Sing

This week we begin worship with:

Revelation 15:3

And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!

The song of Moses in Exodus 15:1-21 does not contain this text.  But both songs are sung after the strong hand of God has redeemed His people and destroyed the enemy.

This then is the second verse written by the Lamb and when sung together it gives a picture of the steadfast love of our God over the generations.

This is not sung by angels  This is sung by the redeemed.  And I dare say Miriam may be leading us!

Exodus 15:20-21

Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously;

the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”

Resolute

This morning we begin worship with:

Joshua 1:8-9

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

This is a command that is a series of commands to a newly appointed Joshua. And the command to Joshua was to follow another list of commands. That is the Book of the Law.  In other words he got his”Marching Orders”.

Some take the words prosperous (ṣālēaḥ) and success śāḵal) to mean a life without problems filled with affluence and obedient children. No, there words are associated with success on the battlefield and in administering justice.  These words come after bloodshed and crime.  During all of which we should be resolute. 

First

Today we begin our worship with:

1 John 4:18-19a

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

While hate is the opposite of love, it is fear that actively opposes it.  The degree to which we can love is determined by our level of fear.  Many stories are told of parents overcoming fear to rescue a beloved child.

But while love is attempting to cast out (ballō) fear, fear is actively holding on to (echō) punishment.  To love we must understand that we ourselves are loved and will not be punished.

1 John 4:16-17

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.

Redeemed, we must let go of that fear of punishment, then it will be hard to punish others by withholding our love.  So it is true that:

1 John 4:19b
We love because he first loved us.

 

 

 

 

 

Everything!

 This week we begin worship with:

Hebrews 1:1-2

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Most of us have sections of the Bible where the pages are still new and the gilding is still on the edge.  In a sword drill, if they call out a minor prophet, we have to use the table of contents and have to peel the pages apart.  However, the Hebrews to whom the letter was written, received God’s Word through the prophets.  If they could, that would be the scrolls that would be dog-eared, highlighted, and falling out of the binding.

But in this, the very first verses of this book, the author introduces them instead to the creator and heir of all things.  He is responsible for everything from the Day of Creation(Genesis 2:4-25) to what is called the Great Day (Revelation 16:14), the Day of Wrath (Romans 2:5), and the Day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).  Everything!

He is why our Bibles fall open to the Gospels.