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The Tree of Light and its Inward Testimony
Lord, How Sweet Thy Joy That Ever Floweth
melody
Lord, how sweet Thy joy that ever floweth
Through Thy servants if Thy word we keep.
For Thy Spirit in us will but flourish
Where Thy voice is cherished as a sheep.
'Twas the hour when first my knees were bended
As by faith, I knelt before Thy call,
That Thy joy this sinner first attended
And still sets, more deeply, as my goal.
Word Made Flesh, Thou stillest seas of toil,
Fear and trouble of the orphaned soul.
And Thy peace pervades the mind as oil
Of adopted ones in Thee made whole.
For Thy blood hath torn the veil asunder
To reveal God's comfort in Thy face,
If my mind, Thy word of hope is under,
And my heart is shielded by the faith.
Seed of Life, Thy word in me Ye planted
That Thy Spirit once did germinate,
And Thy love therein to me was granted,
As to all who from death's hold escape.
O Thy love's first sprouting I remember;
May that memory help me cling to Thee,
That Thy service to Thy body's members
Might through me a light of witness be.
In my heart the Spirit's "Abba Father"
Lifts my eye to watch beyond the clouds,
As the fearsome voice by Sinai's altar
Celebrates me now 'neath Zion's bough.
Love has banished fear of condemnation,
For I know the cleansing of Thy blood,
That secured divine propitiation
And acceptance full in God's Beloved.
Father God, Thou gave me life in Jesus
And have saved me from the wrath to come
I confess Thy payment for my service
Daily pales the labor I have done.
May Thy Spirit strengthen me yet further
To comport Thy way of settled love,
'Till the praise of peace arise in fervor
With resounding joy sent from above.
Words: 2016 by Stephen Popovich
Music: Blott en Dag 1872 Oscar Ahnfelt
Joy of the Lord
1John 1:4
And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
The key to joy
God's written word is where God's grace flows, including the joy of the Lord, if we receive and keep His words (Jn.15:11, 1Jn.17:13)
. Following Jesus by obeying His word is the key to joy---especially when such obedience evokes the world's persecution (Matt.5:11-12, Heb.12:2).
'Twas the hour when first my knees were bended
As by faith, I knelt before Thy call,
That Thy joy this sinner first attended
And still sets, more deeply, as my goal.
The agent of joy
As we abide in the words of Jesus, His Spirit then abides in us by bearing the fruit of joy (Gal.5:22).
Lord, how sweet Thy joy that ever floweth
Through Thy servants if Thy word they keep.
Full joy
Our walk in the Way is not a solo walk; we move with a company of saints who have each been given spiritual gifts and a command to build others up in the word. The Joy of the Lord in us is most full when we are of the same mind, encouraging each other to walk by the light of God's truth (3Jn.1:4, Phil 2:2).
For Thy Spirit in us will but flourish
Where Thy voice is cherished as a sheep.
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance (Acts 2:28)
Eagerly Awaiting
1John 2:28
And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. (KJV)
"confidence" = Gk parresia = bold...the opposite of hesitant or shrinking back
"ashamed" = Gk aischyno = dishonored, disgraced.. with "kata" (kataischuno) means made to be confounded or dishonored.
Eagerly waiting
All believers will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ wearing blood washed white robes of righteousness. Those whose lives on earth were steadfast in the truth will have their righteous robes augmented with crowns (2Tim.4:7-8) . But those whose lives were spent in the world's futility will "shrink back"
under the realization that they will be a vessel of dishonor in the Lord's house for all eternity (1Cor.3:11-15, 2Tim.2:20).
A grand entrance
As we trust and obey God's word, we gain assurance that our fruitfulness on earth will be commensurate with rewards in heaven; a truth that Peter says bears repeating for remembrance sake (2Pet.1:8-12).
More fully magnifying Christ
If
our fruitfulness is a measure of our magnification of Christ in this life, how much more will we magnify Him with our glorified bodies in heaven (Phil.1:20-21).
In my heart the Spirit's "Abba Father"
Lifts my eye to watch beyond the clouds,
As the fearsome voice by Sinai's altar
Celebrates me now 'neath Zion's bough.
Brotherly Love
1John 3:14,19
(14)We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death...(19)And
hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. (KJV)
The sprout of love
Brotherly love is the incipient love of those born by the word of truth; If we are born again, the Holy Spirit bears witness within us that God is no longer our judge because of sin but cries out "Abba" Father (Rom.8:14-16, Gal.4:6-7). This incipient love extends toward
others
who are also born of God, like the affection of a baby in a crib 'naturally' flows to the siblings and parents alike ( 1Thes.4:9).
The first love
We are "of the truth" having been born of that truth (1Pet.1:23). Brotherly love comes included in the 'born again package' and then is to grow overtime to a more full love (1Pet.1:22, 2Pet.1:7-8). Sadly, this first
love of the new creation in Christ can grow dim instead of brighter (Rev.2:4).
Let brotherly love continue (Heb.13:1)
Seed of Life, Thy word in me Ye planted
That Thy Spirit once did germinate,
And Thy love therein to me was granted,
As to all who from death's hold escape.
O Thy love's first sprouting I remember;
May that memory help me cling to Thee,
That Thy service to Thy body's members
Might through me a light of witness be.
Confidence of Acceptance
1John 3:21-22
(21)Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. (KJV)
No condemnation
My sins that were a barrier between God and me have been broken down and washed away by the blood of the Lamb of God (Rom.8:1, Heb.10:19-22). God's eternal plan of restoring my relationship with him in Christ has been realized (Eph.3:11-12, Rom.3:23-26). I now can have assurance that my prayers of praise and supplication are accepted before God's throne.
Love has banished fear of condemnation,
For I know the cleansing of Thy blood,
That secured divine propitiation
And acceptance full in God's Beloved.
In Christ
Verse 22 tells me how I can know that I please God through obedience to God's commandments (1Jn.3:23). By placing my faith in Christ, I received confidence
of my peace with God and an incipient love for the brethren (1Pet.1:22). But confidence doesn't end at my obedience unto conversion; it continues as I continue in obedience by confessing my sin and growing in love.
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved (Eph. 1:6)
Peace of the Rock
1John 4:17-18
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (KJV)
"perfect" = teleios = complete, mature, lacking nothing, finished
"torment" = kolasis (noun)= punishment, And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life
(Matt.25:46).
Peace or fear
When peace is removed, there is fear. The unconverted fear God's judgment on sin, but those in Christ have no fear of God's judgment; they dwell at peace under the blood of Christ. The peace a believer knows at the hour he first believed is ongoing as he matures in God's word of love, even amid the hostility of the world's darkness which will always oppose the children of light just as it opposed Jesus (Jn.14:27,16:23, Phil.1:28-30).
Peace and love
Jesus is our rock and refuge amid the storms of this world because His word is a solid rock of refuge. If being obedient to the simple gospel gives me peace from the wrath of God toward my sin, how much more will my sanctification in God's word cover me with peace amid the wrath of merely Satan, although he may desire to sift me like wheat (Jn.17:14). John's
point in this passage is that if we abide in God's love then God's peace will abide in us (Phil.4:9, Col.3:14-15); and if we have peace concerning the judgment of God, then all else is small potatoes.
Word Made Flesh, Thou stillest seas of toil,
Fear and trouble of the orphaned soul,
And Thy peace pervades the mind as oil
Of adopted ones in Thee made whole.
For Thy blood hath torn the veil asunder,
To reveal God's comfort in Thy face,
If my mind, Thy word of hope is under,
And my heart is shielded by the faith.
Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied (Jude 1:2)
Answered Prayer
1John 5:13-15
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
(KJV)
Faith in the Son -> eternal life with the Father -> answered prayer
Our newly found eternal life in the Son of God is confirmed by answered prayers. God is no longer our judge temporarily withholding eternal judgment, but has become our Father extending blessings that include answered prayer (Jn.15:7).
Father God, Thou gave me life in Jesus
And have saved me from the wrath to come
What would Jesus pray for
Our prayers are properly ordered when they are directed to the Father in the name of Jesus---meaning the content is to be consistent with what we know Jesus would want. Only then will our prayers be in position to be answered by God, attended by joy (Jn.16:23-24, Jam.4:3).
'Till the praise of peace arise in fervor
With resounding joy sent from above.
A prayer that pleases
For example, if our prayers are about bearing fruit for Jesus we can be sure that they will be answered (Jn.15:16).
May Thy Spirit strengthen me yet further
To comport Thy way of settled love,
Pure and earnest
Confession is key to maintaining prayers that are pleasing to God and open to answers (Ps.66:18, Jam.5:16). When we sin, we fall away from Jesus (Pro.20:8-9), but when we confess our sins we fall onto his righteousness and are washed and
have restored fellowship (1Jn.1:9).
I confess Thy payment for my service
Daily pales the labor I have done.
Delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart (Ps. 37:4)
