Worship service 07/26/26.
Greetings and call to worship.
—Greetings and good morning, saints and fellow Christians—those who fear the Lord and meditate on His name. Blessings and abundant mercy be bestowed on thee through the sacrifice and offering of the Lord Jesus Christ who loved us and washed us from sin with His own blood. Let us come before Him and worship Him with sincere delight, inasmuch as He hath loved us so richly and freely. Rev. 1:4-7 says,
“Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” Inasmuch as the last day, that great day, the day of judgment shall be woe, and lamentation and mourning for the greater part of the world, even for the rich and mighty and noble and they who are at ease, yet it shall be everlasting rejoicing for the people of God, let us therefore wait for that day in patience and in righteousness and holiness, purifying ourselves from every spot, even as He is pure. Let us worship Him on the Christian Sabbath, even the holy day of the Lord honorable, and offer ourselves in diligent service and devotion, He is worthy.
A Puritan minister writes,
The sins of commission forbidden in this fourth commandment are, the profaning the Sabbath-day–
1. By idleness, when we spend the day either in whole or in part idly, neither working in our callings, nor employing ourselves in the duties of God’s worship, but loiter away that precious time in our houses or the fields, either in vain and idle thoughts, or in vain and idle discourse, or the like.
2. By doing that which is in itself more grossly sinful; as if, instead of going to the house of God to worship, we should go to the tavern or ale-house, on the Sabbath-day, and be drunk, or go to a base house, or in any house to be wanton and unclean; or if, on the Sabbath-day, instead of hallowing and praising God’s name, and praying to him, we should swear by his name in our ordinary discourse, or take his name in vain; if, instead of worshipping God with his people, we should persecute God’s people for worshipping him, or rail at them or scoff and deride them, because of the holiness which is in them.
3. By unnecessary thoughts and contrivances about worldly affairs, unnecessary words and discourses about earthly employments, unnecessary works in our particular callings, or by carnal pleasures and recreations, which are lawful on other days; thus thinking our own thoughts, speaking our own words, doing our own works, and finding our own pleasure, are forbidden, Isaiah 58:13: “Not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words.”
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 [3] : 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 saw before the declaration of the Psalmist, and the authority of Scripture, to rebuke and exhort the kings and mighty of the earth to submit themselves unto God, and to give unto Him the glory and strength which are due unto Him. For another Psalm saith, “For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.” Therefore, “Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.”
For there is nothing more common than for men and rulers alike to attribute their success and perform their works unto themselves, and not unto God. It is therefore necessary that they should be reminded that God alone is to be praised, and that He is not rightly worshipped unless He be given that service, glory and praise which are due unto His name.
And this is what we have in verse 2, where the Psalmist saith, “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” To worship the LORD is to give unto Him the glory due unto His name; and to glorify Him is itself an act of service and worship. They do not worship God rightly, then, who arrogate unto themselves any glory, honour, or praise for that which belongeth unto God.
God created the world; therefore, for man vainly to imagine that the world existeth chiefly and finally for himself is to steal from God that which belongeth unto Him alone. Likewise, God alone is sovereign in the new creation and in the work of regeneration. Therefore, when men, vainly puffed up by their fleshly imagination and worldly wisdom, arrogate unto themselves the decisive power of the will in salvation, saying that man is sovereign in choosing, whilst God waiteth for him to respond—willing, wishing, and hoping, yet ineffectual to save—they deny unto God His right, and cannot, by such a doctrine, worship Him aright.
This doctrine stealeth from the glory of God, and giveth credit unto man for that which man is utterly unable to perform. Man’s nature is wholly corrupt, and he cannot perform any spiritual good acceptable unto God, nor fulfil that righteousness which is required by the law. God commandeth him, not because the command supposeth strength in him, but that he might be humbled under the knowledge of his inability, and seek salvation from the LORD alone.
As it is written, “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.” And again, “The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.” And again, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”
Let not man, therefore, arrogate unto himself the glory which is due unto God alone, but let him submit himself unto God in all things, giving unto Him due honour and praise, both for the first creation and for the new.
Martin Luther—”Now hereof spring all these mischiefs, that this cursed hypocrisy will not be justified by the divine blessing, nor formed by God the creator; it will not be merely passive matter, but will actively work those things which it should patiently suffer God to work in it and receive of him. Therefore it maketh itself a creator and a justifier through its own works, despising the blessing promised and given to Abraham and to his believing children; so that every hypocrite is both the matter and the worker (although this be against philosophy, for one and the selfsame thing cannot act upon itself): the matter, because he is a sinner; the worker, because he putteth on a cowl, or chooseth some other work, through the which he hopeth to deserve grace, and to save himself and others: therefore he is both the creature and the creator. No man therefore can express with words, how execrable and horrible it is to seek righteousness in the law by works, without the blessing. For it is the abomination standing in the holy place, which denieth God, and setteth up the creature in the place of the creator.”
John Calvin— “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. By the glory of God’s name, (ver. 2,) he means that which is worthy of his majesty, of which the great men of this world are wont to deprive him. The repetition, also, shows that they must be vehemently urged ere a proper acknowledgement be extorted from them. By the brightness of God’s sanctuary is to be understood, not heaven as some think, but the tabernacle of the covenant, adorned with the symbols of the divine glory, as is evident from the context. And the prophet designedly makes mention of this place, in which the true God had manifested himself, that all men, bidding adieu to superstition, should betake themselves to the pure worship of God. It would not be sufficient to worship any heavenly power, but the one and unchangeable God alone must be worshipped, which cannot come to pass until the world be reclaimed from all foolish inventions and services forged in the brains of men.
Trapp— “Or, in his glorious sanctuary; therefore glorious, because there they might see God’s face, and hear his voice in his ordinances. Away, therefore, with your superstitions and will worships, and bring your gifts to his beautiful sanctuary; for nowhere else will he receive them.”
Opening Prayer.
—Our holy and righteous Father in heaven,
thou who art just and terrible,
full of glory, judgment, and wrath,
and who reservest vengeance for thine enemies,
even for those who know thee not and obey not the gospel:
We give thee all praise and thanks for the means of grace,
for covering us with thy love and righteousness,
and for teaching us how we may worship thee
and walk before thee according to truth.
We know and acknowledge that this precious wisdom
is withheld from millions of others;
and therefore we are the more bound
to follow hard after it
and to seek it according to the rule of thy word.
Give us grace to know thee,
and a spirit of love that earnestly desireth the knowledge of thee,
that thou mayest reveal thyself unto us
in thy Son, Jesus Christ—
promised and shadowed forth in the Old Testament,
and openly revealed unto us in the gospel.
Grant us humility and wisdom
to understand how precious this knowledge is,
and to meditate upon it all the days of our lives.
Watch over us and guide us throughout all our days,
even as thou hast done hitherto,
and overshadow us beneath the wings of thy lovingkindness.
Accept our worship and service
only through Jesus Christ,
in whose glorious name we pray.
Amen.
Lesson 93. [1.2.67.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Prophets. Malachi. The Prophet Against Hypocrisy. Part 2.
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.
Read Malachi.
Lessons from Malachi.
- The LORD pronounces a curse even on the blessings of those who give not glory to Him. Mal. 2:1-3
a. They do not glorify Him in their doctrine.
They divide the work of salvation with him.
They are partial in the law.
b. They do not glorify Him in their worship.
Adding abominable inventions. Papal traditions.
Removing lawful ordinances. Baptist superstition.
c. Therefore he will spread the dung of their unworthy sacrifices on their face and take them away from His temple with it.
- Sinful marriage is a profanation of true religion. Mal. 2:11, Neh. 13:23-31, Ezra 10:18,19,44
- The LORD does not approve of false judgment. Mal. 2:17, Matt. 7:15-29, 1 Tim. 5:24
a. There are those who are evil in God’s sight who manifest themselves.
Heretics.
Evildoers.
b. There are those who are evil in God’s sight and dwell among the righteous.
- The LORD will come again to judge the world, but who may abide the day of His coming? Mal. 3:1-5
- The LORD will curse the labors of the niggardly, inasmuch as His blessing is on the generous. Mal. 3:6-12, 1 Cor. 9, Gal. 6:6-10
- Despite the partiality and hypocrisy of the priesthood, those that fear God will have fellowship among themselves and God will be their God, and they will be His special possession. Mal. 3:13-18, Ex. 19:5-6, Isa. 66:5, 24
- The end of the coming of the LORD will be the condemnation of the proud, and the wicked and the vindication of the righteous. Mal. 4:1-3
Proud- doctrinal error.
Wicked- practical error.
The day that cometh shall burn them up.
- A final exhortation to read and meditate on the law of God. Mal. 4:4, Psalm 1, 19, 119.
- A final prophecy of John the Baptist coming in the spirit of Elijah.
“Lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Recall the first words of Christ who came to fulfill all prophecy. “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
The final words of the OT are the law and the gospel.
Conclusion.
Closing Prayer.
YouTube Audio: https://youtu.be/RskiNrPbZrw