by HARVEYOPP | May 30, 2014 | Scott Henry
“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer…” (Rom. 12:12).
In Q&A 27 of the Heidelberg Catechism, we read the following words: “What do you understand by the providence of God? The almighty, everywhere-present power of God, whereby, as it were by His hand, He still upholds heaven and earth with all creatures, and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things come not by chance, but by His fatherly hand.”
This Biblical teaching gives us a God-centered and God-glorifying perspective on life. It teaches us that the world is not out of control or operating by fate, luck, or chance, but that God is directing and controlling every event in this world … the good events as well as the evil. Ecclesiastes 7:13-14: “Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other…” The word translated “adversity” is the Hebrew word “Rah”, which can also be translated: bad, evil, affliction, calamity or distress. However, God doesn’t do evil and to suggest such is evil and blasphemous, but God certainly ordains evil for His glory and eternal purpose, and He is also absolutely sovereign over the evil acts of Satan, demons, and men.
Therefore, whatever we see happening in this world we have to say, “This is the work of the Lord.” As it is written, “Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth?” (Lamentations 3:37-38). This is a truth we must understand, believe and apply every day. And according to our text, it’s only when we are patient in adversity that we can truly say we have understood and applied this truth in our life. It’s easy to say, “I believe in the providence of God,” but it’s quite another to live patiently when you’re experiencing adversity. And so our text admonishes believers to “be patient in tribulation.” The word translated “tribulation” means “pressure” and it refers to anguish, persecution, tribulation, affliction or trouble. In other words, tribulation is a pressure which comes against us. It’s like being under the weight of a heavy object … that’s why tribulation is so painful.
There are many forms of tribulation, but the ones we think about most often are sickness, disease, cancer and death because these things threaten our lives and the lives of our loved ones, and they exert great pressure upon us which brings us much pain! But there are many other types of tribulation: family problems, marriage problems, money problems, difficulties at school or at church or with a neighbor, and these troubles put lots of pressure upon us also … and none of us is free from trouble. Job 14:1: “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.” Life is filled with tribulation. Job 5:7: “… man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” Just as sparks fly up from a bonfire so every man will have troubles in this fallen world … one right after another! Nevertheless, every believer is called to “be patient in tribulation.”
How are you doing with patience in the midst of your trials? Do you become anxious and angry at God, or do you rest assured that you’re in God’s hand and He is bringing you through this difficulty for His glory and your own good? Do you proclaim in the midst of your trials that “Our God Reigns”? Look to Jesus when you encounter the pressures of life for it is written, “…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls” (Hebrews 12:2-3).
Take some time today to meditate upon our text and pray that the Holy Spirit will strengthen you in order to endure tribulation with patience for God’s glory!
by HARVEYOPP | May 28, 2014 | Scott Henry
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3)
Whoever does not know God does not have everlasting life. Because Adam sinned, all earthly fathers bring forth children who have physical life, but spiritually they are dead in sin and rebels against God (Eph. 2; Titus 3:3). Everlasting life comes from the eternal God, and is freely given to those whom He eternally chose in Christ (Eph. 1). Our God sent Jesus to earn everlasting life for all those whom He chose, according to His good pleasure, from before the foundation of the world. This doesn’t mean simply knowing about God. In John 17:3, ‘knowing God’ means being in spiritual union with Him. Jesus expresses this spiritual unity when He says in John 15:5: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” What Jesus means is that everlasting life is enjoyed by all those and only those who by true faith are united to Him. This is everlasting life…this is truly knowing God!
Do you know God as the true God Who keeps every one of His promises, and gives His people an everlasting joy of living with Him in holiness and glory? Do you hear and believe His Word? If so, then praise God because this is evidence that He has worked in your heart and given you life everlasting. Jesus said in John 5:24: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
Liberty from sin’s bondage is divinely revealed in Scripture, but the power to obey is God’s gracious gift through faith in Jesus Christ, who Himself received sin’s wages on every believer’s behalf. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Christ has broken the power and consequences of sin by conquering death itself. Therefore we are set free in Him alone! “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). Have you praised your Savior today for setting you free from the wages of sin? “The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him” (Ex. 15:2).
by HARVEYOPP | May 23, 2014 | Scott Henry
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).
Hebrews 5:13-14: “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Spiritual growth comes by way of exercising yourself in the Word of righteousness. But we must understand that spiritual growth is gradual. As a child grows into a youth and the youth grows into an adult, so also with the believer as he grows in grace.
And as you grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ you will find that your awareness of God’s gracious favor will become more pronounced in your life because as you grow spiritually you will become more conscious of your own sinfulness and unworthiness. You won’t say, “Boy, I’m a good person.” No! Rather, you’ll say, “What a wretch I am and how I am thankful for God’s grace in Jesus Christ!” Growing in grace humbles you and causes you to desire more and more to live not for yourself, but for Him who has loved you and gave Himself for you (Galatians 2:20).
And so Peter says in our text, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”, and we do this by exercising the means of grace God has given to us: The Word of God, the sacraments, prayer, fellowship and faithfully attending the worship services of the church to sit under the preaching of the Word of God. These are the means God has ordained for the spiritual growth of every believer. 1 Peter 2:2: “Desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby.”
Are you growing spiritually? Would you say you’ve been humbled by God’s grace or do you walk in prideful arrogance? Do you desire more and more to be fed spiritually with the Word of God? Do you delight in partaking of the sacraments? Do you long for fellowship with other believers? If you’re truly a branch united to the vine then your desire must be like the Psalmist who wrote in Psalm 122: “I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the LORD.” May this be the overwhelming desire and passion of your heart today and always!
by HARVEYOPP | May 16, 2014 | Scott Henry
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
The only thing that can satisfy the longing in our soul is the Word of God. So often we are discontent with our possessions and when we obtain more in order to satisfy the longing in our soul we quickly learn that the hunger rages on. Why? Because the longing of man’s soul can only be satisfied by the Word of God; Scripture alone is the food for our soul. That’s why Jesus said in Matthew 4:4: “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” The Apostle Paul told the elders at Ephesus in Acts 20:32: “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” The Word of God is what the believer lives by; Scripture alone brings joy, comfort, peace, and satisfaction to our soul!
The Word of God brings light to our pathway and illuminates the way before our feet in this dark world (Psalm 119:105). This sinful world is a stumbling block of darkness on the pathway in which we walk. We cannot look to the wisdom of this world to give us guidance because the wisdom of this world is “foolishness, earthly, sensual, and demonic” (1 Corinthians 3:19; James 3:15). Only the Word of God is sufficient and dependable to guide us in this world. This doesn’t mean that we can’t turn to others for advice. The psalmist surely turned to his father, mother, and friends many times for counsel. But only when others give us counsel in accordance with the Word of God will their counsel be reliable, true and worthy to be followed (Psalm 1).
Is your soul discontent? Do you have a longing that’s never satisfied by the things of this world? Do you have troubles in your marriage or with your family? Do you struggle with certain sins in your life? The ONLY solution is to feed on the Word of God. The Word of God is the ONLY reliable and trustworthy guide that can give us the wisdom, strength, comfort and hope we need to withstand the temptations we face in this life (Romans 15:4). That’s why the Psalmist wrote: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). And again, “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation” (Psalm 119:99). And once again, “…and that from childhood you have known the Scriptures which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15). So the question is, have you had your spiritual nourishment today? “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby…” (1 Peter 2:2).
by HARVEYOPP | May 13, 2014 | Scott Henry
“Nor is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name given under heaven among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
As far as earning your place in heaven, your “good” works count for nothing! They are, as Isaiah said, “Filthy rags!” (Isaiah 64:6) However, that doesn’t mean our works are unimportant. Good works must be found in your life if you belong to Jesus Christ (John 15:1-5), and there’s so much confusion regarding the Christian and good works. People either think they’re saved by their good works or they are saved by Christ alone and therefore good works are unimportant. But both of these are unbiblical teachings. The Bible teaches that the believer does good works not to be saved but because they are the saved!! Notice what Scripture teaches concerning the Christian and good works:
- The Apostle Paul said that a widow under 60 years old is not to be financially cared for by the church unless she has been “well reported for good works…” (1 Tim. 5:10).
- Ephesians 2:10 teaches that believers are God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
- Jesus, in His sermon on the Mount, taught believers to “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
- The Apostle Paul taught that godly women ought to “adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works” (1 Tim. 2:9-10).
- Concerning the rich, the Apostle Paul told Timothy to “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…” (1 Tim. 6:17-18).
- In the book of Titus, the Apostle Paul teaches that the young men of the church are “…to be a pattern of good works…” (Titus 2:7); that the redeemed of Christ are to be “…zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14); “…that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works” (Titus 3:8); that Christians must “…learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:14).
- And the writer to the Hebrews admonishes the saints to “…let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24).
Nevertheless, the Bible also teaches that our “good” works are not the cause of our salvation. The cause of our salvation is always & only the perfect law-fulfilling life and sin-atoning death of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:21), and if you’re trusting in anything alongside of or instead of Jesus Christ then you’re not trusting Jesus and you’re on the broad road that leads to Hell! The Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 30, reads: “Do those also believe in the only Savior Jesus, who seek their salvation and welfare from “saints,” themselves, or anywhere else? No; although they make their boast of Him, yet in their deeds they deny the only Savior Jesus; for either Jesus is not a complete Savior, or they who by true faith receive this Savior, must have in Him all that is necessary to their salvation.”
What about you? Are you denying the ONLY Savior Jesus by trusting in something other than Him, or do you, by true faith, look to the Savior Jesus Christ ALONE and have in Him ALL that is necessary to your salvation? “Nor is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name given under heaven among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Look to Jesus today and live!
by HARVEYOPP | May 6, 2014 | Scott Henry
“Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness” (Leviticus 16:21-22).
The Day of Atonement, described in Leviticus chapter 16, foreshadows, in great detail, the substitutionary work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was both the sin offering, who cleansed His people with His blood, and the scapegoat upon whom the sins of His people were imputed.
On the cross, Jesus was the One banished far into the uninhabited, spiritual wilderness in order to redeem His people from their sins. That’s why Jesus is called the spotless and blameless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (2 Peter 3:14; John 1:29), and it’s also for this reason that believers can have the blessed assurance that their sins are cast as far as the east is from the west, never to be remembered against them again. Why? Because on a Friday afternoon, over 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ became our sin offering and our scapegoat in order that God’s holy and just wrath might be turned away from us, and we might become favorable in God’s sight. That’s the truth we embrace as we remember the work of our Savior, Jesus Christ, on Good Friday.
Is your trust in Jesus Christ as the only One who can wash away your sins by His atoning work? Scripture is very clear … “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Therefore, as the Scripture declares, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
Recent Comments