Lord’s Day, Vol. 10 No. 49

Family Retreat 2022

Thank God for this year-end gathering in our Family Retreat 2022 from 2-3 December. There were 63 attendees. Praise God for the safety and good weather granted in answer to prayer. The theme of our retreat was “The Faithfulness of God”. 

We meditated on 2 Timothy 1:12 (KJV) For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.    

As an apostle and as a preacher, according to the command of Christ, he preached the gospel, souls were saved, nevertheless, he suffered imprisonment. Though life was hard, he lost his freedom. But he has no regrets, no bitter thought, no misgivings. He says “I am not ashamed”, for I know whom I have believed.

The verb “know” literally means “to see”. The word “oida” is not the word “ginosko” which means inception or progress in knowledge. This comes from the verb which means “to see”. The word “oida” that the Apostle Paul used here means “fullness of knowledge”, that is, “I know Him perfectly”. There is a certainty to what he saw. Recall he was blinded at his conversion when he met Christ on the road to Damascus. He saw the risen Christ. Christ restored his sight. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales, and he received sight forthwith, and arose and was baptised.

He was filled with the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit that indwells this new man in Christ gave him spiritual sight – Acts 9:17-18 (KJV) And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. He was filled with the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit that indwells this new man in Christ gave him spiritual sight.

I know whom I have believed. The verb “to believe”  means “to have faith in”. 

And am persuaded – “πείθω”, the word “persuaded” means “to trust, have confidence, be confident”, and the word is in the passive, this confidence was being given to him. In himself, he did not have this confidence, this is the “passive voice”. And in the perfect tense. 

The perfect is the tense of complete action. It represents a present state resulting from a past action. It is the same tense used in the term by our Lord Jesus in the wilderness when He confronted the temptation of Satan with the Word of God, He says “It is written”. That is to say, the Scripture, written in the past, bears its witness now, in the present. Therefore, the perfect presents the progress of the action as completed in the past but the results of the action continuing in the present with full effect. The Holy Spirit bears witness in the Apostle Paul’s heart of the truth of Christ and his salvation in Christ and his commission to make Christ known – 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (KJV) And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

1 Corinthians 2:6-9 (KJV) Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

1 Corinthians 2:11-12 (KJV) For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

He knows, “he sees with the eyes of faith, he was given spiritual sight to the veracity of his work that would impact souls for eternity” and he is persuaded, he is being persuaded, he is being given that fullness of confidence, to live as he was living now, in prison!

He is persuaded that the God who calls him to this work will also perform to the day of Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 (KJV) Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

What was he persuaded of “He is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” 

The safekeeping of his soul and the work which Christ has called him to do and the souls that have been won to Christ.

Philippians 1:6 (KJV) Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:  

God who has saved the souls in the church in Philippi is a faithful God, and He is able, He has the power to see to the performance of it.  

Have you ever wondered why is it that our prayer and intercession with God are not a greater joy and delight? One answer to this question undoubtedly is: We know God too little.

As we meditate on God’s Word, we dwell in His presence. To behold the Faithful God to whom we can entrust our lives and our souls for safe keeping in this life and in the life to come. 

Andrew Murray observed well, “In our prayer, His presence is not the chief thing our heart is seeking And yet it should be. But we forget that in every prayer, God must be first, must be all. So how is one to attain nearness to God and fellowship with Him? The answer is simple: We must give God time to make Himself known to us. Believe with your whole heart that just as you present yourself to God as a supplicant, so God presents Himself to you as the hearer of prayer.

But you cannot realise this unless you give Him time and quiet. It is not the multitude or earnestness of your words in which prayer has its power. Your prayer has its power in the living faith that God Himself is taking you and your prayer into His loving heart. He Himself will give assurance that in His time your prayer will be heard. Begin your day with these words: “Unto thee, O LORD, I lift up my soul” (Psalm 25:1). “My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God” (Psalm 42:2).”

“Too many Christians are just sitting on the premises instead of standing on the promises.”

But for the Apostle Paul, he was standing on the promises of God he testified I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless, I am not ashamed:

An elderly Christian was in much distress as he lay dying. “Oh, Pastor,” He said. “for years I have relied upon the promises of God, but now in the hour of death I can’t remember a single one to comfort me.” Knowing that Satan was disturbing him, the preacher said, “My brother, do you think that God will forget any of His promises?” A smile came over the face of the dying believer as he exclaimed joyfully. “No, no!” He won’t! Praise the Lord, now I can fall asleep in Jesus and trust Him to remember them all and bring me safely to Heaven.” Peace flooded his soul, and a short time later he was ushered by the angels into the light of God’s eternal day. [508, Encyclopaedia of 7700 illustrations, Paul Lee Tan]

God created and formed the nation of Israel to be His witness to the nations of the world. For Israel to become a nation, they had to have a people, whom God multiplied in the land of Goshen in Egypt, and when He led them out of Egypt by a mighty hand, He gave them the law at Mount Sinai, the constitution for the nation. And finally, they had to cross the Jordan River and enter Canaan, defeat the giants in the land and lay hold of it as their inheritance from God.

Moses exhorted the new generation that arose in the wilderness that will enter the Promised Land with these words in Deuteronomy 7:9 (KJV) Know (yada) therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

“To know” God is to have an intimate experiential knowledge of Him. This word “to know” means “firstly, to know by observing and reflecting (thinking), and secondly, to know by experiencing, thirdly, this verb represents that kind of knowing which one learns (acknowledges) and can give back. [Vine] …

Yours lovingly,

Pastor Lek Aik Wee