Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
Ballymena
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 4 October, 2009
"Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep
the testimony of thy mouth" (Ps. 119:88)
Morning Service - 11:00 AM
God's Purposes With Israel in the New Testament Age (2)
Scripture Reading: Romans 11:1-25
Text: Romans 11:6
I. The Context
II. The Principle
Psalms: 145:5-11; 37:26-33; 25:6-11; 86:1-8
Evening Service - 6:00 PM
The Profit of Christ’s Resurrection [download]
Scripture Reading: I Corinthians 15:12-45
Text: Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 17
I. Our Imputed Righteousness
II. Our New Life
III. Our Bodily Resurrection
Psalms: 106:1-7; 37:34-40; 16:6-11; 17:10-15
Contact Sean Courtney (covenantreformedaudiostore@yahoo.co.uk) for CDs of the sermons and DVDs of the worship services.
CPRC website: www.cprc.co.uk
CPRC YouTube Site: www.youtube.com/cprcni
Quote to Consider:
Robert Haldane on Romans 11:6: "If, then, election is by grace, it is not of works; for this would imply a contradiction. Grace would not then be grace. Here we have the warrant of Scripture for asserting that a contradiction is necessarily untrue, and that no authority is sufficient to establish two propositions which actually contradict each other."
John Calvin: "The more a man fears God, the more he will be ashamed of his sin. Consciousness of sin is not something that should last for a mere three or four months—we ought to detest our sins for the rest of our lives. After all, let us remember that the mouth of hell is open, ready to swallow us up unless God supplies the grace we need so desperately and plucks us out of the pit of death."
Announcements (subject to God’s will):
The second offering this morning is for our building fund.
Catechism:
Monday, 6:30 PM - Campbells at the manse
Tuesday, 7 PM - Jacob & Nathan at the Buchanans
Tuesday, 8 PM - Mark & Lauren at the Hamills
Wednesday, 1 PM - Beginners OT Class at the manse
The Council meets tomorrow, 5 October, at 7:30 PM at the manse.
Midweek Bible study meets on Wednesday at 7:45 PM at the manse. We will consider I Peter 3:7, on husbands dwelling with their wives.
The Reformed Witness Hour next Lord’s Day (8:30-9:00 AM, on Gospel 846MW) is entitled "Our Divine Potter" (Daniel 6) by Rev. Bruinsma.
Other Upcoming Lectures:
South Wales, Thursday, 15 October, 7:15 PM - Calvin on Justification
Portadown, Friday, 30 October, 7:30 PM - Calvin on Justification
Ballymena, Friday, 6 November, 7:30 PM - Calvin vs. Darwin
Offerings: General Fund: £619.03. Donations: £300 (building), £40.10 (building), £10 (building), £75 (building), £50 (building).
Website additions: 1 German and 4 Italian translations were added.
Last Thursday’s lecture on "Marriage, Divorce. Remarriage and Church Membership" at Abbots Cross Congregational Church is now on-line.
PRC News: Cornerstone PRC called Rev. Haak. Byron Center PRC called Rev. Spronk (Peace, IL). Trinity PRC called Rev. Slopsema (First, MI).
Dear Fellow Saints,
You have, no doubt, heard the news about the flash flood in metro Manila as a result of Storm Ondoy that our sovereign Lord sent over the city a week ago on Friday night and Saturday morning, Manila time. The Lord showed His great power in the storm by sending 13.44 inches (34.1 cm) of rain in this area in about 6 hours. And, the rain kept coming through early Saturday afternoon, too, so that the storm total was recorded at a historic 17.9 inches (45.5 cm).
Our house is on a hill so that we and the rest of our neighbourhood suffered no harm from the resulting flash flood. However, the flash flood did affect several families of the Berean PRCP and families of our regular contacts. Their situations have been stabilized, but there is now the work of cleaning, repairs and replacement of earthly necessities lost in the flood or totally ruined by the silt and mud, mixed with oil in some cases.
In response, the Berean PRCP diaconate has been assessing the benevolence needs of our affected families and the families of our regular contacts, and for the needs that exceed our ability we will be contacting the Doon PRCA diaconate for assistance, which the Doon diaconate has already offered in our time of need. We are confident that our heavenly Father will supply the needs of these saints in their distress, even through the concern and genuine mercy of our fellow saints in the body of Christ.
We are thankful that the lives of our affected members and contacts with their children were spared. Above all, we may be thankful for their confession by the grace of God in their present troubles that "God is our refuge and strength: a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear ... though the waters thereof roar and be troubled..." (Psalm 46:1, 3).
Cordially in Christ,
Rev. Richard Smit and family.
Encouraging Quotes:
"I appreciate the materials that are regularly e-mailed to me from your ministry. I am always edified by your sermons and the articles that I receive." - USA
"We very much enjoyed the sermons on the DVDs. It is a clear and learning message and we say ‘Amen’ to it. We pray that the Lord will bless your ministry and the PRCA as well. I hope some day to come to one of your lectures or to Ballymena." - Netherlands
"I’ll take up your offer of the complimentary DVDs of the CPRC worship services. I look forward to them. From the Reformed literature and preaching of the CPRC, I now have an understanding of the regulative principle for worship. Sadly much of the worship in churches around here is all will worship." - England
"I have found and read your very helpful article ‘Does God Really Desire to Save the Reprobate?’ Also I watched the YouTube videos where you have beautifully represented the sovereign grace of God in the middle of the two Arminians and saw the videos about the charismatic gifts for today. Very helpful to me was a perfect explanation of John 3:16 by Prof. Homer C. Hoeksema." - Czech Republic
"I came on the correspondence course [by Rev. J. Laning of Hope PRC] through the website of the CPRC which the Lord graciously led me to ... I am 70 years old and have been walking with Christ now for just short of 50 years and still have that original hunger for His Word. I therefore submit the first worksheet on the correspondence course you have written, in the hope I may learn more of our great and gracious God, His Son Jesus and the operation of His Holy Spirit."- England
"We are thrilled with the increasingly long list of different translations of all the material you are spreading around the world in the form of pamphlets, the CR News and book translations. You will be surprised and pleased to learn that there are a couple of Afrikaans families in our Reformed congregation who have also recently [and through reading the CR News on-line from me], gone on your website and found to their great joy the translations into Afrikaans which are such a boon to them ... We send our love and greetings to all the saints in the CPRC in Ballymena." - New Zealand
"What a blessing to see and hear you on YouTube. May God use your biblical preaching to bring all elect believers to faith in Christ our great Saviour. You, your website and the books you send me have been such a blessing. Thank you." - Co. Antrim
"Just a note to thank you for the CDs and cassettes. It is such a blessing to my soul to hear the Lord’s praise sung from the Psalms and to be able to join in not only in my heart but with my lips also. ‘The Holy Spirit in Ephesians’ and ‘Christ Risen According to Scripture’ are clear, sound and so uplifting." - England
"Just read your [Martyn McGeown’s] fine article on Open Theism ... Fowler White and I co-edited a book Whatever Happened to the Reformation? that addressed this as well. Wish that your assessment of this dreadful heresy had been available back then. We would have begged you to let us include it!" - USA
"Many thanks for your gift of DVDs. I hope to use them at our weekly meeting. Your article on ‘Grieving the Holy Spirit’ was helpful, so much so that my friends here are very interested to read it. I promised to send them a copy by e-mail." - France
"The Covenant Reformed News is really appreciated. The articles on the Holy Spirit are brilliant." - England