Hearts from God That Turn to God [Family Worship lesson in Deuteronomy 30:1–10]

How can God’s people return to Him? Deuteronomy 30:1–10 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these ten verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God’s people return to Him by the work of His sovereign grace. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson) Summary of the transcript of the audio: Deuteronomy 30:1–10 reveals God’s covenantal grace as patient, personal, powerful, prosperous, and persevering, illustrating how divine mercy responds to human failure with sovereign compassion. Though Israel will have broken the covenant and been scattered to the farthest corners of the earth, God promises to gather them, circumcise their hearts, and restore them not by their own effort but by His divine initiative. This restoration is both corporate and individual, demonstrating that true repentance and obedience are gifts of grace, not human achievement. The passage anticipates the fulfillment of God’s promises in Christ, the true Root of David, through Whom the church—both visible and invisible—is preserved, prospered, and ultimately glorified. The enduring nature of God’s covenant, secured by Christ’s faithful obedience, assures believers of His unwavering commitment to His people, even in the midst of judgment and exile. Thus, the passage calls all who are far from God to cry out for His grace, trusting in His power to turn hearts and sustain faith to the end.

Sacraments as Signs [2026.02.15 Sabbath School in WCF 27.1 — Hopewell 101]

Sacraments are signs and seals unto faith—without which faith, the sacrament does you no ultimate good.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Which Promise Is to You and to Your Children?

Hopewell Herald – February 14, 2026

Dear Congregation,

Next week, we’ll read the following in Deuteronomy:

Then the LORD your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

Deut 30:5–6

In v5, the Lord says that He will prosper and multiply His people more, after the exile, than He had before the exile. But, historically, we did not see this until the grafting in of those elect from among the nations.

It is helpful for our understanding of God's dealing with covenant children, in the administration under Moses, that His promises to them were not only visible/externally covenantal, but internal and spiritual: "YHWH your God will circumcise the heart of your offspring, to love YHWH your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

And it is helpful for our understanding of God's dealing with covenant children, under Christ, is that this "and the heart of your descendants" aspect of the promise has a focus especially on the time in which the visible church would be prospered and multiplied "more than your fathers."

When it included children, under Moses, it was the covenant of grace.

And under Christ, the covenant of grace still includes children!

When the apostle says, "For the promise is to you and your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call," (Ac 2:39), he is saying exactly what Deut 30:5–6 says.

Spirit-baptism includes this circumcision of the heart. It corresponds to water baptism, just as the Lord's gracious work of heart-circumcision corresponded to the covenant sign that He had commanded upon covenant children.

Deut 30:5–6 was solving the problem of a people who could not circumcise their own hearts, as commanded in Deut 10:16. And, on the day of Pentecost, there was this wonderful proclamation that Jesus provides, by His Spirit, the repentance that the baptism of John could only announce to us that we need it. Christian baptism announces that Jesus actually gives it.

This hope He gives us for ourself. This hope He gives us for our children.

Looking forward to holding fast to our hope in Him together in worship tomorrow,

Pastor

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

▪Theology Simply Explained — CC39, An Exchange of Heart 
▪Theology Simply Explained — WSC16, We Sinned in Him with Whom We Fell
▪Song of Songs 5:1, “Glorious Answer to Prayer”
▪Deuteronomy 29:22–29, “Give to God What Is God's”
▪Ecclesiastes 11:7–10, “How to Live Your Blink of a Life”
▪Matthew 27:45–54, “Truly This Is the Son of God”
▪Song of Songs 5:2–8, “The Way Back from Backsliding”

 

LORD'S DAY – February 15, 2026 

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 February 15. Q39 What is a change of heart called? Regeneration. [CC 39 Simply Explained: “An Exchange of Heart”]

▫Shorter Catechism for February 15. Q16. Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first transgression? The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity; all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him, in his first transgression. [WSC 16 Simply Explained: “We Sinned in Him with Whom We Fell”]

▫Songs for public worship on February 15: 
TPH403 [mp3], ARP22A [mp3], ARP22B [mp3]

Scripture Text for first portion of worship service
Song of Songs 5:1

Scripture Readings and basis for confession of sin and petition for help
Deuteronomy 29:22–29
Ecclesiastes 11:7–10

Sermon Scripture text and topic

We will be hearing the sermon from Matthew 27:45–54 about “Truly, This is the Son of God!”

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 15, Matthew 27:54, So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

3:00 p.m. Evening Praise and Preaching
We will be singing at least ten Psalm selections and hearing the sermon from Song of Songs 5:2 about “How Jesus Awakens the Church”

Hopewell this Month

Hopewell’s Presbytery Prayer Focus for February
Madison-Monrovia ARP in Harvest, AL

February Psalm of the Month
ARP22A My God, My God

Upcoming Events

• Wednesday, February 11, Midweek Prayer Meeting. 6:30 p.m. in the Chapel. We will hear a sermon from Proverbs 21:10–18 then pray until 8 p.m.
• Saturday, February 28, Men’s (and future men) breakfast, 7a in the Fellowship Hall
• Tuesday, March 5, Diaconate Meeting, 8 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 18, Session Meeting, 8 p.m. in the Pastor’s Study

Sign of the Covenant [Family Worship lesson in Genesis 17:9–14]

What is circumcision? Genesis 17:9–14 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that circumcision is a sign that points us away from ourselves and unto the grace of God.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Sign of the Covenant [Family Worship lesson in Genesis 17:9–14]

What is circumcision? Genesis 17:9–14 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that circumcision is a sign that points us away from ourselves and unto the grace of God.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Christ’s Welcome to ALL the Nations [2024.05.22 Midweek Sermon in Romans 15:8–12]

When we welcome one another in order to see all God's elect brought to worship Him, we are participating in that purpose for all things that is Christ's own aim.

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

Hope for Cleansing from Sinfulness [2023.10.15 Evening Sermon in Leviticus 12]

Childbearing reminds us of our own and our children's sinfulness, but Christ is the hope not only of regeneration and justification, but of sanctification and glorification.

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

What Abraham and His Children Found: the God of Promise and of Power [2022.12.07 Midweek sermon in Romans 4:16–17]

Like Abraham before them, his true seed respond to God's Word and sign with faith in the Almighty God of promise.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Heirs of Abraham through Faith, Not through Its Sign and Seal [2022.11.30 Midweek sermon in Romans 4:9–15]

To be a true child of Abraham, and come into the same inheritance as Abraham, one walks in the faith-footsteps of Abraham.

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

Safe Heirs in the Savior, Not in His Sign [Family Worship lesson in Romans 4:9–15]

Who are the heirs of God and descendants of Abraham? Romans 4:9–15 looks forward to the devotional in this week’s midweek meeting. In these seven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Abraham’s true descendants are those whose faith is accounted as righteousness apart from works.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

God’s True Sign, Despite Reprobate Church Members [2022.08.24 Midweek Sermon in Romans 3:1–4]

For the one who never comes to faith, God’s sign is still true, even as He rightly judges such a man as false. Some foolishly say that if the ones who have received the membership and its sign are not saved, then God has somehow fallen short, or His choice is somehow overruled by man’s. The apostle will deal with such folly at greater length in chapter 9. But here, he has shown that the advantages were real, which made the Jews’ ongoing need of saving grace all the more evident. ALL have sinned.

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

God’s Faithful Sign—Even upon Reprobate Church Members [Family Worship lesson in Romans 3:1–4]

If there are people who receive the covenant sign, but do not receive the thing signified, does this mean that there is no advantage or profit from it? In these four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Church members’ unbelief doesn’t negate the goodness of the gift of church membership and covenant sign or the goodness of the Giver of these good gifts. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

The True Benefit of Covenant Membership and Sign [2022.08.17 Midweek Sermon in Romans 2:25–29]

The covenant sign and covenant membership were profitable, because they pointed to how a believer's salvation would come, would grow, and would finish. But for the one who never comes to faithGod's sign is still true, even as He rightly judges such a man as false.

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

God's Eternal Plan to Glorify Himself as Giver of Repentance to the Nations in Jesus [2022.08.14 Morning Sermon in Acts 11:2–18; Ephesians 1–4; Genesis 3:14–15; Psalm 72]

When we glorify God for giving repentance to the Gentiles, we are glorifying Him in Jesus Christ for having reconciled us to Himself, reconciled us to each other, delivering us from the devil, and bringing us under the everlasting and blessed kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

True Benefits from True Circumcision [Family Worship lesson in Romans 2:25–3:4]

Who are true Jews, and what is true circumcision? In these nine verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the outward signs are only valuable when matched to an inward reality worked by the Holy Spirit.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)