The Guide for the Week
March 24-30th 2024 Holy Week
Bible Passage for the Week
Proverbs 18:11-20
Matthew 21:1-12
Psalm 24
Psalm 117
Verse to Memorize
Revelation 4:11
Catechism Questions:
Q. Why did Jesus go to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday? A. To do the will of the Father, to fulfill prophesy, and to die for sinners.
Q. How did Jesus come into Jerusalem? A. He humbly rode on a donkey.
Q. What did the people do when Jesus came into Jerusalem? A. They spread out palm branches and their coats along the road and shouted ““Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
Q. What does Hosanna mean? A. Please save us now.
Q. What did Jesus do after he rode into Jerusalem? A. He drove the money changers out of the temple.
Q. Why did Jesus drive the money changers out of the temple? A. Because they were using God’s house for their own selfish gain and because God’s house is supposed to be a place of prayer.
People to Pray for:
Church: Immanual Baptist Church
Pastor Ryan Fullerton
Ministry: Sovereign King Academy
Civil Magistrate: Jeffersonville City Council
Jacky Snelling
Notes for Parents:
Proverbs 18:11-20
Verse 19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a citadel.
In 1953, Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon wrote their comedic but popular song "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" on the 500th anniversary of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans on May 29, 1453. Constantinople was built in 330 under the Roman Emperor Constantine, from whom it gets its name. This great city was the imperial capital for Rome and the Byzantine Empire. It had been attacked 36 times throughout its history but was never completely conquered and re-owned as when the Ottoman Empire was able to do so. It was a formidable and strong city. For 800 years, the Theodosian Walls, regarded by historians as the strongest and most fortified walls in the ancient and medieval era, protected Constantinople from attack. It would take an all-out and sustained attack by a stronger opponent to win it. The Ottomans brought in the big guns, literally. With firepower, they were able to create gaps in the walls and make their way in.
The proverb says that a brother who is offended is harder to win than a strong city. When someone is offended, they begin to put up walls against the one who hurt them. They begin to wall themselves off. They go into defensive mode, and every attempt to communicate with them is taken as an assault.
You may have heard a husband say about his wife, "I can't say anything to her without her taking offense." In that marriage, it feels like every conversation is a battle because in every conversation, the people are in defense mode. You can’t even say hello it seems without the other person seeing some ill intention in it.
This is what bitterness and strife do. It is what happens when we give offense and take offense. We begin to look with suspicion at the one who caused offense. We start keeping a catalog of all the things that they have done. And now every new action is seen in light of that offense. When we are offended by something someone said or did, we often let that conversation or action replay over and over again in our minds. We will have 100 conversations with the person in our mind. We then project on that person exactly what we would think or feel in the situation. We are mind-readers without the ability to read minds but with the hubris to think we can. When we are offended, we become more fortified than Constantinople.
But this is not how brothers are to live. They should not live perpetually at war, even if it is a cold war. Brothers are to do battle together against the enemy. Yet, all of us are sinful. We sin against God and each other. We do many things that can give offense, and we are often easy to take offense.
So what do we do?
Let's bring out the big guns.
Let us all learn from the brother of Christ, James, when he says we are to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slower to anger. We all need to learn control of our tongues while also working hard to listen. And not just listen to what we think the other person is saying but what they are actually saying. We also need to develop thick skin. We want to work hard not to be quick to take offense.
Let us learn from the Apostle Paul that Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. We all need to get out our ledgers of offense and start erasing them. Ask God to let you forgive and forget petty things. Have pity on the weaknesses of your brothers rather than take offense at them. And hope for the best. Try to give your brother, your wife, your husband, your children, your coworker, your elders, your pastors, your friends, the benefit of the doubt. Work hard not to think the worst of them. Let your defensive walls be to keep out the devil and the way he wants to take offense, but let your gates be open to goodness and truth.
Let us learn from our Savior Jesus Christ, who said, “Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” Go quickly to make peace with those you have offended. And if he has sinned against you, go to him. Don’t go to everyone else. Forget all the imaginary conversations in your head; go have a real one with your brother. And if you sinned, pull out all stops to show your love and to seek forgiveness. Another proverb we read this week is helpful, “A man’s gift makes room for him.” Give a gift, take a brother out to dinner, or do something to show your sincerity. Knock down the walls.
Matthew 21:1-12
This passage details the events of what we effectively call Palm Sunday. Jesus, in His earthly ministry, spent the majority of His time in the northern region of Israel, which is called Galilee. It was away from the main religious center and among the people who were fishermen. He spent His time with people who often interacted with many Gentiles. As He traveled throughout the land, He called people to repent and believe in Him. In this passage, Jesus begins His journey to the cross by triumphantly entering the royal and religious city of Jerusalem. He is a king coming in fulfillment of scripture, riding on a donkey.
Before Christ first comes into town, He sends His disciples to procure a donkey. He is going to use someone’s property for His service. Jesus enters the town to great fanfare from His disciples, who recognize the significance of His coming, goes into the temple and expels the greedy money changers, before traveling to Mary and Martha’s house to visit with them. There, Martha is upset that Mary is sitting at the feet of Christ, while she does all the work, or so it seemed to her.
Throughout this account, whether Christ is entering the town, the temple, or Mary and Martha’s house, Christ is central. He does what He pleases, and He makes demands upon the people. He demands the use of their possessions, their time, and their hearts. He demands that idolatry and greed be removed.
Jesus has not changed. What if Christ came into our town, our church, or our home? Would we be like the owner of the donkey who was ready to give his belongings when the Lord had need? Would we be quick to give our time, our efforts, our finances, and our hearts to the Lord?
If Christ rode triumphantly into our church, would He be the focus of our worship? What would He drive out of our church building? Would we be like the little children who praise His name or like the Pharisees who despised Him and plotted to kill Him?
What if Christ came to visit us as He did Mary and Martha? Would He find us working feverishly like Martha and with the same bitterness in our hearts towards others who didn’t seem to serve enough? Or would He find us seeking to serve Him with joy, knowing that the better part is to spend sweet fellowship with Christ? It’s not that we shouldn’t serve, but our service should be in faith, with joy, and regard for what Christ does, not with an eye to whatever everyone else seems not to be doing.
Christ does come to our towns, our churches, and our homes. His eyes are on all the earth. We ought to be faithful to receive Him as King and live our lives singing Hosanna and Hallelujah.
Psalm 24
What did you learn from the sermon this past week? What were truths that you need to believe? What were sins that you were convicted of? Where do you need to obey? Talk these things over as you read this passage.
Psalm 117
This is the shortest Psalm and the shortest chapter in the entire Bible. It consists of two verses. Yet, it contains an important truth: all nations are called to praise God for His lovingkindness. God's covenant promises were always intended to reach the nations. God chose Abraham and his descendants so that the entire world would be blessed. All people everywhere should worship and laud God. His love is great, and His truth lasts forever.
Practically, the brevity of this Psalm teaches us to be in constant praise of God. It obviously would not take much time to pray or chant this short psalm. It could easily be called to mind and lifted up to the Lord at any time. Whether you are just putting your feet on the floor for the first time after waking up, or whether you have just received word of a promotion at work. It could be lifted up when you are sick or while you wait for your car to be towed after an accident. The praises of the Lord don’t always have to come in long worship services. They should be on our tongues at all times because the lovingkindness of the Lord is great toward us at all times.
One of my favorite Christian bands, the OC Supertones, captured God’s love for us even in the mundane times with the following lyrics:
“You know when I'm standin' up and when I'm falling down
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
And you know if I'm hungry, tired, or feeling kind of low
Why you care, I just don't know
I cast all my life and all my cares and everything on you
He cares for you like no one else
Every time I shed a tear, it matters, it matters
Every time I'm cold with fear, it matters, it matters
When I got a broken heart, it matters, it matters
Every time I fall apart, it matters, it matters
When I think I'm all alone
On the road or when at home
Every time I have to sneeze
Every single breath I breathe
When I'm in the dentist's chair, it matters, it matters
Anywhere and everywhere, it matters, it matters”
God’s love for us is amazing. We therefore should always be ready to lift up praises to His name. Whether at church, in our homes, or at the doctor’s office.
How to Pray for Those we are praying for:
Immanuel Baptist Church
Heavenly Father, We lift up Immanuel Baptist Church in Louisville, led by Pastor Ryan. You have guided them and expanded their reach. We ask for continued steadfastness in their journey. Grant them the courage to declare Your gospel boldly within their community, influencing many to surrender their lives to Christ. Strengthen the families within Immanuel Baptist, anchoring them in the solid truth of Your Son and Your Word. Amen.
Sovereign King Academy
Lord Almighty,
We bring before You Sovereign King Academy and Pastor Greg Anglen. As he embarks on laying the groundwork for this new endeavor, provide him with wisdom and discernment. We seek Your blessing to meet their financial goal of $80,000 in the coming months. Guide Greg's steps as he reaches out to contacts, initiating this vital work. Remind us that with Your presence, this project will stand firm and flourish. Be with all the children who will attend this school. You have already marked out their days. Make this school useful for them and for your kingdom.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Jeffersonville City Council Steven Webb:
Sovereign Lord, We lift up Jacky Snelling and his colleagues on the Jeffersonville City Council. Impart to them Your divine wisdom for every decision and judgment they face. May they pursue righteousness over popularity, steadfastly opposing policies that foster immorality. Guide them to safeguard the rights and freedoms You have bestowed upon the people of Jeffersonville. Provide good health to Jacky and His family. Most importantly grant Him your light to see his sins, despise them, and run to Jesus for mercy and grace. We pray this in His mighty name. Amen
Church History Spotlight
Jonathan Edwards
22 March 1758
Jonathan Edwards was the last and greatest of the great New England Puritan preachers. Some historians account him the greatest intellect of the Western Hemisphere before 1900. (The achievements of his descendants are such that the Edwards family used to be cited in psychology textbooks -- and in Ripley's Believe It Or Not column -- as proof that genius is an inherited trait.
Edwards was born in Connecticut in 1703 and educated at home and at Yale University. As a youth, he had a keen interest in natural science, and wrote treatises On Insects and On The Rainbow (the latter in terms of the discoveries of Newton). When he was fourteen, he discovered the just-published writings of John Locke, doing so, as he said, "with greater pleasure than the greediest miser uncovering a rich hoard of gold and silver coins." He adopted Locke's psychology and epistemology as his own, and used them as the basis for an intellectual defense of Calvinism.
As a young man, Edwards was reading and contemplating on the words of Paul to Timothy (I Tim 6:14-16) I charge you to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; and this will be made manifest at the proper time by the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of Kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
As he read, he felt an overwhelming sense of the majesty and grandeur of God, and what a privilege it is to serve so great a being, and what an honor God has bestowed upon us by calling us to his service. The experience of that day changed his life permanently.
Religious experience is central to the life and thought of Jonathan Edwards. One of his major works is a treatise defending Predestination on logical and intellectual grounds. But it was not through logic that he was himself convinced of the doctrine. As a youth, he had vigorously rejected it as a horrible and immoral teaching, one inconsistent with the love of God. But when he had what he regarded as a direct experience and revelation of the grandeur and absolute sovereignty of God, all his former objections seemed irrelevant.
After college, Edwards became assistant pastor and then pastor of Northampton Church, the most important church in Massachusetts outside Boston. There he preached a series of sermons on justification by faith that gave rise to an area-wide religious revival. A few years later, George Whitefield, an English Methodist evangelist, colleage of John Wesley, visited the area and his preaching occasioned a more widespread revival. Edwards wrote A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God and A Treatise on the Religious Affections, works in which he analyzed and defended various kinds of conversion experience.
Eventually Edwards had problems with his congregation. He thought that only persons who had undergone conversion ought to be admitted to the Lord's Supper, and his congregation thought otherwise. He accordingly resigned in 1750 and went to western Massachusetts to be a missionary to the Indians. He remained there for seven years, writing two of his major works, and struggling with language difficulties, ill health, and inter-tribal Indian wars. In 1757 he became president of Princeton University (then called the College of New Jersey) and a year later died from complications arising from a smallpox innoculation.
He was a pastor and teacher, preacher and missionary, scholar and philosopher, logician and visionary, and throughout it all, a faithful servant of Christ.
A prayer of thanksgiving for Jonathan Edwards:
O God, who by your Holy Spirit give to some the word of wisdom, to others the word of knowledge, and to others the word of faith: We praise your name for the gifts of grace manifested in your servant Jonathan Edwards, and we pray that your Church may never be destitute of such gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Announcements for the Week
New Blog
Schedule Updates and Events:
Proverbs 18:11-20
Matthew 21:1-12
Psalm 24
Psalm 117
Verse to Memorize
Revelation 4:11
Catechism Questions:
Q. Why did Jesus go to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday? A. To do the will of the Father, to fulfill prophesy, and to die for sinners.
Q. How did Jesus come into Jerusalem? A. He humbly rode on a donkey.
Q. What did the people do when Jesus came into Jerusalem? A. They spread out palm branches and their coats along the road and shouted ““Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
Q. What does Hosanna mean? A. Please save us now.
Q. What did Jesus do after he rode into Jerusalem? A. He drove the money changers out of the temple.
Q. Why did Jesus drive the money changers out of the temple? A. Because they were using God’s house for their own selfish gain and because God’s house is supposed to be a place of prayer.
People to Pray for:
Church: Immanual Baptist Church
Pastor Ryan Fullerton
Ministry: Sovereign King Academy
Civil Magistrate: Jeffersonville City Council
Jacky Snelling
Notes for Parents:
Proverbs 18:11-20
Verse 19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a citadel.
In 1953, Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon wrote their comedic but popular song "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" on the 500th anniversary of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans on May 29, 1453. Constantinople was built in 330 under the Roman Emperor Constantine, from whom it gets its name. This great city was the imperial capital for Rome and the Byzantine Empire. It had been attacked 36 times throughout its history but was never completely conquered and re-owned as when the Ottoman Empire was able to do so. It was a formidable and strong city. For 800 years, the Theodosian Walls, regarded by historians as the strongest and most fortified walls in the ancient and medieval era, protected Constantinople from attack. It would take an all-out and sustained attack by a stronger opponent to win it. The Ottomans brought in the big guns, literally. With firepower, they were able to create gaps in the walls and make their way in.
The proverb says that a brother who is offended is harder to win than a strong city. When someone is offended, they begin to put up walls against the one who hurt them. They begin to wall themselves off. They go into defensive mode, and every attempt to communicate with them is taken as an assault.
You may have heard a husband say about his wife, "I can't say anything to her without her taking offense." In that marriage, it feels like every conversation is a battle because in every conversation, the people are in defense mode. You can’t even say hello it seems without the other person seeing some ill intention in it.
This is what bitterness and strife do. It is what happens when we give offense and take offense. We begin to look with suspicion at the one who caused offense. We start keeping a catalog of all the things that they have done. And now every new action is seen in light of that offense. When we are offended by something someone said or did, we often let that conversation or action replay over and over again in our minds. We will have 100 conversations with the person in our mind. We then project on that person exactly what we would think or feel in the situation. We are mind-readers without the ability to read minds but with the hubris to think we can. When we are offended, we become more fortified than Constantinople.
But this is not how brothers are to live. They should not live perpetually at war, even if it is a cold war. Brothers are to do battle together against the enemy. Yet, all of us are sinful. We sin against God and each other. We do many things that can give offense, and we are often easy to take offense.
So what do we do?
Let's bring out the big guns.
Let us all learn from the brother of Christ, James, when he says we are to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slower to anger. We all need to learn control of our tongues while also working hard to listen. And not just listen to what we think the other person is saying but what they are actually saying. We also need to develop thick skin. We want to work hard not to be quick to take offense.
Let us learn from the Apostle Paul that Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. We all need to get out our ledgers of offense and start erasing them. Ask God to let you forgive and forget petty things. Have pity on the weaknesses of your brothers rather than take offense at them. And hope for the best. Try to give your brother, your wife, your husband, your children, your coworker, your elders, your pastors, your friends, the benefit of the doubt. Work hard not to think the worst of them. Let your defensive walls be to keep out the devil and the way he wants to take offense, but let your gates be open to goodness and truth.
Let us learn from our Savior Jesus Christ, who said, “Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” Go quickly to make peace with those you have offended. And if he has sinned against you, go to him. Don’t go to everyone else. Forget all the imaginary conversations in your head; go have a real one with your brother. And if you sinned, pull out all stops to show your love and to seek forgiveness. Another proverb we read this week is helpful, “A man’s gift makes room for him.” Give a gift, take a brother out to dinner, or do something to show your sincerity. Knock down the walls.
Matthew 21:1-12
This passage details the events of what we effectively call Palm Sunday. Jesus, in His earthly ministry, spent the majority of His time in the northern region of Israel, which is called Galilee. It was away from the main religious center and among the people who were fishermen. He spent His time with people who often interacted with many Gentiles. As He traveled throughout the land, He called people to repent and believe in Him. In this passage, Jesus begins His journey to the cross by triumphantly entering the royal and religious city of Jerusalem. He is a king coming in fulfillment of scripture, riding on a donkey.
Before Christ first comes into town, He sends His disciples to procure a donkey. He is going to use someone’s property for His service. Jesus enters the town to great fanfare from His disciples, who recognize the significance of His coming, goes into the temple and expels the greedy money changers, before traveling to Mary and Martha’s house to visit with them. There, Martha is upset that Mary is sitting at the feet of Christ, while she does all the work, or so it seemed to her.
Throughout this account, whether Christ is entering the town, the temple, or Mary and Martha’s house, Christ is central. He does what He pleases, and He makes demands upon the people. He demands the use of their possessions, their time, and their hearts. He demands that idolatry and greed be removed.
Jesus has not changed. What if Christ came into our town, our church, or our home? Would we be like the owner of the donkey who was ready to give his belongings when the Lord had need? Would we be quick to give our time, our efforts, our finances, and our hearts to the Lord?
If Christ rode triumphantly into our church, would He be the focus of our worship? What would He drive out of our church building? Would we be like the little children who praise His name or like the Pharisees who despised Him and plotted to kill Him?
What if Christ came to visit us as He did Mary and Martha? Would He find us working feverishly like Martha and with the same bitterness in our hearts towards others who didn’t seem to serve enough? Or would He find us seeking to serve Him with joy, knowing that the better part is to spend sweet fellowship with Christ? It’s not that we shouldn’t serve, but our service should be in faith, with joy, and regard for what Christ does, not with an eye to whatever everyone else seems not to be doing.
Christ does come to our towns, our churches, and our homes. His eyes are on all the earth. We ought to be faithful to receive Him as King and live our lives singing Hosanna and Hallelujah.
Psalm 24
What did you learn from the sermon this past week? What were truths that you need to believe? What were sins that you were convicted of? Where do you need to obey? Talk these things over as you read this passage.
Psalm 117
This is the shortest Psalm and the shortest chapter in the entire Bible. It consists of two verses. Yet, it contains an important truth: all nations are called to praise God for His lovingkindness. God's covenant promises were always intended to reach the nations. God chose Abraham and his descendants so that the entire world would be blessed. All people everywhere should worship and laud God. His love is great, and His truth lasts forever.
Practically, the brevity of this Psalm teaches us to be in constant praise of God. It obviously would not take much time to pray or chant this short psalm. It could easily be called to mind and lifted up to the Lord at any time. Whether you are just putting your feet on the floor for the first time after waking up, or whether you have just received word of a promotion at work. It could be lifted up when you are sick or while you wait for your car to be towed after an accident. The praises of the Lord don’t always have to come in long worship services. They should be on our tongues at all times because the lovingkindness of the Lord is great toward us at all times.
One of my favorite Christian bands, the OC Supertones, captured God’s love for us even in the mundane times with the following lyrics:
“You know when I'm standin' up and when I'm falling down
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
And you know if I'm hungry, tired, or feeling kind of low
Why you care, I just don't know
I cast all my life and all my cares and everything on you
He cares for you like no one else
Every time I shed a tear, it matters, it matters
Every time I'm cold with fear, it matters, it matters
When I got a broken heart, it matters, it matters
Every time I fall apart, it matters, it matters
When I think I'm all alone
On the road or when at home
Every time I have to sneeze
Every single breath I breathe
When I'm in the dentist's chair, it matters, it matters
Anywhere and everywhere, it matters, it matters”
God’s love for us is amazing. We therefore should always be ready to lift up praises to His name. Whether at church, in our homes, or at the doctor’s office.
How to Pray for Those we are praying for:
Immanuel Baptist Church
Heavenly Father, We lift up Immanuel Baptist Church in Louisville, led by Pastor Ryan. You have guided them and expanded their reach. We ask for continued steadfastness in their journey. Grant them the courage to declare Your gospel boldly within their community, influencing many to surrender their lives to Christ. Strengthen the families within Immanuel Baptist, anchoring them in the solid truth of Your Son and Your Word. Amen.
Sovereign King Academy
Lord Almighty,
We bring before You Sovereign King Academy and Pastor Greg Anglen. As he embarks on laying the groundwork for this new endeavor, provide him with wisdom and discernment. We seek Your blessing to meet their financial goal of $80,000 in the coming months. Guide Greg's steps as he reaches out to contacts, initiating this vital work. Remind us that with Your presence, this project will stand firm and flourish. Be with all the children who will attend this school. You have already marked out their days. Make this school useful for them and for your kingdom.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Jeffersonville City Council Steven Webb:
Sovereign Lord, We lift up Jacky Snelling and his colleagues on the Jeffersonville City Council. Impart to them Your divine wisdom for every decision and judgment they face. May they pursue righteousness over popularity, steadfastly opposing policies that foster immorality. Guide them to safeguard the rights and freedoms You have bestowed upon the people of Jeffersonville. Provide good health to Jacky and His family. Most importantly grant Him your light to see his sins, despise them, and run to Jesus for mercy and grace. We pray this in His mighty name. Amen
Church History Spotlight
Jonathan Edwards
22 March 1758
Jonathan Edwards was the last and greatest of the great New England Puritan preachers. Some historians account him the greatest intellect of the Western Hemisphere before 1900. (The achievements of his descendants are such that the Edwards family used to be cited in psychology textbooks -- and in Ripley's Believe It Or Not column -- as proof that genius is an inherited trait.
Edwards was born in Connecticut in 1703 and educated at home and at Yale University. As a youth, he had a keen interest in natural science, and wrote treatises On Insects and On The Rainbow (the latter in terms of the discoveries of Newton). When he was fourteen, he discovered the just-published writings of John Locke, doing so, as he said, "with greater pleasure than the greediest miser uncovering a rich hoard of gold and silver coins." He adopted Locke's psychology and epistemology as his own, and used them as the basis for an intellectual defense of Calvinism.
As a young man, Edwards was reading and contemplating on the words of Paul to Timothy (I Tim 6:14-16) I charge you to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; and this will be made manifest at the proper time by the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of Kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
As he read, he felt an overwhelming sense of the majesty and grandeur of God, and what a privilege it is to serve so great a being, and what an honor God has bestowed upon us by calling us to his service. The experience of that day changed his life permanently.
Religious experience is central to the life and thought of Jonathan Edwards. One of his major works is a treatise defending Predestination on logical and intellectual grounds. But it was not through logic that he was himself convinced of the doctrine. As a youth, he had vigorously rejected it as a horrible and immoral teaching, one inconsistent with the love of God. But when he had what he regarded as a direct experience and revelation of the grandeur and absolute sovereignty of God, all his former objections seemed irrelevant.
After college, Edwards became assistant pastor and then pastor of Northampton Church, the most important church in Massachusetts outside Boston. There he preached a series of sermons on justification by faith that gave rise to an area-wide religious revival. A few years later, George Whitefield, an English Methodist evangelist, colleage of John Wesley, visited the area and his preaching occasioned a more widespread revival. Edwards wrote A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God and A Treatise on the Religious Affections, works in which he analyzed and defended various kinds of conversion experience.
Eventually Edwards had problems with his congregation. He thought that only persons who had undergone conversion ought to be admitted to the Lord's Supper, and his congregation thought otherwise. He accordingly resigned in 1750 and went to western Massachusetts to be a missionary to the Indians. He remained there for seven years, writing two of his major works, and struggling with language difficulties, ill health, and inter-tribal Indian wars. In 1757 he became president of Princeton University (then called the College of New Jersey) and a year later died from complications arising from a smallpox innoculation.
He was a pastor and teacher, preacher and missionary, scholar and philosopher, logician and visionary, and throughout it all, a faithful servant of Christ.
A prayer of thanksgiving for Jonathan Edwards:
O God, who by your Holy Spirit give to some the word of wisdom, to others the word of knowledge, and to others the word of faith: We praise your name for the gifts of grace manifested in your servant Jonathan Edwards, and we pray that your Church may never be destitute of such gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Announcements for the Week
New Blog
- Read This: The Bible, though most importantly the revelation of Jesus, is also a book of relationship. Stories and instruction abound on how to treat other people. We are commanded to love others. In a social media world, you need real life fellowship more than ever. https://www.sovereignkingchurch.com/blog/2024/02/22/read-this
- Expectant Mothers: We request special prayers for Shawn Crone, Chelsea Mix, Rowina Spurgeon, Gabby Fluhr, and Maddie Sands.
- Prayer for Immanuel Baptist Church: Join in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Louisville. Pastor Ryan has been pastor of Immanuel for a while and the church has grown under his ministry. Pray for continued faithfulness. Pray that they would be bold to proclaim the gospel in their community and see many men give their lives to Christ. Pray for the families of the church to be established on the sure foundation of Jesus and His word.
- Prayer for Sovereign King Academy: Please pray for Pastor Greg Anglen as he works to lay the foundation for our upcoming school. We would like to raise $80,000 over the next few months. Pray for Greg as he reached out to many contacts and begins this work. We know that if God is in this, it will be established.
- Jeffersonville City County Jacky Snelling: Jacky Snelling is a democrat member of the council. Pray that he would have wisdom from above in the decisions and judgements he makes. Pray that he and the rest of the city council would seek to do what is right whether it is popular or not. That they would not support wicked policies that promote sexual immorality and other sins but rather protect the God-given rights and liberties of Jeffersonville.
Schedule Updates and Events:
- Good Friday: Join us as we remember the sacrifice of our savior Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins. His death paid the penalty of our sins. March 29, 6:30-8:00 PM
- Woman’s Bible Study: March 27th
- Nursing Home- April 1
- Growing Kids God’s Way: We are launching a brand new ministry to help parents raise up godly children in a godless time. Every Sunday evening (except the third Sunday which is Genevan Pub) from 5-7 PM we invite parents of all ages to come and learn principles from God’s word along with some practical wisdom on raising children. If you are unable to procure baby sitters, we will have child care available. Our first and introductory class will be April 7th.
- Spring Dance: April 12 at the Cox’s Home. Come join us for a barn/line dancing night! Don’t know how to dance? Don’t worry about it! there will be a lesson, The lesson will consist of two or three dances. Be there @6:45pm and the lesson will start @7:00, after the lesson it’s all fellowship and dancing. All Adults and young teens 12 and older are invited!! Water will be provided but feel free to bring snacks to share. We will be finishing @9:00pm.
- Open Air Preaching: April 3
- Thunder Over Louisville: April 20