Eager to Preach the Gospel that Members of Faithful Churches Still Need [Family Worship lesson in Romans 1:1–3:8]

Why do church members still need to hear the gospel? Romans 1:1–3:8 looks forward to the devotional in this week’s midweek meeting. In these sixty-nine verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that there are people even in good churches who have not yet been counted righteous through faith in Christ, and it is by the preaching of the gospel that those who have been counted righteous continue to grow into living out the salvation that has been signified upon them. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2022.00.05 Hopewell @Home ▫ Romans 1:1–3:8

Read Romans 1:1–3:8

Questions from the Scripture text: Unto what was Paul separated (Romans 1:1)? Whom does this gospel of God concern (Romans 1:3-4)? What does the preaching of it aim to produce (Romans 1:5)? What sort of church was the Roman church (Romans 1:8)? Why did Paul want to go there (Romans 1:11-12)? How would he do this (Romans 1:15)? What is revealed in this gospel (Romans 1:17)? What is already revealed (Romans 1:18)? What especially comprised this ungodliness and unrighteousness (Romans 1:21)? What has God done to men for this sin (Romans 1:24, Romans 1:26, Romans 1:28)? What should never give us comfort (Romans 2:3)? What is the right understanding of our not yet being damned, and how should we respond to it (Romans 2:4)? What doesn’t justify (Romans 2:13)? What does the gospel tell us God will judge, and by what standard/Person (Romans 2:16)? What is the first thing that we should do with the law (Romans 2:21-23)? Whom do covenant membership and sign bring into blessing (Romans 2:29)? Are membership and sign profitable, even if the recipient does not ultimately come into blessing (Romans 3:1-3)? How does this reality reflect upon the righteousness of God (Romans 3:4-7)? What verdict does Romans 3:8 render upon those who think sin is excusable if it shows God righteous?

Why do church members still need to hear the gospel? Romans 1:1–3:8 looks forward to the devotional in this week’s midweek meeting. In these sixty-nine verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that there are people even in good churches who have not yet been counted righteous through faith in Christ, and it is by the preaching of the gospel that those who have been counted righteous continue to grow into living out the salvation that has been signified upon them. 

Since this week’s midweek meeting is abbreviated for the congregational budget meeting, we’ll be leaving more time for prayer by having a brief devotional instead of a sermon. And nearly the entirety of the devotional will be simply reading the portion of Romans that we have covered so far. 

Paul was set apart to the gospel of God (Romans 1:1), which is the good news about the Savior Who is the Son of David (Romans 1:3), but able fully to save all of His people because He is also God, the Son of God (Romans 1:4). Now the apostle—who has been set apart to preach this gospel as the means by which God brings sinners from all the nations to justifying faith (Romans 1:5)—eagerly desires to come to the faithful church in Rome (Romans 1:8) to participate in their being built up in the faith (Romans 1:11-12) by his preaching the gospel there also (Romans 1:15).

This brings up the question of why. Why would he preach the gospel to a congregation of already-renowned faith? And the answer is that the gospel is the power of God for a salvation (Romans 1:16) that not only brings men into a standing of righteousness before God, but also proceeds to finish producing God’s righteousness in those sinners’ lives (Romans 1:17).

How needful sinners are of God’s righteousness in both of these ways! For the wrath of God has already been revealed against their sin (Romans 1:18), and it is a wrath that is responding to their failure properly to honor and respond to God’s glory (Romans 1:21). Not only has this sin made all men already un-atone-ably (by any other way) guilty, but God both displays this guilt/wrath and increases it by giving them up to their sin (Romans 1:24, Romans 1:26, Romans 1:28). 

Yet, some take false comfort from judging other sinners (Romans 2:3), as if their own superiority is the reason that they are not now in Hell. However, the reason they are not yet in Hell is that God is being richly good—which should bring them not to arrogance but to repentance Romans 2:4). Those who thought that the hearing of the law—which was their advantage as covenant members who had received covenant signs—would justify them (Romans 2:13) had failed to learn from the law that they themselves continuously dishonor God (Romans 2:21-23)… especially when their secrets are judged by comparison to Jesus Christ (Romans 2:16).

Though covenant membership and sign point to salvation, the possession of that salvation comes only by the inward work in the heart by the Holy Spirit—giving a righteousness (which we will soon learn is only through faith in Jesus Christ) that God Himself praises (Romans 2:29)! Though members who lack this perish, God is still righteous to have given them their advantages and to condemn them for persisting in sin against Him anyway (Romans 3:1-3). Indeed, complaining against this, or using it as an excuse for sin, is justly condemned (Romans 3:4-8).

What do you deserve for what you are and what you have done? What is your only hope to have righteousness and blessing instead of wrath? What does He ordinarily use to bring you into blessing?

Sample prayer:  Lord, forgive us for sinning against Your glory. Grant that we would not presume that the privileges that You have given us make us safe or excuse us. Rather, work in us by Your Holy Spirit, so that by the life that He gives us, we will believe in Your Holy Son, Jesus, in Whose Name we ask it, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP51A “God, Be Merciful to Me” or TPH51C “God, Be Merciful to Me”

The Necessity of Keeping the Heart so That Life Will Flow Out of It [Family Worship lesson in Proverbs 4:23]

Pastor teaches his family a selection from “the Proverb of the day.” In this verse of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we need Spirit-regenerated and Spirit-sustained hearts if what is going to flow out of them is life that we have from Jesus instead of the death that we have from ourselves.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

How the Holy Spirit Does Missions: Ordinary Men, Ordinary Means, and Holy Boldness [Family Worship lesson in Acts 12:25–13:12]

What does the Lord’s work look like? Acts 12:25–13:12 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that even to do miraculous, spiritual work, the Lord uses ordinary men and ordinary means. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2022.09.03 Hopewell @Home ▫ Acts 12:25–13:12

Read Acts 12:25–13:12

Questions from the Scripture text: To where do Barnabas and Saul return in Acts 12:25? What were they doing (cf. Acts 11:30)? Who comprised the leadership of the church in Antioch, when they get back from Jerusalem (Acts 13:1)? What was Simeon called? From where was Lucius? With whom had Manaen been brought up? Whom were they worshiping in Acts 13:2? What else were they doing? Who spoke to them? What were they to do with whom? For what? What two things do they do after the Spirit says this (Acts 13:3)? Then what two things do they do to them? Whom does Acts 13:4 say had sent them out? Where did they go? Then where did they sail? Where do they arrive in Acts 13:5? What do they do there? Where? Who was their assistant? Through where do they go in Acts 13:6? To where? What four things does verse 6 say about the man they find there? Whom was he with (Acts 13:7)? What sort of man was Sergius Paulus? For whom did he call? To do what? But who does what in Acts 13:8? What fifth thing is said about him now? Why did he withstand them? Who is called by what new/matching name in Acts 13:9? With Whom is he filled? What does he first do at the end of verse 9? Now what four things does Paul call the man in Acts 13:10? And what question does he ask? What does he say is upon Elymas (Acts 13:11)? With what effect? Then, what happens, and how quickly? And what does Elymas now go around seeking? Then what does the proconsul do (Acts 13:12)? What had he seen? But by what was he astonished?

What does the Lord’s work look like? Acts 12:25–13:12 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that even to do miraculous, spiritual work, the Lord uses ordinary men and ordinary means. 

The Holy Spirit speaks through ordinary men. Barnabas and Saul return to Jerusalem when they fulfill their ministry, taking John Mark with them. This was the promised trip from Acts 11:30 with the gift from the famine. What’s wonderful is that over the course of their teaching time in Antioch, the church has been built up to the point that they can do without them. Simeon, Lucius, and Manaen each have something about them that might have made them unlikely candidates to be prophets and teachers, but it is the Spirit Who makes the difference.  

Acts 13:2 tells us the Holy Spirit spoke, and the question is “how? What does that look like?” The answer comes not only by the fact of their having prophets among them but that “they lay hands, and they sent” in Acts 13:3 is further summarized as “sent out by the Holy Spirit” in Acts 13:4. The Holy Spirit speaks through men in Antioch, and He is calling Barnabas and Saul to be men through whom He speaks elsewhere.

The Holy Spirit uses ordinary means. One great mistake that we could make would be to despise ordinary spiritual exercises and graces, and wish instead that the Holy Spirit worked among us more miraculously. But even after the Spirit speaks specific words and gives a specific command, the church leadership continue fasting and praying in Acts 13:3. 

Even at the end of the passage, the miraculous afflicting of Elymas was not what had moved the proconsul to faith, but rather amazing teaching from the Lord. The missionary work in between was largely ordinary, almost tedious. Foot travel to Seleucia. Sailing to Salamis in Cyprus. Preaching in the synagogue, Traveling the length of the island on foot. The same glorious Word that the Lord still uses today was the great means by which the Spirit was working even in that first missionary journey.

The Holy Spirit uses holy boldness. While seeking out Jews to preach the gospel to first (which will be a theme in Paul’s ministry, cf. Acts 13:5), they find a Jew in Paphos who is a false prophet. With him happens to be a man whose second name he shares in common with the apostle from Tarsus. A proconsul had absolute military and judicial authority, locally, so there is some fulfillment here already of Acts 9:15. When Elymas opposes them, Paul is filled with the Holy Spirit to answer.

What does this Spirit-filled speech sound like? “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness!” Though gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit, it must not be confused with timidity. The eleventh commandment is not “thou shalt be nice.” When men oppose the gospel to turn others away from the faith (Acts 13:8) by twisting the straight Word of the Lord (Acts 13:9), the called servant is to minister in the Spirit as a Spirit of boldness. The miracle is stunning (or blinding, if you are Elymas), but it is the boldness not of the rebuke but of the straight, true teaching that the Spirit uses to convert Sergios in Acts 13:12. 

What ordinary men and ordinary means does the Spirit use in your life? How do you seek from God for them to be holy and bold, and how do you encourage it and respond to it when you receive it?

Sample prayer:  Lord glorify Yourself by doing almighty work among us through ordinary men and ordinary means. Especially, let Your Word be preached straightforwardly and boldly, and give us to be amazed and to believe, we ask in Jesus’s Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP1 “How Blessed the Man” or TPH400 “Gracious Spirit, Dwell with Me”

The Empathetic, Gracious God Who Commands His People to Be Empathetic and Watchful to Care [Family Worship lesson in Exodus 22:21–27]

Why should God’s society have empathy toward the needy? Exodus 22:21–27 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these seven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that whereas men tend to take special advantage of the needy, God has a special ear for them, so His people must have a special empathy toward them. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2022.09.02 Hopewell @Home ▫ Exodus 22:21–27

Read Exodus 22:21–27

Questions from the Scripture text: What two things shall they not do especially to whom in Exodus 22:21? Why? What two groups are they especially to avoid doing what to in Exodus 22:22? If they do this to one of the three, what might they do (Exodus 22:23)? And what would the Lord do? What will happen when He hears their cry (Exodus 22:24)? And what will the Lord do? With what results? To whom might they do what in Exodus 22:25? Whom must they not be like in this case? By not doing what? What might they do when they loaned something (Exodus 22:26)? But what must they do in such a case? Why—what two things is his garment for him (Exodus 22:27)? And when does he especially need it? And what might he do if he can’t sleep? And what will the Lord do when the poor man cries to Him? Why will the Lord hear?

Why should God’s society have empathy toward the needy? Exodus 22:21–27 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these seven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that whereas men tend to take special advantage of the needy, God has a special ear for them, so His people must have a special empathy toward them. 

God commands special carefulness toward the needy. The sojourner, the widow, and the fatherless are mentioned here together for the first time. A sojourner owned no land and had no status. Note that Israel is not commanded to give them status. Neediness is not so much a lack of means as it is a lack of status, defender, or advocate.

God’s people, of course, are not to mistreat, oppress, or afflict anyone. But it is those who appear not to have a defender that we are more tempted to mistreat. Beware! Appearances are deceiving. The Lord Himself is their defender. So you must not lend to them in order to get something from them (Exodus 22:25). You must make sure that they have access to their collateral when they need it (Exodus 22:26). And you must make sure not to take advantage of them in any other way (Exodus 22:23).

God commands special empathy toward the needy. Notice that God doesn’t just give the command but in Exodus 22:26-27 in particular, he paints a picture and asks a question. 

He paints the picture of the needy person in just their undergarment, skin exposed. The sun has gone down. There’s a chill in the air, portending several hours of dropping temperatures.

Now, the Lord asks the question. “What will he sleep in?” It’s different than stating, “he has nothing to sleep in.” Instead, the Lord forces the hearer to put himself in the place of the needy one. He makes us come to the conclusion that there is nothing to sleep in. We can feel the cold and the slow, tortuous sleeplessness that comes with it. 

God Himself is empathetic. Notice the statement in Exodus 22:23, “Hearing, I will hear their cry.” And again in Exodus 22:27, “I will hear.” And notice also the “warmth” of the language in Exodus 22:24, “My wrath will become hot.” We know that God cannot change, so it’s not like there are changing emotions in Him. He doesn’t change, but as people and circumstances do, God’s perfectly consistent disposition brings them into a differing relation to Him. He speaks this way to communicate to us His empathy toward the needy. He is our example in this. And He is our danger if we don’t!

God Himself takes vengeance because He is gracious. Creatures such as we are, who are subject to emotions, have difficulty holding those two things together. But for the Lord, they both come from His perfectly consistent (“divine immutability”) and cohesive (“divine simplicity”) character. He is gracious toward the needy, which means He will avenge whatever advantage is taken of them. 

Notice that God does not command the Israelite society to inflict a special punishment, and He elsewhere even forbids practicing favoritism toward them (cf. Exodus 23:3; Leviticus 19:15). This is not because they are not to be avenged, but because He Himself will avenge them. There will be no courtroom, where the rich can use his status or rely on his high-dollar lawyer. The Lord, in His grace, will hear the cries that no one else hears, and He will answer with the fullness of divine wrath. This should encourage us when we are mistreated and warn us against ever mistreating another.

Whom do you know of, who has no status, defender, or advocate? What must you be careful not to do toward them? What is their life like? Who else is already noticing that and responding to it?

Sample prayer: Lord, thank You for being gracious, for hearing when we cry, and for avenging when we are wronged. Forgive us for when we forget this about ourselves and despair, or forget this about others and mistreat them. Make us to be more like You, Whom we know most fully in the Lord Jesus, in Whose Name we ask it, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP24 “The Earth and the Riches” or TPH174 “The Ten Commandments

God Righteous to Condemn (and Redeem!) Sinners from Guilt and Sinning [2022.08.31 Midweek Sermon in Romans 3:5–8]

God’s perfect righteousness will always bring Him glory. But the only hope that a sinner has is if that righteousness becomes his own through faith in Jesus Christ.

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

The Good Use of the Good Law for Good Benefits from the Good God [Family Worship lesson in 1Timothy 1:8–11]

What is the first right use of the law? 1Timothy 1:8–11 looks forward to the second serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the good law has a good use that bad people must make of it if it will be used to do them good from the good God.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2022.09.01 Hopewell @Home ▫ 1 Timothy 1:8–11

Read 1 Timothy 1:8–11

Questions from the Scripture text: What do “we” do in 1 Timothy 1:8? What is it that we know about? What do we know about it? When is it good? What are we still doing in 1 Timothy 1:9? For what kind of person was the law not made? But for what six general types of people? And what eight specific examples of these (1 Timothy 1:9-10)? To what are all these things/types of people contrary (1 Timothy 1:10)? What sort of doctrine teaches this truth (1 Timothy 1:11)? What does he call the gospel? Whose does he say it is? Why is he teaching it and teaching Timothy to teach it? 

What is the first right use of the law? 1 Timothy 1:8–11 looks forward to the second serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the good law has a good use that bad people must make of it if it will be used to do them good from the good God.

The good law. “But we know the law is good” says 1 Timothy 1:8. Why does the apostle say this? Because in 1 Timothy 1:4 he had referred to people who preached endlessly on genealogies, thinking that they were making themselves great teachers of the law (1 Timothy 1:7, i.e., Scripture). If we’ve been Christians for a while, we’ve heard someone mishandle the Scripture. Does that mean that the Scripture is bad? Or that doctrine is bad? Of course not!

Its good use. Much like what we recently saw in Romans 2:17–24, the first good use of the Scripture is to tell us that God is good, and we are bad. If the Scripture gives us confidence in ourselves, we have read it incorrectly. It tells us that we are lawless, insubordinate, etc. We might think that we are not so bad as the horrific things named in the list—murderers of fathers and mothers, killers of men, fornicators, sodomites, liars? Surely, we aren’t so bad as to be named in that group (note that ours is such a wicked age that some of these are actually approved of and encouraged)! But we are named… at the end of 1 Timothy 1:10. “and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine.” 

The law is not made for a righteous person because, apart from Christ, there aren’t any righteous persons! (Obviously, the apostle cannot be saying that the law has no use for the converted, since this would contradict things that he plainly teaches by the Spirit elsewhere, e.g., Romans 13:8–10, etc.). 

Its good benefit. So, if sin is opposed to sound doctrine, does that mean that the Scripture is opposed to us? By no means! For, the same Scripture that announces to us that we are all bad is the Scripture that announces to us the glorious gospel, the glorious good news. Timothy remembers how glorious the gospel was for him to hear as a sinner. The Ephesians remember how glorious the gospel was for them to hear as sinners. Will they really put up with manmade traditions and endless twisting of obscure Scripture (1 Timothy 1:4) instead of hearing again the glorious gospel (1 Timothy 1:11) as that which brings all Scripture into its proper context? They mustn’t! Instead, let them have Christ’s called men teach Christ’s true doctrine, which Christ will use to produce in them His own, true love (cf. 1 Timothy 1:3-7). 

From the good God. There is a reason to affirm the Scripture’s goodness that is even better than the fact that it has at its heart the glorious gospel. It’s not just good because of the good that it does those who receive it, but because of the infinite goodness of Him Who gave it! He is the blessed God. And He has entrusted to Paul to be an agent of this glorious gospel as an apostle. And it is He Who also entrusts Timothy to be an agent of this glorious gospel as an elder. And it is He Who, through Timothy, will entrust other elders to be agents of this glorious gospel. 

Why be so insistent that he not let bad people teach the Scripture badly, resulting in bad lives? In part because the good God has called particular people to teach His good Word in a good way to do His people good through the glorious gospel!

Who has given you the Scripture? Whom/what else has He given you to safeguard proper use of that Scripture? What does He thus obtain for you in eternity? In your life in this world?

Sample prayer:  Lord, forgive us for when we forget that we are bad, and You are good, and that this is one of the basic messages of Your Word. Use Your good Word to bring Your good gospel home to our hearts. And use it to conform us to the image of our righteous Redeemer, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

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