September 26, 2011
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we did not choose, He chose us, worthy the Lamb, solus Christus
Psalm 65:4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!
we did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christusthe Most Holy Place no longer shut
how precious the Lamb's atoning bloodwe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christussinners clothed with His perfect righteousness
Israel's Holy One kissed the leprouswe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christusgreat love and rich mercies poured on us
repentance wrought through God's kindnesseswe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christushearts once wild, anxious and restless
now quieted by our Father's caresses
we did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christusbrought near to abide in His holy house
to taste and see God's satisfying goodnesswe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christusfaces unveiled, beholding His brilliance
filled with living water, our hearts gushwe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christuslove, blessing and adoration rush
a sanctified, noble exuberancewe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christusgrace found us in the wilderness
sealed and carried upon His breastwe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus ChristusZion's stone set forth, rejected by the builders
to us, the pearl, magnificent obsessionwe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christusthis was the Lord's doing: marvelous!
God made Him to become sin for uswe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christus
one anthem, one eternal chorus
all the saints shout, glad and joyouswe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christusgrace upon grace, blessed assurance
love compelling, exult in His righteousnesswe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christusall you worms lifted, raised up from the dust
Jesus Christ alone forevermore blesswe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christuso, press on to know Him, all you saints
know the riches of His inheritancewe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christusthe love of God all knowledge surpasses
sup with Him, be filled with all God's fullnesswe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christuscalled out of death and darkness
appointed to lives of obediencewe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christusa royal priesthood, a chosen generation
to show forth His most excellent greatnesswe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus ChristusSpirit baptized to be His witnesses
to dying men from all the nationswe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christusshowered with exceeding riches
elect to declare His praiseswe did not choose, He chose us
worthy the Lamb, solus Christuswholly blessed, the nations to bless
God making His appeal through us
we did not choose, He chose us
soli Deo gloria, solus Christus
Psalm 71:15 My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is past my knowledge.
16 With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come;
I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.Does your mouth tell of the LORD's righteous acts and His deeds of salvation all the day? Do you remind others of Christ's righteousness, His alone?
Acts 4:19 Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”Have you ever found yourself in the same position as Peter and John were, where you couldn't help but speak of the Lord Jesus Christ?
John 7:37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
You may profess to be a Christian, but have you ever drunk of the living Christ? Have you tasted and seen He is good? Have you experienced times when those rivers of living water spring up and burst and flow out of your heart through the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit to witness to others of God's mercies and grace?
In Philippians 3, though the apostle Paul already knew Christ, he wrote of pressing on to know Christ more. In Ephesians 1 and 3, though the Ephesian Christians were saved, though they had entered into a knowledge of God's inheritance, though they knew of Christ's love for them, yet Paul was praying for these saints to enter into an even greater and deeper and higher and knowledge of their inheritance and of God's love for them in Jesus Christ. Are you urgently desiring these things for yourselves? Do you pray such prayers for yourself and all the saints? I would urge you to read those chapters prayerfully and then ask God to give you grace to examine your own life, your prayers, your desires and your ambitions in light of God's Word.
In II Corinthians, Paul writes of the love of God controlling believers.
II Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.Have you ever known such an experience of the love of God? Is the love of God increasingly controlling, compelling and constraining you so you no longer desire to live for yourself but desire to live for Christ and to be an ambassador for Christ? Are your ambitions holy or worldly?
If the love of God is not controlling you, who or what is? Who or what is your master? To whom or what are you bowing? Have you usurped God's rightful place to reign? How are you continuing to bow to and serve your own selfish, fleshly desires? How are you being controlled by the world's desires? Are you standing firmly in the center of your life, controlling your life and not rendering yourself to God's Spirit to work in you – in effect quenching and grieving and limiting the Holy Spirit of God?
If you are a new creation, you are an ambassador for Christ: you are sent out into the world, just as our Lord was sent into this world ... John 20:21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Have you known Almighty God's endowment through His promised Holy Spirit? Have you seen the living God working in you an increasing desire and ability to fulfill Jesus' commandment to be His witnesses to the end of the earth?
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.If you have been saved by grace, if you have been drawn to God's house, ought you not be exulting in God's goodnesses to you and exalting Him before all peoples?
if you have drunk of Christ's living water, ought not rivers of living water be bubbling up and flowing out of you into the dry and parched world?
If you have known God's love, ought His love not be compelling you to know Him more and to live to Him and to make Him and His praises known to the ends of the earth?
Through whom else does God make His appeal to a lost world but through His own chosen people?
LORD God, open our lips, that we might drink of You more and more deeply, so our mouths will declare Your praise more and more widely, that we might work out what You are working in us for Your good pleasure and for the glory of Your name.
Isaiah 43
18 Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
20 The wild beasts will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
21 the people whom I formed for myself
that they might declare my praise.I Peter 2:4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”8 and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Related:we are but worms ~ nothing good dwells in us, nothing but our Christós
Jeremiah 23 - THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
Advent #2 WHY HAS JESUS COME? to give his life as a ransom for many
Bible Reading: Lamentations 1:12-Is His Sacrifice nothing to you?
Forgiveness & cleansing of sin leads to God's Commission: "Penitents should be preachers"
Have you adopted God's purpose for the nations for your joy & His glory?
every brand snatched is a brand dispatched ~ Reflections on 9/11, Redemption & God's Mission
Is your ambition holy? / What are you living for? (Louis Paul Lehman) / The Christian's Aim
In which circle do you take your stand? ~ Hewitson's holy ambition ~ Are you a true disciple?
Why not pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit
The flags unfurled ... Christ's eternal banner | Lloyd-Jones ~ a third type of assurance
Can there be more? | letter 113 on assurance & fighting for joy
"Follow me and I will make you fishers of men" | How are we to follow Jesus?
True Calvinism Is NOT
my soapbox
Blogging to build up the ruined Church of God (includes Piper on preaching as expository exultation)
may you hear joy & gladness (letter 83 on assurance & fighting for joy)
Bible Reading: Things To Look for in a Church–What We Find in Solomon's Temple, # 3: Worship
Things To Look for in a Church, 9: "Pearl Freaks" (a.k.a. a Kingdom-Obsessed People)
What is a nominal Christian?
Barabbas we save, Jesus Christ we slay (the mockery of profession ~ decisional regeneration)
Don't Waste Your Singleness | Single one ... be single-eyed
"And Jacob was left alone" ~ Don't waste your lonelinessScripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Emphasis mine.
Photo credit: The Woman of Samaria at the Well by James Tissot found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Woman_of_Samaria_at_the_Well_%28La_Samaritaine_%C3%A0_la_fontaine%29_-_James_Tissot_-_overall.jpg - PD - c. 1886-1894
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