Grace Note May 20, 2012

Preparing for Lord’s Day Worship

After President Obama announced his support of same-sex marriage, we have been seeing many so–called Christian support of same–sex marriage in the media. But just as not all who call Jesus “Lord, Lord” truly know him, and Jesus will say to them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness,” (Matt 7:21–23) so not all who claim to have “Christian” perspectives on same-sex marriage are Christians. To be a Christian, after all, is to take God’s side over against the world’s, to declare that God is in the right, not man. We cannot ignore the blasphemous twisting of Scripture only to ultimately declare that God is in the wrong, and that it is somehow “following Jesus” to take the opposite side of Scripture.

Below you will find a truly Christian position on same-sex marriage. Indeed, there is really ONE Christian position on this issue, and it is to declare same-sex marriage as unlawful and sinful in God’s eyes. But we do so as broken sinners who possess the hope of salvation. In addition to the three posts from last week, “A Christian Response to Same-Sex Marriage” by Michael Horton is a follow-up to his “Same-Sex Marriage Makes a Lot of Sense.” In that article Dr. Horton reflected upon same-sex marriage as one symptom of the worldview in which man is at the center of the universe and God exists to glorify man. In this follow-up article Dr. Horton reflects on the joy of seeing God, not man, at the center of the universe, and how that casts a different light on same-sex marriage.

Michael Horton’s Same-Sex Marriage Makes a Lot of Sense
Albert Mohler’s Evolution’s End? President Obama Calls for Same-Sex Marriage
Kevin DeYoung’s Five Reasons Christians Should Continue to Oppose Gay Marriage

+++

In Daniel 7:9–14 we read of a vision of God’s glory. The Ancient of Days sat in judgment, and the beast, that usurper and challenger of God’s dominion, was destroyed. Who dare rise against God? The omnipotent God reigns!

And as Daniel’s vision continues he saw one like a son of man who received dominion and glory and a kingdom. The Ancient of Days who said, “I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols” (Isa 42:8) gave the one like a son of man “dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.” And one like the son of man was given an everlasting dominion.

This vision declared to Daniel of what will take place (in his) future, which, for us, is partially our past and also our future. The one like the son of man, the one who receives the dominion and glory and a kingdom which only belong to God, is the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God. But the Son of God was wearing man’s nature, and as a son of man he received the authority to judge the world. Thus in time the Son of God became a son of man, and God who put on man’s nature walked among man (our past). And one day the Son of God, still wearing our nature, but glorified, will come to judge and to rule. When that day comes (our future), when he calls all man to judgment, O “How the summons will the sinner’s heart confound!”

And, as John Newton expressed so poignantly,

But to those who have confessed, loved and served the Lord below,
he will say, “Come near, ye blessed, see the kingdom I bestow;
you forever shall my love and glory know.

In corporate worship we bow before the Lord of dominion and glory and kingdom. May we worship, then, as those who have taken his side over against the world’s, and may we be those who forever know his love and glory!

God Calls Us to Worship
* Daniel 7:9–14 (p. 745)
* TH #319 “Day of Judgment! Day of Wonders!”
* Prayer

If you saw a bus barreling down the road and was about to run a man over, would you shout and warn him? If you saw a house on fire in the middle of the night, would you knock on your neighbor’s doors to warn them? Why then are we silent when we know God’s judgment is coming upon those that do not believe?

In Acts 4:1–12 we read of those who were not silent, not even when they were arrested by the authorities, not even when they were threatened. So ardently had they chosen the Lord’s side, they would not turn from declaring his message. So concerned they were with the perishing sinners, they would not be silenced. And they boldly declared Christ, the God who wore man’s nature, and as a son of man was crucified, died, and rose. They declared “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

As we bring our confession to the Lord, we must repent of our silence. We talk easily enough of loving our neighbors, but if we are silent, if we are not participating in some way of proclaiming the Savior, what is the point? As C.S. Lewis once wrote, a scholar’s parrot may talk Greek, but that does not mean anything. We must confess the sin of our silence.

Would you read the lesson on Shorter Catechism Q.21 and use it as a guide for your prayer? And be filled and wonder and praise that Christ the God-man gives us the ultimate insiders. And pray that you might no longer be silent!

God Hears Our Confession and Restores Us
Acts 4:1–12 (p. 911)
Shorter Catechism Q. 21 (p. 870)
Prayer of Confession
TH #441 “Jesus Shall Reign”

Gifts and Offering

Pastoral Prayer

God Speaks and We Listen
Romans 6:12–14 (p. 943)
Not Under Law but Under Grace
Rev. Ken Han

God Renews His Covenant Promises
Baptized Christians who are members in good standing in Reformed or evangelical churches are invited to participate. Otherwise, please let the bread and the cup pass you by. During the distribution of the bread we will sing TH #415 “Baptized into Your Name Most Holy” stanzas 1–3 during the distribution of the bread, and stanzas 4–6 during the distribution of the cup.

God Dismisses Us with Blessing
* TH #585 “Take My Life, and Let It Be”
* Benediction

Upcoming Events and Notices
May 20 (Lord’s Day): Please join us for potluck lunch after the worship service.

May 23 (Wednesday 12:30 PM): All the women are invited to the Kay home for a time of study, fellowship, and prayer. The women are reading J.I. Packer’s Knowing God. We encourage the women of grace to take advantage of this opportunity for growth and mutual ministry.

May 24 (Thursday 7 AM): The Temecula men’s group will meet at the Han home. 1 Samuel 8 and Knowing God ch. 8.

May 26 (Saturday 7 AM): The Fallbrook men’s group will meet at the Summers home. 1 Samuel 8 and Knowing God ch. 7.

Nursery Volunteers
May 20: Ed & Stephanie Madrid
May 27: Howie and Rebecca Rogers

Filed under: Church Update, Devotions, worship, announcements

Grace Note May 13, 2012

Preparing for Lord’s Day Worship May 13, 2012

Probably the biggest news this week was President Obama’s support of same-sex marriage, which really came as a surprise to no one. Still, while it came as no surprise, it is a matter of grave concern for Christians. Here are three helpful biblical perspectives on this issue:

Michael Horton’s Same-Sex Marriage Makes a Lot of Sense
Albert Mohler’s Evolution’s End? President Obama Calls for Same-Sex Marriage
Kevin DeYoung’s Five Reasons Christians Should Continue to Oppose Gay Marriage

Each authors explain, in their own ways, that the issue of same-sex marriage is about man refusing to tremble before his Creator. Of course, we don’t need to be told this, do we? It’s not news to us that the world does not fear God.

Strangely, our first passage Isaiah 66:1–2 shows us that even those who come to God may not tremble at his word. Indeed, why does he need to say, “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” The worldliness that we see around us can easily infiltrate into the church and into the hearts of believers. Corporate worship is therefore meant to be our regular antidote against worldliness. Many today are turning worship service into entertainment. Many demand God to present himself to them in a pleasing manner (content and length of the sermon, music, and the list goes on). We must not forget that God desires worshippers who tremble before him.

The first hymn, TH #313 “Unto My Lord Jehovah Said” is Psalm 110 put to music. It tells us of the world raging against God, but that God has appointed his Messiah to rule over them. The last line of the third stanza says, “He, swiftly marching in his wrath, shall quaff the brook upon his path, and lift his head in glory.” “Quaff” is an old word for “drinking heartily.” It, though obscure in our modern ears, well captures the sense of the Divine warrior King in a vigorous campaign to rule over those who do not tremble before God. What a comfort this is for those grieved at what they see in this world! He will not sit idle in weakness. He will do what is right!

God Calls Us to Worship
* Isaiah 66:1–2 (p. 625)
* TH #313 “Unto My Lord Jehovah Said”
* Prayer

When we think about sins of the world as Christians, we must not do so as if our hands are clean. The truth is that we were deeply implicated in the world’s rebellion against God, and it was by his sheer mercy that we found grace over justice. According to justice we should perish. But God loved us in Christ and made us alive in him. This is why we grieve the ways of our hearts and lives that still do not submit to our gracious Father. We, too, are still worldly and we repent.

But as we come before God “humble and contrite in spirit,” and as we “tremble at his word,” our gracious Father does not thunder his law against us, but declares his pardon and mercy. So humble yourself before God. Confess your sins to him. He will lift you up.

You can read the lesson on Shorter Catechism Q.20 here. Please use it to humble yourself before God.

God Hears Our Confession and Restores Us
Ephesians 1:3–14 (p. 976)
Shorter Catechism Q. 20 (p. 870)
Prayer of Confession
TH #470 “How Vast the Benefits Divine”

Gifts and Offering

Pastoral Prayer

God Speaks and We Listen
Romans 6:5–11 (p. 942)
I Died with Christ so that I Might Live with Christ
Rev. Ken Han

God Renews His Covenant Promises
Baptized Christians who are members in good standing in Reformed or evangelical churches are invited to participate. Otherwise, please let the bread and the cup pass you by. During the distribution of the bread we will sing TH #415 “Baptized into Your Name Most Holy” stanzas 1–3 during the distribution of the bread, and stanzas 4–6 during the distribution of the cup.

God Dismisses Us with Blessing
* TH #387 “Now May He Who from the Dead”
* Benediction

Upcoming Events and Notices
May 12 (Saturday 7 AM): The Fallbrook men’s group will meet at the Summers home. 1 Samuel 7 and Knowing God ch. 6.

May 13 (Lord’s Day 9:15 AM): Please join us as we continue our study of covenant theology.

May 20 (Lord’s Day after worship): Please note that the May potluck lunch has been moved back one week due to Mother’s Day on May 13.

Nursery Volunteers
May 13: Michelle & Joseph Kay

Filed under: Church Update, Devotions, theology, worship, announcements, covenant of grace, worship

Grace Note May 6, 2012

Preparing for Worship

Sometimes we wake up in the middle of the night and find ourselves surprised by the silence. Everything is so quiet. And in that silence we can hear the clock ticking away in the next room. The sound of the water dripping from the faucet becomes so noticeable. What happened?

We all know what happened. During the day there is just too much noise. So during the day we simultaneously hear more (so much noise!) and less (the noise drowns out so much sound).

In some ways this is a parable of our life in this world. Throughout the week the noise of the world drowns out the truth that only the filter of corporate worship can make us hear. During the week the false gods of this world and the idols of our heart compete for our attention. But when God calls us to worship, by his grace we hear less as worldly lies are filtered out. And we hear more as the grace and truth in Jesus Christ ring out with clarity.

In Genesis 6:1–6 we read of those who never would heed God’s will. Their end was a terrible judgment. If the Lord were to describe your heart today, what do you suppose he will say? That the intentions of the thoughts of your heart are only evil continually? Or would he say that you have found favor in the eyes of the Lord, and that he has lovingly muted the lies of the world and graced you with the truth? If so, we will heartily sing, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”

God Calls Us to Worship
* Genesis 6:1–8 (p. 5)
* TH #457 “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”
* Prayer

One reason unbelievers hate to hear or think about sin is because it is very humbling. It is humbling to realize we are not God, that he does not grovel before us and welcome us into his blessing at our beckoning. It is humbling because every sinner essentially wants God to make us his lord, but he is the Lord.

In Ephesians 2:1-10 we read a totally different perspective. And we know Paul’s perspective is the right perspective, for it is the perspective of the Holy Spirit. Scripture tells us we were dead in our sin, lived disobediently, and were by nature the objects of God’s wrath. All we were good for, left to our natural selves, was to be the recipients of God’s judgment.

But God, being rich in mercy, saved us through faith. Faith, that which we need to be accepted by God, is itself a gift from God. He did everything, from beginning to end, to reconcile sinners to himself, to take those who were only good for being trampled upon under his feet, and raised us to the throne of Christ. And he intends to lavish on us the immeasurable riches of his grace through Jesus Christ for eternity.

In other words, coming before the holy God cannot be anything but humbling. We acknowledge our sins, our failings, and unworthiness. But while it is humbling, it is not humiliating, for we come to a God who raises us up. And for that we pledge ourselves to live in such a way to be a credit to his name, to show the world that his grace was indeed not received in vain. Is this how you repent? True repentance is also a humble request, “Teach Me, O Lord, Thy Holy Ways.”

God Hears Our Confession and Restores Us
Ephesians 2:1–10 (p. 977)
Shorter Catechism Qs. 18–19 (p. 870)
Prayer of Confession
TH #532 “Teach Me, O Lord, Thy Holy Ways”

Gifts and Offering

Pastoral Prayer

God Speaks and We Listen
Romans 6:1–4 (p. 942)
Union with Christ
Rev. Ken Han

God Renews His Covenant Promises
Baptized Christians who are members in good standing in Reformed or evangelical churches are invited to participate. Otherwise, please let the bread and the cup pass you by. During the distribution of the bread we will sing TH #415 “Baptized into Your Name Most Holy” stanzas 1–3 during the distribution of the bread, and stanzas 4–6 during the distribution of the cup.

God Dismisses Us with Blessing
* TH #252 “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
* Benediction

Upcoming Events and Notices
May 6 (Lord’s Day 9:15 AM): Please join us for our monthly prayer meeting.

May 9 (Wednesday 12:30 PM): All the women are invited to the Kay home for a time of study, fellowship, and prayer. The women are reading J.I. Packer’s Knowing God. We encourage the women of grace to take advantage of this opportunity for growth and mutual ministry.

May 10 (Thursday 7 AM): The Temecula men’s group will meet at the Han home. 1 Samuel 7 and Knowing God ch. 7.

May 12 (Saturday 7 AM): The Fallbrook men’s group will meet at the Summers home. 1 Samuel 7 and Knowing God ch. 6.

May 20 (Lord’s Day after worship): Please note that the May potluck lunch has been moved back one week due to Mother’s Day on May 13.

Nursery Volunteers
May 6: Firelli & Brandon Braunagel
May 13: Michelle & Joseph Kay

Filed under: Church Update, Devotions, theology, worship, announcements, depravity, good works, grace, holiness, salvation, sin

Grace Note April 29, 2012

Preparing for Worship

We begin this week’s worship with Exodus 20:1–17. This, of course, is the famous Ten Commandments passage. Every now and then we hear about controversies because someone is trying to keep the Ten Commandments in the courthouse or in the schools, or someone is trying to remove the Ten Commandments from them. Whenever this happens there is usually the predictable uproar from the public. So it is all the more ironic that the Ten Commandments have been disappearing from our churches and from the believers’ homes. Parents, when did you last speak to your children about God’s law? And do you understand that God’s law is proclaimed each week during our service and we respond in repentance?

But there are right and wrong ways of talking about God’s law. The wrong way is to think or talk about the law as something that establishes a favorable standing with God. The law cannot do that. The right way is to note how Moses introduces the Ten Commandments. “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Ex 20:2) Thus Moses proclaimed God’s deliverance before the law was given. God had shepherded Israel out of Egypt to better pastures. Therefore, the receiving and obeying the law was really a confession of faith that this God who graciously saved Israel from Egypt will not mislead. He will not lead astray. His ways will be the way of blessing, joy, and goodness. The law, in other words, is most helpful and useful when we think of it as the grateful response of those who have received the free gift of favor in God’s eyes.

Thus the right way of talking about the law is to remember whose law it is. It is the law of the Good Shepherd. His ways will not lead us to harm. He will safely guide. Do you believe your God is a good shepherd? Our first song, TH #87 “The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want” must be our heartfelt confession of faith.

God Calls Us to Worship
* Exodus 20:1–17 (p. 61)
* TH #87 “The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want”
* Prayer

Each week we confess our sins before God. That is, we confess each week that we thought and acted like we did not believe God is a good shepherd. We did not really believe his ways are the safe and the right ways. We really did not trust he would lead faithfully. So we turned to follow our ways instead of his. We turned away from God’s law (for example, the Ten Commandments) and walked in the way of our choosing.

If so, what are we really repenting each week? In corporate worship we acknowledge before God that we have placed our faith in the false gospel. We believed our ways is the good way. We did not trust the Lord enough to walk behind him. In other words, we repent of the heresy of the false gospel according to which we lived, and turn to the true gospel and embrace once again the true Savior.

And what a Savior we have! He is the good shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep. If so, how can there be a better shepherd? How can we not walk behind him? And, indeed, how can we not take comfort in that he did lay down his life for us and has dealt definitively with our sin? It is then not fear of judgment that compels us to obedience, but faith in his all–sufficient sacrifice, and gratitude for the mercy. Joy, not fear, compels our obedience. Repent, then, but joyfully! And with faith embrace your dear Savior once again!

The Shorter Catechism lesson for this week helps us once again to wake up from the deception of sin. Sin promised us happiness and deceived us, because it only brought misery. We encourage you to use the Catechism lesson to think once again of the true good news of Jesus Christ. You can read the lesson here.

God Hears Our Confession and Restores Us
John 10:7–18 (p. 896)
Shorter Catechism Qs. 16–17 (p. 870)
Prayer of Confession
WMS #4 “In Christ Alone”

Gifts and Offering

Ordinance of Baptism
Ronald Michael Pitters

Pastoral Prayer

God Speaks and We Listen
Romans 5:18–21 (p. 942)
Why is Grace Amazing?
Rev. Ken Han

God Renews His Covenant Promises
Baptized Christians who are members in good standing in Reformed or evangelical churches are invited to participate. Otherwise, please let the bread and the cup pass you by. During the distribution of the bread we will sing TH #460 “Amazing Grace!” stanzas 1–3 during the distribution of the bread, and stanzas 4–6 during the distribution of the cup.

God Dismisses Us with Blessing
* TH #705 “I Know Whom I Have Believed”
* Benediction

Upcoming Events and Notices
April 28 (Saturday 7 AM): The Fallbrook men’s group will meet at the Ligtenberg home. 1 Samuel 5–6 and Knowing God ch. 5.

April 28 (Saturday 8–5 PM): The stated meeting of the South Coast Presbytery will be held at North Coast Presbyterian Church in Encinitas. Pastor Han and Elder Keck will be representing Grace Fallbrook.

April 29 (Lord’s Day 9:15 AM): Please join us for Sunday School as we continue our study of covenant theology.

April 29 (Lord’s Day after worship): Please join us for a wedding shower as we celebrate the marriage of the new couple Mia and Mike Cho.

May 9 (Wednesday 12:30 PM): All the women are invited to the Kay home for a time of study, fellowship, and prayer. The women are reading J.I. Packer’s Knowing God. We encourage the women of grace to take advantage of this opportunity for growth and mutual ministry.

May 20 (Lord’s Day after worship): Please note that the May potluck lunch has been moved back one week due to Mother’s Day on May 13.

Nursery Volunteers
April 29: Kelly Rogers & Christian Rogers
May 6: Firelli & Brandon Braunagel

Filed under: Church Update, Devotions, theology, worship, announcements, devotion

Grace Note April 22, 2012

Preparing for Worship
Our first passage is Psalm 1, a well–known and beloved psalm. It portrays two different lives and their outcome. The first is the life spent meditating on God’s law. “Law” is used here as a general nomenclature for the entire Scripture, which includes historical writings that detail God’s dealings with his covenant people (e.g. Joshua, Judges, Ruth, etc.), wisdom literatures (Job, Proverbs, etc.), prophetical books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.), and, of course, includes the Torah (translated “Law”) of Moses (Genesis-Deuteronomy). The man who meditates on God’s law lives his life carefully for God’s glory. God, in turn, blesses those who seek him and honors those who honor him.

The other way of living is a life lived with no desire for God’s glory, but doing what comes easy, convenient, and seemingly advantageous. It is a life lived with the assumption God is blind. But God sees. And although it may seem God is slow to assert his ways, he will. And on the day he does the man who has lived his life without regard to God’s glory will meet unremitting sorrow and regret.

Do you delight in the law of the Lord? This, of course, does not mean we delight in the law as a way of salvation, or as a way of finding approval with God. Rather, delighting in God’s ways, his will, his holiness is the sure sign that we have been graced with his salvation. So, again, do you delight in God’s ways, his will, and his holiness? May the Lord so grace us with his presence as we come to worship that our time spent with him will be a time of deep delight!

God Calls Us to Worship
* Psalm 1 (p. 448)
* TH #558 “That Man Is Blest Who, Fearing God”
* Prayer

For our confession of sin we turn to James 4:13–17. James teaches us we live with wisdom when we seek to understand and do the Lord’s will. So instead of making plans with no respect to God, we are taught to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” Now, there is a superficial way of saying “Lord willing” as sort of a punctuation mark to the things we say. But what James is teaching us is that we are God’s people, and our greatest delight and duty is to do the will of the Lord.

So, did you do the will of the Lord this week? Unfortunately, today there is a cottage industry of “Christian” books and programs that promise to teach us to discover God’s will. But this is paganism masquerading as Christianity. God’s will is revealed to us in the Bible. To ask “Did you do the will of the Lord?” is really to ask, ”Well, did you obey God’s word?”

In corporate worship we have an opportunity to confess we have not lived in perfect obedience to God’s will. To the extent we are growing in obedience, we praise God for his grace. But wherever we are aware of disobedience, we confess to the Father of mercies who forgives.

Shorter Catechism Qs. 14–15 will help us think rightly about sin and righteousness. You can read the lesson here.

God Hears Our Confession and Restores Us
James 4:13–17 (p. 1013)
Shorter Catechism Qs. 14–15 (p. 870)
Prayer of Confession
TH #141 “God, in the Gospel of His Son”

Gifts and Offering

Pastoral Prayer

God Speaks and We Listen
Romans 5:15–17 (p. 942)
Grace Abounding
Rev. Ken Han

God Renews His Covenant Promises
Baptized Christians who are members in good standing in Reformed or evangelical churches are invited to participate. Otherwise, please let the bread and the cup pass you by. During the distribution of the bread we will sing TH #622 “I Waited for the Lord Most High” stanzas 1–3 during the distribution of the bread, and stanzas 4–6 during the distribution of the cup.

God Dismisses Us with Blessing
* TH #465 “Marvelous Grace of Our Loving Lord”
* Benediction

Upcoming Events and Notices
April 22 (Lord’s Day 9:15 AM): Please join us for Sunday School as we continue our study of covenant theology.

April 26 (Thursday 7 AM): The Fallbrook men’s group will meet at pastor Ken’s house. 1 Samuel 5–6 and Knowing God ch. 6.

April 28 (Saturday 7 AM): The Fallbrook men’s group will meet at the Ligtenberg home. 1 Samuel 5–6 and Knowing God ch. 5.

April 28 (Saturday 8–5 PM): The stated meeting of the South Coast Presbytery will be held at North Coast Presbyterian Church in Encinitas. Pastor Han and Elder Keck will be representing Grace Fallbrook.

April 29 (Lord’s Day after worship): Please join us for a wedding shower as we celebrate the marriage of the new couple Mia and Mike Cho. For those interested, this site has information on their wedding registry.

May 2 (Wednesday 12:30 PM): All the women are invited to the Kay home for a time of study, fellowship, and prayer. The women are reading J.I. Packer’s Knowing God. We encourage the women of grace to take advantage of this opportunity for growth and mutual ministry.

May 20 (Lord’s Day after worship): Please note that the May potluck lunch has been moved back one week due to Mother’s Day on May 13.

Nursery Volunteers
April 22: Cindy & Emma Keck
April 29: Kelly Rogers & Christian Rogers

Filed under: Church Update, Devotions, theology, worship, announcements, grace, liturgy, order of worship, sin

Grace Note April 15, 2012

Preparing for Worship

For our call to worship we return to a well–known selection of passages. As we read from Genesis 2–3, our strong familiarity with them might preclude an attentive reading and hearing. Certainly, that is the challenge we face whenever we come to a familiar passage in the Bible. How, then, can we approach God’s word in general, and these passages in particular, with fresh minds and with expectation that the Lord will speak to us?

Surely, one way that we can continue to benefit from God’s word is not to make it about us. Now, Scripture is undeniably about us in some ways. But before Scripture is about us (i.e. how we perceive the Scripture to be interesting or relevant according to our narrow and present concerns), Scripture is first and foremost a revelation of our God. So we can continue to benefit even from familiar passages when we ask “What does this passage say about God?”

Indeed, what do Genesis 2:15–17; 3:6–7, 21 say about God? They reveal to us a God who tempers his justice with mercy. Man’s disobedience was supposed to bring him pleasure, but instead only brought him shame. The best Adam and Eve could do to cover their shame was to sew fig leaves together. Quite pathetic, isn’t it? Their brilliant idea so fragile. Leaves, of course, easily crumble to touch! They were bound to keep sewing for the rest of their lives.

But God provided a durable way to cover up their shame. He did this through the sacrifice of an innocent victim. Justice meant the death of Adam and Eve. In mercy God killed another instead. This is a revelation of who God is. He tempers his justice with mercy, and provides remedy against sin. Ultimately, God provided the innocent victim Jesus, whose death covered our shame. The covering Jesus provides us is not fragile like the schemes we come up with. It is durable, and will last to eternity. Thus we sing, “I Lay My Sins on Jesus.”

God Calls Us to Worship
* Genesis 2:15–17; 3:6–7, 21 (p. 2–3)
* TH #512 “I Lay My Sins on Jesus”
* Prayer

When John the Baptist saw Jesus he proclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” The sacrifice of lamb was a regularly ordained part of the Old Testament worship. The sacrificial lamb symbolized the need for sin to be dealt with, and that it can only be dealt with by the means of blood. But animal sacrifices were never enough. For that reason offering of one sacrificial lamb was not enough. There were many sacrifices made in the life of an Israelite.

But the sacrifice of Jesus is complete and sufficient. The value of his death is such that God demands no more, and we need not give God anymore. In fact, to attempt to offer God anything in addition to the worth of Christ’s sacrifice would be to insult the supreme value of Jesus’ death. We would in fact be saying Jesus was not a complete savior, and that his sacrifice was inadequate.

But in fact that is what we often do. In our sin we feel it is inadequate to simply trust in the gospel promises, and we think we can make atonement for our sins by trying harder to be better people or by punishing ourselves. We feel we need to beg for forgiveness harder and longer! Such “repentance” (it really isn’t) is nothing more than a distrust of God’s mercies and a rejection of the value of Christ’s sacrifice. No wonder we seldom experience the joy of the restored!

Instead, we must repent believingly. We confess and believe with joy that Christ has taken our sins away. We repent truly when we fix our eyes on Jesus alone. He has taken away your sin!

Shorter Catechism Q. 13 teaches us about Adam’s sin. You can read the lesson here. Let us use it as a guide to turn our eyes to Jesus.

God Hears Our Confession and Restores Us
John 1:29–34 (p. 886)
Shorter Catechism Q. & A. 13 (p. 870)
Prayer of Confession
TH #246 “Man of Sorrows! What a Name”

Gifts and Offering

Pastoral Prayer

God Speaks and We Listen
Romans 5:12–14 (p. 942)
In Adam by Birth, In Christ by New Birth
Rev. Ken Han

God Renews His Covenant Promises
Baptized Christians who are members in good standing in Reformed or evangelical churches are invited to participate. Otherwise, please let the bread and the cup pass you by. During the distribution of the bread we will sing TH #371 “O Lord of Hosts, How Lovely” stanzas 1–2 during the distribution of the bread, and stanzas 3–4 during the distribution of the cup.

God Dismisses Us with Blessing
* TH #304 “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say”
* Benediction

Upcoming Events and Notices
April 14 (Saturday 7 AM): The Fallbrook men’s group will meet at the Summers’ home. 1 Samuel 4 and Knowing God ch. 4.

April 15 (Lord’s Day 9:15 AM): Please join us for Sunday School as we continue our study of covenant theology.

April 15 (Lord’s Day): Please join us for April potluck lunch after the service.

Nursery Volunteers
April 15: Liza Beede & June Toman
April 22: Cindy & Emma Keck

Filed under: Church Update, Devotions, theology, worship, announcements, covenant of works, lamb of god, sin

Grace Note April 8, 2012

Preparing for Worship
This Lord’s Day is Easter, and we are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, to be sure, we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord throughout the year. As we read in the Bible, Jesus was “raised for our justification” (Rom 4:25) and “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Cor 10:14) Jesus’ resurrection is far more than a point of apologetics. It does more than prove the possibility of miracles. For without Christ’s resurrection, we have no peace with God (cf. Rom 5:1). So we celebrate Jesus rising from the dead regularly in our worship. So, then, do we really need to fuss about Easter?

Although we regularly celebrate Jesus’ victory over death, there are some good reasons to celebrate on Easter Sunday. First, Christianity is a faith inseparably rooted in history. Other religions and faiths, not being rooted in history (that is, being fabricated), do not depend on historical reality. Instead they mumble something about “timeless eternal principles.” Not so with Jesus Christ. Some 2,000 years ago, Jesus and his disciples ate the Passover meal, and Jesus was betrayed and condemned to die by the Roman governor Pilate. Then three days after the Passover Jesus rose from the dead. Our Easter celebration therefore highlights the historicity of our faith.

Secondly, this is the one time of the year we can approach our unbelieving neighbors and talk to them about the meaning of Easter. Perhaps you are having your family over for Easter lunch or dinner. Why not invite them to the spiritual feast before the physical feast? What a great opportunity this is to glory in Jesus’ victory over sin and death!

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We begin our Easter worship with Psalm 16. Acts 13:35 quotes this Psalm in proclaiming Jesus Christ as the Messiah. David prophetically spoke in this Psalm of Christ, his death (v.10), and the glorious life and joy that followed. In this we are reminded that Christ was crucified according to Scripture, and he was raised according to Scripture. And it is a glorious truth that Jesus endured his trials with joy being fully confident that God’s word must be fulfilled. Jesus trusted that the God who promised his holy one will not see corruption in the grave would surely raise him to eternal glory and joy. Thus we enter into Easter worship with great confidence and joy. God’s word will be fulfilled, for he does not know how to be unfaithful. Let us praise our faithful God who raised Jesus from the dead!

God Calls Us to Worship
* Psalm 16
* TH #277 “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today”
* Prayer

Each week we confess our sins before God. But why? There are, of course, a number of reasons. For example, we are not yet in glory, and we struggle with sin. Also, God is holy and we rightly tremble before him. John 20 helps us to see another reason. In confessing our sins we see ourselves as those for whom Jesus died and rose. And as we confess our sins we hear our Savior say to us once again, “Peace be with you!” And he commissioned his disciples in the power of the Holy Spirit, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” We do not have apostolic succession in the church today. But the church’s ministry is apostolic; it declares forgiveness to all who believe and repent. The promise and declaration of forgiveness is withheld from those who do not believe or repent. It is a glorious blessing we can confess our sins and be assured of his peace. In fact, this is what sets believes apart from nonbelievers.

God Hears Our Confession and Restores Us
John 20:1–23
Prayer of Confession
TH #274 “Thine Be the Glory”

Gifts and Offering

Pastoral Prayer

God Speaks and We Listen
Psalm 22:22–31
The Joy of the King
Rev. Ken Han

God Renews His Covenant Promises
Baptized Christians who are members in good standing in Reformed or evangelical churches are invited to participate. Otherwise, please let the bread and the cup pass you by. During the distribution of the bread we will sing TH #9 “All You That Fear Jehovah’s Name” stanzas 1–3 during the distribution of the bread, and stanzas 4–5 during the distribution of the cup.

God Dismisses Us with Blessing
* TH #290 “Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise”
* Benediction

Upcoming Events and Notices
April 6 (Friday 7 PM): Please join us for Good Friday meditation and prayer.

April 8 (Lord’s Day 9:15 AM): Please join us for Sunday School as we continue our study of covenant theology.

April 12 (Thursday 7 AM): The Temecula men’s group will meet at pastor Ken’s house. 1 Samuel 4 and Knowing God ch. 5.

April 14 (Saturday 7 AM): The Fallbrook men’s group will meet at the Summers’ home. 1 Samuel 4 and Knowing God ch. 4.

April 15 (Lord’s Day): Please note that April potluck lunch will be on the THIRD Sunday the 15th.

Nursery Volunteers
April 8: Marie & Adam Halstead
April 15: Liza Beede & June Toman

Filed under: Church Update, Devotions, theology, worship, announcements, easter, resurrection

Grace Note April 1, 2012

Preparing for Worship
This Lord’s Day is Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, mounted on a foal of a donkey, to the cheer and praise of the crowd who cried “Hosanna!” But the week that began with the crowd cheering Jesus ended with the crowd screaming “Crucify him! Kill him!” The coming Good Friday service, of course, commemorates the crucifixion of our Lord, and we celebrate his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

As we prepare for the Palm Sunday worship, we turn first to Zechariah who prophesied the coming of the King, who brings salvation humbly mounted on a foal of a donkey. But why a donkey? Jesus surely wasn’t a democrat, was he?

The significance of the donkey is seen when it is set against the four horses and their riders in Zechariah ch. 1 and following. They are war horses and their riders bring God’s judgment. But a donkey is not something a man rides into battle. It is a ride fit during times of peace. Jesus coming into Jerusalem mounted on a foal of a donkey is thus symbolic of the end of warfare and the coming of peace. “I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.” (Zechariah 9:10)

But peace, as we all know, is not free. It comes at a cost. Peace only comes to us because the LORD takes up the fight on our behalf (Zech 9:14–17). Ultimately, Zechariah’s prophecy reveals our king Jesus, who took up our battles and brought us peace. How fitting, then, to sing “Crown him with many crowns!”

God Calls Us to Worship

* Zechariah 9:9–17 (p. 797)
* TH #295 “Crown Him with Many Crowns”
* Prayer

In Matthew 21:1–11 we see the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy. Jesus came to Jerusalem mounted on a foal of a donkey. People spread their cloaks on the road and waved tree branches. This was the customary greeting for a king or a warrior returning from a successful warfare. Sadly, the crowd did not understand what they were doing when they welcomed Jesus in such a manner.

But we do.

Jesus paid the price for our peace. He entered into Jerusalem where he will be condemned to die, for “upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” Such love of Christ gives us a two–pronged perspective on our sin. First, we mourn in repentance. It is very appropriate, and indeed, right, to mourn over our sin. We humble ourselves because of the awful price that our Savior paid. But we also rejoice. For thus says the Lord. “Come now, let us reason tougher, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isa 1:18) Thus we rejoice in repentance. It is not schizophrenic to mourn and rejoice at the same time. It is rather the true understanding of the grace of God. We humble ourselves before our Savior. He died for us. And we rejoice in him. He has made us clean!

God Hears Our Confession and Restores Us

Matthew 21:1–11 (p. 826)
Prayer of Confession
TH #235 “All Glory, Laud, and Honor”

Gifts and Offering

Pastoral Prayer

God Speaks and We Listen

Psalm 22:1–21 (p. 457)
The Anguish of the King
Rev. Ken Han

God Renews His Covenant Promises

Baptized Christians who are members in good standing in Reformed or evangelical churches are invited to participate. Otherwise, please let the bread and the cup pass you by. During the distribution of the bread we will sing TH #79 “My God, My God, O Why Have You Forsaken Me?” stanzas 1–2 during the distribution of the bread, and stanzas 3–4 during the distribution of the cup.

God Dismisses Us with Blessing

* TH #253 “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood”
* Benediction

Upcoming Events and Notices
March 31 (Saturday 7 AM): The Fallbrook men’s group will meet at the Ligtenberg home. (1 Samuel 3 & Knowing God ch. 4)

April 1 (Lord’s Day 9:15 AM): Please join us for our monthly prayer meeting.

April 6 (Friday 7 PM): Please join us for Good Friday meditation and prayer.

April 15 (Lord’s Day): Please note that April potluck lunch will be on the THIRD Sunday the 15th.

Nursery Volunteers
April 1: Howie & Rebecca Rogers
April 8: Marie & Adam Halstead

Filed under: Church Update, Devotions, theology, worship, announcements, Jesus, palm sunday, triumphal entry

Grace Note March 25, 2012

Preparing for Worship
The first half of our worship service leads us to reflect upon God’s special providence toward Adam and Eve, which is the subject of Shorter Catechism Q. & A. 12. You can read the Shorter Catechism lesson here.

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For our call to worship we turn to portions of Scripture that deals with God’s covenant with Adam. Perhaps the way we think about God’s covenant with Adam is a little bit like how children say to their parents, “You never let me do anything fun!” That, of course, is probably not true. But how often do we read about God’s covenant with Adam and the only thing that sticks in our minds is God’s command in Gen 2:17 where we read, “…you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”? Just as children forget all the wonderful things their parents let them do and fixate on the few things they are forbidden, so we may miss (although it is actually pretty hard to miss!) how lavishly God blessed Adam and Eve, creating them in his image, and also granting them to eat from ALL the trees in the garden. God’s command to Adam and Even was not burdensome, and it did not cost them anything to keep it especially when God had already given them the fruit of the entire garden. But the Serpent came and said, in effect, ”God never lets you do anything fun.” And Adam and Eve, in a manner of speaking, also said, “He never lets us do anything we want.”

But how about you? When you think about God, how do you think about him? Is he the God who never lets you do anything good? Or is he the kind and gracious provider who has lavished you with every spiritual blessing in Christ, a Lord whose commands are not burdensome to keep? Know that he is good, and he richly deserves our fear (i.e. loving loyalty, dependence, reverence, commitment, etc.).

God Calls Us to Worship
* Genesis 1:26–29, 2:9, 15–17 (pgs. 1–2)
* TH #9 “All You That Fear Jehovah’s Name”
* Prayer

It is impossible to read about God’s covenant with Adam in Genesis 1-2 and not think about at the same time the violation of that covenant in Genesis 3. In this case, reading Genesis 1–2 makes us realize, with C.S. Lewis’ Puddleglum, “There’s a cloud with every silver lining.” For we know when Adam and Eve sinned, they were expelled from the presence of the Lord and the Tree of Life was taken from them.

But the marvelous gift of Jesus Christ is our return to the Tree of Life (symbolic of eternal fellowship with God that cannot be marred by sin and death). So at the end of Revelation we read the faithful in Christ eat from the Tree of Life.

Christian life is thus strengthened by the glorious hope of eternal fellowship with God. Through Jesus, unlike Adam and Eve, we already enjoy a relationship with God that cannot be severed. The gifts of grace we have received cannot be revoked, unlike Adam and Eve’s privileges in the Garden. But our experience of this grace is not yet perfect, and the joy of our fellowship with God is dimmed through sin. Our standing before God does not change, but our experience of joy and peace does change with sin. In our corporate confession of sin we take the varnish off of our sin and expose them before God for what they are. But with confession comes forgiveness and restoration. Let us all earnestly seek this grace!

God Hears Our Confession and Restores Us
Revelation 22:1–5 (p. 1041)
Shorter Catechism Q.12 (p. 870)
Prayer of Confession
TH #463 “A Debtor to Mercy Alone”

Gifts and Offering

Pastoral Prayer

God Speaks and We Listen
Romans 5:1–8 (p. 942)
The Demonstration of God’s Own Love
Rev. Ken Han

God Renews His Covenant Promises
Baptized Christians who are members in good standing in Reformed or evangelical churches are invited to participate. Otherwise, please let the bread and the cup pass you by. During the distribution of the bread we will sing TH #254 “Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed” stanzas 1–3 during the distribution of the bread, and stanzas 4–5 during the distribution of the cup.

God Dismisses Us with Blessing
* TH #455 “And Can It Be That I Should Gain”
* Benediction

Upcoming Events and Notices
March 25 (Lord’s Day 9:15 AM): Please join us for Sunday School as we continue our study of covenant theology.

March 25 (Lord’s Day after worship): Please note that a congregational meeting will be held for the purpose of presenting and adopting a new budget for fiscal year 2012.

March 29 (Thursday 7 AM): The Temecula men’s group will meet at the Han home. (1 Samuel 3 & Knowing God ch. 4)

March 31 (Saturday 7 AM): The Fallbrook men’s group will meet. (1 Samuel 3 & Knowing God ch. 4)

April 6 (Friday 7 PM): Please join us for Good Friday meditation and prayer.

April 15 (Lord’s Day): Please note that April potluck lunch will be on the THIRD Sunday the 15th.

Nursery Volunteers
March 25: Ed & Stephanie Madrid
April 1: Howie & Rebecca Rogers

Filed under: Church Update, Devotions, theology, worship, announcements, covenant of works, providence, Puddleglum

Grace Note March 18, 2012

Preparing for Worship
The first part of our worship, as is typical for us, has a unifying theme. This week that theme is God’s providence. This is what we learn about providence from the Shorter Catechism. “What are God’s works of providence? God’s works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.” You can read the lesson on Shorter Catechism Q. & A. 11 here.

Our first passage, Psalm 145, teaches us God preserved and governed David and Israel with holiness, wisdom, and power. It was such a conviction that sustained David through many seasons of trials. V.14 “The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.” David knew that his LORD would use trials to refine him, but because the LORD is holy, wise, and powerful, he knew he would never be crushed under his trials. But how could he be sure? V.17 “The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.” David knew the LORD would never be anything but righteous and kind to him.

For some people the time spent in worship is time wasted. They cannot see what worship has to do with “real” life. Well, the “real” life is the life that brings us trials and temptations. The “real” life is where we stumble and struggle. The “real” life breaks our hearts and wearies our body. If so, just what is going to sustain us that we don’t just survive, but thrive? It is worship! For in worship we are strengthened in the knowledge and experience of the goodness of our God, who preserves and governs all things, including his children, with holy wisdom and power.

God Calls Us to Worship
* Psalm 145 (p. 524)
* TH #32 “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”
* Prayer

Romans 8:26-30 is one of the most treasured texts in the entire Bible. It is easy to see why. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Notice that things just don’t get better. All things work together for good for those who love God. Why is that so? It is because they have a Father in heaven who loves them.

Now, do you believe this? Most Christians will say, “Of course I do.” But if we would be honest, we have a difficult time believing this. For if we truly believed this, there will be far more thanksgiving and far less worrying in our lives. And if we really believed that God causes all things to work together for our good, we will pray a lot more than we do. Maybe your life is pristine and perfect, with nary a thing that worries you. As for me, I worry, complain, and by instinct and habit am prone more to trust in my own abilities than lean on God. I am a sinner.

But since the Lord graciously reveals to me my need for repentance, I will go to him who has justified me, and pray that he keep and, in the end, glorify me. Do you need to do this as well? Then go to your God and Savior. May the Lord even make your sin and guilt work together for his glory and your blessing. And he will! “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

God Hears Our Confession and Restores Us
Romans 8:26–30 (p. 944)
Shorter Catechism Q.11 (p. 870)
Prayer of Confession
TH #98 “Now Thank We All Our God”

Gifts and Offering

Pastoral Prayer

God Speaks and We Listen
Romans 5:1–5 (p. 942)
The Right Kind of Boasting
Rev. Ken Han

God Renews His Covenant Promises
Baptized Christians who are members in good standing in Reformed or evangelical churches are invited to participate. Otherwise, please let the bread and the cup pass you by. During the distribution of the bread we will sing Worship Music Songbook #8 “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” during the distribution of the bread, and WMS #1 “Before the Throne of God Above” during the distribution of the cup.

God Dismisses Us with Blessing
* TH #108 “What’er My God Ordains Is Right”
* Benediction

Upcoming Events and Notices
March 17 (Saturday 7 AM): The Fallbrook men’s group will meet at the Summers home. (1 Samuel 2 & Knowing God chs. 2 & 3)

March 18 (Lord’s Day 9:15 AM): Please join us for Sunday School as we continue our study of covenant theology.

March 23–24 (Friday–Saturday): PCA South Coast 2012 Women’s Retreat will be held at Westin South Coast, Costa Mesa.

March 25 (Lord’s Day after worship): Please note that a congregational meeting will be held for the purpose of presenting and adopting a new budget for fiscal year 2012.

Nursery Volunteers
March 18: Michelle & Joseph Kay
March 25: Ed & Stephanie Madrid

Filed under: Church Update, Devotions, theology, announcements, providence, shorter catechism