Worship service 04/11/26.

Greetings and call to worship.
—Greetings and good morning saints and fellow Christians, called to give glory to God according to the sincere worship of the heart. Grace, mercy and peace be multiplied unto you exceedingly through the love of the Father freely bestowed upon us by the gift of His Son, and by His Holy Spirit. We come before Him on the Christian Sabbath to worship and glorify His name, for who He is and what He hath done so graciously for us. Blessed be His glorious name forever and ever. Psalm 50:3-6 says, “Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and the earth to judge his people. Gather my saints together unto me; those that make a covenant with me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is Judge himself.” Truly, we are those in covenant with God by sacrifice, even the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, therefore let us praise His name, and hearken to His word, inasmuch as it is our life. A Puritan minister writes, “Though Christians must walk every day with God, yet every day cannot be a Sabbath, because God calls us to other duties on those days, but will have this to be a solemn and entire day to himself.”

 

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 28 [1]: 1 Being in great fear and heaviness of heart to see God dishonored by the wicked, he desireth to be rid of them. 4 And crieth for vengeance against them: and at length assureth himself, that God hath heard his prayer, 9 Unto whose tuition he commendeth all the faithful.

A Psalm of David.

1 Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.

2 Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.

3 Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but malice is in their hearts.

4 Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their inventions: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.

5 For they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, therefore destroy them, and build them not up.

6 Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my petitions.

7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

8 The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.

9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and exalt them for ever.

Exposition:
—In the previous Psalm we saw David’s confidence in the Lord his light and salvation, and his cry for deliverance from the cruel and malicious accusations of the wicked. For his enemies were not limited to private disputes, but, as a king both in prospect and in power, his enemies were such as might, by their tongues, do great harm both to himself and to the people. We see this clearly in the example of Absalom, who, through rebellion and violence, stole the kingdom from David and drew away the hearts of the people by deceit. Therefore David had great need to pray unto the Lord, inasmuch as the kingdom was promised unto him, and the word and name of God were at stake. Thus David prays not merely for his own benefit, but for the honour and glory of God, who had sworn to give the throne unto David and unto his sons forever.

So then, as in Psalm 27 much doctrine and experience are set forth, so in Psalm 28 these same things are heightened and intensified. David begins by pleading with the Lord not to be silent; that is, though he had prayed sincerely and earnestly, yet he did not presently perceive or experience God’s favour in the overthrow of his enemies’ counsels, nor in the return of his own joy and comfort. And this is a solemn reminder that we must not only pray, but pray boldly and with great confidence; not only so, but continually; not only so, but through adversity. Thus the Christian is bound to pray confidently, sincerely, boldly, continually, patiently, and that even through great trial and opposition. So much we learn from Psalms 27 and 28 together.

For as Psalm 27 ends with, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD,” so Psalm 28 begins not with, “Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications”—though that indeed is found later in the Psalm—but with, “Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me…” This shows plainly that trust and patience must go hand in hand, and that we are to pray and not faint, even when we are not answered for a long season.

The lesson, then, is this: wait on the Lord, and be of good courage, even when He is silent; yea, pray and cease not, for “they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength.” Be not discouraged, therefore, if thy prayers are not answered now, nor tomorrow, nor even next year. Continue watchful and steadfast in prayer, abounding in the work of the Lord. Abide in prayer, even when the Lord is silent; and in due time He shall renew thy strength, and perfect thy faith with patience and hope.

Calvin— “The Psalmist begins by declaring that he would betake himself to the help of God alone, which shows both his faith and his sincerity. Although men labor every where under a multitude of troubles, yet scarcely one in a hundred ever has recourse to God. Almost all having their consciences burdened with guilt, and having never experienced the power of divine grace which might lead them to betake themselves to it, either proudly gnaw the bit or fill the air with unavailing complaints, or, giving way to desperation, faint under their afflictions.”

Trapp— “Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock — That thou mayest grant me what I begged so earnestly of thee in the former psalm especially, Psalms 27:4 , “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek after,” … For this psalm is of the same subject with that; and seemeth to have been made much about the same time, viz. after that David had twice spared Saul’s life, 1 Samuel 24:4-6 , …; 1 Samuel 26:12 ; 1 Samuel 26:21 . Only here he expresseth himself, not as if he had been a private person, and in daily danger of his life; but as destined and designed to the kingdom by Almighty God, to whom, therefore, he prayeth for himself and the people, and against their implacable enemies, with so great confidence, as that he presently praiseth him for his request obtained, Psalms 28:6 .

 

Be not silent to me — Cease not, as deaf, from me. If God seem to be deaf to us, we must cry the louder; that, having prepared our hearts by such a seeming silence, he may cause his ears to hear, Psalms 10:17 , which he will not fail to do when once we set up our note, and make bitter moan.”

Henry— “He prays that God would graciously hear and answer him, now that, in his distress, he called upon him, Psalms 28:1,2. Observe his faith in prayer: O Lord, my rock, denoting his belief in God’s power (he is a rock) and his dependence upon that power–“He is my rock, on whom I build my hope.” Observe his fervency in prayer: “To thee will I cry, as one in earnest, being ready to sink, unless thou come in with seasonable succour.” And observe how solicitous he is to obtain an answer: “Be not silent to me, as one angry at my prayers, Psalms 80:4. Lord, speak to me, answer me with good words and comfortable words (Zechariah 1:13); though the thing I pray for has not been given me, yet let God speak to me joy and gladness, and make me to hear them. Lord, speak for me, in answer to my prayers, plead my cause, command deliverances for me, and thus hear and answer the voice of my supplications.”

 

Opening Prayer.
—Our gracious and merciful Father, Lord of heaven and earth, sovereign Governor over all that thou hast made, look upon thy people and have mercy upon us, for sin and misery clings to us by reason of the fall. We have been redeemed from sin and brought into an estate of peace and joy through Jesus Christ, and our aim and desire is ever to please thee in all things by the grace of the Spirit. Work thy Spirit in us, O Lord, and cause us to rejoice in thee by the mighty operation of thy word, which is sharper than any two edged sword and pierces even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, neither is there any part of us that is not manifest in thy sight, but we are all naked and open unto thine eyes, O Lord who seest all things. Look not therefore upon our sins so as to condemn us, but purify us and wash us with the water of the word, that we may grow up as trees, planted by the water, bringing forth fruit in due season, with leaves evergreen and grant us hope to be established in the garden of the Lord. So purify us, so wash us, so establish us and perfect us that we might be acceptable in thy sight O Lord, our righteousness, through whom alone we are acceptable. Through Him who is mighty to save, full of loving kindness and words of peace to His people, our Mediator and Captain. 

Amen.

 

Lesson 79. [1.2.53.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Prophets. Jonah. The Prophet against the Opulence of Nineveh.

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—Obadiah, Jonah
All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.

Intro. Jonah.

Lessons from Jonah.

• The calling of God to preach the word is sometimes ordinary, sometimes extraordinary. Jonah. 1:1. Acts 8:26-27, 2 Tim. 4:2— “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”
  “The ordinary calling is that standing and settled ministry which God hath appointed in His Church for the gathering and perfecting of the saints. The extraordinary calling is that special sending forth of men by God, beyond the common course, unto particular persons, nations, or occasions, according to His sovereign pleasure.”

• God makes simple and plain the path of righteousness, but the way of sinners is hard. “He paid the fare thereof.” Jonah 1:2, Deut. 30:11-14— “For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.” Prov. 13:15— “Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.”

• Even while in the very commission of conscious sin, may the righteous boast in their God. Jonah 1:9 “I am an Hebrew and I fear the LORD.”
  Rom. 7:22-23— “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”
  Nevertheless, Let your life be ordered in such holy sobriety, sincerity, and true obedience, that when you confess the name of God before the heathen, before the world, or before any stranger unto the covenant, your confession may not rise up in judgment against you as a witness of your own hypocrisy, but may stand in visible agreement with your present manner of life. For to honour Him in word while contradicting Him in practice is no small blemish, but a grievous dishonour done unto His most holy and honorable name. Rather, let your walk be so governed by the word, that your profession may be adorned by your life, and that those who hear you speak of God may see that you speak as one who truly knows, fears, and obeys Him.
  WCF, XVII.3— “Nevertheless, they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins; and, for a time, continue therein: whereby they incur God’s displeasure, and grieve his Holy Spirit; come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts; have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded; hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.”

• Though the truth be plainly declared before men and the circumstances abound for proof of the righteous judgment of God, yet will the blind remain blind and the testimony of the righteous cannot overturn the impudence of fools. Jonah 1:13, John 3:19— “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Prov. 14:16— “A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.”
  —“Though the truth be never so openly or plainly declared before men, and though the providence of God so supply the matter with evident and indisputable signs and circumstances as might abundantly confirm the righteousness of His judgment, and the efficacy of His truth, yet those accursed men whom sin hath blinded will remain blind still; for blindness of heart is not cured by the abundance of evidence. The faithful testimony of the righteous, however clear, grave, and seasonable, cannot of itself break pride, silence contradiction, or overcome the impudence of fools, who, being wedded to their own darkened understanding, will sooner strive against manifest truth than humbly submit unto it in repentance. Thus the fault lieth not in the weakness of the testimony, nor in any obscurity of God’s means, but in the corruption and obstinacy of men, who seeing do not perceive, and hearing do not understand.”

• There are ordinary occasions of prayer, and extraordinary. Let each of us know what seasons we ought to pray, and especially when it is most appropriate. Jonah 2:1 “This text shows an extraordinary occasion of prayer. Jonah had doubtless known the profit of pious prayer before, according to the ordinary course of godliness; but now, being shut up under a singular and dreadful providence, he is driven unto God with a new and urgent necessity. Thus Scripture teaches that there are ordinary seasons of prayer, belonging to the daily life of faith, and also extraordinary seasons, wherein affliction, danger, or some special visitation of God calleth for more solemn and earnest seeking of His face.” Ordinary: Psalm 55:17— “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” Daniel 6:10— “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”
  Extraordinary: Psalm 50:15— “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” Recall the prayer of Hezekiah, Esther, the church for Paul.
  “To neglect daily prayer is sinful; but to neglect prayer when God hath set so many living witnesses round about a man—within by conscience, and without by providence, affliction, reproof, and manifest tokens of His displeasure—is exceeding sinful, yea, bordering upon a diabolical hardness of heart. For then a man doth not merely fail in his ordinary duty, but scorns the very call of mercy, tramples upon the appointed means of recovery, and, being warned to return, impudently refuses to seek the Lord. This is to despise God’s goodness in recalling, His wisdom in correcting, and His grace in opening the door of restoration to the penitent.”

• There is forgiveness and a renewed commission through repentance and prayer. Jonah 2. Psalm 130:3-4— “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” Ps. 51:12-13— “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation…Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.”

Conclusion.

Closing Prayer. 

Youtube Audio: https://youtu.be/e9sGRGonIXU