Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 27 September, 2015
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind …” (Rom. 12:2)
Morning Service – 11:00 AM
Administration of the Lord’s Supper
Christ’s Offering Himself to God [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 9:1-15
Text: Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 29
I. The Meaning
II. The Manner
Psalms: 65:1-5; 112:6-10; 118:20-29; 40:6-10
Evening Service – 6:00 PM
Applicatory
The Result of Christ’s Offering Himself to God [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 9:6-28
Text: Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 30
I. A Purged Conscience
II. A Divine Service
Psalms: 84:1-6; 113:1-9; 116:1-8; 118:12-19
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: https://cprc.co.uk/live-streaming/
CPRC YouTube: www.youtube.com/cprcni
CPRC Facebook: www.facebook.com/CovenantPRC
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
After a week of self-examination, confessing members in good standing are called to partake of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Your participation in the Lord’s Supper is in part a witness that you repent of your sins, believe that Jesus Christ is your righteousness and desire to live a new and godly life. As this heavenly food can be taken to one’s judgment (I Cor. 11:28-30) and as the common reception of this food is a confession of doctrinal unity (Acts 2:42), the elders supervise the partaking of the sacrament. Visitors who are members of other denominations must request permission from the Council.
There is a new address, telephone and e-mail list on the back table. It is printed on coloured card stock so that it is more durable and harder to lose. Please take a copy.
A card from Rev. & Mary Haak is also on the back table, along with the September issue of the Covenant Reformed News.
Beacon Lights subscriptions are due. To renew your subscription or to subscribe for the first time, please pay £10 to Susan.
Monday evening’s Catechism classes:
5:45 PM – Taylor, Josh, Corey, Bradley & Samuel (Beginners OT, book 2)
6:30 PM – Alex & Nathan (Seniors OT)
7:15 PM – Jacob, Joseph & Chris (Heidelberg Catechism, book 1)
The Tuesday Bible study will meet at 11 AM to study Hosea’s use of Old Testament history in and around the conquest of Canaan.
The Belgic Confession Class will meet this week Wednesday at 7:45 PM to study especially the content of Christ’s intercession in connection with Article 26.
Ladies Bible Study meets this Friday at the church at 10:30 AM to discuss lesson 2 in the I Peter study guide.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s Day (Gospel 846MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. Bruinsma is entitled “A Letter to Those Preserved” (Jude 1-2).
The Council’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, 5 October at 8 PM.
Upcoming Reformation Lectures:
S. Wales – “Jan Hus: His Martyrdom and Ecclesiology,” Thursday, 8 October.
Ballymena – “Jan Hus: His Martyrdom and Ecclesiology,” Friday, 30 October.
Offerings: General Fund: £678.01.
Website Additions: 1 Indonesian (“The Life and Theology of D. L. Moody” by Rev. McGeown) and 1 Hungarian translation (“Was Cain a Recipient of Common Grace?”)
PRC News: The new trio for missionary to the Philippines is Revs. Eriks (Hudsonville, MI), Griess (Calvary, IA) and Huizinga (Redlands, CA).
Have You Seen Leo?
Brian D. Dykstra
The Leo mentioned above is a pattern of stars now visible in the night sky. If you can find the Big Dipper, you can find Leo. If you are interested, here’s how to find Leo. The two stars at the end of the Big Dipper’s bowl are known as the pointers because they point the way to the North Star. To find Leo, instead of starting at the pointers and going to the north, go south. Do you see a bright star? That’s Regulus, and it marks the heart of Leo, the lion. Above it are several dimmer stars which resemble a backwards question mark. This question mark is Leo’s head and mane. To the east is a triangle of stars which indicates Leo’s hindquarters.
Leo has an interesting place in astronomical lore. In his book Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning, Richard Allen writes that Leo was the sign of the tribe of Judah. This is based on Jacob’s blessing upon Judah in Genesis 49:9, “Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?” I don’t know Allen’s basis for the next claim he makes in his book because there is no footnote, but he states a lion was on Judah’s signet-ring which he gave to Tamar.
Allen also mentions, “… the Egyptians worshipped the stars of Leo because the rise of their great river was coincident with the sun’s entrance among them. For the same reason the great Androsphinx is said to have been sculptured with Leo’s body …” Egypt’s astronomers would watch the heavens, and when Leo could no longer be seen because the sun moved to that part of the sky, the Egyptians knew the Nile River would soon be overflowing its banks, enriching their farmland with silt.
The Egyptians’ use of the sun entering Leo reminds us of what we read in Matthew 16. The Pharisees came to Christ tempting Him for a sign from heaven. Christ rebuked them for being able to discern the face of the sky but not being able to discern the signs of the times. At home and school, children need to hear of the signs of the times. Discussions of current events is not mere interesting table or classroom talk.
Some events reported in today’s news are mentioned for us in Matthew 24. Matthew 24:9 says, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” Fifth graders are often surprised to hear how the world will treat true Christians in the last days. Our nation stresses justice and equal treatment under the law, so why should we be treated so terribly? We haven’t done anything wrong! It is troubling for them to be taught that they will be viewed as being very evil indeed! They will, by God’s grace, have the audacity to walk an antithetical life! That is something the world will not tolerate! How dare you spoil our fun by testifying by your godly walk that our ways are evil!
In fifth grade, we recently discussed this in our study of Daniel 3. The idolaters of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom had no qualms about bowing to his image. How did those people worship their idols? Their worship centred around adultery and killing their children. Nebuchadnezzar cast none of them into the fiery furnace. They were viewed as good people. The king, however, was livid with Daniel’s three friends. They were viewed as evil and worthy of a terrible death!
As a society, our nation watches for many signs of destructive forces. The weather service keeps an eye on the sky to warn of destructive storms. Volcanoes are monitored and areas prone to earthquakes are carefully studied. There are even some astronomers who scan the heavens looking for asteroids which cross earth’s path and might cause a cataclysmic collision. The world watches anxiously for what would be a comparatively limited disaster. Meanwhile, they don’t care at all to watch for the signs which signal the total destruction of the earth. They certainly are not interested in turning from their evil ways.
Let us watch with our children for the signs of the times. Instruct them about what might lie ahead for us and them, unless the Lord tarries. The victory belongs to our King as we read in Article 37 of the Belgic Confession: “… the faithful and elect shall be crowned with glory and honour; and the Son of God will confess their names before God His Father, and His elect angels; all tears shall be wiped from their eyes; and their cause which is now condemned by many judges and magistrates, as heretical and impious, will then be known to be the cause of the Son of God. And for a gracious reward, the Lord will cause them to possess such a glory, as never entered into the heart of man to conceive.”
