Welcome to a Gathering of EChurch@Wartburg
God's Universe-Magelllanic Cloud in the Tarantula Nebula-NASA
Here Is Our Order of Worship
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Psalm 148 Praise/Prayer
Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for at his command they were created,
and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree that will never pass away.
Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
young men and women,
old men and children.
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
And he has raised up for his people a horn,[b]
the praise of all his faithful servants,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the Lord.
Prayer of Richard of Chichester (1197-1253) link
Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ,
For all the benefits thou hast won for me,
For all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me.
O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother,
May I know thee more clearly,
Love thee more dearly,
And follow thee more nearly:
For ever and ever.
Amen
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 12:3-4 (NASB Bible Gateway)
For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;
A Prayer for Guidance – George Washington link
(This prayer was found in his prayer journal at Mt. Vernon)
O eternal and everlasting God,
I presume to present myself this morning before thy Divine majesty,
beseeching thee to accept of my humble and hearty thanks,
that it hath pleased thy great goodness to keep and preserve me the night past
from all the dangers poor mortals are subject to,
and has given me sweet and pleasant sleep,
whereby I find my body refreshed and comforted for performing the duties of this day,
in which I beseech thee to defend me from all perils of body and soul….
Increase my faith in the sweet promises of the gospel;
give me repentance from dead works; pardon my wanderings,
and direct my thoughts unto thyself, the God of my salvation;
teach me how to live in thy fear, labor in thy service,
and ever to run in the ways of thy commandments;
make me always watchful over my heart, that neither the terrors of conscience,
the loathing of holy duties, the love of sin, nor an unwillingness to depart this life,
may cast me into a spiritual slumber,
but daily frame me more and more into the likeness of thy son Jesus Christ,
that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor,
I may in thy appointed time attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life
bless my family, friends, and kindred.
Amen
The Aaronic Benediction link
May the Lord bless you and keep you;
may He cause his spirit to shine on you
and be gracious to you;
May He lift up His smile on you and give you peace.
Amen
Is there a way to be able to download the audio only?
Podcast maybe?
http://is.gd/flHPmK
iTunes > Podcast > Emmanuel Baptist Church – Enid, Ok – Sermons
http://is.gd/C1hs1B
Emmanuel – Enid > Sermons > Hebrews: From Shadow to Substance
Thank you.
Anon
I will check with Wade’s church on the idea of a podcast.
Dee,
Thy Peace provided the links to podcasts.
Thy Peace,
Hope all is well in India. We're so glad you're still chiming in! Blessings to you and yours.
Wade,
Thanks for the message I needed to hear today. You might want to consider that the increase in suicides and homicides these days not only are spiritual issues– but drug issues, too. The increased usage of anti-psychiatric, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety, and ADHD drugs have certain side effects that cause suicidal and homicidal tendencies in some people. Seems like so many folks are given these drugs; however, they aren't aware of the side effects.
I would encourage anyone taking these drugs to research the side effects for themselves or their family members.
Be proactive and take responsibility for your health.
Not saying there is not a time and place for those drugs but I believe that too many people are on them.
I loathed life as a teenager. I used to write in my journal that I wished I would die. Life just seemed so senseless and purposeless. No drugs involved and I was blessed to have a wonderful mom and dad and 8 brothers and sisters who loved each other. Looking back, I guess it was that “void” in my life that wasn’t filled with Jesus until about 20 years later.
While I haven’t loathed life since I found Him, I must admit that life hasn’t been free of pain and sorrow. Sure, we should look beyond ourselves and look to Jesus. But I hope we will agree that even He felt physical pain, cried, and felt great sorrow. In those times of despair, it’s normal to feel sorrow; admit we’re hurting, and allow others to minister to us.
Thank you Wade for this message about selflessness and the need to sometimes take strong, difficult action for the good of those we love.
Thanks to Dee and Deb for putting together another beautiful service, but especially for the prayer for Guidance by George Washington. What humble, heartfelt words they are!
Thanks Wade for the sermon. I have a question – Jesus didn’t want to take our sins and die on the cross but did it anyway because it was God’s will. Sounds like He died on the cross for me grudgingly. I also have to say that I still cringe when asked to compare myself to Jesus. (a statement that was drilled into me at my olf IFB church) When I do, I come us so short and I know I will never be like him down here. That alone discourages me.
I want to thank everyone who has been praying for my family member dealing with the death of someone they loved very much. I can see some hopefulness in them. Thanks again guys.
Scooter’s Mom,
“Sounds like Jesus died on the cross for me grudgingly.”
I realize how this is how it sounds–you are correct. However, Jesus died “willingly” for you, not grudgingly. So how do you justify the statement He did willingly when He prayed “if it is possible, let this cup (of death) pass from me”?
What caused Jesus to hesitate in going to the cross was not you – it was the shame of bearing sin. “IF IT IS POSSIBLE” is the key phrase. In other words, were there another way to remove sin from you “without the shedding of blood,” then Jesus was asking that this way of delivering you be taken. Obviously, it is impossible for any sinner to be cleansed of his sin, removed of his shame, and treated by God “just as if he never sinned (i.e. justified)” without Christ bearing sin through His death.
So, He went WILLINGLY for YOU, but He died begrudgingly BECAUSE the shame of sin was intense. “He who knew no sin BECAME SIN for us that we might be made the righteousness of God.”
Christianity is not moralizing a sinner to be better. Christianity is not motivating a sinner to be better. Christianity is announcing that Christ has borne the righteous punishment and judgment of sin (i.e. death, or separation from God) so that the sinner who trusts Him might never bear the same.
As I like to say it, “God forsook the Son He loved in order that He might never forsake those who love His Son.”
Wade,
I think I understand now. It wasn’t the fact that he didn’t want to provide a way for me to be reconciled to God or Himself as much as HOW it could be done. That makes me feel better. I think this old stuff from IFB pops up when I feel vulnerable. Since my sister’s passing, I have felt very vulnerable. Thank you.
I loved your last sentence – “God forsook the Son He loved in order that He might never forsake those who love His Son.”
Really good, but hard sermon. I guess I have to confess I am at a “loathing life” phase. I really don’t like that I am in this phase, but unfortunately that is where I believe I am most of the time right now. Some small glimpses of hope and change in this area are showing up here and there. Opportunities to pray for others. Opportunities to work(physical therapist) on/with others pro-bono. I think these types of things can help in thinking of others more. So, maybe He’ll keep giving me more opportunites like this.
Tammy,
Love the gut wrenching honesty and the solutions you offer. Evidence, to me, that life (particulalry the lives of others) is more precious and special to you than you might think.