These Are They; No More Night

Revelation 7: 9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

These are they:

Revelation 22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

No More Night:

Have Mercy on Me

VERSE 1
I am a sinner; You’re blameless, Lord
My sins against You can’t be ignored
They will be punished, I know they must
Your law demands it, for You are just

PRE-CHORUS
If You would count
Everything that I’ve done wrong
Who could stand?
But there’s forgiveness with You, God

CHORUS
Have mercy on me, have mercy on me
A broken and a contrite heart
You won’t turn away
Have mercy on me, have mercy on me
Because of Your steadfast love

VERSE 2
Father of mercy, You gave Your Son
To make atonement for wrongs I have done
What You required, Jesus fulfilled
I don’t deserve it— I never will

© 2011 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)/Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)

Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God

I would like to introduce you to the beautiful hymn “Holy Spirit, from the soundtrack to the movie “The Mission” and the melody itself is heavily influenced by J.S. Bach. Also included is a reading of The Lorica (Breastplate), a prayer of protection traditionally attributed to Saint Patrick of Ireland.

Keith Getty explains, “the lyric of ‘Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God’ is as much an explanation of what Scripture states the Holy Spirit does as it is a prayer for our utter dependence on the Holy Spirit in our lives. The first verse is a petition for inward renewal as we are confronted with the living and written Word of God. The second verse is a prayer that the outward fruit of our lives will reflect Christ in every action. The final verse is then a prayer for the church around us, that the Spirit will ‘show your power once again on earth; cause your church to hunger for your ways.’ As we worked to find an appropriate climax to the song, we were continually reminded through our studies that the Holy Spirit works to make us less and exalt Christ. So rather than making the third verse a huge finish, we turn in the sixth line and express, “lead me on the road to sacrifice.”

Lyrics

Holy Spirit, living Breath of God,
Breathe new life into my willing soul.
Bring the presence of the risen Lord
To renew my heart and make me whole.
Cause Your Word to come alive in me;
Give me faith for what I cannot see;
Give me passion for Your purity.
Holy Spirit, breathe new life in me.

Holy Spirit, come abide within;
May Your joy be seen in all I do—
Love enough to cover ev’ry sin
In each thought and deed and attitude,
Kindness to the greatest and the least,
Gentleness that sows the path of peace.
Turn my striving into works of grace.
Breath of God, show Christ in all I do.

Holy Spirit, from creation’s birth,
Giving life to all that God has made,
Show your power once again on earth;
Cause Your church to hunger for Your ways.
Let the fragrance of our prayers arise.
Lead us on the road of sacrifice
That in unity the face of Christ
Will be clear for all the world to see.

Gotta Serve Somebody

Doing Dylan: Phil Keaggy & Paul Clark perform “Gotta Serve Somebody” with the Word of Life Church band, St. Joseph, MO.

Words & Music by Bob Dylan

Lead Vocals: Paul Clark
Backing Vocals: Phil Keaggy
Guitars: Phil Keaggy, Paul Clark, Josh Myers, Sterling Dorrell, Jimmie Bratcher
Keyboard: Eric Stark
Trumpet: Eric Stark
Bass: Rich Brouhard
Drums: Shawn Landers

My sins, my sins, my Savior

When the Holy Spirit convicts one of God’s children of their sin it is never a pleasant thing. Yet even in this, while at the same time, never casting us off into the hopeless state of condemnation. Conviction of sin – oh yes! Condemnation for the child of God – no! Never! There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

Once the hammer blow of conviction has been struck, the Holy Spirit immediately takes us from the place of utter despair by revealing the remedy found in Christ alone and His gospel of grace. This is true for the sinner as He comes to the cross of Christ for the first time. It is also true for the wondering, sin stained saint who feels he has fallen so badly He could in no way ever approach the throne of God again. Yet such would be a devilish, hellish lie. In all of this, Jesus remains the perfect Savior.

Instead, the Holy Spirit invites us to come boldy to the throne of Grace to encounter the One who has taken the full punishment for our sin upon Himself. Recognizing sin as high treason against Supreme Majesty; yes, seeing it for the all that it is; indeed for the utter filth that it is, we are to focus our attention not on the sin, but on the matchless Savior.

It is truly good for our soul when the Holy Spirit shows us the depths of our depravity and the shame of our sin, but it is especially good when He shows us the all satisfying work of the wonderful Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is the perfect Mediator. He alone saves. He alone!

Child of God, may the Holy Spirit minister to your hearts through the words of this song.

My sins, my sins, my Savior by Steve Camp

My sins, my sins, my Savior! They daily battle me,
Deaf and dumb Thy servant is, save only Christ to Thee;
In Thee is all forgiveness, fully free abundant grace,
I find my hope and refuge, in Thine unchanging face

My sins, my sins, my Savior! How great on Thee they fall;
Seen through Thy patient mercy, I ought forsake them all;
Their penalty’s forgiven; yet their power suffers me
Their shame and guilt and anguish, they laid, my Lord, on Thee

My sins, my sins, my Savior! What cost to Thee ensued
Thy heel bruised in temptation, no Devil could subdue
Thou wrestled in the garden; and prayed the Cup would pass
Thy sanguine sweat, Thou trembled yet, embraced His will at last

My sins, my sins, my Savior! Thou perfect Sacrifice
Drained wrath’s chalice to the dregs; Thy Father satisfied.
O Holy Lamb of Glory, High Priest, Lord God and King
We worship Thee with reverence, Thy matchless Name we sing

My songs, my songs, my Savior! No grander theme shall know
They’ll trumpet of Thy glory, to wretched man below;
Thy righteousness, Thy favor, stream from Thy throne above
Sustain the hearts my Savior that Thou hast lavished with Thy love

Music as a Language

Music is a powerful communication tool–it causes us to laugh, cry, think and question. Bassist and five-time Grammy winner, Victor Wooten, asks us to approach music the same way we learn verbal language–by embracing mistakes and playing as often as possible.