CHRISTIAN POEMS ABOUT SPIRITUAL VICTORY

By Maurice Dyson

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The Issue
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:
and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life;
but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 3:36

The biblical records we long have possessed,
Have left us with details precisely addressed;
They centre on issues we must comprehend:
.Of sin and of judgment and what they portend.

It starts with creation, complete and sublime;
As God had decreed at the outset of time;
The man with his lordship o’er nature and beast:
The crown of creation that never has ceased.

The Lord God commanded, for such was His due,
To see whether man would be noble and true;
A test was determined by one set decree:
A clear prohibition on one certain tree.

The man disobeyed as he ate of the fruit;
His spirit then died with lament in pursuit;
His nature now fallen; the ground under curse;
The loss of his standing; Oh, what could be worse!

But God in His grace had a cure ready planned;
It rests with our freewill, we must understand;
The Seed of the Woman would come on a day,
In grace and in truth take the cursing away.

These primary issues are always the key:
Creation, the Fall, and the Life yet to be;
The choice that we make, for the Lord or for death,
Determines our future while yet we have breath.

For everyone living the issue is clear;
The gift of salvation is gracious and near;
Our conscience bears witness as clear as a bell:
We choose for the Lord or we wind up in hell.

 

The Key
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:
and be ready always to give an answer to every man
that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you
with meekness and fear:
1 Peter 3:15

The great events in history
Should not remain a mystery,
Because they have been verily ordained;
Though many have been long denied,
They nonetheless were prophesied,
And will be on a great day ascertained.

As we perceive the big ravines,
The mountain peaks and desert scenes,
They indicate there was a great divide;
For all the earth that God had made
Was very good as He portrayed,
But world events brought on a massive slide.

A great event is yet to be,
Affecting even you and me,
With restoration taking off the curse;
When Jesus Christ returns again
To institute His perfect reign,
He will remove all things that are perverse.

For as we see the aches and pains
Of multitudes in sinful chains,
We groan within our bodies for release;
For as the Lord has made of one,
Those who have trusted in His Son,
We look to Him to bring a lasting peace.

 

The Lamb of God

THE COVERING SACRIFICE

Abel...brought of the firstlings of his flock,
and of the fat thereof.
Genesis 4:4

When sin had fallen on the human race,
And human good had no respected place,
A lamb became the cover by its blood;
For so the one who offered understood;
But not so was the offering of Cain,
Who offered up the fruit of his domain;
The offering he pictured as profound,
Was from the best production of the ground;
But Cain had no humility within,
His offer could not cover for his sin.

THE SUBSTITUTIONARY SACRIFICE

And Abraham said, My son, God will provide
Himself a lamb for a burnt offering.
Genesis 22:8

A man who had been summoned out of Ur,
And knew his only son would be his heir,
Was told to offer him, a sacrifice,
And Isaac as the son would pay the price;
For Abraham, his faith was resolute,
But God already had a substitute;
A ram had got entangled by its horns,
It struggled being helpless in the thorns;
He offered up the captive for his son,
Upon the mount where justice would be done.

THE PROTECTIVE SACRIFICE

And when I see the blood, I will pass over you.
Exodus 12:13

The people who were exiled many years,
Had laboured in their slavery with tears;
At last the day arrived when they were free,
A lamb was slain for every family,
Its blood was on the portals of the door,
The Lord was satisfied by what He saw,
It gave protection from the coming doom;
For death would strike in every other room;
The Passover would ever call to mind,
A Lamb of God would die for all mankind.

THE PERFECT SACRIFICE

And if his offering be of the flocks...
he shall bring it a male without blemish.
Leviticus 1:10

When Israel had nationhood conferred,
And God had given orders through His word,
A tabernacle took the central place,
Where all the tribes could worship Him in grace,
An animal was brought devoid of spot,
Its blood would be the price for every blot,
A sacrifice accepted must be clean,
For nothing else could be a go-between;
The Man assigned to finalise the role,
Would demonstrate the pureness of His soul.

THE ATONING SACRIFICE

He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.
Isaiah 53:7

Isaiah writes in chapter fifty-three,
About the One who died vicariously;
The punishment for sin we had in store,
Was placed upon the Lamb, and furthermore,
The work of full atonement has been made;
The debt of our transgression He has paid;
The Lamb has made amends for His elect;
Their failures He has made of none effect;
And when He sees the travail of His soul,
The Father will appoint His priestly role.

THE COMPLETE SACRIFICE

Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world.
John 1:29

At Jordan as Messiah was baptized,
His ministry was clearly emphasized;
The testing that would follow in its train,
Would prove His dedication yet again;
The Lamb had come for Jesus was His name,
His miracles exemplified His claim;
His healing was available for all,
His precious blood would expiate the Fall;
His stringent cry announced the victory,
When every sin was judged upon the tree.

THE UNIVERSAL SACRIFICE

...like a lamb dumb before his shearer,
so opened He not His mouth.
Acts 8:32

The eunuch read the Scripture as he rode,
Religion was the state in which he bode;
He needed explanation of the key,
Of whom the prophet wrote in history,
The Scripture that he did not understand,
Was opened by God’s servant near at hand;
The Lamb that would be slaughtered, as he read,
Was Jesus who had risen from the dead;
As soon as his perception was revised,
The object of his faith was realised.

THE REDEEMING SACRIFICE

...ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible
things...but with the precious  blood of Christ,
as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
1 Peter 1:18,19

We enter into slavery at birth,
Our daily life is coloured from the earth;
In sin we were conceived and we remain,
Which manifests itself in earthly pain;
Our sin has been condemned upon the cross;
Our good will be rejected like the dross;
The Saviour has redeemed us by His blood;
It is the only work that counts for good.
The Sacrificial Lamb as He has taught,
Is offering the freedom He has bought.

THE GLORIOUS SACRIFICE

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power,
and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour,
and glory, and blessing.
Revelation 5:12

Authority is vested in the Lamb;
He is the Potentate, the great I AM;
His rule will be extended everywhere,
The universe will blossom in His care;
The angels and the elders are in voice,
The saints whom He has glorified rejoice;
The Lamb of God who once for all was slain,
Will come again in majesty to reign;
His kingdom will extend from shore to shore,
And truth will be established evermore.

 

The Last Call
Come thou and all thy house into the ark;
Genesis 7:1

As in the days that preceded the Flood,
When every evil was raging;
So it is now as the law is withstood,
Judgment is set for the staging.

There was a refuge provided of old,
Though many years in the making;
They heard the preaching for thus it was told:
Rescue was there for the taking.

Finally when all the saved were inside,
God closed the door of decision;
And so today we must duly decide,
Or face a lasting division.

Inside the ark they were safe from the storm;
God had so patiently waited;
He had repeatedly stated the norm,
Known by the world He created.

We have a conscience that lives with the soul,
Knowing that God is Creator;
Each soul is set on its self-chosen goal;
Death will reveal what is later.

Jesus is calling us into the ark;
He is the God-given Saviour;
Without Himself we shall stay in the dark,
Let us choose now and not waver.

 

The Living Bread
I am the living bread which came down from heaven:
if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever.
John 6:51

The food that we eat for nutrition,
Maintains our respective condition;
Yet on a sad day,
We all pass away,
Regardless of class or position.

Our bodily needs are respected,
To which mortal life is directed;
Neglect of the soul,
Will levy its toll,
And leave us condemned and rejected.

For nourishment has been provided,
As Scripture is rightly divided;
It lightens the mind,
As truth is defined,
With conscience awakened and guided.

The soul that is nourished and growing,
From food that the Lord is bestowing,
Will be well prepared,
From what he has shared,
With hope that is soon overflowing.

Sojourners who hunger for manna,
And walk with a sanctified banner,
Will duly be fed
With true living bread,
And join in the chorus - Hosanna!

 

The Lord and Israel
I have loved thee with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3

The Lord has a wife of election,
Created by spiritual birth;
Though punished for sin and defection,
She always remains on the earth.

Beginning at Abraham’s calling,
And growing according to plan,
It covers a story enthralling,
Assured from the time it began.

The promises left in her keeping,
Are still as a whole unfulfilled;
And while they may seem to be sleeping,
They will be completed as billed.

Though disciplined now for a season,
Until the occasion is right,
There is a deliberate reason,
Revealed at the end of the night.

All glory will go to the Saviour,
Who keeps her alive at this hour;
She always remains in His favour,
And shall be endued with His power.

 

The Lord and the Church
And to her was granted that she should be
arrayed in fine linen, clean and white:
for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Revelation 19:8

The Lord has a bride
Who will be by His side
In the ages to come and forever;
She takes on a form
Mid the rain and the storm
With a standing that nothing can sever.

Empowered and born
On a Pentecost morn
She is growing in grace till completed;
Attended with gifts
Through oppressions and rifts
She can never be lost or defeated.

She looks to the day
When she stands in array
With the angels and saints in attendance;
The Lord will be there
With His lady so fair
Who has always been His for dependence.

 

The Lord’s Farewell
I will not leave you comfortless:
I will come to you.
John 14:18

The twelve were in the upper room
With supper being taken;
The atmosphere was one of gloom,
With feelings deeply shaken.

So after Jesus washed their feet:
A ministry far-reaching,
He thereupon resumed His seat,
And clarified its teaching.

Salvation which they once received
Had cleansed them from pollution;
Yet one of them had not believed
That this was God’s solution.

So by this washing Jesus showed
That after life is given,
We sin along the pilgrim road
And need to be forgiven.

Iscariot, who took the sop,
Departed from the meeting;
His office was for him a prop,
And time was fast retreating.

So now the Lord prepared His own
For what would seem disaster;
As soon they would be left alone
Without their Lord and Master.

He gave them an explicit charge
Although their hearts were broken,
To witness to the world at large
The things that He had spoken.

The Spirit would empower them
With all that love embraces,
Beginning at Jerusalem,
And on to distant places.

 

The Past
But these are written, that ye might believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God;
and that believing ye might have life through his name.
John 20:31

There is one historic fact,
Majestic in its place,
Not to be ignored in any measure;
Everything that we have lacked
Was bought for us by grace;
Sealing our salvation that we treasure.

Prophesied in ages past,
In every single part;
Nothing in the Scriptures can be altered;
So the Lord came down at last,
Determined from the start,
For His perfect will has never faltered.

Three days in the tomb He lay;
His work on earth complete,
Having paid the penalty demanded;
Then the resurrection day
Arrived for us to greet;
Now for all belief it is the standard.

So on resurrection ground
The Christian life is built;
Nothing could be surer in creation;
Riches for the saints abound,
For gone is every guilt;
Jesus is the Giver of salvation.

 

Tripartite
Ye must be born again.
John 3:7

Creation began with a word of command;
At once it appeared as directed;
As threefold in nature by righteous demand,
Yet each in their substance connected.

Creation reflects in its unified scope
The print of its glorious Master;
Ordained by decree to a certified hope,
Sustained amid age-long disaster.

As God is triune as the scriptures declare,
Yet one in the sense of His being;
So we in His likeness are fashioned with care,
To which all our parts are agreeing.

The spirit and soul and the body are one,
Yet each has a role implicated;
The soul is the centre as life passes on,
Although it has degenerated.

As man was tripartite, for thus he was made,
His spiritual life was effective;
It would have continued both measured and staid,
Yet sadly his heart proved defective.

We enter this life with a spiritual loss,
Resulting from Adam’s defection;
We must be reborn by a look at the Cross,
And onto a great resurrection.

 

Twice Born
See that ye love one another
with a pure heart fervently.
1 Peter 1:22

A little boy was born one day;
What would he be? It’s hard to say.
He soon displayed the tendency
To follow his paternity.

At school he learned the ABC’s,
And something of the birds and bees;
Of how to count and multiply;
And if he can’t he’d better try!

In Scripture class the teacher said,
That God raised Jesus from the dead.
The reason why He came to earth:
That we might have a second birth.

How can a child be born again?
Well, Jesus made it very plain;
The first time we were born in sin;
A spirit-life must now begin.

The spirit-life is from above;
It is a life of truth and love;
As Jesus is the only way,
We must believe without delay.

When we believe we stand as clean,
From all the sin that there had been;
But while on earth it is our place,
To grow in knowledge and in grace.

When once we have received His life,
It does not mean the end of strife;
For if we sin we must confess;
And if we don’t God cannot bless.

A life which pleases God Most High
Is not so easy, though we try;
We live by faith till time has come
To go to our eternal home.

 

Virtue
A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she
that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.
Proverbs 12:4

A virtuous wife is the crown of her spouse,
Adorning the one who is head of the house;
But she who brings shame with her irritant moans,
Is like adding rottenness into his bones.

The way of a fool is correct in his eyes,
But he who heeds counsel is reckoned as wise;
The wrath of a fool is immediately seen,
But he who is prudent hides matters unclean.

The tongue of the wise is a spiritual aid;
It lifts up the soul when affections are frayed;
The lips of the truthful forever will stay;
But mouths of deceit will not last for a day.

 

Waiting
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage,
and He shall strengthen thine heart:
wait, I say, on the LORD.
Psalm 27:14

I waited on the Lord,
And His thoughts were unto me;
He heard the mournful cry
Of my abject misery.

He lifted up my feet
From the deep and miry clay,
And set me on the path
In a straight and narrow way.

He taught me how to sing,
Even praises to His name;
And many shall regard,
And accept His royal claim.

O blessed is the man
Who has made the Lord his trust;
For he shall have a place
In the kingdom of the just.

 

Where Are You?
Then the LORD God called to Adam,
and said to him, Where are you?
Genesis 3:9

Do you know on the day you emerged from the womb,
That your soul was not destined to end in a tomb,
But live on forever in realms yet to be?
A sobering thought you will doubtless agree.

Well maybe you’re thinking, if that is the case
Why do we inhabit this temporal place?
But wait just a moment before you say more,
And hear this true story told oft times before.

There happens in lifetime those moments when we
Determine our future for eternity;
A choice we must all make for heaven or hell;
Consider it carefully and you’ll do well.

The issue is not how you’ve treated your neighbour,
Or did what you could in your earnest endeavour;
The issue is Christ who was judged for your sin;
The offer, salvation, that you enter in.

To enter by faith is God’s plan for your life;
The same thing applies to your children and wife;
They each must decide for themselves while they may;
To leave it too late will be their judgment day.

The way is through Jesus, the Vine and the Root;
His blood was your ransom as your substitute;
So weigh up the evidence, ponder His Word,
There is no excuse for a sinner who’s heard.

Our Saviour is living, He rose from the grave,
And went back to heaven with power to save;
He’s coming again whom before all will stand,
To hear His acceptance or dread His command.

Which way will you turn if you flee from the Light?
Can darkness protect you or hide from His sight?
No; trust in the Saviour and rest in His love,
And share in the blessings of heaven above.

 

Pre-eminence
...that in all things he might have the pre-eminence.
Colossians 1:18

Scriptures in their teaching,
Constantly outreaching,
Have a central Figure ever near;
Whether we are walking,
Sitting down or talking,
He alone can banish every fear.

He is our Creator,
There is no one greater,
Everyone His image doth possess;
One-in-Three presented,
With Messiah centred,
Three-in-One in essence nonetheless.

Now in priesthood seated,
With His foes defeated,
He is coming soon as Judge and King;
First the Tribulation,
Falls on every nation,
With severest judgment it will bring.

Then the Lord of glory,
Will complete His story,
Reigning on the earth a thousand years;
Evermore exalted,
Having never faltered,
As the old creation disappears.

 

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