Atlanta Westside Presbyterian Church
I Love You Lord Because...
From Dying to Dancing
What Faith Sees, Part 1
The Journey to Celebration
How to Draw Near
Once for All Time
Rejoice in This
Confident Joy in Knowing Christ
What Does Jesus Want
by Walter Henegar
In this very personal gratitude psalm of great deliverance, we come back to the simple truth that God's grace has radically liberated us from death. The Gospel changes everything, and we are called to sing this with everything in our beings. No matter what stage of life we are in, if you are in Christ then you have been delivered. With that, our praise of deliverance should come forth in our public worship. But, how often do we truly live like this? If we are alive in Christ, then why are we still doing dead things? And how can we live like the psalmist giving daily outbursts of thanks to God's honor? How does this psalm challenge the way you give thanks to the Lord? Where in your life can you give an outburst of praise to the Lord and honor Him?
Psalm 30 teaches that despite our moments of despair and sin, God's mercy endures forever. He transforms our despair into joy and reminds us of His care even in darkness. Our identity is secured through Christ, where we find true freedom to dance as His beloved children.
Faith is a way of seeing the present through the lens of the future. The first half of Hebrews 11, often called the "Honor Roll of Faith," illustrates how the Old Testament patriarchs "saw" two vital elements of life: God's commendation, and God's inheritance. In both cases, those who believe experience a foretaste in this life, and the complete fulfillment in eternity.
Psalm 123 is one of 15 Psalms of Ascent, so named because God required his people to make the mountainous journey to his temple in Jerusalem three times a year. Psalms of Ascent were written to sing and were very communal, drawing God’s people together as they made their uphill journey toward the temple. Outside of whatever difficulties we face in attending church each Sunday, we really can’t compare the journey God’s people took to get to Jerusalem. However, something we do have in common is that we are all to take a journey toward God, whatever it may entail, to celebrate him. But there was no laughter here, just real frustration in their voices; singing their cries for mercy as they walked. Let’s consider together how we can journey to celebration through the tension lamenting brings with looking and longing found in Psalm 123.
How do we draw near to God? Hebrews 10:19-29 describes five essential ways: Through Jesus, with a true heart, without wavering, all together, till the Day.
If Christians permanently, perfectly forgiven, why don't we feel it? Hebrews 10 suggests that we still tend to lean on the old repetitive patterns of the law, including Baton Theology (Jesus saves us, and we take it from there), A Debtor's Ethic (we earn our ongoing forgiveness), and Gamifying God (we try to measure our performance rather than lean into his love). Because Jesus completed the work of redemption once for all time, none of these efforts work. Yet this very fact then becomes our greatest motivation to hate sin and love righteousness. Liberated from the burden of satisfying God's justice and indwelt by his own Spirit, we can progressively become more like him in practice.
Jesus draws a contrast between the intoxicating agony of ministry and the helpless wonder of salvation. It's not wrong to rejoice that Jesus is pleased to channel his power through us, but it is infinitely more awesome that he saves us at all. Ironically, those who rejoice in their salvation above all become more effective channels of his power. Walter preached this sermon for the opening worship service of Metro Atlanta Presbytery.
Joy is possible despite our circumstances because we know Christ and have an identity not based on our efforts but based on all that Christ has done. It is tempting to put our confidence in the value system of the world around us, but what Christ offers us is far superior than anything else we could ever possess. Our achievements or accolades cannot be the basis for our identity because ultimately God doesn't want you to impress him; he wants you to trust him.
In this passage, we meet a man in crisis: His life has come apart, and he comes to Jesus for rescue. But he is afraid: even if Jesus can help him, would Jesus even want to? This story reveals Jesus as more than simply a miraculous healer, but also a compassionate God, who knows us better than we might suspect.
The old covenant sacrificial system viscerally illustrated the truth that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus perfects this principle, presenting his own blood “once for all” in the true tent, the actual presence of God. This new and better covenant doesn’t just purify our bodies, but even our consciences—assuring us that we belong with him forever. For all who believe, the Bible’s constant talk of blood and sacrifice is not an embarrassing relic of primitive ages but an ongoing cause for gratitude and wonder.