We’re at work with regards to the Statement of Faith. We talked about prioritizing proclaiming the Bible as the Word of God – Recognizing its historical reliability, its timeless relevance, its infinite authority, and its purpose to reveal the Truth.
It’s important for us to proclaim the Bible as the Word of God first, as it sets the tone for the rest of our Statement. In other words, we’re relying on the Word of God to be our foundation of Truth, the basis for our beliefs.
(And) We believe in the one true, living God. There are no other gods before Him (Jeremiah 10:10, Exodus 20:3) – He is the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Judges 5:3, Exodus 3:6).
He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and all things seen and unseen were created through Him and for Him (Isaiah 40:28, Genesis 1:1, Colossians 1:16-17).
He is the everlasting God who established time and space, infinitely powerful and eternally wise (Jeremiah 10:10, Genesis 1:6-19, Psalm 147:5, Nahum 1:3-5, Isaiah 40:28).
He is God eternally existing in three distinct Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Deut. 6:4, Matt. 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14). Father existing in divine Eternity, Son who stepped out of glory to be born in the finite, to reconcile temporal to the eternal, and Holy Spirit, eternal presence in the temporal, unto forever.
It’s just exciting as it is intimidating to go into the specifics of Truth, and into the nitty-gritty of what we believe in – I am confident that this will bring us together, and keep us standing through the test of time.
Just as Justinian’s Corpus Juris Civilis’ impacted the laws of the land of nations centuries after it was written, so our Statement of Faith should be relevant in the years to come, no matter who takes charge.
Just as Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England ensured that the American legal system was made accessible to the general public, so our Statement of Faith should be made understandable by both minister and congregation member alike.
I mean, I hope this is all relevant and accessible so far.
Psalm 28
Rejoicing in Answered Prayer
A Psalm of David.
1 To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: Do not be silent to me, Lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplications When I cry to You,When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.
We give glory to God, for we have been saved by His Son, our Rock – Jesus Christ, the Rock of our Salvation. God the Father was silent as Jesus Christ was crying out on the cross. Jesus Christ said, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?‘, so God would hear the voice of our supplications, and give us His attention when we lift our hands towards His holy sanctuary.
(a side note) The impact of sin takes our perspective of seeing God as our Father, just as Christ referred to Him as ‘My God’; It not only separates us from God, but also has us thinking that He has forgotten us.
I remember that one verse where it says that condemnation is when we see the Light but choose the darkness. So sin not only has us thinking that He forgot and forsook us, but we also insist on staying away from Him.
Just things to think about – thankfully, Christ became sin and suffered the separation, the separation anxiety, and died the eventual complete death that all apart from God fall into.
3 Do not take me away with the wicked And with the workers of iniquity, Who speak peace to their neighbors, But evil is in their hearts.
4 Give them according to their deeds, And according to the wickedness of their endeavors; Give them according to the work of their hands; Render to them what they deserve.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD, Nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them And not build them up.
If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, then I believe we ought to consider that the disregard of His works is the beginning of wickedness. It begins in the heart, and overflows in the form of deceit from their lips, and destruction by their hands.
Again, we give thanks to the Lord, we give thanks to Jesus Christ, because we have been given a new heart, from which praises and testimony flow from our lips. As He upholds us with His righteous right hand, so our own hands are trained for war, and our fingers ready for battle. The wicked are torn down, and we are built up.
6 Blessed be the LORD, Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.
8 The LORD is their strength, And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.
9 Save Your people, And bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also, And bear them up forever.
Indeed, let us give thanks to our God, for our Savior, Jesus Christ! For through Christ and His finished work, we not only cry out, not only do we lift our supplications to Him; Because of what Christ has done, we are constantly encouraged to run to God’s throne of grace at our time of need.
We place our trust in the Lord, and we are not put to shame. We are not only restored, but we are strengthened – Twice David sings of our God being our Strength, and our Shield. He is our Power, and He is our Protection.
Thanks be to our Almighty God, great and mighty in power! Thanks to Christ, our Savior and Shepherd!
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