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READ:

Psalm 27:10

¹⁰ When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

EXHORTATION:

It is possible that a Christian may be abandoned by his parents. Such tragic scenarios do happen in real life. In fact, Jesus had warned of such betrayals: “Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Mark 13:12-13).

David had, on occasion, felt forsaken by his own household. This we see in Psalm 69:8, “I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children”; and in Psalm 31:11, “I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.” Is it not also true that our Lord Jesus Christ “came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11)? Likewise, the apostle Paul lamented in 2 Timothy 4:16, “At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me”.

This shows how vain it is to put our trust in man, “for vain is the help of man” (Psalm 60:11; cf. Psalm 108:12). Indeed, “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help” (Psalm 146:3). Even in times of need, it is best to wait upon the LORD. Craving for man’s help may not only end up in disappointment, but even peril at times.

Nonetheless, when men forsake us, be assured that “the LORD will take me up.” Men may hate us, but God shall show us His favour. We may be forsaken by all, but God shall have mercy upon us. “Forsaken by man, but favoured by God” has often been the experience of God’s children.

Let us not doubt the LORD’s favour upon all who trust in Him. The LORD declares in Isaiah 49:15, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.” Are you perplexed that none of your nearest and dearest is by your side to comfort and strengthen you? Are you dismayed that all have forsaken you? Like David, stand in the promise of God’s unchanging presence. He is our very present help in our trouble (Psalm 46:1). The LORD is sure to help us, even though our natural parents may fail to render their support. God is our succour when others fail us.

READ:

Proverbs 3:12

¹² For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

EXHORTATION:

The Scriptures often ascribe a paternal relationship to the LORD’s dealings with His people. In the text for today’s devotion, the LORD’s corrective measures are depicted as those of a loving father. The idea of God’s paternal correction is evidently taken from Deuteronomy 8:5 – “Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.”

Like a father, the LORD corrects us. The Hebrew word for “correcteth” has also been translated in the King James Bible as “reprove”, “rebuke”, “reason”, “chasten”, etc. It refers to verbal corrections, as well as the applying of physical disciplining, like “the rod of correction”. These are the providential interventions of the LORD in our lives to stop us from continuing in our errors and to turn us back to the path of righteousness.

Such “corrections” are the corrections of love. Certainly, corrections can be painful experiences. However, they are necessary actions of His love. They are not meant to repel us from God, but to draw us closer to Him. The LORD’s corrections are marks of His paternal love for us. Every son in whom the LORD delights, He will chastise.

The LORD’s chastisements are not irrational outbursts of an offended and angry heart. “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:8-10). He does not take pleasure in afflicting us. In Lamentations 3:33, it is said, “For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.” So when the LORD chastises, He does it out of the necessity for correction which His justice and holiness demands. He does so, not as one who takes pleasure in the miseries of men, but as one who yields to a painful necessity. Moreover, though the LORD may severely chastise us, He will not be cruel. When He chastens, He mitigates its severity with tenderness. He will not keep His anger forever against His people. The actual purposes of His chastening are to bring about the fruit of repentance, holiness and blessedness. God has many gracious and blessed purposes when He chastises us. So, like grateful sons, let us yield to His chastening willingly.

READ:

Psalm 103:13

¹³ Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

EXHORTATION:

Our heavenly Father’s pity is briefly and yet eminently described here by comparing it with the pity of a human father. God is pleased to call our attention to His paternal character of pity, so that we may have the best conceptions of the character of God.

Pity is the tender love and mercy shown by the infinitely superior God to the undeserving, rebellious creatures as we are. Divine pity is God’s loving kindness. No other word brings home the truth of God’s paternal love, mercy, kindness, patience and benevolence better than “pity”. The pity of our God is His condescending love.

Though we are so utterly unworthy to receive any favour from the LORD, He is ever ready to extend His great compassion and forgiveness when we cry unto Him. James 5:11 declares, “the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”

Consider the following verses that declare the LORD’s amazing pity:

“Nevertheless for thy great mercies’ sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God” (Nehemiah 9:31).

“But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath” (Psalm 78:38).

“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18-19).

When the LORD pities us, He does not condemn nor destroy us. In His pity, He not only ceases from His anger, but also moves to deliver us and restore us. His pity is not a passive feeling, but a bountiful expression of His mercy, love and goodness.

When we tremble at His presence in the fear of His great and holy name, He will have pity on us. “The LORD pitieth them that fear him.” Let us reverence and worship Him. Let us come, believing that He is full of pity.

READ:

Proverbs 23:24

²⁴ The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

EXHORTATION:

Most Christian parents seem to hinge their happiness on their children’s worldly achievements. They push their kids along the paths of academic and economic success at any cost. They fail to appreciate that their children’s spiritual growth and steadfastness are more significant than worldly success. Hence, they must be admonished of the great need to focus on their children’s conformity and faithfulness to Christ and His Word.

According to the next verse, “Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice” (Proverbs 23:25). Thus, not only the father, but the mother also, shall rejoice over a righteous and wise son. Indeed, it must be assumed that the parents who sincerely appreciate their children’s commitment to righteousness and God’s wisdom are righteous and wise themselves. They must have placed great value on the things of God rather than the things of this world. Such parents would pay attention to bringing up their children in faith and obedience to the Lord and His Word.

On the contrary, parents who raise their children based on the values propagated by the television, movies, entertainment world and secular experts of child-rearing, would have great difficulty in appreciating the value of their children’s spiritual excellence. They would be more concerned with his academic, economic and other worldly advancement. Parents who focus primarily on earthly gains for their children would not be able to detect the ungodliness in their children.

But godly parents would rejoice when their children conduct themselves in sincere faith in Christ, loving and exalting Him, and bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Moreover, righteous and wise children would seek to bring joy to the hearts of their parents. They will honour their parents as the Lord has commanded in His Word (cf. Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16; Ephesians 6:2).

Surely, as Proverbs 10:1 says, “A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother” (cf. Proverbs 15:20). Children who walk in righteousness and divine wisdom, are “monuments” that godly parents would truly love to leave behind in this world. Godly children carry forward the legacy of their godly parents into a new generation.

As a new semester of systematic study of God’s Word begins in FEBC and GBI, here are some biblical reasons (by way of reminder) why we should take advantage of every opportunity to have an in-depth study of God’s Word.

God has given us His Book, not to be kept for the bookshelf but to be read, searched, and studied. God expects us to understand all its truths. God said, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night” (Joshua 1:8a).

We don’t study the Bible merely to accumulate information about it, but for the purposes which God has made known in His Word.

Here are some of the purposes God has iterated in His Word for studying it:

1. That we may know God.  

There is little we can know about God without His special revelation, the Bible. But with the Bible, we can know all that God has revealed about Himself. Through His words in the Bible, we can know the truths about God – His nature, attributes, works and will. 

Some say they don’t need to study the Bible but just love Jesus. Without the knowledge of the Bible, no one can have the truth about Jesus. In John 5:39, Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” The Bible reveals Jesus and the eternal life that He gives to those who trust in Him. So, to know and love our divine Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ, we must study and know the Scriptures. We cannot love Him sincerely without knowing the truth about Him from His Word.

2. That we may not err in our doctrine and practice. 

To the Jews, specifically to the Sadducees who propagated the falsehood that there is no resurrection, Jesus said, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29). We must study and know the truth to avoid embracing false doctrines and misconceptions in our spiritual pursuit. 

Moreover, if we do not learn and be assured of the truths of the Bible, slowness of belief, conviction and confidence would plague even God’s people. The apostles of Christ, who did not fully know the Scriptures concerning Christ’s resurrection, could not have full conviction about it in the days following His resurrection. John 20:9 commented on their uncertainty about His resurrection, “For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.” Their slowness of conviction about Christ’s resurrection was their lack of knowledge about the Scriptures’ teaching. When the Holy Spirit gave them the understanding of the Scriptures’ prophecies about Christ’s resurrection and the truth of that unmistakable event, they went forth all over the world and boldly declared that Christ rose according to the Scriptures (Acts 2:25-33; 13:30-37; 26:22-23; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 1:11).

3. That we may be perfected as God’s people. 

2 Tim. 3:16-17 instructs us that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” A proper understanding of God’s Word will result in believers’ sanctification and fruitfulness (cf. John 1:17; 15:3, 7-8).

4. That we may declare and defend His Word.

God wants us to declare and defend the Word. 2 Tim 4:2 says, “Preach the word” (cf. Rom. 10:8). How could Christians proclaim the Word without knowing it? We are also expected to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Pet 3:15b). Studying the Bible helps us tell others confidently and clearly His truths. Those who have learned His Word thoroughly can boldly declare His truths whenever God gives them opportunities to witness for Him.

Thanksgiving Report from Our Mission Station in Bohol

17 Years of Ministry in Bohol

Dear Pastor Koshy,

Greetings to you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

Last Sunday, we celebrated the 17th anniversary of the mission church in Bohol, with Pastor Reggor as our speaker. Together with Pastor Reggor, brethren from TGCM-Cebu also came, and rendered a song to praise our Lord and for the congregation’s edification. Several of our church members’ friends and relatives participated in the Thanksgiving Service. Brethren from the outreach station in Anda, some Bible-study contacts from Candijay, and the young people from our new outreach station in Albur (Mr Bucio’s town) also came to join the service. The missionary couple and members of True Life BP Church, Trinidad, were also present. 

I praise God for enabling all of them to come to church safely despite the heavy rain. We are very grateful for the blessed and fruitful time of gathering to worship God, and to thank Him for salvation, as well as for all His wonderful provision for our spiritual growth and extension of the Gospel work to neighbouring and distant towns / villages. 

Only by God’s grace, mercy and faithfulness has the mission church in Bohol reached this far. All glory and honour belong to our God, who has sustained the mission church in Bohol for the last 17 years. The congregation of GBPC, Bohol, and I thank our God for using you, dear Pastor, together with the Board of Elders and the brethren of Gethsemane BP Church, Singapore, to support the missionary and work of the mission church. We appreciate your continued prayers and support. 

All glory be to God!

In Christ,
Pr Edsel Locot

Sermon Text: Psalm 47
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 16th July 2023

READ:

Proverbs 22:6

⁶ Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

EXHORTATION:

This is the Christian parents’ God-given responsibility towards every one of their children. In Psalm 127, we are reminded that “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth” (vv. 3-4). As with arrows, children ought to be accurately aimed and directed to get to their targets. God expects parents to guide their children to achieve spiritual goals in their lives.

The Hebrew word for “train” (ḥānaḵ) means to dedicate. It is used of dedicating a house (Deuteronomy 20:5), and the temple (1 Kings 8:63; 2 Chronicles 7:5). Only in Proverbs 22:6 is the verb translated as “train”. It means setting aside and limiting a thing for God’s glory and service. Child-training involves delimiting a child’s activities and conduct away from sin and guiding him towards godliness.

Training involves purposeful, consistent and diligent actions. It requires careful observation and analysis of a child’s life, and thorough implementation of divine truths in his life. It would require the parents to administer appropriate and timely rebuke, disciplinary actions, correction, instruction, encouragement, commendation, nurture, etc. Proverbs 13:24 says, “he that loveth him (the child) chasteneth him betimes.” Proverbs 29:15 further warns, “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.”

Hence, there is a great necessity that parents remain dedicated to God to carry out their duty of training their children according to His will. First of all, parents ought to know the Word of God so that they may be able to teach their children the path that God has mapped out for His people. Secondly, the parents must be earnest in prayer for God’s grace, wisdom and strength for nurturing their children in the right path. They must pray on their own and also with the children. They must also walk in the way of the LORD in order to lead the children on the right path. If the parents’ attitude in training the child is “Don’t do as I do; do as I say”, the child will be without a godly pattern to follow. In such a family environment, the only model the child can emulate is a hypocritical life. So by your life, show your child how he should live all the days of his life for God’s glory.

READ:

Psalm 103:8

⁸ The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

EXHORTATION:

The attributes of the LORD mentioned in this verse were once revealed by the LORD Himself to Moses on mount Sinai. In Exodus 34:6, Moses recorded the LORD proclaiming Himself as “The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth”. These attributes of the LORD had been wonderfully experienced by the people of Israel when He delivered them out of Egypt and guided them forward in spite of their murmuring and rebellion.

As in the days of old, God still shows Himself daily in our life today (as proclaimed in His Word) that He is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” The fact that He engages with sinners like us shows that He is the same as He has proclaimed Himself to be. How could an infinitely holy God attend to a stubborn and disobedient people like us, if He is not merciful and gracious? Oh, let us praise Him for He is unto us what we need the most – a merciful and gracious God!

There appears a progression of thought in the enumeration of the Lord’s attributes in our text. Because the LORD is merciful and gracious, He is slow to anger. If not for His mercy and grace, we would have been long consumed in His hot displeasure. Does not His Word warn us that He is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; Hebrews 10:27)? We also read in Numbers 11:1, “And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.” Again in Numbers 16:35, it is recorded that “there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.”

If not for His merciful and gracious dealings with us, we would not be alive today to read about our most magnanimous LORD and enjoy His benevolence. He has been “slow to anger”; that means He has been patient with us despite the repeated provocations of our sinful ways. We are also told that He is “plenteous in mercy”. Though our lives have been sustained and nourished by immeasurable outpourings of His mercy, we can still look forward to many more experiences of the abundance of His mercy. His mercies, being new every morning, are not in small or stinted measure, but are rich, full, overflowing and freely lavished on us.

READ:

Psalm 23:1

¹ The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

EXHORTATION:

Psalm 23 is a psalm in which David expresses his personal faith in the LORD. So he said with absolute conviction, “The LORD is my shepherd”. No doubt the LORD is the Shepherd of Israel (cf. Psalm 80:1). However, here David was affirming his own faith and conviction that the LORD is also his shepherd.

David trusted in the great name of his God with total assurance of heart. The name “the LORD” refers to the great Jehovah, the great I AM that I AM (Exodus 3:14). David’s faith in the LORD brought him into a personal relationship with God, so he could boldly say that “The LORD is my shepherd”.

Every genuine believer is given the conviction by the Holy Spirit to say such words of deep love, signifying a close relationship with the LORD. Believers are constrained to say, “O God, Thou art my God.” Let us make our confessions about our God and Redeemer with perfect joy and assurance. Affirming our faith in such a confession like that of David will be a means of great comfort and courage in the midst of life’s trials.

Oh, how wonderful it is to know that He who controls the affairs of the universe attends to our individual needs! Like the shepherd who knows and calls each sheep of the flock by its name, so the LORD knows each of us and gives Himself to lead us with His whole affection and power.

Oh, how wonderful it is to remember that there exists between the LORD and ourselves a distinct personal relationship! We may be weak, obscure and despised, but He thinks of us with special love and care, and devotes Himself to lead us all the way.

Because the LORD is our Shepherd, we can say, “I shall not want.” David’s contentment arose from discovering that his sufficiency was in God. The LORD was more to him than the manna or the stream in the wilderness. He is more than sufficient for all our needs.

The LORD will make all needful provision for His flock. He will provide everything we need, whether temporal or spiritual, whether pertaining to the body or to the soul. In Psalm 34:9, we are told that “there is no want to them that fear him.” The LORD, as the Shepherd of His people, will see to it that all their real wants shall be supplied.

READ:

Psalm 119:140

¹⁴⁰ Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.

EXHORTATION:

David always had the highest regard for Scripture. He always considered it as belonging to God; hence he referred to it as “Thy word”. In Psalm 119 alone, 35 times David used the phrase “Thy word” to refer to the Holy Scriptures.

We too must read the Scriptures in the belief that we are listening to the words of our God. Through the Scriptures, God communicates with us. So with great reverence and joy, we must attend to God’s Word. We must receive the truths it teaches as divine and glorious. Nowhere else have we such a perfect body of divine truths revealed for our blessing.

We have no reason to doubt what God’s Word says, for it is “very pure”. The Hebrew words “very pure” literally means “much tried or refined”. As David said in Psalm 12:6, “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” God’s Word has been utterly tried and has been proven to be absolutely pure and perfectly righteous. Its purity is the purity of its Author, the infinitely holy God.

Like David, many men, who have repeatedly relied on all that Scripture says throughout their lives, have testified unto us with utmost certainty and joy that all that it says are pure. David also confessed, “therefore thy servant loveth it.” Would anyone declare his unabated, unbounded love for God’s Word if it has ever been found defective, deceptive or unreliable? David’s open declaration of his love for God’s Word is a grand testimony to its trustworthiness. Those who trust all that it says shall not be ashamed, as it has already been tested and proven pure.

Because God’s Word is pure, it will also purify and preserve those who trust and obey its unpolluted words. Earlier in this psalm, David said, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9). It could very well have been David’s own experience, for he confessed later that “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). He also testified, “I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word” (Psalm 119:101). The beauty of God’s holiness shines through every word of His Word. Those who walk in the light of His Word shall have the joy of walking in the beauty of His holiness. The pure Word of God shall keep us away from all defiling ways. So, let us love it as David did.