The Gamut of Glory

CF Family,

I read this Psalm this morning:

Psa. 29:1  Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,  ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness. 3  The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over many waters. 4  The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. 5  The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. 7  The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire. 8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 9  The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” 10  The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever. 11 May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!

This Psalm is about recognizing and appreciating and ascribing glory to God….Who so rightfully deserves it.  Keep that (His glory) in mind while you notice the range of things that happen when the Lord speaks.  His voice thunders.  It’s powerful.  It breaks cedars and flashes fire and shakes the wilderness.  This great and mighty voice that strips forests bare……is yet the same voice that hovers quietly over still waters and whispers to the mother deer “it’s time…..it’s time to find a soft spot…..it’s time, gentle doe, to push and push with all your might and bring forth what I’ve knitted together in your womb!”

It struck me as I read this Psalm the gamut of glory displayed when God speaks.  It’s beautiful…..if you see it ALL…….the range of possibilities.  I fear sometimes we only consider His glory in the gentle whisper to a pregnant doe…….or the soft call of the Shepherd to His sheep to follow Him.  If you only see His glory in the graceful calls, then you’ll never reconcile His instructions to Israel to stone the Sabbath breaker………or His command to Saul to completely destroy the Amalekites (1 Sam 15:3)…….or the many other STARK pictures of graphic judgment in book after book of our bibles.  Instead of appreciating His glory here, you might find yourself a little embarrassed and either reconcile it with the idea that God must have really had a bad day………or the Sabbath is that important (though it hardly seems it)…….or the Amalekites must have been especially wicked, even the wee ones.  If you only see glory in the call to salvation, you’ll never appreciate His glory in the gamut of righteous possibilities from judgment to grace.  If you only see glory in the rescue, you’ll have a tough time making sense of worldwide deluge destroying man and beast………and you’ll likely ONLY be able to explain with the notion that those who died in the flood must have been more wicked than those on the ark.   If you can’t see the glory in God judging and that we’re all due deluge for all have sinned and all fall short of the glory of God, then you’ll not be confounded that He saved anyone at all!?!?!?.  (Read E zekiel 16 – A MUST READ)  If you’re not confounded that He saved anyone at all………then you’ll blush at the book of Hosea never really understanding the TREASURE within that story explaining ours.  (Another REALLY important read in light of last Sunday’s message)

I would argue you have to see it…..and even enjoy it………the gamut of glory to REALLY appreciate and understand grace and the gospel and what was actually accomplished in Christ’s life/death/resurrection.   You won’t walk away feeling like a loser……...rather you’ll feel like the most blessed being on the face of the earth to have heard (and hear) the Shepherd’s voice.

Ben

Perseverance

Crosspoint Family,

If you take our last few messages into account, you’ll see that the number one characteristic of a true saint beyond faith…..is perseverance!  The problem with perseverance is that it’s something you can’t see or measure.   And it’s something that’s not even finished……until you’re finished!!

If that thought troubles you a little bit and you want desperately to have something to see and touch so that you can know that you know that you know that you know (I hate that quippy language – ugghhh), let me assure you it’s OK to feel troubled!  When you let go of your desire for the measurable and visible, you’ll find yourself feeling needy...........and more dependent on the true Saver and Savior.  You’ll find that if you can’t trust in yourself or anything you’ve done, you’re left ONLY with trusting in Him……and NOW YOU’RE GETTING SOMEWHERE!!!!! That may be a new and uncomfortable place for you but trust me, in time you’ll find it FAR MORE COMFORTABLE than the false comfort gained from misplaced trust.  You’ll find that while it’s not measurable, or visible, or predictable, you’re wholly and completely dependent on God…..and that’s GOOD WORSHIP.

See you Sunday.  Come hungry……

Ben

I never knew you...

CF Family,

I didn’t mention this passage Sunday……not sure why, but maybe God wanted us to consider it today on Wednesday…..

Matt 7: 21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Has this passage ever troubled you?  Not too long ago the words “I never knew you” rang in my ears……..like I could almost hear His voice saying the terrible words “depart from me.”  If you really think on it, this passage will likely leave you feeling a little uncomfortable too……maybe a lot.

So, should we just sit in our discomfort?  Or should we try to make sense of it?  I’m opting for the latter……so I can sleep at night. This troubling passage seems to synthesize well with the passages we considered this Sunday (Matt 5:13; 10:16-22; 13:1-9, 18-23; John 15:1-6; Col 1:21-22; 1 Tim 1:18-20; 2 Tim 4:6-8; 4:10; Heb 10:26-31).  It seems, if you keep those passages in view, that those who’ll hear the words “I never knew you; depart from me…..” are those who once did mighty works in His name but later bail on Christ before their end.  It seems it’s those who walk out on Him and either abandon faith in Christ altogether or adopt a gospel and a jesus, that’s not our gospel or our Jesus (2 Cor 11:4).

However uncomfortable or unfashionable it may be, it seems working through hard scripture like this is profitable.  Consider Paul’s words to the church at Corinth:

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”

Paul’s word “examine” is a greek imperative……meaning it’s a command!!!! So, not only is it acceptable to ask yourselves hard questions about what (or who) you’re trusting in…..it’s encouraged….commanded even.  And as you examine yourselves, you’ll either find your faith is built on sand or rock.  If on rock, you’re affirmed to keep building.  If on sand, at least you realize it, and you can pick up and move to a good rocky spot.

I want to build on ROCK…..no matter what anyone thinks of me (or us)……no matter what anyone says about me (or us)......no matter if there are five of us or five thousand of us (His business where that lands).  There’s too much at stake to be careless or cavalier or quippy dealing with eternal matters. 

More to follow later today or tomorrow…

Ben

Singing true things to God

Crosspoint family,

I don't know if you were paying attention Sunday, but consider for a moment what we sang together to God:

I Need Thee Every Hour

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I need Thee, O I need Thee;

Every hour I need Thee;

O bless me now, my Savior,

I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;

Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide, or life is in vain.

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;

And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;

O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

Or this....Come Thou Fount:

Come Thou Fount of every blessing

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,

Mount of God's unchanging love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;

Hither by Thy help I'm come;

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,

Safely to arrive at home. (sounds like Paul's subjunctive "may's" of Philippians 3)

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wandering from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger,

Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be!

Let that grace now like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here's my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above.

SUCH WONDERFUL honesty in this last verse.  Oh, it's good to sing such true things to God.

What I enjoy about these songs, along with others we sang together, is there's such need expressed.....such dependence.  It seems fitting with the sermon, since we're left with nothing to trust in but our Lord.  All we so readily put faith in is stripped away when you consider what we're capable of.  No doubt it's a difficult and troubling topic.  But we sang about it.....true stuff.....heartily.

Ben