A story on the Hymn, “More About Jesus,” by William Petersen

Eliza Hewitt wrote this hymn as she was studying the promises of God that had been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The more she studied, the more excited she became as she saw Scripture fulfilled in every aspect of Christ’s life. All Scripture, she discovered, focused on Jesus Christ.

It is especially significant that Hewitt was so faithfully seeking God at this point in her life. At the time, she was recovering from a severe spinal injury. A Philadelphia schoolteacher, Hewitt had been struck with a heavy slate by one of her students.

Hewitt was never again able to teach in the public schools, but she continued to be involved with Sunday school. There she was able to combine the two great loves of her life: children and Jesus.

Scriptures: Ephesians 3:16-19; Philippians 3:10; 2 Peter 1:2-4
Themes: Jesus, Salvation, Word of God

Lyrics of the Hymn:
More about Jesus would I know,
More of His grace to others show,
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love who died for me.

Chorus:
More, more about Jesus,
More, more about Jesus;
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love who died for me!

More about Jesus let me learn,
More of His holy will discern;
Spirit of God, my teacher be,
Showing the things of Christ to me.

More about Jesus; in His Word,
Holding communion with my Lord,
Hearing His voice in ev’ry line,
Making each faithful saying mine.

More about Jesus on His throne,
Riches in glory all His own,
More of His kingdom’s sure increase,
More of His coming—Prince of Peace.
By ELIZA EDMUNDS HEWITT (1851–1920)

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 495-496). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Living a Victorious Christian Life

Introduction:

Ice-Breaker Questions:

1.     Who’s the most Christlike person you know presently or in the past?

2.     What things have been helpful to you in your quest to become more like Jesus?

Overview of the Lesson:

When we become Christ-followers, our faith journeys have just begun. Our faith continues to grow as we desire to become like Jesus in our thoughts, words, and deeds. As we pursue Christlikeness, let us not forget that the devil (Satan), the world and self are constantly waging a spiritual war against us. The three entities seek either to derail or dishearten us, so we do not follow Jesus closely. Let us, therefore, submit to God and draw near to Him so He can help us resist the devil and not yield to his temptations (cf. James 4:7-8; Matthew 4:1-11). When the love of the Father is in us, we will not love the world or worldly things (cf. 1 John 2:15-17).  We will also not focus on ourselves but on Him and, like John the Baptist, we would want Jesus to increase and ourselves to decrease (cf. John 3:30). Consequently, we will put God and His kingdom first (cf. Matthew 6:33). At the same time, we will put the interests of others before our own and, thus, we will less and less do things out of a self-serving attitude and more and more out of a self-giving attitude. Overall, we must not let up, but rather press on toward the goal of Christlikeness by fighting faithfully until “faith shall be sight.” Amen!

Points to Ponder:

1.     Submit to God (Romans 12:1-2; James 4:1-10; Ephesians 5:15-21; 6:10-18)

a)     What does it mean to submit to God? What encouragements do we find in James 4:1-6 and Ephesians 6:10ff for submitting to God?

b)     How is seeking God’s will and following His ways part of our submission to God? 

2.     Resist the Devil (James 4:8; Ephesians 4:27; Matthew 4:1-11)

a)      “Sin will take you farther than you wanna go; Slowly but wholly taking control; Sin will leave you longer than you wanna stay; Sin will cost you far more that you wanna pay.” (Harold McWhorter). Do you agree or disagree with the words of this quote/chorus?  

b)     What temptations did Jesus face and how did He triumph over them?  

3.     Overcome the world (1 John 2:15-17; 1 John 4:20-5:5)

a)     What does “the world” mean? 

b)     What are some worldly things we should avoid and how do we overcome them? 

4.     Deny Yourself (Luke 9:23; Philippians 2:1-8; John 3:30; 10:11)

a)     What does it mean to deny oneself? 

b)     In what ways does, “Self,” hinder our being shaped into the Image of Christ?

A story on the Hymn, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” by William Petersen

At forty, Adelaide Pollard was trying unsuccessfully to raise support to go to Africa as a missionary. She wondered why the Lord could so burden her with the needs of Africa, but not make it possible for her to go. During this time of discouragement, she attended a small prayer meeting where an elderly woman prayed, “Lord, it doesn’t matter what You bring into our lives, just have Your way with us.”

That night, Pollard went home and read the story of Jeremiah’s visit to the potter’s house, and later that evening she wrote this hymn. She said that she had always felt the Lord was molding her and preparing her for his service. Then all of a sudden, he seemed to have deserted her.

“Perhaps,” she reasoned, “my questioning of God’s will shows a flaw in my life. So God decided to break me, as the potter broke the defective vessel, and then to mold my life again in his own ."

Scriptures: Jeremiah 18:3-6; Romans 9:20-21; Galatians 2:20
Themes: Consecration, Confession, Humility

Lyrics of the Hymn:
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me!
By ADELAIDE ADDISON POLLARD (1862–1934)

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 334-335). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

A story on the Hymn, “Rejoice, the Lord is King,” by William Petersen

In such times it would have been natural for Wesley’s followers to become discouraged and lose hope. One reason Charles Wesley wrote six thousand hymns was to encourage Methodists to be a singing, joyful people.

Paul’s letter to the Philippians provided Wesley’s text for this hymn. Paul was imprisoned in Rome under Emperor Nero. But the message to the Philippians is one of joy and encouragement. As Paul concludes his letter, he reminds Christians to “rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice” in whatever circumstances they find themselves. You can be a victor regardless of the situation because the Lord is King.

This hymn first appeared in Wesley’s 1746 collection, Hymns for Our Lord’s Resurrection. Each stanza adds another dimension to our praise: adoration, thanksgiving, and exultation.

Scriptures: Psalm 95:1-3; Philippians 4:4-9; Hebrews 1:3
Themes: Joy, Praise, Adoration, Easter

Lyrics of the Hymn:
Rejoice, the Lord is King!
Lord and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks, and sing,
And triumph evermore:

Lift up your heart, lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Jesus, the Savior, reigns,
The God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains,
He took His seat above:

His kingdom cannot fail,
He rules o’er earth and heaven;
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus given:

Rejoice in glorious hope!
Our Lord the judge shall come,
And take His servants up
To their eternal home:
By CHARLES WESLEY (1707–1788)

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 68-69). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

A Story on the Hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” by William Petersen

Whenever Isaac Watts wanted a hymn to go with a sermon or a special service that he was leading, he would write one. He ended up writing more than six hundred hymns; today he is known as “The Father of English Hymnody.”

So when he needed a hymn for a Communion service one Sunday morning, he wrote “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” Some have called it “the finest hymn in the English language.” The words vividly depict the scene at Calvary and the dying Savior. And the rich, grave tones of the music impress upon us the seriousness of Christ’s sacrificial death. What shall we offer to God in grateful return for his gracious gift? All that we are and have is but a small offering in return for such great love.

Scriptures: John 19:17-18; Galatians 6:14; Philippians 3:7-9

Themes: Cross, God’s Love, Dedication

Lyrics of the Hymn:

When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ, my God;

All the vain things that charm me most—

I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down;

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small:

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all.

By ISAAC WATTS (1674–1748)

Reference for the Hymn:

Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 143-144). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

A Story on the Hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” by William Petersen

Thomas Chisholm certainly had his share of disappointments in life. Born in a crude log cabin in Kentucky, he never had a chance to attend high school or college. His health was fragile, forcing him to resign as a Methodist minister after only one year. He began writing, but received more than his share of rejection letters. Even when his poems were published, he seldom received any money for them.

At the age of fifty-seven, he wrote the hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” based on the verses in Lamentations that say, “His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (3:22-23, KJV). Later, when he was asked how he came to write the hymn, he said there were no special circumstances surrounding it, but he simply wrote about God’s faithfulness from studying the Bible.

Scriptures: Psalm 36:5-7; Lamentations 3:22-25; James 1:17
Themes: Faithfulness, God’s Mercy, Assurance

Lyrics of the Hymn:
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me! [Chorus]

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

By THOMAS OBEDIAH CHISHOLM (1866–1960) Copyright © 1923. Renewal 1951 by Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (p. 393). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

A Story on the Hymn, “O Happy Day,” by William Petersen

Few church songs have gone through such a variety of renditions as this one. Philip Doddridge would never have recognized the Hawkins’ Youth Choir’s African-American arrangement, which put the song on the charts in the late 1960s.

Doddridge went through a lot of changes himself. His mother was a Lutheran, but both his mother and his father died by the time he was thirteen. Orphaned, he went to live with a Presbyterian minister. Later he studied in an Anglican school but decided instead to become a Congregational minister.

Although he wrote many hymns, Doddridge was reluctant to have any of them published. So “O Happy Day” wasn’t put into print until 1755, four years after his death. The refrain was not added until a hundred years later when an anonymous author added, “Happy day, happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away,” and set it to a popular tune of the day.

We have a feeling that Doddridge wouldn’t have minded, as long as the theology wasn’t changed. “ ’Tis done: the great transaction’s done; I am my Lord’s, and He is mine.” That’s enough to make all of us sing, “O happy day.”

Scriptures: Psalm 40:16; Isaiah 61:10; Philippians 4:4
Themes: Testimony, Salvation, Joy

Lyrics of the Hymn:
O happy day that fixed my choice on
Thee, my Savior and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice,
and tell its raptures all abroad.

Happy day, happy day, when Jesus washed
my sins away!
He taught me how to watch and pray and
live rejoicing every day.
Happy day, happy day, when Jesus washed
my sins away! [Chorus]

O happy bond, that seals my vows to
Him who merits all my love!
Let cheerful anthems fill His house,
While to that sacred shrine I move.

’Tis done: the great transaction’s done; I
am my Lord’s, and He is mine;
He drew me and I followed on, charmed to
confess the voice divine.

Now rest, my long-divided heart; fixed
on this blissful center, rest;
Nor ever from my Lord depart, with
Him of ev’ry good possessed.
By PHILIP DODDRIDGE (1702–1751)

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 622-623). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.