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
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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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