Grace That Makes Men Good Soil [Family Worship lesson in Matthew 13:1–23]

What is an indicator of spiritual life? Matthew 13:1–23 prepares us for the sermon in the morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twenty-three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that spiritual life responds to the Word by hearing it, taking it in, prioritizing it, and multiplying it. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.11.30 Hopewell @Home ▫ Matthew 13:1–23

Read Matthew 13:1–23

Questions from the Scripture text: When does Matthew 13:1 occur? Where does Jesus go?  Who gather to Him (Matthew 13:2)? How does He speak to them (Matthew 13:3)? About what does He tell them a story? Where did the first batch land (Matthew 13:4)? What happened to it? And the second (Matthew 13:5-6)? The third (Matthew 13:7)? The last (Matthew 13:8)? Whom does Jesus command to do what (Matthew 13:9)? But who ask Him what in Matthew 13:10? What does He say they have been given (Matthew 13:11)? What will they then receive (Matthew 13:12)? But who have not been given this (Matthew 13:11)? And what will further happen to them (Matthew 13:12)? How is this a motivation for Jesus preaching to them in parables (Matthew 13:13)? What does their blindness, deafness, and hardness prove true (Matthew 13:14-15)? How are the disciples a contrast to this (Matthew 13:16)? Who else wished to be in their place (Matthew 13:17)? What does Jesus now command them to do (Matthew 13:18)? Who receive the seed like the wayside (Matthew 13:19)? And who receive it like the stony places (Matthew 13:20-21)? And who like the thorns (Matthew 13:22)? What are all of these examples of (cf. Matthew 13:12-15)? But who are like the good ground (Matthew 13:23)? And what will they produce?

What is an indicator of spiritual life? Matthew 13:1–23 prepares us for the sermon in the morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twenty-three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that spiritual life responds to the Word by hearing it, taking it in, prioritizing it, and multiplying it.  

In this passage, the Lord Jesus explains the reasons for parables. The simple teaching exposes that the problem in hearing the gospel is not in the difficulty of the material but the hardness of heart of the hearers (Matthew 13:10-15). In fact, He uses a parable to teach them about the parables (Matthew 13:1-9)! 

It is important to note that He does not explain to the multitudes, but only to the disciples, what the parable is about. In fact, the disciples do not understand it at first, but because “to them it is given” (Matthew 13:11), the Lord Jesus patiently explains it to them. It “being given” does not have to do with their “ability” to hear so much as the Lord’s persistence in explaining to them. He will give them more and more (Matthew 13:12), because He desires to do so.

Consider how many things the Lord must overcome by His grace to make us good soil. There are those who don’t listen attentively in the first place (Matthew 13:19). Others are enthusiastic sermon hearers (Matthew 13:20), but not sermon meditators (Matthew 13:21a), and the slightest thing can uproot the effect in the heart (verse 21b). Still others meditate upon the Word well enough, but the cares of the world or the pleasures/riches of the world are rooted just as deeply in the heart (Matthew 13:22). What is given by the Spirit (and pursued by the Christian) is to listen attentively and enthusiastically, to meditate upon the Word and take it in deeply, and to digest it in a way that makes worldly cares or pleasures small by comparison.

Finally, let us consider how the evidence of receiving the Word is multiplying/spreading the Word (Matthew 13:23). This ought to be the desire, prayer, and practice of every believer (cf. Ephesians 4:15; Colossians 4:6; 1 Peter 3:15). If it is not, we would do well to ask whether the Scripture is genuinely penetrating us.

How do you listen to sermons? Meditate upon them? With whom do you ordinarily discuss or tell what you are learning from the Word of God? Which do you struggle against more, cares or pleasures? What are you doing about it?

Sample prayer:  Lord, forgive us for the extent to which we are blind, deaf, or hard-hearted. Be patient with us, as Christ was with the disciples, and persist with us by Your Spirit until Your Word has produced its fruit through Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP16B “I’ll Bless the LORD Who Counsels Me” or TPH16A “Preserve Me, O My God”

Ordination by the Spirit [Family Worship lesson in Numbers 27:12–23]

What are we to learn from the ordination of Joshua? Numbers 27:12–23 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twelve verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the ordination of Joshua displays God’s grace to His church, even though they are sinners.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.11.29 Hopewell @Home ▫ Numbers 27:12–23

Read Numbers 27:12–23

Questions from the Scripture text: Who spoke to whom in Numbers 27:12? Where does He tell him to go (cf. Deuteronomy 3:23, Deuteronomy 32:49)? To do what? And then what will happen (Numbers 27:13)? Why (Numbers 27:14)? Who speaks to Whom in Numbers 27:15? How does he address Him (Numbers 27:16)? For what man does he ask? To do what (Numbers 27:17)? So that what will not happen? Who speaks to whom in Numbers 27:18? Whom does He say to take? Who is in Joshua? What must Moses do to him? Before whom (Numbers 27:19)? What is Moses to do even before he dies (Numbers 27:20)? Who will function how with him (Numbers 27:21)? What did Moses do (Numbers 27:22-23)? According to what? 

What are we to learn from the ordination of Joshua? Numbers 27:12–23 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twelve verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the ordination of Joshua displays God’s grace to His church, even though they are sinners.

This passage concludes the two chapters that focus upon God’s faithfulness despite the former generation’s sin. There was the census of the new generation that replaced the one that fell in the wilderness (chapter 26). And then there were the daughters of Zelophehad (cf. Numbers 27:1–11), whose inheriting was especially about their replacing their father, who died in his sin (cf. Numbers 27:3). And now, the succession of Moses and Aaron by Joshua and Eleazar is presented especially against the context of their sin (Numbers 27:14; the ‘you’ is plural). God’s compassion for His people is reflected in Moses’s desire that the congregation of YHWH would not be like sheep without a shepherd (Numbers 27:17, cf. Matthew 9:36). He ordains a new officer, through the laying on of hands, indicating that Joshua is full of the Spirit, called by the Spirit, and will be helped by the Spirit (Numbers 27:18-19). The great grace for Moses was not that he was permitted to see the land from the mountain (Numbers 27:12), but that he was enabled to continue prophesying (Numbers 27:23) and to be obedient to the end (Numbers 27:22). He finished well. It is God’s faithfulness and compassion to His people that gives them faithful, ordained officers from one generation to the next. And it is His ultimate faithfulness that has given us His own Son as everlasting Prophet, Priest, and King!

Who have been ordained by laying on of hands in your church? What would be an indication of grace in their ministry?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for giving to us Christ to be Prophet, Priest, and King. And thank You that in His compassion to lead us, He has given us ordained officers, by His Spirit. Bless their ministry unto Your church’s good and Christ’s glory, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP78 “O Come, My People” or TPH222 “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” 

Revelation's User's Manual [Family Worship lesson in Revelation 1:1–3]

What should we do with the book of Revelation? Revelation 1:1–3 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we must read, hear, and keep the book of Revelation.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.11.28 Hopewell @Home ▫ Revelation 1:1–3

Read Revelation 1:1–3

Questions from the Scripture text: What title does the Spirit give this book (Revelation 1:1a)? Who gave it to Him? To do what with it? How fast would the things in it happen (cf. Revelation 22:12)? By whom did He send it? To whom? What three names does John give to the things to which he bore witness (Revelation 1:2)? What three things must a recipient do with the book (Revelation 1:3)? 

What should we do with the book of Revelation? Revelation 1:1–3 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we must read, hear, and keep the book of Revelation.

Subject. This book is self-titled “The Revealing of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:1). It deals primarily with a specific place, and relates some specific events, but it is a book about a Person. It is not John’s revelation. It is Jesus’s. 

Audience. The book is for Jesus to show to His slaves. They may be identified in other ways: believers, saints, righteous. But in the opening of the book, we are “slaves.” Our Master is to be obeyed implicitly; and, though we find ourselves beleaguered in this age, He is worth serving. The book is for us slaves, to aid us in our service.

Writer. The writer is the beloved apostle John—much beloved of Christ in a special way, and much beloved of the believers to whom he wrote. But he, too, is called “slave” here. If we come to the book revering or admiring him, this word lifts us up and says “see that you do not do that, for I am your fellow slave” (cf. Revelation 22:9). 

The nature of the book. The genre is apocalypse, and we will be helped by other Scripture of that genre (especially Daniel). But Revelation 1:2 uses three phrases to describe the nature of that to which John is bearing witness. First and foremost, it is the Word of God. Second, it is the testimony of Jesus Christ; He is the great Prophet, though He give it through His slave. Third, it is what John “saw.” He is an eyewitness of this revealing of Jesus; it is not merely ideas, but reality.

What we must do with it. There is one reason for giving this book: to bless believers (Revelation 1:3). But, the means by which we come into this blessing are three: reading, hearing, and keeping. A true Christian may leave out none of these. And this is just as true of Revelation as any other book. It’s not a speculating book; it’s a reading, hearing, and doing book!

How are you accustomed to thinking of Revelation? How have you heard others speak of it? How does Revelation 1:1-3 change that?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for revealing Jesus Christ to us in the book of Revelation. Forgive us for treating it as something hidden, when You have called it something revealed. Forgive us for treating it as if it is primarily about end-times, when You have told us that it is primarily about Jesus Christ. Forgive us for coming away from it with speculation over what is unclear, rather than reading, hearing, and keeping what is clear. By Your Spirit, grant that we would be obedient, courageous, joyful slaves of Christ, AMEN!

 Suggested songs: ARP1 “How Blessed he Man” or TPH381 “Blessing and Honor and Glory and Power” 

2024.11.27 Midweek Meeting Livestream (live at 6:30p)

Click below for the:

November 27 Prayer Meeting Folder

Proverbs 6:1–11 sermon outline

We urge you to assemble physically, if possible, with a true congregation of Christ's church. For those of our own congregation who may be providentially hindered, we are grateful to be able to provide this service.

IF you are unable to get the stream to work, or simply wish to save on data, you can listen in simply by calling 712.432.3410 and entering 70150 at the prompt.

Each week we livestream the Lord's Day (Sabbath School, Morning Public Worship, and p.m. Singing and Sermon) and Midweek Meeting (sermon and prayer). For notifications when Hopewell is streaming live, install the CHURCHONE APP on your [Apple], [Android], or [Kindle] device, and enter hopewellarp for your broadcaster.

Deadly Religion of Deluded Believers [Family Worship lesson in Amos 5:18–27]

What will the day of the Lord be like for those who think God loves whatever worship they decide for Him? Amos 5:18–6:14 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these ten verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the day of the Lord will be death and darkness for those who think they are coming to God, but are doing so apart from Christ.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.11.27 Hopewell @Home ▫ Amos 5:18-27

Read Amos 5:18-27

Questions from the Scripture text: What is Amos 5:18 pronouncing upon whom? How is the Day going to compare to their expectations? What sort of “safety” can they expect to have in that day (Amos 5:19)? What sort of day will it be for them (Amos 5:20)? Why (Amos 5:21)? By what sort of bringings-near (offerings) were they worshiping (Amos 5:22; cf. Leviticus 1–3)? How else were they worshiping (Amos 5:23, cf. 2 Chronicles 5:12–13)? But what was missing (Amos 5:24)? Where else had they mixed God’s true worship with false worship (Amos 5:25-26)? So, what is God doing to them (Amos 5:27, cf. 1 Kings 12:28–33, 1 Kings 13:33–34; 2 Kings 17:22–23)?

What will the day of the Lord be like for those who think God loves whatever worship they decide for Him? Amos 5:18–27 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these ten verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the day of the Lord will be death and darkness for those who think they are coming to God, but are doing so apart from Christ.

From the three “Hear this word” sections of Amos, we come into two woe-pronouncement sections. Often, people who think things are good between them and God are actually under His wrath. They desire the coming of the kingdom, because they think it will be happiness and light for them. That’s what Israel thought in the days of Amos (Amos 5:18). But God has called them to lamentation (cf. Amos 5:16-17) because His day is going to be certain death for them, like those who think they are safe, only to be mauled by a bear or bitten by a venomous snake (Amos 5:19). It will be their darkest day (Amos 5:20).  

Israel had sacrifices and offerings (Amos 5:22) like those the Lord commanded in Leviticus 1–3. But they offered them at Bethel (cf. Amos 4:4, Amos 5:5) on a calendar that Jeroboam had invented (cf. 1 Kings 12:28–33). Although their traditional worship (going back to Aaron, at Sinai) “celebrated” redemptive history, God HATED it (Amos 5:21) and exiled them for it (Amos 5:27, cf. 2 Kings 17:22–23). Such manmade worship goes hand-in-hand with injustice (Amos 5:24) and gross idolatry (Amos 5:26), and no amount of “true” worship (Amos 5:25) can make these acceptable. The worship that God has commanded has Christ Himself as its substance; to come in additional ways is to come without Him. Many think that they want an experience of God. If that experience does not include repentance from all sin, including manmade religion, then they are in for a great shock when the Great Day comes.

What are some manmade feast days/holy assemblies that incorporate parts of true biblical worship? How much do people look forward to them? How do they presume that God thinks about them? But what does God think of them?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we thank You for providing Christ to be our ascension, our tribute, and our peace. Forgive us for when we give in to the temptation to approach You in ways that we have invented instead. We have seen in Amos that invented worship goes hand-in-hand with invented gods and invented moral values. Grant unto us repentance. Grant that we may come to You only in the manner that You have commanded, so that we would come to You only through Christ, into Whom You have made us believe, and in Whose Name we ask it, AMEN!

 Suggested Songs: ARP98 “O Sing a New Song to the LORD” or TPH440 “Come , Ye Sinners, Poor and Wretched” 

United in Gladness with Our King and Priest [Family Worship lesson in Psalm 122]

What should the gladness and prayer of a Christian look like? Psalm 122 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these nine verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the gladness and prayer of a Christian should look like the gladness and praise of Christ. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.11.26 Hopewell @Home ▫ Psalm 122

Read Psalm 122

Questions from the Scripture text: What sort of song is his (superscript)? Who wrote it? With what emotion did he write (Psalm 122:1)? Why was he glad? What is he anticipating having done (Psalm 122:2)? Where? How does he describe the strength and unity of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:3)? When/how is this most seen (Psalm 122:4a–b)? To what do they go up (verse 4c)? For what purpose (verse 4d)? For what part, especially, of the Lord’s display of His Name in Jerusalem, do they give thanks (Psalm 122:5)? What does David now tell us to do (Psalm 122:6a)? What are the three parts of the example that he gives for this kind of prayer (verse 6b, cf. Psalm 122:8a; Psalm 122:7a, Psalm 122:8b; Psalm 122:7b, Psalm 122:9)? What does He call the temple at the climax (verse 9a, cf. Psalm 122:1)?

What should the gladness and prayer of a Christian look like? Psalm 122 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these nine verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the gladness and prayer of a Christian should look like the gladness and praise of Christ.  

What a blessing to gather “to the house of YHWH” (Psalm 122:1, Psalm 122:9a) with “the tribes of YHWH” (Psalm 122:4b) to give thanks to the Name of YHWH (verse 4d)! 

Joining Christ’s Kingly Rejoicing. David is rejoicing here, as king, over his own thrones (Psalm 122:5). Why? Because David writes and rejoices as a type (a divinely-given foreshadowing) of Christ, the King. It is Christ’s Kingly, Priestly, and Prophetic joy to gather His brethren to God for worship (cf. Hebrews 2:10–13; Psalm 22:22–23; Hebrews 12:2). And David’s joy anticipates Christ’s. Since Jesus spoke that His joy might be in us (cf. John 15:11), this Psalm is precious as a means of being conformed to that joy.

Our cause for joy, now, is superior to David’s when he wrote this Psalm. At that time, Jerusalem was an earthly built city that was compact together (Psalm 122:1). But now that great David’s greater Son has ascended into heaven, our weekly assembly (cf. Hebrews 10:19–25) makes a greater “going up”/ascension than the Jews in David’s day could do only three times each year (Psalm 122:4). The great thing about Jerusalem was that the Ark of the Testimony (verse 4c) was there. But that was just a shadow-copy of Christ Himself, in glory now, interceding for us (cf. Hebrews 8:3–6, Hebrews 10:11–13). 

So, dear Christian, take in all of the joy of this Psalm, and seek, by God’s means, that the Spirit would produce, in your own heart, Christ’s superior joy over our superior assembling in glory! 

And rejoice over Christ’s kingship. It’s instructive that it is especially His kingship that Psalm 122:5 presents as the reason for Jerusalem being a place of gladness. The reign of YHWH, in the Christ, is one of the great causes for rejoicing in the Scripture (cf. Psalm 96, Psalm 98; Isaiah 52:7). Is it a great cause of rejoicing for you? Are you confident that He reigns? And that His kingdom will come in its fullness? Does the truth and reality about Christ control your affections more than the temporary details of what happens to you?

Joining Jesus’s Priestly Praying. The rejoicing in v1–5Psalm 122:1-5 gives way to the praying in Psalm 122:6-9. David urges us to pray for three blessings, in Psalm 122:6-7, that he proceeds to pronounce upon Israel, in the style of a priestly benediction, in Psalm 122:8-9. First, there is the prosperity of those who love Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), which corresponds to “for the sake of my brethren and companions.” This matches how the Lord Jesus identified His “brother and sister and mother” in Matthew 12:50. What a comfort to know that Jesus prays and labors for our peace, and what a privilege to pray for the peace of the rest of the family of God!

Then there is the peace within Jerusalem’s walls (Psalm 122:7a), which matches “Peace within you” in Psalm 122:8b. We pray and labor not only to see the church have external peace from her enemies, but internal peace among her members. Ultimately, Psalm 133:1 will be perfectly fulfilled. It is one of the things that we pray for when we pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,”  and this is one of the motivations behind prayers for grace to be able to “forgive our debtors.”

Finally, there is the prosperity of her palaces (Psalm 122:7b), which corresponds to the good of the house of YHWH our God in Psalm 122:9. The household of God ought not to be a place of pain and misery, but one of health and joy. Of course, this applies more so spiritually than physically, but the two will ultimately and perfectly coincide in glory.

When we realize that David is praying as an anticipation of Christ, here, it makes sense that the priorities of this praying so closely match those of what we have come to call “The Lord’s Prayer.” When Christ came, it had already been the Lord’s prayer, and the true disciple’s prayer for a millennium.

What are some things that you rejoice over? How does your rejoicing over public worship compare to your rejoicing over those other things? What place does rejoicing over Christ’s kingship have in your heart? How does your ordinary habit of praying line up with the prayer in Psalm 122:6–9, or the “Lord’s Prayer”?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we are so glad to be worshiping You, and we look forward with joy to the Lord’s Day, when we will gather with Your people, and even more so to the day when we are gathered, finally, into the heavenly Jerusalem to worship You. Grant that here, just as there, the Lord Jesus would be unto us the way that You tabernacle with us. And grant that Your church on earth would enjoy true peace and prosperity unto the glory of our King, which we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested Songs: ARP122A “I Was Filled with Joy and Gladness” or TPH122B “My Heart Was Glad to Hear the Welcome Sound” 

Holy Refreshment in God Alone [Westminster Shorter Catechism 60—Theology Simply Explained]

Pastor walks his children through Westminster Shorter Catechism question 60—especially explaining how Sabbath refreshment via worship is different in kind from the most pious refreshment one can have in anything but worship.

Q60. How is the sabbath to be sanctified? The sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Praying to Be Fit for Heaven [Children's Catechism 121—Theology Simply Explained]

Pastor walks his children through Children's Catechism question 121—especially explaining how praying for heaven means praying for holiness.

Q121. What do we pray for in the sixth petition? That God would keep us from sin.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Blessing Comes by God's Faithfulness [2024.11.24 Evening Sermon in Numbers 27:1–11]

Though our sin may be the cause of discipline and disaster, it is always God's own faithfulness that is the cause of any blessing that we enjoy (and even the faithfulness through which He often brings it!).

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

The Sign God Gives Is His Son [2024.11.24 Morning Sermon in Matthew 12:38–50]

If we do not receive Jesus as God, and rejoice to live as God's adopted children in Him, we are condemned as evil and adulterous

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

Worshiping the God Who Communicates Himself [2024.11.24 Sabbath School in WCF 21.2—Hopewell 101]

We continue studying through the Scriptural doctrine that our congregation confesses. This week, we continued Westminster Confession chapter 21—considering the first half of Article 2, and the doctrine that worship must be given only to the true God... and that it is given to Christ!(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Diverted from Sin by God’s Goodness [2024.11.20 Midweek Sermon in Proverbs 5:15–23]

Either godliness will be pulling you away from sin, or sin will be pulling you away from godliness

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

Urgency of Stewardship [Family Worship lesson in Proverbs 6:1–11]

What’s the big deal with financial folly? Proverbs 6:1–11 looks forward to the sermon in this week’s midweek meeting. In these eleven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that financial folly must be urgently avoided as something that can destroy a man.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.11.25 Hopewell @Home ▫ Proverbs 6:1–11

Read Proverbs 6:1–11

Questions from the Scripture text: How does Proverbs 6:1 address us? What is the concern that we might become? What has happened if we become the surety for either neighbor or stranger (Proverbs 6:2)? And what if we do this anyway (Proverbs 6:3)? How urgently (Proverbs 6:4-5)? Whom does the Scripture muster as a role model in Proverbs 6:6? What does it not need (Proverbs 6:7)? But what does it do (Proverbs 6:8)? How urgently? And yet, what is man tempted to do (Proverbs 6:9)? How much of it (Proverbs 6:10) can cause what intensity of harm (Proverbs 6:11)?

What’s the big deal with financial folly? Proverbs 6:1–11 looks forward to the sermon in this week’s midweek meeting. In these eleven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that financial folly must be urgently avoided as something that can destroy a man.

Again, the Scripture addresses the reader, “my son.” We need to be instructed as children. How we need humility! The first five chapters have given much instruction, but more than that, they have urged upon us our need of being instructed in the first place. But this necessary and useful humbling comes with the affection of the possessive pronoun, “my.”

There are two things that we fall into easily, and so must resist urgently: becoming surety for someone else (Proverbs 6:1-5) and laziness (Proverbs 6:6-11). When someone needs to borrow and has nothing of his own to put on the line, putting yourself or your property on the line for them is not neighborly or kind but a trap (Proverbs 6:2-3b) from which we need deliverance (Proverbs 6:5).

This deliverance is so urgent that we should be willing to humble ourselves (Proverbs 6:3c–d) and put extraordinary, sleepless effort into it (Proverbs 6:4). When we’re considering it as a hypothetical during Bible study, it is easier to take this view. But, when someone in need is urging or pleading, we may be tempted to think that Proverbs 6:3-5 are a bit of an exaggeration. This is why we must humble ourselves and determine in advance to take the biblical view of things.

Similarly, we must have the humility to take the warning about laziness just as seriously. It doesn’t get more humbling than to be unfavorably compared to an insect (Proverbs 6:6)! The ant needs no commander (Proverbs 6:7) to keep it disciplined. The most important discipline is self-discipline. And how important is that discipline! Just a little bit of laziness (Proverbs 6:10), and a man can suddenly find himself bankrupt and bound (Proverbs 6:11). Whether becoming surety for another, or letting laziness creep in, financial folly traps and binds a man.

Property is an assignment from the Lord, to be enjoyed as from Him and employed as for Him. It is a weakness of our sinful condition that we are prone to disregard it. But true wisdom is to fear the Lord, which means knowing that He is not just the purpose of our property but of our time and our very selves.

What foolish things are you tempted to do with money to appease foolish people? When are you tempted to be a “little” lazy? How does your belonging to God appear in your usage of time? And how, in your usage of wealth?

Sample prayer: Lord, thank You for creating us for Yourself, and for giving us possessions by which to enjoy belonging to You and to glorify You. Grant that we would have the humility to take stewardship as seriously as Your Word teaches. For the sake of Him Who was rich but became poor for our sakes, supply all our needs according to Your riches in glory, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP24“The Earth and the Riches” or TPH538 “Take My Life, and Let It Be”

2024.11.24 Lord's Day Livestreams (live at 10:10a, 11a, 3p)

Click below for the:

November 24 Lord's Day Worship Booklet

Matthew 12:38–50 sermon outline

3p Songs & Numbers 27:1–11 sermon outline

We urge you to assemble physically, if possible, with a true congregation of Christ's church. For those of our own congregation who may be providentially hindered, we are grateful to be able to provide this service.

IF you are unable to get the stream to work, or simply wish to save on data, you can listen in simply by calling 712.432.3410 and entering 70150 at the prompt.

Each week we livestream the Lord's Day (Sabbath School, Morning Public Worship, and p.m. Singing and Sermon) and Midweek Meeting (sermon and prayer). For notifications when Hopewell is streaming live, install the CHURCHONE APP on your [Apple], [Android], or [Kindle] device, and enter hopewellarp for your broadcaster.

God the Son Is Himself the Sign [Family Worship lesson in Matthew 12:38–50]

What sign does Jesus give that we should believe Him? Matthew 12:38–50 prepares us for the sermon in the morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Jesus’s resurrection proves His Word about Himself, and about everything else. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.11.23 Hopewell @Home ▫ Matthew 12:38–50

Read Matthew 12:38–50

Questions from the Scripture text: Who ask for what in Matthew 12:38? What does Jesus say their request says about them (Matthew 12:39)? How many signs will they receive? Which one? How was Jonah himself a sign, and how will Jesus Himself be this sign (Matthew 12:40, cf. Romans 1:4)? What will the Ninevites do, when (Matthew 12:41)? What had they done? Who else will condemn them (Matthew 12:42)? How (cf. Matthew 12:6)? How do Matthew 12:43-45 condemn the Pharisaical idea that they could be free from the devil without being mastered by Christ? Who come, desiring what, in Matthew 12:46-47? Whom does Jesus identify as closer to Him than biological family ties (Matthew 12:48-50)? 

What sign does Jesus give that we should believe Him? Matthew 12:38–50 prepares us for the sermon in the morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Jesus’s resurrection proves His Word about Himself, and about everything else.  

Either you recognize Jesus as God, and rest in Him as your only hope of being forgiven every sin and blasphemy (cf. Matthew 12:31), or you will be condemned for those sins (and, most of all, for rejecting Christ!) for all eternity (cf. Matthew 12:32). Rather than yield to Christ, and come to Him for rest (cf. Matthew 11:28), these scribes and Pharisees ask for a sign (Matthew 12:38). Rightly does the Lord Jesus, Who has given such invitations, now condemn these men as evil and adulterous! 

But, notice that it was not just the scribes and Pharisees but the generation more generally that Jesus condemns as “evil and adulterous” (Matthew 12:39). Although many are enthusiastic about Him, He knows what is in their hearts (cf. John 2:24–25).

It’s amazing that they would ask Jesus for a sign. How very many signs He had performed! In fact, it was their response to these signs that had instigated this particular conflict (cf. Matthew 12:22-24). But Jesus gave His apostles the ability to do such signs (cf. Matthew 10:1). The one thing that none of them could do was raise themselves from the dead—not just a resuscitation, but a transformed and glorious body. 

Jesus refers to this as the “sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matthew 12:39), who had been three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish (Matthew 12:40), and was thus himself his own great sign to accompany his preaching in Nineveh (Matthew 12:41). How dreadful must be the noetic (upon the mind) effects of sin that, despite His historically sure resurrection, many do not repent. Truly, at the judgment, they will be condemned by comparison to Jonah’s Nineveh!

Indeed, we ought to come to Jesus to receive His Word not only about Himself, but about everything—much the same way the Queen of Sheba came to hear Solomon (Matthew 12:42). The idea that we could be liberated from bondage to the devil, without coming under the mastery of God in Christ, is a recipe for becoming more a slavery of sin than ever (Matthew 12:43-45)!

While He is still talking (Matthew 12:46), an illustration of the necessity of hearing and obeying Him presents itself. Who is closest to Jesus? The ones who spent the most years with Him? Whose womb carried him? Whose DNA He shared? No—those who have a new nature from Him, who obey His Father. This is how you know that you are close to Christ: when His own life and character are in you, and your relation to the Father participates in His.

Come to the Resurrected One, and receive His Word about both Himself and everything else!

What place does the resurrection have in your thoughts and mindset toward Christ? Whom do you believe Him to be? How do you receive His Word, and what do you do with it? How are you close to Him?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for declaring Yourself to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Grant that we would believe You to be God, Who became a Man to die for us. And grant that we would listen to You and obey You in all things, we ask in Your own Name, Lord Jesus, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP16B “I’ll Bless the LORD Who Counsels Me” or TPH16A “Preserve Me, O My God”

God's Faithfulness to the Next Generation [Family Worship lesson in Numbers 27:1–11]

How is the plight of the ladies Zelophehad central to the concerns of the book of Numbers? Numbers 27:1–11 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eleven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God is faithful to His promise to give the land to this generation.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.11.22 Hopewell @Home ▫ Numbers 27:1–11

Read Numbers 27:1–11

Questions from the Scripture text: Who came in Numbers 27:1? Before whom (Numbers 27:2)? Where? What had happened (Numbers 27:3)? What didn’t their father have? What do they ask in Numbers 27:4? And what do they request? To Whom does Moses bring the case? Who spoke in Numbers 27:6? To whom? What does He say about the request of the daughters of Zelophehad (Numbers 27:7)? What is Moses to do? What is to pass to them? To whom is Moses to speak (Numbers 27:8)? Who receives inheritance if there are no sons? And who, if there are not even daughters (Numbers 27:9)? And who, if there are no brothers? And who if there are no uncles (Numbers 27:11)? How does verse 11 formalize this policy?

How is the plight of the ladies of Zelophehad central to the concerns of the book of Numbers? Numbers 27:1–11 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eleven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God is faithful to His promise to give the land to this generation.

This passage gives an order of priority of claim for inheritance: sons first, but if no sons then daughters (Numbers 27:8), and if no daughters then brothers (Numbers 27:9), and if no brothers then uncles (Numbers 27:10), and if no uncles then the nearest flesh to them (Numbers 27:11). There is a high value placed upon preserving a man’s name and possession (Numbers 27:4, Numbers 27:7). This theme will be picked up again in chapter 36.

But Numbers 27:3 clues us in to another concern that is more essential to this overall section of Numbers. The people of the first census have fallen in the wilderness. As the five daughters say, “Our father died in the wilderness […] he died in his own sin” (verse 3). His generation was judged for their unbelief (cf. Hebrews 3:16–19). But the book of Numbers is about how God was yet faithful to His promises and gracious to His people: raising an entirely new generation in their place, to whom He would give the land (cf. Numbers 14:31).  The daughters of Zelophehad “speak what is right” (Numbers 27:7) because they have come, in Numbers 27:1, to lay claim to what the Lord had promised a generation ago. 

Even when the consequences of our sin fall upon us, there is still hope in God’s grace for loved ones and descendants. He is faithful to His promises and gracious to His people! Perhaps you are descended from those who rightly brought God’s punishment or chastening upon themselves. Take comfort, dear sinner (and descendant of sinners), in the Lord. He is faithful to His promises and gracious to His people.

What hope do you have that you will be spiritually better off than your parents? That your children will be than you?

Sample prayer:  Lord, forgive us for how our sin has squandered opportunities for blessing for us and our children. Keep Your promises, and be gracious to us and our children, over-against what we deserve, we ask through Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP78 “O Come, My People” or TPH222 “O God, Our Help in Ages Past”

Triune Doxology and Dependence [Family Worship lesson in Jude 24–25]

Why should we glorify God? Jude v24–25 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these two verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we should glorify God because He is glorious, and because He has determined especially to glorify Himself by bringing us to glory.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.11.21 Hopewell @Home ▫ Jude 24–25

Read Jude 24–25

Questions from the Scripture text: What two things is God able to do (Jude 24)? “Where” is He able to present us faultless? With how much joy? What is this God to us (Jude 25)? And what is He like? So, what four things are do unto Him? When?

Why should we glorify God? Jude 24–25 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these two verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we should glorify God because He is glorious, and because He has determined especially to glorify Himself by bringing us to glory.

Throughout the little book of Jude, we have been warned about keeping company with the ungodly Who threaten our own walk with the Lord. But the conclusion turns from instructing us to praising God. Indeed, it is one of the great doxologies in all of Scripture. In our lives, dependence is joined to doxology. Dependence: it is God, Whose ability brings us safe, holy, and happy to glory (Jude 24)! He has been pleased to glorify Himself most of all in glorifying us. Doxology: when He has done this, then it will be displayed that all glory and majesty and dominion and power is His forever (Jude 25, cf. Revelation 5:12). But these aren’t just due to Him forever; they are due to Him, already, now! Indeed, giving Him the praise that He is rightfully due will itself condition our hearts and minds to contend for this faith once-delivered. So glorify Him!

When are you overwhelmed by God’s glory? How are you looking to? What is He doing? How are you responding?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for glorifying Yourself by leading us not into temptation, delivering us from evil, and displaying in us Your kingdom, power, and glory forever. Forgive us for taking sin lightly, and even taking Your glory lightly. As You have glorified Yourself in Your Son’s perfect righteousness and sacrifice, glorify Him by sanctifying us, in Christ, AMEN!

 Suggested songs: ARP98 “O Sing a New Song to the Lord” or TPH381 “Blessing and Honor and Glory and Power” 

2024.11.20 Midweek Meeting Livestream (live at 6:30p)

Click below for the:

November 20 Prayer Meeting Folder

Proverbs 5:15–23 sermon outline

We urge you to assemble physically, if possible, with a true congregation of Christ's church. For those of our own congregation who may be providentially hindered, we are grateful to be able to provide this service.

IF you are unable to get the stream to work, or simply wish to save on data, you can listen in simply by calling 712.432.3410 and entering 70150 at the prompt.

Each week we livestream the Lord's Day (Sabbath School, Morning Public Worship, and p.m. Singing and Sermon) and Midweek Meeting (sermon and prayer). For notifications when Hopewell is streaming live, install the CHURCHONE APP on your [Apple], [Android], or [Kindle] device, and enter hopewellarp for your broadcaster.

Training to Repent in Our Pain [Family Worship lesson in Amos 5:1–17]

Why does the prophet lament? Amos 5:1–17 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these seventeen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the prophet laments over sin to teach sinners to lament over that sin, and to turn back to seeking the Lord and His good.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.11.20 Hopewell @Home ▫ Amos 5:1-17

Read Amos 5:1-17

Questions from the Scripture text: For the third chapter in a row, with what command does Amos 5:1 begin? Concerning whom? What sort of word is it this time? What has happened to her (Amos 5:2)? Who has determined this (Amos 5:3)? What has He said? What does He command them to do (Amos 5:4)? But where/how have they been doing this, that He now rebukes (Amos 5:5a–c)? What is He doing to this manmade worship (verse 5d–e)? By comparison, what does He say about divinely instituted worship (Amos 5:6a)? What might He do to their manmade worship (verse 6b–d, cf. Leviticus 10:1–2)? What had God offered them, and what did they do to it (Amos 5:7)? But what has God done (Amos 5:8-9)? Who is He (Amos 5:8f)? But how do Israel respond to the righteous (Amos 5:10, Amos 5:12c, Amos 5:13)? And to the poor (Amos 5:11a–b, Amos 5:12d)? What will God do to them (Amos 5:11c–f)? For what (Amos 5:12a–b)? What does the prophet urge them to do (Amos 5:14-15)? And what will God do? Who is speaking in Amos 5:16-17? Who will be lamenting, to what extent? Why (Amos 5:17b–c)?

Why does the prophet lament? Amos 5:1–17 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these seventeen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the prophet laments over sin to teach sinners to lament over that sin, and to turn back to seeking the Lord and His good.

Amos 5:1, Amos 5:16-17 bookend the passage with lament. The prophet calls for them to listen to his own lamentation (Amos 5:1); it’s a preview of lamentation that is going to come, because YHWH is going to judge them (Amos 5:16-17). He is literally going to decimate them (cut them down to a tenth, Amos 5:2-3). 

Why? They have sinned profoundly against the Lord (Amos 5:4-9) and against His people (Amos 5:10-13). They thought they were seeking the Lord by the manmade worship that they set up in Bethel and Gilgal (Amos 5:5), but the Lord’s command that they seek Him (Amos 5:4, Amos 5:6) makes it plain that He did not approve of or receive that worship. He threatens their worship with the same response as the manmade worship of Nadab and Abihu (Amos 5:6, cf. Leviticus 10:1–2). How can man come up with how to worship? It is YHWH Who created even the heavens (Amos 5:8a), Who rules in all providence (verse 8b–c), Who brought even the flood (verse 8d–e). 

But they have also sinned against His people—against the righteous, whom they rejected into silence (Amos 5:10, Amos 5:12c, Amos 5:13) and against the poor, whom they trampled for wealth (Amos 5:11a–b, Amos 5:12d). Just as God has commanded a repentance in which they truly seek Him, so also God has commanded a repentance in which they hate the evil that they have been seeking , and love good and seek it instead (Amos 5:14-15). Loving neighbor goes hand-in-hand with loving God and belonging to Him. 

The Lord announces this lament, with an offer of astounding grace to Israel: “So YHWH God of hosts will be with you […] YHWH God of hosts will be gracious.” Behold the grace of God to sinners! When we realize that manmade worship is evil, we must hate it. When we realize that refusing the correction of the just, or trampling upon the poor, is evil, we must hate it.  Behold the God Who is gracious to sinners, and seek Him and His good!

When have you lamented sin? What sin are you weakly resisting that you should be hating? What does God offer?

Sample prayer:  Lord, forgive us for all manmade worship, for all rejecting of righteous correction, and for all manipulating and taking advantage of others. Make us to hate it like You hate it, and make us to love You and what is good, in Christ, AMEN!

 Suggested Songs: ARP32AB “What Blessedness” or TPH440 “Come , Ye Sinners, Poor and Wretched”

Baptized into Christ! [2024.11.17 Evening Sermon in Romans 6:1–11]

By His Spirit, Christ has baptized believers into Himself, so that they are dead to sin and death but alive unto God.

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

The Sign of the King [2024.11.17 Morning Sermon in Matthew 28:16–20]

Baptism marks us as members of the visible church, commands us to be members of the invisible church, and points us to Christ as our sure hope for this.

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

Why, and How, to Worship [2024.11.17 Sabbath School in WCF 21.1—Hopewell 101]

We continue studying through the Scriptural doctrine that our congregation confesses. This week, we began Westminster Confession chapter 21—considering Article 1, and the doctrine that God must be worshiped and must only be worshiped as He has commanded, commonly known as the Regulative Principle of Worship.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

What to Do When You Need Help [Family Worship lesson in Psalm 121]

Who is our help? Psalm 121 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eight verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the almighty God, Himself, is our help. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.11.19 Hopewell @Home ▫ Psalm 121

Read Psalm 121

Questions from the Scripture text: What sort of Psalm is this (superscript)? Where is the psalmist looking (Psalm 121:1)? What does he ask? What is the answer (Psalm 121:2a)? What has this One done (verse 2b)? What will He not allow (Psalm 121:3a)? What will He not do (verse 3b, Psalm 121:4b)? What does He tirelessly do (verse 4a)? To whom? What two things is He to His people (Psalm 121:5)? What cannot harm them (Psalm 121:6)? From how much evil will YHWH keep them (Psalm 121:7a)? What will be done to them (verse 7b)? How much of their life will He keep (Psalm 121:8a)? For how long?

Who is our help? Psalm 121 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eight verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the almighty God, Himself, is our help.  

As Israelites ascended toward Jerusalem, the heights displayed power, reminding them that their God is on high. But those same hills hid marauders, reminding them of their need for help. Both provoke the question (“From where does my help come?” Psalm 121:1) and provide the answer (“My help comes from the Lord,” Psalm 121:2a). What a blessing, on the way to the holy gathering: providence, and a Psalm to match, that gives an apt summary of all of Scripture: our help is in the name of YHWH, Who made heaven and earth (cf. Psalm 124:8; Hebrews 2:16, Hebrews 11:6). 

And what is it to have YHWH as our help? The Lord’s care for His people is superlative! The rest of the Psalm emphasizes these superlatives.

• His care is effectual: He will not allow your foot to be moved (Psalm 121:3a).
• His care is continual: He neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:3-4). 
• His care is all-powerful: even the sun and moon, which idolaters worshiped as gods, and which God gave to govern the day and night, cannot harm God’s people (Psalm 121:6, cf. Romans 8:31).
• His care is from all evil (Psalm 121:7a).
• His care is entire, of the whole man, particularly his soul (verse 7b).
• His care is in all places and actions, whether we go out or come in, wherever we are (Psalm 121:8a).
• His care is forever, from this time forth and even forevermore (verse 8b).

Why and how is this care so superlative? Because His care is personal! He Himself is our keeping and our shade (Psalm 121:5)! Praise be to God. May He and His care be your comfort and confidence as you go to your slumber each night, and again as you rise each morning and throughout each day. And may imposing hills, and other providential grandeur or danger, lift your heart to Him.

What dangers do you face? What impressive things do you encounter? What is your help? Who is He?

Sample prayer:  Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth, and You work all things according to the counsel of Your will. You accomplish all of Your purposes. Your faithfulness is constant. Your power, unstoppable. How great it is to have Your help! And how great that You Yourself are that help! Be glorified by the good that You do us, and receive the worship of our hearts and lips, now, we pray, through Christ, AMEN!

Suggested Songs: ARP121 “I Lift My Eyes and See the Hills” or TPH121A “I Lift My Eyes Up to the Hills” 

Diverted from Sin by God's Good Gifts [Family Worship lesson in Proverbs 5:15–23]

What keeps a man from being diverted to unauthorized women? Proverbs 5:15–23 looks forward to the sermon in this week’s midweek meeting. In these nine verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that a man is kept from being diverted to unauthorized women by the promise and treasuring of his own wife, but especially by regarding his God. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.11.18 Hopewell @Home ▫ Proverbs 5:15–23

Read Proverbs 5:15–23

Questions from the Scripture text: Who does Proverbs 5:15 say should drink from your cistern/well? What does Proverbs 5:16 ask about other possible drinkers? What answer does Proverbs 5:17 give, regarding these potential drinkers? When will the fountain of a man’s life (Proverbs 5:18a) receive a blessing from God (verse 18b)? What does Proverbs 5:19a say about the beauty that such a man finds in his wife? What does verse 19b say about the nourishment/comfort that such a man would find from his wife? What does verse 19c say about the protective/diverting effect of such a man’s enjoyment of his wife’s love? Where should he not be looking for any of these (Proverbs 5:20, n.b. that NKJ’s ‘immoral’ and ‘seductress’ are translating the same words as ‘alien’ and ‘foreigner’ from Proverbs 5:10)? What factor should determine one’s choices in this area of our lives (Proverbs 5:21)? What do iniquities and sins in this area of life do (Proverbs 5:22)? With what ultimate result (Proverbs 5:23a)? As a consequence of having done what, in what way (verse 23b)?

What keeps a man from being diverted to unauthorized women? Proverbs 5:15–23 looks forward to the sermon in this week’s midweek meeting. In these nine verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that a man is kept from being diverted to unauthorized women by the promise and treasuring of his own wife, but especially by regarding his God.  

“Drink from your own cistern/well” (Proverbs 5:15) pivots from the fifth (submitting to teaching) and seventh (illicit romance) commandments to the eighth. The main idea here is that it is ultimately God, in His providence, Who assigns to us our wife and our offspring, just as much as He assigns to us our property. And what a blessing a wife is—like a cistern, or even a well that continually has running water! And just as she is exclusively for her husband (verse 15), her husband is exclusively for her (Proverbs 5:16). God has not assigned “strangers” (same word as NKJ’s “immoral” in Proverbs 5:3 and “alien” in Proverbs 5:10) to benefit from you as husband and father (Proverbs 5:17). 

The illustration of cistern (Proverbs 5:15a)/well (verse 15b)/spring (Proverbs 5:16a)/stream (verse 16b) continues with a fifth synonym, which NKJ also translates “fountain” in Proverbs 5:18. A man is designed by God to be a source of life and provision for his wife and his children. And when he sticks to God’s own design, rejoicing in the wife of his youth (verse 18b) he finds himself “blessed” (verse 18a). There is a value placed upon marrying young, here. A youth should not let himself be diverted to pseudo-marital sweetness and comfort; rather, he should be aiming to marry, and to rejoice with that divinely-assigned woman all his days. And, in this rejoicing with her, he will find himself blessed as an instrument of God’s provision to her as well.

Of course, this blessing goes two ways. The loving deer and graceful doe of Proverbs 5:19a is a metaphor of pure and elegant beauty: beauty the way God created it, beauty that enjoys the goodness of the Creator and compels worshiping Him. The image in verse 19b is one of nourishment; just as the wife’s body is uniquely designed to nourish their children, so there is nourishment and comfort and help that God has designed her to be unto her husband. Finally, the word “enraptured” (lit. “diverted”) in verse 19c is the same as that in Proverbs 5:20a and in Proverbs 5:23 (where NKJ has “astray”). 

Either the promise of one’s own wife, and then the enjoyment of that wife, will divert a man from the unauthorized woman, or the unauthorized woman will divert him from his wife. Again, our English version’s “immoral” and “seductress” in Proverbs 5:20 is painting a more evidently sinister picture, when the evil and danger are often more subtle. They are the same words as “alien” and “foreigner,” respectively from Proverbs 5:10—referring to any woman who is not the wife that God has assigned to the man. One’s own wife is a blessing in herself, and also as one by whom God diverts him from the unauthorized woman.

Ultimately, however, it is not merely a man’s future (or present) wife that he must regard. First and foremost, his regard must be for the Lord (Proverbs 5:21). Sin is not just something that might lead you into a trap; sin itself is that trap, and you are already ensnared when you commit it (Proverbs 5:22). How dreadful to reject this instruction (Proverbs 5:23a) and be diverted not only later by the unauthorized woman, but initially by one’s own great folly (verse 23b)!

How are you treating sin as a trap? How are you treating each marriage as divinely assigned to that man and woman?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for what Your providence has assigned to each of us. And make us to enjoy that which You have given us as a way of diverting us from that which You haven’t, we ask through Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP45B “Daughter, Incline Your Ear” or TPH128B “Blest the Man That Fears Jehovah”

2024.11.17 Lord's Day Livestreams (live at 10:10a, 11a, 3p)

Click below for the:

November 17 Lord's Day Worship Booklet

Matthew 28:16–20 sermon outline

3p.m. songs & Romans 6:1–11 sermon outline

We urge you to assemble physically, if possible, with a true congregation of Christ's church. For those of our own congregation who may be providentially hindered, we are grateful to be able to provide this service.

IF you are unable to get the stream to work, or simply wish to save on data, you can listen in simply by calling 712.432.3410 and entering 70150 at the prompt.

Each week we livestream the Lord's Day (Sabbath School, Morning Public Worship, and p.m. Singing and Sermon) and Midweek Meeting (sermon and prayer). For notifications when Hopewell is streaming live, install the CHURCHONE APP on your [Apple], [Android], or [Kindle] device, and enter hopewellarp for your broadcaster.

The Christian Sabbath [Westminster Shorter Catechism 59—Theology Simply Explained]

Pastor walks his children through Westminster Shorter Catechism question 59—especially explaining how the nature and role of the Sabbath has progressed through the history of redemption.

Q59. Which day of the seven hath God appointed to be the weekly sabbath? From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly sabbath; and the first day of the week ever since, to continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian sabbath.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

A Need That We Should Always Pray For [Children's Catechism 120—Theology Simply Explained]

Pastor walks his children through Children’s Catechism question 120—especially explaining how we should always be praying for our sanctification.

Q120. What is the sixth petition? And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

The Christian Church [Family Worship lesson in Matthew 28:16–20]

For what does the Lord institute baptism? Matthew 28:16–20 prepares us for the sermon in the morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the Lord institutes baptism as a sign of Christ’s authority and power in His gathering church. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.11.16 Hopewell @Home ▫ Matthew 28:16–20

Read Matthew 28:16–20

Questions from the Scripture text: Who go to Galilee (Matthew 28:16)? Which mountain do they go to? Whom do they see (Matthew 28:17)? What do they all do to Him? What do some of them do? Who came and spoke to them (Matthew 28:18)? How much authority has been given to Him? Which authority has been given to Him? What are they to make, therefore (Matthew 28:19)? By what two actions are disciples made (verse 19b, Matthew 28:20)? Into what single name are they baptized? What are they taught to do with Jesus’s commands? How many of them? Who is with them always, as they make disciples? Even until when?

For what does the Lord institute baptism? Matthew 28:16–20 prepares us for the sermon in the morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the Lord institutes baptism as a sign of Christ’s authority and power in His gathering church.  

When Jesus’s disciples are brokenhearted at the Passover, the Lord Jesus instituted the Supper to direct their hearts and minds unto Him, to feed spiritually upon Him repeatedly for the rest of the age. 

And now, when some of them are still doubting after having seen Him multiple times (as we learn from John 21), the Lord Jesus institutes baptism to affirm to them His authority and glory (Matthew 28:18), obligate them to His service (Matthew 28:19), and assure them of His presence and power  unto the end of the age. These are exactly the things to which every single one whom Jesus adds to His church needs to commit. 

In the first century, baptisms were already used as initiations/identifications by set-apart groups. The same had been true of circumcision. Now, Jesus initiates baptism as the mark of the church of His disciples. And what does this mark teach us?

That all authority has been given to Him in heaven and earth. He is God from all eternity. But He became a Man, lived a perfectly obedient life, died an atoning death, and rose again from the dead. His saving work as the Christ is done. His time of humiliation is over. Even in His human nature, He is now exalted. Not only over the earth. But even over heaven! He is, in His divinity, “He who sits upon the throne.” But He is also, in His humanity, the risen and ascended and exalted “Lamb who sits upon the throne.” We must trust in Him and worship Him. Faith.

Christian baptism also teaches us that we are obligated to be disciples who make disciples. If our risen Lord is in authority generally, how much more over His disciples specifically! And what does He want them (and us) to do? Well, there is a great and primary duty: make disciples. But, there is also something else that He wants disciples to do “observe all thing that Jesus has commanded.” If the church does not teach the whole counsel of God, it is guilty of the lives of its members (Acts 20:26–27). Not all may be teachers, but all must learn. We have a duty to study in order to believe all of Jesus’s doctrine and obey all of Jesus’s commands. Obedience.

And the last big thing that Christian baptism teaches is that this faith and obedience can come only through the grace of ongoing, continual delight in and dependence upon Jesus’s fellowship. “and lo, I am with you always.”

The Lord Jesus had said that He Himself would build His church and that the gates of Hell would not prevail against it (cf. Matthew 16:18). But now the Lord Jesus is leaving, and this group before Him is not very promising. 

There are only eleven of them because one who was numbered among the disciples turned out to be the betrayer. That might dampen your confidence about the new disciples in Matthew 28:19—especially when you consider that even from among the eleven that remain, there are still some who are doubting.

But it is exactly into our consideration of these disciples, and the disciples that they are to be making, that Jesus announces that it is about His authority and power, not ours, and His faithfulness, not ours.

Jesus announces that He has authority in heaven and on earth, and a church that is in heaven and on earth. The resurrected Man before them has authority even in Heaven to pour out the Holy Spirit, for He is a divine Person. They have known since Matthew 3:11 that He would baptize with the Holy Spirit. 

Baptisms were already used as initiations into groups, and now Jesus notifies them that as He is the Second Person of the Trinity, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is the church of the Triune God. He commands that the one Name (singular—one God) into which they be baptized be Triune (three Persons, whose one name is “Father and Son and Holy Spirit”). And so, our baptisms remind us that Jesus has this authority both with reference to His eternal godhood, and with reference to His finished and perfect work as the Redeemer.

When He marks of His holy assembly with this particular sign in this particular Name, we can see that He is saying: “it depends upon My power.” And when He follows by saying, “and lo, I am with you always,” we can hear that it depends upon His faithfulness. That is wonderful news for those whose weakness and unfaithfulness would lead to ultimate failure!

Jesus answers our weakness by His strength in His gospel signs and words.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that we need not do anything. It rather means the exact opposite: that we must do everything. He has marked us as His own, and as those to whom He has committed His power. We ought to obey all His commands merely because we are His creatures, and then again because He has bought us by His blood, and now again because He has marked us off as holy and set apart to Him! Therefore, disciples must be taught to “observe all things I have commanded you.”

Thus, we realize that baptism is not a statement by the new disciple, but by the Lord of the disciples, through those whom He has commanded to mark and teach them. It is a mark that is displayed anew to the holy assembly, whenever it is being applied to a new addition to that assembly. In it, our Lord presents Himself and His Spirit for the worship of His people!

Who is “saying something” in baptism? What is He saying? How are you responding?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for giving us baptism as a sign of Your authority and power to make us into disciples, and to make those whom we teach and baptize into disciples. Forgive us for whenever we are self-reliant in evangelistic work, or when we are neglectful of evangelistic work. Grant that we would keep teaching, keep baptizing, and keep trusting that You will be with us to use these for making disciples of Christ, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP32AB “What Blessedness” or TPH424 “All Authority and Power”

Horror-Preventing Humility [2024.11.13 Midweek Sermon in Proverbs 5:7–14]

If we are going to be spared the death-bed horror of agonizing over not having listened to instruction, we need the humility to listen now.

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

Identified with God's Church [Family Worship lesson in Genesis 17:15–27]

What do we learn from the account of Sarai’s name change? Genesis 17:15–27 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Sarai’s name change points us to the unique significance of Christ, which is the only hope for anyone to walk before God—the very hope to which the covenant sign points us.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.11.15 Hopewell @Home ▫ Genesis 17:15-27

Read Genesis 17:15-27

Questions from the Scripture text: Who gets a name change in Genesis 17:15? What does God promise to give to Abraham by her in Genesis 17:16? Of what does He promise to make her a mother? What is Abraham’s physical response in Genesis 17:17? What is his verbal response? What does Romans 4:19-21 tell us about his heart while he is doing this? What further request does Abraham make in Genesis 17:18? Whom does God insist upon making the son of promise, through whom the covenant will continue (Genesis 17:19)? What is Abraham to call the son of promise? How long will this covenant continue? Still, how does God respond in Genesis 17:20 to the request in v18? When will Sarah bear Isaac (Genesis 17:21)? What happens in Genesis 17:22? How does Abraham respond in Genesis 17:23? On what day? How old was Abraham (Genesis 17:24)? How old was Ishmael (Genesis 17:25)? What does Genesis 17:26 re-emphasize? Who else were circumcised on that day (Genesis 17:27)?

What do we learn from the account of Sarai’s name change? Genesis 17:15–27 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Sarai’s name change points us to the unique significance of Christ, which is the only hope for anyone to walk before God—the very hope to which the covenant sign points us.

Sarai is the only woman in the Bible to get a name change. Her name is changed from “my princess” to “princess.” No longer will she belong to Abraham alone, but she becomes mother of all the faithful.

How amazing a promise is this? Abraham laughs at it—even though he believes it! We might think (because of what happens with Sarah in the next chapter) that this is an unbelieving response from Abraham, but Romans 4:19-21 gives us the date for this conversation, and tells us that he did not doubt but grew strong in faith. This is not the laughter of unbelief. It is the laughter of one who is overwhelmed at the greatness of what the Lord has just promised to him!

We see not only great laughter but great love. Abraham loves his 13 year old son. He is concerned about what this new son might mean for Ishmael. It seems, from the Lord’s response, that Abraham even wants Ishmael to be the one through whom the covenant will come. This is a wonderful fruit of Abraham’s faith in Jesus—that he would have such affection for a son whom we know (by God’s prophecy) to be such a pain.

And it’s not only Abraham who has covenant love for his son. The Lord does too. There are reasons to believe that Ishmael was converted. Abraham asked for the Genesis 17:1 status for his teenager—that he would “walk before God.” And God says in Genesis 17:20 that he “has heard” Abraham. 

In addition to being saved, and walking before God, Ishmael would also be given a certain amount of earthly greatness. Even though he was not to be the one through whom the covenant advanced, the Lord responds to a believing father’s prayers that his son would “walk before Him.”

Ultimately, Abraham is heard for the sake of Isaac’s descendant, our Lord Jesus Christ!

Some “scholars” think that this is the first time we learn that Sarai would be the mother of the promised Seed, but that was true as soon as the Seed was promised to Abram. The two had become one flesh. Just as Eve was the helper suitable to Adam, Sarai is the helper suitable to Abraham. One of God’s primary purposes for marriage was the bearing of godly seed (cf. Malachi 2:15).

So, a big part of this passage is the elevation of Sarai to be analogous to Abram. She too gets a name change—the only woman in the Bible to receive one. She too gets the promise of being one from whom nations come, and kings of peoples (cf. Genesis 17:5-6). Though under the headship of her husband and having a different role, she is presented as equal in value and significance (cf. 1 Timothy 2:11-15).

We need to recover a biblical understanding of the bearing of godly seed as an essential purpose of marriage, and the glory of the wife as covenant mother.

We also need to learn to rejoice like Abraham over God’s astonishing promises. Romans 4:9-22 makes it clear that Abraham’s laughter is not the laughter of unbelief, but the laughter of astonished praise.

And we would do well to imitate Abraham’s love for his son Ishmael. Abraham could easily have been taken up with the promise about Isaac. But Abraham asks that Ishmael, even though he is not the son of promise, would “walk before God”—the very language that the Lord had used for walking by faith at the beginning of the chapter. Would that all fathers would so love their children and urge God to save them! 

How often are you amazed to the point of laughter for what God has done for you? Do you rejoice over God’s promises? For whose salvation are you praying?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for the part that You have given us in Christ through faith, and thank You for the part that You have given us in bringing His salvation to the world. Forgive us for any discontentment with our part, but grant that by Your grace, we would walk before You. And grant unto us that we would hope in You to bring our children to faith by which You save them, through Christ, in Whose Name we ask it, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP189 “Universal Praise” or TPH126A “When Zion’s Fortunes”

Sign of the Covenant [Family Worship lesson in Genesis 17:9–14]

What is circumcision? Genesis 17:9–14 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that circumcision is a sign that points us away from ourselves and unto the grace of God.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.11.14 Hopewell @Home ▫ Genesis 17:9-14

Read Genesis 17:9-14

Questions from the Scripture text: Who speaks to whom in Genesis 17:9? What does God tell Abraham to keep? Whom else does God say must keep His covenant? What obligation does God call “My covenant” in Genesis 17:10? Who must be circumcised? Who else gets included in the command in Genesis 17:11? When must a child be circumcised (Genesis 17:12)? What two groups are specified in verse 12, then reaffirmed in Genesis 17:13, as being required to have the sign applied to them? How long does the covenant with Abraham last? What if someone does not receive the sign—what shall happen to him (Genesis 17:14)? Why?

What is circumcision? Genesis 17:9–14 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eight verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that circumcision is a sign that points us away from ourselves and unto the grace of God.

God has already covenanted Himself to be and do many wonderful things for Abraham. So, when God says “this is My covenant” and gives Abraham a responsibility, we must not think that the emphasis is upon what Abraham does.

In fact, Genesis 17:11 further explains Genesis 17:10 by saying, “it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.” Of course the sign is an obligation—so important that God threatens to cut off whomever rejects it (cf. Genesis 17:14)! But it is an obligation to be reminded that this covenant is from the grace of God and depends upon the grace of God.

Dependence upon God’s grace is inherent to the sign itself—coming as it does only upon males, and specifically in their flesh in a way that reminds them of how their children also come from their flesh. A man’s children are already federally guilty and genuinely fallen in him. They already have a father on earth. They need a Father in Heaven through Christ! They need a new representative to deal with the guilt of sin and a new nature to deal with the power of sin. Notice that God keeps saying MY covenant, MY covenant, MY covenant. The sign demonstrates this in at least three ways:

First, there is the substance represented by the sign. The sign is of a promise that belongs to Him. The sign is of a power that comes from Him. 

Second, there is the type of action assigned in the sign. The sign itself is presented as passive—something that is done to the males in Genesis 17:10, Genesis 17:11, Genesis 17:12, Genesis 17:13, Genesis 17:14… not something that they themselves do. It is an obligation, but it is one that is ultimately kept on their behalf by those already in the covenant. 

Third, there is the ordinary timing of the sign. Yes, there are some who come into the covenant less naturally—purchased with money, joining the household of God from the outside. But for those whom the Lord brings into the covenant from the start, the sign is applied to them before they could do or decide anything for themselves.

The sign is GOD’s sign. But the fact that it points us away from ourselves and unto Him is exactly why it’s also so vital. To reject the sign would be to reject the thing signified—essentially to miss that God is declaring to us that salvation depends upon (and is most certainly secured by) the Lord!

It might slip our notice, as we look at the rest of this passage, that Abraham spends the entire passage on his face. We would do well to come with the same posture of heart toward God, as He says MY covenant, MY covenant, MY covenant.

God is the One who initiates this covenant. Abraham does not have a choice in the matter. He did not make a decision or a commitment to bring himself into this binding relationship. Of course, he must decide and commit, but these were not optional for him.

God is the One who makes all of the promises. Promise to forgive. Promise to make holy. Promise to defeat death. Promise to give land. Promise of everlasting relationship. Yes, there are demands of Abraham, explicit and implicit. Faith. Obedience. Service. Worship. Even the application of the sign itself—which implies his obligation to yield to all of these things. But this is God’s covenant, and it has at its core God’s promises.

God is the One who will sustain both sides of the covenant. We saw this with the smoking pot and flaming torch in chapter 15. We heard it earlier in this chapter with the glorious statement that God Almighty would exercise that power in sustaining Abraham’s walk. In between, in chapter 16, all we had was Abraham’s failure.

Ultimately, this is a picture of Christ Himself. It is in Christ that God keeps all of these promises in your life and mine! The sign has changed but the substance is the same.

What aspects of circumcision are the same in baptism, as this covenant continues? When were you baptized? How often do you reflect upon it and look to Christ?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for giving us a covenant sign that points us to Your power and promise and is applied to us by others, rather than something that we ourselves do. Forgive us for treating the sign as something that we do, and for treating our Christianity as something that depends upon us. Grant that, by Your sure grace, we would walk zealously in Christ Jesus, in Whose Name we ask it, AMEN!

 Suggested songs: ARP32AB “What Blessedness” or TPH234 “The God of Abraham Praise”