Worship service 11/01/26.
Greetings and call to worship.
—Greetings and good morning saints and fellow believers, grace, mercy and peace be upon the elect of God through Jesus Christ who bestows all blessings freely upon us by His gracious Spirit. We are gathered together today to praise and bless the name of the Lord, who hath so freely given Himself up to shame and death that we might be set at liberty to give ourselves unto Him in free obedience. Blessed be His glorious name forever and ever. Eph. 1:3-6 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: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” Inasmuch as it is through Christ alone that we receive the benefits of salvation, let us worship Him in holiness of heart and simplicity of mind, presenting ourselves before Him as a living sacrifice, and honoring Him on His Holy Sabbath day.
A Christian minister writes,
—It is indeed true, that, upon Adam’s sin, and violation of the covenant of works, the whole face of things was changed: but all these things [we have been speaking of] were such, as might have been signified and sealed by this sabbath to Adam, even in the state of innocence, and why might it not really have been so? For the apostle expressly declares, that “God’s resting from his works, from the foundation of the world,” Heb. 4:3, had a mystical signification. It is therefore our business to find out the agreement between the sign and the thing signified; for the greater analogy we observe between them, we shall the more clearly and with joy discover the infinite wisdom and goodness of God, manifesting themselves in various ways. It cannot but tend to the praise of the divine architect, if we can observe many excellent resemblances between the picture given us by himself, and the copy. Indeed, I deny not, that Paul, when discoursing of the sabbath, leads us to that rest, purchased for believers by the sufferings of Christ. But it cannot thence be inferred, that, after the entrance of sin, God’s sabbath borrowed all its mystical signification from the covenant of grace. For, as to the substance of the thing, the glorious rest promised by the covenant of works, and now to be obtained by the covenant of grace, is one and the same, consisting in a blessed acquiescence or rest of the soul in God. As this was sealed to man in innocence by the sabbath, under the covenant of works; so likewise it is sealed by the sabbath under the covenant of grace, though under another relation, and under other circumstances. For God, having perfect knowledge that man would not continue in the first covenant, had, from all eternity, decreed to set on foot a quite different order of things, and bring his elect, by a new covenant of grace, to the most peaceful rest. Accordingly, he settled, in his unsearchable wisdom, whatever preceded the fall, in such a manner, that man, viewing them after the fall with the enlightened eyes of faith, might discover still greater mysteries in them, which regarded Christ and the glory to be obtained by him.
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,
We bow before thee in all humility,
acknowledging the severity and holy requirements of thy law,
Thy right to punish the breakers thereof,
and our own poverty, uncleanness and unworthiness
to draw near unto thee in worship and supplication.
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, acknowledging our sin, 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 30 [5]: 1 When David was delivered, from great danger, he rendered thanks to God, exhorting others to do the like, and to learn by his example, that God is rather merciful than severe and rigorous towards his children. 7 And also that the fall from prosperity to adversity is sudden. 8 This done, he returneth to prayer, promising to praise God forever.
A Psalm of David.
1 I will magnify thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast restored me.
3 O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
4 Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
7 Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.
8 I cried to thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication.
9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me: Lord, be thou my helper.
11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
12 Therefore shall my tongue praise thee and not cease. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
Exposition:
—We marked before the remarkable grace of the Lord in delivering us from the pit of sin and death into which we had fallen in our first father Adam, and how He marvelously preserves and protects us from all harm by the mercy of His covenant and the power of His arm. And this we must always bear in mind, so long as we journey through this land of shadows and vanities, that the world, the flesh, and the devil are ever ready to devour us and plunge us into an abyss of sin and misery, and that the Lord does not permit them to destroy us, because He cares for us and is pledged by promise to our support and sustenance.
Yet we must not take occasion from this to grow lax or indifferent towards the things of God, but must, with all diligence and certainty of His blessing, attend upon the means of grace and fetch new strength from the Word. For we are not preserved from evil mysteriously or arbitrarily, as though God permitted us to wander and do as we please, but He has most certainly bound His promises together with many righteous conditions, that by fulfilling them we might enjoy the preservation He has promised. How are we kept? By faith. How is faith established in the soul? By the Word. And how is it further strengthened against corruption and Satan’s malice? I say again, by the Word. Therefore we must be diligent students of the Word if we would obtain this promised blessing. God has provided salvation, and the means whereby we are saved. Therefore, let us not neglect the means.
But we must mark also the remarkable passage which follows. For David is composing a holy song, and this song, as others, is intended for the congregation, and not merely for himself. Therefore he encourages others in the same course which he himself takes, saying, “Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.”
Herein he expresses his own joy and delight in the Lord, the duty of God’s people to exercise the same love and thankful meditation, and the reason and cause of their praise. For David does not present before us some dark and nebulous image, whereby he might, without offence, encourage others in the general and commonly accepted principles of religion; but he ever directs our attention to the covenant mercy of God, His absolute sovereignty and power, His majesty, and here particularly, the remembrance of His holiness.
We must therefore consider what this holiness signifies. For David is not merely pointing to God’s righteous character, but to His whole dealing with His people according to that character, and to the covenant promises which proceed from it. As Exodus 3:15 declares, “This is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.” And Psalm 135:13, “Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations.”
God’s name is holy, and as He swore unto David to establish His covenant with him and his seed after him, to establish his throne, and that the Messiah should come forth from his royal line, so He accomplished what He had promised. David believed these promises and experienced the mercies of God according to them, and was careful to bless Him in thankful remembrance, encouraging the people of God to do likewise.
And here they are called saints, or faithful, inasmuch as they are made holy unto God to worship Him according to His prescribed law, and set apart from the idolatrous nations, which worshipped according to their own imaginations. They are therefore exhorted to worship the Lord and sing unto Him with thankful remembrance of who He is and what He has done for them.
If then David had such strong affections as to be stirred up unto worship, how much more should we, unto whom the full mysteries of the Gospel have been revealed in Jesus Christ, and who have received the promises of forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God in terms far clearer and fuller than were known unto David? For though the nature and substance of the covenant were the same, and David was saved by faith even as we are, yet the manifestation of that covenant and the revelation of the mind of God were then but a shadow in comparison with the true image, or as the setting sun compared with the fullness of day.
Since therefore we have the truth so clearly revealed unto us, let us likewise be stirred up to sing unto God with our whole spirits, giving thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For He has delivered us from the power of Satan and death through His word, and by the same word has assuredly promised us everlasting life in Himself forever.
Calvin—”The better to testify his gratitude, David calls upon all the saints to join with him in singing the praises of God; and under one class he describes the whole body. As he had been preserved beyond all expectation, and by this instance had been instructed concerning God’s continual and infinite goodness towards all the godly, he breaks forth into this exhortation, in which he includes the general deliverance of the whole church as well as his own. He rehearses not only what God had been to himself, but also how bountifully and promptly he is accustomed to assist his people. In short, confirmed by one particular instance he turns his thoughts to the general truth. The meaning of the Hebrew term חסידים, chasidim, which we have translated meekness, by which David often describes the faithful, has been already shown in the sixteenth Psalm. Their heavenly adoption ought to excite them to the exercise of beneficence, that they may imitate their Father’s disposition,
“who maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,” (Matthew 5:45.)
There is nothing in which men resemble God more truly than in doing good to others. The memorial of his holiness, in the second clause of the verse, may refer to the tabernacle; as if David had exhorted all the children of God to go before the ark of the covenant, which was the memorial of God’s presence. The Hebrew letter ל, lamed, often denotes a place. I readily subscribe, however, to their opinion, who think that memorial signifies the same thing as name; for God has assuredly rendered himself worthy of remembrance by his works, which are a bright representation of his glory, the sight of which should stir us up to praise him.”
Charnock— “His holiness is a pledge for the assurance of his promises. Power is his hand, omniscience his eye, mercy his heart, eternity his duration, but holiness his beauty. It renders him lovely and gives beauty to all his attributes. Every action of his is free from all hints of evil. Holiness is the crown of all his attributes, the life of all his decrees, and the brightness of all his actions. Nothing is decreed by him and nothing is acted by him that is not consistent with the beauty of his holiness.”
Henry— “None of all God’s perfections carries in it more terror to the wicked, nor more comfort to the godly, than his holiness.”
Opening Prayer.
—
Amen.
Lesson 107. [1.2.80.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Gospels. John. The Gospel of the Son of God. Part 6. The Disciples of Christ Indeed.
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—Luke. John.
All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.
Intro.
John 8.
Lesson.
- The true minister knows that his gospel is of God and his commission of God and therefore knoweth as of the spirit of Christ, where he comes from and where he is going.
John 8:14. “Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go.”
2 Cor. 5:20. “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”
1 Thess. 2:4. “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.”
See also Gal. 1:11–12; 1 Cor. 2:12; 2 Cor. 4:1–2.
Calvin— “I do not, indeed, deny, that the grace of Christ is applied to us in the sacraments, and that our reconciliation with God is then confirmed in our consciences; but, as the testimony of the Gospel is engraven upon the sacraments, they are not to be judged of separately by themselves, but must be taken in connection with the Gospel, of which they are appendages. In fine, the ministers of the Church are ambassadors, for testifying and proclaiming the benefit of reconciliation, only on this condition — that they speak from the Gospel, as from an authentic register.”
- The Christian is not prohibited from all judgment but Christ came to save sinners, and therefore His office was not to judge them, but to declare that He is the light and Savior of the world.
Calvin—”in order the more fully to convict his enemies of pride, he employs this comparison, that they unjustly assume the liberty to judge, and yet cannot condemn him, while he merely teaches and abstains from performing the office of a judge.”
John 8:15–16. “Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.”
John 3:17. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
There is a day reserved for judgment and Christ will judge all men on that day.
Acts 17:31. “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained.”
Rom. 2:16. “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.”
See also John 12:47–48; Matt. 7:1–5; 25:31–46; 2 Cor. 5:10.
- All true religion is in and through Jesus Christ and no man knoweth God save by the true doctrine of Him.
John 8:19. “Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.”
Calvin— “we are taught by this passage, that there is not a more evident sign of a reprobate mind, than when one cannot endure the doctrine of Christ”
John 14:6. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
1 John 2:23. “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”
See also John 1:18; 5:23; 14:7–9; 17:3; 2 John 9.
- The minister may safely judge the present state of the soul of those who do not receive his doctrine, insofar as that doctrine is the true doctrine of Christ, and declare the judgment of God against unbelief. “Ye shall die in your sins.”
John 8:24. “For if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”
2 John 9. “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.”
To die in one’s sins and be judged for sin set in contrast as to “not pass into condemnation.”
John 5:24. “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
Rom. 8:1. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.”
See also John 3:18, 36; Mark 16:16; 1 John 5:10–12.
- The necessity and comfort of Christ’s work being accepted by the Father. Christ was “obedient unto death,” doing always those things which pleased His Father, fulfilling His Father’s will and keeping His commandments.
John 8:29. “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.”
WCF 8.5— “The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself, which he through the eternal Spirit once offered up unto God, hath fully satisfied the justice of his Father, and purchased not only reconciliation, but an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for all those whom the Father hath given unto him.”
Phil. 2:8. “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
John 17:4. “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”
Isa. 53:11. “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”
- Although God prescribes many conditions which the elect must fulfil in order to enjoy the benefits of salvation, yet the power to fulfil them is freely wrought in them by God Himself, by grace.
John 8:31–32. “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Isa. 26:12. “LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.”
Owen— “Christ hath purchased remission of sins and eternal life for us, to be enjoyed on our believing, upon the condition of faith. But faith itself, which is the condition of them, on whose performance they are bestowed, that he hath procured for us absolutely, on no condition at all.”
Manton— ““There is a condition required, and that is faith; but God himself gives the condition that he requireth.”
“If” – a condition of “without which is none” Not of meritorious bargaining. Ezek. 36:27. “And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”
Watson— “What is the condition of the covenant of grace?
The main condition is faith. Why is faith more the condition of the new covenant than any other grace?
To exclude all glorying in the creature. Faith is a humble grace.If repentance or works were the condition of the covenant, a man would say, It is my righteousness that has saved me; but if it be of faith, where is boasting? Faith fetches all from Christ, and gives all the glory to Christ; it is a most humble grace. Hence it is that God has singled out this grace to be the condition of the covenant. If faith be the condition of the covenant of grace, it excludes desperate presumptuous sinners from the covenant. They say there is a covenant of grace, and they shall be saved: but did you ever know a bond without a condition? The condition of the covenant is faith, and if thou hast no faith, thou hast no more to do with the covenant, than a foreigner or a country farmer with the city charter.
“Ye continue” to those which believed. The necessity of perseverance. Phil. 1:6. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Phil. 2:12–13. “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
“Disciples indeed.” Luke 8:11–15. “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”
1 John 2:19. “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”
“The truth shall make you free.” Free from the judgment of God, the curse of the law, the dominion of sin, the power of Satan, the corruption of the world and the slavery to their favor.
Free from the judgment of God.
Rom. 8:1. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Free from the curse of the law.
Gal. 3:13. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.”
Free from the dominion of sin.
Rom. 6:14. “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
Free from the power of Satan.
Heb. 2:14–15. “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”
Free from the corruption of the world.
Gal. 1:4. “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.”
1 John 5:4. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
Free from slavery to the world’s favour.
Gal. 1:10. “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”
Owen—”There is a twofold liberty:— 1. Of state and condition; 2. Of internal operation; and we have both by the gospel.
The first consists in our deliverance from the law and its curse, with all things which claim a right against us by virtue thereof; that is, Satan, death, and hell. Out of this state, from whence we can never be delivered by the law, we are translated by grace into a state of glorious liberty; for by it the Son makes us free. And we receive the Spirit of Christ; now, “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,” 2 Cor. iii. 17. This liberty Christ proclaims in the gospel 550unto all that do believe, Isa. lxi. 1. Hereon they who hear and receive the joyful sound are discharged from all debts, bonds, accounts, rights, and titles, and are brought into a state of perfect freedom. In this state sin can lay no claim to dominion over any one soul. They are gone over into the kingdom of Christ, and out from the power of sin, Satan, and darkness. Herein, indeed, lies the foundation of our assured freedom from the rule of sin. It cannot make an incursion on the kingdom of Christ, so as to carry away any of its subjects into a state of sin and darkness again. And an interest in this state ought to be pleaded against all the attempts of sin, Rom. vi. 1, 2.
Again, there is an internal liberty, which is the freedom of the mind from the powerful inward chains of sin, with an ability to act all the powers and faculties of the soul in a gracious manner. Hereby is the power of sin in the soul destroyed. And this also is given us in the gospel. There is power administered in it to live unto God, and to walk in all his commandments; and this also gives evidence unto the truth of the apostle’s assertion.”
- The wicked are of the devil and they will do the lusts of their father. Original sin teaches us that even the children of the righteous are born in that cursed condition, and whatsoever proceedeth from their corrupt nature is sin, except God perform a work of salvation. The natural man disputes against the truth of God. Whatever lies there are in the world, those he will believe, while rejecting the testimony of Christ.
John 8:44. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.”
John 8:47. “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”
John 5:43. “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.”
Ps. 51:5. “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
Eph. 2:3. “And were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”
1 Cor. 2:14. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him.”
See also Gen. 6:5; Rom. 3:10–18; 5:12–19; 8:7–8; John 3:3–8; 2 Thess. 2:10–12.
- Jesus Christ ever manifested Himself to His church even before His incarnation for their comfort in salvation.
John 8:56. “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.”
John 8:58. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”
Gen. 18:1-8
John 1:18. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
1 Cor. 10:4. “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
Conclusion.
Closing Prayer.