Guide for the Preparation for Worship on 6 June 2021 Sunday, May 30 2021

Call to Worship
Opening Psalm: Psalm 146 “Praise the LORD! My Soul, O Praise Him!”
Confession of Sin
Almighty and most merciful Father; We have erred and strayed from Your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Your holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done. And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. But You, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent; According to Your promises declared to mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father; For His sake; That we may hereby live a godly, righteous, and sober life; To the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Psalm 103:11-13
Hymn of Preparation: Hymn 228 “Hast Thou Not Known, Hast Thou Not Heard”
Old Covenant Reading: Psalm 9:1-20
New Covenant Reading: Matthew 28:16-20
Sermon: The LORD Reigns Forever
Psalm of Response: Psalm 9A “I Praise You, LORD, with All My Heart” (Stanzas 1-4)
Confession of Faith: Apostles Creed (p. 851)
Pastoral Prayer
Closing Psalm: Psalm 9A “I Praise You, LORD, with All My Heart” (Stanzas 5-8)

Suggested Preparations

Monday (5/31) Read and discuss Psalm 9:1-20.
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before your presence.
For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
their cities you rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.

But the LORD sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!
For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

Be gracious to me, O LORD!
See my affliction from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in your salvation.

The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah

The wicked shall return to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail;
let the nations be judged before you!
Put them in fear, O LORD!
Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah (ESV)

Allen P. Ross writes:

The psalm in many ways focuses on God’s sovereign rule over the affairs of men. The psalmist thinks of his own experience of vindication when God judged the wicked, and from there he looks forward to what it all prefigures, a great and final judgment to come. The LORD is the champion of the weak and afflicted who trust in him, and he will one day bring justice into the world by putting the oppressors in their place. Their place will be Sheol, their native element.

The message of the psalm is timeless. It may be worded as follows: Because God has demonstrated that he is the righteous judge of the world, believers may trust in him now for protection from the wicked and confidently pray for the final vindication in the judgment to come.

There are two ways this psalm may be directed. One is that people hearing this psalm may have to acknowledge that they are part of those who are being prayed against in this psalm – they may have a share in the oppression of others, either on a small scale or by being part of powerful nations. Passages such as this should inspire believers to relieve the suffering and the affliction of others when they have the opportunity to do so.

The other way this Psalm may be directed is the straight-forward meaning of the text. Any individual believers who are oppressed by wickedness in high or low places will find strength and comfort from this psalm to pray for relief and vindication. They will certainly understand the plight of others who have been afflicted, and join in their ancient prayer, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”

MEMORY WORK
Q. 44. What doth the preface to the ten commandments teach us?
A. The preface to the ten commandments teacheth us that because God is the Lord, and our God, and redeemer, therefore we are bound to keep all his commandments.

Tuesday (6/1) Read and discuss Philippians 1:1-2.
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)

From a Roman prison cell, Paul writes a remarkably joy-filled letter to the church at Philippi. The letter breaths of a confident trust and it is almost certainly the case that Paul drew more comfort and encouragement from the Philippians than from any of the other congregations that he founded. The feeling was obviously mutual. “The fact people from a different country would raise money, and send one of their number on the dangerous journey to carry it to an impoverished friend, speaks volumes for the esteem and love in which they held him (N.T. Wright).” While it would be easy to leap over the initial greetings, they are worth pausing and contemplating in their own right. Paul doesn’t begin by writing “Paul a prisoner of Rome” but “Paul and Timothy slaves (prisoners) of Christ Jesus”. Even under the most difficult of circumstances Paul considered his life to be in the hands of Jesus and not of Caesar. This idea is heightened by Paul’s use of “Christ Jesus” (normally Paul writes “Jesus Christ”). By putting Christ first, Paul is emphasizing the office of Jesus. We could bring this out more clearly by paraphrasing the clause “Paul and Timothy slaves of King Jesus”. Of course, that raises an interesting question. Since Paul is the sole author of Philippians (note that verse 3 begins “I thank my God” using a singular pronoun) why does he include Timothy in the greetings? First of all, Paul went out of his way to minister in groups. He was not a lone ranger for Jesus. Secondly, Timothy was and would continue to be an important leader that the church at Philippi could look to for guidance after Paul’s death. Paul didn’t want the Philippians to think that the future of the Gentile missions depended upon Paul. The greeting of the letter is addressed “to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi”. The word “all” introduces the theme of unity among the believers that will be found throughout the letter. Paul probably adds “with the Bishops and Deacons (ESV: “with the overseers and deacons”)” to make clear that while he is addressing all of the saints he is not doing so to the neglect of their gathering together as one body under the leadership of the officers whom Christ has given to this local church. Many modern commentators treat verse 2 as a wish or a prayer. Certainly that is what it would mean if we put these words in a letter that we wrote to one another. Nevertheless, I suspect that Paul meant them to be taken more literally as a blessing or benediction that flowed from his Apostolic office. What’s the difference? Consider the Aaronic blessing from Numbers 6:

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Rather than being a request to God, this is a declaration from God, through His priest, that He will bless His people. It seems more likely to me that, as Christ’s Ambassador, Paul doesn’t see himself so much requesting God’s blessings as sending them.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 45. Which is the first commandment?
A. The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Wednesday (6/2) Read and discuss Matthew 28:16-20.
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (ESV)

R.T. France writes:

Hitherto in Matthew’s narrative it has been Jesus who has been the “teacher.” But now the verb “teach” is used with the disciples as subject, marking the decisive change which follows Jesus’ death and resurrection. But even so their duty of teaching derives from the authority of the risen Lord. So they are to teach not their own ideas, but what Jesus has “commanded,” [the Greek word is] a term which hitherto has been especially associated with the “commandments” given by God through Moses. The basis of living as the people of God will henceforth be the new “commandments” given by Jesus. Not that these are opposed to the commandments of the OT, but … Jesus’ teaching has given a new interpretation to the old law, and it is by obedience to His words that salvation is henceforth to be found (Matthew 7:24-27). To be a disciple is to obey Jesus’ teaching. [Please don’t misunderstand Prof. France at this critical point. While nobody is saved apart from being a disciple, nobody is saved on the basis of how good a disciple they are. Salvation does not flow from doing what Christ commands. Doing what Christ commands flows from being saved. – Pastor Booth].

But the presence of Jesus Himself among His people ensures that it is not simply a relationship of formal obedience. In context this assurance is focused not on the personal comfort of the individual disciple but on the successful completion of the mission entrusted to the community as a whole. In OT commissioning scenes the assurance of God’s presence was to empower His often-inadequate servants to fulfill the task He had called them to. So here it is to the commissioned disciples as they set about their daunting task that the divine presence is promised, without which they cannot expect to succeed. But the difference now is that it is not God Himself who promises to be “with” them, still less an angel sent by Him, but the risen Jesus, who has just been declared to stand alongside the Father and the Holy Spirit in heavenly sovereignty. In the Fourth Gospel Jesus promises the continuing presence of the Spirit with His disciples after He has left them, but in Matthew the presence is that of Jesus Himself. And this is not simply for a short-term objective, for the mission they have been given will keep them (and their successors) busy to “the end of the age.” Jesus’ physical presence with His disciples was limited to the period of His earthly life span, but the spiritual presence of the risen Jesus has no such limitation: it is as an eternal, divine being that Jesus will be among His obedient people, “God with us.”

MEMORY WORK
Q. 46. What is required in the first commandment?
A. The first commandment requireth us to know and acknowledge God to be the only true God, and our God; and to worship and glorify him accordingly.

Thursday (6/3) Read and discuss Philippians 1:3-11.
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (ESV)

Rightly understanding something almost always requires us to grasp the intended purpose for which it was designed or performed. It would be nearly impossible for someone born 2,000 years ago to understand a ratchet set or a gage that measures the air pressure on a car tire. Apart from understanding what these things are for they would seem to be nothing more than shiny pieces of metal. Understanding the Bible is often like that. Therefore, it is particularly helpful to pay attention to expressions such as “for”, “so that”, “to” and “in order that”. Verses 10-11 contains two of these expressions:

“… so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

Paul’s purpose is two-fold. First he is longing to see the transformation of the Philippians (and us) in Christ continue until the Philippians (and we!) are perfectly transformed into the likeness of Christ. This is an astonishing thing for Paul to be praying for. When we think of the phrase “pure and blameless” few of us would dare to claim that this is a description of our current disposition. Yet, as Paul makes clear, this is our calling. Furthermore, it is not a calling to barren place where we are simply not doing any harm. We are called in Christ to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness” which is also known as the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:16-26). Indeed, God wants us to be so transformed and yielding such a harvest of righteousness that it could only be attributed to His work of sovereign grace in our lives. Our calling to be transformed in Christ is a profound calling, but it is neither Paul’s nor God’s ultimate goal for our lives. The ultimate goal is that this transformation would proclaim “the glory and praise of God”. Or as the Shorter Catechism puts it, “man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”

MEMORY WORK
Q. 47. What is forbidden in the first commandment?
A. The first commandment forbiddeth the denying, or not worshiping and glorifying the true God as God, and our God; and the giving of that worship and glory to any other, which is due to him alone.

Friday (6/4) Read and discuss Philippians 1:12-18.
I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Yes, and I will rejoice, (ESV)

We enter into business partnerships because we hope to accomplish more together than we could possibly do on our own. This binding of ourselves together for a common purpose is not without risks. A partnership not only allows us the opportunity to benefit from each other’s ideas, resources, and labors – it also makes us participants in each other’s failures. The first chapter of Philippians is very much about the partnership between Paul and the Philippians in spreading the gospel. The word translated “partnership” could also be translated “shared life” to bring out the deeply personal aspects of this relationship. Now that Paul has been imprisoned, their shared life in the gospel has taken two severe blows. First, there is the personal concern that the Philippians would naturally have for Paul who, humanly speaking, was their father in the faith. Secondly, there would have been significant concern over the prospects for their shared enterprise of spreading the gospel now that the church’s greatest evangelist was in chains. Paul wants the Philippians (and us!) to know that our shared life in the gospel is not entirely like mere business partnerships. While we really do rejoice in each other’s fruitfulness and suffer from each other’s failures – there is absolutely no possibility of this partnership going under. The founder and builder of this partnership is Christ Himself. So, in spite of the outward circumstances which neither Paul nor the Philippians would have sought, Christ was (and is!) building His Church. In fact, the gospel has penetrated to the Praetorian Guard in a way that the early Christians could never have expected. While only Christ’s faithfulness is perfect, we are shown a model of human faithfulness in Paul who rejoices because the mission of their partnership (Christ being proclaimed!) is advancing through Paul’s own painful circumstances. Isn’t that the sort of partner in the gospel that you want? Isn’t that the sort of partner in the gospel that you want to be?

MEMORY WORK
Q. 48. What are we specially taught by these words before me in the first commandment?
A. These words before me in the first commandment teach us that God, who seeth all things, taketh notice of, and is much displeased with, the sin of having any other god.

Saturday (6/5) Read and discuss Psalm 9:1-20.
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before your presence.
For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
their cities you rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.

But the LORD sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!
For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

Be gracious to me, O LORD!
See my affliction from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in your salvation.

The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah

The wicked shall return to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail;
let the nations be judged before you!
Put them in fear, O LORD!
Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah (ESV)

Dale Ralph Davis writes:

In the early part of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1863) in the American War Between the States, things were one confusing mess behind the Federal lines. Ambulances clattering along, dazed stragglers wandering around, the deafening sound of big guns, the crackle of small arms, the yelling and screaming of men. There was, Bruce Catton tells us, a column of General Slocum’s troops marching toward the firing line, a line they still could not see. The high screech of the Rebel yell rather unnerved them. They were veterans, but there was something about the ungodly racket they heard that put them on the edge of panic. They were passing a little cabin by the roadside in front of it was a bent old woman. She sensed the unease of the troops and as rank on rank passed her, she kept soothingly repeating, ‘Never mind boys – they’re nothing but men.’ One soldier said that these commonplace words uttered in that context seemed almost sublime, and the lads shook off their panic and were brave soldiers once again.

And that is what we must always remember – long before the nations finally learn it. The nations are ‘only men.’ The power in Beijing or London or Washington or Moscow or Tehran or Caracas or Havana is nothing but flesh. Praying for the kingdom will force us to remember that.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 49. Which is the second commandment?
A. The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

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Guide for the Preparation for Worship on 30 May 2021 Sunday, May 23 2021

Call to Worship
Opening Psalm: Psalm 46A “God is Our Refuge and Our Strength”
Confession of Sin
Almighty God, Who are rich in mercy to all those who call upon You; Hear us as we humbly come to You confessing our sins; And imploring Your mercy and forgiveness. We have broken Your holy laws by our deeds and by our words; And by the sinful affections of our hearts. We confess before You our disobedience and ingratitude, our pride and willfulness; And all our failures and shortcomings toward You and toward fellow men. Have mercy upon us, Most merciful Father; And of Your great goodness grant that we may hereafter serve and please You in newness of life; Through the merit and mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: John 3:16-17
Hymn of Preparation: Hymn 436 “My Faith Has Found a Resting Place”
Old Covenant Reading: Joshua 1:1-9
New Covenant Reading: 1 Timothy 1:12-20
Sermon: Christ Came to Save Sinners
Hymn of Response: Hymn 438 “I Love to Tell the Story”
Confession of Faith: Heidelberg Catechism Q/A 1 (p. 872)
Pastoral Prayer
Closing Hymn: Hymn 433 “Amazing Grace”

Suggested Preparations

Monday (5/24) Read and discuss 1 Timothy 1:12-20.
I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. (ESV)

We live in a distracted age. Educators used to complain about how television was destroying the ability of young people to engage in detailed reasoning or to simply listen attentively to an hour-long lecture. Yet, that pales in comparison to the impact which social media and text messaging has had on our attention spans. So, newspaper articles and even sentences continue to grow shorter; logical reasoning is being replaced by soundbites and graphics; and, while more and more people are capable of reading, many of these people never read a single serious book in the course of a year. It isn’t that social media and cell phones are intrinsically evil. It is precisely their utility that makes them dangerous. The danger is that we can end up being so busy with trivial things that we end up ignoring the few things that really matter. Paul addresses this issue to Timothy in verses 18-19:

This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience.

It is important to recognize that the discussion of religious things can actually be what leads us away from our vocations. That is why Paul warns against being given over to “myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith” (v. 4) and engaging in “vain discussions” (v. 6). The language of “entrust”, “wage the good warfare”, and “holding faith and a good conscience” is vigorous. Paul is reminding Timothy that his vocation demands focused attention. Timothy is not free to focus on those aspects of his calling that happen to make him feel the best that day – and neither are we. Let us not fritter away the treasures which the LORD has entrusted us with. Recreation and amusement are gifts from God, but they are not the end for which we have been created. Let’s keep them in their proper place.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 38. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?
A. At the resurrection, believers, being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity.

Tuesday (5/25) Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 14:20-25
Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. (ESV)

Nearly everyone enjoys watching young children open presents. Giving them something to smile about lifts our hearts as well. Sometimes we end up with wonderful stories about how the youngest children delighted to play with the shiny wrapping paper while neglecting the toy that we so carefully picked out … and we too laugh with delight. When a child gets a bit older perhaps he will pick up his plastic hammer and pretend to go to work with Dad. So begins the process of dreaming what life will be like when he grows up. In High-School he will begin to dread the question that all the grown-ups seem to incessantly ask: “What are you going to be when you grow up?” But this is a natural are right question to ask. We were created with talents and given opportunities to develop them. We should be seeking to discover and live out our vocations where we grow into maturity and refine our gifts to make a positive impact on the world. Regretfully, when we ask “What are you going to be when you grow up?” we tend to only have career goals in mind. No one ever seems to ask “What are you going to be when you grow to maturity in your relationship with Jesus Christ?” Truth be told, many Christians in the United States seem to be content to simply play with the shiny pieces of the wrapping paper while approaching the Christian life nearly entirely from the perspective of “feels good/feels bad.” In today’s passage Paul calls the Corinthians and us to grow up. What does it mean to grow up? For a start it means growing in an understanding of God’s word, His plan for the world, and how the gifts that He gives functions in that plan. As Paul makes clear, the gift of tongues was intended as a sign to the rebellious nation of Israel that God was going to judge them for rejecting Him. Yet, some in Corinth (and we should add, some in the United States today) were treating this sign of impending judgment as though it were a toy that gave them a ecstatic experience and marked them out as particularly spiritual. Paul, by referring to Isaiah and Zechariah, essential tells them: “If you had aligned your thinking with God’s revealed will in Scripture you wouldn’t be acting in such a childish manner. Grow up!”

MEMORY WORK
Q. 39. What is the duty which God requireth of man?
A. The duty which God requireth of man is obedience to his revealed will.

Wednesday (5/26) Read and discuss Joshua 1:1-9.
After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (ESV)

The first words of the LORD to Joshua, “Moses my servant is dead,” focus on the transition of leadership for Israel. The LORD here speaks to Joshua as he spoke to the former leader, Moses (though not “mouth to mouth” and visibly as with Moses), implying that Joshua, whom Moses had commissioned at the LORD’s command, is now in charge. The LORD’s words begin to reveal to Joshua that while Moses’ body lies in the ground, no promise lies buried with him. Joshua will be his new agent of fulfillment. The death of a leader does not mean that the LORD has abandoned his pledges to Israel – or to the church. That is true even at the death of Moses, the incomparable mediator of the Sinai covenant, the model for all prophets and a type of Christ. God’s entire Word is “living and active.” His promises are longstanding and still standing! Even at the passing of the only national leader Israel had even known, no pledge falls to the ground dead.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 40. What did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience?
A. The rule which God at first revealed to man for his obedience was the moral law.

Thursday (5/27) Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 14:26-40.
What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.
Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But all things should be done decently and in order. (ESV)

There are a few tricky interpretive matters in today’s passage. One of the challenges we face as Christians is to not become so distracted by those parts of God’s word that seem unclear to us that we avoid simple obedience to what is being clearly revealed. N.T. Wright comments on the problem that Paul was addressing and his broader concerns for the Church:

What is clear is that … Paul’s overriding concern is for order, peace, and mutual upbuilding when the congregation comes together for worship, rather than for chaos, interruption and dissension.

Of course, there are many churches today where there is so much order and peace that Paul might have wondered if everyone had gone to sleep. That poses different problems, which a fresh and lively engagement with the gospel itself, and the personal challenges it poses, should begin to address. But in Corinth at least the problem was one of worship meetings bordering on the chaotic – and chaos, as always, provides an opportunity for those with the loudest voices or the slickest operating skills to come out on top, while those with gentler voices and more humility can get crushed in their path. The issue, in other words, may well not be simply about how to order public worship, but how to prevent bossy and overbearing Christians exploiting an extemporaneous worship service in order to show off their gifts and strengths. That problem is not unique to ‘free’ services such as those in Corinth.

In particular, Paul issues specific instruction as to the exercise of the gifs he has been talking about. The main principle remains that everything should be done with an eye to building up the church. Beyond that, at most three people should speak in tongues, and then only if one of them can ‘interpret’, in other words, put into plain speech what it is that has been said. Paul would have no time for people who wanted to go on and on in a free-flowing way with different gifts being exercised. Spontaneity is no guarantee of spirituality, and to think otherwise is to entertain wrong ideas about God himself (verse 33).

A simple way to put this into practice is to remember that corporate worship is not like an elementary school talent show. Talent shows are about the individual and his or her talents. Spiritual gifts are exercised in corporate worship not for the sake of the individual but for the sake of the whole congregation.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 41. Where is the moral law summarily comprehended?
A. The moral law is summarily comprehended in the ten commandments.

Friday (5/28) Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 15:1-28.
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. (ESV)

A very strange thing seems to have happened in Corinth. There were members of the church who apparently were doubting or even denying that there would be a future resurrection of our bodies. We shouldn’t imagine that they were envisioning some sort of future annihilation where everything ended at death. This wasn’t modern America where unbelievers can feel comfortable in a liberal church. These were people who were (in some sense) placing their trust in Jesus for a better life in the age to come. Yet they had allowed secular philosophy to alter their understanding of Biblical anthropology. That is, they had lost sight of the fact that God made matter good and that our physical bodies are an important part of our humanity. Why would they do this? It was common in some parts of Greek philosophy to hope for the deliverance of the human spirit from the body. The spirit was seen as noble and good while the body was seen as decaying and limiting. In fact, some philosophers called the body the tomb of the soul. Oddly, many Christians in modern America have let this idea creep into their own thinking. If you were to ask many individuals about what they expect after they die – they will vaguely talk about heaven and, if you listen closely, it will sound like a surprisingly immaterial place. But this is not the goal for which we have been created or redeemed. As one New Testament scholar likes to put it, “Heaven is important but it’s not the end of the world.” If we die prior to the Second Coming, we will in fact pass directly into the presence of the LORD while our bodies remain buried in the ground. This will be a glorious experience but it is not the end of our redemption. Scripture teaches that we will then be looking forward to the redemption of our bodies so that in glorified bodies we will live in a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness will dwell. This truth is so important that Paul actually argues from Christ’s resurrection to the resurrection of our bodies. Is this the way you think about the body God has given to you?

MEMORY WORK
Q. 42. What is the sum of the ten commandments?
A. The sum of the ten commandments is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbor as ourselves.

Saturday (5/29) Read and discuss 1 Timothy 1:12-20.
I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. (ESV)

R. Kent Hughes writes:

This outpouring of gratitude [in verses 12 through 14] stemmed from Paul’s personal history before meeting Christ. Paul, at that time called Saul, hunted down Christians, desiring to devastate the church. He was a brutal, implacable, bloody man. Paul’s personal biographer, Dr. Luke, described him as a religious predator: “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:1, 2). Paul preyed on those “who belonged to the Way” – the followers of Jesus who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). His goal was nothing short of the complete extermination of the Way.

Luke’s description here of him as “still breathing out murderous threats” literally reads, “breathing in threats and murder.” As A.T. Robertson explained, “Threatening and slaughter had come to be the very breath that Saul breathed, like a warhorse who sniffed he smell of battle.” …

The rest of the story has become the treasured deposit of the apostolic church and all who have valued an apostolic life.

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Paul, an untamable tiger, met the Lion of the tribe of Judah at the Damascus off ramp! He renounced persecuting the church to become a major player in the drama of world evangelization.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 43. What is the preface to the ten commandments?
A. The preface to the ten commandments is in these words, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

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Guide for the Preparation for Worship on 23 May 2021 Sunday, May 16 2021

Call to Worship
Opening Psalm: Psalm 22B “All You Who Fear Jehovah’s Name”
Confession of Sin
Almighty and most merciful Father; We have erred and strayed from Your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Your holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done. And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. But You, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent; According to Your promises declared to mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father; For His sake; That we may hereby live a godly, righteous, and sober life; To the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Isaiah 44:21-23
Hymn of Preparation: 119E “Teach Me, O LORD, Your Way of Truth”
Old Covenant Reading: Deuteronomy 12:29-32
New Covenant Reading: 1 Timothy 1:1-11
Sermon: No Different Doctrine
Hymn of Response: 243 “How Firm a Foundation”
Confession of Faith: Nicene Creed (p. 852)
Pastoral Prayer
Closing Hymn: Hymn 446 “Be Thou My Vision”

Suggested Preparations

Monday (5/17) Read and discuss 1 Timothy 1:1-11.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

To Timothy, my true child in the faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. 1 Timothy 1:1-11 (ESV)

Donald Guthrie writes:

Paul reminds Timothy of the occasion when he left him at Ephesus with a particular task, which involved commanding others not to teach false doctrine. Wrong doctrines were already being circulated at this early stage in the church’s life, and this is a reminder that in every age truth is challenged by counterfeits. There is much about false teachings in this letter and in the one to Titus. Whereas these were specific to the times, they throw light on certain principles which are still relevant today in dealing with some types of wrong teaching. Whatever is meant by myths and endless genealogies, it is clear that Paul regarded them as the very opposite of the serious content of the gospel. In view of the fact that in Tit. 1:14 Paul mentions ‘Jewish myths,’ it is probable that he had in mind mythical histories, like the Jewish Book of Jubilees. Note the contrast between controversies and God’s work. There was an unproductiveness about the false teaching which was the opposite of true faith. Paul draws attention to certain characteristics about the people who were promoting the teaching – their lack of meaning and their unsuitability to be teachers. What strikes us is the irrelevance of their teaching. Sandwiched in the center of the passage (v. 5), we find Paul’s statement about the nature of Timothy’s task (to produce love) and his advice on the nourishing of it (purity, a good conscience, and faith). The test of a good discussion is not that we have enjoyed a verbal battle but that it has promoted mutual understanding and love; sincere, openhearted and based on faith.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 32. What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life?
A. They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption and sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them.

Tuesday (5/18) Read and discuss 1 Corthinthians 13:8-13
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (ESV)

Love is the number one theme in literature, in our movies, and in our music. This reminds us how central love is to the human condition. With all this attention given to love we could easily imagine that we have the subject down. Regretfully it is far easier to have the right words on our lips then to demonstrate love through our lives. Consider these closing words from the hit song “Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel:

I said I love you and that’s forever
And this I promise from the heart
I could not love you any better
I love you just the way you are.

That’s so good you could easily think, yes, at least Billy Joel gets it … until you remember that he wrote this song for his first wife whom he later ditched. Then he married Christie Brinkley. After their failed marriage he married a woman who is more than 30 years younger than he is. Whatever you think of Billy Joel’s music, the words of this song are not the theme of his life. In today’s passage Paul is pointing out that Biblical love is steadfast love. It is commitment to be a blessing to the other person through thick and thin. How can we love like that? We can do so because Christ has first loved us like that. Secure in God’s love, we are empowered not simply to experience genuine love but to show forth what it looks like. Furthermore, according to Paul, love isn’t simply our duty or even our privilege – it is the Christian’s destiny. The new heavens and the new earth will involve an eternity of loving relationships because God Himself is love. As those who have been brought into Christ’s Kingdom we are called to live in the present in light of that future. Prayer: Ask that the LORD would make you an instrument of His love in this world – and that you would begin with those who are closest to you.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 33. What is justification?
A. Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.

Wednesday (5/19) Read and discuss Deuteronomy 12:29-32.
“When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the LORD hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. Deuteronomy 12:29-32 (ESV)

Eugene Merrill writes:

Having established the centrality and sanctity of the place of the LORD’s residence among His people, Moses turned now to the uniqueness of the LORD and His demands for exclusive recognition and worship. As noted already, this injunction is an elaboration of the first commandment in which these very concepts are promulgated (Deut 5:7). As noted also, this exposition of the commandment follows that of the notion of the central sanctuary because it logically and theologically makes sense that the exclusive worship of the LORD could not be a practical reality until the pagan shrines had been eliminated and the place where the LORD chose to place His name had been set up in their stead.

That this was the strategy behind Moses’ approach is clear from the present passage itself. It was only after the nations of Canaan were defeated and dispossessed that the worship of the LORD could be centralized and undertaken without the risk of syncretism or competition. Ironically, however, the mere destruction of the nations would not automatically remove the temptation to worship their gods (v. 30). As strange as it might seem, the attraction of the false deities was not at all diminished by the overthrow of the peoples who worshipped them. It was as though no linkage at all existed between them and their capability, between the notion of a god and that of his role in event and history.

Subsequent events were to demonstrate the possibility of such a paradoxical outcome, however, for over and over again in Israel’s history they showed their proclivity to follow after gods that were defeated and discredited in the face of the LORD’s powerful displays of sovereignty. This began as early as the time of the conquest and its immediate aftermath, for no sooner had Joshua and the elders who followed him delivered the land from its indigenous pagan populations than the people of Israel began to go after the very gods of those nations. More often than not this shameless devotion to nonexisting gods characterized the history of God’s chosen people ever afterward.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 34. What is adoption?
A. Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of, the sons of God.

Thursday (5/20) Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 14:1-5
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. (ESV)

Richard Hays writes:

Having laid the groundwork in chapters 12 and 13, Paul now addresses the problem of the Corinthians’ worship in more specific terms. Some of the Corinthians – presumably those who consider themselves gifted with wisdom and knowledge – are placing inordinate emphasis on the gift of tongues. They believe that their ability to speak in a heavenly language that surpasses human understanding is the ultimate sign of their spiritual power and maturity. The community’s worship assembly, however, has fallen into disorderly confusion, as various members speak simultaneously and unintelligibly under the inspiration of the Spirit, perhaps even competitively seeking to outdo one another in the display of glossolalia. In this matter, as in the case of their abuse of the Lord’s Supper, Paul cannot commend them, for their behavior fractures the community.

Nonetheless, this situation poses a difficult pastoral problem for Paul, because he firmly believes that these spiritual manifestations – including tongues – are gifts of the Holy Spirit given by God to the church (12:10, 28). Paul shares with the Corinthians a vision for community worship as the setting in which God will speak and act powerfully through spontaneous supernatural revelations. How, then, can he seek to create order in the community’s worship without squelching the Spirit? His solution, set forth at some length in chapter 14, is to insist that love (chapter 13) requires the gifts to be used for building up the community (14:12, 26). Consequently, intelligible speech is necessary in the assembly for the common good; unintelligible tongues must be either interpreted or reserved for private prayer. In preference to tongues, Paul advocates prophecy as the highest gift, because the prophet speaks inspired intelligible messages from God directly to the congregation, thereby building up the church.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 35. What is sanctification?
A. Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.

Friday (5/21) Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 14:6-19
Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue. (ESV)

The 80s and 90s decades were marked by what is often called “the worship wars” within North American churches. Many churches have tried to re-design their approach to worship in a way that makes unbelievers most comfortable. Even from a human standpoint, this is an entirely irrational undertaking. Nobody is ever going to feel comfortable with being told that they stand before God as wicked, morally and spiritually dead, and that they have nothing positive to contribute to being saved from this dreadful condition. More importantly, the very attempt to re-design the worship service to make those who hate God happy entails a failure to understand that we are supposed to be gathering to worship the King and not to entertain man. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that corporate worship should ignore the people who are gathering together. Here is a basic principle of life: One of the surest ways to make a father happy is to be kind and helpful to his children. This is true of God the Father and His children as well. We are to encourage one another and build each other up when we gather for corporate worship. Therefore we are not free to focus on our own personal preferences but must consider the interests of others more important than our own. This is also why the Reformers insisted that worship must be in the vernacular language of the people. Undoubtedly many people had come to love the beauty of the Latin Liturgy and Hymns – even many who didn’t know what the words actually meant. Yet God wants His children “to worship Him in Spirit and in truth.” That requires understanding.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 36. What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption and sanctification?
A. The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption and sanctification, are, assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end.

Saturday (5/22) Read and discuss 1 Timothy 1:1-11.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

To Timothy, my true child in the faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. 1 Timothy 1:1-11 (ESV)

William Mounce writes:

At some time before the writing of this letter, Timothy had gone to Ephesus to deal with false teaching in the church. He had wanted eventually to leave Ephesus, but Paul, while on his way to Macedonia, met with Timothy and urged him to stay. Paul was now writing as a follow up to that conversation. The situation in Ephesus was serious. Some of the people had already gone astray, and what they were teaching was foolishness. Paul launched into the matter at hand in much the same way as he did in the letter to the Galatians, not following his usual practice of expressing thanks for the people to whom he was writing. This might seem unusual in writing to a friend, but quite natural when it is realized that he was writing through Timothy to the Ephesian church. This also explains the note of authority running throughout this section. The language is strong; timothy was to command the opponents to stop their senseless babble.

Verses 3-7 set the historical stage for the epistle. Certain people were teaching a gospel that was essentially different from Paul’s. Leaders in the church were teaching myths they had created based on OT genealogies. Not only were they in error theologically, but their lifestyle was also wrong. Rather than exercising their responsibilities in the church as good stewards of God through faith, they were producing nothing except more speculation. The goal of Timothy’s command – that the false teachers stop teaching – was love. Not only was love absent in the opponents’ lives but Timothy needed to maintain love as the goal of his teaching and heavier as well. Paul’s opponents had made a moral choice to set aside cleansed hearts, clear consciences, and a sincere faith. Their problem was not intellectual but moral, and their behavior was a direct result and a clear indicator of their immorality. But Paul’s emphasis on their behavior did not mean that their theology was acceptable. Along with being immoral, they were charged with being ignorant of what they were dogmatically teaching.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 37. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?
A. The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection.

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Guide for the Preparation for Worship on 16 May 2021 Sunday, May 9 2021

MVOPC 16 May 2021
Call to Worship
Opening Psalm: Psalm 1A “That Man is Blest”
Confession of Sin
Almighty God, Who are rich in mercy to all those who call upon You; Hear us as we humbly come to You confessing our sins; And imploring Your mercy and forgiveness. We have broken Your holy laws by our deeds and by our words; And by the sinful affections of our hearts. We confess before You our disobedience and ingratitude, our pride and willfulness; And all our failures and shortcomings toward You and toward fellow men. Have mercy upon us, Most merciful Father; And of Your great goodness grant that we may hereafter serve and please You in newness of life; Through the merit and mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Colossians 1:11-14
Hymn of Preparation: Hymn 389 “Great God, What Do I See and Hear!”
Old Covenant Reading: Isaiah 66:5-16
New Covenant Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10
Sermon: The Good News of God’s Vengeance
Hymn of Response: Hymn 383 “Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying”
Confession of Faith: Heidelberg Catechism Q/A 1 (p. 872)
Pastoral Prayer
Closing Hymn: Hymn 517 “I Know Whom I Have Believed”

Suggested Preparations

Monday (5/10) Read and discuss 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10.
This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10. (ESV)

John Byron writes:

Having assured the Thessalonians that God is just and will repay their enemies, Paul quickly shifts their attention to the “when.” It “will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven” (1:7b). This revealing of Jesus is consistent with descriptions of Jesus’ location in heaven in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 and 4:16. But the word Paul uses here is not parousia. Instead he uses apokalypsis (“revelation”), a word he uses elsewhere in the context of a day of judgment.

Paul’s point here is that just as Jesus is presently “hidden” from the Thessalonian believers, he is also hidden from those who are persecuting them. Consequently, they are unaware of the approaching judgment that will happen when Jesus returns. The Thessalonians, however, are aware of what is approaching, and Paul’s purpose here is not to scare or threaten his readers, but is rather to provide comfort. It is a promise that god has not forgotten them, that they have not missed the day of the LORD, and that when that day comes and Jesus is finally revealed, it will no longer be a secret.

Paul’s description of Jesus’ revelation “in blazing fire with his powerful angels” is intended to have the most impact possible on his readers. In the Old Testament a theophany (an appearance of God) is sometimes accompanied by fire. Fire burning one’s adversaries is also a common image in the Old Testament. But the wording here is most likely taken from Isaiah 66:15-16:

See, the LORD is coming with fire,
and His chariots are like a whirlwind;
He will bring down His anger with fury,
and His rebuke with flames of fire.
For with fire and with His sword
the LORD will execute judgment on all people,
and many will be those slain by the LORD.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 26. How doth Christ execute the office of a king?
A. Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.

Tuesday (5/11) Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 12:12-20
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 (ESV)

While the Church is supposed to manifest both UNITY and DIVERSITY – which of these two is more important? You probably realize that this is a trick question. We are not to pit unity and diversity against each other as though they are competitors but are instead to embrace both the unity of the body and the diversity of the members. That is the way God designed the Church. Nevertheless, it is easy in practice to actually choose unity or diversity and by doing so to distort God’s plan for a local congregation. While distortions in both directions are possible, the culture of the United States tends to err toward overemphasizing the individual making that the more likely way for us to go astray. One symptom of this misunderstanding among Christians in North America is revealed by the fact that many evangelical Christians are actually reluctant to join a particular local congregation (and a large number of churches have accommodated this desire by eliminating or downplaying membership). Instead of thinking of ourselves as members of a body we approach church life as consumers of religious services and experiences. Yet, oddly, the response to this error has often been to lurch toward emphasizing unity at the expense of diversity. This approach identifies the church with the gifts of a few members and basically calls the congregation to be happy identifying with and supporting those people and their gifts. That is not Paul’s vision at all. Paul insists: “For the body does not consist of one member but of many.” So how can we get this balance right? Programs won’t do it, but in 1 Corinthians 13 Paul will show us “a more excellent way” that leads to getting this right.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 27. Wherein did Christ’s humiliation consist?
A. Christ’s humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross; in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time.

Wednesday (5/12) Read and discuss Isaiah 66:5-16.

Hear the word of the LORD,
you who tremble at his word:
“Your brothers who hate you
and cast you out for my name’s sake
have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified,
that we may see your joy’;
but it is they who shall be put to shame.

“The sound of an uproar from the city!
A sound from the temple!
The sound of the LORD,
rendering recompense to his enemies!

“Before she was in labor
she gave birth;
before her pain came upon her
she delivered a son.
Who has heard such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Shall a land be born in one day?
Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?
For as soon as Zion was in labor
she brought forth her children.
Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?”
says the LORD;
“shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?”
says your God.

“Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
all you who love her;
rejoice with her in joy,
all you who mourn over her;
that you may nurse and be satisfied
from her consoling breast;
that you may drink deeply with delight
from her glorious abundance.”

For thus says the LORD:
“Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river,
and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream;
and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip,
and bounced upon her knees.
As one whom his mother comforts,
so I will comfort you;
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
your bones shall flourish like the grass;
and the hand of the LORD shall be known to his servants,
and he shall show his indignation against his enemies.

“For behold, the LORD will come in fire,
and his chariots like the whirlwind,
to render his anger in fury,
and his rebuke with flames of fire.
For by fire will the LORD enter into judgment,
and by his sword, with all flesh;
and those slain by the LORD shall be many. Isaiah 66:5-16 (ESV)

William VanGemeren writes:

The prophecy of Isaiah concludes with God’s concern for true worship. God desires to have fellowship with those who show sensitivity to His word by acts of obedience, love, and justice. The love of God is evident in those who are humble and contrite in spirit. They may suffer in an unjust world, but He promises to vindicate them. On the other hand, He will avenge Himself on those within the community of faith who worship in their own ways, not having a heartfelt love for God and for their brothers and sisters in the faith.

The judgment of God clearly comes against all those who have opposed His kingdom. The noise coming from the temple is the sound of the LORD Himself who has come to defend His children by brining retribution on the wicked.

The LORD invies all to rejoice with “mother Jerusalem.” Those who love her in adversity and prosperity will be rewarded with joy, fullness of life, peace, and comfort. These benefits are further guaranteed to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ.

As God’s people are encouraged that the Lord is going to be with His children, He also assures the enemies that His vengeance will come upon them. His coming is depicted in prophetic imagery: fire, chariots, whirlwinds, and swords. The effect of Yahweh’s judgment is that the wicked will be slain. The prophet gives the scene of God’s judgment on the wicked in order to assure the ungodly who have been members of the covenant community that they too will be under God’s judgment. Those who have mad their own rules of sanctification and defilement will be consumed together with the wicked.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 28. Wherein consisteth Christ’s exaltation?
A. Christ’s exaltation consisteth in his rising again from the dead on the third day, in ascending up into heaven, in sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and in coming to judge the world at the last day.

Thursday (5/13) Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 12:21-31
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:21-31 (ESV)

In an association or club, those who appear to have the most to offer are those the organization wants to recruit and retain. In a family, everyone is loved without regard to their abilities. The Church is a family and not an association. In fact, God in His wisdom has bound together both the weak and the strong into the one body of Christ. Richard Hays explains:

Paul is writing to correct the behavior of some haughty Corinthians whose undisciplined flaunting of spiritual gifts has caused the weaker and less honorable members of the community (vv. 22-23) to feel despised and even ostracized from the body because they do not have the same exalted spiritual experiences (vv. 15-16). It is likely, though not certain, that this split with the community reflects the same social and economic differences that we have seen with regard to other problems in the letter, such as the use of law courts (6:1-8) and the abuse of the Lord’s Supper (11:17-34). Seeking to overcome this sad division in the church, Paul calls upon all the Corinthians to see themselves joined together as members of one body with a stake in one another’s peace and wellbeing. This message makes particular demands on those who hold the upper roles in the social structure and upon those who receive the most impressive spiritual gifts. “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required” (Luke 11:48). Minimally, the holders of power are enjoined to receive and honor the weaker members as their peers in the body of Christ, to “have the same care” for them that they have for themselves, and to share in their joys and sufferings (vv. 25-26). A conversion of the imagination will be necessary for those in a position of privilege truly to see themselves as bound together with the weaker members of the body.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 29. How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?
A. We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us by his Holy Spirit.

Friday (5/14) Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 13:1-7
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (ESV)

It is easy to drift into doing things simply out of habit. While this is o.k. to the degree that we have been self-conscious about creating our habits a long period of being unreflective can leave us surprisingly off-course without even realizing it. We start out with a plan to get somewhere, but small bumps in the road and minor temptations or distractions move us from our intended path. At first, we won’t seem too far off track. Yet, unless we keep correcting our course, we will eventually end up tragically missing the target of our original goals. Therefore, it is important for us to take inventory of our lives and to ask why we are doing what we are doing. This is perhaps even more true of our motivations as it is of our outward actions. God cares about both. Richard Hays puts it like this:

As verses 1-3 emphasize, even the most apparently spiritual and meritorious activities become, without love, literally meaningless. First Corinthians 13 ought to encourage us to step back from even our most cherished projects and ask, “Why am I doing this?” If we cannot honestly say, “I am doing this for love and in love,” then the legitimacy of the whole enterprise must come under serious doubt. This test applies, of course, not just to explicitly religious practices but to everything that we do: business, academics, politics. All of us know for sad cases where laudable causes are promoted by people who have lost this frame of reference and turned into loveless zealots. Indeed, this is not far from what was happening at Corinth: precisely those Corinthians who were most single-mindedly focused on spirituality had become guilty of dividing the community and despising their brothers and sisters. We are so susceptible to self- deception in such matters that we need others around us who can keep us honest and remind us, as Paul does, that love is what really counts ultimately.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 30. How doth the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ?
A. The Spirit applieth to us the redemption purchased by Christ, by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling.

Saturday (5/15) Read and discuss 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10.
This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10. (ESV)

John Byron writes:

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” Can Jesus be serious? It is one thing to pray for someone who is persecuting me, but to love them would mean I need to come in contact with them to express that love. But the attitude of love is what is crucial to the identity of being a follower of Jesus. Jesus stresses that this kind of love has a purpose: “that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” To be a part of God’s kingdom means reflecting the character of the Father. Since, as Jesus points out, God gives sunshine and rain to both the righteous and the unrighteous, Christians too should treat their enemies with a similar pattern of love.

Although Paul offers no advice on how to deal with persecution here, he does in Romans 12:14: “Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.” Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 4:12-13 Paul reports: “When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly.” While not using the same words of Jesus, Paul is echoing them.

There is something striking about both the words of Jesus and Paul. Neither is suggesting a passive response to the persecutors. The acts of praying, loving, and blessing someone require that the persecuted proactively step out and engage their enemies in a way that is the opposite of the treatment they are receiving. For the Christian, our response should not be simply one of nonretaliation. It is not only turning the other cheek and forgoing vengeance. Instead, there is a determined response to love those who are hurting us, to pray for them, and to wish them all of the blessings of life. Neither Jesus nor Paul says this is easy, but is the response we are called to give.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 31. What is effectual calling?
A. Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel.

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Guide for the Preparation for Worship on 9 May 2021 Sunday, May 2 2021

MVOPC 9 May 2021
Call to Worship
Opening Hymn: Hymn 244 “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”
Confession of Sin
O great and everlasting God, Who dwells in unapproachable light, Who searches and knows the thoughts and intentions of the heart; We confess that we have not loved You with all our heart, nor with all our soul, nor with all our mind, nor with all our strength; Nor our neighbors as ourselves. We have loved what we ought not to have loved; We have coveted what is not ours; We have not been content with Your provisions for us. We have complained in our hearts about our family, about our friends, about our health, about our occupations, about Your church, and about our trials. We have sought our security in those things which perish, rather than in You, the Everlasting God. Chasten, cleanse, and forgive us, through Jesus Christ, who is able for all time to save us who approach You through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for us. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Micah 7:18-20
Psalm of Preparation: Psalm 26 “Declare Me Innocent, O LORD”
Old Covenant Reading: Psalm 43:1-5
New Covenant Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-5
Sermon: Joy in Suffering
Psalm of Response: Psalm 43B “Judge Me, God of My Salvation”
Confession of Faith: Apostles Creed (p. 851)
Pastoral Prayer
Closing Hymn: 245 “Great is Thy Faithfulness”

Suggested Preparations

Monday (5/3) Read and discuss 2 Thessalonians 1:1-5.
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering. (ESV)

John Byron writes:

In 1:3-4 we see that Paul’s thankfulness is not offered up because of something he received or something that someone did for him. Paul offers thanks to God because of what God has done in the life of the Thessalonians and the way they responded to Go. In fact, Paul almost never thanks human beings for anything in his letters. The only possible exception is a reference in Romans 16:4, where he expresses gratitude for Prisca and Aquila risking their lives for him. Even here it is not only Paul who gives thanks, but all of the Gentile churches, which shows that Paul is thinking about the wider ministry and its focus on God.

But Paul doesn’t give thanks just for past actions of God. As I noted, the thanksgiving section of this letter is one long sentence in Greek. Withing that one sentence Paul expresses thanks for what God has done in the lives of the believers and what God will do when Jesus returns. Thanksgiving for Paul is not about a gift received; it is about what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will do.

As followers of Jesus in the modern age, our perspective on thanksgiving needs to shift from being grateful for what we are getting to what God is doing. This means that we are thankful, even in difficult circumstances. One person in history who models this is St. John Chrysostom, who was twice exiled from his home in Constantinople for speaking out against Empress Eudoxia. As he died, away from his home and under persecution, his last words are said to have been, “Thank God for everything!”

MEMORY WORK
Q. 20. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery?
A. God having, out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a redeemer.

Tuesday (5/4) Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 11:17-22
But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. 1 Corinthians 11:17-22 (ESV)

Richard Hays writes:
Strangely, we are indebted to the Corinthians for messing up their celebration of the Lord’s Supper. If they had not suffered divisions at the Lord’s Table, Paul would never have written to correct them, and we would know nothing about his teaching concerning the tradition and practice of the Lord’s Supper. As it is, the Corinthians’ trouble serves for our instruction: Paul’s rebuke and advice can help us reflect theologically about what we are doing when we come together as a church around the table. …

The Lord ’s Table must first of all express the community’s unity as the new covenant people of God. Divisions and conflicts in the church are incongruous with the meaning of this common meal; indeed, disunity turns the celebration into a hollow parody of the Lord’s Supper. This point pertains not only to doctrinal conflict but also and especially to divisions caused by social and economic disparity in the community. The major emphasis of Paul’s pastoral response to the Corinthians is to be found in verses 21-22 and 33: those with more resources must stop shaming the poor and begin sharing their food with “those who have nothing.”

MEMORY WORK
Q. 21. Who is the redeemer of God’s elect?
A. The only redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, forever.

Wednesday (5/5) Read and discuss Psalm 43:1-5.
Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
deliver me!
For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
why have you rejected me?
Why do I go about mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?

Send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling!
Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God. Psalm 43:1-5 (ESV)

John Calvin writes:

In order to encourage himself in the hope of obtaining the grace of God, David rests with confidence in this, that God, who is true, and cannot deceive any, has promised to assist His servants. The knowledge of the divine favor, it is true, must be sought for in the Word of God; nor has faith any other foundation on which it can rest with security except His word; but when God stretches out His hand to help us, the experience of this is no small confirmation of the word of and of faith. …

As the chief cause of his sorrow consisted in his being banished from the congregation of the godly, so David places the height of all his enjoyments in this, that he might be at liberty to take part in the exercise of religion and ot worship God in the sanctuary. Tacitly, indeed, David makes a vow of thanksgiving to God; but there can be no doubt, that by these words he intimates that the end which he had in view in seeking deliverance from his afflictions was, that as formerly he might be at liberty to return to the sanctuary, from which he was driven by the tyranny of his enemies. And it deserves to be particularly noticed, that although he had been deprived of his wife, spoiled of his goods, his house, and all his other earthly comforts, yet he always felt such an ardent desire to come to the temple, that he forgot almost everything else. This holy desire of David ought to be imitated by all the faithful.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 22. How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?
A. Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the virgin Mary, and born of her, yet without sin.

Thursday (5/6) Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 11:23-34
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another—if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come. 1 Corinthians 11:23-34 (ESV)

How should we prepare to receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper? Whenever we ponder such questions, we should avail ourselves of the wisdom of those who have gone before us in the faith. For example, the Larger Catechism of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church says:

Q. 171. How are they that receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper to prepare themselves before they come unto it?
A. They that receive the sacrament of the Lord’s supper are, before they come, to prepare themselves thereunto, by examining themselves of their being in Christ, of their sins and wants; of the truth and measure of their knowledge, faith, repentance; love to God and the brethren, charity to all men, forgiving those that have done them wrong; of their desires after Christ, and of their new obedience; and by renewing the exercise of these graces, by serious meditation, and fervent prayer.

Note well that the examination the Larger Catechism encourages believers to undertake is not for the purpose of deciding whether or not they should come to the Lord’s Table but so that we will participate in a way that glorifies God and leads to our own blessedness in Him. This is what Paul himself says in verse 28: “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”

MEMORY WORK
Q. 23. What offices doth Christ execute as our redeemer?
A. Christ, as our redeemer, executeth the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation.

Friday (5/7) Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (ESV)

We live in an age where many people are choosing spirituality over organized religion. In fact, the term spirituality has become an applause word. If someone goes on a T.V. or radio program and talks about exploring their spirituality other people are expected to applaud or at least to generally approve. Spirituality is good – or is it? The Corinthians whom Paul is writing to where very spiritual people before they had become Christians. They were not rescued from atheism but from the worship of demons. This leads to a fundamental truth: Spirituality is only a good thing if the Spirit involved is the Holy Spirit. But how can we know for sure whether the spiritual activity that we are experiencing is from the Holy Spirit or from evil spirits? This is not a trick nor tricky question. The clear dividing line is what that spirituality has to do with Jesus. Paul gives the Corinthians two black and white truths:

1. No one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and
2. No one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit

Of course, Paul doesn’t mean that a person is incapable of uttering the phrase “Jesus is Lord” apart from the work of the Holy Spirit but that a person cannot say and believe that “Jesus is Lord” apart from the Holy Spirit. That is why we confess in the Nicene Creed that our belief “in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spake by the prophets.” The Holy Spirit glorifies the Son by testifying to Him and by gathering people into the Kingdom who will worship and glorify the Risen Lamb forever. As Spirit-filled people this should be what we are about as well.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 24. How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet?
A. Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation.

Saturday (5/8) Read and discuss 2 Thessalonians 1:1-5.
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering. (ESV)

John Stott writes:

There is an important practical lesson to learn here. What should our attitude be to Christian’s who are doing well in some aspect of their discipleship? Some people resort to congratulations: ‘Well done! I think you’re marvelous. I’m proud of you.’ Others are uncomfortable with this and see its incongruity. It borders on flattery, promotes pride and robs God of His glory. So, although they may thank God privately in their prayers, they say nothing to the person concerned. They replace flattery with silence, which leaves him or her discouraged. Is there a third way, which affirms people without spoiling them? There is. Paul exemplifies it here. He not only thanks God for the Thessalonians; he also tells them that he is doing so: ‘we ought always to thank God for you … we boast about you.’ If we follow his example, we will avoid both congratulation (which corrupts) and silence (which discourages). Instead, we can affirm and encourage people in the most Christian of all ways: ‘I thank God for you, brother or sister. I thank Him for the gifts He has given you, for His grace in your life, for what I see in you of the love and gentleness of Christ.’ This way affirms without flattering, and encourages without puffing up.

MEMORY WORK
Q. 25. How doth Christ execute the office of a priest?
A. Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and reconcile us to God; and in making continual intercession for us.

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