Psalm 119:172 says, “My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right.”

We heard the voice of God at Clarus ’15 as His Word was preached, prayed and sung.

Below is a list of the songs used at this years conference. You will find chord charts, lyrics, and mp3’s. May God use these songs to tune your hearts to sing His praise!

Friday Night:

• “Come Thou Fount” (pdf, mp3)
• “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” (pdf, mp3)
• “Your Word (Psalm 119)” (pdf)
• “Lord, We Come to Hear Your Word” (pdf, mp3)
• “How Firm a Foundation” (pdf, mp3)
• “Speak O Lord” (pdf, mp3)
• “Blessed Assurance” (pdf)

Saturday Morning:

• “Your Word (Psalm 119)” (pdf)
• “Jesus the Name High Over All” (pdf, mp3)
• “Come Thou Almighty King” (pdf, mp3)
• “O Church Arise” (pdf, mp3)
• “Oh How Good it Is” (pdf, mp3)
• “Be Thou My Vision” (pdf, mp3)

Saturday Afternoon:

• “All Creatures of Our God and King” (pdf, mp3)
• “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” (pdf, mp3)
• “Tis So Sweet” (pdf)
• “Lord, We Come to Hear Your Word” (pdf, mp3)
• “Your Word (Psalm 119)” (pdf)
• “Come Thou Fount” (pdf, mp3)
• “How Firm a Foundation” (pdf, mp3)

Sunday Morning:

• “Your Word (Psalm 119)” (pdf)
• “Come Ye Sinners” (pdf, mp3)
• “Grace Greater Than Our Sin” (pdf, mp3)
• “We Give Thanks” (pdf, mp3)
• “Lord, We Come to Hear Your Word” (pdf, mp3)
• “And Can It Be” (pdf, mp3)

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
– 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

This Friday evening we will gather to remember the death of Christ and on Sunday morning we will gather to celebrate his glorious resurrection from the dead. Don’t forget to invite someone to our weekend services. Here’s a digital invitation to make that easy.

To help you prepare, here are details and sermon texts for each of this week’s services.

Good Friday, April 3 (6:30 PM)

On Friday evening Ryan will preach from Mark 15:21-39, the account of Jesus’ crucifixion.

Childcare will be provided for children four years and younger.

Easter Sunday, April 5 (7:30, 9:00, and 10:45 AM)

On Easter Sunday Ryan will preach from Mark 16:1-8, the account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.

Child care will be available only at the two later services.

A Special Request: If Possible, Please Attend the 7:30 AM Service

Imagine that you come to church once a year and this year a friend from DSC invited you to church. You plan to arrive when service starts. You show up maybe even five minutes early, but you are directed to an overflow room to watch the service on a TV. This is too-bad at a number of levels. But it is preventable if several hundred of our normal attenders attend the 7:30 AM service instead of their regular service.

If you have young children, this may not work, as we don’t provide childcare for this service. Or if you are inviting a friend or family member to join, 7:30 AM may not be the better time. But if it’s a matter of convenience we would ask that you do come early to ensure a seat for our many guests who will attend the later services. Thanks for helping us be hospitable.

Finally, A chronological reading of Passion Week

I know it’s the middle, and not the beginning, of Passion Week, but if you’re still looking for some guidance on where to read to follow the passion narrative, the below might help.

Saturday	Arrival in Bethany, Anointed by Mary	John 11:55-12:8
Sunday	Crowd came to see Jesus	John 12:9-11
Monday	Triumphal Entry	Matthew 21:1-17; Luke 19:39-44
Tuesday	Cleansing of Temple, Fig Tree Cursed	Mark 11:12-26
Wednesday	Temple Controversy, Olivet Discourse	Matthew 21:23-25:46
Thursday	Last Supper, Betrayal, Trial Before Annas and Caiaphas	Luke 22:7-65; John 13:1-38, 18:2-27
Friday	Trials; Crucified and Buried	Matthew 27:1-60; John 18:28-19:42
Saturday	Dead in Tomb
Sunday	Resurrected	Matthew 28:1-15; Luke 24:1-35

– Adapted from Harold W. Hoehner, “Chronology,” Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, p. 120.

Editor’s Note: Peter Arndt is a Community Group Leader at Desert Springs Church in Albuquerque, NM. This post is a summary of D.A. Carson’s message from Sunday morning at Clarus, March 22, “The Rich Man and Lazarus,” from Luke 16:19-31.

•••••

Dr. Carson began the final session of Clarus 2015 by asking question of this parable: is Jesus saying that a simple reversal takes place in status between this world and the next? While at first glance, it appears this might be the case, but the rest of Scripture denies an idea this simplistic. Wealth in this world does not always result in suffering in the next, e.g., Abraham, Job, and Philemon.

Wealth as a means of self-justification is a major theme throughout the gospel according to Luke, and the rich man in this parable proves himself to be devoted to one master (wealth) and despising the other (God – Luke 16:11-13). He worships wealth as an idol and is blind to the suffering around him. Dr. Carson explained in the society of Lazarus’ day, the rich were to care for the poor, so the rich man failed to meet his responsibility. By not naming the rich man, who seems so important and posh, Jesus is identifying him as eternally not that important. Lazarus means “the one whom God helps,” and while it is initially difficult to see this to be true, by the end of the story, its clear who it is God helps. We can’t make our assessments of who God helps in this life alone—it’s too complex.

Their situation is reversed, in a sense, now eternally as the rich man is suffering and Lazarus is at rest at Abraham’s bosom. The rich man shows no signs of repentance—no acknowledgment of his wronging Lazarus—only a desire to relieve his suffering. Abraham speaks of how the rich man’s suffering is fitting judgment for his life and that his condition is irreversible. He appeals to Abraham to warn his loved ones of this place of torment, thinking incorrectly about what causes repentance in men. Dr. Carson observed that, as far as he can tell, there is not a hint that anyone will ever repent in hell. In this parable there is not a hint of contrition, apology, repentance on the part of the rich man—only the view that his view of the world is right over and against God’s. Just as in this life, in hell, the damned are still trying to justify themselves.

Abraham corrects the rich man by saying it is Moses and the prophet’s words that brings repentance, not messengers from the dead. This remains a poignant lesson also for this current age where men still seek signs—we have the Bible, which is all we need to bring repentance.

Dr. Carson concluded with three theological and pastoral reflections on this passage:

1. There is a sphere of rejoicing to pursue,and there is a place of torment to flee.
2. The things in which we take so much pride now (wealth, religious privilege, good looks, success and recognition) may actually blind us to our need for grace.
3. God has not left himself without witness. We must listen to the witness of Scripture or we are dead.

The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus challenges all of us to choose God’s eternal rewards over earth’s temporal treasures, for once this life is over there is no undoing of the consequences.

Conference Photography by Ben Moore Photography. Contact Ben at ben236@me.com.

Editor’s Note: Scott Pilgreen is a lay leader and biblical counselor at Desert Springs Church in Albuquerque, NM. This post is a summary of a panel discussion from Saturday afternoon at Clarus, March 21, with Alistair Begg, D.A. Carson, and David Helm.

•••••

Question: Another get-to-know you question. You both have ministries outside the local church. Tell us how those began.

David Helm: Simeon Trust started as a “one-trick pony” on the back of a napkin. Simeon Trust exists to increase pastor’s confidence in preaching God’s Word.

D.A. Carson: The Gospel Coalition started in 2002, when Tim Keller and I began to wonder what it would take to constitute an organization that lay at the centered of Reformed, evangelical Christianity.

Question: How did you come to believe that the Lord was leading you to preach and teach?

David Helm: When I was 17 years old, I was met with the classic fork in the road. I was pegged to be in some form of student ministry leadership, but called my friend and told him that I was out, and I didn’t want to do the faith thing anymore. My friend then began to tell me about the road that I was heading down and that it only ended in death and destruction. Instantaneously, my conversion to Christ was united in a call to lead the church.

D.A. Carson: My dad was a pastor so I don’t remember a time when we didn’t read and memorize Scripture. My attention was on mathematics and science at the university and not much thought on ministry. Then I heard a missionary amongst the poor in Haiti preach on Ezekiel 22 stating that there was no one to stand in the gap. That was my call.

Question: Is evangelism preaching? Or is preaching limited to only Sunday morning pulpit ministry?

D.A. Carson: If you are declaring the gospel, it is preaching even though it may not be expositional. Preaching is not tied to Sunday morning, but one of the main reasons for the church is to sit under God’s Word. However, this also happens in the best family devotions, as well.

David Helm: As preaching pastors, I think that it would be good for us over the next 15 years to find multiple venues for preaching the gospel. We need to find ourselves in more strategic and interpersonal dialogues.

Question: It seems like the sermons in Acts are pretty short. Why do modern preachers preach so long?

David Helm: For one thing, those sermons in Acts are summaries. We don’t have all that was said and preached, we just have the bones and main points.

D.A. Carson: Growing up in French Canada, I can remember preaching for an hour and a half and people still wanting more. There are different cultural expectations and variations in gifting that can contribute to the length of time in preaching.

Question: What in the broader evangelical culture is concerning?

David Helm: I’m not concerned about anything. God knows how to grow and take care of His church and He will be faithful to do so. There is an army of men who are being mobilized in the preaching of the Word, and most of the things that feel concerning end up dying away anyway.

D.A. Carson: In the New Testament, Paul often points out things that were concerning, so it is good to point these things out today as well. Among other things there is a lot of health and wealth prosperity teachings, a whooping up of joy instead of true joy in the Lord, and a rising level of Biblical illiteracy.

Question: What in the broader evangelical culture is encouraging?

David Helm: There is a hunger for the Word of God everywhere. Young people are rising up who are handling the Word incredibly.

D.A. Carson: There is more church planting going on all over the world and not just in white, suburb America. Things are happening in France and Japan that are very encouraging. I am far more encouraged by the spread of the gospel than I was 15 years ago.

Question: Is there possible tension on the one hand for a desire for one’s pastor to preach with more power and clarity and passion but remaining content with whom God has given as your pastor?

D.A. Carson: There is danger is thinking that we should pray for our pastors who are not preaching well. The New Testament model is to pray for things that are working.

David Helm: Appreciate your pastor for the temperament he has, pray that he would be confined and shaken by the text, and pray that he would have a greater command of the text.