I don’t think I’ve ever reposted one of my sermons, but the topic of praise and worship has always been very dear to my heart. With the current debate over whether or not we should obey Governor Newsom’s latest guidelines for the church, which bans corporate singing, I believe this message is appropriate.
I pray this inspires you with a biblical perspective on worship and causes you to be all the more mindful of Jesus and the praise He deserves.
(*This sermon currently only has audio)
As red and blue lights flashed outside my neighborhood last night, I experienced a moment of reassurance and relief. Protests in Riverside have gotten out of hand, and you can feel the tension in our diverse community. Right now I’m so grateful for the men and women who stand guard over our community to ensure the protection of my family and property, even at the risk of their safety, and potentially their lives.
#BlackLivesMatter calls for the defunding of the police and spreads an unsubstantiated narrative that unbiassed statistics and facts don’t support. Do black lives matter to me? Absolutely. Do the injustices of abortion, racism, sex trafficking, human slavery, corruption, police brutality, and so many other horrific realities break my heart? Daily. But I can never give my support to an organization that promotes victimhood and unjustly villainizes over 700,000 self-sacrificing people that wear the blue uniform with an unwavering commitment to protecting their communities regardless of the color, socio-economic status, religion, or background of the people they safeguard. Are all cops good? Of course not. Is there police corruption that demands accountability and justice? Most definitely. The reality is that there are wicked people everywhere, of every race, and every profession that should all be held accountable for their horrendous actions. But to insight hatred and merciless anger from one group towards another is neither just or honoring to God, yet that seems to be what #BlackLivesMatter has been most influential in accomplishing. Ask the families of black police officers David Dorn and Patrick Underwood where Black Lives Matters is to speak up for their tragic losses.
Today I stand in solidarity with all who suffer injustice and pray for a church that will be bold enough to rise above the cultural narrative and carry the truth of Jesus into every place they go and to every person they meet without partiality.
…God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:3
At the cross of Christ…
Life came through death.
Fruitfulness came through pain.
Salvation came through suffering.
Victory came through sacrifice.
Hope came through despair.
Joy came through mourning.
So no… Hope is not lost. Through Jesus, life waits around every painful corner, and hope is always on the horizon.
John 12:23-24 – But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”
This is a good season for the church.
Coronavirus fears will force our faith to be practiced.
Economic collapse will cause our generosity to be tested.
Circumstances outside our control will demand our prayer lives be consistent.
The abundance of needs around us will reveal the sincerity of our love.
As human efforts fail, our resolve to trust the Lord will be pushed to its limit.
Let’s remember that above all things, this unexpected and challenging time is a unique opportunity to become more like Jesus. Let’s not only pray for this to end, let’s pray that we learn all we need to learn before it does.
This weekend should be a weekend of reminder. While we sit in front of our grills and enjoy a weekend of fun with friends, we must remember that the freedom to do such things (and so many more important things) has come at a high price to many.
Speaking of those who are chosen by God to enforce justice in this world, Paul tells us in Romans 13:4, “…for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”
As much as we wish it weren’t the case, we live in a world that is full of wickedness. As Christians, we know that the only real hope for humanity is Jesus. Only Jesus can transform a heart and bring to life that which sin has destroyed. But peace on this earth will never fully come until the Prince of Peace returns. Until that day, the Bible teaches us that there will always be wickedness in this world because there will always be those who reject Christ.
So what and who does God use in a godless world to protect the righteous and punish those who practice evil? The book of Romans teaches us that God uses those who “Bear the sword.” Every Sunday or Wednesday when I go to church, every prayer meeting I attend, and every outreach I do, reminds me that my God-given freedoms as a human being still exist and that I get to enjoy them. I must also remind myself that in most of the world, others do not enjoy the freedoms that I possess. Why is this? Why have I been so blessed to have these freedoms while others around the world suffer under heavy oppression?
There are many reasons, but one of them is that for almost 243 years in America, there have been people who “bear the sword” with conviction and integrity— they care about freedom, justice, morality, and righteousness. These are men and women who have been guided by the principles that our forefathers founded this nation on; that there are things greater than yourself worth fighting for, and there are evils in this world worth fighting against. It is because of these men and women, who refused complacency and willingly offered their lives, that you and I can wake up in the morning and publicly worship Jesus without fear or retribution or persecution. Yes, I would worship Jesus regardless, but I am grateful that God has blessed me in a country that protects these freedoms, and so many more.
To the memory of those who have sacrificed their lives, and to those who are willingly offering their lives daily for my protection and freedom, I say thank you. Thank you for courageously caring. Though I may not know the letters that make up your names, I do know the principles that have guided your hearts. To every family that has shared in sacrifice through the loss of a son or daughter in our nation’s service, may God comfort your hearts and remind you of this truth, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” And may we all remember the words of Abraham Lincoln who said,
“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion.”
This Good Friday, the cross of Jesus reminds us…
That God was not content to leave us dead in our trespasses and sin. (Romans 5:6-8)
That true love goes deeper than mere words. (John 3:16)
That our sin really is much more gruesome and costly than we thought. (Hebrews 9:28)
That sin requires sacrifice and Jesus paid the full price in His own body. (Isaiah 53, 2 Peter 2:24, Hebrews 9:22)
That the devil was humiliated and his power of condemnation forever broken. (Colossians 2:15, Genesis 3:15)
That God’s prophetic plan of salvation has been completed (Psalm 22, Isaiah 53)
That the righteous requirements of the law have been fulfilled on our behalf and no longer condemn us. (Colossians 2:14, Galatians 2:21)
That we have been made innocent before God and freed from the power and penalty of sin. (Romans 5:9, Ephesians 1:7)
That we have been brought near to God. (Ephesians 2:13, 1 Peter 3:18)
That eternal life personally belongs to us. (Hebrews 9:12, John 3:16)
That we now have righteousness on our account that is perfect and not our own. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
That we are delivered from the wickedness of this age. (Galatians 1:4)
That we are forgiven and purified from every lawless deed. (Titus 2:14)
That our guilty consciences have been cleansed. (Hebrews 9:14)
That the sacrifice of Jesus was a willing act of love and obedience. (Philippians 2:8)
That Jesus was not an unwilling victim, but that He was God willingly laying down His life. (John 10:18, 2 Corinthians 5:19)
That God’s salvation is complete and irreversible. (John 19:30)
That we will never have to personally pay the penalty of our own sin. (Romans 6:23)
That we have passed from death to life, darkness to light, and from judgment to forgiveness. (John 5:24, Acts 26:18)
That sin no longer defines our identity. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)
That we are no longer considered enemies of God. (Romans 5:10)
That Jesus is only and forever worthy of all authority. (Revelation 5:9)
That sometimes we must embrace suffering to find glory. (1 Peter 2:21, Philippians 3:10)
That Christ was crucified for me so that I might live a selfless life that is crucified with Him. (Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 5:14)
Can we add or contribute any effort to this great work of salvation? The answer is no. Why? In the words of Jesus, “It is finished!”
As you meditate on the cross and worship the Savior, soak in the words of this incredible song.
There was a time, many eons ago, when I was a young, strapping athlete (exaggeration) in high school. The sport was Water Polo. Beyond getting past the idea of running around outside in a speedo, there was that dreaded week before the season officially started; the week when you would work so hard that you couldn’t tell if you were getting in shape or digging your own grave—they called it “hell week.” Hell week was the week of intense preparation for the season ahead. This week was hard, exhausting, and physically demanding.
I believe in life, we have all encountered weeks like this; weeks that feel as though the enemy is winning on one level or another; weeks we’d rather erase or avoid altogether. Well, Jesus’ final week on earth, by any human standards, would have been considered such. There was probably a moment where it appeared as though Hell won the battle for humanity. In reality, it was one of the most heavenly weeks in human history. There’s never been a week where so much pain and so much glory, so much loss and so much victory coincided together in such divine harmony. This Easter, we remember and celebrate His final week where our victory was won, salvation secured, and condemnation erased!
“In Christ is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3)
What you observe of something on the surface doesn’t always give the complete picture of its actual substance. To many who look at Jesus, He appears to be nothing more than a good, moral teacher who left humanity with some principles for life that are worth pondering. It’s only when you dig deeper into Christ that you discover Jesus is unimaginably and unfathomably more.
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel” is an ancient hymn that masterfully unpacks the hidden treasures of Christ by unveiling its own hidden treasures. Originally written by 8th-century monks, the hymn was used during Advent to set the expectation of Christ’s coming leading up to Christmas. It’s a beautiful song, but the true hidden gem lies within the structure of the poem. Seven days before Christmas Eve monasteries would sing the “O Antiphons” in anticipation of Christmas Eve. These were songs declaring different attributes of Jesus. In “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” these antiphons are gathered into one song and speak of the various titles of Jesus. Each verse of the hymn calls for Jesus to “come” and addresses a unique part of His identity and mission.
The song becomes an even more intriguing treasure when you discover that the antiphons create an acrostic, and when you reverse the acrostic, it becomes that Latin phrase “Ero Cras,” meaning “I will be present tomorrow.” It appears that even the early monks were hoping and praying for the quick return of Jesus! They also recognized that Jesus was ever present for every need. May this also be true of us in every area of life. For every longing and need we have, we must begin with the simple prayer, “O come, O come, Jesus!” We will discover that Jesus isn’t merely the answer to our salvation; He is the answer to everything else as well.
Go into any store, restaurant, or other consumer establishments shortly after Thanksgiving ends, and you’re sure to hear familiar tunes over the bustling crowds that only show up once every year. In between “Jingle Bells” and “Silver Bells,” there’s a good chance you’ll hear no bells at all; there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself thoughtlessly humming along to the humble story penned in “Silent Night.” I say thoughtlessly not because you’re a thoughtless person, but because familiarity with something can often cause us to overlook its significance. How many hundreds of thousands of people sing “Silent Night” every year as part of their Christmas traditions, but ultimately skim over the jaw-dropping theological truths found hidden beneath the surface of those 19th-century lyrics?
There was once a young boy who was singing this well-loved Christmas carol in church when he, with a perplexed look on his face, turned and asked his mother, “Mom, who is Herald?” Likewise, many of us have probably sung this tagline hundreds of times without thinking much about what the words mean. If we translated the title into modern day vernacular, it would read something like, “Listen! The angels are singing a heavenly message!”
The Ascending Life 