When We Miss Manmade Things in Worship [2024.08.31 Pastoral Letter and Hopewell Herald]

Hopewell Herald – August 31, 2024

Dear Congregation,

What do you hope to get out of worship? Is it an experience? A feeling? A boost? Inspiration? Cleverness? Theological information? Practical advice?

What should you hope to get out of worship? God Himself. By those who draw near to Him, He Himself must be hallowed (Lev 10:3). Treated as holy. Treated as greater and better and more needful than anything else.

Worship is drawing near to God not only with the lips but with the heart (Mt 15:8). And therefore, worship means drawing near only in the way that God has said, and not according to what men invent (Mt 15:9).

When men are controlled by what they want out of worship, or by what they think is worshipful, they consider it restrictive to say that we mustn’t add anything to worship that Scripture itself doesn’t require of us.

But, when our eyes and faith are opened to see that God Himself is giving Himself to us, this is no longer restrictive but ravishing. God brings us near for us to have Him Himself (Heb 12:22–24), led by Christ Himself (Heb 2:10–13).

Still, when we are coming out of manmade additions to the worship that Jesus leads from heaven, we may find ourselves missing things. We might miss certain manmade religious days or seasons. We might miss certain manmade songs. We might miss things that were exciting for their newness at the time. Or we might miss things that seemed meaningful for their ancientness in church tradition.

But if we miss such things, it should make us stop and consider how harmful all those things have been. For, we could be in the very worship in which GOD HIMSELF IS GIVING HIMSELF TO US, and feel like we are missing something.

Missing something? Missing something?! Have God Himself and feel like we are missing something?!?! How spiritually poisonous is that thing our hearts would require, or else we would fail to be satisfied with God, let alone delight in Him!

As we heard in last week’s evening sermon: God may have been gracious to us, even in the midst of our doing according to our own ideas instead of His, but that doesn’t validate our idea or action. It just shows, all the more amazingly, how merciful God has been to us!

We don’t need to retain the errors in order to affirm the mercy. In fact, the mercy is all the more reason to put away these manmade things from among us. May “what do you hope to get out of worship” and “what should you hope to get out of worship” be more and more similar for us.

How wonderful, how wonderful, that we come again tomorrow to that unique way in which God brings us near to Himself and to give Himself to us!

Looking forward to public worship with you,

Pastor

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

▪Theology Simply Explained — CC108, Lord-Shaped Prayer 
▪Theology Simply Explained — WSC47, Atheism, Autonomy, and Other Idolatry and What the First Commandment Forbids 
▪Psalm 119:113–120, “Choosing the Glorious God Who Chose Us” 
▪Isaiah 65:17–25, “Joyous New Creatures and Creation” 
▪3John v1–4, “True Love's Joy” 
▪Matthew 11:7–15, “Entering Heaven by Force” 
▪Numbers 20:14–21:3, “God's Glory in Grace to Sinners”

LORD'S DAY – September 1, 2024 

9:50 a.m. Breakfast Line Opens

10 a.m. Sabbath School
We are preparing our minds and hearts for public worship by studying our Confession of Faith from Scripture, affirming that Scripture is our only ultimate authority, but also discovering that what we confess is thoroughly Scriptural.

11 a.m. Public Worship

▫Children’s Catechism for September 1. Q108 Repeat the Lord's Prayer. Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. [CC 108 Simply Explained: “Lord-Shaped Prayer”]

▫Shorter Catechism for September 1. Q47 What is forbidden in the first commandment? The first commandment forbiddeth the denying, or not worshiping and glorifying the true God as God, and our God; and the giving of that worship and glory to any other, which is due to Him alone. [WSC 47 Simply Explained: “Atheism, Autonomy, and Other Idolatry” and “What the First Commandment Forbids”]

Songs for September 1 morning service: 
▫ARP119P “People of Double Mind I Hate” [mp3]
▫ARP59B “I Wait for You” [mp3]
▫ARP72A “God, Give Your Judgments to the King” [mp3]

Scripture Text for first portion of worship service
Psalm 119:113–120

Scripture Readings and basis for confession of sin and petition for help
Isaiah 65:17–25 
3John v1–4

Sermon Scripture text and topic
We will be hearing the sermon from Matthew 11:7–15 about “Taking Heaven by Force”

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 September 1, Matthew 11:11–12, Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

3:00 p.m Evening Praise and Preaching
We will be singing at least ten Psalm selections and hearing the sermon from Numbers 20:14–21:3 about “The Persistent Patience of Grace”

Hopewell this Month

Hopewell’s Presbytery Prayer Focus for September
the Fall Presbytery Meeting

September Psalm of the Month
ARP59B I Wait for You

Upcoming Events

• Wednesday, September 4, Midweek Prayer Meeting. 6:30 p.m. in the Chapel. We will hear a sermon from Proverbs 2:1–9 then pray until 8:15 p.m.
• Saturday, September 14, Church Workday 
• Saturday, September 14, 10a.m. Annual Congregational Meeting 
• Thursday–Saturday, September 19–21, Reformation Conference and Presbytery Meeting
• Saturday, September 28, Men’s (and future men) breakfast, 7a in the Fellowship Hall
• Thursday, October 10, Session Meeting, 6p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.

 

Entering Heaven by Force [Family Worship lesson in Matthew 11:7–15]

Why did John need help? Matthew 11:7–15 looks forward to the morning sermon in public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these nine verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that every believer in this life still needs help from Christ, because the path to glory is a battle that requires zeal and strength and perseverance. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.08.31 Hopewell @Home ▫ Matthew 11:7–15

Read Matthew 11:7–15

Questions from the Scripture text: What do John’s disciples do (Matthew 11:7)? What does Jesus begin to do? To whom? About whom does Jesus ask them? What does He ask if John was? What does He ask them again in Matthew 11:8? What does He ask if John was, this time? Where does he say such people can be found? What does Jesus ask them a third time (Matthew 11:9)? What does He now suggest that John is? With what qualification? Whom, specifically, does Jesus identify John to be (Matthew 11:10, cf. Malachi 3:1)? How does He begin His statement in Matthew 11:11? What does He proceed to say about John—whom is he greater than (verse 11)? Who is greater than John? What has been happening since when (Matthew 11:12)? What continues to happen? Who did what until when (Matthew 11:13)? What does Jesus urge them to receive about John (cf. Malachi 4:5)? What does He urge them to do (Matthew 11:15)? How can they do so?

Why did John need help? Matthew 11:7–15 looks forward to the morning sermon in public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these nine verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that every believer in this life still needs help from Christ, because the path to glory is a battle that requires zeal and strength and perseverance.  

Saving face for one still growing in faith. Those who had observed the exchange with John’s disciples might have thought less of him because of his difficulty in faith. Jesus does not permit this. He praises John and presents him as an example.

Praising John as the greatest of the prophets. How easily men can change their opinions of another based upon a moment of weakness! Is John really easily shaken—a reed shaken by the wind? They surely didn’t think so when they went out into the wilderness to see him (Matthew 11:7).  Is John really addicted to comfort, buckling under the pressure of a little trouble? That sort of person isn’t found in the wilderness, where they had gone out to see John, but in king’s courts (Matthew 11:8). 

No, John does not deserve their criticism. In fact, he is to be esteemed as a prophet, and not just any prophet (Matthew 11:9). 

John is the last of the prophets, the prophet who would break centuries of silence as the one who precedes the sudden appearance of the Lord Himself (Matthew 11:10, cf. Malachi 3:1). John had gone before to prepare the way for the Lord (cf. Matthew 3:3; Isaiah 40:3) by calling the people to be converted for entry into the kingdom of God (cf. Matthew 3:1–2).

Promoting John as one to whom we must listen. So, we must listen, when we hear John urge us to be converted for entry into the kingdom. There is no prophet greater than John, no one greater from among those born of women (Matthew 11:11a). 

All prophets had proclaimed repentance; and, more importantly, all prophets had proclaimed Christ (Matthew 11:13, cf. John 1:45, John 5:39; Luke 24:27; 1 Peter 1:10–11). At the close of the Old Testament, this final “Elijah” had been promised (cf. Malachi 4:5–6; Luke 1:13–17; Mark 9:11–13), and Jesus now confirms that John is he (Matthew 11:14). 

The problem is that not everyone has “ears to hear” (Matthew 11:15). We must seek, from God, the grace we need to hear and heed John’s message.

Presenting John as an example of how we must enter glory. Jesus had answered John’s question by sending him a sermon (cf. Matthew 11:1-6). Jesus uses His Word to give His people strength, zeal, and endurance for the battle of faith (cf. Romans 10:17). 

However far we have progressed in this life, we are not what we must be to enter glory. None had arisen greater than John, and he still wasn’t fit for glory; the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (Matthew 11:11b). 

John had preached a vigorous believing and obeying in keeping with being converted (cf. Matthew 3:2, Matthew 3:8, Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:7–14; Luke 16:15–16). From his days on, people had been coming to this vigorous, forceful faith that the Spirit gives to those whom God is saving. 

This is how we enter glory, not coasting in on clouds of comfort, but fighting and battling, pressing on and pushing in. Christ alone is our worthiness to enter, but the faith by which He unites us to Himself is a fighting faith. He has chosen us for a salvation that comes not through passivity, but through sanctification and standing fast in every good word and work (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:13–17). 

If you are not in the battle, then you are not in the faith. Take warning, for the kingdom comes, and you may be found outside of it as an enemy. But, if you are weary in the battle of faith, take heart from Christ, and press on! Come to His Word, that He may strengthen you by it, and give you to press on unto glory!

What would be an indication that you are easily shaken? What would be an indication that you are addicted to comfort? How can those who are weak in faith get more or stronger faith? What is required to enter glory? Who attains to it in this life? What must we do, then, throughout our life? How can we do that? Where can we get ears to hear? If we have been given such ears, what must we do with them?

Sample prayer:  Lord, we thank You for giving us Your own Son to be our great Prophet. And we thank You for the servants by whom His Word has come near. Have mercy upon us, for we are weak in faith. We are often easily shaken. We are too addicted to comfort. We need to be sanctified. We need strength and zeal and endurance. So come, glorify Yourself in our lives by giving us the resolve and the force of will to press on unto glory. Conform us to Christ, our great King and Warrior and Redeemer, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP72A “God, Give Your Judgments to the King” or TPH539 “Am I a Soldier of the Cross” 

Wisdom’s Urgent Offer [2024.08.28 Midweek Sermon in Proverbs 1:20–33]

The urgent offer of God's wisdom demands a decisive response from us.

(click here to DOWNLOAD video/mp3/pdf files of this sermon)

God's Glory in Grace to Sinners [2024.08.25 Evening Sermon in Numbers 20:1–13]

Every generation needs salvation by God's sovereign grace.

(click here to DOWNLOAD video/mp3/pdf files of this sermon)

Christ’s Power in Preaching [2024.08.25 Morning Sermon in Matthew 11:1–6]

Christ, our Prophet, preaches Himself to us to save and sanctify us.

(click here to DOWNLOAD video/mp3/pdf files of this sermon)

Strength When Assurance Is Weak [2024.08.25 Sabbath School in WCF 18.4.r—Theology Simply Explained]

We continue to study the Scriptures behind the sound and sweet doctrine of our church's Confession of Faith. This week, we learned, from WCF 18.4.r, about how believers can be sustained in the midst of those times when their assurance is diminished or intermitted.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Grace to Sinful Autonomy [Family Worship lesson in Numbers 20:14–21:3]

If God has already determined what will happen, what should we do? Numbers 20:14–21:3 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these nineteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we must trust God to do His own almighty work, while sustaining us by His grace in the duties that He has assigned to us. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.08.30 Hopewell @Home ▫ Numbers 20:14–21:3

Read Numbers 20:14–21:3

Questions from the Scripture text: Who sent whom to whom (Numbers 20:14)? How does he identify Israel? What does he bring to Edom’s attention? What does he recount in Numbers 20:15? What does he say Israel did (Numbers 20:16)? What does he say YHWH did? Whom does he say YHWH sent? Where does he say they are? What does he ask in Numbers 20:17? What does he promise Israel will not do? How does Edom reply—what does he say not to do (Numbers 20:18)? What does he threaten if they do? What do the children of Israel say that they will do (Numbers 20:19)? What do they promise to repay? How does Edom reply again in Numbers 20:20? What response do they add to this reply? How does Numbers 20:21 summarize Edom’s response? What does Israel do? What does all of Israel then do (Numbers 20:22)? Who speaks to whom in Numbers 20:23? Where? What is about to happen there (Numbers 20:24)? Why? Whom must Moses bring up the mountain (Numbers 20:25)? What is he to do there (Numbers 20:26)? Then what will happen to Aaron there? How does Moses act (Numbers 20:27)? Who sees it? What does Moses do to Aaron (Numbers 20:28)? To Eleazar? What happens to Aaron there? Who come down the mountain? What does the congregation see from this (Numbers 20:29)? How many of them? What do they all do? For how long? Who dwelt where (Numbers 21:1)? What did he hear? What did he do? To Whom does Israel go with this problem (Numbers 21:2)? What do they ask YHWH to do? What do they promise Him that they will do? To what does YHWH listen (Numbers 21:3)? What does He do with the Canaanites? What does Israel do to them? To what does this “utter destruction” give its name?

If God has already determined what will happen, what should we do? Numbers 20:14–21:3 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these nineteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we must trust God to do His own almighty work, while sustaining us by His grace in the duties that He has assigned to us.  

It is foolish to try to circumvent God’s providence. No one can overrule what He has ordained. It’s not our job to make events happen, but to love the Lord, walk with Him, and obey Him. The results are in His hands—the safest and best place they could possibly be. Duty is ours; events belong to God.

It is even more foolish, when the Lord has told you what will happen. Moses and Aaron have just been told that they cannot enter the land (Numbers 20:12), but they now proceed just as the people had done in Numbers 14:39–45. They immediately try to enter the land. It’s no wonder, attempting to overrule their punishment, that they do not seek the Lord for help with Edom. They don’t ask the Lord for help either at the outset, or after Edom’s first refusal (Numbers 20:18). Instead, they try to reason with Edom (Numbers 20:19), to which the response is a threatening show of force (Numbers 20:20-21).

So, Israel has to go around Edom, and as they do, they arrive at mount Hor (Numbers 20:22). There, the Lord tells them that it’s time for Aaron’s death, because of the waters of Meribah (Numbers 20:24). Note that though Aaron is being chastened, he is not being punished. YHWH calls this a “gathering to his people” both in verse 24 and Numbers 20:26. This is not a burial site of the family of Levi; the language reminds us that the departure of the souls of believers is a separation from those left behind in this world, but a much greater reunion with those believers who have gone on to the next. In the wake of Christ’s ascension, it is a glorious reunion not just with the souls of the just made perfect, but with the Lord Jesus Himself (cf. Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8). 

Still, the grief for those left behind can be profound, and all Israel mourn Israel for thirty days at the site of just the two men returning from where the three had gone up. It is not a denial of the goodness to which dying believers go to grieve for them, and grief over death is still appropriate for Christians. Though the Lord conquered it into a servant to finish our sanctification and transport us to be with Him (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:55), death is still an enemy, to whose defeat we look forward (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:26).  

YHWH’s mercy here extends beyond the redemptive way in which He speaks of Aaron’s death. The location and the formalities are not a depriving them of their high priest but providing them a new one. Neither Aaron, nor Eleazar, are the ultimate provision but the priesthood itself. Christ Himself is the ultimate provision!  

With the lesson of Aaron’s death learned, the encounter with Arad in Numbers 21:1–3 goes differently. Not on Arad’s part; they are hostile and attack (Numbers 21:1). But Israel immediately turn to the Lord this time (Numbers 21:2a). And they do so, following His revealed agenda for the Canaanites (verse 2b, cf. Leviticus 18:24, Leviticus 20:23). “utterly destroy” in Numbers 21:2 and Numbers 21:3 is translating a word for devoting things unto God (in this case, for destruction). The word for this has the same root as the name which they call the place (“Hormah”).  

Christians who have been told that all sinfulness must be expunged for us to enter glory (cf. Hebrews 12:14; 1 John 3:2–3) must not attempt to hold onto it. It is devoted to destruction. And, when the Lord has told us about the godliness that must be worked into us to enter glory, we must pursue His agenda for our lives (cf. Philippians 2:12–13). But we must remember that we are not merely to pursue God’s agenda for us, but to do so in dependence upon God’s power and interaction with Him in that dependence. Churches and individuals alike must seek for Him to act almightily in our behalf, while we respond by doing our part as His grace sustains us in doing so. 

If you’re a Christian, what are God’s ultimate plans for your life? What do you need Him to do for you? What has He commanded you to do? How can you even be able to do it?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for telling us Your plans to sanctify and glorify us in Christ. Forgive us our sins and cleanse us from them. Lead us not into temptation, but give us everything that we need, deliver us from evil, and bring us all the way home, we ask through Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP23B “The Lord’s My Shepherd” or TPH433 “Amazing Grace”

Atheism, Autonomy, and Other Idolatry [Westminster Shorter Catechism 47—Theology Simply Explained]

Pastor walks his children through Westminster Shorter Catechism question 47—especially explaining how it is a rejection of the Lord to fail to acknowledge and identify with the Lord, or to put anything else into His place.

Q47. What is forbidden in the first commandment? The first commandment forbiddeth the denying, or not worshiping and glorifying the true God as God, and our God; and the giving of that worship and glory to any other, which is due to Him alone.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Lord-Shaped Prayer [Children's Catechism 108—Theology Simply Explained]

Pastor walks his children through Children’s Catechism question 108—especially explaining how the Lord’s Prayer shapes us and our priorities in prayer.

Q108. Repeat the Lord's Prayer. Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

True Love's Joy [Family Worship lesson in 3John v1–4]

What should be one of the greatest joys in the Christian life? 3John v1–4 looks forward to the second serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that loving others well, and loving the truth well, makes other believers’ walking in that truth one of the greatest joys in the Christian life. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.08.29 Hopewell @Home ▫ 3 John 1–4

Read 3 John v1–4

Questions from the Scripture text: Who wrote this (3 John 1)? To whom? What is his relation to him? What does he call him in 3 John 2? What does he do for him? What does he pray that he will do? In how many things? For what two types of prospering, especially, does he pray? How has the apostle responded (3 John 3)? To what—in what two ways does the truth relate to him? Why did this gladden him so much (3 John 4)?

What should be one of the greatest joys in the Christian life? 3 John 1–4 looks forward to the second serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that loving others well, and loving the truth well, makes other believers’ walking in that truth one of the greatest joys in the Christian life.  

The elder. By calling himself “the elder,” the apostle John was highlighting his relationship to Gaius and the congregation to which Gaius belonged. John is an apostle, but to Gaius and that church, he was their elder. 

The locus of love. Later, John is going to talk about receiving and caring for others for the sake of the truth that they bring with them. But first, he points out that Gaius is beloved especially for the sake of the truth (3 John 1). They may not have had much in common. There are several men named “Gaius” in the New Testament, because it is an extremely common Roman name. But what they had in common most of all was the truth about the triune God, the divinity of Christ, the fellowship with God into which one is brought by faith in Christ, and the eternal life that comes from that fellowship. When believers have this in common, they cannot help but love one another dearly.

The desire of love. Because Gaius was beloved to him, John desired and prayed for every possible good that Gaius could receive and enjoy. Of course, this means, most of all, the good of Gaius’s soul (3 John 2). But it necessarily included also his health. Just as our Father’s love runs the gamut from the hallowing of the Father to the bread on our table, our love should desire every good for its recipients, each good in its proper place and proportion. Perhaps Gaius’s health had been in question. But even so, the Spirit employs that providence to give us a lesson here in loving one another well.

The joy of love. In 2 John 4, we saw the apostle rejoicing greatly over the members of that church who were carrying the letter back to them. Now in 3 John 3, we see him rejoicing greatly, and it is for the same reason: a brother is walking in truth.

Gaius is not just walking in uprightness, morality, kindness, etc. Surely, he is doing all of these. But he is especially walking in the truth. This walking in the truth must include accurate doctrine about the triune God, Jesus Christ the God-man, life in Him, etc. But it is more than accurate doctrine. It is a life that is united to Christ Himself, Who Himself is the truth. 

The apostle is not merely rejoicing over doctrinal precision that has powerfully produced Christian character. He is rejoicing that the truth itself is in Gaius. Gaius couldn’t make the trip to John, but some brethren had come from Gaius to John (3 John 3). And upon carefully asking after Gaius, John had come to this greatly rejoicing conclusion: Jesus Himself was dwelling by His Spirit within John’s dear brother Gaius! This is cause for great rejoicing. If we know how the Christian life functions, then when we see or hear of other believers genuinely growing in grace, we rejoice greatly: the Truth (Himself) is in them!

It is no wonder that the apostle would proceed that there actually isn’t anything that could give him greater joy than this (3 John 4). He has a fatherly spiritual responsibility for those under his care in the church. And what could be greater or sweeter than to know that Jesus Himself is permeating their life with Himself?! Of course, as we see in the rest of John’s writing (and in all of Scripture), this cannot be separated from the doctrinal truth of Who Jesus is and how He saves. But this doctrine is about a reality, and it produces that reality, and when we hear about believers living that reality, the reality rejoices us!

Dear reader, I hope that you are a beloved one who is walking in truth. And I hope that part of that walking in truth is coming to a place in your life, where there is no greater joy than this for you, also.

What truth about Jesus do you believe? Whom else do you find yourself loving on account of their believing that as well? Whom do you know that walks in the truth? How do you know that you walk in the truth? How does this come about in someone’s life? What makes this such a cause of joy for the believer? How much of a joy do you find it to be to yourself? How can that be increased?

Sample prayer:  Lord, forgive us for how we have failed to love one another in the truth. Our hearts and minds often emphasize many things about those whom we love, even emphasizing them above how much we have in common in our faith in the Lord Jesus. Forgive us for how our love for others has been small, not desiring and praying for their prospering in every way in body as well as soul. Forgive us for how we have been satiated by worldly pleasures to the point that we would not be able to say honestly, with the apostle, that we have no greater joy than that other believers are walking in truth. Forgive us, and keep sanctifying and growing us until we are conformed to Christ in this, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP197 “Christian Unity” or TPH406 “Jesus, with Thy Church, Abide”

2024.08.28 Midweek Meeting Live Stream (live at 6:30a.m.)

Click below for the:

August 28 Prayer Meeting Folder

Proverbs 1:20–33 sermon outline

We urge you to assemble physically, if possible, with a true congregation of Christ's church. For those of our own congregation who may be providentially hindered, we are grateful to be able to provide this service.

Each week we LIVESTREAM the Lord's Day (Sabbath School, Morning Public Worship, and p.m. Singing and Sermon) and Midweek Meeting (sermon and prayer). For notifications when Hopewell is streaming live, install the CHURCHONE APP on your [Apple], [Android], or [Kindle] device, and enter hopewellarp for your broadcaster

Joyous New Creatures and Creation [Family Worship lesson in Isaiah 65:17–25]

What will make the trouble of the creation be forgotten? Isaiah 65:17–25 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these nine verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God will make a new creation that causes the former one to be forgotten. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.08.28 Hopewell @Home ▫ Isaiah 65:17–25

Read Isaiah 65:17–25

Questions from the Scripture text: To what does Isaiah 65:17a call our attention? What will this new heavens and new earth do to the effect that the former ones have upon us (verse 17b)? What idea is peppered throughout Isaiah 65:18-19b as the theme? Whom does God command to rejoice? In what/whom? Who does most of the rejoicing in these verses/this creation? What will no longer be heard where (Isaiah 65:19c–d)? What would someone in this new earth conclude about someone who “died young” at one hundred years old (Isaiah 65:20)? Who will enjoy a man’s work (Isaiah 65:21, Isaiah 65:22c–d)? Who won’t enjoy that person’s work (Isaiah 65:22a–b)? What metaphor does he use for their longevity (verse 22c)? What will they do all this time (verse 22d)? How much of the curse will be repealed (Isaiah 65:23)? What relational situation is the climax of this (Isaiah 65:24)? How will the creation itself reflect this (Isaiah 65:25)? 

What will make the trouble of the creation be forgotten? Isaiah 65:17–25 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these nine verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God will make a new creation that causes the former one to be forgotten.  

God has just declared His intention to form a new Israel in Christ, so that the former state of the church was forgotten (Isaiah 65:16). 

Now, He tells them that this culminates in an entirely new creation that makes the cursed creation to be forgotten (Isaiah 65:17)—a creation not of groaning (cf. Romans 8:19–23) but of rejoicing (Isaiah 65:18). 

Not only will His people rejoice over the creation (Isaiah 65:18), but God Himself will be rejoicing over His people (Isaiah 65:19a–b), gladdening them in Himself (verse 19c–d). 

There will be no more death, for death belongs to the accursed (Isaiah 65:20), and if someone were to die at the age of a hundred, he would be considered an accursed child cut down in the flower of life.

There will be no curses remaining from the Mosaic covenant (Isaiah 65:21-22, cf. Deuteronomy 28:15–51).

There will be no curses remaining from the Adamic covenant (Isaiah 65:23, cf. Genesis 3:16–19).

But greatest of all, there will be no estrangement from God, only perfect fellowship with Him (Isaiah 65:24).

And the creation itself will reflect the blessedness of this estate. With the devil (“that ancient serpent") having licked the dust of defeat (cf. Genesis 3:15, Psalm 72:9), there will be no death at all, and actual animal serpents will eat dust, just as lions eat straw (Isaiah 65:25). 

Christ is not just the new Israel of the forever-church and the new Adam of the forever-humanity. He is the everlasting God of the new creation, the covenant God who not only gives us joy but makes us to delight in God, as He, our God delights in us! 

This is what the Lord has purposed for those who fear Him. Leave off all empty and useless religious thoughts, and draw near to Him in the way that He has given you to do so: in Christ!

What aspects of the curse do you feel most keenly? What labor has been futile for you? How have you felt the soon-ness and certainty of your death? How have you experienced the loss of the deaths of others? How have you experienced being estranged from God? But how has He given you to enjoy your labor? How has He given you to enjoy the benefits of Christ and His resurrection already? How does He give you to enjoy the fat that while you are speaking, He hears? 

Sample prayer:  Lord, forgive us for being so satisfied with this groaning, cursed creation, when You have intended for us a new creation. But forgive us, also, for not delighting in the work of Your hands. All that You have made is good, but we have brought sin and death into the world. Forgive us for failing to see that all fruitfulness and enjoyment of our labor is grace and mercy from You. And grant that we would enjoy You Yourself more than any of it, until You bring us to enjoy You more than anything even in the new creation. So, give us to serve You and enjoy You for the rest of this life, and forever in the next, we ask, in Christ’s Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP98 “O Sing a New Song” or TPH299 “Joy to the World! The Lord Is Come”

Choosing the Glorious God Who Chose Us [Family Worship lesson in Psalm 119:113–120]

What’s at stake in our choice of the companions in our life? Psalm 119:113–120 looks forward to opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eight verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we must choose between the Lord Himself and those whose companionship would hinder us from loving and obeying Him. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.08.27 Hopewell @Home ▫ Psalm 119:113–120

Read Psalm 119:113–120

Questions from the Scripture text: Whom does the psalmist hate (Psalm 119:113)? What does he love? What two things is God unto him (Psalm 119:114a)? Therefore, in what does he hope (verse 114b)? Whom does he tell to do what (Psalm 119:115a)? So that he may do what (verse 115b)? Whom does he ask to do what (Psalm 119:116a, Psalm 119:117a)? So that he may do/be what (Psalm 119:116a, Psalm 119:117)? And not end up how (Psalm 119:116b)? Whom does God reject (Psalm 119:118a)? What is their distinguishing mark (verse 118b)? What does the wicked do to whom (Psalm 119:119a)? How does the psalmist respond to this (verse 119b)? How else does he respond to God (Psalm 119:120)?

What’s at stake in our choice of the companions in our life? Psalm 119:113–120 looks forward to opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eight verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we must choose between the Lord Himself and those whose companionship would hinder us from loving and obeying Him.  

Blessed is the man who walks not… This familiar theme from Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1 is a main theme of this stanza of Psalm 119. The ones whom the psalmist can’t abide in Psalm 119:113 are not so much “double” as they are half-and-half. These are perhaps more dangerous than the evildoers of Psalm 119:115, the strayers of Psalm 119:118, and the wicked of the earth from Psalm 119:119. The latter are more obvious and more easily odious. But if we are to keep not just good company, but the sort of company that God uses to make us good, then we must be just as turned off by the half-hearted. There is no room in the believer’s life for companionship with those who are carnal and worldly.

Either-or. The poetry of the Psalm gives us a binary option, where one choice is obviously correct. If we do not reject a life shared in fellowship with the ungodly, then we may not have God Himself as our hiding place and shield (Psalm 119:114a). If we do not reject a life shared in fellowship with the ungodly, then we may not have God Himself as the One Who holds us up (Psalm 119:117a). We can have Him or them, but not both. How dreadful for us, dear reader, if we slouch into choosing (or even overtly choose) the half-hearted “Christian” or unbeliever’s companionship over the Lord’s companionship.

What choosing the Lord looks like. Choosing the Lord looks like love, hope, obedience, and reverence/awe. “I love your law” (Psalm 119:113b). “I hope in Your Word” (Psalm 119:114b). “I will keep the commandments of my God” (Psalm 119:115b). Note that in this love, hope, and faithfulness, the Word of God is at center stage. God is other than we are. As creatures, we cannot reach to the Creator ourselves. And we must not think that He is merely that idea that we have of Him in our heads; an idea that we have can quite easily be an idol, but it is not the living God. However, the true and living God has communicated Himself to us, particularly by way of His Word. Real love for Him, therefore, will always be joined to loving His Word. Real hope in Him will always include hoping in His Word. Real faithfulness to Him will always mean keeping His commandments.

The last part of the portrait of the God-chooser in this stanza is the reverence in Psalm 119:120. The first line literally means that we get goose bumps (or gooseflesh/goose-pimples, if that’s the idiom where you’re from) in reverence for the Lord. We know how dreadful indeed are His judgments (verse 120b), but the knowledge of Him Himself puts us in such awe of Him that we can physically feel that awe!

The Lord’s own choice. We all have deserved to be rejected (Psalm 119:118a) and eliminated (Psalm 119:119a). So, it is a glorious grace of God that there are those unto Whom He is instead hiding place, shield, hope, upholder. There is no other way that this could come to be. When we see His justice in judgment, it ought to evoke in us love for His testimonies (Psalm 119:119-120). And when we see His goodness and power and faithfulness to give us life according to mercy, it ought to evoke in us a dedication to observing His statutes (Psalm 119:116-117). 

However He chooses, He is just and glorious and worthy of our love and obedience. So, let us put away evildoers from our lives (Psalm 119:115a), without which we would not keep His commandments (Psalm 119:115b).

Who are the half-Christian/half-worldly in your life that endanger your loving, hoping in, and obeying God? How do you choose God over them? What place does His Word have in your knowing/loving Him? 

Sample prayer:  O Lord, You Yourself are our hiding place and our shield. You Yourself uphold us, and give us life, and keep us safe. Don’t let our hope in You be put to shame. We thank You for Your Word, in which You have declared Yourself to us and given Yourself to us. We love Your Word and hope in Your Word and are determined to keep Your Word. Come, by Your own grace, in Your Son, by Your Spirit, and fill us with awe at You, we ask through Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP119P “People of Double Mind I Hate” or TPH119O “The Double-Minded I Abhor”

Consent to Wisdom While You May [Family Worship lesson in Proverbs 1:20–33]

How can we keep from being enticed in the way of the world? Proverbs 1:20–33 looks forward to the sermon in the midweek prayer meeting. In these fourteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that wisdom itself entices us, as an alternative to the self-destroying enticements of sin. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.08.26 Hopewell @Home ▫ Proverbs 1:20–33

Read Proverbs 1:20–33

Questions from the Scripture text: Who calls (Proverbs 1:21)? Where? In what manner? Whom does she ask what in Proverbs 1:22a? About what does she warn them (verse 22b–c)? What does she urge them to do (Proverbs 1:23a)? What two things does she promise to do (verse 23b–c)? What does she say that she has done, in contrast to what they have done (Proverbs 1:24-25)? What will she do on what occasion (Proverbs 1:26-27)? What will those who had rejected wisdom do at that point (Proverbs 1:28)? With what results? Why (Proverbs 1:29-30)? Without God answering, what will happen to them (Proverbs 1:31)? What will their turning away and complacency ultimately do to them (Proverbs 1:32)? Who will not be destroyed (Proverbs 1:33)? 

How can we keep from being enticed in the way of the world? Proverbs 1:20–33 looks forward to the sermon in the midweek prayer meeting. In these fourteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that wisdom itself entices us, as an alternative to the self-destroying enticements of sin.  

The good enticement, Proverbs 1:20-23. The fatherly warning against the enticement of sinners (cf. Proverbs 1:10) now gives way to wisdom’s own kind enticements (Proverbs 1:20-21). God’s wisdom is not only offered to us from our parents and in His assemblies, but even outside, in the square, in the main roads, in the gates of the city. Rather than continue with fools (Proverbs 1:22), we are to look to God’s wisdom to be our companion, help, and teacher (Proverbs 1:23).

The danger of not consenting, Proverbs 1:24-27. We were warned against consenting to sinners in Proverbs 1:10. Now we are warned against disregarding wisdom. It’s bad enough to be a fool, but it’s self-mocking to have had an opportunity for wisdom and still remained a self-destroying fool. When we hear wisdom, we are not merely to understand it and agree intellectually, but to receive it and live by it.

Too little, too late, Proverbs 1:28-31. We will not always have opportunity to receive wisdom. If we reject knowledge and counsel and rebuke (Proverbs 1:30); if we do not choose the fear of YHWH (Proverbs 1:29), there comes a point when we are unable to obtain or find wisdom (Proverbs 1:28). The devastating consequence of that is that we are left to ourselves to be “filled to the full with our own fancies.” O, dear reader, let us not act as if we will always be able to obtain wisdom later. We do not know when the opportunity will be withdrawn, and we be left sadly to ourselves.

Life summarized as one great choice, Proverbs 1:32-33. Either we follow what God’s wisdom says, or we don’t. There is no neutral ground, as complacency is lumped in with turning away in Proverbs 1:32. A non-response to God’s wisdom is the same as positively rejecting it. The only good  option is to be the listener of Proverbs 1:33. We must take God’s wisdom not merely as good information but as a prescription for our life. Since He rules and overrules in all things, the recipe for dwelling safely and securely, without fear of harm, is to hear and heed the wisdom of God.

What opportunities do you have right now to obtain wisdom? What opportunities are you declining to take? What opportunities are you squandering? Of which are you taking the best advantage?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for appealing to us by Your own wisdom. Forgive us for when we have not readily received and incorporated Your wisdom into our lives. Thank You that You have given us Christ Himself as Your wisdom, both in His perfection being counted for us, and in His own mind being applied to us by His Spirit. Through Him, make us to dwell in safety and security without fear of evil, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP1 “How Blessed the Man” or TPH508 “Jesus, Priceless Treasure” 

2024.08.25 Lord's Day Livestreams (live at 10:10a, 11a, 3p)

Click below for the:

August 25 Lord's Day Worship Booklet

WCF 18.4.r Sabbath School outline

Matthew 11:1–6 sermon outline

p.m. songs & Numbers 20:1–13 sermon outline

We urge you to assemble physically, if possible, with a true congregation of Christ's church. For those of our own congregation who may be providentially hindered, we are grateful to be able to provide this service.

Each week we LIVESTREAM the Lord's Day (Sabbath School, Morning Public Worship, and p.m. Singing and Sermon) and Midweek Meeting (sermon and prayer). For notifications when Hopewell is streaming live, install the CHURCHONE APP on your [Apple], [Android], or [Kindle] device, and enter hopewellarp for your broadcaster

What Jesus Does by His Preaching [Family Worship lesson in Matthew 11:1–6]

How can faith in Christ be strengthened in hard circumstances? Matthew 11:1–6 looks forward to the morning sermon in public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Christ strengthens us in hard circumstances through the preaching of His Word. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.08.24 Hopewell @Home ▫ Matthew 11:1–6

Read Matthew 11:1–6

Questions from the Scripture text: What had Jesus finished (Matthew 11:1)? What did Jesus go to do? Where was John in Matthew 11:2? What did he hear about? Whom did he send to Whom? To ask what (Matthew 11:3)? What does Jesus tell them to do (Matthew 11:4)? What, specifically, did they see (Matthew 11:5)? What did they hear? What challenge does Christ make in Matthew 11:6? 

How can faith in Christ be strengthened in hard circumstances? Matthew 11:1–6 looks forward to the morning sermon in public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Christ strengthens us in hard circumstances through the preaching of His Word.  

Preaching as Christ’s mission. The Lord Jesus’s instruction to the disciples is called here His “commanding” them (more literally “ordaining” or “appointing”). He had sent them to preach (Matthew 11:7), but He too goes to teach and to preach in their cities. Just as the Lord Jesus came to obtain salvation for all who are His, so He went preaching that salvation throughout His earthly ministry.

Preaching as Christ’s mark. John, who had identified Christ in Matthew 3:11–14, is now in prison. As occurs with many believers, the difficulty of his circumstance pressures his faith. He has a difficult time squaring his present circumstances with Jesus being the King, the kingdom having come, and the works of the King being done (Matthew 11:2). 

So, John sends two disciples with the question, “Are You the Coming One?” He has no doubt that the Christ is coming. He just wonders if this can really be it? When providence lays a believer low, he may often wonder the same. But Christ is the One, and He answers first from Isaiah 35 and then from Isaiah 61. Jesus does the sign works of Isaiah 35:5–6, healing the blind, deaf, and lame (Matthew 11:5a–c). 

But, even more than that, Jesus does the great work of the Messiah from Isaiah 61:1—preaching the gospel to the poor (Matthew 11:5d). The Christ is “He Who speaks in righteousness, mighty to save” (cf. Isaiah 63:1). Note that Jesus tells them not only to tell John what they see, but first and foremost what they hear (Matthew 11:4). 

Preaching as Christ’s method. Jesus concludes His answer with Matthew 11:6, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Jesus does not at first appear in the earthly power and seat all of His servants on thrones. His kingdom grows by preaching and even by the sufferings and deaths of His servants. We endure many trials. We are thought of by many as lowly and despicable. 

Shall we therefore stumble? Give up hope in Christ or shrink from service to Him? We mustn’t! So, what does Christ send to John most of all? His Word. He sends him a message. He preaches to him a blessing that He pronounces on those who do not stumble in their faith. Where providence has discouraged His cousin, His servant, His prophet, His subject, Christ sends preaching. And He sends it to you, too, dear reader. His same Spirit Who caused Matthew to be written carries His ordained preachers as they announce to you the blessings of the King upon those who persevere in faith in Him.

In what way do your choices and habits show a value upon preaching that Christ Himself has placed upon it? How has Jesus shown Himself to you that He is indeed the Christ through the preaching of the gospel to you? When have you felt like giving up in the Christian life? What part has Christ’s preaching promised blessing to you had in encouraging you?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for giving to us Your Son as the One Who saves us and preaches His salvation to us. Grant that, when our circumstances are difficult, we might be strengthened in Christ by His preaching His Word to us in the power of His Spirit, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

 Suggested songs: ARP119W “Lord, Let My Cry Before You Come” or TPH271 “Blessed Jesus, At Your Word” 

Kinsman of the Fatherless [Family Worship lesson in Proverbs 23:10–11]

Pastor teaches his family a selection from “the Proverb of the day.” In these two verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God sees and punishes all sin and has a special care for the fatherless.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Shocking Sin, Greater Grace [Family Worship lesson in Numbers 20:1–13]

Why doesn’t Moses enter the promised land? Numbers 20:1–13 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God’s great grace is the only hope for sinful men. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.08.23 Hopewell @Home ▫ Numbers 20:1–13

Read Numbers 20:1–13

Questions from the Scripture text: Who come where (Numbers 20:1)? How many of them? When? Where did they stay? Who died there? What did they do with her there? What problem did they have (Numbers 20:2)? What did the people do? What did they say (Numbers 20:3)? What accusations do they make (Numbers 20:4-5)? Where do Moses and Aaron go (Numbers 20:6)? What do they do? What appears to them? Who spoke to whom in Numbers 20:7? What does He tell him to do (Numbers 20:8)? With whom? To gather whom? What is he to do to the rock? What will the rock do? With what outcome? What did Moses do (Numbers 20:9)? According to what? The what did Moses and Aaron do (Numbers 20:10)? And what did Moses ask them? But what did Moses do then (Numbers 20:11)? How many times? With what result? Who speaks to whom in Numbers 20:12? What does He say to them? What was the water called (Numbers 20:13)? Why? What did YHWH do for Himself among them?

Why doesn’t Moses enter the promised land? Numbers 20:1–13 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God’s great grace is the only hope for sinful men.  

Nearing the end. Israel are back on the border of the promised land (Numbers 20:1, cf. Numbers 13:21). Miriam’s death signals the change of a generation. When it tells us that it’s the first month, but not which year, it seems to imply that it is the fortieth year, the end of the wanderings. 

Some things remain the same. The people have the same problem (Numbers 20:2) as all the way back in Exodus 17:1. That place had come to be called Massa and Meribah, as this one will also come to be called Meribah (Numbers 20:13). Now the new generation identifies themselves with their fathers (Numbers 20:3), and they commit the same sins (Numbers 20:4, cf. Exodus 17:3). And they complain against the same things that caused them to be imprisoned in the wilderness (Numbers 20:5, cf. Numbers 13:23). 

A great display of grace. Moses and Aaron leave the people, and come to worship (Numbers 20:6). And YHWH’s response isn’t just to show them His glory, but to promise a provision of water for the people (Numbers 20:8). 

Rebels like the rest of them. Moses was told to speak to the rock. But instead he speaks to the people. God was interacting with them with a view to Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:4), but Moses disregards this and addresses the people as rebels (Numbers 20:10). Ironically, now he is being a rebel. He is of the same character as the original generation, and he will meet the same fate (Numbers 20:12). Aaron must be complicit, because the Lord address them in the plural in verse 12. They will both die in the wilderness as a penalty.

Even greater display of grace. Even though the people are wicked and rebellious, and even though Moses rebels against God, the Lord still grants that enough water comes from the rock for the entire congregation and their animals (Numbers 20:11). For the sake of His Name, for the sake of Christ, God treats the people opposite of what they, and of what Moses and Aaron, deserve.

God hallows His own Name. The great part of Moses’s and Aaron’s sin was failing to hallow the Lord (Numbers 20:12). It was unbelief that the Lord’s display would be effective upon the people that led to Moses’s rashness of action and speech (cf. Psalm 106:32–33). But God hallowed His own Name (Numbers 20:13) both in showing great grace and in displaying equity in justice. 

What bitterness against authority do you find in your own heart and on your own lips? Against what difficult circumstances are you tempted to grumble? What goodness from God are you in danger of neglecting? What instruction from the Lord are you tempted to disregard because you don’t think it will be effective enough? How is the Lord hallowed before you for His love? How is He hallowed before you for His justice?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for Your great grace to forgive us and treat us kindly for the sake of Christ and His righteousness. Grant that we would be content, thankful, humble, trusting, reverent, and obedient, we ask through Christ, AMEN!

 Suggested songs: ARP51A “God, Be Merciful to Me” or TPH51C “God, Be Merciful to Me”