ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD IS LOVE
God’s love is so great that He gave His only Son to bring us
into fellowship with Him. His love encompasses the world, and embraces each of us personally and intimately.
1 John 4:7-10 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Praise the God of Love
Praise Jesus because He demonstrated His love by going to the cross. Praise Jesus that He is an example of love. Praise God because He loved us even though we do not deserve love.
CONFESSION: Confess your sins to God and receive his continued mercy.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
THANKSGIVING: Giving thanks to God for his specific blessings in our lives.
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100
SUPPLICATION: Bringing our requests to God.
- Bring your personal prayer requests to God.
- Pray for the River Youth as they serve in Lawrence this week. Ask God to use them to draw people to Himself. Pray that the youth would grow in the love for one another and for Jesus.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Hebrews 4 – New International Version
A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God
4 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
“So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” 5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”
6 Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, 7 God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Jesus the Great High Priest
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
The small group of believers in Hebrews were going through difficult times. Their experience with Christ was not living up to expectations. More than likely, they were asking some hard questions: Doesn’t God know what was going on? Why is this happening to us? Does he care? Some even thought it would be better if they just went back to what they knew—just go with the flow. Does this resonate with you? Can you relate to how they were feeling? Have you ever felt this way? We’re not immune from thoughts like these. Every generation of Christians faces theological crisis, so every generation must fight to maintain the theological purity of the gospel proclamation. How do we do this? The writer of Hebrews tells what to do. We enter God’s promised rest. A rest we enter by faith, with urgency, and with the word of God as we hold fast to our great high priest, Jesus. Is there something keeping you from entering his Rest? What is it? How is it better than Jesus? Remember, Jesus is better than anything else you can think of or imagine. He’s superior in every way—He’s the final Word of God—Our glorious King and Apostle and Great High Priest.