Preacher:
Pastor McGeown

Morning Service - 11:00 AM
Jerusalem’s Children Praising Jesus [mp3/YouTube]
Scripture Reading: Matthew 21:1-27
Text:  Matthew 21:15-16
I.    The Children’s Praise
II.   The Enemy’s Opposition
III.  The Saviour’s Response
Psalms: 100:1-5; 68:21-26; 118:17-29; 8:1-9

Evening Service - 5:30 PM
Watching for Christ’s Return (5)
Watching As Servants With Responsibilities [mp3/YouTube]
Scripture Reading:  Luke 12:22-48
Text:  Matthew 24:45-51
I.  The Responsibilities They Had
II.  The Service They Rendered
III.  The Reward They Received
Psalms: 113:1-9; 68:27-30; 101:1-8; 37:35-40

Quotes to Consider

John Gill on Matthew 21: "It was indeed no unusual thing for children to sing the "Hosanna" at the feast of tabernacles; for, according to the Jewish canons; a child that knew how to shake was obliged to carry the 'Lulab,' or bundle of myrtle, and willow boughs, and palm tree branches, at the shaking of which 'Hosanna' was said: but that they should cry 'Hosanna' to Jesus, as David's son, was very extraordinary, and what the high priests, and Scribes, took notice of with great resentment ... [they suggested that] he ought to reprove them, or else he would be a very vain, as well as a weak man, to take such things to himself, which did not belong to him, and that from such poor, little, silly creatures, so void of knowledge and understanding."  

Alfred Edersheim: "The tenderness of the bond which united Jewish parents to their children appears even in the multiplicity and pictorialness of the expressions by which the various stages of child-life are designated in the Hebrew. Besides such general words as "ben" and "bath"—"son" and "daughter"— we find no fewer than nine different terms, each depicting a fresh stage of life. The first of these simply designates the babe as the newly-"born"— "jeled" ... The next child-name, in point of time, is "jonek," which means, literally, "a suckling," being also sometimes used figuratively of plants, like our English "sucker," as in Isaiah 53:2: "He shall grow up before Him as a sucker"—"jonek." The word "jonek" occurs, for example, in Isaiah 11:8, and in Psalm 8:2. On the other hand, the expression in the latter passage, rendered "babes" in our Authorised Version, marks a yet third stage in the child's existence, and a farther advancement in the babe-life. This appears from many passages. As the word implies, the "olel" is still "sucking"; but it is no longer satisfied with only this nourishment, and is "asking bread," as in Lamentations 4:4 ... A fourth designation represents the child as the "gamul," or "weaned one" ... from a verb which primarily means to complete, and secondarily to wean. As we know, the period of weaning among the Hebrews was generally at the end of two years (Chethub. 60), and was celebrated by a feast. After that the fond eye of the Hebrew parent seems to watch the child as it is clinging to its mother— it were, ranging itself by her— the fifth designation, "taph" ... The sixth period is marked by the word "elem" ... which denotes becoming firm and strong. As one might expect, we have next the "naar," or youth—, he who shakes off, or shakes himself free. Lastly, we find the child designated as "bachur," or the "ripened one"; a young warrior ... Assuredly, those who so keenly watched child-life as to give a pictorial designation to each advancing stage of its existence, must have been fondly attached to their children" (Sketches of Jewish Social Life, pp. 99-100).

Alfred Edersheim: There was, we repeat, no synagogue in Lystra where Timothy might have heard every Sabbath, and twice in the week, Moses and the Prophets read, and derived other religious knowledge; there was, so far as we can see, neither religious companionship nor means of instruction of any kind, nor religious example, not even from his father; but all around quite the contrary. But there was one influence for highest good—, unvarying, and most powerful. It was that of a "mother of Israel." From the time that as a "taph" he clung to her— before that, when a "gamul," an "olel," and a "jonek"— Eunice trained Timothy in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. To quote again the forcible language of St. Paul, "From an infant"  (or baby) "thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (ibid, pp. 109-110).

R. C. H. Lenski: “Many have thought themselves shrewd enough to indulge their wickedness and have imagined that they could call a halt in time and thus escape. But every yielding to indulgence blinds the moral sense and only helps to make a greater fool” (Interpretation of Matthew, p. 960).

Announcements (subject to God’s will).

·      Please note that there will be no Essentials of Reformed Doctrine or Bible Study this week. We plan to resume with a review of Christology (Lessons 12-17) and John 17:11 in the new year. In addition, there will be no New Testament History for Juniors Catechism on 24th and 31st December. We will resume with Lesson 14, “Jesus’ Crucifixion,” on Saturday 7th January, 2012.

·      Next Sunday, 25th December, Rev. McGeown will preach in Ballymena and Rev. Stewart will preach in Limerick. As the hall will be unavailable, we will have the worship services at the Kuhs, who have kindly opened their home for this purpose. The Kuhs will be in the USA from 27th December  to 14th January. The hall will also be unavailable on 1st January. We will meet at 11 The Laurels in Castletroy.

·      Offerings: 11th  December: €259

·      PRC News:  Rev. G. Eriks (Hudsonville, MI) is considering Edgerton’s (MN) call; Hope (Walker, MI) called Rev. C. Haak (Georgetown, MI).

·      Do not forget to visit our website on www.limerickreformed.com/, as well as our YouTube site on http://www.youtube.com/user/LimerickReformVideo.

Preacher:
Pastor McGeown

Morning Service - 11:00 AM
Praying to Father for Forgiveness of Debt [mp3/YouTube]
Scripture Reading: Psalm 130:1-8
Text:  Heidelberg Catechism, LD 51
I.    The Request
II.   The Ground
III.  The Fruit
Psalms: 38:1-7; 66:1-5; 69:1-6a; 130:1-8

Evening Service - 5:30 PM
Watching for Christ’s Return (2)
The Unknown Time of Christ’s Return [mp3/YouTube]
Scripture Reading:  Matthew 24:29-51
Text:  Matthew 24:36
I.  What Is Unknown
II.  To Whom This Is Unknown
III.  Why It Is Unknown
Psalms: 98:1-9; 66:6-14; 131:1-3; 33:12-22

Quotes to Consider

Gerrit Vos: "You begin in the morning with the best of intentions. ‘I am going to walk in harmony with my God and His law.’ But when evening is come, you look upon the completed day, and you weep" (O Taste and See).

Spurgeon: "How significant is that word "but." As if you heard justice clamouring, 'Let the sinner die,' and the fiends in hell howling, 'Cast him down into the fires,' and conscience shrieking, 'Let him perish,' and nature itself groaning beneath his weight, the earth weary with carrying him, and the sun tired with shining upon the traitor, the very air sick with finding breath for one who only spends it in disobedience to God. The man is about to be destroyed, to be swallowed up quick, when suddenly there comes this thrice blessed 'but,' which stops the reckless course of ruin, puts forth its strong arm bearing a golden shield between the sinner and destruction, and pronounces these words, 'But there is forgiveness with God, that he may be feared'' (Treasury of David, vol. 3, p. 128).

Westminster Confession of Faith: “As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there shall be a day of judgment, both to deter all men from sin; and for the greater consolation of the godly in all their adversity: so will He have that day unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and be always watchful, because they know not at what hour the Lord will come, and may be ever prepared to say, ‘Come Lord Jesus, come quickly, Amen’” (33:3).

Belgic Confession: “Finally we believe, according to the Word of God, when the time appointed by the Lord (which is unknown to all creatures) is come, and the number of the elect complete, that our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven, corporally and visibly, as He ascended, with great glory and majesty ...” (Article 37).

Calvin: “The chief part of our wisdom lies in confining ourselves soberly within the limits of God’s Word. That men may not feel uneasy at not knowing that day, Christ represents angels as their associates in this matter; for it would be a proof of excessive pride and wicked covetousness to desire that we who creep on the earth should know more than is permitted to the angels in heaven ... That man must be singularly mad, who would hesitate to submit to the  ignorance which even the Son of God Himself did not hesitate to endure on our account” (Harmony of the Evangelists, p. 153).

Announcements (subject to God’s will).

• Bible Study:  Wednesday at 8 PM, at the Kuhs, beginning with John 16:26. Note change of venue.

• Catechism: Wednesday at 7 PM, at the Kuhs, Essentials of Reformed Doctrine, Lesson 16, “The State of Humiliation” (4); Note change of venue; Saturday at 4 PM in Castletroy, New Testament History for Juniors, Lesson 11, “The Raising of Lazarus.”

• Offering:  20th  November: €250; donation, €35.

• Upcoming lecture by Rev. McGeown in Limerick: “Peter, the Papacy and the Keys of the Kingdom” (Monday, 5th December, 2011, at 7.30 PM).

• PRC News:  Edgerton’s (MN) trio is Revs. G. Eriks (Hudsonville, MI), K. Koole (Grandville, MI) and J. Marcus (Edmonton, AB).  Hope’s (Walker, MI) trio is Revs. C. Haak (Georgetown, MI), R. Kleyn (Spokane, WA) and D. Kuiper (Randolph, WI).