SUFFERING & THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD (2)
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
—Genesis 3:15
RIGHT FROM THE beginning, God declared that the Messiah would indeed suffer in bringing many sons to glory. Jesus said in Luke 24:25-26, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” Acts 2:23 tells us that Christ was delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God. We also read in Isaiah 53, concerning the coming Messiah, “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief … Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed … He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter … for the transgressions of my people He was stricken.” Everything in the life of Jesus, including His suffering, happened in order that all the Scriptures of the Old Testament would be fulfilled in Him. Christ is the centerpiece of all Scripture. “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39).
ORCHESTRATING EVERY EVENT in the life of Christ could only happen because the God of Scripture is providentially controlling all things that come to pass, which fact is clearly taught in Scripture. Concerning the providence of God, the Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 27 reads, “What do you understand by the providence of God? The almighty, everywhere-present power of God, whereby, as it were by His hand, He still upholds heaven and earth with all creatures, and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things come not by chance, but by His Fatherly hand.” The catechism is stating clearly that there is no such thing as an accident, an unfortunate event, or things happening by chance or luck in any part of life. God controls whatsoever comes to pass in every area of life, even down to the number of hairs that grow on our head, or the sparrow that falls in the forest (Matt. 10:29-30). The Lord directs every aspect of life for His glory and the good of His covenant people. Thus, there is no such thing as a tragedy or an untimely event for those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ. All that happens in this world is the unfolding of the divine purpose and plan of Almighty God, which also includes the suffering of His saints.
THE PURITAN THEOLOGIAN, Thomas Case, wrote, “One way or another, God works His children into a sweet, obediential frame by their sufferings. By suffering God's will, we learn to do God's will.” He also wrote in another place, “God has no obedient children like those whom He nurtures in the school of affliction. At length, God brings all His children to subscribe, “What God will, when God will, how God will: Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven; A blessed lesson!’” May it be our desire to faithfully submit to the will of God as easily as we pray the words of the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Friday Devotional: April 4, 2025
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
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Members of Hope Reformed Church:
The Good Lord willing, this Sunday, April 6, 2025, we will celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. In order to prepare our hearts to receive this Holy Supper in a God-glorifying manner and for our spiritual benefit, please take time to read the form below and meditate upon the Scripture references listed, and examine your heart regarding this matter as to whether you truly believe God’s precious promise of forgiveness and righteousness in Jesus Christ.
A true examination of ourselves consists in these three parts:
1. Let everyone consider by himself his sins and accursedness apart from Jesus Christ, so that he may be displeased with himself and humble himself in the presence of God.
2. Let everyone examine his heart as to whether he truly believes this certain promise of God that all his sins are forgiven only for the sake of Jesus Christ.
3. Let everyone search his conscience whether he is determined to show his gratitude to God the Lord all the days of his life by walking uprightly before Him.
THE LORD'S SUPPER
Beloved in the Lord Jesus: Listen to the words of the institution of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. “The Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body, which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”
The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Until His coming again it is to be observed as a continuing remembrance of the sacrifice of Himself in His death. The physical elements of bread and wine, representing the broken body and the shed blood of the Savior, are received by true believers as signs and seals of all the benefits of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. They signify and seal the remission of sins and nourishment and growth in Christ, and are a bond and pledge of the communion of believers with Him and with each other as members of His spiritual body, the Church. As signs and seals of the covenant of grace they not only declare that God is faithful and true to fulfill the promise of the covenant, but they also summon us to all the duties of the children of God, and call us to renewed consecration in gratitude for His salvation.
In order that we may celebrate the Lord’s Supper to our comfort, it is first necessary that we properly examine ourselves. A true examination of ourselves consists in these three parts: First, let everyone consider by himself his sins and accursedness apart from Jesus Christ, so that he may be displeased with himself and humble himself in the presence of God. Second, let everyone examine his heart as to whether he truly believes this certain promise of God that all his sins are forgiven only for the sake of Jesus Christ. Third, let everyone search his conscience whether he is determined to show his gratitude to God the Lord all the days of his life by walking uprightly before Him.
It is the solemn duty of the Minister of the Word to warn the uninstructed, the profane, the scandalous, and those who secretly and unrepentantly live in any sin, not to approach the holy table, where they would partake unworthily, not discerning the Lord’s body, and so eat and drink judgment to themselves. Nevertheless, this warning is not designed to keep the humble and contrite from the table of the Lord, as if the supper were for those who might be free from sin. On the contrary, we who are invited to the supper, come as guilty and polluted sinners who are without hope of eternal life apart from the grace of God in Christ. We confess our dependence for pardon and cleansing upon the perfect sacrifice of Christ; we base our hope of eternal life upon His perfect obedience and righteousness; and we humbly resolve to deny ourselves, crucify our old nature, and follow Christ as becomes those who bear His name.
—The RCUS Directory of Worship, pg. 33-35
Take time to read the following texts: Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor S. Henry
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LEONA RATH FUNERAL
Sutton resident Leona Rath, 94, passed away peacefully at Legacy Square in Henderson, Nebraska, on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
A Funeral Service for Leona will be held on Monday, April 7, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. at Hope Reformed Church in Sutton, Nebraska, with Pastor Scott Henry presiding.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, April 6, 2025, at Sutton Memorial Chapel in Sutton, Nebraska, from 1:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., with the family greeting the public from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.
Private Family Graveside Services will be held at the Sutton Cemetery in Sutton, Nebraska.
In Lieu of Flowers – Memorials are to be directed to the Sutton Christian School.
Leona's Funeral Service will be live-streamed on Sutton Memorial's Facebook page on Monday, April 7, 2025, at 10:30 a.m.
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PATIENT IN TRIBULATION
“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer…”
—Romans 12:12
IN Q&A 27 OF the Heidelberg Catechism, we read the following words, “What do you understand by the providence of God? The almighty, everywhere-present power of God, whereby, as it were by His hand, He still upholds heaven and earth with all creatures, and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things come not by chance, but by His fatherly hand.”
THIS BIBLICAL TEACHING gives us a God-centered and God-glorifying perspective on life. It teaches us that the world is not out of control or operating by fate, luck, or chance, but that God is directing and controlling every event in this world –the good events as well as the evil. Ecclesiastes 7:13-14, “Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other.” The word translated “adversity” is the Hebrew word “Rah”, which can also be translated: bad, evil, affliction, calamity, or distress.
THEREFORE, WHATEVER WE see happening in this world we have to say, “This is the work of the Lord.” This is a truth we must understand, believe, and apply every day. And according to our text, it’s only when we are patient in adversity that we can truly say we have understood and applied this truth in our life. It's easy to say, “I believe in the providence of God,” but it’s quite another to live patiently when you’re experiencing adversity or suffering. For this reason, our text admonishes believers to “be patient in tribulation.” The word translated “tribulation” means “pressure”, and it refers to anguish, persecution, tribulation, affliction, or trouble. In other words, tribulation is a pressure which comes against us. It’s like being under the weight of a heavy object –that's why tribulation is so painful.
THERE ARE MANY forms of tribulation, but the ones we think of most often are sickness, disease, cancer, and death because these things threaten our lives, the lives of our loved ones, and they exert great pressure upon us which makes us hurt. But there are many other types of tribulation: family problems, marriage problems, money problems, difficulties at school, at church, or with a neighbor, and these troubles put a lot of pressure upon us –and none of us is free from trouble. Job 14:1, “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.” Life is filled with tribulation. Job 5:7, “Man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” Just as sparks fly up from a fire so man will have trouble in life –one right after another. Nevertheless, every believer is called to “be patient in tribulation.”
HOW ARE YOU doing with patience amidst your trials? Do you become irritable, anxious, or angry at God, or do you rest assured that you are in God’s hand, and He is bringing you through this difficulty for His glory and your own good? Take time today to meditate upon our text and pray that the Holy Spirit strengthens you to endure tribulation with patience for God’s glory and the good of His church.
Tuesday Encouragement: April 1, 2025
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
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