The story of Keith Green made an impact in my life. His music was from the 70's-80's. He was one of the first musicians that I was introduced to shortly after I came to faith in Christ. Of course, Keith is not perfect, but his story and music made had a lasting impact on my walk with Christ.
This song is titled, "Glory Lord Jesus". It is really good. It is Christological, eschatological, and exalts Christ. I found myself encouraged to give glory to Jesus by this song.
Here are the lyrics to the song:
Glory, Lord Jesus, glory to Your Holy Name
Glory, Lord Jesus, Your blood, it has removed my shame
When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on the Earth?
Well, I hope so, I want to be found ready
Holy, Lord Jesus, holy is Your righteous throne
Holy, Lord Jesus, my praises go to You alone
Worthy art Thou Lord our God
To receive all glory honor and power
For there is none beside Thee
Faith is believin', faith is for overcoming
And if I'm going to love You, sure got to trust You
Glory, Lord Jesus
Faith is believin', faith is for overcoming
And if I'm going to love You, sure got to trust You
Glory, Lord Jesus, glory to Your Holy Name
Glory, Lord Jesus For evermore You'll never change
When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on the Earth?
Well, I hope so, I want to be found ready
I wanna be found ready
I want to be ready, Lord, help me be ready
Please let me be found ready, I wanna be ready
Oh, Lord, help me be ready
I wanna be found ready, I wanna be ready
Lord, help me be found ready
Glory, Lord Jesus, glory to Your Holy Name
Glory, Lord Jesus, Your blood, it has removed my shame
Glory, Lord Jesus, glory to Your Holy Name
Glory, Lord Jesus, for evermore You'll never change
Glory, Lord Jesus, glory to Your Holy Name
Showing posts with label worship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label worship. Show all posts
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Monday, March 14, 2011
He Is Worthy of Worship
A quote from A.W. Tozer,
"Sometimes I go to God and say, "God, if Thou dost never answer another prayer while I live on this earth, I will still worship Thee as long as I live and in the ages to come for what Thou hast done already. God’s already put me so far in debt that if I were to live one million millenniums I couldn’t pay Him for what He’s done for me."
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small,
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my life, my soul, my all.
Oh, the wonderful cross
Bids me come and die
And find that I may truly live
Thank you for the cross!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Christmas Worship Services
You are invited to our Christmas Worship Services at First Baptist of Southlake
Sunday December 20th
We have Sunday school at 9:30 a.m.
Service is at 10:45 a.m.
I will be preaching from Isaiah 9:6
Christmas Eve - Dec. 24th
Special Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship Service
Bring the whole family as we read from the gospel accounts of Christ's birth, worship with some great Christmas music and hear a message about the meaning of Christ's birth.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Jesus, Thank You
A Song For Thanksgiving
I thought I would repost my blog about the song "Jesus, Thank You". I think it is an appropriate reminder for all that I should be thankful for.
I am very picky about worship music. I recently stumbled across a great song by Sovereign Grace Ministries and Bob Kauflin. It is a great worship song, about propitiation called "Jesus, Thank You." If I knew how to upload audio to this blog I would put it on here. I don't so here are the lyrics.
The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend,
The agonies of Calvary.
You, the Perfect Holy One, crushed Your Son,
Drank the bitter cup reserved for me.
Your blood has washed away my sin,
Jesus, thank You.
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied,
Jesus, thank You.
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table,
Jesus, thank You.
By Your perfect sacrifice I’ve been brought near,
Your enemy made Your friend.
Pouring out the riches of Your glorious grace,
Your mercy and your kindness know no end.
Your blood has washed away my sin,
Jesus, thank You.
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied,
Jesus, thank You.
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table,
Jesus, thank You.
I thought I would repost my blog about the song "Jesus, Thank You". I think it is an appropriate reminder for all that I should be thankful for.
I am very picky about worship music. I recently stumbled across a great song by Sovereign Grace Ministries and Bob Kauflin. It is a great worship song, about propitiation called "Jesus, Thank You." If I knew how to upload audio to this blog I would put it on here. I don't so here are the lyrics.
The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend,
The agonies of Calvary.
You, the Perfect Holy One, crushed Your Son,
Drank the bitter cup reserved for me.
Your blood has washed away my sin,
Jesus, thank You.
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied,
Jesus, thank You.
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table,
Jesus, thank You.
By Your perfect sacrifice I’ve been brought near,
Your enemy made Your friend.
Pouring out the riches of Your glorious grace,
Your mercy and your kindness know no end.
Your blood has washed away my sin,
Jesus, thank You.
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied,
Jesus, thank You.
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table,
Jesus, thank You.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Birthday Party Worship
Imagine This
You have a dear sainted grandmother who is having her 87th birthday party. The whole family is invited over to celebrate her special day.
But, something is different at this party. Instead of baking grandma’s favorite cake, that everyone can share in, a questionnaire goes out before the party. It asks what each individual persons favorite cake is. As all come to the party someone has baked hundreds of special order cupcakes to meet with everyone’s personal preferences.
Why stop at the cake? Instead of everyone bringing a present to honor grandma, everyone receives their own present. It is individually selected and wrapped so that every person gets exactly what they would want.
If I was ever invited to a birthday party like that, I would go. But, there is a big problem. This celebration is no longer about the honored guest. It has become self serving and more honoring to each individual.
This story is not a perfect analogy(God is not a grandmother) but allow some latitude for comparison. The scenario above is the way many people think about church and God. Church is about honoring the Lord, but for many people it becomes about honoring themselves. The cultural mindset is that church should fit my preferences and wants. Instead of going to church to give and serve, people go to church to get and receive. “I hope this church plays music that I like. I hope that preacher preaches something that I think is entertaining.”
We all know that a birthday party is to honor one person. They get their favorite cake. Everyone brings their presents for the one being honored. That is exactly how church should be. It is about God, not me. It is about honoring the Lord. It is about serving Christ. It is about giving to Him, of my time, songs, heart, life and worship. Every Sunday is about the guest of honor. The Guest of Honor is not the preacher. The Guest of Honor is not you. The Guest of Honor is the Lord God Almighty!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Preach Jesus
Below is an article by Dr. Jim Richards, the Executive Director of the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention. It is a great article on preaching Jesus! www.sbtexas.com
Preach the real Jesus, whatever your style
Written by Jim Richards Executive Director
Posted Friday, March 28, 2008
Seems like we ought to be getting ready for Easter! It did come early this year. As a matter of fact, Easter will not be that early again until 2228! Surely Jesus will come before then. Speaking of Jesus … a lot of churches are not.
I have been shocked by the avoidance of the name of Jesus. Dare to say mentioning sin, the blood, the cross, the resurrection or a number of other essential elements in helping people understand their need for Jesus.
North American Christianity in general and Southern Baptists in particular are in crisis. Our conversion-to-population growth ratio is at an all-time low. We have more buildings, education, money and technology than ever before. Yet we are doing less with more than any previous generation of believers. You have heard the dreary statistics: 70 percent of SBC churches are declining. Some say plateaued and declining, but unless you are growing you are declining; you can’t stand still. There is a lot of handwringing and finger pointing over this problem.
Numbers of young pastors have rejected the SBC model of cooperation. We have gone through “contemporary music,” the “Purpose-Driven” phenomenon and now the emerging church models. New forms are constantly in vogue.
Recently I heard about the Redneck Church. This flock, upon learning of the feeding of the 5,000, wanted to know whether the two fish were bass or catfish and what type of bait was used to catch’em.
We have become so niche-conscious that we may see a church start to target left-handed, blue-eyed 9-year-old girls who don’t like Hannah Montana. I’m for reaching all kinds of people in all kinds of ways, but we might be taking it to an extreme. Let me affirm much of the innovative church planting.
If I were 30 years younger, I would want to be on the cutting edge reaching the unreached with unique approaches as a church planter.
Music style is a preference, not a point of fellowship. Whether a guy sits on a stool or beats the pulpit is irrelevant. If he has bed-head, shaves his head or wears a pompadour, it doesn’t really matter. What is important is that churches both innovative and traditional uplift the Lord Jesus Christ, present clearly the gospel and depend upon the Holy Spirit.
Here’s my beef: Whatever style you are, present the biblical Jesus. Jesus had a virgin birth, sinless life, vicarious and bloody sacrificial death, bodily resurrection, and will have a visible return. I have been in churches recently that got so cute with their ministry that they forgot to present the gospel. And just because somebody baptizes a trough-full doesn’t mean the “converts” have been presented the biblical Jesus.
Use imagination and new tools, but know that only the Spirit of God can produce eternal results. We have become so slick in thinking we can “trick” people into conversion. It is the old “bait and switch” technique. We will make them think they really aren’t worshipping Jesus, never mention his name, don’t offend them and maybe they will be saved by some holy osmosis system. Paul spoke of the spirit of this world in 1 Corinthians 2:12. Don’t try to outsmart the Holy Spirit. Neither is it some jibber-jabber or some attention getting activity. Salvation is the clear, unmistakable work of the Spirit of God.
Willow Creek admitted error in their philosophy of ministry. It is hard to improve on presenting the gospel. People must understand their need. Conviction of sin is the first step toward repentance. How can a person repent if he doesn’t think he has anything to repent of? We have to preach the bad news before anyone will be ready for the Good News. We don’t have to be offensive in our methods, but the cross will offend.
The apostle Paul had a pastoral relationship with the church at Corinth. He pointed out shortcomings of the church in his first letter. In the book we call 2 Corinthians he confronted them about their infatuation with novelty. He used sarcasm to point out their rejection of his authority and the acceptance of deceivers. Paul was aggravated with the church that he started in its being so easily removed from the truth. He warned them about preaching another Jesus, receiving another spirit and having another gospel (2 Corinthians 11:1-5).
Even though Easter is passed, I urge you to boldly share the true gospel in the power of the Spirit by presenting the biblical Jesus.
Preach the real Jesus, whatever your style
Written by Jim Richards Executive Director
Posted Friday, March 28, 2008
Seems like we ought to be getting ready for Easter! It did come early this year. As a matter of fact, Easter will not be that early again until 2228! Surely Jesus will come before then. Speaking of Jesus … a lot of churches are not.
I have been shocked by the avoidance of the name of Jesus. Dare to say mentioning sin, the blood, the cross, the resurrection or a number of other essential elements in helping people understand their need for Jesus.
North American Christianity in general and Southern Baptists in particular are in crisis. Our conversion-to-population growth ratio is at an all-time low. We have more buildings, education, money and technology than ever before. Yet we are doing less with more than any previous generation of believers. You have heard the dreary statistics: 70 percent of SBC churches are declining. Some say plateaued and declining, but unless you are growing you are declining; you can’t stand still. There is a lot of handwringing and finger pointing over this problem.
Numbers of young pastors have rejected the SBC model of cooperation. We have gone through “contemporary music,” the “Purpose-Driven” phenomenon and now the emerging church models. New forms are constantly in vogue.
Recently I heard about the Redneck Church. This flock, upon learning of the feeding of the 5,000, wanted to know whether the two fish were bass or catfish and what type of bait was used to catch’em.
We have become so niche-conscious that we may see a church start to target left-handed, blue-eyed 9-year-old girls who don’t like Hannah Montana. I’m for reaching all kinds of people in all kinds of ways, but we might be taking it to an extreme. Let me affirm much of the innovative church planting.
If I were 30 years younger, I would want to be on the cutting edge reaching the unreached with unique approaches as a church planter.
Music style is a preference, not a point of fellowship. Whether a guy sits on a stool or beats the pulpit is irrelevant. If he has bed-head, shaves his head or wears a pompadour, it doesn’t really matter. What is important is that churches both innovative and traditional uplift the Lord Jesus Christ, present clearly the gospel and depend upon the Holy Spirit.
Here’s my beef: Whatever style you are, present the biblical Jesus. Jesus had a virgin birth, sinless life, vicarious and bloody sacrificial death, bodily resurrection, and will have a visible return. I have been in churches recently that got so cute with their ministry that they forgot to present the gospel. And just because somebody baptizes a trough-full doesn’t mean the “converts” have been presented the biblical Jesus.
Use imagination and new tools, but know that only the Spirit of God can produce eternal results. We have become so slick in thinking we can “trick” people into conversion. It is the old “bait and switch” technique. We will make them think they really aren’t worshipping Jesus, never mention his name, don’t offend them and maybe they will be saved by some holy osmosis system. Paul spoke of the spirit of this world in 1 Corinthians 2:12. Don’t try to outsmart the Holy Spirit. Neither is it some jibber-jabber or some attention getting activity. Salvation is the clear, unmistakable work of the Spirit of God.
Willow Creek admitted error in their philosophy of ministry. It is hard to improve on presenting the gospel. People must understand their need. Conviction of sin is the first step toward repentance. How can a person repent if he doesn’t think he has anything to repent of? We have to preach the bad news before anyone will be ready for the Good News. We don’t have to be offensive in our methods, but the cross will offend.
The apostle Paul had a pastoral relationship with the church at Corinth. He pointed out shortcomings of the church in his first letter. In the book we call 2 Corinthians he confronted them about their infatuation with novelty. He used sarcasm to point out their rejection of his authority and the acceptance of deceivers. Paul was aggravated with the church that he started in its being so easily removed from the truth. He warned them about preaching another Jesus, receiving another spirit and having another gospel (2 Corinthians 11:1-5).
Even though Easter is passed, I urge you to boldly share the true gospel in the power of the Spirit by presenting the biblical Jesus.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Jesus, Thank You
I've noticed that many of my blogs are critiques of various issues and things. That is necessary, but I also want start showing that there are some things out there that are good and right.
I am very picky about worship music. I recently stumbled across a great song by Sovereign Grace Ministries and Bob Kauflin. It is a great worship song, about propitiation called "Jesus, Thank You." If I knew how to upload audio to this blog I would put it on here. I don't so here are the lyrics.
The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend,
The agonies of Calvary.
You, the Perfect Holy One, crushed Your Son,
Drank the bitter cup reserved for me.
Your blood has washed away my sin,
Jesus, thank You.
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied,
Jesus, thank You.
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table,
Jesus, thank You.
By Your perfect sacrifice I’ve been brought near,
Your enemy made Your friend.
Pouring out the riches of Your glorious grace,
Your mercy and your kindness know no end.
Your blood has washed away my sin,
Jesus, thank You.
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied,
Jesus, thank You.
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table,
Jesus, thank You.
I am very picky about worship music. I recently stumbled across a great song by Sovereign Grace Ministries and Bob Kauflin. It is a great worship song, about propitiation called "Jesus, Thank You." If I knew how to upload audio to this blog I would put it on here. I don't so here are the lyrics.
The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend,
The agonies of Calvary.
You, the Perfect Holy One, crushed Your Son,
Drank the bitter cup reserved for me.
Your blood has washed away my sin,
Jesus, thank You.
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied,
Jesus, thank You.
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table,
Jesus, thank You.
By Your perfect sacrifice I’ve been brought near,
Your enemy made Your friend.
Pouring out the riches of Your glorious grace,
Your mercy and your kindness know no end.
Your blood has washed away my sin,
Jesus, thank You.
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied,
Jesus, thank You.
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table,
Jesus, thank You.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Slanderous Work For God?
In O. Chambers book My Utmost For His Highest I found this sentence, “We slander God by our very eagerness to work for Him without knowing Him.”
I came across this quote in a devotional reading and spent some time really thinking about what it was saying. The truth of the quote was striking. The Pharisees were eager to work for God, but not to know Him. A group comes to Jesus and says to Him, “Look how much we have done for you, in your name.” And Jesus tells them, “Depart from me I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:21-23)
Slander is a misrepresentation which defames another’s reputation or name. When I am eager to work for God, but am not knowing God I am misrepresenting Him. I am telling the world that my effort is more important than my God. And the truth is that my effort is meaningless drivel without His help and power. That is putting the spotlight on me and not on Him. That is defaming His name.
I can’t tell you how many times in my life I have been busy doing the “work” of God and have not taken the time to actually be with God. I am fooling myself and defaming the Lord by pretending that my effort can make any difference anyway. And, what I have found is that my effort leaves me exhausted and fruitless. It’s like paddling upstream; lots of effort but little progress.
The converse of that scenario is just as troubling. Doing nothing for God doesn’t reveal my spirituality, but my laziness. Those who know God most, seem to always be doing the most for God. But it is not an empty religious exercise, it is a God-powered effort that advances His glory and kingdom. That is what I want to be about in my life.
My prayer, which is where this all should start, is that the Lord will work in me so that I might know Him and be empowered by the Holy Spirit to do all that He calls me to do.
I came across this quote in a devotional reading and spent some time really thinking about what it was saying. The truth of the quote was striking. The Pharisees were eager to work for God, but not to know Him. A group comes to Jesus and says to Him, “Look how much we have done for you, in your name.” And Jesus tells them, “Depart from me I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:21-23)
Slander is a misrepresentation which defames another’s reputation or name. When I am eager to work for God, but am not knowing God I am misrepresenting Him. I am telling the world that my effort is more important than my God. And the truth is that my effort is meaningless drivel without His help and power. That is putting the spotlight on me and not on Him. That is defaming His name.
I can’t tell you how many times in my life I have been busy doing the “work” of God and have not taken the time to actually be with God. I am fooling myself and defaming the Lord by pretending that my effort can make any difference anyway. And, what I have found is that my effort leaves me exhausted and fruitless. It’s like paddling upstream; lots of effort but little progress.
The converse of that scenario is just as troubling. Doing nothing for God doesn’t reveal my spirituality, but my laziness. Those who know God most, seem to always be doing the most for God. But it is not an empty religious exercise, it is a God-powered effort that advances His glory and kingdom. That is what I want to be about in my life.
My prayer, which is where this all should start, is that the Lord will work in me so that I might know Him and be empowered by the Holy Spirit to do all that He calls me to do.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Worship: That's The Way, Uh Uh, I Like It
Have you ever had one of those moments? A moment that you are not sure is embarrassing, humorous, or instructive? Maybe all of the above.
We had one of those Sundays at church the other day.
Here is the run down. We have no worship leader and the pianist called in sick. That means that the music portion of the worship service that had been planned all week was out the window.
That’s o.k. we’ll just go to plan B. I have some worship songs that our pianist recorded for just such a predicament. All we have to do is plug in my laptop, arrange the songs and it is like having a virtual pianist.
So, I scramble around to get that arranged, fix the power point lyrics, and get the sound system hooked up. This took place just in the nick of time.
It took a while, but eventually we got things in place by overcoming a few small computer glitches along the way. Should go smooth from here….not.
We get ready to begin the service and the songs won’t play. I don’t know what happened but the files would not open and play the way they had just minutes before. All that played was the “Microsoft” start up tune. “What a friend we have in Microsoft…”
Oh boy, here we go.
So, lets greet one another and see if we can’t fix the problem. I run to the back where the equipment is being run by two of my faithful youth. It clearly was not their fault, it was some technical issue.
We get it fixed and the next portion goes a little better. The music does well and we get through it all right.
But that’s not all. After a small break in the flow of the service it is time for the next song. The only problem is that the next song starts at about 4 times normal speed. It sounded like the Chipmunks music. The guys tried about 3 times before it fixed itself and went back to normal. Somehow we recover.
Could it get any worse? Oh yes.
We have one last song before the sermon. This is a song that I intentionally included to help us focus and prepare for the message. The song is titled, “Jesus draw me close”.
The music starts and instead of the beautiful piano arrangement we hear the beginning chords of the 1970’s disco dance tune “That’s The Way, Uh Uh, I Like It”. Picture that for a moment. I will pause so you can laugh, or cry.
You might be wondering, how did that get into a worship service? Well, the piano music was being played from the media player on my laptop. I have a fairly large and eclectic music collection on my laptop. I have some Chris Tomlin, Keith Green, Christmas music, Elvis, Beach Boys, Disney songs, classical, and some 1970’s dance tunes. Yes, that is right. The girls and I like to boogie to some dance tunes every now and then. Don’t worry, we close the blinds real tight so no one can see.
So, somehow, and I still don’t know how, our piano music was interrupted with the beginning chords of some disco music and I wasn’t even wearing bell bottoms.
We had a guest preacher and the sermon was great. The rest of the service was uneventful, the damage had already been done. Although, the next time some inquires about what kind of music we have at our church I am not sure what I will tell them.
Is there a lesson here? I don’t know. I just know it will be a time of worship that I will never forget.
We had one of those Sundays at church the other day.
Here is the run down. We have no worship leader and the pianist called in sick. That means that the music portion of the worship service that had been planned all week was out the window.
That’s o.k. we’ll just go to plan B. I have some worship songs that our pianist recorded for just such a predicament. All we have to do is plug in my laptop, arrange the songs and it is like having a virtual pianist.
So, I scramble around to get that arranged, fix the power point lyrics, and get the sound system hooked up. This took place just in the nick of time.
It took a while, but eventually we got things in place by overcoming a few small computer glitches along the way. Should go smooth from here….not.
We get ready to begin the service and the songs won’t play. I don’t know what happened but the files would not open and play the way they had just minutes before. All that played was the “Microsoft” start up tune. “What a friend we have in Microsoft…”
Oh boy, here we go.
So, lets greet one another and see if we can’t fix the problem. I run to the back where the equipment is being run by two of my faithful youth. It clearly was not their fault, it was some technical issue.
We get it fixed and the next portion goes a little better. The music does well and we get through it all right.
But that’s not all. After a small break in the flow of the service it is time for the next song. The only problem is that the next song starts at about 4 times normal speed. It sounded like the Chipmunks music. The guys tried about 3 times before it fixed itself and went back to normal. Somehow we recover.
Could it get any worse? Oh yes.
We have one last song before the sermon. This is a song that I intentionally included to help us focus and prepare for the message. The song is titled, “Jesus draw me close”.
The music starts and instead of the beautiful piano arrangement we hear the beginning chords of the 1970’s disco dance tune “That’s The Way, Uh Uh, I Like It”. Picture that for a moment. I will pause so you can laugh, or cry.
You might be wondering, how did that get into a worship service? Well, the piano music was being played from the media player on my laptop. I have a fairly large and eclectic music collection on my laptop. I have some Chris Tomlin, Keith Green, Christmas music, Elvis, Beach Boys, Disney songs, classical, and some 1970’s dance tunes. Yes, that is right. The girls and I like to boogie to some dance tunes every now and then. Don’t worry, we close the blinds real tight so no one can see.
So, somehow, and I still don’t know how, our piano music was interrupted with the beginning chords of some disco music and I wasn’t even wearing bell bottoms.
We had a guest preacher and the sermon was great. The rest of the service was uneventful, the damage had already been done. Although, the next time some inquires about what kind of music we have at our church I am not sure what I will tell them.
Is there a lesson here? I don’t know. I just know it will be a time of worship that I will never forget.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Forgiven Much
Luke 7:47
“He who is forgiven little, loves little.”
I have been thinking a lot lately about the ten commandments. Specifically, I have been thinking about the use of the law in evangelism. This is not new, but it is new to me. I have always made a point to highlight the concept of sin with anyone I witnessed to. This is a must. In fact, evangelism without any mention of sin is not biblical evangelism.
But, recently I have been more intentional in using the ten commandments to confront people with their specific sins. This is biblical and serves a great purpose.
If people are unaware that they have broken the law and deserve the full punishment for their iniquity they will be unlikely to see the need for a Savior.
Luke 7:47 takes place as Jesus is eating dinner at a self-righteous Pharisees house. While eating, a known sinful women comes in and anoints Jesus’ feet with her tears and expensive perfume. The Pharisee objects because Jesus allowed a sinner to touch him.
At this moment Jesus turns to Simon Peter to make a point using an illustration. There are two men who owe money. One owes fifty bucks(denarii) the other owes 500. The owner of the money cancels the debt of each man. Who would be more grateful? Obviously the one who owed more. The one with the greater debt.
The Pharisee didn’t see himself as a sinner, and therefore saw no need for a Savior. The woman understood the depth of her iniquity and responded with gratitude and sacrificial love.
The Pharisee was just as much a sinner as the woman, he just refused to see it. Therefore, he did not respond to Christ in the same way the woman did.
There are many people who come to Jesus as an insurance policy or because they want a better life. They love God very little. It is different when someone comes to Jesus because they are confronted by the magnitude of their lawlessness. They are painfully aware that they have broken God’s law and stand in the path of facing the full judgment for their sin. The run to a Savior and stay with that Savior who rescues them from the depth of their iniquity. They love much!
I am beginning to see the need to confront people with the ten commandments to make it clear the reality and severity of sin. Hopefully, this will produce believers who love Jesus much!
“He who is forgiven little, loves little.”
I have been thinking a lot lately about the ten commandments. Specifically, I have been thinking about the use of the law in evangelism. This is not new, but it is new to me. I have always made a point to highlight the concept of sin with anyone I witnessed to. This is a must. In fact, evangelism without any mention of sin is not biblical evangelism.
But, recently I have been more intentional in using the ten commandments to confront people with their specific sins. This is biblical and serves a great purpose.
If people are unaware that they have broken the law and deserve the full punishment for their iniquity they will be unlikely to see the need for a Savior.
Luke 7:47 takes place as Jesus is eating dinner at a self-righteous Pharisees house. While eating, a known sinful women comes in and anoints Jesus’ feet with her tears and expensive perfume. The Pharisee objects because Jesus allowed a sinner to touch him.
At this moment Jesus turns to Simon Peter to make a point using an illustration. There are two men who owe money. One owes fifty bucks(denarii) the other owes 500. The owner of the money cancels the debt of each man. Who would be more grateful? Obviously the one who owed more. The one with the greater debt.
The Pharisee didn’t see himself as a sinner, and therefore saw no need for a Savior. The woman understood the depth of her iniquity and responded with gratitude and sacrificial love.
The Pharisee was just as much a sinner as the woman, he just refused to see it. Therefore, he did not respond to Christ in the same way the woman did.
There are many people who come to Jesus as an insurance policy or because they want a better life. They love God very little. It is different when someone comes to Jesus because they are confronted by the magnitude of their lawlessness. They are painfully aware that they have broken God’s law and stand in the path of facing the full judgment for their sin. The run to a Savior and stay with that Savior who rescues them from the depth of their iniquity. They love much!
I am beginning to see the need to confront people with the ten commandments to make it clear the reality and severity of sin. Hopefully, this will produce believers who love Jesus much!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
The Beauty of God
Psalm 27:4 “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and seek Him in His temple.”
Psalm 96:6
“6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
As scripture declares, God is beautiful. But, we so often confuse what true beauty is. And we must not allow the common misconceptions of beauty to infiltrate our understanding of the beauty of God.
The beauty of God is not a physical attractiveness. It is not like looking at a eye-pleasing picture, or a sunrise, or a baby. It is much deeper than that. God’s beauty is the aggregate of His qualities that are more than we could ever imagine. His holiness, loving-kindness, justice, mercy, goodness, power – are what makes Him beautiful, lovely, wonderful, and worthy of worship.
God’s beauty is different from common ideas of beauty in another way. You have heard the common cliché “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” That may be true when it comes to a painting, but not when it comes to God.
His beauty is not subjective. It is not dependent on the tastes and opinions of anyone. His character is the supreme constant in all the universe. This means that His beauty, His identity is not dependent on anyone or anything.
Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
I have heard this passage quoted and sung at many weddings. What many fail to realize is that this is a passage about the coming Messiah. It is about Jesus Christ. He is the one that is bring good news, publishing peace, happiness and salvation.
Here is a great example of the beauty of God not being physical attractiveness. The Messiah did not have physically attractive feet. The beauty is not in appearance but in His character and His actions.
The beauty of God is on full display in Jesus Christ and His cross. The most gruesome pictures of Jesus on the cross is the beauty of God. That cross displays the fullness and perfection of so many of God’s intrinsic qualities. It shows His justice, righteousness, goodness, wrath, holiness, kindness, mercy, grace, and His great love.
People may choose not to ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name, but they will one day. People may opt not to behold the beauty of the Lord now, but they will one day – in all the awe and fear that His beauty deserves and demands.
I choose today.
Psalm 96:6
“6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
As scripture declares, God is beautiful. But, we so often confuse what true beauty is. And we must not allow the common misconceptions of beauty to infiltrate our understanding of the beauty of God.
The beauty of God is not a physical attractiveness. It is not like looking at a eye-pleasing picture, or a sunrise, or a baby. It is much deeper than that. God’s beauty is the aggregate of His qualities that are more than we could ever imagine. His holiness, loving-kindness, justice, mercy, goodness, power – are what makes Him beautiful, lovely, wonderful, and worthy of worship.
God’s beauty is different from common ideas of beauty in another way. You have heard the common cliché “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” That may be true when it comes to a painting, but not when it comes to God.
His beauty is not subjective. It is not dependent on the tastes and opinions of anyone. His character is the supreme constant in all the universe. This means that His beauty, His identity is not dependent on anyone or anything.
Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
I have heard this passage quoted and sung at many weddings. What many fail to realize is that this is a passage about the coming Messiah. It is about Jesus Christ. He is the one that is bring good news, publishing peace, happiness and salvation.
Here is a great example of the beauty of God not being physical attractiveness. The Messiah did not have physically attractive feet. The beauty is not in appearance but in His character and His actions.
The beauty of God is on full display in Jesus Christ and His cross. The most gruesome pictures of Jesus on the cross is the beauty of God. That cross displays the fullness and perfection of so many of God’s intrinsic qualities. It shows His justice, righteousness, goodness, wrath, holiness, kindness, mercy, grace, and His great love.
People may choose not to ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name, but they will one day. People may opt not to behold the beauty of the Lord now, but they will one day – in all the awe and fear that His beauty deserves and demands.
I choose today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)