Preparing our Hearts to Worship
In an effort to help you prepare for the January 28, 2018, Sunday morning corporate worship gathering and to aid you in your own reflections on the God’s Story of Salvation. I wanted to pose a few questions and provide a few resources to prayerfully consider over the coming days. Our sermon is entitled, “Deliverance” The main Scriptures for the day are Exodus 1-18. The other passages are either referenced in the message or provide additional insight for reflection.
(Pick and choose from the many resources and options, which I have tried to make available for your devotional life.)
From the Scriptures
Please read through Chapter 4 of The Story this week, this is a lightly edited selection of Scriptures from Exodus 1-7 and 10-17 that seeks to maintain the broad story line of the Scriptures.
You can listen to the passages, watch The Story’s first chapter, or read them here.
(You can read or listen to all of these passages in a variety of translations at Bible.is.)
From the Creeds and Confessions
Belgic Confession Article 17
Article 17: The Recovery of Fallen Humanity
We believe that our good God,
by marvelous divine wisdom and goodness,
seeing that Adam and Eve had plunged themselves in this manner
into both physical and spiritual death
and made themselves completely miserable,
set out to find them,
though they,
trembling all over,
were fleeing from God.
And God comforted them,
promising to give them his Son,
born of a woman,
to crush the head of the serpent,
and to make them blessed.
Belgic Confession Article 18
Article 18: The Incarnation
So then we confess
that God fulfilled the promise
made to the early fathers and mothers
by the mouth of the holy prophets
when he sent the only and eternal Son of God
into the world
at the time appointed.
The Son took the “form of a slave”
and was made in “human form,”
truly assuming a real human nature,
with all its weaknesses,
except for sin;
being conceived in the womb of the blessed virgin Mary
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
without male participation.
And Christ not only assumed human nature
as far as the body is concerned
but also a real human soul,
in order to be a real human being.
For since the soul had been lost as well as the body,
Christ had to assume them both
to save them both together.
Therefore we confess
(against the heresy of the Anabaptists
who deny that Christ assumed
human flesh from his mother)
that Christ shared the very flesh and blood of children;
being the fruit of the loins of David according to the flesh,
descended from David according to the flesh;
the fruit of the womb of the virgin Mary;
born of a woman;
the seed of David;
the root of Jesse;
descended from Judah,
having descended from the Jews according to the flesh;
descended from Abraham—
having assumed descent from Abraham and Sarah,
and was made like his brothers and sisters,
yet without sin.
In this way Christ is truly our Immanuel—
that is: “God with us.”
From the songs, hymns and spiritual songs of the Church
I heard the sound of voices (Robin Mark): Lyrics, Video
Deliver us (Prince of Egypt Soundtrack): Lyrics, Video
My Deliverer (Tomlin): Lyrics, Video
Deliverer (Macintosh/Beeching): Lyrics, Video
For Thoughtful Reflection, Prayer, or further Study
Read and reflect on Deliverance: The Exodus, a summary of the exodus story in 1 page.
What are the unlikely odds you are facing in life?
Tell God about these unlikely odds declaring after each point “But you are stronger Lord to defeat this obstacle.”
The Sermon will be available online on Januray 28, 2018 at 12:30 pm.
Disclaimer: Reference to a particular article or website does not constitute endorsement or agreement with everything in that article or on that website.
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