Worship service 10/1.

Greetings and grace to you, beloved saints of God, called out of darkness and into fellowship with the Son of God. 

1John 1:5-7 says, 
“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
Our fellowship with God consists of walking in the light, holding fast to pure and uncorrupted doctrine, and doing that which is good in His eyes, walking uprightly with a clean conscience. 
The free grace of God does not promote or allow for licentiousness.

Psalm 7.

1: Being falsely accused by Cush one of Saul’s kinsmen, he calleth to God to be his defender, 3 to whom he commendeth his innocence, 9 first showing that his conscience did not accuse him of any evil toward Saul. 10 Next that it touched God’s glory to award sentence against the wicked. 12 And so entering into the consideration of God’s mercies and promise, he waxeth bold, and derideth the vain enterprises of his enemies, though they prepare their weapons with malice 15 threatening that that shall fall on their own neck which they have purposed for others. 

Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the Lord, concerning the words of Cush the son of Benjamin.

7:1 O Lord my God, in thee do I trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: 

2 Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver. 

3 O Lord my God, If I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands; 

4 If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:) 

5 Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah. 

6 Arise, O Lord, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me according to the judgment that thou hast appointed. 

7 So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high. 

8 The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me. 

9 Oh let the malice of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins. 

10 My defence is of God, which preserveth the upright in heart. 

11 God judgeth the righteous, and him that contemneth God every day. 

12 If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. 

13 He hath also prepared for him deadly weapons; he maketh his arrows into fiery darts. 

14 Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth a lie. 

15 He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. 

16 His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his cruelty shall come down upon his own pate. 

17 I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.

Several things to note about this Psalm of David, first that this is a prayer of submission to God’s judgment against his enemies. He was not yet promoted to kingship and therefore it was not his office to avenge and punish the wicked. One shining characteristic of a Christian is his obedience, contentment and joy in the office wherein he was called. Men of the world love nothing more than to leave their office to exact revenge on their enemies, or offer their opinions, although it is the duty of the magistrate to punish iniquity. They are brash, brazen and forceful in their words and impose themselves on others, and if they are bridled it is by force, and not willingness to conform to God’s will. But David does not so, but commits the whole of the matter into the hand of God. Though Saul persecuted him fiercely, yet his aim was not to take vengeance or act contrary, but like a meek and docile lamb, he bore it patiently and waited upon God to deliver him, until at the last he was promoted to the highest honor in the land. Such is the end of every Christian. It is promised to each of us that we shall reign with Christ. Therefore in all our tribulations and persecution let us not take upon ourselves more than our calling demands, but commit the matter wholly into the hands of God who judges the righteous and the wicked every day, and whose judgment is always just. Note also here that David says, “judge me according to my righteousness.” which must be understood in the historical and relative rather than the theological and the absolute. David is petitioning God to judge His enemies who are wicked, rather than himself who is righteous. He is not saying that he is just in the sight of God according to his own works, but that God is with the righteous and judges in favor of them who walk uprightly. Therefore David had more confidence to pray to God for success against his enemies for that he had conducted himself in sincerity and godliness even towards those who hated him. So let it be said for us also, giving all judgment against those who do us harm into the hands of God who will in time raise us to the greatest hights conceivable, yes more than we can conceive, eternal glory, reigning with Christ in heaven forever. Since this is promised to us, there is no need to revenge ourselves on our enemies, for God will work all things together for a most blessed end. This is our eschatology. This is our hope. 

Calvin:

Here David, to induce God to show him favour, protests that he is molested unjustly, and without being guilty of any crime. To give his protestation the greater weight, he uses an imprecation. If he has done any wrong, he declares his readiness to bear the blame; yea, he offers to endure the severest punishment, if he is not altogether innocent of the crime of which all men thought him almost convicted. And by entreating God to succour him upon no other condition than this, that his integrity should upon trial be found to be untarnished, he teaches us, by his example, that as often as we have recourse to God, we must make it our first care to be well assured in our own consciences with respect to the righteousness of our cause; for we do him great wrong if we wish to engage him as the advocate and defender of a bad cause. 

Again, 

When a man not only keeps himself from revenging the injuries which he has received, but endeavours to overcome evil by doing good, he manifests one of the graces of a renewed and sanctified nature, and in this way proves himself to be one of the children of God; for such meekness proceeds only from the Spirit of adoption. 

Therefore as meek and gentle lambs, we are led by Christ the good shepherd into the green pastures of his grace, and supplied by His Spirit, restoring our soul, and enabling us to worship Him in faith. 

Opening prayer, 

Our gracious and merciful Father, our just and righteous judge, plead our cause against an ungodly nation, for tyrants are risen against us. We are beset on all sides by the wicked of this world. Both ignorant and malicious. Ignorant, knowing not the true way, and malicious, hating it and persecuting thy servants. Rise up and execute judgment on the wicked, for they have rebelled against thy righteous judgments and have set themselves against thy created order. Hast thou not made them male and female? But this wicked nation has made for themselves new ways to deceive the world and imagined vanity concerning gender and the duty of men and women. Hast thou not made them to be of service to their neighbor in their office? But because of the rage in their heart and the wickedness of their minds they would leave their station and change the very ordinance of God, making themselves gods and lords over office and station. Destroy them O Lord and turn their light into darkness. Let them fall by their own counsels and fall into the trap they have made. For judgment belongs to thee O Lord, but there is no judgment in the earth. The governors and statesman have walked contrary to thy word and departed from the right way. They will not execute judgment on the wicked, therefore they flourish and grow and establish themselves in the land. Thou only O Lord canst recover us, and establish thy church as in times of old. So revive us again that we might praise thee in the congregation of the righteous. Judge our cause and avenge thy own name against our enemies, for all things are thine. Destroy the sinners out of the world, and bring them down to perdition who forsake thy law for vanity. And so let us hope for the last day when thou shalt reign fire from heaven upon the world of the ungodly and consume them in thine anger. So let us wait patiently for that day committing all judgment to thee, who alone is God, and so we pray in the name of the Son, our Savior and true Governor, by whose blood we are saved and delivered from all evil in this world, to Him alone be the glory, Amen. 

Lesson 31. The multitude of false opinions in the church today, a great sign of God’s wrath upon a people. Part 2. The works of the devil in the deceitful doctrine of men.

And, indeed, considering 1. what a Babel of opinions, what a strange confusion of tongues, there is this day among them who 2. profess they speak the language of Canaan, there is no 3. intelligent person but will conclude that advice of the prophet 4. especially suited to such an age as this, Isa. viii. 20, To the law, and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because 5. there is no light in them.

1. That the multitude of opinions contrary to the received doctrine are not other forms and expressions of Christianity but false religions utterly inconsistent with the language of Canaan. Rom. 10:2-3, Gal. 1:8-10, Jer. 11:13-14

i. Heresy is the punishment of God upon a disobedient and idolatrous people. Gen. 11:1-9, Jer. 5, 2 Thess. 2:8-12

ii. The devil’s children unite and have concord with the devil’s children.
2 Cor. 6:14-18, 2 John 9-11

2. That even among those who profess the true religion there are those who cannot consistently speak the language of grace.

In all ages of the church. 
i. The doctrine taught in scripture is justification by faith. Rom. 3 and 4
What is justification by faith? 
ii. Uniting with Arminians is inconsistent with it. Phil. 3:3, 2 John 9
iii. Common grace is inconsistent with it. Ps. 73:16-20, 
iv. The free offer is inconsistent with it. Matt. 11:25-27, Matt. 13:10-11, Mark 4:33-34
v. Denying Original sin is inconsistent with it. Gen. 6:5, Rom. 3:9-20
vi. Calling men Christian based on their profession is inconsistent with it. Isa 1, Matt. 7:21-23, Jer. 5:1-2.

3. The devil has blinded men to such a degree that they will not submit to clear conclusions both of doctrine and practice. 2 Cor. 4:3-4
i. The antithesis between grace and works. Eph. 2:8-10
ii. There is therefore no basis to affirm Arminians as believers. Phil. 3:3
iii. Or members in their congregations living contrary to God’s word. 1 John 1:6-7, Rom. 8:1-13
iv. If they conclude not that these add up to their condemnation, there is no light in them. 2 Pet. 1:9

4. Our age is that of apostasy and a Babel of false opinions, showing the necessity and use of the confessions. Isaiah 1, Jer. 5:1-3, Ezk. 20:2-4, Ezekiel 9.
i. We affirm once more that a denial of any point of salvific doctrine contained in this confession is damnable. (Turretin) 
“They who quietly rest in the terms of an implied contradiction where there is opposition in apposition and a contradiction in the addition are to be regarded as overthrowing the foundation no less than those who directly attack it.” -Francis Turretin

In this quote, Turretin is using the term “opposition in apposition” in the context of theology and dogmatics. He is criticizing those who are content to accept apparent contradictions in theological or doctrinal statements without seeking to reconcile them or clarify their meaning.
Specifically, Turretin is referring to situations in which two or more terms are used in apposition (i.e., one term that renames or explains another) that appear to be in opposition or contradiction with each other. [For example, “the doctrine Christ, which is to say limited atonement is essential to the very nature of the gospel” Here, “limited atonement” works as an apposition to the antecedent “the doctrine of Christ” further explaining that limited atonement is the very doctrine of Christ, which is a necessary clarification in dogmatics. Therefore Turretin is saying clearly that those who clarify WRONGLY pertaining to the fundamental articles of the faith, quietly resting in contradictions are no less guilty than those who attack the foundation directly. Therefore Amyraldianism which sets up a contradictory apposition to the antecedent “the atonement” attacks the doctrine of Christ no less than the Arminians who attack it directly, and the Calvinists who quietly rest in their fellowship with these heretics show plainly enough what reverence they have for the word of God .]
Turretin is arguing that those who accept such apparent contradictions are no better than those who directly attack the foundation of the doctrine. In other words, a failure to address apparent contradictions or oppositions in apposition can undermine the entire theological or doctrinal foundation. [words in brackets added for further clarification]
ii. Unity is built on the truth alone. Jer. 5:3
iii. The confession of faith is a help in unifying the people of God against the hordes of Babel. The saints of God are not one person against a multitude but one people. And Christ is with us. 

Conclusion.
Heresy is the work of the devil, not the work of God. If men hurry forward with impetuous fury in the name of their god, free will, though they profess to know God, their works will declare whether they serve God or Baal. All men without respect of persons will receive the just reward of their works. Eternal hellfire. Isaiah 59:18, Rom 2:5-11

Closing prayer.
Our holy and righteous Father, we give thee thanks, honor and praise for our great work of salvation, taking us out from among the wicked of the world, to whom we belonged, and sanctifying us to be thine own people whom thou hast called thy treasure. Keep us O Lord in the right way by thy free Spirit who guides us into all truth. It is the way of the world to believe the lie, to be swallowed up in ignorance and deceitful doctrine. Because thou hast not showed them the right way, they stumble in the dark and cannot know how God justifies sinners. This glorious gospel is hid from them for Satan has blinded them, and they walk after their own deceitful lusts, even as it is written. Set us apart from them O Lord by pure and holy doctrine. Teach us how to walk, that we might work that which is pleasing in thy sight, for all the works of the wicked, yea even that which thou hast commanded them to do are defiled by the depravity of their hearts. They do all their works to receive glory of men. Yet thou hast given us a different spirit. Preserve us O Lord and keep us from vanity. Sanctify us and purge us from sin that we might devote ourselves wholly to thy service. And may thy name be forever praised who alone saveth from darkness. May the name of Jesus Christ be forever adored in the hearts of thy people, in whose blessed and holy name we pray, Amen.

YouTube Audio: https://youtu.be/Ks-fbMHyA8M