Trinity Bible Church

Prayer

I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High (Psalm 9:1-2).

Today’s Hymn

Words: Ernest W. Shurtleff, 1888. He wrote this hymn for the graduation ceremony at Andover Theological Seminary, where he was a member of the class of 1888.

LEAD ON, O KING ETERNAL
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Lead on, O King eternal,
The day of march has come;
Henceforth in fields of conquest
Thy tents shall be our home.
Through days of preparation
Thy grace has made us strong;
And now, O King eternal,
We lift our battle song.

Lead on, O King eternal,
Till sin’s fierce war shall cease,
And holiness shall whisper
The sweet amen of peace.
For not with swords’ loud clashing,
Nor roll of stirring drums;
With deeds of love and mercy
The heavenly kingdom comes.

Lead on, O King eternal,
We follow, not with fears,
For gladness breaks like morning
Where’er Thy face appears.
Thy cross is lifted over us,
We journey in its light;
The crown awaits the conquest;
Lead on, O God of might.

Thought Provoker

Most doctors encourage their patients to come in for a routine physical examination. Many serious illnesses can be cured if treated early. A blood test and a quick listen to the heart might be just what the doctor ordered to receive a clean bill of health. The Apostle Paul was a physician of the soul. He too realized the importance of regularly examining the condition of the heart. If you receive a clean bill of health you will be blessed with great assurance and comfort. If you are found lacking, Christ can point you to the cure while there is still time.

Dad’s Study

Verse 5 is so straightforward that it requires very little explanation. Paul is calling for Christians to undergo periodic self examinations as part of their spiritual walk. Why should you examine yourself? Paul answers, ìTo see whether you are in the faith.î What tests should you apply in self examination? Don’t examine your past religious experiences. Many wrongly look to the time that they walked down the church aisle as a little child or prayed a prayer with their parents. There can be no assurance of salvation by an examination of past acts. If Christ be truly in you there will be evidences of His presence today!

Bishop J.C. Ryle, that practical British preacher of the 19th century, asks you to consider the following ten questions to check your spiritual vital signs:

1. Do you ever think about your soul at all?” Are you too busy with the cares of life to contemplate your spiritual condition and eternal destiny?
2. Do you ever do anything about your soul? Do you just think about Christianity or do you do something about it?
3. Are you satisfying your moral conscience with formal religion? Church attendance and partaking of the Lord’s Supper will never get your soul into heaven.
4. Have you received the forgiveness of sins? Have you acknowledged your sins before God and sought forgiveness through faith in the work of Christ on the cross?
5. Do your know anything about the experience of conversion? Have you been born again?
6. Do you know anything of practical Christian holiness? This does not mean a life of perfection, rather a life that is growing in Christlikeness.
7. Do you know anything of enjoying the means of grace? Do you know of regular Bible reading, prayer, worship, the Lord’s Supper and the Lord’s Day rest?
8. Do you ever try to do any good in the world? The Christian life is not a life of self-service, rather the selfless-service of others.
9. Do you know of a life of habitual communion with Christ? The grand secret of communion with Christ is to be continually living by faith in the Son of God, and drawing out of Him every hour the supply that every hour requires.
10. Are you ready for Christ’s second coming? True Christians are looking for His soon return.

Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Truth in Practice

How was your spiritual exam? Did you prove to yourself that Christ is in you? Has God blessed you with a full assurance of your salvation? Stop and give Him thanks for such assurance. Purpose to grow in those areas of spiritual weakness. Do you feel that you failed the test? Has it left you feeling like a condemned reprobate? Cast aside your fears, and accept the offer of our Lord Jesus Christ to sinners. Hear Him saying, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37). “…him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).

Catechism

Question 7

Q What are the decrees of God?

A. The decrees of God are his eternal purpose according to the counsel of his own will, whereby for his own glory he has foreordained whatever comes to pass (Eph. 1:11, 12).

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Prayer

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 (Psalm 23:4).

Today’s Hymn

Words: George S. Smith, 1887; published in the Salvation Army’s Musical Salvationist, June 1891.

BEHOLD HIM NOW ON YONDER TREE
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The Prince of Peace, the heavenly King;
O what can His transgression be
Such shameful punishment to bring?
And lo, a thief hangs on each side;
Who justly suffers for his crime.
But why should Christ be crucified,
The One so holy, so divine?

Refrain
It was for me, yes, even me,
That Jesus died on Calvary;
My soul to cleanse from all its guilt,
His precious blood my Savior spilt.

O sinner, see, for you and me
He freely suffers in our stead;
And lo, He dies upon the tree;
Behold, He bows His sacred head!
So pure, yet He has borne our guilt,
By death our ransom He has paid;
It was for us His blood was spilt;
Our every sin on Him was laid.

Refrain

O loving Savior, take my heart,
No longer can I live from Thee!
With all unlike Thee now I part;
Thy wondrous love has conquered me.
I yield to Thee my little all;
Accept me now, Lord, as Thine own;
I’ll be obedient to Thy call
And spend my life for Thee alone.

Refrain

Thought Provoker

I grew up on the beach in southern California. During the summer, shoes were not a part of my attire. One of my favorite beaches had a minefield full of small cactus plants that I had to cross before my feet reached the water. As hard as I would try to avoid the cacti, my feet would be riveted with slender thorns that would have me painfully hobbling across the sand. In today’s passage, Paul speaks about his personal pain that he refers to as a thorn in the flesh (v.7) Pain is one thing we all seek to avoid. Your local supermarket shelves are lined with more pain relievers than vitamins! At the slightest headache we reach for the Tylenol or aspirin. Pain is multifaceted. There is physical pain as well as emotional pain. Read together verses 7-10 and discuss these questions:

1. What are the pains (weaknesses) that Paul had in mind?
2. What is (are) the source(s) of such pains?
3. What is the purpose of such pain?

Paul is going to answer these three practical questions in today’s passage.

Dad’s Study

1. What are the pains that Paul had in mind? There are as many pains in life as there are possible experiences. However, in verse 10 Paul summarizes five pains that he had in mind: infirmities, reproaches (insults), necessities (hardships), persecutions, and distress (calamities). These are categories of events and experiences that bring pain.

2. What are the sources of such pain? None other than Satan himself (v. 7)! A messenger (fallen angel) from Satan gave Paul his thorn in the flesh to harass him. So it is clear that at least some of life’s pains and weaknesses come from the hand of the enemy. His aim is to bring discouragement, destruction, misery, and even death. But the answer does not stop there. God also is at work through your pain. For a good illustration of this truth, consider the book of Job. Who buffeted Job with pain and heartache (Job 1:12)? Whose idea was it to bring the calamities upon Job (Job 1:8, 12)? In many of the pains and weaknesses in life both God and Satan are bringing about the pain, each for his own purpose.

3. What is the purpose of pain? Is there a purpose in life’s pains and calamities or do they just randomly happen to make us feel miserable! Every pain and calamity of life has a purpose behind it! Satan has his own purpose. He’s out to buffet you. He wants to harass you to cause you to become discouraged and abandon God. God, on the other hand, has a purpose over and above Satan. He is using the pains and weaknesses of life to bring humility. Paul was brought to glory in his weaknesses, that the power of Christ might rest upon him (v. 9). There is an ultimate purpose in the pains of life, and that is to glorify the grace and power of God (vs. 9-10). Can you think of an example from your own life, or the life of another fellow Christian, when pain and weakness resulted in a deeper trust in Christ and His gracious strength?

Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Truth in Practice

Perhaps you and your family are going through a time of pain. There are pains of unemployment, broken marriages, prodigal children, loneliness, and disease. It changes everything to view life’s pains as wonderful opportunities for God to conform you into His image and glorify Himself. Don’t be too quick to have these pains removed. Let them accomplish God’s work of sanctification. May they glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in his grace and power!

Catechism

Question 5

Q. Are there more Gods than one?

A. There is but one only (Deut. 6:4), the living and true God (Jer. 10:10).

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Prayer

Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart (Jer. 14:14).

Father in heaven, we praise You for being a Revealer of truth. We humbly ask that You might protect us from the deceptions of the evil one.

Today’s Hymn

Words: Charles H. Spurgeon, 1866. Music: Hamburg, Lowell Mason, 1824; first appeared in The Boston Handel and Haydn Society Collection of Church Music, third edition, 1825.

AMIDST US OUR BELOVÈD STANDS
Click here for tune.

Amidst us our Belovèd stands,
And bids us view His piercèd hands;
Points to the wounded feet and side,
Blest emblems of the Crucified.

What food luxurious loads the board,
When at His table sits the Lord!
The wine how rich, the bread how sweet,
When Jesus deigns the guests to meet!

If now, with eyes defiled and dim,
We see the signs, but see not Him;
O may His love the scales displace,
And bid us see Him face to face!

Our former transports we recount,
When with Him in the holy mount,
These cause our souls to thirst anew,
His marred but lovely face to view.

Thou glorious Bridegroom of our hearts,
Thy present smile a heav’n imparts!
Oh lift the veil, if veil there be,
Let every saint Thy beauties see!

Thought Provoker

The story is told about a boy who came upon a poisonous snake during late autumn. The snake looked up at the boy and said with a shivering voice, I am very cold, will you pick me up and put me in your pocket? The boy wisely reminded the snake that he didn’t pick up poisonous snakes in fear that he would be bitten. The snake replied in a sad voice, if only you will put me in your warm pocket, I promise that I will not bite you. The boy felt sorry for the poor, cold snake. Believing the snake to be sincere, he bent over and carefully picked him up and put him in his coat pocket. As the boy placed his hands in his coat pocket to warm them from the cold air, he felt the fangs of the snake pierce his skin as he injected his poisonous venom. Weakened and dying the boy asked the snake, how could you? You promised me that you wouldn’t bite me! The snake replied, you knew that I was a poisonous snake when you picked me up!

It was the old serpent that deceived Eve, resulting in sin and death entering the world. Satan has been a liar since the beginning (John 8:44, 55). He continues to be active in deceiving mankind with counterfeit gospels. In today’s passage, Paul is concerned that Satan would come to the saints at Corinth and deceive them into departing from the simple Gospel of grace. Today, Paul warns us about three areas in which Satan perverts the true Gospel.

Dad’s Study

Satan doesn’t come to lead you astray in a red suit with pitchfork in hand. He is subtle and comes as an angel of light – an ambassador of truth. Satan’s strategy is to mix truth and error. Unless you know the truth of God’s Word, Satan can deceive you and your family!

Read together verse 4 and list the three areas of truth that Satan comes to counterfeit.

1. Another Jesus. Satan doesn’t deceive by denying Jesus; instead, he comes preaching a different Jesus. The Bible declares that Jesus is the eternal God (John 1:1,14). He is all God and all man! Satan deceives by denouncing the deity of Christ. Discuss with your family the popular cults that deny the deity of Christ (Jehovah Witness, Mormon, Christian Science, Moonies, etc.).
2. Another spirit. Satan also deceives by proclaiming a different spirit. The Holy Spirit of the Bible is the third person of the Trinity. He is God! He is a person! Satan will deny the deity of the Holy Spirit. Instead, he reduces the Holy Spirit to a force or source of energy.
3. Another gospel. The serpent actively perverts the simplicity of the Gospel of grace by adding to it the poison of human works and merit. The Bible says that God saves by His grace alone (Eph. 2:8-10). God chooses whom He will save. He draws unto Himself whom He chooses, and regenerates that dead sinner to spiritual life (Rom. 8:29-30)! Christ alone purchased redemption by His shed blood (Rom. 3:24-25). Satan knows that there is enough pride and self-sufficiency in each of us that we are easily tempted to depart from the simplicity of God’s grace and jump back on the treadmill of works.

Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Truth in Practice

It is only by the grace of God that the serpent does not deceive us all. God’s power to save and preserve your salvation is greater than Satan’s power to deceive. All who are in Christ will be kept until the day of salvation. Even true Christians can fall into deception. However, only those who are merely professing Christians can be lead away from the Gospel of grace. May God keep you and your family anchored in truth so that you will not be lead astray by a snake that says, I won’t bite you!

Catechism

Question 4

Q. What is God?

A. God is Spirit (John 4:24), infinite (Job 11:7), eternal (Ps. 90:2, 1 Tim. 1:17), and unchangeable (James 1:17), in his being, (Ex. 3:14), wisdom, power (Ps. 147:5), holiness (Rev. 4:8), justice, goodness and truth (Ex. 34:67).

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Prayer

Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin (Psalm 89:40).

Today’s Hymn

Words: Charles H. Spurgeon, 1866. Music: Hamburg, Lowell Mason, 1824; first appeared in The Boston Handel and Haydn Society Collection of Church Music, third edition, 1825.

AMIDST US OUR BELOVÈD STANDS
Click here for tune.

Amidst us our Belovèd stands,
And bids us view His piercèd hands;
Points to the wounded feet and side,
Blest emblems of the Crucified.

What food luxurious loads the board,
When at His table sits the Lord!
The wine how rich, the bread how sweet,
When Jesus deigns the guests to meet!

If now, with eyes defiled and dim,
We see the signs, but see not Him;
O may His love the scales displace,
And bid us see Him face to face!

Our former transports we recount,
When with Him in the holy mount,
These cause our souls to thirst anew,
His marred but lovely face to view.

Thou glorious Bridegroom of our hearts,
Thy present smile a heav’n imparts!
Oh lift the veil, if veil there be,
Let every saint Thy beauties see!

Thought Provoker

It was a secret weapon that brought a rapid and powerful end to World War II. For several years scientist worked in secret developing the most powerful weapon in the history of mankind. On August 6, 1949 a B-29 bomber named the Enola Gay dropped the secret weapon over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. A flash of light as bright as the sun lit up the morning sky, resulting in the death of 70,000 – bringing World War II to a sudden halt! There is a spiritual world war raging all around us. There is a battle for the souls of mankind! There are regular attacks on the Church and Her Gospel. There are cults and false gospels that attack Christ’s Gospel of free grace. Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and others bring urban warfare to the very doorsteps of your neighbors and friends. False teachers carry on a war of subversion within the walls of evangelical churches. Satan advances the banners of homosexuality, abortion, and pornography. Satan’s victories almost make it appear that God’s people are on the losing side! However, God has a secret weapon, one more powerful than any atomic bomb – a weapon that is powerful enough to accomplish His perfect victory.

Dad’s Study

The reason the Church seems to be losing the spiritual war is that it frequently chooses to use the wrong weapons to fight the war! Read verses 3-4 and discuss together the kind of weapons God does not want His Church to pick up. The weapons that God provides for Christians are not carnal or fleshly. You do not fight a spiritual war with fleshly weapons. Discuss some examples of fleshly weapons. Fleshly weapons are the weapons that the world fights with. These are weapons like politics, pressure groups, manipulation, and coercion. These weapons are powerless in spiritual warfare. Marching, boycotting, signing petitions, marketing techniques, are like squirt guns against a powerful spiritual foe.

Instead, God has given to His Church powerful secret weapons to use. What are these weapons? Read verse 4 and see how Paul describes them. They are mighty! They are pulling down strong holds! If you read the rest of this passage you will find that Paul does not mention what these weapons are, just what they do. However, we know from the other writings of Paul, and from the life of our Lord, that these are secret weapons we are all familiar with:

1. Truth. The only weapon against the lies and errors of Satan is the declarative truth of God’s Word. When Jesus was bombarded by the enemy in the wilderness with lies and temptations, our Lord counter attacked with the Word of God. The church is to preach and teach sound doctrine in the face of spiritual war.
2. Love. Paul reminded the Ephesians to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). Earlier, he wrote to the Corinthians that even if they prophesied truth, if it was not spoken in love, it was useless (1 Cor. 13).
3. Faith. Faith is always linked to the Word of God. Faith believes God and acts upon His Word. In Hebrews 11 we have the record of ordinary men and women of God who, through faith, witnessed tremendous spiritual victories.
4. Prayer. Through prayer we humbly come before the throne of grace and ask that God powerfully accomplish His revealed will. Frequently the Church turns to prayer only as a last resort after it has used every weapon of the flesh first.

Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Truth in Practice

Read through this arsenal again. Do you really believe that the Word, love, faith, and prayer are powerful secret weapons through which God’s Spirit powerfully defeats the strongholds of the enemy? The Church must remember that we can do nothing against the enemy, however, Christ can do everything if we use His weapons of warfare!

Catechism

Question 4

Q. What is God?

A. God is Spirit (John 4:24), infinite (Job 11:7), eternal (Ps. 90:2, 1 Tim. 1:17), and unchangeable (James 1:17), in his being, (Ex. 3:14), wisdom, power (Ps. 147:5), holiness (Rev. 4:8), justice, goodness and truth (Ex. 34:67).

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Prayer

Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: (Proverbs 3:9).

Today’s Hymn

Words: Charles H. Spurgeon, 1866. Music: Hamburg, Lowell Mason, 1824; first appeared in The Boston Handel and Haydn Society Collection of Church Music, third edition, 1825.

AMIDST US OUR BELOVÈD STANDS
Click here for tune.

Amidst us our Belovèd stands,
And bids us view His piercèd hands;
Points to the wounded feet and side,
Blest emblems of the Crucified.

What food luxurious loads the board,
When at His table sits the Lord!
The wine how rich, the bread how sweet,
When Jesus deigns the guests to meet!

If now, with eyes defiled and dim,
We see the signs, but see not Him;
O may His love the scales displace,
And bid us see Him face to face!

Our former transports we recount,
When with Him in the holy mount,
These cause our souls to thirst anew,
His marred but lovely face to view.

Thou glorious Bridegroom of our hearts,
Thy present smile a heav’n imparts!
Oh lift the veil, if veil there be,
Let every saint Thy beauties see!

Thought Provoker

The Boy Scout motto, “Be Prepared,” aptly describes the Christian life. As we saw in 2 Corinthians 5:9 one must be prepared to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. We must also be prepared to withstand the wiles of the devil, we must be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is within us, and we must be prepared to give to the Lord, His work, and His people. Be prepared Christian; have a prepared mind, a prepared heart, a prepared tongue, and prepared hands to live and walk to the glory and honor of God.

Dad’s Study

In this chapter Paul is exhorting the church at Corinth to be prepared for an opportunity to give to the ministry of the saints when he arrives. He is confident of their generosity, but nonetheless, he writes ahead so that they will be prepared to give so they will not be embarrassed when the time comes that they have an opportunity to meet the needs of the saints. In this chapter Paul lays out the principles of Christian giving:

1. Be prepared. Have assets set aside so that you are ready at any time, at a moment’s notice, to give to the needs of the saints. Don’t live to the full extent of your means and as a result miss the opportunity to be an instrument of blessing to your brethren. Verses 1-5
2. Give bountifully. Be liberal and generous in your giving, considering the needs of others first. This includes the principle of giving sacrificially, setting aside your needs to meet that of your brethren. Verse 6
3. Do just as you have purposed in your own heart. First, make a conscious decision to give to God. Truly purpose in your own heart to be obedient to this command. Secondly, the generosity of your giving is your decision before God. Take responsibility for that decision, have a clear purpose in giving, and obediently submit to and follow the will of God in your giving. Verse 7
4. Do not give grudgingly or under compulsion. If you give because you feel you have to, not because you desire to honor God, be an instrument of His sovereign grace, or a blessing to your neighbor; you are giving from wrong motives and it is displeasing to God. Confess your sinful attitudes and motives, seek His forgiveness, and walk in complete obedience in action and attitude. Verse 7
5. Be a cheerful giver. Give with a glad heart. Rejoice that God sovereignly uses the dust of the earth, who were once slaves to unrighteousness, to now accomplish His righteous and sovereign good pleasure. Verse 7
6. God provides so we have sufficiency to give. You can’t outgive God. Give as bountifully as you have purposed in your own heart. God will supply your need so you may do so. He owns the heavens and the earth and all that is within them. There is nothing he can not give you. But remember, he does not give to us so that we may indulge ourselves. He gives to us bountifully so that we may use what He entrusts to our care to obediently serve Him. Verse 8
7. Obedient giving is righteous in the sight of God.

Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Truth in Practice

When we use what God supplies to give liberally it produces thanksgiving to God and increases our harvest of righteousness. Verses 9-11

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 2 Corinthian 9:15

Catechism

Question 4

Q. What is God?

A. God is Spirit (John 4:24), infinite (Job 11:7), eternal (Ps. 90:2, 1 Tim. 1:17), and unchangeable (James 1:17), in his being, (Ex. 3:14), wisdom, power (Ps. 147:5), holiness (Rev. 4:8), justice, goodness and truth (Ex. 34:67).

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