****COME THOU FOUNT OF EVERY BLESSING

 

Robert was a small boy in mid-18th century England when his father died and so, without the guidance of a male parent in the home, he wandered into the corrupt influence of bad companions.

On one occasion, he and his wild, rowdy gang harassed a gypsy woman. Thy poured liquor into her and demanded that she tell their fortunes for free.

The drunken gypsy pointed directly at Robert and told him that he would live to see his grandchildren. He was startled by that and he thought, “If I am going to have children and grandchildren, I’ll have to change my way of living.”

That incident softened his heart and he wanted to go to church. His companions went with him to heckle the Methodist congregation. But the pastor, George Whitefield was not deterred; he boldly preached a convicting sermon from the text: “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matt 3:1)

Robert left that evening, fearful and with a deep sense of personal sin that haunted him for three years

.

At the age of 21, he made his peace with God, he trusted Christ for salvation, and he began preparations to become a Methodist preacher. Two years later, in 1757, Robert Robinson wrote the hymn that many believe was autobiographical and prophetic. It certainly seems to reflect his life.

In the last stanza he wrote: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.”

That phrase caused some to question his salvation. After all, he left the Methodists to become a Baptist and then, later, he developed a very close relationship with a Unitarian preacher. Some say he converted.

However, in a sermon he preached later, Robinson clearly declared that Jesus is God, and that, "Christ in Himself is a person infinitely lovely as both God and man."

That certainly doesn’t sound like errant Unitarian theology.

But then there is an unverified story about an incident in Robert’s old age. While traveling in a stagecoach, a young female passenger began singing, COME THOU FOUNT OF EVERY BLESSING. After a while, she asked him what he thought of her song.

The legend says that he looked at the young lady and, with tears in his eyes, said, "Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then."

To which the young woman gently replied, “Sir, the ‘streams of mercy’ are still flowing.”

The story indicates that Robert was deeply touched by the message of his own hymn and His fellowship with the Lord was restored because of the willing witness of a strange Christian.

During his life, he pastored several churches, wrote numerous works on theology, and composed several hymns.

Did Robert Robinson really drift away from the God he loved? I don't know, Maybe, We all experience those times of doubt and are prone to wander. But the second part of that phrase, as well as most of the hymn, is a proclamation of our assurance. Christ has redeemed us with His precious blood and those whom God saves, He seals, and He keeps.

****TRUST AND OBEY

In my commentary last week, about the hymn, TRUSTING JESUS, I pointed out the necessity of trusting completely in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation.  There is nothing we can do to earn or merit God’s grace.   Jesus paid it all.  Ours is to repent and believe.

Throughout Church history, there have been many who have distorted that Doctrine of salvation by Grace Alone, in ways that are destructive and heretical.  The official word for the heresy is antinomianism which is literally translated, “against law.”  That is the teaching that says, “We are now in an age of grace and are no longer under the law.”

You might recognize some other names for the heresy such as ”Easy Believism,” or  “Free Grace.”  It’s the practice of encouraging people to repeat a simple, anemic, unrepentant prayer to ask Jesus into their lives and then convince them that they are saved and safe and eternally secure when there has been no real new birth.   

It is offensive to the Gospel and destructive to people when we allow them to believe that they can be positionally right with God while continuing in their sins without consequence; that Jesus paid the penalty for all their sins without telling them that God expects them to stop sinning.

I’m sure you have heard many variations of that, especially today, when so many churches, in the name of political correctness or tolerance, are welcoming and celebrating all kinds of gross unrepentant immorality into their memberships because, “after all, that’s the way God created them and who are we to judge?”

One man, I know, after leaving his wife and shacking up with another woman, said to me, “I don’t care, I accepted Jesus into my heart when I prayed that prayer and I know I’m going to heaven anyway so it doesn’t matter what I do.”

So I need to make a statement, here, which may seem like a paradox.   "While it is true that no one will ever get to heaven by their good works, it is also true that no one will get to heaven without them."

One night at a D. L. Moody evangelistic meeting a young man stood up to testify about the uncertainty of his salvation.  He said, “I am not quite sure, but I’m going to trust, and I’m going to obey.”

That statement was the inspiration for the hymn, TRUST AND OBEY.  It emphasizes two aspects of our salvation—first, our faith and then, our willingness to subject ourselves to God’s Word in obedience. 

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”  Eph 2:10

That’s what we were redeemed for; to walk in good works.   Salvation is just the beginning.  When God saves us, He begins the process of cleansing us and making us fit to live with Him forever.  With the Word of God and the indwelling Spirit of God to convict us, we begin to see ourselves as God sees us.  If our sins don’t bother us; if we are not changed, and if we are not turned from our old ways to walk in obedience to Him, then there is a good reason to question the reality of our salvation.

“TRUST AND OBEY, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, But to TRUST AND OBEY.”

*ARE YOU WASHED IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB? (A Tribute to the Music and Faith of ELISHA HOFFMAN)

Opening Song, "Leaning On The Everlasting Arms" 

A teacher, Anthony Showalter

, had received letters from two former students on the same day, with similar, heartbreaking news; both men's wives had just died.  He responded to his students with personal letters of encouragement and comfort, and he included these words from Deut. 33:27 in his comments: “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” 

As he thought about that verse, the lyrics and melody began to develop in his mind, and before he finished his letters, the refrain was written.

He sent a letter to his friend, Elisha Hoffman, who was a songwriter and composer.  He asked Elisha for his help to write a hymn for his new chorus.  Within a few days, Elisha Hoffman had written the three stanzas of LEANING ON THE EVERLASTING ARMS.  

"I Must Tell Jesus"

Elisha Hoffman was ordained in 1868, and he preached the Gospel for nearly 45 years. There was a family, in his parish, that had become overwhelmed with an onslaught of various afflictions and sorrows.  During a pastoral visit, he found the mother in great despair and depression.  He prayed with her and read some Bible verses that he thought should help, but she wasn’t encouraged and he didn’t know how to help.

 

It’s likely that he recalled these words from Peter, “…humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.  (1 Peter 5:6-7)

   

That’s when he told her, “The best thing you can do is take all your sorrows to the Lord.  He can help you.  You must tell them to Jesus."

The woman thought for a moment and then suddenly cried out, "Yes, I must tell Jesus."

When Pastor Hoffman left her, those words were still on his mind and, soon after he arrived home, he scrawled out the words of this song that remind us of our inability to carry all our burdens alone; we need the intervention of our Mighty God.  I MUST TELL JESUS! 

"Are You Washed In The Blood Of The Lamb?"

There is a tendency, in churches today, to present an anemic gospel!  They avoid references to the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  But when we remove the blood from the preaching of the Gospel, we remove the power of the Gospel.

Rev. 1:5-6 says, “…To Him (Jesus Christ) who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”  

Elisha Hoffman knew that God has ONLY one cleansing agent for our sin-sick souls; “…the blood of Jesus, His Son that cleanses us from all sin” (John 1:7).  

No one can clean himself up and make himself acceptable to God.   If we are not saved by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, who shed His blood for our redemption, then we are still in our sin, without hope, and we face eternal judgment and torment.

So, the question in the song, “Are You Washed In The Blood Of The Lamb?” is worthy of the many repetitions. 

Elisha Hoffman concluded this song with this urgent invitation to anyone who is still lost in his sin.  “Lay aside your garments that are stained with sin” (That is an allusion to our natural tendencies to cover ourselves with our own acts of righteousness and our own good religious works.  That started way back in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves so that they would be presentable to God.  But they were wrong; He wouldn't accept that.  Blood had to be shed and so God covered them.   God calls all our righteous coverings, filthy rags.).

The song ends with this Good News of hope, “There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean” (That fountain is the shed blood of Jesus and it is sufficient to cleanse all who believe.); “ARE YOU WASHED IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB?” 

"What A Wonderful Saviour"  

Pastor Hoffman had a passion for creating appropriate, gospel-centered music for his congregational worship and he often composed original hymns specifically for use with his weekly sermons.   During, those years, he wrote more than 2,000 hymns and he composed the music for most of them.

In this short Hymn of just a few short stanzas, Elisha Hoffman identifies at least 12 things our Savior has done for us.

*He has made atonement for our sin. 

*He has redeemed us, 

*His blood has cleansed us. 

*He reconciled us to the Father. 

*He lives within us. 

*He walks with us. 

*He keeps us faithful and 

*He gives us overcoming power in times of trouble.

So, after each of these declarations, the hymn repeats the same response of praise; "WHAT A WONDERFUL SAVIOR!"  

           

(closing hymn) "Glory To His Name"

When Pastor Hoffman wrote this song, he may have been inspired by Psalm 29:2, “...give unto the Lord the glory due to His Name.”   

It’s a simple presentation of the Gospel that, in some ways, parallels, What a Wonderful Savior.  It lists several things that Jesus has done and continues to do for us.

Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay our debt of sin.  When we call on Him in faith, He cleanses us, and we are redeemed by His blood.  We have eternal life, His Spirit lives within us, and He keeps us from the power of sin.

And again, Elisha Hoffman ends this song with an invitation;

“Come to this fountain so rich and sweet,

Cast thy poor soul at the Savior’s feet;

Plunge in today, and be made complete.  

GLORY TO HIS NAME!”

                                                                           

****AND CAN IT BE?

I had a brief conversation with a friend, one day, about the Gospel. Jack professed to be a Christian but there was no evidence of it in his speech, his actions, or his life. When I began to question him about his faith, he said, “Hey! You don’t have to worry about me.  I’m okay with God; I did that thing years ago.”

That “thing” he referred to was a one-time event in his life when someone talked him into repeating a prayer and accepting Jesus into his heart. 

And so he had no interest in hearing the gospel. He believed that he was a good person and that he had done all the things necessary to ensure his favor with God. Jack passed away shortly after that.

The question each of us should ask ourselves is, What part did I have in my salvation?  What did I do to merit forgiveness and eternal life? What good have I done that God should show favor toward me?

For those of us who are saved, the answer to all those questions is, “NOTHING.”  We were depraved. We were destitute. We were spiritually DEAD. There was nothing any of us could do to merit God's favor. There was no good that we could do to satisfy Him. 

The Good News of the Gospel is NOT that "God Loves You."  It's NOT that "He has a wonderful plan for your life."  It's NOT that "He is standing and knocking at the door of your heart” hoping that you might invite Him in.

So, what is the Gospel?  In summary, it starts with the bad news; we are all sinners worthy of God’s judgment and wrath, and there is nothing we can do to erase our sin or buy our pardon. We need a Savior. We need a Redeemer.

The good news is that Jesus is the only substitute in every aspect of a believer’s salvation. He lived a perfect, sinless life of obedience to His Father and He did it for us.  He died a horrible death on the cross and endured the wrath of His Father, for us. He was victorious over sin and death for us. Our only right response, then, is to turn from our sin and trust Him for our salvation.

AND CAN IT BE? Was written by Charles Wesley and it is one of our greatest Gospel Hymns. It starts with a series of introspective questions: Is Jesus’ blood of any concern to me? Am I the cause of His pain? Did I cause His death? And then, as though the lights suddenly came on, the songwriter asks, “What is this amazing love? How is it that You, my God, should die for ME?”

The whole plan of redemption was decreed, by God, the Father before we were even created. It was secured by the Son of God, who is our Substitute, while we were yet dead in sin.

And verse two tells us that Jesus, in an act of mercy and grace, left the glory that was His and humbled Himself to become a man. And He suffered a horrible death for the sins of His people. 

Verse three describes our miserable, helpless condition; we were bound in sin and spiritual darkness without hope until God intervened. He broke the chains that imprisoned our souls, He shed His Light in our hearts, and He rescued us from the penalty of sin and death.

Finally, verse four is the glorious Good News; There is now, no more condemnation for those who believe. Jesus paid the penalty for us. God’s justice is satisfied. He imputed His Son’s righteousness to our account and He gave us new life. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Rom. 5:8)

  

This hymn should humble us when we realize that there is nothing we have done or can do to merit God’s amazing love, forgiveness, and salvation. “(This) is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”  (1 John 4:10)

The song doesn’t do much for our egos but it does magnify and glorify our Savior.

AMAZING LOVE!  HOW CAN IT BE THAT THOU, MY GOD SHOULDST DIE FOR ME?    

***HE LIVES

The popular song, HE LIVES, may not be listed among the greatest hymns ever written but it probably qualifies to be among the most loved, especially in American congregations during the mid 20^th century.  And I understand the sentimental popularity; it is a lively and joyful declaration of the resurrection of Jesus and it is fun to sing with its antiphonal response phrases in the chorus.

 

Nevertheless, I have been reluctant to use it because of one glaring weakness that permeates the text.  I am not implying that there is any false doctrine in it; there isn’t. 

So, what is the problem?  I am troubled by the weak subjectivity of the dominant theme that moves us, three times, to the question in the chorus, “You ask me how I know He lives?” and the subsequent response, “He lives within my heart.”

I understand that each of us has unique experiences where we have felt or sensed God’s nearness, protection, and love in our lives.  For those who are redeemed, we see His hand everywhere and in everything just as the writer has said, “In all the world around me, I see His loving care.”  

Our subjective testimonies may be true, but they’re not compelling proofs. They are secondary to objective truth.   Our confidence (and especially our testimonies to unbelievers) must rest on solid evidence and we have plenty of it.  

So when the song asks the question, “You ask me how I know He lives?”  I think the author could have written an objective response something like, “I’M GLAD YOU ASKED.  THERE IS EVIDENCE BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT.”  But, unfortunately, that doesn’t fit in the musical meter.

So what evidence is there for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead?  

We have the eye-witness testimonies of the apostles and others who met the risen Christ; those who physically “walked and talked with Him” in the flesh. 

We have the account of a doctor, Luke, who recorded the words the angel spoke to the women who were looking for Christ’s body at the tomb; “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.”  And later, he recorded that Jesus “presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs.”

We have the testimony of Peter who declared, “This Jesus, God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.”

Even though he often gets a bad rap, I am really glad that Jesus used Thomas to validate His resurrection.  Thomas heard the testimonies of others but he demanded more than just hearsay; he wanted real, tangible evidence; “Unless I see, in His hands, the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them.  Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”  Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side.  Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”  And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus was seen by over five hundred people, during the forty days between His resurrection and His ascension, many of whom were still alive at the time these accounts were recorded in scripture.

We have the accounts from Paul who, as a skeptical unbeliever and a violent persecutor of Christians, met the risen, glorified Christ on the road to Damascus.

And we have the inspired Word of the living God.  In the words of R. C. Sproul, “We have to determine our theology from the Word of God, not from what we feel.”

This song is most often used in Resurrection Day celebrations because of its exuberant assurance of great things to come. Jesus said, “I Am the Living One; I was dead and behold I Am alive for ever and ever!”   

We really do serve a risen Savior so we can joyfully and confidently sing,

Rejoice! Rejoice, O Christian, 

Lift up your voice and sing,

Eternal hallelujahs 

To Jesus Christ, the King!

The Hope of all who seek Him, 

The Help of all who find,

None other is so loving, 

So good and kind.

HE LIVES!

****HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION (2)

If you were to Google Search for lists of the greatest Hymns of the Christian faith, HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION, would be on almost all of them.  The title of this song is also its theme- We have a Rock Solid Faith that is built on a Firm Foundation which is God’s Word.  

Some other hymns with similar themes, come to mind like Christ Is Made The Sure Foundation, or how about, “On Christ The Solid Rock I Stand; all other ground is sinking sand.”  

This is the kind of stuff that builds confidence.  Authentic Biblical Faith isn’t fuzzy; it’s not iffy; it’s not uncertain.   When someone asks, “Are you sure you’re going to be with the Lord when you die?” we don’t have to offer meek, squishy-sounding, answers like, “I think so," or "I hope so.”   We can respond with absolute assurance, “I Know That My Redeemer Lives, and because He lives, I too shall live.”   Those of us whom God has redeemed can rest assured that our salvation is solid and unshakeable. 

Some people would say (and there are whole denominations that say), that kind of attitude is proud, or arrogant, or boastful; that we can’t possibly know for sure.  And they would be right if our confidence was in ourselves.  

But our confidence is not in anything we do; it’s not in our self-righteousness, our works, or our religious devices.  In fact, this might come as a surprise to you, –-  If you’re saved, it’s not because your walked down an aisle or repeated a prayer.   Salvation is of the Lord. You are saved if you are trusting, totally, in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone.   

Every line, of these lyrics, has a sense of power and authority as though God, Himself, is actually speaking.  And that's because almost all of these lyrics are paraphrases of, allusions to, or quote from some text from God’s immutable Word. 

 

And so, in verse one, we see that the foundation for our faith is laid in the excellence of His unchanging Word.  The Apostle Paul tells us that we are “members of the household of God, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets;” that foundation being the very Words of God.  And then he anchors that figurative building on the Living Word, Jesus Christ, Himself, being the chief cornerstone.   What more can He say?  We don’t need any new revelation from God.  He has spoken!

The second verse, then, assures us that we have no need to fear anything.  It’s almost an exact quote from Isaiah 41:10: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Aren’t you glad that your salvation is not dependent on your own works of righteousness?    The God who saves us is always with us.  The Spirit of God indwells us.  He helps us; He strengthens us, and He hold us up with His own all-powerful hand.

The third verse contains God’s promise that His grace is completely sufficient for every need.  Even when He takes us through extreme trials and persecutions, He does it to refine us and to purify us for our good and His glory.    

We are weak but God is Strong.  Sometimes we might wonder and question, but we can be confident that the foundation of our faith is Sure.  It cannot fail because Jesus never fails.  And God’s Word is on the record.  “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread…, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you.   He will not leave you or forsake you.”

 

So the song ends with one of the most powerful promises of assurance ever put to music;  

          The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,

                    I will not, I will not desert to its foes;

          That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

                   I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

5/29/2016

*ROCK OF AGES (2)

“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”  Psalm 18:2

It was a terrible and unusual lightning storm followed by deafening thunder and merciless, torrential rain.  Augustus Toplady had been traveling on foot, where steep, high cliffs rose up along the roadside.  When the storm came, rushing streams of mud and rainwater were pouring down the craggy slopes and rolling across the road.  He was fortunate enough to find protection in a small cave in the rocks where he waited out the storm.  That’s where he began to muse over the concept of the “rock of faith” as a shelter from the “storms of life.”

That’s the popular legend about the inspiration for the hymn, ROCK OF AGES.  And the legend may have some elements of truth.  But beyond just the first lines, there is a backstory that, I think, is far more important and revealing about the great faith of a man who was humbled by God’s grace and mercy.

Toplady’s father died when he was very young and he was raised by an indulgent and permissive mother who pretty much spoiled him.   But by God’s grace, he had a good but strict, uncle who guided and disciplined him. 

He was exceptionally intelligent; some would call him precocious.  He was saved at a very young age and began to strive for a deeper relationship with God.  By the age of 12, he was preaching sermons, and at age 14 he began writing hymns.  He was ordained to the ministry in 1762 at the age of 22.   He died at the age of 38.

He wasn't well liked while he was alive and there are plenty of critics even today.  He was a very outspoken opponent of questionable and errant doctrines.   In fact, he once published an article to rebut some statements made by John Wesley.  That article concluded with the words of his original poem, ROCK OF AGES. 

One critic has described that hymn as "strange, unlike any other, and one that is certainly a muddle of images and excessively egocentric in its self-flagellation and abnegation – perhaps because it was the product of a slightly deranged mind.”

But, even though some people thought him to be arrogant and unlikeable, excerpts from his writings, including his personal journal, reveal that he was deeply devoted to His Savior.

In this hymn, he wrote some of the greatest declarations about the doctrine of salvation and our helpless condition that have ever been set to music.

In verse two, he could not be more clear; salvation is not achieved by our works, our goodness, our zeal, our remorse or our tears.  We can bring nothing to God that will ever merit His grace.  We can only come to Him empty-handed, naked, helpless, and dirty. 

And then verse three affirms our ONLY hope; that salvation is by God’s grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone and it is all for HIS glory alone.  If God doesn’t save us, we can’t be saved.

Rock of Ages cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the blood,

From Thy wounded side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure,

Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labor of my hands

Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All for sin could not atone;

Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,

Simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress;

Helpless, look to Thee for grace;

Foul, I to the fountain fly;

Wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,

When my eyes shall close in death,

When I rise to worlds unknown,

And behold Thee on Thy throne,

Rock of Ages cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee.