Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The Lord's Day




"What creation teaches us about the use of time. What is a year? A year is the measurement of the amount of time that it takes the earth to orbit the sun; alright?—simple enough. What is a month? A month is a unit of time corresponding approximately to one cycle of the moon’s phases. What is a day? A day is a unit of time corresponding to one cycle of the earth’s rotation on its axis.

What’s a week? A week is the only unit of time that does not correspond to the cycle of any heavenly body—no moon, no sun, no stars. A week is an ecclesiastical measurement of time that only makes sense in light of the creation account in Genesis. It’s the only reason we have the concept of a week—Genesis 2:1-3. So, the Lord’s Day and the pace of life—“Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days, you shall labor and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord, your God. On it, you shall not do any work—you, your sons, your daughters, your male servant, your female servant, your livestock, or the sojourner within your gates. For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, because of what God did in creation, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

So, what does this teach us? What does this concept teach us? This is not about how you observe the Sabbath; okay? We can have discussions about that, but that’s not the point right now because, regardless of where you are theologically on that, this still matters. It teaches us the balance of work and life. It teaches us the balance of work and life. That’s written in the creation and written in the Scripture. It teaches us the priority of worship. One day in seven; one day in seven; one day in seven. It always comes, and it’s always His. We’re always reminded that it is the center point of our lives.

In fact, in the New Testament—it’s a very interesting point here. In the New Testament, you don’t find days of the week. In the Greek New Testament, you won’t find the names of the days of the week; okay? It is: first day of the week, second day of the week, third day of the week. So, what happens is—the Lord’s Day becomes the center of all time. Everything else is measured by its distance from the Lord’s Day—the priority of worship—this teaches us the sovereignty of God."
Pastor Voddie Baucham

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.  And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.  So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. 
Genesis 2:1-3

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Monday, June 24, 2013

Role Reversal

I've been doing this Bible study with my daughter, Grace.  The was part of our reading tonight.  It was so good I just wanted to share.

"You see, when God created male and female, He provided an object lesson-a visible testimony-to His entire plan of redemption (Ephesians 5).

History started with God creating a man and a woman and uniting them as husband and wife because it will end with the marriage and spiritual union of Christ the bridegroom and His Bride, the Church.

God had the end in mind before the beginning.  He had the marriage and union of Christ and the Church in mind when He created gender.

Manhood, womanhood, marriage, and sex are images that exist for the express purpose of pointing us to something else.  They are mini lessons that tell the amazing story of the gospel!

The cosmic love story is so magnificent that God chose to put it on display permanently.  Everywhere.  Men were created to reflect the strength, love, and initiatory self-sacrifice of Christ.  Women were created to reflect the character, grace, beauty, and responsiveness of the Bride He redeemed.

Imagine that!  YOUR womanhood was created to tell the spectacular story of what a love relationship with Jesus is all about!"

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.  "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."  This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.  However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.  
Eph 5:22-33, ESV

Becoming God's True Woman...While I Still Have a  Curfew
page 121




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