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e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e welcome to everyone it's good to be back in the house of our God you can turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 124 for our call to worship Psalm 124 I'll begin reading in verse one a song of ascent of David if it had not been the Lord who was on our side let Israel now say if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us then they would have swallowed us alive when their wrath was kindled against us then the waters would have overwhelmed us the stream would have gone over our soul then the swollen Waters would have gone over our soul blessed be the Lord who has not given us as prey to their teeth our soul has escaped as a bird from From The Snare of the Fowlers the snare is broken and we have escaped our help is in the name of the Lord who made Heaven and Earth amen well please turn with me in your hym books to Psalm 22 Psalm 22c as in Charlie it's a new one for me I'm sure that the tune is familiar to most of you Psalm 22c will stand as we sing together willess children of his he to [Music] and and praise Mery Earth we worship Him the well as we go to prayer tonight we'll remember the Smith family in sentinella California Pastor Larry Smith passed away today I would imagine not everybody remembers that man Larry Smith labored for many years at the sentinella of Baptist Church in bondale California just down from Los Angeles International Airport so he passed away this morning at about 7 a.m. so we'll remember his family his wife Debbie and that God would indeed Grant Grace to them as they grieve but not like the world as our brother now is in his rest well let us pray our gracious God and our Holy Father we thank you for the Lord's day we thank you for the house of God we thank you for the people of God and the privilege to gather in your name to call upon you in prayer to sing your praises and as well to hear from Holy scripture we ask that you would be glorified tonight we ask that you would be enthroned upon the Praises of your people here that you would indeed Ren the heavens and come down and encourage and strengthen each of our weary Hearts build us up in our Most Holy Faith cause us to know The Nearness of God as our good and as well Lord we pray for any and all who are dead in their trespasses and sins that you would awaken them you would cause them to see that Jesus Christ is the all together lovely the chief among 10,000 and the one in whom alone there is forgiveness and a righteousness that avails with God we pray that all that we do tonight would redown to the praise and honor of Father Son and Holy Spirit do forgive us now for our sin and our transgression we are called to live in a particular manner we are called to live uh in light of Our Gospel calling and yet father we find that principle that remaining corruption in us so we confess our transgression to you thanking you for the promise of God that are yay and amen in the Lord Jesus Christ John says that if we confess our sins you are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness he goes on to say that we have an advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous and we greatly rejoice in this not so that we may go out and sin but when we do sin to remember these great gospel facts though Lord cleanse us now in that precious blood be merciful to each and every one of us and God strengthen us with might in the Inner Man uh by your spirit so that Christ May dwell richly in our hearts through faith and as we leave this place tonight pray that you would help us as we enter into a new week help us to be faithful help us to resist temptation help us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and to make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lust we think tonight of the Smith family there in California we thank you for the long and and faithful service of Pastor Larry Smith in the church there in sanella we just pray for the church that as they grieve and mourn they would do so with that that constant reminder that c uh that Larry is now in the presence of his Lord and Master we pray for his wife Debbie that you would strengthen her God we know that this is a a hard blow it is a difficulty to be sure but God give her that peace that does surpass all understanding and be with his children and his grandchildren and may it be the case that they would have fond and great memories of a of a true servant of the Lord Jesus Christ we we pray for that church for pastor Jihad we ask that you would bless that brother as he labors in the word and Doctrine may he know the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit and may that place be a faithful witness in a dark time or in a dark place in in in California we know that state as a whole needs faithful gospel preaching and we pray that you would continue to bless our brother we also pray tonight for the other churches here in our community we thank you that we're not alone here we pray for your blessing upon the the the brothers who Minister weak in and weak out those who are proclaiming the truth as it is in Jesus may they be blessed by you in not only study and prayer but in the actual Act of preaching and God give ears to your people to hear and receive the truth and may these things as well awaken those who are dead in their trespasses and sins be with the church in Suri be with the brethren in Armstrong and in dren look with favor upon the churches in siga toek Honduras and God continue to be with our Brethren there in Elder we thank you for Ana and Moses and Remy and pray that those men would be faithful in the calling that you have laid upon them we ask that you would give them Grace to be able to see completion in this building project and that this building would be used to advance the cause of Jesus Christ in this lower world and God we also pray for your blessing upon Myanmar we receive these updates and it does grief our hearts to see this constant threat upon children upon those refugees upon that Orange Grove as a as a whole we pray for this man that will be driving that has to make several trips dangerous trips we just commend him to you and to the word of your grace we pray that these little ones would be able to get to a place of safety we pray for Peter that he'd be able to orchestrate and manage this and that God you would be glorified even in these things and we ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen will you can turn with me again in your hym books to number 400 hymn number 400 we'll stand as we sing together e e e e turn in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy for our scripture reading we're in Deuteronomy chapter 28 Deuteronomy chapter 28 crowns or caps off the Covenant section this is the Covenant blessing for obedience and Covenant cursing for Disobedience the bulk of which we read in the rest of the Old Testament as the children of Israel go into the land of Canaan and they basically imitate the Canaanites and as a result they reap the vengeance and the Judgment of God most high we left off reading at verse 37 so we'll pick up in chapter 28 at verse 38 you shall carry much seed out to the field but gather little in for the Locust shall consume it you shall plant Vineyards and tend them but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes for the worms shall eat them you shall have olive trees throughout all your territory but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil for your olives shall drop drop off you shall beget sons and daughters but they shall not be yours for they shall go into captivity locusts shall consume all your trees and the the produce of your land the alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you and you shall come down lower and lower he shall lend to you but you shall not lend to him he shall be the head and you shall be the tail moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God to keep his Commandments and his statutes which he commanded you and they shall be upon you uh shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder and on your descendants forever because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you in hunger in thirst and nakedness and in need of everything and he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you the Lord will bring a nation against you from afar from the end of the Earth as Swift as the eagle flies a nation whose language you will not understand a nation of fierce countenance which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land until you are destroyed they shall not leave you grain or new wine or oil or the increase of your cattle or The Offspring of your flocks until they have destroyed you they shall shall besede you at at the uh at all your Gates until your high and fortified walls in which you trust come down throughout all your land and they shall besede you at all your Gates throughout all your land which the Lord your God has given you you shall eat the fruit of your own body the Flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the Lord your God has given you in The Siege and desperate Straits in which your enemy shall distress you the sensitive and very refined man among you will be hostile toward his brother toward the wife of his bosom and toward the rest of his children whom he leaves behind so that he will not give any of them the Flesh of his children whom he will eat because he has nothing left in the seege and desperate Straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your Gates the tender and delicate woman among you who would not venture to set the soul of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and sensitivity will refuse to the husband of her bosom and to her son and her daughter her placenta which comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears for she will eat them secretly for lack of everything in the siege and desperate Straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your Gates if you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book that you may fear this glorious and awesome name the Lord your God then the Lord will bring upon you in your dis descendants extraordinary plagues great and prolonged plagues and serious and prolonged sicknesses moreover he will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt of which you were afraid and they shall cling to you also every sickness and every plague which is not written in this book of the law will the Lord bring upon you until you are destroyed you shall be left few in number whereas you were as the stars of heaven and multitude because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God and it shall be that just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples from one end of the Earth to the other and there you Shall Serve other gods which neither you nor your fathers have known wood and stone and among those Nations you shall find No Rest nor shall the soul of your foot have a resting place but there the Lord will give you a trembling heart failing eyes and anguish of Soul Your Life shall hang in doubt before you you shall fear day and night and have no Assurance of life in the morning you shall say oh that it were evening and at evening you shall say oh that it were morning because of the fear which terrifies your heart and because of the sight which your eyes see and the Lord will take you back to Egypt in ships by the way of which I said to you you shall never see it again and there you shall be offered for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves but no one will buy you amen the primary emphasis is on exile from the land that the Lord God is giving to them and again you see that throughout subsequent history in the Bible you see it at the time of about uh 722 BC the Assyrians capture and decimate the northern tribes of Israel and then in 86 BC you see that with Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians they March into Judah they destroy the city they destroy the temple and then again you see it in ad70 when under the Roman Emperor the Roman army surrounded the city of Jerusalem destroyed it and destroyed the temple as well that was what our brother read this morning in Matthew chapter 24 that is jesus' prophetic statement concerning that destruction of Jerusalem and again all of that is obviously miserable and wretched but it was the consequence for the broken Covenant so God had told them and specified and spelled it out in great detail this is how you must conduct yourself when you enter into the land if you do so blessings will obtain if you do not do so you will reap the Cur curses associated with God's covenant so as I've said on many occasions we ought to bless God for this New Covenant this New Covenant of Grace wherein our covenant head kept perfectly the entire of his father's law and he does that so that we might have a righteousness that avails with God not that disobedience is sanctioned in the New Covenant for sure but it is the case that our sins have been forgiven it is the case we have that imputed righteousness of Jesus and it is the case that Those whom God began a good work in will he will complete it unto the day of our Lord Jesus Christ so we ought to praise him for New Covenant Covenant of Grace blessings that Jesus is the yay and amen of all the promises of God well let us pray our Holy Father we thank you for your word in this section of scripture is certainly sobering as we consider what you specify what you give in great detail in the book of Deuteronomy and as well in Leviticus and then as we search the scriptures in the Old Testament we see these things come to pass we know that you are faithful to your word faithful to bless faithful as well to curse and I pray that you would help each and every one of us to appre appreciate this fact help each and every one of us to be looking unto Jesus that one in whom alone there is forgiveness and a righteousness that avails with you and we ask this through his Most Blessed name amen well you may turn with me again in your hym books to number 381 381 we'll stand as we sing together and glor and power and Rich and to and are the king of the ground and the his Earth with his glory and and mest and his Jo glory and praise this is the K of the we are glory and praise to the L take s the S of the Lamb sing you can turn with me in your Bibles to First Timothy chapter 3 1 Timothy chapter 3 for part two of our message from last week the regulation of the church's worship First Timothy CH 3 specifically at verses 14 to 16 some of this is repetitious for those ESP especially that attend the Wednesday night bible study we certainly looked at the regulative principle of worship there when we were in The Book of Exodus and then as well in The Book of Leviticus so hopefully this will be a helpful reminder and summary and if you're new to this particular subject I invite you to to give consideration to the fact that in God's house God regulates how we worship him it's pretty simple proposition I think it certainly applies to our house we don't invite people in and ask them what they'd like to do in terms of moving our things around no we understand that when we go to somebody's house there's somebody that's the householder and they have the couch where they want the couch they have the kitchen or the fridge in the kitchen where they want it so we don't go in there and start changing things and yet for whatever reason in the church in the 20th century and 21st century we have thought that it's perfectly acceptable to go into God's house and just change it up let's just substitute let's move things let's add let's subtract well the scripture does not authorize such an approach to the worship of God and that's the purpose tonight the regulation of the church's worship so I'll read verses 14 to 16 we'll pray and then we'll pick up the exposition specifically at verse 16 so notice in 314 these things I write to you though I hope to come to you shortly but if I am delayed I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God which is the Church of the Living God the pillar and ground of the truth and without controversy great is the mystery of godliness God was manifested in the flesh justified in the spirit seen by Angels preached among the Gentiles believed on in the world received up in glory amen well let us pray our Holy Father and glorious God we thank you for this passage of scripture we thank you that it's connected to several other passages of scripture that speak to the worship of God in the house of God give us Grace to to receive these things give us help as a church to be regulated by scripture when it comes to our approach to you and may you be glorified in our public worship may you glor be glorified in our families and and in our lives as individuals and as well God we pray for your blessing upon this conference coming up later this week we pray that it would be for your glory and honor that it would be a time of edification and fellowship that it would Foster our bonds in the gospel with other men and may it be the case that you would be pleased as well to save to call out of Darkness into Marvelous Light any Sinners that may be there and may this be For Your Glory and Honor forgive us now for our sin and unrighteousness and guide us by the Holy Spirit and we pray through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen well as we considered last week we looked first at the nature of the church in verses 14 and 15 and then we're going to look at the confession of the church here in verse 16 and that's not going to take us a long time so by way of application I do want to bring some other biblical evidence in terms of the regul uh regulative principle of worship but just by way of reminder notice the nature of the church Paul establishes what the church is but prior to doing that he mentions in verse 14 these things I write to you though I hope to come to you shortly Paul was fond of Ephesus he spent several years there in the third missionary journey he rented the school of tyrannis and from there he taught the word of God for two years and it says that all who were in Asia Minor heard or heard the word of the Lord from his preaching so he had a real fondness for Ephesus here he has stationed Timothy there to wage the good Warfare against false teachers that had Arisen up uh we see that mentioned in Acts Chapter 20 The Apostle Paul says from among yourselves some will rise up it certainly came to uh came to pass and so Timothy is there to wage the good Warfare so Paul writes these things so that or these things I write to you though I hope to come to you shortly but then notice what he says in terms of the of Timothy's purpose in verse 15 but if I am de delayed I write and the things I think is everything in first Timothy everything up to this point specifically prayer in corporate worship chapter 2: 1 to7 the conduct of women in corporate worship chapter 2: 8-15 uh chapter 3: 1 to7 biblical qualification for elders and then in chapter 3 : 8-13 the biblical qualification for deacons and then everything's subsequent to what he writes here in 1 Timothy 315 in other words I write these things to you Timothy not just as suggestive not just as a bit of a recommendation not just as a bit of a help to you but notice what he says in verse 15 I I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God the ought there is divine necessity the ought there isn't well if you so choose Timothy no he must he must obey what God has written or God has given in terms of Conduct in the house of God and then he gives this portrayal of the church notice he describes it or calls it the house of God it is the Church of the Living God and then he says it is the pillar and ground of the truth it's not the place of entertainment it's not the place of therapy it's not the place of just social interaction but rather it is the pillar and the ground of the truth that's the primary emphasis in terms of the church's Ministry now that brings us then to this common confession of verse 16 notice and without controversy great is the mystery of godliness God was manifested in the flesh justified in the spirit seen by Angels preached among the Gentiles believed on in the world received up in glory now with reference to this verse you see this common confession and then this mystery of godliness it is helpful to understand the connection between verses 14 and 15 and then verse 16 George Knight says the preceding and following instructions have as their theological basis this great truth concerning the cosmic Christ who is Lord and savior of his church this is what is markedly different about the church versus all other organizations where persons gather together our common confession is about the Lord Jesus Christ we are Christians that that's what animates us that's what moves us that's the impetus for our public worship that's the rationale for the regulation of our public worship by God the Lord and that's an interesting phrase notice in verse 16 at the first part without controversy great is the mystery of godliness the ESV translates it this way great indeed we confess is the mystery of godliness nasb renders it this way by Common confession great is the mystery of godliness so there is this confessing by the church truths concerning our Lord Jesus Christ and with reference to truths concerning our Lord Jesus Christ Herman makes this observation the doctrine of Christ is not the starting point but it certainly is the central point of the whole system of dogmatics all other dogmas either prepare for it or are inferred from it in it as the heart of dogmatics pulses the whole of the religious ethical life of Christianity it is the mystery of godliness and it's a curious choice of words by the Apostle Paul in terms of great is the mystery of godliness turn back to the book of Acts specifically at Acts 19 in the founding of the church at Ephesus the Apostle came head-to-head with some idolators and the particular Idol that the city of Ephesus was inclined to worship was one called Diana and as a result we notice their common confession by uh or the common confession by these Ephesians outside of a saving relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ notice specifically in Acts 19:28 now when they heard this they were full of Wrath and cried out saying great is Diana of the the Ephesians and then notice in verse 34 but when they found out that he was a Jew talking about Paul all with one voice cried out for about two hours Great is Diana of the Ephesians so in Christ now it's not great is Diana of the Ephesians but rather it is great the mystery of godliness and as we unpack the Myster of ungod of godliness there are three particulars that we ought to appreciate first the accomplish lishment of Christ's work secondly the proclamation of Christ's work and then thirdly the belief in Christ's work notice verse of the first part of the verse God was manifested In the Flesh and he was justified in the spirit that's the accomplishment of Jesus work it's abbreviated it's a summary statement it's a brief statement concerning all that Christ had done but it captures the reality of the Incarnation God was manifested in the flesh John 1:1 the beginning was the word the word was with God the Word was God the word became flesh and dwelt Among Us you see the Apostle Paul is imitating what he sees written in the Gospel of John he knows that Jesus is in fact true Humanity but he's truly Divinity as well and so in that blessed Incarnation we have the word who came down from heaven for us men and for our Salvation this is the hypostatic union the two Union uh two Natures human and divine in the one person of our Lord Jesus Christ without confusion without any sort of a third thing but rather each nature doing what is appropriate to it and then we have justified in the spirit I think that idea is he was Vindicated remember he goes to the Cross as a criminal but he had never committed any crimes he had never done anything to be crucified on that Roman cross he's Vindicated by the spirit with power and I think the back ground here is probably what Paul says in Romans 1 at verse 4 he says he was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of Holiness by the resurrection from the dead so he's justified in the spirit or Vindicated in the spirit at the resurrection it is a declaration unequivocally that this was indeed the Son of God remember that Centurion he's standing at the foot of the cross he himself comes to that conclusion truly this is a Son of God and so what we have here is the accomplishment of Christ's work in short Compass but then notice secondly the proclamation of Christ's work seen by angels and preached among the Gentiles seen by both fallen angels and the elect angels in fact turn to Colossians chapter 2 Colossians chapter 2 where we see something of this in terms of the Fallen Angels Colossians chap 2 specifically at verse 15 having disarmed principalities and Powers he made a public spectical of them triumphing over them in it so at the cross these Cosmic Powers see what Christ accomplishes and they hear not audibly in terms of the way we're hearing it but the proclamation that this is indeed the Son of God but as well he says uh preached among the Gentiles Paul would know that all too well in fact look at 2 Timothy 1 specifically at verse 11 he says to which I was appointed a preacher an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles he highlights that same reality in Ephesians chapter 3 Paul's purpose in Redemptive history is to make known the mystery and the Mystery in Ephesians 3 and Colossians 1 is Gentile inclusion in the Covenant Promises of God made to the people of Israel and so we have this proclamation of Christ's work and then finally the text or the confession ends with the belief in Christ's work notice believed on in the world and received up in glory the lord Jesus came to save his people from their sins how does the Lord Jesus come to save his people from their sins by setting a good example for them and telling them to follow him Noe that's not it by laying another law upon them in addition to the Ten Commandments and telling them they must be perfect by threatening them with a Deuteronomy 28 list of House of Horrors that if they fall they will reap those consequences nope that's not how the simple gospel is that Christ came he lived he died he was raised again and all those who look to him in faith will have everlasting life it doesn't matter your background it doesn't matter your color it doesn't matter all the economic things that may go on in this world what matters is that you're a sinner before a holy God and if you look under the Lord Jesus Christ you live and that's what the Apostle says the accomplishment of Christ's work the proclamation of Christ's work and then belief in Christ's work in other words he will save his people from their sins he shall see the travail of his soul and be satisfied he's not frustrated he's not thwarted he is not defeated he is the Victorious Christ of Redemptive history that accomplishes the purpose for which the father sent him he came down from heaven for us men and for our Salvation he's believed on in the world this is one of the reasons why we pray that God raises up men fits them according to 1 Timothy 3 Titus Chapter 1 equips them with the gift of preaching and teaching make them prayerful men Godly men men that we can set apart for Ministry in the local church and men that we can send abroad to proclaim the the gospel so that Christ would be believed on in the world this is why we have a partnership with the Brethren and Elder at this is why why we continue to pray for the situation in Myanmar this is why we feed our minds and hearts with what's going on in the persecuted Church we're in this together Brethren and when we find brethren in other parts of the world we are thankful that they have believed on Jesus we are thankful that they are Brothers and Sisters in Christ we're thankful that one day we're going to meet that we're going to meet Larry Smith when we enter into the New Jerusalem we're going to meet those who have gone before us we're going to meet all those we worshiped with each and every Lord's day we're going to be be together in that place where there is no unrighteousness where there is no death where there is no sorrow where there's no more hunger or thirst Christ is believed on in the world this is the emphasis and this is the mission and this was in fact the Great Commission notice what Jesus doesn't say there in Matthew chapter 28 go therefore and and and change everything about every country you ever visit no that's not what he says he says go and make disciples we make disciples in whatever the country is in whatever the situation is uh we often times pray for the nation of Cuba if you're familiar with Cuba it's a horrific story communism doesn't work and that idea that well it used to not but it will now the these people are starving or or you know they don't have food and and gasoline in a world that has a lot of food and a lot of gasoline like really I I mean God In His Infinite Wisdom built the Earth with oil underneath wasn't that ingenious on on his part because oil fuels civilization oil is a great bone to mankind why they want to take us back to pre-oil times don't know but with reference to Cuba it's unfortunate but again the specific emphasis is to make disciples the church's primary calling is the proclamation of Christ and him crucified justif if ification by faith alone that's the church's particular prerogative not that we shouldn't be involved in politics but we do that as individuals church as Church subscribes to those three marks of the church which are the proclamation of the truth the exercise of discipline and the administration of the sacraments that ought to occupy the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ so great is the mystery of godliness God was manifested in the flesh justifying in the spirit seen by Angels preached among the Gentiles believed on in the world received up in glory so in terms of some application first just quickly the Glorious identity of the church it is the house of God the Church of the Living God the pillar and the ground of the truth the church is established and built by our lord Jesus Matthew 16 Verse 18 I say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church The Rock is not Peter the rock is the the Christ that Peter just confessed the Christ that that Peter just stated when he says Thou Art the Christ the son of the Living God so we have the Son of God building a house for God in light of the divic Covenant in 2 Samuel chapter 7 this comes to fruition in the life and Ministry of our Lord Jesus he builds the house of God for his father the church is governed by Christ its head go back to Ephesians chapter 1 Ephesians chapter 1 we need to understand legislative Authority in the church does not belong to the elders the elders are ministers the elders are ministerial they are not authoritarian or are not supposed to be Christ is the authority Christ is the head Christ is the legislative body when it comes to the church notice in Ephesians 1:20 Paul is speaking about the power of God that's what he wants the Ephesians to know and now he illustrates that power in verses 20 and follow in he says which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in in the Heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come and he put all things under his feet and gave him to be had over all things to the church which is his body the fullness of him who fills all in all so Christ is the authority in the house of God as well the church is is aptly described by the Apostle in our particular text it's the house of God it's where he dwells with his people it's the Church of the Living God it's the people that gather together the assembling of God's Saints the convocation of his people and God takes that seriously Brethren I know it's quite you know symptomatic of this present age to say well you know I just don't need church I mean just me and my Bible I you know I can go it alone I just need a good mountain if I got a mountain I'm good just go hang out with God on that mountain or you know my yard when I'm gardening I have fond thoughts of God I'm not suggesting you can't have fond thoughts of God in your garden in fact you should it's amazing you put a seed in the ground and ows food that's a good thing right it should cause you to reflect on how good God really is but there is a special emphasis on the house of God for the people of God to gather on the day of God to worship God God loves the gates of Zion more than all the Dwelling Places of Jacob uh Hebrews chap 10 Hebrews chap 10 we are told specifically in verse 22 let us draw near with a true heart and full Assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our our bodies washed with pure water let us hold fast the confession of Our Hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful and let us love one another uh uh in order to stir up love and good works not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of PSM but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approach mentioned last week this was a bit of a Coy sermon I remember preaching it during Co and one of the things that in that Coy time we had person saying well no you really don't need to gather together that's not absolutely necessary that's not absolutely required really because that's exactly how this text reads and so much more as you see the day approaching I take that day as the destruction of Jerusalem in ad70 notice what would you do if you knew that your city was going to be destroyed prep by buy canned hams buy more beans buy more rice find a place out in the woods and go right I'm just being honest here that's a a temptation to be sure but notice what the Apostle says relative to impending doom in the city not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching in other words don't let even disaster keep you from the house of God don't let those sorts of things get betwix you and the place where God dwells peculiarly with his people in this new covenant era and then Paul describes the church according to its primary function it is the pillar and the ground of the truth I would suggest secondly the common confession of the church focuses in on Jesus Romans 10 if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and that God has raised him from the dead as well John 8 24 I've cited many times this morning including therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins for if you do not believe that I am you will die in your sins 2 John 9 whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God He Who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the father and the son in fact turn to John first John Rather first John and 2 John this is the only place or these two books are the only places where you see the word Antichrist I know it's pretty symptomatic in eschatology today to combine the Antichrist and the Beast of Revelation in Revelation 13 I think that's a misstep I think those are two separate personages I do not believe that they're the same in fact I don't even think Antichrist was a particular person I think Antichrist is a christological heresy that affected the early church and that certainly affects the modern church and with reference to Antichrist you'll notice the four propositions that John makes concerning or rather three propositions you'll see Antichrist 1 John 2:18 1 John 222 1 John 4:3 and 2 John 7 only places where Antichrist is mentioned and again not some looming figure in our future some political entity that's going to do nasty things to us not that I don't think there aren't political entities that are going to do nasty things to us they're already doing that but Antichrist according to John is a heresy that first denied that Jesus is the Christ look at first John 2:22 who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ he is Antichrist who denies the father and the son we don't have to wait for some malevolent figure in our future there's a lot of people doing this presently there's even people doing this in Christian pulpits denying that Jesus is the Christ he is Antichrist who denies the father and the son notice as well he denies uh uh uh that Jesus is the Christ and that he he also denies the father and the son we see that there in verse 23 whoever denies the son does not have the father either he who acknowledges the son has the father also again that's not you know surprising to us coming out of John's gospel John 5:23 honor the son just as you honor the father and then the third proposition is that Antichrist denied that Jesus came in the flesh look at 1 John 4: 1 to3 now one of the difficulties at least in the new King James is that they they they capitalize Antichrist that shows the bias of the interpreters they have a a bias toward a personal Antichrist in the future to fit their eschatology so if you see a capital A and it seems like some you know personage in our future just realize that's an interpretative call I'm not saying that so I don't throw away my king new King James Bible but these translations reflect a bit of bias in terms of the eschatological drift that certain persons have but notice in 1 John 41 beloved do not believe every Spirit but test the spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets have gone out into the World by this you know the spirit of God every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God and every spirit that that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in this is f in the flesh is not of God and this is the spirit of the Antichrist which you have heard was coming and is now already in the world you see it's a denial of John 1:1 and John 1114 you might ask the question well who would do that well a lot of people gnostics for instance those that were affected by by an early type of philosophy that said that the physical is bad so if the physical is bad and Jesus was physical that's bad so therefore we deny the physical we say that Jesus only appeared to be physical these were actually things that were going on in the early church and John writes to combat that particular notion and then notice in 2 John 7 for many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh this is a deceiver and an antichrist again it is a christological heresy that denies that Jesus is the Christ by virtue of that denial that Jesus is the Christ they then deny the father who sent him and they deny that Jesus came in the flesh that's what Antichrist is and that's why we need to hold on to this mystery of godliness God was manifested in the flesh that is absolutely tantamount to the Christian religion you get rid of the Incarnation you gut our faith you get rid of the reality of John 1:1 and John 1:14 and you no longer have a Christianity so the absolute emphasis here on Christ as the Incarnate one who came to save his people from their sin and then the final practical observation as I mentioned is the regulative principle of worship we do what we're supposed to do according to God's word so I just want to quickly say three things first the explanation of the principle secondly the biblical demonstration of the principle and third the confessional formulation of the principle this shouldn't take more than 12 minutes so don't FR don't fret first of all in terms of the historical situation the Puritans held to this regulative principle of worship the anglicans did not they held what would we we would Now call the normative principle so the Puritans taught that only what is commanded is acceptable and anything outside of what is commanded is prohibited other words do what God says to do in the worship of God that's not so with the anglicans the anglicans said what is commanded is acceptable plus anything not expressly prohibited is acceptable only what is Express expressly condemned or forbidden is prohibited okay so there's a little bit of a difference but it's a huge difference so the regulative principle of worship simply says that we do what God commands we're not free to do what he Pro prohibits we're not free to do what he doesn't address we are only free to do what God commands but the anglicans said we do what he commands but we're also free to do what he doesn't forbid well you can bring in a lot of things with that approach this is Roman Catholic as well and Lutheran they do not abide by the regulative principle of worship James Bannerman in his book uh uh on on History he says in the case of the Church of England its Doctrine in I'm sorry this is on the Church of Christ in the case of the Church of England its Doctrine in regard to church power and the worship of God is that it has a right to decree everything except what is forbidden in the word of God in the case of our own church its Doctrine in reference to church power in the worship of God is that it has a right to decree nothing except what expressly or by implication is enjoined by the word of God so in terms of definition the regulative principle simply means that we do what God commands pretty simple Al Martin a famous Reformed Baptist preacher used to put it this way we're to do nothing more nothing less and nothing else than what God has commanded in Holy Scripture I think that's a helpful way to approach it William Cunningham said there are sufficiently plain indications in scripture itself that it was Christ's mind and will that nothing should be introduced into the government and worship of the church unless positive warrant for it could be found in in scripture one of our Baptist uh forefathers Benjamin ke said whatsoever we do in the worship of God we must see we have a command from God to Warrant our practice and also we must not add to nor diminish from nor alter anything if we do God will not hold us Guiltless and when you read through Deuteronomy 28 for instance or you read through other parts of legislation in the Old Testament you see how God brought judgment to Bear upon old Covenant Israel and we want to just go head and introduce a bunch of Strange Fire I I think that's a dangerous practice I think it is much better to be obedient to God's holy word and listen to what he commands relative to script uh relative to worship and then Terry Johnson in a little book called reformed worship he says and I think this is very succinct and very excellent to put it simply in worship we pray the Bible we sing the Bible we read the Bible and preach the Bible and see the Bible we see the Bible in baptism and the Lord's Supper in the sacraments of the church so that's the definition secondly the biblical demonstration of the principle I would say first the first two Commandments in the decalogue you shall have no other gods before me that demands the proper object of worship I think a lot of times people look at Commandments 1 and two in fact you can turn there Exodus chapter 20 Exodus chap 20 get it before you so it doesn't just come from memory here but notice in Exodus 20 specifically at verse 3 and 4 we seem to think that it's kind of one command that's how the Catholics treat it I think that's how the Lutheran treat it as well they combined the the the first and second into one commandment but there's different emphases in both these Commandments the first deals with the proper object of worship and the second deals with the proper manner by which we worship so if we have the true God but we worship him in a false way that's bad and you see that in the history of Israel they would ape the Nations around them they would adopt Pagan practices or Heathen worship and bring it into to the nation of Israel and God didn't say well you know you're doing your best it's good you learn from those Canaanites it's good you learned at that bail meeting it's good you learned there at ashra I'm glad just you know as long as what your heart desires is being fulf that's not it at all notice the first commandment you shall have no other gods before me that as I said defines the object then secondly the manner you shall not make for yourself a carved image any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the Earth You shall not bow down to them nor serve them for I the Lord your God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me but showing Mercy to thousands to those who love me and keep my Commandments Watson says in the first commandment worshiping a false false god is forbidden in the second commandment worshiping the true God in a false manner is forbidden you can't say well I'm worshiping Yahweh but I'm just doing it my own way no that's wrong it's not only the object but the manner turn over to Deuteronomy chapter 12 and God willing will look at positive law in the coming weeks that positive law in a covenant regulates or speaks to the issue of worship obviously the way they worshiped in the Old Testament was different they had a temple or a Tabernacle they had a sacrificial system they had a priest to it so how do we argue for differences in the New Covenant well the Bible argues for that and we need to understand how and why that is the case but for another time but notice the principle in Deuteronomy 12:32 whatever I command you be careful to observe it you shall not add to it nor take away from it nothing more nothing less and nothing else than what God has commanded and then you've got several illustrations in the Bible about persons that worshiped in a way that was not permitted and good things don't happen there turn back to Leviticus chap 10 Leviticus chap 10 and this in the context of a great deal of legislation having been given on how to approach God In Worship in other words Leviticus chapters 1 to about 5 or 6 is all about sacrifice this is how you bring sacrifice and then about six or seven to8 eight and N you've got the priesthood these are the authorized agents that take the animal and bring it up to this to the Altar and sacrifice it and then you have a successful Venture in Leviticus chapter 9 they receive the instructions about sacrifice they receive the instructions about the priesthood they put these things into practice and God sends fire down upon their Altar and consumes the sacrifice and the people fall down with a shout it's a shout of joy God approved God showed his approbation God received their sacrifice and then on the heels of all that look at verse one in chapter 10 then naab and Abu the sons of Aaron each took his censor and put fire in it put incense on it and offered profane fire before the Lord which he had not commanded them that's very conspicuous naab and a who for whatever reason having heard the legislation seeing the actual activity seeing the approval of God nevertheless took their censor put fire in it put incense on it and offered profane fire before the Lord which he had not commanded that now I'm sure that most of you know how the story proceeds let me just tell you it is not God saying good job naab and Abu I'm glad that you have searched the the the the the cavities of your heart and if you've come up with another way in which to approach me good on you good for showing Innovation good for showing creativity that's not what happens look at verse two so fire went out from the Lord just like it did in chapter nine but instead of devouring the sacrifice now the fire devours them naab and Abu die God kills that now Brethren it is symptomatic of our age as well to say you know that's a bit of an overreaction why why is that an overreaction I remember many years ago several years ago there was a famous preacher and and a c another famous preacher and and and they gave sort of uh Safe Haven to a guy who denied the Trinity and and it was just shocking in fact Carl Truman said it would have been like Augustin and you know inviting Muhammad and and hanging out and having laughs and you know sort of uh uh uh confirming that Muhammad was on the right path well that would never happen so so these guys are yucking it up they give the right hand of Fellowship basically to a guy who's what's called a modalist or a sellion he denies the tri Unity of God that was outlandish and horrific but that's not what ended this particular fellow's Ministry what ended his particular Ministry was there was a lot but one of them was plagiarism he basically stole material for a book well we can't have that now I'm not suggesting plagiarism is okay I'm not you know signing off on you know violation of the eighth commandment but why is the eighth commandment more important than the first and second why is it upsetting to us that God would kill naab and Abu but what is it about us that think that you know it's only those second table offenses that really require the execution of of criminal offenders why not we sin against the infinite God especially after he's given de instructions again with the New Testament you don't have a Deuteronomy section where it you know Outlaws or outlines every jot and T in Exodus you know 25-40 but there is sufficient data in the New Testament to inform New Covenant worship on how we're supposed to do it it's pretty clear we we read the Bible we sing the Bible we preach the Bible we see the Bible we pray the Bible it's pretty easy pretty simple so we see in verse two so fire went out from the Lord and devoured them and they died before the Lord and Moses said to Aaron this is what the Lord spoke saying by those who come near me I must be regarded as holy and before all the people I must be glorified so Aaron held his peace you have an instance in 1st Samuel chapter 13 verses 8 to 15 where Saul is simply told to wait for Samuel for seven days that's it just wait it's all you got to do all just wait well I I I I couldn't wait any longer so I went ahead and offered up the sacrifices because I I felt compelled to do so do you think God said well I'm you know you were compelled to do so so so good on you it's in that passage that God through Samuel says the kingdom is being taken from you I'm going to give it to a man after my own heart that's where we know that David is the man after God's Own Heart it's not 1 Samuel 16 when David's chosen or subsequent to 1 Samuel or 17 and following in the life and Ministry of David it's there in first Samuel 13 Saul couldn't wait so Saul took sacrifice matters into his own hand and he says I I felt compelled to do it Brethren compelled to sin is no argument to sin and so God judges him you've got the reforms under ASA you've got the reforms under Josiah you've got the express statement here in first Timothy chapter 3 on how we ought to conduct oursel in the Church of God and then one final passages in the book of Hebrews in Hebrews 12 we have this statement therefore since verse 28 we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken let us have Grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire the Apostle invokes Deuteronomy 4:24 for this particular threat for our God is a consuming fire and Brethren I don't want to you know cuddle you it it's a threat it is a threat just like Deuteronomy 28 threats associated with the violation of God's holy law notice the particular emphasis in verse 28 since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken let us have Grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear have you ever stopped to ask the question who defines what acceptable worship is if not you should and the answer is not the elders the answer is not the pope of Rome the answer is not the king of England who is the head of the Church of England is not Luther it's not Calvin it is God who defines and describes what acceptable worship is our task is to be obedient our task is to be uh uh observant and our task is to find great Delight in the things that God has commanded and we'll end here with the confessional formulation of the principle in chapter 22 of our confession paragraph 1 but the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by himself and so limited by his own revealed will that he may not be worshiped according to the imaginations and devices of men nor the suggestions of Satan under any visible representations or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures it is intuitive we do what the householder commands it is biblical you see very many emphases throughout scripture on the necessity to worship God in spirit and truth and as well we see it as the means of blessing Brethren when we almost said let go and let God don't want to sound too hippie-ish here but when we do what God commands us to do that's where blessing lies how how does your marriage work when you obey God H how do you function well in society and life when you obey God how does the church Thrive and flourish when she obeys God when we have that Psalm 122 I was glad when they said unto me let us go to the house of the Lord attitude and we come and we use the means as God gave them that's the pathway to Joy and to happiness and to blessed communion with Father Son and Holy Spirit Well let us pray our gracious God we thank you for your word we thank you for the clarity of this regulative principle I pray that you would help us to to to embrace these things help us to engage in conduct that is consistent with the householder himself thank you that Jesus is the head of the church thank you that he is the legislative body thank you that we have his written and revealed word on how we are to approach such a glorious God go with us now bless and keep us by your grace and For Your Glory and we pray through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen amen close with a brief time of meditation e e e