11 Sep Jesus Forgives Sin
Read: Mark 2:1-17
Last Sunday Pastor Jeremy preached the sermon, “Devoted to the Mission,” in which we learned that Jesus’ mission is validated with authority, dependent on prayer, advanced by preaching, and is to save sinners. This Sunday Pastor Ken will continue the theme of Jesus saving sinners as we move into chapter two with the sermon, “Jesus Forgives Sin.” Indeed, Jesus says in Mark 2:17, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” What about you? Do you currently see your need of the Great Physician? If so, the good news is that He has come and will bring healing to our sinful hearts as we put our trust in him. As you prepare your heart for our corporate gathering, let this prayer from The Valley of Vision guide your own.
Heart Preparation
Blessed Lord Jesus,
Before thy cross I kneel and see
the heinousness of my sin,
my iniquity that caused thee to be
‘made a curse’,
the evil that excites the severity
of divine wrath.
Show me the enormity of my guilt by
the crown of thorns,
the pierced hands and feet,
the bruised body,
the dying cries.
Thy blood is the blood of incarnate God,
its worth infinite, its value beyond all thought.
Infinite must be the evil and guilt
that demands such a price.
Sin is my malady, my monster, my foe, my viper,
born in my birth,
alive in my life,
strong in my character,
dominating my faculties,
following me as a shadow,
intermingling with my every thought,
my chain that holds me captive in the
empire of my soul.
Sinner that I am, why should the sun give me light,
the air supply breath,
the earth bear my tread,
its fruits nourish me,
its creatures subserve my ends?
Yet thy compassions yearn over me,
thy heart hastens to my rescue,
thy love endured my curse,
thy mercy bore my deserved stripes.
Let me walk humbly in the lowest depths
of humiliation,
bathed in thy blood,
tender of conscience,
triumphing gloriously as an heir of salvation.
“The Precious Blood,” in The Valley of Vision
Song List for Sunday