August 18, 2016
Worship: My Song is Love Unknown by Fernando Ortega (Based on a Hymn written by Samuel Crossman in 1664 with some modernization of lyrics)
My song is love unknown, my Savior's love to me
Love to the loveless shown, that they might lovely be
Oh, who am I that for my sake,
Oh, who am I that for my sake,
My Lord should take frail flesh and die?
He came from heaven's throne salvation to bestow
But they refused and none the longed-for Christ would know
This is my friend, my friend indeed,
This is my friend, my friend indeed,
Who at my need, His life did spend.
Sometimes they crowd His way and His sweet praises sing
Resounding all the day, hosannas to their King
Then, "Crucify!" is all their breath,
Then, "Crucify!" is all their breath,
And for His death, they thirst and cry.
Why, what has my Lord done to cause this rage and spite
He made the lame to run and gave the blind their sight
What injuries, yet these are why,
What injuries, yet these are why,
The Lord Most High so cruelly dies.
With angry shouts they have my dear Lord done away
A murderer they save, the Prince of Life they slay
Yet willingly, He bears the shame,
Yet willingly, He bears the shame,
That through His name all might be free.
Here might I stay and sing of Him my soul adores
Never was love, dear King, never was grief like Yours
This is my friend in whose sweet praise,
This is my friend in whose sweet praise,
I, all my days would gladly spend.
Love to the loveless shown, that they might lovely be
Oh, who am I that for my sake,
Oh, who am I that for my sake,
My Lord should take frail flesh and die?
He came from heaven's throne salvation to bestow
But they refused and none the longed-for Christ would know
This is my friend, my friend indeed,
This is my friend, my friend indeed,
Who at my need, His life did spend.
Sometimes they crowd His way and His sweet praises sing
Resounding all the day, hosannas to their King
Then, "Crucify!" is all their breath,
Then, "Crucify!" is all their breath,
And for His death, they thirst and cry.
Why, what has my Lord done to cause this rage and spite
He made the lame to run and gave the blind their sight
What injuries, yet these are why,
What injuries, yet these are why,
The Lord Most High so cruelly dies.
With angry shouts they have my dear Lord done away
A murderer they save, the Prince of Life they slay
Yet willingly, He bears the shame,
Yet willingly, He bears the shame,
That through His name all might be free.
Here might I stay and sing of Him my soul adores
Never was love, dear King, never was grief like Yours
This is my friend in whose sweet praise,
This is my friend in whose sweet praise,
I, all my days would gladly spend.
Witness:
On a hill far away
In a time long ago
Hung a man on a cross
The world did not know
He came to seek
And to save the lost
His innocent life
Is what it would cost
To turn away wrath
And set us free
He died on the cross
On Mount Calvary
He set us free
To live for His glory
And tell others
The gospel story
I’m satisfied in Him
Joy floods my soul
To give God glory
Is my daily goal
Serve with gladness
Oh saints of the Lord
A joyless servant
He cannot afford
Lift up your praise
Rejoice in your heart
Sing the song of saints
“How great Thou art”
And when at last
His face we see
Enraptured forever
What glory that’ll be
Oh praise the Father
Who sent His Son
Oh praise the Son
The crucified One
Oh praise the Spirit
I’m born again
Through Him I worship
And shout AMEN!
WORD:
Ps 25:8-10
Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
for those who keep the demands of his covenant. NIV (1984)
|
Ps 25:8-10
8 The LORD is good and does what is right;
he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
9 He leads the humble in doing right,
teaching them his way.
10 The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
|
Ps 25:8-10
8 Good and upright is the LORD, therefore, will he teach sinners in the way.
9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
KJV
|
Ps 25:8-10
8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
ESV
|
Question: Why would we fail to follow the way that God points out to us?
8 reasons:
1. fear
2. Pride
3. doubt (towards God)
4. ignoring
5. rebellion
6. distractions
7. presumption (of His forgiveness)
8. doubtfulness (in yourself)
Over the next few entries, I will tackle each reason. The first on the list is fear. This can take several different forms. One being, fear of the unknown. We can’t see the end of the path. It looks well worn. There are ruts in the path where others have trod but it is narrow and that in itself is disquieting.
Fear is a form of unbelief for it does not trust the person giving the directions, which in this case is the Lord, the All-Wise One. Did not Peter begin to sink with fear when he ventured out of the boat onto the stormy sea? Was not one of the reasons fear of the unknown. He started off well by getting out of the boat but began to sink as fear set in, after all, who ever heard of walking on the water? Everyone knows that is not possible.
So there is a limited sense in which fear does have what some may call belief or faith. Fear believes only what it can see. Fear can only believe what it has experienced in the past. The only way to overcome this is to let go of the past and believe in the One who holds the future (James 4:13-15; Isaiah 46:10; Romans 8:28). One must learn to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7; Hebrews 11:1). Perhaps they have had a few positive experiences in the past where God has moved in their life from which to draw upon or if not that then the experience of God’s people in the past (Psalm 22;4-5, 9-10;25:6, Hebrews 11, etc.).
Ultimately, it is seeing God as He reveals Himself in all of the Scripture. It’s applying that revelation to the realities of our lives. As the Apostle Paul says, “All Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Tim 3:16a NIV). Many leave it there because of its important implications for defending the inerrancy of the Scripture. However, that was not why Paul wrote that. It was to apply that truth to the all the areas of our life for he goes on to say that it is “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16b NIV) so that we may be “thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:17b NIV). When we forget that the God of the Bible is the God who is the same now as He was then we will fear to step out onto the path He has set before us.
Other fears that may keep us from following God’s path are fear of failure and fear of God Himself.
Fear of failure is an inordinate reliance on self and not God. It makes too much of our control over our lives and the circumstances that surround it and even the world itself. It gives only lip service or denies totally the Sovereign control that God has on all of these.
For others, it may be fear of God Himself. They see Him as a stern taskmaster rather than a Loving Father who seeks the best for his children. Was this not one of the problems the servant, who received only one talent, had with his master? When his fellow servants, who had been trusted with more, showed the increase they had they were commended for it. The master said,
'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' Matt 25:23 NIV
However, notice the response of the one who received only one talent.
'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
Matt 25:24-25 NIV
Fear was a factor in the servant’s decision based on a false view of his master. The good servants received their gifts with joy and multiplied what was given to them and joined in the happiness of their master, but the lazy servant had no joy only fear.
So whether it is fear of failure or a false view of God leading to fear, both end up never listening to God and following the path set before them. This is the fear that causes one to run away from God. This is the fear as defined in Vine’s as:
FEAR
phobos (fo/bo$, NT:5401) first had the meaning of "flight," that which is caused by being scared
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Scripture contains warnings for those who fail to repent and believe the good news. Who fail to persevere in their faith walk with Christ and thus reveal that their faith was spurious surface faith with no real root. Assuredly they will hear these words at the end of the path they finally choose to take,
throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Matt 25:30 NIV
Let me recap what I have said so far in overcoming fear:
1. Forget the negative past and trust God who holds the future
2. Walk by faith and not by sight
3. Recall positive times when God has worked in your past as well as the way God has worked
with His people as revealed in the Bible
4. Understand who God is as revealed in His Word – Sovereign, Loving, Merciful etc.
5. Rely on God and not ourselves
We need to rely on the sovereign, loving, all-powerful God to lead, guide and teach us on the path He has shown us. What is needed is a different kind of fear. Paul says in Philippians,
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Phil 2:12-13 NIV
Now Paul does not use the metaphor of a path but the principle still applies. The humble sinner repents of their sin and enters on the path of righteousness. Along the way, they receive the guidance of the Lord and His faithful instruction. Like Jesus often did with His disciples while here on earth, He taught as they walked. Notice that our attitude as we walk and work is one of “fear and trembling”. Now, this fear is not the fear as mentioned in the preceding paragraphs though the Greek word “phobos” is used in both instances. Here the word speaks more of a reverential fear. It may incorporate some aspect of that fear but always in a way that moves one towards joyful obedience and not fear that causes flight (except flight from sin!). Here is a quote from Vincent who also cites another source concerning the phrase “fear and trembling”. I think this sums up my thoughts here beautifully and comprehensively.
Philippians 2:12
Fear and trembling. Compare 2 Cor 7:15; Eph 6:5. Not slavish terror, but wholesome, serious caution. "This fear is self-distrust; it is tenderness of conscience; it is vigilance against temptation; it is the fear which inspiration poses to high-mindedness in the admonition 'be not high-minded but fear.' It is taking heed lest we fall; it is a constant apprehension of the deceitfulness of the heart, and of the insidiousness and power of inward corruption. It is the caution and circumspection which timidly shrinks from whatever would offend and dishonor God and the Saviour. And these the child of God will feel and exercise the more he rises above the enfeebling, disheartening, distressing influence of the fear which hath torment. Well might Solomon say of such fear, 'happy is the man that feareth alway'" (Wardlaw "On Proverbs," xxviii., 14). Compare 1 Peter 1:17.
(from Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
One final thought on fear’s influence. Up until now, I have presented the word fear in a twofold manner. One aspect of fear drives one away and one drives one towards. Another way of looking at it is not so directional as dispositional. The way one responds to fear depends on the disposition of one’s heart. It reveals the attitude of the heart and even deeper, whether one has been born again and has become a child of God. The child of God hears God declaring:
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Rom 8:15-17 NIV
Having been born again they choose to reject the enslaving fear and embrace love:
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:16-18 NIV
Yet they know they will one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ and so they live their lives in reverential fear of that day:
Therefore, we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.
2 Cor 5:6-11 NIV
Therefore, we respond as Paul trusted the Philippians to do also:
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life —
Phil 2:12-16a NIV
Lord, I will sit at Your feet
Then stand to do as I ought
When I walk in the street
I will do as You taught
No longer a slave to fear
You banished eternal terror
In Love, You drew me near
And saved me from my error
Now I’m living for Thee
In reverential trembling
And You are living in me
For sin’s disassembling
When at last Your face I see
And faith turns to sight
What a glorious day that’ll be
Till then with faith, I’ll fight
I will fight the good fight
Run with endurance the race
Not by power nor by might
But by Your Spirit and Your grace!
No comments:
Post a Comment