Hearing God’s Voice from His Word
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Take a moment and turn your attention to God. Tell God that you desire to trust and obey Him. Ask God to speak to you from His word.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 45:1-5 My heart is moved by a noble theme as I recite my verses to the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
2 You are the most handsome of men; grace flows from your lips.
Therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Mighty warrior, strap your sword at your side. In your majesty and splendor—
4 in your splendor ride triumphantly in the cause of truth, humility, and justice.
May your right hand show your awe-inspiring acts.
5 Your sharpened arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you.
Read the Entire Psalm
God has blessed – The end of verse two says that God has blessed. Why does God bless? Do we people deserve His blessing? Is He obligated? He blesses because He is generous. He blesses people with gifts, with strength, with life, with abundance. Praise Him the generous God who gives from His abundance.
SCRIPTURE READING:
1 John 1:5-2:2 – Christian Standard Bible
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him. 6 If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. 7 If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
2 My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one. 2 He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanksgiving to God.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you.
- Confess your sin to Him and receive forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”) - Bring your personal requests to God.
(Psalm 62:8 “Pour out your heart before God”) - Pray for someone in your small group.
- Join with others from River and pray for the River Youth. Ask God to work in the hearts of middle school and high school students. Pray that they would grow in the faith this semester.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Are you tired of confessing the same sin(s) over and over? Surely God doesn’t want to hear it again! When will he throw up his hands and say, “Enough! Don’t come back to me until you have gotten control of your sins!” He won’t ever get to that point. We can walk away from him, we can give up on the fight, but he will always be ready to receive us back. In the parable of the prodigal son, the good father was representative of God. The father did not chase the prodigal, but he did run to meet him when his son turned back toward home. We all get frustrated by our ongoing sin patterns. Some become more than frustrated, they are desperate. Desperation isn’t a bad thing. At least not when it keeps us dependent upon God’s grace. In this life we will not be fully free from sin. We can, however, remain fully forgiven of sin. We can continually mess up, fess up, and move on. This is not taking sin lightly; this is taking God seriously.