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