Worship service 01/11/25.
Greetings and call to worship.
Greetings and good morning, saints and fellow Christians. Grace, mercy and peace be multiplied to you through the love of God and the redemption in Jesus Christ. We are gathered once more on His holy Sabbath to declare that His name is great and He hath done wonderful things for us. For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 118:1-3 says, “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever.” Truly the people who receive the law and the teachers of the law may bless the LORD for they are both given grace, and receive of the same mercy. Therefore whether weak or strong, rich or poor, all are pointed to the same stream and receive grace from the same hand. Let us therefore bless the LORD who giveth to all richly as many as will ask, and gives us the appetite that we may ask and so receive.
A Puritan minister writes, “If the Sabbath-day is to be kept holy, they are reproved who, instead of sanctifying the Sabbath, profane it. They take the time which should be dedicated wholly to God, and spend it in the service of the devil and their lusts. The Lord has set apart this day for his own worship, and they make it common. He has set a hedge about this commandment, saying, ‘Remember;’ and they break this hedge; but he who breaks this hedge, a serpent shall bite him. Eccl 10: 8. The Sabbath day in England lies bleeding; and oh! that our parliament would pour some balm into the wounds which it has received! How is this day profaned, by sitting idle at home, by selling meat, by vain discourse, by sinful visits, by walking in the fields, and by sports! The people of Israel might not gather manna on the Sabbath, and may we use sports and dancings on this day? Truly it should be matter of grief to us to see so much Sabbath-profanation. When one of Darius’s eunuchs saw Alexander setting his feet on a rich table of Darius’s, he wept. Alexander asked him why he wept? He said it was to see the table which his master so highly esteemed now made a footstool. So may we weep to see the Sabbath-day, which God highly esteems, and has honoured and blessed, made a footstool, and trampled upon by the feet of sinners.?”
Prayer unto the public reading of the Holy Scripture:
Our holy and righteous Father,
Full of all glory, justice, and righteousness,
Merciful and faithful—The Covenant God who will by no means clear the guilty, taking vengeance on them that follow after other gods, 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 elected from before the creation of all worlds and purchased by the precious blood of thy Son, called out of darkness and brought into the fellowship of the gospel and the kingdom of Jesus Christ. We bow in all reverence before thy throne, 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 denied access to the covenant promises, are under the wrath and curse of God, and must be cast from thy presence as an abominable thing. Moreover, we confess that without faith in the Mediator, consent to sound doctrine and a repentant heart, endeavouring to walk evenly and zealously for thee, which is the gracious work of the Spirit, we have no evidence of fellowship with thee. For we are by nature guilty and polluted, unable of ourselves to repent or return, and altogether unfit to render thee any service that is not defiled by sin. Therefore, do we confess our utter dependence on the Father’s love, the Son’s righteousness and the Spirit’s work in our hearts. We believe that thou art our God, and the rewarder of them that diligently seek thy face. Therefore, inasmuch as we are convinced of our sin in Adam and the redemption in Jesus Christ alone, we cry out to thee for mercy: 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 by the blood of Christ and the washing of the Spirit by the word. Sanctify us by the truth of thy word. 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 live by it; And may the same Spirit who breathed life into the church in all ages; 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 [13] (Verse 5): 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:
We saw previously the great blessing the Lord bestows upon His people, in hiding us from trouble in His pavilion, that we might be encouraged to do battle against the enemy. We also saw that this protection is directly related to our disposition toward the congregation of the Lord and the means of grace—a theme not uncommon in Holy Scripture. As it is written in the previous Psalm which we noted to be both directly and thematically related to this Psalm, “My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the LORD.” and again it is written, “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.” and again, “How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD.” and, “Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.”
These passages plainly show that the people of God are by no means an individualistic sect or private religion as the evangelicals and the Baptists today, who if confronted with indictments of heresy will gaze at you in wonder that you’re stubbornly and dogmatically insisting on such a thing as orthodoxy when they and their family, their pastor and their church have survived and sufficed without it. They believe in “Jesus” and try their best not to offend or harm anyone, so what more could we want from them? This, however, is not Christianity.
Christianity is first doctrine according to what is written in scripture, which already condemns the mainstream denominations and evangelical churches today. Then it is proper practice according to what is written in scripture, which seals and confirms their condemnation. If our desire, therefore, is truly to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple, it must be according to truth; and if so, it will also be our desire to be found among His saints in the congregation. Otherwise, there is no promise that we shall be sheltered in the day of trouble. For that time of trouble is truly the day of wrath, when the anger of the Lord shall come upon all the unjust and all who remain in their ignorance and their sins, and shall consume them. Then those who belong to His congregation shall be covered, those truly taught the way of escape shall be delivered, and those only who possess His righteousness by gracious imputation through the preaching of the gospel shall be saved.
We ought therefore to attend carefully to the meaning of these words: “In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.” These words signify, first, the strength of faith and confidence which the believer possesses in God and His word, even while surrounded by widespread error and doctrinal corruption. The world believes a lie, and men fall together into it. The Christian believes the truth, and for that very reason is opposed by the wicked. He declares their condemnation, and they respond with hostility, even unto death. Such opposition requires a resolute countenance– a mighty and invincible faith that cannot be overthrown. But can such strength be found in us? Not in ourselves—but in the secret place of the tabernacle of the Almighty.
For first, in a spiritual sense, this hiding refers to Christ dwelling in us and with us by His Spirit, as He Himself declares: “Abide in me, and I in you… without me ye can do nothing.” And again, “We will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” And again, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” And again, “I can do all things through him which strengtheneth me.” If Christ be for us, then temptation is nothing, the strength of the enemy is nothing, and the legions of hell are nothing. This, then, is the primary force of the verse: that being hidden in the tabernacle—that is, sustained by the strength of God through Christ—we shall be preserved in every trial and upheld when our faith is tested.
Secondly, this hiding refers to the strengthening of faith through the preaching of the word. For God increases grace in His people by that word, applied by the Spirit, as it is written: “Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.” And again, “Desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby; if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”
Let us therefore hunger for the word, that we may grow in grace; and let us seek the Lord in the shelter of His tabernacle, that we may be set upon a rock—raised above our enemies, beyond their reach, and unmoved by their threats. For from that rock we may look upon the world and behold it sinking into idolatry, heresy, falsehood, and corruption–and rejoice, knowing our victory is secure in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew Henry,
“Could he [David] but have a place in God’s house, he should be quiet and easy: there troubles would not find him, for he should be hid in secret; there troubles would not reach him, for he should be set on high, Psalms 27:5. The safety of believers however is not in the walls of the temple, but in the God of the temple and their comfort in communion with him.”
Matthew Poole,
“Upon a rock; a place high and inaccessible, strong and impregnable.”
Opening Prayer.
Our gracious and loving Father in heaven,
thou who art infinite, eternal, and unchangeable
in thy being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth;
thou who art from everlasting to everlasting,
the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Thou who wilt avenge thy great name upon the heathen that know thee not,
and punish those who serve other gods;
we, thy covenant people, come before thee
as into the secret place of thy tabernacle,
to confess thy holy doctrine
and to seek life, grace, and protection from thee.
Continue, O Lord, to be a God unto us.
Thou hast been our God of old;
thou didst call us out of darkness when we were in our blood,
and thou saidst, Live, and we lived by the power of thy word.
So continue to breathe life into us by that same word,
that we may live by thee and unto thee.
Give us faith to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
trusting that all these things shall be added according to thy wisdom.
Let us not seek after the things of this world,
but seek thee alone, and that for thine own name’s sake.
Then may it be truly said that we are thine,
and thou our God.
All this we ask in the name of the Son of God,
Jesus Christ, who alone can do it.
Amen.
Lesson 66. [1.2.40.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Prophets. Ezekiel. Part 2. Ezekiel the Watchman.
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—Lamentations. Ezekiel.
All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.
Intro.
1. The Man Ezekiel — Priest, Captive, Prophet.
1. God has commanded Israel to keep the ceremonial ordinances.
2. Israel profaned them rather than keeping them.
3. It was better for them to be in captivity than profane God’s holy ordinances in His land.
4. Israel is destroyed for the disobedience, and the profanation of them.
5. Only through the mercy of God is a remnant spared who are given a new heart and holy zeal for God’s name.
2. The Visions of God.
3. A Stubborn House.
4. One man among a thousand.
5. The watchman of Israel. (Ezk. 3, 33)
Ezekiel 3:16-21, “And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.”
Ezekiel 33:7-20, “So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live. Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal. When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.”
The message of the watchman:
1. God’s just judgment against sinners. “Thou shalt surely die. The soul that sinneth it shall die.”
Gen. 2:17–”But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen. 3)
Num 32:23–“Be sure your sin will find you out.”
Psalm 7:11–13–“God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” (Question: What does the Lord give men in his anger? A: i. A veiled heart and crooked affections. Lam. 3:65–”Give them a veiled heart. Thy curse be upon them.”
John 12:39-40–”Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.”
ii. An unprofitable ministry. Hos. 9:14-17–“O Lord, give them: what wilt thou give them? give them a barren womb and dry breasts. All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there do I hate them: for the wickedness of their inventions, I will cast them out of mine House: I will love them no more: all their princes are rebels. Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up: they can bring no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the dearest of their body. My God will cast them away, because they did not obey him: and they shall wander among the nations.” (Miscarrying womb–Ye will know them by their fruits. Dry breasts–Desire the sincere milk of the word.)
2. God’s delight in righteousness. “If thou warn the righteous, that he sin not…”
Ps. 1:6–“For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish.”
Ps. 11:7– “The LORD loveth righteousness, His countenance doth behold the upright.”
Proverbs 11:20–“They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight.”
3. God’s delight in mercy. “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.”
Lamentations 3:33-36–“For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.”
4. God’s just judgment against hypocrisy. “If he trust to his own righteousness and commit iniquity.”
Matt. 7:21-23–”Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Luke 18:9-14– “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
Luke 16:15– “And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”
5. God’s delight in repentance. “If the wicked turn…and do that which is lawful and right”
Isaiah 55:6–7– “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found… for he will abundantly pardon.”
Luke 15:7– “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”
1 John 1:9-10, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
5. God’s just judgment according to men’s works. “I will judge you every one after his ways.”
Psalm 62:12– “For thou renderest to every man according to his work.”
Prov. 24:12– “If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?”
Matt. 12:33-37– “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Note: False teachers are condemned for what they say, and what they do not say.
Conclusion.
Closing Prayer.
Fearless Puritan: 