Posted by Rod Hamilton on Mar 25, 2010
This week’s worship devotional based on our order of worship.
Songs of Deliverance – “I’m singing songs of deliverance freedom is flowing over me!”
Acts 16:25-26 “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. ”
How would you like to have been a part of that night of praise! Paul and Silas, praying and singing, and God freed not only them, but everyone in the jail! The shackles were gone and they were free to escape. Now that’s a powerful time of prayer!
The Lord Reigns – “Why do the nations rage when the King is on His throne? Now and forever You will reign!”
Psalm 2:1-6 “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,"Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
Wow! Have you ever wondered what God’s laugh sounds like? Can you imagine being on the receiving end of God’s fury as He laughs? This passage refers to heaven’s perspective of those who rise up against God’s anointed. God is all-powerful and nothing can prevail against Him. Because He is Who He is we can rest in the knowledge that He will always prove victorious over the enemies in our life.
Redeeming Love – “You drank the cup of suffering You took this sinners place, there was no other way.”
1 John 4:10 “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
The word “propitiation,” as it is used in 1 John and elsewhere, literally means something that satisfies or appeases God’s wrath against sinners. Only through true faith in Jesus Christ can God ever forgive us. From the very beginning of time this was the plan. Jesus was always to serve as the only atoning sacrifice for mankind, for once and for all.
Emmanuel – “There is a God so big no one can fathom how he holds this world and this universe together.”
Hebrews 1:3 “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”
Jesus came and held three offices: Prophet, Priest and King. As Emmanuel, He came first as a Prophet, putting to rest all the prophecies about Him that were foretold throughout the Old Testament and by John the Baptist. Though the incarnation of God (Jesus) was not the first time that the world viewed God as a friend, it was the first time that God was ever “seen,” even as a friend of sinners. (Matt: 11:19) He then served as Priest, making sacrifice through His blood to atone for our sins. He now reigns in heaven, at the right hand of the Father, as King, and the entire universe is upheld by His power.
How Great Thou Art – “Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee”
Psalm 30:12 “That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.”
The song of our hearts has been placed there by God. Our praise to Him will last forever.
Posted by Rod Hamilton on Mar 25, 2010
Majestic – “The heavens declare Your greatness…”
Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
When you sing these lyrics do you ever visualize what it would sound like – the heavens declaring the greatness of God? This term is anthropomorphism, meaning literally to change (morph) something to give it human (anthropo) qualities (ism). God chose to use this technique in conveying His message in many places in the Bible. Often, as the Word refers to God’s “hand,” “face,” “arm,” etc., we see this technique used to, I believe, give man some idea of God, because God is Spirit and does not have a body as we do, therefore He cannot be imagined. But in the sense of Psalm 19:1 and so many other verses, the technique is shown to help us visualize the majesty of God. All of creation is His - every part of it – and every part submits to Him as the Creator. Hebrews 1:10 tells us “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.” All of creation is God’s handiwork, including you and me.
If God chose for us to imagine the whole of creation shouting His praises it stands to reason that we, who have the intellect to understand His creation to a certain degree, MUST also shout His praises!
You Reign – “Even before Your hands made the heavens, even before the breath of all mankind. Even before we had to be forgiven, You were on Your throne and You reign!”
Colossians 1:15-17 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
I love this passage in Colossians which talks about the “supremacy of Christ.” It makes so clear the statement of the eternality of Jesus Christ and that His hand is all over the creation story. Before time Jesus was, just as the Father and His Spirit were. Before time, the Uncreated One, in a way we can never understand on this side of heaven, had a plan for the entire universe and every person who would ever be formed in the womb. And now that creation has been established, it isn’t on it’s own to fend for itself; “all things” are held together “in Him.” What a mighty God we serve!
From the Inside Out – “A thousand times I’ve failed still Your mercy remains…”
Matthew 18:22 “Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”
I always find this dialogue between Jesus and Peter humorous. I imagine Peter, a not so educated fisherman, to be childlike in his thought about forgiving someone “seventy seven times.” Peter may literally have not been able to count that high! Seven, that’s easy,: 5 fingers on one hand, 2 fingers on the other. But seventy seven? Who has that many digits?! But we know that Jesus’ point to Peter was that we ought to forgive even as the Lord has forgiven us. (Col. 3:13)
“…and should I stumble again I’m caught in Your grace.”
John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”
We are caught by the grace of God the moment we have faith. Nothing can separate us from the love of God! (Rom. 8:38-39)
The Power of the Cross – “Oh, to see the pain written on Your face, bearing the awesome weight of sin. Ev’ry bitter thought, ev’ry evil deed crowning Your bloodstained brow.”
Isaiah 53: 3,5 “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Can you imagine looking into the face of Jesus as He was on the cross? The completely defeated looking Messiah, now crucified and well on His way to death. The anguish on His face; the pain in His limbs, the heavy gasping for breath, the very life in His body fleeting? And the two things you would have known completely as He was hanging there: 1) it was your sin that put Him there and 2) it was His love for you that kept Him there. And as the spotless, blameless Lamb of God fades, He cries out in a loud voice, stronger than you could have ever have imagined a man in His condition could have: “Eloi, Eloi,lama sabachthani?"—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46) And soon thereafter, the Light of the World was snuffed out, seemingly leaving you without hope, without a victory, without a Savior and in utter darkness.
But you and I can read these stories with the blessing of God’s word and the advantage of time and perspective. We know that Christ’s death on the cross was the only acceptable sacrifice that could have appeased the wrath of God against sinners.
Posted by Rod Hamilton on Mar 25, 2010
New Doxology – “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow”
Psalm 103:2 “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits”
We don’t always consider the things that God does for us, the blessings, as “benefits,” and that’s likely because it sounds so commercial, so corporate, like something a company would offer you as an employee. Yet God uses that very word in the above passage in Psalms, and it appears in every reliable translation as such. So what are “His benefits” in your life? We’ll start with salvation. Hopefully you have learned that salvation is the greatest miracle that will ever be done for you by God. But in God’s love, though being redeemed is already more than we deserve, He didn’t leave us at that point. He said that He would never leave nor forsake us. (Heb. 13:5) He’s promised to be an ever present help in times of trouble. (Ps. 46:1) He has given us a great “Comforter, Counselor, Helper” in the form of the Holy Spirit. (Jn 14:16) He has made us so many promises, and these promises are the benefits of God.
Have you counted your blessings lately? If you’ve been feeling a little dry, a little alone or a little let down, reach back and remember the many benefits of God. Thank Him. Rejoice in your blessings. Exalt His holy name. Magnify the Lord.
Only a God Like You – “Only a God like You, could be worthy of my praise and all my hope and faith. To only the King of all Kings do I bow my knee and sing, give my everything”
Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.”
Hopefully, you recognize the above passage as the first of the 10 Commandments! Our God has exclusive rights to our worship. He bought the rights to us through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. All the petty gods that stand in the way of our relationship with God have only the power to attract our attention, our affection, our loyalty and our emotions, but in the end, they lead to destruction. Our God saves, and He has saved us. No other god can create anything as Elohim has. No other god can redeem the lost sinner. No other god has ever drawn close to His people as Immanuel has. No other god holds the power of eternal life or judgment over the world as Jesus Christ has.
Do not overlook the metaphors of the husband/bride in the Bible. As a husband, our God is a jealous God. (Ex 34:14) He will not tolerate sharing His bride. We are His and He is ours. He is worthy of our praise!
The Power of the Cross – “Oh, to see my name written in the wounds, for through Your suffering I am free.
1 Peter 2:24 “He 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.”
We have been made alive through Christ Jesus through His many sufferings. The “healing” that was done by His wounds is our very salvation. This verse is often taken out of context and applied to many other things, but make no mistake, Christ suffered and died, not so that we would have good lives, kick bad habits or be physically healed, He died to set us free from the bondage of sin and the curse of the law. (Gal 3:13)
“Death is crushed to death; Life is mine to live, won through Your selfless love.”
1 Cor. 15:57-58 “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
If the story of Christ had ended on the cross, in the tomb or even after the resurrection, our eternal hope in glory would have been left undone. Christ’s death on the cross was the penalty for our sin. His burial was the death all men must die once. His resurrection was the revealing of power over death, but it was His ascension into Heaven, now being seated at the right hand of the Father, that gives us hope beyond the grave.
We Will Remember – “I still remember the day You saved me, the day I heard You call out my name. You said You loved me, would never leave me and I’ve never been the same.”
Ephesians 1:13-14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”
How could we possibly remain unchanged if Christ has changed us? How could we ever be the same as we were before? I think that a problem for many of us might be that we forgot what it was like to be lost, to be an alien and followers of satan. (Eph. 2) If we’ll take the time to consider how we were, what Christ has done for us and the Holy Spirit is doing in us, we will hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt 5:6) and strive to excel in building up the Church. (! Cor. 14:12)
Desert Song – “All of my life in every season You are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship.”
James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Romans 8:18 “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
No trial comes into our life without God having a plan for it and His hand in it. You can rest assured knowing that somebody is being worked, like the polishing of a diamond, to be made even more beautiful in righteousness. When we can’t see God’s hand in our trials we have to trust that He is still there, and not only there, but is doing what’s best for us, even if it doesn’t feel like what’s best for us. In every season and I through every trial, as we become mature and our faith is developing, we will learn to worship God for Who He is – His immutable (unchangeable) qualities that are steadfast even when we falter….and we falter! We worship God as an offering in advance for what He is bringing us through and for what we know will be for our benefit, even unto death. Praise God!
Posted by Rod Hamilton on Mar 15, 2010
New Doxology – “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow”
Psalm 103:2 “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits”
We don’t always consider the things that God does for us, the blessings, as “benefits,” and that’s likely because it sounds so commercial, so corporate, like something a company would offer you as an employee. Yet God uses that very word in the above passage in Psalms, and it appears in every reliable translation as such. So what are “His benefits” in your life? We’ll start with salvation. Hopefully you have learned that salvation is the greatest miracle that will ever be done for you by God. But in God’s love, though being redeemed is already more than we deserve, He didn’t leave us at that point. He said that He would never leave nor forsake us. (Heb. 13:5) He’s promised to be an ever present help in times of trouble. (Ps. 46:1) He has given us a great “Comforter, Counselor, Helper” in the form of the Holy Spirit. (Jn 14:16) He has made us so many promises, and these promises are the benefits of God.
Have you counted your blessings lately? If you’ve been feeling a little dry, a little alone or a little let down, reach back and remember the many benefits of God. Thank Him. Rejoice in your blessings. Exalt His holy name. Magnify the Lord.
Only a God Like You – “Only a God like You, could be worthy of my praise and all my hope and faith. To only the King of all Kings do I bow my knee and sing, give my everything”
Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
Hopefully, you recognize the above passage as the first of the 10 Commandments! Our God has exclusive rights to our worship. He bought the rights to us through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. All the petty gods that stand in the way of our relationship with God have only the power to attract our attention, our affection, our loyalty and our emotions, but in the end, they lead to destruction. Our God saves, and He has saved us. No other god can create anything as Elohim has. No other god can redeem the lost sinner. No other god has ever drawn close to His people as Immanuel has. No other god holds the power of eternal life or judgment over the world as Jesus Christ has.
Do not overlook the metaphors of the husband/bride in the Bible. As a husband, our God is a jealous God. (Ex 34:14) He will not tolerate sharing His bride. We are His and He is ours. He is worthy of our praise!
The Power of the Cross – “Oh, to see my name written in the wounds, for through Your suffering I am free”.
1 Peter 2:24 “He 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.”
We have been made alive through Christ Jesus through His many sufferings. The “healing” that was done by His wounds is our very salvation. This verse is often taken out of context and applied to many other things, but make no mistake, Christ suffered and died, not so that we would have good lives, kick bad habits or be physically healed, He died to set us free from the bondage of sin and the curse of the law. (Gal 3:13)
“Death is crushed to death; Life is mine to live, won through Your selfless love.”
1 Cor. 15:57-58 “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
If the story of Christ had ended on the cross, in the tomb or even after the resurrection, our eternal hope in glory would have been left undone. Christ’s death on the cross was the penalty for our sin. His burial was the death all men must die once. His resurrection was the revealing of power over death, but it was His ascension into Heaven, now being seated at the right hand of the Father, that gives us hope beyond the grave.
We Will Remember – “I still remember the day You saved me, the day I heard You call out my name. You said You loved me, would never leave me and I’ve never been the same.”
Ephesians 1:13-14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”
How could we possibly remain unchanged if Christ has changed us? How could we ever be the same as we were before? I think that a problem for many of us might be that we forgot what it was like to be lost, to be an alien and followers of satan. (Eph. 2) If we’ll take the time to consider how we were, what Christ has done for us and the Holy Spirit is doing in us, we will hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt 5:6) and strive to excel in building up the Church. (! Cor. 14:12)
Desert Song – “All of my life in every season You are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship.”
James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Romans 8:18 “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
No trial comes into our life without God having a plan for it and His hand in it. You can rest assured knowing that somebody is being worked, like the polishing of a diamond, to be made even more beautiful in righteousness. When we can’t see God’s hand in our trials we have to trust that He is still there, and not only there, but is doing what’s best for us, even if it doesn’t feel like what’s best for us. In every season and I through every trial, as we become mature and our faith is developing, we will learn to worship God for Who He is – His immutable (unchangeable) qualities that are steadfast even when we falter….and we falter! We worship God as an offering in advance for what He is bringing us through and for what we know will be for our benefit, even unto death.
Praise God!
Posted by Rod Hamilton on Mar 04, 2010
The Lord Reigns – “The Lord reigns, let the people shout”
Psalm 35:27 “May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.”
Psalm 71:23 “My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you - whom you have redeemed.”
A recurring theme in these devotionals is the joy that believers should have, and that joy because of our great salvation through Jesus Christ. When you consider the multitudes of souls that have perished to a very literal and eternal hell, to know that God refers to us as His “children” should bring us an overwhelming sense of joy. “In love, He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” (Eph 1:5)
I think, in light of our position in Christ, we ought to be so undone because of what He has done for us that a shout might often be the only way to keep from exploding!
Desert Song – “This is my prayer in the desert, when all that is in me feels dry. This is my prayer in my hunger and need, my God is the God who provides.”
Psalm 54:4 “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.”
You know we all have deserts. As we are in constant battle against our flesh, warring against a strong enemy who literally seeks to devour us, living life becomes a grueling task from time to time. It is at precisely these times that we recognize that only by God’s power can we stand. The interesting thought is that it is always only by the grace of God that we can stand, but trials have a way of pointing us to the sole source of our strength, God. And rest assured, these struggles are not for nothing. They are used by God to shape us, to mold us and to make us what He wants us to be. “…We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:3-5)
Jesus Saves – “It is done will shout the cross”
John 19:30 “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
One of the most captivating and compelling lines in the entire Bible; “it is finished.” Have you thought about that lately? Have you ever given much thought to exactly what the “it” was that Jesus was referring to? It would seem very simple to think He meant that “life” for Him was finished here, or that His “work” here was finished, or the “battle” was finished. However, to take limit our view to those views is to only understand part of the point. Yes, it meant those things, but so much more.
When Jesus said “it is finished,” it can be easily taken to mean that you and I are no longer under the curse of the law (Gal 3:13), “it is finished.” It means that you and I are no longer slaves to our sinful nature anymore, “it is finished.” It meant that, most importantly to the believer, a sacrifice had been made for once and for all (Hebrews 10:10) and He secured our eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:12)
The Power of the Cross – “This the power of the cross, Christ became sin for us, took the blame, bore the wrath, we stand forgiven at the cross.”
Deuteronomy 21:23 “…anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse.”
As Christ died on the cross to break us free from the curse of the law, He Himself became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). This is the power of the cross. It did not have the power to kill Jesus, nor did any of the soldiers, leaders or citizens of the time. This was a willful act on the part of a merciful God to redeem mankind.
The cross, once the ugliest and cruelest of devices used for torture and death by the Roman Empire and others, now stands as the most profound reminder of God’s mercy to us. And how fitting that is: God made the disgusting cross to be a beautiful icon for a beautiful faith which is freely given to the most vile and repugnant sinners imaginable.
This is the power of the cross!