Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | August 8, 2016

“The Lord reigns”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 93.

“The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.
2 Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.

3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
The floods have lifted up their voice,
The floods lift up their pounding waves.
4 More than the sounds of many waters,
Than the mighty breakers of the sea,
The Lord on high is mighty.
5 Your testimonies are fully confirmed;
Holiness befits Your house,
O Lord, forevermore.”  Psalm chapter 93.

————–

I saw examples of the LORD’s reign during my vacation in the Canadian wilderness last week.  I laid on the fishing dock around midnight and saw spectacular displays of stars created and maintained by God.  I saw lakes and forests that by their beauty and size and distance from man testified to their Creator.

“The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.”  Verse 1.

Which doctrine testifies to the LORD’s reign?
 
Other doctrine which focuses on man and man’s alleged free-will and which laments the world falling apart?
 
Or, Reformed Doctrine which focuses on God and God’s sovereignty and which rejoices that God firmly established the world and that God will accomplish all of His good pleasure?

“10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved;
He will judge the peoples with equity.”

11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
Let the sea roar, and all it contains;
12 Let the field exult, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
13 Before the Lord, for He is coming,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
And the peoples in His faithfulness.”  Psalm 96:10-13.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 27, 2016

“For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 92.  Later today, I will be starting a 10 day vacation (mostly fishing in Canada with college buddies).  God willing, my next devotion will be on Monday, August 8.

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
And Your faithfulness by night,
3 With the ten-stringed lute and with the harp,
With resounding music upon the lyre.
4 For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done,
I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.

5 How great are Your works, O Lord!
Your thoughts are very deep.
6 A senseless man has no knowledge,
Nor does a stupid man understand this:
7 That when the wicked sprouted up like grass
And all who did iniquity flourished,
It was only that they might be destroyed forevermore.
8 But You, O Lord, are on high forever.
9 For, behold, Your enemies, O Lord,
For, behold, Your enemies will perish;
All who do iniquity will be scattered.

10 But You have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
I have been anointed with fresh oil.
11 And my eye has looked exultantly upon my foes,
My ears hear of the evildoers who rise up against me.
12 The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree,
He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Planted in the house of the Lord,
They will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still yield fruit in old age;
They shall be full of sap and very green,
15 To declare that the Lord is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”  Psalm chapter 92.

—————————–

Other doctrine is glad by what it has done.

But, Reformed Doctrine is glad by what God has done.

Reformed Doctrine is glad in God’s works of “Unconditional Election”, “Limited Atonement”, “Irresistible Grace”, and “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“Great are the works of the Lord;
They are studied by all who delight in them.”  Psalm 111:2.

Canons of Dordt is a good place to study the works of the LORD – a joyful thing to do while I am away on vacation with no new daily devotions.  There is a link on the right margin to this relatively short and easy to read Reformed Creed that teaches these Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“How great are Your works, O Lord!  …”  Verse 5.

In John chapter 6, we see Jesus turning the attention of the people from their works to God’s work.

“Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?”  Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”  John 6:28-29.

We see the need for God’s work of “Irresistible Grace” and the perfect accomplishment of it. 

“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. 

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”  John 6:37-39.

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing;  the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe.”  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.  And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”  John 6:63-65.

“For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”  Romans 9:15-16.

In conclusion, God’s work is perfect.  

“The Rock!  His work is perfect,
For all His ways are just;
A God of faithfulness and without injustice,
Righteous and upright is He.”  Deuteronomy 32:4.

God will accomplish all of His good pleasure.

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

“…  He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”  Verse 15. 

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 26, 2016

“You will only look on with your eyes And see the recompense of the wicked. For you have made the Lord, my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place.”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 91.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”
3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.

5 You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
6 Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
7 A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you.
8 You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.
9 For you have made the Lord, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place.
10 No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.

11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you,
To guard you in all your ways.
12 They will bear you up in their hands,
That you do not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.

14 “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
15 “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 “With a long life I will satisfy him
And let him see My salvation.”  Psalm chapter 91.

———————–

We live in a dangerous world.

There is terror.  There is destruction.

There are plagues and pestilence.  

But, God protects us, those who trust in God, their refuge, their fortress, their dwelling place.

“8 You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.
9 For you have made the Lord, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place.
10 No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.”  Verses 8-10.

We may wonder why it is even necessary for us to see terror and destruction, plagues and pestilence.

The following Scripture gives us the answer.  

“What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?  And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.”  Romans 9:22-24.

In other words, we believe God more and appreciate God’s protection more when we know of the danger around us than we would if we did not know of the danger around us.

We see a specific example of this when Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.  It certainly was not necessary for both Israel to see the Egyptians chasing them and then thereafter to see the Egyptians dead on the seashore in order for God to save Israel.  God could have wiped out the Egyptians before Israel even saw them.  But, these sights caused Israel to fear the LORD and believe in the LORD. 

“Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.  When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.”  Exodus 14:30-31.

We also appreciate more the justice of God when we see the “recompense of the wicked”.

The constant temptation is that we tend to forget about God and trust ourselves, but when we know the danger, we run to God and cling to Him.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and is safe.”  Proverbs 18:10.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 25, 2016

“Let Your work appear to Your servants … And confirm for us the work of our hands.”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 90.

“Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born
Or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

3 You turn man back into dust
And say, “Return, O children of men.”
4 For a thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it passes by,
Or as a watch in the night.
5 You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep;
In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew.
6 In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew;
Toward evening it fades and withers away.

7 For we have been consumed by Your anger
And by Your wrath we have been dismayed.
8 You have placed our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your presence.
9 For all our days have declined in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a sigh.
10 As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, eighty years,
Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow;
For soon it is gone and we fly away.
11 Who understands the power of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?
12 So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”

13 Do return, O Lord;  how long will it be?
And be sorry for Your servants.
14 O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness,
That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the years we have seen evil.
16 Let Your work appear to Your servants
And Your majesty to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us;
And confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, confirm the work of our hands.”  Psalm chapter 90.

——————-

Life is short.

“9 For all our days have declined in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a sigh.
10 As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, eighty years,
Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow;
For soon it is gone and we fly away.”  Verses 9-10.

Reformed Doctrine teaches what is most important:  a focus on God and His works.

“Let Your work appear to Your servants
And Your majesty to their children.”  Verse 16.

For our work, we don’t have time to do merely what is good, we only have time to do the very best.

“So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”  Verse 12.

Accordingly, when the Psalmist concludes in verse 17 by repeating the prayer request:  “confirm the work of our hands.”, this prayer request is not a request that God bless whatever we do, rather it is a request that God choose the very best work or us to do and that He gift us with wisdom and skill and passion to do that work and that He work in us to accomplish that work.  In one word, it is a request that God “establish” our work.

“Commit your works to the Lord
And your plans will be established.”  Proverbs 16:3.

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.”  Psalm 37:23.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:10.

“for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”  Philippians 2:13.

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:6.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 24, 2016

“My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm 89:19-52.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+89&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“19 Once You spoke in vision to Your godly ones,
And said, “I have given help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 “I have found David My servant;
With My holy oil I have anointed him,
21 With whom My hand will be established;
My arm also will strengthen him.
22 “The enemy will not deceive him,
Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
23 “But I shall crush his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.
24 “My faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him,
And in My name his horn will be exalted.
25 “I shall also set his hand on the sea
And his right hand on the rivers.
26 “He will cry to Me, ‘You are my Father,
My God, and the rock of my salvation.’
27 “I also shall make him My firstborn,
The highest of the kings of the earth.
28 “My lovingkindness I will keep for him forever,
And My covenant shall be confirmed to him.
29 “So I will establish his descendants forever
And his throne as the days of heaven.”  

30 “If his sons forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,
31 If they violate My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
32 Then I will punish their transgression with the rod
And their iniquity with stripes.
33 “But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him,
Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.
34 “My covenant I will not violate,
Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.
35 “Once I have sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David.
36 “His descendants shall endure forever
And his throne as the sun before Me.
37 “It shall be established forever like the moon,
And the witness in the sky is faithful.”  Selah.”  Psalm 89:19-37.  

———————-

Today’s Scripture focuses on God’s covenant with David which we should consider as part of God’s covenant with all of His people.  

Consider the following “Lesson 18:  The Covenant of Grace” from the ESSENTIALS OF REFORMED DOCTRINE a Guide in Catechetical Instruction by Rev. H. Hoeksema (revised by Prof. H. Hanko) both of Protestant Reformed Churches.  I highlight in bold italic the following points.

First, covenant is defined as “the gracious relation of living fellowship and friendship between God and His people in Christ, wherein He is their God and they are His people.”

Second, “There is only one covenant in both the Old and New Testaments established with God’s people throughout all time.”

(Bill’s note is that the important implication of one covenant and meaning for us is that there are promises in God’s covenant with David which are also for us today, such as we are assured through Scripture:  “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him (Christ) they are yes;  therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.  Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”  2 Corinthians 1:20-22.  and  “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”  Acts 2:39.)

Third, “God establishes His covenant by His own work of grace whereby He takes His people into His own covenant fellowship.”

Fourth, God “establishes His covenant only with His elect people in the line of continued generations.”

Fifth, in God’s covenant, “He forms them to be His people, makes them partakers of all the benefits of Christ, and leads them on to eternal glory.”

 

Lesson 18:  The Covenant of Grace

  1. How does God save His people?
    By means of a living faith in the Mediator of the covenant, our Lord Jesus Christ.
  2. What is the fruit of the work of Christ?
    That God maintains, restores, and perfects His covenant through Him. Jeremiah 31:33 .
  3. What is the covenant?
    It is the gracious relation of living fellowship and friendship between God and His people in Christ, wherein He is their God and they are His people    .     Genesis 17:7 ; Psalm 16:5 ; Psalm 33:22 .
  4. How many covenants are there?
    There is only one covenant in both the Old and New Testaments established with God’s people throughout all time.
  5. Did not Adam stand in a covenant relationship to God?
    Yes, but he violated the covenant through his sin so that the covenant must be restored through Christ.
  6. How does God establish His covenant?
    God establishes His covenant by His own work of grace whereby He takes His people into His own covenant fellowship. Ephesians 2:8 .
  7. Does God establish His covenant with all men?
    No, He establishes His covenant only with His elect people in the line of continued generations    .     Galatians 3:16, 29 .
  8. What does God do for His people in that covenant?
    He forms them to be His people, makes them partakers of all the benefits of Christ, and leads them on to eternal glory    .     Ephesians 1:23 .
  9. Through Whom does God make us partakers of all Christ’s benefits?
    Through the Holy Spirit, Who dwells in Christ as the Head and in His people as members of His body. Ephesians 1:23 .

 

“For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.”  And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.  For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.  In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.”  Hebrews 6:13-18.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 22, 2016

“How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all the day, And by Your righteousness they are exalted.”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm 89:1-18.

“I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever;
To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.
2 For I have said, “Lovingkindness will be built up forever;
In the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.”
3 “I have made a covenant with My chosen;
I have sworn to David My servant,
4 I will establish your seed forever
And build up your throne to all generations.”  Selah.

5 The heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies is comparable to the Lord?
Who among the sons of the mighty is like the Lord,
7 A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,
And awesome above all those who are around Him?
8 O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
9 You rule the swelling of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them.
10 You Yourself crushed Rahab like one who is slain;
You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

11 The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The world and all it contains, You have founded them.
12 The north and the south, You have created them;
Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.
13 You have a strong arm;
Your hand is mighty, Your right hand is exalted.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Lovingkindness and truth go before You.
15 How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance.
16 In Your name they rejoice all the day,
And by Your righteousness they are exalted.
17 For You are the glory of their strength,
And by Your favor our horn is exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to the Lord,
And our king to the Holy One of Israel.”  Psalm 89:1-18.

——————————–

O LORD, we seek Your countenance.

We seek Your righteousness.

We seek Your glory.

We seek Your favor.

We seek Your protection.

Other doctrine seeks their own “shine”, their own righteousness, and their own glory.

Other doctrine favors themselves, strengthens themselves, and protects themselves.

In summary, other doctrine looks inside to improve themselves.

But, Reformed Doctrine looks up to God to shine upon them, to give them righteousness and glory in Christ.

Reformed Doctrine looks up to God for His favor, for His strength, and for His protection.

In summary, Reformed Doctrine sees only “Total Depravity” within man, but sees God providing everything that they need for salvation from the very beginning to the very end:  from the very beginning of God’s “Unconditional Election” through God’s “Limited Atonement” through God’s “Irresistible Grace” to the very end of God’s “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;  but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.  But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”  1 Corinthians 1:26-31.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 21, 2016

“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 88.

“O Lord, the God of my salvation,
I have cried out by day and in the night before You.
2 Let my prayer come before You;
Incline Your ear to my cry!
3 For my soul has had enough troubles,
And my life has drawn near to Sheol.
4 I am reckoned among those who go down to the pit;
I have become like a man without strength,
5 Forsaken among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more,
And they are cut off from Your hand.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit,
In dark places, in the depths.
7 Your wrath has rested upon me,
And You have afflicted me with all Your waves.  Selah.
8 You have removed my acquaintances far from me;
You have made me an object of loathing to them;
I am shut up and cannot go out.
9 My eye has wasted away because of affliction;
I have called upon You every day, O Lord;
I have spread out my hands to You.

10 Will You perform wonders for the dead?
Will the departed spirits rise and praise You?  Selah.
11 Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave,
Your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But I, O Lord, have cried out to You for help,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14 O Lord, why do You reject my soul?
Why do You hide Your face from me?
15 I was afflicted and about to die from my youth on;
I suffer Your terrors;  I am overcome.
16 Your burning anger has passed over me;
Your terrors have destroyed me.
17 They have surrounded me like water all day long;
They have encompassed me altogether.
18 You have removed lover and friend far from me;
My acquaintances are in darkness.”  Psalm chapter 88.

———————-

We may feel like God may be hiding from us.

Or, God may be truly punishing us.

But, where do we turn?

Other doctrine teaches to focus on ourselves and improve ourselves.

But, consistent with today’s Scripture, Reformed Doctrine teaches us to focus on God and seek His salvation.

“O Lord, the God of my salvation,
I have cried out by day and in the night before You.”  Verse 1.

“But I, O Lord, have cried out to You for help,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.”  Verse 13.

Our hope is not in ourselves.

If we only look inside ourselves, all we will find is “Total Depravity”.

Our hope is only in God.

“19 Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness.
20 Surely my soul remembers
And is bowed down within me.
21 This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have hope in Him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.
26 It is good that he waits silently
For the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man that he should bear
The yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and be silent
Since He has laid it on him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust,
Perhaps there is hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to the smiter,
Let him be filled with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not reject forever,
32 For if He causes grief,
Then He will have compassion
According to His abundant lovingkindness.”  Lamentations 3:19-32.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 20, 2016

“The Lord loves the gates of Zion” – “All my springs of joy are in you.”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 87.

“His foundation is in the holy mountains.
2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion
More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are spoken of you,
O city of God.  Selah.
4 “I shall mention Rahab and Babylon among those who know Me;
Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia:
‘This one was born there.’”
5 But of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her”;
And the Most High Himself will establish her.
6 The Lord will count when He registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.”  Selah.
7 Then those who sing as well as those who play the flutes shall say,
“All my springs of joy are in you.”  Psalm chapter 87.

———————

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”  Ephesians 2:4-7.

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”  Colossians 3:2-3.

“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God.  Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.  It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, …  And the twelve gates were twelve pearls;  each one of the gates was a single pearl.  And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.”  Revelation 21:10-12 and 21.

There is a tag titled “Heaven” above on this page which is a link to an article on Heaven to help us set our mind on Heaven.

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;  who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”  Philippians 3:20-21.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 19, 2016

“Preserve my soul, for I am a godly man; O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 86.

“Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me;
For I am afflicted and needy.
2 Preserve my soul, for I am a godly man;
O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.
3 Be gracious to me, O Lord,
For to You I cry all day long.
4 Make glad the soul of Your servant,
For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.
6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
And give heed to the voice of my supplications!
7 In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You,
For You will answer me.
8 There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord,
Nor are there any works like Yours.
9 All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And they shall glorify Your name.
10 For You are great and do wondrous deeds;
You alone are God.

11 Teach me Your way, O Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And will glorify Your name forever.
13 For Your lovingkindness toward me is great,
And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

14 O God, arrogant men have risen up against me,
And a band of violent men have sought my life,
And they have not set You before them.
15 But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.
16 Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
Oh grant Your strength to Your servant,
And save the son of Your handmaid.
17 Show me a sign for good,
That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
Because You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.”  Psalm chapter 86.

——————————

Again and again, we read about the wondrous deeds of God in Scripture.

“For You are great and do wondrous deeds;
You alone are God.”  Verse 10.

“There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord,
Nor are there any works like Yours.”  Verse 8.

And yet, other doctrine still focuses on man and man’s works, man’s wisdom, and man’s will.

But, Reformed Doctrine sees and summarizes Scripture’s focus on God and God’s works.

Today, we specifically see “Preservation of the Saints”, the  “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“Preserve my soul, for I am a godly man;
O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.”  Verse 2.

Other doctrine is proud of what it has accomplished whether it be proud of its works or proud of its wisdom and alleged free-will in choosing Christ.

But, Reformed Doctrine humbly admits:  “…  I am afflicted and needy.”  Verse 1.

Article 3.  By reason of these remains of indwelling sin, and the temptations of sin and of the world, those who are converted could not persevere in a state of grace, if left to their own strength.  But God is faithful, who having conferred grace, mercifully confirms, and powerfully preserves them herein, even to the end. FIFTH HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Perseverance of the Saints.  Canons of Dordt.

Other doctrine seeks self-improvement.

But, Reformed Doctrine seeks God’s grace.

“Be gracious to me, O Lord,
For to You I cry all day long.”  Verse 3.

“Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
Oh grant Your strength to Your servant,
And save the son of Your handmaid.”  Verse 16.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 18, 2016

“Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 85.

“O Lord, You showed favor to Your land;
You restored the captivity of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of Your people;
You covered all their sin.  Selah.
3 You withdrew all Your fury;
You turned away from Your burning anger.

4 Restore us, O God of our salvation,
And cause Your indignation toward us to cease.
5 Will You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?
6 Will You not Yourself revive us again,
That Your people may rejoice in You?
7 Show us Your lovingkindness, O Lord,
And grant us Your salvation.

8 I will hear what God the Lord will say;
For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones;
But let them not turn back to folly.
9 Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,
That glory may dwell in our land.
10 Lovingkindness and truth have met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth springs from the earth,
And righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 Indeed, the Lord will give what is good,
And our land will yield its produce.
13 Righteousness will go before Him
And will make His footsteps into a way.”  Psalm chapter 85.

————————–

We want lovingkindness.

“Show us Your lovingkindness, O Lord,
And grant us Your salvation.”  Verse 7.

But, there is the truth of our sin, and God is a just God Who shows His justice by punishing sin.

How can lovingkindness and truth meet together as stated in the following Scripture?

“Lovingkindness and truth have met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”  Verse 10.

The answer is in the Person and the propitiation.

“For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.  For the Law was given through Moses;  grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”  John 1:16-17.

“Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life;  no one comes to the Father but through Me.”  John 14:6.

The propitiation was Christ’s sacrifice on the cross in which Christ took on Himself the sins of God’s elect and the just punishment in order to appease or satisfy the wrath of God and demand of justice.

“But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;  whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.  This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;  for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”  John 3:21-26.

“By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, …”  Proverbs 16:6.

And, it even gets better.

How can righteousness and peace kiss each other?

Because God is a just God, God not only punishes sin, God rewards righteousness by giving peace.

“And the work of righteousness will be peace,
And the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.”  Isaiah 32:17.

The answer again is in the Person Jesus Christ, the “Prince of Peace”. 

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

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;  Lovingkindness and truth go before You.”  Psalm 89:4.

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