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One One One

One hundred eleven is a cool number. Very simple. Though it doesn't make a good age. Its too old. It does, however, make a great song.

What? The “One One One” song? You've never heard of it? Then you been lookin in the wrong song book. You need to look in the heavenly hymnal. You can find it when you open your Bible right down the middle. If you don't have one of those big study Bibles that is. A regular Bible with no notes and no dictionary or encyclopedia, split right down the middle will land you near the “One One One” song. It is a beauty.

This song starts and ends like all praise songs should, with praise. Praise these days seem all about some fancy dancy “praise team” swinging and swaying to bass guitar, drums and mic-swallowing lead singers who look more like Madonna or Willie Nelson than someone who should be offering praise to Holy God. Not that the aforementioned won't offer praise someday. They will but it will be a forced praise.

The One One One song starts with praise and even tells us how and why to praise. The unknow author says simply: Praise the LORD! That sounds easy. So why all of the confusion in so many churches? I think that everyone might have forgotten to read the rest of this song.

Lyrics are important you know. The music might grab you but if it does you need to do what Joseph did when Potiphar's wife called him to her bed. Run like the Dickens!

Praising the LORD should come naturally to a child of God. But most of the time it doesn't. It should come from the heart but many times it comes only from the hip or the lip. The whole heart is involved in true praise. Praise in this song comes in one Hebrew word that you probably use without thinking. The word is, Hallelujah!

Praise here is not private. Notice that it takes place in the congregation. Surprising how often group praise appears in the Old Testament. But this isn't just any old congregation. It is a congregation of the upright.

Now if your Bible is like mine your’s has Romans 3.10 which says, ...there is none righteous (upright) no not one.... In that verse Paul cites Psalm 14.3. Unrighteousness is common. Groups of the unrighteous are easy to find. If all are unrighteous where does this author find a bunch of righteous with whom to worship. Or how does he fit in for that matter?

The answer to this puzzle is found in verse 9. He (God) has sent redemption to his people.... Years later another famous author, quoting John the Baptist’s father Zechariah, put it this way, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he has visited and redeemed his people (Luke 1.68).

So, you see, the group of “righteous” who were singing praise to God with the author of Psalm 111 were a special bunch. Rare in fact. They were only righteous because of God’s imparted righteousness. In simpler terms. God made them righteous. It is the same today. There are none righteous or good. Only those saved by Christ’s sacrifice can join this choir. Would you be part of this praise team? Or would you be just another hip-swinging lip syncing praise pretender.

We’re going to have to come back to this song. Choir practice is tomorrow morning.

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