goodness and mercy

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Defender


Defender
You go before I know
That You’ve even gone to win my war

You come back with the head of my enemy
You come back and You call it my victory, oh ooh
You go before I know
That You’ve even gone to win my war
Your love becomes my greatest defense
It leads me from the dry wilderness

And all I did was praise
All I did was worship
All I did was bow down, oh
All I did was stay still

Hallelujah, You have saved me
So much better Your way
Hallelujah, great Defender
So much better Your way
You know before I do
Where my heart can seek to find Your truth
Your mercy is the shade I’m living in
And You restore my faith and hope again
And all I did was praise, oh, oh ooh
All I did was worship
All I did was bow down, oh
All I did was stay still, stay still

Hallelujah, You have saved me
So much better Your way
Hallelujah, great Defender
So much better Your way

When I thought I lost me
You knew where I left me
You reintroduced me to Your love
You picked up all my pieces
Put me back together
You are the defender of my heart
When I thought I lost me
You knew where I left me
You reintroduced me to Your love
You picked up all my pieces
Put me back together
You are the defender of my heart
Hallelujah, You have saved me
So much better this way
Hallelujah, great Defender
So much better Your way
So much better Your way (I know it’s so much better)
So much better Your way (I know it, I know it)

And all I did was praise
All I need to do is worship
Lord, I will just bow down
I’m just gonna stay still
Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Steffany Dawn Gretzinger / John-Paul Gentile / Rita E. Springer

Defender lyrics © Bethel Music Publishing, Music Services, Inc
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1 Timothy song list

Here is another song list which might be useful:

Across the Lands/You’re the Word (Getty and Townend)

All I have is Christ (Sovereign Grace)

Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone (Tomlin)

Behold our God (Sovereign Grace)

Behold the Lamb/Communion Hymn (Getty)

By Faith (Getty and Townend)

By Our Love (Christy Nockels)

Glorious Day (Casting Crowns)

He is Holy (Garage Hymnal)

Highest Place (EMU music)

I’m Forgiven/You are My King (BJ Foote)

I Will Glory in My Redeemer (Sovereign Grace)

Immortal, Invisible (hymn)

Jesus Thankyou (Sovereign Grace)

May the Mind of Christ My Saviour (Mark Petersen version, EMU Music)

O Great God (Sovereign Grace)

See the Man (Trevor Hodge)

Show us Christ (Sovereign Grace)

Speak, O Lord (Getty) 

Take My Life (hymn)

This I believe/Creed (Hillsong)

The Church’s One Foundation (hymn)

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Ephesians song list

If you need songs for a series on Ephesians, here is the list we worked from. Make sure you check out ‘Oh the Mercy of God‘ which is Ephesians 1 in song – a great place to start!

Amazing Grace (original hymn or Tomlin’s My Chains are Gone)

Beautiful Saviour (Stuart Townend)

By Faith (Getty & Townend)

By Our Love (Christy Nockles)

Come people of the Risen King (Getty)

Faithful are your mercies Lord (Hosanna)

From the Inside Out (Hillsong)

Grace has now appeared (EMU music)

Glories of Calvary (Sovereign Grace)

God of Grace (Getty)

Hear our Praises (Hillsong)

Holding on to Me (Garage Hymnal)

How Great is your love, O Lord (Hosanna)

I’m Forgiven (You are my King – BJ Foote)

I will Rise (Hillsong)

In Christ Alone (Getty and Townend)

Made Alive (by Citizens and Saints – Mars Hill Music)

O the deep, deep love of Jesus (Sovereign Grace)

Oh the Mercy of God (Geoff Bullock)

Open the eyes of my heart Lord (Michael W Smith)

Stronger (Hillsong)

Take my life and let it be (hymn)

The Church’s one foundation (Hymn)

This Life I Live (EMU Music)

This is How we know (Redman)

Undivided (Rob Smith EMU)

We are His People (EMU)

Wonderful Counsellor (Sovereign Grace)

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Unending Grace: 2 Corinthians 9:8

2 Cor 9 maple leaf“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”

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Book of Luke in song

This is a post about an album and a song which is no longer new News, but in case you missed it, it may be worth a look: Songs for the Book of Luke by The Gospel Coalition

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/11/05/luke-album-named-best-of-best/

You can follow links here to listen and access sheet music for all the songs on the album: http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/lukealbum/
https://thegospelcoalition.bandcamp.com/album/songs-for-the-book-of-luke

luke-songCome to the Feast (track 9) is a song about the lavish banquet of God’s grace that abounds for any and all who would have it. Yet, it is also a call for the church to serve as heralds of this feast, both to those who know their need (the poor) and those who don’t (the rich). It comes from the parable of the great banquet found in Luke 14:16-24 where Jesus gives us a picture of the gracious kingdom of God that woos and welcomes the most broken, sinful, and lost of people. The musical style is not the mainstream. You may find it a refreshing change. (If used for the congregation, I would suggest the tempo could go up a little.)

COME TO THE FEAST

Go to the highways and hedges, go to the farthest of fields
Go and compel, the sick and the well
For our Father’s house will be filled

Go to the streets of the city, bring in the crippled and blind
All who would taste this banquet of grace
Must come and waste no more time.

Chorus
Come to the feast, come to the table
The great and the least, the rich and the poor
Come to the feast, come to the table,
Come and hunger no more

In the robe of the lamb you’ll be covered
Dressed in his pure righteousness
For all of your guilt, his blood it was spilt
So come by your Father be blessed

Words and Music by Jeff Lawson © 2012 Jeff Lawson Music

 

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Don’t Burn that Bridge – from The Blazing Center

bridgeHe who demands mercy and shows none burns the bridges over which he himself must later pass. -Thomas Adams

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy”. Matthew 5:7

Are you merciful? Is that who you are? Of all people on the face of the earth, we who believe in Jesus should be the most merciful. The quickest to forgive. The most forbearing with other’s sins against us. Why? Because we have received such incredible mercy from God ourselves. Each of us has sinned horrifically and repeatedly against the Holy One who will tolerate no sin in his presence. Yet he so loved us he sent his Son to become the lightning rod for the wrath we deserved. To have it strike him instead of us. Jesus got what we deserve and we received what we never deserved – Mercy. If we appreciate the mercy we’ve received, we should be quick to pour it out. And pour it out on those who don’t deserve it.

We should pour out mercy on those who sin against us. Those who hurt us. Who misunderstand us and can’t see our point. Those who insist that they are right and we are wrong. Those who don’t realize they are sinning. We should quote Jesus regularly: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” They don’t realize their sin. They don’t see their pride and stubbornness. They don’t know how much they are hurting me. Or maybe they do, but Father, have mercy on them as you have had mercy on me. And help me to have mercy on them. As John Piper says, we should:

“Be stunned that you are a beneficiary of mercy – be reminded and stunned that you and I deserve nothing but wrath from God, and in Christ receive nothing but mercy from him. Be stunned. And then pray that God would make you merciful to the undeserving.Oh, how sweet marriages would be if we stopped thinking about what we deserve and thought more about how to show more mercy – how to do more undeserved good to each other. Oh, how sweet would be the fellowship of the church if we all really felt undeserving of any good and lavished with God’s mercy. And, oh, how bright the gospel would shine if we touched the poor with Christ-exalting mercy. May God raise up many who will build, with joy, ministries of mercy to the city and the nations.”

Are you stunned by the mercy you’ve received from God? Do you reflect regularly on the mercy you’ve received? Are you a merciful person – is that who you are? Not just something you do, but something you are? Who do you most struggle to feel merciful toward? Pray for that person. Affirm that you forgive them, whether they have asked your forgiveness or not. Ask God to bless them. You and I are not yet perfect. We will need mercy in the future. We don’t want to burn bridges we’ll need to pass over later. Lord Jesus, make us merciful, as you are merciful.

http://theblazingcenter.com/2016/03/you-dont-want-to-burn-that-bridge.html

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One thing 2016 will certainly bring us

Let us make crystal clear at the beginning of the year that all we will get from God this year as believers in Jesus is mercy. Whatever pleasures or pains come our way will all be mercy. . .
The fullest obedience and the smallest faith obtain the same thing from God: mercy. A mere mustard seed of faith taps into the mercy of tree-moving power. And flawless obedience leaves us utterly dependent on mercy.

John Piper

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The dark canvas that points to Grace

This is such a joyful song which brilliantly describes the Joy we share in Christ. My favourite line is this: “The dark is just a canvas for Your grace and brightness.”  If this post meets you in a dark place look to Christ, the song of our hearts.

“Joy” (Rend Collective)
We’re choosing celebration
Breaking into freedom
You’re the song
You’re the song
Of our hearts

We cast aside our shadows
Trust You with our sorrows
You’re the song
You’re the song
Of our hearts

We’re dancing to the rhythm of Your heart
We’re rising from the ashes to the stars

You’re the joy joy joy lighting my soul
The joy joy joy making me whole
Though I’m broken, I am running
Into Your arms of love

The pain will not define us
Joy will reignite us
You’re the song
You’re the song
Of our hearts

The dark is just a canvas
For Your grace and brightness
You’re the song
You’re the song
Of our hearts

We’re dancing to the rhythm of Your heart
We’re rising from the ashes to the stars

CHORUS

You’re the joy
The song in my heart
The hope of my soul

In the shadows
In the sorrows
In the desert
When the pain hits
You are constant
Ever-present
You’re the song of my heart
[x2]

CHORUS

 

 

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Watch “MercyMe – Greater (Official Lyric Video)” on YouTube

Greetings from school holiday land (aka teacher prep time). I’ve previously written a post about the lyrics of this song, but have just found a neat new official lyrics video that I thought I would share. It is such an uplifting and joyful tune. Blessings to you.

I JOHN 4:4-6
“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.”

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Our Saviour chose the Mercy Tree

This a beautiful song – a blessed Easter to you!
May your celebrations proclaim the grace and mercy of the empty tomb.

MERCY TREE

On a hill called Calvary
Stands an endless mercy tree
Every broken weary soul
Find your rest and be made whole
Stripes of blood that stain its frame
Shed to wash away our shame
From the scars pure love released
Salvation by the mercy tree

Verse 2
In the spot between two thieves
Hung the blameless Prince of Peace
Beaten, battered, scarred, and scorned
Sacred head pierced by our thorns
It is finished was his cry
The perfect lamb was crucified
His sacrifice, our victory
Our Savior chose the mercy tree

Chorus
Death has died, love has won
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Jesus Christ has overcome
He has risen from the dead

Verse 3
Hope went dark that violent day
The whole earth quaked at love’s display
Three days silent in the ground
This body born for heaven’s crown
On that bright and glorious day
When heaven opened up the grave
He’s alive and risen indeed!
Praise him for the mercy tree!

Verse 4
One day soon, we’ll see his face
And every tear, he’ll wipe away
No more pain or suffering
Praise him for the mercy tree

(Chorus 2x)
On a hill called Calvary
Stands an endless mercy tree

Official music video of “Mercy Tree” by Lacey Sturm, as seen in the film “The Cross” featuring Billy Graham. To watch the film visit http://watchbillygraham.com.