Lent: Friday, March 16, 2007

Old Testament Lesson

Jeremiah 11:1-8, 14-20

The Lord reminds the people that He has warned them what will happen if the break the covenant. They are without excuse. They were told time after time after time if they break the covenant, they will be punished. They are told that their keeping of the land is tied to their keeping of the covenant. These two are linked. They were taken into exile because they did not do the things that they promised they would do.

Friends, our covenant with God means something. Our promises to God mean something. We had better keep them; we had better do for God what we promised we would do for God. Likewise, we should never enter into a promise with God without knowing what we are doing. God takes these things seriously, and will hold us to our word. Are we prepared to do for God what we promised we would for God. He expects nothing less.

New Testament Lesson

Romans 6:1-11

We must die to our sins. That means we must be willing to have the Holy Spirit search us and try us and see where we may be far from God or far from God's plan and then. . . be willing to change! Be willing to leave behind these things. If you are a Christian, you must not stay in your sin. You must be content in your sin. For, Christ died for our sin. He suffered and died for our sins. Do we not take that cross seriously? Do we not look up what He has done and say, for His sake, I must lay these things down.

There is life in Jesus. But fist, we must die to our sin. Are you living for Him? Are you, through His grace, putting to death those things that keep you from Him? His grace is sufficient for all our lives, even this. Are we walking in it?

Gospel Lesson

John 8:33-47

These people were saying they were righteous because of their ancestry. They were saying that they were the children of Abraham, and they came from good stock. They assumed that would be enough. Jesus said, no, you too must die to your sin, and live for God.

It doesn't matter how righteous or unrighteous your family was. It doesn't matter how faithful or unfaithful your family was. All that matters is are you doing what you should? Are you living as you should? Are you alive in the love of Christ, right now? Are you growing in new life? Do you have His joy, peace, mercy, and hope.

Through Jesus, we can live and know life. Through Him, we can know peace. Through Him, life can be as it should.