Justified through Jesus

"How should man be just with God?" (Job 9:2).  "He said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer... And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me.  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you" (Luke 22:19,20). 

How can a man with God be just? 

How shall we stand before His throne? 

In what, on that day, shall we trust,

When all our sins to Him are shown? 

Let not a single word be spoken

As Jesus Christ now shows the way: 

He takes the bread which He has broken;

The cup is also on display. 

We take our place now at the table. 

We see our Savior's great desire

Who shows that He alone is able

To do what justice must require. 

"This is My body," Jesus said,

Which He for us would freely give,

Depicted in the broken bread,

So by His death we thus may live. 

"This cup is the new testament

In My blood which is shed for You." 

Our Holy God now rests content: 

Christ finished all He came to do!

  

We're justified through Jesus Christ;

His work that saves us is complete! 

For sinners He was sacrificed: 

Behold His wounded hands and feet! 

O Lord, for sinners You have died,

And thus we have our confidence

That we are thereby justified

And saved from judgment's consequence!   

Receive our praise, O Lord our Savior,

As we draw near in adoration,

For we are justified by favor

Extended through Your great salvation! 

Hopeless Hypocrite

"So are the paths of all that forget God, and the hypocrite's hope shall perish: whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web" (Job 8:13,14).  "The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn from it" (Psalm 132:11).  "Every word of God is pure: He is a Shield unto them that put their trust in Him... Remove far from me vanity and lies" (Proverbs 30:5,8).  "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away" (Luke 21:33). 

How hopeless is the hypocrite

Who just pretends that all is well

And doesn't seem to care a bit

That he is marching on to hell. 

A spider's web shall be his trust

Which comes to nothing in the hand

When into darkness he is thrust

So far removed from what he planned. 

How great the contrast is in Christ

Whose promises are all "Amen!"

He said He would sacrificed;

He promised He would rise again.  

The Lord has sworn in truth to us

To give His people consolation. 

Is not His mercy marvelous

Who thus assures us of salvation?

We rest on every word of God

And trust in Him who is our Shield. 

All other hopes are surely flawed,

Betraying those who to them yield. 

The Lord removes all vanity,

And He will purge away all lies

With truth by which He makes us free

As by His Word He testifies. 

When earth and heaven pass away

The words of God shall still remain. 

The hypocrite with great dismay 

Shall see that all his hopes were vain. 

We thank You, Lord, for confidence

That what You promised has an end. 

The hypocrite has no defense

Or hope on which he can depend. 

Until the day we're face to face,

Lord, purify us with Your Word.

May hopeless hypocrites find grace

As by Your Gospel, they are stirred!  

Portrayed in a Penny

"What is man, that Thou shouldest magnify him?  And that Thou shouldest set Thine heart upon him?" (Job 7:17).  "Show Me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's.  And He said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's" (Luke 20:24,25). 

The question was asked, "What is man?"
That answer by Christ was portrayed.

God loved us before time began! 

How great is His passion displayed! 

This question still pondered by many,

Was asked by both David and Job. 

Our Savior portrayed in a penny

The answer He gave us to probe. 

Caesar's image and superscription

Was seen on a penny back then. 

Things of Caesar have his depiction,

But God put His image on men.

We're made in the image of God;

By right of creation, we're His. 

All other assessments are flawed,

Departing from what truly is. 

Though we were our Maker's possession,

By sin we were parted from Him. 

Alas, by our willful transgression,

Our future was woefully grim!

But Christ came to be our Defender

That we might be rescued from loss.

How rightly we ought to surrender

Ourselves to Him, viewing His cross! 

Lord Jesus, the question remains! 

What are we, that You loved us first

So much You would suffer such pains

And also for us would be cursed?

Continue to teach us, O Lord,

The wonderful lesson You taught,

Portrayed in a penny explored,

To give You our hearts as we ought.  

Forcible or Foolish

"How forcible are right words!  But what doth your arguing reprove?" (Job 6:25).  "Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things" (Proverbs 28:5).  "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost... If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!  But now they are hid from thine eyes.. because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation" (Luke 19:10, 42-44). 

How forcible the words can be

That shine in darkness by God's light

To set the captive sinner free,  

Reproving wrong with what is right. 

Though evil men won't understand

The truth of judgment's awful cost,

We hold the truth in God's command

To bring the Gospel to the lost. 

The fool, in his conceited eyes,

May think that truth is mere opinion,

Perceiving not that when he dies,

God's Word, not his, shall have dominion.

Our Savior came to seek our soul

And save us from the coming wrath. 

The words He gave are forcible;

They shine as light upon our path. 

The Gospel comes with evidence  

(Its proof includes an empty grave)

To show there's only one Defense;

No other name but Christ can save! 

We hear our Savior's lamentation;

He wept for those who were so blind

That they rejected His salvation,

And so their peace was left behind. 

O Lord, we hear the argument,

Disguised as "science" in our schools,

Professing wise the ignorant,

Promoting doctrine fit for fools. 

We take the Gospel that You proved,

O Lord, to show Your way of peace,

So darkness thus may be removed

Where light will in its place increase. 

We pray, Lord, in these latter days,

That You will send Your Word with power.

Make forcible triumphant praise

Against Your foe who would devour!