Opening hymn is 164. 164. O come all ye faithful. 164. Thank you. you. O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, Come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, Born the King of Angels, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation, O'er all ye bright hosts of heaven above. Hungry in the highest, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. Yeah, Lord, we greet Thee. Oh, this happy morning, Jesus, to Thee be all glory given. Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him. Let us pray. Father in heaven, we thank Thee for gathering Thy people for this OPAS Conference 2024. We commit ourselves into Thy loving care, this conference to Thy help. May Thou be gracious to bless us with Thy presence. May Thou cleanse us of our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ and draw us nigh to Thee by Thy mercy. Strengthen Thy people. Bless our gathering. For Thy own namesake, protect us from the virus from the dengue, from the attack of the evil one, and lead us not into temptation. For Thy own honour and glory, hear our prayer. This I ask with thanksgiving, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Our next hymn, 165. Thou didst leave Thy throne. 165. you you Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown when Thou camest to earth for me. But in Bethlehem's home was there found no room for Thy holy nativity. O come to my heart, Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for Thee. Heaven's archers rang when the angels sang, proclaiming Thy royal decree. But of lowly birth didst thou come to earth, And in great humility, O come to my heart, Lord Jesus. there is room in my heart for thee. The foxes found rest and the birds their nest in the shade of the forest tree. But my couch was the sword of the house of God in the deserts of Galilee. O come to my heart, Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for Thee. Thou camest, O Lord, with a living Word that should set Thy people free. But the walking scorn, and with crown of thorn, they bore thee to Calvary. O come to my heart, Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for thee. When thou comest to the ring, and the angels sing at the coming to victory, let thy voice call me home, saying, Yet there is room, there is room at my side for thee. O come to my heart, Lord Jesus, there is room for me. Amen. Welcome to this year's OPAS conference. Our theme is the Westminster Confession. The Westminster Assembly brought together an unprecedented group of theologians by an act of the English Parliament at the height of the Protestant Reformation in the United Kingdom, bringing together English, Scottish and Irish ministers of the Gospel, mostly from England and Scotland, and one Irish minister. gathering from 1643 to 1649 to articulate their faith in the Triune God, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit as revealed in the Scriptures. The Bible is the Word of God. to man. The creed or the confession is man's answer to God. In other words, after you have read the Bible, how has it impacted your heart, your life? What have you understood? The response to the study of God's Word is articulated by men of faith, in creeds and confessions. The Bible reveals the truth of the popular form of life and fact. And the creed states the truth in a logical form of doctrine. So when we study the Bible, we read it from Genesis to Revelation. Book by book, we study the Bible and this method or this way by which we approach God's Word is called biblical theology. The Cretes would state the truth in a summarized form by topic. In other words, when a person reads the Bible and he is able to understand what God speaks to him concerning certain aspects of life, certain understanding of the principles by which the Bible is enunciating and what it is teaching, the people of God who search the Scriptures are able to put together what they have learned topic by topic. And this is what we call systematic theology. So we study it book by book. Today we are going to endeavour to study it topic by topic. And how do we do so? We would have to gather together the thoughts, were taught in the Bible, through the Bible verses that are scattered all over the Scriptures, and then to bring them all together. A great task, for we have 66 books and each of the books have many chapters and many verses, hundreds of thousands of So how do we collate and how do we bring together all this to an understanding? Well, the Creed states the truth in such a logical form of doctrine. The word doctrine speaks of the principles of life. Principles. The principles, the concepts, the broad picture by which you are able to understand what God is conveying to us. So how do we approach the Word of God? The Bible is to be believed and obeyed, and the Creed is to be professed and taught. This is a copy of the Creed of Christendom by Philip Shaw, the church historian. There are three volumes and this statement is a quote from the second volume, whereby the people of God gathered together through the ages record for us in three volumes, all the confessions that the Church in response to what they have studied from the Bible, articulated. So they are done in different languages, in Latin, in Greek. and they are translated into English for us, to help us to see what others, after they have searched the Scripture, understand for each of the particular pertinent topics that concerns our daily life. And how do we approach God's Word? It is to be believed and obeyed, isn't it? we come to the Word of God in faith, believing what God has said in His Word, it's as if the heaven opened and God from heaven speaks to us directly each time we open the sacred scriptures. And the creeds to be professed and to be taught in the sense that it is a conviction of what God had said in His Word and we believed thoroughly what is contained there and we use it to teach the faith. the Apostles' Creed was the first such Christian confession. And different groups of people who have read the Bible gave expression to their faith throughout the ages, since the completion of the New Testament canon. The best creed or confession in the English language is the Westminster Confession. The Bible Presbyterian Church adopts the Westminster Confession as the Church's constitution. As I mentioned, this was done by an Act of Parliament between 1643 and 1649. We're going to talk more later about the history of the Confession, so that we may understand where we get all these precious doctrines and truths from. The record of the Assembly's work published in this volume, The Westminster Confession, by the banner of Truth Trust. And by the provision of the Lord, we have been able to obtain copies of for all of you today. We will be distributing this. It contains the Westminster Confession of Faith, the larger and the shorter Catechism, the Directory of Public Worship the forms of Presbyterian Church Government, the Directory of Family Worship. There are other documents, very pertinent, that are described there. And if you would study it, you would realise that it would provide you with a clear record of what the Church, what the body of God's people is to do, to conduct themselves in a wholesome way, giving to us every aspect of life, every information that the Lord would give to us in His Word. This record of the confession is to the Christian reader. What I'm going to do is to We will be making a distribution while I carry on the message. This message, this record, is to the heads of family. And you see there, to the Christian reader, especially the heads of families. Now, why is it so important? Well, as we read it, we will realise that the emphasis that is given to us, for the covenant family is for the head of the family to teach God's Word and to provide the family with the wherewithal of faith. In other words, the head of the family has that role of guiding the family. And I quote to you from the words of Thomas Menton in page 8 in the Roman numeral, page 8 at the front. Right at the bottom, it says, A family is the seminary of church and state. Page 8, it says here, a family is the seminary of church and state. And if children be not well principled there, all miscarriages. A family is a seminary of church and state. And if children be not principled there, all miscarriages. In other words, the family is the centre of instruction. A thought in the first concoction is not mended in the second. If youth be bred ill in the family, they prove ill in Church and Commonwealth. There is the first making or marring and presage of their future lives to be thence taken. And so by family discipline, officers are trained up for the Church. One that ruleth well his own house, and they are bred up in subjection and obedience. That the disciples brought Paul on his way with their wives and children, their children are mentioned to intimate that their parents would, by their own example, affectionate farewell to Paul, bring them up in a way of reverence and respect to the pastors of the Church. It is comfortable certainly to see a thriving nursery of young plants and to have hopes that God shall have a people to serve Him when we are dead gone, the people comforted themselves in that the children of thy servants shall continue. So the training up of the young ones, the Westminster Confession tells us, lies with the head of each family. And you must be asking me this question. But we are not trained. We are not equipped. We don't know how. Well, this is how men putting together what is needed to share, what is needed to teach, so that you just have to read them out to your family, gather them together, and then to instruct them. So that care for the family comes when the head of the family would do this work. their role is to lead the family. We are talking about father and mother in the faith. And it affirms the words of Moses to Israel before they entered the Promised Land in Deuteronomy 6, verse 6-7. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thy heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest Moses' words to Israel before they entered the Promised Land, here in Deuteronomy 6, verses 6-7, is for the well-being of the families. The congregation of families that form the Church, or the various tribes, and the congregation of churches or tribes that form a nation. And so this provides for us a guide to the people of God. And I would ask you to take time to read required reading, page 7 to page 17, right at the front of your book, 7 to 17, two letters. The first one to the Christian reader, especially to the heads of the families, and the second the epistle to the reader by Thomas Menton. Very critical words to help us to see and understand that the function by which the arrangement of God is that of the covenant family. And in order for this to happen, it has to be first invited in the hearts of the parents. And so Moses says, I command thee this day, these words that shall be in thy hearts. In other words, You need to know well yourself what is the Word of God. And then to impart it to your family. The heads of the family are given that responsibility to gather the family to this task. Thou shalt teach them diligently. That's the admonition that is given there. Unto thy children. In other words, it's your own children. Here as you read, you realise that the advocate or the system of understanding towards individual families. Not a mix of families. Families are not encouraged to come together for what we call fellowship. Not like that. But each family with a head instructing their respective families. So there's no confusion. It's very clear. The instruction comes from each of the individual heads of the family. They are responsible. And so there is no double voices, triple voices from elsewhere. Someone said like that or like this, like this and like that. The family would be confused. Everyone would be in disarray. And that's the trouble with our churches today. As you go back to the historical documents, you realise where the problem lies. And as we revisit the truth of what works, we have to go back and implement what we believe to be successful models for a subsequent generation. And so as we study the confessions, we realise the problem in the churches today is that the role of the parents has been diminished as the chief influencers for their children's spiritual education. So you ask me, and I ask myself, as you read the catechism, can you not understand? Can you not share? Well, the way by which the catechisms are framed is such that it is to instruct us by succinctly summarising in the best way in the English language what is to be taught. And so much thought has been put in to express what is needed in a succinct and proper way, so that we learn. And it is not without backing or without substantial authority, you would notice that the confessions are given together with Bible verses for each of the statements that are being enunciated. And the Bible verses are being produced for us in this volume. So that each statement, you'll be able to see the corresponding Bible verses. So for most of us, you tell us to, you ask to flip to the Bible. You flip one time, you flip two times, you flip three times, you flip ten times, you get tired. And you lose concentration. You lose focus. But here it's placed together for us, so that you don't have to flip too much. The most is a page at the back, so that you see the statement and then you take time to read the Bible verse that helps us to form and understand that doctrine, what we should do. And then your concentration is more focused upon trying to comprehend and understand what it is. So you have the Bible there, Bible passage there, and even the doctrine summarised for you and placed there. And the Westminster Assembly have three documents. Westminster Confession of Faith, which is an overall summary of the doctrines by chapters. And so this is a very comprehensive overview with details. And then there is the larger catechism. The Larger Catechism is written for family instruction. So when we were printing our Amazing Grace, the Gospel of Luke, we have started to also place the Larger Catechism, since it's for family, to include also inside our devotion book. So there are, in this first volume from the Luke's Gospel, there are altogether 49, 50 devotions from Luke's Gospel chapter 1 to 8. And there are about 50 questions of the catechism. So the larger catechism, more detail, is for the family. And then there's the shorter catechism. It's for the children, to instruct the children. So three books, or three sections. One in chapters, and then the other two, larger and shorter, are in terms of question and answer. question is asked and then an answer is given. So very direct and a very correct response together with proofs from Scripture. So that there will be the instruction that is needed for different levels of instruction within the family. And we're going to go through this. As we study the Confessions, we say that we realise in the churches today what the problem is. The role of parents has been diminished as the chief influences for their children's spiritual education. This I believe has to be restored so that we shall not experience the tragedies of the present generation of families, but there will be a renewal to strengthen the witness of churches in these last days for His glory. In other words, a new generation of families brought up to be instructed so that there will be God's blessing moving forward. And so I urge you to take time to read from page 7 to page 17, very critical, so that we would be guided and the direction by which we could understand what we should do would be properly put together and framed to lead the Church and the family back to the old paths of God's blessings. There is a need to go back to the laws of God. Well, when we began last year with the first conference, we spoke concerning this verse from Jeremiah chapter 6 verse 16. Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths, where is the good way. And walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." Here, the Lord instructs His people to stand in the ways and see. In other words, they are on a high view, and is able to see what is surrounding, what is around us. And this is what we are doing, going back in the history of the Church, and to identify where the areas of strength is. And to focus our attentions upon that to build the strength of the families in the Church and the Church. And so, the old paths are the paths of God's blessing. Where is the good way? And that we may walk dare in, and ye shall find rest for your souls." How critical, how important is that rest for the soul? And the laws of God are expressed in the Ten Commandments. The primary importance of it was affirmed by the Lord Himself when He wrote the 10 words with His own fingers on tablets of stone and presented it to Moses. Deuteronomy 31 and verse 18. And He gave unto Moses when he had made an end of communing with Him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone written with the finger of God." Written with the finger of God. The only document that is written by God Himself. Why is it so important because it summarises the Christian's duty to God and to men. In other words, it's a complete summary of what is required of each one of us in this life. by what God has written in the Ten Commandments, He has provided the sanctified order of life for His people. We are the highest created beings, men made in the image of God. And this is opposed to the crooked order that we see in the world today. crooked order that we see in the world today. You need something straight, something right, something proven, something universal, something that works. How can the Christian overcome the world? The crooked order Unless he is able to see the nature of the problem, unless you are able to see what is crookedness, you are unable to bring yourself out of its destructive influence. And how can we know? It is by going back to the commandments of God. And the commandments of God would provide for us the nature of the problem. Why is the world crooked? What's wrong with the world? What's wrong? And you can't take hold of what's wrong, until you have a standard by which to measure what's wrong. And God gave this standard. And we need to know it, and we need to realise that this is where is the emphasis for each one of us, for each family, for the Church. The moment God gives us faith in Christ, He begins to enable us to understand the problem. It is only the Christian who can see through this world. Everybody is dominated by this world and is governed by it. Once we see the problem of this crooked order, then we see the need for a solution. What is the solution? The Son of God came, because He is the only way in which we can be delivered from the world. And the deliverance of it comes from his written word as articulated in the Ten Commandments. Solomon says in Ecclesiastes chapter 12 and verse 13 to 14, Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep His commandments. This is the whole duty of men. The whole of men. Solomon says after he has lived a full life, he tells us that life comes down to this. Fear God and keep His commandments. Fear God is an attitude of the heart. The fear of God is an attitude of the heart. And the commandments provide for us that proper order, not the crooked order. And we are directed to chapter 19 of the Confession of Faith in page 95. Of the law of God. Here it says, God gave to Adam a law. God gave to Adam a law. by which He bound him. So God gave to Adam a law by which He bound him and all his posterity to personal, entire, exact and perpetual obedience. promised life upon fulfilling, and threatening death upon the breach of it, and endued him with power and ability to keep it. So, what are we saying here? It's that God gave His laws. And when God met Adam, His laws were imprinted in the hearts of His creation, in Adam. In Adam himself, the laws of God are written there, the Ten Commandments. And God bound him and his posterity. to that personal, entire, exact, perpetual obedience. And there are two outcomes to it. Promise life upon fulfilling, and threaten death upon the breach of it. So here is given to us something very pertinent and very significant. If you turn to page 95, chapter 19 of the Confession of Faith, you will see there that statement that the Lord wants to instruct us. The pertinence of the law of God. What is the proper thing that would guide our life. You see, when God made everything, when God made the universe, everything was in order. When He made man, everything was also in order. He placed His laws in the heart of Adam and Eve, so that they would know The Ten Commandments are the universal laws by which God governs the universe. Something that, whether we like it or not, it will hold true. If you practice it, the blessings will come. If you refuse it, death would come. The bridge of it, threatened death upon the bridge of it. But man is endued with power and ability to keep it. In other words, it's not something impossible. And you see the proof text there. Genesis chapter 1 verse 26. And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, and in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. But the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." Good and evil, if you expressed it in the laws of God, the obedience of it, that's good. the disobedience and the flaunting of it will result in evil. Just as light and darkness, just as life and death. Romans 2 verse 14 says, For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature contain in the law, this having not the law, are a law unto themselves, which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts meanwhile accusing or excusing one another. In other words, there's something inside us, though it is blood, mud. But the laws of God are not totally eradicated from the heart of Adam after his fall. It is there. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things shall live by them. to be right with God. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for they all have sinned. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. For it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. And the law is not of faith, but the man that doeth them liveth by them. Lo, this only I have found, that God hath made men upright, but they have sought out many inventions." And so there is a right way by which we ought to live. But because of the nature of sin that came into man as a result of Adam's fall, men would sort out many inventions. In other words, move in many crooked ways. And so how do you bring them back to the straight path, to the way of blessing? And unto men, he said, behold the fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding. The fear of the Lord to know that the commandments is good and that we should obey it. That is wisdom. This law, after his fall, continued to be the perfect rule of righteousness and such as was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai in Ten Commandments and written in two tables. So this law that was first in Adam, after the fall, continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness. In other words, since God created man, His laws were given to man, written in his heart. And it has been always the same laws that governed him. And in the mercy of God, in the fullness of time, God delivered upon Mount Sinai in the Ten Commandments. That's part 2, page 96. In the Ten Commandments, and written in two tables, the first four commandments contain our duty towards God, and the other six, our duty toward men. So it's quite clear, isn't it? properly summarised for us. Step by step, you are led to understand the truth, the way by which you should walk. This law, after the fall, continues to be the perfect rule of righteousness. And as such, was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai in ten commandments. We were mentioning in Exodus chapter 31, that God wrote them by His own finger. The first four commandments contain our duty towards God and the other six, our duty toward man. Page 97, part 3. Besides this law, commonly called moral. So what is this law, the Ten Commandments? It is the moral law. It is commonly called moral. God was pleased to give to the people of Israel, as a church under age, ceremonial laws containing several typical ordinances, partly of worship, prefiguring Christ, His graces, actions, sufferings, benefits, and partly holding forth diverse instructions of moral duties. which ceremonial laws are now abrogated under the New Testament. And so the Lord tells us that He gave the laws to Israel. He articulated the moral law, the Ten Commandments to them, and He also gave the ceremonial laws. But the ceremonial laws have been abrogated. In other words, they are no longer being practiced in the Church, not its principles, but its uses. And here we are told that the moral law continues to be that yardstick. And so I turn you now to the larger catechism. to help us to see it, zero in, in page 254. 254. Question 91. 254, question 91. What is the duty which God requires of men? Page 254, question 91. What is the duty which God requires of men? Very important. What do you need to do? We ask ourselves each day, what do we need to do? Well, God tells us what is required of us. The duty which God requires of man is obedience to His revealed will. The duty which God requires of man is obedience to His revealed will. What is the trouble with us today? Disobedience to the revealed will of God. That's the trouble with the world. And that's the same trouble in the Church, isn't it? Question 92. What did God at first reveal unto man as the rule of obedience? So you said obey, obey, but obey what? Obey what? The rule of obedience revealed to Adam in the estate of innocence and to all mankind in him, besides a special command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was the moral law. Page 255. Question 92. Page 255, question 92, right at the top there. What did God at first reveal unto man as a rule of His obedience? The rule of obedience revealed to Adam in the estate of innocence and to all mankind in him, besides a special command not to eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, was the moral law God revealed. So what is the will of God? obedience to His revealed will. And what is His revealed will? It is obedience to the moral law. And what is the moral law? Question 93. Question 93. What is the moral law? The moral law is the declaration of the will of God to mankind. directing and binding everyone to personal, perfect and perpetual conformity and obedience thereunto, in the frame and disposition of the whole man, soul and body, and in the performance of all those duties of holiness and righteousness which he oweth to God and men, promising life upon the fulfilling and threatening death upon the bridge of it. So you heard what we mentioned earlier in the confession of faith when we begin. Two things, promising life upon the fulfilling and threatening death upon the bridge of it. The same statement, but here toned down. Toned down. Something succinct and simpler to understand. Question 94, page 256. Is there any use of the moral law to men since the fall? Although no man since the fall can attain to righteousness and life by the moral law, yet there is great use thereof as well common to all men, as peculiar either to the regenerate or the unregenerate. And so here, what is the use of the moral law? He obeyed. Can he obey it? Here, question 95 tells us. Of what use then is the moral law to all men? The moral law, question 95 says, is of use to all men to inform them of the holy nature and the will of God. So you say, what is the will of God? What is the will of God? How do I know the will of God? the will of God is revealed in His law. So to inform them of the holy nature of the will of God and of their duty, binding them to walk accordingly, to convince them of their disability to keep it, and of the sinful dispollution of their nature, hearts and lives. So in other words, the commandments show us what is wrong with us, to humble them in the sense of their sin and misery, to show us where we have gone wrong and what is wrong, and thereby help them to a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ and the perfection of His obedience. In other words, We cannot obey it. It shows us where we have fallen short. And it drives us to the Lord Jesus Christ, because He is the one who would obey on our behalf. And He is the one that would enable us to obey for ourselves. He obeyed on our behalf. he enables us to obey it for ourselves, receiving his blessings. Question 96 in 258. What particular use is there of the moral law to unregenerate men? The moral law is of use to unregenerate men, to awaken their conscience, to flee from wrath to come. So you talk to an unbeliever, what is the purpose of giving them the commandments of God? The use of it is to awaken their conscience, to flee from the wrath to come. In other words, The transgression of it brings with it destructive effects. And to drive them to Christ, or upon their continuance in the estate and way of sin, to leave them inexcusable, and therefore under the curse thereof, to the unregenerate. And question 97, what about for us? What is the use of the moral law for us? What is the special use to the regenerate? Although they that are, question 97, that are regenerate and believe in Christ be delivered from the moral law as a covenant of works, so thereby are neither justified nor condemned, yet beside the general use thereof common to them with all men, is of special use to show them how much we are bound to Christ for the fulfilling of it. In other words, you can't fulfill it on your own. You need to abide in Christ and to utilize the power of God that is within you through the Spirit of Christ, through the Holy Spirit, to fulfill it. enduring the curse thereof in their stead, and for their good, and thereby to provoke them with more thankfulness, and to express the same in their greater care to conform thereunto as a rule of their obedience." In other words, it shows us, it gives us a thankful heart that through Christ we have been delivered, we have been saved. thereby giving us the impetus to obey. Question 98. What is the moral law summarily comprehended? Page 260. The moral law is summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments, which are delivered by the voice of God upon Mount Sinai, and written by Him in two tables of stone, and recorded in the 20th chapter of Exodus, the first four commandments contain our duty to God, and the last six, our duty to men. And now we turn to the Shorter Catechism. page 439. As we go to the shorter catechism, you will see that the question becomes, or the answers becomes shorter. Page 439. Question 39. What is the duty which God requires of man? Page 439. And question 39. The duty which God requires of man is obedience to His revealed will. Very clear. What is our duty? Our duty is to to his obedience to his revealed will. And question 40. What did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience? What did God first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience? The rule which God at first revealed to man for his obedience was the moral law. So what is our jiu qi? Our duty is to obey the moral law. Question 41. Wherein is the moral law summarily comprehended? The moral law is summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments. And what is the sum of the Ten Commandments? Question 42. Very fast. Now it goes one by one and gives you the answer very quickly. The sum of the Ten Commandments is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength, and with all our mind, and our neighbour as ourselves. To love God and to love our neighbour as we would love ourselves. Question 43. What is the preface of the Ten Commandments? The preface of the Ten Commandments is in these words, I am the Lord thy God that brought thee out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage. That's Exodus chapter 20. And question 44, what does the preface to the Ten Commandments teach us? The preface to the Ten Commandments teaches us that because God is the Lord and our God and Redeemer, therefore we are bound to keep all His commandments. Because He is God. The rain comes from Him. The sun comes from Him. He is God. And that same order is given in His laws. and we are bound by Him to keep them. And if you say, I don't know, it doesn't benefit you at all. We all better know. It's our duty to know, and our duty to learn it well, and our duty to practice it. Which is the first commandment? Question 45. The first commandment, thou shalt have no other gods before me. What is required in the first commandment? The first commandment requires us to know and acknowledge God to be the only true God. The first commandment require us to know and to acknowledge God as the only true God. Well, this one is the Shorter Catechism. So you see that it's very succinct. The First Commandment requires us to know and acknowledge God to be the only true God and our God and to worship and to glorify Him accordingly. So two things. What is required in the First Commandment? Thou shalt have no other gods before me. So I urge you to memorise the First Commandment. What is the first commandment? Shall we read together? Thou shalt have no other gods before me. What is the first commandment? Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Once again. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. That's the first commandment. One more time. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. That's the first commandment. What is required in the First Commandment? Shall we read together? Page 442, the answer. Page 442, what is required of the First Commandment? The first commandment requires us to know and acknowledge God, to be the only true God and our God, and to worship and glorify Him accordingly. So to know and to acknowledge. It's not just to know, but to acknowledge Him. In other words, to recognise and take Him for who He is, that He is God. So not just to know Him, but to acknowledge Him as the only true God. There's only one. No other. What's the problem with the world today? Everything goes alright, isn't it? Many gods. But the truth is this, there's only one. and to worship and to glorify Him accordingly. What is forbidden in the First Commandment? The First Commandment Okay, let's read together. The first commandment forbiddeth the denying or not worshipping and glorifying the true God as God and our God and the giving of that worship and glory to any other which is due to him alone. Now that's the whole trouble with mankind. And that's the whole trouble with all of us. Shall we read again? What is forbidden in the first commandment? The first commandment forbiddeth the denying or not worshipping and glorifying the true God as God and our God and the giving of that worship and glory to any other which is due to Him alone. Question 48. What are we specially taught by these words before me in the first commandment? These words before me in the first commandment teach us that God who seeth all things taketh notice of and is much displeased with the sin of having any other God. Okay, we said what is forbidden in the Shorter Catechism, isn't it? And we have read it. But if you look at the Larger Catechism, there are not just the first two points, but there are additional six other points in the Larger Catechism. More details And the larger catechism is to be read by the father, the mother, in the family, to the children. And what else? You see, you read the larger catechism, it says, knowing and acknowledging of God, to be the only true God and our God, and to worship and to glorify Him accordingly. How do you worship and glorify God? The larger catechism tells us, by thinking, meditating, remembering, highly esteeming, honouring, adoring, choosing, loving, desiring, fearing of Him. So it teaches us how to worship God. Believing Him, trusting, hoping, delighting, rejoicing in Him, being zealous for Him, calling upon Him with all praise and thanks, yielding all obedience and submission to Him with the whole man. Be careful in all things to please Him and sorrowful when in anything He is offended and walking humbly with Him. So you realise that there is these things that we need to know. And in the shorter catechism, we are to teach our children, and we are to instruct ourselves first, and then there is the details. Larger catechism for the family. And unless we are instructed, then we would not know what is the straight and narrow way that Jesus talked about, isn't it? We would all be walking in the broad way that leads to destruction. And so we say this in summary as we close our first message, this introduction, is this, that as we study the confessions, we realise the problem in the churches today is that the role of parents has been diminished as the chief influences for their children's spiritual education. So we say that the home, a family, is the seminary of the church and state. A family the seminary of the church and the state. So where is the seminary? The seminary is in the family. It's in the family. And if children are not well principled there, all miscarriages. So I say to you, read Read page 8 to page 17. Page 8 to page 17. Page 8 to page 17. Two articles from this book. Must read. Must read. If not, we don't know why we are doing what we are doing. We will be lost. OK? Must read. You don't understand? Discuss, ask. To lead the church back, the family back to the old paths of God's blessing. The Lord says, standing in the ways and see and ask for the old paths. Where's the old paths? Where is the good way? And walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." And the primary importance of it is affirmed by the Lord writing the 10 words with His own fingers on two tablets of stone and presented it to Moses. Exodus 31 verse 18, and he gave unto Moses when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai two tables of testimony, tables of stone written with the finger of God. So why is it so important? Because how does God express the importance of it? God wrote it himself with his own finger on tablets of stone, never before. All the words that were given by God, all the other laws, he dictated it to Moses and Moses write it down. But the moral law, he wrote it himself to emphasise the importance of it. the critical nature of it. So what is written in the Ten Commandments provided the sanctified order of life for His people, His highest created beings, man-made in His image. And this is opposed to the crooked order that we see in the world today. How can the Christian overcome the world, the crooked order, unless he has seen the nature of the problem. And it begins when God gives us faith to understand the problem. For only the Christian can see through this world with the Holy Spirit helping us, with the laws of God helping us. Everybody is dominated by this world and governed by it. So once we see the problem of this crooked order, then we begin to see the need of the solution. The Son of God came because it's the only way in which we can be delivered from the world. We have a closing hymn. Hark the herald angels sing. Let's arise. Hark the herald angels sing, Glory to the new-born King, Peace on earth and mercy mild. Joyful, all ye nations, rise! Join the triumph of the skies! Christ is born in Bethlehem! Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the new-born King! Christ by highest heaven adored, Christ the Late in time behold Him come Offspring of a virgin's womb Veiled in flesh the Godhead see Hailed incarnate Deity Pleases men with men to dwell Jesus our God, Emmanuel. Hark! the herald angels sing. Glory to the new-born King. Hail the hand-born Prince of Peace. Light and life to all He brings, Rinsed with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die, Born to raise the sons to give them second birth. Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King. Come, desire of nations, come, fix in our rise the woman's conquering seed, bruised in us the serpent's head. Adam's likeness now effaced, stamp thine image in its place. Second Adam from above, Reinstate us in Thy love. Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the new-born King.