Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

 ³³  Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”

 ³⁴  Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!

 ³⁵  “For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”  Mark 3:31-35.  (Emphasis added.)

How can we do the will of God?  A good first step is to pray.  In The Lord’s Prayer, our Lord taught us to pray:  “… “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven …”.

The Heidelberg Catechism states in Question and Answer 124 concerning this part of The Lord’s Prayer:

Question 124. Which is the third petition?

Answer. [a] “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”; that is, grant that we and all men may renounce [b] our own will, and without murmuring [c] obey thy will, which is only good; that so every one may attend to, and [d] perform the duties of his station and calling, as willingly and faithfully as the [e] angels do in heaven.

[a]: Mat. 6:10
[b]: mat. 16:24; Tit. 2:12
[c]: Luke 22:42
[d]: 1Cor. 7:24; Eph. 4:1
[e]: Psa. 103:20

 ²⁴  “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

 ²⁵  “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.

 ²⁶  “If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!

 ²⁷  “But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.”  Mark 3:22-27.

A footnote to the foregoing verse 27 referred to Isaiah 49:25, and I thought it best for today’s devotion to present the simple but powerful message through the following Scriptures that our LORD is like a victorious warrior.  He indeed is our Savior. 

It is good to be reminded how oppressed by Satan and sin we were and how much in misery we were. 

It is good to be reminded that there was no other to intercede and save us. 

It is good to be reminded that He has set us free from our misery and our slavery to Satan and sin.   

It is good to be reminded that “His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him”. 

^“10  There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death,
         Prisoners in misery and chains,
    ¹¹  Because they had rebelled against the words of God
         And spurned the counsel of the Most High.
    ¹²  Therefore He humbled their heart with labor;
         They stumbled and there was none to help.
    ¹³  Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble;
         He saved them out of their distresses.
    ¹⁴  He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death
         And broke their bands apart.
    ¹⁵  Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,
         And for His wonders to the sons of men!”  Psalm 107:10-15.  (Emphasis added.)

^“16  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. 
 ¹⁷  He put on righteousness like a breastplate,
         And a helmet of salvation on His head;
         And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing
         And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle. 
 ¹⁸  According to their deeds, so He will repay,
         Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies;
         To the coastlands He will make recompense. 
 ¹⁹  So they will fear the name of the LORD from the west
         And His glory from the rising of the sun,
         For He will come like a rushing stream
         Which the wind of the LORD drives. 
 ²⁰  “A Redeemer will come to Zion,
         And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares the LORD.”  Isaiah 59:16-20.  (Emphasis added.)     

“²⁵  Surely, thus says the LORD,
         “Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away,
         And the prey of the tyrant will be rescued;
         For I will contend with the one who contends with you,
         And I will save your sons. 
 ²⁶  “I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh,
         And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine;
         And all flesh will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior
         And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”   Isaiah 49:25-26.  (Emphasis added.)

Luke 4:18
“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.  HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,”  (Emphasis added.)

^“13  The LORD will go forth like a warrior,
         He will arouse His zeal like a man of war
         He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry
         He will prevail against His enemies.”  Isaiah 42:13. 

Zephaniah 3:17
“The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior.  He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”  (Emphasis added.)

^“1  O sing to the LORD a new song,
         For He has done wonderful things,
         His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.
    ²  The LORD has made known His salvation;
         He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.
    ³  He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
         All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”  Psalm 98:1-3.  (Emphasis added.)

Question 92. What is the law of God?

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thyself any graven image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them; for I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless, that taketh his name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt do no manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
5. Honor thy father and they mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord they God giveth thee.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man servant, nor his maid servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.

 ³  He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!”

 ⁴  And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?”  But they kept silent.

 ⁵  After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.”  Mark 3:1-5.

This is another time when it seems so right that one Scripture should follow another Scripture.  Just when I was fearing that my devotion yesterday may seem antinomian (against Law), this Scripture follows.

Here, through the healing by Jesus in this Scripture, we better see that our freedom from the Law is not just an opportunity to indulge our lusts, but rather our freedom from the Law is an opportunity to truly do more good than what we would do by merely our attempts to obey the Law.  The Spirit leads us to do good and produces the fruit of the Spirit within us.  ^“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22-23. 

Let us make it clear that we are certainly not maintaining that the Law is bad.  “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”  Romans 7:12. 

The problem is sin within us.    

^“Therefore did that which is good (the Law) become a cause of death for me?  May it never be!  Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.  For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.  For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.  But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.  So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.  For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.  But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.  I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.  For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.  Wretched man that I am!  Who will set me free from the body of this death?”  Romans 7:13-24.     

Is there any hope for us?

^“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.  Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.  For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”  Romans 7:25 to Romans 8:4.

 ²⁵  And He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry;

 ²⁶  how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?”

 ²⁷  Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 

 ²⁸  “So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”  Mark 2:23-28.

Consider the fact that Jesus does not attempt to argue that outside of His Lordship, on its face, what both He (Jesus) and David did was lawful on the Sabbath.  For the direct accusation against Himself and His disciples, Jesus did not at least first directly defend Himself, but rather Jesus pointed to the example of David.  Even then Jesus referred to what David did as “which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests”. 

Consider that when Jesus states, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath”, Jesus is not just limiting one commandment of the Law to this application.  Jesus, in effect, is stating:  “The Law was made for man, and not man for the Law.”  This teaching is consistent with Galatians 3:22-27 stated below after the following comments.

Consider that David is a type and shadow of Christ, but David is also a man as Christ was also a man.  Also consider that Jesus refers to Himself as “the Son of Man”, identifying Himself with men, compared to how He could have identified Himself in His unique position such as “Son of God”.  Considering this point, we should not think something like:  “Jesus, as God, can break the Sabbath.”  But rather, we can better understand the importance of Jesus’ statement:  “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” 

This Scripture for today helps us to understand the Law and the role of the Law. 

Some people think of the Law as so preeminent that it is above even God like some philosophers might rate form above substance.  Some may think of God as just, because He complies to the higher standard of the Law, rather than thinking that the Law is just, because it complies to the higher standard of God.  I think the following verses help us to better understand the nature of the Law and the fact that it derives its nature, position, and authority from God.  “The works of His hands are truth and justice; …” Psalm 111:7 and “The sum of Thy Word is truth,…” Psalm 119:160.

So, what is the role of the Law?  For Christians, the role of the Law is to be our tutor to lead us to Christ.  “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”  See the following context which which contains this quote.   

^“But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.  But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.  Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.  But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.  For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”  Galatians 3:22-27. 

As an analogy, high school students graduate and are no longer under the authority and supervision of their former high school teachers.  For those going to college, in effect, the high school teachers “turn the students over” to the college professors, or in other words, the high school teachers “defer” to the college professors.  Likewise, the Law turns us over to and defers to the authority and supervision of Christ. 

In conclusion, drawing the specific teaching of today’s Scripture with the rest of the Scripture presented today, we can better understand that the Law of the Sabbath defers to the Lordship of Christ.  All the Law defers to the Lordship of Christ.

 ²²  “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”  Mark 2:21-22.  

As Christians, we are like new unshrunk cloths and new fresh wineskins.  We are new creations.  ^“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”  2 Corinthians 5:17. 

This is certainly “Good news!”.  First, it is simply “Good news!” in the most common and simple meaning.  Second, as you can see in the Scripture below, the word “new” is used many times to describe Christians and their life, and all these “new”s are good.   

Consider all the good “new”s in the following Scripture: 

Romans 6:4
“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.” 

Romans 7:6
“But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.”

2 Corinthians 3:6
“who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

 When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.”

 ¹⁷  And hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Mark 2:15-17.

We gain insight of this passage through Matthew 9:12-14 which expands on this subject.  “But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.  “But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

In my travels between a wide range of different denominations and churches, I see two types of Christians.  There are those who seem very pious and holy, but you only see them in church and church events.  There are others whom you see all around, you wonder what they are doing, they seem to be interacting quite a lot (making friends?) with unbelievers.

We are commanded to feed the hungry, host the strangers in our home, clothe the naked, and visit the prisoners.  The problem is that in order to do so, we will dine with tax collectors and sinners.  There will be alcohol drank (more than one glass) around us.  We will have questionable characters in our home.  There will be crude jokes and other bad language heard in our presence.  We will be around shockingly dressed people.  We will be seen in prison.

This command can be wrongly used as an excuse to indulge our own lusts.  But, this command can be rightly used to show our compassion.

When we endure the raised eyebrows, the accusatory questions, and the rude insults to fully show compassion to others as we should …      

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;  naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’  Matthew 25:34-36. 

We have seen in yesterday’s devotion:  “As important as the healings were, Jesus knew His preaching was more important.  …  Likewise, food may be even more important than healing, but Jesus urged seekers to seek eternal life more than food (in John 6:26-27).  …  Matthew 16:26 states:  “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” 

Thus, today’s devotion fits very well with yesterday’s devotion.  Jesus used His healing of the paralytic to preach and prove His authority to forgive sins. 

During college, I read the following chapter almost every day.  It speaks of the blessedness of forgiveness. 

    ^“1  How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
         Whose sin is covered!
    ²  How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
         And in whose spirit there is no deceit!
    ³  When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away
         Through my groaning all day long.
    ⁴  For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
         My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.
    ⁵  I acknowledged my sin to You,
         And my iniquity I did not hide;
         I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”;
         And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.
    ⁶  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.
    ⁷  You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;
         You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.
    ⁸  I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
         I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
    ⁹  Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,
         Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
         Otherwise they will not come near to you.
    ¹⁰  Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
         But he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him.
    ¹¹  Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones;
         And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.”  Psalm Chapter 32.

As important as the healings were, Jesus knew His preaching was more important.  Jesus knew that the crowds, pleading for healings, could interfere with His preaching.  And so, Jesus wanted to find towns nearby where He could preach away from the crowds who so focused on the healings (as we see in verse 38).  And so, we see Jesus warn the leper to not tell anyone about his healing (as we see in verses 44 and 45).

Likewise, food may be even more important than healing, but Jesus urged seekers to seek eternal life more than food.  “Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”  John 6:26-27. 

Even beyond healing and food, we chase after so many even lesser important things.  We are like Martha worried about so many things.  “But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;  but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”  Luke 10:41-42.  That one necessary thing is our salvation.    

Matthew 16:26 states:  “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

We see this point emphasized in the comparison between the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31.  It is better to be like Lazarus without good health and without good food but possess salvation and eternal life, than it is to be a rich man with good health and with good food but be without salvation, be without eternal life, and be headed toward eternal punishment. 

^“19  “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.

 ²⁰  “And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,

 ²¹  and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.

 ²²  “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.

 ²³  “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.

 ²⁴  “And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’

 ²⁵  “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.”  Luke 16:19-25. 

God often does bless us with good health and with good food, and Scripture allows us to pray for good health and good food, but we must make it our first priority to seek salvation and the kingdom of God.  “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  Matthew 6:33.  

But, even if we do not have good health or good food as we desire, let us press on toward salvation.  “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;”  Philippians 3:13-15.