michael oh

I wrote this song 4 years ago, and inspired by Dr. Gary Parrett's song writing & recording, I finally had a chance to record it. A few mistakes on the keyboard, but hope you're blessed by it! Below are the lyrics:

Isaiah 55 (You Are Higher)

Come, everyone who thirsts Come to the place of living Water Come, all the starved and poor Come, empty hearts filled with Treasure

Seek the Lord while He is found, seek the Lord Call upon Him while he’s near, call the King Know His thoughts are not my thoughts, know His thoughts Know His ways are not my ways, know His ways

You are higher You are higher You are higher

Hosea 14:4-8

I've been reflecting on the famous cedars, prosperity, and wine of Lebanon. God says that Israel will "take root like the trees of Lebanon," will have "fragrance like Lebanon," and will again become a choice vine producing a fame that is like the "wine of Lebanon." However, the trees of Lebanon which appear to be strong and secure and prosperous are fruitless. God is the "evergreen cypress," the very Source of fruitfulness, and he will supply all that his people will ever need. Instead of trusting in a false hope, God calls us to trust and hope in Him who is faithful to “lead [us] in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Ps. 23:3). Like an evergreen tree, he will protect us and help us endure cold weather and dry seasons; foliage will be year-round. He is our Refuge, our Protector, our Glory and Fame. 

“Holy to the LORD” (Exodus 28:36-38)

"You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, 'Holy to the LORD.' And you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue. It shall be on the front of the turban. It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD."

God gave specific instructions to Moses that those “filled with the spirit of skill” shall make holy garments for Aaron and his sons, for “glory and for beauty,” that they would serve Him as priests (vv.2-3). Aaron and his sons – Levites – have been called by God to serve Him as priests! The holy garments – an ephod, a breastplate of judgment, a robe of blue, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash – were beautifully, intricately, and skillfully made (v.4). And I believe that they were made in this way to ultimately point to the glory, the beauty, and the holiness of our God.

As part of God’s specific instructions for the blue robe, an engraving has been made on the plate of pure gold: “Holy to the LORD” (v.36). It was on the front of the turban and on Aaron’s forehead. The inscription on the plate, which the priest bears on his forehead, declares that the priest and those he represents, as well as the priestly services, are all “Holy to the LORD.”

I’m convicted by this passage because the gospel of Jesus Christ has given us a new hope and a sure confidence in Jesus as the High Priest of a better covenant (Heb. 8). We no longer need to depend on an earthly priest to enter the holy places for us, to receive forgiveness for our sins, and to have a relationship with God.

Jesus has given us “confidence to enter the holy places” for ourselves (Heb. 10:19). We have this confidence because we now have a “great priest over the house of God,” which is Jesus (Heb. 10:21). And by the blood of Jesus, the curtain is now open for us, through his flesh, to draw near to God with a “true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:20,22). As Gentiles, we no longer need to stand in the outer courts of the tabernacle! We can now draw near to God in the "Holy of Holies” in our daily lives, in all settings, and in all circumstances. So “let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23).

On top of directly drawing near to God, He has, by grace through faith, forgiven all of our sins. If “you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,” your sins have been fully atoned for by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross (Rom. 10:9).

Along with the full atonement of our sins and the curtain opened to have a relationship with Him, God has also called us “to stand firm” and “to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (Eph. 6:10,13). We can do this because He has given us full access to “put on [His] whole armor, that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). Just as God called Aaron and his sons to be priests, holy to the LORD, God has also called all of us to be ambassadors for Christ, holy to the LORD. He gives us even holier garments, His whole armor that empowers us to not only be declared as holy to the Lord, but to live out this holiness. If we live in His holiness, let us keep in step with His holiness (cf. Gal. 5:25; 1 Pet. 1:16).

I find myself forgetting this way too often. But today, God reminds me that I am “holy to the LORD.” And I hope you’re reminded today as well that you are holy and have been called to live out this holiness.

Let us wear this “engraving” on our hearts and in our minds daily. And let us live to proclaim the holiness of our God, both in the private and public areas of our lives.

1 Peter 2:9-12

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

In high school, there was a period of time when I used to play Texas hold’em with 5-7 different people on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. I thought I was initially pretty good. But looking back on it, I think the cards were just dealt in my favor. People who know me by now know that I have a terrible poker face. And I agree. What turned out to be several harmless wins turned into many destructive losses. The buy-ins weren’t large. But they definitely added up over time. Eventually, I hated losing my allowance money, so I stopped.

Lately, I’ve been getting into YouTube clips of professional poker players, betting hundreds of thousands, and even millions, of dollars! It’s crazy how my heart races as I watch them play (even though I can fast forward to see what happens). But a part of me wants to see their strategies, their wins, their losses, and learn from the best. There’s an aspect of gambling that excites me: the uncertainties and the possibilities of making a lot of money!

This past weekend, one of my pastors at Symphony Church preached on how we have been created and wired to have dominion over God’s creation (Genesis 1:26-28). But as sinful men, we choose to have dominion through competition. And there’s this aspect of conquering someone’s money in a poker game that gives me adrenaline and satisfaction.

Occasionally, I look at The Flight Deals, and I decided to do this again an hour ago. Today’s deal is a $196 round-trip flight to Las Vegas. And my immediate thought was, “Man, I wish I can go and gamble for just a few days! It would be so fun to play a real game of Texas hold’em.”

Thanks be to God for His Holy Spirit, for convicting me of my sins (John 16:7-8)! We all love things that can give us immediate pleasure. And one of these things for me is quick and easy wealth. But God, through His Holy Spirit, reminded me of three passages:

Matthew 6:24

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

John 6:34-36

Then they said to Him, "Lord, always give us this bread." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.

I felt like, in that moment, Jesus pleaded for me: “Mike, don’t look to the left or the right! Money will fade and you’ll still be hungry for more. Be single-minded and focused on Me. Even bread itself will satisfy the stomach for a moment. But I am the Bread of Life, and I will satisfy your soul for eternity! Come to Me, believe in Me, and you will no longer thirst.”

Philippians 3:12-21

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

In Exodus 14, we learn that more than 600 Egyptian chariots were pursuing the Israelites in the wilderness and the Israelites feared and blamed Moses and God for bringing them out of Egypt. They believed it would have been better to stay in Egypt, enslaved, toiling under a ruthless and stubborn Pharoah, than to die in the wilderness with the power, presence, and promises of God. 

"Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness." (Exodus 14:11-12) 

But Moses responds: 

"Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." (Exodus 14:13-14) 

And so the Egyptians were destroyed by the mighty hand of God through the faithful act of Moses, and they came to know that He is the LORD! 

And the people of Israel also came to know that He is the LORD! 

"Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses." (Exodus 14:31) 

So I pray that as we flee away from the things that enslave us and flee towards an intimate relationship with God, that we would see the great power of the LORD, that we would fear the LORD and believe in the LORD. 

The enslaved Israelites blamed Moses for the cruel and stubborn reign of Pharoah. And Moses in turn blames God for “doing evil” to His people (5:22-23). But God graciously reminds him of the same promise that He proclaimed in Exodus 3, that He will deliver them out of the hands of Egypt, for He is the LORD: “I AM WHO I AM” (6:2,8). The basis for His promise to redeem His people and deliver them out of Egypt is simply because He is the LORD!

I was encouraged by this because I feel like there are times when I lose sight of the hope of the gospel. And when it feels like I’m enslaved to things and all other promises seem so much more visible and attractive, this passage reminds me that there is an eternal hope, there is a sure promise of everlasting redemption and deliverance, because God is God, an everlasting God. And since we – by grace through faith – have been adopted into His family, fully secured as His children, there is nothing that can separate us from His love.

“Are you not thirsty?" said the Lion.

"I am dying of thirst," said Jill.

"Then drink," said the Lion.

"May I — could I — would you mind going away while I do?" said Jill.

The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience.

The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.

"Will you promise not to — do anything to me, if I do come?" said Jill.

"I make no promise," said the Lion.

Jill was so thirsty now that, without noticing it, she had come a step nearer.

"Do you eat girls?" she said.

"I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms," said the Lion. It didn't say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it.

"I daren't come and drink," said Jill.

"Then you will die of thirst," said the Lion.

"Oh dear!" said Jill, coming another step nearer. "I suppose I must go and look for another stream then."

Unbroken

Romans 8:18-19

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

Keep tasting the Lord, lest you forget how sweet He is to your lips. Keep seeking the Lord, lest you forget how beautiful He is to your eyes.

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Psalm 34:1-10

The most frequently cited Biblical motivation for doing justice is the grace of God in redemption. This theme does not just begin in the New Testament. In Deuteronomy 10:16-19, Moses said to the people:

Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.

The Israelites had been poor, racial outsiders in Egypt. How then, Moses asks, could they be callous to the poor, racial outsiders in their own midst? Through Moses, God said: “Israel, you were liberated by me. You did not accomplish it--I performed it for you, by my grace. Now do the same for others. Untie the yoke, unlock the shackles, feed and clothe them, as I did for you.” Of particular interest is Moses’s exhortation to “circumcise your hearts” (verse 16). Circumcision was the external sign that a family had come into a covenant relationship with God. Heart circumcision was a passionate commitment to God on the inside. Meeting the needs of the orphan, the widow, and the poor immigrant was a sign that the Israelites’ relationship with God was not just formal and external but internal as well.

The logic is clear. If a person has grasped the meaning of God’s grace in his heart, he will do justice. If he doesn’t live justly, then he may say with his lips that he is grateful for God’s grace, but in his heart he is far from him. If he doesn’t care about the poor, it reveals that at best he doesn’t understand the grace he has experienced, and at worst he has not really encountered the saving mercy of God. Grace should make you just.

The inevitability of every human being’s death and the “triviality” of tens of thousands of people dying every day should not - and must not - justify the absence of our weeping for the lost. With over 7 billion people in this world today, over 150,000 people die every day. And out of those 150,000, approximately 44,000 souls perish each day without hearing the Good News. And even more perish every day for rejecting God as God though they have heard the Gospel.

We can only begin to weep with an urgent plea to God when we come to recognize the reality of eternal torment and separation from God in Hell for every unbelieving soul while knowing God’s heart and open invitation to eternal life and fellowship with Him through obedience of faith in Jesus Christ.

Father, help me to pray and weep for the lost.  Break my heart for what breaks yours.

Passage: 1 Corinthians 6:9-20

This is probably one of the more common, unspoken questions: “Why should I flee sexual immorality?” And some answers to this question may be followed by a second question: “If watching and masturbating to pornography is not physically hurting anyone, why should I stop?”

Many of us, myself included, may not have explicitly and verbally asked the second question, perhaps out of a sense of pride or shame. But it is a fair question to be asked. It is a question that is genuine, but also ignorant. In 2013, Ran Gavrieli gave a TEDx Talk in Jaffa, Israel, sharing about why he stopped watching porn. (Click HERE to watch the TEDx Talk.) Gavrieli shares that watching pornography promotes the prostitution industry: 

Whatever I am watching is creating a demand. And wherever there is a demand, there will be a supply. There is a correlation. If I watch pornography of black, older women, somebody is going to go out and pimp black older women. Asian minors? Somebody is already trafficking Asian minors in order to film them. Israeli women, Palestinian women, WASP, all American college girls. The scum of the Earth are already out there trying to solicit and prostitute these women on camera. So I stopped watching porn for my personal well-being. My intimate communication, my private erotic life. Reclaiming control and responsibility over my mind. But by doing that, I actually stopped contributing to this horrible sex industry.

So I say that the second question is genuine. However, many of us are genuinely ignorant because many of us may not even recognize that watching pornography contributes to the sex industry. I’m thankful for Gavrieli. He’s helped me to see more clearly the terrible impact that pornography has on predominantly trafficked girls and women, but also boys and men.

However, I’m not writing this to talk merely about pornography. Sexual immorality encompasses everything from looking at another person lustfully to homosexuality to masturbation to premarital sex to orgies to rape. Sexual immorality essentially promotes the “male domination of women, the subordinance of women” (Gavrieli). Sexual immorality is viewing others as bodies and not souls (Matt Chandler). Sexual immorality, like all other sins, is a great sin because of how great the One we are sinning against (David Platt). 

I’m also not writing this to say that we should flee sexual immorality for the greater good. As much as we should stand for justice and against the sex industry, Scripture gives us a greater reason and purpose for why we should flee sexual immorality.

The BASIS for why we should flee sexual immorality is our IDENTITY IN JESUS CHRIST. 

When Paul writes to the church in Corinth, Paul is advocating for their sanctification! He is reminding the Corinthians that though they were unrighteous in their old self (1 Cor. 6:9; cf. Rom. 3:9-20; Eph. 4:22), they are now a new creation and now righteous before God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 3:21-26)! If you are in Christ, flee sexual immorality because “you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11). 

Furthermore, Paul forms an argument using God’s words from the beginning of creation: “The two will become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). God spoke his design for marriage into existence, where one man shall hold fast to one woman, and they shall become one flesh. As Paul speaks to a newly created people in Corinth, he uses this holy and pure design for marriage to set a higher example of the relationship between man and God: “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?” (1 Cor. 6:13b-15a). And this is what we, as believers and followers of Christ, must come to truly know. Flee sexual immorality because we are members of Christ -- the sinless servant and the holy King, meek and majestic, lamb-like and Lion-hearted (John Piper). Through Christ, we are children of the Most High, chosen and beloved, refined in the fire that we may reflect the image of our Father in holiness and purity.

Paul then flips the argument in a different direction: “Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, ‘The two will become one flesh.’” (1 Cor. 6:15b-16). If you are in Christ, stop living as if you are members of a prostitute! Flee sexual immorality! Come, “taste and see that the LORD is good” (Ps. 34:8)! For those who are in Christ have been washed, sanctified, and justified by His blood. And since you have been joined to Christ, your bodies are now members of Christ.

Paul continues. He doesn’t forget to emphasize that “by grace through faith” (Eph. 2:8-10) we are in Christ for the glory of God through the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” (1 Cor. 6:19a). For those who are in Christ, flee sexual immorality because your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30).

Lastly, Paul reminds the Corinthians that though “all things are lawful” for them (1 Cor. 6:12), they must not be enslaved by anything of this world. They must not be enslaved by the immediate pleasures of sexual immorality. And so, for those who are in Christ, flee sexual immorality, for you have been bought with a high price, which is Christ Himself. Your body is not your own (1 Cor. 6:19b-20a)! We are now “slaves to righteousness, leading to sanctification” (Rom. 6:17-19).

This grace-rooted reason leads to a glorious purpose in fleeing sexual immorality. The FUEL and GOAL in fleeing sexual immorality is WORSHIP.

In Let The Nations Be Glad, John Piper states that worship is the fuel and goal of missions. I want to take that and emphasize that worship is the fuel and goal in “fight[ing] the good fight of the [Christian] faith” (1 Tim. 6:12). And more specific to this passage, worship is the fuel and goal in fleeing sexual immorality. 

For those who are in Christ, we have seen a glimpse of the glory of God. And so we glorify Him because we have tasted and seen how good our God is! This is our fuel. The fuel of worship consumes us; it fans our hearts into flame, that we may have an increasing passion for His Name (song: “Consuming Fire”). It motivates us to seek a higher pleasure, which is Christ Himself.

And this fuel of worship urges us to grow in the fullness of worship in our own individual hearts. It also stirs in us a longing for all peoples to praise His Name. “The deepest reason why worship is the goal...is that worship is God’s goal. We are confirmed in this goal by the biblical record of God’s relentless pursuit of praise among the nations. ‘Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him all peoples!’ (Ps 117:1). If it is God’s goal it must be our goal” (Piper).

With an eager desire to see the Corinthian church praising the Lord, Paul provides a praiseworthy purpose in fleeing sexual immorality: “So glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:20b).

So in our fleeing away from sexual immorality, let us flee towards God and come to know more clearly who we are in Christ, so that we may glorify the Father in our bodies. 

Final encouragement from 1 John 2:1-6: