Ballymena
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 31 August, 2003
"I was glad when they said unto me, Let
us go into the house of the Lord."
(Psalm 122:1)
Morning
Service - 11:00 AM
Fencing the Table
Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 30, I Peter 4:10 - 5:14
I. The People Who are to Be Admitted
II. The Judgment Which is Threatened
III. The Ecclesiology Which is Implied
Psalms: 141:1-4; 78:30-35; 26:4-12; 101:3-8
Evening Service - 6:00 PM
The New Birth (1)
The Necessity of the New Birth
John 3:1-3
I. Even for Religious Officers
II. Even for the Religiously Active
III. For Seeing God’s Kingdom
Psalms: 33:1-5; 78:36-41; 36:5-10; 84:4-5, 8-12
For audio cassettes of the worship services, please contact
Sean, phone: (028) 25 641200 or e-mail: cprfbookstore@hotmail.com
Quotes to Consider:
Van Dellen & Monsma Church Order Commentary on Article 61:
"... the Reformed Churches from the Reformation era on have held that
attendance at the Lord’s Table is not free to all. It is not a matter
which is to be left to the judgment of individuals. The office-bearers
are guardians over the Lord’s Table. They must only admit those whom
they believe to be worthy. Erastus and the Remonstrants—those
defending the tenets of Arminianism—held that attendance or
non-attendance at the Lord’s Table should be left to the individual
conscience."
Zacharias Ursinus: "To profane the covenant of God, is to
commend and recognise those as the confederates, or friends of God,
who are his enemies, and to represent God as such an one, as is in
league with hypocrites and wicked men" (Commentary on the Heidelberg
Catechism, p. 430).
John Calvin: God’s kingdom begins and has its origin when
regeneration takes place."
Announcements:
Standard Bearer and Beacon Lights subscriptions need to
be renewed. Forms are available on the table today. Please complete
these and return them to Sean with your payment.
The August Covenant Reformed News is available today. Take one
for yourself and some to pass on to others.
5-a-side football is planned for Friday, 29 August, at Antrim
Forum, 8-9 PM.
The Reformed Witness Hour next Lord’s Day, 7 September,
(8:30-9:00 AM, on Gospel 846AM/MW) is "Holy Scripture #5 - It’s
Infallibility" (John 10:35).
Catechism & Midweek Bible Study start next week.
Offerings: 27 July—£765.10, 3 August—£408.55, 10
August—£566.77, 17 August—£393, 24 August—£532.05. Donation: £25 (CR
News).
PRC News: Byron Center’s new trio is Rev. G. Eriks (Loveland, CO),
Rev. D. Kleyn (Edgerton, MN), and Rev. J. Slopsema (First, GR). Rev.
Gritters will be installed into the position of Professor of New
Testament and Practical Theology this Thursday, Sept. 4 at 7:30 PM at
Hudsonville PRC. This year the Seminary Convocation Exercise will be
combined with Rev. Gritters’ Installation. Classis West meets this
week Wednesday at the PRC in South Holland, IL. The PRC seminary began
their new year this past week. Remember the professors and students in
your prayers, and keep praying that the Lord will call more men into
the ministry of His Word.
A letter from John Calvin on the elders’
supervision of the Lord’s table:
"Dearest brothers, since this letter largely relates to individual
churches in your midst, we have decided that the most convenient thing
to do is to give you our letter to share. We are doing this not so
much to avoid labor as to avoid expending so many words uselessly in
individual letters, and especially to convince you that we are not
saying one thing in one letter and something else in another. We want
our consensus to be made known to all equally.
We hear that certain people are displeased when they are questioned
about their faith in order that, if they are found to be poorly
instructed in the faith, they may be denied admittance to the Lord’s
Supper until they have made better progress. To those who are
displeased by this strictness of yours, we say that they should not
indulge their wickedness or seek indulgence in a matter that concerns
their destruction. The apostle’s opinion ought to be well known among
Christians, that anyone who eats the Lord’s bread unworthily is
considered sacrilegious [1 Cor. 11:27]. For a person to use the bread
worthily requires that he should examine himself; the apostle teaches
quite clearly that those who are incapable of examining themselves
should not approach that table.
Anyone, therefore, who approaches the Lord’s Supper heedlessly,
without being instructed beforehand in the faith, arouses God’s anger.
Those who are forbidden to approach it for this reason have nothing to
complain of, since their salvation is being protected. If everyone
were wise, everyone could be his own judge; but because many pay too
little attention to themselves, it is expedient that the church have a
definite procedure so that it never fails to prevent the sacraments
from being profaned.
For everyone to be admitted to the Lord’s Supper, without distinction
or selection, is a sign of contempt that the Lord cannot endure. The
Lord himself distributed the supper to his disciples only. Therefore
anyone not instructed in the doctrine of the gospel ought not to
approach what the Lord has instituted. No one should be distressed
when his Christianity is examined even down to the finest point when
he is to be admitted to the Lord’s Supper. It should be established as
part of the total state and system of discipline that ought to
flourish in the church that those who are judged unworthy should not
be admitted.
We know this seems novel to those who do not maintain a distinction
between the yoke of our Lord Jesus Christ and the tyranny of the
papacy, but it is your responsibility to search out the Lord’s will
and submit yourselves to it, rather than to relax the reins on your
desires. Even the example of infidels may inspire us with shame.
Granted that they did not show that reverence in their superstitions
which we ought to show in the sacraments; they nevertheless
acknowledged that those judged to be defiled by some crime should be
kept away from their superstitious rites.
When the Lord’s Supper is forbidden to someone, he should not think
that he is excluded for all time, or that he has been thrown into a
desperate situation. The purpose is for him to humble himself, and for
others to learn through him. All this is set forth in the Word of God,
and we ask of you through the Lord that you not be ashamed to subject
yourselves in a matter that you know to be good and holy."
(Calvin’s Ecclesiastical Advice, pp. 154-155)