Alcohol, Wisely (Biblically) Considered [Family Worship lesson in Proverbs 31:4–7]

Pastor teaches his family a selection from “the Proverb of the day.” In these four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us to employ God’s good gifts in a manner that responds rightly to Him in the situations that His providence assigns to us.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Foundational Qualifications of a Deacon [Family Worship lesson in 1Timothy 3:8–9]

What are the primary qualifications of a deacon? 1Timothy 3:8–9 looks forward to the second reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these two verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that deacons must be dignified men who live consistently with their sound doctrine.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.10.31 Hopewell @Home ▫ 1 Timothy 3:8–9

Read 1 Timothy 3:8–9

Questions from the Scripture text: What is the first thing deacons must be (1 Timothy 3:8)? What is the first thing he must not be? What is the second? What is the third? What must he be doing (1 Timothy 3:9)? 

What are the primary qualifications of a deacon? 1 Timothy 3:8–9 helps us think about the diaconate, as we prepare to certify, elect, ordain, and install deacons. In these two verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that deacons must be dignified men who live consistently with their sound doctrine.

The qualifications of deacons are introduced here (1 Timothy 3:8–9), a brief procedure for recognizing and installing them stated (1 Timothy 3:10), including the character of the women who serve under them (1 Timothy 3:11), followed by further description of how their character is shown in testing (1 Timothy 3:12-13). The implication is that the women in 1 Timothy 3:11 are first/originally their wives in the home (1 Timothy 3:12) and then the women who are officially engaged in the diaconal service of the church. More on that in subsequent passages, but for our purposes this week, we’re just noting the place of 1 Timothy 3:8-9.

Qualifications appropriate to position. By saying “likewise,” the apostle refers us back to the more extensive set of qualifications he has just finished delineating for elders. Just as those qualifications were suited to the “good work” that the office of overseer engaged a man in, now the good work of overseeing material service as a deacon requires qualifications appropriate to the work.

The implication is that while these qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:8–9 are necessary, they are not the only ones. We know this already because of our study in Acts 6:1–7. 

A deacon must be reverent. The word here is related to the “dignity” and “nobility” word from 1 Timothy 2:2 and 1 Timothy 3:5. Beyond propriety, seriousness, and majesty of manner, this cognate word refers to worthiness of respect. If there is a shade of difference in meaning, it is that not only is his behavior respectable, but the dignity and nobility of his behavior is what best summarizes him as a person: both inwardly by the Spirit and outwardly in serious, worthy living.

A deacon must not be double-tongued. There is a word that is more literally “double-tongued,” but this one is more literally “double-worded.” He doesn’t say one thing to one man and a different thing to another. Neither inconsistency nor partiality change the way that he responds. Deacons are going to have to deal with tricky situations and will often have to be deciding between competing interests and worthy causes. Consistency of conduct and impartiality is vitally necessary for a deacon. 

A deacon must not be given to much wine. Note, of course, the word “much.” It is not that a deacon does not drink wine at all, but that he is always ready to exercise good judgment. Not only does he need to do this for the real-time decisions that may be involved in the exercise of his office, but it will also help him make wise denials of financial assistance where that would be harmful. 

There have always been those who need material help because they squander their resources on drink. To give them more material help would only harm them by facilitating their obtaining more drink. A man who himself is addicted to fleshly desires weakens his ability to say no to another such man.

A deacon must not be greedy for money. This is that same “shameful gain” word that we came across in 1 Timothy 3:3. It refers to a man who has few compunctions about gaining in any way (not just financially) that he can get away with. The man who is always looking for an angle, always looking to advance himself, must not be given the opportunities to do so at the expense of the church and of the members who are most needy.

A deacon must hold to the mystery of the faith. The New Testament word “mystery” doesn’t refer to something still hidden, but to something that has been revealed and that we wouldn’t know apart from special revelation. The doctrine referred to in 1 Timothy 3:9 is summarized as “the mystery of godliness” in 1 Timothy 3:16. The core doctrines of the faith are the very ones that produce godliness in believers. Christ's divinity and incarnation, His death and resurrection, His appearance to messengers, His saving through preaching, and His current ascension and reign. 

A man who doesn’t believe these things is not a Christian, let alone qualified to be a deacon. But the second half of 1 Timothy 3:9 explains the connection between the character in 1 Timothy 3:8 and the doctrine to which the man holds. The diaconate is not just for “decent” men but for “doctrinal” men, whose decency organically and obviously flows from theology. The good works of the church are to adorn the gospel; the men who oversee these good works should be models of how those two things go together in one’s life.

These are not the only qualifications of a deacon, but they are all necessary. A man who lacks one of these is not qualified or called to the office. The Lord bless His church by gracing men in such a way as to fit them for this office!

What characteristics in these two verses do you find most rare in the churches today? 

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for Your blessed gospel! Forgive us for how we often fail to hold to the good doctrine in Your Word, and we often fail to work it out with a pure conscience. So, we live silly and superficial lives. And we are inconsistent and impartial in our speech. And we let our fleshly desires control us. And we are always looking to gain for ourselves. O forgive us! Give us deacons whom You have much sanctified from such sin, and sanctify us from that sin as well, we ask through Jesus Christ, AMEN!

 ARP128 “How Blessed Are All Who Fear the Lord” or TPH128B “Blest the Man Who Fears Jehovah” 

Apostolic Recipe for Reformation: Christ's Called Men Teaching Christ's Word to Produce Christ's Love in Christ's People [Family Worship lesson in 1Timothy 1:3–7]

What did Paul leave Timothy behind in Ephesus to do? 1Timothy 1:3–7 looks forward to the second serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that churches urgently need called men to teach right doctrine that results in right living.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.10.30 Hopewell @Home ▫ 1 Timothy 1:3–7

Read 1 Timothy 1:3–7

Questions from the Scripture text: Where had Paul gone (1 Timothy 1:3)? What did he leave Timothy behind to do? What where they to teach? To what two things weren’t they to give heed (1 Timothy 1:4)? What do these things cause? What don’t these things cause? Of what does 1 Timothy 1:5 tell us the purpose? From what three sources does this love issue? But what did some do (1 Timothy 1:6)? To what did they turn aside instead? Out of what desire did they do this (1 Timothy 1:7)? What two things didn’t they understand? 

What did Paul leave Timothy behind in Ephesus to do? 1 Timothy 1:3–7 helps us think about the diaconate, as we prepare to certify, elect, ordain, and install deacons. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that churches urgently need called men to teach right doctrine that results in right living.

The right men, 1 Timothy 1:3, 1 Timothy 1:7. Not everyone who has an idea should get to say it in church. In fact, many desire to be teachers (1 Timothy 1:7a), but they don’t even understand their own words (verse 7b), let alone how off their theology is (verse 7c). So, in his apostolic authority, Paul had left Timothy behind with instructions to, among other things, recognize and appoint the other teachers whom Christ Himself was calling to the ministry (cf. 1 Timothy 2:12–3:7). 

The right doctrine, 1 Timothy 1:3-4. The right men need to teach the right doctrine, which is to say “no other doctrine” than that apostolic doctrine that is recorded for us in Scripture. One favorite mode of teaching for those who wish to appoint themselves is just to teach “clever” ways they have come to think about theological or spiritual things. Another favorite is to “give heed to fables,” adopting men’s ideas that have gained the appearance of weightiness by being passed down in the church. A third mode of false teaching is to take more difficult passages of Scripture (like genealogies) and endlessly teach those instead of the plainer passages of Scripture that teach us how to understand the more difficult.

Unsurprisingly, all three modes of false teaching produce disputes. Their talk is idle/useless (1 Timothy 1:6), but they are not without effect. They stray from that gospel upon which all true believers can agree, and thus fail to build the church up in God. But this “godly edification” is exactly what grows out of faith. When believers are actually growing in understanding, approving, and being shaped by the truth of God’s Word, the result is not disputes but the building up of the household of God.

Resulting in right living, 1 Timothy 1:5-6. The word translated ‘commandment’ here refers more to instruction/urging than the one in 1 Timothy 1:1, which indicates authoritative injunction. It’s referring to the urging of 1 Timothy 1:3. Why is it so necessary that the right men teach the right doctrine? To produce right living—which we might also call right loving. The Lord brings us to love Him with all the heart, our brothers as He loved us, and our neighbors as ourselves. And He does so by the mechanism described in 1 Timothy 1:5. 

The Lord uses right teaching to make the heart pure/good/sincere. It is His own Word that He promises to write on our hearts (cf. Hebrews 8:10, Hebrews 10:16). And it is His own Word that has the power to do this (cf. Psalm 19:7–8). The idle talk of man has neither this promise nor this power.

The Lord uses right teaching to make our conscience good. A bad conscience approves the wrong things. A good conscience approves the right things. It is the renewing of our minds that transforms us so that we can prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (cf. Romans 12:2). It gives us a good conscience.

The Lord uses right teaching to give us sincere (un-pretended) faith. It’s one thing to try to appear to others to be confident, or even to try to stir up a feeling of confidence within ourselves, but such faith is “pretended.” It is merely put on. True faith is being convinced of what God says, even if it’s not visible or hasn’t happened yet (cf. Hebrews 11:1). And it is the Word of God itself that produces this faith (cf. Romans 10:14–17).

How does God give that love for Himself and others by which He builds up His church? He uses the proclamation of His Word. To have other men teach other things produces the disputes of men where the Word of God has been given to do the work of God.

Why must you be careful not to appoint yourself a teacher or follow self-appointed teachers? What kind of teaching should we expect from those whom Christ has truly appointed? What should you be seeking to have produced in yourself by sitting under such preaching and teaching?

Sample prayer:  Lord, forgive us for wanting others to hear our opinions about theology, Scripture, or spiritual things. Forgive us for when we follow the traditions of men, or make big mistakes from lesser-understood passages. Grant unto us men like Timothy, and those whom he was to ordain, to teach us Your Word. And, use that teaching to work in our hearts and minds. Produce in us that love for Yourself, brother, and neighbor by which You build Your church up in Yourself, which we ask in Your Name, Lord Jesus, AMEN!

 Suggested songs: ARP19B “The Lord’s Most Perfect Law” or TPH19B “The Heavens Above Declare”  

October 29, 2023, Lord's Day Livestreams (live at 10:10a, 11a, 3p)

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October 29 Lord's Day Worship Booklet
Morning Sermon in Matthew 4:12–25
Evening Sermon in Leviticus 15

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How Spiritual Pride Devastates Us [2023.10.28 Pastoral Letter and Hopewell Herald]

Hopewell Herald – October 28, 2023

Dear Congregation,

In Isaiah, we come this week to chapter 28, in which we hear the woe against pride. One of the worst things about pride is that, by hiding from our eyes how wretched we are, it hides from our eyes the preciousness of Christ, the Cornerstone.

Isaiah 28:16
Therefore thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation,
A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;
Whoever believes will not act hastily.

Sadly, for Judah, Ahaz was too busy hoping in his “alliance with death” to hope in the Lord God’s offered cornerstone. We learned about this, back in chs. 7–8, and now in 28:18, the Lord assures them that their proud efforts will fail.

You and I need to heed this word. If we pursue righteousness as if it is by works (cf. Rom 9:32), we will stumble over the stumbling stone (cf. Rom 9:33). We must never trust in ourselves or what we do. We mustn’t treat faith as a saving work—as if our believing is doing the saving rather, than the One in Whom we are believing. We mustn’t treat good doctrine as a saving work—as if an accurate theology of Christ or grace is doing the saving, rather than Christ Himself saving by that grace.

How subtle, how tricky, spiritual pride and self-trust can be!

But there is a telling image for such false hopes in Isaiah 28:20.
For the bed is too short to stretch out on,
And the covering so narrow that one cannot wrap himself in it.

Have you ever tried to sleep on a space that you couldn’t quite stretch out upon? Or tried to cover yourself, on a cold night, with a blanket that was just a touch too small? The promise of comfort and relief is false, leaving you more miserable for having had the hope of any comfort to begin with.

If we are hoping in anything other than Christ Himself, our hope will disastrously fail us. But if we come to God through Christ, we will find Him a precious cornerstone and sure foundation. He will never disappoint.

Looking forward to coming to God through Him together,

Pastor

The King of Light, Raiding the Kingdom of Darkness [Family Worship lesson in Matthew 4:12–25]

What is the news of the kingdom like? Matthew 4:12–25 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these fourteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us the news of the kingdom is good news because the requirement that it demands is given by the great King Himself. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.10.28 Hopewell @Home ▫ Matthew 4:12–25

Read Matthew 4:12–25

Questions from the Scripture text: What did Jesus hear in Matthew 4:12? Where did He go? In Galilee, where did He leave (Matthew 4:13)? Where did He come to dwell? What was the city by? In what regions? Why did He have to move here (Matthew 4:14)? How many parts of Matthew 4:15 (cf. Isaiah 9:1) had been literally, geographically fulfilled? What does this fulfillment from Matthew 4:14 and preaching in Matthew 4:17 imply about the darkness, death, and light in Matthew 4:16? What does Jesus preach and say (Matthew 4:17, cf. Matthew 3:2)? Whom does He see in Matthew 4:18? Doing what? Why? What does He tell them to do (Matthew 4:19)? What does He promise? What do they do (Matthew 4:20)? When? Whom does He see in Matthew 4:21? With whom? Doing what? What does Jesus do? What do they leave (Matthew 4:22)? When? To do what? Where is Jesus going in Matthew 4:23? What was He doing? Where? What did He preach? What did He do to accompany this preaching? What went through where in Matthew 4:24? What did they bring to Him? What did He do? What did multitudes do in Matthew 4:25? From where?

What is the news of the kingdom like? Matthew 4:12–25 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these fourteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us the news of the kingdom is good news because the requirement that it demands is given by the great King Himself. 

A people who are in darkness, Matthew 4:12-17. The quote from Isaiah 9:1–2 (Matthew 4:14-16) is rather uncomplimentary toward Galilee (Matthew 4:12), Nazareth, and Capernaum (Matthew 4:13). Jesus did not come to the worthy. He came to the unworthy. Jesus did not come to those who walked in light but to those who sat in darkness. Jesus did not come to those who were full of life, but whose region was made up of death-shadow. And so Jesus comes with a message (Matthew 4:17) that is, in part, the same as John’s (cf. Matthew 3:2): “Be converted for the kingdom of heaven approaches.” 

People whom the King uses to acquire subjects, Matthew 4:18-22. Simon, Andrew, James, and John were men doing good honest work. Simon and Andrew cast nets (Matthew 4:18). James and John worked with their father and mended nets (Matthew 4:21). But Jesus comes to call them to do good honest work, not with nets (Matthew 4:20) and boats (Matthew 4:22) but with the Word. Not with their father (Matthew 4:21-22) but with Jesus (Matthew 4:19a, end of Matthew 4:21). The Lord Jesus uses their previous work as a sort of template for their new work (“fishers of men”). It is good, honest work too. He takes those who are lowly and calls them to a task that is noble and great indeed! The lowly can work this task, because it is the great King Himself Who works through them.

The good news that the nature-changing King has come, Matthew 4:23-25. One great difference between Jesus’s message and John’s was that Jesus could say more than that they had to be changed (Matthew 4:17). He could announce the kingdom as gospel, as good news, as glad tidings (Matthew 4:23). He was the mighty One to come, Who gives the new heart by baptizing men with His holy spirit (cf. Matthew 3:11). 

It is this preaching of good news that is primary in Matthew 4:23. But one cannot see a new heart of repentance immediately. Repentant hearts are borne out by repentant lives. So He attested that preaching through something they could see: new health that overcame the sickness and disease that belong to the body of death in the groaning creation (Matthew 4:23b, cf. John 5:36; Acts 10:38; Hebrews 2:4 and Romans 7:24, Romans 8:19–23).

The people may not understand so well about the need for the new heart. But they understand that the King and His kingdom have come. The new kingdom life is for all sorts of conditions (Matthew 4:24). And it is recognized by people from every region (Matthew 4:25). The King has come!

What is Jesus’s kingdom like? What must you be like to enter it? How can this even happen? For whom is He king?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we thank You for coming, Yourself, not only to be the Great King, but to give us the new life that is necessary for us to come into the kingdom. Grant unto us to hope in You for new life now in our souls, and life forever that in which we have been perfected in soul and body! For we receive this life from our all-powerful and abundantly merciful Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP72C “May Waving Grain on Hilltops Thrive” or TPH375 “All Hail the Pow’r of Jesus’s Name”

Christ Cleanses Us from What Comes Out of Us [Family Worship lesson in Leviticus 15]

What defiles a sinner? Leviticus 15 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 what comes out of a sinner defiles him, requiring atonement. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.10.27 Hopewell @Home ▫ Leviticus 15

Read Leviticus 15

Questions from the Scripture text: To whom does YHWH speak (Leviticus 15:1)? To whom are they to speak (Leviticus 15:2)? What might come from them? What is unclean? Whose uncleanness is it (Leviticus 15:3)? In which two conditions? What other things become unclean (Leviticus 15:4, Leviticus 15:9, Leviticus 15:12)? Who else becomes unclean in what ways (Leviticus 15:5, Leviticus 15:6, Leviticus 15:7, Leviticus 15:8, Leviticus 15:10)? What must they do? When the discharge stops, how long does the one who had it have to wait (Leviticus 15:13, Leviticus 15:24, Leviticus 15:28)? What must he do on that day? Then what must he bring on the next day (Leviticus 15:29)? Before Whom? Where? And give to whom? What does the priest do (Leviticus 15:15, Leviticus 15:30)? Who have their own specific discharges (Leviticus 15:16-18, Leviticus 15:19-24, Leviticus 15:25-27)? How is Leviticus 15:31 a summary for chapters 11–15? Which particular discharges’ uncleanness were the main ones in this chapter (Leviticus 15:32-33)?

What defiles a sinner? Leviticus 15 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 what comes out of a sinner defiles him, requiring atonement. 

What comes out of a sinner defiles him. The connection of Leviticus 12:2 to Genesis 3:16b–c emphasized to us that the problem is that we are sinners, and those who come from us are therefore sinners. Chapter 12, therefore, taught the same great lesson as Mark 7:1–23. What comes out of a man defiles him. “customary impurity” in Leviticus 12:2 hinted forward to this chapter and the same lesson. Now, in chapter 15, any sort of flow from a man makes him unclean in a way that requires an 8th day atonement, just as the cleansed leper (cf. Leviticus 14:10) needed to signify his “rebirth” into the sacred community. No diagnostic procedure, like those in chapters 13–14, is necessary. Any flow at all that comes out of him makes him unclean.

What comes out of a sinner defiles others. Whatever he wears or lays or sits upon becomes unclean. Whatever touches him, or touches something he has defiled, also becomes unclean. All of these must be washed (or in the case of pottery, be destroyed). We sinners make others unclean just by touching them, or their touching us. This is part of what makes the touching in Matthew 8:3 so amazing. Jesus not only has an internal cleanness that is so great that He cannot be defiled; but, His is so great that it can actually take away the defilement of others. No water ever cleansed like Jesus cleanses.

The need for new creation. As we noted above, the atonement that is required in this chapter is an “8th day” atonement (Leviticus 15:1, Leviticus 15:29). This corresponds to the day of circumcision (cf. Leviticus 12:3; Genesis 17:12), and the new heart that is needed for the new birth (cf. Deuteronomy 10:16, Deuteronomy 30:6). The 8th day is the 1st day of a second week, the 1st day of a new creation. It is the day that has become the Lord’s Day. When someone is kept out of the sacred assembly in a way that needs atonement, the Lord gives them to do so on the 8th day of their cleanness, a sign that teaches us about the new birth that is necessary for entering the new creation. Much of the chapter, then, focuses on those discharges that are related to a man’s fathering children or a woman’s conceiving children. In God’s providence, He has made these to be times of physical discharge that remind us that we and our children both desperately need to be born again—to become members of the new creation.

What is the great uncleanness about us? How can we be cleansed? What does this cleansing do for us?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we confess that because we are sinners, whatever comes from us is unclean. Give us the new birth, we pray, and unite us to Christ so that much may come out of us that is from Him, rather than from us. And do this, also, for our children, we ask. For, they have come from sinful parents and need Christ, through Whom we ask it, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP51B “From My Sins, O Hide Your Face” or TPH274 “Jesus, My Great High Priest”

How Covenant Children Become Children of God [2023.10.25 Midweek Sermon in Romans 9:6–9]

God's faithful Word to us is about the faithful Word, His Son. Being God's children comes not by our lineage or membership, but by Christ Himself, in Whom God's promise has its "Yes" for us and our children and as many as He calls to Himself.

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

Godly Submission to Rulers [Family Worship lesson in Titus 3:1–3]

How are we to interact with wicked rulers and neighbors? Titus 3:1–2 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 Christians should adorn the gospel by being godly citizens and neighbors. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.10.26 Hopewell @Home ▫ Titus 3:1–3

Read Titus 3:1–3

Questions from the Scripture text: What does “remind” imply that Paul has already done (Titus 3:1)? To whom are they to be subject? What else are they to do? What sort of work should this obedience be? What does “readiness” show about not just preparation but attitude? Of whom should they speak evil (Titus 3:2)? Who, from Titus 3:1, are they likely to be most tempted to do this? How should they be in their interactions? How should they be in their demeanor? How much humility should they aim at? Before which men should this humility be evident? Who else were once foolish and disobedient (Titus 3:3)? How did we get to be that way? What did we then serve? How did we then relate to others? 

How are we to interact with wicked rulers and neighbors? Titus 3:1–3 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 Christians should adorn the gospel by being godly citizens and neighbors. 

There’s authority in the civil sphere, too. The apostle has just told Titus to speak, exhort, and rebuke with all authority, letting none despise him (cf. Titus 2:15). Of course, authorities that conduct themselves in the way that Titus was to act (cf. Titus 2:7–8) are easier to submit to (although submitting to authority is never easy for our flesh). But not all authorities are godly. In fact, many of them are in the condition that “we ourselves” (Titus 3:3) were once in. So, how must we respond to wicked rulers and authorities.

Submit and obey. These are the main things that we are to do with rulers and authorities, according to Titus 3:1. The difficulty that partially sanctified saints have with this is evident from the need to “remind” us. But that is what authority is for, first and foremost. We must always remember that the chain of command never ends at earth, but goes all the way up to God (cf. Romans 13:1–7; 1 Peter 2:13–16; John 19:11). The first thing to do if we are in authority is to submit to God as the Authority above us from Whom our authority comes. And the first thing to do if we are under authority is to submit to the lesser authorities that God has providentially set over us.

Doing good works. Titus 3:1 ends by telling us to be ready for every good work. This implies that there are times when we do not obey. “Submit” and “obey” are qualified by the type of work that we are to be ready to do at the authority’s behest. God alone is the One Who defines what a good work is. So, Christians should make authorities marvel at how ready we are to obey them in so many things that we do—we are then the most eager and compliant and zealous citizens. Then, it will also be a marvel when we are given a command that we must disobey because obedience would be sinful. That is NOT a work that we are ready to do.

Displaying humility to all men, Titus 3:2. Sometimes, the most difficult thing to give an authority (especially a wicked one), is honor. Yet, we are commanded to do it (cf. Romans 13:7; 1 Peter 2:17). What if that authority is wicked? Both the Romans and 1 Peter passages were written within the contexts of unbelieving, and even particularly wicked, kings. And even Michael spoke gravely rather than revilingly with the devil himself (cf. Jude 1:8–9). When we find this difficult, let us remember that “speak evil of no one” has its root in that humility that we show to all. If we are first humbled under the mighty hand of God, we will speak not from the fire of our flesh but from the grace that God gives to the humble (cf. James 3:5–9, James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5–7). 

It is from this humility before God that this refusal to speak evil proceeds, and from this humility also proceeds our being peaceable (Titus 3:2, humble in our interactions with others) and gentle (Titus 3:2, humble in how we carry ourselves). Thus, not only should our authorities find us to be their best subjects, but “all men” (Titus 3:2) should also find us to be their best neighbors.

What authorities do you have the hardest time not speaking evil of? With whom do you need the most help being peaceable? What interaction must you have with God, in order to produce this interaction with others? What opportunities has God given, and are you taking, to cultivate humility before Him?

Sample prayer:  Lord, all rule and authority belong to You, but our flesh resists submitting and obeying. Forgive us for forgetting that You are at the top of the chain of command. Give us such readiness for every good work that it is remarkable when we are unable to obey because the command was evil. And forgive us for lacking humility before You. Our pride is displayed whenever we are unpeaceable or ungentle. Forgive us for the sin against You in our hearts that displays itself in our sin against others. Grant us grace to cleanse us and conform us to Christ, through Whom we ask it, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP24 “The Earth and the Riches” or TPH533 “Have Thine Own Way, Lord”

October 25, 2023, Midweek Meeting Livestream (live at 6:30p)

Click below for the:

October 25 Prayer Meeting Folder
Midweek Sermon in Romans 9:6–9

Woe to Our Pride [Family Worship lesson in Isaiah 28]

What hope is there for a people under judgment for their pride? Isaiah 28 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twenty-nine verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that those (all of us!) who are under judgment for pride must abandon our pride and humble ourselves to receive salvation as a gift from all-wise, all-powerful, abundantly merciful God. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.10.25 Hopewell @Home ▫ Isaiah 28

Read Isaiah 28

Questions from the Scripture text: How does chapter 28 begin (Isaiah 28:1, cf. Isaiah 29:1; Isaiah 29:15; Isaiah 30:1; Isaiah 31:1; Isaiah 33:1)? Upon what is this particular woe pronounced (cf. Isaiah 28:3a)? What sort of crown is it? What are Ephraim called (Isaiah 28:1a, verse 1d)? How did they think of themselves (Isaiah 28:1-4a–b)? But how long would this last (cf. Isaiah 28:4c–e)? Whom does the Lord have (Isaiah 28:2a)? Who will do what to Ephraim (verse 2d, Isaiah 28:3b)? How strong is he (Isaiah 28:2b–c)? Who will be the true crown (Isaiah 28:5b)? Unto whom? What two things will He be for them (Isaiah 28:6)? How have the people erred so much (Isaiah 28:7)? Especially whom (verse 7c)? Erring in what (verse 7f)? With what result (Isaiah 28:8)? Since their “wise” officers are unable to teach and lead, what question does Isaiah 28:9 ask? Why is longevity and maturity necessary for leadership and teaching (Isaiah 28:10)? How/from whom will this people learn instead (Isaiah 28:11)? What message have they previously received (Isaiah 28:12)? And how did they respond (verse 12d)? How did this rebellion and hardening proceed (Isaiah 28:13)? Especially whom is the Lord now specifically addressing (Isaiah 28:14)? How have they tried to escape the death that Assyria is bringing through the region (Isaiah 28:15)? What does the Lord YHWH offer, instead, for an escape (Isaiah 28:16)? What will this cornerstone be like (Isaiah 28:17a–b)? What role will the suffering have (verse 17c–d, cf. Isaiah 28:2b–c)? How will their hoping in their alliance with Assyria turn out (Isaiah 28:18-19)? What is hoping in our own plans like (Isaiah 28:20)? Upon whom had the judgments of Isaiah 28:21a–b fallen (cf. 2 Samuel 5:20; Joshua 10:10)? Now upon whom have the demonstrations of His awesome work fallen (Isaiah 28:21c–d)? In light of what coming event is it imperative that they submissively learn their lesson (Isaiah 28:22)? How does Isaiah 28:23 call, again, for attention? To what does He compare His afflicting them (Isaiah 28:24)? But what must the affliction give way to (Isaiah 28:25)? From whom have plowmen learned to work in this way (Isaiah 28:26)? How do they apply this wisdom (Isaiah 28:27-28)? Who, therefore, will customize His own work (Isaiah 28:29)? 

What hope is there for a people under judgment for their pride? Isaiah 28 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twenty-nine verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that those (all of us!) who are under judgment for pride must abandon our pride and humble ourselves to receive salvation as a gift from all-wise, all-powerful, abundantly merciful God.  

Woe to our pride. This the first in a new series now of six woes (Isaiah 28:1a, cf. Isaiah 29:1; Isaiah 29:15; Isaiah 30:1; Isaiah 31:1; Isaiah 33:1). Each section deals with some aspect of why Israel is coming under judgment from Assyria—and how this is a danger for all sinners, who must escape a greater judgment that is coming, or else perish eternally. In this case the “woe” is “to the crown of pride.” 

Pride puts man in the place of God. The doubling of the description emphasizes how Ephraim thought of themselves as “gloriously beautiful” (Isaiah 28:1b, Isaiah 28:4a) and took credit in their heart for the lush green valleys that sprawled below their cities (Isaiah 28:1c, Isaiah 28:4b). But whereas they were crowning themselves (Isaiah 28:1a, Isaiah 28:3a), the saved remnant are those who acknowledge that it is to YHWH alone that the crown truly belongs (Isaiah 28:5).

Pride turns blessing into curse. Wine was a great blessing of the land that looked forward to the great blessings of the last day (cf. Isaiah 25:6). But what happens when you credit yourself, rather than the Lord for your blessings? Rather than enjoying Him in them, you treat the blessing itself as the treasure. And rather than enjoying in accord with His good and life-giving law, you enjoy according to your death-bringing lusts. Look at how the “drunkards of Ephraim” (Isaiah 28:1a, Isaiah 28:3a) destroyed (Isaiah 28:7) and defiled (Isaiah 28:8) themselves!

Pride harms not only ourselves, but those to whom you ought to have been a blessing. By their pride, Ephraim didn’t just harm themselves, but the generations to come. The problem in Isaiah 28:9 is the problem in Hebrews 5:12. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.” 

In God’s ordinary way of working among His people, He uses one generation to teach the next. But Ephraim’s pride has made them spiritual infants (Isaiah 28:9). Spiritual maturity comes through the cumulative formation of doctrine and life (Isaiah 28:10, Isaiah 28:13) in which God accommodates our slowness of mind. Even now, He will accommodate Israel by teaching them by means of foreign invaders (Isaiah 28:11) to find rest and refreshment in Him alone (Isaiah 28:12a–c), but they still will not hear (Isaiah 28:12d, Isaiah 28:13e–f). 

Pride keeps us from the One True Hope. It’s not just Ephraim (northern Israel) who are proud. Isaiah 28:14-15 reminds us of Jerusalem’s pride. Remember back in Isaiah 7:10ff, when YHWH commanded Ahaz to ask for a sign that He was going to save them from Assyria. But Ahaz responded as if he was being godly (cf. Isaiah 7:12), when the real reason was that he was hoping in his own alliance with the Assyrian king (cf. 2 Kings 16:7–9). He was afraid of Ephraim/Syria and trusted in Tiglath Pileser. And YHWH declared that trusting in their own conspiracy (cf. Isaiah 8:12a–b), and fearing what mere man can do (cf. Isaiah 8:12c), actually kept them from trusting YHWH (cf. Isaiah 8:13) and made His salvation a stumbling block to them (cf. Isaiah 8:14–15). 

Now YHWH calls that covenant a covenant with “death” (Isaiah 28:15a) and “Sheol” (verse 15b), and they will not actually escape when Assyria comes through (verse 15c–f, Isaiah 28:18-19). Pride deceives us to trust in our own ideas, so that we trust in ourselves, or we trust in men, to such an extent that when the Lord YHWH lays a sure foundation of salvation (Isaiah 28:16, cf. Isaiah 8:14a), they stumble over it (cf. Isaiah 8:14–15c).

O how dangerous is the pride that so blinds us that we stumble over God’s salvation instead of resting upon it! When people are determined that they can somehow get themselves out of trouble, then when God Himself offers salvation, they treat it as if it is by works. A hear that is hoping to find out how to save itself will turn believing in Jesus into a work, making a decision into a work. It wasn’t just Ahaz who did this in the 8th century BC; unbelieving Jews were doing it in Paul’s day (cf. Romans 9:31–33), and unbelievers continue to do it in Christian churches.

STOP HOPING IN YOUR RESPONSE to the gospel, and hope instead in Him Whom the gospel announces to you! Don’t hope in your decision. Don’t hope in your faith. Don’t hope in how sorry you are. Don’t hope in how sincerely you mean it this time. Hope only in Christ, only in Who Christ is and what Christ has done! Our own works, even our believing, are marvelously illustrated in Isaiah 28:20. You can imagine the feeling—perhaps you know the feeling—of a bed that is just a little bit too short, or a blanket that is just a bit too small. Such a bed seems to hold a promise of rest, and such a blanket seems to hold a promise of warmth, but either one results in a long night of misery! Such is any hoping at all in what we do; it is a stumbling over the stumbling stone. 

Pride keeps us from receiving God’s chastening well. If we are humble enough to hear the Lord instructing us (Isaiah 28:22a, Isaiah 28:23), then we will be able to see His mercy even in afflicting us. Isaiah 28:21 refers to 2 Samuel 5:20 and Joshua 10:10, but we must remember what was just said, in the previous section, in Isaiah 27:7. For those whom He is saving, the Lord’s chastening may be painful like the plow (Isaiah 28:24a), but it aims at planting (Isaiah 28:25-26), threshing (Isaiah 28:27), and grinding (Isaiah 28:28). At the end, there have been several different sorts of pain, but the outcome is a fine flour. This, of course, corresponds to what He has just said about gathering His remnant to Himself as good wheat and making sure that not one grain is left out (cf. Isaiah 27:12). The Lord’s work in a believer’s life may include many phases of pain (cf. Hebrews 12:11a), but its outcome is a fruit (cf. Hebrews 12:11b) that fits us out for seeing the Lord! 

God give us humility to learn from Him, to rest upon Him, to receive His chastening well, and even to be matured—here a little, there a little—until we can be used to teach this to generations to come!

What are some instances where pride harmed you in ways that are highlighted in this chapter? What would the corresponding humility look like? From Whom can it come? By what actions / attitudes can you seek it from Him?

Sample prayer: Lord, we see how self-destructive Ephraim’s pride was. But we too have often failed to learn from You. We have often failed to rest upon You. We have often failed to rest upon You. We have often received chastening without hope in Your purpose behind it. We see, now, how great are the workings of our remaining pride in each of these things. Forgive us for that pride, we pray. And give us humility by the merciful and powerful work of Your Spirit, we ask through Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP9B “Sing Praise to the LORD” or TPH389 “Great God, What Do I See and Hear?”

Links to Recordings; Midweek Meeting; MEN'S BREAKFAST; Memory Work [Hopewell This Week—2023.10.24 Hopewell Harbinger]

Hopewell Harbinger ▪ October 22–October 29, 2023

The worship booklet with Hopewell @Home devotionals is attached. They are also available online, at hpwl.org/hah on the day of the devotional. May the Lord glorify Himself as He conforms you and your family to Christ, and employs you in His service.

There is not a public recording of the nomination process for the diaconate, but hopefully the explanation on the attached sheet will be clear enough; feel free to use it to print your own deacon candidate recommendation form. Forms will be kept and replenished on the table in the hallway of the Fellowship Hall.

Please note the Monthly Men's Breakfast bleow.

Salvation from This Body of Death [2023.10.22 Evening Sermon in Leviticus 13–14]

Death is on us, in us, and all around us as sinners in a fallen world, but God provides atonement and cleansing that we may approach Him.

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

The Son Who Fulfills All Righteousness [2023.10.22 Morning Sermon in Matthew 3:17–4:11]

Jesus is the great and true Adam, the great and true Israel, and the great and true David, Who Himself has obeyed righteously and perfectly as the perfect and forever humanity, the perfect and forever church, and the perfect and forever King.

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

Imaging God by Worship and Work [Family Worship lesson in Psalm 104:16–26]

Which of God’s creatures depend upon Him? Psalm 104:16–26 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eleven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that all of God’s creatures from the smallest to the greatest depend upon Him, including and especially man. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.10.24 Hopewell @Home ▫ Psalm 104:16–26

Read Psalm 104:16–26

Questions from the Scripture text: What else does God give water for (Psalm 104:16a)? What are those trees full of? To which trees, specifically, does verse 16b refer? What other creatures does this benefit (Psalm 104:17a)? And which nest where (verse 17b)? What other home has God created for which creatures (Psalm 104:18a)? And what home for which others (verse 18b)? What else has God appointed for what purposes (Psalm 104:19-20a, cf. Genesis 1:14–19)? What does even the darkness provide (Psalm 104:20b)? Especially for what (Psalm 104:21a) From whom do even lions seek their food (verse 21b)? What else does God provide for them, in what way (Psalm 104:22)? What other creature makes what use of day and night (Psalm 104:23)? What else does man do, besides work—how does he respond to God’s works for his own works (Psalm 104:24a)? What should man see in God’s works (verse 24b)? To Whom do they confess the earth and its fullness belong (verse 24c)? What else is full of God’s possessions (Psalm 104:25a)? What sort of creatures (verse 25b–c)? Including what works of man (Psalm 104:26a)? And what great creature (verse 26b)? That can do what in the sea (verse 26c)?

Which of God’s creatures depend upon Him? Psalm 104:16–26 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eleven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that all of God’s creatures from the smallest to the greatest depend upon Him, including and especially man.  

Homes. As we come into Psalm 104:16, it shifts from God’s provision of food and drink to provision of homes. For the birds (Psalm 104:17), the Lord first provides for the trees themselves (Psalm 104:16). He designs goats that have footing like no other creatures, together with high hills and crags that they are uniquely suited to get to (Psalm 104:18a). He designs small and squeezable creatures that can fit into almost any hole, and cliffs with holes that are uniquely suited for them.

Times. Psalm 104:19-23 take us especially into the fourth day of creation. The moon and sun are not independent agents, they are appointees of God (Psalm 104:19) for making dark and light (Psalm 104:20), morning (Psalm 104:22) and evening (Psalm 104:23). Lions know what to do with these. In darkness, they hunt (Psalm 104:20-21a)—although it is God Who provides the food (Psalm 104:21b). To other animals, they may be the top of the food chain, but they are still God’s needy dependents. In the day, they take a nap (Psalm 104:22). 

Man’s schedule is opposite—he works during the day (Psalm 104:23a), but evening is for more than lying down. It’s for worship! The men from verse 23b are joining the psalmist now in Psalm 104:24. They are home from work, and it’s time to worship: “O YHWH, how manifold are Your works!” Lions don’t know from Whom they seek their food. Men do. If we don’t worship Him in our homes, worship Him in the evening after work, worship Him with regularity and response to our food… if worshiping Him is not the great thing in our daily lives, then we are no better than the beasts.

Works. The whole creation are God’s manifold works (Psalm 104:24a). Earth (verse 24c) and sea (Psalm 104:25) are full of creatures that are His possessions. Among them, not only the small but even the great, like the Leviathan that plays in the sea. But even the great sea creature Leviathan is not to be compared to man as a work of God. His sailing ships in Psalm 104:26a show him to be in the image of this glorious God.

How glorious is our God, and what a privilege it is to be a man! We not only receive from Him and depend upon Him, but we worship Him and image Him. And He gives us songs like this one to sing and to pray, driving it home to our hearts.

To Whom do you belong? To Whom do the other creatures you see belong? What makes creativity and work such a high privilege? What else sets us apart from the other creatures?

Sample prayer:  O Lord, how manifold are Your works! You give to each of the creatures their home, but You Yourself have been our dwelling place through all generations. You appoint to each of the creatures, but our times are in Your hands. Morning and evening, You have created for us to worship You, and especially Your day. Thank You for giving to us to image You in creativity and labor. But, O Lord, give us to image You especially in enjoying You and adoring You in Your worship! So unto this end, grant the powerful and merciful work of Your Spirit, we ask through Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP104AB “Bless the LORD, My Soul” or TPH104B “My Soul, Bless the LORD” 

Consideration That Moves from Coveting to Contentment [Family Worship lesson in Proverbs 23:1–8]

Pastor teaches his family a selection from “the Proverb of the day.” In these eight verse of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us to guard against materialistic covetousness in ourselves and others.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

The Scriptures Teach Us to Trust and Obey [Westminster Shorter Catechism 3 — Theology Simply Explained]

Pastor walks his children through Westminster Shorter Catechism question 3—especially explaining how the Scripture teaches us first and foremost the indicative truths that we are to believe about God, and which form the foundation for the imperative duties that God requires of us.

Q3. What do the Scriptures principally teach? The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

The Unfailing Word to Covenant Children [Family Worship lesson in Romans 9:6–9]

Why do some covenant children perish in their sins? Romans 9:6–9 looks forward to the midweek sermon. In these four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that covenant children perish through parents who don’t believe the promises and children who fail to believe in the promised One. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.10.23 Hopewell @Home ▫ Romans 9:6–9

Read Romans 9:6–9

Questions from the Scripture text: What might some say, if there are Israelites who do not end up saved (Romans 9:6a)? How does the apostle summarize the case for why this isn’t true (verse 6b)? What does not define a child of Abraham (Romans 9:7a, cf. Romans 4:11–12, John 8:39)? From what Scripture does the apostle prove this (Romans 9:7b, cf. Genesis 21:12)? Who are not the children of God (Romans 9:8a)? Who are the seed/offspring of God (verse 8b)? What child was promised to Abraham (Romans 9:9, cf. Genesis 18:10–14)? What child had not come by promise? Of what was this a parable?

Why do some covenant children perish in their sins? Romans 9:6–9 looks forward to the midweek sermon. In these four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that covenant children perish through parents who don’t believe the promises and children who fail to believe in the promised One.

Has the Word of God failed? One of the most sensitive and difficult spiritual issues for believers is that covenant children sometimes perish. How can this be, when we have called them “saint,” and they have enjoyed the privileges and benefits of being members of the visible church? This was precisely the case with the Jews, as the apostle has made clear by his description of them in Romans 9:4. So, how could it be that so many Jews were rejecting Christ? Did the Word of God about them as a visible church fail? Or did the Word of God that was preached to them fail?

We distinguish. It is odd to the author that many will come to Romans 9–11 and insist that “Israel” must refer to the same group of people when used multiple times in nearby context to one another. “Israel” quite obviously refers to two different groups just a couple words apart in Romans 9:6! They are not all elect/saved Israel who are of covenantal/ethnic Israel. Romans 9:4 had referred to Israel as a covenant people, as a visible church. Romans 9:5 had referred to Israel as an ethnic people, related in their flesh. Now Romans 9:6 explains that being a member of Israel in the verse 4/verse 5 way did not ultimately make someone elect or guarantee that they would be saved.

Parents and children who fail. The apostle’s selections of Scripture in Romans 9:7 (cf. Genesis 21:12) and Romans 9:9 (cf. Genesis 18:10, Genesis 18:14) are very impressive. In the former one, the Lord was promising the one through whom the Christ would come, and Sarah was disbelieving. In the latter quote, it is Sarah who is defending the integrity of the covenant line through whom Christ would come, and Abraham has to be rebuked/instructed by God to heed her good counsel. In both places, there is a parent who has the promises of Christ for us and for our children, but who is failing to make proper application of it. This is what fails when covenant children perish, as so many Jews were doing in Paul’s day: not the promise, but our believing and responding to the promise.

The God Who remains true. Despite Abraham’s weakness and Sarah’s weakness, God’s promise remained true. He brought them to repentance. He brought their sons to faith—not just Isaac but also Ishmael. When we are failing as parents (as we often/constantly do), our cry to God must be that He would give us repentance and faithfulness, and that He Who is perfectly faithful would yet bring our children to faith. Isaac was not saved by being the one through whom the Seed (and seed) were called. He was saved by believing in the Seed that would come through him. Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Ishmael were all saved only by believing in the promised one. For children of the flesh (Romans 9:8a) to become children of God (verse 8c) by being children of the promise (verse 8b), they must believe in the promised one.

So covenant parents must not do as so many Jews did (assume that they were being saved by being Jews and being presumptuous about themselves and their children). Believing the promises doesn’t mean presumptuously ignoring the means appointed by the faithful Word, but rather diligently using them. Believing the promises doesn’t mean neglecting to call covenant children to believe in the promised One, but constantly employing the Word of promise to plead with them to believe in Him. Never has the Word been thus employed and failed.

When we find ourselves failing, we must turn to Him Whose Word does not fail, asking Him to grant repentance to us, and faith to our children—that the God Who overcame Abraham’s and Sarah’s failings would overcome ours as well. Dear covenant child, who might be reading this devotional, or hearing it taught to you by your own Christian parent. God has made promises concerning you that you are identified within “the adoption,” see in “the glory,” have signified to you in “the covenants,” have taught you in “the law,” lay claim to in “the worship of God,” and hear promised to you in “the promises” (Romans 9:4). Believe in the promised One! Believe in Jesus Christ! Don’t presume upon yourself or your status. Children of the flesh are not saved by being children of the flesh, or by their covenant status, but only by believing in Jesus Christ.

What is your hope for yourself? What things has God given you, in His church, to encourage you in that hope? What is your hope for your children? What things has God given you, in His church, to encourage you in that hope? Why must you not hope merely in their being from your flesh or in their being part of His church?

Sample prayer: Lord, we thank You for Your many good and precious promises about the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You for announcing Him to us, and showing Him to us, in so many ways as members of Your church. And thank You for giving us promises, also, concerning our children. Grant that by Your Spirit, we would be faithful to urge them to hope in Christ as He is offered to them in the gospel. And grant that by Your Spirit, they would do so, we ask in Christ’s Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP126 “What Blessedness” or TPH405 “I Love They Kingdom, Lord”

Humbled and Dignified by the Creator [Family Worship lesson in Proverbs 22:2]

Pastor teaches his family a selection from “the Proverb of the day.” In this verse of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us to guard against either pride or despair by remembering our Creator.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

October 22, 2023 Lord's Day Livestreams [Live at 10:10a, 11a, 3p]

Click below for the:

October 22 Lord's Day Worship Booklet
Morning Sermon in Matthew 3:17–4:11
Evening Sermon in Leviticus 13–14

A Perfect Man, Church, & King [Family Worship lesson in Matthew 3:17–4:11]

What sort of Son is Jesus? Matthew 3:17–4:11 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twelve verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Jesus is the last Adam (the firstborn Son of a new humanity), the firstborn who Israel was meant to be, and the eternally blessed and perfect Son Who has redeemed us to conform us to Himself. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.10.21 Hopewell @Home ▫ Matthew 3:17–4:11

Read Matthew 3:17–4:11

Questions from the Scripture text: What suddenly comes now (Matthew 3:17)? From where? Identifying Jesus as Whom? And expressing what about Him? Where does the Spirit take Him now (Matthew 4:1)? For what purpose? What did He do there (Matthew 4:2)? How long? With what result? What does Matthew 4:3 call the devil? Where does he go? What does he ask? What does he say to do in answer ? How does Jesus answer (Matthew 4:4)? By what does man live? Who takes Him where in Matthew 4:5? Upon what does he set Him? What does he ask (Matthew 4:6)? What does he say to do in answer? How does the devil rationalize this test? How does Jesus answer (Matthew 4:7)? Where does the devil take him in Matthew 4:8? What does he show Him? What does the devil promise (Matthew 4:9)? In exchange for what? What does Jesus command him now (Matthew 4:10)? With what justification? What does the devil do (Matthew 4:11)? Who now come and do what?

What sort of Son is Jesus? Matthew 3:17–4:11 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twelve verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Jesus is the last Adam (the firstborn Son of a new humanity), the firstborn who Israel was meant to be, and the eternally blessed and perfect Son Who has redeemed us to conform us to Himself. 

Jesus, the Son, Who Adam should have been in the garden, Matthew 4:1-4. God had provided richly for Adam in the garden, but the devil tempted him to prefer the one food that he didn’t have over the knowledge of God that he did have. Now Jesus is not in a garden but a wilderness. The Spirit prepares Him for His temptation by leading Him to fast for forty days. (We know there was food in the wilderness because John ate locusts and wild honey there!). Jesus enjoyed fellowship with God as His food, so that when the temptation came, He was more than ready to answer from Deuteronomy 8:3. We all should view the Lord this way, love the Lord this way, enjoy the Lord this way. We don’t. But if we trust in Christ, He is counted as our righteousness. What’s more, the Spirit with Whom He baptizes us will ultimately make us to be like this too.

Jesus, the Son, Who Israel should have been in the wilderness, Matthew 4:5-7. God had promised Israel to take them into the promised land, but they put Him to test in the wilderness. Now the devil takes the promise from Psalm 91 and invites Jesus to put God to the test. But Jesus trusts the promise without the test. Israel was the firstborn son (Exodus 4:22) with whom God was grieved (cf. Psalm 95:9–10). But Jesus has succeeded where Israel failed. He continues to be the Beloved Son, with Whom God is well-pleased. And so also shall He be with us, if we are united to Jesus through faith and adopted in Him, indwelt by the Spirit of adoption.

Jesus, the Son, Who accomplishes His own unique mission, Matthew 4:8-11. This time, Satan actually offers Jesus what Jesus came for: to be glorified as King of all nations (cf. Matthew 28:18). But Satan offers it without any further suffering, any further humiliation. All Jesus has to do is give one moment to the devil, and it would all be over. How often temptation comes to us in this way: “Just one moment of sin with a great big payoff.” Israel, as a kingdom, was offered to reign, but traded it for the worship of false gods. But, praise God, Jesus refuses to worship another for even a moment. Jesus refuses to be unrighteous even for a moment. He will continue to suffer until the suffering of the cross. He will continue to be humiliated until the humiliation of the cross and death. He will continue to obey and never stop. Not even for a moment.

Jesus is the beloved Son from all eternity, in Whom God was pleased to choose and love us. And even in His humanity, Jesus is still the well-pleasing Son, Who perfectly obeys in our place. Not only is His righteousness counted for us, but He is both the standard of how we must live and the promise of what we must be like when He is done with us. He has accomplished His mission, and redeeming us for this was the mission, praise God!

How should you enjoy, trust, and obey God? Who has done so already? How can that come to be yours?

Sample prayer:  Father, thank You that Your Son, our Lord Jesus, was well-pleasing even in His human nature. Consider us in Him, we pray, that He might be our worthiness, and our sin might have been put away by His cross. Grant the ministry of Your Spirit to conform us to Him, we ask, in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP78D “Yet in the Desert Still They Sinned” or TPH261 “O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High!”

Grieving Sacrificially Over the Lost [2023.10.18 Midweek Sermon in Romans 9:1–5]

As grace conforms us increasingly to Christ, our grief over the lost—and specifically over lost relatives and lost Jews—increases.

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

The God Who Saves from This Body of Death [Family Worship lesson in Leviticus 13–14]

What do we learn from the ceremonial uncleanness of 116 verses about skin diseases? Leviticus 13–14 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these one hundred sixteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that our susceptibility to infection in our flesh shows us the susceptibility to sin in our remaining fleshliness, and our great need for our Great High Priest to cleanse us until we are clean. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.10.20 Hopewell @Home ▫ Leviticus 13–14

Read Leviticus 13–14

Questions from the Scripture text: To whom does YHWH speak (Leviticus 13:1)? What situations is he addressing (Leviticus 13:2)? Who are supposed to handle it? What about the hair and the penetration indicate uncleanness (Leviticus 13:3)? What if he is not unclean yet (Leviticus 13:4)? What happens after the seven days (Leviticus 13:5)? If it’s going away, what must the patient do (Leviticus 13:6)? But what if it’s getting worse (Leviticus 13:7-8)? What condition establishes unclean leprosy immediately (Leviticus 13:9-11, Leviticus 13:14-15)? What type of spread shows that it is not an unclean leprosy (Leviticus 13:12-13)? And what can happen to raw flesh for him to be restored (Leviticus 13:16-17)? What conditions can cause an unclean leprosy (Leviticus 13:18-20, Leviticus 13:24-26)? In the case of a boil or a burn, what is to be looked for after the probationary period (Leviticus 13:21-23, Leviticus 13:27-28)? Where is the skin different (Leviticus 13:29)? What indicates an unclean leprosy here (Leviticus 13:30)? And if inconclusive, what must he be examined for after quarantine (Leviticus 13:30-32)? And at this point, if inconclusive, what must be done (Leviticus 13:33)? And what do they look for after the second quarantine (Leviticus 13:34)? What must he do if he is clean? But what must still be watched for (Leviticus 13:36-37)? What may indicate an unclean leprosy (Leviticus 13:38)? What must be looked for (Leviticus 13:39)? What does not indicate an unclean leprosy by itself (Leviticus 13:40-41)? But what may appear in his baldness to make him unclean (Leviticus 13:42-44)? Whenever someone is unclean, what must he do (Leviticus 13:45)? Where must he dwell (Leviticus 13:46)? With whom? What indicates that spot in a garment is a leprous infection (Leviticus 13:47-49)? What must be done if this happens (Leviticus 13:50)? And what sort of leprosy is it if it has spread (Leviticus 13:51)? What must be done to this malignant leprosy (Leviticus 13:52)? But what if it hadn’t spread (Leviticus 13:53-54)? And after seven more days what needs to have changed (Leviticus 13:55)? If not, what must be done to the garment? But if the infection has faded, what can be done with it (Leviticus 13:56)? And if it comes back (Leviticus 13:57)? If it passes the tests, what must be repeated (Leviticus 13:58)? How does Leviticus 13:59 summarize and reinforce the seriousness of this? Whereas chapter 13 covered determination of uncleanness, what does chapter 14 now cover (Leviticus 14:1-2)? Who must examine the patient, where (Leviticus 14:3)? What will be needed if the leper is healed (Leviticus 14:4)? What is done to one bird, how/where (Leviticus 14:5)? What is done in that bird’s blood (Leviticus 14:6)? What does the priest do with the blood (Leviticus 14:7)? And what does he do with the living bird? What does the patient do (Leviticus 14:8)? But what mayn’t he do for 7 days? What must he do on the seventh day (Leviticus 14:9)? And what does he bring to whom on the 8th (Leviticus 14:10)? What is the priest in Leviticus 14:11 called? What does he present to Whom? What does he offer, where (Leviticus 14:12-13)? What does he do with the blood (Leviticus 14:14)? With the oil (Leviticus 14:15, Leviticus 14:17-18)? Where does he sprinkle oil, and how many times (Leviticus 14:16)? What does the priest make for the patient (Leviticus 14:18)? What else is to be offered (Leviticus 14:19-29)? What accommodations can be made for whom (Leviticus 14:21-32)? What part of these laws will only need to be applied later (Leviticus 14:33-34)? What must a homeowner watch for (Leviticus 14:35)? What are they to do if there is plague in the house (Leviticus 14:36)? What constitutes an unclean plague (Leviticus 14:37)? And what if they find it (Leviticus 14:38)? What does the priest check for on the 7th day (Leviticus 14:39)? And if it has spread (Leviticus 14:40-41)? What must be replaced (Leviticus 14:42)? And what if it comes back (Leviticus 14:43-44)? Now what must be dismantled and carried away (Leviticus 14:45)? And who become unclean (Leviticus 14:46)? And who else must do what (Leviticus 14:47)? But what if the infected spot has not spread (Leviticus 14:48)? What procedure is then repeated for the house (Leviticus 14:49-53, cf. Leviticus 14:4-7)? For a house, what does not have to be repeated (cf. Leviticus 14:10-20)? How does Leviticus 14:54-57 conclude chapters 13–14?

What do we learn from the ceremonial uncleanness of 116 verses about skin diseases? Leviticus 13–14 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these one hundred sixteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that our susceptibility to infection in our flesh shows us the susceptibility to sin in our remaining fleshliness, and our great need for our Great High Priest to cleanse us until we are clean. 

Marks on the flesh that witness to our remaining fleshliness. If an Israelite contracted an infection (“leprosy” in our version can be any sort of skin disease) on his skin (Leviticus 13:2), it would be a lack of wholeness that would threaten to make him unclean. Since the priests are tasked with leading Israel in distinguishing between clean and unclean (cf. Leviticus 10:10–11), it’s their job to determine the depth and infectiousness to see if it is a leprous “sore” (plague/affliction/mark), and if the patient is in fact unclean (Leviticus 13:3, Leviticus 13:7-11, Leviticus 13:14-15, Leviticus 13:18-20, Leviticus 13:22, Leviticus 13:24-25, Leviticus 13:27, Leviticus 13:29-30, Leviticus 13:35-36, Leviticus 13:42-44). 

A blemish is always a reminder that we are still sinners, whose condition and conduct deserve judgment; there will be none on the Bride in glory (Song of Solomon 4:7; Ephesians 5:27). The only marks there are the ones by which she was cleansed!

Deceitful above all things. The Lord gives an exceedingly (tediously?) detailed procedure by which the priest may determine whether the infection is a plague. There are various things to observe upon first examination. But even then, the evaluation may be inconclusive at first, resulting in a week’s quarantine (Leviticus 13:4, Leviticus 13:5, Leviticus 13:6, Leviticus 13:21, Leviticus 13:26, Leviticus 13:31-33). Just as the sinful heart is deceitful above all things (cf. Jeremiah 17:9a), so also the Lord had made this physical and ceremonial uncleanness quite difficult to discern.

Desperately wicked. Sometimes, it is the priest’s happy duty to pronounce the patient clean (Leviticus 13:12-13, Leviticus 13:16-17, Leviticus 13:23, Leviticus 13:28, Leviticus 13:34, Leviticus 13:37-41). But when he determined that the patient was unclean (Leviticus 13:3, Leviticus 13:7-11, Leviticus 13:14-15, Leviticus 13:18-20, Leviticus 13:22, Leviticus 13:24-25, Leviticus 13:27, Leviticus 13:29-30, Leviticus 13:35-36, Leviticus 13:42-44), it required grieving as over a death! The tearing of the clothes and the baring of the head (Leviticus 13:45) were exactly the mourning that had been necessary for Nadab and Abihu, but that Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar could not do because they were consecrated men in consecrated clothes and headgear (cf. Leviticus 10:6–7). But the wailing of unclean (end of Leviticus 13:45) is one that continues indefinitely (Leviticus 13:46). Not only is he unable to assemble for worship, but his dwelling itself was cut off from his people (end of Leviticus 13:46). 

There is something about the persistence of the uncleanness of this type of plague (“sore” in our version) that corresponds to the persistence of the wickedness of the sinful heart as desperately wicked (cf. Jeremiah 17:9b). Men can’t see hearts, but God can (cf. Jeremiah 17:9c), and He coordinated the providence of skin diseases with the regulations of these chapters to remind His people of what He sees (cf. Jeremiah 17:10).

Keeping oneself unspotted from the world. In this fallen creation, clothing (Leviticus 13:47–59) and even buildings (Leviticus 14:33–57) can contain plague (“leprous plague” in Leviticus 13:47 and Leviticus 14:34 is the same as “leprous sore” in Leviticus 13:2). In God’s providence, our skin is susceptible to things that infect garments and building materials. One reads these two sections—the latter put where it is, because not have houses until they came into the land (Leviticus 13:34)—and cries out, “Is nowhere safe?” 

And the answer is, “No!” So long as we are sinners, we are susceptible to our circumstances. We must be watchful against temptation (cf. Matthew 26:41), and flee it (cf. 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22), if we are to keep ourselves unspotted from the world (cf. James 1:27). So also the Israelite had to keep a constant watch upon not only his skin, but even the walls of his home! Surely, this was intended to remind them of the dangers of uncleanness and judgment that continuously threatened from within and without, but we can imagine how difficult it was to keep track of it all both physically and spiritually. Now that Christ has put away the ceremonial code, let us honor Him Who has “freed us up” by using that freedom to devote ourselves to the works, obedience, kindness, and purity that are the pure and undefiled religion of those united to the Son before the face of the Father (cf. James 1:21–27).

Ceremonial cleansing for when God removes plague. Leviticus 14:1–32 is pretty amazing. We’ve seen how these sorts of infections in skin, clothing, or house are described as plagues from God. And the examination process makes it plain how persistent the plague is. In fact, if it’s in a garment or a house, those are simply destroyed. So it is a happy marvel that the Lord here gives a procedure for readmittance to the camp when the “unclean! unclean!” had been cleansed!

Indeed, this is rare enough that the writer of this devotional is unable to remember the procedure being used in Scripture until the time of Christ in Luke 17:11–19 and Matthew 8:2–4. In the latter passage, it is significant that it immediately follows the “Sermon on the Mount.” Jesus had just set before them an extended description of the righteous conduct that is required in His kingdom. How could those who are poor in spirit ever attain to that? The answer is two-fold: not only is Christ the righteousness that is imputed to us in our justification, whereby He removes the guilt of our sin; but, He is also willing by His power (cf. Matthew 8:2–3) to remove the infection of our sin in our sanctification.

So, we are amazed at the grace that this procedure exists, but we are not surprised that the procedure itself so clearly points forward to Christ. First, because the unclean cannot enter for examination, the priest comes out to him (Leviticus 14:3). This, the Lord Jesus has fulfilled in spectacular fashion, not only coming from glory to us where we are, but literally suffering outside the camp for our sakes (cf. Hebrews 13:12), wherefore we are glad to bear whatever reproach comes to us for belonging to Him (cf. Hebrews 13:13)! 

There are parallels between the procedure in Leviticus 14:4-7 to the procedure in Leviticus 16:6–10; it is as if he is conducting a mini Day of Atonement. Then, there is a seven-day waiting period during which he may not enter his tent (Leviticus 14:8-9). This picks up the theme of the eighth day, or the first day of a new creation. As he enters into his new life that the Lord has mercifully and miraculously given him, the cleansed man offers a trespass offering with a wave offering of oil. The application of the blood in Leviticus 14:14, and the oil in Leviticus 14:17, is reminiscent of the priests’ ordination (“filling”). Indeed, in order to apply it to the ear/thumb/big toe of the worshiper, the priest must fill his hand. There is then another sin offering (Leviticus 14:19) and then an ascension and tribute (Leviticus 14:20). The restoration is final and full!

This can all be very expensive, and so the Lord makes special accommodation for the poor, keeping the ceremonies in Leviticus 14:21-32 almost identical, except for using much less expensive elements. For the value is in the Lord, not in the means that the man has—something that may even be reflected in the title, “the priest who makes clean” in Leviticus 14:11. On this side of the cross, we know that Jesus is our “Priest Who makes clean”!

What are some circumstances in which you are more susceptible to sin? And to Whom can you come if you have backslidden and found your life more and more infected by sin? What does the complexity of the ceremonial system tell you about the greatness of Christ’s atonement?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we thank You for giving us Your own Son to be our Great High Priest. As You have forgiven the guilt of our sin for His sake, now also cleanse the infection of our sin by His power and holiness. Grant that Your Spirit would plant Your Word deep in us, sanctifying us by Your truth, until at the last we are pure and undefiled before You, we ask through Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP51B “From My Sins, O Hide Your Face” or TPH274 “Jesus, My Great High Priest”