A CHRISTIAN'S SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER
My Father and My God,
You are the Creator of the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that in them is! But I am dust of the earth, a creature of Your hand, a finite, fragile, sinful, and weak being. As David (Psalm 22:6) and Job (Job 25:6) both said, "But I am a worm, and no man!" O Lord, You alone are sovereign over all things in heaven, on earth, the sea, and under the earth! I bow to Your infinite and eternal sovereignty and majesty! You alone are God! You are holy, I am sinful! You are all-mighty, I am weak! You are omniscient, I am foolish and ignorant! You are the God of Truth, I am a liar, more vain than vanity itself, one who daily falls short of reflecting Your honor and glory! Forgive me, O my God!
Father, Son, Holy Spirit: You are the God of infinite and eternal love, grace, and mercy, and at the same time You are infinitely and eternally holy, righteous, and just! You redeem those whom You will to display your grace and mercy, and You punish those whom You will to display your holiness and justice! Of myself, I deserve Your punishment, both temporal and eternal, because I have broken all Your holy commandments. I have earned Your punishment as the wages of my sins! But in a holy wonder, You granted me, one utterly unworthy of the least of Your blessings and Truth, You granted me grace and mercy in Christ!
Lord Jesus, You were punished in my place! The inexpressible anguish, pains, and terrors of Hell fell on You in my stead! Yet I sinned! I broke all Your commandments! I am deserving of God's holy wrath! But You, Lord Jesus, are the sinless Son of God, the Lamb without blemish, the spotless One, yet You took my place and were punished for me and because of me! YOU CAME TO REDEEM ME! A CORRUPT AND DEFILED BEING! AMAZING GRACE! HOW SWEET THE SOUND! THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME!
But for the praise of the glory of Your grace (Eph. 1:6) and for Your own eternal purposes (Eph. 1:11), which are unknown to me, Heavenly Father, You gave me to Christ and Christ to me! I am speechless! I am humbled to the dust! You imputed Christ's righteousness to me! I am overwhelmed by Your amazing grace! It's hard to find the words! You removed the guilt and consequences of my sins and have declared me righteous in Christ. I am positionally righteous in Jesus but practically I sin in thought, word, and deed in my daily living! Nevertheless, You call me a saint in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:2; Rom. 1:7), a child of God (Rom. 8:16; 1 John 3:1, 3:10; 5:2). "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God" (1 John 3:1). Forgive me, O Father! To You I cry! In You, Lord Jesus, I seek refuge and forgiveness!
Holy Spirit, I am easily led astray by remaining, indwelling sin; keep me from sinning against You! Cause me to walk in truth and holiness! Cause me to walk in love, kindness, and truth! Revive me! Shake me out of spiritual lethargy! Grant me a holy zeal for Your glory, honor, and praise! Keep me from wandering, O Lord I feel it, keep me from walking away from the God I love! Holy Spirit, correct me, discipline me when I sin, and humble me when I obey knowing it's You who strengthens me by Your power and Word!
O LORD, I love You! Increase my love for You: Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Cause me to glorify You in all my actions and motions, thoughts and intents, and use me up, Lord Jesus, for Your glory and service! I belong to You, both body and soul! Here I am, Lord, send me!
In Jesus' name!
Amen!
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PROTECTION AND BLESSING
“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17).
OUR TEXT SAYS that pastors and elders watch out for the souls of God’s people. To “watch out” is translated from the Greek word which means “sleepless.” The commission and authority of the pastor and elder is from God, and they are responsible to continually watch over Christ’s flock. The church belongs to Jesus Christ as He purchased her with His own blood. Yet pastors and elders are given the authority from God to care for the church in Christ’s stead. Our prayer should be that God would give us faithful pastors and elders who rule by serving the church, and church members who willingly and humbly submit to their rule. This is the avenue of peace in Christ’s church, and the key ingredient is humility. Humility means you don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but you think soberly (Rom. 12:3). When church members walk in humility then they willingly obey and submit to the authority of their church officers. And when the pastor and elders walk in humility, they willingly serve the congregation as loving shepherds of the flock who love, care for, and protect the people of Christ because Jesus said, “Tend My sheep!” (John 21:16)
THEREFORE, WHEN THE truth of God is taught by the pastor and elders, every church member has the Biblical responsibility to obey and submit to the truth. “For this reason, we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1 Thess. 2:13). If we disagree with a ruling of the elders, godly submission requires that we humbly go to the elders and present our case rather than lead a rebellion against the officers of the church. There needs to be respect shown toward the office of pastor and elder as those who teach God’s Word and rule in the church. The Apostle Paul wrote to Titus, “Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you” (Titus 2:15). To despise Titus would have been to despise Christ whose very word Titus taught and preached. Jesus told His disciples in Luke 10:16, “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”
OUR TEXT SAYS we should obey godly leaders because if you cause them grief, you cause yourself grief. In other words, obedience to godly church leaders is for your benefit. Disobedience to them “would be unprofitable for you.” God designed authority for protection and blessing, but if you disobey godly church leaders who proclaim God’s Word to you then you are ultimately disobeying God, and that always has serious consequences. Take time today to examine your heart on the issue of submission to those whom God has raised up to rule in His church for His honor, glory and praise.
Friday Devotional: January 31, 2025
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
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THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF PARENTING
—Paul David Tripp
Realigning Hearts
The ultimate goal of parenting is not behavior management. It is heart realignment. So much of what we need to know and understand about the task of parenting is captured in this passage from Proverbs 22:15: “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.” This short proverb is helpful in many amazing ways. Consider the following:
1) When God calls you to parent, you become his tool in the formation of a child he made in his image. This passage makes it clear that what is at stake in parenting is bigger than whether a child will do well at school, get a good job, or have a happy married life. No, what is at stake is the heart of the child. Will your child be rescued from his or her foolishness and live a life shaped by the fear of the Lord?
2) The root problem with your children is not their misbehavior but the condition of their heart. Disobedience, rebellion, and disrespect stem from a heart condition: foolishness. A fool’s world is upside down and inside out. A fool looks at wisdom and sees foolishness, at truth and sees falsehood, and at right and sees wrong. This means that the little one whom you love so much is a natural danger to himself.
3) A well-designed system of clear rules and punishments will not address a child’s deepest needs. The word discipline in this passage confuses many parents. Most parents think discipline is only about making sure children receive consequences for their wrong behavior. But the biblical picture of discipline is bigger than that. It includes loving instruction about what is important in life and helping your child view life from God’s perspective. Biblical discipline provides constant gospel instruction that points children to the rescuing grace of Jesus.
The root problem with your children is not their misbehavior but the condition of their heart.
4) You have no power at all to change the heart of your child. Because your child’s problem in life is the heart, good parenting begins by humbly acknowledging that you can’t give your child what he or she desperately needs. This means that you are never the change agent. Rather, you are an instrument in the hands of the one who has the power and the willingness to do in and for your child what you are unable to do.
5) The rod is a word picture for the importance of loving discipline of your children. You discipline your children not because they have made you mad, but because you love them. Loving discipline teaches them that sin has consequences and softens the heart to hear the gospel.
God meets parents with his rescuing and transforming grace. He works to change your heart so that you can become a tool of change in the heart of your child. You can have confidence that God is in you, with you, and for you as you help your child to understand that his or her hope in this life and the one to come is found only in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Members of Hope Reformed Church:
The Good Lord willing, this Sunday, February 2, 2025, we will celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. In order to prepare our hearts to receive this Holy Supper in a God-glorifying manner and for our spiritual benefit, please take time to read the form below and meditate upon the Scripture references listed, and examine your heart regarding this matter as to whether you truly believe God’s precious promise of forgiveness and righteousness in Jesus Christ.
A true examination of ourselves consists in these three parts:
1. Let everyone consider by himself his sins and accursedness apart from Jesus Christ, so that he may be displeased with himself and humble himself in the presence of God.
2. Let everyone examine his heart as to whether he truly believes this certain promise of God that all his sins are forgiven only for the sake of Jesus Christ.
3. Let everyone search his conscience whether he is determined to show his gratitude to God the Lord all the days of his life by walking uprightly before Him.
THE LORD'S SUPPER
Beloved in the Lord Jesus: Listen to the words of the institution of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. “The Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body, which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”
The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Until His coming again it is to be observed as a continuing remembrance of the sacrifice of Himself in His death. The physical elements of bread and wine, representing the broken body and the shed blood of the Savior, are received by true believers as signs and seals of all the benefits of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. They signify and seal the remission of sins and nourishment and growth in Christ, and are a bond and pledge of the communion of believers with Him and with each other as members of His spiritual body, the Church. As signs and seals of the covenant of grace they not only declare that God is faithful and true to fulfill the promise of the covenant, but they also summon us to all the duties of the children of God, and call us to renewed consecration in gratitude for His salvation.
In order that we may celebrate the Lord’s Supper to our comfort, it is first necessary that we properly examine ourselves. A true examination of ourselves consists in these three parts: First, let everyone consider by himself his sins and accursedness apart from Jesus Christ, so that he may be displeased with himself and humble himself in the presence of God. Second, let everyone examine his heart as to whether he truly believes this certain promise of God that all his sins are forgiven only for the sake of Jesus Christ. Third, let everyone search his conscience whether he is determined to show his gratitude to God the Lord all the days of his life by walking uprightly before Him.
It is the solemn duty of the Minister of the Word to warn the uninstructed, the profane, the scandalous, and those who secretly and unrepentantly live in any sin, not to approach the holy table, where they would partake unworthily, not discerning the Lord’s body, and so eat and drink judgment to themselves. Nevertheless, this warning is not designed to keep the humble and contrite from the table of the Lord, as if the supper were for those who might be free from sin. On the contrary, we who are invited to the supper, come as guilty and polluted sinners who are without hope of eternal life apart from the grace of God in Christ. We confess our dependence for pardon and cleansing upon the perfect sacrifice of Christ; we base our hope of eternal life upon His perfect obedience and righteousness; and we humbly resolve to deny ourselves, crucify our old nature, and follow Christ as becomes those who bear His name.
—The RCUS Directory of Worship, pg. 33-35
Take time to read the following texts: Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor S. Henry
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RIGHTEOUS IN CHRIST
“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God; and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”
—1 Corinthians 1:30
OUR ONLY HOPE in life and death is being united to the Savior, Jesus Christ. When we have true faith in Jesus, we are spiritually united to Him and receive all His benefits. By faith, we receive the imputation of Christ’s perfect righteousness and are reconciled to God. By faith, Jesus nails ALL our sins to the cross. By faith, Jesus makes us favorable in God’s sight. By faith, we are adopted into the family of God, and by faith all our sins are cast as far as the east is from the west, never to be remembered against us again (Psalm 103).
BY FAITH IN CHRIST, we are reckoned as the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:21), and there is truly no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), who have passed from eternal death into eternal life because of Christ’s work on their behalf (John 5:24). Oh, what peace and comfort the believer experiences because we are reconciled to God the Father through the perfect law-abiding life and sin-atoning death of God the Son, Jesus Christ! Praise His name, this day and always, because of the glory of His grace toward us who are in Christ Jesus. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
Tuesday Encouragement: January 28, 2025
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
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