John Newton: Solid Joys, Lasting Treasure

From John Newton's hymn, "Glorious Things Of Thee Are Spoken," based on Psalm 87, which revels in the privileges of the believer and the precious promises held out to all who trust in Christ. This is the last verse. 

Savior, if of Zion's city

I, through grace, a member am

Let the world deride or pity;

I will glory in Thy name. 

Fading is the worldling's pleasure,

All his boasted pomp and show;

Solid joys and lasting treasure

None but Zion's children know

Lyrical Theology

A great work of God has been brought to my attention over the last couple weeks, and I want to take this opportunity to highlight what God is doing, so that He may rightly receive glory for His grace.

God is doing something big in the inner cities of America, and the evidence of this revival is the complete sea change in Christian rap over the last couple years.  Artists like Lecrae, Shai Linne, Trip Lee, Flame, and others are translating deep theology and rich biblical truth into brilliantly produced music that is easily on par with their secular counterparts.  As Lecrae explained in an interview with Mark Driscoll last year, hip hop plays a greater part in inner city culture than music does in the wider American culture.  Rappers aren't just cultural commentators-- they are the culture definers; hip hop doesn't just describe culture-- it creates culture.  The tragedy is that secular rap is probably the darkest genre of music out there today, full of drugs and sex and lies and violence and materialism.

Into this culture-forming crucible, however, the gospel is breaking in.  Last year, Shai Linne produced a spectacular album focusing on the atonement.  Lecrae's most recent album is a call to rebel against a secular and material culture by taking up the rallying cry of Christian hedonism.

In a very real way, what is happening in the inner cities is a new generation of hymn-writing.  Two and three hundred years ago, out of the spiritual power of the first and second Great Awakenings, came a flood of theology set to contemporary music-- hymns like Amazing Grace, And Can It Be, Crown Him With Many Crowns, Be Still My Soul, and others-- that are still with us today.  Today's Christian hip hop artists describe what they are doing as "lyrical theology"-- essentially translating biblical truth into lyrical, musical, rhythmical form.

While I don't think that rap is going to replace hymns or congregational worship, what is happening is still staggeringly wonderful.  Cities are always the birthplace of culture; as the cities go, so does the culture.  To see God moving in such powerful ways in such hard places is a testament to the amazing power of His grace.

Alleluia, Sing To Jesus

We sang "Alleluia, Sing To Jesus" in chapel yesterday, and the third verse was exactly what I needed to hear:

Alleluia!  Bread of angels, Thou on earth, our food, our stay
Alleluia!  Here the sinful flee to Thee from day to day
Intercessor, Friend of sinners, earth's Redeemer, plead for me
Where the songs of all the sinless sweep across the crystal sea

Singing alleluia with our lives

One of the songs we sang on Easter sunday was the hymn, "Now Let the Vault of Heaven Resound." It's a great hymn to the tune of "All Creatures of our God and King." The third verse in particular has stuck with me all week:

O fill us, Lord, with dauntless love;

Set heart and will on things above

That we conquer through Your triumph

Grant grace sufficient for life's day

That by our lives we ever say,

"Christ has triumphed! He is living!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!"

He lives to plead for me above

I've been translating the book of Hebrews from the Greek this semester, and this week I'm on chapter 7.  Verse 25 in particular is especially powerful during this Easter season, reminding me of why the resurrection is such good news:

Therefore He is also able to save completely the ones who come near to God through Him, because He always lives to plead for them.  ~Hebrews 7:25 (my translation)

The good news of Easter is three-fold: because of the resurrection, we who trust in Christ are "saved completely," can draw near to God, and can know that Jesus always stands before the Father pleading on our behalf.  We have an ever-living Advocate and Savior in the courtroom of heaven.

Hebrews 7-10 unpacks all of this, and ends with the application of what this Easter gospel should mean in our lives every day:  "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain... let us draw near to God with a true heart in full assurance of faith."  Amen!

One of my favorite Easter hymns is "I Know that My Redeemer Lives."  The third verse in particular stood out to me today, in light of Hebrews 7:25--

He lives to bless me with His love

He lives to plead for me above

He lives my hungry soul to feed

He lives to help in time of need

He Is Risen!

A new hymn I had never heard before, from the new LCMS hymnbook:


All the earth with joy is sounding:
Christ has risen from the dead!
He, the greater Jonah, bounding
From the grave, His three-day bed.
Wins the prize:
Death's demise--
Songs of triumph fill the skies

Christ, the devil's might unwinding,
Leaves behind His borrowed tomb.
Stronger He, the strong man binding,
Takes, disarms his house of doom;
In the rout
Casting out
Pow'rs of darkness, sin, and doubt

Jesus, author of salvation,
Shared in our humanity;
Crowned with radiant exaltation,
Now He shares His victory!
From His face
Shines the grace
Meant for this, our fallen race

Praise the Lord, His reign commences,
Reign of life and liberty-
Paschal Lamb, for our offenses,
Slain and raised to set us free!
Evermore
Bow before
Christ, the Lord of Life adore!




He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

O God the Holy Spirit

This is a new hymn written by David Ward from over at ReformedPraise.org (which is a GREAT site, I highly recommend it!).  It's based on the prayer, "The Spirit's Work" from The Valley of Vision.  It's a wonderful song that celebrates the Spirit's work in giving us peace, assurance in the cross, and a soul-satisfying vision of Christ.  Click here to go over to Reformed Praise and listen to the song or download the mp3, chord chart, or lead sheet.


O God the Holy Spirit
Eternal One of Three
My comforter and teacher,
Be merciful to me.
You hovered over chaos
The land and sea to part;
So manifest Your power
To calm my restless heart.

O God the Holy Spirit
Direct me to the cross
Where I can see the suffering
My waywardness has cost
In Jesus' death please show me
The power of my sin
And by His life convince me
This battle He will win

O God the Holy Spirit
Put Jesus on display:
Remind me how my Savior
Took all my guilt away.
My sins were all forgiven
And satisfaction made;
Atonement was completed,
My captive soul was saved.

O God the Holy Spirit
Come deepen and impart
These saving, loving lessons
Upon my desperate heart
That I might loathe my evil
And flee from Satan's snares
Then run to my Redeemer
And cast on Him my cares

The Sinner's Hiding Place

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered...

You are a hiding place for me;

You preserve me from trouble;

You surround me with shouts of deliverance.

~Psalm 32:1,7

How precious is the Gospel!  The knowledge of God's costly grace, freely given to us, is blessing and joy and comfort beyond measure.  Blessed is the one whose sin has been covered-- but covered by what, and by whom?  Verse 7 gives the answer-- we are covered by God Himself, who becomes for us a hiding place from the ravages of sin and wrath.  The hymn "Hiding Place" grasps this sweet truth:

You know the vileness of my heart

So prone to act the rebel's part

And when You veil Your lovely face

How can I find a hiding place?

Lord Jesus, shine and then I can

Feel sweetness in salvation's plan

And as a sinner plead for grace

To Christ, the sinner's hiding place

"Christ, the sinner's hiding place."  What a precious, precious phrase!

God knows, and I know in glimpses, the deep vileness of my heart.  I know who I am and what I deserve, and I am grateful that God daily reminds me of this in His Word.  And even more, I am so thankful that as a sinner I can plead for grace to Christ, the sinner's hiding place.

Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling

Today in my Through-the-Bible reading I was in Exodus 17, when Israel defeats the Amalekites.  As long as Moses kept his staff raised, the Israelites prevailed, but when he grew tired and lowered his hands, the Amalekites prevailed.  So Aaron and Hur held up his hands, and Israel won the battle.  I was moved by the humility of Aaron-- all he was doing was holding up the great prophet's hands.  It reminded me of the hymn, "Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling:"

Hark, the voice of Jesus calling,

"Who will go and work today?

Fields are ripe and harvests waiting,

Who will bear the sheaves away?"

Long and loud the Master calls us,

Rich rewards He offers free;

Who will answer, gladly saying,

"Here am I, send me, send me"?

If you cannot cross the ocean

And the distant lands explore,

You can find the lost around you,

You can help them at your door.

If you cannot give your thousands,

You can give the widow's mite;

What you truly give for Jesus

Will be precious in His sight.

If you cannot speak like angels,

If you cannot preach like Paul,

You can tell the love of Jesus,

You can say He died for all.

If you cannot rouse the wicked

With the judgment's dread alarms,

You can lead the little children

To the Savior's waiting arms.

If you cannot be the watchman

Standing high on Zion's wall,

Pointing out the path to heaven,

Offering life and peace to all,

With your prayers and with your bounties

You can do what God demands;

You can be like faithful Aaron,

Holding up the prophet's hands.

Let none hear you idly saying,

"There is nothing I can do."

While the souls of men are dying

And the Master calls for you.

Take the task He gives you gladly;

Let His work your pleasure be;

Answer quickly when He calls you,

"Here am I, send me, send me."

Complete In Thee

This is a hymn I heard for the first time today, which blew me away with the depth of its celebration and exaltation of Christ's work.  It captures so well the glory of the atonement and the glory of Christ as the all-satisfying treasures that they are.  Praise Him for His wondrous grace!  

A modern rendition of this song can be found on iTunes by the band "Driven To One."

Complete in Thee! No work of mine

May take, dear Lord, the place of Thine

Thy blood hath pardon bought for me

And I shall stand complete in Thee

Yea, justified! O blessed thought!

And sanctified, salvation wrought!

Thy blood hath pardon bought for me

And glorified, I too, shall be!

Complete in Thee, no more shall sin

Thy grace hath conquered; reign within!

Thy voice shall bid the tempter flee

And I shall stand complete in Thee

Yea justified! O blessed thought!

And sanctified, salvation wrought!

Thy blood hath pardon bought for me

And glorified, I too, shall be!

Complete in Thee, each want supplied

And no good thing to me denied

Since Thou my portion, Lord, will be

I ask no more, complete in Thee

Yea, justified! O blessed thought!

And sanctified, salvation wrought!

Thy blood hath pardon bought for me

And glorified, I too, shall be!

Dear Savior, when before Thy bar

All tribes and tongues assembled are

Among Thy chosen I shall be

At Thy right hand, complete in Thee

Yea, justified! O blessed thought!

And sanctified, salvation wrought!

Thy blood hath pardon bought for me

And glorified, I too, shall be!