The Lyrics to Mary's Song (part 4)

Well here we are.  Less than one week away from Christmas and less than two weeks away from the new year.  To put things into perspective, does anyone remember Y2K?  That was almost 20 years ago!  Time seems to fly by. 

Mary concludes her song with the following statement: "He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and His descendants forever."  After stating her allegiance to her Savior and stating how blessed she is and remembering how strong He is, she simply concludes with He has helped and will continue to help.

This is a perfect reminder for the transition of years.  God has helped and He will continue to help.  Think of all of the times this year that God has helped.  I know that for me personally, God has helped by finding us a buyer for our home and a new home for us.  God has preserved all of our health and apart from a few colds we are doing well.  God has provided for our financial needs through a sad process of losing money on a house.  God has provided numerous new friends and blessed us with faithful friends who continue to visit and be a blessing to us.  God has helped our children continue to grow into beautiful (and handsome) blessings to us and to many others.  God has held our cars together, allowed us to move all of our things without anything of significance being broken.  He provided numerous helpers for our moving process which involved moving into storage, out of storage and into a house.  He provided a friend to drive to Illinois to help us pick up a few odds and ends.  He provided a place where we could live while we transitioned even though our transition was extended! 

As I go on and on about the blessings of this year I am reminded of the many more blessings of the years before.  This is not to say that the year has not been without challenges, but what an encouragement that God is my helper, what can man do to me?  What a blessed reminder that He has helped and will continue to help as He deems best.  Will you trust Him in the days and weeks ahead to be the God that He says that He is? 

To God be the glory now and in 2017!

The Lyrics to Mary's Song - part 3

"The Mighty One has done great things for me; Holy is His name."

After getting the order straight and understanding (as I said last week) that we are bond-slaves of our God, Mary acknowledges the good God has done for her.   Note that the order IS important.  If we reverse it, we will wind up thinking that God has an obligation to us.  When we reverse it we tend to determine good for ourselves, but here Mary reminds herself that God has done great things for her. 

Note that these things are things that God "has done."  She is not primarily referring to what she is now experiencing, she instead looks back to the history of Israel and makes herself a part of all that God is doing.  She recognizes that she has a part in the much larger plan of God and as such, God has been faithful to all those before her and will continue to be faithful to her.  This is a great reminder especially when we are faced with difficult times. 

James 1 reminds us that we are to count it all joy when we face trials.  And, while I hope that no one is having trials at Christmastime, I know that many people are.  Reality is that people face difficulty every day.  And sometimes we need to say with Mary that God has done great things for me because we need to remind ourselves that God has our best interest in mind. 

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28, NASB)

We can only believe this when we believe that God has done great things for us in the past.  God has been faithful and will continue to be faithful because that is a part of the marvelous character of our God.  So, if you face difficulty, trust.  If you face hardship, hold on.  If you face pain, persevere.  God will see you through it because He has seen you through everything up to this point.  The Mighty One has done great things for me.  Holy is His name. 

The Lyrics to Mary's Song - part 2

As we continue to examine the song that Mary sang following her receipt of the announcement of the birth of Jesus, I want to focus in on verse 48 of Luke chapter 1.

"For He has regard for the humble state of His bondslave. . ."

This is another corrective in our day and culture.  In a culture that speaks of me first, during a time that everything cries out "Me first", Mary instead says, "I am a slave".  I recently received in the mail something that my kids absolutely loved - a toy catalogue.  They poured over each page thinking about what might be.  Then I received in the mail the CBD catalogue.  (For those not aware, this is Christian Book Distributors and it contains books and commentaries and everything that a nerdy pastor might want!)  I poured over it thinking about what might be.  We watch TV and both the toy and the car ads tell us that we need what they are selling and that if we want to be truly happy we will purchase from them.  We watch jewelry ads that tell us that if we love our wives and if we want them to love us we will buy them jewelry, and one stone is not enough, it has to now contain two diamonds - one for your wife and one for your best friend - one ring for the woman who is both. 

We tend to think of God sometimes like He is Santa.  He will bring us good things if we have been good and will bring us coal if we have been bad.  But, He is obligated to bring us something.  We give Him our lists categorized nicely into healings He can perform, blessings He can give to us, curses He can give to those we do not like (we may not verbalize these prayers but we all know they are there.)  And Mary sings the joys of servitude. 

No one thinks they want to be a slave.  But when we consider the Master, perhaps we should reconsider.  Mary rejoices that her Master has had regard for the humble state that the bondslave is in.  She will go on to recount how many blessings she receives from her Master and how He has fed her and exalted her even in her low position.  But perhaps most challenging is her earlier words in Luke 1:38:

"And Mary said, 'Behold, the bondslave of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word.'"

This is a true servant.  God use me in whatever way you deem best - I will simply allow you to do what you need to do.  This Christmas are you willing to let God use you in whatever way He deems best?  Are you willing to give sacrificially to those less fortunate?   Are you willing to share His gospel with the people you come in contact with?  Are you willing to love that one irritating family member in the name of Jesus?  Christmas truly is the season of giving, but not the giving of gifts to others.  It is season of giving yourself wholly to your Lord and Savior.  Will you bless God with a gift that cannot be wrapped?  Give Him your life.  You will never regret serving Him as your Master.

The Lyrics to Mary's Song - part 1

It is the Christmas season.  No way around it, we are in full swing.  Thank goodness we have the stores to all remind us of this with flyers and emails and sales and all of the things that we do not need! 

It is during the materialism that I need the reminder that the season is not about the things that we spend the most time worrying about.  It is not about presents.  It is not about trees.  It is not about decorations.  It is not about a feeling of happiness.  It is not about family.  It is not about friends.  All of these things have their place, but none of their places is at the forefront of the meaning of the Christmas Event.  During the next few weeks I want to focus on the Christmas Event.  That one moment of God coming to earth that changed so much.  And when this was told to Mary, she sang a song.  This song captures the essence of the real purpose and meaning behind Christmas.  And so I want to examine the lyrics.

The song is found in Luke 1:46-55.   It begins like this:
"My soul exalts the Lord, my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior."

This is what it is about.  Recognition of a proper place and the fact that we exist for God, not the other way around.  What a corrective.  In the time of the greatest materialism we begin to think that the world revolves around us.  We buy gifts and wonder what people will get us.  We put together lists and we dream about the food that pleases us the most.  And this song that Mary puts together simply begins with the idea that we are here to exalt our God, not the other way around. 

But, this does not mean that there is no gift at Christmas.  No, we receive the greatest gift - because we can rejoice that God is our Savior.  This is in fact the meaning and the reason behind the name "Jesus" because He will save His people.  This expression implies that our greatest need was not anything to do with material goods, but instead a change in our relationship with God.  We needed saving.  We needed to be healed and helped.  But at our core, before we could be healed, before we could be helped, we needed to be redeemed.  And God sent His Son Jesus to do just that.  To save us.  But notice that this comes after exaltation.  Even our salvation is not solely for its own end, but instead to drive us to exalt our Lord all the more. 

This Christmas, let us not just talk about Jesus being the "Reason for the Season".  Let us talk in specifics about the fact that He came so that we could exalt Him.  He came to save.  And let us worship Him for all that He has done for us.

Thanksgiving 2016

This week we celebrate a national holiday.  Most of us have many things to be thankful for this week, including some time off of work.  Chances are someone may even be shopping for your Christmas present this weekend.  Facebook will be loaded with images and comments on what people are grateful for.  And we think of family, food, football and a lot of fun had together during this season. 

May I encourage those of us who are Christians to remember this season that we have far more to be thankful than these earthly blessings.  All of the earthly blessings that we possess can be taken away, and if we are counting on these things for our gratitude, we may find ourselves in a state of discontent at some point down the road.  Instead, when we focus on seeking first the Kingdom of God we receive true unending joy because the rewards we have by following Christ cannot be removed.

You have access to God the Father right now today.   You can go before Him in prayer and even ask Him for things because of the road paved by the blood of Jesus.  You can call Him "Abba" and you can talk to Him as though you were His child because you have become an adopted heir with Christ.  No one can ever take this away from you after you have placed your faith in Christ alone.  What a blessing.

You have the promise that Christ will never leave or forsake you.  God will always be with you no matter what you face.  And, this promise of presence extends to the very love that God has for you.  That love cannot be taken away.  It cannot be lessened.  God loves you in Christ with an everlasting love. 

You have the joy of knowing that death on earth is just the beginning of an eternity of joyous worship of our King.  That no matter what happens to you here, there is waiting for you a place with no pain, no suffering, no sin and the joy of seeing Jesus face to face.  

And I could go on, and on, and on.  But perhaps the thing we should be most thankful for is that God granted us the ability to respond to the gospel by the Spirit of God.  For the faith that we have in Christ.   For the work of Christ on the cross than enables our faith.  May our lives this week and beyond be a testimony of the gratitude that we have for grace.  And may our testimony of thanksgiving draw others toward a relationship with our glorious God.

To God be the Glory.

Philippians 1:27

The Bible does not let our Christianity be something passive.  Too often we think that as long as we have said a prayer and go to church on at least a semi-regular basis we will be good with God.  But the Scriptures have a way of reminding us that being a Christian has a lot to do with how we live. 

Allow me to be clear from the beginning - you cannot save yourself by doing anything.  When you are saved however, it is equally clear that you are saved to do things that will bring honor and glory to God.  Ephesians 2 talks about the grace that destroys our works but states that the purpose of this grace is to create us in Christ for good works.  There is another reminder of our need to live for God in Philippians 1.

"Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;"  (Philippians 1:27, NASB)

There are two words that I find interesting in this verse.  The first is conduct.  Our conduct is to be worthy of the gospel of Christ.  This is fascinating because apart from Christ we are not worthy.  But Paul tells us that when Christ does a work in us, our lives our now for Christ (see 1:21).  He goes on to describe some of what this conduct looks like - namely that we would stand firm in one spirit and with one mind strive together for the faith of the gospel.  He then in the beginning of chapter two fleshes this out a bit more.  Conduct worthy of the gospel is unselfish and points to the example of Christ in its humility and service for others.  And in 2:14 Paul reminds us that we are to do all of this without grumbling and complaining.  What a challenge. 

The second word that I am interested in for our purposes is the word "Striving".  Being a Christian can be tough.  It may require hard work.  In fact, it will require hard work.  It is hard work to set aside self and strive together with another group of people for the purpose of the faith of the gospel.  This will mean I will not get my way and I will be ok.  Because my purpose now is to work hard to make sure that the gospel is my priority.   Not myself.  Not my will.  Not my way.  The Gospel. 

I wonder if people see my life if they see that I am working hard for the gospel?  What about you?  Are you working hard for the gospel or are you working for something or someone else?  We are to conduct ourselves and strive together for the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Christianity is a very active endeavor!

Thanksgiving in Election Season

It seems to me that this election more than perhaps others that have gone before feels as though whomever wins the election - the country loses.  I will not tell you who to vote for, and I am not sure there is a "winning" candidate that is in the election this go-round.  I have seen and heard a lot of angst from Christians and wonder if we have lost sight of the truths of Scripture.  If you are wringing your hands this morning, be reminded of Psalm 2.  I will highlight a few of my favorite parts of this text.

It begins with nations in an uproar, trying hard to take a stand against God.  And the response of God to all of the efforts of man to thwart His perfect plan is recorded in verse 4. 

"He who sites in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them."

God sees all that is going on and all of the people fighting against Him.  God knows all of the contra-biblical attitudes that are out there.  He is aware of all of the legislation in the works that goes against morality and ethics.  He knows it all.  And He laughs.  Consider this today:  God takes all of the work of mankind to fight against His truth as one colossal joke.  In verse 5 He reminds us why - all He has to do is speak and it will terrify all who strive against Him. 

After a warning that all those in leadership on earth should tune themselves to Him, He reminds us of another truth we need to hear today. 

"How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!"

If you are relying on the election to give you peace and comfort, if you are going to be upset if your candidate doesn't win, if you think that it is over if the other person gets elected - perhaps you need to place your refuge in God instead of the president.   If you are worried that our economy will tank - put your refuge in God instead of your money.  If you are worried about the anti-God state of our world, place your refuge in the God who is the only one capable of fixing our broken world.  And remind yourself that He fixes this broken world through us - as we share Christ with those who need to hear.  Trump or Clinton will not fix anything- only Christ is capable of healing. 

And in the glorious truth that God is still in control we find thanksgiving.  Even in the midst of a nasty election cycle that ends today!

To God be the Glory!

Insight from our Singing - part 18

We come to the conclusion of our series on the hymnbook I have been reading.  The hymn that I close with is a simple one that many of us are familiar with but have gotten away from singing as often as we perhaps used to.  This is no fault of the hymn, but more a fault of the fact that we have moved away from hymns in general.  As we think about worship it is important to be reminded that content overcomes culture every time.  Or at least it should.  We are to worship in Spirit and Truth, not in the name of cultural sensitivity.  This is also not to say that change or all of the newer songs are bad - it is to say that we perhaps need a different way of evaluating our songs than simply what it "does for me."  Something far more objective is needed - and content provides that objectivity.  We should evaluate songs based solely on their biblical content and the contribution that biblical content makes not only to our Sunday service, but to our weekly worship. 

In this respect, the doxology perhaps stands unique.  So simplistic that a child can learn and sing it.  And yet this simplicity is bounded in the depth of truth as we allow this song to form our day it by the power of the Spirit of God can be used to transform our day.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

A reminder to us that all that we have we have from the hands of our heavenly Father.  A reminder that in Him is no evil, and that He is working for our good.

Praise Him all creatures here below.

A truth that we often forget - we are created and derivative.  He is creator and singular.  We are therefore bound by this distinction to honor his "otherness".  We are below God.  We must never get that mixed up and think ourselves His master.

Praise Him above ye heavenly host.

This reminds us of the world beyond the world that we see.  We get caught up in election cycles and news cycles.  We get bombarded by the reality of living in a sin stained world and we need to be reminded that this world is not our home.

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

The deep theology of the trinity.  And perhaps aside from needing to update the word ghost (especially this close to Halloween), a good reminder that the God that we serve is indeed singular, but not alone - he is after all Three in One.  Triune.  Holy.  Praise be to our glorious God.

Amen

This word is perhaps the most critical.  Which is why in my favorite version of the song it is sung seven times.  The word simply means "so be it". It is a statement of agreement with the content of the song.  I agree that God gives me all good things.  I agree that I am to praise Him because He has created me.  I agree that there is something beyond this world to look forward to.  I agree that He is the triune God to be worshiped.  And in this agreement I submit to Him.  I obey Him.  I worship Him.  May all of us hear the words of Scripture be it read or sung and have the courage to say "Amen".

The poetic chaos of life

I recently had the chance to sit in "The Big House" with some friends of mine and watch my favorite Michigan Wolverines play and beat Illinois.  While I was sitting in the stands, it struck me just how poetic football was.  Before each play both teams stand in position ready and waiting for the ball to move.  They are focussed.  They are intent.  They each have a unique goal in mind.  They have a purpose, a mission and they are ready.  Then, at the flick of the wrist of the center, seeming chaos ensues as each player recognizes that there is someone whose sole goal it is to oppose the purpose that they have.  Each defensive lineman whose goal is to get the quarterback or prevent the run or containment, each one is opposed by the offensive line whose goal is to protect, or push.  Each play is like a miniature drama unfolding with either glory or tragedy awaiting the players.

It really is a beautiful thing to watch.  The dramas unfold and there is a  final determination of who is victorious.  And yet, all of it would be so much different without the coaching staff.  From the booth there are people watching, in the background there are stats keepers, there are offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators and the assistant coaches.  But all of them ultimately are led by one man- the head coach.  Without the coach, the chaos would be just chaos.  Imagine if at the movement of the ball 2 of the 4 defensive linemen decided they wanted to be cornerbacks and just ran after the wide receivers.  Or the running back decided he wanted to catch a pass instead of run the ball.  Or even better one of the offensive linemen turns around and tries to take the hand-off and then throw a long bomb to the wide-receiver who decided he wanted to sit this play out.

Chaos.  All held at bay by one man.

When I think about my life sometimes it seems like a football game.  And, when I go my own way and do my own thing, it seems a lot like the chaos I just described.  But, when I am willing to give my life into the hands of someone bigger and smarter than I, someone who can see the whole game better and knows exactly what I need to do.   If I give my life to God, then there is some purpose and mission that I understand.  In an incredible way, becoming a Christian simplifies life as I no longer have to worry about the world around me and the responsibilities of everyone else, I simply have to focus on my purpose - my mission, the goal that God has given me here on earth to bring glory to His name by using the gifts and abilities He has given me.  And in a wonderful plan that He has put together, while there may be temporary pain and sorrow, the end result of me serving Him in this way is inexplicable joy for eternity.  What a blessing!  Praise be to our great God.

Insight from our Singing - part 17

We are nearly coming to the conclusion of this series, which I have enjoyed immensely.  It has been a unique devotional experience to read through a hymnbook and examine the lyrics of both familiar songs and songs that are new to me. 
I came across one of these songs that were new to me just the other day.

No list of sins that I have not done, no list of virtues I pursue,
No list of those I am not like can earn myself a place with you.
O God! Be merciful to me I am a sinner through and through
My only hope of righteousness is not in my but only you.

The song is called "Not in Me".  As I read the words, it struck me how often we as Christians think about ourselves.  Somewhere in our theology we know that we are sinners, but fail to realize how often we try and achieve righteousness on our own.  Think of how this first verse of this song characterizes ways that people tend to think about themselves and their righteousness.

1. We make lists of sins we have not done. 

2. We make lists of all of the good things we try and do.

3. We make a list of those we are not like.

I have never murdered or committed adultery.  I have instead tried to tithe and go to church and be a good person.  And I am not nearly as bad as _______________.  And as we tell ourselves these things we subtly are trying to build a case for our own rightness before God.  And in doing so we forget that we cannot do this by works.  Our salvation was by grace alone, why would our sanctification be any different.  We (on our own) are still drawn to our old patterns of behavior.  Only when we look at ourselves as being united with Christ and find our identity in him can we have any hope of righteousness. 

It is humbling to realize that not a single thing that we do (before or after we have been saved) can earn us favor with God.  Only the work already done for us by Christ has the power to change our position.   It is a good reminder that my righteousness is not in me.  Praise be to Christ for giving me His righteousness! 

Psalm 90

To describe our world as chaotic is an understatement.  Elections are upcoming in which most people I have spoken to believe neither choice is a positive one.  We watch them fight and blame each other for the next month until the day that we elect a president that most people will not want.  In the midst of this at least once a week we hear of another shooting in which race is made an issue.  There are riots and unrest and this is becoming more and more local.  There are natural disasters that destroy homes and lives.  We are addicted to a media cycle of bad news and though we do not want to admit it, we nonetheless wait with baited breath for the next bomb to drop. 

This kind of chaos needs an injection of truth.  Psalm 90 is the vaccine.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were born
Or you gave birth to the earth and the world
Even from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Think of the truth of this psalm.  We too often place our trust and hope in the condition of our country, in the world around us and we are made uncomfortable when this world does not provide the comfort we are looking for.  Perhaps God is calling us back to the true Source of comfort - found only in Himself.

While the mountains shake and tremble (for some figuratively, and some very literally) the psalmist reminds us that before there were mountains at all, God was and was God before the world existed.  God is God, has been God, and will continue to be God. 

And that provides comfort.  And peace.  And hope.  And joy.  And all that our world seemingly seems to be lacking.  We find these things because we focus our attention not on the world that is falling apart around us, but we focus on the God who is holding all things together.  We focus not on the chaos, but on the Creator.  We focus not on sinners, but on their Savior.  And in doing so, in correcting our focus, we find what we have been looking for - the peace that passes understanding.

I pray that you will turn to God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ and find peace today!

Matthew 10:31

I recently came across a song by Jason Gray called "Sparrows".  Based on the passage in Matthew 10, the song essentially is a reminder that God is in charge and caring for us, even in the midst of circumstances that may not indicate immediately that this is the case.  One of my favorite parts of the song says this:

If He can hold the world He can hold this moment
Not a field or flower escapes His notice
Oh even the sparrow
Knows He holds tomorrow

The first line is challenging.  How often do we wonder if God really has all things under His control.  And yet, this is the same God who holds all things together by the word of His power.  He can hang stars and planets and people in place and has done so since the beginning of time itself.  And I have the audacity to question Him.

The second line reminds me that it is ok to question so long as I do not question who He is.   He knows that we struggle, He sent His Son to feel our pain and heal our wounds.  He calls us to come close to Him and cast our anxiety on Him.  He tells us to call Him "Father."  And this perfect Father misses nothing.  His eye is always on His child and even the sparrow receive the blessing of His watchful eye.  Matthew 10:31 reminds me that I am far more important than a sparrow!

But it is the last line that is the most challenging I think to apply.  To confidently know that my God holds my tomorrow in His hands now.  My frame of reference is to think that tomorrow is unknowable.  I am so defined by my experience and I have never once experienced a single tomorrow earlier than experiencing it as today.  And yet this God who holds the world together and loves me so deeply that He knows the very number of diminishing hairs on my head, this God sees tomorrow and knows it completely.  And He knows the day after that.  He knows all of my tomorrows and as the song says He holds them - He is in control.  He reigns with a power that transcends my feeble understanding!  Praise be to this tomorrow-holding God!

Trust

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding."  Proverbs 3:5

I used to sing a song in Sunday School that I have enjoyed singing as an adult.  "Trust and obey, for there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey."  Sadly, a large portion of my life has been spent in the absence of trust.  Sometimes I wonder what it means to trust at all.  If I am trusting, does that mean I should do nothing to help myself and just let God do it all? 

And then I was reminded of this simple verse.  I want to make a few observations.

The command is simply to trust in the Lord.  The verse seems to imply that there are other places that your trust could be placed.  We can trust our bank accounts, our families, our church, we can trust a lot of thing and the command and the initial observation is that our trust should be placed in the Lord and no in anything else.  This is so similar to the first command to have no other gods before Him.  Trust the Lord, nothing else!

Secondly, we are to trust with all of our heart.  Again, the simple truth is that we have the ability to trust with less, but God calls for all of us.  We are not to trust when things are good, and worry when things are bad. We are not to trust with only half of who we are, we are to trust with all that is within us.  This reminds me of the summary of the whole law that we are to love God with all of our heart, and soul and strength. 

Lastly, and perhaps most challenging of all is that the antithesis of trust is not a lack of trust, but a trust in my own understanding.  Here is the hard part.  I have to trust only God, with all of who I am and none of my own understanding.  I get tripped up here because I bring my own understanding into the equation far too often.  I think that my own understanding is accurate and true and I have this conscious desire to tell God how to interpret the circumstances that I find myself in.  And this is precisely what I am to avoid.  I am to avoid leaning on my own understanding.  Notice that it does not say that I cannot have my own understanding, or even that my own understanding is incorrect, simply that I am not to lean on it.  Not to rely on it, not to trust it. 

May God give us the grace to be able to trust in the Lord with all of who we are and not lean on our own understanding!

Insight from our singing - part 16

I think that trouble is a universal part of human existence.  In point of fact, I know it to be true from my theology.  Sin brings death and toil and turmoil and the world that we live in is stained with sin.  People fight over fights.  We live in a world that is ablaze with anger and rage.  We live in world that looks at each event that occurs with such a skewed view that we cannot seem to see past the end of our own point of view.  We are no longer driven by truth, we are driven by opinion and fact-less emotion.  We have no desire for authority, no drive to be committed, no passion to be like Christ and I find myself spending more time bemoaning the world in which I live than actually living in the world as a light. 

What do we do and to what truth do we hold when we face these times of uncertainty? 

When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast.
When the tempter would prevail, He will hold me fast.
I could never keep my hold through life's fearful path
For my love is often cold, He must hold me fast.

He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast,

For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast.

I love the truth of this song, written by Matt Merker just a few years ago.  Instead of floundering in the midst of an uncertain sea of doubt, I can trust the steady hand of God to hold me.  Christ is holding me fast.  I cannot be separated from His love (Romans 8).  I cannot be taken out of His hand (John 10) and I am permanently connected to a life-giving vine (John 15).  And while I cannot cling to Him with any strength of my own, I can count on the fact that I am held by His strong omnipotent hand. 

The last verse of this song gives me the eternal hope that provides and anchor to see me through the storms of life.

For my life He bled and died, Christ will hold me fast.

Justice has been satisfied, He will hold me fast.

Raised with Him to endless life, He will hold me fast.

Til our faith is turned to sight, When He comes at last!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!

Insight from our Singing - part 15

One of the things that I think is important is the understanding that the style of the songs that we listen to pales in comparison to the content of what we are singing.  It is far more critical to me that we sing words that magnify the Savior and remind us of the truths of the Scriptures than worrying about what key we are in or if the song was written in the last 10 years.  One of the hymns that I remember singing when I was growing up has gained a new appreciation for me in latter years.

If I am being honest, most of the songs I remember from childhood were the ones that I liked, not the ones with deep truth, but the ones that have stuck with me and continue to minister to me this very day are the ones that have deep, deep truth behind them.  Such is the case with "How Firm a Foundation."

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word.
What more can He say than to you He has said
To you who for refuge to Jesus has fled.

I used to think of this like a marching song, one that we might sing if we understood we were going to war.  And this first verse literally lays the foundation for all else - the sufficiency of the Word of God.  God literally can say no more to us that what He already has, both through the written Word and the incarnate Word. 

Fear not!  I am with thee; O be not dismayed

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid

I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand

Upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand.

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,

My grace, all sufficient shall be thy supply

The flame shall not hurt thee, I only design

Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

These verses help me to understand the purpose in difficult times.  I have no need to fear, for there is no place that I can go where God is not with me.  And with him beside me I can better understand that in the trial He is simply purifying me and drawing me closer to Himself.

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose

I will not, no will not desert to his foes.

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake

I'll never, no never, no never forsake!

What a promise this last verse holds.  We can never be separated from the love of God shown us in Christ!  He will never forsake us.  This gives us the hope to keep going forward knowing that we have in Christ all we will ever need!

Insight From our Singing - part 14

I like songs that remind us of the truth of Ephesians 6:10-17 - that we are in a war with far more than flesh and blood.  Songs that are a call to victory.  To me, the song "Rise up O Church of God" serves this function. 

Rise up O church of God - have done with lesser things
Give heart and mind and soul and strength to serve the King of Kings.

Rise up O church of God - His kingdom tarries long

Bring in the day of brotherhood and end the night of wrong.

Rise up O church of God - The church for you doth wait

Her strength unequal to her task, rise up and make her great!

Lift High the cross of Christ.  Tread where His feet have trod.

As brothers of the Son of Man, Rise up O church of God.

This song is so simple.  It contains two simple commands, the first repeated.  

     1. Rise up!  - So often we remain passive in our faith.  We go to church and wait for something to happen.  We read our Bible and wait for something to happen.  We pray and wait for God to do something.  We see a need or something that perhaps needs to change and we wait and ask God to send someone to do something.  Perhaps the call of God contains the command for us to Rise Up and do something. 

Sometimes we rely on a small group of people to do this, while a large portion of the church remains inactive.  Consider something.  If you are a part of a church, you have been gifted in some way by the Holy Spirit to encourage and edify the church you are a part of.  Seek out what that gift is and use it!

Verse three drives home the need.  Our churches are unable to do that which God has called them to do without the help of those who make up the church.  The church is not simply an organization that is here to serve your needs, it is a living organism that you are a part of that is moving toward eternity. 

     2. Lift High the Cross of Christ. - this to me is the banner under which we fight.  The struggle may be real, but we hold high the flag that reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Is this your banner?  Is this what you look to for encouragement?   Is this what gets you through the day?  If not - perhaps it is time to consider changing banners! 

A simple song with a simple call.  We as individuals in our churches need to rise up and lift high the cross of Christ on a daily basis!

Insight from our Singing - part 13

"See the Destined Day Arise"

See the destined day arise!  See a willing sacrifice.
Jesus, to redeem our loss, hangs upon the shameful cross.
Jesus who buy you could bear wrath so great and justice fair
Every pang and bitter throe finishing your life of woe.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Lamb of God for sinners slain

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Jesus Christ we praise your name. 

In our Sunday School class we have been talking about how important Jesus truly was.  He was essential to our salvation as only He could bear the wrath of God and act as a substitute for my sin.  Only He could satisfy the righteous requirements of the law and stand for me.  This song reminds us that not only was He the only one, but that He was willing to do this.

Think of it.  The holy, righteous, just, perfect Son of God chose willingly to come to earth to die for me.  He chose to allow those around Him to slap and mock Him as He faced a trial with a judge that He himself has to remind would have no power aside from that which is given him by none other than God himself.  He endured false accusations.  He was beaten.  He was mocked.  He was whipped to the point of death and all of this before He was forced to carry His own cross down the road toward Calvary. 

He laid there and was nailed to wood as a willing sacrifice.  I do not think that we think about this nearly enough.  In fact, most of us have an image of Jesus that either fails in one or two directions.  Sometimes our image of Christ is too manly.  We focus on the tossing out of the money changers at the temple and we think that Jesus was  a man's man.  Part of this is valid, but Jesus was also meek, and gentle, and a lamb led to the slaughter.  He chose not to fight when He could have.  Chose to endure rather than execute judgment.  But likewise we sometimes think of Jesus meek and mild and forget that He allowed people to beat Him.  When He told His disciples to turn the other cheek, He himself showed them how to live in that manner.  Even in the garden when Peter tried to stand and fight for Him, He scolds Peter and heals the ear of the servant. 

Jesus had to be a willing sacrifice.  He did not go down fighting because He knew what He was really doing.  And in the very moment that the whole world thought Jesus had lost, it was precisely at that point in time that Jesus concludes, "It is finished."  And in those words reveals the victory.  Our debt was paid because Jesus finished His own life of woe. 

May we with the hymnist truly say, "Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Lamb of God for sinners slain."  And may we strive to live in the power of the Spirit for the glory of the one who was our willing sacrifice. 

Insight from our Singing - part 12

I have really enjoyed this journey through a hymnal finding and being reminded of songs that we sing (or don't sing but should) that have depth and encouragement for us. 

Sometimes there is meaning in the story behind the song.  Such is the case with "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day".

The words are fairly simple.

I heard the bells on Christmas day
their old familiar carols play
and wild and sweet the words repeat
of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how the day had come

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along the unbroken song

of peace on earth good will to men. 

And in despair I bowed my head
'There is no peace on earth' I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
of peace on earth good will to men.

Then pealed the bells both loud and deep

'God is not dead nor does he sleep

The wrong shall fail the right prevail

With peace on earth, good will to men.

Verse three sounds a little odd for a Christian service.  When you read the story of how and why he wrote the song you understand a little more.  He had  a son who was severely injured in the Civil War.  He had just recently lost his wife to a tragic accidental fire in which it has been said he himself was badly burned trying to save her.  And in this midst of his grief he wrote this song.  Now verse three makes a little sense.  Our lives are not always joyous and awesome!  Sometimes life hurts.  And it is in these moments that we need to be reminded that God is not dead and does not sleep and that He is bringing about His plan to make peace on earth!  What a great thought.  Even so come quickly Lord Jesus.

Insight From Our Singing - part 11

Sometimes in our lives we need correctives to the way that we think.  Some of these are abrupt and we need to correct a wrong way of thinking.  Most of these I think however are correctives that involve becoming too committed to a way of thinking and failing to balance this according to Scripture.  One such area in which this occurs is our view of Jesus.  Allow me to test this with a few questions.

When you think of Jesus do you think of Him in terms of the revealed King returning on a white horse to conquer?   Or do you think of Him as the God-man with children gathered around Him?

When you think of the life of Jesus, do you think more about His gentleness with the healing of the masses, or do you think of the temple changers being driven out by flipping tables and whips?

Sometimes we get caught up thinking about one side of the revealed part of Scripture without taking the whole to correct our view so that we are not incomplete.  Sometimes our singing does the same.  We sing about the friend we have in Jesus.  We sing about the love Jesus has for us.  We sing about how His mercies are new.  And we forget about the coming judgment.  Or that He has come to do more than love us, but to change us.  This is why I love the song, "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence".

Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded, For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth, Our full homage too demand.

Wait a second.  I thought Christ came to earth as a baby all cute and cuddly!  He came to demand my homage?  What a corrective. 

Rank on rank the host of heaven Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth from the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanquish as the darkness clears away. 

At His feet the six-winged seraph; Cherubim with sleepless eye
Veil their faces to the Presence As with ceasless voice they cry,
'Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia Lord Most High.

This picture of servitude and worship is one that we desperately need to correct our self-centered, prideful ways.  Christ did come to save sinners, but that was His means of bringing honor to the Father and glory to Himself.  Songs like this can correct our perspective and are much needed to remind us that we are here to bring honor to God.

One Body, Many Members

1 Corinthians 12:12 says, "For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ."  (NASB)

I am so grateful for this truth and the realization that the work of the gospel does not belong solely to the Pastor!  I am so thankful for my church body who gathers together weekly, but who worships together through service in many different ways during the course of the weeks and months and years. 

It is interesting that many people consider their relationship with Jesus to be something private and something that they exercise only as an individual or as they come to church.  I think this is a fateful view of the Christian life.  We were reborn into the family of God.  We are a member of a larger body.  Nearly every metaphor that describes the church or the Christian is a plural metaphor.  We come together to form something larger than ourselves.  And interestingly, I believe that we are called to function in the same way.  We are to do together what we cannot do ourselves.  And this is where the body of Christ comes together - not at church - but outside the church.  Here is what I mean.

I can only be neighbors to a few people - but our church is neighbors to many.  I can only be a co-worker to a few people, but as a church we can be co-workers to many.  I as a person - even a pastor - can only do so much, but as a church we can do so much more.  As a church we can run a VBS that ministers to many because people invited friends and neighbors in a way that I could not.  As a church we can pass out 3000 water bottles during a single parade (I could not).  As a church we can organize and connect with a sister church in China in a way that I could not on my own.  The church combines all of our individual opportunity into a communal opportunity in the same way it combines our individual joy into community joy, or our individual sorrow into communal sorrow.  We are the body of Christ.  And I am so pleased to see White Lake Baptist Church function as the body of Christ.  It is my prayer that we will continue to do so!

From Babel to Blessing

I had a unique experience this past weekend to speak at our own church with a translator who translated all that was said into Chinese.  We had this opportunity because of a missionary whom I have gotten to know over the last year who had served in China and built a great relationship with the church he served.  (Thanks Mike!)  Their church sent over five young people and two adult translators to send them to camp and to experience life and church in America.  On Saturday, we had a pool party together.  After the party, I was talking with my children about the difficulty of understanding each other when language was a barrier and I drew their attention back to Genesis 11 and the tower where all of the languages were confused.  I reminded them that this was a result of people refusing to do what God had commanded. 

Then Sunday came.  It first struck me as we were singing "This is the Day" with the words in English and Chinese.  It struck me as our guests kindly shared with us gifts from their church and their homeland.  But it hit me like a brick while I was standing and preaching with a man beside me who was reading the same verses that I was, but in Chinese.  He was preaching the same sermon that I was, but in another language.  And I was broadsided by the ongoing realization that our God is a global God and our gospel is a global gospel.

How foolish of me to be surprised by this.

"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;  and they cry out with a Loud voice, saying, 'Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."  (Rev. 7:9-10, NASB)

One day, people from all tongues will praise the Lord for His salvation.  All tongues that we see now as a result of sin will praise God for His redemption.  We are so myopic when we worship that we see only ourselves.  And this week, I got the chance to expand my vision of God and be reminded that I was worshiping with brothers and sisters around the world.  And while we may not share the same language - worship is universal.  The gospel transcends culture, language, or any other barrier we might invent.  Glory be to our glorious, global God.

Insight from our Singing - part 10

Sometimes when we think of church songs, we think of songs that are quite wordy and verbose.  Sometimes we think of songs with words in them that we do not understand and deep theological truth.  There is nothing wrong with any of these things, but sometimes we need to be reminded of the simplicity of our relationship with God. 

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise,
In the morning when I rise, Give me Jesus.

The glorious simplicity of this song is wonderful!  When we boil everything down and strip all of the extras away, every single morning - I need Jesus.  Not simply a want for Jesus, but a deep seeded need to allow Jesus to control my life for the day.

Oh when I am alone,

Oh when I am alone,

Oh when I am alone, Give me Jesus.

I love how beautiful this song is.  In those moments that we find ourselves awake and feeling as though no one cares, there is no one or no thing that we need more than Jesus.  I imagine that sometimes Jesus would like to be treated like my cell phone.  Sounds strange I know, but let me explain.  When I can't find my cell phone my life upends until I have it in my possession again.  It has my calendar, my notes, my access to all of my documents, it is an indispensable tool (at least in my mind).  When I have misplaced it (thankfully not very often), life stops until I find it again.  Imagine if that was how I treated my Lord and Savior.  If I ceased to feel His glorious presence I stopped everything until I was found in Him!

Oh when I come to die,

Oh when I come to die,

Oh when I come to die, Give me Jesus.

What a challenge.  Jesus is not something that I need only when I am alone, but every moment I am awake from now until the moment that I leave this earth.  It is no small thing to long for Jesus in this way.  And yet we find ourselves so easily distracted by the temporary struggles we face this side of glory.  My prayer is that we would long for Jesus each morning, every moment, until the day that we die. 

Soli Deo Gloria

Insight from our Singing - part 9

This week we return to my journey through a hymnal and the discussion of how and what we should learn from what we are singing.  I am often struck by how we sing something that seems to contradict what we are doing or feeling without even thinking about it.  Have you ever sang, "Lord I lift up my hands. . . " with your hands in your pocket?  I know that I have.  Or sang the words to a song and never really fully realized what you have been saying.  There is a song that I have sung quite a few times in my life and can honestly say that I have never really followed the lyrics!

Jesus I am resting, resting, in the joy of what Thou art
I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee, and thy beauty fill my soul
For by thy transforming power thou has made me whole.

I am sad to say that I have never sung this song and realized fully that I am made whole in Christ!  I always tend to focus on the things that are lacking in my life.  I never have enough time, I never have enough energy, I tend to focus much more on my failures than what is true - I am complete in Christ. 

Think of it.  In the most important area of who we are - our relationship with God - Christ has made us complete!  God cannot love us any more than He does in this moment because He loves us like He loves His Son because when He sees us, we have the righteousness of Christ. 

Think of it.  Christ has made us complete.  Complete in righteousness, complete in His holiness, complete in our standing before God.  We are assured of our eternal home because our debt has been paid for us.  We have forgiveness, we have peace, we have joy, we have Christ living in us and the Power of the Holy Spirit working out our sanctification.  We are complete. 

While we focus on our inadequacies, Christ reminds us that we can do ALL things through Him.  While we focus on our failures, Christ reminds us that we are forgiven and whole. 

May I live this day and the next and every day from this moment forward as though I understand the truth that I am complete in Christ!

Freedom

The 4th of July is nearly upon us.  A day when we celebrate the freedoms that we have in this great country of ours.  As I think about freedom, I am reminded of a number of recent conversations that I have had related to the to concept of freedom.  Most of these have centered on the relationship between human freedom and divine Sovereignty.  Allow me in the blog today to get a little philosophical.  First of all, I will in no way do justice to this deep and weighty topic, but I want to introduce a few thoughts that hopefully will help to shape our understanding of what the Scriptures say on this topic.

We as people tend to focus on free will.  We want to believe that we have a choice and that if we are held responsible for our actions that we had total responsibility for these actions.  This is a faulty understanding of free will.  This view is often referred to as Libertarian free will - the freedom to choose whatever we want.  And it is rare even in practice here on earth that we have this kind of free will.  Think about a simple choice that you made today.  What did you have for breakfast?  At initial glance this seems like it was all your choice.  You could choose to eat whatever you wanted or nothing at all.  That is a completely free choice right?

Now consider the following circumstances that actually not only influenced but in some cases controlled your seemingly free choice.  You were bound to choose between only the options that were available to you.  You could not eat anything for breakfast.  For instance if you wanted caviar or Chicago Style Deep dish pizza, chances are you did not have that in your fridge and it was not within you ability to purchase it in time before you went to work.  You were confined to what was available.  But that is not the only thing that controlled your decision. Time also strongly influenced what you had to eat this morning.  If you woke up 20 minutes late for work already you did not make Eggs Benedict.  You grabbed something quick and rushed to work.  If you had all the time in the world, chances are you had something larger than a granola bar. 

These two things, time and availability influenced and even controlled your choices.  And that is not even talking about many of the other things that did the same.  Consider your history and what you like and don't like.  The things that make you ill or that you are allergic to.  Consider if you had to make breakfast for just yourself or for your family.  All of these things and many more were factors in your decision.  You did not think about these factors, you simply chose something to eat.  Because of your practice of making these decisions, it seemed second nature to simply eat and so you did.  But the decision was not free in the Libertarian definition of freedom.  You had a defined freedom - freedom within a select set of confines.

So here is the question.  Was your decision this morning any less free because it was influenced and even controlled by a variety of factors?  Did you feel robotic because you knew the limitations that you faced when you made your choice?  Of course not.  It felt and was a genuine choice. 

The fact that we talk about the sovereignty of God being a limitation on human freedom is not something that eliminates human freedom.  In fact, as you study Scripture, it is because of the sovereignty of God that we can even talk about human freedom.  But that is a topic for another blog.  Perhaps in the future we will do a series on the topic.

Do you have a topic that you think I should cover?   Leave a note in the comments below!

Lessons From VBS

We started VBS at our church this week.  It is an exciting time, and those organizing the whole week have done an excellent job of organizing the people and material that are involved in making a successful VBS.  I am excited by the number of children that we have attending from our church, from other area churches, and glad that we have students that to my knowledge have no church that they presently attend.  This is truly a good thing that is happening.  And yet, every time that I see a VBS sign, I am reminded of the original purpose of VBS and the decline of biblical Christianity and its perception in our world. 

There was a time not too long ago where the church was the center of a community.  If there was an event to be had - it was happening at the church, or it was in another location but sponsored and organized by the church.  And while the church in whatever time period we are commemorating was not perfect, it was perceived in part by the community as a whole to be a benefit.  This is not just my church, this seems to be the history of the majority of churches in America.  There was a "glory days" some 30 - 60 years ago in which each church hit its stride and was making progress in reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The gospel was seen as something that had impact into the lives of every man, woman and child.

Now we live in a different age.  The church has both freely given and had taken away much of its centrality in communities.  And we have a gospel that we get excited about sharing with the kids who come to  VBS.  But then we go to work and we forget the gospel is not for kids alone.  It is for their parents and grandparents.  The gospel is for their mom, their dad, their step-mom, their step-dad, for all the members of their family.  It is for our co-workers, it is for our friends, it is for our neighbors, it is for all those with whom we come in contact.  But perhaps most of all, the gospel is for us. 

This is the lesson that I learned from VBS today.  It was a reminder that not only was I preaching the gospel to the kids who came.  I was preaching the gospel to myself.  I needed to be reminded that I can find my righteousness only in the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ.  I needed to be reminded that it was only by the gift of this righteousness, freely given in grace by God, that I can stand before God and be right.  The gospel is no less for the lost as it is for the redeemed.  And we must stop thinking that only the lost, and only the kids, and only those in other parts of the world need the gospel.  Perhaps the reason that we are not sharing the gospel as we should is that we have forgotten how important it is to us.  And when we forget that, we lose the urgency to share it with the world around it. 

Today I was reminded that I, a Baptist pastor, 37 years old, father of three, husband of one beautiful woman, I need the gospel more than anyone.  And praise be to God that His glorious Gospel is for me!

Changing the Heart

I am going to take a break from the "Insight series" as this week I am a little contemplative.  Every year around Father's day I begin the process of looking inward and evaluating myself and who I am in light of who God created me to be.  It is interesting that when we do this, we tend to look at the superficial things.  "How do I look?"  "How well am I liked?"  "Have I achieved the level of success that I desire?"  I am reminded in these moments that ultimately in the eyes of God, none of these things matter in the slightest.  This is why 1 Samuel 16:7 is so interesting.

"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Apparently there is a fundamental difference between how we see others and ourselves and how God sees us.  And here we are told what the fundamental difference is - God sees the heart.  Man sees the outward. 

This is not really surprising when we think about it, after all, the only heart I have any ability to truly know anything about is my own.  I cannot see your heart.  You cannot see mine.  We lack the capacity to see to the inner man and even our insight into our own inner self is skewed.  But there is no such lack in God.  In fact, it clearly says that God looks past the outward appearance to see what is truly there.  This thought is echoed in many ways in the Scriptures.  God does not want mere outward conformity, he wants heart change and inner change. 

So at the end of the day, if I am more concerned with my outward appearance than my inner appearance, it is a fairly good sign that I am more concerned with the will of other people in my lives than I am with what God wants of me.  If I am more concerned with how my inner man looks, than I am valuing what God says about me more than what people around me say.  May we all seek to please God first and foremost and worry a little less about the outward appearance and work on allowing God to change our hearts. 

Insight from our Singing - part 8

"You need this car."
"This pair of headphones was created with you in mind." 
"Everyone else has one but you."
"You are not anyone unless you have this stereo."
"Everyone will notice you when you wear these sunglasses."

Every day we hear hundreds of thoughts that tell us that this world is a place that was here for our existence and pleasure.  We think from a very early age that the world revolves around us and that everyone else is here for our pleasure.  Honestly, we all want the world to revolve and think that when people disagree with us, they are clearly not on board with the program! 

We need a corrective to this, and for many that corrective is the golden rule. Our president recently cited this rule to accommodate immorality.  The problem is that the golden rule will not ultimately solve our problem because at the end of the day we use the golden rule to correct the behavior of those around us because we have not fundamentally solved the problem at the core of who we are.

This is why we need songs like "All Glory Be to Christ."


Should nothing of our efforts stand, no legacy survive,
Unless the Lord does raise the house, in vain its builders strive.
To you who boast tomorrow's gain, tell me what is your life?
A mist that vanishes at dawn, all glory be to Christ.

His will be done, His kingdom come, on earth as is above,

Who is Himself our daily bread, praise Him the Lord of love.

Let living water satisfy the thirsty without price

We'll take a cup of kindness yet, all glory be to Christ.

When on the day the great I am, the Faithful and the True,

The Lamb who was for sinners slain is making all things new.

Behold our God shall live with us and be our steadfast light,

And we shall e'er his people be, all glory be to Christ.

You see, it is not about me.  Or you.  It is all about Christ.  May we live the truth of this song and live to bring honor and glory to Christ alone.

Insight from our Singing - part 7

Every now and again I need a good reminder that Christ is victorious and reigns over all that is.  Even though that reign is yet to be finalized, it is no less real now than it will be then.  When we see the world around us falling apart, or when we experience the kind of pain and turmoil that causes us to question ourselves and the very quality of our faith, we need songs that remind us that Christ is victorious.  "Victory in Jesus" is one such song, but this song focuses more on the victory that I have in Christ.  Which is why I am so glad that I came across a song called "Onward March, All- Conquering Jesus".  Just think about that title.  Christ is marching forward toward the conquest of His campaign to have every knee bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father.  And we get the privilege of watching His glorious campaign unfold before our eyes. 

Sure, it often times does not seem as though Christ is winning.  After all, this feeling was no different for His disciples who watched Him hang on a cross, and yet it was no less true then.  And it is no less true now. 

Onward march all conquering Jesus, Gird Thee on Thy Mighty sword.
Sinful earth can ne'er oppose Thee, hell itself bows at Thy word.
Thy great Name is so exalted Every foe shrinks back in fear
Terror creeps through all creation when it knows that Thou art near. 

How my raptured soul rejoices that the Jubilee is near.

Every word will be accomplished, spoken by our Savior here.

North and south in countless myriads, from earth's darkest ends they come

With the dance and gladsome music, into heavens eternal home.

I want to draw your attention to the second line of that first stanza and ask if you believe it to be true this morning.  "Sinful earth can never oppose thee, hell itself bows at Thy word."  Take that truth and dwell on it as you look forward to the content of the last verse - heaven and an eternity spent with Christ.  The reign that Christ will have then we can know now if we will surrender our lives to Him.  Is Christ reigning victoriously today in your life?  Is He your King?  May we not wait until our knees are forced to bow, but instead willingly surrender our lives to the Conqueror of all things.  It reminds me of Colossian 1:18, "He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself will come to have first place in everything."

"In everything."  That is what Christ is in first place and ruling over.  All things.  Even the things you are going through today.  Let Christ be Ruler!

Insight from Our Singing - Part 6

I have been thoroughly enjoying our traverse through some of the songs of the faith.  It is amazing how when we sing there is a deep connection between theology and feeling - perhaps unlike any other connection between these two.  If I mentioned that I wanted to talk about theology, few would listen.  But when I put theology to music, we not only sing it, but it stays with us!
The next song selection in our series will be one that I have enjoyed using as a theme song for a study we are working through in Nehemiah.  I believe that it captures the essence of chapter 9 although the scriptural quotes it uses are from Job.

Who has held the oceans in his hands?  Who has numbered every grain of sand?
Kings and nations tremble at His voice.  All creation rises to rejoice.

Behold our God

seated on His throne, come let us adore Him.

Behold our King.

nothing can compare, come let us adore Him.

Who has given counsel to the Lord? Who can question any of His words?

Who can teach the One who knows all things? Who can fathom all His wondrous deeds?

Behold our God

seated on His throne, come let us adore Him.

Behold our King.

nothing can compare, come let us adore Him.

Who has felt the nails upon His hands?  Bearing all the guilt of sinful man?

God eternal, humbled to the grave.  Jesus, Savior, risen now to reign!

Behold our God

seated on His throne, come let us adore Him.

Behold our King.

nothing can compare, come let us adore Him.

I love this song.  Perhaps no words ring truer than the ones in the third verse.  God has born the guilt of my sin through His Son who humbled himself to the grave!  And that same Jesus is risen now to reign.  Not to just live, but to reign.  Jesus Christ is the rightful ruler of all that is.  This gives me great hope even when things do not look so hopeful.  Jesus Christ, Savior of my soul is risen to reign.  But this means that I must surrender to His reign in my life.  Behold our God.  Come let us adore Him!

Insight from our Singing - part 5

Complete in Thee!  No work of mine may take dear Lord the place of Thine;
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me and now I am complete in Thee.

Complete in Thee!  I die to sin.  Thy grace hath conquered, reign within

Thy voice shall bid the tempter flee, And I shall stand, complete in Thee

Complete in Thee!  Each need supplied and no good thing to me denied

Since though my portion Lord will be, I ask no more, complete in Thee.

Dear Savior!  When before thy bar all tribes and tongues assembled are,

Among thy chosen I will be at thy right hand, complete in Thee.

These are the words of a hymn called "Complete in Thee" the lyrics written by Aaron R Wolfe.  The thing that strikes me about this hymn is the simplicity of both the lyrics and the consistent message that occurs throughout.

Have you considered today that you are complete in Christ.  That you have no need because you have everything that you need in Christ.   When we understand this truth, it puts into perspective the things that we think we need.  These things seem to pale in comparison when we place the things we think we need next to the list of things that God has already provided:

     1.  Pardon from our sins.   - God has completely forgiven your sins, but at the cost of the blood of His Son Jesus Christ.  And Christ was willing to die for you!  What a blessing!

     2. We have victory over sin - not only are we pardoned, but God has provided a way out of every temptation   (1 Cor 10:13)

     3.  God provides us with all things that we need.  - We have all that we need for life and godliness in the Word of God.  God promises us that He will meet all of our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus!  Think about that for a minute and try and complain about the fact that the situation in your life is inconvenient.

     4. And ultimately, the best gift that God gives us is the right standing before Himself that allows us to know that we are complete in Christ! 

What a blessing to know that we have these and many more gifts from the giver of all good things.  I need these reminders in the midst of the difficulties that I face.  Perhaps they will encourage you as well this day!

Insight from our Singing - part 4

Some songs, while familiar, become so familiar to us that we lose the impact of their meaning.  I think that sometimes in church we put ourselves on autopilot and could sing what we sing without even giving so much as a thought to what we are singing. We can sing "Victory in Jesus" while feeling totally defeated.  We can sing "Nearer my God to Thee" while feeling distant from God.  This is why I love singing thoughtfully.  And the other day as I was humming a familiar tune, I was reminded of the words.

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt
Yonder on Calvary's Mount outpoured
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt

Grace, Grace God's grace

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within

Grace, Grace God's grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin.

And that is just the first verse!

When we think about the grace of God, do we truly fathom how marvelous it is?  How impressive the grace that forgives and exceeds all of our sin and our guilt.  What a glorious truth.  The sin that we take so lightly was covered by the grace of God at Calvary and therefore our sin and guilt are obliterated before a holy God.  This means that we do not have to live in fear, but in the glorious freedom that comes from knowing the truth about who we are and whose we are in Christ.  This kind of knowledge frees us to live like Christ intended - striving to serve Him, not out of fear of a punishment that has already been paid for by grace, but out of a sense of love and joy and commitment to the one who has freed us from our slavery to sin through His glorious grace!  Praise be to God for the grace that He so freely has bestowed upon us.

Insight from Our Singing - part 3

We need more laments in Christian worship.  Do not get me wrong, I love songs about the victory that we have in Christ or how happy we are.  But this does not express the full experience of the Christian very well.  There are difficult times as a Christian.  Times when it does not feel as though God is listening or even there.  Times when we wish we could curl up into a ball and just cry.  This is why we need more laments - songs that cry out to God when things are bad and we are hurting.  And that is why I love the song, "Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul."

Dear refuge of my weary soul, on Thee, when sorrows rise,
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll, my fainting hope relies.
To Thee I tell each rising grief, for Thou alone canst heal;
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief for every pain I feel.

But oh!  when gloomy doubts prevail I fear to call Thee mine,

The springs of comfort seem to fail and all my hopes decline.

Yet, gracious God where shall I flee, Thou art my only trust;

And still my soul would cleave to Thee though prostrate in the dust.

Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face and shall I seek in vain?

And can the ear of sovereign grace be deaf when I complain?

No, still the ear of sovereign grace attends the mourners prayer;

Oh may I ever find access to breathe my sorrows there.

Thy mercy seat is open still, here let my soul retreat;

With humble hope attend Thy will and wait beneath Thy feet.

Thy mercy seat is open still, here let my soul retreat;

With humble hope attend Thy will and wait beneath Thy feet.

With these kinds of songs we can feel free to cry out to God with a broader scope of emotions and be more honest about how we are truly feeling.  "Victory in Jesus" is a great truth, but sometimes the world does not feel like a victorious place.  So we can turn in darkness to songs that express deep truths about following after God when it hurts.  I love the line, "Yet gracious God, where shall I fell, thou art my only trust."  We can only trust in a sovereign God in the midst of good times, and in the midst of times that are bad. 

Insight from our Singing - part 2

The act of singing is inherently theological.  As we speak words to music, those words have a tendency to impact our lives far beyond our conscious understanding.  This past Sunday our church held a service at a nursing home.  It always amazes me to see people who it is near impossible to carry on a conversation with due to the level of mental decay who when "Amazing Grace" begins to play will sing out and remember every single word.  This kind of ingrained theology is impossible to produce in a sermon.  No one has ever sat up in the middle of the night remembering a sermon of mine, but they have awoken with a song inexplicably on their lips. 

This is why it is so crucial that when we sing together as a church we do so with proper theology as the foundation of our songs.  Our songs should not primarily be about what makes us feel good, or even what we can tap our feet to, but we should constantly be aware of what we are saying as we sing. 

This is why I love going back to songs that I may not be familiar with and learning the words.  Today I want to dwell upon the words of a song that is relatively new - written in 1982, but is so very true.  The song is called "O Father, You are Sovereign".

O Father, you are sovereign in all the worlds you made
Your mighty word was spoken and light and life obeyed
Your voice commands the seasons and bounds the ocean's shore
Sets start within their courses and stills the tempest's roar. 

O Father, you are sovereign in all affairs of man,

No powers of death or darkness can thwart your perfect plan.

All chance and change transcending, supreme in time and space

You hold your trusting children secure in Your embrace. 

O Father, you are sovereign the Lord of human pain,

Transmuting earthly sorrows to gold of heavenly gain.

All evil overruling as none but Conqueror could

Your love pursues its purpose, our souls' eternal good. 

O Father, you are sovereign!  We see dimply now,

But soon before your triumph earths every knee shall bow

With this glad hope before us, our faith springs up anew

Our sovereign Lord and Savior we trust and worship You.

Is your response to God today the same trust and worship as the song calls for?  Perhaps you need to be reminded this day that God is in control, even in the midst of your pain.  Praise God that he is in control. 

Insight From Our Singing - part 1

At the recent conference that I attended we received the gift of a free hymnal.  Now I know with all that I have learned that they give us such things in the hopes that we like them so much that we purchase them at our church, but I decided to use it for something else entirely. I have added it to my devotional routine and began to read some of the hymns both old and new (yes, there are new hymns) and hear what they really are saying.

Sometimes on any given Sunday morning we are singing songs that are so familiar to us that we can sing them while half asleep.  Rarely do we stop to consider that the fact that we are singing is not what makes something worship, but the way that we are ascribing worth to God above.  This is primarily accomplished, not through the style of music, but primarily through the text of the song and what they are saying about our great God.  And so I read through hymn book to see what those who have gone before have said about God in their worship and as they are biblical and God-honoring, for myself to say the same things!  I wish for the next few weeks to share a few of these with you. 

Today I bring to you the third verse of an older hymn called "Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above".

The Lord is never far away
But through all grief distressing
An ever present help and stay,
Our peace and joy and blessing.
As with a mother's tender hand
He leads His own, His chosen band
To God all praise and glory.

Hebrews 13:5 reminds us of the truth of the first line - God will never leave us or forsake us.  This is a truth that is particularly difficult to understand especially when we face difficulty - the grief distressing.  He is an ever present help to us.  At this point we pause to consider my natural response to difficulty.  We are so quick to assume that God has left us or forgotten about us that we forget the simple truth of Scripture that God does not leave us or forsake us.  Therefore His help is "ever present". 

But the song goes even further and transitions from the grief distressing to the peace and joy and blessing that we receive when we belong to Christ!  What a glory!  Christ takes our difficulties and turns them into blessings.  We just need the patience to see it happen. 

The last line however is critical.  It reminds us that we are not here for our own praise, our own glory, or even our own comfort.  What we endure this side of glory is for the sake of His glory now and in eternity future.  This gives purpose to our pain and helps us to see that He has the long-view in mind.  What are you going through this day that you need to be reminded is for His praise and glory?  Will you choose to live to honor Him in the midst of the grief distressing?  Will you remember the promise of His presence?  If you will, He promises peace and joy and blessing. 

Live from Together for the Gospel 2016

My Father and I are currently attending the "Together for the Gospel" Conference in Kentucky.   If you are interested, the sessions are broadcast live at live.t4g.org.  The sessions will also be posted on the t4g website at a later date for listening.
Today I was touched by the teaching of C.J. Maheny on Job and the mean of enduring suffering.  To summarize, the only means of surviving suffering is to become enamored with the vision of Himself that God gives us in His Word.
The session was concluded with a song I had only heard once before and I wish to share the words with you here.  The hymn is titled "He Will Hold Me Fast" and is written by Ada Habershon and revised by Matt Merker in 2013.

When I fear my faith will fail, 
                   Christ will hold me fast
When the tempter would prevail, 
                    He will hold me fast
I could never keep my hold, through life's fearful path
For my love is often cold,
                    He must hold me fast.

Those He saves are His delight,
                      Christ will hold me fast.
Precious in His holy sight,
                      He will hold me fast.
He'll not let my soul be lost, His promises shall last.
Bought by Him at such a cost
                       He will hold me fast

For my life He bled and died,
                        Christ will hold me fast
Justice has been satisfied,
                        He will hold me fast.
Raised with Him to endless life, 
                         He will hold me fast.
Till our faith is turned to sight
                          When He comes at last!

Chorus:
He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast
For my Savior loves me so, He will hold my fast.  

What a great reminder that we are held securely by the love of Christ.  Rest in this.

The Fishing Lesson

I had the privilege this weekend of attending my grandma's church in Union Mills Indiana.  There, Matthew Campbell, their pastor preached on John 21 and the difference between trusting in self sufficiency or trusting in the life-changing power of God. 

The story in John 21 is a good one.  The short version is this - Peter and the other disciples are not sure how to proceed, even after Jesus has appeared to them, and so they go back to what is comfortable for them - fishing.  However in a twist of irony, they are apparently terrible at it as they fish all night and catch absolutely nothing. 

Jesus in his love for them calls to them from the shore and, without them knowing it is Jesus, he reminds them that they have no fish.  None.  0.  There is no results that have come from their natural efforts to do what they thought they were so gifted to do.  And so Jesus gives them a solution - just try again one more time and throw the nets on the right hand side of the boat. 

I am no fisherman.  I fished a little when I was growing up and enjoyed it, and from what I remember, the side of the boat off of which I cast my line had no influence over the number of fish that I caught.  It is not as if fish see a boat and go, "okay boys, everyone to one side."  This request seems a little silly, but for whatever reason, they cast the net.  And suddenly they had fish. 

I love the response that John gives.  He simply turns to Peter and says, "It is the Lord."   Of course it is the Lord.  No other one could provide such a miraculous catch of fish at the word of command to cast the nets. 

This is where it gets challenging.  How many times do I know what God wants me to do and I still argue with him.  I would ask, "why the right side, why not the left God?"  or "I am tired of fishing"  or "are you sure, I think I am feeling called to raise cattle."  When we listen to God it always works out better for us in the long run than when we listen to ourselves.  So, listen to God.  What is God saying to you today?  What does God want you to do today?  How does God want you to change today?  And then have the faith to simply do it.  And watch God multiply the catch you will have as you obey and follow Him. 

Lessons from Job

We normally think of Job when we think of difficult circumstances in our lives that we would rather not go through.  I have found however, that Job is a good reminder even when things are going well.  I particularly relate to chapter 42:1-3

"Then Job answered the Lord and said, 'I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.  'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' 'Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.'" (NASB)

I read this verse and it humbles me.  The first statement is a statement of authority - Job knows that God can do all things.  There is nothing that can tell God what he should or should not do.  God is bound solely by the nature of His own character.  God is in charge.  He can do whatever He wants.  He is God and I am not.  I cannot do all things.  I can only do a limited amount of things - most of which should be the things that He commands me to do. 

The second statement is a statement of control - nothing that God purposes can be thwarted!  Nothing that God sets His mind to do can be avoided!  If God promises something, it will be accomplished.  This is a statement that brings great hope, even when what God is allowing may not be pleasant because it means that all that God has promised will come true. 

The third part of these verses is essentially a statement of the humility required when we face a God of this nature.  We must come into His presence with the understand that we know nothing in comparison to that which He knows, and that which we do know we know only because He has chosen to allow us to know it.  Deep thoughts, right.  

And yet in spite of the truth of these verses I so often come before God telling Him how He should run not just my life but the lives of all of those around me as well.   How foolish of me.  And that is why these verses are a good reminder - if only to help me avoid my own foolish thoughts!

Why is Good Friday Good?

When I was a youngster (farther ago than I would care to admit), I always wondered why they called Good Friday good.  It is easy to understand why they might call Resurrection Sunday good. The resurrection after all seems to be the best news for Christians ever.   Good Friday seemed to me to be the means used to get to the good stuff - the resurrection.  But the more that I grew in Christ and read Scripture, the more that I began to understand that while the resurrection indeed in many respects the moment that all of the life of Christ was verified to be all that Christ said it was, there was still value in the moment that Christ died. 

There is no better text to exemplify this than Hebrews 10:19-25.  I will suffice for the purposes of this blog to quote only verse 19.

"Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus. . . " (NASB)

The sacrifice of the life of Christ on Good Friday gives you and I something that we would not have otherwise.  Something even the resurrection by itself could not give us.  It gives us confidence to approach God.  It is quite significant that in the narrative on the crucifixion that the veil of the temple was torn in two.  (Luke 23:45).  The death of Christ on the cross was the moment that the barrier caused by sin between God and man was eliminated.  ELIMINATED.  But only through the blood of Christ.

You and I and all of our friends and neighbors and co-workers and family can all have unmitigated access to God through the blood of Christ.  But here is the "catch".  The unmitigated access only happens through the blood of Christ.  You cannot earn it through good works.  You cannot earn it by going to church every day.  You cannot earn access by being a genuine person who tries to do your best.  It only is granted by and through the blood of Christ. 

May I encourage you today to remember this weekend is truly a good weekend because of the death and the life of Christ.  Do not rush past the cross to get to Easter, for it is the cross that earns us the access to God that we desperately need and desire.  In the words of the song, "Thank you for the Cross Lord, thank you for the life you gave."