October 2015 – His Robes for Mine

Words by Chris Anderson; Music by Greg Habegger. Copyright 2008 ChurchWorksMedia.com.

http://churchworksmedia.com/his-robes-for-mine

VERSE 1
His robes for mine: O wonderful exchange!
Clothed in my sin, Christ suffered ‘neath God’s rage.
Draped in His righteousness, I’m justified.
In Christ I live, for in my place He died.

CHORUS
I cling to Christ, and marvel at the cost:
Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God.
Bought by such love, my life is not my own.
My praise-my all-shall be for Christ alone.

VERSE 2
His robes for mine: what cause have I for dread?
God’s daunting Law Christ mastered in my stead.
Faultless I stand with righteous works not mine,
Saved by my Lord’s vicarious death and life.

VERSE 3
His robes for mine: God’s justice is appeased.
Jesus is crushed, and thus the Father’s pleased.
Christ drank God’s wrath on sin, then cried “‘Tis done!”
Sin’s wage is paid; propitiation won.

VERSE 4
His robes for mine: such anguish none can know.
Christ, God’s beloved, condemned as though His foe.
He, as though I, accursed and left alone;
I, as though He, embraced and welcomed home!

September 2015 – You Are the LORD!

Words and Music by Matthew Hoskinson. ©2006 by Matthew Hoskinson.

https://matthewhoskinson.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/you-are-the-lord/

VERSE 1
You are eternal, God of ages past
Alpha, Omega, You, the First, the Last!
None may compare, there is no god beside You.
Holy! Unchanging! There is none like You.

CHORUS
You are the Lord! You are our God!
Father, Son and Spirit! You are the Lord!

VERSE 2
You are Creator, God of everything.
You spread the heavens, You made the stars to sing;
You made the earth, creating man to know You.
Sov’reign! Almighty! There is none like You.

VERSE 3
You are Redeemer, God of boundless love
Father who chooses, Son who shed Your blood;
Spirit who grants new birth that we might trust You.
Gracious and merciful! There is none like You.

VERSE 4
You are exalted, God of endless praise
Saints from all nations praise You all their days.
Gathered around Your throne we will exalt You.
Worthy and Glorious! There is none like You.

August 2015 – Not What My Hands Have Done

Words by Horatius Bonar, 1861; Music by George William Martin, 1862; Copyright: Public Domain

VERSE 1
Not what my hands have done
Can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne
Can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do
Can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears
Can bear my awful load.

VERSE 2
Your voice alone, O Lord,
Can speak to me of grace;
Your power alone, O Son of God,
Can all my sin erase.
No other work but Yours,
No other blood will do;
No strength but that which is divine
Can bear me safely through.

VERSE 3
Thy work alone, O Christ,
Can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God,
Can give me peace within.
Thy love to me, O God,
Not mine, O Lord, to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest,
And set my spirit free.

VERSE 4
I bless the Christ of God;
I rest on love divine;
And with unfaltering lip and heart
I call this Savior mine.
His cross dispels each doubt;
I bury in His tomb
Each thought of unbelief and fear,
Each lingering shade of gloom.

VERSE 5
I praise the God of grace;
I trust His truth and might;
He calls me His, I call Him mine,
My God, my joy and light.
’Tis He who saveth me,
And freely pardon gives;
I love because He loveth me,
I live because He lives.

Gospel-focused

In this series of posts, we’ll look at some of the terms used to try and capture what we believe and value. Words have meaning, but divorced from context they could be misunderstood. Understanding how words are defined and used is essential, so this week we’ll look at what we mean by: gospel-focused.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:2,”For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” This is one of the main reasons why each and every week the gospel is articulated in the sermon. This is not just an invitation tacked on the end or something completely foreign to the text, but rather the Scriptures continually direct us to Christ and the gospel. From this principle of proclaiming the gospel week in and week out the following benefits are realized:

1. There are always going to be people in the congregation who are not truly converted to Jesus Christ or have a false assurance that they are. The gospel is the only solution.

2. Visitors frequent our assembly and they may only have this one week to hear the gospel. In fact, no one knows what tomorrow will bring.

3. Christians need to hear the gospel as a reminder and to rejoice in God and in their salvation. No matter how mature in the faith you may be, Christians love to hear the gospel!

4. We need to be equipped to share the gospel so hearing it said every week an in different ways from different text each week helps us.

5. People who attend our services need to have a confidence that they can invite someone to church and that person will hear the gospel. No need to wait for a special outreach, just come and hear the gospel this Sunday.

Click the “Distinctives” category below for more posts in this series.

June 2015 – I Will Glory in My Redeemer

Words and Music by Steve & Vikki Cook. ©2000 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP) Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries. Administration by Integrity Music. CCLI Song #3337435

http://www.sovereigngracemusic.org/Songs/I_Will_Glory_in_My_Redeemer/16

VERSE 1
I will glory in my Redeemer
Whose priceless blood has ransomed me
Mine was the sin that drove the bitter nails
And hung Him on that judgment tree
I will glory in my Redeemer
Who crushed the power of sin and death
My only Savior before the holy Judge
The Lamb who is my righteousness
The Lamb who is my righteousness

VERSE 2
I will glory in my Redeemer
My life He bought, my love He owns
I have no longings for another
I’m satisfied in Him alone
I will glory in my Redeemer
His faithfulness my standing place
Though foes are mighty and rush upon me
My feet are firm, held by His grace
My feet are firm, held by His grace

VERSE 3
I will glory in my Redeemer
Who carries me on eagles’ wings
He crowns my life with lovingkindness
His triumph song I’ll ever sing
I will glory in my Redeemer
Who waits for me at gates of gold
And when He calls me, it will be paradise
His face forever to behold
His face forever to behold

May 2015 – Complete in Thee

Words by Aaron R. Wolfe (1821–1902) and James M. Gray (1851-1935); Music by Ben Nyce (2003); Copyright Bible Revival Ministries. CCLI #2928610.

VERSE 1
Complete in Thee, no work of mine
Could take, dear Lord, the place of Thine;
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And I shall stand complete in Thee.

CHORUS
Yea, justified, oh blessed thought!
And sanctified salvation wrought!
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And glorified, I too, shall be.

VERSE 2
Complete in Thee, each want supplied,
And no good thing to me denied,
Since Thou my portion, Lord will be,
I ask no more, complete in Thee.

VERSE 3
Complete in Thee, no more shall sin
Thy grace has conquered reign within;
Thy blood shall bid the tempter flee,
And I shall stand, complete in Thee.

VERSE 4
Dear Savior, when, before Thy bar,
All tribes and tongues assembled are,
Among the chosen I shall be,
At Thy right hand, complete in Thee.

April 2015 – My Jesus, Fair

Words by Chris Anderson; Music by Greg Habegger.
Copyright 2008 ChurchWorksMedia.com. All rights reserved.

http://churchworksmedia.com/my-jesus-fair

VERSE 1
My Jesus, fair, was pierced by thorns,
By thorns grown from the fall.
Thus He who gave the curse was torn
To end that curse for all.

CHORUS
O love divine, O matchless grace-
That God should die for men!
With joyful grief I lift my praise,
Abhorring all my sin,
Adoring only Him.

VERSE 2
My Jesus, meek, was scorned by men,
By men in blasphemy.
“Father, forgive their senseless sin!”
He prayed, for them, for me.

VERSE 3
My Jesus, kind, was torn by nails,
By nails of cruel men.
And to His cross, as grace prevailed,
God pinned my wretched sin.

VERSE 4
My Jesus, pure, was crushed by God,
By God, in judgment just.
The Father grieved, yet turned His rod
On Christ, made sin for us.

VERSE 5
My Jesus, strong, shall come to reign,
To reign in majesty.
The Lamb arose, and death is slain.
Lord, come in victory!

March 2015 – Before the Throne of God Above

Original Words by Charitie Lees Bancroft (1841-1892) Alternate Words and Music by Vikki Cook. © 1997 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries. CCLI #2306412

www.sovereigngracemusic.org/Songs/before_the_throne_of_god_above/16

VERSE 1
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea
A great High Priest whose name is love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in heav’n He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart

VERSE 2
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

VERSE 3
Behold Him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless Righteousness
The great unchangeable I AM
The King of glory and of grace
One with Himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God
With Christ my Savior and my God

Expository Preaching

In this series of posts, we’ll look at some of the terms used to try and capture what we believe and value. Words have meaning, but divorced from context they could be misunderstood. Understanding how words are defined and used is essential, so this week we’ll look at what we mean by: expository preaching.

Expository preaching has become a buzzword in church circles. Unfortunately, while being often used, it’s intended meaning proves elusive. Many churches claim to value expository preaching, but what does that actually mean?

  • Some equate expository preaching with preaching through biblical books (e.g., Matthew or Romans) verse by verse from start to end.
  • Some equate expository preaching to detailing the meaning of a particular text. Verb tenses, grammatical and lexical studies and other technical linguistic and historical tools are used to explain the full meaning of a text.
  • Some equate expository preaching as just saying what the Bible says (you can see why many can claim to value expository preaching!).

Here is how we understand it. Expository preaching is preaching that takes the main point of a passage and makes that the main point of the sermon and applies it to life today. It is not only a matter of saying what the text says, it is making the thrust of the sermon the same as that of the text. Exposing (where we get expository from) the meaning and intent of a text.

Why is this important? Expository or expositional preaching is important because it is God’s Word that convicts, converts, builds up, and sanctifies God’s people. Preaching that makes the main point of the text the main point of the sermon makes God’s agenda rule the church, not the preacher’s.

This post relies on the good material found at http://www.9marks.org/what-are-the-9marks/preaching

Click the “Distinctives” category below for more posts in this series.

Baptist

In this series of posts, we’ll look at some of the terms used to try and capture what we believe and value. Words have meaning, but divorced from context they could be misunderstood. Understanding how words are defined and used is essential, so this week we’ll look at what we mean by: baptist.

The new covenant inaugurated by Jesus is significant when discussing why we are baptists. This new and better covenant is spoken of in the Old Testament and is said to be inaugurated in the book of Hebrews (see ch. 8).

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.Jeremiah 31:31-34

Why is this significant? The new covenant is different from the old covenant in that it is not a national covenant or a mixed covenant of true believers and unbelievers like the old covenant was. Everyone in the new covenant “knows the Lord,” they have a new heart, they are new creatures (2 Cor 5:17).

What does this have to do with baptist beliefs? First, because of the nature of the new covenant, the church—the new covenant people of God—is made up of believers, not a mix of believers and non-believers. This is called a saved or regenerate church membership. Second, the sign of the new covenant—baptism—is only for those who are part of the new covenant. This means that baptism is only for believers and not for infants (and the New Testament examples of baptism support this understanding).

Click the “Distinctives” category below for more posts in this series.