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 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Home About Us Archives Free email subscription  Listen to these messages  Text only for printing  See here for more info. <Previous Message · Archive edition Monday, April 14, 2014  If any readers want to venture a guess as to what this is respond here. I will identify the photo tomorrow. Peter's Song, Our Song "He Looked Beyond My Fault And Saw My Need" Listen to us read this message on your audio player. For any who may care to listen to the song that in part prompted today's message here's a video."And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how He had said to him, 'Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.' And he went out and wept bitterly" (Luke 22:60-62). Amazing grace shall always be my song of praise, for it was grace that bought my liberty; I do not know just why He came to love me so, He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.  Yesterday we observed Palm Sunday, when Christians remember the Triumphal Entry of our Lord who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. It also marks the beginning of Holy or Passion Week on the Church calendar. Intense redemptive activity takes place this holy week and the four gospels give a lot of information about this period.*As a pastor there's a lot of preaching material to choose from that is taken from the events that happened this week. On Palm Sunday I typically preached on the Triumphal Entry itself or the Cross since the following Sunday is Resurrection Day and all Bible-faithful preachers have a topic for that day! Yesterday our pastor preached on a matter we especially contemplate during Passion Week; Peter's denial of Christ. The denial is found in all four of the gospels and due to the details known only to Peter; it would have been his story. Our pastor felt it is was a story he often told. Jesus had actually prophesied that Peter would fail. Earlier that evening Jesus spoke directly to him using the interesting double repeat of his name, a feature known as "Epizeuxis" which is found elsewhere in Scripture.* “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death.” Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know Me” (Luke 22:31-34). This prophecy is also found in Matthew 26:30-35, Mark 14:26-31, John 13:36-38. Notice especially Peter's bold confidence, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” The record of Peter's denial is found in Matthew 26:69-75, Mark 14:66-72:, Luke 2:54-62, John 18:15-18. The account is rich with detail complimented by the accumulative observations in each gospel account. Pastor did a great job yesterday of drawing from these details, which is a mark of solid expository preaching.  Let's look at one detail from the account in our message today. Immediately following the rooster crow (audio) we read a detail that only Luke provides, "And the Lord turned and looked at Peter." This is a short phrase but rich in contemplative thought. Now since the recollection of the experience had to come from Peter he also apparently looked at Jesus. What silent message was conveyed in that brief moment of eye contact? What went through Peter's mind? Regret, sorrow, shame, embarrassment, a plea for help, etc. What was our Lord thinking during this brief glance? I have a harder time speculating on what the Lord was thinking but consider His great love for Peter and the entire human race. When pastor dealt with this part I leaned over and whispered to Brooksyne the line from today's opening song that could have been Peter's song, as he later reflected upon that look from his Lord, "He looked beyond my fault and saw my need." We know the rest of the story. After the denials Peter immediately "went out and wept bitterly". But he didn't stay down. He was active on Resurrection Day and through the 40 day post resurrection period where he had an interesting restoration recorded in John's gospel. He went on to be a leader in the early church and wrote two letters recorded in our Bible. We who have placed our trust in Christ also have a story. No matter our background or the depth of our sin, we all cry out, "He looked beyond my fault and saw my need." I shall forever lift mine eyes to Calvary, To view the cross where Jesus died for me, How marvelous the grace that caught my falling soul; He looked beyond my fault and saw my need. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, because of Your marvelous grace You commissioned Your Son, Jesus, to die for an ungrateful, unreceptive and hostile people, and that includes me. It's easy to be critical of Peter who so boldly asserted that he would never deny Christ, but did so within hours and at such a critical moment. Yet Peter's actions help us to view the tender grace You poured out on him at his lowest moment. His bitterness dissolved into brokenness. You are close to the brokenhearted, and deliver those whose spirit has been crushed. It is so instructive and encouraging to know that weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Peter, a fearful failure who grew into a faithful follower, eventually gave his life for the cause of Christ. May we too have such a resolve to follow you even if it means we may lay down our life for You. Thank You for Your amazing grace that looks beyond our faults and sees our need. Amen.* There are seven times in Scripture when God addresses a person by repeating their name twice (this is known as "Epizeuxis" which is the repetition of a word or phrase in immediate succession, for vehemence or emphasis.
 Yesterday Brooksyne led our congregation in worship. What a blessing to hear the congregation sing out on Palm Sunday!  In our Sunday School class Bill Longenecker shared about being a friendly church and making the church experience pleasant for guests. He is a retired pastor and now visits various churches sharing tips on being welcoming and friendly.Bill was our neighbor on Risser Mill Road when we first moved to Lancaster County in 2001. He has a beautiful farm that has been in the family for generations. We have periodically shared photos from his farm over the years since he has a covered bridge over a pond and other interesting features. We have moved about quite a bit in the course of life; from the areas we grew up, to college years, to northern Pennsylvania to New England and back to Pennsylvania. We regularly meet people who have lived their entire lies in one area. Bill has an interesting distinction. He is 86 years old and told us he still sleeps in the same room he was born in having lived his entire life in the Longenecker farmhouse.  We had a beautiful day Saturday and Brooksyne began our spring flower plantings. I was working from my desk and observed her smile in doing something she so enjoys. She will be surprised to see this photo today. (Editor's Note: Yes, I was surprised!)  Pansies freshly planted in planters along our brick wall Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "He Looked Beyond My Fault" Video David Phelps "He Gave His Life" Video Vocal Union (acappella) "Crown Him With Many Crowns" Video We sang this majestic hymn in our worship service yesterday. As the instrumentation backed off and I heard the harmonic voices of God's people singing out these thoughtful lyrics a powerful spirit of worship rose up in my heart. "I Will Glory in the Cross" Video Michael Harris "See the world...differently" Here's a collection of photos from the Reader's Digest. Major Events of the Passion Week An astounding 30 of the 89 accumulative chapters in the four gospels cover the period beginning with Christ's triumphal entry through His resurrection and post-resurrection appearances. Mathematically this means that approximately 33% of the written material in the Gospels deals with a mere .05% period of His life! In the providence of God we have a much greater proportion of Scriptural revelation dealing with God's greatest act of mercy in providing our redemption. Here's an interesting chart from a Study Bible that may be helpful as you read the Bible this week. It sure helps me to have a sense of when the events took place and is inspiring to read these Scriptures in the daily sequence leading up to Easter. Sunday
(This material is developed from an outline in the Life Application Bible) Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne  Stephen and Brooksyne Weber(Click on photo to enlarge) About Us "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 10/21/13) Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. We ask you to consider an offering to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible. Click here to donate online.2014 YTD offerings to Daily Encouragement Net: $3,638.00 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  If this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here.These messages are never sent by us unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR it was forwarded to you. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or as an email subscription through Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.) Cancel: These messages are only sent from us to people who request it; please accept our apologies if it reached you in error. You can unsubscribe from this list at any time. If you no longer desire to receive these messages you can remove your address from the list by merely using the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Weekly Version: The weekly version is intended for those who may not check their email regularly or who may desire less frequent mailings. It is Friday's message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter:  The daily message and prayer on Facebook. The daily message and prayer on Twitter.Reader Survey: Please take a few minutes to assist us in improving our ministry effectiveness by filling out this online reader survey. To take the survey click here. Your answers are anonymous and I we are unable to respond. If you want to send a personal message use the Please feel free to pass these messages on! Our other blogs: "A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) (Note: This material is satire!) "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church. (Actually this is my intent but I haven't done much with it!) "Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. Personal Mission Statement "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."  How to become a child of God Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. Other versions are also occasionally used. © Copyright 2014 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552  Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net |
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