Veil Drawn Back: Corporate Gathering October 16, 2011

The book of Amos is a like a lawsuit document against the foolishness of Israel. The imagery is that of a righteous warrior encircling his enemy to bring vengeance on God’s people for the acts of injustice they and the surrounding nations have been committing. The reason for the lawsuit is based on God’s revealed wisdom, not necessarily God’s revealed law. So it is as if God is saying, “Stop being so stupid! Return to wisdom before your actions get you killed!” For us today, God’s threat to bring justice in spite of our foolishness means that if we get in the way of God’s care for the poor and helpless, the fatherless and the widow, we will find ourselves going against God. But God loves us so much that he will discipline us and chastise us and warn us before he would destroy us. In fact, at the point in which destruction is the only way to make things right in this world, God chooses to bring the destruction upon himself. This is where the divine warrior imagery and the cross of Christ meet. The cross turns the table on vengeance as we see that Jesus is the Divine Warrior who goes to war with sin and death showing them to be foolish and putting them to shame. So because of the cross, we are redeemed from our foolish ways, and the shame that belongs to us is placed on sin and death, and because of the resurrection, sin and death are now stupefied never again to have power in our hearts. This frees us to live seemingly (to the world) foolish lives for the sake of Christ! With this knowledge we can enter into the drama of Amos looking forward to the freedom that Christ offers…

We are gathered in the name of the Lord.

Thanks be to God!

Wisdom vs Foolishness--Psalm 94:1-13

O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve! O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage. They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless; and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.” Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge—the LORD—knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath. Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law, to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.

Holy, Holy, Holy

Public Domain / R. Heber & J. Dykes / CCLI#1888005

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.
Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, Holy, Holy! All the saints adore thee,
casting down their golden crowns

around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
Who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy; there is none beside thee
perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name,

in earth and sky and sea;
Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Rescued from the Shame of Foolishness—Colossians 2:13-15

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Death In His Grave

Though the earth cried out for blood

Satisfied her hunger was

Billows calmed on raging seas

For the souls of men she craved

Sun and moon from balcony

Turned their head in disbelief

Precious Love would taste the sting

Disfigured and disdained

On Friday a thief on Sunday a King

Laid down in grief but woke with the keys

Of hell on that day the first born of the slain

The Man Jesus Christ laid death in His grave

Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh

So three days in darkness slept

The Morning Son of righteousness

But rose to shame the throws of death

And overturn His rule

Now daughters and the sons of men

Would pay not their dues again

The debt of blood they owed was rent

When the day rolled a new

He has cheated hell and seated us above the fall

In desperate places He paid our wages

One time once and for all

Confession Prov. 30:1-3, 7-9

The man declares, I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out. Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Public Domain / I. Watts & L. Mason / CCLI#1888005

When I survey the wondrous cross

on which the Prince of glory died,

my richest gain I count but loss,

and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

save in the death of Christ, my God;

all the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to his blood.

See, from his head, his hands, his feet,

sorrow and love flow mingled down;

did e'er such love and sorrow meet,

or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

that were a present far too small;

love so amazing, so divine,

demands my soul, my life, my all.

The Wisdom of Christ—1 Cor. 1:27-31

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

The Power of the Cross

O to see the dawn of the darkest day; Christ on the road to Calvary.

Tried by sinful men, torn and beaten, then nailed to a cross of wood.

This the pow’r of the cross: Christ became sin for us.

Took the blame, bore the wrath; we stand forgiven at the cross.

O to see the pain written on your face, bearing the awesome weight of sin.

Ev’ry bitter thought, ev’ry evil deed crowning your blood-stained brow.

Now the daylight flees; now the ground beneath

quakes as its Maker bows his head.

Curtain torn in two, dead are raised to life – “Finished!” the victory cry.

O to see my name written in the wounds, for through your suff’ring I am free.

Death is crushed to death, life is mine to live, won through your selfless love!

This the pow’r of the cross: Son of God slain for us.

What a love, what a cost! We stand forgiven at the cross.

CLOSING SONG

Jesus Messiah

He became sin, who knew no sin that we might become his righteousness;
he humbled himself and carried the cross. Love so amazing, love so amazing.

Jesus, Messiah, name above all names,

blessed Redeemer, Emmanuel;
The Rescue for sinners, the Ransom from heaven;
Jesus, Messiah, Lord of all.

His body the bread, his blood the wine, broken and poured out all for love.
The whole earth trembled, and the veil was torn.
Love so amazing, love so amazing.

All our hope is in you, all our hope is in you;
all the glory to you, God, the Light of the world.

Veil Drawn Back

Veil Drawn Back

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Corporate Gathering October 16, 2011

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