Worship service 10/26/25.
Greetings and call to worship.
Greetings and good morning, saints and fellow Christians. Grace, mercy and peace be with you according to the love that the Father hath freely bestowed on us by the gift of righteousness in the Son of God Jesus Christ. We come before Him once more on His holy Sabbath day to worship and adore Him as He is made known to us by the truth in His word.
Psalm 85:8-13 says, “I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.
Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.”
Inasmuch as truth has sprung out of the earth in the preaching of the gospel by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, let us hold fast to that truth and count it more precious than gold, for it is our life, and all our salvation is bound up in it.
A Puritan minister writes, “If you would hear the word aright, be not only attentive, but retentive. Lay it up in your memories and hearts. The seed ‘on the good ground are they, which, having heard the word, keep it.’ Luke 8: 15. The Greek word for ‘to keep,’ signifies to hold the word fast, that it does not run from us. If the seed be not kept in the ground, but is presently washed away, it is sown to little purpose; so if the word preached be not kept in your memories and hearts, it is preached in vain. Many persons have memories like leaky vessels. If the word goes out as fast as it comes in, how can it profit? If a treasure be put in a chest and the chest be not locked, it may easily be taken out; so a bad memory is a chest without a lock, out of which the devil can easily take all the treasure. ‘Then comes the devil and taketh away the word out of their hearts.’ Luke 8: 12. Labour to keep in memory the truths you hear. The things we esteem are not easily forgotten. ‘Can a maid forget her ornaments or a bride her attire?’ Jer 2: 32. Did we prize the word more, we should not forget it so soon. If meat does not stay in the stomach, but rises up as fast as we eat it, it cannot nourish; so, if the word stays not in the memory, but is presently gone, it can do the soul but little good.”
Prayer unto the public reading of the Holy Scripture:
Our holy and righteous Father,
Eternal, immutable, and full of all glory, justice, and righteousness,
Merciful, compassionate, and faithful—The God who will by no means clear the guilty, yet showing mercy to thousands that love thee with the whole heart and keep thy commandments:
We come before thee solemnly and sincerely, as those whom thou hast redeemed and purchased by the precious blood of thy Son, called out of darkness and into the marvellous light of the gospel and the kingdom of Jesus Christ. According to thy word, we are bid and commanded to draw near to thee humbly, with a single heart and upright affections; and therefore we ask thee to grant it unto us, that it may be even so—Acknowledging that thou art incomprehensibly great, holy, and excellent, Glorious in power, fearful in praises, doing wonders. We are therefore careful to approach thy altar, knowing the severity of thy law, the holy requirements of the gospel, as well as our own vileness and unworthiness to draw so near unto thee.
We freely confess, O Lord, that apart from the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are justly denied entrance into thy glory, and must be cast from thy presence as an abominable thing. For we are guilty and polluted, unable of ourselves to repent or return, and altogether unfit to render thee any service that is not defiled by sin. Yet we believe that thou art our God, and the rewarder of them that diligently seek thy face. Therefore, we boldly cry unto thee for the free gift of thy grace: For pardoning mercy to cover our iniquities, And sanctifying mercy to make us meet for thy presence. Hear our prayers, deliver us from all trouble, cleanse us, we pray, by the blood of Christ. Assist us by the power of thy Spirit. Defend us from all evil, Strengthen our faith, subdue the lusts of the flesh that swell within us, And enable us to perform this holy service, Not in our own strength, But in the virtue which thou dost supply of thine own free goodness. And now, O Lord, as we come to the reading of thy holy word, we pray for a special blessing upon this portion of Scripture, that it may be effectual to build up thy holy church, which thou hast called thy special possession, and thy little flock. Open our hearts to receive it with meekness; Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and cause us by thy grace to worship thee by it; And may the same Spirit who spake unto the fathers, apostles and prophets, the reformers and Puritans, so guide our whole lives, That we may grow up in Him in all things, even He who is the Bridegroom and Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, our Prophet, Priest and King. All this we ask in his most worthy name,
Amen.
Devotional and doctrinal exposition on the Psalms:
Psalm 27 [3]: 1 David maketh this Psalm being delivered from great perils, as appeareth by the praises and thanksgiving annexed: 6 Wherein we may see the constant faith of David against the assaults of all his enemies. 7 And also the end wherefore he desireth to live and to be delivered, only to worship God in his Congregation.
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I request; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.
5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his Tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When thou saidst, seek ye my face; my heart answered unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
9 Hide not therefore thy face from me; nor cast thy servant away in displeasure: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10 Though my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a right path, because of mine enemies.
12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as speak cruelly.
13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
Exposition:
As we saw before the direct relation between light and salvation, it is essential also to the force of the text to observe the relation between light, comfort, and courage. For as the light shines out of darkness into our hearts, giving the knowledge of salvation in the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that same gospel—penetrating the depths and radiating into the furthest recesses of the soul—bears a distinct mark and produces real and spiritual effects. As the LORD sent a thick darkness upon the Egyptians, darkness that may be felt, so the Christian is endued with Grace, light which may be enjoyed more richly than the oppressive darkness that was cast upon those heathen.
But it is certainly impossible to be comforted in the faith, and to be bold and courageous in the faith, as it is written, “be of good comfort, thy faith hath made thee whole” and again, “contend earnestly for the faith once delivered.” Indeed it is impossible to reap the benefits of faith without faith. Therefore, inasmuch as David saith assuredly, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear” Christ also saying, “fear them not which destroy the body but cannot destroy the soul” if we are to have confidence in what we believe, what we believe must be certain and engraved upon our minds by the Spirit of God so that our authority comes from Him alone, as Calvin writes, “there is no doubt that He engraved upon their hearts a firm certainty of doctrine, so that they were persuaded and understood that what they had learned had proceeded from God. For God has always established unquestionable faith in His word, which surpasses all human opinion.” Only the light of true and sound knowledge penetrating into the innermost part of the soul (which is the gift of God) brings with it the warmth of comfort which is enjoyed to the glory of God and the heat of the affections which is employed in service to God.
To this divine light is opposed the thick darkness and dense deceit of error, wherein the world is turned upside down. The prophet warns, “Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.” Beware that the light that is in you be not darkness. That is that the light of understanding the noblest of all the faculties is not turned by deceit and error, as so many in the world today.
For in the church, the efficacy of the power of the Lord is turned into a mere offer; grace is turned into free will; the righteousness of Christ into man’s filthy works; election into foreseen faith; faith itself into dubious opinion; and Christ into an abominable idol. As it is written, “They put darkness for light, and light for darkness.” Moreover in the world that which should engender humility becomes a cause for pride, that which should drive us to worship becomes a shrine for self-confidence, that which is cause for thanksgiving and prayer is made an altar for human lust and consumption. As it is written, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.” And again, “Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.”—here we must take note, violence against the majesty of God and the sacred text of Scripture is worthy of the same kind of hellfire as violence against your neighbor’s person and goods. As it is written, “he that breaks one commandment is guilty of all” And again it is written of the same guilty sinners, “They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.”
It follows plainly, then, that as comfort and courage flow freely from the light of the Lord, and from the implanting of sacred truth in our souls by the Spirit of God—as it is written, “I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people,” and again, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”—so doubt, unbelief, cowardice, and at last sorrow and despair are the bitter fruits of sin, error, and a crooked interpretation of the Word, which together constitute darkness.
Ignorance enslaves the soul to Satan and makes it liable to the judgment of God. As Gurnall writes:
“The third boundary of the devil’s principality is in regard of his subjects, and they are described here to be the darkness of this world, that is, such who are in darkness. This word is used sometimes to express the desolate condition of a creature in some great distress, ‘He that walketh in darkness, and hath no light’ (Isa. 50:10); sometimes to express the nature of all sin; so Eph. 5:11, sin is called the ‘works of darkness’; sometimes the particular sin of ignorance, and is often set out by the darkness of the night, blindness of the eye. All these I conceive may be meant, but chiefly the latter; for though Satan makes a foul stir in the soul that is in the darkness of sorrow, whether it be from outward crosses or inward desertions, yet if the creature be not in the darkness of sin at the same time, though he may disturb his peace as an enemy, yet cannot be said to rule as a prince. Sin only sets Satan in the throne. So that I shall take the words in the two latter interpretations. First, for the darkness of sin in general. Second, for the darkness of ignorance in special. And the sense will be, that the devil’s rule is over those that are in a state of sin and ignorance, not over those who are [at all] sinful or ignorant. Were it so, he would take hold of saints as well as others; but it is over those who are in a state of sin, which is set out by the abstract, ‘rulers of the darkness,’ the more to express the fulness of the sin and ignorance that possesseth Satan’s slaves. The notes will be two: First, every soul in a state of sin is under the rule of Satan. Second, ignorance above other sins enslaves a soul to Satan; and therefore all sins are set out by that which chiefly expresseth this, namely, darkness.”
Therefore we are not deceived by those fools within the church who pretend to be bold in the faith, but have no faith; who profess courage for sound doctrine, yet deny it by their conclusions, nor by those who walk in the perverse manner of the heathen, and imagine themselves separated to the service of God. Those who walk in the light of the Lord, believing His Word and testimonies and practicing the truth—these and these alone shall be comforted by God, and these shall receive their consolation from Him on the Last Day. But those who walk in darkness stumble at what they know not. Those who display their ignorance now and pursue those fleeting things of filth and vanity shall reap the wages of iniquity hereafter.
John Calvin,
Jehovah is my light. This commencement may be understood as meaning that David, having already experienced God’s mercy, publishes a testimony of his gratitude. But I rather incline to another meaning, namely, that, perceiving the conflict he had to wage with the sharpest temptations, he fortifies himself beforehand, and as it were brings together matter for confidence: for it is necessary that the saints earnestly wrestle with themselves to repel or subdue the doubts which the flesh is so prone to cherish, that they may cheerfully and speedily betake themselves to prayer. David, accordingly, having been tossed with various tempests, at length recovers himself, and shouts triumphantly over the troubles with which he had been harassed, rejoicing that whenever God displays his mercy and favor, there is nothing to be feared. This is farther intimated by the accumulation of terms which he employs, when he calls God not only his light, but his salvation, and the rock or strength of his life His object was, to put a threefold shield, as it were, against his various fears, as sufficient to ward them off. The term light, as is well known, is used in Scripture to denote joy, or the perfection of happiness. Farther, to explain his meaning, he adds that God was his salvation and the strength of his life, as it was by his help that he felt himself safe, and free from the terrors of death. Certainly we find that all our fears arise from this source, that we are too anxious about our life, while we acknowledge not that God is its preserver. We can have no tranquillity, therefore, until we attain the persuasion that our life is sufficiently guarded, because it is protected by his omnipotent power. The interrogation, too, shows how highly David esteemed the Divine protection, as he thus boldly exults against all his enemies and dangers. Nor assuredly do we ascribe due homage to God, unless, trusting to his promised aid, we dare to boast of the certainty of our safety. Weighing, as it were, in scales the whole power of earth and hell, David accounts it all lighter than a feather, and considers God alone as far outweighing the whole.
Let us learn, therefore, to put such a value on God’s power to protect us as to put to flight all our fears. Not that the minds of the faithful can, by reason of the infirmity of the flesh, be at all times entirely devoid of fear; but immediately recovering courage, let us, from the high tower of our confidence, look down upon all our dangers with contempt. Those who have never tasted the grace of God tremble because they refuse to rely on him, and imagine that he is often incensed against them, or at least far removed from them. But with the promises of God before our eyes, and the grace which they offer, our unbelief does him grievous wrong, if we do not with unshrinking courage boldly set him against all our enemies. When God, therefore, kindly allures us to himself, and assures us that he will take care of our safety, since we have embraced his promises, or because we believe him to be faithful, it is meet that we highly extol his power, that it may ravish our hearts with admiration of himself. We must mark well this comparison, What are all creatures to God? Moreover, we must extend this confidence still farther, in order to banish all fears from our consciences, like Paul, who, when speaking of his eternal salvation, boldly exclaims,
“If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:34.)
Opening Prayer.
Our gracious and glorious Father in heaven,
The God of knowledge and wisdom,
Who bestowest all things freely upon us for the sake of the covenant in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We come unto thee acknowledging our sin and misery,
And that by the fall we are become ignorant and enslaved to error.
We cannot know one kernel of truth except by the gift and regeneration of thy blessed Spirit.
Therefore enlighten our path, and be our light.
Cause us to know thy truth by thine almighty power;
Cause us to understand, that we might be saved—for thine own name’s sake,
For we hope in thee.
Preserve us from this present evil world,
And deliver us from our enemies—
Even from those in the false church who would tear us to pieces and bury thy truth in the earth.
But thou hast raised us up for the proclamation and establishment of thy truth.
We will not rush to vanity, but will rest boldly in thy love.
Send thy Spirit unto us, and comfort us in all our trials.
We know that tribulation shall surely come,
Yet be thou our guide, and we shall endure with faith and hope.
Grant us therefore that courage requisite for this life,
And lead us unto the life everlasting by thy blessed Spirit.
For we pray in the name of our Lord Christ,
The Almighty, the Prince of Peace,
Our Hope, our Deliverer, our Salvation.
Amen.
Lesson 55. [1.2.30.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Books of Wisdom: Proverbs.
Westminster Confession of Faith 1.2
Under the name of holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testaments,
Genesis-Job, Psalms
All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.
Intro.
Prov. 1-4
Introduction to Proverbs.
Proverbs an ancient form of teaching. Truth, or moral platitudes?
Ancient maxims engender pride, conceit and self-achievement. The Proverbs of Solomon humility and the fear of God.
Scripture ever has an answer to the enemy. Solomon against the Greeks and Egyptians.
I. Place of Proverbs in the Canon.
i. The law of God applied to Daily Life.
a. The Principle of Application. Good doctrine produces good practice. (Good tree vs evil tree)
b. The use of Application. (How we are to apply what we have learned.)
If Psalms takes our spirits to heaven in rapture, Proverbs directs our hands here on earth in prudence.
II. A rule of Faith and Life.
i. Faith. Prov. 1:1-9
ii. Life. Prov. 1:10-19 (Sinners against the first and second table, the Pharisee chief among those we are commanded not to consent to, for their hidden violence)
III. A key to understanding the Proverbs.
“The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.” Prov. 10:11
“He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.” Prov. 10:17
“The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.” Prov. 10:21
“The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.” Prov. 11:3
IV. Christ in the Proverbs.
i. What is Wisdom? (Prov. 8)
Conclusion.
Closing Prayer.
Our merciful and gracious Father,
Thou who hast planted thy word within our very hearts,
that we might not sin against thee, not turn from thee to vanity.
Thou hast given us hearts full of love and devotion,
and hast caused us to walk according to thy law
by the power of thy living word.
Thou didst say, “Seek ye my face,”
and didst turn our hearts toward thee,
so that by thine own power we sought thee.
And inasmuch as we have sought thee by thy grace and calling,
so now reveal thyself unto us,
for thy favor is better than life.
In thy light we see light,
and are kept from the darkness and deceit
that covers this wicked world.
Preserve us, O Lord, for the day of vengeance,
when the wicked shall be cast into hell;
and be thou our guide and our shield,
that that day come not upon us unawares,
but that, being watchful and vigilant in the faith,
we may stand ready and bold—sanctified, steadfast, and rejoicing.
So fill our hearts with thoughts of thee,
that we may be well-pleasing in thy sight,
not today only, but all the days of our lives;
for thine own sake,
and for the sake of thy Son, Jesus Christ,
in whose blessed and glorious name we pray.
Amen.
Fearless Puritan: 