Weekly Newsletter 4/5-4/12

FBC Marysville Weekly Newsletter

This past week:

- Our WMU ladies got together to make gift baskets for those family members of ours who would not be able to make it to our Good Friday and Easter Sunday gatherings. It was a sweet time where our faithful women took an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus for our members.

- We gathered for both Good Friday and Easter Sunday, reflecting on the cross and the resurrection of Christ. We had our highest attendance to date for our Easter gathering with 77 people present to hear the Gospel.

Announcements:

- This Saturday 4/11, we will have a church work day! What this means is we will arrive at the building by 10 am to deep clean, do a few projects, and take care of the incredible space the Lord has provided for our church family to gather in.

- This Sunday 4/12, we will hold a Start Here Class after our morning service. This class is an opportunity for anyone who is curious, to know more about our elders, about how our church functions, and what meaningful church membership looks like.

Prayer Requests:

- Russ and Betty Williams: For their procedures this Wednesday

- Mary Ann Caldwell: She is having a procedure done on Wednesday as well.

- Sue Hayes: For her health concerns

- Easter Guests: We had many first time guests on Easter, please pray we would retain some of those guests in order that they would continue to hear God's Word.

- Depth: As the Lord continues to add to our church numerically, pray that God would help us grow in depth. Meaning that we would know Him and His Word better, serve faithfully, and pursue one another well. With numerical growth in our congregation, the prayer of our leadership has been that we would grow even more in our walks with Christ.

Weekly Devotional from Matthew 28:1-20

This past Sunday, we discussed Matthew 28:1-20 for the sermon. This text is glorious, helpful, encouraging, staggering, and full of incredible news for us. This is due to the fact that Matthew 28 recounts the resurrection of Jesus from the stone being rolled away to the Great Commission He left His disciples with before ascending to The Father. There is much on my mind this week as I reflect on this passage, but the words of the angel are what captivated me last week as well as at this moment.

In verses 5-7, the angel makes an amazing statement with multiple powerful implications. "But the angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead, and behold, He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him. See, I have told you.'"

There are five things I would like for us to consider from the angel's words in these short verses.

1.) "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus."

The angel did not give the same comfort to the guards who had fallen out at his appearance. Might I say to you today that though there was great power on display the day Jesus rose from the grave. Though encountering the divine can be terrifying. If you seek Jesus, you have no need to fear.

2.) "Jesus who was crucified."

The cross is crucial for us. We understand that Jesus being crucified meant He fulfilled all of the prophecies for who Messiah would be and what Messiah would do for God's people. It means for us that Jesus was hung on a tree bearing the weight of our sin, guilt, and shame in order that He would defeat death and sin on our behalf and later rise in victory. The cross, Jesus being crucified for us means forgiveness is possible through His wounds. Jesus, the final and ultimate atoning sacrifice for the sins of those who will believe in Him. As the hymn writer said, "Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer. But this I know with all my heart, His wounds have paid my ransom!"

3.) "He is not here, for He has risen."

If the tomb is really empty, then death is dead, Christ has risen, and the Son of God's rescue mission was a success. It means that Jesus having lived the life we could not, suffered the wrath of God that we deserved, then trampled sin and death for us, defeating the enemy that you and I could never had conquered on our own. This reality is the nucleus of our faith. As Spurgeon said, "The resurrection is the cornerstone of the entire building of Christianity. It is the keystone of the arch; if that be removed, all must fall." Friend, the resurrection is our hope because it means we will rise too, God is not dead, and because He lives, everything else will be okay. We can face tomorrow because Jesus lives and is in control.

4.) "As He said."

In addition to this text, please reflect this week on John 10:17-18 as well. Family, my wife picks out my clothes for me because I do not always make the best fashion decisions. I mention that embarrassing tidbit to say we do not get to make the decision that Christ did. Jesus has the authority to not only lay down His own life for us, but then to take it back up again. What power! What authority! What wonder! What glory! Our God is a powerful God who is sovereign over all, the ruler of the Universe, the Supreme of all leaders. Jesus, the author and perfecter not only gave Himself up as a ransom for you and me, but displayed that everything He claimed was true by rising from the dead as He had predicted. We do not get to make those kinds of decisions, but Jesus did.

5.) "He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him."

The angel does not just have them take his word for it and therefore, we should not just take his word for it. He is the messenger of God and truly trustworthy, do not hear me saying something which I am not saying. Allow me to be more clear. Jesus' resurrection was not just hearsay. Over 500 people are eyewitnesses to His resurrection because He appeared to many during the period of time where He was risen but not ascended. This account is trustworthy because of the angel's words here.

As I wrap up the article for this week, I cannot help but dwell on the song written by CityAlight called "There is One Gospel" which has a verse saying, "There is one gospel where hope is found, the empty tomb still speaks. For death could not keep my Savior down, He lives and I am free. Now on my Savior I fix my eyes, my life is His and His hope is mine. For He has promised I too will rise, I stand in the gospel of Jesus Christ."

Anthony Lampron, Pastor