Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 11 February, 2024
“My covenant was with him of life and peace” (Mal. 2:5)
Morning Service – 11:00 AM
Hallowing the Sabbath [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 20:1-26
Text: Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 38
I. Hallowing It as a Special Gift
II. Hallowing It as a Perpetual Sign
III. Hallowing It as a Means of Sanctification
Psalms: 63:1-8; 89:7-12; 118:20-29; 92:10-15
Evening Service – 6:00 PM
Jesus Heals a Paralytic (the Son’s Works and Witnesses) (10)
The Father’s Witness to the Son [youtube]
Scripture Reading: John 5:19-39
Text: John 5:37-38
I. Two Characteristics
II. Two Negatives
III. The Explanation
Psalms: 40:6-10; 89:13-18; 2:4-11; 89:21-28
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
Quote to Consider
Matthew Henry on John 5:37-38: “The word of God was not in them; it was among them, in their country, in their hands, but not in them, in their hearts; not ruling in their souls, but only shining in their eyes and sounding in their ears. What did it avail them that they had the oracles of God committed to them (Rom. 3:2), when they had not these oracles commanding in them? If they had, they would readily have embraced Christ … There was so much said in the Old Testament concerning Christ, to direct people when and where to look for him, and so to facilitate the discovery of him, that, if they had duly considered these things, they could not have avoided the conviction of Christ’s being sent of God; so that their not believing in Christ was a certain sign that the word of God did not abide in them.”
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
Copies of the 2023 Acts of Synod of the PRCA are available on the back table.
Catechism classes tomorrow:
5:00 PM: Corey, Jason, Katelyn, Maisie & Sebastian (Seniors NT)
5:45 PM: Felicity, Grace, Jonas, Keagan, Liam, Lucas, Sammy & Sophie (Beginners OT – Book 1)
6:30 PM: Eleanora, Hannah, Jorja, Penelope & Xander (Juniors NT)
7:15 PM: Angelica, Bradley, Jack, Josh, Samuel & Taylor (Essentials)
8:00 PM: Alex & Nathan (Pre-confession)
Tuesday Bible study will meet at 11 AM to begin a discussion on the Word of Faith.
Belgic Confession class will meet at 7:30 PM to continue with Article 37, beginning a consideration of the Great Tribulation.
The Men’s Bible study is this Saturday, 17 February, at 7.30 PM on-line, to discuss Nahum 2.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Prof. D. Kuiper is entitled, “The 3rd Commandment: Using God’s Holy Name Reverently” (John 5:19-47).
The Lord’s Supper dates for this year are 31 March, 30 June, 29 September and 29 December.
Offerings: £2,460.00. Donations: £200 (England), £20 (Netherlands).
Translation Additions: 2 Polish (including all of Michael Kimmitt’s booklet on baptism) and 1 Spanish.
PRCA 100th Anniversary Celebration: All the members of the PRCA, their sister churches and close contacts are encouraged to come together at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan from 2-6 June, 2025 (note the new dates) to participate in this commemorative week. Visit www.prca100.org for basic event information and to sign up for e-mail updates.
Proper Sabbath Observance
an excerpt from a pamphlet by Herman Hoeksema
… The word Sabbath means literally rest, and the primary notion appears to be that of ceasing and desisting from work. However, we should not make the mistake of confusing the idea of sabbatic rest with that of complete idleness. Idleness and rest are by no means identical. The former is necessarily sinful and always condemned in the Word of God. Strictly speaking, man that is created after the image of God, cannot be really idle in the sense that he ceases from all activity and labour. Even though he should stretch his body on a bed, so that he refrains from all physical labour, he would be still busy thinking and willing, planning and desiring, and it would prove to be an absolute impossibility for him to force himself into a state of complete inactivity.
Neither is it the chief purpose of the Sabbath that we refrain from all earthly labour, nor is there anything especially meritorious or holy in the mere fact that on the Sabbath-day we cease from our weekly toil. To raise this notion of desisting from work to the primary and main idea of the Sabbath is the error of Pharisaism, always severely condemned by the Lord. It is very evident that one may completely refrain from doing any work on the first day of the week and yet so crowd the day with his own work, with speaking his own words and following after his own pleasure, that for him the day becomes of all days most unholy. It is, therefore, important that we bear in mind from the outset that rest and idleness are not identical. In fact, that we desist from daily labour on the first day of the week has its purpose in the positive notion that we should fill the day with other activities, with the work of and for the rest.
Rest is the entering into and the enjoyment of a finished and perfected work. In this sense the rest is absolutely of the Lord. God is not an idle God. He is never idle. He is unceasingly, from eternity to eternity, active. As the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, three in person, one in Being, He lives the life of infinitely perfect action. Yet in God is the rest. There is in Him no labour, no toil, no struggle and strife to reach a certain end, to accomplish a certain work. For, His work is eternally finished and perfect. From everlasting to everlasting He lives the infinitely perfect life of covenant-fellowship and divine friendship within Himself. From eternity to eternity the Father generates and gives life to the Son, yet this divine activity of eternal generation is eternally perfect; from everlasting to everlasting the Son is generated by the Father, yet, with infinitely perfect love, the Son cries eternally: Abba, Father! Eternally the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, yet this procession is eternally finished and perfect. God is infinite action and perfect rest. His action is His rest. And in this eternal rest of perfect action, in the which there is never a moment of idleness, He rejoices with the divine joy of eternally entering into the perfect covenant-fellowship with Himself. This divine covenant-life of God is the rest of God, the divine and eternal Sabbath of the Lord.
Now, it is God’s eternal good pleasure to prepare a rest for His people in Christ Jesus, which should be a reflection, a manifestation, of the rest of His own divine covenant life. This rest of God’s perfected covenant with us is the Sabbath that remaineth for the people of God; it is the essential idea of the Sabbath of the Lord our God with respect to us. For it is His eternal purpose that He ordained them whom He foreknew to be conformed according to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren, to call, to justify, to glorify them (Rom. 8:29-30). Yea, the glory of the exceeding great promises, which God gave unto His people, is so great, that by these they even are made partakers of the divine nature (II Pet. 1:4). According to this purpose they are chosen, in order that they should be holy and unblamable before Him in love (Eph. 1:4); that they should be renewed after the image of God in knowledge of Him (Col. 3:10), in true righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:24); that they might have fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ (I John 1:4), might be in the Father and in the Son (I John 2:14), might know Him, love Him, walk with Him, and talk with Him, enter into His secrets, eat with Him and drink with Him, dwell in His house, yea, know Him as they are known, see Him face to face, and be like Him in perfection (John 17:3, 21-23; I Cor. 13:12; I John 3:2; Matt. 5:8; Ps. 17:15, 25:14).
They shall be the temple of God and He will dwell in them, and walk in them and be their God and they shall be His people (II Cor. 6:16). In that perfect rest, when the perfected throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever (Rev. 22:3-5).
That heavenly rest, a perfect though creaturely reflection of God’s own Sabbath, of His divine covenant-life, that perfected fellowship of friendship with the living God, is the Sabbath God prepares for them that love Him. And into that rest of God they enter. This entering into God’s perfected work, into His rest, His Sabbath, is the idea of the Sabbath according to Scripture.
Of that Sabbath, indeed, our whole life in this world must be a manifestation. For, also in the midst of the world we must be friends of God, for the friendship of the world is enmity with God, and whosoever will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God (Jas. 4:4). We must walk worthy of the calling wherewith we are called, with all lowliness and meekness, be followers of God as dear children, walk in love as Christ also hath loved us, walk as children of light (Eph. 4:1-2; 5:1-2, 8); be blameless and harmless, and sons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom we shine as lights in the world (Phil. 2:15); and our conversation must be in heaven, from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20). We are admonished always to seek the things that are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God, to set our affection on them (Col. 3:1-3).
There is with respect to these things no difference between one day and another. But the things of this present time, the cares and anxieties of the world, our daily toil and labour have a tendency to draw us downward to the things of the earth; and the battle with the devil, the world, and sin is hard. Neither are we as yet perfectly delivered from sin. What a blessing, then, that one day of the week we may rest from our daily toil, separate ourselves in a special sense from the world about us, and gather with the people of God, to set our minds wholly on the things that are above!
