Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 1 March, 2020
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies,
kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering …” (Col. 3:12)
Morning Service – 11:00 AM
Baptism
The Isaianic View of the Children of Believers [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 40:1-11
Text: Isaiah 61:9
I. Taught in Messianic Prophecy
II. Reinforced by Jesus Christ
III. Rich With Practical Implication
Psalms: 113:1-9; 128:1-6; 103:13-19; 8:1-5
Evening Service – 6:00 PM
The Kingdom of God Versus the Kingdoms of Man (6)
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of the Great Image [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Daniel 2:27-45
Text: Daniel 2:31-45
I. The Awesome Image
II. The Amazing Stone
Psalms: 145:1-8; 129:1-8; 8:1-9; 2:4-11
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.cprc.co.uk/live-streaming
CPRC YouTube: www.youtube.com/cprcni
CPRC Facebook: www.facebook.com/CovenantPRC
Quotes to Consider
B. Wielenga: “… let us not forget that in its deepest ground, the covenant is not a consequence of baptism and a gift at baptism. On the contrary, baptism is a fruit of the covenant and a seal on the covenant. After all, we speak of baptism as a seal of the covenant. Did not the Lord God first establish a covenant of grace with Abraham, before he gave him the sign of circumcision as a confirmation of the covenant? Does our form not also say that the children are therefore baptized, because as members of the church (thus of the covenant) they ought to be baptized? So the covenant is the holy embrace and blessed outpouring of divine love, of which the drops of baptism are the golden seal” (The Reformed Baptism Form, p. 67).
Matthew Henry on Daniel 2:31-45: “The gospel-church is a kingdom, which Christ is the sole and sovereign monarch of, in which he rules by his word and Spirit, to which he gives protection and law, and from which he receives homage and tribute. It is a kingdom not of this world, and yet set up in it; it is the kingdom of God among men.”
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
This morning we witness the baptism of Micah James Hall. We pray that the Lord will bless and guide Philip & Susan as they raise this child in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
Rev. Stewart’s latest letter to the PRC is on the back table.
Monday catechism classes:
5:30 PM – Angelica, Bradley, Josh, Samuel & Taylor (Seniors NT)
6:15 PM – Corey & Katelyn (Juniors OT)
7:00 PM – Alex, Jacob & Nathan (Essentials)
The Council meets tomorrow night at 7:45 PM.
Tuesday Bible Study meets at 11 AM at church to discuss the knowledge of faith.
Belgic Confession class meets on Wednesday at 7:45 PM to consider further Anabaptist views of the state and “the Perfection of Christ” (Article 36).
Seven visitors from Hungary arrive on this Friday and will be here until Wednesday, 11 March. They will be staying at the manse and worshipping with us next Lord’s day.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s Day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. R. Kleyn is entitled, “Praying for Daily Bread” (Luke 11:3).
The next Lord’s Supper is scheduled for 29 March.
Offerings: General Fund: £650.60.
Translation Additions: 1 Portuguese, 2 Hungarian and 3 Spanish.
PRC News: Kalamazoo PRC will call from a trio of Revs. J. Engelsma (Doon, IA), Key (Loveland, CO) and Spronk (Faith, MI). Cornerstone PRC’s new trio is Revs. De Boer (Edgerton, MN), J. Engelsma (Doon, IA) and Smidstra (Holland, MI).
(published in the Ballymena Guardian, 25 February, 2020)
Covenant PRC: Enriching the Believer’s Faith
Faith is the divinely-appointed and God-given means or instrument through which we are forgiven all our sins and declared righteous by our Creator on the basis of the sacrificial death and the obedient life of the Lord Jesus Christ.
By believing, we are adopted into God’s family, sanctified in union with Jesus and kept through Jehovah’s power until our glorification, when we are completely conformed to the image of Christ. Through faith, we know the Holy Trinity and walk in the Spirit. “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17)!
The Covenant Protestant Reformed Church (CPRC) in Ballymena is a congregation that serves the living God by enriching and deepening the faith of His people through the systematic and thorough exposition and application of the inspired Scriptures.
The church’s preaching is currently on the amazing book of Daniel with its messianic prophecies and vivid visions of the end times—strengthening our faith and quickening our hope! Our minister, Rev. Angus Stewart, is also teaching the truth of the six petitions of the model prayer Christ taught His people. “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering” is the biblical warning against unbelieving prayer (James 1:6). The CPRC Lord’s day services (11 AM & 6 PM) may be watched free and live on-line (www.cprc.co.uk/live-streaming).
Our Lord Jesus spoke of the “little ones which believe in me,” out of whose mouths God brings “praise” (Matthew 18:6; 21:16). In obedience to Christ’s command, “Feed my lambs” (John 21:15), the covenant children are catechized on Monday nights. These pastor-led classes on Old Testament and New Testament history, and the Essentials of Reformed Doctrine are designed to quicken their “most holy faith” (Jude 20).
The subject of our Tuesday morning meetings (11 AM) is “Saving Faith: A Biblical and Theological Analysis.” So far we have treated the significance, necessity, source, subject, object, bond and knowledge of faith. The assurance, fruit, obedience, struggle and counterfeits of faith, etc., are lined up for the future. Our heavenly Father uses our increased knowledge about faith to build up our faith! These classes are ideal for believers who are retired or whose children are at school.
What is the Christian to believe about the origin of, submission to and participation in civil government? What is the proper relationship between the church and the state? These are the issues presently being discussed in the CPRC on Wednesday nights (7:45 PM). Almost 300 of these wide-ranging doctrine classes can be listened to free on-line (www.cprc.co.uk/belgic-confession-class).
The CPRC’s teaching ministry involves about 150 quality books (Bible commentaries, devotionals, theological works, church history, biographies, etc.). We sell box sets of CDs and DVDs—Sunday sermons, historical lectures, doctrine classes, conference speeches, etc. We stock about 130 free pamphlets. Simply contact us and we will gladly post the relevant titles to you!
The CPRC sends out by mail or e-mail a monthly paper, the Covenant Reformed News, to many people on every continent and in scores of countries. Let us know and we will send it to you free.
The CPRC’s faith-enriching ministry is expanding into other languages too. We have over 2,500 articles and videos in about 170 languages, especially Afrikaans, Burmese, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish (www.cprc.co.uk/languages)?
All are warmly invited to come to any of our meetings (83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT42 3NR) or to check out our extensive website with some 12,000 webpages and audios (www.cprc.co.uk).
