*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.

****ALAS! AND DID MY SAVIOR BLEED?

Is our sin nature something to sing about?

Thirty-some years ago when my friend, Phil, got saved, he began reading through his Bible starting with Genesis.  One day while we were discussing his thoughts about his reading, he observed that – “all those guys (meaning the patriarchs) were dirty rotten lowlifes just like me.”

I thought that was pretty insightful.  It was revelatory for him; if God could save those guys, He certainly could save Phil.

People, then, were no different than we are today.  We all have the same problem.  It is our sin nature. It is universal.  We are all dirty. We are all disgusting. The reformers called it Depravity.

So for our song service in church one Sunday, I was looking for hymns that addressed that problem.  In the past, there were plenty of hymn writers who were explicit about our sinfulness and its consequences.  But songs on those themes are rare today.

Our contemporary culture, with its fixation on positive self-esteem, likes to obscure the reality of sin with more palatable terms like “missing the mark,” “shortcomings,” “failures,” or “errors.”   But sin is not an error.  An error is like when you forget to carry a digit while adding a column of numbers.

Do we really want to sing about the darkness of our sinfulness?   I know that it seems strange but, when contrasted with the sinless perfection of our Savior, our redemption, then, shines even brighter and those songs become much more meaningful.  We can never fully appreciate all that God has done to save us until we get a clear picture of what we really are without Christ.

Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed? was written by Isaac Watts.  In spite of the fact that many modern editors have changed the last line of the first verse of This hymn to “For sinners such as I” (or even worse, “for such a one as I”) Isaac Watts was purposefully deliberate in crafting the phrase, “for such a worm as I.”

And he was certainly biblical in that description.  In the book of Job, Bildad raised the question: “How then can man be righteous before God?”  “Man…is a maggot, and…a worm.” 

And in Psalm 22, David (speaking prophetically, the words of Christ) cried out to God saying, “I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people.” 

In Isa. is a strange Word of encouragement from God to Israel, “Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I will help you,’ says the LORD and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel”

Isaac Watts drew his inspiration from Psalm 51 when he wrote these words in another hymn:

         

“Lord, I am vile, conceived in sin,

                  And born unholy and unclean;

         Sprung from the man whose guilty fall

                  Corrupts the race, and taints us all.”

That is sound, biblical theology.  Apart from the intervention of God’s sovereign grace, we are utterly helpless and hopeless.  And it’s in that context that we should sing with great joy and thanksgiving, words like these from the hymn, “It Is Well” by Horatio Spafford:

    

“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!”

But it’s also in that context of God’s grace in our salvation, that we can sing, reverently and soberly:

       

 “Was it for crimes that I had done

                  He groaned upon the tree?

         Amazing pity! Grace unknown!

                  And love beyond degree!”

ALAS!  AND DID MY SAVIOR BLEED?

Alas! and did my Savior bleed?

And did my Sov'reign die?

Would He devote that sacred head

For such a worm as I?

Was it for sins that I had done

He groaned upon the tree?

Amazing pity! grace unknown!

And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide

And shut his glories in,

When Christ, the mighty Maker, died

For man the creature's sin.

Thus, might I hide my blushing face

While His dear cross appears,

Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,

And melt my eyes to tears.

But drops of grief can ne'er repay

The debt of love I owe:

Here, Lord, I give my-self away

Tis all that I can do.

****MY HOPE IS IN THE LORD

"Hope,” is a word we tend to use as a synonym for a wish or a desire.  But in Scripture, the word is better defined as the joyful certainty of a future reality.  It is a “know so” confidence in the faithfulness of a reliable and never-changing God and His never-changing Word.

MY HOPE IS IN THE LORD, a hymn written by Norman Clayton, gives us, in four short verses, a clear, biblical declaration of the Gospel of grace.  As a general rule, I try to avoid most Christian songs that have an abundance of, first person, personal pronouns when selecting music for our Sunday worship services.  This one is different.

It is significant to note that this song is personal; and although it is full of the personal pronouns MY, and ME, there is not one single occurrence of the word, I.  This song is really NOT about ME.  The subject of the song is my hope, who is my Lord and my Savior.  

The first verse properly affirms that MY hope rests in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He willingly gave His life on the cross to pay MY debt of sin.  And then, because He rose from the dead, MY hope is a “living hope” in a “living Savior.”

The second verse makes it very clear that the saving work of Christ is not just any hope in the modern, wishful thinking sense; it’s MY ONLY hope.  I can never be good enough to earn my salvation and there is nothing I can do to secure it.  It is ONLY by God’s grace that MY sin has been laid on Him and the righteousness of Jesus Christ is credited to my account.

The third verse describes the present, intercessory work of Christ.  He is MY great High Priest in heaven.  He is seated there at the right hand of the Father, eternally proclaiming that MY debt has been paid.

Verse four declares that all this is a work of God’s amazing grace.  He planned it all and He did it freely.  His grace in saving me renders any of my effort worthless and completely irrelevant.  It is only for me to believe and receive His unearned and unmerited favor.

1.    My hope is in the Lord

Who gave Himself for me,

And paid the price of all my sin at Calvary.

2.    No merit of my own

His anger to suppress.

My only hope is found in Jesus’ righteousness.

3.    And now, for me, He stands

Before the Father’s throne.

He shows His wounded hands and names me as His own.

4.    His grace has planned it all,

’Tis mine but to believe,

And recognize His work of love and Christ receive.

(Chorus)

For me, He died,

For me, He lives,

And everlasting life and light He freely gives.

Church Worship Gone Wrong

A little bit of fun

**** I GAVE MY LIFE FOR THEE

I GAVE MY LIFE FOR THEE is one of those songs that I generally try to avoid, not because of bad theology, but because, in casual singing or even a superficial reading, it could mistakenly convey the idea that some kind of reciprocal action or work on our part is required to earn our salvation.  Of course, there is nothing we can do to earn or buy our salvation. 

This hymn, written by Frances Havergal in 1858, asks four thought-provoking and pertinent questions that should cause us to consider our commitment to Christ and we should read them as if they were being asked by Jesus, Himself.

The questions center around four action verbs – Give, Leave, Bear, and Bring.  The interesting thing about these four questions is that we can find instructive examples in Scripture as to how we should respond.

In Luke 6:38, Jesus said,“…GIVE, and it will be given to you. Good measure pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”  So how should we give?  The same way God has given to us - freely, abundantly, and running over. 

In John 8:11, Jesus told the women caught in adultery, “Go now and LEAVE your life of sin.”  The commandment He gave her is the same one He gives to each one of us.  When we were born again, we became new creations.  Old things are passed away.  We may not have committed the same sins that she did, but we are all expected to leave our old lives of sin.   

Col. 3:13 says, “BEAR with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.   Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”    How should we put up with people who are really annoying or even hurtful?  Paul’s instructions here are not recommendations, but commands to bear with each other and forgive one another because, after all, Christ forgave us.

There is a strange passage in chapter 1 of Malachi.  God says, “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you, and I will accept no offering from your hands.” 

A little further in that chapter, God asks a hard question, “When you BRING injured, crippled, or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?”  These are convicting verses even today. I know I am guilty.  I have brought Him offerings of time, and talents, and worship, and praise, that were less than my best and in this passage He is saying, “I am not pleased.”

So this song doesn’t really suggest any obligatory compulsion to try to earn God’s favor. That would be an insult to God.  We are saved by grace through faith.   Grace that is earned is NOT grace.

Instead, our reactions should be willful, loving responses to His grace that come from grateful hearts because of all that He has done. 

I gave My life for thee,

My precious blood I shed,

That thou might'st ransomed be,

And quickened from the dead;

I gave, I gave My life for thee,

What hast thou giv'n for Me?

I gave, I gave My life for thee,

What hast thou giv'n for Me?

My Father's house of light,

My glory circled throne,

I left for earthly night,

For wanderings sad and lone;

I left, I left it all for thee,

Hast thou left aught for Me?

I left, I left it all for thee,

Hast thou left aught for Me?

I suffered much for thee,

More than thy tongue can tell,

Of bitt'rest agony,

To rescue thee from hell;

I've borne, I've borne it all for thee,

What hast thou borne for Me?

I've borne, I've borne it all for thee,

What hast thou borne for Me?

And I have brought to thee,

Down from My home above,

Salvation full and free,

My pardon and My love;

I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee,

What hast thou brought to Me?

I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee,

What hast thou brought to Me?

****O WORD OF GOD INCARNATE

O WORD OF GOD INCARNATE was written by William How in 1867.  It is a rich meditation that reflects a very high view of Scripture and uses several unusual, or unique, metaphors for various aspects of the Word of God.

The first verse begins with a reference to one of the most important passages in Scripture; the opening verses of John's Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And then in verse 14, “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us…”  and, of course, we know that is a reference to the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ.

There are other passages in the Old Testament that allude to the personification of the Word (Proverbs 8, for example) where wisdom is personified.

When God reveals Himself to us, He does it principally in His Son and He does it with words.   Everything that we can know about Him is revealed in scripture.   And that’s ALL we can know.  Anything about Him that is not revealed in scripture, we cannot know.

Now if you have been paying attention to current events, lately, you are aware of the rapidly declining moral condition of our culture.   And you have probably heard many misguided attempts, by nominal Christians and liberal churches, to legitimize and accept all kinds of immoral behavior in the name of tolerance and Christian love.  And, furthermore, they defend their tolerance by implying that “Jesus never actually said anything about it so it is okay.”

Well, it’s NOT okay because it is just not true.  One of the reasons I don’t use a red-letter edition of the Bible is because ALL SCRIPTURE IS GOD BREATHED.  And that’s the point.  Jesus and Scripture are in total agreement.  There is never any contradiction.  We can’t form our theology on just a few selected red words.

This hymn starts by presenting the Living Word of God.  He is incarnate; He is God in human flesh.  So the song moves us along from the Word to Wisdom, to Truth, and then to Light; all of those referencing Jesus Christ.  And then it transfers that picture of Light to the Written Word of God which is the Bible. 

So there is an inseverable relationship between Jesus and Scripture. Jesus is the Word, and Scripture is the Word.  Someone has said, “If you want to hear from God, read your Bible; if you want to hear Him speak to you audibly, read it out loud.” 

Now, look at the last verse.

“O make Thy church, dear Savior,

A lamp of purest gold,

To bear before the nations,

Thy true Light, as of old.”

This prayer is a call for the Church to uphold, preach, and proclaim the written Word of God, which is the Bible.    When we read Scripture, we are reading His Words.  And when we preach His Word, we preach Christ.

O WORD OF GOD INCARNATE

O Word of God incarnate,

O Wisdom from on high,

O Truth unchanged, unchanging,

O Light of our dark sky:

we praise you for the radiance

that from the hallowed page,

a lantern to our footsteps,

shines on from age to age.

The Church from you, our Savior,

received the gift divine,

and still that Light is lifted

o'er all the earth to shine.

It is the sacred vessel

where gems of truth are stored;

it is the heaven-drawn picture

of Christ, the living Word.

The Scripture is a banner

before God's host unfurled;

it is a shining beacon

above the darkling world.

It is the chart and compass

that o'er life's surging tide,

mid mists and rocks and quicksands,

to you, O Christ, will guide.

O make your Church, dear Savior,

a lamp of purest gold,

to bear before the nations

your true Light as of old.

O teach your wandering pilgrims

by this their path to trace,

till clouds and darkness ended,

they see you face to face.

7/26/2016

****HE GIVETH MORE GRACE

Her mother died when she was only six years old and shortly after that, she lost her father. She was then adopted by a childless Christian couple and the Lord saved her at the age of eight.  

She loved composing music and playing the piano but after she graduated from college, she contracted rheumatoid arthritis in one of its most aggressive and crippling forms and playing the piano became difficult.  

So she began writing poetry, much of which was later set to music.  As she grew older and her hands became even more crippled, she found that she could type with her knuckles on an old typewriter.

As a result of the disease, she lost control of her internal organs and had to live with severe incontinence.  She was bound to her bed for decades, she began to lose her eyesight, and she developed cancer.   According to an acquaintance, she had to use seven pillows to cushion her body just to ease the agonizing pain from her sores.

In the midst of all that, Annie Johnson Flint wrote the poem, “He Giveth More Grace,” based on 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. 

In that passage, the apostle Paul said, “…a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.   Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.”   

“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’

“Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.   Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

I don’t know what Paul’s thorn was but I think it was much more than just poor eyesight.  He called it a “messenger of Satan” sent to buffet him.  Nevertheless, he was certainly familiar with afflictions.

Just a few chapters earlier, in Second Corinthians 4:8-11, as he was defending his ministry, he wrote:

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

So what, then, if God is not inclined to heal your disease or deliver you out of persecution?  What if it is His plan for you to suffer for His glory?  Will you be content with His grace?  

In this hymn, Annie presents the inexhaustible and boundless grace of God that He gives His children for any hardship or difficulty He brings them through.  His all-sufficient grace exceeds all our needs.

HE GIVETH MORE GRACE

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,

He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;

To added afflictions, He addeth His mercy,

To multiplied trials, He multiplies peace

.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,

When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,

When we reach the end of our hoarded resources

Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,

Our God ever yearns His resources to share;

Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;

The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,

His power no boundary known unto men;

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.