Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 17 February, 2019
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
bowels of mercies,
kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering ...”
(Col. 3:12)
Morning worship – 11.00am - Rev. Martyn McGeown
The Operation of God’s Wrath in the World (1)
God’s Wrath Revealed from Heaven
[download]
[youtube]
Scripture Reading: Romans 1:1-32
Text: Romans 1:18
I. Revealed: What?
II. Revealed: to Whom?
III. Revealed: How?
Psalms: 76:7-12; 98:1-9; 90:8-12; 7:9-13
Evening worship – 6.00pm - Rev. Martyn McGeown
The Operation of God’s Wrath in the World (2)
Inescapable Knowledge and Inexcusable Unbelief
[download]
[youtube]
Scripture Reading: Acts 17:1-34
Text: Romans 1:19-20
I. What Man Knows
II. How Man Knows
III. How Man Is Inexcusable
Psalms: 147:12-20; 99:1-9; 53:1-6; 19:1-6
Quotes to Consider
Lenski: “Whenever the truth starts to exert itself and makes [men] feel uneasy in their moral nature, they hold it down, suppress it. Some drown its voice by rushing into their immoralities; others strangle the disturbing voice by argument and by denial. Take the subject of hell. Again and again we meet violent, passionate denials of its existence. But if a man is convinced that there is no hell, he ought merely to smile in a superior way when the subject is mentioned. Take God’s wrath. Why these assaults against it? Or the existence of God—if no God exists! These denials and these arguments are not altruistic; they are the efforts of the ungodly to suppress the disquieting truth in the interest of their own ungodliness. They face an inescapable alternative in their moral nature, an either—or: either to yield to the truth and to give up ungodliness and unrighteousness, or to hold firmly to these two and then of necessity to squelch the truth” (Romans, pp. 92-93).
Richard C. Trench: “ἀσέβεια [ungodliness] is positive and active irreligion, and this contemplated as a deliberate withholding from God of the dues of prayer and service, a standing, so to speak, in battle array against him. We have always rendered it ‘ungodliness,’ while the Rheims [version] [translates it] as constantly ‘impiety’” (Synonyms of the New Testament, p. 242).
Albert Barnes: “Many people suppose that if they do not neglect their duty to their fellow-men, if they are honest and upright in their dealings, they are not guilty, even though they are not righteous, or do not do their duty to God; as though it were a lesser crime to dishonour God than man; and as though it were innocence to neglect and disobey our Maker and Redeemer. The apostle here shows that the wrath of God is as really revealed against the neglect of God as it is against positive iniquity; and that this is an offence of so much consequence as to be placed ‘first,’ and as deserving the divine indignation more than the neglect of our duties toward people” (Notes on Romans, pp. 33-34).
Richard C. Trench: “[In Romans 1:20] St Paul is declaring how much of God may be known from the revelation of himself which he has made in nature, from those vestiges of himself which men may everywhere trace in the world around them. Yet it is not the personal God whom any man may learn to know by those aids: he can be known only by the revelation of himself in his Son; but only his divine attributes, his majesty and glory … it is not to be doubted that Paul uses this vaguer, more abstract, and less personal word θειότης [Godhead], just because he would affirm that men may know God’s power and majesty … from his works, but would not imply that they may known himself from these, or from anything short of the revelation of his Eternal Word… But in the second passage (Col. 2:9) St Paul is declaring that in the Son there dwells all the fullness of absolute Godhead; they were no mere rays of divine glory which gilded him, lighting up his person for a season and with a splendour not his own; but he was, and is, absolute and perfect God; and the apostle uses θεότης to express this essential and personal Godhead of the Son” (Synonyms of the New Testament, p. 8).
Herman Hoeksema: “This is madness. It is madness because [God will not stop]. The truth does not change because we do not want it. God goes on—everlasting power, everlasting divinity. The sinner crosses this everlasting power and divinity. It is madness because the sinner knows that coming against this power and divinity, he must be crushed” (Righteous by Faith Alone, p. 27).
John Calvin: “Paul’s object was to teach us where salvation is to be found. He has already declared that we cannot obtain it except through the gospel: but as the flesh will not willingly humble itself so far as to assign the praise of salvation to the grace of God alone, Paul shows that the whole world is deserving of eternal death” (Romans, p. 68).
Announcements (subject to God’s will).
We welcome Rev. Martyn and Larisa McGeown. We express sympathy to the Stewarts on the death of Mary’s mother, Ruth Hanko, on Friday 8 February, at the age of 85 years. The funeral took place on Monday in Faith PRC (MI). The Stewarts arrived in Dublin yesterday morning. They are in Limerick today, where Rev. Stewart is preaching for the Limerick Reformed Fellowship.
Monday catechism classes:
5:00 PM - Josh & Taylor (Juniors OT)
5:45 PM - Corey & Katelyn (Beginners OT, Book 2)
6:30 PM - Bradley & Samuel (Seniors OT)
7:15 PM - Alex, Jacob & Nathan (Essentials)
Tuesday Bible Study at 11 AM will start a consideration of the consecration of Israel.
Belgic Confession Class meets this Wednesday at 7:45 PM to continue our discussion on Rome’s sacrifice of the mass in connection with Article 35 on the Lord’s Supper.
Men’s Bible Study meets this Saturday at 8 PM at the Kennedys to discuss Acts 8:9-24.
Rev. McGeown will discuss (via phone link) his book, Grace and Assurance: The Message of the Canons of Dordt, on “Iron Sharpens Iron Radio” on Friday, 22 February, from 4-6 PM (ET), which is 9-11 PM (GMT) (www.ironsharpensironradio.com).
PRC News: Immanuel (Lacombe, AB, Canada) called Rev. J. Laning (Hull, IA). Grandville (MI) called Rev. Haak (Georgetown, MI) to be minister on loan to Singapore. Rev. J. Engelsma (Doon, IA) declined Trinity (MI).