Glaw and Lospel

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ, based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said, �But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

In short, if you like smooth, watered-down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn�t for you. By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we�re called by the Divine Trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King.

Here�s our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.

Critiquing a Man-Centered Worship Song About Christ Dying for Tears

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry. Mike Abendroth here. Good to have you tune in. Twenty-four and a half minutes of talk, intro, outro, and then there�s the talk. Talk radio. All they do is talk, talk.

Who sang that song? I can�t remember. That was in the �80s. It wasn�t really my style. I think it was a Duran Duran type, Waka Seagulls type. All they do is talk, talk. Well, I�ve cleaned off my No Compromise Radio booth table.

Literally, we had probably three-foot stacks of paper, one foot per stack. Three stacks, and now it�s dwindled down. There are not many things on here. We have some Wretched Radio stuff in case Todd ever calls back.

Just kidding. I heard the vault at Wretched Radio is open. That is to say it�s all free. I have some songs in front of me, preferred songs. I�ve made mention to this before. Preferred songs. These are actually hymns.

For those tears I died, come to the water. I�ve never heard that song in my life. You said you�d come to share all my sorrows. You said you�d be there for all my tomorrows. What kind of crazy thing is that?

Last night, my wife and I and daughter Gracie, who�s 16, went to shop a little bit, and went to Marshalls. Pretty much that�s where we buy everything, Marshalls, TJ Maxx. I saw a candle there, and the candle said I posted something on Twitter, by the way and it said, �Family the top.

Next line, it said, �Football. And the next line, it said, �Jesus. Now, maybe it had on the inside of the candle about a sending order. I�m not really sure, but that�s pretty much America. You said you�d come to share all my sorrows.

You said you�d be there for all my tomorrows. I came so close to sending you away, but just like you promised, you came there to stay. I just had to pray. This is in the chord of E. Your goodness so great, I can�t understand.

Well, that�s a good line. And dear Lord, I know that all this was planned. Excellent line. I know you�re here now and always will be. Your love loosens my chains, and in you I�m free. But Jesus, why me?

Okay, I made fun of the first stanza. I still don�t think it�s a great song, but that second stanza, okay. Jesus, I give you my heart and my soul. I know now without God I�d never be whole. Savior, you opened all the right doors, like my heart, Acts 16.

And I thank you and praise you from earth�s humble shores. Take me, I�m yours. I like the thankful part. And Jesus said, this is the chorus, by the way. Come to the water, stand by my side. I know you are thirsty, you won�t be denied.

I felt every teardrop when in darkness you cried, and I strove to remind you that for those tears I died. You know how you first begin to learn theology and you pick apart everything? In one sense, I really understand it because you�re to discern all things, discern.

You are to not just take things at face value any longer. You�re a Christian and you�re trying to match everything up to the Word of God and see if it�s true or not and to be good Bereans, not just of the Bible, but life, what the media is telling you.

But this one, Jesus died for my tears. Now when Haley was little, Haley just turned 25 this weekend, when she was little and she would cry, she would say, �My tears, my tears. My tears, Jesus died for my tears.

Well, what if my tears were selfish tears? What if my tears were jealous tears? And the list goes on. Jesus dies for people. He dies for the bride. He dies for the church. If you�re a Christian, he died for you.

And when you think about the cross, you ought never to think, �Oh, before I forget, The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson is free this month at ChristianAudio .com. Sign up and you can be on their mailing list.

And I read the book, it�s one of my favorite books in the last 10 years, and I�m listening to it now on the bicycle. But Jesus dies and Ferguson makes clear in the book, that�s what made me think about it.

It�s not that God the Father now loves us because what Jesus did for us at Calvary. No, he loved us in eternity past, before time began. God set his affection upon us. He foreknew us. He loved us before time.

And because of that love, and we can talk also about a Trinitarian love, but specifically speaking of the Father right now, then he sent his Son to die for us because he loved us. If you ever think now you�re lovable because Jesus died for you, or God now gives his love to you because of that, you�re not thinking correctly.

You might be thinking that Jesus died for Teo�s. I guess there�s a lot of water in this particular song book, �Preferred Songs. What would the non-preferred songs be? That would be a good question.

A Critique of Self-Focused Evangelistic Songs and the Need for God-Centered Worship

If these are preferred, there�s a non-preferred songs. Here�s another non-preferred song. Like the woman at the well, I was seeking for things that could not satisfy. And then I heard my Savior speaking, �Draw from my well that will never run dry.

There are millions in this world who are craving the pleasure earthly things afford, but none can match the wondrous treasure that I find in Jesus Christ my Lord. So my brother, if the things this world gave you leave hungers that won�t pass away, my blessed Lord will come and save you if you�ll kneel to him and humbly pray.

And here�s what you�re supposed to pray because it�s got the chorus colon, �Fill my cup, Lord, I lift it up, Lord. Come and quench the thirsting of my soul. Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more.

Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole. And I get the sentiment there, and there�s lots of stuff in there. There are many things in there that I would commend. People are craving, there is eternity set in people�s hearts.

Their own heart is striving and craving and you�re filling your life, if you�re an unbeliever, with all kinds of things. But what would someone say, what would a Christian say to someone who said, �My life is great.

I�m healthy, my kids are healthy, I have money, I have the oughts, I have the this, I have the that, I�m not really looking for anything. What do we say then? That�s a good question. And then my final song today, as we are here on No Compromise Radio, don�t forget if you want to go to Israel with us, February, middle of February to the end of February, last 10 days, 9 or 10 days, Pilgrim Tours, tell them No Compromise Radio, you want to go with them.

You can�t go with Pat Abendroth because his bus is full, or his half of the bus. I�ve got the one side of the bus, he�s got the other side. And if you�re not careful, we might pull a Mars Hill and throw you under the bus.

If you�re a No Compromise listener and you say, �Sign me up for the Omaha Bible Church then that�s what you�re going to get. Because if everybody signs up for him, I can�t go, it�s just OBC then. Yesterday he died for me, yesterday, yesterday, all my troubles seem so far away.

Yesterday he died for me, yesterday, yesterday he died for me, he died for me. This is history. Now, what does that really mean? He says, �In the court of sea by the way, then it moves to D-flat. Today he lives for me, today, today, today he lives for me, today, today he lives for me, lives for me, this is victory.

Is this back to the Octor Arter issue with the Merrow man and Christ is dead for you and that kind of evangelism, general offer, particular redemption, distinguishing election, is this that type of thing with inspiration ink used by permission?

Tomorrow he comes for me, he comes, he comes. Tomorrow he comes for me, he comes, he comes, he comes, he comes to Sherman. Tomorrow he comes for me, comes for me, this is mystery. O friend, do you know him?

Know him, know him. O friend, do you know him? Know him. O friend, do you know him? Do you know him? Noam Chomsky. Jesus Christ, the Lord, Jesus Christ, the Lord, Jesus Christ, the Lord. So yesterday he died, today he lives, tomorrow he comes.

Hebrews 3, Today, and the Warning Against Hardening Your Heart

I think they sing this song in a lot of OPC churches. I've been studying the book of Hebrews, as you know, and there is that charge, though, as I'm thinking about it, in Hebrews 3, verse 7, today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the day of rebellion, where the author of Hebrews, I think most people think Paul, but the author says, you know, back in the day with Israel and their rebellion and Isaiah, excuse me, Psalm 95, with the allusion to Exodus 17 and the grumbling and the complaining, today, you know, you don't want to turn your back on the Messiah because you'll never enter the rest.

And they didn't enter the promised land rest, promised, that's like what Patti Benner says when you combine law and gospel, glossple, glaw, glaw and lossful. Yeah, that's better. Pat, I'm going to correct you, glaw and lossful, that's what today's show is, glaw and lossful.

I think of a lobster claw or something like that, that's what I'm thinking of right now. Just a side deviation here, as we do at No Compromise Radio, OCD Radio, if you have prostate cancer or you have a high PSA and you've got to go get a biopsy, you can email me if you'd like some encouragement and prayer or talk about it, mike at nocompromiseradio .com.

As many of you know, I got diagnosed last year with prostate cancer and had brachytherapy. They put in 70 seeds or so, radioactive seeds, and right now I'm just tired, but back on the bicycle again, counting calories, feeling much better.

Now I'm just hoping that those radioactive seeds kill the cancer and I will find out more as I take a couple of blood tests and then MRI in December, 2017, this December. And then they'll monitor me over the next couple of years, I would imagine.

And so today I had my first call from a friend and we talked about it. He's 52 and he's got some issues with his prostate and we were working through those from a biblical perspective. I'm not cavalier as I say it, I'm not giving you an offer that it's a false offer.

If you write me, mike at nocompromiseradio .com, I would like to help you. I now know very well all the things that go through your mind when they tell you you have cancer. I mean, if you have other kinds of cancer, I'd like to help you too, but specifically this is very close to home, as it were.

So anyway, back to nocompromiseradio .com. When you think of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, C, D flat, and D. You know, when I think of today, today is the day that you want to enter into the rest of salvation, that is to believe.

If you're not a believer, you believe, that was the point of Hebrews 3 and 4. These songs that I criticize are just very man-centered, very, I mean, I guess their motive is evangelism. And on here, to be fair, to God be the glory, redeemed, he is Lord.

That's a simple song, but still true. What are the other ones that are good? Surely goodness and mercy, that's on here. I don't know, I mean, it's a good title. Since Jesus came into my heart, do Lord.

Okay, amazing grace is on there. The rest, we're going to have to talk about it in a second. The songs we sing, we tend to sing very man-centered songs left to ourselves, because we're just man-centered people.

I understand the desire to sing psalms only. I get arguments about using music only when it comes to priest and Old Testament sacrifices where these musical instruments used. But one thing's for certain, it would be nice to sing God-centered songs.

And sometimes those God-centered songs strike us oddly, even with Psalm 97. And we think of the great psalm of praise and call to worship. This is the type of song that, you know, at least the beginning, we might say, Oh, I could see someone pinning those words.

Maybe your favorite songwriter might be the Gettys or something. Or Francis Scott Key. Francis Abergate. Or Fanny Crosby. Fanny Crosby, Stills and Nash. And Young. I'm not a big Neil Young fan, but I watched a documentary on Neil Young.

It was quite fascinating. I just watched the Tom Petty documentary, too. It was a hard life. I don't know what actually made the heart attack happen, but I'm sure hard living doesn't help. Oh, come let us sing to Yahweh.

Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving. Let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise. For Yahweh is a great God and a great king above all gods.

Now that's a song. In his hands are the depths of the earth. The heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it. And his hands formed the dry land. I can hear the tambourines. Oh, come let us worship and bow down.

Let us kneel before the Lord Yahweh, our maker. For he is our God. Come let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord, our maker. For he is our God. I think it goes something like that. And we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.

Wow. What a song of worship. What a song of praise. What a biblical song. An inspired song. A God breathes song. Oh, come let us sing such a song. I mean, it summons you to sing. It gives you reasons to sing.

Biblical. God-centered. Theo-centric. But that's not the end of the song. Remember, psalms are to be sung. They were sung. And now we have the inclusion. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on the day of Massa in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

Remember, you're singing this. For 40 years I loathed that generation and said, they are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways. Therefore, I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest.

Yow! Fill my cup, Lord. Yesterday. Let's try another one on this thing. I mean, I would take God is so good, God is so good, God is so good to me. You know, because that could be like a kid's song or something.

I wouldn't mind that. What about this song? They bound the hands of Jesus in the garden where he prayed. They led him through the streets in shame. They spat upon the Savior so pure and free from sin.

They said, crucify him, he's to blame. Upon his precious head they placed a crown of thorns. They laughed and said, behold the King. They struck him and they cursed him and mocked his holy name. Alone, all alone, he suffered everything.

When they nailed him to the cross, his mother stood nearby. He said, woman, behold thy son. He cried, I thirst for water, but they gave him none to drink. Then the sinful work of man was done. I'm thinking, why am I singing this?

He said, I'm thinking. To the howling mob he yielded, he did not for mercy cry. The cross of shame he took alone, and when he cried, it's finished, he gave himself to die. Salvation's wondrous plan was done.

He could have called 10 ,000 angels to destroy the world and set him free. He could have called 10 ,000 angels, but he died alone for you and me. Now, that very last was the stanza. My favorite lyric in such a song would be, and when he cried, it is finished, he gave himself to die.

But then I stop and think for a second, and Jesus yielded up his spirit. Now, that's what they mean great, but if you look at the text, I would die and then my head would go down. Jesus puts his head down, yields up his spirit, and salvation's plan was finished.

When I think of such a song, I think, heaven came down and glory filled my soul. Okay, I have to tell you this. When you criticize songs, especially on the radio, and you don't really know the person, you can't see my face, it's trouble.

Why? Because these are so personal. Songs become very, very personal. And if you go to a funeral and your mother died and my mother did die, or your dad died and my dad did die, grandparents, all four of my grandparents are dead.

And they sing at the garden, in the garden. And then you remember your parent's funeral in light of that, or the other way around. It's an emotional thing, it's a personal thing. Most people don't even stick up for the lyrics, they're just thinking about the song at mom's funeral.

That's what they're thinking. Now, why are these preferred songs? We've done shows in the past where I've told you, and here is the reason. This particular preferred song sheet with these 29 songs, including one, it's called My God and I.

My God and I go in the field together. We walk and talk as good friends should and do. We clasp our hands, our voices ring with laughter. My God and I walk through meadows hue. We clasp our hands, our voices ring with laughter.

My God and I walk through the meadows hue. If one bad line wasn't enough, we get two. He tells me of the years that went before me. This is God telling me this. When heavenly plans were made for me to be.

When all was but a dream of dim conception to come to life, earth's burdened glory see. When all was but a dream of dim conception to come to life, earth's burdened glory see. My God and I will go for I together, A-Y-E.

We'll walk and talk and just as good friends do. Sorry, I'm thinking of things, but I'm not saying them. This earth will pass and with it common trifles, but God and I will go unendingly. This earth will pass and with it common trifles, but God and I will go unendingly.

This is from Preferred Songs, Preferred Risk Group, 1111 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines, Iowa, 50265. Auto Americans, Non-Drinkers Insurance. Please tell me more. I'm interested in a company that insures non-drinkers only.

Auto Home Life Church. Alcohol is the worst single killer on our highways. Why should non-drinkers help pay for the accidents of those who drink? Why not offer insurance for non-drinkers only? Such were the thoughts more than 30 years ago of William Plymouth, insurance executive and temperance leader since his high school.

Well, that's just interesting to me. A lot of comments. This is not a temperance pro or con. I have a Bible I got years ago, and it has a temperance pledge at the beginning that you sign it. You know, marriages, births, deaths, temperance pledge.

And you were to sign that. It's in the Bible. I guess it's right after Psalm 104 that you sing. Singing songs about why. Wow. Well, today I'm going to entitle this one Glaw and Lossable. In honor of Pat Abendroth.

Pat needs to be back on the show. Well, a lot of people need to be back on the show. I have a couple of guests lined up to interview. I have a guest lined up soon enough. Luke is his name. Not my son, but a different Luke, and he's a pastor.

But when he became the pastor of this church, he wasn't saved. So that will be very interesting. My friend Paul in Santa Cruz, he's going to be on soon. And others, if you want to write me, info at nocompromiseradio .com.

Nocompromiseradio .com, you can get the book there, Sexual Fidelity, Evangelical White Lies, things to go bump in the church, all found at the website, nocompromiseradio .com.

Program Sign-Off and Station Disclaimer

No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life-transforming power of God's Word through verse-by-verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 1015 and in the evening at 6. We're right on Route 110 in West Boylston. You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.

The thoughts and opinions expressed on No Compromise Radio do not necessarily reflect those of WVNE, its staff, or management.