"Make Time To Worship Jesus ... "

Make time to worship Jesus. There is nothing more important than this!
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Luke 2:8-20; Matthew 2:1-12

The shepherds and the wise men seem so different from us! Everything seems so long ago and so far away! Are they really any different from us? Can we dare to forget the lessons we learn from the shepherds and the wise men? Some may say, ‘It was different back then. Life was so simple. Now, there are so many distractions. There are so many other things for us to do’. Listen to this kind of talk, and you are listening to the voice of Satan! The devil will fill our lives with all kinds of things. He will keep us so busy that we forget all about worshipping Jesus! More than ever before - in our world of so many distractions - we need to learn from the wise men and the worshipping shepherds. Make time to ‘worship Jesus’ (2). There is nothing more important than this - ‘glorifying and praising God’ (20).

God Is Not Exalted Because We Exalt Him. We Exalt Him Because He Is Exalted.

‘I will exalt You, O Lord’(Psalm 30:1). God is not exalted because we exalt Him. We exalt Him because He is exalted: ‘He is exalted, for ever exalted, and I will praise His Name’(Mission Praise,217). How do we come to the point where we say, ‘I will exalt You, O Lord’? We realize our need of Him - ‘when You hid Your face, I was dismayed’(Psalm 30:7). We look to Him for mercy - ‘To You, O Lord, I called; to the Lord, I cried for mercy’(Psalm 30:8). God hears and answers our prayer - ‘You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy’(Psalm 30:11). God calls us to worship Him - ‘Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy Name’(Psalm 30:4). ‘The joy of the Lord’, His ‘unutterable and exalted joy’, gives us ‘strength’(Nehemiah 8:10; 1 Peter 1:8). We worship God: ‘O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever’(Psalm 30:12).

Remembering Our Saviour

Our understanding of God's Word is to be filled with worship. Our reading of Scripture will be enriched as we think also of the songs of praise we offer to God as we worship Him. We remember our Saviour. He died for us and was raised again for us. We remember Him as we read the Scriptures which tell the wonderful story of His great love for us. We remember Him as we sing our songs of praise to Him. As we remember our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, let us rejoice in His great salvation and His mighty triumph over Satan.

Christmas Worship

Here are a few articles you may find helpful.

Preparing for Christmas: Learning from Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26-38, 46-55)

Preparing for Christmas: Learning from John the Baptist (Luke 1:13-17; John 1:19-34)

Wise men (and women) still seek Jesus (Matthew 2:1-12)

Jesus Christ - “God with us” (Matthew 1:23) - is truly God and truly Man

Jesus: God with us, God for us, God in us

Invitation, Protection, Victory (Matthew 1-2)

A Journey with Christ (Matthew 1:5-6; John 8:1-11)

Matthew 1:1-25

The Virgin Birth - Believing the Fact and Receiving Its Message

Let us go to Bethlehem.

Looking back from Bethlehem, looking on from Bethlehem

We look back from Bethlehem - back to the very beginning.

First Sunday after Christmas Day: Isaiah 63:7-9; Psalm 148; Hebrews 2:10-18; Matthew 2:13-23

Season of Christmas: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day) II – Isaiah 62:6-12; Psalm 97; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2: (1-7), 8-20

Season of Christmas: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day) I – Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

A Christmas Message

Jesus Christ - God with us: Readings in John, Matthew and Luke

Christ is born: Readings in Luke and Matthew

The Birth of Christ: Readings in Matthew and Luke

What Is Happening When We Are Gathered Together For Worship?

1 Kings 8:54-9:28
What is happening when we are gathered together for worship? Is this merely a human thing, something which we do? No! - There is something more. God is at work. He is there to ‘incline our hearts to Him…’(58). Before we have gathered, God is there, waiting for us, ready to speak His Word: ‘Let your heart be wholly true to the Lord your God…’(61). God wants us to be holy. He wants us to be wholly true to Him. Holiness is no ‘kill joy’ affair. It is a life of joy and gladness (66). There is here a very important lesson: Seek holiness and you will find happiness. Seek happiness in yourself and you will not find it: ‘If you turn aside from following Me’, you ‘will become a heap of ruins’(6-8). What a mess we make of things when we forget about God! Let’s ‘walk before Him with integrity of heart’(4).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

No Person Or Place Is More Important Than The Lord.

1 Kings 8:14-53
The person who leads us in worship, the place where we worship or the God whom we worship - Which is the most important? We know what our answer should be. No person or place is more important than the Lord. Often, we take our eyes off the Lord. Solomon directs our attention to the Lord. Leading ‘all the assembly of Israel’ in worship, he says, ‘Blessed be the Lord’(14-15). The glory does not belong to Solomon. It belongs to the Lord. In his prayer, Solomon contrasts the place where we worship with the God whom we worship: ‘Heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Thee; how much less this House which I have built!’(27). We must think big thoughts about God. He is ‘the God of Israel’ (15, 17, 20, 23, 25-26). He is more than that. He is our God. He loves all nations (Isaiah 45:22; 49:6; Acts 13:47; John 3:16).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Before We Ask, "How Can I Live A Godly Life? How Can I Serve The Lord?", We Must Ask The 'Salvation' Question, "What Must I Do To Be Saved?''

Leviticus 24:1-25:24
'Pure' worship is to be offered 'continually': This is what God is looking for (1-8). 'Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? Who shall stand in His holy place?': No-one else but Christ - He alone 'has clean hands and a pure heart', He alone 'will receive blessing from the Lord' (Psalm 24:3-5). Our worship is offered to God - in Christ... to the praise of His glorious grace' (Ephesians 1:3,6). This is our worship, this is our joy - We have been reconciled to God 'through our Lord Jesus Christ' (Romans 5:11). The 'jubilee' - 'fiftieth year' (25:11): Half a century is such a short time in the light of eternity (James 4:14). God has been good to us. How have we lived? How much do we love God? How much have we loved one another? Rededicate yourself to 'the Lord your God' (25:17).

Leviticus 25:25-55
Moral conduct is to be grounded in divine redemption. Throughout the detailed ethical instructions, there is the recurrent emphasis on God's salvation: 'I am the Lord your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt (Salvation) to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God (Sanctification)... For to Me the people of Israel are servants (Service) whom I have brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God' (38,55). Salvation; Sanctification; Service. We do not begin with the questions, 'How can I live a godly life? How can I serve the Lord?' We begin with the question, 'What must I do to be saved?'. God's answer is clear: 'Believe in the Lord Jesus ...` (Acts 16:31).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

The Pathway To Holiness: 'By Grace You Have Been Saved Through Faith... For Good Works.'

Leviticus 20:1-27
The life of holiness is not an expression of our own moral virtue. It is an expression of the holy character of God being reproduced in us: 'I am the Lord who sanctify you' (8). God wants us for Himself - This is why we must not live the world's way: 'I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine' (26). God has a great purpose for us: 'You shall inherit their land... I will give it to you, a land flowing with milk and honey' (24). 'You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies... my cup overflows' (Psalm 23:5). 'The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly... in Christ Jesus' (1 Timothy 1:14). This is the pathway to holiness: 'By grace you have been saved through faith... for good works' (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Leviticus 21:1-22:16
We are sanctified by the Lord (21:8,15,23; 22:9,16). It is His doing - God's call to holiness is founded in His gift of holiness: 'the Holy Spirit...has been given to us' (Romans 5:5) - 'every virtue we possess... every victory won... every thought of holiness, are His alone' (Church Hymnary, 336). When we are so conscious of our own weakness, God says, 'I am the Lord' (21:12; 22:2-3,8). He is more than sufficient for our justification, sanctification and glorification. Between our justification (the forgiveness of our sins) and our glorification (heaven) there is our sanctification ('conformed to the image of His Son'). This is God's doing. From beginning to end, it is the work of God (Romans 8:28-29). We lack faith, we lack holiness, we lack perseverance: In this we rejoice - 'Salvation is of the Lord' (Jonah 2:9).

Leviticus 22:17-23:44
God says, 'I am the Lord' (22:30-33): Let Him be 'your God' (23:14,22,28,40,43,). We are to 'worship in Spirit and in truth' - 'in the Spirit on the Lord's Day' (John 4:24; Revelation 1:10) When Christ died - This was the day of atonement. We worship Him, 'our Passover Lamb' (22:28; Exodus 12:13; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8). After 'fifty days' came the Day of Pentecost - What a day that was (Acts 2:4,16-21,41)! Bring 'the first fruits of your harvest' (9): 'What can I give Him? - my heart' (Church Hymnary, 178). Blow the trumpet (23:23; Joel 2:1,15) - It must be a 'clear call': 'Get ready for battle' (1 Corinthians 14:8). On the 'day of worship' (3), God is preparing us for the rest of the week: 'Be strong in the Lord' (Ephesians 6:12). Pray for the 'fire' of God (8,18,25,27,36-37; Acts 2:3-4).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com