Words by David Hollows
Our Authentic God
Why are you cast down, my soul and why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him for I shall yet praise Him who is the help of my countenance and my God. (Psalm 42 verse 11)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, I admit that I am a sinner. I confess my sins to you, especially those upon my conscience. I firmly believe that you died for me to bear away my sins. And now, according to your promise, I open my heart to you. Come in, Lord Jesus, and be my Saviour and Friend forever.
Amen
Praise the Lord! For the Lord is good. Sing praises to His name for He is gracious and lovely. (Psalm 135 verse 3)
Photo by Lilian Dibbern Via Unsplash
Now spend as much time as you wish praising and thanking God with the hymns/songs of your choice for which you may wish to use CDs or YouTube.
You may like to include the following:
O for a thousand tongues to sing (Mission Praise 496 and you select the tune you know best!)
You are now invited to spend as much time as you wish giving thanks to God in prayer for all that you have received from His hand this week. You may wish to include this prayer as well.
Dear Lord, it seems that you are so madly in love with your creatures that you could not live without us. So you created us and then, when we turned away from you, you redeemed us. Yet you are God and so have no need of us. Your greatness is made no greater by our creation and your power is no stronger by our redemption. You have no duty to care for us and no debt to repay us. It is love and your wonderful love alone which moves us and we thank you, our great God,
Amen.
Bible reading; The Gospel of John chapter 10 verses 1 to 16.
Key idea: Jesus said;
‘I am the good Shepherd; I know and recognise my own and my own know and recognise me’ (John chapter 10 verse 14)
The guitar was replicated many times, the same type of wood was used, the same design and the instrument played well giving a fantastic sound. But it was not the same as the original, even though the price tag of the replica was in the thousands of pounds per guitar. Not because the replica guitar did not look or sound the same rather it was because of the instrumentalist, the guitar player. The musician was George Harrison of the Beatles, he was the master strummer and no replica of his guitar could match the original when his fingers strummed the chords.
Sometimes it is easy to forget that we have a relationship with an authentic God. Despite what society informs us about secularism and consumerism, no matter what we learn from other world religions, there is only the One true and living God and the Bible is very clear about the nature of our God.
The Commandments given to Moses are very clear; ‘You shall have no other gods before or besides me’ and ‘You shall not make yourself any graven image.’ (Exodus chapter 20)
Joshua reminds the people of Israel; ‘for you cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God, He is a jealous God.’ (Joshua chapter 24 verse 19) God is ‘jealous’ in His intensity of His love for His people. Paul reminds the believers at Corinth that God keeps His relationship with His people; For we are the temple of the living God who said; ‘I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them. I will be their God and they shall be My people’ (2 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 16) We have a God who is not distant and aloof rather He hears and cares and provides; God heard the cries of desperation of His people in Egypt prior to the release from hundreds of years of slavery (Exodus chapter 6) In the many miracle stories involving Jesus we read how God heals, liberates from sin and death as well as feeding the people both physically and spiritually. Our God is trustworthy (Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 7) and gives us His peace (John chapter 14 verse 27)
Photo by Alice Donovan Rouse via Unsplash
Our God is a God of grace; He gives us all that we do not deserve (Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8) and it is by His free gift of grace that we are saved from ourselves for all eternity (2 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 9)
We have a God who is always and ever present (Matthew chapter 28 verse 20) and we have a God who loves us to the ultimate (John chapter 3 verse 16) Our God is the real deal.
In his first letter to the believers at Thessalonica, Paul writes these words in verse 9 of chapter 1; ‘you have turned from your idols to serve a God who is alive and true and genuine’
How authentic is your relationship with God?
A prayer of response:
Holy God, there is none other like you. Forgive me when I turn to other gods and neglect you. Give me the faith and grace to put you always first in my life that my relationship with you may be real and authentic, that I may love you in the way you love me, utterly and totally. Amen
Prayer for others, please now use the time to have to pray for those you know and love in need at this time as well as for the many in our world who need a blessing and answer from our God. You may wish to include the following prayer:
Lord God Almighty, our Creator, teach us to understand more and more profoundly that every human life is sacred, whether it belongs to an unborn infant or to a terminally ill patient, to a handicapped child or a disabled adult. Remind us, heavenly Father that each individual has been made in your image and likeness and has been redeemed by Jesus at the cross. Help us to see each other with your eyes, so that we may reverence , preserve and sustain your gifts of life in them and use our own lives more faithfully in your service. We ask this in the name of Jesus.
Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
Praise time; please now use this opportunity of time to praise God with your favourite hymns/songs. You may like to use the following suggestion of a golden-oldie hymn; O happy day (Mission Praise 499)
The Blessing:
Now the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, to whom be glory forever and ever.
Amen
Extra: if you have access to YouTube either on-line or TV, please try this new worship song;
Thank you for sharing your worship with us. God bless you