Prepare for Worship | Exposed by the Cross
Last Sunday, Pastor Jason Finley preached from Ephesians 4:1-6 and will call us to love one another by bearing with one another despite our differences.
Read: James 5:13-20
This Sunday, Pastor Jason will move to James 5:13-20 and will call us to confess our sins to one another that we might experience greater authenticity, freedom, and joy in our walk with Christ together. As you prepare for our Sunday gathering, be spurred on by this devotional from Milton Vincent.
Reflect: “Exposed by the Cross”
The Cross also exposes me before the eyes of other people, informing them of the depth of my depravity. If I wanted others to think highly of me, I would conceal the fact that a shameful slaughter of the perfect Son of God was required that I might be saved. But when I stand at the foot of the Cross and am seen by others under the light of that Cross, I am left uncomfortably exposed before their eyes. Indeed, the most humiliating gossip that could ever be whispered about me is blared from Golgotha’s hill (John 19:17-18); and my self-righteous reputation is left in ruins in the wake of its revelations. With the worst facts about me thus exposed to the view of others, I find myself feeling that I truly have nothing left to hide.
Thankfully, the more exposed I see that I am by the Cross, the more I find myself opening up to others about ongoing issues of sin in my life. (Why would anyone be shocked to hear of my struggles with past and present sin when the Cross already told them I am a desperately sinful person?) And the more open I am in confessing my sins to fellow-Christians, the more I enjoy the healing of the Lord in response to their grace-filled counsel and prayers (James 5:16). Experiencing richer levels of Christ’s love in companionship with such saints (Ephesians 3:14-19), I give thanks for the gospel’s role in forcing my hand toward self-disclosure and the freedom that follows (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
“Exposed By the Cross, Part II,” in A Gospel Primer for Christians, by Milton Vincent.
Sing: Song List for Sunday
1. “God Is for Us,” by CityAlight
2. “The Cup Was Not Removed,” Arr. Shane & Shane
3. “Forgiven,” by Sovereign Grace Music
4. “Jesus, I Come,” Arr. Shelley Moore Band
5. “Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me,” by CityAlight