The Sun Comes Up, It's a New Day Dawning

Sunrise, October 17 2012

'The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning

It's time to sing Your song again

Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me

Let me be singing when the evening comes

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name'

'You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger

Your name is great, and Your heart is kind

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name'

Early Morning, October 16, 2012

'And on that day when my strength is failing

The end draws near and my time has come

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending

Ten thousand years and then forevermore

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name'

From Nehemiah 8

'On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak til noon ... And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law...Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people lifted their hands and responded, 'Amen! Amen!' Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground...

'Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, 'This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep' For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

Nehemiah said, 'go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.'

***

So I was thinking about that this morning, and what an amazing thing it is that, in spite of our sin, we can have total forgiveness, be totally cleansed and free and GUILTLESS before God because Jesus willingly took the punishment for our sin and gave us His perfect righteousness in return.

But for some who've never known that forgiveness, guilt is something that clings to us, burdens us, stifles us, binds us. When the children of Israel were read the Law, they realized their sinfulness and the sinfulness of their fathers. They mourned. They wept. But they were told to grieve no longer, go out and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks...for 'the joy of the Lord is your strength.'

There is nothing like having one's sins forgiven, to have a clean slate, no lingering guilt, because Jesus paid for it all at the Cross. And 'there is no other name under Heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.' It's only Jesus. 

There is freedom in Christ. And when I'm tempted to fall into a pit of guilt, I remember that Jesus paid for that guilt. Then he took his cloak of righteousness and wrapped me up in it.

Romans 8:31

'If God be for us, who can be against us?'

Mine is to cling to Him and rejoice and celebrate, for the joy of the Lord is my strength!

***

You may not be familiar with the song I've been quoting.  We've been singing it in church lately, and I love the message. If you have a minute, be sure to play the YouTube clip to hear it. It just might make it to your 'favorites' list.

***

'Jesus, I'll worship Your holy name

Lord, I'll worship Your holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

Jesus, I'll worship Your holy name

I'll worship Your holy name.'

Our Righteousness - The Fast Track to Hell

Yorkminster

It seems so counter-intuitive, doesn't it.  I mean, righteousness is what it's all about when standing before the holy and just God of the Universe, isn't it.

I wonder how many of us, growing up in the church, had our list of 'righteous' accomplishments that we could check off, to ensure our righteous standing before God:

1. I was baptized
2. I was confirmed in the church
3. I walked down the aisle
4. I asked Jesus to come into my heart
5. I went to Bible camp and Sunday School
6. I went to church every Sunday, Wednesday, and sometimes in between!
7. I give to the church
8. I don't cheat on my taxes
9. I am good to my husband/wife/children

etc.

We've ticked off all the boxes on our list and we're in good.

At least we're pretty sure we're in good.

But Jesus said that whoever is guilty of one part of the law is guilty of all.

WHAT??!

The Law of God shows us how sinful we truly are before a holy God.

But what about my righteousness? What about that list? I've accomplished them all. I'm a moral person!

What is moral?? Unless we are comparing it to the Law of God, morality is only a subjective thing and can mean anything we want it to, or that a group of people agree upon. But that's not God's idea of morality.

God said that 'all our righteousness is filthy rags' before Him.  Isaiah 64:6

All of us have become like one who is unclean,
   and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
   and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

I don't get it.  What's so bad about me? I know lots of other people who are worse.

Right. We all do, for we're comparing ourselves with one another, not with a holy God.

The Law shows us our sinfulness so that we come to an end of our selves. Working hard to earn our salvation? Ticking off all the boxes?  Give it up already! We are only fooling ourselves.

Only Jesus was perfect. Only Jesus kept the whole Law of God. Only Jesus is righteous before God.

So, given the story thus far, we are in an utterly hopeless state. All of us. We are all of Adam's fallen race.

BUT THERE'S HOPE!
ENTER Jesus.

Jesus, God in the flesh, came to earth, lived the perfect sinless life, completely fulfilled the Law of God, then went to the cross and paid the price for OUR sin to satisfy the justice of a holy God.

Why would He do this???  No clue, except that we were totally unable to help ourselves and He loved us enough to take the punishment we deserved.

'But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.' - Romans 5:8

Jesus is our only hope before a holy God. And there we find perfect righteousness - not ours, but Jesus'. And we are SAFE. No more boxes to tick off, no more trying to be better than the next guy, no more working so hard to be acceptable.

We trust in Christ alone. We don't put our trust in a baptism, in a confirmation, in a prayer that was prayed to invite Jesus into our hearts (and where did that come from anyway?).

We look only to Jesus and His righteousness. We throw ourselves on the mercy of God. We follow Him. Daily.

He takes our sin and gives us His righteousness in return, so that we can stand justified before a holy God. That's the deal. That's the whole deal. That's the only deal -

for those who put their trust in Him alone, His righteousness is credited to our account.

It is truly amazing grace.

'This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.' Romans 3:22-24

Better yet, drag out your Bible and read the entire book of Romans. It will shed more light on God's wonderful gift to us in Jesus Christ, His Son.