Real prayer comes not from gritting our teeth,
but from falling in love.
– Richard Foster
Tag: Christianity
Sermon Songs: Isaiah 49:1-13
The Lord called and named His Servant
His mouth was a sharp sword
Glorified God where-e’er he went
And labored for the Lord
Behold our Lord formed His Servant
To bring His people in
For all the nations he was sent
To save them from their sin
Our faithful Lord chose His Servant
Despised and honored – He
God made Him a new covenant
So that we might go free
So let us all come and believe
And celebrate our Lord
His comfort and His love receive
His salvation out-poured
– From a sermon on Isaiah 49:1-13
(To the tune of the “O God Our Help In Ages Past”)
Depression
Our challenge, when depressed, is to be suspicious of this message of misery and hopelessness. Things are not always as they feel. Depression can identify the troubles of life, but it can be blind to the work of Christ and the possibilities of faith, hope, and love.
– Ed Welch in TableTalk
That We Might Believe
In Isaiah 44-48, God predicts the coming of a king named Cyrus who will defeat the Babylonian empire and allow the people of Israel to return to their land.
And around 200 years later, Cyrus comes, defeats the Babylonians, and allows Israel to return to their land.
God predicts and brings it to pass – that we might believe.
In Isaiah 49, God predicts the coming of His Servant whose words will be like a sharp sword, who will glorify God, and who will labor in vain. This Servant will gather the people of Israel and be a light to the nations. He will be both despised and honored. He will be a covenant for the people.
And around 600 years later, Jesus comes. His words are like a sword that pierce the heart. He lived for God’s glory. He labored among the people, but many didn’t understand or accept him. He gathered many in Israel, and his gospel has spread to the nations. He was despised by rulers, and yet will one day be honored by all. He is a new covenant through whom we can have a relationship with God.
God predicts and brings it to pass – that we might believe.
Cyrus and Jesus came just like God said they would, and they did just what God said they would do. And because God predicts and brings it to pass, our faith is strengthened. We have reason to believe in the one true God. We need not doubt. We need not chase after idols. We can trust Him with our lives. We can trust Him with our future.
God predicts and brings it to pass – that we might believe.
Passion Points
Here are some good (and challenging) posts for your weekend reading:
Rejoicing in Lament – Mike Wittmer
Answering “No” To One Of These Questions Will Kill Your Evangelism – Trevin Wax
How Memorization Feeds Your Imagination – Joe Carter (TGC)
What Do You Really Want Your Church To Be Known For? – Mark Altrgogge
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day celebrating your Savior with your local church!
Prayer Quote of the Week
I know of no better thermometer to your spiritual temperature than the intensity of your prayer.
– Charles Spurgeon
Trials
Only as we fear God will we submit to the trials He sends or allows. And only as we deeply apprehend his love for us in Christ will we find the courage to bear up under them.
– Jerry Bridges in The Fruitful Life
Sermon Songs: Isaiah 48
Amazing grace – he draws us near
Though we are slow to learn
We’re slow to see and slow to hear
His law and love we spurn
Our God will do what he declares
So that we might believe
And patiently our sins he bears
Our praises to receive
Our redemption he will perform
With joy let us proclaim
He teaches us – let us conform
And praise His holy name
– From a sermon on Isaiah 48
(To the tune of the “Amazing Grace”)
Passion Points
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
The Hopelessness and Hope of the Greatest Commandments – Jon Bloom (DG)
The Most Glorious Cure – Kevin DeYoung
12 Questions To Ask When Viewing a Film – John Frame (via Justin Taylor)
God Wants His Children To Enjoy Creation – David Murray (DG)
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day!
Current
Here are some helpful posts on the ISIS:
What ISIS Really Wants – Graeme Wood (The Atlantic)
A detailed look at the Islamic State.
FAQs: Islamic State Beheads 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya – Joe Carter (TGC)
Some helpful background.
A Biblical Meditation on the ISIS Execution of 21 Christians – Tom Schreiner (TGC)
How the church should respond.
