EChurch@Wartburg – 5.5.13

Welcome to a Gathering of EChurch@Wartburg

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Here Is Our Order of Worship

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A prayer of Dietrich Bonhoeffer Link

O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.
In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…
Restore me to liberty,
And enable me to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.
Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.
Amen

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come. 
Thy will be done in earth, 
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us. 
And lead us not into temptation, 
But deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen

Scripture Reading:  Hebrews 12:22-24 (NASB Bible Gateway)

 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,  and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

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

Jude 1:24-25 NIV Benediction

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling
and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—
 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!
Amen.

Comments

EChurch@Wartburg – 5.5.13 — 11 Comments

  1. Wade, thank you for faithfully interpreting scripture in it’s context and bringing truth, edification, and freedom to the Body of Christ. I was very blessed by this sermon and it reminded me of a dream I had many years ago about the same issue of Christians who focus on and emphasize laws.

    As a new Christian many years ago, I attended a Mount-Sinai-type church. The burden was heavy and my heart was discouraged. I had a dream I’ll share that brought home the truth of your sermon today in a way the Lord knew I would understand.

    I was walking up a very steep hill with a yoke on my shoulders. I was pulling a very heavy load that caused me to take one step up the hill and fall back two. It seemed I would never reach the top. All of a sudden in the midst of my struggle, I heard a voice say, “Take My yoke upon you. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Immediately, the load I was carrying up the hill changed into styrofoam!!

    The lesson was obvious and I never attended a Sinai-type church again. Currently I am blessed by a Zion-type church at Wartburg Watch.

  2. Victorious,

    What an encouraging comment and dream! It is so true that we can allow ourselves to be burdened in ways that God never intended. I pray that others will recognize when they are being shackled in legalistic religious systems. Blessings to you!

  3. Thank you for these last 2 messages they are such a breath of fresh air. No wonder I am confused though. I was a Roman Catholic for 30 years was saved in a business men’s bible study and started attending a community church with strong ties to the baptist’s in the area.
    Seriously though when we attended a church in the midwest we were taught more about the freedoms of Christ then the judgement of God. We learned so much that when we ended up returning to the area of the community church we could not stay as it was way to difficult on our spirits. Thanks again Wade and to the Wartburg Watch for the e-church!

  4. “if you’re not completely set free by the truth, The Truth, to live your life comfortable in your own skin then, you’ve missed Zion”
    This really hit me…something I’ve struggled with my whole life.

  5. God bless you Wade. At the age of 54, I am finally understanding and feeling the true grace of God. I cry each time the realization hits me. I cry because I am so grateful to the Saviour who loves me so. I can not imagine my life without Him. And I am grateful that He has brought you and Dee, and Deb, into my life to show me this truth. God bless you all.