Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 17 January, 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 (3)
The Great Day of the Lord [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Zephaniah 1
Text: Zephaniah 1:12-18
I. The Judgment It Brings
II. The Sin It Punishes
III. The God It Manifests
Psalms: 139:1-10; 119:161-168; 75:3-10; 94:1-8
Evening Service – 6:00 PM
Zephaniah and the Day of the Lord (4)
The Day of the Lord [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Joel 1:13-2:11, 30-32; 3:12-17
Text: Zephaniah 1:14-18
I. Its Origin
II. Its Extent
III. Its Nearness
Psalms: 122:1-9; 119:169-176; 11:1-7; 97:1-7
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: https://cprc.co.uk/live-streaming/
CPRC YouTube: www.youtube.com/cprcni
CPRC Facebook: www.facebook.com/CovenantPRC
Quotes to Consider
Dean Davis: “Based upon a close reading of the relevant OT texts, we may define it [i.e., the day of the Lord] as a final, supernatural visitation of God, both in judgment and redemption, upon the entire fallen world; a visitation in which he eradicates all his enemies, vindicates his people, and introduces the manifold blessings of the World or Kingdom to Come” (The High King of Heaven, p. 220).
O. Palmer Robertson: “Zephaniah’s Day of [the Lord], in which the wrath of God was to be poured out on Judah, found expression in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. But the ‘day of wrath’ is yet to come (Rom. 2:5). This ‘great Day of his wrath’ (Rev. 6:16-17) is as certain to come as was the devastation of Jerusalem. With eschatological finality, all who are not found by faith to be united in him shall be consumed from the face of the earth (cf. Matt. 3:7; I Thess. 1:10; Rev. 11:18; 14:10; 16:9; 19:15)” (The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, p. 288).
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
A new book catalogue is available on the back table today.
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 will not meet this Tuesday but will resume next week.
The Belgic Confession Class meets this Wednesday at 7:45 PM to begin our consideration of the holiness of the church in connection with article 27.
The Ladies’ Bible Study meets this Friday at 10:30 AM at the church to study lesson 8 of the I Peter study guide.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s Day (Gospel 846MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. Bruinsma is entitled “Children of Truth” (III John 4).
Upcoming Lectures:
S. Wales, Thursday, 28 January, 7:15 PM, Rev. Stewart on “Our Identity in Christ”
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: £597.32.
Website Additions: 3 Korean translations.
PRC News: The third-year seminary students will begin their internships this summer in the following churches: Matt DeBoer in Georgetown PRC under Rev. Haak, Brian Feenstra in Loveland PRC under Rev. Key, Joe Holstege in Calvary PRC under Rev. Griess, Jonathan Langerak in Edgerton PRC under Rev. Kuiper, Aaron Lim in CERC (Singapore) under Rev. Lanning, David Noorman in Hope (Redlands) PRC under Rev. Huizinga, Justin Smidstra in Faith PRC under Rev. Spronk and Stephan Regnerus in Southeast PRC under Rev. W. Langerak.
The Day of the Lord in the Old Testament
For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low (Isa. 2:12).
Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty (Isa. 13:6).
Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it (Isa. 13:9).
For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion (Isa. 34:8).
For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates (Jer. 46:10).
Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in the day of the Lord’s anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed (Lam. 2:22).
Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord (Eze. 13:5).
For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen (Eze. 30:3).
Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come (Joel 1:15).
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand (Joel 2:1).
And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? (Joel 2:11).
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come (Joel 2:31).
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision (Joel 3:14).
Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it? (Amos 5:18-20).
For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head (Ob. 15).
Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel (Zeph. 1:7-8).
The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly (Zeph. 1:14).
Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land (Zeph. 1:18).
Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger (Zeph. 2:2-3).
Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee (Zech. 14:1).
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord (Mal. 4:5).
