Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 21 November, 2021
“… 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 – Rev. N. Decker
God’s Supply of All Our Needs [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Philippians 4
Text: Philippians 4:19
I. Our Need
II. God’s Supply
III. Paul’s Confidence
Psalms: 100:1-5; 119:145-152; 55:19-23; 121:1-8
Evening Service – 6:00 PM – Rev. M. DeVries
Building the House of God [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2
Text: Ephesians 2:20-22
I. The House
II. The Foundation
III. The Construction
Psalms: 102:13-18; 84:1-6; 132:7-14; 87:1-7
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
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
Pastor has a chest infection, so we will be having videos at today’s services.
Ignited by the Word, a new children’s magazine, is available on the back table for Standard Bearer subscribers.
Alfonso, Salome, Chester and Dale Mansona who moved after the closing of the Limerick Reformed Fellowship, have been received as members of the CPRC.
Pray for one another. Remember in prayer those who have been unable to worship with us for some time. Pray for Eunice Murray who struggles from day to day with MS. Pray that Aaysha’s seizures may lessen and her health may improve to enable Kerryann and her children to attend services and catechism again. Willie John has been having knee problems making it difficult for him to walk and drive. Think of others also who are feeling the infirmities of old age. Pray for Sinead with her chronic fatigue. Remember those who are married to unbelievers and the challenges they face, praying that their spouses may be won by their godly conversation (I Pet. 3:1). Pray for those who are depressed, discouraged or anxious. “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isa. 40:31).
Monday catechism classes: (CLASSES ARE CANCELLED FOR THIS WEEK)
5:00 PM: Jason, Maisie & Sebastian (Juniors NT)
5:45 PM: Eleanora, Felicity, Hannah, Jorja, Penelope, Sammy, Somaya, Sophie, Xander & Yossef (Beginners OT, Book 2)
6:30 PM: Angelica, Bradley, Jack, Josh, Samuel & Taylor (Heidelberg, Book 1)
7:15 PM: Alex, Jacob & Nathan (Essentials)
Tuesday Bible study at 11 AM will meet to discuss miraculous and historical faith.
The Belgic Confession Class will meet this week Wednesday at 7:30 PM to study the 1,260 days, etc., in Revelation.
Membership Class: Thursday, 11 AM with the Goulds.
Saturday night Bible study meets this week, 27 November, at 8 PM at church and on line to finish Hebrews 13 and start the book of Malachi. Malachi study guides are available for £3. New people would be very welcome.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. Bruinsma is entitled “Desiring a Better Country” (Heb. 11:13-16).
Offerings: General Fund: £1,075.50. Donations: £100 (CR News).
Translation Additions: 1 Russian, 1 Spanish and 1 Swahili.
PRC News: Rev. D. Holstege accepted the call to Wingham PRC. The Holsteges returned to the Philippines this past week as planned for 2 weeks. Wingham’s consistory is working with Canadian authorities to process the necessary paper work for the Holstege’s immigration. It is hoped that they can move to Wingham around the end of December. Rev. Spronk (Faith, MI) declined the call to Covenant of Grace PRC (Spokane, WA), so they will call from a new trio of Revs. J. Langerak (Heritage, SD), J. Holstege (Zion, MI) and D. Noorman (Southwest, MI).
Abundant Thanks
Rev. Cornelius Hanko (an excerpt from the Standard Bearer, vol. 72, issue 4)
“For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God” (II Cor. 4:15).
“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits!”
That expression of thanks finds its echo in the text above. The keynote here is abundance.
God has prepared an abundance of things, in fact, all things, for our sakes. He also bestows an abundance of grace upon us, that the thanksgiving of many may overflow in an abundance of praise to God. That is true thanksgiving!
… we count our blessings. They are so many, but let me try to mention a few.
The Lord sustained us in health and strength and cared for all our needs during the past season. He gave to all of us our daily bread, our home, our place in our family, our place in the church. He gave us work for our hands and prospered our labours.
Besides all that, the Lord gave us numerous possessions and luxuries, many pleasant times and experiences, many hours of enjoyment with our family and friends.
There were also, not to be forgotten, an abundance of spiritual blessings. God speaks to us, revealing Himself unto us through His Word and by His Spirit in our hearts. He has given us faith, a living, powerful gift of faith. He assures us: “I am thy God and the God of thy seed after thee.” That includes all His blessed, glorious promises for time and eternity.
As family we could gather about the dinner table to begin with the Lord and end with devotions. We can still freely read the Word of God, hear the sound preaching of the Word, and worship in the communion of saints.
We have so much. But there is more. The text speaks of “all things.” That must also include suffering, pain, trials, afflictions. That includes the attacks of Satan, the oppression and persecution of an evil world, the struggle against sin in our own lives. Yes, that includes the loss of our dear ones, the awareness of the approach of our own departure from this world.
That even includes all the events in the course of history, all man’s ingenuity and resourcefulness, but also all the corruption, lawlessness, wars and tumult of the nations. In one word, the sun rises and sets, the stars move in their courses, the day follows the night for the sake of God’s church, His chosen people, and therefore for you and for me.
The list grows. It seems endless. For all things are for your sakes, and ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s!
An abundance of grace. All these things come to us from the hand of Almighty God, who exercises all power in heaven and on earth. We can not, we may not, we must not make distinction between pleasant and unpleasant things, as if the appealing things come to us from a merciful God, but those that do not appeal come from some other source. No, all things are for our sakes in God’s abundant grace in Christ Jesus!
Let us never forget nor ignore the fact that our God is the God of infinite perfections, the only true and living God, who lives His own blessed covenant life of intimate fellowship as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He has no need of men’s hands, to be worshiped by them. He is the God of all grace, the exalted, adorable Jehovah.
His favour is upon His people. Even as His consuming wrath burns upon all the workers of iniquity now and forever, so His love abounds upon those whom He has chosen from eternity and redeemed through the cross of our Saviour Jesus Christ. The Father gave His Son, and the Son gave His life, that His glorious grace may abound in us, His chosen possession.
On such wretched sinners as we are, who deserve only everlasting condemnation, God bestows His grace, even an abundance of grace that delivers from death unto life and transforms us from children of Satan into sons of the living God; we are justified, freed from all sin and guilt and made worthy of eternal life. We are sanctified as saints in Christ Jesus. He bestows grace for grace, one gift of grace upon another. God is for us, nothing can be against us.
He withholds no good thing from those who fear Him. Therefore through an abundance of grace we receive an abundance of gifts which serve to bring us to glory.
The greatest of these is that we may know and confess that all these things come to us from His Father’s hand! Grace abounding!
An abundance of thanks. Thanksgiving is not a mere expression of thanks, a mere “thank you.” It is not a formal prayer of an individual, or of a family or of a congregation in a special worship service. Nor is it an attempt on our part to recompense God for all His benefits.
Thanksgiving arises spontaneously from a thankful heart. Thankfulness is also a matter of living; our life must be a life of thankfulness.
Since we know how great our sins and miseries are, and also the wonderful manner in which we are delivered from our sins and miseries, it must certainly follow that we should know how to live in thankfulness before the face of our God.
Thankfulness is a deep awareness of our unworthiness, but also of our dependence upon God. He is our God from whom all blessings flow. As dependent creatures we wait upon Him, lifting up needy hands to Him in prayer. We experience intimate communion of life in fellowship with Him. The result must be that we rejoice in God, our Maker and Sustainer, who is also the God of our salvation. We sing His praises. We worship Him in humble adoration. Even though this is still done in all the weakness of sinful flesh, thanksgiving is comely for God’s children.
Nor are we alone, as individuals, in this thanksgiving. It is a blessed privilege that we as families may join our hearts in song, in prayer, in worship and thanksgiving in the presence of our God.
We also have our church, the communion of saints, in which to join hearts and voices in thanks and praise to God. We worship Him with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. In our churches the Psalms of the sweet singer of Israel are still sung. Think of that! For many, many generations, in many languages and in all sorts of circumstances, the church of God has given expression to all their experiences with the Psalms of Scripture.
God not only has preserved His church but He has prepared many hearts to give Him thanks for all His benefits.
The abundant grace through the thanksgiving of many redounds to the glory of His Name. O give thanks unto the Lord. For He is good; for His mercy endures forever …
