Psalms for the Simple: Part 6 of 150. "box of tissues anyone?"

Have you ever been so broken by sin that you've cried? Like, not just a tear or an emotional raising up of the hair on the back of your neck or flushed face, but actually a genuine weeping over the sins of your life, past and present?
This is a hard pill to swallow, but we are sinners. If you are reading this blog and don't think you are a sinner, it isn't with delight that I inform you of this OBVIOUS truth. Sin sucks. It absolutely is the reason for all evil and strife in this world and our pathetic lives. This is the sad truth, and yes, it can and will lead many to tears.
I remember vividly going to a conference and in the middle of a powerful worship song, the Lord revealed in the most loving way what was hindering me from drawing near to Him. I wept like a blabbering idiot! At that point though, I could have cared less about those around me because the Lord was the only one I was concerned with about my tears.
More and more, as I'm getting older, I'm finding myself more and more torn and broken about sin in my life. In case any of you thought sanctification is an easy process, let me inform you of another hard pill to swallow: it's not. I'm so thankful though that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. Christ's blood shed on account of my sin is both a joyful and horrific realization. Joyful that I'm saved, horrific to know that even if I were to only sin one single time in my life, I caused him to die that awful death.
Here's where we get into Psalm 6. Read it and tell me if you think David was broken about sin in his life? It is clear right from the beginning that he is broken about some sin in his life, even though it is not mentioned. He is broken and repentant. Why repentant? Because he asks for rebuke. It would do the reader well to understand that true repentance is a complete turning away from that sin BUT ALSO accepting and working through the consequences.
Choose to sin, choose to suffer. Though we are saved from the ultimate eternal penalty of sin because of Christ, we are not saved from the earthly consequences of our actions. True repentance isn't a courtroom settlement it is a plea of, "guilty as charged, I beg for your mercy!"
One thing we will see, and already have in the life of David is that he knows what true repentance is. We certainly have seen that he has sinned but has faith in God who is his salvation knowing and believing his Savior to come.
It is ok to be broken over sin, even to the point of being a babbling idiot of a cryer. David is probably considered one of the most manly of men in history, and says himself in verse 6 "I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping."
Starting at verse 8 through the end of this Psalm, David clings to the only thing he can: The Lord's ear. God is quick to hear a repentant heart and if you are truly repentant over sin, you can be assured that He hears and FORGIVES you because of your savior taking that penalty. David knows this and it is very evident in Verse 10 that he has his eye on the big picture: God is not mocked, his fame will NEVER be diminished and NO ONE can ultimately stand as an enemy to the Almighty God.
And to think that he reaches out and extends us the gift of eternal life and forgiveness in Christ Jesus? PRAISE GOD!
Some of you need to hear this today: Repent with the big picture in mind. Choose to Sin Choose to suffer. It is ok to be broken over sin, but remember the goodness and the greatness of God in his free gift of salvation to those who receive it by faith in Christ.

Do you have anything to repent of today? The ground is level at the foot of the cross. Don't continue on always thinking everything is fine when you may know it is not. Cast your cares and acknowledge your weakness before the Lord and watch Him come in and lift your heart reminding you of Jesus taking that sin away and motivating you and giving you the power in the Holy Spirit to turn from it. Praise the Lord!

Do we as worship leaders usher people into God's presence?

My friend from Re:Train wrote this blog for the ReSurgence on Wednesday Dec 29. His name is Joel Brown, the pastor of Worship Arts at Mars Hill Church in Seattle.  I've got to have many meaningful conversations with this dude and his insight is very humbling.  I know that too often I have thought of myself, as a worship leader, doing to job of "leading people into the presence of God" but that would be giving myself too much credit! I know I, and many others I know, mean well when they say that statement.  We understand that there is only ONE mediator between God and man and that is the God-Man Jesus Christ, but what is the job of a a worship leader if it isn't leading someone "into" somewhere? Simple: Show them, or remind them, or sing about, or proclaim, or lift high the name of the guy who does: Christ Jesus.

Here is his blog post (here is the link to the actual blog post if you would rather read it from there)


Gentlemen, We Are Not Mediators
Anyone who’s been a worship leader at a church has heard, at some point, “Your job is to bring the congregation into the presence of God!” Or maybe, “Take them into the throne room!” Grab the latest magazine on sacred music and you’ll find the idea of worship leader as presence-usher littering the pages. But where does this idea come from? Is it even biblical?


Presence isn't a place
The word "presence" appears in Scripture 173 times. About half of those are referring to the physical place where God dwells. This was particularly true in the Old Testament, where God shows up in places like the tabernacle or the temple.
The New Testament teaches us that in Christ, God has wonderfully chosen to bewith us. Emmanuel came (Matthew 1:23) and ever since, his presence is no longer made manifest by a specific location (John 4:23-24, Acts 17:24-25) or mere mortal (Hebrews 4:14-16; 9:23), but God’s presence on earth is in the life of every believer through his Holy Spirit.

Jesus, the mediator
Because Christ is perfect, and by his blood has reconciled us to God (2 Corinthians 5:18), he can appear before a holy and righteous God on our behalf.He is the mediator, not us.
You want to bring your congregation before the throne of God? Great. Show them the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18), and by faith, the Spirit will take them there. The Holy Spirit is the conduit through whom we experience God’s presence, and Christ is the place whereby we are made most aware of his presence. In his book, Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God, Bob Kauflin says it this way: “Christ is how and where we meet with God”.

But in heaven, we'll sing in-tune

God is present in a special way when we sing together—we are in a sense practicing for heaven, and nowhere else can we collectively see and hear one another worship Christ at the same time. But God’s presence is not a place we go.It is a Spirit we welcome.

“Sometimes when we sing, the power of music and truth combined can dig deeply into our hearts to make us realize that God is with us, but it wasn’t the singing that made him appear. He was there all along.
”

Everywhere we go, the Spirit of the living God is with us—leading us, guiding us, and allowing us to be in the presence of God without being blown to smithereens.
When it comes down to it, if music could take us into God's presence, "God would have sent us a musician rather than a saviour." –Vaughan Roberts