tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40779646256622514012024-03-12T21:26:40.725-07:00Object of MercyDave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.comBlogger657125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-10794473240514040022020-03-20T14:34:00.002-07:002020-03-20T14:34:59.152-07:00COVID-19: You Are Going to Die<br />
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COVID-19</div>
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How many people
do you think are going to die from this virus?
How much worry does that cause you?
I have another question. How many
people on this earth do you think are going to die? How much worry does that cause you? </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Have you ever thought about the fact that every person you
run into is going to die?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every single
one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so will you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a weird sense, every one of us is a
ticking time-bomb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each one of us is one
heartbeat closer to our demise than we were before that last heartbeat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This Is not morose language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is biblical language.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Psalm 90:3–6 (NKJV)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>3 You turn man to destruction, And say, “Return, O
children of men.” 4 For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when
it is past, And like a watch in the night. 5 You carry them away like a flood;
They are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up: 6 In
the morning it flourishes and grows up; In the evening it is cut down and
withers.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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The Psalmist says that we are like grass that grows up in
the morning and then that evening is cut down and dies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your life is a wisp, a mist, it is as little
as a bit of fog on the road that slips by and is gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
God also tells us why this is so.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Psalm 90:7–10 (NKJV)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>7 For we have been consumed by Your anger, And by Your
wrath we are terrified. 8 You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret
sins in the light of Your countenance. 9 For all our days have passed away in
Your wrath; We finish our years like a sigh. 10 The days of our lives are
seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their
boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Death is all around us because sin is all around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Secret sins in the light of God’s perfect,
all-seeing countenance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And He hates our
sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His wrath is stirred up by it and
He will judge it with a perfect, holy anger that is eternal, righteous, and
good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Death is the penalty for our
sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the wages of sin (Rom
6:23).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>COVID-19 has not increased the
number of people who are going to die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>COVID-19 has only reminded us that everyone is going to die.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after
this the judgment,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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There is nothing after death but judgment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is nothing but the penalty for your sin
for which you will be bankrupt to pay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
will have nothing to offer God to satisfy His holy wrath for your sin.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God, in His
infinite mercy, sent His Son to be the propitiation for that sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That holy wrath has been fully and justly
satisfied in the death of Jesus where He took upon Himself the sins of the
world that all who believe on Him would have eternal life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
This does not only mean that if you are in Christ that your sins are paid for and
you will receive no judgment from the Father’s throne.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It means that when you die, you will enter
into a communion and delight with God the Father, Your Father, by way of the
Son and in the life and power of the Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is why, when facing death, Paul could
write, “<i>For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain</i>” (Phil 1:21).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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As we fight the corona virus, as we should, we must remember
that we are not fighting so that mortal people won’t die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all will die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are fighting the corona virus because death
is an enemy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But for all in Jesus Christ,
that enemy has been defeated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have nothing
to fear when it comes to death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ
defeated death in principle when He rose from the dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Let this present distress remind you, or teach you, or open
your eyes to life that is yours in Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>“I am the resurrection and the life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He who believes in Me, though he may die, he
shall live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And whoever lives and believes
in Me shall never die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you believe
this</i>?” (John 11:25-26).<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-66191075117781614522018-03-08T15:16:00.000-08:002018-03-08T15:16:02.432-08:00Off with the Robe of Shame<br />
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<span style="font-family: "GoudyOlSt BT", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You are
ashamed, and perhaps you have turned your back on God for you assumed He has
turned His back on you. In rebellion you
may have now committed additional shameful sins, only making your problem
worse. You have accepted your shame as
your unchangeable identity and you live as an outcast, shut down emotionally,
isolating yourself so you never have to be hurt again. You numb your pain with drugs, sex, power,
success, abuse of others, whatever enables you to stop feeling the shame. But it keeps coming back like a recurring
nightmare.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "GoudyOlSt BT", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jesus went
to the cross and, bearing your sin and shame, He cried out “It is
finished!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The infinite expanse of God’s
mercy and grace is bigger than you are, bigger than anything and anyone that
might come against Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He can take all
of your guilt and justify you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He can
take all of your shame and grant you the riches of His glory (Eph 1:18).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now, like Jesus, run the race, despise
the shame for the joy set before you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Count it as nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Put on His
glory.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<br />Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-7343095166793252232018-02-27T14:01:00.003-08:002018-02-27T14:01:23.364-08:00We Live in a Dangerous World<span style="font-family: GoudyOlSt BT, serif; font-size: large;">Guns don’t kill people, sex doesn’t make people immoral, and wine doesn’t make drunkards. We live in a dangerous world, a world filled with dangerous things that we are to receive with thankfulness from God and with which we are to steward this world to the glory of His name. Yes, alcohol is dangerous. So is food. So is music. So is sex. So are electricity and knives and nuclear power. So is social media. So are cars and trains and spaceships. So is prosperity. So is the office of teaching. So is parenting. So what? In all of these gifts, we have to grow up to maturity; we have to learn how to use them and how to not let them become idols that control us. Therefore, the charge to the drunkard and the rule-nazi is this: grow up!</span>Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-30937517412097173982018-02-27T14:00:00.002-08:002018-02-27T14:00:18.588-08:00Dangerous Table Wine<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">How
dangerous is the bread and wine at this Table?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another way to ask this is to say, “how potent is the bread and
wine?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, it is potent enough that if
it is taken in hypocrisy, particularly the hypocrisy of separating yourself
from other believers, it has been known to make some sick and even die.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">And
so two things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, if it has been
your habit or conviction to partake of the cup with grape juice – that is still
here in the tray and no one is looking over your particular shoulder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may have been convinced and today you
should partake of wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may have
been challenged to think or rethink this and so you should do so and consider
changing later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />
Secondly, consider the danger of the rite in this way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we partake of the bread we are proclaiming
that we are all of one loaf, one body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Though we are broken, we are joined together in Christ who was broken
for us that we might be one body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then,
when we partake of the wine, we are declaring that we, like Christ, are willing
to die, to have our blood shed, for that body – which is to say that you are
declaring to the person you are passing the tray to – “Just as Jesus gave His
life for me, so I am willing to give my life for you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<br />Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-20795834644701735022018-02-27T13:59:00.002-08:002018-02-27T13:59:18.830-08:00Billy Graham RIP<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With
the passing of the one who was called America’s pastor, Billy Graham, let us
remember the best of his ministry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />
Graham preached the Gospel – and Graham called for a decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t beat around the bush at all when it
came to naming sin, sin – and he made clear that the only way of salvation was
through faith in God’s Son, Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There
are many issues we might take with Billy Graham’s theology and with the methods
he employed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that man knew how to bring people,
millions of people, face to face with eternity and the need to cry out to the Lord
for salvation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here
is the gospel:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus Christ is the Son of
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are all sinners, lost and under
God’s judgment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus died to pay for
the sins of those lost in sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What must
you do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Believe and confess – and today
is the day of salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today is the
day of decision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May
God grant us a reformation where we return to the Bible and the Bible alone for
our theology and philosophy of ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But may God grant us a fervent love for the lost and an uncompromising
boldness to speak the truth, to preach the truth, in love – love for Jesus –
and love for people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-33308352135599277332018-02-19T09:23:00.004-08:002018-02-19T09:23:53.937-08:00Because We Are Not Guilty<span style="font-family: "GoudyOlSt BT", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
this is why God looks at you in Christ and sees perfection. Every day.
Outside of Christ, “<i>If God were to
mark iniquities, who could stand?”</i> (Psalm 130:3). But in Christ, there is no condemnation. This means that we must learn to confess our
sins as forgiven sinners. We don’t
confess our sins to get justified; we confess our sins because we are
justified. We follow and obey Jesus not
because we are guilty but because we are free.
We learn to refuse to walk in sin because we learn that we have died to
sin and are alive to God in Christ Jesus (Rom 6). We can do this all because we call Jesus, “<i>the Lord our Righteousness</i>.”</span></span>Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-13511963962059091832018-02-19T09:21:00.002-08:002018-02-19T09:21:25.005-08:00Baptizing Them<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We
are a reformed church – and a reforming church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When this congregation began we were self-consciously a reformed Baptist
church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is, we only performed
baptisms on those who had made a credible profession of faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But from the beginning as well, we have
stressed to parents to raise their children believing the promises of God for
their children – that is for their salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit –
according to the preaching of Peter at Pentecost in Acts 2.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Because
of this teaching, many of us began to re-examine our doctrine of baptism and
came to the conviction that the Scriptures teach that children of believing
parents should receive this rite of baptism and as soon as they are able to
partake at the Lord’s Table, they should come to the Table as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We began to see that they were covenant
children, part of God’s family, and that they should be identified as such,
instructed as such, and fed as such.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Well,
what to do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of us came to this
conviction, but some of us did not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
came and joined our congregation with this conviction – and many have come and
joined us believing that Baptism was for those who had made a profession of
faith first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing that we
determined to do in all of this – is NOT to split the church over this issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so, we have developed a way of
ministering to families based on their conviction on baptism while continuing
to emphasize the promises of God for parents with regard to their
children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is what we call our
baptismal cooperation agreement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />
Sounds crazy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yep – many think so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We believe it is a glorious manifestation of the church in the state of
being matured, not having figured out everything, not being overly scrupulous
with convictions, and working hard to grow together up into the unity of faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So
– this morning we have a wonderful example for you all to enjoy and rejoice
with us – but I want to explain it to you and its context now – because it
could raise some questions for you otherwise in just a few minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Larry and Julia Badillo have been attending
our church for some months and are going to become members soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have four wonderful children, Emma,
Mateo, Jude, and Siena.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Badillos
were Baptists and none of their children have yet been baptized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as they came to understand the promises
of God for their children, they became convinced that all of their children
should be baptized.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Some
other families have done this at other times in the life of our church – and
when they have, we have still asked the children old enough to make a
profession of faith too – and so with the oldest three Badillo children we will
do the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in most cases, we have
then sprinkled all of the children as the mode of baptism – based on the
pictures of baptism we have and the outpouring or sprinkling of the Holy Spirit
upon the nations and upon individuals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This pictures the washing and anointing of the Spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />
However, with the Badillos, out of respect for their past convictions as well
as in honor of Julia’s parents who are here to celebrate with us, we are going
to immerse Emma, Mateo, and Jude for their baptisms<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- this pictures the planting and the death
and resurrection pictures of baptism mentioned in Romans 6 for instance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
Ephesians 4 we are instructed that there is only one Lord, one faith, one
baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We agree, and as far as these
baptisms, the different administrations and the different modes, we declare
that we are still declaring that there is one baptism and one alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This baptism is the declaration by God
through His church that He has purchased these ones with the blood of His Son
and they are His.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the mark of
their identity, their new identity, in Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you witness these baptisms, you are
charged to remember your own baptism, to be grabbed by that baptism again and
to hear God speak to you in that baptism – “you are mine and I am yours – you
come and follow me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-8251463981052003072018-02-19T09:20:00.000-08:002018-02-19T09:20:02.422-08:00Partaking of Freedom<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">As
you come to this Table as a baptized member of the body of Christ, you come to
the Table to partake of freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This Table
declares freedom – freedom from sin, freedom from guilt, freedom to love like
Christ, freedom to forgive like Jesus, freedom to give yourself away for others
like Christ – only to find Your life more fully in Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />
You have died with Christ to be raised with Christ to now live in Christ as you
continue to feed on Christ and enjoy Him more and more today and forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Come and welcome to Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<br />Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-72099625495860821242018-02-05T11:11:00.000-08:002018-02-05T11:11:17.865-08:00Forgiveness Like God Does<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "GoudyOlSt BT","serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Christ</span></b><span style="font-family: "GoudyOlSt BT", serif;"> - grants
forgiveness immediately, and so we should do the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus came to seek the sick, not the
healthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He came to forgive sinners for
their inexcusable sins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was looking
to extend forgiveness, not looking to see if He could find it in His heart to
forgive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do</i>.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "GoudyOlSt BT","serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Christ</span></b><span style="font-family: "GoudyOlSt BT","serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "GoudyOlSt BT", serif;">forgives our sins
fully and completely, no matter how wicked the sin was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trespasses against us are always much smaller
in ratio than our trespasses against the infinite, perfect, holy God of
heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "GoudyOlSt BT","serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Christ</span></b><span style="font-family: "GoudyOlSt BT", serif;"> does not put us in
a state of probation or purgatory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Christ does not put us in a period of testing to see if we really mean
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He restores us each time we confess
our sins to full fellowship with Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">even as Christ forgave you, so you also must
do</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "GoudyOlSt BT","serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Christ
</span></b><span style="font-family: "GoudyOlSt BT", serif;">does
not stop forgiving us, even when we sin again and again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many times have you been forgiven for the
same sin?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<br />Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-45545930955262766692018-02-05T11:10:00.000-08:002018-02-05T11:10:00.655-08:00Baptism Exhortation Feb 4, 2018<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GoudyOlSt BT","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Psalm
128 says, “Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your
house, Your children like olive plants all around your table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who
fears the Lord.” (vv3-4).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GoudyOlSt BT","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
children of Christian, covenant-keeping homes, are likened to olive
plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Olive plants were the holiest of
all the vegetation in the old covenant symbolic system – the oil flowing from
them was a symbol of the Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And so this teaches us much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GoudyOlSt BT","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">God
considers your covenant children as holy and this rite of baptism is that
declaration – a declaration made by God through the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because we view our covenant children as
olive plants, we are not waiting for their conversion experience; rather,
committed to training them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord, we
disciple them from the get go as disciples, followers of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We look for fruit, not for evidence of
conversion, but as ongoing confirmation that what God is working in them is
working itself out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "GoudyOlSt BT","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Holy Spirit is at work already in the lives of your children – God has promised
this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are to stand on those promises
and parent Natalie and her sisters according to those promises, calling upon
the One Who also was born, but was born to take away their sin by His death on the
Cross.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-14984538877530982942018-02-05T11:08:00.002-08:002018-02-05T11:08:52.863-08:00A Table of Mercy<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">To
come to this Table, which all who are baptized are summoned to do “as often as
you do this,” is to come to the Table of Mercy and Delight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a memorial for God, where He delights
in the mercy He has given us through His Son and He delights over those to whom
He has given this mercy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />
It displays the great cost of that mercy, for that mercy was purchased, fully
and completely, through the death of God’s Son on the Cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His body was broken, His blood was shed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And God remembers that here at the Table with
us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">It
also displays the great efficaciousness of that mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have become that one loaf, that one body,
knit together – and so we partake together of that one loaf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the blood of the new covenant has become
a cup of delight – of fellowship and rejoicing – in the wine of mercy refined -
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>intoxicating mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And God remembers that here at the Table as
well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />
And so come in the name of Jesus, to the Table of Jesus and partake of Jesus by
faith – in the company of the Father and in the mercy of the Holy Spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<br />Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-1995899058075180812018-02-05T11:07:00.002-08:002018-03-08T15:15:12.497-08:00Dirty Lips<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial narrow" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">You
are about to enter into the courts of the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You are at the entrance even this moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you clean?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are about to use your lips and tongue to
praise the living and most holy God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What have they been saying up to this point?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial narrow" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">James
warns us that you can’t spew hatred, vile words, complaining and whining at
God, blasphemies, lewd porn-language, or any other vain thing – you can’t spew
those things out of your mouth in one moment and then praise and thanksgiving
to God in another – and think He will not notice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only will He notice, not only will He not
receive it, He will hate it and bring His discipline down upon it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial narrow" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This
is true for us as individuals, it is true for us in our homes, and it is true
for our nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our national leaders
cannot speak blasphemies about or to God, or speak of the world in such a way
as to deny His existence or sovereign lordship on the one hand, and then turn
and say such things as “God bless America” on the other hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s hand of discipline is hard upon our
land and growing harder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will not have
such idolatry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will not have such
hypocrisy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial narrow" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And
so what to do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is why we come to
worship this God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who transforms
us from the inside out so that there is no longer vileness, nastiness, malice,
envy, pride, self-pity, whining or complaining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Having saved us from our bondage to such things, we may notice them in
us still striving to rule, but we have the authority in Christ to put them off
now – and we have the strength to do so in Christ by His Spirit – and to put on
Christ – and to now dwell on and speak of things true, good and beautiful – of things
strong and powerful for the kingdom, of things that tear down the strongholds
of fear, abuse, and scorn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Gospel
has saved you from such things and from the author of those things, even the
devil himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-80411917266476326552018-01-29T14:00:00.000-08:002018-01-29T14:00:42.100-08:00Distractions<span style="font-family: GoudyOlSt BT, serif; font-size: large;">Many people think they have lost their joy for reasons that are simply not in accord with Scripture. They think they have lost their joy because of trials and temptations. But the Scripture tells us to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials” (James 1:2). Some say that they cannot walk in joy because of how others have treated them. But Jesus tells us to “rejoice and be exceedingly glad” when we are reviled or persecuted (Matt 5:10-12). Some say that circumstance, such as the loss of a loved one, has stolen their joy. But the Scripture says, “Do not sorrow as others who have no hope” (1 Thess 4:13). And so these are all distractions from the real reason that one has lost his joy.</span>Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-35820718654788967982018-01-28T13:58:00.000-08:002018-01-28T13:58:25.267-08:00Eat Your Bread with Joy<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />
Ecclesiastes 9:7–9 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">7
Go, eat your bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart; For God
has already accepted your works. 8 Let your garments always be white, And let
your head lack no oil. 9 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days
of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of
vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform
under the sun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">This
time at the Table comes after our confession of sin and after the consecration
of our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the time of
sitting in fellowship with God as friends with Him – and – because we are clean
– with one another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />
The bread strengthens us in those friendships, binding us to Christ and one
another, and the wine gladdens our hearts as we rejoice in the joy of the Lord
together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is all yours in Jesus
Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Come and welcome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<br />Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-73670279371537398372018-01-28T13:57:00.000-08:002018-01-28T13:57:07.942-08:00Buildings are Deacons<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Psalm
122 describes the ascent of the people of God up through the gates and into the
city of Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That ascent is what
we are doing now to the real temple of God, whose stones we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter writes of us this way – <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">1
Peter 2:5 (NKJV)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">5
you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now
to say that we are the temple of God is not to say that we do not need to have
a place, a residence, a real stone and mortar building, here upon the earth as
we seek to live out the gospel of Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And that is why we continue to pray that God would provide for us the
wisdom, the means, and the opportunity to have our own building in the Woodinville
area when and how He would desire it for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We
have said before that we should view a building as a deacon – something that
serves the needs of a congregation for the work of ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a structure, a tool for ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not holy or special in and of
itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as a physical structure, it
is used for ministry by the saints to obey what God has called them to do
before Him and to one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
also used as a tool, both as a beacon and a beachhead for ministry to a
particular locality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And
so, with great thanksgiving for this space we have to use this day, we come to
worship our God and ask Him to direct our paths in the years and many generations
ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-54339638469100812212018-01-22T17:35:00.000-08:002018-01-22T17:35:14.388-08:00Why Pray?<div style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style", serif;">“For
your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style", serif;">”
(Matt 6:8) – At first glance, this appears to throw cold water on any
motivation to pray. But it makes perfect
sense to Christ as he instructs us.
Prayer is God’s appointed means, not to get information from us, but to
bring blessing to us, honor and glory to Himself, and to cause us to constantly
acknowledge our complete dependence upon Him for everything. Jesus is our example. He knew and He knew the Father knew, and yet
He prayed. How much more should we? Prayer is one of God’s appointed means to
administer His generosity to His children.
God has ordained the ends and the means to His ends. Lives full of prayer and growing more and
more in prayer reveal that we believe in God’s exhaustive sovereignty and
inexhaustible goodness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Prayer
is a Gift</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> – The Father loves to give. He delights in mercy (Mic 7:18). He is not stingy (Psalm 81:10, Rom
8:31). Prayer is one of God’s appointed
means to administer His generosity to His children. Prayer, in the end, is not for the purpose of
receiving things from God, but of communing and communicating with God Himself,
just as Jesus did with His Father.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-79272218679644001372018-01-22T17:12:00.003-08:002018-01-22T17:12:36.127-08:00Triune Delight<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">This
meal that we partake of, this simple ritual, is a part of what it means to
commune with all three Persons of the Trinity – to join in with them in eternal
delight and peace. The Father has
summoned you, the Son is offered to you, and the Spirit gives faith to partake
with our spirit as our bodies partake of the bread and wine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">This
is not a time for feeling bad about yourself, your stumbles, your shortfalling,
you sins. This is a time to remember the
death, burial AND resurrection of Jesus Christ your Savior and King, who by His
work has brought you, brought us together, into the delight and peace of the
Triune God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Come
sincerely, come by faith, come because you have been baptized – and you will
receive blessing here. The Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit welcome you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-39824258384911749762018-01-22T17:11:00.002-08:002018-01-22T17:11:48.728-08:00Life or Death Culture<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We
gather together as Christians, those who were dead in our sins and
transgressions, removed from God and any hope of life, and glad by our nature
to be separated from Him. But God is
life and the source of all life, and we come celebrating God and the life that
He gives. In so doing, we are bound to
determine what is life by His good Word and to declare the Gospel is to declare
the Gospel of Life. From conception to
the time the last breath is drawn and the last beat of the heart has occurred,
God is sovereign and the authority over the life of every man, woman and
child. He is the author of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When
a culture rejects Jesus Christ, it rejects life. And culture is nothing more than the
outworking of one’s theology and worldview.
When we reject Christ, we have abandoned any reason for life but we also
end up embracing death – and so our culture of death continues in this land -
and it is morphing and twisting in many ways.
And so we have fruitless unions and we offer the fruit of our wombs to
the god of our culture, the god called convenience, the god called choice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
church must stand as a city on a hill in these dark days. We must testify to life and to the One Who
gives life. We must be the place where
those lost in darkness and shame, even those who have partaken of the darkness
and shame of murdering their children, can find the gift of repentance, faith,
forgiveness and healing. We must be the
place where people find Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Come
and worship then, the One who determined you would live before the foundations
of the world, who determined you would be saved through the blood of His Son,
and who determined that you would be a voice in the wilderness with the church,
standing against darkness and death and proclaiming the Way of life, of light,
of goodness and meaning and purpose and glory for every human created in the
image of God. Come and worship the Lord
Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-88317000169980280492016-09-13T17:51:00.000-07:002016-09-13T17:51:00.236-07:00Hear and Taste<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Here, at the Table of the
Lord, His people partake of the sufferings of Christ as nourishment for our
souls. Why? Why are we to commune in the sufferings of
Christ? Because it is here, in
participating with Him, that we are shaped to be like Him in this world full of
sufferings. It is here that we receive,
by Word and sacrament – in the power of the Holy Spirit – courageous faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">There was a connection in
Isaiah 50 between the ear and the tongue.
The Servant listened to the Word so that He could teach it with His
tongue. Tongues are for tasting as well
and this time at the Table moves from ear to tongue as well. We hear the Word of God, then taste His food (<i>thanks to Peter Leithart for some of these thoughts</i>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Word and Sacrament. If you want to be nourished, you have to
observe that sequence. If your spiritual
ears are closed, this food will be bitter as death to your tongue. But if God has opened your ears to His voice,
He gives you a tongue so that you taste that the Lord is good. Come and welcome to Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-41917732693560838072016-09-12T17:50:00.002-07:002016-09-12T17:50:28.247-07:00911 - 15 Years Later<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">September
11th will always be a sober day in our lives because of the events our nation
experienced 15 years ago. It is good to
pause, remember and reflect, both with patriotism and in honor of those who
tragically lost their lives. But,
fifteen years into this tragedy, the foundational issue by which this nation
will ultimately stand or fall has yet to be addressed by our leaders. As a nation, we continue in our outright
rebellion of God’s laws, and we continue to embrace the god of the people,
demos, and his brother, relativism, to the exclusion of the only true King of
kings and Lord of lords, even Jesus Christ, the Son of God.. If we continue to do this, we will certainly
reap what we sow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If
we continue to arbitrarily determine who deserves the right to life and who
does not, refusing to submit to God’s Holy Law, how dare we point an accusing
finger at holy-war Jihadists. They are
simply doing what we are doing, making up their own rules. Just as we have seen throughout the book of
Isaiah, God is simply using them so that we might see how bloody we are, how
callous we are, how wicked we are. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If
we continue to arbitrarily determine what is true and what is false, what is
ethical and what is not, using our so-called humanistic wisdom, then God will
continue to send those to us who are simply living this out according to their
own so-called wisdom. It is a glorious
thing to die while trying to kill as many infidels (non-Muslims) as
possible. What’s wrong with that for an
ideology? Who says?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If
we continue to say that all gods are equal, that there is no difference, as
long as you don’t hurt other people, God will continue to challenge that back
end “toleration” statement. “What do you
mean, ‘as long as you don’t hurt other people”?
Who gave you the right to set that standard? What if my god says it is a good thing to
hurt other people? What if I find
pleasure in hurting other people?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
my lifetime, Columbine High School and the brutal murders of 9/11, were the
very same, absolutely, carefully measured, and yet pulled-punch message from
God. And that message is simple: Do not continue to demand that God be
separated from your public affairs. Do
not demand separation from God, something which is also called hell – for a day
is coming that, if you do not repent, that is exactly what He will give you<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-68592597773552264552016-08-30T08:51:00.000-07:002016-08-30T08:51:06.223-07:00When the Sermon Wasn't for You<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Sometimes, especially with a
topical sermon, we are tempted individually to think that “this sermon wasn’t
for me.” While you may not have children
in school at this time, I did pray in preparation for you that you would hear
and see from the texts other applications particularly for you. And there are many.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
One of those applications is in coming to this Table. We are not a bunch of individuals only, like
so many marbles gathered in a bag. We
are members of one body, the body of Christ – and we come to this Table as that
one body, that one loaf, where we partake together, desiring to see Christ
minister to His body corporately even as He meets each one of us individually
as well. Strengthening each one, he then
sends us to minister to one another throughout the week with our particular
gifts and abilities and our brother or sister’s needs before us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">If you are identified with
Jesus through baptism then must come to this Table and partake, for He has
called you. But He has called the person
next to you as well with the same call.
Together, we all are being fed, knit together in Christ, with Christ, and
by Christ. Come and welcome to Jesus Christ.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-22459120916700717542016-08-29T08:50:00.000-07:002016-08-29T08:50:03.337-07:00Steadfast, Immovable Worship<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With
a right understanding of death and the problems of this world because of sin,
along with a right understanding of what the hope of the resurrection really
means for us, Paul wrote at the end of 1 Corinthians these words – <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Our
labor is never in vain if God is in the business of saving this world – and He
is. Our labor is never in vain if it is
in the Lord because the Lord rules over heaven and earth now. One author noted that “English evangelicals
gave up believing in the urgent imperative to improve society (such as we find
with William Wilberforce in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries)
about the same time that they gave up believing robustly in resurrection and settled
for a disembodied heaven instead.” (NT Wright).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Brothers
and sisters, you are not being summoned here to worship a God who rules in
heaven and has called us here to remind us that one day we will finally go home
to be with Him, away from this terrible place called the world. No – that is not the Christian doctrine. God so loved the world – this world – that He
gave His only begotten Son – and He did so in order that the world – this world
– should be saved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />
You are summoned here to worship a God who rules over heaven and earth and is
shaking the things of this earth that He intends to bring down in order that
the things which cannot be shaken, His kingdom, would remain forever. Even if we are going to die, even if our
labors appear to be accomplishing so little – nevertheless hear the Word of
God: Be steadfast, immovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing (knowing) that your labor is not in
vain in the Lord.” Come and let us
worship the Lord.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-33484021035550207772016-08-26T16:35:00.000-07:002016-08-26T16:35:00.159-07:00Platonic Opium<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"Karl Marx famously spoke of religion as the opium of the people. He supposed that oppressive rulers would use the promise of a joyful future life to try to stop the masses from rising in revolt. That has indeed often been the case. But my impression is that religion is an 'opium' when the religion in question includes the Platonic downgrading of bodies and of the created order in general, regarding them as the 'vain shadows' of earth, which we happily leave behind at death. Why try to improve the present prison if release is at hand? Why oil the wheels of a machine that will soon plunge over a cliff? That is precisely the effect created to this day by some devout Christians who genuinely believe that "salvation" has nothing to do with the way the present world is ordered</i>." - Wright, SBH - p26</span>Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-69102671060259904782016-08-25T16:17:00.002-07:002016-08-25T16:17:40.301-07:00About to Sing Psalm 29<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Many
of you do not remember – and many of you were not here, when we took the time
to learn to sing this version of Psalm 122.
It was not easy. We had to work. But when we, as a congregation together,
found ourselves able to sing it, we delighted in it, we delighted in our
ability to sing to the LORD with greater skillfulness – and we thought about, I
preached about, the meaning of this Psalm.
It is worth considering. It sings
of calling everyone to come here, to the house and gathering of the LORD, to
see His beauty and the beauty of His temple of whom we are. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now
you have heard the choir sing Psalm 29 in a through-composed form. We have sent you links to listen to it, we
have practiced it in numerous Psalm sings.
Here we go. Another challenging
piece. We will be singing it as a
congregation shortly in this service of worship – and God will be listening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hope
you are up to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Seriously,
as we venture into singing another Psalm (although we have one version of Psalm
29 that we sing), let me help us all come before the LORD with what this Psalm
is declaring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It
commands the world and especially all the mighty ones to give glory to the Lord
– to lay down their weapons of unbelief and strife and give themselves to God
in humble service and worship. It
declares mighty, violent work of the voice of the LORD in powerful pictures -
full of majesty, passing over forests, splitting the tallest cedars and
mountains, skipping to the strobe-light of the lightning, and then down into
the deserts, terrifying the wildlife and shaking the wilderness. The voice of the LORD is heard seven times in
this Psalm – a number of fullness and completion. We are singing of the triumphant, salvific
work of the Word of God over all nations, over all the earth. You are about to sing of the victory of God
over everything, everyone – to the glory of His name. Get ready…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4077964625662251401.post-90445970242563526782016-06-11T10:42:00.002-07:002016-06-11T10:42:44.457-07:00The Delight of God<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The Peace Offering, of which
this meal is the fulfillment, occurred when God partook of the offering along
with those who made the offering, in a meal of peace and reconciliation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">One of the things this means
is that God is enjoying this meal with you.
We often are reminded that we are partaking of Jesus, covenantally and by His Spirit, here
at this Table. Maybe sometimes you are
not delighting in the meal. Maybe
sometimes you are bored with the meal.
Maybe sometimes you would rather the meal hurry up and be done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />
Well consider this. God is also at this
Table, and He is partaking as well.
United to Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection, He is partaking of
us. He is partaking of you. It is here that He is receiving in token your
pledge of your life as a living sacrifice offered up to Him. And He is always delighting in this, never
bored with it, never in a hurry to see it come to an end. In fact, what He wants is for this meal and all
that it signifies, to go on and on all week until the next Lord’s Day when He
will sit here with you again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">And so all who are baptized
into Christ Jesus are welcome and summoned to this Table.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Dave Hatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865438687199267095noreply@blogger.com0