Look inside this book.Where the Bush is Burning: A Daily Devotional by [Thomas Tice]

Tag: Hebrews 12
Preparing for Worship

Preparing for Worship

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…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:2

Sunday June 25, 2017

9:30 am Worship Service

650 Kennedy Drive, Northglenn

Scripture:  Hebrews 11:32-12:2

And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.  Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment.  They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented- of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Sermon:  Looking Unto Jesus – Tomm Tice

  1.  The people of God have always looked to Christ.
  2. Christ is the Great Pattern for the behavior of His people.
  3. Christ enables His people to follow in His footsteps.

Catechism:  Westminster Shorter Catechism Question #81

What is forbidden in the tenth commandment?

The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbor, and all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his.

1 1 Corinthians 10:10. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. James 3:14-16. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
2 Galatians 5:26. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Colossians 3:5. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Worship

As the Deer

Amazing Grace (Traditional)

Grace that is Greater than all my sin
The Great Pattern

The Great Pattern

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The Great Pattern

…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2

As we continue to dwell upon this text, we consider what the writer is urging us, as readers, to do. In due course of time, we intend to examine the practical implications of this urging. For the minute, in preparation for that, let us, please, consider this. We look to Christ, first as our Redeemer. Apart from His Imputed Righteousness, we have no acceptance with God. Beyond that, when it comes to matters of practical holiness, Christ is the quintessential ‘Christian.’ He is the Great Pattern of Holiness. Our text declares, ‘…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ Notice, please, the example which Christ sets. ‘Who for the joy that was set before Him,’ tells us that He took the eternal view. Christ had the larger purpose of God’s Providential End in view.  His Joy would be the redemption of all whom the Father had given Him. To that end, He ‘endured the cross, despising the shame.’ Christ willingly submitted Himself to every conceivable indignity, endured all the horrific abuse, gave Himself over to the cruelest of executions, all to the end purpose of completing the overarching Purpose of the Sovereign God. Although we, in no way, can hope to understand the complexities of all that God is doing in us, with us and through us, yet we may look to Christ, Our Great Pattern, to observe how He did. It is the contemplation of Christ, that leads to the imitation of Christ.

Our Great and Gracious Savior,
we rejoice that You have done all things well.
You are the Divine Template,
after which we may pattern ourselves.
By the power of Your Holy Spirit,
renew us in the whole person after the Image of Your Own Great Self.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

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