Guide for the Preparation for Worship on 7 October 2018 Sunday, Sep 30 2018

7 October 2018 – The Rev Allen Harris Preaching

Call to Worship: Psalm 105:1-3

Opening Hymn: 238 “LORD, with Glowing Heart I’d Praise Thee”

Confession of Sin

Almighty and most merciful Father; We have erred and strayed from Your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Your holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done. And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. But You, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent; According to Your promises declared to mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father; For His sake; That we may hereby live a godly, righteous, and sober life; To the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Jeremiah 31:31-34

Hymn of Preparation: 281 “Rejoice, the Lord is King”

Old Covenant Reading: Habakkuk 3:16-19

New Covenant Reading: Philippians 4:4-7

Sermon: Always? Yes, Always!

Hymn of Response: 528 “Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart”

Confession of Faith: Heidelberg Catechism Q/A #1 (p. 872)

Doxology (Hymn 568)

Closing Hymn: 520 “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”

PM Worship – The Rev. Allen Harris Preaching

OT: Habakkuk 3:16-19

NT: Philippians 4:4-7

Where Your Heart Can Find Rest

Shorter Catechism Q/A #60

Q. How is the sabbath to be sanctified?
A. The sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.

Suggested Preparations

Monday (10/1) Read and discuss Philippians 4:4-9. In light of what Christ has done for us, how then should we think? Because believing the right things is so important, we naturally want to emphasize that we should think in such a way as to embrace the truth and to shun errors and lies. That is where Paul begins but it is not where he ends. Consider what you think about in a typical day and compare that to what Paul calls us to meditate on: “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” If we take this seriously we will realize that there are many things which are true that we should avoid filling our minds with. A significant portion of the modern news industry is designed to entice us to watch/see commercials for things we don’t need by telling us true but often degrading stories that offer nothing of value to our lives. This is frequently the case with social media as well. The problem is that we become what we think about. If we fill our minds with defiling and dishonorable images we will fail to become the type of people who lift others up. Paul is not calling Christians to stick our heads in the sand. Because we have glimpsed the holiness of God, Christians should be more aware of the wretchedness of a fallen world than anyone else. Yet, it is one thing to recognize filth it is another thing altogether to roll around in it. Here is the hard part: Modern American culture promotes filling your mind with things that are worthy of shame. We cannot respond rightly to Paul’s admonition unless we do so self-consciously. Take a few minutes to think about the shows you watch, the news and web pages you regularly read, and the music you listen to. Then compare what you are now filling your mind with to what God wants you to fill your mind with.  If you need to make some changes (we all do!) – why not start today? Read or sing Hymn 233 “O Father, You Are Sovereign” Prayer: Ask the LORD to make your heart good soil for His word – that the word of God would produce a vast crop of good fruit in your life.

Tuesday (10/2) Read and discuss James 5:7-11. It is a simple fact of life: One of the great keys to achievement is persistence and the ability to delay gratification. Regrettably, American culture has embraced instant gratification as a virtue that even impacts our very young children. In one study, “Priscilla Blinco gave large groups of Japanese and American first graders a very difficult puzzle and measured how long they worked at it before they gave up. The American children lasted, on average, 9.47 minutes. The Japanese children lasted 13.93 minutes, roughly 40 percent longer (Malcolm Gladwell).” This persistence gap is one of the reasons why Americans lag so badly behind places like Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Republic of Korea, and Japan in Math. We also need to squarely face the spiritual implications of this shortcoming. Since the wages of sin are death sinning is obviously an irrational thing to do … yet we all continue to sin. The reason isn’t because sin is better but because it is immediate. James is calling us to work hard for a season like farmers who must wait for the day when the crops will come in. Patience and persistence in the face of hardship has always been a tough sell so James gives us two significant pieces of encouragement: (1) First, against the backdrop of eternity with the LORD, our time of waiting for the harvest is actually quite short (In a similar vein, Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:17 that “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison”). (2) Second, we should consider the character of the LORD that He “is compassionate and merciful”. Be patient and persistent. It is worth it. Read or Sing Hymn 536 “Jesus Calls Us” Prayer: Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His mercies endure forever!

Wednesday (10/3) Read and discuss Habakkuk 3:16-19. F.F. Bruce writes:

In the earlier days \the Israelite smallholder was instructed to present a basket containing “some of the first of all the fruit of the ground” at Yahweh’s altar and to acknowledge Yahweh’s goodness to his people in rescuing them from Egypt and bringing them into the fertile land where they now lived. Then, the instruction went on: “You … shall celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house” (Deut. 26:1-11).

Habakkuk has no first fruits to present. Even so, he says, “I will rejoice in the LORD; I will exult in the God of my salvation.” It is right and proper to voice appreciation of God’s goodness when he bestows all that is necessary for life, health, and prosperity. But when these things are lacking, to rejoice in God for his own sake is evidence of pure faith. The vision of God has had its effect on the prophet, and now, with no visible means of support, he receives strength from the God in whom he trusts. As the sure-footed hind makes its way in rocky and precipitous places without slipping, so the prophet’s faith empowers him to surmount his adversities. … God will act when the time comes, granting relief from famine and deliverance from oppression, but here and now he is himself his people’s strength.

Prayer: Please lift up our brothers and sisters at Jaffrey Presbyterian Church in Jaffrey, NH.

Thursday (10/4) Read and discuss Mark 10:46-52.  Christ’s encounter with Bartimaeus continues the theme found in verse 31: “But many who are first shall be last, and the last first.” It is interesting to compare blind Bartimaeus with the rich young ruler. Bartimaeus was a nobody – a virtual social outcast. When he cried out to Jesus for help the crowd told him to be quiet (In this way Barimaeus was very much like the young children that the disciples were trying to keep from “bothering” Jesus). The rich young ruler identifies Jesus as “good teacher” but Christ’s response unmasks the fact that this man doesn’t really know what he is saying. Bartimaeus identifies Jesus as the Messiah (“Son of David”) and has confidence that Jesus can do far more than impart a few words of good advice. The rich young ruler clung to his goods and left Jesus while Bartimaeus flung aside his goods (The cloak in verse 50 was almost certainly spread on the ground to collect donations.  In throwing it aside, Bartimaeus was casting off his life of begging.) and followed Jesus (v. 52). As Lig Duncan has so aptly put it, “Either Jesus will separate you from the world, or the world will separate you from Jesus.” There is a wonderful irony in the fact that the blind beggar is the  one who sees things most clearly – even when compared to Christ’s inner circle of disciples who were just recently seeking positions of great glory. The most significant note in this story is what the man did once his eyes were opened and he could see. Bartimaeus immediately followed Jesus on the way. Read or sing Hymn 272 “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say” Prayer: Give thanks that the LORD has made you part of His Kingdom of Priests – and ask that you would be faithful in that role.

Friday (10/5) Read and discuss Ephesians 4:25-32. At first it might seem odd that Paul would include the admonition not to steal in a letter to Christians. However, if we really think about what the 8^th commandment means we will realize that desiring things which we don’t have can be a temptation for us throughout our Christian lives. Stealing is about far more than breaking into someone’s house and walking out with their silver. It includes things like illegally downloading songs or software, tax evasion, the failure to pay workers their full wages, and dishonesty on an employee’s time sheet. John Stott observes that “in echoing the commandment (let the thief no longer steal), the Apostle goes beyond the prohibition and draws out its positive implications. It is not enough that the thief stops stealing. Let him start working, doing honest work with his hands, earning his own living. Then he will be able not only to support himself and his family, but also to give to the thief in need. Instead of sponging on the community, as thieves do, he will start contributing to it. And none but Christ can transform a burglar into a benefactor!” Read or sing Hymn 466 “My Faith Looks Up to Thee” Prayer: Ask the LORD to strengthen your faith as you meditate upon His word and seek to live in light of what His word says.

Saturday (10/6) Read and discuss Philippians 4:4-7. It has been rightly said that having anxiety is like paying interest on debts that may never come due. Anxiety can sap the joy and fruitfulness out of our lives that our Father wants His children to experience. One of the major causes of anxiety is having the wrong people in charge of things that need to get done. In incompetent boss can cause a great deal of anxiety among his or her employees; and if the pilot is serving coffee while the flight attendant is trying to land the plane – then there is every reason to be anxious. Christians often become anxious when we forget that it is not our job to run the universe – even a small portion of it. Oddly, many of us think it is a good idea to entrust some things to God while trying to work out other parts of life on our own. N.T. Wright insightfully observes that “People sometimes say today that one shouldn’t bother God about trivial requests (fine weather for the church picnic; a parking space in a busy street); but, though of course our intercessions should normally focus on serious and major matters, we note that Paul says we should ask God about every area of life.” Or as we sing in the hymn What a Friend We Have in Jesus:

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer.

Prayer: Please lift up tomorrow’s morning and evening worship services.

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Guide for the Preparation for Worship on 30 September 2018 Sunday, Sep 23 2018

30 September 2018 – The Rev. Gary Moore Preaching

Call to Worship: Psalm 105:1-3

Opening Hymn: 233 “O Father, You Are Sovereign”

Confession of Sin

Almighty and most merciful Father; We have erred and strayed from Your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Your holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done. And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. But You, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent; According to Your promises declared to mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father; For His sake; That we may hereby live a godly, righteous, and sober life; To the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Psalm 78:38-39

Hymn of Preparation: 536 “Jesus Calls Us”

Old Covenant Reading: Luke 5:1-11

New Covenant Reading: Exodus 3:1-11

Sermon: The Calling of Simon

Hymn of Response: 272 “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say”

Confession of Faith: Heidelberg Catechism Q/A #1 (p. 872)

Doxology (Hymn 568)

Closing Hymn: 466 “My Faith Looks Up to Thee”

OT: 1 Samuel 12:1-25

NT: Luke 14:24-33

Marks of a Disciple

Shorter Catechism Q/A #59

Q. Which day of the seven hath God appointed to be the weekly sabbath?
A. From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly sabbath; and the first day of the week ever since, to continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian sabbath.

Suggested Preparations

Monday (9/24) Read and discuss Luke 5:1-11. What causes a man or woman to recognize his or her sinfulness and to fall on his or her knees before God? Many Christians would respond to this question by suggesting that it is the preaching of the law. There is some truth in this – but only some. First of all, we face the problem that sinners often subvert God’s law by turning into an abstract morality. J. Gresham Machen points out this paradox to us:

As it is, they are turning aside from the Christian pathway; they are turning to the village of Morality, and to the house of Mr. Legality, who is reported to be very skillful in relieving men of their burdens. Mr. Legality has indeed in our day disguised himself somewhat, but he is the same deceiver as the one of whom Bunyan wrote. “Making Christ Master” in the life, putting into practice “the principles of Christ” by one’s own efforts – these are  the new ways of earning salvation by one’s own obedience to God’s commands. And they are undertaken because of a low view of a lax view of what those commands are. So it always is: a low view of law always brings legalism in religion; a high view of the law makes a man a seeker after grace.

At the heart of the difference between a low and a high view of the law is whether or not we see the glorious Lawgiver behind that word. It is a vision for the majesty of God which causes men to fall to their knees. This is true whether the entrance to that revelation comes from law or from grace. In fact, in the mystery of God’s providence, far more people seem to be broken of their self-righteousness by an understanding of God’s grace than by an understanding of the law. In today’s passage, Peter gains a glimpse into the otherness of Jesus when his nets are filled to bursting. This vision causes Peter to recognize, not only Christ’s inherent greatness, but also his own sinfulness. Luther writes:

Peter is to become a different man; and a greater miracle is to be wrought in him than in the draught of fishes. The sermon which Christ had previously preached form the boat now first began to have its effect upon him.

Read or sing Hymn 233 “O Father, You Are Sovereign” Prayer: Please pray for revival and reformation right where we live in New England.

Tuesday (9/25) Read and discuss Romans 4:16-25.  In verse 17, speaking of Abraham, Paul continues …

… as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

Please etch this truth into your thinking. What does Abraham believe? Paul is still talking about Genesis 15, before Abram had his name changed to Abraham and while Abraham was still childless. The LORD appeared to Abram in a vision and said:

“Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

So, what exactly was it that Abram believed? We could say that Abram believed the promise of God, but please notice that both Genesis 15 and Romans 4 say not “What?” but “Who?” Abraham believed God. Saving faith is not simply believing things about God. It is trusting God Himself that He is both able to perform what He said and faithful to the promises which He makes. Intellectual assent to specific truths is essential but by itself it is insufficient. It is not enough to believe things about God – you must personally trust the LORD. Read or Sing Hymn 536 “Jesus Calls Us” Prayer: Please pray for someone you know who has yet to make a public profession of faith that the LORD would lead him or her to truly embrace Jesus by faith.

Wednesday (9/26) Read and discuss Exodus 3:1-15. Doug Stuart writes:

By authorizing Moses to say, “I AM/CAUSE TO BE” has sent me to you,” God made Moses his ambassadorial representative, that is, prophet, assigned to speak on his behalf to the Israelites. They would have recognized, if they perceived the situation correctly, that what he said was not of his own making but was the word of Yahweh, the God of their forefathers.

What had just been revealed in terms of the divine name was now reiterated [in verse 15] with connection to the Patriarchs, so that the Israelites in Egypt would be able to properly draw the conclusion that Moses was no coming to them in the name of a new god but the true God of old, the God their own ancestors worshiped, and thus the God who should logically be their national deliverer. God also made clear that the third-person form of his name, Yahweh, was to be employed immediately (since no human could use it properly in the first-person form) and would identify him to his people for the generations thereafter.

Prayer: Please pray for the teenagers in our congregation that they would grow in their commitment to Christ and that the LORD would be using them to impact their peer groups for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

Thursday (9/27) Read and discuss 1 Samuel 12:1-25. Rick Philips writes:

We might honor Samuel’s legacy by recounting all the things that made him great. But a better way to honor him would be to look through him to see reasons why Jesus Christ is a better Savior, King, and Mediator, in whom we may find all that we need for the eternal salvation of our souls.

First, while the people asked Samuel to mediate on their behalf with God, we have the privilege of approaching God’s throne through the mediation of Jesus. For all his virtue, Samuel remained a sinner; even he could not ultimately stand before God on his own merits. … Jesus is no mere holy man; he is the God-man. Immanuel, which means “God with us,” God the Son who took up flesh to bring his people to God. By virtue of who Christ is and what he has done, Paul states, “There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Jesus is the one completely sinless man, who does not need his own Savior before the holy law of God, and who as the Son of God is therefore able to offer his death for the forgiveness of everyone who believes in him and calls on God’s name through his salvation.

Second, Jesus is a better mediator than Samuel because he never grows old and feeble. Under Israel’s monarchy, even the best of kings grew old and ultimately died, so the people had to tremble at what awaited under the new regime. But the kingdom of God knows no such anxiety. Jesus our King, who died for our sins, has risen from the grave into eternal resurrection life. The writer of Hebrews thus exults that Jesus’ priesthood is eternal, and the same is true of his offices as Prophet and as King; he reigns “permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Read or sing Hymn 272 “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say” Prayer: Give thanks that Jesus ever lives to make intercession for you and for all of His sheep.

Friday (9/28) Read and discuss Luke 14:25-33. William Hendriksen writes:

What the Savior demands in Luke 14:26 and other passages is complete devotion, the type of loyalty that is so true and unswerving that every other attachment, even that to one’s own life, must be subjected to it.

What an alien wishes to become a citizen of the United States of America he must renounce allegiance to his native land and take an oath of loyalty to the country of his choice. This does not mean that he cannot continue to think highly of the nation to which he has said Farewell, but it does mean that from now on he must serve “the land of the free and the home of the brave. Even far more absolute and unconditional must be the loyalty which citizens of the kingdom of God sustain toward their heavenly country and its “Lord of Lords and King of kings.” If a person is unwilling to tender that unconditional devotion, then, says Jesus, “he cannot be my disciple.”

Read or sing Hymn 466 “My Faith Looks Up to Thee” Prayer: Please pray for the Rev. Gary Moore, who will be preaching for us this weekend.

Saturday (9/29) Read and discuss Luke 5:1-11. Arthur A. Just writes:

The teaching of Jesus and the miraculous catch of fish bring Peter to his knees before Jesus; he confesses that he is a sinful man. He, like the demons in 4:34, recognizes that Jesus is “the Holy One of God.” But God has come in Jesus not to condemn, but to bring about a new creation. As in the infancy narrative, where the presence of God moves from the temple to the person of Jesus, the evangelist is suggesting to the hearer that there is a shift here in the location of the presence of God. He is now in the boat! Peter wants Jesus to leave because Peter is a sinner. While being drawn to Jesus through the miracle, Peter also wants Jesus to depart from him, because he knows he is unworthy to be in Jesus’ presence. Awe has gripped Peter – indeed everyone who saw the great catch (James and Jon are named in particular). Jesus’ response, “Do not fear,” is His word of absolution to Peter. The miracle of bringing fish into the boat is the miracle of making the unworthy sinner fit to stay in the presence of the holy God. It is the miracle of the forgiveness of sins. …

Luke concludes the call of Peter by showing that Jesus’ absolution was received in faith, for Peter and for some of the others perform their first act of discipleship. Because Jesus is moving on, the church goes with Him, and these newly called disciples desire to be with Jesus. The focus of Luke’s ecclesiology is now on Jesus, the Anointed One.

Prayer: Please lift up tomorrow’s morning and evening worship services.

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Guide for the Preparation for Worship on 23 September 2018 Sunday, Sep 16 2018

23 September 2018

Call to Worship: Psalm 100:1-5

Opening Hymn: 234 “The God of Abraham Praise”

Confession of Sin

Almighty and everlasting God, Glorious Creator of all things, and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; We have sinned against Your holy Name, by failing to glorify You in our lives as your redeemed children. Our unthankfulness extends to every thought and deed, as well as to our failure to thank you with our lips. We have not lived to the praise of the glory of Your grace. We have not esteemed the reproach of Jesus Christ our Savior to be greater than the riches of this world. We have failed to estimate the infinite cost of the salvation won for us at the cross through the shed blood of Jesus. We have not been faithful to You as You have been faithful to us in all things. Father, forgive us for our ingratitude through the reconciling sacrifice of Jesus Christ our all-sufficient Mediator, we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: John 14;1-3

Hymn of Preparation: 447 “Christ, of All My Hopes the Ground”

Old Covenant Reading: Psalm 115:1-18

New Covenant: Romans 4:16-25

Sermon: That the Promise Might Stand

Hymn of Response: Psalm 115A

Confession of Faith: Nicene Creed (p. 852)

Doxology (Hymn 568)

Closing Hymn: 435 “Not What My Hands Have Done”

PM Worship

OT: 2 Samuel 21:15-22

NT: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Mighty Men and the Lamp of Israel

Shorter Catechism Q/A #58

Q. What is required in the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment requireth the keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his word; expressly one whole day in seven, to be a holy sabbath to himself.

Suggested Preparations

Monday (9/17) Read and discuss Romans 4:16-25. James Montgomery Boice writes:

The first attribute of God that Abraham fixed his mind on was God’s truthfulness, the fact that God does not lie. Later, Paul will write this to his friend and co-worker Titus, saying explicitly that our faith is in “God, who does not lie” (Titus 1:2). The truthfulness of God is an underlying assumption in these verses from Romans, and certainly in the life of Abraham as a whole. The truthfulness of God was basic to Abraham’s faith in God’s promise. If God were not truthful, the promise would have meant nothing to Abraham and would mean nothing to anyone else. It would be only empty words. But because God is truthful, the promise is true and can be trusted implicitly.

Abraham was willing to act on his conviction that God is always truthful. When God told Abraham (Abram) to leave his own land and go to a land that he would show him, Abraham believed God and “set out from Haran.”

When God promised him that he would have descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven, saying “so shall your offspring be,” Abraham “believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

When God renewed the promise of a son in Abraham’s old age, Abraham believed God again and accepted his name changes, as well as the rite of circumcision, to show that he believed Him.

Confidence in the truthfulness of God contributed to Abraham’s victory in the greatest test of his life: the demand by God that he sacrifice his son on Mount Moriah. Abraham reasoned that since God had promised a numerous posterity through Isaac and since Isaac had not yet married or had children, to keep His word God would have to raise Isaac from the dead. Abraham proceeded on the basis of this faith and was about to perform the sacrifice when God stopped him.

Such complete confidence is vital to any individual’s proper relationship to God, since we cannot know, come to, or please God unless we have faith in or believe Him (cf. Heb. 11:6).

Read or sing Hymn 234 “The God of Abraham Praise” Prayer: Please pray for our neighbors in North Andover, Lawrence, and the surrounding towns who are suffering so deeply from last week’s gas fires and explosions.

Tuesday (9/18) Read and discuss Romans 4:13-15.  For example, in Genesis 17 the LORD makes this promise:

I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

Did you notice whom the LORD promised to give the land of Canaan to? He didn’t say, “to you, that is to your offspring” as though the promise was only going to be fulfilled to Abraham in his offspring. The LORD explicitly says: “to you” and “to your offspring.” So here is the key question: “When did Abraham receive the Promised Land?” … The answer is: “Not yet.” Abraham was not having “his best life then” … or as certain false teachers might say: “His best life now!” The LORD was promising Abraham the Land of Canaan far off in the future after the LORD would raise him from the dead. As Hebrews 11 puts it:

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.” … And then skipping down a few verses

… “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

In order to rightly understand the Land Promise that God made to Abraham, we have to understand that it was not of a transient possession in this life – but of an eternal possession in the age to come. The physical possession of the Promised Land by Jews in the Old Testament was not the fulfillment of the Promise, in its fullest sense, it was merely a pointer and a type of what God had planned and promised for Abraham and all were of the faith of Abraham in the future. If you get this one big point, everything else should fall quickly into place. Read or Sing Hymn 447 “Christ, of All My Hopes the Ground” Prayer: Ask the LORD to help you live today in light of eternity.

Wednesday (9/19) Read and discuss Psalm 115:1-18. Commenting on verse 3a, “Our God is in heaven”, John Calvin writes:

The faithful, when they place God in heaven, do not confine him to a certain locality, nor set limits to his infinite essence, but they deny the limitation of his power, its being shut up to human instrumentality only, or its being subject to fate or fortune. In short, they put the universe under his control; and, being superior to every obstruction, he does freely everything that may seem good to him. This truth is still more plainly asserted in the subsequent clause; he does whatever pleases him. God, then, may be said to dwell in heaven, as the world is subject to his will, and nothing can prevent him from accomplishing his purpose.

That God can do whatsoever he pleases is a doctrine of great importance, provided it be truly and legitimately applied. If we would derive advantage from this doctrine, we must attend to the import of God’s doing whatsoever he pleases in heaven and on the earth. And, first, god has all power for the preservation of his Church, and for providing for her welfare; and, secondly, all creatures are under his control, and therefore nothing can prevent him from accomplishing all his purposes. However much, then, the faithful may find themselves cut off from all means of subsistence and safety, they ought nevertheless to take courage from the fact, that God is not only superior to all impediments, but that he can render them subservient to the advancement of his own designs. This, too, must also be borne in mind, that all events are the result of God’s appointment alone, and that nothing happens by chance. This much it was proper to premise respecting the use of this doctrine, that we may be prevented from forming unworthy conceptions of the glory of God, as men of wild imaginations are wont to do. Adopting this principle, we ought not to be ashamed frankly to acknowledge that God, by his eternal counsel, manages all things in such a manner, that nothing can be done but by his will and appointment.

Prayer: Rejoice that the God who rules heaven and earth has become your Father in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thursday (9/20) Read and discuss 2 Thessalonians 3:1-3. John Stott writes:

Paul asks for prayer that he and his missionary companions may be delivered from wicked and evil men. It is one thing for the gospel to win friends who embrace it; it is another for the evangelists to be rescued from its enemies who oppose it. Since he uses the definite article, Paul seems to have a particular group in mind, perhaps the Jewish opponents of the gospel in Corinth … The reason they reject the gospel is that not everyone has faith or (because of the definite article) ‘the faith’. The latter is an objective body of belief, the former the faculty of believing it. But, Paul adds immediately, the Lord (i.e. Jesus) is faithful. In Greek, as in English, there is a deliberate play on the words faith and faithful. Indeed, by this contrast Paul is expressing his conviction that the faithlessness of human beings cannot possibly overturn the faithfulness of God, as shown in his covenant commitment to his people and his word.

God’s faithfulness to His word is a recurring theme in the Old Testament. It was written of Samuel, for example: ‘The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and He let none of his words fall to the ground.” Again, God said to Jeremiah at the time of his call: “I am watching to see that My word is fulfilled.” He had made a similar promise to Isaiah: ‘My word … will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.’ Paul shares this assurance. True, there was opposition from ‘evil men’, and behind them from ‘the evil one’ himself. True also, they were engaged in spiritual warfare and so needed spiritual weapons: Paul had to preach and the Thessalonians needed to pray. Yet behind his preaching and their prayers stood the faithful Lord Himself, who watches over His word, and who confirms it by His Spirit in the hearers’ hearts, so that it works in them effectively.

Read or sing Psalm 115A Prayer: Give thanks that the LORD has given us His word and that we have accurate translations of this word in our own languages.

Friday (9/21) Read and discuss 2 Samuel 21:15-22.  Today’s passage is just a simple listing of battles that Israel won against the Philistines, but it also functions as a testimony to the faithfulness of the LORD. The LORD had promised that He was raising up David to defeat the Philistines and these four battles are added to the others where David defeated the Philistines. The success that David had in defeating the Philistines can be seen in the fact that they never invade Israel during Solomon’s entire reign. We also see that David had inspired a remarkable degree of loyalty from some very capable men. Tony Cartledge writes:

The love of David’s men for their leader is made especially evident in 21:15-17, where Abishai comes to David’s rescue and saves him from death at the hands of the Philistine Ishbi-benob. “Then David’s men swore to him, ‘You shall not go out with us to battle any longer, so that you do not quench the lamp of Israel.’” David’s supporters knew that their love for David also benefitted the kingdom as a whole. David, like a beautiful oil lamp, managed to bring the light of God’s hope for Israel into focus as no one had before. Their service to David was also service to God.

Prayer: Please lift up our brothers and sisters at Jaffrey Presbyterian Church.

Saturday (9/22). Read and discuss Romans 4:16-25. N.T. Wright comments:

The last verse of the chapter anticipates something Paul is going to do throughout chapters 5 through 8. He rounds off every stage of the argument in this section with a reference to Jesus. This isn’t a mere pious gesture, smuggling in a mention of Jesus in case we thought he’d forgotten about him. It shows, rather, what the whole argument is all about. It brings us back home to the source and power of Paul’s thought. In this case, it draws together what has been underneath the whole of the previous four chapters. Jesus was handed over because of our trespasses; in other words, the massive human evil which has disfigured the world came together and, in the cross, was dealt with as I deserved, in judicial condemnation. He was raised because of our justification, our being declared ‘in the right’, when Jesus was raised from the dead god was not only saying ‘he really was my son,’ bur also ‘all those who believe in Him really are My people’

Please lift up tomorrow’s morning and evening worship services.

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Guide for the Preparation for Worship on 16 September 2018 Sunday, Sep 9 2018

16 September 2018

Call to Worship: Psalm 96:1-3

Opening Hymn: 236 “To God Be the Glory”

Confession of Sin

O eternal God and merciful Father, we humble ourselves before your great majesty, against which we have frequently and grievously sinned. We acknowledge that we deserve nothing less than eternal death, that we are unclean before you and children of wrath. We continually transgress your commandments, failing to do what you have commanded, and doing that which you have expressly forbidden. We acknowledge our waywardness, and are heartily sorry for all our sins. We are not worthy to be called your children, nor to lift up our eyes heavenward to you in prayer. Nevertheless, O Lord God and gracious Father, we know that your mercy toward those who turn to you is infinite; and so we take courage to call upon you, trusting in our Mediator Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Forgive all our sins for Christ’s sake. Cover us with his innocence and righteousness, for the glory of your name. Deliver our understanding from all blindness, and our hearts from all willfulness and rebellion, we pray through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen

Assurance of Pardon: Galatians 2:20

Hymn of Preparation:  404 “The Church’s One Foundation”

Old Covenant Reading: Psalm 72:1-20

New Covenant Reading: Romans 4:13-15

Sermon: Who Will Inherit the Earth?

Hymn of Response: 411 “Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns”

Confession of Faith: Ten Commandments

Diaconal Offering

Doxology (Hymn 568)

Closing Hymn: 421 “Christ Shall Have Dominion”

PM Worship

OT: 2 Samuel 21:15-22

NT: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Mighty Men and the Lamp of Israel

Shorter Catechism Q/A #57

Q. Which is the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Suggested Preparations

Monday (9/10) Read and discuss Romans 4:13-15. R.C. Sproul writes:

If God had not set any standards or imposed obligations on us, then we would be autonomous. We would be free to do whatever we want to do. As Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky said “If there is no God, all things are permissible.” We live in a society that seeks to banish the very concept of sin from human consciousness, but in order to do that we must first banish God from the equation.

In setting forth the shorter catechism, the Westminster divines provided a simple definition of sin. The question in the catechism asks, “What is sin?” The answer given is, “Sin is any want of conformity there unto or transgression of the law of God.” That gets at it succinctly. The somewhat archaic language in the phrase simply means “a lack of conformity to the law of God.” If God imposes a law or a rule for our behavior, saying, “You shall do this” or “You shall not do that,” we fail to conform to his standard of righteousness if we don’t conform to the law or if we disobey that commandment. In one sense, this failure to conform calls attention (not always but sometimes) to what we call “sins of omission.” We commit sins of omission when we fail to do those things that we ought to have done, things that God commands us to do. Not only are there negative failures or omissions, but there are also sins of commission, actual transgressions of the law of God. …

Paul will labor this point a little more fully in chapter 5, and it is one that needs to be labored. Our culture lives in such a spirit of lawlessness that even Christians do not spend much time thinking about the law of God, sometimes going so far as to think that even having laws is beneath the dignity of God’s love or his goodness. He is the one who made us, the one who rules us, and the one who is sovereign over us, and there is nothing more perfectly rational than that a just and holy God should declare what is his will. There is nothing at all unjust or irrational about a God who imposes standards and obligations upon his creatures. That is what we learn in the law – what God requires of us.

Read or sing Hymn 236 “To God Be the Glory” Prayer: Give thanks that the LORD has given us His Torah as a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths.

Tuesday (9/11) Read and discuss Romans 4:9-12.  Many Jews in Paul’s day, including apparently a number of Jewish-Christians, were treating circumcision as an act of obedience. As you read through Romans and Galatians you will notice that Paul uses the expression “works of the law” in a number of critical places. For example, back in chapter 3, Paul wrote:

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

And again …

For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

It turns out then when the Jews of Paul’s day spoke about the works of the law, at the very top of their list was circumcision. That is, they saw circumcision as something that marked out the man who was circumcised as being better than the man who was not circumcised. That is, as Paul makes clear in Galatians, they were boasting in their flesh. But that is the very opposite of what circumcision was intended to do. Not to be too graphic, but circumcision is a ceremonial cutting off of the flesh which points to the inadequacy of fallen human flesh to be pleasing to God. To the degree that circumcision points at all to the boy or man who has been circumcised – it shouts that this person is unable to be vindicated in God’s courtroom based on his own performance. Do you realize that baptism proclaims this very same truth? Baptism is a symbolic washing with water. What does that say about the person being baptized? It says that left to him or herself – that person is unclean. Thankfully, the ceremonial cutting off of the flesh in circumcision doesn’t merely point to the inadequacy of the person being circumcised – it points outside of the person to the cutting off of Jesus Christ on the cross. While the ceremonial cutting off of a tiny bit of sinful flesh doesn’t justify anyone, it points forward to the actual cutting off of the spotless Lamb of God – whose life-giving death is the ground of justification for everyone who believes. Read or Sing Hymn 404 “The Church’s One Foundation” Prayer: Please lift up the Muslims who are being placed in re-education camps in China. Pray also for the peace of the Christian Church in China.

Wednesday (9/12) Read and discuss Psalm 72:1-20. Allen P. Ross writes:

Here a psalm has been included that looks to the future of the monarchy. The petitions in this prayer reflect the needs of the nation, for the nation never had a king that did these things. In fact, there has never been a truly righteous king or a righteous government in the history of the world. And the world needs a righteous king.

So this is a prayer that God will so bless the future king that his reign will be a righteous reign. But since the descriptions used in the petitions are found throughout the prophets and the psalms as descriptions of the coming messianic age, this prayer becomes eschatological. That is, it is a legitimate prayer expressing a legitimate need, but it will only be fulfilled in the Messiah. The Messiah will reign over a kingdom on earth in which righteousness and justice will thrive, the land will produce its bounty in abundance, and all the nations of the earth will submit to his authority and be blessed through him. The prayer of this psalm draws in some of the great prophesies of the reign of the Messiah on earth, which the New Testament confirms will be fulfilled in Jesus Christ when he returns to earth at his second coming. While he now sits enthroned at the right hand of the Majesty on High, as Scripture depicts it, he has not yet put all things under submission, righteousness does not fill the earth, and the whole world groans, waiting for the day of redemption. The petitions of this psalm, for one, will be fulfilled in the coming messianic kingdom.

Prayer: Give thanks that Jesus will come again to fully establish His Kingdom on earth.

Thursday (9/13) Read and discuss 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. When the going gets tough, the tough get going! That’s easier to say than to do. Yet, we are not only called but commanded to be courageous. One suspects that many Christians are surprised the first time they read Revelation 21:8 to discover which sin heads the list of those whose destiny is the lake that burns with unquenchable fire:

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

So, where do we get the courage we need to remain faithful? Murray Harris helpfully summarizes the three sources of such courage that Paul reveals to us in this passage:

Paul mentions three sources of divine comfort: assurance that he would become a possessor of a superior form of habitation (v. 1), an awareness that in giving the Spirit as the pledge of transformation God had committed himself to complete the good work of renewal he had begun (v. 5), and knowledge that death involves departure to Christ and leads to ‘walking in the realm of sight (vv. 7-8). The tone of 5:1-10 is not one of cringing fear arising from human uncertainties but of buoyant assurance born of divine certainties.

All three of these sources of courage are important and belong together. What Paul is calling Christians to have is a truly eternal perspective on our present circumstances. As he had told the Corinthians in the previous chapter: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” Read or sing Hymn 411 “Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns” Prayer: Ask the LORD to help you live today in light of eternity.

Friday (9/14) Read and discuss 2 Samuel 21:15-22.  Andrew Steinmann writes:

We are told that David became fatigued. Perhaps this was a combination of his more advanced age – he was no longer the young David who led Saul’s troops against the Philistines – and the Philistines’ targeting of David as the key person to slay. We are told that Ishbibenob attacked David, intending to kill him. The author emphasizes this Philistine’s weapons, especially his bronze spear, which weighted three hundred shekels or about seven and a half pounds. This was a heavy weapon, but it still weighed only half as much as Goliath’s spear (1 Sam 21:17). Yet this time David needed help, and Abishai provided it.

This apparently was too much of a risk for David’s troops to tolerate, and their oath reinforced their determination that the king was not to lead his troops into battle any longer. They mentioned that David’s death would be the extinguishing of “Israel’s lamp.” This is a reference to David as the bearer of the messianic promise. The “lamp” of David would continue to be Israel’s hope until Christ, the light of the world, would be born to provide Israel’s eternal “light” and to be the “lamp” of the new Jerusalem.

Read or sing Hymn 421 “Christ Shall Have Dominion” Prayer: Please lift up the OPC mission in Uganda.

Saturday (9/15) Read and discuss Romans 4:13-15. N.T. Wright comments:

I had an angry email today from a Jewish Christian who objected strongly to something I had said, very cautiously, about the current problems in the Middle East. (I lived and worked in Jerusalem some years ago, and I still have friends in various parts of the bewildering mixture of ethnic and religious groups.) The main point my correspondent was making was that God gave the land to Israel, and that the promise had been reaffirmed in our own day. Nothing should therefore stand in the way of Israel’s security and, by implication, the expansion of its territory to include all the occupied West Bank of the Jordan.

This is obviously a hot topic, and it looks to continue that way (alas) for some time. But I raise it here because it relates directly to what Paul is doing in verse 13 (to which I directed my correspondent in reply). The promise to Abraham and his family, Paul says, was that he would inherit – the world! This is breathtaking. Again and again in Genesis the writer declares that God promised Abraham the piece of territory then known as the land of Canaan, roughly the ‘holy land’ as we know it now. Later writings sometimes expanded this to include everything between the Red Sea and the River Euphrates, far away to the north-east; but Canaan remained the focus. Even when writers much nearer Paul’s time expanded the idea of a ‘holy land’ still further, it was still centered on the original promised territory.

For Paul, however, and indeed for the whole New Testament, the idea of a holy land, in terms of one strip of territory over against all others, has simply vanished. In its place are the beginnings of a completely transformed idea of land: that the whole world – in Romans 8 the entire creation – is claimed by God as ‘holy land,’ and is promised to Abraham and his family as their ‘inheritance.’ This is one of the most breathtaking revisions of standard Jewish thinking we can imagine. It is certainly as important as the decision not to require circumcision for Gentile converts. It is of course closely cognate with that dramatic revision of Jewish expectations. The privilege of geography, as of birth, counts for nothing in the new world ruled over by the crucified and risen Messiah.

Prayer: Please lift up tomorrow’s morning and evening worship services.

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Guide for the Preparation for Worship on 9 September 2018 Sunday, Sep 2 2018

9 September 2018

Call to Worship: Psalm 98:1-3

Opening Hymn: 238 “Lord, with Glowing Heart I’d Praise Thee”

Confession of Sin

Almighty God, Who are rich in mercy to all those who call upon You; Hear us as we humbly come to You confessing our sins; And imploring Your mercy and forgiveness. We have broken Your holy laws by our deeds and by our words; And by the sinful affections of our hearts. We confess before You our disobedience and ingratitude, our pride and willfulness; And all our failures and shortcomings toward You and toward fellow men. Have mercy upon us, Most merciful Father; And of Your great goodness grant that we may hereafter serve and please You in newness of life; Through the merit and mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Hymn of Preparation:  403 “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken”

Old Covenant Reading: Genesis 17:1-14

New Covenant Reading: Romans 4:9-12

Sermon: Why Circumcision?

Hymn of Response: 244 “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”

Confession of Faith: Apostles Creed (p. 851)

Doxology (Hymn 568)

Closing Hymn: 425 “How Sweet and Awesome is the Place”

REMINDER: The Hymns for AM Worship are from the new Trinity Psalter-Hymnal. Why not read them over and familiarize yourself with them before morning worship this Sunday?

PM Worship

OT: 2 Samuel 21:1-14

NT: James 5:7-12

The Cost of Taking the Name of the LORD in Vain

Shorter Catechism Q/A #56

Q. What is the reason annexed to the third commandment?
A. The reason annexed to the third commandment is that however the breakers of this commandment may escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgment.

Suggested Preparations

Monday (9/3) Read and discuss Romans 4:9-12. Arland Hultgren writes:

Paul raises a question, asking whether the “blessing” of which David speaks in the psalm applies only to persons who have been ritually circumcised, or whether it could apply to the uncircumcised as well. In order to answer the question, Paul refers to texts in Genesis once more. He points out that Abraham was declared righteous before he had been circumcised. That means, in effect, that Abraham was circumcised while he was still a Gentile. The implication to be drawn is that even the uncircumcised can be justified as they accept the promises of God, the gospel.

Paul uses a fascinating argument. The passage where Abraham is declared righteous is at Genesis 15:6. That passage precedes the commandment concerning circumcision (Gen 17:10-14) and the actual circumcision of Abraham (17:24). There is no indication in Genesis concerning the age of Abraham at the event of 15:6, when he was declared righteous, but there is a notice concerning his age at the time of his circumcision, and that is that he was 99 (17:24). Between these two events there is one indicator of age, and that is that at the time Ishmael was born, Abraham was 86 (16:16). According to rabbinic tradition, Abraham was 70 years old at the time that the promise of 15:6 was given, which was also the time that he was declared to be justified. [If that is right, it] means that Abraham was a justified-by-faith Gentile for twenty-nine years prior to his circumcision. Whether that tradition existed at the time of Paul, and whether he was aware of it or not, cannot be known. What is certain is that Paul was aware of the general time-frame, and he made a point of it, namely, that the promise to Abraham, and the declaration of his righteousness by faith in the divine promise, was prior to his circumcision. Therefore, circumcision was not a precondition for righteousness.

Read or sing Hymn 238 “Lord, with Glowing Heart I’d Praise Thee” Prayer: Please pray for our brothers and sisters at Jaffrey Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Jaffrey, NH.

Tuesday (9/4) Read and discuss Romans 4:1-8.  What exactly is faith? Is the justified person clothed in faith so that faith itself is the radiant clothing which replaces the filthy clothing of our sins? As Paul might say, “Don’t even entertain such an outrageous and wicked thought!” Regrettably, many Christians do entertain this entirely false notion. But do you see that this actually turns your faith into a good work?  And if a person’s faith is a type of substitute good work, so that a person is clothed in his or her own faith in a way that makes the person righteous, then what sort of people does God justify? The only answer possible is that He justifies those good people who believe. But does the LORD look at believers and say: “Those people are such good people because they believe Me, and they believe in My Son.” Well what does the rest of the verse say?

And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.

When you believe, you do not become a good person who merits reward from God. You are an ungodly person whom God has justified by clothing you, not with your faith, but with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Faith is the instrument of your justification, but it is not the ground or the basis for your justification. Read or Sing Hymn 403 “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken” Prayer: Please pray for the Session as it means tonight.

Wednesday (9/5) Read and discuss Genesis 17:1-14. Dale Ralph Davies writes:

What is the significance of circumcision? If it is ‘a sign of the covenant’ what does it signify? Well, it’s hard to get away from the idea that it signifies promises. You note that Yahweh’s promises infect the whole context of the circumcision section. That is, verses 9-14 (circumcision) are surrounded with Yahweh’s promises (vv. 4-8 and 15-21), promises fore and aft, we might say. Alec Motyer said that whenever Abraham would look upon that sign in his body, he would say, ‘I am the man to whom God has made promises.’ That is true, and yet this circumcision is also Abraham’s response to the covenant promises and to Yahweh’s command and it would also indicate that he is marked out for the God who made the promises – he is ‘branded’ as belonging to the God who makes promises. Perhaps it’s something like a husband’s wedding band. On the one hand, he can look at it and say, ‘I am the man to whom promise have been made’; on the other, he could say, ‘I am marked out as belonging to another.’ In this latter sense, Abraham might say, ‘I am not my own; I belong to another, for I am branded with the identity mark of the covenant God.’

Prayer: Give thanks that the LORD has put His name upon you and claims you as your own.

Thursday (9/6) Read and discuss James 5:7-12. It is a simple fact of life: One of the great keys to achievement is persistence and the ability to delay gratification. Regrettably, American culture has embraced instant gratification as a virtue that even impacts our very young children. In one study, “Priscilla Blinco gave large groups of Japanese and American first graders a very difficult puzzle and measured how long they worked at it before they gave up. The American children lasted, on average, 9.47 minutes. The Japanese children lasted 13.93 minutes, roughly 40 percent longer (Malcolm Gladwell).” This persistence gap is one of the reasons why Americans lag so badly behind places like Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Republic of Korea, and Japan in Math. We also need to squarely face the spiritual implications of this shortcoming. Since the wages of sin are death sinning is obviously an irrational thing to do … yet we all continue to sin. The reason isn’t because sin is better but because it is immediate. James is calling us to work hard for a season like farmers who must wait for the day when the crops will come in. Patience and persistence in the face of hardship has always been a tough sell so James gives us two significant pieces of encouragement: (1) First, against the backdrop of eternity with the LORD, our time of waiting for the harvest is actually quite short (In a similar vein, Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:17 that “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison”). (2) Second, we should consider the character of the LORD that He “is compassionate and merciful”. Be patient and persistent. It is worth it. Read or sing Hymn 244 “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” Prayer: Ask the LORD to grant you patience in your work and confidence in the eventual harvest.

Friday (9/7) Read and discuss 2 Samuel 21:1-14.  Dale Ralph Davis writes:

Does the seven-man execution here violate the principle of justice laid down in Deuteronomy 24:16? I don’t think so. That law regulated individual criminal cases. Here the situation is much broader. Saul did not trample on the Gibeonite covenant merely as an individual. He was king of Israel. In his office as king his deeds had an official character. As king, the people were represented in him. Hence his offence had a representational as opposed to an individual character, and to that extent involved Israel in the guilt. The offence itself was national as opposed to individual, for the covenant with Gibeon (Josh. 9) was sworn by Israel’s leaders on behalf of the whole people. Should the covenant be broken all Israel would be liable for it, even if only one man (Saul) was the primary instigator. ‘The few instances where punishment of children was legally sanctioned were not criminal cases but those involving offenses against God, such as violation … of national oaths (Jeffrey H. Tgay, Deuteronomy).”

Read or sing Hymn 425 “How Sweet and Awesome is the Place” Prayer: Pray for the young people in our congregation as they get reengage with school.

Saturday (9/8) Read and discuss Romans 4:9-12. C.E.B Cranfield writes:

Abraham’s circumcision is characterized as the seal, that I, the outward and visible authentication, ratification and guarantee, of the righteousness by faith which was already his while he was still uncircumcised. It seems quite probable, though it is not certain, that the custom of referring to circumcision as a seal was already well established in Judaism by Paul’s time. The words imply that Abraham’s circumcision, while it did not confer a status of righteousness on him, was nevertheless valuable as the outward and visible attestation of the status of righteousness which he already possessed.

Cranfield is undoubtedly correct in terms of how circumcision functioned for Abraham and this is all we need to know to follow Paul’s argument in Romans 4. But if we want to understand how circumcision functioned in redemptive history we need to make a very careful distinction: Circumcision was not a sign and seal of faith. Circumcision was a sign and a seal of the righteousness that comes by faith. This should be obvious from the fact that Abraham was commanded to circumcise his children when they were 8 days old, long before they could possibly make a public profession of faith. For both believing Jews like Abraham, and for their covenant children, circumcision was intended to lead them to look outside of themselves in faith to the LORD who had made the promises. They were not supposed to look at themselves and say, “I have the seal of righteousness (i.e. circumcision) in my flesh, so I’m all set.” Instead they were to see circumcision as a sign of the gracious God who was promising them an alien righteousness when they trusted Him and His promises (an alien righteousness is a righteousness that comes from outside of us that we receive as a gift). Prayer: Please lift up tomorrow’s morning and evening worship services.

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