Happy Resurrection Sunday! Happy Easter! Today we gather for the Sonrise Service at 7:45 at EMU then Breakfast and 10:15 Celebration with 11 am service at ALIVE! Lenawee County.
We cry out CHRIST HAS RISEN! HE HAS RISEN INDEED! HALLELUJAH!! This is the message for the conclusion of the Lord's Prayer that we have studied during the Lenten Season this year. "For thine is the KINGDOM and the POWER and THE GLORY Forever. AMEN" is a great way to end the prayer our Lord teaches his disciples how to pray. You will have to look at the notes in your Bible on Matthew 6 to see that this is added in some manuscripts. Many scholars believe it was added because it shows up in the late first century Didache, (teaching of the twelve apostles) as part of the liturgy as the response in the Eucharist and at the end of the Prayer. It is an amazing summary of how we should feel after we hear the Lord's answer to "But deliver us from evil" where he says "yes" because he has defeated Satan, sin and death with his blood on Calvary and proven in the empty tomb we celebrate today! We celebrate this every Sunday! He has risen and therefore we know we have the victory in Christ!
Today we will attempt on this Resurrection Sunday to express what these words summarize that our Lord is KING, HE has the POWER and HE deserves the GLORY Forever! AMEN means "let it be so" we pray that all we have prayed for, according to God's will, will be done among us.
I hope we all get a chance, as we join together in the family of God, to celebrate and experience the presence of our Risen Lord in the Worship service through HIS Word and the Lord's Supper! I know that because we have the worship time around the Lord's supper I often feel that our words do not even come close to expressing the experience. It is the AWE of being in the presence of our Lord in the HOLY of HOLIES that causes me to just summarize with the words "For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever AMEN!"
We will hear the words of a sainted preacher who shared this with his congregation when he tried to express how we feel coming face to face with our Risen Lord:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzqTFNfeDnE
INDESCRIBABLE CHRIST
Dr. S.M. Lockridge was the Pastor of
Calvary Baptist Church, San Diego CA from 1953 - 1993. He entered heaven
in 2000. He is well-known for a passage out of his sermon titled “He’s
My King”:
“He’s enduringly strong, He’s entirely sincere,
He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially
powerful. He’s impartially merciful. He’s God’s Son. He’s a sinner’s
savior. He’s the centerpiece of civilization. He stands alone in
Himself. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He’s supreme. He’s
preeminent. He’s the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest idea
in philosophy. He’s the fundamental truth in theology. He’s the miracle
of the age. He’s the only one able to supply all of our needs
simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak. He’s available for
the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He guards and He
guides. He heals the sick, He cleans the lepers. He forgives sinners,
He discharges debtors, He delivers captives, He defends the feeble, He
blesses the young, He serves the unfortunate, He regards the aged, He
rewards the diligent, He beautifies the meek. Do you know Him?
Well,
my king is the king of knowledge, He’s the well-spring of wisdom, He’s
the doorway of deliverance, He’s the pathway of peace, He’s the roadway
of righteousness, He’s the highway of holiness He’s the gateway of
glory, He’s the master of the mighty, He’s the captain of the
conquerors, He’s the head of the heroes, He’s the leader of the
legislators, He’s the overseer of the overcomers, He’s the governor of
governors, He’s the prince of princes, He’s the king of Kings and the
Lord of Lords.
His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless.
His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His word is enough.
His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy and
His burden is light. Well. I wish I could describe Him to you. But He’s
indescribable. Yes. He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible, He’s
irresistible. I’m trying to tell you, the Heavens cannot contain Him,
let alone a man explain Him. You can’t get Him out of your mind. You
can’t get Him off of your hands. You can’t outlive Him, and you can’t
live without Him. Well. The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found
out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him.
Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave
couldn’t hold Him. That’s my king!
He always has been, and He
always will be. I’m talking about He [who] had no predecessor and He
[who] has no successor. There was nobody before Him and there will be
nobody after Him. You can’t impeach Him, and He’s not going to resign.
We try to get prestige and honor and glory to ourselves, but the glory
is all His. Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever,
and ever, and ever, and ever. How long is that? And ever, and ever, and
ever, and ever, and when you get through with all of the forevers, then
'Amen'."
“Oh I wish I could describe him to you.”
May we recognize our indescribable LORD and simply summarize him with the words: FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOREVER AND EVER AMEN!
Happy Easter to you and your family,
CHRIST HAS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! HALLELUJAH! AMEN!
Pastor Bryan
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