Posts in category: Practical

What manner of love does our heavenly Father have for us?

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Beloved, now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:1-2)

Adoption! Filial love! The triune, covenantal God of filial love is our Father for Christ’s sake.

His love is the love of the Father for His only begotten and beloved Son in and through the Holy Spirit. He has chosen to show and share that love with His elect in and through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Westminster Standards: A Comprehensive Treatment of the Sabbath

The fundamental doctrinal position of the Westminster Assembly regarding the Sabbath day is set forth in the Sabbath-day.” The Confession declares:

ffVII. As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in his Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him: which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week, and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week, which, in Scripture, is called the Lord’s day, and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.

VIII. This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest, all the day, from their own works, words, and thoughts about their worldly employments and recreations, but also are taken up, the whole time, in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.

On mine arm shall they trust. Isaiah 51:5

In seasons of severe trial, the Christian has nothing on earth that he can trust to, and is therefore compelled to cast himself on his God alone. When his boat is on the beam-ends, and no human deliverance can avail, he must simply and entirely trust himself to the providence and care of God.

Happy storm that wrecks a man on such a rock as this! O blessed hurricane that drives the soul to God and God alone!

God has given to the elders of His Church the responsibility to shepherd His flock. Paul says in Acts 20:28,

Take heed… unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Similarly, Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:1-3,

The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

Zechariah 4:5-7 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

Do you despise the day of small things? Zerubbabel, the prince of Judah, did. He lived in a day of small things. In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia (c. 538 BC), Zerubbabel led the first wave of Jews that returned from the Babylonian captivity, back to Jerusalem. Those who returned with him numbered approximately 50,000. They returned with the blessing of Cyrus and with the specific directive to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.