Monday, March 22, 2010

If Your Heart is Wise

My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad.
My inmost being will exult when your lips speak what is right.
Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.
Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.
Proverbs 23:15-19 ESV

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Let the Godly Exult In Glory

Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the godly!
Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
For the LORD takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.
Let the godly exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their beds.
Psalm 149:1-5 ESV

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Judgment: A Good Thing

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Psalm 96:11-13 ESV

Monday, March 15, 2010

Who Knows the Festal Shout

Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,
who exult in your name all the day and
in your righteousness are exalted.
Psalm 89:15-16 ESV

Friday, March 12, 2010

His Name is the Lord

Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him!
Psalm 68:4 ESV

Tired of Mediocrity

This came from my friend Jim Wilson's blog.

To Know This Mystery by Dr. Lewis L. Brock, M.D.

Status Quo!

I’m so tired of mediocrity, Lord,
Weary of the commonplace
Jaded by the customary
Of business as usual
Of life restrained
Shallow and muted

Better Alive and Theologically Immature than Dead and Mature

Wilbur,

There's a lot here. First, I don't think you are in sin because you go to an Arminian church. I would rather go to a church where the basic Gospel is taught and lived, where people love one another and are reaching out to their neighbors in love and grace, than go to a solidly Reformed church that is doctrinally right but dry, dead,  and ingrown. I would rather go to an Arminian church where they have pot-luck dinners and care for the poor, than to a Reformed church where they bicker and fight over every little thing.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

The Better the Eggs the Better the Omelet

Pastor Mike,

What is my role in God's Kingdom?

Wilbur


Hi Wilbur,

That's quite a question. The way I see it the goal of every Christian is to be like Christ. At the same time the church is the body of Christ and thus the whole body should be looking more and more like Christ. So we have individuals looking like Christ and the whole church looking like Christ. Sort of like eggs in an omelet. To have an omelet, you have to have eggs. The better the eggs the better the omelet.

According the tone and context of Scripture the Christian life begins with corporate worship and that is normally on Sundays. Everything else springs from that. Worship includes the music, prayer, ministry of the word, Lord's Supper, fellowship with God and with the saints, and doing it all as whole families.


Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Our Guilt Has Mounted Up

"O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens."Ezra 9:6 ESV

Monday, March 08, 2010

Real and More Real

We come now to the portion of our service where we join together at the Table of the Lord. The Bible tells us that when we joined together to worship God, even though we look around and see a gym, we are, in reality sitting in the throne room of God. For the past hour and a half we have been seated in the heavenly places with myriads and myriads of angels, elders, and saints. If you would like to read about what is happening all around you turn in your Bibles to Revelation chapters 4-6. Not only are we worshipping with saints who have gone before us to their rewards, we are also worshipping with all the saints who are currently worshipping in our time zones. So, those saints down the street who don't have their act quite as together as we do are probably seated right next to us in glory. We just can't see them because we are bound to this earth.

Suffering Reveals Allegiances

The Bible tells us that until Jesus comes there will always be suffering. People close to us will die. As we grow older, we will have to deal with impaired health. People will sin. There will be opportunities for you to become angry, battle evil desires, put up with frustrations, hide from fears, flee immorality, be confused, become defensive, suffer the cruelty of others, have interpersonal disasters, live in unstable conditions, be confronted with misery, have friends who are caught up in various kinds of substance abuse, and to be anxious about everything the world throws at us.

To the Faithful and True

O father of lights we come to you this morning fleeing from the darkness that has overtaken the world. We run from the darkness because it is our hearts desire to have fellowship with you and with your son Jesus Christ. In you is light, and in this light the blood of Jesus cleanses us of all sin. We acknowledge that if we say we have no sin, we lie and are deceiving ourselves and calling you a liar. But we also know that if we confess our sins, you are faithful to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

You are the faithful and true God. You alone love your people enough to send your only son to die in our place. You alone are holy and pure and have vindicated your son, our redeemer, by raising him from the dead. Not only have you raised him from the dead, you have seated him at your right hand where he now sits interceding for us your people. In the light of this we worship you now through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You with the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end, amen.

Be Transformed

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2 ESV

Eldon Cernik RIP

Our God and Father, we come to you this morning offering our prayers and our lives to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We know that through Jesus’ death and because of his resurrection we are brought into your presence and a relationship with you. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead shows us not only that you love and accept Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, but also that you accept us in his name and will always accept us in his name. We come to you now and because of Jesus’ resurrection we know that we will come to you in death. We have confidence in this and rejoice and exalt your Holy Name.

Friday, March 05, 2010

This is the Will of God

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.
1 Thess. 4:3-6 ESV

1 John 2

What is the context? What happened last week?
Why did John write the letter?
What does sin have to do with it?
What should we do if we sin?
What are we saying if we say we have not sinned and/or have no sin?

Vss. 1-6

v. 1—Who does he address first?
What does John mean by little children? Is he addressing the small children in the congregation?
Why is he writing to the little children?

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Create In Me A Clean Heart

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Psalm 51:10-12 ESV

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Salvation for All People

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,  training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,  waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,  who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Titus 2:11-14 ESV