“…I think this Grand Miracle [the Incarnation] is … the chapter on which the whole plot turns; that is why I believe that God really has dived down into the bottom of creation, and has come up bringing the whole redeemed nature on His shoulders. The miracles that have already happened are, of course, as Scripture so often says, the first fruits of that cosmic summer which is presently coming on. Christ has risen, and so we shall rise. St. Peter for a few seconds walks on the water and the day will come when there will be a remade universe, infinitely obedient to the will of glorified and obedient men, when we can do all things…To be sure, it feels wintry enough still: but often in the very early spring it feels like that. Two thousand years are only a day or two by this scale. A man really ought to say, “The Resurrection happened two thousand years ago” in the same spirit in which he says, “I saw a crocus yesterday.” Because we know what is coming behind the crocus. The spring comes slowly down this way; but the great thing is that the corner has been turned. There is, of course, this difference that in the natural spring the crocus cannot choose whether it will respond or not. We can. We have the power either of withstanding the spring, and sinking back into the cosmic winter, or of going on into those “high mid-summer pomps” in which our Leader, the Son of Man, already dwells, and to which he is calling us. It remains with us to follow or not, to die in this winter, or to go on into that spring and that summer.”
C.S. Lewis

Christ, as he is God is infinitely great and high above all. He is higher than the kings of the earth; for he is King of kings, and Lord of lords. He is higher than the heavens, and higher than the highest angels of heaven. So great is he, that all men, all kings and princes, are as worms of the dust before him; all nations are as the drop of the bucket, and the light dust of the balances; yea, and angels themselves are as nothing before him. He is so high, that he is infinitely above any need of us; above our reach, that we cannot be profitable to him; and above our conceptions, that we cannot comprehend him. Our understandings, if we stretch them never so far, cannot reach up to his divine glory. Christ is the Creator and great Passover of heaven and earth. His is sovereign Lord of all. He rules over the whole universe, and doth whatsoever pleaseth him. His knowledge is without bound. His wisdom is perfect, and what none can circumvent. His power is infinite, and none can resist him. His riches are immense and inexhaustible. His majesty is infinitely awful.

Daylight Savings Time seems to be paying dividends this week. I hope you’re enjoying the lovely weather.

As we make the turn into the Summer, our Sunday preaching will focus on matters of the Christian life. Beginning April 19, we’ll begin an eight week study on stewardship. I gather than when most hear the word “stewardship” their thoughts immediatly turn to money and giving. Though money is something which God places under our stewardship, it’s not the only thing. We begin Sunday by looking at Matthew 25:14-30 and Jesus’ Parable of the Talents.

After the Easter Sunday service, I’ve been asked to follow up and further to clarify what the resurrection age is. It’s a very good question which I’ll attempt to clarify at Twentystone. Also, others have asked about a summer reading lists. I’ve been working on my own list which I’ll post later, but in the meantime, I’ve posted links over at Twentystone to other summer reading lists that you can take a look at.

Lastly, the Men’s “Stick Together” is scheduled for April 24-26 at the Blue Ridge Assembly. Registration Cards must be turned in by April 22nd. Registration Cards are on the foyer table, please make your check out to “Redeemer Presbyterian”.

This morning the children will be hunting for Easter Eggs at 10:30 am, and as we do that we’ll begin the turn of leaning into the joy, surprise, and glory of Resurrection Sunday. You can view the Order of Worship in preparation for tomorrow.

A lot of disparaging talk is made of Easter as a pagan ceremony commandeered by Christians. Granted, may philosophies and religions speak of  an afterlife. That our existence did not end at our physical death, was really nothing new, almost every people group has a belief in the afterlife. What makes Christians different, is that Jesus Christ’s resurrection points to the hope of a life after ‘life after life’. The Lordship of Jesus Christ, as validated by his physical resurrection from the dead, vindicates his sacrifice on the cross, and as Paul echoes the prophets, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” The same is true for culture. Jesus’ resurrection swallows up all of the old stories. We have hints of the truth of new creation in many legends and traditions, but they were always recognized as just that: legends and traditions. But in Christianity and particularly in Jesus Christ, we have the legend that is true.

There really was and is a Great King who came to his kingdom like one of his subjects and after living a life that his subjects should’ve lived and dying in their place, He won their deliverance from judgment and condemnation and despair and death. And today he reigns and calls all to the deliverance that only he can provide, because on that first day of the week two millenia ago, he awoke.

Over the next several weeks we’ll be studying Habakkuk in preparation for celebrating Holy Week (Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Resurrection Sunday). Why Habakkuk? We’ll I have a few thoughts over at Twentystone, and I’ll be posting more comments and links to resources I’m using to help understand and apply this little-known prophet with the funny name.

For a literary context, (that is to understand how to read it), you should keep in mind that there are three sections: part one: 1:1-11, part two: 1:12-2:20, and part three: chapter 3; and there is a time span of several years between sections 1 and 2. For an historical context, you could read 2 Kings 23-24 and 2 Chronicles 36.

For additional help this week, check out the Heidelberg Catechism for this week: “he saves us from our sins” — that has really helped me today.

PREPARATION

Prelude Come Thou Fount

Welcome and Announcements

Heidelberg Catechism – Day 11

• Q29. Why is the Son of God called “Jesus,” meaning “savior”?
• A. Because he saves us from our sins. Salvation cannot be found in anyone else; it is futile to look for any salvation elsewhere.
• Q30. Do those who look for their salvation and security in saints, in themselves, or elsewhere really believe in the only savior Jesus?
• A. No. Although they boast of being his, by their deeds they deny the only savior and deliverer, Jesus. Either Jesus is not a perfect savior, or those who in true faith accept this savior have in him all they need for their salvation.

PRAISE

Call to Worship: Psalm 65 (Responsive Reading)

Ministry of Song

• Wonderful, Merciful Savior
• It is Well

Giving Our Tithes and Offerings

• Sweet Mercies

Welcoming One Another: Children are dismissed; K-5th Grade go to Children’s Worship

RENEWAL

Ministry of Prayer: Corporate, Pastoral Prayer, and Lord’s Prayer: Don Bechtold

Scripture Reading: Habakkuk 1:1-2:1

Ministry of the Word: Randy Edwards

RESPONSE

• Just As I Am (retuned version)
  
• Jesus Paid It All

Benediction

We concluded our series on Foundations of Grace, and in particular our consideration of Isaiah 62:6,7. It is my desire for GPC to be praying church. Here are the last five points:

1. We must expect and believe that God wants us to pray and will answer our prayers. God has made sweet promises regarding prayer. Thomas Boston has said, “He will be very gracious unto thee, at the voice of thy cry…Then shall ye go and pray unto me and I will hearken unto you…Before they call, I will answer, and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” These promises keep the head of prayer above water; God is bound with his own promises.” As we pray, our prayers pray the promises as we lay hold of them in our coming to pray.
2. We must ask our Father for an authenticating and authoritative outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This is Acts chapter 2. The church of Christ needs power to boldly love and make the gospel known. The world is watching and Christ has said that the world will know we are his disciples by the way in which we love one another. We need the seal of authenticity as well as the authoritative conviction to make salvation known.
3. We must not be afraid of emotion. Presbyterians have never been accused of being too emotional. Emotionalism as an extreme is just that, an extreme. Are we endanger of too much joy in worship? too much lament for sin and brokenness? Andrew Murray was confused by the revival he witnessed in South Africa, and because of that confusion was ready to try and stifle revival. We must not be afraid of the power of conviction and the joy of salvation. You can read about Andrew Murray’s experience here.
4. We must surrender to the will of Christ as revealed in the Great Commission, and be willing to take risks in obeying that will. Evan Roberts prior to the Welsh Revival of 1904 prayed, “Lord, bend me.” In that prayer, Roberts was offering himself to God. We too, need to faith to trust him and power to obey his will. You can read about the Welsh Revival and others here.
5. Lastly, we must learn how to pray. Prayer is battlefield of the Christian. It is here that resistance is softened and strongholds are cast down. When we fail to recognize what prayer is and that we must learn to pray–and learn to do it better, we will make prayer into a prattling of wish-lists rather than an entering into the presence of God to worship him and intercede for others.

John Piper in his book, Let the Nations Be Glad, gets it right when he writes

Life is war. That’s not all it is. But it is always that. Our weakness in prayer is owing largely to our neglect of this truth. Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances against ht powers of darkness and unbelief. It is not surprising that prayer malfunctions when we try to make it a domestic intercom to call upstairs for more comforts in the den. God has given us prayer as a wartime walkie-talkie so that we can call headquarters for everything we need as a the kingdom of Christ advances in the world. Prayer gives us the significance of frontline forces and gives God the glory of limitless Provider. The one who gives the power gets the glory. Thus prayer safeguards the supremacy of God in missions while linking us with endless grace for every need.

As you pray this week, keep these in mind for us as a church that we might be his people, here, faithfully praying, believing, and obeying.

Well, we only made it through four of a nine point sermon on prayer this past Sunday. By way of review, here are the first four points.

1. We must be devoted to prayer. It was both the practice of the early church (Acts 2:42) and the exhortation of the apostles (Colossians 4:2) that the church devote herself to prayer.
2. We must seek agreement-being of one purpose in our asking. This agreement is what Jonathan Edwards was inciting in his work: A Humble Attempt to Promote Explicit Agreement and Visible Union of all God’s People in Extraordinary Prayer for the Revival of Religion and the Advancement of Christ’s Kingdom on Earth, pursuant to Scripture Promises and Prophecies in the Last Days. If you’re curious, and I hope you are, you can read it here.
3. We, that is the church, must repent first: confess and forsake sin. It has been said that revival among the masses always begins with awakening among believers. The Welsh Revival of 1904 began with Evan Roberts’ message to the youth of a small Welsh congregation. You recall, his message was simply this: You must confess any known sin to God and put any wrong done to others right. Second, you must put away any doubtful habit. Third, you must obey the Spirit promptly. Finally, you must confess your faith in Christ publicly. Great revivals begin with simple messages.
4. We must ground ourselves in the foundational theology of the cross. Before the revival of the First Great Awakening, the church was mired in apostasy which, at least in the Church of Scotland, tended towards a binding legalism which denied the free-offer of the gospel to sinners. This legalism was exposed in the Marrow Controversy of 1722. You can read the book which caused all the debate here.

Revival above everything else, is a glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God…I want to emphasize particularly his atonement, his death upon the cross, his broken body and his shed blood. Again I am quoting to you pure fact which you can check for yourselves. You will find that in every period of revival, without exception, there has been a tremendous emphasis upon the blood of Christ.

Martin Lloyd-Jones, Revival

We’ll conclude this Sunday on prayer. Until then? Well, be devoted.