Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church
500 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 678106
(1) The Old Rugged Cross
“The Old Rugged Cross” is the most frequently requested hymn. Songbook editors have designated it as the most popular of all hymns. Within thirty years of its publication in 1913, more than twenty million copies had been sold.
“The Old Rugged Cross” declares in simple and yet sublime words the central truth of the gospel, and it speaks to the need of every believer.
The children of Israel experienced the sufficiency of God in their wilderness experience. God supernaturally protected them from their Egyptian oppressors. The sustenance the children of Israel experienced was traced to Jesus Christ.
There were many in Israel who experienced the mercies of God in the wilderness and yet will not acknowledge God’s goodness but chose to still murmur and complain. This is the heart of sinful men whose life is lived after the flesh and not in the spirit.
The Apostle Paul recounted the event of the Exodus when God delivered Israel out of bondage in Egypt through many miracles of extraordinary measure. And yet when Israel was brought to the brink of the Promised Land, they had not the faith to enter. Many were overthrown in the wilderness because of their unbelief.
Hymns: RHC 559 Near the Cross, 324 Trusting Jesus, I Trust in Thee (below)
Psalm 4
1 To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm of David. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah. 3 But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him. 4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. 5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.
6 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. 7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. 8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
The Apostle Paul speaks of a vigilance to spiritual discipline lest he disqualifies himself from the work through sin. And he is careful to warn his readers not to yield to temptation. He watches himself carefully so that he may be rejected by the Lord, not standing the test and be a castaway.
The athlete’s greatest fear is that he is injured because it disqualifies him from the competition. Even though he may have trained hard for a long time to prepare for the race, he will not win the prize because he cannot participate in the race.This is the same for the servant of God. Sin disqualifies him from his reward from God because of the “disciplinary disapproval of God” [William MacDonald]. The Apostle Paul sends a word of warning for all servants of God to live circumspectly, by the grace of God to exercise self-control, be led by the Spirit to live a victorious life of service. There is reward awaiting the faithful servant.
Poole observed well, “I give you no other counsel than I myself take; I endeavour so to live, so in all things to behave myself, as I may not be at uncertainties whether I please God by my actions, or shall get to heaven, yea or not. I am a fellow soldier with you, fighting against sin; I make it my great business, not so to fight, so to resist sin, as if I did beat the air; that is, get no more fruit, profit, or advantage by it, than if I threw stones against the wind, or with a staff did beat the air. It is not every running, or every fighting, that will bring a man to heaven; it must be a running with all our might, and continuing our motion till we come to the end of our race; a fighting with all our might, and that against all sin.”
Acts 15:19-32 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren: And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle: Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation. And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.
The promise of eternal reward for the faithful Christian is his motivation to serve Christ. Just as the athlete who seeks to wins a competition does all he can to keep himself in his best physical state, so the Christian in his spiritual state, for a heavenly reward.