Salvation, The Joyful Sound

By O. Allen Bailey
rockschool@juno.com
www.olddesign.com



"...Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;... Isa 42:1-6.

"... Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer ,.." Isa 53 - 54.

"... Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:...Eph 1:3-11.

We're given to view salvation-
O, What wonderful news to man!
-Know that we have a Relation,
-Immersed in this wonderful Plan!

Salvation first, is Eternal,
And was found in God, Paternal,
Was found in His Mind, Internal,
And out of us as External.

Since it was from Everlasting,
As God's Purpose there was casting,
His Love in Christ there was feasting,
While fullness of time was hasting;

His Counsel and Purpose fulfill,
And bring to fruition His Will,
His Spirit now teaches us still,
And makes our heart in Him to thrill.

With God no new thing can arise,
If so, then He is not all-wise;
No new thing can His Mind apprise
-That unexpected there uprise;

No contingency there spring up,
That God, like we, need a backup;
His Wisdom needs not a checkup;
That's unforeseen, cause Him shakeup.

He is the very Source and Spring
Of all things here that Time may bring;
And over all He stands as King,
So well in praise to Him we sing.

His Power and Greatness won't allow
To any creature's power to bow;
For He eternally did vow,
His attributes, to none endow.

He is the Perfect Engineer,
Of His Design, we need not fear;
So may we rest upon His sphere,
And wait His Purpose, till brought near.

While we admire this Architect
Whose Plan and Purpose is perfect,
And glory in His great Edict,
Who even did His Son afflict;

His Grace there coupled with His Power
Doth make His daily blessings shower
From where they're stored in Christ's Own dower,
And gently falls in here, our bower.

Shall This Architect have a Plan,
Which as He gives us, grace to scan,
Where our finite minds cannot span,
-Though we still may try, all we can?

Yet, His Purpose, can't penetrate,
'Less His Spirit with us relate;
Nor can we in our natural state
Plumb any depths of time and Fate;

But through His Spirit understand
The glory of His Power and Hand;
Rejoice in hope, still in this land,
Though all around seems sifting sand;

As with His saints He blessed before,
And treasured in Christ all their store;
In Hope, these prospects now look o'er,
As Christ in love, opens a door;

Himself, the Door, we enter in,
And find in Him relief from sin;
Mercy calls us, our souls to win,
And find we've ever in Him been;

We were in Him before the world,
Or ever Time it's course unfurled;
Or stars in heaven, orbits whirled,
Or suns did burn, or gases swirled;

But now in Time, He has appeared,
For God His Purpose, ought has veered;
On perfect course, Old time has steered,
Seeming obstacles, He hath cleared;

Till when Time's fulness then had come,
To sin and shame Christ did succumb;
And as a sheep, to shearer's dumb,
Sin's contradiction found Him numb.

And there they nailed Him to a tree,
-Took all the shame due you and me;
And all to set our spirits free,
There conquered Death, our enemy;

For those the Father chose in Him,
Dead in trespasses; dead in sin;
For these, they stretched Him, Limb from Limb,
And there He suffered Death so grim;

He raised Himself from the cold grave,
All raised with Him, He came to save;
Showed His Power to those He forgave,
And sang with them His full octave;

His three-point-five, He fully told,
And in His seven, saints enrolled;
He gave them Hope and courage bold,
And brought to light the things of Old;

For His thirty-five was complete,
And death by sin now obsolete;
A cloud received Him to His Seat,
His Loving Father, Him did greet;

His work all finished, and complete,
We now shelter in this retreat;
And Sin And Time shall not deplete
His cross'es merit, or delete

Ought of the value of His blood,
For as a Lamb He always stood;
Before they nailed Him to the wood,
And did to Him all sinners could;

And still we view Him with these clouds,
For earth and nature still enshrouds
Our souls in darkness - fear too, crowds
Here upon us, our eyes becloud;

But now and then a ray breaks through,
And we behold Him, Just and True;
Our faith and patience then accrue
A place among His favored few;

His peace He gives us, peace He leaves,
Though Satan sifts us in His sieve;
Which makes us closer to Christ cleave,
And stronger in His Power believe.

Himself, The Source of this faith too,
No other thought, may I construe;
Then shall I wait for Heaven's Dew,
And praise His Name in all I do.

This life He gives, but will conclude
Of that in Time He did include;
Nor will His Purpose here preclude
One of our blessings, or exclude

One heir from glory, grace to know,
For Christ will all God's Glory show
To every child of His below
-He in the Father loved them so;

With the Same Love, He loved the Son,
He loved also the smallest one;
For they were ever known His Own,
And of these children, shall lose none.

*Copyright Jan 2000


O. Allen Bailey