An Easter Hymn

 He lives forever! Alleluia!

1. Our Lord is risen. He burst our prison. Jesus, Saviour of our lives.
Death could not hold him, could not control him. He to us salvation gives.
It’s what he promised. Why be astonished?
The grave was open. Death’s grip lay broken.
He lives forever! Alleluia!
The snake he trampled. Hell’s claim he canceled.
Christ is the conqueror; he is the Victor.
He lives forever! Alleluia!

2. Now filled with gladness, no more with sadness, we delight in Christ our King.
We are rejoicing with praises voicing, cheerfully we all will sing.
Come, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers:
trust in him surely and live securely.
He lives forever! Alleluia!
Our hearts are longing to see his coming.
Living or dying in Christ abiding!
He lives forever! Alleluia!

3. Christ is our sovereign ruling from heaven, King of kings and Lord of lords.
He reigns victorious. He is all-glorious. From above he speaks his word.
Let us be watchful and heed the gospel.
For him we’re yearning. He is returning.
He lives forever! Alleluia!
Then we’ll inherit by Jesus’ merit
a place in heaven graciously given.
He lives forever! Alleluia!

George van Popta, 2020

(It can be sung to In Dir Ist Freude by Giovanni Giacomo Gastoldi, 1593)

New hymn

                       Jesus, my Saviour, Thank You for Your Mercy 
                                    (PDF) (Musescore)

I AM the Vine (in 3/4 time)

Here is the seventh of seven songs based on the "I Am" sayings of the Lord Jesus in the Gospel according to John. Click on the arrow to hear the sound file. 

Here it is in 3/4 time.



I Am the Vine (in 3/4 time) by George vP

I AM the vine (in 4/4 time)

Here is the seventh of seven songs based on the "I Am" sayings of the Lord Jesus in the Gospel according to John. Click on the arrow to hear the sound file. It works best if you also click on the square to expand it.

Here it is in 4/4 time.


I AM the Vine by George vP

I am the Resurrection and the Life

The fifth (of seven) in a series of hymns based on the I Am sayings of Jesus in the Gospel of John.

You can hear it here.

Lyrics:

I am the Resurrection and the Life

1. I am the resurrection and the life,

the One who frees his own from mortal strife.

He who believes in me will never die.

E’en though he die I will him glorify

and satisfy with life from heav’n above.

2. “Do you believe that what I say is true,

that this good news is meant also for you?

Do you believe that I have conquered death,

that I have come to give mankind new breath?

Do you believe that I will you renew?”

3. Yes, Lord, I do believe that you’re the Christ,

the Son of God in whom I place my trust,

the One who was to come into the world,

for whom the godly have for ages yearned.”

Christ will deliver us from death’s dark plight.

I Am the Good Shepherd

The fourth in a series of hymns based on the I Am sayings of Jesus in the Gospel of John.

You can hear it here.

Lyrics:

            I Am the Good Shepherd

1. I am the Good Shepherd — I lay my life down

for all of my sheep, those whom I made my own.

The false shepherd cares only for his day’s pay.

At first hint of danger he runs far away.

2. The wolf tears and scatters the flock Jesus loves

but Jesus is ruling from heaven above.

He gathers his people from Gentiles and Jews,

one Shepherd, one flock whom the Father did choose.

3. I am the Good Shepherd — I know all my sheep.

For them I arose, them in safety I’ll keep.

My sheep follow me for they know my kind voice.

We’ll all be together and always rejoice.

Hymn: Jesus the Light of the World

The second of a series of hymns based on the seven "I Am" sayings of the Lord Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospel of John.

"I Am the Light of the World" by George vP

An Ascension Hymn

Based on Article 6 of the Apostles' Creed ("... he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty") and Lord's Days 18 & 19a of the Heidelberg Catechism.

"Our Lord Ascended from the Earth" by George vP

A doorkeeper

(As published in Clarion)

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.—Psalm 84:10

Psalm 84 is a Psalm of the Sons of Korah. Dr. John Smith, speaking on this Psalm some years ago at a CRTS graduation evening, reminded us of the story of Korah.*

 The story of Korah is told in Numbers 16. Korah, together with Dathan and Abiram, rebelled against Moses and Aaron when Israel was in the wilderness. Korah belonged to the tribe of Levi. It was the task of the Levites to take care of the tabernacle.

Each levitical clan had a task to perform: chopping wood, drawing water, opening and closing doors, etc. The clan of Aaron were the priests, who brought the sacrifices and burned the incense.

At some point Korah objected to this. He said to Moses that it was not fair that only some of the Levites got to be priests. He wanted to be a priest too.

Moses asked him if it was not enough that God had put him and other Levites in charge of the tabernacle. By wanting to fulfil a task that God had given to someone else he was rebelling against God. As punishment the LORD made the earth open up beneath Korah, the other rebels, and their families, and they were swallowed up alive.

So very interestingly Numbers 26:11 says, “The line of Korah, however, did not die out.” The Lord, in his grace and kindness, had not brought a complete end to Korah's family line. Some of his children survived their father's rebellion and continued to serve the LORD at the tabernacle.

Also interestingly, much later King David made the sons of Korah doorkeepers (1 Chron. 26). The doorkeepers were responsible for opening the doors of the tabernacle, later the temple, and of making sure that only those who were qualified would enter the holy place.

We see some wonderful irony here: Korah had said, “Let me in!” He had tried to push his way through to do the task God had given to others. Now the sons of Korah were given the task of making sure that no one tried to do what their father had done.

These sons of Korah said, “Better to be a doorkeeper in the in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

Can you say that—that it is better to be the most humble servant of God's household than to live the life of the rebel?

You know, sometimes the tents of sin seem more appealing than the courts of the Lord. Sometimes it seems that non-Christians have all the fun while the Christian life is boring.

Don’t be fooled by that. It is a broad path—to destruction. Everything you see around you is going to disappear. The form of this world is passing away. The tents of wickedness and sin are going to shrivel up and disappear. We, however, will live forever, either in heaven or in hell.

And whether heaven or hell is our final and everlasting destiny depends upon whether or not we love Jesus. Better to be on the path to Zion than the highway to hell.

Ensure that you believe in the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you may know that the Lord will withhold no good thing from you. May the sunshine of God’s radiant face shine upon you. May Jesus be your shield to protect you. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.

Points to ponder: 

·         According to Mark 13:34, what must the doorkeeper be?

·         What task has the Lord given you to perform in the congregation?

*“A Doorkeeper in the House of My God ,” vol. 61, no. 23 (2012), p. 572ff.

Alleluia! When Christ Arose

This is the next and fifth hymn based on the Heidelberg Catechism's elaboration of the Apostle's Creed, specifically Article 5 of the Creed, "On the third day he arose from the dead." This new hymn puts to verse and tune the prose of Lord's Day 17.

"Alleluia! When Christ Arose" by George vP

Jesus Christ alone is God's Eternal Son

This song is based on the Heidelberg Catechism's explanation of the Biblical teaching of Articles 2b and 3 of the Apostles' Creed. It is is set to an old (14th c.) tune of a Dutch Christmas carol.

"Jesus Christ alone is God's eternal son" by George vP

Meditation on Psalm 84:7

(As published in Clarion)

From strength to strength

George van Popta

They go from strength to strength—Psalm 84:7

In Psalm 84 the Sons of Korah, the authors and first singers of this Psalm, spoke about making the pilgrimage from some far off place to the temple in Jerusalem. Often it was a difficult journey. They mention, in verse 6, the Valley of Baca.

Baca means “weeping.” The valley of weeping. A Lebanese barber I went to many years ago told me that the Baca Valley is in Lebanon, to the north of Israel and Jerusalem. He was a Lebanese Christian who came from that area. The Baca valley, he said, is a dry valley but when it rains it is covered with puddles and pools of water. He told me that is the imagery used here in verse 6. It is amazing what you can learn from your barber.

Often we are traveling through life, weeping for any number of reasons. You might be crying because of the death of a loved one, due to an illness, or because of pain caused by a chronic condition. But as you travel toward your heavenly Father and your Lord Jesus the place of weeping becomes a place of joy and refreshment.

Let us go to Zion, to Jesus, who will wipe away our tears and refresh us.

Today travel is quite easy. We motor along in our cars and stop at one of the many Tim Hortons or Starbucks along the way. But in the days of this Psalm travel was often difficult. It could be so very hot and there were not many places to rest. And yet they went from strength to strength.

From the late Rev. Van Dooren, my first professor of preaching at CRTS, I learned that the expression “strength to strength” should make us think of oases in the desert. The Children of Israel, wandering in the desert, went from oasis to oasis, and at each one they were strengthened. Instead of getting weaker along the way they grew stronger.

How will you become stronger and stronger as you travel life’s journey? Only by following the Lord Jesus. If you do not follow Jesus you will become weaker and lose your way. But if you follow him you’ll grow stronger and stronger, until you appear before God in Zion.

Believers who die appear before God in Zion. That is where they now are: before God in the heavenly Zion. They went from strength to strength.

Though they may have become mentally and physically weak, yet they went from strength to strength because they always stayed close to Jesus.

Both my mothers became very old. At the time of their death they were like little birdies—weak and frail—but they knew where they were going: to Jesus!

Parents, teach your children about the importance of following the Lord Jesus on their pilgrimage through life.

You who are weeping, follow Jesus and you will travel from strength to strength.

Follow Jesus and you will arrive at the good destination—before God in Zion.

Some things to ponder....

• Consider Elim, an oasis mentioned in Exodus 15:27. How would it have been a place of refreshment for the Children of Israel?
• Why was the Psalmist, in Psalm 42:3, weeping?
• Who will wipe away the tears from your eyes? See Revelation 7:17 and 21:4.

I Believe in Jesus Christ

This hymn is part of the continuing effort to put to song the questions and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism that address the 12 articles of the Apostles Creed.

"I Believe in Jesus Christ" by George vP

The pertinent questions and answers are:

LORD’S DAY 11

29.   Q. Why is the Son of God called Jesus,

            that is, Saviour?

        A. Because he saves us from all our sins,¹

            and because salvation is not to be sought or found

            in anyone else.²

                    1 Mt 1:21; Heb 7:25.

                        2 Is 43:11; Jn 15:4, 5; Acts 4:11, 12; 1 Tim 2:5.

30.   Q. Do those who seek

            their salvation or well-being

            in saints, in themselves, or anywhere else,

            also believe in the only Saviour Jesus?

        A. No.

            Though they boast of him in words,

                 they in fact deny the only Saviour Jesus.¹

            For one of two things must be true:

                 either Jesus is not a complete Saviour,

                 or those who by true faith accept this Saviour

                 must find in him all that is necessary

                 for their salvation.²

                  ¹ 1 Cor 1:12, 13; Gal 5:4.

                        ² Col 1:19, 20; 2:10; 1 Jn 1:7.

LORD’S DAY 12

31.   Q. Why is he called Christ,

            that is, Anointed?

        A. Because he has been ordained by God the Father,

            and anointed with the Holy Spirit,¹ to be

            our chief Prophet and Teacher,²

                 who has fully revealed to us

                 the secret counsel and will of God

                 concerning our redemption;³

            our only High Priest,⁴

                 who by the one sacrifice of his body

                 has redeemed us,⁵

                 and who continually intercedes for us

                 before the Father;⁶

            and our eternal King,⁷

                 who governs us by his Word and Spirit,

                 and who defends and preserves us

                 in the redemption obtained for us.⁸

                        ¹ Ps 45:7 (Heb 1:9); Is 61:1 (Lk 4:18); Lk 3:21, 22.

                        ² Deut 18:15 (Acts 3:22).

                        ³ Jn 1:18; 15:15.

                        ⁴ Ps 110:4 (Heb 7:17).

                        ⁵ Heb 9:12; 10:11-14.

                        ⁶ Rom 8:34; Heb 9:24; 1 Jn 2:1.

                        ⁷ Zech 9:9 (Mt 21:5); Lk 1:33.

                        ⁸ Mt 28:18-20; Jn 10:28; Rev 12:10, 11.

Authority (2): the source

The source of authority: God

When we speak about authority, then we need to ask about the source of authority. What or who is the source?

It is, of course, God. Ultimate authority belongs to God alone—to God the Creator and Redeemer of life. God is the absolute and final authority with respect to all things: Nature, history, faith and morals.

After the LORD God had shown his sovereignty over nature and history by bringing his people Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground and had drowned Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and all his soldiers in the midst of the Red Sea, then Moses and the Israelites sang a song which praised God as the One who has authority over people's lives and over all of creation. They ended the song (Exod 15) with the triumphant words: "The LORD will reign for ever and ever."

Many of the Psalms describe God as the great, ultimate, and final authority over all things. Psalm 93 says: "The LORD reigns, He is robed in majesty; … and is armed with strength. … Your statutes stand firm … for endless days, O LORD."

The Lord Jesus told us not to fear those who can kill the body and after that can do no more. Rather, said He, we ought to fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw a person into hell. And then He was talking about God the Father.

One of the apostolic letters of the New Testament, the letter of Jude, ends with these words: "… to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!"

We can also think of the book of Revelation which shows so powerfully the authority God has over all the peoples of the earth, over all of nature, and over all of history.

Authority given to Christ

God the Father has given authority to his Son—to God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. As Jesus Christ himself said in Matthew 28:18: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."

What kind of authority did the Lord Jesus Christ receive? He tells us, in the gospels.

The gospels tell us that He had authority on earth to forgive sins (Mark 2:10). He had the authority to drive out demons (Mark 3:15). He taught as one who had authority, and not as the teachers of the law of his time. The people recognized that. When He spoke, they listened (Matthew 7:29). God the Father gave his Son authority to judge (John 5:27). John 17:2 teaches that the Father gave Jesus Christ the authority to give eternal life to all those the Father had given Him.

God the Son has authority by virtue of being God. Because He, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, is true and eternal God, He has authority over all things. But He was given authority in a special way—authority to forgive sins, to heal, to teach, to judge and to give eternal life.

The authority of God's Word

How does this authority—the authority of God the Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ—reach us today? Through the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ and of God the Father, speaks to us today through the Word, the Bible. The Scriptures, as the very Word of God, has authority over us.

The authority of Scripture lies in the fact that it is inspired, the infallible Word of God. In 2 Timothy 3:16 & 17, the Apostle Paul wrote: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

God breathed the Scriptures out. God speaks to us today by way of the Holy Scriptures. We need to listen to them. Woe unto him who would ignore what the Scriptures say. The Bible has total authority over us, over every aspect of life, both doctrine and conduct.

It is the Bible that teaches us how to live. It teaches us what God's will is and how to live a life pleasing to Him. We need to read the Bible, every day at home, to study it, in order to know what the Lord requires of us. It is the Bible that teaches the gospel which tells us about what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for sinners. It speaks about how He died to set people free from their sins.

The Lord has given the task of proclaiming the gospel and teaching the Word to the church. All people need to seek out the church of Jesus Christ to sit under faithful and authoritative preaching to hear the good news of salvation and to be taught how to live in obedience to God's Word and in thankfulness for his goodness and grace.

(The next posts begin exploring the topic of the agents of authority.)

This series of blog posts were originally presented as a speech at the October 1998 Ontario Women's League Day in Ancaster, Ontario. Much of the spoken style remains.

Tetragrammaton

Someone asked me: "Would you swap out "The LORD" for "Yahweh"?"

I answered:

I would not swap out "The LORD" for "Yahweh" for these reasons. The Greek OT (the Septuagint, often abbreviated "LXX") consistently renders the Greek Kyrios for the Tetragrammaton (YHWH). Kyrios, as you probably know, is the Greek word for "Lord." 

The LXX was the Bible for the earliest Christians. When the apostles quoted the OT almost invariably they used the LXX. It had authority. So if the LXX uses "Kyrios" for YHWH it makes sense for us to translate LORD when we want to render YHWH in English. We are doing in English what the translators of the LXX did in Greek.

Furthermore, the New Testament laid a close connection, even an identity, between Christ and YHWH by calling him Kyrios. The LXX is an important link for us between the OT and the NT. Christ assumed unto himself the names of YHWH, and that assumption very much hinges on the name "Kyrios." In English this link between the Lord Jesus Christ of the NT and the LORD of the OT is made clear in the name Lord/LORD, and the LXX is the link. If we did the swap-out, we'd lose that which the LXX made clear to us.

Of course I realize that I am justifying the LXX. Perhaps the case can be made that the LXX translators started us down a wrong path by rendering YHWH as Kyrios, but they did what they did, and I think the link of the name Kyrios for YHWH in the OT and Lord Jesus in the NT is a wonderful gift that exalts Jesus as the Son of God, as God himself.

Who do you say that Jesus Christ is?

The main question of the Gospel according to Mark is: “Who do you say that Jesus Christ is”? That there was a flesh-and-blood man named Jesus of Nazareth who once walked upon the face of the earth cannot be denied. The gospel writers were careful historians. Many early Christian writers wrote about him. Also several early secular writers spoke of Jesus as a historical figure: Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Josephus, and Lucian of Samosata–all first or second century authors–mentioned Jesus in their writings.

Mark is concerned with this question. He told us right at the beginning who Jesus is. The opening words are, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Only a few sentences later Mark told us about the heavenly Father confirming who Jesus was at his baptism. As Jesus emerged from the water the heavens were torn open, the Spirit of God descended upon Jesus like a dove, and a voice resounded that said, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (1:17). There is no room for equivocation: Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

As you read through the Gospel you see that so few understood who he is. Hardly anyone understood that he is the Son of God. There were a few who did understand: notably the demons and the centurion presiding over Jesus' crucifixion. Consider the irony!

His family did not understand. They thought he was crazy. In 3:21 we read about a large crowd gathering around Jesus seeking healing from him. When his family heard about this they went to seize him saying, “He is out of his mind.”

The people of his hometown did not understand. In 6:1ff we read about Jesus coming to Nazareth and teaching in the synagogue. The people had heard about the mighty deeds he had done in other places. They wondered where he had acquired his wisdom and power. After all, he was just the carpenter's son, and they knew his mother, brothers and sisters, and they took offence at him.

The Judean leaders did not understand who he was; in fact, they called him a blasphemer. They understood the claim that Jesus was making about himself, that he was the Son of God. At the trial the high priest put the question before Jesus: “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed” (14:61). Jesus answered, “I am” (v. 62), at which the high priest accused Jesus of blasphemy and the Sanhedrin said that he deserved to die.

The disciples did not understand who he was. When Jesus calmed the storm they were filled with great fear and asked each other, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (4:41).

At one point the disciple Peter had a flash of insight and confessed Jesus to be the Christ. Jesus had asked his disciples who the people were saying that he was. They told him people were saying that he was John the Baptist, or Elijah, or one of the prophets. Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” This is the question of the Gospel according to Mark. Note that Mark asked it near the centre of his gospel. It is a climax of a sort. Note also that when Jesus, upon Peter's confession, began to tell them what it meant that he was the Christ, viz., suffering, death, and resurrection, Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. Peter's flash of insight was flash-in-the-pan!

Finally, yet about the disciples not understanding who Jesus was, no matter which ending of the four possible endings of Mark one accepts as authentic (see notes in a good study Bible or commentary), the disciples do not understand. Even after hearing about the resurrection they were afraid and Jesus upbraided them for their unbelief.

Some other people had flashes of insight into who Jesus is: The rich young man called him “Good Teacher” and Jesus replied by asking the young man why he had called him good considering that only God is good (10:17ff).

Blind Bartimaeus had a flash of insight. When he was told that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by he called out to “Jesus, Son of David.” He knew that Jesus of Nazareth was the messianic King.

“Legion” had such a flash. After Jesus had cast out of the man the legion of demons, Jesus told him to go and tell his family and friends how much the Lord had done for him; however, he began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him (5:19-20). Note also that the society of the Decapolis was a mixture of Hellenistic and Semitic cultures.

So we see that, besides a few flashes of insight, no people understood that Jesus was the Son of God. Besides Peter, the people who had the “flashes” were mostly social and/or racial outsiders.

Ironically, the demons did understand exactly who Jesus is. When Jesus confronted demons at the outset of his earthly ministry a demon cried out, “I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” Mark added in v. 34 that the demons knew Jesus. Yet other demons repeatedly fell down before him in defeat and cried out, “You are the Son of God!” Legion (the man filled with thousands of demons) shouted at “Jesus, Son of the Most High God” (5:7).

There was one human being who understood who Jesus was: the Roman centurion who presided over Jesus' execution. In 15:39 Mark told us that when the centurion saw how Jesus had died he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God.”

The unspoken question of the Gospel according to Mark is, “Who do you say that Jesus is?” Do you confess him to be the Messianic King, the Christ, the Son of the Most High God? When you read the opening words of the Gospel, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,” do you say, “Yes and Amen!”?

That is who Jesus is. May all who read the Gospel according to Mark confess Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, the only Saviour.