The Perseverance of the Saints
April 12, 2009
Pastor’s Study
“…holding forth the word of life” (Philippians 2:16a)
Introduction
The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647), chapter seventeen, defines the perseverance of the saints in the following manner:
I. They whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.
II. This perseverance of the saints depends, not upon their own free-will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit and of the seed of God within them; and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof.
III. Nevertheless they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins; and for a time continue therein: whereby they incur God’s displeasure, and grieve his Holy Spirit; come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts; have their hearts hardened, and their conscience wounded; hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.
In short, saving faith is faith that perseveres. Does the theological tradition, however, affirm this understanding of perseverance?
The Main Historical Positions
Classical Statements of the Doctrine
Saint Augustine was the first theologian to clearly articulate a doctrine of perseverance, in consequence of his views related to predestination. In his De Dono Perseverantiae (On the Gift of Perseverance), Augustine defines perseverance as “a divine gift by which an individual perseveres in Christ to the end of his life” (1.1; 6.10). The believer, however, is exhorted (in the Lord’s Prayer) to petition God for the gift of perseverance, as Cyprian makes clear in his De Oratione Dominica (2.4-7.15). Although Augustine concluded that none of the elect can perish, he, nonetheless, held that a man may consent to temptation and thus (of his own will) forsake God. By this, we infer that Augustine believed that some believers possessed spurious faith, but not the elect.
John Calvin concurred with Augustine that perseverance is “the gratuitous gift of God” and is not attributed to human merit in any way. Rather, God so disposes the believer’s will to good that genuine believers (to be distinguished from apostates in the mixed church) will persevere to the end. This assuring faith is based on God’s promises, union with Christ, the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, and election. Calvin, however, taught that a believer could fall into sin. This “particular falling” of the saints was to be distinguished from a “complete defection.” And though a believer may succumb to temptation and fall into sin, he will not continue in sin and so fall from a state of grace. Apostasy, therefore, eventuates only in the lives of those whose faith is spurious.
Arminius held, initially, that the final perseverance of the saints is doubtful. Later, he concluded that the Church had never in toto adhered to the doctrine. Arminius, instead, believed that (on account of man’s free will) a believer could defect from the Savior and be eternally lost. With reference to John 10:28b – “neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” – he claimed that the sheep itself can freely depart from the shepherd.
Denominational Positions
Calvinist Churches
The canons of the Synod of Dort (1619) represent the Reformed sentiment regarding the perseverance of the saints. The canons, following Augustine and Calvin, describe perseverance as the gift of God that is intended to stimulate faith and piety in the believer, not pride and complacency.
God, through his faithfulness, preserves the believer to the end (1 Pet 1:5). The Father’s sovereignty, power, and love guarantee the believer’s continuance in faith (Rom 8:28-39) whereas the Son’s eternal priesthood secures the believer’s salvation (Heb 7:23-28). The Holy Spirit seals the believer, enabling him to persist in holy affection and thus assuring his preservation to eternal salvation (Eph 1:13-14).
Those who persist in sin, however, demonstrate the transient nature of their faith (1 John 3:3-6). On the other hand, true believers who temporarily succumb to sin, repent and continue in faith. In summary, Reformed churches ground the perseverance of the saints in God’s sovereign grace.
In Baptist history, the final perseverance of the saints is affirmed in the American Baptist Confession of Faith, the Charlestown Confession of 1689, which was modeled on the Westminster Confession and the London Confession. The New Hampshire Confession of Faith (1833) states that only genuine believers persevere to the end, for they are “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.” John Gill and Charles Haddon Spurgeon also taught that those who are “truly regenerated” shall be “everlastingly saved.” The doctrine is summarized in the “Abstract of Principles” incorporated into the Fundamental Laws of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Greenville, South Carolina on April 30, 1858:
XIII. Perseverance of the Saints
Those whom God hath accepted in the Beloved, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere to the end; and though they may fall, through neglect and temptation, into sin, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the church, and temporal judgments on themselves, yet they shall be renewed again unto repentance, and be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
Congregationalists also espouse the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. In the Savoy Declaration of 1658, the Puritans (subsequently called Congregationalists) drew a line of demarcation between genuine believers and “temporary believers.” They affirmed that true believers persist in faith until the end because of the efficacious sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, the power of God, and the objective work of redemption which assures unfailingly the eventual salvation of the elect.
Arminian Churches
John Wesley believed that no believer could be certain of his perseverance until the end. Further, such assurance could well induce repose and libertinism. Methodists like James Porter later argued that the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints has no biblical basis. R. S. Foster made a similar charge, adding that the Bible reveals many cases of apostasy. John Hannah maintained that perseverance is contingent, that is, the believer must continuously choose to persist in faith and may fail to do so.
Roman Catholics describe perseverance as a potential power. The Council of Trent (1545-63) followed Augustine in referring to it as “gratuitous,” and followed Thomas Aquinas in positing that it is not meritorious and, therefore, no believer can be certain of his perseverance. The Council thus stated that if anyone claimed that a believer “cannot lose grace, let him be accursed.” Special help, then, is required for potential perseverance; we are not sure what this special help entails, however. On the other hand, the grace of final perseverance is the “coincidence of the state of grace with the hour of death.” God so designs that death comes when a man is persisting in faith. This view has never been defined by the magisterium but is the accepted teaching of the church.
Lutheran churches and the Church of England vacillate between the Arminian and the Calvinist views. They believe that some saints may apostatize.
Relevant Biblical Passages
Perhaps the most relevant biblical passages that support the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints are John 6:38-40; 10:26-30; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:28-39; and 1 Peter 1:5. In John 6:38-40, the writer says:
For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up again the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Here Jesus affirms that though many would reject him, yet those drawn by the Father (6:37, 44) will be saved. And Jesus will keep them secure till the resurrection of the righteous (v. 39). None will be lost, or more correctly destroyed (v. 39), because of (1) the Father’s sovereign grace in electing the believer (vv 37, 39, 44), (2) the Son’s providential care (vv. 39, 40), and (3) the believer’s persevering faith – he sees the Son and keeps believing on Him (v. 40).
John 10: 26-30 is perhaps the clearest teaching on the perseverance of the saints. The writer states:
But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.
Here Jesus says that genuine believers hear, obey, and imitate Him. They go where His Spirit directs them (v. 27). The elect are stirred up to “holy affection” when they contemplate the “excellencies of Christ” (to borrow expressions from Jonathan Edwards). In short, genuine believers persist in righteous living. And Jesus’ promise is to grant them life with Him forever: they will never be destroyed (Matt 10:28; 18:14; John 3:15). In all of these references, eschatological punishment is in view. Further, the double negative in the Greek is emphatic, stressing the impossibility of the believers’ ultimate ruin (v. 28a). But why this impossibility? Jesus attributes the believers’ preservation to His providential care (v. 28b) and the Father’s sovereign grace (v. 29).
In Ephesians 1:13-14, the writer states:
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
In verses 3-6, God the Father is extolled for electing his people in eternity; in vv. 6-12, the Son is magnified for redeeming his people in time; and in vv. 13-14, the Holy Spirit is adored for securing those believers until the eschaton. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work together to effect final salvation for the saints. With reference to the sealing of the Holy Spirit, we note that the ideas of ownership, authentication, protection, and preservation are all implied. And this preservation is until “the day of redemption.” Additionally, the word “guarantee” (arrabon) is a legal term that means deposit and commits the responsible party (God Himself) to fulfill the contract by making full payment.
In Romans 8:28-39, Paul argues for the perseverance of the saints based on God’s sovereign grace involving effectual calling, predestination, justification, and glorification (vv 28-30). Based on God’s omnipotence (v. 31) and His incalculable love (v. 32), the believer is assured of divine preservation. In vv. 33-34, Paul asserts that believers stand vindicated because of God’s justice – He has acquitted us and given us His Son, our eternal Savior and High Priest who is bringing us to glory. Finally, because of His wonderful love (vv. 35-39), the believer remains eternally secure and will persevere to the end.
Finally, in 1 Peter 1:5, Peter says that believers are “being kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” The word “kept” has military connotations, implying kept with a garrison (2 Cor 11:32) or divine fortification. Further, this keeping is related to the exercise of faith and eventuates in final salvation.
Other Doctrines that Impinge on the Doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints
We shall briefly consider this question by referring to the theocentric and theological bases of the doctrine. First, the doctrine is grounded in the sovereign grace of God the Father, which includes His love, faithfulness, and eternal purpose. His electing love is not fickle, but sure and everlasting; His faithfulness is demonstrated in preserving His saints; His eternal purpose is revealed in ordaining to eternal life those on whom He has set His love and in calling, sanctifying, and glorifying them (John 6:22-65; 1 Cor 1:18-31; Rom 8:28-39).
Also, the efficacious atonement of the Son and the believer's union with Him guarantee the believer’s final perseverance (John 17:12). Over two hundred times in the New Testament, the Scriptures emphasize this union with the Son, a union which suggests baptism into the body, intimate fellowship with Christ, life in the Spirit, and new identity. This idea of union is best worked out in Romans 6 and 8 where death to the old life and resurrection to new life in the power of the Spirit are stressed.
Perseverance is possible, therefore, because of new categories of power (as D. A. Carson has argued in Still Sovereign by Schreiner and Ware). The continuing intercessory work of Christ also confirms the believer in his calling. The Holy Spirit’s work of regeneration and sanctification are also related to the perseverance of the saints (John 7:37; 14:16; Rom 8:9; 1 Cor 3:16; 2 Cor 1: 22; Eph 1: 13-14; 4:5, 30).
Three Main Objections to the Doctrine
Objections Stated
The doctrine is incompatible with the freedom of the will.
The doctrine is negated by the apostasy of many believers in the Scriptures.
The doctrine promotes antinomianism.
Objections Refuted
1. The Scriptures consistently depict God as redeeming the elect, not with coercion but by
wooing, by convincing men of sin, by enlightening minds in the knowledge of Christ, by transforming wills, by persuading men to respond to the vocatio interna. Likewise, genuine believers, with transformed hearts, persist in holiness (not by compulsion but by God’s “working in them both to will and to do of his good pleasure”). See Philippians 2:13; Romans 6-8. At any rate, no man is entirely free, either before or after conversion. Perhaps Luther’s man between God and the devil illustrates this idea: before regeneration, man (notwithstanding the fact that he sins freely) is held captive by the tyranny of sin. Following regeneration, he becomes a slave of Christ, yet freely perseveres in faith.
Can genuine believers apostatize so that they are finally lost? Craig Blomberg argues that true believers are distinguished from apostates and impostors by their perseverance in good:
Like the three kinds of unfruitful soil, many will respond to his word with less than saving faith, be it (a) complete lack of positive response due to the enticement of evil, (b) temporary superficiality masquerading as true commitment, or (c) genuine interest and conviction about the truth that simply falls short due to the rigorous demands of discipleship. Like the fruitful soil, the only legitimate response to God’s word is the obedience and perseverance which demonstrate true regeneration.[1]
Impostors and apostates may appear to persist for a time. But “if they fall away, they demonstrate that they were not true disciples in the first place.” 1 John 2:19 says, “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” They may even appear to persevere their entire lives. The Lord’s indictment at the eschaton, however, is revealing, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matt 7:23).[2] In short, saving faith endures.
3. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints does not lead to carnal security. Romans 8:4 reminds us that God sent His son “in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” Paul states in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that we “are being changed into his [Christ’s] likeness from one degree of glory to another.” Indeed, the believer in the new dispensation is empowered to walk in holy love (Jer 31:31-34; Ezek 11:19-20; 36:26-27). We are not, however, positing sinless perfection in this present age. Believers live in eschatological tension – the ‘already’ and the ‘not yet.’ Nonetheless, the reign of sin has been broken so that believers can live victorious lives (Rom 6; 8:1-17; Col 2:9-15).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the perseverance of the saints is secured by God’s sovereign grace but in such a manner that the believer freely perseveres. Therefore, perseverance is both gift and duty (Col 1:21-23).
Sources Consulted
Books
Marshall, I. Howard. Kept by the Power of God: A Study of Perseverance and Falling Away. London: Epworth Press, 1969.
Schreiner, Thomas, and Ardel B. Caneday. The Race Set Before Us: A Biblical Theology of Perseverance and Assurance. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2001.
Articles
Beeke, Joel R. “Does Assurance Belong to the Essence of Faith? Calvin and the Calvinists.” The Master’s Seminary Journal 5.1 (Spring 1994): 43-71.
Carson, D. A. “Reflections on Assurance.” In Still Sovereign: Contemporary Perspectives on Election, Foreknowledge, and Grace, eds. Thomas Schreiner and Bruce A. Ware, 247-76. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2000.
Cook, Robert R. “Apostasy: Some Logical Reflections.” Evangelical Quarterly 65.2 (1993): 147-53.
Grudem, Wayne. “Perseverance of the Saints: A Case Study From the Warning Passages in Hebrews.” In Still Sovereign, eds. Thomas Schreiner and Bruce A. Ware, 133-82. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2000.
Peterson, Robert A. “Preservation, Perseverance, Assurance, and Apostasy.” Presbyterion 22.1 (1996): 31-41.
_________. “God’s Preservation of His Saints.” Presbyterion 17.1 (1991): 40-57.
Ware, Bruce A. “Effectual Calling and Grace.” In Still Sovereign, eds. Thomas Schreiner and Bruce A. Ware, 203-27. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2000.
Unpublished Theses
Mc Eachern, Alton Howard. “The Perseverance of the Saints.” Th. M. thesis, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1959.
Prassel, Jr., Calvin. “Atonement in Paul’s Theology as a Key to his Understanding of Perseverance.” Th. M. thesis, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1989.
[1] Robert A. Peterson, “Preservation, Perseverance, Assurance, and Apostasy,” Presbyterion 22.1 (1996): 38.
[2] Peterson, “Preservation,” 39.
"No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 3:11).
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Fellowship with God (I John 1:1-4)
FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD (I John 1: 1-4)
April 12, 2009
Pastor's Study
"…holding forth the word of life" (Philippians 2:16a)
Beloved, I am happy to be with you today, especially at this time of the year - this lovely Christmas season. Throughout the world, Christians are celebrating the incarnation. Today we are thinking about that glorious moment in time when “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).
Today I’d like to speak to you on this great truth: God became flesh so that we might have fellowship with him. The apostle John writes about this good news in 1 John. For our text this morning, we’ll look at 1 John chapter 1:1 -4. The apostle writes, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” Amen.
And now, by God’s grace and help, I’d like to speak to you on the subject “Fellowship with God.” I’d like to emphasize today two ideas:
1. The Declaration – God became flesh.
2. The Purpose – that we might have fellowship with Him.
Let’s talk about the first idea – the declaration: God became flesh. Notice that John emphasizes the eternal nature of the one who became flesh. The apostle says: “that which was from the beginning.” Who is this who has always existed? The Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, the Word, the Word of Life. John 1:1, 14 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” This Jesus who walked among us was God Himself. John calls Him “the Word of Life….that eternal life which was with the Father… the true God and eternal life” (I John 1:1-2; 5:20).
As we read I John, we find that 23 times John refers to Jesus as the Son of God from all eternity. He with the Father and the Spirit is God Himself. Jesus is God. But in time, He became the God-man. It’s a great mystery that God became flesh. Look at what John says in chapter 1:1, we heard Him, we saw Him, we examined Him, and we handled Him. John says 3 times in I John 1:1-3 that we have witnessed this God who became flesh. “The life,” he said, “was manifested” or revealed and we have seen it and bear witness.
This is John’s declaration - God became flesh, and we saw Him, and we heard Him. Oh, how we heard His gracious words as He preached the good news of the kingdom! We heard Him as he called men to follow Him. We heard Him as He called the people to repentance. We heard Him as He conversed with the woman at Jacob’s well, reminding her of that eternal water which quenches the soul’s thirst. We heard Him as He shouted that life-giving command at the tomb of Lazarus. Oh, how we heard Him as He cried from the cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” We heard Him as He sent his disciples into the world with that glorious mandate – “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations.” John says that God became flesh, and we heard Him, we saw Him, we examined Him, and we handled Him.
Now, the expression - “which we have looked upon” or “which we have examined” - is a very interesting one. It means to put under a microscope, to scrutinize, to carefully examine. What is John saying? The apostle is saying that we did not merely see Him and think that He was a phantom, a figment of the imagination, a ghost. No! John says that we scrutinized Him, we gazed upon Him. This is what the apostle emphasizes. He dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. That word “beheld” in John 1:14 is the same word used here in 1 John 1:1 where the apostle says we “looked upon” Him. What is John teaching us? He is teaching us that God became flesh, and for 33 years as He walked among us we checked Him out and we knew that this was God, revealing Himself to us.
We must be careful, brethren, of the religious groups that deny that God became flesh. Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t believe that God became flesh.
This past summer, I was in St. Thomas in the Caribbean, sharing Christ with Jehovah’s Witnesses who deny this truth. Two years ago, I was coming back from Africa. Thirty-eight thousand feet above the Alps, in the region of Switzerland, I was sharing Christ with Halimo (a Muslim from Somalia), and she agreed with almost everything I said until I came to this point – God became flesh that we might have fellowship with Him. Halimo told me very clearly that Muslims don’t believe that God can become flesh. She stumbled at this truth. Three years ago, I was sharing Christ in the interior of Uganda among the Basoga. As the local pastor and I witnessed to a Muslim woman, we came to this hurdle – God became flesh. The woman faltered. But as we opened the Scriptures that day, she became convinced that God assumed flesh that we might have fellowship with Him. On that glorious day, 3 Muslims accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. Amen!
As Christians, we must be able to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude3). God in time became flesh. This is what John says in 1 John 4:2, “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every Spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.” In 2 John 7, the apostle says, “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”
But here is the question I would like to ask you today – Why did God become flesh? He became flesh that we might have fellowship with Him. As I ponder this truth, I am struck with awe that God wants to have fellowship with us. I believe the problem with us today is that we don’t want to have fellowship with anyone. The rich sometimes don’t want to associate with the poor; Hispanics and blacks are sometimes at loggerheads; blacks and whites are oftentimes racially divided. Jews versus Gentiles! Protestants against Catholics! This may well be the history of mankind – the history of falling out. If you look around today, perhaps you’d confess that we’ve had fractured relationships in families, in churches, in schools, in places of employment, and in our communities. Fractured relationships began in the Garden of Eden. God and man had perfect communion, but sin entered. Sin entered the world when Adam sinned, strayed from God, and forfeited His life. And what did God do? Did God consign man to hell? No! Did He leave him in his miserable estate? No! In great love and mercy, God, having judged man for his sin, gave man this precious promise in Genesis 3:15. In time, He would send the redeemer to rescue us from the tyranny of sin. Do you know what I find remarkable about this? God became flesh, that we might have fellowship with Him. Amen?
There was nothing good in us to commend us to God. Ephesians 2:1 reminds us that we were “dead in trespasses and sins.” Ephesians 2:2-3 reminds us that we “walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air… [We walked in the] lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath.” There was nothing good in us to commend ourselves to God. Paul reminds us of this great teaching in Romans 5:6-10. The apostle tells us we were without strength, ungodly, sinners, enemies of God. The expression “without strength” is interesting. Yesterday, I saw a baby trying to crawl, lift up the left or right foot. That was a picture of man - without strength, of puny capacity, depraved, alienated from God by wicked works, under the dominion of darkness, without strength. And while we were in our sin and misery, John tells us that God manifested His love toward us. How did He do this? He “sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9). Amen! Think of that - that God manifested His love toward us by sending “His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him.” Why did God become flesh? He became flesh that we might have fellowship with Him. And as I look at you today, you are all trophies of God’s grace. And this is the message of Christmas – God became flesh that we might have fellowship with Him.
But what is this fellowship? I believe that John is emphasizing that fellowship is a sharing in God’s eternal life in a qualitative and quantitative manner. Now what do I mean by this? God sent His Son so that we might share in His eternal life in a qualitative way. In other words, eternal life begins immediately a person receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is a kind of life. This is what John says in 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and He that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” This eternal life in a qualitative way is shown by holy living, by love of God, by hatred of sin, by zeal for righteousness, by walking in the light, by confession of sin. God sent His Son that we might have fellowship with Him, that we might share in His kind of life – eternal life in a qualitative way. But this eternal life is not only qualitative but also quantitative. That is, it is life that last forever in the presence of God Himself. That is why God became flesh, that we might have fellowship with Him. That we might share in His kind of life. That’s remarkable church - that God wants us to share in His eternal life. And as you read 1 John, you will find that 15 times the apostle writes about life, life, life. Six times he mentions “born again” or “begotten again.” The concept of life appears 21 times in this short message. The Father sent the Son that we might have fellowship or share life with Him.
Sadly, the problem today is that 2,000 years since Christ came to give us life, billions of people still languish in the shadows of death. Many believe that they have life if they have a large house. They believe that they have life if they have a lot of money. They think they have life because of their education, their gifts, their beauty, their fame. But the Bible says only those who have the Son have life. That’s why God sent His Son, to rescue us from the tyranny of the grave, to deliver us from death, to transfer us from the dominion of darkness into “the kingdom of His dear Son: In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” That is God’s pledge to us. God’s pledge to us we find in John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” As we read
1 John, we notice that references to life occur at the beginning and at the end of the book. In 1 John 1:1, the writer tells us “our hands have handled …the Word of life.” I John 5:20 adds, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, [even] in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” This idea of life informs the entire book. The Apostle is saying: Do you want life? It is found only in Jesus Christ, only in God. And throughout the Scriptures, God is the source of life. Revelation sums up all of history and speaks of the book of life, the river of life, the tree of life. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” He came to give us life. Paul stated, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). In other words, living and Christ is co-extensive, one and the same thing. You want to see true living? It’s found only in Jesus Christ, and that’s what people all over the world are searching for.
The Bible tells us there is a way that seems right to a man but it leads to death. “I am come,” Jesus says, “that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” And Christ offers this life freely to anyone who comes to Him in repentance and faith. What is repentance? Repentance is Godly sorrow for sin and a desire to forsake sin and turn to the Savior; a work wrought in the heart, by the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God when it is preached. Repentance shows itself in Godly sorrow for sin so that a person turns from sin to the Savior. And what is faith? It is understanding the truth concerning God’s offer of salvation in Christ so that forsaking all others we put our trust in Jesus Christ alone as Savior and Lord. This Jesus calls you to come to Him today in repentance and faith. Come now; come now as He speaks by the Spirit in the power of His Word. Come now before it is too late. The Bible says in Romans 10:9-13, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
May God grant you mercy to call upon Him today in faith. I pray this in the name of Jesus Amen!
"No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 3:11).
April 12, 2009
Pastor's Study
"…holding forth the word of life" (Philippians 2:16a)
Beloved, I am happy to be with you today, especially at this time of the year - this lovely Christmas season. Throughout the world, Christians are celebrating the incarnation. Today we are thinking about that glorious moment in time when “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).
Today I’d like to speak to you on this great truth: God became flesh so that we might have fellowship with him. The apostle John writes about this good news in 1 John. For our text this morning, we’ll look at 1 John chapter 1:1 -4. The apostle writes, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” Amen.
And now, by God’s grace and help, I’d like to speak to you on the subject “Fellowship with God.” I’d like to emphasize today two ideas:
1. The Declaration – God became flesh.
2. The Purpose – that we might have fellowship with Him.
Let’s talk about the first idea – the declaration: God became flesh. Notice that John emphasizes the eternal nature of the one who became flesh. The apostle says: “that which was from the beginning.” Who is this who has always existed? The Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, the Word, the Word of Life. John 1:1, 14 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” This Jesus who walked among us was God Himself. John calls Him “the Word of Life….that eternal life which was with the Father… the true God and eternal life” (I John 1:1-2; 5:20).
As we read I John, we find that 23 times John refers to Jesus as the Son of God from all eternity. He with the Father and the Spirit is God Himself. Jesus is God. But in time, He became the God-man. It’s a great mystery that God became flesh. Look at what John says in chapter 1:1, we heard Him, we saw Him, we examined Him, and we handled Him. John says 3 times in I John 1:1-3 that we have witnessed this God who became flesh. “The life,” he said, “was manifested” or revealed and we have seen it and bear witness.
This is John’s declaration - God became flesh, and we saw Him, and we heard Him. Oh, how we heard His gracious words as He preached the good news of the kingdom! We heard Him as he called men to follow Him. We heard Him as He called the people to repentance. We heard Him as He conversed with the woman at Jacob’s well, reminding her of that eternal water which quenches the soul’s thirst. We heard Him as He shouted that life-giving command at the tomb of Lazarus. Oh, how we heard Him as He cried from the cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” We heard Him as He sent his disciples into the world with that glorious mandate – “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations.” John says that God became flesh, and we heard Him, we saw Him, we examined Him, and we handled Him.
Now, the expression - “which we have looked upon” or “which we have examined” - is a very interesting one. It means to put under a microscope, to scrutinize, to carefully examine. What is John saying? The apostle is saying that we did not merely see Him and think that He was a phantom, a figment of the imagination, a ghost. No! John says that we scrutinized Him, we gazed upon Him. This is what the apostle emphasizes. He dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. That word “beheld” in John 1:14 is the same word used here in 1 John 1:1 where the apostle says we “looked upon” Him. What is John teaching us? He is teaching us that God became flesh, and for 33 years as He walked among us we checked Him out and we knew that this was God, revealing Himself to us.
We must be careful, brethren, of the religious groups that deny that God became flesh. Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t believe that God became flesh.
This past summer, I was in St. Thomas in the Caribbean, sharing Christ with Jehovah’s Witnesses who deny this truth. Two years ago, I was coming back from Africa. Thirty-eight thousand feet above the Alps, in the region of Switzerland, I was sharing Christ with Halimo (a Muslim from Somalia), and she agreed with almost everything I said until I came to this point – God became flesh that we might have fellowship with Him. Halimo told me very clearly that Muslims don’t believe that God can become flesh. She stumbled at this truth. Three years ago, I was sharing Christ in the interior of Uganda among the Basoga. As the local pastor and I witnessed to a Muslim woman, we came to this hurdle – God became flesh. The woman faltered. But as we opened the Scriptures that day, she became convinced that God assumed flesh that we might have fellowship with Him. On that glorious day, 3 Muslims accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. Amen!
As Christians, we must be able to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude3). God in time became flesh. This is what John says in 1 John 4:2, “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every Spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.” In 2 John 7, the apostle says, “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”
But here is the question I would like to ask you today – Why did God become flesh? He became flesh that we might have fellowship with Him. As I ponder this truth, I am struck with awe that God wants to have fellowship with us. I believe the problem with us today is that we don’t want to have fellowship with anyone. The rich sometimes don’t want to associate with the poor; Hispanics and blacks are sometimes at loggerheads; blacks and whites are oftentimes racially divided. Jews versus Gentiles! Protestants against Catholics! This may well be the history of mankind – the history of falling out. If you look around today, perhaps you’d confess that we’ve had fractured relationships in families, in churches, in schools, in places of employment, and in our communities. Fractured relationships began in the Garden of Eden. God and man had perfect communion, but sin entered. Sin entered the world when Adam sinned, strayed from God, and forfeited His life. And what did God do? Did God consign man to hell? No! Did He leave him in his miserable estate? No! In great love and mercy, God, having judged man for his sin, gave man this precious promise in Genesis 3:15. In time, He would send the redeemer to rescue us from the tyranny of sin. Do you know what I find remarkable about this? God became flesh, that we might have fellowship with Him. Amen?
There was nothing good in us to commend us to God. Ephesians 2:1 reminds us that we were “dead in trespasses and sins.” Ephesians 2:2-3 reminds us that we “walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air… [We walked in the] lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath.” There was nothing good in us to commend ourselves to God. Paul reminds us of this great teaching in Romans 5:6-10. The apostle tells us we were without strength, ungodly, sinners, enemies of God. The expression “without strength” is interesting. Yesterday, I saw a baby trying to crawl, lift up the left or right foot. That was a picture of man - without strength, of puny capacity, depraved, alienated from God by wicked works, under the dominion of darkness, without strength. And while we were in our sin and misery, John tells us that God manifested His love toward us. How did He do this? He “sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9). Amen! Think of that - that God manifested His love toward us by sending “His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him.” Why did God become flesh? He became flesh that we might have fellowship with Him. And as I look at you today, you are all trophies of God’s grace. And this is the message of Christmas – God became flesh that we might have fellowship with Him.
But what is this fellowship? I believe that John is emphasizing that fellowship is a sharing in God’s eternal life in a qualitative and quantitative manner. Now what do I mean by this? God sent His Son so that we might share in His eternal life in a qualitative way. In other words, eternal life begins immediately a person receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is a kind of life. This is what John says in 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and He that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” This eternal life in a qualitative way is shown by holy living, by love of God, by hatred of sin, by zeal for righteousness, by walking in the light, by confession of sin. God sent His Son that we might have fellowship with Him, that we might share in His kind of life – eternal life in a qualitative way. But this eternal life is not only qualitative but also quantitative. That is, it is life that last forever in the presence of God Himself. That is why God became flesh, that we might have fellowship with Him. That we might share in His kind of life. That’s remarkable church - that God wants us to share in His eternal life. And as you read 1 John, you will find that 15 times the apostle writes about life, life, life. Six times he mentions “born again” or “begotten again.” The concept of life appears 21 times in this short message. The Father sent the Son that we might have fellowship or share life with Him.
Sadly, the problem today is that 2,000 years since Christ came to give us life, billions of people still languish in the shadows of death. Many believe that they have life if they have a large house. They believe that they have life if they have a lot of money. They think they have life because of their education, their gifts, their beauty, their fame. But the Bible says only those who have the Son have life. That’s why God sent His Son, to rescue us from the tyranny of the grave, to deliver us from death, to transfer us from the dominion of darkness into “the kingdom of His dear Son: In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” That is God’s pledge to us. God’s pledge to us we find in John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” As we read
1 John, we notice that references to life occur at the beginning and at the end of the book. In 1 John 1:1, the writer tells us “our hands have handled …the Word of life.” I John 5:20 adds, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, [even] in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” This idea of life informs the entire book. The Apostle is saying: Do you want life? It is found only in Jesus Christ, only in God. And throughout the Scriptures, God is the source of life. Revelation sums up all of history and speaks of the book of life, the river of life, the tree of life. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” He came to give us life. Paul stated, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). In other words, living and Christ is co-extensive, one and the same thing. You want to see true living? It’s found only in Jesus Christ, and that’s what people all over the world are searching for.
The Bible tells us there is a way that seems right to a man but it leads to death. “I am come,” Jesus says, “that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” And Christ offers this life freely to anyone who comes to Him in repentance and faith. What is repentance? Repentance is Godly sorrow for sin and a desire to forsake sin and turn to the Savior; a work wrought in the heart, by the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God when it is preached. Repentance shows itself in Godly sorrow for sin so that a person turns from sin to the Savior. And what is faith? It is understanding the truth concerning God’s offer of salvation in Christ so that forsaking all others we put our trust in Jesus Christ alone as Savior and Lord. This Jesus calls you to come to Him today in repentance and faith. Come now; come now as He speaks by the Spirit in the power of His Word. Come now before it is too late. The Bible says in Romans 10:9-13, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
May God grant you mercy to call upon Him today in faith. I pray this in the name of Jesus Amen!
"No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 3:11).
Saturday, April 4, 2009
The Goodness of God: An Incentive to Holy Communion (Psalm 73)
April 4, 2009
Pastor's Study
"…holding forth the word of life" (Philippians 2:16a)
The following sermon was prepared from exegetical notes from John Gill and other exegetes, sometimes using these authors' words verbiatim.
The Goodness of God: An Incentive to Holy Communion (Psalm 73)
Summary
The psalmist, observing the prosperity of the wicked and the afflictions of the righteous, was tempted to think that serving God was vain, until he went into the house of God where he understood the goodness of God toward His covenant children, perceived the final doom of the impenitent, and acknowledged his folly.
I. The Declaration: God is good to His covenant children (v. 1).
II. The Demonstration: We are constantly under God’s eye, and He holds us in the midst of danger, guides us in the midst of doubt, and afterwards takes us to glory (vv. 23-24).
III. The Revelation: God reveals his goodness to us as we worship Him privately and corporately (v. 17-24).
IV. The Exaltation: The goodness of God should stir us up to communion. We should desire God, making Him our chief delight (vv. 25- 28).
I. The Declaration: God is good to His covenant children (v. 1).
This psalm begins with a joyful declaration (v. 1) which reminds us of Psalm 106:1:
Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness (His steadfast love, His covenant faithfulness) is everlasting.
It ends on a note of praise for God’s goodness (vv. 25-28). Psalm 34:8 echoes similar sentiments:
Taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
God is good to Israel:
Ø In choosing them to be His people above all people on earth
Ø In bringing them into a good land
Ø In giving them His word, His statutes, and ordinances
God is good to His new Israel:
Ø In choosing us from the mass of humanity, calling us, and redeeming us by His special grace.
God is also good to all mankind:
Ø He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things (Acts 17:25).
Ø He sends His rain on the just and on the unjust.
But in this particular psalm, how does God demonstrate His goodness to His covenant children?
II. The Demonstration: I am continually with God (v. 23).
Upon the heart of God, in His hands, under His eye, under His wings of protection and care, not suffered to apostatize, to forsake his worship and service, nor to totally lose our love and affection for Him.
In New Testament theology, we would say that, though we suffer the trial of our faith and may grow weary in well-doing, we still remain in union with our great God and Savior – a teaching that is emphasized over 200 times in the New Testament.
1) He holds us in the midst of danger (v. 23):
We are not to assume that there is ever a time that God does not hold us. But in God’s goodness, in His wonderful grace, He manifests His presence to us especially at times of great danger when we may be tempted to give up, to lose heart:
When I go through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me (Psalm 23:4).
At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me…But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me (2 Timothy 4:16, 17).
“You took hold of my right hand,” the psalmist declares. He was in danger of falling (v. 2):
But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling. My steps had almost slipped.
The psalmist speaks of being afflicted daily (v. 14):
For I have been stricken all day long and chastened every morning.
Even though he maintained his integrity (v. 13).
I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence.
As the psalmist looked around him, the prosperity (v. 30), the pride (v. 6), and the presumption (vv. 8-9) of the wicked troubled him and he became envious (v. 3). Proverbs 14:30 reminds us:
A sound heart is like life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.
“Rottenness to the bones” is an expression which describes a painful and incurable malady. The psalmist, experiencing daily affliction, and seeing the prosperity of the wicked was in danger of defection (v. 13). There was nothing to serving God!
In the midst of this terrible siege, the psalmist was reminded of God’s continual presence (v. 23); he was reminded that, almost stumbling, God took him by the right hand (v. 23).
Ø With flesh and heart failing (v. 26), God took him by the right hand.
Ø Overwhelmed by trouble, God took him by the right hand (v. 14).
Ø Tempted to turn back (v. 13), God took him by the right hand.
Ø God took hold of his right hand.
The idea being emphasized is that of rescue and covenant fellowship (Isaiah 41:11-13; 42:6).
2) He guides us in the midst of doubt (v. 24).
Psalm 48:14 says, “For such is God, our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.” The psalmist acknowledges his doubts concerning holy living (v. 13). He thinks about the grief and discouragement to the body if he scandalized God’s name (v. 15-16). We must learn to bridle our tongues if we would ever learn true sanctification. He doubts God’s goodness and His righteous government.
In this dread state of doubt and despair, the psalmist acknowledges that God guides us in the midst of doubt. Perhaps the psalmist is teaching us that God does all things according to the counsel of His will in providence and grace. Or perhaps the writer is teaching us that God, with His infallible Word, the Scriptures of truth which contains the will of God, by this revealed Word, which is wise and prudent, wholesome, and enlightening, God gives us directions for holy communion. By His Spirit, the Lord guides us in the ways of peace, truth, righteousness, and holiness, through this world and afterward to heavenly glory.
3) And afterwards, He takes us to glory (v. 24).
In verse 17, the psalmist says that, after going into the house of God, he perceived the afterward of the wicked. In verse 24, he says that he will inherit glory afterward. But after what?
Ø After God has led us and guided us by His counsel through this wilderness.
Ø After all the afflictions and temptations in this weary world.
Ø After we have passed through the valley of the shadow of death.
Ø After death itself.
Ø After doubts and fears, storms and shadows
Ø After crosses and losses
Ø After betrayals and defections.
Ø After sorrows and griefs.
God shall receive us to glory; He shall take us up (Gen. 5:24)
Ø Into a glorious place, a house not made with hands
Ø Into a city whose builder and maker is God
Ø Into a glorious kingdom
Ø Into the glorious company of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Ø Into the everlasting fellowship of angels and glorified saints
Ø Into everlasting joy and happiness
Ø A glory enjoyed both in body and soul to all eternity
Ø Oh the crowning joy of God’s prosopon!
“For God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me. Selah (Psalm 49:15).
The Revelation: God reveals His goodness to us as we worship Him privately and corporately (vv. 17-24).
Ø As the psalmist turns to God in worship, his perspective changes. Formerly, he was envious (v. 13), embittered (v. 21), brutish (v. 22).
Ø Formerly, his focus was on others in a bad way (they, they, they; vv. 5, 8, 9, 11).
Ø Formerly, his focus was on himself (I, I, I; vv. 13-17 - self-pity and self-centeredness).
Ø Now, he comes into the sanctuary (v. 17), where the Word was read and explained, where prayer was made, where fellowship was maintained with the saints, and communion with God was enjoyed.
Ø Though beset with temptation, the psalmist did not neglect public worship, did not give up the house of God.
His spirit revived when he went into the house of God, where he was stimulated to holy affection. Corporate prayer, the ministry of listening, mutual edification, corporate worship fortify the soul against the enemies attacks.
Chastened, the psalmist acknowledges his sin (vv. 21, 22).
Enlightened, he understands the end of the wicked:
Ø Eschatological terrors
Ø Sudden destruction
Ø Final accounting (vv. 18-20, 27).
Ø Personal rejection
Ø Everlasting shame and contempt (Daniel 12:2).
God’s presence, first convicting, afterwards becomes the psalmist’s delight (vv. 21, 22).
Exaltation: The goodness of God should stir us up to holy communion. We should desire God, making Him our chief delight (vv. 25-28).
Derek Kidner summarizes the psalmist’s situation: “Grasped, guided, glorified.” God holds us, guides us, and receives us. With this assurance of God’s work on his behalf, even though his situation is bleak, the psalmist bursts out in praise (vv. 25-28). The wicked and their attitude to heaven and earth (v. 9) are contrasted with the saints and their attitude. The psalmist’s sense of standing in the presence of God changes his outlook on life, transforms his perspective. Note vv. 22 and 23 – “before You, with You.” Coram Deo (Luther’s teaching that we are constantly before the face of God). Negotium cum Deo (John Calvin’s teaching that it is with God that we have to do – business with God).
Ø We have become intoxicated with ourselves. We need to recapture a sense of the majesty of God.
Ø In heaven – God the Father, God of covenant, God the Son, Redeemer, Mediator, Savior, Head, Advocate, Intercessor, God the Spirit, Sanctifier, Comforter, .
Ø The sole object of our devotion, trust, and confidence.
Ø The love of God, the grace of Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit
Flesh and heart may fail through inward trials, by reason of indwelling sin, temptations, and desertions; the body may be emaciated by sickness and disease.
But God is the strength of our heart. When overwhelmed with distress, when hope is weak, when afflictions are many, the Lord supports and sustains us and at the moment of death shows us that the sting of death is taken away and its curse removed; that our souls are going to be with our great God and Savior.; that our bodies will rise again glorious and incorruptible. God is our portion forever, both in life and in death.
We should desire Him, draw near to Him in holy communion.
"No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 3:11).
Pastor's Study
"…holding forth the word of life" (Philippians 2:16a)
The following sermon was prepared from exegetical notes from John Gill and other exegetes, sometimes using these authors' words verbiatim.
The Goodness of God: An Incentive to Holy Communion (Psalm 73)
Summary
The psalmist, observing the prosperity of the wicked and the afflictions of the righteous, was tempted to think that serving God was vain, until he went into the house of God where he understood the goodness of God toward His covenant children, perceived the final doom of the impenitent, and acknowledged his folly.
I. The Declaration: God is good to His covenant children (v. 1).
II. The Demonstration: We are constantly under God’s eye, and He holds us in the midst of danger, guides us in the midst of doubt, and afterwards takes us to glory (vv. 23-24).
III. The Revelation: God reveals his goodness to us as we worship Him privately and corporately (v. 17-24).
IV. The Exaltation: The goodness of God should stir us up to communion. We should desire God, making Him our chief delight (vv. 25- 28).
I. The Declaration: God is good to His covenant children (v. 1).
This psalm begins with a joyful declaration (v. 1) which reminds us of Psalm 106:1:
Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness (His steadfast love, His covenant faithfulness) is everlasting.
It ends on a note of praise for God’s goodness (vv. 25-28). Psalm 34:8 echoes similar sentiments:
Taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
God is good to Israel:
Ø In choosing them to be His people above all people on earth
Ø In bringing them into a good land
Ø In giving them His word, His statutes, and ordinances
God is good to His new Israel:
Ø In choosing us from the mass of humanity, calling us, and redeeming us by His special grace.
God is also good to all mankind:
Ø He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things (Acts 17:25).
Ø He sends His rain on the just and on the unjust.
But in this particular psalm, how does God demonstrate His goodness to His covenant children?
II. The Demonstration: I am continually with God (v. 23).
Upon the heart of God, in His hands, under His eye, under His wings of protection and care, not suffered to apostatize, to forsake his worship and service, nor to totally lose our love and affection for Him.
In New Testament theology, we would say that, though we suffer the trial of our faith and may grow weary in well-doing, we still remain in union with our great God and Savior – a teaching that is emphasized over 200 times in the New Testament.
1) He holds us in the midst of danger (v. 23):
We are not to assume that there is ever a time that God does not hold us. But in God’s goodness, in His wonderful grace, He manifests His presence to us especially at times of great danger when we may be tempted to give up, to lose heart:
When I go through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me (Psalm 23:4).
At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me…But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me (2 Timothy 4:16, 17).
“You took hold of my right hand,” the psalmist declares. He was in danger of falling (v. 2):
But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling. My steps had almost slipped.
The psalmist speaks of being afflicted daily (v. 14):
For I have been stricken all day long and chastened every morning.
Even though he maintained his integrity (v. 13).
I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence.
As the psalmist looked around him, the prosperity (v. 30), the pride (v. 6), and the presumption (vv. 8-9) of the wicked troubled him and he became envious (v. 3). Proverbs 14:30 reminds us:
A sound heart is like life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.
“Rottenness to the bones” is an expression which describes a painful and incurable malady. The psalmist, experiencing daily affliction, and seeing the prosperity of the wicked was in danger of defection (v. 13). There was nothing to serving God!
In the midst of this terrible siege, the psalmist was reminded of God’s continual presence (v. 23); he was reminded that, almost stumbling, God took him by the right hand (v. 23).
Ø With flesh and heart failing (v. 26), God took him by the right hand.
Ø Overwhelmed by trouble, God took him by the right hand (v. 14).
Ø Tempted to turn back (v. 13), God took him by the right hand.
Ø God took hold of his right hand.
The idea being emphasized is that of rescue and covenant fellowship (Isaiah 41:11-13; 42:6).
2) He guides us in the midst of doubt (v. 24).
Psalm 48:14 says, “For such is God, our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.” The psalmist acknowledges his doubts concerning holy living (v. 13). He thinks about the grief and discouragement to the body if he scandalized God’s name (v. 15-16). We must learn to bridle our tongues if we would ever learn true sanctification. He doubts God’s goodness and His righteous government.
In this dread state of doubt and despair, the psalmist acknowledges that God guides us in the midst of doubt. Perhaps the psalmist is teaching us that God does all things according to the counsel of His will in providence and grace. Or perhaps the writer is teaching us that God, with His infallible Word, the Scriptures of truth which contains the will of God, by this revealed Word, which is wise and prudent, wholesome, and enlightening, God gives us directions for holy communion. By His Spirit, the Lord guides us in the ways of peace, truth, righteousness, and holiness, through this world and afterward to heavenly glory.
3) And afterwards, He takes us to glory (v. 24).
In verse 17, the psalmist says that, after going into the house of God, he perceived the afterward of the wicked. In verse 24, he says that he will inherit glory afterward. But after what?
Ø After God has led us and guided us by His counsel through this wilderness.
Ø After all the afflictions and temptations in this weary world.
Ø After we have passed through the valley of the shadow of death.
Ø After death itself.
Ø After doubts and fears, storms and shadows
Ø After crosses and losses
Ø After betrayals and defections.
Ø After sorrows and griefs.
God shall receive us to glory; He shall take us up (Gen. 5:24)
Ø Into a glorious place, a house not made with hands
Ø Into a city whose builder and maker is God
Ø Into a glorious kingdom
Ø Into the glorious company of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Ø Into the everlasting fellowship of angels and glorified saints
Ø Into everlasting joy and happiness
Ø A glory enjoyed both in body and soul to all eternity
Ø Oh the crowning joy of God’s prosopon!
“For God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me. Selah (Psalm 49:15).
The Revelation: God reveals His goodness to us as we worship Him privately and corporately (vv. 17-24).
Ø As the psalmist turns to God in worship, his perspective changes. Formerly, he was envious (v. 13), embittered (v. 21), brutish (v. 22).
Ø Formerly, his focus was on others in a bad way (they, they, they; vv. 5, 8, 9, 11).
Ø Formerly, his focus was on himself (I, I, I; vv. 13-17 - self-pity and self-centeredness).
Ø Now, he comes into the sanctuary (v. 17), where the Word was read and explained, where prayer was made, where fellowship was maintained with the saints, and communion with God was enjoyed.
Ø Though beset with temptation, the psalmist did not neglect public worship, did not give up the house of God.
His spirit revived when he went into the house of God, where he was stimulated to holy affection. Corporate prayer, the ministry of listening, mutual edification, corporate worship fortify the soul against the enemies attacks.
Chastened, the psalmist acknowledges his sin (vv. 21, 22).
Enlightened, he understands the end of the wicked:
Ø Eschatological terrors
Ø Sudden destruction
Ø Final accounting (vv. 18-20, 27).
Ø Personal rejection
Ø Everlasting shame and contempt (Daniel 12:2).
God’s presence, first convicting, afterwards becomes the psalmist’s delight (vv. 21, 22).
Exaltation: The goodness of God should stir us up to holy communion. We should desire God, making Him our chief delight (vv. 25-28).
Derek Kidner summarizes the psalmist’s situation: “Grasped, guided, glorified.” God holds us, guides us, and receives us. With this assurance of God’s work on his behalf, even though his situation is bleak, the psalmist bursts out in praise (vv. 25-28). The wicked and their attitude to heaven and earth (v. 9) are contrasted with the saints and their attitude. The psalmist’s sense of standing in the presence of God changes his outlook on life, transforms his perspective. Note vv. 22 and 23 – “before You, with You.” Coram Deo (Luther’s teaching that we are constantly before the face of God). Negotium cum Deo (John Calvin’s teaching that it is with God that we have to do – business with God).
Ø We have become intoxicated with ourselves. We need to recapture a sense of the majesty of God.
Ø In heaven – God the Father, God of covenant, God the Son, Redeemer, Mediator, Savior, Head, Advocate, Intercessor, God the Spirit, Sanctifier, Comforter, .
Ø The sole object of our devotion, trust, and confidence.
Ø The love of God, the grace of Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit
Flesh and heart may fail through inward trials, by reason of indwelling sin, temptations, and desertions; the body may be emaciated by sickness and disease.
But God is the strength of our heart. When overwhelmed with distress, when hope is weak, when afflictions are many, the Lord supports and sustains us and at the moment of death shows us that the sting of death is taken away and its curse removed; that our souls are going to be with our great God and Savior.; that our bodies will rise again glorious and incorruptible. God is our portion forever, both in life and in death.
We should desire Him, draw near to Him in holy communion.
"No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 3:11).
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