Archives for June 2014

‘Thus says the LORD, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives. Return every man to his home, for this thing is from me.’ ” So they listened to the word of the LORD and returned and did not go against Jeroboam. 2 Chronicles 11:4 (ESV)

God is sovereign, the splitting of the kingdom was not the work of the devil, it was Gods own discipline and plan which he brought to pass for his own purposes.

This teaches us that even things that on the surface seem negative may be something God has brought to pass or allowed for his purposes. We must keep a full picture of God, he is not just a God who blesses, he brings judgement too. See Romans 8:28

And those who had set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their fathers. 2 Chronicles 11:16 (ESV)

In the area of apologetics some will challenge the scripture in Revelation 7:4-8 for example which speak about 144,000 Jewish believers 12,000 form every tribe. The contention is that 10 of the tribes were lost in the Assyrian exile of the northern kingdom.

This scripture show that God actually preserved all Israel in the land of Judah with those faithful to God fleeing the northern lands.

We must be like those who fled the north, we should not stand with compromise. This also helps us to understand why the reformation was so necessary.

Paul reminds us of God’s promise for setting ourselves aside to stand with the Lord in 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 “Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

We should stand for and defend the true faith, once for all handed down to the saints Jude 3

When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him. 2 Chronicles 12:1 (ESV)

This is a wicked trait of the human heart, we can often abandon God once seeking him produces our desired end. This is why he must be our end. God should be our aim and treasure.

Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:8 “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”

Again in Philippians 3:12 we read “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”

Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says the LORD, ‘You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.’ ” 2 Chronicles 12:5 (ESV)

Jesus echoes this characteristic of God which flies in the face of modern images of God as a beneficent father who only dispenses blessings.

Jesus, in his call to us to be loyal and faithful to our King and the kingdom said in Matthew 10:33 “but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

and in Luke 9:26 “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the LORD. 2 Chronicles 12:14 (ESV)

Like the pull of gravity, if we do not set our hearts to serve the Lord we will inevitably do evil, it is our nature as fallen creatures.

We are reminded to keep our hearts focused on Jesus and serving him in Hebrews 12:2 “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.” 2 Chronicles 13:12 (ESV)

This is true, it is foolish to fight God, no one can win no matter how much they try, it is like a boxer vs an ant…. no contest. This is why it is foolish to resist God or to rebel against him, he is God and we are not, he is the King, we should submit to him and end the offence of rebellion.

Gamaliel echoes this truth in Acts 5:39 “but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice,”

Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 2 Chronicles 13:15 (ESV)

We can take confidence from this that we can cry out to God today to see his deliverance in the middle of the battles we face.

Peter reminds us in 2 Peter 2:9 “then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,”

not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. Titus 2:10 (ESV)

This scripture (from verse 9 – 10) is a call for all of us who are employed to be submissive to our superiors, we should not be argumentative and should be honest. This behaviour will be like the dressing for our teaching and belief.

Correct beliefs without correct living is worthless and shameful.

This is the Christian manifesto for the workplace and we must adhere to it to be good witnesses and for the glory of God’s church and in turn God’s own glory.

training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, Titus 2:12 (ESV)

God’s grace does not teach us that we can live however we want because we made a confession, no.

Here we learn that Gods grace and goodness which has appeared for all people through the good news actually trains us to turn away from ungodly behaviour and evil passions driven by our heart and culture, to instead live self controlled, honest and godly lives in whatever age we are living in.

Gods grace means we can live in holiness as God requires no matter our surroundings.

There is no excuse for Christians to live in compromise or sin , those who have truly been saved by grace will have new natures that desire to live for God.

waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Titus 2:13 (ESV)

The scripture quite clearly teach that Jesus is God

who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Titus 2:14 (ESV)

Jesus substitutionary atonement for the church on the cross was not made to give us a licence to sin but to set us free from the tyranny of sin.

Jesus intention is that we be pure, a pure people who stand and live for the King and his kingdom as we read in the OT today.

Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” Psalm 96:10 (ESV)

We are called to declare this truth, the good news of the kingdom, that God is King and he reigns

Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the LORD your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness.” 2 Chronicles 9:8 (ESV)

The declaration from the Queen of Sheba (modern day Yemen) blessing God and his chosen king Solomon shows us that seeing the way God had blessed Solomon went some way to opening the eyes of this Gentile Arabic Queen to the greatness of the one true God.

Israel was what we call a Theocratic Kingdom which means that God was the ultimate king and ruler, creating the laws and directly involved in the government and running of the country.

The Queen recognises the order in this theocratic kingdom and gives the glory to the true king God, declaring that Solomon sits as a vice regent on “God’s throne”.

Solomon is king for God because of God’s love for the people, this is a picture of the Kingdom of God and Jesus as our King.

The account of the Queen of Sheba is mentioned in the NT where Jesus said he is greater than Solomon, he is the greater king that solomon pointed to, executing justice and righteousness to. See Matthew 12:42 and Luke 11:31

And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.  2 Chronicles 9:23 (ESV)

As we read the account of Solomon’s great wisdom and wealth we must remember that both of these came as blessings from God.

It was God who put the wisdom in the mind of Solomon, it was not derived from the, at best foolish, at worst devilish philosophies of this world. We should not seek the wisdom that the world applauds instead we should seek the wisdom that God gives. James 3:13-18

It is God who gives us power to get wealth and then holds us accountable to be good stewards. Deuteronomy 8:18

Jesus uses Solomon as an example when speaking of us having our needs meet by our loving Father and warning us against the lie and trap of Materialism. God’s goodness to Solomon was not an invitation to materialism, the goodness of God should lead us to repentance and reliance on God with a joyful and grateful heart.

Jesus teaches this in Matthew 6:28–34 “And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Paul speaks to those of us blessed with riches in this world in 1 Timothy 6:17–19 “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

And the king answered them harshly; and forsaking the counsel of the old men, 2 Chronicles 10:13 (ESV)

This stands as a warning to the young and inexperienced. The bible teaches that younger men should seek counsel from older men and younger women should seek counsel from older women.

The reason for this seems obvious, those who have lived longer have the knowledge and experience to guide the young.

The deception of youth is that “we are the first ones with real knowledge”, “we know what to do”, “we are professional”, “the older ones don’t understand”, “we have a better way of doing things”, “this is the modern world so things have changed” etc.

Theses are all deceptions of the enemy to keep the cycle of “learning the hard way” going when God intends for us to break that cycle by the young humbling themselves under the guidance of those who are older and have gone on before.

This includes those who have gone on long before, there are over 2000 years of church history, many modern controversies and difficulties have already been dealt with so we should look back to those like Charles Spurgeon, The Reformers, The Puritans and so many more.

In today’s NT reading we will read about this submission, it is also recorded in 1 Peter 5:5 “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Titus 2:1 (ESV)

Our faith is not against teaching, teaching is at its core, the issue is what is taught.

We should avoid attitudes of Christian anti-intellectualism as God gave us minds to be interacted with. The devil did not create and does not control the mind, our minds belong to God.

However we are called to be renewed in our minds and this comes through the right teaching of the word of God from God’s ministers.

We should have an appetite to sit under good teaching. If the church throws teaching away we will lose our way and all sorts of heresy will find its way into the church, forming strongholds of arguments and beliefs in the minds of those who adhere to them.

So we must submit to the doctrine of the church as defined by the historical, biblical, universal and orthodox church. We as the most recent generation of the church should not try to be novel or teach a new doctrine, we should maintain and teach the old and true story again and again.

and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Titus 2:4–5 (ESV)

Again we see the bible calling for older women to train younger women in the matters of the family and home, namely to love their husbands and children, to be pure and self controlled themselves, to work in the home and to be kind and submissive to their husbands.

This flies in the face of modern ideas of womanhood which encourage women to be liberated from the home, motherhood and marriage. Teaching them instead to throw of purity and self control and become like men.

The true roots of Feminism is found in Gnosticism and was started by Satan in the garden of Eden when he sought to empower Eve to rebel against God’s order. The modern founders were homosexual women with an Anti-Christian agenda

In a culture which is redefining what men and women are we should hold even more firmly to the biblical models and definitions and be a witness to the world of what it means to be fulfilled and flourishing in Christ.

Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Titus 2:6 (ESV)

Young men need to be taught, again against the culture to have self control. The culture teaches young men to throw of social and sexual restraints encouraging our men to have multiple partners and waste their lives in drinking and partying.

This was not God’s intention for man, we are to be self controlled and our lives should bring glory to God as we lovingly serve our wives and children.

For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. Psalm 95:3 (ESV)

God is the true king we bow down today and worship him

do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, Psalm 95:8 (ESV)

We should ensure our hearts are not hard to God’s word today, we must hear his word and submit to it in humble obedience

then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways, for you, you only, know the hearts of the children of mankind, 2 Chronicles 6:30 (ESV)

We see a unique attribute of God here, namely his omniscience or all knowledge. There is literally nothing God does not know, he knows every thought of every heart, but it does not stop there, God knows everything in advance, he know what each of us will choose to do because he knows the end from the beginning Isaiah 46:10

It goes even further than that, God knows the outcome of everyone of the infinite possibilities of each thought and action, he know for example what will happen if I turn right or if I turn left at the end of the street, nothing takes God by surprise.

Demons do not have this perspective or advantage that belongs only to God. Only God knows our hearts, only God has the capacity to know everything and only God has the unique vantage point of standing outside time and space and so sees the whole story from start to end.

Knowledge is not successive to God like it is to us, God knows past, present and future now, it is always now for God because his knowledge is perfect and eternal, God does not need sense knowledge or the power of imagination, God knows perfectly.

We are reminded in Hebrews 4:13 “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

And even regarding our salvation God knew his chosen before the world began as we read in Romans 8:29 “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

hear from heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name. 2 Chronicles 6:33 (ESV)

God’s unique ability to hear and answer prayer should cause us to reverence him. The temple would stand as an evangelical monument to the nations that God was real, God could be entered into relationship with and God could answer prayer.

This prayer shows one of Israel’s core purposes to be a light and blessing to the nations showing them the way to the one true God.

Jesus now replaces the temple as the hope for all nations, Jesus told us himself that he is greater than the temple in Matthew 12:6 “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.”

Jesus also teaches us that he is the only way in John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus is the one who we should point people to, as he is able to save them. Hebrews 7:25 says “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

if they repent with all their mind and with all their heart in the land of their captivity to which they were carried captive, and pray toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, 2 Chronicles 6:38 (ESV)

Repentance is not a confession said to a priest, or some ritual to make us feel better. It is a heartfelt turning of mind and therefore behaviour.

The word repentance has the following basic meaning in the original languages of the Bible. In Hebrew (The old testament) “niphal” which means “to regret, be sorry,” and “to return.” In Greek (The new testament) metanoeō which means “to change one’s mind,”

God grants us repentance by his grace as we read in Acts 5:31, 2 Timothy 2:25 and Acts 11:18 which says “When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house. 2 Chronicles 7:1–2 (ESV)

What an amazing response from God to the prayer of Solomon. This brings credibility to the temple and the request of Solomon for God to fulfil his word. The people viewing and recording this would have been filled with confidence and faith to use the temple as a place to meet with God, pray and sacrifice.

Jesus is our temple. The fire that came down form heaven and consumed the sacrifice speaks of Jesus being consumed by the wrath of God on our behalf on the cross. The temple being filled with the glory of the Lord’s presence speaks of the glorious resurrection and the outpouring of God’s Holy spirit which we celebrate this Sunday on Pentecost.

if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV)

This verse has been picked up by God’s people today to be used when we pray for our nations, we pray and apply this in faith and we have seen God move.

However the original application was quite specific to the people of Israel and the land of Israel when in a God inflicted drought. God was confirming that yes he would listen to the prayers directed toward the temple and stop the drought which he had brought about as judgement / discipline.

God disciplines those he loves, seeking that they might turn and cry out to him in heartfelt repentance. Hebrews 12:6 reminds us “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

If your life feels like it is in a time of drought right now, then cry out to God, you may be under his loving discipline. We read later in Hebrews 12:11 “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, for the places to which the ark of the LORD has come are holy.” 2 Chronicles 8:11 (ESV)

We start to see the slow rot of compromise in Solomon’s life. He knew his wife was unholy in her beliefs and practices, yet he married her and now holds a compromised position because he knows the things of God are holy.

We must ask ourselves the question today, what are our “darling” sins? The sins we hold dear, sins that have such a grip on us that they lead us into an unsustainable place of compromise.

We should ask the Lord to help us be free from any entanglements like this and walk in the true freedom and holiness that Christ brought for us at the cross.

Galatians 5:1 remind us “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.“

This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. Titus 1:13–14 (ESV)

This is a Pastoral letter so we should be careful not to take the responsibility on our own shoulders to rebuke sharply although we must be ready to rebuke / correct where necessary.

In this case we are dealing with false teachers who were Jewish preachers in the early church trying to bring the church under the superstition and bondage of circumcision and old Jewish myths which they did for money.

We have these types of false teachers today. There are the obvious money grabbing preachers on TV but there are also the more subtle usurpers to biblical Christianity who would see the church come under bondage to some sort of legalistic system and some even advocating that circumcision is still required as part of the covenant.

This is why every believer must be a part of a biblical church with biblical leadership who can rebuke false teaching which may arise in and around the congregation and keep the people on the well worn path of the sound faith.

They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. Titus 1:16 (ESV)

Our profession means nothing without repentance and lives lived in accordance with that which we profess.

We can decree and declare all day long but if our lives are not obedient to the word of God then our profession of faith and declarations in prayer are worth nothing.

As Paul says if we are hypocrites (like the false teachers he is talking about) like this then we are detestable and unfit for any good work. We must live honest, humble lives inline with our profession as disciples of Jesus Christ, serving one another in the fear and love of God.

Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law, Psalm 94:12 (ESV)

This is in line with the theme of discipline and repentance we picked up in our reading today. We should thank God that he loves us enough to discipline and teach us.

and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.” Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? Psalm 94:7–9 (ESV)

This summarises today’s dual themes of God’s omniscience and his judgement and discipline. Nothing we do can be hidden from God, he know everything and judges or disciplines accordingly.

So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God: the golden altar, the tables for the bread of the Presence, the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold to burn before the inner sanctuary, as prescribed; the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of purest gold; the snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold, and the sockets of the temple, for the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and for the doors of the nave of the temple were of gold. 2 Chronicles 4:19–22, ESV)

This summary of all Solomon accomplished in furnishing the temple teaches us three lessons, 1. Get the job done, 2. Spare no expense. 3. God is glorious.

1. Solomon set his heart and mind to getting this job done, no matter what this job would get over the finish line. We are called to this way of living as Christians. Jesus told us that when we put our hands to the plough we should not look back, instead we need to get our heads down and get to work.
2. Solomon invested the treasures of the kingdom and valued the work, or rather the one he was working for so highly that countless amounts of precious metal, fabrics and premium wood was used in the building of the temple. We learn from this that we should faithfully and in faith honour God with our substance.
3. The tabernacle and now the house of God reflect things about who God is, when we see the majesty of Solomon’s temple with gold covering so much, we see the glory and majesty of God the true king.

As believers our works will be judged, we should seek for our works to come out as gold as Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 3:12–13 “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.”

And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 2 Chronicles 5:6 (ESV)

Solomon and the people gave themselves in total abandon to the Lord, they gave the Lord everything. Jesus calls us to this sort of total devotion, when he calls us to forsake all and follow him.

Jesus descales in Matthew 19:29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.”

Jesus said in Luke 9:23 “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Jesus calls us to give all in Luke 14:26–33 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. … So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever,” the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 2 Chronicles 5:13 (ESV)

This is just wonderful, in response to the praises of the people God blesses them with his manifest presence. We must not forget that today, we can invoke the Lords presence by just praising and worshiping him. We see God’s presence so often when we engage in corporate worship.

Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4:23–24 “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.’ 2 Chronicles 6:6 (ESV)

Despite the exaltation of man’s choice the fact is that God chooses too. God is not some impersonal force, no, God is the very essence of personhood, he consciously makes choices at periods in time for his own honour, glory and pleasure.

No matter what man says, God has chosen Jerusalem and the line of David. God sticks with his choice forever, we see this in the fact that Jesus came from David’s line and in the final book of the bible we see the new Jerusalem. John declared in Revelation 21:2 “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

This should encourage us because God has chosen us too.

if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. Titus 1:6 (ESV)

Our egalitarian society is not comfortable with this sort of thing but it is God reflecting his order and truth in the church just like he does in the home where the man is the head and lovingly leads the whole family through service.

Elders can only be men according to this clear direction of scripture and not just any men but the best of men, they should have their homes in good order with just one wife and children who are obedient to them.

We should pray for the body of Christ that strong men will be raised up as elders to help God’s church flourish and we should give God thanks for the good elders we have.

He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. Titus 1:9 (ESV)

One of the key areas for Elders is that they hold to and defend the faith that was handed down to us and Elders should be able to instruct and teach in the word of God. Elders should be men of the word with the authority to rebuke those who try to lead the people astray.

Although this is a qualification for an Elder we can learn from it that we too should hold to what we have been taught in the faith and from that we should be able to encourage and teach / remind each other of the truth of the gospel and defend the faith against those who come against it.

How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep! The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this: Psalm 92:5–6 (ESV)

When we consider the works of God in creation, the normal, expected, intelligent response is to breakout in praise, awe, worship and adoration.

Look at Gods great works in creation and the work of redemption on the cross, these great works show us God’s glory and our response should be to praise him for the great works he has done.

Atheism, Naturalism and Darwinian Evolution are stupid and foolish, as this psalm says the stupid and foolish men cannot see the works of God so they do not give him the praise he deserves, instead they come up with their own ideas and just worship those ideas instead.

Psalm 14:1 and 53:1 remind us that the fool says there is no God.

but you, O LORD, are on high forever. Psalm 92:8 (ESV)

God does not change he will always be king. 1 Timothy 1:17 declares “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore. Psalm 93:5 (ESV)

As king God’s decrees are trustworthy, When he decrees a thing it comes to pass.

Hebrews 6:17–18 declares “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”

Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” 2 Chronicles 1:10 (ESV)

We learn a good lessons form King Solomon about one of the key things we should be asking God for in prayer, wisdom. We need wisdom to govern our own lives, for our family life, ministry and work.

We need to be humble like Solomon and admit we do not have wisdom and so ask God to grant it to us. We read in James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

The wisdom that God gives is better than the wisdom of the world. In James 3:13–17  we read “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”

The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. 2 Chronicles 2:5 (ESV)

Our God is great and so when we do something for God’s glory we should not do it in a half hearted way, or be slap dash and messy. We should seek to give God our very best and do great works for him.

We should have an attitude to do things for God with excellence and need to be willing to do big things for God in faith because God is great and so what we do for him should bring him great glory.

Jesus taught us that those that have much, more will be given to them in context to faithful working for the Lord in his kingdom in Matthew 25:28–29 “So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? 2 Chronicles 2:6 (ESV)

This is one of the things we understand about God, God is not just located in one place he is everywhere at the same time, his being is unlike any other. God alone is omnipresent. God is in all places at all times.

God created time and space when he created the universe so God is not bound by time or space, he is the transcendent creator, he inhabits eternity and is both outside and inside time and space.

This understanding should help us to live for him because there is no place that any of us can hide from God.

He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south, the other on the north; that on the south he called Jachin, and that on the north Boaz. 2 Chronicles 3:17 (ESV)

Jachin means “he establishes” and Boaz means “in him is strength” the symbolic meaning of these two names is significant. They speak of the temple not being merely the work of a man but something established by God’s strength. Whatever we do for the Lord should be established by Gods strength not ours.

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, Titus 1:1 (ESV)

Paul is a servant and Apostle not for the world but specifically for God’s elect and his mission is to build them up in their faith and knowledge of the truth as well as teaching them to live holy lives.

We should be encouraged that once we are saved God does not leave us to ourselves, we are his elect, chosen before the world began, we are precious to him and God gives us leaders like our own Pastors to ensure we grow to God’s glory and our joy

in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began Titus 1:2 (ESV)

This helps us to understand the plan of the ages, God planned before he created the world that he would save the elect and give them the gift of eternal life.

Our salvation was not an after thought or a knee jerk reaction, God planned for our salvation before the world began, that thought should fill us with awe and worship.

and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; Titus 1:3 (ESV)

The preaching of God’s word is so important, it is through the preaching of God’s word that we grow in knowledge of the truth and through which Gods plans and mysteries are made known. We should eagerly sit under the preaching of God’s word every week at church.

To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. Titus 1:4 (ESV)

Further evidence that God the Father and Jesus Christ are equal. In the previous verse Paul mentions God our Saviour and now he says Christ Jesus our Saviour. This is not modalism (God in various modes as Father, as Son as Spirit but not a trinity) as the oneness pentecostals teach because they are referred to distinctly as two separate persons, this is the biblical teaching that God is a trinity, one God in three distinct persons.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1–2 (ESV)

God is our refuge. Jesus calls us to abide in him in John 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”

He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4 (ESV)

We can have complete confidence in God’s faithfulness to himself and the words he has spoken

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11 (ESV)

We can trust that God’s angels are God’s servants who minster on our behalf as we read in Hebrews 1:14 “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”