Stories Behind the Songs We Sing ( 101 Hymn Stories , Kenneth Osbeck )

1. Stories Behind the Songs We Sing(101 Hymn Stories, Kenneth Osbeck) God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24)

2. Overview Singing … • Connects us to God • Teaches Others • Connects us to One Another • Calms Our Soul • Reassures Us that Our Faith is Real

3. Why Do We Sing? • We Sing Because We are Commanded to Sing • Col 3:16-17 – Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in allwisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. • Eph 5:17-19 – Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is excess, butbe filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

4. Singing Connects us to God • Sing to God - Praise Him and Give Him Thanks • Our whole purpose in worship is to praise God and give Him thanks. • What do we have to be thankful for? Christ’s sacrifice, God’s grace, mercy, remission of sins, adoption, salvation… • Singing allows us to express these thoughts to Him collectively. • How do we offer worship to Him? • Are we to sacrifice to Him? Yes! • How? Old Testament pattern? No! • New Testament pattern – A spiritual sacrifice, not physical • Heb 13:15 - 15Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. • There are many songs that offer praise to God. Most songs in the songbook fall in this category.

5. #420 O Thou Fount of Every Blessing • Composed by the 18th century Methodist preacher and hymnistRobert Robinson. The hymn is set to an American folk tune known as Nettleton, by attribution to the evangelist Asahel Nettleton who composed it early in the nineteenth century.[1] • Robinson went to London at the age of 14 to learn to be a barber, but instead hung out with a gang and led a debauched life. At the age of 17, they attended a meeting where George Whitefield was preaching, with the intent of heckling. However, he was so impressed that he was converted to Christ. Robinson penned the words at age 23 in the year 1757. Later on, his life again became characterized by lapses into sin, unstableness, and false doctrine. • #420 O Thou Fount of Every Blessing • Tune my heart to sing thy grace – Eph 3:14-19; Raise my Ebenezer – 1 Sam 7:12 – the Lord has helped us; Jesus sought us, rescued us by giving His blood, to get us home; • Why are we a debtor to grace? Grace forgives us of sin. Fetter = chain, handcuffs. Plea is for God’s goodness to chain our wandering heart to Him, ask that we not let our hearts wander away from Him.

6. Singing Teaches Others • Examples Provided for Us to Follow • Mark 14:26 - 26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. • Acts 2:46-47 – “with simplicity of heart, Praising God” • Acts 16:25 - 25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” 29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” • Many Songs Talk About Teaching Others • Ring Out the Message • Tell me the Story of Jesus • What a Friend We Have in Jesus

7. Singing Connects us to One Another • Sing to Edify (build-up) each Other • 1 Cor 14:12-16 - 12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts,let it be for the edification of the church thatyou seek to excel. 13 Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. 16 Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? • Heb 2:12 - 11For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 saying: “ I will declare Your name to My brethren;In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.” • Members of the same body • 1 Cor 12:12, 23-26 – While we are individuals, we are still members of the one body, the church that Christ died for.

8. #265 Faith of Our Fathers • Author: Frederick Faber 1849; Composer: Henri Hemy; Tune Name: St. Catherine, 1864 • The faithful penned here are specifically referring to the Roman Catholic church during the 16th century. There are other verses that are not included that are not accurate and do not reflect Bible teaching. • The final 8 measure refrain “Faith of our Fathers holy faith, we will be true, to Thee till death” were added by James G Walton in 1874. • #265 Faith of Our Fathers • Hebrews 11 – The great chapter of the faithful. Spiritual giants who were willing to give all in defense of their faith in God. Heb 12:1 – A great cloud of witnesses. Many have been faithful over the years since the church was founded. • Faith of our fathers living still – Rom 8:38-39; Preach thee too, as love knows how, by kindly words and virtuous life – 1 John 2:1-6

9. Singing Calms, Reassures Our Soul, and Strengthens Our Faith • Singing reinforces what we know from God’s word • Singing changes us collectively and individually. Phil 2:12-13 • Hymns invite us to delight in God’s presence, not merely think about Him. Music awakens us to God’s matchless power, beauty, and transcendence. • Music is different from talking because we are able to concentrate on what we are saying, not think about what we want to say. We are able to speak the same thing together and concentrate on how we edify each other or praise God together. • God will be praised in song in Heaven - Revelation 4 & 5 • Rev 5:8-10 – Now when He had taken the scroll the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song saying, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals. For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation and have made us kinds and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

10. #560 It Is Well With My Soul • Words: Horatio G. Spafford, 1873. Music: Ville du Havre, Philip P. Bliss, 1876. The tune is named after the ship on which Spafford’s children perished, the S.S. Ville de Havre. • Spafford was a lawyer and “a man of unusual intelligence and refinement, deeply spiritual, and a devoted student of the Scriptures.” This hymn was written after two major traumas in Spafford’s life. The first was the great Chicago Fire of October 1871, which ruined him financially (he had been a wealthy businessman). Shortly after, in November 1871, he sent his family to Europe for a vacation and missionary trip, on which he was to join them. While crossing the Atlantic, all four of Spafford’s daughters died in a collision with another ship. Spafford’s wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, “Saved alone.” • Several weeks later, as Spafford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daughters died, he penned these words. Later in his life he went to Jerusalem and began a program to care for the sick and the destitute. • This song focuses on the eternal hope that all believers have, no matter what pain and grief befall them on earth. The song gives God the glory for teaching us to rely on Him. (James 1:16-21) • #560 It Is Well With My Soul • It is well with my soul because:1. My whole sin is nailed to the cross; 2. Christ shed His blood for me; 3. Awaiting the day when Heaven is near, until then it is well with my soul.

11. Do you have a need that we can help you with? • God assures us that He has spoken – HEAR the gospel message – Rom 10:17 • All you have to do is BELIEVE that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God – John 8:24 • That belief will cause you to realize that you have done wrong that you no longer wish to do – REPENT of your sins – Luke 13:3 • That belief and faith will prompt you to CONFESS that Jesus is Lord – Rom 10:9-10 • Once you have heard the word, believed in Jesus, repented of your sins, confessed that He is Lord, you will show the world that you are born again and come into contact with His blood for the remission of your sins through IMMERSION – Gal 3:27 • Live your life before Him, always trying to do your best