Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 18 March, 2018
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind ...” (Rom. 12:2)
Morning Service - 11:00 AM
Earnestly Contending for the Faith (6)
Filthy, Rebellious Dreamers
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[youtube]
Scripture Reading: Numbers 13:26-14:12
Text: Jude 8
I. Their Rejection of Biblical Reality
II. Their Abuse of Human Sexuality
III. Their Hatred of Lawful Authority
Psalms: 144:1-8; 69:31-36; 119:89-96; 12:1-8
Evening Service - 6:00 PM
Preparatory
Lusting After the Onions of Egypt
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[youtube]
Scripture Reading: Numbers 11:4-35
Text: Numbers 11:4-6
I. The Meaning
II. The Typology
III. The Judgment
Psalms: 36:5-11; 70:1-5; 105:36-45; 78:18-25
For CDs of the sermons and DVDs of the worship services,
contact
Stephen Murray
If you desire a pastoral visit, please contact Rev. Stewart
or the elders
CPRC Website: www.cprc.co.uk • Live Webcast:
www.cprf.co.uk/live.html
CPRC YouTube: www.youtube.com/cprcni
CPRC Facebook: www.facebook.com/CovenantPRC
Quotes to Consider
William Jenkyn: “Remember, Christians, by what hand your bodies were made, by what guests they are inhabited, to what head they are united, by what price they are purchased, in what laver they have been washed, and to whose eye they shall hereafter be presented! Consider, lastly, whether Delilah’s lap be a fit place for those who expect a room in Abraham’s bosom” (An Exposition Upon the Epistle of Jude, p. 171).
Homer C. Hoeksema on Numbers 11: “Canaan is the type of the heavenly promised land, and the wilderness journey is the type of the way of the Christian and of the church to that heavenly Canaan. On that way you do not find onions and garlic and cucumbers and melons: the things that please the senses, that gratify the animal desires, that satisfy the lust of the flesh. No, on the way to Canaan you find only the pure manna of the word of God, the bread of life, nourishing our souls unto everlasting life. The church receives and can expect nothing other than the manna, the wholesome and nourishing manna of the word of God” (Unfolding Covenant History, vol. 4. p. 103).
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
This evening we will have a preparatory service for the Lord’s Supper which will be administered next Lord’s Day morning.
Monday catechism classes:
5:45 PM - Corey & Katelyn (Beginners OT, Book 1)
6:30 PM - Angelica, Bradley, Josh, Samuel & Taylor (Juniors NT)
7:15 PM - Alex, Jacob & Nathan (Heidelberg Catechism, Book 1)
Tuesday Bible Study meets this week at 11 AM to study John 7 on the Feast of Tabernacles, etc.
Belgic Confession Class meets on Wednesday at 7:45 PM to continue our consideration of article 34 by studying Ezekiel on the inclusion of children in the church in the Messianic age.
Men’s Bible Study meets this Saturday at 8 PM at the Kennedys to discuss Acts 1:15-26 using the Studies in Acts study guide.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s Day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. R. Kleyn is “Weep Not for Me, But for Yourselves” (Luke 23:28).
There will be no catechism on Monday, 2 April (Easter Monday). The 3 classes will meet on Monday, 10 April, at which time the first 2 classes will have their end of year test and the third class will cover Lord’s Day 26 and be given a test to do at home.
Offerings: General Fund: £957. Donations: £100 (England), $456.87 (Hudsonville PRC).
Translation Additions: 1 Albanian, 1 German and 1 Hungarian.
Treasure Hunting (2)
Brian D. Dykstra
Proverbs 2:3-5: “Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.”
Verse three tells us how to start this work of searching. We have to cry after knowledge and lift up our voice for understanding. The Bible is not talking about the kind of cry you hear because someone is hurt or sad. It is the kind of cry you make when you raise your voice to grab someone’s attention. You have something to ask of them. Of course, here the Bible is telling us to pray.
We have to start our treasure search with prayer. When we don’t pray, we become overly concerned about the things of this world and our hearts care less about the things of heaven. Without prayer, we will soon want only the silver of this earth and not the treasures of knowing God. As the Heidelberg Catechism says, “God will give his grace and Holy Spirit to those only, who with sincere desires continually ask them of him, and are thankful for them” (A. 116). Without prayer, our hearts will never rise above the things of this earth. We will not see that knowing God and having an understanding of Him are treasures indeed.
In verse five, God gives us a promise. A promise from God is not as a promise I might give to the fifth graders. For example, I might promise the class that we will have an extra gym class next Friday. I might have every intention of keeping that promise, too. However, I am not able to control all things, nor do I know all things. Perhaps it will be such bad weather that we cannot go outside. I cannot control the weather. It is also possible that I will be sick and will not be here. I could be involved in a car accident. I do not know the future.
God does control all things and He does know the future, so when God makes a promise to us, we have no reason to doubt that He will do what He says. He is God. He will do what He says. That is why the word “shalt” is in verse five. The “shalt” is our guarantee from God that He certainly will reward our diligent seeking for knowledge with understanding the fear of the Lord.
Some people do not like to talk about fearing God any more. They think fearing Him is a bad thing. They want people to think of God only as love and not fear Him. They are trapped in the lie of believing that God loves everybody. We do not have to fear Him any more because He loves every body. They do not believe that God punishes people for their sins. A God who makes people reap what they sow is not the kind of God they want to serve. The God who judges sin might not be very popular today, so don’t talk about fearing Him.
That’s not right. Fearing God is good. We fear Him because we love Him. He has blessed us so much and blessed us so greatly, that we fear offending this Holy God by our sins. To chastise us and bring us to repentance God makes us suffer the consequences of our sins. Your earthly fathers love you but you can be sure that, if you disobey and dishonour them, they will chastise you. They chastise you because they love you and want you to live as a child of God.
The same is true with God. We must fear breaking God’s commandments not because something unpleasant might happen to us or because we might be caught. We fear breaking His commandments because, when we walk in sin, we will no longer feel God’s friendship with us, but we will know that He is, though for a moment, angry with us. This is how God works repentance in our hearts.
Understanding the fear of the Lord will keep us from sinful ways. Think about how much He has blessed us. Not only does God provide for our earthly needs, He sent His only Son to suffer the pain of hell for us. Can we really claim to be thankful for all God has done for us when we do not show we fear Him by keeping His commandments? Are we showing thankfulness to God for His blessings when we do not pay attention to His instruction in church, catechism and school? Do we fear Him when the entertainment of the world excites us more than spiritual things?
When we have the knowledge of God, we will know that God is the friend of His people. We will not backbite or gossip about each other. Why? Because that person might hear it and get even with us or be hurt by what we said? No. Because we might get caught so our teacher will punish us and our parents will be upset with us? No. We will treat each other in a godly way because we will know that, if we do not, we are not behaving ourselves as the friends of God. The friends of God do not treat the other friends of God in an unkind way because they fear Him.
When we understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God, we will show what God has done in our hearts. Our hearts which were against Him, and thought only of our own pleasure, now seek Him because of the Holy Spirit whom He placed there. We bear witness of His work in us. As you know, our churches now have several missionaries. They work very hard to spread the Truth which God has so kindly given to us. These missionaries hope others will be interested to hear more of the Truth. Still, one of the most effective ways to draw others to the Truth is by living a life which shows our fear and knowledge of God. Others will see what a difference the Truth of God makes in our hearts and they will want to have that joy too.
We read of Solomon in I Kings 3. He could have had riches. He could have had the lives of his enemies. He could have asked for any number of earthly things. Yet he asked God for a true treasure. He asked God for wisdom.
For what kind of hidden treasures are you seeking? Are you seeking for the earth’s treasures? As covenant children, you shouldn’t. Seek for the knowledge of God and seek for an understanding of Him. Seek for it as you would seek for silver or hidden treasures. God will put His fear in your heart, and you will know the joy of having Him as a covenant friend in Jesus Christ.