Sundays at 9 & 11 AM

31 Oct Rooted in Grace

Posted at 21:19h in Prepare for Worship by

Read: Mark 4:1-34

Last Sunday Ken preached from Mark 3:20-35 on the three possible responses to Jesus’ Power and Authority, namely believing he is a lunatic, a liar, or the Lord. This Sunday Josh Jones will preach on the Kingdom parables found in Luke 4:1-34. As you prepare your heart for our corporate gathering, let these words from Charles Spurgeon challenge and encourage you in your faith.

Heart Preparation

THESE HAVE NO ROOT. — LUKE 8:13

My soul, examine yourself this morning by the light of this text. You have received the Word with joy; your feelings have been stirred, and a lively impression has been made. But, remember, to receive the Word in the ear is one thing, and to receive Jesus into your very soul is quite another; superficial feeling is often joined to inward hardness of heart, and a lively impression of the Word is not always a lasting one. In the parable, the seed in one case fell upon ground having a rocky bottom, covered over with a thin layer of earth; when the seed began to take root, its downward growth was hindered by the hard stone, and therefore it spent its strength in pushing its green shoot aloft as high as it could. But having no inward moisture derived from root nourishment, it withered away.

Is this my case? Have I been making a fair show in the flesh without having a corresponding inner life? Good growth takes place upward and downward at the same time. Am I rooted in sincere fidelity and love to Jesus? If my heart remains unsoftened and unfertilized by grace, the good seed may germinate for a season, but it must ultimately wither, for it cannot flourish on a rocky, unbroken, unsanctified heart. Let me dread a godliness as rapid in growth and as lacking in
endurance as Jonah’s vine; let me count the cost of being a follower of Jesus. Above all let me feel the energy of His Holy Spirit, and then I shall possess an abiding and enduring seed in my soul.

If my mind remains as stubborn as it was by nature, the sun of trial will scorch, and my hard heart will help cast the heat the more terribly upon the ill-covered seed, and my religion will soon die, and my despair will be terrible. Therefore, O heavenly Sower, plow me first, and then cast the truth into me, and let me yield a bounteous harvest.

January 11th, Morning Reading, in Morning and Evening, by Charles H. Spurgeon

 

Song List for Sunday

  1. Shout Hosanna, by Kristian Stanfill
  2. Alive In Us, by Hillsong Live
  3. Come Thou Fount, by David Crowder
  4. Be Thou My Vision, by Crosspoint Music
  5. Lord, I Need You, by Shane and Shane