Today’s devotion covers Mark 13:9-13.

 

“⁹  “But be on your guard;  for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. 

                                         

 ¹⁰  “The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

                                                       

 ¹¹  “When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.

 ¹²  “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.

 ¹³  “You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”  (Emphasis added.)  Mark 13:9-13.

How can we endure to the end?

It is tough enough to live a normal life of working hard for your paycheck, keeping your job, staying married, and raising your kids. 

But, then we get a bad boss, jealous and mean co-workers, new job responsibilities, down-sizing, marital difficulties, and rebellious children.  Our roof leaks.  Our car breaks down.  Our parents become aged and need help.  We get fat.  We get lazy.  We get sick.  We get injured. 

How can we deal with just such normal events in life?

Then, on top of all of these normal events, this Scripture states:  “they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings … they arrest you and hand you over … Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.   “You will be hated by all because of My name …”   

How can we endure all this?!

First of all, we must live within the day.  “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  Matthew 6:34  We don’t experience all these troubles on the same day.  We should not worry about everything at once.  Rather, we should focus on the actual troubles that we have for that day.  We should not worry about tomorrow.

Second, God will help us with the troubles that we encounter for that present day.  Notice the phrase “day of trouble” in the following Scriptures.  Yet, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”  Psalm 46:1 

Psalm 20:1
“May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!  May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!”

                                             

Psalm 27:5
For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;  In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;  He will lift me up on a rock.”

 

Psalm 41:1

“How blessed is he who considers the helpless; The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble.”

 

Psalm 50:15
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble;  I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”

 

Psalm 86:7
“In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, For You will answer me.”

 

Nahum 1:7
“The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him.”

 

Third, we belong to our God, and God will accomplish all of His purpose for us.  We may not accomplish all that we want, but God will accomplish all that He wants us to do.  God will “equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”  Hebrews 13:21  “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:10  “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”  Philippians 2:13 

 

In summary, God will accomplish all of His good pleasure.                                                                             

^“8  Remember this, and be assured;
         Recall it to mind, you transgressors.
    ⁹  “Remember the former things long past,
         For I am God, and there is no other;
         I am God, and there is no one like Me,
    ¹⁰  Declaring the end from the beginning,
         And from ancient times things which have not been done,
         Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
         And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
    ¹¹  Calling a bird of prey from the east,
         The man of My purpose from a far country
         Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.”  Isaiah 46:8-11.

 

Fourth, we believe in the “P” in “TULIP”, “Perseverance of the Saints” better described as “Preservation of the Saints”.  Here are some verses.

 

Ephesians 1: 13-14:
“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,  who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His 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.”  I Peter 1: 4-5
 

2 Timothy 4: 18:
“The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever.  Amen.”

                                        

The golden chain of salvation in Romans 8:29-30:
“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

 

John 10:27-29:
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” 

                                     

It is not necessary for Jesus to say anything more than no one shall snatch us out of His hands.  But, to pound this point, no, to smash any thought of the Arminian view of “falling from grace”, Jesus brings the Father into discussion and obliterates any thought of His sheep losing their salvation  – “no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” . 

 

God gives us His precious Holy Spirit which produces the fruit of love within us, and this love ”bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”  1 Corinthians 13:7

Today’s devotion covers Mark 13:1-8.  We will focus on the following verse 7.

 

“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened;  those things must take place; but that is not yet the end.”  Mark 13:7.  (Emphasis added.) 

 

We are beginning a section of Scripture with prophecy of both near times and end times.  Some of the prophecy concerns the siege and destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans around 70 A.D.  Other prophecy concerns the end times immediately before the coming of Christ. 

 

Eschatology, which is the study of end times, is a difficult subject and is not suited to coverage in short emails or posts, so I will not attempt anything beyond a very simple message.  There are good Reformed books and articles that can help the reader, including but certainly not limited to:  Behold he Cometh!  An Exposition of the Book of Revelation by Herman Hoeksema and More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation by William Hendriksen.

 

The very simple message that I bring is the phrase in Mark 13:7 “do not be frightened”.  Whether the events are truly scary and surrounded by death or awesome and surrounded by wonder, we often read such words which comfort us and give us peace.

                                            

Here is one of my favorite Scriptures: 

^“5  You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
         Or of the arrow that flies by day;
    ⁶  Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
         Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
    ⁷  A thousand may fall at your side
         And ten thousand at your right hand,
         But it shall not approach you.
    ⁸  You will only look on with your eyes
         And see the recompense of the wicked.
    ⁹  For you have made the LORD, my refuge,
         Even the Most High, your dwelling place.
    ¹⁰  No evil will befall you,
         Nor will any plague come near your tent.
    ¹¹  For He will give His angels charge concerning you,
         To guard you in all your ways.”  Psalm 91:5-11. 

 

From Genesis through Revelation, such as Genesis 15:1 ([ Abram Promised a Son ] “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying,” Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you;  Your reward shall be very great.”) and Revelation 2:10 (“‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days.  Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”), there are many such words of comfort and peace.  Here is a link to 143 entries given by BibleGateway using the Keyword Search of matching all the words “do not fear”.  Click here: BibleGateway.com – Keyword Search: do not fear  Granted, some of these entries are not applicable due to the different order of words arrangement (other than as in the phrase “do not fear”), but many of these entries include  the phrase “do not fear” and are applicable to us today.  In any event, it is clear that the message of Scripture “Do not fear!” rings throughout Scripture.

 

Our God is sovereign, totally in control.  Our God is Almighty in power, and our God is Faithful as our Heavenly Father. 

Question and Answer 1 of the Heidelberg Catechism  states: 

“Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?

Answer.  That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, hath fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.”

  

When the nations rage and roar and when

  ^”2  The kings of the earth take their stand
         And the rulers take counsel together
         Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
    ³  “Let us tear their fetters apart
         And cast away their cords from us!”
    ⁴  He who sits in the heavens laughs,
         The Lord scoffs at them.
    ⁵  Then He will speak to them in His anger
         And terrify them in His fury, saying,
    ⁶  “But as for Me, I have installed My King
         Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
    ⁷  “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:
         He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
         Today I have begotten You.
    ⁸  ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
         And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
    ⁹  ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,
         You shall shatter them like earthenware.’”
    ¹⁰  Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
         Take warning, O judges of the earth.
    ¹¹  Worship the LORD with reverence
         And rejoice with trembling.
    ¹²  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!”

 

Therefore, “Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily,O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;  Lift it up, do not fear Say to the cities of Judah,”  Here is your God!”  Isaiah 40:9           

Today’s devotion covers Mark 12:41-44.

“41 And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums.

42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.

43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury;

44 for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44.

It is easier for rich people to give “out of their surplus”. They don’t need what they give as an offering to survive. But, the poor widow gave the two small copper coins which she needed to keep to buy food.

Nothing is expressly said here about the poor widow’s faith. But, her actions speak louder than words. Her offering was a demonstration of faith. She trusted God to provide food for her through a different source (other than through her two coins) and keep her alive.

“16 Better is the little of the righteous
Than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
But the LORD sustains the righteous.
18 The LORD knows the days of the blameless,
And their inheritance will be forever.
19 They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,
And in the days of famine they will have abundance. …

25 I have been young and now I am old,
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or his descendants begging bread.” Psalm 37:16-19 and 25.

Nothing is expressly said here about whether or not the widow was a cheerful giver. I think we tend to imagine the widow as sad and sour and slow as one would expect an old widow in poverty. But, her actions speak louder than words. The widow was not afraid to give at the same time as the rich people. She could have given when no one was looking, or she could have asked others to make the deposit for her. But, this poor widow seems eager and cheerful and willing to participate in the offering’s festivities at the same time with the rich people.

“Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7

Today’s devotion covers Mark 12:35-37. 

 

^“35  And Jesus began to say, as He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 

 ³⁶  “David himself said in the Holy Spirit,
         ’THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,
         ”SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
         UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET.”‘

 ³⁷  “David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?”  And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him.”  Mark 12:35-37. 

We know the importance of Jesus Christ being God.  What is the importance of Jesus Christ being “the son of David”? 

Jesus had to also be “very man”.

In a recent devotion, we read Question and Answer 15 of The Heidelberg Catechism:

Q. 15. What sort of a mediator and deliverer then must we seek for?
A. For one who is very man, and perfectly righteous;  and yet more powerful than all creatures; that is, one who is also very God.  (Emphasis added.)

Hebrews 2:14-18 states:  ”Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.  For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.  Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.  For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

We can now understand why Jesus Christ had to be “very man”, but why did Jesus Christ have to specifically be “the son of David”?

To fulfill God’s purpose and promise, Jesus Christ had to also be king and inherit the kingdom of his ancestor David.

Isaiah 9:6-7 states:                                                                                                                                ”For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
         And the government will rest on His shoulders;
         And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
         Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 
 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
         On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
         To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
         From then on and forevermore 
         The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

Jeremiah 33:14-18 states:  ” ‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah.  ’In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.  ’In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she will be called: the LORD is our righteousness.’  ”For thus says the LORD, ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel;  and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to prepare sacrifices continually.’”

Ezekiel 37:24-28 states:  ”My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them.  ”They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever.  ”I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever.  ”My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.  ”And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.”‘”

Mark 11:10
“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David;  Hosanna in the highest!”

Today’s devotion covers Mark 12:28-34.  We will focus on verses 28 through 31. 

 

“²⁸  One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” 

                                  

 ²⁹  Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL!  THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD;

                                      

 ³⁰  AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’

 ³¹  “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’  There is no other commandment greater than these.”  Mark 12:28-31. 

The issue to be considered is whether these are two commandments or one commandment.

It is noteworthy that Jesus does not stop his description of the foremost commandment after verse 30 with “just” “LOVE THE LORD”, but He continues his description of the foremost commandment through verse 31 by including “LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR”. 

It is also noteworthy that Jesus uses the singular verb “is” rather than the plural verb “are”.

It is also noteworthy that Jesus uses the singular word “commandment” rather than the plural word “commandments”.

But, what about Jesus’ use of the word “second”?

I think that Jesus is using the word “second” as in the sense of a “second” part of the foremost commandment and not in the sense of a “second” separate commandment.  When Jesus uses the word “these”, I think Jesus is using the word “these” as in the sense of “these” parts and not in the sense of these commandments.

So, what is the importance of whether these are two commandments or one commandment?

We could use the interpretation that these are two commandments as a justification of our behavior of not loving our neighbor as much as we should.  We could think and act as if these commandments are completely separate from each other and even in competition with each other.  We could justify our actions of not loving our neighbor, because such loving neighbor actions would subordinate or at least interfere with our foremost duty to love God. 

How often that happens in practice!  We can be cold to others but think we are pious toward God.  We can give to God but ignore our duties toward our parents.  See Mark 7:10-13.  We can pray and give our best wishes to others but fail to give our neighbor food and clothing.  James 2:15-16.

Faith without works is dead. 

James rightly concludes:  “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works?  Can that faith save him?”  James 2:14.  John likewise comes to the same conclusion:  “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?”  1 John 3:17.

^“For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”  Galatians 5:14.  (Emphasis added.)  

1 John 2:5-10 states:  “but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected.  By this we know that we are in Him:  the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.  Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard.  On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.  The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.  The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.”

James 1:27
“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

In conclusion, certainly, this devotion does not include all of our specific duties to love God and our neighbor as ourself.  I specifically do not want to ignore or minimize our duty to worship God as we should.  However, even in our worship, we must remember Jesus’ words.  “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go;  first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”  Matthew 5:23-24.  Hopefully, these Scriptures will convince us that part of our duty to love God is to also love our neighbor.  Through God’s grace and the Holy Spirit producing the fruit of the Spirit, which includes love, we can love God and our neighbor as we should.

Today’s devotion covers Mark 12:18-27.  We will focus on verses 26 and 27. 

 

“²⁶  “But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, and the God of Jacob’? 

                                             

 ²⁷  “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.”  Mark 12:26-27.

                                      

We tend to pass by these verses in a rush, without much thought, thinking:  “I know that!” 

Unlike the “Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection)”, we believe in the resurrection of Christ and also that Christians who die are resurrected and are given imperishable bodies and are very much alive.  See all of Chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians, particularly verses 12 through 15:  “Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised;  and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.  Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.”  1 Corinthians 15:12-15. 

We confess The Apostle’s Creed:  “The resurrection of the body:  And the life everlasting.”

 

But, there is more meaning to this Scripture.  God identifies Himself as THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, and the God of Jacob’.  In one sense, we are God’s “PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION” 1 Peter 2:9, but in another sense, God is our God.  It certainly does not make us equal in value or standing or position or ownership or authority;  God forbid that thought.  But, God has allowed Himself to be identified as our God, “THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, and …’. 

 

Ezekiel 37:27:
“My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.”

 

Deuteronomy 29:13
“in order that He may establish you today as His people and that He may be your God, just as He spoke to you and as He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

 

Acts 3:13
“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him.”

 

Question and Answer 26 of The Heidelberg Catechism includes this identification of God as “my God, and my Father”.  He is not only “Almighty God”;  He is our “faithful Father“.

 

“Question 26. What believest thou when thou sayest, “I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”?

Answer. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (who of nothing made heaven and earth, with all that is in them; who likewise upholds and governs the same by his eternal counsel and providence) is for the sake of Christ his Son, my God and my Father; on whom I rely so entirely, that I have no doubt, but he will provide me with all things necessary for soul and body: and further, that he will make whatever evils he sends upon me, in this valley of tears turn out to my advantage; for he is able to do it, being Almighty God, and willing, being a faithful Father.”  (Emphasis added.) 

Today’s devotion covers Mark 12:13-17. 

 

“¹³  Then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement. 

                                              

 ¹⁴  They came and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and defer to no one;  for You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?

                                          

 ¹⁵  “Shall we pay or shall we not pay?”  But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing Me?  Bring Me a denarius to look at.”

 ¹⁶  They brought one.  And He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”  And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.”

 ¹⁷  And Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  And they were amazed at Him.  Mark 12:13-17.  (Emphasis added.) 

What does it mean to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s besides the obvious point of paying taxes?

Generally, we are called to respect what is right in the sight of all men.  “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.  Respect what is right in the sight of all men.  If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.  Romans 12:17-18.

Specifically, we are called to be “… in subjection to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”  Romans 13:1.  

Thus, in Matthew 17:24-27, we see Jesus and His disciple pay the poll tax, so as to not offend those who questioned them, even though they were exempt.   

We are also reminded of Christ’s example of humility in Philippians 2:5-8:  “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”   

But, we are also called to render unto God the things that are God’s.  So, what are the things of God?

“And he answered, ” YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND;  AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”  Luke 10:27

“He has told you, O man, what is good;  And what does the LORD require of you  But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”  Micah 6:8

“but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.”  Jeremiah 9:24.  (Emphasis added.)

Today’s devotion covers the parable of the vine-growers in Mark 12:1-12.  We will focus on verses 10 and 11.

 

^“10  “Have you not even read this Scripture:
         ’THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
         THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone;
    ¹¹  THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD,
         AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’?”  Mark 12:10-11.  (Emphasis added.)

 

The most obvious message of the parable is a summary of what the nation of Israel did to God’s Son, His prophets, and His other servants.  In Matthew’s account, we also have this quote with this following addition:  “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit.  “And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”  Matthew 21:43-44.  

 

But, what is so marvelous?  Certainly, we do not rejoice in the rejection of Christ, nor the persecutions and the killings of God’s Son, His prophets, and His other servants, nor the stumbling of the nation of Israel, nor the salvation of “only” a remnant, nor the kingdom of God being taken away from the nation of Israel.  We understand Paul’s sorrow when he begins His summary of what happened to nation of Israel with these following words:  “… I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.”  Romans 9:2.

 

But, we do rejoice in Christ, that despite the suffering and death that He received from primarily the nation of Israel and despite what it meant to the nation of Israel, He did become the chief corner stone.

 

We rejoice in Christ being our one and only source of salvation.  “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone.  ”And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4:11-12.  

 

We rejoice that Christ is our corner stone of ”a holy temple in the Lord” in which we are now included!  ”So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”  Ephesians 2:19-22.

 

We rejoice in the “precious value” of Christ, and that we have become A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION”.  “This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, ”THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,” and, ”A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”;  for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.  But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;  for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”  1 Peter 2:7-10.

Today’s devotion covers Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 5 as found in the Daily Confession web site

Click here: Daily Confession

 

Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 5

January 31, 2010

5. Lord’s Day

Q. 12. Since then, by the righteous judgment of God, we deserve temporal and eternal punishment, is there no way by which we may escape that punishment, and be again received into favour?
A. God will have his justice satisfied: [a] and therefore we must make this full satisfaction, either by ourselves, or by another. [b]

Q. 13. Can we ourselves then make this satisfaction?
A. By no means; but on the contrary we daily increase our debt. [a]

Q. 14. Can there be found anywhere, one, who is a mere creature, able to satisfy for us?
A. None; for, first, God will not punish any other creature for the sin which man has committed; [a] and further, no mere creature can sustain the burden of God’s eternal wrath against sin, so as to deliver others from it. [b]

Q. 15. What sort of a mediator and deliverer then must we seek for?
A. For one who is very man, and perfectly [a] righteous; [b] and yet more powerful than all creatures; that is, one who is also very God. [c]

It is a terrifying thing to be reminded of our sin and God’s judgment.  This morning as I was considering my sin, and turning the pages of my Bible to go to the specific Scripture text planned for today, just a glance at the bold title word of “Judgment” was enough to shock me. 

But, God is so gracious.  As I read the text planned for today, I was not inspired by anything in it, and so I turned to the Daily Confession web site to determine whether or not I find inspiration there about anything for which to write today’s devotion.

Here, again, I was reminded of the righteous judgment of God.  But, the hope of deliverance was included. 

Generally, Proverbs 18:10 tells us:  “The name of the LORD is a strong tower;  The righteous runs into it and is safe.”  Whenever the righteous sense danger, they seek the LORD.

The danger may come from our own sin.  We feel guilty.  We may temporarily try to hide like Adam or flee like Jonah.  We may think we have escaped, but the God has us always in His control.  “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long.  For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;  My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.”  Psalm 32:3-4.

There may be this delay, but the righteous eventually turn to the LORD and acknowledge and confess their sin to God and seek His forgiveness.  “I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide;  I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”;  And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.”  Psalm 32:5. 

Not only is God merciful and forgive us our sin, God cleanses us from all unrighteousness.  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  1 John 1:9

But, how does God forgive sin?  Does God just forget about it?

We now need to go back to Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 5.  No!  God does not just forget about our sin!!!  “God will have his justice satisfied: and therefore we must make this full satisfaction, either by ourselves, or by another.” (Answer 12). 

“Can we ourselves then make this satisfaction?
A. By no means; but on the contrary we daily increase our debt.”  (Question and Answer 13)  

“Can there be found anywhere, one, who is a mere creature, able to satisfy for us?
A. None; for, first, God will not punish any other creature for the sin which man has committed;  and further, no mere creature can sustain the burden of God’s eternal wrath against sin, so as to deliver others from it.  (Question and Answer 14) 

“What sort of a mediator and deliverer then must we seek for?
A. For one who is very man, and perfectly righteous;  and yet more powerful than all creatures; that is, one who is also very God.”  (Question and Answer 15)

We know from Scripture that mediator and deliverer is our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.  “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”  1 Timothy 2:5

Is Christ, our mediator, able to deliver us? 

Yes!!!  Hebrews 9:14-16 states:  ”how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?  For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”

Today’s devotion covers Mark 11:20-26.  We will focus on verses 23 and 24. 

 

^“Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.  “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”  Mark 11:23-24.  (Emphasis added.) 

 

How can we more effectively believe?  Here are 4 simple steps.  You may think of some more steps.  We need all the help we can get.

 

First, as simple as it may be, we need to better understand God.  Martin Luther at one time said, “I lost touch with Christ the Savior and Comforter, and made of him the jailor and hangman of my poor soul.”  If we think of God as our jailor and hangman, then it will be very difficult, if not impossible to believe that God will grant our pray requests for good things and comfort.  So, let us better understand and know God:  “but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.”  Jeremiah 9:24.

 

Second, we need to better understand God’s grace to His elect.  I think that we are sometimes so one-sided obsessed with arguing that God does not show any grace and favor to the non-elect that we neglect to adequately understand and believe God’s grace and favor to the elect.  Likewise, as I have previously written, sometimes we are so one-sided obsessed with arguing against “the prosperity gospel” that we neglect to adequately understand and believe God’s desire to give us prosperity.  If we think that God only wants to give us sufferings, afflictions, and adversity,  then it will be very difficult, if not impossible to believe that God will grant our pray requests for prosperity.  So, let us better understand and know God’s grace and favor to His elect children.  “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”  Matthew 7:11

 

Third, we need to better understand what God is currently doing in our lives and surroundings.  There are certainly times when we experience those sufferings, afflictions, and adversity.  God may be disciplining us.  God may be building our faith.  God may be preparing us so that we can later offer comfort to others.  In such situations, God will not likely grant our pray requests for luxuries.  But, in such situations, God will likely grant our requests for faith, wisdom, holiness, righteousness, strength to endure, comfort to others, and glory to God. 

 

Regarding our discipline, Hebrews 12:7-11 states:  “It is for discipline that you endure;  God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?  For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.  All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”  

 

Regarding building our faith, 1 Peter 1:6-8 states:  “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;” 

 

Regarding preparing us to comfort others, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 states:  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.  But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer;  and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.”

 

Fourth, we need to pray for help to more effectively believe.  “Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe;  help my unbelief.”  Mark 9:24  “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness;  for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;  and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”  Romans 8:26-27. 

 

In conclusion, we can more effectively believe if we better understand God, if we better understand God’s grace to His elect, and if we better understand what God is currently doing in our lives and surroundings.  We are called and commanded to be wise.  But, above all, we can more effectively believe if we pray for help to more effectively believe.