sunday

3 things from Sunday.

1. I got a new guitar on Saturday (12-string Alvarez). It was a sweet used guitar, perfect condition, half-price. My old guitar needed serious work...so I played my sweet new guitar on Sunday. It was awesome (not my playing...just the guitar).

2. I preached on Ephesians 4 and the preeminence of Christ in corporate worship. My sermon tore at my heart...I long for the day when pastors across the world will unite in equipping the saints so that they won't be turned by falsities and so that they will love the world through Christ.

3. I talked through the first 2/3 of Romans 8 at Sr. High. A quick summary:
We are now alive in Christ and in His Spirit. We need to constantly be mortifying the flesh so that Christ can be made supreme in our actions and so that we do not
succumb to the sin that dwells in our body.
We are heirs with Christ. We have a Father who loves us dearly, one who we need to cling to because we are unable to do anything good without Him.
We also must suffer for His sake if we are to be counted among those who love Him. That means living a life of sacrifice, willingly giving to God all that He demands (which is everything...)
We see the beauty beginning to shine in the predestining of us to salvation. We are in utter and total sinfulness, unable to do good. How gracious of God to stoop down and pluck us from the pit of sin that we live in.
We are promised that if we are foreknown and predestined, then we will be called (oh how sweet that irresistible grace is), we will be justified (counted righteous in God's eyes), and we will be glorified (to be forever with God in His glory).

'Amazing grace, how sweet the sound...that saved a wretch like me' begins to melt the heart when the love of God is understood.

-joe