Below is a fantastic article from author Devon Kauflin posted on desiringgod.org.  

As Sunday approaches, are you preparing to worship?

Sunday Worship Begins on Saturday

Every journey requires preparation. Where are you going? What will you need? And what should you leave behind? If you’re going to the grocery store, you need money and fuel. If you’re going to the beach, you need a towel, sunblock, and a beach chair.

As Sunday morning approaches, it can be all too easy to give the corporate worship of the church less thought and preparation than that trip to the grocery store. Going to church can sadly become just another weekend activity. But should corporate worship be different? How should we prepare our hearts for the weekly gathering of God’s people? Here are a few suggestions. 

Know Your Destination

The journey begins by knowing where you’re going. The Preacher of Ecclesiastes implores his readers to “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God” (Ecclesiastes 5:1). For Christians, the church is the household of God as the Spirit builds us together into his dwelling place (Ephesians 2:19–22). How we approach God in worship reveals what we think of the God that we worship.

We are willing to prepare for things we value. When we value celebrating God and gathering with his people, adequate and purposeful preparation is easy. But when we view the gathered church as merely another Sunday morning option, then we won’t properly prepare for the gathering.

Our weekly gatherings as the church are more than a social club, more than an experience, and more than a place to be recharged for the week. As people united with Christ, we have new priorities, a new family, and a new life. Where are we going? We are going to meet with God, for when God’s people gather, God is there.

Prepare to Love Others

Once you know where you’re going, you must determine what you need to get there. One thing we need to begin the journey is renewed thinking about God. Our view of God shapes our engagement in corporate worship. 

God’s Spirit uses our meditation on God’s word to renew our thinking about God. Often, I wake up with a hard heart first thing in the morning. I am not automatically excited about the things of God. This is not necessarily a sign of dead spirituality, but simply the natural disposition of the fallen human heart. 

So, what should we do? We should contemplate the incomparable majesty of God that makes angels cover their eyes (Isaiah 6:2), rivers clap their hands, and hills sing for joy (Psalm 98:8). Contemplate God’s infinite love by considering how the God who created everything was so mindful of you that he sent his Son to die in your place. Contemplate the everlasting rest to come for the believer: all exhaustion, cancer, and despair will be forever gone, and we will be in the very presence of the one who is himself the fullness of joy. Contemplate the things we cannot see that await us — like the crown of glory and the full and final satisfaction that will be ours. 

Second, we take one another on this journey. A worship service is not exclusively a vertical praising of God. It is also horizontal building up of the body of Christ. As you gather on Sunday morning, consider how you might encourage others. Pray that God would give you words to say, Scriptures to share, and specific encouragement to offer to his people. This was Paul’s expectation of the Corinthian church: “What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up” (1 Corinthians 14:26). 

When we gather with the people of God, we should prepare in order to contribute, to encourage, and to build up others. Think through the individuals in your small group or on the ministry team you serve with, or just pull out your church directory and pray for the people in your local church. Write some thoughts down and share them with particular people you want to encourage. Pray for members of the church throughout the week. Prepare your heart by considering others.

Leave Your Burdens Behind

Whenever my family goes for a trip, my wife and I must determine what we don’t need. On any journey, deciding what we leave behind is as important as what to bring. And just as the capacity of our family van is a scarce resource, the same holds true for my limited mind and affections. 

We prepare our hearts for worship by leaving behind worldly distractions and sin (Hebrews 12:1). Sadly, this is rarely a deliberate consideration for many Christians. We don’t evaluate how our Saturday night fun might impact our Sunday morning edification. 

On a campground, nobody wants to sleep in a bug-infested tent. So we keep our tents zipped up throughout the day. If we give ourselves to worldly distractions and sinful actions, it is as if we leave our tent open throughout the day, and then when we gather for corporate worship we spend our time swatting at gnats. Instead, we should prepare our hearts for corporate worship by intentionally disengaging from the world.

Thoughtful preparation for corporate worship sets the right trajectory for our journey together. It presents us with an opportunity to warm our affections and soften our hearts, packing what we need and leaving behind what we don’t, as we gather together for God’s glory and our good. 

Devon Kauflin (@devon_k) serves as a pastor at Grace Church in Clarksburg, Maryland and helps lead Sovereign Grace Music.

Every Sunday, Easter Sunday

I’ve always been a guy that likes holidays.  Christmas, 4th of July, New Year’s Eve, Thanksgiving and Easter are my top 5.  As I celebrate those, give me all the cheesy, stereo-typical things that go along with them.  For Christmas, I’m talking Christmas music in September, wearing sweaters almost everyday, fireplaces, and egg nog.  4th of July, I’m wearing my red, white, and blue and will probably have “Stars and Stripes Forever” stuck in my head all week.   New Year’s Eve, staying up ‘till midnight, resolutions, and watching the ball drop.  Thanksgiving, you can’t beat turkey and football.  And of course, as we’ve just celebrated Easter, you better believe me and my family were in our pastels, at church all morning, took our family pictures, hunted Easter eggs, and ate ham for dinner with our entire around the table.  Holidays are awesome, why not enjoy them and all that comes with them?

Easter Sunday is always a big day in the church world as well.  And It should be.  We should go all out to celebrate the fact that Jesus is alive.  We should do everything we can to get people to come to church with us.  We should pray that our buildings would be packed out.  Worship teams should go all out and do new things, sing powerful songs, and be creative.  Pastors should spend that extra time on their messages and think of the best ways to communicate the gospel and it’s power.  Church staffs should spend time praying over their campuses and their people.  Easter Sunday is a special day and we should make it special.

My question is… Why do we not do these things every Sunday?

In reality, every Sunday is Easter Sunday.  One similar blog post on the Doxology & Theology site by Matt Boswell put it this way, “Easter is not the ‘Super Bowl of the church.’”  Easter isn’t our one opportunity to “pull out all the stops” and go big.  Boswell reminds us that Easter is just that; it’s an opportunity.  ‘Cause, yeah, there is the reality that we had a lot of “CEO - Christmas & Easter Only” church-goers in our buildings this past Sunday.  So, I do hope the our churches went all out to make them feel welcomed, to make them feel loved, and most importantly to show the love of Jesus.  But what Boswell communicates and what I want to share today is it isn’t and shouldn't be our only opportunity to do all of those things.  

While Easter is important, let’s remember, every Sunday is Easter Sunday.  The church changed their day for corporate worship to Sunday because of Resurrection Sunday.  The beauty of the gospel is that Christ died as the atonement for our sins, yes and amen, but He didn’t just pay the price and move on.  He defeated death, hell, and the grave by rising from the dead.  And through the substitutionary atonement, we are given a new nature; Christ’s nature.  Therefore, if Christ has defeated death, and we’ve been given Christ’s nature, we too, through Christ, don’t have to fear death, hell, and the grave.  We have hope of a new and eternal life through Him.  So when gather every Sunday with that in mind, we truly have reason to celebrate!

What I’m afraid is happening in our churches (and has been happening for a long time) is we’re not celebrating;  we’re enduring.  Enduring our hour of “worship” each week so that we can mark it off our list.  I feel that if we, as believers, truly came into our church buildings each week with the mindset of celebration, like we do on Easter, things just might look different.  

As church leaders, let’s also remember that every Sunday is Easter.  Every Sunday, we should go all out to celebrate the fact that Jesus is alive.  We should do everything we can to get people to come to church with us.  We should pray that buildings would be packed out.  Worship teams should go all out and do new things, sing powerful songs, and be creative.  Pastors should spend that extra time on their messages and think of the best ways to communicate the gospel and it’s power.  Church staffs should spend time praying over their campuses and their people.  

He's still risen!

Every Sunday is Easter Sunday!

Charles Spurgeon: "How Shall We Sing"

I ran across this article today that Charles Spurgeon wrote in 1870 in regards to congregational worship.  It was published in monthly publication, The Sword and The Trowel.  I've always admired and been convicted by the messages and writings of Spurgeon.  Until today, I had never come across anything by him on the issue of worship.  That changed today.  Once again, I found myself being convicted by the words of Spurgeon.  In this article, there are many statements that ring true for the church, then and today.  I've highlighted the ones that stood out to me and convicted me and my leadership.  I find it encouraging to read such powerful words on the issue of congregational worship from a preaching pastor.  Even more so, from the "The Prince of Preachers."  

Charles Spurgeon. The Sword and The Trowel, 

June 1, 1870. 276-277.

COULD we rule the service of song in the house of the Lord, we should, we fear, come into conflict with the prejudices and beliefs of many most excellent men, and bring a hornet's nest about our ears. Although we have neither the will nor the power to become reformer of sacred music, we should like to whisper a few things into the ear of some of our Jeduthuns or Asaphs (1), who happen to be "chief musicians" in country towns or rural villages. We will suppose the following words to be our private communication:

O sweet singer of Israel, remember that the song is not for your glory, but for the honour of the Lord, who inhabiteth the praises of Israel; therefore, select not anthems and tunes in which your skilfulness will be manifest, but such as will aid the people to magnify the Lord with their thanksgivings. The people come together not to see you as a songster, but to praise the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Remember also, that you are not set to sing for yourself only, but to be a leader of others, many of whom know nothing of music; therefore, choose such tunes as can be learned and followed by all, that none in the assembly may be compelled to be silent while the Lord is extolled. Why should so much as one be defrauded of his part through you? Simple airs are the best, and the most sublime; very few of the more intricate tunes are really musical. Your twists, and fugues, and repetitions, and rattlings up and down the scale, are mostly barbarous noise-makings, fitter for Babel than Bethel. If you and your choir wish to show off your excellent voices, you can meet at home for that purpose, but the Sabbath and the church of God must not be desecrated to so poor an end.

True praise is heart work. Like smoking incense, it rises from the glowing coals of devout affection. Essentially, it is not a thing of sound: sound is associated with it very properly for most weighty reasons, but still the essence and life of praise lie not in the voice, but in the soul. Your business in the congregation is to give to spiritual praise a suitable embodiment in harmonious notes. Take care that you do not depress what you should labour to express. Select a tune in accordance with the spirit of the psalm or hymn, and make your style of singing suitable to the words before you. Flippantly to lead all tunes to the same time, tone, and emphasis, is an abomination; and to pick tunes at random is little less than criminal. You mock God and injure the devotions of his people if you carelessly offer to the Lord that which has cost you no thought, no care, no exercise of judgment. You can help the pious heart to wing its way to heaven upon a well-selected harmony; and you can, on the other hand, vex the godly ear by inappropriate or unmelodious airs, adapted rather to distract and dishearten, than to encourage intelligent praise.

The Time is a very primary consideration, but it is too often treated as a matter of no consequence. Large bodies move slowly, and hence the tendency to drawl out tunes in numerous assemblies. We have heard the notes prolonged till the music has been literally swamped, drenched, drowned in long sweeps and waves of monotonous sound. On the other hand, we cannot endure to hear psalms and solemn hymns treated as jigs, and dashed through at a gallop. Solemnity often calls for long-drawn harmony, and joy as frequently demands leaping notes of bounding delight. Be wise enough to strike the fitting pace each time, and by your vigorous leadership inspire the congregation to follow en masse. May we in the very gentlest whisper beg you to think very much of God, much of the singing, and extremely little of yourself. The best sermon is that in which the theme absorbs the preacher and hearers, and leaves no one either time or desire to think about the speaker; so in the best congregational singing, the leader is forgotten because he is too successful in his leadership to be noticed as a solitary person. The head leads the body, but it is not parted from it, nor is it spoken of separately; the best leadership stands in the same position. If your voice becomes too noticeable, rest assured that you are but a beginner in your art.

One of your great objects should be to induce all the congregation to join in the singing. Your minister should help you in this, and his exhortations and example will be a great assistance to you; but still as the Lord's servant in the department of sacred song you must not rely on others, but put forth your own exertions. Not only ought all the worshippers to sing, but each one should sing praises with understanding, and as David says, "play skilfully " unto the Lord. This cannot be effected except by instructing the people in public psalmody. Is it not your duty to institute classes for young and old? Might you not thus most effectually serve the church, and please the Lord? The method of Mr. Curwen, and the use of his Sol-fa Notation, will much aid you in breaking ground, and you can in after years either keep to the new method, or turn to the old notation as may seem best to you. Thousands have learned to sing who were hopelessly silent until the sol-fa system was set on foot. The institution of singers, as a separate order is an evil, a growing evil, and ought to be abated and abolished; and the instruction of the entire congregation is the readiest, surest, and most scriptural mode of curing it. A band of godless men and women will often instal themselves in a conspicuous part of the chapel, and monopolise the singing to the grief of the pastor, the injury of the church, and the scandal of public worship; or else one man, with a miserable voice, will drag a miserable few after him in a successful attempt to make psalms and hymns hideous, or dolorous. Teach the lads and lasses, and their seniors, to run up and down the Sol-fa Modulator, and drill them in a few good, solid, thoroughly musical tunes, and you, O sons of Asaph, shall earn to yourself a good degree.

Song Devotional - The Scriptural Basis and Theology Behind "Hallelujah! What A Savior"

In 1875, Phillip Bliss wrote and published a hymn titled, "Man of Sorrows (What a Name)".  The hymn has now been published in every Baptist Hymnal dating back to the very first publication in 1956.  With lyrics such as, "Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
in my place condemned He stood" and "Full atonement, can it be? Hallelujah! What a Savior!", this hymn is full and rich in theology and expressions of worship.  

In 2011, Aaron Ivey (worship pastor at the Austin Stone church in Austin, Texas), in collaboration with other pastors from Austin Stone, took Bliss' hymn and did some slight rearranging and rewriting.  While maintating the melody, Ivey and the other pastors restructured the chord progression and some other slight aspects of the song.  Maintaining verses 1, 4, 5, and the context of verse 2, they rewrote the second verse.  Co-writer Halim Suh says, "What's really beautiful about old hymns like this is that they have lines like 'Bearing shame and scoffing rude.' But one of the bad things about old hymns like this is that they have lines like 'Bearing shame and scoffing rude.'"  Fellow co-writer Matt Carter adds, "It's not in common language."  So realizing this truth, they took the context of verse 2 and adapted it to make it more understandable and relative to today's worshippers.  

Aaron Ivey says that one of the values they hold to as a church and as a worship team is to lead their church in songs they can sing "boldly and anthemically."  With that mindset, after singing such theologically rich truths about our redemption through the cross and sacrifice of Jesus, the writers felt they needed a chorus to proclaim.  Which is where the lyrics "Hallelujah; Praise to the one whose blood has pardoned me; Oh what a Savior, Redeemer, and King; Your love has rescued me" come from.

Austin Stone Worship provides great resources for their songs.  They want worshippers to truly worship in spirit and in truth.  The truth aspect comes from knowing what you're singing and the truth of the scripture behind the songs you sing. Which is also the premise for this blog I author.  Because of this desire from Austin Stone Worship, they accompany each song they produce with what they refer to as a "Theology Paper".  For the bulk of the theology behind this particular song, I thought I'd let you read from the writers themselves.  Below is the "Theology Paper" released by Austin Stone Worship as well as a video of the writers discussing the story behind the song. 

Theology of Song: Hallelujah, What a Savior

“Man of sorrows, what a name for the Son of God who came...”

John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was in the beginning with God. (3) All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. (4) In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

From eternity’s past, Jesus was. He was in the beginning with God and He was God. He was the one and only eternal Son of God, coequal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, infinitely satisfied in the Trinitarian union absolutely independent from and not in need of creation. He was “before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light”1. This eternal God, this eternal Son, who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light,

became human...

Not only did He become human but Isaiah 53:3 tells us that He became a “man of sorrows”, despised and forsaken of men, like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

“Stand unclean, no one else could, In my place condemned He stood...”

But His humiliation didn’t stop there. Because all of mankind sinned against God we could not stand in His presence without the condemnation of being crushed by Him. We committed the most heinous act of evil by exchanging the goodness of our Creator for created things. And so the only one who was able to stand before the Almighty without shame, without guilt, without fear,

became sin...

2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

“Lifted up was He to die, “It is finished!” was His cry...”

And so Jesus lived the life that we couldn’t live and died the death that we should’ve died. Because God is just, He demanded a payment for our sin and that payment was death. But because God is gracious, He provided - at the cross - the payment that He Himself demanded. At a great cost to Himself, Jesus

became our ransom...

By becoming our ransom Jesus made another exchange. He credited us with his life which He lived to meet all the righteous requirements of the law and He received for Himself every drop of God’s wrath that was directed at us as sinners.

Rom 8:1-4 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. (3) For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, (4) so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

“Hallelujah, what a Savior!”

And so having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us, by taking it out of the way, and having nailed it to the cross, He

became our Savior!

And so what should our response be to this eternal Son of God who humbled Himself to become sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him? The only proper response seems to be, “Hallelujah, what a Savior!” They say that the word “Hallelujah”, which means “praise be to God”, is the only word that is the same in all languages. Almost as though God is preparing us for the day when every language will be gathered up in one accord to sing, “Hallelujah!” to our precious Jesus who became man, who became sin, who became our ransom, who became our Savior! 

Song Devotional - The Scriptural Basis and Theology Behind "It Is Well"

"It Is Well" was written by Kristene DiMarco and released on Bethel Music's album "You Make Me Brave" in 2014.  With obvious ties to the hymn written by Horatio Spafford in 1873, this worship song seeks to deliver a similar message to the believer singing and proclaiming the statement "It is well with my soul."  DiMarco says, "The hymn 'It Is Well With My Soul' is a reminder that our worship of God should not be based on our circumstances, but rather on who God is."

Horatio Spafford's story leading up to 1873, is a tragic one.  (You can hear the entirety by clicking here.)  Within a matter of 3 years, he suffered the loss of all 5 of his children as well as every financial investment he had.  Yet, because of his faith in who God is, he was able to pen the words, "Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul."

Kristene DiMarco's circumstances in 2014 that led to her writing of this song, were less tragic and dramatic (read the full story here.).  She and her husband had just moved to California and had moved in with his parents while beginning the search for their own house.  As they began to worry and fret about finding the right house, DiMarco says that God began to give her the phrase, "the waves and wind still know my name."  She began to think back on the story in Mark 4:35-41 of how Jesus speaks to the storm and it obeys His voice.  The Lord had brought her through many things that were bigger than finding a house, so why would she begin to doubt and question Him now?  If He is faithful to bring her through much bigger things, then He certainly will be faithful in the little things as well.  The wind and waves still know His name!

"Grander earth has quaked before. Moved by the sound of His voice. 

Seas that are shaken and stirred can be calmed and broken for my regard" 

This first verse came from the story of Kristene's and her husband's house hunting.  It's the reminder of how great and powerful our God is.  As we've already discussed, Mark 4:35-41 tells us the story of His power over creation.  He has that power because it's His creation.  Genesis 1 tells us that God simply spoke everything into being.  Yet, even as great and powerful as our God is, He still cares about us and our circumstances.  No matter how big or small they may be, God still cares (Matthew 6:26) and is still in control.

"Through it all, my eyes are on You. 

It is well with me."

Psalm 121:1-2 says, "I lift my eyes to the hills.  Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."  Our Creator is greater than our circumstances. When we keep our eyes on Him, we see Him for who He really is.  When we see Him for who He really is, we see His greatness and sovereignty over our circumstances.  At that point, our response can be "It is well with me!"

"Far be it from me to not believe even when my eyes can't see.  

And this mountain that's in front of me will be thrown into the midst of the sea ."

Our faith is based on Someone we cannot see.  Hebrews 11:1 and 3 says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible."  When we get our eyes on our circumstances rather than the One who controls them, our belief and our faith can suffer.  Our eyes turn to what we can see.  Our prayer should be that of the believer in Mark 9:24, "I believe!  Help my unbelief!"  When we fix our eyes on Him (Psalm 121:1-2), our faith grows (Matthew 17:20-21) and we realize that our Creator is far greater than the circumstances in front of us.  

"So let go my soul and trust in Him. 

The waves and wind still know His name."

This is our song of surrender!  Our song of trust!  As we've seen and read in Mark 4, Jesus spoke and the wind and waves obeyed.  Our God does not change!  Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever!"  Even today, we can let go and trust in Him.  The wind and waves still know His name!  He is still in control!

"It is well with my soul."

The song ends with one last reminder and declaration that with our eyes fixed on Jesus rather than our own circumstances, we can say "It is well with my soul!"

I close with the quote from the opening paragraph, "The hymn 'It Is Well With My Soul' is a reminder that our worship of God should not be based on our circumstances, but rather who God is."

Song Devotional - The Scriptural Basis and Theology Behind "10,000 Reasons"

10,000 reasons was written by Matt Redman and Jonas Myrin.  The song was the title track to Redman's eighth album that came out in 2012.  In regards to writing the songs, including the title track, Redman said to Worship Leader Magazine, "He (Jonas Myrin) played me an idea for some of the chorus melody, and I found it immediately inspiring. In fact, it felt like a perfect fit for a song based on the opening of Psalm 103. 

The song came together really quickly - a good chunk of the song was actually a spontaneous moment. I have no idea why some songs take months of writing and re-writing (like 'Blessed Be Your Name') and others arrive really swiftly (like this one). One thing I've realized over the years is there's no distinct rule that says that something composed quickly must therefore be more spiritual or inspired! Yes, God-breathed inspired worship songs can at times be written very quickly and spontaneously—but at other times they've involved a lot of perseverance, perspiration, and hard work!"

As Matt alluded to in the above quote, this song is based on Psalm 103 written by the psalmist, David.  This psalm is simply an outpouring of worship to the Lord from David's heart because of everything He has done for him, and in reality, for us as well.  Both this song written by Matt Redman and the psalm written by King David start off with the words "Bless the Lord, O my soul."  For me, this is somewhat of an intriguing phrase.  How do we bless the Lord?  Blessings are what we receive from Him when He gives us favor, or protection, or help, or His provisions.  In that regard, there's no way we can "bless the Lord."  In His holiness, we can't give Him our favor when our favor is tainted with sin.  We can't offer protection to the Omnipotent One.  We can't offer help to the Sovereign One.  We can't provide for the One who "owns the cattle on a thousand hills" (Psalm 50:10)  So, what exactly does the psalmist mean when he says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul"?  

I think we gain a better understanding of the praise David is offering to the Lord as we examine why he is offering this.  I encourage you before you read on in this post to stop and read through Psalm 103 (click here to read).  This passage is full of reasons we have to worship our Creator and Savior!  David is saying "Bless the Lord, O my soul" as an expression of worship, praise, thanks, and acknowledgement for all of the blessings that he has received from the Lord.  Worship, as defined by Redman in his book, "The Heart of Worship Files", is a response to a revelation.  As we see God for who He is, all that He has done for us, and all that He has promised us, our response should be to worship Him and bless Him with our words, our hearts and our lives.  Here are the reasons David lists in Psalm 103 as to why his heart cries, "Bless the Lord, O my soul":

• He forgives us. (vs. 3)

• He heals us. (vs. 3)

• He redeems us. (vs. 4)

• He shows us love and mercy. (vs. 5)

• He gives His righteousness to those who are unrighteous. (vs. 6)

• He is merciful and gracious. (vs. 7)

• He is slow to anger and full of love. (vs. 8)

• He doesn't deal with us according to our sin. (vs. 10)

• He doesn't give us what we deserve because of our sins. (vs. 10)

• He is comassionate. (vs. 13)

• He keeps His word and His promises even in our humanistic state. (vs. 14-18)

• He is our King. (vs. 19)

And so we sing...

"Bless the Lord O my soul! Worship His holy name.

Sing like never before O my soul! I'll worship Your holy name."

Because of everything Jesus has done for us, our hearts should be so full with thanksgiving and praise, that we sing like never before every Sunday (or every day for that matter) in worship to our King!  Yes, each day we sing to Jesus should be louder, more emphatic, and more passionate than the day before!

"The sun comes up it's a new day dawning. It's time to sing Your song again.

Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me; Let me be singing 

when the evening comes."

This can be a prayer we start every day with.  Understanding the fact that our lives are simply a, "...mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes"  (James 4:14), we should live each day for His glory.  Ephesians 1:3-6 and 2:4-7 tells us that God has predestined us for adoption and has raised us up with Him for a purpose.  We are called into communion with Him, not just for our benefit, but for a purpose.  Realizing that each day is a gift from Him and that He has a purpose for our lives, our prayer should be that each day we sing the song of His goodness.  We also, "...know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).  So, whatever may pass and whatever lies before us, we can continue to sing and praise our God because He is sovereign and He is in control! 

"You're rich in love and You're slow to anger.  Your name is great and Your heart is kind.  

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing 10,000 reasons for my heart to find."

In this verse, Matt Redman mentions a few reasons from Psalm 103 to worship the Lord and bless His name.  However, He also reminds us that even Psalm 103 just touches the surface of the 10,000+ reasons our heart and lives can bless the Lord.  

"And on that day when my strength is failing, the end draws near, and my time has come; 

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending 10,000 years and then forevermore!"

Here Matt Redman hints at the promise of eternity with Jesus that we have through salvation in Him.  This verse becomes a prayer for consistency in our lives.  May we have the same lifestyle of worship now until Jesus calls us home!  Redman also points to the beloved hymn John Newton wrote in 1779, "Amazing Grace", with the reference to 10,000 years: "When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun. We've no less days to sing God's praise, than when we've first begun."  How awesome will it be to be in the very presence of Jesus and be able to sing His praise 10,000 years and then forevermore?!

So this Sunday as you sing, or tomorrow for that matter, let's sing and worship louder, with more enthusiasm, and more passion than ever before!  And as you go throughout your days, there will be times that you forget the goodness of Jesus in your life.  In those times, when things seem dark or distant, ask the Lord to bring Psalm 103 to your mind.  Read that passage and cry out with the psalmist, "Bless the Lord, O my soul". Then join Matt Redman and declare, "For all Your goodness I will keep on singing 10,000 reasons for my heart to find!"

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Song Devotional - The Scriptural Basis and Theology Behind "Forever (We Sing Hallelujah)"

"Forever (We Sing Hallelujah)" was released by Kari Jobe in 2014 on her album titled "Majestic".  She co-wrote this song with Brian Johnson and a few others.  This song has become widely known, performed, and led in churches across the country.  It's a fantastic song that clearly paints a picture of the gospel, the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross, and the victory He now holds as the Conqueror of death, hell, and the grave.

Jobe and the other writers based this song on Revelation 5:13, "And I heard every creature in Heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 'To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!'"

As I have listened to and led this song over the last couple years, I continue to see what Scripture teaches about Jesus' accomplishment on the cross and the victory through His resurrection.  In Revelation 1:17-18 the apostle John writes, "When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead.  But He laid His right hand on me, saying, 'Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living One.  I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.'"

"The moon and stars they wept. The morning sun was dead. The Savior of the world was fallen. His body on the cross. His blood poured out for us. The weight of every curse upon Him"

The song begins to paint the picture of Jesus hanging on the cross in His final moments of life.  While we don't read in scripture about the moon and stars actually weeping, we do read that creation was impacted and devastated by the death of Jesus.  As Jesus died, we read in Mark 15:33, "And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour."  Later in the song, Matthew 27:51 is referred to.  That passage tells us that, "...the earth shook and the rocks were split."  Creation was impacted and devastated by the death of it's Creator.  What about us today?  Are we truly impacted by the death of our Creator?

"One final breath He gave as heaven looked away. The Son of God was laid in darkness.

A battle in the grave; The war on death was waged. The power of hell forever broken."

Matthew 27:46 says, "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'"  As the weight of every curse was laid upon Jesus, bearing our sin, dying in our place, God the Father, in His holiness, had no choice but to turn His back on His Son and the sin that He bore. John 19:30 says, "When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is Finished," and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit."  It is finished, Tetelestai in Greek, is such a powerful statement of completion.  The sacrifice was made.  Jesus, the lamb of God, was dead.  Literally dead.  His heart stopped beating.  He stopped breathing.  He was dead.  Joseph of Arimathea was given persmission to take His body, prepare it for burial, and place it in a tomb.  The stone was rolled in front of the tomb by the order of the government and Jesus' body remained there 3 days.  But praise God, He didn't stay there...

"The ground began to shake; The stone was rolled away! His perfect love could not be overcome!  Now death, where is your sting? Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated!"

If Jesus had remained in that tomb, if He died like anyone else and stayed dead, then His death is no more significant than any other claimed "god".  Many others have walked this earth and claimed to god or a god.  They die just like everyone else and you can visit their graves today.  We can't visit Jesus' grave!  Now sure, you can visit the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.  But, honestly, that is just speculated to be Jesus' tomb.  You know why?  Because He isn't there!  By Jesus rising from the dead, we now have the proof that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was sufficient for us!  Jefferson Bethke says, "The cross said, 'payment given', the resurrection says, 'payment accepted!'"  Jesus truly defeated death, defeated hell, and defeated the grave!  As those who put our faith and trust in Jesus and the good news of the gospel, we no longer have to fear death, hell, or the grave.  Paul tells us in Philippians 1:21, "...to die is gain."  We no longer have to fear death because when we die, we get to start to our eternity with Jesus!  1 Corinthians 15:54-57 says, "...'Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ."

Forever He is glorified!  Forever He is lifted high! 

Forever He is risen! He is alive!

It is Finished!  It's over!  It's done!  Jesus is forever risen!  He or anyone else will ever have to die for our sins again.  He proved that it's over and displayed His victory over sin by rising from the dead.  Now, He is forever glorified and lifted high!  Revelation chapter 4 paints a picture for us of those in Heaven worshiping the risen Savior.  Verse 8 tells that, "...day and night, they never cease to say, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!'"  Verse 10 and 11 go on to tell us that they, "...fall down before Him who is seated on the throne and worship Him forever and ever.  They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 'Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created.'"

"We sing hallelujah, the Lamb has overcome!"

Matthew 27:51a says, "And behold, the curtain of the the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom."  As Jesus died, the veil in the temple that separated the Holy of Holy's (where the presence of God literally dwelt) from the common places that people could access, was torn in two.  This miracle was God displaying that we now have open access to Him and His presence through the blood of Jesus.  So, as we accept Jesus as our Savior and believe that His sacrifice was sufficient as the atonement for our sins, we now can join the songs of Heaven we read about in Revelation.  

"Hallelujah" means "praise Yahweh".  So as we remember the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, the victory He displayed at the resurrection, and the victory we now have through Him, let's celebrate our Savior!  Let's sing Hallelujah, praise Yahweh, because the Lamb, our Savior, Jesus has overcome!