Sabbath Sentiments

We confess and acknowledge one God alone, to whom we must cleave, whom alone we must serve, whom only we must worship, in whom alone we put our trust. Who is eternal, infinite, immeasurable, incomprehensible, omnipotent, invisible; one in substance and yet distinct in three persons, the Father , the Son, and the Holy Ghost. By whom we confess and believe all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, to have been created, to be retained in their being, and to be ruled and guided by His inscrutable providence for such end as His eternal wisdom, goodness, and justice have appointed, and to manifestation of His own glory.
~The Scots Confession of 1560: Of God

Sabbath Sentiments

This morning in worship, we were eloquently reminded of many things, but in an unusual way. The pastor had just fini shed reading to us from Zechariah 12 and 13, and just started his sermon, when one of our elderly sisters, D. who is 84 and has many health problems, had a heart episode. As she slumped in her pew and began to make sounds, two nurses-in-training and two of our elders went to her aid. She was given asprin, and 911 was called. As we waited for the EMTs to arrive, it seemed ridiculous to continue with the sermon. We sang Psalm 100, we prayed, we read Psalms 23 and 24 responsively. Then the Emt's arrived, and we all sat quietly while they did their work. Then the ambulance arrived, and they took D. out on a stretcher. We prayed again. They Pastor Henry took us to Zechariah 12:10 and 13:1:

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn...On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.

Henry reminded us what a beautiful God we serve, One who will provide a place of healing to us. Then we had the Lord's supper together. It was a sweet time of fellowship.

And Miss D. is home, resting, already this afternoon, praise God!

Sabbath Sentiments

Tomorrow, September 1, marks the beginning of the month of Ramadan in the Muslim world. Join many Christians in praying for Muslims during this important month of fasting and feasting by checking out this site. They offer prayer items for the 30 days, along with many other resources. May God be pleased to turn many hearts towards Himself during this time.

Sabbath Sentiments

"To be skilled in the mystery of Christian contentment is the duty, glory and excellence of the Christian. It is an art which must be learned. Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition."

~ Jeremiah Burroughs,

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

Sabbath Sentiments

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,

He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;

To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,

To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,

When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,

When we reach the end of our hoarded resources

Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,

His power no boundary known unto men;

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

Resurrection Day: A glorious Sabbath sentiment...

The Strife Is O'er, The Battle Done: based on the Latin, Fi­ni­ta jam sunt prael­ia, circa 13th century, translated by Francis Pott, 1861

The strife is o’er, the battle done;
The victory of life is won;
The song of triumph has begun: Alleluia!

Refrain

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

The powers of death have done their worst;
But Christ their legions hath dispersed;
Let shouts of holy joy outburst: Alleluia!

Refrain

The three sad days are quickly sped;
He rises glorious from the dead;
All glory to our risen Head! Alleluia!

Refrain

He closed the yawning gates of hell;
The bars from heaven’s high portals fell;
Let hymns of praise His triumphs tell! Alleluia!

Refrain

Lord, by the stripes which wounded Thee,
From death’s dread sting Thy servants free,
That we may live, and sing to Thee: Alleluia!

Refrain

Sabbath Sentiments

With thanks to JT for the link...

Sabbath Sentiments

Lord Jesus,
If I love thee my soul shall seek thee, but can I seek thee unless my love to thee is kept alive to this end?
Do I Love thee because thou art good, and canst alone do me good?
It is fitting thou shouldst not regard me, for I am vile and selfish; yet I seek thee, and when I find thee there is no wrath to devour me, but only sweet love.
Thou dost stand as a rock between the scorching sun and my soul, and I live under the cool lee-side as one elect.
When my mind acts without thee it spins nothing but deceit and delusion; when my affections act without thee nothing is seen but dead works.
O how I need thee to abide in me, for I have no natural eyes to see thee, but I live by faith in one whose face to me is brighter than a thousand suns!
When I see that all sin is in me, all shame belongs to me; let me know that all good is in thee, all glory is thine.
Keep me from the error of thinking thou dost appear gloriously when some strange light fills my heart, as if that were the glorious activity of grace, but let me see that the truest revelation of thyself is when thou dost eclipse all my personal glory and all the honor, pleasure and good of this world.
The Son breaks out in glory when he shows himself as one who outshines all creation, makes men poor in spirit, and helps them to find their good in him.
Grant that I may distrust myself, to see my all in thee.

~Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, A. Bennet, ed.

Sabbath Sentiments: Jeremiah Burroughs

"To be skilled in the mystery of Christian contentment is the duty, glory and excellence of the Christian. It is an art which must be learned. Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition."
~ Jeremiah Burroughs,

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

Sabbath Sentiments

"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors."
--Romans 8:12

As God's creatures, we are all debtors to Him: to obey Him with all our body, and soul, and strength. Having broken His commandments, as we all have, we are debtors to His justice, and we owe to Him a vast amount which we are not able to pay. But of the Christian it can be said that he does not owe God's justice anything, for Christ has paid the debt His people owed; for this reason the believer owes the more to love. I am a debtor to God's grace and forgiving mercy; but I am no debtor to His justice, for He will never accuse me of a debt already paid. Christ said, "It is finished!" and by that He meant, that whatever His people owed was wiped away for ever from the book of remembrance. Christ, to the uttermost, has satisfied divine justice; the account is settled; the handwriting is nailed to the cross; the receipt is given, and we are debtors to God's justice no longer. But then, because we are not debtors to our Lord in that sense, we become ten times more debtors to God than we should have been otherwise. Christian, pause and ponder for a moment. What a debtor thou art to divine sovereignty! How much thou owest to His disinterested love, for He gave His own Son that He might die for thee. Consider how much you owe to His forgiving grace, that after ten thousand affronts He loves you as infinitely as ever. Consider what you owe to His power; how He has raised you from your death in sin; how He has preserved your spiritual life; how He has kept you from falling; and how, though a thousand enemies have beset your path, you have been able to hold on your way. Consider what you owe to His immutability. Though you have changed a thousand times, He has not changed once. Thou art as deep in debt as thou canst be to every attribute of God. To God thou owest thyself, and all thou hast--yield thyself as a living sacrifice, it is but thy reasonable service.

~Morning and Evening by C. H. Spurgeon, "Morning, February 3"

Sabbath Sentiments

I thought I might try to give a great quote or snippet of great preaching, or other appropriate posting on the Lord's Day, or at least on those Lord's Days that allow me the leisure of posting. Today I bring you some excellent John Piper via YouTube.