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
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
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!
No comments:
Post a Comment