Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 1 May, 2022
“… walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself
for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” (Eph. 5:2)
Morning Service – 11:00 AM
Solomon: Israel’s Wisest King (32)
Solomon’s Fantastic Wealth [youtube]
Scripture Reading: I Kings 10:14-29
Text: I Kings 10:14-29
I. The Description
II. The Picture
III. The Warning
Psalms: 147:3-10; 28:1-5; 72:15-19; 19:9-14
Evening Service – 6:00 PM
Having No Other God But Jehovah [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 18
Text: Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 34
I. The Negative
II. The Positive
III. The Earnestness
Psalms: 125:1-5; 28:5-9; 115:1-11; 20:1-9
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
Matthew Henry on I Kings 10:14-29: “Now let us remember … That this was [Solomon] who, having tasted all these enjoyments, wrote a whole book to show the vanity of all worldly things and the vexation of spirit that attends them, their insufficiency to make us happy and the folly of setting our hearts upon them, and to recommend to us the practice of serious godliness, as that which is the whole of man, and will do infinitely more towards the making of us easy and happy than all the wealth and power that he was master of, and which, through the grace of God, is within our reach …”
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
The April Covenant Reformed News is on the back table. Standard Bearers are also available for subscribers.
Tuesday Bible study at 11 AM will not meet this week but will resume next week, 10 May.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. R. Kleyn is entitled, “The Path to Reconciliation” (Gen. 42:1-25).
The Council will hold its monthly meeting on Monday, 9 May at 7:30 PM.
Family visitation will be starting next week. Please try to make the dates and times work as much as possible, since rearranging slots means rearranging schedules for other members. If you do need to reschedule or if you are not a member but would like to be included in family visitation, talk to Rev. Stewart or one of the elders.
Wednesday, 11 May
7 PM – J. McCaugherns (Crossett/Rev. Stewart)
8 PM – B. McCaugherns (Crossett/Rev. Stewart)
Thursday, 12 May
7 PM – D. Crossetts (Reid/Rev. Stewart)
8 PM – Carmichaels (Reid/Rev. Stewart)
9 PM – B. Crossetts (Reid/Rev. Stewart)
Friday, 13 May
7 PM – Kuhs (Reid/Rev. Stewart)
8 PM – Debbie (Reid/Rev. Stewart)
9 PM – Kennedys (Reid/Rev. Stewart)
Offerings: General Fund: £1,125.90. Donations: £48 (Co. Tyrone), £100 (Malaysia).
Translation Additions: 9 Dutch, 1 Russian and 1 Spanish.
PRC News: Peace PRC called Rev. Marcus. Doon PRC called Rev. Smidstra. Hudsonville PRC will call from a trio of Revs. Marcus, Noorman and Smidstra. The PR Theological Seminary has licensed a student, Mr. Arend Haveman, to give a word of edification in the churches.
The Appropriate Rearing
Prof. David J. Engelsma (an excerpt from “Rearing Covenant Children for Life in the End-Time”)
I Corinthians 7:29-31: “But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.”
… It is striking that the kind of life demanded by the end-time, and, therefore, the appropriate rearing for life in the end-time, is not that the children abstain from immorality—rebellion, fornication, drunkenness, drugs, and the like. Paul does not say, “Since the time is short, do not fornicate, or divorce and remarry, or have an affair;” but he says, “Have a wife, as not having a wife.” He does not say, “Do not steal;” but he says, “Buy, as not possessing.” We may not content ourselves with admonishing the children not to be immoral.
Life appropriate to the end-time is human life that “sits loose” to the world and to every aspect of earthly life in the world. This is the explanation of the paradox: have a wife, as not having one; weep, as not weeping; buy, as not possessing. Having a wife, being comfortable, being uncomfortable, owning real estate, and every other earthly condition are of no real importance. It is not of ultimate importance whether one is married, or unmarried; whether one’s earthly life is weeping or rejoicing; whether one is a “has” or a “has not;” or even whether one is a slave or a freeman, as the apostle says in verses 21-22.
This is the holiness of indifference to the world. It is what Calvin called “contempt … for the present life.” Describing the Christian life, in Book III, Chapter IX, of the Institutes, Calvin wrote, “For there is no medium between the two things: the earth must either be worthless in our estimation, or keep us enslaved by an intemperate love of it.” We must, said Calvin, “hasten to despise the world, and aspire with our whole heart to the future life.”
The life that is fitting for the end of time is a life that runs the risk of being charged with carelessness towards earthly things: world-flight! other-worldliness! pie-in-the-sky Christianity! In fact, the charge is false. But you can certainly understand why those “Whose portion is below! / Who, with life’s treasures satisfied! / No better portion know,” as The Psalter puts it, raise this charge against the life of the man who takes seriously the apostle’s exhortation in I Corinthians 7, and practices it.
Such a life, and such a life only, escapes the fatal danger of laying up treasures for ourselves on earth and having our heart in the earth (Matt. 6:19, 21); of loving this present world, as did Demas (II Tim. 4:10); of having the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word in us, so that we become unfruitful (Matt. 13:22); of saving our lives and gaining the whole world, only to lose our own souls (Matt. 16:24-26).
This kind of life spares us from many destructive evils: covetousness, envy, ambition, drunkenness.
Our Great Teacher forewarned us that the danger in the end-time would be earthly-mindedness. He used the object lessons of the time of Noah and the time of Lot. What was the evil of the world before the flood and of Sodom before the fire? It was not the violence and perversion that we immediately think of, But: “They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed” (Luke 17:27-30).
They were wrapped up in this world: they had wives, as having them; they rejoiced, as rejoicing; they bought, as possessing; they used this world, as abusing it.
When Jesus, in a parallel passage, Matthew 24:42ff., says, “Watch,” He is saying: “Watch, that you never put too much stock in the present life.”
This attitude of heart and fundamental posture of soul will show itself in sobriety and moderation in earthly life. This is a recurring theme in Calvin. The British poet, Davies, summed up the Reformed style of life in earlier days this way: “simplicity, sobriety, and measure.” Holy indifference to this world is a foe of excess, luxury, and extravagance, whether in eating and drinking; in dress; in house; or in recreation. It is a foe of that which is called “abusing” (the world), in I Corinthians 7:31. Literally, it is an “overmuch-using.” “Overmuch using” is, primarily, a use of the world with one’s heart set squarely on the world. Invariably, it is also an immoderate use.
Let us teach the children this in the end-time. This may seem strange, even paradoxical: as you teach them the world and its fashion (and you must!), you teach them to “sit loose” to the world, because it has no ultimate worth; indeed, in itself, apart from the Goal, it is worthless, and life in it, vanity. This instruction is never so effective as it is when it comes from you, the teachers, who know the world and devote our life to instruction about the world. The students cannot so lightly dismiss this teaching coming from you, as they do when it comes from the preachers, by saying, “Well, they don’t know anything about the world anyhow.” As with all instruction that is effective, however, it must be seen in your life, and for that, you yourselves must believe it.
This does not make Christian education a gloomy task, but a joyful, hopeful one, even as the life of holy indifference to the world is a joyful, hopeful life.
