How Was Your Worship Service Today?

[Marrow Man]

How was everyone's morning worship service today? What did your pastor preach on? Any good psalms or hymns you'd like to mention?

I preached on 1 Samuel 6:10-18, in which the two milk cows carry the ark of the Lord back to Israel. Some points in the passage:

1) The Lord shows His superiority in overcoming the schemes of the Philistines designed to limit Him and deny His power.

2) Promises of repentance, reconciliation, and restoration are held forth by God. The glory that had departed from Israel had now returned in the most unusual sort of way.

3) The cows serve as a powerful witness to highlight the foolishness of selfish man-centered sin. They alone do what we should always do -- head straightway from enemy territory to the land of promise, never straying to the left or two the right. The return of the glory becomes more important than life or offspring (they left their calves and were sacrificed upon reaching Beth-shemesh). In a sense, they are the very opposite of Eli, who loved his sons more than God. And they are an instructive reminder to Christians, who are called to present their bodies as living and holy sacrifices unto the Lord as their spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1).

4) The Philistine lords were witnesses to all of the events, but yet they left the place of glory and returned to Ekron. There was no repentance in the face of death, disease, and defeat, only a return the way things were before the encounter with the Lord.

5) The residents of Beth-shemesh received a joyous, unexpected blessing. As they labored in the fields, they raised up their eyes, saw the return of the glory to Israel, and they were glad.

I exhorted those who had grown weary in their Christian walk to rise above their labors and lift their eyes to behold the glory of the Lord set before them in Christ Jesus. To those who made excuses about repentance, I reminded them of the enormous mercies of our heavenly Father found in Christ, and I pointed them to this quote from Jonathan Edwards' "Pardon for the Greatest Sinners":

If we truly come to God for mercy, the greatness of our sin will be no impediment to pardon. ... The proper use of this subject is, to encourage sinners whose consciences are burdened with a sense of guilt, immediately to go to God through Christ for mercy. If you go in [this manner], the arms of mercy are open to embrace you. You need not be at all the more fearful of coming because of your sins, let them be ever so black. If you had as much guilt lying on each of your souls as all the wicked men in the world, and all the damned souls in hell; yet if you come to God for mercy, sensible of your own vileness, and seeking pardon only through the free mercy of God in Christ, you would not need to be afraid; the greatness of your sins would be no impediment to your pardon. Therefore, if your souls be burdened, and you are distressed for fear of hell, you need not bear that burden and distress any longer. If you are but willing, you may freely come and unload yourselves, and cast all your burdens on Christ, and rest in him.

 

[TimV]

A good sermon about rejecting the corner stone. He actually made the point that Israel shouldn't be considered special anymore. A strong, repeated emphasis on being totally guiltless before God due to His son, so we should approach the Throne boldly.

Expanded on the parable of the people leasing the vineyard, and who killed and shamed all the representatives of the owner. And what happened to those renters.

Fairly good choice of hymns, but I'd still like a Psalm or two on occasion.

Also the announcement that two of our good friends are getting married, and that's part of the Gospel as well, if you think about it. The young man's mom came out from RI for the party to celebrate the engagement, and I was heartened that she told after the sermon that she really enjoyed it.

To those who remember my prayer request from a couple weeks ago about a mother and father dying within a few weeks of each other, the girl that got engaged is one of their daughters, so it made the day all the more healing and joyful.

 

[steven-nemes]

A charming sermon on the meaning of the death of Christ and how limited atonement is a blasphemous modern idea, and that when you find two extremes on a position in scripture, it is the wise and proper thing to do to just affirm them both while claiming "I don't know how they work", and that the idea that there might be an "elect" or "chosen people" of God is a dangerous idea that motivated people like Hitler to commit acts of evil, and that if you believe man can't save themselves, then you have no reason to go out and preach the gospel.

 

[TimV]

Dude

 

[Richard King]

ours was a blessing but certainly not exactly joyous.
our old testament verses were about David giving Saul yet another break by taking his spear and some water from his bedside when he could have killed him. It made me wonder how far we should go in revolting against bad leaders. Still thinking.
then there was this:

We have a young couple that has struggled for a year to keep their newborn alive.
this child has had heart operations and so many close calls, and now that it seems he is going to make it...the young mother has what doctors think is lung cancer.
I praise God that our church can be there to go through this with them but it weighs on the heart when these things happen.

 

[OPC'n]

A charming sermon on the meaning of the death of Christ and how limited atonement is a blasphemous modern idea, and that when you find two extremes on a position in scripture, it is the wise and proper thing to do to just affirm them both while claiming "I don't know how they work", and that the idea that there might be an "elect" or "chosen people" of God is a dangerous idea that motivated people like Hitler to commit acts of evil, and that if you believe man can't save themselves, then you have no reason to go out and preach the gospel.

Was he talking about how these ideas are heretical or was he endorsing them?

 

[fredtgreco]

We had a good time of worship and fellowship this morning. We were blessed with more visitors as we continue to count down the weeks until we are in our building (D.V., our first worship service in the building will be April 5!). I preached on 2 Kings 15 and 16, "Rollin' Downhill." The story is about Israel and Judah continuing to roll faster and faster toward judgment. We looked at:

1. The Bad Sound (of Israel as she runs toward destruction, like a motor right before it seizes up) - 2 Kings 15:8-31

Within that, we see the certainty of God's Word coming to pass (15:12) "and so it came to pass," with the same kind of factual certainty as the evening news. We also see the results of the seminal sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, as its poison and death is seen 200 years later. We must consider how our own sin can have such devastating consquences. (In God's Providence, we read 1 Tim. 4 as our Scripture reading, and 1 Tim. 4:16 is especially applicable here.

2. The Bad Sight (of Ahaz, as he seeks for love and safety in idols) - 2 Kings 16:1-9

Turning back to Judah, we hope for better news, but are quickly disappointed. Ahaz is wicked, personally participating in false worship (16:4) and seeking safety in Molech. Especially sobering is Ahaz' hope in Molech and Assyria for relief from the attacks of Israel and Syria, when we know that God told Ahaz to trust Him. Isaiah 7 is a shock to our system as we read 2 Kings 16! We would do well to ask ourselves where we seek help when trouble comes to us (parenting, marriage, church, etc.) - in our own wisdom, or in the Lord?

3. The Bad Smell (of rotten worship proffered by Ahaz) - 2 Kings 16:10-18

Ahaz seeks to broaden his horizons and be more cosmopolitan in his worship by transplanting a Syrian altar. The author of Kings makes it clear by the description that Ahaz is a second Jeroboam (the son of Nebat). At the same time, Ahaz discards the good food of the worship of the living and true God, and the man who is supposed to guard worship (Uriah the priest) shows himself a coward and a lackey. How far Israel has fallen from the days of Elijah!

[FONT=&quot]CONCLUSION[/FONT][FONT=&quot]: Is there any hope? Hope comes in the oddest of places – in the punishment of Israel, the death of Ahaz. But also in the glimpse of Hezekiah, in how God can bring good out of evil, and restore the years that the locusts have eaten[/FONT].

We enjoyed singing "Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven," We Bow Down, "I Love Thy Kingdom Lord" and "O God to Us Show Mercy."

It was our second to last week of Sunday school (the quarter ends 2/22). A good morning, and now I am looking forward to a good evening together.

I don't know if anyone else does this, but I have found it profitable - to take 15 minutes or so of unscripted questions in the evening. Sometimes on the sermon, often on the intersection of faith and politics/society, sometimes on theological issues.

 

[steven-nemes]

A charming sermon on the meaning of the death of Christ and how limited atonement is a blasphemous modern idea, and that when you find two extremes on a position in scripture, it is the wise and proper thing to do to just affirm them both while claiming "I don't know how they work", and that the idea that there might be an "elect" or "chosen people" of God is a dangerous idea that motivated people like Hitler to commit acts of evil, and that if you believe man can't save themselves, then you have no reason to go out and preach the gospel.

Was he talking about how these ideas are heretical or was he endorsing them?

I don't go to a Reformed church. He was speaking against limited atonement.

 

[AThornquist]

The sermon today was on 1 Tim. 2:9, 10. It was very good. One thing that I appreciate is that our pastor is very funny but doesn't go out of his way to tell jokes or little stories that waste time. He honors the Lord, is focused on the text, yet is hilarious. It's very refreshing.

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

My Pastor recently began preaching through Mark and today was the story of the Leper in Chapter one. Also the OT lesson was from Leviticus 14.

 

[Marrow Man]

A charming sermon on the meaning of the death of Christ and how limited atonement is a blasphemous modern idea, and that when you find two extremes on a position in scripture, it is the wise and proper thing to do to just affirm them both while claiming "I don't know how they work", and that the idea that there might be an "elect" or "chosen people" of God is a dangerous idea that motivated people like Hitler to commit acts of evil, and that if you believe man can't save themselves, then you have no reason to go out and preach the gospel.

Was he talking about how these ideas are heretical or was he endorsing them?

I don't go to a Reformed church. He was speaking against limited atonement.

Brother, with all due sincerity, I would strongly recommend that you run, don't walk, as fast as you can from such ungodly teaching.

 

[steven-nemes]

Brother, with all due sincerity, I would strongly recommend that you run, don't walk, as fast as you can from such ungodly teaching.

I agree with you 100%. There is a presbyterian church near my house I would love so much to join; but my parents are not in favor of me doing so. It stinks.

 

[jambo]

We are midway through a 12 week series on James and today dealt with chapter 3 the tongue. One of our own members preached and he was truly excellent. He is a recently retired man who just joined us in the autumn and this was the first time I have heard him preach and I feel as a congregation we are blessed in having another gifted speaker in our midst.

Our evening service was a communion service taken by another one of our members. He too was excellent. I felt today from both services that my soul has been fed, that I have been challenged regarding just how authentic is my faith, and I have felt again in awe as I considered the anguish and love of my Saviour for his church.

 

[Wannabee]

Preaching on God's order in creation from Ephesians 5:22ff, currently focusing on vv 22-24. I'll share a little that I shared with a friend earlier today.
I'm amazed at how pressured I felt today. It was like a worldly oppression not to teach forcefully on the submission of women to men (Eph 5:22-24). It's so confrontational with culture that it almost seemed as if someone was screaming in my ear, "You know this can't be true!" But God sustained me and I was able to articulate what I had prepared clearly, I think. In fact, I think that the pressure I felt probably helped to humble me and dislodge any anger I might have toward this situation. I do get a bit bent about what has happened to our families in light of feminism's conspiracy with depravity. Instead, if I can judge correctly, I think I came off more compassionate, yet still passionate, about family and marriage, combining the need for men to lead with the need for women to submit and how glorious it is when both embrace the order of God's creation. God knows. May I be faithful to Him.
My wife later told me that she was in tow through the whole sermon, and very convicted. May God accomplish His purposes in our hearts, for His glory.

This is sermon 4 in a series on God's order that will end in 4 more weeks. Next week will be another one on the godly wife, then on to the godly husband. But I've been picking on the husbands in each sermon on wives anyway.

We sang Psalms 1 and 4, along with a couple of hymns. After the sermon we enjoyed a meal together. Fellowship and worship with God's people is truly a priceless treasure.

 

[jambo]

Brother, with all due sincerity, I would strongly recommend that you run, don't walk, as fast as you can from such ungodly teaching.

I agree with you 100%. There is a presbyterian church near my house I would love so much to join; but my parents are not in favor of me doing so. It stinks.

I know we want to be obedient to parents and mindful not to cause any unnecessary upset. And although I would seriously consider all options and say that changing church is a very serious matter that needs to be carefully thought through. I would say you need to live by your convictions rather than what others may expect of you. I realise it may cause upset with your parents but you need to live by your principles. You need to be fed, encouraged, taught, nourished, challenged. In your current church you may find you are frustrated, maybe angered, maybe present in body but not really present in mind or heart.

I would move sharpish.

 

[steven-nemes]

It is interesting however how he described Christ's atonement (my pastor): that it is sufficient to save anyone, but efficient only for those who believe. It may be I misunderstand something somewhere, but that's limited atonement, is it not?

-----Added 2/15/2009 at 06:43:19 EST-----

Brother, with all due sincerity, I would strongly recommend that you run, don't walk, as fast as you can from such ungodly teaching.

I agree with you 100%. There is a presbyterian church near my house I would love so much to join; but my parents are not in favor of me doing so. It stinks.

I know we want to be obedient to parents and mindful not to cause any unnecessary upset. And although I would seriously consider all options and say that changing church is a very serious matter that needs to be carefully thought through. I would say you need to live by your convictions rather than what others may expect of you. I realise it may cause upset with your parents but you need to live by your principles. You need to be fed, encouraged, taught, nourished, challenged. In your current church you may find you are frustrated, maybe angered, maybe present in body but not really present in mind or heart.

I would move sharpish.

True, and I told that to my mother, but they seem to disagree on other grounds...

 

[lynnie]

"Dude" is right. With that look on Hurleys face when the dynamite blew up in that nasty guy's hand.

Sympathy to you.

 

[ServantofGod]

We had a recent graduate of Westminster Seminary, who is interning at our church preach today. He preached on 2 Samuel 6:1-15.

He spoke of how the Israelites dishonored the Lord in bringing the ark back on an ox cart instead of being carried by priests. And David had given approval to it, though he knew the law. David's fear of the Lord's holiness when the man was struck dead when he touched the ark, and David's finally coming to his senses on the Nature of God, when the ark makes it's final trip into Jerusalem, preceded by the sacrifice of an oxen. Too few of us take the Lord's holiness seriously, and the Church needs to worship the Lord in fear and reverence.

 

[Mushroom]

I got off to a troubled start when I heard Ruling Elder say in SS that he thought there were some things God ordained to happen for a purpose, and some things He just allowed to happen that were inconsequential. Ugh. But then we sang some great hymns, and a Psalm, which was what the sermon was on; Psalm 8, and it was a good one. It was a day of worship.

But the OP really made my day, because on the way to worship we listened to a Barnhouse sermon on those whom God had slain in the OT, and of course, Uzzah was one of those. In the course of expositing that event, he spoke of the cattle as well, Tim, and made mention of the fact that they were "lowing as they went", which is a beautiful picture of exactly what your sermon declared. They left behind their newborn calves, which their natures would normally move them to be busy licking clean and caring for, to do the more important work of serving God as He had called them to, and were so happy in doing so that they were singing along the way. When I heard it, the tears welled up, and to hear of another preaching on the same subject affirms for me the Spirit's purpose in showing me an important truth by it. Thank you for that.

PS Noticed much later that Ian and I had posted at the same time on the same passage, which was the same as what Tim had preached on. How's that for the Spirit working all things together to edify His people? Too cool!

 

[toddpedlar]

Our pastor preached a sermon on 1 Peter 3:15, as he has been going through the letter for several months now. Today's sermon focused on our need in todays climate, as in the climate of the original hearers of the letter, to be prepared when asked to give an account of the hope that is within us. The primary points of his sermon addressed 1) our duty to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts, first and foremost (he preached on that part of the verse last week); 2) the nature and solidity of our certain hope; 3) our duty to be truthful and plainspoken in talking about salvation and the human condition; 4) our need to reject pre-packaged scripts for apologetics, as they fail to match situations we naturally come into, and if we rely upon them we often fail to be able to give reason when situations for conversation arise; and 5) the overall requirement that all this be done with gentleness and honor of the persons to whom we are speaking. A lot to pack into 45 minutes, but well worth it.

 

[Ivan]

Our church was devasted with sickness. Had 2/3s of the congregation missing. Slim pickens.

 

[Marrow Man]

Brother, with all due sincerity, I would strongly recommend that you run, don't walk, as fast as you can from such ungodly teaching.

I agree with you 100%. There is a presbyterian church near my house I would love so much to join; but my parents are not in favor of me doing so. It stinks.

Ah, I did not realize you were still under your parents' roof. Forgive me for sowing any unnecessary discord if that is what I have done.

If it is any encouragement, we have a young man (17) who just started worshipping with us. He is from a Roman Catholic background but had his eyes opened after reading the Bible and the Reformers. His grandmother is very pro-RC (anti-protestant?), but she tolerates him attending our church. Maybe the Lord will move the hearts of your parents in a similar way.

 

[Classical Presbyterian]

All of our farmers were off to some tractor/farm show in Ohio, so we were less, but joyful. I picked TWO stinker hymns that no one could sing...

But, I was able to finish up my six part series on the basics of the gospel with, what I think, was a pretty sound call for trusting in God's sovereignty over salvation even as we preach Christ and Him crucified.

No one attacked me afterward, so I guess the poor hymn choices on my part were politely overlooked by a gracious people!

 

[steven-nemes]

Brother, with all due sincerity, I would strongly recommend that you run, don't walk, as fast as you can from such ungodly teaching.

I agree with you 100%. There is a presbyterian church near my house I would love so much to join; but my parents are not in favor of me doing so. It stinks.

Ah, I did not realize you were still under your parents' roof. Forgive me for sowing any unnecessary discord if that is what I have done.

If it is any encouragement, we have a young man (17) who just started worshipping with us. He is from a Roman Catholic background but had his eyes opened after reading the Bible and the Reformers. His grandmother is very pro-RC (anti-protestant?), but she tolerates him attending our church. Maybe the Lord will move the hearts of your parents in a similar way.

I am praying for this! Thank you

 

[TimV]

i picked two stinker hymns that no one could sing...

delegate ;-)

 

[Herald]

Brother, with all due sincerity, I would strongly recommend that you run, don't walk, as fast as you can from such ungodly teaching.

I agree with you 100%. There is a presbyterian church near my house I would love so much to join; but my parents are not in favor of me doing so. It stinks.

I know we want to be obedient to parents and mindful not to cause any unnecessary upset. And although I would seriously consider all options and say that changing church is a very serious matter that needs to be carefully thought through. I would say you need to live by your convictions rather than what others may expect of you. I realise it may cause upset with your parents but you need to live by your principles. You need to be fed, encouraged, taught, nourished, challenged. In your current church you may find you are frustrated, maybe angered, maybe present in body but not really present in mind or heart.

I would move sharpish.

If Steven is not of age he is under the authority of his parents. I would not counsel him to disobey. The day will come when he is old enough to make his own decisions. Until then he is to obey and, therefore, honor God.

 

[Herald]

I began a series in Philippians. As means of introduction I spent most of the sermon in Acts 15 & 16. The affection Paul had for the Philippian church was born out of Lydia's and the jailers conversion (and their family!). I also laid out the theme of the book:

1.Paul’s love and affection for the Philippians (1:3-8)
2.Advance of the gospel (1:12-18)
3.Christian humility (2:1-11)
4.Warning against legalism and dead ritualism (3:1-11)
5.The gospel of Christ (3:12-21)
6.Personal instruction in Christian living (4:2; 8; 10-20)

One interesting take I took on Acts 16:35-40 was on the exoneration of Paul and his companions. The magistrates wanted Paul and his companions to leave quietly. Paul would have none of it. Paul said:

Acts 16:37 "They have beaten us in public without trial, men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they sending us away secretly? No indeed! But let them come themselves and bring us out."

Two things were accomplished when the magistrates acquiesced to Paul's demand:

1. Paul and his companions were publicly exonerated. This would establish their innocence in the eyes of the public.

2. Their message, the gospel, was also exonerated. In fact, after their release Luke records the following:

Acts 16:40 40 They went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia, and when they saw the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.

The brethren, principally the members of the jailers and Lydia's households, were witnesses to the marvelous deliverance of God and the triumph of the gospel. I wonder if Paul had this in mind when he wrote:

Philippians 1:12-14 12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

The outline for next week:

1.The Joy of Remembrance (vs. 3-5)
2.The Joy of Labor (vs. 6-7)
3.The Joy of Christ (vs. 8-11)

 

[Marrow Man]

No one attacked me afterward, so I guess the poor hymn choices on my part were politely overlooked by a gracious people!

Be careful with hymns, Toby! I remember one Lord's Day (it was Easter Sunday, in fact), the church I was pastoring traditionally closed Sunday school with a song selected by the SS superintendent (I always select the hymns for worship, like you). 99.9% of the time he picked songs from the ARP psalter known as Bible Songs, so they were safe. This one Sunday, however, he decided to pick "He Lives." You know, the one with the chorus that ends, "You ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart." Well, I just hate that line (most of the rest of it stinks too, sorry if that offends anyone). So during the sermon, preaching on the resurrection, I commented on how that sentiment was just plain wrong. I don't know that Jesus lives because I have a warm subjective feeling in my heart; I know He lives because God's words declares it to be so! The next day, one of the ladies in church called me up and complained b/c that was one of her favorite hymns. Sigh.

 

[PresbyDane]

It still was the right thing to say

 

[William Price]

I had an incredible service in my new home church, a reformed Baptist Church, and the preaching was expository, and the singing was totally dedicated to God alone, and I was just in shock. I thought I would never find such a place. It may be a 30 minute drive from my house, but man o man was it and will it continue to be worth it!