The Forty-first Sunday in Jubilee
PALM SUNDAY
APRIL 13, 2025
“Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.” Psalm 24:7-10
The Bible clearly teaches that the Messiah who would come into this world could be identified by several “titles,” among which is “the King.” Jesus was called the King of glory, the King of Israel, the King of the Jews, and the King of the world. As the King, Jesus did come to establish His Kingdom in this world. Even as He taught His disciples a model prayer, He said that we are to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It should not surprise us that the notion King Jesus has come to establish His kingdom would cause His opponents great consternation. This Kingdom of God has been opposed ever since the appearance of Jesus on this earth. The Bible also teaches us that there is a battle raging between “the kingdoms of the world” and His Kingdom. Paul wrote, “We wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age.” (Ephesians 6:12) Paul also wrote, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds…” (II Corinthians 10:4)
I remember singing this week’s hymn as I grew up attending church. I strongly remember that this hymn stirred me much like the hymn, “Onward Christian Soldiers.” It seemed to me like a rallying song! It caused me to want to confront the “powers of darkness” in the power of King Jesus! Never forget that there is a cause for us to “fight” for!
The hymn I have chosen for this week is “Lead On, O King Eternal” by Rev. Ernest W. Shurtleff. He wrote it as an encouragement for his classmates who were graduating from theological training. I pray the hymn will encourage us to press on to the “fight!”
Lead on, O King Eternal, the day of march has come; henceforth in fields of conquest Thy tents shall be our home.
Thro’ days of preparation Thy grace has made us strong; and now, O King Eternal, we lift our battle song.
Lead on, O King Eternal, till sin’s fierce war shall cease, and holiness shall whisper the sweet amen of peace;
for not with swords’ loud clashing, nor roll of stirring drums, with deeds of love and mercy the heav’nly kingdom comes.
Lead on, O King Eternal, we follow, not with fears; for gladness breaks like morning where’er Thy face appears.
Thy cross is lifted o’er us; we journey in its light. The crown awaits the conquest; lead on, O God of might.
The Fortieth Sunday in Jubilee
APRIL 6, 2025
“For thus says the Lord God” ‘Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.’” Ezekiel 34:11, 12
Most of us are aware of the fact that God is described throughout Scripture by many common expressions. Perhaps one that is very near to our hearts is the expression of “father.” Another simile used very frequently in the Bible is “shepherd.” God often referred to Himself as the Shepherd of His people. In fact, very often He referred to the leaders He would give to His people as “shepherds” as well. So God has called His people “sheep” and the people’s leaders as “shepherds.” There is no greater shepherd than God Himself! Other shepherds may fail for a number of different reasons, but God will never fail as the Shepherd of His people.
Perhaps there is no greater passage in the Bible about our relationship to God than Psalm 23! Our Lenten devotional has been giving us Scripture to read each day about this shepherd-theme. It has been wonderful and challenging to me. I love the five-word start of Psalm 23. It is extremely foundational and succinct. “The Lord is my shepherd!” Just think about those five words. “The” = the one and only, unique. “Lord” = the Sovereign, God, Master of our lives. “Is” = right now, presently, the great “I Am.” “My” = personal, intimate. “Shepherd” = guide, provider, protector. You can’t make a more positive declaration than “The Lord is my shepherd!”
The hymn I have chosen for this week is “Praise Him! Praise Him!” by Fanny Crosby. The end of the first verse expresses this very idea.
Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus our blessed Redeemer! Sing, O earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory; Strength and honor give to His holy name!
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children; In His arms He carries them all day long.
Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! For our sins He suffered, and bled, and died.
He, our Rock, our Hope of eternal salvation – Hail Him! Hail Him! Jesus, the Crucified.
Sound His praises! Jesus, who bore our sorrows; Love unbounded, wonderful, deep, and strong!
Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Heavenly portals loud with hosannas ring!
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever. Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet, and Priest, and King!
Christ is coming, over the world victorious; Pow’r and glory unto the Lord belong!
Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness; Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!
The Thirty-ninth Sunday in Jubilee
MARCH 30, 2025
“He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1:3
The description of the man who “shall be like a tree” is about the one who lives according to “the law of the Lord.” This man does not listen to the “counsel of the ungodly,” nor “stands in the path of sinners.” In other words, those who are living in God, with God, and for God will be like living, healthy trees. Another passage of Scripture about God’s people having some tree-like characteristics is Psalm 92:12-15. It declares, “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” Vance Havner wrote a devotional he entitled “Living Permanence” in his book, Day By Day.
“The righteous man is not like a tombstone but like a tree. A tombstone is permanent, but it is dead permanence. A tree has living permanence; it is planted, not merely put, by the rivers of water.
“The Psalmist said, ‘My heart is fixed.’ Some saints have fixed heads; they are steadfast and unmovable, but it is the fixity of stubbornness and obstinacy. Nothing is more like real conviction than simple obstinacy. So much of orthodoxy is the tombstone kind. We tend to petrify. Religious movements run a certain course – a man, a movement, a machine, a monument. Churches tend to become like trees in the Petrified Forest instead of living trees by the rivers of water.
“Our faith, too, must be like seed, not sand, for living permanence endures because it perpetuates itself. A stone remains a stone. The Gospel reproduces itself from life to life. Christ lives from generation to generation, not only in heaven, but in the hearts of His people.” (p. 60)
Needmore Bible Church is celebrating the fiftieth year of ministry in this community and around the world through our missionary outreach. It has been in the hearts of God’s people at NBC to build a permanence in the ministry that is only 50 years old. It has been the intention that God would use this church to “win” people to Christ and create living, breathing disciples. Dwight L. Moody was asked if he thought about a monument that might be erected in honor of the ministry that he led for many years. During that time, many thousands of people were saved, churches were started, and the great Moody Bible Institute was built. D. L. Moody answered, “The only kind of monument that I care to have come after me is the two-legged kind, men and women who will live for Christ and serve Him.” We agree with Mr. Moody!
The Thirty-eighth Sunday in Jubilee
MARCH 23, 2025
“Then we will not turn back from You; revive us, and we will call upon Your name. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;
cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!” Psalm 80:18, 19
It is certainly easy to become cold and even indifferent to things that were once an important part of our lives. Maybe it’s the routine of everything, or maybe it’s a distraction of something “new” and exciting that can cause us to lose our desire for the “old” and “familiar.” The writer of Hebrews warns us of the “deceitfulness of sin” that can cause us to be “hardened” and in the end have “an evil heart of unbelief.” (see Hebrews 3:12-15)
A young Scottish man (1839-1885) was raised in a home with a devout Christian mother who talked about Jesus to her son and prayed often for his soul. In spite of that influence, his medical studies at the University of Edinburgh influenced him to reject the faith of his mother. He fell into heavy drinking and moral decline. At one point he was so low, he pawned the Bible his mother gave to him as a guide for his life. While practicing medicine, he became very discouraged by all the illnesses and loss of life. A young man was brought in the hospital as an emergency from an accident while doing a large masonry project. It was apparent that his injuries could not be treated, and the young man was told the seriousness of his condition. When asked if he had family to be notified, he shook his head no. He asked that his landlady be asked to come to the hospital because he owed her a small amount of money, and he wanted to “make it right.” He added, “Ask her to bring the Book.” She came and gave him his Bible. He seemed to have such peace and comfort as he read the Book each day before he died. When the staff gathered to discuss what to do with his remains, someone mentioned his Bible. As Dr. William MacKay picked it up, to his surprise it was the Bible his mother had given him which he had pawned. He discovered his own name clearly written in his dear mother’s own handwriting. God used that young man and that Bible to touch him and bring him to a tremendous transformation by the Grace of God. He became a Presbyterian pastor and wrote several hymns. Because Dwight L. Moody and Ira Sankey used it frequently in their evangelistic meetings, it became very popular. Later, Billy Graham used it in his crusades as well, and Revive Us Again has been established as a song of great meaning to the evangelical Church.
We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love – for Jesus, Who died and is now gone above.
Hallelujah! Thine the Glory! Hallelujah! Amen! Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Revive us again.
We praise Thee, O God, for Thy Spirit of Light, Who has shown us our Savior and scattered our night.
Hallelujah! Thine the Glory! Hallelujah! Amen! Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Revive us again.
All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain, Who has borne all our sins and has cleansed every stain.
Hallelujah! Thine the Glory! Hallelujah! Amen! Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Revive us again.
Revive us again; fill each heart with Thy love. May each soul be rekindled with fire from above.
Hallelujah! Thine the Glory! Hallelujah! Amen! Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Revive us again.
The Thirty-seventh Sunday in Jubilee
MARCH 16, 2025
“He has put a new song in my mouth – praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3
“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3
Probably all of us can identify an experience of loss and grief we have passed through in this life. In addition to losses, most of us can testify to some challenging event that caused us to ponder how we could possibly “get through it.” Yet it is most certainly true that each one who is reading this right now has “survived” and made it thus far in the journey of life. For me, my only sure confidence is that the Lord Jesus Himself has given me the grace I have needed to face each trial. I must declare and bear witness to the reality of His joy and peace that has been continually present in my life!
There’s within my heart a melody; Jesus whispers sweet and low:
“Fear not, I am with thee; peace be still,” in all of life’s ebb and flow.
All my life was wrecked by sin and strife; discord filled my heart with pain.
Jesus swept across the broken strings, stirred the slum-b’ring chords again.
Feasting on the riches of His grace, resting ‘neath His shel-t’ring wing,
Always looking on His smiling face – that is why I shout and sing.
Tho’ sometimes He leads thro’ waters deep, trials fall across the way;
Tho’ sometimes the path seems rough and steep, see His footprints all the way.
Soon He’s coming back to welcome me far beyond the starry sky.
I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown; I shall reign with Him on high.
(CHORUS) Jesus, Jesus, Jesus – sweetest name I know,
Fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go.
The Thirty-sixth Sunday in Jubilee
MARCH 9, 2025
“A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24
“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18
“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends,
for all things I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15
Have you ever felt as though you have been forgotten and even forsaken by all others in this world? Have you ever felt tremendous grief over the loss of a very important person in your life? The likelihood is that many of us have had at least brief experiences of this kind of heartache. Suppose you finished your studies at the university and planned to marry the love of your life. How do you think you would feel if your beloved fiancée accidentally drowned the day before the wedding? Add to that tragedy another very similar event. Some years later, you fall in love a second time and plan to marry. This time your fiancée contracts tuberculosis and dies before the wedding can take place. These events actually happened to an Irishman named Joseph Scriven.
Joseph Scriven left Ireland to escape his grief. He spent the next forty years as a bachelor serving the poor in rural communities near Rice Lake in Ontario, Canada. He became known as a selfless and generous servant to hurting people in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Late one night in 1855, weighed down with loneliness and overcome with despondency and sadness, he poured out his heart to God, begging for relief from his burden and promising to serve Him the rest of his life. God heard and answered, and Joseph Scriven felt the burden miraculously lifted from his heart. He quickly arose and penned a poem with the following words. He never intended it to be a hymn, but when another found it, he put it to music. When he was asked if he wrote the words, he said, “The Lord and I did it between us.” Oh, how I love singing the great hymn, What a Friend We Have in Jesus!
What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden, Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our Refuge; Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer.
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee; Thou wilt find a solace there.
The Thirty-fifth Sunday in Jubilee
MARCH 2, 2025
“Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:12-14
In the story of man’s fall recorded in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve’s conscience was awakened after they sinned, so they attempted to hide from God. They even sewed fig leaves together in order to cover their nakedness before God. Neither the fig-leaves clothing nor the trees among which they were hiding could protect them from God’s Presence. God sees all! When the conversation with God ended the Bible records, “Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” This is the first mention of actual death in the Bible. God killed an animal or animals in order to “cover the sin” of Adam and Eve. It’s the first reference to a sacrifice of blood related to the sin of mankind. In the beginning of Genesis 4, there is the story of two brothers’ sacrifices given to God. One was from the harvest of crops, and the other was from the flock. The acceptable sacrifice was the one that involved blood. Thus from the very beginning of “The Story” blood plays a prominent role.
Some folks have referred to the religion of the Bible as a “bloody” religion. And it’s true. Later the story of the Passover that God instituted for the nation of Israel began thousands of years of sacrificed animals. The Tabernacle became the place where millions of animals were sacrificed before the Lord on behalf of God’s sinful people. It is most certainly true that the Bible’s religion is definitely extremely bloody! It has culminated in the bloody death of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary! Jesus has made the last, the final bloody sacrifice necessary to cover the sin of every person who calls on the name of Jesus Christ! Hallelujah to the Lamb of God! Oh, how I have loved singing the great hymn, There’s Power in the Blood!
Would you be free from your burden of sin? There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;
Would you o’er evil a victory win? There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.
Would you be free from your passion and pride? There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;
Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide. There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.
Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow? There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;
Sin stains are lost in its life-giving flow. There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.
Would you do service for Jesus, your King? There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;
Would you live daily His praises to sing? There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.
There is pow’r, pow’r, wonder-working pow’r in the blood of the Lamb.
There is pow’r, pow’r, wonder-working pow’r in the precious blood of the Lamb!
The Thirty-fourth Sunday in Jubilee
FEBRUARY 23, 2025
“…that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy…”
Colossians 1:9b-11
Over the past few weeks, I have been sharing with you about the impact that hymns have had on my life as a follower of Jesus Christ. God has used hymns not only to “prepare our hearts in worship” for hearing the Word of God preached from the “sacred desk,” but He has also used the hymns themselves to “speak” to us. God has used hymns to comfort, to challenge, and to commission us in our walk and life of faith. Often “visions” have been fostered in my heart as I have sung along with thousands of people that have “lifted” my thoughts heavenward to God Himself. Even though I am in the midst of a crowd or congregation, the hymns many, many times have drawn me away from the group to a personal place where I enjoy fellowship with the Lord.
I remember some songs that resonated within me as a very young person, years before I finally surrendered to Jesus. The hymn for this week is one of those that I recall from my childhood. Some of Pastor Brandon’s words during last week’s sermon surely communicated a truth that should challenge all of us. He reminded us of the appropriateness of patriotism and our gratitude to the people who have sacrificed for our political and personal freedom that we enjoy in our nation. Then he challenged us to remember that Jesus Christ has done more for us than all of them “put together.” We owe greater allegiance to our Savior than we do to those who have given us this great country in which to live. The hymn that is ringing in my soul is Living For Jesus.
Living for Jesus a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do,
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.
Living for Jesus, who died in my place,
Bearing on Cal-v’ry my sin and disgrace –
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.
Living for Jesus wherever I am,
Doing each duty in His holy name,
Willing to suffer affliction or loss,
Deeming each trial a part of my cross.
Living for Jesus thro’ earth’s little while,
My dearest treasure the light of His smile,
Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem,
O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee;
For Thou, in Thy atonement, Didst give Thyself for me.
I own no other master; My heart shall be Thy throne.
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.
The Thirty-third Sunday in Jubilee
FEBRUARY 16, 2025
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…”
I Corinthians 15:3
“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” John 6:37
At the close of last Sunday’s worship service, Nancy Jones said to me, “Oh, I thought you would have us sing “To God be the Glory.” It would have been a great hymn to close our time of worship and hearing the Word of God. Probably for more than 40 of my fifty-plus years of preaching and closing worship services, we would sing a “closing” hymn. It has certainly been a strong (and good) tradition in the evangelical church. Those “closing” hymns have been “invitational,” “dedicatory,” or “commissioning” in nature. Many of us can remember the hymn of invitation that we were singing when we finally decided to follow Jesus. One of the most well-known invitational hymns is “Just As I Am.” This past Monday, as I read Vance Havner’s Day By Day devotional it was about that very hymn. After sharing the first verse, he wrote the following commentary.
“We do not come on the ground of His teaching, His character, His life, but rather on the ground of His death.
“The problem of our sin was not taken care of until Calvary. There is a salvation offered today on the ground of Christ the Example, Christ the Teacher, Christ the Ideal, but the sinner does not come on the plea that ‘Thy life was lived for me,’ or ‘Thy example was revealed for me.’ Christ’s life and example and teaching have their place, and a great and glorious place it is, but I come in my sins because His blood was shed for me.
“And then His Bidding. He invited me. He bids me to come, just as I am. I don’t have to dress up. He will dress me up after I come. My righteousness – the best I am and can do – are but filthy rags (see Isaiah 64:6), rags because they do not cover me and filthy because they only defile me.
“HIS BLOOD: ‘But that Thy blood was shed for me.’ HIS BIDDING: ‘And that thou bid’st me come to Thee.’ May your answer be, ‘O Lamb of God, I come!’”
Just as I am, without one plea but that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just as I am and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just as I am- Thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve.
The Thirty-second Sunday in Jubilee
FEBRUARY 9, 2025
“Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For JEHOVAH, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’” Isaiah 12:2
In last week’s bulletin message I shared how there were many times that I repeated words and songs in church that didn’t have real significance in my life. Then, after I was saved, all those “learned” religious phrases and hymns became very meaningful to me. On February 1, I read the following in Day by Day, written by Vance Havner and entitled “Savior or Song?”
“A well-known pastor tells of a soloist who sang with real artistry a great Gospel song one Sunday morning. By musical standards it was flawless, but the minister detected a lack of ‘heart,’ although there was plenty of art. At the door he asked the singer, ‘Was that song real to you, or was it just a song?’ She flushed, but she was honest, and she finally replied, ‘Pastor, I’m afraid it was just a song.’
“We should have both, a Savior and a song. The Lord Jehovah is our salvation, our strength and our song. When He lifts us out of the miry clay and puts our feet on the Rock, He also puts a song in our mouth. But nothing is so hollow as singing something we know nothing about. A lot of that goes on in churches on Sunday mornings; it is to be feared, and no matter how much of ‘art’ there is, it will not make up for lack of ‘heart.’
“Is the Lord your salvation and strength, or is He ‘just a song?’”
I suppose you know that the congregation is the “choir” offering up songs of worship, praise, and thanksgiving to our great Savior. Those “up-front” on the platform are merely the “leaders,” and the rest of us compose the choir. If our worship is to be acceptable and pleasing to our Lord, it must come from our hearts! One of my favorite hymns that I love to open up and let it fly when I sing is “Victory in Jesus!”
I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me.
I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood’s atoning,
Then I repented of my sins and won the victory.
I heard about His healing, of His cleansing pow’r revealing,
How He made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see.
And then I cried, “Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit,”
And somehow Jesus came and bro’t to me the victory.
I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory,
And I heard about the streets of gold beyond the crystal sea;
About the angels singing, and the old redemption story;
And some sweet day I’ll sing up there the song of victory.
O victory in Jesus, my Savior forever!
He sought me and bo’t me with His redeeming blood.
He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him.
The Thirty-first Sunday in Jubilee
FEBRUARY 2, 2025
“Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; nor are there any works like Your works.
All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.
For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God!” Psalm 86:8-10
Even though I was nineteen years old when I surrendered to Christ and trusted Him for my eternal salvation, I was taken to church from the very beginning of my life. I am sure for many of those early years I didn’t pay much attention to what was being said “in church.” The basics were being drilled into my head, like “The Lord’s Prayer” that we repeated in Sunday school class, youth meetings, and the church worship services. Repeated phrases become a small part of my memory. “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ His only Son.” Those words from the Apostles’ Creed were read or recited week after week, and they became very familiar to me. Certainly there was not much understanding or acceptance on my behalf, but when I finally “got saved,” those words and phrases became fraught with significance and meaning to me personally. I don’t think that this is any truer of my “church experience” than that of the hymns we sang over and over. Wow! When I got saved, I began to sing the very familiar words of hymns from my childhood with great meaning and passion. I love those hymns that I have learned during my 70 plus years of church attendance.
This is the reason that I want to share some of my favorite hymns during the remainder of the Sundays in our Year of Jubilee! So far, I have presented He Lives and Blessed Assurance. I hope that the hymn in my heart this week becomes familiar to you all and you enjoy singing it! The hymn is only about 70 years old but has been extremely popular in evangelical church circles. The title is How Great Thou Art! Read thoughtfully and reverently the hymn. There are some very basic theological truths expressed in song, but two of my favorites are found in verses 3 and 4.
O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power thro’-out the universe displayed.
When thro’ the woods and forest glades I wander and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur, and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze;
And when I think that God, His Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin.
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration and there proclaim: my God, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee; how great Thou art! How great Thou art!
The Thirtieth Sunday in Jubilee
JANUARY 26, 2025
“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” I John 5:13
That is a verse that I memorized decades ago near the beginning of my pastoral service at Needmore Bible Church. One reason is because the question was frequently asked, “How do I know if I am saved?” That is certainly a legitimate question, but as well it points out that people don’t want to guess about their standing with God and their possible entrance into Heaven. People want to know! The good news is that God wants us to know! The Bible is filled with words of reassurance from God to His children. God not only gives us words, but He also gives us His Spirit. Consider the following passage from Romans 8:14-17.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we also be glorified together.”
There is no greater delight in this world than knowing that Jesus Christ has saved us! To be bold and confident that we are going to heaven is a great treasure. I pray that you have that “Blessed Assurance” explained in the hymn written by Fanny Crosby. This is another of my favorite hymns that I am sharing during the remainder of the Year of Jubilee. Read the stanzas carefully!
“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
“Perfect submission, perfect delight!
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above…
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
“Perfect submission – all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest;
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
“This is my story; this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story; this is my song,
The Twenty-eighth Sunday in Jubilee
JANUARY 12, 2025
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
The most famous sermon ever preached was preached by Jesus and is known as the Sermon on The Mount as recorded in Matthew, chapters 5, 6, and 7. The depth of spiritual truth revealed in this one sermon is unmatched throughout history. One can learn all that is necessary for “entering” and “living” in the Kingdom of God. Many have also said that the scariest words in Scripture are found near the end of the Sermon, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven.” After those individuals recite all the great religious things they had accomplished, Jesus said, “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” In those last words Jesus makes plain the fact that all people who want to enter the Kingdom MUST “know” Jesus and “be known” by Him. As Vance Havner wrote, “Coming to Jesus is a personal matter, not a dry business procedure. Nobody ever fell in love by reading books on how to fall in love. We meet someone, associate with someone, and either fall in love or not fall in love. There are, indeed, certain conditions that must be met in a personal knowledge of Christ, but it is more like falling in love than a cold business deal… Do not try to imitate a made-to-order experience handed down from someone else. He invites you to come as you are and know Him for yourself!” (Day By Day, January 7th reading.)
The verse for our Jubilee Year is Luke 24:32, “And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’” Earlier it is recorded that these men had heard about Jesus and the testimonies of those who saw Him after His resurrection, “but Him they did not see.” (v. 24) Later in verse 31, it is recorded, “Then their eyes were opened, and they knew Him…” It is obvious that they entered into a “personal experience” with Jesus. They would be able to declare that they knew the Lord and the Lord knew them! Hallelujah! Do you know the Lord, and does He know you?
My plan is to share some of my favorite hymns each week through the end of our Year of Jubilee. For this week, the hymn that I couldn’t get out of my mind and heart is “He Lives!”
“I serve a risen Savior; He’s in the world today.
I know that He is living, whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy; I hear His voice of cheer,
and just the time I need Him, He’s always near.
He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives.
12th Day of Christmas
SEASON YOUR GOAL-SETTING
JANUARY 5, 2025
The Twenty-seventh Sunday in Jubilee
“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls – yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.” Habakkuk 3:17-19
One thing that we know about the “new year” is that there are going to be experiences that we have never had before. Some will be difficult, and some will be easy. Some surprising, and some common. The question is whether or not your faith will sustain you in all experiences and situations of life. Mr. Tozer wrote in This World: Playground or Battleground, “Every new year is an uncharted and unknown sea. No ship has ever sailed this way before. The wisest of earth’s sons and daughters cannot tell us what we may encounter on this journey.” Mr. Tozer went on to write, “…In the Bible, and there only, is found the chart to tell us where we are going on the rough and unknown ocean.” The Bible is our only true and reliable guide for each of us!
Dr. Dennis Kinlaw wrote about missionary C. T. Studd on the last day of his devotional This Day With The Master. When Studd was serving in a very remote interior land in Africa, they received mail only once every two weeks. They were totally dependent on that mail to bring them the needed funds to trade for supplies. Every time mail arrived, Mr. Studd would open it and publicly announce what was received.
“One time there was a pleasing amount of money in the mail. Studd’s comment was, ‘Bless God forever! He knows what a bunch of grumblers we are. He has sent us enough to keep us quiet.’ Another time the amount was quite small. Studd’s comment was, ‘Hallelujah! We must be growing in grace. He thinks we are learning to trust Him.’ Yet another time there was nothing. It was said that the missionaries gathered around Studd waited, wondering what he would say. They were not disappointed. He lifted his voice in a shout, ‘Hallelujah! Praise God forever! We are in the kingdom already, for in the kingdom there is neither eating nor drinking, but righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Ghost.’
“Some would think Studd’s faith was reckless. I suspect, though, that he had a special place in the heart of God because he dared to expect God to be faithful to His promises.
“As you look back, can you see in your life the undeserved goodnesses of God? As you look forward, do you look with joyous anticipation? You should! His track record is very good!”