Written by Toby Baxley He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free; His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood availed for me These words, penned by Charles Wesley, remind us of the glorious truth that God is at work in us to finish the work of Salvation that He began in us. What does that mean, though? Written by Toby Baxley Mike Tyson once famously quipped, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
In our text from Sunday’s sermon, John the Baptist had been punched in the mouth, figuratively speaking. He’d been unjustly imprisoned for speaking out against the sin of Herod Antipas. While under arrest, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah. Written by Toby Baxley Many people have either a legalistic or licentious relationship to God.
The legalist believes that he must give God a good performance to be accepted. The licentious is glad that God loves to forgive, because he loves sinning. The truth however is not somewhere in-between. One does not counter legalism by sprinkling in some lawlessness. Conversely, licentiousness is not remedied by a good dose of law-keeping. Please watch, sing along, and comment below. Pastor Toby encourages you with the words and music of "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today"
Verse 1 Christ the Lord is risen today alleluia Sons of men and angels say alleluia Raise your joys and triumphs high alleluia Sing ye heavens and earth reply alleluia Verse 2 Lives again our glorious King alleluia Where O death is now thy sting alleluia Dying once He all doth save alleluia Where thy victory O grave alleluia Verse 3 Love's redeeming work is done alleluia Fought the fight the battle won alleluia Death in vain forbids Him rise alleluia Christ hath opened paradise alleluia Verse 4 Soar we now where Christ has led alleluia Following our exalted Head alleluia Made like Him like Him we rise alleluia Ours the cross the grave the skies alleluia Charles Wesley | Samuel Arnold © Public Domain Written by Toby Baxley Question: What is our only hope in life and death?
Answer: That we are not our own but belong, body and soul, both in life and death, to God and to our Savior Jesus Christ. [1] Many times, I have used these words from the New City Catechism to try to calm down an ill-tempered child. Lately, however, I’ve had to remind myself of this truth. My efforts on both fronts, sadly, haven’t always been successful. Like Chris mentioned in his sermon, I have also experienced the stages of concern, sadness, and anger over the trial that has come to our collective doorstep. I’ve found myself depressed as everything that was “normal” has now been kicked out from under me. I’m sure you’ve felt the same way, to one degree or another. No matter how this trial has affected you, there’s no doubt that it has. So, what is our anchor point for weathering this storm? What or who will help us maintain our buoyancy as the waves batter our ships. It's Friday afternoon and I'm making last-minute preparations for our worship service on Sunday. We won't see you on Sunday, which is very sad, but we hope you'll see us via Livestream.
I wanted to send you this quick note to give you some music to encourage your heart. |
Listen to us on:
DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION YOU'D LIKE ANSWERED ON OUR PODCAST? EMAIL YOUR QUESTIONS OR LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL OR TEXT AT 830-321-0349.
Archives
April 2024
|