Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 25 May, 2025
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36)
Morning Service – 11:00 AM
Glorying in the Knowledge of God [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 9
Text: Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 34
I. What We Must Not Do
II. What We Must Do
Psalms: 107:1-9; 128:1-6; 115:1-11; 33:13-22
Evening Service – 6:00 PM
Faith Waiting for the Hope of Righteousness [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Galatians 5
Text: Galatians 5:5-6
I. Faith and Righteousness
II. Faith and Hope
III. Faith and Love
Psalms: 146:1-8; 129:1-8; 86:11-16; 130:1-8
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
Matthew Henry: “If we make an idol of any creature, wealth, pleasure or honors—if we place our happiness in it, and promise ourselves the comfort and satisfaction in it which are to be had in God only—if we make it our joy and love, our hope and confidence, we shall find it as a cistern, which we take a great deal of pains to hew out and fill, which at the best will hold but a little water, and dead and flat water at that, and soon becoming corrupting and nauseous.”
Herman Hanko on Galatians 5:5: “We still sin all the time and our sins rise up against us. The perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to us must also be followed by the sanctification of our whole nature. A prisoner behind bars in a high-security prison will not be satisfied if—though he is legally exonerated and found innocent—he is forced to stay in his cell. So a child of God, knowing he is righteous, cannot be content with his continuous sin, but waits for the day when he is delivered from the prison of his sinful nature. He even wearies of finding forgiveness at the foot of Christ’s cross, only to return to a life of renewed sinfulness” (Justified Unto Liberty, p. 356).
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
The new issue of the British Reformed Journal is available for subscribers.
Tuesday Bible study will meet this week at 11 AM to continue our study of the Council of Nicea (AD 325) on its 1,700th anniversary.
Rev. & Mary Stewart leave this Thursday morning to attend the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the PRCA and the start of Synod. They are to return on Wednesday, 11 June.
Rev. Josiah Tan & Hui Qi and their children, Abigail, Caleb, Jacob and Sarah Dawn, arrive late on Thursday evening. Rev. Tan will be preaching for the CPRC on 1, 8 and 15 June.
Ladies Bible Study meets for the last time this season on Friday morning at 10 AM at the church. We will be finishing our current study A 30-Day Walk with God in the Psalms with Psalm 145.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. Haak is entitled, “Blessed Are the Merciful” (Matt. 5:7).
Offerings: £1,660.00.
Translation Addition: 4 Chinese, 1 Polish.
PRC News: Hudsonville called Rev. Engelsma. Southwest PRC called Rev. Barnhill. Lynden PRC called Rev. DeBoer. Byron Center PRC called Rev. Smidstra to be minister-on-loan to the Philippines. Cornerstone PRC called Rev. Spronk. Grace PRC formed a trio of Revs. DeBoer, Langerak and Smidstra. Hope PRC in Redlands will call from a trio of Revs. DeBoer, D. Holstege and Langerak.
Church Discipline (5) by Rev. Josiah Tan
Last time, we considered that one who is truly repentant produces fruits meet for repentance (Matthew 3:8). These fruits are visible, involve putting on the new man and putting off the old, and are governed by God’s Word (and not man’s standards).
We considered that to be “meet” for repentance is to be fitting, worthy, harmonious with the repentance professed, corresponding in weight and seriousness to the sin committed. II Corinthians 7:10-11 helpfully spells out a full portrait of what these meet fruits look like: “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”
Christ commands that the elders of the church must judge repentance by such fruits.
“By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). Christ does not say that by their fruits you might know them or that perhaps you could form an opinion. He declares with certainty that by their fruits you shall know them. Thus these fruits are the decisive and divinely appointed evidence by which true repentance is distinguished from false repentance.
Christ explains, “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit” (Matthew 7:18). It is impossible for an impenitent man to bear fruits that are meet for repentance. If a man bears such fruits according to God’s Word, it is not by his own strength but clearly by the sovereign work of God’s grace. This gives confidence to the elders as they deliberate and make the judgement whether a man is repentant or not.
Now, while obvious, it must be stated that these fruits of repentance may not be self-proclaimed by the one under discipline. They are to be verified and tested against the Word of God by the elders. Elders, as Christ’s appointed under-shepherds, must judge patiently, carefully and soberly. They must not rush to conclusions based on isolated acts or grand emotional expressions. Instead, the elders must look for a consistent pattern of change in doctrine, confession and life. Only when sufficient and consistent fruits are evident may the church recognize true repentance and lift the discipline. This careful and time-consuming work of discernment is essential for faithful Church discipline. This is vital for preserving the purity of Christ’s church and guarding the souls entrusted to their care. To tell an impenitent person he is truly repentant, forgiven and reconciled is to “strengthen also the hands of evildoers” (Jeremiah 23:14), it is to call “evil good” (Isaiah 5:20). It is to justify the wicked, all of which is an abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 17:15).
Just as Christ calls His elders to judge repentance carefully and patiently, so also He calls the sinner to submit humbly, patiently and willingly to this testing.
A man who is truly repentant understands that the examination of his repentance is not an intrusion but Christ’s own work through the oversight of His appointed judges. Therefore, He receives the elders’ examination with all openness, without reservation or resistance. He welcomes the searching light of God’s Word brought through Christ’s servants. He shows thankfulness for shepherding that Christ Himself has ordained. “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls” (Hebrews 13:17).
On the other hand, a man that is not truly repentant will show signs of opposing or resisting Christ’s discipline. One who is impenitent may even attempt to manage the process, boldly seek to redefine the timeline or negotiate the terms of discipline. And when called out and confronted by the elders, he may shield himself behind the false piety, saying, “God is my judge” or “For the sake of the Truth, I will not submit.” These are evil fruits of which Christ speaks, that are born by a corrupt tree (Luke 6:43-45).
Impenitence often goes hand in hand with impatience. The impenitent will show little regard for the careful work that discernment requires. Such impatience may reveal itself in prideful demands for immediate resolution of the matter, insisting obstinately that enough has been done on his part. “I have apologized, now where is my forgiveness?” His heart, still bowing down to the idol of self and a warped sense of self-importance, demands for recognition, appreciation and commendation for his tears of repentance.
But when God works true repentance and godly sorrow for sin, the penitent sinner cries, “Woe is me, for I am undone” (Isaiah 6:5). He openly confesses, “I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). As he realizes that the process of discerning his repentance is extended by the elders because of his own years of living in duplicity, deception and hypocrisy, the truly repentant cries out, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son” (Luke 15:21).
May God continue to grant our elders grace and wisdom to discern and judge true repentance.
