Hymn of the Day
(tune: "Rock of Ages," p.126)
Zion’s daughter, weep no more,
Though thy troubled heart be sore;
He of Whom the psalmist sung,
He Who woke the prophet’s tongue,
Christ, the Mediator blest,
Brings thee everlasting rest.
In a garden man became,
Heir of sin, and death, and shame;
Jesus in a garden wins,
Life and pardon for our sins;
Through His hour of agony,
Praying in Gethsemane.
There for us He intercedes;
There with God the Father pleads;
Willing there for us to drain,
To the dregs the cup of pain,
That in everlasting day,
He may wipe our tears away.
With resolve and love He goes,
To the cross to bear our woes,
Shows His love to full extent,
Shows the reason He was sent;
Bears the Father’s wrath alone,
And redeems His chosen ones.
Therefore, to His Name be giv’n,
Glory both in earth and Heav’n;
To the Father, and the Son,
And the Spirit, Three in One,
Honor, praise and glory be,
Now and through eternity.
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Today’s Hymns
Jesus the Very Thought of Thee - #58
Majestic Sweetness Sits Enthroned - #52
Depth of Mercy - #233
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Special Dates: Albert & Carolyn – 2
Gary Van Beek – 9 ~ Glenda Riebeling - 11
Tanner Van Beek will be preaching for us next week, D.V.
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How many preachers, nowadays, are using a sword without either edge or point! I recollect hearing a sermon, and before it was preached there was a prayer offered that souls might be saved by it; yet I could not see how any soul could have been saved by that sermon unless the hearer had misunderstood what the preacher said, and then perhaps he might have been converted. Yet many people called it “a very fine sermon.” The man had put the sword of the Spirit into a splendid scabbard, decorated all the way up with gold and diamonds, and then he waved it about, and prayed the Lord to kill somebody with it; but the Lord could not do it unless He acted directly contrary to His usual method of working. -C.H. Spurgeon
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Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8.26
It is almost certain that if someone speaks of the miraculous working of God’s Spirit, he will have in mind such things as speaking in tongues, healing, and such. But I have experienced (and witnessed in others) countless occasions of the miraculous power of God’s Spirit in matters much more wondrous: He has enabled me to speak in A KNOWN TONGUE the unsearchable riches of Christ, and He has taken my wandering, selfish, and foolish prayers and interceded for me according to the will of God. The result is, some have been saved through my preaching, and some of God’s sheep sustained through my continued preaching. Plus, I have received everything I need and more, though I can tell you my requests and my thanksgiving are both severely lacking. It is truly a miracle of God’s Spirit that our church exists, and I have all I need! -Joe
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Because God is infinite, He can love each believer as much as if that single soul was the only one for whom He had to care. Both in providence and in redemption the whole heart of God is busy with plans for the interest and happiness of the single Christian. -A. H. Strong
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Suppose there is a fire on the third floor of a building, and a child is trapped in a room there. A man stands on the ground and instructs the child to jump into his arms. It is the part of faith to know that there is a man there; still another to believe him to be able to catch you; but the essence of faith is in trusting him fully and dropping into his arms. This is the way it is with the believing sinner and Christ. – selected
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In Galatians 1, Paul tells us he was saved when God was pleased to save him. He also tells us that this salvation was the revelation of God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ in him. And the message Paul was to preach from that moment until he left this world was all about “Him,” Jesus Christ. What else would Paul preach? Jesus Christ is the only Savior God sent to save sinners. Jesus Christ is the only one by whom God’s grace comes. And Jesus Christ is the one and only way to God. He said that no man comes unto the Father but by Him. Again, what else would Paul preach? The Apostle Paul never had to ponder over what would be the subject of his message. It was always his subject and his determination to know nothing and to preach nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified. How sad, how tragic that in the majority of places where men will stand up today and claim to speak for God, Jesus Christ will not be their subject. Men and women are going to stand before the Holy Lord God and have never been pressed with the question of, “How can a man be just with God?’ Brethren, that’s all the more reason to preach “Him,” Jesus Christ, the sinners only hope. God enable me to do that today. –Larry Criss
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Now, LORD, what wait I for? My hope is in thee. – Psalm 39:7
Faith is the soil and waiting upon God is a flower that grows out of it. “What wait I for?” – I have not found it, yet I am waiting for it. I have no earthly expectations. Hope of finding anything here that can satisfy me is forgotten. My hope is in Christ. To see him: to be with him, to be like him! He will come for me some day. This is what I am waiting for, and nothing else! –Henry Mahan