Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

 ¹¹  “Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers could find no food.

 ¹²  “But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time.

 ¹³  “On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh.

 ¹⁴  “Then Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all.

 ¹⁵  “And Jacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died.

 ¹⁶  “From there they were removed to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.”  Acts 7:9-16.

——————————– 

 ³  and said to him, ‘LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME INTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU.’

 ⁴  “Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran.  From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living.

 ⁵  “But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child,  He promised that HE WOULD GIVE IT TO HIM AS A POSSESSION, AND TO HIS DESCENDANTS AFTER HIM.

 ⁶  “But God spoke to this effect, that his DESCENDANTS WOULD BE ALIENS IN A FOREIGN LAND, AND THAT THEY WOULD BE ENSLAVED AND MISTREATED FOR FOUR HUNDRED YEARS.

 ⁷  ” ‘AND WHATEVER NATION TO WHICH THEY WILL BE IN BONDAGE I MYSELF WILL JUDGE,’ said God, ‘AND AFTER THAT THEY WILL COME OUT AND SERVE ME IN THIS PLACE.’

 ⁸  “And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day;  and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.”  Acts 7:1-8

————————- 

With this detailed and cherished review of Israel’s history, Stephen refuted his accusers by showing his respect for God and the patriarchs.  From the very beginning, Stephen’s defense is so strong that it seems like an offense.  Stephen does not stumble or bumble or sweat.  He just recites history.  He shows that God is in total control.  It is almost as if Stephen thanks his accusers for this opportunity to recount each precious sovereign act of what God has done.  Stephen is not threatened.  Stephen does not cower.  Rather, he gladly proclaims:  “Hear me, brethren and fathers!”  

We are reminded of God’s promise in Isaiah 54:14-17. 

“¹⁴  “In righteousness you will be established;
         You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear;
         And from terror, for it will not come near you.
    ¹⁵  “If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me.
         Whoever assails you will fall because of you.
    ¹⁶  “Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals
         And brings out a weapon for its work;
         And I have created the destroyer to ruin.
    ¹⁷  “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper;
         And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn
         This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
         And their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.”  Isaiah 54:14-17.

 ¹⁰  But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

 ¹¹  Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”

 ¹²  And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away and brought him before the Council.

 ¹³  They put forward false witnesses who said, “This man incessantly speaks against this holy place and the Law;

 ¹⁴  for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us.”

 ¹⁵  And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel.”  Acts 6:8-15.

——————————–

Verse 10 reminds me of Matthew 10:19-20. 

“But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say;  for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.  “For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”  Matthew 10:19-20. 

Verse 15 reminds me of Psalm 34:4-5.

“⁴  I sought the LORD, and He answered me,
         And delivered me from all my fears.
    ⁵  They looked to Him and were radiant,
         And their faces will never be ashamed.”  Psalm 34:4-5. 

We can trust the LORD for our defense.

 ³⁵  And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men.

 ³⁶  “For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him.  But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.

 ³⁷  “After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him;  he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.

 ³⁸  “So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown;

 ³⁹  but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them;  or else you may even be found fighting against God.”

 ⁴⁰  They took his advice;  and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them.

 ⁴¹  So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.

 ⁴²  And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”  Acts 5:33-42.

——————————-

How often do we read about the sovereignty of God!  

“³⁰  There is no wisdom and no understanding
         And no counsel against the LORD.
    ³¹  The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
         But victory belongs to the LORD.”  Proverbs 21:30-31. 

We can prepare well to execute our plans.  But, we will not be able to accomplish anything against the will of God.  God is so sovereign that He even laughs at those who think that they can break away from His sovereignty. 

“²  The kings of the earth take their stand
         And the rulers take counsel together
         Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
    ³  “Let us tear their fetters apart
         And cast away their cords from us!”
    ⁴  He who sits in the heavens laughs,
         The Lord scoffs at them.”  Psalm 2:2-4.

“¹²  The wicked plots against the righteous
         And gnashes at him with his teeth.
    ¹³  The Lord laughs at him,
         For He sees his day is coming.”  Psalm 37:12-13.

God even laughs at nations.

“⁸  But You, O LORD, laugh at them;
         You scoff at all the nations.
    ⁹  Because of his strength I will watch for You,
         For God is my stronghold.
    ¹⁰  My God in His lovingkindness will meet me;
         God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes.”  Psalm 59:8-10.

What should our response be to God’s sovereignty? 

“⁸  Let all the earth fear the LORD;
         Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
    ⁹  For He spoke, and it was done;
         He commanded, and it stood fast.
    ¹⁰  The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations;
         He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
    ¹¹  The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
         The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
    ¹²  Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
         The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.
    ¹³  The LORD looks from heaven;
         He sees all the sons of men;
    ¹⁴  From His dwelling place He looks out
         On all the inhabitants of the earth,
    ¹⁵  He who fashions the hearts of them all,
         He who understands all their works.
    ¹⁶  The king is not saved by a mighty army;
         A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
    ¹⁷  A horse is a false hope for victory;
         Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
    ¹⁸  Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,
         On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
    ¹⁹  To deliver their soul from death
         And to keep them alive in famine.
    ²⁰  Our soul waits for the LORD;
         He is our help and our shield.
    ²¹  For our heart rejoices in Him,
         Because we trust in His holy name.
    ²²  Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us,
         According as we have hoped in You.”  Psalm 33:8-22.

 ²⁸  saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

 ²⁹  But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

 ³⁰  “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross.

 ³¹  “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

 ³²  “And we are witnesses of these things;  and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”  Acts 5:27-32. 

——————————-

If we were only affected by sin and still had free will, then it would seem most peculiar and inconsistent that we would need “a Savior, to grant repentance“.  However, if we were dead in sin and only had a will that was bound to Satan and hostile to God, then it would seem most necessary and consistent that we would need “a Savior, to grant repentance“.   

And, this verse, that talks about God granting repentance, does not stand alone.

Here is what The Westminister Larger Catechism states in “Question 67: What is effectual calling?  Answer: Effectual calling is the work of God’s almighty power and grace, whereby (out of his free and special love to his elect, and from nothing in them moving him thereunto) he does, in his accepted time, invite and draw them to Jesus Christ, by his Word and Spirit;  savingly enlightening their minds, renewing and powerfully determining their wills, so as they (although in themselves dead in sin) are hereby made willing and able freely to answer his call, and to accept and embrace the grace offered and conveyed therein.”

Here is what The Westminister Larger Catechism states in “Question 76: What is repentance unto life?  Answer:  Repentance unto life is a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and Word of God, whereby, out of the sight and sense, not only of the danger, but also of the filthiness and odiousness of his sins, and upon the apprehension of God’s mercy in Christ to such as are penitent, he so grieves for and hates his sins, as that he turns from them all to God, purposing and endeavoring constantly to walk with him in all the ways of new obedience.”

 ²⁰  “Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.”  Acts 5:18-20.

—————————- 

Today’s Scripture, particularly the phrase “the whole message”, reminds me of The Apostles’ Creed.  But, I want to be even more general than covering just The Apostles’ Creed.  This devotion will focus on the general importance of creeds.  However, in passing, I will specifically refer to The Heidelberg Catechism as being very helpful to explain the meaning of each phrase of The Apostles’ Creed (to which there is a link at the bottom of this devotion).    

In summary, creeds systematically state “the whole message”.  Creeds eliminate the necessity of the Church “reinventing the wheel” every time a particular subject is encountered.  Creeds help the Church rightly understand Scripture.  Creeds help believers present and teach the points of their Christian faith.  Creeds help protect the Church against heresies. 

Here is a quote from what Rev. Ronald Hanko, in his article “A Plea for Creeds”, states about the importance of doctrine and creeds.  His article in full can be read at the following link – http://www.prca.org/articles/plea_for_creeds.html

“Here is a brief quote from the article explaining what happens when a denomination or church dismisses or minimizes the importance of doctrine:  ” …  by cutting herself off from the church of past, the church today says in effect that every generation must start all over in its searching of the Scriptures and pursuit of the truth. Thus she sets herself an impossible task – a task that is either set aside as too great so that there is little knowledge of the truth in the church, or which leaves her no time for other things.”

‘This is well-stated by the Presbyterian author, G.I. Williamson:

The Bible contains a great wealth of information. It isn’t easy to master it all – in fact, no one has ever mastered it completely. It would therefore be foolish for us to try to do it on our own, starting from scratch.  We would be ignoring all the study of the Word of God that other people have done down through the centuries. That is exactly why we have creeds. They are the product of many centuries of Bible study by a great company of believers. They are a kind of spiritual “road map” of the teaching of the Bible, already worked out an proved by others before us.  And, after all, isn’t this exactly what Jesus promised? When he was about to finish his work on earth, he made this promise to his disciples: “When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). And Christ kept his promise. When the Day of Pentecost came, he sent his Spirit to dwell in his people. The Holy Spirit was poured out – not on individuals, each by himself, but on the whole body of Christian believers together ( Acts 2). And from that time until this, he has been giving his church an understanding of the Scriptures. It is no wonder that the church expressed itself from very early times through creeds (p. 3).4

He adds:

And right here we see one of the most important things about a creed that is true to the Bible – it remains true down through the ages. It does not need to be changed again and again, with each generation, because it deals with things that are unchanging. Thus, an accurate creed binds the generations together. It reminds us that the church of Jesus Christ is not confined to one age, just as it is not confined to any one place. In other words, there is a unity in what Christians have believed, right down through the ages. Just think of it: when we confess our faith together . . . we join with all those believers who have gone before us. Does not this demonstrate that there is indeed just one Lord and one true faith? (p. 3).”

————————

In conclusion, here are some links that may help the reader.

Here is a link to a web site titled “Daily Confessions” which contains a daily dose of a Reformed catechism, confession, or creed –

Click here: Daily Confession 

 

Here are links to four of the major creeds.  Don’t be intimidated by them.  They were written to be easily readable and understandable and inspiring and otherwise helpful to even children.  

 

Click here: The Belgic Confession of Faith

 

Click here: The Canons of Dordt

 

Click here: The Heidelberg Catechism

 

Click here: Historic Church Documents at Reformed.org  (The Westminister Larger Confession)

 

And, here is one final link to The Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics which has links the The Apostles Creed and other creeds –

 

Click here: Historic Church Documents at Reformed.org  (It appears to be the same link as above, but it links to the foregoing The Apostles Creed and other creeds.)  

 ³³  And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.

 ³⁴  For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales

 ³⁵  and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.

 ³⁶  Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement),

 ³⁷  and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

¹  But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,

 ²  and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet.

 ³  But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?

 ⁴  “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own?  And after it was sold, was it not under your control?  Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart?  You have not lied to men but to God.”

 ⁵  And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last;  and great fear came over all who heard of it.

 ⁶  The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.

 ⁷  Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

 ⁸  And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?”  And she said, “Yes, that was the price.”

 ⁹  Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.”

 ¹⁰  And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

 ¹¹  And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.”  Acts 4:31 to Acts 5:11.

—————————

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”  Proverbs 9:10  We tend to focus primarily on the believers and the common sharing, rather than focus on the Holy Spirit and the fear of the LORD that He wrought.

We tend to let our focus be determined by chapter divisions, rather than be determined by the context of the Scripture.  There is one theme in this Scripture for today, even including Acts 4:31 which we covered yesterday.  That is why these “bookends” of Acts 4:31 and Acts 5:1-11 are included.

We can’t understand the importance of sharing among believers without being reminded about Who caused the sharing.  Although we are inclined to start this daily devotion with Acts 4:32, that verse starts with “And” which is a conjunction which should prompt us to tie this verse to the prior verse.  Although we are inclined to wait until the next daily to start Acts Chapter 5, Acts 5:1 starts with “But” which is also a conjunction which should prompt us to tie this chapter and verse to the prior chapter and verse.

We also see so much parallelism in Scripture, particularly in the Psalms and Proverbs, but we also see parallelism in this Scripture for today.  In Acts Chapter 4, we noted that God is sovereign over even hostile men who intend to do evil, and God is sovereign over His servants who want to carry our God’s will.  God is so powerful and sovereign that He caused His servants to share so much.  God is so powerful and sovereign that He used the actions of Ananias and Sapphira to cause great fear over the whole church.

I am resistant to read about the sharing of the believers.  I am selfish.  I have got nothing, but I don’t even want to share the nothing that I have.

Maybe, I can resist that selfishness and teach that it is good to share everything.  But even then, there is danger in doing that apparent noble mission.  Thereby, we can establish a new law and trust our flesh to perform it and feel quite self-righteous when we think we succeeded.

We should be reminded of Galatians 3:5.  “So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

In conclusion, this is exactly what happened in this Scripture.  God provided His Spirit and worked the miracle of believers sharing and worked the miracle of the fear of the LORD.

 ²⁵  who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said,
         ‘WHY DID THE GENTILES RAGE,
         AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS?
    ²⁶  ‘THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND,
         AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHER
         AGAINST THE LORD AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST.’

 ²⁷  “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,

 ²⁸  to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.

 ²⁹  “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence,

 ³⁰  while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”

 ³¹  And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”  Acts 4:23-31.

—————————

Our situation today may appear dangerous and chaotic as the situation in Acts Chapter 4 may have seemed dangerous and chaotic to Peter and John.  But, we can focus on God and His sovereignty as Peter and John did in this Scripture for today.  We are reminded by verses 27 and 28 that God orchestrates even hostile men with evil intentions to accomplish His purpose.

Today, we can pray as Peter and John did pray then.  God chooses to use our prayers, and we are honored and pleased to pray.  “Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;  Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.”  Psalm 32:6  And yet, we must also notice here that Peter and John did not primarily pray for safety;  although they asked God to take note of their threats, they primarily prayed that they would speak God’s Word with all confidence.

There is a certain logic that helps us believe and pray in “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the true Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  For example, if we truly are “totally depraved” and dead in sin (the “T” in “TULIP”), then our only “chance” for salvation is God’s “unconditional election” (the “U” in “TULIP”).  As another example, if Christ died for everyone, then everyone would be saved.  We know by Scripture that not everyone is saved, therefore, Christ did not die for everyone (“limited atonement”, the “L” of “TULIP”).      

There is also a certain logic in this prayer in Scripture today that may have helped Peter and John believe and pray.  The prayer starts with a focus on God and His sovereignty.  Here is how I choose to state these points.

1.  “O Lord, it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM,”

2.  Because God created heaven, earth, and all that is in them, God is sovereign over all men and all their actions.  

3.  Because God is sovereign over all men and all their actions, God is sovereign over even hostile men who intend to do evil.

4.  Likewise, because God is sovereign over all men and all their actions, God is also sovereign over His servants who want to carry our God’s will.

5.  Because God is sovereign over His servants who serve God, God is sovereign over what His servants speak and how they speak it. 

6.  Because God is sovereign over what His servants speak and how they may speak it, Peter and John was led by this logic to believe and pray that God could and would grant their request that they speak the word of God with all confidence.  

7.  “And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”  Acts 4:31.

In conclusion, we certainly should not and can not manipulate God by logic.  But, we should and can “order” our prayer.  We should and can start the order with the confession even if it is as simple as God hates the wicked and punishes them and God loves the righteous and blesses them.  From that point, we can continue the prayer logically with faith that God will grant our prayer request.   

“³  In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice;
         In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.
    ⁴  For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
         No evil dwells with You.
    ⁵  The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;
         You hate all who do iniquity.
    ⁶  You destroy those who speak falsehood;
         The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.

…

¹²  For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD,
         You surround him with favor as with a shield.”  Psalm 5:3-6 and 12.

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”  Romans 8:32.  Logical!