Worship service 09/13/26.
Greetings and call to worship.
—Greetings and good morning saints and fellow Christians. Grace, mercy and peace be multiplied to you with joy and love in the Holy Spirit. We are gathered once more under the banner of the gospel on the Christian Sabbath to worship God in His sanctuary and bless His name for His marvelous goodness. Psalm 99:3 says, “Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.” Let us come before Him with fear and reverence, keeping the Sabbath holy and looking toward His second coming with sincerity and hope.
A Christian minister writes, “God’s blessing the seventh day may be also taken in a twold sense: First, for his declaring it to be blessed and happy, as that in which he had peculiar pleasure to enjoy by observing all his works in such order as to be not only to himself, but to angels as well as men, a most beautiful scene, displaying the glory of his perfections. This is what David says, Psa. 104:13, “the glory of the Lord shall endure for ever, the Lord shall rejoice in his works.” Thus God himself rejoiced on that day, and consequently blessed it. For as to curse a day is to abhor and detest it, as unfortunate and unhappy, as afflictive and miserable, Job 2:14; Jer. 20:14: so, by the rule of contraries, to bless a day, is to rejoice in it, as delightful and prosperous. And indeed what day more joyful, more happy than that which saw the works of God perfected, and yet not stained by any sin, either of angels, or probably of men? There has been none like it since that time, certainly not since the entrance of sin. Secondly, It was also a part of the blessing of this day, that God adjudged to man, if he religiously imitated the pattern of his own rest, the most ample blessings, and likewise in that very rest, the earnest of a most happy rest in heaven; of which more fully presently. Elegantly said the ancient doctors, that “the blessing and sanctifying the sabbath redound to the observers thereof, that they may be blessed and holy themselves.”
Prayer unto the public reading of the Holy Scripture:
Our holy and righteous Father,
full of all glory, justice, mercy, and truth;
faithful and righteous, 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 grace and righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ
we are worthy of 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 call upon thee for grace and mercy through Him:
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 Holy 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 [10] : 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 observed previously in this Psalm the high and exalted place of God’s throne, His impassible nature, and the marvelous manner in which He thunders against His enemies. And this ought to be particularly noted, that the LORD who governs all things according to the counsel of His will and doeth whatsoever pleases Him is much enraged with evildoers and angry with the wicked for the sake of their deeds. As it is written, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, for His wrath is quickly kindled.” and again, “The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: for thou hatest all them that work iniquity.” and again, “The Lord will try the righteous; but the wicked, and him that loveth iniquity, doth his soul hate.” Therefore doth the LORD thunder against them, and in the storm showeth them His acute displeasure. They are exhorted, therefore, in the Psalm to fear, to fear and bow and tremble at His power, lest they be destroyed quickly from among men. This duty belongeth to all kings and rulers of state and all who have power over another. Yet, they will not repent and cannot repent. Therefore will the LORD punish them for their iniquity and avenge Himself upon them for their works. For all their thoughts are against Him, as it is written, “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually” and again, “For from within, even out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, uncleanness, a wicked eye, backbiting, pride, foolishness.” Therefore He is against them, hath thundered against them and will destroy them with a word.
Moreover, their heart is against Him, as it is written, “This people draweth near unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with the lips, but their heart is far off from me.”
And again,”For his wicked covetousness I am angry with him, yet he went away, and turned after the way of his own heart.” and, “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and withdraweth his heart from the Lord. The heart is deceitful and wicked above all things, who can know it?”
Therefore He thunders against them saying, “Shall I not visit them for these things, saith the Lord? or shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?”
Moreover, if this were but a small thing, that they have offended the Most High and are turned back from following Him with all their mind and all their heart, their works also are entirely contrary to His law, and they walk everyone according to their own way and after their own lusts, as it is written, “Nevertheless, ye would not hear me, saith the Lord, but have provoked me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.” and again, “Therefore now because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, I will cast you out of my sight…” Therefore His anger is not turned away but His hand is stretched out still. The LORD thunders from heaven in the Psalm, and manifests Himself as a just King who surely hateth all iniquity and is angry with the wicked, and will soon overthrow them. As it is written, “But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressor shall be rooted out of it.” and again, “Early will I destroy all the wicked of the land that I may cut off all the workers of iniquity from the City of the Lord.” Therefore may the righteous be encouraged by this Psalm, and by the thunder, for by it God reminds us of a coming day of judgment, that day wherein we will see Him as He is and be purified, even as He is pure. As it is written, “For it is a righteous thing with God, to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, And to you which are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall show himself from heaven with his mighty Angels, In flaming fire, rendering vengeance unto them, that do not know God, and which obey not unto the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, Which shall be punished with everlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, When he shall come to be glorified in his Saints, and to be made marvelous in all them that believe (because our testimony toward you was believed) in that day.”
Therefore wait for that day; wait, for it is coming. Surely it is coming quickly.
Opening Prayer.
—
Amen.
Lesson 100. [1.2.73.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Gospels. Luke. The Gospel of the Son of Man.
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—Mark. Luke.
All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.
Intro.
Christian history and the relation of historical facts to doctrine.
Who was born?
Jesus Christ.
Jesus – Savior
Christ – Anointed One
What does this mean for history?
The bruising of Satan’s head. Antichrist. The kingdoms of sinful men.
What does this mean for the Christian? Righteousness, Joy and Peace.
The gospels rely on the epistles to explain their relation to belief. The epistles on the gospels to set forth what it is to be explained. All things necessary for faith and life.
Lesson.
Intro to the gospel of Luke.
The Gospel According to Luke
The Gospel of the Son of Man: Christ and the Human Condition
Governing contrast
We have previously developed a fourfold distinction that gives us a working introduction:
Matthew gives us the form; Mark the texture; Luke the flavor; John the meaning.
Matthew is comparatively abstract and universal; Mark concrete and particular; Luke philosophical and anthropological; John theological and contemplative.
Or as four questions:
Matthew — What is the kingdom?
Mark — What did Christ do?
Luke — What does Christ’s coming mean for mankind?
John — Who is Christ and where does He come from?
These are distinctions of predominance, not exclusion. Luke is profoundly theological; John is historical; Matthew is concrete; Mark teaches doctrine. We are asking what peculiar contribution each inspired Evangelist makes to the fourfold portrait of the gospel record.
I. Luke: physician, historian, and companion of Paul.
Paul calls him:
Colossians 4:14— “Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.”
He also appears among Paul’s fellow labourers in Philemon 24, and near the end of Paul’s life:
2 Timothy 4:11— “Only Luke is with me.”
Mark stands especially near Peter’s eyewitness preaching.
Luke stands especially near Paul’s missionary labors.
And whereas Mark often writes as though saying, Look at this, Luke begins by telling us something about how and why he has written.
II. Luke the Historian — “Having had perfect understanding of all things”
Read Luke 1:1–4 carefully.
Luke 1:1–4— “Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.”
The fourfold gospel in Luke 1:1-4 and the needless arguments of gospel author priority.
This is also unlike the beginning of any other Gospel.
Matthew begins:
“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ…”
Mark:
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ…”
John:
“In the beginning was the Word…”
But Luke effectively begins:
I have investigated this. There were eyewitnesses. Traditions were delivered to us. Others have written accounts. I have followed these matters carefully. And therefore I am going to arrange an account so that you may know their certainty.
Luke’s preface belongs recognizably to the world of educated Greek prose and ancient historiography. Some scholars have particularly noted Luke’s familiarity with Greek literary conventions.
This is important both historically and apologetically.
The Christian Faith is perfectly agreeable towards historical inquiry. Luke shows that it serves Faith’s certainty.
Compare with Mark
This in turn produces a fascinating contrast.
Mark gives eyewitness-like immediacy:
green grass, pillow, gestures, looks, Aramaic phrases.
Luke gives the historiographical concepts:
sources, eyewitnesses, chronology, rulers, places, journeys, investigation, orderly narration.
Mark makes you feel like you were there.
Luke makes you understand the reason for why it should happen.
III. Luke catalogues redemption with world history.
Consider Luke 3:1–2.
Luke does not merely say, “John began preaching.”
He provides for us information regarding Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, Herod, Philip, Lysanias, Annas, Caiaphas.
The Word of God comes to John at an identifiable point within Roman and Jewish history.
This tendency continues into Acts. Luke’s Gospel and Acts together create a notable historical movement:
Nazareth → Galilee → Jerusalem → Judea → Samaria → Gentile world → Rome.
Luke works with a larger geographical and historical canvas than Mark.
Mark’s worldbuilding often concerns the immediate scene.
Luke’s concerns the historical world.
Mark shows us the room. Luke chronicles the age.
IV. Luke the Physician
Paul explicitly calls Luke “the beloved physician.”
There is a peculiar focus in Luke that harmonizes beautifully with a physician’s interest: the whole person.
Luke’s gospel draws our attention to things the others don’t, bodies, diseases, age, birth, barrenness, hunger, social conditions.
Compare the Synoptics concerning Peter’s mother-in-law:
Matthew 8:14— “sick of a fever.”
Mark 1:30— “lay sick of a fever.”
Luke 4:38— “was taken with a great fever.”
Or the man with the withered hand:
Luke 6:6— “and his right hand was withered.”
Matthew and Mark tell us the hand was withered. Luke specifies the right hand.
Or Gethsemane:
Luke 22:44— “and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Only Luke records it.
Yet his physician’s eye does not make the Gospel clinical. Quite the contrary. Luke is interested in healing as restoration not merely as physical improvement.
That leads directly into his larger anthropological character.
V. Luke the Philosopher
“Philosopher” requires clarification. Luke does not write philosophical or moralistic treatises.
Rather, among the Evangelists he repeatedly gives us material that asks the great moral questions:
What is happiness?
What are true riches?
Who is my neighbour?
What is mercy?
What is true humanity? Weakness not sinfulness
What is the proper use of possessions?
Consider how much distinctively Lucan material fits this description:
- The Good Samaritan — Who is my neighbour?
- The Rich Fool — What is all wealth worth when man dies?
- The Prodigal Son — What is man when alienated, and what is restoration?
- The Rich Man and Lazarus — What is earthly prosperity worth before eternity?
- The Pharisee and Publican — What is true righteousness before God?
- Zacchaeus — What does repentance do to possessions and social relations?
- Emmaus — How does despair become understanding and joy?
These are the Christian’s answers to the supposed problems of moral philosophy.
And this gives us an important contrast:
Matthew especially considers the saint as a subject of God’s kingdom.
Luke especially considers man as standing in relation before God and among other men.
VI. Matthew begins with Abraham; Luke goes back to Adam.
This is one of the most important contrasts in the entire study.
Matthew begins:
Matthew 1:1— “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
David — kingdom.
Abraham — covenant people.
Luke traces the genealogy to the beginning:
Luke 3:38— “Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.”
Luke does not stop at Abraham but goes to Adam.
Why is this fitting?
Luke’s aim is to instruct all of mankind.
And now compare John:
Luke goes backward until the beginning of man.
John goes even beyond this, to the beginning, before was any man:
John 1:1— “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
That gives us a magnificent threefold contrast:
Matthew reaches to Abraham — covenant history.
Luke reaches to Adam — human history.
John passes beyond Adam into eternity.
Mark, characteristically, does not give us a genealogy at all.
He begins with Christ acting, preaching, obeying His calling.
VII. Luke’s infancy narrative: history experienced from within the covenant.
Matthew and Luke both tell Christ’s birth, but they convey it in a manner remarkably different.
Matthew gives:
genealogy → Joseph → Magi → Herod → prophecy → Egypt → massacre → fulfilment.
The governing principle is kingly authority and earthly rivalry.
Luke gives:
Zacharias and Elisabeth → Gabriel → Mary → Elisabeth and Mary → Magnificat → John → shepherds → Simeon → Anna → Christ at twelve years.
Luke’s infancy narrative is filled with:
pregnancy, barrenness, motherhood, old age, infancy, family, songs, wonder, joy, sorrow, expectation.
Matthew gives us royal-covenantal history.
Luke gives us redemption entering ordinary human life.
This is quintessential Luke.
VIII. Luke. The Gospel of joy.
If Matthew is especially inclined to the concept of faith, and Mark to hope, Luke fits joy remarkably well.
Luke begins with rejoicing.
Luke 1:14— “And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.”
Luke 1:47— “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”
Luke 2:10— “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”
And Luke ends:
Luke 24:52— “And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”
Notice the harmony and progression:
Joy at the coming of Christ → joy at the ascension of Christ.
Even repentance becometh joy:
Luke 15:10— “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Conclusion.
Closing Prayer.
YouTube Audio: https://youtu.be/kPBAh2b-98E