St. Paul’s Evangelical Reformed Church
Pastor Daniel R. Schnabel 15480 County Road 31, Hamburg, MN
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. Psalm 145:3-4
Lord’s Day — March 20, 2022
Prelude & Organ – Carol Lagergren
Ringing of the bell
Welcome & Announcements
Silent Prayer and Call to Worship
• Salutation and Prayer
• Gloria Patri 735
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
• Confession of Faith- Apostles' Creed
Hymn “Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah” 110
We Read God’s Word: Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (B. p. 165)
Confession of Sin & Pastoral Prayer
Call to Repentance and Assurance of Pardon:“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:38-39
• Song “In Christ Alone” #8
Scripture Reading: Genesis 17 (B. p. 15)
Sermon: God’s Covenant Faithfulness!
Covenant Baptism: Isaac
Hymn-Offering “A Christian Home” 719
• Benediction
• Doxology 731
Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise Him, all creatures here below; praise Him above, ye heavenly host: praise Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost. Amen.
• Silent Prayer
• Ringing of the Bell
Postlude
• Those who are able, please stand
Welcome to St. Paul’s Evangelical Reformed Church, especially those who are visiting with us. If you are visiting with us for the first time, please fill out a visitor card in the pew or the guest registry in the entryway. But as for me it is good to be near God. Psalm 73:28
- This Week at St. Paul’s -
Today Choir & Fellowship after worship.
Wednesday Catechism 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Workbook H.C. 84 & 85
Thursday Harbor Bible Study at 9:00 a.m.
Friday Dartball Dinner at 6:00 p.m.
Sunday Sunday School and Bible Study at 8:45 a.m
Worship Service at 9:30 a.m.
Fellowship & Choir after worship
Announcements
Today we have the honor of celebrating covenant baptism for Isaac son of Christine and Wyatt. His sponsors are Corey and Jenny. While water baptism does not wash away our sins, it is a sign and seal pointing to the promise of the gift of righteousness through faith just as God gave to Abraham. Baptism is also setting apart our children as belonging to God and His people.
Women’s Guild is collecting clean gently used white t-shirts and white bedsheets. Much of this will get made into bandages for Global Health Ministries.
Care Ministry sign up sheet is on the bulletin board!
The Women’s Guild sells boxes of cards($5 for a box of twelve) in the entryway.
- Prayer & Praise & Hospital Notes -
Pray for Aaron who will have eye surgery Psalm 26:3
Pray for Tanner as his broken ankle heals. Ps. 107:19-20
Pray for Howard & Mavis who had the coronavirus. Howard is improving. Exodus 23:35
Pray for Joel who is hospitalized at the Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center- East Bank. He has been diagnosed with fibrosis of the lungs and is on a respirator as well as ECMO(Oxygenating his blood) as he waits a lung transplant. Jeremiah 17:14
Pray for Luke (11 year old son of Dan & Rhonda at Heritage Reformed in Waymart, PA). He is 11 years old and has been wrestling with a very rare form of liver cancer. He has been through one bout of chemo last year and his numbers are going up again. Psalm 71:6
Pray for the Ukraine and particularly the Christians there who have not been able to escape the fighting. Calvin Jones and his wife are now in Montenegro. He is also trying to help others get out as well as transfer money to those who need it and have lost their homes and livelihood. Psalm 3:4
Pray for the elderly, particularly those in nursing and assisted living homes – Lorna, Bernetta and Dorothy. 2Cor. 4:17
Rev. Lee Johnson is slowly improving he is walking with a cane and still struggles to speak. Psalm 18:1-2
Pray for the police officers and their safety. Pray for our servicemen & women and national Guard who are members or related to members- Dakota, Jeremy, Ty , Ryan, Sam, Michael , Amanda, and Caleb, as well as their families as they are serving. Psalm 91
Pray for this nation. Jeremiah 3:21-22.
Pray for the United Reformed Church of the Congo, the Free Reformed Fellowship of Kenya, the Pearl of the Orient Reformed Church in the Philippines, Rev. Eric Kayayan of Reformed Faith and Life, Rev. Victor D’Assonville of Reformation To Germany, Middle East Reformed Fellowship and Westminster Biblical Missions which we help support with our missions offerings. 2Thess. 3:1
- Further Study -
Godly parents do not inflict upon their children the cruelty of telling them that they should do ‘just as they please’.
William Hendriksen
If we teach good things, it is hopeful that they will be learned. If our lives exemplify virtue, it is hopeful that they will be imitated.
Cotton Mather
For parents to see a child grow up without Christ is a far greater dereliction of duty than for parents to have children who grow up without learning to read or write. Donald Grey Barnhouse
Next Lord’s Supper - April 14
Why we Baptize Children?
Psalm 127:3 tells us children are a gift from God. God doesn't hand them to us to treat like little unbelievers. So in Genesis 17:7-11 God commanded a covenant sign for believers and their children to assure us we are God's! God gave this command knowing Ishmael would not believe, he would not be saved. For the old covenant sign of circumcision, like new covenant sign of baptism is not a sign of our faith or of our repentance, but of covenant possession (Matt. 28:19), belonging to the Triune God (Romans 14:8)! If one refuses to obey our Triune God applying His sign, it angers Him(Exodus 4:24-25).
While a baby will not remember their baptism, we as believing parents must remind them they belong to the Triune God and are members of His Church! We teach them they are responsible to repent, believe, and live for the Lord(Genesis 18:19; Galatians 3:27; 1Timothy 2:19). While there are no clear commands to baptize children, let others be honest! Children of believers in the Old Testament were always assumed to be part of the covenant people of God unless they showed something different. The same is true in The New Testament! Nowhere does Jesus or his Apostles exclude children from the covenant promises (Eph 6:1, Col. 3:20, 1Cor. 7:14)! More important Jesus clearly declared in Luke 18:16 "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God." Peter even restates Genesis 17:7&8 giving two separate commands in the Greek. "Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." Peter's point is baptism is not a sign of repentance, but points to the Holy Spirit, who by faith makes the promises of God our’s (Believers and their children)! This is why, like with Abraham, upon faith in Jesus by one adult, acting as the Spiritual head, whole households(the Greek word implies children also) were baptized in the NT(Acts 16:15, 30-34; 1 Corinthians 1:16).
People, in the covenant, may be brought to faith early or late in life. A true believer may sin greatly(2 Samuel 11; Psalm 51). This does not mean the covenant sign is to be reapplied, which is impossible with circumcision. John Calvin wrote, "however the covenant might be violated by them [wayward Jews in the OT], the symbol of the covenant remained ever firm and inviolable by virtue of the Lord's institution.” There are no re-baptisms in the NT! After Peter denied and cursed Jesus, he was not re-baptized. He did have to repent and recommit himself to serving the Lord(John 21:7). While many things are lacking in our faith, God’s promises do not lack anything! When we stumble baptism reminds us of God’s promises and Christ’s shed blood. For faith in Jesus saves (Romans 2:25-29) us and our children, not water baptism. 1Peter 3:21 tells us There is also an antitype which now saves us--baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…
Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only-begotten Son, our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy, universal Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
God’s Covenant Faithfulness!
Genesis 17
- God uses His covenant sign & seal to promise His faithfulness to us and our children!
2. God uses His covenant sign & seal to encourage our faith and obedience to Him!
Picture: Balboa Park, San Diego CA.
Bulletin cover, graphics and picture are by Pastor Schnabel.
