Archive for the ‘ Bible ’ Category

Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – My Hymns & Songs – 11/25/2018 – Mighty Merry

As we continue looking at the hymns and songs that had an impact on my spiritual life, we move into controversial territory. What is less controversial about it is that I at least waited until Thanksgiving weekend.

Yep. Christmas music! And here is one of my top all-time three.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Lyrics

God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

In Bethlehem, in Israel,
This blessed Babe was born
And laid within a manger
Upon this blessed morn
The which His Mother Mary
Did nothing take in scorn
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

From God our Heavenly Father
A blessed Angel came;
And unto certain Shepherds
Brought tidings of the same:
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by Name.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

“Fear not then,” said the Angel,
“Let nothing you affright,
This day is born a Saviour
Of a pure Virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in Him
From Satan’s power and might.”
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm and wind:
And went to Bethlehem straightway
The Son of God to find.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
And when they came to Bethlehem
Where our dear Saviour lay,
They found Him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;
His Mother Mary kneeling down,
Unto the Lord did pray.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All other doth deface.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

A few thoughts …

Why is this one of my all-time favorite Christmas carols and songs? It is the Gospel laid out.

Words have meanings. Whether “rest” meant “keep” or “make”, or whether merry means “mighty” or “joyful”, the song still works. If it is “God keep you joyful, Gentlemen” or “God make you mighty, Gentlemen” or even “God keep you mighty” or “God make you joyful” … IT JUST WORKS!

Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, one can be made mighty for God and joyful in grace and forgiveness. The main point of the entire song is that when we put our faith in the risen Lord, Jesus Christ, we are saved from the ravages of sin, saved from the loss of relationships with other people and with God, saved from eternal death, and saved from God’s wrath and the schemes of the Devil.

Also, it tends to be a dang happy song! (Sorry for the language.)

2018
11/25
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VerseD: Romans 15:5-6

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5‭-‬6, ESV

Seek out the holy and good in fellow believers instead of focusing on how we differ. By the power of the Holy Spirit, may we live well with each other in the unity of the Son’s blood as we glorify our Father in heaven.

2018
11/24
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VerseD: Psalm 100:4

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
Psalm 100:4, ESV

Make the Lord happy. Give Him glory with a grateful heart. Enter His presence in prayer and the reading of Scripture.

2018
11/23
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Thanksgiving

The Psalmist says “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise.” Some scholars have deemed this “The protocol of heaven,” that is to say, that if one were visiting royalty in another country (England for example) there is a protocol for what you do and say when meeting with them. It is similar when meeting with God Almighty. Similar, but not the same. Why, because God generally meets you where YOU are. He is wonderfully personal and too many people don’t understand that. He wants to meet with YOU, He wants to talk to YOU! You don’t need to go to a pastor or priest in order to hear the voice of God. There is one simple thing that you must do – be real with God.

God knows your heart anyway so why try to hide anything? He knows your thoughts, fears, worries, concerns, hopes, pride, and yes, even your sins. You see, “thanksgiving and praise” are not the protocol of heaven, but are evidence of the condition of your heart. No matter where on earth you are, you can connect with the God of eternity if you are simply real and honest with Him, because “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” “Real” people are humble people because their self-perception and world view are grounded in reality and the way things actually are. People who are proud or haughty are generally putting on a facade in order to present themselves as better than others. But as we know “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So as a humble person, you will recognize that we all (including yourself) need a Savior.

Humility unlocks the gate and then thanksgiving can begin. Otherwise we become like the Pharisee in Luke 18:10-14 who thanks God that he is more righteous than other men, obviously his prayer of thanksgiving was wrought with pride (which God opposes) and the gate of thanksgiving that he was trying to enter remained locked. But there was another man there who was humble when he prayed to God, and we’re told that he went away justified by God.

So humility unlocks the gate and you enter the gate by thanking God. This Thanksgiving, lets remember to be humble and real with God and others so that our thanksgiving is not in vain, and perhaps we can draw even closer to Jesus.

About Jesse Walker

2018
11/22
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VerseD: Psalm 9:1

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
Psalm 9:1, ESV

God has done amazing things.

If you are saved by grace, give Him thanks and share it with the world!

Is there any more reason more worthy of thankfulness than this?

2018
11/22
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VerseD: Isaiah 25:1

O Lord , you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
Isaiah 25:1, ESV

God has been planning and doing since before time. He knows how it all ends and how it gets there.

Trust Him. Praise Him.

2018
11/21
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VerseD: Psalm 63:3-4

Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.
Psalm 63:3‭-‬4, ESV

True life is found in the love of God.

Give God the Father thanks and praise for sharing His love through the vicarious death of His Son and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

2018
11/20
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VerseD: Psalm 3:3

But you, O Lord , are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
Psalm 3:3, ESV

Our Lord is our ultimate protector and source of all joy and hope. Without Him, we have nothing and amount to nothing.

Only when we enter eternity do we fully realize the Prize He is for us and how He has saved us.

2018
11/19
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – My Hymns & Songs – 11/18/2018 – Joy of the Creed

We are back at it looking at songs and hymns that made an impact on my spiritual life! I took last week off from posting songs.  Part of it was not being able to get access to the songs I wanted to use in a usable format (because the band broke up just as YouTube was becoming a thing, and I currently only have access to ripped copies of the CD’s now stored on the cloud.) Part of it was being Veterans Day. Also, as many of you probably understand all to well, there was stress and issues to deal with in life away from the blog.

But this week’s song is a biggie (you know … to me, at least.) It helped me realize the importance of the historical church. Also, when a modern ascetic Christian who made great music thinks it is important, I think it is good to pay attention!

Creed

Lyrics

I believe in god the father
Almighty maker of heaven
and maker of earth
And in Jesus Christ his only begotten son, our Lord
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Born of the virgin Mary
Suffered under Pontius Pilate
He was crucified and dead and buried

[Chorus]
And I believe what I believe
is what makes me what I am
I did not make it,
no it is making me
It is the very truth of god
and not the invention of any man

I believe that he who suffered
was crucified, buried, and dead
He descended into hell and
on the third day, rose again
He ascended into heaven
where he sits at God’s mighty right hand
I believe that he’s returning
To judge the quick and the dead of the sons of men

[Chorus]

I believe it, I believe it
I believe it
I believe it, I believe it

I believe in god the father
Almighty maker of heaven
and maker of earth
And in Jesus Christ his only
begotten son, our Lord
I believe in the holy spirit
One holy church
The communion of saints
The forgiveness of sin
I believe in the resurrection
I believe in a life that never ends

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am
I did not make it, no it is making me
I did not make it, no it is making me
I said I did not make it, no it is making me
It is the very truth of god and not the invention of any man

I believe it, I believe
I believe it, I believe
I believe it, I believe it
I believe it, I believe it
I believe it, I believe it
I believe it

A few thoughts …

Some do not care for the old creeds. “No creed but Christ,” many of them say. The irony of that credo is … well … as I just said, it is a creed.

What many may fail to realize is that the creeds are not meant to replace Scripture, but they help to clarify what we believe God has revealed to us through Scripture. The creeds help to dispel heresy, false teachings, and misunderstandings.

Rich Mullins based this song off of The Apostles Creed, an ancient, early creed of the Church.


I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

You probably see the similarities. This song is a strong reminder not to “move the ancient boundaries.” (Proverbs 23:10)  Too many people these days are so quick to forget the past with the intention of focusing on loving people. But to ignore the creeds and 2000 years of church history is not the answer. This leads to various problems, as evidenced by the vast number of individuals, groups, churches, and denominations that are abandoning Scriptural truth for modern, “enlightened” teachings.

Instead, we should focus on the sound doctrines and teachings found in the Bible and illuminated by the Church throughout history. These illuminations and teachings should always be measured by the text of Scripture to ensure it is not being twisted. (This is a great definition of “Sola Scriptura” – Scripture Alone.)

2018
11/18
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VerseD: 2 Corinthians 9:15

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
2 Corinthians 9:15, ESV

God’s gift of grace has cleansed us, made us new, and invited us back into fellowship with the Creator of all things!

Remember to tha k Him, today and every day.

2018
11/18
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