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 68:1-3
God arises. His enemies scatter,
and those who hate him flee from his presence.
2 As smoke is blown away,
so you blow them away.
As wax melts before the fire,
so the wicked are destroyed before God.
3 But the righteous are glad;
they rejoice before God and celebrate with joy.
Read the Entire Psalm
God arises. His presence is separating. Those who trust him rejoice before him. Those who hate him and are opposed to him are driven away. He is God. He does not play to the crowd or capitulate to one side or the other. He simply arises and some rejoice and some flee. He is not working to win the approval of those who hate him. He arises and some hate and some trust. Whether people hate him or trust him he will forever be God of all.
SCRIPTURE READING:
John 1:1-5 – The Message
1 1-2 The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
in readiness for God from day one.
3-5 Everything was created through him;
nothing—not one thing!—
came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
the darkness couldn’t put it out.
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 today for Christian Challenge as they meet tonight at River.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Historically there have been many errors regarding the nature of Christ. These errors are rooted in human pride. Instead of simply taking to heart what God has revealed in Scripture, people have tried to make full and perfect sense out of the incarnation. The result has been a formulation of Christ that fits better in the human mind, but does not fit with Scripture. You don’t have to know all the ins and outs of the historical and theological arguments regarding the incarnation. You only need to know that in Scripture, somehow, Christ is fully God and fully man. If you are interested in puzzling through all the fascinating implications of that, then go for it. If you are not, no worries, it’s okay. In either case what is important is that you worship Christ as Lord. His greatness is beyond our ability to fully comprehend. His love is beyond all measure. His sacrifice has covered your sins. Let your mind ponder him if you so choose, but above all else, call your own heart to worship him.