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Repentance – #3 – From Dead Works

Hebrews 6:1

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. . .

The writer of Hebrews, whom I believe to be Paul, gives us something to think about in that phrase – “repentance from dead works.” What does that mean? Well, sometimes, as in the Book of Proverbs, a concept is better understood by contrasting it – by exploring what it isn’t – before we study what it is.

There are three categories of works in the Bible. Good works, wicked works, and dead works. We will address them in that order.

1. Good works.

Mat. 5:16 – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. ONLY truly born-again, or saved souls can ever do good works and please God. The lost, or unsaved, no matter how many works they do, can not do good works.

Psalm 14: 1-3 – The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. ²The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. ³They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Believers are not to hide their good works, but let them be seen in a manner which glorifies our heavenly Father. Mary of Bethany anointed the head and feet of Jesus while he sat at the table of Simon the leper. Some disciples took exception to this, claiming it was an extravagant waste.

And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on Me. Mark 14:6.

**as believers, we need to do all we can to the glory of god, not in order to be saved, but because we are saved.**

2. Wicked works.

Col. 1:20-21 – ²⁰And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. ²¹And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled. Unregenerated, natural man, can only do wicked works.

1 Cor. 2:14 – But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. The unsaved, natural man, walks according to the world system, motivated by the “prince of the power of the air.” (Satan) His thoughts, speech, and behavior are filled with the lusts of the flesh. He is a child of wrath, and ALL his works are wicked because he is dead in sin.

Eph. 2:1-3 – 1 And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; ²Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: ³Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

we will now address dead works – from Hebrews 6:1

3. Dead works.

We should all be able to recognize them, because they get a great deal of media attention. Religious works fall well into this category. These are works performed by the religious, for the purposes of earning eternal life. Legalistic, it requires the keeping of moral and ceremonial laws of God, in an attempt to win God’s favor and be saved by the works.

Eph. 2:8-9 – ⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Paul wrote – Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Rom. 3:20.

Dead works are performed by the religious, who are – . . .ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. ⁴For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. Rom. 10:3-4

Our beloved Apostle Paul is an excellent example of repentance from dead works. He clearly states that he has “no confidence in the flesh,” then goes on to list his dead works of which he had to repent.

Philippians 3:1-9

3 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

²Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

³For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

⁴Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

⁵Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

⁶Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

⁷But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

⁸Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

⁹And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

When he compared his own self righteousness which was by dead works of the law, with the Righteousness of Christ which is by faith, he counted the former Paul and his works as nothing but rubbish.

Paul knew the meaning of “repentance from dead works!!!”

Next up – Repentance and God!

Bible Study – The Birth of Moab and Ben Ami

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We left off with the Lord’s merciful deliverance of Lot, from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and other cities of the plain for their great iniquity. Even Lot’s carnal faith was enough to save him, but it could not save his wife. She did not believe. Lot has been allowed to take refuge in the “little” city of Zoar with his two young daughters. But he doesn’t stay there long –

30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.

On this hillside above the town of ancient Zoar (modern Safi), Byzantine Christians built a church and monastery around the cave where Lot and his daughters found refuge after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It says in verse 30 that Lot left Zoar to take shelter in a cave for fear. It does not specify what he was afraid of -but it is very likely that the men of Zoar were as the men of Sodom.

31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:

32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

A great many lewd paintings have been made of this incident – which have no basis in fact. They often portray a drunken, lecherous Lot, groping at one or both or his daughters. The Scripture clearly states that he had no idea what occurred. What Lot is guilty of here – is the same thing he was always guilty of – lax conduct. He was a carnal believer. The entire reason Lot’s daughters were able to get him so intoxicated – was his carnality. He was always thinking of the comfort of his flesh, from the moment his Uncle Abraham offered him the choicest pasture lands for his flocks, to when he chose to return to worldly Sodom, with all the bells and whistles, after being rescued. Most Christians today, are like Lot. Think about just how terrible it is – that he was so drunk – he didn’t even know what happened!

We must also consider the possibility that Lot’s daughters believed that they were the only people who had survived, and perhaps had copious experience of their father’s excessive drinking. And blackouts? Also interesting to note – these were the mountains that the Lord had told Lot to go to at the first! More evidence of Lot’s “lingering.” How often we Christians are like Lot, and fail to be “alert,” to sin. And how often are we “blacked out” to the far reaching consequences of our sin!

36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.37 And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Ben–ammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. Genesis 19: 30-38

At the far right of the map in the white areas you will see the lands of Moab (older daughter’s son) and Ammon (younger daughter’ s son) Click to enlarge.

These son’s descendants will be future Muslims, and violent persecutors of Jews and Christians.

On the subject of Lot’s drinking, and the great immorality and pursuant centuries of genocide and war that followed through these sons of incest, there is an established connection between drinking alcohol and sin, notably sexual sin.

Historian Sir Arnold Toynbee has identified alcohol as a major force in the destruction of nineteen civilizations preceding our own. [Alcohol: The Beloved Enemy, Dr. Jack Van Impe. p. 23]

Oh! That men should put an enemy into their mouths to steal away their brains! O God, that we should with joy, pleasure, revel, and applause transform ourselves into beasts! [William Shakespeare, Othello Act 2 Scene 3]

The habit of using ardent spirits by men in public office produced more injury to the public service, and more trouble to me, than any other circumstances that has occurred in the internal concerns of the country during my administration. And were I to commence my administration again, with the knowledge which from experience I have acquired, the first question that I would ask with regard to every candidate for office would be, “Is he addicted to the use of ardent spirits?” [Thomas Jefferson, by John Kobler, Ardent Spirits, p.33]

. . . if a 150 pound man consumes two bottles of beer on an empty stomach, the level of alcohol dissolved in his blood will reach about five hundredths of one percent. At this level, the normal activity of the cortex, or the outer layer of the brain – particularly in the centers concerned with worry or anxiety – will be affected. The drinker will feel falsely “lifted up,” because the inhibitions that usually hold him steady have, in effect, been paralyzed. [Albert Maisel, Alcohol and Your Brain, Reader’s Digest]

Why would any Christian want to be intoxicated? Why would any Christian want to be uninhibited? Why would any Christian risk giving a poor testimony to a lost and dying world? If I added another 1,000 or so words to this article – I could prove that the “wine” at the Last Supper, and at the Wedding Feast at Cana was not fermented. But that is not the focus of this Bible Study, rather, it is the observation of how many Christians walk in Lot’s shoes, and what we may learn from his life, and try to take to heart the enormously far-reaching consequences of sin.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Galatians 5: 19-24

Friday Proverb – The Just and the Wicked

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Last week we discussed the tendency of mankind to envy the very people they perceive to be oppressing them. We always seem to believe that if the positions were reversed, that we would be different than “they” are. Today we look at three short Proverbs, each one comparing the just to the wicked.

33 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked:

This has an eternal meaning, as well as a present context. The lost sheep look at the wicked and often see them prospering. But believers know that the victory of the wicked is always temporary. And the curse on the wicked is not only on they, themselves, but on their posterity – or house, as well as all their works. I put pictures of houses here – but think of it more as the heart of the person, and how it looks to God.

but He blesseth the habitation of the just.

We must ask ourselves – is our habitation bright and shiny on the outside, but festering and rotten on the inside? Do we demonstrate Christianity outwardly, but have dirty, besetting sin, hidden away in out hearts? Remember, God always looks at the inward man, the dwelling place of the heart. Can we hide anything from Him?

34 Surely He scorneth the scorners:

At left you see famous scorner Richard Dawkins in a scene from Ben Stein’s excellent documentary – “Expelled.” But scornfulness isn’t limited to the intellectual elite. School teachers use it to intimidate students, bullies (this covers everyone with power over another) of all ages and both sexes use it; parents apply scorn to their children, and children to each other. Then, of course – the children grow up, and scorn their parents. The most grievous and only unforgivable form of scornfulness is the debasement, ridicule, and egotistical rejection of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit.

but He giveth Grace unto the lowly.

That’s right – no matter how many time we fail Him, no matter how undeserving – if we are humble and repent – He gives us Grace – unmerited favor. The scornful are completely unrepentant. Very important distinction!

35 The wise shall inherit glory:

Those who have wisely accepted Jesus Christ, will receive a crown of glory. Not the scornful – no matter how many good works they perform. The scornful are blinded by their pride. Evidence of this can be seen in the “good works” such as the charitable giving that many of the uber-wealthy, celebrities, and elite do. Professional athletes make a show of visiting sick children in hospitals, and then proceed to commit adultery. The nice lady next door may bake cookies for the church bake sale, and then spend the rest of the day watching soap operas (soft porn) or flirting with someone online. The Word of God is clear – Grace can not be purchased at any price. It is “unmerited.”

but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

Proverbs 3: 33-35

10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

Jude 1: 10-13

Friday Proverb – Envy not the Oppressor

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Last Friday’s Proverb was an exploration of who is our neighbor. So often we deliberately hurt the people that are closest to us through our own selfishness and pride. This week we look at another sinful tendency of mankind – envy.

30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.

This would usually be termed as “picking a fight,” or “unwarranted provocation.” We see animals taking unprovoked swipes at each other all the time, as well as children. Adults usually hold themselves guiltless of this offense, but generally that notion is dishonest. Mankind’s striving without cause can be directly tied to – envy. The women who snipe at another woman simply because she is prettier, or thinner, or somehow seems better. The guys verbally taking out a coworker that was promoted, a supervisor or employer or some “big-wig” on the grounds that he doesn’t work as hard as they do. They perceive themselves to be oppressed by the person or persons they are attacking. This is striving without cause.

The next verse is interesting in that it relates to oppressors, but it is usually the case – that perception flavors the persona of the oppressor. As with Cain, who directed his anger at God towards his brother – our perception of who is oppressing us can be distorted.

31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.

In all human history, no people group has been more oppressed and persecuted than the Jews. In Moses’ time, Pharaoh and his advisers felt threatened by the Jew’s incredible prosperity. The Third Reich also envied the Jew’s incredible prosperity. They justified persecuting the Jews because they felt the Jew’s prosperity was oppressing them. Alternately – the Jews themselves were guilty of envying their oppressor’s gentile, pagan, way of life, free from the Law. Israel often sinned in choosing to emulate the pagans around them. Christians also do the same, and act just like the sinful fallen world we are directed to be separate from.

This is the power of the evil one holding sway over the hearts of men, because of his own envy of God. Certainly, Lucifer feels that God is oppressing him.

Are there rich, prosperous , elites oppressing us? Of course. But they can only do this because we allow them to by participating in their rebellion. The Lord terms these oppressors as “froward” = willfully contrary, not easily managed. Frowardness is an abomination to the Lord, as in one who transgresses the Law. The froward oppressor chooses to defy the Lord, despite His manifest love, mercy, and majesty.

32 For the froward is abomination to the Lord:

but His secret is with the righteous.

Proverbs 3: 30-32

1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Psalm 37: 1-3

Friday Proverb – The Treatment of Neighbors

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Last Friday we covered the Lord’s admonishment to us about not fearing the wicked. It must always be present in our minds that the Lord is greater than the evil one and all his helpers – no matter how it is made to appear through Satan’s manipulations. Today we delve into the external representation of our faith. Doing good. . .

Everyone knows the parable of the Good Samaritan. Communistic politicians like to smugly refer to this teaching of Christ as their foundational platform for broad social restructuring. But the faithful of Christ understand that His teaching had nothing to do with money – but rather – who is our neighbor?

27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.

To whom is good due? This requires careful self examination. How often does the Christian hold back praise for someone else’s accomplishment, procrastinate on that visit to the nursing home, or diminish our spouses or children in front of others? The good we can do unto others is not always seen.

Sometimes it is money, but by far the greatest good that Christians can do unto others is to share their faith in Jesus Christ! Doing good comes from within us, and should be a natural expression of true spiritual conversion.

28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.

What causes us to withhold good from someone else? Selfishness in all its many facets. Don’t feel like honoring your husband, or loving your wife? Wish you had different: parents, job, looks, talent? Wish you had more: money, talent, looks, friends? Tired of your existence? Angry at the world in general? Where do these feelings come from?

selfishness . . .

Did you ever plot evil against someone else? No? Never?

29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

Proverbs 3: 27-29

Devising evil can encompass gossiping, coveting, lying, setting someone up for failure, withholding information, tricking someone, taking someone’s possessions or someone’s spouse, and conspiring with others against someone.

Remember what the lawyer said to Jesus in Luke 10: 29, when he was trying to justify himself?

AND WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

Good question for all of us.

Bible Study – Death and Burial of Sarah

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Abraham said of his wife,

“I know [Sarah] that thou art a fair woman to look upon” – Gen. 12:11.

She was a beautiful woman, whose beauty was more than fair looks. She was adorned with the…

“ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” – 1 Pet. 3:4

Sarah was God’s example of a submissive wife.

“Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord.”

Genesis 23 (Approximately 1860 B.C.)

23 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah. ²And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

Though Abraham was wealthy, and owned rich herds of flocks, and servants, he owned no property in Canaan. When Sarah died at age 127, Abraham sought to buy the cave of Machpelah for 400 shekels of silver – rather that receive it as a gift from heathen neighbors.

³And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,

⁴I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.

⁵And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,

⁶Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.

⁷And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.

⁸And he communed with them, saying,

If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,

⁹That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.

¹⁰And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,

¹¹Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.

¹²And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.

¹³And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying,

But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.

¹⁴And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,

¹⁵My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.

¹⁶And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.

¹⁷And the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure

¹⁸Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.

¹⁹And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.

²⁰And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.

This was the only property Abraham owned in Canaan. The cave in the field of Machpelah in Hebron, later became the family burial place of the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

For the Lord’s Day – Great is Thy Faithfulness

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=IiQzzc41z5Q%3Fsi%3DQka9yux6TdTF1UoA

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Refrain:
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Refrain

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Refrain

Great is Thy Faithfulness, The Song and the Story

Composer Thomas Chisolm Writes Great is Thy Faithfulness

Thomas Obadiah Chisolm (1866-1960) had a difficult adult life. His health was so fragile that there were periods of time when he was confined to bed, unable to work. Between bouts of illness he would have to push himself to put in extra hours at various jobs in order to make ends meet.

After coming to Christ at age 27, Thomas found great comfort in the Scriptures, and in the fact that God was faithful to be his strength in time of illness and provide his needs. Lamentations 3:22-23 was one of his favorite scriptures: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.”

While away from home on a missions trip, Thomas often wrote to one of his good friends, William Runyan, a relatively unknown musician. Several poems were exchanged in these letters. Runyan found one of Williams’ poems so moving that he decided to compose a musical score to accompany the lyrics. Great is Thy Faithfulness was published in 1923.

For several years ,the hymn got very little recognition, until it was discovered by a Moody Bible Institute professor who loved it so much and requested it sung so often at chapel services, that the song became the unofficial theme song of the college.

It was not until 1945 when George Beverly Shea began to sing Great is Thy Faithfulness at the Billy Graham evangelistic crusades, that the hymn was heard around the world.

Thomas Chisolm died in 1960 at age 94. During his lifetime, he wrote more than 1,200 poems and hymns including O To Be Like Thee and Living for Jesus http://www.sharefaith.com/guide/Christian-Music/hymns-the-songs-and-the-stories/great-is-they-faithfulness-the-song-and-the-story.html

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known Thy faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 89:1)

For the Lord’s Day – Sweet Hour of Prayer

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=WjYfN20H2sM%3Fsi%3DrqOxo7fbsgxCz3D_

Click “Watch on Youtube” to hear this lovely hymn!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
The joys I feel, the bliss I share,
Of those whose anxious spirits burn
With strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
Where God my Savior shows His face,
And gladly take my station there,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
May I thy consolation share,
Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height,
I view my home and take my flight:
This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise
To seize the everlasting prize;
And shout, while passing through the air,
“Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!”

Short Name: W. W. Walford
Full Name: Walford, W. W (William W.), 1772-1850
Birth Year: 1772
Death Year: 1850

William W. Walford, a blind preacher of England, is the author of the hymn beginning “Sweet hour of prayer.” This hymn first appeared in print in the New York Observer September 13, 1845. The contributor who furnished the hymn says:

“During my residence at Coleshill, Warwickshire, England, I became acquainted with W. W. Walford, the blind preacher, a man of obscure birth and connections and no education, but of strong mind and most retentive memory. In the pulpit he never failed to select a lesson well adapted to his subject, giving chapter and verse with unerring precision, and scarcely ever misplacing a word in his repetition of the Psalms, every part of the New Testament, the prophecies, and some of the histories, so as to have the reputation of knowing the whole Bible by heart.”

Rev. Thomas Salmon, who was settled as the pastor of the Congregational Church at Coleshill in 1838, remained until 1842, and then removed to the United States, is believed to have been the contributor who says of the hymn: “I rapidly copied the lines with my pencil as he uttered them, and send them for insertion in the Observer if you think them worthy of preservation.”

http://www.hymnary.org/person/Walford_WW

EPHESIANS 6:17-19

¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God:

¹⁸Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

¹⁹And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the Gospel. . .

For the Lord’s Day – I Know Whom I Have Believed

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=ld-UlSt_Drk%3Fsi%3D6ZkJOUC-lB-58Jx1

Click “Watch on Youtube” to hear this beautiful hymn!

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.

Refrain

But I know Whom I have believèd,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.

I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.

Refrain

I know not how the Spirit moves,
Convincing us of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
Creating faith in Him.

Refrain

I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.

Refrain

I know not when my Lord may come,
At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with Him,
Or meet Him in the air.

Refrain

Major Daniel Webster Whittle (born 1840 November 22 in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts; died 1901 March 4, Northfield, Massachusetts)

Daniel Whittle worked as a cashier for Wells Fargo bank as a teenager and into his early twenties. He was not a wicked man at first, on the contrary, he was quiet religious. He surrendered his life to the Lord one night while acting as a night watchman at the Wells Fargo Bank. He went into the vault, got down on his knees and gave his surrendered his life for the Heavenly Father to use as he would. He even became the Sunday School Superintendent at the great Tabernacle in Chicago where he would meet his wife, Miss Abbie Hanson. He would join the army in 1861 and be commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. In the summer of 1862, August as the Civil War began to intensify his unit was called to go South. August 22, 1862, the night before his departure, he and Abbie were married. It would be a year before they would be reunited. In his own words he tells of his departure, “My dear mother was a devout Christian, and parted from me with many a tear, and followed me with many a prayer. She had placed a New Testament in a pocket of the haversack that she’d arranged for me”

This little New Testament would pay a vital part in his rededication. Whittle rose to the rank of Major and while leading a charge, actually filling in, and he was wounded in his sword arm which led to the amputation of his arm and a stay in a prisoner of war camp. It was while he was in this POW camp that out of boredom he began to search for something to read. He found in his personal effects the little New Testament that his Mother had placed there. He read through the New Testament in a matter of days and started through it again. One night the nurse woke him up and told him that one of his men was dying and had been begging for someone to pray for him. The nurse told Major Whittle that he (the nurse) was a wicked man and could not pray. Major Whittle confessed that he too was wicked man with many sins in his own life and could not pray either. The nurse said that he thought Major Whittle was a Christian because he had observed him constantly reading the Scripture and the Major Whittle did not cuss as the other men. The nurse begged Major Whittle to at least accompany him to see the boy as he did not want to return alone. Moved with compassion, Major Whittle reluctantly agreed. Here, in Major Whittle’s own words, is what took place that night: “I dropped on my knees and held the boy’s hand in mine. In a few broken words I confessed my sins and asked Christ to forgive me. I believed right there that He did forgive me. I then prayed earnestly for the boy. He became quiet and pressed my hand as I prayed and pleaded God’s promises. When I arose from my knees, he was dead. A look of peace had come over his troubled face, and I cannot but believe that God who used him to bring me to the Savior, used me to lead him to trust Christ’s precious blood and find pardon. I hope to meet him in heaven.”

Ten years later at the encouragement of his close friend D.L. Moody he would enter into evangelism. Some of his first songs were set to music by Phillip Bliss. Whittle attended and participated in the memorial service for Phillip Bliss. Later he would work closely with the man who would set to music many of his later songs, and who set the music to this song, “I Know Whom I Have Believed”, James McGranahan. Major Whittle died March 4, 1901 after having written over 200 hymns. http://churchchoirmusic.com/the-story-behind-the-song-i-know-whom-i-have-believed

2 Timothy 1:7-14

⁷For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

⁸Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

⁹Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

¹⁰But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

¹¹Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

¹²For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.

¹³Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.

For the Lord’s Day – Rescue the Perishing

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Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.

Refrain

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.

Though they are slighting Him, still He is waiting,
Waiting the penitent child to receive;
Plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently;
He will forgive if they only believe.

Refrain

Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.

Refrain

Rescue the perishing, duty demands it;
Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;
Back to the narrow way patiently win them;
Tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died.

Refrain

As I was addressing a large company of working men one hot August evening, the thought kept forcing itself upon my mind that some mother’s boy must be rescued that very night or perhaps not at all. So I requested that, if there was any boy present, who had wandered away from mother’s teaching, he would come to the platform at the conclusion of the service. A young man of eighteen came forward and said, “Did you mean me? I have promised my mother to meet her in heaven; but as I am now living that will be impossible.” We prayed for him; he finally arose with a new light in his eyes; and exclaimed triumphantly, “Now, I can meet mother in heaven; for I have found her God.”

A few days before, Mr. Doane had sent me the subject “Rescue the Perishing,” and while I sat there that evening the line came to me, “Rescue the perishing, care for the dying.” I could think of nothing else that night. When I arrived it my home I went to work on it at once; and before I retired the entire hymn was ready for a melody. The next day my words were written and forwarded to Mr. Doane, who wrote the beautiful and touching music as it now stands.

In November, 1903, I went to Lynn, Massachusetts, to speak before the Young Men’s Christian Association. I told them the incident that led me to write “Rescue the Perishing,” as I have just related it. After the meeting a large number of men shook hands with me, and among them was a man, who seemed to be deeply moved. You may imagine my surprise when he said, “Miss Crosby, I was the boy, who told you more than thirty-five years ago that I had wandered from my mother’s God. The evening that you spoke at the mission I sought and found peace, and I have tried to live a consistent Christian life ever since. If we never meet again on earth, we will meet up yonder.” As he said this, he raised my hand to his lips; and before I had recovered from my surprise he had gone; and remains to this day a nameless friend, who touched a deep chord of sympathy in my heart. It is these notes of sympathy that vibrate when a voice calls them forth from the dim memories of the past, and the music is celestial. http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/r/e/rescuetp.htm

Isaiah 52:7

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

For the Lord’s Day – The Church’s One Foundation

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=OQv4EAwMFoQ%3Fsi%3DL_rScIHGVqU9kBzK

The Church’s one foundation
  Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is His new creation
  By water and the Word:
From heav’n He came and sought her
  To be His holy Bride;
With His own blood He bought her,
  And for her life He died.

Elect from every nation,
  Yet one o’er all the earth,
Her charter of salvation,
  One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
  Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
  With every grace endued.

’Mid toil and tribulation,
  And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
  Of peace for evermore;
Till, with the vision glorious,
  Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
  Shall be the Church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union
  With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
  With those whose rest is won:
O happy ones and holy!
  Lord, give us grace that we,
Like them, the meek and lowly,
  In love may dwell with Thee.

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/833#ixzz2y4Rp4xIi\\

Samuel J. Stone (1839-1900)

This hymn is well known for calling the church to be a community. The basis of the text is from the Bible when Christ tells Peter that the church will be built off of the Rock that is Himself. Written by Samuel J. Stone in 1866, “The Church’s One Foundation,” was one of the most famous of hymns written by Stone. Born in 1839 in Whitmore, Staffordshire, England, Stone was the son of Reverend William Stone. As Samuel became older, he eventually attended Charter School and Oxford College where he was ordained in 1862. Immediately after he was ordained he began serving orders at various different churches until 1870., when he joined his father in his ministries at St Paul’s in Haggerston, England. Four short years later, Samuel J. Stone followed in his fathers footsteps and took over for his father as Vicar at St. Paul’s. S. Stone served as Vicar in Haggerston until 1890, and from then until his death in 1900, he served at All-Hallow-on-the-Wall in London turning it into a safe haven for working girls and women in England. This hymn came at a very important time in the history of the church, a time where there was a great dispute of how the church should work. http://etymologyofhymns.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-churchs-one-foundation.html

ISAIAH 28:16

Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone,

a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

Attributes of the Holy Spirit – #4 – Work of the Holy Spirit

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The Holy Spirit is God, and should never be referred to as “it,” or as a mere influence. We have observed from Parts 1,2, and 3, that the Holy Spirit is equal to, yet distinct, from the Father and the Son. In this fourth study of the Attributes of the Holy Spirit, we will explore the Work of the Holy Spirit.

JESUS CHRIST SAID THAT WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT CAME HE WOULD:

Convict men of the sin of unbelief.

John 16:9 – Of sin, because they believe not on Me:

Convict men that Jesus Christ IS the righteousness of God.

John 16:10 – Of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more;

Convict men that the power of Satan has been broken.

John 16:11 – Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Regenerate the believer.

John 3:5 – Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Indwell the believer.

1 Cor. 6:19,20 – What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Seal the believer.

Eph.1: 13,14 – In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.

Baptize the believer.

Acts 1:5 – For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Infill the believer.

Eph. 5:16 – And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Empower the believer.

Acts 1:9 – But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Lead the believer.

Gal. 5:16-18 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

The Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost, and will remain with the church until His work is finished, in the same manner that Jesus Christ finished His work in the flesh. . .

JOHN 16:13

Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.

For the Lord’s Day – How Great Thou Art

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=2YVSYyPj3oA%3Fsi%3DYmfO-liNG0LKS98Y

Click “Watch on Youtube” to hear this emotionally robust hymn!

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
**Consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:**

Refrain

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:

Refrain

And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Refrain

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
**Then *I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, My God, how great thou art!**

Words: Stuart K. Hine. In 1885, at age 26, Swedish preacher Carl G. Boberg wrote the words only of a poem entitled O Store Gud. Several years later, Boberg attended a meeting and was surprised to hear his poem being sung to the tune of an old Swedish melody.

In the early 1920s, English missionaries, Stuart K. Hine and his wife, ministered in Poland. It was there they learned the Russian version of Boberg’s poem, O Store Gud, coupled with the original Swedish melody. Later, Hine wrote original English words and made his own arrangement of the Swedish melody, which became popular and is now known as the hymn, How Great Thou Art.

The first three verses were inspired, line upon line, amidst unforgettable experiences in the Carpathian Mountains. In a village to which he had climbed, Mr. Hine stood in the street singing a Gospel Hymn and reading aloud, John, Chapter Three. Among the sympathetic listeners was a local village schoolmaster. A storm was gathering, and when it was evident that no further travel could be made that night, the friendly schoolmaster offered his hospitality. Awe-inspiring was the mighty thunder echoing through the mountains, and it was this impression that was to bring about the birth of the first verse.

Pushing on, Hine crossed the mountain frontier into Romania and into Bukovina. Together with some young people, through the woods and forest glades he wandered, and heard the birds sing sweetly in the trees. Thus, the second verse came into being. Verse three was inspired by the conversion of many Carpathian mountain-dwellers. The fourth verse did not come about until Hine’s return to Britain.

Music: How Great Thou Art, Swedish folk melody melody, adapted by Stuart K. Hine http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/h/o/w/how_great_Thou_art.htm

PSALM 92:5

O Lord, how great are Thy works! and Thy thoughts are very deep.

For the Lord’s Day – Softly and Tenderly

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Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.

Refrain

Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
Pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies,
Mercies for you and for me?

Refrain

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
Passing from you and from me;
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
Coming for you and for me.

Refrain

O for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me.

Refrain

Words & Music: Will L. Thompson,
When the world-renowned lay preacher, Dwight Lyman Moody, lay on his death bed in his Northfield, Massachusetts, home, Will Thompson made a special visit to inquire as to his condition. The attending physician refused to admit him to the sickroom, and Moody heard them talking just outside the bedroom door. Recognizing Thompson’s voice, he called for him to come to his bedside. Taking the Ohio poet-composer by the hand, the dying evangelist said, “Will, I would rather have written “Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling” than anything I have been able to do in my whole life.”

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/s/o/softlyat.htm

Matthew 11:28

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

For the Lord’s Day – O The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=oxL3gCgT_Dk%3Fsi%3Doa7Zeij4XeA1Syhy

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!
‘Tis an ocean vast of blessing, ’tis a haven sweet of rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ’tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!

“O the Deep Deep, Love of Jesus” is a well-known Christian hymn, written by the London merchant Samuel Trevor Francis.^[1] Francis (1834–1925) had a spiritual turning point as a teenager, contemplating suicide one night on a bridge over the River Thames. Experiencing a renewal of faith, he went on to author many poems and hymns and was a preacher in addition to his merchant career.^[2]

The song compares Jesus’ love to the ocean in scope, emphasizing the limitless, unchanging, and sacrificial nature of God’s affections for the singer and all of humanity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_the_Deep,_Deep_Love_of_Jesus

EPHESIANS 3:17-19

¹⁷That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

¹⁸May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

¹⁹And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Friday Proverb – The Reward for Heeding Wisdom

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In our Proverb last Friday, wisdom was personified as a woman crying out in the streets to anyone who would listen. This week, the reward for heeding wisdom is laid out in great detail; and that if it is pursued with the same zeal as would be employed in the quest for silver, and buried treasure – the Lord will then reveal Himself to the earnestly intense seeker. But it is conditional – always prefaced with an “if,” followed by a “then.”

1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

The plea here is to make the commandments a part of yourself, to hide them so deeply within you that they become an integral part of your being.

2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

6 For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

Important to note that sound wisdom is “layed up.” That means there is always more for the seeker to search out. The Lord also stresses that He is only a buckler (shield) to the righteous. Those outside the Body of Christ, or, those believers in an unrepentant, carnal and back-slidden position, are not shielded.

8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of His saints.

The post modern church of today has cozied right up to the world, and has embraced it with lame excuses such as “we need to bring the young people in.” How pathetic that must seem to our Lord. See what liberality has done to the church? This revolting image is of “Christian” rock group – Stryper.

Do these abominable cross-dressers look like Christian men to you?

We are living in perilous times of woeful apostasy. Never before have we witnessed so many so-called “Christians” who live like the sinful world, look like the sinful world, talk like the sinful world, and fraternize with the sinful world. DISCIPLE is no exception. DISCIPLE is one of the most popular and successful bands in the world today; yet, they are phonies and should be avoided by all Christ-honoring Christians. {jesusissavior.com}

If the Lord and His Word and Wisdom are always foremost in our minds, our Christian walk through this sinful world will be made smoother. If He is our goal and quest in life, and the world and its trappings are pushed to the background, then we will receive the blessings of His wisdom and understanding. We will see things through His eyes, as they really are – not as the fallen world presents them. He must be the focus, then and only then, will the understanding come. Otherwise – the road is darkness and pathos.

9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

Proverbs 2: 1-9

For the Lord’s Day – Cleanse Me (Search Me, O God)

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In keeping with the theme of yesterday’s Bible study on sanctification, this hymn came as the perfect enhancement.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=HSCFSpR-r3Q%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26fs%3D1%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26wmode%3Dtransparent

Search me, O God,
And know my heart today;
Try me, O Savior,
Know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be
Some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin
And set me free.

I praise Thee, Lord,
For cleansing me from sin;
Fulfill Thy Word,
And make me pure within.
Fill me with fire
Where once I burned with shame;
Grant my desire
To magnify Thy Name.

Lord, take my life,
And make it wholly Thine;
Fill my poor heart
With Thy great love divine.
Take all my will,
My passion, self and pride;
I now surrender, Lord
In me abide.

O Holy Ghost,
Revival comes from Thee;
Send a revival,
Start the work in me.
Thy Word declares
Thou wilt supply our need;
For blessings now,
O Lord, I humbly plead.

James Edwin Orr (January 15, 1912 – April 22, 1987)^[1] was a Baptist Christian minister, hymn-writer, professor, author^[2] and promoter of Church revival and renewal

He was a professor in the School of World Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary where he taught courses in the history of missions to career missionaries.

James Edwin Orr was born in 1912. His education includes earned doctorates from universities in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, including the Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford University and the Ed. D. from U.C.L.A. in 1971.

In his many travels, Dr. Orr has visited a hundred and fifty countries, including the Soviet Union, and has been in two-thirds of the world’s six hundred major cities.

Despite these numerous life-long accomplishments, J. Edwin Orr will no doubt be best remembered as author of a simple, revival hymn text—“Cleanse Me.”

Dr. Orr recalls that he wrote the Cleanse Me text, in 1936, during an intense movement of the Holy Spirit at the Easter, revival convention in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand—

For some time prior to this Easter campaign, an attitude of unusual expectancy had been prevalent among these people. Prayer meetings spread throughout the city with much fervency, and intercession led to wide-spread confession and reconciliation among the believers. Great numbers of unconverted students professed faith in Christ. The next night was given over to exultant testimony, with singing such as one expects in heaven.

The revival news soon spread throughout all of New Zealand. Dr. Orr reports that as he was leaving New Zealand, four Aborigine girls approached and sang for him a beautiful Maori Song of Farewell.

Mr. Orr was so impressed with the beauty of this Polynesian melody that soon afterward he wrote new verses to the tune on the back of an envelope. The text was based on the familiar words of Scripture found in Psalm 139:23-24:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Further campaigns by Dr. Orr throughout Australia in the 1930s and later in nearly all of the English-speaking world, soon popularized this prayer hymn everywhere. http://www.tanbible.com/tol_sng/sng_cleanseme.htm

PSALM 139:23-24

²³Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

²⁴And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

For the Lord’s Day – God Will Take Care of You

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To say I need this reminder is an understatement. For those of you who read the post “Faith is a Gift and a Grace,” you will understand when I say that God did not “gift” me with faith. I believe He gave me wisdom, but not the kind of faith that George Muller was given. That is why this hymn is like getting a shot of spiritual vitamins for me. Praise Him!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ijytLs96yig%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26fs%3D1%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26wmode%3Dtransparent

Be not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.

Refrain

God will take care of you,
Through every day, over all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.

Through days of toil when heart doth fail,
God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail,
God will take care of you.

Refrain

All you may need He will provide,
God will take care of you;
Nothing you ask will be denied,
God will take care of you.

Refrain

No matter what may be the test,
God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one, upon His breast,
God will take care of you.

Refrain

Words: Civilla D. Martin, 1904; first appeared in Songs of Redemption and Praise, by John A. Davis, 1905.

I was confined to a sick bed in a Bible school in Lestershire, New York. My husband was spending several weeks at the school, making a songbook for the president of the school. “God Will Take Care of You” was written one Sunday afternoon while my husband went to a preaching appointment. When he returned I gave the words to him. He immediately sat down to his little Bilhorn organ and wrote the music. That evening he and two of the teachers sang the completed song. It was then printed in the songbook he was compiling for the school.

Nahum 1:7

The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him.

For the Lord’s Day – Jesus Paid It All

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=9bPaXN9j9yQ%3Fsi%3DxMkN48sVexY2xaQp

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

Refrain

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim,
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

Refrain

And now complete in Him
My robe His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.

Refrain

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

Refrain

When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
Shall rend the vaulted skies.

Refrain

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down
All down at Jesus’ feet.

Refrain

JESUS PAID IT ALL

PAID IN FULL

Jesus Paid It All was written under unusual circumstances. Did your mind ever wander during a Sunday service? Perhaps you started thinking about other things–maybe what occurred last week, or plans for the coming week or what you will be doing later that day. Something like that happened to the writer of a familiar hymn.

On a hot summer Sunday morning in 1865, Mrs. Elvina Hall (1820-1889) was found in her accustomed place in the church choir loft. But as the pious words of the Reverend Schrick’s prayer droned on and on, her thoughts drifted to other things. She pondered the meaning of the cross, and the storied scene flashed before her mind’s eye.

High upon a rocky crag, three crosses scarred the afternoon sky. On the outer gibbets, hung two notorious thieves. Below, Roman soldiers drank and gambled, waiting for death to overtake the poor wretches suspended above them. It was a public execution, but far more significant than they imagined at the time. Suddenly, the air grew dense and an eerie darkness invaded the scene.

As the soldiers gazed about them in superstitious dread, a triumphant cry pierced the gloom. It came from the figure on the centre cross. One word, in the Greek tongue: “Tetelestai!” Then He was dead. That shout of victory Christ uttered as He died is usually translated “It is finished!” (Jn. 19:30). But it had another meaning back then. It was an accounting term. When a bill was paid, it was commonly stamped with the word “Tetelestai,” meaning Paid in Full.

And that is precisely what the death of Christ accomplished. “[He] bore our sins in His own body on the tree,” says Peter (I Pet. 2:24). “He Himself is the propitiation [the full satisfaction of God’s justice] for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world,” (I Jn. 2:2). The groaning weight of all the world’s sin was laid on Christ at Calvary. He bore it in our place.

As the pastor’s prayer continued, Mrs. Hall took up her hymn book and, turning to a blank page inside the cover, she began to write. Afterward, she presented the pastor with some simple lines of poetry–not likely telling him when they were written! Glancing at them, the pastor was reminded of something that had happened just that week. The church organist, John Grape (1835-1915) had composed a new hymn tune, with no words in mind. He passed it on to Pastor Schrick, suggesting they might find a use for it in future.

Stepping into his study, the pastor laid Mrs. Hall’s poem next to the lines of music. In surprise, he saw they fit one another like hand in glove. “Indeed, God works in mysterious ways!” he thought. (Little did he know!) The words and tune have been partners ever since, in the hymn, “Jesus Paid It All.”

http://www.wordwise-bible-studies.com/Jesus-Paid-It-All.html

ROMANS 6:22-23

King James Version (KJV)

²²But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

²³For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

For the Lord’s Day – Holy, Holy, Holy

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This makes me weep – my very favorite hymn. It is pure worship, with no mention of the “I” word.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Wk2-MKhfWAY%3Fsi%3D_tYHkcdR35-wno0C

A beautiful rendition of this classic hymn by Olive Tree Hymns. https://www.youtube.com/@OliveTreeHymns

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Author: Reginald Heber

Reginald Heber was born in 1783 into a wealthy, educated family. He was a bright youth, translating a Latin classic into English verse by the time he was seven, entering Oxford at 17, and winning two awards for his poetry during his time there. After his graduation he became rector of his father’s church in the village of Hodnet near Shrewsbury in the west of England where he remained for 16 years. He was appointed Bishop of Calcutta in 1823 and worked tirelessly for three years until the weather and travel took its toll on his health and he died of a stroke. Most of his 57 hymns, which include “Holy, Holy, Holy,” are still in use today. http://www.hymnary.org/text/holy_holy_holy_lord_god_almighty_early

Isaiah 6:1-3

King James Version (KJV)

6 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

²Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

³And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Revelation 4

King James Version (KJV)

4 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

²And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

³And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

⁴And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

⁵And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

⁶And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

⁷And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

⁸And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

⁹And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,

¹⁰The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

¹¹Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Please share your classic hymns! Post it here or email at vinevigil@gmail.com.

For the Lord’s Day – Have Thine Own Way Lord

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How we all like to “have our own way.” Our way stinks! As an aside – most sheeple have never even heard the very deep fourth verse of this wonderful hymn. And it is very, very deep.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ikk7yOcVTqo%3Fsi%3DqL-QFuuoZh85QuPQ

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.

Born: November 27, 1862, Bloomfield, Iowa (birth name: Sarah Addison Pollard).

Died: December 20, 1934, New York City

Adelaide Pollard was distressed. In spite of her best efforts, she could not raise the funds she needed to go as a missionary to Africa. “Why?” wondered the forty-year-old woman.

Discouraged, she attended prayer meeting one evening in 1902. There an old woman prayed: “Lord, it doesn’t matter what you bring into our lives–just have your way with us.”

The words sank home. Adelaide went home. She meditated on the old woman’s prayer and on Bible texts in Jeremiah 18:3,4 and Isaiah which referred to God as a potter. As a result, she wrote a hymn which millions have sung:

Have Thine own way, Lord!
Have Thine own way!
Thou art the potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Adelaide was named Sarah when she was born in Bloomfield, Iowa on this day, November 27, 1862. She didn’t like her given name and adopted Adelaide in its place.

Her life was always centered on her faith. After training in Chicago, she taught in several girls’ schools and then became active as a Bible teacher, evangelist and healer. She herself had been healed of diabetes through prayer. Contemporaries saw her as a mystic and saint.

During the years that she was unable to go to Africa, she taught at the Christian and Missionary Alliance school in Nyack, New York. Shortly before World War I, she did reach Africa. However, the war forced her to retreat to Scotland. After the fighting was over, she returned to the United States where, despite failing health, she preached in New England. One of her major themes was that Christ would soon return.

Adelaide wrote over 100 other songs, but just how many we do not know for certain, since she seldom signed them, not desiring credit.

http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1801-1900/sarah-pollard-didnt-like-her-name-11630530.html

JEREMIAH 18:3-4

King James Version (KJV)

³Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

⁴And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Dear Lord, make us worthy vessels like unto Thee.

Isaiah 64:8

But now, O Lord, Thou art our father; we are the clay, and Thou our potter; and we all are the work of Thy hand.

For the Lord’s Day – Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=j5qc0EcNgqw%3Fsi%3DpZzlGy6c4WSzZeQK

TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

Refrain

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Refrain

Helen Howarth Lemmel

1863-1961

Lyrics and music

Born: November 14, 1863, Wardle, England.

Died: November 1, 1961, at her home in Seattle, Washington.

Daughter of a Methodist minister, Helen emigrated from England with her family to America when she was 12 years old. They first settled in Mississippi, then relocated to Wisconsin. She moved to Seattle in 1904, and for three years was music critic for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. While interviewing German singer Ernestine Schumann-Hein, Helen was persuaded to go to Europe. A gifted singer, she studied music in Germany for four years. Upon her return to America, she began giving concerts and traveling on the Chautauqua circuit. Eventually, she became a vocal music teacher at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. After retirement, she moved to Seattle, Washington, where she was a member of the Ballard Baptist Church. Among her works are a hymnal used by evangelist Billy Sunday for over a decade. Lemmel and a women’s choral group she directed were part of Sunday’s group at the peak of his career.

This hymn was inspired by a tract Helen Lemmel read – written by brilliant artist – turned missionary Lilias Trotter, who wrote:

“Never has it been so easy to live in half a dozen harmless worlds at once — art, music, social science, games, motoring, the following of some profession, and so on. And between them we run the risk of drifting about, the good hiding the best.” It is easy to find out whether our lives are focused, and if so, where the focus lies. Where do our thoughts settle when consciousness comes back in the morning? Where do they swing back when the pressure is off during the day? Dare to have it out with God, and ask Him to show you whether or not all is focused on Christ and His Glory. Turn your soul’s vision to Jesus, and look and look at Him, and a strange dimness will come over all that is apart from Him.”
– Lilias Trotter , “Which Passion Will Prevail”

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 3: 16

For the Lord’s Day – Abide With Me

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Abide With Me

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
change and decay in all around I see;
O thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need thy presence every passing hour.
What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless;
ills have no weight, and tears not bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if thou abide with me.

Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes;
shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Henry Francis Lyte – Lyrics
1793-1847

Born: June 1, 1793, Ednam, Scotland.
Died: November 20, 1847, Nice, France.

Buried: English Cemetery, Nice, France.

Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847) and his wife Ann were faithful pastors of a little fishing town in Devonshire England, for 23 years. Although Henry’s health was compromised, he worked tirelessly ministering to his parish, taking care of his family, and writing poems and hymns.

In 1844, Henry was diagnosed with Tuberculosis. Over the next three years his physical condition deteriorated until finally on September 4, 1847, at the age of 54, he stood in the pulpit for the last time to deliver his farewell message.

That same afternoon, after taking a walk on the beach, Henry retired to his room. He emerged about an hour later with a written copy of Abide With Me. He left soon after for a trip to Italy, to get away from the cold, damp coastal weather. While en route to his destination, he mailed a revised copy of Abide With Me to his wife. A few days later while resting in a hotel on the French Riviera, Henry went home to be with Jesus. A fellow clergyman who was with Henry during his final hours reported that Henry’s last words were Peace! Joy!

“It is better to wear out than to rust out.” Henry Lyte

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

For the Lord’s Day – In The Garden

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=RSfb2GQTZws%3Fsi%3DW5eL41Ks6wWVHKIh

C. Austin Miles (1868-1946) was a pharmacist turned hymn writer and church music director. He was also an amateur photographer. One day in March, 1912, while in his dark room waiting for film to develop, Miles had a profound spiritual experience in which he saw an incredible vision of Mary Magdalene visiting the empty tomb. He saw her leave the tomb and walk into a garden where she met the Master and heard Him speak her name.

When Miles came to himself his nerves were vibrating and his muscles tense; the words to a new song were filling his mind and heart. He quickly wrote out the lyrics to In The Garden and later that evening composed the musical score. The song was published that same year and became a theme song of the Billy Sunday evangelistic crusades. (faithclipart.com)

In The Garden

I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses . . .

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other, has ever, known!

He speaks and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that he gave to me,
Within my heart is ringing . . .

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other, has ever, known!

And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other, has ever, known!

11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,

12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him.

14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto Him, Sir, if thou have borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away.

16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto Him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father: but go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God.

18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things unto her.

John 20: 11-18

I Need Thee Every Hour

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As I sit hear alone, I am overwlemed with this song. Truly, I need Him every hour. A short story about the author as you listen but please don’t miss the words.

Annie Hawks wrote:
“One day as a young wife and mother of 37 years of age, I was busy with my regular household tasks. Suddenly, I became so filled with the sense of nearness to the Master that, wondering how one could live without Him, either in joy or pain, these words, “I Need Thee Every Hour,” were ushered into my mind, the thought at once taking full possession of me.”

After writing the lyrics, Hawks gave them to her pastor, Robert Lowry, who added the tune and refrain. The hymn was first published at the National Baptist Sunday School Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, in November 1872. Some years later, after the death of her husband, Hawks wrote:

“I did not understand at first why this hymn had touched the great throbbing heart of humanity. It was not until long after, when the shadow fell over my way, the shadow of a great loss, that I understood something of the comforting power in the words which I had been permitted to give out to others in my hour of sweet serenity and peace.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZkgiDDO-fOg%3Fsi%3DgPsgPih6lrBIBVr-

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord No tender voice like Thine can peace afford

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby Temptations lose their power When Thou art nigh

I need thee, oh, I need thee, every hour I need Thee I need thee, I need thee, I need Thee every hour

I need Thee every hour in joy or pain Come quickly and abide or life is in vain I need Thee, oh, I need Thee, every hour I need Thee I need Thee, I need Thee, I need Thee every hour I need Thee, I need Thee, I need Thee every hour

Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee I need Thee every hour, teach me Thy will And Thy rich promises in me fulfill

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee Oh I need Thee every hour I need Thee, I need Thee, I need Thee every hour I need Thee, I need Thee, I need Thee every hour

Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee

For the Lord’s Day – It Is Well With My Soul

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=0vdMcrGnQ0M%3Fsi%3DlEq_Umum4Cf1K9kV

“Click on the link in order to watch this on youtube! Embedding is disabled, but you can still view it.”

It Is Well With My Soul

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

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!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Horatio Spafford

Horatio Gates Spafford
1828-1888

Born: October 20, 1828, North Troy, New York.
Died: October 16, 1888, Jerusalem, Israel, of malari

This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford. You might think to write a worship song titled, ‘It is well with my soul’, you would indeed have to be a rich, successful Chicago lawyer. But the words, “When sorrows like sea billows roll … It is well with my soul”, were not written during the happiest period of Spafford’s life. On the contrary, they came from a man who had suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy.

Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because of Horatio’s legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong.

The Spaffords’ only son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.

Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest — DL Moody needed the help. He was traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French steamer ‘Ville de Havre’ across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned.

He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read:

“Saved alone.”

On November 2nd 1873, the ‘Ville de Havre’ had collided with ‘The Lochearn’, an English vessel. It sank in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up.

When the survivors of the wreck had been rescued, Mrs. Spafford’s first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her, “You were spared for a purpose.”

And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, “It’s easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God.”

Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father’s voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. “A careful reckoning has been made”, he said, “and I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep.” Horatio then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.

biblestudycharts.com

Colossians 3:15

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

For the Lord’s Day – To God be the Glory

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To God Be the Glory

https://youtube.com/watch?v=-15v9iworAU%3Fsi%3DyTzyOIgtNJXC6ed6

Words By: Fanny Crosby

To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Refrain:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice!
Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He hath done.

Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see

Fanny Crosby

1820-1915

Frances Jane “Fanny” Crosby (1820-1915), American hymn writer and poetess who wrote over 8,000 hymns. Once a preacher sympathetically remarked, “I think it is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered so many other gifts upon you.” She replied quickly, “Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I should be born blind?” “Why?” asked the surprised minister. “Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!”

4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; He will come and save you.

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

6 Then. shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. Isaiah 35: 4-6

For the Lord’s Day – And Can It Be?

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=sQeIGbKqiw8%3Fsi%3DN0bnzQFxVyixKqvp

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

Still the small inward voice I hear,
That whispers all my sins forgiven;
Still the atoning blood is near,
That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Charles Wesley

Greatest hymn writer of all time

(18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788)

“O for a thousand tongues to sing / My dear Redeemer’s praise / The glories of my God and King, / The triumphs of his grace!”

He was said to have averaged 10 poetic lines a day for 50 years. He wrote 8,989 hymns, 10 times the volume composed by the only other candidate (Isaac Watts) who could conceivably claim to be the world’s greatest hymn writer. He composed some of the most memorable and lasting hymns of the church: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “And Can It Be,” “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling,” “Jesus, Lover of My Soul,” “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” “Soldiers of Christ, Arise,” and “Rejoice! the Lord Is King!“

I, even I, am the Lord; and beside Me there is no saviour. Isaiah 43:11

For the Lord’s Day – All The Way My Savior Leads Me

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=ekUELQCnQlM%3Fsi%3DDCPNneLwoK8ms-R4

All The Way My Savior Leads Me

(1) All the way my Savior leads me-

What have I to ask beside?

Can I doubt His tender mercy,

Who through life has been my guide?

Heavenly peace, divinest comfort,

Here by faith in Him to dwell!

For I know, whate’er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well;

For I know, whate’er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well.

(2) All the way my Savior leads me-

Cheers each winding path I tread,

Gives me grace for every trial,

Feeds me with the living bread.

Though my weary steps may falter

And my soul a-thirst may be,

Gushing from the Rock before me,

Lo! a spring of joy I see;

Gushing from the Rock before me,

Lo! a spring of joy I see.

(2) All the way my Savior leads me-

O the fullness of His love!

Perfect rest to me is promised

In my Father’s house above.

When my spirit, clothed immortal,

Wings its flight to realms of day,

This my song through endless ages:

Jesus led me all the day;

This my song through endless ages:

Jesus led me all the way.

This beloved hymn came from the grateful heart of Fanny Crosby after she had received a direct answer to her prayer.

One day when she desperately needed five dollars and had no idea where she could obtain it, Fanny followed her usual custom and began to pray about the matter. A few minutes later a stranger appeared at her door with the exact amount.

I have no way of accounting for this, she said, except to believe that God put it into the heart of this good man to bring the money. My first thought was that it is so wonderful the way the Lord leads me, and I immediately wrote the poem.

_________________________________________________

For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death.

Psalm 48: 14

Hebrews 6:1

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. . .

1. Good works.

as believers, we need to do all we can to the glory of god, not in order to be saved, but because we are saved.

2. Wicked works.

we will now address dead works – from Hebrews 6:1

3. Dead works.

Philippians 3:1-9

3 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Paul knew the meaning of “repentance from dead works!!!”

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22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

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10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

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This is the power of the evil one holding sway over the hearts of men, because of his own envy of God. Certainly, Lucifer feels that God is oppressing him.

32 For the froward is abomination to the Lord:

but His secret is with the righteous.

Proverbs 3: 30-32

1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Psalm 37: 1-3

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selfishness . . .

AND WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

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Great is Thy Faithfulness, The Song and the Story

Composer Thomas Chisolm Writes Great is Thy Faithfulness

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known Thy faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 89:1)

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Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!That calls me from a world of care,And bids me at my Father’s throneMake all my wants and wishes known.In seasons of distress and grief,My soul has often found reliefAnd oft escaped the tempter’s snareBy thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!The joys I feel, the bliss I share,Of those whose anxious spirits burnWith strong desires for thy return!With such I hasten to the placeWhere God my Savior shows His face,And gladly take my station there,And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!Thy wings shall my petition bearTo Him whose truth and faithfulnessEngage the waiting soul to bless.And since He bids me seek His face,Believe His Word and trust His grace,I’ll cast on Him my every care,And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

EPHESIANS 6:17-19

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the Gospel. . .

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I know not why God’s wondrous graceTo me He hath made known,Nor why, unworthy, Christ in loveRedeemed me for His own.

Refrain

But I know Whom I have believèd,And am persuaded that He is ableTo keep that which I’ve committedUnto Him against that day.

I know not how this saving faithTo me He did impart,Nor how believing in His WordWrought peace within my heart.

Refrain

I know not how the Spirit moves,Convincing us of sin,Revealing Jesus through the Word,Creating faith in Him.

Refrain

I know not what of good or illMay be reserved for me,Of weary ways or golden days,Before His face I see.

Refrain

I know not when my Lord may come,At night or noonday fair,Nor if I walk the vale with Him,Or meet Him in the air.

Refrain

2 Timothy 1:7-14

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.

13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.

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Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.

Refrain

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.

Though they are slighting Him, still He is waiting,Waiting the penitent child to receive;Plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently;He will forgive if they only believe.

Refrain

Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter,Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.

Refrain

Rescue the perishing, duty demands it;Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;Back to the narrow way patiently win them;Tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died.

Refrain

**as believers, we need to do all we can to the glory of god, not in order to be saved, but because we are saved.**

²Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

³For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

⁴Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

⁵Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

⁶Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

⁷But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

⁸Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

⁹And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
The joys I feel, the bliss I share,
Of those whose anxious spirits burn
With strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
Where God my Savior shows His face,
And gladly take my station there,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God:

¹⁸Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

¹⁹And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the Gospel. . .

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.

But I know Whom I have believèd,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.

I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.

I know not how the Spirit moves,
Convincing us of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
Creating faith in Him.

I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.

I know not when my Lord may come,
At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with Him,
Or meet Him in the air.

⁷For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

⁸Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

⁹Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

¹⁰But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

¹¹Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

¹²For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.

¹³Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.

Though they are slighting Him, still He is waiting,
Waiting the penitent child to receive;
Plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently;
He will forgive if they only believe.

Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.

Rescue the perishing, duty demands it;
Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;
Back to the narrow way patiently win them;
Tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died.

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
**Consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:**

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:

And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
**Then *I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, My God, how great thou art!**

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.

Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
Pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies,
Mercies for you and for me?

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
Passing from you and from me;
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
Coming for you and for me.

O for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me.

¹⁷That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

¹⁸May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

¹⁹And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Search me, O God,
And know my heart today;
Try me, O Savior,
Know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be
Some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin
And set me free.

I praise Thee, Lord,
For cleansing me from sin;
Fulfill Thy Word,
And make me pure within.
Fill me with fire
Where once I burned with shame;
Grant my desire
To magnify Thy Name.

Lord, take my life,
And make it wholly Thine;
Fill my poor heart
With Thy great love divine.
Take all my will,
My passion, self and pride;
I now surrender, Lord
In me abide.