13 Jan Exposed by the Cross
Last Sunday, Pastor Stephen Watson from Renewal Church of Anderson pointed us to the God of all comfort from 2 Corinthians 1:3-11. We considered the truth that those united to Jesus Christ by faith are both comforted by God in their affliction and are enabled to comfort others in affliction.
Read: Genesis 3
This Sunday, Pastor Jason Finley will introduce our new series, God Will Provide: A Study of Genesis 12-25, with a sermon that recaps what we previously learned from Genesis 1-11. Ultimately, the first eleven chapters of Genesis introduced us to God’s grand story of redemption. We saw the good beginning and design of all things, but then we quickly saw the introduction of sin and its destruction in the world.
Genesis 3 records the tragic event of the fall of man into sin and the just curses from God that followed. However, in the midst of the curses, God also provided great hope in Genesis 3:15 that one day a Savior would come and crush sin, death, and Satan. The rest of the Bible tells how God fulfills this promise in Jesus Christ, who will ultimately restore all things unto God. This is the gospel, the good news that we hope in.
As you prepare for our Sunday gathering, let this devotional from Milton Vincent move you to consider the depths of your sinfulness and the magnitude of God’s grace to atone for all your sin through Jesus Christ.
Reflect: “Exposed by the Cross”
It was while rehearsing gospel truths in Romans 5-8 that the Apostle Paul was moved to speak of his struggle with sin and exclaim, “O wretched man that I am!” (Romans 7:19-24) While reviewing God’s abundant saving grace on another occasion, Paul was prompted to confess that he was the “the foremost” sinner of all (Romans 7:19-24).
Likewise, the deeper I go into the gospel, the more I comprehend and confess aloud the depth of my sinfulness. A gruesome death like the one that Christ endured for me would only be required for one who is exceedingly sinful and unable to appease a holy God. Consequently, whenever I consider the necessity and manner of His death, along with the love and selflessness behind it, I am laid bare and utterly exposed (Hebrews 4:13) for the sinner I am.
Such an awareness of my sinfulness does not drag me down, but actually serves to lift me up by magnifying my appreciation of God’s forgiving grace in my life. And the more I appreciate the magnitude of God’s forgiveness of my sins, the more I love Him and delight to show Him love through heart-felt expressions of worship (Luke 7:37-47).
“Exposed by the Cross, Part 1,” in A Gospel Primer for Christians, by Milton Vincent
Sing: Song List for Sunday
1. “All Creatures of Our God and King,” Arr. Sovereign Grace Music
2. “Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery,” by Matt Boswell
3. “Holy Spirit,” by Keith & Kristyn Getty
4. “The Lord Is My Salvation,” Arr. Shane & Shane