By the grace of God, we are growing into a genuine community. This means that we must deal with far more than the simple issues that attend membership in a religious club that meets once a week. We are learning to live together. This means shared meals. It means watching one another’s children. It means …
Their Foundry Is Deceit
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! I have been dealt with graciously, According to Your Word. Teach me Your judgments, all are good, Give me your knowledge freely now, For I have faith in all Your law. Before affliction, and the chastening rod, I wandered off alone, But …
The Man Who Sat In A Chair
Once there was a man who sat in a chair. His friend came up to him after he had done so, and asked, quizzically, “Why did you do that?” “My feet were sore . . .” began the man who was sitting down. “No, no, that’s not what I meant. Why did you sit down …
Nadab and Abihu at the Table
When Jesus established the Lord’s Supper, Judas was there. And because Satan had entered into Judas, Satan was also there. The sacrament here is not a reward for the already arrived. Not only so, but it is also used in driving away those who will never arrive. We don’t need to drive anyone away. We …
Ezra Nehemiah 16
Introduction: The church of God has always had to deal with threats from two directions. The first is the obvious threat from without, from the enemies of God and the gospel. But the other threat comes from sin within the camp, from internal dissension, and from poor leadership. Nehemiah here sets us a wonderful example. …
Not in the Grain or Grapes
Jesus taught us that we should not labor for the meat that perishes, but rather for that meat which endures unto everlasting life, and this meat is the food which the Lord Jesus gives to us now. He is authorized to do this because God the Father has sealed us in Him. We do not …
The Lord’s Prayer, After All
This was the exhortation in the call to worship a few years ago when we first introduced the Lord’s Prayer into our worship service. This morning we have the privilege (and high responsibility) of introducing the Lord’s Prayer into our public worship of God. This will be done at the conclusion of the prayer of …
Your Earth, Oh Lord, Is Full of Grace
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Great God, You are my portion now, And I will keep Your words. I have entreated all Your grace, With all my heart and all my soul, Be merciful and keep Your Word. I have considered all my ways, And turned my …
The Jealosy That Never Stops Losing
Once there were two young brothers, with one of them three years younger than the other. He was not only younger, but he was also slighter in build, and, though he was intelligent, he was not quite as sharp as his brother. They played a lot together, but in everything they did, the older brother …
One Provision of His Will
God has brought us together into the household of faith, and, like all households, we share a table together. But one common feature of most household tables going back into antiquity, is the feature of sibling rivalry. At the first Lord’s Supper, there were two sets of physical brothers—Peter and Andrew (Matt. 4:18), and James …