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Robert Cottrill

About Robert Cottrill

http://wordwisebiblestudies.com

Posts by Robert Cottrill:

Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

Words: Henry Alford (b. Oct. 7, 1810; d. Jan. 12, 1871)
Music: St. George’s Windsor, by George Job Elvey (b. March 27, 1816; d. Dec. 9, 1873)

Note: Alford called his hymn “After Harvest.” It originally had seven stanzas, of which four are now used. The tune, St. George’s Windsor, was named after the chapel royal at Windsor Castle. “Harvest Home,” as the phrase suggests, has to do with bringing in the harvest. Recognized mainly in Britain, it is a festival celebrating the end of harvest time, often including a feast.

(1) Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide for our wants to be supplied;
Come to God’s own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The first stanza of Dean Alford’s 1844 hymn has to do with the literal harvest time, and a call to the people of God to praise Him for His faithfulness.

After the devastating flood of Noah’s day, the Lord had promised the regularity of the rolling seasons: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease” (Gen. 8:22). When the Mosaic Law was instituted, there were several of religious festivals (or “feasts,” NKJV) particularly relating to the harvest.

  • The Feast of Firstfruits came at the beginning of the barley harvest (the first grain to be brought in). It was marked by the presentation of a sheaf of grain to the priest, showing both gratitude to God, and the confidence that there was more to come (Lev. 23:10).
  • The Feast of Harvest (also known as the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost) was celebrated at the beginning of the wheat harvest (Exod. 23:16a).
  • The Feast of Ingathering (also called the Feast of Tabernacles), involving a week of celebration, came around mid-September to mid-October, at the end of the agricultural year (Exod. 23:16b).

Of course Christians should be thankful to God every day, in all circumstances (I Thess. 5:10; Heb. 13:15), but it’s also appropriate that we set aside a special day for showing our gratitude to God. North Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day. In Canada, this day falls on the second Monday in October; in the United States it comes on the fourth Thursday in November.

There are only two of about three dozen parables the Lord Jesus told for which a full explanation is given. To His disciples, the Lord apparently gave more information (Mk. 4:34), but only the parable of the sower (Matt. 13:3-23), and the parable of the tares (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43) are given full explanations in Scripture.

In the stanzas that follow (1), Henry Alford uses the harvest as a metaphor for the harvest of souls that will come at Christ’s return, basing his thoughts on the latter parable.

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, “Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?” He said to them, “An enemy has done this.” The servants said to him, “Do you want us then to go and gather them up?” But he said, “No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’

Matt. 13:24-30

The “tares” are likely a weed called darnel, which looks a lot like wheat in the early stages of its growth. That’s significant to the meaning of the parable, that the Lord later explains (vs. 36-43).

Christ identified Himself as the sower in the parable (vs. 37). His field is the world, and the good seed represents believers, loyal subjects of His kingdom (vs. 38a). The tares picture those who belong to Satan, unbelievers (vs. 38b), though they may be religious, and make a profession of being followers of Christ. The point being made is that not everyone who is part of what can be broadly called Christendom is actually a born again child of God.

At the end, when Christ returns to reign, there will be a harvest. It’s then that the wheat will be separated from the tares. The unsaved will be condemned to eternal judgment (vs. 40), while believers will enter eternal blessing (vs. 43).

(2) All the world is God’s own field, fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be.

(3) For the Lord our God shall come, and shall take His harvest home;
From His field shall in that day all offenses purge away,
Giving angels charge at last in the fire the tares to cast;
But the fruitful ears to store in His garner evermore.

Questions:

  1. When was the last time you heard a message on eternal judgment (hell)?
  2. What makes the difference whether a person belongs to the tares or the wheat (Jn. 3:16)?

Links:

Fill My Cup, Lord

Words: Richard Eugene Blanchard, Sr. (b. _____, 1925; d. Apr. 19, 2004)
Music: Richard Eugene Blanchard, Sr.

Note: Richard Blanchard was born in China of missionary parents. When they returned to the United States, they lived in Indiana, then North Carolina. In his adult years, Blanchard served as a pastor in the United Methodist denomination for forty years.

A severe lung condition required two surgeries, leaving him with only one third of the normal lung capacity. But in spite of physical limitations, the pastor continued to serve the Lord, even launching a television ministry popular in the Miami area. He also wrote numerous songs and, interestingly, a musical about Francis of Assisi. Fill My Cup, published in 1959, is by far his best known song.

The writing of Fill My Cup came about in an unusual way. Pastor Blanchard was waiting for the arrival of a couple for marriage counselling. They were late for the appointment. Not a little irritated, the pastor sat down at the piano to kill time while the minutes ticked away. That’s hardly the best frame of mind to write about fullness of life in Christ! But it was then the idea for a gospel song came to him. He said, “When I was not in the mood to be used of God, God was in the mood to use me.”

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The song is based on the Lord’s encounter with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, in a place called Sychar (Jn. 4:5-42). As Bartlett describes her, she was indeed a woman who was searching for something. Searching for happiness, for meaning, for contentment. But so far she’d been looking in all the wrong places! Married five times, and currently living with a sixth man (vs. 17-18), she was about to find the answer to her lifelong quest.

She had come to draw water from the well for her daily needs. And the Lord Jesus used that water to start a conversation about spiritual things. This is a wonderful technique to use in our own witness. Take a common interest or experience, and use it to introduce the Saviour.

Christ began by asking for a drink (vs. 7). This was unusual, given that “the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans” (vs. 9), and the two groups were generally hostile to one another. When she puzzled over this, Jesus said:

“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water….Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

John 4:10, 13-14

The Spirit of God, and the work of the Spirit, are symbolized or pictured by water a number of times in the Word of God. Just as water is refreshing and revitalizing to us in a physical sense, the Holy Spirit brings new birth and new life, and reviving to us spiritually.

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

Jn. 7:39-39

At the well that day, the woman not only became a believer herself, at least in an elementary way, but immediately she sought to bring others to Christ (vs. 28-29, 39-42).

(1) Like the woman at the well I was seeking
For things that could not satisfy;
And then I heard my Saviour speaking:
“Draw from my well that never shall run dry.”

Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up, Lord!
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more.
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!

In his second stanza, Mr. Bartlett draws a parallel to the “millions in this world” who are looking for satisfaction in “the pleasures earthly things afford.” But he declares that none can match the soul satisfaction found in Jesus Christ.

That leads him to make a gospel appeal in the final stanza. He invites those who have been searching, and finding nothing that truly satisfy, to come to Christ and trust in Him for salvation and life abundant.

(3) So, my brother, if the things this world gave you
Leave hungers that won’t pass away,
My blessed Lord will come and save you,
If you kneel to Him and humbly pray:

Questions:

  1. What are some of the things people are trying today, in hopes of finding fulfilment and satisfaction?
  2. What is it about the Lord and His salvation that is satisfying?

Links:

At Even, Ere the Sun Was Set

Words: Henry Twells (b. March 13, 1823; d. Jan. 19, 1900)
Music: Angelus, by Georg Joseph (b. circa _____, 1630; d. circa _____, 1668)

Note: Henry Twells was an evangelical Anglican clergyman. He divided his time between pastoral work and serving as a schoolmaster. The good pastor was particularly interested in serving among the poor, and was a kindly friend to all.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The hymn was written in 1868, and the Wordwise link below tells the story of the writing of it. It was matched, in that year, with Joseph’s melody, and published in Hymns Ancient and Modern, with the title “Evening.” The Cyber Hymnal makes an attempt, here and there, to modernize the lyrics, but it’s not done consistently–and in my view is unnecessary. The word “divers” in (1) is simply a form of the word diverse, meaning various.

A more serious question was raised over Mr. Twells’ use of the word “ere” (before) in (1). By the tradition of the Jewish elders, the Sabbath Day did not end until the sun had set (around 6:00 p.m.), and the carrying of burdens was forbidden until then. Thus bearing a sick or infirm person would not have been allowed. When this was pointed out to Henry Twells, he defended his position, but allowed editors, if they preferred, to change the wording to “when the sun was set.”

There are, however, a couple of solutions which support the author’s version. As he indicated, though Mark 1:32 reads “when the sun had set” (NKJV), Luke’s account (Lk. 4:40) has “when the sun was setting.” Likely there was such a sense of urgency with many that as soon as the sun touched the rim of the horizon and was setting, on they came–and continued coming after the sun was fully set. Another possibility is that many who were ambulatory came before sunset, as no carrying of burdens was involved with them. While others who needed to support loved ones in coming, waited until the sun had set.

This is a wonderful hymn! It’s too bad that few hymnals seem to carry it. Too bad, also, that most hymnals omit (4) and (5). Perhaps an eight-stanza hymn is too much for modern editors, but each one of these is a gem, and congregations need to consider them all. I encourage you to go to the Cyber Hymnal and read the full hymn, then teach it to your congregation!

The first two stanzas are introductory. They draw a parallel between the days of Christ’s earthly ministry and today. The compassionate Saviour was present to help and heal then, and He is today as well, even though “Thy form we cannot see” (2). What follows is a perceptive compendium of the various ills and struggles that we all face.

In (3) we’re reminded that:
¤ Some are sick, physically ill, and perhaps in pain.
¤ Some are sad, emotionally distressed or depressed.
¤ Some have never loved the Lord as they should.
¤ Some have “lost the love they had” (Rev. 2:4; cf. Eph. 1:15).

In (4) we’re reminded that:
¤ Some have “worldly care” burdens with finances, employment, etc.
¤ Some struggle with doubts and questions about their faith.
¤ Some wrestle with powerful passions of lust, greed, etc.

In (5) we’re reminded that:
¤ Some are bound by worldly values, though they see the hollowness of them.
¤ Some have been hurt by those they considered to be friends.

In (6) we’re reminded that:
¤ We all battle with sinful tendencies that disturb our spiritual rest in the Lord.
¤ Those committed to serving Christ seem most conscious of their unworthiness.

In (7) we’re reminded that:
¤ Some carry the crippling burden of a shameful past.

Here are a dozen maladies–physical, mental-emotional, spiritual, social–that beset us all. But Henry Twells assures us ((7) and (8)) that the Lord Jesus was “in all points tempted as we are” and is able to sympathize with our weakness and our struggles. The invitation to the throne of grace leads him to pray for the mercy of a healing touch from the Saviour (cf. Heb. 4:14-16).

(1) At even, ere the sun was set,
The sick, O Lord, around Thee lay;
O, in what divers pains they met!
O, with what joy they went away!

(2) Once more ’tis eventide, and we,
Oppressed with various ills, draw near;
What if Thy form we cannot see?
We know and feel that Thou art here.

(8) Thy touch has still its ancient power.
No word from Thee can fruitless fall;
Hear, in this solemn evening hour,
And in Thy mercy heal us all.

Questions:

  1. If you were able to add to this great hymn, what other challenges and difficulties would you include?
  2. Is there someone dealing with one of the things listed that you could help and encourage this week?

Links:

You May Have the Joy Bells

Words: J. Edwin [or Edward] Ruark (b. _____, 1849; d. _____, 1914)
Music: William James Kirkpatrick (b. Feb. 27, 1838; d. Sept. 20, 1921)

Note: This song was published in 1899. We know nothing more about the author of the text. Likely this is simply one of many offerings passed on to William Kirkpatrick to see if he’d be willing to write a tune to fit. He may or may not have been personally acquainted with Mr. Ruark.

(1) You may have the joy-bells ringing in your heart,
And a peace that from you never will depart;
Walk the straight and narrow way,
Live for Jesus ev’ry day,
He will keep the joy-bells ringing in your heart.

Joy-bells ringing in your heart,
Joy-bells ringing in your heart;
Take the Saviour here below
With you ev’rywhere you go;
He will keep the joy-bells ringing in your heart.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This is a song about living a victorious and joyful Christian life. The author says we should live righteously (“walk the straight and narrow way”), and live for Jesus (1). We should show the love of Jesus to others, speak kindly and do deeds of mercy (2). God is with us in times of trial, and He will give sufficient grace to deal with life’s challenges (3). Be a good representative of Christ, and own Him as Lord of your life. A good testimony (a pure and clean life) can be the means of drawing others to the Saviour (4).

(2) Love of Jesus in its fullness you may know;
And this love to those around you sweetly show;
Words of kindness always say;
Deeds of mercy do each day,
Then He’ll keep the joy-bells ringing in your heart.

Though this is not a complete picture, it highlights some things well deserving of our attention. Living this way will bring the joy of the Lord to our hearts. The wellspring from which true joy flows is a conscious awareness of fellowship with God, and of the presence and power of God in one’s life. Once experienced, any diminishing of that closeness brings pain and sorrow. Knowing the Lord will be central to the believer’s joy. Consider what the Bible says.

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isa. 61:10). “[You are] kept by the power of God through faith for salvation….In this you greatly rejoice.” That salvation is found in “Christ, whom having not seen you love….[and in whom] believing you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (I Pet. 1:5-8). “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him” (Ps. 28:7).

Appropriately, the birth of Christ brought the shepherds, “tidings of great joy” (Lk. 2:10). And as the wise men came from the East, seeking the newborn King, “they saw the star, [and] they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy” (Matt. 2:10). Later, when the crucified Saviour rose from the dead, His followers “ran quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy” (Matt. 28:8). There was a similar response to the good news of salvation in Christ. When Philip preached in Samaria, “there was great joy in the city” (Acts 8:5, 8).

Even facing opposition, the early Christians were found “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). That is in keeping with the teaching of the Lord Jesus: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven” (Matt. 5:11-12). This is where it becomes evident that spiritual joy is not merely a response to pleasurable events. In spite of suffering, believers in every age have been able to rejoice in service for Christ.

(3) You will meet with trials as you journey home;
Grace sufficient He will give to overcome;
Though unseen by mortal eye,
He is with you ever nigh,
And He’ll keep the joy-bells ringing in your heart.

(4) Let your life speak well of Jesus ev’ry day;
Own His right to ev’ry service you can pay;
Sinners you can help to win
If your life is pure and clean,
And you keep the joy-bells ringing in your heart.

Questions:

  1. What is the opposite of Christian joy, and what is its cause?
  2. Of the things that Ruark mentions as bringing joy, what is (or are) the most important?

Links:

Complete in Thee

Words: Aaron Robarts Wolfe (b. Sept. 6, 1821; d. Oct. 6, 1902)
Music: Hesperus (or Quebec), by Henry Baker (b. June 6, 1835; d. Feb. 1, 1910)

Note: The Cyber Hymnal suggests three fine tunes for this hymn. Hesperus is also used with Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts. The tune Duke Street is commonly used with Jesus Shall Reign, and Hamburg is used with When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. Also check out the Cyber Hymnal note on Aaron Wolfe for a life-changing incident in his life.

Seventy years after the hymn text was written, James M. Gray, added a refrain that is rich in doctrinal detail. Dr. Gray was president of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, at the time. A music teacher in the school, Talmadge J. Bittikofer, wrote a tune that included the refrain. The song in this format was published in the excellent Worship and Service Hymnal (1957).

I have included a discussion of James Gray’s refrain in this article, though it does not appear in the Cyber Hymnal. Bittikofer’s tune, however, does appear in the Cyber Hymnal with another hymn, called We Worship Thee.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This hymn was inspired by these verses from Colossians:

In Him [Christ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Colossians 2:9-10

“In Him,” or “in Christ” is Paul’s familiar way of describing positional truth. That is, when we are saved, we are placed into Christ, in a legal or positional sense. When God looks at us, He sees His dear Son, because we have been, in effect, clothed with Christ (Gal. 3:26-27).

The balancing truth, which we won’t go into here, is our condition in daily experience. While our position is constant, depending as it does on a work of God and the Person of Christ, our experience is different. We are only able to grow spiritually and consistently live to please God as we walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25).

It would be impossible, in a short article, to treat all of the texts that use the phrases “in Christ,” or “in Him,” in the way described, but here are a few of them.

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). “Of Him [God the Father] you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God–and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (I Cor. 1:30).

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new…. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (II Cor. 5:17, 21).

“Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13). “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ….In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:3, 7).

“We, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Rom. 12:5). “To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints [or simply “called saints”–God’s set-apart ones]” (I Cor. 1:2). “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).

What a wealth of blessings! All ours because of our position in Christ. We are justified (pronounced righteous by a holy God) because of Christ’s righteousness being credited to us. We are sanctified positionally, set apart for God forever. Further, we are united to the body of Christ and become one with other believers, in Christ. And what is begun in Christ for us as individuals is guaranteed to be brought to completion in future glory (Rom. 8:29-30; Phil. 1:6).

(1) Complete in Thee! No work of mine
May take, dear Lord, the place of Thine;
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And I am now complete in Thee.

Yea, justified! O blessed thought!
And sanctified! Salvation wrought!
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And glorified, I too shall be!

(4) Dear Saviour, when before Thy bar
All tribes and tongues assembled are,
Among Thy chosen will I be,
At Thy right hand, complete in Thee.

Questions:

  1. What to you is the greatest blessing of being viewed by God as “in Christ”?
  2. Do you believe this is a truth that needs greater emphasis in our churches?

Links:

Blessed Calvary

Words: Avis Marguerite Burgeson Christiansen (b. Oct. 11, 1895; d. Jan. 14, 1985)
Music: Lance Brenton Latham (b. March 21, 1894; d. Jan. 15, 1985)

Note: This gospel song was written in 1921. It combines the gifts of two outstanding servants of God, Avis Christiansen and Lance Latham. There are good biographical notes for each on the Cyber Hymnal, and the Wordwise link has cross-links to even more information.

The two lived near each other, in the Chicago area, and their lifespans are almost identical. (They died only a day apart.) Mrs. Christiansen’s output of gospel songs is significant. She began writing them around 1916 and continued doing so for over sixty years. Lance Latham’s ministry as a pastor and youth leader, as well as a musician, is well documented in the book, Lance: A Testament of Grace, by Dave Breeze (published by the Awana Youth Association, 1978).

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Today, we are unable to look at the physical site of Jesus’ crucifixion. Possible locations for Calvary (also called Golgotha) have been proposed, but so far not with any certainty. We know it was outside the walls of Jerusalem (Heb. 13:12), but in various reconstructions since, those walls have moved. Tour groups are taken to a possible spot, but that is all.

And, of course, we are unable to view the fearful events taking place there nearly two millennia ago, in AD 30. Even the Scriptures don’t help us much, if we’re looking for a graphic picture of what happened. Crucifixion was an all too familiar horror. The writers of the New Testament did not need to go into detail. We are simply told:

When they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.

Lk. 23:33

Details such as Christ’s burning thirst, the soldiers gambling over His clothing, and His occasional spoken words, these are given mainly to show the complete fulfilment of prophecy in His death, and to underline the nature of that death.

On the latter point, it is stressed that the Lord was not killed by the Romans, but rather surrendered up His life willingly to God the Father. He told His disciples, “I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (Jn. 10:17-18). Thus, of Calvary, we read:

When Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.

Lk. 23:46

The focus of the Bible is not on a grisly elaboration of what happened, but rather on the reason for Christ’s death, and what it means to us today. That is also the focus of this gospel song.

(1) I look at the cross upon Calvary,
And oh, what a wonder divine,
To think of the wealth it holds for me—
The riches of heaven are mine.

Blessèd Calvary! Precious Calvary!
’Neath thy shadow I’ll ever abide.
Blessèd Calvary! Precious Calvary!
’Twas there Jesus suffered and died.

In and through Christ, “the riches of heaven are mine” (1). “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32; cf. II Cor. 8:8; Phil. 4:19; Eph. 1:3). We are able to enjoy many of these blessings now, but many more are reserved for our enjoyment in heaven (I Pet. 1:3-4).

God’s saving work was motivated by His deep love for us ((2); Jn. 3:16), and it was all of grace, His undeserved, unmerited favour (Eph. 2:8-9). “No merit have I of my own” (3). Instead, “the shed blood of Christ [is] my only plea” ((3); Eph. 1:7; I Pet. 1:18-19). “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified [declared righteous] freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:23-24).

The song reminds us that we have, in Christ, present victory. There is “blessed victory, and grace for each step of the way” (2). Here, the author is thinking of the other aspect of grace. It is undeserved favour, and also divine enablement. It’s what the writer of Hebrews speaks of when he says we are able to before God’s throne “that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

Finally “The cross is my hope for eternity” as well (3). The “It is finished” of the Lord Jesus (Jn. 19:30) assures us that our debt of sin has been paid. Christians will not be faced with any unpaid bills, when we stand before God.

(2) I find at the cross blessèd victory,
And grace for each step of my way.
The fount of God’s love is flowing free,
And sweeter it grows day by day.

(3) The cross is my hope for eternity,
No merit have I of my own;
The shed blood of Christ my only plea–
My trust is in Jesus alone.

Questions:

  1. Do you ever wear a cross, perhaps on a necklace or pin? (Why? Or why not?)
  2. What other hymns about the cross are special favourites of you or your church?

Links:

Rejoice, the Lord Is King

Words: Charles Wesley (b. Dec. 18, 1707; d. March 29, 1788)
Music: Darwall, by John Darwall (b. Jan. 13, 1731; d. Dec. 18, 1789)

Note: Published two years before simply as a poem, the hymn we know was published in Hymns for Our Lord’s Resurrection, in 1746. Most hymnals use (1), (2), (3) and (6) of Wesley’s original. None that I know of have us singing about our bosoms swelling with seraphic joy (5)! And for simplicity’s sake Wesley’s ending for the last stanza (“We soon shall hear th’archangel’s voice; / The trump of God shall sound, rejoice!”) is dropped by most editors, and the ending common to the other stanzas is used.

Though, in my experience, the tune Darwall is used for this hymn, the tune Gopsal by the great composer George Frederic Handel (1685-1759) is common in Britain. The latter name may look like a corruption of the word “gospel,” but it’s not. Gopsal Hall was the home of Charles Jennings, who arranged the texts for Handel’s superb oratorio, Messiah. Handel apparently named the tune in honour of his friend.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This fine hymn contains a multitude of scriptural allusions, and also seems to reference the part of the Apostles’ Creed that states of Christ:

“He ascended into heaven, and sittest at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.”

Most prominent of the biblical references in the song is Philippians 4:4, with the call to “rejoice [be glad],” a summons with which each stanza begins and ends. It’s a word Wesley uses fifteen times. And some form of the word “rejoice” is found over 260 times in our English Bibles. Those who are the recipients of God’s grace, who have been brought into fellowship with Him, and who look forward to Christ’s coming reign as King of kings and Lord of lords, have much to rejoice about! “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4).

The first stanza of the hymn calls upon us to rejoice that the Lord is King. He was born to be King, and rules now in the hearts of those who own Him as Lord, yet awaiting the full realization of His messianic kingship at His return.

Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isa. 9:6-7; cf. Lk. 1:31-33

(1) Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore;
Rejoice, give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

(2) reminds us that “when He [Christ] had purged our stains, He took His seat above.” The Lord Jesus is seated on His Father’s throne (Rev. 3:21), at His right hand (Heb. 1:3). His ascension to that place of honour and authority assures us that His saving work is complete and is fully accepted by God the Father. It is also in that place that Christ ministers as Head of the church (Eph. 1:22-23).

(3), “His kingdom cannot fail.” If a prominent theme of Wesley’s hymn is rejoicing, it is also about the Lord’s coming rule over the earth at His return. John Lawson, in his fine book The Wesley Hymns, says that “this message of divine hope is the gospel of the Kingdom,” and he lists over sixty texts that relate directly to what the hymn says, line by line (pp. 72-73). For example:

“Behold, a king will reign in righteousness” (Isa. 32:1). “Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah [Think of that!]” (Ps. 24:10). “He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for His law” (Isa. 42:4). “And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be–‘The LORD is one,’ and His name one” (Zech. 14:9).

(3) His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and heav’n,
The keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

As noted, there is a sense in which Christ rules now. He rules in every heart that recognizes Him as Lord (Rom. 10:9, NIV), and He has been declared the Head of the church (Eph. 1:22-23). But in the closing age of this world’s history, the Agent of God’s rule on earth will be the Messiah, at His second coming, made clear in many passages.

“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen” (Rev. 1:7). “For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (I Cor. 15:25-26).

(6) Rejoice in glorious hope! Our Lord the Judge shall come,
And take His servants up to their eternal home.
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Questions:

  1. What is there in the message of this hymn that should be reassuring and encouraging today, giving the conditions in the world?
  2. How should the reign of Christ be reflected in our lives day by day?

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Pentecostal Power

Words: Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (b. Aug. 18, 1856; d. Sept. 15, 1932)
Music: Charles Hutchinson Gabriel

Note: This hymn was first published in 1912. Some books credit the authorship of the words to Charlotte G. Homer, but this was simply a pen name for Gabriel.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

I debated with myself about whether to include this hymn on the blog. My goal is to provide articles on the traditional hymns and gospel songs found in the main non-denominational hymn books over the last sixty years or so. This one is certainly found in a few of them. But the title itself is so sectarian-sounding, it seemed outside the range of what I wanted to discuss.

It would be one thing if it were merely saying that the church needs an ongoing ministry of the same Holy Spirit who did a special work on the Day of Pentecost. Needs it in order that we today may be able to live for Christ and serve Him. But the word Pentecostal is more clearly associated with Pentecostalism than with Pentecost. And a number of specifically Pentecostal doctrines can be identified in the song–teaching with which I disagree, and which I don’t believe is biblical.

Pentecost (Acts 2) was a historical event, not to be repeated. It marked the birthday of the church. And the apostolic era that followed involved a transition between Law and Grace, between Judaism and Christianity. This means that the nature of the period was unique in a number of ways.

1) A cleansing, purifying flame. First, a debatable point regarding the “tongues as of fire” that came to rest on each one present in the upper room at Pentecost (Acts 2:2). They were symbolic of something, but what? Charles Gabriel says they were for “cleansing and purifying” (1). That certainly is one purpose of fire that has its use in spiritual imagery. Paul speaks of a burning away of the dross of our works at the judgment seat of Christ (I Cor. 3:11-15), but that is in the Christian’s future.

There is another intriguing possibility that fits the situation in Acts. In the Old Testament, the Israelites had one central place where God revealed Himself. As a manifestation of His presence, the glory light of God (called the shekinah) shone forth from the holy of holies, first in the portable tabernacle, and later in the temple in Jerusalem (Exod. 40:34; II Chron. 7:1). But with the birth of the church there was no longer one single central place where the Lord revealed His presence and power. Now, we are each called temples of the Holy Spirit and the glory of God is to be revealed in our conduct (I Cor. 6:19-20).

Further, the cleansing of the believer occurs not with the Holy Spirit descending upon us, since He is already indwelling each and every believer. Cleansing comes with our confession of sin (I Jn. 1:9), whenever that becomes necessary.

2) Take possession of Thine own. The hymn invites the Spirit of God to “take possession of Thine own, and nevermore depart” (2). Again I part company with the author. The Word of God tells us, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Rom. 8:9). Or as the Amplified Bible puts it: “If anyone does not possess the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God].”

The indwelling Holy Spirit is God’s seal of ownership upon us, the guarantee that He will complete in us what has been begun (Eph. 1:13-14). If we are Christians, we are already “His inheritance” (vs. 18). That is surely “possession” enough!

3) All self consume all sin destroy. The prayer to consume self and destroy all sin (3) represents the holiness teaching of perfectionism that I have dealt with before in this blog. The idea is that we can ask God for a second experience after salvation, in which the sin nature is eradicated and we are empowered to live sinless lives. I once met a man who boasted that he had not committed a single sin in seventeen years. My immediate thought was, “I think you just did!”

When we’re saved God implants a new nature within us, born of the Spirit. But He does not eradicate the old nature. That won’t happen until we’re promoted to heaven. Meantime, we are to daily walk in the Spirit (trusting in and yielded to Him). When we do that, we will be able to live in victory over the old nature (Gal. 5:16, 25). When we stumble, we are to confess our sins and take up our spiritual walk again (I Jn. 1:9).

4) Before Thy throne we wait. In the context of Pentecostal doctrine, this waiting likely represents their practice of “tarrying.” Those who teach it say believers must tarry or wait for the second blessing, the gift of the Holy Spirit (sometimes called the baptism of the Spirit)–which they will know they’ve received by gaining the miraculous ability to speak in another tongue.

This teaching represents a triple error of Pentecostalism. First, waiting for the Holy Spirit’s special work is mentioned in Luke 24:49, but that is a unique, historical, one-time situation. There was a ten-day period between the ascension of Christ, and the birth of the church at Pentecost. The Lord Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for that. But He was not saying that all Christians, for all time, would be required to do this in order to get the Holy Spirit.

Second, a distinction must be made between the baptism of the Holy Spirit and His filling. (Both apparently occurred at Pentecost.) Now, post-Pentecost, the Spirit’s baptizing work happens once at conversion. It is the placing of the person into Christ, and uniting him with the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:12-13; Gal. 3:26-28). The Spirit’s filling (and fulfilling) work is His enablement for life and service (Eph. 5:18-21; cf. Exod. 31:1-5), and it can be repeated as often as necessary (Acts 2:4; cf. 4:31).

Third, the gift of tongues at Pentecost (now so controversial) was a special sign of God’s judgment on the nation of Israel (I Cor. 14:20-22; cf. Isa. 28:11-12). Because the nation rejected her Messiah-King, the Lord opened the door for those of all nations to trust in Christ and become a part of a new body, the church of Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 2:5-8). Tongues speaking was not a gift intended for every Christian (I Cor. 12:4, 11, 18, 30), therefore it cannot be a sign of the baptism, which is.

(1) Lord, as of old, at Pentecost,
Thou didst Thy power display,
With cleansing, purifying flame,
Descend on us today.

Lord, send the old-time power, the Pentecostal power!
Thy floodgates of blessing, on us throw open wide!
Lord, send the old-time power, the Pentecostal power!
That sinners be converted and Thy name glorified!

Links:

O Breath of Life

Words: Elisabeth Ann Porter Head (b. Jan. 1, 1850; d. June 28, 1936)
Music: Spiritus Vitae, by Mary Jane Hammond (b. _____, 1878; d. Jan. 23, 1964)

Note: “Bessie” Head (as she was known) was an English hymn writer and a member of the Anglican Church. Her husband, Albert Alfred Head was an insurance broker with the Henry Head Company, and he was chairman of the Keswick Convention (a holiness group) for a number of years. Mrs. Head’s hymn was written around 1914, and first appeared in a hymnal in 1920.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This hymn is a penetrating and powerful prayer that God would equip and use His church in the world of today, by His Spirit. It’s a prayer for revival and renewal, a prayer for cleansing and equipping, in light of the words of the Lord Jesus:

Do you not say, “There are still four months and then comes the harvest”? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

Jn. 4:35

The harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest.

Matt. 9:37-38

(1) O Breath of Life, come sweeping through us,
Revive Thy church with life and power;
O Breath of Life, come, cleanse, renew us,
And fit Thy church to meet this hour.

But instead of the missionary zeal of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, we see, by and large, a weakened and compromised church. There is doctrinal compromise, a setting aside of the fundamentals of the faith with the plea, “Let’s just get together and love one another.” Forgotten by many is the exhortation that we are to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).

There is also moral compromise in the church. Things are permitted and even endorsed by Christians that violate the holy separation God expects (II Cor. 6:17). Indeed, too often, the world has made more of an impact on the church than the church has on the world. Paul faced that in the Corinthian church (I Cor. 5:1-8), and it is still around.

The time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

I Pet. 4:17

The church in North America is relatively free of concerted and organized persecution–at least in comparison to many other parts of the world. But the Bible teaches that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (II Tim. 3:12). And the Lord may permit it, in the days ahead, as part of His loving chastening.

You have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.’…Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Heb. 12:5-6, 11

(2) O Wind of God, come bend us, break us,
Till humbly we confess our need;
Then in Thy tenderness remake us,
Revive, restore, for this we plead.

(3) O Breath of love, come breathe within us,
Renewing thought and will and heart;
Come, Love of Christ, afresh to win us,
Revive Thy church in every part.

Christ is our example, as One who demonstrated holy love (Jn. 13:34-35), and brooked no compromise with error (Jn. 8:44; 17:17; cf. I Jn. 1:6). He is also our source of strength, and the One in whose authority we can seek mercy, and grace to help in time of need (Phil. 4:13, 19; Heb. 4:14-16).

(4) O Heart of Christ, once broken for us,
’Tis there we find our strength and rest;
Our broken, contrite hearts now solace,
And let Thy waiting church be blest.

(5) Revive us, Lord! Is zeal abating
While harvest fields are vast and white?
Revive, us Lord, the world is waiting,
Equip Thy church to spread the light.

Questions:

  1. What is the major hindrance to this kind of renewal and sacrificial Christian service in our day?
  2. What can be done to stir the church to renewed action?

Links:

Walk in the Light

Words: Bernard Barton (b. Jan. 31, 1784; d. Feb. 19, 1849)
Music: Manoah, published by Henry Wellington Greatorex (b. Dec. 24, 1813; d. Sept. 10, 1858)

Note: The hymn was written in 1826. In most versions now (2) (which seems to imply the achievement of sinless perfection in this life) is omitted. It says:

(2) Walk in the light: and sin abhorred
Shall ne’er defile again;
The blood of Jesus Christ, thy Lord,
Shall cleanse from every stain.

The tune Manoah was published in Greatorex’s Collection of Church Music, in 1851. Its origin is debated. Some suggest it is based on a theme from classical composers Rossini or Haydn, but no certain source has been identified as yet. (Manoah was the father of Samson.)

Bernard Barton also gave us the beautiful hymn about the Word of God, Lamp of Our Feet. He was a friend of many of the literary luminaries of his time, Charles Lamb, Robert Southey, Sir Walter Scott, Lord Byron, and Sir John Bowring. His style was critiqued in a periodical of the time as follows:

Mr. Barton’s style is well suited to devotional poetry. It has great sweetness and pathos, accompanied with no small degree of power, which well qualify it for the experience of the higher and purer feelings of the heart.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Mr. Barton was a Quaker, and evangelicals would disagree with him on the Quaker notion of “the inner light.” They teach that in every human being God has implanted an element of His own “spirit” or energy, and that God is in everyone. Quakers do not believe that the natural man is separated from God by sin, calling the concept of the sin nature in man “an invented and unscriptural barbarism.”

The inner light teaching is based on a misinterpretation of John 1:9, in which Christ is described as “the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” That statement does not mean that everyone has received knowledge of Christ, or has had some spiritually illuminating experience. Rather, “everyone” means all without distinction. John is saying that the Light is provided for all, regardless of national or ethnic background, gender or social standing.

Even so, “He came to His own and His own did not receive Him” (vs. 11). “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (Jn. 3:19). And those evil deeds arise out of sin-darkened hearts (Mk. 7:21-23). “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9; cf. Rom. 3:10-18). In that fallen condition, “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (I Cor. 2:14).

All human beings (apart from the incarnate Son of God) are sinners (Rom. 3:23) and, as such, are “without strength” (Rom. 5:6), enemies of God (Rom. 5:10),“dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). There is no inner light, only darkness for unregenerate men and women. This is not “invented and unscriptural barbarism.” It is the clear teaching of the Word of God that our sin separates us from God (Isa. 59:2). The sinner is “without Christ,” “without God,” and “without hope” (Eph. 2:12).

However, having said this, the hymn is still found in orthodox Christian hymnals. The reason is that the “light” spoken of need not be thought of as coming from within the sin-darkened heart. It can legitimately refer to the born again believer. When an individual trusts Christ as Saviour, the Spirit of God comes to live within. The indwelling Holy Spirit becomes the believer’s Teacher and Guide, illuminating his understanding of the Word of God (Jn. 16:13; Rom. 8:14; I Cor. 2:9-10; I Jn. 3:24). The Spirit is also his source of power to apply and obey that Word to life (II Cor. 3:18; Gal. 5:22-23).

In a Bible verse that provides Barton’s opening line, we read, “ if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us [continues to cleanse us] from all sin” (I Jn. 1:7). Walking in the light involves born again believers living in daily obedience to God’s Word (cf. Ps. 119:105). When we sin, we step away from the Lord into darkness. Not that we lose our salvation, but we are out of fellowship with Him, and need to confess our sin and claim His forgiveness (I Jn. 1:9).

(1) Walk in the light: so shalt thou know
That fellowship of love
His Spirit only can bestow
Who reigns in light above.

(6) Walk in the light: and thine shall be
A path, though thorny, bright;
For God, by grace, shall dwell in thee,
And God Himself is light.

Questions:

  1. The symbolism of light is applied to several different things in the Bible. Can you name a few?
  2. What does Mr. Barton mean by saying that the believer’s path may be thorny, though bright?

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