Saturday, February 17, 2024

Using Our Confession to Hold Fast the Confession of Our Faith [2024.02.17 Pastoral Letter and Hopewell Herald]

Hopewell Herald – February 17, 2024

Dear Congregation,

We are blessed with good doctrinal standards in the Westminster Confession, Larger Catechism, and Shorter Catechism. They are such good and sound and pastoral documents! And, if one uses them as a structure for systematically studying through Scripture, he will cover all of his doctrinal and applicational bases.

After a more than 2 year hiatus, we finally return to our Hopewell 101 course for the next three weeks of the Sabbath School. Tomorrow morning, we will be considering the Perseverance of the Saints (WCF 17). I hope to see many of you there, as we warm our hearts for worship through instruction in good doctrine from Scripture.

Then, there is the catechism class, currently taught by CG. We keep up with the Shorter Catechism memory for the week, but he also refers us to parallel teaching from the WCF and WLC. I encourage all to attend this. Especially those parents whose children have not learned the catechism should have their children attend. And I strongly recommend that if your children are attending, then one of the parents or a mature older sibling attend with them. It would be a delight if we had to move this class to a larger space for the number of people attending.

Also, for the next several weeks, I’ll be reading through the Confession and Catechisms with our diaconate nominees at 4:30 p.m. on the Lord’s Day. We read the first six chapters last Lord’s Day and will begin with chapter seven tomorrow, Lord-willing. To make room for others to listen in, we’re moving it out of my study and either into the main room of the Fellowship Hall or the auxiliary room in the back of it. In our brief reading last week, we corrected so many common errors that currently plague “Reformed” and “Presbyterian” churches.

Finally, there is an excellent website, “Daily Westminster,” which offers an email subscription option that will bring selections to your inbox each day, systematically taking you through all of the material.

Watching out for your souls with joy (Heb 13:17),

Pastor

Audio lessons to help you prepare for the Lord’s Day:

▪Theology Simply Explained — WSC19, Personal, Painful, Perpetual Misery 
▪Psalm 111:6–10, “How the Lord Presents Himself for Praise
▪Isaiah 42:18–43:21, “Saved by the Lord to Testify to the Lord as the Only Savior
▪James 4:13–17, “The Arrogance of Living for Our Profit Plans
▪Matthew 5:43–48, “Loving Enemies Like Father Does
▪Numbers 1, “Census Lessons in the Wilderness

LORD'S DAY – February 18, 2024 

9:50 a.m. Breakfast Line Opens

10 a.m. Sabbath School
Hopewell 101: WCF 17 Of the Perseverance of the Saints

11 a.m. Public Worship

Children’s Catechism for February 18
Q80. What is the first commandment? The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

Shorter Catechism for February 18
Q19. What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell? All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under His wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever.
[WSC 19 Simply Explained: “
Personal, Painful, Perpetual Misery”]

Songs for February 18 morning service: 
ARP111B “The Mighty Power of His Works” [mp3]
ARP26 “Lord, Vindicate Me” [mp3]
ARP109A “God of My Praise” [mp3]

Scripture Text for first portion of worship service
Psalm 111:6–10

Scripture Readings and basis for confession of sin and petition for help
Isaiah 42:18–43:21
James 4:13–17

Sermon Scripture text and topic
We will be hearing the sermon from Matthew 5:43–48 on “Loving Our Enemies Like Father Does

Lord’s Supper! (Please see the section at the end of the Worship Booklet on how rightly to prepare for and take it).

1 p.m. Coffee Fellowship and Catechism Class

1:30 p.m. Fellowship Lunch
Memory Verse for February 18, Matthew 5:44–45, But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

3:00 p.m Evening Praise and Preaching
We will be singing at least ten Psalm selections and hearing the sermon from Numbers 1 on “Mustering God’s People in the Wilderness

 

Hopewell this Month

Hopewell’s Presbytery Prayer Focus for February
Pressly Memorial ARP in Red Level, AL

February Psalm of the Month
ARP26 Lord, Vindicate Me

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, February 21, Midweek Prayer Meeting. 6:30 p.m. in the Chapel. We will hear a sermon from Romans 11:22–24 then pray until just before 8 p.m.
• Saturday, February 24, Men’s (and future men) breakfast, 7a in the Fellowship Hall
• Saturday, February 24, Church work day, 8:30a
• Thursday, March 21, Session Meeting, 6p.m. in the Fellowship Hall

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