Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 8 March, 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
The Kingdom of God Versus the Kingdoms of Man (7)
Nebuchadnezzar’s Response to the Interpretation of His Dream [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Daniel 2:36-49
Text: Daniel 2:46-49
I. His Prostration Before the Prophet Daniel
II. His Praise to the God of Gods
III. His Promotion of Daniel and His Three Friends
Psalms: 145:7-14; 130:1-8; 25:8-14; 75:3-10
Evening Service – 6:00 PM
The Christian and God’s Forgiveness [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Psalm 32
Text: Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 51
I. What Happens When We Do Not Pray for Forgiveness
II. What Happens When We Do Pray for Forgiveness
III. The Blessedness of Those Who Pray for Forgiveness
Psalms: 143:1-7a; 131:1-3; 6:1-7(AOS); 32:1-5
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
John Calvin on Daniel 2:46: “Nebuchadnezzar was not really and completely converted to true piety, so as to repent of his errors, but he partially recognised the supreme power to be with the God of Israel. This reverence, however, did not correct all his idolatries, but by the sudden impulse, as I have said, he confessed Daniel to be a servant of the true God. At the same time he did not depart from the errors to which he had been accustomed, and he afterwards returned to greater hardness, as we shall find in the next chapter. So also we see Pharaoh giving glory to God, but only for a moment, (Exod. ix. 27, and x. 16) meanwhile he continued determinately proud and cruel, and never put off his original disposition. Our opinion of the king of Babylon ought to be of the same kind, though different in degree. King Nebuchadnezzar’s obstinacy was not equal to the pride of Pharaoh. Each, indeed, shewed some sign of reverence, but neither was truly and heartily submissive to the God of Israel.”
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
We welcome Bálint & Kati and Illangó Vásárhelyi, Janos, Gabor and Veronika from Hungary, as well as all other visitors worshipping with us this Lord’s day. May we be blessed together under the preaching of the Word.
Tibor Bognar appeared before the consistory this past week and made confession of his faith. If there are no objections, Tibor will make his public confession of faith at the morning service of 22 March.
Monday catechism classes:
5:30 PM – Angelica, Bradley, Josh, Samuel & Taylor (Seniors NT)
6:15 PM – Corey & Katelyn (Juniors OT)
7:00 PM – Alex, Jacob & Nathan (Essentials)
Tuesday Bible Study meets at 11 AM at church to discuss the confidence of faith.
Belgic Confession class meets on Wednesday at 7:45 PM to consider the Anabaptist view of vows and world-flight (Article 36).
Men’s Bible study meets this Saturday at 8 PM at the Kennedys to study Acts 20.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s Day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. R. Kleyn is entitled, “Forgive Us Our Debts” (Luke 11:4).
The next Lord’s Supper is scheduled for 29 March.
Offerings: General Fund: £1,217.71. Building Fund: £160.70. Donations: £200, £50 (Co. Antrim).
Translation Additions: 2 French, 2 Portuguese, 2 Spanish, 1 Russian and 1 Italian.
PRC News: Kalamazoo PRC and Cornerstone PRC called Rev. J. Engelsma (Doon, IA).
Praying With Assurance
Prof. Russell Dykstra
(an article in The Standard Bearer, volume 64, issue 5)
The command of Christ to His disciples is, “After this manner therefore pray ye, ‘Our Father who art in heaven …’” The ability and the right to pray is one of Gods greatest blessings upon His children. That God, the Almighty Creator God, would stoop to the level of lowly man to reveal Himself to man is cause enough for amazement. Throughout all the old dispensation God spoke, revealing Himself by various means: by dreams and visions, by signs and wonders, as well as directly by the Angel of Jehovah. This revelation climaxed in the Incarnation when God became flesh and dwelt among man, and man beheld God’s glory and truth as he never had before. That is, you will agree, astounding. But is it not also amazing that God would give man the right to speak to Him, to call upon Him in prayer, bringing to God his praise and thanksgiving, his needs and cares, and making bold requests unto God? Who would dare to do such a thing, to cry out to God, “Bow down thine ear, O Lord and hear?” The publican of Jesus’ parable scarcely dared pray at all. Some within the body of Reformed churches believe they may not call upon God as their Father until God gives them a definite indication that they are saved. Others, perhaps, call upon God all too easily and even irreverently.
But Scripture teaches that only the man who has the assurance of his own justification can truly pray. And pray he will, knowing that God has given him this blessed privilege. It is that connection between prayer and justification by faith that we intend to set forth in this article.
First of all, we face the question: What is prayer? Scripture does not give us a ready-made definition of prayer. Nevertheless it is obvious from Scripture that prayer is communication—man speaks to God through the Mediator, Jesus Christ. The speech is that of a dependent creature to the All-sufficient Creator. By the very fact that a man prays, he acknowledges that he is in need of what God alone can supply. Prayer is also worship. And worship consists of two parts—humiliation of self and exaltation of God. Thus in prayer man humbly bows before his God, confessing himself to be nothing. At the same time he adores this God, gives thanks to Him and speaks His praise.
Thus by means of prayer, man steps into the very sanctuary of God and draws near to His throne. There, beholding the glory and majesty of the one true God, he bows in total self abasement and worships, humbly requesting Gods blessing.
The question is: How is justification by faith related to prayer? It must be made plain from the outset that we are dealing with the consciousness or assurance of justification. Justification means, of course, that one is declared righteous. God’s people are eternally justified. God always saw them in Christ. In Him they are righteous and God declares them as such forever. That justification was accomplished at the cross of Christ. Christ took the sins of His own and the curse of God due to them and paid for them all. The guilt of those sins was removed and the righteousness Christ merited in perfect love and obedience was imputed to the elect. Thus they are in fact righteous, justified in God’s sight. This justification gives the child of God the right to come to God in prayer.
The Scriptures testify plainly that God does not hear the prayer of the ungodly. Notice the Word of God in Proverbs 15:8: “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is high delight.” We read in John 9:31, “Now we know that God heareth not sinners.” The same is true for God’s people when they walk wilfully in sin. The prophet Isaiah warned Israel of this (Isa. 59:2): “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” On the other hand, “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto his cry” (Ps. 34:15).
Therefore, if the child of God is ever to draw near to God in prayer, he must be conscious of his own justification. This gift of God to His people is the personal assurance of justification. It is the personal assurance of the forgiveness of his sins. It is the conscious experience of peace with God and the awareness of God’s love and favour upon him.
This gift of God means everything to the Christian. With it he has everything—the love of God, the forgiveness of sins and the right to eternal life. In short, he has all his salvation. Without justification, he has nothing.
This gift comes through faith in Christ. That is important. The man justified by his own works does not need prayer. In his own mind he already has salvation in himself and his “prayer” will be only the speech of the Pharisee, “thanking” God that he is “not as other men are.” But faith takes hold of Christ and His cross as the only ground of his salvation. Faith unites us to Christ so that His righteousness is ours. Apart from Him we have no righteousness and no forgiveness of sins.
That consciousness of justification makes it possible for the child of God to approach God in prayer. But it does more than that. It has a profound effect on his prayers, determining his attitude while praying, as well as the content of his prayer.
Notice how the believer’s attitude is shaped by this sure knowledge that he is justified in Christ. The first element of this knowledge is the awareness of his sins and misery. He sees the mountain of his guilt for all the sins committed against God. Realizing, therefore, that in himself he deserves only God’s wrath, he comes humbly before this great and holy God. He abhors himself; he humbles himself to the dust. Read the prayers of the saints recorded in Scripture and you will discover this to be true of all their prayers. They are the words of servants, conscious of their unworthiness to stand in the presence of God. They come with reverence and child-like fear.
Yet at the same time, they come boldly. Notice that this is not a contradiction of what we just said. Coming boldly is not the same as coming irreverently. God’s people come reverently but also they come with the confidence that God will hear them. How can that be? Because they come not on the basis of what they are or have done; rather they come on the basis of what Christ has done. That is their confidence. Only those who have the assurance of their justification by faith in Christ can and do come boldly to the throne of God.
This assurance also determines, to a large degree, the content of the prayer. Conscious of his justification, the believer addresses God as his Father because for the sake of Christ God is his Father. Overwhelmed by the magnitude of God’s grace and mercy in this salvation, he most certainly fills his prayer with praise and thanksgiving. And, in almost every prayer, he cries out for the forgiveness of his sins. It may seem strange that the believer, conscious of his justification, continually asks for forgiveness but he truly does. He does so first of all because the work of God’s grace within him makes him acutely conscious of his sins and of the old nature within. Secondly, he is fully aware of the fact that he has nothing in himself. All his salvation is in Christ. From Christ he must receive all his salvation in time and eternity. That includes the forgiveness of sins. And finally, he continues to plead for God’s pardon because his sins cut him off from the experience of God’s favour—from that lovingkindness of God which means more than life to him. So he must beg for forgiveness, for the assurance that his sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ, not once or twice, but every day, as long as he lives on the earth.
And that assurance he receives by faith. How great is the wisdom and grace of God! Not only is the consciousness of justification necessary for the believer to pray but it is also through prayer itself that the believer’s assurance of his justification grows. Thus it was with the publican. Having only the beginning of faith in Christ and being overwhelmed with grief because of his sins, he could only cry out, “God be merciful to me, the sinner.” But Jesus’ word was: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified” (Luke 18:14).
What more could be desired? Let us, therefore, pray without ceasing, only with the assurance of our justification by faith in Christ. And then we can pray with confidence.
