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All right, you can turn to chapter 
22 in the Confession of Faith. We won't spend more than one 
session in this. We'll do a bit of an overview 
and touch on some of the particulars as we move our way through chapter 
22 of religious worship. and the Sabbath day, I'll read 
beginning in paragraph one, the light of nature shows that there 
is a God who hath lordship and sovereignty over all, is just, 
good, and doth good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, 
loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with 
all the heart and all the soul, and with all the might. but the 
acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by 
himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may 
not be worshipped 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. Religious 
worship is to be given to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 
and to Him alone, not to angels, saints, or any other creatures, 
and since the fall, not without a mediator, nor in the mediation 
of any other but Christ alone. Prayer, with thanksgiving, being 
one part of natural worship, is by God required of all men. 
"'but that it may be accepted it is to be made "'in the name 
of the Son, by the help of the Spirit, "'according to his will, 
with understanding, reverence, "'humility, fervency, faith, 
love, and perseverance, "'and when with others, in a known 
tongue. "'Prayer is to be made for things lawful "'and for all 
sorts of men living, "'or that shall live hereafter, but not 
for the dead, "'nor for those of whom it may be known "'that 
they have sinned the sin unto death. The reading of the scriptures, 
preaching, and hearing the word of God, teaching and admonishing 
one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing 
with grace in our hearts to the Lord, as also the administration 
of baptism and the Lord's Supper, are all parts of religious worship 
of God, to be performed in obedience to Him, with understanding, faith, 
reverence, and godly fear, Moreover, solemn humiliation with fastings 
and thanksgivings upon special occasions ought to be used in 
a holy and religious manner. Neither prayer nor any other 
part of religious worship is now under the gospel, tied unto, 
or made more acceptable by any place in which it is performed, 
or towards which it is directed. But God is to be worshipped everywhere 
in spirit and in truth, as in private families daily, and in 
secret each one by himself. So more solemnly in the public 
assemblies, which are not carelessly nor willfully to be neglected 
or forsaken, when God by his word of providence calleth thereto. 
as it is the law of nature that in general a proportion of time, 
by God's appointment, be set apart for the worship of God. 
So by his word, in a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment, 
binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed 
one day in seven for a Sabbath to be kept holy unto him, which 
from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ 
was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection of 
Christ was changed into the first day of the week, which is called 
the Lord's day. and is to be continued to the 
end of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the observation of the 
last day of the week being abolished. The Sabbath is then kept holy 
unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts 
and ordering their common affairs aforehand, do not only observe 
and wholly rest all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts 
about their worldly employment and recreations, but also are 
taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises 
of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy. Amen. Well, a very crucial chapter 
concerning worship and concerning the day upon which the church 
is to gather for the public worship of God. So basically, in terms 
of an outline of the chapter, you have the regulative principle 
of worship, in paragraphs 1 and 2. Secondly, the specific elements 
involved in worship in paragraphs 3 to 5. And it's an important 
distinction that we make when discussing worship between circumstances 
and elements. In chapter one, paragraph six, 
you see the government of circumstances, light of nature sorts of things, 
where there's not an explicit word from God about things or 
implication that is deduced by good and necessary consequence. 
The light of nature or general revelation shines a light and 
helps us in terms of circumstances. So circumstances are things like 
what time will the church gather, what color or what kind of hymn 
book will the church use, Will there be electricity? Will there 
be those things that are not commanded or concluded by a study 
of Scripture? Again, circumstances. Elements, 
however, are those things commanded by God in Scripture that are 
to be done. So light of nature shines the 
light upon circumstances, but it's a special revelation that 
shines the light upon the elements of worship. So the specific elements 
are indicated in paragraphs three to five. Then thirdly, you see 
the appropriate location for worship in paragraph six. Paragraphs 
7 and 8, you have the appointed day for worship, and that includes 
the institution of the Sabbath and the sanctification of the 
Sabbath. Again, just an overview. If there 
are questions along the way, is that okay, Wim? Okay, all 
right. So if you have a question, just 
raise your hand or something's not clear. So let's first look 
at the regulative principle of worship. There's a simple statement 
concerning the doctrine. We see again this appeal to the 
light of nature or what we call general revelation or even natural 
theology. The light of nature shows that 
there is a God who hath lordship and sovereignty over all. We 
know that He is just, good, and doth good unto all, and is therefore 
to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and 
served with all the heart and all the soul and with all the 
might. So as Paul indicates in Romans chapter 1, and then I 
think as well in Acts chapter 17, God is sovereign in the creation 
of the world. And he has revealed himself through 
the created order, specifically in terms of Romans chapter 1, 
his eternal power, his Godhead. We see it demonstrated through 
the effects it should lead us to the cause, and that is enough 
to induce man or to provoke man to worship Him and to glorify 
Him. But we see this other statement 
that follows on the heels of that, but the acceptable way 
of worshiping the true God is instituted by Himself. So general 
revelation reveals that there is a God. It reveals that He 
is to be feared, it reveals that He is to be loved, and it reveals 
that we are to do so with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength. 
But in terms of approaching this true and living God, because 
of sin and because of the abnormality of the situation we find ourselves 
in, special revelation is absolutely crucial. in order to dictate 
or mandate the way that the creature comes to the living and true 
God. So that's what the emphasis here is. The acceptable way of 
worshipping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited by 
his own revealed will, again, special revelation, the scriptures, 
that he may not be worshipped according to the imaginations 
and devices of men. We're not free to approach God 
in any old way that we want. We're not free to offer up strange 
fire. We're not free to engage in those 
things that are forbidden elsewhere in Scripture or that are not 
strictly commanded for us in terms of employment in the worship 
of the living and true God. So it must not be according to 
the imaginations and devices of men, nor the suggestions of 
Satan. It's unfortunate that that even 
has to be put into a confession of faith, but we know that the 
devil roams about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, 
and oftentimes we have seen or we know that the suggestions 
of Satan must be that principle that lay behind some of the approaches 
that have been undertaken by men. And then under any visible 
representations, again, a nod to the first and second commandment. 
First commandment defines the object of worship. The second 
commandment defines the manner of worship. We're not to have 
any other God before God or besides God. And that true and living 
God is to be worshipped in a manner that is consistent with His revealed 
will. So that's basically what the confession is highlighting 
at this particular point. So we have this under any visible 
representations or any other way not prescribed in the Holy 
Scriptures. So positively, the acceptable 
way of worshiping God is according to His revealed will. Negatively, 
don't do it if it's something that is according to your own 
imagination, if it's something that is done at the suggestion 
of Satan, if it is something that contradicts the Word of 
God in terms of the manner of approach. or any other way not 
prescribed in the Holy Scriptures. Again, we call that the regulative 
principle of worship. You see it inscripturated Deuteronomy 
12, 32, 1 Timothy 3, 15, Hebrews chapter 12, 28, and 29. And of 
course, the first and second commandments. Now, in terms of 
the historical context, I know we've covered this before, but 
it's most important. There was a difference in terms 
of how do we approach God. That difference continues today. 
If you look at Roman Catholicism, if you look at Lutheranism, if 
you look at Anglicanism, they have a two-fold approach to God. 
One, those things that are commanded, and two, those things that are 
not prohibited. For the Reformed, they said, 
no, it's only those things commanded. If it's not commanded, we're 
not free to do it. I mean, there's a lot of things 
not prohibited in the worship of God that I doubt the Lutherans, 
the Anglicans, and the Roman Catholics would be into. The 
Bible doesn't command us or doesn't forbid us bringing, I mean, it 
does by implication, bringing puppets to the altar and depicting 
the nativity and engaging in all those sorts of things. Well, 
of course, they'd say, well, we would never do that. Well, in that 
you have this principle that says you can do what is not forbidden, 
you have opened the door to that sort of a mindset. And so historically 
there was a difference between the Reformed on the one side, 
and then Lutherans, Anglicans, and Papists on the other side. 
And if you just go and visit churches today, I think that 
you'll see that much of evangelicalism is what is normative principle. So again, that which is commanded, 
but also that which is not forbidden. Bannerman said it was 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. So again, 
for Anglicans, Papists, and Lutherans, what is commanded, what is not 
prohibited, the only thing that limits them is what is forbidden 
in the scripture to do. He says, 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. 
Of course, you can see where the divines in Second London 
Confession fell out on that debate or argument. They would not be 
down with the normative principle. In fact, as we move through the 
confession, you'll see oftentimes that it's the specter of Roman 
Catholicism that's in the background in terms of a sparring partner. 
Well, that's certainly the case here. The acceptable way of worshiping 
the true God is instituted by himself. In other words, you're 
not supposed to have a continuing priesthood offering up continuing 
sacrifices, shaking incense at stations of the cross. This is 
forbidden, because it's not commanded by God in the Holy Scriptures. Williamson says, what is commanded 
is right, and what is not commanded is wrong. It's a great principle 
and one that we ought to imbibe. Practically speaking, as Terry 
Johnson says, to put it simply, in worship we pray the Bible, 
sing the Bible, read the Bible, and preach the Bible and see 
the Bible in the sacrament. So it's God's word-centric in 
terms of our approach to the Most High. So the acceptable 
way of worshiping the true God is instituted by Himself. And 
then in terms of the restriction, notice in paragraph two, religious 
worship is to be given to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 
and to Him alone. Again, that that has to be added 
is eventuated or necessitated by the Roman Catholics, not to 
angels, saints, or any other creatures. And since the fall, 
not without a mediator, nor in the mediation of any other but 
Christ himself, or Christ alone. We can't come to this God who 
is absolutely holy and glorious and wondrous and pure without 
a mediator. And that mediator is not the 
Pope of Rome. That mediator is not the priest 
at the local parish. That mediator is Christ alone. And the scriptures are very clear 
in that regard. So no Mary worship, no angel 
worship, nor any other thing. We see it's exclusive to God 
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to Him alone. So any questions 
there on the regulative principle of worship? Great. Now notice, secondly, 
you have the specific elements involved in worship in paragraphs 
3 to 5. Again, a distinction between 
circumstances. In fact, turn to chapter 1 and 
look at paragraph 6. Chapter 1, paragraph 6. The whole counsel of God concerning 
all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith, 
and life is either expressly set down or necessarily contained 
in the Holy Scripture, unto which nothing at any time is to be 
added, whether by new revelation of the Spirit or traditions of 
men. Nevertheless, we acknowledge 
the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary 
for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed 
in the Word. And so this statement that what 
we have is God speaking to us either explicitly or implicitly 
by good and necessary consequence, but we acknowledge that the inward 
illumination of the Spirit of God is necessary for the saving 
understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word. 
And that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God 
and government of the church common to human actions and societies, 
which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian 
prudence, according to the general rules of the word, which are 
always to be observed. So again, electricity, a pulpit, 
a particular hymn book, those are circumstances that you don't 
find chapter and verse or good and necessary consequence to 
indicate specifically what the mind of God is in that. So we 
have this statement in chapter 1, paragraph 6, on the sufficiency 
of Scripture. But they didn't interpret the 
sufficiency of Scripture being omni-comprehensive. There are 
things outside of scripture that the light of nature is sufficient 
to indicate for us. Take plumbing, for instance. 
The Bible doesn't speak specifically concerning plumbing, either by 
express statement or implicit deduction. But the light of nature 
does. If you want, you know, nasty 
things out of your house, get pipes and put them under the 
ground and lead those nasty things out of the house. God in general 
revelation speaks to us, and that's a good thing. And we ought 
not to minimize that or mitigate against that, but recognize that 
with reference to worship, it's the circumstances that churches 
can vary about, but not the elements. And so notice in paragraph three, 
prayer with thanksgiving being one part of natural worship, 
and this specifically highlights prayer, is by God required of 
all men. but that it may be accepted it 
is to be made in the name of the Son by the help of the Spirit 
according to His will." Remember that movement from God through 
Christ in the Spirit. That's how God blesses us and 
then in the Spirit through Christ to the Father we come to worship 
and to glorify Him. You see that movement In Ephesians 
1, in terms of God the Father through the Son in the Spirit, 
and then in Ephesians 2, we in the Spirit through the Son go 
to the Father. And the same emphasis is here. 
But that it may be accepted it is to be made in the name of 
the Son by the help of the Spirit according to his will. And then 
it gives us a manner or a disposition of heart with understanding, 
reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance, 
and when with others in a known tongue. I don't think that's 
specifically against the charismatic movement. Most likely Latin is 
in view as it was the case with the Roman 
Catholic Church. But it would certainly include 
tongue speaking by the charismatics. Tongue speaking by the charismatics 
is absolutely useless unless there's an interpreter. The whole 
concept of, you know, well, I pray to God in a tongue because the 
devil doesn't understand it. That's some of the things you 
hear in the modern charismatic movement. That's just weird at 
best and thoroughly unscriptural at worst. So what you have here 
is direction for prayer. And then it continues in paragraph 
four. Who do we pray for? Who is a 
lawful object for us to pray for? Prayer is to be made for 
things lawful. That's a good general statement. 
You don't pray that God blesses your career as a drug dealer, 
or blesses your career as a bank robber, or blesses your career 
in some other unsavory thing. Prayer is to be made for things 
lawful. and for all sorts of men living or that shall live 
hereafter." Again, what's excluded here is prayers for the dead, 
and that continues in the next clause. Again, something that 
is symptomatic or typical of the Roman Catholic Church. And 
you can pray for those not yet living. Of course, we can pray 
for posterity. We can pray that all generations 
shall call him blessed. We should pray certainly for 
all sorts of men living, or that shall live hereafter, but not 
for the dead, nor for those of whom it may be known that they 
have sinned the sin unto death. Now, the confession doesn't indicate 
how we may know that, but it certainly is an appeal to 1 John 
5. That's a difficult one. My general rule is if there's 
breath in the lungs, there's hope. I don't know, I don't have 
a crystal ball or the ability to know who of a truth has committed 
that particular sin unto death. I mean, as I look at the world 
around me, there's some that suggest having put themselves 
in that particular frame or disposition. But the idea is, is that no prayers 
for the dead. And then notice, as well, we've 
got those elements indicated specifically in paragraph five, 
both the ordinary elements and then occasional elements. So 
basically what you have is the means of grace. Means of grace 
are those things that we engage in under the direction of God's 
Word and by His Spirit, and God gives us grace in the doing of 
it. It's not a one-for-one formulation, as long as I do it, I'm going 
to get the grace. But, the idea is, is that you 
can engage and enjoy and delight in the glory of God on top of 
Mount Shem. Nobody's discounting that. It's 
not a means of grace. God in His kindness and His goodness 
may show you things in general revelation, rehearse in your 
mind special revelation. But the ordinary way that God 
blesses his people is when they come together in the corporate 
body and they engage in the things that are indicated here. And 
again, that doesn't mean not in the family, not as individuals. God gives us grace in the pursuit 
of those particular elements as well. But here specifically, 
the emphasis is on corporate worship. So the reading of the 
scriptures, preaching, and hearing the word of God, teaching and 
admonishing one another in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing 
with grace in our hearts to the Lord. as also the administration 
of baptism and the Lord's Supper are all parts of religious worship 
of God to be performed in obedience to Him." Again, the various proof 
texts there indicate that this is the case. When you look at 
the New Testament documents, you're not left wanting with 
reference to instruction on worship. Now, again, as I've said before, 
there's not an Exodus chapter, you know, 25 to 40 in the New 
Testament. There's nothing quite that detailed 
in the New Testament. But the New Testament epistles 
show us and flesh out for us what the public worship of God 
is supposed to look like, as does the book of Acts by way 
of description. When you see the book of Acts, 
in Acts chapter two, and they continued steadfastly in the 
word of God, in fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in 
prayers, that's basically indicative of what God wants for the church. Again, it describes for us, but 
the rest of the New Testament prescribes that specifically 
in terms of our approach to God. New covenant worship is simple. New Covenant worship does not 
have the trappings of Old Covenant worship. And the divines would 
say it's because the Jews in the Old Covenant were very sensual 
and carnal, not sensual sexual, but sensual fleshly, carnal, 
and that they needed those helps. They didn't walk as much by faith, 
but by sight. And so temple and priesthood 
and sacrifice and incense were all calculated for carnal people. And again, carnal shouldn't be 
interpreted as sinful, necessarily. But in the New Covenant, because 
we now have the Holy Spirit, because we have the mediation 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, we ought to expect simple worship. 
We ought not to think that there's going to be a priesthood, a temple, 
a sacrificial system. Why? Those things were all typical 
and pointed forward to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin 
of the world. Once the substances come, we don't go back to the 
shadows and the types. So all of these things should 
not be a surprise to us with a mindset that is rooted in the 
New Testament. And then the occasional elements 
are indicated at the end of paragraph five. Moreover, solemn humiliation 
with fastings and thanksgivings upon special occasions ought 
to be used in an holy and religious manner. That's not saying you 
have a Super Bowl party in connection with, you know, corporate worship 
on a Sunday morning, but there are seasons and times where thanksgivings 
upon special occasions ought to be used, and periods of solemn 
humiliation and fastings, they ought to be used in a holy and 
religious manner. So the specific elements involved 
in worship, in contrast with the, not contrast, but in connection 
with the circumstances, there is liberty in circumstances. 
Don't judge your brethren for the hymn book that they use, 
unless it's apostate. But when it comes to these elements, 
these are the things commanded by God. Any questions on those 
elements involved in worship? Nothing too surprising, I wouldn't 
imagine. All right, then notice, thirdly, the appropriate location 
for worship in paragraph six. So neither prayer nor any other 
part of religious worship is now under the gospel, tied unto, 
or made more acceptable by any place in which it is performed 
or towards which it is directed. Now, most likely, what's in view 
here is Old Covenant worship. There were strict laws and legislation 
pertaining to the location of worship. Remember Jesus' discussion 
with the Samaritan woman in John chapter four. He says the time 
is coming and now is when men will worship everywhere. Basically, 
it won't be tied to this particular mountain. It won't be tied to 
this particular place. Read Deuteronomy 12 for instance. It's the emphasis on a central 
sanctuary. And again, that was preventative 
maintenance for Old Covenant Israel. Basically, if they were 
allowed to worship wherever they had a hankering to, they would 
end up in sin. And so the central sanctuary, 
far from binding their conscience and being a straitjacket, was 
a means to prevent idolatry and a means to advance orthodoxy. But with reference to this particular 
paragraph, it indicates that that's not the case anymore. 
And again, the backdrop is certainly John chapter 4. So prayer, neither 
prayer nor any other part of religious worship is now under 
the gospel, tied unto, or made more acceptable by any place 
in which it is performed or towards which it is directed. So the 
idea being under the gospel, contrary to or in contrast to 
being under the law, not that there's no law in the gospel, 
but the law as a covenant, the covenant of works and the old 
covenant, the reference under the gospel distinguishes new 
covenant worship from old covenant worship. And of course, old covenant 
worship was tied unto and made more acceptable by places. tabernacle 
and temple. You were commanded to show up. 
You were commanded to be there. You were commanded to bring the 
sacrifice and to do those things that God had said. But under 
the gospel, that's not the case anymore. Wherever God's people 
are, scattered throughout the earth, where they are as churches 
meeting together, that is an appropriate place to worship 
our God. And then notice it goes on to 
say, but God is to be worshipped everywhere in spirit and in truth. 
Again, that's the language of Jesus in John chapter four, as 
in private families daily and in secret each one by himself, 
so more solemnly in the public assemblies of the church, obviously, 
which are not carelessly nor willfully to be neglected or 
forsaken when God by his word of providence call it thereto. 
So basically, church is a means by which we get into the presence 
of God. Again, you can get into the presence 
of God on the top of Mount Shem, but this is about religious worship 
in the corporate sense. And so there's a contrast between 
under the gospel and under the old covenant. It's not tied to 
tabernacle. It's not tied to temple. And 
again, if you look at the movement of redemptive history, that's 
necessarily the case. Why the tabernacle? Why the temple? To point us to the Lord Jesus, 
who is the true temple. So that when Jesus palms and 
Jesus fulfills, it's no longer the case that there's a place 
for a tabernacle or a place for a temple. Jesus is the true temple 
of the people of God, and we are the stones built in Him to 
construct that blessed place. So any questions there on the 
appropriate location for worship? So far so good. Yes, sir? Well, if we took everybody from 
our church and we went to the park or at the end of Korbold, 
it's the church, right? The church isn't the structure. 
It isn't the building. It's the people of God that are 
the living stone. So, yeah, I mean... Church building is helpful, it's 
nice, we all know where to go, and keeps the rain off us and 
all that sort of a thing, but it's the people of God, ultimately, 
that is the church. And so, yeah, I wouldn't shake 
my finger at them. But if you do, that's okay. I'm not going to shake my finger 
at you for shaking your finger at them. I'm not going to shake 
my finger at you for shaking your finger at them. I'm not going 
to shake my finger at you for shaking your finger at them. I'm not going to shake my finger at you 
for shaking your finger at them. I'm not going to shake my finger 
at you for shaking your finger at them. I'm not going to shake my finger at you for shaking 
your finger at them. I'm not going to shake my finger at you for shaking your finger at them. 
I'm not going to shake my finger at you for shaking your finger at them. I'm not going to shake 
my finger at you for shaking your finger at them. I'm not For me, pragmatically 
or practically, I think it's wrong. Again, I'm not shaking 
my finger, but what if a visitor shows up? You put your time on 
the website in hopes that people will come and visit your church, 
only to find a note on the door, oh, we're all at the lake. I 
don't know, I just don't think that's prudent. If you're asking 
my personal opinion, it's not necessarily sinful, but I don't 
think it's Christian prudence. I think the idea of being, having 
a building is a, a central sanctuary for, I'm just kidding, for the 
people to come and to hear the gospel. If the goal is, and the 
aim is, of course, they could say, look, the lake, there's 
a lot of people there, and you can tell them the gospel. But 
yeah, I think that if you do that practically, you're causing 
some issues. And hang on, and what about the 
people that can't get to the lake? They just have to miss 
church, and of course, they can't tune in to the lake, because 
they're not internet-related. So yeah, it's more problems than 
it's work. Yes. I was going to say, just like 
during COVID, there were lots of churches that, not lots, I 
shouldn't say lots, but there were some churches that she chose 
not to meet in their building, but to meet elsewhere. So under 
times or seasons, it may be necessary. Sure, and you know, the history 
of martyrdom in the church, Cominenters and Huguenot, you know, when 
you had a gathering of people out in the forest, that was the 
church of the Lord Jesus Christ. But all things being equal in 
a non-martyrdom situation, yeah, it's probably practically beneficial 
to meet the building. And yeah, I think you nailed 
the term, Tim, because I had a question earlier, but it's 
kind of solidifying now about the contrast, but the twofold 
indication of light of nature and Christian prudence. whatever it might be with our 
Christian minds informed by God in scripture, I think there are 
conclusions that can be drawn that, okay, you know what, this 
probably isn't conducive to proper worship. So I think, yeah, you 
nailed it with that term. I mean, it's hard enough to mitigate 
distractions if you're, you know, around a bunch of people wearing 
bikinis and shorts or whatever. I can't imagine that makes it 
any easier. So yeah, I think Christian improvement 
is slight in nature concerns there. Yes, sir. It was a big 
family over from Holland. And they were traveling from 
Calgary to Chilliwack, this thing of hotels. And they were in Revelstoke. 
And they were going to go to a local church. So they go there. And the sign that went down at 
the river said, we're doing baptisms today. So they went down to the 
river, and they watched the baptisms. So that was fun. Okay, that's 
great. Yep, sure. If it works out, it 
works out. I would imagine for everyone 
that says, yeah, we'll go down the river, the others would say, 
nah, we're not going down the river. All right, so next is 
the appointed day for worship. So under the gospel, there's 
no specific location in terms of worship. But under the gospel, 
there remains a specific day for worship. And when we look 
at the Ten Commandments, the fourth commandment is one of 
a series. We don't have the right or the 
freedom to get rid of one out of the ten. And so when we look 
at the Ten Commandments under the gospel or from a New Covenant 
perspective, how do we reckon with that fourth commandment? 
Now, there's obviously attempts on the part of some to reckon 
with it by exclusion. Oh, it's fulfilled in Jesus. 
Others reckon with it by negating the Ten Commandments and its 
utility for the church at all. That would be dispensationalism. 
The dispensationalist, his hermeneutic, when I talk about dispensationalism, 
it's not simply to pick on people that shouldn't be picked on. 
They should be picked on. I'm kidding. They have a view 
that there's a distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Not just there 
are ones a Jew and ones a Gentile, but theological distinctions 
between Jews and Gentiles. And so for instance, they would 
say that when at least old school, new schools modified it, but 
we'll just kind of give the generic view here. Christ came and the 
Jews didn't receive him, so he turned his attention to the Gentiles. 
So basically what we have is a parenthetical time right now. 
God's real interest is the Jews. All the promises made in the 
Old Covenant must be fulfilled to the Jews. Ethnic Israel. So at this particular time we're 
in this Gentile or church parenthesis. So once that's done, church is 
raptured out of the world, and then God's real interest for 
the Jews starts again. That ushers in this tribulation 
period, and then a millennial reign of our Lord Jesus, and 
physically from Jerusalem for a thousand years. This is, again, 
to miss the point by a lot. All the promises of God are yea 
and amen in Jesus, not ethnic Israel. A couple months ago now, 
we looked at John 15, 1, where Jesus says, I am the true vine. He co-opts language that was 
applied to Old Covenant Israel and says, I'm the true one. So 
going forward, we're not to look at a Jewish-Israeli sort of centricity. It's all about Jesus. So for 
the dispensationalist in this church age, or in this parenthesis, 
the Ten Commandments are not for us. It was given by God at 
Sinai for the Jews. So then in the Millennial Kingdom, 
the Ten Commandments will be back in play. Again, it's a very 
faulty approach to biblical hermeneutics. So when it comes, however, to 
the fourth commandment, we need to appreciate the two-fold element 
of that commandment. One, the moral principle, and 
then two, the positive, or sort of a ceremonial part. So the 
moral principle is one day out of seven, we're to worship God. 
Now in terms of the positive, whichever covenant that fourth 
commandment is existing in will dictate the terms upon which 
the people of God meet. That's basically what this section 
is saying, so let's look at it. as it is the law of nature that 
in general, a proportion of time, again, if the law of nature teaches 
us that there is a God, that he must be loved, feared, and 
worshipped, then the law of nature as well teaches us there ought 
to be a time that we do that. Now, is it as robust instruction 
as it is in special revelation? No, but that there is a God who 
deserves to be worshipped indicates at least at some level that I 
ought to engage in that worship. So as it is the law of nature 
that in general a proportion of time, by God's appointment, 
be set apart for the worship of God, so by his word, in a 
positive, moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men 
and all ages. Again, the dispensationalists 
would not like this. Dispensationalists would not 
join our church, not because of a different eschatology. You 
could be pre-Mill and affirm Second London. You can't be dispensational 
and affirm Second London. Now, I don't say that to be mean 
or unkind or vicious. I simply say it because if you're 
a dispensationalist, you're not going to jive with this. You're 
not going to have jived with Chapter 19. You're certainly 
not going to have jived with Chapter 7. There's going to be 
three big hurdles for a dispensationalist when it comes to Second London. 
Chapter 7, Chapter 19, and Chapter 22. They'd probably find some 
things to complain about along the way as well, but those three 
things. So if somebody comes to our church, 
let's say they're a dispensationalist, and they wanna join our church. 
Maybe they say, you know, all these other dispensationalist 
churches aren't that great, we wanna join. We would allow them, 
we would permit them, but I would say, you're gonna struggle when 
they preach on the fourth commandment as binding on the new covenant 
people of God, you're gonna think I'm a Judaizer. I would let them 
know that these are the things that we teach, these are the 
things that we hold to, here's the hermeneutic and the strategy 
and the methodology behind it, And this is what you're going 
to get? So if they're willing to go through that, great. But usually they're not, because 
this is a tough one. They see it as Judaizing. In 
a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in 
all ages, He hath particularly appointed one day in seven for 
a Sabbath to be kept holy unto Him. Now notice, we see this 
nod to Covenant, which from the beginning of the world to the 
resurrection of Christ was the last day of the week, Saturday. 
And from the resurrection of Christ was changed into the first 
day of the week, which is called the Lord's Day. and is to be 
continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the 
observation of the last day of the week being abolished. So 
we'll spend a little bit more time here because usually this 
is where the questions come. So from creation to Christ's 
resurrection. If you look specifically at Genesis 
chapter two, Genesis chapter 2 is foundational for Sabbatarianism. Genesis chapter 2, Sabbath does 
not begin at Sinai. I think this is a dispensational 
mistake and a mistake with others as well. They think that Sabbath 
begins at Sinai, and that's not the case. Notice in Genesis 2 
verse 1, thus the heavens and the earth and all the host of 
them were finished. And on the seventh day God ended 
his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day 
from all his work which he had done. Then God blessed the seventh 
day and sanctified it because in it he rested from all his 
work which God had created and made. That's the foundation, 
brethren, and that is the appeal at Sinai. When God through Moses 
commands Sabbatarianism in Exodus chapter 20, what's the appeal? For in six days, the Lord your 
God made the heavens and the earth. In other words, imitate 
him, pattern your lives after him, follow him in that particular 
trajectory, because that's the foundation. Notice Adam understood 
this because in Genesis chapter 4 you see an interesting phrase 
concerning Cain and Abel. And in the process of time it 
came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the 
ground to the Lord. The process of time, it's literally 
at the end of days. It's not the end of the days 
of the world, it's the end of the days of the week. Well, how 
did Cain and Abel even know to bring sacrifice? Look at chapter 
3, verse 21. Also for Adam and his wife, the 
Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed that. So Adam understood 
blood atonement. Adam passed or conveyed that 
knowledge down to Cain and Abel. Abel got it, Cain didn't as much, 
and so we see at the end of the days of the week they come to 
present their sacrifices. We see Exodus chapter 16, the 
provision of manna in the wilderness. What's God's command to them 
in the wilderness? To collect double on the sixth 
day. Why? So they're not out busying 
themselves on the seventh day. So that when you do get to Sinai 
in Exodus chapter 20, note how the commandment starts. Remember 
the Sabbath day to keep it. It's not this, well, I want to 
tell you now or have this long excursus between Commandments 
3 and 5 about this thing called Sabbath. No, remember what you've 
already been taught by God's pattern in Genesis chapter 2, 
Abel's obedience to in Genesis chapter 4, and what the children 
of Israel had already been tutored on in Exodus chapter 16. Remember 
that. And then note there in Exodus 
chapter 20, as I already mentioned, the appeal is to creation. Verse 
11, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, 
the sea and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore 
the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Turn to 
Deuteronomy 5. Deuteronomy basically means second 
giving of the law. It's not a new law that was secondly 
given, but it was the same law given to the generation that 
succeeded the wilderness generation. Remember the wilderness generation? 
They grumbled, they complained, they whined, God cut them off, 
and now on the plains of Moab, you've got the generation that's 
going to go in and conquer the land as God had commanded. But 
interestingly, there's a few differences as you work through 
the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. Not differences 
like, oh, I can't believe, on the one hand God says don't murder, 
and on the other hand he says do murder. No, there's a few 
stylistic differences, but specifically notice the fourth commandment 
in Deuteronomy 5. Observe the Sabbath day to keep 
it holy as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall 
labor and do all your work. This is verse 14 now. But the 
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you 
shall do no work. You, nor your son, nor your daughter, 
nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, 
nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who 
is within your gates, that your male servant and your female 
servant may rest with you." Now, here's a difference. And again, 
it's not a difference in kind, but it's an addition to a theology 
of the Sabbath. So in Exodus 20, creation, God's 
work of creation. But here in Deuteronomy 5, God's 
work of redemption. Notice in verse 5, and remember 
that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your 
God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched 
arm. Therefore, the Lord your God 
commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. So the twin themes of creation 
and redemption serve as arguments for Sabbath keeping. Now, we're 
not going to have time, and that's probably going to be a disappointment 
to some, maybe not, that Hebrews 4 argues for the day change in 
that same way. Creation and redemption. Old 
creation by the Father, new creation by the Son. And I don't mean 
old bad, old creation. By the Father, rest on the seventh 
day. New creation brought about by 
the Lord Jesus Christ rests on the first day. And then when 
you look at the New Testament, you see that particular paradigm 
or that particular pattern. But in terms of Sabbatarianism 
throughout the rest of the Old Testament, you have not just 
these statements, but you have the book of Isaiah. Isaiah chapters, 
you know, 56 and 58. They're about New Covenant realities, 
and they specify Sabbatarianism in those New Covenant realities. 
You turn to the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord and 
the law. Don't think that I came to abolish. 
I didn't come to abrogate, but rather to fulfill the law. And 
he does so, first, by his own act of obedience unto it, and 
secondly, by empowering us by the Spirit and sanctification 
to do those things that are pleasing in his sight. The Lord's resurrection, 
when does it happen? It happens on the first day of 
the week. We've got the Lord and his apostles 
in Troas, in Acts chapter 20. They were there for an entire 
calendar week, but they met on the first day to worship. 1 Corinthians 
16, when is money to be set apart for collection? on the first 
day of the week. John is in the Spirit on the 
Lord's day according to Revelation 1.10, which is the first day 
of the week. And then, of course, the statement 
in Hebrews chapter 4, which I would argue, well, Hebrews 4.9 tells 
us, therefore, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people 
of God. Now, of course, that's eschaton, 
but it's also now as down payment for and as anticipation of eschaton. It's the market day of the soul. 
The people of God love it. They want to be here. They want 
to enjoy that foretaste of the glory to come. And then the Lord 
and Liberty, Romans 14, Galatians 4, and Colossians 2, texts that 
are often employed to sabotage New Covenant sabotarianism, actually 
do no such thing. Romans 14 is Christian liberty 
in terms of meats offered to idols, or rather meats and drinks, 
and specific days. It's the Jewish calendar. Galatians 
4, same thing, Jewish calendar. The Jewish calendar included 
a lot more than just the Sabbath day. It included a whole host 
of things. And then Colossians 2, I think, 
refers to the abolishment of the occasional Sabbaths that 
you see in the Old Covenant. They're mingled with new moons. and feasts. These plural forms 
are used several times in the Old Covenant as a unit. So when 
Paul uses that same unit, he's not attacking the Fourth Commandment, 
he's going after the Jewish calendar that had made inroads into Gentile 
churches. Gentiles, it's good that you 
believe Jesus, but you need to get circumcised, and you need 
to follow the calendar. It's the calendar Paul's after, 
not the fourth commandment. So the abiding principle of the 
fourth commandment is for the people of God today. And that's 
a little bit of an amplification of what the confession is saying 
here. And then the chapter ends with the sanctification of the 
Sabbath in paragraph eight. The Sabbath is then kept holy 
unto the Lord when men, and I know that this paragraph is tough, 
okay? Does he know that this is tough? 
Yes, he knows that this is tough. He knows it practically. He knows 
it experientially. But brethren, when you look at 
the commandments of God in Toto, I think is the way to say that, 
They're all tough, right? You shall not commit adultery. 
That affects the looks. It affects the heart. So when they come to present 
Sabbatarianism, they present it in its most robust form. And in one of the most robust 
forms that probably none of us have ever kept in our lives. 
I mean, again, let's just read it. And ask yourself, am I going 
to do this today and did I do this last Sunday? The Sabbath 
is then kept holy unto the Lord when men, after a due preparing 
of their hearts and ordering their common affairs aforehand, 
do not only observe and wholly rest all the day from their own 
works, words, We don't talk about anything other than God's glory 
on the Lord's day. That's what it's saying. Again, 
it's the paradigmatic. This is what it looks like from 
their own thoughts. Don't think about tomorrow, brethren, 
in that business meeting you might have because you're a law-breaking, 
covenant-breaking transgressor of the fourth commandment. Notice 
about their worldly employment and recreations. Can you take 
a walk on Sunday? I mean, can you do anything? But also are taken up the whole 
time in the public and private exercises of his worship and 
the duties of necessity and mercy. I mean, I get scared going, you 
know, close to one hour and thirty. Everybody's going to lose their 
minds. Imagine if, you know, brethren, just settle in. Because 
we're going to take up this whole day in the exercise of holy thought. 
Again, it's presenting to us, as would the catechisms and the 
confessions present to us, don't steal. In all of its rigor, in 
all of its whatever. So you're at work, and for five 
minutes, you stole. And I don't mean actively took 
Post-it notes, but you didn't do as hard of work as you could 
have. Again, it's giving you what it's supposed to be, But 
I think that the divines themselves would understand that Jesus did 
die to save us, even from sins transgressing the fourth commandment. You know, Sabbatarianism is great, 
but there's these Sabbatarian cults, usually young guys that 
get to be in their bonnet, that are going to be the enforcement 
crew for everybody and everything with reference to Sabbatarianism. 
Oftentimes these guys can come across in, you know, obnoxious 
ways. Brethren, the commandments of 
God are there for us to instruct us normatively on how to live. 
But they are there as well to remind us that Jesus paid it 
all and caused us to reflect upon the goodness of the blood 
of the Lord Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all sin. Now, 
certainly aim for that. but certainly realize that when 
you fall short, you have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ 
the righteous. So let it not be the killing 
letter of the fourth commandment, but rather let it inform your 
conduct, your words, your thoughts, your mind, your heart, the whole 
shoot and match. But realize, just like with other 
commandments, when you fall short or when you break them, I hope 
you confess your sin, you forsake your sin, and you rejoice in 
the mercy of God to cover that sin in the blood of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Any questions or comments? 30 
seconds, yeah. but number five, you know, when 
it speaks about psalms, hymns, spiritual psalms, how do you 
address the subjective nature of that? You know, one person says, I 
just want only, I don't want music, I only want, or I want 
an organ, or I want to hold the whole band thing. Circumstances and elements. Circumstances 
and elements is where I would begin the conversation. For instance, 
musical instruments in the Old Covenant were commanded. They're 
not. in the New Covenant. I know that's 
a tough pill for a lot of people to swallow, but we have to, and 
this is usually what people do with musical instruments. They 
call them circumstances, which steps in then to the normative 
principle of worship. Well, it's not forbidden that 
we use drums or bongos. It's not forbidden that we don't, 
you know what I'm saying? So I would start the argument, 
and you're right, it's too big of an issue right now. I would 
start with circumstances and elements. Identify what's what. You cannot take the musical instrumentation 
in the tabernacle or temple as circumstances. They were very 
specifically commanded by God. When you get to the New Covenant, 
there's no such commandment. There's no commandment to have 
drums and a band and, you know, the guy shredding up there. So 
again, then I'd move on into the regulative and normative 
principle. And I'm about to paint myself into a corner, so we'll 
stop right there. But that is a good question. 
Those would be the categories I would think through. Circumstances, 
elements, regulative, normative. Does that make sense? And, you 
know, a good dose of what our generation needs to hear is it 
doesn't matter what you want. Oh, but I just like... It doesn't 
matter. Why should you, creature, sinful creature that you are, 
get to determine what you want in public worship? Last I checked, 
God the Lord is Lord of all and commands us what He wants. And so I'd probably throw that 
in there for good measure. It really doesn't matter what 
you want. It matters what God says. And 
that, going back to the beginning in paragraph one, but the acceptable 
way of worship is described, defined, and commanded by God 
alone. Burn the bongos. No, I'm kidding. 
All right, well, let's pray, and then we'll move into public 
worship. Father, thank you for this time that we can gather 
together. Thank you for this confession of faith. We do not 
confess it as an infallible or authoritative document the way 
the scriptures are. But we thank you. They're a good 
compendium, a good summary statement of what Scripture teaches. Pray 
for your blessing as we go into worship. We pray again for your 
blessing upon the Word. May the Holy Spirit come upon 
us. May we receive that Word. May it be unto salvation for 
the sinner. May it be unto edification for 
your people. And we ask through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen.