Calendar (D.V.)
Today, August 22: Rev. C. Engelsma am.  Dr. J. Bilkes pm.

Wednesday, August 25: Prayer Meeting at 7 pm. Will Heikoop
Sunday, August 29: Dr. J. Bilkes for both services.
Wednesday, September 1: Lay Preaching at 7:00 pm
Friday, Saturday, September 3, 4: Family Camp Cranhill Ranch
September 5: Rev. C. Engelsma for am.  Dr. J. Bilkes for pm.

Saturday, September 11: Sumba Fundraiser: Meeuwse Farm
Sunday, September 12: Dr. J Bilkes for both services
Sunday, September 12: Christian Education classes begin
Wednesday, September 15: Titus 2 7:30 pm Barb Meeuwse Phil 4:2-9

Collection Schedule:

• Today General Fund & Mission (Hudson Taylor)
• August 29 General Fund & Ministry Support Fund

Announcements:

• The Mission collection for the month of August is for the Hudson Taylor Ministries. Their website states, “The current worrisome developments in China have led us to temporarily close down our web site. We ask for your prayers relating the difficulties the church in China is experiencing at this time.” www.hudsontaylor.us. We are aware that this organization continues to support Christians in China; therefore, perhaps more than ever, we recommend this cause to your generosity.
• For those attending Family Camp, please complete the registration form in your mailbox and forward to Coral Hoffmann by August 29.
• Equipped Community is hosting a conference September 17-18, 2021 on understanding Critical Theory and a Biblical approach to the social issues it raises. This year’s conference is open to high school students and adults of any age. Find details and registration at: bit.ly/EQ2021register. Send questions to contact@equippedcommunity.org.
• The consistory has decided to update the English of the Apostle’s Creed to be more in line with current vernacular as follows:  “quick and dead” to “living and dead”  “an holy catholic church” to “a holy catholic church”

Meditation:

Luke 8:47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before Him, she declared unto Him before all the people for what cause she touched Him and how she was healed immediately. 48. And He said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

Let us see lastly, in this passage, how much our Lord desires that those who have received benefit from Him should confess Him before men. We are told that He did not allow this woman to retire from the crowd unheeded. He enquired, “who had touched Him.” He enquired again, until the woman came forward and “declared” her case before all the people. And then came the gracious words, “Daughter be of good comfort. Thy faith hath made thee whole.”

Confession of Christ is a matter of great importance. Let this never be forgotten by true Christians. The work that we can do for our blessed Master is little and poor. Our best endeavors to glorify Him are weak and full of imperfections.  Our prayers and praises are sadly defective. Our knowledge and love are miserably small. But do we feel within that Christ has healed our souls? Then can we not confess Christ before men? Can we not plainly tell others that Christ has done everything for us, – that we were dying of a deadly disease, and were cured, – that we were lost, and are now found, – that we were blind, and now see? Let us do this boldly and not be afraid. Let us not be ashamed to let all men know what Jesus has done for our souls. Our Master loves to see us doing so. He likes His people not to be ashamed of His name. It is a solemn saying of St. Paul, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). It is a still more solemn saying of Christ Himself, “Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed.” (Luke 9:26)     J.C. Ryle

Announcements:

• Please forward all bulletin announcements to Dave Meeuwse by noon on Friday, to be included in the bulletin for Sunday.
• The consistory has decided to change the evening doxology to Psalter 410, versus 1 and 2, starting today, August 15.
• The Mission collection for the month of August is for the  Hudson Taylor Ministries. Their website states, “The current worrisome developments in China have led us to temporarily close down our web site. We ask for your prayers relating the difficulties the church in China is experiencing at this time.” www.hudsontaylor.us. We are aware that this organization continues to support Christians in China; therefore, perhaps more than ever, we recommend this cause to your generosity.

“If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful; he cannot deny himself.” 2 Tim. 2:13

Then came the question, is there no rescue? Must it be thus to the end–constant conflict, and too often defeat? How could I preach with sincerity that, to those who receive Jesus, “to them gave he power to become the sons of God” (i.e., Godlike) when it was not so in my own experience? Instead of growing stronger, I seemed to be getting weaker and to have less power against sin; and no wonder, for faith and even hope were getting low. I hated myself, I hated my sin, yet gained no strength against it. I felt I was a child of God. His Spirit in my heart would cry, in spite of all, “Abba, Father.” But to rise to my privileges as a child, I was utterly powerless.

I thought that holiness, practical holiness, was to be gradually attained by a diligent use of the means of grace. There was nothing I so much desired as holiness, nothing I so much needed; but far from in any measure attaining it, the more I strove after it, the more it eluded my grasp, until hope itself almost died out, and I began to think that–perhaps to make heaven the sweeter–God would not give it down here. I do not think that I was striving to attain it in my own strength. I knew I was
powerless. I told the Lord so, and asked Him to give me help and strength. Sometimes I almost believed that He would keep and uphold me; but on looking back in the evening–alas! there was but sin and failure to confess and mourn before God.

I would not give you the impression that this was the only experience of those long, weary months. It was a too frequent state of soul, and that towards which I was tending, which almost ended in despair. And yet, never did Christ seem more precious; a Savior who could and would save such a sinner!… And sometimes there were seasons not only of peace but of joy in the Lord; but they were transitory, and at best there was a sad lack of power. Oh, how good the Lord has been in bringing this conflict to an end!

All the time I felt assured that there was in Christ all I needed, but the practical question was–how to get it out. He was rich truly, but I was poor; He was strong, but I weak. I knew full well that there was in the root, the stem, abundant fatness, but how to get it into my puny little branch was the question. As gradually light dawned, I saw that faith was the only requisite–was the hand to lay hold on His fullness and make it mine. But I had not this faith. I strove for faith, but it would not come; I tried to exercise it, but in vain. Seeing more and more the wondrous supply of grace laid up in Jesus, the fullness of our precious Savior, my guilt and helplessness seemed to increase. Sins committed appeared but as trifles compared with the sin of unbelief which was their cause, which could not or would not take God at His word, but rather made Him a liar! Unbelief was I felt the damning sin of the world; yet I indulged in it. I prayed for faith, but it came not. What was I to do?

When my agony of soul was at its height, a sentence in a letter from dear McCarthy was used to remove the scales from my eyes, and the Spirit of God revealed to me the truth of our oneness with Jesus as I had never known it before. McCarthy, who had been much exercised by the same sense of failure but saw the light before I did, wrote (I quote from memory): “But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One.”

As I read, I saw it all! “If we believe not, he abideth faithful.” I looked to Jesus and saw (and when I saw, oh, how joy flowed!) that He had said, “I will never leave thee.” “Ah, there is rest!” I thought. “I have striven in vain to rest in Him. I’ll strive no more. For has not He promised to abide with me–never to leave me, never to fail me?” From a letter written by Hudson Taylor

• At the recent consistory meeting the consistory decided that Don Vander Boon will be vice-president, Dave Meeuwse will be Clerk, and Jason Klaasen will be Treasurer. Please forward all bulletin announcements to Dave Meeuwse by noon on Friday to be included in the bulletin for Sunday.
• The consistory also decided to change the evening doxology to Psalter 410, versus 1 and 2, starting next Sunday, August 15.
• The Mission collection for the month of August is for the Hudson Taylor Ministries. Their website states,” The current worrisome developments in China have led us to temporarily close down our web site. We ask for your prayers relating the difficulties the church in China is experiencing at this time”. us. We are aware that this organization continues to support Christians in China and therefore we perhaps more than ever recommend this cause to your generosity.

• Please pray for Mr. Don Westrate, son-in-law of Mr. John Rademaker. He is receiving therapy at Mary Free Bed Hospital to recover for partial paralysis that he has from a brain tumor.
• The Van den Berg family decided not to travel to the United States this week due to the continued restriction for travel from Europe. They have rescheduled their trip for April 27 through May 6, 2022, D.V. Note: The potluck supper scheduled for Thursday has been canceled.
• Address change:

Ms. Stephanie West

3971 N Rosebud Ct. Apt. #6

Kentwood, MI 49512

“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then we do in patience wait for it. Rom. 8:24, 25.

For by hope, etc. Paul strengthens his exhortation by another argument; for our salvation cannot be separated from some kind of death, and this he proves by the nature of hope. Since hope extends to things not yet obtained, and represents to our minds the form of things hidden and far remote, whatever is either openly seen or really possessed, is not an object of hope. But Paul takes it as granted, and what cannot be denied, that as long as we are in the world, salvation is what is hoped for; it hence follows, that it is laid up with God far beyond what we can see. By saying, that hope is not what is seen, he uses a concise expression, but the meaning is not obscure; for he means simply to teach us, that since hope regards some future and not present good, it can never be connected with what we have in possession. If then it be grievous to any to groan, they necessarily subvert the order laid down by God, who does not call his people to victory before he exercises them in the warfare of patience. But since it has pleased God to lay up our salvation, as it were, in his closed bosom, it is expedient for us to toil on earth, to be oppressed, to mourn, to be afflicted, yea, to lie down as half-dead and to be like the dead; for they who seek a visible salvation reject it, as they renounce hope which has been appointed by God as its guardian.

If then what we see not, etc. This is an argument derived from what the antecedent implies; for patience necessarily follows hope. For when it is grievous to be without the good you may desire, unless you sustain and comfort yourselves with patience, you must necessarily faint through despair. Hope then ever draws patience with it. Thus it is a most apt conclusion — that whatever the gospel promises respecting the glory of the resurrection, vanishes away, except we spend our present life in patiently bearing the cross and tribulations. For if life be invisible, we must have death before our eyes: if glory be invisible, then our present state is that of degradation. And hence if you wish to include in a few words the meaning of the whole passage, arrange Paul’s arguments in this way, “To all the godly there is salvation laid up in hope; it is the character of hope to look forward to future and absent benefits: then the salvation of the faithful is not visible. Now hope is not otherwise sustained than by patience; then the salvation of the faithful is not to be consummated except by patience.”

It may be added, that we have here a remarkable passage, which shows, that patience is an inseparable companion of faith; and the reason of this is evident, for when we console ourselves with the hope of a better condition, the feeling of our present miseries is softened and mitigated, so that they are borne with less difficulty.

John Calvin

• and Mrs. David Hoogmoed were blessed with the birth of a baby girl, Elise Vivian, last Friday. Mother and baby are doing well.
• John Rademaker plans to celebrate his 93^rdbirthday on this Thursday, July 29. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. Ps. 118:29.
• The installation of office bearers is scheduled during this evenings service. David Meeuwse will be installed as elder and Jason Klaasen will be installed as deacon.
• The family camp is planned for September3 and 4 at Cranhill Ranch in Rodney, MI. The topic for the family camp is, The Family and Crisis. Please sign-up (deadline tomorrow) online at:

http://providencereformed.org/family-camp-sign-up/

• The mission collection today is for the William Carey Foundation. This foundation supports the Calvin Institute of Theology which is located in Oikonomos, India, and trains local pastors to lead reformed Churches in India.    williamcareyindia.org
• Please respond to Silvia Boerkoel with your Mystery Dinner date preference by Wednesday, July 28.

“Come; for all things are ready.”  Luke 14:17.

The reason why they should come—”For all things are now prepared.” Thus is mercy offered to the people of the Jews, where their God made all external means (as the word and sacrament) ready for them. So that he says, in Isaiah  65:2, He stretches out His arms, and holds them out all the day long. (Prov. 1:20), “Wisdom crieth without, she uttereth her voice in the streets.” Here God is crying, shouting, and casting out His arms, Matt. 23:37, crying and shedding tears. He would have them turn and live. But as it is true of the Jews, so it is of us; He has dressed the whole Supper Himself, covered the table, and there is no more for us to do, but sit down and eat. If we look to this dressed Supper, Christ dressed it all Himself, in the furnace of God’s wrath, and the bread that we here eat is His flesh, which He gave for the life of the world. John 6:51, The wine which is mingled and drawn is His blood. Not one dish is mis-cooked, all is set before us in the gospel, and Jesus craves no more for all His pains, but only that His friends come to the banquet and eat and be merry; and if ye will come, Christ will pay all the reckoning. When the Israelites were fed with manna, they needed to go out of the camp, and gather it themselves; but we furnish nothing of this Supper. God be thanked, Christ bears all the expense. Alas! that the unhappy world will not eat heartily, since Christ pays for all. The poor sons of Adam were all sick and at the point of death, and their stomachs were so spoiled with a sour apple that Adam did eat, that they were famished and not able to eat. In comes Jesus and makes a medicinal dinner of His own flesh and blood; lays down Himself and is slain to make medicine of His crucified body for us, in order to affect our cure. It is just they die for hunger, and lose their stomach for evermore, who loathe this meat. In the sacrament all things are ready; whatever the soul wants, it shall find at the Table. All the hungry shall find Christ meat and drink. John 6:55, They who are poor shall find Him gold, they who are naked shall find Him garments, they who are blind shall find Him light to the eyes. Look to the Supper and ye shall find it very expensive to Christ, for the fire that made it ready was the wrath of God; the fuel and the firewood was Christ, and a great burden of the sins of the elect on His back. And if Jesus had not been green timber He had been burnt all to ashes.  And the sourest sauce in this supper to Christ, was His dear Father hiding Himself. And when all is done ye cannot do Him a worse turn than not to eat heartily. Now, for the Lord’s sake, beloved, please the good man of the house, and eat and welcome. The last wine will be the best. What would ye have! Here is sweet company, eat, ye are heartily welcome. A curse upon them who bring in Mary’s Milk, with Martyrs’ Blood, as a dessert! No, Christ’s blood is in every dish, Christ’s flesh is in every serving, and Christ’s merit is a sweet sauce to all the servings. Other meats have no taste at this Supper. Samuel Rutherford

“Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”  Romans 8:12,13.

So then, brethren, etc. This is the conclusion of what has been previously said; for if we are to renounce the flesh, we ought not to consent to it; and if the Spirit ought to reign in us, it is inconsistent not to attend to his bidding. And this is the case, when we renounce carnal lusts, so as to devote ourselves, as those who are bound, to the righteousness of God.

For if ye will live after the flesh, etc. He adds a threatening, in order more effectually to shake off their torpor; by which also they are fully confuted who boast of justification by faith without the Spirit of Christ, though they are more than sufficiently convicted by their own conscience; for there is no confidence in God, where there is no love of righteousness. It is indeed true, that we are justified in Christ through the mercy of God alone; but it is equally true and certain, that all who are justified are called by the Lord, that they may live worthy of their vocation. Let then the faithful learn to embrace him, not only for justification, but also for sanctification, as he has been given to us for both these purposes, lest they rend him asunder by their mutilated faith.

But if ye by the Spirit, etc. He thus moderates his address, that he might not deject the minds of the godly, who are still conscious of much infirmity; for however we may as yet be exposed to sins, he nevertheless promises life to us, provided we strive to mortify the flesh: for he does not strictly require the destruction of the flesh, but only bids us to make every exertion to subdue its lusts. For whosoever are led by the Spirit of God, etc. This is a confirmation of what has immediately preceded; for he teaches us, that those only are deemed the sons of God who are ruled by his Spirit; for by this mark God acknowledges them as his own people. Thus the empty boasting of hypocrites is taken away, who without any reason assume the title; and the faithful are thus encouraged with unhesitating confidence to expect salvation. The import of the whole is this — “all those are the sons of God who are led by God’s Spirit; all the sons of God are heirs of eternal life: then all who are led by God’s Spirit ought to feel assured of eternal life. But the middle term or assumption is omitted, for it was unquestionable.

But it is right to observe, that the working of the Spirit is various: for there is that which is universal, by which all creatures are sustained and preserved; there is that also which is peculiar to men, and varying in its character: but what he means here is sanctification, with which the Lord favors none but his own elect, and by which he separates them for sons to himself.

John Calvin

• The installation of office bearers is scheduled for the evening service on July 25. David Meeuwse will be installed as elder and Jason Klaasen will be installed as deacon.
• The family camp is planned for September3 and 4 at Cranhill Ranch in Rodney, MI. The camp brochure is on the book rack in the Narthex. The topic for the family camp is, The Family and Crisis. Pastor D. Kranendonk is scheduled to lead the topic on Friday and Saturday morning. Daryl and Kara Dedert plan to lead the topic on Friday evening. Please sign-up online at:

http://providencereformed.org/family-camp-sign-up/

• Collections for June are as follows:

General $  6,767.50

Building $  2,911.00

CEF $  1,142.00

Benevolent $     231.00

Nigerian Reformed Church $11,780.20

Ministry Support Fund $15,501.00

 

• The July mission collection will be taken for The William Carey Foundation. This foundation supports The Calvin Institute of Theology which is located in Oikonomos, India, and trains local pastors to lead reformed Churches in India.    williamcareyindia.org