Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 29 November, 2015
“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
The Interlude and the Seventh Trumpet (5)
The Ministry of the Two Witnesses
[download]
[youtube]
Scripture Reading: Revelation 11
Text: Revelation 11:3-4
I. Their Time
II. Their Identity
III. Their Prophesying
Psalms: 97:6-11; 119:49-56; 78:44-50; 95:6-11
Evening Service - 6:00 PM
The Interlude and the Seventh Trumpet (6)
The Opposition to the Two Witnesses
[download]
[youtube]
Scripture Reading: Revelation 11
Text: Revelation 11:5-8
I. Their Terrible Judgment on Their Enemies
II. Their Wicked Murder by the Beast
III. Their Dead Bodies on the Street
Psalms: 122:1-9; 119:57-64; 125:1-5; 79:1-6
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
Dennis E. Johnson: “The one text (Rev. 12:14) in which the wording from Daniel 7 appears (‘a time, times, half a time’) is a commentary on the protection of the woman (Rev. 12:6). Thus the texts in which these time markers appear characterize the era that they symbolize in two ways:
1. Enemies assault the church 42 months: The ‘holy city’ is trampled by Gentiles (11:1-2).2. The church is protected by God 1,260 days: The two witnesses prophesy, and their opponents cannot harm them (11:3).1~ Enemies assault the church 42 months: The beast wields his authority in blasphemy against God and warfare against his saints (13:5-7).
2~ The church is protected by God 1,260 days: The mother of the Messiah is nourished in the wilderness, and the dragon cannot destroy her (12:6, cf. the expansion in 12:14-17).
The common threads that run through these descriptions are opposition and preservation: opposition from the ‘Gentiles,’ from the beast, from the ‘great city’ and its international alliance of coconspirators, and from the dragon; but also preservation by God, who will not allow his holy place to be defiled, his witnesses to be silenced, his new Israel to be swept away by the dragon’s flood of lies (12:15-16). This mixed situation—this unstable amalgam of deadly danger and divine defense—sounds strangely familiar. It sounds like John’s day, and like ours” (Triumph of the Lamb, p. 172).
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
Monday evening’s Catechism classes: TESTS NEXT WEEK - 7 DECEMBER
5:45 PM - Taylor, Josh, Corey, Bradley & Samuel (Beginners OT, book 2)
6:30 PM - Alex & Nathan (Seniors OT)
7:15 PM - Jacob, Joseph & Chris (Heidelberg Catechism, book 1)
The Tuesday Bible study meets at 11 AM to look more at Jehu and Hosea.
The Belgic Confession Class will meet this week Wednesday at 7:45 PM to study the catholicity of the church in connection with Article 27.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s Day (Gospel 846MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. Bruinsma is entitled “The Naming of John” (Luke 1:57-66).
Rev. Nathan Decker’s lecture is planned for Wednesday, 13 January, on “God’s Beautiful Covenant of Grace” at the CPRC at 7:30 PM.
The congregational dinner is scheduled for Friday, 15 January, at the Ramble Inn.
S. Wales Lecture: Rev. Stewart will give a lecture on “Our Identity in Christ” in Port Talbot, S. Wales, at 7:15 PM on Thursday, 28 January.
Offerings: General Fund: £778.
Website Additions: 1 Indonesian and 2 Spanish translations.
PRC News: Rev. J. Laning (Hull, IA) received the call to the Philippines.
Beginning Anew
Brian D. Dykstra
Psalm 1:1-2: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
Our covenant God has graciously provided us the means necessary to open the doors of our own Reformed school again. We are grateful to have a place where God’s children may be instructed in His ways.
We mark another beginning as well. We are starting another cycle of the “Song of the Week.” Nearly every school week, Mr. Koole, our headmaster, will select a Psalter number for classroom singing. Near the end of the last school year we sang a Psalter number based on Psalm 150, and soon we will be singing a song based on Psalm 1 and advance through the Psalms again. The first two verses of Psalm 1 serve as a good reminder for the purpose of our school.
What do we as parents and grandparents desire for our children and grandchildren? Do we want them to be better or more stylishly dressed than the rest? Do we want this school to be a competitive place where our offspring’s social status will be determined? Are we the most pleased when our children are cuter, stronger, more athletic, more popular or smarter than the others? There are times when such concerns can overtake us.
Yet, when we gather our thoughts during times of spiritual meditation, what we really want for our children is expressed by the first word of the first Psalm. We want our children to be blessed of God. To experience such blessing, verse one tells us there are three things to avoid.
First, we are not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Parents, would you like your covenant children taught by the ungodly? There are many who do because the price is right. It might not appear to be such a serious matter if science were taught from an evolutionary point of view. Yet, look at the monstrous ways of sin in which the world feels free to walk because, after all, man is not created a rational, moral creature but is only a highly evolved life form.
Next, we are told not to stand in the way of sinners. Having grown comfortable with the counsel of the ungodly, we would make the world’s sinful manner of life our habit. Would our children abhor sinful living as they ought, if they were to spend much of their formative years in a place where there is no blushing for the ways of sin? Our society raises high the banner of “toleration” and there are many who proudly march after it. By God’s grace, we instruct our children to join the ranks behind a decidedly different banner.
Finally, we are not to sit in the seat of the scornful. Those scornful of God live in a way which shows that they never expect Christ, the Judge, to return. Such scorners increase in number and volume as the world speeds along its wicked way to its own destruction. Joining with others of faith in our school society, we can teach our children that Christ will “translate me with all His chosen ones to himself, into heavenly joys and glory” (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 19).
Positively, verse two says they are blessed who have their delight in the law of the Lord. This delighting is not done grudgingly after the fashion that our children all too often do their chores. Delighting in God’s law means we follow it out of love for Him in light of all that He has so graciously done for us in Jesus Christ.
We do not find our delight in the ways of the world. This could bring us greater earthly prosperity and make us socially acceptable. However, delighting in such ways would not lead us to a delightful end. Delighting in God’s law is an effective way to witness Christ’s lordship over us. We do not do as we please. Because of God’s work of conversion in us, we can do our Lord’s bidding.
How will our children show they avoid the evil and delight in the good here in school? We need to recognize that Satan will be hard at work here. We will face temptations here every day. These temptations are not always the obvious ones. No athletic scout will stop to watch playground competition and offer a youngster a major contract with many zeros and commas on it. The temptations we face can appear minor and harmless, but they can, nevertheless, entangle with deadly effectiveness. There will be the temptation to shun those deemed less socially acceptable. We will be tempted to give less than our best effort on the work given to us. We will be tempted to be disrespectful and display to others how superior we are.
May God work in us and our children so we do not walk, stand or sit with the wicked. May we, by grace, love God’s law, which to our natures is so restrictive, and live the life of the redeemed of the Lord.