Scripture Reading:
#1. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3-5)
#2. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall (Psalm 27:1-2).
Prayer of Praise to God: Refer to the verses above and hymn below.
1 My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Refrain: On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.
2 In ev’ry rough and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the vale.
When all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]
3 Not earth, nor hell, my soul can move;
I rest upon unchanging love.
I trust his righteous character,
his counsel, promise, and his pow’r. [Refrain]
4 When he shall come with trumpet sound,
oh, may I then in him be found,
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain]
Reading of the Law: Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Romans 12:9-13)
Silent Confession of Sin/Confession of Sin: Eternal God, and most merciful Father! We confess and acknowledge here before your Divine Majesty, that we are miserable sinners, conceived and born in sin and iniquity, so that in us there is no goodness. Heavenly Father, we are displeased with ourselves for the sins that we have committed against you, and do sincerely repent of them. We most humbly beseech you, for the sake of Jesus Christ, to show your mercy upon us, to forgive us all our sins. We pray, not because of our worthiness, but because of the merits of your dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ, our only Savior. Amen.
Reading of the Gospel: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Heidelberg Catechism: Lord’s Day 40
Question #101
Q. But may we swear an oath in God’s name if we do it reverently?
A. Yes, when the government demands it, or when necessity requires it, in order to maintain and promote truth and trustworthiness for God’s glory and our neighbor’s good. Such oaths are grounded in God’s Word and were rightly used by the people of God in the Old and New Testaments.
Question #102
Q. May we also swear by saints or other creatures?
A. No. A legitimate oath means calling upon God as the only one who knows my heart to witness to my truthfulness and to punish me if I swear falsely. No creature is worthy of such honor.
Prayer of Thanksgiving: Thank God for all the mercies that he shows to us and thank him for his immutability (unchanging nature).
Prayer of Supplication: Pray for our expectant mothers and their babies and for our country.
.Bible reading and commentary:
Read: 2 Corinthians 2:5-11
Church discipline is neither fun to administer or even to talk about. However, it is necessary for a church to be Biblical and the Scriptures are very clear about its importance. It is also important to remember that the church’s responsibility is to judge those inside the church not those outside the church (1 Cor. 5). Church discipline is not about casting someone out, it is to destroy the flesh (repentance) and call them back to church.
Sexual sin is not the only sin which requires church discipline. Living in open sin requires the church to take action. Idolatry, heretical teaching, and disputes between members, are just some of the ‘open sins’ that can lead to church discipline. The aim of discipline is to promote the health of the whole church.
Not knowing for sure what disciplinary action Paul is taking about in 2 Corinthians 2, the truth is that Paul told them that they were too severe in their punishment. It may be the case that Paul is talking about someone who made personal insults about him. Verse 5 says: Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. We get the impression that some of the Corinthians had been upset that the apostle, who first preached the gospel to them, had, in his absence, been verbally abused. They may have felt more hurt than Paul ever did (v. 5b).
Another clue to the possibility of insult is the mention of Paul’s personal grief (v. 10) and his words ‘if I have forgiven anything’. Paul did not actually hear the insult so he was answering hearsay and may not have been convinced there was anything to forgive. Paul did write the Corinthians and instructed them about church discipline. Their response was a test to see how obedient they were to Paul. He was not lording it over them because he did not have that kind of authority. He provided principles to them and wanted to know if they were actually obedient to God.
Church discipline is an essential part of pastoral care. It begins at church membership and is part of establishing a church membership not just a casual membership as in social clubs.
We can deduce several principles from this section on church discipline.
The exercise of church discipline must be in the context of grief about sin (v. 5), but with our feelings under control. Grief is a better response to sin than anger. Anger causes us to act hastily. We (individual or the session) should take time to calm down and think about the situation before making a decision.
Church discipline demands a majority judgment and decision (v. 6). Expecting to always get a unanimous decision is unrealistic. We all have differences in opinion, logic or many other reasons.
Church discipline requires applying an appropriate punishment (v. 6). Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, etc.
The exercise of church discipline must have in view repentance and restoration, so that forgiveness and comfort may ultimately be given to the offending believer (v. 7). The offending believer must have hope that there is a possibility to be restored and not be overcome with grief.
Church discipline must have before it the hope of exercising Christian forgiveness; a forgiveness practiced by all its members (v10.). When someone is wronged and repents then is forgiven by the party that was wronged, all believers must forgive.
In exercising church discipline, we are to forgive as we have been forgiven, and as ‘in the presence of Christ’ (v. 10). In other words we are to forgive others in a way that honors Christ. We may not be able to forget but we must try because God no longer remembers our sins that we have confessed.
Church discipline must be exercised with care, so that we do not give Satan an opportunity to outwit us (v. 11). If church discipline is insufficient Satan is pleased because sin is minimized. If discipline is too severe it may lead the offending individual to desperation and perhaps apostasy.
Closing Hymn: The Gloria Patri
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. Amen.
Closing Scripture: Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil (Eph. 6:10-11).
The Lord’s Prayer (together): 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.