My sermon from 9/11/11 is online. It was from Hebrews 7:20-28 and entitled Simply The Best. God had engraven on our hearts a desire to live for ultimate realities. This is why we tune in to finales of reality shows and championship contests in sporting events. We love the know the best. And, in the case of Jesus, we have one who is the best. There are no denying His amazing qualifications based on what we’ve seen in Hebrews. I hope this message urges you to look to Christ.
Marriage is Important and Good…
Here’s a couple of marriage links… First off, Trevin Wax highlights an article on the Marginalization of Marriage in Middle America:
At the collective level, the retreat from marriage has played a noteworthy role in fueling the growth in family income inequality and child poverty that has beset the nation since the 1970s. For all these reasons, then, the institution of marriage has been an important pillar of the American Dream, and the erosion of marriage in Middle America is one reason the dream is increasingly out of reach for men, women, and children from moderately-educated homes.
So…marriage is important to the fabric of society. Another great link I came across yesterday was a video Justin Taylor linked to on the good gift of marriage. Watch and be blessed. Today, I don’t know the state of your marriage or your marital status. Whatever the case, though, know that marriage is important to society and it also is a huge blessing from the Lord. May you walk in this blessing.
Community…
…you need it…and the Gospel can help:
Weekend Preview – High Priest Wrap
This coming Lord’s Day, Lord willing, we will gather for worship. New Sunday School classes begin for adults at 9AM (Ron on Genesis and Conor leading R.C. Sproul’s Holiness of God study). In the evening, we will meet in small groups and continue to work through Bridges’ book, Respectable Sins.
In the AM, the sermon will wrap up Hebrews 7:20-28 and really leave Melchizedek in the rear view, establishing the supremacy of Jesus. I can’t do much better than quote what this soaring passage says about Jesus:
For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
Join me, then, this coming Lord’s day as we celebrate the supremacy of Jesus.
Help the Children…
Here’s my opinion piece in today’s Hutch News…
Volunteer for the kids
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 01:38:29 AM
We have returned to school, and again I’m filled with gratefulness for the service that the many teachers, administrators and support staff give to our children and students through our schools. And as we return to school, it’s a great time to give some time yourself to make our community strong. In the 1800s, Alexis de Tocqueville wrote that “the greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.” Many of us long for our children and grandchildren to have the same (or better) opportunity that we’ve had in our great country. One way that you can help in this is by volunteering in our schools. Many organizations give you this chance. I’m happy to be among the 500 volunteers serving through YouthFriends. We serve 2,000 Reno County students annually. YouthFriends connects volunteers to do things like have lunch with a student, help with reading or academic tutoring, share an interest or a hobby or simply listen. They tailor your time to serve the needs of the students. We are all grateful for the impact our schools have on our children. Why not step out and make a difference yourself and together we can make our community a better place, one relationship at a time?
PHIL AUXIER
Hutchinson
Weekend Recap – Better Priest
Well, Sunday is complete and Monday Labor Day holiday has begun. We had a great morning yesterday singing about Jesus’ finished work, fellowshipping together and looking at Hebrews 7:11-19 in a sermon entitled A Better Priest. The sermon sought to show reasons why Jesus is a better high priest than the old order of Aaronic priests. It was pretty compelling that because of the power of Jesus’ indestructible life and the better hope He gives in our drawing near to God that He is better hands down.
I hope your Lord’s day was rich and rewarding as you sought the Lord. Blessings to you this week.
Fight With the Gospel…
Having talked TGINL, and seen the Gospel enemies of self-righteousness, persistent guilt and self-reliance, I thought I’d wrap up this short series with a call to fight with the Gospel. Again, I’m leaning on Jerry Bridges. After urging us to begin our day by preaching the Gospel to ourselves, he urges us to add a Daily Declaration of Dependence:
- I recognize my absolute lack of power and ability.
- I redirect my dependence to the supremely reliable power of the Holy Spirit.
- I reject my tendency to self-reliance: “You are God, and I am not.”
And Bridges continues:
With our dependence on the righteousness of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit renewed we proclaim to God, “We are your servants.” We work hard in the strength He provides, not to earn merit but to glorify and enjoy Him.
That really is what life is all about. Today, will you declare your dependence on God through His Gospel and in so doing set your feet on a path to glorify and enjoy Him, forever?
Some Links for Friday, 9/2/11
A couple of helpful things from the web this week:
I know many of you are aware of the Gospel-centered buzz in certain parts of evangelicalism. I would summarize this “movement” as seeing the Gospel not merely for lost people but also for believers. One writer I love to read on this is Jared Wilson. Interacting with him this week on Twitter I asked how he came to be so Gospel-centered and while part of his story is found in his forthcoming book, Gospel Wakefulness, at the end of a recent sermon he gave is a short testimony of his life. Parts of it sound like my story and many other friends I have spoken with. I commend it to you not only for the testimony, but also for the exegetical gold mine he uncovers in Hebrews 1:2-3. Here’s the video:
Another helpful thing this week was at the Biblical Counseling Coaltion, which recently opened up a portion of their website with many helpful resources. If there is a particular issue you are seeking out godly wisdom on, this might be a good place to dig in to…
Blessings to you and enjoy the weekend.
Marriage is About Time, Love and Tenderness…
Yes, Michael Bolton sang a song, “Time, Love and Tenderness”, No, that’s not necessarily what I’m talking about…
However, what I am talking about as I try to say something encouraging to married peeps is this…
Your marriage takes time. If you’re a newlywed, you need time to deepen in your relationship with this person you now live with. If you’re blessed with children, your marriage will start to be a time of juggling all the demands of the children and still prioritizing the primary relationship you have with your spouse. And, in my case, with a child in school now, I’m finding I need to do much better in strategizing to have time with my wife. Marriage takes time. I know you who have been married for a longer time would testify that time spent together is time well spent.
Marriage is also about love. Remember what the Bible presses upon us, especially in the LOVE chapter (said in Barry White’s voice), is that love is not so much what we say as much as how we live. Many people claim to love their spouse but then, through their actions say exactly the opposite. Jesus said that great love was laying down your life for your friends. Love means dying to selfish desire. And it is in this thinking of the other person above yourself that love thrives and grows.
Marriage is also about tenderness, meaning that we act towards our spouse in ways that are appropriate for the moment. I picture tenderness as carefully engaging my spouse in ways that are appropriate for the moment. I don’t neglect what kind of day she’s had. I don’t ignore what she needs. I try not to be blind to what she needs. Tenderness means that my heart of compassion is for her.
So, today, think of ways that you can take time, express love and be tender towards your spouse. It just might change your married life.
Weekend Preview – Jesus Is A Better Priest
Maybe you’ve heard of the game 5 steps to Kevin Bacon, which traces a journey of movies starring Bacon back to any actor in Hollywood. Well, this Sunday, Lord-willing, we are going to be looking at some steps that get back to Jesus and how He is a better priest that what is found in the Levitical law. The passage we intend to look at is Hebrews 7:11-19. The progression of steps are highlighted by William Lane in his book on Hebrews:
(11-12) – prophecy about a new priesthood demonstrated the old was insufficient (13-14) – prophecy of Psalm 110:4 was Jesus coming to be our High Priest (15-17) – the new priest is superior in quality to Levitical priests (18-19) – Levitical priesthood and old Law was set aside by a new and better hope based on superior quality of high priest
Now, with all of these parts of the book of Hebrews, we need to expend some mental energy to understand the argument, but, as we do, we will find that the picture it gives us of our Lord and Savior is a resplendently brilliant one. Therefore, come expecting God to move through His Word to glorify the Son, our Better High Priest.
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