Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

 ³²  “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;

 ³³  and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”  Luke 1:31-33.

In my devotion yesterday, I gave my testimony about attending, being a member, and even a lay leader, of a wide range of different Protestant churches.  I stated:  “At first, I did not realize that Reformed doctrine would not necessarily be preached in all Christian Protestant churches.  I thought that the problem was just with a particular minister …”. 

Even though one would expect that there would be a wide range of different doctrine taught in these different churches, there was a common theme that just did not feel right to me.  There was a focus on man and what man should do and the alleged free will of man. 

It was subtle.  Not one of these churches would deny that God was sovereign and that God was in control.  Even yesterday, I drove past a church that I know is very Arminian, and there is a sign outside which reads:  “Don’t worry.  God is in control.”  These churches paid “lip-service” to God’s sovereignty, but that “lip-service” made the overall sermons and teachings all that more deceptive and disturbing.  I learned that the conclusion or “crescendo” of the sermon revealed the heart of such doctrine, and the conclusion and “crescendo” was always:  “Now, this is what we need to do for the Lord.”  

In sharp contrast to the man-centered doctrine in these churches, I read the simple, undiluted, powerful and God-centered message of this Scripture today:  “… 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 1:32-33.  Later, we read in verse 37:  “For nothing will be impossible with God.”  

Doesn’t the following Scripture ring true?!  Doesn’t the following Scripture likewise focus on the sovereignty of God?  Doesn’t the following Scripture likewise prophesy on the reign of Christ?!  Doesn’t the following Scripture prophesy on how man tries to resist (but without success) the sovereignty of God?!  

^“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.
    ⁵  Then He will speak to them in His anger
         And terrify them in His fury, saying,
    ⁶  “But as for Me, I have installed My King
         Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
    ⁷  “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:
         He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
         Today I have begotten You.
    ⁸  ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
         And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
    ⁹  ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,
         You shall shatter them like earthenware.'”
    ¹⁰  Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
         Take warning, O judges of the earth.
    ¹¹  Worship the LORD with reverence
         And rejoice with trembling.
    ¹²  Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
         For His wrath may soon be kindled
         How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”  Psalm 2:2-12. 

 ²⁰  “And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”  Luke 1:18-20.  (Emphasis added.)

Yes, we can see and should see just how many have fallen away from the truth.  But, we can take hope and courage from the fact that the Lord is their God.  Read again Luke 1:16:  “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.”  (Emphasis added.)

Notice also the contrast between the “I am”s.  In the Scripture for today, compare “I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” with “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God”.  Consider the inference that we should not focus on ourselves (and our inabilities) but rather we should focus on God (and His ability).

Even when we read the dismal spiritual condition of the people of Israel in the Book of Malachi, Malachi starts out with this hope.  “I have loved you,” says the LORD.  But you say, “How have You loved us?”  “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD.  “Yet I have loved Jacob;”  Malachi 1:2.  The Lord is the God of Jacob.   

Salvation belongs to the LORD.  “And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede;  Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld Him.”  Isaiah 59:16

My testimony is in the tag “About Me”, above here at my Reformed Doctrine blog web set.  Click here: About me « Reformed Doctrine Blog

“Although I grew up in the Christian Reformed Church in Muskegon, Michigan, I moved to Florida in 1977 to go to law school, and I stayed here in Florida.  I attended and was a member, even a lay leader, in a large range of churches from Assembly of God to Baptist to Calvary Chapel to United Methodist to nondenominational churches and small fellowships.  At first, I did not realize that Reformed doctrine would not necessarily be preached in all Christian Protestant churches.  I thought that the problem was just with a particular minister.  Eventually, a childhood friend, who now lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, asked me if I remembered “TULIP”.  I began to study TULIP.  …”   

Although I had drifted away from the truth, the Lord was still my God.  God used my friend Harry to turn me back the Lord my God with the short and simple question:  “Do you remember TULIP?”.  

In conclusion, my testimony should give hope and encouragement to all of us.  First, we can focus on God.  Second, we can remember that although many have drifted away from the truth, the Lord is still their God.  Third, salvation belongs to the Lord, and He will often use humble means to do His work within us, sometimes only using a short and simple question. 

 ¹⁴  “You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

 ¹⁵  “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.

 ¹⁶  “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.

 ¹⁷  “It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”  Luke 1:13-17.  (Emphasis added.) 

When I read this Scripture, I thought how great it was that John the Baptist turned many back to the Lord their God.  

As we lament how many have drifted away from the truth, particularly the truth of Reformed doctrine, wouldn’t it be great if we could turn many back to the Lord their God?!    

I wondered about the spiritual condition of Israel before John the Baptist did his work.

I read again the last book of the Old Testament which is the Book of Malachi, and it detailed the spiritual condition of Israel before John the Baptist did his work.  The Book of Malachi also concludes with the prophecy of the birth and life of John the Baptist which is quoted in our Scripture for today.  “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.  “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”  Malachi 4:5-6. 

The Book of Malachi contains some very specific and interesting details of the spiritual condition of Israel before John the Baptist did his work.  What was the spiritual condition of Israel at that time?  We will look at five details. 

Worship was not revered and conducted as it should have been.  “You are presenting defiled food upon My altar.  …”  Malachi 1:7.

Teaching and instruction by the priests was not conducted as it should have been.  “… you have caused many to stumble by the instruction;  you have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says the LORD of hosts.  … just as you are not keeping My ways but are showing partiality in the instruction.”  Malachi 2:8-9.

The people were not faithful to their spouse.  “…against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.  “But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit.  And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring?  Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth.  “For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the LORD of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”  Malachi 2:14-16.

The people did not tithe and give offerings as they should.  “Will a man rob God?  Yet you are robbing Me!  But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’  In tithes and offerings.”  Malachi 3:8.      

The people did not discipline the guilty nor encourage each other about the rewards of faithfully serving the LORD.  “Your words have been arrogant against Me,” says the LORD.  “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’  “You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the LORD of hosts?  ‘So now we call the arrogant blessed;  not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test God and escape.'”  Malachi 3:13-15. 

 ³  They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

 ⁴  Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.

 ⁵  Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe;  and they were amazed.

 ⁸  They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them;  and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

 ⁹  Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.

 ¹⁰  She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping.

 ¹¹  When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.

 ¹²  After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country.

 ¹³  They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.”  Mark 16:1-13.  

“Let us see the forest from the trees.”

1.  “they saw that the stone had been rolled away”, and they still did not believe.

2.  “Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe”, and they still did not believe.

3.  This angel told them “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified.  He has risen”, and they still did not believe.

4.  “They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them;  and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

5.  Jesus “first appeared to Mary Magdalene”, and they still did not believe.

6.  “When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.”  

7.  “They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.”      

We need help to believe.  We need a lot of help to believe.  We need miraculous help to believe. 

As we read this Scripture, I think we sometimes gloss over this initial lack of faith.  We know that they all later had great faith.  But, I think it is helpful to really consider what the Scripture in front of you is emphasizing.  And, it seems to me that this Scripture is emphasizing this initial lack of faith. 

Why is this Scripture emphasizing this initial lack of faith?  I see two reasons.  You may see more reasons.

First, this Scripture has the ring of truth.  No one had ever seen a resurrection with possibly a few exceptions like Lazarus and a few other miracles of resurrection that Jesus had performed.  Moreover, their minds were still filled and dominated by the public and horrific suffering and death of Jesus.  It is entirely true and understandable that there would be this initial lack of faith. 

Second, this Scripture helps us today to come to grips with our lack of faith.  If Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome, the disciples, and others (who all were followers of Jesus and who were eye-witnesses of the miracles of Jesus and who were listeners to Jesus who strongly repeated his prophesy of his death and resurrection) had such trouble believing, then it helps us (about 2,000 years later) to understand that we are not alone in struggling to believe.  

Think about it.  We have just read about the suffering of Jesus.  It is not hard to believe the suffering.  We have just read about the death of Jesus.  It is not hard to believe the death of Jesus.  We have just read about the burial of Jesus.  It is not hard to believe the burial of Jesus.  And now, we are reading about the resurrection of Jesus.  But, it is real hard to believe the resurrection of Jesus. 

So, what should we do?  Should we just “suck it up” and try harder to believe???

Rather than just try harder to believe, I think that we need to focus on “total depravity” and admit that we need a miracle to believe.

Isaiah 53:1 asks (with the inference that no one believed):  “Who has believed our message?  And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”  It later states:  “He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;  And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”  Isaiah 53:3.  “All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way;  But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”  Isaiah 53:6.  (Emphasis added.) 

We need miraculous resurrection power to believe.  

Ephesians 1:19-20 refers to “… the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.  These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,”   

We need to pull out The Canons of Dordt and read again Article 8 of the “SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby”:

Article 8.  For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation:  that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father;  that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death; should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing; and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.  (Emphasis added.)  

This Article 8 teaches us that “justifying faith” is a gift of God. 

Hopefully, the Scripture for today about the initial lack of faith will help us to better understand that “justifying faith” is a gift of God.

 ⁴⁴  Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead.

 ⁴⁵And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.

 ⁴⁶  Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

 ⁴⁷  Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid.”  Mark 15:42-47.

In following Question and Answer 41, The Heidelberg Catechism instructs us why Jesus was buried.

“Question 41. Why was he also “buried”?

Answer. Thereby to prove that he was really dead.” 

The foregoing Scripture also makes it clear that Jesus was really dead by including verses 44 and 45 which show that Pilate confirmed that Jesus was really dead.

But, I think that there is an additional reason why Jesus was buried.  Jesus was buried to accomplish and show the depth at which are sins have also been buried.   Jesus was buried to accomplish and show the extent to which our body of sin has been  done away with, so that we are no longer slaves to sin.  Jesus was buried to accomplish and show how dead to sin that we are, so that we can be alive to God in Christ Jesus.     

Romans 6:4-11 states: 

^“4  Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

 ⁵  For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,

 ⁶  knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;

 ⁷  for he who has died is freed from sin.

 ⁸  Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

 ⁹  knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again;  death no longer is master over Him.

 ¹⁰  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

 ¹¹  Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

 ²⁰  Where is the wise man?  Where is the scribe?  Where is the debater of this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

 ²¹  For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

 ²²  For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom;

 ²³  but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,

 ²⁴  but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

  ²⁵  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

 ²⁶  For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;

 ²⁷  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,

 ²⁸  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,

 ²⁹  so that no man may boast before God.

 ³⁰  But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

 ³¹  so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

 ⁶⁸  But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.”  And he went out onto the porch.

 ⁶⁹  The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, “This is one of them!”

 ⁷⁰  But again he denied it And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too.”

 ⁷¹  But he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this man you are talking about!”

 ⁷²  Immediately a rooster crowed a second time.  And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he began to weep.”  Mark 14:66-72.

This is a hard passage to consider.  At times, we do feel in times of strength like Peter and the other disciples who confidently said:  “Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.”  …  “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”  See Mark 14:29-31.  But, we also do know that we experience times of weakness and sin in which we too may deny Christ by our words and our actions.

As I considered what to write, I am reminded of Jesus’ words in the same chapter:  “… the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  Mark 14:38.

The lesson for us is to put no confidence in the flesh.  However, we are not to just give up in resisting temptation.  The first phrase of Mark 14:38, this very same verse, is “Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation …”. 

The following Scriptures teach us that we should resist temptations and resist the devil.