see the evidence of Him in His world, we know the evidence of Him within us by the work of His Spirit and the knowledge of Christ in saving us, and we can see plainly that it is His Word that tells us about these things. His Word even tells us more things about itself, so that we have good confidence even about the pen-strokes that continue unto us to this day.

The LORD’s forever-holy church, Psalm 93:5b–c. God’s house is sometimes found a state of great disrepair. Just as with the physical temple before the days of Hezekiah or Josiah, so also His church as a people has seen some very low ebbs during Scripture and throughout history. In the time and place in which this devotional is being written, it is heading in that direction again, albeit papered over and white washed by so much manmade, man-centered religion that one might foolishly think that the church is quite large and vigorous. But, the most important thing about God’s church is that it is HIS church. And this is the reason that even if it hangs by a thread, that thread is of infinite tensile strength. The church is separated from the world like the ark that is lifted above the flood. The providence that comes to it comes in the providence of a God whose chastenings, even, are for her good; when she sees calamity, the calamity is not her reward but the reward of the wicked (cf. Psalm 91:7)—even those wicked who may be merely superficial/external members of the visible church. For all that, she is holy because she is HIS. He will build her, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against her. She is forever, because she is HIS. We ought always to have affection for His church and never run out of hope for her. She belongs to the LORD of Psalm 93:1-4.

Why are you sure of God’s Word? How does that sureness come out in your life? How do you feel about the church? Why? How should you? Why? Where do you get your hope for the future of the church?

Sample prayer:  Lord, You reign! You are clothed with majesty and girded with strength. You show Your faithfulness in the reliable world which You have ruled throughout its ages. Even the most powerful and terrifying forces of nature are Your servants to carry out all Your holy will. Grant us to worship You with confidence in Your Holy Word, as those who have gathered unto You as Your Holy house, with a hope that will last forever in Jesus Christ, through Whom we ask it, Amen!

Suggested songs: ARP93 “The LORD Is Crowned as King” or TPH93 “The LORD Reigns Over All”

The Law in My Members vs the Law of My Mind [2023.06.26 Family Worship lesson in Romans 7:21–25]

Why can a believer be so sure that he will win the internal battle against sin? Romans 7:21–25 looks forward to the sermon in the upcoming midweek meeting. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that though the spiritual battle must rage as long as we are still in these bodies, the God Who has united us to Christ is our sure hope of ultimate victory in that war. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.06.26 Hopewell @Home ▫ Romans 7:21-25

Read Romans 7:21-25

Questions from the Scripture text: What does he find within him (Romans 7:21)? What does this “law” state must be present with him? But who is he at this point? How does he now feel about the law of God (Romans 7:22)? In what aspect/part of himself? But what does he see where (Romans 7:23)? Warring against what? And trying to do what by this warring? How does this make him feel about his current condition (Romans 7:24)? What question does he ask? What does he call his body? What is his initial response to this question (Romans 7:25)? Through Whom will he be saved and thank God? How does he summarize his current condition?

Why can a believer be so sure that he will win the internal battle against sin? Romans 7:21–25 looks forward to the sermon in the upcoming midweek meeting. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that though the spiritual battle must rage as long as we are still in these bodies, the God Who has united us to Christ is our sure hope of ultimate victory in that war.

In this passage, the apostle uses the word “law” in three ways.

The law that evil is present with me. He has already noted, twice, that sin dwells in him (Romans 7:17, Romans 7:20) as well as noting that there is still flesh in him (Romans 7:18). But he has differentiated himself from the man that he used to be, who had been a slave to sin (Romans 7:14b), because now he wills to do what is good (Romans 7:21b, cf. Romans 7:15b, Romans 7:19a). So, he is sure that he is a new kind of man, born of the Spirit as the good law was (Romans 7:14a), because he now delights in that law in his inner being (Romans 7:22). But still, evil is present with him, and he ultimately concludes that this will be a certainty as long as he is in the body of death (end of Romans 7:25).

The law of his mind. Here, he uses the word “mind” to talk about his regenerated thoughts that consider God’s law—even down to the commandments—not an enemy but as holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12). The new man that agrees with God’s law that it is good (Romans 7:16b). The new man that delights in God’s law in his inner being. This is the law of his mind or, as he will call it in Romans 8:2, “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” Finally, God’s commandments have come to be written upon His heart, so that His most fundamental desires match God’s fundamental commands (cf. Romans 7:6b).

The law of sin (and death). But the law that evil is present with him, the law that is “in my members” (Romans 7:23), means that adoration and desire and delight aren’t the only things that he feels toward God’s law. The sin that dwells in him still tries to respond to God’s law with disobedience, still uses the “letter” of the law to escape from its righteousness and goodness and assert its wickedness instead. Every part of who he is (“my members”) continues to be affected by indwelling sin. So, there is a war on, as the remaining sin tries to recapture its old slave (verse 23b).

In this life, the Lord has let His saints in the same decaying bodies that are the effects of our sin and fall in Adam. As long as we are in them, we know that there will be remaining sin dwelling in us. The apostle feels this state to be truly wretched (Romans 7:24). But, thanks be to God (Romans 7:25a!) this condition, and the war that we find ourselves in, is not permanent. We will be winning more and more as we go along (cf. Romans 8:1–2, Romans 8:4, Romans 8:5b, Romans 8:6b, Romans 8:9, Romans 8:11b, Romans 8:13-14). And we will be finally and fully delivered at last (Romans 7:25a, cf. Romans 8:17, Romans 8:18, Romans 8:23b). In fact, for many believers, they will be rid of this mortal body long before the resurrection, and will be perfected in holiness the moment that they depart to be with Christ. Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So, as you see different responses to the law coming out of you, learn to identify when you are responding according to the inward man, in Christ, by the Spirit—and distinguish it from when you are responding according to the flesh, from the sin that still dwells in you. And having thus identified the enemy, strike blows against it in your war with indwelling sin!

What commandments do you often find a fleshly response to in your heart, wondering how much you can “get away with” and still keep them? What sins do you seem most to keep on committing?

Sample prayer: Lord, our hope is in You. Deliver us from that sinfulness that still dwells in us. Increase our skill in identifying what is coming from our flesh and what is coming from Your Spirit, and give us to do battle by Your Spirit, we ask through Jesus Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP32AB “What Blessedness” or TPH193 “Baptized into Your Name Most Holy”

Solving the Puzzle of Remaining Sin [2023.06.21 Midweek Sermon in Romans 7:13–20]

When a believer experiences his remaining sin, he realizes what he was apart from the Spirit, he realizes that He is now in the Spirit, and he realizes that the sinfulness of his former nature still dwells in him.

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

God's Grace in, through, and Even Despite Our Christian Fellowship [Family Worship lesson in Acts 21:15–30]

How do believers properly treasure one another and their fellowship in the Word? Acts 21:15–30 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these sixteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that believers properly treasure one another and their fellowship in the Word by responding to it together in love, faith, and submission toward God. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.06.24 Hopewell @Home ▫ Acts 21:15–30

Read Acts 21:15–30

Questions from the Scripture text: What do they do in Acts 21:15? Where do they go? Who go with them (Acts 21:16)? Whom do they bring, for what purpose? Who receive them in Jerusalem, in what manner (Acts 21:17)? When does who go to whom in Acts 21:18? Who is present? What does Paul say first (Acts 21:19), Then what does he tell? With what specificity? How do they respond (Acts 21:20)? What do they point out in return? What have the Jews believed? But for what are they still zealous? And what have they heard about Paul (Acts 21:21)? How do they present this as a problem (Acts 21:22)? What do they tell Paul to do (Acts 21:23-24)? Whom do they say should not do these things (Acts 21:25)? What does Paul do, when, in Acts 21:26? Where does he go? What is he going to do there on their behalf? What time has almost arrived in Acts 21:27? But what providence occurs at this point? What do the Jews from Asia cry out in Acts 21:28? On what basis do they say this (Acts 21:29)? What result does their crying out have in Acts 21:30? What do they do to Paul? 

How do believers properly treasure one another and their fellowship in the Word? Acts 21:15–30 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these sixteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that believers properly treasure one another and their fellowship in the Word by responding to it together in love, faith, and submission toward God. 

God's grace through the fellowship of our service to one another. Though they had tried to dissuade Paul from going to Jerusalem, now that he is going, they go with him. Like Thomas with Jesus (cf. John 11:16), they are willing to share in his going and share in his suffering. The text even “slows down” to highlight the “packing” in Acts 21:15. Because of the feast, lodging will be scarce. Mnason is mentioned as from Cyprus but evidently has a house in Jerusalem (Acts 21:16). He is an eminent saint, and those who are part of this party will have the benefit of Paul’s instruction, Mnason’s godly maturity, Luke’s faithfulness, and others. It is a happy fellowship when many saints of a variety of graces serve one another together. God’s grace in each one becomes God’s grace to each other. We should seek the fellowship of the saints, not only in the formal assemblies of the church, but in love and sympathy and action with each other.

God's grace through the fellowship of our praise of Him. The day they arrive in Jerusalem, there is a Session meeting (Acts 21:18) that turns into a worship service. Or perhaps it was intended to be one all along. What better purpose is there for the elders of the church to gather than to tell in detail what God has done and glorify the Lord together? Paul, and Luke, and their company go, and they speak not of themselves although it was “through his ministry,” but rather “those things which God had done” (Acts 21:19). This must have taken quite a while, since God had done many things, and Paul was telling it in detail. He was pleased to see them (verse 19a), and pleased to praise God with them. They are eager to give cause for praise as well in Acts 21:20, with the many … tens of thousands (“myriads”) of Jews who have believed. This was something near and dear to Paul’s own heart (cf. Romans 9:3; Romans 11:13, Romans 11:25). God’s grace uses us not only to serve one another but to turn our hearts toward Him in praise!

God's grace, despite and through those hindrances that come through our fellowship. The cause for praise is muted, however, by the sad news that they are “all zealous for the law” (Acts 21:20). Paul, who wrote Galatians and Hebrews, was the perfect candidate for teaching them to put away the shadows of Moses the servant in the house for the sake of the substance that had come in Jesus, the Son over the house (cf. Hebrews 3:1–6). Perhaps James and the Jerusalem elders aren’t as troubled by this as we may be sure that Paul was; the Scripture gives no indication. However, we do know that they are troubled by the possible response of the murmurers in the church. Acts 21:17 indicates the folly of this; generally speaking, the brethren received Paul and company gladly. But it is a perpetual temptation for the elders of the church to respond defensively to the murmurers and complainers, rather than proactively in accordance with God and with the work that He is actually doing. So, they speak those fateful words, “do what we tell you” (Acts 21:23) and come with a plan that will conclude in Paul’s offering a blood sacrifice (!!) in the temple. They thought that this would avoid scandal, but the exact opposite was true. How could the apostle, from whose pen came the affirmation that the New Covenant is not in the blood of bulls and goats but the blood of Jesus (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:25), and who warned against attaching ongoing significance to the ceremonial law in his letters to the Galatians and the Ephesians, now go and offer a blood sacrifice himself? Surely this would have been a cause of stumbling to many. And so God graciously intervenes to prevent His servant both from sinning against the finality of Christ’s sacrifice and from becoming a stumbling block to many in the church. We are still sinners, and our sin and error always threatens to hinder and harm one another in our walk together. But we are free to walk together in fellowship and hope, because we know that God in His grace will ultimately rule and overrule all things for our good… often through our fellowship, but whenever needs be, even despite our fellowship. Praise be to God!

What saints’ graces have been a blessing to you? How are you seeking to be a blessing to others? What opportunity do you have for the fellowship of praise? How are you improving those opportunities? What threats in your own inconsistencies threaten other believers’ walks with the Lord, in their fellowship with you? What are you doing about that? What good hope do you have about what God is doing about that?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we praise You for Your marvelous grace in the fellowship of the church. Thank You for our own congregation, and the believers whom You have given us to serve and with whom You have given us to worship You. Forgive us our sins, and grow us in grace, we pray—so that we might not be a hindrance or harm to one another. And rule over all things for our growth in grace we pray, through Jesus Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP16A “Keep Me, O God” or TPH354 “Not All the Blood of Beasts”

God Finishes, Approves, and Blesses His Work [Family Worship lesson in Exodus 39:32-43]

What does the inspection of the tabernacle construction work teach us? Exodus 39:32–43 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twelve verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God completes, reviews, and blesses the work that He does—even the work that He does in and by His people.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.06.23 Hopewell @Home ▫ Exodus 39:32–43

Read Exodus 39:32–43

Questions from the Scripture text: How much of what work was finished (Exodus 39:32)? According to what specifications had they done this? To whom did they bring it (Exodus 39:33)? How many of its parts? Which 33 parts are specifically named in Exodus 39:33-40? And what other things in Exodus 39:41? According to what specifications had who done how much of what (Exodus 39:42)? Who looks it over in Exodus 39:43? What did he behold? How had they done it? How does Moses respond?

What does the inspection of the tabernacle construction work teach us? Exodus 39:32–43 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twelve verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God completes, reviews, and blesses the work that He does—even the work that He does in and by His people.

The Lord finishes His work (even through His people). The Lord had given very specific commandments for the design of the tabernacle. “According to all that Yahweh had commanded” (Exodus 39:32), “According to all that Yahweh had commanded” (Exodus 39:42), “as Yahweh had commanded” (Exodus 39:43). In between the giving of the design and the construction according to that design, we had seen how necessary such detailed commandment was. The incident with the golden calf showed just how dangerous it is for sinners to be in the presence of God. 

How could they be in His presence safely? The ultimate answer is that it will be through Jesus Christ! And the very specific, very detailed commandments for worship are all ultimately bound up in who Christ is, what He would accomplish in His atoning work, and what He would accomplish in His intercession/mediation that continues upon the basis of that work.

So, the “was finished” of Exodus 39:32 finds echoes backward and forward in Scripture. “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished” (Genesis 2:1). “He said, ‘It is finished!’” (John 19:30). “It is done!” (Revelation 21:6). God finishes what He starts—in this case, what He was doing through His people, in anticipation of the work of Christ to make the tabernacling of God with man: “Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3). 

Israel desperately needed atonement, intercession, and mediation in order to have the presence of God safely and blessedly. And God had provided not only commandments, but the merciful and powerful sustaining work of His Spirit for the keeping of His commandments and the finishing of His work. For us today, who have a conscious union with Christ, we may be all the more sure that His Spirit is sustaining us in the part of God’s plan that is being carried out in our lives.

The Lord reviews His work. In Exodus 39:33, they begin presenting everything to Moses. What a list it is of things that were to be presented! And Moses, as God’s emissary to them, “looked over all the work.” This too is reminiscent of the creation account: Genesis 1:31, immediately preceding the “thus it was finished” of Genesis 2:1, says, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” 

God is a continual reviewer and approver of His work—particularly as it connects to His Son. It was the Son Who created all things, and through Whom they were created (cf. John 1:1–3; Colossians 1:15–16; Hebrews 1:2); and, God reviews the work and says, “very good!” At the beginning and end of Jesus’s public ministry, at His baptism and transfiguration, God declares His revies: “This is My beloved Son, with Whom I am well-pleased!” And the resurrection itself was a special declaration that Jesus is the well-pleasing, eternally-begotten Son (cf. Romans 1:3; Acts 13:33).

This should warn us off of doing anything in ourselves, anything from our flesh, anything at all apart from faith in Jesus Christ and dependence upon His Spirit. He is reviewing the work!

The Lord approves His work. Here we come to our passage’s parallels to “indeed it was very good” (cf. Genesis 2:1) and “with Whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5; cf. Isaiah 42:1). “So they did” (Exodus 39:32). “So the children of Israel did all the work” (Exodus 39:42). “indeed they had done it… just so the had done it” (Exodus 39:43). And the ultimate, with Moses standing and speaking as God’s emissary, “And Moses blessed them” (verse 43). Here is a great motivator to coming to the Lord in the way that He has commanded, in dependence upon His Spirit. When we come this way, we come through the Son, and the Lord is well pleased with Him and blesses us for His sake. What a glorious thing is the public worship of God’s people, with which God is well-pleased in Jesus and blesses them for His sake!

What should we do in public worship? How should you approach your part in it? What joy does this passage teach you to take in it?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we thank You for bringing us near to Yourself through Jesus Christ. Help us, to come to You in detailed, diligent obedience to Your Word, and depending upon Your Spirit, knowing that to come this way is to come through Christ. Please review and approve us in Him, and our worship in Him, and be well pleased with us and bless us, we ask in Jesus’s Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP24 “The Earth and the Riches” or TPH354 “Not All the Blood of Beasts”

The True Riches of Relationships with God and His Image Bearers [Family Worship lesson in Proverbs 22:1]

Pastor teaches his family a selection from “the Proverb of the day.” In this verse of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that a name—being known by others and knowing them—is true wealth.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Fit for the Service of the High King [Family Worship lesson in 2Timothy 2:20–22]

How does a believer who loves the Lord advance in usefulness to the Lord? 2Timothy 2:20–22 looks forward to the second serial reading of in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that by rejecting short-sighted cravings and pursuing instead righteousness, faith, love, and peace, believers crave the Lord from single-minded hearts that are thus prepared for every good work.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.06.22 Hopewell @Home ▫ 2 Timothy 2:20-22

Read 2 Timothy 2:20-22

Questions from the Scripture text: To what kind of house does 2 Timothy 2:20 compare the believer or minister? Of what four materials is its furnishings made in the analogy? What are the gold and silver vessels for? What are the wood and clay vessels for? What should a believer/minister do with those aspects of himself that are “for dishonor” (2 Timothy 2:21)? What will he then become? What two characteristics would this give him? Toward Whom? Prepared for what? For which good works? What is one dishonorable thing that the believer should flee (2 Timothy 2:22)? What four things should he pursue instead? Whom do those whom he joins in this call upon? Out of what do such believers call upon the Lord?

How does a believer who loves the Lord advance in usefulness to the Lord? 2 Timothy 2:20–22 looks forward to the second serial reading of in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that by rejecting short-sighted cravings and pursuing instead righteousness, faith, love, and peace, believers crave the Lord from single-minded hearts that are thus prepared for every good work.

There are other dangers to be avoided in Christian life and ministry than the devastating ones in 2 Timothy 2:18 (straying concerning the truth or having one’s faith overthrown). The Lord knows Who are His, and His house is the “great house” of 2 Timothy 2:20. But even within the house, there are those who have very little honor. At high feasts, out come the table settings of gold and silver. But for less honored occasions, the wood and the clay will do.

Don’t we wish to be fit for the table service of the High King (NKJ translates it “Master” in 2 Timothy 2:21)? Then we will follow the instructions in 2 Timothy 2:19 (“Let everyone who names the Name of Christ depart from iniquity”) and 2 Timothy 2:21 (“if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor”).

We wish to do good works for our Redeemer, our King, our Beloved. Do we not?! Alas, O reader, if you do not. But if you do, has it occurred to you that there may be a prerequisite cleansing in order to be “prepared for every good work”?

Here is an even greater motivation unto sanctification than merely having a happier conscience on earth or being fit for heaven: sanctification prepares us to be “holy and useful for the High King.” What an exquisitely happy description of the state of growing in holiness!!

So, we pay careful attention to 2 Timothy 2:22, as it gives one of the Bible’s helpful summaries for what sanctification looks like. There is mortification: “flee youthful lusts.” Don’t be childish, unable to think long-term or exercise self-control for that which is best, unable to make the wise choices between “good” and “best.” No! Flee those youthful lusts. Even pagans know better to some degree and “outgrow” giving in to every desire that presents itself (though they cannot live out of desire for God). Whatever desires in your heart are for sin itself, or even just untamed desires for what is otherwise good, run away! Flee those lusts!

In the 2 Timothy 2:22 summary of sanctification there is also vivification: that life of Christ in us which we are to pursue. Pursue righteousness; learn what God’s law requires, calculate how to do it, put it into action. Pursue faith; this is the first thing we must have in order to give God any true obedience; without faith, it is impossible to please God (cf. Romans 8:7–8, Hebrews 11:6), and whatever does not proceed from faith is sin (cf. Romans 14:23). So we must always be setting Christ and His work before us for our hearts to lay hold of, rest upon, and rejoice over. He Himself has given us mornings and evenings every day, and a full day on the Lord’s Day in which to do so. Let us bring Him, His righteousness, His sacrifice into the constant stream of our thought life at other times as well.

Pursue also love; love is the keeping of the law (cf. Romans 13:10)—love for God with all the heart (cf. Matthew 22:37–38), love for the brother as Christ has loved us (cf. John 13:34), and love for neighbor as ourself (cf. Matthew 22:39). It is especially in the love of the brethren that we will develop our love for God: “pursue peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (cf. 1 John 4:19–5:3). 

Aren’t we eager now, to flee cravings and pursue holiness in Christ? May the Spirit write this passage’s truth on our hearts so that we will satisfy the desire to be useful in the service of the High King.

What desires do you tend to fulfill despite the consequences or better things that should have had a higher priority? How are you going about setting Christ before yourself for the pursuit of faith? How are you pursuing love? What is one change that you can make to have a happier answer to these questions?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we thank You that You have made us vessels in Your great house. Forgive us for how little we have desired to be holy vessels that have been cleansed to be fit for the use of the High King. Cleanse us from all our unrighteousness, and grant that Your Spirit would grow us by the grace of Christ and by the knowing of Christ, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP24 “The Earth and the Riches” or TPH466 “My Faith Looks Up to Thee” 

Regents (and Rivers) in the Hands of a Sovereign God [Family Worship lesson in Proverbs 21:1]

Pastor teaches his family a selection from “the Proverb of the day.” In this verse of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that even though the decisions of kings are as out of our control as a river, both are under the sovereign control of our covenant Lord.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Judah's Judgment Foreshadows a Greater Wrath and Greater Redemption [Family Worship lesson in Isaiah 2:22–4:6]

How does God respond to the worldliness of His people? Isaiah 2:22–4:6 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirty-three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God punishes the worldliness of His people by making all of their false pleasures miserably fail them but provides Himself as their supreme pleasure and protection in Christ.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.06.21 Hopewell @Home ▫ Isaiah 2:22–4:6

Read Isaiah 2:22-4:6

Questions from the Scripture text: How should God’s people respond to an idolater (Isaiah 2:22)? What personal provisions does the Lord take from His idolatrous people in Isaiah 3:1? And what national and church provisions in Isaiah 3:2? And what cultural provisions in Isaiah 3:3? What rulers will they have instead (Isaiah 3:4)? And what do people do to each other in the absence of wise authority (Isaiah 3:5)? How desperate will they be for authority (Isaiah 3:6)? But how will people feel about ruling such a people (Isaiah 3:7)? What provoked such a judgment (Isaiah 3:8)? How do they respond to their sin (Isaiah 3:9)? Who will experience good from God within this general judgment (Isaiah 3:10)? What will each individual wicked person be receiving (Isaiah 3:11)? What is the crowning judgment upon these wicked (Isaiah 3:12)? Who is making a case against whom in Isaiah 3:13-15? What metaphor does Isaiah 3:4d use for their crime? What specific things does He accuse them of in Isaiah 3:14e? In Isaiah 3:15a? In verse 15b? Whom does He specifically accuse of what in Isaiah 3:16? What specific penalties will correspond to this immodesty (Isaiah 3:17)? And what will He especially remove as being emblematic of their worldliness, immodesty, and self-indulgence (Isaiah 3:19-23)? With what resulting effect (Isaiah 3:24)? What would happen to whom, who the women had so despised (Isaiah 3:25)? And how would they respond (Isaiah 3:26)? How would their immodest seductions be turned upon their heads (Isaiah 4:1)? What moment/time does Isaiah 4:2 introduce? Who will have what attribute then? For whom will this beauty and glory be? What will the remnant of Zion and Jerusalem be called then (Isaiah 4:3)? What will the Lord have washed from whom (Isaiah 4:4)? What will He have purged from where? By what two things? What will He then create (Isaiah 4:5)? Where? What will be over all the glory? What will this glory also do for them (Isaiah 4:6)? 

How does God respond to the worldliness of His people? Isaiah 2:22-4:6 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these 33 verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God punishes the worldliness of His people by making all of their false pleasures miserably fail them, but provides Himself as their supreme pleasure and protection in Christ.

In Isaiah 2:20–21 the picture had been of a man casting off his idols, too late, as he tries to squeeze into a hole to escape from the terror of Yahweh and the glory of His majesty. Now, Isaiah 2:22 warns against a special case: the most insidious idolatry is to hope in man and find happiness in man. So the Lord was going to judge Jerusalem and Judah not only by taking their food and drink (Isaiah 3:1) but all the most capable men in church, state, community, military, and culture (Isaiah 3:2-3).

As many cultures have learned by pain, when God gives a people child (or childish) rulers (Isaiah 3:4), self-interest of the wicked runs amok (Isaiah 3:5), and men become desperate for good government (Isaiah 3:6). God will judge Judah such that any man who just has clothing will seem the best option, even if he can’t provide for his own home (Isaiah 3:7). Why? Because they have not only sinned in the most abominable ways, but approved of sin (Isaiah 3:8-9, cf. Romans 1:18–32). He will spare His remnant, but the wicked are ruled by children—alas, even by women (Isaiah 3:11-12)! 

In Isaiah 3:13-15, the Lord uses courtroom language to make the case for why this was an appropriate punishment: those with power and influence used it not to serve those beneath them but to plunder, crush, and face-grind them! Tyranny is offensive to God in men/authorities, as also immodesty is offensive to God in women. What a display they made of themselves in Isaiah 3:16! So the Lord will display them (Isaiah 3:17)—not as beautiful but as disfigured. All of the luxurious objects with which they peddled themselves (Isaiah 3:19-23) would be replaced with the repulsive (Isaiah 3:24), and those whose attention they so sought the Lord would simply eliminate (Isaiah 3:25-26) until they are desperate just to have anything legitimate (Isaiah 4:1)

This is what Judah and Jerusalem have deserved. How can it be undone? How can the filth of the daughters of Zion be purged (Isaiah 4:4)? Only by a “judgment” and “burning.” The connection of this judgment and burning to the glorious Branch (Isaiah 4:2) would become more apparent in chapter 53 and crystal clear when Christ came and suffered God’s wrath in sinners’ place. Christ suffers the judgment and burning that brings His people forgiveness and salvation! 

And this forgiveness is such that the formerly offensive objects of God’s wrath are now called “holy” and recorded among the “living” in Jerusalem. Instead of wrath, there is reward: the glorious presence of God—represented by the pillar of cloud and fire in Isaiah 4:5—attending every home of His people. Instead of punishment, there is protection: God Himself continually tabernacling among them (Isaiah 4:6), a refuge from every possible type of trouble. Jesus, the Branch of Yahweh, has in Himself all beauty and glory (Isaiah 4:2a), and those who are in Him will bear much fruit (verse 2b, cf. John 15:1–5).

The judgment in Isaiah 2:22–4:1 would be stunning by itself. And the blessing and glory in Isaiah 4:2–6 would be stunning by itself. But it is especially shocking to see that the glory of the latter is actually God’s response to the guilt in the former! And in this He most magnificently displays the glory of the Son! Thus, we complete the composite picture that began back in Isaiah 2:1–5. The failure of ethnic Israel as a covenant people was a necessary intermediate step unto the glory of Christ as the true Israel in Whom the covenant people of God—from Israel and all nations—would be glorified.

Which danger belongs to your particular sex and station? How have you provoked God? How has your nation been provoking God? How has your church been provoking God? What hope can there be for them?

Sample prayer:  Lord, You are right to condemn us to our own injustice and oppression, to give us to have children and women to rule over us. And You are right to condemn us for our immodesty, to give us over to utter humiliation. But You are right and merciful and glorious to have punished our guilt upon Jesus Christ the glorious Branch, and to restore us to Yourself and Your glorious presence and protection. For His sake, forgive us and help us, we pray through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP130 “LORD, from the Depths to You I Cried” or TPH434 “A Debtor to Mercy Alone”

Watch Against Abusing Alcohol, Lest Alcohol Abuse You [Family Worship lesson in Proverbs 20:1]

Pastor teaches his family a selection from “the Proverb of the day.” In this verse of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that even God’s good gifts can be misused in a way that makes a fool of us and abuses us, which defaces God’s image in us.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Dressed in Treasure to Treasure God as Those Treasured by God [2023.06.18 Evening Sermon in Exodus 39:1–31]

The priestly garments were themselves a treasure trove that communicated Who God is, who His people are, how He brings them near, and what worship is.

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

Treasuring Christ Above All, and His Treasured Saints for His Own Sake [2023.06.18 Morning Sermon in Acts 21:1–14]

When we treasure Christ, we submit to His providential will, because we know that will is bringing praise to His Name and perfect blessedness to His people.

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The Diaconal Expression of the Three Great Loves in Their Connection and Progression [Biblical Theology of the Diaconate #38, 2023.06.18 Sabbath School]

Love of God produces love of neighbor (even/especially enemies!), but even more so love of brother, and all three have an expression in the use of material things. Though the church as a body is not a "neighbor," deacons as officers guide believers in how they conduct themselves as neighbors.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

What the Sabbath Is For: Public, Glad, Triumphant, Refreshing Worship [Family Worship lesson in Psalm 92]

What is the Sabbath for? Psalm 92 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these fifteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the Sabbath is for public, glad, triumphant, life-giving worship. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.06.20 Hopewell @Home ▫ Psalm 92

Read Psalm 92

Questions from the Scripture text: For what day was this Psalm written (superscript)? What two things is it good to do (Psalm 92:1)? Declaring what two things, especially (Psalm 92:2)? At what two times, especially? What instruments remind that God has ordained His public worship (Psalm 92:3, cf. 1 Chronicles 23:5)? Who makes the believer glad (Psalm 92:4)? Through what? What responses do His works incite (Psalm 92:5)? What does it say about us if we don’t respond this way (Psalm 92:6)? Why do the wicked exist (Psalm 92:7, Psalm 92:9)? Especially in contrast to Whom (Psalm 92:8)? What has the Lord done to believers (Psalm 92:10)? Especially over-against whom (Psalm 92:11)? Who flourish like what (Psalm 92:12)? Where, particularly (Psalm 92:13)? For how long (Psalm 92:14)? In order to declare what (Psalm 92:15)?

What is the Sabbath for? Psalm 92 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these fifteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the Sabbath is for public, glad, triumphant, life-giving worship.  

The Sabbath is for public worship, morning and evening, Psalm 92:1-3. The Sabbath Day (superscript) is all about attending to the Creator Himself, finding our very purpose in worship—and doing so according to the rhythm that He has established not only for the Sabbath Day but for all our days: evening and morning (Psalm 92:2). That this is especially corporate worship can be seen in Psalm 92:3, which refers to instruments provided by David and a priesthood designated by David in connection with the temple (cf. 1 Chronicles 15:16, 1 Chronicles 23:5). It is not melody-making machines that is valued here but God’s priests leading God’s people in their holy assembly. This is the great thing of Sabbath assemblies still, and a great reason they are called the Lord’s Day: the only ordained Priest in the church, leading the holy assembly from glory (cf. Hebrews 12:18–24).

The Sabbath is for glad worship, Psalm 92:4-5. The thanksgivings and songs of praise that ring out on the Sabbath (Psalm 92:1) proceed from glad hearts (Psalm 92:4a) over the greatness of God’s works (Psalm 92:4-5a), as those works reveal God’s thoughts to us. Always, we should be considering His works and marveling at His goodness, wisdom, and power. But the Sabbath is an entire day for expressing this praise together in the midst of His assembly. Is your heart glad? Sing psalms (cf. James 5:13)! And channel that gladness into the Lord’s Day and singing that praise together under the leadership of the Great High Priest!

The Sabbath is for triumphant worship, Psalm 92:6-11. The senseless, the fool, and the wicked set themselves against God as enemies whom He will destroy (Psalm 92:6-9). And the believer counts this enmity as enmity against himself, which will also be defeated (Psalm 92:10-11). We live in a world where the wicked seem to have the upper hand, but worship reminds us of God’s glory, the wicked’s end, and our own end (cf. Psalm 73).

The Sabbath is for life-giving worship, Psalm 92:12-15. There is a flourishing for the godly in the public worship of God that is independent of circumstances or ability. Lebanon had the best circumstances for cedars (Psalm 92:12). But the righteous grows like one of those cedars in Yahweh’s house, in God’s courts (Psalm 92:13). Ordinarily, youth is the time of fruiting, freshness, and flourishing (Psalm 92:14). But even in old age, the righteous experience all of these things in Yahweh’s house, in God’s courts (Psalm 92:13).  And His praise is not only the source of their vigor but its purpose. The declarations of His covenant love and faithfulness at the beginning of the Psalm (Psalm 92:2) are now joined by declarations of His uprightness, covenant strengthening of His people (“MY Rock”), and perfect righteousness (Psalm 92:15).

What is the centerpiece of the evenings and mornings in your home/heart the other six days of the week? What is the centerpiece of your congregation’s evening and morning on the Lord’s Day? For each of the attributes of God in Psalm 92:2 and Psalm 92:15, list one work that shows it, and give God thanks for it!

Sample prayer:  Lord, it is good to give thanks to You, morning and evening every day, but especially on Your day and in the assembly of Your people. Thank You for the weekly reminder of the end of the wicked and the end of the righteous—and the knowledge that You have given Yourself to us already. So, help us by Your Spirit to worship You with gladness of heart as those who have heavenliness of heaven already in You, in Jesus Christ, through Whom we ask it, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP92 “It’s Good to Thank the Lord” or TPH92A “It’s God to Thank the Lord”

Watch Your Mouth More Than Your Wallet (Folly Is Worse Than Poverty) [Family Worship lesson in Proverbs 19:1]

Pastor teaches his family a selection from “the Proverb of the day.” In this verse of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that integrity of heart is worth more than money, and the place to watch most closely for it is in the overflow through the mouth.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

The Sacraments: Christ Telling, Assuring, and Giving Himself and His Benefits to Us [Shorter Catechism 92 Simply Explained]

Pastor walks his children through Westminster Shorter Catechism question 92—especially explaining how Christ has given us things to do physically to T.A.G. believers with Himself and His benefits: to tell, affirm, and give Himself and His benefits to us.

Q92. What is a sacrament? A sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and the benefits of the new covenant, are represented, sealed, and applied to believers.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

A New Nature, from the Spirit, to See Our Sinfulness [Family Worship lesson in Romans 7:13–20]

What does a believer’s experience of remaining sin show him about himself? Romans 7:13–20 looks forward to the sermon in the upcoming midweek meeting. In these eight verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that when a believer experiences his remaining sin, he realizes what he was apart from the Spirit, and he realizes that the sinfulness of his former nature still dwells in him. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.06.19 Hopewell @Home ▫ Romans 7:13-20

Read Romans 7:13-20

Questions from the Scripture text: What does Romans 7:13 ask about the law? What actually produced the death? What did this show? Where did the law come from (Romans 7:14a)? But what are we like, apart from the Spirit (verse 14b)? When the flesh expresses itself, how does the believer feel about it (Romans 7:15)? What doesn’t he practice? But what does he do? So, then, what is the believer agreeing with (Romans 7:16)? And what does he think of the law? What does this new, spiritual person no longer do (Romans 7:17)? What part of him is doing it? What is still in the believer (Romans 7:18)? How much good dwells in it? What is present with the believer? What doesn’t he find yet? What does he will (Romans 7:19)? What does he will not to do? But which does he practice? What does he conclude about himself (Romans 7:20)? What does he conclude about sin?

What does a believer’s experience of remaining sin show him about himself? Romans 7:13-20 looks forward to the sermon in the upcoming midweek meeting. In these eight verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that when a believer experiences his remaining sin, he realizes what he was apart from the Spirit, and he realizes that the sinfulness of his former nature still dwells in him.  

The believer used to be in the flesh, Romans 7:13-14. Our sinfulness is so bad that, before we died in Christ, our sinfulness took advantage even of the good law to produce desire to sin (cf. Romans 7:8). So, God’s commandment showed that sin is exceedingly sinful (Romans 7:13). So at first, the law was from the Spirit, but we were not in the Spirit or in Christ. At the first, we were in the flesh (“carnal,” Romans 7:14), slaves of sin that could not disobey it in order to obey the law. 

The believer is now in the Spirit, Romans 7:15-16. What’s confusing to the believer (Romans 7:15a) is that he now has desires for good and hatred for evil (verse 15b–c), even though he still does it. In an important sense, this is very good news, because it’s an indication of life in him that is from the Spirit. He now agrees with the law, not only that it is holy and righteous, but that it is good and has done him good! He recognizes that he no longer agrees with the sort of thinking at the beginnings of Romans 7:7, Romans 7:13. If you hate your sin, and delight in God’s law from the heart (cf. Romans 7:22), then praise God that you are in the Spirit!

But sin is still in the believer, Romans 7:17, Romans 7:19-20. Sadly, although the believer is now “in the Spirit” instead of being “in the flesh,” the flesh is still in the believer. Sinfulness dwells in the believer (Romans 7:17). So to summarize, if the Romans 7:15 experience is true, as Romans 7:19 states, then we have a new nature (praise God! Romans 7:20a, cf. Romans 7:16), but there is sinfulness that still dwells in us and which belongs to us (Romans 7:20b).

So that the believer has an ongoing need of grace, Romans 7:18. Praise God that as a believer we have come to taste and love the goodness of God to us in His law. And praise God that we have come to love righteousness and hate sin. But there is still the issue of how to do the good that we love. The performing of it is not in us. When we see what our indwelling sin produces in our lives, it drives us back to Christ for more grace. After all, He not only works in us to will to do according to His good pleasure, but He also works in us to work according to His good pleasure.

What good, that you desire to do, do you keep failing to do? But where did that desire come from? What evil, that you hate to do, do you keep doing? But where did that hate come from? If you don’t have the desire for good and the hatred for sin, then what condition are you still in? But if you do have it, where will you get the doing?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we thank You for getting us out of our flesh and into the Lord Jesus Christ by Your Spirit. Please help us, we pray, for there is a wretched sinfulness that remains in us. Grow us, by Your grace, in walking in the righteous requirements of Your law, by Your Spirit, we ask in Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP32AB “What Blessedness” or TPH193 “Baptized into Your Name Most Holy”

Treasured Fellowship Among Treasurers of Christ [Family Worship lesson in Acts 21:1–14]

How do believers properly treasure one another and their fellowship in the Word? Acts 21:1–14 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord's Day. In these fourteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that believers properly treasure one another and their fellowship in the Word by responding to it together in love, faith, and submission toward God.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.06.17 Hopewell @Home ▫ Acts 21:1–14

Read Acts 21:1–14

Questions from the Scripture text: What do Acts 21:1-3 detail? In what manner? What/whom do they find in Acts 21:4? What do they do now? What are these disciples saying to whom (cf. Acts 21:11-12)?  What were Paul and company doing in Acts 21:5? Who accompanied them? What did they do on the shore? Right before what (Acts 21:6)? To whom did they come and stay with in Acts 21:7? When do they go where in Acts 21:8? To whose house? What sort of family was this by now (Acts 21:9)? Who else comes down (Acts 21:10)? What does he do in Acts 21:11? What does he say will happen? Now who joins in trying to persuade Paul not to go up to Jerusalem (Acts 21:13)? What question does Paul ask in Acts 21:13? What two things is he ready for? For what purpose? How does this teach/lead them to respond instead (Acts 21:14)?

How do believers properly treasure one another and their fellowship in the Word? Acts 21:1–14 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these fourteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that believers properly treasure one another and their fellowship in the Word by responding to it together in love, faith, and submission toward God. 

Treasuring the Brethren. After spending so much text and emphasis on the brief interview with the Ephesian elders, the Holy Spirit now starts rushing us along with Paul toward Jerusalem. It seems that just one thing can slow him down: spending time with disciples. He finds disciples at Tyre and stays there seven days (Acts 21:4). We don’t know of any other connection between the Paul and the church at Tyre, but by the time they’ve spent a week together, their hearts are closely knit to one another. Not only the men but their wives and children accompany Paul and his companions to the beach, where all kneel down and pray together (Acts 21:5) before saying final greetings and departing (Acts 21:6). Again, in Ptolemais, they greet the brethren and spend time with them (Acts 21:7). Finally, in Caesarea, they seek out Philip and stay with him for many days.

Hearing the Word. It is interesting that the Spirit doesn’t only tell Paul the things in Acts 21:4 and Acts 21:11 directly. We know from Acts 20:23 that he has heard this before—either directly by the Spirit or through others who prophesied. But he does know that chains and tribulations await him. And the Spirit keeps on telling him that. We see two things about hearing the Word here: we see that even those who speak the Word must hear it as well, and we also see that often we need to hear the same thing several times. The Lord only has to say something once for Himself, but He accommodates our own needs by telling us the same, necessary truths over and over again.

Right Use of the Word. It is interesting that in addition to the facts of Paul’s upcoming shackles and tribulations (Acts 21:11, cf. Acts 20:23), both the disciples in Tyre (Acts 21:4) and the disciples in Caesarea, together even with Luke and others (Acts 21:12), urge Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.

But God wasn’t telling Paul about the persecution in order that he might avoid it, but rather that he might embrace it. Hearing that he might be bound for the Name of the Lord Jesus stirred up in him a love for the Name of the Lord Jesus: He is worth being bound for! Hearing that he might die for the Name of the Lord Jesus stirred up in him a love for the Name of the Lord Jesus: He is worth dying for! 

Our effect upon the brethren. Sadly, the brethren negatively affect Paul. Sometimes, when we respond strongly (“weeping”) but wrongly to events, we negatively affect others as well (“breaking my heart”). But happily, Paul positively affects the brethren. They see that nothing can persuade them to give up his plan for service and witness to the Lord, and their spirits too, now, come into submission. “We ceased, saying, ‘the will of the Lord be done.’” Let us always keep in mind that we either encourage or discourage others by how we respond to the providence of God.

How does your treasuring the brethren show up in your prayers, your time, and your wallet? When you are hearing the same thing from the Word over and over, how do you go about keeping a soft heart toward it? In what situations are you in danger of discouraging the brethren? How can you encourage others to submit to the will of the Lord together with you?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for the fellowship that You give us with one another in the faith and in Your Word. Give us to trust Your good will and encourage one another in love, service, and obedience, we ask through Jesus Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP16A “Keep Me, O God” or TPH409 “Blest Be the Tie That Binds” 

Serving in the Newness of the Spirit by Obeying the Law [2023.06.14 Midweek Sermon in Romans 7:5–12]

Union with the resurrected Christ has delivered us from sin's always taking advantage of God's commandments, and given us newness in His Spirit by which to keep God's commandments

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Wisdom to T.H.I.N.K. Before You Speak [Family Worship lesson in Proverbs 15:1–2]

Pastor teaches his family a selection from “the Proverb of the day.” In these two verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that wisdom includes not just knowledge, but also skill in the right and helpful use of that knowledge.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Dressed in Treasure in Order to Treasure God as Those Treasured by God [Family Worship lesson in Exodus 39:1–31]

What does God teach us in the recounting of the actual making of the priestly garments? Exodus 39:1–31 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirty-one verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God gives us all sorts of wisdom for serving Him: obedience to His Word, skill in His world, faith to trust in His provision, and love to value Him above all.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.06.16 Hopewell @Home ▫ Exodus 39:1–31

Read Exodus 39:1–31

Questions from the Scripture text: How do Exodus 39:1-7 compare to Exodus 28:6–12? What interesting addition does Exodus 39:3 make? Why would they need to do this (end of Exodus 39:7)? How do Exodus 39:8-21 compare to Exodus 28:15–28? What was this breastplate called (cf. Exodus 28:15)? What had Exodus 28:29–30 added about how this breastplate would be used? How do Exodus 39:22-26 compare to Exodus 28:31–34? What had Exodus 28:35 added? How do Exodus 39:27-29 compare to Exodus 28:39–42? What is left out this time? How do Exodus 39:30-31 compare to Exodus 28:36–37? How does Exodus 39:30 “cap” the entire description of the priestly garments?

What does God teach us in the recounting of the actual making of the priestly garments? Exodus 39:1–31 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirty-one verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God gives us all sorts of wisdom for serving Him: obedience to His Word, skill in His world, faith to trust in His provision, and love to value Him above all.

This is the last section of the actual constructing of the tabernacle: the garments of the high priest and the rest of the priesthood. There is a climax of sorts here because of how personal these items are. They are worn by the priest himself, and the people are represented all over the high priest. And in this climax, we see four types of wisdom provision from God.

Word wisdom: obedience. The first part of wisdom is recognizing that God is God, and we are not. Submission to God’s Word, obedience to God’s commands, is the heartbeat of true wisdom. This passage is marked by seven instances of “as Yahweh had commanded Moses.” Here is the greatness of the wisdom in constructing the tabernacle: obedience. Our greatest wisdom is simply to believe and obey the Word of God.

World wisdom: employed in obedience. Comparing this chapter to chapter 28, Exodus 39:3 is an unique addition. It is an ingenious process for the production of thread made out of actual gold to work into the garments. It is just one example of a multitude of skills and processes that had to have been employed in the making of all of these things. In the service of obedience, which is wisdom from the Word, God gave them also artistic skill—wisdom in His world, in service of that obedience. We, too, must seek from God to give us increased knowledge and skill that can be used in service of obedience to Him.

Spiritual wisdom: trusting in grace. How could man be safe in the presence of God? Man’s representative stands as holy before God, having atoned for our sin. And man’s representative is outfitted by God Himself for that work. “Holiness to Yahweh” (Exodus 39:30). God’s mercy and strength have displaced our guilt and weakness. This is spiritual wisdom: to trust in God’s provision of atonement and strength instead of our own.

Eternal wisdom: God Himself in the gospel. This is the great wisdom: to treasure God Himself above all else. And this is what God teaches us by the “uniform” in which he stands before the Lord. All of these precious metals and gemstones… what are they good for? They are merely the clothing that is necessary to stand before God. And the value is infinitely greater at the last, when we are dressed in Christ Himself and His righteousness. He appears in our behalf dressed in His Sonship and His Perfect Obedience.

How are you actively learning what the Bible teaches and commands? How do the approach of your heart and practice of your habits foster submission to His Word? In what fields of knowledge and skill are you proficient and/or increasing? How are you aiming at obedience to God’s Word with this knowledge? How are you trusting God’s provision for righteousness? What shows that God Himself is your greatest treasure?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we thank You for giving us Yourself in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we thank You for giving Him to be our Great High Priest. Grant that we would know the greatness of the riches that have been provided to us in Him. Give us Your Spirit to work in us faith and obedience to Your Word. Give us increasing knowledge of the world that You created and skill with which to serve and obey You in it. And give us always to know that the Lord Jesus intercedes for us, we ask in His Name, AMEN! 

ARP24 “The Earth and the Riches” or TPH508 “Jesus, Priceless Treasure”