Week beginning 28th August

 

Song: Jesus will take the highest honour

Jesus Shall Take The Highest Honour - YouTube

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we thank You for being such a loving God. We thank You, Lord Jesus, for sacrificing Your life for us. Thank You for being mindful of us and becoming our Saviour, Deliverer and Liberator. Lord, we will praise You at all times, we will constantly speak Your praises. We will boast only in You. We give thanks to You with our whole hearts; we will sing Your praises before the gods. We bow before Your holy temple and praise You for Your unfailing love and faithfulness; for Your promises are backed by all the honour of Your Name. 

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for making us right in God’s sight through Your crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. Because of You, we have peace with God. Through our faith in You we have been brought into a plan of undeserved privilege and we can confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. Hallel YAH! Lord, when we were utterly helpless, You came to earth at just the right time and died for us sinners. We realize that most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But, God showed His great love for us by sending You to die for us while we were still sinners. We declare that since we have been made right in God’s sight by Your blood, we are saved from God’s condemnation. It is because of Your death, our friendship with God has been restored. Today, we rejoice in our wonderful relationship with God, Abba Father, because You have made us heirs. Thank You for becoming our sacrifice. Thank You for enduring pain, shame, and humiliation for our righteousness. Because of You, we are God’s righteousness. Thank You! Amen.

From www.prayerinstitute.com

Song: Jesus is King, and I will extol him

Jesus is King and I Will Extol Him (Singing the Faith 327 / StF 327) - YouTube

Reading: Matthew’s gospel, chapter 20, verses 17 to 19

Song: Jesus is Lord, Creation’s voice proclaims it

Jesus is Lord! Creation's voice proclaims it - YouTube

Who delivered Jesus to die? It was not Judas. Nor was it the priests. It was God. God delivered Jesus to die because he loves us. God loves us so deeply, so enormously deeply, with such passion, that he sent Jesus. His only begotten son, to provide us with the way back to him.

All of us are sinners, we all do things which come between us and God, which spoil our relationship with him. Everyone has fallen short of God’s will for us, every human ever born, except Jesus. We are all fallen.

It is only through faith, that is coming to Jesus, that our problems are dealt with; that there is a way back; that we are forgiven for our sins.

This way back, this solution to our problems, this forgiveness is our salvation. This results in death not being the end. We spend eternity with God. Those who do not demonstrate faith, who do not accept the forgiveness of their sins, who do not take the way back, are condemned to an eternity of separation from God.

At the end of all things, those of us who have accepted god’s salvation in Jesus will receive our resurrection bodies, we will be reunited with those others who have similarly accepted salvation. What a reunion that will be. But for us believers it should be tinged with sadness for those who will not be there!

We need to speak to non-believers to tell them that there is a way back to God. That they too can share in this eternal kingdom. On this journey, people will learn about God, and his purpose and methods.

God knew what would happen as a part of his plan to bring humanity back to him. He knew that Jesus would die. Jesus knew that he would die, but he was so consumed with love for humanity that he went along this path. In spite of the suffering, he wanted to demonstrate love for all mankind.

Luke’s gospel, chapter 12, “But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!”

Jesus went to Jerusalem, suffered betrayal and suffering in order to fulfil God’s plan for the salvation of humanity.

God’s plan was not an afterthought. It predated creation. God knew what would happen when people were created with free will. He knew that a plan would be needed when it went wrong. He knew what would happen. He knew what would be needed.

The plan was needed for everyone, but not all respond.

We need to worry about friends and family who have not responded, who face a lost eternity. Who continue in their sin, without the forgiveness of salvation because they have not chosen to accept it.

They have chosen to live independent of God. Even to try to create false gods. Who have not accepted that the sinless Jesus took their sins upon himself. In spite of Jesus’ prayer in John’s gospel, chapter 17, verse 24; “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”

Do we want to behold the glory of the Lord? If we have faith, then one day we will!

Song: Jesus, the name high over all

Jesus! the Name High Over All (Tune: Lydia - 6vv) [with lyrics for congregations] - YouTube