Newsletter April 30, 2008
From the Senior Pastor . . .
On Sunday we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper. In preparation, spend some time reading and reflecting upon the fifteenth and twenty-fourth Psalms.
I’ve been “driven” to these Psalms by the words of Jesus in Luke 13.22-30. For three weeks we’ve focused on this startling passage. Speaking to the covenant people of God and having been asked if only a few are going to be saved, Jesus calls upon His audience to make every effort to enter through the narrow door.
He is the narrow door. By embracing Him as Savior and Lord we gain admission into the presence of God. By grace through faith, we believe He came to take our sins upon Himself, died to pay the penalty for our transgressions, and rose victorious over death and the grave. By grace through faith we gain admittance into His throne room and are welcomed as members of the Royal Family.
The exercise of such faith is not a passive exercise. By God’s grace He enables us to make every effort to enter through the narrow door, so that we might take our place alongside Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the prophets, and all those whom God calls from the east and west, north and south, at the feast in the Kingdom of God.
Now, wait a minute . . . if we are saved by grace through faith, what is all this fuss about making every effort to enter through the narrow door?
It is because, the Holy Spirit Who grants us the gift of faith, also supplies us with the strength and passion to live lives that glorify Him and benefit others. By the grace that saves, we are also blessed with the privilege, responsibility and power to live as image bearers of our Lord, and ambassadors of our King.
We are called upon to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, confident in knowing that God is at work within us so that we might both will and act according to His good purposes (Philip 2.12-13). This is why I point you to Psalm 24 and 15, for in these Psalms we are challenged, thrilled and encouraged to realize who we are because of Whose we are.
As we celebrate the Lord’s Supper we will be reminded of the great price He has paid that we might be freed from sin’s curse and power. By His mercy and grace we are now allowed to ascend the hill of the Lord and to stand in His holy place. By His mercy and grace we are blessed with the freedom to dwell in His sanctuary and live on His holy hill.
By His grace He vindicates us, declaring us to be righteous (Ps 24.5). By His grace He enables us to build our lives upon Him, so that we will never be shaken (Ps 15.5).
So, what does that mean about the lives we live from day to day? That’s what David describes for us in Psalm 24.3-4 and in Psalm 15.2-5.
So I hope you can join us. If you can’t, allow me to remind you that by going to our website you can listen to the sermons preached each week. You can even “download” them – if you know what that means and how to do it (which I’m not sure I do).
God bless. Lord willing, I’ll see you Sunday.
Pastor Caines