Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 3 March, 2024
“My covenant was with him of life and peace” (Mal. 2:5)
Morning Service – 11:00 AM
The Seventh Commandment [youtube]
Scripture Reading: I Corinthians 6
Text: Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 41
I. The Bases of the Seventh Commandment
II. The Seriousness of the Seventh Commandment
III. The Calling of the Seventh Commandment
Psalms: 97:1-8; 90:1-7; 127:1-5; 119:105-112
Evening Service – 6:00 PM
Jesus Heals a Paralytic (the Son’s Works and Witnesses) (13)
The Right Understanding of Moses [youtube]
Scripture Reading: John 5:31-47
Text: John 5:45-47
I. Moses the Writer
II. Moses the Accuser
III. Moses and Faith
Psalms: 99:1-7; 90:8-12; 77:14-20; 103:1-7
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: www.cprc.co.uk/live-streaming
CPRC YouTube: www.youtube.com/cprcni
CPRC Facebook: www.facebook.com/CovenantPRC
Quote to Consider
John Gill on John 5:45: “there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust; by whom is meant … either the writings of Moses, as in Luke 16:29; or the doctrine of Moses, as I Cor. 10:2; or rather the law of Moses, Matt. 22:24. And in this the Jews trusted; they rested in it, and made their boast of it; and expected eternal life and salvation on account of their having it, and through their hearing it read every sabbath day, and by their obedience to it: and now sin being a transgression of the law, this same law brings charges against them, and accuses them of the breach of the several precepts of it, and pronounces them guilty before God; it curses and passes a sentence of condemnation on them, and according to it, will they perish eternally, without an interest in Christ; for their own righteousness by the law of works, will be of no avail to them; the law in which they trust for life, will rise up in judgment, and be a swift witness against them …”
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
Mrs. Callender went to be with the Lord on Thursday morning. Her funeral is planned for Saturday, 9 March at 10 AM at Wilton Funeral Home, 334 Ravenhill Road, Belfast, BT6 8GL. Please remember Linda and the family in your prayers.
The group photo that was to be taken today will be taken after the morning service next Lord’s day.
Catechism classes tomorrow:
5:00 PM: Corey, Jason, Katelyn, Maisie & Sebastian (Seniors NT)
5:45 PM: Felicity, Grace, Jonas, Keagan, Liam, Lucas, Sammy & Sophie (Beginners OT – Book 1)
6:30 PM: Eleanora, Hannah, Jorja, Penelope & Xander (Juniors NT)
7:15 PM: Angelica, Bradley, Jack, Josh, Samuel & Taylor (Essentials)
The Council meets Monday, 4 March, at 8 PM.
Tuesday Bible study will meet at 11 AM to continue our discussion on the Word of Faith teaching on material wealth.
Belgic Confession class will meet at 7:30 PM to continue our consideration the “abomination of desolation.”
Ladies Bible Study meets this Friday morning at church at 9:30 AM. We will be discussing Psalm 91 from the book, A 30-Day Walk with God in the Psalms.
The Men’s Bible study is this Saturday, 9 March, at 7.30 PM on-line, to discuss Nahum 3.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Prof. D. Kuiper is entitled, “The 6th Commandment: Loving Our Neighbour” (Matt. 5:21-26).
Offerings: £1,295.81.
Translation Additions: 2 Polish and 6 Spanish.
The Believer’s Hope at Death
(an excerpt from an article by Rev. Steven Houck in the Standard Bearer, vol. 66, issue 7)
There are many troubles and tribulations which come upon the believer in this “valley of tears,” but none of them is so disturbing as death. Death is something which strikes fear in the strongest heart, for death is the end of this earthly life. In death the body dissolves and returns to the dust, and with this dissolution of the body all that belongs to our earthly life is destroyed.
Moreover, there is no escaping the grip of death. With the exception of those who live at the time of Christ’s return, everyone must die. God says, “it is appointed unto men once to die” (Heb. 9:27). This is true of the young as well as of the old. We do not know the day nor the hour when God will say to us, “This night thy soul shall be required of thee” (Luke 12:20). Any of us can die at any moment.
All of this makes death a very frightening thing. For most people it is something to be dreaded. The very thought of death fills their hearts with terror. The anticipation of death brings such feelings of despair and hopelessness, that people will do just about anything to avoid its inevitability.
For the believer, however, things are different. He does not fear death. With the Psalmist he says, “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” (Ps. 23:5). Even though he is walking through the “valley of the shadow of death,” he does not fear. He knows that for him death is not the end of everything. He does not die like the beast of the field. He does not die as one without hope. By grace he believes that God has given eternal life to him and death is the means whereby he passes into a more glorious experience of that life. “Death is swallowed up in victory” (I Cor. 15:54).
The believer’s hope is fixed upon the day of our Lords return and upon the resurrection of his body from the dead. Even though his body returns to dust, it shall not remain in that corruption. He shall be raised from the dead. The corruptible shall put on incorruption and the mortal, immortality. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise” (I Thess. 4:16).
This is one of the reasons the true believer eagerly seeks the coming of Christ. He longs for that day when he shall be changed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump” (I Cor. 15:52). In that wonderful moment, all the people of God shall be glorified and enter into the blessedness of the new heavens and the new earth. Thus the daily prayer of every child of God is, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).
But that is not all. The hope of the believer is not only that he shall be raised from the dead when Christ returns, but that after death he shall immediately enter into the presence of Christ. The child of God looks for Christ to come at death to take him to heaven just as much as he looks for Him to come at the end of time. Even though the body returns to the dust and is not raised until the last day, at death, the soul is taken to heaven. At death, the believer consciously enjoys the blessedness of being with His Lord and Saviour …
The apostle Paul likewise believed that at death the believer goes immediately to heaven. In II Corinthians 5:1 he says, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
When our “earthly house”—the body and all that belongs to earthly life—is dissolved in death, we will not be left unclothed. There is a “building of God” in heaven in which we will dwell. This is not the resurrection body, but a heavenly state of glory which the believer enters at death. At death, he does not enter purgatory or some abode other than heaven. He does not sleep in his soul either. At death, the believer enters into the glory of heaven.
It ought not to surprise us, therefore, that the apostle should also say, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).
What gain would there be if at death the believer went to purgatory? What gain if his soul entered a state of unconsciousness? But since the soul of the believer goes to heaven immediately after death, death is gain. For the believer, death is the passageway which takes him out of this “valley of tears” into the glory of heaven.
Oh, how glorious is heaven.
In heaven the believer will experience sin, suffering and sorrow no more. For the cause of all these things will be gone. There will be no old man of sin anymore. Finally, the believer will be completely free from his wicked nature so that it will be impossible for him to sin. With the end of his sin will also come the end of all that sin brings—the suffering and sorrows of this life.
Since he is in heaven rather than on earth, he will no more face the persecution and cruelties of the wicked. His soul will be at rest, even as the voice from heaven proclaims, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” (Rev. 14:13).
In heaven, the believer will experience the blessedness of fellowship with all the other saints who have died and gone to heaven. Jesus says, “That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 8:11).
Think of that!
When the believer dies he will go to “Abraham’s bosom,” where he will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the saints that have gone before him. He will be reunited with his loved ones who have died in the Lord. Heaven will be like a great banquet in which the people of God enjoy one another’s company and rejoice together in the blessedness of their salvation.
The hope of heaven, however, is much more than fellowship with the saints. In heaven, the believer will experience the blessedness of fellowship with Christ and in Christ fellowship with God.
The apostle teaches us that “whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord” (II Cor. 5:6). That is because the Lord is in heaven and we are on earth. But “to be absent from the body” is “to be present with the Lord” (II Cor. 5:8). When the believer dies and goes to heaven, he enters into the presence of Christ. He sees Christ everywhere and always. He sees Him as he has never seen Him before, for he shall see Him face to face.
Thus at death the believer enters into a greater experience of the covenant of grace. He knows the love and grace of God as he has never known it before. He walks with God and talks with God in a most intimate and loving way. He knows beyond a shadow of doubt that God is his God, and that He dwells with him now and forever more. His heart is filled to overflowing with praise and adoration of God.
This is not to imply that at death the believer enters into his final state of glory. We must remember that at death the body of the believer is still in the grave, the heavens and earth have not yet been made new, and the saints of God have not all been gathered. Yet this intermediate state of the soul is the beginning of that eternal glory that awaits us. It is something that ought to give all of God’s people great comfort. In the midst of all the sorrows that belong to death, the believer has a most wonderful hope. He knows he is going to heaven.
