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The Old Rugged Cross

We are to let the Word dwell in us richly, Colossians 3:16 tells us, and one of those ways to teach and admonish with thankfulness in our hearts is by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to one another.  “The Old Rugged Cross” is a beloved hymn that proclaims Jesus’ death for our sins and then gives us a glimpse of our glorious future if we not only obey but live out the gospel.

I. Romans 3:21-25.  After describing the place of Jesus’ vicarious sacrifice (John 19:17-19), the song tells us that the cross is an “emblem of suffering and shame” (Galatians 3:11-13).  And yet we “love that old cross.”  How?  Because, we discover, that the “dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain.”  As we realize that Jesus died for us, we want to live for Him (Galatians 2:19-21) … and the horrific cross takes on new meaning.

II. John 15:18-19.  The world doesn’t get it, and in the best of its wisdom despises the cross … and so us who have obeyed the gospel and are living it out in our lives (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).  But to us, the cross is the power of God and the wisdom of God.  That the “dear Lamb of God” would leave His “glory above” to “pardon and sanctify me” (John 1:29; John 17:4-5) is the “wondrous beauty I see.”

III. 1 Peter 4:12-13.  Then promising that living out the principles of the gospel will be hard, we’re encouraged in the song to persevere to one day share in Jesus’ glory.  If we “cling to the old, rugged cross,” we will one day secure a crown (James 1:12).

Since Jesus gave all for you, won’t you give all for Him?

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Between You and Your God

The impact of the gospel becomes real at the moment Jesus cries out with “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” while on the cross.  This is the whole reason for the “good news” in the first place.  Man, who is separated from God because of sin, can not pay back the debt he owes, so God becomes a man, who does not sin, to pay back man’s debt to God.

I.  1 Corinthians 15:1-4.  From incarnation to intercession, Jesus’ redemptive work at the cross and the tomb is called a matter of first importance and works together to save us (Hebrews 7:23-25).  We each choose to obey or not obey the gospel (Romans 6:1-18) as Jesus overcomes our sin problem (Isaiah 59:1-4) by having our sins punished in Himself (2 Corinthians 5:21) and then solving our grave problem by resurrecting from the dead.

II.  Romans 7:18-20.  Sins are either those we commit (when we do what we shouldn’t) or omit (don’t do what we should).  Even the smallest hint of either will separate us from a holy God (Ephesians 4:17–5:7).  If we just look at the seven deadly sins (although every sin is deadly!), we can see how they all overlap in and work to destroy individuals’ spiritual, physical, and emotional/mental realms.  We need Jesus’ redemptive work of the gospel to remove the separation that sin has made between us and God.

III.  Romans 14:10-12.  We must own our sins before Jesus can take them away.  This means letting their devastating impact to our souls and the awaiting judgment for them truly strike us.  Then, we can appreciate what Jesus has done for us and can obey the gospel by believing (John 8:24), repenting of our sins (Luke 13:3), confessing Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9), and being baptized into His Name for the forgiveness of sins (1 Peter 3:21).

But the gospel doesn’t stop there … as those who have come into Christ must continue to live obediently (Philippians 2:12-13).  Jesus has died for you.  Are you living in Him?

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Save us from the evil one

Heavenly Father, save us from the evil one. Save us for your presence and blessing. Save us in the name of your Son and our Savior Jesus Christ. Save us with your raised hand and mighty arm.

Protect your people from temptation. Protect your church to do all your will. Protect your chosen ones that they might live in holiness and generosity. Protect your children for your glory in them.

Bless our loved ones with knowledge and devotion. Bless all that they might seek you in love and truth. Bless our friends and families in order to make them prepared for that Day.

Give me wisdom. Give me power. Give me humility. Give me healing. Give me your Spirit. Use me for your glory. Be my all and fullness.

  • Say this prayer and say amen.
  • Publish this prayer in your congregation’s bulletin or newsletter.
  • Say this prayer in your congregation’s meeting.
  • Share the link to this prayer in social media.
  • Send the link to this prayer in an email to your contacts.
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Praying for us all

Dear Heavenly Father, here are my requests for the new year.

  • For the wife and me to have a great year together, with health and happiness, joy and usefulness.
  • For our children to be well, in body, spirit, family, and service.
  • For our grandchildren to receive the love and care they need to develop into your children.
  • For our families of origin to increase their faith.
  • For the spiritual, missional, and numerical growth of the congregation.
  • For new beginnings in our region.
  • For the brotherhood to be strong in faith, in truth, in love, in grace, in the Word of Christ.
  • For the people we love, for the brethren you have given us, for the lost who need news.
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In Him is No Darkness

If asked, many would say that Lincoln is on the penny … but it is only his likeness.  Jesus states that He and His Father are one (John 10:30), but how does that oneness come about?  And how can we get in on that perfect fellowship with God?

I.  1 John 1:5-7.  God’s character is that there is no darkness at all.  Light throws off no shadow.  God is good, for our good (Romans 8:28-29), so that we will do good (Ephesians 2:10).  We can live a lie and tell others that we are in fellowship with God, but we will only fool ourselves and some others.  We will never deceive God, who knows our true nature and motives.

II.  Colossians 1:15-20.  The Son, who claims oneness with the Father, is an exact representation of the Father’s character and radiance.  He has that because He in the flesh abides in the Father and the Father in Him (John 14:8-11).  We are told to abide in Christ by living His commandments (John 15:4-11), a process which comes as a result of much discipline (Hebrews 12:7-14) but allows us to be perfected in holiness to share in fellowship with Him.

III.  1 John 1:8 — 2:6.  Fallen from the image of God in which we were created, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross renews that image in Him (Colossians 3:5-10) through the discipline process (Ephesians 4:20 — 5:2).  To share in oneness with God is to take on His perfect nature; then we can have fellowship with Him and other Christians who are also walking in the light as Jesus does.

To truly be Jesus’ disciple, our walk needs to match our talk.

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That Day

Immersed, I felt pure and clean — prepared
for Jesus’ coming — joyful in your forgiveness —
secure and safe — possessor of all I’d heard;
That Day, O Lord, make me a happy witness!

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Worthy of Trust

The Lord my God is worthy of trust,
In you I put my heart and soul,
This world’s possessions turn to dust,
So eternal life is all my goal.

O Father, every moment I breathe,
I hear the call of heaven’s lure,
Preserve me while the nations seethe,
In peace prepare your people pure.

The strongholds rise on every side,
The devil’s darts come flaming down;
Be now my shield and certain guide,
For I desire the living crown.

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This, I know, is grace

Thank you, Eternal Father, for each precious gift you give — life itself and all that is necessary to sustain it.

The most precious of all, of course, is that of eternal salvation. In comparison, this present life is less than a drop of water in all the oceans of earth.

And everything else besides eternal life is icing on the cake. If the present is sweet, what must heaven be like?

How is it that I was blessed with all this, when so many go wanting? How was I shown the path to freedom when billions are enslaved by sin?

This, I know, is grace, and I am humbled before you.

You deserve all praise and glory for your wisdom.

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The Two Shall Become One Flesh

It’s often said that God created two institutions: marriage (and so the family unit) and the church.  Hebrews 10:1 indicates that the Law is the shadow of the reality to come.  Since the overall theme of the Bible is a holy God redeeming sinful man, then Ephesians 5 describing marriage as the shadow to understand the reality of Jesus’ bride, the blood-bought church, being presented to the Bridegroom at the wedding supper of the Lamb makes sense.

I.  Ephesians 5:22-33.  In figurative language, something that is unknown is described by what is known.  In this case, the relationship between a husband and wife is explained as the one between Christ and His church … and vice versa.  The marriage verse of Genesis 2:24 is quoted and then is directly applied to Jesus and His bride.  We know that earthly marriage only lasts until death or judgment (Matthew 22:29-30; Matthew 24:38-39).  Therefore, to help us better understand the oneness we need to have with God, our heavenly Father gave us the shadow of earthly marriage here.

II.  John 10:30.  Several are described as walking with God (Genesis 3:8; Genesis 5:24; Genesis 6:9).  In Enoch’s case, his fellowship with the Almighty let him escape death (Hebrews 11:5).  The Son, who was sinless (Hebrews 4:15), was in perfect oneness with the Father.  Through His redeeming work at the cross and tomb, Jesus makes it possible for us to live in a restored relationship with Him once again (1 John 2:6).

III.  John 14:9-14.  In Revelation 21:2, the church is presented as a bride adorned for her husband.  Blessed are those who are at the wedding supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-9) when the two become one flesh.  To be one with God, we first need to be baptized into Him (Galatians 3:26-27).  Then we need to continue to abide in Him through obedience and continual repentance.

Earthly marriages fail because of wedges in the oneness.  Christians fail because they allow wedges of sin and selfishness to come between them and their Bridegroom and cease to remain in the bride.  God wants all to come to repentance.  Are you heading to a wedding?

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And Sent Her Throughout … Israel

I don’t believe the USPS or FED-UPS would have shipped it.  The contents were definitely ‘fragile,’ ‘liquid,’ and ‘perishable.’  As terrible as the Levite’s actions were in cutting up his dead concubine after she had been abused by the Benjaminites the whole night and sending the pieces to the twelve tribes of Israel, it did have the effect of waking them up to their spiritual drifting from God’s Law.

I.  Judges 19:1-30.  In a scene reminiscent of Sodom in Genesis 19, the Levite found his host’s home surrounded by men in Gibeah (where King Saul would come from) wanting to sexually abuse him.  In a decision that is heinous to today’s sensitivities and not better explained away by ancient hospitality laws, the Levite’s concubine was given to them instead.  Sending her body parts into Israel provoked outrage and war as this woke the nation up to their spiritual slumber since Moses had mediated the Law on Mt. Sinai many years before.

II.  John 15:18-21.  Throughout Scripture, God used extreme acts to awaken His people, but the result was to bring them back into a right relationship with Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24).  Today, it seems that many calling themselves Christian use these extreme actions to protest against truth and groups they feel are stodgy or reactionary.  They call for Christians to blend in with the culture and water-down the gospel to feel-good emotions that are reliant on experience.  Spiritual discipline is hard to market (Hebrews 12:5-11), and Jesus said that His followers were not to blend in with the world.

III.  Matthew 25:1-10.  It takes work to be and stay prepared spiritually (1 Thessalonians 5:5-6), but true worshipers will determine to put this effort above all else.  This is yet another purpose for the church as we each encourage another and spur on to good deeds (Hebrews 10:24-25).  The alarm clock is set (Matthew 24:42-44), but we may be hitting the snooze button.

What would it take to awaken you to your spiritual slumber and urge you to awaken others?