Worship service 1/14.

Greetings and grace to you, saints, brethren, the called and beloved of God. It is good to gather together before the Lord to hear his word and worship His name in the beauty of holiness. Mercy, peace and joy be unto you through the knowledge of God and the victory in His Son, Jesus Christ. As 2 Tim. 1:10 says, “who hath abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” Through the perfect obedience and sacrifice of the holy Son of God, we are made acceptable to the Father, a spiritual aroma well pleasing to Him. And He invites us to fellowship by the Spirit who calls His elect to Himself by renewing our nature and turning us from darkness to light.

Therefore by the love of the Father, the righteousness of the Son and the power of the Spirit we come before Him to adore and worship Him. And seeing that God accepts only the broken hearted and contrite, and not those who rashly and hastily look into His word, let us pray for grace and acceptance in this, the reading of His holy word.

Our Holy and righteous Father, God of the covenant and defender of thy church and people, we do come before thee in all reverence and humility acknowledging thy incomprehensible greatness and majesty, (in whose presence we do now in a special manner appear,) and we do freely confess our own vileness and unworthiness to approach so near unto thee in worship, as well as our utter inability of ourselves to the right performance of so great a work apart from grace; and therefore because of this, and because thou art merciful and gracious to the broken hearted and humble, we do beseech thee for pardon for our weakness, assistance in the performance of the work, and acceptance for the sake of Christ, in the whole service here to be performed; and we do pray for a blessing on that particular portion of thy word here to be read in the assembly of the saints: all in the name and mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Psalm 16: 1 David prayeth to God for succor not for his works, but for his faith’s sake. 4 Protesting that he hateth all idolatry, taking God only for his comfort and felicity. 8 Who suffereth his to lack nothing.

Michtam of David.

16 Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I trust.

2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;

3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.

5 The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.

6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.

7 I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.

8 I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

This Psalm is pregnant with lively matter and is full of weight and doctrinal import. David here in the Psalm cries out to God in prayer to preserve him from danger. But note that he adds the clause, for in thee do I trust. For David understood that God is not the preserver of the godless or the faithless, but of the righteous and those that trust in Him. To outsiders He may supply them with good things, but it is not accompanied with certainty, with stability or with safety. For all the good things of the wicked with their lives shall vanish away like the frost under the heat of the sun. Like chaff in the wind, and they shall be burned up and consumed like faggots on the fire. There is no promise of continuance for them, but all the good they possess shall be taken away and shall vanish, because they trust not in God. But David knowing this calls upon God to preserve Him. Like the ark during the great flood preserved Noah and His family, so the Lord will shelter those whom he loves with His tender mercy and watchful care and will not suffer them to be moved. While the wicked drown and perish in sin and iniquity, the righteous shall flourish like a green tree in the midst of the courts of God. He shall ever be bearing fruit even unto old age, and his works will follow him. So the Lord will keep us from evil despite the prevailing apostasy, because by His own grace, by the authority of His word we call upon Him to do so, and for that He also causes us to trust in Him. For only by faith are we made partakers of the heavenly promise.

M.Henry a summary of the Psalm: I. David speaks of himself as a member of Christ, and so he speaks the language of all Christians, professing his confidence in God ( Psalms 16:1), his consent to him ( Psalms 16:2), his affection to the people of God ( Psalms 16:3), his adherence to the true worship of God ( Psalms 16:4), and his entire complacency and satisfaction in God and the interest he had in him, Psalms 16:5-7.

Henry on how to read scripture: This psalm is entitled Michtam, which some translate a golden psalm, a very precious one, more to be valued by us than gold, yea, than much fine gold, because it speaks so plainly of Christ and his resurrection, who is the true treasure hidden in the field of the Old Testament.

And thus finding Christ in the Psalm who is the object of our hope and confidence, and thereby trusting in God to fulfill and perfect His promises to us, we call upon Him to bless us by the ministry of His word.

Opening prayer,

Our righteous and gracious Father, we humbly present ourselves before thee in the worship of thy holy name and in the congregation of the saints. We adore thee for thy perfections and pray that thy gospel according to sound doctrine would be published and magnified in the world. Thy name is precious to us and we desire for the glory thereof to be esteemed in all parts of the world, even as in the prayer of Christ, “hallowed by thy name.” so sanctify thy name in our own hearts by the hearing of the word and let it dwell in us richly, causing us to grow and profit from it as living creatures able and ready to do thy will. Purge us from corruption that we might seek thee with a pure heart and rely on thee wholly, trusting in thee, knowing that thou art a loving Father and despite the many trials we experience and face daily, we know that thou carest for us and watchest over us more than the tenderest parent over their child. Even so according to this principle, raise up a generation of righteous parents to combat the evils of this age. The whole world is swallowed up in wickedness and knoweth not what is a man or what is a woman, or what their duty and role is according to sound doctrine, and therefore even if we are hated by them, give us courage and conviction to live as we ought and shine like lights in a world of darkness, all for the glory of thy name, for thou only art good and righteous, and we only by and through thee. Keep us in the faith according to thy free grace and bless the ministry of the word, according to thy promise. All in the name and through the mediation of the Son of God we pray, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Lesson 2.
The civil and religious necessity of the family.

Intro. The difference between exposition of scripture and a Christian document.

Review Lesson 1. The power of godliness and the necessary establishment of the Christian family.
1. Historical. There is a decay in the power of godliness.
2. Observation. Youth are more easily corrupted and those who are weak in faith or unsound in principles led more easily astray into error and temptation.
3. Warning. Parents are more than likely to be blamed for corruption in their children.|
4. Observation. Satan labors with more success at private duties than public.
5. Historical. The true Church hath always consisted in families often meeting in private, not in individuals or individual churches made up of individuals with individual opinions.
6. Historical. The family is the foundation of society.

For the present: 1. A family is the seminary of Church and State; and if children be not well principled there, all miscarrieth: a fault in the first concoction is not mended in the second; if youth be bred ill in the family, they prove ill in Church and Commonwealth; there is the first making or marring, and the presage of their future lives to be thence taken, Prov. 20:11. 2. By family discipline, officers are trained up for the Church, 1 Tim. 3:4, One that ruleth well his own house, etc.; and there are men bred up 3. in subjection and obedience. It is noted, Acts 21:5, that the disciples brought Paul on his way with their wives and children; their children probably are mentioned, to intimate, that their parents would, by their own example and affectionate farewell to Paul, 4. breed them up in a way of reverence and respect to the pastors of the Church.

For the future: 5. It is comfortable, certainly, to see a thriving nursery of young plants, and 6. to have hopes that God shall have a people to serve him when we are dead and gone: the people of God comforted themselves in that, 7. Ps. 102:28, The Children of thy servants shall continue, etc.

1. Decl. The family is the foundation of religious and civil society.
[1] The diligent labors of parents to teach their children practical knowledge of this world brings forth the fruit of good occupation.
[2] The diligent labors of parents to teach their children spiritual knowledge brings forth the fruit of a well ordered and peaceful home.

2. Encourage. The office of the ministry and how godly parents may raise children to seek it.
[1] By diligent education.
[2] By the prayers of themselves and the church.

3. Exhort. The end of all our learning in and out of the church points to obedience.
[1] Obedience in the household.
[2] Obedience in our calling.
All are servants, even those in authority.
[3] Obedience to God.
i. Adherence to His doctrine.
ii. Obedience to His precepts.
iii. Submission to His providence.
[3] Obedience in the church.
Attend and hear the word. John 10:4-5
If you follow strangers, you are not Christ’s flock.
4. Pastors and ministers warrant a special reverence for the sake of their office and work.
[1] They are judged by a higher standard.
Jam. 3:1
[2] They are called to a peculiar office by God.
Eph. 4:11-13
[3] They labor to feed the people with good things in the word of God and prayer.
1 Thess. 5:13, Jer. 23:1-4

5. Reflect. How beautiful to see young children grow. How wonderful in the sight of God must it be to see His little church grow in love to Himself and His people.

6. Prayer. We are therefore to continue fervant in prayer for the increase of His church and people.
[1] That men and women be brought in to establish families.
[2] That it would be furnished with officers.
[3] That in time the sacraments would be duly administered.
[4] That the gospel would be settled and grounded in the hearts of the people
[5] That they grow in sanctity through the word of God.
[6] That there would be a continuance of this after we depart from this world.
[7] Exp. Psalm 102:16-28

Conclusion.

The proper establishment of the family is the key to success either in the church or the state. This generation is evil much on account of the evils of the parents and their inability to teach. Parents are encouraged to send their children to public schools to learn from and associate with demons. We pray that God will protect us from this evil age and preserve for Himself a people to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Closing prayer.
Our gracious and merciful Father in heaven, we come before thee in humility and confidence knowing that we are unworthy of the least of thy grace, but yet also that thou wilt shed it on us freely and abundantly through Jesus Christ our Lord. We are unable to prepare ourselves to the least of thy precepts and cannot think anything good except thou enlighten us, teach us and lead us by the hand. Therefore do we praise thy great and awesome name for that thou hast done great things for us. Thou hast delivered us from darkness and conveyed us safely and powerfully into the kingdom of thy dear Son. Thou hast taken us from among the wicked in the world and adopted us into thine own household. Not for our sakes, or for our own righteous deeds but for thy name’s sake, because thou art merciful and doest good to thy covenant people whom thou hast ever loved from everlasting. So preserve us by thy grace. Keep us safe from all evil by thy word and cause us to ever rejoice in thee despite our tribulation, that we might put to shame the cavils and complaints of the heathen who even in their riches are not content. Give us contentment in our trial and even joy according to the promise, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Then let us always say, “the Lord is on my side” and let us ever shout for joy and sing because that thou dost rule over us righteously and with tender and watchful care. And so we praise and thank thee for thy care over our lives and ask that thou wouldest continue thy loving-kindness toward us for Jesus sake. In His holy name, amen.

YouTube Audio: https://youtu.be/XLL_DjtK41k