Morning Worship
1 August 2021
Call to Worship: Psalm 105:1-3
Opening Hymn: Hymn 170 “God, in the Gospel of His Son”
Confession of Sin
O great and everlasting God, Who dwells in unapproachable light, Who searches and knows the thoughts and intentions of the heart; We confess that we have not loved You with all our heart, nor with all our soul, nor with all our mind, nor with all our strength; Nor our neighbors as ourselves. We have loved what we ought not to have loved; We have coveted what is not ours; We have not been content with Your provisions for us. We have complained in our hearts about our family, about our friends, about our health, about our occupations, about Your church, and about our trials. We have sought our security in those things which perish, rather than in You, the Everlasting God. Chasten, cleanse, and forgive us, through Jesus Christ, who is able for all time to save us who approach You through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for us. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Titus 3:4-7
Hymn of Preparation: 271 “Blessed Jesus, at Your Word”
Old Covenant Reading: Hosea 2:14-23
New Covenant Reading: Luke 8:4-15
Sermon: Sowing the Seed
Psalm of Response: Psalm 119M “O How I Love Your Holy Law”
Confession of Faith: Apostles Creed (p. 851)
Doxology (Hymn 568)
Closing Hymn: 272 “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say”
Evening Worship
Hymns: 166, 27A, 130A
OT: Psalm 27
NT: Romans 8:31-39
Wait for the LORD
Suggested Preparations
Monday (7/26) Read and discuss Luke 8:4-15.
And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. (ESV)
James Montgomery Boice writes:
The first type of soil represents the hard heart, of which there are many today as well as in Christ’s time. It is described as soil along the path. Such ground has been trampled down by the many feet that have passed that way over scores of years. Because the soil is hard, the seed that falls there merely lies on the path and does not sink in, and the birds (which Christ compares to the devil or the devil’s workers) soon snatch it away. What is it that makes the human heart hard? There can be only one answer: sin. Sin hardens the heart, and the heart that is hardened sins even more.
That type of person is described in the first chapter of Romans. He or she begins by suppressing the truth about God that may be known from nature, plunges inevitably into spiritual ignorance and moral degradation, and eventually comes not only to practice the sins of the heathen but to approve of them as well. Here we see both halves of the circle; sin leads to a rejection of God and God’s truth, and the rejection of God’s truth leads to even greater sin. What is it that leads such a person to reject the truth of God in the first place? According to Paul, it is a determined opposition to the nature of God Himself, which the apostle describes as human “godlessness and wickedness” (Rom. 1:18).
Virtually all of God’s attributes – whether sovereignty, holiness, omniscience, immutability, or even the divine love – are offensive to the natural man, if properly understood. So rather than repent of sin and turn for mercy to a God who is altogether sovereign, holy, knowing, and unchangeable, men and women suppress what knowledge they have and refuse to seek out that additional knowledge that could be the salvation of their souls.
Recently I heard a conversation between two women in which one asked, “Why is America in such a declining moral state today?”
Her friend replied, “Because the people love sin.” I cannot think of anything more profound than that. That is the message of Romans 1 in five words. People love sin. Sin hardens their hearts. Therefore, they will not receive the gospel of the kingdom of God when it is preached to them.
MEMORY WORK
Q. 92. What is a sacrament?
A. A sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and the benefits of the new covenant, are represented, sealed, and applied to believers.
Tuesday (7/27) Read and discuss 2 Thessalonians 3:13-18.
As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. (ESV)
Richard Phillips writes:
In concluding his letter, Paul wrote out the final verses in his own hand. The words for which he took up the pen express the heart of the gospel: God’s peace through the grace of Jesus Christ. This reminds us that while Paul’s own hand completed this letter, it was Christ, by His own hand, who secured that peace by His gift of grace. Jesus extended His hands upon the cross, gaining the peace of forgiveness with God through sin-atoning death.
Our hands, as well, have a role to play. First, we receive saving grace by opening our hands in humble faith, believing God’s Word, and receiving Jesus Christ as the giver of peace with God. Then, like Paul, we should surely reach out our hands to others who do not yet know God’s peace in the grace of Christ for all who believe in His gospel.
How many today are like the starving soldier who never knew that the war was over and peace was at hand, and therefore remained fearfully aloof from the provision that he needed? How many unbelieving people, burdened by the guilt of their sin, remain distant from God out of fear of His wrath, not knowing that forgiveness has been gained through the blood of Jesus Christ? With His own hands, Jesus gained peace for you so that you may live blessedly forever in the glory of God. Will you open your hands in faith to receive this precious gift? And will you reach out your hands to others, offering the priceless good news about the peace of God that is freely given from heaven by the grace of Jesus Christ?
MEMORY WORK
Q. 93. Which are the sacraments of the New Testament?
A. The sacraments of the New Testament are baptism and the Lord’s supper.
Wednesday (7/28) Read and discuss Hosea 2:14-23.
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her.
And there I will give her her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.
“And in that day, declares the LORD, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD.
“And in that day I will answer, declares the LORD,
I will answer the heavens,
and they shall answer the earth,
and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and they shall answer Jezreel,
and I will sow her for myself in the land.
And I will have mercy on No Mercy,
and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’;
and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’” (ESV)
In His famous “Parable of the Sower”, Jesus tells of a Sower who casts seed on three different types of soil. Some of these “seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.” This part of the parable is of particular importance for the Church in North America to hear. Our Lord interprets this part of the parable in a way that is directly applicable to modern Western life: “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” This is also precisely what had happened in Ancient Israel. The northern tribes enjoyed tremendous economic prosperity under the leadership of the Omride dynasty and its successors. Indeed, they became so concerned about the things of this world that they set aside the word of God. They sought the possibility of prosperity wherever they thought they could find it – including from Baal who didn’t even exist. Here is the amazing and disturbing part: When the LORD blessed Israel with great material prosperity they directed their gratitude back to Baal. Finally, the LORD decided that the only way to strip Israel of this idolatry was to remove all the wealth that He had showered upon her. In fact, God would not only bring Israel into poverty He would bring her into captivity – in order that He would woo her back to be a true bride to Him. In this light, we can rightly understand verse 15:
And there I will give her her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.
The Valley of Achor was the very first place where Israel had rebelled against the LORD once they had entered the Promised Land. There Achan, out of covetousness, stole valuable items that were to be dedicated to Yahweh. As the LORD told Joshua: “Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings.” We can easily understand why the Valley of Achor would also be known as the Valley of Trouble. Yet, now, the LORD is promising through Hosea that it will become a “door of hope”. God is driving Israel from the Promised Land in order to start over and to give her a new and better beginning.
MEMORY WORK
Q. 94. What is baptism?
A. Baptism is a sacrament, wherein the washing with water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, doth signify and seal our ingrafting into Christ, and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engagement to be the Lord’s.
Thursday (7/29) Read and discuss Romans 8:31-39.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV)
In order for anyone to condemn us, they have to argue that who Jesus is and what He has done through His life and death is somehow insufficient to redeem us. Do you hear how outrageously blasphemous it is to say to God the Son: “Yes, you took to yourself a true human nature and lived the perfect life that we should have lived. Yes, you died in our place – not simply enduring the wrath of man – but voluntarily enduring the wrath of Almighty God in the place of Your people – but I don’t think that is enough. I am now going to bring a charge against those for whom You died?” To ask that question is to answer it. Furthermore, the risen Christ, to whom all authority in heaven and on earth is given, is seated at the right hand of the Father interceding for you. You might imagine that He is pleading with the Father to show you mercy. But that’s not it. In Romans 8, Jesus is asking God to give you complete and perfect justice – and, astonishingly, that is good news. It’s not as though you haven’t committed a disturbing high number of capital offenses for which you could have been sentenced to enduring the eternal wrath of a perfectly holy God. But if anyone approaches the Judge to name those crimes, Jesus stands and says: “Father, that sin has already been paid for. I paid for it Myself on the cross. Justice demands that it not be paid for again. Furthermore, as You can see, I have given My sister or My brother – My own perfect record of righteousness. There is only one verdict You can justly render. ‘Vindicated!’ Indeed, you have already rendered that verdict from the moment they first believed.” This is such astonishingly good news that sometimes even we have difficulty believing it. We look in the mirror and imagine that there are plenty of things that an accuser could raise against us in the courtroom of Almighty God. I know that for some of you, the person most likely to condemn you is the person looking back at you from the mirror in the morning. Please preach this message from the Apostle John to your own weary soul:
If our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and [He] knows all things!
MEMORY WORK
Q. 95. To whom is baptism to be administered?
A. Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him; but the infants of such as are members of the visible church are to be baptized.
Friday (7/30) Read and discuss Psalm 27.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.
For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the LORD.
Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, LORD, do I seek.”
Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!
For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the LORD will take me in.
Teach me your way, O LORD,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living!
Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD! (ESV)
Gerald Wilson writes:
The stronghold of my life. How do we find a rock solid place of confidence when all else is swirling about us? It is this ability to stand confidently that sets the faithful apart and gives testimony to the presence of God in our lives. Where or to whom do you go when life seems too much to handle? Perhaps to your spouse or a close friend, a trusted minister, your parents? For the psalmist, God is the stronghold of his life – the secure place when all else fails.
Too often human relationships fail – because they are human. Many of us have felt betrayed or abandoned by friends, spouses, and even parents. … When we place our hopes and reliance on fallible human beings, we are bound to experience failure. When all our human resources are so unreliable, where do we turn for unshakeable support?
According to our Psalmist, Yahweh is the one reliable support – the one who accepts us even “though my father and mother forsake me” (27:10). There is no more crushing experience than for a child to be abandoned by his or her parents. Orphan children – even those adopted by loving and caring families – are often obsessed to know why their birth mother “abandoned” them. … Many abandoned children who have been unable to answer the questions of their birth and loss of parental love have found in God a loving parent who does not forsake them.
MEMORY WORK
Q. 96. What is the Lord’s supper?
A. The Lord’s supper is a sacrament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine according to Christ’s appointment, his death is showed forth; and the worthy receivers are, not after a corporal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of his body and blood, with all his benefits, to their spiritual nourishment and growth in grace.
Saturday (8/1) Read and discuss Luke 8:4-15.
And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. (ESV)
James Montgomery Boice writes:
The third type of soil stands for the strangled heart, strangled by things. The Lord describes those things as thorns, and says, “What was sown among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” I do not need to point out how many lives are chocked by riches today. It was true even in Jesus’ day; we know that because of our Lord’s many warnings against riches: “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:23); “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” …
On one occasion a rich young man turned away from Jesus sorrowfully because Jesus had told him to sell everything he had and give it to the poor, and he was unwilling to do it. But if that was true in Jesus’ day among people whom we would regard for the most part as very, very poor, how much truer it is in ours. How much more choked we are with riches – we who have cars and houses and boats and bank accounts and all the modern gadgets of our materialistic culture.
There is this point, too: riches do not choke a person all at once. It is a gradual process. Like the weeds in Christ’s parable, riches grow up gradually. Slowly, very slowly, they strangle the buddings of spiritual life within. Beware of that if you either have possessions or are on your merry way to acquiring them. Above all, beware if you are saying, “I need to provide for myself now. I’ll think about spiritual things when I’m older.” Jesus warned against that in another story about a a man whose fields produced such a good crop that he tore down his barns and built bigger ones, saying to himself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.” Jesus’ words were, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”
MEMORY WORK
Q. 97. What is required to the worthy receiving of the Lord’s supper?
A. It is required of them that would worthily partake of the Lord’s supper, that they examine themselves of their knowledge to discern the Lord’s body, of their faith to feed upon him, of their repentance, love, and new obedience; lest, coming unworthily, they eat and drink judgment to themselves.