Trinity Bible Church

Prayer

Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law (Psalm 119:18). Father in heaven, truly your law is sweeter than honey and more precious than gold. How it stands before us this day as a mirror, reflecting our wicked hearts! May your law continue to draw us into the merciful hand of your precious Son.

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
Click here for tune.

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

Sometimes we find ourselves telling our children, don’t ask why; just do what you are told. But sometimes it is important to know the reason behind the rule. Ask your family if they know why the traffic light near your house turns red. That’s right, it means that a car may be crossing the intersection. Unless you STOP, you may be crushed! In other words, unless you know the reason behind the law, you can die in breaking it. This is why many Jews perished in their sins, because they didn’t stop to ask why the law of God was given. They mistakenly thought that the law was given to save them (Rom. 9:32). They slavishly pursued the law, trying to earn their salvation. This morning, Paul is going to show us why God gave His law, and how, if it is pursued in the way it was intended, it can lead to life!

Dad’s Study

Read together Galatians 3:19-22, and ask your family if they can find three reasons the law was given to Israel.

1. It was given to reveal sin (v. 19). In other words, it was given to make inward, invisible rebellion, visible (Rom. 4:15). A child may have a rebellious heart, but that heart cannot be seen until there is a law put in front of it. When Mom finishes baking her favorite chocolate cake and then gives the law by stating, thou shalt not touch the cake, an unseen heart of rebellion will soon be seen when the little toddler sneaks up and picks off a corner of the warm dessert.

2. It was given to arouse more sin (v. 19). This echoes Paul’s teaching in Romans 5:20, Moreover the law entered that the offence might abound.. Not only was the law designed to show sin, but it was also given to actually increase it! When the sinful nature within us confronts a law, the law actually stimulates the sinful heart to break it (Rom. 7:5). The sinful inclinations of the heart are not only exposed by the law, but are aroused by it!

3. It was given to hold people in sin until Christ came (v. 22). The law could not make people spiritually alive. God did not design the law to save. Instead, God has done what the law could not do, and that is to bring spiritual life to a lost sinner, through the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:3-4). The defect was not in the law, but the defect was in the heart of mankind. Man’s heart is sinful and will not submit to the law of God.

How tragic! The Jews used the law to do what it was not designed to do! They used it to try to save themselves, when it was given by God to show them their wickedness and to arouse more sin in their wicked hearts. This results in their spiritual death. It would be like taking a stop light and using it for the purpose of locating the middle of the street rather than warning you of impending danger. While you faithfully drove down the middle, you were smashed to death in the intersection.

Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Truth in Practice

Why couldn’t the law bring spiritual life? Life does not come from the law, but rather from the sovereign regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. The law was given to show the Jews the sinfulness of sin, and to drive them to God for mercy through faith. When Jesus was asked by the rich young ruler, what must I do to inherit eternal life, Christ took him to the law. Not that he could be saved by keeping the law, rather so that he could see that he was a law breaker and humbly seek Christ for mercy (Matt. 19:16-22). Today, the law still serves the same purpose as it did for the Jews. You will not cry out for mercy until you have seen yourself as a guilty sinner. You will not see yourself as a sinner until God opens your eyes to see that you are a breaker of His holy law. As parents, bring the law regularly before the hearts of your family. When your children sin, show them how they have violated God’s law and the eternal consequence for being a lawbreaker. May God’s law accomplish His will in each of your hearts!

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

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in
him: but the just shall live by his faith (Habakkuk 2:4).

Our Father who art in heaven, we praise you this day as the God of all grace. We thank you for your gift of faith to all that You have saved and will save within our family.

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
Click here for tune.

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

Many here in Wyoming have treadmills on which to exercise year-round. When the snow flies and the temperature drops below zero, it’s nice to get a workout inside, where it’s warm. A treadmill is a machine that enables you to run hard, sweat, and toil without going anywhere. Paul has warned about false teachers who come to pervert the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:8). The Gospel of the Bible can be summed up in one word, GRACE! Satan, knowing our pride, seeks to pervert the Gospel by adding to grace the works of the law. In other words, the true Gospel is all of God. He predestinates, calls, produces faith and repentance, sanctifies, and glorifies! Satan’s messengers come to the church and pervert this Gospel of grace by mixing with it the works of man. They change the formula from Grace + 0 = salvation, to Grace + human works = salvation. The enemy likes to call professing Christians to hop on their religious treadmills and continue to run their way to God through sweat and toil! In today’s passage, Paul warns us that treadmills only bring sweat and toil – they do not bring you closer to God!

Dad’s Study

Read together Galatians 2:16-20 and discuss:

• What does Paul mean by justified?
• How is a person justified?
• Can anyone be justified by doing the works of the law?
• Do we have to earn our way back to God when we sin?

Justified is a judicial term that means to be declared not guilty of sin. A person is declared not guilty for breaking the law of God and is declared righteous, not by works but, by faith of Jesus Christ. Paul clearly declares that by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. No one will find himself in right standing before his Creator and King by trying to do the works of the law. In other words, a religious treadmill will cause a sweat but not take you closer to God. All of your righteous works are like filthy rags (Is. 64:6). There is nothing except the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that is acceptable to the heavenly Father. Many profess to come to Christ through faith, and yet like the Galatians, want to continue through keeping the law. This is the gospel of Mormonism today. They teach that Christ’s atonement goes only so far and then you must do the rest through your good works. This error is a snare for all that profess faith in Christ. It’s so easy to profess faith and then jump on your religious treadmill trying to somehow keep a good relationship with God through your own works. I have counseled with professing Christians who have fallen into a grievous sin. Satan came pointing his bony, accusative finger at them and asked, and you call yourself a Christian? You want to go to church next Sunday? What makes you think that you’re worthy? Get your act together first! The result is that many think that they are not worthy of worship and believe that they must be good for a period of time before returning to the fellowship of the saints. Maybe after 3-4 weeks of stopping that particular sin and trying to be good they feel worthy to return. This is falling into a similar error as the Galatians. Remember, you are saved by grace! Kept by grace! When you sin, you are forgiven by grace!

Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Truth in Practice

No one deserves to go to church! No one deserves to receive the Lord’s supper! We are all sinners by nature, alienated from God and His life! But by God’s grace through faith in His Son we are justified, forgiven, and declared righteous. Underline verse 16 in your Bible. The next time Satan tempts you to jump on the works treadmill, read to Him out loud, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified! And then flee from his tempting presence into the gracious arms of your Lord.

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).

Popularity: 1% [?]

Prayer

Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the LORD; for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven (Psalm 148:11-13).

Today’s Hymn

Words: Joachim Neander, in A und Ω Glaub- und Liebes¸bung (Straslund: 1680); translated from German to English by Catherine Winkworth, 1863.

PRAISE TO THE LORD, THE ALMIGHTY
Click here for tune.

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;
Praise Him in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, Who over all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord, Who hath fearfully, wondrously, made thee;
Health hath vouchsafed and, when heedlessly falling, hath stayed thee.
What need or grief ever hath failed of relief?
Wings of His mercy did shade thee.

Praise to the Lord, Who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
If with His love He befriend thee.

Praise to the Lord, Who, when tempests their warfare are waging,
Who, when the elements madly around thee are raging,
Biddeth them cease, turneth their fury to peace,
Whirlwinds and waters assuaging.

Praise to the Lord, Who, when darkness of sin is abounding,
Who, when the godless do triumph, all virtue confounding,
Sheddeth His light, chaseth the horrors of night,
Saints with His mercy surrounding.

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen sound from His people again,
Gladly for aye we adore Him.

Thought Provoker

In the parable of the sower, Christ speaks of the rocky soil that represents the heart that hears the gospel and immediately receives it with joy, but then affliction comes and he falls away from the truth. Have you ever noticed how Satan attacks new believers, how he brings affliction, persecution, and temptation to cause them to stumble and fall away so that he can snatch the word from them? Sometimes the affliction comes in the form of false teaching, intent on deceiving the new Christian who has not yet been deeply rooted in the truth of God’s Word. Such was the case with the Galatians, who had quickly deserted Christ (verse 6).

Dad’s Study

As we saw in 2 Corinthians 11 last week, Satan will masquerade as an angel of light and bring a different gospel. He mixes truth with error, trying to deceive God’s own elect. In Galatia, false apostles had come preaching a gospel of works, attacking Paul, his apostleship, and the gospel he preached as not being authentic. In defense of the true gospel and the ministry God had given him to preach it to the gentiles, Paul lays his defense.

Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Truth in Practice

1. His apostleship

The mark of an apostle was that they had been taught by Christ Himself, commissioned by Christ, and sent by Christ. Paul bears all three of these marks. He received the gospel directly from Jesus Christ (verse 12), he was commissioned by Christ (verse 15), and he was sent by Christ (verse 1). Paul was truly an authentic Apostle of Jesus Christ.

2. His gospel

His gospel message was the true gospel. It was not of men or received from men. It was God’s gospel message received from Him (verses 11,12).

3. His commission

Paul was commissioned and prepared for his ministry by God. In verse 15, it was God who had set him apart for this ministry. It was God who prepared him, when he went to Arabia after receiving this ministry. Paul did not come to men to affirm his calling; he committed himself to God, obediently followed his calling, and let the results affirm his calling in the minds of men (verses 22-24).

4. Consequences of preaching another gospel

Paul also gives a warning. The Galatians had been accosted by Judaisers who were bent on introducing the keeping of the law plus faith as part of the gospel. Paul clearly refutes this false teaching, pronouncing anathema on those who would preach another gospel. Anathema is a cursing, and those who preach a different gospel are subject to this curse from God. Beloved, we ought to be fearful should we stray from the true gospel or else these consequences will befall us. Pray and keep watch that we are faithful to the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

Catechism

Question 6

Q. How many persons are there in the Godhead?

A. There are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one God, the same in essence, equal in power and glory (1 John 5:7; Matthew 28:19).

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