April 28, 2024
April 28 — 11 AM Worship
You can find the order of worship and songs here.
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Psalm 22 begins with the words "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" These words are very well-known to us. These words, of course, were Jesus' dying words on the cross (Matthew 27:46). Indeed, Psalm 22 is about Christ. Verses 1–21 foretold Jesus' suffering that will culminate in his death. Verses 22–31 foretold the joyful praise of the death-conquering Messiah whose agonizing cry of "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" is turned into 22:24–25 "For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. From you comes my praise in the great congregation…"
Two things readily stand out. First, our God turns mourning into singing. He is the God of grace, and he does not let sin, chaos, grief, pain, or darkness have the last word. The last word belongs to God. All that is wrong in this world, in life, will be restored and renewed at God's command.
Second, in our daily experience hardship and darkness are felt far more tangibly than the hope of glory. Try as we might, we cannot forget or leave behind the reality of our frailty and struggles. But the very fact that we cannot see beyond our present afflictions clearly is actually a part of our frailty, rather than a penetrating insight we have about God's love and wisdom. William Cowper wrote in his hymn "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" these words: "Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace; behind a frowning providence he hides a smiling face."
Courage, then, when life is hard. Sing, when your heart is heavy. Jesus lives. This is Jesus' prayer and promise to you. Psalm 22:26 "The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever!"
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Growth Resources
12 for 24: Please see the full list of 2024 books as well as Bible reading plans on our church webpage.
April 2024: We are reading "The Lord of Psalm 23" by David Gibson.
This Week: We encourage you to make use of:
- We encourage you to make use of 12 for 24 and read 12 books that will help us grow.
- Past sermons are available on our church webpage: gracefallbrook.church/sermons.
Upcoming Events and Notices
April 28 (Lord's Day): Please join us for Sunday School lesson from "Essential Truths of the Christian Faith" Ch. 28 "The Sinlessness of Christ."
Thank you for your continued support of Grace Fallbrook (PCA). Your loving support makes the proclamation of the gospel and the building up of the saints possible. Please visit gracefallbrook.church/give and click on "Give Online Now." You will be directed to the PCA Foundation where you can give towards Grace Fallbrook (PCA).