Today’s reading: 2 Chron 19:1–20:37, Titus 3:12–15, Ps 101:1–8

Today’s theme: Hate sin and compromise

Our lesson today is that we should hate sin and compromise. This means we do not walk in agreement with those who have set themselves against the Lord and should run away from all sinful compromise.

2 Chronicles 19:1–20:37

Do not love the wicked!

But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD. 2 Chronicles 19:2 (ESV)

Jehoshaphat was not just compromising with a sinner but with an apostate (one who knows the truth and turns away from it). One who had made it his mission to attack God’s people. Paul tells us to turn away for these sorts of people in 2 Thessalonians 3:14, 2 Timothy 3:5 and Titus 3:10 (from yesterday’s reading).

We are called to draw a very clear line of demarcation. We should not walk in compromise or throw in our lot with those who are clearly opposed to the Lord.

It goes against conventional wisdom but to truly love we have to truly hate. If I love my wife, I should hate the thought of being unfaithful. If we love God and His ways we will hate sin and those who set themselves against the Lord.

We should not love the wicked or those who are enemies of God. However we are commanded to love those who have made themselves our personal enemy. Matthew 5:44.

Spurred on by correction

Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem. And he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the LORD, the God of their fathers. 2 Chronicles 19:4 (ESV)

The king’s heart was set on the Lord. His response was not one of pride or anger when Jehu spoke to him. Instead we see that he set about bringing the people back to the Lord.

We need to ask ourselves, what will we do when corrected, will it spur us on in the work of the kingdom or cause us to draw back?

Hebrews 10:39 encourages us “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”

And Jesus reminds us that pruning is just so we can grow in John 15:2 “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

The power of attorney

and said to the judges, “Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the LORD. He is with you in giving judgment. 2 Chronicles 19:6 (ESV)

We are also called to minister on God’s behalf. We have received the power of attorney which is “the authority to act for another person in specified legal or financial matters.” We speak and act as God’s ambassadors and government ministers for His kingdom.

Jesus gave us authority to work on His behalf in the world in Luke 10:19 “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Also see John 20:23 and Matthew 28:18-20.

Paul points to this same idea of us ministering on God’s behalf in 2 Corinthians 5:20 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” Also see Ephesians 6:20 and Galatians 4:14.

Acknowledge fear, turn to God for help

Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 2 Chronicles 20:3 (ESV)

Again Jehoshaphat’s response when faced with a fearful situation is not to be swallowed up by the fear but to acknowledge it and turn to trust in God.

He saw that his dad ended up in pride, not seeking God for help. He learnt the lesson that he should not harm himself in pride but humbly ask God for help.

When we are afraid, we should not ignore the fear, we should acknowledge it and then turn to God with it and ask for help.

We are reminded in 1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Sovereign, The God King

and said, “O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. 2 Chronicles 20:6 (ESV)

This verse reminds us of one of the bible’s overarching themes, that God is sovereign over the universe, over every government and no one can withstand Him. He is the king ruling by divine decree, when He speaks a thing it comes to pass, no one can resist Him. God is The God King, The Sovereign Ruler over all. This truth should fill us with awe and faith.

Keep your eyes on Jesus

O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 2 Chronicles 20:12 (ESV)

God does not require that we know what to do, just that we keep our eyes on Him and trust Him.

Hebrews 12:2 reads “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Stand firm

You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17 (ESV).

We fight by standing firm and seeing God work. We need to make up our minds to stand for the truth, just making a stand for the truth means we are at war with the enemy.

We need to stand firm holding to our faith no matter what the world says. We should not compromise or shift around, we need to stand.

Paul rallies us to stand in Ephesians 6:13 “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

We stand. God fights. We win!

Building through compromise will not last

Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the LORD will destroy what you have made.” And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish. 2 Chronicles 20:37 (ESV)

We should not seek to build God’s kingdom through compromise with sinners and those opposed to God and the bible. Whatever is accomplished will ultimately be destroyed.

As we read earlier (verse 20) we are established and successful if we trust the Lord and believe the prophets and leaders He has appointed over us. We do not need to scheme and work things out in our own way, we need to trust God!

Paul reminds us that we must be careful how we build because all we have done will be appraised and rewarded and anything done in compromise is like building with wood, hay or stubble. None of these will survive the testing by fire as we read in 1 Corinthians 3:12–15 “…If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”

Titus 3:12–15

Called to practical good works

And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful. Titus 3:14 (ESV)

We are called to practical good works. We should actively serve one another and not assume that “someone else” will do it.

Good works here speak of “visible acts of service that emerge from genuine faith”. Paul was calling for the believers to help the ministers he was sending to them. This gave them a practical way to work out all he had taught them in the letter.

We all have duties to fulfil in and as the body of Christ. We noted earlier in today’s reading that the work we do is on the Lord’s behalf.

We were given the Spirit to empower and enable us to work on God’s behalf and serve one another.

Psalm 101:1–8

Integrity

I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; Psalm 101:2 (ESV)

This is the very essence of integrity, doing right when no one is looking

Hate sin

I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. Psalm 101:3 (ESV)

The western world is so saturated with media that we need to be very careful about what we allow to come before our eyes.

There are the obvious things we should not allow to come before our eyes like the sexually immoral and pornographic media that floods the airwaves.

The more subtle thing is just general sin, displayed and spoken about as normal through media. This can slowly change our minds and bring us to a place of compromise like king Jehoshaphat with Ahab.

As we read today we should not love the sin and ways of the world or those that push / promote it. We should hate sin and the wicked because we love the Lord.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

The Gospel Coalition on Titus 3

Today’s reading: 2 Chron 17:1–18:34, Titus 3:8–11, Ps 99:1–100:5

Today’s theme: Be courageous, devoted and holy

Today we learn that we are to be courageous in heart, devoted to good works and holy as God is holy. We also learn that the Lord is holy, He is good and He is the only true God.

2 Chronicles 17:1–18:34

Be courageous in heart

His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah. 2 Chronicles 17:6 (ESV)

Courage is the strength of spirit that enables a person to face fear and difficulty. As Christians we are called to have this virtue in our character and in the way we serve God, just like Jehoshaphat. We must be bold and stand for the Lord.

Paul encourages us to be bold because of the hope we have through Christ, in 2 Corinthians 3:12 “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold.”

Jesus gives us boldness, we can be courageous because He gives us assurance, in Ephesians 3:12 “in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.”

We should pray for one another, that we would have courageous faith. Paul also requested this prayer for himself in Ephesians 6:19–20 “and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Titus 3:8–11

Be devoted in work

The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. Titus 3:8 (ESV)

As Christians we should be devoted to good works in both our own behaviour and in doing good for others. We were not saved by works but we do work, because we are saved.

Here the word ‘devote’ has the sense of “to be preeminent”. We should lead the way in good works as an example to others and it should be one of the highest priorities of our lives.

Psalm 99:1–100:5

The Lord is holy

Exalt the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he! Psalm 99:5 (ESV)

Here and in verse 9, we read that the Lord is holy. This is one of God’s great, unique attributes and speaks of God’s essential being, God literally is Holy.

The Hebrew word “qados” is translated as “holy”. It describes that which is by nature sacred, or that which has been admitted to the sphere of the sacred by divine rite. It describes therefore, that which is distinct or separate from the common or profane.

With this definition in mind, we realise that we are made holy by God and called to live in honour of that, by remaining separate from sin.

Hebrews 12:14 reminds us to “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”

The Lord is God

Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3 (ESV)

In our secular society we should affirm again that yes, the Lord is God.

Whilst the lie of evolution has become the conventional wisdom on how we got here, we must stand by the truth that God created us, we belong to Him, He is the king and deserves our allegiance.

The Lord is good

For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:5 (ESV)

Another great attribute of God is that He is good. God is not evil and cannot be tempted with evil, He is good, He always has been and always will be.

We see the reflection of God’s goodness all around us, in creation, in the coming of Jesus and in the truth of His word.

Romans 2:4 remind us “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

Desiring God on Titus 3

Today’s reading: 2 Chronicles 14:1–16:14, Titus 3:1–7, Psalm 97:1–98:9

Today’s theme: The calling and reward of peace

Today’s theme is our calling to the wonderful gift of God’s peace. True peace can only be found in God. Today, commit to rest in the peace that is yours in Christ.

2 Chronicles 14:1–16:14

The gift of peace

He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the LORD gave him peace.(2 Chronicles 14:6, ESV)

Asa was one of the few good kings we see after the time of David and Solomon. Verse 2 tells us that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Due to his righteous conduct, God gave him a unique and prized gift, peace.

Peace was one of the special gifts that Jesus left with the church. Jesus said in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Having a holiday or extra sleep does not guarantee true rest. The word ‘peace’ in this verse, is the Hebrew word ‘nwh’ which means to settle down, to stay settled, rest, to repose, to await, pacify, satisfy, place, set and lay.

God desires that we all experience peace, which is the reward for honouring Him. Paul reminds us of this in his benediction in 2 Thessalonians 3:16; “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.”

Ask God for help

And Asa cried to the LORD his God, “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.”(2 Chronicles 14:11, ESV)

This is a great example from the early life of Asa as he relied on God, the one who had given him rest. He saw God as great and able to help him and this is true, our God is great and is able to help us if we turn to Him and ask for help.

This is a simple prayer that we should pray today. No matter our need or how overwhelming the odds seem, we openly humble ourselves and cry out to God for help, in faith.

Jesus reminds us in Matthew 7:7–8, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

Your work will be rewarded

But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”(2 Chronicles 15:7, ESV)

In this world, so many strive for their own peace and rest, this is often expressed in paying off their mortgage and having a long and relaxing retirement or a luxury holiday or some material object. These motivations are all wrong and they all give false peace and rest.

As we work in the Lord’s kingdom, we have the wonderful promise of reward to help spur us on. One of the rewards that we get even in this life, is peace and rest and it will ultimately be realised in the glory of heaven.

Paul reminds us in Galatians 6:9; “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up”

Guard your heart

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”(2 Chronicles 16:9, ESV)

God is sovereign, He is in control and is well able to help His people at all times. He is actively seeking for opportunity to help us in response to our prayer.

We must put our trust in God to help us and we should guard ourselves from complacency, forgetfulness and ignorance:

1. We should not become complacent, so well adjusted to the peace and prosperity that comes from God, that we let our guard down and get caught out by the enemy. 1 Corinthians 10:12 reminds us; “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”
2. We must not forget what the Lord has already done for us. Our past experience with the Lord should encourage and bolster our faith. see Revelation 12:11
3. We must not become ignorant of who God is, this is why daily reading and meditating on the bible is so important. There should be moment by moment submission to God the Holy Spirit, who brings the word to our remembrance. Jesus encourages us in John 14:26.

Titus 3:1–7

Called to peace

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. (Titus 3:1–2, ESV)

As Christians we are called to be model citizens, obeying the law of the land when it does not violate the word of God. We should also seek to be gentle and courteous.

We are called to avoid quarrelling, in other words we are called to peace. The peace that God has given us should help to govern our behaviour and we should spread it to others.

Sin brings no peace

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.(Titus 3:3, ESV)

Sin is slavery and can never bring peace. Our culture today encourages people to be slaves to their own selfish passions and pleasures.

We should not be living for ourselves as Christians, we should live for God and for others.

We do not need to strive for our own cause because God has given us peace.

Saved by God’s mercy

he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5, ESV)

God saved us because of His own mercy, there was nothing we did to deserve it. Regeneration can only be initiated by God and is only possible through God the Holy Spirit.

We should remember that today; that God saved us and made us new by His Holy Spirit out of pure mercy and grace. This should fill us with hope, joy and peace.

Psalm 97:1–98:9

Rejoice in God’s deliverance

O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.(Psalm 97:10, ESV)

We should set our hearts to hate what is evil and rejoice that God preserves our lives and delivers us, thus giving us peace.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

The Gospel Coalition on Titus 3

Today’s reading: 2 Chron 11:1–13:22, Titus 2:9–15, Ps 96:1–13

Today’s theme: Grace trains us

There are a lot of good lessons today, centred around serving the King in His kingdom, by His grace, in purity. One of the most powerful and practical lessons is that the genuine grace of God does not open the door to sin (thus abusing that grace), but trains us to live holy lives in our union with Christ. God’s grace trains us, causing us to grow in the Lord.

2 Chronicles 11:1–13:22

God’s judgement

‘Thus says the LORD, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives. Return every man to his home, for this thing is from me.’ ” So they listened to the word of the LORD and returned and did not go against Jeroboam. 2 Chronicles 11:4 (ESV)

God is sovereign. The splitting of the kingdom was not the work of the devil, it was God’s own discipline and plan which He brought to pass for His own purposes.

This teaches us that even things, which on the surface seem negative, may be something God has brought to pass or allowed for His purposes. We must keep a full picture of God, He is not just a God who blesses, He brings judgement too. See Romans 8:28

God’s remnant

And those who had set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their fathers. 2 Chronicles 11:16 (ESV)

In the area of apologetics some will challenge the scripture in Revelation 7:4-8 for example, which speaks about 144,000 Jewish believers 12,000 form every tribe. The contention is that 10 of the tribes were lost in the Assyrian exile of the northern kingdom.

This scripture show that God actually preserved all Israel in the land of Judah, with those faithful to God fleeing the northern lands.

We must be like those who fled the north, we should not stand with compromise. This also helps us to understand why the reformation was so necessary.

Paul reminds us of God’s promise for setting ourselves aside to stand with the Lord, in 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 “Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

We should stand for and defend the true faith which has been once for all handed down to the saints as mentioned in Jude 3.

May God be your end

When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him. 2 Chronicles 12:1 (ESV)

This is a wicked trait of the human heart, we can often abandon God after we have received our desired end. This is why He must be our end. God should be our aim and treasure.

Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:8 “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”

Again in Philippians 3:12 we read “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”

Abandoned by God

Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says the LORD, ‘You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.’ ” 2 Chronicles 12:5 (ESV)

Jesus echoes this characteristic of God, which flies in the face of modern images of God, as a beneficent father who only dispenses blessings.

Jesus, in His call for us to be loyal and faithful to our King and the kingdom, said in Matthew 10:33 “but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

and in Luke 9:26 “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

The pull of sin

And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the LORD. 2 Chronicles 12:14 (ESV)

Like the pull of gravity, if we do not set our hearts to serve the Lord, we will inevitably do evil, it is our nature as fallen creatures.

We are reminded to keep our hearts focused on Jesus and on serving Him, in Hebrews 12:2 “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Why fight God?

Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.” 2 Chronicles 13:12 (ESV)

This is true, it is foolish to fight God, no one can win no matter how much they try. It is like a boxer versus an ant, there is no contest. This is why it is foolish to resist God or to rebel against Him, He is God and we are not. He is the King, we should submit to Him and end the offence of rebellion.

Gamaliel echoes this truth in Acts 5:39-40 “but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God! So they took his advice…”

The battle shout

Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 2 Chronicles 13:15 (ESV)

We can take confidence from this, we can cry out to God today, to see His deliverance in the middle of the battles we face.

Peter reminds us in 2 Peter 2:9 “then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.”

Titus 2:9–15

The Christian manifesto

not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour. Titus 2:10 (ESV)

This scripture (from verse 9 – 10) is a call for all of us who are employed, to be submissive to our superiors. We should not be argumentative and should be honest. This behaviour is like the dressing for our teaching and belief.

Correct beliefs without correct living is worthless and shameful.

This is the Christian manifesto for the workplace and we must adhere to it, to be good witnesses, and for the glory of God’s church and in turn God’s own glory.

Grace trains us

training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, Titus 2:12 (ESV)

God’s grace does not teach us that we can live however we want because we made a confession, no.

Here we learn that God’s grace and goodness which has appeared for all people through the good news, trains us to turn away from ungodly behaviour and evil passions driven by our heart and culture, to instead live self controlled, honest and godly lives in whatever age we are living in.

God’s grace means we can live in holiness as God requires, no matter our surroundings.

There is no excuse for Christians to live in compromise or sin , those who have truly been saved by grace will have a new nature that desires to live for God.

Jesus is God

waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, Titus 2:13 (ESV)

The scripture clearly teaches that Jesus is God.

Redeemed to be pure

who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Titus 2:14 (ESV)

Jesus’ substitutionary atonement for the church on the cross, was not made to give us a licence to sin but to set us free from the tyranny of sin.

Jesus’ intention is that we be pure, a pure people who stand and live for the King and His kingdom, as we read in the OT today.

Psalm 96:1–13

The gospel of the kingdom

Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” Psalm 96:10 (ESV)

We are called to declare this truth, the good news of the kingdom, that God is King and He reigns.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

The Gospel Coalition on Titus 2

Today’s reading: 2 Chron 9:1–10:19, Titus 2:1–8, Ps 95:1–11

Today’s theme: Sound Teaching

Today’s theme focuses on the necessity of the sound teaching of the church, as passed down through the ages, and on the principle of the young men listening to older men and young women being taught by older women. All of this is underpinned by the teaching that God is King and we are a part of His Theocratic Kingdom in Christ.

2 Chronicles 9:1–10:19

The Theocratic Kingdom

Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the LORD your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness.” 2 Chronicles 9:8 (ESV)

The declaration from the Queen of Sheba (modern day Yemen), blessing God and His chosen king Solomon, shows us that seeing the way God had blessed Solomon went some way to opening the eyes of this gentile, Arabic Queen, to the greatness of the one true God.

Israel was what we call a Theocratic Kingdom, which means that God was the ultimate King and Ruler, creating the laws and directly involved in the government and running of the country.

The Queen recognises the order in this theocratic kingdom and gives the glory to the true King, God, declaring that Solomon sits as a vice regent on “God’s throne”.

Solomon is king for God because of God’s love for the people, this is a picture of the Kingdom of God and Jesus as our King.

The account of the Queen of Sheba is mentioned in the NT where Jesus said He is greater than Solomon, He is the greater king that Solomon pointed to, executing justice and righteousness. See Matthew 12:42 and Luke 11:31

Blessed by God

And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.  2 Chronicles 9:23 (ESV)

As we read the account of Solomon’s great wisdom and wealth, we must remember that both of these came as blessings from God.

It was God who put wisdom in the mind of Solomon, it was not derived from the philosophies of this world, which are at best foolish and at worst devilish . We should not seek the wisdom that the world applauds, instead we should seek the wisdom that God gives. James 3:13-18

It is God that gives us power to get wealth and then holds us accountable to be good stewards. Deuteronomy 8:18

Jesus uses Solomon as an example when speaking of us having our needs met by our loving Father, and warning us against the lie and trap of materialism. God’s goodness to Solomon was not an invitation to materialism. The goodness of God should lead us to repentance and reliance on God, with a joyful and grateful heart.

Jesus teaches this in Matthew 6:28–34 “And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Paul speaks to those of us blessed with riches in this world, in 1 Timothy 6:17–19 “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

Submit to the elders

And the king answered them harshly; and forsaking the counsel of the old men, 2 Chronicles 10:13 (ESV)

This stands as a warning to the young and inexperienced. The bible teaches that younger men should seek counsel from older men and younger women should seek counsel from older women.

The reason for this seems obvious, those who have lived longer have the knowledge and experience to guide the young.

The deception of youth is the belief that “we are the first ones with real knowledge”, “we know what to do”, “we are professional”, “the older ones don’t understand”, “we have a better way of doing things”, “this is the modern world so things have changed” etc.

These are all deceptions of the enemy, to keep the cycle of “learning the hard way” going, when God intends for us to break that cycle by the young humbling themselves under the guidance of those who are older and have gone on before.

This includes those who have gone on long before, there are over 2000 years of church history, many modern controversies and difficulties have already been dealt with so we should look back to those like Charles Spurgeon, The Reformers, The Puritans and so many more.

In today’s NT reading we will read about this submission, it is also recorded in 1 Peter 5:5, “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Titus 2:1–8

Sound teaching

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Titus 2:1 (ESV)

Our faith is not against teaching, teaching is at its core, the issue is what is taught.

We should avoid attitudes of Christian anti-intellectualism as God gave us minds to be interacted with. The devil did not create and does not control the mind, our minds belong to God.

However we are called to be renewed in our minds and this comes through the right teaching of the word of God, from God’s ministers.

We should have an appetite to sit under good teaching. If the church throws teaching away, we will lose our way and all kinds of heresies will find their way into the church, forming strongholds of arguments and beliefs in the minds of those who adhere to them.

We must submit to the doctrine of the church as defined by the historical, biblical, universal and orthodox church. We, as the most recent generation of the church, should not try to be novel or teach a new doctrine, we should maintain and teach the old and true story again and again.

Training for young women

and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Titus 2:4–5 (ESV)

Again we see the bible calling for older women to train younger women in matters of the family and home, namely to love their husbands and children, to be pure and self controlled themselves, to work in the home and to be kind and submissive to their husbands.

This contradicts modern ideas of womanhood which encourage women to be liberated from the home, motherhood and marriage, teaching them instead to throw of purity and self control and become like men.

The true root of Feminism is found in Gnosticism and was started by Satan in the garden of Eden, when he sought to empower Eve to rebel against God’s order. The modern founders of feminism were homosexual women with an Anti-Christian agenda.

In a culture which is redefining what men and women are, we should hold even more firmly to the biblical models and definitions, and be a witness to the world of what it means to be fulfilled and flourishing in Christ.

Teaching for young men

Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Titus 2:6 (ESV)

Young men need to be taught (against the culture) to have self control. The culture teaches young men to throw off social and sexual restraints, encouraging them to have multiple partners and waste their lives in drinking and partying.

This was not God’s intention for man, we are to be self controlled and our lives should bring glory to God, as we lovingly serve our wives and children.

Psalm 95:1–11

God our King

For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. Psalm 95:3 (ESV)

God is the true King, we bow down today and worship Him

Don’t harden your heart

do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, Psalm 95:8 (ESV)

We should ensure that our hearts are not hardened to God’s word today, we must hear His word and submit to it in humble obedience.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

The Gospel Coalition on Titus 2