Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
Ballymena
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 8 March, 2009
"Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep
the testimony of thy mouth" (Ps. 119:88)
Morning Service - 11:00 AM
The Holy Spirit in Ephesians (16)
The Sword of the Spirit [download]
Ephesians 6:17b
I. The Meaning
II. The Use
III. The Calling
Psalms: 66:1-7; 18:28-35; 19:7-13; 119:41-48
Evening Service - 6:00 PM
Wholly Incapable of Doing Any Good [download]
Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 3; Hebrews 3
I. The Meaning
II. The Judgment
III. The Calling
Psalms: 108:1-8; 18:36-42; 106:26-33; 95:5-11
Contact Sean Courtney for CDs of the sermons.
CPRC website: www.cprc.co.uk
Quote to Consider:
Charles Hodge: "[The sword of the Spirit] is sharper than any two-edged sword. It is the wisdom of God and the power of God. It has a self-evidencing light. It commends itself to the reason and conscience. It has the power not only of truth, but of divine truth ... In opposition to all error, to all false philosophy, to all false principles of morals, to all the sophistries of vice, to all the suggestions of the devil, the sole, simple, and sufficient answer is the Word of God."
William Gurnall: "The Word of God is a terror to Satan; he cannot overcome the dread of it. Let Christ simply say ‘It is written,’ and the fiend runs with confusion and terror. And saints have found that the most successful instrument to defend themselves against Satan’s fiercest temptations is that phrase which came from Christ’s own blessed lips. Ask David which weapon he used to ward off his enemy’s blows and he will tell you it was the Word of God. ‘Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer’ (Ps. 17:4). That is, ‘By the help of Your Word I have preserved myself from those wicked works which destroy those without this weapon’" (The Christian in Complete Armour, vol. 3, p. 223).
Announcements (subject to God’s will):
Amanda Hamill is recovering well in hospital following a car accident this past Wednesday evening. It is expected that she will be in Antrim Hospital for a few more days. Alex Buchanan is scheduled to have surgery on his ear this week Friday. Remember Amanda and Alex and their families in your prayers.
Beacon Lights and the Covenant Reformed News are on the back table today.
Catechism:
Monday, 7:00 PM - Campbells at the manse
Tuesday, 1:00 PM - Beginners OT Class at the manse
Tuesday, 6:00 PM - Murrays
Tuesday, 7:00 PM - Hamills
Midweek Bible Study meets on Wednesday, 7:45 PM at the manse. We will consider I Peter 2:9-10 on "The Church, the New Israel."
The Reformed Witness Hour next Lord’s Day (8:30-9:00 AM, on Gospel 846MW), is entitled "Jesus Mocked by the Soldiers" (Mark 16:16-20) by Rev. Haak.
Ladies’ Bible Study meets next week Tuesday, 17 Mar., 10:15 AM, at the Murrays.
Upcoming Lectures:
S. Wales, Fri., 20 March, 7:15 PM - John Calvin’s Battle for the Reformation
Portadown, Fri., 27 March, 8 PM - Calvin’s Battle for the Reformation, Part 2
Offerings: General Fund - £684.70. Building Fund - £308.50. Donation: £41.20.
Website Additions: Two Italian translations on assurance were added.
PRC News: Calvary PRC (Hull, IA) called Rev. Haak (Georgetown, MI). Classis West approved Spokane’s desire to be organized as well as a request by Rev. Houck for emeritation.
Encouraging Quotes:
"Thank you very much for your e-mail and for the DVDs. We find a great blessing in your ministry and I am sure a number of people will be watching these debates." - Lincolnshire
"I’ve been listening to your debate on Calvinism versus Arminianism and wanted to tell you how much I’ve been enjoying it." - USA
"I have heard two of your debates on Revelation TV and was very impressed with what I saw. I also plan to read the many articles on your website and I am looking forward to doing so." - London
"I would like to thank you again for your kindness in sending me and the church very valuable materials for our spiritual growth in the Reformed faith ... To be able to avail ourselves of Reformed books is so precious to us." - Philippines
"I have just been listening to the sermon by Prof. Gritters, ‘All Things Are Ours.’ Would you pass on my thanks to him. I thought it was an excellent message for the new year, one to be revisited later on in the coming year." - Yorkshire
"We have one sermon to go to finish your series on ‘The History of the Covenant’ and then we will move on to the lectures from the recent family conference on ‘The Work of the Holy Spirit’ which I have downloaded from the BRF website." - Australia
"I thought to write a brief note to thank you for the various articles that you have on the church’s website. I have benefited from some of your free publications and CR News ... I felt that it was not good to be blessed as I read your literature and not to thank the author and the distributor of them." - Cheltenham
"I’d like to thank you for your ministry. It’s such a breath of fresh air to hear true Reformed teaching of God’s Word ... The churches seem to be getting more and more Arminian ... I get so blessed by your teaching audios." - Wisconsin, USA
"Rev. Stewart’s defence of the truth was most valuable. His teaching at all times is wonderfully clear and comprehensive, evidencing much study and the divine gift ... May the Lord continue to bless the church in Ballymena. The website too is most valuable and I trust that many folks around the world will find it and be blessed accordingly." - Cumbria
"I am just reading the book The Five Points of Calvinism that has been published by the BRF and it’s great that your church is publishing these kinds of books. I was wondering if you have still any future plans for publishing books on important controversial subjects like ‘the hatred of God’ or Romans 9 which you preached about." - Netherlands
"I want to thank you for your ardent and steadfast defence of the gospel of grace and your extremely clear presentation of the Reformed faith in your October 2008 debate on Revelation TV ... you are a breath of fresh air in a world of shallow ‘junk food’ theology. Your website has provided ... a hearty portion of meat and potatoes of wholesome theology." - USA
"Thank you so much for sending me tapes and literature to help me in dialogue with the young Reformed man here. I found, among the pamphlets I had, ‘Evangelism and the Reformed Faith’ by Prof. Engelsma, which just answered the young man’s original query ... I’ve been much blessed by the tapes on ‘The Apostolic Office.’" - W. Yorkshire
"I am reading When You Pray by Herman Hanko. Very Good!!" - Brazil
"Thank you very much for the Covenant Reformed News which your church has been faithfully sending to me for quite a while now. I am most grateful." - N. Wales
"Thank you very much indeed for not only the tapes requested but also the additional literature! I’m looking forward very much to listening to the tapes and digesting the reading matter and I shall bear in mind the fact that you have lots more." - Lancashire
"I thoroughly enjoyed your CR News. The question of Solomon’s salvation is certainly an anxious one ... I would like you to know that my association with the CPRC has been the greatest blessing of the past year for me." - Detroit, USA
"Hope PRC have sent me tapes of other Prof. Hanko lecture series which they had ceased to issue after changing to CDs ... These have been extremely useful, enabling me to do some necessary weeding and weaning away from things I had been previously taught. The PRC’s covenant theology being unconditional and governed by election has given me great delight in rereading the Scriptures. This has been the more so in reading HCH’s two volumes on Isaiah. A further blessing has been my obtaining a CD of issues of earlier Beacon Lights these contain some very helpful Bible studies and some conference addresses on some subjects not frequently dealt with. Also, with the stock of tapes of your ministry I am able to enjoy the fellowship of worship on at least two days a week. Thus the Lord provides me with a ‘feast of fat things and wine on the lees’ in this desolate spiritual environment. The Lord’s work in Ballymena with its extensions to Limerick and South Wales to which He has called you is daily pleaded for at His throne of grace. We give Him praise for every blessing manifest among the saints as also for the wonderful things He is doing through the translation work." - Gloucestershire
"I was reading some of Prof. Engelsma’s tracts and I am always thrilled with his love for the Word and accuracy in explaining the meaning of some difficult or distorted passages. I was reading about marriage (I agree with his view on Matt. 19:9) and the booklet ‘Evangelism and the Reformed Faith.’ He is one of my favourite authors ..." - Portugal