Have you ever pondered why we stay? Stay where things are simply ‘satisfactory’. Stay in our failure, pride, arrogance, fear and unrest.
Does it bring us comfort?
Does it bring peace?
Does it bring satisfaction?
In the following 3 verses of the hymn ‘Out of My Bondage’, George Stebbins, in each verse, makes 3 statements of recognition and 3 affirmations of what he knows would happen if those recognition’s were overcome. Throughout the song, he transforms in his understanding that bondage to worldly things, only causes stumbling and strife.
It is something that the devil is wonderful at using against us. He uses the contentment we find in ‘satisfactory’. He uses our failures, pride, arrogance and fear to keep us EXACTLY where we are and THAT is what does it. That is what holds us hostage, or, in bondage. WE are the ones keeping ourselves enamored with temporary pleasures that will never satisfy nor soothe the enduring emptiness that we feel when the initial satisfaction wares off. How do we alleviate our desire for a satisfaction that we cannot seem to fill? It’s a simple answer, and one not many will choose to pursue. GOD. In the beginning, Gen. 1:1, He was there. He’s seen it all and He’s given us a way to Him (John 3:16) and the ETERNAL satisfaction we desire and that is through His son. Through Him, we find protection and peace (2 Tim. 2:10; Phil. 4:7).
What holds you in bondage? Let go
of it and run to the one who listens, gives protection, provides peace and can
alleviate pain and sorrow. Lean on Him and He will bring you an everlasting joy
that will fill your heart. Be brave enough to reach out of the comforts of your
sin, whatever it may be, and find the eternal comforts of Christ as He stands
waiting to welcome you Out of Your Bondage.
For the past two weeks we’ve looked at prayer and the time we spend talking with God. We have a vast array of songs that either mention prayer, focus entirely upon prayer or simply are a prayer. The more we ‘sing with understanding,’ the more we will come to realize which songs do what in our worship to God and admonishing one another.
In 1856, Love Willis wrote, and we still sing, a prayer asking our Heavenly Father to… “Hear the Prayer We Offer.” Twenty-five years later Mary Kidder asked the singer a basic question, “Ere (Before) you left your room this morning, did you think to pray?” In that same year (1875), A. Cummings penned the familiar words that we still sing; in the…“Morning, noon and evening unto Thee I’ll pray.” Our hymnals are filled with songs of prayer and songs to remind us to pray. Even within the last 30 years we have come to know and love, “On bended knee I come, with a humble heart I come; bowing down before Your holy throne.” Or perhaps you’ll know the hymn we sing asking God to “listen to our hearts…” We pray and sing about prayers because this is our direct line of communication with God.
And as we conclude the message behind, “Sweet Hour of Prayer” let’s consider the third verse of this song written by W. W. Walford in 1845;
“Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer, Thy wings shall my petition bear to Him whose truth and faithfulness engage the waiting soul to bless; And since He bids me seek His face, believe His word, and trust His grace, I’ll cast on Him my every care and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer.”
The imaginary of this verse puts ‘wings’ on our prayers to lift our petition before God’s throne. And as our requests come before God, this song expresses that He is waiting to bless us. His promise of truth and faithfulness are just waiting to be “engaged.” That alone should strike a cord in our hearts. But before we conclude this prayer and close the page of this hymn consider how our God calls for us to seek Him, to believe in Him and to trust in Him. If our heavenly Father is asking us to search for Him, believe in His word and trust in His grace, then you can see why He calls us to ‘cast on Him’ every care. So again, slow down and wait for this time of prayer. Forget the cares of this world, the business of your schedule and spend “an hour” in prayer.
Our souls will ‘find relief’ when we, ‘take our station before God’s throne’ and ‘cast on Him our every care.’ In short, don’t watch the clock and don’t focus on yourself. If your heart is right with God, prayer can be sweet. Know that an hour of prayer won’t hurt you, but it certainly will bless you!
That is something that someone would say to express ‘true love.’ Someone you honor and respect receives this title. And if we are the ones that God has chosen as His people, and considering all that He has done for us, we must acknowledge that He is the love of our life. And in return, all that he asks from us is, respect, admiration, gratitude, and submission.
But that’s where the devil makes that hard. He knows our weaknesses and he knows how to manipulate us dragging us further from our heavenly Father. Farther away from the one who is our ‘True Love’.
We read that our God is the epitome of love and that He is faithful love! In Psalm 57:10 and 86:15, we read of the depth and abounding nature of His love. The love that God has demonstrated toward us, along with his compassion and consistent care, its one that we are not physically and humanly capable of possessing or, to be honest, understanding. Having the love of Christ is difficult, and having a faithful, enduring love and striving to remain faithful and true to our ‘True Love’, can be hard in this world in which we live in. However, when we think on a much broader scope, was it ever easy for anyone? Regardless of the time period, regardless of the living conditions, regardless of state of the world?
In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 7), he addresses the struggle that they are having with sexual immorality. He addresses both those who are single and struggling with that sexual desire, as well as those who are single and not tempted in that way. To those who are struggling, he encourages them to go ahead and marry. Sexual sin is not a ‘new thing’ that has recently been ‘discovered’. Christians then and now struggle with it. Sin has been in this world since Genesis 3. Temptation is ever present, and God’s word even tells us that, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (I Corinthians 10:13)
It is hard to not to be distracted by the things of this world that are constantly put in front of us. However, the blessings and love of God are present here as well. Take a minute and turn your gaze up from the ground and SEE it. It’s there, we (sadly) make the choice to not enjoy and reflect on it.
Every day, we make choices. Some of them, will bring us closer to Christ, and some will take us further away from Him. We always have a choice. One choice could make us stronger, more resilient and draw us closer to the safety and unconditional love of God. The other will keep us stagnant and pull us closer to the place void of His presence. We read of it in scripture, but see a more vividly painted picture in the book of Revelation (read about the ‘lake of fire’ in Rev. 20:14-15).
Everything we do, is driven by something. Passion, desire, and a will to have something that we don’t necessary need. A want for something or a love for someone that doesn’t draw us closer to God. It reminds me of the song “The Greatest Commands” and the soprano’s words as they quote Luke chapter 10, “…love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind…“ God IS love and He is the epitome of what ‘True Love’ is. But do we treasure our ‘True Love?’ Do we take Him and what He’s done for us for granted? Will we love Him with all our heart, soul, strength and mind?
I love my family — my parents and my brothers. I love my boyfriend, my friends and all of my brothers and sisters that I am so blessed to have in Christ. And I love those who are not yet in Christ’s family. However, and I believe this with all my heart, God is the reason I love all of these people. Why? The answer is simple. “Because He first loved me…” Psalm 139:13 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
A recent email from one of our ministers at Waterview church of Christ caught my eye and I felt it appropriate to share it with you. Consider your ‘faith in Christ,’ what exactly does that mean? Is your faith something you can hold on to? By definition, the word faith means; “Belief that does not rest on logical truth or material evidence.” But look at Paul’s words to the church in Corinth as he talked about living a temporal (tangible) life in anticipation of an eternal (intangible) life; “…be always of good courage, and know that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord-for we walk by faith, not by sight…” Remember, our faith is essential to our salvation, Ephesians 2:8 “…you have been saved by grace through faith…” “Even so faith, if it (faith) has no works, is dead, being by itself.” James 2:17
So what about ‘my faith’ in Christ Jesus? How do I better understand it’s implications for my daily walk of faith?
Ephesians 6:16 “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;”
The shield of faith extinguishes not some of the darts, but ALL of them! So, take up your shield of faith today, and don’t give the evil one an opportunity to burn you with one of his darts.
1 John 5:4-5 “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
Through faith, we have victory! It is our greatest defense and our greatest offense simultaneously! Faith will extinguish the enemy’s weapons and, at the same time, it will conquer our enemy. Take courage and have faith in Jesus, the Son of God.
Dustin Jones
Minister of Family Development
Waterview church of Christ
P.S. Now, please turn in your song books to “Faith is the Victory” while we stand and sing…
Have you ever considered the difference between hearing and listening? We hear the sound of the traffic on the highway, but we listen when the driver behind us honks. In frustration some may say, “Yeah, I hear you!” But though their ears have heard the voice, the mind hasn’t processed (or even rejects) the message. Many today would say, “I hear you, but I’m not listening to you.” This can be a dangerous mistake for sure.
This Sunday morning we’re blessed to ‘listen’ to another lesson presented by one of our own ministers, Robert Taylor. Come join us for worship and do more than just hear a good sermon, open your ears and listen to the message from God’s holy word? Join us as we explore God’s Word and consider how we’ll use our ears!
“…I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.” I Corinthians 14:15
Sunday morning, October 27, 2013
The following songs are found in the hymnal, Songs of Faith & Praise.
“What a Mighty God We Serve” -993
Technically, this isn’t a difficult song. The words are repetitive and the message is a basic reminder; “What a mighty God we serve! What a mighty God we serve! Angels bow before Him, heaven and earth adore Him. What a mighty God we serve!” You hear the message, but are you listening to what you’re saying? He IS mighty and He is worthy to be served…but HOW are you serving Him?
“O Thou Fount of Every Blessing” – 226
This author has talked in depth of the interpretation of this hymn written in old English Robert Robinson in the mid-1700’s. Words like “Ebenezer”, “fetter” and “interpose” have left many to discard this song as antiquated. But we must do more than just sing (hear) this message from yesteryear. Listen to the meaning when you sing verse three; “O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be! {I know, and can never forget, the grace God gives me every day will never be repaid} Let Thy goodness like a fetter bind my wandering heart to Thee; {Father, please keep your loving kindness tied around my heart} Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. {I am all to liable to wander away from you, like a little child, please keep close to You}. Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.” {As a matter of fact, take my heart and keep it in Your care until you call me home.}
“In Christ Alone” – no book
Consider this song of encouragement as we prepare our minds to commemorate our Lord’s death, burial and resurrection. We begin this song recognizing our Cornerstone, solid ground and Comforter as Christ…alone. Verse two takes us from His birth to His crucifixion and for those who know this song ‘listen’ to the emotion found in the third verse. And though we begin softly singing of His burial, our voices ‘burst forth’ as we proclaim His resurrection. The final verse gives us the assurance of our security in Christ. Children of God understand that, “…no power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand…”
“I Am Mine No More” – 683
Though the author and composer of this song are unknown, the message is very clear. Would that we do more than just say, “I am mine no more…”, but that our lives would reflect a change in our priority. When you say something is more important than something else, it’s only proven by your next step. The difference between hearing and listening…
“Open Our Eyes Lord” – 766
Written in 1976, this song calls us to open our eyes and see how Jesus is alive in our world. But Robert Cull goes a step further as he penned the next verse; “Open our eyes, Lord and help us to listen…” My daddy would tell us boys, ‘You have one mouth and two ears…you should listen twice as much as you talk’ We might not be bigger talkers, but how are we with looking for God and listening to His words?
“Heaven Came Down” – 517
As we prepare for this morning’s lesson, let’s sing this spiritual song about living a Christian life. A beautiful message but notice the second verse; “Born of the Spirit with life from above into God’s family divine. Justified fully through Calvary’s love, O what a standing is mine! And the transaction so quickly was made, when as a sinner I came. Took of the offer of grace He did proffer, He saved me! O praise His dear name…” To proffer is to give a gift expecting an answer, either accept it or not. He has given us salvation. What will you do with His offer? Everyone in the auditorium will hear the offer, but will you listen to the message?
“Only a Step” – 940
How far away from God do you think you are? What kind of step(s) do you need to take to get right with Christ? Our invitation song begins with the call to “Hear the sweet voice of Jesus…” It all starts with hearing the message, but how many will listen to the ‘call?’ In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way…No one comes to the Father except through Me.” The writer of this song encourages us with the understanding that Jesus is only a step away. Those who have been baptized into Christ at one time stepped into the watery grave of baptism. If you are not a child of God and you wonder how far away is He? The answer is simple…He’s only a step away.
“I’ll Be Listening” – 988
As a young boy, when my mother called…I had better answer. If I heard her and choose not to respond (refuse to listen), the consequences might include holding my dad’s hand. All the while he held a switch with his other. We hear God’s call and many have listened to His message of salvation. He will call again at the end of time, but though ‘every knee will bow’ (everyone will listen then), only those who have been faithful will be received. “When the Savior calls, I will answer…I’ll be somewhere listening for my name!”
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.He was in the beginning with God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1, 2, 14
Incarnation, by simple definition is, “God in the flesh!” Let’s continue our thoughts about the Incarnation of Jesus the Christ…
It was foretold in Genesis 3:15 as God pronounces punishment on Adam and Eve and the serpent (Satan).As the ‘serpent’ is given his consequence for deceiving/tempting Eve, God offers the hope of reconciliation to all mankind.“…I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.”With the fall of man comes the plan for salvation, the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
In Matthew chapter 1, prior to the birth of Jesus, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and confirmed the incarnation.“…take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”Perhaps 700 years earlier, Isaiah confirms this with his prophecy in Isaiah 7:14, “…The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”Immanuel, by definition, “God with us.”We understand the incarnation was foretold and planned from the beginning of time.But perhaps the question we should be asking is, “Why would God become flesh?”What would motivate a royal, divine, supreme being to descend to the ranks of mortal man? Why?
Why did the Savior of mankind come to this earth in the first place?Why would He come?What determined his lowly state of birth and His humble circumstances? God’s word, again, holds the key, but you have most likely sung the answer since you were a child.John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”To know why incarnation was necessary is to know that, Jesus Loves Me.“Why did my Savior come to earth and to the humble go? Why did He choose a lowly birth?” Why…Because He loved me so!
Are you blessed? When the temperatures fall in the winter, do you consider the warmth of your home a blessing? When the summer heats up and the sun beats down on you, do you find the comfort of your oscillating fan a blessing?
All too often we find ourselves living in an self-satisfying world. The young teenage boy opens the refrigerator expecting it to be filled with food (though he may hold the door open for 15 minutes trying to decide what he wants). When we flip the light switch in the hall we expect instant illumination. We turn on the shower and become frustrated when it takes too long for the water to heat up. In short…we expect favorable results. But why do we think this way? Who am I to assume that just because I expect things to be a certain way they will be? Unfortunately we are living in a time (a culture) of entitlement. When we once cherished what we had, now we expect it…and more. The university graduate, with diploma in hand, expecting a 6 figure income. Many not wanting to work their way to the top, but rather expecting to automatically be placed there. The young family moving into their first home? Make that a 4-bedroom, 3-bath, 2-car garage, because, “Hey, I deserve it…” But what really do I deserve? It’s probably not what I would expect.
During the last several months many have shared with me this song made popular by Rusty Goodman in 1965. Many years ago I remember hearing Elvis Presley sing this song, but it never sounded as strong as it does in this arrangement. Sung by the “Alter of Praise Chorale” in 2010, this song speaks to the blessing we have in a Christ. Notice the words, then listen to the human voice sing this song of humility and reverence.
Oh when I think of how He left His home in glory Came and dwelt among the lowly such as I To suffer shame and such disgrace on Mount Calvary Take my place then I ask myself a question, “Who am I?”
Who am I that the King would bleed and die for? Who am I that He would pray “not my will, Thine Lord?” The answer I may never know, why He ever loved me so That to an old rugged cross He’d go for who am I?
When I’m reminded of His words, I’ll leave Him never If you’ll be true I’ll give to you life forever Oh, I wonder what I could have done to deserve God’s only Son To fight my battles until they’re won for who am I?
Who am I that the King would bleed and die for? Who am I that He would pray not my will, Thy Lord? The answer I may never know, why He ever loved me so But to an old rugged cross He’d go for who am I? But to an old rugged cross He’d go for who am I?
Paul’s inspired words to the church in Rome remind me that I am a blessed man. We don’t deserve anything good, but we have been given the best gift ever. Who am I to be the recipient of such an honor? Why would God look down on me and have mercy on me, a sinner. You’ve heard the song written some 47 years ago, but now read the inspired words penned some 2000 years ago and ask yourself…who am I? “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet perhaps for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8
Enjoy the blessings God has given you. The warmth of your home when the cold air is swirling around; the cool side of the pillow on the hot summer night, and best of all…the assurance that God has given us the greatest gift of all time.
