All Things Well

We have, in Jesus, a Savior who does all things well and this can be thrilling one moment and daunting the next.  Excellence is an aspect of his character and a trait of his conduct.  And nowhere is his refusal to cut corners or take shortcuts more apparent than in the manner of his incarnation.  Strip the fuzzy sentiment from the manger scene and what you see is a painstaking tableau.  Thousands of years of prophetic preparation bring us to the cusp of the great project of our redemption.  Pains are taken.  Jesus must be one of us to save us, but surely he could have arrived a full-grown man.  Surely he would have been as priceless a sacrifice after a half-an-hour of sinless human existence as he was after thirty some years of sinlessness.
But Jesus' character required of him more than even justice dared to require.  And so he came as an infant.  He endured all of our weakness.  He maintained his sinlessness over a full lifetime of provocation and temptation.
He not only did what none of us would have dared to hope for, but he did it well.  He did it in such a way as to silence his enemies and inspire his disciples.
The Savior who took such pains and showed such diligence in effecting our salvation applies the same excellence and care to the construction of our mansions in glory.  He will cut no corners and spare no expense in seeing his sheep to their appointed fold.
Being disciples of a painstaking Savior is hard though when we think that we might skip our personal mangers.

Call to Repentance

Luke 15:7  (page 1623)

Call to Worship

Psalm 111  (page 952)

OT Reading

Psalm 139:13-18  (page 974)

NT Reading

Luke 1:26-38  (page 1589)

Message

He Does All Things Well

Mark 7:37  (page 1565)

The Cornerstone of Our Worship

This Sunday I am going to be preaching on what the incarnation means for our worship.  It's difficult to appreciate, but believers of God in the Old Testament were physical people who found their physicality an obstacle to worship.  When I have a bad cold I could kiss my wife but I don't because I know that, however sincere the gesture, however much love I am expressing by it, I am also expressing some very undesirable germs.  The Old Testament believer felt this acutely: he desired to kiss God, to worship in the flesh, but knew too well that his flesh was polluted with a fatal illness.

That's why God's people, who could change nothing about their physicality or God's holiness, kept gravitating toward idols.  An idol will always consent to be worshiped by me in my flesh, no matter how unwholesome that flesh may be.  It raises no objection. 

So in Habakkuk God tells us "woe to the one who says to lifeless stone 'wake up!'"  That's the story of the Old Testament:  hopelessly physical people trying to wake lifeless stones.

But the story of the New Testament turns that story on its head, because it is the story of a Living Stone telling us to wake up!

Jesus is not only the Living Stone, but the Cornerstone on which we too, like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5)  By taking on the flesh as an infant Jesus not only demonstrated that he was worthy of our worship, but he also made it possible for us to worship him in the first place.  He removed the obstacle of our flesh by joining us in our condition.  Our physical worship is now made acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  

That being the case, shame on us if we're found sitting on our hands, right?

Call to Repentance

2 Peter 3:13-14 (page 1896)

Call to Worship

Psalm 61 (page 897)

OT Reading

Habakkuk 2:2-3, 18-20 (page 1458)

NT Reading

Hebrews 10:1-7 (page 1872)

Message

The Cornerstone of Worship

1 Peter 2:4-6 (page 1888)