The Lord Will Be My Guide

Tune: Carlisle, S.M.

Scriptures: Psalm 23, Mark 12:6-9, Acts 26:19-32

1: The Lord will be my guide

Through all my wants and woes.

He leads me to His home above.

My cup now overflows.

2: He is the Father's heir,

Though men His rights abhorred.

And now the nations hear and see

The glory of the Lord.

3: But how will any know

Unless the news is heard

That Jesus is the first to rise?

He is the living Word!

1 Chronicles 17

David loved the presence of the Lord. He had diligently sought the return of the ark of the Lord to the center of Israel's worship, and God had answered his prayers. With that great goal accomplished, the king began to be uncomfortable that the ark dwelt in a tent instead of a glorious palace.

Now for the second time in the Scriptures (2 Samuel 7) we read of God's Word to David in response to David's desire to build a temple for God. The Lord would build a house for David, a dynasty that would lead to One who would be both a descendant of David and the eternal Son of God.

Today we know much more about the fulfillment of this great promise in the coming of the Messiah. Jesus has become a resurrection temple for His people. In our spiritual connection with Him, we are also called to be a temple of the Holy Spirit.

This idea of a living temple made up of people is a mysterious concept that is hard to understand. What we do know is that this New Testament temple is far more glorious than any building that people can build. We are part of a glorious kingdom that will never end.

When we consider the wonder of God's plans for the future we should thank the Lord that He has a plan for eternal glory that includes us. We should strive to grow in our appreciation for what lies ahead of us. Finally, we should be full of gratitude for the work of the Son of God who gave His life to accomplish our eternal blessedness.

1 Chronicles 16

First Chronicles not only records the fact that the ark of God was brought to Jerusalem, it also highlights the worship that attended this event. The celebration of Israel took place in the presence of Almighty God, and David's songs of thanks were recorded in the Scriptures.

These songs not only appeared in First Chronicles 16, they also made their way into Israel's Psalter. This chapter includes generous portions of Psalms 95, 105, and 106.

God's people have the privilege of recounting the greatness of the Lord in song when they gather together in His presence. Their time of covenant assembly is not a mere memorial service. They worship a God who is alive and whose presence they can seek. Their trust is that God is meeting with them. They are the Lord's chosen people and He is their glorious King.

It was God who brought Israel into the land of Canaan. He made promises to the patriarchs and over a period of centuries He accomplished His plans. They were a special people chosen by Him. He protected them and provided for their needs.

In their songs of praise Israel invited the entire world to praise their God. The Lord who made the heavens and earth was far above the idols that other people groups of the earth once worshiped. The world could discover their destiny in the praise of the God of Israel.

Israel called upon the Lord to protect them from the hands of those who might come against them. He would deliver them from great danger, and they would gather together to praise His glorious Name forever.

The coming of the ark of the Lord to David's city was cause for great celebration. King David commanded worship with music and singing as an ongoing duty and privilege for the Lord's servants. The people of Israel had strong reasons to thank the Lord for His steadfast love.

How can we do less than this since we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and saved from sure destruction through the mercy of God? The longing of the ancient Israelites has come to pass. All over the earth people are rejoicing in the Lord for His great deeds. From every tribe and tongue and nation, a people chosen by the Lord are praising the glorious Name of the Lord.

1 Chronicles 15

David faced up to his fear and discouragement that came from the death of Uzzah. He still wanted the blessing of the Lord through every means that God appointed. It was time to bring the ark to Jerusalem, the city of David.

Now the king gave specific instructions that reflected a greater awareness of the Lord's Law regarding the transportation of the ark. Only the Levites could carry the ark. He summoned the leaders from this tribe and instructed them: “You are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites. Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it. Because you did not carry it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule.”

This was sound direction. They needed to handle the ark according to the Lord's Law. They understood that efficiency could not overrule the demands of obedience. A cart might get the job done more quickly, but the Lord had specified that the ark was to be carried using the special poles designed for that purpose.

Even though Uzzah had died the last time they attempted to move the ark, the procession was not to be characterized by timidity and fear. It was time for the Levites and all the people to rejoice in the Lord following the example of King David. The ark would come into Jerusalem with great sounds of joy.

The great gladness of God's assembly did not mean that all care for propriety had vanished. The movement of the ark was marked by the sacrifice of bulls and rams and the consecration of all who were engaged in this dedicated act of worship, especially the king.

Not everyone was able to rejoice in what was taking place. Michal, the daughter of Saul, despised David for his behavior in leading Israel in worship that day. But the Lord accepted the king's sacrifice of praise and the ark safely arrived at the destination that the king had prepared for it.

It was very dangerous to bring the ark into Jerusalem, but by the blood of the sacrifice and the power of holy joy, the king's goal was achieved. As great as this moment was, our King Jesus has achieved something far greater. He has entered the Jerusalem above with His own blood, the blood of the eternal sacrifice, which has made a safe way for us to dwell with God forever. One Man died to assure the successful attainment of this eternal purpose of God. Now it is our privilege to approach God through the perfect holiness of Christ. God dwells in us and we will live with Him forever.

Who Can Discern His Faults

Tune: St. Bride
Supporting Scriptures: Psalm 19:12-14, Mark 11:27-33, Acts 26:1-18

Who can discern his faults?
Keep back my soul from sin.
Let my words be acceptable,
O Lord, my Rock, my King.

I serve the living God
As others now above.
Grant me the courage and the strength
Of holiness and love.

My eyes were just as blind
As those who hate Your Word.
But Jesus called me from the dead.
Rise up and see your God!

Blog Break

The next blog will appear on Thursday, August 22, 2013, Lord willing.

1 Chronicles 14

Although David was angry and afraid as a result of the death of Uzzah and the failed attempt to bring the ark of the Lord home, it was not as if God had not already greatly blessed David. The events in 1 Chronicles 14 did not necessarily take place in the three months between the first failed attempt to transport the ark and the second successful event described in 1 Chronicles 15. This brief chapter simply notes some of the different ways in which God had already blessed David.

Hiram, a Gentile king, was sending supplies to David for the building of his house. “The Lord had established him as king over Israel.” Hiram's willingness to serve the king of Israel was a sign of God's favor to David.

The Lord also blessed David's family. He gave the king many descendants, including Solomon and Nathan, two sons of David who would both be mentioned in the genealogies of the coming Messiah.

The Lord gave David direction in battle that led to astounding victories over the Philistines. David was certain that his success against the nation's enemies was from the hand of God. The Lord had broken through Philistine lines of battle “like a bursting flood.” The Philistines abandoned their gods in their retreat. David burned their idols as an act of devotion to the Lord.

God gave David direction that made all the difference in his endeavors. If the Lord told him to make a frontal assault, David followed that command. If God told him to go around the enemy and wait for another sign, he attended carefully to that Word. Either way the Lord knew what to do, and He brought success to His chosen one. God went before him and David's fame increased “into all lands.”

If God had shown such favor to David even without the ark, surely the Lord would help the son of Jesse in his desire to know the presence of the Lord through this appointed holy object. In the next chapter we will continue the story of the ark and see what lessons God had for His servant. But the Lord's good intentions for David were not dependent upon ceremonial righteousness or the king's devotion to any holy object, even one as important as the ark of the covenant. At the root of the Lord's goodness to David was the settled intention of God Himself. He would bless whomever He was determined to bless.

The glory, fruitfulness, and military success of David were astounding. Yet the Messiah King who would come from David's descendants would achieve far more than His great ancestor. Kings would bow before Him. Those who would be counted as His offspring would be far beyond number. He would utterly defeat an entire empire of supernatural evil by following His Father's instructions to the letter. He was obedient even when His Father told Him that the pathway of victory would come through His own death on the cross. The Lord's commitment to the success of His Son was not magic or the result of having the right holy objects nearby at the worst moments of temptation. The Messiah was the ultimate chosen King. We will be forever blessed because of the Lord's settled love for Jesus, the perfect Servant of the Lord.

1 Chronicles 13

The ark of God was the holiest object that the Lord gave to Israel. Yet in the days of Eli, the ark was captured by the Philistines. Later the Philistines returned the ark to Israel, but there was great fear concerning this holy object, so the ark remained outside of the place where Israel gathered for worship.

During the days of Saul the ark was not near the king. David, though, desired to have it brought to where he was. This seemed good to all the leaders and they believed that it was from the Lord.

The return of the ark was to be a communal celebration involving not only the priests and the rest of the Levites, but all of Israel. David did not merely send others to undertake this important project. He led the way. But in transporting the ark from its temporary location to the place where David reigned, the ark was placed on a cart rather than being carried with the special poles by the officers that the Lord had appointed for that task in the Law. There is no mention given in 1 Chronicles 13 regarding the reason for this glaring omission.

The rejoicing of the people regarding the coming of the ark was cut short by a disaster. The oxen stumbled and one of the officials, Uzzah, put out his hand to protect the ark and he died. This was not a coincidence or merely the result of great stress on Uzzah's heart. The Chronicler writes that “the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah,” and that “the Lord struck him down.” The reason for his death was recorded for our consideration: “because he put out his hand to the ark.”

Touching the ark in this way was prohibited by God's Law. That commandment did not allow for extenuating circumstances. Uzzah died right there, and David was “angry” and “afraid of God that day.” His desire to have the ark with him was good, but could that goal be safely accomplished?

David left the ark in the household of another man for the next three months. Blessing came to his household during that time, the kind of blessing that David desired for His household and for His reign as king.

The ark could be an object of blessing but it could also be an object of wrath. The only reason that the ark had any power was because of God who had determined to dwell upon it between the cherubim on the cover of the ark. The presence of God could be a sword cutting one way or the other. How could David and the people know that the Lord would use the ark to bless them?

The wrath of God needed to be satisfied for Israel, not just temporarily or partially, but finally and completely. That satisfaction would not come until a proper offering was found that could bear the weight of Israel's sin. Only in the cross of Christ has God's justice found a full payment. Now we can boldly come into the presence of the Almighty. We even have God's presence within us. We still need to be careful to attend to the Word of the Lord, but our hearts have found a very safe resting place in Christ.

The Key to Holiness - Jesus

August 4, 2013 Evening:

Title: The Sanctifier of the Sanctified

Old Testament Passage: Psalm 104:31-35 – May the Glory of the Lord endure forever.

Gospel Passage: Mark 11:15-19 – Jesus Cleanses the Temple

Sermon Text: Hebrews 2:11a “For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source....”

Sermon Point: Jesus is cleansing a new temple.

[11] For he who sanctifies

Our lives now have a very important purpose. Though each person may struggle with some of the details of his or her calling, we are all called to be holy, set apart for God, and filled with His Spirit as the new temple of God. We live in the midst of a world that has been defiled by sin. But if we confess our sin, He is gracious and just, not only to forgive our sin, but also to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This is the will of God, your sanctification.

The One who sanctifies is God. He is holy, and He makes us to be holy by the gift of Himself. We have Christ in us, the hope of glory. Peter says that we have been made partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

and those who are sanctified

Our Father in heaven, Jesus His Son, and the Holy Spirit of God are together the Source of sanctification in the church. We who have faith in God are the object of God's loving motions of sanctification. Our Lord, who disciplines those He loves, is not content to leave us unclean. He sees the impurity in us, just as surely as He saw the problem in the Old Testament temple, which had become a den of robbers.

The Lord will use His Word, among other means of grace, to show us our stains and to enable us to walk as a new holy temple of the Lord.

all have one source. (out of one [are] all)

The words that are translated here, “all have one source,” are literally, “out of One all,” or “all are of One.” The author wants us to see the closeness between God and His people through Jesus Christ.

The Lord's intention is not the building of an imposing structure that will impress men, but the gathering of a people that will be a living holy temple for His presence forever. This is the way that He has chosen to display His glory into eternity, through this temple of people. He has zeal for this glorious house.

Applications:

1. Sanctification is your primary calling in life. How is that work going? How has the Lord sanctified you during the last month? What holiness has He worked in you?

2. Do you feel all alone in the work of holiness? That feeling is not accurate or helpful. If you are in Christ, then He is in you, and all are of this One. Knowing that and learning to rely on Him in your work of sanctification may be the key to real progress.

3. There is no way to be sanctified outside of Christ.

My Mouth Will Not Transgress - Verse 3

Verse 1: (Based on Psalm 17)

My mouth will not transgress.

Hide me in Your embrace.

Men of the world have all they want.

I shall behold Your face!

Verse 2: (Based on Mark 11:12-14, 20-25)

I will have faith in God.

I will believe and pray.

I will forgive my enemies;

It is my Father's way.

Verse 3: (Based on Acts 25)

They have a plan to kill.

Their lies they cannot prove.

My trust is still that Jesus lives.

He is the Word above.

My Mouth Will Not Transgress - Verse 2

Verse 1: (Based on Psalm 17)

My mouth will not transgress.

Hide me in Your embrace.

Men of the world have all they want.

I shall behold Your face!

Verse 2: (Based on Mark 11:12-14, 20-25)

I will have faith in God.

I will believe and pray.

I will forgive my enemies;

It is my Father's way.

 

My Mouth Will Not Transgress - Verse 1

Verse 1: (Based on Psalm 17)

My mouth will not transgress.

Hide me in Your embrace.

Men of the world have all they want.

I shall behold Your face!