I changed my sermon late Thursday night. I lived in New Orleans for Katrina and heard the comments from Christians about God Judging the city and all and it pissed me off. When I heard Pat’s comments last week and then heard a local pastor repeat them at an association meeting I took a break from the book of James to preach on Luke 13. What did Jesus say when we are confronted by a tragedy. He said repent or you will likewise perish. It baffles me that Christian leaders so miss God’s grace and stand in judgment when they should be on their knees thanking God that they were spared and have the chance to repent [emphasis added].

- Aaron Arledge, from The Boar’s Head Tavern

Sermon Poetry, 13 December 2009
Sermon Title – “Keeping the Unity of the Holy Spirit”
Sermon Text – Ephesians 4:1-7

In Christ we’ve life that comes from God
As men once blind we see
We’re called to love our Sovereign King
The One by whom we’re free
The sin within is raging fierce
The Spirit holding strong
Lord, give us strength to keep Your Word
Your worship be our song

In Christ we’re one, we’re unified
Once sinners all, we’re free
How do we love the ones of God?
How do we love our King?
We hate and lie, we cheat and steal
Despising Jesus’ own
Once enemies, now brothers all
We praise our Lord enthroned

We’re children of our Lord and King
Of every race and tongue
But now, in Christ, we all are His
In Christ the Church is one
We all were sinners foul and rank
Depravity was ours
But now in Christ we’re saved and cleansed
His mercy on us poured

We’re called to join with Jesus’ own
Submitting one to all
Forgiving fellows’ heinous sins
And asking love for ours
We’re bound to do the dirty work
Of loving fellow men
We’re called to build relationships
With those redeemed from sin

Lord please forgive us when we lose
The point of Jesus’ love
When pride and arrogance is strong
O’er others placed above
Lord humble us, Your mercy heal
In spirit make us poor
Relying on Your loving grace
To others place before

Your grace convict me to repent
And turn from all my sin
In self-control to love Your own
My family and my kin
You saved my soul, You made me live
You’ve loved me as Your son
In Christ my heart is born again
Redemption You have won

Leviticus 14:1-32

At first glance, this passage in Leviticus 14 is simply a set of ceremonial rules to make a formerly leprous man ceremonially clean once again.  This passage is not giving rules for making a leprous man clean or verifying the leprous man had been cleansed (that was provided in the immediate context).  But, if a man had been cleansed, this passage lays out some rules to make him once again clean and acceptable to come back into the camp of God’s people.

This is more than just an emotionless, rote religious ceremony.  In the rules themselves we can see something of the holiness of God.  It is interesting that it is not enough for the leprous man to simply be made well, but that that man must also take the extra steps to be made clean.  It’s not enough to simply not be dirty or defiled, but to be even in the same camp as God a man must be truly clean and set apart

Yet, who can really do this?  If simply having leprosy was enough to defile you before God, what about the more vile and wicked things we do?  Do those not separate us from God even more?  After all, the man cleansed from leprosy had to take two birds, kill one, dip the live bird (along with hyssop, cedar and scarlet yarn) in the blood of the dead bird (over running water) and then sprinkle that blood and water mix over the man seven times (the number of completeness) in order for the man to come back into the camp.  Yet, that man was still not ready to enter his tent, as he had a bit of bathing and shaving and waiting to do and then he had to sacrifice a spotless lamb for a guilt offering and some grain for a grain offering and after all of that, then he could be cleansed!

Thank God for Christ!  In Christ we are cleansed!  We’re washed with HIS blood and clothed with HIS righteousness.  We no longer need the sacrifices of lambs and birds and grain to atone for our defilement.  Christ’s work on the Cross was greater than Namaan’s miraculous healing at the hand of Elijah or Christ’s healing of the Ten Lepers.  His sacrifice was complete and his body was broken and bruised.  Like the killed bird and the sacrificed lamb, Christ was slain so that we might be acceptable before God.  In Christ and Him alone we have access to the Father and we are always admitted into His body, the Church.  Christ’s work accomplished a spiritual cleansing; something much deeper than anything the Old Testament priest could provide. In Christ, that work of salvation has been completed and our sins are forgiven and Christ loves us and we are loved by the Father, no matter our sicknesses, foibles or sins.  In Christ even the poorest and nastiest and grossest of us can have forgiveness and admittance and access to the Father.  Thanks be to God!

Sermon Poetry, 11 October 2009
Sermon Title: “Resurrected and Reconciled to Worship”
Sermon Text: Ephesians 2:19-22
Preacher: Pastor Larry Vincent

I once was dead, I’m now a saint
In Christ I’m made alive
No growth exists where death is king
In Christ does life now thrive

In Christ, the Jew and Pagan live
His Grace is large and wide
So all who do believe in him
Might live in Jesus Christ

In Christ the Gentile and the Jew
Are saved and made as one
We are the Church, the Bride of Christ
The Body of the Son

Of every tribe and race and tongue
Are men and women saved
To glorify our God above
And worship all our days

United are the Father’s Own
In Christ our hearts remade
To join the worship of the Lamb
By Him our souls are saved

Yes, I know that this song is way over-played and I know that there is not a ton of in-your-face theology being expressed here. But, the desire is appropriate and simply put, I love the song. So there. ;-)

Brandon Heath – Give Me Your Eyes from Brandon Heath on Vimeo.

Sermon Poetry, 4 October 2009
Sermon Title – “A Review of the Advantages and Difficulties of the Christian Life from Ephesians”
Sermon Text – Ephesians 4:17-32
Preacher – Pastor Larry Vincent

Good God, I’m a sinner
I love myself more than my neighbors around
My love is for me more than the Father, my God
Lord, save me by slaying my heart

Sweet Jesus, I’m helpless
I haven’t the strength to obey your commands
Your Salvation can’t come from keeping Your Law
Lord, save me by Jesus Your Son

Holy Spirit, I’m failing
Without Your good work, I will not become holy
I can’t and I won’t grow by myself in this world
Lord, save me and bring me to glory

I’m a Husband, a Father, Employee and Churchman
I’m called to obey in the paths that I tread
Without Jesus’ love and His Grace I will falter
Lord help me to love and to live for Your Name

Lord, bring me repentance
To honor Your name
So I’ll be like Jesus
Your mercies proclaim

Folíonn grá gráin – “Love veils ugliness”

Perhaps the most perplexing question I’ve ever considered is this: “Why Grace?”  Why would God love me?  There is nothing to commend myself to God.  There is nothing in me that would be in any way attractive to Holiness.  I am but a lowly creature and God is the lovely Creator.

I break God’s Law, I impugn His Name, I spit on His Mercies and I do not love my fellow urchins.  I am ungrateful, irresponsible, and I dwell too much on wickedness.  There is nothing beautiful in me and nothing that is truly loveable.

Yet …  God still loves me.

I am a wicked man.  Perfection is as much an impossibility for me that it is nigh impossible to concoct anything more impossible.

Yet, God loves me.

In fact, He loves me enough to sacrifice His perfect and utterly loving and loveable Son on my behalf.

It is this great truth that is the key.  In Christ, my lack of righteousness is veiled in the covering of Christ’s perfect righteousness.  In His great love for me, God sent His Son to die so that I might be cleansed by His blood and covered in the white robes of His holy obedience.  In Christ, my sinful ugliness is veiled and covered in Christ’s righteous loveliness.  In Christ, my God’s love covers my repulsiveness.

The beauty of such a reality?  There is absolutely nothing we can do to earn God’s love and favor.  Nothing at all.  We are complete sinners completely at the mercy of a holy God.  Yet, in Christ we can be saved, loved and fully accepted into relationship with the Father, the God of the all things.

Believe in Christ and be saved.  So hard, yet so very easy.  Believe in Christ.

Preacher – Jarrett Downs
Sermon Title – “Laodicea: The Church that Needed Nothing”
Sermon Text – Revelation 3:14-22

Jesus, You’re the Way, the Life, the Witness True
Your Word is Truth, You are the Truth
The Logos e’er divine

Forgive me, Jesus forgive me!
Neither hot nor cold, I’m tepid still
Repulsive to your taste

Forgive me, Jesus forgive me!
I think I’m rich and self-supplied
With nothing that I need

Have mercy, Jesus have mercy!
I’m naked, blind and wretched full
A man who’s pitied most

Have mercy, Jesus have mercy!
I think I’m rich, you know I’m poor
A man in need of Grace!

Have mercy, Jesus have mercy!
I’m poor, a wretched fool am I
A man deserving naught

Have mercy, Jesus have mercy!
Without Your Love I’m worse than sin
I don’t deserve rebuke

Sweet Jesus, sweet sweet Jesus!
You’ve saved a sinner poor and blind
You’ve clothed me in Your Love

Sweet Jesus, sweet sweet Jesus!
You condescend to Love this son
You bled so I might live

The mercy of Jesus, mysterious thing
The love of our Savior makes us want to sing
His praises loud, He is God

He brings to His children the trials of life
He teaches us patience, our Lord loves His Bride
And cares for her, He is God

Chorus:
Our God loves us, and cares for us
And though we might suffer through much
He’s faithful in His grace
He loves us, He teaches us patience
His mercy flows over anew
Come comfort yourself dearest brethren
Our Jesus reigns ever in Heaven
And He shows us His strange mercies
Our Savior came down to live here as a man
He humbled Himself as a part of God’s plan
He lived for us, He is God

Why did Jesus die to give us all new lives
The Groom chose to suffer in love for His Bride
He died for us, He is God

Chorus

His people for ages have suffered and died
They’re martyred for Jesus, they’ve bled and they’ve cried
They die for Christ, He is God

We have tribulations as we’re sanctified
We suffer for Jesus, we who are His Bride
We live for Him, He is God

And though we have trials, our God holds us still
We worship our Father, submit to His Will
Our Sovereign King is our God

Chorus