Worship service 08/16/26.
Greetings and call to worship.
—Greetings and grace to you, Christians and beloved saints of God. Mercy be with you and truth sanctify you through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ the Son of God. We are gathered together once more on the Christian Sabbath, to love, honor, worship and serve Him who made us and fashioned us and made us anew by His Spirit. Let us come before Him and give thanks. Psalm 100:3-4 says, “Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Inasmuch as we have no power to create, maintain and preserve ourselves, we are wholly dependant on God for all our wants and needs, let us come before Him, therefore, and give thanks, as well as ask Him for those things we are in need of, with a humble heart, knowing that He knoweth what we have need of, and careth for us as a wise, loving and gracious Father.
A Christian minister writes, “God also granted to man such symbols under the covenant of works; concerning which we are now to speak, that nothing may be wanting in this treatise; and if I mistake not, they were four in all, which I reckon up in this order. 1. PARADISE. 2. THE TREE OF LIFE. 3. THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. 4. THE SABBATH. In speaking of each of these, I shall distinctly show, First, What good they signified and sealed to man with respect to God. Secondly, What duty and obligation they reminded him of. WE said that the first Sabbath was the fourth sacrament of the covenant of works. In order to treat somewhat more fully on this, it will not be improper to make it the subject of a whole Chapter: Moses gives us the history of it, Gen. 2:2, 3, in these words: “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made; and God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” The more fully to understand these words, and from them to answer our design, we shall distinctly discuss these three things. 1st. Inquire whether what is here said about sanctifying and blessing the seventh day, ought to be applied to that first day, which immediately followed upon the six days of the creation, and which was the first that shone on the works of God when completed; or whether it be necessary to have recourse to a prolepsis, or anticipation by which we may look upon those things as spoken of the day, on which, many ages after, the manna was given in the wilderness. 2dly. We shall explain the nature of that first Sabbath. 3dly. and lastly, Point out in what respect it was a sacrament.”
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 [6] : 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 previously the power and majesty of the voice of the LORD, insomuch that He is able by the breath of His mouth to destroy and overthrow all the kingdoms of men. And we have the very same principle, with an augmentation of the argument, in the next verse, which readeth, “The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.”
We have here descended from the general unto the particular, and from the particular unto its highest and most eminent instance. For first we read, “The voice of the LORD is powerful”; then, “The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars”; and finally, “Yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.” The Psalmist does not merely declare that some great and terrible power proceedeth from God, as though it were an impersonal force beyond His direction, outside of His control; but he saith expressly, “the LORD breaketh.” His power is governed by His most perfect, wise, holy and just will, and whatsoever is broken by His voice is broken because He Himself hath ordained it.
And this furnisheth another argument against those who would say, “God would not destroy His own creation,” and from that false principle attempt to weaken the doctrine of divine judgement and the pains of hellfire. The verse here in Psalm 29 overthrows the premise upon which such an objection rests. For the fact that God created a thing does not bind Him to preserve it for ever in its present state. He gave it being, and He may remove it; He raised it up, and He may cast it down; He formed it, and He may break it according to His righteous will, even as He says of Edom in Malachi 1.
For here the LORD is said to break the cedars of Lebanon, which were high and lofty trees, renowned for their majesty, strength, longevity, and magnificence, and prized for the building of royal houses, temples, and monuments. David does not say that the voice of the LORD breaketh reeds, shrubs, or rotten timber, but cedars; yea, not cedars only, but the cedars of Lebanon. He chooseth that which was highest and most eminent among trees, that the power of God might be displayed upon an object which men themselves acknowledged to be strong and magnificent.
Yet even that strength was borrowed. The cedar possessed nothing which it had not first received from God. He gave it being; He caused it to take root; He nourished it throughout its years; He clothed it with height, strength, and beauty; and He suffered it to stand until it became an object of wonder unto men. Yet after all those years of growth, the voice of its Maker breaketh it and teareth it down in a moment. That which is mighty among creatures is powerless before the voice of the Creator.
Therefore that which man acknowledgeth as magnificent, yea though it be truly magnificent within the created order, is nothing when set against the power of the LORD. The creature’s excellency need not be denied in order that God’s excellency may be magnified; rather, the stronger and more glorious the creature is, the more plainly doth its weakness appear when the Creator speaketh against it. All creaturely power is derivative, borrowed, and sustained from moment to moment by Him from whom it came.
He created the cedar; He established its roots; He caused it to rise upward toward the heavens; He gave strength unto its base and breadth unto its branches; and then, when it pleased Him, He brake it by His voice. Man may labour many years to build and establish that which he accounteth secure, but God requireth no labour at all to overthrow it in a moment. He speaketh, and it falleth.
Therefore let men fear Him. All that is in their hands—their treasures, their houses, their estates, their kingdoms, and their very life—is itself in the hand of God. Men imagine themselves possessors; yet they themselves are possessed and upheld by another. Their hands, together with all that those hands contain, are in the hand of the LORD. At any moment He may take away that which He hath given, cast down that which He hath raised up, and break by a word that which men supposed would endure for generations.
Let no man therefore trust in strength because it hath lasted long, nor in riches because they are abundant, nor in houses because their foundations are deep, nor in kingdoms because their walls are high. The cedars of Lebanon stood lofty and magnificent, yet the voice of the LORD brake them. So shall every created confidence fall when God speaketh against it by His word.
Calvin— “We see how the prophet, in order to subdue the stubbornness of men, shows, by every word, that God is terrible. He also seems to rebuke, in passing, the madness of the proud, and of those who swell with vain presumption, because they hearken not to the voice of God in his thunders, rending the air with his lightnings, shaking the lofty mountains, prostrating and overthrowing the loftiest trees. What a monstrous thing is it, that while all the irrational portion of the creation tremble before God, men alone, who are endued with sense and reason, are not moved! Moreover, though they possess genius and learning, they employ enchantments to shut their ears against God’s voice, however powerful, lest it should reach their hearts.”
Opening Prayer.
—
Amen.
Lesson 96. [1.2.69.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Gospels. Matthew. The Gospel of the Kingdom. Part 3. Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me.
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—Malachi. Matthew.
All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.
Intro.
Read Matt8:1-27, 10, 18-22.
Lessons from Matthew 8-28.
- Christ cleanses the unclean by His own power, and in sending the healed leper to the priest He honours the law while showing Himself greater than the priesthood. Matt. 8:1-4
- Those who imagine themselves most secure in religion are the first to be cast out. Matt. 8:12
- The Son of man has all authority on earth to forgive sins; the visible healing of the body shows forth His invisible power to pardon sinners. Matt. 9:5
- The gospel is not for the full and proud, but the empty and abased. Matt. 9:12-13
- Jesus sends his disciples to their mission. Matt. 10.
- Only the zealous will be partakers of eternal life. Matt. 11:12
- It will be more tolerable for heathen nations than those who reject or abuse the gospel. Matt. 11:20-24
- The duty of the minister is to preach the word, and to give God thanks for the fruit it brings forth, or does not bring forth, rejoicing in the wisdom of God. Matt. 11:25-27
- Evil men and heretics can only speak that which is evil. Matt. 12:31-37
- Those who hear and do the will of the Father are acknowledged by Christ as His spiritual family; union with Christ establishes a bond higher than mere natural relation. Matt. 12:46-50
- The Parables of the kingdom. Matt. 13:10-17
- The worship of the lips, hands, feet is nothing without the heart. Matt. 15:7-9
- Blessed are those whom the Father Himself teaches to confess Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God; saving knowledge of Christ therefore is a gift of divine revelation rather than the achievement of flesh and blood. Matt. 16:17
- No man may confess Christ truly while refusing to take up His cross: discipleship requires self-denial, the mortification of worldly ambition, and willingness to lose all life for Christ in order to find it. Matthew 16:21-26.
- The kingdom of heaven is a kingdom of humility: he is greatest who becomes lowly, receives the little ones, serves others, and seeks no glory for himself. Matt. 18:1-5, 20:20-28 “Some people say much—and do nothing. But Christians do much—and say nothing. To deserve praise where none is obtained—is better than to obtain praise where none is deserved. The old maxim is worthy to be revived—he who desires honor, is not worthy of honor. “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men—to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in Heaven.” A saint may be seen doing more works than any—and yet he does not desire to do any of the works to be seen. An alms which is seen, is by no means unpleasant to God, provided it be not given with a design to have it seen. Though good ends do not make bad actions lawful; yet bad ends make good actions sinful. The harp sounds sweetly; yet it hears not its own melody. Moses had more glory by his veil—than he had by his face. It is truly pleasant to behold those living in the dust of humility—who have raised others from the dust by their liberality.” —Secker
- If we would be encouraged to forgive our brethren, we must consider the immeasurable debt which God has freely forgiven us; the forgiven servant must become a forgiving servant. Matt. 18:21-35, Eph. 4:31-32
- Christ does not forbid children from His kingdom but receives them; therefore believing parents must bring them under the Word of God and diligently raise them for His glory. Matt. 19:14, Gen. 18:19
- The kingdom of God is a kingdom of humility. Matt. 20:26-28
- Christ by wisdom is able to answer and silence the Pharisees. Matt. 22:15-46
Conclusion.
Closing Prayer.