All Hail The Power of Jesus Name

ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS’ NAME

Some people call the hymn the “National Anthem of Christendom”.  The words of this hymn were written by Edward Perronet. He born in England in 1726. His father was an Anglican minister and he initially followed in his footsteps.

Perronet worked for a while with John and Charles Wesley in the Methodist movement. He fell out with them later, particularly John, because of his attacks on the Church of England and because he did not always obey John’s orders. He finally becoming a minister of an independent congregational church.

His dying words were "Glory to God in the height of His divinity! Glory to God in the depth of his humanity! Glory to God in His all-sufficiency! Into His hands I commend my spirit."

Here are the words as he wrote them.

All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall;

Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.

Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.

Let highborn seraphs tune the lyre, and as they tune it, fall

Before His face Who tunes their choir, and crown Him Lord of all.

Before His face Who tunes their choir, and crown Him Lord of all.

Crown Him, ye morning stars of light, who fixed this floating ball;

Now hail the strength of Israel’s might, and crown Him Lord of all.

Now hail the strength of Israel’s might, and crown Him Lord of all.

Crown Him, ye martyrs of your God, who from His altar call;

Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod, and crown Him Lord of all.

Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod, and crown Him Lord of all.

Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race, ye ransomed from the fall,

Hail Him Who saves you by His grace, and crown Him Lord of all.

Hail Him Who saves you by His grace, and crown Him Lord of all.

Hail Him, ye heirs of David’s line, whom David Lord did call,

The God incarnate, Man divine, and crown Him Lord of all,

The God incarnate, Man divine, and crown Him Lord of all.

Sinners, whose love can ne’er forget the wormwood and the gall,

Go spread your trophies at His feet, and crown Him Lord of all.

Go spread your trophies at His feet, and crown Him Lord of all.

Let every tribe and every tongue before Him prostrate fall

And shout in universal song the crownèd Lord of all.

And shout in universal song the crownèd Lord of all.

Another verse was later added by John Rippon in 1787. Here is that verse, which is included in the versions of most modern hymnals.

O that, with yonder sacred throng, we at His feet may fall,

Join in the everlasting song, and crown Him Lord of all,

Join in the everlasting song, and crown Him Lord of all!

The hymn reflects Philippians 2:8-9:

“God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

MEDITATION MONDAY

“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.” Psalm 119:15

Thinking has fallen into ill repute in our time and culture. We want everything to be quick and painless. You see this in social media. On Facebook, people will read a headline and post a comment on it without reading the article. People like Twitter because the comments are no more than 140 characters long. Some would rather have a photograph with a hashtag.

You cannot grow in your walk with the Lord this way. You cannot get to know him through his word by reading one verse and going on your way.

The Psalmist of Psalm 119 understood this. He meditated on God’s words, delighted in them and memorized them.

Meditation is not magical. It is not the meditation that comes from eastern religions where you empty your mind to relax. The purpose is not to relax, but to know and understand God.

Meditation is, in simplest terms, thinking about God as revealed in his word. The Psalmist may only have had the Law, the first five books of the Bible on which to reflect. He certainly did not have the whole Bible as we do. Yet, he meditated on the things the Lord said to do and he delighted in them.

It may be hard for us to imagine meditating on the law, much less delighting in it. We would rather meditate on God’s love, or on verses that speak to our peace or joy. Yet, the Psalmist found joy in his meditation because it God’s law revealed God’s character. It also showed a person the best way to live.

The Psalmist’s meditations allowed him to fix his eyes on the ways of God. He pursued holiness because God is holy. His pursuit was not onerous, but joyful, because his meditations have brought him to see the excellence of the God and his ways.

You can do this. You will need to do it deliberately, though. It will not happen without a plan. So, set aside some time for this. Pick a book of the Bible, read a passage, and meditate on it. Think about what it says about God. Think about what it says about you. Praise God for the things it says about him. Pray for help with the things it says about you. Confess sin, be thankful and enjoy the presence of the Lord. 

You will soon find that you delight in the Lord and in his word.

WARNING & ENCOURAGEMENT - LUKE 12:1-12

Warning & Revelation
12:1-3

While Jesus was at the Pharisee’s house, the crowd had continued to grow.  That might have been in response to his casting out a demon and having a confrontation with the Pharisees. Luke wrote that there were many thousands and they were actually trampling each other.

When Jesus returned, he addressed his disciples. (1) The crowd may have been able to hear him, but he directed his words to his disciples. His warning contained the same theme as his accusation against the Pharisees at dinner: their hypocrisy.

Jesus warned them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. He used an example from bread baking, something that was familiar to the people.

Leaven is like yeast or baking soda. It might even be like a sourdough starter. When added to dough, it will spread through, permeate, the dough. It changes the character of the dough. Unleavened bread is flat and brittle. Leavened bread rises and is soft.

The leaven Jesus referred to was hypocrisy. It can corrupt a person. It can spread through an entire congregation and corrupt it, as people do things only for show and there is no real affection for the Lord.

Jesus also warned them that they would not get away with hypocrisy. He said everything that is hidden will be revealed. What is said in the dark will be heard in the light. What is said in private will proclaimed on roof tops. (2-3)

God reveals sin. He does it in different ways. Sometimes he will address it will directly with you. Cain tried to hide the murder of Abel, but God confronted him and imposed a punishment on him. (Genesis 4) David committed adultery and murder, trying to keep it a secret. But God sent Nathan the prophet to confront him. (2 Samuel 11-12)

Sometimes he reveals it through another person who was part of the sin. Judah did not keep his promise to his daughter-in-law, to give her another of his sons to marry after his son, Er, died. Later, he slept with her, thinking she was a prostitute (she fooled him with her dress). She got pregnant. When Judah started to punish her, she produced his signet ring and staff. He had to admit he had not been righteous. (Genesis 38)

At some point, all will be revealed. All that we try to hide will be uncovered and proclaimed. It may happen soon, it may happen later. But it will happen. As my mother used to say, your sins will find you out.

Of course, God knows who and what you are. There is no hiding from him. Remember that God told Samuel “the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart”. (1 Samuel 16:7)

One reason God does this is for your sanctification. He prefers to rid you of sin and make you holy more than to allow you to get away with sin. Another reason is that God hates sin. He cannot tolerate it in his people. It dishonors him and it dishonors the church.

J. C. Ryle wrote:
Let me counsel every true servant of Christ to examine his own heart frequently and carefully before God. This is a practice, which is useful at all times; it is especially desirable at this present day. When the great plague of London was at its height, people took note of the smallest symptoms that appeared on their bodies in a way that they never noticed them before. A spot here, a spot there, which in time of health, men thought nothing of, received close attention when the plague was decimating families and striking down one after another! We ought to watch our hearts with double watchfulness. We ought to give more time to meditation, self-examination and reflection. It is a hurting, bustling age; if we would keep from falling, we must take time for being frequently alone with God.

David came to do this in his own life. Psalm 139:23-24 says: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and led me in the way everlasting.” That is a good place to start. Pray this prayer and let God lead you to greater sanctification and holiness.

Whom To Fear?
12:4-7

Jesus also went on to tell his disciples not to fear those who kill the body. He knew that persecution would come. Some of it would come from the Pharisees and other Jews. Some would come from the Romans.

Some Jews from a certain synagogue stoned Stephen to death. (Acts 6-7) That execution was supervised and approved by a Pharisee named Saul. Herod the king “laid violent hands” on some church members and killed James. (Acts 21-2)

The thought of persecution, especially physical torture or death, is scary. But Jesus said not to be afraid of the persecutors, because they could kill the body but nothing else. (4)They cannot touch your spirit which goes to heaven when you die.

Instead, Jesus said to fear the one who has authority to cast into hell. (5) For the lost person, this is a thing that should be feared. The New Testament speaks of the wrath of God that will come upon unsaved sinners.

For the man or woman who is in Christ, that fear turns to loving reverence. It also turns to trust. That is why Jesus told them that God knew every sparrow and every hair on our heads. (7) We are more valuable than sparrows to God. He knows us. He knows our sufferings. He is with us in it all and we can trust him to get us through it.

Acknowledging Christ
12:8-12

Jesus encouraged his disciples to be faithful. He said those who acknowledge him before men will receive acknowledgment by Christ before the angels of God. (8) He spoke here of the judgment. When we are in Christ and faithful to him, he claims us as his own in heaven. This is the picture we say in Revelation 20, when men and women are judged before the throne. Two books were opened. One was the book of life and the other was a book of deeds. Judgment ensued. Those whose names were written in the book of life were received into heaven acknowledged by Christ. Those who were not were judged and found guilty by their deeds, and were cast into the lake of fire. Jesus said those who deny him before men would be denied by him in heaven at the judgment.

Jesus added a warning to those who did not acknowledge him. He said that one who spoke a word against him could be forgiven, but one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. (10) This is sometimes referred to as the unpardonable sin. The meaning of this is often debated.

So, what is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Why is this sin unforgivable?

The context here goes back to verse 14. Jesus cast a demon out of a man who was mute. The man spoke. Therefore, there was no question that Jesus had performed this miracle.

But some in the crowd cast aspersion on the source of Jesus’ power. They said he cast out demons by the power of the devil. (15) But he did not. Jesus cast out the demon by, or in, the power of the Holy Spirit. These critics were, therefore, attributing the power of the Holy Spirit to the power of Satan.

Jesus called this blasphemy. The English word “blasphemy” is a transliteration of the Greek word “blasphemeo”, which means to revile, defame, speak evil of, or to hurt another’s reputation.

First of all, Jesus shows us that the Holy Spirit is God. Otherwise, you could not blaspheme him.

Second, we know the role of the Holy Spirit is to reveal spiritual truth to us. He convicts us of our sin and God’s judgment. He shows us that Christ is the way to salvation. We see this in Jesus’ description in John 15 and 16.

It appears, then, that the unforgivable sin occurs when one so reviles the Holy Spirit that he withdraws from that person and never again leads him to repent. Not being able to repent, that person cannot be forgiven.

Jesus did not specifically say that the Jews had committed the unpardonable sin, but they were at least close in claiming his work was the work of the devil. At the very least, Jesus issued a stern warning to them.

Having issued this warning, which was part of his encouragement for the disciples to be faithful, Jesus returned to his theme of not fearing those who persecute. He said when, not if, they bring you before authorities to defend yourself, do not be anxious about what you should say. The reason we need not be anxious is that the Holy Spirit will teach us what to say. (12)

We saw this very thing happen in the book of Acts. In Acts 4, Peter and John were brought before the Jewish council and questioned about healing a man. Peter responded with a speech that Jesus, whom they crucified, was the Christ. The council was surprised at Peter’s words, knowing he was uneducated and common. They had no words to respond to Peter. So, they threatened them and let them go.

In Acts 5, Peter was arrested again and again he testified that Jesus was killed, but resurrected and exalted to God’s right hand. Stephen preached a long sermon before his execution, basically summarizing the Old Testament. Paul witnessed to Felix, the governor, at his trial and made such an impression that Felix summoned him to come speak to him some more privately. He shared his conversion story with King Agrippa while on trial.

In all these cases, and others, the Holy Spirit did just what Jesus said: he gave believers the words to say when on trial for their faith.

Be true. Be faithful. Be courageous, not anxious. God cares for you and will be with you.

THEOLOGY THURSDAY - PENAL SUBSTITUTION

PENAL SUBSTITUTION

The concept of penal substitution has been the orthodox view of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross from the beginning. However, it periodically comes under attack. It is under attack now

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What is penal substitution? It is the idea that Christ’s sacrifice, his sacrificial death on the cross, was offered in payment for our sin. The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) Christ died in our place, so that we would not die but live eternally

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The New Testament teaches us this doctrine.

“For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die – but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8)

When the New Testament says “Christ died for us”, it means “in our place” or “as our substitute”. This is not mysterious language: we use it today. A wife might say she was supposed to do some onerous task, but her husband did it for her. She meant he did it in her place. Someone else might say I was supposed to be in that meeting, but someone else attended for me. That means the person appeared as a substitute for the one who was supposed to attend the meeting.

Paul included this concept in his definition of the Gospel. He wrote: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins…” (1 Corinthians 15:3)

John taught this doctrine as well. He wrote: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us…” (1 John 3:16)

We have memorialized this doctrine in our music as well. For example, in the hymn “The Old Rugged Cross”, written by George Bennard, the first stanza says “and I love that old cross where the dearest and best (Jesus) for a world of lost sinners was slain”.

  

Although it uses metaphor, William Cowper’s hymn “There is a Fountain” carries the same message. It says “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins; and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.”

It is important that we defend and maintain this important doctrine. If Jesus was willing to bear the suffering of the cross, bearing the penalty of our sin, we should not let anyone belittle or deny penal substitution without our vigorous protest and defense.

WISDOM WEDNESDAY

One reason the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom is that God is the source of wisdom. He is “all wise”.

Paul exclaimed “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33)

Job said “With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding.” (Job 12:13)

Daniel said “Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him.” (Daniel 2:20)

God said “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways... For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

There is no limit to the wisdom of God. His wisdom is infinite. Psalm 147:5 says his understanding is beyond measure.

   

Since God is all wise, he has wisdom to give his people. He will give it to those who seek it. Proverbs 2:6 says “for the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come wisdom and understanding”.

if we want to be wise, we will ask God to give us wisdom. James wrote: “if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Wisdom will benefit you greatly in life. It will allow you to ascertain good from evil. Paul exhorted the Roman church to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. (Romans 16:19) Since we live in a world that constantly condemns good and exalts evil, it is important that obtain wisdom to discern the truth.

Wisdom allows you to discern the true practice of Christianity from the false. The false practice is the practice of works. Paul called self-abasement and sever treatment of the body a self-made religion having no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

God gives us wisdom in response to our asking for it. The main way he imparts wisdom to us is through his Word. Certain parts of the Bible, such as Proverbs, are “wisdom literature”. They directly teach you principles of wisdom. I know people who have read one chapter of Proverbs every day of their adult lives. They are wiser for doing so.

Additionally, we know that all of God’s word imparts wisdom. 2 Timothy 3:16 says all Scripture is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. Therefore, we should devour God’s word constantly. One verse per day with a devotional book is insufficient. We need to take in large portions of Scripture regularly and constantly to obtain God’s wisdom.