August 16, 2020
Hymn of the Day
(tune: Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed, p.110)
Alas! and did my Savior bleed, And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head, For such a worm as I?
Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine, And bathed in its own blood,
While all exposed to wrath divine, The glorious Sufferer stood!
Was it for crimes that I had done, He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond degree!
Well might the sun in darkness hide, And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature's sin.
Thus might I hide my blushing face, While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, And melt my eyes to tears.
But drops of grief can ne'er repay, The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away, 'Tis all that I can do.
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Today's Hymns:
Holy, Holy, Holy, #70,
Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed, (Bulletin Front)
See the Table Spread Before You, cb 8
Amazing Grace (Bulletin Back)
Special Dates: Jerry & Pat – 30 ~ Carolyn Bakker – 2
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We are observing the Lord's Table today. Because it is the Lord's Table, all the Lord's people are welcome whether or not they regularly worship at this church.
Special Dates: Tyler and Amy – 18 ~ Geoffrey & Sharon – 23
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What is our great desire and hope? It is a two-fold hope, the same as that of Paul: 1) to "gain Christ" and be found in Him, not relying on anything we may have done in obedience to the law but relying entirely on the righteousness freely given to every believer and 2) to know Christ. (Philippians 3.7-11) So our hope is both salvational (to be found in Him) and personal (to know Him). The believer hopes for nothing more and will be satisfied with nothing less. -Joe
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There are two sorts of guilt: condemning guilt and correcting guilt. Condemning guilt is simply the knowledge that we have sinned against a holy God and deserve His everlasting wrath because of it. It is the sort of guilt that produces the fear of death and the bondage associated with that fear. But it is written, "There is, therefore, now, no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 5.1). Therefore, condemning guilt has no legitimate place in the mind of those who are in Christ. Whenever the believer is made aware of his sin in such a way that he fears he has been rejected by God and will suffer His wrath because of His sin, he can be certain that the guilt he feels was not sent by God, for God has said, "I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." No, such fear inducing reminders of the believer's sin come from the Slanderer, that Accuser of the brethren, and his fear-inducing accusation is silence by the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 12.10, 11)
But correcting guilt is a gift from God. It does not produce fear but grief. It is revealed in such grief as Peter expressed when he locked eyes with the Lord Jesus after his third denial of Christ, as it is written, "[Peter] went out and wept bitterly" (Luke 22.61, 62). It was not the fear of wrath that wrung those tears from his eyes; it was the knowledge that he had sinned against his Lord – that by his denial, he had proved unfaithful to the One he loved - even the One who loved him. When we see our guilt in this way, it serves to correct our behavior for we are moved more by the pain of offending our Lord than we are by the fear of death and judgment.
Grace removes condemning guilt from our conscience so that we may live as free men and women. But correcting guilt is one of God's gracious means by which He subdues the flesh of His beloved ones. -Joe
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Amazing Grace
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.
When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we'd first begun.