This Week at Hope – Beloved Let us Love One Another
Beloved,
Sermon Text for Sunday: The apostle John cannot get over the love of God for undeserving sinners. Nor can he get over how important that his little children understand that love flows from God, and through His church only as they understand the love that was demonstrated in the good news of Jesus Christ’s incarnation and suffering for sin. Our text begins, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God…” Let’s spend this week meditating and talking about the love of God, and what it looks like, as we prepare for the exposition of 1 John 4:7-16 on Sunday.
On Thursday at the Bible Survey – “Rediscovering the New Testament Church,” Scott Brown will teach through Paul’s letter to Philemon. It is a letter that shows how love works in the church when someone is wronged. It preaches the value of regeneration, and restoration on many levels. You can come to Scott’s library at 5:00pm or join in the lifestream. To catch the messages on the gospels, Acts, Romans… and the rest of the sessions leading up to Philemon, click on the link to listen on Sermonaudio for all the New Testament Survey messages.
Please pray for Jason Dohm and I as we are going to meet Carlton McLeod and his staff to pray at noon on Thursday about how we might work to get the message about family reformation to black pastors.
Continue to pray for the elders, and for all of us as we consider our options regarding our meeting place. We desire to have full confidence in the Lord for this matter and are waiting on Him for that confidence.
On Wed, Prayer will be held at the Brown’s Barn. In preparation for prayer tonight, notice the things that formed the content of Pauls prayer for Philemon and the church that was gathering in his house, “I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, 5 hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, 6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. 7 For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.” Philemon 4-7
We will be singing many songs of love on Sunday as you see below:
- O Great God
- More, More About Jesus
- The Love of God
- Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery
- Behold the Lamb
O Great God
O great God of highest heaven
Occupy my lowly heart
Own it all and reign supreme
Conquer every rebel power
Let no vice or sin remain
That resists Your holy war
You have loved and purchased me
Make me Yours forevermore
I was blinded by my sin
Had no ears to hear Your voice
Did not know Your love within
Had no taste for heaven’s joys
Then Your Spirit gave me life
Opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son
Gave me endless hope and peace
Help me now to live a life
That’s dependent on Your grace
Keep my heart and guard my soul
From the evils that I face
You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed
O great God of highest heaven
Glorify Your Name through me
More, More About Jesus
More about Jesus would I know,
More of His grace to others show,
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love who died for me.
More, more about Jesus,
More, more about Jesus,
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love who died for me.
More about Jesus let me learn,
More of His holy will discern;
Spirit of God, my Teacher be,
Showing the things of Christ to me.
More about Jesus in His Word,
Holding communion with my Lord;
Hearing His voice in ev’ry line,
Making each faithful saying mine.
More about Jesus on His throne,
Riches in glory all His own;
More of His kingdom’s sure increase;
More of His coming, Prince of Peace.
The Love of God
The love of God is Greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell
The guilty pair, bowed down with care
God gave His Son to win
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure –
The saints’ and angels’ song!
When years of time shall pass away
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall
When men who here refuse to pray
On rocks and hills and mountains call
God’s love so sure shall still endure
All measureless and strong
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race –
The saints’ and angels’ song
Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Tho’ stretched from sky to sky
Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery
Come behold the wondrous mystery
In the dawning of the King
He the theme of heaven’s praises
Robed in frail humanity
In our longing, in our darkness
Now the light of life has come
Look to Christ, who condescended
Took on flesh to ransom us
Come behold the wondrous mystery
He the perfect Son of Man
In His living, in His suffering
Never trace nor stain of sin
See the true and better Adam
Come to save the hell-bound man
Christ the great and sure fulfillment
Of the law; in Him we stand
Come behold the wondrous mystery
Christ the Lord upon the tree
In the stead of ruined sinners
Hangs the Lamb in victory
See the price of our redemption
See the Father’s plan unfold
Bringing many sons to glory
Grace unmeasured, love untold
Come behold the wondrous mystery
Slain by death the God of life
But no grave could e’er restrain Him
Praise the Lord; He is alive!
What a foretaste of deliverance
How unwavering our hope
Christ in power resurrected
As we will be when He comes
Behold the Lamb
Behold the Lamb who bears our sins away
Slain for us and we remember
The promise made that all who come in faith
Find forgiveness at the cross
So we share in this bread of life
And we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bonds of peace
Around the table of the King
The body of our Saviour Jesus Christ
Torn for you eat and remember
The wounds that heal the death that brings us life
Paid the price to make us one
So we share in this bread of life
And we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bonds of love
Around the table of the King
The blood that cleanses ev’ry stain of sin
Shed for you drink and remember
He drained death’s cup that we may enter in
To receive the life of God
So we share in this bread of life
And we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bonds of grace
Around the table of the King
And so with thankfulness and faith we rise
To respond and to remember
Our call to follow in the steps of Christ
As His body here on earth
As we share in His suffering
We proclaim Christ will come again!
And we’ll join in the feast of Heaven
Around the table of the King