Michael E. Wood
February 25 - March 29, 2011
Romans 6:1-4
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
Again I am thankful to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ for the works of D. M. Lloyd-Jones in his expositional preaching series through the book of Romans, of which no doubt those who are familiar with them may very well pick up on the language he used in his preaching as you rejoice with me in the work of our Lord as expressed through poetry. Likewise, I am thankful for both Pastors Gregory N. Barkman and Robert Briggs for their inadvertent encouragement to continue in reading the works of “the Doctor”.
And most of all, “Thank you Lord for the gift of Yourself and the wife You have given me, as a continual encouragement to look to You, with a heart and mind to please You in all things; to represent You for who You Are, and to desire Your glory above all. In Jesus Name, Amen!”
In this passage we must know
And see the great objective
Truth revealed to all in Christ,
And by Him made effective.
Have you not heard, do not know,
That Christ is living in you?
What shall we say? Grace now reigns!
May we in sin continue?
God forbid, or by no means!
Regardless of your version,
God’s Word declares that you cannot,
For that would be perversion
Of the truth, that all in Christ
Then died to sin realized,
As we were with Him in his death,
And by His Spirit baptized.
What’s true of Him is true of you
And shows a true conversion,
As by the glory of the Father
We’re raised from the immersion
Of the death that Jesus died
To walk now, with Him raised.
Delivered from the reign of sin,
In newness; Christ be praised!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
What is the Reward?
Michael E. Wood
March 22, 2011
Hebrews 11:1, 6
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those that seek Him.
What an amazing thing that we would be granted the gift of God, which is God Himself through faith in His Son. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph. 2:8, 9) And thus faith given by God could also be defined as the embrace of God which brings us to Himself both salvifically and eternally for the praise of His glory.
This faith enables us to seek the invisible God with the full assurance that we will find Him, for it is He who makes possible what would be impossible without Him. Because of His mercy, it is He who is pleased to make it possible to please Him through the sacrificial death; the burial, and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He was buried for our offences and raised for our justification, proving that He is God, who came in the flesh and now sits at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for those given to Him of the Father. Thus, by Christ alone, we draw near to God in full assurance that He is our Reward!
What is the reward for which we seek?
But God alone; Who saves the meek!
As from Him comes the faith to hear,
And gives the grace, that we draw near.
And by these things we seek to please
And love Him more than all of these
Sin infected, fleeting pleasures,
Worldly wealth, and fleshy treasures.
Reproach with Christ we more esteem;
Far greater wealth, as the redeemed.
A better country is our desire,
A heavenly one with angel choir,
And seek the city God prepared
With those alone through Christ, He spared.
Oh, for His pleasure now endure
As seeing Him Who makes us pure,
And out of weakness makes us strong
To the praise of His glory to Whom we belong.
March 22, 2011
Hebrews 11:1, 6
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those that seek Him.
What an amazing thing that we would be granted the gift of God, which is God Himself through faith in His Son. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph. 2:8, 9) And thus faith given by God could also be defined as the embrace of God which brings us to Himself both salvifically and eternally for the praise of His glory.
This faith enables us to seek the invisible God with the full assurance that we will find Him, for it is He who makes possible what would be impossible without Him. Because of His mercy, it is He who is pleased to make it possible to please Him through the sacrificial death; the burial, and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He was buried for our offences and raised for our justification, proving that He is God, who came in the flesh and now sits at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for those given to Him of the Father. Thus, by Christ alone, we draw near to God in full assurance that He is our Reward!
What is the reward for which we seek?
But God alone; Who saves the meek!
As from Him comes the faith to hear,
And gives the grace, that we draw near.
And by these things we seek to please
And love Him more than all of these
Sin infected, fleeting pleasures,
Worldly wealth, and fleshy treasures.
Reproach with Christ we more esteem;
Far greater wealth, as the redeemed.
A better country is our desire,
A heavenly one with angel choir,
And seek the city God prepared
With those alone through Christ, He spared.
Oh, for His pleasure now endure
As seeing Him Who makes us pure,
And out of weakness makes us strong
To the praise of His glory to Whom we belong.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
A Precious Few
Michael E. Wood
March 18, 2011
Luke 13:2-5 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
This passage came to mind as Dianna and I have been keeping up with the recent events taking place in the aftermath of the great earthquake and tsunami that took place in Japan, March 11, 2011. We are quite appreciative for the post by John Starke, March 13, 2011, on The Gospel Coalition blog entitled, “Update from Japan: How You can Pray.” The article is well worth the time to read to have a better understanding not only of how to pray in the context of the events taking place but of how God remembers mercy in the midst of judgment.
In judgment God remembers mercy
O’re all His hands have made,
And humbles the great pride of men
With all the plans they laid.
For as He makes the earth to quake
And makes the waters roll,
Tis but a glimpse of things to come
And greater then the toll.
Oh, do you think that all
Who perished in; around Honshu
Were greater sinners of our God
Than me or even you?
For in that darkened region
There indeed a precious few
Were taken home to be with Christ;
His followers, He knew.
Oh the joy they now partake
As in the presence of
Our great eternal God and King
Whose Name alone is Love.
Oh let the gospel call go forth
From Christ to all we’re sent.
For all will likewise perish
Who from sin will not repent.
For Jesus speaks the same today.
His words tell forth His worth,
As by the Spirit and the blood
We’re given second birth.
Oh Father help us til the day
You bring an end to time,
And judgment rolls; revealing
All You knew, as we are Thine.
March 18, 2011
Luke 13:2-5 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
This passage came to mind as Dianna and I have been keeping up with the recent events taking place in the aftermath of the great earthquake and tsunami that took place in Japan, March 11, 2011. We are quite appreciative for the post by John Starke, March 13, 2011, on The Gospel Coalition blog entitled, “Update from Japan: How You can Pray.” The article is well worth the time to read to have a better understanding not only of how to pray in the context of the events taking place but of how God remembers mercy in the midst of judgment.
In judgment God remembers mercy
O’re all His hands have made,
And humbles the great pride of men
With all the plans they laid.
For as He makes the earth to quake
And makes the waters roll,
Tis but a glimpse of things to come
And greater then the toll.
Oh, do you think that all
Who perished in; around Honshu
Were greater sinners of our God
Than me or even you?
For in that darkened region
There indeed a precious few
Were taken home to be with Christ;
His followers, He knew.
Oh the joy they now partake
As in the presence of
Our great eternal God and King
Whose Name alone is Love.
Oh let the gospel call go forth
From Christ to all we’re sent.
For all will likewise perish
Who from sin will not repent.
For Jesus speaks the same today.
His words tell forth His worth,
As by the Spirit and the blood
We’re given second birth.
Oh Father help us til the day
You bring an end to time,
And judgment rolls; revealing
All You knew, as we are Thine.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Fruit That Bears His Image
Michael E. Wood
March 3-7, 2011
(Matt. 7:21-23) Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
(2nd Tim. 1:12-14) …But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
There is coming a day in which God will separate the wheat from the tares; the sheep from the goats. The gifts of God are without repentance, but not all gifts are an evidence of the salvation that belongs to God alone through Christ alone for the glory of God alone.
The infinite, Almighty God of all, determined to save a people made up of every nation, tribe, and tongue before the foundation of the world through the sacrifice of His Son to display His Own glory through all eternity. On an individual basis this display begins at the moment of conversion. As the Holy Spirit, by the merit of the atoning work of Christ, removes from us a heart of stone and gives to us a heart of flesh from God the Father; our character is transformed immediately. As new born babes formed by the grace of God through the gift of faith we desire the sincere milk of the Word of God, and we grow thereby. In our infantile and childish stages, those without, and even those within may be hard pressed to see much difference, depending on which particular part of the pit of destruction we were delivered from.
If from that part of the pit of pride of accomplishment and morality there may be very little outward immediate noticeable change. If from that part of the pit of pride in immorality outward change may be immediate and obvious.
Some merely move from one part of the pit to another, without understanding their inherent nature of sin with which they were born. But then the true reality is it is not what is seen of men on a temporal basis, but what is seen of God on an eternal basis which matters. It is His character which is on display through the lives of those whom He has redeemed for Himself
He calls us to examine ourselves to see if we be in the faith. Do we see the fruit of the Spirit growing from the Root of Christ alone by the means of grace He has called us to be partakers of; even though it may seem ever so slow? Do we truly enjoy God for who He Is? Does our heart cry, to God alone be the glory?
Not everyone that saith, “Lord,
Look what I’ve done for You.”
But those through mercy and the blood
Of Christ have been made new.
For not all those who wear His Name
Will hear from Him, “Well Done.”
But only those He’s known before
All time, His race will run.
In vanity so many think
Acceptance will be found
And trust the light that they believe
Is truly solid ground.
But in the end; “Depart from me”,
God’s judgment they will hear.
“I never knew you”, nor did you
In reverence know My fear.
Though God be pleased in us to give
Great gifts to make Him known,
His character is greater still
By which His love is shown.
For as we grow in knowledge
By His grace we shall display
The fruit that bears His image
And will stand against that Day.
Oh may our speech come forth from Thee
That others know Thy Majesty,
That with us they may hear Thy voice
And follow Thee as all rejoice
To know Thy wisdom You make known
Through Jesus Christ upon Thy throne,
As through Thy written Word we hear
Thy upward call, and draw us near.
And as Your Spirit thus applies
The truths of which Your grace supplies,
We shall be more transformed each day
Though now our outer man decay.
We thank You that You have made clear
Your beauty is what shall appear.
For on that grand and glorious day
All will know Thy truth; Thy Way!
To God Alone Be The Glory!
March 3-7, 2011
(Matt. 7:21-23) Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
(2nd Tim. 1:12-14) …But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
There is coming a day in which God will separate the wheat from the tares; the sheep from the goats. The gifts of God are without repentance, but not all gifts are an evidence of the salvation that belongs to God alone through Christ alone for the glory of God alone.
The infinite, Almighty God of all, determined to save a people made up of every nation, tribe, and tongue before the foundation of the world through the sacrifice of His Son to display His Own glory through all eternity. On an individual basis this display begins at the moment of conversion. As the Holy Spirit, by the merit of the atoning work of Christ, removes from us a heart of stone and gives to us a heart of flesh from God the Father; our character is transformed immediately. As new born babes formed by the grace of God through the gift of faith we desire the sincere milk of the Word of God, and we grow thereby. In our infantile and childish stages, those without, and even those within may be hard pressed to see much difference, depending on which particular part of the pit of destruction we were delivered from.
If from that part of the pit of pride of accomplishment and morality there may be very little outward immediate noticeable change. If from that part of the pit of pride in immorality outward change may be immediate and obvious.
Some merely move from one part of the pit to another, without understanding their inherent nature of sin with which they were born. But then the true reality is it is not what is seen of men on a temporal basis, but what is seen of God on an eternal basis which matters. It is His character which is on display through the lives of those whom He has redeemed for Himself
He calls us to examine ourselves to see if we be in the faith. Do we see the fruit of the Spirit growing from the Root of Christ alone by the means of grace He has called us to be partakers of; even though it may seem ever so slow? Do we truly enjoy God for who He Is? Does our heart cry, to God alone be the glory?
Not everyone that saith, “Lord,
Look what I’ve done for You.”
But those through mercy and the blood
Of Christ have been made new.
For not all those who wear His Name
Will hear from Him, “Well Done.”
But only those He’s known before
All time, His race will run.
In vanity so many think
Acceptance will be found
And trust the light that they believe
Is truly solid ground.
But in the end; “Depart from me”,
God’s judgment they will hear.
“I never knew you”, nor did you
In reverence know My fear.
Though God be pleased in us to give
Great gifts to make Him known,
His character is greater still
By which His love is shown.
For as we grow in knowledge
By His grace we shall display
The fruit that bears His image
And will stand against that Day.
Oh may our speech come forth from Thee
That others know Thy Majesty,
That with us they may hear Thy voice
And follow Thee as all rejoice
To know Thy wisdom You make known
Through Jesus Christ upon Thy throne,
As through Thy written Word we hear
Thy upward call, and draw us near.
And as Your Spirit thus applies
The truths of which Your grace supplies,
We shall be more transformed each day
Though now our outer man decay.
We thank You that You have made clear
Your beauty is what shall appear.
For on that grand and glorious day
All will know Thy truth; Thy Way!
To God Alone Be The Glory!
Monday, March 14, 2011
On This Solid Ground
Michael E. Wood
March 1, 2011
Romans 4:20 No distrust made him waiver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in faith giving glory to God, being fully persuaded that God was able to do what He promised.
When we think of our forefather Abraham, perhaps his character faults come to mind which displayed his humanity. But in the midst of them we hear this word, “No distrust made him waiver concerning the promise of God,” At the age of ninety-nine, with his wife Sarai being ninety, though their bodies were as good as dead when it came to child bearing, God gave them a son. God had promised that all the nations of the world would be blessed through the seed that would come through Abraham, and that his children would be more numerous than the stars he could count in the heavens. He believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.
Through the eye of the New Testament scriptures and the witness of the Spirit of God we know that the seed of promise is Christ Jesus our Lord, and that it is through Him that all the nations of the world are blessed as many sons of every nation, tribe, and tongue are brought forth in faith giving glory to God.
The count continues to mount, and we find much encouragement in knowing that the promise comes not by natural birth, nor of the will or the ways of the flesh, but of God that raises the dead and calls us unto His eternal glory. Therefore, let us not fret when we do not see with our natural eyes or feel with our natural bodies, especially as we grow older with declining health issues, the fulfillment of those things of which we trust God will bring to pass for His Own glory. But rather, let us give Him the praise; being faithful to sow the Word of His grace in the particular fields He has called us to in our generation, dependant upon His Spirit to bring forth fruit unto eternal life.
Of Father, You know the indelible force
By which You did bring us through Christ to Yourself.
It was through the wounds and the blood of Your Son,
Christ Jesus our Lord through Whom we have health.
Not as this world might perceive or receive,
As they seek now only some temp’ral reliefs.
But in our afflictions; now fixed in our hearts
You pour by Your Spirit eternal beliefs.
For if we lived only by what we can see
Or feel in these bodies which often bring grief,
We of all men would be sorely deceived,
Like Adam seek shelter in some old fig leaf.
But raised with the consciousness of Your abode
With hope of Your glory by which to grow strong,
And faith to increase and mature till the day
You make us like Jesus to Whom we belong.
So as we grow older with each passing day,
Oh fix us more firmly on this solid ground.
That all that comes from You, eternally good
Will for You and through You be to Your renown!
March 1, 2011
Romans 4:20 No distrust made him waiver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in faith giving glory to God, being fully persuaded that God was able to do what He promised.
When we think of our forefather Abraham, perhaps his character faults come to mind which displayed his humanity. But in the midst of them we hear this word, “No distrust made him waiver concerning the promise of God,” At the age of ninety-nine, with his wife Sarai being ninety, though their bodies were as good as dead when it came to child bearing, God gave them a son. God had promised that all the nations of the world would be blessed through the seed that would come through Abraham, and that his children would be more numerous than the stars he could count in the heavens. He believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.
Through the eye of the New Testament scriptures and the witness of the Spirit of God we know that the seed of promise is Christ Jesus our Lord, and that it is through Him that all the nations of the world are blessed as many sons of every nation, tribe, and tongue are brought forth in faith giving glory to God.
The count continues to mount, and we find much encouragement in knowing that the promise comes not by natural birth, nor of the will or the ways of the flesh, but of God that raises the dead and calls us unto His eternal glory. Therefore, let us not fret when we do not see with our natural eyes or feel with our natural bodies, especially as we grow older with declining health issues, the fulfillment of those things of which we trust God will bring to pass for His Own glory. But rather, let us give Him the praise; being faithful to sow the Word of His grace in the particular fields He has called us to in our generation, dependant upon His Spirit to bring forth fruit unto eternal life.
Of Father, You know the indelible force
By which You did bring us through Christ to Yourself.
It was through the wounds and the blood of Your Son,
Christ Jesus our Lord through Whom we have health.
Not as this world might perceive or receive,
As they seek now only some temp’ral reliefs.
But in our afflictions; now fixed in our hearts
You pour by Your Spirit eternal beliefs.
For if we lived only by what we can see
Or feel in these bodies which often bring grief,
We of all men would be sorely deceived,
Like Adam seek shelter in some old fig leaf.
But raised with the consciousness of Your abode
With hope of Your glory by which to grow strong,
And faith to increase and mature till the day
You make us like Jesus to Whom we belong.
So as we grow older with each passing day,
Oh fix us more firmly on this solid ground.
That all that comes from You, eternally good
Will for You and through You be to Your renown!
Friday, March 11, 2011
To Serve with Joy and Fervency
Michael E. Wood
February 23, 2011
Colossians 3:23, 24 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward, you are serving the Lord Christ.
At the time of this writing, this passage confronts me as I sit at the desk the Lord has so graciously provided for me as a reminder to work heartily for Him and not for men. While being in a state of what the world calls unemployment, there remains many things of which to be employed. How easily we are persuaded by virtue of our interests or preferences to be more in earnest to be pleasing to the Lord in some things while viewing others of a less spiritual accommodation. And yet because of the grace that has been bestowed to us through the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, everything we do is to be an outflow of that grace with an abundance of joy. So then, whether our lot be to serve Him in the context of a nine to five job which may seem to be of little eternal value, or as a house keeper, or of a position highly esteemed among men it matters not, for we serve the Lord Christ.
Father we ask you to forgive us when we become so shortsighted that we fail to see Your beauty and Your faithfulness in the everyday affairs of life. And we thank You for the understanding that Your glory is revealed not in what we do, but in Who You Are and what You have done through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Father of all mercies, we thank You that You remember us in our low estate and by Your good pleasure You remind us of our lofty position and our union with Christ, whereby we are enabled to be pleasing to You and serve You with gladness and humility of heart, knowing that we shall receive the reward of the inheritance. Help us by Your Spirit to do all that we do unto the praise of Your glory. In the precious Name of Jesus and for His sake we ask. Amen.
We thank You for the depths and heights
Of knowledge You display
And for Your Holy Spirit, Who
In truth now doth convey,
The splendor and the majesty
Of Christ; His righteousness,
As You our Father are well pleased
To show in all of us,
Of whom You have appointed
For Your glory and Your Name
To serve with joy and fervency
Regardless of our frame.
For You Oh LORD have promised
Both the blessing and supply
For all Your children, small and great
Who fear Your Name on high.
We thank You for the grace You give
To do our most menial task
And fill us with an answer
For the times that others ask.
“Why is it that you do the same
As others but with gladness?”
So many go about their day
All sullen and with sadness.
Oh help us by Your Spirit
And Your mercies to proclaim
And not of us but all of You
Give glory to Your Name.
For Christ has offered up Himself
And Is our Great Reward!
The Inheritance we will receive
From You Oh gracious LORD!
So heartily we do our work
For You and not for men,
And Jesus Christ, The Lord of all
Who freed from self and sin.
We trust in You Oh God our Help,
Oh LORD our mighty shield.
Who has remembered and will bless
As all to You we yield.
Oh help us bless You now on earth
In time and forevermore.
Give glory for Your steadfast love
Through Christ Whom we adore.
February 23, 2011
Colossians 3:23, 24 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward, you are serving the Lord Christ.
At the time of this writing, this passage confronts me as I sit at the desk the Lord has so graciously provided for me as a reminder to work heartily for Him and not for men. While being in a state of what the world calls unemployment, there remains many things of which to be employed. How easily we are persuaded by virtue of our interests or preferences to be more in earnest to be pleasing to the Lord in some things while viewing others of a less spiritual accommodation. And yet because of the grace that has been bestowed to us through the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, everything we do is to be an outflow of that grace with an abundance of joy. So then, whether our lot be to serve Him in the context of a nine to five job which may seem to be of little eternal value, or as a house keeper, or of a position highly esteemed among men it matters not, for we serve the Lord Christ.
Father we ask you to forgive us when we become so shortsighted that we fail to see Your beauty and Your faithfulness in the everyday affairs of life. And we thank You for the understanding that Your glory is revealed not in what we do, but in Who You Are and what You have done through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Father of all mercies, we thank You that You remember us in our low estate and by Your good pleasure You remind us of our lofty position and our union with Christ, whereby we are enabled to be pleasing to You and serve You with gladness and humility of heart, knowing that we shall receive the reward of the inheritance. Help us by Your Spirit to do all that we do unto the praise of Your glory. In the precious Name of Jesus and for His sake we ask. Amen.
We thank You for the depths and heights
Of knowledge You display
And for Your Holy Spirit, Who
In truth now doth convey,
The splendor and the majesty
Of Christ; His righteousness,
As You our Father are well pleased
To show in all of us,
Of whom You have appointed
For Your glory and Your Name
To serve with joy and fervency
Regardless of our frame.
For You Oh LORD have promised
Both the blessing and supply
For all Your children, small and great
Who fear Your Name on high.
We thank You for the grace You give
To do our most menial task
And fill us with an answer
For the times that others ask.
“Why is it that you do the same
As others but with gladness?”
So many go about their day
All sullen and with sadness.
Oh help us by Your Spirit
And Your mercies to proclaim
And not of us but all of You
Give glory to Your Name.
For Christ has offered up Himself
And Is our Great Reward!
The Inheritance we will receive
From You Oh gracious LORD!
So heartily we do our work
For You and not for men,
And Jesus Christ, The Lord of all
Who freed from self and sin.
We trust in You Oh God our Help,
Oh LORD our mighty shield.
Who has remembered and will bless
As all to You we yield.
Oh help us bless You now on earth
In time and forevermore.
Give glory for Your steadfast love
Through Christ Whom we adore.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Cherish Him in Every Way
Michael E. Wood
February 26, 2011
Leviticus 17:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the LORD has commanded.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.
These may seem to be strange passages to use as a prelude to worship, and yet they remind us that Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly by His life, and by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Christ took our guilt upon Himself that we might be made holy. And it is by His sacrifice that the atonement was made by which we have peace with God, for Christ Himself Is our Peace.
Have you ever pondered the vastness of the volume of blood that has been spilt in sacrifices since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden? From the first animal slain by God to make a covering for Adam and Eve and the blood of Abel, who being dead yet speaketh; to the countless number of animals offered through the Mosaic Covenant and of all the godly martyrs which continue to mount? Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints. (Ps.116:15) From oppression and violence He redeems their life, and precious is their blood in His sight. (Ps. 72:14), and John saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God and for the witness they had born. ( Rev. 6:9)
And yet, it is through the precious shed blood of Jesus Christ of which we have remission of sins. It is His blood that cleanses us from all sins, making the offering up of ourselves to God acceptable through reasonable service unto the praise of His glorious grace.
Of all the blood of bulls and goats
Which mounted through the years,
And that of all the martyrs shed
Triumphant in their spheres--
All totaled they but scant display
The precious life that Jesus gave.
For God Himself in human flesh
Shed blood for wretched men to save.
Christ is the altar of our souls
With full atonement made,
And glory brought to God the Father,
When for our sins He paid.
Oh ponder now how infinite
The price by which we’re bought,
And cherish HIM in every way;
By word, and deed and thought.
For Christ alone did satisfy
And fills our hearts desire
To magnify His Precious Name
With holy zeal and fire
To offer up the sacrifices
Of many thanksgivings and tell
In songs of joy, His infinite deeds
Where the praise of His glory doth dwell.
February 26, 2011
Leviticus 17:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the LORD has commanded.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.
These may seem to be strange passages to use as a prelude to worship, and yet they remind us that Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly by His life, and by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Christ took our guilt upon Himself that we might be made holy. And it is by His sacrifice that the atonement was made by which we have peace with God, for Christ Himself Is our Peace.
Have you ever pondered the vastness of the volume of blood that has been spilt in sacrifices since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden? From the first animal slain by God to make a covering for Adam and Eve and the blood of Abel, who being dead yet speaketh; to the countless number of animals offered through the Mosaic Covenant and of all the godly martyrs which continue to mount? Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints. (Ps.116:15) From oppression and violence He redeems their life, and precious is their blood in His sight. (Ps. 72:14), and John saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God and for the witness they had born. ( Rev. 6:9)
And yet, it is through the precious shed blood of Jesus Christ of which we have remission of sins. It is His blood that cleanses us from all sins, making the offering up of ourselves to God acceptable through reasonable service unto the praise of His glorious grace.
Of all the blood of bulls and goats
Which mounted through the years,
And that of all the martyrs shed
Triumphant in their spheres--
All totaled they but scant display
The precious life that Jesus gave.
For God Himself in human flesh
Shed blood for wretched men to save.
Christ is the altar of our souls
With full atonement made,
And glory brought to God the Father,
When for our sins He paid.
Oh ponder now how infinite
The price by which we’re bought,
And cherish HIM in every way;
By word, and deed and thought.
For Christ alone did satisfy
And fills our hearts desire
To magnify His Precious Name
With holy zeal and fire
To offer up the sacrifices
Of many thanksgivings and tell
In songs of joy, His infinite deeds
Where the praise of His glory doth dwell.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Rejoice in Our Union With Him
Michael E. WoodFebruary 14, 2011
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who have died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:1-4 (ESV)
Grace is not a license to continue in sin, but the means by which the Spirit of God reveals to us through His Word the beauty and the glory of what Christ has wrought within us. We are freed from the reign of sin by the unmerited favor of God the Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. By the same power that he was raised from the dead we are enabled to walk in newness of life by the glory of the Father. Therefore, to continue under the reign of sin is impossible for the child of God. For where the reign of sin did abound, the reign of grace does much more super abound. It is not that we don’t sin and are not in need of regular confession and repentance which continues to give glory to God, but we grow in the confidence of our union with Christ. The more we grow in our objective understanding of what He has accomplished, the more we are enabled to live subjectively in accordance with what He has done by experience. As one songwriter put it, we witness His power to save us, setting free from self and sin.
While contemplating for a number of days how to frame these lines of scripture into poetry while meditating upon them and reading sermons by Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones and Charles Spurgeon, the following words with music came to mind after hearing the message, “Propitiation, Reconciliation, Redemption” by Pastor Robert Briggs in confirmation of the things that were already given to me.
Rejoice in our union with Him,
For Christ is the presence of glory within.
It was in His death that the reign of our sin
Did come to an end by the power and glory of God.
What is it that caused us to see?
The God of all glory gave strength to believe!
For when Christ arose our dear Father bestowed
Abundance of grace to the praise of His glorious Name!
And now as He reigns from on high,
Christ gave us His Spirit by which we draw nigh.
Delighting in mercy and over us sings
So sweetly the songs that His infinite grace to us brings.
Oh when our Great King shall return,
And fills up the vision of which we did learn,
As vessels of mercy and jewels of His grace;
Then perfect reflections of beauty beholding His face.
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who have died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:1-4 (ESV)
Grace is not a license to continue in sin, but the means by which the Spirit of God reveals to us through His Word the beauty and the glory of what Christ has wrought within us. We are freed from the reign of sin by the unmerited favor of God the Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. By the same power that he was raised from the dead we are enabled to walk in newness of life by the glory of the Father. Therefore, to continue under the reign of sin is impossible for the child of God. For where the reign of sin did abound, the reign of grace does much more super abound. It is not that we don’t sin and are not in need of regular confession and repentance which continues to give glory to God, but we grow in the confidence of our union with Christ. The more we grow in our objective understanding of what He has accomplished, the more we are enabled to live subjectively in accordance with what He has done by experience. As one songwriter put it, we witness His power to save us, setting free from self and sin.
While contemplating for a number of days how to frame these lines of scripture into poetry while meditating upon them and reading sermons by Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones and Charles Spurgeon, the following words with music came to mind after hearing the message, “Propitiation, Reconciliation, Redemption” by Pastor Robert Briggs in confirmation of the things that were already given to me.
Rejoice in our union with Him,
For Christ is the presence of glory within.
It was in His death that the reign of our sin
Did come to an end by the power and glory of God.
What is it that caused us to see?
The God of all glory gave strength to believe!
For when Christ arose our dear Father bestowed
Abundance of grace to the praise of His glorious Name!
And now as He reigns from on high,
Christ gave us His Spirit by which we draw nigh.
Delighting in mercy and over us sings
So sweetly the songs that His infinite grace to us brings.
Oh when our Great King shall return,
And fills up the vision of which we did learn,
As vessels of mercy and jewels of His grace;
Then perfect reflections of beauty beholding His face.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
We Will Not Fear
Michael E. Wood
February 10, 2011
Psalm 46 begins with the words, “To the Choirmaster, of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…”
If this were the complete context of this passage, the children of God would find ample reason to rejoice in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and sing His praise. He by His Spirit and written Word reveals several aspects of His character in relation to Who He Is (our Refuge, our Strength, our Help); Where He Is (Very Present) and Why (in trouble). Job 14:1 says, “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.” Every one who is of a conscious mind to understand can identify with being in trouble to varying degrees.
But He does not stop there. He continues with, “…though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah.”
Many of us have had experience with floods of differing measures, earthquakes, or other seismic disasters of which God has brought forth for His own purposes. By way of technology, most of us in America have caught glimpses of the effects of catastrophic “natural disasters” as sent by His hand without much thought to the fact that it is purely by His pleasure that we were not there. At times some of us with compassion have given in some small way to send relief to those affected. Still others have been more sacrificial and have gone to help in person, while countless have sought to help through prayer.
Since the great flood of Noah’s day, man has not seen the magnitude of what is described in this passage, and only by the gift of faith from God are we enabled to see that which is to come. If the earth as we know it, gave way to the point that every mountain was moved into the heart of the sea and trembled as the waters roared and foamed at its swelling, not a soul on the face of the earth would escape its effects.
If God were not your Refuge, you would have no place to hide! If He were not your strength, you would be absolutely helpless! And if He were not a Very Present Help, then you would be without hope!
If you have been born again by the Spirit of the Living God, you know exactly what I am talking about. For that is the place you found yourself to be in spiritually, when God through His infinite mercy revealed to you your nakedness, your helplessness, and your hopelessness in the magnitude of your sins against Him. Deserving of His Almighty wrath, which is beyond words infinitely more horrid than the events described, God for His glory saved you! The sinless Son of God was made sin by God the Father on the cross of Calvary that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Jesus bore the wrath which was our due, as He offered himself as the One sufficient substitute to not only appease the Father, but to please the Father. Through His atoning sacrifice He lifted us to a position far greater that what we lost in Adam. Therefore we will praise Him both now and forever by the strength and the power of His Spirit. For Christ is our Refuge! He Is our Strength! He Is our Very Present Help in trouble through all time and our Habitation through all eternity! Amen!
This contemporary song of praise came forth as I opened my Bible to begin the day with reading Psalm 46. Though the words of which I have previously written are woefully inadequate to describe the Majesty of God and the greatness of the salvation of which He by His grace has made us partakers of, may God be glorified through the praise of His Son, who Is our eternal Choirmaster!
Though the mountains be moved
To the heart of the sea,
Though the earth be removed
And no longer shall be….
We will not fear,
For God Is our Refuge!
We will not fear,
For God Is our Strength!
We will not fear,
You’re present here with us!
And in all trouble
We know we will always be Thine!
Though the nations shall rage
And the kingdoms shall sway,
When He utters His voice
And the earth melts away….
Present with us
The Lord of all glory!
Present with us
Is God The Most High!
Present with us
Christ Is our Stronghold!
And streams from His River
Will make glad His city sublime!
Though He brings desolations
And makes wars to cease
To the end of the earth
Hear His voice then in peace….
Be still and know
That Christ Is exalted!
Be still and know
That I Am your God!
Be still and know
That I Am with you!
And for My glory
I will be beyond all of time!
So now if you’re broken
With things from you torn,
Then look to Christ Jesus
By whom we are borne….
The KING of all kings,
The Light of all glory!
The KING of all kings,
Whose face we shall see!
The KING of all kings,
Whose infinite glory,
Is more worth than all other creatures
Though they be divine!
February 10, 2011
Psalm 46 begins with the words, “To the Choirmaster, of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…”
If this were the complete context of this passage, the children of God would find ample reason to rejoice in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and sing His praise. He by His Spirit and written Word reveals several aspects of His character in relation to Who He Is (our Refuge, our Strength, our Help); Where He Is (Very Present) and Why (in trouble). Job 14:1 says, “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.” Every one who is of a conscious mind to understand can identify with being in trouble to varying degrees.
But He does not stop there. He continues with, “…though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah.”
Many of us have had experience with floods of differing measures, earthquakes, or other seismic disasters of which God has brought forth for His own purposes. By way of technology, most of us in America have caught glimpses of the effects of catastrophic “natural disasters” as sent by His hand without much thought to the fact that it is purely by His pleasure that we were not there. At times some of us with compassion have given in some small way to send relief to those affected. Still others have been more sacrificial and have gone to help in person, while countless have sought to help through prayer.
Since the great flood of Noah’s day, man has not seen the magnitude of what is described in this passage, and only by the gift of faith from God are we enabled to see that which is to come. If the earth as we know it, gave way to the point that every mountain was moved into the heart of the sea and trembled as the waters roared and foamed at its swelling, not a soul on the face of the earth would escape its effects.
If God were not your Refuge, you would have no place to hide! If He were not your strength, you would be absolutely helpless! And if He were not a Very Present Help, then you would be without hope!
If you have been born again by the Spirit of the Living God, you know exactly what I am talking about. For that is the place you found yourself to be in spiritually, when God through His infinite mercy revealed to you your nakedness, your helplessness, and your hopelessness in the magnitude of your sins against Him. Deserving of His Almighty wrath, which is beyond words infinitely more horrid than the events described, God for His glory saved you! The sinless Son of God was made sin by God the Father on the cross of Calvary that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Jesus bore the wrath which was our due, as He offered himself as the One sufficient substitute to not only appease the Father, but to please the Father. Through His atoning sacrifice He lifted us to a position far greater that what we lost in Adam. Therefore we will praise Him both now and forever by the strength and the power of His Spirit. For Christ is our Refuge! He Is our Strength! He Is our Very Present Help in trouble through all time and our Habitation through all eternity! Amen!
This contemporary song of praise came forth as I opened my Bible to begin the day with reading Psalm 46. Though the words of which I have previously written are woefully inadequate to describe the Majesty of God and the greatness of the salvation of which He by His grace has made us partakers of, may God be glorified through the praise of His Son, who Is our eternal Choirmaster!
Though the mountains be moved
To the heart of the sea,
Though the earth be removed
And no longer shall be….
We will not fear,
For God Is our Refuge!
We will not fear,
For God Is our Strength!
We will not fear,
You’re present here with us!
And in all trouble
We know we will always be Thine!
Though the nations shall rage
And the kingdoms shall sway,
When He utters His voice
And the earth melts away….
Present with us
The Lord of all glory!
Present with us
Is God The Most High!
Present with us
Christ Is our Stronghold!
And streams from His River
Will make glad His city sublime!
Though He brings desolations
And makes wars to cease
To the end of the earth
Hear His voice then in peace….
Be still and know
That Christ Is exalted!
Be still and know
That I Am your God!
Be still and know
That I Am with you!
And for My glory
I will be beyond all of time!
So now if you’re broken
With things from you torn,
Then look to Christ Jesus
By whom we are borne….
The KING of all kings,
The Light of all glory!
The KING of all kings,
Whose face we shall see!
The KING of all kings,
Whose infinite glory,
Is more worth than all other creatures
Though they be divine!
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