Worship service 06/07/26.

Greetings and call to worship.
—Greetings and good morning, saints and fellow partakers in the cross of Jesus Christ. Grace, mercy and peace be with you and follow you always through the blessing of our Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit. We come before Him once again, on His holy Sabbath day to honor, worship and serve Him as we are bound so to do on this holy day. Other days are of a common sort, and we are permitted to perform common labors upon them, but the Sabbath is a holy day of the LORD God, and to Him we are bound, to keep His commandments and walk in His ways. Truly we are privileged to worship Him on this His holy day. Isaiah 58:13-14 says, “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” Let us then as many as are spiritually minded, turn away our feet from walking in our own way, our tongues from speaking our own words, and our hearts from doing our own pleasure, but let us honor the Lord, and then shall we be blessed with blessings indescribable, so much that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

A Puritan minister writes upon the question, “ How is the Sabbath to be sanctified? Ans. The Sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.

Q. 1. What is it to sanctify the Sabbath?

A. The Sabbath is sanctified by God, in his appointing it to be holy; and the Sabbath is sanctified by man, in his observing and keeping it as holy: “Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy.”

Q. 2. How are we to observe and keep the Sabbath as holy?

A. We are to observe and keep the Sabbath as holy, partly by a holy resting, partly in holy exercises on that day.

Q. 3. What are we to rest from on the Sabbath-day?

A. We are on the Sabbath-day to rest, not only from those things which are in themselves sinful, which we are bound to rest from on every day of the week; but also we are to rest from those worldly employments and recreations which on the other six days of the week are lawful, and our duty: “Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work,” etc.”

 

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 [8]: 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:
—We saw previously the destruction of the wicked on account of their blind disregard for the works of God, and the building up of the righteous by the operation of His own hands. For we must remember that we are by nature blind, and cannot see until He, with His own hand, writes His love in our hearts. In His light we see light, and by the lamp of His law we walk.

But the wicked regard Him not, fear Him not, think upon Him not, and give Him not the glory due unto His works. For all that they possess pertaining to sight, reason, intellect, and judgment cometh from above; yet, being corrupted from below, they spend their talents and waste their gifts like the prodigal, consuming the substance of their Lord in a far country. But he that taketh the King’s silver to spend on the devil’s wares, shall be paid in the devil’s wages. 

But note now the change of tune in the Psalmist’s song. David moves swiftly from praying against those who hearing, hear not, to praising God for hearing him! Here we ought not to think only upon the particular matter immediately preceding, but upon the general course of the Christian life. When the believer is about his duty before God with a cheerful and sincere heart—as David here, praying that he might not be drawn away with the wicked, either in their practice or in their punishment—he may, in the solemn act of prayer, be transported into the joyous act of praise. Being confident that God hath heard him in his sorrows, he blesses Him for the same with song.

And it is doubtless true that God fills His people’s spirits with joy, that they might fill His courts with praise. As with the flute or clarinet, He breathes His gracious Spirit into the soul, and the soul, made into a living tune by that breath, issues forth a song of thanksgiving. The instrument oweth its music, not to the reed, but to the hand and lips that play upon it.

Here note the remarkable confidence of David’s prayer. He does not say, “The LORD may hear,” nor merely, “The LORD will hear,” but, “The LORD hath heard.” That is, that whereas previously he was compassed about with temptation and fear, yet now David was firmly persuaded that he would not be as those who go down into the pit, nor be drawn away with the wicked. He had prayed that he might be given a heart to regard the works of the LORD; and in regarding them, he is gladdened with that superlative and immortal joy which is peculiar to the saints of God.

The wicked may offer many prayers, and may even receive many outward answers, as Hagar, Ahab, and both the sailors and the city in Jonah. They may be granted a certain kind of joy, and that joy may even be directed toward religious objects; yea, they may persuade themselves that they are friends of God. But the hypocrite’s joy is terminated when the object is taken away. Let God veil His face for a moment, and the wicked will veil his heart forever. 

But the righteous are not so. Though God smite them hard, and though the affliction be of long continuance, they pursue Him still, and will not let Him go without a blessing. As it is written, “Hide not thy face from me,” and here, “Be not silent to me.” If the wicked are afflicted and lose the object of their desire, they lose their joy with it, and the sun sets upon their spirit. They grow cold in religion, because they were warmed only by the furnace of this world. 

But the righteous are warmed by another fire. They delight themselves in the LORD, and therefore are confident in His grace, His love, and His favour. If He withdraw the appearance of His love, yet they will not withdraw the affection of their hearts. Faith hath eyes for darkness as well as for light; she walketh as confidently in the night of God’s hiding, as in the noonday of His smiling. She trusteth Him where she cannot trace Him; she followeth Him where she cannot see Him. When the house of God’s favor appears very much closed to us, hope waits at the door with a prayer. Affliction to the heart of the Christian is often like the bellows of a furnace, making it burn all the hotter.

David therefore, being inwardly reminded of the love of God, and tasting but a drop of His love and favor, breaks forth into praise and gladness, saying, “Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.” Thus may the righteous pray; thus may the righteous be heard when they persevere in prayer; and thus may the righteous rejoice when they know that their cry hath entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts.

David Dickson— “”The other part of the Psalm is that wherein he maketh use of the gracious answer given unto him: first, by honouring God for it; next, by strengthening his own faith through it; and thirdly, by strengthening the faith of others also.

Whence learn:

The believing supplicant shall not seek God in vain. In due time he shall find such fruit of his prayer as shall cause him to bless and praise God for His answer. For in the beginning of the Psalm he prayed, “Be not silent to me, O Lord; lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit;” but here he breaketh forth into thanksgiving, saying, “Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.”

Matthew Henry— “How soon are the saints’ sorrows turned into songs and their prayers into praises! It was in faith that David prayed (Psalms 28:2), Hear the voice of my supplications; and by the same faith he gives thanks (Psalms 28:6) that God has heard the voice of his supplications. Note, 1. Those that pray in faith may rejoice in hope. “He hath heard me (graciously accepted me) and I am as sure of a real answer as if I had it already.” 2. What we win by prayer we must wear by praise. Has God heard our supplications? Let us then bless his name.


Opening Prayer.
—Our holy and merciful Father in heaven,

Thou who hast called us with an holy calling and saved us from all our enemies, and sent Christ to be the true temple,

The sign and seal of thy indwelling presence among thy people—

We give thee exceeding glory and praise for the precious gift of thy Son, Jesus Christ,

our true King and Redeemer,

As it is written, “Because the Lord loved Israel forever, He made him king over them.”

Therefore, because thou hast loved thine elect with a great and everlasting love,

Thou hast set thy Son Jesus Christ over all the affairs of our life,

To govern and guide us according to thy truth,

And to lead us in the Holy and zealous apprehension of thy ordinances.

Thou hast fearfully and wonderfully created us in Him—

In holiness, righteousness, and love.

By thy word thou hast fashioned us anew, And made us new creatures,

Willing and ready to do thy will,

Active in good works, and zealous for thy name.

We give thee thanks, therefore, for all thy precious gifts:

For wisdom and understanding,

For faith and enlightenment,

For submission and obedience,

For purity and holiness, 

For zeal and upright affections.

For all these are thine, all Thanksgiving and praise is thine, 

And therefore do we give thee thanks, which is also thine, for making them ours through Jesus Christ, by the Spirit.

So continue, we pray, to lead us and sanctify us by thy grace, 

Even as we live to serve thee and to devote ourselves wholly unto thee.

Make us entirely thine by thy mighty grace, O Lord our God,

For the glory of thy name.

Amen.

 

Lesson 87. [1.2.61.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Prophets. Zephaniah. The Prophet of Meekness and Humility. Part 3.

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

Intro. Zephaniah 3.

Lessons from Zephaniah.

• I. The iniquity of the city declared. (v1-4)
  Inasmuch as a blessing is pronounced on the meek, a woe is upon those who oppress. They are called filthy and polluted. A picture of their soul. Zeph. 3:1— “Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!” Isaiah 1:21–23— “How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.”
  Ezekiel 22:2–4— “Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations. Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself. Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made…”

• Their filthiness is further seen by disobedience, stubbornness, unbelief, and turning away from God.
  Zeph. 3:2— “She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God.”
  Jeremiah 17:23— “But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.”
  Isa. 30:9-11— “this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.”
  Psalm 78:22— “Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:”
  Hosea 7:10— “And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him for all this.”

• The city of God was defiled by corruption in the magistracy and the ministry. Zeph. 3:3-4— “Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.”
  a. Magistrates are called to do justice. To punish the wicked and relieve the innocent. But they like wild animals tear at the flesh of their neighbor. They consume them that they may live in pleasure.
  b. Ministers are called to be revered and sober minded, but here her prophets are called light and treacherous. They are called to do violence to men’s sins, but here they do violence to the law. They pollute the sanctuary i. by slacking it, ii. by enforcing it with rigor. Secker— Alas how shall the blind see when the seers are blind?
  Matthew Henry— “They were to expound and apply the law, and to judge according to it; but, in their explications and applications of it, they did violence to the law; they corrupted the sense of it, and perverted it to the patronising of that which was directly contrary to it. By forced constructions, they made the law to speak what they pleased, to serve a turn, and so, in effect, made void the law.”John Calvin— “The word rendered “light,” is applied as a participle in Judges 9:4, to designate persons overflowing in wickedness, dissolute, licentious, dissipated; and as a noun in Jeremiah 23:32, to set forth the licentious conduct of the false prophets, who like the priests under the Papacy, were given to lasciviousness, and “committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives,” Jeremiah 29:23. See also Jeremiah 23:14. As Zephaniah was contemporary with Jeremiah, his description of the Prophets is thus seen to be the same, “Her Prophets are licentious,” or lascivious.”

• II. The Holiness of God set forth. (v5-8)
  The wicked bring shame on themselves, for the Lord is righteous and will do no iniquity. He searches the minds and hearts, and approves of all those who do His will. Zeph. 3:5— “The just Lord is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.”
  Deuteronomy 32:4— “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
  Psalm 11:7— “For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.”

• The LORD demonstrates His holy hatred of sin by judging the surrounding nations, yet Jerusalem continues, yea increases in her idolatry.
  Zeph. 3:6— “I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.”
  Amos 4:10–11—“I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt…I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah… yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.”

• The end of chastisement is correction, but the wicked will not learn. They rise early to practice rebellion. A great aggravation.
  Zeph. 3:7— “I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.”
  Jeremiah 5:3—“O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction…”
  Isaiah 1:5—“Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more…”

• The LORD is determined to destroy the wicked from the face of the earth. Let Jerusalem beware.
  Zeph. 3:8— “Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.”
  Psalm 37:38— “But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.”
  Jer. 9:25-26— “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised; Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart…”

• III. The Salvation of the LORD brought to light.
  The effect of the work of the LORD is obedience and consent to be ruled by Him. One Lord, one faith, one language. The language of free grace. Zeph. 3:9— “For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.”
  Romans 15:5–6— “That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

• The people of God called by his name, brought into fellowship with Him are known by their fruits. Holy confidence in God, abhorrence of pride, reliance on the word and the governance of God, holiness, gospel sincerity, peace and tranquility of spirit.
  Zeph. 3:11-13— “In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain. I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.”

• The end and consequence of salvation is joy.
  Zeph. 3:14-20— “Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.”
  a. Joy in this life.
  Psalm 126:1-3—“When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing…”
  Isaiah 12:1–3— “O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation… Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”
  b. The promise of everlasting joy in the next.
  Isaiah 35:10— “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads…”
  Revelation 7:15–17—“Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them… and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
  

 

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:

Zephaniah 3:11-20,
• 1 Cor. 11:23-32 “This is my body.

Prayer.

Benediction.

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