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Bowed Down in the Presence of God

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Sinclair Ferguson ... What have been your most memorable experiences of worship? I imagine if this were a phone-in program, we could spend the rest of it listening to one another giving very different stories about our memories of worship that has brought us into the presence of God. For some of us, it might be the first time we were in a very large gathering and listening to people praising God together. For others of us, it might have been worship in a rural place in a faraway country with Christians who had very little, but hearts full of praise. And for some of us, it might be an occasion when we felt the density of worship in the singing, or the power of the Word of God in the preaching, or the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. No doubt, each one of us has his or her own special memory. But the thing that binds them together, as we’ve been reflecting, is that on those occasions, we have become conscious of the presence of...
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I Will Remember Their Sins No More

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Sinclair Ferguson I’m very tempted to remind you that these past few days, we’ve been thinking about things that we tend to forget. But I think it’s a good idea to round out the week by thinking about something that we actually need to forget. Yesterday we were thinking about remembering God’s covenant with us, because He remembers that covenant with us, and He promises that He will never forget it. But I find it intriguing that in that covenant, He actually promises that there is something He will forget. You remember the promise of the new covenant made in Jeremiah 31:34—and cited in the New Testament in Hebrews 8:12 because it’s fulfilled in Jesus Christ—where God says, in the New Covenant, “I will remember their sins no more” (Jer. 31:34). He makes a similar promise in Isaiah 43:25: “I am He Who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins” (Isa. 43:25). You can think about it this way: the only thing that God says He forgets is your s...
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Receiving Joy and Strength

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daily devotional - ligonier.com R.C. Sproul There is still another vital aspect to the “ why ” of Jesus’ departure. He said, “If I do not go away, the Helper (Paraclete) will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” Jesus’ departure was tied to Pentecost. There is no Pentecost without ascension. As the invested King of kings, Jesus had the authority together with the Father to send His Holy Spirit in a new and powerful way upon the church. Jesus spoke of a certain necessity of His leaving in order for the Spirit to come. Herein was another great advantage. He declared, “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you” (Acts 1:8, KJV). Two remarkable things happened to the disciples after Jesus departed. The first is that they “returned to Jerusalem with great joy” (Luke 24:52). They were not despondent over the departure of Jesus. Obviously they finally understood why He was leaving. They understood what, for the most pa...
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Adopting Christ’s Attitude

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daily devotional - ligonier.com R.C. Sproul “Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on the cross!” Phil. 2:4–8, NIV Here the attribute of glory is ascribed to all three members of the Trinity. This glory is then confirmed as a glory that is eternal. It is not something added to or acquired by Jesus at some point in His earthly life and ministry. He held this glory at the beginning and will possess it for eternity: “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and ...
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Identity, Integrity, Authority

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(notice on Identity Integrity Authority) In the World an integrated strong personality brings good and able character who build a successful life with authority and his/her fruits are seen as the ID of this life. This is the physical approach and respect for dignity, credit before other men. Meanwhile in the Heavenly Kingdom , the New Testament dynamic suggest that our restoration starts with God Who gives you a new ID by shear grace through Jesus' blood and this grace and status builds up a strong integrity in the new self. God is a good father and after a while (Gal 4:2 when the integrity is strong enough) He gives you more and more authority (gradually) according to his will. This is the Heavenly approach order and brings a wreath /credit on the last day, before the Throne. Our ID The apostolic definition of new life, love, righteousness in action. · We are children of GOD · We are the Royal Priesthood : The ministry of reconciliation...
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