Isaiah 28:14-18

“Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers, who rule this people in Jerusalem!

Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement, when the overwhelming whip through it will not come to

us, for we have made lies our refuge and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;

therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure

foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste’.

And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”

Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be

beaten down by it.

A Covenant Annulled

In this prophecy from Isaiah, it outlines our condition. We have made a “covenant with death” and an agreement with Sheol. It describes our fallen nature of sin where we trust the things of this world as a marriage where we have attached ourselves to lies and falsehood.

BUT, the Lord has a response to this covenant in verse 18, “your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agree meant with Sheol will not stand;”. Our covenant with death is a broken marriage. It will not fulfill us or satisfy us. What will satisfy us? A relationship with the Lord. His covenant with us will not be shaken like our covenant with death. His promises will remain!

As we celebrate baptisms this week, we celebrate our covenant with death that has been annulled. We have a new covenant with God through Jesus Christ. It is a covenant that has a sure foundation. We praise God because he is the one. The one above it all. The one who is enough for us. The one who would send His son to die on a cross so that he could have a relationship with us.

Exalted Over All

Over All I Know

Christ is Enough

The Father’s Love

Romans 5:8-11

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled shall we be saved by his life.

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

A Simple but Profound Truth

Romans 5:8 is probably a verse that you’ve heard a lot. It is very simple and memorable but it also has a profound truth in it. As we heard Adam preach about the Prodigal Son these past few weeks, he talked about how the son was reconciled to his father. In the same way, we are reconciled to God by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is how He shows His love for us. It is the very cornerstone of the gospel. In the passage we see our response, “More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

All the Earth

How Deep the Father’s Love for Us

Cornerstone

Praising the Name of the Lord

Oh Our Lord

John 8:12

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

We praise God for who he is. He reveals himself to us through his word and one of the ways we see his character is through his name. You can see it through out the bible in verses like the one above. As you listen to the songs, listen to the names of Jesus.

Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery

John 10:11

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Worthy of Your Name

Spotify Playlist

Why Do We Worship Together?

Worship is a response to the revelation of Jesus Christ. We worship because it is our response but, why do we do it together? Why do we gather every Sunday to sing together. The answer comes from Colossians 3:16.

Colossians 3:16

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

We come together to give thanks to God but also to teach and admonish one another through singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. This is something we receive but also participate in delivering. Singing songs with biblical truth reminds us of the truth of the gospel. It reminds me of a psalm.

Psalm 73:1-17; 27-28

“Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.

For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek.

They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.

Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment.

Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.

They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.

They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue trust through the earth.

Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them.

And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”

Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.

All in vain have I kept my hands in innocence. For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning.

If I had said, “I will speak thus”, I would have betrayed the generation of your children.

But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,

until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end………..

For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.

But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.”

The writer of this Psalm is Asaph who was the Chief of the Levites was also appointed to sing songs of thanksgiving. He was a worship leader who almost fell into the temptation of sin. The turning point in this narrative is when Asaph goes into the sanctuary and is reminded of the righteousness of God. That’s why we worship together. We sing songs together to remind each other of the truth of the Gospel. We learn more about God through the teaching of his word.

So as we gather this week, let’s keep this as a reminder. Let us sing loudly songs of worship. You never know who might need to hear it. It could be you, the person sitting next to you, the person sitting 5 rows away from you, the people leading worship, or maybe even the person preaching.

The songs for this week are reminders of who God is. Attributes to encourage us as we gather together.

Christ Is All We Need!

Christ is with us and watches over us!

We can put our trust and hope in Him!

Pslam 26:8-12

O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.

Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men,

in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.

But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.

My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.

Praise God for His Presence and Glory! (v. 8)

Open Up the Heavens

“O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.“

In the psalm the Psalmist proclaims love for the presence and the glory of the Lord. Open up the Heavens echos this sentiment. “Open up the heavens we want to see you”. “Your presence in this place your glory on our face”. “Show us, Show us your glory”.

Praise the Lord! He is our Solid Ground! (v. 12)

In Christ Alone

“My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless you.”

“This cornerstone, this solid ground. Firm through the fiercest drought and storm” We are not righteous on our own. We are righteous through Jesus and the grace He provides. That’s why we can hold fast and stand firm.

Praise the Lord! He redeems! (v. 11)

O Praise the Name

“But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me”

“I cast my mind to calvary where Jesus bled and died for me”. Jesus bled and died for us to give us redemption and grace. Through His redemption and grace we turn away from a life of sin.

Worship is a response to the revelation of Jesus Christ through his word.  This is an opportunity to take some time to look at a passage of scripture and how the songs we will sing this Sunday are a response to that truth.  The songs will be linked below but, you can also listen to them on our Spotify Playlist.

Good Friday Fasting 

In Mark 2:18-20, some people asked Jesus why others fasted but His disciples were not fasting. Jesus said it was because He was with His disciples and that His disciples would fast when He is no longer physically here. That time is now. We fast because He is not here, but He is risen! Jesus is not here but He hears. We lose our way, Jesus lights it. We cry for help, God is our help. 

Fasting is a temporary time of not-eating in order to, 1) Commit typical meal prep, eating and clean up time to prayer and to, 2) Illustrate our dependence on God as our provider and sustainer. Jesus said, “When you fast” not “If” then taught us not to fast as some do, to be seen and to impress people, but in order to draw near to our Father in heaven (Matthew 6:16-18). Fast a meal or more today. Fasting creates space to pray and reflect, worship and love God. The goal is drawing near to God and God drawing near to us. If you fast the entire day, we will break the fast tonight with communion during our Good Friday worship service. 

Reflection personally

Read Matthew 26-27. Observe our Lord, His love and His Sacrifice. 

Pray for 5-10 minutes starting all sentences with “Thank You Jesus for…”. Finish all of those sentences with who He is, what He has done, what He has said, what He is going to do, the things He has provided for you by His grace. 

Pray for 5-10 minutes confessing your sin, really allowing the Spirit to reveal any unclean way within you. 

Pray for 5-10 minutes being grateful that you have been washed clean by Jesus and your standing before God is all because of Jesus and not you. 

Pray for 5-10 minutes about what God is showing you personally during this season of coronavirus. Let the Lord use this trial to produce in you steadfastness in your faith in Jesus Christ. 

Pray for 5-10 minutes for your loved ones. 

Pray for 5-10 minutes for our church family. 

During the remainder of the day, pray for the following: 

Revival worldwide

This pandemic is opening people’s eyes about many things. We feel them too. What is really precious in life? What is most important? Who is most important? What is most enduring? Who is most enduring? What is actually worthy of my worship and attention? Pray that people all over the world will recognize that Jesus Christ is the only rock and all else is shifting sand (Matthew 7:24-27). Pray that people would recognize that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow while all else is constantly changing (Hebrews 13:8). Pray that people would ask Jesus, who came to us, for forgiveness of their sins and new life rather than trying to work their way to God (Romans 10:9). Pray for specific countries you have heard about in the news. Pray for friends you have who are from other countries. 

Recovery worldwide

Tens of thousands have died from coronavirus. Many more than that are sick. Their loved ones are devastated and scared. Pray the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-5) will be near to them and make Himself known as their Comforter. Pray they would feel that God is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). Pray for economic recovery for nations and neighborhoods. Pray that eyes would be opened to needs in our communities to be addressed with our loving effort now and for years to come. 

Wisdom for our Leaders

World leaders are faced with very difficult decisions about lives versus livelihood, both of which have terrible consequences if the leaders shift too much in one direction. Medical professionals and scientists are racing to create testing, treatments and vaccines while needing to yield to the wise timelines of safety. Pray that God, who appointed and gifted these leaders for such a time as this, will direct them (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Pray these leaders will pray. Pray these leaders will lead as servants.