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A Prayer for the Monday after Easter

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Scotty Smith is such a blessing with his grace-infused prayers.  Here’s one on Post-Resurrection Awesomeness that is fitting for this Monday after Easter…

     And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:25-27 (ESV)

   They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” Luke 24:32 (ESV)

Lord Jesus, of all your post-resurrection appearances (1 Cor. 15:3-7), my favorite is the visit you give to these forlorn friends on the road to Emmaus. I have much in common with them (Luke 24:13-35), for I too can be “foolish and slow of heart.” Thank you for your tenacious tenderness, limitless patience, and steadfast love.

Keep doing for me what you did for our Emmaus Road brothers. Help me to see you everywhere in the Scriptures, for you are the main point and primary hero in the entire Bible. You’re our Substitute to trust long before you’re our example to follow. You lived in our place and you died in our place, and rose victorious for our justification. Hallelujah!

May Moses’s words—especially the Law, constantly drive me to you. For you’ve fulfilled the demands of the law for us, and are now fulfilling the beauty of the law in us. We could sooner sneeze the sun into existence than we could earn our salvation by our works. Keep me free from every form of performance-based spirituality, Lord.

And, Jesus, keep convincing me that you are the resounding “Yes!” to every promise God has made through the prophets—not just with respect to your cross, but also to your crown (2 Cor. 1:20). Having risen from the dead, you are now making all things new. You are sovereign over every molecule and moment, every person and place. Faith, not fear, is the order of this day, and every day.

Jesus, give me an incurable case of “redemptive heartburn,” like that which you ignited in the hearts of our Emmaus brothers. Keep showing me more of your glory and grace, that I might give you the adoration and allegiance of which you alone are worthy. So very Amen I pray, in your loving and transforming name.

Weekend Preview – Easter is Coming

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This weekend, we’ll roll through Good Friday to emerge Easter Sunday morning, celebrating the amazing truth that Jesus rose from the dead.  I found this poem from Richelle Goodrich that fuses Easter, Jesus and Spring:
“Easter is…

Joining in a birdsong,

Eying an early sunrise,

Smelling yellow daffodils,

Unbolting windows and doors,

Skipping through meadows,

Cuddling newborns,

Hoping, believing,

Reviving spent life,

Inhaling fresh air,

Sprinkling seeds along furrows,

Tracking in the mud.

Easter is the soul’s first taste of spring.”

Join us this coming Sunday at 10:15AM as we start working through the book of Galatians, thinking about Jesus and the hope we have in the resurrection.

Weekend Recap – God Is Gracious

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On Sunday, April 9, I preached the final sermon in the 4 G’s series.  This series sought to connect truth we know about God with how we live.  God is Gracious is the sermon from 4/9.  This sermon helped us see that because God is gracious, we don’t have to prove ourselves.  We did a lot of work in the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15.  I hope it encourages you to find freedom in the amazing God and what God has done for you through His Son.

Weekend Recap – God Is Good

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My 3/26/17AM sermon in the 4 Gs series, God is Good, is now online.  This sermon helped to unpack how if God really is good, then we should seek all the satisfaction for our lives in Him.  I hope it encourages you and helps you grow in your love for Him.

Gospel Friday – Jesus Brings Living Water

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In John 7, Jesus gives a picture of what believing in Him looks like.  It’s coming to Him and drinking.  The result, out of our lives flow rivers of living water.  Today, if you know Jesus, rejoice that living water flows in you and will for eternity.

Weekend Preview – Snow White and Soul Satisfaction

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In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Wicked Queen asks the mirror, “Magic mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”  The answer, of course, until Snow White is 7 years old is that she is.  But, there’s a deeper reality, we’ll dig in to at Crestview this coming Sunday, 3/26.  When it comes to your soul, who is the fairest of them all?  Is God?  And, if God is good, what does that mean for your soul’s satisfaction (or where it’s finding satisfaction).  This is where we’re headed.  Join us this coming Sunday at 10:15AM as we explore God is Good in our 4 G’s series.

Weekend Recap – God is Glorious

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My 3/19/17AM sermon, God is Glorious, is now online.  It continues a series that we’re in called The 4 G’s.  This series is about taking high theological realities (like some characteristic about God) and showing what the implications are for our lives.  To put it another way, there’s a gap between what we profess to believe and how we live.  This series is seeking to shorten that gap.

In the God is Glorious sermon, we were helped to see how because God is glorious we don’t have to fear others.  It really got at why we should fear God.  I’m hoping it serves you well.  Enjoy.

Weekend Preview – God is Glorious!

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This coming Sunday, 3/19/17, I hope to continue preaching a short series entitled the 4 G’s (#t4gs).  This particular Sunday, Lord willing, we’ll be looking at how God is glorious.  Because He is glorious, we should fear Him, not man.  There are all kinds of expressions of how we fear other people and can even be paralyzed by their opinions at times.  The remedy isn’t to simply forsake this sin (although that is part of it).  We should see that because God is glorious, we need not fear others.  So, come this Sunday expecting God to reorient our lives around His amazing character.  Hope to see you there.