The Ancient Future…Mar. 15th

With the day coming to a close and the sun beginning to set on the West Texas horizon, I remember the confrontation quite well. It was pretty cut and dry from Spankingmy view of point, my brother called me a baboon and I was going to ‘let him have it.’ The only problem, mom was watching us from the house. She didn’t hear my brother’s words, but she saw my actions. Needless to say, we both got a ‘whippin’ for misbehaving. And do you know what I learned from that experience? To fight my brother out of mom’s sight…not really. What I actually learned was simple, my actions have consequences. We can learn a lot by examining our past. 

Teams will watch game films of their rival to learn their weaknesses. And children will remember the swat long after the sting is gone. The experiences of the past can have a vast effect on our future. Surely the Israelite nation remembered God’s powerful hand as it fell upon the Egyptians and their army. Simply put, what we remember of our past can have a huge impact our future. Remember the ‘ancient’ past and let those memories guide your tomorrow. Yesterday can serve as a tool for learning to give us insight and understanding. Only then will we be better prepared to grasp the future.

“…I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.”  I Corinthians 14:15

Sunday morning, March 15, 2015

The following songs are found in the hymnal, Songs of Faith & Praise.

“To God Be the Glory” – 4

“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let the earth hear His voice.” Are you listening to the voice of God as you read His word? Are ancient wordsyou aware of His presence all around you? “Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done. And great our rejoicing through Jesus His Son.”

“Ancient Words” – no book

God’s words are holy words…and they have been long preserved, but why? How can ‘ancient words’ be of any importance to a modern, technologically sound culture? The answer is found as you continue the song; “…for our walk in this world.” Do the words of God guide you today? Will you find them to be ‘ever true?’ Maybe you should ask if they are changing me…and changing you.

“Rock of Ages” – 454

An old hymn that dates back almost 250 years is still as true as ever. Notice the old English and capture the meaning of the message; “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee. (2 Samuel 22:3) Let the water and the blood from Thy riven side which flowed (John 19:34) be of sin the double cure, cleanse me from it’s guilt and power.” Christ death, confirmed with the tip of the spear held in the centurion hand, provided the cure for all mankind. The cure from both the guilt of sin and the power of sin. That’s the double cure…

“Tell Me the Story of Jesus” – 387

Before the Lord’s Supper we’ll review the ‘story of Jesus.’ Obviously recognizing His birth, His ministry and ultimately His death and resurrection. Notice the third verse, “Tell of the cross where they nailed Him, writhing in anguish and pain. Tell of the grave where they laid Him, tell how He liveth again!” If this story is indeed precious to you, every word will be written on your heart! Have you thought how well you are doing that? If we want to a glimpse into our future, we’d better understand what brings us here today!

“Great is Thy Faithfulness” – 57

How faithful is God to His people? Can we count on Him to do what He has said He would do? If you have any questions in your mind as to whether or not God cares, and if He will be faithful to what He has promised, look no further than the second verse of this hymn. “Summer and winter and spring time and harvest; sun, moon and stars in their courses above join with all nature in manifold witness to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.” Even the world around us speaks to the faithfulness of God. The evidences are pretty convincing and still, so many ignore the signs and plunge headlong into a future that is void of all godliness.

“Blessed Be the Lord God Almighty” – 72

Before the lesson we sing to God this new, contemporary song of praise. It has the elements of a prayer as we sing, “Father in heaven, how we love You. We lift Your name in all the earth. May Your kingdom be established in our praises as Your people declare Your might works. Blessed be the Lord God Almighty!” Considering our future, it’s a good thing we remember that He does reign forevermore!

“All Things Are Ready” – no book

Are you ready? When you think about your future and what tomorrow holds…are you ready? We remember the ‘invitation’ as we sing this old spiritual song, “All things are ready, come to the feast. Come, for the door is open wide. A place of honor is standing on the promisesreserved for you at the Master’s side.” Talk about a promising future! If only you and I will not only hear the invitation, but if we will come…

“Standing on the Promises” – 452

Some might ask you where you stand on a particular topic. Do you have a conviction as to what you believe? As you sing this closing song you are making it pretty clear where you stand, “I’m standing on the promises of God!” You see, where you stand and what you believe, will help determine what will you do. And decisions are made from what we believe. Could it be that the things from our past shape our beliefs and daily decisions? Because you know the decisions you make today will ultimately determine your future. So perhaps our past is actually our future…our ‘ancient future.’

Rock of Ages…

Have you ever sung a song and wondered what it was exactly did I just sing?  What does it mean when I sing, “…when life’s stormy billows roll…”?  I’m afraid to many of us sing without putting much thought into the words of the songs we’re singing.  Let’s consider a few words (and the meaning) of an old favorite hymn.  In 1776 Augustus Montague Toplady, an Anglican cleric and hymn writer, penned the words to one of our most remembered hymns.  He served for 14 years as a curator and priest within the Calvinist movement, during which time he authored several works of poetry that made their way into some Methodist and Calvinist hymnals.  Look at this old hymn, and investigate the words we’ve sung for years.

Rock of Ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee;” From the scripture, it’s interesting to note the importance Moses placed on God has his Rock (Deuteronomy 32: 15, 18, 30-31) as did the Psalmist (Psalm 18:2 and 19:14).  Isaiah too (Isaiah 26:4) speaks toward God as our ‘everlasting Rock.’  Whether Toplady actually took shelter in a rock cave during a storm and from that brought us the “Rock of Ages”, or if he was referencing the text…he obviously knew (and today we sing) that God is our shelter in which we can hide and find strength.

“Let the water and the blood, from Thy riven side which flowed, be of sin the double cure, cleanse me from its guilt and power.”  But what about the ‘water and the blood’, ‘the double cure’?  John 19:34… “But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.”  Because of our Lord and Savior’s death on the cross, you and I have a chance for forgiveness from our sins.  The double cure is salvation from sin and the power sin can have over our lives.  Christ gave His live (shed His blood to take away our sins, to ‘cure us’ from the guilt and power of sin.

“Not the labor of my hands can fulfill the law’s demands;”  Toplady is reminding you and me that we can never do enough to make ourselves right with God.  It is through His grace and mercy that we come into His salvation.  Ephesians 2:8, 9 “For by grace you have been saved…not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, all for sin can not atone, Thou must save and Thou alone.”  What is zeal, for that matter, what is respite?  Toplady is tell the reader that you can’t be saved by your enthusiasm for God.  Your zeal is your excitement, energy and enthusiasm.  Respite means rest…if my excited never rested; or if my lamenting (sorrow) and my tears never stopped flowing, still that isn’t going to save me.  As a matter of fact, Toplady reminds us that work, excitement and emotion won’t save us…Christ (the Rock of our Salvation) alone is my only hope for heaven.

This hymn can be found in the Faith & Praise song book (page 454)