“Madam, when you are come to the other side of the water, and have set down your foot on the shore of glorious eternity, and look back again to the waters, and to your wearisome journey, and shall see in that clear glass of endless glory nearer to the bottom of God’s wisdom, you shall then be forced to say, ‘If God had done otherwise with me, then he hath done, I had never come to the enjoying this crown and glory’.”
Samuel Rutherford, “Letters of Samuel Rutherford”
Here is the link to download the manuscript if you are interested:
There is a new tab at the top of the blog called “Speaking Request.” It’s nothing special and nor am I. But if you are inclined to need someone to speak, there you will find the simplest process to make that request. Blessings! Grace and peace to you all in the Lord Jesus Christ!
Here is the link to watch the video:
The J-Curve will help you process the suffering of life and see it’s purposes. Click the link to watch.
“World evangelisation requires the whole Church to take the whole Gospel to the whole world.” -John R.W. Stott
“This is faith’s true office, to see life in the midst of death, and to trust the mercy of God—not as that which will procure us universal exemption from evil, but as that which will quicken us in the midst of death every moment of our lives; for God humbles his children under various trials, that his defence of them may be the more remarkable, and that he may show himself to be their deliverer, as well as their preserver.”
“What is the cause of that anxiety and fear which are felt by the godly, but the consciousness of their own weaknesses and entire dependence upon God? At the same time they rely with full certainty upon the grace of God.”
I know posts do better at particular times and days. I’m just trying out a reblog to see what works.
Here is the link to download the manuscript if you are interested:
Order of Worship—John 19.16b-30
Opening Chorus “He has made me glad” page 579
Welcome and Announcements
Call to Worship
(Ps. 22:1-31) To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by…
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How do you draw “invisible?” Well, it seems the best way is to make use of darkness as the Genesis account does. God created light out of darkness…out of nothing. So, I attempted to take a picture of darkness above.
I was almost finished reading my daily Bible reading plan when all of a sudden Hebrews 11:3 stopped me in my tracks. I had flown by this verse as I anticipated the great stories ahead of me. But not today.
Hebrews 11:3
[3] By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
First, what have you thought about this verse? It initially caught my attention because it sounds like it’s saying something different than Genesis 1 account where we conclude that God created the universe out of nothing.
I grabbed Peter O’Brien off the shelf after a quick look at the ESV study Bible note. He said this:
“‘What cannot be seen’ is parallel to ‘the word of God’ in the first half of the verse and regard the two halves as forming a chiasmus.”
His conclusion is really good: “God’s word is an invisible power that produces visible results.”
Amazing! I needed to hear this as I prep to preach His word on Sunday. And in particular, this makes one of the verses even more powerful.
John 17:20
[20] “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word
The sharing of the gospel will result in more people believing. It’s not the disciples who cause them to believe, it’s that same conclusion stated above. Sow the word and God will cause some of it to sprout. That is, those who are His.
I had not connected this post to the name of this blog! Indeed, God’s word cannot be imprisoned!
Here is the link to download the manuscript if you are interested:
Order of Worship—John 15.12-17
Prelude
Announcements and Welcome
Call to Worship
(Ps. 116:12-19) 12 What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, 14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. 16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds. 17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. 18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
Hymn No. 6 “How Great Thou Art”
Pastoral Prayer
Hymn No. 156 “Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners”
(1 Cor. 3:4-11) 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Hymn No. 346 “The Church’s One Foundation
Sermon—John 15:12-17 “Loving Other Leaky Pots”
Hymn No. 234 “When I survey the Wondrous Cross”
Benediction
(2 Pet. 1:3-8) 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let’s love one another and bear much fruit for God’s glory! Make every effort!
The Word Is Not Imprisoned 