Worship service 01/18/26.
Greetings and call to worship.
Greetings and good morning, saints and fellow soldiers of the cross. We gather once more under the banner of the gospel to continue the honorable and glorious fight against Satan and his armies, by the grace of Almighty God. Blessings and peace be multiplied to you and strength for the fight. Blessed be His holy name for giving us His Sabbath so that we might be free from the mundane and tiresome works of this present life. Psalm 18:27-35 says, “thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks. For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places. He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.” Truly, God is merciful to the humble, but He will avenge Himself on the proud and haughty, and we will rejoice to see that day.
A Puritan minister writes, “To profane the Sabbath is a great sin; it is a wilful contempt of God; it is not only casting his law behind our back, but trampling it under foot. He says, ‘Keep the Sabbath holy;’ but men pollute it. This is to despise God, to hang out the flag of defiance, to throw down the gauntlet, and challenge God himself. Now, how can God endure to be thus saucily confronted by proud dust? Surely he will not suffer this high impudence to go unpunished. God’s curse will come upon the Sabbath-breaker; and it will blast where it comes. The law of the land lets Sabbath-breakers alone, but God will not. No sooner did Christ curse the fig-tree, but it withered.”
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 [14] (Verse 6): 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 safety and protection afforded to the people of God by the hand of the Lord, and by the strength of His own Spirit and power preserving us from all danger. For we must not imagine for a moment that we are a people left to ourselves, cast into the world to live as we please and fend for our own survival. Our God watches over us, protects us, governs us, and orders every event that befalls us according to the good pleasure of His will and for our ultimate good. This is no small matter, but a remarkable exercise of faith—that we know these things, believe them, and live accordingly: not with anxious cares, not with restless fears, not with wavering doubt, but with settled and invincible confidence, persuaded that God will perfect that work which He hath begun in us and defend us from all evil during our brief pilgrimage in this life.
We should observe also, in the next verse, the great joy and confidence which the believer possesses over and against his enemies. David does not say, I saluted all my enemies with courtesy, nor, I endeavoured to reconcile myself to all my adversaries, as the evangelicals and Baptists of our age might speak. Rather, he says, “Mine head shall be lifted up above mine enemies round about.” That is to say, despite the ravings, the false doctrine, and the furious opposition of heathen and hypocrites—domestic, ecclesiastical, and political—yet because my Head is in heaven, interceding for me at the right hand of God, I shall be quiet, content, and rejoice in God my Saviour, even while they hasten toward their own ruin. They sought my hurt, but God was for me. They anticipated my fall, but God raised me up.
For thus the Lord strengthens His own by faith, enabling them to resist the temptations of sin and compromise, and to rest calmly in His love and in the sound doctrine of salvation. And while our enemies accuse us of schism, arrogance, pride, and want of charity, we may point them to this testimony and say: In the time of trouble He hid me; He set my feet upon a rock; now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about; and therefore I will not doubt, nor submit to contradiction, but will sing praises unto the Lord.
Thus, while our adversaries are smitten with ignorance, hypocrisy, and confusion, we are granted the precious gifts of faith, assurance of God’s love, holy joy, and songs of praise upon our lips. As it is written:
“Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
(Hebrews 13:13–15)
Herein lies the believer’s triumph: not in the applause of men, but in the favor of God; not in present ease, but in future glory; not in yielding to error, but in steadfast praise.
Opening Prayer.
Our holy and heavenly Father,
great and mighty, merciful and faithful,
our God, our rock and our fortress,
a sure defense in the time of trouble.
We cry unto thee from the depths,
for we know and freely confess
that we are unable of ourselves to work toward salvation.
Therefore we beseech thee to grant us hearts willing to serve thee,
and affections devoted wholly unto thy service.
We cry to thee for mercy,
for we all stand in need of it if ever we are to receive thy blessing.
There is a great distance between our works and thy majesty;
and therefore whatsoever good we have done is but our bounden duty,
and we confess that we should have done more and sinned less.
Forgive us therefore, O Lord.
Cleanse us, purify us, and make us thine.
Do it for thy name’s sake, and not for our own;
for thine, and thine alone,
is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,
through Jesus Christ,
who is the Lord of glory.
Amen.
Lesson 67. [1.2.41.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Prophets. Ezekiel. Part 3. Ezekiel the Prophet of Judgment and Restoration.
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 punished 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)
6. A prophet of judgment and restoration.
I. Judgement against apostasy.
Ezekiel 16:1-15, 59-63
II. Judgment against impudent and persistent rebellion.
Ezekiel 20:1-14, 33-44
III. Judgment against Princes, Priests, and People.
Ezekiel 22
IV. Judgment against harlotry.
Ezekiel 23:1-10, 36-49
V. Restoration of the Image of God for His own glory.
Ezekiel 36:16-38
VI. Restoration of life by His own power.
Ezekiel 37:1-14
VII. Restoration of His dwelling place by His mercy.
Ezekiel 43:1-12, 47:1-12, 48:35
7. Captive yet free. (gospel liberty, Christian patience under trial)
Conclusion.
Closing Prayer.
Fearless Puritan: 