Worship service 07/19/26.
Greetings and call to worship.
—Greetings and good mornings saints and fellow Christians, the called and sanctified of the Lord. Blessings and mercy be multiplied unto you through the love of God and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ poured out abundantly on us by the Spirit. We are gathered once again to worship the Lord in the sanctuary, and to bless His name on His holy Sabbath as He hath commanded us so to do in His word. Let us come before Him with gladness and adoration.
Colossians 1:9-10 says, “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” As we come to worship God in the holy sanctuary, let us pray for His blessing upon us, that we would be increased in grace and filled with all wisdom and spiritual understanding, enabled to perform every good work with joyfulness.
A Puritan Minister writes,
The sins of omission forbidden in the fourth commandment are–
- The omission of the duties of the Sabbath themselves, such as
neglecting works of necessity and mercy, when called to them; but
especially neglecting the public or private exercise of God’s worship,
and that either in whole or in part; when we forsake the assemblies
of God’s people, or omit worshipping God in our families, or praying
and seeking God in secret upon this day.
- The omission of the careful performance of the duties of the
Sabbath, when we are hypocritical, dull, dead, full of distractions,
weariness, unwatchful, sleepy, and attend upon ordinances without
any heart and life, and the Sabbath-day is the most burdensome of
all other days of the week unto us. “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias
prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their
mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from
me.” –Matthew 15:7,8. “Saying, When will the new moon be gone,
that we may sell corn? and the Sabbath, that we may set forth
wheat?” –Amos 8:5. “Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it!
and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that
which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an
offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord.” —
Malachi 1:13.
Prayer unto the public reading of the Holy Scripture:
Our holy and righteous Father,
full of all glory, justice, mercy, and truth;
Our faithful and righteous God who will by no means clear the guilty,
yet thou showeth mercy unto thousands that love thee and keep thy commandments:
We come before thee in all holy reverence,
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 dear Son.
We bow before thee in true humility,
acknowledging the severity of thy law,
the holy requirements of the gospel,
and our own vileness and unworthiness
to draw so near unto thee.
We confess, O Lord,
that apart from the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ
we lie under thy wrath and curse,
without hope, and without access to the covenant promises.
For we are guilty and polluted by sin,
unable of ourselves to repent, believe, or return unto thee.
Therefore we rest wholly upon thee for grace and mercy:
upon the Father’s electing love,
the Son’s obedience for acceptance with thee,
and the Spirit’s work to make us meet for thy service.
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 by thine own grace to live by it,
that we may be built up a holy temple in the Lord—even through Jesus Christ.
Our Captain, Governor, and Deliverer,
Our Prophet, Priest, and King. The Author and Finisher of our faith.
In His most worthy name we pray,
Amen.
Devotional and doctrinal exposition on the Psalms:
Psalm 29 [2] : 1 The Prophet exhorteth the princes and rulers of the world (which for the most part think there is no God.) 3 At the least to fear him for the thunders and tempests, for fear whereof all creatures tremble. 11 And though thereby God threateneth sinners, yet he is always merciful to his, and moveth them thereby to praise his Name.
A Psalm of David.
1 Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
2 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory maketh it to thunder: the Lord is upon the great waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is mighty; the voice of the Lord is glorious.
5 The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He maketh them also to leap like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
7 The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord maketh the wilderness to tremble; the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
10 The Lord sitteth upon the floods; yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever.
11 The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.
Exposition:
—We have seen before the symmetry and beauty of the Psalms, and the manner in which they agree perfectly and uniformly in theme and principle. And this is the great labour and duty of the Christian: to seek out the wisdom of God in His Word, and to search for the truth therein as for hidden treasures. As the proverb saith, “If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.” And again, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.” And again, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”
Therefore, we shall be greatly rewarded in this endeavour if we perform it with diligence and grace: even to study the Word of God, and to bring together those sacred lines of Scripture which show forth the doctrine of salvation unto our everlasting encouragement; as we have recently done here in Psalms 26–29, pertaining to the doctrine of the means of grace and the Christian’s attitude towards worship.
Now we come to the Psalm itself, which begins with a mighty and bold exhortation to the great and noble of the world. Not so great as to be highly esteemed in the eyes of God, nor so noble as to escape His judgement; but great in the eyes of men by reason of that high estate given unto them by the providence of God, and noble according to that high office which was ordained by God to evoke fear and reverence, to reward those who do well, and punish evildoers. But here the Psalmist doth not dwell upon their nobility and majesty, as the world doth, nor doth he blaspheme them in their rightful office as the lawless. He calleth them here “mighty,” but not before reminding them of their own duty of humility.
In other places they are called “princes,” “kings,” and even “gods,” by reason of their exercise of dominion, which bears some faint resemblance to the divine dominion and represents, however imperfectly, the authority of God Himself. But here, rather than flattery, they receive a warning; and rather than praise, they receive a reminder to give all due praise and honor to Another. For the prophet here declareth that God alone is worthy of honour, majesty, and glory; and whatsoever of these they receive are but temporal gifts, not to be abused unto tyranny or atheism.
Now we know that the greater part of public magistrates do indeed abuse their power, and are numbered among the wicked of the world. Even those who were instrumental in the furtherance of true religion were not thereby free from grievous wickedness. Henry VIII was notable for cutting England off from Rome, yet notorious also for cutting off the heads of his wives. Yet Henry was shortly followed by Edward and Elizabeth, who helped to establish the Protestant religion in England, and supported the cause of the faith with zeal against the Papists.
Therefore, we are not to suppose that God may not or cannot raise up godly magistrates to support and maintain true religion; but we are ever to sing this Psalm, and to call them unto the worship and praise of the LORD, who is ever above them, who judgeth them, and who will call every one of their deeds into account. They are not to be proud, imagining themselves secure, or supposing that they, their children, and their successors shall continue for ever; especially in the secret and shadowed places of the world, where wealthy cabalists plot how to build vast empires of riches which, as they imagine, shall never fall. Rather, they must humble themselves before the LORD, who may yet bring enemies against them to destroy them, or overthrow them Himself at His great and terrible coming.
And then what shall all the riches which they have accumulated answer for them? They shall profit them nothing. All is vain. All is of this world. But give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name. He is worthy of the praise. It is within His power to raise up men and to bring them down.
And that such secret tyrants now reign over the highest of men—tyrants who cannot easily be reached or brought unto public hearing, who rule by globalistic alliances, big business, economic manipulation, banking fraud, inflation, and the falsehoods disseminated through the public press, film, and media—is a sign of severe judgement upon the people. Do we see men everywhere casting off their idols and turning unto God in repentance? Do we not rather see the contrary? Do we not see the rise of Catholicism and evangelical ecumenism? Then we see plainly that such a people have fattened themselves for such a slaughter and made themselves ripe for judgement; and it is good for us to sit in silence, and to wait for the salvation of God. Man hath digged himself a pit and climbed into it, and he cannot deliver himself from it.
Therefore, inasmuch as we are to boldly exhort kings and magistrates to fear the LORD and glorify Him as He is worthy, so also we are to take note of those magistrates who have so set themselves against the glory of God as to be unworthy of prayer of their success and preservation, and when we know that the wicked are in power, and reign, we must pray against their kingdom, and for God to cast them down and destroy them, in this life, or in the next.
Calvin— “David only intended to humble the princes of this world, who, being intoxicated with pride, lift up their horns against God. This, accordingly, is the reason why he introduces God, with a terrific voice, subduing by thunders, hail-storms, tempests, and lightnings, these stubborn and stiff-necked giants, who, if they are not struck with fear, refuse to stand in awe of any power in heaven. We see, therefore, why, passing by others, he directs his discourse particularly to the sons of the mighty. The reason is, because there is nothing more common with them than to abuse their lofty station by impious deeds, while they madly arrogate to themselves every divine prerogative. At least that they may modestly submit themselves to God, and, mindful of their frailty, place their dependence upon his grace, it is necessary, as it were, to compel them by force. David, therefore, commands them to give strength unto Jehovah, because, deluded by their treacherous imaginations, they think that the power which they possess is supplied to them from some other quarter than from heaven. In short, he exhorts them to lay aside their haughtiness, and their false opinion about their own strength, and to glorify God as he deserves.”
Dickson— “David exhorteth princes and great men to humble themselves before God, and to worship Him (as He hath commanded) in His public ordinances, ver. 1, 2.
First, because He is infinitely higher than they, and more terrible to all men than they can be to their subjects or inferiors, as the uttering of His majesty and power by thunder doth make evident, ver. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
Secondly, because He offereth the means of saving knowledge, even all His ordinances, whereby men may heartily glorify Him in their assemblies, ver. 9.
Thirdly, because He is the everlasting King and Ruler over all creatures, ver. 10.
And fourthly, because such as do humbly submit themselves unto Him, and worship Him as His people should do, shall be furnished with abilities for every good work, and shall be abundantly blessed.
**Vers. 1.** *Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength.*
**2.** *Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His Name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.*
He directeth his speech and exhortation unto the potentates of the earth, that they may humble themselves before God, and give Him the glory of all power, authority, and excellency above themselves and above all other creatures.
Hence learn,
- Of all men, princes should be most careful to glorify God; and yet it is most rare to see them humble themselves before Him. For natural corruption is as strong in them as in others. Their education breedeth in them high and stately thoughts of themselves; their riches and power puff them up; and flatterers, ordinarily attending them, make them forget both themselves and God. Therefore are they here thrice exhorted to give glory unto God.
- It is most necessary that potentates humble themselves before God, and be particularly dealt with to that purpose, because their example and authority move many, at least outwardly, either to submit unto God or to stand out from His service. Therefore he speaketh unto them in their greatness: *Give glory unto God, O ye mighty.*
- As men are great in the world, so they are ready to think much of their own strength, of what their power is able to accomplish, and what honour is due unto them. But if they reckon aright, strength and glory belong unto God. And according as He is above them in power and excellency, so should He proportionably be magnified: *Give unto the Lord glory and strength; give unto the Lord the glory due unto His Name.*
- God will receive no glory from men except that which He hath prescribed in His own ordinances, delivered in His Word unto His Church: *Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;* that is, in His glorious sanctuary, the place of the public assembly. Beautiful indeed, not so much for timber or stone, as because there the holy and beautiful means of grace were dispensed unto men, and the worship of God, whereby His glory was manifested, was to be found.”
Opening Prayer.
—Our glorious and righteous Father in heaven,
who dwellest in unapproachable light,
thou who art full of the riches of divine wisdom
and lackest nothing, though thou givest freely unto all thy people:
Thou art not diminished by the blessed effusion of thy Spirit
for the benefit of our souls, even unto life everlasting.
Therefore may we come unto thee and ask freely,
even as thou hast promised in thy word, saying,
“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children:
how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
Therefore we come unto thee to ask for thy Spirit:
for wisdom to understand thy word,
and for grace to perform it unto thy glory.
Give us patience and confidence to hope in thy promises
until thou hast performed all that thou hast spoken.
For we know by faith
that thou art able to do exceeding abundantly
above all that we ask or think,
through our blessed and glorious Saviour, Jesus Christ,
in whose holy name we pray.
Amen.
Lesson 92. [1.2.66.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Prophets. Malachi. The Prophet Against Hypocrisy.
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—Zechariah. Malachi.
All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.
Intro.
On love for Christ.
a. Christ’s love for us is the ultimate cause, the creative power and the sustaining principle of our love to Him.
b. Love to Christ is seen in obedience to His word.
c. Not according to our own fancies but the received and orthodox authority of the church.
d. Confirmed by the testimony of scripture.
Read Malachi 1.
Lessons from Malachi.
- The LORD’s love is demonstrated in the distinction He makes between the elect and reprobate and the rich benefits He bestows on His own.
I loved Jacob — Trapp— And preordained him to a crown that never fadeth, as Paul expoundeth this text, Romans 9:13 , of election to eternal life, which is the sweetest and surest seal of God’s love. Let us secure our election, and so God’s special love to our souls, by those infallible marks, 2 Thessalonians 2:13 . First, belief of the truth, that articularity and propriety of assurance Secondly, sanctification of the Spirit, unto the obedience of truth. And as God loved Jacob’s person, so he loved his posterity, the Israelites, above all other people; not because they were more in number, or better in disposition, ex meliore luto, …; out of better clay, but “because the Lord loved you, therefore he set his love upon you, and chose you,” saith Moses, Deuteronomy 7:7-8: the ground of his love was wholly in himself; there being nothing in man, nothing out of God’s self, that can primarily move and incline the eternal, immutable, and omnipotent will of God. The true original and first motive of his love to his creature is the good pleasure of his will. See Ephesians 1:5 , where all the four causes of election are showed to be without us.
2 Pet. 1:2-11
a. Belief in the truth, without which all other works are void.
“Without faith it is impossible to please him.”
b. Christian humility.
• submission to God’s word
• due reverence to superiors
• peaceableness and patience to inferiors
• readiness to repent (when guilty)
• readiness to forgive (when offended)
c. True Holiness.
“Without which no man shall see the Lord.”
• sound understanding of the teaching of scripture
• true love and devotion for God
• walking in his ways blameless
- The LORD is glorified in the destruction of the wicked.
If sinners will not glorify Him in their vocation, He will glorify Himself upon them in their destruction.
Mal. 1:3-5
“A conclusion of the full answer to the first objection: therefore seeing that God doth not save them whom he freely chose according to his good will and pleasure, but by justifying and sanctifying them by his grace, his counsel in saving them cannot seem unjust. And again, there is not injustice in the everlasting counsel of God touching the destruction of them whom he listeth to destroy, for that he hardeneth before he destroyeth: Therefore the third answer for the maintenance of God’s justice is the everlasting counsel of reprobation, consisteth in this word Hardening: which notwithstanding he concealed in the former verse, because the History of Pharaoh was well known. But the force of the word is great: for Hardening, which is set against Mercy, presupposeth the same things that mercy did, to wit, a voluntary corruption, wherein the reprobate are hardened: and again corruption presupposeth a perfect state of creation. Moreover, this hardening also is voluntary, for God so hardeneth being offended with corruption, that he useth their own will whom he hardeneth, to the executing of that judgment. Then follow the fruits of Hardening, to wit, unbelief and sin, which are the true and proper causes of the condemnation of the reprobate. Why doth he then appoint to destruction? because he will: why doth he harden? because they are corrupt: why doth he condemn? because they are sinners. Where is then unrighteousness? Nay, if he should destroy all after this same sort, to whom should he do injury?” —GNV Footnotes on Rom. 9:18
- It is better to close the doors of the temple (church) than profane God’s name by unacceptable sacrifice. Mal. 1:6-10
a. God’s name is profaned by a blind sacrifice.
• ignorance of man’s condition
• ignorance of the way of salvation in Jesus Christ
• ignorance of the means of grace
• ignorance of the devil’s many weapons and strongholds
b. God’s name is profaned by a lame sacrifice.
• impotence in worship
• impotence in performance of known and unknown duties
• impotence in living up to the profession
• impotence in conviction (why halt ye between two opinions)
• impotence in full and complete obedience (selective)
c. God’s name is profaned by a diseased sacrifice.
• diseased motives corrupted by sin
• the love of the world
• the love of pleasure
• the love of the praise of man
• the love of the form without the substance
- The LORD’s curse is on all unacceptable sacrifices.
Mal. 1:14, Gal. 3:10, Gen. 4:4-5, Hag. 2:14, James 2:10-12
The works of an unregenerate man cannot please God, even when the outward matter is commanded, because they do not proceed from faith, are not performed according to the whole rule of the Word, and do not terminate in the glory of God.
Conclusion.
Closing Prayer.