The Word of Life - A Deeper Dive
Message Recap
Matt Wilder of Adam’s Road Piano once again blessed us by leading our worship service this week. As with his previous presentations, Matt combined soaring musical accompaniment with the words of scripture to create a genuinely inspirational encounter with God. His message, The Word of Life, included selections from the first four chapters of John’s Gospel.
John begins his Gospel by proclaiming the Word made flesh, Jesus’ invitation to Philip, the first miraculous sign in Cana, and Jesus’ witness to the Pharisee Nicodemus. From these words, we can affirm that we are guaranteed eternal life if we have placed our full trust and faith in Jesus. No matter our hardships or trials, we know Jesus is sufficient to supply our every need. With this knowledge, it is well with our soul.
Next, John writes of John the Baptist’s last testimony, which concludes with him telling those gathered,
“35 The Father loves the Son and has entrusted all things to His hand. 36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. ”
Jesus leaves Judea, and as he travels to Galilee, he comes to Sychar in Samaria. Jesus encounters a Samarian woman as he rests at the well of Jacob. Jesus asks the woman to give him a drink. Jews did not associate with Samaritans, so this simple request startles the woman. In the exchange that follows, Jesus describes the living water he offers:
“13 Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.’”
This moment so moves the woman that she goes back into the town and begins to tell the people about Jesus. Her testimony is so convincing that people go to the well. Many believed, not because of the woman’s words, but because they saw Jesus and heard his words themselves.
Many of us have encountered Jesus personally and intimately, like the woman at the well. Was our response similar to hers? She wanted to go into the town and invite people to experience Jesus firsthand. Romans 5 teaches that we are justified by faith and that our peace with God comes through Jesus Christ.
It is through Jesus that we have obtained access to God’s grace, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God (see Romans 5:1-2). David writes in Psalm 18,
“I love You, Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my savior,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
A mighty fortress is our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Who is Jesus, and what did he do for us? Jesus is God's one and only Son. God, manifested in the flesh, came down from Heaven to save the world from sin and condemnation and offer us eternal life because of His great love for us. Mankind's dilemma is that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But our hope is Jesus, who died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, was buried in accordance with the Scriptures, and was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. This is the Gospel. This is the good news. Jesus, how great thou art.
closing thoughts
We are so grateful for Matt and the Adam’s Road Ministry. The following, taken from the Adam's Road website, is a great description of this unique worship experience:
“There is power in speaking scripture. Adam’s Road Piano combines a refreshing expression of praise and worship through instrumental piano music with heartfelt recitation of God’s Word, to renew faith and enrich hearts with the wonder of God’s grace.”
The swelling crescendos and quiet, contemplative moments remind us how music enhances the words we hear.
Music has always been an essential component of worship. Going all the way back to the use of psalms, many of which were sung, music has provided a means to enhance our time in the presence of God. Hymns, praise songs, gospel, and other styles unite people in a way that transcends just the spoken word. In this passage from Psalm 98, the psalmist describes music as a way of expressing joy in the Lord:
“4 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the Lord, the King. ”
It's hard to imagine worship without music. No matter the style, music connects us and allows us to worship God with our whole being.
If you are unfamiliar with Adam’s Road Ministry, it’s well worth your time to take a look at their website: Adam's Road Ministry.
If you could not attend this powerful time of worship, follow this link to watch the entire presentation: Adam's Road Piano - Full Presentation.