Sermons tagged #Congregation

In Psalm 65 we see: that God is to be praised for… …his merciful kindness is in hearing the prayers of his people. …his merciful kindness in atoning for the transgressions of his people. …his merciful kindness in choosing his people to bring them near to himself by allowing them to dwell in his courts, to join in to congregational worship. ... his merciful kindness in dealing with his people in righteousness through the death and resurrection of his Son to bring us to salvation. Praise Yahweh...Hallelujah!

Sunday School Hour: Study of the 1689 London Baptist Confession, Chapter 22, Of Religious Worship (the Regulative Principle of Worship) - Part 3: 22.1-6

God's living presence in the midst of His church serves as both a warning and an encouragement that we must take care on how the church is built.

When the various movements of Reformation came the worship services of the churches were transformed. Out with the old form of singing by choirs and monks and other clergy and their musical instruments. Any thing that was only for entertainment and passive worship in Latin was to go or be transformed into the language of the people in a style that was easy to memorize and sing. Based on the principle that what the church did in the worship of God must be based on the Scripture alone two schools of thought emerged. One could do in the service what was glorifying to God and upbuilding to the church if it was not prohibited by Scripture. This normative principle was followed by Luther and later the Anglicans. Luther himself wrote 37 hymns many based on the Psalms but all containing truths of Scripture. This was a major way the Reformation truths were taught and spread. The second principle followed by the Reformed such as Zwingli and Calvin is known as the regulative principle. Therefore one could only do in the congregational worship what was clearly authorized by the Scripture. So at first due to reaction to what was considered idolatrous no singing was done. Calvin however made the restoration of congregation singing a condition of his return to Geneva. He introduced the singing of psalms with the human voice only. He produced the Geneva Psalter. The scripture authorizes and commands singing in the assembly gatherings. Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritua

We live in troubled times where men fear not God, they fear not the flesh and the fear not the devil. Even when we come to Christ, we better fear the flesh. If the Lord doesn't move us with the Holy Ghost, we will not be moved.

James was dealing with sin that was destroying the NT churches of the scattered and dispersed believing Jews. Here were professed believers meeting TOGETHER in the churches that were full of discord, contention, and fighting! You expect behavior like this in the world, (remember this, we'll come back to it), but what a terrible thing when this happens among God's people, in church gatherings! In James went right to the root of the problem, these wars, these fights that are happening "AMONG YOU" are coming from "WITHIN" YOUR own hearts,

There is a vital principle of Biblical worship that was recovered at the Protestant Reformation. The worship of God in the assembly or congregation must be in the common language of the people. Language used in worship must be understandable. Paul spells out this principle in 1 Corinthians 14. 9 So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, 11 but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. 12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

Rev. Andrew Eenigenburg delivers the charge to the congregation of Grace Reformed Church of Jersey City.

In the morning we have our last sermon in the series of being a "plant-able-soil congregation" looking at the end-times church. What gift has God given you to show to others His grace? We each need to consider how the Lord shows His grace to others through the gifts He has given each of us. We will look carefully at 1 Peter 4.10 to sort this out.Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 4:7-10 Text: 1 Peter 4.10 Message: "End-Times Church Plant, #3: Use That Gift!" Theme: We should each use our God given gifts to benefit all of us Each of us has received a gift from God God designs that we each use our gift We use our gift for the benefit of all In so doing we are exercising stewardship of God's grace

Everyone WHOM YOU SEE came into the world the same way, with nothing, and we will all die with nothing! What you see on the outside is garnish…. it's superficial, unimportant, and immaterial….

On the Lord's day we have two important texts and sermons before us. In the morning we take our series on what is a church plant - or, what is a plant-able soil congregation and look at 1 Peter 4.9. Hospitality is key to being a vital and growing congregation. Come and hear what God has to say about hospitalityScripture Reading: 1 Peter 4:7-10 Page 1,891 in pew Bible Text: 1 Peter 4:9 Message: "End-Times Church Plant, #2: Willing Hospiltality" Theme: The plant-able-soil congregation member must open our home to others, for meal or more This is an aspect of end-times love But a love exercised by each member of the congregation Our homes must be open to more than blood relatives And this gospel fruit is to be exercised willingly

Our author, having ended his lengthy theological argument, now calls for a faithful and fitting response; this involves practical steps for how we are to live in light of that theology. To that end, we should boldly approach God in Christ, standing fast upon our confession, stirring up love and good works in the Christian community, and not neglecting the gathering of the saints. This is fitting and faithful behavior for the people of God.

The evening worship service will be the fourth in our series of what it means to be a "plant-able-soil congregation". In this fourth sermon and sermons five and six we will look carefully at texts in 1 Peter 4. For the following two Sundays (August 20 and 27) we will shift these sermons to the morning service. These sermons are very important and I pray you will make yourself available for the evening service this coming Lord's day. There really isn't anything more valuable to you than being in God's house at 5:00 Sunday night. Will you come? If you do, you will hear about living for God in the "end times" and loving each other deeply through forgiveness. Responsive Reading of 1 Thessalonians 5 Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 4:7-10 Text: 1 Peter 4:7-8 Sermon: "End-Times Church Plant, #1: Accept Reality" Theme: The plant-able soil congregation needs to face things as they are in these end times Setting the stage: These are the end times Therefore, be clear minded and self-controlled Pray: A cry for intervention Love like Christ and sin will not rule these times