Good morning, Calvary family and friends! It’s a joy to spend this Lord’s Day with you.
We have passed another week suffering the pangs of uncertainty and the aches of grief that come from feeling life as we have known it being torn and reshaped, especially without knowing when, how, or to what degree we will experience this change. All this is compounded by the cold irony of a virus which forces us to be apart when we most yearn to be together.
The pain is real, and it is awful. It reminds us that life was not designed to take this course, and that we live under the fearful shadow of frailty and death because of the Fall — because of sin.
Equally real is the peace of Christ. One of the most familiar portions of scripture to many people is Psalm 23. Consider the hope of its opening verses:
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
If we will truly trust in the Lord, our every need will be met, our every fear will be answered with peace. This is His promise not just for now, but for all the days of our lives. Nothing, not even death — not even death — is true harm for a believer in Christ. Life for a believer is the daily opportunity to glorify God, death is the eternal joy of being with Him in Heaven. That’s victory!
If that sounds good, you’re right. But if you’re willing to surrender your life to Christ, it must be on His terms, not yours. The details of that beautiful surrender will be the focus of today’s sermon.
We’re thankful for the spiritual gifts, scriptural burden, and holy calling of Pastor John Bodner, who brings us the message again this morning.
The sermon today is concerned with the conditions of a disciple relationship with Christ. Pastor Bodner will show how Christ demands everything of us if we are to be His disciples — all we love, all we do, all we have. These must be given gratefully and willingly. These are His terms.
If that seems like a lot, we fail to appreciate that Christ has already paid far more for us than anything He could ever ask of us.
May God prepare our hearts to receive His Word today.
First Song: I Asked the Lord That I Might Grow
Offering
Online giving information is available here.
Second Song: In Christ Alone
Message
Pastor John Bodner (itinerant minister affiliated with Calvary)
(Filmed Wednesday, 10 March 2021)
Scripture readings
Third Song: How Firm a Foundation
Closing thought
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep
Jim Elliot
to gain what he cannot lose.
Thank you, Pastor Bodnar. You have given us an excellent sermon that bears listening to again and again.