18. O Sing Unto the LORD
Hymns: RHC 143 O Holy Night, 314 Near, Still Nearer, 106 Christ Liveth In Me, 147 Away in a Manger PSALM 98 1 <A Psalm.> O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, …
Category: Weekly 2014
Lord’s Day, Vol. 6 No. 42
Day by Day – Hymn Story
Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
The waves of revival that swept the Scandinavian countries during the latter half of the nineteenth century were greatly influenced by the wealth of fine hymns which flowed from the pen of Linda Sandell, born on October 3, 1832 at Fröderyd, Sweden. She was a daughter of the pastor of the parish church of that community. Being a frail youngster, she usually preferred to spend her time in her father’s study rather than to join her comrades in play. When she was twenty-six years of age, she accompanied her father on a journey to Gothenburg, but tragedy occurred before the destination was reached. The ship gave a sudden lurch and Lina’s father fell overboard and drowned before the eyes of his devoted daughter. She was the author of this hymn – Day by Day.
Although she had written hymns prior to this tragic experience, more songs began to flow out of her broken heart which reflect a simple, child-like trust in Christ and a deep sense of His abiding presence in her life.
Lord’s Day, Vol. 6 No. 10
There Is Only One God
In some countries where people have not read the Bible and do not know very much about God, there are many people who think that there are several gods. Some of them think that there are two gods, some of them think that there are four gods and some of them think that there are even a hundred gods or more. In some places, people think that the sun is a god and that the moon is another god so they bow down and sometimes pray to the sun and ask it to take care of them and help them.
Can the sun or the moon help us? No, these do not have life, they are not persons who can help us. They are only things that God made to give us light, to keep us warm and for us to enjoy. They are not gods, but they are made by God. We should never pray to things that God has made but only to God Himself.
Should we pray to the angels? Are they gods? No, angels are alive, and there are some of them right there where we cannot see them, but we should not pray to them. The angels are not gods, but they are helpers for God and that is why God made them. The angels love God and there are so many of them that we cannot even think how many there are.
Most of them are in Heaven thanking and praising God and telling Him how glad they are to serve Him.
2. The Origin of the Church
Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians Knowing Your Privilege in Christ (2) “The Origin of the Church” (Ephesians 1:1-14) 1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful …
Lord’s Day, Vol. 2 No. 52
(1) Joy to the World
Christmas is the highest point of human history because it marks the fulfilment of God’s plan to save mankind from the curse of sin. Our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ alone can save us from our sins.
At our Christmas Praise Service, we rehearsed the great joy of our Saviour’s birth. The joy of Christmas begins with the joy of salvation. May we be strengthened to go out to share the good news to a dying world.
(2) Remembering God’s Goodness in 2014
Lord’s Day, Vol. 2 No. 51
Now Thank We All Our God When we sing the stately hymn of thanksgiving and praise, “Now Thank We All Our God,” we might not realise it was written during one of history’s darkest periods of suffering. Nothing brings more …
Lord’s Day, Vol. 2 No. 50
(1) Whence Cometh Your Help? Part 3
Psalm 121:5-6 “The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.”
God is our omnipresent, omnipotent Protector. What a comforting thought. The word “shade” is the word for “shadow”. Shadows are never an image of sinister darkness in the Bible. Rather, in the heat of Palestine, shadows are pre-eminently an image of protection or refuge provided by the LORD.
Lord’s Day, Vol. 2 No. 49
Whence Cometh Your Help? Part 2
Psalm 121:3-4 “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”
Verses 3-4 teach us that God is our faithful protector. We can safely rely upon Him. Proverbs 3:23, “Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.” When we trust the LORD with all our hearts, His wisdom guides our footsteps. He is our valiant watchman.
Lord’s Day, Vol. 2 No. 48
1) I Need Thee Every Hour
Annie S. Hawks (1835-1919) was led to pen the words of the hymn, “I Need Thee Every Hour.” She recorded the following:
“One day as a young wife and mother of 37 years of age, I was busy with my regular household tasks. Suddenly, I became filled with the sense of nearness to the Master, and I began to wonder how anyone could ever live without Him, either in joy or pain. Then the words were ushered into my mind and these thoughts took full possession of me.”
Not until sixteen years later, with the death of her husband, did the full impact of those words ministered to her own heart. She then wrote:
“I did not understand at first why this hymn had touched the great throbbing heart of humanity. It was not until long after, when the shadow fell over my way, the shadow of a great loss, that I understood something of the comforting power in the words which I had been permitted to give to others in my hour of sweet serenity and peace.”
Lord’s Day, Vol. 2 No. 47
Blessed Hope Visitation Ministry
Our Lord Jesus, at the end of the Olivet Discourse, gave His assessment of true believers in Matthew 25:35-36, “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” The Apostle James also mentioned visitation in his epistle, highlighting in particular the visitation of widows and orphans in their affliction: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).