May our Lord be pleased to bless His Word planted in the hearts of our children.

WITHOUT ME YE CAN DO NOTHING – John 15:5

Doesn’t our Lord’s statement show us the necessity of seeking Him? Without Christ we cannot have spiritual life, we cannot repent, we cannot have faith, we cannot have forgiveness of our sin, we cannot worship, we cannot pray, we cannot come to the Father, we cannot know the way of salvation, we cannot know the truth, we cannot understand the Bible, or anything else you can think of. Without Christ we can do nothing but go to hell and without Christ we will forever BE nothing!

Nothing so quickly exposes the enmity, the bitter hatred, of the heart of man toward God as the declaration of his absolute sovereignty in the exercise of his grace, having mercy on whom he will have mercy and hardening whom he will harden; and nothing more rejoices and humbles the heart of those who are born of God.

Pastor Don Fortner

WHY DO WE GO TO CHURCH?

This is something that our children wonder. It is a good and fair question that we should ask ourselves before our children or anyone else asks us. Do we go to church because that is our habit on Sundays and Wednesdays? Do we go to church to feel better about ourselves? Do we go to church to appear righteous to others? Do we go to church to worship the Lord and be fed from His Word?

The Lord told Moses that children would ask about the Passover: “And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?” (Exodus 12:26) The Lord gave fathers the answer to give: “It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.” (Exodus 12:27)

The reason believers go to the worship service is to be reminded how the Lord delivered His elect people, spiritual Israel, by suffering and dying as their substitute. They go to hear how the sacrifice of Christ has set His people free from sin, death, and hell. They go to the worship service to hear again how the blood of Christ has blotted out their sin and they are safe from God’s wrath under the blood of Christ. And believers go to the worship service to bow in the heart and worship such a wonderful Savior who would do something so wonderful for a wretch like me.

Is that why you have come to the worship service this morning?

The mere knowledge of facts about the Bible, and even about the person and work of Christ, will not save us unless that knowledge leads us to really and truly trust our souls in the blessed Redeemer’s hands. Faith must act in this fashion: “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; that He came to save sinners, and therefore, as a sinner, I rest myself on Him. I know that His righteousness and blood justify the ungodly; therefore, I trust Him to be both my righteousness and redemption before God.