From ccrlist at tulip.org Wed Jun 1 10:56:27 2005
From: ccrlist at tulip.org (ccrlist@tulip.org)
Date: Wed Jun 1 10:56:40 2005
Subject: [Ccrlist] CCR Weekly 29 May 05
Message-ID: <6.1.0.6.2.20050601105048.02314150@mail.loganrec.com>
Good Morning,
Be in prayer for recent contacts who have questions about our
church, since we asked you to pray for three families, in total there have
been three recent visitations and inquiries. Pray that they can find a
home with Christ Covenant.
God bless,
Max A Forsythe
Psalm 27
11 Teach me Your way, O Lord,
and lead me in the path of integrity.
because of my enemies.
12 Give me not over to the purpose of my foes;
false witnesses have risen against me,
who breathe out violence.
13 [I could have despaired]
[Except] for my confidence in this:
I shall look upon the beauty of the Lord
in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the Lord;
and let your heart take courage.
Yes, wait for the Lord!
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Wait for the Lord!
For the Lord?s Day: the 29th of May 2005
Introduction: I want everyone to understand that the division and the
arrangement of the lines of poetry in the translation of the Psalms should
not be considered in any way inspired. It is indeed difficult to translate
any poetry into another language and therefore, the language in transition
becomes a less than perfect host for the intentions of the Holy Spirit?s
whisperings into the ears of David and the other psalmists.
That is why we teach an absolute authority of the word in the first draft
of the original language. The reason I mention this today, is that the
beginning of verse thirteen is different in several of the most ancient
sources, as well in the rendition into Greek of the LXX version. As you
can see in your bulletin insert, like older versions of the authorized
translation, words that are not considered canonical are bracketed in a
plain font. Now, in our ongoing paraphrasing and transliteration of the
poetry of the Psalms, I am very careful that my translation conveys a
literal rendition of the Hebrew, while at the same time arranging the
thoughts in a preaching outline allowable from that same text. Whenever a
Calvinistic nuance appears valid, there will have been significant leanings
in that direction in my translation helps along the way. But enough of
this necessary reminder from time to time.
Let us consider the last four verses of Psalm Twenty-seven. In this
beautiful composition, the four preaching portions have treated not only
the fears of David the king, but also the underlying confidence in God
which empowered him to live, work, witness and wage war in His name. There
is an essential unity in this psalm where certain words, ideas and phrases
unite the various parts. In our last four verses, the willingness of David
to be taught, to be used for the cause of God?s providence and the
foundation of his confidence are repeated for the spiritual record of
David?s prayer diary, if I may use that idea as an example of how David
could possibly have organized his material and kept it together for final
editing and arrangement by those who followed after him.
?Teach me Your way, O Lord.? David begins in all humility. Calvin sees
this as nothing more than an earnest desire to find his way through the
troubled times of his coming to power as well as in the life long exercise
of reigning in the name of heaven. Calvin also notes that others ?think
that David here requests that God would guide him by his Spirit.? This
thought is certainly useful no doubt, but this view tends more toward a New
Covenant understanding that was not so certain in its definition in the Old
Covenant economy.
Of course, we may ? in the light of Christ and the further revelation given
through Him, now see it and read it in this light. However, even as Calvin
observes, those, ?who commit [themselves] to the safeguard and protection
of God, must first renounce crafty and wicked devices.?
Therefore, we read in the second and third lines of verse eleven: ?Lead me
in the path of integrity, because of my enemies.? In this petition, David
begs that his conduct and manner of waging war and politics be above the
common deceitful and cunning dealings of his political and military
enemies. I certainly understand the pain of David?s heart here. Over the
years, during not only my public but also sacred service within the church
? I have had to deal with all manner of opposition and the conniving cut
throat dealings of those whose own agenda was always more important than
the common good.
Certainly, I appreciate that the word ?enemies? in this context can also be
translated ?adversaries? as well. I say that to soften the opposition
within any organization for competing philosophies and idealism where the
concept of ?enemies? is less threatening than a difference of opinion on
how to achieve civilized and worthwhile goals.
And yet, it is hard to always tell the difference. I would imagine our
Ohio Senators initially acted in good faith with their Democratic
adversaries to ?save the United States Senate.? However, the fact that
their best wishes were trashed within forty-eight hours should teach them
seriously to reconsider the good faith of their all too humanistic
opposition. I am inclined to think that David would have been more careful
and even principled in his political dealings.
Development: Verse twelve continues David?s petition, not so much in
repetition, but in prayerful insight.
?Give me not over to the purpose of my foes;
false witnesses have risen against me,
who breathe out violence.?
Here David, like many Christian politicians and leaders must ? begs that
the plan and purpose of those who oppose the will of God be kept from his
and their own hands. Let us not serve the cause of humanity, but instead
let us institute the will of God in so far as we can see it and accomplish
it. But, any such basic integrity that informs the rule of law and
civilization must run up against all too many human interests. Graft,
corruption and power would rather have their way, and in order to
accomplish it ? all kind of sad tales and lies must be used to discredit
any and all who would only wish to see God?s will be done.
Violence even was in the cards in David?s day. A relative of a deceased
politician in my area once told me of specific threats being made to arrest
and jail an honest broker if he and his cohorts voted wrong on a specific
tax issue which could generate thousands and thousands of dollars, if it
was not passed immediately and quietly. I remembered sending in a letter
of protest to the local court when the high-handed tax was taken from
people who should not have been forced to contribute.
But let us be careful, like wars and rumors of war ? such political
connivances are too much with us in every place and every age. Over the
years I am certain that I was the victim of far too many implied threats -
that only lacked a fist in the face and a challenge to do something rash
about it.
Verse thirteen speaks volumes for any and all who must use the political
power to which they have been elected. In today?s world, anyone who has
been given lawful power stands in a very vulnerable limelight. To hear the
liberal reports, all too many worldlings supposed that the newly elected
Pope should cater only to humanity?s basest emotions rather than hold firm
on the ancient concept that some actions, thoughts and desires were sinful!
I am convinced from a life long profession in areas of public exposure that
this reading is what was on David?s mind when he wrote this Psalm:
?[I could have despaired]
[Except] for my confidence in this:
I shall look upon the beauty of the Lord
in the land of the living!?
Commentators are all over the page on exactly what the text should
read. Some side with confidence alone, while others like Calvin insist
that: ?David intimates that he was supported solely by faith, otherwise he
had perished a hundred times.?
Spurgeon is pastoral in his encouragement, as he applies the second strophe
of this verse: ?Hope is heaven?s balm for present sorrow. In this land of
the dying, it is our blessedness to be looking and longing for our fair
portion in the land of the living, whence the goodness of God has banished
the wickedness of man.?
Of course, as commentators allow, the Christian must invariably read into
these words the promise of heaven and eternity with the Lord. David?s
clear hope here is for a restoration of his place and power in the Israel
of his day and time. Certainly, we enjoy life all the more when we live in
the realization that God is in heaven and all things work out according to
His plan and purpose. But, it is also blessed to know that there is the
ring of eternity in these words that were not so evident when they were
first written.
Application: All that remains is for David to await the acts of God in
history, and as we see by the double emphasis of lines one and three in
verse fourteen, this is his common experience and commitment. ?Wait for
the Lord; and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord!?
Alas, we live in a thoroughly modern world where patience is not a
virtue. We want to see things happen now and are unhappy when the Lord
tarries in giving us an answer. David begs the essential focus of instant
gratification to which we are so accustomed. ?Wait for the Lord,? he
insists without any qualification except the heartfelt injunction to have
courage in patience. What a testing David went through day by day,
learning as we all do ? only slowly. I once met a man in church who told
me he had been struck by lighting twice in his life. I asked him when he
had realized the Lord was speaking to him. The second time, he sadly
admitted. ?I was a slow learner,? was his heartfelt confession.
May we imitate David and take his counsel to hold fast to the love of our
Covenant God, to serve Him without hesitation and to await His pleasure in
all things. Amen.
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PREACHING RESOURCES
Calvin, John: Commentary on Book of Psalms.
Delitzsch, F: Commentary on the Old Testament ? Psalms.
Spurgeon, C.H: Treasury of David.
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From ccrlist at tulip.org Tue Jun 7 08:00:12 2005
From: ccrlist at tulip.org (ccrlist@tulip.org)
Date: Tue Jun 7 08:00:26 2005
Subject: [Ccrlist] CCR Weekly
Message-ID: <6.1.0.6.2.20050607075526.0230ed60@mail.loganrec.com>
Good Tuesday Morning,
Things are healthy and stable at CCR, but do keep us in prayer for several
conversions.
God bless,
Max A Forsythe
Psalm 28
of David
01 To You I call, O Lord my Rock;
do not turn a deaf ear to me,
for if You remain silent,
I will be like those who go down to the pit.
02 Hear my pleas for mercy,
when I cry to You for help,
when I lift up my hands in prayer
towards Your Holy of Holies.
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Hear My Voice
For the Lord?s Day: the 5th of June 2005
Introduction: Our psalm for today may be divided into three parts. Verse
one and two begin with a plea to the Lord to hear David?s cry for
help. Then in verses three to five, David begs the Lord not to punish him,
but his enemies instead. The psalm closes in thankful adoration for the
Lord?s hearing and answering his prayer.
While it is difficult to determine with any accuracy when this psalm was
written, Delitzsch argues that this Twenty-eighth Psalm be considered with
the two previous psalms as belonging to the time of persecution when
Absalom claimed the throne and drove David temporarily out of the city. If
this supposition be accurate, David can perhaps here be seen drawing nearer
to the city in some triumph and expectation of restoration by the end of
the psalm.
However, in the opening verses, David is still waiting for the Lord?s ear
to give his heartfelt plea. And yet, there still remains throughout the
verses - the confidence of many years spent in prayer.
In the opening lines, God is the Rock upon which David bases his life and
fortune. ?To You I call, O Lord my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to
me,? Calvin reminds us that the psalmist relies upon the help of God
alone, and thereby David ?shows both his faith and his sincerity.?
But, even as David realizes, God is God and He answers prayer and delivers
His saints according to the overriding providential plan of history,
wherein His greater glory is being worked out. Think of that statement
this way, God will work when and as it pleases Him, but ? whenever He
deigns to act, it is not only for the benefit of the saints, but also to
advance the cause of Christ. All of the saints may pray for that purpose
being carried out, both on earth and in heaven.
Still, as God?s active agent: David petitions the God of glory to sustain
him in this time of trial and according to God?s purpose to work out the
details of life that are beyond David?s immediate control. Farmers, and
all of those who work close to the land know better than those insulated by
air-conditioning and office hours that seed time and harvest are not the
certain things which so many in our day and age have come to expect.
Even government and corporate promises are not absolutely certain. I have
an acquaintance in the airline industry who must retire this fall from
flying whether he wants to or not. And just as that event comes to the
immediate horizon, the liquidity of his corporate retirement program is in
grave condition! He may very well have to take a ?retirement? job to
maintain his house and life style.
The old saying that nothing in this life is certain except death and taxes
is more accurate then all too many suppose. But, David, like many saints
down through the years knows and understands that the only constant and
dependable power in the whole universe is the Lord God who created it
all. And David pleads for the kind and loving care from God which he has
experienced in the path. ?Do not turn a deaf ear to me,? David pleads even
as he expects an answer.
Development: In this psalm, there are several petions, praises and
assurances. The first petition is in the second line of verse one. David
begins with an observation of what hell must be like: ?For if You remain
silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit.? Well have the people
of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries learned that if there is not
God, life has no meaning and without meaning ? it doesn?t matter how one
lives and acts. But, like David ? we are the more fortunate ? God is here,
there and everywhere. And as Francis Schaeffer observes: ?He is not silent.?
This fact is what sets the evangelical church apart from the rest of the
world ? we are blessed with the knowledge that God has spoken in history,
and that His words are recorded for out benefit in the scriptures. And it
is this knowledge that makes all the difference in the world. And so David
prays that the Lord will remain not silent ? otherwise, like the worldly he
would be lost forever in a hellish world where there would never be any
kindness, justice or even love for that matter!
A second petition is listed in verse two: ?Hear my pleas for mercy, when I
cry to You for help.? If, as Delitzsch supposes, this psalm is written in
the time of Absalom, or as Calvin thinks while Saul was still alive, much
prayer would certainly be in order. In neither case would David have been
willing to personally spill the blood of his adversary ? a compunction that
would not have limited the intentions and activities of either adversary.
Thus, David is on the horns of a dilemma, given the Machiavellian desires
of both Saul and Absalom ? deliverance in David?s mind must come from the
direct hand of the Lord God of heaven and earth. I am reminded of
discussions over the years when many of us were subject to not only
misgovernment but also maladministration at both the national and career
level. Knowing my attitude I was often asked about effective resistance to
such problematic individuals. I always answered that even if Humpty Dumpty
was tottering on top of the wall, the last thing we all wanted to be
involved in was pushing him over the edge. That falling must happen within
the providence of a sovereign God.
On one occasion, several people got involved in undermining the authority
and position of an unpopular superintendent. I stayed out of the way and
just as I had supposed ? they were found out and dismissed. It was a
particular blessing to me that I treasured the psalms so fondly during
those troubled times. On another occasion, the whole English department
was worked up in a tizzy about some new administrivia that would lessen our
ability to teach effectively. A petition was presented to me for the final
signature, which was at the top of the list. I left it blank and informed
the ladies that they were not going to hide behind my Tartan Kilt! And so,
my signature line was totally blank when the petition was presented.
Each and every other member of the English Department was called in for an
individual conference where they were harangued and threatened to mind
their manners and do as they were told. I was called in and thanked for
not participating. Since I was then asked what I thought of the petition
and process I casually observed that I agreed with everything that had been
written, but I didn?t think there was any chance of being honestly heard ?
so I had chosen not to waste my time. I then walked out of the meeting and
returned to work.
It is probably a minor miracle that I was able to survive twenty-five years
in public education and I must credit the Psalms of David for getting me
through the whole sad experience.
Application: Thankfully, I was able to retire and turn my attention more
to the Lord?s ongoing work in our day and age. Like David in exile, I knew
there was a better country and kingdom than that of the world. And so we
close our meditation on these first two verses with the focus of the last
couplet of two lines at the end of verse two: ?When I lift up my hands in
prayer towards Your Holy of Holies.?
Calvin notes that the sanctuary here ?was the pledge or token of the
covenant of God, [where] David beheld the presence of God?s promised
grace.? The Holy of Holies, while invisible to the common Israelite, was
till a known economy, rich and pregnant with symbolism and meaning. In
years past, and when I was younger, the sanctuary of the church where I
grew up was a special place for prayer and worship. Now, for the many
years that I have spent in the PCA, we have yet to build a sanctuary like
so many older churches have. Yes, I know that we must worship God in
spirit and in truth, even as David must have realized.
But, there is a certain homeliness in the stability of a special built
church that escapes so many newer and younger churches. Whenever Sherry
and I have traveled over the years, the third day out is always a nervous
time for me because, all the familiar rooms, furniture and accommodations
are so far away. I guess I am a regular home body ? uncomfortable with a
pilgrim life. It is this regular contentment of place and home that I
sense in these verses here. We should not suppose that like the Muslim
affection for Mecca ? that David is praying direct towards the
tabernacle. But rather, he remains focused on the throne room of God, to
that better place where God dwells. Where He, like in John?s vision, rules
the heavens and the earth.
Certainly, we realize that many of the worldly churches have so polluted
their sanctuaries with heresy that there remains no word of God to be heard
from their pulpits. And in this context, the old King James Version speaks
eloquently: ?I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.? The note in my
uncle?s old copy reads ?or ?the oracle of thy sanctuary.??
Thus, we like David may rest content in hearing the word of God as spoken
in and during the divine worship services rather than an affectation for
the mortal tabernacle or buildings to which we have become accustomed. If
David is on the lame as we suppose in this and other psalms, we should
understand that thereby he cannot attend to the word as it was given in and
during regular hours of worship. Pity the poor worldling who has no such
affection and love for the word of God. David has heard it, he understands
it and he desires to hear it ever and anew. So, let this be our final
thought, even as David prays to God on a much more regular basis than we do
in our busy lives, he knows where to hear God speak ? in the midst of
worship. And it is there that he, like all of us may be comforted in the
midst of troubles and trials. At the very least ? we are more fortunate
than David, there is no real reason why we cannot worship on a regular
basis and so realize the fondest desires of David?s loneliness as he
expresses it in this eloquent psalm. May we hear the word and by that word
be transformed according to the graces of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. Amen.
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PREACHING RESOURCES
Calvin, John: Commentary on Book of Psalms.
Delitzsch, F: Commentary on the Old Testament ? Psalms.
Spurgeon, C.H: Treasury of David.
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- - - - - - - -
Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.
http://www.tulip.org/selah/sel025a.htm
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From ccrlist at tulip.org Thu Jun 16 10:14:59 2005
From: ccrlist at tulip.org (ccrlist@tulip.org)
Date: Thu Jun 16 10:15:10 2005
Subject: [Ccrlist] CCR Weekly 12 June 05
Message-ID: <6.1.0.6.2.20050616100938.02302830@mail.loganrec.com>
Good Morning,
Finally getting caught up from weekend meetings and a funeral.
God bless,
Max A Forsythe
Psalm 28
03 Drag me not off with the wicked,
with the workers of evil,
who speak peace with their neighbors,
with malice in their hearts.
04 Reward them according to their actions,
according to the evil of their deeds;
for the work of their hands repay them,
let them have what they deserve!
05 Because: they take no notice,
of the deeds of the Lord
or the work of His hands,
He shall destroy them,
to be built up no more.
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What of the Wicked?
For the Lord?s Day: the 12th of June 2005
Introduction: The German evangelical Delitzsch raises an important idea in
the movement from verses one and two to the three verses before us
today. Last week we saw how David viewed a lack of knowledge of the word
of God. Without the hearing of God?s voice ? he might as well be numbered
amongst the lost. Delitzsch notes that in verses three and four ?the
prayer is expanded.?
In this description of the ungodly, David outlines their essential
character. ?Should he succumb to them, then his fate would be like that
which awaits them, to whom he is conscious that he is radically
unlike.? This thought reminds me of the children?s story of the ugly
duckling. You remember the swan egg that somehow turned up in the duck?s
nest. Once hatched the ducklings made great sport of the ungainly duck who
was so profoundly different! At long last the difference was realized and
a whole different world opened up before the ?duckling?s? eyes.
I am reminded of a young lady that I drove with some time ago. Even though
the lived in a tough neighborhood ? she had all the attitudes and character
of a princess. It was evident she was someone special, who was only being
raised in a kind of moral poverty which would never claim her. We talked a
little about such things, and I encouraged her to seek out a church where
she might just be surprised to find a ready made home, where people
actually shared her concerns and ideas.
I am currently reading a biography of an American General, that Al gave
me. While this modern character was no saint, still he had taken ?duty,
honor and country? more seriously than many of the leaders he worked
among. And only slowly ? in the post Viet Nam rebuilding of the American
forces ? he came into his own opportunity to lead with distinction.
But, of course ? David?s realization goes beyond this elemental
understanding. Our ?ugly duckling? in the children?s story was in no
danger of becoming a duck, even though he might speak their
language. David, of course was in no danger of becoming like those sons of
perdition with which he was forced to associate. However, he does pray
that he may not share the life and fate of those who stand in opposition to
the God of heaven and earth.
Development: Certainly, we all understand that the worldly and the elect
are mixed together in this life, even within the church as well as the
culture. We like David must await the final coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ to live in perfect harmony with all the children of God. The key
difference that David notes between these two groups is to be found in
verse five: ?they [the wicked] take no notice, of the deeds of the Lord or
the work of His hands.? In other words, God has remained silent to
them. This is the worry of David in this psalm, that a temporary silence
from God could indicate a permanent condition. Could this worry have been
a personal reflection upon the condition of old King Saul, when the Lord?s
Spirit as well as Samuel had nothing more to do with the first king of Israel?
David does not wish to remain in such a condition. And as he warms to the
force of his prayers, he carefully considers the way of the wicked and
where they are bound. And so he prays: ?Drag me not off with the wicked,
with the workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors, with malice
in their hearts.? These wicked are double minded men, pretending to
support the peace of God, but holding deep inside themselves a real
antipathy to the service they must pretend. My first Christian experiences
in the ministry were with such people. What a sorry lot of backstabbers,
adulterers and apostate theologians they had become. They upheld that
which was evil as good and blasphemed the Holy Spirit by declaring that
what was good was in effect wicked. Or at least it wasn?t progressive as
they termed their radical realignment of the confessions once near to the
heart of the faith once given to the saints.
But let us be cautious in our observations, even David?s imprecations are
breathed out in the face of persecution. And David wisely leaves the
punishment of those opposed to the God of heaven to God Himself. Calvin
notes that ?if the flesh move us to seek revenge, the desire is wicked in
the sight of God. He not only forbids us to imprecate evil upon our
enemies in revenge for private injuries.? Further, in the spirit of God?s
mercy, we should ?also wish the conversion of those who seem obstinately to
rush upon their own destruction.?
After all is said and done, every man, woman and child must stand for
judgment on the last day. Therefore, even as we accord the majority of
sinners today, we must leave them to the final judgment of the Lord if we
and other innocent people are not in jeopardy of life or limb. So David
writes in verse four: ?Reward them according to their actions, according
to the evil of their deeds; for the work of their hands repay them, let
them have what they deserve!?
Delitzsch too captures the fruit of the gospel when he observes that ?the
right to pray for recompense is grounded in verse five, upon their
blindness to God?s just and merciful rule as it is to be seen in human
history.
The prominent thought in [the psalmist?s] mind is, that they
shamefully fail to recognize how gloriously and graciously God has again
and again acknowledged [David] as His anointed one.?
Thus, in opposing David and his rule, the wicked here stand against the
purpose of God Himself. So therefore, it is God?s case to determine their
final fate. ?Reward them, repay them ? let them have what they deserve!? ?
David prays to the Father in heaven. The injunction here is threefold in
its appeal to the justice of heaven. ?According to their actions, the evil
of their deeds and the work of their hands,? he aptly describes their crimes.
Of course, we like David do indeed acknowledge our own sins, but by the
grace of God we have learned how to define them within the sight of
God. The worldlings however have not the light of God to inform their
minds and souls. This fact we see in the last verse before us this morning.
Application: And so, David moves on to argue God?s case and
cause: ?Because: they take no notice, of the deeds of the Lord or the
work of His hands, He shall destroy them, to be built up no more!? I have
highlighted the word ?because? here, to make certain we know the specific
crime the enemies of David?s God are being charged with. It is impiety of
course ? they have so little regard for the Creator God that He factors not
into any political, military or social equation they may consider while
putting forth their own agenda. At least, Bismark, the German empire
builder acknowledged that ?man proposes, while only God disposes.?
Like the Israelites in the wilderness who heard the voice of the Lord and
only supposed it was thunder, these wicked ?take no notice? of God?s
ongoing actions and revelations in and through creation and history. But
never mind, David?s confidence in the Lord is all encompassing ? well he
knows that God?s will shall always be accomplished in every area o
life. And at the end of the world, those who were never known by God will
reap their just reward. Like the Jewish cult today that anticipates
justice on the last day, that will certainly be accomplished, but in
David?s mind as well as all who have come to believe, mercy and grace are
more important rewards when that great day comes. Like David, if we take
the scriptures seriously and regard the Christ as the savior of the world,
all will be well when all heaven breaks loose at His second coming. ?Come
quickly Lord Jesus, come quickly.? Amen.
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- - - - - - - -
PREACHING RESOURCES
Calvin, John: Commentary on Book of Psalms.
Delitzsch, F: Commentary on the Old Testament ? Psalms.
Spurgeon, C.H: Treasury of David.
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From ccrlist at tulip.org Sun Jun 19 20:49:18 2005
From: ccrlist at tulip.org (ccrlist@tulip.org)
Date: Sun Jun 19 20:49:32 2005
Subject: [Ccrlist] CCR Weekly 19 June 2005
Message-ID: <6.1.0.6.2.20050619204623.02308190@mail.loganrec.com>
Good Evening,
A restful Lord's Day compared to earlier weeks.
God bless,
Max A Forsythe
Psalm 28
06 Blessed be the Lord!
because He has heard my pleas for mercy.
07 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped.
Therefore, my heart greatly exults,
with my song I will praise Him.
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Blessed Be the Lord
For the Lord?s Day: the 19th of June 2005
Introduction: Delitszch notes that ?the first half of the Psalm prayed for
deliverance and for judgment; this second half gives thanks for both.? He
continues with an awesome insight that is just possible: ?If the poet
wrote the Psalm at one sitting then at this point the certainty of being
answered dawns upon him.? This plausibility reminds me of General Patton
of World War Two fame. At the time of the Battle of the Bulge ? the famed
general called in a Chaplain and ordered him to prepare a prayer for
distribution. The prayer specifically was for good weather so that the
allied counter-attacks might better succeed with the proper air support.
Whether or not the specified prayer of Patton was specifically answered or
not is beyond the pale of discussion. However, the gung ho attitude of
Patton towards that prayer could very well be reminiscent of David?s mind
and heart here! By this I mean that the prayer warrior David has such
confidence in the power, might and purpose of the Almighty that he can go
forth in confidence ? knowing all the while that the Lord God of heaven and
earth does indeed go before him.
Blessed be the Lord! because He has heard my pleas for mercy.? David
writes in the blessed anticipation that he shall be heard. Now I do not
wish to belabor the point or anticipate the providence and purpose of the
Lord God, but in and through the personal financial and spiritual struggles
of the last year and a half I have certainly been encouraged by not only
the session but also the congregation. Therefore, in seeing that great
personal blessing ? I am all the more assured that the Lord is blessing us
week by week and that He does indeed have in mind a future for us that we
must continue to labor together toward.
Calvin observes that in the context of these verses, David ?teaches us that
his prayers were not in vain. Thus he confirms by his own example, that
God is ready to bring help to his people wherever they seek him in truth
and sincerity.?
Development: The next thought of this psalm is contained in the first line
of verse seven: ?The Lord is my strength and my shield.? Here we have a
full blown military allusion, which is twofold. First, there is the fact
of David?s personal strength, training and skill noted in the ?strength?
for combat. Second, there is the mention of the shield behind which the
warrior would crouch and advance his sword or spear at the close ranks of
opposing forces.
We can appreciate the importance of that ancient artifact made up of wood,
metal and leather, because of its absolute necessity in every battle, small
or large. The Lord God is also to David a force to be recognized with on
the battle fields of his own kingdom. So much so, that it is to Him that
David dedicates his own skill and equipment as he declares that while David
and his kin must labor on to hone their military skills ? still the God of
Abraham is the author and sustainer of their own poor abilities.
Military skill as we must realize is not easily gained. Young men must be
prepared for the eventuality of combat all their lives by and through
education and training. The founder of the Boy Scouts in Britain
specifically created the organization to imbue young men with the
attitudes, conviction and integrity that could sustain future generations
to the task of defending home and country. In addition, the necessary
survival skills in the field were meant to harden his students to the
realities of an age old profession.
In our Sunday School series on the era of the Judges, we have been left
with the proposition that all of these troubles brought upon Israel by her
unfaithfulness at least taught the generations that military preparedness
and ability is not a national luxury, but sadly a necessity in every time
and place. I was always amazed at the attitudes of the hippies and their
liberal supporters who supposed that war could be legislated away forever
and a day! That same attitude prevailed in the twenties. In that time,
sixty-two countries agreed by treaty and international law to never use
armed force to attain any national agenda. Sadly, that list of countries
was one which noted the most likely powers involved in World War Two.
Certainly, David was prepared ? as always: to do battle, yet he was always
humbled by the providential working out of God?s greater purpose on the
pages of human history. David, we may note: was nothing more than a moral
and military realist ? knowing the fallen nature and minds of men and yet
counting on the mind, power and purpose of God to supersede the military
mischief intended by and through a fallen humanity.
The next line of verse seven, is a further declaration of David?s hope in a
gracious all powerful God: ?In Him my heart trusts, and I am
helped.? ?Heart work,? Spurgeon declares ?is sure work; heart trust is
never disappointed.? Do you see the confidence of the Jewish soldier here
in David?s affirmation? It is said that in the age of David, that the
hosts of Israel prayed in the heat of battle, for the flight of their
arrows, the thrusts of their swords and the strength of their
shields. Christian warriors in every age since can only mimic that
methodology even while they like a contemporary spiritual song
proclaims: ?The battle belongs to the Lord.? After the fist Desert Storm,
the Chief of Chaplains spoke to our General Assembly and thanked us all for
the prayers that had sustained those on the front lines.
Application: And in our decade as well ? it is prayer that still sustains
those who are in harms way. It is certainly not the news papers, the media
or the liberal politicians who support our country in a time of war? At
least David did not have those likes to contend with every step of the way
during his career! His faith gave him strength and thereby he agrees ? he
was helped to persevere and go on from battle to battle.
But, David is not through with his declaration of confidence, the last line
of verse seven speaks eloquently: ?Therefore, my heart greatly exults,
with my song I will praise Him.? How much does David exult? He gives
proof in the publication of this specific Psalm whereby his prayer is still
sung in every land where his greater Son is honored and glorified.
Worldly wags have it that wine, steaks and songs all get better with
age. I was once informed that the date on a wine was not the expiration
date as I might have thought! And as the market indicates ? some years are
better than others for grape crops. Old songs, of course depend upon the
individual tastes. I was recently asked if I wanted to attend a concert
where the music of the fifties, sixties and seventies would be
performed. I declined ? since I wasn?t impressed with those vintages when
they were new! Of course, within the church, here ? we are careful to sing
not only hymns, but also the old psalms and the newer spiritual
songs. That way ? we can keep the music of the church ever fresh but also
historic as well.
Down through the ages, more music has been written for our Triune God than
any other subject on earth. It is David?s spirit in this regard which has
infected believers since his day. His son Solomon even established the
Temple choirs to refine David?s music and to compose more in the same spirit.
And with the coming of Christ, the various national churches have sought to
give Him praise in every tongue under the sun. Some tunes and poems of
course are less timely than others and so they inform the church across the
wide expanse of the whole earth. And every week when the Lord?s Day begins
? there is a constant chorus following the course of the daily time zones
from dusk to dawn. What a wonderful sound it is that must raise to heaven
each and every Lord?s Day?
And what is the source of this constant practice? With a little help from
Moses and others of course, Israel praised the God of heaven. But, by and
large it was the establishment of the hymn book of the Old Covenant Church
that more than anything else prepared the church to sing its heart out in
honor of the Lord God of heaven and earth, as well as to give praise and
glory to His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Thankfully, it was in and
through David that the church learned to not only pray, but also sing. Let
us enjoy all the more the solid fruits of David?s labor. Amen.
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PREACHING RESOURCES
Calvin, John: Commentary on Book of Psalms.
Delitzsch, F: Commentary on the Old Testament ? Psalms.
Spurgeon, C.H: Treasury of David.
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From ccrlist at tulip.org Sun Jun 26 20:38:21 2005
From: ccrlist at tulip.org (ccrlist@tulip.org)
Date: Sun Jun 26 20:38:43 2005
Subject: [Ccrlist] CCR Weekly
Message-ID: <6.1.0.6.2.20050626203644.0230c150@mail.loganrec.com>
Good Lord's Day Evening,
We had a Missionary in today as well as another guest speaker. So I didn't
preach this weekend. I have included a meditation from the Hebrews series
for the weekly mailing. I will update the Hebrews page at tulip.org this week.
God bless,
Max A Forsythe
The Heavenly Country
For the Lord?s Day: the 12th of June 2005
Hebrews 11: 13-22
Introduction: ?My Kingdom is not of this world,? Jesus told Pilate, when
the Procurator of Rome questioned him on the night before Jesus was
crucified. That is a fact that any astute reader of scripture should be
able to fathom from the clear references throughout all of
scripture. There has always been as St Augustine described it two realms
in this old world. The first is the well named: city of man, symbolized
by the Tower of Babel and the continued work of any and all who would raise
up a utopian paradise here on earth in every time and place. The second
city is known variously as ?the kingdom of heaven,? the ?City of God? or as
I like to describe it: The Kingdom of the Spirit.
Our Apostle who wrote this letter to the Hebrew people is here arguing that
it was this heavenly city to which the Patriarchs were really and truly
looking forward to. Yes, there was the land of Promise in Canaan where the
history of their descendants was worked out on the worldly stage. And
even today, the Zionists believe that a historic restoration of their
people and religion in that area of the world must become an actual
realization of the ancient prophesies which we would better understand in
and through the cause and kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
F.F. Bruce lays out the evidence for our proposition that ?the kingdom of
heaven? was indeed upon the minds of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. All three
of these are noted as the pilgrim patriarchs who wandered in and through
that land that would one day become the possession of their
descendants. We read in verse thirteen that those named previously,
Abraham, Sarah ? Isaac and Jacob, lived lives ?regulated by the firm
conviction that God would fulfil the promises He had given them, and in
death they continued to look forward to the fulfillment of these promises.?
All three of the wanderers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob tented only in the
promised land, even as Christ tented amongst us in the time of His
visitation. We have only to look forward to verses twenty and twenty-one
to see the profound implications of the family blessings passed on from
generation to generation. ?By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on
Jacob and Esau. By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of
Joseph.? In Genesis 23: 4 Abraham admitted that he was a stranger and a
sojourner, thus accepting his status as a pilgrim. Jacob too, in Genesis
47: 9 accepted the days of the years of pilgrimage as well. Yet still, the
lived complete and fulfilled lives believing the promises of their heavenly
Father. F.F. Bruce argues that it is the satisfied attitude of the
Patriarchs which makes it plain that Palestine was not their final
home. ?Their ?pilgrim?s progress? through this world had as its goal a
home elsewhere.?
Development: Bruce also argues that it was equally clear that the land
from which they came was not their true home. When Abraham?s servant
suggested to Abraham that Isaac himself should go home to seek a wife,
Abraham charged him to not even consider it. Jacob was the only one who
ever returned to the land of his grandfather?s birth ? and he remained
their only twenty years before coming again to ?the land of his fathers?
where none ever had a settled home.
Like the Patriarchs who looked forward to the better country, we too should
realize that ?the earthly Canaan and the earthly Jerusalem were but
temporary things pointing to the saints? everlasting rest, the well-founded
city of God.? Think of it this way, in all of the countless passages from
Europe to America ? thousands of people died in route from sickness, ship
wreck and hardship. Where was their home? Was it the Old World from which
they had fled, or was it the New World which they never obtained. For all
those who were the spiritual seed of Abraham ? their promised land was the
heavenly city of God.
Even America is only an earthly paradise. But still today, there are those
who flee Cuba, Mexico and other islands in the stream ? who die trying to
get here. Some years ago, a Cuban teenager barely made it on an inner
tube. He had gone down to the beach with the old worn out tire lining, a
box of crackers and a jug of water. The water he lost, and for many hours
he almost became fish food when a curious shark stalked the strange object
afloat in his territory.
If we can accept that there are many Americans in Spirit whose life long
desire is to get here, it should not be too difficult to raise the bar, so
to speak ? and accept the fact that the Creator God has chosen His people
and instilled in them a desire for a better world even than our own fair
land. Surveys taken around the world indicate that fully one-third of the
informed population of the world would come here if it were at all
possible. By some estimates, the people of God are a similar percentage of
the whole earth. That does not mean that those populations are one and the
same however! The families of God are dispersed in every tribe and nation
and will only be united when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again at the end
of the age to establish the everlasting kingdom of heaven.
The Apostle Paul captured the essential doctrine that we must teach from
these few verses. In the letter to the Philippians, he writes: ?Our
citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by
the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.?
(Philippians 3: 20-21)
Now, as we move into the last few verses, there is an interesting fact
about the faith of Abraham in the sacrifice scene that must be
considered. Remember, that Isaac was his only begotten son. And when he
is ordered to lay him on an altar, thereby was the whole future of God?s
Old Covenant people placed in jeopardy. Much has been made over the years
of the turmoil that should have been in Abraham?s heart. However, if we
look back to Genesis 22: 5 we read an absolutely stunning affirmation of
Abraham?s trust. Listen: ?Then Abraham said to his young men, ?Stay here
with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come
again to you.? In plain English as well as plain Hebrew the implicit fact
is that ?we will go and we will return.?
Abraham trusted in the Lord, and even while walking to the sacrificial
place, he assured Isaac that the Lord would provide the proper
sacrifice. What a lesson the young Isaac was to learn ? his life was safe
in the hands of the Lord God even in the midst of what Abraham intended to
do. The Apostle gives us this analysis: ?[Abraham] considered that God
was able even to raise [Isaac] from the dead, from which, figuratively
speaking, he did receive him back.?
Application: It remained for God to show the elect what was truly on His
mind two millennia later. We can all figure it out simply enough. The
true Lamb of God, the only begotten Son of God would be sacrificed on the
cross ? not only in Isaac?s place but also in our own as well. In John 8:
56 we hear the words of Christ echo the joyous salvation realized by Isaac
and Abraham: ?Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He
saw it and was glad.?
In all ways, the faith of the Patriarchs was an ?assurance of things hoped
for, a conviction of things not seen.? Joseph too, who lived all of his
adult life in Egypt desired another, a better country and thus he made all
the arrangements that even his bones would be carried back and interred in
the family tomb in Palestine. Now what more can we say about such
things. There is a profound hope in the hearts of these saints for a
better life than the ordinary days we live on this old world. Their hope
was in heaven. Yes, of course, the knowledge of Christ brings us into the
eternal kingdom and while we still live, we have a foot in both
realms. During the week ? as we labor amongst the worldly ? we live in the
city of man. But, on the Lord?s Day, today our true affections can be
displayed, here in the sanctuary of God, we have one foot in heaven until
He comes to take us to be with Him. And it is the spiritual blessings of
this day, the hearing of the word, the stirrings of the Spirit and our
worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that sets us apart from
those who do not know these things. We too are pilgrims in a strange
world. And Peter did once admonish the church in these words: ?Beloved, I
urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the
flesh, which wage war against your soul.? (1 Peter 2: 11)
We know that Jacob, the third of the Patriarchs, was a liar and a
cheat. Only his uncle Laban could do him one better when it came to
deception. And when he finally returned to the promised land, the Lord God
did wrestle with him until he was finally defeated. God does take the
lives of His people seriously. And He contends with our selfish spirits
until we submit to the rule of His revealed word. This is what the elect
of every age are required to do ? to finally once and for all accept the
premise that ?His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.? For all of
those who will not bow their knee, there minds and hearts ? on the last day
the Lord God will condemn them to ?have it their way.? And they will
finish eternity in their own hellish delights, apart from the eternal God
of heaven.
Thanks be to God, that He has called us in the same manner as He did the
ancient Patriarchs. The long recitation of saints here in this chapter of
Hebrews is for our own spiritual benefit. So that we can see what God was
doing down through the ages ? and thereby we may learn what He would have
us to believe and do today. May we learn to trust the revelations and
promises of God, even as the saints of old did with much less information
than we have been given. Amen.
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PREACHING RESOURCES
Brown, John. A Geneva Series Commentary: Hebrews.
Brown, Raymond. The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Hebrews.
Bruce, F.F. The Epistle to the Hebrews.
Owen, John: Commentary on the Book of Hebrews.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.
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