Power, Permanence and Perfection

The power of an endless life...his priesthood unchangeable...perfected forevermore...(Hebrews 7:16b, 24b, 28b)(ASV)


Here's another devotional by Dr. Douglas B. MacCorkle from the book, Beside the Still Waters. Dr. MacCorkle speaks of the power, permanence and perfection of the ultimate High Priest, Jesus.


Power, Permanence and Perfection


These are factors which cannot be found even in the only God-given religion of Israel: (1) the power of an endless life, (2) the permanence of an unchangeable priesthood, (3) the perfection of an unequaled priest.


The power of an endless life (Heb. 7:1-17). This is the subject to which the author of Hebrews has been continually desiring to address himself (see 5:11). It is set forth here against the background of two Old Testament orders of priesthood: (1) Melchizedek (7:1-10), (2) Aaronic (7:11-28). The Aaronic priesthood naturally loomed largest to the Hebrew. Fifteen hundred years under Aaron eclipsed any knowledge of the other priesthood. During these years Israelites saw that their many Aaronic priests failed to live long. The situation cried for one who had the power that derives from an endless life. Men need a priest who will not be interrupted by death (see 7:23).


The permanence of an unchangeable priesthood. The Aaronic priesthood was not the first priesthood. It was a temporary arrangement at best. Because (7:24) Jesus had the power of an endless life, His priesthood will not and need not be changed. Thus (7:25) He is able to save to the full consummation all who draw near to God through Him. This means also that He performs a sustaining priestly ministry to believers, called "intercession", while we are walking here below.


The perfection of an unequaled priest (7:28). We have seen the importance of the endless life which He has, and the unchangeable priesthood which He holds. Now we are asked to note that He stands as the perfect or complete priest. There has never been another like Him. This is the kind of high priest that fits our need (7:26). No wonder that He is the surety (7:22) of a better convenant (i.e., better than the Mosaic covenant). This is especially wonderful when we recognize that this power, permanence and perfection are for our profit.


Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper

The Irresistible Word of God

The word of God is living, and active...(Hebrews 4:12a)(ASV)

Here is another devotional from Dr. Douglas B. MacCorkle from Hebrews which speaks about the nature of the living Word of God:

The Irresistible Word of God

Faith gives the believer a tremendous advantage. Think of the wide expanse you have in God's Word. The exercise of your faith on this Word will bring you great profit (see 4:1,2 in contrast).

Now the Word of God is by nature good news. It is on a Divine mission. It will accomplish its mission (Isa. 55:11). It is irresistible. Here's why:

It is living. The Word of God is saturated in reality. It is not only an account composed of facts, but also a full quota of truth on the point of which it speaks. You can put your finger on the pulse of this Word and feel it throbbing with life. It is throbbing with a life which is not corruptible (1 Pet. 1:23).

It produces and promotes life wherever it is mixed with faith (4:1-2). This Word is not dead or dying; neither is it dull. Many are dead who have heard the Word, but the Word still lives actively. In this Word is all the wisdom of eternity. This Word spells out the will of God so that you may do the work of God in God's way.

It works best in the heart of man. Like a seed it germinates in the soil of the heart (Matt. 13:3-9; 18-23). Because it is a living seed, the Word of God goes to work in a directed way (the term "active" means "in-work").

The Word of God is keener (sharper) at getting to its objective than even a two-edged sword. It penetrates even through the soul and spirit (the joints and marrow of the inner man). Thus, it is able to judge or discern (discriminate) the inner feelings and thinking process of the heart. In giving us God's Word (account of things), it demands of us and accounting (4:13c). Later, before Him with Whom we have to do, we must give our account of the work of the Word of God in our heart.

Singing His Praises,

Joey Culpepper

Seriousness About Salvation

For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding, and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment, how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? (Hebrews 2: 2-3a)(HCSB)


Here's a devotional by Dr. Douglas B. MacCorkle from the daily devotional book Beside the Still Waters. It speaks of warnings about salvation and how we can successfully heed one of those warnings.


Seriousness About Salvation


There are seven large and serious warnings about salvation in the epistle to the Hebrews (2:14; 3:7-19; 4:11-13; 5:11-6:20; 10:26-31; 12:25-29; 13:9-15). Our text of the day is central to the first warning. This is a warning against being drifted past the steadfast word which Christ came all the way from heaven to plant in our hearts.


There are two excellent ways to heed this warning successfully.


1.  Let the Word of Christ dominate your thinking process. It will give you permanent stability. Tie your mind tightly (consider) to the Word of Christ. Read it. Memorize it. Study it. Recite it. Review it. Constantly pass it on to others. Only by use will you come to know its real value. We must all be Bible students. Then, 2:2 speaks negatively to the same point--do not take life lightly in view of the Word of Christ. The word of Moses, the Mosaic Law, was severe on the transgressor. The Word of Grace contains far more advantages for the believer and far more severity for the one who takes it lightly.


2.   Let the wealth of Christ delight your thinking process. The greatness of this salvation dawns as we add up the assets and advantages found in this salvation. While we must respect and avoid the severity-side of this salvation, we must see how attractive and great is its value. This means that we are delighted to get into the treasure house of this salvation and explore it for our own spiritual profit. God's salvation intends that we grow in Grace (2 Peter 3:18).

We only see a little of the ocean,

a few miles distance from the rocky shore;

But, oh, out there beyond the eye's horizon,

There's more---there's more!

----Author Unknown

Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper

Aaron

No one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He has to be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. (Heb. 5:4)(NLT)

The following is a worship profile of Aaron from the Praise and Worship Study Bible published by Tyndale House Publishers. I highly recommend this study bible for anyone who wishes to learn more about worship.

Aaron

Some people have greatness thrusted upon them, as William Shakespeare once reminded us. This might have been the case with Aaron, Moses' older brother. When we consider the responsibility that was placed upon Aaron, it is easy to imagine that he felt singled out for a task that was beyond his abilities. God chose Aaron to address Pharoah, since Moses felt incapable of speaking publicly. Despite the difficulty of the task, however, Aaron obeyed God. After the Israelites left Egypt, God chose Aaron again for the immense responsibility of mediator and worship leader of the Israelite community. Aaron fulfilled this role faithfully until his death.

Aaron the Worshiper

Aaron's divine calling did not prevent him from committing serious errors. He led Israel in its first act of idolatry, making a gold calf for the Israelites to worship. Later he joined his sister, Miriam, in a serious challenge to Moses' authority. Eventually Aaron recognized his sin, however, and repented, and God showed him forgiveness.

Once each year on the Day of Atonement, Aaron was appointed to enter the Most Holy Place--into the very presence of God--and make atonement for the sins of all the people. He represented the Israelites in a sacred meeting with God.

Learning from Aaron

Worship that is done according to the Lord's design is pleasing to him. Regarding the sacrifices offered by Aaron and the priests, there are at least seventeen instances in the book of Leviticus where an offering is described as  "pleasing to the Lord." In the same way, our acts of obedience and service today are acceptable sacrifices to God (Phillipians 4:18).

As mediator between God and his people, Aaron was the forerunner of a greater High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, our High Priest and Mediator, is the perfect representative of humanity in the presence of God. We may now come before God because of Christ's atoning work.

Following the Example

When we worship, we should recognize, as Aaron did, that we do not come before God on our own merits, for we are completely unworthy to do so. Yet at the same time we should worship with complete confidence that God has called us to be there and that he has made us holy by the blood of his Son, Jesus Christ. Since God has so graciously made it possible for us to come before him, we should consciously strive to offer worship that is pleasing to God.

Singing His Praises,

Joey Culpepper

Study Your Bible!

I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. (1 Thessalonians 5:27)(KJV)

I would like to share this devotional with you from an old daily devotional book that belonged to my father. The book is entitled Beside the Still Waters. This particular devotional was written by J. B. Crichton.


Study Your Bible!


What a sound piece of advice with which to close this Epistle! Read--study your Bible! Bible study, to be profitable, however, must follow some definite pattern. The Bible lays down three fundamental rules for profitable Bible study.


First, study your Bible daily! Job testified, "I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:12)(KJV). As the body requires food each day for nourishment, growth, and sustenance, so the soul requires a daily diet of the Word of God. Don't starve your soul!


Second, study your Bible directly! David wrote in the Psalms, "My meditation of him shall be sweet." To be really profitable, it must be your own personal study of the Word of God. davily devotional books, Bible commentaries, and sermons are valuable in their place. But if they are acting as substitutes for a personal, first-hand knowledge of the Bible in your life, then they are a detriment.


Third, study your Bible definitely! David wrote of the "blessed man" that "his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night" (Psalm 1:2). To be useful and fruitful, Bible study requires meditation. Griffith Thomas once said, "Meditation is attention plus intention." By that he meant that meditation was composed of two ingredients: first, giving serious thought and study to what Scripture actually says; and second, making a determined resolution that, by the grace of God, the truth of the Scripture would be put into actual daily practice.


And now let me be very practical and definite. We are urging, let's study the Bible. What are you going to do about it? Resolve to meet God alone each day in the Word and in prayer. "Study to shew thyself approved unto God..."(2 Tim. 2:15)(KJV)


Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper

How Can We Know If God is Pleased With Our Worship?

When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations--I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. (Isaiah 1:12-14)(NIV)

Do we want our worship to be pleasing to God? If so, then we need to ask ourselves every so often a few questions. Is our worship about us, about what we want, about what we can get out of it or about what we are giving? Or is it truly about God, about what He wants, about what He has done for us and about giving Him the praise that He's worthy of?

This little article below is taken from the NIV Quest Study Bible and I hope it will give you some new insight into what worship should and shouldn't be:

The temple in Isaiah's day had ample space around the altar of burnt offering for one to observe another's spirituality. Even the presiding priests might be impressed by the sacrifice of a large, costly animal.

Prophets such as Isaiah were aghast at such showy displays of worship. At times, God swiftly punished prideful, self-centered worship. For example, when King Uzziah tried to offer incense in the temple and lost his temper when priests tried to stop him (Israel was not to have pries-kings like its idolatrous neighbors), God afflicted him with leprosy.

True worship isn't showy. It does not call attention to or glorify the worshiper; it honors only God. It is not a mindless formality, either. It is an affair of the heart, characterized by the conviction of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:6), fervent prayer (Jms. 5:16) and open-hearted reading of God's Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17). God shows he is pleased with such worship by being present with us.

Singing His Praises,

Joey Culpepper

Worthy For Who He Is

Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil." Satan answered the Lord, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Haven't You placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions are spread out in the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse You to Your face." (Job 1:8-11)(HCSB)


Have you ever heard someone use the phrase "the patience of Job"? You may have heard somebody say, "She must have the patience of Job in order to deal with that situation or set of circumstances." Well, when I read through the book of Job, I see a man who is committed to worshiping God. I'm not struck so much by his extraordinary patience as I am by his enduring praise.


In the course of one day, Job lost all his worldly possessions and all his children, and yet we see a response of praise rather than anger towards God.----He (Job) fell to the ground and worshiped, saying: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of the Lord. Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything. (Job 1:20b-22)(HCSB)


Wow! He didn't blame God, but praised His name instead. Now that's a tough example of worship to follow. Job continued to worship because, despite all that had happened, he understood that God is worthy no matter what. In Job 1:9-11, Satan, the accuser of the brethren, makes the accusation that the only reason Job followed God was because he received blessings for it. Job would surely stop worshiping the Lord if those rewards were taken away. Satan may have intended to turn this argument against everyone who followed after the Lord. A more up-to-date way of stating this idea might be: "A person will worship and honor God as long as it's in their best interest."


But God knew that Job would hold fast to his faith despite his suffering, because Job understood that the Lord is worthy of worship just because He is God. So let's take our cue from Job and worship God for Who He Is rather than for what He gives us. Let's be followers whose worship is an example of enduring praise both through the good times and the bad. Let's pray for the Lord to purify our motives for following Him so that if it comes down to it some day, we will be able to proclaim along with Job: The Lord gave me everything I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord! (Job 1:21b)(NLT)


Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper

Miriam

Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine and led all the women in rhythm and dance. (Exodus 15:20)




The following is a worship profile from the Praise and Worship Study Bible published by Tyndale House Publishers. I highly recommend this study bible for everyone who wishes to learn more about praise and worship.


Miriam



Miriam was almost certainly the sister who "stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him" (Exodus 2:4)(NLT) when Moses was hidden in the reeds along the bank of the Nile. When Pharaoh's daughter found Moses in the reeds, Miriam cleverly suggested to her that a Hebrew woman could nurse him for her. So Miriam told their mother, who then came and took care of Moses for Pharaoh's daughter. Miriam may have felt that she spent much of her life "standing at a distance" as God elevated her younger sibling among the Israelites. In the book of Numbers we read that God had to punish Miriam near the end of her life for the jealousy she expressed toward her brother: "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn't he spoken through us, too?" (Numbers 12:2)(NLT). However, we also remember Miriam as the Bible's first female prophet, who led her nation in worship.


Miriam the Worshiper


The word prophet suggest to us a woman who has insight into God's plans for the future. But Miriam knew that she was called to focus her people's attention on what God had already done. Recalling his provision for us in times past is a fundamental part of worship.


Miriam's song reminds us of God's majesty, faithfulness, and love. She used her gift of music to lead the women of Israel in singing and dancing and in praise to God for leading them safely across the Red Sea.


Learning from Miriam


Three features of Miriam's song to the Lord can help us in our worship today. First, Miriam's song urges the Israelites to sing. Song is a good means for etching details in our mind, and it tends to be more effective than rote memorization. Second, Miriam attributes praise and majesty to God. Third, she recalls God's salvation of his people: "He has thrown both horse and rider into the sea" (Exodus 15:21)(NLT). Miriam gave God's people a lasting reminder of their miraculous rescue from certain destruction.


Following the Example


Do you have a gift, perhaps in music or poetry, or special ability in speaking or dancing that could inspire others to worship? Remember that God calls all of us to worship Him with our abilities, regardless of how prominent our gifts are among others. Choose an event from your life or from the collective life of your church, and praise God for what he did in the situation. Focus on God's greatness, and praise him for his character.


Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper

I Want To Give God More

Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless His name; tell of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples! (Psalm 96:1-3)(ESV)




As I think about and realize all that God has done for me, I want to give back more to Him. I want to sing of His salvation and tell of His marvelous works. I want to declare His glory among the nations. I want to take up my cross and follow Him, dying to self so that Christ can live in me to declare His glory to all peoples. I want to give Him more.


Below is a new song that the Lord gave me this week. It expresses this kind of desire to give God more by allowing Him to live through us.

Give You More

I want to worship and give You more

until there's nothing left

Help me to hold nothing back O Lord

for You deserve my best

I give You more than a prayer today

more than just what I say

I give You more than this song I sing

much more than that do I bring

I give You more than this heart of mine

please take the throne of my life

I give You all that I have to give

my life is Yours to live

copyright 2010 Heart of Praise Music

I pray that theses lyrics will somehow encourage you to want to give Jesus more of your heart...
more of your life.


Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper

God Draws Near

Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Obed, and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle. "Listen to me, Asa!" he shouted. "Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with Him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you." (2 Chronicles 15:1-2)(NLT)

The prophet Azariah voiced one of the most basic lessons in the Bible: God draws near to us when we draw near to Him, but He will allow us to turn away from Him if we choose to do so. God loves us and has made a way for us to be reconciled through the sacrifice of His Son so that we can be forgiven and draw near to Him. But, as He did with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, the Lord allows us to decide whether we want to follow Him or not. With our choice comes consequences and responsibilities, and so Azariah realized that the Lord will abandon us if we turn from Him.

After King Asa heard the message from the Lord delivered by Azariah, he turned the land of Judah and Benjamin back to the Lord by removing all the idols from the land and repairing the altar of the Lord. He even deposed his own grandmother, Maacah, from her position as queen mother because she had made an asherah pole. Asa remained fully committed to the Lord and led the people to seek after God. 2 Chronicles 15:15 reads--And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought Him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around. (ESV)

So let's follow King Asa's lead and draw near to the Lord. Let's eagerly seek Him with all our heart so that we may find Him, and so that He will continue to draw near to us.

Singing His Praises,

Joey Culpepper