Preparing For The Lord's Day

preparing

Preparing for the Lord's Day

Kingdoms in Conflict

In the summer of 2015, my extended family went on a Caribbean cruise to celebrate my grandmother’s eightieth birthday. About halfway through our cruise, I had an accident. I was walking down a flight of steps on the outer deck of the ship when my foot slipped. I was holding my two-year-old daughter Eva, so I did everything I could to protect her. I covered her head with one hand, while at the same time trying to stop my fall with the other hand.

At first, I was concerned that Eva had hit her head against the railing. I popped up and brought her right over to April. I frantically asked, “Is she okay? I think she hit her head.” April assured me that she was just fine. That there wasn’t even a bump. She was just scared from the fall. Relieved I relaxed from the tension of the moment. And then I look down at my hand and realized something was very wrong. My ring finger was sticking out sideways at a 90-degree angle! Apparently, in the fall my finger had caught on the side of the step and dislocated. 

Why did this happen? From a human perceptive we might point to my foot being too large for the average-sized step. Maybe the ship rocked at the wrong moment. Maybe there was some water that caused my foot to slip. Maybe my balance was thrown off by carrying a two-year-old. Or maybe it was a combination of all of these factors. However, as a Calvinist, as a man who believes in the absolute sovereignty of God, I know that it was more than an accident. The Lord had a purpose for my fall. A reason that this seemingly random event occurred. I do not know the mind of the Lord, but I do trust him and his good purposes for me even in such accidents like these. 

In our passage for this Sunday we come to the fall of King Ahaziah. There is nothing in the text that tells us why he fell. However, we do learn how we are called to respond. The Lord does not always make it apparent why one person is struck with hardship while another is spared. But He does teach us that when we fall we are to look to him and in Christ he will raise us up. To come prepared for the sermon take time this week to read and meditate upon 2 Kings 1, Deuteronomy 32:39, Job 13:15, Psalm 50:15, Isaiah 44:16-17, Luke 13:1-5, and Westminster Confession of Faith 5

This week we will celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper during our worship service. As we receive the elements of bread and wine look in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. For as we physically receive the signs of the Lord’s body and blood, spiritually we feed upon him and all his benefits. Our hymns for this week include “All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above,” “Man of Sorrows! What a Name,” and “Hast Thou Heard Him, Seen Him, Known Him.

Text: 2 Kings 1 

Title: When You Fall

Outline: 

  1. When You Fall Down You Must Look Up to God
  2. When You Fall Down You Must Trust God Who Brought You Down
  3. When You Fall Down You Must Trust God to Raise You Up

Sunday's bulletin