Sue J Love
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Tuesday, June 6, 2017, 10:19 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Much Too High a Price.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalm 62 (quoting vv. 1-8 NASB).
My Soul Waits (vv. 1-2)
Do you have trusted friends? Have they ever betrayed you? Turned against you? Even those of your own household, who are supposed to love and protect you, have they ever abandoned you? How about your pastors, elders, deacons, trustees and Bible teachers? Have they ever deserted you in time of need? Did you plead for help, and they didn’t come through? Did they leave you to the wolves to be devoured? Sisters and brothers in the Lord, have they ever betrayed a confidence? Gossiped about you, or made unkind and uncalled for remarks about your character? And, your country’s leaders, have they ever lied to you? Deceived you? Manipulated and used you, and preyed on your naivety and trusting nature?
So, why do these things happen? Well, for one, because we are all born with sin natures. All of us have sinned and have come up short of attaining God’s divine approval (Ro. 3:23). Satan tempts people to sin, as well as people are tempted (lured) by their own sinful passions and desires. Some people love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil, so they won’t come into the light, lest their wicked deeds be exposed. Although they have knowledge of God, for God made plain to them what may be known about himself, they don’t praise, thank or honor him, but instead they follow after their own sinful passions, and they do what ought not to be done (Rom. 1).
Yet, there is encouragement for the one who puts his or her faith and trust in God alone, and who waits patiently for God to intervene on their behalf. Tis true that humans will lie to us and about us, betray us, abandon us, use us, gossip about us to others, make nasty and cutting remarks to us, hand us over to the wolves, ignore our cries for help, and turn against us, etc. But, our God will do none of these! Even if our mother or father should forsake us, our God will never leave or forsake those who are his own. He will not falter. He will not change. We can depend on him fully. He is our stronghold, who helps us to endure, to persevere and to stand strong in our faith and on his Word, even when many oppose us and his gospel message.
Inwardly They Curse (vv. 3-4)
We live in a day and time when there are those within the world, and even within the gatherings of the church, who are vehemently opposed to the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and they are doing whatever is within their means to do so to try to halt the spreading of the gospel. This includes murdering Christians worldwide, and covering their evil deeds by saying they are going after terrorists, when they are the terrorists hunting down Christ’s followers, in order to stop God’s grace from spreading and his gospel from advancing. Some of them are world leaders, bankers, CEOs of corporations, or they are leaders of our nations. Or, they might be our pastors or other leaders within organized religion. They have unified in an effort to stop the advancing of the kingdom of heaven, i.e. they are working for Satan. And, Satan hates Jesus Christ, his gospel and his true followers.
It isn’t as though they are entirely opposed to the name Jesus Christ, or to the institutional church, or to someone believing in Jesus with human faith. If they were, most Christians would not follow them. Remember, Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and his servants disguise themselves as apostles of Christ and as servants of righteousness. They seem, so far, to be ok with people calling themselves Christians or with saying they believe in Jesus, at least here in America. But, what they are opposed to is many of the teachings of Jesus and of his NT apostles, which teach, for one, that Jesus is the ONLY way to God and to heaven, and that there is no other way. They are also opposed to the preaching of the gospel as Jesus taught it, which confronts sin in sinful humans, warns of divine judgment, calls for repentance, and which promises hope and healing for the penitent.
What they want is for the whole world to unite as one mind and one voice and for everyone to remove from their lives whatever causes division among the people of the world. Well, the gospel divides people as saved and unsaved, as those going to heaven, and as those who are not, and as those walking in the light, and as those walking in darkness, who have no hope. So, that gospel has to go, they say, because it will not unite with all people of all religions and all walks of life. And, their goal is to have a one world totalitarian rule and a one world religion where we all tolerate one another’s beliefs and practices, which means we have to compromise our faith and convictions and the Word of God in order to unite with them. NO WAY!
They have convinced many professing Christians, or people searching out Christianity, to compromise with the world, to accept a diluted half-truth (false) gospel, to reject the truth, and to turn the church into a business, and/or a social club, and/or a community organization. They have convinced them, too, that all they have to do is acknowledge Jesus’ existence, and accept his forgiveness for their sins, and they now have heaven guaranteed when they leave this world, no matter how they live their lives from this point forward. And, if someone does tell them the truth, they have already been predisposed by these liars and deceivers to reject the truth and to hold on to the lies. And, many are buying into their lies, because it gives them solace when they do feel a twinge of guilt over continued and willful sin against God.
God, My Refuge (vv. 5-8)
Yet, Jesus Christ is our only hope, and our only source of salvation from sin. His Word is completely true and trustworthy, and on it we should take our stand, and not waver. When they try to convince us to compromise with the world of sin, to deny our Lord in any way, and to dilute the gospel to make it more acceptable to the worldly, we must take a strong stand and tell them “NO!” We won’t back down, we won’t give up, and we will not deny our Lord or his gospel. We will not unite with the world in this one world religion, which recognizes all religions as viable. We will define sin in the same way the New Testament in the Bible defines sin, i.e. as defined by God. And, we will continue to confront sinful practices, call for repentance, warn of judgment, and promise hope and healing to the one who repents of his sin.
But, we will not do this in our own strength, but in the strength of the Lord. We will trust in HIM at all times, and we will pour out our hearts to him and call on him for the strength to keep pressing on in the face of much opposition. And, we will believe him for changed hearts and lives.
Much Too High A Price / Jesus Paid It All
Phil McHugh and Greg Nelson
…You paid much too high a price for me, Your tears, Your blood, the pain –
To have my soul just stirred at times yet never truly changed.
You deserve a fiery love that won’t ignore your sacrifice
Because You paid much too high a price.
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe,
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed me white as snow.
My Soul Waits (vv. 1-2)
My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.
From Him is my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.
Do you have trusted friends? Have they ever betrayed you? Turned against you? Even those of your own household, who are supposed to love and protect you, have they ever abandoned you? How about your pastors, elders, deacons, trustees and Bible teachers? Have they ever deserted you in time of need? Did you plead for help, and they didn’t come through? Did they leave you to the wolves to be devoured? Sisters and brothers in the Lord, have they ever betrayed a confidence? Gossiped about you, or made unkind and uncalled for remarks about your character? And, your country’s leaders, have they ever lied to you? Deceived you? Manipulated and used you, and preyed on your naivety and trusting nature?
So, why do these things happen? Well, for one, because we are all born with sin natures. All of us have sinned and have come up short of attaining God’s divine approval (Ro. 3:23). Satan tempts people to sin, as well as people are tempted (lured) by their own sinful passions and desires. Some people love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil, so they won’t come into the light, lest their wicked deeds be exposed. Although they have knowledge of God, for God made plain to them what may be known about himself, they don’t praise, thank or honor him, but instead they follow after their own sinful passions, and they do what ought not to be done (Rom. 1).
Yet, there is encouragement for the one who puts his or her faith and trust in God alone, and who waits patiently for God to intervene on their behalf. Tis true that humans will lie to us and about us, betray us, abandon us, use us, gossip about us to others, make nasty and cutting remarks to us, hand us over to the wolves, ignore our cries for help, and turn against us, etc. But, our God will do none of these! Even if our mother or father should forsake us, our God will never leave or forsake those who are his own. He will not falter. He will not change. We can depend on him fully. He is our stronghold, who helps us to endure, to persevere and to stand strong in our faith and on his Word, even when many oppose us and his gospel message.
Inwardly They Curse (vv. 3-4)
How long will you assail a man,
That you may murder him, all of you,
Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position;
They delight in falsehood;
They bless with their mouth,
But inwardly they curse. Selah.
That you may murder him, all of you,
Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position;
They delight in falsehood;
They bless with their mouth,
But inwardly they curse. Selah.
We live in a day and time when there are those within the world, and even within the gatherings of the church, who are vehemently opposed to the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and they are doing whatever is within their means to do so to try to halt the spreading of the gospel. This includes murdering Christians worldwide, and covering their evil deeds by saying they are going after terrorists, when they are the terrorists hunting down Christ’s followers, in order to stop God’s grace from spreading and his gospel from advancing. Some of them are world leaders, bankers, CEOs of corporations, or they are leaders of our nations. Or, they might be our pastors or other leaders within organized religion. They have unified in an effort to stop the advancing of the kingdom of heaven, i.e. they are working for Satan. And, Satan hates Jesus Christ, his gospel and his true followers.
It isn’t as though they are entirely opposed to the name Jesus Christ, or to the institutional church, or to someone believing in Jesus with human faith. If they were, most Christians would not follow them. Remember, Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and his servants disguise themselves as apostles of Christ and as servants of righteousness. They seem, so far, to be ok with people calling themselves Christians or with saying they believe in Jesus, at least here in America. But, what they are opposed to is many of the teachings of Jesus and of his NT apostles, which teach, for one, that Jesus is the ONLY way to God and to heaven, and that there is no other way. They are also opposed to the preaching of the gospel as Jesus taught it, which confronts sin in sinful humans, warns of divine judgment, calls for repentance, and which promises hope and healing for the penitent.
What they want is for the whole world to unite as one mind and one voice and for everyone to remove from their lives whatever causes division among the people of the world. Well, the gospel divides people as saved and unsaved, as those going to heaven, and as those who are not, and as those walking in the light, and as those walking in darkness, who have no hope. So, that gospel has to go, they say, because it will not unite with all people of all religions and all walks of life. And, their goal is to have a one world totalitarian rule and a one world religion where we all tolerate one another’s beliefs and practices, which means we have to compromise our faith and convictions and the Word of God in order to unite with them. NO WAY!
They have convinced many professing Christians, or people searching out Christianity, to compromise with the world, to accept a diluted half-truth (false) gospel, to reject the truth, and to turn the church into a business, and/or a social club, and/or a community organization. They have convinced them, too, that all they have to do is acknowledge Jesus’ existence, and accept his forgiveness for their sins, and they now have heaven guaranteed when they leave this world, no matter how they live their lives from this point forward. And, if someone does tell them the truth, they have already been predisposed by these liars and deceivers to reject the truth and to hold on to the lies. And, many are buying into their lies, because it gives them solace when they do feel a twinge of guilt over continued and willful sin against God.
God, My Refuge (vv. 5-8)
My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
On God my salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah.
For my hope is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
On God my salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Yet, Jesus Christ is our only hope, and our only source of salvation from sin. His Word is completely true and trustworthy, and on it we should take our stand, and not waver. When they try to convince us to compromise with the world of sin, to deny our Lord in any way, and to dilute the gospel to make it more acceptable to the worldly, we must take a strong stand and tell them “NO!” We won’t back down, we won’t give up, and we will not deny our Lord or his gospel. We will not unite with the world in this one world religion, which recognizes all religions as viable. We will define sin in the same way the New Testament in the Bible defines sin, i.e. as defined by God. And, we will continue to confront sinful practices, call for repentance, warn of judgment, and promise hope and healing to the one who repents of his sin.
But, we will not do this in our own strength, but in the strength of the Lord. We will trust in HIM at all times, and we will pour out our hearts to him and call on him for the strength to keep pressing on in the face of much opposition. And, we will believe him for changed hearts and lives.
Much Too High A Price / Jesus Paid It All
Phil McHugh and Greg Nelson
…You paid much too high a price for me, Your tears, Your blood, the pain –
To have my soul just stirred at times yet never truly changed.
You deserve a fiery love that won’t ignore your sacrifice
Because You paid much too high a price.
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe,
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed me white as snow.
