Refusing to Hear the Church

June 25, 2023 in Bible - NT - Matthew, Discipline, Meditations

Matthew 18:15–18 (NKJV)

15“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. 18Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

The Scriptures make plain that our love for God is directly connected to and demonstrated by the fruit in our lives (Luke 6:43-49). Love for God is not defined by our feelings but by God’s word: Jesus says that if we love Him, we will obey His commandments (Jn. 14:15; 15:10-17). Because our love for God is revealed in such visible fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-26), Jesus instructs us in our text today how we are to respond when a brother fails to bear such fruit and sins against us.

Last week, we studied this passage in company with 1 Corinthians 5. We saw that following private attempts to confirm that our brother really has sinned and that he refuses to repent, the church is to come alongside this brother publicly and correct him. When the church acts in this way, then the brother is summoned “to hear the church” – to take ownership for his sin, make concrete changes in his attitude and actions, and submit to his brethren in the Lord. This is our calling as disciples of Christ.

However, if he refuses “even to hear the church”, then Jesus instructs us, “let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector” (Mt 18:17). Jesus insists that we are no longer to treat him as an erring brother in need of correction but as an unbeliever in need of the saving grace of God in Christ. This action is a mercy to him for it endeavors to speak God’s own word to the man, warning him that a refusal to humble oneself now will only incur God’s judgment later. After all, Jesus’ command is accompanied by the sober promise that heaven itself will concur in the sentence of excommunication: “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven” (Mt 18:18).

As elders it is our duty to apply Jesus’ words to a member of our church, ——. Last year, we told the church that —— had filed for divorce from her husband and was refusing to seek the counsel of her elders both here at Trinity Church and at ————. We urged her to seek our counsel so that we could assist in the reconciliation of this marriage. We recognize that marriage problems are chiefly the responsibility of the husband to repair and assured her that we would not condone any sin on ——’s part. Despite our assurance, admonition, and then Suspension from the Lord’s Table, —— has refused to listen to the elders. She absented herself from worship both here and at ————. Just last week she finalized the divorce proceedings.

Since —— has refused “to hear the church”, our obligation is to put her out of the church. Therefore, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we, the elders of Trinity Church, hereby excommunicate —— from the church of Jesus Christ and hand her over to Satan, praying that God may yet have mercy on her and restore her to the true faith, that her soul may be saved in the Last Day (1 Cor 5:4-5).

As we do so, we would deliver to you two exhortations. First, remember prayer. As you think of ——, please pray that the Lord would humble her, expose her sin, and bring her back to a true faith in Christ. As you think of her family who remain in the church, please pray that God would empower them, by His grace, to continue to serve the Lord in humility, to honor —— as a mother and fellow image bearer, and to be faithful witnesses to her that they might be a means of touching her heart with the Gospel. Remember prayer.

Second, remember humility. Apart from the grace of God, we none of us would humble ourselves before Him. Our hearts are deceitful, our thoughts are vain, and our consciences are darkened. We all of us stand in constant need of God’s grace and mercy. So if you meet or interact with ——, be gracious, be kind, be loving, express your desire for her restoration, and your commitment to the well-being of both her and her family. Remember that Jesus regularly ministered to tax collectors and sinners, bringing them the truth of the Gospel in the hope that they would repent and turn in faith to Him. —— needs the Gospel. But hear the Word of the Lord: so do you. So beware the lies of the devil, the lusts of your own heart, and the snares of the world. Remember humility.

And so reminded this morning of our call to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, let us kneel and acknowledge our sin to Him, praying for His mercy and grace. And, as you are able, let us kneel as we confess our sins together.

Thankfulness & Contentment

June 18, 2023 in Bible - NT - Philippians, Meditations, Thankfulness

Philippians 4:10–13 (NKJV) 

10But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. 11Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 

There is an ancient Roman proverb, “Who is it that has the most? Is it not he who desires the least?” The proverb reminds us that our contentment and happiness are often shaped by our expectations. We imagine that we need more, deserve more, are entitled to more and so we are not content with what we already have. We set our expectations so high that they are never met and so we are never content. And our discontent reveals itself in a lack of thankfulness to others and to God. For thankfulness is an expression of contentment—an expression that the expectations we have set have been fulfilled or even exceeded.

These expectations come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Sometimes they focus on our circumstances – if I only had more money; a nicer car; a newer phone; a bigger house; a larger budget. Sometimes they focus on our relationships – if only I were married; had more friends; had a smaller family or a larger one. We can set unreasonable expectations upon our spouses, our employers and employees, our children, our friends—and so we never thank them for the meal on the table, for the folded towels in the closet, for the daily labor at the office, for the opportunity to work, for the work performed, or for the frequent sacrifices made on our behalf. “It’s his or her job to do all those things,” we say to ourselves, and so we never express thankfulness—never look at others with a twinkle in our eye and a full heart and say, “Thank you.” Our expectations are set so high that no one could ever possibly meet them. Consequently, no circumstances however favorable could contrive to make us content.

Webster defines “contentment” as, “Rest or quietness of the mind in the present condition; satisfaction which holds the mind in peace, restraining complaint, opposition, or further desire, and often implying a moderate [fitting] degree of happiness.” We see in our text today that Paul’s sense of contentment was not dependent on his circumstances – he had “learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need” (12). Rather, his contentment was grounded in the empowering grace of Christ, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (13). Therefore, in whatever state we are, whether rich or poor, whether slave or free, whether male or female, whether full or hungry, we too can learn to be content. But note that word, “learn”. Paul learned contentment – this was not something that came naturally to him but that he learned through meditation on God’s promises and walking with God throughout his life. 

Paul learned that what is most important in life is not our circumstances but the God who has given these circumstances to us. Let us ask ourselves, when tempted to be discontent and unthankful, “Is God sovereign? Is God in control of every event in our lives both good and bad? Has God orchestrated our circumstances as He sees fit? Has God promised in Christ to sustain me in the midst of every circumstance?” Clearly the answers to these questions are, “Yes!” And since this is the case, and since the God we serve is the same God of love who has revealed Himself in Christ, ought we not to trust Him? To rest in His good providence and be overflowing with gratitude? True contentment comes not by having high expectations or perfect circumstances but by trusting the goodness of our Heavenly Father.

So what of you? Are you content? Are you trusting in the Providence of your Heavenly Father? Or is your contentment dependent on your circumstances? Reminded of our failure to trust the Lord in any and every circumstance and our failure to be thankful, let us kneel as we are able and confess our sins in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

God’s Sovereign Control

June 18, 2023 in Bible - OT - 1 Kings, Meditations

1 Kings 22:34–35 (NKJV) 

34Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” 35The battle increased that day; and the king was propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out from the wound onto the floor of the chariot. 

Periodically, certain events remind us of God’s sovereign control and providential ordering of all things; that there really are no such things as minor decisions or chance events. After all, the decisions that we make upstream inevitably affect what happens downstream.

Some years ago, a tragic accident occurred in the lives of two North Idaho residents, father and daughter, who were riding their motorcycle back from Glacier National Park. While they were driving along Highway 41, a tree fell on their motorcycle and killed them both. Imagine for a moment the slew of so-called “minor” decisions which paved the way for that tragic event – the amount of time spent in the bathroom at the convenience store, the stop to take a picture of the waterfall, the loss of 5 miles per hour while looking at the mountain goat, the acceleration around the car that was going so slow. Any one of those decisions, made differently, would have altered the outcome of the day – and so all those relatively minor decisions proved, in retrospect, to have been incredibly important.

The text before us today reminds us of the same reality. God had warned King Ahab through the prophet Micaiah that if he went out to battle against the Syrians, God would slay him. Endeavoring to foil God’s decree and still accomplish his personal goals, Ahab decided to disguise himself as a common soldier while dressing another as himself. But though the Syrians were fooled by Ahab’s disguise, God was not. And the Scripture uses particularly ironic phraseology to describe God’s sovereign control of this event. “A certain man drew his bow at random” and the arrow just happened to hit Ahab between the creases of his armor so that he died. God’s purpose stood fast; God controls even the so-called “random” events of history.

I draw this to your attention in order to address a nefarious view of God’s sovereignty that is widely embraced in the church today. This view declares that, while God predestines the “major” events in history, He doesn’t ordain the “minor”, day to day events. Why is this such a big deal? Because God’s sovereignty over all events is the basis of our comfort and encouragement amid trials and difficulties. Jesus teaches:

29Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29–31) 

If we imagine that certain events come upon us by chance, then we can have no confidence that our Father has crafted each one for our growth in grace. A so-called “minor” trial may just be the one to overthrow our faith and destroy the life that is within us. However, if we know that these events, though seemingly insignificant in light of the major issues of world history, have nevertheless been ordained and decreed by God for our personal growth in grace, then we can face our trials with strength and determination – for He Himself has promised that He will orchestrate all things for our good and for His glory.

And so, how are you doing in the trials that have come your way? Do you view them as gifts from the hand of your Heavenly Father, orchestrated for your ultimate good? For if you do, then you will be able to count it all joy when you encounter various trials knowing that He has crafted them just for you. But if you view your trials as random accidents in a purposeless universe, then you will no doubt respond to them with anxiety and despair. So what does your response to trials reveal about what you really believe about God’s sovereignty? You may call yourself Reformed, or even a “Calvinist”, but are you really? The proof is in the joy in the face of trial, difficulty, and even opposition.

And so, reminded that God is in control of all things and that we ought, therefore, to give thanks always for all things, let us kneel and confess to our Lord that we grumble and act as though the events of our lives were not in His hand.

The Work of Ministry

June 11, 2023 in Bible - NT - Ephesians, Ecclesiology, Meditations

Ephesians 4:11–13 (NKJV) 

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 

Today is one of incredible significance for the life of our congregation. Not only is this our last Sunday in this temporary facility at the Red Lion, it is also our last Sunday worshiping in company with those who will be planting King’s Church in the valley. Later in the service we will have opportunity to commission those folks for that ministry. At this point, I want to remind all of us how to think about our call to ministry.

Paul reminds us in our text today that the risen Christ has given officers to the Church in order that all the saints might be equipped “for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…” Thus, the officers do not do all the ministry but equip the saints to do it. Elders minister to the saints in word and prayer so that we all come “to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (4:13) lest we “be carried about by every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men” (4:14). And deacons minister to the saints in deed and service so that we all might learn to meet the physical needs of our brethren, “according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (4:16). Elders and deacons together work to equip the body for ministry.

So as some of us prepare to return to our church home and minister there and as others set out upon a new ministry in the valley, Paul reminds all of us that every part is to do its share. We are not to conceive of the ministry of the church as “their” task but as “our” task which we complete together. We all of us have a task to perform, a service to render, a word of encouragement to speak for the edifying of the body of Christ. The love of God that has been poured out in your heart through the Holy Spirit who has been given to you, is training you to look outward to others that you might build up the body. He has done this that you might take up Christ’s call of discipleship. Christ Himself did not consider His own interests, but sacrificed His personal comforts for the salvation of His people. He calls us to do likewise.

So what of you? Are you looking for opportunities to serve and when you see them or hear of them, jumping at the opportunity? After all, how do we build up the body as a whole? We do so by ministering to some member of the body in particular. We cook a meal, clean a home, watch a child, lead in prayer, gather another for prayer, or even pray by ourselves at home; we read the Bible or a book with a brother, hold a brother accountable to pursue sexual purity, serve a neighbor together; we look for ways to serve specific saints so that the whole body may be built up in love. There is no 80/20 rule in the kingdom, where 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. No. We all labor together to fulfill the one another’s of Scripture. 

In this vein, as we return to our building, the elders have asked the deacons to speak to all various households in the church to develop a list of folks to do setup and cleanup. Rather than remind us all of this need generally, we have asked them to speak to each household individually and develop a list of those willing to help once or twice a year. We would encourage you, unless you have some extenuating circumstance, to participate in this opportunity to serve; don’t do it because it’s an obligation; do it because it’s an opportunity to build up the body in love, to contribute to the effective working by which every part does its share.

So reminded that we are all called to the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, let us acknowledge that we often dwindle into self-centeredness and think only of what comforts us rather than what blesses the body. And as we confess our sin to the Lord, let us kneel as we are able. 

The Wise Son

May 14, 2023 in Bible - OT - Proverbs, Meditations, Wisdom

Proverbs 13:1 (NKJV) 

1A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. 

Paul writes in Romans 8:29 that God has predestined His people to be conformed to the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Proverbs assist us in that process, directing us in the way of wisdom and teaching us what it is to imitate our Lord’s character. Today we are instructed to heed our father’s instruction.

Solomon contrasts the wise son with the scoffer. The wise son heeds – listens to and follows – his father’s instruction – his commands, admonitions, and exhortations. A scoffer, however, does not listen to rebuke – he believes that he knows better than his father and so casts his father’s counsel aside.

So, children, especially teens, how are you doing? Are you a wise son, a wise daughter, or are you a scoffer? Does your heart incline to honor your father and so to heed his instruction? Not just to listen without interrupting while he speaks to you, but to listen attentively, striving to understand and appropriate the command or instruction that is being offered? Do you heed your father’s instruction? Do you say to yourself, “I want to be a wise man, a wise woman, and God tells me that the pathway to wisdom is listening to my father, so I want to listen.” Or do you scoff? Do you close your ears, roll your eyes? Oh, you may sit there and hear your father’s voice. But to you is sounds like, “Waw, waw, waw…” Or perhaps you cut your father short, “I know, I know, I don’t need to hear what you have to say.” If that describes you, then beware. “Judgments are prepared for scoffers, And beatings for the backs of fools” (Pr 19:29).

But the words today apply not only to children but to adults. For Paul writes to the Corinthians:

14I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. 15For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16Therefore I urge you, imitate me. (1 Cor 4:14–16) 

Paul was a father to the Corinthian congregation – and pastors and elders serve in a similar role. So do you give heed to the instruction of your spiritual fathers? Are you listening now? Or are my words just thrumming in your head while you are thinking about all those projects at home or that movie you watched this week or that problem at work? Are you heeding instruction or are you rejecting rebuke? If you’re doing the latter, then it’s no wonder your children are imitating you.

Finally, if you are in Christ, then you are a son and God is your Heavenly Father. So are you giving heed to His instruction? Do you devote yourself to reading His Word and praying that He would help you understand it? Do you incline Your heart to His ways, or do you harden your heart to rebuke? Do you cast His word aside like our first parents and like Israel, God’s disobedient son? Or are you a wise son?

Reminded that we are called to listen to our father’s instruction in order that we might be wise sons and daughters, let us confess that we are often scoffers instead, that we often fail to listen to rebuke. And as we confess our sin to the Lord, let us kneel as we are able.

The Good Life

May 7, 2023 in Bible - OT - Proverbs, Meditations

Proverbs 12:28 (NKJV) 

28In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no death. 

Paul writes in Romans 8:29 that God has predestined His people to be conformed to the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Proverbs assist us in that process, directing us in the way of wisdom and teaching us what it is to imitate our Lord’s character. Today we are instructed to walk in the way of righteousness.

What is the good life? And who has the capacity to define it? Is it a can of Michelob beer on a camping trip? Is it a good cigar? Is it fast cars and fast women? Massive biceps? A full head of hair? Smoking dope? The cheer of the crowd? What is the good life?

Among no class of men are these questions more urgently and ardently asked than among those who are young. Children and young adults are gifted by God with an appetite to have their questions answered, a desire to find and secure the good life. As they gaze out over the future, they want to know, “What will bring me joy and pleasure in the course of my life? What is the pathway to life?”

Unfortunately, at no time in history have the brokers of the good life been more prolific and skilled in their marketing, leading generations of men and women in the way of death. Professing to be wise, we have become fools, exchanging the glory of God for idols made in the likeness of men. Hence, though we go on one craze after another, we finite creatures are unable to identify what is genuinely good for us. How do we know, infallibly, that some trend we have jumped on today will bring joy and happiness tomorrow? As Solomon reminds us elsewhere,“There is a way which seems right to a man, but in the end it is the way of death.” We are not omniscient and so we are unable, as humans, to identify the good life. 

The most that we can identify on our own is what brings momentary happiness or pleasure. But we can never be sure that these momentary pleasures won’t bring devastating consequences in the future. One thinks of the radical reversal that has come in the last century over smoking cigarretes. Once admired as the mark of the debutant, the rich and famous, the discovery of its ill effects has relegated it to the down and out. So how do you know that that microwave popcorn you’ve been sneaking after the kids go to bed won’t prove your undoing? 

Do we then have no hope in the world? Must we live our lives in constant uncertainty, blown about by every scheme for the good life? Are you youth unable to answer the questions which you most hunger to know? Are we left without a sure foundation? May it never be! For God has defined the good life for us: “In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.” And because our Lord is omniscient, He knows all the end roads, all the results of various actions. He knows that homosexuality is destructive; knows that sexual immorality saps one of character and strength; knows that life is more than the multitude of one’s possessions; knows that humans can have no greater pleasure than when we find our satisfaction in Him. And the glorious thing is that He has revealed all of this to us in His Word. We can know what the good life is – for the Creator of all has revealed it to us and makes life understandable and meaningful as a result.

Despite the clarity of God’s revelation, however, we often spurn His revelation. Attempting to run our lives on our own sense of what is good and right, we find ourselves repeating the sin of our First Mother who, judging for herself, saw that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was pleasant to the eyes and desireable to make one wise. She spurned God’s Word in favor of her own judgment. So what of you? Are you walking in the way of righteousness and reveling in the abundant life that Jesus gives? Or are you walking in your own way and careening toward death or perhaps tasting it even now?

Reminded of our failure to walk in the way of righteousness and our tendency to trust in our own wisdom and wit rather than God’s Word, let us confess our sins together. And as we confess, let us kneel before the Lord.

The Strong City of Wealth

April 30, 2023 in Bible - OT - Proverbs, Meditations

Proverbs 10:15 (NKJV)

15 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city; The destruction of the poor is their poverty.

In the text before us today, Solomon highlights the blessing of wealth and the danger of poverty. On the one hand, we have the blessing of wealth. The rich man’s wealth is his strong city… In the ancient world, a strong city was a place of refuge and protection from the ravages of war. Walled cities, or strong cities as Solomon calls them, were havens of security in an insecure world. Like the walls of these strong cities is the wealth of the rich man. His wealth enables him to hide himself, his family, and his friends in times of hardship or difficulty. His wealth is a source of security and protection. It is a blessing from God.

On the other hand, we have the danger of poverty. The destruction of the poor is their poverty. Whereas marauders, thieves, and foreign armies often left strong cities alone, they frequently laid waste small villages and unwalled cities, plundering property, slaying the populace, and devastating the surrounding countryside. These unwalled cities were constantly exposed to danger and oppression. Likewise, the poor man. When hardship arrives, the poor man has no resources to protect himself or his family. His poverty is his destruction.

Solomon’s words remind us, first, of the blessings of material wealth. Living hand to mouth is sometimes necessary but rarely wise. It is always better to save for a rainy day and to build one’s wealth so that in times of hardship you have a strong city to which you can flee. In Scripture, it is commendable to acquire wealth. While it is sinful to have a lust for wealth, or to use your wealth to promote wickedness, or to steal from others to gain wealth, it is not sinful to acquire wealth. The rich man’s wealth is his strong city… and is, therefore, a blessing from God.

Solomon’s words also remind us, second, of the blessings of spiritual wealth. It is the man or woman who knows the character and promises of God who will be able to endure times of hardship and suffering in faith. And this type of wealth, spiritual wealth, is a wealth that any child of God can acquire whether he be materially rich or poor. So Paul writes of the rich: “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they may be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Tim 6:17-19). And James writes of the poor, “Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” (2:5) Spiritual wealth is a strong city which any child of God may acquire by the grace of God.

So what of you? On the one hand, are you endeavoring to store up material wealth in order that you may have a strong city in times of trouble? Are you avoiding debt and endeavoring to save or are you perpetually living hand to mouth? On the other hand, are you endeavoring to store up spiritual wealth? Are you growing in your knowledge of God’s character and promises so that you may be able to weather the tribulations that will come your way in this life? Remember the words of Solomon: “The rich man’s wealth is his strong city; The destruction of the poor is their poverty.”

Reminded of our calling to think of tomorrow and to store up wealth for times of trouble, let us acknowledge that we often fail to do so. And as we confess, let us kneel before the Lord.

Death, Our Conquered Foe

April 16, 2023 in Meditations, Resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:51–57 

51Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We are in Eastertide, the period when the Church has historically continued to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection is too momentous an event to celebrate only one Sunday – for it is Jesus’ resurrection that eliminates for us the fear of death and assures us that the bodies of all those who believe in Him shall likewise be raised from their graves.

And it is this theme upon which Paul dwells in our text today. This corruptible body must pass through the furnace of death and be raised incorruptible; this mortal body must pass through the furnace of death and be raised immortal. And when this has happened, when at the Last Day Christ has returned in glory and raised all those who believe in Him from their graves, when He has transformed our lowly bodies into the likeness of His glorious body – righteous, incorruptible, and immortal – then shall come to pass the promise of Scripture, “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

In other words, brothers and sisters, we have immense hope. Death is not the final word. As horrible as death is, as devastating as it is, death is a conquered foe. Jesus rose from the dead; Jesus dealt death a death blow. We now live in sure and certain hope of the resurrection of the dead. Therefore, because Christ has risen, we can have immense confidence in the face of death itself and in the face of all death’s minions – sickness, pain, torture, persecution, hardship, trial. None of these things have the last word – the last word belongs to Jesus and to life. And this is what Psalm 27:13 articulates. “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.” Or as Paul writes in our text today, “Oh death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory? Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

So how are we to treat death? With contempt. As John Donne would teach us to say, “Death, be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, for, thou art not so…” Why? Because Christ is risen and has broken death’s power. Even as Christ rose from the dead, we too shall rise. This corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality. So what should characterize our lives? Fearless and unshrinking zeal to maintain the truth of God against all opposition – whether from our own flesh or from the world or from the devil himself. Congregation of the Lord, Christ is Risen!

So reminded of the power of Christ’s resurrection but no doubt reminded also that we frequently are fearful and shrinking rather than fearless and hopeful, let us confess our lack of faith to the Lord and petition Him for renewed boldness. And, as you are able, let us kneel together as we confess our sin.

Palm Sunday

April 2, 2023 in Church Calendar, Meditations

Revelation 7:9–12 (NKJV) 

9After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” 

Today is Palm Sunday, the day on which our Lord Jesus entered into Jerusalem and was acclaimed the long-awaited Messiah by the people of Israel. To celebrate Jesus’ entrance into the city, they gathered the branches of palms, laid some upon the road and waved others in the air, rejoicing in His arrival. In Christian history, we have called this event Jesus’ Triumphal Entry and celebrated it on Psalm Sunday.

In Revelation 7, John recounts a vision of peoples praising God with the waving of palm branches. John beholds an immense multitude standing before the throne of God and before the Lamb of God. They are clothed in white robes which point to the forgiveness of sins through the shed blood of Jesus (cf. 7:14). And in their hands are palm branches. So why palms? Why have we distributed palms in worship today so that your children can disturb you with them during the service?

The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery notes that throughout the OT, “the palm tree was associated with the oasis, a place of fertility in the midst of the wilderness. It provided food in the form of the date, and its sap could be used as a sweetener or for making wine… the palm frequently connoted fertility and blessing” (622). Consequently, the palm tree made its way into the construction of the temple. Palms were carved into the walls and doors of Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 6:29, 32, 36). And later, in Ezekiel’s vision of God’s renewed temple, he describes the palms that decorated each of the gateways and gateposts of the temple. The use of palms was God’s way of likening the temple to a fruitful garden, like the Garden of Eden, a place where His blessing dwells. 

As we continue reading the OT, however, it is evident that the palms in the Temple were meant to point God’s people to their own calling and identity as well. For the righteous, Psalm 1 tells us, are like trees planted by streams of living water. And Psalm 92 promises, “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God” (Ps 92:12-13). God’s people are meant to be fertile in good works and a source of blessing to the world. The Church is called to be an oasis in a dry land, a place of fertility in the midst of the wilderness.

So when John beholds the disciples of Christ, clothed in white robes and carrying branches of palm in their hands, it is this vision of fruitfulness, delight, and blessing that he wishes to communicate to us. We are palm trees adorning the temple of the Living God. So the righteous cry out, while waving their palms, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And the angels join in the praise, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Then the angels explain the significance of the palms with these words, “They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters [in other words, He will lead them to oases where palm trees grow]. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev 7:16-17). Our gracious Lord Jesus Christ who entered intoJerusalem today is the water of life who gives life to His people that we might be conduits of life and blessing to the world.

So as we enter into worship this Palm Sunday, waving our branches of palm, let us rejoice that our Lord Jesus has given Himself for us, He has shed His blood that we might stand before our God clothed in garments of white and that we might be fruitful palm trees, reflecting the fruitfulness of our God. The only way that we can be here in such joy is by confessing our sin, our need for the cleansing blood of Christ, and our need for His empowering grace. So let us confess our sins to the Lord and rejoice in His goodness. And let us kneel as we are able.