Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 7 February, 2016
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind …” (Rom. 12:2)
Morning Service – 11:00 AM
Zephaniah and the Day of the Lord (8)
Woe to the Oppressing City! [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Zephaniah 3
Text: Zephaniah 3:1-5
I. The City Itself
II. Its Wicked Leaders
III. Its Righteous Lord
Psalms: 42:1-5; 124:1-8 (AOS); 50:16-21; 46:1-7
Evening Service – 6:00 PM
Murdering the Neighbour [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:21-48
Text: Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 40
I. What Is It?
II. What Causes It?
III. What Replaces It?
Psalms: 146:1-8; 125:1-5; 10:5-10; 16:1-7
For CDs of the sermons and DVDs of the worship services, contact Stephen Murray ([email protected])
If you desire a pastoral visit, please contact Rev. Stewart or the elders
CPRC Website: www.cprc.co.uk • Live Webcast: https://cprc.co.uk/live-streaming/
CPRC YouTube: www.youtube.com/cprcni
CPRC Facebook: www.facebook.com/CovenantPRC
Quote to Consider
Thomas Watson: “Herein we resemble God, to be doing good to others. It is our excellence to be like God. ‘Godliness is Godlikeness.’ When are we more like him than in acts of bounty and munificence? ‘Thou art good, and doest good’ (Ps. 119:68). ‘Thou art good,’ there is his essential goodness; and ‘doest good,’ there is his communicative goodness. The more helpful we are to others, the more like we are to God. We cannot be like God in omniscience, or in working miracles; but we may be like him in doing works of mercy” (The Ten Commandments, pp. 148-149).
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
All should be punctual and prepared for the worship services. Public worship is a sacred and holy calling to seek and exalt the Triune God in Jesus Christ. “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee” (Ps. 63:1-3). “When the congregation is to meet for publick worship, the people (having before prepared their hearts thereunto) ought all to come and join therein; not absenting themselves from the public audiences through negligence … Let all enter the assembly, not irreverently, but in a grave and seemly manner” (The Westminster Directory).
On the back table today are newly reprinted leaflets by Rev. Ron Hanko on “Some Further Objections to the Free Offer of the Gospel.”
Monday evening’s Catechism classes
5:45 PM – Taylor, Josh, Corey, Bradley & Samuel (Beginners OT, book 2)
6:30 PM – Alex & Nathan (Seniors OT)
7:15 PM – Jacob & Joseph (Heidelberg Catechism, book 1)
The Tuesday Bible study meets this Tuesday at 11 AM to study Hosea on law and covenant.
The Belgic Confession Class meets this Wednesday at 7:45 PM to continue our study of Article 27, looking at attacks on the holiness, beauty and glory of Christ’s church.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s Day (Gospel 846MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. R. Kleyn is entitled “The Millennial Kingdom” (Rev. 20:1-6).
Upcoming Lectures:
S. Wales, Thursday, 25 Feb., 7:15 PM, Rev. McGeown on “The Love of the World”
CPRC, Friday, 18 March, 7:30 PM, Rev. Stewart on “Our Identity in Christ”
Offerings: General Fund: £799.20. Donations: £700, £29 (books).
Website Additions: 1 Indonesian, 2 Italian and 2 Hungarian translations.
PRC News: Rev. Jon Mahtani declined the call to the Philippines.
Deformed Lutheranism and Unreformed Rome
Commemorating the Reformation Together
Rev. Angus Stewart
published in the Belfast News Letter, 29 January, 2016
The title of an article in the News Letter (23 January, 2016) on the joint Lutheran and Roman Catholic “commemoration” of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 requires the change of the first letter of its first word. Instead of “Reformation brings churches together,” it is the “deformation” of Lutheranism that unites them with Rome in common prayers.
Rome still holds the theology against which Martin Luther thundered—indulgences, purgatory, the papacy, prayers to the saints, Mariolatry, the mass, etc. Salvation is by faith and human merit, according to Rome, with man’s will (not God’s) being the decisive factor, so that, without a direct, divine revelation, no one can be sure of their salvation for true children of God can fall away and perish!
But for Martin Luther and historic Lutheranism, justification is by faith alone in Christ alone through grace alone to the glory of God alone according to Scripture alone. Yet most of modern Lutheranism has rejected the Spirit of the Lord for the spirit of the age, and jettisoned its biblical and confessional teaching regarding God’s Word, creation, marriage, original sin, the sole mediation of Jesus Christ, salvation, the true and the false church, etc.
Some 500 years after Luther’s gospel breakthrough, deformed Lutheranism commemorates the Reformation it no longer believes, along with unreformed Rome which sought to kill the Reformer and desires to end the Reformation!
Martin Luther on the Roman Church
“Since the papal church not only neglects the command of Christ but even compels the people to ignore it and to act against it, it is certain that it is not Christ’s church but the synagogue of Satan which prescribes sin and prohibits righteousness. It clearly and indisputably follows that it must be the abomination of Antichrist and the furious harlot of the devil.”
“What kind of a church is the pope’s church? It is an uncertain, vacillating and tottering church. Indeed, it is a deceitful, lying church, doubting and unbelieving, without God’s Word. For the pope with his wrong keys teaches his church to doubt and to be uncertain. If it is a vacillating church, then it is not the church of faith, for the latter is founded upon a rock, and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it (Matt.16:18). If it is not the church of faith, then it is not the Christian church, but it must be an unchristian, anti-Christian, and faithless church which destroys and ruins the real, holy, Christian church.”
