15 Jun Ever-Faithful
Read: 1 Peter 3:7
Last Sunday Josh Jones preached from Deuteronomy 6:1-15 on “Building a Faith that Lasts.” This Sunday Pastor Ken will preach from 1 Peter 3:7 on the role of husbands in “Healthy Marriages, Part II.” We know from Ephesians 5:32 that marriage is designed to be a picture of Christ and the church. It is to display to the world what the gospel of Christ is like and testify to the steadfast, sacrificial love of God for his people. If we are to live out this purpose within our marriages (or honor this principle in singleness), we can do so only by the power of the Holy Spirit within us. As you prepare your heart for our corporate gathering, let these words from Ryan Kennedy encourage you to further trust in and depend upon our ever-faithful God.
Heart Preparation
“I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore.”
– Ezekiel 37:26 –
Throughout the Old Testament, a holy God bound himself to a sinful people through covenant relationships. And, not surprisingly, was faithful to uphold every one of them. By the literal grace of God, the new and final covenant with humanity was fulfilled when Jesus left his place on high, humbled Himself by becoming flesh, walked among us, and paid the highest cost on the cross. This covenant would not be written on stone, but instead on the hearts of His people (Jeremiah 31:33). In the ultimate display of faithfulness, God sacrificed His one and only son on the cross, thereby saving all of creation. There is no gift, blessing, or provision given to us by God greater than the free gift of salvation through Jesus and the everlasting hope of eternal life with Him.
So, what then is our response to a faithful and unfailing God? I would contend that we put our faith in Him and follow Him with all that we are. However, since we are currently sojourners of a fallen world, if there is any hope of living a life worthy of the calling of God, we will need to go to the source – the Holy Spirit. After His resurrection, Jesus left us with a gift that would allow us to do even greater things. (John 14:26) He told us that, “… the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:12) Without the living and active Spirit of God in us, guiding us, helping us, and teaching us, no matter how hard we try, we can do nothing. (John 15:5) In the same way that Moses called out to God saying, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here” (Exodus 33:15), our heart cry should be the same. I’m hard-pressed to think of something more empowering and profitable for the church than to hear its people surrendering their will and declaring with all their heart, “We won’t move without you! We won’t move without you!”
Excerpt from the devotion, “The Lord Our God,” by Ryan Kennedy
Song List for Sunday
1. “The Lord Our God,” by Kristian Stanfill
2. “Good, Good Father,” Arr. by Shane & Shane
3. “Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery,” by Matt Papa
4. “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” by Thomas Obediah Chisolm & William Marion Runyon
5. “Lord, I Need You,” Arr. by Shane & Shane