New Braunfels OPC

Where do you find your comfort and contentment? Do you see the necessity and goodness of you finding your comfort exclusively in your covenant Lord? Knowing His grace and love to you, do you see your need to seek out your Lord Jesus in the midst of your trials and troubles and find your contentment, your true satisfaction in Him, regardless of how bad your troubles are?

Do you see Christ's great exposure of sinners and their sin? Do you see the distinct fruit of the hearts of these two sons? An important question for you this morning is- Which son are you? Do you bear the fruit of saving grace, the fruit of repentance? Or do you have a hard heart that rejects John's call, that truly rejects Christ's call in the Gospel to believe and trust in Him, to turn from your sin, and unto Him alone for your salvation and forgiveness, then desiring to follow and obey the King?

Can you see the fruit that your faith in the Lord expresses? It will move you to pour out your heart to God in prayer. It will cause you to think lightly of and not put your confidence in men. It will also create a heart that is open and eager to listen to and obey God's Word.

Finally, know and never doubt the sovereign authority of Christ over all things. Remember that much of the heresies the church had to deal with in history were Trinitarian heresies. Much of them focused on Christ, either denying His humanity, or denying His deity. Therefore, hear God the Father's words in Matthew 17 "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!", and truly listen to Him. Hear Jesus' declaration in Matthew 28 that all authority has been given to Him in Heaven and on earth, and then go and obey Him!

Do you have exclusive trust in your God and Savior? If you're honest, does your soul wait quietly for Him? Or are there other people or things on a list in your soul that your flesh would like to consider trusting first before Him? Think about this tonight- The value of your faith is determined by its object. Your faith is worthless if it isn't resting on the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Therefore, what do you need to do? Trust in Christ alone for your salvation!

Do you see the glorious flow and connection in Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, His cleansing the Temple and cursing the fig tree as wonderful revelation and acts of the King pronouncing His coming judgment of Israel and demonstrating His power to carry it out? Behold your King!

Are you often feeble and faint in the midst of the fight, in the dangers of the foe? May David's pleas be yours. May you plead from the bottom of your heart that God would hear you and lead you to the Rock that is Christ. May your plea be that Jesus would draw you to Himself- that you would know His presence, protection, and preservation of you in His love and grace.

Like David in Psalm 69, Jesus was opposed for being zealous for God and the purity of His worship. And yet, if God is your God, like Jesus, may it be your desire that His name may be glorified in spirit and truth in His church. May it also deeply grieve you to see her polluted by false worship and bad theology, and therefore move you to keep her pure through continual re-examination and action to remove what doesn't belong, all to the glory of your God and King!

Because of sin, you as God's people may experience His fatherly displeasure and be brought to a low condition. Yet, know your God and the truth that you are never, and will never be reduced to hopelessness because God is, and will always remain true to His promise to you in Christ. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. As you know this more, may this not only take your prayers to praise, but also cause your rejoicing to be connected to confidence. May that confidence and hope then move you forward to get up and get busy with deeper discipleship, a stronger, enduring fight, as well as an enduring witness as you carry the banner of Christ and the church does valiantly through Him!

Do you see how Jesus' meek and lowly birth as King, is matched with His lowly entrance as King- all being done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of by the prophets? Do you have eyes to see and ears to hear that though meek and lowly, King Jesus' entrance was nonetheless glorious? For He courageously entered the nest of His enemies as He faithfully fulfilled all righteousness, step by step, all the way to the cross, where He would gain the victory for His people.

May you confess Christ to be your Strength, your Defense, and your God of mercy. May you see and know His power and praise Him for it. May you remember His wonderful works of mercy through judgment. May you be more mindful of HIs mercies to you that are new every morning, and praise Him for those morning mercies! You aren't alone in this battle. You are His and He is yours. Go to Him and rest in Him!

Do you see the great testimony of these physical beggars who were spiritual servants of Christ? Do you see the great testimony of these men who didn't beg the Messiah for money, but for mercy? Shunned by the world, but loved, called, and healed by Jesus.

When the enemy pursues, watches, and waits for the perfect time to pounce and seize you, never forget to be regularly in prayer to your Lord who loves you in Christ, that He would deliver and defend, that He would snatch you and raise you higher than the reach of your enemy that rises up. Praise God for all that He has done for you as you are in Christ both now, and at the final Judgment. For you know His mercy now, and will see it with wonderful clarity on the Last Day as Jesus will show His mercy through His judgment of the wicked.

Do you see this lesson on greatness and its inseparable connection to Christ and His Gospel? May the Spirit use this passage to both convict and grow you in your daily battle with desires for vain glory and prideful ambition. The biblical view of greatness in the kingdom of Heaven isn't found in any rise to position or power. It isn't being in a place of honor or authority. No, it's having Spirit wrought and flourishing humility and love that is evident in your heart and life being focused on service and self-sacrifice, especially in the midst of suffering, as you seek to be faithful in imitating Christ as you follow Him.

As you pray for divine judgment, you must praise the divine Judge. As you pray for judgment against the enemies of Christ, so too must you praise Jesus, the Just Judge, when He pours out His wrath on wicked sinners. You do so knowing that He doesn't act vindictively, but rather perfectly vindicates His righteousness and holiness in all that He does.

Do you see the great mercy of God in His sovereign electing grace to His people? He didn't HAVE to choose anyone to be saved. And yet, He has compassion on whom He wills. He has mercy on whom He wills, and shows His mercy to you who are trusting in Christ through what He has done for you in and through Christ.

God's Blessing on Israel, There Is No Other God, Idolatry is Foolishness, Israel Is Not Forgotten, Judah Will Be Restored

What is faith in Jesus Christ?

Bitterness is a burning beast in heart of any man or woman, but especially in the heart of a believer. Have you experienced this? Have you been singed by its heat in your own heart, or its work in the hearts of others? Is bitterness presently on fire within you? Indeed, bitterness is so damaging! It's a common sin that the unregenerate often bathe in and many Christian men and women struggle with.

Can you understand the doctrine of total depravity more clearly tonight? Take the total and complete corruption and defilement of original sin with you, as you and all men and women by ordinary generation are by nature sinful and wretched creatures in Adam. Seeing this, how wonderful the love and mercy of Christ is to you who are in Christ! For though you were just like them, hateful, malicious, venomous, refusing to listen to the powerful warnings and sweet arguments, Jesus died for you and ransomed your soul from the snake pit! Praise God today, for you were doomed to be crushed, but God and God alone snatched you from the fire!

What are the parts of a sacrament? How many sacraments hath Christ instituted in his church under the New Testament?

Do you have eyes to see how hard it is, really how impossible it is for you to enter the kingdom of heaven on your own merits, by your own works, by your own service, even with tons of money in the bank, and stuff in your possession? I pray you can see how both wealth and poverty can blind many to the truth. I also pray that the Spirit gives you insight to see how Jesus' words give you the biblical understanding of how you, or anyone else is saved by grace, through faith in Christ. Indeed, with God all things are possible! Your salvation from beginning to end is of God. Praise Him!

Church councils and courts have been and are comprised of fallible men who seek to be wise and make godly decisions but can err in what they say and do. Considering various facets of error, what if the church is believed to have erred in its governance in the use of church discipline?

What doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath and curse, due to us for sin?

How is your heart tonight? Is it steadfast? Is it fraught with fear, or fixed on Christ in faith, praising Him in the midst of your storms? Today is the day to seek His face and grace to bring that about more and more in you! May Christ and His fame be proclaimed in every place! May you be faithful in giving Him glory and bearing good witness of Him to the nations!

Do you see the wonderful connection in these lessons regarding welcome in kingdom entrance that Jesus gives you here with both the children and the rich young ruler? How can you enter the kingdom of Heaven? How can you have eternal life? They both came to Jesus. The children were welcomed and blessed, but the ruler walked away sorrowful because he wasn't willing to abandon all and follow Christ.

How do the sacraments become effectual means of salvation? What is a sacrament?

Pastor Miller continues his Biblical Hebrew for Beginners class. Today: Review of translation homework of Psalm 57:1-2. Lecture on remainder of Lesson 17 on pronominal suffixes with Imperfects.

What happens if a sinning brother refuses to repent after your private pursuit of him, as well as your witnessed pursuit? If you have to proceed to step 3 and tell the matter to the church, what happens when the Session or the Presbytery (for ministers) engages in the pursuit, determines that the brother is guilty of a true sin, but he remains unrepentant regardless of the applied censure(s)? The elders have to prayerfully and wisely use the Office of the Keys.

What doth every sin deserve?

Be comforted by the Gospel message of mercy to you in this passage. Do you see the great picture of the shelter of divine mercy? Your soul is safe. Your soul is redeemed. Your soul is protected. Your soul is lifted up!

Do you see how Matthew 18 lays a wonderful foundation in the context of how you then consider marriage and divorce? Do you see the Pharisaic heart that swells up demanding freedom to divorce at will? Do you see the great contrast in the Redeemed heart and how humility and love should motivate you towards the pursuit of your spouse in reconciliation when offense arises?

By whom is the Word of God to be preached? How is the Word of God to be preached by those that are called thereunto? What is required of those that hear the Word preached?

Remember, though you go the first time to your sinning brother, you're not free to stop and walk away from your pursuit if he doesn't hear you in that meeting. No, Jesus calls you to keep praying and persist in going back with witnesses for both your benefit and his. Now, though you go a second time to him with them, Jesus says that you still aren't free to stop and walk away if he refuses to hear them. What does this refusal specifically mean? The Greek word for "refuses" lit. means that the sinning brother won't listen to sound counsel. In fact, such refusal not only means the ears are turned off, but the word also carries the meaning that he is willing to do the opposite and disobey the counsel given. Do you see the fruit of pride in the stubborn and hard heart here? If he refuses, know that your pursuit is to remain prayerful and persistent, but it stops being private as you must tell the matter to the church. This being said, it's right to keep the matter confidential with the church.

The Redeemer of Israel, Pleading with Unfaithful Israel

As one does well in being prayerful in their private pursuit of a brother or sister who has sinned against them, they also do well in being persistent and persevering in their pursuit. What do I mean by this? A good place to start is that you don't just look at the path of reconciliation with them as one and done. You don't go into your Step 1 meeting with them thinking, "I'm just going to go once and be done. Then I can say I tried, and nobody can say I didn't." Sadly, if those are the internal thoughts and mindset, pride and/or fear are still alive and well in the heart. The fruit will likely bear accordingly in the outcome of the conversation. From a place of pain, you may feel justified in a half-hearted attempt, but the offense remains sincerely unaddressed, and the matter remains unresolved and festering. Again, when self is off the throne, and pride/fear are dealt with, out of true love towards the sinning brother or sister, the humble heart that is mindful of its own struggles and falls desires to obey your Savior and pursue real reconciliation and peace.

Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?

The Servant of the Lord, Praise the Lord, The Promise of God's Help, Israel's Obstinate Disobedience

Fight fear! Memorize verse 3. When fear creeps in and takes root in your heart and mind, may you confess to Christ, "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You." Never forget that God has honored His Word with His own glory so that you will receive it with absolute trust and humble fear. Indeed, fear the Lord, not men. In God you trust!

Do you see the necessity of humility in your prayerful private pursuit of a brother or sister who has sinned against you applied here? Do you see your need for you to have the heart of the King in your encounter with them? For indeed, as much as it's right for you to go to the brother and talk to him about his sin, it's just as important that you do so with kindness and compassion, freely forgiving them when they hear you and repent.

Is the Word of God to be read by all? How is the Word of God to be read?

One of the great challenges of every generation has been the right handling of offense, dealing biblically with sin when offense rises up, especially between brothers and sisters in the church. The reasons why this is so challenging vary according to persons involved and the issue at hand. However, it's true that whatever the details of that challenge look like, the sources that fuel the resistance and reluctance to pursue reconciliation are very commonly pride and fear. I hope that you've been blessed as we've made our way through Matthew 18 in the morning service preaching series thus far. I hope you have had eyes to see and ears to hear how the lessons Jesus teaches you in verses 1-14 of the chapter really under gird and lay the groundwork for then how you interpret and apply His lesson in verses 15-17 in pursuing a sinning brother.