Worship service 04/05/26.
Greetings and call to worship.
—Greetings and good morning saints and fellow partakers of the cross and glory of Christ. Grace, mercy and peace be multiplied to you abundantly through the mercy of Jesus Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us that He might present us without spot to God, and provide for us an example of patient suffering at the hands of cruel men according to the will of God. We are gathered together once again on the Christian Sabbath to take up the cross of Christ and follow in the path of mercy and truth, hearkening to the voice of His word and submitting to the will of God in all things.
Phil. 1:9-11 says, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” Inasmuch as God has given us exceeding grace, and an everlasting inheritance in the redemption of Jesus Christ, let us worship Him with gladness and rejoice to suffer shame for His name. A Puritan minister writes, “No day but this is holy by institution of the Lord; yet days of humiliation and thanksgiving may be lawfully set apart by men on a call of providence; but popish holidays are not warrantable, nor to be observed; Galatians 4:10. Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.”
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 for our election, the Son’s righteousness for our justification and the Spirit’s work in our hearts for our sanctification. 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 [25] (Verse 14): 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 that the Christian, being surrounded and beaten down by many and diverse trials and afflictions that fall not by chance, but by the sovereign disposal of the Lord, is often near to fainting, and would certainly be overwhelmed by strong and continual adversity were it not for the stay of faith, which is the gift of grace. For the Lord doth not afflict us with trial without the strength to endure it, which trial of faith is very precious to Him. And we must remember that quite unlike the men of this world, we are set in opposition, both in mind and will, to idolatry and compromise in religion. And this is one chief manner in which the wicked continue to live in their pretended and painted peace. For they, often directly contrary to their own conscience—or to those self-made and self-governed principles by which they claim to live—act in a manner altogether different from how they appear to others, or how they speak of themselves, or how they wish to be seen. They may not profess religion, yet are willing to concede certain religious ideals. They may not even like their own family members, yet though they continually behave so as to injure others, they will still own them and cleave to them if merely as family.
But the Christian does not live so. He is consistent and principled. He does not tolerate idolatry, nor does he remain in false churches for the sake of fellowship with the world. He separates from friends and family when they are found idolatrous and wicked. And he is ready to rebuke the sinful ways in which the world lives. Thus, while we speak of their evils for their good, they speak evil of us unto our destruction. Therefore David saith, “Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.”
Now, because the Christian is set in this world amidst much trouble—whether loss of family, loss of goods, low condition, exile, separation from others, persecution, or whatsoever else may come upon us, and especially for the faith’s sake—therefore patience is necessary. For truly we would be quite undone, if God did not uphold us by His mighty arm, and continually supply us with grace and strength for the time to come.
As it is written:
“Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
And again:
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.”
And again:
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God:
I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee;
yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
And the Scripture here saith:
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
As it saith in another place:
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.”
And again:
“But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”
And again:
“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.
Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”
Therefore, inasmuch as the Lord, by His perfect and most inscrutable wisdom, waits to be gracious unto us at the appointed time so that both faith and patience may be tried and tested, let us also, with good hope and holy patience, wait for Him—establishing our hearts in sound doctrine, and practising godliness despite present trials. For,
“The trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
We wait for a kingdom which cannot be moved, and the manner in which we ought to wait—both for the pleasure of God and our own peace of mind— is this: to be of good courage, resisting sin, and continuing in the practice of righteousness, and to wait upon the Lord for strength from above. For patience, we must remember, is quite contrary to lust, sinful pleasure, envy, strife, ambition, and vain glory. It is a gracious virtue, planted in the heart by the Spirit of God, whereby we are made willing to suffer and endure whatsoever He bringeth upon us, and howsoever long He is pleased to afflict us therewith. Thus, while the world rages and murmurs, being driven by the wind, and breaking apart upon the rocks of tribulation, the saint waits quietly and is still, being blown by the Spirit of God into their eternal rest. Therefore, “In your patience possess ye your souls.”
Calvin— “As he was conscious of his weakness, and knew that his faith was the great means of preserving him safe, he seasonably strengthens himself for the future. Under the word waiting, too, he puts himself in mind of new trials, and sets before his eyes the cross which he must bear. We are then said to wait on God, when, withdrawing his grace from us, he suffers us to languish under afflictions. David, therefore, having got through one conflict, prepares himself to encounter new ones. But as nothing is more difficult than to give God the honor of relying upon him, when he hides himself from us, or delays his assistance, David stirs himself up to collect strength; as if he had said, If fearfulness steal upon thee; if temptation shake thy faith; if the feelings of the flesh rise in tumult, do not faint; but rather endeavor to rise above them by an invincible resolution of mind. From this we may learn, that the children of God overcome, not by sullenness, but by patience, when they commit their souls quietly to God; as Isaiah says, “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength,” (Isaiah 30:15.)
As David did not feel himself equal to great and difficult efforts, he borrows strength from God by prayer. Had he said no more than Act like a man, he would have appeared to allege the motions of his own free-will, but as he immediately adds, by way of correction, that God would be at hand to strengthen his heart, he plainly enough shows, that when the saints strive vigorously, they fight in the strength of another, and not in their own. David does not, like the Papists, put his own efforts into the van, and afterwards supplicate for divine aid, but having done his own duty, although he knew that he was destitute of strength in himself, he requests that his deficiency may be supplied by the grace of the Holy Spirit. And as he knew that the war must be continued during his whole life, and that new conflicts would daily arise, and that the troubles of the saints are often protracted for a long period, he again repeats what he had said about waiting on God: Wait thou alone on Jehovah.”
David Dickson— “In the third place he comes to show, and to make use of, the benefit he had by believing, that he may encourage others to follow his example in their trials. Whence learn:
Discouragement under trouble is a sort of quitting of our cause, and of all comfort in it; but faith keeps a man close to his cause, and from being overcome by troubles. It holds up his heart in his duty, till the Lord sends an outgate, wherein otherwise he were not able to subsist: “Unless I had believed, I had fainted.”
Our experiences of the good of believing in the time of straits should be communicated to others, as our calling may permit, to encourage them; for so does the Prophet, saying, “Wait on the Lord, and be of good courage.”
The striving to take courage from the ground of faith shall be followed with strength from God to endure the trouble, and to find comfort now and then, and full deliverance at last: “He shall strengthen thy heart.”
Although the Lord lets the trouble lie on, and strong temptations increase, and grief of heart grow, yet must we still wait; for at the due time, the outgate shall come: “Wait, I say, on the Lord.”
Opening Prayer.
—Our gracious and merciful Father in heaven, we come before thee, freely confessing our sin and unworthiness before thee. Thou hast delivered us from all that was against us. Thou and thou only. Thou hast rescued us from the pit of corruption wherein we were fallen, condemned and polluted in original sin. Thou hast wrought a mighty work and obtained a glorious victory in the death of thy Son, and we praise thy name, and will praise thee through Him forever. Grant us continual strength for the fight to come, O Lord, for we wait on thee. Our enemies and our troubles are many, but we hope in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth. Be our counsel, be our guide, be our strength O Lord and give us grace and patience that we might wait for thee with boldness and confidence against the enemy. Perfect us for the life to come and glorify us together with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose glorious and blessed name we pray.
Amen.
Lesson 78. [1.2.52.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Prophets. Obadiah. The Prophet against the Pride of Edom.
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—Joel. Amos.
All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.
Intro. Read Obadiah/ Jer. 49:7-22
Similarities between Obadiah and Jeremiah 49.
The reliance of the prophets on the counsel and authority of the prophets.
a. The call among the nations
Obadiah 1:1
“The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.”
Jeremiah 49:14
“I have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle.”
b. The Lord’s contempt of Edom.
Obadiah 1:2
“Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.”
Jeremiah 49:15
“For, lo, I will make thee small among the heathen, and despised among men.”
c. Pride in the clefts of the rock
Obadiah 1:3–4
“The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?
Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.”
Jeremiah 49:16
“Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD.”
d. Thieves and grape-gatherers
Obadiah 1:5–6
“If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes?
How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his hidden things sought up!”
Jeremiah 49:9–10
“If grapegatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough.
But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself…”
e. The wisdom of Teman
Obadiah 1:8
“Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?”
Jeremiah 49:7
“Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts; Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?”
f. The mighty men dismayed
Obadiah 1:9
“And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.”
Jeremiah 49:22
“Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.”
Lessons from Obadiah.
1. That ministers of God speak that which is declared to them by God. “The vision.” Obad. 1
Calvin— “Obadiah’s preface is, that he brought nothing human, but only declared the vision presented to him from above. We indeed know that it was God alone that was ever to be heard in the Church, as even now he demands to be heard: but yet he sent his prophets, as afterwards the apostles; yea, as he sent his only begotten Son, whom he has set over us to be our only and sovereign Teacher. Obadiah then by saying that it was a vision, said the same, as though he declared, that he did not presumptuously bring forward his own dreams, or what he conjectured, or discovered by human reason, but that he adduced only a celestial oracle: for חזון, chezun, as we have observed in other places, was a vision, by which God revealed himself to his Prophets.”
2. The armies and counsels of men are in the hand of the Lord to do with them as He pleases. Obad. 1. Prov. 21:1—“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” Isa. 46:11— “Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.” Isa. 5:26-30— “And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly: None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken: Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind: Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it. And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof. Isa. 13:17-19— “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.”
3. It is God who exalts and puts down. Obad. 2, Psalm 75
4. Pride is a great cause of the destruction of men. Obad. 3
5. Judgment in this life is incomplete. When God cometh to visit men for their iniquity, He shall make a full end. Obad. 5.
6. Neither the secret storehouses and treasures of men, nor their ceremonies and works, will at all save them on the great day of the LORD. Obad. 6. Isa. 2:20-21— “In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.” Ezk. 7:19— “They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.” Psalm 115:4-8— “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.”
7. False prophets are devoid of wisdom because God hath deprived them of it. Obad. 8-9. Job 12:13-25— “With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding. Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening. Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth. With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his. He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools. He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle. He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty. He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged. He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty. He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death. He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again. He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way. They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.”
8. God will judge men for their evil works, especially their abuse of those in close relation to them. Obad. 10-14
9. Men’s opposition to God does not harm Him, but themselves. Obad. 15-16
10. God employs ministers to do His will, judge the wicked and lead men to salvation, here called saviours. Obad. 21
Calvin— “Here the Prophet says, that there are in God’s hand ministers, the labor of whom he employs to preserve his own people. He alludes here, I have no doubt, to the history of the judges. We indeed know that the people of Israel were often so distressed, that their deliverance was almost incredible; and that yet they were also delivered in such a way as to have made it evident that the hand of God had appeared from heaven. Since this then was well known to the Jews, the Prophet here reminds them that God had still in his hand redeemers, whenever it might please him to gather his people. God then shall send preservers, even as he did send them formerly to your fathers. They had indeed found true by experience what the Prophet says here, not only once, but more than ten times. This then ought to have served much to confirm this prophecy.
Ascend then shall they who will judge the mount of Esau, — who, being endued with the power of God and his authority, will execute judgment on mount Seir and on the whole nation, and will avenge the cruelty which Edom had exercised towards the children of Abraham.
But this passage shows, that Christ came not to be the minister of our deliverance and salvation in an ordinary way, but that he became our savior in a special manner; so that he stands alone in that capacity: and this is a very strong argument against the Jews. They confess that the Messiah would be the Redeemer of his people, but they ascribe this office to him in a general way, as they do to David and other kings. But it certainly appears from this passage, that the Messiah would not be of the common class, for saviors would be under him as his ministers. This the Jews dare not to deny, though they grumble: for it would be absurd that he should be one of their number. Since then he was sent to be a Redeemer and Savior in a way different from others, it follows that he is not man only, but that he is the Author of salvation. It would indeed be easy to reply, “Why do you speak to us of many redeemers? Do you not hope for one Savior? If God will commit this office to many in an equal degree, why are there so many glorious promises respecting the Messiah? Why are we ever reminded of him alone? Why is he alone set forth to us as the ground of our salvation?” It hence certainly appears that Christ is to be distinguished from all others, and that others are saviors under his authority; and such were the apostles, and such are all at this day, the labor and ministry of whom God employs to defend and support his Church.
Now he adds, Jehovah’s shall be the kingdom. But as it is certain, that it was God’s purpose to rule among his people after having restored them, in no other way than by the power of Christ, the Prophet, by saying that the kingdom of Christ would be Jehovah’s, means, that it would be really divine, and more illustrious than if he had employed the labor of men. But two things must be here observed by us, — that God himself really rules in the person of Christ, — and that it is the legitimate mode of ruling the Church, that God alone should preside, and hold alone the chief power. Hence it follows, that when God does not appear as the only King, all things are in confusion, without any order. Now God is not called a King by way of an empty distinction: but then only is he regarded a King in reality, when all submit themselves to him, when they are ruled by his word; in short, when all creatures become silent in his presence. To God then belongs the kingdom. We hence see that the Church has no existence, where the word of God does not so prevail in its authority, as to keep down whatever height there is in men, and to bring them under the yoke, so that all may depend on God alone, that all may look up to him, and that he may have all in subjection to himself.”
John Trapp— “And saviours shall come up on mount Zion — Judas Maccabeus and Hircanus in the history: as in the mystery, the apostles and others of Christ’s ministers, who are here and elsewhere called saviours, a very high style, because God maketh use of their ministry, as he doth likewise of the angels, for the good of them that are heirs of salvation, Hebrews 1:14 , and by their help the faithful are saved. Hence those expressions, 1 Timothy 4:16 , “thou shalt save thyself and those that hear thee”; James 5:20 , he “shall save a soul from death”; Job 33:24 , “Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have received a ransom.” See also Micah 5:6 Judges 1:23 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 ; 1 Corinthians 3:9 ; 1 Corinthians 4:1 ; 1 Corinthians 9:22 . Let ministers hence learn their dignity and their duty. Christ hath communicated to them many of his own most honourable titles, as Light of the world, Doctor, Pastor, Saviour, Redeemer, … True it is, he alone is the principal Saviour, and therefore it followeth in the closure of this shortest, but most difficult prophet ( Brevissimus sed difficilimus Propheta. Mercer), “the kingdom shall be the Lord’s,” he, to speak properly, is the sole both Sovereign and Saviour of his body, the Church. Sed servatores dicuntur, saith Mercer, but they are called saviours, because they preach the word of this salvation, and are instrumental to Christ in that great work; like as the apothecary is to the skilful physician, in curing his patient of a deadly disease.
To judge the mount of Esau — Antichrist with his adherents; all other infidels also, and atheists, condemned here by Christ and his faithful ministers, as rebels against God, and sinners against their own souls. “Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know their abomination,” Ezekiel 20:4 , and to judge themselves worthy to be destroyed; that judging themselves, they may not be judged, 1 Corinthians 11:31 , but of Esauites may become true Jacobites; as Jetur, by nature an Ishmaelite, 1 Chronicles 1:31 , is, for his faith and piety, called an Israelite, 2 Samuel 17:25 . To thus “judge the mount of Esau,” ought to be the ambition of Christ’s ministers; for to gain them to Christ, by convincing “the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment,” that is, of the mischief of sin, the necessity of justification by Christ’s merit, and of sanctification by his Spirit, John 16:8 . This is to be both judges and saviours; as those judges of old were, whereunto the prophet here seemeth to allude. This is to save people “with fear, pulling them out of the fire,” Judges 1:23 . This is to proclaim Christ King, and to set the crown upon his head, as Song of Solomon 3:11 , with that glorious acclamation, “The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king, and he will save us,” Isaiah 33:22 .
The kingdom shall be the Lord’s — Not only the kingdom of power over all creatures, 1 Chronicles 29:11 , and of grace in the hearts of his people here (called often the kingdom of heaven in the gospel), but also of righteousness, and of glory hereafter, to be chiefly exercised at that great and dreadful day.
“Now to this King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17”
Conclusion.
Closing Prayer.
Administration of the Supper.
Exhortation and explanation of the use of the Holy Sacrament.
• To profess the faith and declare openly that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ. Not by endeavors, intentions, effort, merit, works or free will, neither any creature, but by the grace of Jesus Christ alone.
Psalm 115:1 – “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.”
Romans 3:24– “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 2:4-5– “But God which is rich in mercy, through his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead by sins, hath quickened us together in Christ, by whose grace ye are saved,”
Acts 4:12 – “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
• Acknowledgment of our sin and guilt—original and actual.
Psalm 51:5 – “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
Lam. 1:18– “The Lord is righteous: for I have rebelled against his commandment.”
1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
• To give God thanks for the blessed work of redemption.
Ephesians 1:7 – “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”
Ephesians 2:7 – “That he might show in the ages to come the exceeding riches of his grace through his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
• To give God thanks that through the work of redemption, all other enterprises are blessed thereby and only thereby.
Romans 8:32 – “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”
Romans 8:17 – “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
• Food, shelter, companionship, fruitful seasons, promotion, leisure, rest and recreation are made a curse to us apart from Jesus Christ.
Haggai 1:6 – “Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.”
Mal. 2-3 “If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart…Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out such a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
• To give God thanks for the means of grace, the word and sacraments, which are denied millions of others.
Isa. 53:1– “Who will believe our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?”
Psalm 147:19-20 – “He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord.”
Deut 9:4– “Speak not thou in thine heart (after that the Lord thy God hath cast them out before thee) saying, For my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in, to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations, the Lord hath cast them out before thee.”
• To bring fresh into our memory the suffering of Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:26 – “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”
Isa. 53:5, “But he was wounded for our transgressions: he was broken for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes are we healed.”
• To increase grace in us and call us to purity and virtue—the mortification of sin.
Romans 5:18–19–“Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”
John 6:53–56– “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life…
For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.”
Romans 6:11 – “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
• To express unity with the saints and love for the brethren who partake with us.
1 Corinthians 10:17 – “For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.”
• To remind us of the evil of sin, that God spared not His own Son in punishing it.
Isaiah 53:10 – “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief…”
• Give thanks to God for sending His Son for our salvation.
Isa. 9:6-7– “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
Matt. 1:21– “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
John 3:16 – “For God so loveth the world, that he hath given his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Rom. 5:8-10– “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
• Warning to those who would partake in ignorance or scandalous sin.
1 Corinthians 11:27–29 – “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord… For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself…”
Scripture verse to meditate upon:
Obadiah 17,
“But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and it shall be holy…”
• 1 Cor. 11:23-32 “This is my body.
Prayer.
Benediction.
Fearless Puritan: 