Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena, BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 8th June, 2025
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36)
Morning Service – 11:00 AM – Rev. Josiah Tan
The First Marriage In Eden [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Genesis 2
Text: Genesis 2:18-24
I. What?
II. Why?
III. How?
IV. Ultimately
Psalms: 87, 48:1-4, 22:1-7, 45:1-6
Evening Service – 6.00 PM – Rev. Josiah Tan
Parable of the Tiny Mustard Seed: Grain to Greatest [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:1-35
Text: Matthew 13:31-33
I. The Smallest Seed Sown
II. The Sure Spiritual Growth
III. The Surprising and Sovereign End
Psalms: 90:1-6; 113:1-6; 22:8-10; 72:5-8
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
Announcements (subject to God’s will):
Rev. Josiah Tan will be preaching for us today and next Lord’s day, 15 June.
There will be a tea after evening service on 15 June. Tea Rota: Group A.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. Haak is entitled, “Blessed Are the Peacemakers” (Matt. 5:9).
Timothy Spence and Huiyi’s wedding service is this Friday, 13th June at 12.30pm. All are welcome to attend the ceremony.
Sven Kuhs and Megan Higgs’ wedding service is to begin at 10 AM on Thursday, 26 June. All are welcome to attend the ceremony.
Our thanks to all who have been helping clean church and work on the grounds over the last few weeks.
Offerings: £2,279.91
Christian Discipline (7) by Rev. Josiah Tan
Upholding the Truth without Overreaction
First of all, we must, in defending Christian discipline in a Reformed church, humbly affirm what is true. Truth remains truth, even if used to undermine the proper exercise of discipline. We affirm the following:
- Yes, Christ’s atoning death on the cross is indeed the perfect and complete ground upon which all forgiveness rests (Eph. 1:7).
- Yes, God’s decree of forgiveness for the elect is eternally fixed and certain in Christ, not because of any human merit or condition.
- Yes, God’s forgiveness of the sinner is always absolutely unconditional. Repentance is never the ground or basis for God’s forgiveness.
- Yes, there are many sins that the child of God does not even know he has committed, sins of which he has never specifically repented. That he is not consciously aware of them does not mean he will not enter heaven. The child of God knowing this prays, “Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults” (Ps. 19:12).
These truths the child of God loves with all his heart, cherishes, and holds fast. They are the gospel of sovereign grace. They bring true comfort.
But this is the dividing line between truth and error: the claim that God forgives the impenitent sinner who walks in presumptuous sin; that forgiveness is applied to the child of God apart from and without the way of Spirit-worked repentance and faith, because eternal justification, or Christ’s death on the cross, is one and the same as my forgiveness.
According to this view, even in one’s presumptuous, deliberate, and wilful rebellion against God, one already and fully enjoys the blessedness of divine forgiveness.
Such a one might say: “Let me say this clearly: I do believe in the confession of sins, and I do confess my sins still. But there’s a big difference now—I confess my sins knowing that all my sins are already forgiven. I don’t confess my sins to be forgiven. Because I have a close relationship with my heavenly Father, I can be honest with Him when I’ve done wrong. I can talk to Him about it, receive His grace for my weakness, and move forward knowing full well that He has already forgiven me through His Son’s sacrifice. And I no longer worry about the fact that I can’t possibly confess every sin, because I know it’s not my confessions that save me, but the blood of Jesus.
Many truths are wrapped around one lie. We will look more closely at this next time.
For now, I leave you some passages of Scriptures and confessions as we consider especially that statement: “I don’t confess my sins to be forgiven.”
Scripture passages:
- “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).
- “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).
- “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).
- “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Prov. 28:13)
- “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah” (Ps. 32:5).
- “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isa. 55:6–7).
- “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (II Chron. 7:14).
- “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” (James 5:15).
- “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts …” (Mal. 3:7).
Creeds:
- Canons of Dordt 5:5: “By such enormous sins, however, they very highly offend God, incur a deadly guilt, grieve the Holy Spirit, interrupt the exercise of faith, very grievously wound their consciences, and sometimes lose the sense of God’s favor, for a time, until on their returning into the right way of serious repentance, the light of God’s fatherly countenance again shines upon them.
- Canons of Dordt 5:7: “… by his Word and Spirit, certainly and effectually renews them to repentance, to a sincere and godly sorrow for their sins, that they may seek and obtain remission in the blood of the Mediator, may again experience the favor of a reconciled God, through faith adore his mercies, and henceforward more diligently work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.”
- Heidelberg Catechism Q. & A. 84:
“How is the kingdom of heaven opened and shut by the preaching of the holy gospel?
Thus: when according to the command of Christ it is declared and publicly testified to all and every believer, that, whenever they receive the promise of the gospel by a true faith, all their sins are really forgiven them of God, for the sake of Christ’s merits; and on the contrary, when it is declared and testified to all unbelievers, and such as do not sincerely repent, that they stand exposed to the wrath of God and eternal condemnation, so long as they are unconverted; according to which testimony of the gospel God will judge them, both in this and in the life to come.”
