Excuses, excuses (announcements for April 3)
Hi everyone,
This evening at prayer meeting, we looked at Romans 2:12-16. This passage shows us two groups of people, and their relationship to God’s law.
First, some people sin without knowing God’s law. Paul talks about people “who have sinned without the law.” Greeks and Romans and Babylonians never had the law of Moses, but they still sinned. Today, many don’t have a Bible or a knowledge of God’s law, but they still sin.
Second, some people sin even though they know God’s law. Paul says that some “have sinned under the law.” This would include the Jewish people before Christ, and all those since Christ’s time who have grown up in the Church or heard God’s word preached or explained to them.
Paul will deal with the Jews in the last part of the chapter. In this passage, he addresses those who do not know the law. He gives a few key principles:
First, doing the law is what matters, not hearing. People who have never heard read the Bible or heard the Gospel are not condemned for not hearing. They are condemned for not doing what pleases God. This might not seem fair, until you consider the second point:
Second, people who do not hear the law still know the law naturally. Even without a Bible, people still make rules against sins like murder and theft and adultery. How is that possible? Because they are humans, made in God’s image, and their consciences are active, forcing them to admit their sin, or to come up with an excuse.
Third, knowing the law naturally, on its own, only brings judgement. Our conscience’s accusations are a glimpse of the final judgement. Our conscience’s excuse won’t hold up then, because God will judge “the secrets of men.”
How does this passage lead us to pray?
- Thank God for the great gift of a Bible to tell us his law and his Gospel.
- Ask God’s mercy for our sins against the light of nature and against the light of Scripture.
- Ask God to stir up people’s consciences so that they will want to hear the Gospel.
- Ask God to provide, send, and equip missionaries and evangelists to tell people the Gospel.
Sincerely,
Pastor Goligher
The Lord’s Day
Sunday school is at 9:45am.
The morning service is at 11:00am. We will observe the Lord’s Supper during this service.
- Galatians 5:22, “Patience is a Virtue”
- Psalm 16A
- Consider Well #290
- Jesus Lives and So Shall I #512
The evening service is at 5:00pm.
- Acts 5:13-42, “Prison Break”
- Be Thou My Vision #446
- Psalm 91B
Through the Week
Prayer Meeting is on Wednesday evening at 7:15pm, at church and on Zoom.
Ladies’ Bible Study meets Thursday at 7pm, on Zoom. The study is based on Nancy Guthrie, The Lamb of God, Seeing Jesus in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, & Deuteronomy. This week’s study is “A Prophet like Me.” Read the Teaching Chapter (pages 17-32) and complete the discussion questions on pages 33-34.
Ladies’ Dumpling Party
Ladies please join us for the Women’s Dumpling Party. Saturday, April 16, 2022 from 11 am – 2 pm at the Goligher’s home, 1167 Corral Ave, Sunnyvale. RSVP to Joy Loh’s email JOYWONG.EDUCATOR@GMAIL.COM or via the church ladies signal group. The event will be a hands on learning experience. Bring an apron! Young ladies are welcome to join, speak to Joy Loh if you have questions.
Missions Conference
On Saturday, April 23, there will be a missions conference at Delta Oaks Presbyterian Church in Pittsburg. The conference will start 10, and wrap at 3, with lunch served between the sessions. The speaker will be Rev. Doug Clawson, the OPC’s Associate General Secretary for Foreign Missions. We encourage everyone to consider attending. Please let Pastor Goligher know if you are planning to attend.
Camping in May
On Friday, May 13, we have a group campsite reserved at Joseph D. Grant County Park. We will aim to arrive at dinner-time on Friday, and then enjoy spending Saturday together, and then head home after sharing a late afternoon meal. This is only 6 weeks away, so mark your calendars if you would like to join!