Preparing our Hearts to Worship
In an effort to help you prepare for the February 3, 2019, Sunday morning corporate worship gathering and to aid you in your own reflections on What God wants us to Believe, Do, and Become. I wanted to pose a few questions and provide a few resources to prayerfully consider over the coming days. Our sermon is entitled, “In Christ, we are Children of God”. The main Scriptures for the day are John 1:9-13 and Galatians 3:23-4:7.
(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 5 of Believethis week, this is an edited selection of Scriptures from the NIV that seeks to show how certain beliefs, ways of living and character qualities are elaborated upon throughout all of Scripture.
You may also like to read and reflect upon John 1:9-13 and Galatians 3:23-4:7.
From the Creeds and Confessions
Heidelberg Catechism Q33
Why is he called God’s only begotten Son, since we also are children of God?
Because Christ alone is the eternal, natural Son of God; but we are children of God by adoption, through grace, for Christ’s sake.
Canons of Dordt, Main Point 1, Article 7
Article 7: Election is the unchangeable purpose of God, whereby, before the foundation of the world, he hath out of mere grace, according to the sovereign good pleasure of his own will, chosen, from the whole human race, which had fallen through their own fault, from their primitive state of rectitude, into sin and destruction, a certain number of persons to redemption in Christ, whom he from eternity appointed the Mediator and Head of the elect, and the foundation of Salvation.
This elect number, though by nature neither better nor more deserving than the others, but with them involved in one common misery, God hath decreed to give to Christ, to be saved by him, and effectually to call and draw them to his communion by his Word and Spirit, to bestow upon them true faith, justification and sanctification; and having powerfully preserved them in the fellowship of his Son, finally, to glorify them for the demonstration of his mercy, and for the praise of his glorious grace; as it is written: “According as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love; having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved,” Ephesians 1:4,5,6.And elsewhere: “Whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified,” Romans 8:30.
Belgic Confession, Article 3
Article 10: The good pleasure of God is the sole cause of this gracious election; which doth not consist herein, that out of all possible qualities and actions of men God has chosen some as a condition of salvation; but that he was pleased out of the common mass of sinners to adopt some certain persons as a peculiar people to himself, as it is written, “For the children being not yet born neither having done any good or evil,” etc., it was said (namely to Rebecca): “the elder shall serve the younger; as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated,” Romans 9:11,12,13.”And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed,” Acts 13:48.
Belgic Confession, Main Point 5, Article 6
Article 6: But God, who is rich in mercy, according to his unchangeable purpose of election, does not wholly withdraw the Holy Spirit from his own people, even in their melancholy falls; nor suffers them to proceed so far as to lose the grace of adoption, and forfeit the state of justification, or to commit sins unto death; nor does he permit them to be totally deserted, and to plunge themselves into everlasting destruction.
From the songs, hymns and spiritual songs of the Church
Who You say I am (Hillsong): Lyrics, Video
Good, Good Father (Tomlin): Lyrics, Video
Yours Forever (Hillsong):Lyrics, Video
For Thoughtful Reflection, Prayer, or further Study
Read and thoughtful reflect upon Who You Say I Am.
Read and reflect upon DesiringGod’s topical study of our identity in Christ
The Sermon will be available online on February 3, 2019 at 12:30 pm. edit
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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