De Profundis

By / May 20


The Mystery of the Millennium

By / Mar 11


Guidance: False and True

By / Feb 5


Wondrous Redeemer

By / Dec 25

Introduction

I trust you have had a joyful Christmas. It is the evening, and the hectic activity that leads up to and ushers in the day is winding down. Now is such a time to take in what, I hope you will see, is the wonder of Christmas day.

The text read may seem out of place on a day when we celebrate birth and peace. It presents a dramatic account of the great redemption that God’s people celebrated. It is the story that gave them their identity, which marked their destiny as God’s people. There is no greater story for the Jewish people. Tonight, I want to use this story to remind us of the greater redemption that God has wrought for both Jew and Gentile through Jesus Christ whose birth we are celebrating.

Text

This is the seventh time turning to Psalm 78 at this time each year. Those of you who have heard some of the sermons should remember the gist of the psalm. The psalmist Asaph determines that his generation will not be like those of old who forgot the great deeds of God. He shows how, as a result, they rebelled against God and strayed from him. God then chooses David to shepherd the people.

Thus the setting of this vivid account of redemption is set in the context of rebellious forgetfulness.

42      They did not remember his power

          or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,

43      when he performed his signs in Egypt

          and his marvels in the fields of Zoan.

Over the years we have studied this forgetfulness and rebellion. We want to focus now on the acts of redemption. As we know, the people of Israel were living in bondage in Egypt. They had become Egypt’s slave labor force. God sends Moses to deliver them from their oppression. As he instructs Moses to tell the people: “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment” (Exodus 6:6).

These acts of judgment turned out to be the ten plagues. Our psalmist refers to six – waters turning to blood; the swarms of flies, of frogs, and of locusts; the devastating hail; and, the most terrible of all – the death of the firstborn. Note how graphic the psalmist renders the effects of these plagues: “they could not drink of their streams”; flies, which devoured them…  frogs, which destroyed them; destroying locust. The land’s crops, the fruit-bearing vines and trees, the cattle and flocks were given over, destroyed by the onslaught of plague after plague. If you are wondering about the “frost” in verse 47, that is a poetic description of the hail covering the land. I’ve seen such a sight following a hailstorm in South Dakota.

The depiction of destruction reaches its pinnacle in verses 49-51:

49      He let loose on them his burning anger,

          wrath, indignation, and distress,

          a company of destroying angels.

50      He made a path for his anger;

          he did not spare them from death,

          but gave their lives over to the plague.

51      He struck down every firstborn in Egypt,

          the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.

Do you feel the wrath? Does your mind take you from image to destructive image so that you can imagine the terror and the oppression that led Pharaoh’s servants to have the nerve to say to him, “Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” (Exodus 10:7).

And then for his own people, the Lord acts as shepherd, protecting and leading them to safety.

52      Then he led out his people like sheep

          and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

53      He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid,

          but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54      And he brought them to his holy land,

          to the mountain which his right hand had won.

55      He drove out nations before them;

          he apportioned them for a possession

          and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

The sea overwhelmed their enemies (v 53). The greatest deed of all! Recounted again and again in Israel’s lore. There is much detail to fill in, of course, of all that took place in the forty plus years of deliverance. And the psalm includes more of the story – of the great deeds by which God provided, protected, and even brought judgment against his own people in the wilderness. And all to the end of redemption. Yes, even the judgment was for the purpose of turning the hearts of his people to himself for their salvation.

And the covenant people of God recognized the significance and the greatness of these deeds. Whenever they were oppressed and appealed to God, they would remind him of this mighty redemption he wrought for them. When the psalmists praise God for his wondrous works, it is these works of deliverance from bondage that they extol. What a wondrous Redeemer is their God to deliver them out of bondage and to settle them in the Promised Land!

Lessons

Truly such deeds are to be remembered, recounted, and praised. Surely God is to be exalted for such works of redemption. But on this Christmas day, on this night of reflection, consider the greater deeds, the more wondrous works of redemption that were still to be performed.

For there was to come a night when a young woman would give birth to a peasant baby with no place to lie but in a manger. That very birth would signify the beginning of wondrous deeds of redemption. The young woman was a virgin, and so the child’s conception and birth was a great wonder.

His very presence itself is the greatest wonder. For he was Immanuel, “God with us.” This Redeemer is God-man. As the carol proclaims, here is “God of God, Light of Light…very God, begotten, not created.” Here, as theologian J. I. Packer says, are two mysteries for the price of one. Surely we would agree with him, that “Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of the incarnation.”

The incarnation alone would be enough to give holy worship to God, to this child. To contemplate such mystery would be enough to fill us with awe; to contemplate God becoming man to be with man – that is enough to stir our hearts.

Put aside the controversies today over displaying the nativity scene. When those who have taken time to view, to contemplate the story of the God-child lying in a manger, it has filled believer and even unbeliever with a sense of reverence. It softens the hearts of Charlie Brown’s materialistic friends to look kindly on a frail Christmas tree. It lures “Home Alone” Kevin into church before his epic battle with the “Wet Bandits” at his home. It even pulls on the hearts of the Herdman kids, “the worst kids in the whole history of the world,” as we are told in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. There is something that draws a sense of peace, of quietness, of sacredness.

Yet the mystery of the Christmas story lies not merely in the baby called Immanuel – God is with us – but in his other name, Jesus – God saves. And so, the carol we will sing, proclaims:

Forth today the Conqu'ror goeth,
Who the foe, Sin and woe,
Death and hell, o'erthroweth.
God is man, man to deliver;
His dear Son Now is one
With our blood forever.

God sent his Son not merely to be with us but to redeem us through great signs and wonders, greater than those of the earlier redemption. Consider the miracles. In the first redemption God brings forth storm; Jesus calms the storm. In the first, people are plagued with disease and death; Jesus heals and brings the dead to life. In the first, food – the crops, fruit, and livestock – are destroyed; Jesus multiplies food. In the first, darkness covers the land; Jesus is the light dispelling the darkness. In the first, swarms of destroying and debilitating insects and frogs overwhelm the people; Jesus casts out legions of demons. In the first, the water is divided then destroys; Jesus walks on the water and quiets its rage.

And then, the deliverer Jesus Christ was far superior to the deliverer Moses, whom God sent. Moses performed no miracles. When he tried to take credit for bringing water out of a rock, God gave him harsh discipline to remind him that he, God, was the miracle-worker, not Moses. But Jesus possessed the very authority to rule nature and order it to perform according to his will.

But even that does not get to the wonder of the redeemer Jesus Christ. For whereas manna, the bread of heaven, was provided for the people in the wilderness, Jesus was the very Bread of Heaven given for his people. Whereas water was provided miraculously from a rock, Jesus was the Life-Giving Water. Whereas a pillar of fire and of cloud was provided to guide the people, Jesus was the Light of the world. Whereas a pole with a serpent was lifted up to bring healing, Jesus was the Healer of all illness.

And we know that the pole with the serpent had more significance. As we are told in the gospel of John: “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (3:14).

Moses was the shepherd who led his sheep out of bondage to another nation, then through a wilderness journey up to the entry of the Promised Land, though he could not enter with them. Jesus was the shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep. Jesus was the shepherd who became the lamb that led his flock out of bondage to sin, who continues now to shepherd us through our wilderness here, and will usher us into the eternal Promised Land. Therefore we may sing:

He becomes the Lamb that taketh
Sin away And for aye
Full atonement maketh.
For our life his own he tenders;
And our race, By his grace,
Meet for glory renders.

To win the first redemption, plagues and death were visited upon the oppressors. To win the second redemption, the Redeemer took upon himself the plagues and death. Are there more wondrous deeds than to bear such disgrace and agony as our Redeemer bore for us? He left his place in glory to live on an earth scarred by the fall. He took on our flesh and experienced the cold, the heat, the weariness – all the physical trials that we undergo, yet more. For he took on flesh not merely to identify with us but to serve us, even to suffer and to die for us.

Throughout his ministry the Man of Sorrows was questioned, pressured, made demands upon before his sacrifice. Upon his arrest, he was imprisoned, beaten, interrogated, mocked, made a spectacle of until he was finally nailed upon a cross, and even then continued to be mocked.

And that is what we could see. We could not see the spiritual battle. He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness and throughout his ministry. The length and strength of such warfare we cannot know. Nor can we grasp the greatest pain of all that he bore, when on the cross, when our sin had been transferred to him, he experienced the turning away of his Father. What deed, what mighty work, is more wondrous, more terrifying than that which our Redeemer wrought for us?

And then, consider the superiority of the redemption itself over the first. That first redemption was mighty and worthy of the honor given to it by the people of Israel. To deliver a small nation from bondage to the mightiest nation of the day; to deliver the people through a wilderness, protecting them for forty years was wondrous, as it was also to bring them into a land occupied already with nations and then settle them in the land.

Even so, they merely moved from land cursed by the fall to other land cursed by the fall. They experienced the same death, encumbered with the same troubles of survival and inward failure. Their sins were not atoned for. As the writer of Hebrews noted in reviewing the sacrificial system established for Israel: “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).

But the redemption won by Jesus Christ did just that. As Hebrews goes on to say, “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (v. 10). And though we may still die, death has been stripped of its victory.

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

           “O death, where is your victory?

          O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:54-56).

Thus we can sing:

Though my breath Fail in death,
Yet I shall not perish,
But with thee abide for ever
There on high, In that joy
Which can vanish never.

Then let us consider even greater mystery, and that is the mystery of why God should give such a cherished gift.

Shall we still dread God's displeasure,
Who, to save, Freely gave
His most cherished treasure?
To redeem us, he hath given
His own Son From the throne
Of his might in heaven.

Why such treasure? Why the gift of his very Son? The motive of the first redemption was love:

It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:7-9).

God loved the people of Israel because God chose to love them. And because of his love his made a covenant with their fathers, and God is a promise keeper.

For the same reason God sent his Son to redeem us.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:9-10).

Because of such love, we are included in the covenant promises. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, spoke of the Messiah coming to fulfill the covenant: to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant (Luke 1:72). And lest we think our sins disqualify us for such covenant love, we are comforted by these words in Romans: God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

This redemption, this salvation from sin and from death, this treasured gift given in love – this is what the scene at the manger presents to us.

Hark! a voice from yonder manger,
Soft and sweet, Doth entreat:
"Flee from woe and danger,
Brethren, from all ills that grieve you
You are freed; All you need
I will surely give you."

And this is the final great advantage of the second redemption. It is a gift, pure and simple. We are not called to endure added hardship as when the Pharaoh increased the labors of the Israelites when Moses first arrived. We are not called to rush through a divided sea pursued by enemies. Nor are we called to fight battles as we journey through the wilderness and enter the Promised Land. Christ has fought all our battles. He has journeyed through the wilderness on our behalf, and we are called to nothing more than to take our inheritance of salvation that is offered in him.

As this Christmas day comes to a close, may your heart – all your heart – this night rejoice in the birth of your Redeemer. If you know him, all the more give thanks for him and resolve to live for him and rejoice in him.

If you have yet to know him, don’t let this day end as simply another tradition observed. You are here now, among those who believe in the true mysteries of the incarnation. You have rare opportunity now to consider the gospel of redemption. Another year is coming to an end. Will it be nothing more than time gone by? Will the new year having nothing to present but more time to fill up? Are you not willing to let mystery come into your life, mystery that has significance, that changes your life? May your heart at the close of this year rejoice in the good news of your redemption.



Being a Neighbor, Part 2: Stumbling Blocks and Strengths

By / Nov 13


Satan Cannot Sing: Martin Luther’s Celebration of the Gospel in Christian Hymns

By / Oct 30


Standing Firm

By / Aug 7

Introduction

The new commander had cause to be nervous. His predecessor was now dead. That commander had led the nation through a hostile wilderness; he now must lead them into the very stronghold of the enemy. He must wage battle against rulers and authorities, against the powerful forces that were at their command. But he was strengthened by the exhortation of the Great Commander – be strong and courageous – an exhortation backed up by the promises of victory.

Another commander now exhorts his troops. He has already presented to them what their God has accomplished for them in chapters 1-3. He has then instructed them as to how they are to live in response to such blessing (4:1-6:9). Now he prepares them for how they can live such a life (6:10-20).

Text

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

This charge is reminiscent of the one given to Joshua by God – be strong and courageous. But here Paul’s emphasis is not so much on motivating his readers to be strong as it is to instruct them in the way to be strong – “in the Lord,” “in the strength of his might.” They are to “put on the whole armor of God” (v 11).

Verses 14-20 will explain what that armor consists of, but the very depiction of armor will show that not only is the armor that which God gives but that which God himself uses. And so, to be strong in the Lord entails bearing the very armor that belongs to the Lord. But that is not all what being “strong in the Lord” encompasses. Paul is also harking back to what we are to know in chapters 1-3. He prays that his readers will know,

what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come (1:19-21).

It is this power that has won our redemption, provided forgiveness, assures us of our inheritance. By this power we who were dead were raised to new life. This power has even strengthened us so as to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. And so we bless God “who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…” (3:20). Therefore, we are to be strong in that power of God and in our Lord which works for us and within us.

For what reason are we to “stand firm”? Why is it necessary to put on full armor? Verse 12 and 13 explain: that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Now we get to it – spiritual warfare! The battle is not against flesh and blood but against evil spiritual beings. A list of names or titles is given. There is the devil, the rulers, the authorities, the cosmic powers, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. It is tempting to speculate about the identification of each term, but we will keep to the point of the passage. In order to live the life called of them, they must know the enemy who schemes against them to live out that calling.

Since chapter 4, Paul has been exhorting his readers to walk in a manner worthy of their calling as the children of light. They are to be united in one body. They are to put off their old dress of sin and put on the new clothes after the likeness of God. This means that they have to reject what use to entice them and to put away the old vices. They must no longer associate with the world in its darkness. This new life of light is to be exhibited in their marriages, their families, households and workplaces.

But in order to walk the walk they must understand just who or what it is that makes such a life so difficult. There is the flesh, to be sure. That is why we are to consciously and daily remove the old rags and to wear the new dress of Christ. There is the world, which in its darkness presents an enticing alternative and lures us back to our old lives. But we need to come to grips that the real battle lies not in self-control or resisting the world; rather, there is a spiritual dimension, a wicked spiritual force of demonic beings under the rule of Satan the devil fighting against us. The weak flesh and the luring world, as terrible as they may be in leading us into sin are but means by which Satan, our great enemy, uses to attack us.

And so, as verse 13 concludes: Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

We are to take up the armor of God that we might withstand the assault of the Evil One and his forces “in the evil day.” Just what is meant by the “evil day” is unclear, but we can attest that there are days of particular temptation and battle for us, and that the very age in which we live is hostile toward a righteous life. In other words, the battle is about us now. The enemy is upon us now. And so we are to take up the armor of God and use it now to stand firm against the first assault and the second and the third, indeed, “and having done all, to stand firm” yet again.

Lessons

So then, let us count the cost to wage such battle. Jesus said that before a king undertakes war with another king, he first considers whether he can win the battle. Well, can we? Can we win the battle? To count the cost we need to consider, one, the type of battle; two, the stakes; three, the foe; and four, our resources.

1. The Type of Battle

Just what is this spiritual warfare that we are to be engaged in? Are we the invaders, marching into Satan’s territory to claim it for Christ? Jesus spoke of how the very gates of hell would not be able to prevail against the Church. And there is the time that he sent his disciples forth to cast out demons, among other things. And when they came back, he told them how he saw Satan fall from heaven like lightening. Is that what is meant in our passage? Or does spiritual warfare consist of us battling against Satan’s forces when we are doing especially important work for the Lord? I will from time to time get requests for prayer to battle against the evil spirits. I am told that these are instances of spiritual warfare because someone or some work for the Lord is in danger.

Both ideas are true, no doubt. To bring the gospel anywhere on this earth is to march into Satan’s territory, and he does fight back. And there are crucial times in which a life or work seems to be hanging in the balance, and we must all the more fight with prayer and with God’s armor. But Paul has already presented the battle scene for his soldiers. What is it? It is walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called (4:1).

The battle, as presented in Ephesians – the very real spiritual warfare which requires our daily putting on the armor of God – is living at peace and in harmony with one another in the church. It is working together to build each other up in Christ. The battle to fight is to put off the old self with its corrupted desires and its selfishness and to put on holiness, righteousness, and love. The battle is a wife submitting to her husband and a husband laying down his life for his wife. It is a child respecting his parents, and a father being patient with his children. The battle entails a subordinate working with a good will even under an unfair superior, and a superior treating those under him with the same good will.  You see, the warfare takes place wherever you are, in whatever circumstance you now encounter.

Some might ask, “That’s the warfare? That’s it? No casting demons out of strongholds? No mighty battle to wage for the sake of God’s kingdom?” Well, is there a more difficult battle to wage than that which takes place in one’s own heart? I have never been in the military and know nothing of training for combat or being in combat, but tell me, those of you who have, which is harder – to learn how to fight or to learn how to curb the sinful impulses of the heart? Which is harder – to fight courageously or to love sacrificially? Is it more difficult to be unified during an enemy attack or during the peaceful lulls?

2. The Stakes

But you might protest that these are but small battles in terms of significance. Kingdoms are not at stake. But is that true? Rest assure that, if you are in Christ, your soul cannot be stolen by Satan. You are protected. Nevertheless, how you live out your calling has consequences more significant than you realize. Satan cannot take your soul, but he can render your witness and service ineffective, indeed, even to be harmful.

How many gifted servants have been disgraced by their sin that they did not guard against? How many have caused Christ’s church to be made odious to those who had considered the gospel? How many broken Christian marriages and broken Christian homes led to others rejecting the gospel message? How many Christian bosses and authorities have turned those under them away from the gospel because of being blinded by Satan to their sinful behavior? Churches have split; movements have failed because Christian individuals and communities have failed to stand against the schemes of the devil. The stakes are high indeed.

3. The Foe

So to count the cost is to consider the battle itself and the stakes. It also entails knowing the foe. We cannot win a battle when we do not know our foe, nor accurately assess his strength. That is why our passage alerts us to the real enemy – Satan and his evil spiritual forces.

This alone is crucial knowledge and can make the difference in our overcoming many of the daily struggles we face. Those of you right now in a difficult relationship – it may be marriage or in the family; it may be in the workplace or in school; it may be with a problem neighbor – know that the flesh and blood individual is not your foe.

An incident in Jesus’ life demonstrates this. You recall the moment when Jesus is telling of the sufferings he will face even unto death. Peter interrupts with a protest that Jesus should not be speaking of such things. How does Jesus respond? “Get behind me, Satan!” What was happening? Satan was using a friend to tempt Jesus to avoid the cross. But it did not work because Jesus was alert to the true enemy. Our Redeemer never faltered for he knew his Enemy and his Enemy’s ways.

What are those ways? There is outright affliction, for one way. Paul himself describes his chronic pain condition as “a messenger of Satan to harass me” (2 Corinthians 12:7). Jesus describes a woman bent over for eighteen years as bound by Satan (Luke 13:16), and believers in the church in Smyrna are warned that the devil would soon be throwing some of them in prison (Revelation 2:10). And of course, we know the story of Job. These are very real attacks for which we are to use the armor of God, not so much in warding off the affliction but for enduring it in a godly manner. They come to us under the permission of God to test us, to sanctify us, and to promote God’s glory. Satan intends harm, but God overrules to bring good.

Probably more to the point in our passage is the type of situation mentioned in 4:27 where Paul cautions his readers to “give no opportunity to the devil.” The specific context there is dealing with anger. We all get angry for one reason or another. Most of the time the anger itself is sinful, but regardless, the point is that if we are not careful with our anger, Satan will use it as opportunity to wreak havoc. And who here does not winch at the memory of hasty action or words made in anger? Churches have been split, families broken, friendships ended, and the Gospel dishonored before the world because of the hurtful folly committed in anger. That is the work of Satan. He does not cause your anger, but he does exploit it.

Satan wages battle by taking advantage of our lack of self-control. Thus Paul warns married couples not to withhold physical relations for long periods of time, lest Satan tempt the spouses in their lack of self-control (1 Corinthians 7:5). We are to avoid putting ourselves in situations where temptation would be particularly strong because we have an enemy who will use the opportunities against us.

Again, we all have our weaknesses and sinful tendencies. Satan is the opportunist. He is prowling around looking for moments when he can exploit our weaknesses, not only to bring us down but to harm others, disgrace the Gospel, and dishonor God’s name. And so he will take Ananias’ greed in Acts 5 and use it to slip in lying and deceit in the church. He will take the pride of an officer in the church and lead him into folly that will disgrace his witness and leadership (1 Timothy 3:6-7).

Opportunity – that is what Satan is looking for. He uses guerrilla tactics to attack unguarded prey. Who is the Christian straying from the fold? Who is keeping out of fellowship? Who is lagging in prayer and study of the Word? Who is not dealing forthrightly and righteously with a hurt, an offense, and with besetting sin and weakness? Where are the weak spots in the church? Maybe it is a great teaching church but the people are not coming alongside one another and upholding each other. Maybe the church puts so much emphasis on relating that it becomes sloppy with teaching. Maybe the fellowship and teaching are strong, but it has turned inward and lost its drive to witness. Or maybe the church is doing well in all these areas, but someone’s pride, someone’s grievance, someone’s temptation produces a sore that grows and infects the body. Be sure that Satan will exploit whatever the weakness may be, so that, again, he may use us to bring disgrace to our faith and dishonor to our Lord’s name.

4. The Resources

What then can we do against such a foe? Who can outwit him? Who can be strong in every area? Be sure that Paul has not presented the warning to invite despair, but to help his readers obtain the resources they needed. This will lead into the recitation of the armor of God that they have available for combat.

But the key for us in our battles is to know what David knew when he fought Goliath. Remember how King Saul equipped David with his armor? That was a generous act. But it was too big and David had to go forth by himself to fight the enemy. Surely he had the well-wishes of the army, but no one could impart to him strength or skill. David was left to his own resources, or was he? He didn’t think so. As he said to his enemy on the battle field: “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand…that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s…” (1 Samuel 17:45-47).

That is what Paul has already been teaching his readers, as we have seen. We possess not only armor but the very power of God displayed in the raising of Jesus Christ and seating him at his right hand above any and all our enemies. Whoever these rulers and authorities and cosmic powers may be; whatever these spiritual forces headed by Satan entail – Jesus Christ our Lord and Redeemer is seated above them in great power, and it is he who fights our battles for us. It is he who has already won the great battle on our behalf against sin and death. He has already won the decisive battle against our enemy. We are strong in his strength. We stand in his power. We stand against our enemy in his name, the Lord of the armies of God.

Conclusion

David fought Goliath out of righteous anger. He was angry that this enemy defied the armies of God, and so, God himself. He was angry that God’s name was being dishonored, both by the arrogance of the enemy and the cowardliness of God’s army. We need to have such anger.

Here is an enemy that we can honestly and righteously hate. Here is an enemy that has tricked you into thinking your spouse, your parent, your teacher, your neighbor is the problem. He has tricked you, so that he can make you fall, so that he can laugh at you and accuse you before God. He delights in making a mockery of you because he despises your Maker and Redeemer. Here is an enemy who delights in turning the Church of Christ into an object of derision, with turning the Gospel into an impotent, empty promise.

Are you going to let him get away with it? You, who belong to the army of God; you who possess the power of the Gospel; you who have the Lord Jesus Christ as your Commander, as your very strength; are you going to take your stand in the evil day? Fight this enemy and his evil forces! Determine that you will stand in your marriage, in your singleness, in your adverse circumstances, so that all might see the power of the Gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ. Withstand the evil schemes of the devil. And when you have done all that day, when you have withstood the first assault and the second and the third, then, with your Commander Jesus Christ by your side, stand against the enemy yet again until your Lord returns or calls you home.



Why the City Needs the Gospel

By / May 22


The Refiner’s Fire

By / May 8


The Hope of the Children of God

By / May 1


The Promise Kept

By / Apr 24

Introduction

The resurrection was the topic of the first Christian sermon ever given.  Our text is taken from that sermon. It takes place on the Day of Pentecost, a Jewish feast which celebrates God’s faithfulness in providing the yearly harvest.  It was a time to remember the promises that God had kept. I would have loved to have been there to hear Peter speak in the power of the Holy Spirit. Maybe he is standing on a wall or even the roof of a house. He raises his voice and says “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words” (14). And here is what he says: the promise of God has been kept! Let’s consider the promise.

Promise to Joel          16-21

God had promised to Joel that he would pour out his Spirit on all people. Peter says, “Look, the promise is being fulfilled before your very eyes and ears. The Spirit has come and we now are prophesying to you the wonders of God.” God has kept his promise.

Promise to the Messiah, David, and God’s People

But this is only Peter’s introduction to what he really wants to say.  He wants to proclaim the promise of God that is fulfilled by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  He makes clear that God is a keeper of promises, and he brings out how God has kept his promise to Jesus the Messiah, to King David, and to God’s people.

The Messiah

How did God fulfill his promise to Jesus?  First, he anointed him with power to do wonders.  By this power Jesus was able to demonstrate his credentials as a man sent by God.  As Peter says, “22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.”

And God had promised this.  When John the Baptist had been thrown in jail, and he heard about Jesus’ ministry, he sent his disciples to ask him:

“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" 4And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them” (Matthew 11:3-5).

Isaiah had prophesied that such works would be done when he did his great work of redemption (cf 35:5-6).  And because God kept his promise, Jesus was able to show that he was accredited by God through the miracles that he did.

But the great promise kept is the promise that Jesus would be raised from the dead.  Peter quotes from David’s Psalm 16:8-11 to demonstrate the promise made:

For David says concerning him,
    "'I saw the Lord always before me,
   for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
   my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
    or let your Holy One see corruption.
28You have made known to me the paths of life;
   you will make me full of gladness with your presence.'

This passage would not seem at first to be a prophecy that would be applied to the Messiah.  David uses the first person pronoun:   

 my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
    or let your Holy One see corruption.

On the other hand, to refer to himself as “your Holy One” is strange.  I am not aware of anyone referring to himself as the Holy One of God.

But Peter’s point is that if David were referring to himself, then his hope was futile.  God did abandon his body; his body did decay:  “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day” (29).

But David was not referring to himself.  We may not have thought of David as a prophet, but the Jews did, and they would have not thought that Peter’s next remarks were necessarily wrong or strange.

Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurr of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption (30-31).

This would be an acceptable interpretation of the passage.  Many such interpretations were made about the Messiah who was expected to come, and many Jews believed in the resurrection of the dead that would take place when the Messiah came. 

Peter’s remarkable claim is that Jesus is that Messiah and the great evidence that he is the Messiah is his resurrection: This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses (32).

God kept his promise to his Messiah.  Peter could have also quoted from Isaiah 53.

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
   he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied (10-11).

The Messiah’s story does not end with death, but with life.  Nor does it end with him simply being restored to life; he is restored to glory.

Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
    "'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand,
 35until I make your enemies your footstool.'

 36Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

This Jesus is not merely an earthly Messiah.  He is not merely a human deliverer.  He is Lord above all.  Therefore, God has kept his promise to his Servant, his Son, that if he carried out the redeeming sacrifice for God’s people, then God would raise him from the dead and exalt him as both Savior and Lord.

To David

God also kept his promise to David for whom, as Peter says, he “had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendents on his throne” (30).  This was David’s hope.  David never believed that he would not die.  The promise that filled him with real hope and joy was that his descendants would remain on the throne of Israel, and particularly that the final king to reign – the Holy One, the Messiah – would come from his line.  And it would be in that final king, that his own hope for eternal life would be fulfilled.

And every Jew knew this.  Everyone looked for the Son of David who was to come and reign forever.  John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, expressed the expectations of the Jewish people well:

67And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
 68 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
   for he has visited and redeemed his people
69and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David,
70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old (Luke 1:67-70).

God kept his promise to David that the Messiah would come from his line, but there is another sense in which he did keep the very words David spoke about the grave.

26therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
   my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
    or let your Holy One see corruption.
28You have made known to me the paths of life;
   you will make me full of gladness with your presence.'

It is true that David’s body decayed, but it is also true the God made known to him the paths of life, and that even now David is filled with joy in the presence of God.  God did not abandon David to the grave.  And even the hope of his body will come true, because some day his body will be resurrected.  As God has kept his promise to David, so he will keep his complete promise.

To God’s People

God also kept his promise to his people of Israel.  The Messiah was sent by God for the salvation of his people.  The Messiah’s resurrection was not for mere show.  The promise of a Messiah was made to Israel, that Israel might have hope.  Peter makes clear to his listeners that the Messiah, for whom they had been waiting, had come and had done his saving work not only for them but also through them.

22Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men…

“Through you,” Peter says, “the Messiah became the sacrificial lamb to save you from your sins.”  “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (36).  “Be assured, be confident that the Messiah for whom you have awaited has come.”  God has kept his promise.”

And he has kept his promise for salvation.  When Peter finishes his sermon, he receives this response: Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?” (37) God fulfilled the promise of sending the Messiah and vindicating him by his resurrection.  But now the people are worried.  Have they now lost out on the salvation that he brought?

No!  38And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is for you and for your children"

God’s purpose was for them was to receive the promise – both the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of sins.  That promise to Joel of the Spirit being poured out on all people was for them.  That promise that the Servant of God would bear the iniquities of others was for them.  God has kept his promise, and he calls upon them to receive it now.

To God

And then there is someone else to whom God has kept his promise – that is to himself, or more appropriately to say, to the Triune God.  Peter says, “ this J, delivered up accordg to t definite plan & foreknowledge of God” (23).  The death of Jesus was not a mistake.  Jesus did not get caught; he was handed over, and not by Judas, but by God himself. 

As the believers affirmed in prayer to God in Acts 4:27-28:

 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

Before there was an Israel; before Adam and Eve had fallen, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit had determined in the secret councils the price that would be paid for the salvation of his people and made the promise of the Son’s resurrection and the Spirit’s coming in power.  And he has kept his promise.  The Son has wrought his work of atonement and has been raised in victory; he has been exalted on high and the Spirit has been poured on his people.  What God promised himself he would do, he has done.

To Us

But also understand that God has kept his promise for us.  I cut Peter off in mid-sentence in his reply to how salvation may be obtained.  His full statement was this: “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself” (39). 

God’s promise is for us, the Gentiles who live in a far away place in a far away time.  This is not an afterthought, but part of God’s original plan.

He had promised Abraham that through him, not only would his physical descendants be blessed, but that all peoples (i.e. people groups) would be blessed.  The Holy Spirit moved in the psalmists to include all the nations in the worship of God.  Here is one example from Psalm 67:

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
   let all the peoples praise you!

 4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
   for you judge the peoples with equity
   and guide the nations upon earth.

Through Isaiah God promised the Messiah that he would bring salvation to all peoples:

It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
   to raise up the tribes of Jacob
   and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,
   that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth (49:6).

When God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, it was to us that he was keeping his promise.

Conclusion

Let us celebrate the glorious promise that our God kept for us.  But remember, that the promise has not ended with Christ’s resurrection.  The resurrection, indeed, is but evidence on the ongoing promise to be fulfilled in every generation.  For every person who calls on the name of the Lord for salvation fulfills the promise made that God’s salvation will come to “everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” He will not lose any of his flock.  He will not fail to bring any who are his into his kingdom and keep them safe.  We know that he will not fail, because he did not fail to raise his Son to life as he promised.

And do not forget that our Lord’s resurrection is the sign that our own resurrection will come.  As 1 Corinthians 15:20 says: “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” We also shall be raised.  Our hope is not in the immortality of the soul, but in the resurrection of the body.

When will our resurrection take place?  When our Lord Jesus returns.  And we know that he will return.  He came the first time as God promised.  He overcame death as God promised.  Surely, God will keep his promise once more.

Now I need to ask, Have you claimed the promise of God for yourself?  After Peter spoke of the promise of God that had been kept, he further added that the people must act to receive the promise.  They must repent; they must be baptized, i.e. they must identify themselves with Christ and become his followers.  What better time than today to call upon God for salvation.  Do you wonder if he will respond?  Does God forget his promises?

All who have come to know God through Jesus Christ will attest that God never forgets.  We affirm with the Apostle Paul: For all the promises of God find their Yes in X. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory (2 Corinthians 1:20).



Gods Good Purposes

By / Apr 10


Return to Me

By / Apr 3


Will You Worship While You Wait?

By / Mar 27


Why God’s Jealousy Is Our Hope!

By / Mar 20


The God Who Keeps on Giving

By / Mar 13


The Worthy Community

By / Mar 6


The Temple and the Tree

By / Feb 27


David’s King

By / Feb 20


Hearing the Lion’s Roar

By / Feb 13


What Do You Want Me to Do?

By / Feb 6


Life and Death

By / Jan 30


One Thing

By / Jan 23


Like Children

By / Jan 16


The Lord Provides

By / Jan 9

Introduction

This has been an historic day in the life of Tenth – the calling of the thirteenth Senior Minister of our church. It certainly is a thankful day, as we thank our Lord for his provision of a new servant, Liam Goligher, to pastor and lead his flock. It is appropriate then to study a psalm that turns our minds and hearts to doing just that – to gather in church and thank God for his provision and good works.

Text

Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,

          in the company of the upright, in the congregation.

This would be a good verse for the Call to Worship. The psalm is not the private meditation of the heart, but the public exaltation of God in the assembly of his people. We are to join in with him in his praise of God. For what are we to praise God? For his works.

2 Great are the works of the Lord,

          studied by all who delight in them.

3 Full of splendor and majesty is his work,

          and his righteousness endures forever.

The words for “works” and “work” are two different words in the Hebrew. Perhaps one can distinguish between them, though when a study is done of their use in the Old Testament, they overlap in meaning. I suspect the psalmist is being a good poet and using synonyms. In this context, they speak of the general works of God in his creation – both the work of creation itself and the ongoing works of sustaining that creation and acting in it.

The psalmist says that those who delight in such works make a study of them. The NIV uses the term “ponder.” I like the King James rendition “sought out.” The psalmists were poets who delighted in creation. Their psalms are filled with imagery drawn from creation. God “makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind” (104:3); his righteousness is “like the mountains” and his judgments are “like the great deep” (36:6); the “heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (19:1). They speak of God’s care of creation and work in it. God visits the earth and waters it (65:9); he provides the springs that “give drink to every beast of the field” (104:11), the trees where “the birds build their nests” (104:17). God is in the storm (29) and earthquake (60:2). And the psalmists speak of God’s providential work. He judges princes and provides for the needy (107:40-41); he watches over sojourners and widows and orphans (146:9).

And so, as they look upon the words of the Lord, they conclude that the works are great; they are full of splendor and majesty. They reveal the righteousness of God. Their study of creation, of natural processes, and of history leads them into deeper understanding of God, and thus all the more they glory in him.

So there is the general work of creation and providential care. There is also the specific work of redemption, specifically the redemption of God’s covenant people from slavery in Egypt.

4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;

          the Lord is gracious and merciful.

5 He provides food for those who fear him;

          he remembers his covenant forever.

6 He has shown his people the power of his works,

          in giving them the inheritance of the nations.

7 The works of his hands are faithful and just;

          all his precepts are trustworthy;

8 they are established forever and ever,

          to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.

9 He sent redemption to his people;

          he has commanded his covenant forever.

  Holy and awesome is his name!

God sent redemption to his people. He led them out of Egypt through wondrous works. He established his covenant with them, giving them precepts of the Law, which are trustworthy. In the wilderness he provided food. And he led them into the promised land of Canaan, giving them the inheritance of the nations who were there.

This recalling of redemption again runs through the psalms. Psalm 78, 105, 106, and 136 tell the story of the plagues and miracles. God is the Lord God who brought the people out of the land of Egypt (81:5). Psalm 114 tells how the sea “looked and fled,” how the Jordan river “turned back.” Psalm 71 recounts how God caused the waters to tremble as he led his flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. In the wilderness he provided manna and meat and water (78:24-27; 105:40-41).

And as the psalmists remember these wondrous works, again they make conclusions about God. He is gracious and merciful (4); he is faithful to his covenant (5); his works are faithful and just (7); his word is trustworthy (7). Their God is one whom they can depend upon to deliver them in time of need and to provide for them. Their God is holy and awesome, although “awesome” no longer carries the weight that it once did. We say “awesome” to mean something is “cool” or “astonishing.” This word means more. Maybe the best way to catch the tenor of it is to recall the story of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. It is dark, a strong windstorm comes up, causing waves to crash into the boat. The veteran fishermen know that they will drown. Jesus stands up and orders the storm to cease. Mark reports their response: “And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?’ ” They are not giving each other high fives. They are not saying to Jesus, “Awesome, Dude!” They are scared. They know they have in the boat someone not like them. His mighty work shows them that, like God in our psalm, he is holy and, as the RSV, translates the word, “terrible.”

The wondrous works of God inspire, not merely wonder, but trembling fear, as they display the reality that he is not one of us. His glory, his majesty, his holiness leaves the beholder saying, “Who then is this?” They instill in the beholder humble fear. And so the psalm concludes:

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

          all those who practice it have a good understanding.

    His praise endures forever!

And so we are brought to the concluding train of thought. Look back at the beginning of the psalm. Verse two speaks of studying the works of God, as well as the word of God. (Note verse 7 about “precepts.”) That studying leads to further understanding of the character of God. That understanding leads to a humble fear of the Lord. Such fear is the beginning of true wisdom, because the very mark of wisdom is understanding one’s standing before God. And such wisdom, in turn, leads to good understanding – that of God and his ways. And a good understanding will lead to praise.

We see this very line of thought and response in the Apostle Paul in chapter 11 of Romans. Paul has been laying out the complex ways of God in bringing salvation to the Gentiles and how it will play out as well to the blessing of the Jews. And then he cannot help himself. As he considers the wondrous ways of God, it leads to spontaneous praise:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
 34"For who has known the mind of the Lord,
   or who has been his counselor?"
35"Or who has given a gift to him
   that he might be repaid?"

 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Paul and the psalmists cannot study the works and ways of the Lord for long without breaking forth into praise.

Lessons

Let’s turn now to us. Whenever I read a psalm extolling the works of God, I cannot but think how we should be in greater awe than any of the psalmists. Think about this. Consider the matter of studying God’s general works of creation and work in it. Do you think the psalmists, when they looked up at the stars had a concept of the immensity of the universe that we have? What if the psalmist who wrote “the heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” had opened up his recent issue of National Geographic, looked at the photos of the Milky Way galaxy and read this:

Our galaxy is far larger, brighter, and more massive than most other galaxies. From end to end, the Milky Way’s starry disk…spans 120,000 light-years. Encircling it is another disk, composed mostly of hydrogen gas… And engulfing all that our telescopes can see is an enormous halo of dark matter that they can’t. While it emits no light, this dark matter far outweighs the Milky Way’s hundreds of billions of stars…Indeed, our galaxy is so huge that dozens of lesser galaxies scamper about it, like moons orbiting a giant planet.

Do you think he might have been even more impressed with the glory of God? What if the psalmists had seen movies like “The March of the Penguins,” or watched Discovery channel? Do you think they would have written with even more feeling about God feeding animals and providing water to drink?

For me, the most baffling puzzle of all is how scientists and naturalists can be atheists. I just can’t understand it. When a psalmist writes, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” surely they must be thinking, “If you only knew how fearful and wonderful your body really is.” Every part of creation – even its simplest element – is wonder upon wonder.

Or consider the psalmists' view of God’s word. They speak of his precepts being trustworthy. We, thousands of years later, can still attest to the same truth. The measure of time – a time filled with attacks against the written word, constant questioning of the Word’s veracity – has failed to diminish its power. Generation after generation after generation still attest to God’s precepts being trustworthy. And not only is it about time, but about people. People of more tongues and locations and customs that the psalmists ever knew have come to know the same precepts and live by them – even scientists! Surely we have greater reason to be impressed with the ancient precepts that have endured over the centuries.

But even more than the knowledge we possess about creation and about the written word is the knowledge we possess about God’s wondrous work of redemption. When the psalmists look back at the great work of redemption of God for his people, they are thinking of his delivering them from Egypt. They are taken from a piece of land and settled in another piece of land. That is a simplistic way of looking at it, I know, but, nevertheless, it captures the gist of the redemption. It was a redemption that was intended to make possible a change in the hearts of those who experienced it, and to set up the stage by which the people could serve God.

Do I need to argue that the redemption of Jesus Christ is greater than that of the exodus? Was not the shedding of Christ’s blood greater than turning rivers to blood? Was not victory over death and sin greater than the victory over the Egyptian army? Did not the incarnation of the Son of God prove to provide greater bread from heaven than the manna in the wilderness? Was not the parting of the veil in the heavenly temple greater than the parting of the Red Sea? Do we not now have a greater High Priest in Jesus Christ than Aaron ever proved to be, and has Jesus Christ not mediated a supremely greater covenant than Moses?

For all the miracles attributed to Moses, did he rise from the dead? Did he ascend on high? Do we look to his return in glory? Do we not look to our own resurrection into glory because of the redemption won by Jesus Christ?

Should we not then all the more “give thanks to the Lord with [our] whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation”? Indeed, should we not praise the Lord with even stronger voices? We above all should know that the praise of the Lord endures forever. Let us not be put to shame by psalmists who at best could only see the shadows of what we know clearly.

What we should be learning from such a psalm as this is the connection between the study of God and his ways and of praise. Whether your training is limited to personal devotions or you are a seminary student studying for a theology class, your study should be leading you to the praise of God and to greater trust in him. As we have already noted, the psalmists looked at the works of God and from them concluded the traits of God. The more, by studying creation and history, they grew in awe of God as creator and provider, the better understanding they had of God himself, and the more trusting they became of him due to understanding that he is merciful, gracious, and faithful. As they studied his Word and recounted his work of redemption they developed a deeper, humbler fear of him.

And all of this study caused them to take delight in him. Or one could say that because they delighted in him, they all the more desired to study him. They were not like many Christians today who just aren’t into theology. They just want to know the basics and, more importantly, what is needed to be a better person – a better father or mother, better at sinning less or doing right things more. They are like me when it comes to computers. One day I asked an assistant to help get me out of some problem on the computer. So he starts to explain to me how the computer works, what would have caused the problem…until he saw my eyes glaze over. “You’re really not interested, are you?” “No, I just want the problem to be fixed!”

I don’t delight in computers, at least to the degree of wanting to study them. I like the results but I am quite satisfied with the explanation that they work by magic. The same with a car. I could care less what is under the hood, as long as the engine turns on. But car enthusiasts are passionate about knowing what makes the engine run, just as computer enthusiasts with computers. They wax eloquent about the inner workings of such stuff.

Should Christians not be the same about God and his works? Should we not listen with expectation to preaching that takes into the mysteries of God and his works, especially his work of redemption? They don’t care about how practical what they are learning is, no more than the car enthusiast about the details he studies of his favorite car. And yet, it is because of that very enthusiasm that they learn what is really practical. If I had a real interest in computers, I wouldn’t have to call my son-in-law every time I have trouble, and who gently (because he is my son-in-law) tells me the simple procedure to get my problem solved. Really, what is more practical than learning how gracious and merciful and faithful our God is? What is more practical for overcoming sin and for living a righteous life than to study the redemptive work of Jesus Christ?

It is those who know God best who know best how to live. It is those who know Jesus Christ and his great redemptive work who know best how to be gracious and merciful and faithful themselves. And it is those who know God and his wondrous ways best who praise him the most and take the greatest delight in him.

I don’t mean just head knowledge. I could be forced to learn more about computers if I needed the knowledge to pass a test, or if I wanted to be recognized for my knowledge. It is the one who delights in the knowledge, who then grows in admiration for God and who then learns how to benefit from that knowledge. And this, by the way, is the key to true humility – delighting in God, delighting in what you learn about God. And it is true humility that leads further into knowledge.

See how it all works together. To delight in God is to desire to study God. To study God leads to further delight. Such delight is made possible by humility, which itself naturally blooms as one learns more about God, which is also wrapped up in the fear of the Lord, a fear that anyone who knows God delights in. And the fear becomes deeper as…well, you get the picture.

However you came into the congregation tonight – whether to give thanks to God or to seek refuge from the cold or your troubles – may you leave with a desire to study the wondrous works of God and return with the desire to praise him.