The Prelude – July 21st

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Adjectives Abound

When describing things of greatness or magnitude, we need more words than just simply nouns – persons, places, things or ideas. As so often is the need apparent, when we when start talking about God. Whether with a simple adjective, great, or a adjectival phrase, of highest heaven, our God deserves and evokes a description that goes beyond mere identification. Let us consider how our God, the noun, is described in the songs we sing today. I for one am grateful for great poets and song writers, to provide the descriptive and exalted language to offer to our Lord. May our hearts match our vocabulary!

O great God, of highest heaven

King of Glory, God Almighty

Lord and Majesty, Divine Authority

O high King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art

High King of heaven, Thou heaven’s bright Sun

All the Wrong Pronouns

In our life before salvation, our language, particularly our pronouns, typified the problem with our soul: me, myself, and I enslaved. Whether it was “I am living for me” to the more religiously acceptable “I am going to try to do right for God”, both are an offense to the God who literally gives us the breath to utter those words. The second verse of O Great God captures our transition from death to life in Christ well. Notice the shift from “I” to “you”:

I was blinded by my sin
Had no ears to hear Your voice
Did not know Your love within
Had no taste for heaven’s joys
Then Your Spirit gave me life
Opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son
Gave me endless hope and peace

Let us come confessing this morning, for where we retain our fleshly focus on ourselves and our efforts, rather than on the Lord, Christ, and His spirit.

New Verbs in a New Life

As those whom have been purchased and redeemed by the blood of Christ. For those who were lost and are now found. For those who were once enemies and are now called friends. For those who have been re-born into the life of the Spirit of God. What are we to do. Verbs tell of either a state of being or of an action. As Christians, our new nature rightly responds to the work of Christ – the gospel – with worship, adoration, awe, and increasing honor. Let us look to the verbs describing our new activities as those who are saints in Christ Jesus, our Savior and Lord:

And I’m honored to sing your praise

I stand amazed in the presence, of Jesus the Nazarene

Help me now to live a life, that’s dependent on your grace

Twill be my joy through the ages, to sing of His love for me

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