Thoughts of a Pastor-Historian

You really need to know about Red Mountain Music. Their stated purpose from their website is as follows:

Our particular focus is arranging new music for all-but-forgotten hymn texts. We are excited to be a part of a hymn re-write movement that is truly resurrecting hymns for the church nationwide.

Free lyrics, guitar chords and sheet music are available on their website. I have all four of their CDs, but I think their latest is their best. It is titled: “Help My Unbelief” and is a collection of hymns compiled in a hymnal by William Gadsby in the mid 1800′s. The words to the title track are as follows (Sample Audio Clip):

I know the Lord is nigh,
And would but cannot pray,
For Satan meets me when I try,
And frights my soul away.
And frights my soul away.

I would but can’t repent,
Though I endeavor oft;
This stony heart can ne’er relent
Till Jesus makes it soft.
Till Jesus make it soft.

Help my unbelief. Help my unbelief.
Help my unbelief.
My help must come from Thee.

I would but cannot love,
Though wooed by love divine;
No arguments have power to move
A soul as base as mine.
A soul so base as mine.

I would but cannot rest,
In God’s most holy will;
I know what He appoints is best,
And murmur at it still.
I murmur at it still.

© 2006 Red Mountain Music
www.redmountainmusic.com

Another song on the album that has been particularly encouraging to me is one titled “My Soul Rejoice and Sing”. Its lyrics are as follows (Sample Audio Clip):

The Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century was nothing less than a recovery of the gospel. Men like Martin Luther in Germany, John Calvin in France and Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland were used by God to bring both reformation and revival by emphasizing once again the centrality of Scripture and a gospel of salvation of Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone so that God receives all the glory. Thus, the theology of the Reformation can be summarized by the following phrases:

• By Grace Alone
• By Faith Alone
• By Christ Alone
• By the Scriptures Alone
• To God Alone Be The Glory

As a result of the Protestant Reformation, the Church of England was formed. Many within the Church of England continued to work to purify the church and some separated to form independent congregations. These congregations were either congregational or presbyterian in their church government. Among these separate congregations in the early 17th century, a number of the pastors became convinced of believer’s baptism by immersion. The new Baptist churches which were formed as a result are our direct spiritual forebears. For this reason, the doctrines of the Reformation are extremely important to us as Baptists. Beginning today and continuing for the next four weeks, I will be presenting a message on each of these themes by taking a key text of Scripture that develops the particular theme and preaching an expositional sermon on that text. This morning’s topic is “By Grace Alone” and this morning’s text is Ephesians 2:1-10.

In this passage the Apostle Paul shows that salvation is by grace alone. Believers are those who were dead, sinful, slaves to Satan and their own corrupt desires who live in a state of condemnation. But that’s just their past! Paul goes on to describe believers as having been resurrected by the power of God and exalted with Christ by His great love and rich grace. But that’s only their present! Paul continues by saying this former group of misfits, saved by God’s grace, will be trophies of God’s grace for all future ages. Let’s now turn our attention to the Word of God in Ephesians 2:1-10. In these verses Paul shows that salvation is by grace alone by showing the Past, Present and Future States of Believers.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

I. The Believer’s Past State was Hideous, vv. 1-3.
Paul first describes the members of the church at Ephesus as having been previously spiritually dead. This is the past condition of all believer’s and the present condition of every one else who has not trusted in Christ and repented of their sins. In Scripture, the word “life” is the term commonly used to express a state of union with God, and “death” as a state of alienation from him. Paul goes even further and describes the kind of death experienced by unbelievers. They are said to be dead in “trespasses and sins.” The word “trespasses” has the idea of falling aside, while the word “sins” conveys the idea of missing the mark. John Stott sees these two terms covering both “the positive and negative, or active and passive, aspects of human wrongdoing . . . our sins of commission and of omission.”

But the death experienced by unbelievers is not passive toward evil, it is very active in this regard. Verse two declares that man naturally walks in accordance with the world’s system which operates in accordance with Satan who is at work in the children of disobedience.

In verse three Paul makes a shift in pronouns from “you” to “we.” By this Paul means to include Jews and Gentiles in this fallen condition. Even though the Jews had the Scriptures they still had the inner sin nature to deal with. Paul said this very clearly in Rom. 3:9 “What then? Are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;”

It is because of our state of spiritual death that Paul declares we are “children of wrath.” This means that by our nature we are worthy to receive Divine judgment. The word Paul uses here for the judgment of God is wrath which is God’s settled hostility against sin.

But this is all a result of this spiritual death that has passed upon all men because of Adam’s sin (Rom. 5:12). A dead person cannot react. He or she no longer responds to light, sound, smell, taste, pain, or anything else. He is totally insensitive. That is the way the spiritually dead man is to the things of God.

Imagine that we had a corpse here in the coffin at the front of the church. We could bring the most brilliant educator of our day by and attempt to teach this dead person, but it would do no good. Someone might say, “If we could just better his environment, I think he would do better.” So we could bring in some beautiful living plants, play lively music and surround him with many live people, but he would still be dead. Someone might suggest that there is a government program that would help this individual. He is probably eligible for disability benefits! No, that wouldn’t help him either. Perhaps we could invite Joel Osteen or Robert Schueller to come by and talk about the power of positive thinking. Still it would be no help to this individual, he is dead. No, Dr. Education, Dr. Environment, Dr. Government, Dr. Positive Thinking, none of these could help him in his dead state. What he needs is a resurrection!

Have you tried all those things and still have no power to live the Christian life? Are you still enslaved to sin and Satan? Do you find yourself living just like the world on Monday through Friday? Do you realize you are “by nature children of wrath”? What you need is a resurrection!
And that is exactly why salvation must be by grace alone. God has taken the initiative in man’s salvation because mankind is in desperate straights!

II. The Believer’s Present State is Gracious, vv. 4-6, 8-10.
This is seen as Paul describes the initiative that God has taken for us by giving to us the spiritual resurrection that we all so desperately needed (v. 4). This resurrection is completely based upon the character of God. There is nothing that we have done to deserve it since we were dead. It is because God is “rich in mercy” (v.4) that we have been saved. The phrase “rich in mercy” means that God is “overabundant in compassion.” This is the testimony of the whole of Scripture concerning our salvation. In fact, the Apostle Paul stated the case very plainly in Titus 3:5-7 when he wrote:

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Paul also describes this spiritual resurrection to be based on God’s “great love” for us. The Lord Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” But here we are shown that God’s love is infinitely greater than that which can be shown by finite man. God’s love extends beyond his friends and reaches even to His enemies. He loved us, the spiritually dead described just a few moments ago. He reminds us of this immediately by saying “even when we were dead in sins.”

But how is this salvation received? Paul establishes in verses 8-10 that salvation, in general, is of grace. (v. 8a). Grace is God’s unmerited favor. We don’t deserve it! There are no works that we can do to earn it. It is of grace from first to last. It is the “gift of God” (v. 8b). But the evidence of this salvation is clear. It is seen in the faith of the individual (v. 8) and in the good works which follow that were prepared in advance by God (vv. 9-10).

It was the German Reformer Martin Luther who said, “The law saith do this, and yet it never will be done; but grace says believe on Him,—and behold it is already done!”

Paul goes even farther in his description of our present by saying we have not just been made alive with Him, we have been raised up to sit in heavenly places with Him. All of this is based upon our union with Christ. This is see in verse five “together with Christ,” verse six “in Christ Jesus,” and verse seven “through Christ Jesus.” These verses (2:5-6) refer back to 1:19-20. Paul’s desire is that we as believers would realize that the same power that raised Christ from the dead and raised Him up to sit in heavenly places is the same power that brought about our own salvation. Whatever happens to the Bridegroom has an immediate effect upon the bride. Whatever happens to the Head has an immediate effect upon the body. That is the relationship that is described in verses twenty-one and twenty-two of chapter one.

What if you were walking around and someone came up and hit you across the top of your head with a two by four. Whatever else you might do later, you would probably immediately fall to the ground and writhe in pain for a while. What if someone who saw this all happen walked up to you and said “What are you lying there crying about? He just hit your head. He didn’t hurt your body at all.” You would probably attempt to demonstrate to him what we all know, that when something happens to your head it affects your entire body.

This is exactly what Paul is telling us in this passage. Christ has been resurrected from the grave and exalted to the Father’s right hand as the head of the church which is His body. Whatever happens to the Head has an immediate effect upon the body. Our spiritual resurrection is united with Christ’s physical resurrection. Our positional seating at the Father’s right hand is based upon Christ’s literal ascension.

Are you depending on the grace of God for your salvation or trusting in your own works of righteousness? Do you see evidence of faith in the finished work of Christ? Is there the evidence of good works in your life? Believer, have you come to realize the greatness of the power which saved you?

Not only does Paul show us the past and present state of believers, he also shows us that . . .

III. The Believer’s Future State will be Glorious, v. 7.
This is salvation’s purpose. Why has God done all this? Why did He from all eternity chose us to be holy before Him in love? Why has He made us accepted in the Beloved? Why, when we dead in trespasses and sins, hath he quickened us, raised us up, and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ? The answer to all these questions is given in verse seven, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” All this, the spiritual resurrection from spiritual death, has been done to “shew the exceeding riches of his grace.” The manifestation of the grace of God, of His unmerited love, is declared to be the specific object of redemption. “This is all said to take place in the “ages to come.” Some say this refers to the age which ends with the second coming. Others say that this refers to the age immediately following the second coming. I believe the language of this passage indicates that this is true for all future ages!

The final phrase again establishes the basis of God’s kindness to us. It is said to be “through Christ Jesus” All God’s grace and kindness toward us is exercised through Christ. The ground of our salvation then is not our goodness but Christ!

The following quote by the great Puritan pastor Richard Baxter further illuminates this great truth:

As we paid nothing for God’s eternal love and nothing for the Son of His love, and nothing for His Spirit and our grace and faith, and nothing for our eternal rest . . . . What an astonishing thought it will be to think of the unmeasurable difference between our deservings and our receivings. O, how free was all this love, and how free is this enjoyed glory . . . . So then let “Deserved” be written on the floor of hell but on the door of heaven and life, “The Free Gift”.

If God’s salvation is so free and if the purpose of this free salvation is that we might show the exceeding riches of God’s grace for all future ages, are we praising His grace and His kindness to us now? What can we do in our lives to make this a living reality?

Conclusion:
Today we’ve examined the Reformation slogan of “Grace Alone” by looking at the past, present and future of believers in Ephesians 2:1-10. It is all of God’s grace that He has made us members of this wonderful body called the church. We who were dead in trespasses and sins have been made alive through Christ in order that we might forever show God’s greatness! God’s purpose for us in this world is that we show forth His greatness to all of creation. Therefore, salvation does not rest upon human merit, but upon the grace of God alone.

As Martin Luther states:

There is no such thing as merit; but all who are justified are justified for nothing (gratis), and this is credited to no one but to the grace of God. . . . . For Christ alone it is proper to help and save others with His merits and works. The works of others are of benefit to no one, not to themselves either; for the statement stands: “The just shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17). For faith grounds us on the works of Christ, without our own works, and transfers us from the exile of our sins into the kingdom of His righteousness. This is faith; this [is] the Gospel; this is Christ.

This the gospel which comes by grace alone, and there is no other!

“Again, Scripture sets forth a distinction of the Father from the Word, and of the Word from the Spirit. Yet the greatness of the mystery warns us how much reverence and sobriety we ought to use in investigating this. And that passage in Gregory of Nazianzus vastly delights me:

I cannot think on the one without quickly being encircled by the splendor of the three; nor can I discern the three without being straightway carried back to the one.

Let us not, then, be led to imagine a trinity of persons that keeps our thoughts distracted and does not at once lead them back to that unity. Indeed, the words “Father,” “Son,” and “Spirit” imply a real distinction — let no one think that these titles, whereby God is variously designated from his works, are empty — but a distinction, not a division, The passages that we have already cited [e.g., Zechariah 13:7] show that the Son has a character distinct from the Father, because the Word would not have been with God unless he were another than the Father, nor would he have had his glory with the Father were he not distinct from the Father. . . . “
(Institutes of the Christian Religions, 1:13:17)

Just in case the audio resources in the previous post don’t do anything for you, here are some places that I look for audio resources for my MP3 player.

• Desiring God (Free downloadable MP3s of over 25 years of sermons by John Piper) I recently downloaded all of Piper’s biographical studies which have been delivered at their annual pastor’s conference.
• Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Downloadable MP3s for sell here) An amazing opportunity to hear the greatest preacher of the 20th century.
• SBTS Audio Resources (Great source for chapel messages, faculty addresses and conferences from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
• SWBTS Chapel Archives (Chapel Messages preached at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary).
• SEBTS Chapel Archives (Chapel messages preached at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary).
• Sermons by Kent Hughes
• Sermons by S. Lewis Johnson
• Michael Haykin’s Historical Audio Lectures (hosted on SermonAudio.com)
• Sermons by Philip Ryken (pastor of the historic Tenth Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, PA)
• Audio Interviews from 9 Marks Ministries (excellent interviews by Mark Dever)

This week I have posted the two sermons which I preached on Romans 4 in my attempt to update our SermonAudio site to include the entire series on Romans. There are now a total of fifty sermons online! Here are direct links to the respective sermon pages and the links to download the MP3s. Enjoy!

• Justification By Faith Alone Romans 4:1-16 (6/12/05) Stream/Download
  
• Abraham: The Father of Us All Romans 4:13-25 (6/19/05) Stream/Download

To subscribe to the podcast for these sermons, use this link (or the one in the left sidebar). This will allow you to be automatically notified when new sermons are posted to this account.

According to 17th century divine James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh, and Dr. John Lightfoot of Cambridge, the world was created on this day in 4004 BC (actually it was at nightfall the night before).

Happy Birthday World!!!

God’s greatest problem is not “Can God make a rock so big that He can’t move it?” or “Where did Cain get his wife?”. God’s greatest problem is how can he forgive you and me of our sins while remaining Holy, Righteous and Pure.

Fortunately, like all math problems, this one has a solution. However, unlike most math problems, we get to choose between only two possible solutions to this problem. They are both in this morning’s text: Man’s solution and God’s solution.

The problem is stated in v. 5 and the two solutions are spelled out in vv. 6-2:2. The problem is essentially “How can sinful man and holy God come together?”. Verse 5 uses the metaphors of light and darkness to declare that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

John says, “This … is the message which we heard of him, and declare unto you …” Jesus Christ revealed to those who followed Him, the holiness of God. This is basically what John is saying when he says “God is light.” Light refers to moral purity or holiness. John says that in God there is not even one hint of darkness.

The kind of light that John uses to describe God is a kind which none of us have ever seen. None of us have ever seen 100% light. We’re in a well lit room now, lighted by both the sunlight through the windows and fluorescent bulbs overhead. Yet if you look closely you will notice shadows even in this well-lit auditorium. Even the sun, the greatest bearer of light in our entire solar system is not 100% light. On its surface are sunspots, dark areas which are cold spots. They are only 4,000 degrees Celsius compared with 6,000 degree Celsius surrounding region.

But God is pure light. In Him is no darkness at all. Again this metaphor is given to describe the moral purity or holiness of God. There are no degrees to His holiness, for He is perfectly holy.

God is holy! This truth causes the greatest of all problems for God. How shall God forgive and pardon the sinner and remain holy? This is our greatest problem. He is holy; we are unholy. It is our unholiness that separates us from Our holy God. Because He is holy He cannot even look upon our sin, much less provide a home for us to live forever with Him.

There are only two possible solutions to this problem: Man’s Solution and God’s Solution. Let’s look first how man tries to solve the problem of God’s holiness: by denying the reality of sin.

I. Man’s Solution to God’s Holiness: Deny the Reality of Sin, vv. 6, 8 and 10

Verses 6, 8 and 10 each begin with the phrase “If we say.” These are the solutions that man offers in order to square himself with the holiness of God. Let me say up front that each of these denials are lies. They are probably three denials that the false teachers which John was writing against made in order to get around the implications of the holiness of God. These denials can be summarized as follows:

1. The Denial that Sin breaks our fellowship with God. v. 6

2. The Denial that Sin exists in our nature. v. 8

3. The Denial that Sin shows itself in our conduct. v. 10

Let’s look at each of these denials in more detail now:

A. We Lie About Our Sin v. 6

The first way that man tries to deny the reality of Sin and escape the consequences of God’s holiness is to lie about the effect of his sin. The Bible is very clear that those who live in unconfessed sin “walk in darkness” do not have eternal life. What is obvious here is that those who say they have “fellowship” with God and live impure lives are lying.

Walking in darkness is the opposite of following Christ. All unsaved people walk in darkness; Christians have been delivered into the light:

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: Ephesians 5:8

So the way we get around the reality of our sin is to deny its effect. We simply lie and way “we have fellowship with him” when in reality we don’t. We say one thing while we live another way.

B. We Deceive Ourselves About Our Sin v. 8

The second way . . . deceive himself about his sin nature. This involves the worst of deceptions: self-deception. They denied the reality of their own sinful desires. Some say what the false teachers were saying is that they deserved no guilt for their sin. Others say this means they were saying they had no inherent sin in their nature regardless of their outward conduct. Both are dangerous ways to be self-deceived. If we aren’t really to admit we are sinners, there can be no salvation.

C. We Call God a Liar About Our Sin v. 10

The third way . . . call God a liar regarding the committing of actual sins. Those who say this may affirm both their sin nature and that sin breaks fellowship with God, they just claim to not have sinned. This denial is even more serious than the first because in it man calls God a liar (note the progression). It is a denial of God’s Word and our own experience.So those are man’s pathetic attempts to deal with the holiness of God. They each fail miserably. Thankfully God offers another solution.

II. God’s Solution to God’s Holiness: Acknowledge the Reality of Sin

John Piper has wonderfully summarized God’s solution in this way:

The wisdom of God has devised a way for the love of God to satisfy the wrath of God without compromising the justice of God.

God’s solution to the problem of our sinfulness and His holiness is exactly the opposite of man’s proposed solution. Man denies the reality of his sin. God says for us to acknowledge the reality of our sin. There is no magic in our acknowledgment of sin as if they were magic words which mysteriously make us forgiven. However, the acknowledgment of our sin indicates that we have recognized our need for a Savior. It is only when we trust in Jesus Christ’s death as the payment for our sin that our sins are forgiven and that trust for forgiveness of sin must first include a confession of our sin. Each of man’s proposed solutions is countered by a statement of God’s one true solution to the holiness/sinfulness problem.

A. Walk in the Light v. 7

The first statement is that only those who walk in the light have assurance of the forgiveness of their sins. When John says we are to walk in the light as He is in the light he means there should be some moral semblance between God and those who are his children. In other words the evidence of that we are cleansed by the blood of Christ is that we are pursuing holiness in our lives. This does not speak of sinless perfection for what need would there be for forgiveness of sins if this were the case. What John does refer to is our pattern of life, is it a pattern of light or darkness? If we can live in unconfessed sin we’re not saved!

At a great parliament of religions, held in Chicago many years ago, practically every known religion was represented. During one session, Dr. Joseph Cook, of Boston, suddenly rose and said: “Gentlemen, I beg to introduce to you a woman with a great sorrow. Bloodstains are on her hands, and nothing she has tried will remove them. The blood is that of murder. She has been driven to desperation in her distress. Is there anything in your religion that will remove her sin and give her peace?” A hush fell upon the gathering. Not one of the company replied.

Raising his eyes toward heaven, Dr. Cook then cried out, “John, can you tell this woman how to get rid of her awful sin?” The great preacher waited, as if listening for a reply. Suddenly he cried out, “Listen. John speaks: ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin’ (1 John 1:7).”

Not a soul broke the silence: the representatives of Eastern religions and Western cults sat dumb. In the face of human need, the Gospel of Jesus Christ alone could meet the need. The sin of the race demanded the blood of Calvary.

B. Confess our Sins v. 9

John’s second statement of God’s solution is to confess our sins. Continual confession of sin is an indication of genuine salvation. Those who are willing to admit they are sinners, contrary to the false teachers, are showing that they acknowledge their need of a Savior. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. This is an amazing statement which seems to further the initial problem with which we began. How can God be faithful and just (of all things) to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. It would seem the faithful and just thing to do would be for Him to separate us from Himself forever by placing us in the place of eternal torment called Hell. Yet, the astonishing statement is that if we confess (lit. “say the same thing”) our sins they will be forgiven! The reason this is still troubling is because there is still one final piece of the puzzle (or one final factor in the equation to stay with our math problem analogy) to be examined. That final factor is found in 2:1-2.

C. Trust the Sacrifice of Christ 2:1-2

John now tenderly addresses his readers as my little children and seeks to clarify his purpose for writing the text we’ve examined this morning. His desire, God’s desire, is that believers not sin. This could be misunderstood by readers up to this point. Some could say, “All we have to do is to acknowledge that we’re sinners and we’ll be forgiven. We can even keep on sinning.” That is the error that John wants to warn us against. Having said that, however, John again ties our experience to the heart of the gospel. It’s as if John says, “But when you sin . . . remember the sacrifice of Christ, remember what he has done for us, for the whole world. Again and again we must be reminded that as John Stott has written:

Christianity . . . “is not primarily an invitation to man to do anything; it is supremely a declaration of what God has done in Christ for human beings like ourselves.” (John R.W. Stott Basic Christianity, p. 12)

There are two key words here worth our examination:

1. Advocate v. 1

In the Greek culture of John’s day an advocate was ‘one who speaks on the behalf of the accused in the court of law, similar to a lawyer but more personal, i.e. a friend, as opposed to a hired professional.’ The picture is of Jesus Christ the righteous (what a title!) standing before God and speaking in our behalf when we sin. What a comforting thought!

2. Propitiation v. 2

Not only is Christ our advocate, He is also called the propritiation for our sins. This is a difficult word for many. It means ‘to satisfy the wrath.’ For those who deny the reality of Man’s sinfulness this word is meaningless. Likewise for those who deny that God is holy and therefore must judge men with holy wrath. But if man is sinful and God is holy, the only solution to that problem is that there be a propitiation “a satisfaction of the wrath of God.” God must be satisfied. All religions of this world teach a doctrine of propitiation. The difference between Biblical Christianity and every other religion in this respect is this. All other religions teach that man must somehow satisfy the wrath of his god or gods through sacrifices, rituals, ceremonies, good deeds, etc. But only Biblical Christianity teaches that the God whose holiness requires that His wrath be satisfied has taken the initiative to satisfy His own wrath. This is exactly what He has done for all those who will confess their sin and trust in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him will not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

This is the gospel: Holy God and sinful man brought together by the sacrifice of Christ. His death was the payment that satisfied God’s wrath for all who believe and confess their sins.

Now He is our advocate (speaks to the Father in our defense) because He is the propitiation for our sins. Nothing ties these two ideas together any better than the words to the hymn by Charles Wesley:

Arise, my soul arise. Shake off thy guilty fears.

The bleeding Sacrifice In my behalf appears.

Before the throne my Surely stands; My name is written on His hands.

He ever lives above, For me to intercede,

His all redeeming love, His precious blood to plead.

His blood atoned for all our race, And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds He bears, Received on Calvary.

They pour effectual prayers, They strongly plead for me.

“Forgive him, oh, forgive,” they cry, “Nor let that ransomed sinner die.”

My God is reconciled, His pard’ning voice I hear.

He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear.

With confidence I now draw nigh, And, “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.

Today is our daughter’s six-year-old birthday! She is a blessing from God. She is the only princess that we have (until January when another one is arriving). Happy Birthday Hannah!