If it seems like we just recently sang many of the psalms and hymns in this morning’s service, you’re absolutely correct! Many of these pieces were chosen for the service on May 19 to align with the church calendar (May 19 was Pentecost Sunday this year). This week, the story of Pentecost from Acts 2 is our sermon text. Once…
Most of the elements in this morning’s service relate in some way to Jesus’ ascension, a story found in the first three verses of this morning’s sermon text (Acts 1:9-11). We are called into worship by Psalm 68, which foresees God Himself “ascend[ing] on high, leading a host of captives in [His] train.” We’ll sing several hymns, such as O…
This Sunday we begin a new sermon series in the book of Acts, a series that should take us the better part of a year. Luke describes the book, from the very first verse, as a continuation of the work Jesus began during His earthly ministry. Jesus rose from the dead, and He is still at work in this world…
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of Your wonderful deeds. —Psalm 9:1 We began this “summer in the psalms” with a commandment to recount the things that God has done for us (Psalm 9:1). As we come to the close of this sermon series, we find David again telling what God has done for him,…
When you are in trouble, who do you call for help? Who or what do you trust to be at your side when you need them? This morning’s service points us to a single, heavenly answer to these perennial questions. Various Scripture readings remind us that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13),…
Psalm 19 can be divided into three primary sections, centered around verses 1 (“The heavens declare the glory of God…”), 7 (“The law of the Lord is perfect…”), and 12 (“Who can discern his errors…”). The worship service this morning follows much the same pattern: a focus on both natural and special revelation, followed by a prayer that our speech and attitudes…
Eight years ago, I moved to Franklin in one of the most tumultuous weeks of my life. A week and a half prior I had just had my wisdom teeth removed when we received a phone call that my grandfather had just been diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia and had two weeks to live. We immediately packed up…
The first half of Psalm 18 depicts God’s awesome power and majesty, vividly describing Him as a rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, a “horn of salvation,” and a stronghold, among other things. Most of the music we sing in this morning’s service picks up on or elaborates on these concepts. Blest Be The Lord, My Rock, My Might (Psalm 144) incorporates…
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. —Matthew 5:8 In last week’s sermon, Pastor Jamie mentioned the “beatific vision,” the immediate knowledge of God which we will experience in eternity—or more simply, “the happy sight of God.” You’ll find references to this concept at the end of Psalm 17 (vs. 15), as well as in many of the…
The past few weeks in the Psalms, one of the predominant themes has been the seeming prosperity of the wicked. In Psalm 16, David still witnesses the prosperity of the wicked. We live in a world that is not unlike David’s. We live in a world where there are jail sentences for the righteous, fines for the upright, and probations…