Morning
Pastor Ted preached on how to deal with those who curse and revile. The music theme followed a more general path of hope in God.
Walk-in song
Psalm 96
Set
Come, Christians, join to sing
Blessed be your name
Glorious & mighty
Wonderful, merciful
His forever (Jesus, Friend of sinners)
b/4 sermon
It is well with my soul
Evening
Our monthly Lord's Table. Pastor Joe preached from Luke 7 on being forgiven much, loving much.
Walk-in song
I will rise (Tomlin)
Set
I know whom I have believed
Christ for us (H. Bonar)
new to us; set to the tune "before the throne"
Behold the Lamb (Getty)
at the table
Depth of mercy (Kauflin version)
Only your mercy
There is none like you
The gospel song
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Setlist for Sunday, May 3, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Okay, David, I've got a question I think of every time we sing "Only Your Mercy." At the end, it says, "Jesus ... all that you are, all that you have, we have received by faith."
ReplyDeleteI would understand the lines if they said all that WE are and have, we have received by faith, but have we really received all that Jesus is and has? We haven't become divine, for example. Maybe he means that when God looks at us, he only sees Jesus' righteousness and in that sense, we have the same standing before him as Jesus.
Any thoughts?
Good question! Sometimes songs have quirky things in them -- so we have to scratch from our use. This one, however, I think is okay (unless the elders tell me otherwise). :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad someone's paying attention!
Here's how I have understood this song. We take Jesus in all the ways the gospel offers him to us (what the Puritans called "taking the whole Christ") -- particularly as prophet, priest and king -- all that he is and has for his people. In other words, we receive all the benefits and graces that union with Christ brings to the believing sinner.
So yes, we do receive "all that he is and has." Yet imperfectly? No question. But truly! Yes (John 1:12). There's the wonder, the mystery of the gospel. He, then, becomes the ever-growing object of our faith. Our lives, in this sense, can be set forth as "devotion to Christ." That's who we are.
In this I would agree with you about Jesus' righteousness being reckoned ours by faith. We are now (as Paul explains in Eph 1), "in the Beloved." As I suggested, I think it's more than that, but that's a great place to start. "Now are we the children of God," John writes. "And this is what we are!"
Now that's awesome.