Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

 ³  And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them;

 ⁴  for they all out of their surplus put into the offering;  but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.”  Luke 21:1-4.

What can we, rich married men, learn from this poor single woman?  Here are four things.

First, “…  LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND;  AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”  Luke 10:27

Second, “…  love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.  So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;  for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body.  FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.”  Ephesians 5:25-31.

Third, don’t despise the small and the few.  “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things;  enter into the joy of your master.’  Matthew 25:21

Fourth, take care of the widows and orphans.  “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”  James 1:27

 ⁴⁷  who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”  Luke 20:45-47. 

Today’s Scripture is very similar to Matthew 23:5-7.  Jesus concludes a few verses later:  “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”  Matthew 23:12.  But, it does not even take this cross-reference.  We already know the importance of humility.

^“You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”  1 Peter 5:5. 

Does God give us grace because we are humble?  Or, does God give us grace to be able to be humble?

We know what is contained in our unregenerated natural condition (“total depravity”).  “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.  “All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”  Mark 7:21-23.  “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,”  Ephesians 2:1.

But, there is hope! 

^“When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,”  Colossians 2:13.

Colossians Chapter 3 continues by urging us to put on the new self.  “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”  Colossians 3:1.  “… put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him–”  Colossians 3:10.      

“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;  bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone;  just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.  Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”  Colossians 3:12-14.

 ⁴⁴  “Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord,’ and how is He his son?”  Luke 20:41-44.

The above-stated Luke 20:42-43 confirms Jesus Christ is very God. 

Matthew 1:1-17 provides the answer to Jesus’ question in verse 44 (“Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord,’ and how is He his son?”).  It provides the detailed genealogy of Jesus Christ, not only from David to Jesus, but from even earler, Abraham to Christ.  Click here: Matthew 1 – Passage Lookup – New American Standard Bible – BibleGateway.com  There are also many other verses that confirm that Christ is David’s son (descendant). 

Why is it important that “Christ is David’s son”?  In this devotion, we will focus on the importance of Jesus Christ, in addition to being very God, to also be very man.   

But, it is also important to understand the kingship of Jesus Christ and that Jesus Christ, as David’s son, justly inherited the throne of David in fulfillment of prophecy in Scripture.  As just one example, consider the words of the angel Gabriel to Mary. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.  “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;  and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”  Luke 1:31-33. 

Isaiah 9:6-8 sends chills down our spine about the blessedness of this kingship.    

^“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.” 

We will now turn our attention to the primary focus of this devotion which is the importance of Jesus Christ being both very God and very man.

In a nutshell, we need a Savior who is both very God and very man.

Here is what The Heidelberg Catechism states: 

Question 15.  What sort of a mediator and deliverer then must we seek for?

Answer.  For one who is very man, and perfectly righteous; and yet more powerful than all creatures; that is, one who is also very God.

Question 16.  Why must he be very man, and also perfectly righteous? 

Answer. Because the justice of God requires that the same human nature which hath sinned, should  likewise make satisfaction for sin; and one, who is himself a sinner, cannot satisfy for others.

Question 17.  Why must he in one person be also very God?

Answer.  That he might, by the power of his Godhead sustain in his human nature, the burden of God’s wrath; and might obtain for, and restore to us, righteousness and life.

Question 18.  Who then is that Mediator, who is in one person both very God, and a real righteous man?

Answer.  Our Lord Jesus Christ:  “who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”

Question 19.  Whence knowest thou this?

Answer. From the holy gospel, which God himself first revealed in Paradise;  and afterwards published by the patriarchs and prophets, and represented by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law; and lastly, has fulfilled it by his only begotten Son.”

We will focus on verses 37 and 38. 

In yesterday’s Scripture, we considered on how we could render “to God the things that are God’s.”  We acknowledged that God owns everything, and we owe God everything.  We searched through a few Scriptures and a few Reformed confessions to find out our duties to God.  Without God’s grace, such task is overwhelming. 

But, then today, we get the encouragement of this Scripture which puts the focus back on God.  God is our God, the God of the living, and we all live to Him!

Romans 14:7-8 helps us to understand this point.  “For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;  for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord;  therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”

In other words, we can gain comfort that we are not our own.  We are the Lord’s!  We are not dependent on ourselves to fulfill our duties to God in front of God as if God has His arms folded and waiting to judge us.  “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”  Philippians 2:13.  

The Heidelberg Catechism states it so well.

Question 1.  What is thy only comfort in life and death?

Answer.  That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ;  who, with his precious blood, hath fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil;  and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head;  yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.

This is why Reformed Doctrine a/k/a Calvinism is so sweet and irresistable! 

Arminianism and other man-made doctrine focuses on man and what man should do.  Such doctrine stays there with its points:  man’s goodness, man’s free-will, conditional election dependent on man performing the condition triggering election, and fall from grace based on man’s actions. 

Reformed Doctrine a/k/a Calvinism focuses on God and what He has done for us with its points:  God’s unconditional election, Christ’s atonement which supplies all that we need for salvation including saving faith, God’s irresistible grace, and God’s preservation of the saints.  Truly,  “we are the Lord’s.”

 ²¹  They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth.

 ²²  “Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

 ²³  But He detected their trickery and said to them,

 ²⁴  “Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?”  They said, “Caesar’s.”

 ²⁵  And He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

 ²⁶  And they were unable to catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people;  and being amazed at His answer, they became silent.”  Luke 20:19-26. 

Like the Scripture a few days ago on August 20, 2010, this Scripture carries more meaning than just the wisdom of Jesus in avoiding another hostile question.  The chief priests and the scribes were not searching for the truth, but they were only trying to trap Jesus.  They did not deserve an answer, and yet here, unlike in the previous encounter where Jesus does not answer their question, Jesus does here answer their question and does so with more than what they deserved and even wanted.

“Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  In giving this answer, Jesus was teaching more than just it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar.  Jesus was teaching that people should render “to God the things that are God’s.”  

What does that mean, to render to God the things that are God’s?  What does “render” mean?  According to my Oxford American Dictionary, published in 1980 by Oxford University Press, “render” is defined as “to give, especially in return or exchange or as something due”.

God owns everything.  We owe God everything. 

In this short devotion, we can only begin to consider a few verses:

Luke 10:27
“And he answered, ” YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”

Micah 6:8
“He has told you, O man, what is good;  And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”

 ¹¹  “And he proceeded to send another slave;  and they beat him also and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed.

 ¹²  “And he proceeded to send a third;  and this one also they wounded and cast out.

 ¹³  “The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son;  perhaps they will respect him.’

 ¹⁴  “But when the vine-growers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir;  let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’

 ¹⁵  “So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.  What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

 ¹⁶  “He will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others ”  When they heard it, they said, “May it never be!”

 ¹⁷  But Jesus looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
         ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
         THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone’?

 ¹⁸  “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces;  but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”  Luke 20:9-18. 

Jesus is the chief corner stone, and it is marvelous in our eyes.   

“The stone which the builders rejected
         Has become the chief corner stone. 
    This is the LORD’S doing;
         It is marvelous in our eyes.”  Psalm 118:22-23.

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”  Ephesians 2:19-22.  The context of this Scripture (Ephesians 2:19-22) makes it clear that Jesus is the chief corner stone for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike. 

Now, what about Luke 20:18?  “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces;  but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”  Luke 20:18.  What does it mean?

There a lot of good commentaries out there that you can check.  Is Jesus talking about literally everyone, the righteous and the wicked?  Some say that the righteous will be broken in heart, humbled, will accept Jesus, and be saved;  whereas, the wicked will just be obliterated, like scattered dust.  There is truth to that interpretation.

Yes, Jesus is certainly the hope for all broken pieces, Jew and Gentile alike.  But, here in today’s Scripture, I think that we should not just be so general.  There is also special meaning and application to the Jews, the vine-growers, to whom Jesus had been so critical.  The parable is about the vine-growers who were Jews.  The parable is about what would happen to them.  Jesus “looked at them” when He made these statements.  Although Scripture is often very judgmental with harsh punishment on the Jews, there is always some hope for the believing remnant.  So, maybe, today’s Scripture also contains some specific hope for some of the vine-growers, some of the Jews.  

Maybe, some Jews, some of these vine-growers, would be broken to pieces, but not smashed and scattered like dust.

There is the hope for these broken Jews of Romans 11:17-23.  “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.  You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.”  Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith.  Do not be conceited, but fear;  for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.  Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness;  otherwise you also will be cut off.  And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.”

 ³  Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell Me:

 ⁴  “Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”

 ⁵  They reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’

 ⁶  “But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

 ⁷  So they answered that they did not know where it came from.

 ⁸  And Jesus said to them, “Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”  Luke 20:1-8.

This Scripture carries more meaning than just the wisdom of Jesus in avoiding a hostile question by His reply in the form of another question.  In addition, this Scripture calls for more than a search through Scripture of Jesus’ authority.  The chief priests and the scribes with the elders were only hostile and not searching for the truth.  They did not deserve an answer.  Jesus did not give it to them.  And, we also should not trouble ourselves providing an answer.

Rather than these topics, this Scripture provides a unique opportunity to compare the baptism of John with the baptism of Jesus, the nature of our baptism as Christians, and how our baptism gives us  authority and power.

“John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals;  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”  Luke 3:16

Likewise, Matthew 3:11 states:  “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals;  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

What authority is given to us through the Holy Spirit?

Here is the final address of Jesus to His disciples before He ascended.  It does not take much insight to realize the importance of this address.

^“Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me;  for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”  So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”  He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;  but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;  and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”  And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.  Acts 1:4-9.

Through our baptism with the Holy Spirit, we have the authority and power to be effective witnesses for Jesus.  God will use us to draw His elect to Jesus. 

We should not be discouraged when some (even many) do not believe.  Jesus said:  “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master ‘ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you;  if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”  John 15:20.   

There were those people who followed Jesus and literally saw Jesus and His miracles and heard His words, and yet still did not believe.  Jesus said:   “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.”  As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.”  John 6:64-66.

John 8:47
“He who is of God hears the words of God;  for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

But, there are also those Elect who will hear our words and believe.  “When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord;  and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.”  Acts 13:48

Deuteronomy 33:3 provides a fitting conclusion.  “Indeed, He loves the people;  All Your holy ones are in Your hand, And they followed in Your steps;  Everyone receives of Your words.”

 ⁴⁶  saying to them, “It is written, ‘AND MY HOUSE SHALL BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER,’ but you have made it a ROBBERS’ DEN.”

 ⁴⁷  And He was teaching daily in the temple;  but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to destroy Him,

 ⁴⁸  and they could not find anything that they might do, for all the people were hanging on to every word He said.”  Luke 19:45-48.

Notice the contrasts.  Compare Jesus driving out the traders to Jesus welcoming the people to pray in the temple and teaching the people daily in the temple.  Compare the chief priests, scribes, and leading men trying to destroy Jesus to all the people hanging on to every word Jesus said.

I start with this comparison of the contrasts to help us prepare for the ‘ HOUSE OF PRAYER’ Scripture to which Jesus refers.

^“4  For thus says the LORD,
         “To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths,
         And choose what pleases Me,
         And hold fast My covenant,
    ⁵  To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial,
         And a name better than that of sons and daughters;
         I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.
    ⁶  “Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
         To minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD,
         To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath
         And holds fast My covenant;
    ⁷  Even those I will bring to My holy mountain
         And make them joyful in My house of prayer
         Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar;
         For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”  

Isaiah 56:4-7.

We could so focus on the driving out of the traders aspect of the Scripture for today that we dismiss or minimize God’s gathering and welcoming and helping the people in His house.

It seems to me that my devotion should focus on the aspect of God bringing and welcoming His people to His house, making them joyful in His house, and accepting their prayers in His house.

 ⁴³  “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side,

 ⁴⁴ and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

Sometimes, the “little” words in Scripture can mean so much.  In yesterday’s devotion, I struggled with mentally dismissing the importance of the words “As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives” in verse 37.  I thought:  “Why pay any attention to it?”  But, thanks to God’s grace, I concluded:  “All of Scripture is important.  Although it may not be the focal point of a particular devotion, I need to think about it.” 

And now, for today’s devotion, as I read the words “When He approached Jerusalem”, I remembered this “approach” connection between the two passages which induced a comparison of the two passages.  It interested me that the prior passage was a time of joy for Jesus (as He was praised by the whole crowd of disciples) compared to today’s passage which was a time of sorrow for Jesus as He wept over the thoughts of what would happen to Jerusalem.

Sometimes, we too go from times of joy to times of sorrow.  We have plenty of times of joy, and I am not saying that when we do experience such joy that we should somehow reserve our happiness, expecting “the other shoe to drop” (namely, expecting some bad thing to occur).  But, I do think that we can receive such times of joy as a period of strengthening for whatever and whenever some time of sorrow may come. 

In other words, we should not just receive a time of joy as just a temporary happiness like eating an ice cream cone.  Rather, we should receive a time of joy with wisdom recognizing that God will likely use it to prepare us somehow for the future.  

We tend to read Romans 8:28 as only applying to “bad” things (times of sorrow).  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  But, this verse also applies to “good” things (times of joy).  God causes those “good” things (times of joy) to also work for our good.      

In the Scripture in which “Jesus wept” over the death of Lazarus, John Chapter 11, the preceding experience was likely a time of joy for Jesus.  “And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there.  Many came to Him and were saying, “While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true.”  Many believed in Him there.”  John 10:40-42. 

And, the time of sorrow for Jesus over the death of Lazarus was immediately followed by a time of great joy for Jesus, the resurrection of Lazarus!  Not only does God give us a time of joy to prepare us for a time of sorrow, God “sandwiches” such times of sorrow within times of joy!

As we approach those times of joy, may those times of joy prepare us to approach those times of sorrow!

We will conclude with a prayer –

Dear Father in Heaven:

Thank You for those times of joy.  You fill us with the Holy Spirit Whom continually gives us joy.  You anoint us with abundant and overflowing times of joy.

But, we do recognize that there is also light affliction, times of sorrow.  But, You catch every one of our tears in Your bottle.  Psalm 56:8.  Our tears are precious to you and are used by You for our good.

Please work wisdom within us so that we do not only temporarily enjoy those times of joy, but that we recognize that You cause those times of joy to work for our good, including strengthening us and otherwise preparing us for everything, including those times of sorrow.  In Jesus name, we pray.  Amen.