"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)
WORSHIP CHRIST THE LORD Tune to "O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM" Words by JIM BYRD
1. Sing praises to the Son of God, Who down from heaven came; To save His people from their guilt, From misery and shame. Down from His heav’nly glory The Savior came to earth; And angels looked with holy awe, On their Creator’s birth.
2. God in the flesh, the Son of Man, Our Prophet, Priest and King; The Seed of woman came to earth, Salvation thus to bring. In love and great compassion, The great Redeemer died; He reconciled us to our God And we are justified.
3. Christ was the perfect sacrifice, Who put away our sin; The sword of justice pierced His soul, It smote Him deep within. O’er sin and death He triumphed, His greatness let us own; Our Savior reigns forevermore, Upon His sovereign throne.
4. Bow down and worship Christ the Lord, His wonders gladly tell; All fulness of the Godhead three, In Christ the Savior dwell. The only Mediator, On Him our hopes depend; He is our Savior, God and King, Our Advocate and Friend.
Daily Readings: Dec.16-22 Sunday - Hebrews 5-7 Monday - Hebrews 8-10 Tuesday - Hebrews 11-13 Wednesday- James 1-5 Thursday - 1 Peter 1-2 Friday - 1 Peter 3-5 Saturday - 2 Peter 1-3
SCRIPTURE READING: LUKE 1:46-55 (pew Bible, p. 750)
HOW GOOD? How good does one have to be to get to heaven? Will God accept sincerity? Will God accept you if you do the best you can and live a good life? Can you get to heaven if, from this day forward, you serve the Lord? Anyone who knows anything about God and His Word knows the answer to these questions must be AN EMPHATIC NO! (Romans 3:20-28). It is not possible for any man to do or think anything that is good or acceptable before God (Isaiah 64:6). God cannot and will not accept anything less than WHAT HE IS, which is absolute perfection. He says in Leviticus 22:21, "It shall be perfect to be accepted." In order to get to heaven by our works, we must be as good as God, perfect in all things - - perfect in heart, perfect in thought, perfect in works, PERFECTLY HOLY! Is there, therefore, no hope? Must we all perish forever? NO! Blessed be the Lord, our God! In Christ He has found a way to be both just and Justifier; He has found a way to make fallen, sinful people like us perfect, perfectly holy and perfectly accepted. Now this perfection is not of us, in us, nor through us, nor the result of anything we do or have done. It is entirely the work of God’s free grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. God has taken Christ’s perfect righteousness and imputed it to us, making us to be the very righteousness of God in Him (Romans 4:6). The penalty against sin was paid in full by the doing, suffering, and dying of our Lord Jesus Christ as the sinner’s Substitute (2 Corinthians 5:21). –Scott Richardson
ONE WAY "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me" (John 14:6). Christ is not the way to the Father in the sense of one who goes before sinners and says, "follow in my footsteps and I will show you the way to God." He is more than a teacher who points out the way or gives directions as to how we can find the way. No! He is Himself the Way to God, salvation, life, righteousness, forgiveness and acceptance. Christ and His sacrificial death is the only Channel through which God comes to sinners, and undeserving sinners draw near to God. He is "the Way" by the Father’s appointment for He honors every attribute of God, and He meets the sinner’s every need. He is the Way into everlasting bliss, and He is the Way into the presence of the Father. There is no other means to approach a just God so as to be received except by this divinely appointed Way. He alone can present us faultless and without blame before the presence of God in His imputed righteousness. He alone can render our service and worship acceptable to the Father. "By Him let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God" (Hebrews 13:15). God will not peaceably draw near to any sinner nor can any sinner successfully draw near to God except through this Mediator and His one sacrifice for sin. There is ONE WAY to God and that way is not Mary, some other dead saint or any deed performed by the sinner. The ONE Way to God is "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). –Pastor Jim Byrd
Older
Top
