Why the Gospel Is Good News [Family Worship lesson in Mark 1:1–11]

Who is the Messiah, and what did He do? Mark 1:1–11 prepares us for the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eleven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Jesus, the Son of God, came as the Christ Who would pour out His Spirit, and take away people’s sins. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson) Summary of the transcript of the audio: Mark’s Gospel opens with the proclamation of good news: Jesus is the divine Savior, the Anointed One, and the Son of God, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy through His identity, mission, and divine nature. In Jesus’s baptism, His sinlessness is affirmed by the Father and the Holy Spirit descends like a dove, marking Him as the one who baptizes with the Spirit and brings forgiveness, cleansing, and divine union. This event reveals Jesus as the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King. The call is not merely to acknowledge these truths, but to respond in worship, repentance, and daily reliance on Christ as Savior and God, Who has brought us into union and communion with Himself.

2026.03.12 Hopewell @Home ▫ Mark 1:1–11

Read Mark 1:1–11

Questions from the Scripture text: Of what is this the beginning (Mark 1:1)? Whose gospel? Whose Son is He? Where had this been written (Mark 1:2)? Whom would the Lord send before His face? What would this messenger do for Him? What does Mark 1:3 call the messenger? Where would he be found? What did he cry to do? Where did John come (Mark 1:4)? What did he come doing? What was he doing, besides baptizing? What did he preach? What sort of baptism did he preach? Who went out to him (Mark 1:5)? Who, specifically? What was done to them by John? Where? Doing what? With what was John clothed (Mark 1:6)? What did he eat? What (Whom!) did he preach (Mark 1:7)? How does this One’s strength compare to John’s? How does this One’s worthiness compare to John’s? With what did John baptize them (Mark 1:8)? With Whom will the One baptize them? Who came, in those days (Mark 1:9)? From where? What was done to Him? By whom? Where? From where did He come up (Mark 1:10)? What did He see happening to the heavens? What did He see descending upon Him? Like what? What came from heaven (Mark 1:11)? What did it call Him? What did it say about Him? 

Who is the Messiah, and what did He do? Mark 1:1–11 prepares us for the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eleven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Jesus, the Son of God, came as the Christ Who would pour out His Spirit, and take away people’s sins. 

Immediately, in Mark 1:1, Mark tells us that he is writing a gospel. It’s like placing a headline, or a cover page on the book that announces GOOD NEWS. So, one thing that we may want to do, as we read through this book, is to ask ourselves frequently, “how is this good news?”

That question is actually answered in at least three ways before the verse is over. (1) His Name is Jesus. Why was He called Jesus? He saves His people from their sins(cf. Matthew 1:21). (2) His title is Christ. This is a Greek translation of the word, “Messiah,” or “Anointed One.” Jesus is the promised forever-king of 2 Samuel 7, the promised forever-priest of Psalm 110, the promised great prophet of Deuteronomy 18 (cf. Acts 3:22-23).  (3) His identity is that He is the Son of God. God Himself, the Son, has come as our Savior, King, Priest, and Prophet

Mark goes on to show the faithfulness of God, His perfect reliability. God promised that He Himself would come, and that He would first send a messenger (Mark 1:2-3). And John came, exactly as God promised (Mark 1:4-7).

But there’s a huge difference, here, between the messenger and the Messiah. What did John baptize with? The messenger baptized with water, a symbol of the people’s need for repenting from sin and being forgiven of sin. 

And in Mark 1:8, with what does John say that Jesus will baptize? Again, we can see that Jesus must be not just a man but God Himself, for He pours out God Himself—the Holy Spirit—upon those whom He baptizes. Jesus’s baptizing gives the repentance and forgiveness that John’s baptizing could only tell them that they needed.

This makes Mark 1:9 wondrous and amazing: Jesus is baptized by John in the Jordan. Interestingly, Mark does not tell us that John at first refused to do this. Instead, he emphasizes God’s own testimony that Jesus did not need to be baptized for His own sin. 

God identifies Jesus not as a son of Adam (needing repentance and forgiveness) but rather “My beloved Son,” deserving of honor and glory and kingdom and power and praise. Then, God makes it doubly clear that Jesus has no sin of which to repent or be forgiven: “in Whom I am well pleased.” Jesus is identifying Himself with sinners, but He most certainly is not one Himself.

Mark is a fast-paced gospel. And already, its news has been very good: God Himself has come as a man. He is not a sinner, but He has identified Himself with sinners. And His Father has responded to Jesus’s receiving this baptism not with rebuke but with affirmation! Identifying Himself with sinners, and pouring out His Holy Spirit upon them, is exactly what Jesus has come to do.

What active, day-to-day difference does it make for you that Jesus is your Prophet? Where and how do you hear His words? And what do you do with them after you hear? What difference does it make that He is your Priest? To whom do you go for forgiveness? How do you come near to God? What difference does it make that He is your King? How have you responded to God the Son, Who has identified Himself with sinners in their sin? Is He your Savior? In what current situation do you most need the comfort of remembering the Jesus has identified Himself with you? What is your plan for reminding yourself of that in that specific situation? 

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for giving Your Son, Who needed no repentance, to be the sacrifice for our sins. And thank You for giving Him to us as the One Who gives us Your Spirit for life and faith and union with Christ. Forgive us for our many sins, for His sake. And, forgive us for how forgetful we are of His glory and His grace. Grant that by that very grace, we would remember Him and live by faith in Him, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP32AB “What Blessedness” or TPH492 “How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds”  

2026.03.11 Midweek Meeting Livestream (live at 6:30p)

To tune in for the Prayer Meeting, we recommend that you visit the livestream page.

Means of Generational Grace [Family Worship lesson in Deuteronomy 31:9–13]

How do covenant blessings come from one generation to the next in God’s visible church? Deuteronomy 31:9–13 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that covenant blessings come from one generation to the next in God’s visible church by means of the public hearing of all of His Word. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson) Summary of the transcript of the audio: The central message of the devotional is that God’s Word, faithfully read and heard in corporate assembly, is the primary means by which His people are renewed in reverence, obedience, and faith. Rooted in Deuteronomy 31:9–13, the passage emphasizes that the public reading of the Law every seven years—during the Feast of Tabernacles—was designed to cultivate a generational fear of God, ensuring that all, including children and strangers, would hear, learn to fear Him, and live according to His commandments. True obedience flows not from legalistic pride but from a heart humbled by the holiness of God’s Word, received with meekness and applied in gospel-centered action. The weekly gathering of the Church on the Lord’s Day fulfills the Old Testament pattern, with the goal of proclaiming the whole counsel of God so that believers and their children may grow in humility, reverence, and faithful obedience. Ultimately, the devotional calls the church to steward God’s Word with holy seriousness, trusting that the Spirit uses it to produce lasting spiritual fruit across generations.

2026.03.11 Hopewell @Home ▫ Deuteronomy 31:9–13

Read Deuteronomy 31:9–13

Questions from the Scripture text: What did Moses do with the law (Deuteronomy 31:9)? To whom did he deliver it? What did they do? To whom else did he deliver it? Then what did Moses do them (Deuteronomy 31:10)? About doing something how often? In what particular year? At what time of year? Who will do what at that time (Deuteronomy 31:11)? And what must the priests and elders do before all Israel at that time? Which of the people are they to gather (Deuteronomy 31:12)? That they may do what? And learn to do what? So that they ultimately do what? Who else will benefit from this (Deuteronomy 31:13)? By being enabled to do what two things? For how long?

How do covenant blessings come from one generation to the next in God’s visible church? Deuteronomy 31:9–13 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that covenant blessings come from one generation to the next in God’s visible church by means of the public hearing of all of His Word.  

The substance of the sermon of Deuteronomy 5–26 wasn’t just for one particular day and circumstance in the life of God’s people. It was for their ongoing instruction. Every seven years, there was to be a release from debts and slavery. But the real freedom is found in belonging to the Lord and being enabled to observe his commandments. 

All Israel. God’s Word is the means that He uses to do His gracious work in all of His people. This is emphasized in Deuteronomy 31:11, Deuteronomy 31:12. The reading is for “when all Israel comes to appear” and to be done “before all Israel in their hearing.” Particularly, this is to include “men and women and little ones, and the stranger.” None are to be left out

The Means Used: His Word. Twice, we see the mechanism described: “that they may hear and that they may learn to fear YHWH your God” (Deuteronomy 31:12), and “may hear and learn to fear YHWH your God” (Deuteronomy 31:13). YHWH uses the hearing of the Word to produce in them the fearing of the Lord. Here is something to aim at, and to seek from the Lord, as you listen to His Word or read His Word: that He would work in you the fear of YHWH.

The Fruit Produced: Obedience. The fear of YHWH produces what our English version describes as “carefully observe” (Deuteronomy 31:12). In the original, it is “keep in order to do.” When we “receive with meekness the implanted word” as a gift from God “to save your souls” (cf. James 1:21), we must “be does of the Word, and not hearers only” (cf. James 1:22). We keep the Word of God in order to do what it says.

Throughout Their Generations. The Lord establishes the public reading of His Word, at a great assembly, with the children there, in order to make an impression especially upon them. “Every seven years” would ensure that each child would experience this twice during his lifetime, and at least once when able to comprehend well. 

This hearing, fearing, and keeping to observe is something that the Lord commands to convey from one generation to the next “as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess” (Deuteronomy 31:13). That is to say: throughout the generations of the visible church, as she enjoys the blessings that belong to her in covenant with God.

There is no longer an annual feast of tabernacles, but there is a weekly Lord’s Day. In it, let the congregations of the church publicly assemble and hear God’s Word read. And, let them not shun to declare “the whole counsel of God” (cf. Acts 20:27). But, with a view to the souls of all, but especially to the children, let them hear the Word, in order to fear the Lord,  that they may both keep all of His words to do them, and teach yet another generation. 

How strongly do you prioritize assembling with the church each Lord’s Day? What does it look like to fear the Lord, Whose Word we hear? By what habits of meditation, vowing, and paying those vows, do you put into practice the words of God? How strongly do you prioritize the training of children to hear, and fear, and obey? What are you doing to facilitate this? 

Sample prayer: Lord, thank You for giving us the public assemblies of Your church on Your day. And thank You for giving us Your living, active, saving Word. And thank You for granting that, in those assembles, we and our children would hear that Word. Forgive us, for when we have missed those assemblies when we could have attended. And, forgive us, for when we have heard the Word, but not unto the fear of You. And, forgive us, for when we have not sought to put Your Word into practice. Finally, forgive us for how lightly we have taken the duty to make sure to do this with our children, with the whole counsel of God. Truly, You have greatly blessed us, but we have taken that blessing for granted. So, by Your Spirit applying to us the grace of Christ, please forgive us and help us, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP34C “O Sons and Daughters, Come” or TPH173 “Almighty God, Your Word Is Cast” 

Blessed RE-Assurance [2026.03.08 Evening Sermon in Song of Songs 6:4–13]

When the Lord Jesus restores a church, or a believer, He strongly reaffirms His affection, adoration, union, honor, and delight for her.

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

Almighty Disciple-Making [2026.03.08 Morning Sermon in Matthew 28:16–20]

Jesus exercises His authority to make disciples out of all for whom He died.

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

Signs That Point Us to Christ [2026.03.08 Sabbath School in WCF 27.1.3—Hopewell 101]

WCF 27.1.3 teaches us that the sacraments point us to Christ. The lesson centers on the sacraments as holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace, emphasizing their role in representing Christ and confirming each believer’s personal, particular interest in Him. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 10–11, it warns against misusing the visible church and sacramental signs—such as baptism and the Lord’s Supper—as mere external privileges, reminding the congregation that spiritual participation requires faith and obedience. Pastor underscores that the Israelites’ experiences in the wilderness serve as cautionary examples: unbelief and presumption led to judgment, illustrating that sacraments do not guarantee salvation apart from genuine faith in Christ. Believers must examine their hearts, avoid the error of thinking they can live freely in sin under grace, and instead look to God to use the sacraments to deepen their assurance, grow them in Christlikeness, and make them live in joyful obedience. Ultimately, the sacraments are not about human merit or ritual but about God’s gracious self-communication, confirming that Christ is personally for each believer through the Spirit’s work.(click here to DOWNLOAD an mp3 file of this lesson)

Blessed REassurance [Family Worship lesson in Song of Songs 6:4–13]

Why does the Bridegroom now address the bride with such affection? Song of Songs 6:4–13 prepares us for the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these ten verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the Bridegroom is assuring the bride that she, and their relationship, have been fully restored. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson) Summary of the transcript of the audio: The devotional presents the restoration of intimacy between Christ and His bride in Song of Songs 6:4–13, illustrating the Lord’s unwavering love, even after spiritual estrangement. Central to the message is the affirmation that Christ’s affection for His church remains unchanged, as He reaffirms her beauty, purity, and unique worth, likening them to Jerusalem and Tirzah—symbols of divine glory and royal dignity. The passage emphasizes not only the restoration of personal affection and praise but also the full restoration of union and glory, where the church is exalted as the beloved, recognized and celebrated by all heavenly saints. Even in times of spiritual barrenness, Christ is portrayed as attentively watching for the first signs of revival, longing to return to His bride with joy and urgency, as His soul flies to her at the slightest indication of life. The devotional concludes with an invitation to embrace this assurance, to walk in renewed confidence, and to experience the deep joy of being seen, cherished, and restored by Christ, who delights in His church and invites others to behold her heavenly glory.

2026.03.10 Hopewell @Home ▫ Song of Songs 6:4–13

Read Song of Songs 6:4–13

Questions from the Scripture text: Whom does the Bridegroom address (Song of Songs 6:4a)? What does He say about her beauty? What does He say about her loveliness (verse 4b)? About her awesomeness (verse 4c)? What request does He make in Song of Songs 6:5a? Why (verse 5b)? What does He complement in verse 5c–d? In what manner? What does He complement in Song of Songs 6:6? In what manner? What does He complement in Song of Songs 6:7? In what manner? To whom does He compare her (Song of Songs 6:8)? What does He call her in Song of Songs 6:9a? How do verse 9b–d describe her uniqueness? Who sees her in verse 9e? What do they call her (verse 9f)? Who see her in verse 9g? What do they do (verse 9h)? What question does Song of Songs 6:10 ask? What four things does verse 10 note about her? Where has He gone (Song of Songs 6:11a)? To see what three things (verse 11b–d)? What happened to His soul (Song of Songs 6:12b–c)? How suddenly (verse 12a)? What does He quadruply urge (Song of Songs 6:13a–b)? To whom (verse 13a)? For what purpose (verse 13b)? What does He say is to be seen in the Shulamite (verse 13c–d)? 

Why does the Bridegroom now address the bride with such affection? Song of Songs 6:4–13 prepares us for the opening portion of public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these ten verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the Bridegroom is assuring the bride that she, and their relationship, have been fully restored. 

Full restoration of affection and praise (Song of Songs 6:4-7). Things had gone quite ill with the bride’s relation to her Bridegroom in Song of Songs 5:2–3. How will things be, now that they are reunited? We find that the Bridegroom speaks directly to her, not about her, and that His address is one of fully restored affection. 

He addresses her as “My love” (Song of Songs 6:4a), using a feminine form of the same word translated “friend” in Song of Songs 5:16. She is His. And she is correct about His love to her; she is His love. 

He affirms that she is both delightful and dignified. Her delightfulness is communicated both by the word translated “beautiful” (Song of Songs 6:4a) and the one translated “lovely” (verse 4b), as well as the name “Tirzah,” which means “pleasant.” Her dignity is admired metaphorically as Tirzah (frequently a royal city in the north) and even Jerusalem (not only a royal city in the south, but the place where God has made His Name to dwell on the earth). This is further emphasized by “awesome as a bannered one.” Although the word “army” isn’t actually used, the word-picture is there with the hosts paraded out, their shining armor glistening, banners unfurled. 

He affirms that she is as beautiful to Him as she has ever been. His love for her is as great as He Himself is, so that it is “His equal,” as it were, in Song of Songs 6:5a–b. The description of her adornment (verse 5c–d), her capacity for feeding in purity and fullness (Song of Songs 6:6), and her humility and affection (Song of Songs 6:7), is taken, almost word for word, from parts of Song of Songs 4:1–3. When a believer, or a church, has been backslidden and restored, there may be some fear or question of whether things “can ever be the same” again, between them and the Lord. Here, He affirms that her beauty to Him is just as it was then.

Full restoration of union and glory (Song of Songs 6:8-10). She had called Him the “chief among ten thousand” (cf. Song of Songs 5:10). He now affirms that even if there were available the greatest queens (Song of Songs 6:8a) and concubines (verse 8b), even all of the virgins in the world (verse 8c), He would have eyes and heart only for her. The church is the Lord’s special focus in all of creation and providence (cf. WCF 5.7), and in Song of Songs 6:9a–d, He hammers this home with the repetition of the word “one.”

They are so united that, just as the church has this view of Christ, so also the church comes to value the church in this same way (Song of Songs 6:9c–d). Those who are elevated to spiritual royalty must also come to this same opinion of her (verse 9e–h). This is implied by the use of the question in Song of Songs 6:10. The moon has a derivative beauty from the sun (verse 10b), and the sun has particularly given its clarity and brilliance to her (verse 10c). The darkness of night (cf. Song of Songs 3:1, Song of Songs 5:2) has been thoroughly vanquished, so that she now shines like the morning (Song of Songs 6:10a). And those who see all of this about her, and her relationship with Bridegroom, must come to be impressed with her (Song of Songs 6:10d) in the same way that He is (cf. Song of Songs 6:4c). 

His desire to enjoy His bride (Song of Songs 6:11-13). Finally, although NKJ sees a change in speaker here, that is not indicated by the grammar of the original, and there is not a good reason literarily or theologically to think that is the case. The Bridegroom continues, now, to reassure her of how it has come to be that He so delights in her and urges others to do so as well. Though He was hidden to her, He was always giving close attention to His garden, even when she was not particularly fruitful. So, even when there were only nuts (seeds, Song of Songs 6:11a), He was looking for the first shoots (“verdure,” verse 11b), eagerly awaiting the budding (verse 11c) and blooming and fruiting (verse 11d).

And such is His desire for her that the very beginnings of her spiritual recovery sent Him flying to her as on chariots (Song of Songs 6:12). How ready the Lord Jesus is to communicate His fellowship to the church! Further, He urges her to do the same—a double doubling of the command to return, so that she might be enjoyed by Him (Song of Songs 6:13a–b) and all who are like minded to Him. As He turns to the multitude with a second question (verse 13c, cf. Song of Songs 6:10), He explains that the church is not only the most glorious thing in this world, but that her glory is actually other-worldly. “Mahanaim” (Song of Songs 6:13d) was a name that Jacob gave to a place where he was permitted to perceive God’s camp overlaying his own (cf. Genesis 32:1–2). In the church, we see an intersection of heaven and earth. How very much Christ desires to enjoy her, and if our hearts are conformed to His, we will have the desire to know that fellowship as well!

When have you been restored from backsliding? When has your church? How are these expressions of Christ’s restored affection helpful to you in such a situation? How does your desire to know the church’s fellowship with Christ match His own desire for her fellowship?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we thank You for calling Your church Your love, and for praising her beauty to You, and her preciousness to You. Come, speak affectionately to Your bride, and make her to know Your full delight in her. Grant that all might have their hearts and minds conformed to yours, so that they will see and love Your beauty in Your bride, we ask in Your Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP45B “Daughter, Incline Your Ear” or TPH403 “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken”