8/24/19 

 Exodus 20:14

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not commit sexual uncleanness. 

I took a ministerial oath in an orthodox Presbyterian church in 1975.  I have maintained a responsibility to that oath until the present day.

In that oath, common to all orthodox Presbyterian officers, is a responsibility to recognize the Westminster Confession with the Larger and Shorter Catechism 

as the truth of Scripture and the teaching of my church.  If I depart from that, ie the teaching of the Confession and Catechism I am to notify my presbytery of my difference.  Having not done that my presbytery has every right to expect me to agree with the Larger Catechism’s teaching on the seventh commandment.

For my honesty to my confession it does not matter what is understood as a love for sinners, encouragement to repentant gay believers, or sincere evangelism, my understanding of sin as it is forbidden in the Law of God is determined by writing, which constitute my confession as the object of my vows.  Until I deny this confession and make the change known to my presbytery everyone who knows me has the right to expect me to believe and teach that heterosexual, homosexual, and any other type of sexual lust is sin.

The tenth commandment gives us the character of lust.  James 1:14-15    advances our understanding to the point if we deny the fact of lust and the sinfulness of it we have lost the credibility, or of even deserving a hearing.

¹⁴ But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵ Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death

I might debate with you whether a homosexual can be forgiven, I have heard that debate.  I might debate with you what can be categorized as lust, I have heard that debate, but I cannot and will not debate whether sexual uncleanness as described in my confession, (until and unless I have notified my presbytery) is sin.

The Larger Catechism in its exposition of the seventh commandment has defined the bounds of it.  That is my statement.  It is plain.  It is understandable and it is irrevocable.  “Let God be true and every man a liar”, Romans 3:4b

8/21/19 

Psalm 119:104
¹⁰⁴Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.

Cf Psalm 97:10

¹⁰With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!

In verse 104 the contrast is between understanding and hate.  This raises the question, “Understanding of what?”

The answer to this lies in false way.  The understanding spoken of here is that which causes or defines the false way.  Sin is the false way.  This is hated.  That which the writer understands is God’s Law.  By his understanding of God’s Law he recognizes sin and can avoid it.  The false way is other than his way.  It is the way of the wicked and he avoids it.

Psalm 97:10   In this Psalm the contrast is between love and hate and the Lord and evil.

The first observation is the radical separation between the attitude the saint has toward the Lord and evil.  He loves the one and hates the other.  There is nothing less than a complete separation involved.  No middle ground is named, no complicity or accommodation.  The one who loves the Lord is radically separated from evil.

The second observation is this is by an intentional act.  Love and hate, whatever else they are, are volitional.  Knowledgeable, willing, and sincere is the content of this choice.  Do you really hate evil?

8/20/19 

Psalm 119:9

How can a young man keep his way pure?  By guarding it according to your word.

There are three fundamental lessons to be learned here, and they are fundamental.

1.       Romans 3:23

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

A person needs to be aware that their conduct, or their way of life, needs continued correction.  Anyone who thinks that their way of life is without reproach is one whom the writer of Proverbs calls a fool.

2.       Psalm 119:5

Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!

There is a provision for the person who knows their need to change.  There are social norms and they are not all bad.  There are philosophical directions for a satisfying life and some are a help.  Families have rules; governments have laws; and there are the rules of friendship.  But the Law of God as a pearl in a perfect setting in Holy Scripture is the perfect instruction for a life above reproach.

3.       Psalm 119:11; 1:2

¹¹ I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

¹but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Memorizing, meditating on, and commitment to the Law of God in Scripture is in Psalm 1:2, the source of the believer’s fruitfulness.  Once we know our need, we must find what satisfies that need.  Once we find what satisfies our need, there arises the commitment to do it.  Let me encourage you to get access to the Westminster Larger Catechism and study it on the Ten Commandments.

8/17/19 

Luke 18:9-14

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

I heard the most helpful and encouraging sermon on this parable recently.  And thinking about the parable--a sermon and a title, I think a good title would be A Glorious Conversion and A Credible Profession.  This is what we see in this story.

The Pharisee is the good guy in the community.  There is no reason to think that he is not the guy you want as your neighbor.  He is honest, sober, respectful, and an officer in his church.  He knows himself well.  He has considered himself before man and in the eyes of God.  In his opinion he is certainly better than many, if not most, men.  But above all he has standing with God.  He stood and looked God in the eye and recounted his virtues and there is no reason to think he lied.

Now the Publican is different.  He might have been wealthy, or maybe only had enough.  But this is for sure, he was a thief, a liar, and self-indulgent.  He was hated by his fellow citizens and rightly so.  What can be said for him?   Only this: he repented.  And Christ witnesses this for him.  He went away justified.

There are really two questions for you.

1.       Which would you rather be?

2.      Are you willing to be that honest with God?

8/15/19 

Romans 3:20

²⁰ For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Psalm 1:2

but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 119:97

Oh how I love your law!
    It is my meditation all the day.

What does the Law of God mean to you?  It plainly is the way God administers salvation.  It is just as plainly a ministration of judgment.  But it must be something else.

It is the constant meditation of the saint as both references in the Psalms inform us.  It is both their love and their source of fruitfulness.  It is a fact of Scripture that for the believer peace, fruitfulness, and growth in grace will not come without love for and a commitment to God’s Law.

To love God is to obey with affection the first 4 commandments.  In the same way to love our neighbor is to love commandments 5-10.

When Paul; in Romans 3:20 says through the law comes the knowledge of sin, he puts all man’s deeds under the oversight of the Law.  Sin is defined by the Law.  If not for the Law we would not know sin.

I found that credit was a great tool but a terrible master.  So the Law comes to us as an all- encompassing aid to grace in sanctification, or a terrible taskmaster to seek for salvation, cf Ephesians 2:8-9.

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

8/09/19 

Proverbs 25:16

If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.

Our experiences in life are in main made up of our likes and dislikes.  In a time where a sweet tooth could only be satisfied with honey, the value of honey was far beyond our present appreciation of it.

But the writer of Proverbs realizing this, cautions against over-indulgence.  Even something so desirable as honey must be eaten with care.  Over-indulgence could bring harm to the eater.

So it is with everything in this world.  Only a believing relationship with Christ escapes this warning.  No one can believe too completely, be too devoted, spend too much energy, or love too completely the Holy Triune God.  There is no danger here.

By this devotion we cure our excessive appetites, direct our energy and encourage any lack of it, increase our faith to attempt great things, and increase our affection toward God in such a way that the well-being of our neighbor becomes primary with us.

A believer never fails because he loves Christ too much; but because he has found himself craving and indulging in a worldly honey to the excess.

Why is heaven desirable?  Because God is there.  cf Philippians 3:9-11.

⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

8/12/19 

Song of Solomon 8:6-7

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm,
for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord.
⁷ Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.
If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.

Does this not remind you of I Corinthians 13?  It is in some ways a summary of the great poem in I Corinthians.

I heard a friend use this illustration many years ago and I have thought often of it.  “There are four things you cannot buy, a baby’s smile, a good man’s friendship, a good woman’s love, and the grace of God.” The comparisons struck here seem very apt.  As the writer in Song of Solomon, if he would offer “he would be utterly despised.”

I must confess again how I have taken for granted friendships, love, and beyond all else the grace of God.  But I know I have done it and failed to consider what I have done.  The failure is lost in my hardness.

If you consider your own heart, you will not find me unique.  You too have failed to consider and give a proper return both to man and God.

And now, I John 4:10.

¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

8/07/19 

Song of Solomon 1:2

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine;

In all my years of teaching, the Song is probably my favorite to teach.  There are great numbers of questions, beginning with the title, about it.  But most of them are irrelevant.

There is really no reason to doubt the author is Solomon.  It is an epic poem.  But it is not a Roman, Danish, or Shakespearian epic.  It is Hebrew and therefore it does not conform to any other standard than what Hebrews would expect.

Though it uses characters that were familiar to the people who received it, these characters need not have any particular historical identification.  They were characters in a poem and an historical identity was not necessary.

I personally subscribe to it being a description of the purity and pleasure of a Biblical male and female relationship.  I do not find anything to make me believe it is an allegory of Christ and the Church as His bride.  Nearly all orthodox men believed this allegorical view up into the 20^th century, though the majority no longer do.

The beauty, pleasure, and privacy of human marriage love is described vividly but in a chaste and private way.  This is a gift from God and it is to be recognized and received as such.

8/07/19 

Philippians 4:13

¹³ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

It is both my responsibility and my need to know what the “all things” that I can do are.

1.       I know I can deal with sin in a way which otherwise I could not do through Christ who strengthens me.

A.    This means I can accept God’s forgiveness.

B.     This I realize God’s love is in no way conditioned on my being worth it.

C.     This means I accept responsibility for my behavior.  No one but me, none other is responsible for what I do.

D.    This means I must to my utmost forgive unconditionally.

2.       I can accept III John 2 for myself.  All things I have, do, or expect must serve my “soul prosperity”.

A.    To have this in my life I must consider others better and before myself.

B.     To have this I must give rather than receive.  All that I have with consideration of my family’s needs and my responsibility must be given to God and His church.

3.       I can want to think of others as better than myself.  I can want the mind of Christ to be in me and repent where and when I do not find it.

Therefore:

1.       I will not permit myself to be jealous of the gifts and graces of others.

2.      I will not allow laziness to permit me to fail in my service to God.

8/05/19 

Daniel 9:23

²³ At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:

The love of the Triune God for His elect is a continuing theme of the Scriptures.  But the title Daniel receives, “Beloved”, is unique to him.

There are other ways in which God’s servants are addressed and described that distinguishes them. 

Abraham is the “friend of God”.

Moses is addressed and treated with a special tenderness and noted for his meekness.

God seems to have a special sense of longsuffering reserved for David. 

And maybe you can think of others such as Peter and John. 

Certainly we must remember Paul taken into the “third heaven”.

It seems as if this forces us to recognize there is a way in which God has favorites.  But the really strange thing for me is that there is no jealousy of God’s favoritism.  In every instance they are my favorites also.

The beauty of Daniel’s character is without equal, except maybe Joseph.  Then again consider Abraham’s love and loyalty to friends and family.  Remember Jeremiah’s faithfulness, fidelity, and unwavering truthfulness, all in the midst of great suffering.  If one would be loved, he must be loveable like Daniel.

8/02/19 

3 John 3-4

³ For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth.

 ⁴ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

This short letter has always generated a number of questions. 

One is who is the “Elder” who writes.  There are well argued differences about who this is.

Second is what gives this very limited epistle a place in inspired writ.

But the church placed it in the canon and none has the authority to remove it.

There are three very important facts about the church found here.

First in vss 3-6 the church is doing well.  In spite of any criticism it is a church that satisfies the writer as to its purpose and concern for strangers.

Second, churches at this early stage in history had problems.  It is worth noting that with the oppression the church faced in the first century it is an internal problem that is noted here.

The third important feature is the authority that the “Elder” author assumed in vss 9-10.  The apostolic authority in these verses, and that which Paul assumes elsewhere, gives us reason to accept well written theories of Apostolic oversight.

7/31/19 

Numbers 22:7  II Peter 2:15-16

⁷ So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak's message. 

¹⁵ Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,

¹⁶ but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.

There are many strange people in the Old Testament and a few in the New.  But for me the strangest of all is Balaam.  There are many questions surrounding Balaam.  The first is who is he?

Balaam knows the name Yahweh, the name of the Covenant God of Israel.  And he seems familiar with the tribes of Israel.  He seems to have some kind of familiar relationship with the Lord.  But both the Old and New Testament make it plain that he was a wicked, greedy false prophet.  There is nothing redeeming in Balaam.

There are three plain warnings.

1.       Balaam is told not to go with the men who came after him.  No matter how alluring the offer, Balaam should have, if he didn’t, know that God does not change His mind.

2.      Balaam had enough opportunity to know not to go.  And he was given a way to turn back at the last moment but did not take it.

3.      Nothing happened to Balaam that he did not deserve.  He was a wreck looking for a place to happen.