Awestruck by the Sovereign LORD

Bewitched, you fools! By Law, perfected still? The Spirit you received by faith at first By faith will hold you even at your worst. The Law has saved you not and never will! To be a son of Abraham, believe. Accursed for us! It's Christ upon the tree Who did redeem because he is the Seed So that the Spirit we may now receive. We walk as sons and heirs, enslaved no more. In liberated steps, we're led to bear The Holy Spirit's fruit and show great care To all to let our boast in Christ outpour. A cut of skin is impotent to save. Instead, trust Christ - the sacrifice he gave.

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great. ( Job 2:11–13 ESV) When suffering falls upon us, a good friend is better than gold. The above statement about Job's friends is their high point as friends. Seven days. Seven nights. Then it goes down hill. They proceed to hit Job with wave upon wave of criticism and bad theology. They kick a man when he is down. All of his children are dead. His wealth is gone. His wife is critical. Then his friends try to

Christianity is not individualistic. Perhaps that is a drum that you've heard me beat before. When someone is saved, they are saved as individuals. I don't want to diminish one's personal relationship with Christ. We do have that, and it is to be celebrated! In fact it is celebrated by the community of faith. However, God has ordained community to be the locus of sanctification. Sanctification is the process by which we are made holy, and it cannot be accomplished without others. It is not that sanctification is more difficult alone. It is that sanctification is not possible on your own. This not some rhetorical flourish or hyperbole. It is thoroughly grounded in Scripture. Jesus' Prayer for Us When Christ is mere hours before death, he prays for us. This majestic prayer is recorded for us in John 17 , and it has been called the High Priestly Prayer. In particular, let's look at verses 20-23. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me

The knowledge of the truth and godly lives Will coincide and bear the fruit so sure— The hope, eternal life in Christ secure— Because of Faithful Him who never lies.   As stewards, elders watch the house of God. Above reproach and sober, they uphold The truth and so defend against and scold The empty talkers, Cretans—doctrine flawed.   Our doctrine sound, the older must convey. The grace of God has brought salvation whole, And we renounce our sin for self-control Until our hope is manifest that day.   Astray, our hearts were chained to worldly cares. Then Love appeared—unearned—and made us heirs!