Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

No one knows how long it took for the psalmist to compose this psalm. It may have taken him weeks or months or years. The likelihood that it took a period to compose it allows for the possibility that the sections were written in a variety of circumstances. The circumstances of this section include opposition, indeed powerful opposition (v. 23). Both David and Daniel, as well as numerous other believers, faced opposition from political leaders, but they were not deflected from living according to God’s requirements. The opposition used the tactic of derision (v. 22), which is not easy for a believer to bear.   Desire (vv. 17-18) Verse 17 indicates that the psalmist anticipated that his life was in danger. The peril may have come from the opponents he mentions later in the section or perhaps he was undergoing ill health. The striking aspect is that he did not allow his adverse circumstances to diminish his interest in God’s Word. In his difficulties, he turned to God in prayer, but ...

Robert Murray McCheyne produced a set of resolutions: One of them was this: ‘‘I ought to study the Comforter more – his Godhead, his love, his almightiness. I have found by experience that nothing sanctifies me so much as meditating on the Comforter, as John xiv. 16. And yet how seldom I do this!’ Perhaps the striking aspect of the statement in the Creed about the Holy Spirit is its brevity. The brevity is not due to lack of controversy about his person and work. Nor does the brevity mean that there is little to be said about the Holy Spirit. Indeed, as we know, many books have been published about him and there are still big debates concerning his activities. In this chapter, we will do a survey of who he is and what he does, while always remembering that much more could be said about the person and work of the Holy Spirit.    In the Trinity The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is an equal member of the Trinity, as are the Father and the Son. He possesses all the attr...

The f ifth of the ‘I am’ sayings occurs in connection to a bereavement. One obvious difference with this saying is that Jesus does not liken himself to something (a door) or someone (a shepherd), or contrast himself with something (a lamp), but instead he mentions what he possesses – life.   Dialogue with Martha Jesus made this statement when he was speaking with Martha after the death of her brother Lazarus. She was a disciple of Jesus and had expressed her faith in him to him. Her words indicate that she believed that he had power over death, and they do so in two ways. First, she said that if he had been present in Bethany, her brother would not have died; second, she also seems to believe that Jesus could ask God to raise Lazarus from the dead, and if he did ask, her brother would rise from the dead. We can see from the outcome that her expectation was fulfilled.    Nevertheless, Martha’s words indicate that she was a disappointed and puzzled believer. The sisters had...

It has been pointed out that the Hebrew letter for this section is the word for ‘house’. In the section, the house is the heart of a believer and it matters a great deal what is put into it. The furniture for the believer’s heart is God’s Word, his instructions and other details, and when they are there the heart will be a happy home. The question (v. 9)   How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.   It is not clear if the writer is thinking about himself because he is a young man or is he an experienced believer, a wise teacher, giving advice to young people as to how they should live? In a sense, it does not matter because the requirement on a young person is the same. Yet we can see from the question that the young man has a responsibility for his purity and that it is possible for him to attain it.   What is meant by purity? It is not merely physical purity, although that would be part of it. Jesus said in the Beatitudes that the pur...

On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.   In these four statements, we have a summary of the glorification of Jesus. The summary follows another one that detailed to some extent the humiliation of Jesus. We can see from the four statements that the glorification includes different stages. Two – the resurrection and the ascension – are past; one – his seat at the right hand of the Father – occurs presently; and the fourth – the Day of Judgment – is in the future.   The resurrection of Jesus Jesus rose again from the dead three days after his death on the cross. His death occurred on Friday afternoon and he rose again on Sunday morning. He was not the first to rise from the dead as far as the biblical details are concerned. The Gospels record how Jesus raised three individuals from the dead – the daughter of Jairus, the son of a widow in Nain, and Lazarus, the brothe...