Month: October 2017

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 277

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Day 277

Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day.

Chapter 22, Paragraph 5.

“… teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual songs, singing with grace in our Hearts to the Lord;…”

Scripture Lookup

Colossians 3:16

Ephesians 5:19

Reflection

Come, Christians, join to sing, Alleluia! Amen!

-Christian Bateman

Singing! Voices raised in unison and melody to the Lord!

The problem is, we aren’t used to singing anymore. Aside from “Happy Birthday”, there aren’t many places where people sing together. When we come to church, we may not know the hymns, or the music may be too loud to hear ourselves or anyone else. And so many times rather than teaching and admonishing each other, we are quiet, mumbling through the songs or listening to the worship leader instead.

When Christians join together to worship God, they are commanded by His word to sing “Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” Singing His word to one another encourages us in the faith, teaches us about God, and contends with us to hold steadfast.  Joining with the voices of our fellow Christians, we are reminded that we are called to a community that is to care for one another. When we sing joyfully and faithfully, no matter how out of tune we may be, we are “making melody with our heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).

So how can you improve in your singing unto the Lord? If you can pick up a pop song and sing it in your car, you can pick up a hymn and learn to sing it. If your church has hymnals, ask to borrow one. Listen to them until they are ingrained in your memory. When it is time to sing, sing unto the Lord the best you can. Pray that the Lord would accept your singing as an act of worship. As Hercules Collins wrote,

If we are not in Christ, we are certainly out of tune. It is Christ must put acceptation upon this Service as well as others. Here the Altar must sanctifie the Gift. Christ perfumes the Prayers of Saints, Rev. 5.8. And he must articulate their Singing. Though we have Esau’s Garments, he can give us Jacob’s Voice: if we are in him, we can raise our Hearts to a pleasing Elevation.

The Lord is not looking for only those with the talent of Luciano Pavarotti to sing His praise. He is pleased with sincere melody from His children. Alleluia! Amen!

Questions to Consider

  • What is your attitude towards congregational singing – are you mumbling or singing heartily unto the Lord?

 

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 276

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Day 276

Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day.

Chapter 22, Paragraph 5.

“…Preaching, and hearing the word of God,…”

Scripture Lookup

2 Timothy 4:2

Luke 8:18

Reflection

Sermons. Sitting and listening to someone talk. To the unenlightened mind, it is one of the most boring parts of a church service. That is why “seeker-sensitive” churches present a “message” with rapid-fire delivery and lots of movement by the preacher. On special occasions, there is no sermon at all, making way for special music, children’s performances, and other exciting events.

Yet preaching, when done correctly, is a strenuous act. It is commanded by the word of God, calling the preacher to “reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Timothy 2:4). More than just someone’s opinion on what Scripture has to say, preaching takes a text from the Bible, clarifies it, and points the listener to worship and obey the great God whose word it is. Because Scripture is most necessary to know the truth and to comfort and establish the Church, preaching should never be allowed to take a backseat to anything else in the worship service.

Rather than waiting for a sermon to end, the Christian ought to examine the Scriptures and listen intently. Yes, listening to a sermon takes work on our part as we reflect on what is being preached. Rather than filling tickling ears with what we want to hear, the sound preaching of the Word nourishes our souls with what we need to grow in holiness. Proper handling of the Bible by the preacher is God speaking to us through His word. The preaching of the Word should be central in our churches. Instead of dozing off, we should be eager to hear what He has to say.

Questions to Consider

  • With what attitude are you listening to your pastor’s sermons?

 

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 275

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Day 275

Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day.

Chapter 22, Paragraph 5.

“The reading of the Scriptures,…”

Scripture Lookup

1 Timothy 4:13

Reflection

Prayer is part of natural worship. All people everywhere are commanded to pray to God. But prayer alone does not equal the sum of religious worship. When Christians gather together to worship God, there are other elements that He has prescribed. One such element is the reading of Scripture.

If you look back to chapter 1 of the Confession, Scripture was the first topic discussed.:

The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving Knowledge, Faith and Obedience…

The importance of God’s Word in the life of humanity cannot be stressed too much. Scripture is where we learn the truth about God and His will.  The church is strengthened in its fight against the world, the flesh and the devil by that truth. Comfort is brought when we hear of God’s love for His people. When God’s word is read, faith is wrought in our heart by the spirit. We learn what good works we are to walk in. The Spirit enables us to press onward to obey the commands of Christ we hear in His word.

Watch a typical “seeker-sensitive” church service online sometimes, and you will see that little time, if any, is given to reading God’s Word. Yet this is where we discover what we must do to be saved! Flashing lights, fancy songs, and full-on fashion will not bring the consoling, fortifying truth that Scripture contains. It is most necessary that God’s word, authored by God Himself, be at the forefront of our worship. Its revelation of God is a gift to us; let us not neglect it.

Questions to Consider

  • How important is the reading of God’s word at the church you attend?

 

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 274

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Day 274

Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day.

Chapter 22, Paragraph 4.

“…nor for those of whom it may be known that they have sinned the sin unto death.”

Scripture Lookup

1 John 5:16

Reflection

There is a sin leading to death. The Bible discusses this in 1 John 5.

What is this sin? It is hard to say. It is generally agreed that it is a sin against the Holy Spirit, but there are differing opinions as to the exact nature of this sin. John Gill in his commentary on 1 John wrote,

…[the sin unto death] is the sin against the Holy Ghost, which is neither forgiven in this world nor in that to come, and therefore must be unto death; it is a sinning wilfully, not in a practical, but doctrinal way, after a man has received the knowledge of the truth; it is a wilful denial of the truth of the Gospel, particularly that peace, pardon, righteousness, eternal life, and salvation, are by Jesus Christ, contrary to the light of his mind, and this joined with malice and obstinacy…

Apostasy – those who have rejected Christ and revile Him, although they have seen the blessings of the Gospel – appears to be the sin that leads unto death. There is such a strong hatred and rejection of the truth in the apostate. But how do we know who has committed such a sin? How can we be sure?

We must be careful that we do not diagnose this sin in every unbeliever that has been active in a church and then walked away. Yet we know that apostates exist, for Scripture tells of them. When dealing with those who have turned away from the church, we should err on the side of caution. Francis Turretin advises:

This wickedness is not to be rashly charged upon anyone….and as it is ascertained only from external signs…therefore we must proceed very cautiously and be more prone to cherish a good hope in charity than to condemn rigorously.

If we are absolutely certain that they have committed that sin, then our prayers for them are useless. Until that certainty occurs, there is hope. Continue to pray for those you see in sin, and those struggling with sin.

Questions to Consider

  • Does knowing we are not to pray for those who have committed the sin leading to death affect how you pray?