Trinity Bible Church

Prayer

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified (Isaiah 61:1- 3). Heavenly Father we thank You for faithful men whom You have called to boldly preach Your Word. may the pulpits of our lands be filled with the powerful proclamation of Thy holy Word and may You be glorified.

Today’s Hymn

Words: William D. Longstaff, 1882. Music: Holiness, George C. Stebbins, 1890.

TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY
Click here for tune.

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

Thought Provoker

A few years ago I had lunch with the pastor of one of the largest Baptist churches in the San Francisco Bay area. He told me that his church wanted to continue to grow, and that his church leadership decided that the best way to attract new people was for the church to change its preaching ministry. They believed that people’s attention spans today were too short to tolerate long messages. They also observed that people today don’t like to hear anything negative. The pastor told me that they removed the pulpit because it looked antiquated and authoritarian. He stopped preaching any more negative messages and framed all of his sermons in the positive. For people to listen, his sermons had to be upbeat and positive. Furthermore, his church limited his allotted preaching time to only twenty minutes. If he ever went over, the pianist would begin playing louder and louder until he finished. This story would seem humorous if it weren’t so sad. This is not an isolated story; rather it is being repeated in churches all around the world. With a desire to grow, many churches have removed the very source of power to convert souls and bring spiritual growth to Christ’s church.

Discuss together as a family the following questions:
• What is preaching?
• Does God want preaching in His church?
• How much power is there in preaching?
• Should the church stop preaching if the people don’t want to hear it?
• How should you listen to God’s Word being preached each Lord’s Day?

These are a few of the important questions that Paul is going to address today in 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

Dad’s Study

Read together verse 2 and see if your family can identify the five commands that Paul gives to Timothy as he leads the church of Ephesus?

1. Preach the Word
2. Be instant in season, out of season
3. Reprove
4. Rebuke
5. Admonish

In these five commands Paul answers the following questions:

1. What is preaching? It is the authoritative proclamation of God’s Word.

2. When should God’s Word be preached? Paul instructs both in season and out of season. In other words when preaching is welcome and when it is not, when it is popular and when it is out of vogue. God does not want preachers to stop proclaiming the Word during times when people don’t want to hear it. Can you think of any examples of men who preached the Word of God out of season? How about Noah (2 Pet. 2:5), Jeremiah, Jonah (Jonah 3:4); John the Baptist (Matt. 3:1-2); Jesus, Peter, and Paul to name a few. Rarely is it in season to preach. It is when people want to shut their ears to God speaking to them that the Word must be preached even more faithfully with power.

3. Why preach? Paul adds that preaching is to be directed to reproving, rebuking, and admonishing. To reprove is to preach with an end that God might grant repentance. A message that rebukes is one that sharply reprimands the hearer. Finally, preaching should admonish the hearer with tender encouragement from God’s Word. In fact, Paul adds that the preacher must reprove, rebuke, and admonish with longsuffering and doctrine. The preacher must be patient, trusting God to grant repentance in His time through the sound teaching of God’s Word.

Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Truth in Practice

Discuss together:

• What season do you live in now – in season or out of season?
• Are we living in the same season that Paul speaks of in verses 3-4?

Paul speaks of a season that will come when people will refuse to listen to sound doctrine preached from the pulpit. Paul describes them as people with itching ears. I believe we are living in such a season. Today, we would say they are people who love to have their ears tickled, to suit their own fancies and whims. They cry out for standup humor, stories, verbal entertainment, or anything but sound doctrine. In fact, they will remove the man who preaches the Word and replace him with preachers to suit their own fancies. Unfortunately, there are very few called preachers who fear God more than they do men. Rather than standing up heralding the truth with longsuffering, they soothe the itching ears of their congregations with the doctrines of man. They falsely tell their congregations that all is well with their souls which are bound for hell.

Today, give thanks to God if He has graced your church with a man who faithfully and uncompromisingly preaches God’s Word. Take time out as a family to encourage your pastor. Drop him a note of thanks for faithfully feeding you God’s Word. Pray for your pastor. Ask God to empower His sermons that they might reprove, rebuke, and admonish your hearts. Finally, be a good listener. Remember that when your pastor declares God’s Word it is God speaking to you.

Catechism

Question 29

Q. How does the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ?

A. The Spirit applies to us the redemption purchased by Christ, by working faith in us (Ephesians 2:8) and by it uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling (Ephesians 3:17).

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Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for your many mercies to us day by day. We thank You for your Word in our hand and in our mother tongue. As we come to look at it now, will You show mercy to us and give us understanding of it; will You speak to us through your Word. Amen

Today’s Hymn

Words: Daniel W. Whittle, in Gospel Hymns No. 4, 1883.

I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED
Click here for tune.

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.

Refrain

But I know Whom I have believèd,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.

I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.

Refrain

I know not how the Spirit moves,
Convincing us of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
Creating faith in Him.

Refrain

I know not what of good or ill
may be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.

Refrain

I know not when my Lord may come,
At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with Him,
Or meet Him in the air.

Refrain

Thought Provoker

I don’t know about you, but I seem to have a bad memory. Sometimes it is easy to remember things that happened ages ago, and then forget something that happened 5 minutes ago. Or it might be visa vers
A. Some people have such poor memories that they tie a knot in the corner of their handkerchief in order to help them remember something. However, often is the case that they wonder why they have a knot in their handkerchief and cannot remember why they tied it there!!

Dad’s Study

Today, we are looking at one of those passages where we are told to remember something important. Ask the children can they think of any other passages where we are told to remember something important e.g. Remember the Sabbath Day; Remember Lot’s wife etc.

The opening verse reminds us to Remember our Creator in the days of our youth.

Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Truth in Practice

Ask the children why we must remember our Creator when we are young. Here are a few thoughts.

1. Because it is our duty to worship God.
2. Because even children need to be converted
3. Because children are only one breath away from Hell unless they believe.
4. Because we miss out enjoying God and His peculiar blessings for believers.

This is a wonderful opportunity to impress upon your children the need to repent and to believe the gospel.

Pastor Charles Collins – Kettering, UK

Catechism

Question 28

Q. How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?

A. We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us (John 1:12) by his Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5, 6).

Popularity: 1% [?]

Prayer

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1) Amen.

Today’s Hymn

Words: Daniel W. Whittle, in Gospel Hymns No. 4, 1883.

I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED
Click here for tune.

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.

Refrain

But I know Whom I have believèd,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.

I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.

Refrain

I know not how the Spirit moves,
Convincing us of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
Creating faith in Him.

Refrain

I know not what of good or ill
may be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.

Refrain

I know not when my Lord may come,
At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with Him,
Or meet Him in the air.

Refrain

Thought Provoker

Staring at death has a way of giving sharper focus to life. A few weeks ago I was stirred by my visitation to my Father-in-law’s gravestone. He was a career army officer who was laid to rest in a National Cemetery. There, along side of him, were five of his fellow soldiers who had all passed away on the same day. What a sobering reminder of the shortness of life and how many are departing from this life every day. I left with a fresh renewal not to waste what little life God has given me and to live each day for His glory. The Egyptians had a custom that drove home the same principle from a worldly perspective. In the middle of a party they would parade the figure of a corpse among the guests at a party to give them a fresh appreciation to enjoy the present while they were still alive! “Look on this!” they would cry; “drink and enjoy thyself for when thou diest thou shalt be such.” Today we are going to gaze at the darkness of death that we might have greater appreciation for the light of life (vs. 7-8).

Dad’s Study

The light of life is a great pleasure. Whether the preacher refers to the light figuratively, relating it to life itself, or more literally to the light of sun that warms the earth, both are truly a great pleasure. All around you is the light of God’s creation! It is so easy to miss the beauty of God’s creation that He floods with light. During the summer the sun peeks over the Rockies and floods into my bedroom window at about 5:00 a.m. Out of the darkness come the highlights on the mountains, crops, and trees. What a joy it is to be alive. However, it is so easy to forget the light of life that surrounds you. When I first moved to Wyoming every day was filled with sighs and gasps of the majesty and glory of God as I marveled at the majestic snow topped mountains that surround us. But over the years the majesty has lost its luster. Some days I have to remind myself that the mountains are still there. It is only when I leave and spend some times in some dark and dirty city that I return with a fresh appreciation for the light of life around me. That’s what we are reminded of in today’s chapter. It’s only when you daze at the darkness beyond the grave that you are reminded of the present pleasure that comes from a life of light. Keep in mind that the darkness of the grave here is viewed through the eyes of the non- Christian, who does not have any hope after the grave. Life here on earth is short. Life after the grave is forever.

Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Truth in Practice

It’s possible to reach a false application from this passage. Many wrongly take it to mean, if life is short and death is a dark forever, “Let’s eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.” Instead, let us not waste the precious life that God has given us. He has graced you with a life designed to be full of His light and joy. It is not to be a life of self-consumption, rather a life that purposes to bring glory to God with every breath. Stop and give thanks to God for His gift of life. Discuss with your family specific ways you might glorify your heavenly Father and why it is that such a life brings eternal joy and delight!

Catechism

Question 28

Q. How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?

A. We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us (John 1:12) by his Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5, 6).

Popularity: 1% [?]

Prayer

O Lord, cleanse me from hidden faults within my own heart! Keep me back from blatant violations of your will, from purposefully silencing my conscience. Help me to walk in integrity before you all my days. Amen. (Psalm 19:12-13; Psalm 101)

Today’s Hymn

Words: Daniel W. Whittle, in Gospel Hymns No. 4, 1883.

I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED
Click here for tune.

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.

Refrain

But I know Whom I have believèd,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.

I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.

Refrain

I know not how the Spirit moves,
Convincing us of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
Creating faith in Him.

Refrain

I know not what of good or ill
may be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.

Refrain

I know not when my Lord may come,
At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with Him,
Or meet Him in the air.

Refrain

Thought Provoker

Would you eat soup if you were told it came from a pot that had a fly floating in it? Would you put lotion on your face if you knew that a worm had somehow gotten into the bottle of lotion? Ecclesiastes 10 uses this kind of image in the first verse to talk about the importance of integrity.

Dad’s Study

Integrity is part of the battle of the Christian life that we cannot leave off even for a second. That is the point of this graphic illustration in Ecclesiastes 10:1-”Dead flies cause the ointment—- to send forth a stinking savor: so does a little folly to the one who has a reputation for wisdom and honor.” When we avoid sin, and live righteously, we are slowly and quietly gaining the respect of others for godliness. They recognize over time that we are committed to following the Lord, and striving to please Him. People cannot help but notice consistency and faithfulness to God. Even if they do not always acknowledge it, or praise it in some way, they sense and respect it. As one pastor pointed out, each day of faithful living before God is like a deposit in the bank of trust and respect that others have for you. It grows daily as you consistently strive to be well pleasing to the Lord. This is not saying that we are to live to please men, but that when we live to please God, we gain the respect of men.

But our passage has a stern warning. If we go off into an area of open sinfulness, however briefly, we have forfeited all respect. The bottom is broken out of the bank of trust and respect; it spills out empty, and the reputation is ruined. This is the point of the verse, you see. It is calling us to be sentry-like in our watchfulness over our souls. An evening of pleasure cannot possibly be worth the damage to our own souls, and the damage to our reputation before others. All that labor, all that striving after godliness, can become useless and even hypocritical to the eyes of others if we let our guard down, push past the barriers of a sensitive conscience, and commit open and blatant sin.

Do we not know people who have done this very thing? Many times, they end up in apostasy, having forsaken the Lord. We find that they never were the real thing. But what about those who actually do repent afterwards, and seek to turn back to the Lord? Their lives from that point on seem to be picking up the pieces of a shattered family, a shattered congregation, a shattered life. The damage has been done, and what can they do now? Yes, the Lord will forgive them if they return to Him, but that does not remove the sting of their offense in the hearts of all those who knew them. That does not make their reputation what it was before they fell into wickedness. The cost is too high, brothers and sisters! The pain is too great! Do not let the Devil lure you into forfeiting your integrity. It is not a reversible decision; it cannot be all cleaned up immediately afterward; it leaves permanent scars.

Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Truth in Practice

Let us be warned by the examples in the Scripture as well as in our own personal experience, and take heed, and fear, and humble ourselves, and live closely to Christ and His cross, that we may walk worthy of our calling, and finish well the race that is set before us. Dads, resolve before the Lord that, by His grace, you will not forfeit your integrity, and teach your wife and children the immense importance of guarding the heart.

Pastor James Williamson

Catechism

Question 28

Q. How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?

A. We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us (John 1:12) by his Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5, 6).

Popularity: 1% [?]

Prayer

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes (Psalm 119:11-12). Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for breathing forth your inerrant Word. may You take it this day to forge us into Thy image.

Today’s Hymn

Words: Daniel W. Whittle, in Gospel Hymns No. 4, 1883.

I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED
Click here for tune.

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.

Refrain

But I know Whom I have believèd,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.

I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.

Refrain

I know not how the Spirit moves,
Convincing us of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
Creating faith in Him.

Refrain

I know not what of good or ill
may be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.

Refrain

I know not when my Lord may come,
At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with Him,
Or meet Him in the air.

Refrain

Thought Provoker

A couple of years ago several men from our church went witnessing on our local college campus. We met a young Japanese student who was working in the computer lab. His family’s religious background was Buddhist, however personally he professed to be an atheist. He shared with us that he was majoring in English literature. After declaring the Gospel of grace through faith in Christ, we offered him a free copy of the New Testament in the Japanese language. Not only would he not take it, he would not even touch the book. It was almost as if he thought it was too hot to handle. I asked him how he could be an English literature student and not want to at least read the best selling book in the English language. I believe this young man knew that the book we were offering him was more than just another book. It was that more that He wanted to flee fRomans

The Bible that you are holding in your hands is the most unique book ever written. Discuss together as a family the Bible’s uniqueness, including:
• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Bible is the world’s most distributed book.
• It is the oldest of all books.
• It is the best selling book of all times.
• Written largely by unlearned men and yet it is the best book from a literary standpoint.
• The UN Reports it to be the most translated book.

There is one more! The Bible is the only book that is the inspired and therefore the infallible Word of God!

Dad’s Study

Today we come to one of the great verses (v. 16) of the Bible; it declares in wonderful terms the greatness of God’s Word. It is the truth of this verse that separates the Bible from every other book ever written.

All Scripture. Although this is a direct reference to the Old Testament of Paul’s day, these words also include all that would be spoken by the prophets of the New Testament church and declared canonical by the church. Thus, all Scripture defines the 66 books of the Bible made up of the Old and New Testaments.

Is given by the inspiration of God. Inspiration of God literally means God- breathed. The Bible was given to us by the Divine breath – the Holy Spirit. The human authors were powerfully guided and directed by the Holy Spirit. The result was that what they wrote was not only without error, but of supreme value to you. It is the infallible rule of faith and practice. The authors of the Bible were not human keyboards on which God mechanically typed out the words. Instead, God breathed out His words through the individual personalities of the authors.

Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Truth in Practice

An illustration of the divine authorship of the Bible can be found by looking at any TV talk show. The host parades guest after guest who can never agree on any controversial point. Think how amazing it is that over 40 authors could write about many controversial topics over 1500 years and not disagree on one point. How could that be? God is the author of the Bible!

Because the Bible is inspired of God and therefore infallible, it has a valuable purpose in your life. Unlike any other literature, it is profitable:

1. Doctrine. The Bible teaches you who God is and what His will is for your life.

2. Reproof. It is a book that brings warnings to your life to refute false beliefs and practices.

3. Correction. Reproof warns about the wrong path, and correction directs you to the right pathway.

4. Instruction in righteousness. The Bible also disciplines you unto holiness. When the Bible is applied this way to your life the result is That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (v. 17). The power to change and become Christlike is found in the inerrant Word of God faithfully taught, read, and applied through the power of the Holy Spirit.

• Are you using God’s inspired Word in this manner?
• Does your family know that God’s Word is your sole source of faith and practice?
• Are you teaching yourself and your family doctrine?
• Do you warn your family about their wrongful beliefs and practices from the Word?
• Do you point your family into the right pathway by the light of God’s Word?
• Do you discipline sinful behavior skillfully using God’s Word?

Faithfully swing God’s sword as He intended it to be swung. may it powerfully cut away all that is ungodly and bring each of you to His perfection.

The two Testaments are the two lips by which God has spoken to us – Thomas Watson

Catechism

Question 28

Q. How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?

A. We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us (John 1:12) by his Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5, 6).

Popularity: 1% [?]