What Heaven Is [Children's Catechism 145—Theology Simply Explained]

Pastor walks his children through Children's Catechism question 145—especially explaining how the Lord is the heavenliness of heaven.

Q145. What is heaven? A glorious and happy place, where the righteous shall be forever with the Lord.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Vicious Cycle of a Hasty Spirit [Family Worship lesson in Proverbs 14:15–18]

To what are fools “quick”? Proverbs 14:15–18 looks forward to the sermon in this week’s midweek meeting. In these four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that fools are quick to believe anything and to rage for any reason. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2025.05.12 Hopewell @Home ▫ Proverbs 14:15–18

Read Proverbs 14:15–18

Questions from the Scripture text: Who are easily deceived, and how (Proverbs 14:15a)? Who are protected from this, and how (verse 15b)? What does the wise man’s soul do (Proverbs 14:16a)? What does he himself do as a consequence? What two things does the fool’s soul do, that denies him this protection (verse 16b)? Who acts foolishly (Proverbs 14:17a)? What happens to the man of wicked intentions (verse 17b)? What do the simple inherit (Proverbs 14:18a)? With what are the prudent crowned (verse 18b)? 

To what are fools “quick”? Proverbs 14:15–18 looks backward to the sermon in last week’s midweek meeting. In these four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that fools are quick to believe anything and to rage for any reason.  

This little section (Proverbs 14:15-18) is bookended by the two verses comparing the “simple” and the “prudent.” That makes Proverbs 14:15 serve both as the conclusion to the previous section and the introduction to this one. That is also the case with Proverbs 14:18, which dovetails with Proverbs 14:24 and the language of “crowning” and “folly” in both verses. As we pay attention to how this extended portion of the book is crafted, we find that it is carefully and complexly organized, not at all haphazard, as some have thought.

When considering Proverbs 14:8-15, we noted how gullible the simple is. Not only is he deceived by his own folly (Proverbs 14:8b), but his being unmoored makes him vulnerable to believe just about anything (Proverbs 14:15a). Now, the pairing of verse 15a and Proverbs 14:18a brings us full circle. The simple believing every word (Proverbs 14:15a) puts him in line to inherit that very folly in which he deceives himself (Proverbs 14:18a). It’s a vicious cycle. The more foolish you are, the more gullible you will be. And the more gullible you are, the more foolishness you will inherit.

The prudent, however, consider well their steps (Proverbs 14:15b), so that in the path in which they walk, they are crowned with more knowledge. So, there is actually a virtuous cycle for those who operate out of the fear of the Lord and the knowledge of the Holy One.

The middle of this short section centers on the instability of the heart of the fool. He is not only quick to believe anything; he is also quick to become angry. He rages (Proverbs 14:16b), and he is quick-tempered (Proverbs 14:17a). As a result, he becomes more and more disconnected from reality. Lacking the protections afforded by the fear of the wise man (Proverbs 14:16a), he runs headlong, self-confidently (verse 16b), into the harm (verse 16a) for which he is hated (Proverbs 14:17b). Whether it is believing others or flying into a rage, the fool is “all gas and no brakes.” And he lacks all self-awareness. He neither perceives his end, nor how others perceive him. The only thing that he seems to plan for is that which he positively knows is evil (verse 17b).

By contrast, what great benefit there is in the fear of the Lord! It makes a man careful (Proverbs 14:15b) so that he departs from evil (Proverbs 14:16a, meaning both ‘wickedness’ and ‘harm’). And the prudence gained from the fear of the Lord is itself crowned with even more knowledge (Proverbs 14:18b). Thus, the Lord gives us to learn by experience how good it is to fear Him and to know Him. 

What have you easily believed that you later realized you had to abandon? When have you been quick to anger, and what were the consequences? How would the fear of the Lord spare you from either of these? What are you doing to pursue this fear of the Lord?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for giving us to fear You and to know You, so that we would not be left to ourselves. Give us the stability and carefulness that come from knowing You, so that we will not be easily tossed either by winds of doctrine or by waves of circumstances. Bu make us to stand and to build upon the rock that is Christ, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP46 “God Is Our Refuge and Our Strength” or TPH400 “Gracious Spirit, Dwell with Me”

2025.05.11 Lord's Day Livestreams (live at 10:10a, 11:10a, and 3p)

Click below for the:

May 11 Lord's Day Worship Booklet

Matthew 18:21–35 sermon outline

p.m. song selections & Deuteronomy 5:1–5 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.

2025.05.10 Hopewell @Home ▫ Matthew 18:21–35

Read Matthew 18:21–35

Questions from the Scripture text: Who came to Jesus (Matthew 18:21)? What did he call Him? About whom does he ask? Having done what? What does he ask about forgiving him? What number does he think is generous? What modification does Jesus make to this number (Matthew 18:22)? To what does He now make an analogy by parable (Matthew 18:23)? Who is the key figure in the parable? What is He doing with whom? What does He discover about one of them (Matthew 18:24)? What couldn’t the servant do (Matthew 18:25)? What did the king command to be done? How did the servant respond (Matthew 18:26)? For what does he ask? How does the king respond (Matthew 18:27)? Whom does the servant go and find (Matthew 18:28)? What does this fellow servant owe him? What does the first servant do to him? What does he say? How does the fellow servant respond (Matthew 18:29)? But what does the first servant do to him (Matthew 18:30)? Who see this (Matthew 18:31)? What do they think of it? To whom do they come and tell about it? What does the master do (Matthew 18:32)? What does he call the servant? Of what does he remind the servant? How does he say that the servant should have responded (Matthew 18:33)? What does his master think of this (Matthew 18:34)? What does he do to the servant? Until when? Whom does the Lord Jesus say will do like this (Matthew 18:35)? To whom? If they fail to do what? From what?

What do forgiven people do? Matthew 18:21–35 prepares us for the sermon in the morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these fifteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that genuinely forgiven people forgive others genuinely.  

Throughout this chapter, we have been hearing about making much of Christ. And, coming into this passage, we have just been hearing about our brother’s sinning a personal sin against us as a summons to a rescue mission for retrieving our brother. But one great obstacle to serving the Lord and our brother in this way is that we tend to take our brother’s sinning a personal sin against us as a summons to demanding that our brother “make things right” with us.

To his credit, Peter seems to have gotten this. He needs to forgive his brother. And surely he remembers Matthew 6:14–15: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” But he thinks that surely there must be a limit to forgiveness. After all, haven’t we just been hearing that sin is an offense against the greatness of God and of Christ? Surely, there must be a limit to forgiveness.

Jesus’s answer is not to tell Peter that the limit is higher than he thought. Jesus’s answer is that the amount that he has been forgiven, and ought to reciprocate, is beyond his imagining. Peter’s number wasn’t just high; it was a number that meant completeness to him. Jesus’s number indicates that the completeness of what we owe to God is so far beyond us, that we will never forgive another so much as to wear it out.

In the parable, the debt that the other servant owed the wicked servant was real. People are really going to sin against us. And the amount was not small, humanly speaking. One hundred denarii is four months’ wages. But the amount that he had forgiven would be $36 million USD at the time of writing, and quite possibly more comparatively valuable in first century Galilee. Whatever the amount, like the 490, the exact quantity is not the point. For, the amount that believers have been forgiven in Christ is infinite!

In parable, the amount in question is not the only disparity between the two situations. There is also a difference in relationship. The wicked servant is not the master of the one that owes him the money. They are all servants of the same master. The one that the wicked servant refused to forgive is, to borrow the language of earlier in the chapter, a “little child” (Matthew 18:2, Matthew 18:3, Matthew 18:4, Matthew 18:5) or “little one” (Matthew 18:6, Matthew 18:10). 

They belong to Him Who has forgiven us an infinite debt. This is one reason why forgiveness must not only be unlimited, but must be from the heart. It’s not primarily for ourselves, or for the one that we re forgiving. It’s unto Him Who looks upon the heart. 

It is impossible for us to have been forgiven and to be so stubbornly ungrateful to God that our heart is hard against our repentant brother. In Matthew 18:13, the shepherd rejoiced over his retrieved sheep; and in Matthew 18:27, the king/master was pleased to forgive his servant because he was moved with compassion over the pleading servant. Those who are the Father’s (Matthew 18:35) will imitate the heart of the Father. And those who are not the Father’s may be sure that they will pay fully for their sin in the place where “it is finished” will never be heard.

How deeply do you feel your gratitude to God for your forgiveness? How does this gratitude express itself I how you have responded to professing believers who pleaded for forgiveness when they sinned against you?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for forgiving us an infinite debt in Christ. Grant that we would be so full of thankfulness and love to You that we would freely forgive others from the heart, we ask through Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP32AB “What Blessedness” or TPH559 “The Lord’s Prayer”

OUR God's Law [Family Worship lesson in Deuteronomy 5:1–5]

How are we to receive God’s law? Deuteronomy 5:1–5 prepares us for the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we are to receive the law from our covenant God, through our covenant Mediator. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2025.05.09 Hopewell @Home ▫ Deuteronomy 5:1–5

Read Deuteronomy 5:1–5

Questions from the Scripture text: How does Moses transition into the main sermon (Deuteronomy 5:1)? What does he tell them to do? What are they to hear? What is he doing with them? In whose hearing? What three things are they to do? Who did what, where (Deuteronomy 5:2)? With whom is that covenant now in effect (Deuteronomy 5:3)? Who talked (Deuteronomy 5:4)? With whom? How? Where? From where? After that, who stood where (Deuteronomy 5:5)? To do what? Why this arrangement? Where did Moses go to do this? 

How are we to receive God’s law? Deuteronomy 5:1–5 prepares us for the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we are to receive the law from our covenant God, through our covenant Mediator.  

Four things to do with God’s law. First, hear. Just as the first commandment calls their attention to the fact that they are always before God’s face, He reminds them that God’s Word is being spoken in their hearing (Deuteronomy 5:1), and that God once spoke them Himself to their face (Deuteronomy 5:4). When the King of kings speak, the first thing that we must all do is listen. Give our attention; give our heart. 

Second, learn. There is skill involved in applying God’s law; there is training that is necessary for following it well. We must be students, trainees. 

Third, be careful. The verb here is the verb for “keep.” Keep in order to do. Resolve is necessary. Vigilance is necessary. Learning God’s law is not a one-time thing, after which we can just coast in righteousness. It is a way of life with God that must be kept. Be careful.

Fourth, observe. “Do” is the verb here. The Bible is a doing book (cf. James 1:21–27). It announces to us God’s grace, just as the Lord Himself does here (Deuteronomy 5:6). But it calls us to action in response to Him, and in dependence upon Him. 

It’s a religion and a relationship. You may have heard the foolish rejection of biblical piety under the statement “It’s not a religion; it’s a relationship.” But it’s actually both. And it’s a relationship that has a particular name: covenant (Deuteronomy 5:2). Covenant that obligates not just the representatives/parents, but the children, who are federally represented in them. Moses underscores to them that this new generation, who are alive, are every bit as much covenantally bound to God today on the banks of the Jordan (Deuteronomy 5:3) as their parents were forty years ago at Horeb (Deuteronomy 5:4). 

And God deals with them covenantally. After addressing them all face to face (Deuteronomy 5:4), He is pleased to engage them through a mediator: one who stands between (Deuteronomy 5:5). Not only does Moses address them on God’s behalf, but he often addresses the Lord on their behalf. And, multiple times, he has interceded, when the Lord was ready to destroy them.

Now it is the Lord Jesus Who is Prophet, Priest, and King. The Lord deals covenantally with nations, families, and churches. But the church as a whole is in covenant with God through Jesus Christ, and each nation/church/house has a duty to acknowledge Him and submit to Him. Every true member of the invisible church, through faith, may know that He is in covenant with God through Christ. This means that we receive God’s commandments as the commandments of our covenant God, and we receive them as coming to us from the lips of our Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. James 1:25, James 2:8, James 2:12; Galatians 6:2). 

We are in relationship with God through Jesus Christ. And He has given us His religion, His way for us to walk with Him.

How does your belonging to God, and His belonging to you, shape your view of the law? How does your having Christ as Mediator, and receiving God’s law from His lips, shape your view of the law?

Sample prayer:  Lord, You are our God. And Your law is our delight. Give us to hear, learn, keep, and do Your law. Give us to rejoice to be Yours in everything that we think, say, and do. Thank You for giving Christ to be the One Who stands between us, and in Whom we are bound to You, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP119M “O How I Love Your Law!” or TPH174 “The Ten Commandments”

2025.05.08 Hopewell @Home ▫ Revelation 12:1–6

Read Revelation 12:1–6

Questions from the Scripture text: What appeared in heaven (Revelation 12:1)? What was the sign? With what was she clothed? Shod? Crowned? What was her condition in Revelation 12:2? What appears in Revelation 12:3? What is this sign? What color is the dragon? How many heads does it have? How many horns? How many crowns? What did his tail do to whom (Revelation 12:4)? To where did it throw them? Where did the dragon stand (verse 4)? What did it hope to do? Whom did the woman bear (Revelation 12:5)? What was the Child to do? With what? But what came of the Child? And where does the woman go (Revelation 12:6)? What is prepared for her there? What will they do for her in that place? For how long?

What are we to think of Satan’s vicious attacks against Christ and His people? Revelation 12:1–6 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 the devil is a fierce enemy, but the determining factor in what comes of his attacks is God’s intentions toward His church for the glory of His Son.

Christ enthroned in Zion. Psalm 2 stood behind the praise of the elders/church in Revelation 11:17–18, and now it stands behind Revelation 12:5. Here is the One Who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron (cf. Psalm 2:8–9). And Revelation 12:6 helps us understand Psalm 2:6. God’s holy hill of Zion (cf. Psalm 2:6) is not, ultimately, the hill that David took from the Jebusites, but “God and His throne” (Revelation 12:5). 

The devil and his angels. This helps us understand Revelation 12:3 and the strange appendages of the dragon: seven heads and ten horns. Throughout Scripture, horns have represented power, and crowns on heads is easily recognized as authority. The dragon himself is Satan (cf. Revelation 12:9). Isaiah 14:12–17 and Ezekiel 28:12–19 describe his fall from heaven, and now we learn that he took one-third of the angels with him to be arch-persecutors of the church (Revelation 12:4, cf. Daniel 8:8–12). 

The nations’ satanic resistance to Christ’s authority. The final piece to understanding both this passage and Daniel 8 is Psalm 2:1–3. It is not just the demons, whom Satan has embroiled in his war against God and Christ, but the nations, peoples, kings, and rulers. Whether they are consciously aware of it or not, their resistance and rebellion against God and His anointed are not just Satanic in manner but in actual, personal identity. Currently the heads and crowns of the earth are his heads and crowns, and the horns of the earth are his horns. The peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues give their kingdom and honor to the “god of this age” (cf. Revelation 17:15–17; 2 Corinthians 4:4; John 12:31; Ephesians 2:2; Ephesians 6:12; Acts 26:18). We ought to take nations’ rebellion against the Lord very seriously, while at the same time facing them with confidence in Him Who reigns.

One church throughout the ages. The woman is obviously the church, and especially Eve and Mary (and all of the other women in His lineage, cf. Matthew 1:5–6). Clothed with the sun, shod with the moon, and crowned with the stars, her image brings Genesis 37:9 to mind, so that with the “garland of 12 stars” representing the Lord’s authority in His church throughout the ages (not only 12 tribes under Moses, but 12 apostles under the gospel), the church back through the patriarchs is represented here. Here, we have strong Scripture witness that the church is one woman throughout the ages, not a series of disconnected entities from unrelated dispensations. With respect to Christ’s coming into the world, she is His mother, but with respect to His and her eternal glory, she is His bride! 

Biblical covenant theology keeps us from the dispensational errors that cloud our view of how God interacts with His people in this world. With the biblical, covenant theology of Revelation 12:1–6, we can behold all of God’s interactions with His church throughout the ages as indicative of His disposition and conduct toward us. 

Satan’s failed attacks upon Christ and His church. Satan’s failure to devour Christ is spectacular. His assault on the Son becomes the means by which believers re redeemed (cf. Revelation 12:11), and the occasion for the resurrection, ascension, and enthronement of Christ (Revelation 12:5b). Additionally, the effects of his vigorous assault upon the woman are entirely muted. The world in this age is pictured in Revelation 12:6a as a “wilderness.” But, just as with Israel in its infancy, the wilderness becomes a location of special care and provision by God (verse 6b). And the time period in verse 6c is, again, half of seven years, indicating that God has intentionally shortened the time for the sake of His people. He is intentionally making our afflictions lighter and more momentary (cf. Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Peter 1:6). The devil is a fierce enemy, dear believer; but, the determining factor in your circumstances are God’s intentions toward you for the glory of His Son. Behold how He cares for you, provides for you, and so orders even the most difficult providence with a view toward being gentle with you!

What are some examples of nations’ satanic resistance to Christ with regard to the first table of the law? What are some examples of nations’ satanic resistance to Christ with regard to the second table of the law? How does viewing this world as “our turn to be in the wilderness” help you dwell upon God’s providential care for you? How has He been doing so?

Sample prayer:  Lord, forgive us, for each and every one of our sins is a rebellion against You and against Christ that is literally in league with the devil. And, forgive us for forgetting that our fierce enemy is yet a frustrated enemy and a conquered enemy. Indeed, by focusing on our afflictions, we forget that You have lovingly, wisely, and powerfully made them light and momentary. We are so dull toward Your goodness that we fail to see how kind and generous has been Your provision for us in this wilderness. So, forgive us for the sake of Your Son, and glorify Him by cleansing us from all unrighteousness, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

 Suggested songs: ARP2 “Why Do Gentile Nations Rage” or TPH256 “God Moves in a Mysterious Way”

2025.05.07 Midweek Meeting Livestream (live at 6:30p)

Click below for the:

May 7 Prayer Meeting Folder

Proverbs 14:8–15 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 Only Hope for Sinners [Family Worship lesson in Hosea 11:12–13:14]

Why did Ephraim need God Himself to commit Himself to being their Savior? Hosea 11:12–13:14 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twenty-nine verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that those who are subject to original sin can only be saved by God Himself.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)