2022.09.08 Hopewell @Home ▫ 1 Timothy 1:12–17

Read 1 Timothy 1:12–17

Questions from the Scripture text: Whom does the apostle thank in 1 Timothy 1:12? What has the Lord done to him? Why? Into what did He put Paul? What four things had Paul previously been (1 Timothy 1:13)? But what did the apostle obtain? Why? What was abundant to him (1 Timothy 1:14)? With what two things? In Whom are they found? What two things does he say about what he is about to say in 1 Timothy 1:15? Who came into the world? To do what? For whom? And who was the chief? What had the apostle obtained (1 Timothy 1:16)? For what reason—what would Christ show first in him? In order to show what? For whom? What does 1 Timothy 1:17 now call Christ? with what three attributes? Whom does this make Him? In what is He alone? What two things is He to receive? For how long? 

Why does Christ save and use sinners? 1 Timothy 1:12–17 looks forward to the second serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the glorious God saves and uses sinners precisely to show that His alone is all the glory and goodness.

The apostle has just been making the point that the law accuses all of us for all our sin (1 Timothy 1:8-10) which makes the gospel that much better, since it is not we who can hope to be good, but the blessed God Himself Whom we can hope to have as our goodness (1 Timothy 1:11).

Now, the apostle presents exhibit A: himself! Christ Jesus, the church’s Lord, has enabled him, accounted him faithful, and put him into the ministry (1 Timothy 1:12). But this certainly wasn’t because there was in Paul any “raw material” to work with. His raw material was blasphemy (direct offense against God), persecution (offense against God by way of His people), and violent arrogance (offense against God by view of himself).

So, what was it that the apostle found in the gospel? An opportunity to turn over a new leaf? An opportunity to make it up to God? No, no, no! He found mercy to be delivered from his ignorant unbelief (1 Timothy 1:13). He found exceedingly abundant grace to produce faith where unbelief had existed and love where ignorance had existed (1 Timothy 1:14). And where/how did he find all of this? In Christ Jesus!

Yes, there is a sense in which the apostle here says that he was a chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). But in the context, he is saying something much more wonderful: he is the chief of what it looks like to be saved from sin. He is a chief of finding mercy. He is a chief of receiving grace. He is a chief of being given faith and love. He is the chief because his salvation is “a pattern” (1 Timothy 1:16). If Christ’s grace can bring even Paul, not just into the faith, but into the ministry, then certainly there is exceedingly abundant grace for all of us!

For all who are going to believe on Christ for eternal life, it is only by grace that they will do so—there is no raw material in them that makes them savable, only divine mercy in God from which He is a Savior.

So the “faithful saying” isn’t so much about the chief example of being-saved as it is about the One Who came into the world as Savior of sinners! He is the Savior (Jesus). He is the King (Christ). He is God (the Lord). 

And for Paul’s salvation, and that of everyone else whom the King is saving, the apostle explodes into the doxology of 1 Timothy 1:17. Jesus is eternal, from outside of time. Jesus is immortal—the word translated here meaning not subject to death or any sort of degeneration… so immortal/incorruptible/unchangeable. Jesus is, before He “came into the world” as a man (1 Timothy 1:15), the invisible God, Who alone is wise. And for Who He is, and what He has done in saving sinners, He will indeed be honored and glorified forever and ever! To this, the apostle gives a hearty “Amen.” And it is the honoring of this glory that Timothy’s reformation work in Ephesus must seek now to preserve.

What about you made/makes you a proper object for Christ’s salvation? How can you hope to be saved? What aspects of God’s character are thus displayed? How are you responding to Him?

Sample prayer:  Lord, to us belong blasphemy against You, mistreatment of others, and too high a view of ourselves. But to You belong mercy and grace to give faith and love. You are the King eternal, immortal, invisible, God only-wise. Forgive us and sanctify us, we pray, unto Your unending honor and glory, Lord Jesus, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP32AB “What Blessedness” or TPH224 “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”

Theology Simply Explained — WSC51 What the Second Commandment Forbids

Pastor walks his children through Westminster Shorter Catechism question 51: What is forbidden in the second commandment? The second commandment forbiddeth the worshiping of God by images, or any other way not appointed in His Word.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

The God Whose Own Empathy Demands Ours [2022.09.04 Evening Sermon in Exodus 22:21–27]

To God, we are all needy, so He reminds us that He listens to the needy among us. They are not without an Advocate, so we must have a special care for them and a special empathy for them.

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

How the Holy Spirit Does Missions: Lessons from the Outset of Paul's First Missionary Journey [2022.09.04 Morning Sermon in Acts 12:25–13:12]

We are still in the age of the Spirit and the spread of the gospel. He still uses ordinary men, ordinary means, and holy boldness to bring sinners to faith by the preaching of Christ.

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

Biblical Theology of the Diaconate 2: God as Creator/Administrator of Material Things [2022.09.04 Sabbath School]

The earthly, material world was God's idea. It has no less dignity than the heavenly, spiritual world. God has chosen to display His glory in His design (creation) and administration (providence) of it.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Remembering God's Word unto Ourselves and Our Children [from Seventeen82]

This article was first published at Seventeen82

[Photo: Emmet E. Hakim]

Associate Reformed Presbyterians adhere to the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms—a wonderfully biblical thing to do, as we hope to see from Paul’s letters to Timothy next month. In this series of articles, I hope to convince you from Scripture of the necessity and wisdom of mastering and using our doctrinal standards, and then proceed to highlight from Scripture the riches in Christ that can be gained by way of some of our theological distinctives.

But, as a way of setting up for that, I’d like for us to consider from Psalm 78 Israel’s forgetfulness of the Lord and His Word—both in their own hearts (failing Deut 6:6) and to their children (failing Deut 6:7). This article will be best-read with your Bible open, taking the time to see each of the statements from the verses referenced.

Covenant Children’s Right to Be Taught about God

Psalm 78:1–4 teaches us that telling to the next generation the praises of the good, great, saving God is an obligation not an option. v4 refers to failure to do so as “hiding” the “praises of the LORD and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.”

Where Is the LORD, the God of Elijah? With His People, through His Word, from Generation to Generation [Family Worship lesson in 2Kings 2:1–18]

What hope do God’s people have when the greatest of them leave this world? 2Kings 2:1–18 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eighteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God’s power persists, even when His servants pass from one generation to another. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2022.09.07 Hopewell @Home ▫ 2 Kings 2:1–18

Read 2 Kings 2:1–18

Questions from the Scripture text: What was Yahweh about to do (2 Kings 2:1)? By what? From where did Elijah go? With whom? What does Elijah tell Elisha to do (2 Kings 2:2)? Why? How does Elisha vow in response? What does he vow not to do? What do they do? Who come out to whom in 2 Kings 2:3? What do they ask him? How does he answer? What does he tell them to do? Who speaks to whom in 2 Kings 2:4? What does he tell him to do? Why? How does Elisha vow in response? What does he vow not to do? What do they do? Who come out to whom in 2 Kings 2:5? What do they ask him? How does he answer? What does he tell them to do? Who speaks to whom in 2 Kings 2:6? What does he tell him to do? Why? How does Elisha vow in response? What does he vow not to do? What do they do? How many of whom face them from a distance (2 Kings 2:7)? What does Elijah take and roll up (2 Kings 2:8)? What does he do with it? what happens to the Jordan? Where do they arrive in 2 Kings 2:9? What does Elijah now tell Elisha to do? For what does Elisha ask? What does Elijah call this request (2 Kings 2:10)? What does he say will indicate whether or not Elisha receives his request? What appears in 2 Kings 2:11? What do this chariot and horses do them? Where does Elijah go? By what? Who sees it (2 Kings 2:12)? What does he do? What does he call Elijah in relation to himself? What does he call Elijah in relation to Israel? What did Elisha do no more? How does he respond to this? What does he take up instead (2 Kings 2:13)? Where does he go? What does he do with the mantle there (2 Kings 2:14)? What does he ask? What does he do to the water? Then what happens to the water? What does Elisha now do? Who see him in 2 Kings 2:15? What do they say? What do they do? What do they propose to do in 2 Kings 2:16? Why? How does Elisha answer? How do they proceed in 2 Kings 2:17? Until what happens? Who go, do what, for how long? With what results? Where do they return in 2 Kings 2:18? What does Elisha ask them then/there?

What hope do God’s people have when the greatest of them leave this world? 2 Kings 2:1–18 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eighteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God’s power persists, even when His servants pass from one generation to another. 

God keeps calling new servants. There is something here analogous to the transition from Moses to Joshua. Moses had seemed to be so great as to be irreplaceable. But in Joshua 1, the Lord repeatedly assures Joshua that He will be with him as He was with Moses. 

Now in 2 Kings 2, although everyone knows that Elijah is about to be taken (and the Lord tells us that that’s the occasion of this passage in 2 Kings 2:1), the story of the passage is not the loss of Elijah but the retention of the Spirit Who sustained him.

For his part, Elisha knows the value of Elijah. He refuses to leave his side, especially because he is about to be taken. To Elisha, Elijah has been like a father in the ministry (2 Kings 2:12). And Elisha knows that to Israel, Elijah is the true defense of the nation—its chariot and horsemen (verse 12).

But Elisha also knew what gave Elijah value: the Spirit of Yahweh. He asks for a double portion of the Spirit in 2 Kings 2:9, and when the mantle has passed on to him, his question is, “Where is Yahweh, God of Elijah?” (2 Kings 2:14). 

But we tend to want to hang on to men whom God has used, even when we know the Lord has taken them from us. Even after recognizing that Elisha can now do the Elijah things (2 Kings 2:15), the sons of the prophets who had earlier been so insistent that Elijah was going to be taken (2 Kings 2:3, 2 Kings 2:5) suddenly want to form a search party to retrieve him. But the outcome of the search party request/quest is actually to establish Elisha’s word over-against their folly (2 Kings 2:17-18). 

There is an important balance here. We ought to honor those whom the Lord raises up and uses among us. But we must depend not upon the men but upon God’s Spirit Himself—God’s own power and God’s own Word. God keeps calling new servants.

What servants has the Lord used in your life that were taken away? What servants is He using now? How do you go about honoring them while depending upon God Himself, His Spirit, His Word?

Sample prayer:  Lord, forgive us for esteeming too little the value of the servants that You choose and use. We often reject their good counsel, congratulating ourselves on our independent thought. And forgive us for when we depend too much upon their persons, rather than upon You, Lord, Who use them. We forget that it is Your Spirit and Your Word that we must have. But we thank You that You Yourself have come as the Servant, the great and last Prophet. Forgive us and sanctify us, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP72A “God, Give Your Judgments to the King” or TPH72B “O God, Your Judgments Give the King”

Through Affliction to Riches of Praise, How Our Troubles Propel Public Worship [Family Worship lesson in Psalm 66]

How should believers respond to deliverance? Psalm 66 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twenty verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that when a believer realizes that his deliverance from trouble is fruit of deliverance from sin and part of God’s mighty, redemptive work of a multitude from all the nations, he wishes for all the redeemed to join him in praising God in public worship.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2022.09.06 Hopewell @Home ▫ Psalm 66

Read Psalm 66

Questions from the Scripture text: Into whose hands was this Psalm committed (superscript)? How does the Psalm describe itself? What is the first command (Psalm 66:1)? What kind of shout? To Whom? By whom (cf. Psalm 66:4, Psalm 66:8)?  What is the command in Psalm 66:2a? What should be sung out? What are they to make glorious (verse 2b)? To Whom are they to speak (Psalm 66:3a)? What are they to say (verse 3b)? What specific work has demonstrated this (verse 3c–d)? Who will do what three things in Psalm 66:4? What does Psalm 66:5a command/invite them to do in the midst of this praise? Toward whom have these works been aimed (verse 5b)? What event is an example of this (Psalm 66:6a–b)? What will we do when we “visit” such events in song (verse 6c)? What does God do (Psalm 66:7a)? By what? For how long? What does He do (verse 7b)? As He does this, what do His people  pray and sing against (verse 7c)? Who are to do what in Psalm 66:8a? Whose God is He? At what are they to aim as they praise (verse 8b)? For what work of God (Psalm 66:9a)? And what other (verse 9b)? And what other (Psalm 66:10)? How did He test and refine them (Psalm 66:11-12)? Through this, into what did He bring them out (Psalm 66:12c)? Who will go where in Psalm 66:13a? With what? To do what (verse 13b)? When did the worshiper vow to do this (Psalm 66:14)? What offerings (Psalm 66:15a)? With what effects (verse 15b)? Of what cost/amount (verse 15c)? What two things does this worshiper want others to do (Psalm 66:16a)? Which others? What will the worshiper do (verse 16b)? What had the worshiper done with his mouth (Psalm 66:17a)? And what with his tongue (verse 17b)? What mustn’t the worshiper’s relation to iniquity be (Psalm 66:18a)? Why not (verse 18b)? But has verse 18b happened (Psalm 66:19a)? What happened instead (verse 19a–b)? How does the worshiper respond (Psalm 66:20a)? To what specifically in verse 20b? And what else (verse 20c)?

How should believers respond to deliverance? Psalm 66 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twenty verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that when a believer realizes that his deliverance from trouble is fruit of deliverance from sin and part of God’s mighty, redemptive work of a multitude from all the nations, he wishes for all the redeemed to join him in praising God in public worship.

It's not until Psalm 66:14 that we learn the occasion for the Psalm. The worshiper had been in trouble, and as he cried for help with his mouth (Psalm 66:17a), his lips uttered a vow to offer sacrifices in public worship (Psalm 66:14a), and his tongue extolled (praised) God (Psalm 66:17b). This imagery—mouth, lips, tongue—brings us into the moment. The theology of the Psalm declares to us what the Holy Spirit taught him by/about this moment.

God is eliminating rebellion. Yes, the Lord is humbling rebels (Psalm 66:7c) and subduing enemies (Psalm 66:3d). But, He sometimes does so by changing enemies into servants. The Psalmist the Lord’s work in his own life (Psalm 66:18-19) as something that He has done for His people as a whole (Psalm 66:10-12). The Psalmist grows in assurance, because though he has remaining sin, he is not its friend (Psalm 66:18a) but its enemy. And the Lord, who has made this change in him listens to his voice (Psalm 66:19). The Psalmist knows that God tests His people by suffering (Psalm 66:10a, 1Psalm 66:11-12b) in order to refine them (Psalm 66:10b) and bring them out into abundance (Psalm 66:12c). 

God is provoking praise. The beginning of the Psalm has the worshiper urging all the earth (Psalm 66:1, Psalm 66:4, cp. “you peoples” in Psalm 66:8) to praise God. That’s the final and eternal installment of something that had its preview in Israel’s Exodus (Psalm 66:5-6). But notice verse 6c: when we remember/sing the Lord’s doing this, it’s as if we are right there rejoicing in Him. The believer wants all who fear God (Psalm 66:16a) to praise Him for the good done to one soul (verse 16b). How much more, when we come to praise Him for the good done to a multitude of souls. Looking forward to that praise is how the Psalm opens in Psalm 66:1-2, urging us all to praise that is glad (“joyful”), intense (“shout”), and weighty (“honor”/”glorious”). 

After the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ, we mayn’t bring many, expensive animal sacrifices. Instead, we offer to God spiritual sacrifice, Christ’s-blood-bought souls lifted up in prayer and praise and submission. Let us vow to give Him such, in the midst of the assembly, with joy, intensity, and gravitas!

What trouble has the Lord brought you into/through recently? What is His purpose in His work in you? What response does He want from you? In what circumstance, especially, should you give it?

Sample prayer:  Lord, You have tested and refined us and shown Your work in us. How awesome are Your works toward the sons of men, whom You convert from rebels to worshipers. You have heard our prayers; now receive our praise. And grant that by Your Spirit, our praise would be joyful, intense, and weighty, which we ask through Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP66B “O All You Peoples, Bless Our God” or TPH66B “Come, All Ye People, Bless Our God”