Hymns4Him

Because God is the God of perfect justice, we who have been made in His image have an innate longing for justice.  In fact, without a belief in the existence of this God and the moral law He has established, there is no explanation for the source of this longing for justice found in human hearts.  Apart from that awareness, how is it that in every culture and in every age, there has been a concept not merely of right and wrong, but more specifically of justice?  In many instances it may be perverted and imperfectly applied, but it’s always been there.  When we hear a news story about some terrible thing that has been done to an individual, we feel frustrated if the guilty party/parties are not apprehended and prosecuted.  This is true in the case of the career criminal, the drunken driver, the mean-spirited employer, the bribe-taking lawmaker, the child-abuser, the unfaithful spouse, the mean-spirited racist, or the wicked totalitarian government that brutalizes its citizens and invades its neighbor’s land.

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What a wonderful invitation Jesus extends in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest for your souls.” This continues to be an evangelistic invitation from Jesus, the greatest evangelist of all time!  Who can tell how many gospel sermons have been preached from this passage, urging sinners to come to Jesus?  These are not just those living in settled wickedness and open defiance of God, as they realize more and more the debilitating, destructive effects of their ungodly lifestyle and all the misery this is bringing upon them and those they care about.  It is also for those living in spiritual complacency and devotional indifference, as they realize the emptiness this brings and the futility of trying to live based on their own efforts, and the growing uncertainty about whether or not they will find themselves in heaven in God’s favor.  As C. S. Lewis wrote, “No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good.”

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Do you ever think about those who have gone before us into heaven?  We speak correctly when we say that they have died.  But we should always also remember that they are now alive, more alive than they ever were in this life, alive in the presence of the Lord, and of the angels, and of the saints of all ages.  When we die, we who are in Christ will also immediately be in the presence of the Lord, as Jesus promised the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43).   

And that should always be our primary focus … seeing Jesus no longer darkly through a glass, but face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12). Our greatest joy in heaven will not be the things we have left behind (our physical ailments and struggles with sin), and not even the things we will acquire (glorified bodies and the beauties of heaven) and the relationships we will renew (with deceased loved ones) and the relationships we will establish (with the saints of Bible and church history).  No, the greatest joy will be our ability to see Jesus in His unveiled glory, to enjoy the intimacy of a richer fellowship with Him, and to join in the songs of the saints and angels before the throne: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing (Revelation 5:12). 

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There are a number of hymns which include a key phrase that is repeated in each stanza, either at the beginning or the end.  One of those is the 17^th century hymn, “Sing Praise to God, Who Reigns Above.”  (It is sometimes rendered as “All Praise to God,” rather than “Sing Praise to God.”)  Each stanza concludes with the words, “To God all praise and glory.”  There is no better summary of what worship is all about than that.  Too often today in many churches, and in many hearts, worship is all about us … the kind of music we like, the way the message makes us feel, how it helps us have a better quality of life, or the way it motivates us to live more selflessly for the benefit of others.  But shouldn’t worship be about God, above all else?  That’s certainly what we find in the Bible’s examples and instructions about worship, from the Old Testament sacrificial legislation to the descriptions of heaven’s worship in the book of Revelation.

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This study has been updated with a few minor corrections.

How blessed we are to know that God knows us, loves us, cares for us, and keeps us.  He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:7), He will not allow anything to separate us from His love (Romans 8:35-39), and He will bring to completion the work that He has begun in us (Philippians 1:6).  We have rich resources in our hymnody to sing of this great benefit.  We can sing “Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine,” “Loved with Everlasting Love,” and “When I Fear My Faith Will Fail, He Will Hold Me Fast.”  We have this confidence and security, not because of anything we have done or are doing, much less because of any merit in us.  It is solely because of His covenant love that we are held tightly in His hands (Psalm 63:8).

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Despite being numbered as #145, this is a new release from Larry to fill the gap created by the combining of the two releases of “Were You There“

How wonderful when great words and great music are paired together in the praise of God.  In this study of “O God, Beyond All Praising,” we have three sources that have been joined together to provide us with a glorious hymn that exalts the greatness of our God.  In chronological order, we have music from Gustav Holst, a patriotic song from Sir Cecil Spring Rice, and a marvelous text from Michael Perry.

We start with the music. It was during the turmoil of World War I that English composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934) completed his orchestral suite, “The Planets,” one of the greatest of this genre that has ever been written, and the piece for which he is most remembered.  He worked on it from 1914 to 1917.  Each of the seven movements in the suite is named for a planet in our solar system.

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Originally released as #54, and then later an updated edition, this study has been revised to combine the information from both. It is re-released with it’s original number.

One of the most unique American contributions to the body of Christian hymnody is the African-American spiritual.  As terrible as was the experience of 18^th and 19^th century slavery, out of that came the passionate gospel hymnody of these spirituals.  The message of the gospel was embraced widely and deeply by slaves in the United States.  In some places, slaves were even evangelized by their masters and permitted to join in the worship of white congregations, though often only from the rear balcony.  In other places, black families formed their own separate congregations, with buildings in the area of their residential cabins.  These spirituals are a form of folk music, in that we don’t know the names of authors or specific circumstances of their composition.  They arose during the 18^th and 19^th centuries in the communal slave experience. 

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How blessed we are to know that God knows us, loves us, cares for us, and keeps us.  He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:7), He will not allow anything to separate us from His love (Romans 8:35-39), and He will bring to completion the work that He has begun in us (Philippians 1:6).  We have rich resources in our hymnody to sing of this great benefit.  We can sing “Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine,” “Loved with Everlasting Love,” and “When I Fear My Faith Will Fail, He Will Hold Me Fast.”  We have this confidence and security, not because of anything we have done or are doing, much less because of any merit in us.  It is solely because of His covenant love that we are held tightly in His hands (Psalm 63:8).

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It would be impossible for all to agree on the question, “What is God’s greatest gift to you?”  We would certainly think beyond material or temporal things, like health or family or financial provisions, though they are all wonderful and come to us as gifts from Him (James 1:17). Focusing on eternal gifts of a spiritual nature, would it be our salvation, or maybe the Bible, or perhaps our increasing spiritual insights?  But isn’t the greatest thing He has given us … Himself?  And on Pentecost Sunday, we would certainly think about the Holy Spirit as a great gift of God!

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It is unusual to think about a major worship service on a Thursday (other than Maundy Thursday in “Holy Week”).  But Ascension Day is always on a Thursday, forty days after Jesus’ Easter Sunday resurrection, and ten days before Pentecost Sunday.  If we take note of those other special days in our evangelical worship (not to mention Christmas!), should we not also be celebrating this glorious climax of Jesus’ earthly ministry?  His work of redemption didn’t end at the cross.  Nor did it end at the open tomb.  Although He said “It is finished” from the cross, referring to the atoning payment for our redemption, in a real sense his mission wasn’t completely finished until He returned to His heavenly throne at the Ascension.  And it will come to the fullest completion at His bodily return to gather all the elect and to create the long-awaited new heavens and new earth we read about in the latter chapters of Isaiah. 

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