MARCH 19, 2024

 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.” (John 13:16)

In this chapter, Jesus meets in a private setting with a smaller group, possibly only the twelve disciples. Before eating a meal, Jesus performs the work of a lowly servant, washing the disciples’ feet. He explains that this is an important lesson. Their Lord is willing to serve humbly, so they must do the same

.Vs. 12–20 is Jesus’ explanation of His humble act. Christ freely accepts His role as Lord and Master, using those concepts to drive home His main point. Those who claim the name of Jesus ought to follow His example. That means humility and service to others. If the Lord serves others, so should those who follow Him.

Peter’s initial reaction to Jesus washing the disciples’ feet shows how radical the act was. In the context of that culture, Peter assumed Jesus was denying His role as Lord. Jesus has already clarified that this is not the case. He is firmly embracing His authority over these men. Jesus is not lowering His authority but eliminating any excuse to forget humility and service. We remember the admonition given by His Apostle to the Philippians, and by extension to us: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant…” (Phil. 2:5-7)

Here, Jesus continues to repeat this theme: servants are not “greater than” their masters. People cannot point to something their Lord does and say, “I’m too important, too valuable, or too good for that.” Washing someone’s feet, in that era, was among the most explicit expressions of humility one could expect. Jesus leaves no room for doubt in interpreting His actions: you are not above Me, so if I act humbly and in support of others, you have no right to refuse to do the same.

This incident overturns the natural human sense of leadership and community. Jesus had occasion to address this very issue when two of His inner circle were seeking to gain prominent positions in the government of His Kingdom. In answer to the request made by the sons of Zebedee that it be granted unto them to sit the one on His right hand and the other on His left, Jesus said, “…whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be yourservant.” (Matt. 20:26, 27) Believers mutually submit, support, and care for one another. Godly leaders are selfless servants, not superior snobs.

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MARCH 14, 2024

 “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Psalm 100)

This psalm is replete with grateful adoration and has been a favorite of the people of God ever since it was written and will be so while those whose hearts are loyal to Him exist. All people do well when they sing with gladness the Lord’s creating power and goodness with extreme reverence, adoring His holiness.

The psalm opens with a repetition of Psalm 98:4. “A joyful noise” signifies a glad shout, such as loyal subjects give when their king appears among them. Our happy God should be worshiped by happy people; a cheerful spirit is in keeping with His nature, His acts, and the gratitude we should cherish for His mercies. God’s goodness can be seen everywhere, and therefore, He should be praised everywhere.

Therefore, He is to be served with joy. We are told to come before His presence with singing. We should realize the presence of God in our worship and try to approach Him. This act must be one of great solemnity and respect, with joy and love, not with weeping and wailing, but with psalms and hymns. The measured, harmonious, hearty utterance of praise by a congregation of devout people is not just a decoration but is delightful and a fit anticipation of the worship of Heaven.

Our worship must be intelligent. We need to know Who we worship and why. It is very questionable whether someone can honestly know themselves until they know God. To know Him in His character and prove our knowledge by obedience, trust, submission, zeal, and love is something that only grace can bestow. Only those who recognize the Godhead can offer acceptable praise. Some people live as if they made themselves; they call themselves “self-made men,” but Christians should acknowledge the origin of their being and their well-being and take no honor to themselves for that.

Thanks must abound in all our public service; it is like incense, filling the whole house with a holy fragrance. Expiatory sacrifices are ended, but those of gratitude will never be out of date. So long as we are receivers of mercy, we must be givers of thanks.

He is good, gracious, kind, bountiful, loving, and much, much more. He who does not praise the good is not good himself. The type of praise indicated in the Psalm (that of joy and gladness) is most fitly urged upon us by an argument from the goodness of God. His mercy is everlasting. God is not mere justice, stern and cold; He has tremendous compassion and doesn’t will the sinner’s death. Resting on his sure word, we feel that joy, which is here commanded, and in the strength of it, we come into His presence even now and speak good of His name.

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MARCH 12, 2024

 “I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things unto me.” (Psalm 57:2)

What an amazing confession and confidence and comfort the psalmist here expresses! This is one of David’s golden psalms. This we learn from the title, “Michtam of David.” The title line also notifies us of the dire circumstances under which it was pinned. He was hiding out in a cave, perhaps Adullam, at a time when he was being hunted like a partridge by King Saul and his men. The inspired lyrics that came from the lips of Israel’s “sweet singer” in times of great trial are indeed golden. We find them most encouraging and comforting especially when we are experiencing some deep waters of our own.

As the psalm is titled Michtam, which means a golden ornament, its scope is a cry for preservation: Altaschith signifies destroy not. It is possible that this refers to the charge that David gave to his servants not to destroy Saul. But, from the tenor of the psalm, it seems more likely that he means his own destruction at the hands of Saul. “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me:…yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.” (Verse 1) God provided the cave as a place of safety, and David took advantage of it, nevertheless, God Himself was his true shelter. Let us always remember while we are wisely taking full advantage of all temporal means which Divine Providence supplies, that “God (Himself) is our refuge and strength, and a very present help in trouble.” David had taken refuge in a cave, which was itself the providence of God, but the shelter which he seeks is God Himself, the cleft of the Rock; the refuge of His wings!

David understood something that we, too, must realize, that his great Refuge and ours is the God of all providence. Notice his confidence: “I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things unto me.” By “all things” does he mean to include even the situation itself, and all the evil treachery that brought it about? David clearly believed the wonderful truth of which we have been assured by the Apostle Paul, that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28) God can give this assurance only because He controls all things, and has determined to see to it that all things shall work together for good to them that are His own.

It was a great comfort to David, in his many times of crisis, to remind himself that the Most High God was his Savior and Protector. How encouraging to recall that his God was performing, or literally, perfecting all things unto him – all things, large and small. Yes, He certainly sustains His vast creation, keeping every moving part in sync, lest massive destruction should otherwise occur. But the same Supreme Being who prevents such a catastrophe also controls and orders the actions of bugs and insects. The late R.C. Sproul once said, “In God’s universe there is not one maverick molecule.” Was David’s life spared by God commanding spiders to spin their web across the mouth of the cave where he was? The Aramaic translation curiously paraphrases the clause thus: “Who ordered the spiders that wrought the web on my account at the mouth of the cave.” It is a historical fact that God has used that very means to spare His own. He could have struck the pursuers all blind if He so pleased, or He could accomplish the same ends by commanding little things.

The Most High God is One of inviolate faithfulness. “Unto Him that performeth all things unto me.” “Unto Him that perfecteth all things unto me.” Concerning our redemption, He has perfected it. “It is finished.” Concerning the matter of our obtaining redemption, He faithfully performeth all things in us and for us, just as He did for David. (Psa. 18:16-19) Concerning the matter of perseverance, He will perform that too. “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6)

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MARCH 7, 2024

 “But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation…” (Hebrews 6:9)

This verse stands in sharp and blessed contrast to what is spoken in verses 4-6. There we see a class of professing Christians, a people highly favored, blest with external privileges, and richly gifted by the Holy Spirit. There we observe the faculties of natural man’s soul moved to a very high degree. We see persons who appear to be, and who consider themselves to be true believers; their consciences have been searched, the understanding enlightened, the affections stirred, and the will moved to action. This describes the character that we expect to see in those who profess the name of Christ. Yet, the fact that they “fall away” proves that they were never born again. Even so, it is by no means an easy matter for true believers to identify them. Oftentimes their head-knowledge of the truth and their moral qualities are excellent. Only as they are weighted in the balances of the sanctuary will they be found wanting.

How do we explain this? Arthur Pink, in his Exposition of Hebrews, calls attention to what he refers to as “a double work of God being prosecuted under the ministry of the Gospel.” This can be seen in the earthly ministry of our Lord. He healed many of whom nothing is recorded of their faith. Temporal mercies were bestowed upon natural men, as well as upon spiritual. These extraordinary blessings seem to portray this inferior work of the Holy Spirit in “those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and we made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come…”(Verses 4, 5)

James also acknowledges the lesser and greater works of God. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,…from the Father of lights…” (James 1:17) In keeping with the theme and purpose of that Epistle, those words seem to have reference to two distinct classes of gift for two distinct classes of people: the “good” referring to those bestowed under Gospel ministry on the non-elect; the “perfect”imparted to God’s own people. The Messianic prophecy found in Psalm 68:18 supplies strong corroboration of this idea. Speaking of Christ’s ascension the Psalmist says, “…thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also…” Gifts are bestowed by Christ on two distinct classes. When the Apostle quotes this verse from the Psalm in Eph. 4: 8, he omits the last clause, “the rebellious also,” because in that case only the elect of God are in view. Many other Scriptures besides these attest to this double work of God.

Now, in contrast to those who “…for a while believe, and in time…fall away,” (Luke 8:13), or those who, “…when they have heard, go forth,” but “bring no fruit to perfection.” (Luke 8:14), our text pertains to “the remnant according to the election of grace.” This is made clear in its opening words,“But beloved, we are persuaded better things of you.” The conjunction of contrast, “But” sets these “beloved” ones in opposition to those mentioned before, who are “…rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.” (Verse 8)

Here the Apostle expresses his affection for these Hebrew saints, calling them “beloved.” It was out of love that he faithfully warned them about the dreadful end of those who profess Christ and make a good show of religion, but end up falling away. It is good that all believers take heed to this warning. We are ever to be making our calling and election sure (II Pet. 1:10); and to constantly engage in self-examination, whether we be in the faith. (II Cor. 13:5)

It was not because he suspected them of being false brethren that he warned them. “But, beloved,” says the Apostle, “I am persuaded better things of you.” He was persuaded by convincing evidence. He witnessed in them “things that accompany salvation.” The word “accompany” signifies “conjoined with,” things that are inseparable from true salvation. These include sorrow for and hatred of sin; true humility and self-abasement, the peace of God comforting the conscience, walking daily in the fear of God, diligent perseverance in the faith, pressing forward in the race that is set before us in a spirit of prayer and pursuit of holiness. These are the “better things.” These are “things that accompany salvation.”

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