Morning Worship
8 August 2021
Call to Worship: Psalm 100:1-5
Opening Hymn: Hymn 157 “When Morning Gilds the Skies”
Confession of Sin
Almighty God, Who are rich in mercy to all those who call upon You; Hear us as we humbly come to You confessing our sins; And imploring Your mercy and forgiveness. We have broken Your holy laws by our deeds and by our words; And by the sinful affections of our hearts. We confess before You our disobedience and ingratitude, our pride and willfulness; And all our failures and shortcomings toward You and toward fellow men. Have mercy upon us, Most merciful Father; And of Your great goodness grant that we may hereafter serve and please You in newness of life; Through the merit and mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Exodus 34:5-7
Psalm of Preparation: Psalm 118A “O Thank the LORD for All His Goodness” (Stanzas 1-4)
Old Covenant Reading: Psalm 118:1-29
New Covenant Reading: Luke 20:9-18
Sermon: The Wicked Tenants
Psalm of Response: Psalm 118A “O Thank the LORD for All His Goodness” Stanzas 5-8
Confession of Faith: Nicene Creed (p. 852)
Doxology (Hymn 568)
Closing Hymn: Psalm 1A “That Man is Blest”
Evening Worship
Hymns: 167, 147B, 488
OT: Psalm 63:1-11
NT: 1 Timothy 2:1-8
Lifting Holy Hands
Suggested Preparations
Monday (8/2) Read and discuss Luke 20:9-18.
And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?
Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” (ESV)
David Garland writes:
There is no need to try to peel away the layers of allegory in this parable in an attempt to get back to the original parable uttered by Jesus, as many interpreters have tried to do. This parable is a transparent indictment of the leaders in Jerusalem for their malfeasance and perversion of their office. They belong to the ruling class, who became wealthy from their large land holdings. They lived well off the peasants, who leased the land from them. Consequently, they would have naturally sympathized with the dilemma of a landowner who must cope with deadbeat, rebellious tenants. The parable, however, places them in the role of murderous tenants who reneged on their debs and abused the ones sent to collect payment. …
The logic behind the tenants’ thinking – if they kill the heir, the vineyard would become theirs – should not be interpreted as a realistic hope. Theologically, the parable paints a vivid picture of human willful rebellion against God. The tenants have rejected the reality that they are creatures of God who simply live in God’s vineyard. They want to be the lords of the vineyard. God stands in the way of their plans, and so they brutalize or kill any of God’s messengers who remind them of the reality. They recognize the heir “but rejected him because they were unwilling to relinquish control over the vineyard to its rightful owner (Talber).”
MEMORY WORK
Q. 98. What is prayer?
A. Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.
Tuesday (8/3) 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.”
[9] 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)
Rick Phillips writes:
Jesus gives three examples of worldly weeds that chock this seed. First come life’s worries, including things like careers, family concerns, troubles over the economy or the ecology, the retirement account, the weight loss plan, or the pennant race. Second is riches. Here we have the sad example of the rich young man who came to Jesus seeking eternal life. Learning that his riches must give way to Chris, he turned away sad, the Bible says, “because he was a man of great wealth. “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God,” Jesus observed. Third is pleasure, which in our entertainment age is surely the shovel that digs many spiritual graves. All of these things must be brought before God if we are to be saved, even those callings and endeavors that are lawful in themselves. A divided heart, a double mind, one that cannot set aside worries or riches or pleasures to follow Christ, will fail to achieve salvation through an enduring faith.
MEMORY WORK
Q. 99. What rule hath God given for our direction in prayer?
A. The whole word of God is of use to direct us in prayer; but the special rule of direction is that form of prayer which Christ taught his disciples, commonly called the Lord’s prayer.
Wednesday (8/4) Read and discuss Psalm 118:1-29.
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Out of my distress I called on the LORD;
the LORD answered me and set me free.
The LORD is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
The LORD is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.
All nations surrounded me;
in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
They surrounded me like bees;
they went out like a fire among thorns;
in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
Glad songs of salvation
are in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the LORD does valiantly,
the right hand of the LORD exalts,
the right hand of the LORD does valiantly!”
I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the LORD.
The LORD has disciplined me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the LORD.
This is the gate of the LORD;
the righteous shall enter through it.
I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This is the LORD’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Save us, we pray, O LORD!
O LORD, we pray, give us success!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We bless you from the house of the LORD.
The LORD is God,
and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!
You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever! (ESV)
James Mays writes:
Through the centuries of Scripture interpretation in the church, two points in the psalm have received repeated emphasis. The first is the grateful cry in verse 17, “I shall not die, but live.” That is just the reverse of the natural human condition. The normal human predicament is that, because we must die, the expectation of our final negation infects our living in all kinds of conscious and subliminal ways. The church has found in verse 17 the expression of the transformation worked by the resurrection in one’s fundamental stance in life. The way in which believers face every threat and crisis and need is colored by the knowledge that God has not given us over to death. “We whose life is hid with Christ in God ought to meditate on this psalm all the days of our lives (Calvin).”
The second point of repeated emphasis has been verses 22-24, which portray Easter as the day for celebrating God’s deed in making the rejected stone the chief cornerstone. These verses teach the church that the risen Christ is the crucified Jesus and warn us against separating Easter from its context in the passion of our Lord. It was not the free choice and approval of the human community that established the Crucified as foundation and keystone of God’s coming kingdom but God’s raising Him from the dead (Acts 4:11). He is present in the world as the One contradicted and rejected by every way that human beings go about building their world. The risen Christ is not the acceptable Christ; rather, it is in all the ways that He differs from us that He calls us to the transformations of repentance that answer God’s deed in Him. Luther, in commenting on verse 22, observed that in the Gospel story, people became angry and condemned Jesus because they did not know how to use Him, and then wrote: “It is no different today. The stone is rejected and stays rejected.” … The marvelous thing is that the One whom our human instincts and wisdom reject, God has nevertheless, in spite of us and for our salvation, made the chief cornerstone.
MEMORY WORK
Q. 100. What doth the preface of the Lord’s prayer teach us?
A. The preface of the Lord’s prayer, which is, Our Father which art in heaven, teacheth us to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father able and ready to help us; and that we should pray with and for others.
Thursday (8/5) Read and discuss Psalm 63:1-11.
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
But those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;
they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
they shall be a portion for jackals.
But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by him shall exult,
for the mouths of liars will be stopped. (ESV)
Tim Keller writes:
David wrote when he was in a literal desert, driven by the betrayal of his son Absalom. Despite the pain of physical thirst and lost love, David knows that his deepest longings are for God (verse 1) – they can be met only by God’s presence and by experiencing His love, which is better than good circumstances and even than life itself (verse 3). This spiritual thirst, unrecognized as such in nonbelievers, is in all of us. Beholding God’s power and glory and worship should be our first care, not only because it is right but also because only a relationship with God lasts “as long as [we] live” (verse 4) – and beyond – and satisfies our deepest need. …
David longs not just for belief but for experience of God. It is possible le to “see” the LORD, not with our physical eyes but by faith. This is delighting in God not for what He gives us in life but for who He is in Himself (verse 3). The result of David’s experience is the reassertion of his identity. “But [I] the king will rejoice in God” (verse 11). This joyful, strengthened grounding in who we are in Him is always the fruit of spiritual experience. Christians too are all kings and priests in Jesus (Revelation 1:6).
MEMORY WORK
Q. 101. What do we pray for in the first petition?
A. In the first petition, which is, Hallowed be thy name, we pray that God would enable us and others to glorify him in all that whereby he maketh himself known; and that he would dispose all things to his own glory.
Friday (8/6) Read and discuss 1 Timothy 2:1-8.
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; (ESV)
George W. Knight writes:
Paul’s first exhortation to the church concerns prayer. Prayers should be specific, reverently brought to God, bold, and grateful. They should be offered up “for everyone” – not every person without exception as if the entire citizenry of Ephesus is to be named one-by-one, but for all sorts of people without exception. Paul singles out one sort of prayer, namely, for civil authorities. Paul as usual specifies the authorities his readers know, but also generalizes the principle as in Romans 13. Prayers offered for civil authorities have both a proximate and an ultimate goal. The proximate goal is a stable life free of disruptions and hindrances that civil strife, persecutions, and afflictions bring. The ultimate goal, for which the proximate is the setting, is godliness and holiness. Godliness is a term that Paul uses frequently to describe the Christian’s piety or religion in action. He wants that piety to come to full expression and to have “moral earnestness.”
MEMORY WORK
Q. 102. What do we pray for in the second petition?
A. In the second petition, which is, Thy kingdom come, we pray that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed; and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it; and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened.
Saturday (8/7) Read and discuss Luke 20:9-18.
And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?
Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” (ESV)
Rick Phillips writes:
Luke tells us that Jesus’ hearers grasped the meaning of this parable all too well and thus were driven to a rage against Him. They realized that Jesus was talking about Himself as the Son, and this shows His clear understanding of His mission and His coming death.
First, Jesus presents Himself in line with the true prophets. Like them, He brought a divine message of God’s rights and expectations, calling the people to repentance and belief. This is the answer to the question regarding His authority, which the religious leaders had questioned at the beginning of the chapter. Like the prophets, Jesus spoke from Go. Bu the parable goes further and presents Jesus in His unique identity, not merely as a servant like the prophets but as God’s beloved son.
All through church history there have been those who denied Jesus’ full divinity. Over the last several generations, some scholars have tried to maintain that Jesus never identified Himself as God’s unique Son, that the doctrine of the Trinity is the invention of church theologians. Yet what do we have here but Jesus Christ speaking of Himself as God’s beloved Son who came to earth? This is the same truth so famously expressed in John’s Gospel: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The parable shows not only Jesus’ understanding of Himself but also the events about to take place. Alexander Maclaren comments on the marvel of Jesus’ composure as He spoke of His cross:
Nothing is more remarkable in the parable than the calmness of Jesus in announcing His impending fate. He knows it all, and His voice has no tremor, as He tells it as though He were speaking of another. … He is ready for the cross, and its nearness has no terror, not because He was impassive, or free from the shrinking proper to flesh, but because He was resolved to save. Therefore He was resolved to suffer.
MEMORY WORK
Q. 103. What do we pray for in the third petition?
A. In the third petition, which is, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven, we pray that God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey and submit to his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven.