Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 12 July, 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
Jesus Is the Saviour [youtube]
Scripture Reading: John 10:1-30
Text: Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 11
I. The Saviour of a Particular People
II. The Saviour From a Terrible Evil
III. The Saviour Who Is Sought and Found
Evening Service – 6:00 PM
Christ, the Prophet Like Moses [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 18
Text: Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 12
I. The Prophetic Comparison
II. The Prophetic Work
III. Our Prophetic Calling
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
Herman Hoeksema on Lord’s Day 11: “Yet my immediate concern is … with those who, while they loudly and emphatically proclaim that Jesus saves, deprive him of all power to save unless the sinner consents. This is a great and prevalent evil in our day. It is all the more dangerous because those who thus preach Jesus ostensibly emphasize strongly exactly what they deny: that Jesus saves. The name of Jesus is on the lips of many preachers today who proclaim a Jesus who is impotent to save. The words Jesus saves are on bill boards, license plates, and above entrances to church buildings. If you would inquire of those who are responsible for those advertisements just what they mean by that slogan, you would discover that they attach a different meaning to it from what the words actually express. They do not mean that Jesus actually saves, but that he is willing to save, provided the sinner consents and allows himself be saved by Jesus. If the sinner does not consent, their Jesus is powerless to save. In other words, they do not find in their Jesus absolutely all things necessary to save an unwilling sinner who is dead through trespasses and sins. Therefore it is proper and urgently necessary for the church that prizes and wants to preserve the truth as it is in Christ to emphasize that Christ is a complete, a perfect, and an only savior and that he is not only willing, but also powerful to save even unto the end. His name is called Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. The Catechism instructs us that the Son of God is called Jesus, that is, a savior, because he saves us and delivers us from our sins. He is called Jesus not because he is willing to save and to deliver us, nor because he is able to save and to deliver us from our sins, but because he actually does save and deliver us” (The Death of the Son of God, pp. 18-19).
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
Tuesday Bible study at 11 AM will meet at church to continue our consideration of saving faith.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. Spriensma is entitled, “A Smoking Furnace and a Burning Lamp” (Gen. 15:17-18).
Next Monday, 20 July, catechism end of year tests will be held for Seniors NT (lessons 13-25) and Juniors OT (lessons 15-25).
Tibor Bognar’s public confession of faith has been rescheduled for the morning service of 26 July.
Offerings: General Fund: £3,611. Building Fund: £100.
PRC News: Unity PRC has called Rev. Eriks (Hudsonville, MI). Kalamazoo PRC has called Rev. Spronk (Faith, MI). Rev. Heath and Deb Bleyenberg were able to enter Canada successfully this past Thursday in order to move to Lacombe, AB, where he will soon be installed as the pastor of Immanuel PRC.
Taking the Stronghold of Zion
Brian D. Dykstra
II Samuel 5
Representatives from the tribes of Israel come to David to anoint him as their king. David ruled over Judah in Hebron for seven and a half years, having waited patiently for God to fulfil His promise to him that he would rule all Israel. The tribes followed God’s will as given in Deuteronomy 17 in setting a king over themselves whom God chose. David was one of their brethren as they stated, “We are thy bone and thy flesh.” As David served under Saul, David showed that God had qualified him to lead, for a man must be able to follow ere he can ever lead.
As king of a unified Israel, David’s first action was to fight the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. The Jebusites were confident of success when David and his men appeared. The Israelites had not driven the Jebusites out of their place for hundreds of years. Such a long winning streak gave the Jebusites false confidence in their stronghold and their idols. The Jebusites taunted David by saying men who were blind and lame could defend their stronghold against Israel. David’s enemy was confident and defiant.
The Jebusites had carved some conduits in the top of Mount Zion which collected water. This stored water would be of great benefit in the event of a siege. David viewed this gutter as the way to defeat the Jebusites. He offered the job of captain to whoever could scale the side of the mountain and defeat the enemy. If this was an attempt on David’s part to replace Joab, it failed. Joab led the army to victory and retained his position. Perhaps the men in David’s army knew whoever replaced Joab would not hold the job very long. They remembered what happened to Abner. Joab was not a man who would allow another to take his place. It would be best to allow Joab to lead the men rather than to be seen as a threat to Joab’s position.
David turns the taunt of the Jebusites regarding lame and blind defenders into a description of the Jebusite’s idols which he hated. The gods in whom the Jebusites trusted were truly blind and lame, as were those who put their trust in them. David names the newly captured fort the city of David.
David takes more wives and concubines, and has more sons and daughters now that he has moved the capital to Jerusalem. We were encouraged by how Israel followed the Old Testament law when they named David as their king. In the same passage we read of God warning the king that he should not “multiply wives.” It is not wise for God’s people to pick and choose which of His commands they will obey. If David thought he could follow the example of the patriarchs who had more than one wife and not suffer the consequences of his sin, the behaviour of some of his sons and the trouble David had in his family proved otherwise. Not even the man after God’s own heart may walk contrary to His law without consequences.
II Samuel 5 closes with two battles between Israel and the Philistines. The Philistines knew David. David had spent some time with them while hiding from Saul. The Philistines had heard about the songs the women of Israel sang celebrating David killing ten thousands of Philistines. David was a threat to them. The Philistines thought the best strategy would be to attack David before he became settled on the throne.
David prepared for both battles by enquiring of the Lord. The priests used the Urim and Thummim for this. There are several conjectures about the Urim and Thummim. One possible explanation is that they were two stones connected with a small chain which were kept in the breastplate of the priest. Each stone had a “yes” on one side and a “no” on the other. The priest would toss the stones and allow them to land on the ground. The possibilities were that both stones showed yes, meaning God gave a “yes” answer; both stones showed no, showing God answered the inquiry with a no; or the stones could show a yes and a no. This last possibility might be what happened in those instances when the Bible tells us the Lord did not answer that day. The casting of the lot is in God’s hand.
Israel won both of the battles. Israel knew their victories were results of God fighting for them. The Israelites again followed the command of the law in that when they captured the Philistines’ idols, which were supposed to help them and in which they put their trust, they burned them.
It’s interesting to note that each battle began with the same situation. However, David did not simply follow the first battle plan for the second battle or feel that, since the situation was identical, there was no need to ask for God’s direction again. We must always go to God in prayer with our troubles and seek the direction of His Word and Spirit. God may not want us to handle a similar situation in the same way we had before.
The second battle shows David being patient again as he waited on the Lord. It would have taken time to march his army all they way behind the Philistines. Also, once in position, the army had to wait some more until they heard “the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees.” This sound was proof of God being in the forefront of the battle to fight for His people. This reminds us of the sound of the mighty wind heard by the Church on Pentecost. God still leads His Church by His Spirit in the New Testament age.
Israel has finally recognized her God-appointed king. They had finally had enough of the rule of Saul’s house. God had turned their hearts. They began to experience the benefits of living under David’s rule. God still works conversion in our hearts. We had been under the rule of Satan and were slaves to sin. God changed our hearts and bent our wills, so we recognize Christ as King and experience freedom from sin. Yes, sadly, the daily struggle against sin continues because our flesh is weak. We have only a beginning of the new obedience. However, we are victors over sin already in principle. God has promised us there are even better things to come.
