My sin, not in part but the whole

Last night I was able to drive up to Wheaton to see Phil Wickham, Shawn McDonald and Shane&Shane and it was, hands down, the most amazing show I've ever been to! I think a lot of that has to do with where I'm at in my life right now, but it really was phenomenal :) Not only that, but the six of us that went got to hang out with Shawn's sideman (I grew up going to Bible Camp with him) and Phil afterwards, so that was obviously a blast!

I'm beginning to realize that there is something about Jesus that affects me profoundly. Over the past month or so, I've been brought to tears several times at the mention of Jesus' Passion.

Last night Shane Bernard was telling a story about a song he wrote after being accused by the Enemy on night regarding a passage in Galatians 3 he had read earlier that day that says, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law..." He said he just sat there in the bus in tears admitting to the Devil that he was right.. he was a cursed failure. After something like five minutes of this, the Holy Spirit reminded him of the second part of that passage that says, but "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us."

I couldn't help myself.. the tears just came and came and came. Take a look at these lyrics:

Father of lies, coming to steal kill and destroy
All my hopes of being good enough
I hear him saying, “cursed are the ones who can’t abide”
He’s right, halleluia, he’s right
The devil is preaching the song of the redeemed
That I am cursed and gone astray
I cannot gain salvation
Embracing accusation
Could the father of lies be telling the truth of
God to me tonight?
That if the penalty of sin is death, then death is mine
I hear him saying, “cursed are the ones who can’t abide”
The devil’s singing over me an age old song
That I am cursed and gone astray
Singing the first verse so conveniently over me
He’s forgotten the refrain.
JESUS SAVES!

I'm getting close to crying again reading over those lyrics again. It's a terribly powerful message! I just can't reconcile with a perfect Jesus taking that torture and ridicule for an utter failure like me, so much so that God turned His face away.

Shortly after they sang this song, the Shanes ushered into a chorus of 'It Is Well With My Soul.' I thought I was a mess earlier.. boy was I wrong! The third verse ripped me up so much I couldn't even sing. Well, I tried, but no intelligible sound came out. :)

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

I welcome the tears, but they sure do sting.


May you be blessed this Palm Sunday :)