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Exodus 15:22-26 - The Names of God: Jehovah Rophi

By Mark Chen

Preached at / Published Life BPC 8 am service, 2002-09-22

Text: Exodus 15:22-26

It is always a great privilege to listen to God's message on the Sabbath, and we pray that the Lord would speak to us and deal with certain issues in our lives. Indeed the Lord's Day is a day on which we can celebrate His grace in our lives, a day when we can remember His salvation. It should be a day of great joy.

But notwithstanding this, many people, many of you, come with heavy hearts, grieved by hurts and secret sins; many of you come with tremendous bodily discomforts, along with great pain brought on by illnesses; and others even come with furrowed brows, burdened with great trials and tribulation. This, of course, is not a moral judgment - it is an observation and a fact of life. We all suffer and we all fall sick - God never promised us a life without pain, or trials, or even without illness. In fact, the Christian suffers more! But one thing He did promise, 'My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.'

The topic that has been given to me to preach on is on God's name - Jehovah-Rophi, which means The Lord is my Healer. And that name brings with it connotations of healing and comfort and deliverance. But if that is the case, why do so many of us suffer? From the onset of delivery, the rude shock of fetal forceps brings great distress to the baby. Suffering continues on in childhood - from a host of problems plaguing the child - overbearing parents who demand academic excellence, the rod of correction, the pain from a scuffed knee, and the horrors of PSLE. The teenager also suffers; he has the anguish of trying to fit-in with his peers in school, he also has to be make his meager parental allowance last, cover up angry acne, and face the dreaded O's. The working adult suffers too - work stress, family stress, marital stress, financial stress; and he invariably reaches critical levels every year at April 15th. (income tax submission date). And suffering goes on until our twilight years - not even age can alleviate suffering: gum disease, arthritis, balding.

Now, we can identify with much of these things because they are common to us all. But what about cancer, organ failure, leukemia, stroke, heart disease, dementia? What about deep marital strife, divorce, suicide, miscarriage? How about retrenchment, bankruptcy, and even imprisonment? Although many of you can say now that God is with us and takes care of us and we ought not to worry or be distressed, going through such deep difficulties will cause you to doubt and to question. Are there none here who have gone through such difficulties and not questioned or lost heart? I would say few - I'm not even sure that I won't lose heart. But there should be none of that, because the Lord is indeed our Healer and He will heal us. But how is He our Healer? How is He Jehovah-Rophi?

In the passage that we have read, we see that the Israelites had just been delivered from Egypt, the land of bondage, and after having crossed the Red Sea, they arrived at the great expanse of the Wilderness of Shur - and as with any desert, water was scarce and they found no water source for 3 days, until they came upon an oasis. But the waters there were Marah, they were bitter, hence the name. The water was perhaps brackish, filled with salts and sediments that made it completely undrinkable. And so, like it would be with so many of us, the people started to complain and murmur against Moses.

Imagine - they had just been freed from the world's greatest super power, having seen the spectacular acts of God. There were no trade embargoes nor diplomatic d'tentes to force the hands of the government, but strong arm tactics in the form of horrific plagues. For more than 10 years now, US-led sanctions against Iraq have proven to be ineffective; but the Lord had no such failure with Egypt; and with His plagues, caused Pharaoh to release His people. But yet having seen this, the people started to complain once they reached the Red Sea, blaming Moses for leading them to their deaths. But yet again the Lord demonstrated His power and divided the waters that they might cross. Now, you'd think that Israel would've learned something by the time they reached Marah - that all they needed was an implicit trust in God. But they didn't did they?

They murmured that the water was bitter. And so it was at Marah that the Lord had to demonstrate His power yet again. He miraculously caused the waters to sweeten by commanding Moses to cast a tree into the pool. Not only did the Lord do this for His people, but this was done as a teaching point. God didn't lead them to such waters for nothing. It was done as a test and a statute and an ordinance. The leading of Israel to bitter water, which they could not drink, and then the sweetening or curing of this water, was to be a vivid example to show the people that God would always guide and lead them; and it was also to be in a sense, a right or privilege that they would have as His people to always count upon His help and deliverance from every trouble. He did this because Israel had not yet gained true confidence in Him; so this was also a trial, serving to refine and strengthen their faith.

From this experience, they learned that God was their help, that in ages to come, He would always be present with them. And along with this object lesson, God declared to them, once they understood His abiding power in their lives, that if they listened to Him and obeyed all that He had commanded, then the awful plagues that had come upon the Egyptians would not be inflicted upon them. Indeed, the Israelites would have learned two great lessons here - (1) that the Lord was in control of all illnesses and (2) that He could heal them and deliver them, as He had in Marah, causing that which was bitter and 'sick' to be sweet and well.

But how is the Lord our Healer? Well, firstly from this passage, we see that God has power over all sicknesses and can heal us from our illnesses. God heals us physically. And when we are healed - it is always the Lord's hand involved, from the smallest illness, the smallest cut, from the smallest sore, to the largest, and most debilitating disease. But in these times, do we acknowledge that God is in control? Do we even realize it? You have a paper cut, you treat it with a bandage or some analgesic cream, but when it heals, do you really give God the credit? When you recover from the common cold through the medication you take, do you acknowledge that it was God who healed you? When you have heart burn, you take an antacid, and that relieves you, do you think about how God has helped you? And by the guilt many of you feel now, you have made my point. Many of us give no thought to God's healing hand in our lives. That is, until, we have a major illness.

But just as God is in control of nicks and bruises, so too is He in control of great illnesses. Can God heal us from our greatest infirmities? Of course, He can. Just as He healed King Hezekiah and gave him 15 more years to live, so too, can God heal us of our greatest infirmities. But how great an infirmity? - cancer, liver cirrhosis, lupus, AIDS? Now, I can give you many examples and testimonies of how God has healed miraculously; but that is not the main issue is it? We all know that God can heal, but if that is the case, why are so many people still sick and suffering? Why do we still need to pray for the sick in our church? Why doesn't God heal them? That is the real question, isn't it? Why are so many of you still battling with your illnesses, why are your loved ones suffering? Is not God the Jehovah-Rophi? Has He not promised to heal? Is the reason why I am plagued with these illnesses because I have sinned against God and not heeded His commandments? Sometimes it feels that way, doesn't it? - like you have the weight of all Egypt's plagues upon you.

This has been a constant struggle for people and those that care about them. One well-known minister of the Gospel has said, 'If I could have any gift of the spirit, beyond the ones given me, I would ask for the gift of healing. On innumerable occasions I have wished I had the gift of healing. I have stood with a mother and father in a hospital room and watched their child die of leukemia. I have prayed with a dear friend as cancer was eating up his insides. I have been in intensive care units; I have seen people crushed by accidents; I have observed them torn up by surgery; and through it all I have wished that I could heal them with a word, with a touch, but I cannot think of how thrilling and rewarding it would be to have the gift of healing! Think of what it would be like to go into a hospital among the sick and dying and just go up and down the hall touching them, talking to them, and healing them.' We find ourselves often wondering why God, despite our prayers, has not healed us or our loved ones. James 5:15 tells us that the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up. If we are not healed, does that mean we have no faith? God forbid.

Although God is in control of all illnesses and has the power to heal, He doesn't always heal. Now, why is that? What comfort can I find through that? Firstly, we must understand that in God's perfect creation, there was no illness - as God proclaimed after He had created everything, and all that He saw was very good. There was no sickness. But when Adam sinned, that changed everything. The ground on which Adam toiled was cursed, the animals turned against one another - even Paul says in Romans 8:22, 'For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.' The whole of creation has been cursed by sin and because of this, we also suffer from germs, viruses, bacteria, the damaging effects of free radicals - and hence we have to suffer from things like amoebic dysentery and rectal cancer. But God if is in control, why doesn't He rescue us from our suffering?

As a Sovereign God, He has His purposes, sometimes unknown to us. But what are the things which He has made known to us concerning our suffering? The apostle Paul, implored the Lord thrice to remove a thorn, possibly an illness, from his flesh. Let's turn to 2 Corinthians 12:8 (Read). Here we realize that God did not take away Paul's thorn for the purpose of making Paul rest more upon Him. It is in our times of sickness and utter helplessness that we see how strong God is. Suffering draws us closer to God, to let Him manifest His grace and glory in our lives. Just as God tested the Israelites at Marah, He tests us, that we might realize who He is.

Suffering can also be motivation for spiritual growth; as 1 Peter 5:10 tells us, 'But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stabish, strengthen, settle you.' James 1:2-4 goes even further to tell us to rejoice in our suffering 'My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.' A minister told me that he once went to visit one of his members - a little girl with leukemia - he told me how bald and bloated she was and how sickly she looked. So with a grave face, he went to pray with her and try to comfort her. Looking up at his visibly troubled countenance, she said with a smile and a sweet voice, 'Pastor, why do you look so sad? I'm okay. The Lord will take care of me; I am saved and if I have nothing to be afraid of, so you must not be afraid too.' Such faith and confidence through her suffering! Sickness can build up certain virtues such as happiness and a deeper dependence on God - James 5:11 says 'Behold we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.' If necessary, God sacrifices our health to develop our inward beauty that we too may encourage others. Through our own experience, we can console others too (2 Corinthians 1:6). Widows can comfort those who have been recently bereaved, and the healed can comfort the sick.

Suffering is also God's loving reminder that we have violated His ways; as Psalm 119:71 says, 'It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.' Our unconfessed sins are sometimes the cause of our sicknesses. Turn to Psalm 32 (Read vv 1-4). Here, we are told that God will at times afflict us with illnesses because of our sins that we might turn to Him in repentance. When we reject the Spirit's promptings to repent, or when we have strayed far from God, God allows us to suffer. These verses tell us that physical torment from the Lord affects those who hold on to their sins - especially bone disease. We can also see that in people's faces too, right? Wrinkles from frowning too much, a hardened mouth. Indeed doctors say that many medical conditions are a result of stress and anger - such as heart disease and other chronic problems, as well as teeth grinding. Dentists make millions annually on mouth guards and splints because their patients grind their teeth due to stress. You have work stress, but have not come to the Lord for help, you might have tension headaches. So if you're at all concerned about how you look, confess your sins. So that is why James 5:16 tells us 'Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.' Pray and submit to the Lord.

But most of all, suffering helps us to realize that this world is not our home. We are promised a glorified body in the end, when we will no longer have any illnesses, any sin, any struggles, any hunger, or any disappointments. The diseases ravaging our bodies will no longer be there - we will be perfect. How perfect, I don't know. Perhaps the bald will have a full tuff of hair; the toothless, a new set of pearly whites; the myopic, 20/20 vision or better - we might have telescopic and microscopic vision - no more need for contacts or lasic surgery. Our life is fleeting and painful, full of vexation of spirit; let us look forward to our heavenly home. But this can only be a certainty when we have given our lives to Jesus and submitted to Him and are saved.

God is our Healer also because He heals us spiritually. Isaiah 53:4-5 speaks of how Christ has healed us 'Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.' Because of Christ's work of atonement, we are healed from sin and we are saved. Ultimately it is because of God's grace toward us wretched sinners that we have been delivered and forgiven. We can have ultimate joy in Him. In the end, it is not so much about whether we are physically healed or not, but whether we are spiritually healed. Have you come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus? That is the question here. And it is not personal comfort that we should be seeking, but it is the Lord. And indeed, will not the Lord give us strength to go through our sicknesses if we seek Him? Will He not give us much comfort if we find comfort in Him? How is God Jehovah-Rophi? He heals us physically and spiritually. But will he not give us healing in other areas of our lives? Yes, he can heal our emotional pains, our distresses, our worries, our guilt, our broken friendships, and our marital woes.

It is, as we read in Psalm 103, that the Lord is merciful and gracious. It is God's grace that heals us isn't it? We don't deserve it, but He gives it to us freely, that we might continue to live in a way pleasing to Him. God's grace encompasses every area of our Christian walk. It is the cause of our salvation (Ephesians 2:8,9), its sufficiency helps us to overcome hardship and sickness (2 Corinthians 12:9), in every case, we may come to the throne of grace to obtain mercy during times of need (Hebrews 4:16), God abounds grace toward us that we might have an abundance for every work (Ephesians 4:7), it is God's grace that teaches us to turn away from sin (Titus 2:11,12), wherever sin abounds, grace abounds more (Romans 5:20,21), and we are what we are because of God's grace (1 Corinthians 15:10). Grace is the favor or kindness shown without regard to the worth or merit of the person receiving it. That is why we can be saved -we were wretches, we were blind, but now we see, amazing grace! And God freely offers this grace to us allowing us to go to him to receive this grace in times of sickness, trial, sin, and hurts. Without grace, we can do nothing. When we face sickness, God's grace is there. It is as if we are told, 'Don't be distressed over your illness, take my grace and be comforted. You know suffering is good, but my grace is sufficient for you. You know you must confess your sins, don't fight my grace. You don't need to bear a grudge, get my grace. Why do you have such a vengeful spirit? Get my grace. You know you need to be reconciled, get my grace. You don't need to be bitter, just as I made the waters sweet, I can heal your bitterness; take my grace.' Let us not complain to God that He has been unfair to us, or afflicted us, but let us see God as our deliverer; as He delivered Israel from the hands of Pharaoh, He can deliver us.

So as the Lord was a healer to the Israelites, and he tested them and showed them that He was their source of comfort, let us always turn to Him in our need and times of testing, in our times of sickness - to pray, to confess our sins, to suffer with His strength; let us also turn to Him to let Him heal us spiritually - to make sure of our salvation; and let us turn to Him that He might heal our anger, our bitterness, and our disappointments. As this was a statute and an ordinance to the Israelites, let it also be our happy confidence. He is after all Jehovah-Rophi, our Healer.

Leviticus 20:7,8 - The Names of God: Jehovah M'Kaddesh

By Rev Charles Seet

Preached at / Published Life BPC 8 am service, 2002-09-29

Text: Leviticus 20:7,8; Romans 6:1,2,11-19

This morning we have the final message in the series of studies in the Names of God, a series that has been helpful to us not only to understand God's attributes, but also all that He is to us, who are His Covenant people. We have seen names of God that reveal attributes of His, like His eternal existence (El Olam), His omnipotence (El Shaddai), His omniscience (El Roi) and His sovereign authority (El Elyon). We have also learned the names of God that reveal His goodness to us in His Covenant relationship with us - that He is our Shepherd (Jehovah Rohi), our Peace (Jehovah Shalom), our Maker (Jehovah Hoseenu), our Provider (Jehovah Jireh) and our Healer (Jehovah Rophi).

I. The Holiness of God

But there is one aspect of God's nature that we have not yet studied in detail in this series of messages. And that is His Holiness. It is fitting that we should climax the whole series with this great subject, because holiness is really the attribute of all attributes! The holiness of God is revealed through the name Jehovah M�Kaddesh. It is found in our text: 'Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. And ye shall keep My statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.' This particular name of God is found in nine other verses of Scripture: E.g. Leviticus 21:8 'Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the LORD, which sanctify you, am holy.' (Also in Leviticus 21:15,23; 22:9,16,32, Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12; 37:28).

Now, the term 'sanctify' literally means to 'make holy'. In fact, the name M�Kaddesh is actually derived from the Hebrew word for 'holy,' which is, Kadosh. The ability to make anyone holy implies that God Himself must first be holy. And so this name certainly directs us to the holiness of God. In fact, God oftentimes designates Himself simply as, Kadosh, and this is translated in our Bibles as 'The Holy One' (40 times). The key concept behind this name therefore, is the concept of Holiness.

A. What is Holiness?

Basically Holiness is separation from, and hostility to, all evil and defilement. By using the names 'Kadosh' (The Holy One) and 'M'Kaddesh' (He who makes holy), God is revealing to man, that above all things, He is holy. He is separated from all evil and defilement and stands opposed to sin.

The sum of all moral excellency is found in Him. God wants to remind us again and again that He is absolute purity, untouched by even the slightest speck of sin. The scriptures describe God's holiness in various ways: 1 John 1:5 'God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.' Habakkuk 1:13 'Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity.' The Prophet Isaiah beheld God in a vision, seated on His throne in the Holy Temple, with the doorposts quaking, and the angels crying out to one another, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory' (Isaiah 6:3). This grand vision of God's holiness made Isaiah feel so utterly unclean and sinful, even though by our own standards, we would regard Isaiah as a good and upright man. But when even the most perfect and saintly person in this world stands before God, he will not be able to do anything but to respond in the same way, 'Woe is me, for I am undone!' And that, dearly beloved, indicates to us how infinitely holy God is. Let us observe now, some other ways in which God has revealed His Holiness, besides using the names, Kadosh and M'Kaddesh. First of all:

B. Holiness Is Revealed In God's Works

Psalm 145:17 tells us 'The LORD is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works.' Holiness is a characteristic of everything that God does. Whatever He does is consistently holy. For instance, God made all things in His creation 'very good.' There was not the least imperfection at all in it at the time that He made them. Both the fallen angels and fallen man were created holy before they fell into sin. And so we see that all the works of God reveal His holiness. Another thing that reveals God's holiness are the Laws of God.

C. Holiness Is Revealed In God's Law

Every law that God has given to man bears the divine imprint of holiness! These include the Ceremonial Laws like those concerning the layout of the tabernacle, the priesthood and the various offerings. These laws impressed upon Israel the concept of God's holiness through the prescription of rituals that were needed for purification.

Holiness is also revealed in the Moral Law as Romans 7:12 says 'Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.' The holy character of the moral law is seen in its many prohibitions against sin in all its various forms. And what holiness requires and forbids is summarised for us in the Ten Commandments. Our Lord Jesus Christ elaborated further on this in His Sermon on the Mount.

But the holiness that is revealed in the Law of God actually goes against us. It condemns us and makes each and every one of us guilty and unholy before God. If God had not given us His Law as the standard of holiness, we would not know what sin is and how sinful we really are (Romans 7:7 'had not known sin, but by the law'). And at the same time the Law shows us that the only person, who is without any sin at all, the only person in whom Holiness is perfected in man, is Jesus Christ. Only Jesus fulfilled and satisfied every single requirement of God's Law, to the letter. And Jesus revealed God's Holiness to us not only in His life, but also in His death:

D. Holiness Is Revealed At The Cross

The death of Christ was the most powerful revelation of God's infinite holiness. How utterly hateful our sins must be to God, for Him to punish it to the uttermost when they were borne by His beloved Son on the cross of Calvary. If God had been any less holy than He really is, surely He would have spared His only begotten Son the infinite pain and agony that He suffered on the cross.

And the most wonderful news for us is that now, in exchange for bearing the punishment for our sins, Jesus Christ has given each of us the standing of perfect holiness that is His, the holiness of the perfect life that He lived on earth. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, 'For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.' And, as Romans 8:1 tells us, 'There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus' You know, this is an absolutely marvellous truth that we must always ponder and be excited about: That God's Holiness, which formerly disqualified us from being in the presence of God and kept us away from Him, is the same Holiness that now qualifies us to be in God's presence, and keeps us there!

And now that God's Holiness has enabled us to stand in His holy presence, it becomes possible for us to be sanctified, through His power working within us.

And God's will for us now, is that our lives should indeed become holy, just as God is holy. This is the specific usage of the name Jehovah M'Kaddesh - to indicate that God is the Lord who sanctifies us.

II. The Will of God To Make Us Holy

This will of God for our sanctification is stated not just once, but several times in the Scriptures, e.g. 1 Peter 1:14-16 'As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.' (see also Leviticus 11:44, 19:2, 20:7)

There are also a few other verses that emphasize God's sovereign will for us to be holy: 1 Thessalonians 4:7 'For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.' Ephesians 4:24 'And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.' 2 Corinthians 7:1 'Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.' One of the best chapters in the Bible that teaches us how to be holy is Romans 6:1-19. Let us now turn our Bibles to this chapter.

A. The Basis for Being Holy (vv.1,2)

Romans chapter 6 begins with the basis for being holy - the fact that we who are saved by Christ are dead to sin. What is it that makes a born again Christian's life different from others? Or is there supposed to be any difference at all? This is really what was meant by the question that is asked in v.1 'Shall we continue in sin?' Paul's immediate response to that question in v.2 is 'God forbid.' This is the most emphatic way of saying, 'No!' in biblical language. 'May it never be!' And the reason given is that we who are saved are now supposed to be dead to sin. When a person truly believes in Jesus Christ, not only is his status in God's sight changed, but now he is dead to sin. That means that he is freed from being under the tyranny or control of sin. Son is like a ruthless dictator. Now please note that the text does not say that sin is totally absent from this new life, but that the tyranny of sin is now absent. As v.14 says, 'For sin shall not have dominion over you'.

This then is the basis of our sanctification: God liberating us, making us free from the tyrannical power of sin, through Jesus Christ. What are some things that will be seen in a life that is freed from the tyranny of sin? The first thing noticeable is a change of attitude towards sin. He no longer loves sin, but hates it. This change is accompanied by a growing love for righteousness in his life. He has a healthy desire to be upright, to live according to God's principles and to do good to others. God's commandments become a delight for him to obey, rather than a duty that he grudgingly fulfills. In many people whose lives before they became Christians were really miserable because of the tight control of sin on them, this new freedom from sin's power brings a noticeable radiance to their faces: an unquenchable joy that really makes them alive! These things begin to emerge gradually but steadily after a person is truly saved. They are just like beautiful fruits appearing on a tree that has been transplanted into fertile ground and received refreshing rain. And when we can see these wonderful changes appearing, then we know that God is really doing His marvelous work of sanctifying him! Change is what sanctification is all about.

But what if we can't see any change at all for the better? What if there are no signs of sanctification at all after a long time? Has he then really been saved? The answer is No, it cannot be. There is no such thing as justification without sanctification. A justified person is dead to sin, according to Romans 6:2. If he is still very much alive to sin, that means that he is not saved. His profession of faith in Jesus Christ is false!

B. Our Responsibility in Becoming Holy

Thus far we have seen that sanctification is the work of God in our lives that frees us from the power of sin, making us dead to sin. But that doesn't mean that we have no part to play at all in sanctification. We see this now as we come to vv.11-19. We have a responsibility in sanctification, and it is demonstrated in three simple commands.

1. Reckoning Ourselves as Dead to Sin (v.11)

The first command is to reckon, found in v.11: 'Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.' What does reckoning mean? It means taking into account in one's considerations. As we live, we are to take into account the fact that we are now dead to sin. We are to take into account the fact that Christ has freed us from the power of sin. And we are to act accordingly. We must stop entertaining the idea that sin still has full control over our lives and that we cannot overcome it.

We must be convinced that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we now can live holy lives. Sometimes when our faith weakens we begin to doubt. We feel that even though we have Christ, we can never hope to be free of certain besetting sins in our lives, and as a result we give up trying to resist altogether, and just admit defeat. We think our sin problem is just too great for us. If this is how you feel right now , you must change your thinking. You can win against sin! But what you need to do first is to reckon ourself dead to sin. This is simply believing what is already true of us, to be absolutely true.

2. Yielding our members as instruments of righteousness (v.13)

The second command given us in this passage is to 'yield'. V.13,'neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.'

The Apostle Paul is speaking here in practical terms: The members mentioned here are the body parts and their functions, such as seeing, hearing, speaking, touching, walking. A Christian can choose to use them in daily life either as instruments of unrighteousness, or as instruments of righteousness. What we are commanded to do here is to yield them as instruments of righteousness.

Sanctification therefore involves constant effort on our part, to yield up ourselves fully to God to fulfill His righteous purposes. This means employing our whole body in all its parts in works and activities that bring glory to God, works that bring us close to Him, works that help to make Him known.

3. Obeying the Word of God as Servants (v.16-18)

Now, after the command to reckon and the command to yield, comes the third command, which is to 'obey'. This is found in v.16 'Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, His servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness?' Obedience implies a servant-master relationship. We are no longer servants of sin, which was our former tyrannical master, but we are now servants of righteousness (v.18) and more specifically, we are servants to God (v.22). Our role as servants requires obedience from us.

What does obeying mean? It simply means doing whatever God instructs us to do. It also implies self-denial and total submission. Sanctification requires us to render this kind of obedience. Well, you may ask, what exactly are we called to obey? This is given in v.17 as 'that form of doctrine which was delivered unto you.' In other words, we must obey the teachings of God's Word. The Word of God is absolutely indispensable to our sanctification. In order to be sanctified, we must know the Word of God, and then obey it fully as servants of righteousness.

Now, the last aspect of sanctification we see in this passage is:

C. The Accomplishment of Holiness in Us

This is found in the last part of 19, 'even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.' And v.22 says, 'But now being made free from sin and become servants to God ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.' This holiness Paul is referring to here is practical holiness, one that can be seen in our lives: one that characterises the way we live, the way we think and the way we speak. This holiness is the goal of our sanctification.

But such practical holiness cannot be reached overnight. It is attained progressively and gradually. In the next chapter of Romans, Paul shows why perfect holiness cannot be achieved on earth. Here he describes his own personal struggle with sin in his life. In 7:19 he says: 'for the good that I would I do not: but that the evil which I would not, that I do.' And he attributes the cause of it to the little remnant of sin that still dwells in him. You will recall that I stated earlier on, that when we are in Christ, the tyranny of sin is removed.

This does not mean that sin is no more present in our lives. It is impossible for a Christian to attain to full sanctification in this life. No one can become perfectly sinless once and for all. There is bound to be a remaining root of sin left, that we have to struggle with throughout our lives on earth. The Bible shows us the struggles that many godly men had with sin even though they had attained a high degree of holiness: men like Noah, Moses, Elijah, David, the apostle Peter and here in Romans 7, the apostle Paul.

D. The Means For Our Holiness

1. The Holy Spirit

But in Romans chapter 8 we see that God has provided the means for us to deal with this remaining root of sin in our lives, and that provision is 'walking after the Spirit.' (Romans 8:1,4) Ask the Lord as you begin each new day to grant you this to you - to walk in the Spirit, be filled with the Spirit and led by the Spirit (all these refer to the same thing). As we walk after the Spirit we can overcome the effects of the remaining root of sin. The Holy Spirit however does not work in a vacuum. The Holy Spirit uses our knowledge of the Word of God to do His work. And so we must keep on feeding ourselves with God's Word. This provides the Holy Spirit with the necessary tools and materials He needs to work in us.

2. The Holy Bible

So let us keep on reading and studying the Holy Bible, since it is one of the divinely ordained means to make us holy. Jesus prayed for His disciples, 'Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.- (John 17:17). And so we have seen the two appointed means of our sanctification - the Holy Spirit and the Holy Bible. These are the means that the Lord Jehovah M'Kaddesh uses these to make us holy, just as He is holy. These are the means of sanctification that we must keep on using on this side of glory. And even though the struggle against sin will always be a part of our lives until the day we are promoted to glory, God's will for us is to come as close as possible to the state of perfect holiness as we can. The multitude of biblical encouragements, warnings and exhortations to God's people to be holy make this point very clear, and so does the name of God, Jehovah M'Kaddesh, that we have studied today. So let us never give up the fight towards holiness, but keep pressing on!

Leviticus 10:1-7 - The Proper Conduct of a Worship Service

By Rev Charles Seet

Preached at / Published Life BPC 10.30am service, 2002-09-01

Text: Leviticus 10:1-7; 1 Corinthians 14:40

Introduction:

A. Why This Must Be Considered

This morning we we will consider the proper conduct of a worship service. You may want to know the reason for having a topic like this. It is because of the situation that has developed in Christendom today, where anything and everything has become permissible in worship service. That includes the use of contemporary music, light and sound effects that are becoming more sensational and at times even bizarre In July this year an article appeared in the Sunday Times about 3 fast growing churches in Singapore that use loud and lively music, and even magic shows.

The scene in such a service is sometimes no different from a secular variety show. The audience is hyped up to a great frenzy by worship leaders who go at break-neck speed. They are encouraged to participate by giving clap offerings to God, and by performing all kinds of extraordinary gyrations to prove how much they love the Lord Jesus. Now the sad thing is that these trends are gradually coming into many conservative churches as well. New things are introduced often with the reason that the existing worship is deemed to be too outdated, old-fashioned, somber and boring. It is claimed that the service is simply not 'user friendly' enough, and does not appeal to the new generation.

And the so-called church growth experts advocate that the main problem why churches are not growing is that there is nothing in our worship service that attracts people to the worship service. One must create a lively mood of celebration that will give people a high thrilling sensation so they they will keep coming back for more and bring their friends along. This is guaranteed to boost the church attendance very quickly. And this is precisely why we need to deal with this topic of the proper conduct of a worship service: Because the temptation to follow the trend is so great today.

If we are not careful we too will get caught up with the trend to increase our attendance by delivering an emotionally charged and thrilling experience to worshippers. This has become the main objective of all contemporary worship. But the question we need to ask is, 'What should be the main objective of our worship?' What is worship primarily supposed to achieve? Doesn't it have to do with the One we are worshipping? Isn't worship meant to bring the most pleasure and glory to the Lord rather than to the worshippers?

B. What Is Worship?

The word 'Worship' itself is an English word which is derived from the word, 'worth' with the suffix, 'ship'. To worship therefore means to ascribe worth to someone. In the Christian context, we apply this to God. We gather to ascribe great worth to God, much like the worship God receives in heaven (cf. Revelation 4:11; 5:12). In fact, our worship service is supposed to be a replica of the kind of worship that God receives in Heaven. It thus provides us with a foretaste or glimpse of how true believers will be worshipping God in heaven forever. Besides that, worship is also meant to bring a sense of solidarity or unity in the body of Christ. We notice that the heavenly worship is corporate, with multitudes of saints and angels of all tribes, tongues and nations in full agreement. Hence worship fosters an attitude of reconciliation between brethren.

Because of the importance of worship, the scriptures are dominated with worship and it is mentioned in hundreds of passages. Genesis 4:26 tells us 'then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.' In Exodus 15 the Israelites praised and worshipped God for delivering them from Egypt. Corporate worship can also be seen at Mt Sinai, at the Tabernacle, in the book of Psalms and at the dedication of the rebuilt walls of Jerusalem by Ezra and Nehemiah.

These passages reveal that God not only wants our worship, but He wants us to worship Him according to His accepted way. E.g. When the Israelites were on their way to the promised land, they were warned not to borrow any of the worship practices of the Canaanites and adapt it for their worship of the Lord. This warning is found in Deuteronomy 12:29,30 'When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.'

When the Israelites committed the sin of golden calf worship at Mount Sinai that brought God's great wrath upon them, they were actually not attempting to worship a different god. A careful study of the text in Exodus 32 reveals that they wanted to worship the same God - the same Lord who had brought them out of Egypt - but with their own devised methods. One may say that they had the right intention - to render to God the worship He deserves. The problem was in the manner of worship, which was not from God.

And God had given Israel specific laws on the manner of worship. And one particular incident hammered home the message that the manner of worship is of utmost importance is the one describing how two priests were slain when they attempted to offer incense to God. Nadab and Abihu had the privilege of being among the first priests of Israel, but they did something during worship, which caused their own deaths! This incident is described in our text, Leviticus 10:1-7. This passage provides us with the first two guidelines for the proper conduct of a worship service:

II. Guidelines for The Proper Conduct of Worship

A. The Worship Service Must Reflect God's Holiness

The first thing we ask in this incident of Nadab and Abihu is: what did they do wrong? Some commentators suggest that it was the procedure they used for offering the incense offered that was wrong, e.g. taking the fire from the wrong place (cf. 16:12). Others believe that the incense they offered at that point was not part of the procedure i.e. wrong timing. In either case, it is clear from the context that the two priests had violated God's holiness by somehow deviating from the divinely prescribed form of worship, a deviation that did not sanctify God. This was the main reason for their immediate death. This is stated in the first part of v.3 'Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh Me'

The principle that is given for worship through this incident still holds today, namely that God must be sanctified in them that come nigh to Him. To sanctify means to treat as holy - those who approach God in worship must approach Him in such a manner that reflects His Holiness.

This principle is also given in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 11 the Corinthian believers had been conducting their Lord's Supper in an improper and unsanctified manner. Listen to what the apostle said about their manner (vv.20-22) 'When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. In order to show His displeasure on this improper, unsanctified manner of taking the Lord's Supper, God caused many members of the church to become physically weak and sick, and some even died!

V.30 'For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.' ('sleep' here is a euphemism for death.) Let us remembers this even today as we partake of the Lord's Supper! We must conduct our worship in a proper manner, and that is, in a manner that is worthy of God, a manner that sanctifies Him and reflects His holiness. This is the divine requirement in worship. So let us carefully examine the manner in which we worship our Holy God here every Sunday. Does our manner of worship reflect the holiness of God?

Someone may ask: Why does God value His holiness so highly? This is so because the holiness of God is the very essence of His moral character. It is the attribute above all other attributes that God has. We know this because God used the title 'The holy one of Israel' no less that 40 times, and because the angels in heaven praise Him saying 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.' (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8) This is the attribute of God that is most praised by all the angels. The psalmist tells us to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness (1 Chron 16:29, Psalm 29:2; and Psalm 96:9.). Why is beauty associated with God's holiness? Because it is this attribute that makes God most attractive and lovely to those who love Him.

Our worship service must therefore enable worshippers to sense as fully as they can on this earth, the holiness of God. It must be conducted in such a way as to promote a reverent fear of the Lord among worshippers. Our experience in the worship service should be like that of Isaiah who, when he beheld the holy God, was moved to say: 'Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.' (Isaiah 6:5) Or like that of the apostle John who joined the heavenly throng to fall down in humble adoration in order to worship the Lord (Revelation 4:10; 5:8,14; 19:4; 22:8-9). The most important thing to remember in conducting a worship service is therefore to maintain an atmosphere of reverence and sanctity in the worship service.

Let us now go on now to look at the last part of Leviticus 10:3 to find another important guideline for conducting a worship service: 'and before all the people I will be glorified.' This guideline is that:

B. The Worship Service Must Glorify God Alone (v.3b)

Perhaps what provoked the Lord to make this statement is that the act of Nadab and Abihu in offering incense had in some way robbed God of His glory. Perhaps Leviticus 9:23 will give us a clue 'And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.' The two young priests may have watched what happened when their father, Aaron and their uncle, Moses emerged from the Tabernacle - the glory of the Lord appeared to the people. What a privilege it was for Aaron and Moses to have entered the Tabernacle and come out with God's glory radiating around them.

Perhaps when Nadab and Abihu saw this, they coveted a share in this glory and so they tried to enter the Tabernacle to offer incense. How nice it would be for them, if they also came out from God's presence with His glory radiating around them! But such a thing would amount to taking advantage of God's glory to gain glory for oneself - i.e. robbing God of His glory.

Therefore let us remember that in any worship, God alone should receive all the glory. No man should attempt to glean even a little bit of that glory for himself. Any worship that takes away glory from God is therefore not acceptable. For example, if a worship leader is out to impress people with his fine singing or praying, or if a preacher is out to amaze people with his eloquent rhetoric abilities, let him be aware that he is dangerously drawing unecesarry attention to himself, and thus robbing God of His glory.

Let us therefore remember this principle: The worship service is not a 'performance'. It is not a place for people to exhibit their talents and abilities or even their piety. Let everyone who participates in the worship service do everything unto the Lord, not unto men. If we play the piano or organ it is for the Lord to hear; if we sing - God is our listener. And if we sing a special song item as a choir or as a soloist, the words are meant to edify the congregation, but the item itself is offered to the Lord - to seek His pleasure and approval.

No applause is to be given - God is the only one who should give the applause! Let us never be hopeful that people will come up to us after the service and make us happy by saying 'What a fine singer you are' or 'That was wonderful praying or wonderful preaching' 'I loved your piano playing' If you feel disappointed because no one commended you or even noticed your part in the service, then beware - because you may not be seeking God's glory but your own!

The worship service is also not the place for worshippers to seek for their own pleasure. For some people the primary aim of worship is to get a nice tingling sensation, or what they call, to get a wonderful 'touch from the Lord'. When we gather together to worship the Lord, our focus is to be giving to Him, not getting from Him. Worship is an all-consuming desire to give to God, and it involves the giving of ourselves, our heart attitudes and our possessions.

Although the psalmist tells us that in God's presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand there are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11) let us remember to seek the Giver rather than the gift. The Lord is the end or object of worship itself, and not a means to an end. The whole worship service must be directed to seek to glorify God and bring Him maximum pleasure and glory we can bring to Him. And in order to do that, the worship service must be done in an orderly and dignified manner. This brings us to the third guideline:

C. The Worship Service Must Be Orderly And Yet Vibrant.

God is not glorified by chaos or confusion, but by order and beauty. The worship service should not be like a rowdy party or free-for-all meeting where people can do whatever they like, any time they like. This is why Paul said concerning church worship, 'Let all things be done decently and in order' (1 Corinthians 14:40). For this reason we follow an Order of Worship. Where the various parts of the worship are arranged in a specific sequence that flows smoothly from the opening hymn to the benediction. And only those elements of worship mentioned in the Bible can be allowed into the order of worship: Prayer and thanksgiving in the name of Christ (Philippians 4:6; Ephesians 5:20); The reading, preaching, and hearing of the word (Matthew 28:20; 1 Timothy 4:13); The administration and receiving of the sacraments (Matthew 28:19; Acts 20:7); Singing (Psalm 149:1; Colossians 3:16); Offering Gifts (1 Corinthians 16:2).

This order of worship that we use is actually quite similar to what the Jews use in their synagogue worship. They also have the same elements - prayer, singing, reading and preaching of the word, ending with a benediction by the rabbi. And it is interesting to note that this order of worship in synagogues was in existence right from the time of Christ! In fact the Bible tells us that our Lord Jesus faithfully participated in the synagogue worship every Sabbath day. Many times He would read and preach God's Word during the service (e.g. Luke 4:16-20). From this we see our Lord's implicit approval on having an order or worship.

There are some churches that are opposed to having a fixed order of worship. Some may feel that a predictable order will soon become monotonous or stereotyped. But the worship service can still be made vibrant and inspiring within the set order. This depends on how well the chairman, organist, pianist, preacher and congregation prepare themselves for the worship service.

Each item in the order of service must not be regarded just as an item to get over with until the end is reached. Sometimes there is a tendency to regard everything that comes before the message as just some necessary preliminaries to get over with and that the message is the real thing they have come for. Actually every part of the worship service is important and should be conducted and regarded with as much effort and concentration as listening to the message. Let us put our heart into all parts of the service. Do not regard them as religious ritual - as if the mere act of reciting verses or singing words and going through the movements have some inherent magical power to bless us.

Remember how Jesus rebuked the Jews - 'This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.' (Matthew 15:8) We must seek to worship God in Spirit and In Truth (John 4:11). In order to do this, we should all come at least 10 minutes early to spend time to prepare ourselves for worship, to 'tune in' to the Lord's frequency, so to speak and 'tune out' all worldly and selfish thoughts. Before the service begins meditate on the words of Habakkuk 2:20 'The Lord is in His Holy Temple - let all the earth keep silence before Him!' From the moment the service begins, engage your heart and mind fully in what ever is going on in the worship service. Participate in everything: the Call to Worship, the Opening Hymn, The Invocation and Gloria patri and so on. How should we participate?

Just remember three simple steps: First, Listen attentively to every word that is said, from beginning to end, then understand and meditate on it, and finally respond to it appropriately from your heart. And do not allow your mind to wander away, but keep focusing your thoughts on the worship. When you sing hymns, pay full attention to the words. Sometimes the Lord may speak to your heart through the particularly verse or hymn that was chosen for the service. Therefore be sensitive and receptive - do not miss anything!

Since such participation requires intense concentration, no one should be talking, eating, or walking up and down the aisles during the service. That is why latecoming is not good - it disturbs the worshippers who are already there when they see people still walking in to the church and trying to find a seat. Children - should sit quietly, or if not able to keep quiet - be with other children in a separate cry room. All these can be very distracting and make it hard for members to fully concentrate on worshipping God. In all this, we must always maintain an atmosphere of sanctity in the worship service - this is so important to help the congregation to focus their thoughts fully on the Lord. Distractions are one of the greatest enemies of worship and must be minimized wherever possible!

The ultimate aim of all our efforts to conduct the worship service properly is to help bring ourselves to glorify God and to respond to God with all our hearts, soul, mind and strength. We have seen three important guidelines for conducting our worship service: 1. The Worship Service Must Reflect God's Holiness, 2. The Worship Service Must Glorify God Alone and 3. The Worship Service Must Be Orderly and Yet Vibrant. Let us do all we can to follow these guidelines so that our worship services will always accomplish these things!

Numbers 14:1-12 - Faith is the Victory

By Rev Charles Seet

Text: Numbers 14:1-12

Our meditation this morning is on the theme, 'Faith is the Victory'. This theme is derived from 1 John 5:4 which says � 'For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.' From this verse we derive the principle that faith is essential for victorious Christian Living! Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). The Bible abounds with many examples of this principle (Hebrews 11 - Noah, Abraham, Moses, David), but today I would like to read from a passage that demonstrates how important faith is, by showing what happens when God's people fail to have faith in Him. Let us turn our Bibles to Numbers 14:1-12 (Read).

This passage describes the sin of unbelief by the Israelites when they reached the southern border of Canaan. Upon reaching a place called Kadesh Barnea in the wilderness of Paran, the Israelites sent spies unto Canaan. Twelve men were appointed, one from each tribe, to survey the land for 40 days. Perhaps the main intention was to spy out the military strength of the Canaanites whom the Israelites were going to fight.

When the 12 spies returned, all of them agreed that Canaan was a 'land flowing with milk and honey.' They brought back bunches of grapes so big that they needed 2 men to carry them. But ten of them brought back an unfavourable and exaggerated report, that: The Canaanites were giants, and Israelites were like grasshoppers compared to them. The walls of the Canaanite cities were very high ('up to heaven' Deut 1:28) Therefore the Israelites could not possibly overcome them.

I. Israel's Sin: They Did Not Exercise Faith in God

Only two of the spies, Caleb from the tribe of Judah, and Joshua from the tribe of Ephraim, tried to convince the people to exercise their faith in God and to move in despite the odds against them, and occupy the land by His grace. But the people chose to listened to the ten spies instead of to Caleb and Joshua, and their immediate natural response to what they heard was fear. This fear caused a wave of despair that grew out of control and swept through the whole camp of Israel like wildfire until all the congregation cried and wept (v.1). This despair in turn gave rise to the sins of doubting God, and complaining against Moses and Aaron. They said 'And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey?' Finally, doubt gave rise to outright disobedience: they decided to overthrow their leaders and returning to Egypt. They were about to stone Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb, when God suddenly intervened by causing His glory to shine in the Tabernacle.

Israel had provoked God to wrath with their sin of unbelief. God threatened to disinherit Israel and to make of Moses alone a mightier nation. This is the second time that God made this threat against Israel. The first was at the time of the Israelites' sin in worshipping the golden calf at Sinai. The implication here is that the sin of unbelief against God is just as serious a sin as idolatry. Dearly beloved, let us be careful not to fall into the same sin of unbelief as the Israelites. In order to do this, we must now learn what it means to put our faith in God.

To have faith in God is to depend fully upon the Lord, and particularly to depend on His Word, on His Power and on His love. Faith causes us to lay down the whole weight and hope of our expectation of mercy or deliverance upon Him. The Bible makes it quite clear that God's people are required to trust in Him: For instance, Psalm 9:10 'And they that know Thy name will put their trust in thee: for Thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee.' Psalm 18:2 'The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.'

II. Our Need to Exercise Faith in God

And it becomes especially needful for us to exercise faith in God when fear grips our hearts. Do you know that the greatest hindrance to faith is fear? Just like the Israelites, fear can ignite despair, doubts, and disobedience in our hearts. It was the same process of fear that caused Abraham to tell the half-truth about his wife instead of trusting in God to protect him. It was fear that caused Elijah to run from his life from the wicked queen Jezebel instead of trusting in God to deliver him. It was fear that caused Peter to deny Christ three times!

But when we trust in God we realise that we really have nothing at all to fear. Faith enables us to see that our God is much greater than all the things that we fear. Psalm 56:3 tells us 'What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.' Psalm 23:4 also brings out this tremendous truth 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.' In John 14:1 Jesus assuaged the fears of His disciples by telling them to believe in Him. He said 'Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.' Hence we now understand that faith means overcoming whatever fears we may have by looking to God for help. Let us now consider:

III. What We Need Faith in God For

There are several: 1. Salvation - Ephesians 1:12,13 'That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,' Now, this faith is exclusive, That means that when we trust in God for salvation, we are not to trust in anything else - our good works, our family background, upbringing, church membership, etc. God alone must be the object of our faith.

2. Deliverance: We should also exercise faith in the Lord to preserve us or to deliver us when we are sick or in trouble or going through difficult trials: Psalm 25:18-20 'Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins. Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred. O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in Thee.'

We can see the importance of exercising faith in God for deliverance, in the response of the apostle Paul to the dangers he faced - 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 'For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us'

3. Provisions: We should also have faith in the Lord for our daily provisions. Hence we pray 'Give us this day our daily bread.' The term 'bread' is often used in the Bible as a generic term to mean 'necessities, conveniences of this life, food, raiment, housing.' Martin Luther remarked that 'bread' here is symbolic for everything necessary for the preservation of physical life. In the Shorter catechism's answer to Q104 'What do we pray for in the fourth petition?' The answer is 'We pray that of God's free gift we may receive a competent portion of the good things of this life, and enjoy His blessings with them.'

This then is the meaning of the word 'bread' - the necessities of life, the things that we need. One verse that clearly shows this is Philippians 4:19 tells us 'But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.' We also need to trust God for His provision of wisdom, guidance, direction and power to live for Him.

IV. Human Responsibility and Faith in God

Now, while we need to exercise faith God for things in life like health, food, provisions, etc., this does not mean that we can then be irresponsible to provide these things for ourselves. For God has ordained that most of our needs are to be met by means of our own diligent efforts. This comes under the cooperative will of God. This means that while we trust in the Lord to help us, we are required to do our part at the same time.

One illustration is Abraham's servant who was commanded to find a wife for Isaac. In the prayer he made to God, he trusted God to guide him to the right damsel for Isaac. But he did not just sit waiting for God to bring her to him. He took the initiative to approach Rebecca and ask for a drink, and the Lord caused her to give the sign he had requested for. She not only gave him a drink but also gave water to all his camels. This was an unusual display of generosity. So the servant later testified, 'I being in the way, the Lord led me' (Gen 24:27). The same principle applies to God's provision for things like our health. While we pray and have faith that the Lord will grant us good health, this does not mean that we can then forget to take necessary precautions in our lifestyle, and diet. It does not mean that we do not need to see a doctor and refuse to take medicine when we are very sick. We need to do these things, recognising the biblical principle that God uses ordinary means to accomplish His purposes in our lives.

The same principle is true about our work - God is the One who provides for us, but He uses the work that we do for a living to make these sufficient provisions. The only exception is when it is clearly God's will for a person not to work but to depend entirely upon Him alone to provide for us by other means. E.g. A person who stops secular work because God has called him to fulltime service - to preach the gospel, minister to the sick, needy as a missionary. Or a person who is unable to work because of sickness or permanent disability that result from an accident. Since God is in control and has allowed this situation, it must be His will for him to depend upon the Lord to provide for him by some other means. But for the majority of us, God's will is to work in a secular job to obtain the provisions that we need for a living.

Those who refuse to work and claim that they are trusting God to supply all their needs are rebuked by the apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 'For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.' The Apostle Paul himself demonstrated this principle when he made tents with Aquila and Priscilla at Corinth at a time in his missionary travels when he had no livelihood and support in that city.

Furthermore, believers are to find work, not only to provide sufficiently for themselves, but for their loved ones as well, as stated in 1 Timothy 5:8 'But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.'

And let us not think that working for a living is not trusting God or is depending upon our own efforts alone. It is not: our ability to work and earn our salary comes from God. Paul says in Acts 17:28,'For in Him we live For in him we live, and move, and have our being;'. It is God who created our muscles and our brains. It is God who opens the door of opportunity for us to get a job that pays us sufficiently. We must remember that we are all frail creatures, and if God does not sustain our good health and strength we would not be able to work. And if God does not allow our employer or our business to succeed and prosper, we would also have nothing. Deuteronomy 8:18 'But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth,'

And there is also nothing wrong with desiring to earn a little more in order to having some savings for the future, especially in anticipation of future needs, like one's retirement. Some people may think that having savings is contrary to living by faith in God. But when Joseph was the prime minister of Egypt, God gave him the wisdom to save all the excess produce of the land during the 7 years of plenty, so that there would be enough provisions during the 7 years of famine that came after them. The book of Proverbs instructs the sluggard to learn from the ant 'Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.' (6:6) Like many other creatures, ants are able to save and store up enough food during the productive months to tide them over the unproductive months of winter.

And therefore, unless God clearly indicates to a person that it is not His will for him to have any savings for certain reasons, it is wise for God's people to save and make provisions for the future or themselves and their loved ones. And so it is wise for a Christian to have some savings, if he is merely making sufficient provisions for the future.

V. Maintaining the Right Balance between Self-help and God-help.

But there is a difference between working hard to build sufficient savings for oneself, and working hard to make super-excessive savings. As there is also a difference between having one or two insurance policies and having 30 or 50 insurance policies. And the difference is actually due to the tendency of man to have faith in his own ability to provide for himself, and to have faith in his own provisions to deliver him. This kind of faith is misplaced.

In Luke 12, Jesus told the parable of the Rich Fool, who clearly worked hard and trusted in his riches 'Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?' Those who are rich are susceptible to the temptation of putting their trust in their riches: 1 Timothy 6:17 'Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;'

Faith in riches or material goods makes a person covetousn. And faith in one's own ability to provide for oneself makes a person proud. Both of these are sins that God hates. And faith in these two things can bring forth even more sinful results. When one suddenly loses, or for the sake of obedience to God's will, has to forsake the ability to provide for himself, or when one's riches are suddenly taken away, then it brings much fear and anxiety that in turn lead to despair, doubt, and disobedience.

But when one's faith is placed in God alone, the loss of such things will not affect his obedience to God and his faith in God. Like Job he would be able to say, 'the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.' (Job 1:21) Here, Job was speaking the language of faith. Like the apostle Paul he will be able to say, 'I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.' (Philippians 4:12)

True contentment comes from putting one's faith fully in the Lord. These are the responses of those who do not put their faith in their material possessions. Hence if the same thing happens to us now, as a result of the present economic downturn, that despite all our diligent efforts to earn a living, we still cannot earn as much as before, we do not see it as a major setback, or as the end of the world. Matthew 6:25 Jesus said, 'Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?' The words 'take thought' here means 'to be worried' or 'anxious' God will provide sufficiently through ordinary means like our own work, or through extraordinary means, like the unsolicited kindness of fellow Christians, or unexpected loan repayments.

We need to balance faith in God�s help with self-help. Unfortunately many in Singapore find it hard to maintain this balance and end up putting more faith in their own efforts and provisions than in the Lord. And perhaps this is because they have neglected to seek and do the will of God for their lives. Romans 12:2 'And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.'

Is it God's will for a Christian to be spending so much time and effort on his work, to the exclusion of spending time with the Lord and for the Lord? I do not think so. Is it God's will to work 18 hours a day, work overtime, hold two jobs, and to withhold one's tithes and offerings from the Lord? If we have yielded our lives to God to seek and to do His will, we will always be careful to decide what we should do in any situation - whether to take a second job, or take a huge loan to buy a house or a car. Each of us has to discern what God's specific will for us is and ask 'Lord, what do you want me to do?'

For some of us, God's will may include holding two jobs and trusting Him for grace not to compromise our daily walk with Him. For others it may be God's will to have one job, and trust him to help us live on that alone. For yet others it may even be God's will to have no job at all for a time, and live entirely by faith in God's provision. Whatever choices we make we must have a clear conscience that it is God's will is for us. And doing anything that is beyond that, will then result in trusting in ourselves and not in God. I trust that these few guidelines will help us to always experience the victorious life of faith in the Lord.

Numbers 32:23 - Secret Sin

By Rev Colin Wong

Preached at / Published Life BPC Weekly, 2005-11-06

Text: Numbers 32:23

There is a phrase in the Bible many Christians do not want to read. This phrase has struck many a heart. As the writer to the Hebrews put it, God's Word, yea, even a phrase, "is quick and powerful and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). This powerful, penetrating and conscience-striking phrase not only bothers us, but it also gives us many a sleepless night.

The phrase is found in Numbers 32:23 "Be sure your sin will find you out." We are instructed in the Holy Scripture to maintain the purity of the Body of Christ by not allowing sin to remain in our midst. At the same time, we also know that it is not possible to eradicate all sin in the church. However, just because sin is hidden from our eyes does not mean that it is a lesser sin. We must deal with it seriously and immediately because sin has a tremendous impact on one's self, family and most of all, the Church of Jesus Christ.

What is Secret Sin?

Secret sin is not sin that you might have committed. This kind of sin is one where you know that you have violated the Law of God, but for one reason or another you have rationalized it away and have kept it secret. This kind of sin is one that is ongoing and usually requires a tremendous amount of cover-up or additional sin just to keep it secret.

Secret Sin distorts the Character of God

Secret sin reveals a false understanding of the character of God. When we fall into sin, things are not as clear as when we are walking in fellowship with God (1 John 1:7). We are unable to see things clearly because sin has made things unclear to us. Our actions betray us. We say to ourselves: "Well, my spouse or friends aren't here. I am alone by myself in this foreign land. Nobody will see what I am doing. Nobody will find out about it. Therefore, I will eat, drink and be merry" (1 Corinthians 15:32).

This kind of rationalization just reveals how much our thinking has been clouded by sin. Can we escape from the consequences of sin? The Bible tells us that God knows all things. There is nothing that is hidden from His eyes. He knows all the things we are thinking or doing. King David said, "O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether" (Psalm 139:1-4).

The omniscient God cannot be deceived nor does He fail to know all things. Our secret sins are "in the light of his countenance" (Psalm 90:8) and all things are naked and open to His piercing eyes (Hebrews 4:13). We are never out of sight from God. Therefore, let us do away the foolishness of Adam and Eve! (Genesis 3:8) Henry Smith rightly said, "Every clout (i.e. a piece of cloth) will cover our sores, but the finest silk will not cover our sins."

Dearly beloved, we can never hide ourselves from the presence of a holy God!

Secret Sin begets more Sin

Secret sin breeds additional sin. We have a good example in 2 Samuel 11. The Scripture tells us that this was a time when kings go out to battle, but David remained in Jerusalem. While he was walking on the roof of his palace, he saw a woman bathing. He lusted after her and committed adultery with her. Attempting to cover up his sin, he schemed and got the woman�s husband killed in the battlefield.

Secret sin seems manageable in the beginning. However, when it is found out you have to lie to cover it up, and soon you have more things to juggle than you can keep up with. This kind of sin does not just happen on one fine morning. It is the result of a sustained practice of compromise. And the only way out of it is confession and repentance.

The Impact of Secret Sin

Nowadays, there is a culture that says, "I am only responsible for myself and for those things that I choose to be responsible for." The word is "Individualism." It is true that one must bear the responsibility of what one has done (Leviticus 19:22; 24:15; Galatians 6:7, 8). But the Scripture also tells us that sin not only affects the one who commits it, but it also affects one's family, one's community and most of all, the church of God (Proverbs 14:34).

The sin of Achan in Joshua 7 was no ordinary sin because it had affected the whole nation of Israel. God said, "There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you" (Joshua 7:13). Sin, indeed, has a tremendous impact on a nation.

If sin is not dealt with, God will remove our candlestick. Edmund Calamy rightly said, "Let me persuade you to believe that the Gospel is not entailed upon England; England has no letters patent of the Gospel; the Gospel is removable. God took away the ark and forsook Shiloh, and He not only took away the ark, but the temple also. He unchurched the Jews, He unchurched the seven churches of Asia, and we know not how soon He may unchurch us."

The Solution to Secret Sin

If you have been hiding sin in your life, you must confess it to God and turn away from it. If you have lied to someone or hurt someone with your unkind words, you must confess them to God and seek for forgiveness. Restitution must be made where damage of feeling has been done.

God will not allow you to go unpunished. The Spirit of God will wake you up in the middle of the night to think about it. You may try to read the Word or pray to God, but the sin which you committed secretly will appear before you. You will feel miserable and restless. You will feel a heavy burden upon you. This is what happened to King David before he confessed his secret sins to God (Psalm 32:3, 4).

Dearly beloved, today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Confess your secret sin now. Do not try to ignore it. Do not try to persuade yourself that it will go away. Why don't you cry to the Lord, "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight?" (Psalm 51:4). Why don't you plead with the Lord for forgiveness? Why wait for someone to confront you about it? (2 Samuel 12:12, 13) Do it quickly lest it affects you, your family and the Church of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Secret sins are more dangerous to the person in some respects than open sins. Therefore, take heed of secret sins and pray to the Lord to cleanse us from these undesirable sins (Psalm 19:12). Amen.

Deuteronomy 06:6 - Hiding God's Word In Your Heart

By Rev Charles Seet

Preached at / Published Life BPC Weekly, 2004-09-12

Text: Deuteronomy 6:6

Last Sunday saw the launch of a new Scripture memorisation programme which will be a regular feature now before both worship services. The first selection of verses is based on the theme, "God's Promises." A new verse will be introduced every two weeks. It is hoped that we Lifers will make good use of this opportunity to hide God's Word in our hearts.

Memorising Scripture is actually a very ancient practice. The Jews were extremely good at this, and some Jewish rabbis were known to have learned the whole Old Testament by heart and were able to recite it completely from memory! Why did they bother to do this? One reason is that it is commanded in the Bible itself. Deuteronomy 6:6 "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart." Deuteronomy 11:18 -"Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul�."

The Bible tells us what wonderful benefits we can gain by memorising Scripture verses. Psalm 119:11 "Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee." Psalm 37:31 "The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide." When we face temptations to sin, memorised verses can help us to overcome them. Christ Himself demonstrated this when he was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days. He used memorized Scripture to withstand each attack of Satan (Matthew 4:1-10).

Another benefit of memorising Scripture is given in Psalm 40:8 "I delight to do Thy will, O my God: yea, Thy law is within my heart." Throughout our life on earth we have to make many choices. Some decisions are very hard to make, but if we have stored God's Word in our hearts it will guide and instruct us to make the right choices and decisions which are in accordance with the will of God.

One more benefit is found in Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Memorising Scripture equips us to admonish or help fellow brethren when they face problems. Perhaps you happen to meet a brother in Christ who is depressed and you want to encourage him to pray for help. But all the advice you give cannot convince him to do this. What assurance does he have that God will really hear and answer his prayer for help? At that moment a verse you had memorised comes to your mind "Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." (Jeremiah 33:3) Quoting this verse gives the strongest possible encouragement to your friend to call unto the Lord for help!

Memorised verses of Scripture become immediate remedies that are always available to help us counsel, comfort, advise, and even correct the lives of friends, colleagues and loved ones. If we store them up in our minds the Holy Spirit will direct us to use verses that are appropriate for each situation.

Now that we have seen the benefits of memorising Scripture, let us consider how to do it. Do you know that God has given you a very powerful mind? If properly trained and used, your mind can store up and recall a tremendous amount of information. According to scientific estimates the human mind has a memory capacity of up to 100 billion gigabytes. It is able to process a total of 1 million billion operations a second! It is claimed that most of the time we are only using about 10 percent of brains. So our minds can actually do much more than we think. But we need to develop and discipline our minds to work, especially with regard to memorising scripture. The following are some guidelines that will help you to memorise verses of scripture.

1. Have the right attitude toward memorising verses. Regard it as a challenge that is pleasant and enjoyable, rather than something which is hard and difficult.

2. Read the verse once through and make sure that you understand it. If there are any difficult words, find the meaning. If there are unfamiliar words, learn how to pronounce them.

3. Divide the verse into phrases which are meaningful but easy to master.

4. Read each phrase aloud, and then recite it without looking, about three or four times. Repetition is the key to good memorisation. After you are confident of a phrase, go to the next and repeat the process. After that, attempt to recite all the phrases you have memorised without stopping.

5. Take a break and do not think at all about the verse. Then after a few minutes, recite the verse again from memory. If you get stuck at certain points, look at the verse again, and take note of the problem points.

6. Memorise the Scripture reference as well (e.g. "John chapter three, verse sixteen"). This may be difficult for some, because it is just a name and a string of numbers. To help you do this, think of your memorised verses as your friends, and their Scripture references as their addresses. For example the verse, "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want" is your good friend who lives in the city of the Bible. The street where he lives is called "Psalm." And his unit number is #23-01!

Memorising Scripture can be done individually or corporately. There is added motivation when we do it together. We can review memory verses quite effectively by reciting them to one another. As a family or church activity, this can help to promote togetherness.

There is one more thing you can do with the verses you memorise. If you really desire to hide God�s Word in your heart, meditate on them. Joshua 1:8 tells us, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." Psalm 119:15,97 "I will meditate in Thy precepts, and have respect unto Thy ways. O how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day." 1 Timothy 4:15 "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all."

According to Psalm 1:1-3 a person who meditates regularly on the Word of God will be like a healthy, thriving and fruitful tree which is planted by the rivers of water. So, if you want to be spiritually healthy, strong and fruitful, make it a habit to meditate on verses of Scripture!

To meditate on a verse is to personally reflect on, ponder, or think deeply about it. It is sometimes likened to the way a cow eats grass. First it will bite away as much grass as it can from the ground, mouthful after mouthful. When its stomach is full, the cow will stop ingesting any more grass. Instead, it will just spend hour after hour chewing the cud. When a cow does this, it is said to be ruminating. It brings up some of the grass from its stomach into a part of its mouth called the cud. Then it will chew the cud until the grass breaks down. The finely chewed grass is then swallowed into another chamber of the stomach for further digestion and assimilation.

Similarly, when we read or memorise Scripture verses, we are like cows biting mouthfuls of grass and swallowing them down. But the full beneficial value of the verse will not be extracted and enjoyed until we spend some time meditating on them, little by little, digesting it, and assimilating it into our souls.

Meditation is both a mental and a spiritual process. It involves the mind as well as the heart. You need to find a time when you can free your mind from all distracting thoughts that will cause it to wander away from your meditation. Some of us may be able to meditate while traveling on the bus or MRT. Some can even meditate while taking a shower or a walk. Others may need to get away from the crowds and be alone, perhaps in a park or quiet place. In Genesis 26:43 we are told that Isaac "went out to meditate in the field at the eventide." There are three useful steps to meditating on Scripture.

1. Focus your thoughts upon one particular idea, theme or truth from the verse.

2. Relate it to what you already know from God's Word.

3. Do not to let your meditation go astray into your own invented ideas and speculations.

One useful thing to do when you meditate is to write down your thoughts on paper. Perhaps you may even want to keep a journal of your meditations, or compose a little poem or song through them. Some of the best poems, hymns and spiritual songs we love to sing are actually the products of meditating on God's Word. You can be sure that great hymn writers like Fanny Crosby, Isaac Watts, and Charles Wesley spent much time meditating on the Scriptures.

Dear Reader, as you take time to memorise verses of Scripture and to meditate on them, you will begin to see how rich and wonderful God's Word is! Memorising and meditating both take time, but they are spiritually enriching exercises. The Holy Spirit takes the words, directs your thoughts, reflections and ponderings deeper and deeper into the fullness of God's truth, and seals them deep within your heart. And the blessings that they produce in your life will flow to others as well. Will you begin today?

Subcategories

Gospel in Dialect

Do you face a language barrier when trying to witness for Christ to dialect-speaking relatives? Or do you need to polish up your Mandarin in order to share the Gospel with your Mandarin-speaking friends? This Gospel toolkit will help you to learn how to share the Gospel in Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien and Teochew.

There are 15 lessons covering the various topics in gospel presentation. Each lesson consists of a set of phrases, written in English, Chinese characters and Hanyu Pinyin.

To hear the proper pronunciation of the phrase, click on the respective plugin associated with each phrase. When the phrase is read for you, you should repeat it aloud. You can keep on playing back the phrase and repeating it aloud until you have mastered the phrase. Then go on to the next phrase in the lesson.

As you learn to speak new phrases, keep on reviewing the ones that you have learnt. Finally, test yourself to see if you can say the following in Mandarin / dialect aloud:

Treasury of Sermons

Family

Introduction

Why a family resource page? It has been often said that the family is the most important institution in the nation. But never has this sentiment been as greatly emphasized in our history as a nation than now in recent times. Indeed, the family is the most important institution because it is the first environment to which every person is exposed; it is the primary influence of a person, especially in his early formative years. And failure of the family to influence and mould the child positively has contributed to the moral and ethical breakdown of societies. Even the expert opinions of sociologists and psychologists point to the truth of this statement. Counselors and mental health workers increasingly have to rely on Family Therapy to deal with the problems of the clients, seeing as how many adult conflicts and problems are actually conflicts and problems not resolved in youth within the family. Of course, it is not surprising to find such delinquency and immaturity in the world. And sadly, it is not surprising to find such worldliness and worldly problems in the church, as families capitulate their God-given rights. More than ever, there is need for a family resource page, where families can be encouraged and taught to raise up Godly homes and to revive the Covenant family.

And one of the main emphases of this resource page is on the subject and discipline of Family Worship. According to the Westminster Directory of Family Worship, we are told that “BESIDES the publick worship in congregations, mercifully established in this land in great purity, it is expedient and necessary that secret worship of each person alone, and private worship of families, be pressed and set up; that, with national reformation, the profession and power of godliness, both personal and domestick, be advanced.” Herein, it is suggested that national and ecclesiastical revival finds its genesis in the home. And this is biblical.

The theological foundations of family worship is in Deuteronomy 4:9,10 where believers are told to “keep thy soul diligently…[and to]…teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.”

It is also in Deuteronomy 6:4-7 where the words which God had commanded believers should be taught diligently to their children, that they should “talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” The chief Christian educators of our children are their parents, who have been given this sacred duty.

Psalm 78:2-7 also teaches this, especially when it says regarding the law “which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born, who should arise and declare them to their children: that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.”

According to Dr Joel Beeke, “Every church desires growth. Surprisingly few churches, however, seek to promote internal church growth by stressing the need to raise children in covenantal truth. Few seriously grapple with why many adolescents become nominal members with mere notional faith or abandon evangelical truth for unbiblical doctrine and modes of worship. I believe one major reason for this failure is the lack of stress upon family worship. In many churches and homes family worship is an optional thing, or at most a superficial exercise such as a brief table grace before meals. Consequently, many children grow up with no experience or impression of Christian faith and worship as a daily reality.”

“Would we see revival among our children? Let us remember that God often uses the restoration of family worship to usher in church revival. For example, the 1677 church covenant of the Puritan congregation in Dorchester, Massachusetts, included the commitment ‘to reform our families, engaging ourselves to a conscientious care to set before us and to maintain the worship of God in them; and to walk in our houses with perfect hearts in a faithful discharge of all domestic duties, educating, instructing, and charging our children and households to keep the ways of the Lord.’”

Douglas Kelly says that “Family religion, which depends not a little on the household head daily leading the family before God in worship, is one of the most powerful structures that the covenant-keeping God has given for the expansion of redemption through the generations, so that countless multitudes may be brought into communion with and worship” of God.

So may these resources help all Lifers to build up their families in the fear and admonition of the Lord; that Family Worship would not be an optional exercise but a time of day and activity well-sought after by Godly parents and children. Amen.

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Resources

Exodus 15:22-26 - The Names of God: Jehovah Rophi

Leviticus 20:7,8 - The Names of God: Jehovah M'Kaddesh

Leviticus 10:1-7 - The Proper Conduct of a Worship Service

Numbers 14:1-12 - Faith is the Victory

Numbers 32:23 - Secret Sin

Deuteronomy 06:6 - Hiding God's Word In Your Heart

Subcategories

Gospel in Dialect

Treasury of Sermons

Family

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