Providence Community Church

The ministry of the prophet Nahum serves in some part to show that the wicked city of Nineveh is a particular instance of the universal truth that God will dismantle the collective idolatry of His foes though they seek refuge from His strong arm behind the social structure of a city or nation-state. The demise of these examples of 'the city of man' portends the culminating judgements of history up...

Nahum is given the task of delivering the message of the irrevocable judgements of God against a city/nation of infamous war-mongers. God has set the reckoning date for Nineveh's war crimes on His calender and the day is fast approaching. This time no repentance is forthcoming as in the days of Jonah which only renders the city doubly guilty having received the testimony of the Law of God years pr...

Asaph rises in defense of God's honor even as he expresses the anguish of his people's sufferings. He recognizes whatever his enemies have done to take advantage of him, they are infinitely more culpable for provoking the Lord God of Israel. Psalm 79 appears to be a song written for or after 586 B.C.. This date marked the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem by Babylon. It would seem Asaph was w...

From Psalm 110 to the book of Hebrews, the Bible has emphasized and anticipated the glories of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Psalm 110 is cited 5 times in the context of Hebrew's commentary on the essential doctrine and historical reality of our Lord rising from the dead. This Old Testament key to understanding Jesus and His redemptive work reminds us that the faithful were promi...

Guest Speaker - John Lawrey

As we follow the historical record of the dealings of God with His people featured in Asaph's song, we have now moved from the wilderness to the promised land. In spite of blessings promised and received, the all too familiar refrain is echoed once again in verse 56 “Yet they tested and rebelled against the most High God and did not keep His testimonies.” We learn quickly from the inspired histori...

Mindful of the prologue of Asaph's Psalm in verses 1-8, we dig deeper into the history text book assigned for children of believers or more precisely: children of the covenantally faithful. We have established that Psalm 78, alongside the rest of scripture, presents and assumes a particular and self-conscious/ intentional philosophy of history. Asaph understands with the inspired authors of script...

Hebrews features the Calvary moments of the gospel by way of closing admonition for the church. In our text (and its referent in the life and ministry of Christ), it becomes apparent that what is often the occasion for scorn and rejection from the ungodly, are the very conditions of absolutely sufficient atonement. As we encounter the latest salvo of unbelieving skepticism directed toward Biblical...

Isaiah prophesied to a people that fell under the condemnation of Psalm 78 and illustrated well its abiding truth. Is 29:13-16 “And the Lord said: Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men...”. The prophet continues to rebuke confronting the people for turning things upside do...

The tone of the greater portion of Psalm 78's historical record is sobering indeed as it demonstrates the fearful consequences of sinful rebellion against the Lord and His anointed. Though these sections are more somber and less superficially comforting than what we may prefer in a worship song – they are nevertheless indispensable and spiritual-life-sustaining medicines for the hearts of God's pe...

Our text today is a “historical” psalm. Psalm 78 records at length, the consequences of ignoring Psalm 77. Whereas the Psalmist cries in his distress in (77:11-12): “I will remember the deeds of the Lord: yes I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work and meditate on your mighty deeds” – Asaph describes a situation in Psalm 78:11 where “They forgot his works and the wonders t...

Following the apostolic pattern of laying out detailed instruction in the doctrine of the faith followed by exhorting the practice the faith demands, the author of Hebrews shifts gears toward application in chapter 13. Recalling the structure of Romans where Paul calls the church to the obedience of the faith in chapters 12 and following, our author presents a few examples of behavior that ought t...

Scriptural history combined with prophecies like the oracle and vision of Nahum provide examples of the very obvious and inevitable judgments of God against the most self confident and apparently successful foes of the Lord and His people... yes, even whole nations. Matthew Henry insightfully deduces from our text today: “.. .those who make themselves vile by scandalous sins, God will make vile by...

Nahum is the sequel to Jonah in many ways. The calling of this prophet was to proclaim the imminent judgement Nineveh would not escape and doubly deserved. The revival sparked by Jonah’s preaching in this great city likely lasted no more than a generation – some 30 years or so. Jonah prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II (782-753 B.C.) (II Kings 14:23-28). The notorious warmonger Tiglath-Pile...

The authors of scripture were no strangers to mental anguish. Depression is not a condition only recently identified and addressed by modern medicine. Asaph prescribes “medicine” for the distraught heart even as he offers a testimonial to its effects. It is not my intent to address the potential dangers or benefits of alternate means of treating mental health issues in this message though these re...

Our text today, follows a pattern throughout the book of Hebrews which has proven a favorite persuasive device of the author. At moments like this in the text, he will call our attention to consider more carefully the intense reality and weight of a particular instance of Old Covenant revelation. He then pivots to emphasize that which is revealed in Christ is weightier still. These passages are of...

Jesus Himself identifies Jonah and aspects of the prophet's experience as typological or symbolic of the Christ. Matthew 12 in fact provides divine hermeneutical insight into the record of scripture as Jesus Himself points out a unique aspect of divine revelation, namely, that the record of God's dealings with His people through His prophets, foretells the coming Messiah. Jesus declares to the obs...

Perhaps we often reference the 'glory of God' without paying much heed to the content of the phrase. Let us consider a definition to reinforce our understanding of this concept. The glory of God is:The infinite perfections of God in His worth, works, attributes, majesty, splendor, honor, and dignity. The popular ideas of Jesus associated with Christmas will be misguided at best without the attendi...

The fourth installment in this grouping of 10 psalms of Asaph brings us worship themes inspired by triumph in war. Here in Ps 76, we find the enemies of our God and His Christ magnifying His wisdom and strength as they are conquered by the King of Kings. It is certainly a fruitful meditation to consider the content of these songs, but it would perhaps yield a richer understanding and appreciation...

Behold Your God by Pastor Kenny Stokes

As our author brings his preeminent, sophisticated, and glorious argument to a conclusion, the crescendo of full orbed redemptive historical revelation reaches overwhelming levels of beauty. He revisits and supercharges the comparison/contrast motif of Old vs. New covenant distinctives as he compares the law's arrival at Sinai with the arrival of the justified to mount Zion. The reader should reca...

The account of Jonah's ministry and subsequent response is a reminder to us that great triumphs may be attended by great trials as God is pleased to accomplish things through His servant as well as in His servant simultaneously. Little did Jonah realize how his calling to preach to Nineveh would affect his own soul, revealing his heart and instructing him in the purposes and character of the God h...

Instead of dealing with a wicked people as Jonah thought He should, the Lord uses this occasion to discipline His servant. How often does our self-justified condemnation of others serve as a convenient smoke screen for our own sin? Issues with others are exploited as useful means to divert attention from the plank in our own eye. These 3 verses illustrate a principle in scripture which I believe i...

It seems fitting to consider passages of scripture like Palm 75 this time of year as the Thanksgiving holiday is approaching. The purpose for Asaph's worship song is the giving of thanks to the Lord for His wondrous deeds. This song would serve well on the lips and in the hearts of the faithful as they considered an altar to the Lord's delivering power or perhaps at the memorial feast of Passover,...

The author of Hebrews extends his race analogy building upon his descriptive metaphor with scriptural references reinforcing the concept. He employs witnesses from Old Testament history to emphasize the sobering necessity of endurance in the Christian life which charts its path of gospel living on the way of holiness. His admonition calls attention to our application of his words with respect to o...