2025.08.26 Hopewell @Home ▫ Ecclesiastes 4:1–3

Read Ecclesiastes 4:1–3

Questions from the Scripture text: What does Solomon now consider (Ecclesiastes 4:1a)? What does he especially see (verse )? What do the oppressed not have (verse 1c, e)? What is on the side of their oppressors (verse 1d)? Whom does he praise in Ecclesiastes 4:2a? More than whom (verse 2b)? And who had it best (Ecclesiastes 4:3a)? Why (verse 3b)?

What do the powerful do? Ecclesiastes 4:1–3 looks forward to the call to worship in public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that, under the sun, the powerful oppress.

Without the worship of God (cf. Ecclesiastes 5:1-6), one is left only with what is under the sun (Ecclesiastes 4:1, Ecclesiastes 4:3). But, without the almighty power of God, the comparatively greater power of oppressors rules, and there is no comforter for the oppressed (Ecclesiastes 4:1). In such a case, it would be better to be dead (Ecclesiastes 4:2) or even to have never lived (Ecclesiastes 4:3a). Under the sun, there is no answer for evil (verse 3b). 

What oppression is there? What solution is there for it? How do you keep mindful of what is above the sun?

Sample prayer:  Lord God, You are Almighty. Your might, power, and goodness is the answer for all of the ill that is under the sun. With You, we have an almighty Comforter in every circumstance. So, we rejoice to draw near to You in worship. Even in the midst of the darkest valley, we fear no evil, for You are with us in Christ, through Whom we praise You, AMEN! 

 Suggested Songs: ARP23B “The Lord’s My Shepherd” or TPH257 “Children of the Heavenly Father”

2025.08.25 Hopewell @Home ▫ Proverbs 16:25–30

Read Proverbs 16:25–30

Questions from the Scripture text: How does the way in Proverbs 16:25a seem? How does it end? For whom does the laborer labor (Proverbs 16:26a)? Why (verse 26b)? What does the godly man dig up (Proverbs 16:27a)? In order to do what (verse 27b)? Who sows strife (Proverbs 16:28a)? Who separates best friends (verse 28b)? What two things does a violent man do to his neighbor (Proverbs 16:29)? How does he do this enticing (Proverbs 16:30)?

What is harmful speech? Proverbs 16:25–30 looks forward to the midweek sermon. In these six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that harmful speech comes from corrupt hearts and corrupts others.

From the beneficial speech of the previous section (Proverbs 16:20-24), this section now turns to harmful speech. Proverbs 16:25 portends this evil, because the lips in the following verses are not taught by God’s Word. Instead, they do what seems right to them), and as we have previously heard, this is the route to death (cf. Proverbs 14:12). Rather than being in control of his mouth, such a person is controlled by his mouth (Proverbs 16:26). In the Hebrew, Proverbs 16:27, Proverbs 16:28, Proverbs 16:29 each begin with the word “man.” What comes out of their mouth proceeds from the corruption of their hearts. This harmful speech may take many forms: spreading evil like raging fire (Proverbs 16:27), or planting discord by gossip that can separate anyone (Proverbs 16:28), or saying the subtle word that lures someone into the wickedness that will destroy him (Proverbs 16:29-39). The problem is the man himself.

Are you in control of your mouth, or is it in control of you? What are you aiming at with your words?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for the gift of speech. By Your grace, make us to use it for Your glory and others’ good, we ask through Christ, AMEN!

 Suggested Songs: ARP14 “Within His Heart the Fool Speaks” or TPH400 “Gracious Spirit, Dwell with Me”

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2025.08.23 Hopewell @Home ▫ Matthew 22:1–14

Read Matthew 22:1–14

Questions from the Scripture text: How does v1 relate this passage to what precedes? How is He speaking to them? What is this parable about (v2)? To whom does it compare the kingdom? What does this king do for his son? Whom does he send out (v3)? To call whom? Why didn’t many of those who were invited come? What does He do again in v4? What details does He add to the message? How do they respond to these details (v5)? What do they go to instead? What do other invitees do (v6)? How does the king do to them (v7)? And to whom else? What does the king say to whom in v8? Where does he command them to go (v9)? Whom does he command them to invite? Where do the servants go (v10)? What sorts of people do they gather? With what result for the wedding? Whom does the king come to see (v11)? What does he find? What does he call the man (v12)? But what does he ask him? And how does the man answer? What is the response of the king (v13)? What is the explanation for the difference between the invited and the blessed (v14)?

How do people come to be saved? Matthew 22:1–14 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these fourteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that people come to be saved by God’s electing love and transforming power.

Jesus continues to teach about why the chief priests and Pharisees are rejecting Him (v1). Why? Certainly, these particular ones are hardened (cf. 21:45–46). But their spiritual condition is a danger to every church member. And it is especially to the called (the invited, those who hear the gospel) for whose sake the Lord Jesus now teaches—especially those particular called whom He has chosen, and whom He is saving from responding like a Pharisee.

The whole plan of salvation is presented here as an arranged marriage. The King has arranged a marriage for His Son (v2). What love there is between the Father and the Son! What glorious grace that, in the gospel, the elect are brought into that family of love!

The metaphor isn’t exact, because in this case, the bride consists of those invitees who both respond to the call and are outfitted for the wedding. Ultimately, justification and sanctification trace back to election, to the arrangement of the marriage.

God, the King Who has arranged the marriage, has a way by which He gathers the members of the bride: the message of His servants (v3a). Preachers are God’s servants, extending God’s invitation. It is a great good and privilege to hear the gospel, but by itself, it is not a saving good or privilege. The great obstacle is our willingness. Not everyone who is invited is willing (v3b). Apart from grace, dear reader, you are not a willing hearer of the gospel. Let us always be seeking from Him not only the good of having His Word proclaimed to us, but the grace to make us willing hearers of that proclamation! When we love someone, and desire that they be saved, let us do what we can to see them brought under the invitation, while looking to God for His grace to give them willing ears.

But perhaps you have heard before and not responded. Is all lost? Not yet! In the parable, the king sends more servants (v4). We cannot presume upon this. Not all who have rejected God’s Word are guaranteed to hear it again. And if we keep hearing it apart from grace, we get worse rather than better (v6–7). Behold the graciousness of God’s persistence with you in the continued preaching of the gospel! God shouldn’t need to entice you, but He entices you anyway (v4). He has planned and prepared the blessedness (“prepared my dinner”). He has done all of the hard work to produce it (“my oxen and fatted cattle are killed”). He does all (“all things are ready”), bears the entire load Himself. 

These unwilling hearts had the problem of being busy with other things (farm and business in v5). They are too busy. Any activity, occupation, or responsibility can become a busyness issue. For the chief priests and Pharisees, it was religious positions, duties, and activities. What might it be for you? How do you know that you have a busyness problem? When it gets in the way of giving the King’s message an audience. When it gets in the way of doing those things that the invitation calls you to do.

For what sorts of response to the Word should we watch out? Two lethal responses are making light of it (v5), and being spiteful of both the Word and its preachers (v6). These men didn’t despise all preaching; they were nearly professional sermon-hearers. The responses in v6 are from those who are invited, those who are within the church. They receive the outward, external call, but they are not chosen. One can willingly hear many other sorts of preaching but still expose an unwilling heart by spiting the plain speaking of God’s truth (cf. 2Co 4:2–3). 

The threat against Israel implied in v7 is severe, and it comes to fruition in a.d. 70. Though this will never happen to Christ’s church as a whole, it is similar to what Jesus threatens against the churches in Rev 2–3. Every congregation should take seriously the danger of treating God’s Word and servants spitefully. 

Gloriously, however, this is not a parable about those who fail to attend. Let us not forget its first line: “a certain king arranged a marriage for his son.” This is ultimately a parable about the determined, sure success of the gospel. God invites the bad (v10); none are disqualified from being called by the gospel. God invites the good; none are so qualified that they don’t need the call (ultimately, all are bad!). 

But the election of God is identified by more than just an initial response to the gospel. The chosen are identified not only by their response to the call, but by their being outfitted for the wedding (v11–12). If there is no sanctification, there was no justification. Oh, dear reader, there can be no partial credit with God. Either you have Christ (and, therefore, all of Christ), or you don’t. Being a church member does you no good without Christ. An external/superficial response to the gospel does you no good without Christ. Dear reader, God give you a willing hearing of His Word, a believing response to His Word, and holy living according to His Word. God give you Christ!

What busyness in your life competes with hearing the Word and responding to it? Between avoiding listening altogether, taking the Word lightly, and spiting the Word when it tells you to do what you don’t want to do, which are you most in danger of doing? How are you being made fit for heaven?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for arranging a marrige for Your Son. Give us to hear the Word willingly, to respond in faith, and to be conformed to Christ. Give us life from Him, and union with Him, so we can be made like Him. Grant that we would not only receive the external call of the preaching of the gospel, but the effectual and inward call that belongs only to those whom You have chosen, we ask through Chirst, AMEN!

 Suggested songs: ARP45B “Daughter, Incline Your Ear” or TPH425 “How Sweet and Awesome Is the Place”

Living in Remembrance of YHWH [Family Worship lesson in Deuteronomy 6:10–19]

What danger does prosperity pose? Deuteronomy 6:10–19 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these ten verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that prosperity poses the danger of being forgetful of God.

(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson) This family worship devotional warns against the danger of forgetting God, particularly when experiencing comfort, security, and prosperity, urging intentional gratitude and habitual worship as safeguards. Remembering God involves fearing Him, serving Him, swearing oaths in His name, diligently keeping His commandments and testimonies, and ultimately, doing what is right and good in His sight. The devotional emphasizes that while God promises blessings—possessing the land, casting out enemies—these are received through obedience to His Word, not as a means of earning them, and serves as a reminder of God's zeal for His own glory and love.

2025.08.22 Hopewell @Home ▫ Deuteronomy 6:10–19

Read Deuteronomy 6:10–19

Questions from the Scripture text: Who will bring them where (v10)? What things will He give them there (v10–11)? What will they not have done? What will they have done? Of what must they beware (v12)? What has He done for them? Instead of forgetting Him, what three things must they do (v13)? What must they not go after (v14)? Which “gods” will be a temptation for them? What, about God, would make forgetting Him particularly bad (v15)? What might be aroused against them? What would He do to them? What must they not do to Him (v16)? Where had they done this? What must they do (v17)? What three things must they keep? In order to do what two things (v18)? In Whose sight? In order that what four things may happen (v18–19)? In accordance with what?

What danger does prosperity pose? Deuteronomy 6:10–19 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these sixteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that prosperity poses the danger of being forgetful of God.

“Forgetting” YHWH (v12) is a great danger to God’s people. In this passage, we see the circumstance that endangers them of forgetting Him (v10–12), His own definition of how they should remember Him (v13, 17), a warning of what will happen if they forget Him (v14–16), and a promise of what will happen if they remember Him (v18–19). 

Circumstances that endanger us of forgetting the Lord (v10–12). Surely, our sinful hearts are the great problem; we are capable of forgetting the Lord in any circumstance. But it is in the midst of prosperity that we are especially to “beware” (v12) of doing so. For Israel the danger was heightened. They didn’t build the cities, fill the houses, dig the wells, or plant the vineyards and olive trees. How quickly and easily they could come to find their satisfaction in those things (v11) rather than in the Lord Who gave them. If we have worked hard to obtain things, then we are in danger not only of finding satisfaction, but even in danger of self-satisfaction (forgetting that God sustained and enabled us, and acting as if we have done so for ourselves, cf. 8:17–18). Most who read these devotionals have been richly and securely provided for by the Lord in earthly things. Beware, lest you forget the Lord Who has provided for you!

What it looks like to remember the Lord (v13, 17, 18a). In vv1–9, we learned what loving the Lord looks like: a Word-saturated, Word-driven, Word-defined life. Now, we learn what remembering the Lord looks like: fearing YHWH, serving Him, and taking oaths in His Name (worship! v13); and “keeping to keep” His commandments, testimonies, and statutes (obedience! v17). Oh, dear reader, when it is the Lord that you remember, you worship Him. When it is the Lord that you remember, you obey Him. How is your life full of the worship of the Lord and the obedience of the Lord? If it isn’t, then you are forgetting Him!

What will happen if we forget the Lord (v14–16). Going after other gods (v14), or putting the Lord to the test (v16) provokes the Lord to holy wrath in which He destroys (v15). Going after other gods is exactly the opposite of worship; and, putting God to the test is exactly the opposite of obedience. These were the very things that Jesus rejected in His final two temptations in the wilderness. Where He succeeded, Israel would fail, and provoke God’s wrath. This wrath is “jealous,” which means that it comes from the zeal that God has for His own glory. Because we are not so zealous for God’s glory as He is, we don’t appreciate how offensive and wrath-provoking our sin is. How much we should hate our sin!

What will happen if we remember the Lord (v18b–19). Finally, we hear about the good that the Lord intends to do them through their worship and obedience. It will be well with them (v18b), they will enjoy the full receipt of all that God has promised hem (v18c), and the Lord will give them victory over their enemies (19). All of these things are “as YHWH swore” and “as YWHH has spoken.” They are not earned by worship and obedience. Still, the passage describes the worship and obedience as being necessary. This is because the Lord, Who has promised and accomplishes the good that He does to us, has ordained the means through which He brings that good. What blessedness He gives us through worship and obedience! We should worship and obey in full expectation of that blessedness.

How are you battling against the danger of forgetting the Lord? How is your life full of the worship and obedience of the Lord? Why do you hate your sin? How much do you hate your sin? What are you expecting the Lord to give you through worshiping and obeying Him?

Sample prayer:  Lord, grant that by Your Spirit’s grace, we would not forget You, but live lives of worship and obedience unto You, in Christ, through Whom we ask it, AMEN!

 Suggested songs: ARP128 “How Blessed Are All Who Fear the Lord” or TPH548 “Oh, Blest the House”

Living and Standing before Christ [Family Worship lesson in Revelation 20:11–15]

What will happen in the last day? Revelation 20:11–15 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that each one of us will be resurrected in the last day to stand before Christ and be judged according to whether the book of our own life is cross-referenced with His Book of Life. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson) This family worship devotional explores the sobering reality of final judgment, drawing from Revelation 20 and connecting it to Ecclesiastes' reflection on the fleeting nature of earthly pursuits. It emphasizes that Christ sits on the throne, and individuals will stand before Him naked and exposed, their lives represented as books of deeds. The central message underscores the comfort for believers, who are interceded for by Christ and whose names are written in the Book of Life, contrasted with the dreadful fate of the unbeliever facing eternal condemnation. Ultimately, the sermon calls for immediate faith in Christ and a life dedicated to deeds done in union with Him, looking forward to a future of blessing and glory rather than eternal fire.

2025.08.21 Hopewell @Home ▫ Revelation 20:11–15

Read Revelation 20:11–15

Questions from the Scripture text: What two things does John see in v11? How do earth and heaven respond to the One Who sits on that throne? With what result? Whom does John see in v12? Doing what? Before Whom? What is done while they are standing there? What other book is opened? What is done to the dead? According to what? From where are these dead supplied/given up (v13)? What is done to these dead? What, then is done, to death and hades (v14)? What is this casting into the lake of fire called? Who else are cast into the lake of fire?

What will happen in the last day? Revelation 20:11–15 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that each one of us will be resurrected in the last day to stand before Christ and be judged according to whether the book of our own life is cross-referenced with His Book of Life.

This account of the judgment begins with just how fleeting this world is (v11). Since we have been in Ecclesiastes recently, we are prepared to hear that our best, most God-honoring, most generation-blessing works still produce results that, in an ultimate sense, are vapor that will quickly vanish. The great thing about them is that they are done as assignments from God, in dependence upon God, in relationship with God, and as participation in His ultimate works, which are exactly opposite in nature: they are determined from eternity and endure unto eternity.

So, we should be prepared for this teaching, in Revelation 20, that when each of us stands before the tribunal of Christ, earth and heaven themselves will be so far into the background that there is no place for them before the face of Christ (v11). He is the One Who sits upon this great white throne (cf. Mt 25:31–32, Ac 17:31). And this verse emphasizes to us just how naked and open our eyes are to Him (cf. Heb 4:13). This is why, when you read your Bible, and especially when you sit under the preaching of His Word, you need to know yourself to be exposed and examined by His Word (cf. Heb 4:12, Jam 1:23–24). On the last day, everything else will recede into the background, as you stand before Jesus. And, there is a very real sense in which, if you have the faith-eyes to see it, that is already true today.

It is a great comfort to the believer that, when he stands for tribunal to examine the book of his life, it will be before his Redeemer. As Rom 8:34 says, “Who is He Who condemns? It is Christ Who died, and furthermore is also risen, Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also makes intercession for us.” Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (cf. Rom 8:35), or the love of God which is in Christ (cf. Rom 8:39). Most explicitly, the judgment does not.

This is because there are two sets of books, ours (v12a) and God’s (v12b). As you live your life, you are writing a book. There are two sorts of things that you may write in that book: those things that are evil (cf. Jn 3:19) and those things that have been done in God (cf. Jn 3:21). But God has also written a book, the book of life. And each one’s book will be cross-referenced with His book. If, in your book, there are written deeds that were done in God, this can only have been through union with Christ by grace-given faith. If so, you will find that prior to any of your entries in your book, there is an entry written in God’s book from before the world began, the Book of life (v12b), where He has written down all of those whom He creates and redeems unto eternal life. Being written into this book is the only way that one escapes being cast into the lake of fire (v15).

It is a wonderful comfort for the Christian to know that, at his death, he is not done with his body yet. It will be resurrected like unto Christ’s glory body (cf. Php 3:21, 1Co 15:42–49). But it should be a stupefying horror to the unbeliever to know that, at his death, he is not done with his body yet. He will be raised to stand before Christ in that body (cf. Jn 5:28–29), and he will be cast into the lake of fire in that body (v15). Death and hades wait in that lake of fire (v14), which is the second death, for those who refused to know God, or to trust in Christ as He is offered in the gospel. There, the glorious presence and power of Christ will be unto them, body and soul, a burning that is forever (cf. 2Th 1:9). 

O dear reader, come now to love the presence and power of Christ as the presence and power of your Redeemer, so that when you stand before Him as King and Judge, you will know yourself to be standing before the One Who has loved you without beginning, and will love you without end! And, thus, write the book of your days as a book of deeds done in God.

Before Whom will you stand in the last day? Who is He, to you, to your heart? What sorts of things did you write in your book today? What sorts of things will you write in your book tomorrow? How can you come to know that your name is written in God’s book of life? What will it be like for you when these books are both opened?

Sample prayer:  Lord, forgive us for how we write the books of our lives with too little thought for whether the deeds written in them have been done in God. And forgive us for forgetting that our great hope is to be written down in Your book of life. And, forgive us for taking so little comfort from the fact that the One Who will sit on that throne is the One Who has redeemed us and is interceding for us. Give us to live in that comfort and hope, and to fill the book of our own days with deeds that have been done in union with Christ, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

 Suggested songs: ARP32 “What Blessedness” or TPH389 “Great God, What Do I See and Hear”

2025.08.20 Midweek Prayer Meeting Stream (live at 6:30p)

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There the LORD Will Redeem You [Family Worship lesson in Micah 4:9–10]

What hope is there for those in intense or justly deserved pain? Micah 4:9–10 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word read in the public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these two verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God is pleased to redeem sinners right from the midst of the pain that they deserve. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson) This devotional explores the prophetic message of Micah 4, highlighting Israel's desperate cries amidst impending judgment and exile to Babylon. It challenges the nation's reliance on earthly kings and self-serving prophets, exposing the futility of seeking deliverance through human power and manipulated counsel. Ultimately, the passage reveals that God's plan, even through affliction and painful circumstances, is to redeem His elect remnant, demonstrating His grace and shattering false dependencies, offering a parallel application for individual believers to find redemption through trusting solely in Him.