Let Mercy be a Melody -a poem on Psalm 95

God calls me to sing
Of a love so amazing
Sing a song of gladness
How I’m saved from the madness
Of sin's angry blindness
The world’s empty blandness


What a joy to be able
To shout not a fable
But of grace unknown
And God on the throne
May I not fall away
Harden my heart this day


Let mercy be a melody
Ringing of His dying for me
Stir my voice to shout
And praise to breakout
Of the song of God’s Son
He’s my supreme reason

A Father’s Strong Hand -a poem on Psalm 94

Your judgments are fearful
But your disciplines cheerful
Your loving correction
Is so great an affection
Though it brings sorrow
Joy comes on the morrow

You will never allow
One of yours to bow
To any secret sin
Nothing evil within
But you drive us away
From every evil to sway

A Father’s strong hand
Means a love so grand
He will not let me kiss
That which will miss
The joy of His glory
Let me shout out the story
Of a God who takes wrath
Out of my path
And on to His Son
By such grace I am won

In Christ are all yes- a poem on Psalm 91

To be hid in His mighty hand
There the strength to stand
In God is all power
He is my strong tower

There is none other
Closer than a brother
No lion brings fright
No beast in the night
Nor an army of legions
Out of the nether regions

For my soul is secure
The cross has made me pure
From wrath I have been hid
Of guilt I am now rid
All promises to bless
In Christ are all yes

The life of one of my heroes done in rap.....

Your Days are Set -a poem on Psalm 90

Before time began

Before children ran

God was there

Ruling the air

Always and forever

No end whatsoever

Made us from dust

Out of earth’s crust

Owning all breath

Determines each death

O never forget

Your days are set

His wrath is justified

But Christ was crucified

His anger is right

Yet I’m just in His sight

Guilt far removed

I am now approved

Though I deserved sadness

He has brought me gladness

WHEN FAITH IS FRAIL

A poem on Psalm 88

DOUBTS COME ALONG

SIN HEAPING TROUBLE

FEARS STEAL MY SONG

REDUCE ME TO RUBBLE

JOY FLEES LIKE A THIEF

EMPTYING THE HEART

CAREWORN FOR BELIEF

I NEED A NEW START

A SMOLDERING WICK

HE WILL NOT SNUFF OUT

WHEN THOUGHTS ARE SICK

AND HEART IN DROUGHT

COMPASSIONS WON’T FAIL

MERCIES STILL NEW

WHEN FAITH IS FRAIL

HIS PROMISE STILL TRUE

WHILE HE HIDES HIS FACE

HIS GRACE IS SECURE

I WILL RUN THE RACE

AND SURELY ENDURE

MY JOY WILL REVIVE

I BEEN PURCHASED WITH BLOOD

MY SOUL WILL THRIVE

IN THAT MERCIFUL FLOOD

Joy's Eternal Address

A poem on Psalm 87

Only one joy will last

Only one unsurpassed

To love what God adores

And hate what He abhors

There is no other place

Nothing provides a trace

But God gives to His own

Contentment yet unknown

It calls me to pursue

And promises to renew

A new birth begins my quest

In Christ I first must rest

I will forever sing

An ever flowing spring

My joy will never end

Christ my eternal friend

Of joy I will be serious

Not at all mysterious

That God is nothing less

Than joy’s eternal address

The cross I will pursue

Bid all the world adieu

God has for me a home

From Christ I’ll never roam

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

Justin Taylor has linked to this story of Christopher Yuan who was converted to Christ from a lifestyle of homosexuality, major drug dealing, and prison and dealing with HIV. No man is beyond the reach of the power of Christ to convert the soul.

Come Near to Hear- a poem on Psalm 86

Come near to hear

And take away what I fear

May your gracious hand

Rescue from an evil band

My cry rings out

O let me not doubt

I will not die but live

Now ready to forgive

Your anger comes slow

Such goodness to flow

There is none to compare

No other gods in the air

My mind needs remade

New feelings conveyed

There is no other gladness

It is all but madness

That apart from you

I’ll find anything true

Let your answer be displayed

Those who hate be dismayed

Show clearly your hand

That all understand

My God is my aid

Let the wicked be afraid

Make glad the nations

To all generations

Will You Revive Once More?

- A poem on Psalm 85

Mercies I remember

Glowing as an ember

How grace once flowed

Much forgiveness was bestowed

Now sins have multiplied

On self I have relied

Can there still be

Mercy kept for me

Will your anger last

Will it soon be past

Will you still revive

And make your people thrive?

Bring us back to life

Though our sins be rife

Would you now restore

And end your holy war?

Let your righteousness

Be peace in sin’s distress

Will you revive once more

Forgiveness to outpour?

Forever is the need

Of a Savior who did bleed

I must not be far away

From the power of that day

A Son became my sin

His righteousness now within

O keep me near the cross

Lest I should suffer loss

I have no other plea

But that He died for me

I AM SATISFIED IN CHRIST

A poem on Psalm 84

The world offers treasures

Endless hollow pleasures

That lures me to pursue

And promises something new

Come chase after gold

There’s so much to hold

Such joy in wealth

Better than health

Long for men to cheer

Love their praise to hear

But it is worth far less

Than all the press

Its promise of peace

Will suddenly cease

All its deceiving delights

End in a thousand dark nights

God is the measure

Of what is real treasure

The cross is the place

To make my heart race

In the death of my King

My heart will now sing

Joy is my possession

Gone all transgression

Rising up from the grave

This rebel to save

The cross is my glory

It is my whole story

It cannot be priced

I am satisfied in Christ

For praise He bore the shame

-A poem on Psalm 22

The Son we did despise

God heard not his cries

A Father turned away

As men went out to slay

He died without a friend

To such a bitter end

Why would he leave it all

To save us from the fall?

A Father’s glory awaited

And so for us was hated

We were not the cause

He rescued from hell’s jaws

The cross was for the glory

Of the wonder His story

It was for God He died

For glory crucified

There is no greater mystery

Than God at work in history

To save those under wrath

No one could do the math

For we deserved no kindness

In our willful blindness

His hands and feet were nailed

My death was there impaled

Blood erased my blame

A river of grace now came

Out of the grave He rose

Vanquished all our foes

He loved me for the goal

So grace I would extol

He made me to delight

In Him who is so right

Adopted as a son

In mercy it was done

For praise He bore the shame

To the glory of the Name

My Hate is Now Delight- A poem on Psalm 69

If God became a man

Surely we would plan

To love Him all the more

For all the sins He bore

Yet it was not in love

We gave His face a shove

How we loved to hate

And did not hesitate

Despising every trace

We spit upon his grace

And gave a bloody blow

To love that reached so low

Still He drank the bitter cup

When He was lifted up

On a cross was crushed

A last breath hushed

Judgment now is done

It has fallen on the Son

But to all who would refuse

They will forever lose

Blotted out of life

Into eternal strife

I was one who hated

My end had all been slated

Yet sins were washed away

Why I could not say

But Oh I am so glad

God is no longer mad

His wrath is satisfied

For Christ has justified

For the glory of his Name

There is longer blame

I stand forever right

My hate is now delight

Cruise Ship Worship Services

Is there a sense of urgency in your church's worship service? Is there a sense that large, eternal things hang in the balance with the preaching of the Word? Or is there a rather easy, breezy feel to it all- even an amusing feel to everything. Is there an overarching desire to make everyone comfortable? Or does it have both gladness and gravity? Joy (not "fun") and soul gripping seriousness?

Dan Phillips over at Pyromaniacs blog has nailed it with these comments about worship and the Word.....

Never forget: each confrontation with the Word is a crisis.Crisis

comes straight from the Greek krisis, which means judgment. God's word is living, powerful, unimaginably sharp, and it judges us (Hebrews 4:12).Jesus' words judge us (John 12:48). Angels apparently watch (1 Corinthians 11:10;Ephesians 3:10; 1 Timothy 5:21), and wonder (1 Peter 1:12). Souls hang in the balance, lives are at unknown crossroads. This tidy fellow may be on the verge of a heart-attack; that polite couple could be headed for divorce; this young single might be hovering at the brink of a terrible decision; that young lady could be desperately snared in the jaws of a deep, dark, papered-over depression....

It's not teatime on the deck of some luxury cruiser. It ain't Oprah. It's strategy-time, for soldiers under fire, in the midst of a war.

I need a new birth

A Poem on Psalm 78

If I had all blessing

I’d still be redressing

My complaint about God

O’er mercy run roughshod

Though mercies unfold

My heart is still cold

I want it my way

God as valet

He should supply

And not question why

Let Him show wonders

And ignore all my blunders

My heart so dark

There is not a spark

Of love for the Throne

There’s sin to the bone

Good gifts won’t create

Nor my sins to negate

I must be made new

A clean heart to debut

What I need is a change

Sovereign grace to arrange

A new second birth

But not from the earth

For if I am to live

The Spirit must give

That birth must precede

For faith to proceed

No blessings will save

My soul from the grave

But a new life must come

All of grace to be from

A Sick "god"

Eighty five year-old Satya Sai Baba is believed by many to be the incarnation of a Hindu god. Headlines today read "Indian 'living god' in critical condition". The headline is both a knee slapper and a tragedy. How comic that a so-called god is sick and how tragic that men settle for sick gods.

Paul revealed this tragic reality in Romans 1:21-23

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

Why are the Wicked Well? - a poem on Psalm 73

Why are the wicked well

Why are they not in hell

Why do they have no pain

Why do they always gain

How can they survive

Why do the boastful thrive

Have I obeyed in vain

And kept heart from stain

Is God just or not

Am I left to rot?

Now I see all straight

God will surely vindicate

His justice though delayed

Will find the wicked slayed

I’ve seen their end

Though they condescend

In a sudden crash

Their teeth will gnash

God will remove their place

From the human race

They cannot last

And will soon be past

Their foot will slip

They will lose their grip

I must not doubt

God will find them out

He is dreadfully provoked

His wrath is now stoked

While men do wrong

God is yet strong

Evil made to conform

His work to perform

In the cross I see

Death brings mercy

God indeed reigns

The I AM ordains

To God I belong

My portion and my song

LET THE NATIONS BE GLAD- A poem on Psalm 67

Blessings come for gospel pleasure

For all peoples to delight

In Christ their sovereign treasure

And joy to know no height

Nations round are yet to know

A hope to be forgiven

So cause our grace to grow

That to Christ they may be driven

We plead for grace

Not for self and ease

But to run the race

Across the seas

Except you bless us

We cannot go

The riches of Jesus

They will not know

So give more grace

And grant more blessing

To set the pace

Till they’re confessing

In every land

Where Christ not known

The faith you command

In Christ alone

There are other sheep

That must be brought

A charge to keep

For those you bought

Grant them to repent

Give them faith to choose

For their hearts are bent

Their wills refuse

S o bless us well

And grace increase

For we must tell

God’s terms of peace

To make them sing

And make them true

Worshippers of the King

Now made brand new

Sermon on Psalm 51- Bob Dalberg, Berean Baptist Church

In Silence I’ll Wait

A POEM ON PSALM 62

The roar of terror

I will not fear

Nor the rattle of error

But the Lord I hear

In silence I’ll wait

Till His voice is plain

My God so great

But man so vain

Nothing in wealth

To bring my release

He is my health

Though evil increase

To God the power

In justice and might

The cross my tower

I’m just in His sight

The work now done

My hope secure

He gave his Son

I will surely endure

Watch Rob Bell Have to Answer a Question...

Justin Taylor linked to this MSNBC interview with Rob Bell. Rob Bell is the latest denier of an eternal hell. Nothing new here- just crusty old heresy with hip glasses on. Watch Mr. Bell squirm and evade, and see Mr. Bashir pin him to the mat. It is very good to see an emergent type not be allowed to give non-answers. My question is what is Martin Bashir doing on MSNBC?

A LAMB SLAIN FOR SIN’S DARK STAIN -a poem on Psalm 51

Dark was sin’s stain
Cruel was sin’s rule
My rebel soul slain
For sin played the fool
No hope to know joy
For death was a thief
No cause to employ
To find my relief

My fate was so grim
My case was all lost
Till hope was in Him
He paid the full cost

I found but one plea
Twas death to my pride
Have mercy on me!
For nothing will hide
The stain of my shame
But a Lamb who was slain
For the fame of the Name
No guilt to remain

Sermon on Psalm 46, March 6, 2011- Bob Dalberg

God's Sovereign Grace in Translating the Bible into Kimyal

Watch and be humbled by their love for the Word of their Lord and his sovereign choice in bringing them the Scriptures.....(HT: Justin Taylor)

A Poem from Psalm 46

“Be Still” He Commands

He will be exalted

No thing he does can be halted.

Every impossible feat

He will surely complete

Every knee bending low

Shattering of every bow

He brings our peace

By the mighty word cease

He commands we know

He overcomes every foe

He will be exalted

No thing he does can be halted.

Obama Puts His Boot on the Necks of Doctors Who Have a Conscience

"I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art"- Hippocratic Oath

Obama's HHS just revoked the Bush era conscience protections for medical professionals who have moral and ethical objections to abortion and sterilization. Dr. Al Mohler has a great analysis here.

Sermon on Psalm 34- January 30, 2011 Berean Baptist Church

Pastor Bob Dalberg

Something most TV preachers will never say......

Don't Waste Your Sports

What does sports have to do with the glory to God? Can you play sports in a way that does not bring glory to you and you become an idol of our own accomplishment?

Here is a great message by C.J. Mahaney

Don't Waste Your Sports from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.

What is mainstream Islam?

Jonah Goldberg at the National Review has this article where he asks if the so-called moderates in Islam are really the ones who are hijacking the religion and making it into something it is not. Goldberg writes.... For years, we’ve heard how the peaceful religion of Islam has been hijacked by extremists.

What if it’s the other way around? Worse, what if the peaceful hijackers are losing their bid to take over the religion?

He takes a hard look at the recent assassination of a Pakistani Governor Salman Taseer who was a moderate Muslim. He was killed for defending a Christian woman who was accused of blasphemy.

The west is facing an ancient foe in Islam. Islam, at its heart, is opposed to the values of the west and ultimately of Christianity. It is violently opposed to it all. I believe Goldberg is spot on in that Muslim moderates are not speaking for true Islam.

Finally, Islam is opposed to the cross of Christ. Christ crucified for sinners- western sinners and Muslim sinners is a message that Islam cannot tolerate. The great hope for the west is if the Gospel is able to win over much of the Islamic world- provided that the west does not loose its own grip on the Gospel.

Islam is a large and mighty foe, but compared to the Gospel it is a paper tiger. The preaching of Christ crucified is able to demolish strongholds and take every thought captive and make it obedient to Jesus Christ.

We may yet see in our day a large scale conversion of many in the Islamic world to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Just remember the suddenness of the fall of the former Soviet Union).

Watch and pray.