Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
Ballymena
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 31 October, 2010
"One generation shall praise thy works to another,
and shall declare thy mighty acts" (Ps. 145:4)
Morning Service - 11:00 AM
Christian Discipleship (1)
Hating Your Family [download] [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Luke 14:15-35
Text: Luke 14:25-26
I. The Biblical Meaning
II. The Difficult Calling
III. The Terrible Warning
Psalms: 46:1-7; 78:42-48; 45:9-14; 139:17-24
Evening Service - 6:00 PM
Praying for the Coming of the Kingdom [download] [youtube]
Scripture Reading: I John 3
Text: Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 48
I. Praying for God’s Rule
II. Praying for God’s Church
III. Praying Against God’s Enemies
Psalms: 145:1-6, 12-14; 78:49-54; 47:1-9; 51:14-19
Contact Stephen Murray for CDs of the sermons and DVDs of the worship services.
CPRC website: www.cprc.co.uk
CPRC YouTube: www.youtube.com/cprcni
CPRC Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Ballymena-United-Kingdom/Covenant-Protestant-Reformed-Church-N-Ireland/337347932331
Quote to Consider:
Herman Veldkamp: "The Lord does not need servants who are willing to do something for Him: He needs people who are willing to give themselves totally."
J. C. Ryle: "Children of religious parents … often grow up professing a religion without knowing why, or without ever having thought seriously about it. And then when the realities of grown-up life begin to press upon them, they often astound everyone by dropping all their religion, and plunging right into the world. And why? They had never thoroughly understood the sacrifices which Christianity entails. They had never been taught to ‘count the cost.’"
Announcements (subject to God’s will):
A special issue of the Standard Bearer on "The Ecumenical Spirit of the Reformation" is on the back table today for subscribers.
Catechism classes:
Monday, 6:00 PM - Joseph, Jacob, Nathan & Alex
Monday, 6:45 PM - Zoe, Amy & Lea
Tuesday, 12:15 AM - Beginners NT Class
The Council meets tomorrow evening at 7:30 PM at the church.
Tuesday Bible study: 11 AM. We will look at II Thessalonians 1:10-12 on our glorifying and admiring Christ on His return.
Wednesday Belgic Confession class: 7:45 PM. We will study Article 3, "The Written Word of God" on the source and inspiration of Scripture.
Ladies Discussion group will meet this Thursday morning to discuss "Handmaidens of the Lord (2)." Contact Susan Hall for more details
Thursday membership class: 7:30 PM.
The Reformed Witness Hour next Lord’s Day (8:30-9:00 AM, on Gospel 846MW) is entitled "Peace Shall Destroy Many" (Daniel 8:23-25) by Rev. Bruinsma.
The annual church visitors from the PRC will be Rev. Doug Kuiper from Randolph PRC and Elder Jim Holstege from Southeast PRC. They plan to arrive on Friday, 7 January and be in N. Ireland until Saturday, 15 January, when they will travel to Limerick and stay there until Tuesday, 18 January.
Offerings: General Fund - £392.20. Donations: £18 (books), £20 (DVDs).
Website Additions: 1 Portuguese and 2 German translations were added. An article on Hugh Latimer is now on-line as is a new Missions resources page.
PRC News: Cornerstone called Rev. Haak (Georgetown, MI). Wingham called Rev. A. Lanning (Faith, MI). Edgerton and Trinity have called Rev. Bruinsma (Pittsburgh, PA). Hope will call from a trio of Revs. Eriks (Hudsonville, MI), Marcus (Edmonton, AB) and Spronk (Peace, IL).
R. C. H. Lenski (American Lutheran) on Luke 14:26, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple"
"The condition is one of reality, i.e., Jesus thinks and speaks of somebody who really wants to be a disciple of his. ‘Comes to me’ means: with the desire to attach himself to me as disciples attach themselves to a master or rabbi. If such a man does not ‘hate’ his own father and all other relatives, plus even his own life, Jesus tells him right out that he is not able to be his disciple.
Much ingenuity has been expended on the verb ‘hate’ to little or no effect. Instead of leaving [the Greek word] in its true sense ‘to hate,’ it is generally reduced, even ‘watered down till the point is gone.’ All we need to remember is that this hating is the same as that which was exercised by God: ‘Thou hatest all workers of iniquity,’ Ps. 5:5; 45:7; Heb. 1:9; the same hate that is voiced by the saints as in Ps. 101:3 and in other passages. The startling thing lies, not in the verb ‘to hate,’ but in the objects to be hated, one’s own father, etc., with the still more startling climax: and even also his own life, that which animates the body and is thus inclined to become ‘carnal.’ This is nothing but a repetition of 12:49-53, father against son, etc. Despite all of this hate in God his love remains, and the two are entirely compatible (see 6:27), each even to the highest degree of intensity.
So the hate required for discipleship goes together with our love to our parents, etc., that love which understands any evil in them and would, with the help of Jesus, remove it. Jesus is speaking of the father who is not a disciple, or, if he be a disciple, would in his blindness hinder his son in his discipleship. Even our natural affection for all our relatives and for our own life is left untouched by this hating, for our very [love] toward them will keep us from yielding to any desire of theirs which is in conflict with our discipleship.
It is thus that we are to do this hating, which is not to be reduced and softened in any way but is to be understood in the fullest sense of the word even as it is required by [love] ... For this we have Jesus’ own example in Matthew 12:48-50. When Jesus says: ‘is not able to be my disciple,’ we should remember that a [disciple] is one who has learned and imbibed, at least to a degree, and is endeavouring to learn to the fullest degree through the teaching and the example of Jesus the latter’s very own spirit so that as a disciple he may be like his teacher, Matt. 10:35; Luke 6:40. When this is noted, it is at once apparent that Jesus asks only that any and every disciple of his must be copying him as his Master in this hating. Jesus naturally had to state this requirement of true discipleship many times; a few of them are on record: Matt. 10:37; 19:29; Luke 18:29."
Matthew 10:35-37: "For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
Matthew 12:48-50: "But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."
Matthew 19:29-30: "And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first."
Luke 18:29-30: "And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting."