Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
Ballymena
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 11 May, 2008
"Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help,
whose hope is in the Lord his God" (Ps. 146:5)
Morning Service - 11:00 AM
Psalm 55:12-14
I. David’s Friend
II. David’s Fellowship
III. David’s Response
Psalms: 106:1-7; 119:161-168; 41:7-13; 55:7-14
Evening Service - 6:00 PM
Psalm 55:20-22
I. Smooth Words
II. Drawn Swords
III. Spiritual Warfare
Psalms: 95:1-7; 119:169-176; 109:6-12; 55:19-25
For audio cassettes of the worship services or CDs of the sermons, contact Sean Courtney (cprcaudiostore@yahoo.co.uk)
CPRC website: www.cprc.co.uk
Quotes to Consider:
John Calvin on Psalm 55:14: "We are taught by the Spirit to reverence all the natural ties which bind us together in society. Besides the common and universal one of humanity, there are others of a more sacred kind, by which we should feel ourselves attached to men in proportion as they are more nearly connected with us than others by neighbourhood, relationship, or professional calling, the more as we know that such connections are not the result of chance, but of providential design and arrangement. Need I say that the bond of religious fellowship is the most sacred of all?"
C. H. Spurgeon on Psalm 55:21: "He lauded and larded the man he hoped to devour. He buttered him with flattery and then battered him with malice. Beware of a man who has too much honey on his tongue; a trap is to be suspected where the bait is so tempting. Soft, smooth, oily words are most plentiful where truth and sincerity are most scarce ..."
Announcements (subject to God’s will):
The Standard Bearers and Beacon Lights are available on the back table.
Offering: General Fund - £491.36. Building Fund - £313.50. Donations: £50 (building fund), £15.70 (S. Wales), £20 (CR News), £9 (CDs).
The Reformed Witness Hour next Lord’s Day (8:30-9:00 AM, on Gospel 846MW), is "I Will Pour Out My Spirit Upon Your Sons & Daughters" (Isa. 44:3-5).
The yearly family visitation is scheduled to begin soon. Next Lord’s Day we plan to have a sermon in connection with the family visitation.
Upcoming Lectures: Friday, 6 June, in Ballymena, on "The Antichrist." Friday, 20 June, in Limerick, on "Prayer & the Sovereignty of God" Friday, 4 July, in S. Wales, on "Prayer & the Sovereignty of God"
PRC News: Rev. Spriensma and Rev. Bill Langerak will be leaving for the Philippines on Monday. Besides preaching for the Berean Protestant Reformed Church of the Philippines, they plan for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, visit the church extension work in Gabaldon, and meet with the Bastion of Truth Reformed Church pastors. Pastor Spriensma will be with Pastor Langerak for ten days, and then Rev. Langerak’s wife, Karen, will join him as they consider the call extended to them to work in the Philippines.
A devastating cyclone has struck the country of Myanmar (Burma). While no members of the Protestant Reformed Churches of Myanmar (PRCM) were seriously injured, three families in the Yangon (Rangoon) congregation had their houses destroyed and Rev. Titus had his home damaged. The Hope PRC Council, using a special fund created to help the saints in Myanmar, sent emergency aid to the PRCM this past week and is keeping in close contact with Rev. Titus.
In thy light shall we see light (Psalm 36:9b)
Orion, the great hunter, now sets in the west just after dusk. Soon he will not be visible at all. His hunting season is over. Orion is known for his two brightest stars of markedly different colours and his glowing nebulae.
The star which depicts Orion’s right shoulder, the eleventh brightest star in the night sky, is Betelgeuse, notable for its reddish/orange colour. The people who were among the first to study the stars in a systematic fashion were the Arabs, which is why so many of the stars have names of Arabic origin. One would think a bright, beautiful star with an uncommon colour would have a name reflecting its beauty, but such an assumption would be mistaken. The Arabic name of this star is most often translated, "the arm-pit of the giant." Sadly, it is what it is.
The position of the hunter’s left leg is depicted by Rigel, which means "left leg of the giant." It’s the seventh brightest star and is a brilliant bluish-white colour. Comparing Rigel and Betelgeuse is a good way to practice one’s ability to discern star colours. By examining the light of these stars with modern instruments, astronomers have been able to learn much about them. They’ve found stars do not have the same temperature. It runs counterintuitive, which becomes especially evident when trying to teach this to children, but the hottest stars burn blue, and the coolest stars burn red.
Today Orion is most well known for the nebulae which are there. The brightest part of the nebulae can be found by starting at the middle star of Orion’s belt, then proceeding down to the middle of three dimmer stars which form the Hunter’s sword. Some observers claim that under the best conditions, they can see that the sword’s middle star appears to be a small, fuzzy patch of light, not the typical point of light of stars. However, binoculars are all that is needed to obtain a view of this well-known object.
Astrophotographers have furnished books and magazines with many stunning pictures of Orion’s nebulae. Modern photographic equipment shows the amazing extent of Orion’s glowing clouds of dust and gas. These nebulae are easily large enough to be seen with the unaided eye, stretching from his head to his knees, but they are far too dim. If our eyes were large enough to furnish us with pupils a few inches in diameter, we would see large, swirling patches and streamers of greenish light. The reds and blues of the images seen in books and magazines are possible only because of sensitive film and long time-exposures, or modern digital photographic equipment.
For many years men had no idea Orion possessed such beauty. The tools needed to observe his treasures had not yet been developed. The nebulae were there, we simply could not see them. Orion’s nebulae remained unseen, hidden in the darkness.
Something similar happens with spiritual truth. The evolutionist will assert, often quite vigorously, that there is no God. Despite God’s revelation to them in His creation, which is enough to leave them without excuse, they claim that their expensive, delicate, finely-tuned scientific instruments provide no physical evidence of His existence. The faithless astronomer practically bathes himself in celestial light which he gathers with enormous telescopes, yet he dwells in darkness and does not comprehend true light. The ungodly astronomer, the observer of light, defiantly clings to the darkness of evolution.
Light reveals much about the physical world to us. By studying light from the heavens, we have discovered the composition of the stars. For astronomers, light is the currency of knowledge. However, when man’s study of light is not governed by the light of God’s Word, he is penniless, credited with no spiritual currency. If it were not for God shedding His light in our hearts, we too would remain in darkness and be blind to Him. As our children learn of their Redeemer’s creation, let’s remind them that only "in thy light shall we see light."
Mr. Brian Dykstra, teacher at Hope Protestant Reformed Christian School