Who is the true seeker?

January 9, 2016

Worship: Redeemed How I Love to Proclaim It by Fanny Crosby (lyrics are from the Gaither Homecoming video and vary slightly from the original)

Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
Redeemed through His infinite mercy
His child, and forever, I am

Chorus

Redeemed, redeemed
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb
Redeemed, redeemed
His child, and forever, I am

Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus
No language my rapture can tell
I know that the light of His presence
With me does continually dwell

Chorus

I think of my blessed Redeemer
I think of Him all the day long
I sing, for I cannot be silent!
His love is the theme of my song

Chorus

I know I shall see in His beauty
The King in whose law I delight;
Who lovingly guards every footstep,
And gives me a song in the night.

Chorus

Read more: Gaither Vocal Band - Redeemed Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

Video: https://youtu.be/W8idr58JpxQ

Witness:

Redeemed how I love to proclaim it. What a joyous, comforting, and yes, convicting song. This is one of those songs to sing over in my mind to praise Him as I contemplate the awesome and humbling thought that He would “save a wretch like me”. It is also convicting because I don’t verbally proclaim this enough. I do pray that my life reflects it.

WORD:

Ps 24:1-6 24 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters . 3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.                                                                            SELAH NIV

Ps 24:1-6 The King of Glory A Psalm of David. 24  The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. 3  Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false  and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.                                                                                                                                                                                                Selah ESV

In biblical terms a seeker is not so much someone looking for truth as it is someone who is specifically looking for the true God, the “God of Jacob”. In this passage before us, it refers to a redeemed people who seek to be in the presence of God. Many churches today tout the fact that they are seeker-sensitive but tend to tone down or avoid altogether the awesome (in the old sense!) holiness and glory of God as portrayed in this psalm. Certainly, from this psalm, we learn of our God’s power as Creator of the earth, as well as His sovereignty over it, including us. We also see that God is holy and righteous. For one to be able to come into His presence, one must be absent of idolatry and falsehood. We discover that God is a God of blessing and salvation. Is this the view that is presented in the Church today? Only the last verse is magnified in many churches today. God is sugar and spice and everything nice. But power? Yes, if we are speaking of what we can get from God and not what we can do for God by His power. Holiness? Not if it includes wrath and indignation towards the sin of the world. Sovereignty? Give me friendship, but leave out the Lordship, please. So, we order up a God according to our taste, like we do at our favorite fast-food restaurant. This psalm flies in the face of that kind of seeker. In fact, from Romans 3 we learn that no one really seeks God in their unredeemed state.

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. Roman 3:10 – 11 NIV

But one might object and bring up Isaiah 55:6-7:

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. ⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. NIV

Is there a contradiction? Not at all. Paul is saying no one seeks the Lord as he should be sought. Sin has blinded them so they cannot see God in His holiness nor do they see their utter lostness and their need for the Savior. They cannot hear the good news of the healing from their blindness and deliverance from the penalty of their sins. They, with itching ears, follow after teachers that tell them what they want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3). Yes, Isaiah exhorts one to seek the Lord, but not in the way “seeker-sensitive” churches do. He calls the seeker wicked. He calls on them to repent of their sinful thoughts and practices and turn to the Lord and He will show mercy and forgive their sins. This happens only when God opens their hearts (Acts 16:14) and shines His truth in their hearts (2 Corinthians 4:6). Then they will see that all their “righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6) and repent in abhorrence before our Holy and merciful God. God causes them to be born again (1 Peter 1:3) and they receive the gift of faith (Ephesian 2:8, Philippians 1:29). The seeker then discovers that it was not really so much that he sought the Lord but that the Lord is the one who sought them (Matthew 18:12-14)!

THE SEEKER’S PRAYER AND PLIGHT

Grant me fun O Lord to enjoy

Ask me not Your will to employ

A blessing, Lord -  a shiny new toy

But not holiness – that’s such a killjoy

Give me, grant me and I’ll be your boy

Such is the prayer spoke or unspoken

By many whose heart is not broken

Whose religion is merely a token

And whose desire is still frozen

To the path less chosen

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. As has just been said:

   “Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts

    as you did in the rebellion.”

Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed?  So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. Hebrews 3:12 – 19 NIV

The source of our character... God's grace!

Worship: Exhale by PLUMB

"Exhale"

It's okay to not be okay
This is a safe place
This is a safe place
Don't be afraid
Don't be ashamed
There's still hope here
There's still hope here

No matter what you've done or who you are
Everyone is welcome His arms

Just let go let His love wrap around you
And hold you close
Get lost in the surrender
Breathe it in until your heart breaks
Then exhale
Exhale

Spirit come tear down the walls
That only You can
That only You can
Reconcile this heart to Yours
Right now God
Right now

Just let go let His love wrap around you
And hold you close
Get lost in the surrender
Breathe it in until your heart breaks
Then exhale
Exhale

Oh God We breathe in your grace
We breathe in your grace
And exhale
Oh God we do not exist for us
But to share Your grace and love
And exhale

Oh God We breathe in your grace
We breathe in your grace
And exhale
Oh God we do not exist for us
But to share Your grace and love
And exhale

Just let go let His love wrap around you
And hold you close
Get lost in the surrender
Breathe it in until your heart breaks
Then exhale
Exhale
Exhale
Exhale
Exhale

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A-Z Lyrics PLUMB Lyrics

"Exhale" (2015)

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Video: https://youtu.be/WXkK9PuhfAs

Witness:

On TV we may have seen a character posing as a hapless actor practicing his lines and asking the director, “what’s my motivation here?”. This question, posed humorously in an unreal life sitcom, is actually a good question we should ask ourselves sometimes in real life. When I get on Facebook and look at the posts there, I often see a picture of posters with some sort of advice for making a marriage last. The advice in itself is often very good. Yet the bottom line, the foundation and motivation, should not be because I love my spouse, I will do these things. When two imperfect people attempt to keep their marriage vital and growing merely by following a relational formula they will probably fail. No, the bottom line, the foundation is God and our relationship with Him. If we neglect that, chances are we are neglecting our relationship with our spouse also. Furthermore, the bottom line should be, “I will stay with my spouse in a committed relationship for the Glory of God and because He commands it”. I will follow the Lord, who says to love God and my neighbor (Mark 12:30-31). I place the needs of others before my own (Phil. 2:4). Relational advice flourishes best in this environment. So, our motivation has God’s glory and will as its foundation; with our love for Him first and then for our spouse built upon it.

WORD:

Ps 24:1-6 24 The earth is the LORD 's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters . 3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.b                                                                            SELAH NIV

Ps 24:1-6 The King of Glory A Psalm of David. 24  The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. 3  Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false  and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.                                                                                                                                                                                                Selah ESV

A crass reading of this passage would make one come to the conclusion that works, and not grace, are the way we can approach the LORD. However, this is a false reading of this passage of scripture. We must read this passage in light of the greater context of all scripture. We know from scriptures such as John 3:16, Romans 3:21-5:2, Galatians 3, and Ephesians 2:8-10 that grace and faith are the key.  Secondly, if we look closely we will see that this passage is descriptive and not prescriptive. What do I mean by that? What I mean is that this passage of scripture describes the character of the one who stands in grace it does not prescribe how one gets there.

Notice the word “has” and the phrase “who does not” in verse 4 as well as the phrases “such is” and “who seek”. These words describe the actions and character of those who may stand in God’s holy place not what one must do to enter God’s presence. These are works of grace in the heart of the believer and verse five is grace received upon the grace received in verse 4 (e.g. John 1:16).

Clarke Adams has this insight:

Psalms 24:5

Mercy: every kind of necessary good. It is the mercy of God that crowns the obedience and fidelity of good men. For what made them good and faithful! God's mercy. What crowns their fidelity? God's mercy.

(from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Spurgeon observes:

            Psalms 24:5

Ver. 5. It must not be supposed that the persons who are thus described by their inward and outward holiness are saved by the merits of their works; but their works are the evidences by which they are known. The present verse shows that in the saints grace reigns and grace alone. Such men wear the holy livery* of the Great King because he has of his own free love clothed them therewith. The true saint wears the wedding garment, but he owns that the Lord of the feast provided it for him, without money and without price.

He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. So, that the saints need salvation; they receive righteousness, and the blessing is a boon from God their Saviour. They do not ascend the hill of the Lord as givers but as receivers, and they do not wear their own merits, but a righteousness which they have received. Holy living ensures a blessing as its reward from the thrice Holy God, but it is itself a blessing of the New Covenant and a delightful fruit of the Spirit. God first gives us good works, and then rewards us for them. Grace is not obscured by God's demand for holiness, but is highly exalted as we see it decking the saint with jewels, and clothing him in fair white linen; all this sumptuous array being a free gift of mercy.

(from The Treasury of David, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

* special uniform worn by a servant or official

Verse six gives further evidence of the descriptive and not the prescriptive element of these verses. The Hebrew word for “generation” is “dowr” or “dor”. It primarily refers to a time period or a time period in which people live.

One lexicon says this about the word:

            OT:1755 dowr or (shortened) dor —

a period, a generation, a habitation, a dwelling

a)        a period, an age, a generation (a period of time)

b)        a generation (those living during a period)

c)         a generation (characterized by a quality, a condition, a class of men)

d)        a dwelling-place, a habitation

(from The Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation Research.)

While a,b, and d make little sense here, c does. Therefore, the primary meaning in verse 6 refers to the character of those mentioned in verses 4 & 5. Character is, at its root, what one is not what one does. Note these observations from some commentaries:

Psalms 24:6

[This is the generation] This is the description of people who are such as God can approve of, and delight in.

(from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Psalms 24:6

 Men with this character impressed upon them are the "generation," the stamp of men, whom God will recognize and accept as his worshippers, true seekers after him.  

(from The Pulpit Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Psalms 24:6

This describes the race of those who seek Him; or, this is their character. The word "generation" here is used evidently in the sense of "race, people, or persons." This is the character or description of the "persons" who seek His favor; or, this is the character of His true friends.

(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Psalms 24:6

The word generation, as in 12:7, refers to people who have certain moral qualities. Such is the generation may be rendered sometimes as "The people are like this" or "The people who come to God are like this."

(from UBS Old Testament Handbook Series. Copyright © 1978-2004 by United Bible Societies. All rights reserved.)

How are your hands? How is your heart? Have you seen the blessings of God? Are you serving Him from a God filled, God empowered, God Loving, God satisfied heart or from an empty, fearful, begrudging, slothful heart?

With God cleansed hands

And a heart made pure

By the blood of the Lamb

My heavenly cure…

I enter His gates with thanksgiving

And into His courts with praise

Because of His great mercy, I am living

In the house of the LORD all my days!

The solace of sovereignty on a dreary day!

I usually start out my blog with the lyrics to the song I begin my quiet time and journaling with. For "brevity" (no one can ever accuse me of that :P) I have edited my journal entry and left them out since I repeat them after my witness portion with a little insert after each stanza of my thoughts on that stanza. This entry comes from a cold day in January of this year.

(c) 2013 Birdwing Music / Birdboy Songs (ASCAP) / Valley of Songs Music (BMI) (admin. at EMICMGPublishing.com) / Thankyou Music (PRS) (admin. worldwide at EMICMGPublishing.com excluding Europe which is admin. by Kingswaysongs) / (Meaux Mercy / Chriscendo Music (BMI) (admin. at EMICMGPublishing.com)

Video: https://youtu.be/bBfHUrLGzNY

Witness: Before I went to bed this morning, I had folded my wash, finished loading the dishwasher, and vacuumed all the carpet in the house. I said to myself, now that I have got all that out of the way, I now will have time to fix some things in the house and research recipes to make for dinners that would last for several days, thus saving me money. However, I did not sleep well and woke up tired at 12 noon. Yet I woke up with a song in my heart, excited about the day. It was going to be a productive day. However, I soon realized that my right leg which has been giving some problems on and off was really hurting today. The pain was quite acute. It has lasted all day in spite of taking pain relievers.  Pain and weariness took its toll on me as I went out to do some errands. I never researched the recipes and spent too much time at the store looking around for things. By the time I got home it was getting dark and It was time to make dinner. I watched the news as I ate (that’s depressing in itself). I then fell asleep and woke up after 9 pm. Weary and depressed, I began my journaling time by reading from Nov. 28, which was like “déjàvew all over again”. It was about a rainy, dreary day and how providential it was that the entry I had read on that day, which was from October was also about a rainy dreary day. Let me share again a portion of that entry:

What a great God we serve. How mighty and glorious are his ways towards His people. He is sovereign over the universe…This is the God, the only true God, whom I serve. I see His sovereign hand in my life even when all seems chaotic. He encourages me and strengthens me daily in the storm and in the flood. It has been raining for two days now - cold dreary rain. Yet tears of joy came to my eyes as I read my entry from October 30,2015. This is my practice, I did not search this day out, but God sought me out by providentially lining that day up with today to read.

I then shared the Witness portion from the parallel day in October. Here is a portion of it from that day:

It’s a rainy, cool day. It is a welcomed break from the hot days that we have been experiencing and a time of refreshing for the earth. Sometimes dreary days are necessary to bring needed nourishment and renewal. We can mope and complain about the rain, or wait patiently for the sunshine and the refreshment brought by those rainy dreary days. We also can mope and complain because the rain the Lord has brought into our lives, or wait patiently for the clouds to part and rejoice in blessings and refreshing that come from the dreary storm filled times in our lives. In fact, if we believe in the God of the flood and the rainbow, we can rejoice in the rain as well, expectantly waiting for what is to follow. I understand for some the rains are brief and for others, they are a monsoon. I will not be flippant or dismissive concerning long periods of rain in our life, but this I know, our great shepherd goes through them with us and leads us out of them. If we remain faithful and focused on Him, we will get through it. If we balk or stray, we may end up devoured by the enemy or fall off the edge of a cliff into the abyss.

Well, it’s not raining today, but it is cold. When I woke up at noon it was sunny, but only 29 degrees outside. It’s 11:34 pm right now and it is 28 degrees. Pain is sometimes the “rain” in one’s life. It could be sunny all around, but the pain – physical or emotional, can have the same effect on one’s spiritual and emotional state. The pain wears you out. That’s where I am right now, worn out, and the enemy has attacked my mind, telling me that today has been just a complete waste and I should be stressed, frustrated, and ashamed.

That’s where the blessing of these former days proved helpful. Recognizing God’s sovereignty in all this, that He is in control of my days and even my pain. Some will deny that God brings pain in a believer’s life on purpose, He just uses them when they do. Some say it’s the enemy that brings it. I don’t have the space to get into an extensive discussion on theodicy issues. I would just ask you to consider the lives of God’s people found in scripture, that they were not immune to pain and suffering. The Psalms are replete with the experiencing of pain. I do not believe for one minute that pain and suffering are out of God’s purview and plan, but always come with a purpose. Below are some helpful links to get you thinking on the matter more deeply.

http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/ten-aspects-of-gods-sovereignty-over-suffering-and-satans-hand-in-it

https://bible.org/seriespage/17-solace-suffering-sovereignty-god-romans-828

Also helpful was the song I sang for worship today. Weary with the pain of the day and lack of sleep, I remembered the line from a hymn, Turn Your Eyes On Jesus: “O soul are you weary and troubled?”, so I looked for the song on YouTube. It was then that I discovered this wonderful new take on the song by Nicole Nordeman.

Oh weary mind, oh troubled soul
All the broken pieces that You hold
Turn them over, give them up
And then watch what Jesus does

Blessed view!

Oh heavy heart, oh heavy load
Lay it down and let it go
Leave your broken yesterdays
In the open arms of grace

Blessed relief!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And watch the world grow dim
Standing next to Him
In the light of His glory and grace

Blessed light!

Oh frozen hope, oh broken dreams
Just like a boat tossed on the raging seas
You will walk on waves again
When you have set your gaze on Him

Blessed restoration!

So look up, look up
This is a song about the morning
After a long night
So look up, look up
This is a song about believing

It’s gonna be alright, when you

Blessed exhortation

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
I want to grow dim
Standing next to Him
In the light of His glory and grace

Blessed exaltation!

So look up, look up
So look up, look up

WORD:

Ps 24:1-6 24 The earth is the LORD 's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters . 3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.b                                                                            SELAH NIV

Ps 24:1-6 The King of Glory A Psalm of David. 24  The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. 3  Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false  and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.                                                                                                                                                                                                Selah ESV

One of the questions I asked a couple days ago, was whether this verse spoke of “blessings” and “vindication” or was the blessing found in the vindication? Looking at the verse that precede this verse as well as the one which follows, it would seem that the psalmist is using a form of parallelism in each verse. I believe he was stating something at the beginning of each verse followed by a further clarification or specific example. Thus, one could translate these verses in this way.

Who may ascend the hill of the LORD, and once there, stand in His holy place?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart, even he who does not lift his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.

He will receive blessing from the LORD, even vindication from God his savior.

Such is the generation of those who seek him, even those who seek your face, O God of Jacob.

There are more important issues to discuss, but my eyes close shut as I try to read from the commentaries, It is best then That I stop here. I was quite long in my witness portion and you are probably tired of reading too if you made it this far. :)