8 May 2022
Call to Worship: Psalm 100:1-5
Opening Hymn: 234 “The God of Abraham Praise”
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: Romans 6:23
Hymn of Preparation: Hymn 404 “The Church’s One Foundation”
Old Covenant Reading: Psalm 36:1-12
New Covenant Reading: James 1:16-18
Sermon: God the Giver
Hymn of Response: 434 “A Debtor to Mercy Alone”
Confession of Faith: Nicene Creed (p. 852)
Doxology (Hymn 568)
Closing Hymn: 488 “May the Mind of Christ, My Savior”
Evening Service
Hymns: 172, 188, Psalm 1B
OT: Psalm 51:1-19
NT: 2 Timothy 2:20-26
Sermon: Faithful Servants of the Lord
Suggested Preparation
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Monday (5/2) read and discuss James 1:16-18
James 1:16–18 (ESV)
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Craig Blomberg and Mariam Kamell write:
The most fundamental biblical background for this concept is Genesis 1–3. Everything that God fashioned on the six days of creation he observed to be “good” (1:4, 10, 12, etc.). Their corruption came only later, as the result of human sin (ch. 3). But God’s plans will not be thwarted; human history will end with the re-creation of a new heavens and a new earth (Rev 21–22).
Of course, many events in this life that seem to come from God also seem undesirable. At such times, Christians must remember the two main principles of vv. 17–18. First, God does not change in the way that heavenly bodies or earthly shadows do (cf. esp. Mal 3:6–7). Therefore, he who created the heavens and earth can be trusted to continue to provide only good things for his children (cf. esp. Mt 7:11). Second, the preeminent example of his wonderful provisions is our rebirth… which, as James has already highlighted, more than compensates for anything we experience that seems to us far less than perfect.
MEMORY WORK
Q. 5. Are there more Gods than one?
A. There is but one only, the living and true God.
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Tuesday (5/3) read and discuss James 1:12-15
James 1:12–15 (ESV)
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
John Calvin writes:
Then when lust hath conceived. He first calls that lust which is not any kind of evil affection or desire, but that which is the fountain of all evil affections; by which, as he shews, are conceived vicious broods, which at length break forth into sins. It seems, however, improper, and not according to the usage of Scripture, to restrict the word sin to outward works, as though indeed lust itself were not a sin, and as though corrupt desires, remaining closed up within and suppressed, were not so many sins. But as the use of a word is various, there is nothing unreasonable if it be taken here, as in many other places, for actual sin.
MEMORY WORK
Q. 6. How many persons are there in the godhead?
A. There are three persons in the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.
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Wednesday (5/4) read and discuss Psalm 36:1-12
Psalm 36 (ESV)
To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the Lord. 1 Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. 3 The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. 4 He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil. 5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. 6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O Lord. 7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. 10 Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! 11 Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12 There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise.
Mark Futato writes:
“Pour out your unfailing love on those who know you” (36:10; NLT, “those who love you”). All humanity should know God—“his eternal power and divine nature” (Rom 1:18–20), but all humanity does not know God. “This is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth” (John 17:3). Not all know God in this way, being “in a right relationship with him, with characteristics of love, trust, respect, and open communication” (NIDOTTE 2.413). Those who do know him in this way experience his unfailing love in a way that others do not. One such way is protection from the proud and wicked who would “trample” and “push around” those who know God (36:11). If some choose to stand in opposition to God by opposing those who know him, they will find themselves “thrown down, never to rise again” (36:12). But for the moment, God is being “kind, tolerant, and patient,” giving them the opportunity to turn from their sin (36:4; Rom 2:4) and to turn to him in faith, that they might experience his unfailing love and enjoy eternal life.
MEMORY WORK
Q. 7. What are the decrees of God?
A. The decrees of God are his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.
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Thursday (5/5) read and discuss Psalm 51:1-19
Psalm 51 (ESV)
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; 19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Derek Kidner writes:
The opening plea, have mercy, is the language of one who has no claim on the favour he begs. But steadfast love is a covenant word. For all his unworthiness, David knows that he still belongs…. Coming closer still, he appeals to God’s tender warmth, in the second word for mercy, an emotional term, used in, e.g., Genesis 43:30 when Joseph’s ‘heart’, or inmost being, yearned for his brother. It is akin to the New Testament’s visceral word for being ‘moved with compassion’.
But there is more to forgiveness than a tender spirit. The accusing record of sin remains, and the pollution clings. The plea, blot out, means ‘wipe away’, like the writing from a book…. Only the gospel could reveal at what cost ‘the bond which stood against us’ could be blotted out (cf. Col. 2:14). The companion metaphor, wash me thoroughly, uses a verb normally connected with the laundering of clothes, as if David is comparing himself to a foul garment needing to be washed and washed.
MEMORY WORK
Q. 8. How doth God execute his decrees?
A. God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence.
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Friday (5/6) read and discuss 2 Timothy 2:20-26
2 Timothy 2:20–26 (ESV)
20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. 22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
John Calvin writes:
If any man shall cleanse himself from these. If the reprobate are “vessels for dishonour,” they have that dishonour confined to themselves, but they do not disfigure the house, or bring any disgrace on the head of the family, who, while he has a variety of articles of furniture, appropriates each vessel to its proper use. But let us learn, by their example, to apply them to better and worthier uses; for in the reprobate, as in mirrors, we perceive how detestable is the condition of man, if he do not sincerely promote the glory of God. Such examples, therefore, afford to us good ground for exhortation to devote ourselves to a holy and blameless life….
A vessel sanctified for honour means, set apart for honourable and magnificent purposes. In like manner, what is useful to the head of the family is put for that which is applied to agreeable purposes. He afterwards explains the metaphor, when he adds, that we must be prepared for every good work. Away with the wild language of fanatics, “I will contribute to the glory of God, as Pharaoh did; for is it not all one, provided that God be glorified?” For here God explicitly states in what manner he wishes us to serve him, that is, by a religious and holy life.
MEMORY WORK
Q. 9. What is the work of creation?
A. The work of creation is God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.
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Saturday (5/7) read and discuss James 1:16-18
James 1:16–18 (ESV)
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
John Calvin writes:
This passage teaches us, that we ought to be so affected by God’s innumerable blessings, which we daily receive from his hand, as to think of nothing but of his glory; and that we should abhor whatever comes to our mind, or is suggested by others, which is not compatible with his praise.
MEMORY WORK
Q. 10. How did God create man?
A. God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness and holiness, with dominion over the creatures.