The Heart of Worship

Posted on 2013/06/23 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 28:7 says: “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him.” If one asks, “How does one ‘exult’ in God, like the scripture says elsewhere?” or “What is the key to a more exultant worship today?”, the answer is here:

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The Commitment of the Redeemed

Posted on 2013/06/22 by Shawn Thomas

The First Commandment (Exodus 20:2-3) is based on the redemptive work of God:
“I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage …”. He reminds them first of all that He had redeemed them from their captivity. Then, BECAUSE He had redeemed them, they were to give Him their undivided allegiance as described in the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” This same commitment applies to believers under the New Covenant as well.

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An Unusual Mark of Revival

Posted on 2013/06/21 by Shawn Thomas

In Exodus 35, God had asked the people of Israel to voluntarily bring items for the construction of the tabernacle. Verse 21 says: “Everyone whose heart moved him” gave. But in Exodus 36:5, the skillful men in charge of construction said to Moses: “The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work …”. And in :6, Moses had to issue a command for the people to STOP bringing contributions! Continue reading →

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Seeking God

Posted on 2013/06/20 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 24:6 says: “Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob”. What is the “such” that is referred to here? HOW do you “seek the face of the God of Jacob”? Those are important questions. Psalm 24 opens by saying that God is the Lord of all the earth. Since that is so, the most important thing anyone can do is to seek Him. Scripture commands us elsewhere to seek the Lord. But HOW do you do this?

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Who May Ascend?

Posted on 2013/06/19 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 24 opens by declaring that Yahweh, the God of Israel, is the God of ALL the earth (“the earth is the Lord’s”). The next verse (:3) asks a vital question: “Who may ascend into the hill of YHWH, and who may stand in His holy place?” Having established that there is a God, Yahweh, to Whom belongs the whole world and everything in it, then the single most important question in life is: how may you know Him? If one ignores this question, he is missing the whole point of life.
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The Earth is the Lord’s

Posted on 2013/06/18 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 24 seems to be divided up into 3 distinct sections:

— :1-2 The Lord’s creation and Lordship over all the world
— :3-6 The holiness required of those who would seek the Lord
— :7-10 The entrance of the King of glory

All 3 sections speak of qualities of God: as Creator; as Holy; as Glorious. The first section reminds us of some fundamental truths about the God of the Bible: Continue reading →

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They Will Perish, But You Remain

Posted on 2013/06/17 by Shawn Thomas

Hebrews 1 quotes a number of Old Testament scriptures to prove the deity and superiority of Christ. Verse 11, quoting Psalm 102:26, says of the heavens and earth, which Christ created, “they will perish, but You remain.” It is always good for us to remember that every created thing will perish, everything on which we might be tempted to set our hope, or love inordinately:

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Finding His Path

Posted on 2013/06/16 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 25:4 David prayed: “make me know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths.” Many of us might echo his prayer. But how will this happen? Look later in the Psalm:

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Bring Me Out!

Posted on 2013/06/15 by Shawn Thomas

We often point out how God uses trials and difficulties for His purposes — and the repeated witness of scripture is that He certainly DOES do that. But here in Psalm 25:17 David entreats God: “Bring me OUT of my distresses.” Continue reading →

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Can God Have A God?

Posted on 2013/06/14 by Shawn Thomas

In Hebrews 1:8-9 there are two seemingly contradictory truths which only orthodox Christian doctrine can rightly reconcile: Continue reading →

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