At the WorshipGod06 Conference on Friday night, we read through a public confession of sin, based on a number of the ten commandments. The purpose was not to “grovel in our sin,” but to heighten our awareness of and gratefulness for what Jesus accomplished at the cross. We followed up this confession with Scriptures and songs that celebrated the full forgiveness provided in the substitutionary sacrifice of the Savior. In essence, we preached the Gospel to ourselves.
We excel at justifying, minimizing, psychologizing, and denying sin and its effects. But regardless of how we try to avoid it, we can’t escape the reality that every sin is an act of cosmic defiance against a supreme, holy, and just God. Here is what we called to mind (I recited the words …
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I attempted to post a Monday Devotions thought yesterday, but never quite got to it. However, I had a great time on my day off doing errands with my two youngest daughters and going out on a date with my wife.
I’m currently immersing myself in preparation for the WorshipGod06 conference, which starts tomorrow. In the midst of planning and praying, I have a deep desire that everything that takes place over the next few days bring pleasure to God.
The fact that we can please God is a never ending source of amazement to me. Of course, when it comes to justification, nothing we do can please God sufficiently for him to accept us. But as his children, forgiven and reconciled through the atoning sacrifice of his Son, we can actually
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“…who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” (2 Tim. 1:9ERROR: No passage found for your query.
)
Pastor and hymn-writer Samuel Stennett (1727-1795) wrote a poem called “The Harmony of Divine Perfections," in which he attempts to describe what took place “before the ages began.” Here it is, with my comments. (You might want to read this slowly…)When first the God of boundless grace disclosed His kind design;To rescue our apostate race from misery, shame, and sin,Quick through the realms of light and bliss, the joyful tidings ran;Each heart exulted at the news, that God would dwell with man.
The heavens were thrilled that God found a
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“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you
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And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ( Eph. 5:18-20Ephesians 5:18-20
[18]And do not get drunk with wine, for that is
debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, [19]addressing
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
[20]giving thanks always and for everything to God the
Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, (ESV)
).
In his very helpful book, Father, Son, and Spirit, Bruce Ware writes:
Many Christian people will one day stand before the Lord aware as never before that they spent too little time getting to know the depth and the wonder of who God really is—including his revelation of himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the one God over all (p. 16). Dr. Ware goes on to say that “the doctrine of the
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These thoughts are from Randy Alcorn, who will be a main speaker at this year’s WorshipGod Conference:
“[God’s servants] will see his face.” Revelation 22:4Revelation 22:4
[4]They will see his face, and his name will be on their
foreheads. (ESV)
Our longing for Heaven is a longing for God—a longing that involves not only our inner selves, but our bodies as well. Being with God is the heart and soul of Heaven. Every other heavenly pleasure will derive from and be secondary to his holy presence. God’s greatest gift to us is, and always will be, himself. His presence brings satisfaction. His absence brings thirst and longing.
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” ( Psalm 42:1-2Psalm 42:1-2
[42:1]As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
[2]My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
).“O God,
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Our culture can tend to talk about the cross in a way that magnifies our worth to God rather than our sin against Him. I’ve seen or heard worship songs whose main point seems to be that God sent Jesus to die for us because He couldn’t bear to live without us. While God’s children are precious in his sight, our value should never be the end of our worship nor the source of our joy.
Of course, every human being has an intrinsic worth. We have been made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). Like no other living creature, men and women have the distinct role of representing God to the rest of creation, administrating His rule and care. However, that image is now distorted, corrupted,
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Yesterday morning, I had the privilege of leading the church in celebrating the Lord’s supper. This is a slightly edited version of the thoughts I shared.
As a church, sharing communion is a significant event where we gratefully acknowledge together that the death of Christ is full payment for the sins we’ve committed against a holy God. If you’re our guest this morning, we’re so glad that you’ve joined us. Thank you for coming! However, because of the significance of this meal, we’d like you to refrain from participating in communion with us unless you yourself have turned from your sins and trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior. But we invite you to do more than simply watch. As I share the meaning of this simple meal in
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Yesterday morning Americans celebrated Father’s Day, a holiday that was officially established in 1924 by President Coolidge. Like many churches, we took time to honor and celebrate the gift that our fathers are to us, not because our culture dictates it, but because fatherhood is a biblical role that God esteems.
Many of us are blessed to have had dads who excelled in giving us encouragement, direction, care, and counsel. They weren’t perfect, of course, but we never doubted their love. Father’s Day is simply one more opportunity to express our gratefulness for the way they’ve laid down their lives to serve us in countless ways.
But how do you approach Father’s Day if the very word “father” stirs up memories of tension, abandonment, abuse, or apathy? What if your every thought,
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“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30)
I recently meditated on these words of Jesus in my morning devotions. They are good news for any of us who ever feel stressed, stretched, anxious, weighed down, nervous, overtaxed, overloaded, or whatever word we use to describe ourselves when we don’t think we can handle life. I think that’s all of us.
After thanking His Father that he has hidden the truths of the kingdom from “the wise and understanding and revealed them to little
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