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I Will Sing My Song

Habakkuk was such a rich book to go through these past few weeks. We have really seen God work through His word.

As a storm passed through yesterday afternoon, I felt it was fitting to sing in the middle of it!

Kids Worship was a lot of fun yesterday! We had a great time finishing up Habakkuk. If you missed Jerry’s sermon yesterday, click here. Here are the Conversation Starters for this week:

  • What is your favorite song?
  • If you didn’t say a Christian song, then what Christian song is your favorite? (If you as a parent don’t know their song, go listen to it.)
  • Do you know every word to that song?
  • Did you know that you can sing that song even when it’s hard to?
  • Habakkuk was in a storm, but he said he would rejoice in the Lord. What does it mean to rejoice in the Lord?
  • Can you rejoice in the Lord even when you are scared?
  • Habakkuk says that God is his strength. What does he mean?
  • Is there anyone stronger than God?
  • Let’s practice singing our song!!! (Yes, you have to sing their favorite song with them!)

Enjoy!

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You Can Sing In The Storm

The Holy Spirit was evident at Grace yesterday. It was amazing to see the Holy Spirit moving. The only person who receives glory is our good, good Father.

Little Pike Jr. brought the message to the kids in Kids Worship yesterday. I heard only great things about it! After reading his sermon, I truly believe that he did awesome.

The Conversation Starters are based off of Pike’s sermon in Kids Worship. It goes directly with what I preached in Adult Worship. If you missed the sermon yesterday, please listen to it here. Please adjust these questions to fit you and your kiddos!

 

  • What is something that you are scared of?
  • Are you scared of thunderstorms?
  • If not, what is something you are scared of?
  • Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a thunderstorm (or whatever you are scared of)?
  • Have you ever sung a song in the middle of it?
  • Habakkuk was in the middle of a storm and sang a song. How did he do that?
  • He did that because he had to Remember What God Had Done. What is something God has done in the past to help you feel safe? (Ended the thunderstorm? Got you through a scared time?)
  • Habakkuk also had to Remember Why God Did It. (Read Habakkuk 3:13). Did you know that God helps you in the storm because he loves you?
  • Habakkuk also had to Anticipate What God Will Do. (Read Habakkuk 3:16).
  • Habakkuk was clearly scared, right? He knew that God would get him through the storm because he had done it before.
  • Choose a song that you love. The next time you are scared, sing that song. And remember that God has protected you before, and he will do it again.

Enjoy!

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God Will Have His Way

What an awesome day to worship our Lord yesterday! It is comforting to know that even in the midst of evil God will have his way.

God is never not sovereign over us.

In Kids Worship, we used different “woes” than adult worship did. If you did not hear Jerry’s sermon from yesterday, please listen here. I will give my five woes compared to Jerry’s five woes so that you can know how to ask the kids:

  1. The Robber Robbed / The Pillager Pillaged
  2. The Protected Destroyed / The Fortified Dismantled
  3. The City Disrupted / The Civilized Demoralized
  4. The Rude Dishonored / The Shameless Defamed
  5. The Pagan Powerless / The Pagan Idolator

This is just so you (the parent) know what we talked about. Here are the Conversation Starters!

  • Have you ever had a player on your team to never came to practice, but they played in games?
  • Have you ever had a friend in class who’s parents did their homework and they made better grades than you?
  • Is that fair?
  • Is God in sovereign even though they prosper?
  • King Nebuchadnezzar was evil. Was God sovereign even though he was destroying nations?
  • Nebuchadnezzar did many bad things to people, what did God say would happen to Nebuchadnezzar? (He would get what he deserved.)
  • What does the cup represent? (God’s wrath.)
  • If Nebuchadnezzar would have to receive God’s wrath because of his sin, who took God’s wrath for us? (Jesus.)

Enjoy!!

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Live By Faith, Die By Pride

 

For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end–it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:3-4 ESV)

How amazing has it been studying Habakkuk? I have received so much encouragement by studying and preparing my sermons from this book.

Live By Faith, Die By Pride. The righteous shall live by faith.

This is essentially the slogan for all of Scripture. This is what God wanted Habakkuk to write plainly on tablets. In Kids Worship, we discussed this very sentence.

If you haven’t heard Jerry’s sermon from Sunday, please listen here.

Here are the Conversation Starters for you and your kids:

  • Can you tell me some slogans that companies use? (Use Nike, McDonalds, etc.)
  • Read Habakkuk 2:2
  • God told Habakkuk to write on tablets. Why on tablets? (Permanence, durability, etc.)
  • Read Habakkuk 2:4
  • What was the Main Idea in Kids Worship on Sunday? (The Righteous Shall Live By Faith)
  • If you commit a crime, are you guilty of that crime?
  • If you commit a sin, are you guilty of that sin?
  • What does righteousness mean? (A gift of forgiveness)
  • Are you righteous without God? (NO)
  • Scripture says we have been given righteousness and we are to live by faith. What is faith? (To trust all of the time)
  • Do you trust your parents?
  • Do you trust the God who made your parents?
  • If you are guilty of sin, but been given righteousness, then who received the punishment for the sin? (Jesus)

 

As always, adjust what need! Enjoy and God bless!

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When God Doesn’t Make Sense…

The sovereignty of God is not something we can question, but questioning God in his sovereignty is exactly what we see Habakkuk doing in the passage from Sunday.

The Chaldeans have moved in on the people of Judah and now Habakkuk is seeing the carnage they are bringing. What an eye opening passage.

If you have not listened to Jerry’s sermon from Sunday, please go listen here.

I’m excited to give out these Conversation Starters for all you parents! The sovereignty of God is a heavy subject, but it is crucial for our kids to understand it.

Here are the questions for this week:

  • What is the King of England in charge of? (We discussed that he reigns over all of England)
  • What does sovereign mean? (We talked about soveREIGN. To reign over a something)
  • If the King of England is sovereign over England, what is God sovereign over? (All creation)
  • Read Habakkuk 1:12-13. 
  • Even though we know God is sovereign over all creation, is there still evil in the world?
  • Is God sovereign even though people kill other people? (You could mention 9/11 or the Pakistan bombing from Easter Sunday)
  • Have you ever asked your parent “Why?”
  • Have your parents ever told you to wait and trust them?
  • Are you allowed to ask God “Why?” (Habakkuk asks God why)
  • Did you know that God wants us to trust him?
  • Read Proverbs 3:5-6

Again, feel free to adjust these accordingly! Enjoy and God bless!

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Unthinkable Sin Demands Unbelievable Justice

What an exciting Easter weekend it was! Good Friday, Journey To The Cross, Easter Eggstravaganza, and all four services yesterday made for a monster celebration of our risen Savior.

This week as Pastor Jerry and I prepared our Easter sermons, I wondered if the kids would be able to handle our One Main Idea: Unthinkable Sin Demands Unbelievable Justice. As it turns out, they can. If you were not able to make it to any of the services yesterday, please go listen to the sermon via Podcast or click here.

I love the idea of streamlining Pastor Jerry’s sermon with mine. We are also going to start conversation starters on the blog the following Monday. For all parents of children, here are the conversation starters:

  • When you are at school, and you see someone being bullied, what do you do?
  • Do you ever see a bully get away with their actions? Do they not get in trouble?
  • Do you think that is fair?
  • Read Habakkuk 1:1-4. Should Habakkuk speak to God in this way?
  • Have you ever felt like Habakkuk? A bully not getting in trouble? A sibling not getting in trouble?
  • What is Unthinkable Sin? (In Kids Worship we talked about all sin being “unthinkable.” For Habakkuk, there was violence and destruction. For us, it’s everyday sin. To God, there is no distinction. Sin is sin.)
  • Read Habakkuk 1:5-6. God is about to raise up a people for the sole purpose of destruction. Are the Israelites getting what they deserved?
  • What is Unbelievable Justice? 
  • If the Chaldeans were raised up to bring justice to the Israelites, who was raised up for us?
  • Do we get what we deserve? Does Jesus deserve it? (Illustration: If your sibling took a spanking that you deserved, how would that make you feel?)
  • Can God really love us so much, that he would send his only son to die for us? Yes.

 

Feel free to adjust accordingly with these questions. These are skeleton questions to help pursue meaty conversation with your children. Enjoy!

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Come On In

Wendy and I are sitting here anticipating another surgery. Earlier this morning, Jeff Domingus text me Psalm 24. As I read it, I couldn’t help sharing it with you. Wherever you are, whatever you’re facing, your 3 word prayer can (and should) be, “Come on in.”

David opens the Psalm by acknowledging God’s rightful ownership of everything:

The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. (Psalm 24:1-2 ESV)

Before he says, “Come on in,” he asks, “How can I come in?”

Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah (Psalm 24:3-6 ESV)

More than once David had ascended God’s hill (Jerusalem) and stood in his holy place (the temple). The prerequisites: clean hands, pure hearts, undivided worship, honest dealings. The reward: blessing and righteousness. Interesting that David got the reality that God provides the righteous requirement for entry into God’s presence.  But how did he receive that: by seeking God. God seeks us, we seek him. God pursues us, we pursue him. God longs for us, we long for him.

While Wendy and I definitely want a successful surgery today, we want God more. Why? David continues.

Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah (Psalm 24:7-10 ESV)

Jerusalem had gates–12 of them to be exact! When a dignitary arrived, the gates would swing open wide, the city would be astir, the red carpet rolled out. Jerusalem, that ancient holy city, was only significant because of who reigned there. If the King of glory didn’t enter, then ascending the hill and standing in the holy place had little value.

In just a few hours, Trent will be rolled back (like so many times before) through doors that Wendy and I will not walk through. We will wait while the doctors do what they do. Our hope, our peace, our comfort is that the King of glory is there. Don’t miss who He is. He is the LORD, strong and mighty. When our strength ends, His is only beginning. When our strength fails, His sustains. When our strength wanes, His grows.

Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts–in other words–the one who fights for us. Every time we come to this point, we feel powerless and helpless. But the King of glory is the ultimate warrior, the determined general, the consummate commander.

Selah (pause…and think about it)

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Now and Forever

Dictionary.com defines destiny as “something that is to happen or has happened to a particular person or thing; lot or fortune” or “the predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible, course of events.”
In 1 Thessalonians 5:10 Paul encourages:
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 ESV)
You might say…the predetermined, inevitable or irresistible course of events for those who confess and believe Jesus is deliverance not damnation, redemption not rejection. God has not destined you for wrath.
I don’t want to go too deeply into this, but this verse (see also 1:10) is most convincing to me that when Jesus returns, believers will not have to endure seven years of the Great Tribulation. Let me explain. Revelation teaches clearly that there will be 7 years of Tribulation that accompany the return of Christ. I am convinced that, prior to that Tribulation, we will all be safe at home with Christ. I have one more convincing reason.
“Jesus Christ, who died for us so that.” Jesus’s death not only freed us from the power of sin, it freed us from the penalty of sin. Jesus’s death made us right with God! He died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.  As God’s children, we live with Jesus now. He lives in us, we are in him. As God’s children, we will live with him then (when we sleep…meaning die).
Jesus died to bring us home. That is our destiny.
The predetermined, inevitable, irresistible course of events for you (if you’ve confessed and believed Jesus) is to be at home with Jesus.  Now and forever.
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The Three Cries of Jesus

When Jesus came into this world, when he invaded planet earth, he came crying…like all babies do. His first cry was the cry of a baby. When he was hungry, he cried. When he was thirsty, he cried. When he needed his diaper changed, he cried. God became a baby. Divinity wrapped in dependence. Heaven held in his mother’s arms. Max Lucado says:

He looks anything but a king. His face is prunish and red. His cry, though strong and healthy, is still the helpless and piercing cry of a baby. And he is absolutely dependent upon Mary for his well-being.

He grew up like other Jewish children. Little is known of his childhood. Luke records a few details…a visit to the temple when he was 12. He begins his ministry, feeds the hungry, heals the sick, preaches the kingdom. Through all of it, he “set his face toward Jerusalem.” Jesus came to die. His second cry was the cry of a criminal.  In despair, he cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The sins of the world weighed on his shoulders.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)

If that is Jesus’s last cry, we are of all people “most to be pitied.” (2 Cor. 15:19) But those weren’t Jesus’s final words. Three days later, he came out of the tomb. Three days later, he arose! And in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul records Jesus’s 3rd cry:

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:16 ESV)

When Jesus returns, his cry will be the cry of a King.  It will not be the cry of dependence–He depends on no one! It will not be the cry of despair–It is finished! It will be the cry of deliverance!

And so we will always be with the Lord.

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Does God woo all to Himself or only the elect?

First of all, we must remember that Scripture clearly teaches both election and the free will of man.  I believe that God draws all people to Himself through general revelation.  Not all respond.  That’s the premise of Romans 1:18-20.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20 ESV)

Those who adhere to Calvinism call this the general call of God, just as they refer to Jesus’ whosoever claims as the general call of the Gospel.

Then, when dealing with Romans 8:29-30, they refer to this as the effectual call of God.  I borrow a quote from Wayne Grudem on this:

“This powerful act of God is often referred to as effective calling to distinguish it from the general gospel invitation that goes to all people and which some people reject. This is not to say that human gospel proclamation is not involved. In fact, God’s effective calling comes through the human preaching of the gospel, because Paul says, “To this he called you through our gospel so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 2:14). Of course, there are many who hear the general call of the gospel message and do not respond. But in some cases the gospel call is made so effective by the working of the Holy Spirit in people’s hearts that they do respond; we can say that they have received “effective calling.”

We may define effective calling as follows: Effective calling is an act of God the Father, speaking through the human proclamation of the gospel, in which he summons people to himself in such a way that they respond in saving faith. It is important that we not give the impression that people will be saved by the power of this call apart from their own willing response to the gospel. Although it is true that effective calling awakens and brings forth a response from us, we must always insist that this response still has to be a voluntary, willing response in which the individual person puts his or her trust in Christ.”

Does God call? Yes. Do we have a responsibility to answer God’s call? Yes. Our responsibility is not at all diminished by God’s sovereignty, and God’s sovereignty is not at all diminished by our responsibility.

To listen to Sunday’s related sermon (Evidence of Election), go to http://graceforall.org/#/media.