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Emmaus is a Reformed Baptist church in Hemet, California. We are a community of Christ followers who love God, love one another, and serve the church, community, and nations, for the glory of God and for our joy.
Our hope is that you will make Emmaus your home and that you will begin to grow with us as we study the scriptures and, through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, live in a way that honors our great King.
LORD'S DAY WORSHIP (SUNDAYS)
10:00am Corporate Worship
In the Emmaus Chapel at Cornerstone
26089 Girard St.
Hemet, CA 92544
EMMAUS ESSENTIALS
Sunday School For Adults
9:00am to 9:45am most Sundays (Schedule)
In the Chapel
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43430 E. Florida Ave. #F329
Hemet, CA 92544
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Learn MoreEmmaus Reformed Baptist Church is committed to the fullfilment of the Great Commision given by our Lord when he said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV), through the planting of local churches, both at home and abroad.
Aug 23
13
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AT HOME OR IN GOSPEL COMMUNITY GROUPS
The sermon manuscript is available at emmausrbc.org/category/sermons
Aug 23
13
Aug 23
13
Q. 94 How is the Word made effectual to salvation?
A. The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort, through faith unto salvation. (Ps. 119:11,18; 1 Thess. 1:6; 1 Peter 2:1,2; Rom. 1:16; Ps. 19:7)
“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me! How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word. Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” (Psalm 119:1–18, ESV)
Let us remember what we learned in the last catechism question before considering this one. In question 93 we learned that God often works through means. In other words, God often uses things to accomplish his purposes.
When it comes to distributing to us the benefits of the redemption that Christ has earned, he ordinarily works through four things: the Word of God, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer. These have been called “the ordinary means of grace.”
This does not mean that God cannot work in our lives in other ways. He certainly can! But God has determined to work through these things, ordinarily. He brings his elect to faith, strengthens them, and preserves them through these ordinary means of grace.
In the questions that follow, our catechism will teach us a lot more about these means of grace. We will learn a lot about how God works through the Word, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer. Today or focus is on the Word of God.
Again, the question: How is the Word made effectual to salvation? The answer begins like this: “The Spirit of God maketh… the Word an effectual means…”
This will be a constant theme as we consider these means of grace. How do they become effective? How do they get the job done in bringing sinners to repentance and faith, in sanctifying God’s children, and causing them to persevere? The Spirit of God makes these ordinary things effective.
You know this, don’t you, that many will hear the word of God proclaimed, but only some will believe it? What makes the difference? Is it the skill of the preacher? Is it the inherent goodness or lack thereof of the hearer? No, it is God who makes the difference. In particular, it is the Spirit of God who opens blind eyes and unstops deaf ears. The Spirit makes the Word an effective means of salvation. This is why Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44, ESV). And how does the Father draw sinners except by the working of his Holy Spirit at the word is preached?
So it is the Spirit working within the minds and hearts of men and women who makes these ordinary means of grace effective. And notice that our catechism teaches that the “Spirit makes reading, but especially the preaching of the Word an effectual means…”
I think it is right that our catechism mentions both the reading and the preaching of the word as a means of grace, while at the same time giving priority to the preached word.
You should read your Bibles, brothers and sisters. You are blessed to have copies of the Holy Scriptures translated in your native tongue and accessible in your homes. That is a great blessing. Read the Scriptures, friends. But do not forget that the vast majority of God’s people did not have this privilege.
How then were God’s people in times past (or in other places in the world today) fed with God’s word? Answer: They assembled together with God’s people to hear the Scriptures read and preached.
Pastors are given to the church by Christ, and one of their primary responsibilities is to read the Scriptures to the congregation. Paul wrote to Timothy, saying, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture…” (1 Timothy 4:13, ESV). I wonder, brothers and sisters, do you listen intently to the Scriptures when they are read? It is God’s word! We should listen intently!
But Pastors are also to preach the word. They are to proclaim it, teach it, and apply it to the congregation. Listen again to Paul’s words to Timothy: “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.” (1 Timothy 4:13, ESV). In another place, Paul says, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:1–4, ESV).
So the word of God is to be read aloud, and it is to be preached. “The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word an effectual means” unto salvation. Are you eager to hear the word preached, brothers and sisters?
Notice what the Spirit of God does within God’s elect through the word when it is read and preached.
“He convinces sinners…”
“He converts sinners…”
“He builds them up in holiness…”
He builds them up in comfort…”
All of this is received “through faith…”
And all of this is “unto salvation.”
Let me conclude with three points of application.
One, if we wish to see sinners come to faith and repentance, we must preach the word of God.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16, ESV)
Two, if we wish to grow in Christ, being built up in holiness and comfort, then we must listen to the word read and preached.
Three, if the word is to benefit us at all, then we must come to it in faith, which is itself the gift of God. Prepare your hearts to hear God’s word, friends. Pray that the Lord would increase your faith as you come to hear the word read and preached each Lord’s day.
Q. 94 How is the Word made effectual to salvation?
A. The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort, through faith unto salvation. (Ps. 119:11,18; 1 Thess. 1:6; 1 Peter 2:1,2; Rom. 1:16; Ps. 19:7)
Jul 23
23
“After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.’” (Joshua 1:1–9, ESV)
“On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’ And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.” (Luke 5:1–11, ESV)
Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
I do love the story of Luke 5:1-11. Clearly, it is about the calling of the first disciples of Jesus. Jesus called three common men – fishermen – to follow him as his special disciples. Simon, who is also called Peter, is highlighted in this story, but James and John, the sons of Zebedee, are also mentioned. And as you can see, Jesus called in them in a miraculous way. They had toiled all night and had caught nothing. Jesus commanded that they put out their nets once more. This, by the way, would have been a hassle. They had packed everything away and were ready to go home. But they obeyed Jesus’ command, and they pulled in an amazingly large number of fish. Clearly, Peter and his business partners considered the haul of fish to be miraculous, for it provoked Peter to fall down at Jesus’ feet and to say, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” In fact, the text says, “all who were with [Peter] were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken”, and this included James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus called Peter and his associates, saying “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And this call, coupled with the miracle performed, compelled these three men to leave everything and to follow after him. So then, most basically, this story is about the calling of Jesus’ first disciples – three men who would soon become the core of Jesus’ band of Apostles – Peter, James, and John.
But there is a lot more to this story, brothers and sisters. I would like to suggest to you that this miraculous event involving a great catch of fish, coupled with the calling of Jesus’ first disciples (who would soon serve as Apostles) is meant to be interpreted in a metaphorical way. And by that I mean, this historical event involving the miraculous catch of fish at Jesus’ command, was intended by Jesus to symbolize things.
The text itself points us in this direction when, after the miracle is performed, Jesus speaks to Simon Peter, saying, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” So then, the miracle of the great harvest of fish was meant to function as a sign or symbol of the great harvest of men that would be accomplished through Peter, James, John, and the other Apostle – indeed, the whole church – through the preaching of the word of Christ. You should know that many of the older commentators – ancient and Reformed – do not miss the symbolism of this passage, but faithfully draw it out. I hope to do the same with you this morning. So let us take some time to draw out the riches contained within this passage.
One, please see that by performing this miracle, Jesus demonstrated that he was the Lord’s Messiah who had come to establish God’s eternal kingdom.
Remember that Jesus had been healing the sick and casting out demons throughout the region of Galilee. This he did while preaching the good news of the kingdom of God, as Luke 4:43 says. The miracles he performed functioned as a sign, therefore, that the message he preached was true, that the kingdom of God was, in fact, present with power, and that he was indeed the Lord’s promised Messiah, the King of this eternal kingdom. Here Jesus performs a different kind of miracle. He demonstrates that he has authority even over the fish of the sea. Brothers and sisters, I think it is right for us to see this miracle – like all of the others – as being connected with the theme of Christ’s preaching, namely, the good news of the kingdom of God.
Two, by this miracle – the miracle of the great catch of fish at the hands of Peter – Jesus showed that his kingdom – the kingdom that the proclaimed and came to establish – would expand through his Apostles.
Think of it. Up to this point, Jesus had ministered alone. He alone (with the exception of his forerunner, John the Baptist) preached the good news of the kingdom of God. But here he begins to call disciples to himself. And not only does he call disciples to himself, he works through them, and promises to work through them in greater ways in the future.
Notice that Jesus did not haul in the great catch of fish with his own hands but by the hands of Peter and his associates. It was Peter, James, and John who were commissioned by Christ to go out into the sea and cast their nets. And it was the hands of Peter, James, and John who cast the nets into the sea and gathered them in again after the word of Christ filled their nets with a superabundance of fish.
If you and I were reading this Gospel for the first time, and if we were unfamiliar with the story of the New Testament, we would probably ask, what is the significance of this? Who is this character, Simon? Who are his associates, James and John? And why did Jesus decide to work this miracle through their hands? These are the questions we should ask. And the answer is that this miracle worked through Peter, James, and John, signifying what was to come. The kingdom of God that Christ preached – the kingdom he came to build – the kingdom of which he is King – would be built, not by him only, but by his word and through his Apostles. It would be through his Apostles that Christ would expand his kingdom.
Three, by this miracle Jesus showed that his kingdom would expand through the preaching of the Gospel and the ingathering of his elect into his church.
Jesus preached. He preached the good news of the kingdom. And his preaching was primary. The miracles he performed were a support to his preaching. They were a demonstration that his words were true, that he was the Lord’s promised Messiah, and of what he came to do.
In this instance, Jesus preached, not in a synagogue, but from a boat. The boat of Simon Peter became his pulpit. Some have noticed that up to this point, Jesus’ custom was to preach in the synagogues of the Jews, but here he preaches out in the open – in the world, as it were – and in the boat of Simon Peter, who would become the leader of the Apostles and one of the foundation stones in Christ’s church. Perhaps this transition from preaching in the Jewish synagogue to preaching in Peter’s boat is meant to signify the great change that was about to take place. The Old Mosaic Covenant was about to give way to the New Covenant. The kingdom of God was about to spread to the ends of the earth. And it would spread, not by the Jews only, but through the church, consisting of all who have faith in Jesus, Jew and Gentile alike. Some have wondered if Peter’s boat symbolizes the church. I think it does, given how the story of the expansion of the kingdom of God will develop from here.
Jesus preached the good news of the kingdom to the people from Peter’s boat. And then to signify how things would go from here, he commanded Peter to “Put out into the deep and let down [his] nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4, ESV). The command to “put out into the deep” has to remind us of the Great Commission, brothers and sisters, and the command to go to all nations.
“And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!” (Luke 5:5, ESV). Some have suggested that the words, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!” are meant to signify the fruitlessness of the Old Covenant era as it pertains to the salvation of the nations. The Hebrews were set apart from the nations, and through them, the nations of the earth were to be blessed (see Genesis 12). But from the days of Abraham to the days of Jesus, the nations were largely left in darkness as it pertains to the light of the gospel and the kingdom of God. The thought is that Peter speaks for Old Covenant Israel when he says, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!”
But then Peter says, “But at your word I will let down the nets” (Luke 5:5, ESV). This symbolizes how Simon Peter, and the other Apostles with him, would answer the call to “Go… and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19, ESV). And so Simon Peter and his associates obeyed the command of Christ. They cast out their nets, “And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking” (Luke 5:6, ESV).
So what does the letting down of nets signify in this miraculous metaphor? It signifies the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ to all nations. And what does the large haul of fish signify? It signifies the success of the gospel of the kingdom. In due time, the gospel of the kingdom would be preached by Peter and others. God’s word will not return empty (Isaiah 55:11). Christ’s church will be built, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). Christ’s kingdom will certainly advance, prosper, and be established for all eternity. God’s elect, from every tongue tribe and nation, will certainly be brought into Christ’s kingdom and kept in it. Christ will catch his fish. And this he will do through his Apostles, by the preaching of the word of God.
So then, the sea is the world. The casting of nets is the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The fish are those who respond to the gospel in faith. And who is commissioned to preach this gospel? The Apostles of Jesus were commissioned to preach it. And through them, we, the church, are commissioned to preach it. But who will fill the nets? It is Christ who will fill the nets by his word and through the miracle of regeneration as the Spirit works. And where will these fish be gathered? Not into Moses’ synagogue, but into Peter’s boat, that is to say, into the church of Jesus Christ.
Peter got the message. So too did James and John.
The text tells us that Peter “fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8, ESV). He knew what this meant. He knew that Jesus was the Lord incarnate, the Holy One of Israel come in the flesh. And he also knew that he was a sinful man – “depart from me, for I am a sinful man”, he said. This reaction from Peter should remind us of the reaction of Isaiah the prophet when the Lord called and commissioned him under the Old Covenant. Isaiah said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5, ESV). Indeed, if a man is going to serve the Lord as a minister of the gospel, this must be his disposition. He must be humbled. Peter was humbled by this experience. And he would be humbled even more in the years to come.
Peter, James, and John also understood the symbolic force of the miracle. “Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:10–11, ESV). So, these men knew that this miracle wasn’t about boats, nets, fish, and the sea. It was about preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to lost souls, urging them to turn from their sins and to trust in Jesus the Messiah. “When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”
Peter, James, and John had a lot to learn. This marked the beginning of their walk with Jesus. They became disciples of Jesus on this day. And Jesus would teach them a great deal so that they would be effective fishers of men. He would humble them too, which, as I said, is an essential characteristic of a minister of the word.
There is one more observation that I would like to make before concluding with some suggestions for application. Jesus called Peter to follow him in the beginning of his earthly ministry by sending him out into the sea to cast his nets and to fill them with fish so that he might bring them into his boat. And do not forget that Jesus re-commissioned Peter in the very same way at the end of his earthly ministry, after his death, burial, and resurrection, and before his ascension.
Peter was severely humbled by his threefold denial of Christ on the night before Jesus’ crucifixion. And Jesus took special care to restore Peter and to send him out with boldness before he ascended to the Father.
This story is found in John 21, where we read, “After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.” Had Peter and the others given up on the way of Christ? Did they intend to go back to their old way of life? It seems so. The text goes on to say, “Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, do you have any fish?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved [John] therefore said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn” (John 21:1–11, ESV).
Now, this story found in John’s gospel deserves to be considered on its own terms, but it is also worth comparing with the story found in Luke’s gospel. Both stories are about commissioning. In Luke 5 Peter is called and commissioned by Jesus to be a disciple so that he might become a fisher of men. In John 21 Peter is re-commissioned (after stumbling) so that he might be the fisher of men that Christ had called him to be. Rember, it is in John 21 that Jesus restores Peter by asking him three times, “Do you love me?”, and then commanding him to “feed my lambs”, “tend my sheep”, and “feed my sheep.” The threefold questioning and the threefold commissioning were certainly meant to counteract Peter’s threefold denial of Christ.
Peter and the other Apostles were to be fishers of men. They were commissioned by Christ to go out into the deep, to cast the net of the gospel into the waters, and, in full reliance upon the blessing of Christ, to bring into the church all who believe the gospel and profess that Jesus is Lord. The events at the beginning and end of Jesus’ earth ministry make this very clear. Notice one difference between the stories, though. In the first event, the nets broke as Peter and his partners hauled them in. But in the second occurrence – the one recorded in John 21 – we are told that the nets did not break. Why? Because only after the resurrection of Christ were the disciples fully prepared to “go and to make disciples of all nations.”
*****
I’ll conclude now by making a few suggestions for the application. And we should be careful here, for none of us have been called to do what Peter, James, and John were called to do, exactly. These men were set apart as Apostles. Peter, in particular, was to function as a leader of that Apostolic band. Nevertheless, there is application to be made.
Firstly, if any here wish to be a part of Christ’s kingdom, and if any wish to be used to further his kingdom, then we must come to Christ as Peter did. He humbly fell at Christ’s knees and honored him as the great King that he is. To have Jesus as Savior, we must have him as Lord and honor him as King.
Secondly, we should give thanks to God for the way in which he has brought the good news of the kingdom of Christ even to us who live nearly 2,000 years after the kingdom was inaugurated, and on the other side of the world. Truly, the boat of Peter has sailed a long way off into the deep, and the nets of the gospel have been cast very far, in order to gather us in. God had been merciful to us Gentiles to bring us the good news about Jesus the Messiah. More than this, God has been merciful to us to catch us in his net and to gather us into himself by the preaching of his word and the effectual calling of the Holy Spirit.
Thirdly, though it is true that Christ Peter to cast out his net, and though it is true that he commissioned his Apostles to “Go and make disciples of all nations…”, it is also true that this commission belongs to us too. The command to “Go and make disciples of all nations” has been handed down to the church from generation to generation so that it might be said of all of us that Christ desires to make us fishers of men. Some have been particularly called to minister the Word of God. But collectively, we are all called to be concerned to see the nets of the gospel spread abroad so that more and more of God’s fish might be gathered in until Christ returns.
Though it is true that only some have been called to preach and to teach, all are to pray for the success of the gospel. All are to give of their treasures and talents to support the preaching of the gospel. And all of God’s people are to “hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in [them]… with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15, ESV).
You see, brothers and sisters, it is not you or I alone who have been commissioned by Christ to “Go… and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV), but the church collectively has been entrusted with this mission. It has been passed down to us from Christ and the Apostles. And so we are to labor together, using the various gifts and resources that God has given to each one of us, to see this mission succeed.
Together, we must continue to cast the nets of the gospel out into the deep. We must cast them, not according to our own wisdom or strength, but in obedience to the word of Christ and with the strength that he supplies. We must trust that he will fill the nets of the gospel according to his will, by his word, and by the working of the Spirit. And when he fills our nets, we must be faithful to bring these disciples which Christ has caught into the church through the waters of baptism, teaching these to observe all that Christ has commanded, knowing that our Lord is with us even to the end of the age. Christ will further his kingdom. Christ will build his church. But he has determined to do it through his disciples – first, Peter, James, John, and the other Apostles, and now us. May the Lord make us faithful and fruitful servants of his. Amen.
Jul 23
23
Q. 92. What is repentance unto life?
A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience. (Acts 2:37; Joel 2:13; Jer. 31:18,19; 2 Cor. 7:10,11; Rom. 6:18)
“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy. For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. Therefore we are comforted. And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.” (2 Corinthians 7:1–13, ESV)
What would you say if I were to ask you the question, how does a person receive the salvation that Jesus Christ has earned? The most direct and precise answer is, through faith in Jesus Christ. We receive salvation, and all of the benefits that accompany it, by believing upon Christ — trusting in him; resting in him. Now, more may be said. In fact, our catechism does say more, as you can see. But please hear me. More may be said, not because more than faith is required, but to provide greater clarity concerning what true faith in Jesus Christ is.
I want you to listen again to question 90 of our Catechism: “What doth God require of us, that we may escape His wrath and curse, due to us for sin?” Answer: “To escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ…” and then our catechism adds, “repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption.”
The question you might be asking is this: so are saved through faith in Jesus Christ alone or not? Yes, we are saved through faith in Christ alone. That is a true statement. But note this: never could it be said that we are saved by repentance alone. That statement is untrue. Nor can it be said that we are saved through partaking of the outward means of grace alone. My point is that it is faith in Christ that saves us. Faith in Christ is the principle thing – not repentance, and not the use of the ordinary means of grace.
Why then does our catechism mention repentance and the use of means alongside faith? Answer: to clarify what true saving faith is.
Let me ask you, is it possible to turn to Christ to trust in him for salvation without also turning from sin? No. True faith in Christ will always involve repentance. And let me ask you this: how will those who turn from sin to place their faith in Christ live? They will abide in him, will they not? They will walk in his ways. They will partake of the means of grace he has provided. Now granted, no one repents or walks with Christ perfectly, but the lives of those who have true faith will be characterized by repentance, and they will more and more walk in the ways of the Lord. If someone claims to have faith in Christ but does not turn from sin or walk in his ways, they show by their fruits that their faith is not true. This is why the Apostle John wrote 1 John 2:4-6, which says, “Whoever says ‘I know [Christ] but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:4–6, ESV)
Question: How many things are required for us to be saved from our sins and to escape God’s wrath and curse? Answer: One thing is required, not three. Faith alone in Jesus is the required thing. But true faith is never alone. It will always be accompanied by repentance from sin. Furthermore, those who turn from sin to Jesus will strive to walk according to his will. And all of this – the faith, the repentance, and the abiding – is by God’s grace. It is a gift from him. By the way, chapter 14 of our confession is about faith. It’s really good. You should read it.
Last Sunday we considered Baptist Catechism 91 where faith in Christ is defined. Today we turn our attention to question 92 where repentance is defined.
What is repentance? The answer that our catechism provides is very helpful. Let’s consider it piece by piece.
First, we are told that “Repentance unto life is a saving grace…” So, faith is a saving grace, and so is repentance. Both faith and repentance are things that we are to do — we are to believe, and we are to repent — but the ability to do so is the free gift of God.
This reminds me of that verse in Acts where, after Peter gives a report to the church concerning the Gentiles coming to faith, the church “fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.’” (Acts 11:18, ESV). The word translated as “granted” means to “give a gift”. So God gave this gift to these Gentiles who believed: the gift of repentance unto life.
Secondly, our catechism says, “whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God…” That is a mouthful, but it is very rich.
This is what repentance is: it is a turning from sin and to God through faith in Jesus. Repentance is a spiritual U-turn.
Sinners are to repent. This means that sinners are to turn from their sins and to God in Christ Jesus in order to be saved. And Christians are to repent too. This they are to do throughout the Christian life, for though we are no longer “sinners”, having been washed by the blood of Christ, justified, sanctified, and adopted, we do still battle with sin. Corruptions remain in us. We do still sin. And when we do, we must repent.
This turning is to be prompted by a “true sense of [our] sin… with grief and hatred of [our] sin”. Think of this: men and women may turn from sin for all kinds of reasons. Maybe they see that it would benefit them to walk in a better way. Perhaps they fear the consequences of their sin. And these are valid motivators for repentance – I am not denying that. But the one who is truly repentant will grieve over their sin and hate it, why, because they have sinned against God!
In the 2 Corinthians 7 passage that I read earlier, Paul rejoiced over the repentance of the Christians in the church of Corinth. He had rebuked them in a previous letter concerning some sin, and they had turned. His rebuke was used by God to produce grief in them, and they turned, verse 10, “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”
The point is this, true repentance is prompted by a “true sense of [our] sin… with grief and hatred of [our] sin” in our souls. Some will take this too far and expect repentant sinners to be really, really sorrowful for their sin. In other words, they will expect true repentance to be accompanied by extreme displays of sorrow and grief. We must be careful here. Everyone is different. And everyone’s experiences are different. But the point remains. True repentance is prompted by a “true sense of [our] sin… with grief and hatred of [our] sin” in our souls.”
And true repentance does also involve an “apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ”. That word apprehension can mean “anxiety or fear”. That is how we often use the word today. But here it means “to grasp or to understand”. To apprehend “the mercy of God in Christ” is to see God’s mercy in Christ and to grasp it.
Why must it be said that repentance unto life involves an “apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ”? Think of it, a person may turn from sin for one reason or another, but never will they turn to God if they do not comprehend that he is merciful and kind in Christ Jesus.
So then, for repentance to be true one must see their sin as truly detestable, grieve inwardly over it and hate it, and apprehend the mercy of God in Christ. Only then will a sinner be compelled to make that spiritual U-turn, moving away from sin and running towards God in Christ.
Thirdly, our catechism says, “with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience.” In other words, true repentance is not temporary or half-hearted repentance, but permanent and resolved.
Notice what our catechism does not say. It does not say that true repentance is perfect repentance. As I have said before, corruptions remain in God’s faithful ones, and even the best of Christians do still struggle with sin. So our catechism does not say with perfect obedience, but “with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience.” In other words, the one who is truly repentant will sincerely hate the sin and love God. They will turn from sin and run after God. And they will be fully resolved in the heart and mind to walk in obedience from that forward.
You can’t fake repentance, friends. God knows your heart. He knows who is sincere and who is false, and he has a way of exposing that in due time. So you may fake faith and repentance for a time, but it will eventually become clear.
The parable that Jesus told regarding the different kinds of soils is very descriptive and instructive, I think. Do you remember it? He spoke of seed being scattered on a variety of soils — some on the road, others on rocky ground, some amongst thorns, and some on good soil. It was only the seed scattered on the good soil that sprouted in a lasting way and produced a harvest. The seeds that fell on the road were plucked up by the birds, never to sprout. The seeds that fell on rocks and amongst the weeds sprouted, but they quickly withered, being scorched by the heat, and being choked out by the competing and overwhelming weeds. That parable is meant to be an encouragement to those who sow seed, which is the word of God. Preach the word! And some will fall on good soil, which God has prepared! But the parable is also meant to describe the condition of man’s heart and to warn us.
I’m afraid that there are many false believers and temporary receptors in the church today. There is the appearance of life for a time, but when the heat gets turned up, or when the cares of this world encroach upon them, they wither away. May it not be so for any of us. Instead, may the Lord grant us true faith and true repentance.
Q: What is repentance unto life?
A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience. (Acts 2:37; Joel 2:13; Jer. 31:18,19; 2 Cor. 7:10,11; Rom. 6:18)
Jul 23
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Q. 91. What is faith in Jesus Christ?
A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the Gospel. (Heb. 10:39; John 1:12; Phil. 3-9; Gal. 2:15,16)
“We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” (Galatians 2:15–16, ESV)
Please allow me to begin by reminding you of how we arrived at the question, what is faith in Jesus Christ?
It is has taken us a long time to get to this question, hasn’t it? And that fact alone is worth noting. “Faith in Jesus Christ” is not the first thing that our catechism talks about. No, it is question 90 that teaches us that it is through faith in Christ that we escape God’s wrath and curse, and it is question 91 that defines what faith in Jesus Christ is.
Here is the point I am making: it is impossible to understand what faith in Christ is apart from other more foundational truths — truths which questions 1 through 89 of our catechism establish. In brief, we have learned about God, the scriptures, man, sin, and God’s plan of redemption. We have learned what it is that God requires of us and of our guilt before him. And we have learned what it is that our sin deserves. If we wish to know what faith in Jesus Christ is, and why it is required, then we must also understand these other doctrines. I’m afraid that men and women, boys and girls, are often exhorted to believe in Jesus (and to be baptized), but without being instructed in these other doctrines. That is a problem, I think. To have faith in Jesus Christ one must also know who God is, who man is, what God requires of us, that we have sinned, and what our sins deserve.
So, what does our sin deserve? Question 89 speaks the truth when it says, “Every sin deserveth God’s wrath and curse, both in this life and in that which is to come.”
So is there any hope for sinners? Question 90 brings us good news, saying, “To escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption.”
Now, questions 91 through 93 will define the things that were mentioned in question 90: faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, and the outward means.
Let us now consider the way that our catechism defines faith in Jesus Christ.
Notice, first of all, that is not faith that saves us, but faith in Jesus Christ. So, having faith does not save a person from their sins. No, faith in Jesus Christ does. Many people in this world have faith in something, but saving faith is faith in Jesus, for he is the Savior that God has provided for us. He is the Christ, or Messiah. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is the only mediator between God and man. As 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:5–6, ESV). And Jesus himself claimed to be the only way to the Father, saying, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, ESV). So then, the forgiveness of sins does not come to us through generic and undefined faith, but through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Two, notice that our catechism calls faith in Jesus Christ a “saving grace”. It is said to be saving, for it is through faith in Jesus Christ we come to be forgiven and saved. And it is called a “grace” because faith is a gift from God. Faith is something that you exercise. It is something that you do. You and I must place our faith in Jesus Christ to be saved from our sins. But the faith that you have – that is to say, your ability to trust in Christ – is a gift from God. We must never forget this. Even our ability to trust in Jesus is a gift from God. We believe by his grace.
This is what the scriptures so clearly teach. First of all, the scriptures teach that God has predestined some to salvation from before the creation of the world (read Ephesians 1-2, for example). Two, the scriptures teach that God’s elect come to be saved only through faith in Jesus Christ. Three, the scriptures teach that men and women, boys and girls, will come to faith in Jesus only through the hearing of the word of God (see Romans 10:17). Lastly, the scriptures teach that in order for someone to believe, God must give them new life, open their blind eyes, and draw them inwardly by his Spirit. The scriptures talk about this “drawing” or “inward calling” in many ways. For now, consider what Jesus said to the multitude that came out to him in the wilderness: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44, ESV).
So then, the ability to believing in Jesus Christ is a gift from God. This is what Paul explicitly teaches in Ephesians 2:8-9, saying, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV). What is “the gift of God” according to the Apostle? Salvation is the gift of God, and so too is the faith. The grammar of the Greek demands this interpretation, and so too does the context. Notice that Paul concludes by saying, “so that no one may boast”. There is no room for the Christain to boast, for everything that he has in Christ Jesus is a gift from God, and that includes his faith.
“Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace…”, three, “whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation…”
So what do we do when we place our faith in Jesus Christ?
One, we receive Jesus Christ. In what sense do we receive Jesus Christ when we believe in him? Well, we receive him in that we welcome him as our Savior and Lord. More than this, the scriptures teach that we are united to Jesus by faith. To have faith in Christ means that we are in him. And more than this, the scriptures teach that when we place our faith in Christ he is in us by his Spirit. You may read about this in John chapters 15, 16, and 17. To have faith in Jesus is not to trust in a distant and far-off figure. No, it is to receive him, to know him, and to commune with him, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Two, when we place our faith in Jesus, we rest upon him. Do you remember what I said last Sunday regarding the components of true saving faith: knowledge, assent, and trust. To have true and saving faith we must know certain things, believe those things to be true, and trust in Jesus. Trust is what our catechism is referring to here with the word “rest”. To believe in Jesus is to trust him, to rest in him, to take refuge in him. Trust is a vital component of saving faith.
Three, notice the word “alone”. “Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation…” So this is an all-or-nothing proposition. If we wish to be saved then we must trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of our sins. We must go all in. It will not do to say, I believe in Jesus but I also believe in myself, and in my own obedience or good works. If this is what you think then it reveals that you have not understood the gospel. You have not understood those others truths that I mentioned early concerning God, man, sin, and salvation in Jesus Christ. To have Jesus as Lord and Savior means that we have abandoned all hope in other things. In Christ alone our hope is found.
The fourth and final phrase in this answer to question 91 is, “…as He is offered to us in the Gospel.” This phrase is so important, for does root our faith in Jesus Christ in the word of God.
Friends, if you wish to be saved then you must trust in the Jesus of the scriptures — that is, the Jesus of the Gospel. This should be obvious to all. It will do you no good to claim to have faith in Jesus Christ, but to believe things concerning him — his person and work — that are contrary to the word of God.
For example, some in this world claim to believe in Jesus Christ but think that he is the half-brother of Satan. Others claim to believe in Jesus but view him only as a great teacher. They deny that he is the eternal son of God come in the flesh. Other examples can be given, but it should be clear that these have only hijacked a name — they pronounce the name in the same way that you and I do, but their Christ is substantially different from the Christ of scripture.
No, if we wish to be saved then we must have faith in Jesus Christ. And not just any “Jesus Christ”, but the Jesus Christ of Holy Scripture. In other words, to be saved, we must hear, receive, and believe the Gospel, which is the good news contained within Holy Scripture.
Q. 91. What is faith in Jesus Christ?
A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the Gospel. (Heb. 10:39; John 1:12; Phil. 3-9; Gal. 2:15,16)
Jul 23
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Q. 89. What doth every sin deserve?
A. Every sin deserveth God’s wrath and curse, both in this life, and in that which is to come. (Eph.5:6; Gal. 3:10; Prov. 3:33; Ps. 11:6; Rev. 21:8)
Q. 90. What doth God require of us, that we may escape His wrath and curse, due to us for sin?
A. To escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption. (Acts 20:21; Acts 16:30,31; 17:30)
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.” (Acts 16:25–34, ESV)
Pay careful attention to the question. “What doth God require of us, that we may escape His wrath and curse, due to us for sin?”
The catechism has been preparing us for this question, hasn’t it? Through our consideration of the Ten Commandments, we have been convinced of our sin and guilt before God. And we have heard the very bad news that “every sin deserveth God’s wrath and curse, both in this life and in that which is to come.”
But here we find good news. Even the question itself brings a glimmer of hope. “What doth God require of us, that we may escape His wrath and curse, due to us for sin?” The question suggests that there is an escape — there is a way out of this terrible predicament that we find ourselves in.
So what does God require of us? What must we do to be saved? What action must we take?
Pay very careful attention to what our catechism does not say. The answer is not to try harder to keep God’s law. Nor is it go on a pilgrimage, climb this mountain, give so much money, etc. “What doth God require of us?” It is not work that God requires of us, but faith. That is what our catechism says. A: “To escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ…”
Understand this: faith is something that we must exercise. It is something that we must do. We must place our faith in Jesus Christ. But faith, by its very nature, is not work. No, it is the receiving of a gift. It is by faith that we receive the gift of salvation. Faith trusts in another. Faith rests in another. Faith receives the work and the reward that someone else has earned for us. Just as I said this morning, faith is the open hand by which we receive the gift of salvation.
And who is the object of our faith? Who is it that we trust in?
I suppose that we might answer by saying, God. God is the object of our faith. We trust in God for our salvation. Now, there is some truth to that. It is the Triune God who has saved us — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But it is accurate to say that Jesus Christ is the object of our faith. To be saved we must trust in Jesus. Why? Because Jesus Christ is the Savior that God has provided. God is our Savior, that is very true. But he has saved us through Jesus Christ his Son. Jesus is the Mediator between God and man. Jesus is the Messiah that God has sent. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him. So, to be saved, we cannot merely trust in God. No, we must trust in the Savior that God has provided for us.
Again, “To escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ…” This is what the scriptures so clearly teach. I could pile up Bible verses for you, but the passage that we read from Acts 16 will do for now. That jailer was moved to ask Paul and Silas the most important question a person can ask: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And what did they say? “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” And the same was true for his household, and so the word of the Lord was proclaimed to them too.
To be saved from our sins we must believe in Jesus Christ. So why then does our catechism go on to mention “repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption.” Does our catechism deny that wonderful doctrine that salvation comes to us through faith in Christ alone? No, instead, our catechism is faithful to teach what the scriptures teach, which is that we are saved through faith in Christ alone, but that faith, if it is true and saving will never be alone. Instead, faith that is true and saving will be accompanied by repentance and it will produce fruit. Or to use the language from the morning sermon. Faith is the open hand by which we receive the gift of salvation, but this same faith, if it is true, will also walk.
How are we saved? Through faith in Jesus Christ. Full stop.
And what does this faith involve? It always involves repentance. To trust in Jesus is to turn to him and from sin. You cannot do the one and not the other. It’s impossible!
If you are walking in the wrong direction and you wish to go in the right direction, you must turn around. And that one action of turning around involves two things. You must turn from the wrong way and then go in the right way. And so it is with faith in Christ. Turning to him involves turning away from sin. That is what repentance is. It is turning from sin. Faith in Christ will always be accompanied by repentance.
And that is why “repentance” is sometimes mentioned as one of the things that must be done in order to be saved. In Acts 16 Paul and Silas simply told the jailer, “believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” But elsewhere in the book of Acts people are told to repent and believed. So which is it? Well, it is both. To say, “believe in Jesus” and to say, “repent and believe in Jesus” is really to say the same thing, for true saving faith will always be accompanied by repentance.
But let me ask you this, are we saved by the act of believing, or are we saved by the act of repenting? Answer: we are saved by the believing. It is for this reason that the scripture will often mention faith alone. Faith, or belief in Christ, is the essential thing. But true faith does also involve repentance. Or think of it this way. If a man is living in some sin (say, the sin of drunkenness) and he turns from that sin, does his act of repentance save him? No, of course not. Not unless he turns from his sin and to Jesus. It is faith in Jesus Christ that brings us salvation, and true faith will always involve repentance. In other words, those with true faith in Christ will not continue in unrepentant sin.
Lastly, let us consider the phrase, “with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption”?
First of all, what are these “outward means”? Well, question 93 of our catechism will answer this saying, “The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption are His ordinances, especially the Word, baptism, the Lord’s Supper and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.”
Secondly, does our catechism teach that in order to be saved one must sit under the preaching of the word of God, be baptized, partake of the Lord’s Supper, and pray? We need to be very careful here. And really, the answer to this is not very different from what was said about repentance. It is through faith in Christ that we are saved, full stop. But true faith is always accompanied by repentance, and so repentance is sometimes commanded too. And so it is with the outward and ordinary means. We are saved by faith alone, but true and saving faith is never alone. No, it produces obedience in us. It leads to a faithful walk. In other words, those who have true faith will strive to live a life of obedience to the Lord.
And what has Christ commanded us to do as we walk with him in this world? How has God determined to mark his people off as his own in this world, and to nourish and strengthen them? They are to be baptized in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are to devote themselves to the word of God. They are to partake of the Lord’s Supper. They are to pray.
Are we saved by sitting under the preached word, by baptism, by the Lord’s Supper, or by the act of praying? No, we are saved by faith alone. But this faith, if it is true and saving faith, is never alone. It does lead to a faithful walk. And these are the things that God has commanded us to do. The faithful will do them.
I asked you earlier if the man who repents from drunkenness is saved by his repentance. We said, no, not unless he turns to Christ. Now I might ask you, are all who sit under the preached word; are all who are baptized, are all who eat the Lord’s Supper, and are all who pray to God, saved? I hope you would say, no, not necessarily. And why is that? Because some partake of these things without faith in Christ in their hearts. So, just as repentance alone does not save, but only repentance and faith in Christ, neither do church attendance, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, or prayer save. They only function as means of grace if there is faith in Christ in the heart. Faith in Christ is the operative and essential thing.
Let me conclude now with a positive exhortation.
Do you wish to be saved from your sins? Do you wish to be freed from God’s wrath and curse which is due to you because of sin?
One, trust in Jesus Christ. He paid for sins. He bore the wrath of God. In him, there is the forgiveness of sins and the hope of life everlasting.
Two, this faith that I have mentioned will involve repentance. You cannot continue in sin and follow after Jesus at the same time. No, to have faith in Christ means that you have him as Lord. That is how Paul puts it in Romans 10:9, saying, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9, ESV). So then, turn from your sin and turn to Jesus as Savior and Lord. You cannot have him as Savior if you will not have him as Lord. So turn from your sin now and turn to Jesus. And turn from sin always as you walk with him in this way. Will you struggle with sin as a Christian? Yes. But the Christian life is a life of repentance from beginning to end.
Three, if you have turned from your sins and to faith in Christ, then be sure to make “diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption”. The first of these is his word. Listen to God’s word. Read it. Hear it read and preached. The word of God is our daily bread. God nourishes us with it. The second is baptism. If you have faith in Christ, be baptized. The third is the Lord’s Supper. Christ nourishes, encourages, and refines his church through the Lord’s Supper. The fourth is prayer. Through prayer we communion with God. God works through prayer. We will say more about these in the weeks to come. For now, it will suffice to say, if you have faith in Christ, the make use of these ordinary means of grace, for God does distribute the benefits of the redemption that Christ has earned to the faithful through them.
Q. 90. What doth God require of us, that we may escape His wrath and curse, due to us for sin?
A. To escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption. (Acts 20:21; Acts 16:30,31; 17:30)
Jul 23
9
“Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she does not draw near to her God. Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law. The LORD within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame. ‘I have cut off nations; their battlements are in ruins; I have laid waste their streets so that no one walks in them; their cities have been made desolate, without a man, without an inhabitant. I said, ‘Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction. Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you.’ But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt. ‘Therefore wait for me,’ declares the LORD, ‘for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed. For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering. On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the LORD, those who are left in Israel; they shall do no injustice and speak no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall graze and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.’ Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: ‘Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,’ says the LORD.” (Zephaniah 3, ESV)
“And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent and come out of him!’ And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, ‘What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!’ And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region. And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.’ And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.” (Luke 4:31–44, ESV)
Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
Brothers and sisters, it seems evident to me that there is a ditch on both sides of the road as it pertains to the proper interpretation of this passage.
On the one side, you will find those who read this text and assume that Jesus came for this purpose: to free all who are sick and oppressed so that they might be healthy and prosperous on earth today. You have probably encountered this view. It is very popular in our society. There are many who claim to be Christians who will read stories like the one here in Luke 4 and think that this was Jesus’ mission – to make people healthy, wealthy, and prosperous in the here and now.
Honestly, it is not difficult to see where such a view comes from. A careless and narrow reading of this passage (and others like it) can give the impression that this was Jesus’ mission.
When I speak of a careless reading, I mean a reading which focuses on the miracles performed by Jesus – his casting out demons and healing from diseases – while ignoring the beginning and the end of the text, which stresses that Jesus was devoted to preaching the good news of the kingdom of God in the synagogues. In fact, in Luke 4:43 we hear Christ say, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43, ESV). So, Christ’s stated purpose – his mission – was not to make everyone healthy and prosperous now. No, his purpose was to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God and to establish this kingdom in power. The miracles that Jesus performed must be interpreted in light of this stated purpose. Did Jesus cast out demons? Did he heal people from their physical affliction? No doubt! But the question we must is why? Did he cast out demons and heal because this was his purpose – to make everyone whole and well in the here and now? Or did he perform these miracles for another reason, perhaps as a demonstration that the kingdom of God had come with power? A careful reading of the text will show us that this was the case. Jesus stated purpose was to inaugurate God’s kingdom, and these miracles performed by him were a demonstration, or sign, that the kingdom was here. In fact, in Luke 11:20 Jesus explicitly states that this was the meaning of the miracles when he said, “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20, ESV). Let us not be careless in our reading of Scripture, brothers and sisters. When we learn that Christ healed and cast our demons, we must ask the question why?
And when I speak of a narrow reading, I mean a reading of this text (and others like it) that ignores other passages of Scripture that make it quite clear that it is not always the will of the Lord to heal and to make his people prosperous in the here and now. To put it bluntly, a person would have to ignore a great deal of the New Testament and the Old to claim that God’s will is to make his people healthy and prosperous on earth now through faith in Christ. Consider a few things:
One, Christ himself suffered in the flesh even to the point of death. When he cried out to the Father in the garden to take the cup of suffering from him, he added, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42, ESV). And we know that it was the will of the Father that Christ would suffer unto death.
Two, those who have faith in Christ are called to identify with Christ in his suffering. Consider Romans 8:16-17: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” So then, true followers of Christ are not immune from suffering. On the contrary, we are called to suffer with Christ. As you can see, this teaching that Christ came to free us from all suffering runs counter to the clear teaching of Scripture.
Three, even the Apostles of Jesus suffered in this life. They suffered, even to the point of death. For example, Paul tells us about a thorn in his flesh. Now, we do not know what exactly this “thorn” was, but it was certainly an ailment of some kind that bothered him deeply. In 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 Pauls says, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:8–10, ESV). The Greek word translated as “weakness” may also be translated as “incapacity”. “Insults” means “mistreatments”. The word “hardships” is a generic word referring to “troubled times”. To be persecuted is to be harassed by others. The word “calamities” refers to difficult circumstances of any kind. You see, Paul pilled up these words to communicate that he would gladly endure afflictions of any kind if it was the will of God to use them to draw him into a closer dependence upon the Lord.
Four, consider that devout Christians throughout the history of the church have suffered afflictions. Consider also that all will eventually face death.
And five, do not forget the many passages of Scripture that instruct the believer concerning the way they are to respond to afflictions.
Christians are to rejoice in their sufferings, knowing that God will bring good from them. As Paul says in Romans 5:3, “but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3–5, ESV)
Christians are to comfort one another in their afflictions even as they are comforted by God. Listen to 2 Corinthians 1:3ff. “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 may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer” (2 Corinthians 1:3–6, ESV).
Christians are called to patiently endure while experiencing afflictions. Listen to James 5:10-11: “As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (James 5:10–11, ESV).
I could pill up many more Scripture texts that make it clear that faithful Christians living in this present evil age should not be surprised (1 Peter 4:12) when they experience trials of various kinds (James 1:2), but I think this will do for now. The point is this: A careful and broad reading of Scripture makes it impossible to think that Christ came to free his people from afflictions and to make us healthy, wealthy, and prosperous in the here and now. Only a very careless and narrow reading of Luke 4 (and other passages like it) could produce such a view. So let us take care lest we begin to slip into that ditch of misinterpretation.
But there is a ditch on the other side of the road that we must also be sure to avoid. I would imagine that most who end up in this ditch land there because they overreact against the error just mentioned. And so what is the other error that must be avoided? I think it can be stated like this: Jesus came to provide for the forgiveness of our sins and to save our souls, but he is not at all concerned with our physical bodies or our prosperity on earth. To hold to a view like this one would have to spiritualize these stories of Jesus healing the sick. They would view these physical healings as mere signs of Jesus’ power to heal the soul. Though somewhat true, this view is ultimately incorrect.
Brothers and sisters, please hear me. Jesus came to save whole persons, body and soul.
He came to set his people free from the tyranny of the devil, body and soul.
He came to reverse the effects that man’s fall into sin has had on us, body and soul.
Christ came to establish a new creation and to do away with the old which has been wrecked by sin. He will bring his people – that is to say, all who have faith in the Messiah – safely into this new creation, body and soul.
There in the new heavens and earth, “the dwelling place of God [will be] with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3–4, ESV). Christ will bring his elect into the new heavens and earth, body and soul.
Stated in one more way, Jesus the Messiah came to destroy the devil and his works. He came to overthrow Satan’s kingdom and to establish his kingdom – the eternal kingdom of God. He came to redeem his people from the kingdom of darkness and to bring them safely and securely into his eternal kingdom of light, body and soul.
So then, there is a sense in which it is true that Christ came to give his people health, wealth, and prosperity on earth. The trouble with the Prosperity Gospel (as it is often called) is not its insistence that Christ has earned health, wealth, and prosperity for his people, but rather its insistence that those of faith will have all of these blessings on this earth now. You see, the prosperity preachers have gotten ahead of themselves. They have failed to distinguish between life in this present evil age and life in the age to come. When, brothers and sisters, will God wipe away every tear from our eyes? When will death be no more? And when shall there be no mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore? Answer: in the life to come after Christ returns to judge and to make all things new? For then, at that time, the former things will have passed away (Revelation 21:3–4, ESV). And where will these pleasures be enjoyed? Answer: Not in this fallen, sin-sick world, but in the world to come – that is to say, in the new heavens and earth, which Christ has earned by his death and resurrection. You see, it’s about timing and location.
I think it is important that we speak of all this in terms of the kingdom of God, for that is how Christ spoke of his mission in the passage that is before us today. He performed these miracles while preaching the good news of the kingdom (Luke 4:43).
So let me ask you, when will Christ’s kingdom be present with power? If you have been here for any length of time you have probably heard me say that Christ’s kingdom is here now but not yet in its fullness.
Christ’s kingdom broke into this world in power when Christ came for the first time to accomplish our redemption through his life, death, and resurrection. It was then at his first coming that he said, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). It was then that he defeated Satan (Luke 4:1-15). It was then that he cast him down from heaven (Luke 10:18). It was then that he bound him so that he could plunder his house (Revelation 20:1-3; Matthew 12:29). It was then that Christ, having accomplished his work through his humiliation, was exulted to his heavenly throne and sat down Hebrews 1:3). Christ is King now (Revelation 19:16). All authority in heaven and earth has been given to him (Matthew 28:18).
Christ kingdom is present on earth now. It is present wherever the church is present. It is present wherever God’s people assemble to say, Jesus is Lord. But is the kingdom of God here in fullness? No. The kingdom has been inaugurated but not yet consummated. When will the kingdom of heaven be here in full? When Christ returns. As 1 Corinthians 15:24 says: “Then comes the end, when [Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet…” (1 Corinthians 15:24–28, ESV).
You see, there is something progressive about the establishment of Christ’s kingdom. The kingdom broke into the world with power when Christ came for the first time. The kingdom will grow and expands until Christ returns. And when Christ returns, the kingdom will be consummated. Then, there will be no more sin, sickness, and death, for then Satan will be fully and finally judged and his kingdom cast out.
Jesus spoke about the progressive expansion of his kingdom when he said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened” (Luke 13:18–21, ESV).
So what does all of this kingdom talk have to do with our passage? Answer: everything.
Notice that our text begins with the mention of Jesus’ preaching. Luke 4:31 says, “And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority” (Luke 4:31–32, ESV). And what was Jesus preaching about? We are told in verse 43: “But he said to them, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43, ESV). Christ came to proclaim the good news that the kingdom of God was near. And he came to inaugurate the kingdom through his victory over Satan, sin, and death.
The miracles performed by Jesus in this passage – the casting out of a demon in verses 33-37, the healing of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law in verses 38-39, and the report that he healed many and cast demons out of many in verses 40-41 – are to be viewed as a demonstration of Jesus’s power and authority, and as a sign that his kingdom of was at hand. These miracles also demonstrate the power and authority that Christ has to overthrow the devil and overturn his works.
That Jesus has power over Satan and Satan’s kingdom is demonstrated by his casting out of demons. By the way, demons are angels who fell along with Satan, the prince of the demons. And notice what the demons said when they were cast out by Jesus. The demon who was cast out of the man in the synagogue said, “Ha!” The Greek word translated as “Ha” communicates the emotion of surprise or anger. “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God” (Luke 4:34, ESV). So then, the demon knew who Jesus was – God incarnate – and that he had come ultimately to destroy them. In verse 41 we read, “And demons also came out of many, crying, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ” (Luke 4:41, ESV). These demons knew that Jesus was the Son of God incarnate, the Christ (or Messiah), and that he came to overthrow them and to establish his eternal kingdom.
Verse 36 says the people “were all amazed and said to one another, ‘What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” Yes, exactly. This was a demonstration of Jesus’ authority and power. He has authority and power over Satan, his minions, and his kingdom, and he demonstrated that authority by casting demons out by his word.
And what about the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law? Here Christ demonstrates that he has the power to eradicate disease. This does not mean that he has eradicated sickness from the world now, nor does it mean that his people will never be ill, or that it will always be his will to heal. No, to think this would be to read too much into the text. To hold to this view would also require us to ignore many other passages of Scripture, as has already been said. The point is that Christ has power and authority over illness. He can drive it out. It may be his will to drive it out of us in the here and now when we come to him in prayer, just as he did with the mother-in-law of Peter. And so we are not wrong to pray for healing. But when we bring these desires of ours to the Father, through the Son, and by the Spirit, we ought to follow the example of our Lord and say, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42, ESV). Does Christ possess the authority and power to eradicate illness (and even death itself)? Yes! How did he get this power? Through his victory over Satan and his kingdom. And when will he purge this earth of Satan, his demons, all sickness, suffering, and death itself? On the last day when he will judge and make all things new. Then “he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things [will] have passed away” (Revelation 21:3–4, ESV).
Brothers and sisters, I have preached rather strongly against the so-called prosperity gospel this morning. This idea that Christ came to make us healthy, wealthy, and prosperous now, and that illness, poverty, and afflictions are always the result of a lack of faith or of God’s displeasure is so wrong and so damaging. This false teaching, if believed, will isolate people from God because all suffering will be perceived as a sign of God’s displeasure. But we know that God is sovereign over our suffering and that he is near to his people in the midst of suffering. He promises to work all things for good for those in Christ (Romans 8:28). And he invites his people to draw near to him in their suffering. In fact, the Lord often uses afflictions to draw us nearer to God and to teach us to depend more on him and less on ourselves. And this false teaching will also drive people from one another. Those who believe that afflictions are the result of a lack of faith or a sign of God’s displeasure will not be able to comfort their brethren in the midst of afflictions, but will be like Job’s bad counselors who could only demand that he repent, for surely, they assumed, the suffering he experienced could only be the result of some personal sin. But Job did not suffer because of personal sin. He suffered because it was the will of the Lord to permit it and to use it for good. God had some purpose in it that no one could see.
Brothers and sisters, I doubt that any here will be tempted to buy into this distortion of the gospel, which is no gospel at all. But I would assume that many of us do wrestle inwardly when we see God’s people suffer. Why, O Lord, would you allow this? we ask. And while we may never have all of the answers to our specific questions, we do know that even our sufferings are ordained by God, that he is with us in the midst of it to work in us for good, and that he will keep us to bring us safely into our eternal inheritance, where Satan, sin, sickness, and death will be no more. Jesus demonstrated his power over Satan, sin, sickness, and death at his first coming so that his people might know for certain that he has the power and authority to save us from these things and to bring us safely into the new heavens and earth where these evils that bring us sorrow now will be abolished forever.
Jesus did not come to save your soul only, brothers and sisters. He came to save you, body and soul. The Son of God took to himself a true human body and a human soul so that he might redeem us body and soul through his victory. We speak often of the salvation of the soul. Yes, through faith in Christ, your sins have been forgiven and your soul is renewed. In Christ, you have a new mind, new affections, and a new will. You are being sanctified in the soul now. You will be perfected in the soul at the consummation – never will you sin again. But do not forget about the salvation of your body. When Christ returns, your body will be raised imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:42). It will be glorified and empowered forever by the Holy Spirit. Never again will the body suffer sickness or pain. Never will it deteriorate. Never will it die. Do not forget about the body, brothers and sisters. Christ came to save you, body and soul. In this life, we suffer bodily afflictions for the refinement of the soul. When Christ returns, these former things will pass away.
Until then, brothers and sisters, we must patiently and faithfully endure.
We must patiently and faithfully endure in the mind, knowing that God loves us in Christ Jesus and that he works all things for the good of his children. Is your mind strong, friends? Is it filled with God’s truth?
We must patiently and faithfully endure with our affections. By this I mean, we must draw near to God, and not run from him, when calamity strikes. We must be like Paul in this regard, who boasted in his weaknesses so that the power of Christ would rest upon him. For the sake of Christ, he was content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For he knew that it was when he was weak that he was strong (see 2 Corinthians 12:8–10). When Paul suffered, he ran to God through faith in Christ and he relied all the more on his grace. And so I ask you, is your heart strong? Is your heart filled with love for God and Christ? Is your heart filled with the assurance of his love for you, even when calamity strikes?
And when we suffer afflictions, we must patiently and faithfully endure with our wills. By this I mean, we must choose to obey Christ, and not sin against him in thought, word or deed. And so I ask, is your resolve to follow Christ in this world strong?
Lastly, I say to you, to live this way now, in body and soul, requires faith in Christ – we must walk by faith and not by sight. If you have faith in Christ you know that he has redeemed you, body and soul. And it is this faith in Christ that produces within us, peace, endurance, character, and hope (see Romans 5:1-5). In Christ we have peace. In Christ we have hope. In Christ we find comfort.
I’ll conclude now with a reading of Heidelberg catechism question 1. It’s a beautiful statement of Gospel truth that I will sometime use to comfort those in times of affliction.
It asks the Christian, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?
Answer:
That I am not my own,
1 but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—2
to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.3
He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,4
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.5
He also watches over me in such a way6
that not a hair can fall from my head
without the will of my Father in heaven;7
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.8
Because I belong to him,
Christ, by his Holy Spirit,
assures me of eternal life9
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on to live for him.10
1 1 Cor. 6:19-20
2 Rom. 14:7-9
3 1 Cor. 3:23; Titus 2:14
4 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:2
5 John 8:34-36; Heb. 2:14-15; 1 John 3:1-11
6 John 6:39-40; 10:27-30; 2 Thess. 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:5
7 Matt. 10:29-31; Luke 21:16-18
8 Rom. 8:28
9 Rom. 8:15-16; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14
10 Rom. 8:1-17
"Him we proclaim,
warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone mature in Christ."
(Colossians 1:28, ESV)
