Word of Salvation – Vol.03 No.32 – September 1957
Good Days in God’s Fellowship
Sermon by Rev. J. A. Bouwmeester on 1Peter 3:10–12
Scripture Reading: Psalm 34; or 1Peter 3:1-14
Psalter Hymnal: 15:1&2; After the Law: 384:1&2;
After Conf of faith: 466:1&2; 242:1 5; 32:2
Translated by John Westendorp.
Translator’s note: early editions of ‘Word of Salvation’ still had some sermons in Dutch for the migrant communities that then made up the Reformed Churches of Australia.
Brothers and Sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ,
The great sufferer of the Old Testament once said: ‘Does not man have a heavy service on earth?’ And our Lord Jesus Christ who knew suffering like no one else, once said: ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword.’ And now we could say a lot about these two statements, which show that life here on this earth does not fall laughingly into our laps, but that what Moses said still applies, that what makes up the boast of our life is trouble and sorrow.
But is life still worth living? Have we not made much effort in vain to emigrate and is all this not madness? When Job sees no way out in his fearful suffering, he complains that he chooses strangulation and death above his sorrows. As if in despair he cries out: ‘I am tired of it and yet I continue to live!’
But are we so easily done with it, that this life here is a struggle and demands our full commitment? Or do we perhaps not get around to asking this question because life is so little real life and is really more like sleepwalking? However this may be, whether we are bowed down under the assignments of the real true life, or whether we live under the drug-haze of the things of this world, God calls us in His Word to the TRUE, REAL life. And while maintaining His Word that this life is a battle and a race and that the tears of God’s children are often their food, God calls us above all trouble and care, by pointing out good days for us in His fellowship.
You see, that is what our text is about: GOOD DAYS IN GOD’S FELLOWSHIP.
And then we want to consider:
1) What the conditions for those good days are,
2) What those good days entail.
1] What are the conditions for having good days in God’s fellowship?
Brothers and sisters, you would not be good members of the Reformed Church if you did not now prick up your ears. We are terrified about ‘conditions’ when it comes to sharing in the Lord’s favor. God’s grace is unconditional! And isn’t it precisely the great mistake in the lives of many Christians that they trust too little in this ‘UNCONDITIONAL’ of God’s grace?
People always want to seek something within themselves. Just as the child who has done wrong tries to come clean with his father and mother, so do we want to do it again and again with God? With the result that we miss the comfort that the Lord wants to accept such people in grace, people who have or are nothing more of themselves.
So, should we now speak of CONDITIONS? Our good works cannot be our righteousness before God, nor even a part of it. But let no one then speak of conditions to share in the fellowship of God in order to see good days. But how should we then read our text? It says that whoever wants to love life and see good days, that he must ‘still his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no deceit’. And that he should turn away from evil and seek good. Are these not conditions? So does God now take away the priority of the free sovereignty of His grace in order to replace it with conditions? Does God say on the one hand: you cannot and you do not have to do it, Christ has accomplished everything for you – and on the other hand: do it yourself!?
Brothers and sisters, this apparent contradiction has already caused many hearts to become uneasy, because people do not take the Scripture as a whole and pay attention to the coherence of God’s Word. And when people then know that they cannot meet the conditions of our text, then they begin to doubt God’s grace.
They lack certainty in themselves, and do not get out of that doubt. And that same Word of God that points out good days in His fellowship becomes dissatisfaction and despair. Therefore, be assured that God does not want to deprive you of even the slightest bit of joy that anyone has, but that He wants to give you everything to be at ease in Him. And do let go of the thought, that you could bring up anything to climb a little higher to God.
God shows us this clearly by two things, namely, by the fact that the words of our text were originally spoken by David, and secondly, by their being quoted by Peter.
Do you know when David composed Psalm 34? When he changed his countenance before Abimelech! Now, did David then make this song about himself because he had behaved so manfully? The Lord’s anointed had changed his behaviour. He had acted like a madman in order to escape the hands of the Philistines.
But now read the text again. Was David’s attitude sincere and had he then placed his tongue in the service of the truth? Had he turned away from evil and sought good? If the Angel of the Lord had not set His army around David and his people, then nothing much would have come of the Lord’s anointed. And he would certainly not have seen good days!
And as far as Peter is concerned, things are no better. There has never been an apostle who wanted to do more himself than Peter. How Jesus wanted to expose him to his presumptuousness! And with what did this end? Consider what happened in Caiaphas’ judgment hall. By swearing and cursing Peter wanted to get rid of the Savior.
But will Peter now have the right to say that on the conditions of our sincerity and goodness we shall obtain God’s favor and see good days? If anything came to light in the lives of both men, David and Peter, it was this, that God Himself held them fast and that the faithfulness of His grace could not be broken.
To David God had said: If I lie to David, then My word will deceive him! And to Peter the Savior had spoken: I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. See, that is why David was preserved and that is why he was able to sing Psalm 34 and because Jesus looked at Peter and later restored him to his office, that is why Peter could quote these words from our text.
So it must be clear to us that the conditions of which our text speaks are not conditions for coming to God, but that in our text it is evident from everything THAT GOD HAS COME TO HIS OWN and has confirmed the free sovereignty of His grace to them above all.
The words of our text are written to Christians and this sermon is spoken to members of the church of our Lord Jesus Christ, that is to say to people who may know the same God of David as the faithful covenant God and who possess the same Savior as Peter possessed.
Our text presents us with a CHALLENGE, but the GIFT is at the basis of it, namely that Jesus Christ has made His truth triumph through all our sins and insincerity and has acquired the GOOD for us far from the evil. And so His Word urges us to now indeed know that good in all its fullness and to draw strength from it.
So now let us safely speak about the ‘conditions’ for seeing good days and thus being allowed to live in fellowship with the Lord. We are much too afraid of good works among ourselves. We say so easily that it is Roman Catholic to talk about them. But are we honest in saying that? Or is it laziness… not to make too much of an effort?
What does it mean when the Savior speaks about hearers and doers of His Word?
What does it mean other than this, that EVERYTHING that Jesus Christ is for us must come true in our lives and that this must control our lives? And what do you think of the words of our text? Is it not true that in the human sphere of our lives, controlling the tongue already offers many advantages? How much social blessing can there not be in deviating from evil? And seeking peace?
But all this has much more to do with our life with God. Love for Him and for our neighbor have the same gravity. If the line bends toward our neighbor, then at the same time the line bends toward God. And how is love not robbed of its power by the evils of the tongue. And what the tongue gives birth to is born beforehand in the thoughts. Well, examine yourselves closely on this point, brothers and sisters, and then consider for yourselves what prevents God from showing you His good favor and how it is that we so often miss the wonderful joy of life. That is because there is a direct connection between our actions as the reaction from our spiritual life. And that our speaking and thinking play an important role in this is certain. Someone once rightly remarked that our thoughts of today control our thoughts of tomorrow. And what controls our thinking? How are our conversations? If they are not focused on our work and our business, are they positively focused on other things?
Brothers and sisters, would you dare to have a microphone hung up in your room, without knowing exactly when, and then have the conversations recorded and later have those conversations played back in the presence of all your friends and acquaintances? Or is it not often the case that we say whatever comes into our mouths without any control over our lips, and as a result all too many things fall apart? But if it then turns out that this is not the all-controlling thing in our lives, that we are the property of Jesus Christ and that we stand with our brothers and sisters in that wonderful fellowship… that we are bound together by the ONE Spirit of love – does it surprise you then that the life of faith is not very active and the really good days are so rare?
You know it well that in everything you speak and do, GOD HEARS AND SEES YOU and that He cannot have fellowship with the works of darkness? God warns us in His Word that His face is against those who do evil. And as His EYE will once devour like a flame of fire those who have set themselves against Him, so His eye darkens over us, as often as we willfully and knowingly deviate from Him. Thus this text calls us to repentance from day to day.
And let no one now say that the Lord no longer looks after him. For it is precisely out of the greatness of His mercy that He presents us with this word of our text. The Lord wants to be with you. He always wants to show you His favor and magnify His grace to you. But do not hinder Him! Pray for His Spirit to guide you! And even today these are the sacrifices that please Him: A broken spirit and a contrite heart. And He gives peace in the heart!
2] See, then the good days break through with power: For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their cry for help.
We have already understood who those righteous people are. They are the ones who have gone to Jesus Christ with confession of their sins. They are the ones who have learned to ask: Come to my aid, Lord, for I cannot do it myself. Who always understand anew that they need the power of His Word and Spirit. Yes, for whom all that is so controlling that they cannot live without Him.
But now see how rich God’s promises are. There are the eyes of the Lord. Can these eyes be excluded from anything? Do those eyes not see your worries? Do they sometimes pass by the tears that you cry? The poet of Psalm 119 says: if your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction long ago. This poet who knew the statutes of the Lord as songs in the place where he was a stranger, was allowed to experience how God’s power kept him standing, even in the greatest need. He too saw the eyes of the Lord upon him. And what will be an eternal terror for the wicked, is the highest joy for God’s children.
The entire Gospel is full of this joy. That eye of the Lord has known us since our birth. That eye of the Lord has accompanied us to this land. That eye of the Lord sees you in everything you need. And then there are also the ears of the Lord. God listens to your supplication and cry for help. Not a word has yet escaped your tongue, but He, He already knows the reason. Even if you do not know how to pray as you should, the Spirit prays for you with unspeakable sighs and these sighs of God’s Spirit are recorded in the ears of the Lord.
But are your days not so Good? Consider the richness of all this in your own lives, brothers and sisters, and turn to God with it. Do you want to see good days? As emigrants, don’t we all strive to build a future for ourselves and our children in this country? So no one asks us: Do you want to see good days! And yet… these good days of our text are unique in their kind. In unbroken faithfulness God’s grace stands firm here. The Lord’s favor will be on those who fear Him – forever and ever the same!
And now we are going to read the text again: Whoever wants to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it…..! This is about our full commitment!
Who can say: I have purified my heart, I am pure from my sins? But now see the favour of the Lord. For He who was the Faithful One in the life of David, and who was the Faithful One in the life of Simon Peter, He is also that in your life! And all the sins of our insincerity, of our lying and seeking evil, He took upon Himself and nailed them to the cross. Then God’s eye closed for Him and there was nothing but darkness around. And God’s Father’s ear had turned away from Him when He cried: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? So that we would be taken to God and never be forsaken by Him. So that we would always see good days under the eye of the Lord and under His listening ear.
So back to Job’s question: Does not man have a heavy service here on earth? Indeed! But whatever life can take from us and whatever trouble and worries there may be:
God is near the broken heart…
The crushed and depressed mind…
At all times near and kind,
When adversity and sorrows start.
For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
Amen.