by HARVEYOPP | Aug 28, 2015 | Scott Henry
“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
The death of a loved one, a friend, a relative, or a neighbor ought to cause each of us to stop and reflect upon our own mortality. “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). The death of a fellow human being ought to cause each of us to cry out to God like the tax collector in the temple: “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” (Luke 18:13). We all need God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness because we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) who have broken God’s Law and we all know we will soon die and face our Creator. “For the living know they will die…” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13). “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27).
Did you notice the words “…but after this the judgment”? How are you planning to escape the judgment of God against your sins? Are you planning to stand in your own efforts, your own supposed goodness? The Bible is clear regarding the forgiveness of sins … Jesus Christ is the ONLY way of forgiveness with God. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). “Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many” (Heb. 9:28), and all who trust in His perfect law-abiding life and sin-atoning death have full forgiveness of their sins and are reconciled to our Holy God. “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).
Don’t be deceived … death and judgment are a breath away for all the living. Therefore, I “implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). Run to Jesus while you still have time … “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:31) … call out to Him for grace, mercy, and forgiveness … for He has promised rest, righteousness, forgiveness, and everlasting life to all who come to Him by true faith. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28-29).
by HARVEYOPP | Aug 28, 2015 | Scott Henry
“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD!” (Psalm 119:1)
To walk in the Law of the Lord means that God’s Word directs your steps and informs all your decisions. It means your practice is to deal with every situation in life according to the Word of God. The person who walks according to the Law of the Lord continually asks this question, “What does the Word of God say about this situation?” Not one believer does this consistently because of remaining, indwelling sin, and that’s why we have days of sorrow, struggle, disappointment, and discouragement. But we know, as our text teaches, that if we are going to be joyful it’s only going to happen as we walk in obedience to God’s Word. Think of the times you disobeyed and how you grieved in your soul. Think how the Spirit of God convicted you of your sin and drove you to repentance. This is God’s love and goodness towards the sheep of His pasture, the people of His hand. “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives” (Hebrews 12:6).
Our desire as believers is to live consistently according to God’s Word, but our walk is not yet perfected; the point is, if you call yourself a Christian then you must have the desire to walk consistently according to God’s Word, and if you do it will be manifest in your life. If you would be one who is undefiled in the way, you must be one who keeps God’s testimonies. And if you keep or obey His testimonies then it will be demonstrated by your lifestyle. You will be a forgiving person who strives to put off grudges; you will avoid adultery by living faithfully with your spouse; you will labor with your own hands to avoid being a thief; you will speak the truth in order to avoid being a liar, and you will strive to conform all your thoughts and words to the Word of God so that God would be glorified in and through your life. Does this describe you? Pray that God fills you more and more with His Spirit and Word so that you might walk in His ways and thereby live as a thankful, joyful, obedient believer, one who is redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. 1 John 2:6: “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”
by HARVEYOPP | Aug 21, 2015 | Sinclair Ferguson
How do we distinguish the promptings of the Spirit of grace in His guiding and governing of our lives from the delusions of the spirit of the world and of our own sinful heart? This is a hugely important question if we are to be calm and confident that the spirit with whom we are communing really is the Holy Spirit.
John Owen suggests four ways in which the Spirit and the serpent are to be distinguished:
The leading of the Spirit, he says, is regular, that is, according to theregulum: the rule of Scripture. The Spirit does not work in us to give us a new rule of life, but to help us understand and apply the rule contained in Scripture. Thus, the fundamental question to ask about any guidance will be: Is this course of action consistent with the Word of God?
The commands of the Spirit are not grievous. They are in harmony with the Word, and the Word is in harmony with the believer as new creation. The Christian believer consciously submitted to the Word will find pleasure in obeying that Word, even if the Lord’s way for us is marked by struggle, pain, and sorrow. Christ’s yoke fits well; His burden never crushes the spirit. (Matthew 11:28-30)
The “motions” of the Spirit are orderly. Just as God’s covenant is ordered in all things and secure, (2 Samuel 23:5) so the promised gift of that covenant, the indwelling Spirit, is orderly in the way in which He deals with us. Restlessness is not a mark of communion with the Spirit but of the activity of the evil one. Perhaps Owen had particular members of his congregations in mind when he wrote:
We see some poor souls to be in such bondage as to be hurried up and down, in the matter of duties at the pleasure of Satan. They must run from one to another, and commonly neglect that which they should do. When they are at prayer, then they should be at the work of their calling; and when they are at their calling, they are tempted for not laying all aside and running to prayer. Believers know that this is not from the Spirit of God, which makes “every thing beautiful in its season.”
The “motions,” or promptings of the Spirit, Owen says, always tend to glorify God according to His Word. He brings Jesus’ teaching into our memories; He glorifies the Savior; He pours into our hearts a profound sense of the love of God for us.
How, then, does the Spirit act on the believer? The Spirit comes to us as an earnest, a pledge, a down payment on final redemption. He is here and now the foretaste of future glory. But His presence is also an indication of the incompleteness of our present spiritual experience.
Owen here writes in sharp contrast to those who spoke of release from the influence of indwelling sin and struggle through the liberty of the Spirit. Precisely because He is the firstfruits and not yet the final harvest, there is a sense in which the indwelling of the Spirit is the cause of the believer’s groaning: “We ourselves who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:23) The presence of the Spirit brings us already a foretaste of future glory, but also, simultaneously, creates within us a sense of the incompleteness of our present spiritual experience. This, for Owen, is how communion with the Spirit—understood biblically—brings joy into the life of the believer and yet a deep sense that the fullness of joy is not yet.
by HARVEYOPP | Aug 21, 2015 | Paul Tripp
David writes, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:13-14)
These two verses remind us of the importance of finding our identity in God as Creator. The Lord never makes a mistake, which means we can rest in our physical body and make the most of the gifts God gave specifically to us.
But Psalm 139 continues. Verse 16: “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
Wow! It’s a view of human identity that should take your breath away. Not only is it crucial to find your identity in God as Creator, but you must also find your identity in God as Sovereign.
You and I must rest in the fact that every situation, circumstance, location, experience, and relationship of your life has been under the wise and careful administration of the Lord Almighty.
He has known from the beginning exactly what he was going to do and exactly why he did it. From his vantage point, there are no slip-ups, no oversights, no accidents, no misunderstandings, and no mistakes. Nothing has fallen through the cracks.
Why is this important? Well, let’s be honest: our lives haven’t unfolded as we had planned. Or, if you’re young, you may know exactly what you want to accomplish and the things you’re determined to avoid, but it won’t work out according to your script.
That’s a good thing, although it might not appear to be on the surface. Here’s the simple truth: you and I don’t write our own stories; they’ve been written for us. Our job is to live inside of the plot that God has determined in the way we’ve been called to live.
But just like with our bodies and our gifts, there are times when we secretly wish we could grab a hold of the joystick and direct the trajectory of our lives. Guess what? God, in love, won’t let go. As a result, we experience crushing disappointments, not because God is cruel, but because we let ourselves down with delusions of personal sovereignty.
Let me remind and encourage you again: God is sovereign; you and I aren’t. This isn’t just theology we should proclaim on Sunday; it must be the foundation of our identity every day of the week. God is in absolute control, and he’s infinitely good.
by HARVEYOPP | Aug 21, 2015 | Scott Henry
“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).
Regarding the 8th Commandment, the Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 111, reads as follows: “But what does God require of you in this Commandment? That I further my neighbor’s good where I can and may, deal with him as I would have others deal with me, and labor faithfully, so that I may be able to help the poor in their need.” Christians are called to labor with their own hands at a good work in order to supply not only their own needs, but also the needs of fellow believers (Eph. 4:28). We read in Hebrews 13:16: “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”
The Biblical doctrine of giving is contrary to the ungodly world in which we live. This fallen world is full of the sons of the Devil (John 8:44) who are walking in darkness because they have been taken captive by Satan to do his will (2 Timothy 2:26; Acts 26:18). They are recognized by their godless speech, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9) But the Christian does not walk in darkness. He has been translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light of God’s dear Son for obedience unto the faith (Eph. 2:10) that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude vs. 3). Scripture is abundantly clear; we are born again by the Spirit of God in order that we might be our brother’s keeper. “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).
What about you? Are you zealous to be a “vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21). Do you have generous hands that supply for those who have needs? Do you view your labor as not only supplying your own needs but also the needs of others in your church as well? As Christians we must keep in mind the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). When was the last time you invited a widow in your church or neighborhood to your home for a meal? “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).
How do we demonstrate the love of Christ to others if not by practical deeds of kindness? “This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men” (Titus 3:8). And John tells us in 1 John 3:18-19: “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.” Are we too busy or too burdened to walk in obedience to the commands of our Lord to care for the sheep of His pasture? Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
Therefore, give of your time, talents and treasure for the glory of God and the good of His church. Only in this way will we be able to heed the words of our text: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).
Recent Comments