by HARVEYOPP | Dec 16, 2014 | Scott Henry
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19).
When the psalmist speaks of afflictions he is not just referring to those that are physical, but also spiritual affliction. Many are the spiritual afflictions of God’s people as we walk by faith in this godless world. We are often afflicted by temptations from without and within, and many days we are greatly afflicted in our souls by the ungodliness and utter rebellion of many people, both within and without the church; even as we read of “righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)…” (2 Peter 2:7-8). We also struggle with the affliction that takes place within our own soul from day to day as we seek to put off the old man and put on the new man created in Christ Jesus. Nevertheless, the psalmist declares in our text that ‘the Lord delivers us out of all our afflictions!’
But it’s not so much what type of affliction we bear, but how we bear what God lays upon us in this life. And through looking to Him and pleading His grace, God brings His people into closer fellowship with Himself. And so through the afflictions of this life God causes us, in a wondrous way, to “…taste and see that He is good” (Psalm 34:8). What marvelous grace that causes affliction, both physical and spiritual, to be for our benefit.
Therefore, always remember the Lord is sufficient for all our needs. He has said in Hebrews 13:5: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Therefore, trust Him! We can count on the Lord, who cannot lie (Titus 1:2), to be our constant guide. He will lead us and direct us in the way of truth and down the path of righteousness by His Word. Therefore, trust Him! Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 28:20: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” The Lord will never fail us, but by His Spirit and Word He will be our constant companion, even in the deep waters that He at times calls us to go through. We read a blessed promise the Lord gives His people in Isaiah 43:1-3: “But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…”
Therefore, trust Him! The Heidelberg Catechism says, “What is your only comfort in life and in death? That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ…” This truth is what brings the Christian comfort … knowing that we belong to our faithful Christ. He is the Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep. He is worthy of our trust! Therefore, TRUST HIM! Heaven and earth will pass away but His faithful Word NEVER will. Therefore, Trust Him! Look to Him this day and always, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). And when we diligently and dependently come before our Great Redeemer, Sovereign Defender, and Gentle Shepherd in prayer He alone will give us the quiet mind and peaceful rest we so earnestly seek. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Phil. 4:6-7: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” What words are left to be said but TRUST HIM!
by HARVEYOPP | Dec 12, 2014 | Scott Henry
“But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You” (Psalm 5:11).
Our world is one of pleasure seeking! Bigger and better seems to be the pursuit of many in our society who are seeking for happiness. “If only I had more money, then I’d be happy.” “If only I had a bigger and better home, then I’d be happy.” “If only I had this, that, or the other thing, then I’d be happy.” So often people look to things to bring them happiness, but things are only temporary and have no ability to bring lasting happiness. The newest and best things this world has to offer will one day find their way to a garage sale, the Good Will, or the junk heap!
Ever since the fall of Adam, men and women have constantly sought for earthly possessions to give them happiness. However, we ought to learn a lesson from Solomon who tried an abundance of wine, women, song, and a hundred other things looking for happiness. He wrote in Ecclesiastes 2:10: “Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor; and this was my reward from all my labor.” But in the end he wrote the following words: Ecclesiastes 2:17: “Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.” And again in Ecclesiastes 5:10-11: “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them; so what profit have the owners except to see them with their eyes?” Solomon concluded by saying: “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “All is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 12:8). He realized that everything he worked hard to possess “grew” wings and took flight and his happiness was a passenger on that flight.
Sin provides temporary pleasure, but it steals lasting joy. The writer of Hebrews wrote, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward” (Hebrews 11:24-26). We also read King David’s prayer of repentance in Psalm 51: “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” David lost the joy of his salvation by seeking happiness on his own. The joy of the Lord had left his heart, and David desperately wanted God to restore that joy in His life. You see, true joy only comes from walking with God, obeying His commandments, and following His path for your life. No circumstance, possession, pursuit, or person can give you joy … true joy is a fruit of the Spirit of God. He ALONE is the source and provider of joy. If you truly want happiness and joy in your life, you can only find it by walking with God.
Do you have joy in your life? Joy doesn’t mean being happy at all times, but being content knowing that God is in control. Have you lost the joy of your salvation? Following fleshly desires brings temporary pleasure, but it leaves an absolutely joyless soul. Seek joy in Christ. Look to Him for the satisfying, soul-filling joy that a life lived for Him can bring. He alone can make you to know joy!
by HARVEYOPP | Dec 11, 2014 | Tim Challies
God promises grace to battle sin and to overcome sin. We believe that God gives that kind of grace to his people. This is not something we deserve; it is not something he owes us, but he gives it anyway. It is undeserved, the overflow of his love for us.
And we long for that grace—the grace to put sin to death, the grace to bring righteousness to life, the grace to be who and what God calls us to be.
God gives that grace, but for some reason—his good reasons—it rarely comes in the form we would prefer. God gives it not in the form we want but in the form we need. We want God to zap away our sin, to instantly and permanently remove it. Those desires, those addictions, those idolatries—we want them to be lifted and to be gone that very moment.
God could do this. He has the strength and the power. And occasionally he does do this, he removes the sin and the temptation to sin in an instant, and it never comes back with the same strength and the same force.
But more commonly God’s grace is not manifested in the instant obliteration of a sin. Instead, his grace is manifested in a newfound desire to destroy that sin. God does not zap away our sin, but gives us a new hatred for it and a new desire to do the hard work of battling it. He does not sovereignly remove it in a moment, but extends grace so we can battle it for a lifetime. He extends grace so we can see continuous, incremental success, knowing our weakness and crying out for his strength. He gives what we need, even if it isn’t quite what we want.
And this, too, is grace. This, too, is undeserved favor from a loving God. This, somehow, must be far better for us than the alternative. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
by HARVEYOPP | Dec 9, 2014 | Scott Henry
“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42)
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He said to His disciples, “… go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” The apostles preached and taught the people so often that it was said they “filled Jerusalem with their doctrine.” And the believers never tired of hearing the Apostles’ doctrine because they loved to hear the Gospel of their salvation. One mark of a true believer is a person who loves the truth of the Gospel, joins the church, and desires to learn all that he can about the Word of God. A true believer wants to be instructed in the Scriptures, and he wants to tell others the things he learns.
Is this the desire of your heart? Do you go to worship on Sunday because you can’t get enough of the Word of Christ? The church of Jesus Christ is a teaching and learning church. It’s a church that’s steadfastly devoted to the Apostles’ teaching; the sound doctrine that proclaims the Lord Jesus Christ and what God has done for sinners through Christ … that’s the heart and soul of the church. You take away the Apostles’ doctrine and the church will die. Wherever the faithful preaching of the Apostles’ doctrine is heard, and where people continue to profess that doctrine, there the true church lives and thrives, and it’s there that you have a portrait of the Spirit-filled church.
But our text also reveals that a Spirit-Filled church is one devoted to fellowship. The word fellowship could also be translated communion because the basic idea of fellowship or communion is unity with another; you have something in common that brings you together, and believers have something in common … their fellowship in Jesus Christ. The early church was devoted to fellowship. They were united in true brotherly love and they demonstrated this by taking care of each other. Those who had more than they needed gave of their wealth to those who had less so that there wasn’t a needy person among them. What about you? How do you view your possessions? We have so many things today that we don’t even use certain items. Just think of some of the clothes in your closet that you have not worn in years. Do you see your possessions as a gift from God to be stewarded for His glory and the benefit of the church, or do you just keep them to yourself? Do you have more of a desire to hoard things you don’t need or give them to those who could use them? The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:17-18: “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share…”
The early church was very enthusiastic in showing the common bond they had with one another, and their fellowship was based upon the union they have with God and the Lord Jesus Christ. We read in 1 John 1:3: “…and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” Fellowship in the church is no less than fellowship with God Himself. That’s the covenant life of the church. That’s the true unity that believers have in Jesus Christ.
by HARVEYOPP | Dec 6, 2014 | Scott Henry
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).
Our text strikes at the heart of the self-centeredness we see so often today in the Church of Jesus Christ. There are many people who profess to be Christians and are members of a church, but their only concern for the church is what they can get out of it. The words that come from their lips are, “What’s in it for me?” They’re what we call consumers. They take as much as they can for themselves, but they never contribute to the life and health of the church. They don’t understand what Jesus teaches about true discipleship and how He calls every believer to live a life of self-denial. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.” Self-denial is a mark of a true disciple of Jesus Christ, and it’s a principle Jesus taught many times to His disciples. Jesus is not talking about how to be saved, but rather how those who are already saved demonstrate the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in their heart by living a life of self-denial.
In Matthew 16:21 Jesus said, “I have to go to Jerusalem to be killed and be raised the third day.” But the disciples didn’t hear “be raised the third day.” All they heard was “be killed.” Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan.” Jesus wasn’t saying that Peter was Satan, but he was the instrument of Satan’s attack. Satan had been trying to turn Christ away from the cross since the first temptation in the wilderness, and Jesus knew where this attack was coming from. Jesus then says at the end of vs. 23: “You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Peter was thinking the way the world thinks. He was thinking about the crown without the cross, the glory without the suffering, the reward without the sacrifice!
And so, once again, Jesus teaches His disciples the principle of self-denial. The word “deny” in our text means to disown or renounce one’s self. Jesus is teaching His disciples what it means to be in union with Him. In other words, to be a believer is to be spiritually united to Jesus Christ by true faith, and because of this union you now live a different life. You’re a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17); you’re born from above by the Spirit of God (John 3); you’re a true branch engrafted into the vine, Jesus Christ (John 15). Simply put, you now belong to Christ, and as a result you begin a life-long journey of forsaking your sinful passions and desires in order to follow after Jesus. As a true disciple of Christ, you recognize you’re not your own, but you belong to your faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all your sins (Heidelberg Catechism #1). 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Does your life demonstrate that you’re a true disciple of Jesus Christ? “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.”
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