Magnificent

Alive Day 1 Justice + Mercy = Freedom

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 7:22-8:4
1 John 1:5-2:2
Galatians 5:13-18
Hebrews 12:1-6

Alive, Day 1

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, because the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1-4)

“Son, do you love Jesus? Have you given Him your whole life?”
“Yes, Mama. You were there when I prayed to Him.”
“Do you see how you have been jumping quickly to make rude comments to your brothers? Do you see how fast you are to throw a punch and then say you were ‘just playing?’”
“Yeah, I do. It’s just…so hard to follow Jesus all the time.”

Yes.
Yes, it is.

“So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.” (Romans 7:25)

To surrender our lives once to the Savior of the world for the rescue of our souls is an incredible, necessary act. But to surrender to His Spirit at work within us on the daily, in every moment, is something else entirely.

Herein is the long, grueling, often painful process of sanctification by which our souls, once dead to God and alive to sin, are now being fashioned into the image for which we were always intended: Christ’s.

“… the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)

But, oh, the habits of the flesh cling hard and fast to our rhythms of life. Always competing with our desire to follow Jesus is our desire to still love ourselves most and first and best.

“For in my inner self I delight in God’s law, but I see a different law in the parts of my body,  waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body.” (Romans 7:22-23, emphasis mine)

What wretches we are!
And who will rescue us from this ceaseless war within ourselves? (Romans 7:24)

With tears, oh Christ. Only Christ!
Jesus, the only One worthy to sit at the right hand of our Father God. (Ephesians 1:20-21)
Jesus, willing to take our sin and shame upon Himself that we might never bear it again. (1 John 2:2)
Jesus, willing to break us free again and again and again from the ridiculous chains of sin we insist on slinging around ourselves. (Romans 5:21)
Oh Merciful Christ.

“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25)

This beautiful Christ, and the freedom He lavishly gives, are the subject of one of the most profoundly significant chapters in all of Scripture, Romans Chapter Eight.

And the benefactors of such magnificent love?
The wretched ones.
Us.

We who, having witnessed the atrocities of our own sinful rebellion, have now turned instead to look upon the blood stained, nail-pierced body of the resurrected Jesus. He who, having died the death we deserved, now offers us His life and righteousness. He willingly laid down His life that we might live anew with Him, both in eternity and right now, in the nitty-gritty of everyday choices. Here, we choose either to surrender to His Spirit or lustfully love ourselves.

This great unfolding of the vast love of Christ begins here in the dark places of our souls. For only in knowing, grasping, and insistently gazing upon the ugliness of our sin can we truly be taken aback by the sheer glory of the love of a magnificent God who chose to set His love upon us simply that we might be called His own forever.

Never could we dream of becoming good enough to qualify as “righteous” before the Holy One. No amount of law-keeping, good deeds, kind words, gut-wrenching sacrifices, or generous giving could ever amount to earning even a single drop of God’s mercy.

“All of us have become like something unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment…” (Isaiah 64:6)

Our law-keeping is meaningless for earning right standing before God.
So, what hope have we?
None, Sisters.
None.
We are utterly without hope.

Our sin demands the death penalty, for we are wholly unrighteous.
We cannot earn goodness, for we have already earned death.
“For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)

And here, in the inky blackness of hell, eternally separated from a loving God, the Spirit of God whispers, “For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did.” (Romans 8:3)

Like brilliant, white light streaming into a once-darkened dungeon, “God Did” thrills our hearts with blissfully delicious, entirely immovable H O P E.

With perfect Justice, God “condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us.” (Romans 8:4) He paid for sin with His perfection, forever slaying Death on our behalf, and now extends to us unshackled freedom if we surrender our sin-loving, self-focused selves.

His justice.
His mercy.
Our freedom.

And what will we do with this freedom?
Come alive, Sisters, we will come alive!

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Worship VII Day 14 One Day: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
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The Questions

1) What is worship and how does Paul encourage believers to worship?

2) What are the causes of our worship?

3) How does worshipping God change us and impact our daily life?

Romans 5:6-11

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Original Intent

1) What is worship and how does Paul encourage believers to worship?
The original word for worship in Greek is proskyneō. It means submission to a higher authority, often accompanied with a bowing to the ground. The image given to demonstrate this kind of submission is a dog licking his master’s hand in a token of reverence and adoration. This is a picture of whole-hearted devotion and loyalty. Worship, at its heart, is humble submission, which is why Paul writes in Romans 12:1 that we, as Christ’s Body, are to offer ourselves together as a living sacrifice. Paul says, “This is our true worship”. Worship is a lifestyle characterized by a giving of self in whole-hearted surrender and whole-minded submission to the goodness and greatness of God. It isn’t only something felt or acknowledged, but something lived through attitudes of our heart and sacrifices of ourselves and our resources in everyday life. Paul’s words in Romans 5 speak specifically of God’s magnificent grace towards us in offering Himself as the ransom for our sin-wrecked souls. He concludes in verse 11 by stating, “we boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ…”. Paul exhorts his audience, and clearly models for them, that true worship is anchored in reverent humility to God for the vast love He has lavished upon us, sinners that we are!

2) What are the causes of our worship?
In the Romans 5 passage we discover how worship is rooted in awareness of what we have been given and how we have been loved. 1 John 4:19 says we love because He first loved us. In like fashion, we worship because we have experienced God’s goodness. In Psalm 150 we are reminded to praise Him for His deeds (what He has done), the greatest of these being our salvation and restoration to relationship with Him (Romans 5:10). The “hymn book of the Jews” (Psalms) is replete with specific reasons to worship the God in whom alone is found salvation. (Romans 5:11) Psalm 115:1 instructs our hearts to praise God for His steadfast love and faithfulness while Psalm 103 recounts “His benefits” including forgiveness, rescue, and redemption. Psalm 100:1-5 says we praise Him for making us and Ephesians 1:3 says we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing because of Christ, and therefore we bless God. Worship wasn’t something that began after Jesus died to rescue our souls, neither is it something Jewish people did in the Old Testament when circumstances were wonderful. Regardless of feelings or situation, there are always reasons to worship because we need not look any farther than God and His character to discover a reason to worship Him!

3) How does worshipping God change us and impact our daily life?
We are talking about worship being a lifestyle of humility and honor toward God. In 1 Samuel 15:22, God says (through Samuel) “to obey is better than sacrifice.” To worship God is a sacrifice, but it is best carried out through obedience. God’s Word is filled with examples of His people choosing to worship in faith and obedience, which then resulted in God showing favor and victory. (2 Chronicles 20:22) Worship brought physical victory in battle to Israel. Their decision to worship out of obedience removed themselves as an idol in their hearts and gave room for God to move in the way He had willed. Scripture teaches us to give thanks to the LORD with all our heart. (Psalm 9:1) When we are truly thankful, our hearts are engaged. Worshipping God brings us to a place of full engagement with Him. God invites us to lift our eyes over the things of this earth and focus on the place where He sits at the right hand of God; here, our real life is hidden. (Colossians 3:2) Because Paul’s life modeled consistent, humble worship, the Lord worked through His life in incredible ways. Paul recognized his life was nothing compared to knowing and experiencing God. (Philippians 3:8-9)

Everyday Application

1) What is worship and how does Paul encourage believers to worship?
God created us to live out worship in everyday lives, but we often are tempted to worship anything but the Only One Worthy of worship. As we come to understand worship as humble surrender and loyal submission to the Lord, amazingly, we see a connection of humility to God Himself, the sole worthy object of our worship. Though God had every right to never lower Himself, He did exactly this by coming to earth in human form to become our Reconciler and Salvation. (Romans 5:8-11, Philippians 2:6-8) Our great God is a humble God! When He calls Himself the Helper of Israel (the word “ezer” in Hebrew refers to Helper and the name of God JEHOVAH ‘EZER emphasizes it). These terms reflect the heart of God as He calls Himself one who concerns Himself to stoop down. (Psalm 113:4-6) As we worship, we stoop in response to how the Savior God has already bent for us. Worship, at its heart, is grateful submission. It’s a bowing and acknowledgement that someone is greater and worthier than ourselves. Yet, we serve and love a God who stoops to bless us; Who came to a cruel cross to die for us; Who takes on a lowly life for us. God is lofty, yet He tells us His way of greatness is not one that holds Lordship high over others’ heads (Matthew 20:25-28), but instead stoops to bless us. (John 13:3-5) Worship is both a response and a fully engaged bending as we answer the One who bent for us and continues to bend humbly for us out of love.

2) What are the causes of our worship?
Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians, “I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19) As we practice living our everyday lives rooted and grounded in love, we become motivated to love God responsively. This creates a heart of true worship. As we fix our minds on what is good, true, noble, and praiseworthy, our minds are lifted to remember the goodness of God and genuine worship overflows. (Philippians 4:8) As we consider His character and His names (which reflect His character) we are drawn to recall the truth of who He is. This creates a mind of worship. As we humble ourselves in the sight of God, surrendering self to the Savior, we receive the will to worship. Here in this sacred space, we truly begin loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Matthew 22:37) This is the picture of lifestyle worship, wholly engaged with our Creator, Redeemer, and Lover of Our Soul.

3) How does worshipping God change us and impact our daily life?
We know God wants us to take on a heart of obedient worship that consistently permeates our everyday lives. What does this look like? In Micah 6:8 He says, “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.” This is a picture of lived-out worship. Even though we will have trials in life, He will use them to shape us. Along the way, He calls us to worship Him through the storms, as this anchors our hearts in truth despite changing circumstance and feelings. This is how He develops our dependence and strengthens our endurance in faith as He reinforces our hope. In Romans 5:3-4 Paul writes, “…we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Worship gives us perspective in every circumstance, the capacity to be joyful in the face of affliction, and the means to be filled with strength when we are at our weakest. Like a faithful dog leans on his master, giving his life in devotion, we can give our lives to God. He takes that sacrifice and multiplies it for our good. We cannot out-give God. Our life of sacrificial worship always fills us more than any other thing we seek on earth. When we offer true worship, we lift our eyes and gain perspective.

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

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This is Worship VII Week Three!
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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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Cross Day 15 John The Exiled

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 14:25-33
Matthew 17:1-13
Revelation 1
Revelation 22

Cross, Day 15

The brilliancy of the setting sun against the crystal clear, glass-like waters appeared to combine both fire and water in one, breathtaking view.

Surrounding me, the ocean breeze played rhythmically with the pink, flowering blossoms of the Tamarisk tree. The familiarity of sand grains rubbing between the soles of my feet and the sandals I wore, barely grazed my recognition.
The scene before my eyes had me transfixed.

The quiet lapping of the shining water beckoned me back decades prior as an eager, know-it-all, 20-something on another beach as a fisherman.
Ah, the smell of sweat mingling with a fresh catch of fish!
Our biggest catch, actually.

But the catch had nothing on the Creator who’d brought the fish to our nets that morning.
My brother, James, and our friend, Peter, had no idea what we were embarking on that day.
We only knew we were utterly captivated by the winsome authority of the seemingly average, but clearly extraordinary, man who commanded even the fish.
Who was this?
Was He worth it?
Jesus? Yes!
So we left everything to follow Him.

I pulled my eyes from the shimmering waters and felt my gut clench and my heart ache as I couldn’t help but spot the towering temples dotting the coastline. One each for Artemis, Apollo, and Aphrodite. I felt the bile rise in my throat as I knew that even now, there were many on the island prostrating themselves there. A precious memory quickly appeared and I felt my breath catch as it always did with this particular scene.
It was only Peter, James, and myself with Jesus that day as we scaled the mountain. We arrived at the top, catching our breath and sweating profusely from exertion, curious for Jesus’ purpose in bringing us here, when suddenly everything changed.

Shining white cloud-like brilliance was all we could see emanating from Jesus Himself.
Caught off guard and confused, we watched as suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared.
Moses, the great rescuer of Israel, the champion of our history.
And Elijah, Israel’s great prophet, the one who didn’t die, but was simply carried away into glory. Highly revered, the greatest men in history stood before us with Jesus!
Peter, always impetuous, moved forward saying we should build three tents for each of them, honoring them equally.
But then, the Presence of God Almighty appeared, just as it had in the time of Moses and Elijah, and the same Voice we’d heard at Jesus’ baptism boomed around us. The Voice elevated Jesus above the others, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!”
Who was this?
Was He worth it?
Jesus? Yes!
So we fell down and worshipped Him as Lord of all.

Lord of all, I reflected.
“King of the Jews” was the inscription above Jesus’ head as they crucified Him.
Pilate meant it as mockery, writing it in 3 different languages for every onlooker to understand this self-proclaimed “King” was stripped naked and dying a criminal’s death.
Ha, some King.

Yes, Pilate, some extraordinary King.
King of All
The King who gave His life as a ransom for many.
The King who died in the Sinner’s place.
The God who sacrificed Himself for His enemies that we might have relationship with Him.

Oh God, my God!
And I bowed my head and wept for this lavish love poured upon me, so undeserved!
As if the act of God Almighty becoming flesh to live among us and sacrifice Himself for us were not gift enough, He then gave His Spirit to live and move and breath within us, making our own souls His very temple.

Jesus told us countless times that following Him came with a significant price.
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate
his own father
and mother
and wife
and children
and brothers
and sisters,
yes, and even his own life,
he cannot be My disciple. 
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27)

We are called to a sacrificial life.
A life where everything is placed secondary to Christ.
Is He worth it?
Absolutely.

Is it painful and difficult?
Absolutely.

The persecution in Ephesus where I led the church was intensifying. I knew it was only a matter of time before Domitian, the Roman ruler 13 years after Nero, would take more extreme measures to get rid of me. So here on Patmos I’ve been exiled.

Exile.
I scuffed my shoes, making the grainy sands fly towards the water, the shining orb of the sun appearing to be swallowed by the sea.
What can I do for you here, my King?
I’ve lived for You, followed You, been persecuted for You, and now I’m being silenced.

My Word shall never pass away, John.
My Word is trustworthy and true.

In the blink of an eye, the Spirit pressed in upon me, an angel appeared, and a voice filled with thunderous authority, yet still so keenly familiar, surrounded me with its trumpet-like sound declaring, “Write what you see….”

Jesus.

Majesty robed in unspeakable glory, a Warrior surrounded with brilliant light, dazzling as it had that long-ago day on the mountain.
“Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one.
I died, and behold I am alive forevermore,
and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
Write therefore the things that you have seen and will see.” (Revelation 1:17-19)

Jesus.
Coming King.

The scenes came quickly now, the words flowed like the roar of many waters from my Lord’s mouth.

The Lord had a letter for seven churches in Asia minor, all of which I was familiar with.
But oh, Church, there is more!
I saw the throne room of our Most High God!
I heard the angels declaring in continuous, renewed awe,
“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come!”
I witnessed worship like I’d never dreamed possible and the beauty of it held me breathless.

I heard a song calling every tongue, every nation, and every tribe to the throne of the Almighty. I heard all creation declare our Jesus worthy.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!

I saw tribulation, I saw persecution, I saw famine, and darkness, and sword,
yet I beheld the Lamb who overcomes!
I saw the saints made clean by His precious blood.
I saw no more hunger, pain, thirst, death, or even sadness for God Himself wiped away every tear.
I saw the prayers of the saints lifting upward to the Almighty and I saw His pleasure over His Bride as we prayed.
I saw the wrath of God poured out on sinful humanity.
I saw the Savior’s atoning blood.

And as He summoned His Bride, the Church,
I heard the voice of a great multitude,
like the roar of many waters,
like the sound of mighty peals of thunder crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns!” (Revelation 19:6)

Oh Church!
He is coming again!
His glory is magnificent beyond measure!
All authority belongs to Him.
Church, Your Groom is coming!

Who is this God?
He is the Alpha, the Omega.
The Beginning and the End.

Is He worth it?
Yes, Church, Yes, He alone is worthy!

Give Him your all, brothers and sisters, He Is Coming Soon!

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A Note About Cross
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters in Scripture and looked through their eyes as they saw the cross. We do our best to research the culture and times and all biblical support surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives as they watched the crucifixion, but we can’t be 100% accurate. These first-person stories are our best interpretation of how these characters viewed Jesus as He gave Himself up for us. Our hope is that by looking through their eyes, we will see the Cross differently as well, and be dramatically changed as we encounter the Savior!
Enjoy!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Worship Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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