Greetings Redeemer family,

Before jumping into an introduction to this week’s service, I want to give you all a quick update on my vocal condition. As most of you know, I’ve been suffering from voice problems for the past couple of months, and have sought the counsel of various doctors and therapists.  With their help, my condition has been steadily improving – as I’m now able to reliably talk without losing my voice.  However, it will still be a few more months before I am able to sing and lead through an entire Sunday like I could previously.  In the interim, Greg Yates has graciously stepped in to help with vocal leadership on Sunday mornings, and he is doing a fantastic job.  I truly appreciate your prayers for my continued recovery, as well as for the worship ministry as we navigate this difficult period.

As I prepare for worship this Sunday, I’m reminded of a conversation I had with a few weeks ago.  A good friend of mine from seminary is a student at Duke’s divinity school, working on his doctorate in New Testament studies.  We were talking about some of his professors and classes,  and the challenges that come from studying the Bible from teachers that often don’t believe it to be the inspired Word of God.  As we talked about these professors, I couldn’t help but think of all the work they took to get academic credentials for a religion they didn’t believe in.  We kept coming back to the same question: what’s the point?  Why spend all that time and money and energy on something you don’t even believe to be true?  Why bother?

This is a great question for us to wrestle with this week.  As we return to John 10 together, Mike will be teaching us on Jesus’ claims of divinity.  Critical scholars often claim that Jesus never said He was God.  They’ll readily promote Jesus as a revolutionary teacher and a great moral example, yet they just as quickly state that the early church got it wrong to think that Jesus was God.  But if He was just a good teacher, then why all the fuss?  Why have churches and hymns and missions?

So what difference does it make for you?  I’d assume that most of us would readily confess that Jesus was more than a martyr, but rarely do we sit in wonder of the majesty and glory that He is God in flesh.  Like my friend’s professors, we can talk very intelligently about the words of the Bible – but these truths ought to shake us.  They should surprise and scandalize us.  The wonder of Jesus as fully man and fully God ought to move us to worship.

At Redeemer, we often turn to older texts to remind us of the majesty and glory of God.  This week, we pull from many hymns of the church to give words to our worship.  These songs speak loudly about Jesus as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – the very God of very God.  My prayer is that the Spirit will use these words to renew in you a sense of awe at the name of Jesus.  May every knee bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord of all.

Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne.
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity.

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Your great Name we praise.

These first two hymns speak of the person of Christ as worthy of praise and honor, for who He is and what He has done.  The words call us to gather together as a community to worship Him.  This is the Church: those that confess these Truths, celebrate His worth, and live lives changed by His gospel.

The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is His new creation by water and the Word.
From heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her and for her life He died.

In his classic work, Cur Deus Homo, the early church theologian Anselm set out to answer the question “Why did God become Man?”  His conclusion is amazingly straight-forward: Only a man can die for man’s sins.  To free us from the punishment that our sins deserved, the perfect God came and offered Himself as a substitue.  He took the guilt upon Himself, so that we might be washed clean.

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow that makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know; Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Having been reminded of the power of the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from sin, we will take some time to confess our sins before the Holy and Perfect God.  This order is intentional.  Only when we are secure in the pardoning love of Christ will we feel free to confess the depths of our lost estate.   This love also is also what motivates us to resist sin, as we desire to be drawn into closer fellowship with the God who saved us.  Below is the prayer of confession that we will pray together.

Lord Jesus, I have sinned times without number, and been guilty of pride and unbelief, and of neglect to seek you in my daily life. My sins and shortcomings present me with a list of accusations, but I thank you that they will not stand against me, for all have been laid on Christ. Deliver me from every evil habit, every interest of former sins, everything that dims the brightness of your grace in me, everything that prevents me taking delight in you. Amen.

We close our service with another familiar hymn of Jesus’ kingdom reign over all things.  This expression of His majesty is what motivates us to live for Him every day and to share His Gospel with others.  I love John Piper’s reminder that “Missions is not the end goal, worship is.  Missions exists because worship does not.”  Our lives before the watching world ought to point towards Christ in all of His glory and splendor.  This is not simply that people would think that we are different, or so that they might pray a prayer and attend church.  The goal is that all would be inspired to worship Him as well, joining with us and the company of Heaven singing of Jesus Christ, Lord of all.

All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all

Let ev’ry kindred, ev’ry tribe on this terrestrial ball
To Him all majesty ascribe, and crown Him Lord of all
To Him all majesty ascribe, and crown Him Lord of all

O that, with yonder sacred throng, we at His feet may fall
We’ll join the everlasting song, and crown Him Lord of all
We’ll join the everlasting song, and crown Him Lord of all

Longing to join that song,

Tim Sharpe
Director of Worship
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Lynchburg VA