New Walls but Not New Hearts POHFW

Preparing our Hearts to Worship

 

In an effort to help you prepare for the June 3, 2018, Sunday morning corporate worship gathering and to aid you in your own reflections on the God’s Story of Salvation through the Scriptures. I wanted to pose a few questions and provide a few resources to prayerfully consider over the coming days. Our sermon is entitled, “New Walls but Not New Hearts” The main Scriptures for the day are Nehemiah 7.

 

(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 21 of The Story this week, this is a lightly edited selection of Scriptures from Esther 1-10 that seeks to maintain the broad story line of the Scriptures.

You can read or listen to them here.

You can listen to Chapter 21 of The Story here. (30 minutes)

(If you choose to read all of Ezra (40 min), Nehemiah (1 hour) and Malachi (15 min) it will take roughly 2 hours.)

 

From the Creeds and Confessions

 

 

 Canons od Dort Main 3/4 Article 11

Article 11: The Holy Spirit’s Work in Conversion

Moreover, when God carries out this good pleasure in the elect, or works true conversion in them, God not only sees to it that the gospel is pro- claimed to them outwardly, and enlightens their minds powerfully by the Holy Spirit so that they may rightly understand and discern the things of the Spirit of God, but, by the effective operation of the same regenerating Spirit, God also penetrates into the inmost being, opens the closed heart, softens the hard heart, and circumcises the heart that is uncircumcised. God infuses new qualities into the will, making the dead will alive, the evil one good, the unwilling one willing, and the stubborn one compliant. God activates and strengthens the will so that, like a good tree, it may be enabled to produce the fruits of good deeds.  

Westminster Shorter Catechism Q60

60. How is the sabbath to be sanctified?
A. The sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.

 

From the songs, hymns and spiritual songs of the Church

 

Refiner’s Fire: Lyrics, Video

Heart like Heaven (Hillson United): Lyrics, Video

New Heart ): Lyrics, Video

We have not known thee as we ought: Lyrics, Video

 

For Thoughtful Reflection, Prayer, or further Study

 

Watch The Bible Project’s video summary of Ezra & Nehemiah, Malachi.

Malachi confronts the people with their lame sacrifices, unfaithful marriages, failure to bring the tithe, and utilitarian forms of worship.  Which of these is a struggle for you?

How does God’s response to this challenge you to change or pray for change?

 

 

 

The Sermon will be available online on June 3, 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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