Ascension Presbyterian Lord's Day Worship 10/8/2023

Ascension Presbyterian Church Longwood iconAscension Presbyterian Church Longwood

0 views

0 comments

00:00
The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.
00:07
Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, who boast of idols.
00:14
Worship him, all you gods. Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments,
00:23
O Lord. For you, Lord, are most high above all the earth.
00:29
You are exalted far above all gods. You who love the
00:35
Lord hate evil. He preserves the souls of his saints. He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
00:44
Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
00:50
Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holy name.
00:57
Come now, let us worship him. Please pray with me. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, what a privilege it is to be called your people.
01:10
I pray that this would delight our hearts, that we would worship you acceptably in a manner that is pleasing to you, that we would love righteousness and hate evil.
01:25
And, O Lord, we ask that our service to you would be pleasing through the merits of Jesus Christ our
01:32
Lord. We ask this in his name. Amen. Please kneel for the corporate confession of sin.
01:47
Let us join together now confessing with one voice. God of love, it is your will that we should love you with heart, soul, mind, strength, and our neighbor as ourselves.
02:04
But we are not sufficient for these things. We confess that our affections continually turn away from you, from purity to lust, from freedom to slavery, from compassion to indifference, from wholeness to emptiness.
02:23
Have mercy on us, order our lives by your holy word, and make your commandments the joy of our hearts.
02:32
And perform us to the image of your loving son Jesus, that we may shine before the world.
02:41
Amen. Please stand. My little children, these things
02:50
I write to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the
02:57
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he himself is the propitiation for our sins.
03:06
And not only for ours only, but also for the whole world. Oh, take heart people of God today.
03:13
In Christ you have the forgiveness of sins. Amen. Please take up the hymnal and turn to number two.
03:27
Oh, worship the king. Number two. DJ, I'm going to ask you to help us.
07:06
This is a familiar psalm to us because it was the psalm of the month, but it's been some time now.
07:12
Would you help us with the first line or so just to get us started? Explain that really. Wonderful.
08:17
Let us sing this great psalm and former psalm of the month. Please remain standing for the reading of the word from 1
13:36
John chapter two. First John two.
14:00
My little children, I'm writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the
14:08
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
14:18
And by this, we know that we have come to know him. If we keep his commandments, whoever says
14:24
I know him, but does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him.
14:30
But whoever keeps his word in him, truly the love of God is perfected. By this, we may know that we are in him.
14:38
Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. Beloved, I'm writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning.
14:50
The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
15:05
Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
15:16
But whoever hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
15:25
I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.
15:31
I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.
15:41
I write to you, children, because you know the father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.
15:49
I write to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you and you have overcome the evil one.
15:59
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him.
16:07
For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life is not from the father but is from the world, and the world is passing away along with its desires.
16:20
But whoever does the will of God abides forever. Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come.
16:33
Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us.
16:40
If they had been of us, they would have continued with us, but they went out that it might be complained that they all are not of us.
16:49
But you have been anointed by the holy one, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it and because no lie is of the truth.
17:01
Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the father and the son.
17:09
No one who denies the son has the father. Whoever confesses the son has the father also.
17:16
Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the son and in the father.
17:26
And this is the promise that he made to us, eternal life. I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you, but the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you.
17:42
But as his anointing teaches you about everything, it is true, it is no lie, just as it has taught you, abide in him.
17:53
And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
18:03
If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
18:10
This is the word of God. Let us now confess our faith in the singing of the
18:23
Apostles' Creed. He ascended into hell.
19:09
The third day he rose again from the dead.
19:15
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the
19:24
Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
19:35
I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
20:03
Please take up the trinity hymnal and turn to number 710,
20:20
God of our Fathers. And we do not have organs or trumpets, so we're going to have to start later.
20:32
The DJ, help us get started. Please make preparations now for the prayers of the people.
23:32
We're on the 10 commandments today, and so we need a lot of you men to pray, so please jump in when available.
23:45
Let us pray together now in unison. Oh God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsel, and all just works.
23:58
Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments, may live in peace and quietness through the merits of Jesus Christ our
24:20
Savior, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit. The Lord says,
24:30
I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods before me.
24:59
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
26:17
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Remember the
27:09
Sabbath day to keep it holy. Honor your father and your mother.
28:57
You shall not kill. You shall not steal.
30:09
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
32:42
You shall not covet. You shall love the
33:10
Lord your God with all your heart and soul, mind, and strength.
33:50
Amen. Please stand, take up the insert, and find our
33:55
Psalm of the Month. Psalm 46. We should be a little bit acquainted with this now after some practice and last week.
34:05
Let us begin to the glory of God. Please remain standing for the reading of the word from the book of James, and chapter 1.
38:53
I'm going to begin reading in verse 16. This is
38:58
God's holy and infallible word. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
39:09
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the
39:14
Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
39:22
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth that we might be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
39:34
So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
39:42
For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore, lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls.
40:01
But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
40:07
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror.
40:16
For he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
40:22
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
40:37
If anyone among you thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless.
40:49
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
41:05
Please pray with me now. O Lord, we desire to be a faithful people and I ask that you would use your word to bridle our tongues and our hearts, that we would have a religion that is useful, that we would practice and teach and model a pure and undefiled religion.
41:42
And O Lord, I pray that your people would derive great encouragement and comfort, that their lives would be changed and transformed.
41:51
Holy Spirit, we ask for power and unction and illumination and conviction and we ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ our
42:01
Lord. Amen. Please be seated. The title of the message today is
42:15
Pure and Undefiled Religion and what we're getting at today is what it means to be a doer of the word.
42:28
And to put it another way, we're looking to have pure and undefiled religion in practice.
42:37
For those of you who are needing an outline, there are three measures of faithfulness in our text.
42:46
The first is bridling the tongue. The first point for consideration is bridling the tongue.
42:56
The second is visiting orphans and widows in their trouble.
43:02
Visiting orphans and widows in their trouble. And the third, keep yourself unspotted from the world.
43:16
All of this derived very simply from the text. Bridling the tongue, visiting orphans and widows in their trouble, and keeping yourself unspotted from the world.
43:34
A bridled tongue reveals a pure heart. To visit orphans and widows in their trouble is to give without getting.
43:49
To keep oneself unspotted from the world, you have to see the beauty of holiness.
43:56
You have to love God and his holiness. Do you take pleasure in holiness?
44:03
Do you practice holiness? That's how you keep yourself unspotted from the world.
44:13
Let's look at our text again. If anyone among you thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless.
44:30
That should get our attention. The most important thing in the Christian's life is his relationship, communion with God through the person of Jesus Christ.
44:43
For you to have your religion described as useless or potentially to be useless, this should stop you and cause you to pause and to ask, am
44:57
I living up to the standard, the obligations that are incumbent upon the people of God who have forgiveness in Christ, who have been made new in him?
45:12
You and I want to have a useful, potent faith in Christ.
45:22
Let's consider the first point. Speech is produced by an airstream from the lungs, and this air flows through the trachea and into the oral and nasal cavities.
45:44
The tongue in your mouth has to be properly oriented, and it has to be manipulated behind the teeth, sometimes on the roof of your mouth, extending through the teeth, retracted and sometimes even curled and made wavy.
46:02
Somehow this produces words, and these words are intelligible to others.
46:11
In a great demonstration of the union of the body and soul, I want you to pay attention to this.
46:18
The thoughts and intents of the heart and mind springing from the soul of man appear upon the machinery of the brain and travel through a four -stage process of initiation in the lungs, phonation through the vibrating anatomy of the trachea, then shaped by the articulators of the mouth and nose, and somehow words come out.
46:51
We are fearfully and wonderfully made, and just as remarkably, the hearers of these vibrating sounds take in the waves through their auditory faculties, beginning with the outer ear, and they're transmitted to the brain, whereby they are instantly recognized, interpreted, understood, and they become thoughts.
47:18
As image bearers of God, this verbal ability, speaking, hearing, thinking, understanding, writing, and singing, distinguishes us from other animals of earthly creation.
47:34
We are so language -oriented that the deaf can speak and hear with their hands, and the blind can read by running their fingers over raised dots.
47:52
We have to acknowledge that this whole process is very fast and has an intrinsic reactionism to it.
48:01
Our text today reveals that the well from which the water of words are drawn are from the person's heart, and out of his heart flows the issues of life.
48:18
Proverbs 4 says, Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.
48:27
Matthew 15 says, For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
48:40
These are the things which defile a man. Matthew 12 says,
48:49
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The verse before,
48:57
Matthew 12 .33, For a tree is known by its fruit. The big principle in James, isn't it?
49:05
It's really a central idea of James, an under -appreciated fact that a tree is known by his fruit.
49:19
And again in Matthew 12, A good man out of the good tree treasures of his heart brings forth the good things.
49:29
And an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
49:35
But I say to you that for every idle word that men speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment.
49:46
For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.
49:58
Looking at this text, it seems like a short list for what pure and undefiled religion is.
50:11
Bridling the tongue, visiting orphans and widows and their trouble and keeping oneself unspotted from the world.
50:21
So the question is, how deep does this tongue bridling go? The psalmist says,
50:29
Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips.
50:38
Keep my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking lies.
50:43
In Proverbs, it says, Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
50:55
The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
51:06
Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.
51:13
Proverbs 21. Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
51:26
If anyone among you thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, this one's religion is useless.
51:44
The first idea I want us to consider is religion. In the last 30 years or so, a common phrase has become popular within the church and it's this.
51:59
Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship. Christianity, they say, is not a religion, but a relationship.
52:17
Noah Webster in his 1828 dictionary. I have two of these.
52:25
If any of you and your families want one, I'd be happy to give it to you. It really helps you understand, particularly
52:31
King James English, and how tied our forefathers in our country and the
52:38
Christian world were to the Bible and their understanding of everything, even the meaning of ordinary words.
52:47
In his definition for religion, Noah Webster cites as the cross -reference
52:54
James chapter one, his best definition of religion.
53:02
The cross -reference is James chapter one. This is what he says in its most comprehensive sense.
53:10
This is the definition of religion in its most comprehensive sense includes a belief in the being and perfections of God in the revelation of his will to man and man's obligation to obey his commands in a state of reward and punishment and in man's accountableness to God and also true godliness or piety of life with the practice of moral duties.
53:53
It therefore comprehends theology as a system of doctrines or principles as well as practical for the practice of moral duties without a belief in a divine lawgiver and without reference to his will or commands is not religion and religion as distinct from theology is godliness or real piety in practice consisting in the performance of all known duties to God and our fellow man.
54:31
I don't know if you notice that's what we just prayed through in the ten commandments all of this and obedience to divine command or from the love to God and his law.
54:48
You are practicing the religion there are many false religions but the christian religion the the orthodox christian religion which has it's by the bible as its final authority if you are a christian you are practitioners and participants in the real religion.
55:14
I find the statement christianity is not a religion but a relationship to be flippant and misleading.
55:27
Pray a prayer and go on your merry way. There's a a set of doctrines to be believed but but more than that those doctrines say my life has to be ordered in a certain way.
55:44
I need to live as a christian and this seems to be in a deficient state in the life of the church particularly in the west.
55:56
Christianity is most certainly a religion it's the only true religion.
56:05
We are by definition a religious people we have gone through rites and ceremonies even this morning and we will continue to do so and particularly we get to the sacrament of the lord's supper.
56:21
So let's set aside this notion that the word religious or religion is bad and James is speaking of here a true faith in Christ a real genuine belief in the son of God made man the incarnate
56:40
Christ and all that goes with it and we like to leave off what goes with it.
56:48
And here he challenges us I think surprisingly given where we've come he starts with this idea of bridling the tongue.
57:00
What does it mean to bridle? It means to guide to hold in check to restrain.
57:13
You and I have to have bridled tongues as Christians and we are wanting in this area we are a people of loose lips we're a people of coarse mouths we're a people of cursing tongues and these things ought not to be.
57:39
I'd like you to turn over to James in chapter 3 in several weeks we will be taking this subject up with even some greater depth and exposition but it's going to help us understand where James is going here in chapter 1.
58:00
Look at verse 2 for we all stumble in many things.
58:09
If anyone does not stumble in word he is a perfect man able also to bridle the whole body.
58:21
If your tongue is bridled your body is bridled. In order for your tongue to be bridled your heart has to be bridled.
58:33
These words that miraculously appear on our lips this incredible biology and all these things happening they spring from the heart of what's in us and if that place in us is corrupt and not walking in faith our words will be spewing a venom.
59:04
Look at verse 3 it says indeed we put bits in horses mouths and they may obey us and we turn the whole body.
59:13
I saw a video recently of a very young girl saddled on a horse and she was riding him with such competence and skill the horse went everywhere that she directed him.
59:32
In our tongues have this capacity to lead us in the right direction from out of it we praise our
59:41
God we preach Christ to the lost we offer words of encouragement and consolation to those who are hurting.
59:55
We build one another up we proclaim the glorious name of Christ and with it we also curse we tear down we destroy we murder with our words.
01:00:20
It gives another example it's very powerful if you've ever seen particularly ancient ships or even from the medieval later period the rudder of a ship is very small look at verse 4 look also at ships although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.
01:00:50
Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things the tongue is so said among our members that it defiles the whole body.
01:01:04
Verse 6 do you remember those words I just quoted from Matthew 12 of Jesus for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks a tree is known by its fruit a
01:01:23
Christian is known by the words that proceed from their mouths.
01:01:29
And I have to tell you something since the early 90s when I became very serious about my faith in Christ I have seen a rapid decline in the use of the mouth of Christians words that would never be uttered in Christian company are now freely used there is a coarseness and a crudeness to our language that defies our most holy faith in Christ.
01:02:01
We must rein in our tongues they reflect hearts of corruption we need to rein in our hearts because out of our hearts are coming some very unseemly and unpleasant things external conformity is not enough we can't hold our tongues in some external discipline and we must rein in our hearts in cooperation with with the
01:02:33
Holy Spirit but that venom will come out and coarse and careless lips reveal calloused hearts.
01:02:46
This religion that James speaks of must be of central importance to us it's everything for us.
01:02:57
It encompasses our faith in Christ our worship and adoration of God our privilege and obligation to keep covenant with him.
01:03:11
Oh children I want you to think of the power of words I love you.
01:03:19
It's wonderful to hear isn't it two young people aspiring and hoping for marriage in that magical day when when the husband -to -be poses the question will you marry me and and her heart leaps within her she's so delighted yes
01:03:39
I will marry you but what about I hate you what about the words
01:03:50
I want a divorce powerful words life -changing words families being started families being destroyed in words what about the great message from Jesus Christ I forgive you oh
01:04:11
Lord Jesus the weight my guilt is gone I have forgiveness and salvation in you what powerful words oh let everything that has breath praise the
01:04:25
Lord let every Christian build up the brethren with words of edification transform your marriage and your parenting and your work life in your church life by being disciplined and proficient in your use of words.
01:04:47
I think in verse 10 of chapter three gives us the problem that James is trying to address and he lays out for us in chapter one it says out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing my brethren these things ought not to be so does the spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening can a fig tree my brethren bear olives or a grapevine bear figs the answer is no thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh this is the question do we have a mixture of words proceeding from our mouth and if we have a mixture of words proceeding from our mouth we have a mixed heart that's not fully consecrated and dedicated and resolving to live as a
01:05:54
Christian I'll go back to chapter one if you look at other portions of the
01:06:03
Bible you can imagine the list not as exhaustive as last week but how many verses speak of the tongue and related issues it's a very large number
01:06:12
Job calls it a scourge or a whip and every blow inflicts severe wounds on the character and leaves welts on a as one author put it a lacerated peace and reputation
01:06:31
Daniel styles the tongue as a sharp sword a murderous weapon which hews down those upon whom it falls and drips with the gore of slaughtered innocence or virtue
01:06:49
Jeremiah says of the tongue it is an arrow shot out a pointed arrow shot by wicked archers against those whom they wish to pierce through with anguish and yet themselves keep at a distance from the one whose good name they aim to destroy
01:07:12
Paul speaking of the lips through which the tongue speaks as the poison of asps is under their lips
01:07:22
James here says it's full of deadly poison
01:07:28
I hope the case is being made we have to be a people of clean lips that great scene of Isaiah the righteous most righteous man in the land he sees the glory of God the most righteous man and he says
01:07:50
I'm a man of unclean lips I don't speak rightly about God or my fellow man
01:07:57
I am undone must recognize that this very simple common thing speaks of a world of our heart look again at our text if I don't bridle my tongue if you don't bridle your tongue you are self -deceived how many times has he been concerned about deceiving ourselves twice in just the section we read three times in the section we read today two prior to our text be doers of the word if you're not a doer of the word you're deceiving yourself do not be deceived my beloved brethren previous text each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed then when desire has conceived it gives birth to sin and sin when it is full -grown brings forth death
01:09:11
I want to pause here parents this is a hard lesson for you today because your pattern of words is covenantally being transmitted to your children if you're harsh with your wife your children are going to be harsh with each other and really harsh on your wife if you're a backbiter and you gossip and slander and talk bad about people your little sweet children will be corrupted by your poison they're going to be backbiters they're going to be gossipers we must put this to death now for the sake of our children and grandchildren we're modeling the