Category: From Your Pastor

From Your Pastor: Making the Best Use of Your Time

Dear Beloved of Christ at KCPC,

We have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ so that we will walk wisely, making the best use of our time in this present age. In all we do, we are to seek to be imitators of God as His Beloved children (Eph. 5:1-2).

We are taught:

ESV Ephesians 5:15-17: Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

What is the “best use” of our time? Not merely a good use of time, but the best? This calls for wisdom. God promises to generously give His children wisdom when they ask for it:

ESV James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

We are taught clearly in Ephesians 5 that sin is humanity’s biggest waste of time! Why? Because sin is a huge waste of the life that God has graciously given to us, it is offensive against God, dangerous to us, and obnoxious to others, and it is contrary to the purposes for which we were created (cf. Eph. 5:3-14).

What do we do? Let us daily seek to keep Christ in the center, always moving toward Him as our center. (We are no longer the center; we have been redeemed from sinful, wasteful self-centeredness). Let’s ask God for wisdom. One way that might help us is to remember 5 ‘Rs’:

Review.

Each day review your life before Christ’s throne of grace. Knowing He is gracious, forgiving, and full of power to aid you by His Spirit.

Receive.

Each day receive the grace and wisdom through the Spirit that Christ our Mediator is committed to giving to us.

Repent.

Each day seek to hate your sins, particularly the way you waste your time that is a precious gift from God. Mourn, knowing you shall be comforted.

Realign.

Each day seek to put Christ first, seeking His Kingdom. Get the pattern and rhythm of your week focused by keeping the Lord’s Day holy.

Remove.

Each day remove from your life, your already weighed-down cart, things that distract you, and keep you from giving and doing your best for the glory of God!

Our Dutch forefather Willem Teellinck (d. 1629) sets the bar exceedingly high in a poem he wrote on the use of time. But it is worth our consideration to at least consider what was most important to him, and to aspire to greatness in Christ, even though we will not attain this fully until we see Christ face to face (The Apostle Paul also sets a high standard for all Christians who are mature in Philippians 3:9-16).

“Worship our God four hours a day,

Let three for food come into play.

Sleep seven more, less if you can,

Give eight others to the work of man.

And two to help the mind to understand.

If you, this way, your time so use,

You’ll find your soul has none to lose!”

Let’s aim high at KCPC. Let’s soar with the eagles. We are already seated with Christ in the Heavenly Places, so let’s live like it! (Col. 3:1-3; Eph. 2:5-7). Let’s live wisely as God’s dearly loved children, seeking to make the most of our time—each and every day.

ESV Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Write out your funeral eulogy. How do you want to be remembered? How can you best use your time to make this so?!

IN Christ’s love,

Pastor Biggs

From Your Pastor: Law and Love (WSC Questions 41 & 42)

WSC 41: Where is the moral law summarily comprehended? A. The moral law is summarily comprehended in the ten commandments. (1) (1) Deut. 10:4; Matt. 19:17

WSC 42: What is the sum of the ten commandments? A. The sum of the ten commandments is, To love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbor as ourselves. (1) (1) Matt. 22:37-40

 

An Explanation: The Bible teaches us that God is love (1 Jo. 4:8). Everything that God does is loving (Ex. 34:5-7). All that He commands to His people is loving. The moral law that is revealed in the ten commandments is an expression of God’s love to His people. The moral law is a summary of what real love looks like (Note how often love is defined by the doing of God’s commandments throughout the scriptures: Exo. 20:6; Deut. 11:1; Neh. 1:5; Psa. 119:47, 127; John 14:21; 15:10; 1 Jo. 5:3). When our Lord Jesus was asked, what was the most important part of the moral law, He responded by teaching that it was love for God and neighbor that was most important (Matt. 22:39-40). God revealed the moral law in the ten commandments to teach his redeemed people how to live in a loving way before the world.

Each commandment is useful in teaching God’s people how to live in a loving way as His dearly beloved children (cf. Eph. 5:1-2). The preface to the ten commandments teaches that God chose His people and has released them by His grace from slavery and brought them into His most glorious light to bless them and make them like Him (Exo. 20:1-3; cf. Lev. 19:2). The first commandment teaches us how to love God first, before all other persons and things, so that we might realize the purpose and enjoy for which we were created. The ten commandments are made up of two tables. The Holy Spirit wrote one part in commandments one to four to teach how to love God; He wrote a second part in commandments five to ten to teach how to love others as ourselves.

Though we are fallen and sinful, and most unloving by nature, the Father uses the commandments to teach us of our need of a loving and forgiving Savior. One important use of the ten commandments is to teach us of our need for Christ, and thus to turn us in repentance from our unloving natures to seek by faith the grace and power that is held out for all who believe in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:19-29).

Jesus is the perfect manifestation of God’s love; Jesus teaches us how to love (1 Cor. 13:4-8a). In fact, the Apostle Paul says that the moral law is fulfilled when believers, living in union with Christ, love God and neighbor as themselves sincerely by faith (Rom. 13:8-10). Our Lord Jesus says to us: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). This means that when we seek to be obedient by faith in Christ to God’s commandments, in dependence upon His grace, we glorify God, experience Christ’s joy (John 15:9-11), and realize the purpose for which we were created.

“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:8-10).

Prayer: Teach us to love, dear Heavenly Father. Teach us to love like Christ Jesus. Teach us to love you with all of our beings, and our neighbors as ourselves. Forgive us for our selfish, unloving hearts. Thank you, Jesus, for demonstrating such love for sinners by laying down your life for us to grant forgiveness for our unloving ways. Now, by your grace, we will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge our hearts, O LORD (Psa. 119:32)!

In Christ’s Love,

Pastor Biggs

From Your Pastor: Forget NOT His Benefits

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Dear Beloved of KCPC,

Do you know that you are the Beloved of the LORD?

It’s true. You are:

ESV Jude 20-21 “But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (see also Ephesians 1:3-6; Colossians 3:12).

Do you know that the LORD has forgiven all of your sins (even the greatest, most heinous, most offensive ones against His Holy Majesty, and others).

It’s true:

ESV Psalm 103:12 “…As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”

A new year has begun, and we are thankful to have the opportunity for perhaps another ride around the sun on this terrestrial ball that is a recipient of God’s covenant grace (Gen. 9).

What is one of the most important things we can seek to do? As Psalm 103 teaches, we can remember (or “forget NOT”) God’s benefits to us in Christ because of His steadfast, merciful, faithful, ongoing covenant love to us!

“…Forget not His benefits” (Psalm 103:2b). So that we will live as those who “Bless the LORD” with all our beings in this new year! (Psa. 103:1-2). God is glorified when we bless Him for His goodness and kindness toward us. He teaches us to “forget NOT” because we so easily do forget His goodness towards us. It is sadly true, isn’t it?! Perhaps you have already started the new year on the wrong foot of worry, fear, and anxiety?

How might we as a congregation seek to “Forget not” God’s gracious benefits to us in Christ? Just a few benefits that I might mention:

  • God is glorious. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God is faithful. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God is good. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God is merciful. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God is able to do what He has promised to do. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God has forgiven you all of your sins in Christ. God will never take account of our sins for He sees the righteousness of Christ covering us. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God has provided a merciful and willing and gentle and humble Savior to shed His precious blood on the cross for us. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God has provided a Mediator in Jesus so that you can boldly approach the throne of grace to find mercy and help, a sympathetic friend. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God is your God as He has promised. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God is with you and will never leave you nor forsake you. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God will uphold you, strengthen, help you in every situation. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God will sanctify you and make you like Christ through His Spirit and Word. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God will give you illumination to understand His Word. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God will grant you joy in Christ through believing His promises. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God will turn all the “bad things” into good. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God will help us to persevere in His grace. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God will meet with us to speak with us through His Spirit and Word. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God will feed us with Christ. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God will give us the eternal inheritance of Christ. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God will be our God for all eternity. “…Forget not His benefits”
  • God will one day restore all of us and all of the universe. We will leave sin, death, and hell behind us and enter into eternal felicity and bliss with Him forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever. Amen and amen! “…Forget not His benefits”

(So much more I could say?!)

Now take a moment right now to think of your own “benefits” that God has given to you in this past year and throughout your lives? Has He kept His promises? Do you know Him to be good and great? How through death and even terrible upsets and discouraging disappointments has He shown His comfort presence, and supported you?

What will this new year hold for us? Only God knows. But He is good and kind…and He is our “Immanuel”, God with us!

It is likely as God’s people at KCPC that we will enjoy births and baptisms, celebrations and seasons of joy. It is likely we will also face the death of loved ones, the disappointments that can come in life, the sinfulness of sin. It is likely we will see some stubborn sin in ourselvefs that just won’t away, that continues to seek to make us false promises while making us miserable, though we would like to be completely healed of its presence altogether (Rom. 7:14-25).

In these times, let us remember to “Forget NOT His Benefits”. Amen and amen.

Let us pray, memorize, meditate upon, and believe these memory verses as a congregation this year:

ESV Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

ESV John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

For the next couple of weeks in the morning worship service, we will think together how we might focus our hearts and minds on Christ, and to face this new year REMEMBERING that God is good and faithful.

 

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Biggs

 

P.S. Oh, and did I ask you if you knew that you were God’s “Beloved” in Christ?

 

From Your Pastor: O Come, O Come, Immanuel

 

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Beloved, let this truth be our deepest desire and prayer this Christmas! “O Come, O Come, Immanuel!” Let us pray as God’s people that Jesus Christ will come and take us to be with Himself, and to “close the path to misery” here in our lonely exile in this present age. The wonderful Christmas hymn “O Come, O Come Immanuel” captures the proper longing and desire that should be in every believer’s heart. This is a deep expression of longing for all things to be renewed, and for God’s people to enjoy His presence without the hindering and contaminating presence of sin, death, and the evil one.  As Christians, we cry

“Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus” and “Your Kingdom Come” (Rev. 22; Matt. 6).

We all long for home. We want to get back to Eden, but we cannot in our own ingenuity and strength. God must act graciously and powerfully on our behalf to end our lonely exile, and to bring us home to be forever with Him.[1]

In the Old Covenant time, Israel was deported to Babylon as discipline for her sins against her covenant God (Isaiah 39:5ff; Daniel 1:1-2; Habakkuk 1:5ff). The exile is an important part of God’s Old Covenant story of His people (Matt. 1:12, 17). In the exile, God chastised His elect, the True, believing Israel. God’s fatherly discipline caused the people to shine in the midst of darkness, and to live for God’s glory (Jeremiah 29; Dan. 12:1-3; cf. Phil. 2:12-16. Though the exile brought terrible suffering and affliction, there was also salvation and sanctification to make them a people prepared to meet the LORD (Luke 1:17; Malachi 3-4). This is the wonderful salvation message of the prophets of old. Although True Israel was God’s Beloved, they were pilgrims, exiles, aliens in a strange land (cf. 1 Pet. 2:9ff), and they cried out to God saying:

“O come, O come…and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here.”

While they cried out and waited, the people longed for the day when God’s comforting and peaceful presence would be with them permanently, and God’s glory would cover the whole earth! (Isa. 11:9; Jer. 33:9; Hab. 2:14). In their understanding, this coming Day would dawn with God’s enemies being judged and punished, and God’s oppressed people being set free to serve God without fear! God’s Beloved hoped to be ransomed from their captivity and brought home! (Luke 1:68-75; cf. Rom. 8:18-25). Although True Israel belonged to God, and experienced joy in their journey, nevertheless, they lived as those who mourned. As they waited, God spoke comfort through the mouths of the prophets, saying essentially: “Blessed are you who mourn, you will be comforted” (cf. Matt. 5:3ff; Isaiah 60:20b-21). God as kind and compassionate Heavenly Father revealede His comforting grace through promise in the midst of lonely Israel’s sadness. As Isaiah said in light of the coming Messiah:

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. …And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” – ESV Isaiah 40:1-2, 5

God’s people patiently waited, and waited, and waited for the Day when the Son of God and Son of David would appear (Matt. 1:1). The cried: “O LORD, how long, shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?!” (Hab. 1:2), waiting…

“…Until the Son of God appear!”

The people of God eagerly awaited the promised Messiah, the Anointed King, who they confidently hoped would redeem Israel and bring everlasting light and righteousness into a dark and evil world (Psalm 2:6-8; Isaiah 9:2-7; 49:5-9, 13). The mystery that wasn’t fully understood from the Old Covenant perspective was that when Israel returned from Babylonian captivity to the land of Israel (under Nehemiah, Ezra and a few of the Minor Prophets), they would still be oppressed by their enemies (for centuries!), and all their hopes would not yet be fully realized. Still, they were called to feed on God’s promises to give them hope (Psalm 81:10; Hab. 2:3). The people were to continue to walk by faith and to trust God that He was faithful to His promises, and that He would eventually dwell as “Immanuel” with His Beloved people.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – ESV Isaiah 41:10

God is faithful to His promises, and in the fullness of the times (Gal. 4:4), the Messiah did indeed come to ransom captive Israel:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ….[God] has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”  ….”Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” -  ESV John 1:14; Luke 1:54-55, 68-75.

But when God sent forth His Messiah, His Beloved Son, it was not what many in Israel expected! Even after the incarnation of the Son of God, Israel was still under foreign oppression and rule (Luke 2:1ff; Matthew 2:1ff). Rather than immediately destroying God’s enemies, Messiah was seemingly destroyed Himself—by these same feared and oppressive enemies of God! Messiah who was to ransom them–who was to bring glorious victory for all who eagerly anticipated His visitation–was humbled himself in deep suffering and rejection, and was seemingly defeated in death—a death by crucifixion from the foreign powers Israel had expected to be immediately conquered by Messiah, their hope (Acts 2:25-36; 3:12-15; 4:26-28; Luke 1:71)! This is one of the reasons that Jesus was such an obnoxious “stumbling block” to many of the Jews (1 Cor. 1:21ff; 1 Pet. 2:8; Matt. 13; cf. Isa. 6:9ff); this seemed like foolishness to them. Yet this was all part of God’s marvelous and wonderful plan to redeem! (cf. Romans 11:33-36).

Yet Jesus Christ, the Messiah, as was promised, gloriously and victoriously rose from the dead on the third day; death did not conquer Him (Luke 24:25ff; 1 Cor. 15:1-11). In His resurrection, God, the Eternal Son, permanently united to our nature, rose to reveal that He was free from the judgment of God, and from the enslaving clutches of sin, death, and the devil (Rom. 1:3-4; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 2:14-18)! Jesus the Messiah rose wonderfully in power to ascend to the Eternal Throne of David (Psalm 2:7ff; 2 Sam. 7:12-17; Isaiah 9:7; Daniel 7:13-14, 27). Jesus the Messiah uniquely and powerfully overcame our worst enemies first: the just judgment of God because of our sins, indwelling sin and its dominion over God’s people, the fear of death, and slavery to the Prince of the Power of the Air (Rom. 3:23-26; Heb. 2:14-18; Eph. 2:1-4). Freedom in Jesus brought first reconciling peace with God! Jesus told His people He came as a ransom to lay down His life to pay our debt of sin to a Holy God! (Mark 10:45).

Christ Jesus, when He ascended as King on David’s Eternal Throne at God’s right hand, sent forth His Spirit to dwell within His people, and to encourage us and strengthen us to endure and complete our exile-pilgrimage here and to know His sweet, loving presence as Immanuel “with us” (Acts 2:28-33; cf. John 14:21,23).

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. ….When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ….This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘ The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” – ESV John 14:26-27; 16:13-15; Acts 2:32-36

Now on behalf of True Israel, Jesus is preparing a place for us (John 14:1ff); this is why our hearts should not be troubled even in hard times (John 16:33)! The return from exile back to the land where God would dwell with His people in peace, giving rest and victory and security from all of His and our enemies, has begun with the resurrection and ascension of Christ, and the outpouring of His Spirit upon us! The full outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon God’s people in exile, releasing us from bondage, was the inaugural act of the Resurrected-Ascended Messiah to David’s Eternal Throne, and the assured down payment of the full restoration and return home that God has promised (1 Cor. 15:20, 23; 2 Cor. 1:20-22; Eph. 1:14)! The return from exile has begun as He frees His people by HIs Spirit from captivity to sin and the devil, and frees us to live loving His truth and growing in His likeness (John 8:31-32; Rom. 6:18, 22; Eph. 4:17-24).

This initial or inaugural beginning of the return from exile that has begun with Jesus’ resurrection-ascension and the Spirit of Pentecost is another aspect of the mystery that was revealed, but not fully understood in the Old Covenant (Rom. 16:25-27; Eph. 3:1-10). This mystery is that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would be resurrected and would begin the return from exile not to the Promised Land here on earth (in the Middle East in Israel), but a return to the Heavenly Land, or place the Promised Land in the Old Covenant (and Eden!) had foreshadowed, and pointed forward, and upward to: the “better country” or the “heavenly country” (Hebrews 11:13-16). This is the country that Abraham and all his true, believing children long for:

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.  If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. – Hebrews 11:13-15

As believers, united to Jesus Christ in his life, death, resurrection and ascension, we are God’s True Israel (Gal. 6:16). And as recipients of His Holy Spirit, we can still sing “O Come, O Come, Immanuel” with all of our hearts (this should not be a song for merely ethnic Israel to sing). Although the return from exile has begun for us in Jesus, and we are already seated with Christ in the Heavenly Places (Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:1-4), nevertheless, we mourn, we suffer tribulation, and persecution, yet we should be expectantly awaiting His Second Coming! (1 Pet. 4:8; Titus 2:11-14). We are taught that it is through tribulation that we will enter the Kingdom of God in its fullness in Jesus Christ (Acts 14:22; Revelation 1:9-10). Full return from exile is for all those who truly love His appearing! (1 Tim. 4:8).

Do you long for and love His appearing? The exile in the Old Covenant separated the mere ethnic, outwardly circumcised unbelieving Jews from the inwardly, believing, True Jews with circumcised hearts (cf. Rom. 2:25-28; not all of Israel is Israel, see also Rom. 9-11). God’s True Israel in any time, walks by faith, even when circumstances around us and in the world seem at their worst! (Habakkuk 2:4; Heb. 11:1, 6; 12:1-3; 2 Cor. 5:6-10). How are you doing? Are you awaiting, anticipating, longing? Or not?! What does this teach you about yourself and your need before God? Are you a True Israelite, or merely one outwardly (see again Romans 2:25-28)? Some in Israel, in response to the exile, were assimilated and became like the world and culture around them, engaging in horrid and offensive idolatry. Yet True Israel in the exile longed all the more for God’s appearing in Messiah (Daniel 1; cf. Luke 1). Are you worldly? Have you been assimilated by our world and culture? Or are you longing for Messiah’s appearing?

Similar to our forefathers in the faith who lived in the Old Covenant, yet with much more revealed truth where we stand on this side of the cross, we wait, too, and long for Messiah’s Second Coming and Glorious Appearing! (2 Tim. 4:1, 8). Let us then, as God’s True Israel (Gal. 6:16) live “Advent Lives” each day of the year, not just in this season when we think about Christmas and the Incarnation. Let us long for home with God where we shall permanently dwell with him, and let us live in obedience to His Word, in peace and mercy in this present age, resisting the allurement of our fallen world and culture.

And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. – Galatians 6:16

In our union with Christ, no matter how great the affliction, suffering, oppression, trouble, tribulation, and misery, we have Christ. Is HE enough for you? Is Christ your glorious and joyous portion? (Psa. 16:5, 11; 73:22-28). Is it good for you to be near to God? (Psa. 73:28; Heb. 4:16). In the midst of our arduous pilgrimage, we possess Christ’s powerful and Holy Spirit to give us hope, light, life, and joy in this present age, until He appears, until He comes again. Now we have Christ with our discouragement, darkness, death, and devastating sadness (as Israel before the first coming!), yet we can rejoice! Because we have God’s very great promises (2 Pet. 1:4). So, let us sing:

“Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel; shall come to Thee, O Israel!”

Let us sing as we worship our glorious and beautiful King on David’s Throne, and as we await our Homecoming to the Heavenly New Creation and New Jerusalem, where we shall behold Immanuel face to face (1 John 3:1-3; Rev. 21:1-7)! Let us sing:

“…Open wide our heavenly home; make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery!”

Beloved of Immanuel, let this be our song and prayer this Christmas. And let us visualize with holy and hopeful captured imaginations this scene that is about to take place in our lives:

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:3-4

 

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Biggs

 

 

[1] J. R. R. Tolkien diagnosed the roots of our longing for home: “We all long for [Eden], and we are constantly glimpsing it: our whole nature at its best and least corrupted, its gentlest and most humane, is still soaked with a sense of ‘exile’” (Tolkien, The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, ed. H. Carpenter and C. Tolkien, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, pg. 110).

From Your Pastor: Ishmael and Immanuel: Learning to Wait Upon God

 

Read Genesis 16.

“Behold…you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael” (Gen. 16:11). “Behold…[you shall] bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus” (Luke 1:31).

    God teaches us to wait so that He will fulfill His promises for us. This is to exalt God’s power and grace; this is to teach us that He is trustworthy and always faithful! Like a gracious and generous father who wants to bless his children, often by surprise, so God desires to bless and surprise His dear children (cf. Luke 11:13). Sadly, it is often the temptation of believers having begun with the Spirit of God, to desire to be perfected by the “flesh” of their own desires and endeavors immediately, rather than waiting on God (Gal. 3:2-3; 4:23). Abraham was promised a son by His gracious God and Father: “Behold…your very own son shall be your heir…number the stars…so shall your offspring be” (Gen. 15:4-5). God graciously commits Himself to a blood covenant (“a bond in blood sovereignly administered”) that He will be faithful to Abraham (Gen. 15:12-18). Yet Abraham acts impatiently, and this is what he learns the hard way:

“Behold…you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael” (Gen. 16:11).

    Though Immanuel was God’s ultimate intention for Abraham (through Isaac, see Matt. 1:1-3, 23), he first received Ishmael because of sinful impatience. “Laughter” (Isaac means “He laughs”, Gen. 21:1-3) was to be God’s merciful gift, but heartache and sorrow came through Abraham’s sin (persecution and many problems, Gen. 21:8-14). What but sin can we ever expect from our impatience? We are taught that God’s people are those who must learn to wait upon the LORD and for the realization of His promises (Psa. 27:13-14). Abram lived in an “Advent” season of waiting upon the coming arrival of the Lord’s promises in the person of his very own son (Gen. 15:4), yet there was great temptation to hurry the “delay” of God. We are to believe God by His grace, and to cultivate patience which is a fruit of the Spirit of the Christ (Gal. 5:22-23). Our God and Father has been patient with us, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance (cf. 2 Pet. 3:8ff), and yet we so easily forget His promises, grow impatient and set about to “make things happen” when we think that God has forgotten us (or particularly His promises).

    How is your patience coming along? Are you cultivating this virtue and fruit of the Spirit (cf. 2 Pet. 1:5-9)? How are you doing in waiting upon the LORD? Waiting doesn’t mean to be passive, but actively believing, trusting, walking, serving, loving, and growing. If God is sovereign, and rules and reigns over heaven and earth with wisdom and love, and knows what is best for us all, then why do we grow impatient waiting upon Him? Throughout Scripture, God is revealed as a faithful, trustworthy, committed, loving, gracious, generous, merciful God and Father that will keep His promises! In fact, we are taught that all of God’s promises are available to us every day in Christ (“All of God’s promises are “Yes” in Christ- 2 Cor. 1:20).

    What decisions have you sown in your life carelessly and impatiently, rather than waiting on God, that have caused you to reap the weeds of division and turmoil in your life and the lives of others? How can you learn wisdom and wait upon the LORD in the future? Children, how does your impatience with God and your family cause specific tensions and miserable conditions at times in your home? How might the impatience of your life be ruining all of the joy and peace that God has promised for believers in Christ? One of our forefathers, George Swinnock, wisely wrote:

“To lengthen my patience is the best way to shorten my troubles.”

    Try to think of anything worthwhile and satisfying, something really worth having, and you will find few things that describe as immediate, instantaneous, streaming, and quick (can you imagine ever being satisfied with instant grits, for example?!)! Rather, you will find that the things worth living and dying for are those things cultivated by Godly patience: sowing seed, and waiting on the harvest; friendship, and relationships that grow over time; sanctification and character; the vintage of a fine wine; waiting for the development of a baby in the womb, and patiently raising children to adulthood. All of these wonderful gifts of this life take patience, and thus why God often tries our patience. These trials are ultimately, so that we might share Christ’s holiness (Heb. 12:11-12).

    Though Abram and Sarai were impatient, God did not forsake them. He disciplined them as a loving Father. Ishmael is a historical, redemptive-historical reminder of God’s discipline that is extremely painful but by God’s grace also an instrument through which His people become sharers in His holiness (Heb. 12:7-14; cf. Psalm 119:67, 71). Though there is much sin of impatience in our lives, look ahead to Genesis 18, and then many years later to Luke 1:30-35 and Matthew 1:1, 17, and remember that God is faithful though we are faithless at times (cf. 2 Tim. 2:11-13). The name “Ishamael” means “God hears” and he is born in redemptive-history not merely to show our Father’s discipline, but also as a living reminder that God hears—and cares! God hears our prayers. God promises to keep His promises. The reason we act impatiently and impulsively, is because we think God doesn’t hear our prayers, that God doesn’t care, and we act to “help Him out a bit”. But this is wrong.

    Do you daily seek Christ at the throne of grace to be broken and humbled just because you know that you are more than able (and often willing) to impatiently disobey God to accomplish your own desires? Shouldn’t you seek Him now (“These things [in the Old Covenant] took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did…” 1 Corinthians 10:6, 12- “Take heed, lest you fall…”).

“Behold…you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael” (Gen. 16:11). The hand of discipline.

Behold…[you shall] bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus” (Luke 1:31). The fruit of godly patience.

    If we are in Christ, we are the children of promise—children of Abraham through Immanuel, not Ishmael (Gal. 4:28). In Galatians 4 (21-31), the Apostle Paul reminds us that Ishmael should remind us of slavery and the terrible works of the flesh, but Immanuel has come to set us free from slavery to sin (including impatience!) in order that we might live freely as the sons of God!

    So when the culture around you seeks to promise you everything NOW, when you’re tempted to “instant messaging” (without first thinking compassionately and prayerfully), to “instant credit” (where you will stretch yourself thin for a hope immediately granted because you cannot wisely wait), when aggressive driving is the norm and there is no leisurely “Sunday drive” (and you are seeking to conform to the aggressiveness), when folks even are tempted to judge a sermon by how long it takes to be communicated, and when we unfairly expect our children to know and understand everything important immediately, let us cultivate patience with God and one another. Let us learn to wait upon the LORD our God who is always faithful to His promises, and let us live confidently and expectantly upon the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has promised to come and ransom captive Israel completely soon. The Spirit and the Church says: “Come, Lord Jesus!”

The Advent season should be an important time for us to learn patience as God’s people!

Immanuel is God with us and for us. And if God is for us, who can be against us?!

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Biggs

From Your Pastor: Magnifying and Rejoicing in Christ at Christmas

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Read Luke 1:26-55.

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…” (Luke 1:46-47)

Mary rejoiced in God her Savior because of Christ. We can too! What are specific ways to do this as a congregation during this Advent and Christmastide?

1. Let us know God our Savior in Jesus Christ (1:30-35) “…He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

God is for us and with us in Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:31-32). There is no saving knowledge of God outside of Jesus Christ. Salvation is an amazing work of God the Father for sinners through the incarnation of Christ by the Holy Spirit (1:31-33, 35, 37). Jesus is Mary’s great son, Son of the Most High God, and the Eternal King of David’s line come to save sinners. Jesus Christ is both God and man. Though truly born of Mary’s substance through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is God in the flesh, the heir to David’s throne, the King of kings and Lord of Lords! Let us bow to Him as our Lord!

2. Let us know our humble estate before Him (1:48) “…He has looked on the humble estate of his servant….”

Our salvation is all of grace, let us humble ourselves before Him. What can we boast of regarding our salvation? It is all because of God’s magnificent mercy and glorious grace to us in Christ (Eph. 2:4)! When we were neither seeking after God, nor desiring to please Him, when we were at enmity with Him as sworn enemies, God looked upon the rebellious world in pity and sent Christ in the fullness of the times to save sinners (John 3:16-17; Rom. 3:9ff; 5:6-8; 8:7-8; Gal. 4:4). As sinners we have nothing to offer God, so we must only receive and believe (Isa. 55:1-3, 6-7; Matt. 11:28-29; John 3:18, 36). Let us say with Mary by faith: “Behold, I am the servant of the LORD; Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

3. Let us know to fear Him (1:50) “And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.”

God’s mercy is for those who truly love and fear Him. To fear God means that we desire to show our love through obedience to His Word, through devotion as we offer Him our hearts and worship, and through humble service as we daily give ourselves to Him in Christ (Gen. 22:12; Job 28:28; Psa. 19:9; 110:11; Eccl. 12:13; Isa. 33:6; Mal. 1:6; 2:5; 4:2; Acts 9:31; 2 Cor. 7:1).

4. Let us know His strength in our weakness and His opposition to pride (1:51-53) “He has shown strength…He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate…”

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). God is not impressed, nor does He take pleasure in our strengths and proud positions, but rather He takes delight in those who fear him and hope in His steadfast love (Psa. 147:11). God calls the weak things in the world to shame the strong (1 Cor. 1:27), and hates pride and arrogance (Prov. 8:13; Amos 6:8), so let us boast of our strength in Christ that is made perfect in our weaknesses (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

5. Let us know that His promises are for us as Abraham’s children in Christ (1:54-55) “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

All of God’s promises made throughout redemptive-history are received by faith and ultimately realized in Christ. All of God’s promises are “Yes” in Christ (2 Cor. 1:20). Gospel promises were made to Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:15)…and to us.; to Abraham (Gen. 12:2-3)…and to us; to Israel…and to us (Gal. 3:16, 26-29). Believers are the true Israel of God (Gal. 6:16).

LET US MAGNIFY GOD…AND REJOICE!!

 

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Biggs

 

From Your Pastor: The Fear of the LORD

 

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Do you fear the LORD? It is for your good always (Deut. 6:25; cf. Prov. 10:27). Fear of the LORD is simply an important and foundational aspect of Christ-likeness. To put it starkly, one cannot truly love the true and living God and not fear Him. Jesus Christ says: “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Our “proof” or “evidence” or the fruit of our love for Christ will be in our fearing God and in seeking to do what He teaches us to do (Deut. 8:5-6). Have you ever realized how often the fear of the LORD is taught throughout Scripture? (for just a few places, meditate upon: Psa. 19:9; 34:11; Prov. 1:7; 2:5; 14:27; Isa. 11:2-3; 33:6; Acts 9:31; 2 Cor. 5:11).

Fear of the LORD is most important for us as a congregation to understand. The fear of the LORD is the “beginning of wisdom” (Psa. 111:10; Prov. 1:7) and it is how we are to live and to teach our children (Deut. 6:1-2, 13; Book of Proverbs). Perhaps the greatest weakness of the western church of Jesus Christ in our time is the lack of the fear of the LORD. We rightly seek to emphasize God’s love, but we should remember that there cannot be a true love for God without a Spirit-formed fear of Him. God asks His people: “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you…” (Malachi 1:6).

“And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always…” – Deuteronomy 6:25

Our forefather John Calvin defined the fear of the LORD, and how particularly it is an evidence of true godliness: “True piety [godliness] does not consist in a fear which willingly indeed flees God’s judgment, but since it cannot escape is terrified. True piety consists rather in a sincere feeling which loves God as Father as much as it fears and reverences Him as Lord, embraces His righteousness, and dreads offending Him worse than death” (Calvin’s First Catechism, 1537).

The fear of the LORD is a blessing of union with Christ:

ESV Isaiah 11:2-3: And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear…

The fear of the LORD produces healthy congregations in Christ:

ESV Acts 9:31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

The fear of the LORD along with God’s love in Christ is an incentive to serve Him well, and seek to avoid displeasing our Heavenly Father:

ESV 2 Corinthians 5:11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.

The fear of the LORD is a means through which our holiness is made complete and we are prepared for Heaven:

ESV 2 Corinthians 7:1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

Summary of the fear of the Lord:

* Fear of the Lord is Christ-Focused, Christ-centered, Gospel-Driven (Isa. 11:2-3): Fear of the Lord brings a proper emphasis on Christ’s Spirit and the benefits of union with Him. Christ the man was enriched with the fullness of the Spirit so that those for whom he loved would also possess these Holy-Spiritual blessings and benefits in union with Him. Jesus redeemed us from lawlessness and sin to purify us and to make us God-fearers by the same Holy Spirit. As Christ feared the LORD, so we learn to fear the LORD in reverence, awe, and obedience to our Father and Majestic Lord. “From His fullness…” (John 1:16).

* Fear of the Lord is a fear of sweetness and delight for God’s children: Because we are God’s children, we do not fear the judgment of God, but we do fear to displease God because we love Him so much (Deut. 8:5-6). Fear of the Lord is not servile (slavish fear and dread), but “voluntary” and “filial” fear of a son. The Bible teaches us to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). Calvin wrote that this “means that [God] demands only that we become accustomed to honor the Lord’s power, while greatly humbling ourselves…For not only does piety beget reverence toward God, but the very sweetness and delightfulness of grace so fills a man who is cast down in himself with fear, and at the same time with admiration, that he depends upon God, and humbly submits himself to His power” and “…He who would duly worship Him will try to show himself both an obedient son to him and a dutiful servant. Let us have a reverence compounded of honor and fear” (Calvin, Institutes, 3.2.23, 26).

* Fear of the Lord develops a life of repentance and faith: Fear of the LORD makes us live before God humbly and repentantly, seeking to live by faith in reliance upon His grace, knowing the terrible consequences of sin, seeking to be careful, watchful, prayerful as God’s dear children (Deut. 8:1a, 11). True repentance is the life-long, ongoing characteristic of regenerate folks possessed by Christ’s Spirit. Fear of the Lord brings growth in faith. John Calvin wrote: “…Since the fear of the Lord is said to be the beginning, and as it were the way that leads to a right understanding of His will (Psa. 111:10), according as any one desires to increase in faith, so also let him endeavor to advance in the fear of the Lord (Read Psalm 25:14; Calvin, Comm. On Psalm 25:14, pg. 430).

* Fear of the Lord brings freedom to live as you were created to live: Fear of the LORD is our happiness to live before God as we were created to live before sin. Fear of the Lord brings freedom to be free from sinful fears of man and of trials/tribulations. Fear of the LORD reduces and can even completely take away the fear of man that we all possess to some degree (cf. Matt. 22:16). If we live with the fear of God, seeking to please Him, then we will be less apt to live our lives seeking the pleasures and compliments of men. Calvin wrote: “…This [righteous] mind restrains itself from sinning not out of dread of punishment alone, but because it loves and reveres God as Father, it worships and adores Him as Lord. Even if there were no hell, it would shudder at only offending Him” (Calvin, Comm. 1 John, IV.18, 247).

* Fear of the Lord humbly receives and obeys God’s Word: Fear of the LORD causes us to listen carefully to God’s word to us, and to seek to do what He says (Deut. 7:11; John 15:9-11). “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” (Isa. 66:2b). Trembling means to take seriously God’s word to us, being careful not to offend God, or forget what He has so patiently taught us. To God-fearers, nothing is more “sweet or gentle than the word of the Lord”. John Calvin asks: “Why would we tremble [before God’s Word]’?” He explains that there are two kinds of trembling: 1. One by which they who are terrified hate and flee from God; 2. Those who tremble and it affects their hearts, and promotes obedience from the will, and is characteristic of those who truly reverence and fear God (Calvin, Comm. on Isaiah, 413).

* Fear of the Lord establishes and strengthens healthy congregations with comfort: A congregation that is possessed by the love of God and the fear of God can walk with comfort from the Holy Spirit, knowing that no matter what trouble or tribulation may come in the lives of the saints, they are living honestly and faithfully in covenant with their God (Acts 9:31).

What are a sampling of quotable examples of one who truly fears the LORD and one who does not? See if you can tell the difference from the sample quotations below (and you may even hear your own inner-heart-voice if you’re honest, Psa. 139:23-24. Even if you might not have the audacity to say aloud some of the below, note what your heart’s intent is sometimes, and then thank God or repent and go to Christ for forgiveness).

  • “I’ve never thought about the fear of the LORD.”
  • “Christ has been so good to me; I will live for Him by His grace, and seek to do His commandments.”
  • “I am God’s child and I am grateful that He is my Heavenly Father, but He is also my Lord and Master who is a consuming fire and jealous God.”
  • “I am God’s child, and all I need to do is to concentrate upon His God’s love for me.”
  • “I am justified, that is, declared righteous before Christ, and therefore my only work is to “go back to my justification” or “return to my justification” every day.
  • “I know how easily I forget God’s Word and can grow apathetic, particularly in times of prosperity, therefore, I will seek to be more prayerful and watchful by His grace.”
  • “Christ has been so good to me; I have no need to worry about how I live.”
  • “God has given us His holy, righteous, and good law not as a way of salvation, but as a way a saved person can learn to live for Him, knowing precisely how He wants to me to walk with Him and fear Him always.”
  • I have been set free from sin to live on my own terms, knowing God will always forgive me.”
  • “I’ve been set free from sin, in order to carefully and eagerly live unto God.”
  • “Because of Christ’s great love, and because God is my Father, I daily ask the Holy Spirit for holy aspirations so that I can live to the glory of God my Master!”

Do you truly fear God? Ask the Spirit of Christ to develop this in you as you seek to imitate the Lord Jesus, knowing He has died for you to make you holy. Let us pray as a congregation we will be described as Acts 9:31: “So the church…had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

Do you dread offending your Heavenly Father worse than death? Our Lord Jesus Christ lived like this perfectly for us, so that we could sincerely aspire by faith, and in reliance upon His grace and power, live like this for Him.

Prayer of John Calvin: “Grant, Almighty God, that as you have been pleased to adopt us as your people for this end, that we may be ingrafted as it were into the body of your Son, and be made conformable to our head,–O grant, that through our whole life we may strive to seal in our hearts the faith of our election, that we may be the more stimulated to render you true obedience, and that your glory may also be made known through us; and those whom you have chosen together with us may we labor to bring together, that we may unanimously celebrate you as the Author of our salvation, and so ascribe to you the glory of your goodness, that having cast away and renounced all confidence in our own virtue, we may be led to Christ only as the fountain of your election, in whom also is set before us the certainty of our salvation through your gospel, until we shall at length be gathered into that eternal glory which He has procured for us by His own blood. Amen.”

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Biggs

 

From Your Pastor: On the Law of God

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We read in our confession of faith concerning the law of God that “God gave to Adam a law, as a covenant of works, by which He bound him and all his posterity to personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience; promised life upon the fulfilling, and threatened death upon the breach of it; and endued him with power and ability to keep it. This law, after his fall, continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness; and, as such, was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai, in ten commandments, and written in two tables: the first four commandments containing our duty towards God; and the other six, our duty to man.” (WCF, 19.1-2).

God gave to Adam the law as a “covenant of works” (WCF, 19.1) before his plummet into rebellion and sin. God graciously initiated and entered into this covenant by voluntary condescension (WCF, 7.1), and promised life (sometimes called the “covenant of life”) to Adam if he would be obedient (a personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience), and God threatened punishment and death if he disobeyed. This covenant was perpetual and binding upon every creature who was represented in Adam who was a “public person” for the entire human race (Psalm 51:1-7; cf. Rom. 5:12-21).

The Law of God reveals His perfect holiness, beauty, purity, and the righteousness that He demands of all creatures (Rom. 7:12; see WCF, 19.6). This Law of God has been revealed to all mankind (Rom. 1:19-20). In Romans 2:12-14, the Apostle Paul teaches that every man knows what is right and wrong. Just as every man knows the power and glory of God that is revealed in creation, yet resist, suppress, and exchange this revelation of truth with a lie (WCF, 1.1; Rom. 1:19-25). Every man also has the true God reveal His righteousness in men’s consciences by virtue of their createdness in His image. Image-bearers are given a true knowledge of God’s law in their hearts, “the work of the Law is written on their hearts” (Rom. 2:14-15) that can both excuse them in their sin, or accuse them for their sin. The Apostle Paul wrote:

“…They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them,” Rom. 2:15.

This means that fallen man, though deformed and marred by sin, nevertheless possesses some knowledge of right and wrong, although sin does corrupt, and can sear a conscience so that it no longer works properly. Nevertheless, mankind will be held accountable not only for special revelation given graciously by God, but what their own consciences have told them about God:

“…On that day when…God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus,” Rom. 2:16; cf. Rom. 1:32.

Though God has revealed the substance of His righteous Law in creation and in conscience, and all mankind know God’s perfect law of righteousness to some degree, nevertheless, God is pleased to show Himself more clearly in special revelation (WCF, 1.1). As part of the larger “covenant of redemption” (Heb. 13:20-21, or “Pactum Salutis” as it is sometimes called), the covenant of grace is inaugurated after the fall to bring about the salvation of God’s elect (WCF, 7.3-4). The Father initiated this saving work, the Son freely and willingly took upon Himself our human nature to live, die, be raised, and ascended in it, so as to send forth the fullness of the Spirit of God so that the righteous requirements of God’s law might be fully met in us who walk not after the flesh but the Spirit (Eph. 1:3-14; Psa. 40:6-8; cf. Heb. 10:5-7; Acts 2:33-36; Rom. 8:3-4). Christ was born “under the law” (Gal. 4:4-6) to redeem His own and to make them obedient sons of God according to the Law. Christ came to make men holy according to God’s righteousness, to close the gap that sin had made between God’s righteousness and man, and through grace in Christ to bring believers into conformity with God’s holiness and to establish a harmony between the righteousness of God and the righteousness of man to the praise of His glory. As the Apostle Paul exults in Ephesians 1:

“…Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved,” (Eph. 1:4-6)

The Law of God that was revealed specially to Adam, and has been revealed on all men’s hearts since the creation of man, was revealed very clearly to Israel at Sinai in the time of Moses. This perfect law or rule of righteousness was a clear revelation of God’s perfect holiness, beauty, purity, and the righteousness that He required of all mankind. Although this is revealed in the Old Testament, in the time of the Old Covenant, it is nevertheless part of the one covenant of grace, and should always be understood as part of a gracious covenant because the substance of it is Jesus Christ in promise, shadow and type (WCF, 8.1, 6). When God called the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt to be His holy “sons” (Exo. 4:22), he told them that they were to keep the commandments in light of His salvation mercies. The Law is given in the context of God’s gracious and initiating salvation love to His people. God reveals the indicative of their position before Him because He has brought them out of slavery and darkness and into His marvelous light (“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of…slavery…”, Exo. 20:2), and He then teaches them what is required of them by faith in Him and His promises, or the imperative-commands that they are to live before Him (Exodus 20:3-17; cf. “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do,” Exo. 24:3). Grace is given before the Law so that the Law might be kept not for merit, but because of delight in God and His gracious salvation in Christ!

God called the people of Israel to walk with Him in fellowship, and then taught them how to walk in the manner of their calling (Exo. 4:22; Deut. 10:12; Psa. 78:10; cf. Eph. 4:1-2). He also provided graciously elaborate ceremonial rituals that included substitutionary blood to teach the people of their constant need of a substitute, with His merciful offer of cleansing and the forgiveness of their sins that was received by faith (cf. WCF, 19.3). It must be emphasized that the Law of God that was revealed at this point in the covenant of grace during the time of Moses was never to suggest or in any way teach that sinners were saved by keeping the Law! It was to reveal a holy way of life for those who believed, and to demonstrate to fallen sinners the righteous requirements of God’s law that would lead them to understand their great need for a Savior. This law that was clearly revealed in Moses, is summarized by our Lord Jesus as “loving God with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves” (Deut. 10:12; Matt. 22:37; cf. Lev. 19:18). Only Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ alone could do this perfectly according to God’s Law, but those who trusted in God’s promises in both the Old and New Covenant eras, according to the special revelation knowledge that they possessed, could come by faith to know the Lord Jesus Christ and His saving mercies (WCF, 7.6, 8.6, 19.3; cf. 1 Cor. 10:1-4; Heb. 11:27; John 8:56).

“Why then the Law,” the Apostle Paul asks (knowing that under the inspiration of the Spirit of God that there could, indeed would be some confusion, cf. 2 Pet. 3:16)? Why was the law given again during the time of Moses if Adam (and mankind in him) had already miserably failed to keep it, if there was no way for man to keep it?! Paul answers: “It was added because of transgressions, until…” We should understand that the glory of the Old Covenant was a glorious revelation of God’s perfect righteousness, but it was not as glorious as what was to come in Christ! In fact, the Apostle Paul says that the glory of the Old Covenant era was passing away similar to the glory that was fading from Moses’ face as he descended from Sinai (cf. 2 Cor. 3:6ff). Until what then? Until a greater glory would be revealed! Jesus Christ would eventually come who was the Second Adam, and the True and Faithful Israelite, or the “one to whom the promise had been made”: What promise? “Do this and you shall live!” (cf. Gal. 3:10-14, 19). The promise that if the law is fully kept, there would be life offered in God’s presence.

Jesus was the only True Israelite who kept the covenant of works revealed at creation and Sinai. Jesus was the only Israelite who could actually in perfect and perpetual righteousness say: “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do” (Exo. 24:3). The Law was not contrary to the promises of God but served as a tutor or a guardian to aid sinners in knowing of their need of Christ (Gal. 3:21-24). The Law revealed God’s perfect righteousness, but it could not change anyone; it was powerless to change sinners (Heb. 7:19: “…For the law made nothing perfect”). This is summarized in Romans:

“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit,” (Rom. 8:3-4).

Although the Law was a glorious revelation of God’s holiness, and so was “holy, righteous, and good” (Rom. 7:12), man was sinful and needed to more fully and deeply understand the need for Savior. Christ graciously has kept all the Law for all who will believe upon Him for perfect righteousness before God (Rom. 5:19-21).

It is important to emphasize that at Sinai in the Old Covenant era you have both the revelation of God’s perfect righteousness and the glory of the Covenant of Grace in Christ! You have both another gracious and clear revelation of the law of God that was given to Adam in its administration, and written on all men’s consciences, but you also have the glorious substance of the Gospel promises in Christ that God and God alone saves sinners. So while God reveals His righteousness in the law during the time of the Mosaic Law, it can also be said that He reveals that “all fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), and demonstrates that He is just and the justifier of all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24-26). This seems to be what the Apostle Paul means in Romans 3 when he says that “…through the law comes a knowledge of sin… (Rom. 3:20b; cf. Rom. 7:7-12), and the “righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the Law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” (Rom. 3:21-22). When the Law is revealed at Sinai, Israel gathers and promises to keep God’s law. Yet no one in Israel could have perfectly kept their promises to do all the words that the Lord had spoken to them. This is why immediately after Moses hears this covenant commitment from the people of God, he builds an altar to point the way to a substitutionary sacrifice, and says:

“Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words” (Exo. 24:4-8).

This is a revelation of Christ and His grace in substance.

Jesus Christ as a “public person” (covenant representative of God’s elect) and Second Adam (Rom. 5:12-21) came in the fullness of the times to keep the covenant of works and earn a personal, entire, exact and perpetually perfect righteousness through His active and passive obedience for all who believe. As the first Adam received the Law, so the Second Adam received the Law—yet also fulfilled it (cf. Matt. 5:17-48). The Law was given to Israel as special revelation because Israel was the elected people through which God would bring the Son of God and Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world! The Abrahamic promise of salvation was ultimately made to Christ alone as the Second Adam and True Israelite who kept the covenant of works, and brought the full blessings and benefits of the covenant of grace for all who believe, whether Jew or Gentile. The Bible teaches this clearly in Galatians:

“Now the promises were made to Abraham and his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to man, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ,” (Gal. 3:16).

And thus the promise of God was fulfilled, and the full and glorious manifestation of the covenant of grace was realized in Jesus Christ in His perfect and perpetual obedience to the Law that was required of all mankind (Matt. 5:17-20, 48; Rom. 3:24-26). And in Christ, this Promise of Life, or this “personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience” (WCF, 19.1) is imputed to believers both in the Old and New Covenants by grace alone through faith in union with Him (Rom. 4:4-11; 6:4-17). Glory to God for His grace!

Now as believers we are called to live according to the revelation of God’s perfect and righteous Law. Though Christ has fully kept the law in our place, and this has been imputed to us as our righteousness before God (justification, 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21), we are to live lives of holiness in sanctification, seeking to love God’s righteous requirements revealed in the Law, and to obey Him sincerely from the heart as His glorious grace is infused in us in our union with Christ (sanctification, Psalm 119; Rom. 7:14-25; 8:3-4; Heb. 12:10, 14). Thus, in living in reliance upon God’s grace, the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us (Rom. 8:3-4), and we might possess holiness and blamelessness before Him, realizing less of a gap between, and enjoying a greater harmony of God’s righteousness and our own (Eph. 1:4-6; 4:19-5:2).

Let us be thankful as believers for the three uses of God’s law. The law is like a mirror as a tutor or “teacher” to show us the righteousness of God and the knowledge of our sins; the law restrains evil as it is written on all men’s hearts to prevent man and culture from becoming completely sinful; and the law as normative as the way of pleasing God in Christ.

 

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Biggs

From Your Pastor: All the Righteousness We Will Ever Need!

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This week marks the 499th Anniversary of the Reformation of the 16th century.  It was on October 31st 1517 that God, through a man named Martin Luther, graciously helped His church to rediscover the truth that the Holy Scriptures must be the Christian’s only infallible rule of faith and life.  From those Holy Scriptures, Luther came to rediscover the glorious heart of the Gospel: Sinners are declared righteous, or justified before God by faith alone in Christ alone, because of grace alone, all for the glory of God alone. Sinful man does not (can not!) cooperate with God’s grace to bring justification. Rather, man receives the perfect righteousness of Christ alone through the instrumentation of faith that is a gift of God (Rom. 3:21-22, 28; cf. Eph. 2:8-10). Luther learned that all the righteousness he would ever need would be given to Him in Christ; for every need, for every perfect requirement of God, Christ was the help, the hope, and the perfect provision of the righteousness of God the Father to believing sinners.

The false teaching of thinking one could cooperate with God’s grace to bring about the righteousness God required was nothing new to the Medieval church and time of the Reformation. You may recall that in the time of Jesus’ ministry, many of the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law opposed Jesus vehemently because he disagreed with their teaching of salvation by cooperation with God’s grace.  Essentially, the Pharisees taught that man could cooperate with God within the covenant, and eventually do enough good works to merit their salvation and hope before God (Rom. 10:1-3; cf. Phil. 3:7-14). Contrastly, Jesus taught that God required personal perfection to the Law (Matthew 5:48; cf. Gal. 3:10-13; Rom. 10:5) so that those who had ears to hear would come to the end of their self-righteousness and repent and find their only hope of righteousness in His merit—in his personal and perfect law-keeping for them, received by faith alone (Rom. 10:4; Gal. 3:19, 25-29).

During the Medieval period, again the Pharisaical teaching of attempting to cooperate within the visible Church to attain enough merits to achieve a righteousness before God was taught and believed by many. This error sadly eclipsed the true, saving and wonderful Gospel of Jesus. This robbed God of the glory due to Him alone! When God called Martin Luther, he was a spiritually struggling monk who was attempting to achieve this perfect righteousness that God required of him. Luther was trying to cooperate by faith with God’s grace to be saved.  However, he realized because of the depth of his sins and the perfect righteousness of God there was no hope or spiritual comfort in this teaching. This was no good news at all!  Luther struggled with his works before God, realizing they were not always done with the right motives and pure faith, and if God was to judge His works according to His perfect standard of righteousness, then only damnation and judgment awaited Him.

By God’s good grace, Luther had a friend and Father-Confessor within the Augustinian cloister by the name of Johann von Staupitz that shared the Gospel with Martin Luther. This is what Staupitz told Luther to seek to comfort him with Gospel tidings:

“Why do you torment yourself with all these speculations and these high thoughts of your works before God?  Look at the wounds of Jesus Christ, to the blood that he has shed for you: it is there that the grace of God will appear to you. Instead of torturing yourself on account of your sins, throw yourself in your Redeemer’s arms. Trust in him- – in the righteousness and merits of his life- -in the atonement of his death.  Do not shrink back; God is not angry with you, it is you who are angry with God. Listen to the Son of God not your own thoughts; meditate on His Word to you.  Jesus became man to give you the assurance of divine favor. He says to you: You are my sheep; you hear my voice; no man shall pluck you out of my strong hand.” –John Staupitz to Martin Luther, ca. 1509.

This is a summary of the gospel of grace that was rediscovered during the Reformation. We must be reminded that as sinners saved by grace, there will always be a temptation to earn our salvation before God- -to merely try harder- -and work harder, seeking to appease God, and hoping that He will forgive us and give us a right standing before him because of what we have done. But it is not what we have done, or could ever do that counts. It is what God has done for us in Christ through His perfect life and His atoning, substitutionary death. God punishes sin justly and also justifies those who believe (Rom. 3:24-26).

The Gospel of Grace humbles sinners. Sinners cannot keep God’s law, and even our best works and efforts before God are tainted with sin (Rom. 3:9-10, 23). The Good news declares to sinners that the righteousness that God requires- -God mercifully supplies – -not from within us, or from our works, or our best cooperation with God, but our righteousness is found in the righteousness and merits of Christ alone! In Christ, all who believe find a strong Savior and the comforting assurance of God’s love.  In Christ, all believers stand declared righteous based not on our own works for God, but upon Christ’s perfect works for God. God imputes our sins to Christ, and imputes Christ’s perfect record or righteousness to us through faith alone! Christ’s perfection is given to us, and our sins are placed on him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Beloved of God, and to all sinners who feel the heavy weight of your sins, and the hopelessness of your condition before a holy God: All are justified or declared righteous before God because of Christ’s merits given to us as a free gift (Rom. 3:23-28)! Let us live as loved and forgiven people this day, confident in God’s grace, not in our works. Let God’s grace and love toward wicked and undeserving sinners such as ourselves humble us, and let us live gratefully and obediently unto Him! (Rom. 3:27, 31). Let us remember as God’s people that all the righteousness we will ever need is given to us in Christ. For every need we have, for every perfect requirement of God, Christ is our help, our hope, and the perfect provision of righteousness from God the Father to believing sinners. Let us humbly rejoice!

 

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Biggs

Happy 499th Reformation Day!

From Your Pastor: The “Solas” of the Reformation

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This month we have the privilege of celebrating the 499th anniversary of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century. October 31st is the occasion when many Reformed congregations gratefully remember the Spirit of God’s work through Martin Luther in hammering his 95 Theses on the church door at Wittenberg Germany that was the means through which God brought a fresh recovery of His Gospel to His church. The Reformation was one of the greatest revivals in the history of the church.

As heirs of this reformation and revival, and as those thankful for the knowledge of the Gospel of grace, there are five fruits that are worth memorizing and remembering each year at this time. These five fruits of the Reformation are five “solas” or “alones” that are important for us never to forget. These “solas” highlight God’s absolute mercy and passionate grace for His dear, lost, and helpless children, whom He has rescued through the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. The ‘solas’ are ‘Sola Scriptura’ (Scripture Alone), ‘Sola Fide’ (Faith Alone), ‘Sola Gratia’ (Grace Alone), ‘Solus Christus’ (Christ Alone), and ‘Soli Deo Gloria’ (To God be Glory Alone!). Let’s look briefly at each of these:

Sola Scriptura: Scripture alone stresses that the God-breathed-out, inerrant Word of God is foundational and sufficient for all life and godliness (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:3-4). Biblical creeds and confessions are helpful aids to God’s people, and we embrace tradition insofar as it is taught in Scripture. Scripture alone means that the last word and final authority for matters of life and doctrine are to be found in the Holy Scriptures. Scripture is to be preached by the power of the Holy Spirit as a primary means of saving and sanctifying sinners (2 Tim. 4:1ff).

Sola Fide: Faith is a gift of God, an instrument whereby believers receive as a gift all of the perfect righteousness that we need to stand before a holy God. The righteousness God requires is the righteousness found in Christ (Rom. 3:24-26, 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:21). Faith alone stresses that Christ does all the work that is required for one to be saved, and we receive this as a gift. We are not saved through faith and our works, but through Christ’s works alone received by faith. However, it is important to note that while we are saved by faith alone, we are saved not by a faith that is alone; it is a working faith that responds to God’s grace with obedience (Eph. 2:8-10).

Sola Gratia: Grace alone teaches that we are not saved in our cooperating with God in salvation. We are utterly helpless and unable to do anything good before God in our sinfulness (Rom. 3:23). Apart from Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5) and without the gracious, initiating, powerful work of God through HIs Spirit drawing us no one can be saved (Matt. 11:25-27; Tit. 3:4-7; John 6:37, 44). Our salvation is from beginning to end because of God’s mercy, not because of anything God might foresee in us (Rom. 9). We are saved by grace through faith, not of works, so that no one can boast (Eph. 2:8-9).

Solus Christus: Christ alone emphasizes that there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5). Christ has done all for us that we could never do, nor would want to do in our sinful fallenness. Christ is to be glorified and thanked for His good works for us. Christ is to have our ultimate focus and gratitude (Heb. 12:1-2) because of all He has done for us in His life, death, resurrection, and ascension to God’s right hand. While others may place undue and unbiblical emphasis on saints, Mary, and even angels, our hearts are centered on Christ alone as our loving Savior, Bridegroom, and friend.

Soli Deo Gloria: All that has been achieved for our salvation is to bring glory, honor and praise to the Triune God alone! (Rom. 11:33-36; Rev. 4:11; 5:9-11). We were made for His pleasure, and now live for HIs glory in gratitude for what He has accomplished for us in Christ.

As a congregation, let us memorize these five ‘Solas’ of the Reformation, and reaffirm them, and unashamedly make them known as God’s pilgrim people on the way to the Heavenly City.

In Christ’s love,
Pastor Biggs