Holy

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

In Christ Alone

Glorious Christ

You Are My Strength

On Sunday morning, one of our team members *cough* Jeremy */cough* was tuning his guitar to 443Hz, not 440Hz. At first, this doesn’t seem like too big of a deal, right? How big can a couple of Hertz be? I can’t even see.

But boy can you hear it. When the acoustic and the piano were playing together, they clashed. It got me thinking on three spiritual concepts.

1. As a team, as a church, as a Church, we must make certain that the Bible is at the center of our teaching. If we try to line up ourselves to any other truth, no matter how convincing it may be at first, we’ll be off. Even if we’re off by a little, it still makes a difference. If you and a friend stand side by side and one of you rotates just a degree, once you start walking you’ll be miles apart given enough time.
2. If you’re not tuned to the same frequency as others, you will clash. Musicians get this, especially those with a good ear for tones. The same applies to relationships. If your personal relationship to Jesus is not in tune, you will clash with others.
3. A piano and a guitar clashing sound ominous. Okay, so maybe that’s not a deep spiritual truth.

Lift High

Glorious Christ

How Great is Our God

How He Loves

From the Inside Out

You Alone Can Rescue

Glorious Christ is from Sovereign Grace Music’s newest album titled From Age to Age. I highly recommend you pick it up.

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Absent from Flesh

Let the Praises Ring

Hosanna

Remembrance

This is Our God

You’ll Come

Happy Day

We Are the Free

Saviour King

With Everything

The Highest and The Greatest

Holy

Lead Me to the Cross

All I have is Christ

Death in His Grave

Shout Unto God

Jesus Saves

Happy Day

Jesus Paid it All

Almighty God

Mighty to Save

Behold Our God

Endless Hallelujah

The Fathers Love

How He Loves (linked to a different version from the writer of the song)

Never Once

Absent From Flesh

Completely Done

Stronger (1st service only)

Here for You

Blessed Be Your Name

How He Loves

Fire Fall Down

Saviour King

We tried something new this week.  Before Here For You I had everyone get out their bible and I put twelve verses in the bulletin and told everyone to pick just one.  Then when we got to the musical interlude I had everyone read the verse that they picked out loud.  It was awesome, the people of God worshipping through his word, sending his words back to him about himself…just awesome.

Last week I was reading through Psalm 95-97 and it struck me that towards the end of each of those chapters the Psalmist is praising God for his wrath or judgement upon the people.  Now I understand that for the most part David wrote the Psalms and was being hunted by his family so I’m sure justice was a big deal for him at that moment.  Then I started thinking about the praise and worship songs that are sung in churches today and there is a lack of songs praising God for his justice (judgement, righteous wrath).  I believe that the run of the mill christian may not understand God’s justice so we can’t even say why this is a praise worthy attribute.  With the help of Shai Linne I hope I can help you understand how to praise God for his justice.

Judge of All The Earth

Written by Shai Linne

 

Verse 1

Tune in with concentration as we resume the conversation

The loftiest thoughts conceivable for human contemplation

Trying to search the mysteries of the divine is real deep

And when it comes to the nature of God, at times we still sleep

We must risk people tuning us out as we discuss this

The topic on the table for reflection? God’s Justice

The Scriptures are clear: salvation belongs to God alone

And that righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne

He’s the priceless gift and treasure, all life exists for His pleasure

And He is the standard by which all righteousness should be measured

All human judges fail- no need to share the statistics

But God judges perfectly due to His characteristics

First, He’s omniscient, so He never lacks information

Secondly, His understanding: it has no limitations

Plus He knows the thoughts and all the motives behind them

And no one could ever go hide in a place where the Sovereign LORD cannot find them

When passing a sentence, He has the power of execution

The proper retribution for our private revolutions

And He’s in the position to smash us for our treason

No one’ll be copping please when God dispatches all His legions

To execute the sentence on resolute defendants

Who rejected the truth because they never knew repentance

And those who stood against the Great I Am and His Anointed

When God judges the nations through the Man He has appointed

 

Chorus

The Judge of all the earth shall do right

The Judge of all the earth shall do right

He is good and His ways are just

Worthy of our faith and trust

The Judge of all the earth shall do right

 

Verse 2

As we continue to consider this particular perfection

Let’s take a second to address a few misconceptions

When many think of God they assume His love is a must

That’s true, but it doesn’t negate the fact that God is just

So when we say this, they’ll wanna take us off the play list

But God is never under obligation to be gracious

See, justice and mercy are two separate categories

And God is the one who chooses which way He’ll have His glory

The choices The Holy One certainly can’t be faulted

In punishing the guilty, His righteousness is exalted

He also rewards the righteous, we kind of/ sort of like this

The problem of course is that nobody who’s born is righteous

Because of Adam’s descendants are inherently filthy

That’s problematic for a God who will not clear the guilty

If God is gonna save us and demonstrate what His love is

It must be in a manner that’s consistent with His justice

Jesus Christ, The Righteous One, the perfect solution

Proving that God is just on the basis of substitution

Perfect obedience, consecration without a flaw

Yet, on the cross He suffered the condemnation of the law

So now God is able to be just and the justifier

Of all who turn from their sin and place their trust in Messiah

The resurrected Lord is our infinite treasure truly

He gives us new eyes to see His justice in all its beauty!

Okay, first take a deep breath.  Now here’s how I see praise flowing from this:

First, understanding his judgement helps me see more of what I deserve and what I’ve been saved from by the blood of Jesus Christ.  My response is reverent contrition for my sins followed by the forgiveness found in Jesus. Praise the Lord!  Second, when others have attacked me or wronged me I know that if they repent God will forgive them but if they do not God will be their final judge and will execute a sentence in accordance with the sins.  I can forgive and release judgment because I cannot perfectly judge and God will righteously and justly save or condemn for the sake of his glory.