Wednesday, January 22, 2025

2025.01.22 Hopewell @Home ▫ Jonah 1:1–16

Read Jonah 1:1–16

Questions from the Scripture text: What came to whom in Jonah 1:1? Where did He tell him to go (Jonah 1:2)? To do what? Why? But where did Jonah intend to do instead (Jonah 1:3)? From where? How did he begin to make his way there? To flee from what/where? Who did what in Jonah 1:4? To what effect? Who responded how (Jonah 1:5)? To whom did each man cry? What measures did they take? But what was Jonah doing? Who confronts him (Jonah 1:6)? What does he tell him to do? What idea do the sailors come up with in Jonah 1:7? To whom does the lot fall? What do thy ask him (Jonah 1:8)? How does he answer (Jonah 1:9)? What effect does hearing about the nature of YHWH have upon them (Jonah 1:10)? What had he previously told them? What do they now want to know (Jonah 1:11)? Why? What does he say (Jonah 1:12)? What does he know? What do the men try to do instead (Jonah 1:13)? To whom do they now cry (Jonah 1:14)? For what do thy ask forgiveness? What do they do (Jonah 1:15)? With what result? How do the men now respond (Jonah 1:16)? 

Who is the book of Jonah about? Jonah 1:1–16 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these sixteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the book of Jonah is about the sovereign Savior of sinners from all nations.

The atheistic evangelistJonah 1:1-4. The Lord is taking two (innumerably more than that, actually) birds with one stone here. He is going to confront the capital city of Assyria directly with His Word. But He also exposes His prophet’s foolish atheism with that same Word. It is not that Jonah thinks that God does not exist. Rather, he is treating God as if He is not God. “from the presence of YHWH” is emphasized in Jonah 1:3 by its repetition. But Jonah 1:4 makes it clear that Jonah is not making any progress in his plan. He is no farther from YHWH’s presence than when he started! 

The accidental evangelistJonah 1:5-16. It is difficult to imagine, although true (Jonah 1:10b), that Jonah had told the sailors that he was running from YHWH. Then, when the storm is raging, Jonah is so at peace that he can sleep in the bottom of the ship (Jonah 1:4b). Let no one ever think that they are righteous in their choices because “they have a peace about their decision”!! The sailors must have thought rather little of Jonah’s God at that point—must be one of the lesser gods, if he can be run away from.

But as the Lord ruled over wind and sea (Jonah 1:4), and even overruled the superstitions of men (Jonah 1:7), He Himself began to declare Himself to the sailors. Then, when they ask for more info about all of this (Jonah 1:8), Jonah divulges that YHWH is God of heaven, who made not only the dry land, but even the sea (Jonah 1:9). The sailors draw the right conclusion: anyone who knew that about God, and still fled from Him, must be out of his mind (Jonah 1:10)!

Jonah mistakenly thinks that his death is now what YHWH desires (though YHWH has other plans, cf. Jonah 1:17–2:10), and explains so. The sailors try to avoid this by rowing hard to land (Jonah 1:13a), but the Lord does not permit this (verse 13b). They are forced to ask Him to hold them innocent in their action (Jonah 1:14a), and instead receive it as a committing of Jonah’s case into the Lord’s own hand (verse 14b). The Lord promptly answers by ending the storm (Jonah 1:15b), and these men, who had just been zealous worshipers of false gods from all sorts of nations (Jonah 1:5a), come to be intense worshipers of YHWH, Who has both forgiven and saved them (Jonah 1:16).

What an amazing result! The Hebrew versification rightly ends the chapter here. Before the Lord ever brought Jonah to Nineveh, He had used him to bring a ship full of sailors to “fear YHWH exceedingly, and offer a sacrifice to YHWH, taking vows to Him” (Jonah 1:16). Truly, He is the Lord of creation and providence, but even more so, the Lord Who saves sinners at His sovereign pleasure. How sad that Jonah had to be an unwilling, resistant participant in this. Indeed, he knew that the Lord is like this (cf. Jonah 3:10–4:2), but so rebelled in his heart as to be this accidental evangelist. God keep it from being so with you, dear reader.

When have you acted as if you could flee from the Lord’s presence? How are you living in the awareness that the Lord is the God Who is pleased to save sinners in sovereign power? Whom are you intentionally praying and laboring to see saved? Or, if the Lord is using you and your life to save someone, will it certainly be an accident?

Sample prayer:  Lord, forgive us for how we have acted as if we could actually flee from Your presence. And forgive us for being so nonchalant about You, and even about disobeying You, that unbelievers would conclude that our God must not be so glorious and great after all. Forgive us, and make us those whose actions display that our God is, indeed, the Lord of heaven, the Creator of the seas and dry land, and the hearer and forgiver of sinners who call upon Him through faith in His Word. Indeed, be that God unto us, in Christ, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

 Suggested Songs: ARP32AB “What Blessedness” or TPH98A “O Sing a New Song to the Lord” 

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Lifted to the LORD, Our Lord [Family Worship lesson in Psalm 130]

Who is the Lord? Psalm 130 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eight verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the Lord is the merciful God Who hears and forgives us.
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2025.01.21 Hopewell @Home ▫ Psalm 130

Read Psalm 130

Questions from the Scripture text: What sort of song is this (superscript)? Where has the psalmist been (Psalm 130:1)? To Whom did he cry? What was his first, great request (Psalm 130:2)? What circumstance makes it so urgent that he be heard (Psalm 130:3)? What hope does he have in this guilt (Psalm 130:4a)? Unto what end (verse 4b)? So, for What (Whom!) does he wait (Psalm 130:5), and how intensely? How can he be sure of the outcome, despite the delay (verse 5b)? Whom else does he tell to do this (Psalm 130:7a)? Why—what does YHWH have/offer (verse 7b)? How much of it (verse 7c)? And what will He do (Psalm 130:8a)? How much (verse 8b)? 

Who is the Lord? Psalm 130 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eight verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the Lord is the merciful God Who hears and forgives us.   

The Hearer of prayer. There is no height greater than God’s glory, and therefore there is no depth lower (Psalm 130:1) than knowing one’s guilt against God and His glory. But, even from such a low depth, the Scripture has taught the believer that he may hope (Psalm 130:5b) to have his cries heard by the living God (Psalm 130:2). What a generous gift and privilege is “heard prayer”! And the believer knows that God is glorified as the Hearer of prayer (cf. Psalm 65:1–2), and Forgiver of iniquities (Psalm 130:3-4). 

The Forgiver of sin. The great test of this faith is when relief does not immediately come. Are we so sure that God is this Forgiver that He says He is—that He has given His Son to be our atonement and our righteousness—that, even when our conscience is not finding this comfort (cf. 1 John 3:20), we continue to wait for Him as our only hope (Psalm 130:5-6)? We must wait only upon Him for this relief, for however long He takes.

The Receiver of praise. Once we have this relief, however, we are renewed in our desire that everyone would bring Him glory for the marvelous blessing of forgiveness. We cannot wait to come into the public worship, where we are gathered as “Israel” (Psalm 130:7), stirring up one another’s faith in the Lord for redemption, and praise to Him for that redemption. It is abundant; there is more than enough for all of His Israel to be redeemed from all of His iniquities (Psalm 130:8)! How great is the glory of this Hearer of our prayer, Forgiver of our iniquities, and Receiver of our worship!

When have you felt your guilt to the point that it brought you into the depths? When have you had to wait upon the Lord for His forgiveness to come home to your conscience? What should you do with your voice and your heart in this waiting? How does personal redemption fuel your desire for corporate worship?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we praise You for glorifying Yourself by hearing us and forgiving us. Truly, with You there is steadfast love and abundant redemption! Be glorified by Your Israel, who wait upon You for this mercy, through Christ, AMEN!

Suggested Songs: ARP130 “Lord, from the Depths to You I Cried” or TPH130A “Lord, from the Depths”

Monday, January 20, 2025

A History of Faithfulness [2025.01.19 Evening Sermon in Numbers 33:1–49]


The church's story is the story of her Lord's faithfulness

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Our Curse-Conqueror [2025.01.19 Morning Sermon in Matthew 14:13–21]


Jesus is the Lord over creation, Who conquers the curse and gives Himself to His covenant people

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Sacraments as Corporate Worship [2025.01.19 Sabbath School Lesson in WCF 21.5—Hopewell 101]

We continued studying through the Scriptural doctrine that our congregation confesses. We continued Westminster Confession chapter 21, Article 5 this week with what Scripture says about the sacraments as covenantal signs and seals in the public worship (corporate worship) of Christ’s visible church.
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From Scoffer to Saint by the Work of the Word [2024.01.15 Midweek Sermon in Proverbs 9]


The wisdom that created all things is the wisdom that redeems

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Discerning Whom to Baptize [Children's Catechism 129—Theology Simply Explained]

Pastor walks his children through Children's Catechism question 129—especially explaining how the visible church must baptize whomever the Lord adds to her.

Q129. Who are to be baptized? Believers and their children.
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Wisdom's Pleasure and Treasure [Family Worship lesson in Proverbs 10:1–5]

What should an image-bearer desire? Proverbs 10:1–5 looks forward to the sermon in this week’s midweek meeting. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that an image-bearer should desire whatever God desires.
(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2025.01.20 Hopewell @Home ▫ Proverbs 10:1–5

Read Proverbs 10:1–5

Questions from the Scripture text: How does Proverbs 10:1a introduce this part of the book? Whom is he especially addressing (verse 1b–c)? How does he incentivize him to wisdom? What profits, how much (Proverbs 10:2a)? What does righteousness do for you (verse 2b)? What won’t YHWH allow (Proverbs 10:3a)? What else (verse 3b)? How, instrumentally, does the Lord provide wealth (Proverbs 10:4)? How does Proverbs 10:5 tie Proverbs 10:4 to Proverbs 10:1? 

What should an image-bearer desire? Proverbs 10:1–5 looks forward to the sermon in this week’s midweek meeting. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that an image-bearer should desire whatever God desires.  

Proverbs 10:1 gives a new introduction, and indeed we are coming into a new phase of the book. These five verses are a unit, bookended by the blessing of a wise son contrasted with the curse of a foolish one.

What a wise son desires. There is such a thing as a parent that guilts his child, insinuating that his own feelings should be the child’s primary motivation. This is wicked, putting the parent in a place that belongs only to God. But, as Proverbs 10:1 teaches us, it is a true part of biblical wisdom for a child to wish to be a blessing to his parents. With God’s glory in its correct place as our chief motivation, we remember that it is He Who has given us a particular father and mother, and set them over us, and instructed us to honor (not merely obey) them. So, it is perfectly appropriate for a parent to teach this to a child. A wise son doesn’t just make his parents glad. By setting this before him, Proverbs 10:1 implies that that his parents’ gladness is also his desire.

What a wise son acquires. Wickedness doesn’t desire to make a father glad or to spare a mother of grief. It does treasure many things, but they do not ultimately do the wicked one any good (Proverbs 10:2a). Righteousness doesn’t just obtain the gladness of the parents, but eternal life itself (verse 2b). This is true of both righteous standing with God (which is only through faith in Jesus Christ) and genuine righteous character (which can only occur in those with righteous standing, and is worked into them by the Holy Spirit to fit them for glory). Truly, righteousness delivers from death! 

Ultimately, YHWH will give the righteous one everything that He knows the righteous to need (Proverbs 10:3a). This must be true, since He is giving to Him eternal life, in the blessed knowledge and enjoyment of God Himself (cf. Romans 8:32). The wicked, on the other hand, will come to utter ruin in which he has not a single good or desirable thing (Proverbs 10:3b). 

To what a wise son aspires. Thus, the wise son does not operate out of fear, anxiety, discontentment, or greed. He does not so much aim at improving his circumstances (which, ultimately, belong to God). Rather, he aims at doing as well as he possibly can (by grace) in every circumstance. His hand is not slack, but diligent (Proverbs 10:4); he has learned to always be looking to do as well as possible. If there are crops ready to harvest, he will do so, even if it is still summer (Proverbs 10:5a). Sadly, the foolish/wicked son, who does not view himself as God’s image-bearer in his work, doesn’t really care to harvest, even when it is the right time. Verse 5b finds him sleeping. And his parents, who were hoping to be fruitful and multiply image-bearers, have their own desires dashed, as they are put to shame (verse 5b).

Every one of us is the child of an image-bearer. If we are going to fulfill that great identity, we must have the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and be those who are conformed to His conduct and character, and will surely come into His inheritance.

What are you aiming at in life, on a daily basis? How might you need to grow, as a renewed image-bearer in Christ?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for giving Your own Son for us, Who did all things for the pleasure and honor of His Father in heaven. Grant that, whether with our parents, or our work, or anything else in life, our desire would always be to honor You in every part of our life. And, give us every good and perfect gift, especially the gift of Yourself in Christ, which we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP23B “The Lord’s My Shepherd” or TPH508 “Jesus, Priceless Treasure”