Doxology and Benediction

Berean Baptist on June 11, 2018

Psalm 134

Psalm 134 is both a doxology and a benediction concerning the priests and Levites who served the Lord at the temple. The first two verses of the psalm are spoken by the people as encouragement for their intercessory leaders as they labor on the behalf of God’s chosen people. In this psalm, worshipers recognize that God is to be praised for all the gracious benefits He richly bestows. I especially like this part of the psalm because I like the way the people held their leaders to a standard. They desired for the Lord to be magnified and would accept nothing less or expect nothing less from their leaders than uncompromising devotion.

I like this part because there is nothing that warms the heart of a godly pastor than to know the people appreciate the word of God declared plainly, without mixture, without compromise—without restraint even though it can be painfully convicting. Psalm 120-134 are known as Pilgrim Psalms. You will notice as you read through them there is continual recognition of God’s power and His providence. The people recognize where they stand in relation to Him. They are fully dependent which always puts them at God’s mercy where they should be.

I believe these are people that had no problems with instruction on man’s depravity. They had no problems with God’s sovereignty. They were not resistant to teachings that God’s will is not dependent on the whims of fallen, fallible man. A pastor loves to preach when there are no subjects like these that make the church uncomfortable. He does not answer to the people for acceptance of his sermons. His allegiance is to God alone and he fears to leave out anything God says to His people. The priests did not fear to teach the whole counsel of God, for it appears the people demanded it of them.

The last verse of the psalm speaks of the power of God. Why should praises be lifted to the Lord in the sanctuary? It is because He is Lord that made heaven and earth. This is the priests’ benediction upon the people. It is the last words they spoke in this grouping of psalms for pilgrims.

The priests pronounced a blessing on them in the name of the Lord. His omnipotence grants to them all spiritual blessings in Christ. The blessings come from Zion which means they originate where God dwells in His holy temple. Although the church is not Old Testament, I believe an application can be made that all blessings for the world come through the work the Lord does through His church. The church is the authorized place for His work. This work is given to no others for Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it.

The Lord dwells in the church as the temple of His praise. The people themselves are His temple. The Holy Spirit lives in each of us. Corporately we do His work, but individually we are responsible for its holiness so that all work will have God’s approval on it. We are reminded of this holiness in our study of the New Jerusalem, the home of the bride of Christ. The church is His bride, and He intends for it to be spotless, holy, and without blame (Eph. 5:26-27).

These three verses show pastor and people working together with the same sense of duty. This is what church is—a place for the glory of God and for thankfulness and appreciation that the mighty omnipotent God should consider lowly creatures for His service. “What is man, that thou are mindful of him? (Psalm 8:4a).

This benediction and word of thanks comes from the Pastor. Thank you for standing on and appreciating the word of God. Blessings on you from the Lord that made heaven and earth.

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Zion

Berean Baptist on May 14, 2018

Psalm 132

Psalm 132 is most interesting as it relates to the temple built by Solomon and the placing of the ark of the covenant in the most holy place. For the previous five hundred years, Israel worshiped at the Tabernacle which at this time was located at Gibeon. When David was anointed king, he vowed to build a house for the Lord God but was prevented because scripture says he was a man of war. Instead, the building of the new magnificent sanctuary that would hold the most holy ark of the covenant was left to David’s son, Solomon.

Solomon’s reign was one of peace as no major wars occurred during his lifetime. At the same time, Israel increased in power and influence throughout the world. Solomon’s days were the most prosperous for Israel leading his reign to be known by successive generations as the Golden Age. In the New Testament, it was Solomon Jesus appealed to for His example of prosperity and notoriety telling the people He was greater than Solomon (Mt. 12:42) and comparing Solomon’s beauty to the loveliest of God’s creation (Mt. 6:29).

In the 13th verse of the psalm, the psalmist speaks of Zion as God’s choice for His holy habitation. Zion is Jerusalem and is synonymous with the city of God. The area was originally the hill on which David built his fortress, but later was expanded to include the temple mount. In the Old Testament when people spoke of going to Zion, they were referring specifically to making the trip to the temple.

Jerusalem is the only place God allowed a temple to be built. In the ancient world, temples for pagan gods were built in various locations such as Paul saw in Athens and Ephesus. However, the one true living God had only one place of worship and one place of sacrifice. In Paul’s time, the ark was long since gone but there was a stone in its place in the Holy of Holies on which the priest put a censor on the Day of Atonement. There were no images allowed and no representation of the ark. Any Israelite that wanted to observe the solemn feast days had only one place to go—he must go to Jerusalem.

Zion’s was further expanded to mean the holy city of the New Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22). This is the brilliant city of light in Revelation 21. It is the home of the bride of Christ, the Lord’s church. The New Jerusalem is a city that comes out of heaven and descends to rest above the new earth, possibly touching it at some point. Although all of heaven belongs to God and His presence fills it all, His special manifestation is in the New Jerusalem whose entirety is His temple. Essentially, God’s people dwell within His temple. We are in Christ so that scripture says Christ Himself is the temple.

The beauty of worship in Solomon’s time was unparalleled by any other period of Israel’s history. It most closely models the worship of heaven. When the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon, she was stunned with the magnificence of what she saw. And yet, Jesus, the one who was a lowly carpenter, said He was greater than Solomon. The real beauty of Jesus is not seen on the outside. It is to be inside Christ to be able to understand how glorious He is. You can see His beauty by faith. Trusting Jesus is to have a glimpse of Zion, the holy city of God.

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith

His Psalm

Berean Baptist on June 19, 2017

 

Psalm 91

One of the things I really enjoy about church is watching the young boys and girls as they leave their Sunday school and Pioneer Club classes. Many of them will show me the papers they colored or the crafts they made that relate to the incredible stories told in the Bible.

I remember when I was very young my dad gave me a huge children’s Bible with illustrations of the many miracles that God did throughout scripture. I think about the parting of the Red Sea or the collapse of Jericho’s walls or Gideon’s men as they shouted, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” Those stories captured my attention with excitement as I imagined them. However, it was not until I was older that I understood the greatest miracle was not what God did by overruling nature or supernaturally tearing down walls or how three hundred men frightened multiple thousands of Midianites. The greatest miracle was when God became incarnate. The Almighty God who did these things took on human flesh and came to live among us.

I am reminded of the magnificence of this miracle when reading the 91st Psalm. This is a psalm for Jesus with its blessed promises of the Father to protect Him while He made His sojourn among the wicked of this world. None of us can imagine what it was like for Christ to have knowledge of His former exaltation in heaven as He walked in the lowliness of human flesh on earth. In one sense, it must have been a frightening prospect in His humanity as He was daily aware of the extreme hatred of religion against Him.

His first foray in His public ministry was to be led into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. This awful period was a foreshadowing of how difficult the way would be. He was without food for forty days and at His weakest moment, Satan approached with his greatest temptations. It is very interesting that Satan quoted this psalm he dared Jesus to leap from the pinnacle of the temple. Satan asked Him to prove verses 10-12: “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” These verses are true without the test and Jesus accepted them by faith.

It is also interesting that Satan was selective in his quotations as many that mishandle the scriptures often are. The next verses promise that Christ would tread on the lion and the adder and the dragon, and trample them under His feet. Who can miss that Satan is the roaring lion, the slimy serpent, and the great red dragon of Revelation 12? A little more quotation and Satan would prophesy his own destruction!

Verses 15 and 16 require special attention. Jesus had to go to the cross—this was His mission in the Incarnation. But, He trusted God to deliver Him. He was taunted with that trust as the crucifiers said, “He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him…” Jesus only needed to wait three days for verses 15 and 16 to come true: “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.” Now, He is alive and honored at the right hand of the Father forever.

Yes, the Incarnation is the greatest of all miracles. Jesus did not fear it even though He knew what it would bring. Psalm 91 was for Him—to strengthen Him by the promises of the Word of God. If only we would trust the Word as much!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

 

 

Menial Tasks for Meek Christians

Berean Baptist on April 17, 2017

Psalms 84:10

Most Christians are familiar with Psalms 84:10:  “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.” We recognize the reference and have heard it many times in sermons. However, we might not be too sure of the reason this verse was written.

Many of the psalms came out of the period of captivity experienced by Judah when the people were carried away to Babylon. The Jews have always been a people identified with their land, and we see the desire for their land in Israel today. There is a fight for land and has been in modern times since the formation of Israel as a state in 1948. Today Jerusalem is zigzagged with barriers to separate Jews from others with each claiming the land belongs to them. The temple mount is a good case in point as it is claimed by Jews but occupied by Muslims.

Israel has always longed for the land God promised them, and this small patch of land has been a battleground since the time Joshua crossed over the Jordan to Jericho. Scripture often speaks of the restoration of the land to its rightful owners, which of course is Israel. The era of the millennium is the time of this regeneration (Matt. 19:28) when Israel will own all of the land, and will push its borders outward in a sort of payback for centuries of occupation.

The author of this psalm remembered Jerusalem and compared it to his present living conditions in Babylon. Babylon was a great, wealthy kingdom with many desirable things, but there is nothing like being at home. In his mind, being the lowest attendant at the house of God was better than the best place he could find in Babylon where the people did not know the one true God.

I believe there are many lessons to be learned from this psalm, but two stand out particularly in my mind. The first is that as a church we should cherish what we have. God is to be praised for giving us a place to learn His Word. We should be thankful this church has not gone the way of the world to become a place of entertainment and a social venue for games and ball teams. The Bible is still taught here with a desire that we will grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We desire this because we believe our one purpose is the glory of God.

Ask some that have left for whatever reasons about their success in finding another church like ours. Most are terribly disappointed, and some have given up looking. I am sad to say some have been away so long without a good church that their Christian lives are wasted and no longer amount to much. Consider what you have before thinking you can easily replace it.

The second lesson is about service. The most insignificant job you can have in church is better than the best employment of the world. God’s service does not actually have any insignificant works or workers—all are needed to make the body function. However, if you seem lower on the scale than others, just ask yourself what you would do if you did not have the service you have now. Is it better to sit on the sidelines or is it better to have a meaningful part helping the church do its work? I suppose the best way to look at it is that every work must be done and every work needs a worker to do it. If we are too good for our work, which Christians should we choose that are beneath us to do it?

Be thankful for the place God can use you. If you esteem others better than you (Phil. 2:3), no one is beneath you. A doorkeeper in God’s house looks really good—better than a city with no house and no doors to keep.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

 

 

God’s Presence and Power

Berean Baptist on March 20, 2017

 

Psalms 80:1

Sometimes choosing a topic for a brief article is difficult and I struggle until I find something to discuss. This psalm is not a problem. My real problem is how can I not write multiple articles on the vivid themes expressed in this psalm? There are many to choose from and before I could get out of the first verse the decision was made. In less than five seconds, my eyes were riveted to this phrase, “thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.”

Those of you that know me well understand why I gravitated towards this phrase. It is a tabernacle or temple reference which has long been one of my favorite subjects. What is the stunning beauty of this statement? It is the promise God made to dwell in fellowship with His people in tabernacle worship. The special place of God’s presence was in the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant stood. The Ark was a small rectangular box made of wood overlaid with pure gold. Though very small, a little less than four feet long and a little less than two feet wide and tall, the Ark was a powerful symbol of the presence of God.

On top of the Ark forming a lid, was the mercy seat which is the place of the sprinkling of blood by the high priest on the Day of Atonement. Above it stood two cherubs with wings outstretched and touching at the wing tips. It was a beautifully constructed box, but nothing could match the beauty of the intangible between those two cherubs. This is the reference in Psalms 80 verse 1. “Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.” The intangible was a bright shining light of the glory of God that showed He was in residence.

An interesting point in this psalm is the absence of the temple, the absence of the Holy of Holies, the absence of the Ark of the Covenant, and thus the absence of the bright shining light known as the Shekinah Glory. The temple and all of its furnishings had been destroyed as the result of Israel’s sin. The psalmist is in the midst of a sad bitter wail asking God to return. Three times he prayed, ”Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”

Again, interestingly, the figure switches from the physical light of God’s glory in verse one to the spiritual expression of His presence displayed in blessing Israel again. I believe this is what is sorely needed in our churches today. We have never had manifestations of God’s glory in shining lights, but there have been plenty of them in demonstrations of the Holy Spirit’s power. The power today is not present in old time gifts of the Spirit such as tongues, prophecy, and healing. The presence of God is manifested in the power of His word spoken from pulpits by His preachers.

We need more power in the pulpit. I do not mean shouting, screaming and pounding—I mean sermons with depth that feed the souls of God’s people. We ask God to keep supplying messages that pierce the heart and pique the understanding. It is not the preacher’s work—it is the presence and power of the Holy Spirit that make it happen. “Please God—cause your face to shine in the preaching of the word. Hide your preachers behind the cross that your glory may be seen.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Milestones of Depravity

Berean Baptist on January 23, 2017

They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground. (Psalms 74:7)

Recently I was listening to a podcast of The Briefing, which is a daily commentary on current events by Dr. Albert Mohler the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Mohler reports these events from a Christian perspective and usually has some very enlightening comments. In this particular podcast, he was discussing the issue of homosexuality and how the moral viewpoint of this subject has turned completely around. My purpose in this article is not to discuss homosexuality, but rather to comment on how much has been given up in moral values in general with our new worldview.

I was reminded of this while reading Psalm 74. If the subject matter of the Psalm is difficult for you, please be aware the psalmist is writing about the destruction of the temple by the Babylonians. His lament is over the devastation of this sacred edifice, but more importantly over God’s refusal to protect Judah when the Babylonian army descended upon them. Especially important is verse 9 as he says there is no sign or prophet any longer, and none of them knew how long they would be without word from God.

What impressed me in my thoughts about this psalm was the reason that Israel had reached this point in their history. Years of immorality and idolatry were the culprits. I think it is interesting that when the Babylonians came the temple was nothing like it was during the glory days of Solomon. The magnificence of the costly articles of gold were gone having been given away through the years by kings that appeased their enemies by paying tribute from the treasures of God’s house.

This caused me to think about the slow selling off of our moral values in America. The sexual revolution has not been an immediate affair. There was much groundwork laid for many years that brought us to this point. In 1973, the Supreme Court blasted a hole through our moral compass when it decreed abortion rights in the Roe v. Wade decision. We can hardly believe that a seared conscience has not been the ultimate result of that decision. If human life itself is not sacred, then anything you do with that life must be fair game. There are no boundaries for how low we can go if we decide the lives of the most innocent are worthless.

One by one the cognizant moral values that separate men from animals is disappearing. Since men are rational beings, we can actually sink lower than animals because we have the ability to choose to go lower. An animal cannot be sub-natural, but humans can. Rather, we might say that humans can explore the depths of their depravity and it seems we will not stop until we find bottom. Unfortunately, for those who choose to explore, there is no bottom. So, we descend past the value of human life and as we go we pass the depth markers of pornography, pedophilia, child abuse, homosexuality—and deeper and deeper we go.

One day we will turn around and discover the Babylonians have destroyed the temple. There is no preacher here and God’s help is nowhere to be found. When this time comes, we can look back and see how we slowly gave it all away. The country will be gone with no one to blame but us.

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith

The Light of the Nations

Berean Baptist on November 14, 2016

Psalms 67:1, 4

God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah…O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah. (Psalms 67:1, 4)

Once again in the psalms we are brought to a message about the millennium when our God shall rule the whole earth in a literal, physical kingdom. Verse 4 speaks of this kingdom as one in which all nations will be able to enjoy the righteous judgment of Jesus Christ.

There is a sadness to this psalm, however. It should have been written about the condition of Israel at the time of its writing. Through Israel the world should have already seen that salvation was not only for the Jews and that Jehovah was not just the God of Israel. He is to be worshipped and glorified by all people. When Jesus was taken to the temple for His circumcision, there was an old man named Simeon who was guided by the Holy Spirit to take the baby in his arms and pronounce a blessing. Simeon was overjoyed to see the Christ child and he said: Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:  For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. (Luke 2:29-32)

At the time of this prophecy, Israel had long been in unbelief. The world had not been influenced by them—and even worse, there were hardly any believers in Israel at all. It is small wonder this should be the case since the nation had previously been in serious idolatry. The northern tribes had been assimilated into the peoples of Assyria and the southern tribes had been oppressed by the Babylonians. Even though the captivity was over, they had never since been free to rule themselves. This was God’s punishment for not guarding their trust to be a light to the Gentiles.

We needn’t think God’s purpose of salvation for all people would fail because of the Israel’s unbelief. Paul explains in Romans that Israel’s failure and their temporary chastisement was the opportunity for the salvation of other nations. As long as the Jewish laws and customs were enforced, they would be a serious hindrance to the gospel. God moved them out of the way, but He never intended to leave them set aside.

During the tribulation, God will resume His work with His chosen nation. He will raise a remnant of Jews that will recognize the Messiah. Under divine protection, they will preach the gospel until a vast company of Israel has received Him as Lord. They will also become a light to the Gentiles until there is a great multitude ready to enter the millennial kingdom. This has been our subject for the past two weeks in the morning sermons and will continue next week as we examine the closing statements of the Olivet Discourse.

We are not to look at these psalms as a message only for the millennium, however. Our job today is to show that Jesus Christ is our God, and only by believing in Him can any people be blessed. If we fail to do this, we are also in danger of being set aside. Without obedience to our duty, we will not be counted among the faithful redeemed. How have we been busy to proclaim the gospel message? Who have you spoken to at work or school or in any place where you regularly encounter the lost? Each person is a potential believer, but they will never be so until they hear the gospel. If we proclaim salvation, God will bless us and cause His face to shine upon us. Only then will the world be saved.

Pastor V. Mark Smith