Praising God, the Father of our Lord
We just finished celebrating the incarnation of our Savior, Jesus, and are ready to welcome in a new year. This is the perfect time to gather together with family. For some of us, this is a joyous time of laughter and light-hearted fun. For others, there is pain of family lost or relationships strained. For most us, these times bring a mixture of both. And for ALL of us who are in Christ, we can be reminded and comforted that we have been adopted by God into His everlasting family. We can “come praise and glorify our God, the Father of our Lord” for destining us to be “pure and blameless in His sight… and now we’ve been adopted through His Son eternally”. We know that the day will come when we will spend eternity with our family as perfect brothers and sisters, living in blissful harmony, enjoying the indescribable majesty of our Creator, to the praise of His glory.
Confessing the Sin of Self-Reliance
As we wait in expectation for that day to come, the painful realities of this world are so often all too evident. Everywhere we turn, and everything and everyone we try to depend upon, eventually lets us down. The sin of those around us is clear for us to see. Then we look within ourselves for strength to persevere and find even more ugly realities lurking below the surface. A Mighty Fortress is Our God reminds us that “did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing.” In what ways have you recently sought to strive in your own strength? Let us consider our own sin as we come to our Sunday gathering, seeking forgiveness of our Lord and with each other.
Redeemed to Christ and his family
As believers, we must not despair for “though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.”
For we know that our King, who is also the co-heir of our promised inheritance and our Brother (Hebrews 2:10-11), will redeem us and a family of believers by His power. We can confidently sing together that “no power of hell, nor scheme of man, can ever pluck [us] from His hand, ‘til He returns or calls [us] home, here in the power of Christ [we’ll] stand.” And while we are waiting until that day, the Spirit graciously assures us of our secured eternal destiny.
Come praise and glorify our God
For we’ve believed the Word
And through our faith we have a seal
The Spirit of the Lord
The Spirit guarantees our hope
Until redemption’s done
Until we join in endless praise
To God, the Three in One
Are you excited to worship the Lord with your eternal family as we enter a new year together? Pray for yourself and your family at Baltimore Bible Church to grow our desires and affections for this worship.
