Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Be the Church...Even in New Mexico

CLICK HERE to see the original source of this graphic.

Well, if this subjective estimation of New Mexico is true, I suppose I'm in the right state. I am by nature shy, an introvert, and a downright loner. New Mexico, by this confession, is just right for me. I fit right in by not being the least bit interested in fitting in.

But Church, is this what I am supposed to be? Is this what the Church in New Mexico is supposed to be?

No.

"Day by day...they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart" (Acts 2:46). We are called to be one Body (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 10:10; 12:12,13,20; Ephesians 4:4; Colossians 3:15) and to take joy in it!

I discipline myself to engage others in the congregation, to have conversations, to attend our congregation's social opportunities. It is not natural to me, but in Christ I am not to lean on my own natural tendencies. I am to love. 1 John, in fact, says that this love is a sure sign that I am a true believer and know the love of God in Christ Jesus. I'm not perfect at this thing of actively engaging you, I know. I need to be prodded at times. It is something about which I regularly pray. But God has said this is what His people do, and I desire above all things to live as He has commanded me to live - it is for my good and His glory.

Our State, arguably, may have "anti-social" as the least pleasant thing about the Land of Enchantment, but the Church in New Mexico is not to be the Church of New Mexico. We are the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and He has called us to unity and love in Himself.

Even in New Mexico.

Loving you guys,
Pastor Michael

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Obedience in Baptism

Sunday evening we had the joy of baptizing four new brothers and sisters as the Lord added them to His local congregation here at Indian Hills Baptist Church. This was their first public step in new lives of obedience by faith in the King of kings, Jesus Christ.

Obedience is a very important part of baptism. On the day of Pentecost, some did not hear the voice of God the Holy Spirit through Peter's message. They heard a drunken man's rambling: "He is full of sweet wine" (Acts 2:13). However, some had their ears opened and heard, for the first time in their lives, the voice of God speaking through the apostle. What they heard did not tickle those newly-opened ears, but "they were pierced to the heart" (Acts 2:37) by what they heard concerning the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Lord of all. They cried out, pleading, to Peter: "Brethren, what shall we do?" Peter's response was not an "invitation," but the issuance of the King's order to those rebellious traitors who are seeking reconciliation from His eternal throne: "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" (Acts 2:38). That day the Lord added 3,000 who, after being brought to faith in Christ, took the first step in a life of obedience to Him by submitting to His command to be baptized.

That first step of obedience is not the last, of course, but the first. Jesus, speaking to the 11 gathered on the hill in Galilee, identifies Himself as the One in Whom "all authority has been given...in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). This all-sovereign King then issues His marching orders to the apostles: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you" (Matthew 28:19,20). After the first step of obedience (baptism) is to come a life growing in faith and obedience to the King of kings. It is a lifelong commitment to teaching and learning together in faith-based obedience as the Church that begins at baptism.

For four, it was a beautiful, God-glorifying beginning last Sunday night. We rejoice, and look forward to seeing what the King will work through their lives for His Kingdom as they follow His voice with us all the days of their lives.


Thursday, June 20, 2013

Getting the Family-Church Connection Right

“Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church...the marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people...parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage” (Baptist Faith & Message 2000, art. 18).

These statements from our confession come out of the apostle’s revelation in Ephesians 5:22-6:4. What’s not usually noted is the preceding foundation for these commands: “...be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ” (5:18-21). A Spirit-filled corporate life - a congregational-Church self-identity - is the foundation for the family’s life, which pours out of this group relationship/interaction with the holy Trinity. We should not expect generational blessings before God apart from a rich imbibing of the covenantal commitment to the local church as the foundation for the family. I value, respect, and continue to learn much from family-faith ministries like that of Voddie Baucham, but I believe they have the model upside-down. They start with the family as a faith-unity and proceed to the Church because this was the chronological progression in the Old Testament. However, I believe Paul teaches something quite opposite in Ephesians 5. Being Spirit-filled leads to Church life (which transcends biological or familial bonds – see Matthew 10:37; 12:50; 19:29) which then expresses itself through the marriage/family relationships.

Be the Spirit-filled Church of Jesus Christ to the glory of the Father, and then live that out in the home. The faith-community of the Trinity should be our “North Star” for how all other relationships are understood (not our self-esteem, felt needs, desires, priorities, cultural standards, etc.).

This, of course, means that we are all Bible students, seeking deeply how Christ loves the Church and how the Church is to submit to Christ. This means we are thankful in all things to the Father. This means that we teach one another the truth in our Spirit-filled worship. This means that we submit to one another in the fear of Christ. This means that we seek to live together as the Church biblically. We have no right to expect blessed family life apart from making a priority of this Kingdom foundation.


- Pastor Michael

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Passing the Plate


This week we’re worshiping together in the confession’s article on giving: “God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions. They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth” (Baptist Faith & Message 2000, art. 13).

2 Corinthians 8-9 is my favorite New Testament “theology of giving.” I’ve summed these chapters this way: “God, in accordance to His plan and by the empowering of His grace, causes His Church to be radically and unrestrainedly devoted to blessing the saints of God to the increase of the giving of thanks to Him for His great glory." I love these chapters and would teach through them every year if I could – not because I love talking about giving, but because these chapters show giving as being started by God’s grace in us, empowered by God’s provision to us, and having God as the goal since He’s the One Who receives all the glory for it. It’s a God-centered, not percentage-centered, view of giving. I love it. My prayer is continually that God’s people get this into their understanding.

Giving is part of the covenant into which all I.H.B.C. members enter when joining the Church: “Living in Christ, we covenant to present our Christian experience in our community and world. We acknowledge that all of our talents and possessions are from God, and we will seek His guidance in their use. We commit to share our material resources and talents for the support of the congregation, its ministries, and mission opportunities” (CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF INDIAN HILLS BAPTIST CHURCH, IV., “Church Covenant”).

Most talk of giving in the Church today is focused on facility payments. I don’t have any complaints about having facilities, but it’s too easy for us to lose sight of the people for whom the building has been built. So, I’d like give us a simple New Testament list of reasons to give and spend on ministry:
·         Paying the man of God who works hard and teaching and preaching (1 Corinthians 9:14; 1 Timothy 5:17,18). The proclamation of the truth of God is foundational to the Church (1 Timothy 3:15), and those called/gifted of God to do this work are gifts of Christ to the Church (Ephesians 4:4-16). The Church shows it understands this indispensable and vital self-identity when it obeys the command of Scripture to pay its preachers/teachers. This includes the support of missionaries who are planting Churches and preaching the Gospel to the lost.
·         Making sure there are no needs within the congregation (Acts 2:44,45; 4:32-37). Until a congregation has met the needs of its own people it has no business doing so among the lost. Most verses used to support caring financially for the poor in the Bible are taken out of context. In the Old Testament these verses are speaking of the covenant people of God, Israel (with the only exception of Daniel 4:27, which is not directed at the covenant people of God). In the New Testament these verses are speaking of the covenant people of God, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Church is to meet the needs of the poor members of the congregation – this is a biblical truth spanning cover-to-cover in the Book.
·         The local Church is also to meet the needs of other local Churches, no matter how far away they are. This is the context of 2 Corinthians 8-9, the Empire-wide effort of the Churches to take up an offering to help believers in Judea (Acts 11:28-30; Romans 15:25-27). Churches are to help other Churches. I would observe that “help” can include supporting those who travel to strengthen the faith of these far-off Churches (Acts 14:21,22; 15:41; 18:23).

With all the great causes out there (including paying a mortgage or rent on ministry facilities), let’s commit ourselves to the basics of biblical giving.

God gives us the grace to desire to give.
God gives us the provision to give.
God causes those who receive the gift to give Him praise for the gift.

God gets glory. This is biblical giving.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Jesus the Judge


“...Christ will judge all men in righteousness...” (Baptist Faith & Message 2000, art. 11, “Last Things”).

This Sunday’s reading of the Baptist Faith & Message (2000) speaks of the “last things,” but I prefer to drag any discussion of “last things” into today, considering how the biblical “end” affects our discipleship and worship right now. One phrase of our confession that is important for daily consideration is the one above which mentions Christ as Judge.

When Peter preached to God-fearers (Gentiles who worshiped with the Jews) for the first time, he preached Jesus as the Judge: “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One Who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins” (Acts 10:42,43). Yes, Peter mentions the forgiveness of sins - after Jesus is lifted up as Judge.

When Paul preached to Greeks (who had no knowledge of the God of the Bible) on Mars Hill in Athens, he preached Jesus as the Judge: “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man Whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30,31). Yes, Paul mentions the mercy of God (overlooking previous "times of ignorance," but immediately follows it with the command (not "invitation") to "repent."

When they preach this way, they are merely affirming the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself: “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father Who sent Him. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him Who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me’” (John 5:19-30).

I am always careful to pay attention to witnesses like this from the Scripture, fearful that the Jesus in Whose name I pray, preach, worship, and follow will somehow be a “half-jesus,” an incomplete picture that may look too much like the false jesus portrayed by a scripturally-ignorant and idolatrous culture that wants Him to resemble them in their values (or lack thereof).

He is the Judge of the world, and He judges in the perfect and absolute righteousness appropriate to One Who is fully God (Whom He is). He will not judge by my standards, your standards, the conventional wisdom, cultural norm, or majority vote of seven billion human beings. He judges by the perfect holiness of God as revealed in the Word of God.

“Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” (Psalm 2:12).

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy above Your fellows” (Psalm 45:6,7; spoken of the Son, cf. Hebrews 1:8,9).

Christ will judge the world in righteousness, so today may we reverence Him in His holiness. May we love what He loves and hate what He hates, carefully being taught of the Holy Spirit in His Scriptures to have our “senses trained to discern good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). May we seek refuge in His righteousness alone (not our righteousness). Christ will judge, and He is judge. May we see Him, love Him, and live in that light today and every day until the last day comes in His perfect time.

- Pastor Michael

Friday, April 5, 2013

Maturity or Conformity in Our Rest?


This Sunday we’ll be hearing our confessional statement on the Lord’s Day from the Baptist Faith & Message (2000). Last semester I taught a class on Baptist history and polity for our Association’s C.L.D. class. We spent three hours one Monday late in the semester looking at the development of our confession. The development of the article of the Lord’s Day was striking.

* * * * * * *

New Hampshire Confession (1833) Article XV, “Of the Christian Sabbath”

That the first day of the week is the Lord’s-Day, or Christian Sabbath; and is to be kept sacred to religious purposes, by abstaining from all secular labor and recreations; by the devout observance of all the means of grace, both private and public; and by preparation for that rest which remaineth for the people of God.

Baptist Faith & Message (1925) Article XIV, “The Lord’s Day”

The first day of the week is the Lord's day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private, and by refraining from worldly amusements, and resting from secular employments, works of necessity and mercy only excepted.

Ex. 20:3-6; Matt. 4:10; Matt. 28:19; 1 Tim. 4:13; Col. 3:16; John 4:21; Ex. 20:8; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; Acts 20:7; Rev. 1:1; Matt. 12:1-13.

Baptist Faith & Message (1963) Article VIII, “The Lord’s Day”

The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private, and by refraining from worldly amusements, and resting from secular employments, work of necessity and mercy only being excepted.

Ex. 20:8-11; Matt. 12:1-12; 28:1ff.; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-3,33-36; John 4:21-24; 20:1,19-28; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; Col. 2:16; 3:16; Rev. 1:10.

Baptist Faith & Message (2000) Article VIII, “The Lord’s Day”

The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord's Day should be commensurate with the Christian's conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 12:1-12; 28:1ff.; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-3,33-36; John 4:21-24; 20:1,19-28; Acts 20:7; Romans 14:5-10; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Colossians 2:16; 3:16; Revelation 1:10.

* * * * * * *

There is a great distance between “kept sacred to religious purposes, by abstaining from all secular labor and recreations; by the devout observance of all the means of grace, both private and public; and by preparation for that rest which remaineth for the people of God” (1833) and “activities...commensurate with the Christian's conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ” (2000). Is the difference due to Baptists’ deeper consideration of the liberty found in the Gospel, or conformity to a culture obsessed with entertainment and play? I’m sure that impassioned arguments could be made for either side.

We are Baptists. We balance continuity and discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments.

Discontinuity: Whereas the Law of the Old Testament was clear about sacred rest on the seventh day (Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15), the Law of the New Testament asserts that “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath,” that is, God Himself (Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5). In honor of this, the New Testament describes the Church gathering on the first day, not the seventh day, of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2) because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1). We call this the “Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10).

Where is the continuity? The New Testament is not free of commandment (Matthew 28:20; John 14:15; 15:10; 1 Corinthians 14:37; 1 Thessalonians 4:2). The people of God are still under the rule of the only Lawgiver (Isaiah 33:22; James 4:12), Jesus Christ. How does that apply to the day of our gathering as the Church? If the New Testament represents the fullness of what was progressively revealed in the Old Testament, how is that seen in our observance of the day of gathering? Is Christ fully revealed as the glory of the Father by a full day dedicated to His worship or a single hour followed by a trip to the lake?

How reliable is “the Christian’s conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ,” when many Christians believe this is a religious way of “following your heart”? Too often the “Christian’s conscience” has nothing to do with prayerful meditation on Scripture and everything to do with “the way that seems right to a man” (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25).

These are not easy questions, and have been the subject of much debate for two millennia.

Consider the development of this article on the “Christian Sabbath,” or “the Lord’s Day.” Is your “rest” a dedication to entertainment no different from the world’s (except for maybe a few hours at Sunday School and worship), or is it a dedication of a day pointing to the “rest” that remains in eternity for those in union with the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus Christ?
Sabbath Rest (1894) by Samuel Hirszenberg

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Dig It Deep


Monday morning always begins with a prayerful evaluation of the teaching times coming up in the week ahead: Monday afternoon, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday morning, and Sunday night. There is no day off. Starting at 5 a.m., I’m always writing studies or sermons. This is in addition to my own personal studying/devotion and that which I do with my children. I think I stand in good company.

“The LORD then spoke to Aaron, saying, ‘...make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean...teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them through Moses’” (Leviticus 10:8,10,11).

“Of Levi he said, ‘...they observed Your word, and kept Your covenant. They shall teach Your ordinances to Jacob, and Your law to Israel’” (Deuteronomy 33:8-10).

“For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10).

“Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, explained the law to the people while the people remained in their place. They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading (Nehemiah 8:7,8).

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:2,3).

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘...go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you...’” (Matthew 28:18-20).

“So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God...we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’ ...the word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:2,4,7).

“For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears” (Acts 20:27-31).

“An overseer, then, must be...able to teach...” (1 Timothy 3:2).

“In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following” (1 Timothy 4:6).

“It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. Prescribe and teach these things. Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:9-16).

“The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching (1 Timothy 5:17).

Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit Who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you” (2 Timothy 1:13,14).

Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:14,15).

“The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:24-26).

“You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:14-17).

“I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, Who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Timothy 4:1,2).

“For the overseer must be...holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict (Titus 1:7-9).

“But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine (Titus 2:1).

“These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you” (Titus 2:15).

This is the Word on the matter in both Testaments. I am trying to help others come to this place in their service to Christ’s Church. I burdened to constantly be digging the well deep, far deeper than it would need to be delved for a typical Sunday morning sermon. Why? Because it’s usually needed...needed to answer a question from someone during the week, to comfort someone who’s struggling, or to guide the congregation on another matter entirely. It is the only ground for fellowship, visitation, evangelism, counseling, and good works. The study and teaching of the Word is never wasted or in vain.

How are you preparing? “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil (Hebrews 5:12-14). The Holy Spirit says through the inspired author of this letter, “by this time you ought to be teachers.” It doesn’t necessarily mean that they would be Sunday School teachers or ordained elders/deacons – but those who have been growing together with Christ’s people in His Church for some time ought to be an influence for the Word on those around them. We are surrounded by people who are seeking help, answers, and guidance for the questions of life. We alone have the answers. Can you handle the “word of righteousness,” having your “senses trained to discern good and evil”? Have you dug your own well deep, deeper than you need for your own daily devotions? You never know when you’ll need to draw the water of life for your family, neighbors, friends, or that stranger you’ll meet in the Providence of the Sovereign King this day.

Friday, March 15, 2013

The Commanded Waters of the King


“Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper” (Baptist Faith & Message 2000, VII).

I meet with two candidates for baptism this evening. We have a baptism service this next Sunday night, and it’s always a valuable chance to revisit the biblical texts on baptism.

“Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:37,38). Someone recently asked why we don’t extend Gospel invitations in this way. The two-fold command of Peter on the day of Pentecost was “repent” and “be baptized.” I don’t know if I’ve ever heard that Gospel response commanded, and I’m pretty certain I’ve never given it. I admit this by way of confessing pastoral failure.

As Carl Trueman ably pointed out in his The Creedal Imperative (which I read with our mission pastor earlier this year), the first thing to go when ecumenism, para-church involvements, and denominational camouflage (my term, not Trueman’s) become the rule is a church’s dedication to living out the biblical witness on the sacraments/ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Since interpretive differences on the ordinances are the usual reasons for denominationalism, the ordinances are happily relegated to no-man’s land these days in favor of a Rodney King-ist approach: “Can’t we all just get along?” Sadly, this usually means putting the local church second to the universal church (though the N.T. is written to the local church and the biblical support for the idea of the universal church is far less in volume), and it always means making baptism and the Lord’s Supper disappear from view (since these highlight the local church and our uniqueness as a denomination).

It’s the first step in obeying the King’s command to make disciples of all the nations: “...baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). It is, as I heard a Presbyterian say last year, the beginning to a lifetime of discipleship in Christ. It is a commitment on the part of the church to teach them everything that Christ the King commanded of His disciples (Matthew 28:20). It is a surrender to the rule of Christ the King. It is an entering into the promises of the Father to those who are in union with His Son; it is also a recognition of the curse upon those who do not have a living faith in the Son.

Baptism is important. It is worth making much of, and should be mentioned with the presentation of the Gospel, regardless of the demands of ecumenism and/or a popular sentimental watering-down of denominational distinctiveness. I'm not against cooperation for the Kingdom work, but not at the expense of what we confess to be the biblical standard for His Church.

Paul mentions it when giving his testimony to the people in Jerusalem: “A certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me, and standing near said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very time I looked up at him. And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard. Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name’” (Acts 22:12-16).

Remember your baptism. Read Romans 6 and remind yourself of the radical change and union God uses it to proclaim over you.

“Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you - not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience - through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him” (1 Peter 3:21,22).

Have you repented and been baptized in His name? Have you been baptized unto a lifetime commitment to be discipled by His church unto full obedience to His commands? Have you appealed to Him from the waters for forgiveness that comes only through His name?

This is the command of the King. Hear, obey, and receive His boundless mercy and grace.

- Pastor Michael

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Principles of HIS Righteousness, Not Ours


This Sunday in our corporate meditation on our confession of faith, we will be considering this short but infinitely important statement: “Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God” (Baptist Faith & Message 2000, IV.B).

That’s our problem as sinners: “...principles of His righteousness...” We do not stand before our Creator and Judge based upon a moral/ethical relativism that compares us to our neighbors, cultural sentiments, wisdom of the age, etc. We stand before Him based upon His standard, not ours.

“These things you have done and I kept silence; you thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes” (Psalm 50:21).

“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8,9).

He is not like us in a flexible, shifting idea of right and wrong based upon the feelings of the moment or a libertinism in which we are each our own law-giver. He is the unchanging, absolute God Who has given us His perfect standard in the Word of God. And we fall short. All of us. It’s not even close!

“Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:19,20,23).

Before the “principles of His righteousness,” all are guilty and merit only the eternal wrath of an eternally righteous God. “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 17:15). The one who thinks he will gain entry into the eternal bliss because he is a “good person” has never read and believed God’s own testimony on the matter in Scripture. All are guilty before Him: “...there is none righteous, not even one...there is none who does good, there is not even one” (Romans 3:10,12, quoting from the Old Testament).

So, what is to be done?

Work harder?

Ignore the Law of the Judge and hope in blissful ignorance alone?

The answer is justification: the righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith [Habakkuk 2:4]’” (Romans 1:16,17).

We must stand before God with a righteousness that is as perfect as His own, a righteousness that that not come from us (who are radically incapable of even coming close to achieving perfect righteousness before a perfectly righteous God).

Jesus must be our righteousness.

“Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed [δικαιουται, “justified”] from all things, from which you could not be freed [δικαιωθηναι, “justified”] through the Law of Moses” (Acts 13:38,39).

“...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:23-26).

This confession of the righteousness of Christ being accounted to us by faith is under attack these days.1 We hold to it, not daring to think that in the coming Day the best efforts of our whole life lived will not match God’s perfect holy standard of righteousness. We plead Christ alone and His righteousness alone.

Those of you who think you can stand before God based on your own goodness or righteousness slander the cross of Christ! “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through [our keeping of] the Law, then Christ died needlessly” (Galatians 2:21). Repent of your self-righteousness and embrace the justification that comes through faith in Jesus Christ’s righteousness!

We hold to this confession.


1 I have a friend that holds to the teachings of this movement (New Perspectives on Paul, as they're called). They seek to redefine "justification" as having nothing to do with our status as sinners before a holy God, calling this view of justification as being the result of Martin Luther's existential angst over his own guilty struggle with sin. They argue that Paul meant no such thing in his theology of justification, that the New Testament idea of justification has nothing to do with our sin before a holy God or how to be saved from His wrath. With this confession we hold not just to Martin Luther's reclaiming of the biblical doctrine of justification, but Jesus' own estimation of what it means to be justified before God! 
“But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:13,14).

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The King's Gift of Repentance


This Sunday in our corporate reading of the confession, we’ll be speaking of regeneration: “Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour” (Baptist Faith & Message 2000, IV.A).

“Repent” is the first command of the Gospel (Mark 1:15). I say “command,” and not “invitation,” for that’s exactly what it is. The command to “repent” comes in the context of God’s Kingdom (Matthew 3:2; 4:17). The King doesn’t invite; He commands. We see this further in what is traditionally called “the Great Commission,” don’t we?

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20).

“Repent” isn’t a popular approach to preaching the Gospel anymore, is it? Easy on modern sensibilities or not, it is the entryway into a saving obedience by faith to the Gospel (see Romans 1:5; 10:16; 16:26; 2 Thessalonians 1:8 for the idea of obeying the Gospel by faith). I suspect the command to “repent” in the Gospel has never been popular (like the true Gospel itself) because it labels us sinners so depraved that God Himself had to take on flesh and take His own wrath against us on Himself to accomplish the impossible: our salvation (Matthew 19:25,26; Mark 10:26,27; Luke 18:26,27). In an age where the religion is self and the worship self-esteem, the Gospel is scandal. As it should be. To help us overcome our inborn natural religion, God gives us a gift: the ability to obey His command to repent.

He gave it first to the Jews: “He is the One Whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31).

Then He gave it to the rest of us: “When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, ‘Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life’ (Acts 11:18).

The Holy Spirit brings it to His people through the Scriptures, including the apostolic letter: “For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it - for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while - I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:9-10). “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:24-26). Note that both of these describe repentance not just at the initial moment of conversion, but continually in believers’ lives as they mortify sin. This, in fact, was Luther’s first point of the 95 Theses that sparked the Reformation (he nailed these to the Church door in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517)! The first Spirit-gifted repentance that begins our eternal life in Christ is a continual gift throughout this life as we are conformed to the image of Jesus Christ until the eternal day of Glory.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time...you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring Word of God (1 Peter 1:3-5,23). If you are a Christian, He has caused you to be born again through the preaching of His Word, and His Word begins the Gospel with the command to “repent.”

Has the King given you the continual gift to obey His command by the power of His Spirit?

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Person Faith That Is Corporate


Today's reading from the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 at Indian Hills Baptist Church will be from the introduction to article IV: “There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.”

Yes, it’s a personal faith in that no one else’s faith can be counted as yours for salvation. However, there is a tendency in our culture to compartmentalize faith to the extent that we regard it as private, isolated, and disconnected from others who share in that faith. The mythical, unbiblical “I can be Christian without the Church” mentality is “personal faith” taken to an extreme.

Faith. Note the following occurrences of the verb “to have faith,” translated “believe” (the Greek πιστεύω) in the Acts:
  • “And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:44-47).
  • “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need” (Acts 4:32-35).

So keep in mind: “personal faith” does not mean isolated, individualistic faith. It is a faith that does separate you from the world, but immediately and always binds you to the congregation of “those who have received a faith of the same kind...by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). It is a personal faith that is corporate; that is, of the Body.

“A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel” (VI).

See you at the Gathering, beloved.

Monday, January 21, 2013

We Confess Him to Be Our Father


As part of our worshiping together in our common confession this year, one of our men read concerning the first Person of the Trinity yesterday morning in our gathering: “God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men” (Baptist Faith & Message 2000, IIA).

Father. While in the Old Testament God was known to those in covenant with Him by the name יהוה (historically rendered “Jehovah,” these days “Yahweh,” the ALL-CAPS “LORD” in most English Bibles), in the New Testament the Church is told countless times to call the first Person of the Trinity “Father.”

Calling God “Father” is one of the clear signs of assurance that you have been sealed in your salvation through the Son by the Holy Spirit:
  • “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God...” (Romans 8:14-16).
  • “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:4-7).

Calling God “Father” is not just how Jesus taught us to pray to the first Person of the Trinity; it is also a reminder that the Church is actually an eternal family bound together in Christ with God as Father. Instead of praying “my Father,” we are told to pray “our Father” (Matthew 6:9; cf. Isaiah 63:16; 64:8; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:1; 2:16; Philemon 3).

Because we have been saved through the Son and filled with the Holy Spirit, we call Him “Father.” Because the Church is our family in the Son, filled with the Spirit, we call Him “Father” together. Forever.

We confess the first Person of the blessed Trinity to be Father, and worship together as His children in this common confession of faith.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Confessing His Perfections


This week in our Gathering, we will read the introduction to the second article of our Confession of Faith, the article on “God”: “There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being” (Baptist Faith & Message 2000, II).

I love the doctrine of the Trinity. “Worship is to be given to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to Him alone” (1689 Baptist Confession, 22.2). This belief, firmly rooted in the whole revelation of the Bible, has set orthodox Christianity apart from other religions (and false christianities) for 2,000 years. Yes, it is beyond our full comprehension, but what kind of God would He be if we could comprehend His Being in its fullness (especially since we are wholly incapable of fully comprehending our own being!)? Grow in scriptural meditation on the Trinity, worshiping Him and praying to Him as one God in three Persons! This has always been Who He is, and will always be Who He is, to His unending and infinite glory! Let no one steal this wonder revealed to us in the Scripture and confessed by the true Church for two millennia! It is the reality by which we are brought into the Church (Matthew 28:19) and by which we bless each other in the fellowship of the Church (2 Corinthians 13:12-14). "This doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion" (1689 Baptist Confession, 2.3).

“The Lord our God is...without...parts” (1689 Baptist Confession, 2.1). This is called the doctrine of the simplicity of God. It is an old doctrine, neglected by most of us and even argued against by many popular theologians today, but I believe it is supremely valuable to us. It says that all of the adjectives (“perfections”) we ascribe to God are inseparably bound to Who He is. He isn’t just “holy.” He totally, completely, and perfectly is “holiness.” He doesn’t just “love,” but is “love.” What He is, He always has been and always will be. He is absolute and exclusive Source of all of these “perfections.” Whatever we see of these perfections in Creation or in ourselves is but a graciously-given reflection of His own glory. The opposite of God’s simplicity is that there is an eternally-existing “perfection” out there somewhere that God partakes in just as we potentially could (He drinks from the same well we do as opposed from being the Well). This basically makes these “perfections” outside of God and, in a sense, another god apart from Him. This, to me, is unacceptable and irreconcilable to the Scripture. He is simple – the absolute and utterly exclusive Source of His “perfections.”

It’s interesting to me that there is one adjective missing in this paragraph: good. God’s goodness is mentioned later (“Election...is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness,” V). Don’t miss His goodness! It is foundational to one of the most basic confessions of the Old Testament (1 Chronicles 16:34; 2 Chronicles 7:3; Ezra 3:11; Psalm 106:1; 107:1; 118:1,29; 136:1).

Friday, January 4, 2013

A New Ancient Practice

Whether it's good or bad or just right, it's what we've got: an hour. Sunday morning when we gather together as Indian Hills Baptist Church, we have one hour. What elements should find their way into that hour? For many it is their only corporate experience of our covenant community, and even for others, it's the primary expression of our identity. What we place in the liturgy of that hour expresses what we as a people deem to be of most importance.

Call to worship from the Psalms. Song. Offering. Lord's Supper. Sermon. Prayer. All crucial.


For at least half of this year we are adding another element. It'll only take a minute or so of that hour, but I feel it's very important. Our men will be reading through our confession, the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. After taking some men through it last semester at the local CLD center during the class "Baptist History & Polity," I came to a greater respect of our denomination's confession.

Still, when you have only 60 minutes, every one of them counts. Is this a worthy use of a few of those precious minutes? I have a few motivating factors.

A few months ago I had a discussion with my DMin director about a paper I'd written. I'd used the classic and Reformed confessions extensively in the paper, and somehow our phone discussion of the paper turned to liturgy. He was surprised that we did not integrate our own denomination's confession into our liturgy. I honestly hadn't thought about it much, but I started to that day.

In addition, I had opportunity to read through Carl Trueman's "Creedal Imperative." Dr. Trueman put into words a lot of what I've been working through as a pastor. I was reminded of the importance of our common confession and what a safeguard that is for our little faith family. One of our men is in the process of being called to pastor I.H.B.C.'s mission church. I loaned him this book.

Also, we have no idea what will happen in the future. As I pray for the underground Church around the world, I often take time to think through what we're giving Christ's people during this hour. Is it substantial and helpful enough to get them through if they are never able to step into this gathering again for some reason? How can we impart some basic doctrinal strategies that will help them read the Scriptures on their own? This ancient practice of confession reading seems to meet this need.

Finally, I am aware of the fact that my children (and all of I.H.B.C.'s children and grandchildren) are in the room that one hour. What's most important? I don't want the next generation of I.H.B.C. (or wherever God takes them) to be like most Protestants nowadays...they can't tell you what they believe, despite having grown up in the Church. We know from experience that you don't necessarily have to preach a "children's sermon" (though I have no objections to it) for children to absorb what is spoken. For our men to read through our confession is another way of submitting ourselves to the Holy Spirit to be used as a means of teaching all the generations as they meet together for that one hour. Oh, Holy Spirit of God, please use this means to give us a framework for more effectively encountering You in Your Word!

Well, we start this Sunday. One of our men, just after the offering, will read the first article of the Baptist Faith & Message 2000.

“The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, Who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.”

I appreciate many of the elements of this article (especially, as a Reformed Baptist, the covenant theology inherent in the last sentence). My favorite, though, is that the Scriptures are "the true center of Christian union." Just to have that read out loud among the gathered Church is good enough reason to try this really ancient practice that is new to us (reading our confession in the meeting).

May it be, Church, that we take the time during the months of this "experiment" to hear our common confession, seriously considering this "standard of sound words" (2 Timothy 1:13) and "that form of teaching to which you were committed" (Romans 6:17), not as a replacement for the authority and needful spiritual food of Scripture, but as a further means to sharpen our reading, meditation, and application of it to our lives as His Church.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

The Psalms in Our Liturgy


I am deeply convinced of the need for the Church to have a regular continual diet of the Psalms. “And they continued in the Apostles’ doctrine, and fellowship, and breaking of bread, and prayers” (Acts 2:42, Geneva Bible). I believe these “prayers” to be the Psalms. We see an example a few chapters later, where the Church prays “with one accord” (4:24), then proceeds to quote from Psalm 2. This was how they prayed together; they had a common song/prayer book, inspired of God the Holy Spirit. The Psalter is God’s means of providing believers with emotional training, teaching us to grieve, rejoice, give thanks, and even have anger in light of His glorious, holy character.

On this, the first day of the year and the first day of the month, let me share a plan for regular Psalm reading taught me by my pastor years ago. Read the Psalm number corresponding to the date, and keep adding 30 to that number until you run out of Psalms (keep Psalm 119 until the 31 and read only that Psalm on that day). For example, today is January 1. So I read Psalm 1,31,61,91,121. This simple plan will take you on a monthly journey through the entire Psalter.

I leave you with a few meditations of thankfulness on the Psalter from today’s readings.

“Blessed is the man that doth not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night. For he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters, that will bring forth her fruits in due season: whose leaf shall not fade: so whatsoever he shall do, shall prosper. The wicked are no so, but as the chaff, which the wind driveth away. Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, not sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous” (Psalm 1).

I am thankful we get to start another year being taught by the Holy Spirit from His songbook, the Psalms. “...be fulfilled with the Spirit, speaking unto yourselves in Psalms” (Ephesians 5:18,19).

“How great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee! And done to them that trust in Thee, even before the sons of men! Thou dost hide them privily in Thy presence from the pride of men: Thou keepest them secretly in Thy Tabernacle from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord: for He hath showed His marvelous kindness toward me in a strong city” (Psalm 31:19-21).

I am thankful we get to start another year being taught by the Holy Spirit from His songbook, the Psalms. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you plenteously in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing your own selves, in Psalms” (Colossians 3:16).

“I will dwell in Thy Tabernacle forever, and my trust shall be under the covering of Thy wings. Selah. For Thou, O God, hast heard my desires; Thou hast given an heritage unto those that fear Thy Name...so will I always sing praise unto Thy Name, in performing daily my vows” (Psalm 61:4,5,8).

I am thankful we get to start another year being taught by the Holy Spirit from His songbook, the Psalms. “What is to be done then, brethren? When ye come together, according as every one of you hath a Psalm...let all things be done unto edifying” (1 Corinthians 14:26).

“Who so dwelleth in the secret of the most High, shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say unto the Lord, O my hope, and my fortress: He is my God, in Him will I trust” (Psalm 91:1,2).

I am thankful we get to start another year being taught by the Holy Spirit from His songbook, the Psalms. “And He said unto them, ‘These are the words, which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all must be fulfilled which are written of Me in...the Psalms.’ Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:44,45).

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains, from whence my help shall come. Mine help cometh from the Lord, which hath made the heaven and the earth. He will not suffer thy foot to slip: for He that keepeth thee, will not slumber. Behold, He that keepeth Israel, will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shadow at thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall keep thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out, and thy coming in from henceforth and forever” (Psalm 121).

I am thankful we get to start another year being taught by the Holy Spirit from His songbook, the Psalms. “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing [ψαλλέτω, “Psalm-sing”] (James 5:13).