Psalm 131

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

1 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
    my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
    too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
    like a weaned child with its mother;
    like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord
    from this time forth and forevermore.

Psalm 1

The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked

1 Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 8 (ESV)

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.

1     O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
    Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
    to still the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

“But God” is the Gospel

“BUT GOD…” (Eph. 2:4)!

The very heart of the Gospel is expressed in these glorious words, “BUT GOD…”!  Though mankind is spiritually dead and hopeless in sin (Eph. 2:1-3), God has powerfully acted in Christ to bring about the salvation that only He could accomplish (Eph. 2:4-10).  “BUT GOD…” really summarizes the whole message of Scripture, played out from Genesis to Revelation.  Over and over again, God’s word reveals:

  • All the deadly works of man in sin, and
  • All the mighty works of God in Christ!

Oh Beloved, what hope, riches, power, and assurance for believers are found in these truths!  “BUT GOD”!!   The God who is rich in mercy and great in love has flooded us with His kindness in Christ – to the praise of His glorious grace!  And God wills for us to know and believe these truths all the more, daily trusting the absolute sufficiency of His mighty, saving power.

To that end, let me encourage you to listen to this sermon on Eph. 2:4 by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (a faithful Bible expositor from the 20th Century).  May God continue to strengthen your soul in the fullness of His grace in Christ!

Because Christ lives, and is returning,
Greg

Resource Recommendations

Many have rightly observed that with the Supreme Court ruling last Friday (6/26/15) regarding same-sex marriage, “everything has changed, and nothing has changed.”  Indeed, ever since man’s rebellion in the garden (Gen. 3:1-7), all of creation has been groaning under God’s curse (see Rom. 1:18-32; 8:18-25).  We have always lived in difficult times, because of the continual outworking of sin in people’s lives (see 2 Tim. 3:1-5).  And for believers, our God-given mission to make disciples (Mt. 28:18-20), and live godly lives that adorn the Gospel (Titus 2:11-14) is unchanging.  Moreover, we’ve continually been forewarned, so as to be forearmed, that suffering and pain will be a normal part of our Christian experience (Jn. 15:18-16:4; 2 Tim. 3:12).

 

All these truths are good to keep in mind as we respond to the recent Supreme Court Ruling.  God has placed each of us in unique networks with believers and unbelievers alike, many of whom are celebrating the Supreme Court ruling.  To encourage your thinking and responding in biblical ways, here are a number of resources I’ve found particularly helpful.  These are by no means exhaustive.  I trust these will help to strengthen your own convictions and responses, and also be tools you may pass on to others.

 

Online articles/audio:

 

 

Books:

 

 

Beloved, may God enable us to be faithful as witnesses for the Gospel of Jesus Christ!  And may He be glorified in the salvation of multitudes from the deadly bondage of sin!

 

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.  Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you many know how you ought to answer each person.”  (Col. 4:5-6, ESV)

 

Because Jesus Christ lives, and is returning,

Greg