Following are Robert Dean’s thoughts concerning the song Forever I Am:

“On the surface, Forever I Am seems very simple, but the words contain many biblical truths I think are important. The first line of this song is taken from Psalm 139:14. To me, it means that we are created with a capacity to live in reverent fear of God, his awesome power and majesty, that we are incapable of understanding fully. We are wonderfully made, as the scriptures say, because we are the only beings on the earth that were made in the image of God, the creator. Being made in his image shows how much He loves each one of us, even in the midst of our transgressions against Him.

The next line of the song really speaks to me. I will never be able to fully understand why God loves me or why he chose to sacrifice His perfect Son for ME. I am reminded of the crucifixion of Christ, the excruciatingly painful, horrible way in which he allowed himself to be killed by US. This supreme sacrifice is even more astonishing when you realize that the Lamb whose blood was spilt was and is the only perfect, sinless being who has ever lived. To think that God loves me to point of allowing his Son to be bear my sins makes no sense, but I know it is the truth. In knowing I have been reconciled to God through Christ, I give praise!

Galations 3:14 says He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. The blood of Christ redeemed us, made us clean and blameless in the sight of God, and made it possible for all of mankind to have a personal relationship with God. The fact of the matter is that not one of us deserved this sacrifice, but it was given freely by Christ for us to the glory of the Father. When becoming a believer in Christ, we are cleansed and given a new life. What we do with this new life is the true testimony of our faith. However, once you become a member of the family of God, you are always a member. We use the term always very loosely, but I tell you truthfully, the always of God is forever. There will be no end to the new life we receive after death. Thus, I am His, forever, I am.

Verse 2 of the song speaks to the manner in which we are saved…”wondrously and marvelously saved”. We should be filled with awe and wonder at the redemption through Christ. Why did God choose to redeem mankind? We certainly don’t deserve it, we don’t cherish the horrible price that was paid for it. Yet, even while I was a sinner, Christ died for me so that I would no longer be lost in the wilderness of sin and impurity. Only through the mercy and grace of God, through Christ is this redemption made possible. Praise be to God for this marvelous sacrifice!! For without it, we would be lost for all of eternity.

I hope that I have been able to impart some of the incredible truths spoken through this song. It is a beautiful reminder of what God did for us through his Son Christ Jesus. I only hope I have been able to relay how important these truths have become to me in my personal walk with God. I strive to learn more and become more like him every day. I am so grateful that the leaders of my church body strive with intentionality to help me in this journey. All honor and glory to the most wonderful God!”

This week’s order is:
Bless His Name
Blessed Be Your Name
Forever I Am
Lord Most High
Christ is Risen
You are So Good to Me

Over the years, having grown up in the church and, further, having led worship for many, many services, I’ve sung hosannas to the Lord time and time again.  I’m sure many of you have done the same.  The problem is, we often sing words we’ve heard all our lives with little understanding of what they mean, and how they reflect the character of God, whom we desire to worship.

The word hosanna shows up three places in the New Testament…Matthew 21, Mark 11, and John 12.  Each of these is found in context of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  The people had long awaited the Messiah, and the cried out “Hosanna!” in recognition of Christ’s claim as King of the Jews.  The Hebrew word hoshiya na shows up in the Old Testament only once, in Psalm 118:25, where it’s translated “save now”.  This was a common phrase recited during the Feast of Tabernacles, with people crying out to God that He would send salvation…would be kind to His people in sending the Messiah, hence hoshiya na is followed is Psalm 118 by “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”.

However, over the years something has happened to the phrase.  Whereas at one time, people recited hosannas anticipating the day God would save His people, believers today are blessed to know the Messiah.  God has sent His salvation, and we no longer wait, as did God’s people under the Old Covenant.  Today, when we sing hosanna, we’re not simply making the request that God would send salvation.  Rather, we are, in effect, expressing, as beneficiaries of His saving work, “God, we praise You for Your salvation!  We ask for You to save those You have chosen, and worship You for those You have saved!”.  Hosanna to the Son of David! means, “He who has come from David’s seed is Himself King, is Messiah, and is our salvation!”.  Finally, in singing Hosanna in the highest!, we’re saying “Let all heaven join in our worship of the Savior!”.

Salvation belongs to our God.  For this, He is worthy of worship.  Having known this aspect of God’s character, we are blessed.  As we worship this week, let us seek to understand more fully the grace of our Lord, which heals our sins and which brings us to salvation.  He alone is worthy.  Hosanna!

This week’s order is:
Hosanna Praise is Rising
Your Grace is Enough
10,000 Reasons
Always
What a Savior
Enough

Click HERE for a playlist of the songs.

This week’s scriptural emphasis is:
John 5:1-16

Over the years I’ve written dozens, if not hundreds, of songs intended for corporate worship.  There are a couple ways in which songs come to be, both of which produce songs that I would believe to be God-honoring.  Sometimes, as a writer, I deliberately set out to compose a song knowing little of what I wish to write except that it be truth from God’s word that will help His people express our worship.  At other times, I’m reading scripture and am impacted such that I can do nothing other than write about the abundant grace of the Lord.  In regard to the song Forever I Am, it’s the latter.

Our Earthly Inheritance
When I read that the ways of my ancestors, and those ways which I have inherited, are futile, I’m prompted to ponder my helpless condition.  Whereas we were created to live in perfect fellowship with the Father, man in brazen rebellion chose sin over obedience and, tragically, this nature of futility is passed down perpetually from parent to child, rendering us innately incapable of accomplishing anything of true value.  In our culture of worldly indulgence, people are taught to become the best that we may buy the biggest, and are led to believe this is the path to happiness…after all, isn’t what “happens” to us the ultimate reality?…and don’t we all deserve “happiness” (please pardon my cynicism)?

We’ve Been Bought
It can, at times and even as a believer, be tempting to buy into such a view of life.  After all, we see and taste and touch other people and places and possessions on the physical plain every day.  We experience real life!…and the natural man may be tempted to think this is all there is, so why not?  Here’s why not.  That which is temporal, namely that which can be bought with silver and gold, will ultimately rot, along with the satisfaction people find in such things.  However, that which has been bought with the imperishable blood of Christ, having never been touched by the decaying effects of sin, will itself never fade.  You and I, and all believers, are no longer subject to the bondage of futile thinking and living, having been bought with Christ’s sacrifice, and are called to seek fully that which is above (Colossians 3:1-2).

Applications for Worship
So, how should this impact the perspectives of a worshiper?  Broadly, it’s imperative that we recognize Christ’s having bought us…we no longer belong to ourselves as we were bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20, 7:23).  Further, we must recognize the futility in that which we would of ourselves produce, and seek, as we live obediently to that which we know from scripture, to be empowered by the Spirit to accomplish that which is of value.  That Christ would sacrifice Himself for people like me, those who are dirty, defiant, and utterly futile in our ways, and, further, empower us to be used for His purposes is incredible.  When I come before the Lord, why would I do anything other than entrust all I am to Him, knowing that which I would bring of my own accord is useless, yet that surrendered fully to Him is rendered a glorious offering by Christ our High Priest.

Forever I Am
That is the thought behind this simple lyric:
I’ve been redeemed by the King of all Kings
With the blood of the Lamb
The life that You’ve given me humbly I bring
I’m Yours forever, I am

This week’s order is:
Our God Saves
Everlasting God
Great is Thy Faithfulness
Revelation Song
Forever I Am
The Saving One

Click HERE for a playlist of the songs.  Forever I Am can be found in the player to the right.

This week’s scriptural emphasis is:
John 4:43-54

As soon as I heard the song God You are My God it became one of my favorites. It captures my heart because, as we sing the line “Glorious! Glorious!”, we are expressing the magnitude and mystery of God.

For those who love the Bible and make it a point to be students of the Word, the word “mystery” can be a little scary. This is something our Worship Team has been discussing while reading Warren Wiersbe’s book Real Worship.

Wiersbe shares how, in our desire to know God’s Word thoroughly, we sometime lose the wonder of the unsearchable, uncontainable glory of God Himself. In our healthy desire to know all we can about God and what He requires of us, we subconsciously begin to assume, if even just a little, that we (for lack of a better term) “have God all figured out.” We can name His attributes—holiness, faithfulness, omnipotence, sovereignty and so on—but can we really fathom the depths of them? Now I’m no theologian, but I think His Word can help us answer this question:

Psalm 145:3:  Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

Isaiah 40:13:  Who can fathom the Spirit of the LORD, or instruct the LORD as his counselor?

Romans 11:33:  Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

Eph 3:17-19:  …And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge…

Job 11:7:  Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

The verses above are just a few Scriptures I found while writing this reflection on my lunch break, but I hope you and I can remember that as we worship, we worship a God who cannot be fully understood, fully described, or even fully known this side of heaven. He is GLORIOUS! And we have the privilege of worshiping Him!

Well done Trevor…

Your message and your family’s faithful resolve are such a tremendous testimony to the supreme treasure we have in Christ!

Bless you for your challenging and encouraging message.

Harvest Family – I cannot commend this message to you enough.

Be encouraged as you listen, apply, and continue to pray for the Peacocks.

Click here to listen to Trevor’s sermon.

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES
Our church has been introduced to the biblical discipline of fasting.  Most of the feedback I have received has been extremely positive.  “I had heard about it but never have done it.”  “I didn’t realize it was for us today.”  “I never realized that Christ expects us to fast.” And on and on…

For me, it was a great way to get spiritual disciplines back on my radar.

At Harvest, our theme for 2012 is: “Firmly Planted in the Word | Psalm 1″.  Of all the spiritual disciplines, I would contend the most foundational is the regular study of, meditation on, and living out the truths of Scripture.  The benefits alone (Psalm 19:10-11) should be enough motivation.

OKAY, BUT “HOW?”
So, I’ll anticipate the question and proactively provide you with some practical suggestions taken from the monthly devotional Our Journey (published by Walk In The Word – click here to learn more…or if you attend our Harvest Bible Chapel, we have them for you – free!):

Bible Marking Legend (grab a highlighter or pen and mark up your Bible for future reference):

(GREEN) God’s Word calling me to grow
(BLUE) God’s Word telling me about who He is and about His Word
(PURPLE) Wow! A special insight the Lord has given me
(BROWN) God’s Word describing the spiritual realm or spiritual warfare
(YELLOW) Heaven, Eternal Hope
(ORANGE) God’s Word revealing Christ’s atoning work
(PINK) Relationships

Seven Questions to Ask and Answer When Feeding on God’s Word:

1. What portion of my reading stands out to me? Underline it.
2. Why does it have my attention?
3. Is there an example for me to follow?
4. Is there any error for me to avoid?
5. Is there any duty for me to perform?
6. Is there any promise for me to claim?
7. Is there a sin for me to confess?

WHAT NEXT…
Expect God to do what He says He will…establish you like a tree planted by a constant source of water, bearing proper fruit in the proper season, which – while drought and storms will come – will not have leaves that whither (Psalm 1:3).

Oh, and by the way, don’t forget:  “Discipline not driven by delight will not last!”

Delight in the Lord and be encouraged!

Also, this past Sunday, in light of Jeff’s teaching on worship from John 4, we briefly evaluated Romans 12:1 as it relates to us as worshipers.
     I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present
     your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which
     is your spiritual worship.
We brought out that people, having been created in the image of God as spiritual beings, are made to worship, and that we worship that upon which we set our mind’s attention, our heart’s affection, and our will’s devotion.  God is glorified by our worship as we direct these parts of ourselves toward Him.

The Significance of Sacrifice
I’d like to dig a bit deeper into the truths of this familiar, yet deeply rich, verse today in preparing to worship the Lord corporately this week.  First, I think it’s valuable to ask the question “What is the significance of Paul’s using the term sacrifice in his letter to the Romans?”.  Under the Old Covenant system, dead sacrifices were given to the Lord, for without the shedding of blood there would be no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22).  These sacrifices were given by Priests, namely those “chosen from among men…appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin” (Hebrews 5:1).  The priesthood was a high office, as only priests were granted the privilege, and the weighty duty, of going to God on behalf of the people, and, more specifically, offering sacrifices.  Romans 12:1 establishes a new paradigm, as it ascribes to all believers, and in rather glorious and lofty terms, the privilege and responsibility of, by Christ’s High Priestly ministry, going themselves before the Lord, sacrificing not animals, but themselves for the sake of worshiping God and reflecting the Savior’s sacrifice, whose blood fulfilled that which the blood of Old Covenant bulls and goats represented.

Offering Our Bodies
Notice also that Paul said that this sacrifice is the spiritual worship we are to offer God.  It would make complete sense if Paul had said to offer our whole lives, for that would, in my mind, encompass all aspects of the self.  But he didn’t.  First, let me say that I think it’s clear that bodies does refer to the totality of one’s personality.  I also think it was phrased specifically this way to point to the fact that the physical aspect of ourselves is, one, the organ in which sin is manifest, and which we need continuously to put to death (Romans 6:11-14; Colossians 3:5), namely, to sacrifice.  Further, by Christ having redeemed us to Himself, our bodies, having been sacrificed for the sake of our Savior, have now the capacity to be used for the glorification of God.  We do this by living according to biblical guidelines and, as it applies to corporate worship, using our bodies to manifestly express that which is in our hearts.

Applications for Worship
This week, I would encourage you to evaluate the ways you use your body for the sake of worship, whether it be your voice for teaching, your eye for designing, your hands for building, cleaning, cooking, or even your feet for carrying the Gospel of Christ.  I would also ask you to prayerfully consider the application within the context of our corporate worship.  God gives explicitly expressions that please Him.  I would ask, do we offer these demonstrations to Him, and, if not…Why not?!  A believer’s desire should be to make the glory of Christ clear to all those who may look upon our lives, and our light shines brightest as we more fully align our lives with Truth.  I pray God would empower us to use our bodies, each having been sacrificed holistically unto the Lord, as instruments of righteousness.

This week’s Order of Worship:
Glorified
Our God
Be Thou My Vision
God You are My God
Uncreated One
Nothing Left of Me

Click Here for a playlist of the songs.

This week has surpassed my expectations.  Honestly, 15 years ago, if my pastor would have pulled something like this, I would have thought it was rather odd and probably wouldn’t have participated.  And, yet, so many of you have communicated to me that – while this has stretched you and many have never done anything like this – you have been willing to try and have been blessed by the experience.

On this final day, I wanted to share some lessons I learned through my own fast:

1. Our Students Are Smart.  One of them joyfully told their parents that they had decided what they would fast this week…School!  Nice.
2. Gratitude leads to contentment.  I found myself committing on Day Five to primarily praying with gratitude…no real requests…just things I am thankful for.  It was amazing how that led to contentment.
3. An awareness of God’s provision in the little things…worshiping Him for them…and a new realization of the glory that brings to the Lord.
4. When discipline is not driven by delight, discipline will not last.  I don’t know that a statement like that would have stood out unless I was participating in one of the most physically challenging spiritual disciplines.  Man!  Do I need to learn to make that a part of my life.
5. Dependence on Christ. It is amazing how quickly God responds to provide physical contentment in the midst of hunger when you pray to Him and set your mind on the riches we have in Christ Jesus.
6. Clarity of spiritual thought.  While my physical body was being cleansed, I found such a great reduction in spiritual distractions.
7. Increased hunger for the things of God.  In fact, at a couple points I was tempted to consider doing this more often – just to train my body to be in subjection to my spirit and to replicate this desire for Him.  Thankfully, I have determined you don’t have to go without food for a week to have an intense hunger for God.  Praying that Christ will increase that hunger.
8. Increased awareness of my sin.  The more I went without food, the more easily I became frustrated by little things…would be impatient…etc…
9. I personally gained some clarity with some direction for our church that I had been struggling to wrap my mind around.
10. Greater love for my church family!

There are many things I love about our church.  One of those things has been affirmed this week.  The people of Harvest love Christ and His Word.  And as we studied the words of Christ last week, we concluded that the discipline of fasting is biblical.  So, as you often do, you have lived out that your conscience is captive to Scripture.

I praise the Lord for you!

Continue (Today’s Reflection)
So, where do you go from here?  I would encourage you to journal some “lessons learned.”  Some of you have shared with me some amazing stories of God’s responses to you as you fasted.  Whether those responses were drastic or small, document them.

Also, make fasting part of your spiritual disciplines.  As I mentioned in the sermon, fasting is more of an “as needed” discipline rather than those which God clearly commands in the NT – prayer, giving, studying God’s Word, etc…

Consider using it when…you need to grow in your hunger for God and His Word…you have a difficult decision and need clarity…you have a great need and want to commit some intense prayer to the matter…you are struggling with a sin…

Thought For The Day…
Thank you for partnering with me with this fast…I am looking forward to the Lord working in and through us as we have:
1. Purified ourselves before Him
2. Demonstrated our total dependence on Him
3. Sought His direction and leading for our church

You Are Loved…Truly!

Jeff

(I just finished the blog and wanted to insert this qualifier:  I took the liberties to share my heart on Day Six.  My heart that is processing something I know many of us struggle with – including me. My prayer is that you will not read this and nitpick every sentence but rather observe that I am processing through this…that you will test the Scriptures…and that you will understand that Christ is our model for all of this.)

I want to highlight a topic today that has been burdening me over the past few weeks…the balance of grace and truth.

In our early studies of the Gospel of John, I remember studying chapter 1 verse 14 and being struck by a phrase describing Jesus:  “full of grace and truth.”  Grace:  unmerited favor…and Truth: free from error…full of both of those.  It is easy to gloss over such a statement.  And, yet, I would argue the lack of such a balance in followers of Christ has resulted in some of the greatest tragedies in history.

Take the Reformers and the Anabaptists for example.  Both groups had some really good convictions on the Word of God.  And, both were decidedly biblical about the Gospel.  And, yet, when it came to the topic of baptism, there were MAJOR disagreements.  How did they resolve the disagreement over “truth”?  Many Anabaptists were killed for their beliefs.  Problem solved.  (sarcasm inserted)

This is just one of many examples where there was not a Christ-like balance of grace and truth.

Now, I completely acknowledge there is a tension.  Those with the “truth” tattoos, gathering in their coffee shops early Saturday morning to bolster their theology and run through the lists of heretics who popped up this week will shout, “What about truth?!?!  Shouldn’t we be ‘ready to make a defense for the hope that is in us’ (1 Peter 3:15)…and what about ‘rebuke those who contradict [sound doctrine]‘ (Titus 1:9b)?”

Then those who are about love, grace, and tolerance say, “Yah!  Can’t we all just get along?  Agree to disagree?  Let’s just feed the poor…reach out to the community…not say anything controversial…respect other religions.”

Ugggh!  The tension still exists.  Honestly, I have many concerns about the trajectory of the church at large in America – and around the world, frankly.  This generation of the church – as a whole – has sadly swung the pendulum way too far to the grace side.  Churches do not preach the Word anymore.  “Sin” is not mentioned.  The Gospel has been boiled down to “Jesus will meet you where you are…can give you your ‘best life now’…whether you call Him God or Allah or Buddha or whatever, it doesn’t matter.”  Really?

So, I am grateful for people, ministries, and organizations that stand up for God’s truth.

But, there is a swing occurring, and those who are defending the faith are sadly flexing dangerously close to a “truth” without balance.  The latest blogs attacking conferences and choices of associations have spiraled into some very questionable slandering.  I believe this saddens Christ in many ways the way those who overlook the truth do.  The fact of the matter is that Christ takes very seriously the proclamation, conviction of, and living out of the truth (just read through the Gospels)…but He also greatly values grace.  In fact, through Paul, He instructs Timothy and all defenders of the truth to “correct…opponents with gentleness.”

What I love about Harvest is that we are a Fellowship committed to striving for a Christ-like balance of grace and truth.  Now (spoiler alert) the reality is that we will never attain the perfect balance any more than any of us as individual followers of Christ will.  But, just as we will never attain complete personal holiness in this life, it is still something for which we must strive (Matthew 5:48).

To Which Extreme Do You Swing?  (Today’s Reflection)
The beauty of this life is that we spend it being conformed to the image of Christ.  After all, this is the “good” to which “all things” work together for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:28-29).  So, it stands to reason that we will land more on the truth side or more on the grace side.

Today, evaluate where your extreme is.  If you are a truth person, evaluate your source of truth and pray that God will not temper your desire for truth but that He will balance it with Christ-like grace. If you are a grace-extremist, evaluate if your grace models the grace of Christ or something influenced by secular tolerancism (new word) and continue to grow in your understanding of the truth.

At the end of the day, the critical rallying point is the Gospel.  Errors in the Gospel result in being cursed (Galatians 1:8).

Now, that doesn’t mean we throw out everything else.  By all means, we are supposed to study and to rightly divide the Word of Truth – and defend it (2 Timothy 4:2; Titus 1:9; Jude 3).  But don’t forget the second half of the correction of opponents (2 Timothy 2:25)…with gentleness.

By the way, don’t mistake passion for truth as gracelessness.  The concern is when our efforts to defend truth or attack error end up resulting in sin.

Thought For the Day…
“Truth does not provide a free pass for grace anymore than grace allows us to overlook truth.”

Suggested Resource
I found an article that is proving very helpful as I work out my own salvation (Philippians 2:12) on this issue in my own life:

http://theologyislife.com/2012/01/19/viral-christianity-and-the-culture-of-criticism-pt-1/

Gratitude for the Little Things (Morning Reflection)
I remember when Sally and I went almost three years of seeking medical answers, pleading with God, and getting what seemed to be no response from Him when the longing of our heart was to have a baby.  It seemed like everywhere we turned EVERYONE had a baby!  The same principle has applied for me with the fast.  As I have gone without food my awareness of the presence, the smell, and the need for food has increased each day.  But, so has my gratitude for it.  My kids had macaroni & cheese last night – Kraft-style.  And, guess what?  I would have been as grateful for a bite of the mac & cheese as I would have been for a Ruth’s Chris Filet Mignon.  Yet, a week ago, I would have probably felt like complaining if I had to eat mac & cheese for dinner.  I have so much to be thankful for.  Consider the routine, the mundane, the material possessions you interact with this morning and be grateful.  More importantly, be grateful to the Giver of every good and perfect gift! (James 1:17).

Gratitude for People (Afternoon Reflection)
A friend of mine was interviewing for a job out of college.  This young man was brilliant and very qualified for the position.  As he answered the questions, he summarized his evaluation of what he would bring to the company, “I really enjoy everything about this career field…I just don’t really enjoy working with people”!  Needless to say, he did not get the job.

Do you ever feel like that?  “If it wasn’t for the people, I’d have no problems.”  People can get on our nerves…they can fail us…not live up to our expectations…not act or do what we would have wanted them to…and on and on.  And yet relationships with people are the greatest earthly need of mankind.  After all, that is why the second human being was created! (cf. Genesis 2:18)  Think of 10 people you are thankful for and why – friends, family, co-workers, church family…(and if you are really looking to blow someone away – let them know you are thankful for them!).

Gratitude for God (Evening Reflection)
Yah, that one is pretty obvious.  But really, why are you thankful for God?  If you really spend some time with this one, it can be a rich exercise.  Most of the time we start with being grateful for what He has done for us or blessed us with.  All good things to be grateful for.  But, try to stretch yourself to begin to get into His character and attributes.  Don’t just list them, consider what they mean.  Let me get you jumpstarted…

Sovereign, Longsuffering, Gracious, Forgiving, Never-Changing, Righteous Judge, Holy, Good (His definition not ours!), Loving (same principle), etc…

Then, move on to His provisions in your life…everything from the material blessings to the breath you are taking and the beat of your heart at the very moment you are reading this line.

We have SO MUCH to be grateful for.  And, God expects gratitude to pervade our daily Christian lives (Colossians 2:7; Philippians 4:6).  Enjoy this reflection as you near the completion of our week of fasting.

Thought For The Day…
“Fasting can ignite our hunger for God.” – James MacDonald