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Every 7^th year, at the Feast of Tabernacles, the Law was read to the assembled Israelites, as commanded in Deuteronomy 31:10-11.  Integral to that ceremony was the reading of the curses on law-breakers and the blessings on those who kept the law.  This ceremony was a reminder that there are only two ways to live, either obedience to the Lord, or disobedience.  Grace-enabled obedience, expressing love for the Lord (John 14:15) is the only joyful and fruitful way of life.  We consider Jeremiah 17:7-8 The tree by the water.

1. Gracious planting

Verses 5-6 deal with the ungodly, ‘whose heart turns away from the Lord’.  There is a powerful contrast with the man ‘who trusts in the Lord’ (v7).  These verses bear a strong resemblance to Psalm 1.  It is clear this life is all of grace.  There are 2 indicators:

            (i). Blessed:  the conferring of divine favour.  We do not bless ourselves.  Note Paul’s question in 2 Corinthians 4:7.  In the Covenant of Grace God bestows riches beyond imagining.

            (ii). Planted:  We do not plant ourselves.  In saving grace the Lord ‘plants’ his people.  He is the source of all spiritual life and growth (Ephesians 2:8).  God’s work cannot fail.

2. Firm trust

The sovereignty of God does not take anything away from our responsibility to believe.  Faith is ‘the gift of God’ (Ephesians 2:8), but we must exercise it.  Blessing is for ‘the man who trusts in the Lord’.  The word used has the sense of ‘leaning’ – putting our weight on someone we believe will support us.  Saving faith requires a personal commitment – we put ‘confidence’ in the Lord.  We must forsake reliance on anyone or anything else.  There will be ongoing service in faith – ‘sends out its roots’.  Faith involves not just a single moment, but a whole life.

3. Testing drought

We have a vivid description of ‘a tree planted by the water’ (v8), a powerful description of a believer filled with life and nourished by God’s gracious provision.  There is too a recognition that testing times will come – ‘heat…a year of drought’.  Jesus gave warning in John 16:33.  There are hard experiences we share with everyone else and trials that come because of our faith.  The verse provides a warning to be ready and make sure we are rooted in the Lord.  With his help we can rejoice in ‘trials of many kinds’ (James 1:2).  He is working out his good purpose.

4. Abiding fruit

These verses are full of encouragement for ‘the man who trusts in the Lord’ (v7).  In the inevitable trials he will not be overwhelmed because the Lord supplies the needed grace, ‘the water…the stream’ (see also Psalm 36:9).  If we fully rest in the Lord we will be free from fears and worries (v8).  Remember that Christ has ‘overcome the world’ (John 16:33).  In addition to enduring, we can ‘bear fruit’ – godly character (Galatians 5:22ff).  Partly that is the result of trials (Romans 5:3ff), and so we can be trusting, tested and fruitful, ministering to others.

We may be inclined to think that one sin which offers no temptation to us is idolatry.  We could not imagine ourselves showing devotion to some deity of wood or stone.  You might conclude that idolatry holds no attraction for you., but an idol is anything that takes the place of God – sport, work, digital devices, success, security – all can become idols, so we need to give heed to the Bible’s warnings.  We consider Jeremiah 10:1-16 The living and true God.

1. God rules

One besetting sin of Judah was idolatry – following the gods of the surrounding nations.  Hence the call of v2 ‘Do not learn the ways of the nations’ – a call to separation from false religion.  The fundamental reason for the call is that the deities of the nations are ‘worthless’ – empty and powerless.  In v3-5 we have a vivid satirical description of the making of an idol.  It has to be carried by those who worship it.  Idols ‘can do no harm nor can they do any good’.  In contrast, ‘O Lord, you are great’ (v6).  The Lord is ‘King of the nations’ (v7).  We have an echo of such a view of God in Revelation 5:12 ‘Worthy is the Lamb…’

2. God lives

Idolaters are ‘senseless and foolish’ (v8) because they reflect the gods they worship.  Idols can do nothing for anyone because there is no life in them.  People become like what they worship.  The only possible result of the worship of a lifeless idol is spiritual deadness.  Then Jeremiah draws the contrast – ‘But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King’.  The living God exercises sovereignty – ‘king of all the earth’ (Psalm 47:7).  He also exercises moral government, with ‘his wrath’ (v10) a solemn reality.  He is to be revered and feared.

3. God creates

In v11-13 Jeremiah focuses on one aspect of the activity of the living and reigning God – his work of creation, and the consequent sustaining of creation.  The idols did not create (v11).  They deceive men entirely.  In contrast – ‘God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding’ (v12).  The work of creation reveals the fundamental perfections of God.  He also governs events in the world – ‘thunders…clouds…etc.’  This is his sovereign providence, seen in his ongoing control of all aspects of life.  This is full of comfort and encouragement for believers.

4. God redeems

In v14-16 Jeremiah concludes his indictment of idols.  They are ‘a fraud’ (v14), ‘worthless, the object of mockery’ (v15).  Their devotees are ‘senseless and without knowledge’ (v14).  There is nothing good to be said for the idols or those who worship them.  In contrast – God is ‘the Portion of Jacob’ (v16).  Not only is he the Maker and Sustainer of all things, ‘including Israel’, but is the God of gracious redemption.  In covenant love he gives himself as the Portion to an undeserving people and makes them ‘his inheritance’.  That is the wonder of grace.  We recall the description in Ephesians 1:18 of ‘his glorious inheritance in the saints’.  The redeeming work of Christ is the ultimate proof that this is the living and true God.

According to Romans 1:16 the gospel is ‘the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes’.  As a result, Satan is always active, trying to pervert the gospel and to prevent sinners hearing the way of salvation.  The attacks on basic truths take various forms – in Corinth the attack was on the Christian’s hope of resurrection.  Paul replies with an assertion of the unshakeable facts of the gospel, the truths which we must rest upon and defend.  We consider 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 Firm foundations.

1. The revelation

Paul makes clear that the gospel he preached was not of his own devising: it is ‘what I received’ (v3).  He had not invented the gospel – once he had tried to destroy it.  His source was not the other apostles – see Galatians 1:12.  The gospel message was God-given.  Paul knew the facts about Jesus, but their significance was directly revealed.  The gospel we have is inspired truth about the saving acts of God in Jesus Christ.  Unless God had revealed these things, they would have been a mystery to us.  The Lord’s promise to the apostles regarding the ministry of the Holy Spirit was, ‘he will guide you into all truth’ (John 16:13).  We can have total confidence in the gospel.  It requires faithful communication.  ‘I passed on to you’ uses the technical term for handing on the deposit of truth.  It is so precious it must be transmitted carefully, omitting nothing.

2. The crucifixion

Note ‘as of first importance’ – the focus is on the key elements of the gospel.  Much more could be said – these things must be said.  The very heart of the gospel is ‘Christ died for our sins’.  It was not an unfortunate tragedy, but the culmination of the eternal plan of God to save sinners.  The cross was the goal of Jesus’ life on earth (John 12:27).  His death is bound up with human sin which merits the wrath of God.  He is the Lamb of God (John 1:29), the sacrifice offered to satisfy the demands of God’s law and to obtain forgiveness.  The wrath of God was turned aside and he could cry in triumph ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30).  It is the mercy and grace of God that brought Jesus to die for us – ‘for the ungodly’ (Romans 5:6).  As a result ‘we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins’ (Ephesians 1:7).  This was no afterthought on God’s part, but was ‘according to the Scriptures’, often mentioned in prophecy.

3. The resurrection

After his burial (v4) – proving the reality of his death – ‘he was raised on the third day’, the great demonstration of the power of God.  It was a resurrection in victory over sin, death and Satan.  The resurrection proves that he really has dealt with sin.  The empty tomb is the proof that salvation has been accomplished.  There can be no doubt about the reality of the resurrection.  There were numerous appearances of the risen Lord to a variety of people (v5-8), including to Paul himself.  He ‘has been raised’ (lit., implying he continues as the living reigning Lord.  This is the foundation of our eternal hope – he is the ‘firstfruits’ of our resurrection (v20).  We have hope for this life and for eternity.

We gather to administer baptism to an infant – in the view of many sincere Christians we are doing something for which the Bible offers no warrant.  What is the meaning of this sacrament and why do we administer it to infants?  In writing to the Colossians Paul shows how what we have in Christ is superior to what God’s people in the Old Testament had.  Here he applies this to baptism.  We consider Colossians 2:11-12 Decoding baptism.

1. The spiritual significance of baptism

In speaking of the Christian’s present position Paul introduces the thought of baptism: ‘buried with him in baptism…’ (v12).  This is one way of describing the union of a Christian with his Lord – dying and rising with Christ.  We find the same thought in 3:1,3 and Galatians 2:20.  Spiritually the Christian has died with Christ and risen to new life.  Baptism signified this putting off of the old and putting on of the new: ‘putting off of the body of the flesh’ (v11, lit.).  At conversion a spiritual revolution takes place.  We now live a life empowered by the risen Christ (Galatians 2:20).  This includes cleansing from sin and baptism is an appropriate symbol of this spiritual washing (see John 3:5 and Revelation 7:14).  Paul shows the link with circumcision in v11.  What does he mean?  He shows that Christians have a far superior ‘circumcision’ than OT believers.  It is not a mere surgical operation (‘not…done by the hands of men’ v11) but an inward spiritual matter.  Even in the OT circumcision was to signify an inward spiritual change – it was not simply a sign of Jewishness.  It was ‘a seal of the righteousness [Abraham] had by faith’ (Romans 4:11) – a picture of salvation.  Both circumcision and baptism are signs of belonging to the covenant people of God.

2. The outward sign of baptism

The sign of water baptism is to be administered to the covenant people of God.  In the case of adults this is on credible profession of faith.  It is the sign of entry into the covenant community and into the visible church.  Baptism itself does not affect cleansing – 1 Peter 3:21.  It is not magical or mechanical.  What of children?  The link must be made with the OT.  There the covenant embraced the children of believers (see Genesis 17 ‘and to your seed’) and they received the covenant sign.  NT baptism too recognises a covenant child for what it is – one within the circle of God’s covenant, who belongs among the people of God.

3. The inward reality of baptism

Baptism is a means of grace, bringing strength and blessing, but only when its symbolism is matched by the inward reality of faith and salvation.   Hence v12 ‘raised with him through your faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead.’  Baptism pictures God’s promise of cleansing from sin and new life in covenant with him.  Our response must be one of faith.  Only then does baptism bring blessing.  What of covenant children?  Faith and subsequent blessing may come at a later time (as they may too in the case of adults).  The prayer of the parents and the church must be that God by grace would, in his time, join the outward sign with the inward reality.  We have solid grounds in God’s promises to families for praying in faith (but not in presumption).  As the child matures it has the duty to believe.