Morning Worship, Every Lord’s Day at 11.30am, DV, at
The Old Reformed Church
at Ballymacashon
Affiliated to the Congregational Union of Ireland and The Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches
78 Saintfield Road, Killinchy, Co.Down. BT23 6RN.
Psalms – Bible Reading – Exegetical Preaching
For information contact 07802466302 or click https://saltyscrivener.uk/ballymacashon-congregational…/
We always welcome visitors!
Martin Luther: “at home, in my own house, there is no warmth or vigour in me, but in the church when the multitude is gathered together, a fire is kindled in my heart and it breaks its way through.”
The Old Reformed Church at Ballymacashon (Congregational) 78 Saintfield Road, Killinchy, NEWTOWNARDS Co.Down BT23 6RN
Text: Ephesians 5:15-17
Another contrast between the Christian and the ungodly world in which the church is placed is introduced in verse 15. We are to be WISE, not to live like the FOOLISHNESS of the pagan world. In these verses Paul teaches us what it means to be a SENSIBLE CHRISTIAN.
1 Tread Carefully Through Life. 15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
The word ‘circumspectly’ here in KJV Bible is to walk very carefully, walking step by step, inspecting every step of the way to make sure that you do not stumble or fall. Practically, that will that mean being careful with all of life’s choices. For example, in the company we keep. 1 Corinthians 15:33. In our employment. In our leisure activities. In how we spend our money, use our financial resources.
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Text: Ephesians 5:8-14
We should LIVE DIFFERENTLY FROM THE PAGAN WORLD AROUND US. Paul uses another metaphor to illustrate the greatness of the difference between pagans and Christians. Darkness and light. And what a contrast!
1 The Great Contrast. 8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.
I said that this was a metaphor. It is, but yet at the same time, Paul is not saying that pagans are LIKE darkness, and Christians are LIKE night. He is a being much more assertive than that. He says that pagans ARE darkness, (as these believers once were) and Christians ARE light. That a pagan is darkness, and a Christian is light refers to their state of being, to their condition.
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Text: Ephesians 5:3-8 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
One of the most notable differences between how the first Christians lived, and how the pagans lived, was in the area of sexual ethics. The Ephesians were Greeks and sexual immorality was widely regarded in this ‘civilisation’ as being no big deal. It was just part of life. That depraved approach to public and personal morality in Greek society was bound up with religious idolatry. Greek society was sexualised to such an extent that the most basic moral principles – love of family, marital faithfulness, chastity before marriage, and so on were an entirely alien concept.
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Text: Ephesians 5:3
In our last lesson we learned that as a result of our gratitude for what God in Christ has done for us, – in forgiving all our sins, and bringing us into his kingdom and family, giving us new life, that will never end, we will want to respond by living lives that are pleasing to God. In verses 3-5, Paul illustrates, in very stark terms, the opposite of a godly life. He speaks of fornication, uncleanness and idolatry, and covetousness, all of which were typical of the pagan lifestyle of his day. We will look at these vices more closely in another lesson, but before we do that I want you to be aware of a description of the believer that is given in this verse. We are SAINTS. So before we analyse verses 3-5, let’s be sure that we know what a ‘saint’ actually is.
1. A Saint is a Sinner in a Saving Relationship with Christ!
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Ephesians 5:1-2
‘Therefore’ always indicates that what the author is saying is in some way connected with what he has previously said. This follows on from, chapter 4:32, And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Christians will be LIKE CHRIST, – in that they practice kindness, out of compassionate hearts, and that will be worked out in the way they readily forgive others, – as we have been forgiven. Therefore, he goes on, – Be GODLY PEOPLE! Be followers of God!
1 Followers of God. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Read more…Text: Jonah 1:1-4
Lots of people will be sceptical about Jonah’s story. They will say, ‘How can a man be swallowed by a fish, survive inside it for three days, and then be spewed up unharmed onto dry land?’ This simply can’t be true, so the story must be a myth. Two facts contradict this:-
- The God who created the universe can create a fish. Jonah 1 distinctly tells us that God made this particular fish for this purpose. Jonah 1:17 God can make a fish. He’s done it before.
- Jesus believed the Jonah narrative, and he was around when it happened. In fact Jesus quoted Jonah more often than he quoted any other prophet. He had commissioned Jonah, he had prepared the fish to rescue him! He used Jonah’s sojourn in the belly of the fish to illustrate his own time in the grave. Matthew 12.
Essentially, the message of Jonah is that the opportunity to repent of sin and be forgiven extends to every nation, not just to the Hebrews. Jonah’s not altogether on board with the message!
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1 Corinthians 15:51-57
Jesus was perfectly in obedience to His heavenly father, – after all, he was sinless, and perfectly in obedience to God the father. That obedience led him to the cross. Mark 14:36 Philippians 2:8 It was reason enough that God had planned his death and resurrection from eternity past. But if we do need a list of reasons why Jesus rose from the grave, I suggest that there’s at least five of them. Here they are:-
1. Jesus Rose from the Dead to Glorify God!
Read more…The Imprecatory Psalms – Praying For and Against Our Enemies.
Read: Psalm 139:17-24 The psalmist sees no contradiction between intensely hating the enemies of God, and living a humble repentant life, in the presence of God. Such is the nature of the imprecatory psalms. – The word imprecation simply means a ‘curse.’
1 How to Read the Imprecatory Psalms.
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Life in the Lord’s Church
Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Christians who live like the world, grieve the Holy Spirit, who indwells us. Now, Paul brings this all together in a conclusion. Returning to the issue of speech, what comes out of our mouths, reflecting what is going on in the inner man, he examines the motives of our hearts that underlie our words and deeds, and shows us how we can change our attitudes, how we can put off the old, and put on the new…
1 Putting off Our Old Pagan Inclinations. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.
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Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Psalm 139:7-10)
What we say and do, if it is displeasing to God, may grieve the Holy Spirit, because He, God the Holy Spirit, indwells the believer, sealing him or her for heaven. So, who is the ‘Holy Spirit’ and what does he do, and how is it possible for a Christian to cause Him to be grieved?
1 Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Apostle’s Creed states, “I believe in the Holy Ghost!” READ: John 16:13-14
- The place of the Holy Spirit in worship is reflective of the primary work of the Holy Spirit, which is to glorify Christ. When we are singing our praises to the Lord Jesus, when we are praying to him, and worshipping him, and learning about him, that’s when the Holy Spirit is doing his work.
- The place of the Holy Spirit in worship is reflective of the Biblical revelation of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, The Holy Spirit’s role is to point us to Jesus.
So, the historical worship practices of the Reformed Churches, simply reflect the work and the focus of the Holy Spirit himself. Now…
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The Salty Scrivener 