PEACE PERFECT PEACE

Peace is a desired condition that is elusive for much of mankind.  For centuries nations have longed for peace.  But even though many peace treaties have been signed, they have failed to provide lasting worldwide peace because of man's sin.  Without the Prince of Peace this world will never know real peace.  But peace is also elusive for most individuals.  Our neighborhoods are filled with crime. Families face internal conflicts. Separation and divorce are common. Individuals are burdened with problems and stress.  And no matter what they try, real lasting peace remains elusive.  But there is a source of lasting peace, a peace that passeth all understanding.  Isaiah 26:3 tells us that "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose kind is stayed on thee."  In John 14:27 Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  In Galatians 5:22 we read, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith."   And in Phillipians 4:7, Paul reminds us, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  In 1875, while on vacation, Edward H. Bickersteth, Jr., heard a sermon on Isaiah 26:3 by a Canon Gibbon.  The message was still on his mind that afternoon when he visited an aged and dying relative.  As he entered the man's bedroom he found him in deep depression and troubled about his impending death.  To soothe the man's emotional turmoil, Bickersteth opened his Bible to read from Isaiah 26:3, When his friend dropped off to sleep, Bickersteth took a sheet of paper and began to write a poem, posing the most disturbing obstacles to peace in life and then answered with the affirmation of faith that could not be denied.  When his relative awoke, the author read the stanzas to him and comfort came to his troubled mind and heart.  It might have been the last thing he heard before Jesus called him "to Heaven's perfect peace." Later his hymn would comfort his own heart as he stood over the grave of a preacher son. Have you experienced God's perfect peace in your life, especially in difficult times?  I know I have, especially when family members died and also when I've had some serious surgeries ... a peace that passeth all understanding.  We can also experience that perfect peace in our everyday lives, because of His presence.  Hopefully this is your testimony.  If that is not the case, turn your burdens over to the Lord today and let Him direct your paths.  Meditate upon these words this week and apply them to your daily life.

(1)     Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin?

The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.

(2)     Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties pressed?

To do the will of Jesus, this is rest.

(3)     Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows surging round?

On Jesus' bosom naught but calm is found.

(4)     Peace, perfect peace, with loved ones far away?

In Jesus' keeping we are safe, and they.

(5)     Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown?

Jesus we know, and He is on the throne.

(6)     Peace, perfect peace, death shadowing us and ours?

Jesus has vanquished death and all its powers.

(6)     It is enough: earth's struggles soon shall cease,

And Jesus call us to Heaven's perfect peace.

After one of Bickersteth's sisters pointed out that there is nothing specific in the hymn about physical suffering. "That is soon remedied," he replied.  He took up an envelope and wrote the following verse (apparently never published) on the the back.

Peace, perfect peace, 'mid suffering's sharpest throes?

The sympathy of Jesus breathes repose.

You can listen to it here.  Unfortunately, because the hymn is so old and seldom sung anymore, it has been difficult to find a good video of it being sung.  But here are two that will allow you to hear it.

VOCAL

ORGAN

HE IS ABLE TO DELIVER THEE

One of my favorite Bible stories is the account of the three Hebrew young men who were thrown into the fiery furnace.  And before they were thrown in they turned down the king's offer and replied, as recorded in Daniel 3:17, " If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king."  Now the Lord did not see fit to keep them from that furnace but He joined them in the furnace and then delivered them out of it safely.  Deliverance is defined as "a rescue from bondage or danger." Deliverance in the Bible is the act of God whereby He rescues His people from peril.  Sometimes that is deliverance from the bondage of sin.  He can deliver the worst sinner and make them His child.  Or it can be the eventual deliverance of His children from this vile earth to the beauty of His home in heaven.  Sometimes that deliverance is God simply walking through the trials by our side, comforting and encouraging us through them as He uses them to mature us in the faith. Paul assured the Corinthian believers that no temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. In these cases, rescue may not be immediate, but will come in due time, after patience has had its perfect work in our lives.  This week's hymn choice is an old hymn which talks about God's ability and willingness to deliver us in the day of trouble.  The author was William Ogden (1841 - 1897).  At the age of eight Ogden received early musical training in community singing schools. By age ten he could read music fairly well. A little later, he could write a melody by hearing it sung or played. When he was eighteen, he became a song director in his home church. During the Civil War, he served in the 30th Indiana Volunteer Infantry for four years, and he organized a men's choir which became well known throughout the Army of the Cumberland. Later he became widely known as a teacher of normal music schools and as a conductor of musical conventions throughout the United States and Canada. As his skills developed, Ogden issued his first song book, The Silver Song, in 1870. It became immensely popular, selling 500,000 copies.  I've not been able to locate any information about the writing of this particular hymn but I must assume that he experienced God's deliverance in many ways during his lifetime and this hymn may have been the testimony of those experiences.  If today you are weighed down with the burden of sin, He can deliver you.  If you are facing difficult trials he will walk through them with you and comfort and deliver you.  And He has promised one day to deliver His children to our permanent home in Heaven.   What a joy and grand theme to know that He will deliver us.  Deliverance from sin, rescue from trials, and escape from the influence of a world in the control of the evil one come only through Christ, the Son of God

(1)     'Tis the grandest theme through the ages rung;

'Tis the grandest theme for a mortal tongue;

'Tis the grandest theme that the world e'er sung,

"Our God is able to deliver thee."

He is able to deliver thee,

He is able to deliver thee;

Though by sin oppressed, go to Him for rest;

"Our God is able to deliver thee."

(2)     'Tis the grandest theme in the earth or main;

'Tis the grandest theme for a mortal strain;

'Tis the grandest theme, tell the world again,

"Our God is able to deliver thee."

He is able to deliver thee,

He is able to deliver thee;

Though by sin oppressed, go to Him for rest;

"Our God is able to deliver thee."

(3)    'Tis the grandest theme, let the tidings roll,

To the guilty heart, to the sinful soul;

Look to God in faith, He will make thee whole,

"Our God is able to deliver thee."

He is able to deliver thee,

He is able to deliver thee;

Though by sin oppressed, go to Him for rest;

"Our God is able to deliver thee."

You can listen to this hymn here.   LISTEN

CHRIST LIVETH IN ME

          "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)   This is the scripture and truth that led to the writing of this beautiful song.  This has always been one of my favorites for two reasons.  First, I love the harmony and the backtime.  I love to hear the four parts when sung by a quartete.  But more importantly, I am always struck by the truth of the words - Christ liveth in me.  What a powerful truth and as a result, what a tremendous responsibility.  Do folks that I meet day by day sense this truth.  Do they see Christ in what I say, what I do, where I go, how I work, and how I react?  As the author, Daniel W. Whittle (1840-1901), states in his prose, do "life and light and love come forth from Christ living in me"?  Is the longing of my heart "that like Him I may be"?  Powerful questions.  Whittle reached the rank of major in the American civil war, and for the rest of his life was known as "Major" Whittle.  During the war, Whittle lost his right arm, and ended up in a prisoner of war camp. Recovering from his wounds in the hospital, he looked for something to read, and found a New Testament. Though its words challenged him, he was still not ready to accept Christ.  Thinking he was a Christian, an orderly who saw him reading the Testament asked him to pray with a dying prisoner.  But Whittle agreed to go and later said, "I dropped on my knees and held the boy's hand in mine. In a few broken words I confessed my sins and asked Christ to forgive me. I believed right there that He did forgive me." After the war, Whittle became treasurer of the Elgin Watch Company in Chicago,. In less than 10 years, though, he entered the evangelism field. Of his decision to devote his life to the Gospel, Whittle said that, while at work, he "went into the vault and in the dead silence of the quietest of places I gave my life to my Heavenly Father to use as He would."  During this period he worked with musicians Phillip Bliss and James McGranahan. His daughter, May Moody, also wrote music for some of his lyrics.   It would be McGranahan who would eventually add the music to Whittle's prose to complete this beautiful song.  I trust that you are able to make these words your testimony,  "Christ liveth in me.  Oh! what a salvation this, that Christ liveth in me."  May our lives reflect this truth each day and may others daily see evidence of this in all that we do.

1.     Once far from God and dead in sin,

No light my heart could see;

But in God's Word the light I found,

Now Christ liveth in me.

Christ liveth in me,

Christ liveth in me;

Oh! what a salvation this,

That Christ liveth in me.

2      As rays of light from yonder sun,

The flow'rs of earth set free,

So life and light and love come forth

From Christ living in me.

Now Christ liveth in me.

Christ liveth in me,

Christ liveth in me;

Oh! what a salvation this,

That Christ liveth in me.

3     As lives the flow'r within the seed,

As in the cone the tree,

So, praise the Christ of truth and grace,

His Spirit dwelleth in me.

Now Christ liveth in me.

Christ liveth in me,

Christ liveth in me;

Oh! what a salvation this,

That Christ liveth in me.

4     With longing all my heart is filled,

That like Him I may be,

As on the wondrous thought I dwell 

That Christ liveth in me.

Now Christ liveth in me.

Christ liveth in me,

Christ liveth in me;

Oh! what a salvation this,

That Christ liveth in me.

You can listen to it here.   LISTEN

HALLELUJAH FOR THE CROSS

                   Resurrection Day!  As we end this very special week for all Christians we are reminded that there are many hymns that speak of the death of Christ, His shed blood for us, and the Cross where he hung and died to pay the penalty for our sins.  Many of these great hymns have been shared in this blog over the years.  This week's choice shares this theme as it highlights our praise and gratitude for what was done for us by Christ at Calvary - "Hallelujah, For The Cross". The exclamation "Hallelujah!" ia repeated thirty times in this hymn, counting the refrains, emphasizing this spirit of praise and thanksgiving.  Because of the grace of God that brought us salvation we should want to daily exclaim hallelujah or praise the Lord.  The hymn reminds us that skeptics and opponents have tried for centuries to destroy the message of the Cross, but the Gospel message has stood against all blasts, the hate of the world, and even the winds of Hell.  "It is the old Cross still," where, by the grace of God, "Christ, the blessed Son", atoned for our sins. We should proclaim and share that message and the work of the Cross to all.  Christ is our living king!  Dr. Horatius Bonar (1808-1889) was an evangelical pastor in Scotland, and a great hymn writer.  He has been called "the prince of Scottish hymn writers."  He is said to have written over 600 hymns, including the somewhat familiar "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say".  No history of the writing of this hymn could be found but the words were penned by Bonar in 1875.  The music was added by James McGranahan in 1882.  Now let me add a word of warning.  To many today the Cross has become just a symbol of religion.  It is often worn as a piece of jewelry.  But for some its meaning has become a matter of life and death.  Recently ISIS said they were “chopping off the heads of those that have been carrying around the cross illusion in their heads.”  Someone recently said, “If that Cross is something that literally rescues you and lets you really live, then it’s something worth dying for.  People are dying for the faith which we often take for granted, that we take and hide under a bushel, that we take and paint vanilla - so we don’t get persecuted.  Are we people who humbly take up the Cross and take our faith seriously  - or people who seriously take and hide our faith under a humble bushel? ”  This is a powerful question that we all need to consider.  So during this week may we continue to consider what the Cross really means to us. As People of the Cross let us pray that our faith in our Savior and His death on the Cross is worth laying down our life for our Savior.  May this hymn also remind you of the power of what happened on the Cross of Calvary.  May your heart be filled with wonder, thanksgiving, renewed commitment and cries of "Hallelujah".  And may your voice share this vital, life changing message to all.  Thank you Jesus for the Cross and for that first glorious Resurrection Day!

(1)     The cross, it standeth fast—

Hallelujah, hallelujah!

Defying every blast—

Hallelujah, hallelujah!

The winds of hell have blown,

The world its hate hath shown,

Yet it is not overthrown—

Hallelujah for the cross!

Hallelujah, hallelujah,

Hallelujah for the cross;

Hallelujah, hallelujah,

It shall never suffer loss!

(2)  It is the old cross still—

Hallelujah, hallelujah!

Its triumph let us tell—

Hallelujah, hallelujah!

The grace of God here shone

Thru Christ, the blessed Son,

Who did for sin atone—

Hallelujah for the cross!

Hallelujah, hallelujah,

Hallelujah for the cross;

Hallelujah, hallelujah,

It shall never suffer loss!

(2)    'Twas here the debt was paid—

Hallelujah, hallelujah!

Our sins on Jesus laid—

Hallelujah, hallelujah!

So round the cross we sing

Of Christ, our offering,

Of Christ, our living king—

Hallelujah for the cross!

Hallelujah, hallelujah,

Hallelujah for the cross;

Hallelujah, hallelujah,

It shall never suffer loss!

Listen to it here.  LISTEN

TIS MIDNIGHT AND ON OLIVE'S BROW

        I must admit that while growing up this was not one of my favorite Easter hymns.  I guess that might have been the result of a combination of the unusual prose and the somewhat haunting melody.  It may have also been because when I was younger I never really thought about the intensity of the pain and anguish which Christ bore as He approached the time of his suffering and death on the cross.  He knew what was ahead and as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane He realized His arrest and crucifixion were just hours away.  And in His suffering He prayed alone and wrestled with His fears.  And while He struggled, the inner circle of His disciples slept nearby.  And for the sake of us, the guilty, the Savior wept and His sweat became as drops of blood. He must have been in horrendous agony. Now I must admit that I don't fully understand the fourth verse. The verse seems to allude to that part of the garden experience where "an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him" (Luke. 22:43). It is a heartening thought to think that an angel was sent to comfort the suffering Son.  The hymn's author, William B. Tappen (1794-1849) was a clock maker by trade.  In 1822 he was engaged as Superintendent of the American Sunday School Union, which later was named the American Missionary Fellowship and recently renamed InFaith.  In 1822 he was a 28-year old poet/educator/Christian believer, who evidently was touched, maybe during a sleepless night of his own, by his Lord's night of torment in Gethsemane.  And as a result the words of this hymn were penned and released in his second volume of poetry.  In 1853 musician William B. Bradbury put the poem to music and it has been part of the Easter season since then.  During your celebration this week of the Easter season, don't forget the events that lead up to the crucifixion, especially the time spent by Jesus in the Garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives.  This was part of the suffering that He went through for each of us.  We deserved to pay this price, but He bore it for us.  And understanding and remembering this should make Resurrection Day even that much more meaningful.   That is my desire for each of us this week.  Thank you Jesus for taking our place and making our salvation and our future with you possible.

'Tis midnight, and on Olive's brow

The star is dimmed that lately shone;

'Tis midnight, in the garden now

The suffering Savior prays alone.

'Tis midnight, and from all removed

Emmanuel wrestles lone with fears

E'en the disciple whom He loved

Heeds not his Master's grief and tears.

'Tis midnight, and for others' guilt

The Man of Sorrows weeps in blood;

Yet He who hath in anguish knelt

Is not forsaken by His God.

'Tis midnight, and from ether plains

Is borne the song that angels know;

Unheard by mortals are the strains

That sweetly soothe the Savior's woe.

Here are two choices for you to listen to.   LISTEN 1

The second is an interesting one done by what I believe is a Chinese choir.  I apologize if I have identified the incorrect nationality.  LISTEN 2

ON JORDAN'S STORMY BANKS (I AM BOUND FOR THE PROMISED LAND)

          If you've ever taken children on a trip you probably remember their continual questions, "How much longer?", "Are we soon there?".  Today most cars have a GPS which answers those questions for you.  But when we are bound for a special destination we are generally all filled with anticipation and excitement, especially as we get closer.  I remember when I was a child how we traveled each Christmas Eve to Bethlehem to celebrate with my grandparents and other relatives.  On that trip we always watched to see the PPL building in Allentown with its lighted upper floors.  My parents said look for the building. When we finally saw it we knew we were getting close.  Today all children of God are also on a trip to a beautiful destination.   At times it can be a rough journey with many challenges.  But we are comforted knowing that we are bound for a promised land.  We don't know how long it will be until we finally reach that final destination.  For some of us it may be soon.  For others it could be many years.  But while we journey closer the Bible has revealed much about that promised land to us and we know it will be a perfect place where we will be with Jesus, forever.  In this week's hymn choice the focus is on heaven, the land to which we are bound. The singer stands on the banks of the Jordan River looking across to the "fair and happy land" of Canaan, a metaphoric mixture of images from the books of Exodus and Revelation. Our true "possessions" lie in Canaan (Heaven) and not on the earthly side of Jordan. In stanza two we find that Canaan is a land of "wide extended plains" where "the eternal day" is always shining. In this land Jesus ("God the Son") reigns. Stanza three tells us that Canaan is a spiritually healthful place to live: "No chilling winds or poisonous breath can reach that healthful shore." Therefore, "sickness and sorrow, pain and death" do not exist in Canaan. In the final stanza, the singer obviously cannot wait to get there. Upon arrival in the Promised Land, we will "see [our] Father's face, and in his bosom rest." The refrain gives the hymn a sense of marching forward to eternal life. Samuel Stennett (1727-1795), an English Baptist, came from a long line of ministers.  His song originally had the title of "The Promised Land" and had eight four-line stanzas.  Originally written in a minor mode, Rigdon M. McIntosh, a Southern musician, altered the tune to the major mode, and, as was customary among American evangelicals in the 19th century, he added a refrain beginning with "I am bound for the promised land." This version was published in 1895 in H. R. Christie's Gospel Light and has become the standard version for many hymnals since that time.   As we get bogged down with the challenges of everyday living it often becomes easy to forget that we are just pilgrims here and that we, as God's children, are actually bound for a promised land.  Remembering that truth and following the Lord's leading will help you endure the disappointments that often come our way.   What a joy to remember that at the end of the journey we will see our Father's face.  Be encouraged and comforted by that truth this week.

(1)     On Jordan's stormy banks I stand,

And cast a wishful eye

To Canaan's fair and happy land,

Where my possessions lie.

I am bound for the promised land,

I am bound for the promised land;

Oh who will come and go with me?

I am bound for the promised land.

(2)      All o'er all those wide extended plains

Shines one eternal day;

There God the Son forever reigns,

And scatters night away.

I am bound for the promised land,

I am bound for the promised land;

Oh who will come and go with me?

I am bound for the promised land.

(3)     No chilling winds or poisonous breath

Can reach that healthful shore;

Sickness and sorrow, pain and death,

Are felt and feared no more.

I am bound for the promised land,

I am bound for the promised land;

Oh who will come and go with me?

I am bound for the promised land.

(4)      When I shall reach that happy place,

I'll be forever blest,

For I shall see my Father's face,

And in His bosom rest.

I am bound for the promised land,

I am bound for the promised land;

Oh who will come and go with me?

I am bound for the promised land.

This week's video is a little different than most that I've shared in my blogs because it's this week's hymn at the funeral of W.A. Criswell, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and the former pastor of this church.       LISTEN

OH WHEN I COME TO THE END OF MY JOURNEY

         It is interesting how unexpected events can bring back to one's memory a song or a hymn that one hasn't heard for years.  This was the case for me recently when the GPS on our new car frequently used the phrase "turn at the end of the road" to give us directions when we approached a T in the roads.  After hearing this numerous times my mind began to recall the old Gospel song in which the first line of the chorus says "Oh when I come to the end of my journey."  The words to this song were penned by Lucie Eddie Campbell (1885-1963), an African American composer of hymns.  She was the youngest of nine children. Her mother, a widow, not only wanted her children to receive an education, but she also wanted them exposed to the performing arts.  She elected to give piano lessons to Lora, Lucie's older sister. While piano lessons were being given to Lora, Lucie listened attentively and practiced the lessons on her own. At the age of nineteen, Lucie organized a group of musicians into a Music Club. Other members later were added to form a thousand-voice choir that performed at the National Baptist Convention. She was also an activist for civil justice. She defied the Jim Crow streetcar laws when she refused to relinquish her seat in the section reserved for whites, and as president of the Negro Education Association she struggled with governmental officials to redress the inequities in the pay scale and other benefits for Negro teachers.  The National Sunday School and the Baptist Training Union Congress of the National Baptist Convention showed its appreciation to its "first lady of music" when it declared June 20, 1962, as Lucie E. Campbell Appreciation Day. While preparing to attend the celebration and banquet held in her honor, she suddenly became gravely ill and was rushed to hospital.  After a six-months' bout with illness, she died on January 3, 1963, in Nashville.  I could not find anything about the actual writing of this song but I can imagine that it may have been written as a result of her life experiences.   She knew that life can be challenging and at times discouraging.  And often our attempts to share the Gospel will be rejected.  But she reminds us of how our Savior was also misunderstood and was hung on the cross.  But the joy of the song is that there is a time coming when our labor will be ended and we will be rewarded for our service.   There will be a day when the One who understands our journey will say the words "Well done".  The last verse is also an encouragement to keep going no matter what the circumstances.  And Paul also echoed that challenge in Galatians 6:9, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."  Are you weary and tired today in the journey?  Do you feel that you have failed and that you've given the best but have come up short?  Then be encouraged, He understands and one day will say "well done".

(1)     If when you give the best of your service

Telling the world that the Saviour has come

Be not dismayed when men don't believe you

He'll understand and say well done 

Oh when I come to the end of my journey

Weary of life and the battle is won 

Carrying the staff and the cross of redemption 

He'll understand and say well done

(2)     Misunderstood the Saviour of sinners

Hung on the cross He was God's only son

Oh, hear Him calling His Father in Heaven

Lord, not my will, but Thine be done.

Oh when I come to the end of my journey

Weary of life and the battle is won 

Carrying the staff and the cross of redemption 

He'll understand and say well done

(3)     Oh when this life of labor is ended

And the reward of the race you have run

Oh the sweet rest that's prepared for the faithful

Will be his blest and final "Well done"

Oh when I come to the end of my journey

Weary of life and the battle is won 

Carrying the staff and the cross of redemption 

He'll understand and say well done

(4)     If when you've tried and failed in your trying, 

hands sore and scarred from the work you've begun 

Take up your cross and come quickly to Jesus,

He'll understand and say well done

Oh when I come to the end of my journey

Weary of life and the battle is won 

Carrying the staff and the cross of redemption 

He'll understand and say well done

Listen to it here.    LISTEN