Our Scripture reading for today, brothers and sisters, to which I invite you to turn with me at this time, is found in the book of Psalms, Psalm 29. In the Old Testament, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Psalm 29. And while you are turning, I also draw your attention to the household sermon study sheet, which was inserted in the worship bulletins. You may want to use this as you follow along the message this morning. But if you do not have one or need an extra one, just put up your hands and the ushers will speed one to you. A household sermon study sheet for your benefit this morning, anyone at all in need of them. OK, brothers, thank you. We will be using this sheet this evening in our household mass meeting, if you will. Everyone is invited to that following the evening service. You may also wish to look up a number of these verses in your personal devotions this week, as we do not have opportunity today to look at all of those verses and certainly not to look at all of them to the extent that we would wish. We continue today our series of studies on the vision, the vision of the Pomp and Plains Reformed Bible Church. You may have noticed that in the on the back of our worship bulletins in this new year, the mission and vision is printed. The mission being to love people where they are and to disciple them to where Christ wants them to be. And the vision to be a biblically based, faithfully reformed, caring congregation with an evangelistic missionary zeal. This is part two in the series, having already considered the The theme of being biblically based, we now turn to the theme of being a congregation which is faithfully reformed. And I don't mind sharing with you, brothers and sisters, that as I selected a text for this message, I I tried to avoid the several topics which we've already covered in previous sermon series, such as the riches of the reformed faith and reformation principles and so on. And so we'll be trying to look at some various aspects of the reformed faith today by turning to Psalm 29, a psalm of David. Beginning in verse 1 and reading to the end of that psalm, hear then the word of the Lord. Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters. The God of glory thunders. The Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. The Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf. Syrian like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert. The Lord shakes the desert. of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forest bare, and in His temple all cry glory. The Lord sits enthroned over the flood. The Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to His people. The Lord blesses His people with peace. Thus far, the reading of God's holy word. And as always, I ask and urge you to keep your Bibles open and handy and also to keep the household study sheet handy, if you will, as we look to God's word together on this Lord's Day. Their congregation of Jesus Christ. You may recall that in the September 2006 issue, the very excellent devotional table talk published by Ligonier Ministries. They cover theme entitled Proud Mediocrity Facing the Addiction of Our Culture. Editor Burke Parsons writes in his his monthly Corum Deo column, Corum Deo, boys and girls, is a Latin expression meaning before the face of God, as an article entitled Worldly Standards, Worldly Standards. As he begins this article, he writes about his liking to go to shopping malls, as many of us may like to do, and to watch people walking by. He writes that as he was doing so recently, one young man in particular caught his attention. He writes, he was dressed in black from head to toe. His pants were falling down and dragging on the floor. And he was carefully adorned with several types of chains. What caught my attention, however, was not his typical teenage grunge attire, rather it was his hair. It seems that in order to make it appear that he did not care about his appearance and his hair, he styled his hair to make it look messy. All this seemed to be one rebellious young man's attempt to demonstrate to the world that he didn't care, to show that it's perfectly acceptable to have a mediocre appearance. He continues, the same attitude pervades our culture. We see it everywhere within the realms of music and art, architecture and business. In just about every sphere of life, our culture has become addicted to mediocrity. What is most confounding is how the church has lowered its standards of excellence in order to win the affections of the world. Many churches have dressed themselves in the culture's attire in order to make themselves appear more attractive to the world. However, in their attempt to win the world's approval by lowering their standards, many churches have left behind the unchanging standards of the Word of God. If we seek to live with the highest standard of excellence before the face of God, quorum Deo, we must remember that He has set the standard, for it is in Him that we live, move, and have our being for His glory." And that's true. All that is very true. In fact, dear friends, it's interesting. The very same themes which Rev. Burke Parsons addresses in that quorum Deo editorial in a certain sense, are the very same themes being addressed by the psalmist David nearly 3,000 years ago in the words of our text for today. In fact, as we work our way through Psalm 29, we'll try to deal with all the verses as best we can as we continue our series of studies on the vision of PPRBC. We're going to realize that in order for us to be not simply a biblically based, but also a faithfully reformed congregation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Individually and corporately, we must seek to accentuate, by the grace and mercy of God, at least three crucial elements of Christian faith and practice. First of all, to be a faithfully reformed congregation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ means that by God's grace, we must seek to accentuate the priority of God's praise. we must seek to accentuate the priority of God's praise. For example, look at verse 1 of Psalm 29 with me, if you would please. Here the psalmist David declares, Ascribe, or give, or attribute, or convey, ascribe to the Lord. Ascribe to Yahweh. Yahweh, boys and girls, young people, is God's covenant name. It refers to the fact that our God is a covenant-making, covenant-keeping God. It could be literally translated, I am. God is the great I am. He said to Moses, I am who I am. It means God had no beginning. It means God has no end. It means He is completely independent of anyone or anything for His existence. In fact, that name Yahweh the Lord, if you'll skim over just these verses of Psalm 29, you'll find that that name is mentioned no less than 18 times in just these 11 verses. Ascribe to the Lord, Yahweh, O mighty ones. Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones." Or literally, sons of the mighty, the Hebrew says. Or sons of God, it could also be translated to read. Now is that interesting terminology? Sons of the mighty. O sons of the mighty. Or O mighty ones. To what or to whom do you suppose that interesting terminology refers? Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of the mighty. Well, commentators differ as to their interpretation of that particular terminology. For example, some believe that the term refers to the cherubim and the seraphim and the angelic beings who worship the Lord in the heavenly places. For example, if you would turn with me just for a moment to Hebrews chapter 12, Hebrews chapter 12, right before the book of James, near the end of the Bible. In Hebrews chapter 12, verses 22 and 23, we read, when God's people come to worship, think of this. You have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven." And so, many commentators believe when we read, O mighty ones, we're talking about the angels in glory who ceaselessly worship the Lord day and night. Others point out the fact that the term mighty is used in Scripture also to refer to the powerful, those in position, in this world. In fact, they often make reference to Revelation 6, verses 15-17, where we read that the princes and kings and generals and the rich of the earth are one day going to call to the mountains and the rocks to fall on them in an utterly futile attempt to hide themselves from the face of the One seated on the throne and from the Lamb, for the day of His wrath has come. Personally, brothers and sisters, I think under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David is referring to both of these interpretations. He is essentially calling all creatures in heaven and on earth to ascribe glory to God. And John Calvin says he particularly may have in mind the proud of the earth, the arrogant of the earth, those in positions of influence or power, who Calvin says are often the last to humble themselves before our sovereign God, who are among the very last to bow their faces before the face of our holy God. He's calling all creatures in heaven and on earth to ascribe to the Lord glory. To ascribe to the Lord glory. For He alone is glorious and He alone is worthy. We read again in the words of our text, Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones. Ascribe to the Lord glory. The Hebrew word is kavod. We would transliterate it K-A-B-O-D. And we would say kavod. And kavod has a sense of heaviness. Or weightiness. Or awesomeness. We have to give to God glory, a sense of the majesty of who He is, and strength. Ascribe to the Lord glory, kavod, and strength. The Apostle Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 1 verse 25, for example, for the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Verse 2, ascribe to the Lord, Yahweh, the glory due His name. Friends, let us always remember that in the Scriptures, when a name is spoken of, it just doesn't simply refer to the tag by which a person is known. But the name refers to all that God is and all that He has revealed Himself to be. For example, we confessed a moment ago in the Belgian Confession, Article 1, He is eternal, He is incomprehensible, invisible, immutable, infinite, almighty, perfectly wise, just, good, and the overflowing fountain of all good. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. All that God is and all that He has revealed Himself to be. Look with me further at verse 2. Worship the Lord. Worship the Lord. The Hebrew word is shakah. S-H-A-C-H-A-H. Shakah. It's an imperative. It's a command. And it literally means to prostrate oneself. It literally means to bow down in reverence before a sovereign. It's the same word used, by the way, in Exodus 20, verse 5, concerning the second commandment of God's law, where it speaks of idolatry and how we must not bow down to them, shakha, or serve them. And again, it's a command for all people everywhere. Worship. Bow down. Prostrate oneself. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness. Or in the beauty of His holiness. Or as you may have a footnote that says, as I do as well in my Bible, in the splendor of holiness. In the beauty of holiness, the New American Standard says, in holy array, in holy array. The word holy or holiness, in the original language is kodesh, q-o-d-e-s-h, kodesh, and stay with me. It means apartness. Holiness essentially means apartness, sacredness, or separateness, or separateness. It's the very same sense which is being communicated to God's people in the New Testament when in 2 Corinthians 6, verse 17 we read, Therefore, come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. It's the idea of holy or holiness. But whether you translate the text, brothers and sisters, in the splendor of His holiness or in the splendor of holiness, both senses are true, are they not? That is, as God's people, we are to worship Him in the splendor of His holiness. For as we read in Isaiah 6, verses 1-3, the seraphs of heaven cry, holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty. The whole earth is full of His glory. And they cry that out ceaselessly day and night, the Bible says, in a typhonal fashion, back and forth fashion. So we worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness. But the other sense is also true. We are to worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness, or in holy array. For example, with the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, which is ours by grace alone, through faith alone, and in Jesus Christ alone, we are to worship Him with a separateness from the world. A separate holiness, if you will, or a holy separateness, if you will, apart from, distinct from the manners and customs and ways of this world. Says the great English preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Oh, for grace ever to worship with holy motives and in a holy manner as becometh saints. End of quote. Now, brothers and sisters, think about this. Think about this has profound implications. Personal implications, practical implications for the way in which we worship. Does it not? For example, I had the opportunity a short time ago to worship in what is now termed a contemporary worship service. This was not out in Indiana, by the way. It was prior to this. And the service was held in what is now commonly called the worship center. Huge, huge facility. And all the accoutrements were classic. They were just they were just classic. You walked into the worship center, and people were coming, just as they were, as one of the songs says. And what I mean by that is they were dressed in shorts and jeans and sweatshirts and, in my estimation, attire that would have been more appropriate for a park or for a football game or for a bowling alley. Many of them were carrying designer cups of coffee, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, big things of water into the worship center. In fact, from what I've learned, you can now buy Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks and many of these so-called worship centers. There wasn't so much a platform, a simple platform with a pulpit as there was a stage. And on the stage was a drum set and maybe seven or eight other modern instruments, electrical guitars and keyboard synthesizers and all that sort of thing. There was about five or six praise team members, mic soloists, very excellent singers, almost professional quality. screen, there was a screen that came down covering where you might have thought a cross might have been, but there was no cross, but there was a screen on which was projected the words of the songs we were singing. No music, however, just words, no music, just words. Do you know why? If you've ever been to one of these churches, do you know why they put up the words and no music? I didn't know. I didn't know the answer to that question, but I discovered the answer to that question. We have some folks worshiping with us who came from a church where it's gone contemporary. They gave me a book for which I am and very, very grateful. It's a book by a man named Dan Lucarini. Dan Lucarini was a rock musician and a singer. And he came to Christ in college. And he wanted to use his gifts for the Lord, and so he He started bringing his rock and roll music into the church. And partly due to the counsel of his wife and his study of the Scriptures, he became convicted of what he was doing. And he wrote a book entitled, Why I Left the Contemporary Christian Music Movement, Confessions of a Former Worship Leader. Now, do not misunderstand. He doesn't blankly condemn all Christian contemporary music, and I don't think we should either. He's talking about especially the worship service. And Dan Lucarini, one of the things I learned from this book was that he said the reason in these churches the words are put up on the screen without the music is because it is written to a syncopated beat. Syncopation for us non-musicians means the emphasis is on the upbeat, is on the offbeat. He said it's very difficult to play and it's very difficult to sight read. You sort of just have to feel the music. And syncopation is the heart and soul of rock and roll. That's why the music's not on the screen. But also on that screen, and by the way, I'm grateful to the friends who gave me this book, and if you can buy it or borrow it, I hope to get it in the library. I'm working with the library committee. Just take note of it and I'll have it available after the service. You can look at it. But also on the screen was the text of Scripture. projected up there. And as I looked around, I didn't see a Bible. There was not a Bible in among the chairs. No one was carrying a Bible. They didn't need a Bible. Supposedly, because the words were on the screen, think of this, the word of God was literally taken out of the hands of the people of God. And most disturbingly of all to me, was the fact that instead of a pulpit, there was a little stand like this, in which the pastor had his notes and I suppose his Bible. And we walked out of the sanctuary. One of my daughters said to me, well, Dad, what did you think? I said, well, honey, I don't want to be overly critical. But I said, they're saying one thing and they're doing another. She said, what do you mean? I said, well, the pastor's sermon today was entitled, What is the Proper Way to Worship? And he repeatedly made the statement, worship isn't about us, it's about God. And that's right. In fact, that is one of the strengths At least historically speaking of the Reformed tradition. Worship is not about us. It's not about me. It's not about what I got out to get out of it. It's about God. And giving Him the glory. And ascribing to Him glory and strength. And I said to my daughter, he said, it isn't about us. It's about God. But I said, if that's true, why then is everybody walking in like they're like they're just going to the park? Or the bowling alley? And why are they dressed like that? And if it's not about us, it's about God. Why is everybody drinking their coffee lattes and their frappuccinos and their iced coffees? Having a good time. And if it's not about the music, it's about God, as the pastor said. Why are there, you know, seven instruments up there and several singers all singing and playing to a rock music sensual beat? And if it's not about us, it's about God. Where is His Word? Where is the Bible? Don't they need it? My daughter says to me, well, dad, now that you mention it, I guess that is a bit of an oxymoron. In other words, if there's something incongruous here, there's something that just doesn't fit. It doesn't fit. Brothers and sisters, imagine if you came in here today And there was no pulpit. There was no communion table. There was no baptismal fountain. And the cheapest piece of furniture or whatever on the on the stage was this, which was supposed to be representing God's word. And everybody's rocking and rolling to the music and the instrumentation of the world. Picture that scene. And compare it with these words. Ascribe to the Lord. O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory. Do His name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness, in the splendor of separateness, in the splendor of apartness, in the splendor of that which is not of this world. That's how you worship the Lord. But any wonder my daughter said, yeah, Dad, it's a bit of an oxymoron. It's a bit incongruous. Brothers and sisters, listen. In Hebrews 12, verses 28 and 29, God's Word declares, therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. Why? For our God is a consuming, Our God is a consuming fire. And so, we pray that the Lord would grant us the grace to be a congregation that is not simply biblically based, but is faithfully reformed. And part of what that means is that according to the instructions of the sacred Scriptures, we seek to accentuate the priority of God's praise. the priority of God's praise. Well, friends, secondly, our text in Psalm 29 teaches us that a faithfully reformed congregation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ also seeks to accentuate the power of God's providence. The power of God's providence. For notice, skim over verses 3-9 with me, if you will. Verses 3-9. Here we find no less than seven times the number of completeness The phrase in the Hebrew, kol Yahweh, or the voice of the Lord. The voice of the Lord. The voice of the Lord. Seven times. And here, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, using poetry and hyperbole, which is poetic or extreme exaggeration, the psalmist David presents the voice of the Lord as speaking through thunder and lightning. Powerful and majestic. Starting way up in the northern reaches of the region of Palestine, if you'll look at verse 6, He makes Lebanon skip like a calf. That's poetic exaggeration, hyperbole. Syrian, or as your footnote may tell you, Mount Hermon, like a young wild ox. Mount Hermon and Mount Lebanon in the northern reaches of the region of Palestine were two of the most majestic mountains. In fact, they were snow-capped year-round because they are so incredibly high. And you can picture this incredible thunder and lightning storm beginning in those northern reaches in the mountains, and it comes rolling down along the Mediterranean coast and through the Jordan Valley. Then it reaches all the way, verse 8, to the desert of Kadesh. Kadesh is the place from which the spies were sent out to spy out the promised land. And so you've got the entire land of Palestine, this entire region, if you will, being portrayed as being buffeted and bruised by a horrific thunder and lightning storm, which David says is the voice of Yahweh. It is the voice of the Lord. And indeed, is it not true that elsewhere in the sacred scriptures, the voice of the Lord is portrayed by means of thunder and lightning? We're not going to turn to these passages, but for example, in Exodus 19, verses 16 through 19, at Mount Sinai, the giving of the law. And again, in John 12, verses 20 through 33, shortly before Jesus went to the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of his people. Basically, boys and girls, basically young people, the point is this, whenever we hear the roar of rolling thunder, whenever we may see a lightning flash or hear of a lightning bolt striking somewhere which is so powerful that the Bible says it can shatter the cedars of Lebanon. These cedars of Lebanon were called the monarch of the forest. They could grow 120 feet tall. They could grow 30 to 40 feet in circumference. And the lightning of God can strike them and splinter them like a toothpick. Like a matchstick. Like a popsicle stick. That's how awesome and powerful is our God. The voice of the Lord. And when we hear the rolling of the thunder, brothers and sisters, when we see a lightning flash or a lightning strike, in a certain sense, we need to be thinking that is the voice of God. It is the voice of God. It is the voice of God. He is sending them on their way as ministers of His might and evidences of His majesty. In fact, I read recently, when God thundered, the emperor Caligula used to go and hide himself under his bed. This pagan emperor, fearful of the power of the thunder and the lightning of our sovereign God. Ah, but notice, what is true concerning the voice of God in creation, that His Word is powerful. And if you want to make note of that, just flip over a page or two to Psalm 33. Psalm 33, verses 6 and 9, where we read, "...by the Word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth." Verse 9, "...for He spoke and it came to be. He commanded and it stood firm." We read in Genesis 1, "...and God said, and God said, and there was, and there was the power of the voice of God in creation." But that is also true in redemption. The voice of God is also powerful. It is also sovereign in redemption or as regards our salvation. In fact, that is why in Romans 10, verse 17, for example, Romans 10, verse 17, the Apostle Paul declares, consequently, faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ. And similarly, in Acts 13, turn there with me if you would just for a moment as we look at a few verses. Acts 13, verses 46-48. We read as follows. Acts 13, beginning in verse 46. We read, Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly, We had to speak the word of God to you first, they said to the Jews. Since you rejected and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us. I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth." When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the Word of the Lord. And all who were appointed for eternal life believed. All who were appointed for eternal life believed. The Word of God is sovereign, not only in creation, but also in our redemption. In fact, I love the song that we sometimes sing. The songwriter has put it this way. Listen carefully. He says, "'Tis not that I did choose thee, for Lord, that could not be. This heart would still refuse thee, hadst thou not chosen me. Thou, from the sin that stained me, hast cleansed and set me free. Of all thou hast ordained me, that I should live to thee. To a sovereign mercy called me and taught my opening mind. The world had else enthralled me to heavenly glories blind. My heart owns none before thee, for thy rich grace I thirst. This knowing, if I love Thee, Thou must have loved me first." It's true. It's true. And so, my dear, dear friends in the Lord, is it any wonder that in the words of our text, back in v. 9, at the end of v. 9, we read, and in His temple all cry glory. In His temple all cry glory. Now, you read in the Scriptures that term, temple, and it's interpreted in various ways. Some interpret it to mean heaven. Isaiah 6, verses 1-4 seems to indicate. Temple can be used in the sense of God's entire creation, as Isaiah 66, verses 1-2 seems to indicate. Temple can be used in reference to the heart and mind of each and every individual Christian, the temple of God. 1 Corinthians 6, verses 18-20 says our bodies are temples of God. But also and especially, I believe, it references the corporate church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For in Ephesians 2, 19-22, it talks about the body of Christ, the church being His temple. And again, in 2 Corinthians 6, verse 16, the Apostle Paul also proclaims, for we, plural, corporately, for we are the temple of the living God. Think of it, brothers and sisters. Think of it once again. And in His temple, all cry glory. All cry glory. You know, history records the fact that many years ago, two brothers were walking along together when they found themselves in the middle of a terribly violent thunder and lightning storm. This is a true story. According to the perfect plan and providence of God, one of them was struck by lightning, struck dead right on the spot. And the other was spared and able to go on his way. And we thank God that He did. Because if it had been otherwise, you and I never would have known the name of the great Reformer, Martin Luther. Martin Luther. It's true. And so, yes, to be a faithfully Reformed congregation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ means at least in part that we are biblically based, But it also means that we seek to accentuate not simply the priority of God's praise, but also the power of God's providence in both creation and in redemption. Now thirdly and finally, our text teaches us that by God's grace, a faithfully reformed congregation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ also seeks to accentuate God's promise to His people. God's promise to His people. For example, look at verses 10 and 11 of Psalm 29 with me, if you would please. In verse 10, the Lord sits enthroned. You may have a footnote which says, sat enthroned. Sits is possible according to the Hebrew grammar. A sat is probably preferable. He sits where He sat enthroned over the flood. The Hebrew says, over the Mabul. M-A-B-B-U-L. It is a term used in Scripture only in reference to Noah's flood. The great Mabul. This great historic cataclysmic flood which not only changed the geology and topography of this planet, but it also powerfully portrayed the justice and the mercy of the Lord our God. The great Mabul. Noah's flood. The Lord sits enthroned over the flood. The Lord Yahweh is enthroned as King forever. Think of this. As King forever. Elohim. In the beginning, God. Elohim is Yahweh. Think of the implications of this. This gripped me the other day. Elohim, the God of creation, the God who spoke galaxies into existence, the God who rules over the flood, the God who speaks through thunder and lightning, is Yahweh. He's our Father. He's our Covenant God. who promises to bless His people who has fully revealed Himself to us in His Son, Jesus Christ, the One who said to the storm, and calmed the seas by saying simply, peace, be still. Peace, be still. Think of it. Think of it. He rules forever. He rules forever. One commentator has said, the scepter of universal power will never drop from His hands, nor will He ever transfer it to another. And that's true. Glory be to God. The Lord is enthroned as King forever. Verse 11, the Lord Yahweh gives strength to His people. Not to all people everywhere. Not to all of mankind. The Bible says He gives strength to His people. Those who by His sovereign grace and electing love repent of their sins and profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He gives strength to His people. The Lord blesses His people with peace, with shalom, physical, emotional, mental, spiritual salvation, which we experience partially in time and completely in eternity. Strength and peace. So, friends, is it any wonder that in Isaiah 40, the prophet Isaiah declares in verses 29-31, speaking of Yahweh the Lord, He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. But those who hope in, those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. He gives His people strength and peace and peace. In John 14, verse 27, our Lord Jesus declares, Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Do not be afraid, says Jesus, the one through whom alone all of these covenantal blessings come. You know, in the fourth century A.D., the great church father, St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, told the supposedly true story of a time when a Christian wife was walking along with an unbelieving pagan husband. Just walking along. And they, too, got caught in a horrific thunder and lightning storm. And the husband was terrified. And his wife asked him why he was so afraid. And he said, well, aren't you? No. No, she said softly. I'm not." He said, why not? She answered, because I know that it is the voice of my Heavenly Father. And shall I be afraid of my Father's voice? Jealous for the strength and peace which his wife possessed and portrayed, St. Ambrose said that God used that incident to bring her husband to a saving knowledge. of Jesus Christ. Praise be to God. In the midst of the literal and figurative storms of life, my friend, do you hear the voice of the Lord our God speaking with providential power in both creation and redemption? by the grace and mercy of God, through faith in the name of Jesus, have you claimed the precious promises which our covenant-making God has made to His covenant people. And by the person and power of His Holy Spirit, and as you have read and heard and listened to and applied the sacred Scriptures, even today, Have you come to the point in your life where you are eager, ready, and willing to worship the Lord according to His Word? Seeking to accentuate the priority of praise. If so, if so, my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, let us rest assured that God will certainly grant to us the fulfillment of the vision of PPRVC. not simply to be biblically based, but also to be faithfully reformed unto the building of His church, unto the coming of His eternal kingdom, and unto the glory of His holy name. Amen. Let's bow our heads and our hearts together in prayer. Not unto us, O Lord of Heaven, but unto Thee be glory given. In love and truth Thou dost fulfill the counsels of Thy sovereign will. Though nations fail Thy power to own, yet Thou dost reign, and Thou alone. Please, Heavenly Father, by the Spirit's power, reign in us, reign through us, and reign among us, by Thy grace, through faith, in the name of Jesus, in whom and through whom alone we pray. Amen.