epcblog

Devotional thoughts (Monday through Thursday mornings) from the pastor of Exeter Presbyterian Church in Exeter, NH // Sunday Worship 10:30am // 73 Winter Street

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Jesus Christ - Sovereign Over This World and the Next

June 30, 2013 Evening:
Title: Christ Over All
Old Testament Passage: Psalm 100
Gospel Passage: Mark 10:32-34
Sermon Text: Hebrews 2:8a “... putting everything in subjection under his feet.”
Sermon Point: Jesus won everything in His costly battle against sin

... putting everything in subjection under his feet.

Jesus won everything
In the words before us we see that God has placed everything under the feet of a man. This reminds us of Genesis 1 and 2 as it relates to Adam, but the author of Hebrews is talking not about Adam's world primarily, but about the world that is coming into being. Nonetheless, if God is to have absolute sovereignty over the new heavens and earth, He must also have absolute sovereignty over the existing heavens and earth. It is in the midst of this existing fading world that the the new resurrection world is being born. God the Father has put everything in subjection under the feet of the Son of God. After Jesus rose from the dead, He communicated this same truth to His disciples by telling them that all power and authority had been given to Him.

In 1 Chronicles 4, the otherwise unknown man of Judah named Jabez prays to God and asks the Lord to expand His territory. Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah has a territory of sovereignty that extends to the fullness of the resurrection kingdom.

In the little Hebrew book called Obediah, God speaks a word to Edom, the nation that came from Jacob's twin, Esau. Jacob was the elect son. Esau's line was not the chosen heritage. At the end of the Lord's words of judgment upon Edom, the symbolic nation of the world that is passing away, God makes this statement through His prophet: “Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD's.” What kingdom? The kingdom of the elect (Mount Zion)? The kingdom of the world (Mount Esau)? When the final kingdom of the elect shall come in fullness, then it shall be entirely known what Jesus has won, for the kingdoms of this world will very obviously be the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.

During the Apostle Paul's prison years, Jesus still was sovereign over all. The best and the worst that any faithful follower of Christ could face here and in eternity has all been placed under His mysterious power and authority. When we are able to see this with the eyes of faith we are very happy to sing, even in prison, “How Great Thou Art.”

in His costly battle against sin
The spoils of war from our Savior's great victory have come to us without any charge. We could never have paid for the gifts that God has for us. This is why we rightly speak of “free grace.” Yet the grace that we have received in the kingdom of God was very costly for Him.

What did it cost Jesus to include us in the victory of His family? He paid the price of His incarnation. He paid the price of facing very many strong foes. He paid the price of nurturing unsteady disciples. Ultimately he paid the cost of the cross, where he paid the debt of sin that was so far beyond our ability to pay.


The victory of His costly sacrifice shines forth for us now in the glory of His resurrection. By His death He not only won His own immortal human body, but a complete resurrection world that includes us. Even now, as he works out everything toward that great final salvation, all things in heaven and earth must be accomplished according to the will of the Son of God.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Strong Foes, Without, Within - Verse 3

Verse 1: (Based on Psalm 3)

Strong foes without, within,
Claim You are not my God.
Arise, O Lord! Save me, my God!
You're my salvation Lord!

Verse 2: (Based on Mark 10:17-31)

The rich man cannot find
An easy way to God.
For him it is not possible.
For God it is not hard.

Verse 3: (Based on Acts 23:12-35)

If I am all alone
in prison or the grave
You still are my salvation Lord.
You are the One who saves.


Friday, June 28, 2013

Strong Foes Without, Within - Verse 2

Verse 1: (Based on Psalm 3)

Strong foes without, within,
Claim You are not my God.
Arise, O Lord! Save me, my God!
You're my salvation Lord!

Verse 2: (Based on Mark 10:17-31)

The rich man cannot find
an easy way to God.
For him it is not possible.
For God it is not hard.


Thursday, June 27, 2013

Strong Foes Without, Within - Verse 1


Verse 1: (Based on Psalm 3)

Strong foes without, within,
Claim You are not my God.
Arise, O Lord! Save me, my God!
You're my salvation Lord!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

1 Chronicles 4

Our Lord was descended from the tribe of Judah. By the end of the book of Genesis the Lord had revealed that this tribe would eventually be the tribe of kings. The details of that promise were given to David, a man chosen by God.
The Chronicler presented the genealogical details of David in the last two chapters. Now he gives us more information about the tribe of Judah and about the tribe of Simeon that existed within the boundaries of Judah's territory.
In a chapter such as this one we look for details that tell us something in addition to the obviously prominent position of Judah in the purposes of the Almighty. We find mention of the town of Bethlehem and we think of our Lord's humble birth there so many centuries after this account was written. We recognize the name of the first judge, Othniel, and his more well-known father-in-law, Caleb, and remember the faithfulness of these warriors during an important juncture in the history of God's people. These names call Judah to take up this tribe's position of divinely-appointed prominence with an obedient devotion to the one true God.
In the midst of this long list of names that are largely unknown to us we are given some details that tell us of the towns and businesses of people that lived their lives upon this earth so many centuries before us. Some were craftsmen, others were linen workers, and others were potters in the king's service. Though their names were recorded in the Scriptures and though they belonged to the most important tribe within God's people, their stories have largely been forgotten upon the earth.
In the midst of these lists of once prominent people and places among the clans of Judah and Simeon we have two striking verses that seem to have little obvious connection with the details that come before and after. They speak to us about a man named Jabez of the tribe of Judah.
Jabez stood out among his brothers despite the fact of his less than promising beginnings. His mother named him after the Hebrew word “pain.” Jabez was “... more honorable than his brothers.” The only reason we are given in this brief account regarding this honor is that Jabez called upon the God of Israel and was heard. What did he ask for? He asked the Lord to overturn the curse implicit in his bad name. He asked for blessing from above and for an expanded territory. He knew that he needed God. He asked the Lord to be with him and to protect him from harm. He asked that his name, Pain, not be an accurate summary of his destiny.
God granted what he asked.”
Why would these two verses be included in the details of Judah's genealogy? The Chronicler is calling all who would read this account to a new life of true dependance upon Almighty God. He is encouraging humble servants of the Lord, particularly in the tribe of Judah, to ask rightly of the Lord so that they might receive.
Our great God came as the Lion of the tribe of Judah in order to take away our bad name. Jesus took the pain of the curse upon Himself so that we might have the blessing of an indestructible inheritance. He cried out to the Lord with very earnest prayer and He was heard. (Hebrews 5:7) God granted what He asked for in the integrity of His heart and we have been greatly blessed. His territory has been expanded far beyond the borders of Canaan. Even today the Name of Jesus is being lifted up all over the earth.


Tuesday, June 25, 2013

1 Chronicles 3

In the prior chapter the Chronicler recorded the extended family background that led to David and his compatriots in the golden days of a united Israel. In chapter 3 we are given the names of the immediate sons of David, followed by the line of kings that came from David and Solomon, concluding with the list of David's descendants after the deportation to Babylon.
David's time on earth was not easy. The details of his troubles were omitted here, but the reader who has already considered the prophetic tradition recorded in First and Second Samuel cannot miss the mention of Amnon, Absalom, and Tamar. We also read the names of Solomon and Adonijah and remember the struggle for succession that took place among these two sons of David.
The names of the king's sons were organized by their mothers and by the two places where David reigned, Hebron and Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem was particularly important to the returning exiles. This is the great city destroyed by the Babylonians. The returning Jews looked to see a new day for the place where the Lord had chosen to dwell.
After this list of David's immediate family the Chronicler recorded the line of kings that God provided during the next 400 years after David. All the kings of Judah from Solomon through the sons and grandson of Josiah were listed. We will have occasion to consider their stories in greater detail in later chapters.
The final list of names in this chapter brought the story forward several decades to the time of the returning band of brothers who were coming home to the land. Among those who came back were some who had come from the line of kings. From which of these men would the true Son of David come? This was not yet revealed. The Chronicler recorded for future days what he knew from the records he had available to him at the time.
Now that the Messiah has come, we can look at the genealogical information in 1 Chronicles and compare it to the genealogies of Jesus that we have in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. Matthew follows the legal line of the kings from Solomon through to the immediate descendants of Josiah. Luke gives us a second line of descent from David's son Nathan rather than from Solomon. The existence of two lines from David need not surprise us since both Mary and Joseph were descended from David.
Both lists from Matthew and Luke also contain the name of Zerubbabel which was listed here in 1 Chronicles 3. Somehow, perhaps through adoption or through the death of a father, these two lines of descent that were separated after Solomon connected again with this one man and then separated again with two sons of Zerubbabel that were not recorded here. The Messiah would come from Zerubbabel. Zerrubbabel, like a second David, would be a new beginning for the two lines that would lead to Jesus. His name was faithfully preserved by the Chronicler for future generations as the Lord's people waited for the coming of their King.
Jesus not only had a legal lineage through Joseph as a foster father, He also had a line of physical descent through Mary, His true mother. Even more than this, Jesus' actual Father was God. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Who can fathom the riches of the human and divine natures of our great Messiah King? He has revealed Himself to us through His miracles and His divine teaching, but especially through His victory over death. The eternal plan of God would be accomplished through this singular descendant of David. This God/Man reigns in the Jerusalem above. We who have called upon His Name are citizens of that great city and members of the household of God.


Monday, June 24, 2013

1 Chronicles 2

Genealogy is a very abbreviated and intriguing way to tell a story. The Chronicler has started us with Adam and then very quickly taken us to the chosen family, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In the beginning of the second chapter he moves ahead 1000 years further to David. Many people lived and died in that period, but the Chronicler is not merely a recorder who wants to keep an accurate accounting of family lines, births, and deaths. He is a teacher. When he returns to something closer to a narrative style in chapter 10, he will quickly write of the death of Saul “... for his breach of faith” and the coming of the great David. His conclusion concerning the struggle between these two men is characteristically abrupt. “The Lord put him (Saul) to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.” (10:14)
The importance of David to the Chronicler's account was already evident from the second chapter of the book. Assuming that the reader was aware of the books of Genesis and Ruth, he moves speedily from Judah, one of the sons of Jacob, to the youngest son of Jesse, the man who would be king. Why skip over so many generations and important individuals in order to arrive at a boy that his own father could not imagine to be of any importance? David received a great promise from God that was being fulfilled. God provided a line of kings from this young man's descendants. In the days of the Chronicler the Lord was sending His people back into the land after a time of exile. It was the writer's great hope that the royal line of David would be reestablished in Jerusalem and that the long-expected Son of David would come.
In telling the story of Judah with particular emphasis on the line of David, the Chronicler is frank about the moral failures that led to the Lord's judgment against His people. Er, Judah oldest son, “... was evil in the sight of the Lord, and He put him to death.” The returning exiles be aware of the outlines of their history and of the consequences that came from sin. Achan was “... the troubler of Israel, who broke faith in the matter of the devoted thing.” The people of God should not follow in his way. Idolatry brought death.
Though there are many names here that we do not recognize, we note some in David's extended family that were significant in the king's army. We also read of Bezalel, who was a significant figure in the building of the tabernacle that would later be replaced by Solomon's temple.
The point of some of the extensive information presented here may be lost to us today. What we can see very clearly in this material is that the tribe of Judah has priority, and within that tribe, our primary interest needs to be in the line of life that leads to David.
We now live many centuries after the glory days of David. Old Testament places of worship and the civil order of Israel are not of first importance to us. Something has happened that changed everything for the people of God. The hope of the Chronicler has made Himself known. The Son of David has taken His rightful place as the King of the nations. He will reign in righteousness forever and ever. The day for evil and idolatry is long gone. The fullness of the kingdom is quickly coming.


Sunday, June 23, 2013

Hebrews 2:7b

June 23, 2013 Evening:
Title: Crown Him!
Old Testament Passage: 1 Chronicles 1:1
Gospel Passage: Luke 3:38
Sermon Text: Hebrews 2:7b ...you have crowned him with glory and honor,
Sermon Point: The destiny of Jesus and His church is to be crowned with glory and honor

… you have crowned him with glory and honor, …
The author of Hebrews gives us a significant quotation from Psalm 8 in the second chapter of his letter. We are in the middle of that quotation. Psalm 8 as an Old Covenant reflection on the first creation told the worshiper of the wonder of our nature as image-bearers of God. But there was another meaning of Psalm 8 that would have been harder to understand for Israel that has now become more obvious to us because of the developments in the history of salvation surrounding Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The author of this letter quotes Psalm 8 immediately after reminding his readers that he is speaking about the world that is coming into being. There are at least two worlds that we need to distinguish if we are to understand the phrase before us this evening. The first is Adam's world, and it is a world that has been sadly damaged by sin and death. That world is fading away. Yet ever since the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit the world of the second Adam has been coming into being. You and I live between two worlds. We are citizens of a new world reserved for us already above but our mission right now is here below. Psalm 8 can be understood in terms of the old world, but it also can be understood in terms of the new world.

Old World
Adam was created in the image of God with dominion over the creatures. The first man had an exalted role for someone who himself came from the dust. After sin entered the old world it could be said, “to dust you shall return.” In between conception and death humanity had the wonder of life including the possibility to worship and obey God. Life was a crown of glory and honor for all who were in the line of Adam. We had speech, reasoning, and the longing for something more.

The Problem
Though eternity was placed within our hearts death was an ever-present reminder of the end of our God-given crown of glory and honor. Man might build a tower to the heavens. Could man defeat death? Humanity had shown tremendous potential from the earliest generations of existence. We had language, art, science, and engineering. We were capable of addressing successfully so many of the difficulties that seemed to hold us back, though our solutions had unintended negative consequences. But we had a problem in two parts: We had death within our souls evidenced in our sin and we had death within our bodies slowly taking away our glory over the course of even very long lives.

New World

Jesus the Messiah did not come from the dust and He did not return to dust. He came from heaven. He entered Adam's world with a mission. That mission involved going low in order to save us through His death. Though He said, “It is finished,” His work for us continued even beyond His grave. He was crowned with glory and honor through His resurrection and ascension. Jesus has done what Adam was unable to do: He conquered sin and death. We are doubly crowned with the blessings not only of the old creation but also with the eternal honor and glory of a new world. We have hope. We have joy.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

O Servants of the Lord - Verse 3

Verse 1: (Based on Psalm 96)

O servants of the Lord,
Praise God with joyful heart!
He comes to judge in righteousness.
Give glory to your God!

Verse 2: (Based on Mark 10:13-16)

He bids His children come.
He takes them in His arms.
To such belong His kingdom here,
And there they'll face no harm.


Verse 3: (Based on Acts 23:1-11)

Take courage in your trials.
He has a plan of love.
Though you may face affliction now
He sees and knows above.

Friday, June 21, 2013

O Servants of the Lord - Verse 2

Verse 1: (Based on Psalm 96)

O servants of the Lord,
Praise God with joyful heart!
He comes to judge in righteousness.
Give glory to your God!

Verse 2: (Based on Mark 10:13-16)

He bids His children come.
He takes them in His arms.
To such belong His kingdom here,
And there they'll face no harm.


Thursday, June 20, 2013

O Servants of the Lord - Verse 1

Verse 1: (Based on Psalm 96)

O servants of the Lord,
Praise God with joyful heart!
He comes to judge in righteousness.
Give glory to your God!


Wednesday, June 19, 2013

1 Chronicles 1

The history of God's deliverance of mankind begins with Adam. This is the second telling of that important story, but the priestly author of this account, who we will call the Chronicler, presents his material in a very different way than the author we have been reading in First Samuel through Second Kings. The Chronicler uses all of this prior work written by another, but he omits and augments according to his own purposes.
The Chronicler starts his narrative with nine chapters of genealogy. Genealogies provide a shorthand method of communicating what would otherwise be a very long and complex account. The writer makes decisions of what to include and what to exclude. With one word he can draw upon the reader's knowledge of a wealth of information. For instance, the entire narrative of Genesis 1 through 10 comes to mind through the mention of only 13 names. We are taken very quickly from Adam to the sons of Noah and beyond. From those sons of Noah come the nations that play such a significant role in the history of Israel, nations like Egypt, Canaan, Philistia, Asshur (Assyria), and Aram (Syria).
Through the line of Noah's son, Shem, we quickly move to the Jewish patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Jacob). The Chronicler will spend the remaining eight chapters of genealogies on the tribes of Israel including a particular focus on the heritage of Saul and David. In this first chapter we have the record of the brothers of the patriarchs that were not the chosen line. Instead of the details of the line of Isaac we have the sons of Ishmael and the other sons of Abraham through his concubine Keturah. In the next generation we read the names of the sons of Esau and of the leaders that ruled in Edom rather than the account of Jacob.
Even though many of these names appeared in Genesis 36, we are as unaware of them here as we were there. Though we know so little of the clans that descended from these individuals, they had their place in the history of the world according to God's plans. They are not familiar to us because their lines did not lead to the Savior of the world.
These other siblings and their descendants provide the sometimes hostile context within which God would cause Israel to live, to thrive, to fail, and to somehow return to the land. The Chronicler was very aware that God had made promises of blessing to Israel that would come through a descendant of David. He wrote this account so that those who were coming back into Canaan after the time of exile would see where their forefathers had gone astray and would seek the Lord's blessing. He was looking to see the fulfillment of the Lord's promises to Israel.
We are very interested in the story of Israel because we have been adopted into the chosen people through Jesus Christ. God's plan for the descendants of Adam included a chosen nation from whom would come a Redeemer. Through the shorthand of these opening genealogies we have reviewed many centuries of providence taking us all the way from Adam to Jacob. There would have been no reason for a chosen people at all if God did were not committed to His own promises. Salvation would come from the Jews. (John 4:22) Their story has become our story.


Tuesday, June 18, 2013

2 Kings 25

Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. The offense of the king of Judah against the highest official in the Babylonian Empire is not what concerns us most. We look above all kings and empires to the Lord God Almighty. God's people had been rebelling against God for many centuries. The time had at last come for the Lord to use Nebuchadnezzar as His instrument to discipline Judah as He said He would.
The consequences of this discipline were devastating. The king was blinded after seeing the murder of his sons. The temple was destroyed. Jerusalem was burned and the wall of the city was broken down. Many people were taken away into exile. Anything of value was carried out of the land. Many lost their lives.
The king of Babylon appointed a governor over the region. No son of David would reign in Jerusalem ever again, at least not in the way that men like Hezekiah and Josiah had reigned. Even the governor put in place by the Babylonians, Gedeliah, was soon murdered by renegades who imagined that they would find safety from Babylon in Egypt.
We have come now to the end of this first telling of the history of Israel and Judah. In 1 and 2 Chronicles we hear the story again from another perspective. The series of books that we have been reading from 1 Samuel through 2 Kings ends in Babylon with the release of Josiah's grandson, Jehoiachin, from prison. He sat at the table of a later king of Babylon and was treated with some respect.
Even though Jehoiachin had a seat at the king's table and was given an allowance which met his needs, we must acknowledge that we were hoping for a far better conclusion to the story of the sons of David. There would be one more king to come, but the people of God would have to wait six centuries for Him to be revealed.
When the greatest Son of David came, He said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Yet when He came to His own people, they did not receive Him. But to all “... who would receive Him, who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12) “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)


Monday, June 17, 2013

2 Kings 24

Josiah was the last good king of Judah. After his death his son Jehoahaz reigned for three months until the Egyptians took another of Josiah's sons, Eliakim, and put him in charge instead of his brother. The Egyptians changed the new king's name to Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim reigned for eleven years.
Soon Babylon rather than Egypt was the power to be reckoned with in the region. Jehoiakim originally cooperated with the new empire, but then he began to rebel against the Babylonians, also known as the Chaldeans. Back in the days of Hezekiah the Lord had told His people that the Babylonians would carry them into exile. In the days of Hezekiah's son, Manasseh, the Lord had spoken again about His determination to follow through on this warning. Because of the sins of Manasseh, Judah would be brought into exile. Even the later obedience of Josiah did not change this decree.
All these names can be very confusing. Remember that there were two good kings in the line of David before the nation went into exile, Hezekiah and Josiah. These good kings had sons who were not righteous. Eventually the judgment of God came upon Judah in the south as it had earlier overtaken Israel in the north. The final kings that are mentioned in 2 Kings were the sons and grandson of the great king Josiah. These men were nothing like him.
The Lord God Almighty was the one who was bringing about the exile of His own nation. First He used nations that were bordering them to weaken them. He then used the Babylonian Empire to carry them off into exile. He did this “... to remove them out of his sight.” Their idolatrous kings had shed innocent blood and “... the Lord would not pardon.”
These are hard words to read, but they should not surprise us. The Lord's people were given generations to prepare for what would eventually come to pass. The destruction of Judah was not the result of blind fate or chance. It came from God and was very clearly known to be the result of the wickedness of His people. God's ancient promises of grace would not be established through their ability to obey God or to stay in the land that God had given them.
Eventually Josiah's grandson Jehoiachin was taken away to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babyon, took the king's uncle, Zedekiah, and left him in charge of the remaining poor people who were not valuable enough to take away to Babylon.
God had cast His people out of His presence. The poor would be able to live in the land as long as they followed the rules set by the Babylonians. Soon Zedekiah rebelled against the empire, and the stage was set for the utter destruction of Jerusalem.
Our hope does not rest on the obedience, wisdom, and power of evil rulers. They live and die like all men. Eventually they face the consequences of their rebellion. They cannot bring us security. Neither is our hope in the imperial powers of the world, whether the Egyptians, the Babylonians, or any other power that has already come or may come in the future. Our hope for grace and blessing is in the God who loved His people enough to discipline them for their disobedience. He brought them into Canaan so many centuries before the events recorded in this chapter. He would soon lead them out of Canaan and preserve a remnant for a later generation.
This eternal God would give His people a pathway to heavenly life that would not depend on their own merit or power. Beyond the exile, in the distant centuries to come, a Savior would secure our future with His own death and resurrection. We have put our trust in Him. We have a salvation through Him that can never be taken away. He has provided us with a godly heritage and a glorious destiny.


Sunday, June 16, 2013

Hebrews 2:7a

June 16, 2013 Evening:
Title: Lower Than the Angels
Old Testament Passage: 2 Kings 23:28-30 – The death of Josiah and the anointing of his son to be king
Gospel Passage: Mark 9:9-13 – As they were coming down the mountain...
Sermon Text: Hebrews 2:7 – The Son of God was made for a little while lower than the angels
Sermon Point: God had His purposes in the temporary humiliation of His Son.
[7] You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
The Scriptures speak to us of two worlds. One is fading away and another is coming into being. The first has become a world of death because of Adam's sin. The second world is forever a world of life because of Christ's obedience.

Psalm 8, quoted in this section of Hebrews 2, can be viewed through both of these worlds.

As this evening's phrase relates to the world of death, God made Adam a little lower than the angels. This was a very exalted position in the order of creation recorded for us in Genesis 1. Man would be an image-bearer of the Lord as the highest of the mortal creatures of flesh upon the earth. As the angels had wisdom, power, and holiness, man would also share these attributes of God. Yet man would be lower than the angels, at least for now.

As Hebrews 2:7 relates to the world of life, God sent His Son to be in an estate of humiliation for a little while. Jesus, fully God and fully man, would willingly take an appointed place as the Son of Man, the Messiah, in an apparent position that was very low.

The same position that was such an honor for Adam among the creatures was a great condescension for the Son of God. Jesus did this in order to save us and to raise us up with Him in the heavenly places.

We are in Him right now in the heavenly places according to Ephesians 2, but what does this even mean? This is very hard for us to understand. Our senses take in the world of death since this is our arena of testing and service. Yet by faith we see a better place where our Leader has gone. His senses take in the world of life which is in reserve for us above.

For the present moment, we enjoy (can we say that?) the mystery of serving the King of life in the midst of a world of death. God has given us a great opportunity for service. We are medics on an epic battlefield. There is danger here, but if we should face a mortal wound, we only go to the place where Jesus reigns in person.

These brief moments that we have here below are a precious gift from God. As citizens of heaven we need to value the time that we have on this mission field. Our destiny is to be above the angels with our Lord and Savior. As he served faithfully below, we have our brief opportunity of faithfulness before us for a little while.


Use the time well. Rejoice in the Lord always and devote yourself to good works which God prepared beforehand for you that you might walk in them.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

The Floods Have Lifted Up - Verse 3

Verse 1: (Based on Psalm 93)
The floods have lifted up
their voice above my head;
but You, O Lord, in majesty
reign o'er this world of death.

Verse 2: (Based on Mark 9:2-7)
Lord Jesus in the heights,
bright, shining, radiant Light,
You are God's Son, Beloved One!
When will my faith be sight?

Verse 3: (Based on Acts 22:23-30)
If I have any gift
or blessing here below,
let me use every ray of hope
to make your glory known.

Friday, June 14, 2013

The Floods Have Lifted Up - Verse 2

Verse 1: (Based on Psalm 93)
The floods have lifted up
their voice above my head;
but You, O Lord, in majesty
reign o'er this world of death.

Verse 2: (Based on Mark 9:2-7)
Lord Jesus in the heights,
bright, shining, radiant Light,
You are God's Son, Beloved One!
When will my faith be sight?

Thursday, June 13, 2013

The Floods Have Lifted Up - Verse 1

The floods have lifted up
their voice above my head;
but You, O Lord, in majesty
reign o'er this world of death.

(Based on Psalm 93)

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

2 Kings 23

King Josiah heard the Word of God. Humbled by what he now understood, he went forward in obedience to the Lord's commandments. His decision was not merely personal. He called on the elders of Judah and gathered together all the people of God. He wanted them to hear what he had heard. Together they made a solemn promise to obey the Lord.
Once again, as in the days of his great-grandfather Hezekiah, King Josiah removed from Judah all the monuments of idolatry that had filled the land from even before the reigns of Manasseh and Amon. His vehement destruction of every evidence of false worship was recorded for us in some detail.
The list of Josiah's accomplishments presents us with powerful evidence of the sad spiritual condition of Judah. The people were very religious, but they were not dedicated with their whole hearts to the Lord their God. They had merely combined elements of the worship of Yahweh with all the other religious traditions from the nations around them. God had intended that His people would be a light to the world. Instead His nation had become a showcase of strange religious practices that had nothing to do with the commandments of God.
Josiah took his reforms beyond the borders of Judah. The king fulfilled ancient words written about him in 1 Kings 13:2, doing all that he could to desecrate false sacred places that had long been a snare to the Lord's people.
Josiah faithfully sought to obey all the words of the Law that were written in the book that had been recovered in the temple. Nonetheless, nothing would overturn the Lord's settled purposes in sending Judah into exile. Something better than the Law would be necessary for the salvation of the Lord's elect. The era of the Old Covenant needed to move toward a close. A new and even more unexpected King would come. At just the right time He would begin to preach and teach about the kingdom of God. His kingdom would be secured for us by His own blood.
After Josiah's strange death at the hands of the leading powers in Egypt, the king's sons and grandson would reign over Judah. Foreign rulers would effectively have control over this special area of the world for many centuries to come. At just the right time, the new kingdom that Jesus proclaimed would appear on the earth. That kingdom would have a very modest beginning, but as the Hebrew prophets of old had promised, it would eventually reach far beyond the borders of Canaan.


Tuesday, June 11, 2013

2 Kings 22

After the reigns of Manasseh and Amon, both of whom were evil kings, the Lord's mercy was again extended to Judah and Jerusalem through the gift of one of the greatest kings in the history of God's people. Josiah began to reign at a very young age. In the prior chapter we learned that the people of the land made him king after his father had been murdered. He would be the last good king in the history of the Old Testament.
Josiah's greatness can best be measured by his sincere response to hearing God's Word. Somewhere during the long reign of Manasseh and Amon the written Word of the Lord was lost. It was during the reign of Josiah that the “Book of the Law” was found again. The phrase “Book of the Law” probably referred to the book of Deuteronomy. One of the king's officials delivered this understated news to Josiah, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” The official proceeded to read the book to the king, and Josiah was cut to the heart.
The king needed to hear from God in order to lead the people forward. What should be done now? Was there any hope? Josiah had heard the words of God's curse from the Law. He knew that the nation had disobeyed the Lord. Could there be a reprieve for Jerusalem and Judah from the wrath of God?
A prophetess was found who had a message for the king. Judah would go into exile for all of her idolatry and rebellion, but the Lord had taken note of the king's repentance. The discipline of the nation would come after the king's death.
Throughout the Scriptures we are told of the greatness of God. What is man that He is mindful of us at all? The Lord has not only created us and cared for us. He has also spoken to us. Nonetheless, even the Lord's chosen people were very unwilling to hear Him and to obey Him.
Toward the end of the days of Judah the nation and her king found the Word of God again. Before the people were sent off into exile, God raised up a man who was willing to be ashamed of the sin of God's people and to humble himself before the Lord. This was Josiah's greatness and it made a difference to the Lord.
The entire world knows that there is a God. Romans 1:19-20 tells us that “... His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” Even though people all over the world know God, they suppress the knowledge of the truth in unrighteousness. But now the greatest of all kings has come to save us.
One of the wonderful signs of our Savior's holiness was His love for His Father's Word. As those who have received His Spirit, we too have been granted a listening ear that can hear the voice of our King. He is our Shepherd and we are His sheep. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me,” (John 10:27).
Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as the rebellious kings of old did. Have the courage to believe the Word of the Lord and to follow Jesus.


Monday, June 10, 2013

2 Kings 21

Manasseh was the son of Hezekiah. His father was a great king who led the nation in courageous and necessary reforms. But now his son, over a very lengthy time in power, brought all the paganism back to Judah that Hezekiah had worked so hard to remove.
Remember that Israel was the Promised Land. It was not to be a country of religious pluralism. It was supposed to be a display to the world of what life could be like when the people of God loved the Lord with their whole being. This vision was incompatible with the worship of false gods.
Hezekiah and his son Manasseh did not share the same religious passions. The father's life was commended and the son's was plainly condemned. There was more to the story of Manasseh than what we have recorded here, but we need to deal with that information when we come to the end of 2 Chronicles. For now it is important for us to see that Manasseh led the people of Judah into religious and moral depravity. As a king over God's people, Manasseh “... led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.”
The Lord was not silent concerning the failures of Manasseh. Because of his leadership the time for the destruction of Jerusalem was drawing ever nearer. After Manasseh died, his son, Amon, reigned in his place. Amon was no better than his father. But then after his reign of only two years, the son of Amon became king in Judah. This new king, Josiah, would be one of the greatest kings in the history of God's people.
It would be wrong for us to minimize the importance of the obedience of the ruler over God's people. Our understanding that both Hezekiah and Manasseh were sinners and in need of God's grace does not mean that we cannot see a moral distinction between these two men.
Nonetheless, it would also be a great mistake for us to ignore the fact that great kings like Hezekiah and Josiah knew that they themselves were in desperate need of the Lord's mercy. This is one of the marks of those who have been touched by the grace of God. They are able to sing Psalm 51 with sincere hearts, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.”
Manasseh and his son were a disaster for Judah and for the city of Jerusalem. Jeremiah 15:4 says that judgment would come upon Judah, “... because of what Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem.”
A great king knows his need for the perfect Messiah King. He looks in hope to the day of His coming. An evil king ignores God's law with impunity for decade upon decade and may still suppose that he needs no Substitute to take away his sins.

The true life of faith and obedience is clear enough. Our lives do make a difference. We need to hear the Voice of God and obey. May God grant us the humility to acknowledge our eternal debt to Jesus Christ and to embrace Him as the sinless King who saves sinners. May He also grant us hearts that are more eager to hear the Word of God and obey it.

Saturday, June 08, 2013

Hebrews 2:6

June 9, 2013 Evening:
Title: What is man, that you are mindful of him?
Old Testament Passage: Deuteronomy 32:1-9 – The great God, the Father of His Israel
Gospel Passage: Mark 8:31-33 – Jesus rebukes Peter regarding the cross
Sermon Text: Hebrews 2:6 – Psalm 8 – What is man?
Sermon Point: It is shocking that the Almighty God cares about mankind as He most obviously does.

[6] It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him?
The author of Hebrews has told us plainly in the previous verse that he is writing about the world to come. That world is the great theme of Christian hope. We have much information in both the Old and New Testaments about what that final environment of the new heavens and new earth will be like. Nonetheless, even the Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

The entire Bible is full of food for thought regarding the present heavens and the life to come. The author here in Hebrews 2:6 draws our attention to Psalm 8. How will this psalm help us to more diligently pay attention to Christ and His Word?

Psalm 8 is ambiguous. When the author writes of “man” and “the son of man,” who is he referring to? Is this about Adam and all who are found in Adam, or is it about Jesus and all who are found in Him? As with many of the ambiguities that we are blessed to discover in the Scriptures, we would do well to follow the advice of Ecclesiastes 7:18, “It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand,” since there may be important truths that we find in the passage that we will miss if we insist that with God there is no possibility of deliberate ambiguity.

Psalm 8:4, concerning the first Adam, reminds us that God was far above all humanity, and yet He not only created Adam and his descendants, he cares for us.

Psalm 8:4, concerning Jesus, the second Adam, adds an additional important thought: God's care for us included His giving the eternal Son of God to become man for us, so that a new world could be secured by His blood.

Taking both of these together, we marvel at God's care for us in creation and providence, but then we fall down in worship before God through Jesus when we consider our sin and the costly redemption that is ours through such an amazing Sacrifice.

Almighty God obviously cares about us. He cares about the world that is perishing, Adam's world. He cares about humanity enough to provide a Redeemer, the second Adam. If God loves this dying world enough to give His only Son that whoever would look to Jesus in faith would find life, imagine His love for the new world that is coming into being through the resurrection of Jesus.


Two applications to consider: First, we should have a proper respect for all humanity. There is a dignity to all who bear the mark of Adam upon their souls. By creation they are in the line of the sons of God. Second, we must use our every consideration of the glory of the new creation to cause us to pay much closer attention to the Resurrection King of the world to come and to follow Him now.

Deuteronomy 34

The days of Moses on this earth came to an end. In this final chapter of Deuteronomy we have also come to the end of the books of the Law.

God allowed Moses to see the entire land of Canaan from afar, but He would not permit His servant to enter the land. Joshua, the servant of Moses, would become the next place-holder for the coming Messiah and would lead the people forward.

Moses died according to the Word of the Lord. His body was buried by God, but he was taken away into a better place. The saving work of Christ was so sure that Moses went to be with God long before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. That is why Moses could appear with Jesus and Elijah at the Transfiguration of Jesus. He and Elijah came from heaven to be with Jesus on that mountain.

Moses was not weak even though he was 120 years old. “His vigor was unabated.” His death and burial came according to the will of Him who assures us that a day is coming when we will all be able to say without tears, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55) We still weep today when a loved one passes away as the people of Israel did at the death of Moses, but one day the Lord will wipe away every tear.

Moses ordained Joshua to take his place. God filled Israel's new leader with the Spirit of wisdom for the next era in the life of His people. But there was a better age coming beyond the days of all the kings and prophets of Israel.


God gave the Law through Moses, but grace and truth came in person when Jesus the Messiah dwelt among us. To all who receive Him, who believe in His name, He gives the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)

Friday, June 07, 2013

Deuteronomy 33

The Lord is committed to His people. God made promises to us that stretched all the way from the Garden of Eden to the final resurrection. Like a good father He disciplines His children, but He has promised to bring great blessing upon us through His Son.

Long before Jesus came to secure for us eternal life through His death and resurrection, God used special servants like Jacob and Moses to pronounce blessings upon the tribes of Israel. Moses spoke these words just before his departure.

The Lord God Almighty talked to Israel through Moses. He blessed the tribes from His place of highest authority in heaven. The Lord was not only the Law-Giver. He was also the sovereign Ruler and God of Israel. Each tribe had a future according to His decree.

The tribe of Reuben, the first-born, would live, and not die out. Yet they would not have preeminence, just as Jacob had pronounced centuries before. Who would be first in the list of tribes?

The word to Judah was brief, but significant in placement and content: “Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him in to his people. With your hands contend for him, and be a help against his adversaries.” David and the line of kings would come from this tribe until the Messiah King was given. This final King, the Word of God made flesh, would be the Voice of the Lord. God would hear this anointed Voice and would bring about the gift of communion between the Messiah and His people. The Lord would preserve the line of the King through many dangers.

Levi, the tribe of priests and tabernacle servants, would teach the Law of God and offer up sacrifices on the Lord's altar until the final Sacrifice came. Not long after the coming of a Messiah Priest, Israel would no longer have Levitical priests or sacrifices. See Hosea 3:4-5.

Benjamin would be the beloved of the Lord. He would dwell under the Lord's protection.

Joseph would be blessed by the Lord in his land, especially the descendants of Joseph that came through his son Ephraim. This part of Joseph would eventually be the leading tribe of northern Israel. Though conquered and scattered by the Assyrians, the strong influence of Israel would be known all over the earth.

Zebulun and Issachar would rejoice in the gifts of the Lord in the land that God would give to them. Gad, Dan, Naphtali, and Asher would have their particular words of victory and bounty from God.

These words to the tribes of the conquest generation were surprisingly bountiful in view of the earlier warnings that God spoke through Moses. Nothing here denied the curse that would come upon Israel. But even after those earlier devastating words had been given, these last prophetic words of Moses would still come to pass. God would bless His people Israel.

Why would He do this? The oracle of Moses recorded in this chapter ended with the answer: because of the Most High. “There is none like God.” He would make a way for Israel to be called by the name “Jeshurun,” which means “the upright one.” To be “upright” is to be morally excellent. How could God use this title to bless Israel?

The God of Israel, the Voice that saves, He alone is the upright One. Yet in Him, in His Son's death for Israel and for His people everywhere, the blessings of God upon His elect would be secure. Israel would be granted His Name in their union with Jesus.


This Voice has come from heaven to be our Help. The eternal God is our dwelling place. His are the everlasting arms that support Israel and the church. He is our happiness, our salvation, our protection, and our victory forever.

Thursday, June 06, 2013

Deuteronomy 32

 “He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Moses spoke these important words twice in the prior chapter. Though Israel would fail, though they would be disciplined, though God would even hide from them, He would not leave them or forsake them.

The song that God gave to Israel through Moses begins with the Lord's greatness. The One who is the Most High God speaks.

The problem that would come between Israel and God would not be a result of some flaw in the Lord's being or character. The Lord is Israel's Father. He made Israel to be His people. He rescued them, provided for them, and blessed them. But when they prospered, they rebelled. They forgot the Rock of their salvation and provoked Him to anger.

The glorious work of God was known to Him before the ages began. Even this sad story was a part of the mystery of His plan. The other nations, who were not God's people, would be brought in by the Lord's sovereign will. One day they would make the Jews jealous again for the Lord.

In the meantime the Lord would bring the curse of the Law upon His own beloved people. They would face the horrors of siege and exile. Many would die.

Though God would use foreign armies as agents of discipline against Israel, He would eventually vindicate them and have compassion on His servants. He would do this in the faithfulness of His eternal love, but especially for the glory of His own Name.

God would display His justice and His faithfulness through the story of Israel. Later, through the gift of the Messiah, He would show how He could both punish their rebellion and be their Companion who would never leave them or forsake them.

This song that God gave Israel was a warning to them, and it became the story of their life together as a people. But it was also a powerful Word about the character of their Lord and God.

Who can stand in the glory of the holiness of God's character? Even Moses was not able to enter the land. Even Moses' faith had failed.


But now a Man has been found who kept the Lord's commandments perfectly. He won for us the security of eternal blessing. Through Him we walk not only in the fear of the Lord, but also in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. In Him perfect love casts out all fear. In Him we have peace with God forever.