(For some background check out this post.)
On Easter we showed an incredibly touching and moving video by Elevation Church, who wrote the song Resurrecting. We did so in conjunction with a great message by our pastor. After Easter there were quite a few people who were asking for a link to the video. Here it is... (For some background check out this post.)
0 Comments
Those of us who believe in Jesus and follow him will die. But we will be immediately resurrected, given new glorious bodies, and love with our Lord for eternity. But that is not the whole picture. Often we live for that moment. But we have so much to live for right now. He is resurrecting us even now. Today. Make no mistake... as a follower of Jesus, he is renewing you and cleansing you (sanctifying you) right now (2 Thessalonians 5:23 & 2 Corinthians 5:17). Today. And tomorrow. And every day we breathe on this earth. He is resurrecting us. Even now allowing us to share in his victory. That is the power of his name. The name to which everyone will bow and everyone will confess (Philippians 2:9-11). I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." (1 Corinthians 15:50-54) Yep. That's cause to worship. worship Him 24/7... scott Check out this song, Resurrecting by Elevation Worship, which we used at Easter: Resurrecting Lyrics:
The head that once was crowned with thorns Is crowned with glory now The Savior knelt to wash our feet Now at his feet we bow The one who wore our sin and shame Now robed in majesty The radiance of perfect love Now shines for all to see Your name, Your name Is victory All praise will rise To Christ our king The fear that held us now gives way To him who is our peace His final breath upon the cross Is now alive in me By Your spirit I will rise From the ashes of defeat The resurrected king Is resurrecting me In Your name I come alive To declare your victory The resurrected king Is resurrecting me The tomb where soldiers watched in vain Was borrowed for three days His body there would not remain Our God has robbed the grave Our God has robbed the grave Who will be our next president? I don't know. But I do know who will be my God. That is enough for me. For us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. (1 Corinthians 8:6) We can all get wrapped up in what's happening in our country. We can worry about who the president will be. We can worry about where our country (or world) is headed. We can worry about the evil that has been and will be committed. We can worry about the effect on our children. The list can go on and on. I have a choice. Let the worry of events I can't control drive me. Or let a faith and trust in the One True God move me. I am doing my utmost not to be overly concerned with the things of the world. (But I am human, so it does creep in!) I'm trying to be more concerned about what will last for eternity. I'd like to focus less on the poor behaviors of people and more on the fact that they may not know Jesus. He is the true way of transformation. He is the One True God. He is the one who provides true life. Jesus: I give my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can snatch them from my hand. My Father, who has given them to me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one. (John 10:28-30) worship Him 24/7... scott PS - Ponder this as you listen to One True God by Steven Curtis Chapman and Chris Tomlin. One True God lyrics
One voice in the dark A song that lights up the stars One breath that gives life One sovereign in power Who speaks with thunder and fire One Lord, one King There is no other that can compare to You You are The One alone in greatness The One who never changes Jesus, You are The One who rose in power The One who reigns forever Jesus, the One true God One man on a cross One light of the world One Name, one Word One Way to be saved One Lamb that was slain One Love above all There is no other that can compare to You We have seen the glory of The One and only Son of God Yes, we have seen the glory The One and only Son of God Louisa Stead's husband tragically drowned in front of her very own eyes. Her response was "'tis so sweet to trust in Jesus." It can be easy to love Jesus when life is good. It can be difficult to love Jesus when life is not. Yet, for many, many people, myself included, Jesus is the brother, friend, and savior that holds them through those difficult times. The same was true for Louisa. Louisa, her husband, and their daughter, Lily went to the seaside to enjoy a family picnic. While picnicking, there was a boy struggling in the current. He began to drown. Louisa's husband rushed out into the surf to save the boy. As the rescue was attempted, he was pulled down by the struggling boy. Both died. With wife and daughter watching horrified. Yet,still and always... it is "sweet to trust in Jesus. Just to take him at his word. Just to rest upon His promise. Just to know... thus saith the Lord." Louisa and Lily were nearly destitute. Their husband and father was gone. Trusting in the Lord, food was provided by those hearing of the story. Their hope was in Christ. Their hope was in his provision and ultimately his salvation. And he saved. She knew well the words of Jesus... "Trust in God. Trust also in me." (John 14:1) "How sweet to trust in Jesus. Just to trust His cleansing blood. Just in simple faith to plunge me 'neath the healing cleansing flood!" In the struggle she asked why. Why did this happen to me? But in the struggle of her own soul she penned these meaningful words. "I'm so glad I learned to trust him, precious Jesus, Savior, Friend. And I know that he is with me. He will be with me to the end." Mother and daughter then left the United States to tell others of Christ is Africa. Life continued for them. She found love and married again. Life was full again. Not without sorrow. But trusting in Jesus. Because Jesus proved himself in her life again and again... I am here. "Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I've proved Him o'er and o'er! Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust him more!" worship him 24/7... scott PS - Check out the clip below of Casting Crowns' 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus. Louisa wrote into the song the name of Jesus 25 times. It is not about us. It is all about him. So many of us spend so much of our lives looking for love. Even when we think we've found it here on this earth, we eventually still continue looking for it. High divorce rates can attest to that. What so many don't realize is... the love your soul is truly looking for will never be found on this earth. At least not in the way we look for it. I have a beautiful wife and two great kids. I have a family who loves me. I have friends who love me. I have people in my life who would give much in their love for me. If you have this, never take it for granted. It is a gift. But remember... all of it can be fleeting. People come and go. People move. People pass away. But there is one who will always remain. I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39) Pour your heart, your love, into people. Yes. We are called to do that. But never forget that there is one whose love has always been offered to you and while you draw breath will always be offered to you. And it's a love that you can never be separated from. His love finds you. Right where you are. No matter where you are. Jesus tells the story of a lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7). When a sheep is lost, the shepherd does not give up on it. He goes after it. He searches. No matter what the journey takes. And when it is found he rejoices. We are that lost sheep. And God searches us out. His love finds us. Right where we are. No matter where we are. God's love for you is vast. So vast he went on a journey of great cost to find you. He sent himself in his son Jesus to die for you. He went searching for you. No matter what the journey took. His love is searching for you. Right where you are. No matter where you are. worship him 24/7... scott Love Has Found Us by Gateway Where can we run? Where can we hide? Is there a place that we can go Where you cannot find us? You're there when we fall There when we rise Nothing is hidden from you face You know every breath we take Your love has found us Your love has found us We are yours forever Your love has found us It's all around us Holding us together Nothing on earth Above or below Nothing in all the universe Can take us from your love You came to us Made us your own You have redeemed us from the fall You paid the ransom once for all We will sing because your love has found us Even in the darkest night We sing because your love has set us free Upbeat version below! We have hope today. Good News. Jesus is alive. Hope lives!
He is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation. By him all things were made. For him all things were made. He is before all things and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-17, John 1:3). He persevered through strife. Laid on the line his own life (John 18:19-22). The humble Son of God became the perfect sacrifice. He willingly stood in our place (Isaiah 53:4). He freely hung with grace (Luke 23:34, 43). His all He gave. He lovingly endured the grave (John 19:41-42). He battled our enemy and on the third day he rose in victory! (1 Corinthians 15:54-57; John 20:1-9) He is everything that was promised (Isaiah 53:1-12). Praise Him as the Risen King. Lift your voice and sing. Praise him because He rose! Hallelujah! He rose! For one day he will return to us (Revelation 22:12). We will finally be united with our Savior for eternity! (Revelation 22:1-5) He is not a word, but Thee Word, and Thee Word was God, and Thee Word was with God from the beginning (John 1:1-2). And Thee Word has a name... Hope has a name... Joy has a name... Peace has a name... Love has a name... And that name is JESUS CHRIST. We have a hope. And Hope is Alive. His name is Jesus!!! Happy Easter everyone. worship Him 24/7... scott Note: The above was inspired and partly excerpted from Isaac Wimberly's poem The Word as seen here in video or here in text. God showed us his love for us in this: even while we were sinning, Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8) We did not deserve it. But Jesus died for us. Washing away our mess ups like a strong spring shower. Because of his unfathomable love for us. The hold that death had on us is broken because of one death... Jesus' death. And what's more... Jesus' resurrection from the grave. He defeated death! We can share in that by believing in Jesus' life, his death, his resurrection and making Jesus Lord of our lives. King. Glorified. Risen. Alive. Listen and worship along with this beautiful song by Kari Jobe, Forever. worship Him 24/7... scott Forever (We Sing Hallelujah) by Kari Jobe
The moon and stars they wept The morning sun was dead The Savior of the world was fallen His body on the cross His blood poured out for us The weight of every curse upon him One final breath he gave As heaven looked away The son of God was laid in darkness A battle in the grave The war on death was waged The power of hell forever broken The ground began to shake The stone was rolled away His perfect love could not be overcome Now death where is your sting? Our resurrected King Has rendered you defeated Forever he is glorified Forever he is lifted high Forever he is risen He is alive, He is alive! We sing hallelujah We sing hallelujah We sing hallelujah The Lamb has overcome You've faced struggles. You've faced trials. You've faced hardships, persecution, and pain. In the midst of it, you've wondered if you are the only one. You are not alone. Jesus knows what you face. He was God, made into human form to experience what we experience, but with perfection, so he could save us. Not just to save us. But to give us hope. That salvation IS our hope. Hope for the struggles and trials and hardships and persecution and pain. Because he knows what you face... Thursday Night: Betrayed by a close friend, Jesus is arrested. Questioned. Bound. Dragged to face trial. Denied and betrayed by his best friend. Beaten. Spit upon. Throughout the night. Friday Morning: Dragged between multiple trials. Questioned over and over. Whipped. Flogged. Flesh stripped. Bone made bare. Stripped of clothing. Stripped of human dignity. Crown of thorns thrust on his head. Mocked. Struck by fists. Friday Afternoon: Condemned for doing nothing wrong. Sentenced to death. Forced to carry a tree, his own tool of execution. Nails driven in hands and feet. Hung on the tree. Crucified. His clothing gambled for before his own eyes. Watching mother and friends grief his own death. Struggling to see. Fighting for breath. Death. Jesus faced the struggles. The trials. The hardships. The persecution. The pain. He knows what you face. He offers hope. Hope found in his own death on the cross. But hope does not end there. Three days later, Jesus would defeat death and rise from the grave. Alive. We can find hope there in that empty grave. Only there. This hope may not and will not end all your trials. But this hope does something far greater. It brings assurance of a life abundant. Here through the trials and for eternity. Face the trials. But not alone. Face them with the One who knows your trials. Jesus. Because he faced them too. worship Him 24/7... scott Watch this video, Good Friday, from Hyper Pixel Media. Let's not get lazy in our worship. Jesus wasn't lazy in his life or death for us. Even now he sits in heaven with God the Father interceding for us (Romans 8:34). He is not lazy for us. Let's not get lazy for him. Palm Sunday is here. It is a remembrance and celebration of Jesus as King. When Jesus entered into Jerusalem only days before his trial and death, the people were there waiting to adore him. They had gone out to the fields and cut down palm branches. They spread them on the ground as Jesus went by. They took off their own cloaks and did the same. They were not content to stand idly by as the King passed in their presence. No! They prepared for his coming and celebrated his presence. As Jesus entered their presence they shouted! Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! (Mark 11:9) In the book of Luke it says that the whole crowd joyfully praised him in loud voice! (Luke 19:37) Each of the four gospel accounts give a description of this triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Each of them share the story of the King's entrance. Why? Because the King has come. This is an important moment in the life of Jesus when he enters the city of God where his ancestors, namely King David of Israel, reigned. Now the true King has come. Jesus. And how was the time marked? With shouts of praise. The text says that those who followed shouted. Those who followed Jesus shouted! How often are you overcome with emotion in the presence of Jesus to shout his praise? If it doesn't happen much, I ask myself and you this question... Are you surrendered to his presence? Are you even aware that in worship where two or more are present that Jesus is as well (Matthew 18:20)? That Jesus himself is in that place? In our worship, Jesus is present! Do you prepare for that presence? Are you celebrating that presence in the moment? Show it! These followers of Jesus did not care what others thought of them ripping down branches and removing cloaks. They let emotion take them so they could freely praise the King. Let's not get lazy in our worship. Let's prepare. And in the moment let's shout. In our hearts. From our hearts. After all... those who follow Jesus and are in his presence shout his praise! Hosanna! He saves! worship Him 24/7... scott PS - Check out this video below to help prepare your heart for Palm Sunday! It's created by HyperPixelsMedia, which can be purchased at worshiphousemedia.com. As a worship leader, my main job is not to lead worship...
According to Ephesians 4:12, God gave leadership to the Church to "equip the saints for the work of the ministry." So, if I do all the work myself, I blow it. I will have missed my most important job. Yes, my job is to "lead", but it's not the "follow the leader" we played in elementary school. It's an equipping or empowering of others in order for them to be free in their worship. Why? Because they are free in Christ. My primary responsibility as a leader in the Church is to understand this and them empower them to worship freely. To get their light bulb to go off! For a worship leader, showing an example by being free and allowing others to see that example up close and personal is a way I lead. It's probably the most important way that I lead. So that I can see other light bulbs lighting. But that should not stop with me. In most churches it's the worship leader and the worship team on stage who do all this "leading". I tell our worship team members to remember they are "leading" worship even when they are out in the congregation on their "off" weeks. The fact is they are not off when they are "off". They are very much "on". And how they worship in the congregation on those weeks is just as important if not more important than when they are on the platform! And it does not stop even there. You church pastors and elders and ministry leaders... you are leading worship as well. Pastors, elders and ministry leaders: You're leadership does not stop when you are in the congregation worshiping. In everything you do you are showing an example to the flock (1 Peter 5:3). When you just sit there and think about the class you just led rather than engaging in worship, you lead by example. When you stand with your arms folded in worship, you lead by example. When you don't engage and don't sing with a joyous heart of praise for the King and Savior of your own soul, Jesus Christ, you lead by example. And to be quite honest... some of your examples downright suck. Okay, that's strong language. But it's true. I know it is. Because there are times when I myself have been in the congregation analyzing what is happening on stage, partly because that's my job, and realizing that people are watching me. They are watching how I worship in the congregation. And my example of how to worship in that moment sucks. Yep, me too. (Hence the reason for this post. I have seen in myself this poor worship engagement and it is a challenge to me which I believe all of us as leaders, worship team included, with which we should take heed.) As leaders in the church... we are ALL worship leaders. So when you are in the congregation, don't suck at worshiping. I'll try to do the same. Remember that however you worship you are leading and equipping (or not equipping) people for worship. We must do our best, but we won't always get it right. Sure. My saving grace... our saving grace is that we are not the focus. There is always a higher worship leader. The Holy Spirit. And highest of all Jesus himself as the high priest who is at the right hand of God serving in the sanctuary set up by the Lord, not by man (Hebrews 8:1-2). Let's worship him well. In that others may do the same. worship Him 24/7... scott Addendum: I speak to all church leaders and worship team members at all times in all churches. I pick on no individuals with this post. In every church there are those who are engaged with God and those who are not. This blog is simply to challenge with this question: How are we to expect our congregations to be engaged in worship to God if we ourselves are not engaged? For those of you engaged... keep rockin' it. If you aren't, God still loves you and so do I. Maybe we can both keep each other accountable. I deserve to go to hell. You deserve to go to hell. So does your mom and my son. This is what we deserve. Believe me these are not easy words to type. But they are true. Because of our selfish and sinful ways. No matter how good we try to be we can never be perfect. And perfection is the standard for heaven. But... because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ [who was perfect] even when we were dead in our sins. It is by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:4-5). Jesus and his Father, God, were in agreement. They would put themselves on the line. Their love for every person in the world. On the line called the cross. We didn't deserve this. That's why it is called... GRACE. Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:24). Our sins, failings, and mistakes are erased by Christ's death. Like a river washing away our wrongs into an infinite sea, never to be seen again. If we believe. If we surrender and follow Jesus. Then he will rescue our souls from death (Psalm 116:8). This is the greatest romance in history. God and you. The greatest Valentine you will ever be offered. Will you accept it? Listen to this song... Love on the Line by Hillsong. worship Him 24/7... scott Love on the Line lyrics
You put Your love on the line To bear the weight of sin that was mine Washing my river of wrongs Into the sea of Your infinite love With arms held high Lord I give my life Knowing I'm found in Christ In Your love forever With all I am In Your grace I stand The greatest of all romance Love of God my Savior Mercy roars like hurricane winds Furious love laid waste to my sin To the one who has rescued my soul To the one who has welcomed me home To the one who is Savior of all I sing forever In the world's economy someone who builds themselves up is to be respected. In the world's economy someone who elevates themselves is to be admired. Not so in God's economy.
Your life is not about you contrary to popular belief. Life is not about making yourself known. Life is about God because life belongs to God (Psalm 24:1). Rather than working to make yourself known, work to make him known. This is the primary role of my job as a worship leader. Pointing people to God. Not myself. John is an example to me... and is an example for all of us. Consider John's beginnings. He is the son of a priest... a respected man among his community. John's father and mother were without children. His mom had been barren. Late in their years, God gives them a child... John. He is a miraculous gift. A gift who is ties in time to thee gift to the world... Jesus himself. John and Jesus are cousins by birth. John has a rather incredible start to life. A start which he could easily claim to propel himself. A start which he could have easily made himself known. Instead he points to Jesus and God the Father. In the process he becomes known. Not because of elevating himself, but by elevating God. Then, after he baptizes Jesus, the crowds which had followed John diminished and began following Jesus. Here's how it plays out... Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness - look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him." John answered, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:25-30) My job as a worship leader, and yes, even a believer, is to make Jesus known. Not myself. I count it as a joy to point people to the bridegroom. I am very happy to stand aside and simply hear his voice calling others. In that my joy is complete. Just like John's. He must increase. I must decrease. I ask you... are you seeing Jesus increase in your life? Are you pointing others to hear his voice and not your own? Are you seeing him increase? Are you seeing yourself decrease? Everything belongs to the Lord. Make him known. That is an act of worship. worship Him 24/7... scott We recently had a baptism service. These services are always a wonderful celebration of God's redemptive work. It's incredible hearing the stories of lives changed by Jesus' work on the cross.
Hearing these stories reminds many of us "older" Christians of that day we were given life anew. When we laid down our old heart and God gave us a new heart. And the worship is so sweet and strong on those days. It really is a joy to lead worship in those services. Even with such jam packed services and only 2-3 songs. Those 2-3 songs are quite a celebration of praise! "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws" (Ezekiel 36:26-27). God does an incredible work when we surrender our lives to him. When we make Jesus our Lord, he gives us a new heart.. a heart that wants to follow him. As we grow older in our faith, ever further from that day of salvation and baptism, we often become too focused on "doing" well rather than "loving" well. If we love Jesus well, we will have that heart that wants to obey his commands. Not out of a desire for self-made righteousness for "doing", but because of our great love and appreciation for what he has done for us. It's about a LOVE for the savior who makes us perfect. Notice God's words... "I will put my Spirit in you and MOVE you to follow my decrees." This new heart moves you through a great love and appreciation to follow the one who gave you that new heart. We will still mess up at times. This new heart is not about being perfect. Its about following. The beauty of this for me is the freedom God gives. "Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17). God gives us a new heart which loves Jesus and so desires to follow him in all things. And Jesus' blood continues to clean the slate when we err. It's not about being perfect. The perfection comes because of loving for the savior and his work. Not ours. This is the essence of what baptism is for me. The stories of old hearts given away. The story of new hearts given. The freedom from chains. The love of a Savior. That makes worship a wonderful celebration. worship Him 24/7... scott You have idols in your life. We all do. Sure, you may not have a statue that you "bow" or "pray" too. But idols take many forms. What name do you "bow" to? What name do you worship? Is that name Work? Career? Significant Other? Money? Football? Music? Self? But there is only ONE name that will bring true contentment, true joy. There is only ONE name that will bring salvation. Found in no one else, there is only ONE name under heaven which you can be saved (Acts 4:12). Every one of us separate ourselves from God through our mistakes, our missteps, our failures. But through Jesus, and ONLY Jesus, we can be reconciled with a holy God. Free from blemish. Free from accusation. If you live in faith, live with Jesus as Lord, as your Master in life, you will have hope (Colossians 1:21-23). Real hope. Hope that will bring everlasting joy. Everlasting contentment. ONLY in the ONE name of Jesus will troubled hearts find healing. Jesus is even now preparing a place for you in God's mansion in a land of glory (John 14:1-3). A place that will be filled with true friendship and affection. An affection, a love that will never fade. Never falter. Never fail. There is ONLY ONE NAME... JESUS. JESUS. JESUS. JESUS. Just that name... JESUS. The Only Name (Yours Will be) lyics
Yours will be the only Name that matters to me The only One Whose favor I seek The only Name that matters to me Yours will be the friendship and affection I need To feel my Father smiling on me The only Name that matters to me Yours is the Name the Name that has saved me Mercy and grace the power that forgave me And Your love is all I’ve ever needed When I wake up in the Land of Glory And with the saints I will tell my story There will be one Name that I proclaim Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, just that Name Blessed are those who live through the cycle of the Christian life because great is their reward! It's the beatitude that I see written through the list of beatitudes that Jesus shares in Matthew 5. Check out the last couple posts to catch up before reading on. Otherwise, this post may seem out in left field! The entirety of the beatitudes is actually the cycle of the Christian life from broken sinfulness to salvation and from the life giving sharing of Jesus' name to persecution for sharing that name. We ended our last post learning that to be a Christian means to face persecution. Yet, some of us don't see persecution in our lives. Just after the beatitudes, Jesus refers to a believer as "the light of the world". We are his light to be shone into the lives of those living without him. And doing so will bring persecution. If you don't see the persecution in your life consider these four possibilities... 1. You aren't really a believer. 2. You are a believer, but you are not allowing your light to be seen. 3. You are a believer, but your light is surrounded only by others with light and no one who is in darkness. 4. You are a believer, but you simply aren't recognizing the persecution. Look for it! And in Jesus words... be blessed! Now some of you may be thinking I'm not always pure in spirit. I'm not always sharing the gospel. I'm not always showing mercy. I'm not always seeing my poverty of spirit. That's okay. Here's why... This chart condenses the eight beatitudes. The first and last beatitude are present tense. "Is". All the rest in the middle are future tense. "Will." Here is a fact we see in scripture... the kingdom of God is already here. Jesus said so. It is in believers (Luke 17:20-21). We don't usually think of God's kingdom being here already. But it is. Just not in "fullness" yet. One day it will be in fullness. Its the same with the middle beatitudes. Jesus frames ALL of the beatitudes in this present tense to say... "As a believer you will strive to mourn for your sin, be meek, live in purity, share my name, etc., but there are times you will fail. But the kingdom of heaven is still yours. Why? Because of me. You can't ever do it on your own. But in me you will obtain all these things. And one day, when the day of completion comes (Philippians 1:6) you will live these in fullness. In the meantime... the earth is already yours, you are already filled with righteousness, you are already given mercy, you can already see God and the kingdom of heaven is already yours. Now. Because of me."
The Christian life brings blessing. Great blessing. Blessing which can never me measured and quantified. Blessing which is infinite. Blessing which can never be removed. Blessing which is yours, now, for eternity. If you don't follow Jesus as your Savior, why not? If you follow Jesus as your Savior, live for him. Be broken, but live in healing. Be merciful. Be gracious. Be a peacemaker. Keep your eyes on heaven. Which is already yours. That is worship. worship Him 24/7... scott PS... Below is a graphic which summaries the entirety of The Beatitudes. Man!... Jesus is one incredible teacher. In the last post we introduced the fact that we have often missed the connective tissue that Jesus weaves through the well known passage of scripture called The Beatitudes. What is that? An unseen beatitude...
Blessed are those who live through the cycle of the Christian life. Check out the last post to catch up. Once a person journeys through the cycle of sin and brokenness to healing and righteousness in beatitudes one through four, Jesus describes what the Christian life looks like moving forward. We continue here with blessing number five below. Verse 7. Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy. We can only be truly merciful and gracious to others when we first understand true grace. And that grace has a name: Jesus. God in his infinite love for all people (John 3:16) gave his son Jesus as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins so that we could stand in righteousness before him. That is an incredible gift of mercy. We did not deserve it. Yet he loved us all so much to offer it. Once we know that mercy and grace, we must pass it on. In our Christian walk, we experience God's mercy. God extends us mercy. So we must extend it to others. Be merciful to others. Be gracious to others. Love them. Love them in a way which reflects the Father's great love for you. Verse 8. Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. Clean. Unstained. Pure. Guiltless. Innocent. Upright. Perfect. Do you call yourself these things? Because that's what it means to be "pure in heart". And the pure in heart are the ones who will see God. Herein lies a perceived problem with beatitudes five through eight. We often look at them and believe we are not accomplishing them, so we may not be blessed. We will discuss that in our next post. But for now consider it this way... The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and your surrendering your life to him makes you pure. If you accepted him as savior, then you do and will see God. Jesus tells us in this verse that as believers in him, we must strive to live in righteousness. We must do our utmost to stay away from sinning. He knows we will fail at times. The good news is that good old phrase... once saved, always saved. Jesus' blood will never stop covering your sins once it has started! Verse 9. Blessed are the peacemakers for they will see God. This is not your "flower power stop the wars" kind of peace. The Greek word here refers to a "wholeness". It's a complete wholeness. No gaps. No cracks. Jesus is saying that there is blessing for those who bring wholeness to others' lives. How can you bring wholeness to someone's life? When in doubt what do the little kids shout? JESUS! The peacemaker is someone who carries the good news of Jesus Christ to those who do not believe. The peacemaker is living to declare the name of Jesus! Verse 10. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of God. Once a person has come to Jesus as savior and found salvation, they begin living the Christian life. One which strives for mercy and purity. One which claims the name of Jesus and shares Jesus with others. Sharing Jesus with others WILL bring persecution. Paul states in 2 Timothy 3:12 that all who live a godly life in Jesus will be persecuted. Here in the beatitudes, Jesus goes on to say that people will insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all manner of evil towards you because of his name (Matthew 5:11). Living your life for Jesus means persecution. Righteousness means suffering. Bummer. But... Jesus says that GREAT is our reward in heaven (Matthew 5:12). He knows. He's been there. The reward of heaven far outweighs any persecution or suffering! For me worshiping God and praising my savior Jesus in heaven for an eternity is quite a reward! worship Him 24/7... scott PS - stay tuned for our wrap up in the beatitudes For those of us who have walked with Jesus for a while, the chances are we have read the beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12. Maybe even been taught about them a few times. I have. Yet, in researching the passage more closely I came to realize there is an unseen beatitude:
Blessed are those who live through the cycle of the Christian life. Jesus spoke the beatitudes in the Greek language. It's in that form which I discovered that all the beatitudes are connected in a way in which Jesus describes the entire life cycle of a believer. A life which recognizes itself plainly before God and devotes itself to worshiping the One who is worthy. Each beatitude builds on the previous one. Follow along... Verse 3. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Who are the poor in spirit? Often we consider this to be those who are sad or depressed. But this understanding misses the mark. The word for poor is "ptochos" which means destitute and spiritually poor. The word for spirit is "pneuma" which means wind or breath. It is our very being. The "poor in spirit" is about a recognition of our brokenness. It is a recognition that we do wrong. That we sin. Verse 4. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. We often look at this passage and think of those who lost a loved one or grieve in some way. God does, through his Holy Spirit, bring comfort to those who mourn in such a way, but this is not the heart of Jesus' words. Who are those who mourn? Those who are "poor in spirit"! People who recognize their brokenness. People who see they can't right their own wrongs in life. When someone sees their own failings however, they can choose to be content in the path or mourn the path they are on. Blessed are those who mourn that path. For it leads them to a greater path... Verse 5. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth. The key work here is "meek". This word does not mean weak. In the original language it means a gentle strength. It is a strength which realizes itself under the almighty strength of an all powerful God. And using that strength in a gentle way. In a way which demonstrates power with undue harshness. See where we are so far in the beatitudes? A person sees that they are poor in spirit. They are broken. Then they mourn their brokenness. They grieve over their failings and understand they can do nothing in themselves in order to right the wrongs they have done. This leads to discovering that their own strength is not sufficient to be made "right". They discover a holy God whose almighty strength is the only strength which can right their wrongs. They see their true standing before this Almighty God and desire to have their life be made right before Him. This leads to... Verse 6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. The desire to be made right before a holy God leads the seeker to Jesus himself. Righteousness for every person only comes from Jesus. For all have sinned and fallen short of God's perfect standard (Romans 3:23). Righteousness, the healing comfort of the broken and mourning poor in the spirit, comes from faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Romans 9:10). Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved (Romans 10:13). Jesus fills up those who are hungry and thirsty for a right standing before God with righteousness when they surrender their life to him. This brings us to the halfway point of the beatitudes. The first four blessings have taken us from sinfulness to salvation in Jesus Christ. From brokenness to surrendering our lives in worship to the Savior. Next time we will see what Jesus says the life of the believer should look like in worship to him... beatitudes five through eight. worship him 24/7... scott Christians sometimes take themselves too seriously. I know. I'm one of them. Why are Christians sometimes seen as gloomy? Why are church services perceived as stuffy? Have Christians taken too much of the fun out of Christianity?
Jesus was completely human as well as completely divine. And as a perfect human being, he was whole. Personally, I have never met someone who seemed whole and had zero sense of humor. Actually, I'm not quite sure you can have zero sense of humor and even be human! Jesus was serious at times, but he was also at times a fun guy to be around (Ecclesiastes 3:4). Imagine Jesus as a child. He was a little boy once! Just like me. Just like my two little boys. Smiling, giggling, enjoying life. Making faces, laughing, playing games. Running, jumping, and bouncing with joy. Jesus was a healthy little boy who had the love of a mother and father, not to mention thee Father, and little boys who are loved are generally free to have fun and love life! Jesus would well have known passages from the Old Testament which encourage fun and laughter. Because of the great things the Lord has done our mouths can be filled with laughter and songs of joy (Psalm 126:2). God wants us to be filled with laughter and for us to shout out with it (Job 8:21). God himself must be a humorous being who delights in fun. Consider Adam and Eve. Reproduction. "Um... God, you want us to do what?" That's a humorous God, right there. He could have made reproduction a little less fun. He didn't. It's pretty fun. God created us in his own image. And he created us to laugh and enjoy life. Too often do I think of God as only a serious being. God has a sense of humor. He must. After all he made the platypus! God laughs at the wicked even (Psalm 2:4; 37:13). He laughs at their folly and at their derision even in the midst of his wrath. Jesus himself had a sense of humor as an adult. He brings a dead girl back to life and as the parents stare he tells them to stop staring and get the girl something to eat! Of all the hings to say! I can imagine the scene playing out with this common natural human reaction when grief unexpectedly turns to joy... a bursting out of laughter, tears, and happiness. They surely were there in these parents at Jesus' humorous declaration that this girl is back. (Don't most kids this age consume food like it's going out of style anyway?) Consider the many nights Jesus was traveling with his disciples. The many campfires. The many dinner parties. I've been to a decent number of campfires and dinner parties and it is rare to have these without some fun and laughter. In fact, Jesus would well have known the human tendency to relax into conversation about serious topics when enjoying fun fellowship around the table. He would have used this to great advantage in his ministry (Matthew 9:10; Luke 7:36; John 12:12, etc.) I had the great joy of spending the last few days at the Hillsong NYC conference. What a joy it was to be surrounded by thousands of fellow Christians in exuberant praise to Jesus. One of the huge reminders for me at the conference was simply... have fun. Jump. Shout. Cry. Laugh. Love. Knowing Jesus is fun. It brings joy to life. Let that show in our fellowship! Let that show in our worship! Let that show in our teaching! Let that show in our lives! The leaders and speakers at Hillsong are so down to earth and real. They just have fun. They don't take themselves so seriously all the time. They teach serious messages and bring a seriousness to God's word and worship, yet they enjoy it. They bring something that we as Christians sometimes forget to bring... fun. When all is said and done there will be a great banquet in heaven (Matthew 22:2; Revelation 19:17). It's going to be a fun party. It's going to bring laughter. Let's bring a little of that to our gatherings here on earth in anticipation of what is to come. Knowing Jesus is fun. Jesus is fun. Let's laugh a little. Let's have some fun. worship Him 24/7... scott Losing your job. Christ is enough. Diagnosed with cancer. Christ is enough. Discovered a personal failing. Christ is enough. Struggling in your marriage. Christ is enough. Fighting with your children. Christ is enough. Lost reasons to live. Christ is enough. Realized that you will never be good enough to make it to heaven. Christ IS enough. The Lord said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9) Paul said of his own weaknesses, his own struggles, that he would boast of them! Why? Because he saw them as opportunities to rely on Christ. As opportunities to experience Christ's power in his life. Only by recognizing his own deficiencies would he experience Christ in his life. Paul understood the words of Jesus... "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24) Paul understood that realizing his own failings, his own need, that meant denying himself and looking to the sufficiency of Christ Jesus. Too often do we first try to strive on our own and then ask God to intervene. We need to change our thinking. Let's focus first on God. Give him control, he has it anyway. Recognize we can't do any of it on our own. Accept that the King's grace and power is enough. Claim that. And don't turn back. worship Him 24/7... Scott lyrics to Christ is Enough
Christ is my reward and all of my devotion Now there's nothing in this world that could ever satisfy Through every trail my soul will sing No turning back, I've been set free Christ is enough for me Christ is enough for me Everything I need is in You Everything I need Christ my all in all, the joy of my savlation And this hope will never fail, heaven is our home Through every storm my soul will sing Jesus is here, to God be the glory I have decided to follow Jesus No turning back, no turning back The cross before me, the world behind me No turning back, no turning back As a worship leader I often talk about worship in heaven. What it would look like. What it would sound like. Worshiping in the kingdom of heaven will be incredible. But in this perhaps I miss a huge point of what the kingdom of heaven is.
We are currently studying Jesus' sermon on the mount in Matthew 5-7. We've decided to call the series Kingdom Swap. It's an appropriate name. Jesus calls for a radical change in our thinking. Turn the world's thoughts and patterns upside down as believers and live differently. Rather than the world's desire to shape us by what we do and how we appear, Jesus calls for a reshaping of our hearts. He knows the truth: our outward actions and appearance is a reflection of the heart. We need to trade in the heart of the world for a heart of heaven. We need a kingdom swap. In Matthew 4:17, just before Jesus' greatest message, he says that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. In Luke 17:20-21 he says that the kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed. He says it is already in their mists. The kingdom of God is already here. The kingdom is in us. Yes, the fullness of the kingdom of God will not be experienced until our physical nature passes away and we enter heaven with the very presence of the fullness of God. But herein lies a great true paradox of scripture: The kingdom of God is already here. In us. God in his fullness is here in us. My human mind has a hard time understanding this truth, but it is truth. The very words of Christ. When we worship, we should not only dream of what is to be in the heavenly kingdom. We need to remember that the kingdom of heaven is already here. Perhaps not in its total fullness. But we need to stop minimizing it. Accept it. Make this kingdom swap in our minds. Worship knowing that God's very presence in us through his Spirit is the very kingdom of heaven here and now. Imagine what would happen if the world saw our worship, our lives, the very kingdom of heaven here on earth? worship Him 24/7... Scott |
Scott Marshall worship pastor
Archives
May 2017
Categories
All
Subscribe Feed
|