Mind Potter

This is the third post in a series summarizing the chapters of R. C. Sproul’s book, THE TRUTH OF THE CROSS.

Chapter 3 – Debtors, Enemies, and Criminals

“Sin is cosmic treason”

God is Author: (p34)

• “The word authority has another word in it—author. Because God is the Author of all things, He has authority over all that He has created.”

DEBT:

• Man is the debtor, God is the Creditor, and Christ is the Surety.

ENMITY:

• Man is the enemy, God is the violated one, and Christ is the mediator.

CRIME:

• Man is the criminal, God is the Judge, and Christ is the substitute.
• Illustration: Borrowing and not being able to pay vs. stealing.

Romans 3:26

• God set out “to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

This is the second post in a series summarizing the chapters of R. C. Sproul’s book, THE TRUTH OF THE CROSS.

Chapter 2 – The Just God

Why the God-Man?

• “… the chief reason a God-man was necessary was the justice of God.”

God is loving:

• “a major part of what He loves is His own perfect character.”

God’s Justice:

• “His eternal, immutable commitment always to do what is right.”

Mercy:

• The very idea of mercy implies justice.

This is the first post in a series summarizing the chapters of R. C. Sproul’s book, THE TRUTH OF THE CROSS.

Chapter 1 – The Necessity of an Atonement

1Cor 2:2

• “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

Holy God and Sin as Offense: (p9)

• “If people understood that there is a holy God and that sin is an offense against that holy God, they would break down the doors of our churches and ask, “What must I do to be saved?”

Justification by Death: (p10)

• “The prevailing notion of justification in Western culture today is justification by death. It’s assumed that all one has to do to be received into the everlasting arms of God is to die.”

Primitive and Obscene: (p11)

• “It is primitive for a blood sacrifice to be made to satisfy the justice of a transcendent and holy God …. And the cross is an obscenity …. The cross was the ugliest, most obscene thing in the history of the world.”

Augustinianism, Semi-Pelagianism, and Pelagianism: (p12)

• Augustinianism – “salvation rests on God’s grace alone”
• Semi-Pelagianism – “salvation rests on human cooperation with God’s grace”
• Pelagianism – “salvation can be achieved without God’s grace”

Necessity?

• Absolutely Unnecessary – “Jesus died as a moral example for men”
• Hypothetically Necessary – “God could have redeemed us by a host of ways”
• Absolutely Necessary – “If any person was ever going to be reconciled to God and redeemed”

I’ve been asked the question, “What is it that a pastor does all day?” enough times that it has led me to ask myself what exactly I am doing.

Well, I read a lot. And it seems that most of my reading just leads to more questions and thus more books. But is reading the end of what a pastor does? Ok, I write sermons and practice preaching them. But are sermons the end of what a pastor does? I visit people in their homes and in the hospital and in funeral visitation lines. Maybe I’m just a professional “kind person” and listening ear who reads a lot and talks about what he has learned.

And then there is the Great Commission to “make disciples”. Ok, maybe I’m a disciple maker. But have you ever really tried that? The problem with having your product be disciples is that disciples are persons. It is really hard, dare I say impossible, to make people do much of anything.

I can tell you a few other things that I do: I lead Bible studies, I pray with people, I meet a lot of people for breakfast or lunch, I have people over to my home, I meet with a lot of people in my office … Really, it seems that most of what I do is either with people or in preparation for being with people.

But again, people can’t possibly be my product because I just don’t have that kind of control over the shape and decisions of people. It sure would be nice sometimes if I could say that I’m in the book business … I make books. Or, I’m in the carpentry business … I make houses. But I can’t say I’m in the people business because I can’t make people do or become much of anything.

And then it hit me. While it may seem like I’m in the people business I really am simply in the obedience business. I’m in the business of obeying God by creating opportunity. The Bible and Christian tradition calls this proclamation. Proclamation is my product. I study the truth so that I can present the truth to people, thus creating opportunity for the person to respond.

Let me explain what I mean by proclaiming, as you might have the image of my suddenly jumping up on a chair and starting to shout the Romans Road.

I can’t make any person do anything. But I can understand the purpose for which each person is made; that is, to glorify their God by reflecting back to Him the beauty of His own image in increasing holiness. My final product isn’t a Holy Image Reflector or even a disciple. The pastor’s final product is simply an opportunity. I open up doors of invitation. I speak the truth in love and wait knowing that I’ve done my job. I am completely ignorant of what the Holy Spirit is doing in this sacred moment in the heart of a friend, or a congregant, or a stranger after he has heard the gospel, but I know when the opportunity is well-received because it is met with repentance and belief. I can’t see the inner workings of the Holy Spirit in sanctification, but I know when my efforts at providing opportunity for discipleship are met with the Holy Spirit’s work when the believer begins to bear the fruit of holy living.

Again, I don’t make repentance. Repentance is not my product. I don’t create belief. And I don’t grow believers even when they show their first signs of new life. I simply study the truth, speak the truth, and hold before persons and myself the call of holiness.

“So, pastor, what do you do all day? Are you in the people business?”

No, not really. I’m more in the business of obedience. I obey God by studying His truth, knowing His truth, practicing His truth, and holding up His truth. What people do with my business isn’t my business (though I admit that it is my great concern). It’s their business to be taken up between the Holy Spirit and their eternal soul.

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:40)

I have read and wrestled with this passage for years as have many believers. I hope to reflected a good deal more here in the near future, but I have recently asked a new question of this passage that I would like to share here. I want to be clear that I am yet unsure of the answer to this question and would invite others to interact with me here.

The King speaks of the least of these, but who are these people? Are they anyone who is hungry or thirsty or in prison? The King adds one qualifier that until recently had gone unnoticed by me. The “least of these” the He is referring to are His brothers?

I put this question together with a reflection I have made in the past regarding Father’s Day and it seems that the parable changes a bit. I have heard pastors and believers celebrate on Father’s Day saying, “We honor our fathers, but we also honor the Father of all living things.” But this is not entirely accurate. God is creator of all things, but His use of the Fatherhood image He uses specifically to refer to His redeemed. Not all humans are the children of God. And the redeemed are the children of God only by virtue of being the brothers and sisters of the Father’s Son.

In the parable in Matthew 25 the King is Jesus and “the least of these” are His brothers. Believers are fellow heirs with Christ. Any reading of the Old Testament prophets must include a basic instruction to care for the poor and the oppressed within any God pleasing society. But it appears that this parable is not making a general appeal for social justice. This parable appears to be speaking of the King’s unwillingness to identify Himself with those who did not first identify with His own sons and daughters.

In the end, the sheep are being known by the King only as they were willing to identify with each other and specifically with the “least” among themselves. The goats are rejected because they were unwilling to identify themselves with the very members of the future kingdom.

Interestingly this is exactly what we see took place with the Apostle Paul. He was an enemy of Christ and a goat of goats as he was on the road to persecute the believers in Tarsus. It is on this road that He had an encounter with the King and is called to become one of “the least of these” in order to bring the gospel to those He would redeem. Read the letters of Paul and you will see one who became poor for the sake, not of a general social justice, but of the gospel, that is, the redeemed among the Gentiles.

If you have the opportunity I encourage you to read the Expositor’s Bible Commentary on this passage as it seems to indicate this sort of reading of Matthew 25. Please, I invite you to interact with me as I seek to understand this all important teaching of our Lord.

On Memorial Day at the beginning of this week I was asked to offer the invocation at the community Memorial Day service in Sheboygan Falls, WI. Below I have attached the speech given by Ed Michael.

— MEMORIAL DAY SPEECH by ED MICHAEL —

Memorial Day has traditionally been one of the most solemn and patriotic days for Americans. Memorial Day is a day when all Americans, regardless of ideologies, race, creed, or political persuasion, join together to remember the sacrifices of those who answered their nation’s call. Memorial Day is a time to take stock of the present, reflect on the past and renew our commitment to the future of America.

In America’s cities and towns today, flags will be placed on graves in cemeteries. Public officials will speak of the sacrifice and the valor of those whose memory we honor.

When he dedicated the battlefield at Gettysburg in 1863, Lincoln spoke of the inadequacy of words on occasions such as these. In his Gettysburg Address Lincoln said,
“The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” And so it is with us today. The eloquence of words cannot match the power of the sacrifices made by so many.

We honor them.

We praise them.

We remember them.

Today, as in the past, there are problems that must be solved and challenges that must be met. We can tackle them with our full strength and creativity only because we are free to work them out in our own way. We owe this freedom of choice and action to those men and women in uniform who have served this nation and its interest in time of need.

In particular, we are forever indebted to those who have given their lives that we might be free. I don’t have to tell you how fragile this precious gift of freedom is. Every time we hear, every time we watch, or every time we read the news, we are reminded that liberty is a rare commodity in this world.

Those who risked their lives on our behalf are often very clear about what matters most in their own lives. They tell what matters to those they love. I vividly remember the situation at our house when I was activated for Desert Shield/Storm and preparing to leave. After putting my bags in the car I went back into the house to get my wife Shirley to drive me to the airport and she was crying, I ask Shirley “What’s wrong?” She said that she couldn’t take me to the airport because the people (general public) shouldn’t see her crying. I looked at her and responded: “Honey, the President dialed 911 and I answered, You married a soldier”. She said “I know that … take care of yourself.”

Another example, of what matters in one’s life, is the comment of Master Sergeant Kelly Hornbeck, a Special Forces Soldier, who was killed in action south of Samarra, Iraq.
In a letter to his parents he wrote, “I am not afraid and neither should either of you be; for I trust in my God and my training, and these are two powerful forces that cannot be fully measured.

Markers, of veterans, in cemeteries all over the World record the names. Each was once or still is the most important person in someone’s life. With each loss in war, the world changed forever for the family and friends left behind. Each loss left others to carry on. Each loss left others to count the years of separation. And each loss left the living to hope for a reunion in a far better place.

Our first obligation to them and ourselves is plain enough:
The United States and the freedom, for which it stands, the freedom for which they died, must endure and prosper. Their lives remind us that freedom is not bought cheaply. Life has a cost; it imposes a burden. And just as they whom we commemorate were willing to sacrifice, so to must we – in a less final, less heroic way be willing to give of ourselves.

Although the burden of grief can become easier to bear, always there is the memory of another time and the feeling of sadness over an unfinished life. Yet, the completeness of a life is not measured in length only. Life is measured in the deeds and commitments that give a life its purpose.
The commitment of these lives was clear to all;

They defended our nation,

They liberated the oppressed,

They served the cause of peace.

As I was preparing my remarks for today I came across the lyrics by Julia Ward Howe to the, “Battle Hymn of the Republic”. In the fifth verse she wrote,

“As He died to make men Holy, let us die to make men free, While God is marching on.”

The second part of that stanza is often changed today to say, “Let us live to make men free.” The fifth verse of the Battle Hymn of the Republic reflects the meaning to a special e-mail that is circulating on the internet. It is a picture of Jesus on the Cross super imposed over a soldier kneeling in prayer with an M-16 rifle stuck in the ground by the bayonet, the helmet is set on top of the butt of the rifle stock, with a pair of empty boots and dog tags placed before the rifle. The caption of this picture reads;

“One died for your soul … the other died for your freedom.”

On this Memorial Day – pause to reflect on just what has been given and sacrificed so freely so that freedom could ring across this great land. And all Americans who have known the loss and sadness of war, whether recently or long ago, can know this: the person they love and miss is honored and remembered by the United States of America.

In closing: I can say, I have always considered it a Privilege and an Honor and to have been an American Soldier.

Thank You.

There are times when art moves the whole person not to the edge of his seat, but rather to the edge of his soul. Bella grows from beginning to end, even swelling to fill the viewer. But the emotion and thought is not beauty alone, it is pain. Bella uses pain to remind the viewer that he is really alive and has a soul and in the process shows the beauty of the possibility of life. Pain is real, and beauty is waiting.

(MP Rating: 5/5)

Today I move on to Chapter 3 of A. W. Pink’s book, The Sayings of the Savior on the Cross. You can view all the posts in this series by clicking HERE.

— SUMMARY —

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother. … When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved he saith unto his mother, “Woman, behold they son!” Then saith he to the disciple, “Behold thy mother!” (John 19:25-27)

Pink does a wonderful job in this chapter of helping us to understand this brief exchange within the larger narrative as well as within the scope of the whole of scripture.

He begins the chapter by first noting that Mary was a woman “not unacquainted with grief.” Even from the beginning of the announcement by the angel that she would bear the Son of God scripture notes that “she was troubled at his saying.” And here, in this scene, we have this crucified man’s mother standing beneath the cross.

Pink makes seven observations about Jesus’ pronouncement.

Here we see …

1) … the fulfillment of Simeon’s prophecy: Simeon had prophesied to Mary that “a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also”. Pink puts the fulfillment perfectly. “Never such bliss at a human birth, never such sorrow at an inhuman death.”

2) … the perfect man setting an example for children to honor their parents: Pink observes that to the very end Jesus “fully discharged the obligations of every relationship that He sustained, either to God or to man.” Pink explains at length that the fifth commandment applies to children of all ages, even adults. Jesus demonstrates this reality in this saying from the cross.

3) … that John had returned to the Saviour’s side: Not long before Jesus had asked his disciples to keep watch with Him for only a brief time. They failed Him then and subsequently scattered. But here we see that John returns to Jesus’ side. It is only right that it is the disciple whom Jesus loved who would first return to Him.

4) … an illustration of Christ’s prudence: It is only right that Jesus would choose the first disciple to return to Him as well as the one who had shared the greatest affection with Him to become the caregiver of the one who had borne Him and loved Him all the years of His life.

5) … that spiritual relationships must not ignore the responsibilities of nature: In the midst of the eternally significant work of atonement Jesus sees to the obligation He had as a natural son. Pink also discusses here the responsibilities of those in various ministries to also care for their “obligations of nature”.

6) … a universal need exemplified: Pink rightly notes Mary’s position at the foot of the cross. Mary, while blessed among women stands with the rest of creation having to decide her position beneath the cross.

7) … the marvelous blending of Christ’s perfections: In the midst of the divine work of atonement Jesus displays the most perfect of human affections. Pink observes that the great wonders of Jesus were performed “on the highway, in the cottage, or among a little group of sufferers.”

— REFLECTION —

The setting for this saying is Mary standing by the cross. Notice that Mary is the center of attention, not John. It makes me ask, would John have even returned as early as the crucifixion if he did not first see Mary’s intention of going there. It seems that John is attending to Mary. John is there less on behalf of Jesus and more on behalf of Mary. What lesson might John have learned from the love and faithfulness of Mary on this day?

Pink rightly points out the wisdom of the Savior to knit John and Mary together in this way. They would forever share together this experience of standing at the foot of the cross on the day the Savior died. And on the day of the resurrection the gospel narrative points out that upon seeing the empty tomb John believes and quickly returns home. Pink notes that this is certainly to share the good news with Mary. Now they would share not only the anguish of the crucifixion, but the joy of the resurrection.

I have never seen Jesus. I don’t know what He looks like. I don’t know what His voice sounds like. I don’t know what it is like to look at Jesus and love Him. John loved Jesus. John saw Jesus in His ministry, in His resurrection, and in His throne room. And John loved Jesus. John teaches me to love Jesus: to have a genuine affection for the crucified, resurrected, reigning Lord. I will one day see His face. John prepares me for that day such that I have already begun to see that He is wonderful in both His person and His work.

Pink notes that the disciples were not accustomed to forsaking the Lord and they never would after the resurrection. Much attention has been given to Peter’s denial and restoration. Peter gives me courage for ministry. But I, as one who is accustomed to forsaking the Lord, find encouragement from John. John loved the Lord so much that even when he forsook Jesus he returned to Jesus and found Him offering affection and atonement.

— INVITING YOUR THOUGHTS —

I hope that as you read that you will also respond below and interact with me as well as visit challies.com and interact there. As we interact let us keep in the spirit of A. W. Pink in his worshipful study and encouraging meditations.

Today I move on to Chapter 2 of A. W. Pink’s book, The Sayings of the Savior on the Cross. You can view all the posts in this series by clicking HERE.

— SUMMARY —

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:42-43)

This second saying of Jesus on the cross is part of a conversation between Jesus and one of the thieves between which he was crucified. Pink makes four general observations before he moves into his seven points regarding the interaction between Jesus and the thief.

First, “God was presiding over that scene. … All that God had decreed came to pass exactly as He had ordained, and nothing happened save as He had eternally purposed.”

Second, part of God’s purpose was that Jesus would be “numbered with the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12) Pink points out that this illustrates the depth to which Christ descended in humiliation on the cross. He was both “despised” and “rejected”.

Third, the sovereignty of God is on display in the salvation of the thief. Here we have two thieves with very similar circumstances and experiences. While both had been belligerent toward Jesus only one repents.

Fourth, this is the most clear instance of “victorious grace”. The thief most clearly had absolutely no claim to his own salvation. “Grace begins, grace continues, and grace consummates our salvation.”

Pink now moves on to make seven observations about the thief himself and his salvation.

Here we see …

1) … a representative sinner: Everyone who repents must first see himself as no different than this vile thief on the cross, who even mocked Jesus, with nothing to offer in order to obtain salvation.

2) … that man has to come to the end of himself before he can be saved: The thief represents for us the person who has come to the end of his ability to work for his salvation. The thief could not offer any practical righteousness. The only activity yet available to the thief was to die.

3) … the meaning of repentance and faith: Pink notes that repentance is more than a turning from sin, but is also a “judging of ourselves” as completely undone.

4) … a marvelous case of spiritual illumination: Pink observes that the thief is taught seven things by the Spirit in these brief moments.

(a) “His belief in a future life where retribution would be meted out by a righteous and sin-avenging God.”
(b) “He had a sight of his own sinfulness.”
(c) “He bore testimony to Christ’s sinlessness.”
(d) “He … confessed [Christ’s] Godhead.”
(e) “He believed in the Saviourhood of the Lord Jesus.”
(f) “He evidenced his faith in Christ’s Kingship.”
(g) “He looked forward to the second coming of Christ.”

5) … the Saviourhood of Christ: Repeatedly Jesus gives “no response” to those who accuse Him, but the repentant thief receives His full attention.

6) … the destination of the saved: The form of Jesus’ response to the thief matches the form of the thief’s question. From this matching it is clear that Jesus intimates to the thief and that that “today” is the day that He enters into His kingdom and “today” is the day that the thief will be with Him in that kingdom; that is, paradise.

7) … the longing of the Saviour for fellowship: Pink notes that while it is true that we are “saved to serve” Christ’s intent in salvation is to bring a lost people into fellowship with Himself. Thus we are not in the main saved for service, but for fellowship.

— REFLECTION —

Again, Pink packs much of the power of the chapter into the paragraphs before he even launches into his main points.

When Pink discusses the Savior’s being “numbered with transgressors” it struck me that the lawmaker was numbered among the lawbreakers. The one who authored and embodies the command not to covet now both stands with and, by virtue of becoming sin for the sake of the redeemed, embodies every covetous deed of the redeemed. He stands between two sinners but would bear the sin of only one. He is identified with the lawbreakers of both the damned and the redeemed, but he comes into His kingdom granting victory only to the repentant.

In Pink’s discussion of victorious grace it struck me that while many of the redeemed throughout history have desired to die on account of obedience to the Lord, here we have one who dies on account of disobedience and yet with the Lord! It is true that the Lord was crucified alongside transgressors, but it is equally true that He was crucified alongside one of the elect. Jesus was crucified between two thieves. And Jesus was crucified between one of the damned and one of the redeemed. How clearly the point is made that there are none on the crosses next to Jesus, at the foot of the cross, or reading the record of the crucifixion today that are not counted a thief, a lawbreaker, a transgressor. That is a matter of sobering reality. But among these transgressors there are members of the redeemed; that is, those who will enter into the kingdom of paradise.

I often reflect on the meaning and location of the kingdom. This has become a great matter of importance in our present day with the justification of many actions based upon kingdom work or doing work to extend the kingdom. I find Pink’s paralleling the thief’s question with the Lord’s answer very helpful. Jesus and John both taught that the kingdom was at hand. And it is true that the kingdom is the reach of the power of the King, and Jesus was displaying that power “at hand” or nearby or at present. But in Jesus’ response He seems to be saying that on that day, the day of His crucifixion, He was entering into His kingdom and the location of that kingdom is paradise. I readily admit that my study and reflection upon the doctrines of the kingdom are immature, but it seems to me that a likely explanation is that the geographical location of the kingdom, or the center of the kingship, is the already present locale of paradise. The power of this center of the kingdom reaches into even the evil and tainted locale of the world in order to bring to Himself all the number of the redeemed. The consumation of the kingdom is a future event in which he will bring the center of His kingship, heaven, to a new earth in order to establish His eternal reign with His bride, the redeemed, throughout all of creation. (I greatly encourage readers to interact patiently with me and others regarding the kingdom. It seems to me that the kingdom is a matter of great importance in our present day and thus a matter worth understanding and clarifying that we would place ourselves rightly within God’s view of His own kingdom. I appreciate any comments.)

Finally, Pink offers a wonderfully concise and revealing definition of repentance. I believe that I will have to commit this definition to memory.

Repentance is not so much an intellectual process as it is the conscience active in the presence of God.

God manifests His presence to the sinner and the sinner’s conscience is pricked with the reality of his own “lost estate”. This is just as true for the one first realizing His need for a Savior and conversion as it is for the converted whom God convicts of a present and persistent sin. How many believers can confess that they have experienced this reality. We know that our actions and thoughts are sin. Our mind and even our emotions may be engaged in our hated of our sin even to the degree that we attempt to set our wills upon repentance. But is it not true that it is only when God encounters us with His holiness (whether it be in prayer or in worship or in reading) that genuine repentance truly begins. Effective turning has begun.

This chapter has been overwhelmingly helpful to me. It has been especially helpful as I have gone back to reflect upon the practical implications of the things to which Pink has drawn my attention.

— INVITING YOUR THOUGHTS —

I hope that as you read that you will also respond below and interact with me as well as visit challies.com and interact there. As we interact let us keep in the spirit of A. W. Pink in his worshipful study and encouraging meditations.

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)

This passage is the instruction that stands behind our text, Psalm 78. Deuteronomy uses the language of the home, the lying down and the rising up. Before we move into Psalm 78 it will be helpful first to ask two questions.

What are children?

We read in 2 Timothy that Lois and Eunice were the grandmother and mother of Timothy. It is from them that he learned the faith. But in the same chapter we see Paul calling Timothy “my beloved child”. And in 1 Timothy Paul calls him “my true child in the faith”.

Our text, Psalm 78, uses both the language of passing on from parents to children as well as from generation to generation. It would be wise to pray that God would give you a true son or beloved daughter in the faith.

Can the home be reproduced elsewhere?

Is the home just a metaphor? Is the place of “rising” and “walking” and “lying” down re-definable? The home is not just a metaphor. Only the home is the home. The home under the care of Father and Mother is the design of God for the instruction of the child?

But God has also designed assistants to the home. In these things we see a hint of God’s care for the fatherless and the widow. These assistants are necessary in both homes with a whole, God-designed Christian witness as well as in homes where the witness is broken or deficient in any way. Think of the impact of Christian friends, a youth leader, or a mentor for a child from a Christian home. The home is assisted in coffee shops, and basketball courts, and Bible studies. And then think of Timothy’s home. Where was the witness of Timothy’s father? I am from one of these broken homes myself. My parents divorced when I was around the age of twelve. Dan Sigler, my brother’s old youth pastor, called about a year after the divorce. During the course of the next three years we spent a great deal of time together as I was discipled under his care. Dan was not my home nor was he my father, but I was am his true spiritual son in the faith.

Homes and parents are specifically defined and designed by God, but God has called many of you to become someone’s spiritual guardian.

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! (2) I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, (3) things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. (4) We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. (5) He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, (6) that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, (7) so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; (8) and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. (Psalm 78:1-8)

We must not hide the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, but tell them to the next generation that they would put their trust in God and not forget. We get at the the heart of the purpose of this wise psalmist as we ask four questions of Psalm 78.

Is God worthy talking about?

Psalm 78 is one of the longer psalms. It walks through many wonders that the Lord has done. It recounts the plagues with which God displays His power before Pharaoh: the blood, frogs, gnats, flies, death of livestock, boils, and the death of the firstborn. He tells of God’s great parting of the Red Sea. Not only do the waters pile up, but the people of God walk upon dry ground. And when the armies of Egypt attempt to cross they are crushed under the weight of the crashing waters. And God leads them in the wilderness with a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. In the wilderness the Israelites begin to become afraid and complain and God silences their complaint by sending manna and quail by which they were fed. At the end of the Psalm God puts down the rebellious kingship of Saul and sets up a king of His own choosing. King David becomes the dynasty out of which would come the Messiah.

Elsewhere in scripture God uses the faithful obedience of Daniel to display His own power and glory. While the kings of Judah and Israel had shown themselves to be unfaithful, God shows Himself to their conqueror, the pagan, foreign King Nebuchadnezzar. God reveals His wonders such that Nebuchadnezzar confesses that God is the One True God.

And greatest of all the wonders of our God is the incarnation, life and death of Jesus according to God’s prophecy, humility, and provision. And He is vindicated and triumphant in His resurrection in which all the redeemed find their only hope.

Are the deeds of God praiseworthy deeds? Is God worthy talking about?

And what has the Lord done for you? Where have you seen the surety of the promises of the Word? Where have you seen the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

God has taught me that in both His power and His compassion He will always provide for me and my family. One of the first Christmases after my parents divorced my mother found it very difficult to provide much in the way of presents. The gifts around the Christmas tree were very important to my mother and they had become important to my brother and I. Just days before Christmas I heard a knock at the door. I looked through the peep-hole and saw red, white, and green colors on our porch. Opening the door I saw gifts on the ground marked To: each member of my family. But it was the From: column that reminds me of God’s provision as every gift was marked From: Jesus. I looked up and about a quarter mile down Edson Ave. running as fast as he could was Dan Sigler. God used His faithful instrument to teach me a lesson about His praiseworthy deeds that I have already had to go back to in my own ten years of marriage. Jeremiah cannot provide for his family, but his God can!

God shows His power and wonders. You can give assent that He is powerful. And make no mistake, He is powerful. Even the demons know well His power. But you only show He is praiseworthy if you regularly declare His praise to the next generation.

How do we hide?

Psalm 78 suggests that it is quite possible to hide the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord from the next generation. How is it that we hide His deeds?

We do not remember:

They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them. (Psalm 78:11)
They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe, (Psalm 78:42)

Could you tell the story that the Psalmist tells? Do you know these deeds by heart? Stephen was stoned by the mob as he recounted the history of the deeds of God. Peter in the first sermon at Pentecost recounted the story of redemption leading to Christ and thousands were added to the number of believers. Can you recount the story or have you forgotten?

Do you know what the Lord has done for you? I receive great joy when I am in a restaurant and one of my children reminds me that we need to pray. And one of my boys begins to pray, “Jesus, I am thankful for my brothers, and for Granny and Bubba, and for Mommy and Daddy, and for this food.” Do you think it is by accident that they count their blessings? Did this come naturally or do you think that they have seen the previous generation counting their blessings before the Lord.

We do not live:

They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?” (Psalm 78:18-19)

Are you content? Does your lack of a contented life show the next generation that God has not done enough for you? Do you live like you have forgotten what the Lord has done?

In spite of all this, they still sinned;despite his wonders, they did not believe. (Psalm 78:32)

Every time we sin we show the next generation that we treasure sinful pleasure more than we treasure Christ. We delight in the momentary pleasure of sin more than we do in the law of the Lord.

Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies, (Psalm 78:56)

Do we live by arbitrary rules or rules our parents taught us? Is our aim to live up to the norms of civil society? Or do we show the next generation that the norms by which we live our life are in keeping with the testimonies of the Lord? What rules have you handed your children that you have you set above the law of the Lord. Have you told your children the source of the commands by which you live and you call them to live? Do you show the next generation that we obey out of reverence for the Lord?

We do not believe:

because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power. (Psalm 78:22)

What do you hope in? Do you hope in a new job? If only you could get that pay raise then you would be able to make things work for your family. Do you hope in a bigger house, or a return to health? If only you could get control of your health then you could be happy. Maybe your church hopes in a balanced budget. If you could get the budget under control then you could go about the ministry to which you have been called. Does the next generation see you hoping in these things or does it see you bent on Christ, your King, as your only deliverer? Is Christ’s deliverance from sin enough? Is Christ enough?

In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe. (Psalm 78:32)

Does the next generation see you watching carefully the wonders of God found in His Word? My five-year-old son came down stairs during rest time a few weeks ago and said that that he needed to make a bookmark for his Bible. Now, he is just learning how to read so I wasn’t sure what he needed a bookmark for, but we made one nonetheless. Out of curiosity I asked him what book he was reading. He said Genesis. And what chapter? He replied that he was on six. A bit shocked I pressed him on the issue and discovered that by six he meant the “little six”, as in verse six. I’m not sure that he needed a bookmark to mark verse six, but at least he is reading. Where do you think that he got this idea of reading during rest time? He sees his mother take a brief (well deserved) nap after lunch after which she opens the Word and begins to study. The next generation will believe as they see us go to the Word to meditate and read that the wonders of God would produce faith and belief.

Your Bible may be on the shelf, far from hidden. It may even be on your coffee table. But are the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord in your mind, in your life, and in your heart.

How do we tell?

We tell what we have heard and known:

things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. (Psalm 78:3)

We must first find him wonderful. Do you find the Lord wonderful? If you do not find Him wonderful than any sharing of the stories of redemption are simply deeds of a deity and not praiseworthy deeds of the Lord. If you find that the Lord is simply not wonderful to you this is a matter to be committed immediately to prayer. All your testimony will be to no effect if you do not first find him wonderful.

They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. 36 But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. (Psalm 78:35-36)

The next generation will see our hypocrisy and it will be abhorrent to them.

I remember in High School sitting with you youth group in church and looking over at the congregation as we sang these awesome hymns of the faith: Holy, Holy, Holy and How Great Though Art and A Might Fortress. And the people of the congregation looked little more than alive. Many had sung these songs with no expression for so long that they could sing them in their sleep. You wonder why the next generation does not like your hymns? They have seen you sing them for so long without even cracking a smile or shedding a tear at the wonder therein.

But what about praise music? You wonder why contemporary Christian music just doesn’t seem contemporary anymore? They have seen you singing and clapping your hands for generation now, but they don’t see a difference in your lives.

Hypocrisy will always be a part of every generation. We are sinners saved by grace. There will be times that you go to church on a Sunday morning and the only truthful statement on your lips is the prayer of confession. But in this is the remedy for the testimony of hypocrisy. We must join our striving with confession. The next generation must see us declaring His glory and living His commands while confessing our own rebellion.

We tell more than stories:

I remember as a young child going to my father after hearing the story of Noah and the Ark again in Sunday School and telling him that I thought I could tell the stories of Noah and of Joseph better than my Sunday School teacher could. I had heard them told so many times by people who taught them as little more than stories. But if we are just telling stories to the next generation we might as well let them watch a Pixar cartoon for Sunday School. Hollywood will always tell stories better.

We must remember that what we utter are oracles. This the is story of God’s creation from God’s perspective. We must remember that what we utter are parables. The history of redemption is revelatory. In the story of the the Word God has chosen to reveal Himself!

We are bearers of the greatest story ever, the gospel story! We must open our mouths. We must open our lives.

What will our children look like?

so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, (Psalm 78:7a)

We don’t tell the story just because our parents told us. Our purpose is to use the story to point them to the Savior. We found the Lord in the revelation of these stories and so must they.

but keep his commandments; (Psalm 78:7b)

Some parents use God, the church, and the Bible just to “get their kids to behave.” This is one of the most damning things a parent can do to a child. Is that what you want? Good kids with no knowledge of eternity or a Savior? We share the story not to get good kids but that they would become God’s kids, God’s worshippers. Our desire is that they would become a testimony to the children not yet born and to their children.

Abiding Significance

We are a “stubborn and rebellious generation” who are members of a stubborn and rebellious race. Every generation must remember again. Every generation must be told.

We must not hide the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, but tell them to the next generation that they would put their trust in God and not forget.

Con you with honesty say that God is wonderful to you? Maybe He is not wonderful to you because He has not become your Savior? Maybe you need to believe in faith in the wonderful deed of forgiveness by Jesus’ gracious work on the cross? Or maybe you need to remember by making some commitments for study and even meeting with others to get to know the story.

Does your life look like you are content in God, like He is powerful to warrant your faithfulness? Maybe you need to stop hiding God by the way that you live?

Do you know that the Lord is praiseworthy, powerful, and wonderful? Do you know what the Lord has done to save you? You need to open your mouth and begin to speak! You need to open your life and begin to live.