Wednesday Evening Webcast

We want to welcome you to the Midweek Prayer Service of Beacon Baptist Church. This will be my first time doing the Wednesday evening service and we trust that the Lord will bless. I want to begin by giving a few reminders out. Our Sunday service, December 27th, will continue as we've done the past several Sundays with people present. We ask that you bring face masks and wear them, especially when we sing.

We will not have a nursery available. And then we have live stream that will continue for all of our services Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and obviously Wednesday evening. I want to give you an update on our Faith Promise for 2021. We thank the Lord for those who have already responded to Faith Promise for this coming year. I believe it says that we have 78 cards with an emissions total of $151,430 and $11,488 for the building fund.

Looking back on the pastoral report that we have here for 2019 at this time, we had 82 cards, four more than we do this year, but our total is only $133,590 when compared to $151,430. So we praise the Lord during a very difficult year for supplying the needs for our families and for our church as a whole. We're very thankful and don't take that for granted.

I want to share prayer requests with you that are highlighted on your sheet and then after that we'll pray and then I believe I'll share one missionary letter tonight with you. Under praises, Jane and I have improved quite a bit over our bout with COVID. We still have a little bit of a scratchy throat, but that's about it. Jack Lyle called in and said that he has improved and I believe also Bruce Councilman has and we're thankful for that.

Under members, these requests, Tracy Airy had foot surgery on Friday, December 18th. We want to certainly pray for a quick and full recovery for him. Pastor Bartman and Marty tested positive for COVID and they are beginning to improve, have a ways to go.

I know they'd appreciate your prayers to them. Barb Coble is being treated for lung issues due to COVID. I remember her. Betty Duncan is listed. I talked with Pat today and quite honestly, Pat said this is as bad as he has seen Betty. She has several issues, one of them being her back, but it's a lot more than that. Pat told me today that hospice who had been coming in to give him some help and some care, we're not going to continue doing that for right now and he just asked that we literally beg the church to pray for him there in dire straits.

So Betty Duncan. Drew Guthrie, I think most of you are aware, she's been told by her oncologist that they could try a lower dose of ongoing chemo, which he feels the benefits may not be worth the risk or go the route of no treatment and down the road hospice. We just need to pray for God's grace and wisdom and that he will give her peace on deciding how she wants to proceed from here. Larry Hunter will be having exploratory and possible tumor removal soon. Some of you may know that Larry had bladder cancer a few years ago, was told this particular cancer was subject to return.

It had been scheduled for Tuesday, December 14th, but the doctor's office failed to make him aware that he needed to stop certain medications about a week before surgery, so it's been postponed. Pastor Kay and Carly were also tested positive for COVID. Carly is feeling a bit better, continues to have a cough.

As of this morning, Pastor Collins was still running a fever, so that certainly is a matter of prayer for all of us. I was delighted to visit Alice Marley. She's recovering at home from a broken pelvis. Alice was in the hospital and then in rehab for several days, and she is just thrilled to not only be in her own home, but have a Christmas tree up and all that goes with that. Ruth Patterson, very concerned to hear that Ruth also tested positive for COVID.

She's listed in the strutting members. It's hard for me to get up with Ruth at times, but I have talked to her, and this came as somewhat of a disappointing surprise to learn that she has COVID now. John Spencer had hernia surgery on the 18th. We need to pray for his recovery. He is experiencing more pain than his recent surgery for knee replacement, so let's remember John that the Lord would spare him additional pain. And then Shirley Watkins is home recovering from recent health issues. Under others, I am not going to attempt to pronounce Pastor Ronaldo's last name.

It is not the way that it looks, I can tell you that. He is a friend of Steve Lynch, who lives in Puerto Rico and was hit pretty hard with COVID. There was a time that he didn't think he was going to make it through, but he has survived. We need to pray for his recovery.

Jack Petry, I called UNC today and got a strange voice on the phone for his room and found out that they had moved him out of there. So I texted his son, Jeff, and Jeff told me that he would be coming home today and would arrive later during the day. Subsequently, I did get another text from Jeff stating that Jack was back in Pittsburgh at Chatham Ridge Assisted Living. We need to pray for businesses that have been affected by COVID-19.

We know that Brother Greg Phillips' business was affected by a fire near the facility. Let's pray that the Lord will continue to work on their behalf. And under missionaries, Donna Edens was recovering from a serious car accident. Stuart Waugh, the latest there, we got two texts today. The latest with Stuart is they were able to get back into South Africa, which was a direct answer to prayer because they were not having much success in Zimbabwe as far as finding out why he was having internal bleeding. And Laverne says that his doctors are trying to get to the bottom of things to explain why that is the case. And then Mike Webster has been diagnosed with colon cancer and will be having chemotherapy for that. Under sympathy, we learned today that Gary Showalter, a former member of our church from years gone by. His dad died of COVID this week, so let's remember the Showalter family.

And then Sue Lynch called today to let us know that her sister-in-law, Denise, fell from her wheelchair and cracked her L1 vertebrae. And they were going to have to transport her to a hospital in Pennsylvania, I believe, to have surgery. And I know that they would appreciate our prayers for her. We certainly want to remember our country in prayer, the violence and upheaval and unrest. We need to remember the upcoming election in Georgia. We know that that is a very critical election, and we need to pray for God's will to be done in that. Other missionaries that come to my mind, Trevor Johnson with health issues, Paul Snyder with health issues.

We mentioned David and Donna Edens. We mentioned Mike Webster, but also Steve Wirth has some physical problems, so we need to remember them in prayer. I'm going to go ahead and remember some of these at this time, and then I'll share a missionary letter with you. Father, as we come before you tonight, we do thank you for the opportunity we have in bringing these petitions and praises before the throne of grace. We thank you for those in our congregation who are recovering from COVID, pray that you continue to strengthen them. I pray in particular for Pastor Bartman and Marty and Pastor Carnes and Carly. We know that with the pastors, we long to see them recover soon so that they can fulfill responsibilities in the pulpit, and we just lay that before you, asking for your will to be done. We pray for Tracy. We're thankful that his surgery went well. We pray for his complete and quick recovery.

We think of Barb Coble, who was being treated for lung issues due to COVID. We ask that you'd encourage her and help her to have a full recovery also. And Lord, I'm burdened for Betty Duncan and Pat. They have been through such a long, drawn-out ordeal with several different physical issues that Betty has. Father, I pray that you give wisdom to the Duncans and be with their doctors as they try to diagnose what the best remedy for Betty would be.

Think of Drew Guthrie. Lord, as we mentioned, she has decisions that she has to make, and we're so thankful for the peace that you've given her. I pray that you continue to give direction and wisdom to the family. And for Larry, as he'll be having surgery and possible tumor removal soon, see him through that, keep him safe.

We think of Alice Marley and really praise the Lord for how well she's doing. I'm thankful that she's back home. I pray for Ruth, that you'd protect her as she is diagnosed with COVID as well. Lord, keep her safe and strengthen her. We're thankful that John Spencer had successful hernia surgery. We do pray also for his recovery and for Shirley Watkins.

We pray for Steve's pastor friend, Ronaldo, that you would bless him. Help him to get back to full measure of health and be able to get back in the pulpit soon. I'm thankful, Lord, that Jack Petry is back at Chatham Ridge Assisted Living. Encourage Jack, Lord, it just burdens me greatly to know that he has kidney dialysis that he deals with, that he's just finished going through pneumonia and COVID. Father, just strengthen him and help him to rest in you and to wait upon you.

For businesses that have been affected by COVID, we commit them to you and commit our country to you at large. We do pray that you continue to give Brother Greg wisdom as he deals with issues in his business. Lord, we pray for Stuart. We thank you for the direct answer to prayer that he's back in South Africa with his doctors.

Give them wisdom to know what to do. Father, if it would please you, we pray that this bleeding would stop. I pray for Mike as he has treatment for colon cancer that you'd bless him and watch over him during this as well.

We think of Sue's sister-in-law, Denise. We trust that the surgery was able to be done today and that it was successful. We pray, Lord, that you'd help her to recover soon. Lord, I ask that you'd bless our time together tonight as we consider your word. We thank you for this Christmas season. We pray that you'd help us to have the right emphasis as individual families and as a church collectively. I pray that you'd give my voice strength and help me to share something tonight that would be an encouragement to your people.

In Christ's name, amen. I want to read one letter, a shorter one. As I mentioned in my prayer about my voice, it's not as back to 100 percent.

It's not as strong as I'd like it to be. And for that reason, I'm just going to read one missionary letter from the Campos family, Silas and Vonger Campos from Brazil. It's a brief letter. They say, Dear partners in the gospel, warm Christmas greetings. Jesus is the reason for the season. Throughout the Bible, he's portrayed as the ruler of creation, the living word of God, the light of the world, the bread of life, the lamb of God, our great high priest, the king of kings, et cetera.

But we love when he's described as the friend of sinners. In him, we find mercy, salvation and hope for 2021 and for eternity. Several people around us have been diagnosed with COVID-19 with prayer and treatment.

The great majority are overcoming the virus. Sadly, a dear single lady from our church died yesterday. It's very sad for us because she was such a blessing. But for her, it was the fulfillment of her faith in Christ.

Hallelujah. This afternoon, a young pastor called me and shared that the COVID-19 virus almost killed him. He told me how the Lord used his near death experience to cause him to repent and deal with some hidden sins. He decided to step back from pastoral responsibility in order to restore his personal fellowship with God. He asked for our help in this process.

His experience only shows how God is working through this disease. Brethren, thank you very much for your prayers and financial support throughout another year. May the Lord richly bless you so that you may continue to invest in his kingdom. We love you and they sign it.

Selah in Banger Campos. I want to share some thoughts from one verse tonight, and we've entitled our lesson, Our Riches in Christ. And the verse is a familiar one. 2 Corinthians 8, 9, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich. When you look at that verse, every part of it is packed with meaning. And we want to use this verse as our outline tonight as we consider our riches in Christ. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The first thing we want to consider is personal bestowment of grace that defies our understanding. Personal bestowment of grace that defies our understanding. There's an old saying that I'm sure many of you have heard, you just don't know how good you've got it.

Usually a grandparent or a parent will be telling a kid, when I was your age, I had to walk five miles to snow up to my waist uphill to school and had to walk five miles back home uphill to snow to my waist. They exaggerate to make a point, but there's a lot of truth in the saying, you just don't know how good you've got it. Beloved, when it comes to understanding the grace of God and the comprehensiveness of it and the depth of it, we don't know how good we've got it. That question that I have at the end of that might look strange. Where might you be apart from God's grace that enable you to know Christ's grace?

Let me add a couple of words to clarify. Where might you be apart from God's grace and predestination that enable you to know Christ's grace and salvation? The more I study the word of God, the more I realize how indebted I am for God quickening me to life and granting me repentant faith that I might know, even know, what Jesus Christ did on the cross and I might have eternal life. Personal bestowment of grace that defies our understanding.

We need to praise God daily for the grace that He's bestowed upon us. And then secondly, we look at that though He was rich, you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, possessions that defy our understanding. One of the things that Christ possessed, so to speak, was the presence of the Father. John 17, 5, His high priestly prayer, Jesus says, And now, O Father, glorify me together with you or with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was.

We cannot even imagine what that would be like. Glorify me together with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was. Possessions that defy our understanding, the presence of the Father. And then secondly, the prerogatives of the Father, Philippians 2, 5-8. Let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God or a thing to be grasped after or held onto, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. You notice, recall, I said, He thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Jesus had all the attributes of the Father. When we're talking about a prerogative, you can see the definition of it there on the slide.

A prerogative is an exclusive or special right, power or privilege, an attribute of sovereignty. Again, just like we can't fathom what it would be like to be in the presence of the Father, we cannot fathom what it was like for Christ to lay aside His prerogatives, His exclusive, special right and power or privilege, His sovereignty as God the Son. And then finally, possessions that defy our understanding, the perfect praise of angels and saints.

I don't know about you, but I long for the day while I can actually offer perfect praise to Christ. From a heart cleansed from sin with the purest of motives, perfect praise of angels and saints. We notice personal bestowment of grace that defies our understanding, possessions that defy our understanding. Thirdly, poverty that defies our understanding. Yet for your sakes, He became poor. And beloved, it's only by considering the riches that were part of His possession that we can fully appreciate or begin to appreciate the depth of His poverty. For your sakes, He became poor.

Poverty that defies our understanding. John 1 through 3 states, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made to Him, and without Him was nothing made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The Word was God, and the Word became flesh. The Son of God willingly became the Son of Man. And as I have in the slide, we cannot possibly understand the condescension that's involved in those two titles. The Son of God willingly became the Son of Man.

Let's look at those two titles. The Son of God. Imagine Mary's awe when Gabriel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the highest will overshadow you. Therefore also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. We don't know exactly how old Mary was.

We know that she was most likely a teenager. But I often marvel at what it must have been like to have an angel come before her and tell her that the highest, the power of the highest will overshadow you. Therefore also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. I've thought about that often, and what must have gone through her mind, not only awe, but what that would carry with it.

The gossips, the darts, verbal darts that would be thrown her way, the shame that she would have to bear. Because only she and in the providence of God Joseph would know the truth. The Son of God became the Son of Man. He whom the Bible also refers to as the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, the Lion of Judah, the Son of the Highest, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords became poor in personage. What does the word personage mean?

It means what people think of you as an individual. And we'll see in a moment, they did not think much of our Lord Jesus Christ. He became poor in personage, going from the Son of God to the Son of Man. Looking at more detail about his poverty, he willingly became quote insignificant to men. He willingly became quote insignificant to men. Matthew 13, 54 through 57, when he had come to his own country, he taught them in their synagogue so that they were astonished and said, Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?

Is this not the carpenter's son? They were offended at him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is without honor except in his own country and in his own house. Those who knew him best were offended by him.

How painful that must have been. As I've mentioned to our teens, imagine growing up in the same house with Jesus Christ, never a cross word, never a dishonest word, never a selfish act, perfection, perfection. And yet how painful it must have been when he was without honor, not only in his own country, but in his own house. And notice in the middle of this, these people that heard him in the synagogue were astonished and said, Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? They acknowledge his wisdom and they acknowledge his works, but they reject him. He willingly became quote insignificant to men. Another way that he showed forth his poverty, he willingly became insulted, insulted by men.

In Matthew 10 25, it is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they malign those of his household? Beelzebub, the Philistine deity associated with satanic idolatry. The name came to be used for Satan, the prince of demons, as I have in a bracket, total blasphemy. The redeemer is referred to by the name for the arch rebel.

The redeemer is referred to by the name for the arch rebel. He willingly became insulted. Another way that Christ showed forth his poverty, he willingly became impoverished. This same Lord said, The heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. Matthew 8 20, Jesus said, Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.

And we're all familiar with the fact, the prophecy, that soldiers parted all his earthly possessions as he hung on that cross. Jesus became willingly insignificant to men. He willingly became insulted by men.

He willingly became impoverished. And then he willingly became inflicted. What do I mean by inflicted?

That word literally means to cause to be endured. And what did Jesus have inflicted upon him but the wrath of Almighty God? If we want a picture of what the wrath of God looks like, we have but to look at Isaiah 50 and Isaiah 50. And Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, texts like that. And we use one of them to show he willingly became inflicted.

Isaiah 53, three through five. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Surely he's borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteem him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

That's the English Standard Version. But what stands out to me is he was smitten by God and afflicted. I think of the song, His Robes Remind. Jesus is crushed, and thus the Father is pleased. Jarring, jarring words, convicting words. He willingly became inflicted, caused to be endured the wrath of Almighty God. And then the last area that we show his poverty is he willingly endured intense abandonment. Intense abandonment. That's the meaning of forsaken. To leave in straits to totally abandon.

Intense abandonment. Matthew 27, verse 46, and about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Before we look at the result of his voluntary poverty in these areas, those words, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

They're often shared with people when I reflect back upon Christ's life and him being born into Galilee and the poverty that he experienced there and the ordinarianness, if I can coin the term, in Galilee. And then I think of him going to Gethsemane and the emotional torment that he went through to where capillaries under his skin burst and he sweat, as it were, great drops of blood. The emotional agony. And then Gabbatha, where he was brutalized by men, physically brutalized. Many, many, many never survived scourging by the Romans. It wasn't like the Jews, 40 stripes save one. Often they would scourge a man until his organs showed and he bled out.

But that wasn't the worst of it. Not the emotional pain of Gethsemane, not the physical pain of Gabbatha. But when I think of Jesus on Gogatha, the spiritual pain, the soul deep pain that he experienced, it caused him to cry out, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

I'm deeply moved and we should, we should think of that more often than we do. The result of his voluntary poverty in these areas, what was that result? Well, we go on in our verse in 2 Corinthians 8, verse 9, that you, through his poverty, might become rich.

That you, through his poverty, might become rich. Privilege that defies our understanding is ours in Christ. 1 Peter 1, verses 3 through 5, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. That verse goes on to say that we are kept by the power of God.

But we have a living hope. That living hope is eternal life through Christ. We have an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, awaiting us.

John MacArthur likens that inheritance, among other things, to these things. He says, life, righteousness, joy, peace, perfection, God's presence, Christ's glorious companionship, rewards, etc. When you unpack that, we've already talked about life, but perfect righteousness forever, joy, peace, perfection, the very presence of God, Christ's glorious companionship, and then rewards. Philippians 3, 20 through 21 states, For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also equally wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body, that it may be conformed to his glorious body, according to the working by which he is able, even to subdue all things to himself. who will transform our lowly body, that it may be conformed to his glorious body. I don't know that I will put this the best way that it could be stated, but I've thought often, what is the body, the glorified body of Christ like?

One thing that you can be assured of is perfection. And to think that part of our inheritance in heaven is that we are going to be transformed, our lowly body will be transformed so that it will be conformed to his glorious body. What a wonderful privilege that defies our understanding. A wonderful, wonderful privilege that defies our understanding.

And then this, because of his poverty, we are incomprehensibly rich. All those who trust in Christ alone will dwell forever in a body suited for the glories of heaven, in the presence of the Godhead where we will worship from a sinless heart, with ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. What a day that will be when we can say with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power. You know, it hit me one day in reading the scriptures when it was talking about the angels on more than one occasion, it was not referring to them singing, it stated that they said these things. And you say, well, what is the big deal? If you've ever heard choric readers, you know, that say things in unison, there's an uncanniness about it, there's a beauty about that, that rivals singing, quite frankly. And I can just imagine what it's going to be like to hear ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of angels and saints saying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. What a day that will be. I'm going to close with a poem entitled The Humility of Christ, and I'm not reading it to entertain, and I say that to say this.

I may stop partway through it and explain something, and again we may just go from A to Z. But the humility of Christ. Oh, what glorious condescension, Son of God, now Son of Man, great Creator and Sustainer, Christ became our Paschal Lamb, or our Passover Lamb. Come, you ransomed sinners, see Him, Christ, your Lord in Galilee. He the rich beyond all measure embraced time and poverty. Stopping there, just the fact that Christ embraced time, the eternal Son of God, embraced a sliver of time is mind-boggling to me.

We go on. See your Savior, wracked by anguish, prostrate in Gethsemane, as He prayed to God His Father, take this cup, if that might be. His exhausted, sweat-stained body, glistening with a scarlet hue, speaks of agonizing sorrow He endured for me, for you. Gabbatha, cruel place of torture, showed the price justice demands, man of sorrow stripped and beaten, ravaged by a fearsome band, mocked with words of molt and hatred, brutalized and scorned was He, Christ, whom Heaven's host exalted, wore His crown of agony. Gabbatha, dread scene of torment, planned by men to horrify, there against the blackened heavens, Christ broke forth with haunting cry, My God, My God, pled the Savior, why hast Thou forsaken me, as He graced the shameful altar, cruel cross of Calvary.

With His wrath fully exhausted, God then rent the veil in two, as the Prince of Peace was buried in a rich man's borrowed tomb. Sting of death, vanquished forever, swallowed up in victory, Our great Savior broke sin's fetters and arose to set us free. Now He sits beside the Father and hears Heaven's host proclaim, Strength and honor, glory, blessing, worthy as the Lamb once slain, Judah's lion, meek and lowly, with His righteousness assailed what the law of God demanded, and for us He hath prevailed. Christ now waits upon the Father, who will send Him for His own. Glorified, His saints will praise Him with a host around God's throne.

Cancel debt that I, a pauper of my own, could ne'er afford. I will praise His name forever, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. As we close in prayer, I trust that you will have a wonderful Christmas with family and friends, that we will have the right emphasis, that we will seek to do all that we can to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ during this time. Father, as we come before you, we pray that what we share tonight has been an encouragement just for us to contemplate the riches that Jesus left behind, the poverty that He embraced, that we might have riches that defy understanding. It should make us ever more grateful.

It should ever make us ever more humble. Father, I pray that you give us a burning desire to exalt Christ during this Christmas season and throughout the year. Help us to be quick to confess Him. Father, help us truly to be lights in a darkening world and salt in a vile world. Father, I pray that you'd be with all of our folk once again who have COVID and other ailments, that you'd bring them back to the full measure of health, be with those recovering from not only COVID but surgeries. Give them that peace that only you can give. We do ask, Lord, that you would be with Stuart and our other missionaries we mentioned earlier who have physical disease, sickness.

We pray that you'd heal them in your good pleasure. Meet the needs of each of our missionaries' families, Lord. Encourage them.

Give them fruit for their labors. Father, we pray that you'd be with their ministries and meet the needs that they have there as well. We do pray for our nation. We are a nation that does not deserve your mercy and yet we would plead for it. We pray, Lord, that you would have your will be done concerning the upcoming elections in Georgia. Father, we know this is momentous and we just rest in the fact that you put people in office and take them out, that you are sovereign over all things, and as your children we rest in that fact. We praise you for your goodness and mercy to us in Christ's name. Amen.