Our God Reigns Over All TUNE TO: “How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds” CM WORDS BY Jim Byrd
1. The Lord Jehovah governs all, And does His perfect will; His counsel He shall bring to pass, With His unerring skill.
2. Throughout His spacious universe, The Lord has sovereign sway; In heaven and upon this earth, All things His will obey.
3. Rejoice ye people of the Lord, This word of comfort hear; That God your Lord reigns over all, Should cancel ev’ry fear.
4. He reigns in splendor so be calm, This is our confidence; The Lord works all things for our good, So trust His providence. *****
“I will praise Thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all Thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in Thee: I will sing praise to Thy name, O Thou most High.” (Psalm 9:1-2) *****
Of What Use Is the Law? “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:18-19). The law of God is strict, demanding, unyielding and just. It makes no allowances for disobedience. The rule of God is clear: “it shall be perfect to be accepted” (Leviticus 22:21). God’s law knows no mercy. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20:). The first law given in the Word of God is indicative of all divine law: break it and you face a just recompense of reward, death. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17). Why was the law given? It was given to expose the exceeding sinfulness of our guilt, to make us aware of the consequences of violating even one precept, to set forth the impossibility of salvation by works and to drive us to the only Savior of law-breakers. “The law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ” (Galatians 3:24). The law demanded death for sin. Christ Jesus took upon Himself all of the indebtedness of His people to the law and died under its curse. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). The law does not leave any wiggle-room for the sinner. Be perfect before a holy God, or die. Thank God for Christ Jesus and His righteous compliance to the whole law. “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). We are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). God justifies transgressors of His law through the righteous obedience and substitutionary, justice-satisfying death of His Son. How do we know that God accepted our Savior and His sacrifice for sin? He “was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25). “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one who believeth” (Romans 10:4). –Pastor Jim Byrd *****
Avoid the “Self” Sins The “self” sins are self-righteousness, self-pity, self-sufficiency, self-admiration, self-love, and I’m sure there are others. They dwell too deep within us and are too much a part of our fallen sinful human nature to come to our attention till the light of God in Christ is focused on them. How can we avoid these sins? We cannot avoid them perfectly in this life, but by seeking and following the Lord Jesus Christ we do not allow these sins to overcome us unto condemnation. Sinners can only do this by the sovereign grace and power of God. By the power of God the Holy Spirit we are convicted of all sin so that we see no goodness in ourselves. By the power of the Holy Spirit we are brought to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ so that we lose ourselves in Him. Christ, then, becomes ALL, and in ALL so that we can no longer glory in ourselves. We see Christ as our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). This is true self-denial. Christ said, “Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34). As believers, we fight these “self” sins by always keeping the glory of God in Christ and the good of others before our eyes. The “self” sins are the product of thinking only of ourselves. Let’s set our minds “on things above” (Christ) (Colossians 3:2), and not on ourselves. Let’s “think on the things of others” and not on ourselves (Philippians 2:4). --Pastor Bill Parker
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