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1 Corinthians 1:9

READ:

1 Corinthians 1:9

God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.


EXHORTATION:

As Christians, one of our greatest consolations is that we have an unchanging, ever dependable, true and faithful God. Our circumstances may change, people whom we have relied on for a long time may change; but He who has called us “unto the fellowship of His Son” will unchangeably remain as our endless help and strength.

God will also remain faithful to all His promises. He will not fail to perform what He has promised. We can trust Him to keep every word He has promised. He will not deceive us. He will not commence anything which He will not perfect and finish. Our confidence in the blessed hope that Christianity gives to us is wholly built upon the faithfulness of God.

The apostle Paul’s purpose in presenting the truth about God’s faithfulness here is to provide the proof for his earlier statement that the believers will be kept blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, their ultimate bliss in heaven is guaranteed by the fidelity of God. As Paul said in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”.

Paul also reminds the believers that they have been called by God. He said to them, “ye were called”. It is God who called them. The word “called” here does not refer merely to an invitation, but what the theologians refer to as “the effectual calling”. When the Gospel call is given to repent and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, some hearers will reject it. But some others would experience a deep-felt, inward call to repent and believe on Christ. Those who are effectually called do not just receive the external call of the Gospel, but also the inner call of the Gospel by the working of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. Westminster Shorter Catechism explains effectual calling as “the work of God’s Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel” (Q & A: 31).

When God calls us, He leads us into a close fellowship or communion with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Then onwards, we shall enjoy a warm and abiding relationship with Christ. Let us always seek to walk with Christ.

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1 Corinthians 10:13c

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1 Corinthians 10:13c

13c But will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.


EXHORTATION:

In 1 Corinthians 10:13, three major divine promises are given to comfort and to strengthen Christians who are encountering temptations and trials in their lives. The first promise is that God would not permit any temptation that is uncommon to man to befall His people. The second promise is that our faithful God will not allow us to be tempted above that we are able. The third promise is the focus of our devotion today; it assures us that along with the temptation, God will make a way for us to escape so that it will not be unbearable to us. At times, believers might encounter very sore and overwhelming temptations and trials, but the Lord will deliver them from being overpowered and overcome.

Amidst our temptations and trials, the Lord shall be most tender and affectionate towards us. He will be paying attention to our peculiar struggles and challenges. He promises us that He will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able. As Psalm 103:14 tells us, “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” So, being our faithful God, He would never let temptations that are disproportionate to our strength to overtake us.

Nonetheless, we have known of believers who have foolishly walked into great temptations and troubles. Consider Lot, for instance. He went and resided in Sodom, a city of great wickedness. He lost his family to the wickedness of that city. Yet, the apostle Peter tells us that God “delivered just Lot”, who was “vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked” (2 Peter 2:7). On Lot’s part, many careless and foolish choices were made; but on God’s part, His faithfulness and mercy in rescuing His child who had wandered far into a land of temptations and dangers, is instructive.

Even though we may feel that we are almost trounced by temptations and trials, God will provide “a way to escape”. God Himself will see to it that we are delivered from our temptations and trials. He will come to their aid with a divinely devised escape. He is like a faithful shepherd who looks out for his wandering sheep to deliver them from all perils that lurk around them.

Beloved, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations” (2 Peter 2:9). In every trial, God prepares a way out for His children.

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1 Corinthians 10:13b

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1 Corinthians 10:13b

13b But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able.


EXHORTATION:

When God’s children are faced with temptations and trials, they can be assured that God is faithful to them. This is the greatest and the best source of help and safety that they can have in such times of despair. In Psalm 89:33, the Lord says, “Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.” God’s faithfulness to His people is flawless and abiding.

His faithfulness to His people is very great. Lamentations 3:23 declares, “great is thy faithfulness.” The psalmist extols, “thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds” (Psalm 36:5). It has been a recurring theme in the apostle Paul’s epistles that God is faithful to all whom He has called (1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 2 Timothy 2:13). He is also faithful to keep all His covenantal promises to us. Deuteronomy 7:9 exhorts us, “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations”.

In the midst of our temptations and trials, if we look only to ourselves, we will fail. But if we depend on the faithfulness of our God, we will be secure. This is not to say that we do not have to make any effort on our own to resist the temptations that assault us, but rather that we can trust Him to be faithful to help us in our efforts to overcome them. If at any time we err in our conduct, we should immediately repent and confess our sins, for “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Because God is faithful, we are assured that He “will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able”. He will never place us where we cannot overcome temptations of sin. Let us not doubt His faithfulness and yield to temptations. Let us believe in His assurances and resist our temptations. Even when difficulties increase and we see no light at the end of the tunnel, let us trust that He “will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able”. The Lord will not abandon us to our ruthless foe, the devil. If temptations and trials abound, be not dismayed. No servant of Christ had ever been steered to heaven without being often tempted and threatened by the enemy. So, fear not; but resist to the uttermost!

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The Ultimate Davidic King

Sermon Text: Psalm 72
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 10th March 2024

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“The End of the Lord” in Believers’ Suffering

God works all things after the counsel of His sovereign will. He governs all events in the universe, including the evil devices of the wicked (cf. Proverbs 16:4) – except that He has no part in instigating or initiating sin. But He allows Satan and sinners to work against His people and Him. He takes their defiance as a challenge, only to thrash His enemies at the end. In fact, He can even bring up “the wrath of man” to praise Him, yet “the remainder of wrath shalt (he) restrain” (Psalm 76:10).

But in that great battle that the devil is waging against God, God’s children are often caught up in it, whether we like it or not. There is no sitting on the fence. Being on the Lord’s side, we have to face the challenge that is raised against God, embracing it with joy. We must be happy “fighters”, not in the sense of being belligerent and aggressive (looking for a fight), but in the sense of fighting “the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12) and enduring “hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3).

God Has Purpose in Believers’ Suffering

In this respect, the Holy Spirit’s comment of Job’s reaction to his sufferings is instructive: “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (James 5:11). Job was described by James as one who happily endured. 

The word (makarizo) for “happy” is the same Greek root word which gives rise to the adjective that is translated as “blessed” in the Beatitudes, like “Blessed are the poor in spirit”, “Blessed are they that mourn”, and so on (Matthew 5:3-11). Truly, we (biblically instructed) believers think of those who endure their sufferings as blessed people. We believe Job was a blessed man because he endured his suffering, for the resultant trying of his faith worketh patience (cf. James 1:3). James is bringing to the readers’ attention, the blessedness of Job’s patience, which is an honourable thing. In God’s sovereign scheme of things, patience and endurance are blessed traits which God wants His children to possess. 

Having established his heart in the Lord, though Job did question God’s will, he kept faith with the Lord and endured to the end. In the whole process, God was glorified and Job purified. Hence James highlighted “the end of the Lord”. Now, the Greek word (telos) for “end” here has the idea of end-result or objective. It is not referring to some sort of termination, for being the eternal Lord, God has no beginning or end. Rather, “the end of the Lord” is referring to the ultimate completion and fulfilment of God’s intent and purpose. So dear Christians, whatever trial you may be presently undergoing is never purposeless. And it is comforting to infer that it is not endless either! You may be having a difficult family life, or great financial problems, or debilitating health troubles, or a host of distressing issues, but please remember, that is what God has purposed. God will work out His purposes in His time and for His glory. In the meantime, “we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience” (Romans 5:3), which is certainly one of God’s purposes for our Christian lives. 

Indeed, the Lord has purpose in our lives. Our sovereign God is not a capricious God who does things according to His whim and fancy. He has a plan. He works out everything according to His plan; nothing happens by chance. He has decreed all things, including our lives and our works. In fact, “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). 

Suffering as Part of Believers’ Preordained “Good Works”

It should not surprise us that as God’s children living in a hostile world, part of the “package” of our “good works in Christ Jesus” inevitably includes sufferings for Christ’s sake. Unbeknown to Job, his sufferings would constitute a very important spiritual work that God committed to him. God was very pleased with His servant’s spiritual maturity and complete surrender to Him as his Master (cf. Job 1:8), but Satan cynically insinuated that it was because of all the beneficial things God had given in his life. To prove His arch-enemy wrong, God then allowed Satan’s attacks on Job, but within certain limits (Job 1:12; 2:6). In this “good spiritual work” (of enduring under suffering) committed to Job by God, Job maintained his integrity and uttered sublime statements of faith; these are his “good works”. In fact, his several rounds of speech and counter-speech, in response to his friends’ absurd provocations, were beautifully poetic in Hebrew. They constitute a masterly piece of literary work in themselves! He used all his literary power, ability and skill to express his thoughts, and refute misguided theological clichés. 

Above all, Job’s patience amidst suffering was used by God to defeat Satan’s mockery, whereby God’s name and honour were exalted. But note that Job’s patience didn’t mean he was quiet all the time. Some people think patience means silent stoicism, without realising that God is a loving Father upon whom we can pour out our woes (cf. 1 Peter 5:7). Actually, Job was talking from chapter 3 all the way to chapter 31 (interrupted from time to time only by his three friends’ baseless accusations and rebuke)! Indeed, his speech recorded in these chapters of the Book of Job had left behind a rich legacy, benefitting Bible-readers and, particularly, suffering Christians, throughout the Old and New Testament ages. Job was truly God’s “workmanship”, earmarked for a deep “work” of sufferings.

Dear Christians, if you believe that God is sovereign, then you have to believe that God has appointed whatever troubles that come into your life. Accept your trouble as God-ordained. The rightful response to such an acceptance of God’s sovereignty is worship, like how Job worshipped: “the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21b). Don’t resist! Don’t say, “I quit!” Accept your peculiar circumstance as what God had already determined even before the foundation of the world, “that we should walk in them”. And acceptance entails the worshipful confession that “The Lord is with me even in this.” 

Truly, as far as God’s challenge to Satan regarding Job’s integrity is concerned, Job passed the test with flying colours! Job sought / worshipped God for who He is, not for the things he could get out of God. Job was shown to be a worshipper of God, not of things. His faith was tested – he came forth as gold (cf. Job 23:10)! 

Hence, the apostle James commented that when believers perceive the “end (i.e. purpose) of the Lord” pertaining to the righteous’ sufferings, they cannot but see how “pitiful” and “of tender mercy” the Lord is. Indeed, the Lord “that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4), and is perfectly “able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24). To God be the glory. Amen.

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1 Corinthians 10:13a

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1 Corinthians 10:13a

13a There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man.


EXHORTATION:

What does Paul here mean by the word “temptation”? The Greek word that is used here (peirasmós) can mean either a temptation of sin or a trial. Generally, temptation is an incentive, enticement, or provocation to sin. When afflictions are brought upon us by Satan, he would also attempt to stir within us doubt, impatience, and even apostasy. But as it was in the case of Job, God will use the trial and temptation brought by Satan to prove the faith and fervency of His children.

So often, people try to extenuate their sins by citing the strength of temptations and the weakness of their human nature. They speak as though temptations and trials are expected to get the better of them. But Scripture teaches that such notions are absolutely groundless.

The apostle Paul reminds us that “there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man”. Temptations or trials that we experience have already been experienced by other saints of God, and have been resisted and overcome with God’s help. When God permits the temptations and trials authored by Satan, He wants us to know that with His help we can certainly overcome them. If they were beyond our power to resist, how could they be called temptations or trials?

It is totally absurd to believe that there never was anyone who had faced temptations and trials as you have. It is absolutely wrong to think that there was never a sinner who had been tempted with sins as you have been. Even though your temptation or trial has some peculiarities that warrant others’ sympathy, it should never be thought that no man had ever experienced anything like it. Nothing that is uncommon to man would be permitted in life. So, do not become despondent and yield to the enticements and provocations of your particular temptation.

Remember that so many of God’s saints have been affected by temptations of sin and trials, and have overcome them by trusting in God’s grace, forgiveness, faith and sanctification. Here is your encouragement in the midst of your temptations and trials: thousands and thousands of God’s children have been led safely through their battles by His grace. So, do not give yourself to presumption and despair. Take heart and seek the Lord in prayer, for His wisdom and strength to overcome whatever temptation and trial He has permitted in your life.

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Galatians 5:1b

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Galatians 5:1b

1b And be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.


EXHORTATION:

Attempts had been made by false teachers and false brethren, who were the agents of Satan, to deprive the Galatian Christians of their Christian liberty. It was apparent to Paul that some in the Galatian church were influenced by the false teachers who instructed them to return to the ceremonial observances of the Jews. So Paul warned the Galatians to stop turning back to different forms of legalism and self-efforts which would ensnare their souls. The verb he used in his admonition, “be not entangled again”, is a present imperative with a negative particle; and thus serves as a strong command to stop an act which is already in process. He wanted them to act immediately to stop being persuaded by the false teachers of ceremonial observances. Christ’s life and atoning death on the cross have accomplished all that is needed for our salvation.

Paul emphasised that it was Christ Himself—not our own merits or our own deeds—that set us free from our sins and condemnation. Paul had clearly taught that it is not by our works that we are redeemed, but by the righteousness of God that Christ provides. As Paul said in Romans 10:3-4, “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”

Paul further warned them that the doctrine of ceremonial observation is a “yoke of bondage”. The apostle Peter also used this same image in his rebuke of those who persuaded the believers to observe the Jewish ceremonies. He chided them, saying, “Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” (Acts 15:10)

A yoke is an emblem of slavery or bondage. Farmers place the yokes on the necks of their oxen to control them while they plough the land. It adds unpleasant burdens and restrictions to the creatures. The religious legalists, by their insistence on observation of Jewish rites, were trying to place a yoke of bondage on Christians who were already liberated from the yoke of sin and curse of the Law. Christ died to set us free from everything that enslaved our souls. We should not go under the burden of anything or anyone to be saved. Let us follow our Liberator, Christ, alone.

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Galatians 5:1a

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Galatians 5:1a

1a Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.


EXHORTATION:

This is an exhortation from the apostle Paul to the Galatian believers not to allow themselves to be intimidated by the false teachers, such as Judaizers, who insisted that circumcision and other ceremonial ordinances of the Old Testament law are obligatory for salvation. Paul had been warning the Galatians against them – “because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you” (Galatians 2:4-5).

Paul then established them in the truth of the Gospel, saying, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified” (Galatians 2:16). In fact, if he ever taught them that “righteousness come by the law”, he would “frustrate the grace of God” (2:21). Later in Galatians 3:24-25, Paul expressly taught them that the law was a schoolmaster or guide “to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” Paul also told them that “if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing” (5:2), and that “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace” (5:4). It is for those reasons that Paul exhorted the Galatian believers to stand firm in the liberty that Christ has won for them, and not be brought again under the bondage of ceremonies.

Christ has already freed us from many tyrannical masters. Here is a list of the bondages from which we are freed: (1) bondage of sin (Romans 6:14, 18, 22); (2) accusing conscience (Hebrews 9:8-12; 10:1-10, 19, 22); (3) wrath of God (Romans 5:9, 10; 1 Thessalonians 1:10); (4) Satan’s tyranny (2 Timothy 2:26; Hebrews 2:14); (5) curse of the law (Galatians 3:13); (6) law of ceremonies (Romans 8:2; Ephesians 2:14-16); (7) human traditions and ordinances (Galatians 4:10-11; 1 Corinthians 7:23; 1 Peter 1:18).

Not to stand firm by faith in the freedom that Christ has promised is to continue under all those terrible oppressions. Let us be firm in maintaining the great principles of Christian liberty and never again yield to those things that once enslaved us.

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2 Corinthians 3:17

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2 Corinthians 3:17

17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.


EXHORTATION:

The title “Lord” here, according to the immediate context (vv. 14, 16, 18) refers to the Lord Jesus. The apostle Paul’s words, “the Lord is that Spirit”, do not confuse those two Persons of the Godhead. Instead, they affirm the Holy Spirit’s deity. In this short verse, Paul uses short clauses and simple, unsophisticated words to convey to us a very profound message.

Paul has been communicating in the preceding text the plainness and clarity that Christ gives to those who come to Him concerning the divine righteousness and glory that He grants to them. The apostle said that like the veil which Moses put on that obscured the glory of God that shone on his face, there appeared a veil of unbelief in most of the Jews that obscured their view of Christ. But like Moses who removed his veil whenever he entered the presence of God, Christ will now remove the veil of unbelief from all who come to Him (v. 14b). Their veil of unbelief is now removed by the Spirit of the Lord. The Holy Spirit carries out the will and purposes of Christ and reveals Him and His purposes to His people (John 15:26; 16:6-15).

All those who come to Christ will have their veil of unbelief removed by the Holy Spirit. And with that obscuring veil removed, believers will receive a clear view of Christ of the Scriptures. Paul views the Lord to be the Spirit at work in giving the believers the correct understanding of God’s revelation. Through the Word, the Spirit changes a person’s heart, gives him life and understanding, and leads him to freedom in Christ.

The Spirit of the Lord will grant believers freedom from dark and false thinking about God’s righteousness, freedom from their prejudices and superstitions, freedom from slavery and bondage of sin, and freedom from fear of death and condemnation. The Spirit will lead them to the full measure of their freedom as God’s children.

Moreover, under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord, Paul and other apostles expounded the glory of Christ with openness and boldness, so much so that many unbelieving Jews and Gentiles came to the full knowledge of Christ. Let us pray that preachers of our time will be filled with the Spirit to expound Christ of the Scriptures to bring many to the saving knowledge of the glory of our Saviour.

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Romans 8:2

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Romans 8:2

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.


 

EXHORTATION:

The freedom that Jesus offers (John 8:32, 36) is not an unworkable optimism, but a most wonderful and powerful experience in every genuine believer. In our text, the apostle Paul describes Christian freedom as a powerful and enduring operation of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.

The word “law” here indicates the governing influence or operation of the Spirit. The Spirit is also characterised as “the Spirit of life”, that is, the life-giving Spirit. Jesus said in John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” The phrase “in Christ Jesus” tells us that the Spirit is sent by Christ and also that He exercises His influence on the believers in accordance with Christ’s will and purposes.

This mighty working of the Spirit is only in Christ Jesus. Without coming to Christ, none can enjoy the liberation of soul that the Spirit of God administers. Christians’ freedom from sin and its condemnation is administered only through the vital union with Christ Jesus, which is empowered and sustained by the Spirit of God.

The Spirit not only gives believers new life in Christ, but also dwells within believers, nurturing, leading and empowering their lives in Christ. Without the Spirit’s enabling, spiritual life cannot be sustained. Because of the Spirit’s indwelling and constant empowerment, all true believers can draw strength to live triumphantly over the lust of the flesh and every temptation of the world. By the operation of “the law of the Spirit of life”, we become free from “the law of sin and death”. The governing power of the Spirit cancels the operations of sin and death in our lives. The Spirit helps the believers to defeat the power of sin.

The Spirit alerts us to the presence of sin. He makes us very sensitive to the presence of sin, and cautions us against it. He empowers us to fulfil the law of God through obedient lives. He testifies and assures us that we are the children of God. He also drives away fear from our hearts by energising us to call on God as “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). He Himself intercedes for us in our infirmities (Romans 8:26). The Spirit’s presence and special operations in us will liberate us from the shackles of sin’s bondage.

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Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church adheres to the system of faith commonly known as the “Reformed Faith” as expressed in the Westminster Confession of Faith together with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms.
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