Spurgeon on the Sweet Uses of Adversity

by Kyle Newcomer

A fellow pastor recommended a good COVID-19 reading strategy: find Spurgeon's sermons on Scripture texts having to do with trials and illness. Looking through some of his sermon collections, I stumbled upon this one on Job 10:2. After reading it a couple of weeks ago, It's been coming back to mind quite often. Here's the text:

"I will say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why you contend against me." Or as the KJV has it, "Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me."

Pastor Spurgeon offers five reasons that the Lord might contend with the believer. I think you'll find them challenging yet encouraging, but before he gets there, he says this in his introduction:

"You will all perceive at once that there must be love even in this apparently angry word. This contention must, after all, have something to do with contentment, and that this battle must be, after all, but a disguised mercy, but another shape of an embrace from the God of love. Carry this consoling reflection in your thoughts while I am preaching to you. And if any of you are saying today, “Show me wherefore you contend with me,” the very fact of God contending with you at all, the fact that He has not consumed you, that He has not smitten you to the lowest hell, may thus, at the very outset, afford consolation and hope."

Here are brief snippets of his five reasons:
"1. My first answer on God’s part, my brother, is this—it may be that God is contending with you that He may show His own power in upholding you. God delights in His saints. And when a man delights in his child, if it be a child noted for its brightness of intellect, he delights to see it put through hard questions, because he knows that it will be able to answer them all. So God glories in His children. He loves to hear them tried, that the whole world may see that there are none like them on the face of the earth and even Satan may be compelled, before he can find an accusation against them, to resort to his inexhaustible fund of lies....

"2. Let me give you a second answer. Perhaps, O tried soul! the Lord is doing this to develop your graces. There are some of your graces that would never be discovered if it were not for your trials. Do you not know that your faith never looks so grand in summer weather, as it does in winter? Have you not heard that love is too often like a glowworm, that shows but little light except it is in the midst of surrounding darkness? And do you not know that hope itself is like a star—not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity and only to be discovered in the night of adversity?...

"3. Another reason may be found in this. It may be the Lord contends with you because you have some secret sin which is doing you sore damage. Do you remember the story of Moses? Never was a man better beloved than he of the Lord his God, for he was faithful in all his house as a servant. But do you remember how the Lord met him on the way as he was going to Egypt and strove with him? And why? Because he had in his house an uncircumcised child. This child was, so long as it had not God’s seal upon it, a sin in Moses. Therefore, God strove with him till the thing was done....

"4. I have now another reason to give, but it is one which some of you will not understand. Some however will. Beloved, you remember that it is written, that we “must bear the image of the heavenly,” namely, the image of Christ. As He was in this world, even so must we be. We must have fellowship with Him in His sufferings, that we may be conformable unto His death. Have you never thought that none can be like the Man of Sorrows unless they have sorrows too?...

"5. To the child of God I shall give only one more reason. The Lord, it may be, contends with you, my brother, to humble you. We are all too proud. The humblest of us do but approach to the door of true humility. We are too proud, for pride, I suppose, runs in our very veins and is not to be gotten out of us any more than the marrow from our bones. We shall have many blows before we are brought down to the right mark. And it is because we are so continually getting up that God is so continually putting us down again...."

Read the rest here: http://www.spurgeongems.org/sermon/chs283.pdf

5 Easter Encouragements

An Easter devotional for Christ Our Savior Baptist Church

Download Audio

An Easter devotional for Christ Our Savior Baptist Church for April 12, 2020 by Kyle Newcomer.

1. How do you deal with feelings of guilt? Can you identify any sinful tendencies in your response to guilt? How does the atonement Christ accomplished encourage you?

2. What are some specific ways Christ has succeeded in righteousness where you have failed? How does this build up your faith?

3. Why are Christ's commands good? Where do you tend to rebel against the commands of Christ? 

4. Meditate on Colossians 3:1-4 (or listen to these sermons). How might you use these truths to help you in following Christ?

5. How does the hope of glorification help you face today's trials?

6. How has Christ been the Good Shepherd to you?

7. How is the exalted Head of the Church calling you to serve him in proclaiming the gospel?

Hymns:

How Deep the Father's Love For Us

Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Devotional on Mark 15:6-16

by Tim Williamson

Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.  Mark 15:6 – 15 (ESV)

This portion of the narrative of Good Friday is familiar to most of us.  Jesus, an innocent man, is condemned by Pilot to be crucified due to the incessant protests of the crowds outside his palace.  These crowds had been gathered and whipped up by the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem who believed Jesus to both be guilty of blasphemy (that is, claiming to be God) and saw him as a threat to their positions of power and their attempts to justify themselves before God through their outward obedience to the law.  Pilot was a fairly shrewd man and had correctly, “perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered [Jesus] up.”  

There was a potential solution available to him.  By custom, the Roman Governor released one prisoner back to the people at Passover.  If he were able to persuade the crowds to ask for Jesus to be released, he could put this whole affair (which he regarded as a Jewish religious squabble) to bed.  The religious leaders and the crowds, however, would not be satisfied with the solution.  Instead, they demanded that a man named Barabbas be released.  We learn from the accompanying account in Luke that Barabbas was, “a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder,” (Luke 23:19, ESV).  Unable to persuade the crowds, and in fear of a riot breaking out, Pilot eventually acquiesces by releasing Barabbas and having Jesus flogged and crucified.

I was encouraged to take a fresh look at this passage this week when I read something Kevin DeYoung posted on Twitter:

If ever there were a clear picture of the gospel, surely it is with Barabbas. The guilty man--a kind of imposter son of the father (bar abba)--goes free, while the innocent man, the true Son of the Father, dies in his place (John 18:40). -@RevKevDeYoung

I had not considered what the name Barabbas would have meant to the original crowd standing outside of Pilot’s palace and to the original readers and hearers of the New Testament accounts of Jesus’ life.
“imposter son”.

Jesus taught us that there are only two families with two kinds of sons in this world.  There are those who have God as their Father, and those who have the Devil as their father.  The Jewish religious leaders claimed God as their Father, but Jesus rebuked them:

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” John 8:42 – 47, (ESV)

Jesus tells them that their will is to do their father’s desires, and that those desires include murder.  Just as the Devil played his role in the murder-suicide that was Adam’s disobedience, his children would soon play their role in the murder of the Second Adam.  Likewise, Barabbas, a murderer, is the choice of these same leaders when given the opportunity to have someone spared justice from the Roman governor.  A group of “imposter sons” bargaining with the authorities to have the life of one of their own spared at the expense of the True Son.  We are meant to see this as a great injustice.  We are meant to pause and take account of what is happening.  The imposter sons of the king are about to put the true crown prince to death, and in doing so lay hold of the keys to the kingdom.  What can be done?

What could not be seen or understood by the eyewitnesses was that God was presenting an earthly picture of the heavenly reality taking place.  As these events were unfolding, God was preparing to set aside his wrath against “imposter sons” and declare them righteous, while at the same time bearing their guilt in the person of the True Son.  Barabbas is a picture God pardoning his people.  Jesus’ enemies thought they had won, but God used this very act to help bring about his salvation! 

As Peter would help the crowds at Pentecost soon understand:

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. Acts 2:22-24 (ESV)

As God’s people it is good for us to reflect on the ways in which this episode involving Barabbas helps us think rightly about ourselves, our standing before God, and our Savior. I think there are three points (among others) worthy of consideration:

• Just as Barabbas was truly guilty of crimes against the Emperor warranting death, so too were we truly guilty of crimes against the Supreme Emperor of the universe deserving Eternal Death.  

• Just as Barabbas was unable to free himself from the chains of a Roman prison, we were unable to free ourselves from bondage to sin and death. 

• Just as it required a decree from the Governor to set Barabbas free, so too our freedom has come through the declaration of righteousness pronounced upon us by God.  

Thanks be to God that he loved rebellious “imposter sons” enough to atone for them, forgive them, and adopt them into his family to share in the glorious inheritance of his True Son! 
 
“Man of Sorrows” what a name
For the Son of God who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim
Hallelujah, what a Savior
Hallelujah, what a Savior

Bearing shame and scoffing rude
In my place condemned He stood
Sealed my pardon with His blood
Hallelujah, what a Savior
Hallelujah, what a Savior

Guilty vile and helpless we
Spotless Lamb of God was He
Full atonement can it be
Hallelujah, what a Savior
Hallelujah, what a Savior

Lifted up was He to die
“It is finished!” was His cry
Now in heaven exalted high
Hallelujah, what a Savior
Hallelujah, what a Savior

When He comes, our glorious King
All His ransomed home to bring
Then anew this song we’ll sing
Hallelujah, what a Savior

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm_CwCvs4Ho

Have a blessed Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday!

Devotional on 1 Peter 1:3-12, Part 2

by John Young

Good morning, Beloved! Yesterday we began thinking about the beginning of Peter’s letter to the Gentile Christians dispersed throughout all the provinces of Asia Minor at the time. They were undergoing persecution and difficulty and lacked encouragement because they were unable to fully realize the work the Lord was doing in their midst. But what we considered yesterday was merely the beginning of the letter! We hadn’t even gotten past the greeting!

Today, I’d like us to think for a few minutes on verses 3-12. Peter offers encouragement found in the Believer’s beginning, middle, and end.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

The Beginning: God has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

This is a new birth rooted not in anything we’ve done but solely the work of God "according to his great mercy”. (v3) Some may read that “born again” and think, “Wow, God’s given me a do-over! What a blessing that is!” And that may be a blessing, but it would be a very short-lived blessing as we would mess that do-over up as well, and the next, and the next, and the next…and then tomorrow’s do overs as well!

Instead the Father has caused us to be born again. He’s given us a new disposition. We talked about that new disposition yesterday in the book of Ezekiel and we find that promise reiterated later on in Ezekiel 36:25-27:

25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

And so the Father has not just given us a better life…he’s given us the certain hope of an eternal life…a living hope that doesn’t begin when we get to heaven, but instead begins now with a new disposition: a new heart, a new hope, a new life…cleansed from our impurities and idols.

But this isn’t rooted in our ability to do it…it’s rooted in God’s mercy. The Father has caused us to be born again and this new birth is accomplished for us in Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead. And so our encouragement in the faith doesn’t come from us looking at our own lives and spiritual accomplishments. Rather, our encouragement and confidence comes from an empty tomb. Jesus Christ never sinned and yet he died…he was punished in the place of sinners, sinners like you and me who have acknowledged their sin and turned from it in faith toward Jesus Christ, resting in him alone. He took it all…he took all your sin, there’s nothing left for you to pay for. But proof that that sin had been paid for came three days later when Jesus was raised from the dead. The punishment has been accepted. Paid in full. Oh, and by the way…the one writing this letter to us is one of two who ran to the tomb and found it empty. He knows what he’s talking about.

The Middle: God’s power guards you through faith for salvation.

It’s interesting, in v3, we see God the Father causing us to be born again. Here in v5-7, it seems as though the Holy Spirit is the one at work here. He is God’s power who is guarding us through faith…He is keeping us to the end. Through the Holy Spirit we have the mind of Christ and that new disposition and will. He grants us joy in this life and encouragement in the faith.

But that doesn’t mean that we aren’t subject to difficulty…we truly are. We are grieved by various trials…we are in one right now. But the Spirit holds us and keeps us and encourages us while the genuineness of our faith is tested. This sounds like God is testing us to see if we’re the real deal…but rather he’s testing us to ensure and to refine us to make us the real deal. He’s removing all that is foreign to faith the way that dross is removed from silver or gold. So we can look at the experience that we are in today confidently, knowing that we are held fast! We are being sifted so that all that remains is Christ…created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

The End: Christ has stored up an inheritance for us that will be revealed when he returns.

Christ is preparing for us an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. And it is a guaranteed inheritance for we have been given the Holy Spirit as a deposit (Ephesians 1:14) and the salvation that we value so much will finally be revealed at the last time…the return of Christ.

Yes, now we have an inkling of our salvation and we think about it often but we really don’t understand it. I often wonder if we could go back to our lives before our regeneration and just observed the things we thought about that occupied our minds…I think we would be amazed at the effect of the Holy Spirit on our minds and motivations. But that is nothing compared to the day when Christ returns…

1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we  shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

These are indeed great encouragements for our souls but I think the greatest encouragement is God’s motivation for doing this for us. It isn’t because he loved us SOOOOO much that he did this for us…because what happens on those days when I am unlovable? The motivation for God doing what he does not have anything to do with us, but rather it is solely out of his regard for his own glory that he does what he does.

We see it in our passage: in v3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! These things that we enjoy are meant to bring praise to God in heaven. In Ephesians 2:1-7, when Paul talks about how God has made us who were dead alive, he mentions WHY God does what he does in v7 which begins with SO THAT…in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ. And in Ephesians 1:5-6, why did God predestine us for adoption as sons? To the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

We see it again in our 1 Peter passage—why does God through his Holy Spirit guard us and refine us and keep us to the end? So that our faith may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ!

And Peter gives us some encouragement that the Spirit is at work in us as we think about v8-9: The love we have for the one we have not seen but believe in by faith gives us encouragement that the outcome of our faith will be a reality: the salvation of our souls.

One final note for this Easter week: As we look at v10-12, we understand that our salvation is dependent upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So much of our faith is theologically informed by the Old Testament writers. They didn’t understand how this would work, they couldn’t understand how a suffering servant could come and save his people. Take the riddle of the Old Testament, as God describes himself to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7 “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty…” How does the Lord forgive iniquity and transgression and sin by who will by no means clear the guilty? How can God be both merciful and just?

The events of this Easter week show how that can be…the sinless suffering servant dying in the place of sinners and being raised from the dead so that those sinners may walk in the newness of life…in a righteousness not their own but imputed to them by the Son of God.

These are truly things into which angels long to look…and they are our reality.

May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Devotional on 1 Peter 1:1-2, Part 1

by John Young

I was blessed by a phone call from Pastor Geo yesterday and we talked about how we are struggling in the midst of the lack of contact and the cares of this world and he mentioned in passing how we are dispersed throughout the area and my mind immediately turned to this passage:

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:

May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Obviously, the thing that drew me here was the thought that Peter is writing to the elect exiles of the Dispersion. I’d like to briefly consider those three words today and then we’ll consider the remainder of the passage tomorrow. Let’s take these words in reverse:

Dispersion- Peter is writing to a people that are dispersed. They aren’t together. This is a recurring theme in the Old Testament where Israel is scattered “in seven directions” (Dt 28:25), and “their outcasts are in the outermost parts of heaven” (Neh 1:9). 

We can relate to that. We are very mindful of the dispersion. While we are grateful to have this time God has given us, we are definitely aware of the reality that we are not together, God’s people are not together. Sure we may share experiences by listening to the word preached or see each other via a Zoom call or text or call, but we are not together. We truly look forward to that day when we can hug a neck and be together again face to face. But that longing is pointing us to a greater reality.

Israel wasn’t always dispersed, that same verse, Neh 1:9 says, “Though your outcasts are in the outermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen to make my name dwell there.” And this reality is further carried to fulfillment in Jesus when he comes again as he explains to his disciples in Mark 13:26-27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

That sense of connection that we have with one another is the tip of an iceberg that encompasses all the people of God and the glorious union we will have with our God when we see our Savior face to face—free from double mindedness, free from rivalry or jealousy, enabled to fully love one another in purity and humility, and delight in Him for Whom we were created. Instead of looking for ways to insufficiently slake the thirst of unity, it would do our souls good to instead allow that yearning to draw our hearts and minds heavenward and the hope there that awaits us.

Exiles- When we think of exiles, we think of punishment, a divine time out. Exile for Israel meant that they were removed from God’s land for a period of time and had the creature comforts of God’s blessing removed from them. This led Israel to the realization that things were not as they should be. But God promised that this would not always be the case.

In Ezekiel 11:16-17 God says through Ezekiel, “Thus says the Lord God: Though I removed them from far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for awhile in the countries where they have gone.” Therefore, say, “Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”

Now, I am not saying that Coronavirus is punishment from the Lord. The connection I would like to make is that the Lord has done a remarkable thing for us in removing so many of these creature comforts and connection points to the earthly world. Right about now, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that this world is not our home. The things we love sit empty: Disneyland is locked up; nary a sport is being played; a playground is not available; the bar is closed; you can’t even go to a store and buy a new outfit! The Lord has kicked away the crutches from our lives and we are dependent upon Him alone.

But our hope is not in things getting back to normal, but rather, our hope is found later on in that Ezekiel 11 passage in verses 19-20, when he brings us to himself, he “will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove their heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statues and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people and I will be their God.”

But what comfort do we have that we will be included in that number? That’s our final word to consider this morning…

Elect- He’s writing to the elect. The elect who owe their status to nothing but the Trinity which we see alluded to in v2: According to the foreknowledge of God the Father…in the sanctification of the Spirit…for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood.

God the Father set his covenantal affection upon you before the creation of the world. Not because of anything done by you but strictly in accordance with his divine will (Eph 1:5) for his glory.

But this love goes beyond that to include the Holy Spirit in the work of sanctification. Therefore, we can never say that salvation is God’s work and sanctification is our work. No, God is working in our sanctification as well.

And it is a sanctification that comes about in our obedience to Christ which is brought about by that Holy Spirit work in accordance with that Ezekiel 11:19-20 passage above. That cleansing new heart and spirit we read about is granted by the sprinkling with the blood of Christ. 

Indeed these are all hopes that we have yet to realize in our awareness but it is a hope that can buoy us during these days of exile and dispersion. Praise God for the work of Christ.

Devotional on Psalm 27:2-3

by Geo Haines

Devotional on Psalm 91

by Kyle Newcomer

A century ago a pastor in Washington, D.C. named Francis Grimké shared his reflections on the Spanish Flu epidemic that had swept through the country and closed down public gatherings, including churches. You can read his reflections here, or you can listen to a reading of the sermon in this podcast episode. At one point in the sermon Pastor Grimké quoted these words from Psalm 91:1-7

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

5 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

And then he said this: 

Here there seems to be the promise of immunity in the midst of plagues and pestilences. What this means I do not know. How far we may expect immunity under such circumstances, I do not know. These words cannot mean that all good people will escape, and that only the bad will be smitten: for, as a matter of fact, we know that during every epidemic some very good people are smitten, and some, not very good people, escape. And, therefore, I say, I do not know what is meant by the promise contained in this Ninety-first Psalm. It refers to those who “dwell in the secret place of the Most High.” But who are they? How shall we know them? How shall we discriminate between them and all others? It won’t do to say, all who are smitten are excluded, or that all who escape are included, because we know that such is not the case. It is one of those inscrutable things that we cannot explain; we know the fact and that is all. The ultimate explanation must be found in the sovereign will of God. It must be because He wills it. 

I appreciate the way Grimké does not try to answer this question, but points us to the soverign will of God. In a time like this, our collective ignorance is exposed. We have our smartest minds working on the problem of the coronavirus. We have virologist, public health experts, economists, manufacturers, doctors, and nurses working their hardest. In God’s mercy, we pray that they will arrive at solutions and remedies to all the problems this crisis presents. But as of now, we see clearly how much we don’t know. Now more than ever, we sense how much our lives rest in the sovereign will of God. His ways are not our ways.

As Pastor Grimké points out, we don’t know why this disease strikes some and spares others. It can be hard to know what to make of promises like the ones we find in Psalm 91. The Coronavirus doesn’t discriminate based on religious faith. There are saints who have passed into eternity because of this disease. It is not left to us to know why some survive and some are taken. It must be because God wills it.
But as keenly as we feel this mystery ourselves today, I think the person who most experienced it was Jesus himself. If anyone should have been able to lay claim to a life free from suffering, it should have been him. The second half of the Psalm dives even deeper into the mystery of Christ's suffering.
 

8 You will only look with your eyes  and see the recompense of the wicked. 

9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— 

the Most High, who is my refuge— 

10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. 

11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. 

12 On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. 

13 You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. 

14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. 

15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation."

Do you recognize the words of verses 11 and 12? They are words that Satan quoted to Jesus when he was tempting Jesus to throw himself off the top of the temple. Satan was tempting Christ to put God to the test, to prove that God would protect him. Jesus resists the temptation, only to be presented with another temptation: this time Satan offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, if only he will bow down and worship Satan. These two temptations are related. The first temptation would provide a kind of immediate validation for Jesus. If he leaped from the tower and the angels preserved him, it would have been like getting to experience resurrection without death. The second temptation would have provided immediate glory for Jesus. He would enjoy universal rule and reign, but again, without having to die and endure the wrath of God against sin. Glorification without humiliation. There is no doubt that, as the Son of God, Jesus was glorious and he deserved to live a pain-free life. As a man he was sinless and perfectly devoted to God. He is the only person who ever lived who perfectly fits the description of verse 14: “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him. I will protect him because he knows my name” Jesus is the only human who ever perfectly loved God. He is the one who had perfect knowledge of God’s name. He deserved protection from God.

But the Son of God knew that he had taken on flesh for a specific purpose: to die in the place of sinners. And so again we confront Pastor Grimké's mystery. Why are some righteous smitten while some wicked are spared? Jesus is the perfectly holy one, and yet he was stricken, smitten and afflicted, as the hymn says. He was God's beloved Son, yet treated as if he were excluded from God's family. What a mystery, that God saves through the death of the Son of God! He triumphed through the grave. “I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.” Our Lord’s honor comes after his trouble, his glorification after his humiliation.

As we find ourselves in times of trouble, we may very well want to lay claim to the promises of Psalm 91, and we should. We should trust that “with long life [he] will satisfy [us] and show [us his] salvation.” But we claim these promises knowing mystery of the gospel, that our sinless Savior was not spared from suffering. We follow the path of the crucified and risen Christ. We may succumb to a plague or some other illness. We will face trouble, just like Jesus did. But just as God did not abandon Christ to the grave, he will be with us in our trouble, even through death. But the ultimate pestilence and plague that our sin deserves, the plague of God’s final condemnation for sin, that we will never face because Jesus bore our sins in his body on the cross. Our hope in the midst of this epidemic is not in a name-it-and-claim-it kind of prosperity theology. Our sure and certain hope is that God loves us for Christ's sake. Because we belong to him, all things must work together for our salvation, and we are assured of eternal life.

Hymn: He Will Hold Me Fast

Prayer: 

O Most High God, you are our refuge and our fortress. When we abide in you and your words, there is peace and safety. Not the fleeting peace of earthly riches and good health for today. Those things come and go. But because we belong to you, nothing can separate us from your love. You cover us with your wings. As the world mocks us, help us to cling to your wisdom. When the devil lies to us, bind your truth to our hearts. When our desires draw us away from you, help us fight to gaze at your grace and use our gifts to serve others. We rejoice that Christ is our righteousness. Because Christ held fast to you in love, you will hold us fast. Because he suffered for our sake, you satisfy us with long life. We call to you now in Christ name, and know you will answer us. Amen.

Devotional on 2 John

by John Young

2nd John

1 The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:

3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.

4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

12 Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

13 The children of your elect sister greet you.

This is a book believed to be written by the Apostle John to the members of a local church (the elect lady and her children). It’s obviously a very brief book and I must admit that I was drawn to 2nd John because of that phrase there at the end of the book in v12, …I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

Of course, we are all ready for this time apart to be done and look forward to being together again and “for things to get back to normal”…whatever “normal" will look like. As this time apart grows, I realize how much the Lord has blessed us as a church and grown us together. It feels very odd that we are not together. I am thankful that the Lord is doing in us and among us.

We as elders have been meeting and checking in on you to see how you are doing and we can relate to John’s comment there in v4, that we rejoice greatly to find you walking in the truth. We are encouraged not only that you aren’t sick and your needs are being met (and if this email happens to find you in a time of need, please do not hesitate to get in touch asap), but that you are remaining faithful. And in our conversations with you, it is evident that you love one another, and long to be together again soon.

But that’s what I’d like to think about for a few minutes. How do we love one another when we are apart in a situation like this?

In verse 5, we see John give the church a command, that is really no new commandment at all, to love one another. But John is apart from them, so how does John love them when they are apart? In v6, he defines what love looks like for them: that we walk according to his commandments.

In my devotional time this morning, I wrote the following: 

“Father, the thing I ask from you is that you protect me from malaise. I don’t feel like I’m actually doing anything necessarily wrong, but rather, I just feel very reactionary. I’m just doing the next thing in front of me but seemingly with no kingdom purpose. I want to think your thoughts after you—I want to seek good—I want to be of kingdom use to my family. I want to be refined and after what you’re after—your glory."

I don’t know if you have had any of those feelings…I pray you haven’t. But as I look at 2nd John, I believe this is how we love one another: by walking according to his commandments; by fighting against the ever-present temptation to spend our days becoming amateur infectious disease experts and instead endeavor to know the Lord better.

Ps 119:18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

I have been encouraged by the devotionals the elders have sent out and encouraged in my love of the Lord:

• I was encouraged by Pastor Larry in his devotional on James 4:13-17: I recognized that I am quick to trust in things other than God’s grace and consistent character.

• I was encouraged by Pastor Geo’s devotional on Psalm 27, to seek the Lord’s face rather than staring into my fearful circumstances or into the comfort of a full freezer or pantry.

• I’ve been encouraged to memorize Psalm 39:4-8 “…O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!…”

This is how we love each other, by hearing the word and responding to it, growing in our own love of the Lord and then praying for one another that they may do the same. As I pray through the directory, very frequently I’m praying Colossians 1:9-11 for you:

…Asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worth of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy…

I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete!

I’m praying for you…pray for me.

Love to you all.

John

Devotional on Psalm 60

by Jeff Berkhouse

This audio message was posted in our Sermons feed.

Devotional on Philippians 2:5-11

by Tim Williamson

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 As we face the effects of a pandemic (and the social and economic consequences that it brings), it is certainly easy to become discouraged.  The normal rhythms of life have been upended in both small and big ways. Activities many of us take for granted, like going to school or work, shopping for groceries, or gathering together as God’s people have either become significantly more complicated or prohibited altogether.  The effects of these disruptions range from minor annoyances to serious threats to our health and safety.  In a very real sense, there is a substantial degree of suffering that we are enduring on a global scale.

 Paul wrote to the church in Philippi during a time of personal suffering in his own ministry. He had been imprisoned (likely in Rome) for the sake of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He wrote to a church that, likewise, was suffering persecution (1:27 – 30) for their witness to that same gospel.  However, Philippians is often referred to as the “epistle of joy”.  The term is mentioned 16 times in the letter.

How strange!  What about imprisonment and persecution could possibly bring about joy?!

In a very unexpected way, Paul encourages the Philippians to be joyful because of their suffering. Paul causes the saints to understand that their union with Christ is first in his suffering and then in his glory. Our reflection upon Jesus in his humanity, is a reflection upon a life of suffering.  Jesus laid aside the perfect bliss of his glory and took upon himself the burden and sorrow of humanity.  Then he suffered not just the slander and revile of men, but the wrath of God against sinful humanity.  There is no one who has ever experienced humiliation like Jesus.  

However, the story doesn’t end there.  Jesus’ obedience was rewarded by God with a glory that in every way surpassed his suffering.  Not only was he raised from the dead, but he won the right to share this resurrection life with his people!  Those who are united to Christ will suffer, but we also receive a share of Christ’s great reward!  This is the encouragement.  As Paul summarizes later in chapter 3:8b-11:

For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

 This is truly a reason to be joyful in the midst of suffering.

We must also be aware that there is a distinctly Christian way to suffer.  That is, we do not suffer as the world does.  The world remains under the wrath of God, and therefore curses Him in because of it.  We can see evidence of this in the response that many have had to our present crisis. As Christians, however, we are to suffer in faith.  Suffering is meant to lead us to patient endurance and trust in the God of our redemption.  If God was faithful to Christ in the midst of the greatest suffering ever experienced, will he not be faithful to those of us whom he has united to Christ by His Spirit? He will!

Paul encourages us to have the same mind about suffering as Christ because it has been given to us by the Holy Spirit.  I plan to spend some time today evaluating whether I am suffering in faith or unbelief. I would encourage you to do the same. If you find, as I often do, my faith is mixed with unbelief, I would further encourage you to look to Christ, trusting in his perfect obedience as your righteousness before our God.

May the Lord give us the mind of Christ in this matter, as he has promised in his word!

 Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pfhdlm9qJs 

Devotional on Psalm 27:1

by Geo Haines

Devotional on James 14:13-17

by Larry Newcomer

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will gointo such and such a townand spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mistthat appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (James 4:13-17) ESV

What was on your mind on New Year’s day 2020? a plethora of football games? a holiday away from work? time with the family? Like most Americans  probably one or all of these had crossed your mind. And probably the furthest thing from your mind was concern about a newly hatched disease—known as “coronavirus.” This flu-like virus emerged in the vicinity of the fish market in Wuhan China, a sprawling city of 11 million people in Eastern China. The fish market was closed on New Year’s Day for cleaning. Later evidence was found that the virus had left the market and begun to spread into the city of Wuhan. Soon hundreds of deaths in China and other parts of the world became the subject of grim reports. Now several weeks into the spread of the virus, the United States economy has been virtually shut down in an effort to quell the further spread of the virus.

The unexpected nature of this present devastating event is the kind of situation (on a smaller scale) that James addressed in his first century letter chapter 4.13-17. James’ audience appears to be business traders who run their businesses according to their own professional expertise without regard to the Lord’s direction. What they disregard is the unseen hand of God. Their shrewdness in business matters is charged as “arrogance” and that they boast in it. Such a disposition recalls “the tree of knowledge of good and evil” (Gen.2.9) at the fall recorded in Genesis 3. James doesn’t call his brothers “evil” but does state that the kind of boasting they are doing is “evil.”In the previous paragraph James had dealt with the subject of defamatory speech. This paragraph begins with another reference to speech, “Come now, you who say…” 

Presumptuousness is their mode of operation. Note its pervasiveness. 

• Today or tomorrow we will go(speech) into such and such a town (what if you are smitten with a deadly virus before you get to such and such a town)

• We will spend a year there(Are you ever guaranteed health for a year?)

• We will go trade and make a profit(can the  merchant really guarantee that all trading will make a profit)

The presumption here is not the defaming of a brother. Instead those practicing this arrogance practiced it toward ourselves. Look at the list again…we will spend a year…we will trade and make a profit…. 

We assure ourselves that time is on our side and at our disposal (today or tomorrow). We make our plans as if personal ability (and trade) and the profit motive (and get gain) were the only issues to take into account. We overlook frailty (a mist), and ignore the fact that even the small print of life is in the hands of a sovereign God (if the Lord wills). Yet we know better all the time (knows what is right), but self-confidence makes us boast, and all such boasting is evil and a sin against knowledge. (Alec Motyer, The Message of James, Bible Speaks Today, p.160)

Note how presumptive the business traders are. Their words include “today,” “tomorrow,” and “a year,” as if they can continue to live at will. 

It is the presumption that we are masters of our own life, so that we need to do no more than decide and, lo and behold, it will happen like that.

…

When James exposes their presumption, he exposes something which is the unrecognized claim of our hearts. We speak to ourselves as if life were our right, as if our choice were the only deciding factor, as if we had in ourselves all that was needed to make a success of things, as if getting on, making money, doing well were life’s sole objective. (Motyer, Bible Speaks Today, James p.160)  Instead listen to the psalmist Psa. 39:4    “O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! (Motyer, pg. 160)

Now how do we guard against presumptuousness? 

The three verbs in verses 14–15 will put us on our guard against presumptuousness. First, there is our ignorance, you do not know. James indulges here in a little irony. He is talking about a person who was busy laying out his programme for next year (13) and he quietly notes that you do not know about tomorrow(14). (Motyer, pg. 161)

The second remedy for presumption “you are a mistthatappears for a little time and then vanishes.” (Motyer, pg. 161)

James’ final remedy is “you ought to say ‘if the Lord wills…’” (Motyer, pg. 161)

The words “God willing” are not a lucky charm but a persuasive reminder that unless God ordains it, it will not come to pass. Contrast Paul’s mission work “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus. (Acts 18.21, et.al. 1 Cor. 4:19; 16:7; Phil. 2:19, 24; Heb. 6:3). 

Rather than boasting an evil boast instead obey the words of Jer. 9:23,24.   Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

Prayer

Father, you ordain all things. Nothing in our world or our lives happens apart from your will. The spread of this epidemic has shown us how arrogant we have been in presuming all of our own plans will go succeed. Yet as our plans fail, we know that you and your plans never fail. You are the God of steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth. You are glorifying yourself and sanctifying your people. Father we trust in you, and we ask for your help to say, "if the Lord wills, we will live." In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Mr. Rogers and Psalm 90

by Kyle Newcomer

The other night Lindsay and I watched the Tom Hanks biopic about Mr. Rogers, and there was a line in the movie that grabbed my attention. In the story, Fred Rogers goes to visit a dying man and his family. The scene has everyone gathered around the dying man's bed, when someone makes an allusion to his coming death. The room goes awkwardly silent. Mr. Rogers senses the discomfort and says, "You know, death is something many of us are uncomfortable speaking about, but to die is to be human. And anything human is mentionable, and anything mentionable is manageable. Anything mentionable is manageable". (From a bit of Googling, it appears this is not exactly what the real life Mr. Rogers said.)

There is a sense in which Mr. Rogers agrees with Moses in Psalm 90. That Psalm is all about the brevity of human life, and in verse 12, Moses writes, "Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom." It's foolish to ignore death. We can't euphemize it away. It is wise to number our days. Movie Mr. Rogers is right to recognize that death is part of the human experience. We shouldn't be afraid to talk about it.

But the second part of the quote is where things go wrong. "Anything mentionable is manageable." No matter how frankly we discuss death, we can't finally manage it. And Moses helps us see the reason why death is unmanageable. Look at this section in the middle of the Psalm:

For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed.

You have set our iniquities before you our secret sins in the light of your presence.

For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh.

The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty;

yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.

Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?

(Psalm 90:7–11(ESV))

Moses ties our death and the brevity of life to the reality of sin and the reality of God's righteous anger against sin. The path of wisdom isn't to mention death or manage death. The path of wisdom requires us to see why death exists. Death is ultimately the result of sin and God's wrath. We can't manage death because we are powerless against sin. Wisdom in the face of death isn't a death management strategy. When we see the brevity of this life and the reality of our sin against God, wisdom leads us to repentance. This is the "heart of wisdom"And wisdom also leads us to look to God as our hope in the face of death. Moses begins this Psalm by praising God as our refuge and dwelling place. He ends it by praying for God's pity, for God's steadfast love. 

Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants!

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.

Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us;

yes, establish the work of our hands!

(Psalm 90:13–17(ESV))

God doesn't help us manage our death. In the death and resurrection of Christ, God has overcome sin and death. Moses is able to ask God to "Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil." Somehow, however dimly, even in the face of death, he can see a reversal. In the face of this vanishing life, Moses believes God can establish the work of our hands. He believes there is a sure foundation for hope in the grace of God.

We face circumstances today that we can't manage. Only the Lord knows the scope of the epidemic and economic disruption we are enduring right now. It may very well be that this epidemic brings death closer to us and our neighbors than we have grown used to. But Christians can see in Psalm 90 a reason for hope. That hope is not that we can somehow "manage" death. It is completely beyond management. But God in his mercy has made a way for us to have hope in the face of sin and death because Christ has conquered it on the cross.

Prayer

Father, use the trial our world is going through to help us number our days. Help us see that you are righteous God and that our sin is offensive in your sight. This life will soon fly away and we will come before your judgment seat. In the name of Christ, we pray for your grace and pity. Our hope in the face of death is that he paid for our sin on the cross, and rose again from the dead. Show us mercy, and thereby make us glad. We pray that we will live in these troubled days as those who are satisfied in your steadfast love. Establish the work of our hands as we serve and worship you. In the name Jesus, who conquered death, we pray. Amen.

Hymn

The Hymn "Our God Our Help in Ages Past" is based on Psalm 90. Sing it with your family today.

Welcome!

We plan to use this blog as a way to stay in touch with each other during these days when we are prevented from gathering as a church. Check daily for content from our pastors and church members.