Worship as a Means of Grace (Part 2)
December 20, 2023 at 11:24 am | Posted in Means of Grace | 3 CommentsTags: Biblical worship, Christian worship, commentary on Exodus, Exodus 20, Exodus 32, Exodus 34, First Commandment, Second Commandment, Sunday School lessons on Exodus
2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Exodus 20:2-3
Worshiping God involves worshiping Him in spirit, recognizing that He is not physically limited by time or space. We must not act as though He is available to be worshiped only at appointed times or locations. Our worship must not be hypocritical, merely outward. We must worship Him with our spirits, and we must worship Him in truth, not faking it. Worshiping in truth also means worshiping the true God.
In Exodus 20:2 He identifies Himself as the true God. Exodus 20:3 is the First Commandment. “Before Me” means “in My presence,” which, for the omnipresent God, is everywhere all the time. This is the Second Commandment:
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Exodus 20:4-5
The First Commandment is about worship. The Second Commandment is about worship and service. He is the true God; we must not act like there’s another one. And don’t try to make anything that looks like a god. In the incident with the golden calf the people broke both of these commandments.
17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. 18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.
Exodus 32:17-18
This was “true worship” from a worldly point of view. There was: excitement; sacrifice; unity; enthusiasm; purpose; planning; commitment. It was “true worship,” but it was not worship in truth. It was syncretism and rationalization. It was not acceptable to God in any way, shape, or form.
Not all graven images are graven with tools like chisels. Graven image worship also involves engraving a false god in our minds, and giving it attributes that God doesn’t really have OR deleting one that He does have.
5 And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. 8 And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.
Exodus 34:5-8
Recognizing the revelations of God’s true attributes, Moses worshiped. One of those attributes is His jealousy, which we will look at next time.
Christian Service as a Means of Grace (Part 1)
December 18, 2023 at 3:37 pm | Posted in Means of Grace | 3 CommentsTags: Biblical bondage, Christian service, commentary on Exodus, Exodus 4, Joshua 24, Luke 17, Means of Grace, serving God, Sunday School lessons on Exodus
The principles of Christian service are closely related to the principles of Christian worship, but not exactly the same.
21 And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. 22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: 23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.
Exodus 4:21-23
The Lord heard the cries of the children of Israel because they were in bondage, and He was concerned about delivering them, but not merely because of the fact of the bondage itself. They had been serving and they were still going to be serving after He delivered them, but they had been serving the wrong master. Pharaoh’s greatest sin wasn’t having slaves, nor even forcing them to work, nor even cruelly making them work for little or no pay. No, his greatest sin was mismanaging God’s property, and failing to acknowledge that he was a servant himself. As undisputed ruler of all Egypt, Pharaoh was a glorified servant, yes, but still just a middle manager. The next several chapters of Exodus stress this language. God’s people were going to come OUT OF Egypt for the purpose of SERVING not only THEIR true God, but THE one and only true God.
Serving God is not how we earn or deserve or make a meritorious claim on God’s grace. Christian service is service to Him, but it is a means of grace for us. We were made to serve Him, and failing to serve Him is an attempt to rob Him of glory and give it to someone else or ourselves.
13 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat. 14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
Joshua 24:13-14 (emphasis added)
We must worship Him in spirit and in truth; we must serve Him in sincerity and in truth. Our service must be from the heart (“not with eyeservice, as menpleasers”) and must be service TO the right God. We are going to serve – the question for us as we seek to utilize God’s means of grace to grow and make progress in our sanctification is WHO we will serve.
As we are commanded by God to serve others, especially our spouses and loved ones and church family, what will help us make sure that this service is really a form of serving God?
5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. 6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. 7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? 8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? 9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. 10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
Luke 17:5-10
The first thing that will help us in our attitude about service is to remember that God does not NEED our service, which we can continue to look at next time.
Worship as a Means of Grace (Part 3)
December 14, 2023 at 11:05 am | Posted in Means of Grace | 2 CommentsTags: Biblical worship, Christian worship, commentary on Exodus, Exodus 20, Exodus 34, Job 1, Psalm 29, Psalm 95, Sunday School lessons on Exodus
For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
Exodus 34:14
18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
Exodus 20:18-19
Worshiping God in truth means presenting ourselves before the truth of God: all that He is and all that He commands us to do.
And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
Exodus 20:20
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
Psalm 29:2
Worshiping God in truth means giving Him the highest honor and glory. Worshiping Him in spirit means adorning our outward acts of worship with holiness.
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
Psalm 95:6
Worship in spirit involves submitting to Him. Worship in truth means acknowledging Him as our Creator.
20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
Job 1:20-21
Worship in spirit involves acknowledging God in the worst circumstances. Worship in truth involves recognizing that God is ultimately orchestrating these circumstances.
Worship as a Means of Grace (Part 1)
December 7, 2023 at 3:22 pm | Posted in Means of Grace | 5 CommentsTags: Biblical worship, false worship, hypocrisy, hypocritical worship, Isaiah 29, John 4, Matthew 15, Means of Grace, spirit and truth
Previously I have looked two other means of grace:
Bible study: The Bible is not merely a sacred book nor a compilation of ancient wisdom nor guidelines for a successful life. Studying the Bible properly is the receiving and believing of the VERY WORDS OF GOD.
Prayer: Prayer is not merely a recitation of affirmations nor a spiritual wish list nor a time of soul-searching. It is SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO THE ALMIGHTY GOD.
Worship is not merely singing in church nor giving credit to God when you feel blessed nor performing a list of spiritual duties. It is acknowledging the glory of the only true and specific God in our affections, attitude, will, obedience, expressions, and daily lives and actions.
Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
John 4:20
Jesus was speaking to the so-called “woman at the well,” who was a Samaritan woman. The Samaritans had attempted to combine the worship of Yahweh with Assyrian pagan worship, and they worshiped on Mount Gerizim rather than at Jerusalem. In one sense, this was a distraction tactic – an attempt to the change the subject – by the woman, who was feeling the conviction of Jesus’s evangelistic comments. But Jesus did not ignore her remark (of course, He did not let the conversation get sidetracked either).
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
John 4:21
Jesus drew a distinction between Old Testament formal worship, which was prescribed to be done at certain locations and with certain ceremonies, and true spiritual worship, indicating that the old was about to be replaced with the commencement of the New Testament. The Kingdom of Christ and its truer and freer worship was now being put into effect.
Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
John 4:22
He did correct her on which religion was the true religion, though: Jewish, rather than Samaritan syncretism.
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
John 4:23 (emphasis added)
Those are the two facets of worship on which I want to focus as means of grace. They are stated by Jesus with an allusion to God’s immateriality (incorporeality). He is immaterial in a technical, not a figurative, sense. In other words, He is not immaterial in the sense that He doesn’t matter, but in the sense that He does not have a physical body (except in the person of Jesus and His hypostatic union).
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 4:24
This is how God desires to be worshiped and how He commands us to worship Him: in spirit and in truth.
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Matthew 15:7-8
Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees. One of their main problems was their legalism, but, more than that, their hypocrisy. He used a quote from Isaiah 29. Worshiping “not in truth” is hypocritical worship. This involves making an outward show of worshiping God, but not doing it from the heart, or ostensibly worshiping publicly or in front of others, but not being consistent so that the resulting outgrowth of worship occurs in private.
Hypocritical worship had been a besetting problem for God’s people throughout their history. One of the symptoms and sources of sin is pride, and pride often manifests itself in hypocrisy. Human pride denies that truth that God alone deserves the highest honor and glory, a principle that I will develop more in part 2.
Bible Study as a Means of Grace (Part 2)
November 9, 2023 at 4:32 pm | Posted in Means of Grace | 5 CommentsTags: Acts 17, Acts 6, Bible study, commentary on Psalms, Means of Grace, Psalm 119, Romans 12, Sunday School lessons on Psalms
The Holy Scriptures are sufficient, inspired, infallible, and inerrant. Another attribute of God’s Word is its perspicuity. Does this mean we can call it perspicuous? Perspicacious? I’m not sure what the correct adjective would be, but what it means is that the principles and precepts in the Bible can be understood by believers. Its essential truths and fundamental messages are clear to anyone who will read them honestly.
The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Psalm 119:30 (emphasis added)
Scripture is profitable for doctrine: instruction and teaching concerning what is right. It is profitable for reproof: conviction or testing by evidence concerning what is wrong. It is profitable for correction: showing us how to change from wrong to right, and from fallen to upright, and from crooked or perverse to straight. The Bible “straightens us out.” It is profitable for instruction: ongoing nurturing and training, which includes chastening in love.
Here are some practical ideas from the Bible itself to apply to your Bible study habits:
1. Study the Bible in community.
10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Acts 17:10-11 (emphasis added)
2. Study the Bible daily (or at least regularly).
The Christians in Berea had an eagerness to hear the Word of God, and they did not trust a proclamation about it that could not be independently confirmed by reading and studying it, and specifically by reading and studying it in COMMUNITY.
3. Study the Bible by committing it to memory.
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 12 Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes. 13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.
Psalm 119:11-13
Bible study should be accompanied by prayer. Ask the Author of the Word to teach it to you.
4. Study the Bible with joy.
5. Study the Bible through meditation.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. 16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.
Psalm 119:14-16
In community we converse with others about the Bible. In meditation we converse with ourselves about it.
6. Study the Bible with wonder.
Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
Psalm 119:18
Have curiosity when studying the Word. Look for surprising and unexpected things in it. Ask the Lord to break the chains of your preconceptions.
7. Study the Bible as a priority.
I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.
Psalm 119:147
Study the Bible at the beginning of an enterprise and at the conclusion of an enterprise.
8. Study the Bible as a performance review.
Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.
Psalm 119:48
Meditate on the Word at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day, at the beginning of a project and at the end of a project.
9. Study the Bible intellectually.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2
Don’t underestimate the Holy Spirit’s ability and willingness to boost up your intelligence, understanding, and reading comprehension.
10. Study the Bible humbly.
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Romans 12:3
Try not to see yourself as the hero in every Bible story you read. Try to see yourself as the sinner in every Bible story.
11. Study the Bible cooperatively with other disciplines, such as prayer and ministry.
2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. 3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. 5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: 6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Acts 6:2-7
While studying the Bible, don’t just sit, soak, and sour. Instead, sit, soak, and serve.
Prayer as a Means of Grace
August 28, 2023 at 2:23 pm | Posted in Biblical prayer, Ephesians, Means of Grace | 8 CommentsTags: Biblical prayer, Ephesians 3, James 5, lessons on prayer, Matthew 6, Means of Grace, prayer, Psalm 86, public prayer, Romans 8
It is often assumed that prayer is lacking in the life of even otherwise faithful Christians. Of course, we don’t really know if this is true of not. However, it is often listed in surveys as the spiritual discipline that Christians struggle with most. Even Jesus’s closest disciples seemed to have some difficulty in comprehending it or in confidently practicing it, since Scripture records them asking Jesus, “Teach us to pray.”
The main point of the lesson on Bible study as a means of grace was a reminder that, when we read the Bible we are HEARING FROM GOD HIMSELF. We need to recover a sense of reverence and awe in order to grasp the importance of taking it seriously. Similarly, in prayer, we need to remember that we are not merely uttering words as a form of discipling ourselves. We are actually TALKING TO GOD. The awesome God who speaks to us in His Word is the same awesome God who hears us when we speak our heartfelt words to Him.
Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.
Psalm 86:1
The psalmist asked God to “recline” or “decline” or “condescend” to our level. This is a prayer asking God to hear our prayers, not because God is reluctant to do so, nor because He is too busy or too transcendent, but as a reminder to us not to take this for granted. Prayer is a privilege, not a right. It comes from us, in a sense, but, admitting that we are “poor and needy,” we recognize that the ability to do it is first and foremost a gift from Him.
2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. 3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.
Psalm 86:2-3
We need prayer, and we need it every day. We “cry” to God; prayer should not be dispassionate. Here are some principles to keep in mind as God uses prayer as a means of grace in our lives:
1. Humbly pray that God would make you humble.
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Matthew 6:5
Public prayer is good, assuming it is true prayer to the true God and not a make-believe show or a form of crass self-promotion. Keeping in mind that public prayer is good, though, also keep in mind that private prayer is better.
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 6:6
I don’t believe that you must literally go into a closest to pray, but finding a place where we won’t be distracted, and where we won’t be too self-conscious, seems necessary.
2. Simply pray that God would keep your prayers simple.
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Matthew 6:7
Public prayer requires a certain formality, but not an excessive formality.
Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Matthew 6:8
God never needs things “explained” to Him. You can safely assume that you and God are on the same page when it comes to what’s on your heart. God is not like a lawyer scouring your petitions for legal loopholes.
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Romans 8:26
If the efficacy of our prayers depended on us impressing God with our eloquence or even the precision of our language, we would have no hope of seeing them answered favorably.
3. Biblically pray for God to help you to pray Biblically.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
James 5:16-18
This is one of the many ways that Bible study goes hand in hand with prayer. We need to bring up to God specific examples of Scriptural promises or Bible stories in our prayers. God recorded these for us so we can know His character, and so that we can be encouraged, and so that we can learn from past examples of men and women who prayed the right way for the rights things with the right heart attitude.
4. Confidently pray that God would give you confidence in Him.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Ephesians 3:20
We need to pray, truly believing that God is sovereign over all. He is not limited by what we are able to comprehend or even imagine. We need to pray in faith, but not faith in our prayers. We need to pray with faith in the One Who hears our prayers, and we need to believe that He will glorify Himself in us for the sake of Jesus. Christian prayers are special prayers. We have special access to God, and He has a vested interest in us.
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Ephesians 3:21
5. Joyfully pray that God would help you find your joy in Him.
Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
Psalm 86:4
We should find joy in praying. However, we may not limit our prayers only to times when are joyful. Therefore, we need to pray for joy and pray that God would making praying a time of rejoicing for us. God will do a better job of giving us joy than introverted pep talks, self-help techniques, chemical substances (or food), or even mood-enhancing music. We must lift up our soul to God Himself – whatever emotional state it’s in – and say, “Here, Lord, transform it; make it happy about the right things. Make it grateful. Make it satisfied. Make it peaceful. Make it excited and vibrant. Make it compassionate but not fatalistic.
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
Philippians 1:3-5
Two practical things that will help your to pray joyfully:
a. Pray in fellowship with others, or at least a partner.
b. Start your prayers with gratitude and praise – thanksgiving and worship. Think of prayer itself as a place of unburdening and relief
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Joseph Scriven, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”
6. Pray with focus that God would cause you to focus on prayer.
Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
Psalm 86:11
Distraction is the enemy of focused and fervent prayer. God can help us to focus. Having a united heart is very important. The opposite of a united heart and a united mind is a divided heart and a divided mind (which sounds not coincidentally like idolatry).
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
James 1:5-8
The topic here is asking God for wisdom, but it would apply to any prayer. We are asking God to unite our hearts and makes us single-minded TO FEAR HIM – to recognize that all our prayers need to be focused on glorifying His name and seeing His will done. Whether the topic of the prayer is finances, health, relationships, even spiritual growth and maturity, we are to be directed by and for His purposes. We are not good shepherds of our own minds. They tend to wander all over the place. This can be helpful when when we want to be imaginative and creative, but not so great when we are seriously bringing our petitions and requests before the Lord. He will help you focus and have integrity (be whole).
7. Persist in praying for God to make you persistent in prayer.
Christian Service as a Means of Grace (Part 3)
August 11, 2023 at 4:04 pm | Posted in Means of Grace, Philippians | 1 CommentTags: 1 Corinthians 4, Christian servants, Deuteronomy 28, Galatians 5, Means of Grace, Philippians 2, Psalm 101, serving Christ, serving the Lord
Christian servants are unprofitable when it comes to increasing the worth or merit of our Lord and Master, but we must not be unproductive, for we shall be held accountable. Having a right view of our responsibility and privilege to serve, and of the blessings and the duties of service, let’s think about our attitudes in service.
1. Serve with joy
The first part of Deuteronomy 28 sets forth some of the blessings for KEEPING the Deuteronomic Covenant, and the second part sets forth some of the curses for BREAKING it.
47 Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; 48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
Deuteronomy 28:47-48
We see that service itself is not an option. Having a loving and kind master to serve is an amazing blessing, but serving under the yoke of a cruel and harsh taskmaster is a horrible situation.
a. Remembering that God’s blessings allow us to serve the right Master motivates us to serve with joy.
b. The more the Lord gives us, the more joyfully we serve.
The reward for faithful service is more service, but the reward is also more with which to serve and more-pleasant service.
c. Failing to serve joyfully could result in harsh service to unkind masters so that we may learn and know the difference.
Some children can be overly dramatic and put on a big show of fake crying when they don’t get their way. In response, some parents warn, “If you don’t stop crying, I’ll give you something to cry about!” God is not a petulant parent, but neither is He fooled by our murmurings, and He is never overly hesitant to chasten in love.
d. Serving with joy gives others the right idea about the kindness of God.
Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
Philippians 2:14
We don’t want to be guilty of a “fake it ’til you make it” mentality, but, even when we feel like murmuring and complaining, we must make the best of what we perceive to be a bad situation.
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Philippians 2:15
You will look very different from the rest of an ungrateful world if you do hard service with a pleasant attitude.
Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
Philippians 2:16
The fruit of your labor will eventually be seen, and your service is not wasted service, no matter how mundane or laborious it feels or seems in the present.
Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.
Philippians 2:17
e. Joy is meant to be shared with other believers.
For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.
Philippians 2:18
2. Serve faithfully
Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
Psalm 101:6
Having God’s eyes on you in a favorable way is a tremendous blessing. God is monitoring our service. He is looking out for – and LOOKING AFTER – faithful men and women who are walking in complete devotion to Him and in holiness. Furthermore, He is not only monitoring our actions, but He is also empowering us and helping us to serve. Have you ever looked at an opportunity to serve God and thought, “How am I going to do this?” The answer is: You’re not – God is going to do it through you. And if anybody thinks it was you, you should try to make sure they know it was really God.
1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
I Corinthians 4:1-2
Faithful service entails not only faithfulness with earthly things/possessions, but with Heavenly, spiritual things – chiefly the Gospel treasure. Our service is to protect the Gospel treasure, but also to sow it as seed, and to be investing it in lives continually. Faithfulness in service is not merely a talking point in a job interview. Especially with Christ, Who called us to this job before we even sought it, it is something which must be maintained and exercised over the course of the “job” (our service).
3. Serve in love
13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
Galatians 5:13-15
Serve cooperatively, not competitively.
Bible Study as a Means of Grace (Part 1)
June 20, 2023 at 10:24 am | Posted in II Timothy, Means of Grace | 5 CommentsTags: 2 Timothy 3, commentary on 2 Timothy, Means of Grace, Sunday School lessons on 2 Timothy, The Bible, the Scriptures
God’s grace, when it comes to eternal salvation, is supernatural. There is no explanation that we can see for how it enters our lives. Once we have received the gift of salvation by grace, though, then God sends grace to us in our spiritual disciplines, so that we can play an active part in cooperating with His grace as we grow in grace. One of the most obvious means of grace is Bible study.
As the Apostle Paul was on death row, facing execution by the Roman government, one of his last instructions to his protégé Timothy had to do with the importance of reading, learning, studying, applying, proclaiming, and living out God’s revealed Word in the Scriptures. In order for us to be effective in studying the Bible, we first need to have a clear understanding of what it really is. This is the context in which Paul addressed Timothy on this subject:
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
II Timothy 3:12
This is the reality for those who will faithfully follow Christ. It was true in Paul’s life, and it was true for Timothy and the early Church. It will be true for us too, at some level – and not only that, be it will get worse before it gets better.
But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
II Timothy 3:13
These are not good men who are simply mistaken. They are evil, they have an evil motive, and they are crafty and scheming (seductive). Their goal is to deceive others, just as they themselves are being deceived. They pretend that they attack the truth with lies, but in their minds they zealously think this is the right thing to do. How will Timothy – and how will you and I – spot false teaching? How will we know the truth from the lie?
A popular anecdote says that U.S. Treasury agents would spend hours examining genuine currency in order to be so familiar with it that that a counterfeit bill would be glaringly obvious. This would be used as an illustration of the way that Christians should know the Truth by studying the Word rather than experimenting with, and spending too much time, examining competing claims. I believe the anecdote has since been outed as an urban legend, of sorts, but the principle is still true.
But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
II Timothy 3:14
“[O]f whom thou has learned them” is a studied ambiguity. It would apply to: Lois, his grandmother; Eunice, his mother; Paul, his mentor; and God Himself, the Supreme Teacher, in the person of the Holy Spirit. The way Timothy would guard against deception would be by studiously and steadfastly continuing in the Truth. And where precisely would he find this Truth on which to constantly meditate?
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
II Timothy 3:15
He would find the Truth in the holy “Scriptures” – the graphe (“the writings,” from which we get the terms, autograph, biography, graphite) – meaning the Old Testament books of the Bible and the then-being-written books of the New Testament. You and I have the same access to these Scriptures, and they not only give us knowledge (which we must have), but application of that knowledge, which is wisdom.
Where does wisdom begin? The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God: a true and right reverent awe and respect that this Book is not like other books, and the words in it are not like other words. These words are “breathed out” (inspired) by God Himself.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Continued in Part 2.
The Deep End 
Christian Service as a Means of Grace (Part 2)
January 10, 2024 at 2:45 pm | Posted in Means of Grace | 4 CommentsTags: Christian service, commentary on Matthew, faithful servants, Matthew 25, Means of Grace, parable of the faithful and unfaithful servants, parable of the unfaithful servant, Sunday School lessons on Matthew, unprofitable
Even if we could manage to do everything God has commanded us to do, from His point of view, we would still add nothing of value to Him. So if we are ultimately unprofitable servants, why is it so important to serve? Or, asked a different way, what distinguishes a good servant from a bad servant?
Matthew 25:14-18
We live in the period of time between Verse 18 and Verse 19.
Matthew 25:19-23
The faithful servants entered into joy, and their joy was not retirement. It was more service. The unfaithful servant didn’t know who his lord was.
Matthew 25:24-28
The unfaithful servant made – in his mind – a lord he wanted to follow and be like. We don’t use our talents because our talents are worthy. We use them because the Lord is worthy. He is worthy to be served. He will judge the nations – by judging the individuals who make up the nations. This will include being judged for our attitudes, which we will look at in Part 3.