Dear CSOPC brothers and sisters,
Blessings to you in the name of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As we have been considering the cross of Christ these past two weeks, this Lord’s Day we will close our series in Mark by looking at the resurrection of Christ. While we must distinguish the cross and resurrection, we must never separate them. The one is meaningless without the other. That being said, this Sunday we will focus our thoughts on Christ’s victory over the grace. “O death where is thy victory; O death where is thy sting.”
We will resume our Wednesday Bible study at the Van Tubergens in mid-July. Be on the lookout for details to come as we will dive into a study of the book of Zechariah.
Men, continue to be reading “City on a Hill” by Phil Ryken. We will be discussing this book at the next men’s breakfast at the end of June.
May we be in prayer for one another this week.
Finally this week’s devotion is a reflection from Genesis on the pattern of salvation we see in Scripture.
God bless and I look forward to worshipping with my brothers and sisters in Christ this Lord’s Day!
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Arendale
From the Pastor’s Desk
Mid-week Devotional
“A Pattern of Salvation”
Genesis 6:18, “But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.”
From the Fall in Genesis 3 until the Flood if Genesis 7, mankind is on a downward spiral of sin. From Cain’s murder of Abel (Gen 4:8-16) to Lamech’s wicked boast (Gen 4:23-24), man falls deeper and deeper into Sin; and even the godly line intermarries with the ungodly line (Gen 6:1-3). The Lord’s description of man in Gen 6:5 is quite horrific and devastating, “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Is there hope? Will all hope be lost as God sends his judgment on ‘all flesh’ (6:17). Indeed there is hope! In the midst of such a crooked and depraved generation, Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD (6:8). Noah was a righteous and blameless man who walked with God – he was a man of faith who lived in communion with the covenant LORD (Heb 11:7). But more than this, Noah was a mediator of God’s blessings. In other words, those connected to Noah would be preserved through the waters of judgment of the flood (Gen 6:18). To state it simply, those ‘in Noah’ – those represented by the Mediator – would be saved, while the rest of mankind suffers judgment. And we see this pattern in at least two other significant places of Redemptive history.
First, consider the Exodus event as Yahweh leads his people through the Red Sea. Israel was in slavery 400 years, but the LORD hears their cry and raises up Moses to deliver them from their bondage (Ex 2:24-3:12). And again, we see a similar pattern unfold as that which we saw with Noah and the flood. Just as those represented by Noah were saved through the waters of judgment, so also those represented by Moses were saved through the judgment waters of the Red Sea (see Exodus 14). Those ‘in Moses’ (see 1 Cor 10:1-2) are saved, while the pagan Egyptians suffer judgment.
Second and most significantly, we see this pattern climatically unfold in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Great, the true and greater Noah and the true and greater Moses. Perhaps a better way to state it would be to see Noah and Moses as ‘types’ of Christ; that is they point to the final and climactic work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Think of how the same patter plays out with Christ and his work. Just as Noah represented a people and just as Moses represented a people, so also Christ represents a people. Christ stands as the representative and substitute for his people – his bride – his church – for those given to Him by the Father before the foundation of the world. Specifically, those ‘in Christ’ – those represented by Christ – those connected to and resting in Christ by faith – are saved from the baptism of judgment that will consume all mankind (2 Peter 3:5-7). In sum, those in the once and for all Mediator are saved and preserved from judgment. But there is one final point we need to highlight. Those in the Mediator are brought through the judgment … to a purified realm. Those with Noah were brought to a new and purified earth (Gen 8:1-19). So also those with Moses were brought to a land flowing with milk and honey (Ex 3:7-8). But again, these types of salvation point to the greater reality … the reality that those in the Mediator of the New Covenant – those in Jesus Christ – are brought to the New Heavens and the New Earth in which righteousness reigns. May we be those found in Christ! May we be those preserved in Christ from the judgment of God! May we be those brought in Christ to the New Heavens and the New Earth! May we be those in Christ by faith!