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I'm going to read from Chapter 
22, Paragraphs 1 and 2, and then Paragraph 5. If you've been with 
us, you'll know why I'm skipping a couple paragraphs, and we'll 
sort of explain that after we read. But I'm going to read Paragraphs 
1, 2, and 5 of Chapter 22 of religious worship and the Sabbath 
day. 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 imagination 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. 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 an holy and religious manner. So we have, remember 
last time we looked at prayer. The first session we looked at 
the fact that worship is disclosed clearly or its obligation is 
disclosed by the light of nature, that creation and providence 
disclose that there is a God and that that God is to be worshipped 
and he is to be worshipped in the manner specified with godly 
fear, reverence and awe and with all the heart, mind, soul and 
strength. As well though, the acceptable way of worshiping 
that one true God made known by creation is disclosed only 
by his inspired word. The imaginations and devices 
of men are not to come into play with regards to our worship, 
but rather worship is solely and alone prescribed by God alone 
in his holy word. And nothing else is to be added 
nor taken away from that. Last time we looked at prayer 
and we noted that prayer is introduced first as the first constituent 
part of worship. Worship generally considered 
again is commanded by God in the holy scriptures and prayer 
specifically considered is the first part of worship mentioned 
here in the confession. Now we move in paragraph five 
to a number of other things that the confession discloses with 
respect to the parts of worship. So we're going to look at the 
content of paragraph five under five considerations. First, the 
Word of God. Secondly, songs to God. Thirdly, 
ordinances from God. Fourthly, the worshippers disposition 
before God. And then lastly, occasional worship 
to God. But first thing we want to remind 
ourselves of is that there is an intimate connection between 
this chapter and specifically this paragraph and again the 
stuff of Chapter 14 in paragraph one, God has ordained means whereby 
we are to grow by his grace in our faith. And chapter 14, paragraph 
one, uh, specifically speaks to that. My fingers would work 
properly. They'd be able to, there we go. 
Chapter 14, paragraph one, the grace of faith whereby the elect 
are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls is the 
work of the spirit of Christ in their hearts. Now notice, 
and is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the word, by 
which also and by the administration of baptism and the Lord's Supper, 
prayer, and other means appointed of God, it is increased and strengthened. We see here the means of grace 
that God has ordained whereby we as Christians can grow in 
the faith. And here it's clearly listed, the word of God, baptism 
and the Lord's Supper, prayer, and other means appointed by 
God. Well, we find ourselves in chapter 22, and we find all 
of those things restated in the confines of how God prescribes 
he is to be worshipped. We see prayer first, as we looked 
at last Lord's Day. Now we see the word of God set 
forth, and we also see baptism and the Lord's Supper. And then 
if you're scratching your heads wondering in Paragraph 1 of Chapter 
14, what the other means ordained by God are, the mystery is solved 
here. Moreover, solemn humiliation 
with fastings and thanksgivings upon special occasions ought 
to be used in an holy and religious manner. So Chapter 22, Paragraph 
5, well, Paragraphs 3, 4, and 5 open up for us the means of grace 
within the context of Christian worship. And so how do we grow 
in faith? How does God, by his grace, strengthen 
us and grow us in our faith? Well, within the blessed and 
safe confines of the worship of God in the church, and as 
the confession will say later, as well in private families daily 
and in secret, each one by himself. But the thrust here and the thrust 
closing out the chapter is with respect to religious worship 
that publicly in the Church of God. So also I think one thing 
that we ought to have in the back of our minds as we have 
been studying and as we do study the worship of God is remember 
what Christ's words were prior to his ascension in the Great 
Commission. All authority in heaven and on earth has been 
given to me. Go therefore and baptize Go, 
therefore, and disciple the nations, baptizing them in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and commanding 
them to observe all that I have instructed you." And so we have 
in worship much of what Christ has commanded his apostles and 
his church to do in the sphere of Christianity. We obey all 
that God has commanded us to do in the Holy Scriptures. Now 
when we talk about the constituent parts of worship, we're not talking 
about just checking off a liturgical checklist. You know what liturgy 
means, it simply means the formal arrangement of worship. Our liturgy 
when we go to worship is we pray to God, we open up with a call 
to worship, we pray, we sing hymns, we read the scriptures, 
we preach those scriptures, and we close in prayer and with a 
doxology and with a benediction, those sorts of things. Well, 
the constituent parts of worship, we're not just checking off a 
liturgical checklist when we do those parts of worship. Hopefully, 
we understand that there is a divinely ordained reality to those things 
that we do in worship, and the manner in which we are to do 
them is with understanding, faith, reverence, and godly fear. So 
it is not just following through with a formal arrangement of 
things. but rather it is following through with a formal arrangement 
of things, understanding their divine source, and understanding 
that we are to be joyfully and with genuine hearts engaging 
in those things. So first off then, the Word of 
God. Notice what the Confession says. After introducing prayer 
as a part of worship, we then see the Word of God. The reading 
of the Scriptures, paragraph 5 says, preaching and hearing 
the Word of God. So the first constituent part 
of worship pertains to the Word of God. And remember that connection 
then to Chapter 1. Chapter 1 is of the Holy Scriptures. And so if it is the case that 
as Chapter 1 states, the Holy Scriptures are most necessary, 
The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible 
rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. If that's 
the case, then no doubt it is a very important part of worship, 
isn't it? If it is the Holy Scripture, if the Holy Scripture is this 
only source, this only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule 
of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, then it most certainly 
is an important part of worship. And as that paragraph ends, which 
maketh the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary, those former 
ways of God's revealing his will unto his people being now ceased. You see, the importance of the 
Holy Scriptures are set forth by the confession and, of course, 
set forth by the Holy Scriptures themselves. And so when we see 
that the Word of God read, preached, and heard is vital or is a constituent 
part of worship, hopefully we understand clearly that reality 
and the importance of it. This touches upon sola scriptura, 
that principle of the Reformation, the Bible alone, the scriptures 
alone. We come to the scriptures and 
we find them as the only rule of saving knowledge, faith, and 
obedience. And we must understand, a question 
is often asked, well, you cessationists, those who believe that the spiritual 
gifts, tongues, prophecy, and knowledge to use that threefold 
summation. You guys who say that the spiritual 
gifts are no longer for today, well, how does God speak to you 
then? How is it that God speaks to us? Well, he speaks to us 
in his holy scriptures. But you see, if it is to be understood, 
then, well, that's just, you mean that we have to, if we don't 
have a Bible, then God, you know, God won't speak to us, or we 
must have some sort of text in front of us and read it or else 
God is unable to speak to us? Is it just the words themselves? If we understand the proper doctrine 
of the Word of God and Christianity with respect to salvation, we'll 
understand this then when we read in paragraph 5 of chapter 
1. And it talks about the Holy Scriptures. It closes it off by stating, 
Yet notwithstanding our full persuasion and assurance of the 
infallible truth and divine authority thereof is from the inward work 
of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the word in our hearts. Do you see the importance here 
or the glory of the position that we have here with regards 
to the word of God and worship? God has spoken in his word. He 
has spoken in this infallible rule of all saving faith and 
obedience. And the spirit works by and with 
that word in our hearts, illuminating us by the word. There are blessed 
and safe confines to be had In this reality that God speaks 
to us solely in his word and his holy spirit is given that 
we might be Illuminated that our minds might be opened up 
and strengthened and that we might grow in the knowledge of 
him The first thing that we have here in the confession set forth 
is the reading of the scriptures hopefully and you understand 
if you've been worshiping with us for any amount of time, that 
that's one of the first things that we do. In fact, it is the 
first thing that we do when we gather together for worship. 
Prior to entering into the formal and official worship, we may, 
you know, make a couple announcements, but then the worship begins and 
we open up with a call to worship, which is a reading of the scriptures. 
And if you have your Bibles with you, you can open up to the book 
of Acts and chapter 13. Just to see some things here 
in the connection to worship and the word of God in Acts chapter 
13. In fact, Pastor Butler referenced 
this in his preaching last Lord's Day in Acts 13. Notice what we 
have here with respect to the reading of the word, and this 
would connect as well to the preaching of the word. But we're 
moving along in Acts first here and then to another location. 
But notice in Acts 13, at verse 15, and after the reading of 
the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent 
to them saying men and brethren if you have any word of exhortation 
for the people say on. Now hopefully you see here that 
it's a regular practice to gather together in the synagogue at 
this particular point in redemptive history and to read from the 
law and the prophets. They would read from the Old 
Testament the Holy Scriptures. And as well, we'll be looking 
at this in a moment, we're just considering the reading of the 
Word now, but notice as well, men and brethren, if you have 
any word of exhortation for the people, say on. The reading of 
the Scriptures and the exposition of those Scriptures, they would 
elucidate that which was read to the gathered audience. You can turn to Acts 15, verse 
21, just a couple pages to the right, Acts 15, And verse 21, 
for Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach 
him in every city being read in the synagogues every Sabbath. You see, it was the Old Testament 
practice on the Sabbath day to read the scriptures and to preach 
the scriptures. In fact, Christ himself did this 
as well, didn't he? In Luke chapter four, a lot of 
Bible turning. Get your coffee there and you're 
awake and be ready to flip your fingers through much Bible in 
Acts. Excuse me, Luke four. Notice, of course, it was the 
practice of Christ as well. And verse 16 of Luke four, speaking 
of Christ. So he came to Nazareth where 
he had been brought up. And as his custom was, he went 
into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. You see, Christ, it was the custom 
of Christ to do as well, no doubt, that which God, his God, had 
commanded him to do. He, as his custom was, he went 
into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. Christ's custom, as our custom 
should be, is to read the scriptures on the Sabbath day. Remember, 
again, the reason that we do so is not simply liturgy. It 
is because God has commanded it. It is because, as well, that 
God speaks to us in and by his word, the Holy Spirit making 
it effectual and applying it. And so the reading of the scriptures 
is a normative custom, both in the Old Testament as well as 
in the New. And notice as well that with 
the reading of the scriptures, and you can turn to Revelation 
1, with the reading of the scriptures comes a blessing to those who 
read or who hear. There is a blessing that comes 
to those. Notice in Revelation 1.3, blessed 
is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy 
and keep those things which are written in it. for the time is 
near. The reason we come, the reason 
that we read the Holy Scriptures in worship is because it's commanded, 
is because God speaks to us in his word. And it's because by 
it we gain a blessing from God. Remember chapter 14 in paragraph 
1, our faith is strengthened from on high through those things 
listed and ordained by God, one of which is the word of God. And here we have That opened 
up first as the reading of the scriptures. And secondly, the 
preaching of the word. The preaching of the word. Notice 
as well the confession says, first the reading of the scriptures, 
preaching. So preaching of the word of God 
is, no doubt, a part of worship. And this is not just confined 
to the New Testament. We have the reality in Nehemiah 
where Ezra stands up and he preaches, he opens up and he preaches the 
word of God and those that are gathered there listen to the 
word of God and we see something of the reality of expository 
preaching. He opens up the things of the 
word in order to give a word of admonition to the gathered 
assembly. You see, the preaching of the 
Word of God is something that has been a normative custom of 
God's gathered church throughout the ages. You can note there, 
Nehemiah 4-8, where we find that particular passage. Now, as well, 
you can turn to 2 Timothy to see the vital nature of the preached 
Word. 2 Timothy, this is the same sort 
of location where we're at in Pastor Butler's evening expositions 
on the Lord's Day, and 2 Timothy 4, notice what we find there. I charge you therefore, this 
is Paul to Timothy, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who 
will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his 
kingdom, preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, 
convince, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and teaching. 
You see the command, the apostolic command given to Timothy within 
the safe and blessed confines of the church of the living and 
true God is this emphatic command, preach the word. There is an 
absolute necessity to the word preached. Remember that the preaching 
of the word is the central focus of the day of worship, obviously 
worship is to terminate upon our blessed God. But there is 
a centrality to the preached word on the day of worship. Preaching 
isn't something added on after the worship, and it's not something 
that precedes some closing to worship. But rather, it takes 
up much of the heart of the gathered assembly's approach to God in 
worship and Hopefully we can understand as we move along something 
of the importance of that. The Second Helvetic Confession 
in Chapter 1 says something very striking 
and very important with regards to preaching. In Chapter 1 of 
the Second Helvetic Confession, it's the chapter on the Holy 
Scriptures. There's a paragraph that states this, the preaching 
of the word of God is the word of God. That's how the paragraph 
starts. The preaching of the word of 
God is the word of God. Wherefore, when this word of 
God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, 
we believe that the very word of God is proclaimed and received 
by the faithful and that neither any other word of God is to be 
invented nor to be expected from heaven, and that now the word 
itself which is preached is to be regarded, not the minister 
that preaches, for even if he be evil and a sinner, nevertheless 
the word of God remains still true and good." See the importance 
of the word preached. This is why we have the confession 
saying later, with understanding faith, reverence, and godly fear. The word is being preached isn't 
just a man up there, you know, speaking words when a preacher 
lawfully called is preaching the word of God. It's not just 
a man up there speaking words. It is God through his tool, the 
minister speaking to his people, his own words, the words of God. That's why we have to approach 
it with hearts of understanding, faith, reverence, and godly fear. 
We are to prepare ourselves when we go into that place of worship 
for all of the aspects of worship that we're engaging in, but at 
the point we're at right now, we need to prepare our hearts 
for the preaching of the Word. We should pray, not just for 
the minister in the pulpit, that in a moment, but for our own 
hearts, that God would, by His Spirit, prepare us, conform us, 
have us in a place of attentive focus, because the preaching 
of the Word of God is the Word of God. We ought to be in prayer 
for the minister as well. That's why we pray for the minister. 
Not just that he'd get a shot in the arm, and he'd feel great 
in the pulpit, and he'd feel exhilarated and that sort of 
thing for being a minister of the gospel, but that God through 
him would proclaim his word, that word that is still true 
and good. We ought to pray for ourselves 
and for the minister understanding the high and heavy event that 
the preaching of the Word of God is in the worship of the 
living and true God. Mahler says that preachers are 
servants and instruments of the living Word. So ministers in 
the pulpit are. You know, they're not ministers 
for themselves, they're ministers for you, by God, by the living 
and true word, so that you might own the Christ. You might own 
our God, His Christ, and the glory of the gospel, and that 
you might be strengthened to walk in your faith. Preachers 
are servants and instruments of the living word. And so hopefully 
we see the importance of the preaching of the word as a part 
of worship. calls us from out of darkness into His marvelous 
light by His Spirit and Word. He commands us to gather together 
in His churches so that that same Spirit can, by that same 
Word, strengthen us and grow us in our most holy faith. You 
see, it isn't the utility and the glory of the Word of God 
and the Spirit of God isn't confined to the point of our conversion. 
Praise God for the word of the gospel coming to us and the spirit 
of God coming to us in conversion. But praise God for the word of 
God preached and that spirit attending unto that preached 
word in the gathered assembly on the Lord's Day Sabbath. So 
we might be grown, so that we might grow and that we might 
be strengthened in our most holy faith. You see, if we remember 
with great joy, if we can recall with great joy or dwell upon 
with great joy the day of our conversion, where we were brought 
from out of the madness of sin, the darkness and death of sin, 
to life and light in Christ Jesus the Lord, should we not look 
with great joy and anticipation to every Lord's Day Sabbath? 
To every time the church is gathered together where God speaks through 
his servant, the preacher, the living word. You see, I think 
we can very often reflect inordinately, though we ought to reflect, but 
inordinately on our own conversion and our own spiritual reality 
that were regenerated and justified, the work of the Holy Spirit by 
the word upon our own hearts and souls. To the point of imbalance, 
shun the blessed and ordained means whereby God strengthens 
us in our salvation, in our faith, and in our walk with him. The 
gathered assembly, the church of the living God. It is not 
a small thing, the gathered church. It is an absolutely vital and 
important thing. And the preaching of the word 
of the living and true God is absolutely vital in that. The 
hearing. of the Word. The Confession says 
the reading of the Scriptures, preaching, and hearing of the 
Word of God. I know the Westminster does, 
but I can't remember if the Savoy does, but I know the Westminster 
does, introduces the conscionable hearing, the Word of God. Now, 
our Confession later adds understanding, faith, reverence, and godly fear 
to qualify that. But we are to hear the Word, 
and hopefully you understand that when you hear the Word read, 
and when you hear the Word preached, It is to come in that flavor 
of conscionable. We are to have our minds at work, 
recognizing the value and the importance of the word of the 
living and true God, and to hear it with that disposition of mind, 
understanding the highness and the heaviness of the occasion. 
But we are to hear the word of God in worship. Perhaps one of 
the most clear passages on the importance of the word, actually 
both preached and heard, the emphasis on hearing is in the 
book of Romans, in Romans 10. No doubt this is a passage of 
scripture familiar with you. Faith comes by hearing and hearing 
by the word of God. But notice all of the other things 
that are introduced there that touch upon what we've already 
discussed, what we are discussing. Notice in Romans 10, beginning 
in verse 13. Romans 10, beginning in verse 
13, for whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him 
in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in 
him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without 
a preacher? And how shall they preach unless 
they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful 
are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring 
glad tidings of good things. But they have not all obeyed 
the gospel, for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our report? 
So then, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. 
You see, the clarity of that passage with regards to the significance 
and the importance of the word heard. The word heard only comes, 
of course, as well by the word preached. You see, The connection 
here, the biblical weight testifying to this threefold reality to 
the word of God in worship, the scriptures are read, those read 
scriptures are preached, and of course, those read and preached 
scriptures are heard. And faith comes by hearing and 
hearing by the word of God. And our strength in faith is 
grown and it is nourished by the same exercise of the read, 
preached, and heard word. This is Bollinger on the stuff 
of Romans 10. This is a longer quote, but it 
hopefully speaks to the importance in a way that I can't verbalize. Bollinger. And yet we have to 
consider here that God, in giving and inspiring faith, doth not 
use his absolute power or miracles in working. But a certain ordinary 
means agreeable to man's capacity, although he can indeed give faith 
without those means, to whom, when, and how it pleaseth him, 
but we read that the Lord hath used this ordinary means even 
from the first creation of all things, whom he meaneth to bestow 
knowledge and faith on, to them he sendeth teachers, by the word 
of God, to preach true faith unto them. not because it lieth 
in man's power, will, or ministry to give faith, nor because the 
outward word spoken by man's mouth is able of itself to bring 
faith, but the voice of man and the preaching of God's word do 
teach us what true faith is, or what God doth will and command 
us to believe. For God himself alone by sending 
His Holy Spirit into the hearts and minds of men, doth open our 
hearts, persuade our minds, and cause us with all our heart to 
believe that which we by His word and teaching have learned 
to believe." See the importance of the preached word and the 
word heard. You know, this is why with all 
of you, but with children, Never call the day of preaching a day 
of small things, a day where our ears can be turned off or 
a day where we're just hearing a man talk as if we could go 
in somewhere else and hear a man who works for a candy company 
talking about the blessings of the new color of Skittles. He 
might stand up and for 45 minutes speak of the virtue of hard shell 
candy. might be able to do so with articulation. It might sound great and you 
can't wait to eat the new banana-flavored Skittle or whatever. You see 
a man standing in the pulpit preaching the Word of God is 
not tantamount to a man talking about the newest flavor of Skittles. 
You might even talk for a less amount of time, but what he's 
bringing to you is of the utmost importance. If you're unsaved... bringing the stuff of everlasting 
life and the judgment of God, the holiness of one who is infinite, 
eternal, and unchangeable in his justice. The glory of one 
who cannot look upon sin without punishing. The glory of Christ, 
who is the blessed answer to the condition of your heart. You're dead in your trespasses 
and sins, and yet there is this Christ who by the perfection 
of his work brings you to everlasting life, all those who believe. 
The importance of the preached word and the heard word, the 
read and the preached and the heard word is absolutely clear 
from the Holy Scriptures in our confession, rightfully stressing 
its importance. And before we move on to Songs 
to God, just a couple things there with regards to the Word 
of God. First off, the proper pattern 
of what we can call apostolic preaching, is something that 
should be recapitulated or should be repeated by the preachers 
of the gospel in our modern age. When that word is read and preached 
and heard, it should be done within the safe confines of what 
we find in the scriptures. In other words, it's not just 
moralistic, therapeutic preaching to a gathered mass in order for 
them to do to do better in their, you know, in their daily walk. 
But it is Christo-centric and it is, it's gospel-centered. 
The preaching of the word comes and it comes after a particular 
pattern in the, in the holy, in the holy scriptures. For example, 
Bruce, with regards to preaching in the book of Acts, talking 
about the, the kerygma of the apostles, that simply means the 
pattern of preaching. Whenever you hear kerygma or 
If you ever heard that, well, you just did. You know that that 
means the pattern of preaching. What is the structure to the 
preached word? Bruce says, with regards to Acts, 
the early apostolic kerygma regularly falls into four parts, which 
may be summarized thus. The announcement that the age 
of fulfillment has arrived, a rehearsal of the ministry, death, and triumph 
of Jesus, citation of OT scriptures, which fulfillment whose fulfillment 
in these events proved Jesus to be the Messiah, a call to 
repentance. Those are four things. These 
four elements are present in Peter's proclamation here, that 
is Acts 2. He has already announced that 
the age of fulfillment has come. Now he rehearses the story of 
Jesus. All of that to say there is a 
pattern of preaching that the scriptures bring out. We shouldn't 
want any other sort of preaching save for that which the Bible 
brings to us by narrative and command, and that which is Christward 
in its trajectory, and Christ-filled in its content. And there are 
going to be passages that a preacher preaches on that will be maybe 
from the Old Testament. If someone was to preach from 
Esther, you might be wondering, well, how are we to connect that 
to Christ? Well, there might be much pertaining 
to the history nation of Israel in that particular time under 
the Persian king and all of those sorts of things. Hopefully at 
some point, though, you understand and hopefully at some point the 
preacher helps you to understand that the revelation of the Old 
Testament, while multifaceted in its presentation and delivery, 
always comes to us delivered in this peculiar flavor. As Christ 
says in Luke 24, the law and the prophets and the Psalms all 
spoke concerning me. And so the delivery, the proper 
pattern of preaching is to be such that it sees Christ as the 
scope of Scripture. He is the glorious intended terminus 
of all that came before Him in revelation, in type, in shadow, 
in ceremony, in washing, in sacrifice. The Word of God. Secondly, songs 
to God is here in paragraph 5 brought out as an element of worship. 
Songs to God. And notice what we find here 
after the stuff of the word, teaching and admonishing one 
another in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with 
grace in our hearts to the Lord. That is a part of worship, songs 
to God. Notice one thing that we have 
here is a connection to the doctrine of the church. This language 
here of teaching and admonishing one another. We're going to look 
at the purpose of songs to God in a moment. But notice here, 
teaching and admonishing one another. It doesn't just say 
that a constituent part of worship is singing hymns. That would 
be fine if the confession said that. But there is extra information 
and helpful information here speaking to a horizontal reality 
in the singing of hymns. We don't just come and sing hymns 
in order to sing hymns. We don't just sing hymns in order 
to you know, sing to ourselves or to, you know, to feel really, 
really swell and emotional in our hearts when we're gathered 
together in worship. But there is a teaching and admonishing 
aspect to it. Notice if you can turn in your 
confession with me to chapter 26. This is why, hopefully, as 
we go about our lives in Free Grace Baptist Church and you 
always are reminded of the importance of the gathered assembly on the 
Lord's Day Sabbath, hopefully you start to see the importance 
of that as we rehearse it and repeat that time and again notice 
in the doctrine of the church in chapter 26 at paragraph 5 
in the execution of this power where with he that is Christ 
is so entrusted the Lord Jesus call us out of the world unto 
himself through the ministry of his word by his spirit those 
that are given unto him by his father that they might walk before 
him in all the ways of obedience which he prescribeth to them 
in his word. Those thus called he commandeth 
to walk together in particular societies or churches, notice, 
for their mutual edification and the due performance of that 
public worship which he requireth of them in the world. Part of 
our mutual edification, our mutual edification comes when we gather 
together and we go about the due performance of our public 
worship. And you see that brought out here in the doctrine of worship. Psalms and hymns and spiritual 
songs are such that they're commanded by God to be sung so that you 
and I might teach and admonish one another. When we sing amazing 
grace, that isn't just so our hearts can be warmed. and before 
God, though hopefully your hearts are warm before God as you sing 
Amazing Grace. But you see, there might be a 
brother or a sister in a pew that's struggling with their 
salvation. They're doubting their salvation. They're being perhaps stolen 
away by some sort of inkling that their blessed assurance 
is linked to their own performance. And yet, You start to sing amazing 
grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once 
was lost, but now I'm found, was blind, but now I see. The 
words, they ring true to their hearts, and they understand it's 
amazing grace that caused my heart to fear. It's amazing grace. Or perhaps they have an issue 
with self-righteousness, and their hearts are being stolen 
away onto some sort of idea that they're The same sort of thing, except 
positively so, that they're standing before God by virtue of a right 
position in their own performance of those things commanded by 
Him. We sing a hymn such as, Arise, my soul, arise, shake 
off thy guilty fears. The bleeding sacrifice in my 
behalf appears. That actually goes to both of 
those persons at that time, and they realize the only reason 
they stand before God The only reason their soul can arise to 
the worship of God is because a bleeding sacrifice stands before 
them. So when we sing hymn 402 and 
when we sing hymn 223, we're not just singing it so we might 
get a kick in our step and our hearts might be warmed. We're 
singing that so that by our voices a brother and sister might be 
lifted up in the worship of their God and in their walk with Christ. 
Notice paragraph six as well in chapter 26, the members of 
these churches are saints by calling, visibly manifesting 
and evidencing in and by their profession and walking, their 
obedience unto that call of Christ and do willingly consent to walk 
together according to the appointment of Christ, giving up themselves 
to the Lord and one to another by the will of God and profess 
Subjection to the ordinances of the gospel. So then back in 
chapter 22, those ordinances of the gospel are what? These 
particular elements of worship given to, not only, but these 
peculiar elements of worship given to us. One of them being 
these songs and hymns and spiritual songs by which we teach and admonish 
one another. And so the purpose of songs to 
God, notice this is, I would want to say, secondarily so. 
Because the purpose of songs to God is stated first when we 
say songs to God. They're songs to God. Notice 
later it says, grace in our hearts to the Lord. There is a vertical 
primacy to him seen in that we're worshiping God and that they 
go up to the throne of God in worship of him. But the horizontal 
secondary aspect is that they are for the teaching and admonishing 
of one another. specific Bible text in view, 
there's probably two in that language in the confession. The 
first is in Colossians 3 and verse 16. In fact, it's almost 
verbatim from Colossians 3, 16 and Ephesians 5, 19, but notice 
in Colossians 3, 16. And then I want to read a bit 
of Calvin on that. Colossians 3 and verse 16. Let the word of Christ dwell 
in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one 
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with 
grace in your hearts to the Lord. It's almost as if not, it's not 
as if because, you know, while it is God's word, he inspired 
it and that sort of thing. So he would have had the 1689 
in view, just joking. But notice what we have here. 
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. We have the word 
of God as we've already touched upon in paragraph five. Let the 
word of God dwell in you richly. How does that happen? It happens 
by the reading and by the preaching and by the hearing the word of 
God. But then we're considered with this. Now we're considering 
this. Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns 
and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to 
the Lord. That is what the confession by verbatim restating brings 
out here with regards to a constituent part of worship. And this is 
Calvin on the singing of hymns there. Leave to unbelievers that 
foolish delight which they take from ludicrous and frivolous 
jests and witticisms. And let your communications, 
not merely those that are grave, but those also that are joyful 
and exhilarating, contain something profitable. in place of their 
obscene or at least barely modest and decent songs, it becomes 
you to make use of hymns and songs that sound forth God's 
praise." He's saying whether the hymn is one that perhaps 
isn't the most joyful, perhaps it's singing about the threatenings, 
the severe threatenings of God, perhaps it's one of those ones 
that speak in a sense to something that is It is the demand for 
the worshipper to be marked by this reverential awe and fear. 
Or if it's a joyful and exhilarating hymn, perhaps the first is a 
slower beat with a slower cadence and that sort of a thing. Perhaps 
the second one has a more upbeat beat to it. Whatever it is, whether 
grave or joyful and exhilarating, hymns are to contain something 
profitable. and we admonish one another in 
our hymns. That's why we don't just go off 
and do a three-minute interlude on a guitar and a keyboard. But 
we have a content-rich psalm or hymn that contains words that 
are intelligible, words that make sense, words that are scripturally 
rich and only scripturally rich so that We can do something profitable 
over and against the heathen, over and against those things 
that are at least, that are either obscene or in the least only 
barely modest and decent. We are to sing those things in 
church, those psalms and hymns and spiritual songs so that they 
might be profitable. The purpose of songs to God is 
that they would teach and admonish one another. As well, Gill on 
this in Ephesians 5, it's some of the same language he says, 
Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. It's not a mental praising 
of God, for it is called speaking and teaching and admonishing. 
But it is a praising of God with the modulation of the voice and 
is rightly performed when the heart and voice agree. When there 
is a melody in the heart as well as in the tongue, for singing 
and making melody in the heart is singing with or from the heart 
or heartily of as elsewhere with grace. and which the Alexandrian 
copy reads here, that is, either with gratitude and thankfulness 
or with grace and exercise. And the end in view should be 
the glory of God. So when we come together to sing, 
we need to realize that there is vertical worship unto God. We are singing to the Lord with 
grace in our hearts. It is also teaching and admonishing 
one another. If you ever wonder why we sing 
so many songs, well, you might think maybe it's not enough, 
but we sing generally three songs and sometimes one at the end 
in the doxology. Hopefully you can see now the 
purpose of doing that is to praise to God and to teach and admonish 
one another. The types of songs to God are 
listed here as psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. I might 
be speaking too generally here, but two views with regards to 
this are that psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs are a threefold 
way of synonymously speaking with regards to the inspired 
psalms of the Old Testament. Those 150 psalms, psalms, hymns, 
and spiritual songs, others would see psalms as those, hymns as, 
you know, spent hymns as songs of praise to God but not necessarily 
those that are in the 150 Psalms of Holy Scripture spiritual songs 
at Calvin for example talks about that with regards to the the 
nature or the the the type of the song that is sung unto God 
it's a spiritual song it's not a it's not a song that is not 
spiritual, it's content rich with those things of God's Word, 
His glory, man's sin, man's salvation by Christ alone, those sorts 
of things. But whatever we take that particular 
text to mean, Colossians 3.16, hopefully we understand that 
what we sing to God is to be in accordance with the Word of 
God, it is to be such that in so doing we worship God, And 
it is to be such that in so doing we teach and we admonish one 
another. And the disposition of our hearts 
is to be that we sing with grace in our hearts. We don't just 
sing after any other manner other than that which is thankfulness, 
that which Gil brings out there is with respect to being from 
the heart or heartily or with grace. So songs to God. Just to close this section out, 
A. A. Hodge notes that prayer or that singing, he's talking 
about prayer being a constituent part of worship and largely in 
its wider sense pertaining to adoration, confession, supplication, 
intercession, and thanksgiving. And he says, thus prayer in its 
wide sense includes all direct acts of worship and hymns and 
psalms of praise are in their essence only metrical and musically 
uttered prayers. We are metrically, in a manner 
of musically uttering prayer unto God, communicating unto 
our blessed God, and of course to one another. Ordinances from 
God, we won't spend much time on this, but it needs to be noted 
here. Those are parts of worship, and 
when I say we won't spend much time, I mean not right now, because 
in chapters 28, 29, and 30, we will spend much time on the 
ordinances of God. But notice, as also the administration 
of baptism and the Lord's Supper are all parts of religious worship 
of God. It means baptism and the Lord's 
Supper are worshipful elements that are done within the context 
of Christian worship and are to be seen as acts of worship 
unto God. Baptism, at the point of baptism, 
this is very important, especially with regards to what we already 
studied at the point of the regulative principle of worship. Nowhere 
does God in the Holy Scriptures command infants to be baptized. It is the Word of God that is 
the only acceptable rule that prescribes wherein God is to 
be worshiped. We do find commands where we 
have those who have repented and believed to be baptized. 
And so baptism as a part of worship is seen here and its importance 
is strengthened by paragraph one in that we are to only baptize 
believers and in so doing we are in accordance with the worship 
of God at the point of the regulative principle. It should also be 
understood with regards to the Lord's Supper. We'll spend more 
time on baptism when we get to those chapters and as well the 
Lord's Supper, but Lord's Supper is worship. That's why we need 
to come and partake of the Lord's Supper. Lord's Supper is worship. It's a constituent part of the 
worship of God that's commanded in the Holy Scriptures. This 
do, Christ says, in remembrance of me. When we come and we partake 
of the Lord's Supper, you see, it's not just an appendix after 
worship. It comes after the primary preaching 
of the word and a prayer. But it is still worship. Worship 
hasn't stopped before we read 1 Corinthians 11 or Matthew 26, 
but rather worship continues. The worship of God continues 
and the Lord's Supper is a constituent part of that. It's a part of 
the religious worship of God, the confession says, which all 
together stresses the reality that the Lord's Supper is a remembrance 
of Christ and the focus is upon Christ, not upon ourselves. It 
is upon a remembrance of his doing and his specifically dying 
upon Calvary's tree, body broken, blood shed for all those who 
believe. We'll get to the ordinances though 
when we get to chapters 28, 29 to 30 and 30. Notice, fourthly, 
the worshiper's disposition before God. This is restating some stuff 
from paragraph three and paragraph one. But notice what we have 
here. are all parts of religious worship 
of God to be performed in obedience to him. A humble subjection to 
God and carrying out the parts of worship is necessary. These 
parts of worship are done in obedience to God. They're commands 
from God. And again, not burdensome commands 
that come upon us, but commands that are to be engaged in with 
a cheerful compliance. cheerful compliance. They're 
not burdens put upon us by God whereby we have to drag our feet 
into church and sit down with this miserable face and, you 
know, look forward to finally getting out of there when we've 
completed our duty. Heaven forbid. It's not the heart 
of a Christian. We do these things, we perform 
these things in obedience to Him, and that obedience is a 
cheerful compliance for the Christian. We might have a rough morning, 
we might have had a rough week, and we feel like garbage coming 
into the house of God because we've just been beaten up and 
battered however in that week. Hopefully, have the presence 
of your Christian heart to pull yourself up, to pull your socks 
up. Spirit helps, God sends his spirit 
to help. If we didn't have the spirit, 
if we didn't have the grace of God, we wouldn't be able to pull our 
socks up. But hopefully you understand 
the weight and the severity and the blessed importance of the 
worship of God, and you can come into the house, having been beaten 
up all week, nevertheless engage in a cheerful compliance unto 
our blessed God and the worship of Him. It is to be a obedience 
and obedience, but that is a cheerful compliance. And as well, the 
proper and genuine manner of worship is seen qualifying that 
to be performed in perfect obedience to Him with understanding, faith, 
reverence, and godly fear." With understanding, faith, reverence, 
and godly fear. Again, restating some of the 
stuff of paragraph 3 with respect to prayer, restating some of 
the stuff of paragraph 1 with regards to our obligation to 
God to serve Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. 
We are to use our minds in worship. understanding, when we hear the 
word preached, before we hear the word preached, before worship 
begins, hopefully we are prayerfully preparing our hearts so that 
by understanding, by the functional use of our intellects, we might 
be able to apprehend with great joy the things of the scriptures, 
apply them, understand them, take them in, grow, learn, be 
conformed unto the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to 
lay hold of unrelentingly the promises of God that he blesses 
his people with salvation and that he blesses them with the 
growth in the Christian walk and that we look forward with 
great anticipation to the blessed appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ 
and to glorification. Reverence and godly fear. This 
is the disposition that is to to dictate in the worship of 
God. When we come into that place, 
when we start in a half hour, we need to be marked by reverence 
and godly fear. Pray, God, that you will have 
that reverence and godly fear. We don't come, figuratively speaking, 
with hands in pockets blowing bubble gum into the church of 
the living God. We come with reverence and godly 
fear to the king of all the earth that he might uh, acceptably 
receive our spiritual oblations through the mediator, the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Well, I want to close with a 
quote. I, we won't spend any time on 
the, not that it's not, they're not important, uh, but the occasional 
worship to God, uh, some have seen rightly a division here 
between the regular, regular, excuse me, regular worship and 
occasional worship, occasional being that which follows at the 
end, solemn humiliation, fastings, thanksgivings upon special occasions 
but i want to close with this with regards to the means of 
grace the stuff of paragraph fourteen one and that being brought 
out here in the chapter of on worship chapter twenty two and 
paragraphs three four and five this is james renahan and this 
can bring us into the worship of our god faith does not come 
by journaling or contemplation or silence, or walking the labyrinth. It comes by hearing the word 
of God. The voice of the prophet of the church, Jesus Christ, 
speaks to us in preaching. Too often we fall prey to the 
latest fads and trends. We want growth and we want it 
now. But the best methods are the old methods. They may be 
slow and seemingly dull. Who really likes to be as the 
farmer, waiting after months of toil and labor for the harvest, 
watching growth in the smallest of increments? but he knows that 
the end result of his patience will be delightful produce. When 
we examine our theological system closely, we have a wonderfully 
complete doctrine of the process God appoints to take his people 
from death and sin to full conformity to Christ. In eternity, he elects 
them. In space and time, he calls them 
by the gospel. And throughout their lives, he 
provides them with everything that they need for life and godliness. May the Lord bless us as we enjoy 
these wonderful gifts. Amen. Well, let us pray. Heavenly 
Father, we thank you for the opportunity to gather together 
to study, worship. We do pray that you would cause 
us humbly to receive those commandments of yours in the Holy Scriptures, 
how we are to approach you in worship. We pray that you would 
help us in our Lord's Day gatherings to approach you with understanding, 
faith, reverence, and godly fear. We do pray that we would, as 
Christians, have that proper disposition. And we do just pray 
that you would help us to worship you aright by your word and by 
your spirit, and that we might do so in a cheerful compliance, 
and that we might do so, Lord God, most joyfully and in earnest. 
and knowing that worship is a high and heavy thing, since it is 
the sole worship of the living and true God, Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost. And we do pray that you would 
help us in this, and that you would go with us now into that 
hour of worship, that you might receive all honor and glory and 
praise, and that we might teach and admonish one another as we 
sing, and we pray, Lord God, that you would help the preacher 
and the pulpit to open up the word of God, that we might receive 
well those things, and that sinners might believe. We pray in Christ's 
precious name. Amen.