2022.02.04 Hopewell @Home ▫ Exodus 13:17–14:14

Read Exodus 13:17–14:14

Questions from the Scripture text: By which way did God not lead them (Exodus 13:17)? Why not? By which way did He lead them (Exodus 13:18)? In what manner? What did Moses take with him (Exodus 13:19)? Why? From where, to where, do they go (Exodus 13:20)? Who goes with them in what ways at what times (Exodus 13:21)? How consistently (Exodus 13:22)? Now what does Yahweh do (Exodus 14:1)? What must Moses do (Exodus 14:2)? Where are they to camp? By what? Why—what will Pharaoh say (Exodus 14:3)? What will Yahweh do (Exodus 14:4)? And what will Pharaoh do? What will Yahweh gain? What will the Egyptians know? What was told to whom (Exodus 14:5)? What happened to whose hearts? What do they say? What does Pharaoh do in Exodus 14:6a? Whom does he take (verse 6b)? What and whom else does he take (Exodus 14:7)? What had Yahweh done (Exodus 14:8)? So that Pharaoh would do what? How had the children of Israel gone out? How does Exodus 14:9 summarize the situation? What happens in Exodus 14:10? Who sees this? How do they respond? To whom do they speak in Exodus 14:11? Of what do they sarcastically accuse him (and therefore God)? What do they now say they would have preferred (Exodus 14:12)? What does Moses tell them not to do (Exodus 14:13)? What does he tell them to do instead? What would they see today? When would they see them again? What would the LORD do for them (Exodus 14:14)? What must they do?

The Lord does just what is right for His people, although they often can’t see it properly. We see His mercy not to take them through Philistine territory so that their fear and flakiness will not result in fleeing back to Egypt (Exodus 13:17). But then things take an odd turn (literally) to Pi Hahiroth (Exodus 14:11), where Israel ends up with their backs pinned to the sea and the Egyptian forces hunting them down (Exodus 14:6-8a). 

What does Israel do (Exodus 14:10-12)? Fret. Panic. Overreact. Blame Moses (really, blame God). Reinterpret history to make even God’s salvation sound like a bad thing.

But they should have known better. The Lord had told them the reason for their camping position (Exodus 14:2) was to provoke Pharaoh (Exodus 14:3) to pursue them (Exodus 14:4a) in order to be destroyed (verse 4b). In other words, Pharaoh would think that he has Israel right where he wants them; but, this is right where Yahweh wants Pharaoh (and Israel). 

In hindsight, we know what the Lord was about to do to Pharaoh and show to Israel. But did they really need that hindsight? Hadn’t they seen what He had done in the plagues? And didn’t He tell them that this was exactly why He had them camp in that specific location?

Moses has to remind them not to be afraid (Exodus 14:13a). The Lord had already guaranteed victory and salvation; instead of throwing a fit, they should have been standing still in order to observe how the Lord would do it (verse 13b). The fact of His delivering them was not in question, and the manner would be an occasion of rejoicing in Him unto His glory and their strengthening.

So it is with all of our panicking and fretting and overreacting and blaming. We forget that the Lord always has His enemies right where He wants them—both for overthrowing them and for His good purposes toward His people. And we forget that the Lord always has us right where He wants us for whatever good He wishes to do with us or show to us.

He has told us this beforehand so that we would have the benefit of hindsight when we’re still in the thick of things. Shall we not rather let His peace rule in our hearts, do all according to His Word, and keep our eyes peeled for whatever good and merciful deliverance He will bring from the situation? 

“The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:14).

Over whose actions are you tempted to fret, or even panic, right now? How does it help you to remember that God has them right where He wants them, and God has you right where He wants you? What should you be doing instead of worrying?

Sample prayer:  Lord, You work all things together for the good of those whom You have brought to love You by calling them according to Your purpose. Forgive us for when we are so foolish and wicked to think that You might give us Christ but then turn around and let the wicked genuinely harm us. Grant that even in the most difficult or threatening things, Your Spirit would convince us that we are more than conquerors and that nothing can separate us from Your love in Christ Jesus, in Whose Name we ask it, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP23B “The Lord’s My Shepherd” or TPH515 “More Than Conquerors”

2022.02.03 Hopewell @Home ▫ Colossians 4:2–6

Read Colossians 4:2–6

Questions from the Scripture text: In what must they continue (Colossians 4:2)? In what manner? Being what? With what? For whom also must they pray (Colossians 4:3)? That God would open what? So the apostle can speak what? What has already happened to him for this? What must he do to the mystery (Colossians 4:4)? By doing what in the way that he ought? How must they walk (Colossians 4:5)? Toward whom? Doing what? What must their speech always be with (Colossians 4:6)? What does grace do to speech? What must they know?

Colossians 3:18–4:1 focused especially on how to do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus (cf. Colossians 3:17) in all our domestic relationships. But what about those outside our home and church? 

First of all, for all these relationships, inside and out, our hope is in the Lord. Therefore, prayer is the primary thing. It’s not the only thing; there’s much more that the Lord commands. But this is a necessary aspect of doing all in the Name of the Lord Jesus: not only doing what He prescribes, but doing it only by His power, and therefore bathing all that we do in prayer.

Sadly, our flesh is sluggish to pray, easily distracted in prayer, and quick to leave off. To the sluggishness, Colossians 4:2 says, “continue”! To the distraction, verse 2 says, “earnestly”! And to the leaving off, verse 2 says “being vigilant”! 

And it will not do to persist as if the outcome is in doubt—as if our persistence is what is making it come about. No, “with thanksgiving” (verse 2) means that’s a joyously, confidently expectant persistence… praying because you know He’s hearing and answering.

As said above, prayer is not the only thing, and we find this out by what the apostle asks them to pray for. His own ministry. When he says “as I ought to speak” in Colossians 4:4, he makes it clear that it is his duty to speak clearly (“make manifest”) what God has done and revealed (“the mystery,” Colossians 4:3) in Christ. It’s an action that he must take. But he will only be able to do so by grace, so he asks them to pray not only for opportunities but for his faithfulness when the opportunity comes.

Although not called to be preachers who clearly show forth the mystery of Christ, the Thessalonians do have an analogous ministry (as does every believer). They too are speakers of a sort. We all have conversations in life, and we ought to see them as “open doors” provided by God. Opportunities not to be wasted but rather “redeeming the time” (Colossians 4:5). 

So, we should seek to have everything we say colored by God’s provision of grace in Jesus Christ. Without this consideration, it’d be like our speech is unseasoned: bland at best, rotting and possibly deadly at worst. How many conversations most believers have that are no different than they would have been without the gospel—graceless, saltless, wasted speech! So we must pray for wisdom and walk in wisdom, because each one we speak to will have a different best way to “speak up for grace” to them. Just as there is a way that the apostle ought to speak (end of Colossians 4:4), so there is a way that all believers ought to speak (end of Colossians 4:6)!

What part does prayer have in your daily routine? What part does prayer have in your continual inner conversation? What does the amount of thanksgiving in your prayer tell you about the level of confidence in Christ with which you pray? What are you doing to build skill in having conversations that are seasoned specifically to each one?

Sample prayer:  Lord, You wisely ordain all things. Forgive us for how much of our speech is graceless, saltless. Grant unto us opportunity for the gospel, and by Your Spirit, provide our own wisdom for making the most of those opportunities. Whether in our families and churches, or with outsiders, grant that we would do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, in which Name we also pray, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP67 “O God Give Us Your Blessing” or TPH400 “Gracious Spirit, Dwell with Me”

Blessed Commands: Depart! Wait! Mark! (2022.02.02 Prayer Meeting sermon in Psalm 37:27–40)

Three instructions for living happily forever: depart from evil, wait on the Lord, and mark the blameless man. These are three ways by which the Lord keeps those whom He is saving in the righteous path of blessedness.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this sermon)

The God Who Dwells among His People (Family Worship lesson in 1Kings 6)

What are we to take away from these details about the temple construction? Pastor leads his family in today’s “Hopewell @Home” passage. 1Kings 6 prepares us for the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirty-eight verses, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the history of all things is the history of God coming to dwell with His people in favor and fellowship through Jesus Christ.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2022.02.02 Hopewell @Home ▫ 1 Kings 6

Read 1 Kings 6

Questions from the Scripture text: How long has it been since what (1 Kings 6:1a)? What year of what is this (verse 1b)? What does he start in what month (verse 1c)? What were its overall dimensions (1 Kings 6:2)? What does 1 Kings 6:3 describe? How big was it? What else did he make for the house (1 Kings 6:4)? What did he build against the walls (1 Kings 6:5)? What were the dimensions of the three main ones (1 Kings 6:6)? What did he make around the outside? Why? What was unique about the stones (1 Kings 6:7)? What effect did this have on the building environment? What does 1 Kings 6:8 say about the middle doorway? With what did he panel it (1 Kings 6:9)? What did he build against the entire temple (1 Kings 6:10)? What size? Attached by what means? What came to Solomon in 1 Kings 6:11? In what three things must Solomon walk (1 Kings 6:12)? And what will the Lord perform? Where will He dwell (1 Kings 6:13a)? What will He not do (verse 13b)? What does 1 Kings 6:14 say again (cf. 1 Kings 6:9a)? What did he build out of what in 1 Kings 6:15? To what extent? What did he do with the cypress? What did he build at its rear (1 Kings 6:16)? What was this twenty-cubit room? How wide was the temple at the front (1 Kings 6:17)? What did the inside look like (1 Kings 6:18)? For what, specifically, was the inside prepared (1 Kings 6:19)? What was the most holy place (holy of holies) also called (1 Kings 6:20)? What were its dimensions and materials? What was done to the inside of the temple (1 Kings 6:21)? And to the entrance of the inner sanctuary? What was done to the whole temple (1 Kings 6:22)? What did he make in the inner sanctuary (1 Kings 6:23)? Of what material and size? And what wing sizes (1 Kings 6:24)? And the other cherub (1 Kings 6:25, 1 Kings 6:26)? How were they positioned (1 Kings 6:27)? What did he do to them (1 Kings 6:28)? To which walls did he do what (1 Kings 6:29)? And to which floors did he do what (1 Kings 6:30)? Of what were the inner sanctuary doors made (1 Kings 6:31)? What size were its lintel and doorposts? What were carved on it (1 Kings 6:32)? Overlaid on it? What were made for the outer sanctuary (1 Kings 6:33)? Of what size? What else (1 Kings 6:34)? With what carved on them (1 Kings 6:35)? And overlaid with what? How did he build the inner court around the temple (1 Kings 6:36)? When was what done in 1 Kings 6:37? When was what finished in 1 Kings 6:38? How much of it? How long did this take in total?

This is a chapter about God’s determination to dwell with His people. That might not seem obvious at first, but we see it in the dates with which the chapter begins and ends, as well as in the details upon which the building description focuses.

First, the dates. Exodus 12:40–41 tells us that the time of the sojourning of the Israelites was 430 years to the day from Genesis 15:13. This has been confusing to many, because they see the big transition of the Exodus as going from slavery and bondage to freedom; so, they think that Israel must have been in Egypt for 430 years, but it was roughly half that time. The real transition is from a sojourning during which interaction with the Lord came primarily in visits and visions to a period in which God dwelt among them persistently in the tabernacle. 

Now, in 1 Kings 6:1, the Lord gives us a date marker that connects to this. 480 years after the Exodus is 440 years after coming into the land (which would have been 470 years after the conversation with Abraham). The date formulae in 1 Kings 6:37-38 further draw our attention to this fact, grounding the fourth year of Solomon (who was promised to build the temple) within the overall history of God’s dwellings with His people. God’s dwelling with His people takes a more fixed (literally) presence and heavenly presentation. After almost four hundred years, this temple would be leveled to the ground, as the glory of God departs from His people. 

Even after the exile, there is the completion of a temple and joyous resumption of worship there (cf. Ezra 6) but no account of the glory of God coming to dwell among the people—none, that is, until “the Word became flesh and dwelt (literally, tabernacled) among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (cf. John 1:14). Here was the true and final Temple, though the Jews of the day could not understand it (cf. John 2:17–22). 

The history of redemption is the history of God dwelling among His people. In every age, this required redemption by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. But in each successive age, the Lord manifested (or declined to) that presence in such a way that strained forward to when He would do so finally and fully in Jesus Christ. And at the end of this history comes the glorious and eternal age in which “the tabernacle place of God is with men” (cf. Revelation 21:3) quite physically, as the God-Man is the center of His redeemed, gathered, and perfected multitude. He will have brought them into a condition where they are able not only to endure but indeed perfectly to enjoy the full manifestation of His glory, and He will dwell with them in that glory forever.

So the dates are a great sign-post announcing a major transition in the history of redemption, which is a history of God dwelling with His people. And the details upon which the building description focuses emphasizes this dwelling.

It’s stone on the outside, but inside everything is paneled, communicating not so much a monument but a dwelling place, a home. The entire structure is covered with gold, communicating heaven itself. The engravings of buds and flowers and palm trees take us back to the Garden of Eden, and the focus on the doorways (especially with oversized lintels and doorposts) emphasizes entryway and transport into another realm. 

Cherubim imply not only heaven but also the pathway back into paradise, which pathway cherubim were explicitly mentioned as keeping (cf. Genesis 3:24) until such time as the tree of life itself reappears (cf. Revelation 22:2). And the heart of the entire structure is holy of holies (1 Kings 6:16, “the Most Holy”), that inner sanctuary where the ark would be placed (1 Kings 6:19). It was a thirty-foot cube, dominated by fifteen-foot-tall cherubim whose wings left little room for anything else. It would be so imposing that, even on the Day of Atonement and at the command of God, when the high priest entered he could not help but to realize that it was a miracle of grace and atonement that he was not immediately exterminated.

How great, then, is that glory of Jesus Christ that is only whispered in anticipation by this building! And how great is the gospel of His grace that it causes the barrier to be destroyed, and entry to be given, and the throne itself to be known to His people as a throne of grace! O that we could see with understanding and appreciation what it is that we now have in God’s dwelling with His people in Jesus Christ! And if we knew that the Lord’s Day assembly was a spiritual gathering unto Him in glory, with the holy congregation that is there (cf. Hebrews 12:18–29), how loath we would be ever to miss that assembling of ourselves together (cf. Hebrews 10:19–25)! It is this glorious access to Him and enjoyment of Him that the Spirit now communicates to us, as He dwells in us as the foretaste and guarantee of what we will have in the age to come.

What kind of access do you have to God now? By what eyes and means can you perceive His glory? To what should you ultimately be looking forward? How will you keep that in mind, and practice your anticipation and enjoyment?

Sample prayer:  Lord, truly You have displayed Your glory to us in the Lord Jesus and dwelt among us in the Lord Jesus. Forgive us for how our hearts can still shrug shoulders at this while obsessed with the enjoyment of earthly things. Grant Your Spirit’s fellowship in such a way as to give us heavenly enjoyment now, in anticipation of the full enjoyment yet to come in Jesus Christ, in Whose Name we ask it, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP122 “I Was Filled with Joy” or TPH471 “The Sands of Time Are Sinking”

 

Signs of Consecration for Lives of Consecration (2022.01.30 Lord's Day p.m. sermon in Exodus 13:1–16)

The Lord gave all Israel both the sacrifice/redemption of the firstborn and the Passover to impress upon them and remind them that they ought to see and do everything as those whom He has saved from wrath by a substitute to live lives devoted unto Him.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this sermon)

The Proof Is in the Pouring: Jesus Is Both Lord and Christ (2022.01.30 Lord's Day morning sermon in Acts 2:14–36)

The Spirit’s coming at Pentecost proved that Jesus—Who had risen and ascended as Scriptures prophesied and the apostles witnessed—had taken His seat on the throne as both Lord and Christ, as the Scriptures prophesied.

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

How Should We Develop Biblical Friendships (1) (2022.01.30 Sabbath School)

Q&A through the first few pages of "How Should We Develop Biblical Friendships," in the RHB series, "Cultivating Biblical Godliness."(click here to DOWNLOAD an mp3 file of this lesson)

Freed to Master Ourselves for God (Family Worship lesson in Romans 6:12–19)

What is true freedom? Pastor leads his family in today’s “Hopewell @Home” passage. Romans 6:12–19 prepares us for the beginning portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eight verses, the Holy Spirit teaches us that true freedom isn’t to be welcome to continue to be enslaved by what we feel like but rather liberated to be able to master every part of who we are in the holy and infinitely blessed service of God.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2022.02.01 Hopewell @Home ▫ Romans 6:12–19

Romans 6:12–19

Questions from the Scripture text: What are we not to allow sin to do (Romans 6:12)? What is the first step in denying sin (Romans 6:13a)? To whom are we instead to present ourselves—and every little part of who we are (verse 13b)? Why are we able to succeed against sin (Romans 6:14)? If we take having grace as our master (Romans 6:15) as an excuse for sinning, then who is our real master (Romans 6:16)? What is the way that God has delivered us from slavery to sin (Romans 6:17)? What does freedom from sin look like (Romans 6:18)? What must we do with every part of whom we are (Romans 6:19)?

Next week’s Call to Worship, Prayer for Help, and first song all come from Romans 6:12–19 so that we will see that we are singing God’s thoughts after Him with Take My Life and Let It Be.

In Romans 6:1–11, Scripture had gone hard after one of the worst ways that people abuse the truth about God’s saving sinners by grace. They use grace as an excuse for doing what our fleshliness wants. How can we actually think that freedom means doing whatever we feel like doing?

That’s called “obeying our lusts” and “allowing sin to reign in our mortal body” (Romans 6:12). 

So, how do we stop it? When we are fighting against sin, it feels like this giant, ugly monster  (which it is) that we can only take down by some great heroic act. But that’s not what our passage describes. Our passage describes our battle against sin not by one great battle, but by a multitude of little ones.

Every word. Every action. Every moment of time. Everything that we do is an offering and a service. It’s either an offering and a service to sin or an offering and service to the Lord. There’s no neutral ground.

What does the life of freedom look like? Not like a life of doing whatever we want but of doing whatever God wants. A life of true freedom is a life of cheerful and willing obedience. Romans 6:17 calls it “obeying from the heart.” It is also a life of theological obedience—actions that respond to facts about God and His work. That same verse reminds us that we obey “a form of doctrine that has been committed unto us.” 

The life of freedom is also a life of slavery. That sounds counter-intuitive. Would it help if we called it a life of “devotion”? That is, ultimately, what Romans 6:19 says. Slavery to righteousness is a slavery that is for holiness—it is complete devotion, relentless consecration, being set apart to the Lord.

This devotion is so complete, wholehearted, and full that the Scripture here calls it slavery. One cannot have two masters. So slavery means that every part of who we are, and every part of what we do, belongs to the Lord so much that we refuse to belong to anyone or anything else—least of all ourselves.

Yes, it grates upon our fleshly willfulness to call ourselves “slaves” to the Lord, but that’s why the Holy Spirit calls it “speaking in a human way” in Romans 6:19. Slavery may be distasteful, but it’s really the best way to understand how completely we are to belong to the Lord. Let us give ourselves to Him—entirely, continually, forever!

In what parts of your life could you be more intentionally offering yourself as a slave to God for righteousness? What would it look like for you to do that?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we thank You and praise You for redeeming us. Not only have You atoned for our guilt and made us righteous, but You have even saved us from slavery to ourselves! Forgive us for how often we return to our old, horrible master, rather than enjoy Your good and blessed service. Grant that Your Spirit would make us into devoted children like our Lord Jesus Christ, in Whose Name we ask it, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP1 “How Blessed the Man” or TPH538 “Take My Life, and Let It Be”