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Psalm 73:25

READ:

Psalm 73:25

25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.


EXHORTATION:

The psalmist, by using a very persuasive Hebrew device of a question and an assertion, here expresses his profound and firm love for God. He is supremely satisfied in God. He desires no one more than the LORD whom he has been trusting. Such should be the sentiment of every child of God towards God.

By asking “Whom have I in heaven but thee?”, the psalmist exalts God above all the angels and the souls of the departed who are in God’s presence. None of the angels – not even the archangel – is worthy of such complete trust and adoration which the psalmist has for God.

Similar sentiments of affection and adulation towards the matchless greatness and glory of the exalted God of heaven have been confessed by many of His servants. Moses said, “O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might” (Deuteronomy 3:24)? King Solomon testified, “LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart” (1 Kings 8:23). Similarly, Job affirmed in the face of mistrust and false accusations, “Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high” (Job 16:19). The psalmist also openly sang, “For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD” (Psalm 89:6)?

Truly, “great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods” (1 Chronicles 16:25). May we, too, “praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven” (Psalm 148:13).

The unparalleled greatness and goodness of our God also cause the psalmist to unequivocally declare, “there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.” He would go to no one but his God for the help he needs. He is assured that the God of heaven is very gracious and will condescend to aid him in all his difficulties and struggles. The matchless greatness and goodness of God make His child crave for His presence and support. May we truly say, “The Lord is with me; I am satisfied in Him.

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Galatians 5:24

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Galatians 5:24

24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.


EXHORTATION:

Here we have a description that can only fit genuine Christians. Firstly, they are described as “they that are Christ’s”. Christians are chosen by God even before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). Christ has shed His blood for their redemption (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18, 19; Revelation 5:9); they are His people now and forever. So Paul said to the Corinthian believers, “ye are Christ’s” (1 Corinthians 3:23). Again in 2 Corinthians 10:7, Paul said, “If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s.

Oh, what a privilege it is that we belong to Christ! Oh, what unspeakable mercy we have received! As Paul said in Colossians 1:21, we “were sometime alienated and enemies in … mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled”. Now we can say with all assurance like Paul, “whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8). Oh, what a glorious assurance that we are Christ’s!

The second description that Paul makes here about genuine Christians is that they “have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts”. Crucifixion of the flesh is every true believer’s deliberate and decisive action in life. By uniting with Christ by faith, they have put all their sinful desires to death. This is what Paul said in Romans 6:6, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Christians live as servants of Christ, and not as servants of the sinful cravings of their body.

Fleshly lusts constantly wage war against the souls of Christians (cf. 1 Peter 2:11). Yet they must remember they are servants of Christ, and yield to His Spirit rather than to the impulses of the flesh (cf. Galatians 5:16, 17). If they have yielded to the flesh, they must repent and yield themselves to Christ. No assurance is given to those who live after the flesh. When the Spirit prompts us to godly disciplines of prayer, fasting, repentance, self-control, separation from worldly activities and godly exercise, we must yield to Him at once. This way, the flesh will not have control over us. As Romans 6:11-12 says, “reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

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Praying As a Servant of God

Sermon Text: Psalm 86
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 25th August 2024

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Communications from Mission Stations

From Rwanda:

I am in Rwanda! We’ve experienced the hardest of times as thousands of churches were shut down. Our campus church was also closed down. Please pray for us.

Rev. Kim

From Ethiopia:

Dear Rev. Koshy,

Greetings in our Lord’s blessed name! How are you doing in God’s work with your entire beloved family? Praise the LORD that all the brethren are kept safe as we serve God. We hope that God’s good hand will preserve your dad and mum. We are praying for them.

God willing, we are going to have our Mission Church’s 18th Anniversary Thanksgiving and GBI 8th Graduation Service on 1st September 2024. Pray for God’s blessing and provision. Please convey my regards to your family and the church.

Rev. Ephrem

Our reply:

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in abundance!

With heartfelt gratitude, I reflect upon the Lord’s immeasurable blessings bestowed upon Gethsemane BPC, Ethiopia, for the past eighteen years. His steadfast protection and guidance have been our constant companions. We also praise the LORD for eight years of GBI ministry. May the Lord’s work spread across Ethiopia and even to other nations of Africa, through faithful men trained in GBI.

As you eagerly await the Thanksgiving Service on September 1st, we will join you in spirit to recall and rejoice in the Lord’s faithfulness. Our fervent prayer is for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit’s power to revitalise all our ministers of the Word and the members.

Please convey our heartiest greetings to all the brethren who gather for the Anniversary Thanksgiving Service.

Heartily in His service,
Prabhudas Koshy
For Gethsemane BPC, Singapore

Rev. Ephrem’s Reply:

Many thanks, Rev. Koshy. Praise the LORD for the uncountable blessings we have received through your ministries. I will convey your greetings and wishes to the congregation. Remain blessed in Christ!

From Pangasinan (the Philippines):

Dear Pastor Koshy,

The construction of the worship hall is almost done. The plastering of the walls and rooms is done. The workers are currently framing the windows and the doors, and God willing, they will be installed in the middle of the week. After this, they will work on paving the way from the street to the worship hall. The excavator will be available next week to dig the ground for the toilet’s septic tank. The excavator will also flatten the kitchen area.

Thank God for the support and love gifts from Gethsemane, Singapore, so that we can complete the building. We will move our household things from the Mission Station soon after the rainy season to the house we’ve built near the church because the Mission Station (the rented house) is scheduled to be demolished in January to give way for highway construction. I praise the Lord also for the unity of our Session to support our poor and needy brethren. We’ve prayed and desire to make our help to the needy long-lasting and tangible. Praise God for the wisdom to develop the project to aid some of our college-age teenagers. We’ve noticed in our midst promising and talented students, but their parents or guardians cannot financially support them to study in college. We even have some orphans who are left in the care of their relatives, who are unable to support their further studies. The Session is currently finalising the criteria for choosing the eligible students.

Another ongoing plan is to hold an evening service every Sunday in San Fernando, La Union. I talked to the family of Bro. Eddie and Sis. Luz regarding the matter. They are attending a Baptist church, though not regularly. They willingly offer their place to start the work. After the construction of the worship hall, we will visit them and find a suitable place there for a long-term ministry. God willing, we will start the work in October. We are earnestly praying that the Lord will send a man of His choosing to take care of this flock. While waiting, we can care for them under Gethsemane B-P Church, Pangasinan.   

Donald dela Cruz

From Vizag (India):

Dear Pastor,

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Last week, we held the second Pastors’ Meeting in Araku Hills, a tribal area around 100 km from Vizag City. Thirty-five pastors serving in various churches joined this meeting. As the place is near the border of Odisha, some pastors from Odisha also joined the meeting. Some travelled around 80 km to join the meeting.

We only planned for a one-day meeting as it was difficult to arrange accommodation for all pastors attending this meeting. In the meeting we conducted in May, we offered sessions on “Justification” and “Sanctification”. In this latest event (Friday, August 16), the topics taught were “Total Depravity” and “Perseverance of the Saints”. These topics were taught by Bro Seraph McGregor (the morning session) and me (the afternoon session). Pr Bujji Babu and Bro Bhagavath helped translate the messages into Telugu. We also visited a church in the evening and conducted a prayer meeting. All the residential students from GBI, Kotapadu, also joined this meeting. We managed to arrange a hall and some rooms for our stay in a hotel in Araku. Thank God for providing a good place for our stay during the night.

The following day, we visited a Christian mission hospital in Odisha, Asha Kiran Hospital (which is 60km from the meeting venue), to see the land we have purchased with the help of Malayalam Fellowship in 2018. As the roads are in good condition, we could reach the hospital within one and a half hours. We had the opportunity to spend time with Dr Mathew, the director of Asha Kiran Hospital. He is currently doing four online subjects in the FEBC distance-learning programme. He also shared with us how he came to faith, and even to embrace the Reformed convictions. He is very grateful for the opportunity to study theology through online courses. He also shared the testimony of other missionary doctors who came to serve in tribal areas and to start the hospital. In earlier days, there were no churches in the whole area. But now, there are churches in many villages around the mission hospital. He shared with us the great need for training rural pastors, as many of them are men with little training in theology. After lunch, we visited the land we purchased here, and realised villagers regularly cross it to get to their homes as it has no proper fence or compound wall. We need to construct a fencing or compound wall around the land.

Though our return journey to Vizag was long (7 hours) due to heavy traffic, it was safe and uneventful. We are deeply grateful for the journey mercies we received, and for your continued support. The travel through Ghat roads (through the mountains) can be quite dangerous, and we are thankful the Lord has kept us safe.

Many pastors who joined the meeting asked us to conduct such theological training sessions at least once a month. For now, we are planning to conduct such sessions once every three months. If they come faithfully, we hope to increase the frequency of these meetings. God willing, we are planning to conduct the next training in November. If you could also come to preach in the next meeting, it will be a great encouragement for these pastors.

In Christ,
Sujith Samuel

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1 Peter 2:11

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1 Peter 2:11

11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.


EXHORTATION:

With sincere affection and compassion for his readers, who were in the midst of persecution and fiery trials (1 Peter 1:6-7; 4:12), the apostle Peter addressed them as “Dearly beloved”. Such an expression of sincere and hearty affection would have comforted and cheered their distressed souls. It also portrayed the apostle’s exhortation as a loving entreaty meant for their souls’ good and prosperity.

The believers were, first of all, reminded that they were temporary residents on this earth. In fact, some of his readers had been displaced from their homeland because of persecution. The apostle referred to them as “strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1:1). Their experience of being treated as “strangers” gives evidence to the spiritual reality that they were not of this world.

Peter had already alerted the believers that they were “strangers” and “sojourners” (1:1, 17). This is the third time in this epistle he was reminding the believers that they were not a people of this world. Christians should never expect total acceptance by the world. Neither should they desire to live like the people of this world. Jesus described the believers as “not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:16). He also told His disciples that “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19).

When He saved us, He was calling us out of all forms of worldliness. Our ambitions, aspirations and principles are no more of this world. Now we are a heaven-bound people. So as Peter mentioned here, we are “pilgrims”. The apostle Paul corroborated this truth when he wrote that “our conversation (i.e. citizenship) is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20).

On this earth, Christians are constantly under attack. They are often “ambushed” by the world! Peter further pointed out here that they also have an enemy within them by warning them to “abstain from fleshly lusts”. Lusts of the flesh are lurking about for opportunities to destroy us. If we give them a chance, they will conquer us. Christians must therefore be vigilant against their own carnal propensities. Christians ought to be self-conquerors. Let us be vigilant against the onslaught of fleshly lusts.

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Ephesians 6:11

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Ephesians 6:11

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.


EXHORTATION:

A clarion call is sounded out to God’s people to be up in spiritual arms for the battle that is being waged against their souls. For every Christian, there is a fight to be fought – and it must be combated well. The apostle Paul charged Timothy to “war a good warfare” (1 Timothy 1:18) and “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12).

No less than the full armour of God is required for the complete protection of the Christian. It is the only sure and impregnable defence against the wiles of the devil, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood. If our adversaries were mere human beings and possessed nothing beyond physical strength and ingenuity, we might be able to defend ourselves. But as we have to contend with Satan, who is a powerful spirit-being, we need the divine protection of the whole armour of God.

We are fighting against a superhuman force. Satan is not a solitary enemy; he has an army of demons beyond our ability to number. They are a much organised force and have distinctive roles in attacking Christians. We are told in Ephesians 6:12 that “we wrestle ... against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” The battle can be a very close and intense hand-to-hand combat, like that of wrestling. However, though we have to face this wicked enemy, we fight him only when he comes to attack us. Scripture never teaches us to challenge the devil to battle. We wrestle and contend with him only in defence against his attacks.

With the Lord’s help and armed with His strength and armour, we can overcome the ferocious demonic beings that come against us. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). We are also reminded by the Word of God that Christ has already triumphed over these evil forces at Calvary’s cross (Colossians 2:15), and they will continue to suffer defeat to the very end (Revelation 20:10). Therefore, Christians are enjoined to fight the battle with the panoply of spiritual armour provided by the Almighty God. None of the wiles of the devil can prevail against God’s armour given to us. If we put on the whole armour of God, victory shall be ours, as we are more than conquerors through Christ (Romans 8:37).

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Romans 13:14

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Romans 13:14

14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.


EXHORTATION:

Paul commands Christians to “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ”. But can we put on a person, like we put on clothing or armour? Notwithstanding, it is a common metaphorical phrase in the Greek language which indicates that we should put on the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. “It is a common phrase that a person has put him on, whom he imitates,” so said the early church father Chrysostom. In other words, it is a command to Christians to imitate Christ’s example and to become like Him.

Galatian Christians were reminded by Paul: “For as many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). Ephesian believers were told, “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).

Developing a Christ-like character is every Christian’s highest duty. Being united to Christ, we must conform to His character. We must have a sincere desire to be like Him and give ourselves to constant prayer for the Holy Spirit’s aid to live like the Lord Jesus. We must also devoutly study the person and character of Christ in order to understand the manner and purpose of His life. There must also be a commitment to study all that Christ has taught so that we may know His will and do it. Without deliberate and habitual efforts to learn of Christ, we cannot imitate Him.

Those who put on Christ are also commanded to “make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” One of the greatest hindrances to Christ-likeness is the lust of the flesh. We are thus warned not to provide any opportunity for the gratification of our flesh’s sinful desires. How serious are you in this regard? Do you avoid circumstances that might tempt the flesh? Do you abstain from activities that arouse fleshly lusts?

We must not entertain the corrupt propensities of our bodies. Rather, we must yield to the Spirit of God, who warns us against the lust of the flesh and prompts us to walk according to the will of God. In Romans 8:12-13, Paul exhorted, “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Likewise, Paul said in Galatians 5:16, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

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Romans 13:8

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Romans 13:8

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.


EXHORTATION:

As Paul begins to exhort the brethren concerning the debt of love that Christians owe one another, he said, “Owe no man any thing”. So, can we borrow money? The Bible allows lending and borrowing in times of real need (Deuteronomy 15:7-8; Psalm 37:26; Exodus 22:25). But it discourages us from being in debt, for a man’s debt would make him subservient to the lender (cf. Deuteronomy 15:6; 28:12, 44; Proverbs 22:7). The Bible also warns against taking responsibility for the debts of others (cf. Proverbs 6:1-5; 22:26-27). It is a sin to borrow and not repay (cf. Psalm 37:21). God does not want us to be under obligation to any because of unsettled debts.

Nevertheless, we must deem loving one another as our permanent debt and duty to others. This is not the first time Paul talked about love in his epistle to the Romans. In Romans 12:9-10, he described love as thus – “Let love be without dissimulation … Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love”. So, we must recognise our debt of love.

We are spiritually obliged to love everyone as our verse says, “love one another”. Love must be extended, without discrimination, to all and sundry in the church and everywhere. Love is a debt which can never be settled. Even though we have been daily showing kindness to others, yet our debt of love can never be fully paid as long as there is an opportunity to do good.

How much do we owe others? As much as we love ourselves (cf. Romans 13:9b; Matthew 19:19; 7:12; Ephesians 5:28-29), and as much as God has loved us (cf. John 13:34-35; 15:12-13). Remember how God loved us when we were His enemies (cf. Romans 5:8)? That is how we ought to love others.

Paul also told us the reason for the debt of love – “for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law”. Some think that the law and love are contrary to one another. Actually, they are in harmony with each other. Only by loving others can one be fully obedient to God’s moral laws. Galatians 5:14 says, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” James identifies loving others as the royal law - “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well” (James 2:8). Love helps us to fulfil God’s law. True love helps us to uphold the righteous laws of God.

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1 Peter 5:5c

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1 Peter 5:5c

5c And be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.


EXHORTATION:

This exhortation to all Christians to “be clothed with humility”, first of all, tells us that no one possesses it naturally. We need to put on humility and be sure that we remain clothed with it. It is not acceptable to the Lord that those who claim to be Christians are without it. Everyone ought to make sure that he is girded with humility.

The Greek word for “be clothed” depicts an interesting description of the act of putting on humility. The word refers to the common practice of slaves tying a white apron over their clothing to distinguish themselves as slaves. Like the slaves of Peter’s time, Christians should always be distinguished by their being clothed with humility. Their mannerism and conduct ought always to be with humility so that everyone is able to recognise them. Peter exhorts the readers to fasten humility to themselves once and for all. In other words, it stays with them for the rest of their lives.

Being clothed with humility is to be girded with the “vesture” of servitude. Every Christian should always be ready for service. Unfortunately, some Christians conduct themselves like those who are in the ceremonial dresses. They have no mind to serve humbly. They would be quite shocked if someone were to ask them to exert a little hard work. This sort of prideful behaviour is detrimental to the church’s unity and progress.

In our church life, each one of us should think humbly of himself and highly of his brethren. Humility in our church life will require of us never to be rough, haughty, arrogant, disagreeable, domineering, lordly, unruly, quarrelsome or unreasonable. True humility in church relationships will manifest itself in our willingness to undertake the meanest tasks for Christ’s glory and the benefit of our fellow brethren.

Christians should heed the exhortation to be humble because God sets His face against the proud. “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished” (Proverbs 16:5). On the other hand, those who submit to God’s sovereignty in humility will find that He will lift them up and reward them. God’s gracious presence always accompanies those who humbly serve Him. Indeed, He lavishes His grace upon the humble.

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1 Peter 5:5b

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1 Peter 5:5b

5b Yea, all of you be subject one to another.


EXHORTATION:

Not only should the younger Christians submit unto the elder, but all should submit one to another. This is a very remarkable instruction which, if practised by everyone in the church, will bring about great peace and progress in the Lord’s work. It is the golden rule for church unity and kingdom advancement.

Though there are offices and positions of authority in the church, no one is to lord over another. All members ought to esteem and treat one another with respect. The pastors and elders must serve the people; the people should serve the pastors and elders. All must feel a sense of obligation to serve and thus to profit one another.

Members of the church should not undermine the leadership by speaking disparagingly of godly pastors and elders. They should not slander or berate them simply because they feel that their decisions or actions should have been different. A submissive communication with the leaders to clarify the matter is the right thing to do. Any disrespectful and abusive confrontation with godly men in the leadership is not only unbiblical, but also damaging to the spiritual unity of the church.

At the same time, seniors and men who hold offices in the church should not be aloof or over-exacting. In 1 Timothy 5:1, Paul advised Timothy to treat “the younger men as brethren”. Though they need to be strong and indeed wield spiritual authority, they must also listen to others respectfully. Both gentleness and firmness must characterise their leadership, with real concern shown for the unity of the church. They should not be domineering or self-promoting; they must be prepared to admit their mistake when in the wrong.

As a corollary, the younger men will get to learn submissive conduct from their elders and, in the process, be trained to assume leadership roles in church. Only men who serve God and His people submissively can be qualified as leaders of the church. The combination of godly leadership and submissive “follower-ship” with an attitude of humble respect for one another is God’s will concerning His church. Truly, if we would not regard ourselves lower than others, or be willing to gladly execute the meanest of offices and be ready on all occasions to “take the lowest place”, it would be downright impossible to be submissive.

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