Hopewell Herald – August 31, 2024
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
• 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.
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