Tag: Worship (Page 1 of 27)

Resurrection

April 20, 2025 / Scott Heitshusen

The resurrection of Jesus is the quintessential pivotal point in all of history. Not just of salvation history or church history or theological history, but of all of history.

Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.
Luke 24:5b-6a

It is the point that changed everything for everyone.

Had Jesus died for our sins but stayed dead, our relationship with God would be bridged but the victory would have been temporary. Death would still have the last word. Life would be minimized. The eternity and permanence of death would be the norm forever.

But because Jesus did rise from the dead, because He did defeat death, He reversed that narrative; that reality; that sentence. Death doesn’t get the last word – life does. Our adversary doesn’t get the last word – God does. Our sins don’t get the last word – mercy does.

The victory of God’s promised Messiah, Jesus is what the Old Testament prophecies pointed toward and what our blessed eternal reality flow from.

Our suffering will end. Our heartache will be healed. Our struggles will be supplanted. Through faith in Jesus all that affects us negatively will pass away; because death has passed away. Because Jesus rose. Because Jesus won. Because he is alive! Because the tomb is empty!

Now everything is different; everything has changed – and that’s the greatest news of all!

“Christ has risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah! Amen!”

Scriptures

Psalm 118:19-29
Luke 19:28-40

Rejoicing

April 13, 2025 / Scott Heitshusen

Today is “Palm Sunday” (or “Passion Sunday,” depending on which liturgical tradition you follow).

Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!
Luke 19:38

In our journey “from Genesis to Jesus” we’re taking a break from the Genesis aspect to focus on Jesus entering Jerusalem triumphantly before having His Last Supper, His sham trial, His crucifixion, His death, and His resurrection. Today is the day that we rejoice with the crowds and say together, “blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! In heaven and glory in the highest”!

We’ve seen God’s requirement, Adam and Eve’s rebellion (as well as our own), the ramifications of that rebellion, the blessings of repentance and what comes with that when we recognize our sin and separation from God, and the promised redemption that God gave all the way back in the garden through the promise of a Messiah who would come. Today we rejoice that that promised Messiah has come and is entering the last stage of the plan of salvation; the last stage before sin, death, and the devil are defeated forever; the fulfillment of God’s promise and of Old Testament prophecies.

The same God through whom all things were made humbled Himself and now enters Jerusalem on a donkey to redeem creation itself. Hosanna indeed! Rejoicing indeed! Come Lord Jesus!

“We thank you Lord for humbling yourself and entering Jerusalem for this most difficult and necessary of weeks, for us and our salvation. We rejoice with all our being for who You are, what You have done, and for the assurance of our eternal future with You. Hosanna in the highest!”

Scriptures

Psalm 118:19-29
Luke 19:28-40

Redemption

April 6, 2025 / Scott Heitshusen

Today’s topic is fairly easy.

We’ve had God’s requirement, the rebellion of Adam and Eve, and the ramifications that came from it. We’ve seen the need for repentance and today we see God’s answer.

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.
Genesis 3:15

It doesn’t end with judgment but with redemption.

All the way back in the garden of Eden God promised a Savior. A Redeemer. One who is going to remedy this colossal catastrophe. He promised an Offspring, a Descendant, His Chosen One who would be the Victor over our adversary, over our sin, over the fall.

There were judgments against Adam and Eve and indeed against all of Creation. But today we see His divine judgement against the Adversary; the one who tempted then and temps now; the one who rebelled before Adam and Eve; the one whose defeat God foretells in our Scripture today.

God would send a redeemer who would be descended from Adam and Eve, and He would defeat this Adversary. God wins. Through faith in this Redeemer – faith in Jesus – we win!

“Thank You, Lord, for loving us and the world so much that You sent a Redeemer to conquer sin, death, and the Devil, so that, through faith in Him, we too would have the victory and everlasting Life! In His name. Amen!”

Scriptures

Genesis 3:14-15

Repentance

March 30, 2025 / Scott Heitshusen

Today presents us with an interesting situation.

We know throughout Scripture when there is sin there needs to be confession; where there is sin there needs to be repentance; where there is sin there should be a contriteness of heart.

I acknowledged my sin to You, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Psalm 32:5

But when we look in Genesis in our journey “from Genesis to Jesus,” we find something missing that we would expect to be there: something important; something ingrained (and rightly so). We don’t find in this recorded account any confession by Adam and Eve of their sin. Plenty of blame, plenty of pointing their fingers, plenty of fear; but we don’t see repentance. Something so fundamental throughout Scripture. Such a central doctrine of what it means to be a believer, to be a follower of God, to be faithful in our Christian living.

And it is.

In Genesis we see Adam and Eve being forgiven without a previous reference to any confession; to any repentance. We go from blaming, to sentence and proclamation of due punishment, to God clothing them and forgiving them with the first sacrifice.

Does that give us leave not to repent? Does that mean that it’s not needed? Not necessary? Not important?

Absolutely not!

Just because that is not in this account does not mean that God is not very clear on the matter.

However, even here we see so many times to confusion on the matter. I’ve heard from countless people — Christians —who say you cannot be forgiven unless there is confession; unless there is repentance. This makes forgiveness a response of God based upon the works of man instead of on the mercy and grace of God alone. It is solely by God’s mercy that we are forgiven through faith in His Son, Jesus – promised all the way back in Genesis. Promised because of the unfaithfulness of Adam, Eve, and each of us. It is only by the grace of God and not by our works of repentance or confession that grants us favor – and that only through faith in Jesus and nothing else.

This doesn’t minimize repentance and the need for it. It gives the basis for why we do it; the basis for our desire for it. We see our need to repent and our want to repent because of God’s mercy and grace through Jesus, not in order to get God’s mercy and grace through Jesus. When we repent we are focused and reminded of our need for a Savior. We are in a state of humility before Him, who alone forgives and saves. We see our need and His fulfillment. We posture ourselves before Him with the realization that God’s grace is bigger than our sin. And all this through the promised Her made for a coming Messiah all the way back in the garden.

What a great God we have!

“Lord God, we praise and thank You for Your mercy and grace given to us before we even repent and confess, because of Your goodness through faith in Jesus. Hear the cries and the humbleness of our heart and our own confession, in our own true repentance, and grant us Your mercy and favor through Your Son who saves. In His name. Amen.”

Scriptures

Genesis 3:11-13
Psalm 32
1 John 1:8-10

Ramifications

March 23, 2025 / Scott Heitshusen

There are always ramifications for our actions. Good or bad. Helpful or unhelpful. Godly or ungodly. Consequences for the decisions that we make.

Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.
Genesis 2:17

The consequences for Adam and Eve’s rebellion cannot be overstated. I’m not talking about the specific consequences for Adam and Eve (which are bad) but the ultimate ramification for all of creation. The fall of creation. “In the day that you eat… you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17).

Death. Destruction. Decay.

This would affect not just mankind but everything. There was one simple requirement and the rebellion that took place from that had the ramification of dying; of death.

It’s hard to grasp of implications more significant than that.

Of course there were other ramifications for Adam and for Eve. Unfavorable outcomes and consequences for the way that they and we live while on this Earth, but being expelled from the garden forever and going through decay, destruction, and ultimately death is the ultimate ramification for rebellion against God’s requirement. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). That’s true not just for Adam and Eve’s rebellion, but for our own. We sin therefore we die. We rebel therefore we suffer the ramifications, just like them.

But thanks be to God that that’s not where things ended!

The ramifications are not permanent. Through faith in Jesus Christ, it’s not the end. Jesus conquered death. He conquered the ramifications of our rebellion. Through faith in Jesus, His victory over death becomes our victory. Death no longer has hold over us because it could not hold Him. The ramifications of the rebellion of our sin is death. But the ramifications of Jesus’ victory is life over death. Living over dying. A new creation over the destruction of the old.

Thanks be to God!

“Lord Jesus, thank You for having the victory over death. For destroying death. For overcoming the ramifications of our rebellion and sin so that we might live; so that we might have life in Your name. Eternally. With You. Thank You for overcoming everything for us. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Scriptures

Genesis 2:17
Genesis 3:7-13
Genesis 3:16-24
Romans 6:23

RESURRECTION — Easter, 2025

March 17, 2025 / Scott Heitshusen

EASTER SUNDAY!!

The men said to them, “Why do you seek the Living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.”
Luke 24:5b-6a

This Sunday marks the highest, most Holy day of the year; because the Resurrection of Jesus changed our eternity!

It is the quintessential pivot point from despair to joy; from no future to an everlasting one; from death to life!

It is also the culmination of our journey this Lenten season “from GENESIS to JESUS“.

Join us as we celebrate!

Scriptures

Luke 24:1-12

GOOD FRIDAY, 2025 — Reparation

March 17, 2025 / Scott Heitshusen

ANNOUNCEMENT

On Friday, March 18, 2025, at 7:00 PM, we will worship and “celebrate” Good Friday with a form of a “Service of Darkness.”

It will be a meaningful, but difficult service. We pray you will attend.

The term “reparations” has become extremely loaded and controversial in our time in society right now. What it means is simply trying to make amends for a wrong. How those amends are done, for whom, why, etc.; those have become very politicized. But the fact is there are circumstances where reparations are proper, appropriate, and even necessary.

Our sins and those of the world are a wrong that exceeds comprehension; are too immense to fathom; that reach beyond our understanding. Our sins are a wrong that needs to be corrected. They have created the need for amends – payment – to be made.

And we couldn’t do it. We wouldn’t do it.

The enormity of the gap between what we owed and the perfection God demands can never be accomplished by anything that we do.

God demands perfection. We aren’t perfect. Jesus is.

Jesus is the only acceptable payment for our sins. He is the amends for our wrongs. He is the solution to our problem. He is the Savior for our sins. He is the victor our defeat. He is the life for our deserved death. He is the ultimate reparation – the only preparation – that could happen.

That matters. He is everything.

His painful, brutal, willing sacrifice on that cross means forgiveness, life, and salvation for us that we couldn’t achieve, didn’t deserve, or could even imagine.

The darkness and depth of Good Friday is a part of the reality of the need for reparations for the fall and sin. And because Jesus – the only satisfactory sacrifice – willingly and painfully died for us, it is the only reason that today can be considered “good.”

“Thank You, Lord Jesus, for enduring the cross, scorning its shame, for us and our salvation. Thank You, Lord God, heavenly Father, for accepting Jesus’ sacrifice as a reparation for our wrongs. Forgive us when we continue in our sin and move us by Your Holy Spirit to seek Your ways in everything that we think, say, and do, from here on, to the best of our abilities. In Jesus name in sacrifice; Amen.”

SCRIPTURES

Isaiah 53
John 18:13-15
John 19:25-30

RECORDING

More information on “Good Friday” and a “Service of Darkness” from
lifebridgesealy.com/ministries/worship/good-friday/.

“Good Friday.” Such a strange name for the day when the innocent Savior of humanity and God’s Son died horribly. Yet, for us, the day marks a pivotal event in history. A holy and unbelievable imbalanced exchange: His perfection and innocence for our sins and guilt.

And twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head and put a reed in His right hand. And kneeling before Him, they mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on Him and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the robe and put His own clothes on Him and led Him away to crucify Him.
Matthew 27:29-31

Lord, have mercy!

And He did. Have mercy. For us. When we were still in sin and rebellion.

We worship and “celebrate” this event and exchange with a form of a “Tenebrae” service. Tenebrae means “darkness” and the service takes its name from the ceremony of extinguishing the worship candles in such a way that the Church is gradually cast into darkness, except for the light of a single candle. The focus of the Tenebrae is the consequence of sin and the magnitude of Jesus’ sacrifice. The worship ends in darkness and silence, symbolizing our Savior’s death upon the cross. The single candle symbolizes the hope of our Savior’s resurrection. At the completion of the Tenebrae service, the worshipers are asked to leave in silence, in order to maintain the spirit of the Good Friday commemoration of our Savior’s crucifixion.

Experience the depth of God’s love for you on Good Friday so that you can sour with the news of His resurrection on Easter Sunday!

You will be blessed.

Rebellion

March 16, 2025 / Scott Heitshusen

Being a “rebel” today is a badge of honor for some. Star Wars had the Rebellion. Billy Idol had his “Rebel Yell.” (Ok, I know both of those references are dated!) When we call someone “a rebel” it’s usually a term of endearment or respect rather than of scorn or derision.

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

Genesis 3:6

That may very well work for culture and today’s world – especially if you’re talking about rebelling against an unjust, unrighteous, or immoral system. But it doesn’t work when we’re talking about rebelling against God and what He has given. What He has commanded. What He calls us to do or be. We are called to be obedient, not rebellious. Follow, not lead. Submit not subvert.

The third stop on our journey “from Genesis to Jesus” and reason for the need of a savior comes to “rebellion.” The rebellion of Adam and Eve by taking the forbidden fruit. The numerous rebellions that we commit against God every day. Rebellion directed toward God. Directed toward His plan, His will, His way, His Word. A rebellion that wasn’t content with paradise and thought we could do better.

Nonsense!

The choice is simple. The choice is binary. Right or wrong. Good or bad. God or us. When put in these terms the answer is clear: it’s God’s way or there is no way.

How blessed are we that when we chose the wrong answer, when we chose our way, when we rebel against God and His perfect way, He forgave us. Jesus came, suffered, and died so that our rebellion would be no more. Not only defeated, but invalidated. Reversed. Through faith in Jesus our way – our sin – is forgiven and forgotten. Only His way remains. Only His perfect way remains. The rebellion is done. The rebellion is conquered. The rebellion has failed. Christ is victorious over it – over all of it.

Thanks be to God!

“Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being victorious and putting our rebellion to rest forever. Thank You for overcoming our reckless rebellion and oversight. Grant us Your Holy Spirit to live, breathe, desire, and share Your perfect way from here on out. In Jesus name, Amen!”

Scriptures

Genesis 3:6

Romans 3:23

Requirement

March 9, 2025 / Scott Heitshusen

So many requirements can be made for joining organizations or applying for grants or completing forms for the government – even for some churches for their membership. There can be long lists of requirements that have to be done or fulfilled in order for something to happen.

In creation, when God put Adam and Eve in the garden to care for it, He didn’t have a huge list of requirements. He didn’t have a ton of laws that needed to be fulfilled. He had one requirement: “of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.” (Genesis 2:17)

The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 2:16-17

That was it! Nothing else. No other rules, laws, ordinances, statutes, or anything else. One simple requirement: not to eat from one singular tree when countless others were available to them.

How did things go so wrong? How is it that they couldn’t keep that one solitary requirement?

It seems a bit preposterous to us. Such a simple requirement. Such a simple thing to do – or in this case not do – to continue living in a garden of paradise while being able to walk with and commune with the Lord daily. It’s hard to conceive of what that temptation must have been like to put all of that into jeopardy. Almost inconceivable to fathom what could possibly be better that would jeopardize that situation and relationship by breaking that one requirement.

Yet if we try to get too high on our horse and judge Adam and Eve too harshly we should remember: not only do we break the requirement to have Him as our one and only God, our pinnacle of focus, our ultimate desire, but we break so many more of His requirements, too. And we also have a fellowship with God, an indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and a friendship with our Lord Jesus that is paradise itself through faith in Jesus. That is to be envied, sought, and desired beyond everything else in our lives. And we, like Adam and Eve, put aside God’s requirement and seek our own satisfaction.

How utterly foolish. How arrogantly small. How ridiculously myopic.

We are so blessed that God wasn’t satisfied with Adam and Eve breaking His one requirement. We are so blessed that He wasn’t satisfied with our breaking of His requirements. We are so blessed that He is satisfied with Jesus fulfilling all requirements on our behalf. Because we didn’t. Because we wouldn’t. Because we don’t. Because we won’t.

“Thank You, Lord Jesus, for fulfilling all the requirements for us so that we would be forgiven, saved, and have eternal life. Grant us the Holy Spirit so that we are strengthened, not just to do what You require, but desire it as well. In Jesus’ name; Amen.”

Scriptures

Genesis 2:15-17
Acts 16:30-31
Psalm 19:7-11

https://youtu.be/LpAj_vD_Bjk?t=1982

Live Transfigured

March 2, 2025 / Scott Heitshusen

Today is Transfiguration Sunday when we hear of a literal “mountain-top experience” that had to be far beyond the descriptions we get in today’s and the parallel accounts.

A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to Him!”

Luke 9:35

In all of the accounts we hear of Peter’s (misguided) suggestion to build three tents; one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

Also in all three the disciples do not tell anyone of the event for the time being. (Jesus commands this in Matthew and Mark.)

So, Peter seems to want to stay on the mountain and, when he does have to come down, can’t talk about it right away. Hmmm.

Perhaps we have more in common with Peter than we care to admit!

We like to have the “mountain-top experiences” and don’t want to come down from them and we don’t seem to want to share the majesty, glory, beautiful, reality of our life because of Jesus with others.

Ugh!

We have been to the mountain-top through faith in Jesus, God’s Son, and are to “listen to Him,” share Him, and live in that reality.

We are to live the transfigured lives we have been given – a life where we have been forgiven of all our sins, share in the Sacraments of the Lord, have joy, comfort, and power through the Holy Spirit, and the reality of eternal life in God’s presence!

God wants us to realize that reality daily; share it constantly; live it confidently!

Our decent from the ‘mountain’ isn’t so that we are relegated to the valleys as a kind of torture after having been to the Top; it’s to live in the joy we have knowing what is ours in Jesus forever, sharing for others to ascend, and knowing our eternal reality will climb even higher than we can imagine!

We are to live transfigured because we are transfigured! We are share Jesus who transfigures so others can be transfigured!

Let’s “shout it from the mountain-top!”

“Thank You, Jesus, for dying and rising for our forgiveness and everlasting life! Thank You, Holy Spirit, for filling us with peace, joy, power, and love! Thank You, Father, for sending Your Son; help us ‘listen to Him,’ share Him, live in Him! In Jesus’ name; Amen!”

Scriptures

1 Corinthians 15:21-34
Psalm 103:1-13 {Confession & Absolution}

https://youtu.be/v2vnxvgXuoI?t=2011

Bad Company

February 23, 2025 / Scott Heitshusen

“Bad company corrupts good morals.”

That’s in our text for today, and anyone who has lived for awhile knows it to be true.

Of course that doesn’t mean that those with good morals can’t or don’t have a positive influence on those where morals are lacking. Fair enough. But many a godly people who have seen themselves as being the self-appointed ‘savior’ of folks who will ‘win then over’ have seen their heart, mind, and actions be perverted instead.

Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning.

1 Corinthians 15:34a

Of course we need to be the Light of Jesus to the dark world around us. But we should not deceive ourselves into thinking the dark world has little or no influence on us.

Our Scripture today tells us to “wake from [our] drunken stupor…and [not to] go on sinning.”

We need to be ever watching; ever cautious; ever vigilant. We need to remember that the enemies of the Devil, the world, and our own sinful nature seeks the downfall of our morals and, ultimately, our faith. We need to continually be fortified in the Word of God, the gathering of believers, the in the living of the Holy Spirit, in the good deeds of our lives, and in the saving Gospel of Jesus. We need to stand firm in our Scriptural beliefs and in our sanctified living around all.

We will never be the savior for those who are “bad company,” but we by our careful, consistent, living and sharing of the Savior Jesus, we can and will shine His light to those who need it.

It is through Christ all shall “be made alive.” When we focus of being and remaining in Him, knowing He is the one who saves, the Holy Spirit uses us to affect His will and change for others.

Watch yourselves, brothers and sisters! Focus yourselves on the Word; on the Holy Spirit; on the Gospel of Jesus! Stop sinning and placing yourselves in “bad company.” Be in HIS company and He will use you for His will and ways!

The Lord has saved you. Remain in Him and trust Him to be the savior of others.

“Thank You, Lord, for saving us. Forgive us when we try to save and instead fall into sin. Strengthen and uphold us in Jesus and let us share Your Light in Your way according to Your plan. In Jesus’ name; Amen.”

Scriptures

1 Corinthians 15:21-34
Psalm 103:1-13 {Confession & Absolution}

Resurrected Hope

February 16, 2025 / Scott Heitshusen

Resurrection of the dead isn’t as clear and mature of a teaching in the Old Testament. You see a bit more of it in the intertestamental period, but it’s not until the New Testament that you see this as a core Christian tenant and central aspect of the Faith.

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

1 Corinthians 15:19

Jesus affirms again and again the truth of the resurrection of the dead. And in His rising from the dead He places this doctrine as central and to who He is and what it will look like in the hereafter.

Many Christians act as if the resurrection and the hereafter isn’t really a thing. Or they just play lip-service and don’t take it to heart.

Our text clearly tells us that “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain.” It says we are “false witnesses of God” if there’s no resurrection. It says if Christ has not been raised our “faith is empty” and we “are still in [our] sins.” That if Christ has not been raised then we are to be pitied as ones having no hope.

Those words are quite an endorsement of both the resurrection and its importance both in this life and in that to come.

Yet so many times Christians live as if this isn’t either true, important, or applicable to life. They live like there is no hope. They cling onto this life because they are unsure of what is to come. They fear the hereafter because they don’t really take to heart that there is one. But “Christ has been raised from the dead” and that is what gives us hope. Not just hope here, hope for what is to come. All that is to come. That there is a time to come. That what happens here is not the end of us. It is not the end of life. It is the beginning of new life. New creation. Full hope. All this because Christ has been raised from the dead is at the right hand of the father and goes and prepares a place for us that He might bring us to be where He is. Forever. With new life. With resurrected life. With full hope. With glorified bodies. Jesus came to suffer, to die, and to rise so that we would rise. He came to conquer death so that death wouldn’t be the end for us. We don’t know what our new, glorified, resurrected bodies will be like, but we know that it will be beautiful, incorruptible, perfect. We know that it will be in Him and be forever. And that’s a hope that we can take to the grave – and beyond. That’s something worth living for and not fearing dying for. Because that’s not permanent. Our time with God forever in resurrection is.

“Thank you, Lord, for conquering death and giving us resurrected hope forever. Help us to live in this life in that resurrected hope now because we have that to come. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Scriptures

1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Psalm 1

https://youtu.be/9Lh9kXBalv4?t=2244

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ANNOUNCEMENT

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RECORDING

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Connecting People to Jesus by: Reaching the Lost. Discipling the Saved. Sharing the Love of Jesus with Everyone.

Connecting People to Jesus by:
Reaching the Lost.
Discipling the Saved.
Sharing the Love of Jesus with Everyone.