Worship service 06/14/26.
Greetings and call to worship.
—Greetings and good morning, saints and fellow laborers in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Blessings and peace be upon you through the wonderful and precious gift of the Spirit for the salvation and strengthening of the church. We are gathered once again on the Holy Sabbath to worship, praise, and bless God through our Lord Jesus Christ who is worthy of all glory, for who He is and what great things He hath done for us. He is holy. Psalm 145:17-21 says, “The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.” Truly may the righteous come boldly before the throne of grace, and worship the King who is faithful and holy. He has called us to draw near to Him in worship, let us therefore keep the commandment and worship with joy and gladness.
A Puritan minister writes, “May we not lawfully recreate ourselves upon the Sabbath-day, especially since the day is appointed to be a day of rest from our toiling labour in the week?
A. We may and ought to recreate our minds on the Sabbath-day in the worship of God, we being bound to call and make in this respect the Sabbath our delight. But we ought to forbear recreating our minds with carnal delight, either by words or deeds, which we may do on other days; and much more we ought to forbear recreating our bodies by sports and pastimes, even after the public exercise of God’s worship be over. “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.” –Isaiah 58:13,14.
Q. 6. Though masters and governors of families are bound themselves to rest upon the Sabbath-day, yet may they not command their children and servants to work, or permit them to play and take their recreation?
A. Indeed the commandment is principally directed to masters and governors of families, but withal so as it doth enjoin them to do what in them lieth to hinder their children and servants from the profanation of the day by servile working, or bodily recreations, and to put them upon the observation of this day of rest: “In it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maid-servant,” etc.
Q. 7. May not children or servants lawfully work or play upon the Sabbath-day, if they be commanded hereunto by their parents or masters?
A. Though it be the sin of the parents or masters to command their children or servants to work, or any other way to break the Sabbath, yet it is the duty of children and servants to disobey them, whatever temporal loss they sustain by it; they being bound to obey the God of heaven rather than any man upon earth.
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 [9]: 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 great joy and encouragement a Christian receives from the answer of prayer: how his heart is filled with gladness, and his lips break forth in praise, when God’s hand opens in blessing. And this we must always bear in mind: that God’s love and favour must be distinguished from the sensible apprehension of it. A Christian may be dearly loved of God, and yet not presently feel it to be so; and a hypocrite may be under His wrath, and yet imagine himself to be at peace with God. This shows us the necessity of prayer, and of walking in the ways of God evenly and devotedly, that our hearts may assure us before Him, as the apostle speaks.
We must also note, in this verse, that David identifies the cause of his joy. It is not of himself, nor from himself, nor from any sweet thing or succour belonging to this world; but his strength and his defence are of God. For we are bound by law and by covenant to make progress in the faith, and to press onward in holiness; yet we could do no such thing if God Himself were not our strength, causing us to walk in His ways.
As it is written, “Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.” And again, “LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.” And again, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” And again, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.”
Thus we are plainly taught two things: first, that we are to make progress in the faith; and second, that all our progress is God’s work in us. The duty is ours; but the strength is His. He commands the work, and then works the command. We are bidden to walk—but He must give us feet; we are bidden to run—but He must furnish the breath; we are bidden to fight—but He must gird the arm.
But we must also observe that inasmuch as we are burdened by temptations within, we are at the same time beset with many enemies without. The wicked of the world continually surround and encompass us, thinking, speaking, and acting as the children of this present evil age. Their hopes are worldly, their aspirations worldly, their labours and obligations worldly; yea, their every thought and imagination cometh short of the glory of God. Therefore they are called sinners.
For we must remember that the word commonly rendered “sin” in Scripture does not immediately signify only the malicious evildoer, the murderer, or the destroyer of his neighbour’s livelihood. The Greek word ἁμαρτία signifies a missing of the mark, a falling short of the appointed end—showing both the covenantal nature of the law, and the ease with which men are found guilty beneath it. The world reckons him no sinner whose arrow flies near the mark; but God counts every shot a miss that strikes not the centre. Men judge sin by what is gross and scandalous; God judges it by the perfect rule of His law. They fall short of His glory, and therefore stand condemned.
But let us return to the matter in hand. Since the men of this world, being sinners, do surround us, there is great need that God should be our strength, that we be not as they are; and our shield, that we be not destroyed by them. This recalls us to the former petition, where David saith, “Draw me not away with the wicked.” And rather than condemning them merely for open evil, as the world condemns, he goes deeper, saying, “mischief is in their hearts,” and praying that God would render them “according to the wickedness of their endeavours.” Here we are shown that the wrath of God hangs over the wicked while their sin is yet corrupt seed, before ever it ripens into the evil fruit of the outward act. Their hearts are full of malice; they devise harm; they labour in secret cruelty; therefore they shall be brought to a most bitter end.
So David confesses that God is his strength, because by the grace of God he makes progress in the faith; and he confesses also that God is his shield, because by His almighty hand and governing providence God protects and defends him from his enemies. Though they seek the life of his soul, and would gladly destroy him, God will not suffer them to prevail beyond His appointed measure. Thus may we also praise God with David, owning that the Lord is our strength within and our shield without.
Matthew Henry,
He encourages himself to hope in God for the perfecting of every thing that concerned him. Having given to God the glory of his grace (Psalms 28:6), he is humbly bold to take the comfort of it; Psalms 28:7. This is the method of attaining peace: let us begin with praise that is attainable. Let us first bless God and then bless ourselves. Observe, 1. His dependence upon God: “The Lord is my strength, to support me, and carry me on, through all my services and sufferings. He is my shield, to protect me from all the malicious designs of my enemies against me. I have chosen him to be so, I have always found him so, and I expect he will still be so.” 2. His experience of the benefits of that dependence: “My heart trusted in him, and in his power and promise; and it has not been in vain to do so, for I am helped, I have been often helped; not only God has given to me, in his due time, the help I trusted to him for, but my very trusting in him has helped me, in the mean time, and kept me from fainting.” Psalms 27:13. The very actings of faith are present aids to a dropping spirit, and often help it at a dead lift. 3. His improvement of this experience. (1.) He had the pleasure of it: Therefore my heart greatly rejoices. The joy of a believer is seated in the heart, while, in the laughter of the fool, the heart is sorrowful. It is great joy, joy unspeakable and full of glory. The heart that truly believes shall in due time greatly rejoice; it is joy and peace in believing that we are to expect. (2.) God shall have the praise of it: when my heart greatly rejoices, with my song will I praise him. This must we express our gratitude; it is the least we can do; and others will hereby be invited and encouraged to trust in him too.
Opening Prayer.
—Our Holy and righteous Father in heaven, Thou who art from everlasting and greatly to be praised. We thy people come to thee, freely confessing thy mercy and thy great love towards us, inasmuch as while we were yet sinners and unable to turn to thee, Christ died for us. And now, being reconciled to thee by His blood, work in us thy grace by the same power, through the operation and ministry of the word, that we might be clean and pure, that we might believe thee as thou art, worship thee as thou requirest and obey as thou hast commanded. Help us to fear thee, to hope in thee and to love thee, to build the temple of God which was fallen by sin and strive towards this ever necessary grace of Mortification, that we might be wholly thine. We ask in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, our wonderful and marvelous Captain and Governor.
Amen.
Lesson 88. [1.2.62.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Prophets. Haggai. The Prophet of Reformation.
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—Zephaniah, Haggai
All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.
Intro. Haggai 1.
William Secker, the nonesuch professor in his meridian splendor. (The singular actions of sanctified Christians)
11. Another principle that a believer walks by, is this: That all the time which God allows him—is but enough for the work which He allots him.
“Man that is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble.” Nature’s womb—sometimes proves nature’s tomb.
With many it is ebb water—before the tide is at the full. The lamps of their lives are extinguished—almost as soon as they are lighted. The sand of their hour-glass is run out—when they think it is but newly turned.
When men feel sickness arresting—then they fear death is approaching. But we begin to die—as soon as ever we began to live. Every man’s death-bell, hangs in his own steeple. Take him in his four elements, of earth, air, fire, and water. In the earth—he is as fleeting dust; in the air—he is as a disappearing vapor; in the water—he is as a breaking bubble; and in the fire—he is as consuming smoke. Many think not of living any holier—until they can live no longer; but one today is worth two tomorrows.
Reader, you know not how soon the sails of your life may be rolled up—or how near you are to your eternal haven; and if you have not Jesus as your pilot within you—you will suffer an eternal shipwreck!
Poor soul what will you do, if you begin to die naturally, before you begin to live spiritually! How will you be astonished, if the tabernacle of nature be taken down—before the temple of grace be raised up! What must you feel, if your paradise is laid waste, before the tree of life is set in it! How can you bear to give up the spirit, before you have received the Holy Spirit? Eternal will be your darkness—if the sun of your life sets within you, before the Sun of Righteousness shines upon you. Woe be to you—if your body is returned into the earth—before your soul is fit to be taken into Heaven. If the second birth has no place in you—the second death will assuredly have power over you.
Our life can be compared to a DAY. Infancy is the day dawn; youth is the sun rising; adulthood is the sun’s meridian; and old age is the setting sun. By the light of the day—the Lord helps us to do the work of the day. “O that you had known in this your day, the things that belong to your peace; but now they are hidden from your eyes!” O how just it is—that they should miss of Heaven at last, who never seek for Heaven until the last! How reasonable it is—that God should deny them His grace to repent—who abuse His grace to sin!
It is a maxim, that everything has a principle to return to its own source. The rivers which have their efflux from the sea—have their reflux to the sea. Out of the dust man was formed—and therefore into the dust man will be returned. Aged Reader! how much of your life is gone—and yet how little of God is known! How can you appear before God—if you are not found in God? Your being ancient in days—will be no plea for you before the Ancient of Days. If you have not Christ the hope of glory in you—you must have Christ the God of glory against you. If you do not partake of what Christ has done—you will be eternally undone!
O fresh picture of youth—how lovely will you appear, if hung up in Heaven’s palace! And will you spend your youthful life—in following youthful lusts? Do you not know that the blossom is as subject to be nipped—as the flower to be withered; and the spark to be extinguished—as the flame to be consumed? Veins full of youthful blood, may be emptied by an accident, as readily as those that are leakish with old age. As there are none too old for eternity—so there are none too young for mortality. In Golgotha, there are skulls of all sizes. Tell me—how will you live when you die—if you are dead while you live? Every step that your body takes, is towards the earth. Oh that every step your soul takes may be towards Heaven!
The vine which brings forth no grapes—shall be cut down as well as that which brings forth wild grapes. Oh how sad is it, to be taken out of the world—before we are taken off from the world! “Today if you hear His voice—do not harden your hearts.” We have but a day wherein we are called to repent—and therefore, should repent while it is called today. He is the deafest adder—who stops his ears to the voice of the sweetest charmer. The Lord has made a promise to late repentance—but He has not made a promise of late repentance. If the heart of man is not now thawed—it will be forever frozen.
A pardon is sometimes given to a thief at the gallows—but he who trusts to that, usually has a rope for his wages! “Do not boast of tomorrow; for you don’t know what a day may bring forth.” Man is such a blind creature, that he cannot unerringly see a day before him. O see the end of one day—before you glory in the beginning of another!
Many a man’s days deceive him—they pass away like a shadow by moonshine, which appears longest when the moon is lowest. You may not have half a day to live—when you think that you have not lived out half your days.
“The night is coming—wherein no man can work.” The grave is a bed to rest in—but not a shop to trade in. There is no setting up under ground, for those who have neglected their souls above ground.
When the soul takes her flight from her loving mate the body—they shall meet no more until the great day of retribution. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation!” Opportunities are for eternity—but not to eternity. Mercy’s clock does not strike at the sinners beck! Where the means of grace are greatest—there they are often the shortest. You may be unhappy all your days, for despising the happiness of these days.
That was a sad cry of one, “My life is done—but my work is undone.” “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.” Though the summer of life is but just opening—yet the winter of death is approaching. And how can you live in that winter, if there be no honey in your hive in this summer?
“Seek the Lord while He may be found—call upon Him while He is near!” Young person, the sufferings of eternal death are but the consequence of your willful contempt of eternal life. Methinks the worth of such a heavenly pearl as Christ—should sparkle in your eyes. Oh that you may walk in the light of that Sun—by the beams of which you may see your way to Heaven! No disease is more fatal—than that which stimulates you to reject the restoring medicine. What a sad thing it is—that such mines of grace should be opened, and not a penny of this treasure fall to your share! Come, I trust you are not gone so far in sin—as to be beyond all hope of returning. A returning prodigal—may yet meet with a welcome reception. The eternal Father is yet a tender Father. He delights to see a repenting prodigal; to hear a mourning Ephraim; and help a sinking Peter.
How much time has God bestowed upon man—before man has returned any of it to Him again? It is good to have an ark prepared, before that deluge comes, in which you may be overwhelmed. Remember that God can as easily turn you into dust—as He took you out of the dust. Delays are no more numerous, than they are dangerous. Before you can do good—you must be made good. For who would look for fresh water—from a drained river; or that sweet grapes should grow upon a withered vine?
For a man to make his soul’s concern his last concern; what is this—but as if a gardener should be putting in his plough—when he should be thrusting in his sickle!
Know, man, that there is but one Heaven! Miss that, and where will you take up your eternal lodging—but in Hell! A wicked man’s life expires like a tallow candle, leaving a foul odor behind it—but a gracious man’s life expires like a wax candle—which leaves a sweet perfume behind it.
Lessons from Haggai.
- The name of Haggai. “Festival”
a. To hold a festival is to celebrate a feast with joy. What joy when God’s temple lies in ruins?
b. The whole of the message of the book can be summed up in Matt. 6:33
“Seek ye first”
- The time of Haggai. Hag. 1:1 The prophet Haggai ministered to a people returned and restored to their promised land, exhorting them not to be sluggish or slack in their labor, but to rebuild the temple, which was fallen.
- The charge of Haggai. Hag. 1:1, 2:4
a. To the magistrate.
b. To the people.
c. To the priests.
- It is not necessary to say, but if our actions prove it, there is a word against us. Hag. 1:2, Ps. 14:1, Mal. 1:12-13
- All worldly enterprises must come after our duty before God, and must be qualified by His word. Hag. 1:2-6
a. Lawful occupations.
b. Lawful recreations.
c. Only the converted are blessed.
- All civil Reformation begins with the magistrate. Ecclesiastical with the public ministry. The personal with the mind. Hag. 1:7-15
- The Christian being called out of heathen darkness, and a life of idolatry in Babylon, is exhorted to build the temple of God. The Spirit of God within us works to abolish wickedness, and establish true religion in the mind, the will and the affections. Sound doctrine and pure worship. Hag. 1:4, 8, 14, Eph. 2:19-22
- The Christian is under daily exhortation to “consider.” Hag. 1:5, 7, 2:15, 2:18, 2 Cor. 13:5
a. Consider your ways in general.
b. Sins in particular.
c. Known duty, and known transgression.
Conclusion.
Closing Prayer.