Worship Devotional LXXVI
Originally posted to the Facebook group on 6/5/2021.
Worship Devotional for 6/6/21
There is only one God, the eternal and true and living God, the Creator and Judge of all things. He is holy, righteous, just, true, good, and sovereign, and there is no other. He created us in His image:
"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, and all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.' So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female" (Genesis 1:26-27).
We were created by Him for His glory, but we rebelled and sinned against Him. We are all guilty before the holy and righteous Judge, our Creator. We deserve to be punished for our sins, and we cannot save ourselves by works or good deeds, for God is a just Judge who demands recompense for evil.
Romans 3:9-20:
"What then? Are we any better? Not at all! For we have previously charged that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin, as it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become useless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they deceive with their tongues. Vipers' venom is under their lips. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and wretchedness are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.' Now we know that whatever the law says speaks to those who are subject to the law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God's judgment. For no one will be justified in His sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law."
We all, along with the whole world, stand condemned before God, unable to save ourselves from His righteous wrath toward sin. God revealed Himself to be the holy and sovereign Creator from the beginning. He knew what would happen in the Garden of Eden when man rebelled, but He also had a plan for the redemption and salvation of all mankind. He chose a people group on the earth — the nation of Israel — to send His word to, both for them and for all the nations, announcing ahead of time through His prophets a hope of salvation. Then the promised and long-awaited Messiah was born: Jesus, the Son of God.
Matthew 1:20-21:
"But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins."
Jesus the Son of God, being one with the Father, walked among us as Emmanuel (God with us), revealing the heart of the Father to us. He lived a perfect and blameless life on this earth then, though He had done no wrong, He was sentenced to die on a cross like a criminal, where He suffered and bore the wrath of God in our place. He died and was buried, then He rose again on the third day, accomplishing God's plan for our salvation. The price of the punishment of our sins — the price for our redemption — has been paid by His blood, and death's claim on our souls has been vanquished by His resurrection!
Romans 3:21-26:
"But now, apart from the law, God's righteousness has been revealed — attested by the Law and the Prophets — that is, God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by His grace though the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus."
After Jesus' resurrection and His appearance to His disciples and to many other witnesses, He ascended in glory to the right hand of the Father. Then He sent the Holy Spirit — the Spirit of the living God — to indwell His church, His people who believe in His name, that they would be filled with the presence and power of God. The Holy Spirit now lives in us who believe in Jesus, and because of this work of God for our salvation, we are reconciled to the Father, to our Creator, to God.
This week our songs of praise to God are about His salvation, and how God has accomplished it for us.
Ephesians 2:4-10:
"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens, so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift — not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them."
Matthew 28:18-20:
"Then Jesus came near and said to them, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"
Songs:
There are many different things which each of us might be struggling with right now. It might be addiction for some, finances for others, relationships, failures or worldly successes, or all the doubt, fear, shame, deception, pride, greed, lust, or any other evil spiritual thing which we encounter in this broken world. There is good news though: our God is greater than anything we face! There is nothing that His love cannot overcome. He is mighty to save and deliver and redeem us! Whatever you are going through or dealing with right now, remember that He knows your pain and your every need. Trust in Him completely, relying on His great power and might, because He is faithful and true and He loves you with an everlasting love! The finished work of Jesus — His death and resurrection — was sufficient.
Isaiah 59:1:
"Indeed, the Lord's hand is not too short to save, and His ear is not too deaf to hear."
Acts 4:11-12:
"This Jesus is 'the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.' There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it."
Philippians 2:5-11:
"Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow — of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth — and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
3) The Lord Is My Salvation by Keith & Kristyn Getty
Psalm 118:14-24:
"The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.
There are shouts of joy and victory in the tents of the righteous: 'The Lord's right hand performs valiantly! The Lord's right hand is raised. The Lord's right hand performs valiantly!' I will not die, but I will live and proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord disciplined me severely but did not give me over to death.
Open the gates of righteousness for me; I will enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous will enter through it. I will give thanks to You because You have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This came from the Lord; it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
4) Our God Saves by Brenton Brown and Paul Baloche
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, let us declare the wonderful truth that our God saves! He is willing and able to save, to deliver, and to redeem those who believe in His name from every tribe and tongue and nation on earth. This salvation is found only in Jesus, who died and rose again to pay the price for our redemption. He turns our sorrow and mourning into songs of praise, for He has taken away our sins which lead to death and given us eternal life! Hallelujah! Hosanna! Praise be to the God of our salvation!
Psalm 67:1-2:
"May God be gracious to us and bless us; look on us with favor so that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations."
Theme(s): Salvation, Trinity
Scripture references:
Genesis 1:26-27
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Psalms 3, 5, 10, 1314, 25, 27-28, 30-37, 40, 53-54, 62, 65, 67-69, 70, 80, 85, 115-116, 118, 140
Ecclesiastes 7:20
Isaiah 9:2-7, 40, 49-55, 59-62
Joel 2:12-32
Matthew 1:18-25 (esp. v. 21), 24:3-14, 28:18-20
Luke 1:67-79, 2
John 3, 4:39-42, 10:1-30
Acts 2, 4:5-12
Romans 1-5, 9-10 (esp. 10:1-13)
Ephesians 1-2
Philippians 2:5-11
1 Timothy 6:13-16
Titus 2:11-14, 3:3-8
Hebrews 1-6, 9
James 2:14-26
1 Peter 1-2
2 Peter 3
1 John 5
Revelation 7:9-17 (esp. v. 10)