"Your Example Matters"

The ball has dropped, a new year has begun.  I hope your 2013 will be filled with blessings.  

The question this week as we prepare for Sunday is:  Does your example matter?  Or, put another way, does your character matter?   I could easily say your character defines your life.    As I sit here and look at my own life and the people who influenced me the most, it’s not so much their words as it is their example. 

In I Samuel 16:7 the Lord says to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things men look at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”.   Paul says to the Corinthians, "Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you in the holiness and sincerity that are from God.  We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace.  In I Timothy 4:12 Paul says “Set an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.”   Paul knew that each of us is being watched by others, that we are an example to those we rub shoulders with, and that our actions either support or negate our words.

What does a good example get you?  It’s probably only one thing.  A good example gives credence to your words.  The writers of the Heidelberg Catechism say it this way:

 Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?

A.       That I am not my own, but belong body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.    He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.  He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven, in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

 Q.  What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?

     A.       Three things:

               first, how great my sin and misery are;

   second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery;

   third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.

Setting a good example is the call of God on your life because of what He’s done for you and to you.   It’s how we show we are thankful for such deliverance.  He died that you could have life and be free from the power of sin in and on your life.  He then clothed you in His righteousness.   He imputed it to you as if it was your very own. He then gave you the Holy Spirit who dwells in you and empowers you to live for Him. You cannot do it on your own; your righteousness does not come from you. It comes from Him.  He calls you, he empowers you, and he changes you to be more in the image of His Son.  

 So my example doesn’t save me.  It doesn’t make me more righteous.  However, if I am made righteous and the Holy Spirit dwells in me, my example and character should reflect it.   It’s like one of the people who influenced me said, “You’re a saint, live like one.”   You’re free, as the song puts it, free to run, free to dance, and free to live for Him.  See you Sunday as we talk about our example.

1.      Who in your life are you most like?

2.      Who do you look for when you need an example?

3.      What does Paul mean when he says in Philippians 2:12, work OUT your salvation?   (Notice he doesn’t say work FOR it.)

4.      If you get the chance, memorize Colossians 3:17.  

5.       Who looks to you as an example?

 

 

Christmas Week 2012

This week our E-newsletter previews the next two messages:  “The Cost of Righteousness” (12/23) and “The Proof of Righteousness” (12/24).  As both messages are a continuation of our series Jesus Wins, and preached in close proximity, we thought it made sense to combine our preview.  But after receiving the following jotting of an anonymous young person during last week’s 9:30 service it makes me wonder. 

 That’s a classic, wouldn’t you say?  I’m considering finding out who this kid is and doing a joint message some Sunday!

 Now, on to the previews…  This week in a letter to the Pittsburgh Presbytery, Dr. Sheldon Sorge, General Minister to Pittsburgh Presbytery, wrote:

 

Martin Luther came to think of his sin not as that which separated him from God, but as that which brought near to him the Savior who would take away his sin.  If we had no sin, we’d need no Savior.  What the coming of Jesus teaches us is that our sin brings God near to us to grant us wholeness in place of our brokenness, and justification in place of our judgment. 

 Luther used to wear out confessors until the Holy Spirit opened up the heart of the Gospel to him.  As Luther learned, the heart of the Gospel is how a sinner can be made a saint.

When surveys are conducted among Christians and the question is asked, “What is God’s chief attribute?”  The invariable answer is love.  And yet such an answer begs another question, “If love is God’s chief attribute, how do you explain His judgment?”  After nearly thirty years of ordained ministry I can’t begin to recall the numbers of times I have heard Christians ask, “How could a loving God do/allow ---?”  It’s a question that doesn’t originate with men but was first posited by Satan.

Think of it.  Satan believed that if he could induce men to will their own will rather than God’s will, God will send the same divine response Satan endured.  When Lucifer rebelled, the judgment of God was swift and eternal.  He was cast from the heavenly Eden into a darkened and ruined creation.  For him the words, “The wages of sin is death,” were axiomatic.  He had experienced them firsthand.  And yet, when divine judgment comes on sinful man there’s grace all over it.  In the pronouncements of work and birth and the clothing of animal skins God showers these offenders with His grace.  And, of course, the pinnacle of His grace is heard in His promise of Genesis 3:15.

But by the time we come to Isaiah 55, thousands of years have passed since the Garden and Satan has seen no evidence of his head being crushed.  Indeed, when God invites His people to come and buy food and drink for no money, etc., the vast majority turn Him down opting to satisfy their own will again, rather than His.

But as we will see on Christmas Sunday, Isaiah 55:1-9 is not only a shot across Satan’s bow; it’s a completely shocking unfolding of God’s plan of redemption by the seed of woman – the Son of David.  We will look at five points – the Scene (v.1); the Surprise (v. 3); the Secret (v. 4); the Solution (vvs. 6 & 7); and the Significance (vvs. 8 & 9).

In preparation for Christmas Sunday you may wish to consider the following:

1.      What was the point of the Protestant Reformation?

2.      Who is the first audience to hear Isaiah 55?

3.      Who is Cyrus and how did God use him?

4.      Why does Jesus quote Isaiah more than any other Old Testament prophet?

5.      What is the significance of the covenant referenced in verse 3?

6.      Who is the “witness” in verse 4?

7.      What do you make of God’s claim, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”  (Malachi 1:2,3; Romans 9:13)?

8.      What does the word “compassion” mean as used by God in verse 7?

9.      What did Luther mean by the statement, “O felix culpa”?

10.  What does it mean to say that without the holiness of God there would be no knowledge of the love of God?

Our Christmas Eve message is a striking illustration of what we cover on Christmas Sunday.  Here in Luke 14:1-14 Jesus is at a Sabbath dinner party thrown by a ruling Pharisee.  Here Jesus is put to the test.  Rather than testing Him with words, they test Him with a broken man in much the same way they test Him in John 7:53-8:11.  They bring in a man who’s suffering from a serious disease to see whether or not Jesus will try to heal him on the Sabbath.  But that’s not the only test present at that party.  The account can be divided into three parts, each providing Jesus center stage.  In part one He deals with the infirm man.  In parts two and three He offers advice about being a guest and a host.  And as we will see on Monday night, in everything Jesus says and does He offers a complete portrait of His Father’s righteous plan to defeat Satan and glorify His name.

In preparation for Monday night, Christmas Eve, you may wish to consider the following.

 

1.      Do you think Jesus ever repeated His sermons?

2.      How are Matthew 23:1-12; Luke 14:8-12; and Luke 18:10-14 related?

3.      How does Jesus’ message in these texts address Satan’s rebellion?

4.      How many times does Jesus heal on the Sabbath?

5.      How is Jesus like the man He heals?

6.      How is Jesus like the perfect dinner guest?

7.      How is Jesus like the perfect dinner host?

8.      How is the point of Righteousness made clear in this text?

See you Sunday and Monday!

 

"The Belt of Righteousness"

In Luke 18 Jesus tells a story about two men that go to the temple to pray.  In the temple courts public and private prayers were commonplace.  So, one man, a Pharisee, comes into the temple courts and assumes the typical prayer posture.  He lifts his eyes and raises his hands toward the heavens and begins to pray aloud, “O God, thank you that I am not like other men…this tax collector, etc.”

 Such a prayer was common among the religious Jews of Jesus’ day.  Listen to this one from the Talmud, “I give thanks to You, O Lord my God, that You have set my portion with those who sit in the House of Learning and not with those who sit in the streets, for I rise early and they rise early, but I rise early for words of Torah and they rise early for frivolous talk; I labor and they labor, but I labor and receive a reward and they labor and do not; I run and they run; but I run to the life of the future world and they run to the pit of destruction.” 

The prayer the Pharisee offer is of a similar sort as this Talmudic one, however he gets much more specific.  He not only lists his virtuous restraint from sin, he makes note of his accomplishments.  While the law required a Jew to fast not only once a year, this guy says he fasts twice a week.  While the law required a tithe of only certain crops, this guy tithes on everything.  From a human perspective he’s one fine fella – a man of considerable virtue, rectitude, and righteousness.

But Jesus begs to differ.  In fact, His antipathy for this man’s prayer and posture is so profound that He juxtapositions him with another man – a tax collector!  Tax collectors were by definition crooked.  Skimming off the top was the nature of their trade.  So, Jesus says this tax collector stands a far off (a popular expression by God to describe the essence of the human condition).  Instead of looking toward the heavens and raising his arms, this man looks at the ground and beats his chest saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.”  Now that is the common English translation of his prayer, but the Hebrew is far more pointed than that.  In Hebrew he says, “God, be propitious to me, a sinner.”

Do you know what he’s saying?  It’s the exact opposite of the Pharisee not only in content, but in meaning.  The word “propitious” is the adjectival form of the word “propitiate,” which means “to cause to become favorably inclined,” or “to appease.”  Every Torah-schooled Jew would know exactly what propitiation meant; for once a year the high priest would go behind the veil in the Temple and offer the blood of the atoning sacrifice to satisfy the righteous requirement of God for the sin of His people.  Without the atonement the justice and holiness of God would never be satisfied until every last Hebrew was dead.  Without satisfying the justice and holiness of God satisfied every Hebrew was a goner.  At the heart of God’s relationship with His people was the temple.  And at the heart of the temple was the Ark of the Covenant.  And at the heart of the Ark of the Covenant, on its very lid, was the place of propitiation, called the Mercy Seat, where the blood of the “perfect” substitute was offered.

You see, what this tax collector is praying is simple and yet extra-ordinarily profound.  He’s praying that God will not look upon his own righteousness, or lack thereof, but on the propitiating righteousness of another.  He’s praying for a righteousness that comes from outside of him.  And it’s another aspect of that foreshadowing righteousness that is at the heart of our study this week from Isaiah 11:1-5.

Two weeks ago it was the “Promise of Righteousness.”  Last week we looked at the “Son of Righteousness.”  And this week we examine the “Belt of Righteousness.”  Here in one of the most arresting messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, God reveals to the prophet Isaiah that He will send One who will emerge from the stump of Jesse.  He will be One on whom the Spirit of the Lord will rest.  He will be One who will wear a belt of righteousness and faithfulness.  As we unpack this prophecy we will see Jesus doing what the tax collector begs God to do.  And not only that, we will see Him doing everything that Satan can never do.

There’s a lot here, so in preparation for Sunday you may wish to consider the following:

1.      Examine the first of Jesus’ seven woes in Matthew 23.

2.      What is the condition of Israel at the time of Isaiah 11?  Is there any relevance to Mt. 23:12?

3.      Who is Jesse and why refer to him as the stump out of which the Messiah will come?

4.      How is Israel like a stump when throughout the Old Testament the Lord refers to her as a tree or vine of His own planting?

5.      Why do the Hebrew refer to the Messiah as “a sprout”?  What is so significant about a stump sprouting in Palestine?

6.      What kind of fruit will the sprout bear?

7.      How is the Holy Spirit endowment mentioned here different than any other Holy Spirit endowment mentioned thus far in the Old Testament?

8.      Is there any parallel to the characteristics of “the sprout” and those mentioned two chapters earlier?

9.      What is the significance of a “belt” or “sash” to the Hebrews?

10.  What significance do you see in the description of this belt i.e. location, purpose, use?

11.  How is the belt related to Jesus’ mission?

12.  How does the ministry of the Messiah described here run counter to Satan’s mission and exact God’s glory? 

13.  What is the relationship between Isaiah 11:5 and Revelation 1:13?

 See you Sunday!

The Son of Righteousness

This Sunday we look at another aspect of the coming Messiah and our Victor in the spiritual war by examining the title given to Him in the last chapter of the Old Testament.  Malachi 4:2 says, “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.”

Now the context of this statement is critical.  The prophet is called by God at a time when the people of Israel are under Persian domination.  From the time of the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities hundreds of years earlier, the beleaguered nation has experienced a roller coaster of domination by outsiders.  By now deep discouragement has set in.  The people are asking the same questions others have asked throughout the past 500 years: Where is the restoration God had promised?  Where is this Branch of Jesse, this King of the house of David, who is to deliver us from our enemies?  Where is this everlasting kingdom God promised when we continue as captives in a strange culture?  When will the city that still lies in ruins be transformed into a glorious city of God?  Does God really care about His people? Is there really truth to divine justice?

As discouragement and cynicism set in, the people’s commitment to God’s covenant declines markedly (as it repeatedly did throughout Israel’s history.)  Their temple duties flag.  They begin to neglect their tithes and offerings.  They begin to offer blemished animals.  They begin to marry wives who worshipped foreign gods.  Divorce becomes epidemic.  And it’s into this context that God raises up the prophet Malachi to speak to the issues of the time.  Like other prophets, he allows the Lord Himself to speak directly to His people.  The words of 4:2 are a clear example of God speaking for Himself.  The message of God is simple, yet profound.  “Yes, I do still love you.  And yes, all of the grandeur of the ultimate restoration is coming.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon said what many other students of Scripture have repeated over the last hundred years.  “We will never err if we allow the New Testament to interrupt the Old.”  Nowhere is that clearer than here in Malachi 3 and 4.  For what God is telling His covenant people in the time of Malachi is the same message He speaks to every one of His people in our day, “for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.”  As we will see on Sunday, God’s message in Malachi is pure Gospel!

Before I give you some things to consider in preparation for Sunday, it’s instructive to note a few things about this title, “sun of righteousness.”  First, the early Christians (100 AD - 400 AD) took this title to apply to Christ Jesus.  This is the only time it’s used in Scripture, but it’s perfect fulfillment in the life and ministry of Jesus is obvious (see John 1:1; 8:12f, etc.).  Second, light was one of the most frequently used symbols of God in antiquity.  Through history many pagan cultures use light to symbolize other-worldliness and deity.  Third, the concept of righteousness pervades other religious systems like Hinduism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, etc.

Now for some things you may wish to consider:

1. Can you think of any Old Testament examples of light being associated with the presence and glory of God?
2. What do you make of the contrast between the judgment of the arrogant in 4:1 and the healing of those who fear God’s name in 4:2?
3. How do you define righteousness?
4. Do you see any difference between the righteousness of God and the righteousness of men?
5. Is anyone saved by works?
6. What similarities are there between the sun of righteousness and Lucifer?  How do they differ?
7. What title is there for Satan that corresponds to this title for Christ?
8. What is the significance of God’s title in 4:2 to what He says He will do for His people in 3:17?
9. How can a Holy God make sinners His treasured possession?  Does the sun of righteousness help us understand how?
10. Why does God say to remember the law and decrees given to Moses (4:4), especially after His promise in 3:17?
11. How appropriate is it to change the “sun” of righteousness to the “son” of righteousness?

See you Sunday as we continue our series, Jesus Wins!

The Promise of Righteousness

Advent season is here!  For Hebron that means beautiful decorations of the season as well as sacred Christmas music when we gather to worship.  It also means a new chapter in our sermon series Jesus Wins.  Previous sermons have laid the foundation to the issue of spiritual warfare noting the unrighteous choices of Lucifer (Satan) and Adam and Eve as they turned from God's will in favor of their own.  What a joy to now focus on Jesus the Righteous One.  He always does the Father's will, always makes the right choices and even exchanges our sinfulness for His righteousness!  He is the Christian's Champion and Captain in spiritual warfare; by His righteousness we have the victory!

Looking at this Sunday's text and theme, four questions come to mind...

1)      What does the Bible term "righteous" mean? 

The word is defined by terms like “just” and “clean” with an emphasis on that which is beneficial.  Vines' New Testament Dictionary defines it as "just, without prejudice or partiality".  In other words, it is doing right just because it's right (no hidden motives).  Just as we know we sin because we are sinners, so Christ Jesus does righteously because He is righteous! 

2)      Why did Christ come as a baby unlike Adam who was created as a full grown man? 

First, there is prophecy to be fulfilled like "the seed of the woman" (Genesis 3:15) and “unto us a child is born". Second, there is the matter of identity as Jesus experienced full humanity except for sin (Hebrews 4:15).  

3)      What does "the government shall be upon His shoulders" mean? 

Just as we refer to responsibility "resting on our shoulders” so Christ is ultimately given authority to carry out God's will and rule on earth. 

4)      Why is Christ called the Everlasting Father when He is actually God the Son? 

Charles Spurgeon preached a great sermon on this question which will be referred to in Sunday's message, but for the present consider two thoughts.  We have our spiritual life and righteousness from Christ AND He takes great care of us in fatherly fashion. 

This text has been a great blessing to study and hopefully will stir us all as we worship together.

See you Sunday!

1. In I Corinthians 1:30, Christ is said to become for us...righteousness.  What do you think that means?
2. Isaiah had more than one prophecy about the birth of the Righteous One.  See Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:22
3. Some translations separate Wonderful from Counselor and some have them as one name together as in Isaiah 9:6.  Either way, how do you see these two terms describing Jesus?
4. Prince of Peace is also a name of Jesus.  Colossians has key verses on the connection between true peace and our Lord.  Colossians 1:20; 3:15 
5. Isaiah 9:7 connects government, peace and righteousness.  What do you think that kind of "government" would look like?  Some believe that Christ's government is not as much a political system as it is His rule in our hearts!
6. As our text connects peace and righteousness with Christ's rule, a correlation has been noted between Christ and Melchizedek.  Study Hebrews 7:1-3.
7. What does it mean that Jesus will reign on David's throne?

The Cain Calculation

In all the history of the world no group has been more despised than the Jews.  From the time of Abraham and Sarah, Satan has targeted the Jews for extinction.  Why?  Because Satan remembers the promise God made in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:15).  He knows the divine promise that one day the seed of woman will crush his head.  So he continually asks throughout Old Testament history, “Who is this seed?”

Last Christmas Eve I preached on Sunday’s companion text – Revelation 12:1-4.  In his book What’s So Amazing about Grace? Philip Yancey writes, “I have yet to see that version of the story of Christ’s birth on a Christmas card.”  As Jesus pulls aside the curtain to reveal the reality of spiritual warfare past, present, and future to His beloved John, He gives him a clear view of that night in that cave on the outskirts of Bethlehem.  As Jesus clearly indicates, it’s not really “Silent Night” – it’s D-Day.  It’s the moment when the full might of satanic forces aligned to destroy the seed of woman before He’s born.  Only in Gethsemane and on the cross do we see more vitriol.

Remember the testimony of Scripture regarding Satan’s assault on the seed.  When Sarah’s too old to conceive, Satan thinks he’s won; but God miraculously opens her womb and Isaac is born.  When Isaac’s wife Rebecca is barren for twenty years, Satan thinks he’s won; but God opens her womb and gives her twins.  When the twins grow up and the older hates the younger, Satan thinks he’s won; but then God pours out His grace on both of those boys.  At almost every point in Israel’s history, Satan’s hopes are raised and dashed.  You see it in the life of Joseph.  You see it in David’s life.  You see it throughout the history of God’s people.  But you know where it all begins?  It begins immediately east of Eden.  As we will note on Sunday, the story of Satan’s attack on the seed of woman begins only a chapter break away from God’s expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden. 

Now I had planned to offer a panoramic view of Satan’s attack on the seed of woman throughout the Old Testament this Sunday.  But as is often the case, when I dug into Genesis 4, I found far too much to hurry past.

This Sunday is the week directly before Advent – a time in which we will examine God’s response to Satan’s attack by sending to us THE SEED of woman.  He is as Martin Luther so aptly describes Him – an alien righteousness.  And it’s righteousness that is exactly what we need.  Moreover, it is this righteousness that will nail Satan’s coffin shut one day.  We will focus on righteousness in five messages: The Promise of Righteousness, The Son of Righteousness, The Belt of Righteousness, The Cost of Righteousness, and The Point of Righteousness. So, this Sunday is a perfect precursor to God’s ultimate response to Satan’s repeated employment of The Cain Calculation ((his seed destruction plan) throughout Old Testament history.  We get our first glimpse of this calculation in our primary text this week:  Genesis 4:1-9.

In preparing for Sunday’s message you may wish to consider the following:

1.      According to R.C. Sproul, the “shelf principle” is among the most important hermeneutic (interpretive) tool we have available to us as Bible students.  What is the “shelf principle”?

2.      What linkages can you find between the events of Genesis 3 and the Cain/Abel story?

3.      What does the name Cain mean?  What does it tell us about Eve’s perspective on Genesis 3:15?

4.      What does the name Abel mean?  Is he well-named?

5.      Why do you think Abel’s offering was acceptable to God and Cain’s isn’t?  Does Hebrews 11:4 help?

6.      How does Cain exhibit the three fruits of sin we discussed last week?

7.      How does God’s question to Cain (verse 9) mirror His question to Adam in Genesis 3?

8.      What is God telling Cain about himself and about God in verse 7?

9.      How is John correct about Cain when he references him in I John 3:12?

10.  How does the story of Cain provide the key to the way God will win the victory over every will but His own?

See you Sunday as we listen to the Word and feed on Him!

 

The Articles of War

In 1862 Henry Dunant published a book entitled, Memoir of the Solferino, on the horrors of war.  His own experience in war inspired him to take up the cause of those adversely affected by conflict.  He called for the creation of a permanent humanitarian relief organization.  His call was heeded and the International Red Cross was created in Geneva, Switzerland.  Additionally, Dunant called for the promulgation and ratification of a treaty that would recognize the neutrality of the agency and allow it to operate within a war zone.  This latter appeal resulted in the development of a set of wide-ranging rules and regulations governing combat that is known as the Geneva Convention.  While the Geneva Convention does not establish the means and methods of war, it does govern the treatment of prisoners, the protection of civilians, and the requirements of surrender.  In a broad way the requirements of the Geneva Convention have governed much of global warfare for the last 150 years.

Now just imagine if the parameters of warfare could be established by someone who had the power to impose them on all combatants.  Just imagine if, instead of signing on to a manmade treaty, these articles of war would be imposed regardless of the wills of man or Satan.  Just imagine if God could govern all conflict by an imposed set of rules. 

When you study the Scriptures and human experience since Eden, you begin to see that such thoughts are not the product of imagination, but a certain reality.  Think of it.  Unlike articles of war that govern collateral damage and the treatment of prisoners, the articles of war God establishes govern the conflict itself.  Look at Job, chapter one, where God addresses Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?”  When Satan replies, “The only reason Job fears you and walks uprightly is the hedge you’ve put around him.  Take down the hedge and stretch out your hand against him and he will curse you to your face.”  And the Lord says to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand.  Only against him do not stretch out your hand.”  (i.e. You’re not allowed to kill him.)  Think of it.  In the ultimate and most consequential war of human history, God establishes the rules.  In fact, not only are the acts of war governed by Him, but the consequences as well.  (Note Isaiah 54:17; II Corinthians 10:4; James 4:17)

This week we leave the Garden of Eden (though we could find good reason to stay for many more weeks) and begin to look at the trajectory of spiritual warfare and the clear rules God has established for the conflict.  Satan has now been joined in the conflict by other wills that seek to exert themselves against God’s will and His sovereignty.  It’s fascinating to consider that while all over creation rival wills are in constant quest of control, there is one will that stands above the fray.  His will proceeds uninhibited, for His will has established all rules of engagement and all consequences.  And we will look at three of them this week – fear, restlessness, and hatred.

Before giving you some things to consider in preparation of Sunday, I’d like to share a page from my favorite devotional.  Actually, it’s from today – November 15, 2012.  Spurgeon is commenting on Deuteronomy 32:9, “The Lord’s portion is his people.” 

“How are they His?  By His own sovereign choice.  He chose them, and set His love upon them.  This He did altogether apart from any goodness in them at the time, or any goodness which He foresaw in them.  He had mercy on whom He would have mercy, and ordained a chosen company to eternal life; thus, therefore, they are His by His unconstrained election.

“They are not only His by choice, but by purchase.  He has bought and paid for them to do the utmost penny, hence about His title there can be no dispute.  Not with corruptible things, as with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord’s portion has been fully redeemed.  There can be no mortgage on His estate; no suits can be raised by opposing claimants, the price was paid in open court, and the church is the Lord’s freehold forever.  See the blood mark upon all the chosen, invisible to the human eye, but known to Christ, for “the Lord knows them that are His.”  He forgets none of those whom He has redeemed from among humanity; He counts the sheep for whom He laid down His life, and remembers well the church for which He gave Himself.

“They are His by conquest.  What a battle He had in us before we would be won!  How long He laid siege to our hearts!  How often He sent us terms of capitulation!  But we barred our gates, and fenced our walls against Him.  Don’t we remember that glorious hour when He carried our hearts by storm?  When He placed His cross against the wall, and scaled our ramparts, planting on our strongholds the blood-red flag of His omnipotent mercy?  Yes, we are, indeed, the conquered captives of His omnipotent love.  Thus, chosen, purchased, and subdued, the rights of our divine possessor are inalienable: we rejoice that we never can be our own; and we desire, day by day, to do His will, and show forth His glory.”

In preparation for Sunday’s message, “The Articles of War” from John 15:1-11 and Isaiah 45:5-7, you may wish to consider the following:

 

1.      What do you think is the most essential tool in the study of theology (the study of God)?

2.      What does it mean to say, “I may not know all the answers, but I do know most of the problems?”

3.      What is God’s purpose in allowing other wills to exert themselves?

4.      What are some of the consequences of exerting your will against God?

5.      What is the difference between godly fear and human fear?

6.      How can human fear be a means of grace?

7.      What is that famous quote of St. Augustine regarding restlessness?

8.      How can God use human restlessness for His glory?

9.      What evidence do we have in Scripture of restlessness in man and Satan?

10.  What does Isaiah 45:7 mean?  What does the Hebrew word ra mean?

11.  True or false:  God creates evil?  If false, why?  If true, how?

 See you Sunday!