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." 

Sad Reminders of Sin's Presence

When we think of life on this earth, for most of us, it is a rather good experience.  Most of us do not struggle with real hunger.  Most of us do not struggle with a daily fight for our lives.  Some do, and around the world, there are many to face a very difficult life.  But if I am being honest, my life here in the USA is really quite good.  Which is why it is so hard to face the reality of life when it gets hard to explain.  This week the city where we live there was a young lady who took her own life.  When events like this happen, our world is a little shaken.  Our pristine utopia that we though our lives were is suddenly darkened by a sharp reminder that evil still has sway in the world in which we live.  And while we know that Christ has conquered death, when death occurs it still feels so unnatural and foreign.  In light of the tragedy of this week, I want to offer a few truths that help me focus and help me manage the grief and sometimes terror that I face.

1. God sent His Son precisely because the world was a dark place. 
God did not send his Son because we were good people going a slightly wrong direction.  He sent His Son because we needed complete and total transformation.  We were dead and needed to be made alive.

2.  God sent His Son to save us.
God chose to take this dark and sin cursed world in which we live and redeem those of us who are willing to place our faith and trust in Christ and what Christ has accomplished for us on the cross.  None of us deserve it.  All of us were under just condemnation, but because of His mercy He died to save us.  And his salvation is available to all.  No matter what our life situation, God sent His Son to save you.  And this salvation that He graciously offers is free.

3. God left us here to remind others that they too need a Savior.
God does not save us and then remove us from the world because in His mercy, there are still more people who might respond to the gospel message.  The tragedy that we face in our lives is a stark reminder of the haste with which we must share the gospel.  People are not guaranteed tomorrow and so I had better not wait until tomorrow to begin building relationships with people who need the Lord.  The time is now because Christ's return is imminent. 

4. God is sending His Son again to take us home.
We will very soon be seeing Jesus face to face and basking in the glory of eternity with Him.  This is where our hope lies.  But this hope does not excuse me from my need to share the gospel.  I must always temper my excitement about eternity with the reminder that I am not there yet and while God leaves me here, I am here for a purpose! 

As Christians, we have a hope in the midst of hardship that we can only have because of Christ.  We should praise Him and thank Him, and then go and share that glorious news with the world!