Preparing ourselves
for gathered worship
July 14, 2013
Crossing the Red Sea
The Sermon
As we gathered this week we continue our journey through the life of Moses. Tomorrow will explore the amazing story
of Moses and the Children of Israel crossing the Red Sea. I admit it will be hard to sleep tonight knowing the thrilling narrative that I am privileged to share with you in the morning. God freed His people from Egypt and He placed them in a situation where they were powerless to save themselves and God saved them and destroyed their enemy. Just exactly as He has done for us!
The Scripture
Two our pastor/leaders, Danny Moore and Nathan Sanderse will
be reading scripture. Each Sunday in
July we are reading from Romans 12. Our
passage for tomorrow is Romans 12:9-21.
As this text is read tomorrow consider Paul’s desire that as followers
of Jesus who have experienced the Gospel in our lives we live our lives as
those who love without limits as God loved us without limits. We
will also continue our reading in the Psalm.
Last Sunday we read the familiar Psalm 23 and this week will move into
Psalm 24 where we will be made aware of the glory and majesty of our God.
The Prayers
Our pastors will lead in focused prayer that our hearts be
made ready to receive the Gospel and that our passion for God will become the
goal and ambition of our hearts, that we may battle sin by pursuing the superior
pleasure of making much of God.
The Songs
We desire the single identifiable characteristic of the
music is the singing of the gathered church.
Tomorrow we will have an all acoustical worship experience with guitar,
banjo, violin and blended voices leading us in singing. We understand the singing of the gathered
church to be our liturgy. This is where
we raise our voices together to make much of God. Tomorrow our songs will be:
Indescribable – by Chris Tomlin speaks of the glory and awesome
power of God. It contains a phrase I use
frequently when seeking to describe God’s power “You placed the stars in the
sky and you know them by name”. This
song will lead our hearts to praise God in all His amazing and indescribable
glory
Oh Help my Unbelief – by John Newton, this great hymn was
written by the former slave trader who after his conversion became a tireless
leader of the movement to abolish slavery in Great Britain. The writer of many great hymns including of
course “Amazing Grace”. This song
reveals to us the truth of our desperate need of salvation and continued need
of the grace of God.
Nothing But the Blood –by Robert Lowry, this hymn written well
over 100 years ago has been sung by millions of Christians to express what we
know to be true, only the blood of Jesus can provide our salvation. This song draws our attention to the solution
of our unbelief, the atoning death and triumphant resurrection of Jesus, the
pure Lamb of God.
Here I am to Worship –by Chris Tomlin, this song provides our
response to the glory of God, the realization of our sin and the embracing of
the salvation that atones for our sin.
When we are made aware of God’s glory, our sin and our redemption from
that sin we will desire to respond with our lives, with service, with obedience. As we sing this song it reveals the appropriate
response to a holy God who for His glory has saved us from ourselves and from
the sin that enslaved us. As God saved
His people from Egyptian slavery He has saved us, the redeemed from a much
greater slavery, the slavery to sin and to death. Our response to that salvation is that of
Isaiah who responded after God purged his sin with the proclamation “here I am
Lord, Send me.”
Expectation
Come tomorrow expecting God to renew your mind as you hear
His word, sing His praises and pray with passion. Come ready to celebrate the freedom from bondage that is the reality of all who are redeemed.
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