Sermon Text: Psalm 91:1–6
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 6th October 2024
Sermon Text: Psalm 91:1–6
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 6th October 2024
Proverbs 15:23
23 A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!
This saying is set in the context of having wise counsellors. There is great profitability in listening to men who can provide wise advice about matters of life, including both spiritual and mundane matters.
God wants His people to cultivate wise speech. It is unquestionably God’s will concerning us that we be wise in speech to exhort and edify one another. In His Word, God has expressed His great expectation concerning our communication with one another – “The lips of the righteous feed many” (Proverbs 10:21). Also, “the tongue of the wise is health” (Proverbs 12:18), i.e. wherever wise speech is maintained, the affairs of life will be healthy. Moreover, “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life” (Proverbs 15:4); thus when the tongue is guided by the Spirit of God and by the words of Holy Scripture, it will elicit wise thoughts that nourish the hearers.
In every Christian home, godly conversation must always be maintained. Parents are expected to be wise teachers of their children at home. They must teach their children God’s truth (Deuteronomy 6:6- 7; 11:19). Furthermore, children are warned against swearing against the parents. “Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness” (Proverbs 20:20).
The Christian’s duty to exhibit gracious, wholesome speech is repeatedly exhorted in the epistles of Paul. In Ephesians 4:29, he admonished, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” By the same token, he said in Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” The provider of an apt answer will indeed have great joy. His own conscience will rejoice that his words have been helpful; on top of that, the gratefulness of the hearer will also be a reason for his joy.
We should be careful not only about the content and manner of our speech, but also about the timeliness of our speech. “A word … in due season, how good is it!” Our words should befit the situation. A piece of advice, given at the right moment and in the most suitable manner, will be very profitable to the hearers. So before we speak, let us examine whether our words are truthful, edifying, gracious and appropriate.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
God is in control of time and events. He has purposed what and how things should be as time moves relentlessly on. Every event has a definite place in God-directed history. There is a “season” (an appointed period) and a “time” (a predetermined occurrence) for all that take place under the sun. Man must humbly submit to God’s immaculate providence.
Times of life cannot be fully known to us. Whether we can bring any of our labours to fruition or not, is unknown to us. We cannot on our own achieve permanence or fulfilment of anything we pursue. Hence our efforts and endeavours are not forever. We must know that all our abilities and labour cannot change the seasons set by God. We are directed and controlled by His providential appointments of events and seasons. Man cannot be the ultimate decider of his destiny. He must align his thoughts and actions with God who is in control of time and events.
Verses that follow further demonstrate this truth. “A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace” (vv. 2-8).
This is a poem on 14 sets of opposites, each of which happens in its due, appointed time. Our lives in this world will experience a mixture of joy and sorrow, harmony and conflict, life and death. No permanent state of affairs exists in this world. Sudden changes of circumstances (especially when things turn for the worse) are a source of people’s frustration. But giving in to disappointment and rage will not help us. We must learn to live amidst the changing scenes of life by trusting in God’s unchanging goodness. We must patiently wait upon God by focusing on what we ought to do according to His will, knowing full well that God will accomplish His good pleasure concerning us in His own perfect time. For it is written, “He hath made every thing beautiful in his time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11a).
Ecclesiastes 1:2
2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon speaks as ‘the Preacher’, not as the king of Israel. He uses the vast experience of his life as a wise, wealthy and powerful king to teach his listeners valuable lessons about life. The Spirit of God, in His infinite wisdom, uses Solomon’s failures and sinful ways to grant us object lessons about the tragedy of pursuing carnal pleasures. Ultimately, the lesson is that a life lived apart from God is vanity.
The word “vanity” (hebel) is used five times in this one verse. Four of those occurrences are in a twofold repetition of a Hebrew superlative construction, “vanity of vanities”. The Hebrew word for “vanity” can mean “vapour”, “breath”, “emptiness” or that which is “futile”, “fleeting”, “transitory”, etc. Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, the word “vanity” appears about 38 times. It refers to something without real substance, value, permanence, significance or meaning. Generally, it appears to imply that which is both transitory and futile. It emphasises how swiftly earthly things pass away, and how little they offer while one is in possession of them. The concept is given greater stress by the repeated use of the superlative, “vanity of vanities”.
Solomon states most emphatically that “all is vanity”. He said this not in reference to the physical universe, but to all the activities of earthly life. This he explained in the next verse with a rhetorical question: “What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?” (v. 3). Solomon is not a complete pessimist; he is only driving home the point that people gain no ultimate advantage or profit from all their toil. Human effort to obtain satisfaction apart from God only produces a sense of vanity at the end. There is no discernible advantage to our struggle and toil in life when we look at life merely in terms of earthly values.
Whether he considers his wealth, his works, his wisdom or his kingship, Solomon comes to the same sad conclusion – all is “vanity and vexation of spirit” (1:14; 2:11). The Bible repeatedly reminds us that life without God is meaningless and full of vexation. So Solomon advises all his readers at the end of this book, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (12:13). The vanity and vexation of this life should lead us to the reality of the abundant life that God provides through Christ and His truth.
Psalm 23:6b
6b And I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
David was a man who always desired to be “in the house of the LORD”. In the house of the LORD, he rejoiced in the goodness and mercies of the LORD. Worship, songs, testimonies, meditation of His Word, prayers, and all suchlike activities in the LORD’s house granted him the greatest joy he had experienced in this world. In Psalm 5:7, he uttered, “But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.”
In his psalms, David often spoke about his desire for the LORD’s house. He prayed in Psalm 26:8, “LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth”. In Psalm 27:4, he wrote, “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.” His pious heart could not find a greater, nobler, sweeter experience than hearing the praise, honour and glory of God in the place of worship. No wonder the psalmist exclaimed, “How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God” (Psalm 84:1-2).
David counted being “in the house of the LORD” as the most blessed experience of a man’s life. So he wrote in Psalm 65:4, “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.” In the same vein, he said in Psalm 84:4, “Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.” He also said in the same psalm, “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness” (v. 10).
It was David’s irrepressible desire to rejoice in all the activities that were being done in the LORD’s house in worship of His name. Being with God’s people in His house to think of the LORD’s goodness and mercy and to serve Him was his heart’s most cherished ambitions. The desire for the LORD’s house was so great that he wanted to dwell there for ever. It is obvious that nothing would fully satisfy his longing heart except heaven, where he would dwell for ever with the LORD.
Psalms 23:6a
6a Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
This saying of David teems with perfect confidence. What blessed assurance he enjoyed as a child of God! David understood that the LORD, being his Shepherd, would guide him all through his life by providing His divine “goodness and mercy” to attend to his ways. Having experienced the LORD’s “goodness and mercy” up till now, David boldly stated that they should also be his experience for the rest of his life.
Every true believer can possess the same conviction as expressed by David here. The LORD’s special providence accompanies every child of God all the days of his life. It is no delusion to claim that the good providence of the LORD is every believer’s inheritance.
The LORD is good and merciful in all His dealings with His people. Even when He deals with their waywardness, it is His goodness that chastises them to bring them back to His righteous paths. In Psalm 145:9, David said, “The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works”. In Psalm 65:11, he wrote, “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.” So he exhorted all God’s people, saying, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him” (Psalm 34:8).
Concerning the mercy of the LORD, David has said repeatedly that “His mercy endureth for ever”. Streams of God’s mercy flow ceaselessly from God’s throne towards His people. In Psalm 86:5, David testified, “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” David also said in Psalm 100:5, “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
Do not the calamities and misfortunes that happen to believers disprove David’s claim that “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”? David himself was subject to innumerable afflictions. Yet, through it all, he was sustained by the LORD’s “goodness and mercy”.
Believers’ afflictions are not indicative of the lack of God’s “goodness and mercy”. God may have allowed those dark experiences to serve as a means of chastisement or purification process in believers’ lives. At the same time, He will sustain them with His “goodness and mercy”, and help them to emerge from their trials with greater confidence in God.
Psalm 23:2
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
The LORD is depicted in Psalm 23 as the Shepherd of His people. Like the shepherd who leads the flock to green pastures and still waters, the LORD leads His people gently to all that nourish and refresh their souls. He is their ever-willing, never-failing Shepherd. He not only knows their needs, but also adequately and appropriately provides for them. This is why the psalmist assuredly said, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).
The psalmist’s delight in the personal attention that he received from the LORD, his Shepherd, is very evident throughout this psalm. The continual use of the personal pronouns “I”, “me” and “my” in this psalm denotes the joy of the psalmist in the personal relationship he enjoyed with the LORD. He was constantly under the loving care of his Shepherd.
The first picture of the shepherd making his sheep “to lie down in green pastures” is indicative of the contentment and repose that the LORD provides for His people. The Hebrew words for “green pastures” can mean “pastures of young grass”. The Hebrew word translated “green” (deshe) refers to new shoots of grass, which the sheep love to feed on. Sheep which are fully fed will lie down on the grass in contentment. Likewise, the LORD’s people who are fed by Him shall always enjoy calm contentment in their souls.
The second picture of the shepherd leading the sheep “beside the still waters” is yet another description of the LORD’s tender care for His people. Normally, the sheep is wary of rapid torrents. The rushing water and its noise frighten the sheep; so it would shrink from drinking of it. Only from quiet bodies of water will the sheep feel comfortable to drink. Thus, the shepherd will have to find some quiet and gentle flowing stream for the sheep to quench its thirst. He pays attention to the sufficient and suitable supply for the needs of the sheep.
The LORD will take care of all His children with a perfect supply for their needs. The supply of His grace will provide for all their needs, both spiritual and material. But are we grateful to the LORD for His gracious provisions and leading? Should we not exalt Him with our testimonies of His goodness, as David did in this psalm?
During his recent visit to Singapore, the Pope made a statement that has been widely reported: “All religions are paths to God.” He added, “I will use an analogy, they are like different languages that express the divine.”1 This view, however, stands in stark contrast to our Christian belief.
As followers of Christ, we recognise no authority beyond what Christ Himself and the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God, have revealed to us.
Let’s listen to Jesus’ words on how to be saved and come to God. (To stress the importance, the relevant portions are underscored.)
As shown in the statements above, Jesus has clearly emphasised that He is the only path to God, the embodiment of truth, and the Giver of eternal life. For further evidence of Jesus’ insistence that He is the Saviour whom God sent for sinners to come to Him, please refer to the following Scripture passages: Matthew 1:21; 11:27-30; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 5:32; 19:10; John 3:16; 5:36-47; 6:35-39; 11:25-26.
Now, let us hear the emphatic declarations of Christ’s apostles, as recorded in the New Testament, that reiterated Christ is the only Saviour whom God had prepared for sinners:
Now consider Jesus’ warning of eternal damnation for all who reject Him as the One whom God the Father has sent to this earth to save sinners and to provide the way to heaven:
The apostles also warned that those who deny Christ will not come to the Father but perish forever:
“Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds” (2 John 9-11).
1 https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2024/september/documents/20240913-singapore-giovani.html
Sermon Text: Psalm 90:1–17
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 29th September 2024
Psalm 119:131 - “I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments.”
This verse vividly portrays a person deeply yearning for God’s commandments. The phrase, “opened my mouth, and panted”, evokes the image of someone utterly exhausted and gasping for air, or of a parched animal thirsting for water. These expressions depict one of the most intense desires imaginable—a longing for something vital and life-sustaining. Such was the psalmist’s deep desire for the Word of God, particularly for His commandments.
Many people today view the commandments of God as restrictive, burdensome, or difficult to follow. Some claim that God’s commandments are “grievous” (or heavy), but that is far from the truth. 1 John 5:3 reminds us that God’s commandments are not grievous, but are an expression of His love for us. The apostle John said, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” The psalmist, in Psalm 119, understood that God’s commandments are good, beneficial, and life-giving. They lead to wisdom and a greater understanding of life’s purpose. As the psalmist has declared, “Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies” (Psalm 119:98).
Moreover, God’s commandments are described as pure, faithful, and righteous. Psalm 19:8 tells us, “the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.” They are not arbitrary rules, but perfect, consistent expressions of God’s righteousness and truth. The psalmist also states in Psalm 119:86 that God’s commandments are “faithful”, meaning they are trustworthy and dependable. In Psalm 119:151, they are described as being “truth”, and in Psalm 119:172, as “righteousness”. Every one of God’s commandments reflects His perfect nature, and reveals His wisdom and holiness to those who obey them.
Furthermore, God’s commandments are like lamps that shine light on our path, helping us to get through life’s uncertainties and darkness. Proverbs 6:23 says, “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light”. Just as a lamp illuminates our way in physical darkness, God’s commandments illuminate our spiritual journey, guiding us away from sin and towards righteousness.
Given the goodness, purity, and truthfulness of God’s commandments, it is crucial that we do not forsake them. Instead, like the psalmist, we should earnestly desire to know and follow them. All those who obey God’s commandments will undoubtedly be preserved from the errors, guilt, shame of sinful temptations and spiritual ignorance. Above all, they will be led in God’s perfect wisdom, righteousness, and blessings.
Doreen Ng
I have learnt many spiritual lessons from Pastor Koshy’s exposition of the theme on “The God of Covenant” in the 25th Bible Witness Retreat. This doctrine of divine covenant depicts God as sovereign, gracious and unchanging. It gives me great assurance that I can hold onto God’s unbreakable New Covenant in a world filled with challenges and uncertainties.
The messages caused me to pause and think about God as He has revealed Himself in His covenants, and thus be grateful for the covenantal relationship that He has established in Christ with me. This relationship takes me on a journey of discovering more about God and His plan for me. Understanding and embracing the truths of God in His covenants not only enlighten my spiritual eyes, but also have the effect of encouraging me to continue being instructed more perfectly in His Word and to endure in faith to the end. The eternal life in Christ is the ultimate benefit of His covenants (cf. 2 Peter 1: 4).
Randy Laurencio
Through this 25th BW Retreat, I learn that God reveals Himself through His covenant to His chosen people. I was truly awed, through all the messages, by the reminder of how sinful I am but yet God has chosen me to be His child. I am very blessed to learn of the matchless magnanimity of our God in His covenants. He was so gracious to engraft us Gentiles, the branches of the wild olive tree, to that natural olive tree, even Israel. I cannot fathom the deepness of His love towards Israel and towards us, believers in Christ in this present age. He is so merciful and unchanging in His love towards me, despite my many shortcomings and sins.
I confess that I have been taking for granted all His benefits and goodness towards me. I realise I have indeed abused His kindness and blessings towards me because of my selfishness, my short-sightedness and my lack of faith and trust in Him. May He forgive me for not having fully entrusted my life to Him. May I be moulded and changed to fully surrender my life to Him. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob is also my God, and I love Him and His words because He first loved me. He has fulfilled His ultimate promise to save me from my sins through the death on the cross of His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32). He is able to fulfil all His promises towards me and to all His people, because He is the Almighty God.
As for my response, I pray that I will fully trust in Him and walk according to His ways and precepts, that I will follow Him knowing that He is always there to restore and help me. While He has promised that He is able to provide for all our needs, I am most comforted by His promise in 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Reuel Resuma
I thank God for giving me the opportunity to attend the recent 25th Bible Witness Retreat, and especially for the preaching of His Word on the topic, “The God of Covenant”, which was expounded to us by Pastor.
A brief summary of what I have learned from the retreat is that God is faithful in keeping His covenant and fulfils all that He has promised. Also, God’s covenants are unilateral, meaning that He alone sovereignly initiates the covenant, and graciously extends the covenant to whomsoever He wills, and exercises His authority over it and enforces its blessing and curse. These are evident in all of the biblical covenants, such as the Adamic Covenant, Noahic Covenant, Abrahamic Covenant, Mosaic Covenant, Davidic Covenant and the New Covenant.
Before the fall, God had established a covenant with Adam and Eve known as the “Covenant of Works”. This is God’s covenant with Adam and Eve, wherein He commanded them that they could eat of any tree in the Garden of Eden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For if they did, they would die (cf. Genesis 2:16-17). Although they disobeyed God’s covenant, God graciously initiated another covenant, which is known as the “Covenant of Grace”. All covenants that God has extended to man after the fall are part of the “Covenant of Grace”. And it all started with Genesis 3:15 – “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
Finally, I learn that God has established a New Covenant, and the ratification of this occurred when Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for us. The New Covenant also talks of God restoring His people, Israel – which is nothing like the previous covenants, for all of them would know God, and His law would be in their hearts which will culminate in Christ’s millennial reign on earth (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
All glory be to God!