Created in Christ Jesus for good works

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.    Eph 2:10 (ESV)

We Will Work Till Jesus Comes

Elizabeth Mills

(1805-1829)

O land of rest, for thee I sigh!
When will the moment come
When I shall lay my armor by
And dwell in peace at home?

We’ll work till Jesus comes,
We’ll work till Jesus comes,
We’ll work till Jesus comes,
And we’ll be gathered home.

To Jesus Christ I fled for rest;
He bade me cease to roam,
And lean for comfort on His breast
Till He conduct me home.

We’ll work till Jesus comes,
We’ll work till Jesus comes,
We’ll work till Jesus comes,
And we’ll be gathered home.

I sought at once my Savior’s side;
No more my steps shall roam.
With Him I’ll brave death’s chilling tide
And reach my heav’nly home.

We’ll work till Jesus comes,
We’ll work till Jesus comes,
We’ll work till Jesus comes,
And we’ll be gathered home.



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Mr. Meant-To has a comrade,

And his name is Didn't Do;

Have you ever chanced to meet them?

Did they ever call on you?

These two fellas live together

In the house of Never-Win,

And I'm told that it is haunted

By the ghost of Might-Have-Been.

"Work while it is called today, for you know not how much you may be hindered tommorrow.  One today is worth two tommorrows; never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today."  - Benjamin Franklin

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Work for the Night Is Coming

Annie L. Coghill

1836–1907

1. Work, for the night is coming,
Work through the morning hours;
Work while the dew is sparkling,
Work 'mid springing flowers;
Work when the day grows brighter,
Work in the glowing sun;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man's work is done.

2. Work, for the night is coming,
Work through the sunny noon;
Fill brightest hours with labor,
Rest comes sure and soon.
Give every flying minute,
Something to keep in store;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man works no more.

3. Work, for the night is coming,
Under the sunset skies;
While their bright tints are glowing,
Work, for daylight flies.
Work till the last beam fadeth,
Fadeth to shine no more;
Work, while the night is darkening,
When man's work is o'er.

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Soli Deo Gloria

ah

TRUTH (Ravi Zacharias)

Celebrate the Resurrection!

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Jesus

John 14:6 (ESV)

TRUTH

Ravi Zacharias

Sermon Jam

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"He is Risen!"
ah

Click Here To Find Out More About Jesus

There is a Fountain

"On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness."   Zech 13:1 (ESV)



There is a Fountain
William Cowper
1772

1. There is a fountain filled with blood 
 drawn from Emmanuel's veins; 
 and sinners plunged beneath that flood 
 lose all their guilty stains. 
 Lose all their guilty stains, 
 lose all their guilty stains; 
 and sinners plunged beneath that flood 
 lose all their guilty stains. 

2. The dying thief rejoiced to see 
 that fountain in his day; 
 and there may I, though vile as he, 
 wash all my sins away.
 Wash all my sins away, 
 wash all my sins away; 
 and there may I, though vile as he, 
 wash all my sins away. 

3. Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood 
 shall never lose its power 
 till all the ransomed church of God 
 be saved, to sin no more. 
 Be saved, to sin no more, 
 be saved, to sin no more; 
 till all the ransomed church of God 
 be saved, to sin no more. 

4. E'er since, by faith, I saw the stream 
 thy flowing wounds supply, 
 redeeming love has been my theme, 
 and shall be till I die. 
 And shall be till I die, 
 and shall be till I die; 
 redeeming love has been my theme, 
 and shall be till I die. 

5. Then in a nobler, sweeter song, 
 I'll sing thy power to save, 
 when this poor lisping, stammering tongue 
 lies silent in the grave. 
 Lies silent in the grave, 
 lies silent in the grave; 
 when this poor lisping, stammering tongue 
 lies silent in the grave.

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"He is Risen!"
ah

The Grace of the Cross

O MY SAVIOR,
I thank Thee from the depths of my being
    for Thy wondrous grace and love
    in bearing my sin in Thine own body on the tree.
May Thy cross be to me
     as the tree that sweetens my bitter Marahs,
     as the rod that blossoms with life and beauty,
     as the brazen serpent that calls forth the look of faith.
By Thy cross crucify my every sin,
use it to increase my intimacy with thyself;
make it a ground of all my comfort,
    the liveliness of all my duties,
    the sum of all Thy gospel promises,
    the comfort of all my afflictions,
    the vigor of my love, thankfulness, graces,
    the very essence of my religion,
and by it give me that rest without rest,
    the rest of ceaseless praise.

OH MY LORD AND SAVIOR,
Thou hast also appointed a cross for me to take up and carry,
    a cross before Thou givest me a crown.
Thou hast appointed it to be my portion,
     but self-love hates it,
     carnal reason is unreconciled to it,
     without the grace of patience I cannot bear it,
       walk with it, profit by it.
Oh blessed cross, what mercies dost thou bring with thee.
Thou art only esteemed hateful by my rebel will,
     heavy because I shirk thy load.
Teach me, gracious Lord and Savior,
     that with my cross Thou sends promised grace
     so that I may bear it patiently,
     that my cross is Thy yoke which is easy,
     and Thy burden which is light.

From Valley of Vision – A Collection of Puritan Prayers  page 172

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"He is Risen!"
ah

Calvary's Anthem

Calvary's Anthem

Heavenly Father,
Thou hast led me singing to the cross
     where I fling down all my burdens and see them vanish,
     where my mountains of guilt are leveled to a plain,
     where my sins disappear, though they are the greatest that exist,

    and are more in number than the grains of fine sand;

For there is power in the blood of Calvary
     to destroy sins more than can be counted
     even by one from the choir of heaven.
Thou hast given me a hill-side spring
     that washes clear and white,
    and I go as a sinner to its waters,
    bathing without hindrance in its crystal streams.
At the cross there is free forgiveness for poor and meek ones,
    and ample blessings that last for ever;
The blood of the Lamb is like a great river of infinite grace
     with never any diminishing of its fullness
     as thirsty ones without number drink of it.

O Lord, for ever will thy free forgiveness live
     that was gained on the mount of blood;
In the midst of a world of pain
     it is a subject for praise in every place
    a song on earth, an anthem in heaven,
    its love and virtue knowing no end.
I have a longing for the world above
     where multitudes sing thy great song,
     for my soul was never created to love the dust of earth.
Though here my spiritual state is frail and poor,
     I shall go on singing Calvary's anthem.
May I always know that a clean heart full of goodness
     is more beautiful than the lily,
that only a clean heart can sing by night and by day,
that such a heart is mine when I abide at Calvary.

From The Valley of Vision - A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions page 173

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"He is Risen!"

ah

Behold Our God (Risen)

"Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here...  Mark 16:6 NKJV

Behold Our God

Jonathan Baird, Meghan Baird, Ryan Baird, Stephen Altrogge

2011

Verse 1
Who has held the oceans in His hands?
Who has numbered every grain of sand?
Kings and nations tremble at His voice
All creation rises to rejoice

Chorus
Behold our God seated on His throne
Come, let us adore Him
Behold our King—nothing can compare
Come, let us adore Him

Verse 2
 Who has given counsel to the Lord?
Who can question any of His words?
Who can teach the One who knows all things?
Who can fathom all His wondrous deeds?

Verse 3
Who has felt the nails upon His hands?
Bearing all the guilt of sinful man
God eternal, humbled to the grave
Jesus, Savior, risen now to reign

Tag
You will reign forever
Let Your glory fill the earth

From the album Risen (Soverign Grace Music)

He's Alive

And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.

Mark 16:6 (ESV)

He's Alive

Don Francisco

1977

The gates and doors were barred
And all the windows fastened down
I spent the night in sleeplessness
And rose at every sound
Half in hopeless sorrow
And half in fear the day
Would find the soldiers breakin' through
To drag us all away

And just before the sunrise
I heard something at the wall
The gate began to rattle
And a voice began to call
I hurried to the window
Looked down into the street
Expecting swords and torches
And the sound of soldiers' feet

But there was no one there but Mary
So I went down to let her in
John stood there beside me
As she told me where she'd been
She said they might have moved Him in the night
And none of us knows where
The stone's been rolled away
And now His body isn't there

We both ran toward the garden
Then John ran on ahead
We found the stone and empty tomb
Just the way that Mary said
But the winding sheet they wrapped Him in
Was just an empty shell
And how or where they'd taken Him
Was more than I could tell

Oh something strange had happened there
Just what I did not know
John believed a miracle
But I just turned to go
Circumstance and speculation
Couldn't lift me very high
'Cause I'd seen them crucify him
Then I saw him die

Back inside the house again
The guilt and anguish came
Everything I'd promised Him
Just added to my shame
When at last it came to choices
I denied I knew His name
And even if He was alive
It wouldn't be the same

But suddenly the air was filled
With a strange and sweet perfume
Light that came from everywhere
Drove the shadows from the room
And Jesus stood before me
With his arms held open wide
And I fell down on my knees
And I just clung to Him and cried

Then He raised me to my feet
And as I looked into His eyes
The love was shining out from Him
Like sunlight from the skies
Guilt in my confusion
Dissappeared in sweet release
And every fear I'd ever had
Just melted into peace

He's alive yes He's alive
Yes He's alive and I'm forgiven
Heaven's gates are open wide
He's alive yes He's alive
Oh He's alive and I'm forgiven
Heaven's gates are open wide
He's alive yes He's alive
Hallelujah He's alive
He's alive and I'm forgiven
Heaven's gates are open wide
He's alive He's alive He's alive
I believe it He's alive
Sweet Jesus

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"He is Risen!"

ah

Disturb Us, Lord

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ.

Sir Francis Drake - 1577

Family Worship Resolution from 2010 Southern Baptist Convention

Here is the text to the Resolution on Family Worship that came out of last years SBC. More than likely you have never heard it mentioned. However, this one is worth taking the time to read along with the scripture references that are in it. Doing what I can to "promote family worship and encourage the families ... to place the highest priority on embracing this foundational spiritual discipline for the well-being of families, the spread of the gospel, the making of disciples, and the glory of God."  My prayer is that this work challenges and encourages parents. - ah 

RESOLUTION ON FAMILY WORSHIP

Adopted by the Messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention in annual session on June 16, 2010 in Orlando, FL

WHEREAS, The Bible teaches the spiritual discipline of family worship for the glory of God, the strengthening of the church, and the spiritual nourishment of the family (Deuteronomy 6:1-18; Psalm 78:1-8; Ephesians 4-6); and

WHEREAS, Scripture pictures the Christian home as a place in which parents are instructed to teach and disciple their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:1-18; Ephesians 6:1-4); and

WHEREAS, Family worship has been a cherished Southern Baptist principle reflected in church covenants which have called believers “to maintain family and secret devotions” and “to religiously educate” their children; and

WHEREAS, In recent years, family worship has been emphasized in The Baptist Faith and Message, which states that “Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth”; and

WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have launched major initiatives which have brought to the forefront the need for families to pray, read from the Bible, memorize scripture, and give praise to the Lord within their homes; and

WHEREAS, In 2009, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention included family worship as a key catalyst for a Great Commission resurgence calling on Southern Baptists “to build gospel-saturated homes that see children as a gift from God and as our first and primary mission field”; and

WHEREAS, Family worship is integral to laying a foundation for multi-generational faithfulness to the gospel (Psalm 145:4) and a necessary complement for the strengthening of the local church to fulfill its commission (Matthew 28:18-20); and

WHEREAS, Family worship serves as an important preparation for the corporate worship of the local church on the Lord’s Day (Ephesians 4:11-16; Hebrews 10:25); and

WHEREAS, In recent generations, the act of family worship has been neglected, evidenced by the breakdown of the family in our time; and

WHEREAS, The embracing of the spiritual discipline of family worship in the Christian home has the capacity to nurture stronger families, a stronger church, and a stronger nation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Orlando, Florida, June 15-16, 2010, encourage churches and families to rekindle the spiritual discipline of family worship; and
be it further

RESOLVED, That we define family worship as the regular meeting together of a family for a time of prayer and Bible reading, which may include other activities such as scripture memorization, singing spiritual songs and hymns, and discussing biblical truth and Christian mission; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage families to cultivate not only structured times of worship together, but also ongoing intentional and informal conversations about the things of the Lord; and be it further

RESOLVED, That as we call families and churches to embrace family worship, we urge fathers particularly to fulfill their divinely mandated responsibility to lead their families toward spiritual maturity (Ephesians 5:22-6:4; Colossians 3:19-21); and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage all parents to consider times of family worship to be an opportunity to introduce their children to the gospel, to train their children to seek the salvation of their friends and neighbors, and to pray for the nations; and be
it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage churches and families to make use of the many resources produced to aid in family worship; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we urge the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention and their pastors to promote family worship and encourage the families of their congregations to place the highest priority on embracing this foundational spiritual discipline for the well-being of families, the spread of the gospel, the making of disciples, and the glory of God.
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For some practical resources on family worship, see:

www.familyworshipguide.net

www.voddiebaucham.org (Family Driven Faith)

www.answersingenesis.org (Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World, Already Gone)

www.radicalexperiment.org (scroll down to section on Family Worship)

www.faithbeginsathome.com

www.BiblicalSpirituality.org  (Family Worship, In the Bible, in History & in your Home)

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Soli Deo Gloria

ah

Hallelujah Chorus/The Old Rugged Cross

It is good to sing the "Hallelujah Chorus," but we must also sing, "On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame" --because there God displayed his glory in Christ Jesus, who thus became our tabernacle, our temple, the meeting place between God and human beings.  - D. A. Carson


Hallelujah Chorus
George Frederic Handel
1741

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

The kingdom of this world
Is become the kingdom of our Lord,
And of His Christ, and of His Christ;
And He shall reign for ever and ever,
For ever and ever, forever and ever,

King of kings, and Lord of lords,
King of kings, and Lord of lords,
And Lord of lords,
And He shall reign,
And He shall reign forever and ever,
King of kings, forever and ever,
And Lord of lords,
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

And He shall reign forever and ever,
King of kings! and Lord of lords!
And He shall reign forever and ever,
King of kings! and Lord of lords!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!

The Old Rugged Cross

George Bennard

1913

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, The emblem of suff’ring and shame; And I love that old cross where the dearest and best For a world of lost sinners was slain. Refrain:           So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,           Till my trophies at last I lay down;           I will cling to the old rugged cross,          And exchange it some day for a crown. Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, Has a wondrous attraction for me; For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above To bear it to dark Calvary. In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, A wondrous beauty I see, For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died, To pardon and sanctify me. To the old rugged cross I will ever be true; Its shame and reproach gladly bear; Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away, Where His glory forever I’ll share.

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Soli Deo Gloria
ah