Trinity Fellowship

Baptism is a re-enactment, a symbol, a sign, and a seal. In baptism, we die in the waters of God's judgment, just like the wicked of Noah's day, or like Egypt in Moses' day. In baptism, we identify with Christ going into the heart of the earth. But just like Christ, our going down isn't the path of defeat, but of victory. Christ announces victory at the very bottom of His descent and then makes that victory visible to all when He comes back up, first to earth, and then to heaven. Because He has done that for us, our baptism demonstrates our connection to Him as the old man goes down, and the new man is born through this very same water.

We are reminded in Psalm 20 that while secondary means are good, lawful, and even the normal way in which God operates, it is God alone who is to be trusted. Any allegiance to authorities or nations is secondary, and must be regulated by how those authorities and nations are honouring the Lord. A biblical view of the king keeps us from the idolatry of blind partisanship as well as from the escapism that assumes God isn't so concerned with the world He created. We may be so familiar with phrases like "Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings" that we don't recognize that this means that Jesus is King over the kings of the earth. They must bend the knee and govern according to God's precepts; the only ultimate standard of goodness, truth, and beauty. And for those of us who are not rulers and kings, it is our duty to be diligent as we pray for their salvation and that their laws would honour the one and only living God.

One of the great gifts of the gospel is union with Christ. This covenantal union binds us to God so closely that He protects us as His own body. His covering is as instinctive as the covering and protection of an eye or of a mother hen covering her chicks. The Psalmist knows where to go when he is surrounded by his enemies. As he grows into the grace he has been given, David invites the Lord's testing and examination as he asks for His help. He knows his cause is just and that his conscience is clean, so on that basis he is able to call upon the Lord to protect him and to confront those who oppose him. The Puritan Thomas Manton here comments that "David's confidence in God's testing and proving of his heart shows that a clear conscience is a great support in prayer. When we are aware of our integrity, we can pray with boldness and assurance." Christian, union with Christ is a gift that is yours through the gospel. Lean in to it. Grow in the grace and righteousness that this union offers, and you will find yourself covered with deep peace, quiet confidence, and unwavering anticipation of final glory.

It is largely through meditation, that these truths we have heard with our ears, and understood with our minds are given the opportunity to sink into and transform our hearts. Dear congregation, if you desire for your bible reading to be more profitable; if you want to benefit more from sermons you hear, and the books that you read, then take the time to meditate upon what you've learned.

David is able to appeal to God on the basis of his righteousness. This is not the righteousness imputed to him by Christ, nor is it a a kind of manufactured self-righteousness. This is the righteousness that permeated David's way of living after God had declared him righteous. When heaven declares something, it must necessarily play out on earth. The Lord makes David blameless and equips him with strength (v.32) so that his feet do not slip (v.36). The Lord trains David's hands for war (v.35) so that he overtakes his enemies until they are consumed (v.37). God's will is to be done on earth as it is in heaven, which means that we too need to live according to the righteousness which God has gifted us. This is the cultural mandate which starts in the garden, is strengthened in the Great Commission, and which carries on until Christ returns to fully consummate this mission. The charge then, in our lives, in our families, in our church, and in our society is to visibly display the righteousness of God. May our speech, our spending, and our use of time all be used in this-worldly ways to reflect the holiness of the Triune God.

The admiration and delight of the Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus, for His people gives us great confidence that He will bring us home to eternal glory to enjoy Him forever. So with that, the charge is this: Keep yourselves in the love of God, and be diligent to remember the purification from your sins that the Bridegroom has brought.