Lesson 29. (The Great Advantage of Reformed Education)

Worship service 9/17:

Greetings and grace to you, elect people of God, called out of darkness, purchased by the blood of the Son and sanctified by the Spirit of holiness. 
1 Peter 2:9 says, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a people of His own possession; that ye should shew forth the virtues of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.”
We are called out of darkness (ignorance unto misery) into the marvelous light of the gospel (knowledge unto everlasting life) in order to serve, worship and praise God forever as is meet for His creation. The manner in which we glorify Him is showing forth His virtues. Those divine attributes that are communicated to us by grace. Love, joy, peace, and these are increased in us daily by careful and diligent cultivation through the means of grace. The study of the word, prayer, meditation and the proper use of those documents and treatises penned for the use and benefit of the church. Such is the confession of faith we are set to study. 

Psalm 5

To him that excelleth upon Nehiloth. A Psalm of David.

5 Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.

2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.

3 Hear my voice in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and I will wait.

4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak lies: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

7 But I will come into thine house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thine holy temple.

8 Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.

9 For there is no constancy in their mouth; their inward part is utter wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.

10 Destroy them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.

11 But let all those that trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

12 For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. 

David cries out to God in the sincerity and integrity of his heart, assuring us that we will doubtless be heard and protected by God when we call to Him in faith, patiently trusting His word and promises, and admonishing us not to be deceived as if God hears the prayers of the wicked (who live contrary to His commandments and pray with uncertainty). “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” 1 John 3:22
David here shows the contrast between the true believer and the hypocrite, showing that the end of the hypocrite is cursing and destruction, for there is no truth in their worship nor inward devotion in their pompous ostentation. But the faithful wait upon God for deliverance and by grace are made to believe through the word that He will do more than they can ask or think. The end of faithful waiting on God is a shout of joy, while the mad railings of the hypocrites will be silenced in the grave. Note, the Psalmist always equates communion with God with righteousness. With favor God will bless the elect, yes, His people, yes, those whom He has saved apart from works, yes, and what is the concrete demonstration that we are this people saved by the Lord? We are the righteous. Not before men to gain their praise, but in the heart because it pleases God. 

Matthew Henry:
Four things David here promises, and so must we:– (1.) That he will pray, that he will make conscience of praying, and make a business of it: Unto thee will I pray. Kings on their own thrones (so David was) must be beggars at God’s throne. (2.) That he will pray in the morning. His praying voice shall be heard then, and then shall his prayer be directed; that shall be the date of his letters to heaven, not that only (“Morning, and evening, and at noon, will I pray, nay, seven times a day, will I praise thee”), but that certainly. Morning prayer is our duty; we are the fittest for prayer when we are in the most fresh, and lively, and composed frame, got clear of the slumbers of the night, revived by them, and not yet filled with the business of the day. (3.) That he will have his eye single and his heart intent in the duty: I will direct my prayer, as a marksman directs his arrow to the white; with such a fixedness and steadiness of mind should we address ourselves to God. (4.) That he will patiently wait for an answer of peace: “I will look up, will look after my prayers, and hear what God the Lord will speak (Psalms 85:8; Habakkuk 2:1), that, if he grant what I asked, I may be thankful–if he deny, I may be patient–if he defer, I may continue to pray and wait and may not faint.” 

John Calvin:
“There is, in the words, an implied contrast between the rambling and uncertain movements of those who look around them for worldly helps, or depend on their own counsels – and the direct leading of faith, by which all the godly are withdrawn from the vain allurements of the world, and have recourse to God alone.”

So may the righteous ever pray to God with boldness who have no malice in our hearts towards our God or our neighbor. 

Opening prayer, 
Our gracious and holy Father in heaven, 
Give ear unto our words O Lord and consider our meditation. Hearken unto our cry, our King and our God for unto thee will we pray. We will not wait for salvation from this earth, nor will we seek satisfaction from the dust of the ground. Because thou hast cursed it O Lord, because thou hast cursed the ground for our sake because of sin. Therefore must we find our rest in thee and take our refuge under the shadow of the wings of the living God. Let us not therefore forget our calling as saints and search after vanity. Let us not cling to the earth with our bellies in the dust of the ground like the serpent whom thou hast cursed. But let us like the angels, lift our souls up to thee in sincere worship, giving thee the first and best of our hearts. Give us such a heart to follow after thee, to seek for thee, to search for thee as for hidden treasure, for thou art found in thy word and thy word is truth. Give us understanding of thy word by thy gracious Spirit and cause us to know that we might profit and grow in grace, to the end that we might be pleasing to thee. And so may we be a faithful and holy people, called by thy free grace, purchased by the blood of the Son, and sanctified by the Spirit of holiness unto obedience to the faith and the end life everlasting, according to the blessing promised in Christ the Son in whose holy name we pray, Amen.

Lesson 29. The great advantage of Reformed education. 

1. It is no small advantage the reader now hath, by the addition of scriptures at large, whereby 2. with little pains he may more profit, because 3. with every truth he may behold its scripture foundation. 

A repeated exhortation by argument of its ease of access to read and utilize the confession in family devotion and for personal profit. 

There is nowhere among any of the Puritan or Reformed writers that allows Arminianism to be a valid expression of Christianity. The Westminster assembly took for granted that their view of doctrine was the only valid interpretation of the holy scripture. 

1. The great advantage of confessions and catechisms. Rom. 3:1-3, Deut. 4:10, 6:7, 11:19
Matthew Henry:
“The Jews are, notwithstanding this, a people greatly privileged and honoured, have great means and helps, though these be not infallibly saving (v. 2): Much every way. The door is open to the Gentiles as well as the Jews, but the Jews have a fairer way up to this door, by reason of their church-privileges, which are not to be undervalued, though many that have them perish eternally for not improving them.”
Arguments both from experience and from the promised supply of grace. Those who truly believe cannot but benefit from it. Those who are outside the faith cannot benefit. 
i. As sound theology. (correct understanding of scripture) 2 Pet. 1:19-21
ii. As an aid to the understanding which is the means of growth in grace. Col. 3:10, 2 Pet. 3:18
iii. As a map to the essential/major theological principles in scripture. 2 Tim. 1:13-14, Psalm 23:1-3

2. The labor of extracting and cultivating wisdom. Proverbs 2:1-5
i. True Wisdom is of God. Rom. 16:27, Proverbs 2:6-7
ii. Wisdom is revealed in the word. Psalm 19:7-11, Deut. 4:6-8, 1 Cor. 1:21
iii. Wisdom is the gift of the Spirit. Heb. 4:1-2, Matt. 13:10-11, 
iv. The labor required. Heb. 4:11-12,
“Let us study therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.For the word of God is living, and mighty in operation, and sharper then any two edged sword, and entereth through, even unto the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit, and of the joints, and the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts, and the intents of the heart.” [Luke 13:24.]
v. The result of hard labor. 
a) A long history of labor. Against the Arians, anti trinitarians, Gnostics, Manicheans, philosophers, heathen. 
b) The labor of learned and godly scholars.
c) The duty we have to study it.
d) The preservation of the church and her pure doctrine. Behold the disunity and chaos in the world and the false church, and see the peace and concord of God’s church. Blessed be God for Jesus Christ to lead His people in the right way! 
vi. The benefit received.
They have labored greatly to make our pains small. Recall Job. The martyrs. The duty of the minister to make deep wisdom plain and simple to the hearers. 

3. The foundation of our belief is truth. Prov. 30:5-6
i. The scriptures are the authority of what we believe, teach and command as a mode of life. Deut. 12:32
ii. We do not take for granted that what we believe or what we are led to believe by others is the truth. 1 John 4:1-3
iii. The Westminter Confession is furnished with scripture proofs to establish its doctrine as coming from God.
iv. The great benefit to have a document with concise statements of sound doctrine and the scriptures immediately before the reader so as to demonstrate the truth and aid the Christian in progress of wisdom. 

Conclusion,
Review the outline.

Closing prayer,
Our heavenly Father, we come before thee in all humility and adoration, giving thee thanks and praise for Jesus Christ our true shepherd who has led us into all truth by His Spirit and shown us the way of salvation by the preaching of the word. We thank thee for thy word and ordinances, how precious they are, more to be desired than gold! And for the free gift of thy Spirit binding us to thee by a holy covenant. Therefore let us live according to that covenant in faithfullness and obedience to thy word, give us grace to do it, that we might be dutiful servants well pleasing to thee. Give us hope to patiently wait for the end of all things, when this world will be burned with fire and we shall walk over the ashes of the wicked in victory. Cause us evermore to rejoice in thee by Jesus Christ whose name alone is worthy to be praised, who is our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, our redemption, in whose holy name we pray, Amen. 

YouTube Audio: https://youtu.be/COWt_gyZlZ8