Your Will Be Done

(This song was published in 1999 but for some reason didn't make it onto our new site last year)

The will of God is revealed in Scripture in two ways. First, God gives us various commands by which we know His will for our lives; this is called His prescriptive will or His will of precept. Second, God has a master plan behind all things that come to pass, and no one or nothing can thwart this "sovereign will." This is sometimes called God's will of decree. At the nature of all sin is an inclination to rebel against God's commands and to distrust His purposes in the circumstances of our lives. This song is a cry that God would grant us submissive hearts that are ready to give up our most cherished possessions if God were to ask for them. In verse four the hymn-writer asks God to blend our wills with His and remove what makes it hard to say "Thy will be done." The chorus turns our attention to the time when "Thy kingdom come" will be completely fulfilled and we will be fully yielded to God's authority and majesty as we praise His loving purposes for eternity. This is a prayer we need every day!

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A Sermon on John 1:18 “Like Father, Like Son”

I had the privilege of preaching this sermon to my local church family on Sunday, January 10th, 2010

Like Father, Like Son

John 1:18

I would like to start off by thanking those who serve us by taking care of our children on Sundays and Wednesdays. Those who have spent any time with my son Benjamin actually have a lot of insight into my personality, even if they don’t know me very well. Here’s a concrete example of how to know Ben is to know me. Last month I took him on a daddy-date to a monster truck show in Minneapolis for His fourth birthday. He absolutely loved it, but if you were with us you might have been hard-pressed to discern that. When I took him to his seat, the trucks were already “warming up” and were making a lot of noise. He managed to remain almost motionless – possibly even without blinking His eyes – even as I unbundled him from his winter gear and put his earplugs in. As I repeatedly shouted questions and explanations to Him, I realized that He was engrossed in the monster truck world as He sat completely stone-faced....

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O Jesus

This joyful song reminds us of the beauty and power of Jesus' name. Scripture tells us that "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12) and that "at the name of Jesus every knee will [one day] bow." It is not simply the sounds or letters of His name that thrill Christians – it is what that name stands for, what it represents and reminds us of about our precious Savior. As we sing this song we remember the love Jesus showed us in dying for our sins, the sympathy He has towards His own, and the comfort He freely shows to all who seek it. In a fitting conclusion, we are reminded of promise that one day all who treasure Jesus' name will gather together and sing "worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" (Revelation 5:12) May we treasure and share the precious name of Jesus more and more in our public worship and in every day life.

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An Overdue Update

Pardon the silence here for the past month or so. I've been putting most of my non-worship-leading-non-father-of-five focus on a top secret software project (well, I like to think it's top secret). Eric and I have met a couple of times this fall to work on our Hymns on God's Attributes project, and we have drafts of all 15 hymns completed (though several of them might not deserve the term "draft"!). We need to revise them and are still looking and praying about whether we can publish them as a small book with a "real" publisher. Here's one of my favorite verses from our recent trip, verse 2 of "The Lord is Merciful" which explains how God's mercy is demonstrated in the gospel:

The Lord has saved us from sin's pow'r according to His mercy;
When we were helpless and oppressed He looked on us with pity.
The merciful High Priest approached the mercy seat
And through His sacrifice paid our redemption's price
To demonstrate His kindness.

I've also been busy the past couple of weeks preparing for a free concert at my home church. If you're anywhere near Minneapolis, MN and are free for a couple of hours...

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Free Concert at Redeemer Bible Church

December 12, 2009
7:00 pm	to	8:30 pm

I'll be giving a free concert at my home church on December 12th. Several fantastic musicians are joining me to present some of my songs (both old and new) in a casual, acoustic context. In addition to singing and preforming the songs, I'll be sharing about what the lyrics mean and how they point us to the gospel. Lord willing, it will encourage and edify believers and be a strong witness to unbelievers. Please bring family and friends, or invite complete strangers! The concert is free and open to all.

Details
When: Saturday, December 12th, 7-8:30pm
Where: Redeemer Bible Church (16205 Highway 7, Minnetonka, MN 55345, 952-935-2425)

I hope to see you there!

Book Give-away Blog Contest

Through my blog, I'm giving away a couple copies of Russ Moore's book, Adopted for Life, to those who link to our song "Though I Was Born an Orphan" or pass it along to their pastor.

For entry details, go here. The contest is open through November 15.

A Sermon on “How Firm a Foundation”

The audio from my hymn-series sermon on "How Firm a Foundation" is now up:

How Firm a Foundation: Standing on the Word of God

There Is Life

Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life." (John 14:6) He is the only source of true and abiding life- both eternal life with God and a joyful and peaceful life now. This song reminds us not only of the overflowing offer of life given to all in the gospel, but of the ironic way that life was purchased - through the death of the life-giver. As the writer reminds us, forgiveness and peace with God (resulting in eternal life) is not gained by our efforts - our tears or prayers - but only by Jesus' atoning blood. Then what must a person do to receive the merits of His blood? The song answers with several verbs: believe, trust, and receive. Simply believe that Jesus' blood is the only payment that will suffice to cover the debt of your sin, and that Jesus' righteous life is the only life acceptable enough to allow you to stand before a holy God. This belief must move past agreement to actual trust. You must think and live in light of this truth, trusting that your acceptability before God is only based on Jesus' work, and you will experience what this song offers: life rich, eternal, and free!

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Though I Was Born an Orphan

One of the central applications of the Gospel is to imitate it. Israel was to love the sojourner because they were sojourners in the land of Egypt (Deuteronomy 10:16). If they, when fatherless, widowed and homeless, were fed, clothed and sheltered by the Lord, they should display his glory in their treatment of others.

Likewise, James says to Christians (James 1:27), “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction.” James is not content to refer merely to God. Rather, he writes of “God, the Father,” reminding his readers of the privileged relationship they have with God—namely, He has become their “Father.”

As believers, we may call God “Father” because of our adoption as “sons” in Jesus Christ. We were born “sons of disobedience” and “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:1-3). But the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, chose us and predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:3-6).

He sent his Son to live a life of full obedience, to die on the cross for our sins, and to be raised from the dead. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are adopted as sons of God and become heirs (Galatians 3-4). Because we are sons, the Father sends the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying “Abba! Father!” To keep us from falling back into fear, the Spirit of adoption bears witness to us that we are children of God, fellow heirs with Christ, with whom we will be glorified (Romans 8:15-17). God the Father graciously makes his home with us until he calls us to his house (John 14).

If God the Father has blessed us with this great and altogether undeserved adoption, we will show like care to “orphans and widows in their affliction.” In application of the Gospel, Christians become people who display the greatness of their Father through their care for those in need.

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Worship Team Recruiting / Info Brochure

Last week I wrote a pamphlet for prospective members of our "Song" team (otherwise known as the "Worship" team) and thought it might be worth sharing here. Hopefully you'll find a few ideas that will help you structure your music ministry or what you communicate to prospective team members.

Welcome
This little brochure has been created to answer common questions about who participates in leading our worship services and what’s involved in serving in this way.

We would first like to express how delighted we are that you have the interest and desire to be involved with the public worship of God. Worshipping God is one of our highest privileges and joys, and making music for His glory and the edification of His people is a great honor and can be very satisfying. Second, we’d like to point out that even if you aren’t up front, in a very real way you are still participating in our music. We believe that music in worship is designed chiefly as an aid to congregational singing and do all that we can to encourage, invite, and make participation by all possible. Before you make music “on stage,” you should see yourself...

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