Prayer

I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. 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 (Psalm 18:1-2). Thank you for being our Defender and Protector from the evil one. Please strengthen our hearts with truth and cause us to walk with a good conscience.

Today’s Hymn

Words: Horatius Bonar, Hymns Original and Selected, 1846.

I HEARD THE VOICE OF JESUS SAY
Click here for tune.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto Me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down Thy head upon My breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad;
I found in Him a resting place, and He has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one, stoop down, and drink, and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “I am this dark world’s Light;
Look unto Me, thy morn shall rise, and all thy day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found in Him my Star, my Sun;
And in that light of life I’ll walk, till traveling days are done.

Thought Provoker

World War II was the bloodiest war fought to date. When Japan surrendered to the Allies, the bodies of 54,800,000 soldiers and civilians filled the graveyards of the world. In a speech to the graduating class of West Point in 1962, one of the great generals of the war, General MacArthur rightly concluded, Only the dead have seen the end of war. Little did he realize how prophetic his words were. There has been a war raging since the first man walked the earth. It is a war that has raged non-stop to this day. It is a war without a truce. It is truly a world war because it has involved every person ever born. It is a war like no others because is rages in the spirit realm although we see its carnage and pain all around us. It is a war where defeat is translated into eternal destruction. It is a war that only Christians are equipped to fight unto victory. Did you know the Christian life is a life of warfare? Today Paul is going to encourage our families in this fight.

Dad’s Study

This war began in heaven with the rebellion of Satan and 1/3 of the angelic beings that followed him (Ez. 28:11-18; Revelation 12:4). He has lead warfare for the souls of mankind since God made Adam. He tempted Eve to disobey God and ever since the fall of mankind he has attacked relentlessly, without stop, the souls of mankind. He is seeking to devour you and your family (1 Peter 5:8). Although he cannot bring a true Christian to spiritual ruin He can bring havoc to individual Christians as well as their families and churches. Discuss some of the ways that he attacks you and your family (false doctrine, fleshly gratification – sin, worldliness). As a soldier of the cross Paul reminds us of our charge and our weapons.

Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Truth in Practice

Charge. War a good warfare (v. 18). You are called not to sit on the sidelines or go AWOL but rather to fight a good fight! It’s frontline warfare with the enemy of Christ that you are called to. If you are not fighting the fight, you are losing the battle.

Weapons. Paul mentions two weapons – faith and a good conscience (v. 19). Faith here is used in a more general sense to refer to sound teaching or truth (Jude 3). The truth of God’s Word (sound doctrine) is one of the most effective weapons we have in our arsenal against the enemy (Ephesians 6:14, 17). Our Lord wielded this sword powerfully during His temptation. The second weapon is a good conscience. A good soldier must be guided by a good conscience if he is to walk safely through the minefields of the enemy. This is a conscience void of any offense against God and towards mankind. A good conscience comes from Godliness and purity. may your family stand strong as you wield the sword of truth with hands of holiness!

Catechism

Question 27

Q. Wherein consists Christ’s exaltation?

A. Christ’s exaltation consists in his rising again from the dead on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:4), in ascending up into heaven, and sitting at the right hand of God the Father (Mark 16:19), and in coming to judge the world at the last day (Acts 17:31).