Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 27 September, 2020
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies,
kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering …” (Col. 3:12)
Morning Service – 11:00 AM – Rev. Ron Hanko
The Impossibility of Meriting With God [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Luke 17
Text: Luke 17:7-10
I. Illustrated
II. Explained
III. Important
Psalms: 130:1-8; 20:1-9
Evening Service – 6:00 PM – Rev. Ron Hanko
An Anchor for the Soul [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 6
Text: Hebrews 6:19
I. Described
II. Needed
III. Utilized
Psalms: 42:5-9; 107:23-30
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
Herman Hoeksema: “Saved by grace! Delivered from wrath, guilt, damnation, corruption, and death—all by grace! Clothed with righteousness, holiness, life and glory—by grace only! Translated into light, from death into life, from shame into glory, from hell into heaven—all by the power of God’s wondrous grace! And all because of the eternal, sovereign love of Him Who chose the things that are not to bring to nought the things that are; that no flesh should glory in His presence!” (The Wonder of Grace, p. 15).
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
We welcome Rev. Ron & Nancy Hanko to our services. Rev. Hanko, our former pastor from 1993-2000, will be preaching for us today.
We welcome Boglarka Semshy, Tibor’s mother, to our services for the first time after moving here from Hungary.
The Standard Bearers are available for subscribers and a new RFPA Update is available for everyone.
Monday catechism classes:
5:45 PM Eleanora, Hannah, Jorja & Somaya (Beginners OT) – Bible study room
6:30 PM Angelica, Bradley, Josh, Samuel & Taylor (Seniors OT) – upstairs open area
7:15 PM Alex, Jacob & Nathan (Essentials) – catechism room
Tuesday Bible study at 11 AM will meet at church to consider the effectual call in connection with assurance.
Belgic Confession Class meets this Wednesday at 7:45 PM to continue our discussion of the “community of goods” in connection with Article 36 on “The Magistrates.”
Julian is organizing a sea fishing trip aboard the Lady Karen on Saturday, 3 October at 2 PM, starting from the quay by Waterworld, Portrush (cost for three-hour trip is Adults – £30 and Under 16s – £20). Places are limited, so please contact Julian as soon as possible.
The next Saturday Night Bible Study is scheduled for 3 October at 8 PM at church and on-line by video, looking at Hebrews 1.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. Bruinsma is entitled, “Children of Truth” (III John 4).
Ivan Ortu has booked his flights from Sardinia and is to arrive in Belfast on Saturday, 10 October, in order to move to N. Ireland to come to the CPRC.
Offerings: General Fund: £552. Donation: $200 (Missouri).
Translation Addition: 1 Spanish (now all 6 chapter of Prof. Cammenga and Rev. Hanko’s book, Saved by Grace, are on-line in Spanish).
PRC News: Hudsonville PRC called Rev. J. Engelsma.
The Sinner’s Guide
Brian D. Dykstra
Psalm 51
The title for this lesson is taken from Charles Spurgeon who mentions this as the traditional name for this psalm of David. This psalm is very personal and private. There are many instances of “I,” “me” and “my” used here. Yet, since David sent this composition to the chief musician, David intended this psalm to be used in public worship. Imagine having something you wrote as a confession of the worst of your sins, something which by nature we would never want to hear about ever again, sung publicly! The guilt and shame of sin are removed by the blood of Christ. Rather than hiding our faces in shame, we can lift up our faces with joy and feel the warmth of God’s gracious countenance shining on us. Rather than feeling overwhelming shame, we, with our brothers and sisters in Christ, rejoice in the gift of salvation.
Before the prophet Nathan came to David to bring him to repentance, David had covered his sin. David had followed the example of our first parents, Adam and Eve, in covering his sin in a way which was totally ineffective. David covered his sin with more sin, continued in his unrepentant way and found “my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long” (Ps. 32:3). When the natural man deals with the effects of sin in his own fallen wisdom, his spiritual condition is not improved.
Psalm 51 opens with David seeking God to have mercy upon him according to God’s lovingkindness. Such is the sinner’s hope: the loving kindness and the multitude of God’s tender mercies. The attributes of God are David’s foundation in his prayer for forgiveness. He does not approach God on his own merits. He does not ask God to forgive or overlook his sins because most of the time David has lived very faithfully before God. David does not say he deserves forgiveness because although his sins were very bad, at least he is not as bad or does not sin as often as others he could name. David rests his petitions on a merciful God.
David next confesses who does all the work in cleansing him from his sin. He asks God to wash and cleanse him. God must be the doer of these actions. How could David wash himself? David is dead in sin and his hands are too filthy to be used to wash himself. David does not ask God for a little help in washing away the worst of his sins. David does not attempt to make up for his sins by doing some good works in order to try to balance his account with God. David’s confession is not that he had done something really bad but he will from this time forward live an exemplary life which would certainly cause the gates of heaven to open to him. Only God can cleanse the sinner of his sins.
Those who prefer to twist Scripture want to take David’s statement, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me,” as his attempt to place the blame for his sin on his sinful origin for which he is not responsible. How can God hold me accountable for my sins? What more could God expect of me when one considers my origins? This is not David’s attempt to pass the blame for his sin to others. David confesses how deep is his corruption. He was sinful from the moment he was conceived. His nature is such that he can offer nothing for God to merit deliverance from sin.
David uses hyssop to point us to the only way our sins can be purged. Hyssop was a bushy plant, not a tree. Its leaves were created in a way which allowed liquids to adhere to them. The Jews used hyssop to spread the blood of the Passover lamb on their door posts. Priests used hyssop dipped in blood to sprinkle blood during their ceremonies. David uses hyssop to confess the only way he can be cleansed of his sin is to be washed in the blood of the Lamb of God. God’s cleansing of us results in our being made “whiter than snow.” David seems to be stretching things too much here. How can anything be whiter than snow? Wouldn’t it be enough to be as white as snow? Snow can become dirty. The snow along the side of the road does not remain pretty. By being washed whiter than snow, David points out that there comes a day when we will no longer be capable of sinning. God’s work of salvation is so great that once we are delivered from this life and enter heaven, we need not worry that we will sin and the angels will usher us out. The work of salvation is finished. Sin will no longer be a possibility.
David also wants God to “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Again, David is not asking for a little help. He does not say that he has done as much as he can and now needs God to finish the last little bit. We see our total dependence on God to cleanse our hearts and renew our spirits. This creative work of God is more impressive than His creative work recorded in Genesis 1.
We see more of our dependence upon God when David asks God to “open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.” What is our nature when confronting our sins? When Adam and Eve discussed what to do about their new, dreadful condition, they spoke of using fig leaves to cover their transgression. David opened his lips to attempt to have Uriah go home to his wife. This does not show an indwelling of spiritual life. When God opens our lips, we show the praise of the God who gives full and complete salvation.
We will end with this, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” We would think the sacrifices of God in the Old Testament were the animals presented on the altar. David saw those sacrifices as a picture of the one, true and totally effective sacrifice of Christ on the cross. If one were to come to us with a gift of that which was broken, we would not be pleased. Now we have the hassle of bringing the gift back for refund or exchange. However, God is pleased with a broken spirit. By nature we are stubborn, and even proud, in our sins. We make excuses. We blame others. We minimize our corruption. We will make up for our shortcomings by doing good works. When God works in us by His Spirit, we finally see ourselves for what we really are. Our haughty spirits are broken and our iron-hard hearts are softened and contrite. Only God can do such great things!
Do our sins plague us? Are there times when our sins cause us to lose sleep? Do we seek to avoid those against whom we have sinned because our shame is so great? Psalm 51 is God’s guide for us. God is merciful and blots out all of our sins. With this psalm in our hearts, we can rejoice in the salvation which is our sovereign God’s gift to His elect.
