St. Paul’s Evangelical Reformed Church
Pastor Daniel R. Schnabel 15470 County Road 31, Hamburg, MN
Give ear, O my people, to my law; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.…which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. Ps.78:1,3-4
The Lords’ Day - September 4th, 2022
Prelude & Piano - Corinne
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 “Fairest Lord Jesus” 170
We Read God’s Word:Luke 18:9-17 (B. p. 928)
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
• Hymn “There Is A Fountain Filled with Blood” 253
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 4:9 (B. p. 162)
Sermon: God’s Word Must Be Treasured in
Our Lives & Homes!
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
As we begin to worship please remember that we have no greater privilege and honor than to be called into the presence of God by His grace and draw near to Him. We come to Him through the merit of Christ Crucified. We come in the power of the Holy Spirit and with God’s promise that He will draw near us(James 4:8). May our gracious Lord draw near to you wonderfully in this worship service today. May you be blessed through the worship of our most high God as we reflect upon His goodness and grace to us through Jesus Christ our Lord and the Holy Spirit. It is our prayer you will feel at home among us and hope you will sense God's gracious and glorious presence here at St. Paul's and return soon.
- This Week at St. Paul’s -
Thursday Consistory at 7:00 p.m. at the church.
Sunday Sunday School and Bible Study at 8:40 a.m
Worship Service at 9:30 a.m.
Choir after worship
- Announcements -
Today’s bulletin is sponsored by Susie & Richard in thankfulness to God for the blessing of and in loving memory of Lenora!
Today we have the honor of celebrating covenant baptism for Isaac son of Kayla & Ryan . His sponsors are Kyle , Jordan , Brett & Mandy. 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.
Choir Practice will begin September 11th!
Sunday school will begin again September 11th!
Fellowship this month will be the 26th!
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.
Kenny as he recovers from his bladder surgery. He was hospitalized last week for a few days. Psalm 61:2
Pray for Kacie & Nolan as they are expecting a new baby. Ps. 71:6
Pray for the elderly, particularly those in nursing and assisted living homes – Dorothy, Howard & Mavis. 2Cor. 4:17
Pray for Luke (11 year old son of Dan & Rhonda at a sister church in PA). He is 11 years old and has been wrestling with a very rare form of liver cancer. He really needs more chemo but is terrible weak and is now needing a liver transplant as the cancer is in the last good lobe of his liver. Psalm 71:6
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 , Michael , Amanda , Caleb Schmieg , as well as their families as they are serving. Ps. 91
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 -
If you would train your children rightly, train them in the way they should go and not in the way they would. J. C. Ryle
If you neglect to instruct [children] in the way of holiness, will the devil neglect to instruct them in the way of wickedness? No; if you will not teach them to pray, he will to curse, swear, and lie. If ground be uncultivated, weeds will spring. John Flavel
Godly parents do not inflict upon their children the cruelty of telling them that they should do ‘just as they please’.
William Hendriksen
God has made his children, by adoption, nearer to himself than the angels. The angels are the friends of Christ; believers are his members. Thomas Watson
Usher this Sunday - none Usher on the 11th - Jacob
Next Lord’s Supper - October 16th
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…
Apostles 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 which 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. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
God’s Word Must Be Treasured
in our Lives & Home!
Deuteronomy 4:9 (Read vs 1-14)
- Keep God’s word before our own hearts, mind and life!
2. Pass on God’s word to our children and grandchildren!
Picture: Small village outside of Ogembo Kenya
Bulletin cover, graphics and picture are by Pastor Schnabel.
