Christ's True Friends and Bride [Family Worship lesson in Song of Songs 8:13–14]

What is the ultimate desire of Christ in the Song? Song of Songs 8:13–14 prepares us for the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these two verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Christ’s ultimate desire, in the Song, is to hear His bride’s desire for His coming. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson) Summary of the transcript of the audio: The devotional concludes the Song of Songs with a powerful call to spiritual longing, portraying the Church as the bride eagerly awaiting her Bridegroom’s return, echoing the final cry of Revelation: 'Come, Lord Jesus.' Central to this vision is the idea that the Church, no longer in the wilderness but dwelling in the gardens—plural, representing gathered congregations—is called to live in faithful anticipation, producing spiritual fragrance through worship, prayer, and proclamation. The bride’s voice, empowered by Christ’s Spirit, is not merely her own but His, and her worship, discipleship, and evangelism are acts that hasten His coming. The age between Christ’s first and second advent is not a time of despair but of divine purpose, where trials and labor are transformed into 'mountains of spices'—obstacles that yield fragrance as the Bride is sanctified and perfected. The true companions of Christ, those indwelt by His Spirit, are drawn to the assembly not for mere ritual but to hear the Bride’s voice, which is the voice of Christ Himself, and to join in the holy discontent that longs for His return, reflecting the heart of the Bride and the mind of the Spirit.

2026.04.17 Hopewell @Home ▫ Song of Songs 8:13–14

Read Song of Songs 8:13–14

Questions from the Scripture text: What does Song of Songs 8:13a call the bride? Who are listening for what (verse 13b)? Who else wants to hear it (verse 13c)? What does she ask Him to do (Song of Songs 8:14a)? What does she call Him? What does she ask Him to be like (verse 14b–c)? Leaping upon what (verse 14d)?

What is the ultimate desire of Christ in the Song? Song of Songs 8:13–14 prepares us for the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these two verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Christ’s ultimate desire, in the Song, is to hear His bride’s desire for His coming. 

How far the bride has come. She was in the wilderness, but as she leaned upon her Beloved (Song of Songs 8:13b), He brought her out of the wilderness (verse 13a). Now, she dwells in the gardens. He got her here. He gave her the moisture of life, instead of dryness and death. He planted the good seed of the Word in her. He brought forth her shoots and buds and blossoms and fruit. Now she is a garden of life. She is a living Eden, not with creaturely life, but with life that is from the Lord Himself, in union with Him. 

Note, also, that “gardens” is plural. The bride of Christ is found in particular congregations. This is where the bride dwells. 

What the companions do. So far, in the Song, the bride has referred to the members of the church as the “daughters of Jerusalem,” and the Bridegroom has referred to them as “friends and beloved” (cf. Song of Songs 5:1). Now, Song of Songs 8:13b calls them “the companions.” This gives us an opportunity to examine ourselves as companions. Do we listen for the bride’s voice? The Lord speaks through her. The Lord declares God’s Name to His brethren; in the midst of the assembly the Lord sings God’s praise (cf. Hebrews 2:12). It’s His voice that we are to hear in the church’s voice. True companions love the assemblies, the gardens, for the voice that they hear there. And the Lord uses that voice give them faith (cf. Romans 10:17), to save them (cf. James 1:21), to make them holy (cf. John 17:17), and to furnish them for every good work (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16–17). When Christ’s Spirit makes someone a true companion, they don’t forsake the assembling together; they desire to hear the bride’s Christ-given voice.

What the Companion desires. A true companion wants to hear the bride’s voice, but this is not the church’s highest motivation for preaching and prayer and reading and singing God’s Word in worship. The Bridegroom Himself desires to hear her voice (Song of Songs 8:13c). How glorious it is that we have opportunity to give Christ what He loves. We have seen, throughout the Song, that He loves the fruit that is produced upon believers in the church. And we have seen that, among that fruit, He loves what is on the lips of His bride and from the mouth of the bride. Now, we hear His loving request, His loving command: “Let me hear it!” Every opportunity that we have to participate in the corporate worship of the church is an opportunity to give the Lord Jesus what He desires.

What the bride desires. He loves to hear her voice, and she immediately gives Him what He wants: she speaks/prays/sings. The situation of the bride in Song of Songs 8:14 is the situation of the bride in this world, between the two comings of Christ: belonging to Him but with some distance between them for a time. The whole of Scripture ends with the bride praying for Him to come, and Him assuring her that He is already coming quickly (cf. Revelation 22:17–20). So, also the Song concludes with her pleading that He would come quickly.

The mountains are no longer mountains of separation (cf. Song of Songs 2:17). His coming quickly is upon mountains of spices, the fragrant fruit of His work in the church. Quickly, He saves all of His elect and prepares them for glory. He hastens His return. And the bride who longs for that return loves to participate in that work. She is zealous and diligent for evangelism and discipleship, which hasten (instrumentally speaking) the coming of the Lord Jesus. A congregation that doesn’t prioritize this, or a professing believer who doesn’t participate in it, is not reflecting the mind of the true bride.

How does it show, in your heart and your habits, that you love to hear the voice of the bride? How does it appear that you want to give Christ the congregational worship that He desires. How much do you desire Christ’s coming? How are you expressing this desire? How are you pursuing it?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we thank You that Your bride, in this world, dwells in the gardens that are congregations of the life of Christ, the beauty of Christ, and the fruit of Christ. Give us to be such a garden. Your companions gather to hear the bride’s voice, so give this congregation voice. Come, and declare God’s Name to Your brethren; in the midst of the assembly, sing God’s praise. And take pleasure, Lord Jesus, in the voice of Your bride as she worships You. Delight in her praying, reading, singing, and preaching Your Word. Even so, use her worship, discipleship, and evangelism to gather in all of those whom You have loved with saving love, from all eternity. And thus, come quickly, Lord Jesus, we ask in Your own Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP45B “Daughter, Incline Your Ear” or TPH405 “I Love Thy Kingdom Lord” 

The Good Lord on His Good Sabbath [Family Worship lesson in Mark 2:23–3:6]

What is the Sabbath a day for? Mark 2:23–3:6 prepares us for the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twelve verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the Sabbath is a day for being with Jesus. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson) Summary of the transcript of the audio: The devotional centers on Jesus’s authority over the Sabbath, revealing it not as a burdensome legal requirement but as a divine gift designed for our flourishing in Him through worshiping Him. Drawing from Mark 2:23–3:6, it emphasizes that the Sabbath was made for humanity, not the other way around, and that Jesus, as the Lord of the Sabbath, fulfills its true purpose by prioritizing communion with God. Pastor calls his family to a joyful, Spirit-led observance of the Lord’s Day—rejecting both miserable legalism and worldly distractions—through joyful, heartfelt worship, the whole of the day. He urges believers to delight in God as the supreme gift, cultivating a heart that finds its deepest joy in Christ. Ultimately, the Sabbath is presented as a foretaste of eternal worship, where the triune God is fully known and glorified in the life of the redeemed.

2026.04.16 Hopewell @Home ▫ Mark 2:23-3:6

Read Mark 2:23-3:6

Questions from the Scripture text: On what day did Jesus go through the grain fields in Mark 2:23? Who begin to pluck the heads of grain? Who think that this is unlawful (Mark 2:24)? What had David gotten to eat (Mark 2:26)? Who also ate it? For whom was the Sabbath made (Mark 2:27)? And who is the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28)? What were the Pharisees doing on the Sabbath in Mark 3:2? What does Jesus ask them in Mark 3:4? What was the condition of their hearts (Mark 3:5)? What are the Pharisees doing on the Sabbath in Mark 3:6?

What is the Sabbath a day for? Mark 2:23–3:6 prepares us for the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twelve verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the Sabbath is a day for being with Jesus. 

In this passage, the Lord Jesus challenges us as to whether we will consider the Sabbath a gift for our good. 

Just as David was needy and hungry, so also the disciples are hungry, out in the field with Jesus (Mark 2:23). They don’t actually break the law. The Scripture prohibited harvesting on the Sabbath (cf. Exodus 34:21), but also made a distinction between harvesting and gleaning. You weren’t allowed to harvest in your neighbor’s field, but you were allowed to glean as you walked through it (cf. Deuteronomy 23:24–25).

But the point that Jesus makes about the Pharisees is not even that they got the Law of God wrong. Rather, He shows that they are completely wrong about the God of the Law. God is generous and kind. 

The Sabbath was a love-gift to man (Mark 2:27), but the Pharisees treat it as a burden to be borne. 

They aren’t the first to do this. When Jesus calls Himself the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28), it brings to mind Isaiah 58, in which the most religious of the Jews make a great display of how miserable their religion is, and how they believe that God “owes them” for bearing the miserable burdens He has placed upon them (cf. Isaiah 58:3–5). But the Lord reminds them that the whole point of the day is joy, pleasure, and delight (cf. Isaiah 58:13–14). Delight in the day! Delight in the Lord!

And now the Lord of the Sabbath is here! What should the Pharisees be doing on the Sabbath? Having fellowship with Jesus and delighting in Him! 

The men with David were able to eat the showbread, not only because they were needy and hungry (deed of mercy/necessity), but especially because they were with David. And now great David’s greater Son is here. There is no safer, more righteous place to be on the Lord’s Day than with Jesus. Being with Him is the point of the day. Watch out for being either the sort of person who wants to justify his own activities on the Lord’s Day, or the sort of person who is obsessed with the list of things that one cannot do on the Lord’s Day. Rather, spend the whole of the day in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, and those deeds of mercy and necessity required to enable others and yourself to spend the day in worship. Spend. The. Day. With. Jesus. In. Worship. He is the Lord of the Sabbath.

When someone is wrapped up in justifying himself, he opposes Jesus. We already saw this in Mark 2:16, but it gets worse in Mark 3:1–6. How are the Pharisees keeping Sabbath now? By watching to accuse others—by watching to accuse Jesus Himself (Mark 3:2). By treating God’s command as a misery—closing their heart against their suffering brother (Mark 3:1) in church, implying that they see God as cruel-hearted as themselves. This is what Jesus exposes by His questions in Mark 3:4. This is why He is so grieved with them in Mark 3:5. By Mark 3:6, they are “keeping Sabbath” (?!) by going out and immediately plotting how to destroy Jesus.

Oh, dear Christian, let us see that a day in which God gives us Himself (!), as the gift, is an act of divine love and generosity! 

Let us not consider it a misery for ourselves. Let us not spurn God’s good gift for the labors and recreations of the other six days. Let us have soft hearts toward those in need and in pain, and make a point of alleviating their suffering, in fellowship with Christ. 

Most of all, let us enjoy the Lord’s Day as a day of delighting in the Lord Jesus all day long. He is the Lord about Whom Isaiah 58 was speaking! When God blessed the Sabbath day, He made it a greater blessing than the whole of creation. When God made it holy, He made it a day to leave behind our own ways, our own pleasures, and our own words, and spend the whole day worshiping Jesus.

What would your Lord’s Day keeping look like, if you saw it as a generous gift from God? How are you responding to the fact that He has given you a day completely and entirely for public and private worship?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for the divine generosity in which You have given Yourself to us. And thank You for the generosity in which You have given us Your day as a day with Jesus, and a day with You in Jesus. Forgive us for how we spurn that generosity by wanting spend that day on other things than worship. And forgive us for how we fail to reflect Your generosity by being heartless toward others. Keep us from wanting to please ourselves, and make us to have our pleasure in You and Your worship. Keep us from wanting to justify ourselves, and make us to receive Your day and its worship as a gift of joy, we ask through Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP92 “It’s Good to Thank the LORD” or TPH153 “O Day of Rest and Gladness”  

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Redemption Is Your History [Family Worship lesson in 1Chronicles 1:1–2:2]

What is God doing, when His church is weak? 1Chronicles 1:1–2:2 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these fifty-six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that, even when His church is weak, God is carrying out His redemptive plan, surely and steadily. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson) Summary of the transcript of the audio: The devotional unfolds the genealogical framework of 1 Chronicles 1 as a profound declaration of God’s enduring, redemptive purpose throughout human history, tracing lineage from Adam to Abraham and beyond, not only through Israel but also through the descendants of Ham, Japheth, Ishmael, and Esau. It emphasizes that God’s plan is both universal in scope and specific in focus, centered on the line of Abraham and culminating in Christ, the rightful Heir to all thrones and the true King, Priest, and Savior. By highlighting the temporary, fragmented nature of earthly kingships—such as those of Edom—the passage contrasts the fleeting power of human rule with the eternal sovereignty of Christ, affirming that God has no plan B, only His faithful, unfolding plan A. The message calls believers to find their identity and purpose not in their circumstances or lineage, but in their place within God’s grand redemptive story, where Jesus is the central figure connecting all humanity to divine purpose. Ultimately, the genealogy is not merely historical but personal, reminding every listener that Christ came from their family line, offering hope, salvation, and a renewed identity in Him.

2026.04.15 Hopewell @Home ▫ 1 Chronicles 1:1–2:2

Read 1 Chronicles 1:1–2:2

Questions from the Scripture text: What is the first word in the book (1 Chronicles 1:1)? To which three men do 1 Chronicles 1:1-4 trace? Whose descendants do 1 Chronicles 1:5-7 trace? Whose descendants do 1 Chronicles 1:8-16 trace? Whose descendants do 1 Chronicles 1:17-23 trace? Whose ancestors do 1 Chronicles 1:24-27 trace? To which sons (1 Chronicles 1:28)? Whose descendants do 1 Chronicles 1:29-31 trace? And whom do 1 Chronicles 1:32-33 trace? Whose line does 1 Chronicles 1:34 begin to trace? Focusing on whom (1 Chronicles 1:35-37)? Whose line had reigned in Edom before the line of Esau (1 Chronicles 1:38-42)? Whom do 1 Chronicles 1:43-54 focus upon, in the land of Esau’s people? What sort of succession occurs in the kingship there? To which child of Isaac does 1 Chronicles 2:1 now turn? What name does it use for him (cf. 1 Chronicles 1:34)? Whom do 1 Chronicles 2:1-2 list?

What is God doing, when His church is weak? 1 Chronicles 1:1–2:2 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these fifty-six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that, even when His church is weak, God is carrying out His redemptive plan, surely and steadily.  

1 and 2 Chronicles were originally one book. Chronicles was written after the Persian decree that the temple should be built. The book’s emphases on the line of Aaron, and on the Levitical temple assignments, strongly suggest that preparation for the rebuilt temple was one of the purposes of the book.

This occurred at a time when the people of God were few in number. The Lord had brought them back from exile, but the lines of David and Aaron seemed nearly extinguished. The question of the day seemed to be: does God still have a purpose for Israel? When the purposes of God seem to take a long time, we may forget that God is always active in history, working out His purpose to redeem.

So, this first chapter of the Chronicles reminds us that God's purpose did not begin with the land of Judah. It did not begin with the temple. It did not begin with David and his family. 

God's purposes were in control at the beginning, with Adam (1 Chronicles 1:1). The text traces from Adam to Noah (1 Chronicles 1:1-4), but it does not go straight to David. In addition to going backward, to include all humanity, at each covenantal juncture, it also extends broadly to include the rest of humanity. It does not trace only the line of Shem (1 Chronicles 1:17-23); it also traces the lines of Japheth (1 Chronicles 1:5-7) and Ham (1 Chronicles 1:8-16). It does not trace only the line of Isaac (1 Chronicles 1:34); it also traces the line of Ishmael (1 Chronicles 1:29-31) and the sons of Keturah (1 Chronicles 1:32-33). It does not trace only the line of Jacob; it also traces the line of Esau (1 Chronicles 1:35-37), and the line of Seir (1 Chronicles 1:38-42, in Edom), before focusing on the kings of Edom (1 Chronicles 1:43-54).

By this broad focus on God’s work in all humanity, the text reminds us why He had begun to focus upon Israel in the first place—which assures us that He is not finished with Judah or with Israel. God is still carrying out His plan for all humanity. There are at least three lessons here:  God's plan is for all the nations; God's plan is specific (He focuses on His visible church, through whom He brings Christ to the world); and, God’s plan endures. 

God’s plan is for all the nations. Whatever God does in Israel is for all of the children of Adam and Noah. This was also emphasized to Abraham, in whom all the families of the earth would be blessed—a promise that was extended to Isaac, and then Israel. 

We would be greatly mistaken if we found Israelite genealogies to be boring. They are a shorthand for the history of each name, and an index for the history of God’s bringing Christ into the world. Even now, what the Lord does in His church is for the rest of the world, to whom He is bringing Christ, through His church.

God’s plan is specific. He is focused upon Christ. The Davidic line isn’t significant merely because they are kings (Edom had kings, long before Israel, 1 Chronicles 1:43-54), but because Christ comes from it. The series of Edom's kings is haphazard. Each one's reign is replaced by another man from a different family in a different place. There is a sense in which this is a microcosm for all the kingdoms of this world. There are kingdoms, and there are kingships, but they are not the rightful heirs of those kingdoms. Jesus is. They are not the rightful heirs of those nations. Jesus is. Jesus is the rightful heir to every throne on earth.

God’s plan endures. No matter how diminished they are, Israel still has a purpose and place. God does not have a plan B, because He does not need a plan B. He is always sovereignly and powerfully carrying out His plan A. 

This is vital for each of us to remember in our own life. Each of us connects back to Adam. We share the same problem of sin and death. Each of us is called to be a subject of Christ. He is our rightful Lord and King. Each of us is offered sure hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Every reader of Chronicles should recognize that the genealogy with which it begins is his genealogy. Dear reader, this is your genealogy. It starts with your ancestors. It shows you that it was through your extended family that Jesus came into the world. Some branches are closer to the main line that goes from Adam to Christ, but this is your family, and Jesus is a Savior for you. Furthermore, the Lord intends to gather all of His elect people into one church, with one King and one great High Priest.

Just as with post-exilic Israel, even so now in postmodernity. God has not lost track of His church, His kingdom, His priesthood. And He certainly has not lost track of His saving purpose for the elect. History feels long to us because we have short lives. History feels overwhelming to us because we are weak. But history is not long or overwhelming to God. The Lord Jesus is King. The Lord Jesus is the temple. The Lord Jesus is the Priest. The Lord Jesus is our Savior. The Lord Jesus is our purpose.

As God’s people were in a low condition and struggling to get their bearings, Chronicles grounded them in their place in the saving and redemptive purpose of God throughout all of human history. When you struggle to find your bearing and your purpose—when you wonder what you are even doing—Scripture grounds you in the fact that you are in a particular place in His redemptive plan, with Jesus as your King, Jesus as your priest, and Jesus as your purpose. 

How do you conscientiously locate your own life in the redemptive plan of God? In what ways are you subject to Christ as King? How are you depending upon His mediation as your Priest? What is your purpose every day? When do you have the hardest time remembering this?

Sample prayer: Lord, thank You for reminding Your people of their history, and indeed of all the history of Your work in the world. Forgive us for forgetting Your sovereign, gracious rule. Forgive us for getting caught up in our own purposes, rather than devoting everything to You, in dependence upon You. Thank you for bringing Jesus from our family, the family of men, so that He might be to us another Adam—the beginning of a new humanity. We pray that You would give us to be subject to Him, to trust in Him, to come to you through Him, and to devote ourselves to Him by His own life and righteousness—we ask through Him and His blood, Amen!

Suggested songs: ARP87 “The Lord’s Foundation” or TPH404 “The Church’s One Foundation” 

The Maturity of the Bride [2026.04.12 Evening Sermon in Song of Songs 8:8–12]

As the bride comes into her maturity, she is awakened to zeal and diligence in church planting and recovery, maintaining her own vineyard, out of regard for the Lord and His ordained servants.

(click here to DOWNLOAD video/mp3/pdf files of this sermon)

The Good News of God's Wrath [2026.04.12 Morning Sermon in Nahum 2:3–13]

God's wrath is right, and just, and holy—and good news for those who have been saved through faith in Christ.

(click here to DOWNLOAD video/mp3/pdf files of this sermon)

How The Bible Talks about Sacraments [2026.04.12 Sabbath School lesson in WCF 27.2—Hopewell 101]

"There is, in every sacrament, a spiritual relation, or sacramental union, between the sign and the thing signified: whence it comes to pass, that the names and effects of the one are attributed to the other." WCF 27.2 (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)