My Hope is Built on Jesus


Psalm 118:14-29
14The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
15Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,
16the right hand of the Lord exalts, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”
17I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.
18The Lord has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death.
19Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.
20This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.
21I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.
22The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
23This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
24This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!
26Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!
28You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you.
29Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

He has become my salvation! These are the words that need to ring in our ears as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This verse is borrowed from the song of Miriam after the crossing of the Red Sea. She recognized that she had witnessed something truly miraculous and that the lives of all God’s people had been spared. Now remember that this psalm (as we discussed last week) was a part of the liturgical life of the Jews as they celebrated the Passover. Jesus spoke these words as He prepared for death. Think that thought again; Jesus spoke these words as He prepared for death. Now go back and read this passage one more time, hearing them through the mind and heart of our Savior as He prepares to die for the sins of mankind. They suddenly take on a sharper meaning and their praise-filled nature is startling.

“I shall not die, but I shall live”. Even as He approaches the crucifixion, Jesus knows that He will conquer death and come back from the grave. The words of this passage encourage us to go through life with that same confidence. This psalm has gripped my heart and spirit today. I’ve probably read it at least 25 times and each time I can just hear Jesus speaking these words with confidence, even joy despite the hours of suffering that are before Him. Each phrase resounds with truth and salvation.

Matt Maher has recorded Amen, Because He Lives and the lyrics perfectly describe what it means to walk through life with the certain knowledge that Jesus has conquered death for us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBvU7arNhQs&spfreload=10

Amen, Because He Lives
I believe in the Son I believe in the Risen One
I believe I overcome By the power of His blood

Amen, Amen, I'm alive I'm alive because He lives
Amen, Amen, Let my song join the one that never ends
(Because He lives)

I was dead in the grave I was covered in sin and shame
I heard mercy call my name He rolled the stone away

Amen, Amen, I'm alive I'm alive because He lives
Amen, Amen, Let my song join the one that never ends

Because He lives I can face tomorrow
Because He lives ev'ry fear is gone
I know He holds my life My future in His hand

Amen, Amen, I'm alive I'm alive because He lives
Amen, Amen, Let my song join the one that never ends

Amen, Amen, I'm alive I'm alive because He lives
Amen, Amen, Let my song join the one that never ends
Because He lives, Because He lives
Chris Tomlin | Daniel Carson | Ed Cash | Gloria Gaither | Jason Ingram | Matt Maher | William J. Gaither
© 2014 S. D. G. Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
CCLI License # 551204

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Excusez-moi

Image
2 Kings 23:31-37 31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-fiv
Read more

יהוה שָׁמַר--Yahweh Shamar (God Watches)

Image
Psalm 121 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. There are numerous passages I cling to when stress takes over my life. I would be hard pressed to declare a favorite, but this psalm would come close. So this morning I listened to Psalm 121 about 20 times as I meditated through the verses. First, I want to point out that the word or idea of shamar appears in every verse expect 6. The NIV uses the word "watch" while the ESV uses "keep". The
Read more

Narrow Door

Image
Luke 13:22-30 22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them , 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at tabl
Read more