Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 2 November, 2025
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36)
Morning Service – 11:00 AM
The Greatest Song Ever (4)
Christ’s Fragrant Name [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Song 1
Text: Song 1:3
I. Whence Comes This Imagery?
II. What Does It Mean?
III. Who Dearly Loves It?
Psalms: 104:1-2, 13-16; 147:1-10; 45:3-8 (AOS); 133:1-3
Evening Service – 6:00 PM
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 13
Text: Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 49
I. Among the Brethren
II. Without Covetousness
III. Regarding Church Officers
Psalms: 34:8-16; 147:11-20; 40:4-8; 103:17-22
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
James Durham: “Ointments are both of an adorning and refreshing nature, especially to the sense of smelling, Psalm 104:15. Ointment makes men’s face to shine, and the house where it is, to savour, when it is precious and good, John 12:3. Men in vanity use sweet powders, and such things as these, which can but little commend them; but Christ’s ointments are his grace, Psalm 45:2, wherewith he is anointed, for opening the blind eyes, for preaching glad tidings to the poor, to bind up the broken-hearted, to give the oil of joy for mourning, &c. as it is Isa. 61:1-3. Which qualifications, are both more delightsome and savoury in themselves, and to the soul that is sensible of its need of him, than any ointments the high priest of old used, which were but typical of the graces and qualifications wherewith Christ is furnished: hence is the gospel, 2 Cor. 2:14-15. (whereby these graces are manifested) called a sweet savour” (Clavis Cantici or an Exposition of the Song of Solomon [London: Forgotten Books, 2018], p. 47).
George Burrowes: “As the woman broke the alabaster box, and poured the pure spikenard, very precious on the head of Jesus, and the house was filled with the odour of the perfume; so, through his broken body, are these excellences of the divine nature, mercy, love, grace, truth, forgiveness, and sanctification, unsealed to ruined man. And though his name was poured forth in so many ways, under the Old Testament, by prophecy, by providence, and by types; all these were through his broken body, and in connection with the shedding of his blood” (A Commentary on the Song of Solomon [London: Forgotten Books, 2012], p. 159).
Roger Ellsworth: “When God is said to smell the sweet aroma of sacrifices, he is pictured in terms of a man enjoying a fragrant aroma. This is, of course, an anthropomorphism—that is, it ascribes human characteristics to God. The purpose behind this picture is to tell us that there was something about those sacrifices that brought pleasure and satisfaction to God. What was there about the sacrifice of animals that would give God pleasure? Does God just enjoy the smell of burned meat? Not at all. God’s pleasure in those sacrifices lay in what they represented” (He Is Altogether Lovely [Durham, England: Evangelical Press, 1998], p. 24).
Herman Hoeksema on Lord’s Day 49: “… we are taught here to beseech our Father in heaven for grace that we may always accept our position in life as our particular assignment from Him, and our way as the way which He ordained for us, in order that in that position and in that way we may function as His servants and do His will. O, indeed, we need grace, we need much grace, grace every day, to assume that attitude. How inclined we are to divide life into separate spheres, a sphere of our religious life, in which we serve the Lord and clearly think to discern a calling and office, and another sphere of our every day life, which we may probably mix with some religious exercises, but in which we fail to consider ourselves servants of God, that must ask and do his will! … The Christian has been called out of darkness into God’s marvellous light, and liberated from the slavery of sin, in order that with his entire life, in all its relationships, he might be taken into the service of his God. Hence, wherever he is stationed and in whatever way God leads him, there he must see his calling. And well may he daily ask for grace that he may accept his position without murmuring, and look upon it as a calling from his Father in heaven. ‘Thy will be done. Grant, O Father in heaven, that I may always and everywhere live as before Thy face, in Thy presence, and in the consciousness of my calling to be Thy servant’” (The Triple Knowledge, vol. 3, pp. 551-552).
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
Monday night catechism classes:
5:00 PM: Felicity & Sophie (Juniors NT)
5:45 PM: Grace, Jonas, Liam & Sammy (Beginners NT)
6:30 PM: Eleanora, Hannah, Jorja, Penelope & Xander (Seniors NT)
7:15 PM: Jason, Maisie & Sebastian (Heidelberg Catechism – Book 2)
The Council meets tomorrow night at 8 PM.
Tuesday Bible study will meet this week at 11 AM to consider what happened after Paul’s first sermon in Pisidian Antioch.
The Belgic Confession class on Wednesday at 7:30 PM will discuss the angels’ role at our Lord’s second coming.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. Haak is entitled “Enduring by Searching the Scripture” (John 5:39).
Offerings: £2,202.70. Donation: £100 (Co. Down).
Translation Additions: 8 Polish and 1 Russian.
PRC News: Southwest PRC will call from a new trio of Rev. De Boer, Prof. Gritters and Rev. Lee. The trio to be minister-on-loan to Provident PRC in the Philippines is Revs. Barnhill, Brummel and Maatman. Grace PRC called Rev. Spronk. Lynden PRC called Rev. Brummel. Rev. Barnhill declined Grandville PRC.
Murmuring, Strife and Contention Against Church Office-Bearers (2)
The third article in a series written in 2021 by Rev. Angus Stewart for the Salt Shakers
The final recorded instance of the Israelites’ murmuring in the wilderness occurred when they were travelling from Mount Hor by the north east tip of the Red Sea in order to skirt Edom (21:4). The people grew impatient with the long dry journey (4), complaining about the lack of bread and shortage of water, and criticising the manna (5). In this, the last of our eleven examples, the text mentions God’s name first and then Moses, as the parties criticised by the unbelieving Israelites (5). Aaron is not mentioned because he died at the end of the previous chapter. In judgment, Jehovah sent fiery serpents whose lethal venom slew many (6). God instructed Moses to make a brass or bronze serpent and put it upon a pole so that those who looked upon it would live (8-9)—an Old Testament type of Christ’s crucifixion (John 3:14-15).
Thematic Analysis and Application
After our survey of eleven narratives of Israel’s grumbling during its wilderness wanderings (Ex. 14-17; Num. 11-12; 14; 16; 20-21), we are now in a position to analyse these passages and apply their lessons to the church of our day, as we answer three key questions.
1. Who was in the wrong? Not once was it those who were criticised. In each case, Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb were innocent of the charges made against them. Always the fault lay with the critics: usually the Israelites, sometimes the mixed multitude (11:4), occasionally (lower) leaders (16:1-2) and even, in one instance, Miriam and Aaron (Num. 12). Their sins were those of unbelief (14:11; Deut. 1:32; 9:23; Heb. 3:19; Jude 5), pride (Num. 12:2), envy (Ps. 106:16) and rebellion (Num. 14:9; Deut. 1:26; 9:23). These evils can also stir up murmuring against office-bearers in a true church, perhaps especially among those at the edges of the congregation’s life (Num. 11:1).
The people repeatedly failed God’s testing of them, when they lacked food (Ex. 16) or the food of their choice (Num. 11:5; 21:5) or drink (Ex. 15; 17; Num. 20), or were weary (21:4), or faced military danger behind (Ex. 14) or ahead (Num. 14). The people huffed and complained, because they had to suffer hardships and were “put out.” Everything must go their way in the church or else they grumble and cause strife.
2. What about their criticisms? These were always marked by defeatism and negativity. They often took the form of unbelieving rhetorical questions (Ex. 14:11-12; 15:24; 17:3; Num. 14:3; 16:3, 13-14; 20:4-5; 21:5) and even death wishes (Ex. 16:3; Num. 14:2; 20:3). These people were so filled with unbelief that there was no reasoning with them (16:12-14). They murmured time and time again whenever hardships arose. Sadly, there are also people like this in churches, who continually complain and never seem to learn.
The apostle Paul addressed this problem in first-century congregations. He warned the Philippians against “murmurings” (Phil. 2:14) and cited the bad example of the Israelites during the wilderness wanderings in his exhortation to the members of the church at Corinth: “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer” (I Cor. 10:10).
Israel’s ungodly criticisms were very serious, leading to abominable proposals. Sometimes they planned to appoint another leader to take them back to Egypt (Ex. 14:4). On two occasions, they almost stooped to stoning, first, Moses (17:4) and, second, Joshua and Caleb (Num. 14:10). Imagine a church wishing to murder or excommunicate its faithful office-bearers!
At bottom, Israel’s grumblings were not merely against Moses or Aaron or Joshua or Caleb. Their discontentment, criticisms and enmity were really against Almighty God Himself (Ex. 16:8; cf. Num. 14:11, 27, 29; 16:11). The spiritual descendants of these Jews murmured (John 6:41, 43, 61) against the Lord Jesus Christ, the true bread from heaven, whom the manna typified. This is what complaining church members need to understand. This is also a truth that faithful elders, deacons and pastors need to grasp when they unfairly receive flak from unhappy members.
Often ecclesiastical problems are, however, more complicated. Consider this scenario. The church’s office-bearers sin or make a bad decision. Then some members react badly and not in a biblical or church orderly way, making things worse. Next the session or consistory responds foolishly and the ecclesiastical mess spirals out of control. Vexatious situations like this swiftly become very hard to sort out or resolve, for even trust itself is lost.
3. What was the result of the children of Israel’s murmurings in Exodus and Numbers? Their grumblings did not do any (direct) good and never achieved their objectives. God was always going to give them food, drink, military defence, etc., anyway. Each time they were tried, the children of Israel failed the test! Jehovah was justly angered by their sin and slew many in the wilderness.
In New Testament congregations, there are people who bring issues to church leaders because of real biblical and confessional concerns, out of good motives and in the proper ecclesiastical way. There may also be those who are simply grumblers. There are others who are somewhere in between these two poles, at least at some point in their lives. It is the duty of the office-bearers to deal fairly and scripturally with the issues brought to them and the people who present them, no matter how the elders may (rightly or wrongly) perceive them.
Those who really are merely complainers may end up being excommunicated for impenitent evil speech and rebellion or they decide to leave the church. Sometimes they stay in a congregation until their death. However, they almost always lose their children, who are soured and put off by the negativity and grumbling of their father or mother or both. Even then, God in His amazingly abundant grace may sovereignly choose to graft some of their descendants back in again. Korah was the chief rebel in Numbers 16 but generations later we read of the sons of Korah praising God in song, according to the headings of eleven Psalms (42, 44-49, 84-85, 87-88)!
