AM Worship
Call to Worship: Psalm 98:1-3
Opening Hymn: 219 “O Worship the King”
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: Romans 6:23
Hymn of Preparation: Hymn 536 “Jesus Calls Us”
Old Covenant Reading: 1 Kings 19:9-21
New Covenant Reading: Matthew 4:17-22
Sermon: Following Jesus
Hymn of Response: Hymn 544 “Lead On, O King Eternal”
Confession of Faith: Apostles Creed (p. 851)
Doxology (Hymn 568)
Closing Psalm: Psalm 1A “That Man is Blest”
PM Worship
Hymns: 230, 175 (stanzas 1-4), 435
OT: Exodus 20:1-17
NT: Romans 7:7-13
Sermon: The Knowledge of Sin
Adult Sunday School: Lord’s Day 2
Q. How do you come to know your misery?
A. The law of God tells me.
Q. What does God’s law require of us?
A. Christ teaches us this in summary in
“You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your mind,
and with all your strength.”
This is the greatest and first commandment.
And a second is like it:
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.
Q. Can you live up to all this perfectly?
A. No.
I am inclined by nature
to hate God and my neighbor.
Suggested Preparations
Monday (9/26) Read and discuss Matthew 4:17-22.
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. (ESV)
R.T. France writes:
Hitherto Jesus, while briefly involved with John [the Baptist] and others by the Jordan, has been presented as operating alone. But it is significant that His first recorded action is to gather a group of followers who will commit themselves to a total change of lifestyle which involves them in joining Jesus as His essential support group for the whole period of His public ministry. From this point on we shall not read stories about Jesus alone, but stories about Jesus and His disciples. Wherever He goes, they will go; their presence with Jesus, even if not explicitly mentioned, is assumed. While the Twelve will not be formally listed until 10:1-4, the stories from here on will assume a wider group of disciples than just these first four. They will be the primary audience for His teaching (5:1-2) and witnesses of His works of power, but they are also called to be His active helpers in the task of “fishing for people,” as we shall discover in ch. 10. The first time Jesus will be left alone after this point will be when eventually the disciples desert him in the garden of Gethsemane. Until then, Matthew’s story is not only that of the Messiah, but also of the messianic community which is being formed around Him. The placing of this incident right at the beginning makes clear that that was Jesus’ intention.
Read or sing Hymn 219 “O Worship the King”
Tuesday (9/27) Read and discuss Matthew 4:12-16.
Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.” (ESV)
Michael J. Wilkins writes:
The geographical region into which Jesus goes to initiate His ministry was Galilee of the Gentiles, which Matthew says is metaphorically a land of darkness, a land under the shadow of death. But the sun doesn’t shine any less brightly in Galilee than in Jerusalem or Bethlehem. The disease rate in Galilee is no higher than Judea or even Samaria. Rather, “darkness” in both the Old and New Testaments is an evocative word. If light symbolizes God, darkness connotes everything that is anti-God: the wicked, judgment, and death.
But few in Galilee can see the darkness or the shadow of death. The Galilee region to this day is the one of the most beautiful areas in all of Palestine. The magnificent lake, flowing rivers, rolling hillsides, and luscious agriculture all are found in Galilee. The mansions and theater at Sepphoris and the places and stadium at Tiberias indicate that Galilee was not a cultural backwater. Nonetheless, the darkness of this world is real, even though most do not notice it. It is a region under the influence of Gentiles, with their gods, their lifestyles, their worldview.
Although darkness is opaque to humankind, it is transparent to God, and long ago He promised to send light. With the arrival of Jesus, a great light now shines in the darkness. Those responding to the light were ushered into the sphere of life in which darkness and even the shadow of death are dispelled. Other New Testament authors emphasize this theme, declaring that Jesus is life-giving light in whom is life, and those who follow him “will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Believers are “sons of light.” Light possesses powers essential to true life, so to be in the light” comes to mean simply “to live.” This indicates life eternal, but also life temporal on earth. The one who comes into the light of Jesus Messiah is brought into the life that is characterized by light.”
Read or sing Hymn 536 “Jesus Calls Us”
Wednesday (9/28) Read and discuss 1 Kings 19:9-21.
There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him. (ESV)
Elisha came from a very affluent family, and he was being called to leave it all behind in order to embrace the ministry of being a prophet of Yahweh. When we consider how much Elijah had suffered, before him, we realize that this great privilege also came at a great personal price. Walter Maier writes:
Elisha did not shrink back from or protest the life-changing call from Yahweh, but accepted it in the humility and obedience of faith. He did this with “unequivocal” and “absolute commitment.” His being united with the LORD in faith engendered in him the willingness, and gave him the power, to give up circumstances o wealth and an agrarian environment and enter into, apparently, a much different way of living. In addition, this showed his respect for Elijah as the authorized messenger of Yahweh.
Elisha’s request to give a parting kiss to his father and mother provided a clue as to his immediate leaning with regard to the call. His action in 19:21 supplied decisive proof that he had firmly decided to follow Elijah. Slaughtering the oxen and using their equipment to make a fire can be seen not only as necessary for the preparation of the feast but also as symbolical of Elisha’s making a break with his previous ways of life. As well, he gave the people choice food to celebrate the call he had received and his acceptance of that call. What a privilege and honor to become the attendant and successor of Elijah! The feast marked this milestone even in his life and also served as a way of saying farewell to his parents, relatives, friends, and acquaintances. When the feast came to an end (and after he had kissed his parents good-bye, one assumes), Elisha, it may be suggested, set out willingly and joyfully “and went after Elijah and attended him.” As Elijah’s aide, Elisha will receive training and get experience for taking on the role of prophet when Elijah’s time on earth comes to an end, so that he can carry on the work of his mentor and bring to fulfillment the plans of Yahweh. The gladness and enthusiasm with which Elisha accepted the call and, it may be assumed, his dedication to his new role must have resulted in strong encouragement for Elijah in his post-Horeb ministry.
Sing or Read Hymn 544 “Lead On, O King Eternal”
Thursday (9/29) Read and discuss Exodus 20:1-17.
And God spoke all these words, saying,
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
“You shall have no other gods before me.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
“You shall not murder.
“You shall not commit adultery.
“You shall not steal.
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” (ESV)
Duane Garrett writes:
The key theological points of the Decalogue are obviously the commands themselves. In addition, the commands essentially have three demands: loyalty to YHWH, moral integrity, and responsibility to the covenant community. The first two of these are obvious to any reader; the third has been overlooked. Devotion to God and avoidance of pagan practices is the first element that ensures the survival of the community, and it should be obvious that no society can long endure if essential moral rules are widely and pervasively ignored. But also, as described above, the specificity of many of the commands indicates that the survival of the nation, and not a mere catalogue of moral principles, is in view here. Thus, adultery and perjury, rather than other forms of evil involving sexual behavior or dishonesty, are singled out for prohibition. Even the prohibition of coveting, as pointed out above, has the purpose of preventing disharmony in society through jealousy and class warfare. The command to honor parents, moreover, creates an environment in which authority is respected and society can function. Thus, although honor for God and proper moral behavior are the goals of the commands, the purpose of the commands for the life of the community has greater explanatory power, enabling us to understand why certain things are prohibited.
Friday (9/30) Read and discuss Romans 7:7-13.
What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive, and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. (ESV)
A major aspect of the Torah, that provides the context in which we read things like “do this and live” or “do this and be blessed” is the ceremonial law. The Jew who took the law seriously would have found him or herself ceremonially unclean on a disturbingly regular basis. For example, a woman having her period would be unclean. Having a sore or scab on your body that let out blood or pus would make you unclean. A discharge of semen would make you ceremonially unclean; and … Someone spitting on you would make you ceremonially unclean, and so on. While hopefully that last one wouldn’t happen very often, the rules about ceremonial uncleanness would have made everyone in Israel ceremonially unclean many times during their lives. A person would have to be spiritually blind – but, of course that is the point – a person would have to be spiritually blind to imagine that a Law which repeatedly marked them out as spiritually unclean was a way to demonstrate that they were in fact remarkably righteous. But that is how blinding sin can be. I mentioned spit, a moment ago, for a reason. Spit, like blood and pus come from inside a person. One of the powerful things to see from the ceremonial law is that whenever something that was supposed to be inside of you came out – that would make a person unclean. This is one way the LORD was calling out the lie that a person might “make mistakes” but have a good heart. The ceremonial law is shouting: “On the inside you are all unclean!” What makes this particularly powerful is that there is one exception. Jesus uses his saliva to open the eyes of a blind man. Unlike us, Jesus is perfectly pure inside and out. Indeed, while under the Old Covenant – our bleeding would make us unclean. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. No wonder Paul says in verse 12:
So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
Read or sing Psalm 1A “That Man is Blest”
Saturday (10/1) Read and discuss Matthew 4:17-22.
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. (ESV)
Tom Wright comments:
If you go to Galilee, today, they will show you a boat that might have belonged to Andrew and Peter, or perhaps the Zebedee family.
In one of the most remarkable archaeological finds anywhere in the Holy Land (which is full of them), a boat was found sticking out of the mud one summer when the level of the Sea of Galilee dropped dramatically in a period of dry weather. With great care it was lifted clear of the sea bottom, cleansed, and preserved. Now, in a special exhibit, millions of visitors can see the sort of boat Jesus’ first followers used for fishing. It has been carbon-dated to exactly the period of Jesus’ life.
The boat is a vivid reminder of the day-to-day existence of His followers – and of what it cost them to give it all up and follow Jesus. They were, in today’s language, small businessmen, working as families not for huge profits but to make enough to live on and have a little over. Fish were plentiful and there were good markets. In a cosmopolitan area, with soldiers, wayfarers, pilgrims and peddlers coming and going, as well as the local population, people would always want what they were selling. But it was hard work, and sometimes dangerous. Their lives were modestly secure, but hardly luxurious.
So, why did they give it all up to follow a wandering preacher? … The answer can only be in Jesus Himself, and in the astonishing magnetism of His presence and personality.
Prayer: Please lift up tomorrow’s morning and evening worship services.