• The installation service for Walter Rozeboom as elder and for Will Heikoop as deacon will be held during the evening service.
• The family camp registration page is now open on our website.You will also find information in your mailbox.  We would like all registrations to be submitted by July 25.
• The church bridal shower for Jenny Kwekel will be held at the church on Thursday evening at 6:30 pm.
• Please pray for all our graduates this year, and that each graduate will memorialize this event, with the words of Samuel in 1 Sam. 7:12, “Hitherto hath the LORD helped us”.
• Bible study.(4:45-5:45 pm)

Next week. — Bible study: 1 Thes. 5. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good”.

 

“Hitherto the LORD hath helped us.” 1 Sam. 7:12.

You must read first of all its central word, the word on which all the sense depends, where the fullness of it gathers. “Hitherto the LORD hath helped us.” Note, beloved, that they did not stand still and refuse to use their weapons, but while God was thundering they were fighting, and while the lightnings were dashing in the foeman’s eyes they were making them feel the potency of their steel. So that while we glorify God we are not to deny or to discard human agency. We must fight because God fighteth for us. We must strike, but the power to strike and the result of striking must all come from him. You see they did not say, “Hitherto our sword hath helped us, hitherto Samuel has encouraged us.” No, no — “hitherto the Lord has helped us.” Now you must admit that everything truly great must be of the Lord. You cannot suppose a thing so great as the conversion of sinners, the revival of a Church can ever be man’s work. You see the Thames when the tide is ebbing what a long reach of foul, putrid mud, but the tide returns. Poor unbeliever, you who thought the river would run out till it was all dry and the ships be left aground, see, the flood comes back again, joyfully filling up the stream once more. But you are quite certain that so large a river as the Thames is not to be flooded except by ocean’s tides. So you cannot see great results and ascribe them to man. Where there is little work done men often take the credit themselves, but where there is great work done, they dare not. If Simon Peter had been angling over the side of his ship and had caught a fine fish, he might have said, “Well done fisherman!” But when the boat was full of fish, so that it began to sink, he could not think of himself then. No, down he goes with “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” The greatness of our work compels us to confess that it must be of God, it must be of the Lord alone. And, dear friends, it must be so if we consider the little with which we began. Jacob said as he came over Jordan, “With my staff I crossed this Jordan, but now am I become two bands.” Surely his becoming two bands must be of God, for he had nothing but his staff.

If we do not as a Church and a congregation, if we do not as individuals, always give God the glory, it is utterly impossible that God should work by us. Many wonders I have seen, but I never saw yet a man who arrogated the honor of his work to himself, whom God did not leave sooner or later. Nebuchadnezzar said, “Behold this great Babylon that I have builded.” Behold that poor lunatic whose hair has grown like eagle’s feathers, and his nails like bird’s claws — that is Nebuchadnezzar. And that must be you, and that must be me, each in our own way, unless we are content always to give all the glory unto God.

Did God make men strong that they may exalt themselves into his throne? What, doth the King of kings crown you with mercies that you may pretend to lord it over him? What, doth he dignify you that you may usurp the prerogatives of his throne? No; you must come with all the favors and honors that God has put upon you, and creep to the foot of his throne and say, What am I, and what is my father’s house that thou hast remembered me. “Hitherto the LORD hath helped us.”

Rev. C H Spurgeon

9:15 a.m.
Theme: Faith in the living God
1. The widow
2. The prophet
3. The LORD

Pr. 362:1-3
1 Kings 17:17-24 (22)
Pr. 415:8-10
Pr. 110:1-3
Pr. 94:1-6

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6:00 p.m.
Theme: To follow Christ
1. Total love
2. To count the cost
3. Sacrifice all for Christ

Pr. 421:3-4
Luke 14:25-35 (27)
Pr. 265:1-5
Pr. 235:1-3
Pr. 436:1-3
Pr. 298:1-3

9:15 a.m.
Theme: God remembers his covenant
1. Bondage
2. Groaning
3. Remembering

Pr. 415:5-6
Exodus 2:11-25 (23-25)
Pr. 111:1-4
Pr. 242:1-4
Pr. 50:1-2
Pr. 426:1-3
Pr. 284:1-2

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6:00 p.m.
Theme: Blessed and not cursed
1. Bileam
2. The LORD
3. Israel

Pr. 80:1-4
Numbers 23:1-30 (19-21)
Pr. 427:1-3
Pr. 96:1-4
Pr. 155:1-4

Announcements

• At the congregational meeting on June 5, Walter Rozeboom was chosen as elder and Will Heikoop was chosen as deacon. Please notify the consistory if there are any objections for these two men in their respective office. Installation is planned for the evening service on June 25.
• And Mrs. Neal Boerkoel plan to celebrate their 62 nd wedding anniversary on Thursday, June 22. Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Ps. 36:5.
• There will be no lay-preaching class for the month of July and August.
• Bible study.(4:45-5:45 pm)

This week. — Bible study: 1 Thes. 5. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good”.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:17.

If a broken heart and a contrite spirit be of such esteem with God, then this should encourage them that have it to come to God with it. I know the great encouragement for men to come to God is, for that there ‘is a mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus’ (1 Tim 2:5). This, I say, is the great encouragement, and in its place there is none but that; but there are other encouragements subordinate to that, and a broken and a contrite spirit is one of them: this is evident from several places of Scripture.
Wherefore, thou that canst carry a broken heart and a sorrowful spirit with thee, when thou goest to God, tell him thy heart is wounded within thee, that thou hast sorrow in thy heart, and art sorry for thy sins Confess also thy sins unto him, and tell him they are continually before thee. David made an argument of these things, when he went to God by prayer. ‘O Lord, ‘ saith he, ‘rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.’ But why so? O! says he, ‘Thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. There is no soundness in my flesh, because of thine anger: neither is there any rest in my bones, because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink, and are corrupt, because of my foolishness. I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and sore broken; I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart. Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee. My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light for mine eyes, it also is gone from me. My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore’: and so he goes on (Psa 38:1-4, &c.).
These are the words, sighs, complaints, prayers, and arguments of a broken heart to God for mercy; and so are they, ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me’ (Psa 51:1-3).
God alloweth poor creatures that can, without lying, thus to plead and argue with him. ‘I am poor and sorrowful, ‘ said the good man to him, ‘let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high’ (Psa 69:29). Wherefore thou that hast a broken heart take courage, God bids thee take courage; say therefore to thy soul, ‘Why are thou cast down, O my soul?’ as usually the broken-hearted are. ‘And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God.’ ‘I had fainted, ‘ if I had not been of good courage; therefore ‘be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart’

John Bunyan

7:00 p.m.
Theme: Joseph opened all the storehouse
1. Exaltation
2. Restoration
3. Preservation

Pr. 209:8-11
Gen. 41:37-57 (56)
Pr. 289:1-2, 8-10
Pr. 421:3-4

“But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” 1 Thes. 5:8.

Therefore let us not sleep. He adds other metaphors closely allied to the preceding one. For as he lately shewed that it were by no means seemly that they should be blind in the midst of light, so he now admonishes that it were dishonorable and disgraceful to sleep or be drunk in the middle of the day. Now, as he gives the name of day to the doctrine of the gospel, by which the Christ, the Sun of righteousness (Malachi 4:2) is manifested to us, so when he speaks of sleep and drunkenness, he does not mean natural sleep, or drunkenness from wine, but stupor of mind, when, forgetting God and ourselves, we regardlessly indulge our vices. Let us not sleep, says he; that is, let us not, sunk in indolence, become senseless in the world. As others, that is, unbelievers, from whom ignorance of God, like a dark night, takes away understanding and reason. But let us watch, that is, let us look to the Lord with an attentive mind. And be sober, that is, casting away the cares of the world, which weigh us down by their pressure, and throwing off base lusts, mount to heaven with freedom and alacrity. For this is spiritual sobriety, when we use this world so sparingly and temperately that we are not entangled with its allurements.

Having put on the breastplate. He adds this, that he may the more effectually shake us out of our stupidity, for he calls us as it were to arms, that he may shew that it is not a time to sleep. It is true that he does not make use of the term war; but when he arms us with a breastplate and a helmet, he admonishes us that we must maintain a warfare. Whoever, therefore, is afraid of being surprised by the enemy, must keep awake, that he may be constantly on watch. As, therefore, he has exhorted to vigilance, on the ground that the doctrine of the gospel is like the light of day, so he now stirs us up by another argument — that we must wage war with our enemy. From this it follows, that idleness is too hazardous a thing. For we see that soldiers, though in other situations they may be intemperate, do nevertheless, when the enemy is near, from fear of destruction, refrain from gluttony and all bodily delights, and are diligently on watch so as to be upon their guard. As, therefore, Satan is on the alert against us, and tries a thousand schemes, we ought at least to be not less diligent and watchful.

John Calvin

• At the congregational meeting on June 5, Walter Rozeboom was chosen as elder and Will Heikoop was chosen as deacon. Please notify the consistory if there are any objections for these two men in their respective office. Installation is planned for the evening service on June 25.
• The family camp is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, August 25 and 26. The preferred way to register for the camp will be online at providencereformed.org. An email will be sent to you when the registration form is available.. Printed forms will also be available.
• A church bridal shower forJenny Kwekel will be held in the church on Thursday, June 29 at 6:30 pm, the Lord willing.
• Please remember in prayer those that cannot worship with us today, due to illness, studies, or work.
• Bible study.(4:45-5:45 pm)

Next week. — Bible study: 1 Thes. 5. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good”.

9:15 a.m. Preparatory for the Lord’s Supper
Theme: Saved in the Lord
1. God’s way of salvation
2. Not the work of man
3. An everlasting salvation

Pr. 308:1-4
Isaiah 45:1-25 (16-17)
Pr. 48:1-4
Pr. 75:1-6
Pr. 440:4-5

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6:00 p.m.
Theme: Go and bring forth fruit

Pr. 429:3-4
John 15:1-17 (16) HC LD24 qa64
Pr. 401:1-4
Pr. 236:1-4
Pr. 298:1-3