Worship service 07/05/26.
Greetings and call to worship.
—Greetings and good morning, saints and fellow Christians. Blessings and peace be upon you through the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us that we might be united to Him in love. We are gathered together to worship His holy name on the Christian Sabbath inasmuch as He hath called us and commanded us to remember the day. Let us then, as many as are spiritually minded, so give ourselves wholly to Him to be ruled and governed by his Spirit for our profit and everlasting benefit. Ephesians 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love…” Inasmuch as He has chosen us in Him to be holy and without blame, let us keep the Sabbath day wholly, in token of our love to Him giving all attention and due reverence to the word which so richly nourishes our souls with wholesome doctrine.
A Puritan minister writes, “By way of preparation for the public exercises of God’s worship on
the Sabbath-day,we are–
1.To remember, before the day come, to keep it holy, so as to finish
our worldly business and employments on the week-days, and timely
to break off from them on the Saturday evening, and to take pains to
get our hearts in a readiness for the holy duties of the Sabbath.
- In the morning of the Sabbath, we must begin the day with God,
in holy meditation upon the works of God’s creation, and especially
upon the works of redemption, which were completed by Christ’s
resurrection upon this day; we must read the Scripture, and some
other good books, as we have time, for the better fitting us for our
more public and solemn worship; especially we must pray in secret,
and in our families, for God’s presence in his ordinances, and that
God would assist his ministers, who are his mouth to us, and ours to
him; and that he would assist us in a sincere and hearty performance
of public duties, that we may attain more knowledge, experience, and
mortification, further degrees of grace, and more communion with
God.
Prayer unto the public reading of the Holy Scripture:
Our holy and righteous Father,
full of glory, justice, mercy, and truth;
the covenant God who will by no means clear the guilty,
yet showeth mercy unto thousands that love thee and keep thy commandments:
We come before thee solemnly,
as those whom thou hast chosen in Christ,
redeemed by His precious blood,
called out of darkness,
and brought into the fellowship of the gospel
and the kingdom of thy Son.
We bow before thy throne in all reverence,
acknowledging the severity of thy law,
the holy requirements of the gospel,
and our own vileness and unworthiness
to draw near unto thee.
We confess, O Lord,
that apart from the obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ
we lie under thy wrath and curse,
without access to the covenant promises.
For we are guilty and polluted by nature,
unable of ourselves to repent, believe, or return unto thee.
Therefore we rest wholly upon thy free grace:
upon the Father’s electing love,
the Son’s righteousness for our justification,
and the Spirit’s work for our sanctification.
Pardon our iniquities,
cleanse us by the blood of Christ,
sanctify us by thy truth,
strengthen our faith,
subdue the lusts of the flesh,
and enable us to perform this holy service
in the strength which thou dost so freely supply.
And now, as we come to the reading of thy holy word,
grant a special blessing upon this portion of Scripture.
Make it effectual by thy Spirit
to build up thy Church,
and establish thy kingdom.
Open our hearts to receive the word with meekness;
give us eyes to see and ears to hear;
and cause us to live by it,
that we may grow up into Christ in all things—
Our Prophet, Priest, and King.
All this we ask in His most worthy name,
Amen.
Devotional and doctrinal exposition on the Psalms:
Psalm 28 [12]: 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 nature and object of the Christian’s joy, and the cause of his rejoicing, which is spiritual and not carnal. For all the things in which we are called to delight in according to holy scripture are those that flow from God’s Spirit in salvation; namely, union with Christ, reconciliation with God, and the blessed virtues which are agreeable to His holy nature. And seeing that these are ours by grace and by promise, we shall not and cannot lose them, even when we are deprived of the things of this world.
While the rest of the common race of men groan, complain, and vocally object to the ways of God, the Christian’s spirit is made docile and quiet under his burdens, though they be heavy. Therefore it is necessary for the LORD to be our strength and shield, and for us to boldly exclaim the same with confidence and joy, fully expecting Him to be so, and to act as such towards us. Let us therefore put on righteousness and walk in uprightness, that we give Him no cause rather to chastise us.
We come then to the final verse of the Psalm, the conclusion and finale of the whole, which is a prayer of blessing upon the church of God in general. For we must not only pray for our own concerns, but for others also, inasmuch as God hears the prayers of His people, especially when they are agreed. Therefore believers are encouraged to pray for others, that the church might be delivered from her enemies, that we might be lifted out of our troubles, comforted in our afflictions, and saved by the mighty hand of the LORD. So David concludes fittingly with a prayer of salvation.
Now, we must bear in mind that, according to Hebrew poetry, each line runs parallel with another, so that either a direct relation or contrast is set forth. We see an antithetical parallel in Proverbs 11:5, where it says,
“The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way:
but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.”
Here, the righteousness of the perfect is set in contrast to the loose and free-spirited manner in which the wicked live, either interpreting Scripture as they please, or living as they please. The wicked are not coerced by an external forced, but deceived and that by their own lusts. But the righteous are ruled and governed by God’s Word and Spirit, and therefore are directed in that way constantly and securely. So the contrast works, the principle operates, and the Scripture is shown to be true and faithful, reliable and worthy of trust.
We see an agreeable parallel in Psalm 19:1, where it says,
“The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”
The repetition supplies the original statement with added strength, and augments the doctrine with added testimony. This is one of the most common and remarkable methods of poetry in the Old Testament Scriptures, and this is what we have in the final verse of Psalm 28.
David is pronouncing a blessing upon the people of God. But what is blessing? The Scripture provides the answer. Blessing is salvation. For the LORD does not bless a people apart from His great work of redemption, nor outside the covenant of grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. He does not bless the wicked; He does not bless the workers of iniquity. His blessing is upon His church, which He Himself hath saved from darkness, and raised up to be sons, friends, kings, priests, and a holy people unto Himself, cleansing and washing them by the Word. This is the blessing: that a people are saved from wrath and made inheritors of everlasting life.
But he prays in the next part of the verse for them to be fed and exalted. Inasmuch as we read the same in the Proverbs,
“Exalt her, and she shall promote thee:
she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.”
Who is that which brings exaltation with her? We see the answer in the previous verse:
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom:
and with all thy getting get understanding.”
Solomon learned from David his father that to be fed with godly wisdom is the true and only path to exaltation. Through humility we seek after wisdom from above; for no man seeketh heavenly wisdom who is not first cast down in himself, and made to see the abominable and destitute nature of all human and fleshly wisdom. As Calvin writes,
“It is perfectly clear that the gifts we possess are not from ourselves; indeed, even our very being is nothing other than subsistence in the one God. Then, from these blessings, which trickle down to us from heaven as from little streams, we are led back to the fountainhead. Moreover, from our weakness, it becomes clearer to us how infinite is the abundance of good things that resides in God. Above all, this miserable ruin into which the fall of the first man has plunged us compels us to lift our eyes upward—not only that, famished and empty, we may seek in God what we lack, but also, struck with fear, we may learn humility.
For within man there is found, as it were, a world of miseries; and our shameful nakedness, exposed by the stripping away of the divine adornment with which we were clothed, uncovers an immense heap of reproaches. Each person, being conscious of their own unhappiness, is necessarily pricked to some sense of God. Thus, by the awareness of our ignorance, vanity, poverty, weakness, perversity, and corruption, we recognize that the true light of wisdom, solid virtue, the complete abundance of every good thing, and the purity of righteousness, are all found in the Lord alone. Indeed, it is by our own evils that we are roused to consider the blessings of God, nor can we sincerely aspire to Him until we have begun to be displeased with ourselves.”
Thus, seeing ourselves to be utterly deprived of all wisdom, we seek that gift the rather in God, and are fed by Him, and supplied with what we lack by His ministers, as it is written,
“And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
Thus we see that the exaltation which is the prophet’s prayer for the people of God cometh not by themselves, nor by their own efforts, but by the wisdom of God, which cometh by feeding on the Word of God, and meditating upon it to their blessing and salvation. So that these are all related, the one to the other.
We cannot be blessed unless we are saved; that is, God’s favour cannot rest upon us unless we are brought from the darkness of ignorance to the light of the knowledge of the Son of God by His Spirit. Moreover, we cannot be exalted unless we be fed with that holy wisdom from above, which God giveth His people by the Word and through the ordinary ministry. And thus, being blessed with divine wisdom, we are exalted and promoted in the kingdom of God.
The way to exaltation in the world is ambition and pride; but the way to true exaltation and favour with God is humility, and seeking hard after truth in His Word. So, then, if we would be counted among God’s saints, our desires and affections must be one with David’s and Solomon’s here in the Psalms and Proverbs. We must desire the salvation of those in the church, and pray earnestly for it; and we must pray for God’s blessing and exaltation through the proper and ordinary means of grace. This is a fitting conclusion to the Psalm, and worthy of our study and diligent obedience.
Opening Prayer.
—Our gracious and glorious Father in heaven, thou who art most holy and wonderful beyond all comprehension in counsel, might and deed, thou who dost so freely provide for thy people who call upon thee in all things, we come before thee in all humility and pray that thou wouldst continue thy loving care over us and that thou wouldst take care of us, for we cannot provide for or take care of ourselves by our own strength. It is of thee we have and of thee that we live. Continue to provide for us our living even as thou hast, for we wait on thee. Not for the things of this life only, but especially the true riches, thy word and the grace to understand the truth and obey it. Grant us such a heart to love thee that we might not be ashamed on the last day and guide us in the way we should walk, that we might be pleasing to thee, obedient children, zealous for good works in love to thy name. Grant it to us only in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in whose mighty and blessed name we pray.
Amen.
Lesson 90. [1.2.64.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Prophets. Zechariah.
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.
John Calvin— “We here learn what we have already stated, — that Haggai and Zechariah were by God joined together, that they might confirm each other’s doctrine, for they had to do with a refractory people: besides, the people had to endure hard and arduous trials, so that they needed more than a common testimony to confirm them. Haggai commenced the work of his office in the sixth month; Zechariah shortly followed him, in the eighth month of the same year. It has already been shown who was the Darius mentioned here; though some interpreters dissent, we may yet learn from certain and indubitable proofs, that he was the son of Hystaspes. We shall again speak of this Darius, when a better occasion will offer itself: I wished only in passing to say thus much.
The word of Jehovah came to Zechariah. We have already said that the word of God comes in two ways to men. God addresses all from the least to the greatest; but in the first place he sends his word especially to his Prophets, to whom he commits the office of teaching. The word of God thus comes to private individuals, and it comes also to teachers, who sustain a public character, and become God’s interpreters or messengers. It was thus that God’s word came to Zechariah, not that he might keep to himself what God had said, but that he might be a faithful dispenser of his truth.”
V2— “The Prophet here refers to the severity of the punishment with which the Jews had been visited, in order that posterity might know that God, who so rigidly punishes the despisers of his word and instruction, ought not to be provoked. For by saying that God was angry with anger, he means, that God was in no common measure offended with the Jews, and that the very grievousness of their punishment was a clear evidence how displeased God was with them. But the object of the Prophet was to rouse the Jews, that they might begin seriously to fear God on seeing how dreadful is his wrath. The Apostle states it as a general truth, that it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, (Hebrews 10:30:) so also the Scripture speaks everywhere. But Zechariah mentions here to his own people a signal evidence of God’s wrath, which ought to justly to have smitten all of them with terror. He does not then speak here of a thing unknown, but reminds them seriously to consider how terrible is God’s vengeance; as a proof of this, their fathers had been deprived of their perpetual inheritance, they had suffered many degradations, and had also been harassed and oppressed by tyrants; in short, they had been nearly sunk in the lowest depths. Since then God has so severely dealt with their fathers, the Prophet bids them to know that God ought to be feared, lest they should grow wanton or indulge themselves in their usual manner, but that they might from the heart repent, and not designedly provoke God’s wrath, of which their fathers had so severe an experience.”
V3— “The Prophet now expresses more clearly for what purpose he had spoken of God’s vengeance, with which he had visited his chosen people, even that their posterity might take heed to themselves; for the common proverb, “Fools by adversity become wise,” ought in this case to have been verified. For where there is really a teachable spirit, men become instantly attentive to what God says: but even when they are sluggish and slothful, it is a wonder, that when they are smitten, the strokes which they feel do not shake off at least in some degree their torpor. Hence the Prophet, after having spoken of the punishments which God had inflicted, exhorts the Jews to repentance.
It ought however to be observed, that our Prophet not only speaks of repentance, but shows also its true character, that the Jews might not seek carelessly to please God, as is commonly the case, but that they might sincerely repent; for he says, return ye to me, and I will return to you. And this was not said without reason, when we consider in what sort of delusions the Jews indulged themselves immediately after their return. We have seen that they became devoted to their private concerns, while the temple remained desolate; and we also know what sacred history relates, that they married heathen women, and also that many corruptions prevailed among them, so that religion almost disappeared. They indeed retained the name of God, but their impiety showed itself by clear signs. It is then no wonder that the Prophet sharply stimulates them to repentance.
Hence we are said then to pacify God when real grief wounds us, and we thus really turn to God, without dissimulation or falsehood. Now the experience of God’s wrath ought to lead us to this; for extremely heedless are they who, having found God to be a Judge, do carelessly disregard his wrath, which ought to have filled their hearts with fear. “Let no one deceive you with vain words,” says Paul, “for on account of these things comes the wrath of God on the children of unbelief,” or on all the unbelieving. (Ephesians 5:6.) Paul bids us to consider all the evidences which God gives of his wrath in the world, that they may instruct us as to the fear of God; how much more then should domestic examples be noticed by us? For the Prophet speaks not here of foreign nations; but says, angry has God been with anger against your fathers. Since, then, it appeared evident that God had not spared even his chosen people, they ought, unless they were in the extreme refractory, to have carefully continued in obedience to the law. Hence the Prophet here condemns their tardiness, inasmuch as they had made so little progress under the chastisements of God.
We thus see that no excuse can be brought before God, if we do not make a right use of all the punishments by which he designs to recover us from our sins. We have referred to that general truth announced by Paul, that God’s judgment, executed on the unbelieving, ought to be feared; it hence follows that our insensibility is extreme, if we are not thoroughly moved when God teaches us by our own experience, or at least when he sets domestic examples before us, as when he punishes our fathers and others connected with us; for this mode of teaching comes much nearer to us.
In short, the Prophet means, that though they had returned from exile, they could not expect a permanent state of safety, except they turned from the heart to him; for if they imitated their fathers, God had in readiness far severer scourges to chastise them; and they might also be again driven into exile. he then briefly reminds them, that if they wished to enjoy the incomparable kindness with which God had favored them, it was necessary for them seriously to return to him. Though, then God had already in part returned to them, that is, he had really proved that he was pacified and propitious to them, yet he had begun by many evidences to show that he was again offended with them; for their fruit had either withered through heat, or had been smitten by hail, as we have found elsewhere; (Haggai 2:17;) so that they had already labored for several years under want and other evils. God then had not so blessed them, that they could in every way recognize his paternal favor. This is the reason why the Prophet says, I will return to you when ye return to me.
We now perceive the meaning of the Prophet to be, that though God had delivered his people, they ought yet to have feared lest his wrath should suddenly burn against the ungrateful and the wicked, and that being not in full favor, they ought also to have known that God was still offended with them. So the Prophet shortly reminded them, that it was no wonder that God treated them with no great kindness, for they allowed no place for his favor, but provoked his wrath, like their fathers, inasmuch as they did not from the heart repent.
The Papists allege this passage in defense of free-will; but it is a most puerile sophistry. They say that the turning of God to men is the same as their turning to him, as though God promised the grace of his Spirit as a help, when men anticipate him. They imagine then that free-will precedes, and then that the help of the Spirit follows. But this is very gross and absurd. The Prophet indeed means that God would return to the Jews; for he shows that God would in every respect be a father to them, when they showed themselves to be dutiful and respectful children. We must therefore remember that God does not here promise the aid of his Spirit to assist free-will, and to help the efforts of man, as these foolish and senseless teachers imagine, but that he promises to return to the Jews to bless them. Hence the return of God here is nothing else than the prosperity which they desired; as though he had said — “Fear me from the heart, and ye shall not labor under hunger and thirst; for I shall satisfy you, as neither your fields nor your vines shall hereafter disappoint your hopes. Ye shall find me most bountiful, when ye deal with me in a faithful manner.” This is the meaning.
We must further bear in mind, that, according to the common usage of Scripture, whenever God exhorts us to repentance, he does not regard what our capacity is, but demands what is justly his right. Hence the Papists adopt what is absurd when they deduce the power of free-will from the command or exhortation to repent: God, they say, would not have commanded what is not in our power to do. It is a foolish and most puerile mode of reasoning; for if everything which God requires were in our power, the grace of the Holy Spirit would be superfluous; it would not only be as they say a waiting-mind, but it would be wholly unnecessary; but if men need the aid of the Spirit, it follows that they cannot do what God requires of them. But it seems strange that God should bid men to do more than what they can. It seems so indeed, I allow, when we form our judgment according to the common perception of the flesh; but when we understand these truths — that the law works wrath — that it increases sin — that it was given that transgression might be made more evident, then the false notion — that God requires nothing but what men can perform, comes to nothing. But it is enough for us to know, that God in exhorting us to repentance requires nothing but what nature dictates ought to be done by us. Since it is so, however short we are in the performance, it is not right to charge God with too much strictness, that he demands what is beyond our power.
The frequent repetition of God’s name by the Prophet is emphatical; it was done, that what he taught might more sharply goad the hearts of the people. Had he simply said, that he had a commission from above to remind the people of the punishments which their fathers had endured, and also to call them to repentance, this mode of teaching would not have so penetrated into their hearts, as when the name of God is so often brought before them — Thou shalt say, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Return to me, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will return to you, saith Jehovah of hosts. It surely behoved the Jews, when they heard God’s name pronounced three times, to awake and to consider with whom they had to do.
It is at the same time evident, that the Prophet adopted a mode of speaking then in use: and we know that the language of the Jews underwent a change after their Babylonian exile. It lost that clearness and elegance which it possessed before: as it clearly appears from the style of those who wrote after the exile. I allow also that previously the Prophets exhibited not the same degree of eloquence; for Isaiah differs greatly from Jeremiah and from Amos. It is yet quite evident from the writings of the last Prophets, that the language had become somewhat muddy after the return of the people from exile.”
Lessons from Zechariah.
- The name Zechariah. “The LORD Remembers”
a. The LORD remembers Mercy.
Psalm 25:6 : “Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.”
Psalm 98:3: “He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”
Habakkuk 3:2: “O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.”
Luke 1:54: “He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;”
Luke 1:72: “To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;”
b. The LORD remembers His Covenant.
Gen. 9:15-16: “And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant…”
Ex. 2:24: “And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.”
Lev. 26:40-42: “If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.”
c. The LORD remembers His promises.
Neh. 1:8-9: ““Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them… yet will I gather them from thence…”
Mic. 7:20: ““Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.”
d. The LORD remembers His people in their afflictions.
Ex. 3:7: “And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry…”
Ps. 136:23: “Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:”
e. The LORD remembers the prayers of His saints.
1 Sam. 1:19: “And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD… and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.”
2 Kings 20:1-7: “In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake. And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.”
f. The LORD remembers the tears of His saints.
Psalm 56:8: “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?”
g. The LORD remembers the good works of His saints.
Heb. 6:10: “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name…”
Mark 14:3-10: “And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.”
h. The LORD remembers sins outside of Christ.
Hos. 7:2: “And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face.”
Hos. 8:13: “Now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins…”
Jer. 14:10: “Therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.”
- The call to repentance and visions of Zechariah. Zechariah 1-7
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–“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:
Micah 7:18-19,
• 1 Cor. 11:23-32 “This is my body.
Prayer.
Benediction.