My Savior My God

lyrics by Dorothy Greenwell in “Songs of Salvation”, 1873.
New music and chorus by Aaron Shust.

“I am not skilled to understand what God has willed what God has planned
I only know at his right hand, stands one who is my Savior

I take him at his word and deed; Christ died to save me this I read
And in my heart I find the need for Him to be my Savior

Yes, living, dying, let me bring; my strength, my solace from this Spring
That he who lives to be my King; once died to be my Savior

That he would leave his place on high; and come for sinful man to die
You count it strange, so once did I; before I knew my Savior

My Savior loves, my Savior lives, my Savior’s always there for me
My God he was, my God he is; my God he’s always gonna be”
_____________________________________________
From the lyrics of this beautiful hymn, the author was struck by the honesty of them. He desired to bring it back to his church, so he took the time to translate the music and write a new chorus that would communicate how our King is also our Savior.

The people who sat at the feet of Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount felt the same way as the religious leaders made it impossible for them to understand how to have a relationship with God. They were the outcaste of the religious society, but Jesus comforts them and calls them blessed.

For us today it is the same principle, we are unified in our humble need for a Savior. May we never forget that and in the words from the author of Amazing Grace John Newton, there are only two things we need to know, that we are great sinners but he is a great Savior.

For Your Glory

Written by Matt Maher
Devotional Themes: In every season of life seek God’s face,
Trust Him through Trails, and demonstrating Christ’s love.

Why we sing this song...
This song comes right out of our study in Ecclesiastes especially chapter two. We are called to seek God’s face in all the seasons of life - that is why worship is called a sacrifice of praise sometimes. “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name”(Heb 13:15). The bridge reminds us that Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit and as a response we love and serve others.

Verse 1
There is a time to live; there is a time to die
There is a time to laugh; there is a time to cry
There is a time to dance; a time for joy's embrace
And in all seasons God, we humbly seek Your face

Verse 2
There is a time to sow; there is a time to reap
A time for victory; a time to claim defeat
A time to be renewed; a time to be reborn
And in all seasons God, we bow before Your throne

Chorus
This is our offering to You - this is our offering
Ev'rything I am is for Your glory; ev'rything I am for You Lord

BRIDGE
The earth stands still without You
We could only move because You made us to
The world is nothing without You
We could only love because You made us to

Summer Blast Kids Songs

I absolutely loved singing with the kids this last week and I was blown away by the songs and response from the kids. God indeed was glorified as we came together each morning and worshiped him. Thank you Lyndsey for letting me apart of the team (and for the dance moves). Here were some of my favorite lines to sing with the kids;

"King of Majesty I have one desire, just to be with You my Lord/ Jesus You are the Savior of my soul and forever and ever I'll give my praises to You"
"Oh I believe the King of heaven died for me...Jesus loves me..."
"Oh Lord anything You want from me I'll give it - I'll fie it 'cause I know I'll find all I need in You...Lord I will lean on You"
"Tell the world that Jesus lives... Tell the world that He died for them...He lives again"

These are words that the kids will not forget and will take root in their hearts as they learn about what a relationship with Christ about. I am blessed to be a part of what God is already doing in the lives of these kids. Please pray with me, Lyndsey and the whole team that God would draw these kids to His heart.

Sunday Reflections

Songs we sang this week.

• O Praise Him - Crowder
• Mighty to Save - Feilding and Morgan
• Jesus Paid it All - Hall and Nifong
  
• O Sacred King - Redman

Reflections
In an effort to take notice of the Spirit's work among us when we gather, I wanted to jot down some notes that I wrote down during our worship time together (By the way, when I say 'worship time' I mean the whole service). I was caught up in the phrase "Author of Salvation" which was a line in the song "Mighty to Save". It was a phrase that stood out to me while I practiced the song and when we sang it together I was overwhelmed by God's message that he is mighty to save because he is the creator of salvation. Scott went on to talk about what was distinguishable about God and what was beautiful about him and it was that he is the mighty judge who made salvation possible...He is the Author of Salvation, the pioneer. Praise God for revealing these truths this week and I hope that it is an encouragement for your week and as you pray for your Oikos.

Please respond with comments about what you noticed the Spirit doing Sunday in our midst. You can leave a comment below or send me an email and I will post it for you. jrnall@fbcsd.com

Blessed Be Your Name

As you prepare for our time together Sunday morning, here are some thoughts and scripture to pray through. Be expectant for God to move in You and in us as a family.


O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing        (Wesley)
We thank You for Your love, give us the courage and strength to demonstrate and announce it to others.

“Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion”
(Psalm 103: 1-4)
“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD” (Psalm 150:6).
Indescribable        (Laura Story)
Lord we are in awe of You, and of Your creation. Thank You for choosing to love us.

"All Your works will praise you, O Lord, and Your saints will bless You.  They will speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power, so that all men may know of Your mighty acts and the glorious majesty of Your kingdom.  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations"  (Psalm 145:10-13).

Blessed Be Your Name         (Redman)
Sometimes I don’t feel like worshipping You Father because of the circumstances of life, help me to call You Lord even when the darkness closes in.

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Hebrews 13:15-16).

For Your Glory         (Maher)
In all of the seasons teach me to seek Your face and submit to Your Sovereignty.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” (Ecc. 3:1).
“When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future” (Ecc. 7:14)

We Give You Glory

Here is a new song that we are introducing with some themes and scripture.

We Give You Glory
by Jeremy Camp on the album "Beyond Measure"
Devotional Themes: God's Glory and greatness, He is worthy of our Praise, Hope and trust in God's sovereignty alone.

Verse 1
We have raised a thousand voices just to lift Your Holy Name
And we will raise thousands more to sing of Your Beauty in this place
Oh none can even fathom no not one define Your Worth
As we marvel in Your Presence to the ends of the earth
Verse 2
As we fall down before You with our willing hearts we seek
In the greatness of Your Glory it's so hard to even speak
There is nothing we can offer no nothing can repay
So we give You all our praises and lift our voices to sing
Chorus
We give You glory
Lifting up our hands and singing holy - You alone are worthy
We just want to touch Your Heart Lord (touch Your Heart)
Glory lifting up our voice and singing holy - You alone are worthy
We just want to touch Your Heart Lord (touch Your Heart)
BRIDGE
Our hope is found in You
Our faith has been renewed
We trust in Your ev'ry Word
Nothing else can even measure up to You

©2006, Thirsty Moon River Publishing CCLI #155583

Why We Sing this Sing
This is definitely a "family song" that reminds us when we get together that He is worthy of our praise and nothing else can compare with Him. In this song we can corporately declare that we put our hope in Him. We are reminded about God's presence being among and that we are to come before God in humility.

Verses found in this song
Isaiah 24:14-16, “They raise their voices, they shout for Joy; from the west they acclaim the Lord’s majesty. Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; exalt the name o the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we hear singing; ‘Glory to the Righteous One’”

The first verse tells us about the indescribable greatness of God (Dt. 3:24; 5:24; 32:1-3; Isa 64:4; 1 Cor. 2:9) and realizing His presence among us when we gather together (Matt. 18:20; Phil. 3:15; Heb. 10:25)
The second verse reminds us to be humble in His presence (Is 61-6; Ecc. 5:1-2)
The chorus highlights two worship responses raising hands and voices. Lifting our hands is both a sign of humility and surrender to God (Ps. 141:2; 1 Tim. 2:8).
        

To God Be the Glory

        I love singing songs from Fanny Crosby, because she worshiped God in every area of her life. She was a blind woman living in the 1800s and wrote over 8,000 hymns, but what is more encouraging to me is her devotional life. She wrote a song for everything, even to the point when her neighbors would come to her when they needed a song for an event. Talk about loving your relational world (Oikos). Her songs are filled with personal testimony thanking God for what he has done for her and praising His name. How often do I praise God throughout the day? How often do we notice God in our day?

Pray through these scriptures in preparation for worship this week

Romans 15:5-6 
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 29:2 
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. 

Romans 11:36 
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Galatians 1:3-5 
Grace and peace to you form God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:21 
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

In our response song this week we are going to sing the famous song It is Well by Horatio Spafford.

Horatio’s story is a sad one. He lost his family as the boat sank coming from England to America. He wrote this lyric when he passed over that place in the ocean, “When sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say it is well, it is well with my soul”. The story that we don’t see is how he dealt with this grief, but what we do know is at the end of the anger, frustration and sadness he placed His hope firmly in Christ. Lets remember from last week that “when times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made one as well as the other” (Ecc. 7:14a). He does not promise us a life of prosperity, but he promises us His presence in adversity. Worship for Horatio meant taking all of his emotion before God.

Devotional Scripture

"Praise the Lord! Praise God in His Sanctuary; 

Praise Him in His mighty heavens. 

Praise Him for His acts of power; 

Praise Him for His surpassing greatness.

Praise Him with the sounding trumpet; 

Praise Him with the harp and lyre. 

Praise Him with the tambourine and dancing; 

Praise Him with the stringed instruments and flutes. 

Praise Him with the clash of cymbals, 

Praise Him with the resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."

(Psalm 150:1-6)

Lord, we pray that we will come Sunday ready to celebrate Your greatness and may You be glorified in our hearts.

Lyrical Prayers

Blessed be Your name 

In the land that is plentiful; where the streams of abundance flow.

Blessed be Your name 

When I'm found in the desert place; though I walk through the wilderness 

Blessed be Your name 

When the sun's shinning down on me; when the world's all as it should be.

Blessed be Your name 

On the road marked with suffering; though there is pain in the offering.

Every blessing you pour out I'll turn back to praise 

And when the darkness closes in still I will say blessed be Your name

You give and take away; 

My heart will choose to say, blessed be Your name.

(Redman, Blessed Be Your Name)

 

Father let me dedicate all this life to you in whatever worldly state Thou would have me be. Not from sorrow, pain or care, freedom dare I claim.  

This alone shall be my prayer, glorify Thy name.

Can a child presume to choose where or how to live?  

Can a Father's love refuse all the best to give? 

Let my glad heart while it sings, Thee in all proclaim 

And whatever future brings glorify Thy name.

(Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864)

Response

Ecclesiates 7:14

"When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other.  Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about the future."

Both prosperity and adversity come from a Sovereign God.  That is a hard concept and the lyrics this week are challenging. How can I train my heart to sing "blessed be Your name" when times are bad?  Do I really trust God with my future even if that means it may not be comfortable?  I think the important thing is to remember that we are in an intimate relationship with the Father and to bring our honest worries to him.  That relationship is worship.  We bring glory to Him when we come to Him first with our concerns.

God be glorified in us as we learn to put you first in our hearts and trust You for our future.

Phil. 4:6-7

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Be Our Vision

Devotional Scripture

Psalm 8
1 O LORD, our Lord,
       how majestic is your name in all the earth!
       You have set your glory
       above the heavens.
 2 From the lips of children and infants 
       you have ordained praise
       because of your enemies, 
       to silence the foe and the avenger.
 3 When I consider your heavens, 
       the work of your fingers, 
       the moon and the stars, 
       which you have set in place,
 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, 
       the son of man that you care for him?

Isaiah 6
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
       "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
       the whole earth is full of his glory."

Praying through the Lyrics

Be Thou my vision O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me save that Thou art
Thou my best thought by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light

Riches I heed not nor man's empty praise
Thou mine inheritance now and always (through all my days)
Thou and Thou only the first in my heart
High King of heaven my treasure Thou art
(Be Thou My Vision; Irish Poem, 700)

See from His head His hands His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing so divine
Demands my soul my life my all
(When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, Isaacs Watts, 1707)


Response

The lyrics from “Be Thou My Vision” written so long ago tells of a heart that is fully devoted to Christ. The author, like the author of Ecclesiastes, understands that he cannot find meaning in riches or the praise of others. These things can become our identity and we can place our hope in them, but we are called to find our identity in the cross of Christ and He is our hope of glory.

What things do I put my hope in?
What does it mean to find my identity in Christ?

Philippians 1:20-21
20I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Colossians 1:27 
27To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

O Worship the King

Scripture that we are singing...
This week as we prepare our hearts for worship Sunday, I thought it would be good if I simply wrote the scripture that we are singing this week. In your worship time this weekend, pray through these scriptures. On Sunday morning we can proclaim together that God is the Defender, Redeemer, Shield, Ancient of Days and Friend.
        
Everlasting God - Brown
Isaiah 40:27-31 
 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"?
 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

O Worship the King - Robert Grant (1778-1838) Tomlin
Psalm 104
 1 Praise the LORD, O my soul.O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
 2 He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent
 3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.

King of Glory - Tomlin
Psalm 24:7-15 (New International Version)
 7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
 10 Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— he is the King of glory. 
       Selah

God of this City - McCann
This is a response song where we as a church can agree that our great God is active and has a plan for the University City area. The love of Christ that we have declared together should be demonstrated and announced to those God has brought in our relational world (our Oikos). This is our spiritual act of worship.
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
        

Morning Worship Thoughts

This week we introduced a new/old song, "O Worship the King" which is a great model for why we worship. It was written by Robert Grant in the early 1800's and comes from Psalm 104.

"Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in the light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent." (vv.1-2)

The hymn uses great names of God; King, Ancient of Days, Shield, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend. It also uses great imagery found in the Psalm as well. The first verse reminds us of God’s glory, power and love. It uses phrases like “Pavilioned in splendor” which our modern translation would say clothed in splendor, and in verse 2 it describes His robe as the light and canopy space. In the final verse, the hymn uses the word "ineffable" which means, "too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words". That is a great attitude of worship, when you run out of words in trying to describe who God is.

Personally, I love how this starts out with the Psalmist telling his soul to praise God. Often times we get caught up in doing life and we forget to praise God. This is why Paul instructs us encourage each other with Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19). This is true for us because songs can remind us of the characteristics of God and even teach us what it means to live in communion with Him.


Chorus 1
You alone are the matchless King
To You alone be all majesty
Your glories and wonders
What tongue can recite
You breathe in the air
You shine in the light

Verse 1
O worship the King all glorious above
O gratefully sing His wonderful love
Our Shield and Defender the Ancient of Days
Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise

Verse 2
O tell of His might O sing of His grace
Whose robe is the light and canopy space
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm

Verse 3
O measureless might ineffable love
While angels delight to worship above
Thy mercies how tender how firm to the end
Our Maker Defender Redeemer and Friend

Finding Hope

Sunday’s Set List

Hosanna - Balouche
Forever - Tomlin
Never Let Go - Redman
Jesus Messiah - Tomlin
Hungry - Scott

Text Ecc. 3:1-15

        When you read through the text a song may come to mind...“To everything, turn, turn, turn/ There is a season, turn, turn, turn” The passage is a commentary on life. How there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven (3:1). At the end of the passage the conclusion is that God is in control of time. I love verse 11, “He has made everything beautiful in its time...”. That includes us. God is always at work in us and it is often in the hard times that He makes us beautiful. One of my favorite lines from the songs comes from Jesus Messiah, “All our hope is in you...All glory to you, the Light of the World”. This reminds me that Jesus was the plan from the beginning. That if we place our hope in anything else, life becomes meaningless. We find our meaning in Christ.