Today isn’t a gathering for licking the wounds of our failures this week. We aren’t here to bemoan the boot of sin upon our necks. We aren’t here to mope, sulk, or wallow in despair. Church isn’t a place to learn helpful strategies for negotiating a cease-fire with sin. This isn’t a therapy session so you can better cope with your “bad habitsâ€. This isn’t a place to get some pointers on more positive thinking. This isn’t a support group for our mutual commiseration.
This worship service is intended to glorify God and to renew our faith. And this is our faith: Jesus Christ is King. He has conquered all His––and consequently your––enemies. He sits at the right hand of the Father, and all authorities, powers, and dominions––not only in this world, but in the world to come––are His. The Gospel we preach here is that Christ has overcome, He is ascended on high, and all things are subject unto Him. In Christ, we come today as more than conquerors. We come to a victory celebration. We come to enjoy the spoils of the war which our Lord has won. As a triumphant king, He now bestows gifts unto His people. His bounty becomes theirs. He leads His saints in a triumphal procession.  Â
Your sin is not the victor. Your Christ is. As you confess your sins, you are not to take your eyes off of a triumphant Christ to look at your dismal track record this week. Confession of sin is the exact opposite. It’s a refusal to let your sin keep you any longer blind to the mercy and victory found in the Lord of Hosts. Sin promises exaltation but brings humiliation. Jesus invites you to bend low and confess your sin and in doing so He lifts you up.
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