February 16, 2025
You can find the order of worship and songs here.
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"Blessed me, Lord, bless me!" We all pray some version of this prayer every day. But what, exactly, are we asking for? The two passages we will read this Sunday help us to think about what true blessing is, and how we ought to ask God to bless us.
Jeremiah 17:5–10 put in very stark terms what it means to have the LORD smile upon us, as well as what it means to have our God turn his face from us. "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD … Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD." But do you notice something strange? This is exactly the opposite of what we are taught in this world from our infancy. To put our trust in the LORD is to have our entire mind and life oriented in a posture of humble dependence. We receive, without any mental reservation or resignation, what our God deems good as blessing, and what he rejects as vanity. In other words, we had better be sure what we mean when we pray "Bless me, Lord, bless me!" is actually what God considers blessing.
Luke 6:17–26 is where we see how these questions surface in our daily lives. "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God … Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man … Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets." Do you see how Jesus is pointing us in a new direction? Therefore the question has to be asked. Is Jesus right? Do you agree with him?
Turn your eyes upon Jesus. He was not ashamed to carry the cross for you. Jesus is both our assurance and standard. Jesus took upon himself God's curse so that you and I know God's blessing. Jesus longs for you to know true blessing that blossoms into eternity. Learn from him. Follow him.
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Growth Resources
This year: Please see the full list of 2025 books as well as Bible reading plans on our church webpage.
This month: We are reading "Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer" by C.S. Lewis.
This week: We are reflecting upon Shorter Catechism Q. & A. 7.
Everyday: Noted pastor and theologian Sinclair Ferguson posts a short reflection every day, each around 5 minutes long. "Things Unseen" cover various aspects of the Christian life, worship, and theological topics in a very accessible and edifying way. We encourage you to incorporate this into your daily life. Please see this page for more information. There you will find links to various podcast platforms as well as YouTube page.
Upcoming Events and Notices
February 16 (Lord’s Day): Please join us for Sunday School lesson from “Essential Truths of the Christian Faith” Ch. 45 “Human Beings Created in the Image of God.” Also February 23.
February 19 (Wednesday 7 PM): The Zoom study of the Pentateuch will resume. Meeting ID: 885 5287 2349 / Passcode: 711992
March 2 (Lord’s Day): Please join us for a Sunday School lesson on prayer and a review of “Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer” by C.S. Lewis.
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).