Psalm 40:9-10
I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness
In the great assembly;
Indeed, I do not restrain my lips,
O LORD, You Yourself know.
10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth
From the great assembly.
Romans 10:9 - "if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
Last week we considered
raising our hands in worship. This week, our confession of faith. This is a
response to God’s Word, with words of the church that summarize God’s Word.
Worship is like a ceremonial conversation. When
you’re discussing things with a friend, one way to listen closely is to
paraphrase back to them what you hear them say. That is what we do, here, with
the help of the historic church. Through her creeds and catechisms the church
teaches us what the whole Bible says. After hearing a portion of Scripture, we
speak to God, “Your Word reveals God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and
earth. I believe that is You, that You are real, that that description is You.”
It is important that we practice professing our
faith. Saying what we believe. It is training for evangelism, and for
discipling our children. God’s baptized people are supposed to do this. There
need not be a one-time profession of faith that is more decisive, that makes
you KNOW you’re saved. Faith is sustained, more than it is a one-time thing. So
every week we express our faith together, to practice doing so every day in our
work, school, family life, community involvement, wherever God puts us.
When we sin, we contradict our profession of faith.
And we must confess where we have failed and sinned.
10/14/12
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